"Let your light so shine...

...before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven."

Ready for a little Bible study? To refresh your memory about the hostility between Israel and Aram, read I Kings 20. Then turn with me to II Kings 5:1-15.

"Now Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man with his master, and highly respected, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was also a valiant warrior, but he was a leper."

Ok, I could really dissect this verse because of everything it implies, but let me only state it all briefly:
1. He's a leper and his occupation is what?!
2. Why didn't he hole up and become a beggar like most other people with leprosy?
3. Was he compensating for his life of emotional pain by inflicting physical pain on others? He won the respect of nations, yet the most personal battle he could not conquer. What does that do to a person?
4. Notice he was identified by his disease that inflicted deep seated emotional pain by having no sense of physical pain. Do we refer to people by their afflictions or color of skin or do we call them by their given name? "He's ADD." "He's Downs Syndrome." "She's breast cancer." "She's retarded." This man Naaman felt like he WAS leprosy rather than his accomplishments. His accomplishments did not take away the hole in his heart and deep yearning for healing and affection.

Moving on. Verse 2: "Now the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she waited on Naaman's wife."

How many images come into your mind when you read that? Here you have a band of soldiers from an enemy land that slaughtered innocent people, violent, Godless, big, scary men who go into Israel to steal a little girl! I was in church service last Sunday when I read this and I nearly wept for her. I know my heart was pouring tears. I can only imagine what else they may have done to her and the thought is torture to my soul. A nameless little girl. Girls assumed the roles of women around the age of 13-14. They were only little girls in preteen years. She was indeed a little girl. I wanted to pray for the little girl's family as though I were reading a Yahoo news headline, but this was nearly 3,000 years ago. Don't think it didn't hurt then like it would hurt now. It has been happening since the Fall and it's never gotten easier.

So here was this little girl with dreams and a family and a productive life, probably working the family farm with her siblings when she was abducted only to be made a slave to her abductor's wife. I could not help but think of Jaycee Dugard, the girl who was abducted from her life in Utah at 11 years old to be made a slave of every kind and to bear children for her abductor's wife in California. Maybe that was not your image when you read this verse two but my morbidity took me there.

Now, this little girl had every reason to grow up hating these people she was forced to live with. What's more is that her father figure was repulsive! But this little girl was amazing. When she needed a light in her dark, dark world, she became the very light she needed. She held onto hope (similar to Jaycee Dugard actually). The nameless girl kept her heart and thoughts on home and the teachings of her Jewish faith. How do I know this? Because of verse 3:

She said to her mistress, "I wish that my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy."

Excuse me!!?? Does she know what she wished for? She wished him to be well. She wished his self-esteem to be made new. She wished the hand of God to touch this valiant warrior of an army that had slain her people. She wished he wouldn't stink or have bloody bandages dripping off of him. She wished he could feel physical pain so his emotional pain might wash away. She probably also wished he wouldn't be so scary when he approached her. She may have also wished the mistress would spend more time with her healed husband rather than him spending time with the servant who was obligated to stay. She wished the light of her past life would shine in on the darkness of her world now and the people in it.

All this from a little girl.

Verse 4: Naaman went in and told his master, saying, "Thus and thus spoke the girl who is from the land of Israel."

Let's review each person's status here. Naaman = captain of the army of the king of Aram, high ranking official, highly respected, valiant warrior. Little girl = Israelite.

Suddenly, the wish of a little girl made its way to the throne of Aram! I thought he was a highly respected man. What's he doing listening to a little Israelite girl anyway? He risked everything to believe her. The minute she spoke the words of good wishes towards her master was when he started to see the light of hope.

Go on now, and read the rest of the story, even to the end of the chapter. It's amazing what transpires and how many lives are affected. It's a total chain reaction from the day the Arameans stole a little girl to the day Naaman got saved and baptized and his leprosy passed to a greedy servant of Elisha on the way home. All because a little girl chose to let her light shine and not be snuffed out by the darkness.

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill
cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket,
but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let
your light shine before men in such a way that they see your good works, and
glorify your Father who is in heaven. ~Matthew 5:13-16

As a Hanukkah observing Christian, these few verses summarize the heart with which we celebrate. In fact, it is the heart of many Jewish families who celebrate Hanukkah also. It's not just a historical event we remember, it is also the history of our own faith-building experiences that we honor and by which we take 8 days to glorify God in a special way. So go light your world oh saints of the Lord. Carry your candle to the darkness and by it many will be healed.

Go Light Your World
by Kathy Troccoli

There is a candle in every soul

Some brightly burning, some dark and cold

There is a Spirit who brings fire

Ignites a candle and makes His home

Carry your candle, run to the darkness

Seek out the hopeless, confused and torn

Hold out your candle for all to see it

Take your candle, and go light your world

Take your candle, and go light your world

Frustrated brother, see how he's tried to

Light his own candle some other way

See now your sister, she's been robbed and lied to

Still holds a candle without a flame

Carry your candle, run to the darkness

Seek out the lonely, the tired and worn

Hold out your candle for all to see it

Take your candle, and go light your world

Take your candle, and go light your world

We are a family whose hearts are blazing

So let's raise our candles and light up the sky

Praying to our Father, in the name of Jesus

Make us a beacon in darkest times

Carry your candle, run to the darkness

Seek out the helpless, deceived and poor

Hold out your candle for all to see it

Take your candle, and go light your world

Carry your candle, run to the darkness

Seek out the hopeless, confused and torn

Hold out your candle for all to see it

Take your candle, and go light your world

Take your candle, and go light your world

Spare the Rod...

Got your attention with the post title, didn't I? It seems we all have strong feelings about Proverbs 13:24 which says, "He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly," (NKJV). Look up "rod" in a concordance or search on http://www.biblegateway.com/. There are many contexts for "rod" often negative, but plenty of positives. I'm processing my own thoughts as I write so bear with me.

Now, there is a rod of discipline referred to in many ways, such as the "rod of iron" with which the Lord rules in Revelation. There is also the "rod of Aaron" which was a branch from an almond tree that budded to appoint Aaron as the High Priest. There is the rod of the fool or the rod of the slave driver used as a whip to crush. There is the voice of God in Isaiah 11:4, "...And He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth...." (NASB) and in Micah 6:9, "The LORD’s voice cries to the city— Wisdom shall see Your name: 'Hear the rod! Who has appointed it?'" (NKJV).

Proverbs 22:15 says, "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. The rod of correction will drive it far from him," (NKJV). I read an article today about some parents who literally beat and starved their child to death and pointed to the Bible and a misguided pastor as their justification for doing such an unconscionable thing. Many readers of my book will come from an abusive background. You cringe at the thought of verses like these that feed sick minds like the ones you knew growing up. I had the Bible shoved in my face enough as a child. The last thing I want is some adult to say they are biblically justified by God Himself to abuse their children in Jesus' name! God forbid!!! And don't go forcing your kid to read the Bible through tears and sobs. At that point, it is not a conversation anymore. You are only appeasing your own wrath. That is not correction, it's vengeance!

But if you can free up your mind and hurts a little, please walk with me through an undoing of shallow misapplications and into a deeper understanding of God's love in Proverbs 13:24 and 22:15. I don't have my concordance sitting here with me at my desk, but I don't think it is necessary in order to consider this other dimension to what is already stated in these two verses. Here is what I propose to you: What if you read this with the understanding of a Shepherd's rod?

Apply Psalm 23:4 to the Proverbs -- "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." The Good Shepherd's staff guides and directs me where I should go. It keeps me on the straight and narrow and shows me to whom I belong. I can spot Him easily and I know His voice. His voice is the rod that comforts me and tells me I am protected from myself and others. He will defend me against the wolves!

What if you ruled as a leader at the office or as a parent in your home with the idea that the rod is the loving voice and words of God, not your own. Or what would change if you child got out of line and you lovingly reached out with the hook of your staff and pulled them in to actually teach in a calm shepherd-like way what the child did wrong and how they can correct their mistake biblically? If they had fallen into a ditch you would extend the hook to pull them up. A child needs to see the rod of correction as a symbol of rescue and comfort and help in times of trouble, not as a weapon formed against them.

Every day I struggle between what I know as an adult and what my children only know in their short existence. I expect so much from them what they may not be equipped to produce yet. Correction is a process of learning and practicing and eventually getting it right. Do you own a roll of correction tape? Yeah, it's like that. White out your child's mistake and try again. Talk about it and apply biblical concepts and stories and teaching wherever possible and then make it safe for the child to try again. They won't try again and they won't correct their mistake if they think they'll get beat with a rod if they mess up again. That's not safe. That's not comfort.

Without throwing the Bible at your child, teach your children with Biblical leadership, guide them and direct them and keep them on the straight and narrow, show them the way by your own example and remove your own hypocrisy. PROVOKE NOT YOUR CHILDREN TO WRATH! Interestingly, this wisdom comes from Ephesians 6 which describes the relationship parents should have with their children and masters should have with their slaves, and immediately follows with a detailed description of the spiritual armor which says we don't strive with each other but rather with our spiritual enemy the devil! If you spare the rod, the child will rot and spoil in the hands of the devil and sink in their foolishness. You are a shepherd to lift them out of the pitfalls and show them a better way.

It is NOT love if your idea of applying the rod of discipline means that you hit your child. The rod of correction goes much, much further if you consider what the rod and staff of our Savior do for us. They comfort. Shouldn't you?


11/10/11
NOTE: This morning I was reading an article from Focus on the Family that is on this very subject. Thought I should include the link and share with you what real Christians are saying about this: http://www.focusonlinecommunities.com/blogs/Finding_Home/2011/11/09/i-had-to-turn-it-off

Welcome visitors to the blog...

Latvia and Singapore!

Where were you?

So have you answered it yet? The only way to really avoid the decade commemoration of 9/11/01 is to hole up for the month and play juror (cut yourself off from the outside world). Everywhere I turn I read an article or posting of some sort that asks this question. I finally tried my hand at answering it today in my journaling. In 10 years, I have avoided discussing this with others for fear of sharing my own answer. At the time, I felt like a nobody. My journaling today reads, "I lived in the small guest bedroom at the Benson’s house. Sure people were kind to me, but no one in the world was really involved in my life and I wasn't personally involved in anyone else's. Church was blah and my only social life consisted of going to work or the grocery store. I had no family, at least none that cared much about my whereabouts." Those were my circumstances more than my whereabouts on 9/11.

My journaling continues:
I wanted to be sympathetic, but it wouldn’t penetrate. No one really knew yet if it was terrorism and even if, I had nothing to lose and there was nothing I could do for anyone else. No one needed my shoulder to cry on and I didn’t need theirs.
The one amazing thing that came out of 9/11 however, was its impact on Uncle Herb which in turn changed my life. Being a WWII vet, he reflected on his own efforts to fight for American freedom that was now being attacked and ridiculed that day. He has often wondered if his life was worth it. He has always wanted to make a difference. So after 9/11, Herb wanted to reassure himself that good would prevail and to support someone in a personal way rather than throwing money at an impersonal cause.
I was leaving for work one day and Beth was seeing me off out the door. She saw on the foyer table my mail from the previous day and handed me an envelope from Herb. I opened it and read the letter. There was a check for $5000!! That week, I moved out.

Have you avoided the story of your existence on 9.11.01? Why?


Do you remember Alan Jackson's song? I pasted the words here below as taken from http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/alanjackson/wherewereyouwhentheworldstoppedturning.html

Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)

Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?
Were you in the yard with your wife and children
Or working on some stage in L.A.?
Did you stand there in shock at the sight of that black smoke
Risin' against that blue sky?
Did you shout out in anger, in fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry?

Did you weep for the children who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know?
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below?
Did you burst out in pride for the red, white and blue
And the heroes who died just doin' what they do?
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself and what really matters?

[Chorus:]
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell
you the difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?
Were you teaching a class full of innocent children
Or driving down some cold interstate?
Did you feel guilty 'cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone?
Did you call up your mother and tell her you loved her?
Did you dust off that Bible at home?

Did you open your eyes, hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep?
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Or speak to some stranger on the street?
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Or go out and buy you a gun?
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watchin'
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns?

Did you go to a church and hold hands with some strangers
Did you stand in line and give your own blood?
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love?

[Repeat Chorus 2x]
And the greatest is love.
And the greatest is love.

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?

Lord, help my unbelief.

“Unbelief is an emotional response to a mental interpretation about the ultimate Relational Being where we falsely conclude that this Being is unfair, un-protective, unsafe, and untrustworthy, where we choose to trust anything and anyone but Him.”

This is taken from the September 3rd blog post by Dr. Robert Kelleman in his discussion on the psychology of unbelief. For whatever reason, God has been bringing this up in my studies. It shows up in every direction I turn lately and I am on high alert for the lessons He is teaching me in it. Kelleman is merely sharing his personal thought processing and explains how less than 2% of people actually claim to be atheist and even that is putting one’s faith in something other than God. Unbelief is rooted in finding some “fault” in God, and Kelleman explains:
Specifically, “fault” means to act in a deceitful way, tricking, an insidious manner of relating, dishonest and unfair dealings, injustice, and even perverseness. It suggests a remarkable accumulation of unrighteousness—a contemptuous view of God. Sound familiar? Satan deceived Eve into thinking that God was deceptive and unfair.

As I meet new Christians, my heart is breaking for the Church as a whole. Our marriage to Jesus as His bride is more and more mirroring our broken relationships in the home. We can get close, but not too close. We can trust to an extent, but it’s really up to Self. We’ll listen, but the Spirit doesn’t really control. Afterall, who wants to be “controlled.” It truly breaks my heart. Because people let us down, we think God will too. In utter honesty, does this describe you? Or do you live completely sold out to Him? And if you live sold out and caught in holy riptide, how would your closest friends and family say it has impacted your relationships with them? Would they say you have shown the unconditional forgiveness to them that you have received from Jesus? Would they say you love your enemies and those who curse you? Or are you quick to sign the divorce papers because somehow your God is too weak to penetrate those hurts? When it comes down to it, God is only as strong as your relationships rather than your relationships being as strong as your God.

Don’t get me wrong. I have my share of bad days and I don’t always have the right immediate reaction. But keeping with the introductory discussion, where is my trust and do I blame God for my troubles by the way I live and find some imagined fault with him? I believe I can finally say I do not find fault with God. It’s been a long road getting here and I pray God kindly reveals any areas to me that may still harbor this unbelief.

If this intrigues you, read the full post at http://www.rpmministries.org/. I’m also reading God Attachment by Dr’s Tim Clinton and Josh Straub. It has more in-depth discussion along the same lines Kelleman’s ponderings among other things.

This is where the healing begins...

First off, I would like to welcome Brazil to the guestbook. We're glad you stopped by!

Second, as you know from previous posts, Joplin, Missouri, is just across the state from where I live. I was there again last weekend and took some more pictures. I was there a month ago also. Many of you have seen the news and heard some of the stories. The tornado that struck in May was the Hurricane Katrina of the Midwest. It affected the country, not just the town. It not only left a barren path of destruction, but it also left stories of survival and hope... stories we all look to in hopes that we never endure the same hardship while also wondering how the survivors do the seemingly impossible because they have to.


The high school was demolished by the tornado as seen in the background. In the forefront stands two carvings in stumps left behind in the debris. But also in the forefront, you see the school's sign. Four letters are missing from the word Joplin. The spirit of Joplin inspired a creative soul to tape up new letters and convey the message of H.O.P.E. High School. The school is relocated this year to the local shopping mall. But I do pray that when their school is rebuilt, they will name it Joplin HOPE High School (Hope High) for short.

If I had another life to live, I would be a photo journalist. I crave a picture that tells a soul's story. This is what is left of one of the thousands of homes destroyed in Joplin -- cabinetry, a few dishes, and a storm whipped tree personified and holding a very tattered American flag proclaiming the American spirit of surviving and thriving in perilous times. "The bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave o'r the land of the free and the home of the brave!" How true as we near the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

On another note, I have taken this semester off from DC4K, but I do plan to use some of this time to produce something useable for the SafeKeepers of Divorce Care for Kids. I have created activities for children ages 5-12 based on the concepts in Healing Letters.

* Just a reminder that my photos are my personal property. Stealing is "taking something that doesn't belong to you without permission of the rightful owner." However, I will gladly sell prints of any photo you see on this site at a very reasonable price.

The Fall of Freddie the Leaf

Last night I went to a book fair for the YMCA. I have never found so many books at a fair that were exactly what I wanted. I usually end up with books that just clutter the bookshelves and children's rooms which I have determined to never do again. Only useful books from now on.

At this book sale last night, I found books that I've wanted for many years. Ones that are classics and most people just pass over them as out dated. One in particular that I was SO happy to find, and which was the cause of my sobbing just minutes ago, was Leo Buscaglia's The Fall of Freddie the Leaf. Over the years I have heard all about this book. I knew the story and heard it read, but I never actually owned a copy or read it for myself. I wanted this book as far back as high school. So I finally found it and bought it.

If you have never read The Fall of Freddie the Leaf, it is about the circle and cycles of life. It is about living with purpose and dying with peace. Buscaglia wrote it to help children handle loss, but it's one of those that applies to the human experience, not just children. It's like The Little Engine that Could or The Giving Tree or You Are Special. It strikes a chord in all of us. I love this little 27 page story. It holds a reserved spot on my recently excavated bookshelf.

If you are looking for a book to take the edge off the subject of death in a down-to-earth kind of way, this is excellent for Christians and non-believers alike.

Stats that speak volumes

The last two times I did blogging here, a historic tornado ripped a path too close for my comfort. The next post was an earthquake in my home with the epicenter just 10 miles away. WAY too close for my comfort! We look at children and say they grow up so fast, but that has more to do with our realization that life truly is merely a vapor passing through eternity. If we were kinder to our fellow adults, we just might say the same about them, "My, you're growing up so fast!" In fact, I tried that out on a handful of people this weekend in various places. They were people I know and perhaps haven't seen in a few weeks. Either the person laughed at my apparently odd sense of humor or more often they denied the allegations that they were growing UP and insisted they were growing OUT. I don't recommend you try this on too many folks, nor do I recommend that you phrase it carelessly and say, "Wow! You're getting so big!!" Not good. But in all sincerity, might we sieze opportunities put before us to "entertain angels unaware" and pay someone a compliment on something internal, like a godly attribute, rather than something external this week?

I enjoy blogging even though this particular blog may not demonstrate that liking very well. My periods of silence here are by no means a reflection of silence in any other area of my life. I often check the stats of this weblog to see the audience stats. I look at it when I need a lift and assurance that the book is still working even when I may not see or hear about it. In viewing those stats, I have discovered just how widespread Healing Letters has become. Whenever I see new visitors, I lift them up in prayer and I pray for the country which they represent. But now I consider these viewers, not as visitors, but as readers, fellow worshipers or fellow seekers, part of this experience that is just as much mine as it is theirs and yours.

Every single person has a story. You are reading this for a reason, not by accident. You have come to this place called "Healing Letters" and I want to avail myself of this electronic outreach to send a big Christian hug and greetings to the readers from the countries represented in the stats:

United States
Ukraine
Canada
Russia
Germany
Finland
Croatia
Israel
Philippines

I can't express to you on this weblog with the miles and pixels and devices that stand between us just how much I long to meet you and hear your God story! I truly do. I know I'm not famous even though my daughter swears I'm the best Mommy in the whole world, but I have been bound to confidentiality in enough venues that it is my "modus operandi" to adhere to such standards whenever the situation or relationship calls for it. Please know this about our correspondence if the very issue has caused you hesitation. Your communications with me will in no way ever be published without permission. I have posted my email address on this website (About the Author) if you are not comfortable with leaving a comment on the blog. However, I do moderate all comments. It seemed appropriate to explain this as I'm expressing my desire to meet people from far away lands.

Just know that if your country is listed above, then you are on my prayer list by location. Of course, I also talked to God about ya'll since I began writing the book and my heart continually communes with Him about you and your trials or circumstances that led you this far and for the fruition of the Spirit in your life. It is amazing to now have geographical locations for my readers. You are such a blessing you me! I truly mean that!

Hugs from near and afar,
Lisa Stough

That Still Small Voice

Last night I went to bed with a splitting headache. Those are very rare for me so my husband and I prayed just before I fell asleep around midnight. This morning at 3:00, my husband woke up to the banging of our cat trying to open the bathroom cabinet. A few minuntes later, he was standing in the middle of the bedroom and I woke up to a rumbling sound like thunder and my bed shaking like the MRI I just had. After the initial rumblings, there were a couple wavy sensations and it took a while to get back to sleep. But when I finally got out of bed to start my day today, this passage from I Kings 19:11-13 came to mind and I started singing Robin Mark's song Days of Elijah.

“And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’”

So what are YOU doing here? Elijah was at the end of his ministry as a prophet thinking all his work was a lost cause and that he was all alone with no one to stand by him. He went to hide in a cave. Where are you and what are you doing there? Are you hiding from God? Taking His name in vain by living like He means nothing to you? Do you call on God as a first resort in crisis, or a last resort? Do you praise Him always, not just after surviving a natural disaster? Are you hanging onto hurts or are you seeking His healing? Are you keeping your lamp lit and ready, or have you let your lamp burn out? What are you doing here?

For everything there is a season...

Do you have a God-calling that you do on any kind of regular basis? Do you find that as regularly as you do the thing, you are met with very obvious opposition by our spiritual enemy; so regularly that you've come to expect it? I do. As I prepare for this one particular ministry, I am attacked in exactly 3 ways: I get a virus, my family has nightmares for 2 full weeks before, and my bloggings and emails get intercepted by little aliens in cyberspace. Okay, they're not aliens, but call it what you will, my messages disappear. Mind you, it's only the ones that bring God the most glory, of course. All this to say, I really have been trying to post here on this blog, but.... well.... you know how it goes.

I previously tried to post to let folks know that we are alive and well here in our neck of the woods in eastern Missouri. We have not had property damage by the tornadoes, nor have we attended any funerals. My mother lives very near Joplin and has seen the devestation first hand. She said no one can possibly imagine what the television isn't showing. It's too awful to describe. Having been there so many times over the years, it seems so unimaginable what it must look like now with nothing but earth and rubble where stomping grounds once stood.

Today I commented to my mom that it's so sad that when natural disaster strikes, people need someone to get mad at so they pick God since he created nature. Mom piped in to explain that she hasn't seen that at all. I like how she said it, "This is still the Bible Belt, Lisa! If anything, people have clung to their faith and are so grateful to be alive!" That was encouraging. I am sincerely hoping that someone there will erect a billboard or memory stone in the town with the inscription of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. See what you think. From the New American Standard Bible, it reads like this:

There is an appointed time for everything.
And there is a time for every event under heaven –
A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.

It's not just Joplin, MO, that has suffered this year, although it has been such a tremendous loss. So many people and places have suffered loss and it's no mistake that we have a very real enemy as described throughout Scripture and in Ephesians 5-6. My hope is that wherever you are at in your own life, whether directly affected by these natural disasters or in your own personal turmoil, may you find comfort in these words from Ecclesiastes 3. We all have our false securities that must be uprooted, often by a grinding force that pulls us together as a family or group or people or nation. How does this apply to your own life today?

Happy Mothers Day, oh Barren One!

"He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of His people.
He makes the barren woman
abide in the house
as a joyful mother of children.
Praise the Lord!
~ Psalm 113:7-9 ~

*

Does He raise the poor from the dust?
Can He lift the needy from the ash heap?
Do you believe we are royalty because we are His children?
Afterall, He is and will be the King of Kings.

Either God is telling a lie or you have to believe the next part too: "He makes the barren woman abide in the house as a joyful mother of children." I have a friend who is beyond the stage of childbearing and has no medical reason why she never bore children. Menopause brought a grief with it that doesn't come to a mother who had the privilege of raising her own children by that stage. Is my friend an exception to this promise in Psalm 113? Did she just "miss the boat"? Is she left out of that promise? An exception to the rule?

If there's one thing I've learned in life, it's that God ALWAYS tells the Truth. So I believe him when he says that if you aren't a mother now, for whatever reason, you will be one someday.

Okay, you say that's all hunky dory but it doesn't help you now and frankly it brings you no comfort whatsoever for the grief you've had to go through with not bearing your own children. Or maybe it means something else to you. Maybe you're a believer but you are terrified at the thought of having children or adamant about NOT having children. You never liked them, you never want them, end of story!

I'm just one person and I've only stepped foot on the campus of a seminary once in my life, but not long enough to absorb anything worth applying here. However, I have studied Scripture for the better part of the 18+ years of my Christian walk and have come up with an opinion aged like fine wine. My opinion on this passage this Mother's Day is this: If it hasn't happened yet then it will in the future. Not to be sarcastic at all or give worthless words of comfort, but I truly believe that this is what God is saying. God speaks throughout scripture to mothers who have had this privilege. What more needs to be said to women who are not except, "You will be a mother someday!"

"But when?" you ask with a sigh of exasperation. Honestly, it seems to me like there would be a tremendous need for mothers in the millenium. Bear with me and don't tune me out just because I mentioned something found in the book of Revelation. It's called the thousand year reign with Christ and is found in Revelation 20. It is discussed after the 7 years of tribulation and just before the end of the book. It seems to me that after the devestating destruction of earth and life, when the saints "came back to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years" (20:4), there might be a few orphans walking around in need of a mother. "JOYFUL mother of children?" How can that be joyful? Must we question God's design when we can't comprehend even the tribulation itself? He promised his grace is sufficient for all he needs to make his plan happen.

Furthermore, what about the "new heaven and new earth" (21:1). Why are we campaigning for unborn children if it's not a life at conception? And if it's a life as you believe it is, then who will mother these little ones, not that God won't be all-sufficient in eternity, but will there be no one to give them what they never had? Seeing the character and order and provision of God leads me to believe that this promise of Psalm 113 just might be fulfilled after it's all said and done. "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; and there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain," (21:4). That sounds to me like all our needs will be met; it sounds joyful indeed!

Now my question to you is this. How are you, barren woman, preparing to meet your children? You don't know how or when, but someday it will come to pass. Are you prepared to minister joyfully to orphan witnesses of the tribulation? I'm NOT saying that it WILL be then that you receive the fulfillment of this promise, but if it were, would you be ready? How would that change your heart now? What would you do differently? Where would this joy come from when joy is hardly what you feel about it right now?

What hopes of yours have been dashed? What visions have you had that fell to their death though you thought for sure they were of the Lord? Maybe those things were never meant to be, but one thing truly was meant to be -- the barren woman was meant to abide in the house as a joyful mother of children. What house? THE house. You decide as the Spirit reveals, but could it be the House of the Lord... the new heaven... the new earth?

May God reveal to you the truth of this passage and renew your hope that you were meant to bring him glory. You can't change that because it's not up to you. You can't run far enough away, you can't sin too much, wish away the Truth, disbelieve it into oblivion. Consider the words of the psalmist, "If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and your right hand will lay hold of me" (Psalm 139:8-10).

It's the Truth that you can bank your spiritual wealth on. Believe it! May the Lord bless each and every mother both now and forevermore!

~Lisa

* photo copyrighted by your integrity. This is my personal photography taken Friday morning last week (5/6/11). Morning dew on my hostas.

It would have been enough

I am continually humbled by what God has done and is doing with Healing Letters. It was enough that he asked me to write it. It was enough that he guided me through the process. It was enough that he loved on me like he did when I wrote the book. It was enough that he wrote the story of my life. I highly recommend Max Lucado's book It's Not About Me with the Bible study in the back of the book. It would have been enough for me if God stopped moving this project forward before publication. But he didn't! It would have been enough that it went out to all major booksellers in the US and European countries and available through the largest wholesale distributor. It would have been enough. It was enough to me when I held it in my hands. But not for God. It's amazing what writing a book like this can do to change the author, much less everyone else who reads it. Ironically, it has led to many encounters that must be kept confidential. The book is getting out there also through a class I am teaching this year as each of the Biblical Feasts and Holy Days approach. I teach one class per observance(s) at hand. There are 4 in the Spring and 3 in the Fall. It's been an amazing adventure so far and we're just now coming up on Passover. I do not observe Easter as it is called since God already instituted Passover and I don't need to duplicate his story with a substitute. Passover was enough. Jesus was enough. The blood was enough. His very life was enough. The resurrection was surely enough. Enough for what? Enough to cover the sins of the entire human race! Praise You, Jesus, for dying on the cross that day as our once-and-for-all Passover sacrifice! Jesus truly is ENOUGH!

Que Pasa?

Translation: "What's up?"
Glad you asked. It's been a very busy time for me but that's a little redundant when coupled with the time lapse between postings today and 2/21. My apologies.

Last week I started back up with the other Safe Keepers in DC4K (Divorce Care for Kids). We will be working again this semester to get something in print that follows the principles in Healing Letters. We have several activities that worked well last semester and we're praying for the Lord's blessing as we get closer to something useable for other churches.

A couple weeks ago I found a great online-only sale from a store I have only visited at the mall. I just had to check it out. Well, I used my monthly personal allowance out of the family budget and ordered a little something for everyone. When my UPS man delivered the package a few days later, he was thrilled to be able to tell me that the book I gave him has had a big impact with him and others he has shared it with. I was just relieved to know he didn't report me for taking his keys to open the first box of books when he delivered it back in November. But this occured during my Bible study of Max Lucado's It's Not About Me. And it truly is not about me. I am so glad it's all about God because personally, I don't have time or energy to promote a book or myself. But I do have time to promote God 24/7 and it's refreshing.

Those are just a couple recent highlights. I know God is doing so much that I can't see and I praise Him for that too!

Darkness gave me a reason to celebrate the Light

When my daughter was born, it was 3 years to the day after my husband and I met. We married the same year we met so we celebrated all our 3's that year. Now we are celebrating her 6th birthday along with a few other family birthdays all at once. The day before her birthday is the anniversary of my baptism. There are so many reasons to celebrate in this life. Today, my youngest officially started potty training! (Yippy!) I also think of one year ago around this time when I signed a contract to have Advantage Books begin work to publish my book. A year before that, I had finished writing it. I also think of Spring beginning this month. I absolutely love springtime weather! That right there is reason enough to celebrate!! I bought my husband a big BBQ grill for his birthday so he can celebrate Spring with everyone he loves. Last week I bought the first of some bulbs to plant in the shady spot on the North side of my house.

You see, dark places don't have to stay dark. Anniversary dates of crisis and trauma events don't have to carry the same weight year after year of cyclical depression. There is a light that was offered to us in two outstretched palms of a dying man. Did you know there were widespread resurrections the moment Jesus died (Matthew 27:51-53)? One of my favorite citings of liberation via Calvary begins back in Exodus chapter 32 when 3000 people fell dead the day Moses descended from Mt. Sinai upon receiving the Law only to find the Israelites enmeshed in idolatry with his own brother as the host. Fast forward to Christ's ascension at Pentecost, which was 50 days after his resurrection from the grave. When the work was completed and the Holy Spirit became the seal of Salvation, 3000 souls were saved (Acts 2:41) that day! God came to redeem the darkness Satan intended and shine his light into it because the Light ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS wins. His light is not beyond reaching your darkness.

Can God restore to you the years the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25)? Absolutely! Can he redeem your life from the sins you've been swimming in? Absolutely! Can he do anything beyond what we can ask or imagine? Without a doubt, he can! Redemption is God's business.

So I challenge you today to think of one thing to celebrate. Celebrate the first time you said "Hello" to that obscure someone. Celebrate the first tiny sprout in your garden. Celebrate the daffodils. Celebrate the goofy stray dog someone dropped off in your yard. Celbrate your salvation. Celebrate the day you got engaged. Celebrate a special friend. Celebrate the day you learned to change the oil in your car. Celebrate each time you choose light over darkness. And if you absolutely, positively can't think of a single thing to celebrate, might I suggest you try something new and celebrate the fact that you did!

I plan to have my cake and eat it too. How about you? As I eat my cake, I will pray for the sweetness of Christ to lavish you even in your darkest place where you may be this very day. May his salvation resurrect you from impending death that feels as though it fills your every fiber. May you rise from the ashes of winter and find that your Savior has been with you through the valley of the shadow.

Lots of love,
Lisa

A thought for those who are hurting

Just a few hours ago, Beth Moore published a blog post (see link on home page). I read the following quote where she so perfectly stated a thought I've never bothered to articulate. I truly appreciate the ministry of Beth Moore and have learned life-changing approaches to Scripture and application under her teaching. I will be leading a study with a small group starting in April. It's Beth Moore's Esther study.

Without further adieu, here's the statement I so appreciated:

To me, the line is drawn where the glory to God and the good to the listeners profoundly exceeds the pain of the testimony. If the listener will likely be left with graphic visuals and oppressive thoughts or pervasive sadness, we need to refrain from telling it in detail. In those occasions, generalities are best. We don’t have to tell people everything to tell them an important something. We also have to be very sensitive to the other people – often family members – whose secrets are inadvertently told as we tells ours. These are HUGE issues that need to be worked through with great sensitivity. Mind you, I’m talking about audiences here. I’m not talking about counseling sessions. We do indeed need to find someone trustworthy and mature in the faith, with a gift for counsel, to hear our whole story."

Fill it up!

Do you ever have a conversation with someone else or with yourself and seemingly out of nowhere, God shows up? Not that he's not always there or you don't think he hears every thought or spoken word. But really, there are times when we're not thinking about it and then he shows up. I actually like that about him. As my life with Christ has strengthened, it happens more frequently and he's closer than a brother in that regard.

Here's an example. This morning, my 4 year old son wanted a sippy cup of chocolate strawberry milk. But this time he wanted to make it himself! I've been letting him do more things independently or under adult supervision since he recently turned 4, so we went to make his milk and that's when God showed up. I started to pour the chocolate syrup into the cup and then remembered that my boy doesn't need me to do that for him anymore. So I took the cup and said, "Here, I'll hold the cup and YOU fill it up!" I heard God smile over my shoulder and say, "Yeah, that's more like it!!!" That's probably the very thing my son was thinking as I handed him the brand new bottle of Hershey's chocolate syrup and let him put as much as he wanted. I was concerned that he wouldn't stop, but he did. He looked to me wondering what would be the right amount and I coached him along.

My thoughts that followed went something like this.... Sometimes God wants to hold our cup and hand us the syrup. He wants to see how much we want of him, how much we truly desire him, how much we'll fill up on HIM. It's okay to go overboard. It's okay to stuff ourselves to the gills when it comes to God. You'll never burst! (And he is calorie and fat free.) So what would you do if God handed you the cup? Would you fill it up with him or something else?

Just my thought for the day.

~L

Waiting for a new post?

While you might be waiting to see a newsworthy post on this weblog, you can look around at all the other little gadgets and widgets I've added, particularly in the left margin.

Being Mom and teacher to 3 little ones keeps me as busy as a bee during honey season. Then there's all the other hats I wear...... Currently, I am in one Bible study that will end in time for two others to begin. Starting in April, I will present a one year cycle of studies about the Feast/Holy Days of the Bible and how they tie into the rest of the Bible. This is for a group of area homeschool families. Beginning in March, our DC4K (Divorce Care for Kids) will be starting back up at church. I look forward to my third semester serving these 5-12 year old kids! A busy Spring indeed!!

In the meantime, I live in a band of the midwest where winter and summer are slated to collide and wreak havoc of historic proportions! I was at the grocery store last night and there were literally 15 loaves of bread left in the entire bread aisle (minus the one I bought)!! Rock salt? Not a chance! So be safe, no matter where you are and know that I am praying for all my weblog visitors.

Blessings,
Lisa

More views inside

I just added the introductions to chapters 1-3 to the page "See Inside the Book". Check it out if you don't have the book and are considering purchasing a copy. While the book is available where books are sold, my publisher is a print-on-demand company. This means that bookstores most likely won't have it on their shelf because they cannot return it. That's the book business. They stock product for a time and the distributor provides a window of opportunity for the retailer to return what doesn't sell. That's what retailers look for when purchasing inventory so they don't get strapped with overstock.

Nevertheless, Healing Letters is available through the major distributor so that anyone can order it for you. You just might have to prepay or it may not be returnable. They can get it however. Christian bookstores, Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million, Amazon, WalMart, Borders, etc. Especially online places. I'm still working on getting it available through Christian Book Distributors.

To show how far-reaching Healing Letters has already been, I found this past week on Amazon copies being sold in Japan and UK. This weblog has had visitors from Israel, Croatia, Finland, Canada and the US. I just had high hopes of taking it to other states. Furthermore, the one page with the most visitors has been "The Main Thing" which is the most significant aspect about this project to begin with. It is so exciting to see what God is doing with it. Sometimes God has to go above and beyond us to make Himself obvious. As Christians wanting to know more about Him, we should figure out how He operates and then watch for it. When we want to know more about ourselves, we figure out patterns and then establish desired patterns or habits. Have you ever said to someone, "You always do that!" Maybe they don't always do that thing, but you notice a pattern of behavior. Well, in a very good way, God is not confined to our expectations, but He does tend to have a way about Him in order to reveal more of Himself to us. "He always does that!" Afterall, we were created to be in relationship with Him. He's not playing hard-to-get. I love that about Him!