How Do You See Him?

Some people see Him as their heavenly Father. He is the One who allowed His Son to leave heaven and dwell among men. He is the One who benevolently devised the plan of salvation. He allowed Jesus Christ to become the Lamb of God in order to take away the sins of the world. God is the beginning and the end; the Alpha and the Omega. He is good; always good; and can never be anything but good. He loves us perfectly and is Himself perfect love. He longs to bring us back into a right relationship with Himself. (Photo by MToerner; July, 2009)

Some people see Him very differently. To them, He is a distant, impotent deity who doesn’t care about the details of their lives. If He did care, wouldn’t He change their circumstances? Wouldn’t He intervene to relieve their pain? Since He does not intervene, these folks assume that He lives way out in space somewhere. He is neither real nor relevant; neither powerful nor present. These folks believe God to be more harsh than loving; more stern than personal.

How do you see God?

Having a personal experience with God reveals Him to be multifaceted, holy, forgiving, gracious, merciful, and righteous. He is the perfect Father. He is a most desirable Father; the kind of Father we all long for. He is real and relevant; powerful and present. He is always close at hand. He is our ABBA (which means “daddy” in Aramaic.) He promises to never leave nor forsake us. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

How have you experienced Him?

He wants us to see Him and know Him personally and authentically. He is all-knowing, ever-present, and all-powerful. He is right here, right now. He is worthy of our worship, praise, love, and service. He is worthy of our awe, respect, obedience, reverence, and more.

How do you see God?

Is He the, “Man upstairs” to you? Is He a spiritual policeman waiting to hit you with His billet club; or is He a spiritual vending machine in the sky? Is He a stern-faced, mean-spirited Being who scares you into compliance? I hope not.

To get an accurate picture of Him, read through the Psalms and write down the various descriptions of Him. Read the Gospels and observe Jesus. He is the visible expression of the invisible God. Therefore, we can know what the Father is like by observing the behavior of the Son. Observe how Jesus treated His friends and His foes. How did He interact with those caught-up in sin? Did His teaching bring freedom or religious slavery?

How do you see Him?

My Mom's Condition ...

Dear Friends,

My mom, Betty, has been in the hospital in Lake Charles for about a week and a half. She is to be released tomorrow (Monday) from St. Patrick's. She is going to a facility called the Cove in an effort to rehab her legs and arms.

My mom fell about three weeks ago and subsequently developed excruciating back pain. She was taken to the emergency room and was told that all they could do was give her pain meds to manage the effects of her injuries. During the fall, she sustained three hairline fractures in her back and a compressed disk. We were incensed because the pain medicine would only increase her likelihood of falling again and my mom has severe osteoporosis.

Prior to this event, she has had 24 hour care at her home (my sister, Karen; niece, Lori; cousin, Leslie; nephew, James; have been taking turns staying with her.) I stayed in the hospital last weekend with her and got about 5 hours of sleep.

Another problem arose when my mom started hallucinating and becoming noticeably more demented than her previous baseline symptoms. We were unsure if she had suffered a stroke or had become dehydrated. That's why she went into the hospital most recently.

She was in so much pain in the hospital that when two different aids on two different occasions came to help her move/roll over or sit up to "potty", she was screaming and moaning so much that the aids started crying because of her pain level.

She is being fitted for a back brace. This should help significantly with her back pain. (Please pray that it does so.)

The pain medicine makes her sleep all day and therefore she has lost her appetite. She is barely eating anything. Also, by sleeping all day, she has not used her arms and legs hardly at all. I think through Medicare, she can stay at the Cove for about 28 days (inpatient) to help her regain her strength.

Betty is almost 84. I had a sweet time with her last weekend. Stroking her hair and telling her I love her. She is so weak that she is pretty soft. It was a very kind thing of God to hear my mom say, "I love you too, Murph." I think she actually meant it.

Please pray for Mom, Karen and her family, and me and my family as we go through this process.

Much, much love to you all, m

Pay It Forward

Have you ever had a friend drive 500 miles to help you convalesce after a medical procedure?

Have you ever had a friend bring an ice chest of food to your house because she knew that after being away for two weeks, there would be no milk, bread, eggs or lunch meat in the refrigerator?

Have you ever had the cashier in a fast-food drive-thru tell you that the driver of the car pulling away donated five dollars toward your meal?

Have you ever had friends give you an intimate birthday dinner party and said you could invite 14-16 special people to share the evening?

Have you ever had folks from church come to your home after hearing about your house fire? Or have you ever had (over a three day period) about 50 people come and help you account for everything in your home that was decimated by a fire; accomplishing in three days what a couple could do in several weeks?

If anyone has ever been sweet or kind or thoughtful to you, try today to "pay it forward."

Intentions

In chapter 2 of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus and his disciples were walking along in a wheat field. The disciples were hungry and thought nothing of picking the heads of grain and eating them. Their perception was (1) we are on a road trip with the Master; (2) we are hungry and need a little snack; (3) God provided this beautiful wheat field with harvest-ready wheat; and so, (4) we can eat some grain now and it will tide us over until we are able to get a proper meal.

Sounds pretty innocuous, doesn't it? Oh, by the way, did I tell you this event took place on the Sabbath.

Some Pharisees, noted for being lovers and keepers of the Law, observed the disciples snacking. The Pharisees were offended and indignant. Picking the heads of wheat and eating the grain was considered work and good, religious people don't work on the Sabbath. The Sabbath was regarded as a holy day and a day of rest.

In your opinion, what were the intentions of the disciples? What were the intentions of the Pharisees?

What is more important: keeping the letter of the Law or the intent of the Law?

Can someone keep almost all of the Law and still be far away from God? Can someone look unworthy and undeserving and be close to God?

I'd love to hear your thoughts ...

Tell The Truth...

A friend was struggling with:

• comparing (she doesn't have a lot of what others have)
• potential poverty
• spending emotional energy getting healthier

1. Any effort you put into fixing your life is never, never, never wasted. Real growth can not be taken away. It may not be walked out consistently, but it still present.

You are the daughter of a King. No matter how much money you have or don't have, you are richer than most of the people you know. You are committed to getting healthier (emotionally, socially, psychologically, physically, and spiritually). You genuinely love your family and friends.

2. Some people are better at acquiring stuff. But stuff can't buy love, happiness, peace, or eternal life. Yes, it is easier for some people to acquire things, but they don't have the quality of life you do.

Plus, things acquired by ill-gotten-gain are ultimately tainted and tarnished. The way some people get stuff is outright sinful and hurtful.

Do you ever struggle with comparing, fear of poverty, or concern that getting healthier is just a waste of energy?

Take a moment to tell yourself the truth from a Godly perspective.

The Evil We Commit

Jeremiah 2:13 -

"For My people have committed two evils:

They have forsaken Me,

The fountain of living waters,

To hew for themselves cisterns,

Broken cisterns

That can hold no water."

When you read this verse, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

Do you feel accused or exposed?

Do you feel appealed to?

Do you feel regret, remorse or discomfort?

Do you feel energized to live to God?