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Monday Morning Memo: How Many Gods Are There? As you know from last week’s post, I ’fessed up to the pleasure of reading and enjoying ... Read More  As you know from last week’s post, I ’fessed up to the pleasure of reading and enjoying blogs from various and sundry members of God’s family. Yes, I love them all. Some might think it distracting, getting me off track. Others might think I can’t possibly be giving God the attention He deserves if I’m willing to listen to so many voices. Is that possible? Well, maybe, if I paid more attention to them than to Him, or if I took their word over His Word to guide my life, or if I allowed their truth to be louder than The Truth Himself.
Then there’s the question of His voice sounding the same no matter the channel through which it comes. Hmm. Tough one. Or that His message isn’t pure enough to stand up to the seemingly inevitable dilution that occurs when flowing through a variety of vessels. Does that happen to water? Whether it’s in a tea cup, a plastic tumbler, or a glass bowl, it’s still water. No matter what the vessel appears to be, the precious liquid inside is still the same.
But what of the many different denominations and their claims to have a handle on “the” message, and no one else seems to get it right? Okay. That’s viable. If someone says, “Our way is right and everyone else is wrong,” run — don’t walk — to the nearest exit.
Got it. And yet, Margret, you’ve not addressed the differences. Doesn’t that mean God is not the same? That he’s incomplete, fragmented? Well, let’s think about that in light of Scripture. Jesus had disciples who were paper pushers (Matthew and Zaccheus: tax collectors), and independent businessmen (Peter, Andrew, James, and John: fishermen). The wife of the man who managed Herod’s household helped underwrite His ministry, as did a few other well-to-do women (Joanna, Susanna, and Mary Magdalene). And let’s not forget those who lavished him with wonderful, but unusual gifts. One of the Marys, this one the sister of Martha and Lazarus, dumped one year’s worth of wages in the form of perfume on his head just days before his trial, death, and burial. (Hard to wrap your mind around that one? Yeah, for me too, until I thought of my favorite fragrance and the cost of the perfume: 1 ounce, tax included, is $350, US).
Who was Jesus to these people? I imagine He mentored those in business, if only because they listened and took to heart some of His parables. He accepted women as equal to men, a foreign concept back then and, sad to say, somewhat the same today. He healed, He loved, He blessed, He teased, He wiped away tears, He accepted gifts, whatever the person was able to give.
Each of those people could only fathom one small slice of Him because of their humanness, their imperfection. So, too, with us. If one of us needs healing, we see Him as a healer and preach that message. If one of us needs someone who will comfort as we grieve over loss or terrible hurts that have been done to us, we see Him as comforter. If one of us needs to make sense of something, perhaps how to make a situation work without our infernal temper getting in the way, we see Him as mentor and guide. And if we need a place of worship that sings a lot, we go to that kind of church. If we need an hour of solid teaching at each gathering, we go there. If we need the richness of symbolism, we go there. If we need to make sure there are good programs for our children, we go there.
In each case, when we receive what we need, we will speak of the goodness of God from our perspective and all of it only serves to prove how big, how awesome He is. He can and is able to reach each of us in the manner we need most, whatever that manner might be. He is Lord; He is Savior; and we worship Him the best we can and I, for one, rejoice in the variegated message of His love and grace.
All of Heaven’s best to you and yours,
Margret
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Monday Morning Memo: The Cure for What Ails Ya My morning Bible reading has taken me from the Psalms into the Proverbs. Haven’t been there for ... Read More  My morning Bible reading has taken me from the Psalms into the Proverbs. Haven’t been there for a while, I’m sorry to say. Oh, I’ve read verses from time to time, or looked for something that would show me I’m either on the right path or how to return to it. But reading a chapter a day and savoring just that? Not so much. So I’m enjoying the request to remain until given permission to move on, pondering different verses for different situations in life.
Did you know there’s a proverb suitable for nearly any and every occasion? So did I, and yet it feels as though I’ve not read these things before. It’s one of the things I love most about the Word of God: everything is familiar yet new. Rather like sharing a meal prepared in someone else’s kitchen. Your friend might well use the same ingredients you do, yet the delicious results are not the same as yours. Or how about this? Getting to know more about the Divine by enjoying a worship service in a different gathering place and reading new-to-you blogs. You know to the core of your being Daddy God loves you, and you have a wonderful relationship together. You are also confident this other person knows and loves Him too, yet to hear or read of Him from their perspective opens up an entirely different view, almost a panoramic vista you didn’t know existed.
I’m also enjoying one of those new-to-me blogs and am joyfully fascinated and intrigued by what I read. Six years ago, this Quaker preacher wrote something and refused to elaborate because she thought it’d be fun to have people guess what she was referencing: “I don’t know what they are putting in gasoline these days
but it sure doesn’t taste as good as it used to.” Me? I thought she spoke of having to siphon gas if she’d run out of fuel.
That’s how the Proverbs are for me now; offering choice little nuggets sprinkled singly in each chapter, helping me understand how to be a better wife and/or friend, also how to navigate through my days of work and responsibility. I’m going to share a few with you, all from the New International Version 1984, since that’s where I spend these mornings, and would love to hear why you think they’re important to me. Ready?
He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done. ~ Proverbs 14:31; 19:17
Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. ~ Proverbs 15:22
From the fruit of his mouth a man’s stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. ~ Proverbs 18:20
The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.
A man’s steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way? ~ Proverbs 20:5,24
The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases. All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart. ~ Proverbs 21:1-2
Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the LORD, I teach you today, even you. Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge, teaching you true and reliable words, so that you can give sound answers to him who sent you? ~ Proverbs 22:17-21
Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done? ~ Proverbs 24:11-12
Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one’s friend springs from his earnest counsel. ~ Proverbs 27:9
What do you think? Do you want to play that game with me? Would be fun, wouldn’t it? Like going to an improv show. Whether you do or not, allow yourself to be intrigued by the wonder of the One who is especially fond of you (and you and you) and loves fellowshipping with you.
All of Heaven’s best to you and yours,
Margret
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Monday Morning Memo: Safety to Explode For a long time I’ve been a proponent of being real. Know what that means? In some ... Read More  For a long time I’ve been a proponent of being real. Know what that means? In some ways, it means being completely and utterly yourself so no matter where you are or who you’re with those around you have some idea of what to expect. Not predictability, not sameness and boredom with no life or spontaneity; rather, stability.
There are different layers of being real, each based upon the situation you’re in. With the way these interactions occur, one might think you need to be a different person with each. Not really. There’s only the need to remember what’s appropriate in each situation.
There’s a level of professionalism found while in work mode with a client. Even if you get along well enough to share a few laughs, somehow you never forget you’ll also be seeing them across the table in a conference room and they’ll be giving you direction on a project you’re doing for them.
Another part of your life may have you spending time with fellow workers outside the shop or office, yet you don’t completely let down your hair because they might not view you as professionally come Monday morning.
There’s another level for siblings, those who watched you grow up and, if they’re not as caring as family members ought to be, can use some of that information to cause you harm.
There’s yet another level for those who care about you utterly, completely, and without reserve. If you’re married, hopefully your spouse is in that category. Heart friends definitely are. These are the most precious of all relationships. They’re the ones where you can be utterly completely you, no matter what’s going on, and know you’ll be cared for and accepted. You’re “home.”
On those extremely rare occasions, when things are just too much, and it seems like you’ve been stressed for altogether too long, what feels like several-years-at-a-stretch long, “home” is where you go when you know that volcano is going to blow. Why? Because after the boom and the air has cleared, you know these precious ones are still there, loving you as they always have and always will, which is not a sure thing with the others in your life. These ones consider it an honor, a privilege, that you can let go in this way, that you’re willing to share this most powerful experience with them. And, because you love them just as fiercely, you’ll never take advantage of their caring. You will not use their acceptance as a way to excuse lack of self-control. No, indeed. Instead, you’ll also give them the benefit, the privilege of seeing how you mature and grow through life so the things that used to send you over the edge don’t faze you anymore.
Dear ones, it is my earnest prayer that each of you have loved ones who will offer the safety to explode. Of such relationships are healing and wholeness born.
All of Heaven’s best to you and yours,
Margret
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Monday Morning Memo: Choices Choices: the ability and the right to make them is an inviolate right, granted us by the ... Read More  Choices: the ability and the right to make them is an inviolate right, granted us by the God of Heaven Himself. How do I know that? Because He doesn’t force any of us to do anything against our will. Yes, He recommends; yes, He teaches and guides and instructs; yes, He will give advice when asked. But He doesn’t demand we do things His way.
It’s something many of us have trouble wrapping our minds around. If one knows the best way to do things, shouldn’t there be an insistence to follow that course? If going a certain direction — or refraining from going another — causes challenges and difficulties, shouldn’t another course be obligatory?
Not according to our Heavenly Father, nor to the Holy Spirit. They give direction but it is ours to follow it…or not. Why is that? Because it’s meant to be an interactive involvement; a close, voluntary relationship. There’s no power struggle. Other than the sheer stupidity of trying to one-up God, that doesn’t result in close, loving communion.
Such a relationship also allows for mistakes to be made, yet there’s always opportunity for recovery, for a fine-tuning of the course, even if it means retracing a few steps.
The best example of this I can find is my experience on my husband’s smart phone. During the six weeks after we moved down from the mountain and before we found/moved into this duplex, we shared a home with best friends and, of necessity, did things quite differently. For example, while I’m an earlier riser (often up before anyone else) I couldn’t jump on the computer and write, or check in with friends, or balance my checkbook, or anything. For those six weeks that rented bedroom, as big as it was, was library, office, bedroom, and living room (when we wanted to watch something other than our friends were enjoying). And for each of those 45 days, rather than toss and turn in the darkness while others slept, I grabbed my Bible and my husband’s smart phone, and stepped into the family room where I enjoyed quiet time with the Lord, morning coffee…and…games.
Actually, I checked the day’s weather, monitored traffic patterns and mishaps for my husband’s commute and, after all that, opened his phone’s version of Solitaire. I’m a sucker for that game, playing with cards as a child and young adult, then delighting in the online version when I got my first home computer. Friends will even tell you that I play the game when they call to talk with me. It may seem rude but in actuality it helps me concentrate on the subject at hand, even helps me focus on needs. I only quit playing when we pray together, because nothing gets in the way of my/our conversation with the Divine.
So, as I sat in that family room before the sun greeted the horizon I perfected my skill, joggled and jiggled my mind awake, and just plain enjoyed myself. At the same time, I discovered an interesting thing about this version of the game: it allowed, even recommended, that a person return a card to the rows in progress if that brought more cards into the game. Rather than detracting points or saying such was an illegal move, it rewarded the decision to back up, to take a detour, if it meant odds of winning were increased. As I considered this I thought, How like God is that? We go along to the best of our ability, trying our best to listen to that voice described by Isaiah:
And thine eares shall heare a word behinde thee, saying; This is the way, walke ye in it, when ye turne to the right hand, and when ye turne to the left. ~ Isaiah 30:21, The Holy Bible 1611 Edition, King James Bible
You will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way. Follow it, whether it turns to the right or to the left.” ~ Isaiah 30:21, God’s Word Translation
Still, there are times when we might get it wrong, not quite interpreting the instructions clearly, or only hearing a partial answer. Sometimes choices are not always clear. Sometimes we need to take the best we could think of and give it to God, for Him to make of it an even better situation. (In the context of this particular game, the 4 of Hearts needs to be returned to the 5 of Clubs so the 3 of Clubs can move and more cards can be played.) God doesn’t scold us for this. Rather, He says, “Good job! You did the best you could based on what you understood or heard! Now, how about trying this? Go back to that juncture, and go that way instead.” Thus encouraged, we proceed — yes, proceed, not retreat — assimilating new information and, remembering we’re not God thus cannot see what the future holds, we incorporate this lesson the next time we’re at a crossroads.
So, dear ones, let’s rejoice at what we hear; let’s be thankful for our ever-involved God; and let’s never forget that, in the end, we win!
All of Heaven’s best to you and yours,
Margret
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Monday Morning Memo: (Being Hurt) Are We Listening to Lies? Four weeks ago my post was “Love, Perfected.” Remember? It told the story of the three little ... Read More  Four weeks ago my post was “Love, Perfected.” Remember? It told the story of the three little blessings we found in our backyard the day we moved in, 36-hour-old kittens abandoned by their mother who was too afraid to come back and get/care for them. Because of an autoimmune disease, I have feared many things wanting to neither exacerbate the condition nor deal with the weeks and months of pain that follow any incident. So, yes, I was frightened about what might happen because of these gorgeous babies’ needle-sharp claws. Yet I knew two things: (1) we are all called to care for those who are in our sphere of influence whether we invite them or they are placed there, and (2) justifiable or not, if I gave in to that fear I would live a decreasingly useful life, eventually unable to do even a portion of what God wanted me to accomplish.
Thus, we have growing kittens, being fed, nurtured, played with, and guided, as they grow and mature. And it feels great, just as I knew it would, except…except…at one point, one of them was walking across my legs and he ended up on the floor because he couldn’t quite keep his balance even though he tried digging into my leg for purchase. On this particular evening I was sitting on the couch, legs stretched out with ankles crossed on the green chest we use sometimes as coffee table, other times as hassock. Matt sat on the opposite end and the kitties were playing around us, between us and on the green chest.
At one point, one of them was walking across my legs (this one on top) and he ended up on the floor because he couldn’t quite keep his balance even though he tried digging into my leg for purchase. The pain was horrendous, even more so than the same type of oops a week later when one of the kitties tumbled off my arm in her zeal to get to her lunch. Why so different? Because my arm isn’t afflicted by the psoriasis and this part of my leg obviously is. Oh, how I cried.
So, what’s all this have to do with listening to lies? The enemy tried to thrust something into my mind while I was applying Neosporin and distracted by the fresh onslaught of agony: “Look what happens when you trust, when you care. And this was an accident, brought on by someone who loves you unconditionally. Think how much worse you could be hurt by others, some who have ulterior motives, some who don’t love you no matter what, some who are only looking for what they can get from you. Is it really worth it to love? Wouldn’t it be better to live life insulated and removed from others? Why worry about them? Why care? Why put yourself out there when you know how much it will hurt?”
Oh, yeah, that sneaky old devil. He was right, though: caring about others can be painful. We will be hurt because that happens when imperfect people interact with others who are equally imperfect. But he was also wrong, oh so wrong: Love is the only way to go, the only life to live. For when we love we are fully engaged, we are emulating the One who loves us without wanting anything in return but relationship, Who cares about us even when we screw up, Who applauds all we do and holds us when things don’t go as we hoped they would.
Someday, some (maybe all) these little ones will move on to their permanent homes and because we raised them well, applauding their growth, caring for them, encouraging them and training them, they will be good fits in their new families, happy with their new people and their new people will be thrilled with them as well.
Someday we, too, will be in our forever homes and finally get to meet the One who not only died and was raised so we could be there, but Who also daily lives in us, sharing this life, celebrating our victories, encouraging us as we learn our lessons.
Yes, by all means, every chance you get, always say “yes” to love: it is worth anything and everything.
All of Heaven’s best to you and yours,
Margret
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Monday Morning Memo: Praying for Leadership Dear ones,
This is an election year in the country where I live, so I hear much of ... Read More  Dear ones,
This is an election year in the country where I live, so I hear much of what this or that candidate might be able to offer me, the average citizen. While I listen to these things, and weigh them on the scale of God’s law of love, I find myself grieved by all the hate and anger spewing from all proponents.
At the same time, I think of this country where I live and compare it to other countries throughout the world. For some of us, ou systems of government allow us to choose whom we want for leader by means of a democratic vote. For others of us, we’re ruled by parliaments (we can vote for those representatives) as well as kings and queens (whom we cannot vote for). Still others of us live in lands where we have no say and, sadly, in some of those lands the idea that people should be treated with respect is an absolutely foreign concept.
Each locale, each culture, has its own challenges, though some are much more difficult than others are. In each case, however, the Word of God applies, for He wrote to all who are sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, explaining how He views things, what’s important to Him, and how He would like us to conduct ourselves under the authority of the land in which we live.
In my land, there are people who run for office: nationally, statewide, or locally. Decades past, opponents were simply those who held a different view, who believed our country (or state or locale) could be made better by doing something opposite to what another recommended. This past decade, however, I’m saddened to report that it’s gone from “My opponent across the aisle believes this and I don’t” to voters actively involved in their party’s agenda saying of the opponent, “I hate him.” Along with that hate is the decision to make (and forward) disparaging comments about said challenger, with the result that no longer is any child of God, created on purpose by Him, treated with respect. And that breaks my heart. It also breaks the heart of God:
Rejoice not when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles or is overthrown, Lest the Lord see it and it be evil in His eyes and displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him [to expend it upon you, the worse offender]. ~ Proverbs 24:17-18, Amplified Bible
Compared to what many of you in other countries experience, this sort of thing may seem to be no big deal, and I understand your feeling that way. However, I beg to differ. It *is* a big deal, because every person should be treated with respect if for no other reason than he/she is here, therefore God (who makes no mistakes) called them into being. Therefore, I ask that each of us do our best to live by the Law of Love. My prayer is that each of us would see immediate results in their lives here. Unfortunately, that may not happen, but this I can guarantee: your rewards in Heaven will be great.
All of Heaven’s best to you and yours,
Margret
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