God Is In Control

I think one of the most frequently quoted phrases by people in difficult places is "God is in control". Most of the time this phrase is used to soothe those who are dealing with difficulty or to give us courage when we see things that are frightening happening in the world around us.

I believe that phrase is true. As a matter of fact, as a Daily Audio Bible podcast listener, I have become more and more convinced of that as I listen to the books of Samuel. However, those passages have also reminded me of an important subpoint to this phrase. It goes something like this - "God is in control and that should comfort you if you love Him and obey Him and frighten you if you don't."

Some people's lives are a warning. Some people are used by God to display his righteous justice. This is not just an Old Testament truth. It is also clearly spelled out in Romans, especially chapter 9, an admittedly difficult passage to comprehend. Think of Pharoah and the Israelites. Think of Ananias and Saphira. Those are just two examples from a book full of examples.

Here's the rub though - I love some people whose lives are a warning. Their lives break my heart. I weep over them. I long for them to know God's love for them in a way that causes them to cast away anything that would break His heart and to run to Him with wild abandon. I don't look at their lives with judgement because I see so clearly the mercy of God in my own life when I look at their lives.

I am so grateful that I serve a God who can use the worst things we have ever done to preach a message of his great grace and mercy. I'm so grateful that God didn't JUST judge us as "guilty" and walk away but that He sent His only Son to die for our sins and pay our penalty. The penalty of sin really is death. We see that all around us in this world. But the free gift of God is eternal life.

How Will History Judge Us?

It has been a long time since I've "blogged". In part that is because I have allowed myself to become so busy that I have hardly had time to catch my breath, but also it is because what I have been wanting to write about is hard to say. I am going to attempt to write about it now because I don't see many people writing about it in a way that doesn't just hurt me to read it, but I may not be able to say these thoughts in a way that is not hurtful because the topic is painful.

As I watch and read about the Jewish holocaust, I frequently think, 'will we wake up someday to the horror of abortion and feel the same as the Germans at the end of the war?' I think about a famous man's daughter who, when finishing a tour of Aushwitz, wrote in the guest book 'why didn't anyone do anything?' and I wonder if our grandchildren will ask the same questions of us. I mean, I have a Planned Parenthood that I drive by frequently. Do they do abortions in there? If I think it's murder (which I do) and I am aware of the horrifying type of murder that it is, shouldn't I be more active in my fight against them or at least find out if they are killing babies there? Will I be able to stand before my grandchildren and say 'we didn't know what was going on in there'?

When I think this, I am always very aware of how offensive this comparision can be to the Jews. However, if anyone can watch "the silent scream" or see other pictures or videos of abortion (see youtube videos if you want to. I won't post them here because they are so disturbing that I can't stand to see them again myself) and not think that is a horrific thing to do to a human being, I don't understand their thinking. And in America alone, we have done that to 50 million babies since it became legal in 1973. That doesn't even take into account the slaughter we have paid for in other nations or the permission other nations felt from our leadership in this area and the babies that were killed because of that.

History can be a harsh judge. How will future generations look back on how we handled this crisis of conscience in America? Maybe 30 years ago we could say we didn't know but now we do. May we not look away. May we not turn our backs on them but may we, as a nation, turn from this tragic practice and value human life.

Spiders

Saturday night I was in "mega cleaning" mode. I was windexing everything in the kitchen and cleaning the oven when I grabbed a glove from under the sink. After cleaning the oven, I took off the glove and went on windexing. Pretty soon I felt something like a sticker on my shoulder and kind of rubbed at it but ignored it. Then I felt a similar sensation on my, ahem, "chest". I rubbed it and then looked down my shirt to see what the heck was going on down there and a !!!!SPIDER!!!! was squirming around in my bra!!!!!! EEEEWWWWW!!!!!!! Of course, I freaked completely out and called for Wade to come rescue me!!!

We put the ugly on a paper towel while Wade looked on the internet to see what kind it was and - sure enough - it was a fiddleback, also known as a brown recluse, also known as the harbinger of death! So we loaded up and went to an after hours clinic. The nurses there were completely freaked out by our friend in the baggie and the doctor said they don't really treat that. He recommended that I go to the ER because "they will probably put you on intravaneous antibiotics and steroids". HHHMMM???

So we called the poison control center and our family doctor's office on-call doctor. They both recommended that we go to the ER. The doctor said the only thing that really works for this kind of thing is an electric shock therapy that they only had at one hospital in the area. Well, we went to that hospital even though it was out of our network only to be told that they don't do that therapy. As a matter of fact the doctor there actually told us "I'm sorry they sent you here. There's really nothing you can do at this stage. If your skin falls off enough that you need a skin graft, that will be a surgical consult."!!!!!! So basically, if I lose a large enough chunk of my skin and underlying tissue to require a skin graft(!) I can get that fairly easily, probably due to adult stem cell research (see, I had to get my prolife thing in here, didn't I?) but they don't have anything to treat a stupid spider bite!? Yeah, it didn't make sense to me either. The ER doctor told me to contact my family physician on Monday.

Sunday morning I woke up feeling okay other than an aching shoulder and got ready for church. While getting ready I noticed that I looked like I had a sunburn but didn't worry too much about it. During church I began to feel cold pricklies and Wade noticed that my rash was getting worse. Also, I was becoming more emotional than usual (for those of you who know me personally, you are thinking, 'wow. That's a big deal!'). So I went down to the youth area to tell my favorite 7th grade girls that I woudn't be with them this week. A few of them had invited friends and we had a huge "small group". It would've been so exciting to get to know those girls under normal circumstances, but under the current verge of tears circumstances I was glad I had made other arrangements. I explained to them why I wouldn't be there, told them about an upcoming laser quest party, welcomed the new girls, handed over my charades paper slips to Kelly (our amazing girl's pastor), and headed home while I still could.

When I got home I took a great nap and woke up feeling some better although I was now bright red and itchy. The house smelled amazing because Wade had turned our pork roast from earlier in the week into delectible spicy barbequed pulled pork sandwiches on onion rolls. It was delicious. Then Wade went to take a nap. Since I was feeling kind of puny from the exertion of eating that sandwich (!), I went to lay down too. He had the television on and I took that as an invitation to talk to him as he fell asleep - waking him at that exact almost asleep point three times - very out of character for me. I usually try very hard to let people take naps because being awakened from a nap prematurely is an issue I can become homicidal about. I felt terrible, especially since he had been taking such good care of me. He was pretty irritated and went to "run some errands".

While he was gone, our 16 year old son decided that he was going to go to a movie with a friend. I told him I thought it was a bad idea on a Sunday evening and he argued with me about it which I was totally not in the mood for. I told him to call his dad, who said sure he could go to the movie. GGRRR! When Wade came home I was so mad that I packed up some stuff to go to my parents - which I have never done. Wade talked me down a little and I ended up going back to bed after a rant about everything under the sun. I am married to a saint!

So this morning, I woke up and my first thought was "I feel better today! Wait . . . I can't really see very well . . . what's going on there?" I went to the mirror and didn't recognize the face looking back at me. My face was swollen and my watch, which is usually very loose, was tight. Oh yeah, the rash was worse. And to really freak me out . . . the rash feels a little bit like a spider crawling on me! Oh yeah! Have I mentioned the "waking nightmares" I have been having of spiders crawling out of my shirt? I'm really looking forward to my brain being normal again!

So I made an appointment with my family doc. He was shocked that the ER doc hadn't given me any meds and said that at least three times. He even told me that a man who had a bad outcome with a spider bite had successfully sued a doctor for not prescribing the medicine he prescribed for me. He put me on a steroid and a leprosy medicine (to help me not lose large chunks of skin - I love that man!) and recommended that I rest for two days.

I came home after taking ibuprofen to my daughter for her orthodontist pain (from the appointment I took her to this morning before my doctor's appointment). The school secretary walked her to the car so I wouldn't have to go inside. Then I called my mom, arranged for she and my dad to pick up the kids, and went home and went to bed for the day. My mom brought us a wonderful dinner.

About an hour ago I started feeling pretty good. At supper my daughter mentioned that she needs cookies for her Spanish class tomorrow. I told her we could buy some on the way to school tomorrow and she said "but all my friends think your cookies are the best and they are expecting me to bring them!" Well, that worked! The combination of compliment and guilt trip sent me straight to the kitchen. I'm a sick woman and not just from spider bites!

I think I may be over the awfulness of this. Thank you all for your prayers. And thank you Dr. Dickinson for medicine. And thank you God for all my wonderful friends, my family, and my doctor! I am blessed!

Foundations

So today I am thinking about foundations. The Bible has a lot to say about foundations. Paul said he preferred to preach in places that had not yet heard the gospel so that he would not have to build on another man’s foundation. Then he instructed the Corinthians to be careful how they built on his foundation so that their work would be shown to be of high quality when it was tested by fire.
One of my fondest memories of college is my Introduction to Philosophy class. I relished reading those thinkers who had gone before me and having the chance to discuss their thoughts guided by a professor who took pleasure in introducing them to his student’s young minds. Sadly, I have forgotten much of what I read and when I try to read them now, I find they are too difficult for the dull instrument my mind has become.
I am trying to keep my mind keen however. One thing that I enjoy that helps me with this is the Mars Hill Audio Series. It is a monthly audio magazine that features current writers discussing how Christianity relates to various topics like music, economics, etc. However, as I listen and they bring up philosophers like Locke and Aquinas (both of whom I read in college), I have no idea what they are alluding to. They talk about it as if saying “this is very much like Locke” is like saying, “you know, it’s like the color brown” and the listener should automatically have a much broader understanding of the topic at hand. It always leaves me confused and feeling a little bit stupid but at the same time, I feel informed, encouraged, and inspired by the discussions.
In order to overcome this deficit in my ability to reason properly, I think I would like to audit that Philosophy class at Oklahoma Christian. I’m sure that it would be very different than it was 25 years ago. That would probably be an education in itself. But I think it would be a good way to reintroduce myself to the thinkers who have laid the rich foundation that we benefit from today.
I wonder how much of the economic and moral morass that our nation finds itself in would have been averted by an understanding of our philosophical foundations. Our founding fathers did not come to the conclusions that the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence are based upon in a vacuum. Most of them had been well trained in philosophy and theology. This foundation enabled them to think clearly about the very serious repercussions of their actions. How many of our current politicians have this foundation and what difference would it make if they did? For that matter, how many of our preachers know the foundations of their philosophies and theologies? Are we building on sand or on the rock?

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."*

- Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931 - 2005

Does anyone think the "bailout" will work?

So, I'm just thinking, does anyone think the bailout will work? If so I'd like to hear from you.
I'm pretty twisted about it. I think the economy is showing signs of straightening out without $280,000,000,000,000 (did you see all those zeroes?)worth of debt piled on top of our already crazy deficit. I think that if we would enforce the laws that already exist, possibly add a few more to oversee the ridiculous loaning practices that got us here, and encourage spending by cutting some taxes, we could figure it out. I DEFINITELY don't think anyone in Washington DC can figure it out! GGGRRRR!
The Bible says that the borrower is slave to the lender. Anyone think that it's a good idea for America to be a slave to China or Saudi Arabia? Exactly where do we think that money is coming from? Yeah, that's right. We're borrowing from our good friends, the Chinese and the Saudis! I'm sure they have our best interests at heart though, right?
I'd be truly worried if I didn't think that God has this under control. I don't think that means it will work out in a way that is comfortable though. I think that he will use it for his purposes - which are always more concerned with our character than our comfort.

As I worship the last few days I feel my heart preparing for Easter. Pondering the reality that the Great and Holy One lay down on a cross and allowed mere men to nail Him, mock Him and kill Him – never speaking a word against them but interceding for them even as the Father turned His back on His Only Son.

Today I am especially thinking about it in relation to how easily we are offended. Someone disagrees with us or is rude to us or slights us in some way and we refuse to lay it down, refusing to forgive and allow love to cover a “multitude of sins”. Rather than interceding for the offender, we accuse them within our hearts and frequently to others and to the Father. Or something goes wrong in our lives – a dream is not realized, a deeply loved one dies, a marriage dies – and we cry out to the Lord, “How can you do that to me? I don’t deserve that!” as if the Eternally Faithful One has been unfaithful to us.

When our Lord was nailed to the cross, he cried out for his accusers, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing!” When the Father turned his back as the sin of the world covered Him and separated them for the first time in eternity and He cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He then said “Into Your hand I commit my spirit.”

‘Into your hand I commit my spirit’ – ‘I still trust you Lord’. Through it all, I trust you. Through all the pain, I trust you. I trust in your unfailing love. As I strive to understand that kind of faith, that kind of love, I go to the Psalms he quoted on the cross. Psalm 22 begins with “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” and ends with “They will come and will declare His righteousness to a people who will be born that He has performed it.” Jesus was still trusting even as he sensed the Father turning His back on Him. He saw the people not yet born who would have righteousness declared to them because of the work He was accomplishing at that moment and He trusted that God would bring it to pass. “Into your hand I commit my spirit”.

My I have the kind of faith in God and love for others that says “no matter what you do or say to me, I trust that my heavenly Father is using it for His purpose in my life. I will intercede for you. I will stand in the place of love for you no matter how much it hurts. I will forgive you and even lay my life down for you.”

Philippians 2:5-8 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

"It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important." Martin Luther King, Jr.
- A pretty good answer to those who say you can't legislate morality.