"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who set their hearts on pilgrimage." Psalm 84:5

" You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh, but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ." Romans 8:9

I believe the Holy Spirit is one of the least understood mysteries of God's great creation. It is a part of the Trinity, yet churches rarely teach about it. Paul's statement in Romans 8 labels the presence of the Holy Spirit as a sort of litmus test of Christianity. Seems to me that it should be a priority for Christian teaching. I also believe understanding the Spirit, as well as I can during this lifetime, is life changing. It is freeing( Romans 8:2)

"The Holy Spirit cannot be invited as a guest in merely one room of the house - He invades all of it." Oswald Chambers. I think once people decide to be identified with the life of Jesus Christ, their inner self yearns to be more Christlike. Many of us take years to surrender little by little. Did we have the Holy Spirit in our entire beings from the beginning? I believe so. But the Holy Spirit is patient, not pushy. We start with surrendering one or two things to the Spirit. If you are a believer, you know what I mean. Christ came into my life and immediately I was changed. Certain sins became immediately bad tasting. Others stuck around for years. Some are still with me. What do I need to surrender next? I believe Christians try to do this on their own without tapping into the Spirit that lies within. 

The Holy Spirit has tremendous power. The Spirit is what convicts us of our sin. The Spirit will help believers discern the truth. The Spirit allows us to have access to the Father. The Spirit empowers us to be bold. The Spirit molds our character through the fruit of the Spirit. If I ever attribute any of these gifts to myself, may I be humbled to realize those gifts only come to me through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

"Christ has no body on Earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours.Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world looks out; yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now." Saint Teresa of Avila

What does scripture say about being Jesus' hands and feet? These words are not exactly from the Bible. However, Paul spoke much about being the body of Christ. Jesus came to Earth and had an earthly body. What did He do with it? He healed the sick, fed the hungry, gave sight to the blind, raised the dead, healed the brokenhearted.  Jesus stated that He could only do what He sees the Father do. He can do nothing by Himself. Nothing! 

I hear preachers preach on being the body of Christ and they talk about how we church members can serve within the church. All things that need doing. First and foremost taking care of the body is important, but we cannot take care of the body while neglecting those that are not yet part of the body. Also, if you are part of the local church body and you require more care from the other parts of the body than you give, you are dragging the body down. A healthy church has healthy body parts. Those healthy body parts can then look outward to do the work of Christ in the world. 

The previous paragraph is not what this blog started out to be. But what I read in scriptures led me there and I couldn't let it go. Let's start that over.

What I learned in Haiti is how good works need many members of Christ's body. Each member follows the Holy Spirit, bringing a voice to what God is speaking. I felt open to speak about what God laid on my heart. Healing Haiti as an organization attempts to help believers be that hands and feet of Christ. This quote from Jerry Rankin, head of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board, sums it up. " The kingdom of God will not be established by Lone Rangers but by people of God working together." Our group delivered water, delivered rice, provided water therapy for handicapped children. These singular duties carried on one week would mean very little. Our group relied on other groups continuing these ministries week after week. I am so thankful for those that went before and those that continue after.

I heard someone criticize our efforts as self serving and harming the Haitians. I think Americans do sometimes go into needy areas and cause harm. The factor that needs to be present is love. We go in the name of Jesus and we have faith that He will bless our efforts. Our mission is to help the Haitians where they need immediate help but also help them to help themselves. It will be many years before they have drinkable water piped into their communities. So do we not deliver water today? Do we not develop relationships with children and families because we leave in a week? Human touch and contact and interaction benefit both participants. It is what creates a bond between cultures that produces peace. I believe Christ's peace is the everlasting peace and when doing missions that is the goal. If we become Jesus' hands and feet under the direction of the Holy Spirit with the heart of Christ and let God take it from there, He will bless the servant and the served.

Trust Him

The founder of the organization Healing Haiti had an interesting take on how we view the poorest of the poor in this world. One thing she learned from Haiti was how little it takes to get through the day.  We are so used to living "with" that we cannot imagine living "without". We assume we need 3 meals a day, a comfortable bed, hot water, a stove, refridgeration. Well, in Haiti, I met a 103 yr old woman that lived without all of those things for 103 years. My guess is that her standard of living had not changed in decades. She didn't seem to be starving and seemed to be in pretty good health. She must have been in order to survive 103 years. That is living in total reliance on God's gifts. This immediately reminded me of the Israelites relying on manna. How different life would be without saving for retirement or just tomorrow. 

Why has God blessed us and seemed to forget these people? What an arrogant question! God is teaching me that these people live with a faith that I will strive to have. The pollution of my materialistic world is trying to blind me to God's sovereignty and my helplessness. I am sitting in my living room listening to television advertisements over and over again about what some ad executive thinks I need to buy. I am in the process of moving and feeling stressed about what kind of flooring to get. The amount of choices we face is overwhelming. The amount of brain time it occupies is sickening. I am sure Marie (this wonderful 103 yr old saint) would think I was being ridiculous. But would she? Would she trade her life for mine? All I can do is live in the life God has for me. I will appreciate the gifts and blessings God has granted me a lot more since I returned from Haiti. But I also will not feel "more blessed". God blesses us in different ways. He allows different challenges into each of our lives.

Our challenge is to not be overwhelmed by this materialistic world. Slow down. To use the excuse that we don't have time for Him is an insult. Trust Him more to provide what you need without striving continually to improve our circumstances. 

I don't think I will ever look at life the same after Haiti. 

Psalm 9:10 Those who know your name will Trust in you, for you Lord, have never foresaken those who seek you.

I feel that this understanding of what God is trying to teach me about the people of Haiti is an ongoing thing. God will show me, this I know. All I do know is that God has not forgotten the poor of Haiti. He is doing a great work there. It is slow and many are suffering terribly, I surely don't want to make light of that. That is where I must rely on Proverbs 3:5 and 6. 

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" Matthew 6:26

I have been back from Haiti for 5 days now. I am praying that the images and experiences that God blessed me with while I was there will never leave me. I pray that all of the good intentions we speak about moving forward are not just empty words. This is where God gives us choices. He will not make us follow through on all of these opportunities for service. This is where the "just do it" comes in. We attended church in Grace Village and the Haitian minister, who looked more like an NFL lineman than a preacher, preached on "just do it". He said all around you are people dying everyday. They are smoking and drinking, etc. You only have so much time to share Christ with them. You have been given this great gift - how can you keep it to yourself? What a simple message. The gospel looks the same in Haiti as in America. He said talk to your neighbors, your family, your coworkers. His enthusiasm for the Lord was contagious.

What I learned in Haiti was that the Haitians ministered to me more than I ministered to them. 

We met a young man named Dickinson. He was 15 years old. His parents had been killed in the earthquake and he lived with his uncle and brother. He was well spoken, polite and caring. He went to school nearby where we stayed in the guesthouse. Everyday we visited with Dickinson. Finally, we felt close enough to ask him more questions. One of the young ladies in our group asked him,"Dickinson, do you eat a meal everyday?" He replied," No, not always. Look at the birds, Jesus makes sure they have enough to eat. He will feed me." In that moment, Dickinson broke my heart. God's truth is a day to day reality. We in America are so comfortable that we have numbed ourselves. We no longer lean on Jesus everyday for survival. This is the challenge to the rich ( and we are all rich who have the ability to read this in America), we need to recognize and then surrender to Christ every day. Not just when heartache and challenges come our way, but in everything.

Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." John 4: 7

I am a little obsessed with the story of the woman at the well in John 4, I must admit. This has easily been one of my favorite passage for quite some time. So this morning as I read Oswald Chamber's great devotion, " My Utmost for His Highest," I was taken aback that he had found something new to me in this small story that I have read so many times.

Jesus asks this woman for a drink. I always just thought it was a way for him to start a conversation with her. But maybe it is more. I have never thought of Jesus asking us of anything. Does He really need us?  Of course, He doesn't need but He definitely desires something from us. What does Jesus ask us to do for Him? He asks us to be witnesses to Him in Acts 1:8. 

When Jesus uses the metaphor of quenching one's thirst, He is referring to satisfaction. He asks the woman to satisfy His thirst. Then He offers her living water. Water that is to satisfy you forever. What can I offer Christ to satisfy Him? Pour out my life to Him.

Chambers then cuts to the quick - " It is easier to serve than to "Pour out my life to Him." That is the spirit one needs for everything we do. Am I more concerned with what I can do for Him in service or who can I be for Him? Are we setting out to serve God in each battle or is our life a sweet offering in which we bask in the joy of being His. The service we do is just a natural offshoot of our Love. The time we spend in service should be joyfilled. We need to enjoy the quenching living water that Jesus offers. As we serve, take time to enjoy our surroundings. Take time to enjoy the fellow sojourners God has sent with us. 

When Mary took the time to wash Jesus feet with the expensive oils, Jesus reprimanded Judas for scolding her for wasting the expensive perfume. When Jesus is present, don't feel guilty about the joy of His presence. Bask in the beauty of where you are. i think of my upcoming mission trip to Haiti. I am anticipating that this place will be hard. But in that hardness, Jesus will provide beauty and rest. I pray that He will open my eyes to see what a life poured out for Him really looks like. It is not wasted. 

12-28-13

As I glanced over blogs I often read, I ran across One Word 365. This site is dedicated to people who want to live intentionally. New Year's Resolution's fail most of the time. So this site suggests that each person pick a word that they are going to focus on for the entire year. Remember to live your life throughout the year dedicated to embracing this word and all it means.

I thought this sounded like a good idea as I have quite a year planned. I picked the word "Thrive". I love it. In my plans for the next year is a fabulous garden. Thrive seems like the perfect word. I am planning on going to Haiti for a mission's trip. Thrive seems like the perfect word. I have many other plans that will be revealed over the next few months and as you will see - Thrive is the perfect word.

Definition of Thrive - "To grow or develop vigorously". I love it! As my 50th year approaches I am planning on still growing and growing vigorously!

" Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving, even as God forgave you." Ephesians 4:31-32.

Christians appear to the outside world as an angry bunch. Some try to hide it and others just are angry all the time about a variety of things going on all around them.  Anger is often shrouded in a cloak of selfishness. I hate when others are late. Why? because it may inconvenience me. I get angry when someone pulls out in front of me or takes that parking spot I wanted. Why? because I may have to walk farther or I thought they may cause an accident and damage my car. Me, me, me. I get angry when people don't pay their bills. You get the idea it goes on and on. And what does it gain - nothing. It is a quick way to lose my peace. 

So what about righteous anger. That excuse was often used to justify a list of atrocities in Christ's name - the Crusades, witch trials, religion-based political movements, white supremacy, Westboro Baptist Church.  True righteous anger never leads to sin. Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers and rebuked them. He then moved on with the healing. He was angry, he stated his case and moved on. We tend to get angry at things and seethe that anger for long periods. We tend to seek out others that will reinforce our anger. This is what I do, if I am angry with someone, I first try to find someone who will then say, " I can't believe they did that - no wonder you are angry." What I need is someone to say," Paula, are you really upset about that? Why don't you just let God handle this." 

"A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to His glory to overlook an offense." Proverbs 19:11. Everytime I feel that anger build up I should remember this verse, to overlook an offense is to His Glory. God granted me alot of grace at the cross, can I give that grace to the human that made me late, didn't pay their bill, forgot a promise, etc, etc. ? Under my own power, of course, I fail but in those times I will try to remind myself of Jesus. He will remind me how angry He could have been at those Pharisees and Saducees and how he quietly responded with no anger and it seems a little silly what I get angry at.

"For man's anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires." James 1:20

"But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control," 2 Peter 1: 5

I think what brought me to this curiosity about virtue was a story that came to me at the veterinary clinic the other day. This event amplified events that have happened before. A man came in the clinic and was quite rude to my employees. He claimed to be my good friend, which I would consider him a  friend. I know him as a wonderful Christian man, I have seen him serve faithfully, especially helping the poor and downtrodden. I have really had nothing but good experiences with him. What bothered my help was his uncaring attitude toward animals. They were just things that right now he couldn't afford. I was gone when he had a confrontation with the gals at the clinic and as they unfolded the story my stomach turned. How can those that claim the love of the Good Shephed take so little care for the animals that they have taken in as their own?

So I searched about what God says about how we treat animals, which isn't alot. Proverbs 12:10 "The righteous care for the needs of their animals but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel." Animals lived in the garden with Adam in perfect peace. It was man's sin that caused animals' death. It is our fault that death and pain came to animals. Since the treatment of animals is not detailed in the Bible, there had to be more as to why these cases of a Christian's poor or abusive treatment of their own animals bothered me so much. Then I read 2 Peter 1:5. Is it being virtuous to find it funny to treat animals poorly even to the point of being called abuse by some? If one purchases an animal and agrees to be its owner, how can they then deny food, shelter, basic health care? Having an animal is not a right, it is a priviledge. 

The definition of virtuous is "behavior showing high moral standards: goodness, righteousness, morality, honor, decency, repectability, purity, etc."  As I read that, I thought about how far I am from virtuous, but God expects us to strive for this. Especially as Christmas approaches, are all of my encounters with others virtuous? Do I have respect for those that are just doing their jobs, who have opinions different than mine? God gives us faith and then it is our job with diligence to pursue virtue as in 2 Peter. The verse goes on to build upon virtue but if you don't start with virtue its tough to keep building and get to all these attributes that God expects. 

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,  I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal." 1 Corinthians 13:1

Can a secular song ever move you spiritually? What inspires the author of such a song? Does God use the hand of an unbeliever to write words that can bring a heart to Him? Listening to Bob Dylan's "Make you feel my love," has got me thinking about love this morning. I turned to 1 Corinthians 13 because we all know from many a wedding it is the passage of Love. Reading it again, its beauty overwhelms me. All those things that Paul "had" , the abilities God had bestowed on him, he knew that love was the most important. 

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own,  is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."Corinthians 13: 4-8

We all need a love like that. Humans fail but God's love is perfect. His love is unending. He is there when the world is against us. He is there when the storms are raging. So what can we learn from Bob Dylan and the apostle Paul? How to love... Love completely, love to get hurt, love  without worrying about rejection, love without thinking of self, love to serve others to the point of our own harm if needed. Love knowing that this love will not end.

Loving others to the point that Paul describes flows off the tongue easily at a wedding but most newlyweds don't really want to hear that love suffers long. I think of my in-laws, aged 98 and 88, they live now in the care center. They truly love each other. In my eyes they have suffered long. She gave up much of her desires during their marriage and she did it cheerfully and happily. He gives up much now in the nursing home watching her mind disappear before him. He says, "she is not my Annie anymore." That, young newlyweds, is love. That is long suffering.That is not seeking its own.That is truly beautiful.