The amazing love and mercy of God

Good morning! It has been such a long time since I posted anything on this blog. The time has come for me to improve on the discipline of journaling. So here I am ready to get started.

This morning I discovered another amazing aspect of God and His amazing love and mercy. No matter how sinful we are or might become, He never gives up on us. We can participate in the most evil practices, and yet God constantly extends His hand to us. Are you familiar with the story of King Manasseh? It is an interesting true account of transformation. The things Manasseh did are relevant to us even today. The Bible tells his story in 2 Chron. 33:1-20. He became king when he was twelve years old, and reigned for fifty-five years. Early in his life he "did evil in the sight of the Lord" (2 Chron 33:2) The Bible lists these actions of Manasseh as evil:

* he raised up altars for the Baals (pagan god worship)
* he made wooden idols and worshipped them
* he built altars for idol worship in the temple
* he sacrificed his own children on a fire
* he practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft
* he consulted with mediums and psychics

These are sinful actions, and as Christians we are called never to participate in them. The bible is clear about it, yet the world will tempt us to participate in them. There are commercials on tv advertising psychic networks to call. We see the acceptance of sorcery, divination, and witchcraft in books and movies marketed to youth. And who among us can escape from the temptation to form our own idols? We might not carve an idol out of wood, but we can make idols nonetheless. Some idols I've stuggled with in my past include money worship, material possession worship, and body image worship.

My encouragement comes from the rest of Manasseh's story. We, like Manasseh, will fall into temptation to sin against the Lord. God is never finished with us when that happens. God doesn't want to see any of His children fall into destruction. He is serious about saving us all, each and every one of us. He loves us too much to watch us fall and get hurt. After all, we are His beloved children. He created us!

Manasseh hit rock bottom as a result of his evil ways. God attempted to warn Manasseh and save him. Verse 10 of 2 Chron 33 states, "the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen." Ok, I have to ask you here, if God spoke directly to you with a warning, would you choose to ignore it as Manasseh did? Manasseh ignored God's warning and he was captured by the army of the king of Assyria, bound in chains, and carried off to Babylon. In his "rock bottom" situation, Manasseh finally was wise to realize he had sinned. And "when he was in affliction, he implored the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed to Him; God received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom." (2 Chron 33:12-13)

This is God's great promise to us. No matter what path we are taking, we can always repent and God will renew us. The word repent means to turn around, to change our course, and I love to think of it as doing a complete 180. It is so simple for us to cry out to God, confess our sin, and receive His amazing love and mercy. What a message of hope for us today!

Now, I must get on my soap box just a little for the day. Over the past couple of years I have become passionate about stearing clear of evil influences. I believe the evil one is working very hard to make each of us fall. The evil one does this subtly. He causes us to think evil is really not so bad. The example I refer to is the Harry Potter book series. The world promotes it as great entertainment. In fact, I've been teased about refusing to read or watch any Harry Potter installment. I won't expose myself to it because it is all about sorcery and witchcraft. The bible explains those are sins. Manasseh got into a lot of trouble for participating in them. Why in the world would we buy into it? My theory is because the evil one makes it seem not so bad.

Please, please stay away from the tempting influences of the evil one and this world. Witchcraft, sorcery, and divination are making a huge comeback. Wicca is becoming a very popular religion among young women. Please don't fall into the trap. There are even movies and books like the Twilight series that glorify vampires. Seriously, vampires are part of the evil one's army. So don't follow the world, stay true to God and His love for you.

In conclusion, I find it much more compelling to follow God because His amazing love and mercy never cease.

Puppy Love

This year my youngest son asked Santa Claus to bring him a puppy for Christmas. As you might recall from an earlier blog entry, we said goodbye to our dog Cayman this year. Well, my son loves dogs so much and really misses Cayman. He is longing for a puppy.

That got me to think about what make puppies so special? First of all, puppies have soft fur that's fun to touch. Puppies are playful. They protect us and each other. That's part of their instinct from days of old when they traveled in packs. Puppies are smart. But most of all, puppies love us unconditionally with an unparalleled obedience. Those qualities are what make us want a puppy for a pet and a friend. We can always rely on them to bring us joy and happiness.

I believe God gave us puppies so we might have more happiness on earth. The Bible tells us that God commanded Adam to "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Genesis 1:28 So our Heavenly Father gave us dominion over puppies, and that's why they are obedient to us in love. Dogs see us as their masters, much as God is our Master. We set rules and boundaries for our pets to keep them safe because we love them. Much the same God loves us and gives us guidelines to keep us safe.

We have much to learn from our faithful puppies. If only we would behave more like puppies our world could be a better place. For instance, what if we followed our loved ones everywhere wanting only to spend time with them? Better yet, what if we devoted our day to following and seeking God the way our puppies look for us? How about if we played more, gave more love, and enjoyed simple pleasures? What if we stopped getting too busy and instead took time to "be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10.

I am going to try to live life more like a puppy this holiday season. How about you?

The Twelve Days of Christmas

The Christmas season is my favorite time of year. There is something special about all the fun traditions. I enjoy wrapping gifts, baking cookies, spending time with family, sending Christmas cards, and all while listening to Christmas music. Music is very much a passion of mine, so carols play a big part in my Christmas season memories.

There is one Christmas carol that has not been a favorite of mine. Each time this particular carol would play on the radio, I'd roll my eyes and think "here we go again." It may in fact be the same carol that elicits similar feelings in you. Ever heard of "The twelve days of Christmas"? I always felt it was dull and droned on and on. That is until two days ago when I learned the history behind this carol. With the knowledge about what the carol really means, I have a new found appreciation for it. In fact, I believe it will never sound the same to me again. It will also bring tears of joy to my eyes as does "Silent Night" or "O Come, o come Emmanuel."

Here is the history:

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were
not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone
during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.
It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning
plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each
element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality
which the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching,Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness,Faithfulness,
Gentleness, and Self Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish.

Mothers and Daughters

The bond between a Mother and Daughter can be a precious thing. I am blessed to have a wonderful daughter who loves me. I am also blessed to have an amazing Mother who taught me how to love by example. The Lord has been very good to me.

There are mothers and daughters with strained relationships who probably don't feel blessed. We live in a fallen world where life is not perfect. My prayer is that each mother and daughter might discover a deeper love.

Which category do you fit into? The first one where you have an amazing, close relationship with your mother? Or are you someone who could care less about being with your mom?

The Bible tells us we are called to love, even to love our enemies. We are also commanded to pray for our enemies. How is that going for you? Have you ever prayed for your enemies? If you have, you know it is really hard to stay mad at someone when you pray for them. Right?

Mothers are not perfect...we are human just like everyone. However, mothers do have life experience and a lot to teach you if you will listen. This week I challenge you to pray for your Mother and to do something nice for her. Chances are God might bless you with a daughter someday. What would you want her to do for you? How would you expect her to treat you? Think about it, pray about it, and then follow your heart.

Team Spirit

How many of you have attended a football game in your life? Probably a lot of you go to your high school football games on Friday nights. I recently went to a Friday night football game after many years of not attending. Remember, it's been a while since I was in high school! The very next day I had the opportunity to attend a football game at The University of Iowa.

The most outstanding thing I noticed was the excitement and energy of the fans. Those cheering were football parents, cheerleaders, alumni, students, and even young children. All spectators had the same thing in common. They love their team so much, it spills out with raised hands and raised voices.

The last time you went to church, did you stand up and cheer for Jesus? I'm guessing the answer to that is probably "no". If you are like me, I grew up in a church more concerned with being quiet and somber than joyful. My husband loves to say, "the spirit is willing, but the hands are Lutheran." However, during both games the thought occurred to me that this was what Heaven will be like. We will be surrounded by millions of fans praising God and cheering with all our hearts. As the marching band came on the field, I was reminded of King David. The Bible tells how King David returned to Jerusalem with the ark of the covenant with great joy:

"So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness. Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet." 2 Samuel 6:12-15

We could learn a lot from King David, and a lot from football games. Expressing our joy for God and the gift of salvation He gives us should be from our hearts. If we can let our hearts express our joy freely for our team, and for team spirit, why not for Jesus as well? Think about that the next time you go to a football game. And why not quietly say to Jesus, "my heart cheers for you" during the joy of the game. I know you will make Him smile.

Letting people down

"I'm afraid of letting people down."

What is it about being afraid of disappointing others that makes us afraid? As Christians, we accept the fact we are imperfect and need Jesus to save us. Jesus died on the cross to cover our sins. No matter how hard we try, we are going to make mistakes. Part of our life this side of Heaven guarantees there will be times when we will let people down.

Letting people down, or disappointing others, is going to happen to you at some time in your life. That is reality. It really hurts when we let down someone we really care about. For instance, when I let my husband down, or do something to disappoint him, my heart breaks. He is so important to me. I respect him so much, and respect his opinion that when I disappoint him I feel awful.

Our society places high expectations on perfection. That is because our society is secular, so it expects perfection at all times. We are supposed to be perfect, first place, never make a mistake, etc. Of course that is unreasonable. We know that. But it's hard to remember when we are emotional about letting someone down.

Let's look to the Bible for comfort. God never changes. He is our strong tower, our fortress. The Bible says He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Take comfort in that. It also reminds us that God is always with us to carry us through our difficult times. He never cuts out when the going gets tough.

Psalm 46:1-2, 10-11 says, "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear...Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge."

God is "A very present help in trouble" and the word present reminds us He is with us in every moment. All you have to do is cry out to Jesus and ask Him to heal and help you. He will bring you peace, and before you know it you will feel better.

Will you pray with me?

Lord, You are a very present help in time of need. You raise our spirits and heal us. Praise to You for never changing! We know You are the same today as You were before the creation of our universe. Help us when we disappoint people. Remind us we are human and You forgive our mistakes. Please refresh our hearts and let us feel Your love today and every day. It's in Jesus' precious name we pray. Amen.

What are you afraid of?

There is no doubt that this world can be a scary place. What are you afraid of? I believe it is harder to be a teen woman in today's world than it was when I was a teenager. Life is so much more complicated now.

Did you know the command, "Do not be afraid" or "fear not" appear more often in the Bible than any other command? God, our creator, knows we become afraid so easily in this dark world. He tells us many times not to fear. The emotion of fear, we are told, is not from God. Fear comes from the unknown, the unseen, and is something the evil one uses to paralyze us.

So again I ask, what are you afraid of? I am starting a teen women's ministry at my church. It would be so helpful if you could send me the things that frighten you. It's a poll of sorts, so I can begin to learn more about what this world throws at you.

Keep checking this blog for more thoughts and encouragement. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!