Dear God

Yesterday, Brainerd Church of Christ was in charge of the worship service at Martin Boyd Christian Center, and my husband delivered the lesson. He took my suggestion and used a portion of Isaiah as his text –

Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob,
all the remnant of the people of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,
and have carried since you were born.
Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he,
I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
Isaiah 46: 3, 4

He spoke of the fact that no matter how long we live on this earth, there is One who has known us since before we were born and will carry us even into our old age.

While we were singing, I heard a dear friend and brother, who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, singing bass behind me. I started to cry. I love this man, and do not understand why he and his wife must watch him slowly decline into helplessness. I am in awe as they continue to serve others and remain cheerful.

After the service I helped a resident in a wheel chair get back to her room. When we reached it, on her door was a sign recognizing her for her service in the military during world war two. This frail, ninety-two-year-old woman had served in the Marines, no doubt dealing with unbelievably difficult conditions.

She is staying at Martin-Boyd because all of the caregivers in her family are either dealing with their own illnesses or having to care for others. Her only son and daughter are battling rare cancers, cancers that took her husband twenty years ago.

She talked of possibly “going home” before Christmas to stay with her daughter who is now in isolation recovering from a stem cell transplant. She ended by saying, “I never expected this. It’s too much.”

I tried to encourage her with my conviction that cancer, in my generation, has become survivable, and told her of my mother who at ninety is a thirty-year breast cancer survivor. But her situation chilled me to my bones. Life does not get any easier as we grow older. It gets harder. So hard that sometimes it is “too much.”

Scripture tells us “His burden is light,” but Dear God?

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 admonishes us to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” When I remember to do these things and turn my heart toward bearing others’ burdens, my own seem light in comparison, but don’t let anyone kid you; life is a battle, and, by God’s grace we will fight until the day we die.

Giving Up Dreams

Over the last few weeks I have been dismantling my life, selling off books saved for prospective grandchildren, taking my mother’s antiques to an auction, sorting through worthless flotsam gathered for imaginary craft projects. Giving up dreams.

Meanwhile, Bruce is cleaning out his office at the church where he has preached for the last eleven years. He has hundreds of books, papers and souvenirs, most of which cannot come with us.

One of my most wrenching tasks, for a number of reasons, has been taking apart the guest room. After January, any future Bruce and I can imagine will be spent in two small rooms that will be hard pressed to accommodate overnight guests.

But the actuality of the situation is not as troubling as the symbolism. My guest room was the one room that was rarely out of order. When I felt overwhelmed, I could look in and see the perfectly made, antique twin bed, dressed in eyelet linens and a hand made quilt. Ruffled curtains trimmed in pink framed a sunny window. The antique floor lamp and small mirrored dresser reminded me of childhood and the comfort and peace of my grandmother’s house.

Now my entire house is topsy-turvy as I prepare for a moving sale on the seventeenth. Rugs are rolled and lying in corners, everything saleable is crowded into the front two rooms, family photos and my paintings are down from the walls.

I try to imagine the new apartment, arranged and decorated to serve our changed circumstances. I know we can live comfortably, but only if we rid ourselves of many, many things; things that, for inexplicable reasons, feel like necessities.

Too much of what I must get rid of feels like pieces of myself, bits of my history that someone, somewhere, should see and care about—old playbills from my “wicked” days on the stage; numberless resumes assembled for jobs that didn’t happen; barely used, outdated teaching certificates from six different states, and (vanity, vanity thy name is woman) letters and pictures from old beaus.

Can I live without it? I want to say, yes. Did any of it matter? Only God knows.

Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.

No Dogs or People "Go to Heaven"

I have made a life-long study of ancient prophecy, poetry, history and literature (specifically the 66 books of the Bible), and, though I’ve never had a “near-death experience” (The closest I’ve come is being knocked unconscious, coming-to as a Dr. stuck a long hypodermic in my nose, and thinking that dying might not be a bad alternative.), I have some semi-firm opinions about the afterlife.

First of all, no one is "going to Heaven.” According to the book of Revelation, the Devil and his angels have a dark place reserved for them away from God, and evil doers will suffer eternal destruction, but believers will inhabit a “new earth.”

That image is comforting. A new earth, prepared specifically as a home for the sanctified human race, could be very much like the Garden of Eden, which, after all, God prepared as a perfect environment for a man and a woman. Adam and Eve had work to do, ruled over the earth and worshiped by walking and talking with God.

Most of what the Bible says about the end of time and eternity is in the book of Revelation. Our typical descriptions of “Heaven”: pearly gates, streets of gold, etc., are actually the prophet John’s vision of the “New Jerusalem” (Christ's purified church) which will “come down from Heaven” to the earth. The heaven of the Bible, full of worshiping angels and indescribably foreign experiences is the realm where God dwells, now.

In eternity, God will be with his people.

Revelation 21: 1-4
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Meeting My Mother

Meeting My Mother
I have known my mother all my life. I will meet her for the first time in heaven.
In heaven, Mother will not have schizophrenia.
She will not feel compelled to hoard plastic containers, buy junk, collect magazine articles or sort through everything in the house at regular intervals.
She will not think she needs to outsmart doctors, insurance salespeople, real estate agents, or plumbers.
She will not alienate everyone who loves her.
She will sit and talk and laugh with me, and not mention any of this.

1 John 3:2
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Hallellujah!

Two weeks ago, I went forward in church and requested prayers. I left Chattanooga headed for Indiana and my ninety-year-old parents surrounded by the prayers of the most loving congregation of Christians with whom Bruce and I have ever been associated.

They knew I was worried, but even I did not know how worried until the situation was resolved. I sobbed for hours. Every time I think how miraculously it all worked out, I break down again, overcome with gratitude and praise. To explain the problem would take a book and would upset my entire family, but, by the Grace of God, my elderly parents are, with their full consent, being placed in a safe, healthy environment. And my three sisters, my parents and I are bound together in love. Hallelujah!!

The short version: My sisters and I met together (again) to discuss what could be done about Mother and Daddy and their intolerable living conditions. We did the usual pointing of fingers and glaring and then came up with a possible solution.

As soon as we stepped into our parents’ house, Daddy called us aside. He and mother had come up with a plan: He would move into assisted living immediately for much needed rest, and my sister Paula would stay at the house and care for Mother until an apartment became available—the very plan we had arrived at moments before. When we asked Mother for confirmation, she smiled and humbly thanked Paula for consenting to stay. It was at that point I began to cry and praise God. I left with blessings on my head and tears running down my face. God is good. God is faithful. Praise the Lord.

“Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob,
    all the remnant of the people of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,
    and have carried since you were born.
Even to your old age and gray hairs
    I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
    I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Isaiah 46:3,4  (NIV)

Why I Don't Write "Inspirational" Essays

I am not an inspirational person.

First of all, I anticipate trouble. When it gets here, I waste time looking back and blaming others who didn’t see it coming.

Secondly, I become a blubbering wad of toxic pain and suffering. I forget that God is faithful. I forget I am saved by grace. I remember my sins and failings, and I believe my suffering is somehow deserved.

The next step in my process of grief is a “poor me, look at me” call for attention and help. Thank God, that help is not far away and not begrudging. It always comes in the form of prayers, consolation, friendship and love from my Christian brothers and sisters.

They remind me that I am forgiven. They assure me that God cares. They inspire me and give me hope.

Galations 6:2: "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfilll the law of Christ."

Dying Happy

I cried, a lot, yesterday. I laughed, a lot, yesterday. One of our dear, old brothers, Carl Allen, died Friday. At his funeral, yesterday, his children remembered him as a father who always had time for them; always encouraged them; always made them laugh. His youngest daughter, Ginny, told of walking with her parents through an old family cemetery—she and her father a few yards ahead of her mom.
A moving glint of black caused Ginny to ask, “Was that a snake.”
“We’ll know in a minute,” Carl said.
Frantic screams from her mother.
“Yes, that was a snake.”

Bruce gave the eulogy and remarked that it is much easier to speak at some funerals than others, and that Carl’s was one of the easier ones. We all know where Carl stands with Jesus, saved by grace; and we all know, by grace, we will see Carl again—arms and smile spread wide.

I was laughing and crying again last night. Two reasons: First, we were treated to a joyous, moving, slide presentation and talk from a mission team member who recently returned from Costa Rica. Secondly, that member represents a minority never allowed to speak in front of the full congregation before. Susan Campbell is female. FEMALE! And she did our gender proud.

Bruce pointed out that we had been edified by one of our female members, in case nobody noticed—since we met in the fellowship hall and had cookies and coffee. But it was a Wednesday night between seven and eight o’clock. That makes it official.

I can die happy.

How I Really Feel

Having observed public worship services in various Churches of Christ my entire life, I have seen and heard many things that have caused my worship experience to be less than ideal.
Here are a few examples:

Songleaders who were:
Flat, sharp; too slow, fast, loud or soft; unable to read music, without rhythm, unable to read English; children.

Scripture readers who were:
Inaudible, expressionless, unable to read, without understanding; children.

Communion speakers who:
Forgot our standard procedures, made the communion sound like a funeral and not a celebration, included the offering as a commanded part of worship, spoke longer than the preacher; were children.

I have heard the following from our own pulpit:
A funeral sermon denouncing our congregation as unscriptural and unsound.
Paranoid rants.
An invitation that instructed converts to pray in their seats and accept Christ into their hearts.
A sermon about evangelism that included a cartoon showing African cannibals boiling a missionary.
Several unsolicited testimonies. (Usually a good thing, but not always.)

What I have not heard or seen is one well-qualified female serving in any of these capacities.

The question I am usually asked at this point in my tirade is, “What do you want?”, as if somehow my simply wanting change is a failure on my part. It’s simple; I want a public acknowledgement that failure to use the talents of our female members in public worship is wrong.

We have ladies in our fellowship who are excellent Spanish speakers and translators. We have young women who are trained vocalists. We certainly have women trained in food service. We could serve communion. We wouldn’t have to say a word, and we could wear burqas.

Let Your Women Keep Silent - No More

Letter to the elders of Brainerd Church of Christ, June 2012
With all of the struggles that this congregation has been through and will continue to face in the future, you as elders may think that solving the problem of “women’s roles in public worship” could surely wait another thousand years. Maybe so; but truth does not decrease in relevance or importance with time.

In fact, recognizing and using the gifts of the entire congregation in public worship, as modeled and explained in the book of Corinthians and elsewhere in the Bible, could lessen the burden on the few who are constantly called on to serve and attract men and women to our services who have sought spirit-filled worship in other denominations.

Please consider the following scriptures:
Genesis 1:26 +
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Joel 2:28-30
“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.

Act 2:16-18 - Peter on the Day of Pentecost
This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

Galations 3: 26
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

I Corinthians 12:7-11
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

I Corinthians 14:23-25
So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

Acts 21:9
Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.

I Corinthians 11:5-12
But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head. . . . Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.

I Corinthians 14:1-5
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.

I Corinthians 16:26-35
What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet (remain silent) in the church and speak to himself and to God. Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop (remain silent) .For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people. (Married) Women (who are being disruptive) should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak (be disruptive), but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak (be disruptive) in the church.

Romans 16
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me. Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them. Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord’s people who are with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.

About Christian workers Paul says:
I Corinthians 16:15-16
You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people. I urge you, brothers and sisters, to submit to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it.

It cannot be argued that women were silent in the assembly in the days of the Apostles nor are they required to be silent today. At present our public worship is not controlled by the Holy Spirit, otherwise everyone would bring something to the service to edify one another. It is right and good to allow women to practice their God given gifts in the assembly. To ignore the example of scripture is destructive to the church and sinful.

When asked what sort of changes I would like to see made, I mentioned several possibilities: 1. Give women permission to respond to the sermon verbally when prompted by the Spirit. 2. Allow appropriately-gifted women to do translation, read scripture or lead singing. 3. Allow every member, male and female, to bring a song, a prayer, or a scripture, to edify the church. 4. At the very least, let women serve communion.

Looking for the Elevator

      This past Saturday our elders informed the congregation that Brainerd Church of Christ will shortly be out of funds. The Saturday previous, they let my husband, Bruce, know that we will not be paid after December. Utility bills and upkeep on the building, plus the demise, relocation or defection of our members has done us in.
     This congregation has been in existence for over eighty-five years. Martha Eichelberger and Fran McPherson, nearly-ninety-year-old ladies who work with the inner-city bus ministry, are first generation descendents of founding members. The current building was built in pieces beginning in 1947(?) with the current auditorium added in 1963.
     There is much irony in our situation.
     First of all, due to recent hail damage, we are getting a new $100,000 roof, paid for by insurance. (Our main roof is three stories above ground and three stories high with, I would guess, a 70 degree pitch. I think the roofers are Nepalise Sherpas.)
     Secondly, our Hispanic congregation continues to grow. Although strong in number and faith, there is no way they could support our white elephant any more than we can.
Thirdly, this church has established a number of congregations, e.g. East Brainerd Church of Christ, which are thriving.
      And fourthly, we are a very generous congregation that has seen to the financial needs of members and nonmembers alike. We have been supporters of domestic and foreign missions and currently provide worship space for one of the largest Hispanic congregations in the area.
      But, over the years, our current elders (all loving, caring, giving men) have failed to make other, necessary decisions or to communicate with or listen to the members of the congregation. They have tried, but their efforts have been sporadic and ineffectual. They tried for several years to invite predominantly black congregations who were considering building to join us, instead. The problem being that, by the elders’ choice, our worship services are about as active as a thirty-year-old collie. (This particular collie is friendly, loving and full of faith, just sedentary.)
      As secretary, I was privy to the issues that were never brought before the congregation or addressed by the elders. I finally had to resign to keep from driving my poor husband nuts. (You may not know that, as Churches of Christ interpret scripture, the preacher is not, unless appointed to be so, an elder or pastor. In many cases decisions and leadership are ipso facto left to the preacher, but Bruce has always deferred to the elders.)
      I have made pleas for decisions to be made, especially about our worship. Other people have tried over the years only to be told that “someone may object.” We have never had a praise team or a solo singer. We do not vary our communion service and rarely rearrange our order of worship. Drama in worship is very rare, always disguised as something else, and only performed by men. My last effort to jazz things up was a heart-felt, scripture-laden supplication ( I will post this tomorrow.) for the elders to incorporate women in any worship capacity. That, I believe, would have attracted a number of Christian families whose female members have felt excluded and marginalized. It would at least have put Brainerd Church of Christ on the radar.
      Meanwhile, I have been in touch with a solar panel company that tells me that a third party donor with $200,000 could put an array on our roof that would cover our utility bills, pay for itself in a few years, and generate income and tax incentives for the donor. This would need to be initiated by the end of October to get in on current tax law. Know anybody? And, if we could get someone to replace our now missing steeple with a look-alike cell tower, it would bring the church about $5000/ month. Again, know anybody?
Please pray for Bruce and me as we make this abrupt transition sans golden parachute. What color is God’s parachute? I would prefer an elevator.

Keoshia

Thirteen-year-old Keosshia Ford did not want to become the symbol of gang violence in Chattanooga. Keoshia wanted to be the athletic, active, beautiful child she was until two bullets hurtled into her body leaving her helpless, wordless and, some would say, hopeless.

According to the Xfinity Security web site, my chance of being a victim of violent crime in Chattanooga is 1/107. Of course, that depends on where in our fair city I live. Low cost housing in Chattanooga is dangerous housing. Low rent neighborhoods in Chattanooga are high crime neighborhoods.

Currently my husband and I live in a relatively safe area with peaceful neighbors. This has not always been the case. We have lived in seven different cities in six different states and have had to live in homes well below the median value, but I have been unsafe in only two of those cities, Memphis, and Chattanooga.
In both of those cities you must have a better than average income, or be very lucky, to live in a safe neighborhood. A large part of the problem is that Memphis and Chattanooga still suffer from “white flight,” urban sprawl, and the racial and economic problems that result. Shame on us. The unfounded fear that burned through these cities in the 60’s and 70’s has left a legacy of blight and destruction that feeds into the immoral national welfare system and creates a fatherless, valueless, bitter underclass with inferior schools and poor health.
How do we overcome?
On August 4th, in the residential neighborhood where Keoshia was shot, Chattanooga gathered and prayed. Our mayor prayed, our city and county representatives prayed, our ministers and our neighbors prayed. We prayed for peace in our community, unity among neighbors, hope for the future, help to understand and stop the violence, and healing for this innocent victim.
God help us.
Help us to create a spiritual unity that is impervious to the machinations of Satan and a resolve to rebuild neglected institutions and communities.
Amen.

I'm Excited!

I sent "Murder Intelligently Designed" to Ben Stein, the man behind the movie "Expelled"; actor, author, financier. He just sent back this endorsement:


"An astonishingly thoughtful, well written book that provides not only a compelling plot line, but insight into an immense social and academic issue."

Ben Stein

Grit and Grace What?

I spent Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at the Lipscomb University Summer Celebration, trying to sell my book, “Non-Prophet Murders. I was well into Tuesday afternoon before I realized that my display was not doing the job.
Typically, my book signings take place at a bookstore or a writers’ conference where every booth is manned by a hopeful author. In that situation, a large poster of my book, a table draped in crime-scene tape, my three small skeletons configured like the proverbial “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil” monkeys and a stack of my books does the job.
At Lipscomb, most of the booths represented missions and non-profits looking for donations or volunteers. When I noticed that each featured a colorful banner or display that filled the back wall, I decided to hang my book cover poster behind me. It is not very large, so I draped it, the booth and the table in crime scene tape. Over that, a sign furnished by the University read, “Grit and Grace”, the moniker I had given them when asked for my “company name.”
My first indication that something was awry, I noticed the elderly ladies in the concession stand across the way squinting and staring. Finally one of them came over and asked what sort of grits I was advertizing. Then came the confusion between Non-Profit and “Non-Prophet.” Imagine my chagrin when I had to explain more than once that the charity I was trying to support was ME.
Children, adolescent skate boarders and Goths found my skeletons fascinating. “No,” I repeated, “there are no vampires or zombies in my book.”
My favorite reactions came from the simply curious who just wanted to know what I was doing. Their consternation forced me into action. I came out from behind my safe little table and began handing out cards and telling everyone that I was an author selling my book. (You have no idea how difficult that is for me.)
Everyone was friendly. Many reacted in surprise, “You wrote this?”
“Yes,” I said. (Ooo, that felt good.)
I sold seven books and most people promised to check it out on Kindle. Praise the Lord.

Dog Days

Yesterday I read “The Oracle of the Dog”, a short “locked room” mystery by G.K. Chesterton featuring his clerical sleuth, Father Brown. Today, I sent my second book, “Murder Intelligently Designed” to an editor. The two stories have some features in common: a murder committed in a room with limited access, several characters who are observed in or about said room before or after the crime, and an unusual weapon.

But frankly, I like my story better. Chesterton’s story is so crammed with “clues” that I would sooner solve an algebraic equation than sort out the various motives, means and accesses. The story is told by various witnesses after the fact, and Father Brown never leaves his study.

In my book on the other hand, the clues are part of the action and only discerned as such when the murderer is revealed. To throw Chesterton a bone, his “Oracle of the Dog” is a short story which must put much information in few words while my story is book length.

G. K. and I write in the same genre, clerical crime. Father Brown is a Catholic priest; Grit Griffin and Grace Willis are lay ministers for a progressive but conservative Christian fellowship.

In “Murder Intelligently Designed” Grace’s atheistic biology teacher is found crushed by a bust of Nietzsche. The book will have an introduction by Jonathan Witt, coauthor with William Dempsey, of “Intelligent Design Uncensored.”

Getting There

Over and Out

To my myriad of faithful followers (all 6 of you), I am doing penance and will not be blogging again until God tells me what in the heck I am allowed to be passionate about in public. Praying for guidance.

Moses as Cheerleader

American humorist, Lewis Grizzard, said, "Cheerleaders are like parsley on a plate, it’s nice to look at, but doesn't really do anything"

I beg to differ, and I have scripture to back me up. Do you remember the story of the battle between the Isreallites and the Amalekites in Exodus 17? As long as Moses held up the staff, of God (his rally stick?) the Isrealites were in the lead. When Moses' arms faltered, so did the Isrealites. So he got Aaron and Hur (the rest of his squad) to help. At the end of the battle, Moses and his fellow cheerleaders sent the Amelikites down in defeat and afterwards established Biblical precedent for talking smack and putting up banners:
Exodus 17:14,15 “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, ‘I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.’ Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner.

Be a cheerleader. In do or die situations, call on fellow believers to help, and don’t hesitate to boast in the power of our God.

Wonder

“How could an idiotic universe have produced creatures whose mere dreams are so much stronger, better, subtler than itself?” C. S. Lewis in a letter to Sheldon Vanauken

[Sheldon Vanauken (August 4, 1914–October 28, 1996) is an American author, best known for his autobiographical book A Severe Mercy (1977), which recounts his and his wife's friendship with C. S. Lewis, their conversion to Christianity and dealing with tragedy.]

The universe did not imagine itself into being, but it speaks to us of its origin.

Psalm 19:1-4
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.

Anti-Aging Secrets

“Cheerfulness and contentment are great beautifiers, and are famous preservers of good looks.”
Charles Dickens

There comes a time in every woman’s life when any amount of make-up or surgery cannot stave off the inevitable. But, if she has practiced the beauty tips in Proverbs 31, she is still the light of many lives, and those who love her will not notice.

Proverbs 31 (paraphrased)
A woman of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her family and friends have full confidence in her
and they lack nothing of value.
She brings them good, not harm,
all the days of her life. . .

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Children arise and call her blessed;
her family also praises her:
“Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Harriet Beecher Stowe

I just retook an abbreviated version of the Myers-Briggs personality test. Yep, I’m still an INFP, meaning I’m likely to go off the deep end so far as following my heart is concerned, and I’ve done it more than once. Persons of my ilk tend to get buffeted, bruised and burned out. So I have gained a bit of caution in my old age—not so likely to tilt at windmills, but still passionate, i.e.: still trying “write” the wrongs of the world.

I also just finished reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin and a biography of its author. What do these bits of achievement have in common? I have found a kindred spirit in Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Mrs. Stowe, as she was referred to in her time, felt keenly, as I do, the wrongs of this world. We both were reared in Christian homes in which religious and political debate was common. I and she are products of a religious doctrine that restricts women to certain roles and limits the use of our gifts. Both Harriet and I felt drab in comparison to our friends and sisters. We each had a father who wished we were a boy. And we each measure the world by a set of absolutes.
But the Puritan ethos of Harriet’s day was more optimistic than my own. In her time, a large portion of America believed that “thy kingdom come” would be fulfilled in an earthly utopia created by the heroic efforts of Christians. And many human ills were righted, at least temporarily, by people of that era; slavery being the most notable.
And yet, the twenty-first century has dawned with more humans in slavery and with as many, if not more, instances of mass inhumanity. Victorian optimism died with the Civil War and the last passenger pigeon. But we INFPs keep marching into battle with our hearts on our sleeves and in our throats—tempered by the knowledge that any good we achieve will be temporary.

Pure Science

“Pure religion has, in fact, a good deal in common with pure science . . .What they have chiefly in common is humility.” Dorothy Sayers in an address to the Socratic Club

At their bases religion and science are simply the study of, and submission to, God.

James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Of Goblins and Spirits

In George MacDonald’s children’s story, “The Princess and the Goblin,” eight-year-old Princess Irene does her best to give Curdie, a young miner, knowledge of her “great, great, great, great, grandmother," who leads her through life with a “golden thread.” In the sequel, “The Princess and Curdie," a motley assemblage of misshapen animals, each with his or her particular ability, helps Curdie save the kingdom.

Each story allegorically portrays MacDonald’s belief that, “Every one of us is something that the other is not, and therefore knows something—it may be without knowing that he knows it—which no one else knows: and . . . it is everyone’s business, as one of the kingdom of light and inheritor in it all, to give his portion to the rest.”

Paul the Apostle put it this way:
I Corinthians 12: 8-11
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
I Corinthians 14: 26
What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.

Ought, ought, ought!

“Remember that there are only three kinds of things anyone need ever do: Things we ought to do; Things we have to do; Things we like to do.”
C. S. Lewis in a letter to his godchild, Sarah.

I will add, it is a blessing when the things we ought to do and the things we have to do are the things we like to do. And it is a great accomplishment when we are able to resist doing something we ought not to do even though we might enjoy doing it.

Colossians 3:15-17
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 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.

Silence!

My elders have asked for my scriptural reasons for believing as I do that women were not silent in the assembly of the first century church and should not be required to be silent in the assembly today. I submit the following:

Genesis 1:26 +
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Joel 2:28-30
“I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.

Act 2:16-18 - Peter on the Day of Pentecost
This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
“‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.

Galations 3: 26
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

I Corinthians 12:7-11
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

I Corinthians 14:23-25
So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

Acts 21:9
Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.

I Corinthians 11:5-12
But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head. . .
Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.

I Corinthians 14:1-5
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.

Romans 16
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.
Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
Greet also the church that meets at their house.
Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.
Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.
Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.
Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.
Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.
Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test.
Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.
Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.
Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.
Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord.
Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.
Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.
Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them.
Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord’s people who are with them.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the churches of Christ send greetings.

About Christian workers Paul says:
I Corinthians 16:15-16
You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people. I urge you, brothers and sisters, to submit to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it.

I Corinthians 16:26-35

What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet (remain silent) in the church and speak to himself and to God. Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop (remain silent) .For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people. (Married) Women (who are being disruptive) should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak (be disruptive), but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak (be disruptive) in the church.

It cannot be argued that women were silent in the assembly in the days of the Apostles nor are they required to be silent today. It is right and good for our assemblies to be controlled and directed by the Holy Spirit who has given gifts to all.


James 4:17
If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

Say What?

On this day in 1905, G. K. Chesterton preached his first lay sermon at St. Paul’s Church, Covent Garden, in London. His wife said it was the happiest day of her life. Around the Year with C. S. Lewis and His Friends, Compiled by Kathryn Lindskoog

I got to hear the very first public sermon that my preacher husband, Bruce Wooley, ever gave. We had just married and moved to Harrison, AR where I had a gig playing Mammy Yokum at Dogpatch U.S.A., a now defunct theme park, for the summer of 1971. Members of the church we attended learned that Bruce had graduated from Harding with a Bible degree and one of them called him on a Saturday night to fill in for a preacher at a small country church the next morning. They did not know that Bruce had never preached a public sermon or that when he had graduated in January of 1970 he was a militant, professing atheist. He had a “road to Damascus” type conversion experience and returned to Christ in April of 1971; we were married in May, and this was three weeks later.
The inside of the church, which has since become a wedding chapel, was unusual for a Church of Christ in that the pulpit was off-center, set back and raised above the congregation. The attendees were mostly elderly and female and there was no sound system. I sat in the audience cupping my hand over my ear to signal Bruce that he needed to speak up. I don’t think he looked at me once, and I’m not sure he actually saw anyone.
In the car on the way back to our little trailer he asked, “What do you think I should preach on at the evening service?”
I said, “Just preach the same sermon only louder.” (I didn't major in speech for nothing.)

Acts 9: 3-6
As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Guaranteed Success?

Philippians 4: 13
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

This phrase is often quoted out of context to assure Christians that Christ’s strength guarantees success. Paul’s meaning is just the opposite. The strength of Christ enables us to be content when we do not succeed by any earthly measure.

Philippians 4:4-13
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

“God may allow his servant to succeed when he has disciplined him to a point where he does not need to succeed to be happy. The man who is elated by success and is cast down by failure is still a carnal man. At best his fruit will have a worm in it.” A. W. Tozer, Baptist minister 1897-1963. Free audio sermon downloads: www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/viewcat.php?cid=6  

Something Fishy

“Children are innocent and love justice; while most of us are wicked and naturally prefer mercy.” G. K. Chesterton

We are all imperfect, all in need of mercy and grace, which is one of many reasons I cringe when an author says, “I didn’t write this book, God did.” Their intent, in most cases is to give God glory, but . . . how can anyone claim such a thing?
My understanding of inspiration involves grace.
It is by God’s grace that I am who I am, that I write what I write, but I can’t credit him with my flaws. Anyone reading my books must sift the wheat from the chaff and give God glory for any bit of nourishment they find. I write for the same reason the boy in the gospel of John went fishing. And like him, I  give my lumpy loaves and very small fish to Jesus to do with them what he will.

John 6: 9-13
Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

Reality?

C. S. Lewis devoted much of his intellectual energy to Christian apologetics, a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other world views. But in a letter dated December of 1950, he stated, “I do not think there is a demonstrative proof . . . of Christianity, nor of the existence of matter, nor of the good will and honesty of my best and oldest friends. I think all three (except perhaps the second) far more probable than the alternatives.”

Faith, Love, Hope, Truth, Forgiveness, hatred, evil are not scientifically demonstrable, but without them we would not be human.

I Corinthians 13: 1, 13
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. . . .
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

A Risk Worth Taking

When we speak from conviction, we risk conflict. God grant us grace to speak the truth in love.

"What in me is dark
Illumine, what is low raise and support;
That to the height of this great argument
I may assert eternal Providence,
And justify the ways of God to men."
John Milton, Paradise Lost.

“When principles
That run against your deepest convictions
Begin to win the day,
Then the battle is your calling
And peace has become sin.
You must, at the price of dearest peace
Lay your convictions bare before friend and enemy
With all the fire of your faith.
In short, contemporary idiom,
Clarified and cleansed by the word of God,
Cries out to be reconciled to truth and ultimate meaning!”
Abraham Kuyper, 1837-1920

Free download: http://www.reformationalpublishingproject.com/rpp/index.asp
biography: http://www.opc.org/new_horizons/NH99/NH9901d.html

Romans 12: 14-18
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

Wahoooooooooo!!!!!!!

Were there no God, we would be in this glorious world with grateful hearts and no one to thank. Christina Rossetti as quoted by Jan Karon in "Patches of Godlight"

Sisters' road trip, February 23-March 3!!!!!!

Neglect at Your Peril!

“Be careful to preserve your health. It is a trick of the devil, which he employs to deceive good souls, to incite them to do more than they are able, in order that they may no longer be able to do anything”
Vincent de Paul, Fr Roman Catholic Priest

To those who neglect themselves while caring for others in poor health I say, be careful that you do not become the one needing help and a burden.

I Timothy 5: 16
If any woman who is a believer has widows in her care, she should continue to help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need.

5:26
Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

Outside Natural Progression

“You have to go outside the sequence of engines, into the world of men, to find the real originator of the Rocket. Is it not equally reasonable to look outside Nature for the real Originator of the natural order?” C. S. Lewis Who Was Right—Dream Lecturer or Real Lecturer published as Two Essays in God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics

Lewis is refuting the argument that a self-creating Universe is as plausible as an uncreated creator. In other words, to posit an uncreated Universe, one begins with no natural order and no laws of physics to drive the evolutionary process. An uncreated creator is the originator of order and natural progression.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Praised or Insulted?

Praise does not always follow good nor insult evil.

“Praise makes good men better and bad men worse.”
Thomas Fuller (1654–1734), English physician, writer and adage collector.

Jesus put it this way: Luke 5:22-26
“Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.
“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.
For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. . . .
Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.”

Coinkydinkies

“And if we believe that God is everywhere, why should we not think Him present even in the coincidences that sometimes seem so strange? For, if He be in the things that coincide, He must be in the coincidence of those things.” George MacDonald, Annals of a Quiet Neighborhood

This quote reminds me of a dear friend who referred to coincidences as “coinkydinkies.” I miss her very much. It also reminds me of my husband who, when he sees an obvious blessing or answer to prayer, will say, “Coincidence? I don’t think so.”

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

God still sends messages through living people on this earth, but even prophets must leave the power of “coincidence” in God’s hands. Christ himself did not predict nor presume anything outside of what was revealed to Him.

Luke 4:9-12
The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you
  to guard you carefully;
  they will lift you up in their hands,
  so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Deuteronomy 18:9-13
When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD; because of these same detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God.

Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

Men and Saints: Definitions

Grace is indeed needed to turn a man into a saint, and he who doubts it does not know what a saint or a man is. Section VII Morality and Doctrine, Blaise Pascal, 1909-14 Free copy:[ http://www.bartleby.com/48/1/7.html ]

We access Grace and Sainthood through the blood of Christ.

I John 1:5-10
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

Lamebrains, Fools and Apostles

“We are fools for Christ’s sake,” Paul says in the first letter to the Corinthians. God is foolish, too, Paul says. God is foolish to choose for his holy work in the world the kind of lamebrains and misfits and nit-pickers and odd ducks and stuffed shirts and egomaniacs and milquetoasts and closet sensualists as are vividly represented by us all.
God is foolish to send us out to speak hope to a world that slogs along heart-deep in the conviction that things can only get worse . . . He is foolish to have us speak of loving our enemies when we have a hard enough time loving our friends . . . God is foolish to have us proclaim eternal life to a world that is half in love with death . . . God is foolish to send us out on a journey for which there are no maps, and to aim us in the direction of a goal we can never know until we get there. Such is the foolishness of God. And yet, and yet, Paul says, “the foolishness of God is wiser than men.”
From a book of 'Uncollected Pieces' entitled, A Room Called Remember as quoted by Jan Karon in Patches of Godlight.

[ “lamebrains and misfits and nit-pickers and odd ducks and stuffed shirts and egomaniacs and milquetoasts and closet sensualists” -- I can be all of these.]

I Corinthians 4:9-13
God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. 10 We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! 11 To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.

II Corinthians 4:5-7
For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Pressing On

“Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish.” Michelangelo

I suffer from this affliction, and I find it very frustrating. I can’t imagine why anyone would ask for it as a blessing.

Philippians 3:12-14
I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Torn

“What we need is not the old acceptance of the world as a compromise, but some way in which we can heartily hate and heartily love it. We do not want joy and anger to neutralize each other and produce a surly contentment; we want a fiercer delight and fiercer discontent. We have to see the universe at once as an ogre’s castle, to be stormed, and yet as out own cottage to which we can return at evening.”
Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton [ http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/130 ]

G. K. Chesterton and Paul the Apostle practiced a highly emotional and conflicted Christianity.

Philippians 1:18-26
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

It Never Fails

"Christian love, either towards God or towards man, is an affair of the will." C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity

I Corinthians 13: 4-8
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.

She's All That

“The most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children.” G. K. Chesterton, as quoted by Jan Karon in Patches of Godlight.

“I am of certain convinced that the greatest heroes are those who do their duty in the daily grind of domestic affairs whilst the world whirls as a maddening dreidel.” Florence Nightingale, as quoted by Jan Karon in Patches of Godlight.

Proverbs 31:10-31
A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

God's Instrument

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig_WDJjydgg&feature=related

From Hope to Hope

"The natural progression of the mind is not from enjoyment to enjoyment, but from hope to hope."
Samuel Johnson, as sometimes quoted by C. S. Lewis, from Boswell’s Life of Dr. Johnson

Romans 12- A Living Sacrifice
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:
     “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
     if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
     In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

God's Poema

Only science can tell you where and when you are likely to meet an elm; only poetry can tell you what meeting an elm is like. The one answers the question Whether, the other answers the question What.
C. S. Lewis, The Personal Heresy.

Ephesians 2:10 (KJV)
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The Greek word from which "workmanship" is derived, is "poema" or poem. So we are God's poetry! What we will be, has not yet been made known.

1 John 3: 1-2
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Ordained

Every common day, he who would be a live child of the living God has to fight the God-denying look of things, to believe that in spite of their look, they are God’s and God is in them, and working His saving will in them. George MacDonald, Castle Warlock
Free download:  http://www.archive.org/details/castlewarlock00macdgoog

In Isaiah, God addresses Cyrus King of Persia, telling him that, though he does not acknowledge God, God will use him to do His bidding.

Isaiah 44:28 (NIV)
who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd
and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,”
and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.”’

Isaiah 45:1-4 (NIV)
“This is what the LORD says to his anointed,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of
to subdue nations before him
and to strip kings of their armor,
to open doors before him
so that gates will not be shut:
I will go before you
and will level the mountains;
I will break down gates of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.
I will give you hidden treasures,
riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the LORD,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
For the sake of Jacob my servant,
of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
and bestow on you a title of honor,
though you do not acknowledge me.

Humility

James 4:10
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=u8WmAoM8kPs&NR=1

"Humility consists of seeing things as they are."
Charles Williams, quoting from the anonymous classic, The Cloud of Unknowing
Free download: http://www.archive.org/details/cloudofunknowing010851mbp

"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble." Helen Keller
biography: http://www.afb.org/section.asp?SectionID=1&TopicID=129

Colossians 3: 23-24
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Portentous

“I never had been by any means a book-worm; but the very outside of a book had a charm to me. It was a kind of sacrament—an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace—as, indeed, what on God’s earth is not?"

“But there ought to be a place for any story, which, although founded in the marvelous, is true to human nature and to itself. Truth to Humanity, and harmony within itself, are almost the sole unvarying essentials of a work of art."
George MacDonald, excerpts from the introduction to The Portent
Free download:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8913
http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/8913/pg8913.html

Hebrews 11:1, 2 (NIV)
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Naked

“We need not remind ourselves of the furious barrage of advertisement by which people are flattered and frightened out of a reasonable contentment into a greedy hankering after goods which they do not really need; nor point out for the thousandth time how every evil passion—snobbery, laziness, vanity, concupiscence, ignorance, greed—is appealed to in these campaigns. . . .
“For it is the great curse of Gluttony that it ends by destroying all sense of the precious, the unique, the irreplaceable.” Dorothy L. Sayers, The Other Six Deadly Sins: An Address given to the Public Morality Council

I Timothy 6:6-10
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Job 1:21

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."

Gone Fishing

"I have been suspected of being what is called a fundamentalist. That is because I never regard any narrative as unhistorical simply on the ground that it includes the miraculous." C. S. Lewis in Reflections on the Psalms.

John 21- Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish
Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

 

All That I Need!

“We—or at least I—shall not be able to adore God on the highest occasions if we have learned no habit of doing so on the lowest. . . . Any patch of sunlight in a wood will show you something about the sun which you could never get from reading books on astronomy.” C. S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer

http://youtu.be/60o3UP4Kjwg

Unique Defeat

On this day in 1942 in an informal Socratic club debate, C. S. Lewis was handed his only recorded defeat by Elizabeth Anscombe, professor of philosophy. [ http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/anscombe/ ] Her point prompted him to make a small revision in his book Miracles. [ www.cslewis.org/resources/.../Study%20Guide%20-%20Miracles.pdf ]

Lewis’ apologies in defense of Christianity endure and resonate with those of Christian philosophers and theologians beginning with the Apostle Paul.

I Corinthians 15:12-28
But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.