I was just Thinkin'.....

I was just thinkin'.

What makes leaders in the Christian community think it's effective to 'discipline' others by shunning them? I have once again raised the battle lines in a fellowship by not being 'obedient'.
 I'm not complaining as much as wondering when this kind of action (or re-action) is no longer going to plague the Bride of Christ.

You see, I "came out' this last year. No! Not like that! I finally actually told some church leaders that I was a ...(gulp) prophet! There! I said it again! prophetprophetprophet!

Yup. Not only prophetic, because every Christian has the ability to prophecy at times, but honest to goodness constant words runnin' in my head-can't sleep-dreamin' dreams- can see your hurts-hear from God all the live-long day prophet.

This for some reason has unsettled a few. So, in good ol' church tradition, you 'discipline' folks like me by ignoring my existence. And you use me as an example in your ministry classes and all of your followers suddenly snub me too.

You see, I'm not supposed to be a prophet. Some friends wrote a book years ago about seeking out and embracing your spiritual "office". Suddenly, everyone in leadership, or wanting leadership, was supposed to do these classes led by the authors. There were some good things in the book. And it was fun to be with  friends every week.

But the last few meetings were personal prayer times where you "discovered" your office by everyone else telling you who you were. As I sat it the center and everyone prayed and spoke out 'prophetic' word, I didn't know how to handle it. "I dub thee, Madame ...  Encourager!" (not exact words!)

I just ... well....anyway. On the way home I asked my husband "What do you think about me impartation?"

"Oh! Totally wrong! They had everything about you completely out of whack. It's like they've never met you!"

I was so relieved!

I can be an encourager. After all, I have years of training in the field of psychology to prove it. I know the right things to say and how to say them. I can manipulate words and people without blinking an eye. I have been trained in diplomacy and salesmanship. I can figure out what you want and say exactly the right thing.
I can make you feel goooooood! And truthfully, I like people!!

But in my head, I can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and it's very different words that need to be spoken. You see, prophets are many times given a specific message to tell for a season. Patricia King was given one word for ages! "God loves you!" Sounds incongruous, doesn't it? But that word, delivered by her obedience to GOD, not man, touched the lives of countless people where ever she spoke.

I, whoopidy-dee, was given a more stringent message. And nearly every time I spoke, I got short shrift. I got to deliver warnings about, oh, different directions we were taking. Any way, the whole deal boiled down to I was a disobedient, naughty girl. They took their ball and went home.

I didn't encourage, even though I tried to do. I would even add to the words He gave me! I honestly (pun intended) added soothing happy endings to the messages I got so they wouldn't get mad!

So, I lost my grip. I was a fraud. Only a handful of people had heard me out, and had found me solid.
I finally confessed to the Lord my duplicity, my anger and my disappointment in myself. And decided it was all or nothing. Whew!!!

It seemed that I had become a person non gratis at my church. Then one Sunday morning, I was released! He set me free of all responsibility for them. In a way, it irked me! I had put a lot of years in this place and these people!! But, He set me out to find a new place with a new mission. How exciting!!

Back to the shunning! My husband who is very insightful, said it was the common church way. If you have someone whom displeases you, you simply create an unpleasant environment for them and they will eventually leave. Well, we've been in a LOT of churches and it's true. How terribly sad.

I wish the leaders who are upset with me would have talked to me. I've tried to talk to them, but it's hard to open a door with no knob. Would it not be great if we, as leaders in the church, would be willing to look at differences of ministry not as hard-headedness or disobedience, but as necessity of a calling? At least to ask someone what they are doing? This shunning stuff is for the birds!

Anywho ... I was just thinkin'.



(This is another 'lost' post from 9/2014.)

Remember the Sabbath....

(This is a post I accidentally placed in another blog, because I didn't know what I was doing! It is from September.)

 I am not known for my timidity when it comes to Scripture. I can tell when I'm off base because it doesn't line up with the B-i-b-l-e! 

So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.’ Exodus 31:16

That said, I run afoul of my dear SDA friends I'm sure because I have no problem with worshiping on the Lord's Day as opposed to the Sabbath. I have no problem with those who worship on the Sabbath, or Thursdays. Or Monday afternoon. Or Friday morning. In their tennis clothes. Or jammies.

  And it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain.  The Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”  And He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry;  how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?”  Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”  Mark 2:23-28

What I take exception to is those who do not worship. I know! Going to 'church' is not a requirement for salvation. But...

" Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,  not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near."  Matthew 10: 23-25

I am not a Hebrew. Even though we ALL come from the same family, God managed to embellish the human body with different structure and pigments, languages and accents. So in that idea, we are all Hebrews. But, I am not. I am an American mutt of several tribes and nations. 

"And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?"    Luke 13:16

Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day. So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.”  John 5: 9-10

Here's the whole of the matter....

Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was a division among them.  John 9:16

 And there was a division among them. 

If I am wrong for using Sunday as my day of worship, I'm sure the Holy Spirit will straighten me out. If not.....? But let's not let these things divide us. We all have shortcomings when it comes to obedience, but let's help each other and focus on what we're learning about the Most High God of Heaven!

By the way, the Sabbath is not called a day of worship.  

Shalom!!!

Grace; or Grief?

I am constantly stymied at the way Christians treat each other. Something that happened to a young couple I know the other day, brought to mind a passage in the Bible, about a woman drawing up water from a well.

Jesus is sitting by it, and to start off the conversation, He says “Give Me a drink.” She is shocked, and questions Him about the sensibility of Him talking to her, because they are in Samaria, and they different kinds of people. You know the story. He starts telling her a little about God, and then tells her to quit living with the man she's with so He can tell her more. So, she tells Him to get His own water and storms off to the same old miserable life.

Or the time He was choosing the men who would become His apostles, and He couldn't find anyone that was obedient to Him yet, so He just made some new people and used them.

Oh! And the time He was asleep in a boat, and the winds were so strong and the storm so violent it was going to sink the boat. The disciples were so scared, they woke Him up, begging Him to save them. He said “Why are you so timid? If you had any faith, you'd do it yourselves!”, got out of the boat, walked on the water to shore, and let them all drown.

I'm sure you're either laughing, or getting ready to slap me. You know this is all hogwash. Jesus never said or did any such things.

In the writings of John, he relates the true story of Jesus striking up a conversation with a very lost woman who was going about her work. He asks her for a drink, which leads to Him sharing the love of His heart to her. She is so excited, she takes off to tell every person she can find about Him. The men she talks to are curious and show up to talk to Him. He's sitting there. Waiting. Ready to love them and change lives.

In the writings of Matthew, he tells of his own story. About the Teacher that has been preaching, teaching and healing, stopping by his place of business, and telling him to “Follow Me.” Not giving him a list of his sins that had to be rectified so he could be discipled, but to be a part of something wonderful.

Also in Matthew, during that raging storm, in a time in when they felt they had no control, that they were doomed and their courage was melting inside, He asked them why they didn't have faith. But then He got up and took control of the situation. For them. He didn't need the winds to calm; they did. He did that out of love.

Are you starting to get an idea where I'm going with this?

I am putting in a “disclaimer” right now. I am not advocating turning a blind eye to sin, or saying we are not to exposed wrong doing to others so they have a chance to change.

What I'm saying is we have our goofy traditions and policies that keep us from reaching out to the lost, or backslidden, or rebellious, or whoever!

As a group, Christians are forgiving of nearly anything but a sex-based sin. Probably because we can see the results so clearly, so quickly.

I have seen a lot of men who are so addicted to drugs and alcohol they are at the end of their ropes, hanging on the edge of the cliff with their fingernails, and they are drawn into the church with compassion, tenderness, counseling, mentoring. I've even seen them given places of authority to “help boost their sense of worth”, while they are still struggling with the booze.

I have watched as abused women have been cared for, given money, food, jobs, whatever the need was, to care for them and their children. Even if they returned to the abuser over and over again, the leadership was there to try and help heal the family.

BUT. If you are a couple who are living together, who want to get married, and are asking for pre-marital counseling? You are not going to get it.

Can you think of any one who needs to be counseled in the rights and responsibilities of marriage, more than a couple of kids who have been playing house?

I'm not trying to be factious, I'm being honest. The chances of a couple who cohabitate having a strong, lasting marriage, is HALF of a couple who lived separately.

We're talking about people who claim to be Christians, who are in sin and rebellion, but are wanting to change things.

And we're pitching them to the wolves.

What are we telling a couple of 22 year olds when they come looking for help from a pastor, and he says, “Yes, I'd be glad to counsel with you. But, you have to not be living with each other.”

Did he make the drunk quit drinking before he was acceptable for being shared with?

Did we toss the foolish, confused woman out because she kept slipping back to her mean ol' husband?

If you have a rebellious, headstrong child, do you tell her, “I'd like to love you, but you need to change some things in your attitude first!” ?

Here's a 17 year old girl who gets pregnant. The 19m year old boy gets a better job, finds them a two room crackerbox to live in while she's finishing school online, and cleaning rooms on the weekends. They go to their church and ask for counseling before they get married when she turns 18.

Oh, he'll counsel them. But, they can't get married there. Why? Because they live together.

They are good enough to be told how they should be living their lives, but not good enough to be joined in the Lord's house.

Meanwhile, the two adults who are having a really nice wedding there next month, are waiting in the hall for their appointment. It's her second marriage, and his fifth. But, they are really going to make this one work, and they live in their own homes. They have sex in each others house, but they don't live together, dadgummit!!

What are we doing, Church?

Jesus DID say “What man shall there be among you, who shall have one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it, and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Matt 12:11-12

“What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing...” Luke 15: 4-5

Oh, dear brothers and sister; dearest Church! We do NOT want to be this guy that Jesus was talking about in John 10: 11-13!!

“I am the Good Shepard; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hireling, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, behold the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them. He flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep.”

Whoa.

Let's step back and judge ourselves a little. Are we hirelings? Or are we heirs to salvation?

If heirs, are we not responsible to the kingdom?

Wouldn't it be nice if we were interested in leading the lost in spirit into the path of Jesus Christ, and not so much in the path of human righteousness? If we quit picking and choosing our favorite sins to crack on people, and be more interested in mentoring repentance?

I read a story years ago from a man who had reached great success in his life. He had been raised with little money or opportunities, by his God fearing grandmother. As a child, he overheard chatter going on in the kitchen as she and other women were baking together. The topic of conversation was a young girl in the congregation who had “fallen” and was pregnant. They were planning what needed to be done to prepare the necessities for the coming baby. One woman was very harsh in her comments of the conduct and character of this child with child. He was impressed, for the rest of his life, by his grandmother's response. “I tell you what. I won't give her any medals, and you won't give her any grief.”

Come on folks. Let's quit giving out grief, and start handing out grace.

There's a young couple out there who need it.

Waiting..........waiting...............

For the first time in 38 years, I am alone. At home. Alone. I do not count the cat, Pow Pow Kitty Cat Zero. That name is another story entirely. Or Scott, because after a long day at work, he comes home during my down-time.

I had great plans for my 'alone-ness'. I was going to start a cottage business; start writing by book, sewing, leading a Bible study, work part-time and spend time with my Dad. 

I'm going to Dad's today. So far, that's been the gist of my list! I have started many of the aforementioned projects, but haven't gone very far with any of them. I discovered something really fascinating about being alone, or empty-nesting, or retirement, what ever you wants to call it.

No, it doesn't take discipline, or adjustment, or a schedule.

It takes practice.

I started working when I was about 9 years old. I was a farmer's kid, so of course I worked! When we left farming, I became a highly paid babysitter. I sat for parents of “special” kids. You know, where they have gone through so many sitters there are none left? Frankly, I loved it! Hyper-kinetic kids bring out all your creative juices!  

Then I was trained as an upstairs maid. That was interesting, and served me well in later years.  And so on and so forth. I worked full time jobs through high school and college. I was able to stay home for the first 8 years of my children, but was the youth director, Sunday school teacher, and deacon's wife, so yes, I worked full time. 

The fact that I have been working for nearly 49 years straight has made this past 8 months really hard. 

You're saying, Yeah,yeah,yeah, that's very interesting, but “what's God got to do, got to do with it?” (have that tune stuck in yer head aaaaaaaall day long!).

Well, it came up between the Lord and I the other day, per usual, that I was tired of waiting around  for some promises to be fulfilled. AND, I was tired of waiting for our big move/break/ministry/blahblahblah and what was up with that? 

He says to me “You need to learn how to wait”.

“How to WAIT? That's all I DO is wait!! What are you talking about?! I've waited for healing, and waited for  understanding, and waited for cohesiveness, and whadda you want from me?!!”

Ahem. I was saying something about this to a friend when I realized what He really said. 

Let us look at what...I...heard.  “You need to to learn to wait.”

What...He...said. “You need to learn how to wait.”

Okay. Vast difference there. I have been chewing on this for days. 

HOW to wait. Hmm. Seems I should be doing something different than I am. 

I have been sitting on the mountainside, watching the sky, waiting for something exciting to happen

Brilliant. When has that ever been a plan?

Proverbs 20:4 says 

“The sluggard does not plow after the autumn, So he begs during the harvest and has nothing.“

I figured I had finished my winter, spring, and summer. I have been waiting for an autumn harvest that I so richly deserved! Buuuuut, where is it? Did I not do anything that would produce a harvest to enjoy? No. That's not it at all.

I know now that I am still in the springtime of my work. I have so many seeds piled up, just bursting with life. Just waiting to be planted with both painstaking diligence in the fields (only so deep, evenly spaced) and sown in near wild abandon over the mountainside and plains. Waiting for rain and sunshine, winds and dreary days to germinate the Word. 

So, in all of this, I am learning how to wait. 

 

I shall hang up some of those “jackrabbit” projects that distract me so much. I will practice the art of being alone. I will learn to wait efficiently, on the Lord. And I will begin to sow a few more seeds.

And as Jesus returned, the people welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him.  Luke 8:40

Yeshu or Yeshua?

As I was cooking breakfast, getting dressed, fixing Scott's lunch, and giving the cat some milk, I was talking to Jesus. Nothing new, but I was just wondering; Does it bug Him that I call Him Jesus?
Ya see, I have been associated with all sorts of “Christian” churches and groups my whole life. I put quotes around Christian. Yes I did. Not all who use the name are in the game, more's the pity.
My first contact with Messianic Jews was back in the '70s. I loved their joy. When one of the young women that came to recognize Jesus told her family, Mama cried “You are no longer a Jew!” That sweet girl hugged her and told her “No, Mama, I am a completed Jew.” When she was baptized, her mother threw a huge celebration meal at their home for our entire church! Don't gasp. It was a small church!
I don't just know people who are Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and so forth; I am knowledgeable of their specific credos, traditions, and doctrines. We all used the name Jesus. And God. And the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost.
Now I have been informed that I'm doing this all wrong.
“We use the PROPER name of Jesus, which is Yeshua.”.  “WE use the true name of God, Jehovah.!”  “We use the PROPER name of Jehovah, which is Yaweh!”
I didn't know which wrong I was!  So, I asked Him. “Does it bother You when I call You Jesus? Should I be using another language to address You with? And what about all the OTHER words I'm getting wrong when I talk to You!?!? Do I need to look up and learn a bunch of Hebrew words so I get my prayers right? That's gonna put a real damper on our conversations, like being in Paris with one of those little French-to-English dictionaries that are always wrong so you end up in a football game when you wanted a bank! Am I insulting You?!”
He said “No”.
I think I heard a sigh, too.
Why do we come up with the stupidest things to separate the Kingdom of the Most High God of Heaven?  Why do we spit and scratch over what language we're using to address the Love of our lives? There are actually those who will say if you're not using the right names, He's not listening. That is a lie straight out of the pit.
Here's a question for you. Who made up all the different languages that we are using against each other?  I took Latin in high school. It's a good base for understanding any of the Romance languages, scientific names, and solving crossword puzzles (true story!). I learned where languages came from, blah, blah, blah, which I forgot because I already knew.
There was one language on the earth. It was given to Adam and Eve, and they taught their children the same language. They all called God by His name. Because they KNEW WHO HE WAS. Then we became the complete idiots we can be, and He ended up flooding the earth and presenting us with a second chance. Out of that one family (again!) came such a great pride, they decided to build a city and basically barricade themselves so they wouldn't scatter away from each other. Then, geniuses, they decided to build a tower into heaven, once again trying to become what they were never called to be; their own gods.
So, “Us”, says let's just give them different languages (read Genesis 11:7 if that's confusing). That'll slow 'em down. And it did.
So, if the Creator of all that exists; all that ever was, is, and will be; created different languages, no matter why He did it; don't you think He has names in all those languages that HE made? Do you really think He's that humanly short-sighted that He  has to be called a specific way, in a specific tongue, in a specific direction, in a specific position, on a specific day of the week (this could go on all day) for us to be heard? Loved? Accepted? Right?
Ummm, I don't see it. God. My Father. My Abba. My Creator. My Holy Spirit. My Comforter. My Guide. My Jesus. Oh....my Jesus. How I love His name. How I crave His fellowship.
Let's give up our propensity for dividing the family of God, no matter by what pronunciation we use in our daily lives. We are called to come together. The house cannot be divided and stand the onslaught of the world. A Bride cannot be double-minded and be ready for her Groom.
If I found anything in the Scriptures that challenged me to use only certain words or names, I would be writing a whole 'nother story! But I didn't.
So let's stop trying for another Babel division. He only did that because we were going the wrong way again.
Let's work together, to bless one another. To encourage each other to cry out to Jesus, or Yeshu, or Yeshua, or however you want to pronounce His name.
As long as we are still crying out.

I think I shall eat pomegranates

I Think I Shall Eat More Pomegranates

When I picked up my Bountiful Basket this morning, I was happy to see the onions in there. I was out of onions and that is a disaster in my kitchen. I looked over the basket, full of healthy glee, until....uh-oh. Two pomegranates. Well. They aren't really huge, so...hmm. Wish they were kiwis.

You have to understand. I really like pomegranates. I don't care anything at all for kiwi fruit.                      I haven't been feeling well because I've had a head cold for two weeks, and the thought of trying to navigate a pomegranate is overwhelming.

A kiwi? Well, if you're like my son John, you just wash it and eat it, fuzz and all! (In my mind that would be like eating a mouse.) BUT, it is definitely a low maintenance fruit. Wash it, whip a peeler over it a few times, and ta-da! Not overly juicy, so no napkin needed.

But...a pomegranate? That takes a few dishes, a spoon,a knife, a napkin, a pot of tea and an uninterrupted afternoon.

I'm sick. Scott's at work. No one has called to need something. Fine. I'll eat the stupid pomegranate.

I don't care how you open a pomegranate, it is still work. I sit down with the afore stated accoutrements and begin. The pom doesn't look that inviting. It's a tad weathered. There are some brown spots from bugs or birds or hail or who knows.  It isn't the bright red you see in the supermarket ads.  Oh well, I said I was going to do this.

As I slice around the outside of the fruit, I notice how dry it seems. Funny, for I know what lies inside. White, sharp flavored seeds full of nutrients; things that I cannot remember, but I know are so very good for me! Each seed is covered with an aril; a tasty pocket of delight! As I separate them from the membranes, it's like dropping fat rubies in a bowl. Sometimes the seeds are really strong tasting, so the sweeter arils make them easier to swallow. But I love them! The crunch! The bite of the seed! The pop of the aril as I chew! In comparison, the kiwi becomes just a pale green little ball with black spots in it.

It's true. Sometimes I chew lightly, breaking open the juicy aril, but spitting out the seed. I enjoy it, but in my heart and mind, I realize I've disposed of the part that really feeds my body.

Maybe I shoulda had a kiwi.

I was getting to the pickup site later than usual, so I prayed, “Lord, set aside the right basket for me today, please.” And, it was the right basket. It had the onions I was missing, the apples we like best, a  perfect lettuce, etc. And two pomegranates. No kiwi.

Then, I realized why.

My life with Jesus Christ is like choosing a kiwi or a pomegranate. I can pray a little prayer, go to church, do a rite or a good turn, smile and say the “right” thing, and live a kiwi life. Pale, easy to do. Not a lot of work and you're done for the day!

A pomegranate life is different. It may not look like much on the outside. It's not always as pretty as the one next to it, but it has the same properties. Inside, where it counts, there is treasure. The seed that you must take in to receive all that it holds. The juicy aril that carries the sweetness.
Like I said; sometimes the seeds are strong, even bitter. But they are soooo good for me! To get the best out of them, I have to bite down, chew, and swallow them. I  have do the work to gain the reward. I can drink off the juice covering them and spit them out, but I would be missing out on what nourishes me.
I can just drink the juice of the aril and it is good for me too, but it's not the full deal. It is okay, but not fully beneficial.

I want everything God has for me. So I am going to have to stop my kiwi life. Reading a daily devotional and a Sunday School  or Sabbath lesson during the week, and calling it good just won't make it any more. No muss, no fuss, is fine for an ad slogan, but not for a healthy relationship.

Living fully for Jesus Christ, digging into the scriptures, is like eating pom seeds. Sometimes it's bitter, especially when we see something of ourselves that need attention. Sometimes it's like crunching down on a revelation from the Holy Spirit, strong and fulfilling. And, like the flavor of the aril, there is sweetness in the love of God for us, His treasures on earth. It flows through every page, every thought is of, and for, us.

I think I shall start eating pomegranates.