For the past several days, since I first read this passage, I’ve had a deep moving in my heart. What I “feel” has been informed by what went before, what I’ve been reading and processing. We live linearly, sequentially in time, moving forward moment by moment, event by event. We build upon what we experienced and what we learned yesterday.  

I’ve been reading right through from Genesis and now am in one of my favorites, the book of Deuteronomy, where Moses recaps the law given by God, and some of the events which happened to the previous generation of Israelites. He is speaking to the second generation of Israelites who came out of Egypt and went through the 40 years of wandering in the desert. Some of these saw the mighty acts of God, the provision in all the years in the desert; they saw the fire of God on the mountain when He gave the Law to Moses. He is also speaking to those who were born during that time, who never saw the earlier deliverance and provision of God and punishments of God for rebellion, but had probably heard the stories. They hadn’t lived in Egypt, only heard about it; they only knew this dry desert land. They hadn’t eaten the foods of Egypt, the leeks and onions and garlic and fish; they only knew the manna sent from God.

So Moses is reiterating the laws of God to them; the promises and the warnings. He is preparing this generation to now enter the land promised to them by God. Their fathers and uncles and granddads hadn’t entered, had in fact, all died off in the fearsome desert as a judgment of God on them for their rebellion; their unbelief. They refused to go in and take the land. They discouraged one another with their unbelief and in that rebelled against what God was telling them to do.

It was this first generation of Israelites who were miraculously taken out of Egypt who couldn’t stand to hear the voice of God at Mt. Sinai. They were terrified and didn’t want to be anywhere near God. They certainly had reason to fear Him, but their response was wrong! They ran away and hid, rather than humble themselves to hear.

Moses is retelling the incident of these same men coming to Moses to tell him they do not want to be standing at the mountain, viewing the fantastic display of God’s power in the fire and thunder. They wanted Moses to hear God and then relay to them what He said. It sounds reasonable on the surface. But it reveals a deeper truth about them: they didn’t want God in their lives up front and personal.

God Himself hears their words to Moses and recognizes that they’ve made a choice based on their willfulness and hard hearts. They don’t want to be confronted with the living God so they defer to the man Moses. (Let him get burned up in that awful fire, not us!) Of course, they phrased their request in such a way as to indicate they would listen to what God said to Moses, and do it all.

However, the lie is revealed in this heart-wrenching cry of God:

             Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My   commandments always, that it may be well with them and their sons forever! (Deut. 5:29)
Oh, the agony of God over His people! They say with their mouths that they will obey His words. But obedience must come from the heart, not just the mouth or the outward religious acts. God knew.
And God knows. He knows our hearts and He hears our words. When we complain He hears our words. When we say we trust God but stop there, with our words, He hears. He knows!
And I believe He looks at the church today and cries, “Oh that they had such a heart in them (as they say they have), that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and their sons forever!”
Oh the heartbreak of God! Oh, shall we not break our hearts for His broken heart? Shall we not fall on our faces in repentance for the sin of our generation, for the sin and complacency of our church in the world today? Shall we not humble ourselves before the grace and the fire of the living God? Shall we not really fear Him and keep His words?
I hear so much about how much God loves us and wants only our best. This cry of God proves the truth of those words, indeed.
But do we not grasp that our response should be hearts to fear Him and live in obedience to His words? This is the Way of Jesus. This is the life of faith. Faith equals obedience. Lack of faith, unbelief, is disobedience.
Faith in and fear of God overcomes fear of what might happen to us if we really obey God!
We talk about revival in the church. It starts here, with ourselves. It starts with me and God. It starts with hearing the heartbreak of God.
“Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and their sons forever!” (Deut. 5:29)

These brown hills. This was the phrase going through my head as I drove from Colton in the Inland Empire of southern California to Bakersfield in the Central Valley. There hasn’t been rain enough yet in these autumn months to give the hills their wintertime green tint; everything is golden brown.  These brown hills.

These brown hills have few trees. As I drove I was aware of few trees; scraggly, tall eucalyptus trees.  My memory rode in the front seat with me, nodding agreement at the knowledge of few and scraggly trees; a memory from the days of living in southern California many years ago. As I drove west toward Pasadena, my memory nodded, yes, more trees, with their dark greens. Pasadena is known for its trees. Cool relief from the hot summer sun. Then rushing headlong into the foothills of the San Fernando Valley and up the Grapevine; fewer trees again. More of these brown hills.

Climbing these brown hills over and across a mountain range. Everywhere these stark, treeless, rocky, barren, brown hills.

Cresting a rise and the valley before me. Flat. Flatter than flatness. The freeway a ribbon disappearing into the greyish-blue haze hanging over the flatness. Hints of mountains through the haze, commonly known as smog, far to the right side and left side of this flatness.

This valley, the Central Valley of California, the San Joaquin (say wha-keen) Valley, is the breadbasket of, maybe, the world. It is a good thing it is flat; for miles and miles it is flat. I drive through fields of green, then brown, then grapevines for as far as the eye can see. There are fruit and nut trees in rows; sentinels, like the grapevines, they seem to go on forever. Big adult trees, little baby trees. I am amazed and wonder at how they take care of so many trees and vines and fields of plants. Farming is a big, big job. I respect farmers; the me in my mind tips my hat.

Bakersfield is in the southern part of the Central Valley of California. It is booming economically, unlike the green hills of Appalachia I came from so recently. So soon ago.

There is both wealth and poverty here. Wherever we go there is poverty. Wealth in green Appalachia has moved out of the neighborhood and left the jobless poor to fend for themselves, in those green hills, become barren for them.

Here wealth and poverty co-exist side by side, as in many communities around the country. Perhaps in your own town. There may be towns without much wealth, but every town has poverty. Somewhere.

We will look for those who are doing something about the poverty here in Bakersfield and see how we can lend a hand. Partner with those who know these brown fields. They can always use another pair of helping hands.

So can we.

I wasn’t born and raised here, as Randy was, but the mountains got into my blood anyway. Now we are leaving after nearly 20 years of imbibing the air and feasting on the vistas of the southern West Virginia mountains.

They say of those born here who leave, the mountains will call them back. Randy did leave here thinking he would never return. It was a Something greater than these mountains that called him back to them, and me with him. Now that same Something greater—God our Father, creator of these mountains and of all the earth—is calling us away to another place, a place with distant mountains and an abundance of flat fields.

But they are right, these Appalachian mountains have woven their magic into the fibers of our hearts—and they will always call to us. Though we had months to emotionally disengage from the ties of “place”—this place we have called home for 20 years, this place of a calling of God to labor with him in his vineyard, his harvest field—as we drive away from our now empty house, our neighbors and especially our friends and co-laborers who continue in the work, we see through misty eyes and swallow around lumps in our throats.

Neither Randy nor I have ever before been tied to “place”. Both of us moved a lot as children, and we moved so often after marriage, I gave up counting a long time ago. So living in one house for almost 20 years is a record for both of us. And we discovered we had become emotionally tied to this “place” as never before.

This place is not just the place we experienced the poignant and aching beauty of nature, but this is the place we embraced the ache of human need in the people around us, and experienced the love of God poured out—in us, and through us, and through them to us.

And this is good. For we are made in the image of God, the God of love, who gave. We followed God to these mountains and gave, and loved. And miles of distance cannot take away an iota of that love, for love is one thing that is eternal; it transcends time and space. Love is one of those things we are told will last when all else fails. It is love that binds our hearts to the mountains and people of West Virginia and it is love that compels us, the love of Christ, to now leave these mountains and people in the capable hands of co-laborers, and travel to another place where the God of love calls us. A place where there are other beauties of nature and more human need to embrace. A place where we will continue to co-labor with God in his fields of harvest.

And that is the highest love of all.

On Sunday, September 14, Randy and I left West Virginia but not the ministry of Mustard Seeds and Mountains (soon to be known as Mission as Life). We will, by God’s grace as he is leading us, be opening new doors of service in the Western and Southwestern United States. Lacy and Shawna Blankenship continue on in West Virginia, holding down the fort in our absence, awaiting the newest reinforcements to join them, Nate and Trudy Bertram and family. Nate and Trudy are just beginning to raise support in their hometown of Columbus, OH. Their goal is to move to WV by March of next year. Rejoice and pray with us that in all these changes God is magnified!

Inscrutable are Your ways, Oh Lord. (from Isaiah 40:28)

“To be a sacramental personality means that the elements of the natural life are presenced by God as they are broken providentially.” Oswald Chambers, quoted in “My Utmost for His Highest” (September 30)

I have been privileged to know a “sacramental personality”, one who experienced the breaking work of God in various ways and blossomed with quiet beauty, “presenced by God”, through each trial and joy.

Though we laid to rest the “earthly tent”, the body of my mother a few days ago, she is more alive today than ever she was living on this earth. I rejoice, by faith, with her! Hers now is the life we all long for and anticipate. Though we do not wish to leave this life, we at the same time earnestly desire to be “clothed” with the life which will never end. My mom has now this new wardrobe and the desire of her heart fulfilled: to be in the presence of her God and Savoir whom she loves with all her being, and join in worshipping Him with those she loves who preceded her.

At mom’s funeral my brother Daniel read a eulogy he wrote in her honor. I share it with you.

Kindness

In Memory of Luella Rickett

Memory is the genesis of one’s future.  It shapes the mind toward good or evil.  It rules the life by the character of its contents. 

The memory of a mother is perhaps the most formative of all memories. 

The memory of a godly mother is exceeded only by the memory of God. 

I want to share with you some memories of my mother, Luella Rickett, known affectionately as Peg. 

My memory of Mom is infused with the fragrance of Christ. 

She loved Jesus and that love framed her life. 

It is said that the measure of a woman is her prayer life. 

Who in her family or circle of friends can say she never prayed for them?  Not one.

She prayed for countless strangers too.

As for me, I am alive because she prayed for me. 

The Word of God and prayer was her daily bread. 

She didn’t always have sunny days, but she always gave thanks to God. 

Even in her dying, when disease stripped her memory and words came only in fragments, when asked what she would like to say in a letter to her friends, she said, “I want to say what I’m thankful for.” 

Every memory of my mother glows with kindness.

Just as the moon reflects the light of the sun, my mother reflected the kindness of God. 

The beauty of her kindness shines in the love of her children, the admiration of her friends, and the respect of strangers. 

She was gentle and compassionate toward all. 

She wasn't one to chide or hold a grudge.

She was patient with my waywardness though uncompromising in her devotion to Jesus. 

She forgave my wildness and endured my absence without complaint.

It was Mom’s unconditional love that led a young troubled woman to Christ who later became my wife.

Mom wore modesty like a ball gown, elegant and plain. 

And though I never saw her dance, forbearance moved her graciously through every injury, struggle, and loss.  

Anyone who knew her will understand why I define kindness by the memory of my mother.

And now dear family and friends I must tell you, Mom’s passing is a temporary loss.  For in the words of the Apostle Paul, “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:14, 16-17; NIV 1984).

This hope is the memory of the future and because of it we remember Luella Rickett not only for the godly woman she was but for the glorious woman she is today in the presence of the Lord. 

After the funeral Randy, who as a young pastor in Canada preached at many funerals, commented that he had never been at a person’s funeral where Jesus was so often spoken of as having been seen in the person’s life. 

A sacramental personality, one shaped by the hand of God through the hard times of life, into a thing of beauty, one in which God is pleased to dwell.

I love you, Mom. Thank you…for everything.

What’s In a name?

Have you seen the movie Avatar? Randy brought it home on DVD a month or two ago. I wasn’t that interested in seeing it, but I watched it with him. Now, as a follower of Christ and one who holds to the teachings of the Bible, I see the movie as fantasy and that is all; fantasy with cool computer graphics. I reject the overtones of the religious “stew” which apparently is behind the philosophy of the movie (similarly with Star Wars). I can enjoy it without being tricked by its false premises.

One of the things I liked from the movie is that the blue people (ok, Na’Vi; I had to look it up to get some facts straight) used a special greeting: “I see you”.  Though in the movie its meaning had to do with “the god in me sees the god in you”,  again, unlike some who are pantheistic or animistic or any other kind of “istic”, I reject the concept that you and I are “god” in the sense some religions believe we are (have I made enough disclaimers?).

What I like about the greeting “I see you” is the idea that one can know another intimately. “I see you” indicates the one seeing has an intimate knowledge of the person seen. We know God can say of us “I see you” and mean He truly sees us, for He is All Knowing and sees into our very heart (Jeremiah 17:9, 10).  We cannot see into another’s heart as God can, but we can grow in our understanding of who another person is. And we can grow in our understanding of who God is. We can learn His heart by immersing ourselves in His Word, the Bible, putting its truths into practice in our lives, and tuning our ear to obey the voice of the Spirit of God. This is what Peter meant by “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18). We can become intimate friends with Jesus; we “see” Him. And seeing Him, we see God (John 14:9).

Oswald Chambers said, “To be born again means I see Jesus....All spiritual history must have a personal knowledge for its bedrock” (My Utmost for His Highest, August 15). The new birth is necessary to perceive God’s rule, to “see” Jesus, to perceive His rule in the universe and in our lives. Chambers says that in the new birth we are given God’s nature and then we can recognize, “see”, God’s rule in the world. Once we begin to see Jesus with these new eyes, we begin to hear with ‘ears that hear’, that is, with a will that obeys what He says.

So anyway, I was thinking about a title, a name, for a book I am writing. This book will be a compilation of short articles I’ve written for Mustard Seeds over the past …hmm, many, many years. (This is a different book from the one I am writing on cancer and suffering.) I am in the process of rewriting these articles now. I have most of them on my computer, but found an inch thick stack of paper copies I hope to scan into my computer. Otherwise I will be typing them in one by one (sigh, says the world’s worst typist).

I’ve been referring generally to this book-to-be as a devotional, but I am not sure if that is the best way to consider it. Then again, it may be just that. I think it fits more with writings which challenge than comfort. I personally prefer the type of writer who says things based in scripture which tend to make me think, that challenge my complacencies, rather than those which pet and pamper.

I See You: Living face to face with Jesus

A possible title for a devotional type book, grounded in scripture, one which challenges the readers to a more intimate relationship with Jesus, one in which they really “see” Jesus.

When we start to really see Jesus, growing in our knowledge of Him, we begin to see the world differently. We begin to live our lives differently, more in line with what He teaches in the Word.

A book title will go through numerous changes before it is ever put on the cover of a book. This is just one thought…and my thoughts behind it.

What do you think?

Finished reading through Psalms again. Had a fun time imagining working with the grandkids to put Psalm 148 to song--or more likely shouting--and action! I couldn’t help smile to myself as in my mind’s eye I could see them reciting and acting out motions:

“Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights (with some motions to indicate ‘way up there’ heavens and heights)!

Praise Him, all His angels (wings and halos);

Praise Him sun and moon; Praise Him all stars of light (some hold up placards with pictures of moon and stars in the night sky)!

Praise Him highest heavens, and the waters that are above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the LORD, for He commanded and they were created. He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away.

Praise the LORD from the earth, sea monsters (what fun we could have with this one!) and all deeps;

Fire and hail, snow and clouds; stormy wind, fulfilling His word (more pictures and a lot of blowing!);

Mountains and all hills; fruit trees and all cedars;

(And here comes some fun ones) Beasts and all cattle; creeping things and winged fowl (I see them happily crawling on the ground for “creeping things” and animals, flapping their arms for birds; they’d love that);

Kings of the earth (gold crowns on heads) and all peoples;

Princes and all judges of the earth;

Both young men and virgins (have 5 of those in the cast, bowing and curtsying); old men and children (I can see my 6 year old grandsons mimicking old men, the 2 year olds jumping forward as the children).

Let them praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven (the kids shouting the words at the top of their lungs!).

And He has lifted up a horn for His people, praise for all His godly ones; even for the sons of Israel, a people near to Him.

Praise the LORD!”

What a great time we could have!

And the best part is, they would be learning the Truth. They would be putting the Word of God into their minds where it can work down into their hearts. And they’d have fun doing it!

It’s all in my imagination right now, but one of these days hopefully we can carry out some of these kinds of activities with our grandchildren. Not only do we enjoy having fun with our grandkids, but we take seriously our responsibility to do things with our children, and now our grandchildren, teaching them the Word of God and leading by example with love.

We’ve been admonished, as parents and even grandparents:

I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the LORD my God commanded me…Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons. (Moses, in Deuteronomy 4: 5, 9)

We will not conceal them from their children, but tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and His strength and His wondrous works that He has done. (Asaph, in Psalm 78: 4)

There are a variety of ways to pass on truth to our children and grandchildren. Reading the Bible and missionary stories with them; including them in prayer times and rejoicing with them when God answers those prayers; accompanying them on service projects in the community or further afield, studying the Bible with them, talking about all kinds of life situations, helping them make applications of truth to their lives; all these and more we can do as we are given the opportunity, first as parents and then as grandparents. And we can always pray for them whether we are near or far away.

Then we will be doing exactly what Moses, Asaph and other writers of scripture said to do, for they were inspired by God’s Holy Spirit to write down for us what God wants us to do.

“Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.”  Psalm 142: 7 NIV

Today in my regular daily reading of the Psalms I came to Psalm 142. Though I have other margin notes next to verse 7 dating back to 1992, I remember this verse mostly for a different reason. But days before I read that verse, I had come to this verse in Psalm 111:1.  Here is my response:

             Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart…(Psalm111:1a) NASB

            No, I don’t feel like praising God today. I just got this diagnosis of cancer. Cancer! It can kill me! God, I’m not happy about this and I don’t feel like praising You….

            …but I know I have to. I won’t survive unless I change my mind. Oh God my Father, help me!

            I will praise the LORD…I don’t feel like it, but I choose to praise Him…in the company of the upright and in the assembly.

           Great are the works of the LORD… (Psalm 111: 1b, 2a).

My margin note next to verse 1: “Verse after my breast cancer diagnosis Dec 2007. A choice to praise” (I underlined the word “choice”).

From my darkness of soul I came face to face with Light… and Life. I had a choice to make, right then, not the next day; this choice could not be put off. To not choose was to choose. If I chose not to choose to praise God in that moment, I was choosing not to praise God at all. The choice wouldn’t be easier the next day.

In a nano second I knew all this. My emotions were not a part of the equation here. Emotions must never be considered at such times! My Will had to decide. It is always a matter of the Will. Emotions will follow where the Will chooses to go.

I had learned enough through the years about the Lord I was supposed to praise that I recognized Who He is and in that Light, based on what I knew of this God, I made my decision.

            I will praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart. (v.1)

            I am going to publicly praise Him. I will praise Him before His people, “in the company of the upright and in the assembly”.

            Great are the works of the LORD….the LORD is gracious and compassionate (verses 2, 4).

Knowing this, I chose life, I chose to praise this gracious and compassionate and wonder working God. I chose hope for there is hope in no one and in nothing else.

Scrolling forward a few days, in my reading I came to Psalm 142:7. “Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.” 

This verse resonated within me. Cancer and its threat on my life and the muscle weakness (MG) which I’d had since 13 years of age, felt like “prison”. I asked God to free me from that prison so I could praise His name. Then the outcome of Him setting me free would be that His people, the righteous ones, “will gather about me because of your goodness to me.”

In that moment I made verse 7 my prayer. The outcome would be glory to God for His amazing work in this poor body. Because every chance I got, I would point out His goodness and mercy and works of might on my behalf.

Scroll forward again about 4 years to today when I read that verse again but now see some of the answers to my prayer. For almost 4 years I have been cancer free. For that long I have been stronger than ever I’ve been since 13 years old, when the muscle weakness (MG) began to manifest itself. Hundreds of people have learned of God’s goodness to me and praise Him for it.

Is this God I chose to praise in the fire truly a God of goodness, a God gracious and compassionate?

He had my vote then, He has it today.

Again with the beautiful West Virginia summer. The skies are gorgeous blue, almost as deep blue as in October, which almost throws me off as to which month of the year it is when I look up. It is definitely warmer than October!

One thing missing though (and if you’ve been here in the summer, perhaps on a mission trip, you know what I mean): it hasn’t been raining that much lately. This weather is great for painting houses and roofing (which our summer home repair teams do), but if you want green you have to have rain! We live in a northern “rain forest”; we have forests because we have rain. I think I can safely say I rarely grouse about the rain! (In fact, one of Randy’s and my favorite things to do is call to one another, if we hear thunder, to go sit on the porch together! We love thunder and lightning storms.)

It was also rainless in Tennessee when we were there last week. It had been 3 months since I’d last visited my mom so I really wanted to get down there and spend some time with her. I’d roll her outdoors in her wheelchair and we’d sit and enjoy the warmth and breezes. I read a chapter at a time to her from Hannah Whitall Smith’s classic, “The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life” (Barbour Publishing, Inc.). It is a small book, 190 pages, and worth the time to read. It is a classic, as I said, first published in 1870; biblical truths that have stood the tests of time and culture.

Not only did we both enjoy the messages in the chapters I read, but I was amazed and thankful I could read aloud for a whole chapter’s worth of words! If you know me, you know what I mean. For most of my life I have not been strong enough to read aloud. Talking has been difficult, to say the least. I remember back in high school before I was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, when I was called on to read in class, it was extremely difficult for me because of the weakness of my muscles and I had to ask to be allowed not to continue struggling to read out loud. It was embarrassing. I was a good reader! I loved reading. But I couldn’t easily form the words and say them clearly so others could understand me. My muscles just didn’t work.

When my sons were just little and we’d sit on the couch in our house in Pasadena to have a morning devotional time before school, as soon as Jeremy and Seth learned to read in kindergarten I had them reading the scriptures for us because it was so difficult for me. I put them to work! I guess it was good reading practice for them. Now, wonder of wonders, I can read to my mom a whole chapter in a book! I get choked up writing this because it is such a miracle to me that I am stronger than I’ve ever been since I was 13 years old.

I am continually amazed and awed by the Person of God. I (dare I say ‘we’?) are so impatient with things in our lives, especially the unpleasant things. We cry out to God to do something about it…and, of course, we mean “do it yesterday!” Oh what He puts up with from us! I have thought, I need to take a hard look at how patient God is with us (from examples in scripture and life around me) and learn from His example of patience, and long-suffering. Oh how He does ‘suffer long’ with us.

Is 40 years too long to wait for a prayer to be answered? Not when you are at the 40 year end of it. And all the prayers I’ve prayed for daily strength…why, God was answering those all along.

Are you on the “front end” of some prayers? Keep praying! Keep giving yourself and your concerns into the hands of God, sincerely asking for His will to be done. Believe me, you and I don’t want it any other way.

Keep on Writin’

Though I feel like a snail (not the same as a slug) in my writing progress, I am excited to announce Randy is almost ready to publish his second book! This will be an e-book. You’ll need a bookless-book to read it, like Kindle, Nook or iPad. It will be sold on Amazon and everyone will be able to afford it. The title has been chosen (From Here to Kingdom Living: Transitioning from short-term missions to a Kingdom lifestyle) and though it is going to be a paperless book, it still has to have a cover design, which is in the final stages of being decided on. Though his target audience is late teens to 20 and 30-somethings, it is one of those topics which every believer can profit from. Watch for further updates!

And as for my snails’ pace…well, I did get in some reading I need to do to learn to write well, publish, and so on. Now, just to get to the writing part…. I count my blog and prayer letters and receipt notes as “writing” to a certain degree, but there is a difference now for me when I talk about writing and “writing”. Because I am learning there is writing, and then there is writing. If I sound like the proverbial dog chasing its tail, I’m not really! I’ve just stepped into a new world and am learning the language and culture. I hope I can learn well and communicate better within this new world! (Prayers appreciated!)

Updates to follow!

The hardest part is time management. Most people struggle with it, whatever field of endeavor they undertake. I am finding it difficult to set aside time to write.

In May, while in California, I attended a Christian Writer’s Conference, the first of its kind for me. In fact, though I have to visit my California doctors for follow ups every 6 months, I scheduled those appointments around the Writer’s conference just so that I could attend it.

After years of waffling amid scores of requests, comments (and a lecture) and questions about when I was going to write a book, I have finally kicked into gear to do so. Certain people have been instrumental in the process, Randy most recently. Just after the New Year we sat down as a couple to list some priorities for this year (on a handout from church labeled “What I want God to do this year”) and one of the first priorities, on my side of the page Randy said I should write “my book published by next year”. Sort of pushy, don’t you think?!

Sometimes we need a firm push, like a boat from the dock, to get us moving. It was just what I needed to get me going. Thanks, honey. And thanks to you who have spurred me on one way or another over the past months and years.

Since January I have been working on a manuscript. I determined to go to the Christian Writer’s conference which was held in Newport Beach (no, I didn’t get to see the beach, sigh), just an hour by car from where my sons live in Southern California. I knew this was doable.

Boy, did I learn a lot. And it is the kind of experience where you begin to realize how much more you have to learn! I’m reading new material to learn the craft and how to market my product, whenever I have one (I doubt it will be by early next year). I will also be writing, well, let’s say, learning to write shorter articles for publication. I’m seriously considering writing devotionals. This is something new writers are encouraged to do while they write their first book. It is even something I had previously thought about too.

Are you picking up that I need your prayer backing for this new venture?! I certainly hope it is true one is never too old to learn….

I had a good time at the conference; met a new friend there, another woman who is an aspiring writer; and had a good time with my family over the 3 weeks I was in California. I had the good news from my oncologist that I am still cancer free, thank God. My neurologist is happy I am still strong and we agreed to maintain my current lowered dose of Prednisone for the next 6 months and will at that time consider cutting back on another immunosuppressant I am taking for the MG.  Unfortunately, my cardiologist reported that my heart function regressed slightly from 5 months ago, but she was not concerned. Apparently that happens. (My heart was damaged during chemotherapy for cancer. I have been under Dr’s care for the past 3 years for this reversible condition.) We look for improvement over the next 6 months.

So overall, can you tell, my time and experiences were “good”. Good is…well, good. And I am thankful to God.

So now, how to manage my time. Which really equates to managing myself. So many “little” things literally gobble up the time! But I think I am coming to a plan in my mind. I will be working at implementing a way of managing my time whereby I make the most of it to accomplish what I need to do.

Redeeming the time, making the most of every opportunity, working while it is day…words of wisdom for me… and everyone.

Now I have a request of you. If you read my blog and have liked what you read (at least at some point), will you drop me a line at jacquelinegwallace@gmail.com and tell me what it was/is you like about what I write? I didn’t make that up; we were encouraged to find out this information in a workshop at the writer’s conference. And besides, I’m curious about it too!

Here they come!

Our first teams of the summer arrived here in Northfork yesterday. I will go to the meeting this evening and get to meet people face to face I’ve been emailing with for months, setting up their mission trip. It is always nice to meet these folks, some youth and adult groups, some families, from all over the country. This year we have families and groups from states as far away as New Mexico and Iowa, Florida and Georgia, New York and New Jersey; Minnesota, Michigan and Indiana; and as near as Tennessee, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

We will be meeting new folks and old friends (that is, return teams!) through the second week of August. God has provided 3 interns to work with Lacy and one of Lacy’s daughters to work with the younger children when needed in weeks when families are here. We are thankful for these young people, as well as our regular staff, to carry out the demands of the summer home repair ministry.

Won’t you pray for us? Pray for safety in all travels, both for teams/families to and from WV and teams/families and staff within WV each week; and that all of us will have hearts to serve and learn from the Lord as we work together. Pray for Randy as he guides our staff and for the teaching of the Word with teams each week. And pray for the seeds of the Word of God to be planted deep in hearts… and bear fruit in the lives of children and adults here in WV and on the teams. It is our prayer that even seeds which have lain dormant for years will begin to grow and bear fruit to the glory of God.

And pray for Randy and me as we continue forward with the ministry of Mustard Seeds and Mountains, now 20 years and counting, moving at the directives of the Lord for the work He wants to do through us.

Because it is all about Him.

Sometimes I wonder about my plodding through passages of scripture, taking so long to mull over things said in scripture which I don’t understand. I feel this week I had some insight into some verses I’ve always puzzled over, not quite getting what lay under their meaning. Just taking time (days) to go back and ponder has brought a number of things to my mind. Here I share some thoughts with you again.
Jesus found Philip and called him to follow Him. Philip found Nathanael, saying, we’ve found the Messiah, Jesus from Nazareth!
Nathanael, knowing the bad reputation of Nazareth, was not so sure anyone good could come from there, and their promised Messiah had to be a good man. Nevertheless, he went with Philip to see this Jesus.
When “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, (He) said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!’”
Nathanael had a reputation too. He was probably known as one who scrupulously kept the Law of Moses; he was blameless. No one could point a finger of accusation at Nathanael as one who cheated on the keeping of the Law. On the contrary, I imagine that people would have said ‘no way’, if someone accused Nathanael of some wrong-doing; they wouldn’t believe it because they knew him; they knew he was above reproach.
And he also may have held others to that same high standard. Yet, I think he truly hungered after God; this motivated him to keep the Laws of God. I think his heart yearned for the true God, as we often pick up from the psalmist’s heart cries. He kept the Laws of God out of pure motives: to please God. But he still felt the inadequacy of it all. He still longed for the something more the Law couldn’t provide.
So when Nathanael asked Jesus how He knew him, incredulous that Jesus should know Nathanael’s reputation as a guileless man, I think he was blown away by an answer he never expected: “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
Here was Nathanael, a true hearted follower of God, who kept the Law scrupulously; he was known as a blameless man. In my sanctified imagination, for this is all conjecture, I see him as a man who sought out a quiet, private place to pray to the God he loved and served; his prayer “closet”, if you will; his place of meeting with God.
The fig tree was Nathanael’s Beth-el: the house of God (Genesis 28:11-16).  Like Jacob of old who was met by God, the angels of God climbing up and down the ladder which stood on the earth where he was, ascending up to heaven where God spoke to Jacob; Nathanael met with God at his own private Beth-el. I imagine he longed for a revelation of God, like Jacob had.
Unlike Jacob, who was a deceiver, and in fact, whose name meant usurper, thief; Nathanael was pure hearted. Deceit was not found in him. The fig tree was the place where Nathanael met with God and poured out his heart in worship, adoration and supplication.
Nathanael’s fig tree was his Beth-el; no one else knew about it…except Jesus. How could He know that? He must be God! Only God would know his secret place of prayer, where he poured out his heart to Him.
“Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” Nathanael’s doubts about who Jesus was were dissipated in a moment, like vapor in the sunlight. In that moment he was convinced Jesus was the Messiah promised for long centuries. He was ready to follow Him to the ends of the earth. His heart’s cries were being answered in the Person before him.
Nathanael, you haven’t seen anything yet. If you think knowing your deepest heart’s secrets is amazing, just wait. Remember Jacob’s ladder? The way to heaven, the way to God, the Way of God; I’m It, and you are going to be in for an amazing journey.
When we, too, seek after the Lord with all our hearts, listening hard for His voice, ready to do His will in a moment, as I believe Nathanael was, God will show us greater things than we have yet known…the very Presence of God working His works among us, through us. We will see “the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

I sit in another “bedroom office” in my son’s home in California. I will be here for 3 weeks. Randy is back home in West Virginia, after traveling the last two weekends, participating in first a men’s retreat in Maryland and then a youth retreat in New Jersey. We have prayed much for, and Randy has put countless hours of study into preparing for, these weekend ministries. We believe God has used Randy in the lives of these men and young people, and the churches to which he preached, accomplishing what He wanted to accomplish in their lives during these short times of teaching and preaching. Beginning and carrying on His work in His people. We count it a privilege to be co-laborers with God in His vineyard.
Now Randy and our WV staff are gearing up big time for our summer home repair ministry. Our interns are arriving and training has begun in earnest! The first week of June volunteers begin arriving to serve with their families or youth groups, working to give the people of eastern McDowell County a better life, physically and spiritually.

Your prayers and ongoing financial support are like the fuel which keeps Mustard Seeds and Mountains chugging along! Continue to hold us up in prayer. If you’d like specific prayer requests contact me at Jacque@mustardseeds.org. Consider, in these economic hard times, financially supporting the ministry!

As I’ve been reading through the book of John I keep coming upon gems and want to share them with you. I was reading yet in chapter one and ran into Nathanael. Fascinating fellow. Then as I was writing about him, my thoughts took me down another path, one I didn’t see until I was on top of it. But I recognized it after a bit. I’d been down this path before. I’ve been learning and am always convicted….

Read on.

I wish I knew more about Nathanael. We are given a glimpse of him, but only a tiny glimpse shrouded in mystery. Jesus and Nathanael knew what Jesus’ words meant when He said He saw Nathanael under the fig tree, but we have to surmise their meaning (John 1: 43-51).

Jesus left Judea, where John the Baptizer had baptized Him, and where he had garnered a few disciples, and headed back to Galilee. This was His home country, up north of Jerusalem (yes, Jesus was a northerner).

Philip was from Bethsaida, the home town of Andrew and Peter, located near the Sea of Galilee, and when Jesus found Philip, He called him to follow Him. Jesus found Philip and then Philip found Nathanael, telling him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” I’m sure Philip was excited. To be certain they had found the promised Deliverer, the Savior of Israel, the Messiah; this was good news indeed!

Nathanael is somewhat skeptical, however, knowing the reputation of the city of Nazareth, a gentile stronghold. Where there were gentiles who didn’t worship the True God, there was all manner of evil goings-on, contrary to the teachings of the Law of Moses. It was not the best “neighborhood” to live in or come from. Because of their proximity to unbelieving gentiles, Nazarene Jews were looked down on. Hence, Nathanael’s comment, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

Yet here was Philip, convinced he’s found the Messiah, the One promised from God. So he invites Nathanael to “Come and see”. See for yourself before you judge.

This is actually a good practice, to judge by the life and character of a person, rather than the reputation of the place he comes from. Many a godly man and woman have come from less than commendable backgrounds. They may have had to endure the censure and rejection of “good Christian” people, pressing on in their walk with the Lord in spite of, rather than because of, the Christian community. How tragic.

This should not be but I fear is the case all too often. We have our “Nazareth’s” today, in every community, and Christian people often avoid those who live there. People don’t want “that kind” messing up their comfortable ways, dirtying the carpet of the church, breaking anything. We’ve seen this when it comes to opening the doors of the “church”, meaning the church building, to the rapscallions in the neighborhood, the unwashed and unchurched children living in close proximity to the church building. God forbid they should trample the hallowed halls of “God’s house” in order to share the good news of Jesus Christ with them. Sometimes I wonder what god some people worship in their zeal to protect his property.

This should not be! If Sunday school and VBS are only for the children of church-goers (and I believe they should have this benefit), not for those “outside” the church, then we have failed in our understanding of the gospel! We have failed to understand the God of the gospel. We’ve even lost the spirit in which the Sunday School movement got its start (google Robert Raikes and the Sunday School Movement).

And when those whose lives were once in shambles, whose reputations were sullied by their way of life; when these repent and turn in faith to Christ and enter the sacred halls of our church, do we open our arms in loving embrace, to nurture them in the faith and love of God? Or do we hold them at arm’s length, waiting for them to “prove” themselves by adopting our brand of “Christian” lifestyle before we welcome them into the family of God?

God has chosen, not the wise and cultured according to the world, not the powerful and well respected; but God has chosen rather the foolish, the poor, the outcasts, the rejects of the world to show to the world the strength and wisdom of God (I Cor. 1:26-29). These are those who recognized themselves for what they were and received the gospel of God with humble hearts; so the glory, and power and honor would go to the one God….He will share His glory with no other.

So “what good can come from the 'hood'? ” as a community developer in an urban setting used to say? Oh my! When God redeems a man, and he is wholly committed to Christ…the world has not yet seen what can be done, as another man of God once said.

Did good come out of Nazareth? Was it possible for a man of God to arise from the dung heap of humanity? You and I have salvation today, if indeed you have trusted that same Jesus as your Lord and Savior, because something good did come from Nazareth.

And we can be the agents of other “good” coming from the rejects of our cities and neighborhoods—pick out the worst in your community—if we are willing to go to them with the life-changing good news of Jesus Christ…of Nazareth. If we are willing to soil our hands to love, in Jesus’ name, those whom the world despises…but whom God loves; if we will extend ourselves to proclaim to the unlovely the matchless grace of Jesus, we will see “the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man”, as Jesus said.

It may not be easy, but it will be the right thing. Eternally right.

It seems John, the apostle, gets excited in his first chapter as he introduces Jesus and John the Baptizer. He seems to switch back and forth between them, almost tripping over his own feet. There is so much to tell! It is all so important!

That is how I began to feel about this chapter the more I read it. John introduces the Word, who is God and was with God in the beginning. He is the life and Light come into the world. He made everything and everyone… yet is known by none; recognized by no one, rejected by most.

Enter John, sent from God. His task is to announce the coming of this One who is God, who is coming as a man among us. This is no ordinary appearance. We must get ready for Him.

I find it fascinating that, though John (the Baptizer) grew up knowing Jesus (he was a relative), and he had a sense of Jesus being above the need to repent and be baptized (Matthew 3: 13-15), he didn’t know that Jesus was the coming, promised Messiah until he saw on Jesus the identifying sign given him by God. It was when he saw the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, “descending and remaining on Him”, John knew and announced “this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit. I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God” (John 1:33-34).

What an exciting moment that was! All John had lived for was folded into that moment, that revelation. The Messiah had come and John was His forerunner, His herald, to tell everyone “This is The One! Get your hearts and lives ready before God to receive the promised King!”

Jesus came and no one expected Him. That is, they didn’t recognize He was the One who would be the fulfillment of all God’s prophecies about the coming Deliverer. Their preconceived notions about their God and His Savior blinded their eyes to the truth.

But there were some who were waiting, looking for the Messiah, and when John announced His arrival, they lit out after Him.

“Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus….One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him,was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘we have found the Messiah’ (which translated means Christ). He brought him to Jesus…” (John 1:35-37, 40-42).

I’ve always loved this about Andrew; I’ve always wished I were more like him. He was spiritually attune, waiting and watching, ready to leave home and family in pursuit of the Messiah, his great heartbeat. He became a disciple of John in anticipation of discovering and following the Messiah. His heart resonated with the message of John the Baptizer. As far as we can tell from this account, he was one of Jesus’ first followers. And he was vocal in announcing he had found the promised Messiah and went to get others to follow too. His first stop was his own family: Simon Peter.

I want to be one who is spiritually attuned to God, to recognize Jesus when He comes. How so, when Jesus already “came”? He speaks in the Word of God, and I need to recognize His voice and obey. He comes into my life in strange disguises; I do not want to reject Him because of my preconceived notions, my spiritual blindness to God and his truth.

Just because I once put my faith in Jesus to forgive my sins and give me eternal life; just because I do all the acceptable external acts such as church attendance and reading of my Bible and even prayer; just because I do these things, doesn’t mean my heart is in tune with God.

Israel, as a nation, did all the right religious acts but broke God’s heart and brought down His wrath on them because they persisted in living a double life, doing abominable things the world around them did and acting like it was nothing; stopping their ears to the voice of God through His prophets.

Today we can be just like that, and I do not want to be like that! Reading the Old Testament is eye opening and instructive. It was given us so we would learn not to act the way others had who called themselves by the Name of God and lived in disobedience to Him.

It is also instructive to learn from reading the Old Testament God loves those who love and fear Him, whose hearts are humble toward God and kind toward other people. The way of God is so pure, clean and refreshing…these are the inner feelings I’ve had often when I read the goodness of His ways in scripture. Those who seek after Him know His goodness and kindness. Being in the word of God helps give perspective and keep my heart attuned to God.

This is where Andrew was. Those who seek after the Lord with all their hearts, like Andrew, will be able to recognize and so follow that Lord.

Jesus went on to gather more disciples, those learners and followers who were with Him for the next three years, and who became the backbone of the fledgling church Jesus left when he returned to heaven and His Father.

He is still gathering those whose hearts yearn for Him, for the living God. He is still saying “Follow Me”, still teaching His disciples, the learners of His ways. He is like that train which runs through my yard and the nearby towns, calling with every blast of the train whistle, “Get on board!”

Get on board.

There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. v6

I love the way God has always reached out to us. He sent a man, this time John. From the time He made the world He had been sending men to speak to other men on His behalf (Hebrews 1). This is not the behavior of an aloof and unconcerned God.

He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. v7

John, not to be confused with John the apostle, the writer of this book, but John the son of Zacharias, a priest, and Elizabeth, a relative of Mary of Nazareth (Luke 1). John, who became known as the Baptizer, knew he had a mission to accomplish. And he set about to accomplish it.

He (John) was not that Light but came to testify about the Light….John testified about Him, and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” vv 8, 15

John pulled no punches. I think he was a “what you see is what you get” kind of guy. And he was a sight to see. He was not your conventional next door neighbor type. He may have been a little scary (Matthew 3: 4). But what he had to say was riveting. He called people to repent--oh that nastiest of words! “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2).

But people by the score came to him, scary or strange or not, repenting of their sins and as a sign of their repentance, were being baptized by John. But what was it all about? The kingdom of heaven is near. So what? Does that mean anything to us? The promised Deliverer, the Christ, was about to appear, that’s all! Get ready! They couldn’t receive the Christ, the King, in their “dirty clothes” of life. They had to change, wash up in baptism.

Does sin matter to us? I read these verses and go “yea!” for the ones who came repenting, seeking to make their hearts and lives ready for their King who would rule the coming Kingdom. They knew they were sinners and needed to change the way they lived.

Of course, there were also those who came skeptically and even scornfully, acting a part but with no intention of changing their lives. John had some choice words for them, let me tell you. No, he wasn’t a guy who pulled punches or suffered hypocrites well (Matthew 3:5-12). And if they couldn’t fool John, how in the world did they think they could fool the coming King of the coming kingdom?

So when these same men questioned John about who he thought he was to be doing all this preaching and baptizing--was he the coming king, or a prophet? John was clear, he was not the king to come, the Christ; he was a ‘voice’ announcing Him, getting the roadway prepared for His appearance.

This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ”….”I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” vv. 19, 20, 23

John knew his calling, his mission. He pointed to the coming Christ, the King of the kingdom coming upon them. He, the Christ, was greater than John and John acknowledged it.

John answered them saying, “I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie….I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifest to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” vv26, 27, 31

So who was this Christ, this King, the One no one recognized?

(All scriptures NASB)

John, the apostle, was a poet, an artist with words. Once known, along with his brother James, as a Son of Thunder, a man of explosive passions, he later expressed himself, not without those same passions, but controlled, directed. In imagination-capturing words he unpacks “The Word” before us.

John had that gift for expressing truth in that delicate yet powerful form we call poetry. If John were here today he might be heard presenting his poetry as “spoken word”, the currently popular presentation of the truths of God’s word in poetical form in what we call “rapping”. It can be a powerful means of telling the truths of scripture.

Listen, and hear, what John is telling us. I read it slowly and thoughtfully to let the words sink in, representing it by spacing out the phrases.

In the beginning

was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God. Jn 1: 1

The Word…what is a word but the spoken expression of a thought in the mind? This Thought was in the mind of God. The thought takes on form when it is spoken into the atmosphere. The hearer can then experience the thought which was in the mind of the speaker. Not only is this Thought-into-Word spoken from the mind of God, this Thought-now-Word, is God Himself.

He was in the beginning with God. v 2

The Thought is the Word. And this particular Word was spoken by God Himself and, in fact, this Word is God. He always was with God because He always was God.

All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. v 3

It was by His Word that God created. “And God said…” (Genesis 1). The Word is God the Creator. Of all things. Of us.

In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. v 4

In this Word is life itself. This life was breathed into us in Adam (Genesis 2:7). So we all live by the breath of God. There is no other life from which to draw our life.

And this life-in-the-Word shines out as Light into the darkness of our existence. I feel the darkness. Our existence in the world depicted as “darkness” is right, is true. There is a world of truth wrapped up in this word, Darkness. But I want to look at the Light.

The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overpower it. v 5

Light, by its nature, cuts through darkness, changing darkness to light. This is such an amazing truth! I flip on the light switch at night in a dark room and Voila!, I can see! I do not have to stumble over anything in the dark and injure myself. I am much more aware of such injury these days. The light reveals what is in the darkness. So I can then avoid those little tripping monsters.
Tremendous relief in this phrase: “and the darkness did not overpower it (the Light)”. Darkness has no power to extinguish or overpower light—or the Light. On the contrary, Light will always show up darkness. I know walking around in the darkness is dangerous, so I turn on the lights. How much more dangerous is walking, that is, living, in the darkness which the Light came to shine into?

So we have the ever-existing Word of God, the spoken expression of the Thought of God, which Word is God Himself, creating all that is, giving us His life. And in that life the Light which illumines our darkness, our far-away-from-God-ness. This Light gives us the Hope of God-nearness. Restored.

For once, long ago, there was no darkness.

Just a few words, unfolding, unwrapping truth upon truth, so simply, so beautifully, so powerfully.

But how do we know, how can we personally know this Light, this Word, this God?

John has only begun.

(All scriptures NASB)