SUNDAY @BLACK OAK

 May I crack the front door of our church just a bit?  Yesterday Black Oak had quite the day.


The first hour was great.  Well, since my hubs was the SS teacher...I'd say that.  But that's my story and I'm sticking to it.


After class we began to set out the preparations for Kingdom Kids.  The children @BOBC sit in church with their parents for the first two songs and then go down front for Pastor's "children's church".  That's a lesson which captures every adult's imagination.  Then the kiddos are dismissed to the back.  


I peeked out at the congregation and we had a light crowd.  There were may have been 30 people sitting in the pews and there were NO children!  #steppingonmylip


Our service started and when it was time for the choir, the three women and four men went to the front to sing.  Afterward as they stepped down, one lady who has been experiencing atrial fibrillation stumbled and someone grabbed for her and she landed on the first pew.  The Lord began to call His troops together.


Up popped a sweet LPN in the back, dressed in scrubs for her job after church and armed with her stethoscope.  Our patient's husband and other men helped our friend to the back.  The church was stunned.  Although this lady has had episodes and we've prayed, this was the first episode we've witnessed.  And we simply are not ready to lose this precious woman.  


This saint has served the Lord from North Africa to South Fayetteville and everywhere in between.  Although she's ageless, we could discreetly describe her chronological assignment to the decade that rhymes with "greaties".  She's an A+ role model for being a God-truster/pointer...a ladylike husband-lover...and she's a champion advocate in prayer.  She constantly loves on folks with food and cards and calls.  She's my hero.  You know that song "Give Me Jesus"?  That's her story, too.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu2E2FUcIiE

The congregation reacted.  Heads bowed together to immediately plead her case.  Then our Pastor led prayers from the front.  We sang a song, knowing she could hear us in the back and know that we loved her.  


Besides that, we were helpless.  Such a time calls for total dependence on God and that's hard because we want desperately to DO something.  We force ourselves to remember that He holds us in his hand and nothing gets through His grip without permission.  We know this lady's number of days was settled in heaven since before she was born and nothing can take a day away until her job He gave her to do is complete.  I know these truths and lean back on them with my whole weight...but we just didn't know what number had been assigned to last Sunday.  So we asked for mercy.


This story ends well because our sister in Christ was granted more time.  Bright and early the next morning she was in a cardiology appointment for more evaluation and was hooked to a monitor.  It's calm now, but yesterday things were pretty frantic.  In fact, our pastor dismissed church without his message.  He looked out at distraught faces and knew no one could absorb more.  That was fine because yesterday, God was the Teacher.  Here are four points I gleaned from His lesson plan:

FATHER KNOWS BEST

I was disappointed there were no children there on Sunday, but that turned out to be a good thing.

BODY LIFE WORKS

God's church body functions as one; the drama required all hands on deck and each hand pitched in.  When we tried to think of songs to sing, a voice from the back row was a sweet teen who said she thought Amazing Grace would be appropriate.  Everyone knew that song...and we need to know songs so that in such unscripted times, we can cheer ourselves or others.

LAST WORD

The same Almighty who spoke all of creation into being...worked to calm a speeding heart and give a wife back to an 89-year-old husband who was emotionally spent.  God had the last word.

EYES UP

As our friend left church yesterday, she was apologizing in sobs because she seemed to think her episode pulled our eyes away from the Lord and onto her.  

Don't fret, Sweetheart.  We knew we were in over our heads, so our eyes instinctively went up.  The One who calmed the seas would not consider one little heart muscle a heavy lift.  And even though no one verbalized David's 121st Psalm, we knew  "our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth".


Now we must be careful to remember to thank El Roi (the God Who Sees).  Our little church may be way out in the country, but it was on His GPS system.  He saw our needs and our turmoil and we are VERY grateful for His answer to our prayers.  

A DO-ER...or a BE-ER?

We are by nature "do-ers" while the Divine call is to become "be-ers".

I might get on a spurt and clean the fridge so thoroughly as to even read the expiration dates on the salad dressing...yet put off spiritual disciplines like prayer or Bible study.  Why?  Cuz it's easier to "do".

When the Lord was explaining the concept of our deportment, He framed ten commandments.  Later, He went on to say the ten could even be reduced to TWO...love God and love others.  Don't miss the order of that simple life plan.  He wants us to "be" and THEN "do".

My closest earthly love relationship calls for maintenance.  You might think that after forty years, Mike and I would have the co-existance rhythm down pat.  But instead of less maintenance, we are finding more need for closeness.  I get to missing that man and by suppertime, look forward to downloading the day with him.

Ever been in love?  It's fun to recall love's beginnings when the intensity knob is turned way up.  I can remember how unbelievably gorgeous the fall colors were in 1969 because all of our senses were on alert.  Mike and I couldn't wait to be together and talk.  The sound of his voice made the bottom of my stomach fall out.

That's how it should be with the Lover of my soul.  He wants me to see life as He paints it...vividly and in intense color.  He wants to chart my path.  He waits for my call and delights in giving me good gifts.  Still, the best of the Redeemer's good gifts is second to His unbelievable desire to be with me forever.

So why's it so hard to choose to "be" in His presence?

I was listening to Anne Graham Lotz (Billy Graham's daughter) on Huckabee the other night.  The Governor told her that he had met her brother Franklin and he wondered if she, too, had rebelled.  Anne grinned.  She said she had not bucked God in that way, but that her life was full when she was newly married and began to have kids.  God took a backseat until one day when Anne realized the distance and reached for Him in a study called Bible Study Fellowship.  That struck a chord in my heart because BSF is where I found the Lord.

There is a truism that the more you move toward the Lord, the more He moves toward you.  What I have found is that while in a systematic study of question/answer, God probes our hearts and reveals more and more of His heart.  The process of unlocking God's heart is a little like an earthly love relationship.  The more I talk to Mike, the more I understand what is inside his heart and understand what motivates/pleases him.  And so it is with God.

It pleases the Creator to reveal truth to His children.  But such truth is only discerned spiritually.  If the Spirit is not present, there is no translator.  So the first part of "be-ing" is belonging to Him.  John 1.18 says "to as many as receive Him, to them He gives the right to be called children of God".  Then, as Anne Graham Lotz said, you're @ the starting line.

I would not likely commit at the marriage altar and then move away from intimacy.  Neither would I commit to God and then not pursue Him.  Church is not enough.  We need to personally interact with God to plumb His mind.

You probably know your mate's love language.  Do you know the Father's love language?  Speak love to Him in the spiritual disciplines of Bible study, prayer/fasting/giving, and forgiveness.

"To be...or not to be".  That IS the question.

IN MEMORIAM

Reliving 9.11 is hard.  Yesterday I listened to some newly-released audio tapes of the air traffic controllers as they tried to piece together what was happening.  My body tensed and strained...as though if they just hurried, they could change history.  It's awful seeing the anguish on the faces of family and excruciating to think of how so many people perished.  


Cartoonists have drawn special strips for the anniversary as our nation grieves.

STUNNED

We could never guess the depth of evil in the world that is actively engaged against us.  But on 9.11, when evil raised it's ugly head, there followed for us a euphoria of just being glad to be alive...and gratitude for what we have in America...and special gratitude for our families.  "Zits" is a cartoon which daily portrays a family who struggle to live with their teenager.  But not on 9.11.  

RESPONSE

Resolve, rebuild, retaliate.  


America's response began with the brave passengers on Flight 93 who stormed the cockpit and probably saved our Capitol.  Then after the towers fell, men and women poured into NYC to help dig for survivors.  Volunteers nailed boards to make stretchers.  Within hours, lines were out the door @ the Red Cross centers across the country as people gave blood.  Young men signed up for the armed forces.  Flags were flying everywhere.  Americans worked together and that unity felt good.

GRATITUDE

We remember how those firemen were lined up and heading into the building while the survivors ran out.  That was amazing courage and a high calling to give your life for others.  Last night we watched footage that reminded us of how in that first few days, the pile kept shifting and the workers had to run back away from it.  Those volunteers knew the air was not good and they knew the workplace was hazardous.  But someone had to do it.  God, bless them.

 "I'LL TAKE IT FROM HERE" GRATITUDE

Brave men left home and family to sweat in 120 degree weather...forfeiting a comfy bed/nice meals/their safety.  Who does that for someone else?  We owe the military and we cheered when they got Bin Laden.


Charles Krauthammer writes..."9/11 was our Pearl Harbor.  This time, however, the enemy had no home address.  No Tokyo.  That's why today's war could not be wrapped up in a mere four years.  It was an unconventional war by an unconventional enemy embedded within a worldwide religious community.  Yet in a decade, we largely disarmed and defeated it, and developed the means to continue to pursue its remnants at rapidly decreasing cost.  That is a historic achievement.http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-911-overreaction-nonsense/2011/09/08/gIQAc727CK_story.html

HEALING

How is such a monumental task accomplished if the threat is still there? Go back our initial response.  Remember resolve, rebuild, and retaliate?

We are rebuilding.  We have retaliated.  How's our resolve?  

Resolve is sagging.  Somehow the years have insulated us from the enemy.  Now the fashion is to say that alQaeda is really not a threat.  After all, they say...there has not been another successful attack.  Instead of acknowledging our protection came from the walls installed to protect us, there are complaints about how the walls harmed us.  That's incredible.  

  GOING FORWARD

The country holds a memorial service tomorrow and expunges God because He's too controversial.  The mayor asks "whose god should we invite?"...and goes on to say "we should remember the separation of church/state".  Excuse me, Sir?  The Constitution says government is not to impede religion.  And why not invite the God on whose principles the country was founded?

This is not hard.  This is basic stuff.  How did we get so far off base?

I read an editorial by Mark Steyn who said that we have moved from a "let's ROLL" nation...to a nation mired in "let's roll over" mush.  http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/584330/201109091746/Lets-Roll-Nation-Mired-In-Lets-Roll-Over-Mush.htm

Can we expect God to bless America if we choose to ignore Him?  9.11 was our wakeup call.  Let's not push the snooze button.  PRAY.

STICKS AND STONES

It's time to officially get my feelings hurt.

I support Tea Party policies.  I can't say I'm a member of the Tea Party since there are no memberships or elected leaders.  But I CAN get behind their philosophy.

SMALLER GOVERNMENT

LESS REGULATION

DEFICIT REDUCTION

These three planks are hardly extreme, but if I had just fallen off a turnip truck, I'd get that impression.

In April, 2010 Mike and I went to a tea party rally here in Fayetteville.  There were speeches and prayers and singing "America the Beautiful" acapella.  No one SEEMED like a raving lunatic, but you can check out pictures from an earlier blog ("Partying on the Square") and decide.

My heart was @the Restoring Honor rally in DC on Labor Day, 2010.  Unfortunately, the rest of me didn't make it there so we watched it on television.  Tons of people showed up peacefully, had fun dressing up patriotically, cheered in agreement for speakers, and picked up trash as they left.  Seemed like responsible, involved citizenry.

But because of this political perspective, Maxine Waters has told me to "go straight to hell".   Legions of voices (including the Vice President) have called me a racist.  The VP has also said I am a barbarian at the gate.  And Jimmy Hoffa said I was an "sob" (only he didn't abbreviate) and called union members to be an army against such.  He's scary.

But we don't have to worry because our President took care of things.  He held those voices accountable because he has lectured on the First Amendment (@law school) and civility (@Rep. Gabby Giffords' service).

Huh?  He DIDN'T?  Gee, does that mean there is only room for one voice at America's table?

Vitriol, thy name is coarse and threatening.

SHAKE AND BAKE

The Connecticut River is delivering Irene's flood waters out through Long Island Sound.  Part of Vermont enters the Atlantic Ocean.

This week wildfires are burning central Texas and their drought is severe.  A couple of weeks ago, earthquakes were rattling our nerves.

You don't have to be brilliant or a Bible scholar to notice something going on; these are the signs of our times.  While natural disasters have always been around, the Bible says in the last days they will increase in frequency and widen in scope.

All of creation is eagerly awaiting the future day when God will reveal who his children really are (Romans 8.19).  Until then, it says creation groans as with childbirth pains.  Creation is groaning, all right.

We were stunned last winter when Fayetteville registered a MINUS 20 degrees.  Then this summer we lived through many consecutive 100+ days.  When Brad and Laura arrived at the Little Rock airport, 108 degrees slapped them in the face.  The next day was 114.  I heard Laura ask Beth if she remembered it being that hot when she and Brad were growing up.  Huh uh!  Our NW AR trees are so stressed from the extreme temperature variance, they have thrown up their arms and crisped their leaves.  No more singing "the hills are alive" as we drive south on I540.  This fall the hills are begging for mercy.

The Bible also talks about how the Lord will shake the nations in the end times.  Colorado and DC have just had their first earthquakes and the Washington Monument got a four foot crack.  Central AR has had quivers.

Our nation shakes literally, but she especially shakes economically these days.  The market is rolling like a queasy stomach.  With 14M jobs gone, nothing says shaken like being unemployed...or being in your 60's and watching your nest egg melt like cotton candy on the tongue.

All around the globe we see similar physical and economic and soul-yearning shaking.  European economies are upside down.  There is an unprecedented political shaking in the Arab world as dictators are being thrown out.  Shall we start a party?  Not yet.  Our pause for the Arabs is that we wonder if people who have always lived under a harsh thumb...can structure freedom.  If chaos reigns, then the people will be more unsafe than they were before and they will beg for peace.

Disasters make us feel helpless.  I can only imagine how the people in Joplin crouched in fear.  When Japan shook, I'm remembering the video of those poor souls screaming and running from the tsunami wall of water that swept into their valley.  When we are helpless, we look for a savior.  That sets the stage for the "hero" with supernatural winsomeness who steps forward to offer worldwide peace.  That faux peacemaker/savior is the one believers are warned to beware.

It is so critical to know what the Bible says.  The ancient words talk about how people will swarm to this man of peace who turns out to be peace's polar opposite.  We need to know truth because we want to follow the One who will be left standing.  Once the endtimes sounded pretty farfetched, but notsomuch now.  We can all envision a global economy accessed by a chip implant.  How long do you think it would take you to submit to the chip if the chip was necessary to buy or sell?  Do you know what the Bible says about such a chip?

I heard an old expression the other day "going to hell in a handbasket".  Well, I've said that all my life, but my logical side waked and wondered "what does that even MEAN"?  So I googled it.  It said that back in the off with their heads days, there was a receiving basket under the guillotine.  And because people with a death sentence were thought to be GUILTY and headed for the underworld...voila!  Makes perfect sense.

GUILTY describes the age we live in and it would be no problem to make a case for why God should call us to account.  Remarkably, He knows our bent and wants us.  His desire is to save us from the handbasket.  He wants to be an ark of safety like Noah entered when the flood waters rose.

So please study the Bestseller.  Kneel before Christ.  And get ready for the big ride.

DO UNTO OTHERS/Part Two

Last week the movie THE HELP was on my mind...and Jackson, Mississippi...and treating people differently.  This blog is Part Two because I can't quit thinking about it.


Are Jackson's racial problems in the rear view mirror?  Here's a recent CNN news story about a white teen from Jackson who  beat a black man and then ran over him in his truck.  The victim died.  The teen didn't realize the motel camera caught the whole episode. http://www.etidbits.com/teen-in-alleged-hit-and-run-hate-crime-isolated-from-other-prisoners=7918


This young Jacksonian made some obviously poor choices.  He decided to stay out and drink all night, then drove under the influence, tried to impress the girls in his truck with his bully testosterone, used violent force against a man, and then ran over the innocent, defenseless human being.  It was technically a hate crime because he specifically picked out a black man.  Who is the brute who DOES such a hateful thing?


The Jackson teen has the dubious honor of being the first one charged in Mississippi under the hate crimes law.  But did the hate crimes law intimidate the guy?  Impede the guy?  Punish the guy more than established laws would have?


It is ironic that in the news account, the footage shows the detainee flanked by two black policemen.   The District Attorney of Hinds County is also black and the victim's attorney is black.  So life HAS changed in Jackson in some ways.  But no matter the decade (the 60's or today), no matter the part of the country (South, North, East or West), no matter the consequences (hate crimes or no), no matter the race (black or white or yellow or brown)...people seem intent on aberrant behavior.  Sin happens.


The law stands ready to call lawless choices to task, but not even "hate crimes" legislation can prohibit hatefulness.  We educate, but education isn't the total answer.  We legislate, but we legislation isn't the total answer.  Civilization calls for both education and legislation, but the greater problem is the human heart.  That's why we need Jesus.

In the last blog, I mentioned a trip to Jackson, Mississippi with a friend who had been invited to speak to a Christian Women's Club.  What I didn't mention was that my friend Marilyn was brave.

The movie THE HELP taught us that there were many falsehoods about blacks in the South.  For instance, the genesis for "separate but equal" facilities was born out of the fear that blacks carried diseases.  That sounds preposterous to our 2011 ears, but it helps us understand the humiliation blacks faced daily.

Blacks were not the only people who were misunderstood.  Stereotypes existed about Jewish people...and my friend Marilyn is Jewish.  Her trip to Jackson meant she was headed into unknown territory.  You might be asking "but didn't you say that she was invited to come speak?"  Yes.  And the people of Jackson turned out to be very gracious.  But judging by the questions they asked, we could tell that they had never heard an explanation of how the Old Testament revealed the New Testament.  Marilyn explained the exquisite, continuous picture of Christ in our Jewish roots.

Stereotypes die hard.  In 1989, a popular movie called DRIVING MISS DAISY came out that also put a spotlight on the stereotypes of both blacks and Jews.  It was fun to watch that unlikely pair (Miss Daisy, a Jewish lady...and Hoke, her black butler) develop a deep affection for one another over the years. 

When Miss Daisy's synagogue burned, she began to realize that she and Hoke shared a common understanding of discrimination.  That led to acceptance and a touching friendship.

About that same time, Marilyn and I were also involved in a ladies Bible study in Eastgate, a black housing project in North Little Rock.


I remember one particular morning that as we studied, something was said that opened an anger portal; there was animated venting around the table.


Marilyn listened and then quietly said..."Yes, I understand that you have suffered much at the hands of people who do not like you and who would make you feel less than human.  That makes the Lord sick and makes me sad.  But can any of you know what it feels like to have all of your race rounded up and sent to their deaths en masse?"  One lady responded "blacks were beaten and hung all the time in the South!"  Marilyn pointed out that whatever the percentage of those incidents against the black population as a whole, it did not approach the scope of the Holocaust.

Undeniable truth.  Sometimes we can't see around our assumptions or our lack of information about each other.  We need each other.


And we desperately need the Spirit of the living God.  If your heart gauge is on E and there's no more love one another left...you need to hear the promise that God makes to believers in Romans 5.5:
"the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

Not feeling the love?  We don't have to gin it up.  It is poured out by our power Source.  Ask Him.