Category: Life

“Finding the Melodies of life (a metaphor of holiness) – Chapter 3 “Practice makes qadosh”

Previous chapters: 

https://pastorsponderings.org/2014/02/06/finding-the-melodies-of-life-a-metaphor-of-holiness-introduction/

https://pastorsponderings.org/2014/02/07/finding-the-melodies-of-life-a-metaphor-of-holiness-chapter-1/

https://pastorsponderings.org/2014/02/10/finding-the-melodies-of-life-a-metaphor-of-holiness-chapter-2-finding-your-voice/

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Chapter 3

Practice makes perfect qadosh

“Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul.” –Unknown

“ All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally. 26 I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! 27 I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.” 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 (MSG)

I must be careful here when I use this metaphor comparison of practicing to become perfect in music to be similar to holiness.   We must strive for excellence in our personal and spiritual lives, this is true, but holiness is not perfection in the way that we view earthly perfection.  The literal meaning of the word qadosh which we use when we refer to holiness is not perfection, but rather it implies the personal intent to be set apart.  Being set apart means that we as children of God (those who have a relationship with Christ) must separate themselves from the old ways of living…in this we must practice and strive for excellence.  Being set apart takes practice and discipline.  When we become saved we receive the Holy Spirit (initial sanctification) we are made aware of our short comings and sin.  At the altar we commit our lives to Christ, it is at this point that the Holy Spirit begins this work within us to help us maintain the commitment to Christ to remain set apart.  In the Wesleyan tradition they would call this progressive sanctification, meaning that the Holy Spirit’s help enables us to make steps towards reflecting the very image of Christ in our lives.  Is entire sanctification possible?  Yes, but let me again reiterate that our aim is not perfection but reflection of Christ.  Practice makes perfect…perhaps we should alter this phrase to say, practice makes qadosh. 

 

Coming home from school when I was just learning to play the cornet was something I began to dread.  I knew that as soon as I came home, I would have to make my way across the courtyard where we lived in the church parish house into that tiny chapel and pick up my instrument and begin to practice my scales.  I began to hate coming home after school to practice.  While I was sitting in that little chapel, my friends were having the time of their lives playing soccer and having wild adventures and doing it all without me there.  But day after day, hour after hour, I would sit there and try to make that cornet sound like an instrument instead of a screeching and dying animal.  Many times while in these practices I would become frustrated with the lack of progress I was making.  I would want to quit numerous times but over the frames of his glasses, my father would look at me and remind me that “practice makes perfect”.  Boy did I begin to strongly dislike that phrase!   What does practice makes perfect mean anyway?  Is it just something someone says to keep another striving harder?  There in that little chapel, sometimes with tears in my eyes as frustration mounted, I wanted to do anything but practice…in fact I wanted to run away from it all, to quit and not look back…but I didn’t.  As I’ve grown older and hopefully wiser, I can now see the wisdom in that phrase, for as a child I needed prodding, encouragement and even discipline to complete the task of practicing, let alone perfecting anything.  Over and over I would try, and over and over again I would fail.  When confronted with a task such as practicing, failure is a very real, tangible practice partner. 

 

Ask anyone and I’m almost positive that they would agree that failure at something, anything is never our aim or desire!  Failure, in my opinion is feared above most things.  But when failure is viewed in the aspect of practicing, one learns to embrace it.  Don’t misunderstand me though, I don’t mean to say that we strive to fail, but what I am saying is failure journeys along with us in the practice room as we strive to perfect the music.  Failure is a part of the practice; it is both to be hated and something to motivate us to do better next time thereby removing that failed attempt and replacing it with a successful one.

 

“Champions keep playing until they get it right.” 
― Billie Jean King

 

When I sat in that little chapel practicing for what seemed like hours, I was being set apart to get the music right.  I wasn’t placed there to make the music sound perfect but in my practice I was striving to sound better, to play better and more confident in my music abilities. 

 

God created each of us for His holy purpose.  He wants fellowship with us on a daily, even moment by moment basis, but without the practice of spiritual disciplines which includes intentionally setting ourselves apart with the intent to study of His word and prayer; we will not truly become His holy people.  The practice of solitude with God means that we MUST set aside time for the most important relationship that we have here on earth and beyond. 

Holiness cannot take up root in our lives, or will be extremely stunted if we do not seek to have qadosh as a key ingredient.  Being set apart means so much more than just getting away from the old sinful life, it means that we are intentional about living for Christ every day…and that takes practice! 

 

    “Holiness, as taught in the Scriptures, is not based upon knowledge on our part. Rather, it is based upon the resurrected Christ in-dwelling us and changing us into His likeness.” ― A.W. Tozer, Preparing for Jesus’ Return: Daily Live the Blessed Hope

 

Is it your desire to be changed by the Holy Spirit for a holy purpose?  Then practice it daily even moment by moment!  Without personal intent within the realms of Holy Spirit led prodding we will not become proficient children of God. 

I am reminded of a song as I close out this chapter, it goes like this:

(Song #495)

I’m set apart for Jesus,

To be a king and priest;

His life in me increases,

Upon his love I feast.

From evil separated,

Made holy by his blood,

My all is consecrated

Unto the living God.

2.

I’m set apart for Jesus,

His goodness I have seen,

He makes my heart his altar,

He keeps his temple clean.

Our union none can sever,

Together every hour,

His life is mine for ever

With resurrection power.

3.

I’m set apart for Jesus,

With him to ever stay,

My spirit he releases,

He drives my foes away.

He gives full strength for trial

And shields when darts are hurled;

With him and self-denial

I overcome the world.

William James Pearson (1832-92)

The Song Book of The Salvation Army: Issued by the authority of The General.

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“Finding the Melodies of Life” (a metaphor of holiness) – Chapter 2 “Finding your voice”

Need to catch up? Here are the previous chapter(s):
https://pastorsponderings.org/2014/02/06/finding-the-melodies-of-life-a-metaphor-of-holiness-introduction/
https://pastorsponderings.org/2014/02/07/finding-the-melodies-of-life-a-metaphor-of-holiness-chapter-1/

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Chapter 2

Finding your voice

“I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like food or water.” –Ray Charles

 

In brass instruments and in even woodwinds the requirement for practiced embouchure is one of the most pivotal lessons a new beginner can learn.  Embouchure is the application of one’s lips or mouth onto a mouth piece or reed in order to create the desired sound or vibration that leads to music.  The facial muscles are applied in such a way that to a beginner it can cause discomfort jaw ache.  The momentary ache felt by the new beginner pales in comparison to the music that is created out of such discomfort.  When the lips are properly applied to the instrument there is a connection that is made, there is hope and a glimmer of what can become of this instrument.  You see, playing music isn’t only about looking the part, holding the instrument in the correct manner, but it requires the musician to sacrifice something of themselves for the purpose of performance.  

 

I remember holding that instrument up close to my face, then being taught to pucker my lips into the formation of a strange grimace while making a small hole within my lips so that the air could exhale from my body.  I was giving something of myself into that lifeless instrument for a greater purpose. 

 

“The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7 (NIV)

 

Picture it for a moment, creator God, the artist and conductor of life, breathing the essence of life into the lifeless; He was giving something of Himself into his creation for a holy purpose.  God looked at the world He had created, the animals, the trees and oceans, and finally our first parents, and He said “it was good”.   God breathed life into the very fiber of human kind and in that moment this symphony of life began for us all.  Notice that before God poured the breath of life into man, he wasn’t a living being, man was dormant and still.  Just think about that for a second, ponder it…soak it in…is your mind blown yet?    Without the very life breath of God, the entirety of our existence would remain and always continue to remain just dust.  The Hebrew word for breathing life into us is;  nishmath chaiyim, meaning “the breath of LIVES” which implies not only life but intellect as well. While this breath of God expanded the lungs and set them in play, his inspiration gave both spirit and understanding to mankind. 

When we apply ourselves to the everyday tasks of life, what we are doing is exercising the very breath of God in our human existence.  Our intellect – God breathed, our temperament – God Breathed, our sense of identity – God breathed.  When we come to the understanding that we were created to be intricately connected to our Creator God, our worldview and sense of purpose begins to change as well.  With this higher understanding, it then becomes all too clear how pivotal and vital God views our part in this life.   We were created with Divine intent not some cosmic accident, when we understand that this very breath of God exists within us, the appropriate response to this knowledge is to exhale into our world love, exhale into our world hope, exhale into our world purpose.  When we play the music God has called us to play, the end result is transformation from fallen creation to restored creation – reconciled to God. 

But there is still something missing in our relationship to the Great Conductor of life.  What is still required of us in order to exhale or to breathe the breath of God in our lives?  When we pick up the instrument God has handed us to play and place it to our lips we must apply muscles, we must strain, learning new principles…spiritual embouchure.  Another word for it is spiritual discipline. 

Richard Foster in his book Celebration of Disciple: The Path of Spiritual growth, writes;

“A farmer is helpless to grow grain; all he can do is provide the right conditions for the growing of grain. He cultivates the ground, he plants the seed, he waters the plants, and then the natural forces of the earth take over and up comes the grain…This is the way it is with the Spiritual Disciplines – they are a way of sowing to the Spirit… By themselves the Spiritual Disciplines can do nothing; they can only get us to the place where something can be done.” 

 

In our giving, in our application of spiritual embouchure, there is pain and sacrifice.  What drives us to sacrifice?  What motivates us to keep going when we face and encounter discouragement and frustration?  Faith.  Faith must be our motivator, the oil in the valves of who we are in God’s symphony.  We prepare ourselves; we pick up the instrument or gifts of God, placing them to our lips with the knowledge that we will most likely fail before we succeed.  Spiritual embouchure is risky.  We are essentially putting ourselves out there for God and for the music that He desires us to play.  Finding our voice is not easy; we have to give something of ourselves in order for us to reach that discovery.  Just as God breathed life and inspiration into our bones so too we must give something of ourselves in this life that we live.

Notice the words of the Apostle Peter, he understood what it meant to give something of himself for the purpose of God’s symphony: 
“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” 1 Peter 4:12-13 (NIV)

Because that breath of life exists in us, which urges us to play the music God has placed in us, we then must enact our spiritual embouchure which will be painful, difficult and it might cause our hearts to ache…but when we do so, we are participating and we begin to catch a glimpse of the performance of Christ in us so that others might be saved.   Give it a try, exhale deeply, let His presence permeate our lives so fully that the pain we encounter along the way only strengthens our resolve to play His music in our lives.  

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“Finding the Melodies of Life” (a metaphor of holiness) – Chapter 1

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Chapter 1

Orientation

(Music 101)

 “I’m starting with the man in the mirror, I’m asking him to change his ways.” -Michael Jackson

 

 I remember at the age of around seven years old, my father forced to me learn an instrument.  Now I say forced, but in his loving way, he convinced me to pick it up for the first time…but I would have to say he forced me to practice that instrument.  Before I could become a musician I had to become familiar with the instrument I was to play.  I can still recall picking up that cold metallic brass cornet for the first time.  It felt foreign in my hands.  This instrument, similar to those that I had heard great musicians play was now placed in my hands, and I had no idea how to play it.  The first thing I had to do in order to play it was to become familiar with how it felt in my hands.  I had to learn how to place my fingers over the valves in the proper manner, while sitting with correct posture, which I had a great deal of trouble learning.  These were things I had never considered to be important much less required of me in order play a musical instrument properly.  The orientation of the instrument is of the utmost importance for proper implementation for performing music.  

“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” Romans 12:3 (NIV)

If we are to become oriented with the music that God has placed in our very souls, we have to become oriented with the very God who created that music in the first place.  But it doesn’t stop with knowing this creator God; it then becomes all important to know how God has made us.  Our personalities, our temperament, our peculiarities are all vital to the orientation process.  If our desire is to fool ourselves or convince ourselves of something that is not true then we will never learn the true music of our souls.  In Romans 12:3, Paul reminds us of how important it is to have a sober judgment of ourselves.  In other words, look carefully in the mirror, be honest with yourself.  If we ever want to grow up in our faith, then true maturity begins with becoming familiar with who we are – faults and all.  Only when we begin to take a long hard look at who we are now, will we then begin to see who God wants us to be.   God has a whole different melody for us to play; it’s a new environment to explore and to learn, and if we never learn to understand who we are and who God has intended us to be, then we will never learn to play the music of our souls. 

Turning over that cold brass instrument in my hands so many years ago…I have a confession to make, I never thought I would ever be able to learn to play it.  The task seemed too daunting, my perception of myself – too limited, and if I had refused to become familiar I would have never learned to play the music. 

Many of us are like this; too limited.   Perhaps we never had someone to cheer us on or encourage us.  Maybe, our self-confidence is so small that even imagining God wanting us to play the music for Him seems too good to be true.  Some of us even think our abilities and our gifts will never amount to much, or are so insignificant that God won’t even notice if we don’t play.  But the fact of the matter is, God will notice, He DOES want you to play the music and He has been there from the beginning encouraging you to pick up your instrument of gifts and get oriented.  This experience requires faith, faith in our performance, faith in the music we’ve been created to play, and faith in the conductor (God) that He knows what He’s doing.  This, above all else, either propels us into the ultimate performance of our lives with faith in hand; or causes us, through doubt and fear to create sounds and noises that in no way reflects true music at all. 

 

God’s purpose for all of us is to be joined together, fitting perfectly into his symphonic masterpiece and once we are oriented and understand His will for our lives, we can begin to play, but first we have to know what we’re playing.

 

Orientation begins with the instrument…and it begins with you.   If music is to be played at all, an instrument has to be selected.  God has given us so much by way of gifts, abilities and talents, but if we don’t explore them we will never be able to master them.  Exploration into the instrument is vital.  If I had, on that instrument orientation day, picked up my brand new cornet and tried to play it from the wrong end it would have looked rather foolish or even downright embarrassing.  I had to first explore, touch, feel, hold and finally position the instrument properly in my hands.  When I understood how the instrument was to be held, how each valve coincided with the fingertips on my right hand and finally how my left hand was to hold the instrument firmly for balance and posture, then I was ready to move on to actually putting the cornet to my lips.     

 

 “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” Psalm 139:14 (NIV)

 

Our orientation with God and what He has done for us is the most pivotal moment in our lives.  It can become the turning point, or the moment of clarity in which we decide that God, the great conductor, has a composition of complex melodies and harmonies waiting for us to play, if only we become oriented with what He has given us.  King David knew and was familiar with the ways of God.  He also recognized and acknowledged the way that God had made him: “Fearfully and wonderfully”.  When we become familiar or know them “full well”, as David states, we too then have begun our orientation of the part we are to play in this symphonic life. 

 

So don’t hold back, take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror.  Recognize who you are, and who God desires you to become.  It can sometimes be painful when we see our glaring failures along the way, but these pains are necessary even vital to our growth.  It’s orientation time…take a look, I dare you.  

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Finding the melodies of life (a metaphor of holiness) – Introduction

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Introduction

“Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music.”  -Ronald Reagan

 

The band begins to play.  Moments before, the sounds of their tuning and dissonant chords filled the theatre with broken parts, and sour notes as tuning slides, timpani, and valves are oiled and adjusted.  But as the music begins to be played by each musician, the notes that were once discombobulated and disjointed become unified, harmonious and beautiful.  The auditorium is alive.  Music is ignited!  The bandmaster, with baton waving erratically in the air, guides the musicians through the movement reminding them all of accidentals, dynamics, and key changes.  His role is no less important than that of the musicians he stands before.  Slowly and melodically the masterpiece, made up of notes on a page, reaches its climactic ending; and as the last notes are played, held out and released, there is brief moment of silence.  Within that brief moment, resides all of the work, all of the practices, all of the blood sweat and tears, and just as the last notes are released so too is the passion and love that the musicians have contained for so long for this musical composition.  It reaches out from the finale on stage, ever so slightly touching the listener, caressing their hearts and in turn drives them from their seats to their feet in accolades of fervor and joy.  This…is music!

 

Music is like breathing air, one needs to keep breathing in order to survive.  That is what I know about music!  Music is a part of me; it is sewn into the very fabric of who I am.  If one were to take out the stitching of melodies, harmonies, key changes, and accidentals; one would in some way begin to take away a very intrinsic part of who God has made this person to be.  Perhaps music doesn’t resound in all of us in the same way, but let me offer you an experiment in music for just a moment.  Have you ever experienced an epic moment in your life where you heard a composition of music, in any genre, that automatically pulled you back in time to another moment within your history?  One solitary second you are driving down the road listening to the radio, then this very specific song comes on and Bam, you are transported back in time to a point in your life where this very song is tied ever so tightly to an emotional or physical response.  Have you been there?  So have I, and this is how intrinsic music is to our very heart and souls.  It speaks to us beyond our hurts, beyond our joys, and calls us to take notice, to remember and to always embrace the melodies that God has placed inside of us all.  These melodies are so much more than mere songs heard on the radio or in music videos on Television.  They are the melodies we were created to perform in our lives, conjured up in our souls and in the very fabric of our being.  God has called us to sing or play the music of our souls on the stage of this life, not only for our own amusement or enjoyment alone, but because He revels in our creativity, He celebrates with our inquisitive hearts, and He wants us to play the music that we were created to play.  But the question that begs to be answered and hangs in the air like the last resounding notes on a page is this: do we know how to play the music? 

Some say that we can learn as easy as riding a bike, but what if no one ever taught us to ride that bike?  What if that parent wasn’t behind us pushing and cheering us on?  If you have ever wondered what melody God has called you to play, then this book, these prayer thoughts are for you.  If you have not wondered what tune has been placed in your heart, perhaps this is THE moment to begin exploring and plumbing the depths of your heart.  Believe it or not, God has planted that seed in your life to perform the tune of your lifetime for the world to see and hear.   We are called to play the music.  But how do we find our tune?  Do we even know how to play? 

 

This is where it all begins…Music Orientation 101 for the soul:

 

“Dear God,
I am so afraid to open my clenched fists!
Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to?
Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands?
Please help me to gradually open my hands
and to discover that I am not what I own,
but what you want to give me.” -Heni Nouwen

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Breaking Bieber

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In a court room before a judge the famous man stands in an orange prison jumpsuit.  Cameras flash and pop as the piranhas of the “entertainment” business catch their daily scoop which will be read and seen by millions across the world.  The man looks disheveled, unshaven and in his eyes appears to look like a cornered animal.  The judge asks him if he has anything to say and for a few moments it looks as if he might remain silent as this moment of great embarrassment seems to linger on for what seems like hours.  Finally he coughs and clears his throat and then admits his guilt, “please, don’t send me to jail, I’m an addict and I am so sorry… It’s like I’ve got a shotgun in my mouth, my finger on the trigger and I like the taste of gun metal.”  

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These words weren’t spoken by Justin Bieber in his recent court appearance in Miami, nor were they the words of troubled actor turned director Shia Labeouf.

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 These were the words of famous current A-lister Actor Robert Downey Jr in 1999 when we was sentenced to jail.    He could have easily died from his addiction like Actor Philip Seymor Hoffman did this past weekend (which is horribly sad in and of itself!). 

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His life was in ruins and he knew it.  He was fighting to stay out of jail but worse he had demons of addiction attempting to break down the doors.  

Justin Bieber hasn’t risen yet to the raucous, embarrassing spectacle that was Charlie Sheen, but honestly, the never ending slew of one-liner jokes and national punch lines aren’t helping.  The 19 year old,  who is still two years away from being a legal adult (drinking age in the US) is seemingly the butt of every joke.  I cannot begin to imagine the stress that he is under night in and night out to perform at the level his fans around the world are used to seeing.  

Some might remember me slamming Miley Cyrus for her actions in recent months, and I am certainly not condoning or excusing  Bieber for his drunken drag racing incident recently or his near fist-a-cuffs with a reporter…these actions are inexcusable.  But what I am suggesting is that if people like Bieber are going to survive the next five years of their lives then the carrion culture who places such stars on pedestals and then lights the pedestal on fire needs to end.  I’ve slammed production companies and talent scouts who prey on young families of would be television stardom before, but I can’t stress it enough that the parents of out-of-control stars need to step up and set their child straight.  

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The pressures must be immense at these levels, I can’t even begin to imagine…but we the public also have a role to play in this.  Sometimes I think we’re like circling vultures who are avidly watching a hurting/dying animal below.  We’re just waiting for the shine to wear off and for the dying animal to keel over.  We’re so blood thirsty at times for the next juicy tidbit of gossip all the while we have celebrity death pool picks online to guess which star is going to self-destruct next.  

Call me a naive fool, but I can’t help but think that our ever increasing fascination with stardom is killing people.  It’s easy to tell or listen to the next Justin Bieber joke (I’m guilty of this, I admit it)…he’s an easy target, but I can’t help but feel sorry for the guy too.  He’s become the next Michael Jackson of ridicule and idiocy.  

As a Christ-follower I see people like Bieber and many others and I see pain.  I see that despite all of the accolades and fame these are people who have lost or are losing their true identity to a world-wide marketing image of what they should be.  We can continue to rail against clothing designers (big fortune 500 names) who have forced or fired models because they want them thinner, but we forget that the same kind of image market drives teen stars and celebrities.  We forget that these are people too, not just objects of our hopes for the next big movie block buster or platinum album.  

I’m just sick of watching these actors and musicians self-destruct while we watch hungrily from our self-made Roman Coliseums also known as our living rooms.  If God made everyone of us in His image, this means he loves every single person on this planet.  He loves the super star and He loves the common person just the same.  Life is precious, and I’m tired of seeing it devalued day after day coupled with the plight of addictions and worldly pressures.  

I pray for people like Justin Bieber…seriously I do.  I pray for people like Miley Cyrus, and Lindsey Lohan, and Shia Labeouf…and so many more just like them.  I pray answers may be found for each of them.  That they never lose their true identities in the midst of public spectacles and courting fame. Most importantly I pray for Salvation and Restoration in their lives by the One living source of all Hope, Glory, Peace, Love and Healing – Jesus Christ Himself!

 I’m tired of reading about the latest teen sensation or child-turned-adult-actor who has committed suicide or died of a supposed overdose.  

Give em a brake, pray for them, and perhaps something amazing will take place because of it.  

-Just a thought.   

 

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The Patron Saint of Last Ditch Efforts

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She fought her way through the throngs of people.  Every inch was a battle, but her objective was in sight.  “If only I can reach him”, she thought, “maybe I can be healed.”  Still more people seemed to teem from neighboring dwellings as curiosity got the better of them and they had to see what this crowd was doing.  As Jesus continued to walk, so the crowd of people following Him grew as well, but she was determined to reach Him.  Finally after pushing past another person, she found herself directly behind him.  This was it.  This was her moment.  If she didn’t do it now her chance would be gone and so would the possibility of being healed.  She had heard of his miracles, that he could heal.  The woman had visited numerous “healers” yet none of them could help her.  She had all but given up any hope of complete restoration of her health, until she heard Jesus was coming.  Now, directly behind the healer, she reached out to touch him.  In her mind she had already believed that if he could heal her all she would have to do is touch him.  So with arms extended and fingertips stretching outward, she touches him.  What happens next not only confirms her belief, but ignites hope again within her heart and mind.  A power surge unlike any other is felt throughout her body.  What began as a simple touch of her fingertips sends a pulse of energy to her elbow, her shoulder, her hips, her knees and even her feet.  

Wide-eye and surprised Jesus suddenly stopped walking and turned to the crowd.  “Who touched my clothes?”  He asked.  Some of the crowd mumbled things like “we all touched you”, “I just bumped into you”, and “perhaps it was me”…but that wasn’t what Jesus meant.  He had felt power leave His body, and He looked for the one who had intentionally touched Him.  The woman who had suddenly been healed by the simple touch of his clothing knew instantly that Jesus was looking for her.  In just mere seconds she had a decision to make, she could simply disappear back into the crowd and go home, or she could admit to Jesus that it had been she who had touched Him.  She didn’t hesitate, but came forward and fell at His feet.  Perhaps she was afraid He would be angry that she hadn’t asked Him to heal her.  Perhaps she thought He might take His healing from her.  But she knelt anyway and admitted to Jesus that she had touched him in the hopes of being healed.  

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Jesus’ response to her wasn’t anger or disappointment.  He looked down upon her with love and compassion and said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.  God in peace and be freed from your suffering.” (Mark 5:34)  Her last ditch effort to find healing had paid off.  She had been desperate and had suffered greatly over the years from this malady, and now she was completely healed and free from disease and suffering.  

Isn’t that what Jesus does for all of us?  We suffer from so many issues in this life.  Some suffer from actual physical ailments and diseases, while others suffer from spiritual diseases that pillages and ravages the heart and mind.  Yet Jesus comes to all, and though perhaps we have tried everything else without success, Jesus is there before us.  Perhaps it’s time.  Perhaps it’s your last ditch effort to find healing that no one else can provide you with.  If only you would reach out and touch Him and find that He has the power to save ultimately and completely!  

This is the kind of “last ditch effort” that has an eternal outcome.  Belief isn’t easy, yet this woman so long ago, who was clinging to her last hope reached out to a Savior who healed permanently.  Will you reach out to Him today?  Are you willing to place your faith in His mighty power?  He wants us to all believe in Him.  He loves us so deeply and stands ready to heal and save.  

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A Gift of Grace -by Marlene Chase (Lt. Colonel, R) “Perspectives” Day 4

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A Gift of Grace

by Marlene J. Chase

 

            Molly was a kind soul but a bit of an odd duck. Fifty-something and mentally challenged, she lived in a local nursing home. The Army was the only family she knew. I often picked her up on Sundays and for the weekly prayer meeting.

     She never let me forget but telephoned the day before a planned activity to remind me to stop for her. Sometimes she called more than once! And how she loved to talk. She wanted to tell me all about her day, what she had for breakfast, what activity was planned at the home. As with small children, though, she could be “tuned out” by busy, sometimes insensitive adults.

            Molly was square-shaped and plain. She loved pretty dresses and wore her few brightly-colored cotton ones proudly–often with mismatching belts or accessories. Her hair hung to her shoulders gray, straight and always with a bright ribbon tied in an ungainly bow on top. Thick glasses threatened to fall off her short nose when she walked–carefully in red and blue tennis shoes with yellow happy faces on each toe.

            One memory of Molly stands out from all the others. It had been one of those weeks when everything that could go wrong did. The demands of corps and family had pressed in on me like twin vises clamped on a delicate base. I didn’t want to hear about Molly’s week. I needed strength, endurance, a little peace. I needed grace, not Molly.

            Though shuffled from one institution to another with few of life’s comforts, Molly was always happy. That Sunday Molly was her usual cheerful self, chatting away a mile a minute.  I couldn’t find it in me to respond to her, so eventually we sat silent for the trip. It was warm, humid, ordinary, and I felt worn down to the bone.

            When we arrived, Molly climbed out in her usual awkward fashion, eager to go to church. But suddenly she stopped.

            “Oh, she exclaimed, putting one hand to her mouth and brightening like a lit flame. “Look what God gave us on the ground!”

            We had found it necessary to end the expensive contract with the lawn service, and the latest crop of dandelions were blooming like radiant suns in the green lawn. How quickly the nasty weeds had sprung up. But to Molly, her face vivid with delight, they were not weeds but exotic blossoms direct from God.

            I looked at again at the objects of her joy. They were beautiful! How is it I had never noticed?

            Suddenly my weariness and worry vanished in a gold-emerald sea. It took Molly to show me what was important, to remind me that God was still there giving His good gifts to enjoy. It took Molly to remind me of His grace.

 

To read more of Marlene Chase’s writings check out her books at Amazon – 

http://www.amazon.com/Marlene-J.-Chase/e/B001K8XP1M

Also available on: http://www.allromancewriters.com/booklist.cfm?authorID=3428

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Perspectives – by Stephen Court

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We have all messed up in various ways; we have all fallen short of the target; we have all disobeyed God. We have all sinned.

Our sins separate us from God and from the abundant life for which He created us.

The Lord Jesus Christ – God in the flesh – came down to earth, lived a perfect life, suffered the consequences we all, by our sinning, deserve, dying on the Cross for our sins. But He came back to life again, conquering sin and death, defeating the devil, ascending to heaven, interceding for us right now, and planning to come back again.

He says each of us, ‘Come, follow Me.” This is both the most spectacular invitation in the history of the world and the most elementary command, coming as it does, from the Creator of the Universe. And our response to this invitation / command will determine our destiny.

Rejection in any form – choosing to continue in our own direction – will lead us to our own destination, hell. Acceptance will bring forgiveness, regeneration, hope, purpose, love, acceptance, and eternal life in heaven.

How do we obey that command? Jesus clarifies, “Repent and believe.” That is, change our minds and our direction, turning from our sins, and trusting and relying on Him.

What does it look like to accept His invitation into His life? It is an amazing adventure in the supernatural as we die to ourselves and our petty little issues and, filled with His Holy Spirit, engage in His mission that runs through the agony of the world.

We are looking to win the world for Jesus.

Interested? —- @StephenCourt and Facebook…

 

 

Bio:

Stephen Court loves Jesus and is fighting as a Salvation Army officer to win the world for Jesus along with his family, comrade soldiers at the Crossroads Corps in Edmonton (Canada) and more than a million other Salvationists worldwide. You can catch him at armybarmyblog.blogspot.ca, StephenCourt (twitter), sacrossroads.com and Scott’s friend list on Facebook.

Tune in tomorrow for another installment of “Perspectives” featuring writer and author Bob Hostetler.

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Safe Harbor – The Spiritual Discipline of Solitude

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“A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.” -William G.T. Shed

I admit I’ve been addicted to the show “Deadliest Catch” for a few years now. 

Image It’s crazy, wild and it truly is a rugged dangerous living.  

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Don’t get ship-wrecked!

I was watching one episode where one of the skippers had to bring their fishing vessel into port because of a mechanical issue.  The seas were raging and the weather was not desirable, but they had to get to harbor for safety and repairs.  Of course the tv show paints it with great drama and suspense, but in this instance they were extremely worried about getting to the docks and getting out of the storm.  

 

 

Are you in need of getting out of the storm in your life today?  

Has the storm been brewing around you for a while now, swirling and ebbing, crashing against your vessel and threatening to capsize you?  Do you feel threatened and exposed, fearful of being washed away?  

Image we all need safe harbor!  I think the Apostle Paul felt this way many times in the midst of his persecution and imprisonment. He even knew a little bit about being literally shipwrecked (this happened to him not one or two times, but THREE times!).  He even wrote about it;  “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 

Safe harbor is vital for all of us to have.  Do you have a safe harbor?  Safe harbor needs to be a place where you can go and find rest.  A place that will shelter you from the storms.  A place where you know the storms of life can’t harm you.  Jesus said; 
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Safe Harbor is available – 

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But we have got to be willing to act on it…to actually go to the safe harbor.  We have to be willing to admit that these storms are more than we can handle.  Admit that we need help and our strength just isn’t enough to get us through what we’re going through.  

 

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 He waits for us to come to Him.  He doesn’t just want us to come to Him when we’re in danger…but that’s a start.  Sometimes we come to Him only after we’ve hit rock bottom.  Sometimes we come to Him only after all of our other resources dry up.  Yet He is always faithful!  He is always available.  

May I offer you a little ticket to the safe harbor?  Image

It’s just a gentle word of advice and help.  It’s a small thing that I’ve learned  I’m still learning…

Solitude with God: 

 

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It might sound kind of funny, but being silent before the Creator of the Universe really and truly helps!  There is no better place to go than to God for guidance and for a re-connection with Him.

 

We live in a world where we are surrounded by sounds and noise every day.  There are distractions in our homes and in our workplaces…so how do we find these moments of solitude with God?  Is it even possible?  

Yes it is!  But the real question then becomes are we truly willing to seek out these moments with God?  Are we prepared to sit in silence before Him?  Truly finding solitude in God’s safe harbor requires us to devote or set aside purposeful time with Him.  Without our dedication to the practice of solitude we will find ourselves hopelessly bored and defeated by it.  You have to prepare your mind and your life so that you can actually sit in silence before  Him.  

Anything worth doing takes work.  An Olympian can’t simply show up to an Olympic event without first having spent countless months, days even years practicing and training.  So it is with the spiritual discipline of solitude.  It’s called a discipline for a reason.  

dis·ci·pline
ˈdisəplin/
noun
 
  1. 1.
    the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience.
    “a lack of proper parental and school discipline”
     
     
    Discipline takes real work and practice.  Sitting in silence before God will take work!  Tuning out distractions and sounds/noises of our every day life will take work!  But it’s worth it!  Image
     
     
     
     
    Do you need safe harbor today?  
    Whether you’re burnt out, washed up, overly tired, stressed out, overwhelmed…whatever the case today, perhaps it’s time you became plugged back into the true source of power in this world!  Perhaps it’s time to realign your priorities which need to include these vital moments of solitude before a God who wants to encourage, strengthen, support and love you.  
     
    Are you ready?  
     
    -Just a thought for you today.
     
    (These thoughts and images were put together specifically for http://www.pastorsponderings.org but are free for anyone to use in the express hope that God’s word may be heard and seen.  May all the glory be given to God!)  

 

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Finding Love

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I started with hope –

Imagebecause I think hope begins things

makes us sing…

but faith and love…they have to be included too. 

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they just kind of go together don’t they? 

                                          You really can’t have one 

                                                                            without

                                                                                     the

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Every one needs,

                       craves, desires, 

                                   hopes, wishes, 

                                             dreams, aspires

                                                         yearns, waits 

                                                                             for   Image

 

Songs are written about it

                             poems are rhythmically charged with it

                                               countless books bleed from the heart of love.

How do we Image?

                                                                            How do we  

em·brace       IT?
emˈbrās/
verb
 
  1. 1.
    hold (someone) closely in one’s arms, esp. as a sign of affection.
    “Aunt Sophie embraced her warmly”
     

    hug, take/hold in one’s arms, hold, cuddle, clasp to one’s bosom,clasp, squeeze, clutch;….

     

    How do we flourish and thrive in it   Image?

    Love makes the world go around…not money, not fortune and fame…but Image

     

    It shines in the darkness, 

    paints over our mess

    helps us confess 

    blesses us…love…

     

    captivates, motivates, escalates, elevates…us.

     

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    Love always perseveres!  Always, always, always, always…always. 

    Image  Have you found love yet? 

    Is it worth finding at all? 

                                                 Image

     

     

     

     

     

    True love, 

    God’s love…

     

    Image

     

     

     

    It begins here…ends here…

    If we find it here, 

                     and cherish it here

                                depend on it here

     

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    Then from here 

    to   —————————————–> There

     

    Love will be.  

                         Real authentic, 

                                           no hidden agendas

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    Strings attached…

                                                                       No…

    From the source of Love, 

    God. 

    Almighty

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    We will  

    Image

     

     

    to the only 

    real source of 

    love.

     

    Find love today.

    He is waiting.

     

    With arms wide 

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    “Prodigal…welcome home!”

     

     

    Open.

     

     

    This.

    Is.

    Love. 

 

 

Begin with this one simple truth:
You are loved! You matter to God! You are important to Him! He loves you so very much! From this point of reference, may you find Him, and find love!

(These thoughts were written specifically for “Pastorsponderings.org” but they are free so that others might find love and hope through Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen and to God be there glory!)

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