Throw A Party

Cumberland Falls - 10:58 a.m.

I am reading Chip Ingram's book "Good To Great In God's Eyes" now and the chapter is "Enjoy Great Moments." Ingram points out that great Christians enjoy life and have fun. He uses Nehemiah 8:10 to make his point. He says:

"Ezra...read the books of Moses...to the assembly. Realizing how badly they had missed God's will and violated His commandments, they began to weep...Nehemiah encouraged them with these words, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."...Nehemiah didn't miss the need to repent, BUT, he understood that God had given the people a time of gladness. Sorrow was natural and necessary sometime. BUT, it couldn't define the life of God's people."

Nehemiah and God didn't jump on them and beat them down further when they realized how they had sinned and disobeyed. Instead he told them "Don't grieve". Throw a party.

Ingram also says, "We have little slices of time that fill us with joy...we treasure them even more when we celebrate them with others, especially those close to our heart. They mean more when others are involved...You never took time for enjoying, relating, and just relaxing. God put opportunities in your path that you never noticed and [God] put people in your path who would have loved you if you'd given them the time." This relationship with people is huge for me. People would have/will love me if I would just give them a chance. God places them there for me as a gift that I often ignore.

I Am Not the Leading Character in My Life

Cumberland Falls - 8:30 a.m.

I finished reading Ruth and started into 1 Samuel. Very noteworthy insight from Eugene Peterson's introduction from The Message. God's Spirit is speaking to me loudly and boldly. Peterson says, "...the stories [Samuel, Hannah, Saul, David] are clustered around 1000 BC" and 800 years after Abraham. Just put that in context. These stories about the lives of these people, about whose details relate so much to me, and God, occurred 3000 years ago--where we can't even begin to know how different [culture, environment, etc.] they believed and experienced. And yet, they are like me. God has not changed. Man has not changed. Relevance is real and pertinent.

Peterson also says, "...our ego-bound experience is too small a context in which to understand and experience what it means to believe in God and follow his ways." Everything I see, feel, perceive, make judgments about, plan, value, drive me forward or not, is based on me and my experience. Peterson is saying that if that is all I know, I cannot know God and his character [Believe!] and follow his ways [or even know his ways]. I am so small and limiting. I am so ego-bound, the center of my small mind and life.

God is not defined or bound by me, even though I think he is! I think I am the center of everything. Even when I think I am "nothing," I become the center of life and God! God draws me out of myself to show me that I am just a pin dot [not even] in God and the history of man, and I must look at the whole to understand. And yet, I am the most important person to him as well. That I cannot comprehend. God does not belong to me!

Peterson also says, "...[these] stories do not show us how we should live but how in fact we do live...the reality of our daily experience as the stuff that God uses to work out his purposes of salvation in us and in the world." I am part of this. My life [feelings, perceptions, judgments, plans, values, things that drive me forward or not, relationships, etc.] is part of the present and future for somebody or somebodies. God uses these for his purposes, the good and the bad for now and future generations.

Then he says, "...perceptions of ourselves...cannot be reduced to personal feelings or ideas or circumstances. If we want a life other than mere biology, we must deal with God. There is no alternate way." So God, life is larger than ME, my personal feelings, ideas, circumstances? Put that into perspective!

He goes on, "...we don't have to fit into prefabricated moral or mental or religious boxes [in fact I fight and rebel against them] before we are admitted into the company of God--we are taken seriously just as we are and given a place in his story, for it is, after all, his story, none of us is the leading character in the story of life."

I am not the leading character in my life, God is! How humbling and exciting at the same time. If I could just remember this in the fabric of my daily life. So deep that it is just like breathing. I just do it, or not even I do it, it just happens. I don't have to think about it or make a choice to do it. It just happens and goes on and on moment by moment, stretching into years and decades, a whole life. Without it, I die! It sustains life, my life physically, mentally and spiritually. God is the leading character in my life.

"...the biblical way is not so much to present us with a moral code and tell us 'Live up to this,' nor is it to set out a system of doctrine and say, 'Think like this' and you will live well. The biblical way is to tell a story and invite us to 'Live into this.' This is what it looks like to be human, this is what is involved in entering and maturing as human beings." (Peterson)

It is a rich experience filled with passion, ups and downs, growth, relating, understanding God and me in God and wonder and awe of God, world, mankind, universe, God's world, God! The details of my life experienced through God! I am human. He made me this way. It is a blessing to be human, the crown of God's creation! That is me! He is pleased with me! I have to live up to His pleasure, and through Jesus Christ I can!

Lastly, Peterson says, "...We are not being led to see God in our[my] stories but to see our stories in God's. God is the larger context and plot in which our stories [my story] find themselves." And do I have a story! The story of my life in all its pain and joy, mistakes and successes, weaknesses and strengths, growth and stagnation, my humanness! It fits into the story of God! Jesus is the bridge that links me directly to you, Father. "How great is [my] God! Sing with me how great is [my] God. All will see how great, how great is my God!"

Life is Often Times Just Not Fair

Cumberland Falls-7:00 a.m.

I started reading the book of Ruth in the Bible. In the 2nd chapter near the end, Naomi says, "God hasn't quite walked out on us after all. He still loves us in bad times as well as good!" True. This all sounds so positive, and it is. But the reality is, prior to saying this, Naomi had lost everything and was destitute. She suffered greatly:

1. Had no food or means of income
2. Had to leave her home and travel to a distant country where she knew no one, and had a family to take care of
3. Her husband died while they were there and left her with 2 boys to raise in this foreign country with no family for support
4. Her sons married (as far as we know) unbelieving women
5. She lost her 2 sons when they died in the foreign country
   
6. She was alone with only 2 daughters-in-law from the foreign country
7. Now she had to make decisions on her own and undertake a big move back to her home land
8. Either she had nothing or sold everything to finance the trip, because it was said about her when she got back to Bethlehem, "...have nothing but the clothes on her back." She had lost all finances.
9. She had to depend on a daughter-in-law for any means of income
10. She was bitter and angry at God.

So while we are happy to see this statement about God still loving her, just think about what she experienced and endured before. No small thing! God still says "Don't be afraid." So we read at the end of the book of Ruth how everything turned out well for Naomi and Ruth. But what they had to suffer before getting to this state, especially Naomi, was awful.

I wonder how Naomi felt about it? Also, Naomi's husband and two sons died during this suffering. They didn't get to experience how everything turned out well. So some don't get to experience it. Of course we don't know what God was doing in their lives at that time. But just remember everything doesn't always turn out wonderful in this world. That is why we have to have an eternal perspective and know and understand that eternally it will and trust God.

That is where my focus has to be, not on what my life is like in this world. Whatever happens is temporary, but my life and choices can effect the history of somebody, and that is more important. God is in charge and I can only see what is physically evident right now! All else only God knows. In the last part of Ruth it says, Boaz and Ruth had Obed, Obed had Jesse, Jesse had David a King of Israel and from David came Jesus the Messiah! Who knew? God! Certainly not us.

Don't Be Afraid

Cumberland Falls-6:49 p.m.

I've been reading the biography of this man who grew up in an incredibly dysfunctional and toxic family. The name of the biography is "A Wolf At The Table." It is amazing what he went through-father, mother and brother. While in many aspects it is not like my own, but overall it is. His feelings of longing for a father are very similar to mine and his relationship to his mother is as well. What I realized very strongly and it came to me suddenly is, I need a DAD. I need a mentor. One who is wise, loving, understanding, non-judgmental. I need someone to talk to and from whom I can seek advice and counsel. I need a DAD. Father, lead someone to me, please.

Don't Be Afraid

Cumberland Falls-12:50 p.m.

While I am waiting for God to show me what he wants me to do so I can sacrifice, I'm losing opportunity and wasting time. DO IT! and he will respond. The issue is not what he wants me to do. The issue is sacrifice and he will be pleased. Pure and simple! Whatever happens after that is up to him! That's all that matters. Oh, how I wish it were that simple.

Don't Be Afraid

Cumberland Falls-12:28 p.m

So what you're telling me, God, through Ingram's book is that I offer up all of me--including RobLen and the situation and know in my heart that whatever happens will be good for me, but firstly for your praise and glory. Leave it at your feet and move on in faith and joy and peace, living for you and all you can fill me with! Because, even if I suffer, it is ultimately going to be better for me here on this earth and eternally. Matthew 10:29-30 Frankly, I just don't get it. It really does not compute. Sounds good from a "Christian's" point of view, but I don't have a clue how to do it.

Don't Be Afraid

Cumberland Falls-11:46 a.m.

So I'm now reading the chapter on great sacrifices from Chip Ingram's book "Good to Great in God's Eyes" and you are speaking to me God. Question-Huge Obstacle! RobLen! Sacrifice it! Goes against everything I have worked for and believe! Lose lots of money-can't sell it-costing me money. Lose equity I was going to use to pay cash for a place later in life. What do I do? I think I could say it's yours, take it! I just don't know how to resolve it. Losing everything scares me to death. Don't know how or really what the next step would be.