Why So Stubborn?

Did you know that the public can adopt horses and burros from the Bureau of Land Management?  As a means to create healthy population numbers, there is a round-up and in a random selection some animals are returned to the wild and some are kept for adoption.  I know this because my father and I adopted two burros.  After some patient interaction, they seemed to enjoy life with predictable food and shelter. One of the burros, Chocolate, was going to live at my acreage.  Only one mile away, it seemed like an easy walk, but Chocolate was not having any of this leading business.  Try as I might to pull, coax, persuade, she would lock her knees and dig in her hooves.  I finally found success in walking behind her almost like driving a cart, but there was no cart.  Her stubbornness reminds me of a story in 2 Kings.

Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army suffered from the horrible deadly disease of leprosy. 2 Kings 5: 2-8 tells us his story, 

“In one of their raids against Israel, the Syrians had carried off a little Israelite girl, who became a servant of Naaman's wife. One day she said to her mistress, ‘I wish that my master could go to the prophet who lives in Samaria! He would cure him of his disease.’ When Naaman heard of this, he went to the king and told him what the girl had said. The king said, ‘Go to the king of Israel and take this letter to him.’

So Naaman set out, taking thirty thousand pieces of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of fine clothes. The letter that he took read: ‘This letter will introduce my officer Naaman. I want you to cure him of his disease.’ When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and exclaimed, ‘How can the king of Syria expect me to cure this man? Does he think that I am God, with the power of life and death? It's plain that he is trying to start a quarrel with me!’ When the prophet Elisha heard what had happened, he sent word to the king: ‘Why are you so upset? Send the man to me, and I'll show him that there is a prophet in Israel!’”

Naaman does go to Elisha, but Elisha sends a messenger out to tell him to wash himself seven times in the Jordan River and he will be healed.  Naaman is furious, claiming that the rivers in Syria are superior and he rants and raves about the expectations he had for the way this healing should happen. After all, he had brought silver, gold, fine clothes to pay his way! But Naaman wasn’t the commander of this operation - God was. 

2 Kings 5: 13,14 continues with, 

“His servants went up to him and said, ‘Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it. Now why can't you just wash yourself, as he said, and be cured?’ So Naaman went down to the Jordan, dipped himself in it seven times, as Elisha had instructed, and he was completely cured. His flesh became firm and healthy like that of a child.” 

Naaman wants to pay Elisha for the miracle, but  Elisha refuses.  Naaman felt compelled to make things harder than they really were. Just like Chocolate, if she would have simply followed the directions we would have had an easy walk.

So often we are like that with the invitation Jesus gives us for eternal life.  It seems too easy. We think we need to earn it, but we can’t. Ephesians 2:8 reminds us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” We are conditioned as cynical people to think, “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is…”  Yet, this invitation is unequivocally the most true offer in all eternity.  

People feel as though they have to wait until they are fixed, or worthy, or until they have “paid their dues.”  That’s just digging in your hooves and being stubborn, because you will never earn salvation, be worthy (as in sin-free) of salvation, and the whole reason to accept Jesus is for the broken parts to be fixed.  If I sliced my arm wide open, I don’t wait for it to heal and then go to the doctor for stitches!  Pastor Levi Lusko illustrates this so well when he said, “Jesus cleans His fish AFTER He catches them!”

Romans 10:9 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” That’s it! That’s all there is to it - receive simply receive! So, why are we so stubborn to accept what is so freely and graciously offered?  Accepting Jesus is even easier than washing in a river or unlocking your stubborn knees.  You simply pray this prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior.

See? Wasn’t that easy?  If you prayed that prayer for the first time, I’m so excited for all the possibilities you have just unlocked in your life. Please let me know, I’d love to come alongside you and celebrate your adoption into the family of God!

Who Are You?

 

On a crisp fall day in 1905, a young cowboy walked into the Sisters Saloon and asked if any ranches were looking for help to wean their fall calves. He was given a few names and brief directions of where to go.  No one asked his name, no one saw which direction on the Santiam wagon road he had come.

They did however watch him leave.  Perhaps he paused to check his horse’s hoof because of the nasty lava rock along the trail.  Maybe he dropped something and bent to pick it up, we will never know because all that was seen was a swift and fatal kick from his horse straight in the man’s face leaving him unrecognizable in his death.

The townspeople rallied around the stranger and gave him a proper burial and to this day friendly folk still make sure there are flowers on his grave (plastic or not.) But he didn’t have a stitch of anything on him that would let them know who he was. No letter, no name engraved on a Barlow knife - nothing.

The keeper at the saloon wished he had taken the time to at least ask for the fella’s name before hurrying on to paying customers. There was no next of kin he could notify, no sad letter he could write to Mother.  On the reverse, was there a mother anxiously waiting for a letter she would never receive? Were the last words they exchanged harsh? Was she regretting the way they had parted? Was the cowboy on the run from the law? Did he regret decisions that lead him to be far from home in an unknown land? Was he… there are infinite questions, infinite possibilities for regret that remain unanswered here on earth.

This story could seem hopeless, but Jesus knew who Cowboy was and welcomed him by name into heaven! Jesus offers all of us an eternal community where everyone knows your name without introduction! Ephesians 1:5 tells us, “God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children—this was his pleasure and purpose.” Psalm 100:5 says, “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Jesus tells us that we never have to live in a world of regret, but one filled with grace and mercy. Isaiah 43:25 confirms this by saying, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”

He also wants to protect us from the biggest regret we could possibly make and that is not accepting Him as Lord. Romans 6:23 warns, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” And salvation is the greatest gift you could receive! It is the culmination of the ultimate example of love, combined with grace, forgiveness, and mercy that you simply receive and can’t possibly earn! Ephesians 2:8-9 confirms, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

The great evangelist Billy Graham said, “I have never known anyone to accept Christ’s redemption and later regret it.”  So if you are ready to leave a world of regrets behind, simply pray this prayer.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior.

If you prayed that prayer today Ephesians 2:19 tells you, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household." So my friend - Welcome to the family!

One

For a small three letter word - ONE is a very significant word.

You can’t start anything without it.

First one.

You can’t finish anything without it.

Last one.

It can be romantic.

The right one.

It can feel exclusive.

The chosen one.

It can feel disappointing.

The wrong one.

Sometimes people pine away (especially fisherman) for the one that got away.

Sometimes it can be frustrating as in the one that broke the camel’s back.

It is a beginning.

Genesis ONE:ONE “In the beginning….”

And it can be an ending.

One more for the road.

One last slice.

One last bite…….

Even the Encyclopedia Britannica says one is important, “The number 1 symbolizes unity and the origin of all things, since all other numbers can be created from 1 by adding enough copies of it. For example, 7 = 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1.” I really could go on, but I think you get the idea!

Because really, I want to point you in the direction of the most significant One of all -  Jesus Christ the Only One. He is the only one that can keep His promise to you of eternal life. John 3:16 confirms, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” 

One and done.  He died and rose again to take away the sins of one world. Please don’t miss that one - He died for the sins of everyone - not just Christians - everyone. Believer and non-believer alike - one for all. It is up to you to receive that gift because Jesus also told us in John 14:6 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

But also don’t miss the part where Jesus rose again! Jesus is the one and only “religious” leader that rose from the dead! Muhammed died and he is still dead as is Buddha, Joseph Smith, L. Ron Hubbard, and Confusius.

Hebrews 4:12 begins with, “For the word of God is alive and active.” John ONE:ONE says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This confirms that we serve a living Lord.  Willing and able to keep His promises! He told us in John 14:1-4, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Luke reminds us of that way in Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” If you want to receive the gift waiting for you from the One and Only Jesus Christ simply pray this prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior.

Every journey begins with one step and I am so glad you took it!  Jesus has been waiting for you!  Neil Armstrong said it best even if he was talking about stepping on to the moon, “That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

 

Get Out!

 

My poor husband was ripped from his sleep last night by his wife screaming, “Get out! GET OUT NOW!”

I was dreaming that I was going to open a little shop and two of my nieces were helping me get ready to open. I, being unaccustomed to wearing heels (in reality due to an injury and a fused foot can’t actually wear heels) slipped and landed harshly on my back side.  I said to my one niece, “Well, that’s embarrassing!” She replied as she turned to show me a mark on her own back side, “It happens!”  I told the pair that I was going to pop out of the store and go buy some flowers to brighten our day.

As I entered with a beautiful bouquet, I stopped to write on the cute little chalkboard, “Flowers are a lovely gift no matter who buys them.”  As I set the flowers on the counter, we heard a supernatural scratching on the board and it read, “even from me?”

I looked at the two girls and heard a supernatural voice speak the words and immediately the walls went dark and began to press in on us.  I defensively had the two girls stand behind me and it was then I began to shout. The command in the dream manifested in my husband’s reality and I was brought out of the dream by his strong arms protectively around me. I told him, “the devil was trying to get me.”  He responded, “well, he’s not getting in here!”  And I know my husband was right.

Romans 8:11 says, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.” Since the gift of the Holy Spirit resides within me, I know I can rely on Him and immediately prayed, “God! You are welcome here and if you’re not from God you MUST go out the door NOW!”  Then I prayed for the two nieces that were in my dream, turned on worship music, and fell back asleep to dream about the surprising news that Mrs. Walton was going to have another baby (as if I was watching tv.)

But how was that seed planted in my subconscious? In the book that was Yesterday, A History of Sisters by Tillie Wilson and Alice Scott, they chronicle that Central Oregon was covered with bunchgrass that was good for grazing cattle, but that around 1910, homesteaders wanting to plant wheat brought in seed that contained cheatgrass. By 1916, the wheat failed, but it is estimated that 9 million acres of Central Oregon are now covered with the noxious cheatgrass. One stalk can have up to 5,000 seeds and it burns like tissue paper, not an especially good attribute in wildfire country. It didn’t take much for it to get a stronghold and take over.

Similar to the cheatgrass, in Matthew 13: 24-30  Jesus warns us that we will be existing alongside weeds and sometimes they will be hard to recognize.

“24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

There is an advertisement for a movie that the second I see it,  I shut off the tv.  I don’t need to be assaulted by an easily recognized weed, because the world is full of hard to see cheatgrass.  Since the world is also full of God’s glory and creation, I’m not saying walk through your days frightened and paranoid because Deuteronomy 31:6 assures us, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”  

Still, I am saying, be aware and guard your ears and eyes. Even though Jesus would leave the 99 sheep to find you if you were lost, why put yourself at that risk?  Our human nature isn’t all that trustworthy and suffers intensely from more-ism. Ecclesiastes 1:8 warns, “Everything leads to weariness—a weariness too great for words. Our eyes can never see enough to be satisfied; our ears can never hear enough.”  

When in doubt, open your Bible.  1 John 4:1 says, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”  Just like you give milk in your fridge the sniff test, give thoughts, ideas, and really everything, the Jesus litmus test.  As a wise man once said in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

The Predestined Dairy Queen

My brother, his wife, my sister, and I took our Dad on a genealogy road trip.  Traveling with your adult siblings might not be on everyone’s bucket list, but we had a great and memorable time. Four months later, our Dad was gone.

While roaming the roads of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Dad announced he wanted Dairy Queen for lunch and as the patriarch of the family - you get what you want.  No sooner than he announced this, my brother turned the corner and there was Dairy Queen!  Without thinking, I blurted out, “THANKS GOD!” To which my brother responded, “Oh yeah, like God just magically moved a Dairy Queen for us.”  “No,” I responded, “but He knew we were going to want one today!”

This led to further conversation around the campfire later.  My brother believes in God, but he also believes that God created us and then lets us roam the earth on our own accord without intervening.  In my mind's eye, I see God winding us up like those hopping mechanical toys, then setting us on the earth to hop around until the wind runs down.  I respect my brother greatly, but I don’t buy this line of thought for one second!

When Jesus was sending His disciples out to spread His teaching, He told them in Matthew 10: 29-30, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” 

Now to me, my brother’s viewpoint makes God very little and humans very big and I frankly don’t want that kind of responsibility! Now I know as the years pass, my brother doesn’t have as much hair as he used to, but I fully believe that he has not counted each hair on his head - but God has!  He and his wife enjoy feeding the birds on their back deck, but they don’t know each bird by name and they have no idea where they go or when they pass from the earth - but God does!

So, how could we even remotely try to shrink God into some careless puppet master? Because we want free will.  It is almost impossible to wrap our brains around the fact that God works so far up stream in our lives.  In fact, before we were even born, God designed His plan for each of us. Jeremiah 1:5 tells us, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”

I hear you thinking, “Oh great, that must mean we are all predestined to live or suffer on this earth and there’s nothing we can do!” No, we aren’t stuck in our rut like a Hot Wheels race car, but what is predestined is that God wants us all to be in the Kingdom of Heaven with Him. Romans 8:29 says, “Those whom God had already chosen he also set apart to become like his Son, so that the Son would be the first among many believers.” He wants you to fulfill that predestination so much that  John 3:16 tells us, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” So, use your free will to accept that loving gift and ask Jesus into your heart as your Lord and Savior. 

But honestly, I am less interested in arguing the point of predestination vs free will as I am in arguing the point that Jesus spoke in Luke 22:42, “Yet not my will, but yours be done.” Jesus uttered those words when he knew that shortly He was going to be handed over to soldiers to be beaten and killed.  So, why should I find it so difficult to turn my daily life over to Him? If he cares about sparrows and the hairs on my head then He does actually care about my plans for each day! Do we hesitate because we want to choose to live in our desires that are a bit less than Godly? Paul the Apostle sure understood this when he said in Galatians 5:17, “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” 

Perhaps we should look at the Bible as a road map or an infallible GPS.  If the map says the Dairy Queen is to the left are you going to willfully go right? Paul said mostly like and I know I do, but even more likely is I didnt even consult the map at all and I find myself very lost, but that’s ok, because God is always with us if we ask! Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

That verse in Proverbs doesn’t say you have one shot to commit so if I get lost, I recommit again and again! Colossians 3:17 advises, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” So yes, imperfect as I am, I thank you God for John Fremont McCullough for founding Dairy Queen and for the folks that opened franchise #16159 so that on a hot day in July my dad could have his Dairy Queen lunch.

 

Laundry Day

It’s Monday and I’m doing laundry.  Why? Because I was taught that Monday was laundry day.  “Why Grandma? Why is Monday laundry day?”  “Because it’s the way we do it.”  When I got older Ma Ingalls helped me to understand why: 

“Each day had its own proper work.  Ma would say:  ’Wash on Monday, Iron on Tuesday, Mend on Wednesday, Churn on Thursday, Clean on Friday, Bake on Saturday, Rest on Sunday.’ ”

~ Little House in the Big Woods

So, I try. Life gets in the way and I can’t always get the laundry done on Monday and when I don’t  - I feel as though I am turning my back on a time honored tradition.  In Laura Ingalls and my grandma’s day, laundry wasn’t hit the start button, but an all (well three) day affair. Yet, it is also is a non-stop process because laundry is dirty before you even are finished with the current load! As you sit there reading this, those clothes you have on will be hitting the laundry eventually!  Some laundry is absolutely filthy (think construction, garden, cow yard, wet dog) and some is a little lighter, but in the end - laundry is laundry. And the fact is, you can add all the soap and fabric softener you want, but without water nothing happens…nothing is washed away.

Sin can be a bit like laundry.  Some sin is staining and deeply embedded and some is unintentional but ultimately like the laundry sin is sin and without the water it remains with us.  Wellhouse, a local church, gives people being baptized a shirt that reads, “Left it in the water.”  I love that imagery.  Just like the dirtiest of laundry, we too leave it behind in the water and not just on the day of our baptism, because sin is going to keep coming back at us like chocolate stains on the shirt you borrowed from your sister.

I didn't make the choice to get baptized until I was in my 50s! My parents had baptized aka christened me and I didn’t want to somehow belittle what they had done for me.  Then I came to understand that being baptized after the age of accountability is a public profession of faith and I am all for that! Jesus wasn’t sprinkled by Mary and Joseph, He got down in the Jordan River and got wet!  Jesus, He who was without sin, got baptized! Mark 1:9-11 paints the picture for us, “At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’”

Even as life changing as being baptized can be, it can’t keep us from sinning, because we will and we do. It is the grace of Jesus that erases those sins time and time again better than the best laundry stain remover.  And it’s ok! Just like we don’t wash our favorite t-shirt once and expect it to stay clean forever, we put it back in the wash water.  1 Peter 3:21 assures us, “and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Still, baptism doesn’t save anymore than not being baptized will prevent you from being in Heaven. Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly tell us, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”  Yes, baptism is an important expression of your faith, a pledge-like vow similar to a wedding vow, but the first step to life everlasting is professing your belief in the Lord Jesus Christ and asking him in your heart.  You can do that! RIght here and now! Say:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior.

If you prayed that prayer for the first time, please let me know so I can celebrate with you and come alongside you for the journey.  And if you renewed your faith with that prayer and are ready to get wet, reach out to me-  I know people!

Best Year Ever!

 

Someone recently asked me, “What was your best year?” So what makes a best year? The year I was born? The year my children were born? The year I landed my dream job?

Naturally, I reviewed my life like a notable highlight reel. I thought of my days as a young girl spent blissfully on the back of my horse roaming and rambling the dense oak woods of our family farm. With arms spread wide, with a smile to match, face to sky in utter bliss, she could have never imagined what was still to come.

I pondered the flutter in my soul when meeting – the one. The explosion of love that erupted from my heart the moment I held my newborn son. That young mother could never have imagined there would be enough room to love even more when my daughter was born.  And when a mother turned to grandmother, there was yet another trajectory adventure!

They say when the date of your birthday matches the age you are turning – it’s your golden birthday and the year that follows is supposed to be your best year.  Given that logic, no one past the age of 31 would have a best year! So, is it possible that every year can be your best year to date?

My golden birthday was when I turned 23. I was in the middle of a Saudi Arabian desert serving in the United States Army. We were caught in a once-a-century flashflood and I spent the day digging trenches to drain the desert. Perhaps not the most fun birthday – definitely not like the year I turned 6 and my parents threw me a surprise birthday party - but certainly a very memorable birthday.

That year went on with highs and lows. A most notable high was returning stateside to be reunited with my husband on our 1^st anniversary! A notable low was returning with lung damage that ended my military career. Each dawn ushers in an accumulation of days that quietly multiply into a year -each one dripping with unknown promise and yes, each year, the low tides have come with their loss and heartache.

Historian and 20^th Century writer, Alice Morse Earle wrote, “Every day may not be good... but there's something good in every day.”  I challenge us to see our years in this way too. Like ocean waves, there will be best moments at the high tide and the harder, worst, least, lean times at low tide. Still, each depends on the other as the waves never return to the shore in exactly the same way.  We too never end the day in the same way as we started. Therefore, the person you are today is distinctly different than who you were on January 1^st and not who you will be on December 31^st.

Although we are constantly changing, Hebrews 13:8 tells us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”  Jesus is our rock that cannot erode. He is our lighthouse that cannot be lost. We don’t have to be stuck in the low tides of life because Jesus already washed us clean. His renewal simply waits for you to ask! The love He felt for you on the day He died on the cross is the same love He felt walking out of the grave and is the same incredible love He feels for you when you come to Him broken from being rolled in the waves or giddy from playing all day in sonshine.

So, I believe I would have to say, most certainly, that my best year to date ….is the one that is still to come…and the one after that….and after that… until Jesus returns to take me home!