Words for the Weekend

"Soon you will read in the newspaper that I am dead. Don't believe it for a moment. I will be more alive than ever before."

D.L. Moody

Odd News Friday: Decoding Your Face

I can't really decide if this is an "odd news" item or not... Let me know what you think!

I found an article on yahoo.com entitled: "What Your Face Reveals About Your Health." Here is the intriguing opening paragraph that caused me to read further:

"What do you see when you look in the mirror? According to Chinese medicine, your face is a window to your health. Your forehead, nose, chin, right cheek, left cheek: Each of these five face zones gives you clues as to what is going on inside your body--if you know what to look for! Read on to decode what your face reveals about you."

I have to admit I couldn't resist "...reading on." And the good news for me is that I am apparently very healthy!

Here is the link for the decoding of your own face! http://tinyurl.com/ydqptqt

'Nuff Said

Once in a while I come across a quote that just amazes me in both its simplicity and complexity. Here is one I recently discovered by C.S. Lewis:

“The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.”

Isn't that great? I hardly know what to do with this - how could I possibly improve upon it by my silly babbling?

SO - following Job's good example, I place my hand over my mouth...

Jerusalem's Walls, Old and New

My friend Annette emailed me yesterday from California with an interesting passage that she had just read. It's the story of the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, which occurred after extensive repairs had been made by those that had arrived back in the city after their exile to Babylon. God had instructed these people to renew their covenant faithfulness to Him. With the city wall completed, a ceremony was begun:

"And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres... Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and appointed two great choirs that gave thanks... And the singers sang with Jezrahiah as their leader... And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away." (Nehemiah 12: 27-43)

My friend said these verses reminded her of heaven, and what we'll experience when the New Jerusalem is brought into existence (see Revelation 21). I loved Annette's assessment of this passage:

"In verses 31-43 is the picture of 2 great choirs proceeding into the temple and singing. Man, I'll bet it was something. And better still, will be something."

Amen, sister!

Thinking, Thinking, Thinking

Sometimes I think I think too much. I also think 'differently' than others. For instance, I was recently reading Genesis 41, the chapter in which Joseph is finally remembered by the chief cupbearer as the great dream-interpreter that he is. Joseph is brought before Pharaoh who could not find anyone in the land that could explain his dreams. After hearing the dreams, Joseph then convincingly warns him of an impending famine. He is commended and placed as second-in-command over all of Egypt to carry out the preparations needed to save Egypt from the awful consequences of the famine.

But then a curious passage about Joseph and the naming of his newborn sons is recorded for us:

"Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. 'For,' he said, 'God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house.' The name of the second he called Ephraim. 'For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.'"

I am puzzled because if one has truly forgotten all one's hardships and the brothers that caused the hardships in the first place, then why name a son after that experience? And as if that weren't enough, he again speaks of his affliction at the birth of his second son. To me, that doesn't sound like he is forgetting his hardship and affliction at all.

I checked with several commentaries, and none really addressed this aspect of the verse. So I am left wondering: could it be that Joseph forgot the pain of the affliction without forgetting the affliction itself? Did he just see more of the goodness of God recently in his life and was able to put the past in perspective? Or was he still struggling with the hurt of what had brought him to this great position of honor in Egypt? Was Joseph just as confused about the providence of God as we sometimes are?

My husband has often remarked that I ask the oddest questions about the Bible - questions that have no answers. Maybe having all the answers is not what I really need. And maybe understanding all of the mysteries of God's providence is not what you need. Maybe it is enough for all of us to know that God has the answers, and to trust Him in our confusion.

So have a great day, even if something happens that you just can't understand.

Words for the Weekend

"Sometimes God allows what he hates to accomplish what he loves."

"...we will stand amazed to see the topside of the tapestry and how God beautifully embroidered each circumstance into a pattern for our good and His glory."

Joni Eareckson Tada

Odd News Friday

What will they think of next? Here's a story I found reported by aol.com:

"In a project straight out of Star Wars -- or maybe an April Fool’s edition of Popular Mechanics -- the U.S. Defense Department is working on a flying car that can carry four soldiers into combat.

This machine is supposed to take off and land vertically, fly at speeds up to 120 knots, drive on roads up to 80 mph, and go off-road up to 30 mph. It must be simple enough for any Marine to fly, it must be quiet, and it must carry enough fuel to stay aloft for two hours. They’re calling this machine the Transformer."

Let's see - this sounds vaguely familiar... Ah yes, but I think they should call it Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! Maybe the Defense Department and Dick Van Dyke can work together on this project.

Remember This

Genesis 40 is the chapter in which Joseph, having been unfairly accused of adultery with Pharaoh's wife, is thrown into prison. While there he interprets the dreams of two fellow prisoners. To the chief cupbearer Joseph predicted that he would be set free within three days, and begs this man to "...please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house." Joseph's prophecy did indeed come true, and the man was restored to the service of the Pharaoh within the appointed time. However, "...the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him." It would be two years before Joseph would be remembered by this man.

Every time I read this account I become indignant at the man who simply 'forgot' the service that was rendered him by Joseph. How could he forget something like that? Then I am often convicted of my own lapses of memory - forgetting to thank God for an answer to a particular prayer, forgetting to pray for someone when I've promised to do so, forgetting the very promises of God while in the midst of despair. How could I forget something like that?

How wonderful that God never forgets us:

"Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she could have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands..." (Isaiah 49:15-16)

Lord, thank you for remembering me, and help me to remember you today.

Let It Snow

While trying to think of something to write for today's blog, I kept getting distracted by the beauty of the snow that was gently falling from the sky onto the the grass below my window. I have always loved winter. As we Magees (well, at least the Steve Magees!) like to say about New Hampshire, "That's why we live here!"

Have you ever wondered what the Bible says about snow? There are two Scriptures that immediately come to mind - and both of them are wonderful images of our ultimate standing before God:

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." (Psalm 51:7)

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." (Isaiah 1:18)

Snow... a lovely gift from Heaven.

Presidential Ponderings #2

As promised, here are some Abraham Lincoln quotes. I must say that it was very difficult making these choices - he was an incredibly witty and wise orator. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did. :-)

"Common looking people are the best in the world: that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them."

"I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day."

"Beavers build houses; but they build them in nowise differently, or better now, than they did, five thousand years ago. Ants, and honey-bees, provide food for winter; but just in the same way they did, when Solomon referred the sluggard to them as patterns of prudence. Man is not the only animal who labors; but he is the only one who improves his workmanship."

"I am rather inclined to silence, and whether that be wise or not, it is at least more unusual nowadays to find a man who can hold his tongue than to find one who cannot."

"In regard to this Great Book, I have but to say, it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this book."

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."

Presidential Ponderings

As we all sit home today and spend hours contemplating President's Day, I thought I would help out by providing you with some excellent quotes by George Washington. Tomorrow I'll find some good ones by Abraham Lincoln. Any other requests? :-)

"Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distress of everyone, and let your hand give in proportion to your purse. "

"We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience."

"Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble."

"I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man."

"It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one."

"Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."

Words for the Weekend

“The Christian has the assurance which no heir in temporal things can ever have. He knows with absolute certainty that the inheritance will not merely be kept for him, but that he will be kept for it.”

- Geerhardus Vos, Grace and Glory

Odd News Friday

No matter which side of the political aisle you sit on, you may still not be happy with the following Odd News Story.

The topic is the use of Federal Stimulus Funds by a Florida school district. The proposal is this: parents of children with disabilities will be given iPods as a reward for filling out a 10 minute online survey. The cost to taxpayers? $350,000

This may be a radical thought - but why not use all that money to help the kids instead? That would be music to my ears...

Lord, Hear Our Prayer

This past Christmas a good friend of mine gave me The Lutheran Book of Prayer published in 1951. It is a wonderful resource for morning and evening petitions, as well as prayers for special occasions and special people. Yesterday I found a lovely one entitled "For the Ministers of the Word." I would like to share this with you.

"Lord Jesus, divine Savior and Helper, You have established in Your Church the office of the holy ministry that Your Word may be preached and the Sacraments administered to the salvation of immortal souls. I pray that You grant to Your ministers wisdom and strength and faithfulness in the performance of the many duties of their holy calling. Make them fearless witnesses of Your truth, instant in season and out of season. Keep them from error and deceptions. Make their preaching effective, their admonition sympathetic, and instructions lucid. Grant that they be patient toward the weak, helpful toward the distressed, loving toward the erring. Give them strength to walk in the way of Your Commandments and to be an example of Christian living to all men. May Your church through their work be established far and wide. Give to the members of our congregations grace to honor their pastors and gladly accept from them the divine Word and instruction. Keep them and us hearers faithful unto death, and give us in the end a crown of life. In Your name I ask it. Amen."

I hope this helps you to pray for your individual pastors wherever they may be. We should consider this privilege of praying for our ministers as a duty and a delight. Let us lift them daily to the throne of grace, confident that the blessings of God upon our pastors will result in blessings of God upon us as well.

Something Better

Yesterday I started reading a new book - Hoping for Something Better: Refusing to Settle for Life as Usual by Nancy Guthrie. It is a study based on the book of Hebrews. In her introductory remarks, Nancy states one of the themes of this work:

"When Jesus is small in our estimation, so are our courage and commitment. So seeing Jesus in all his beauty and significance will help us stand strong too, when life in this world is cruel and life in the next world seems distant and unreal... The book of Hebrews is an appeal for endurance in spite of difficulty, perseverance in the face of disappointment. In studying Hebrews, we find that considering Jesus - looking at him, valuing him, running after him, drawing near to him - is the secret to surviving and even thriving when life is hard."

I don't know yet how wonderful this book is - but based on her other writings, I am excited to glean from Nancy's insights. She and her husband David created GriefShare after the deaths of two infant children, so she is well acquainted with difficulties and disappointments. I'm sure that for her, for me, and probably many of you, we will all benefit from considering "Jesus, in all his beauty and significance," particularly when "life seems cruel."

SO let's start looking, valuing, running, and drawing near to Him. Why settle for anything less?

New Books

I had a hard time coming up with a topic for today's blog because I was too busy looking through a new stack of books that were delivered to me! SO - I thought I would share what I will be reading (and probably writing about!) in the next few weeks:

1. Merchant to Romania by Jeri Little
Actually, this is for Steve, so I don't really think I'll be reading this one.

2. Heading for Heaven by J.C. Ryle
Most of you know that Ryle is one of my favorite theologians, and that heaven is one of my favorite topics, so this is a perfect combination!

3. The Happiness of Heaven by Maurice Roberts
This author was editor of the Banner of Truth magazine for 15 years. I have always loved his writings.

4. Lost in the Middle: Midlife and the Grace of God by Paul Tripp
Hmmm. Do I like this author? :-)

5. Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change by (drum roll, please..) Paul Tripp

Well, there it is - my mail from yesterday. Perhaps tomorrow I'll give you a peek into my Netflix queue...

What Would Jesus See?

What I am about to write is not meant to be overly dramatic, but the names and places of the short story that follow have been omitted for privacy reasons. I am not trying to be like 007 or Mission Impossible, but I do desire to not unduly embarrass or compromise anyone's position.

Last week I had the most amazing experience in prison. The moment I passed through security, I instinctively knew that somehow I wanted to be a part of the place. But this is not a tale about me - but about two men that spent a long time with us, sharing their faith and their love for those they served. I'm convinced that both men, administrators at the jail, were sent there by God for great good. Compassion and love were clearly shown on their faces, as well as a desire for true justice.

The man who spent the most amount of time with us said something so simple yet so profound:

"When I meet with these prisoners, I don't want to know what they've done. I just want to see them as Jesus sees them - as broken and hurt sinners."

This man had already clearly stated to us that he believed in these men accepting the responsibility and consequences for their actions, so please don't jump to the conclusion that he is soft on crime and the administration of justice. But he looks beyond their evil deeds and sees them as lost souls. And he wants to minister to them.

As I've reflected on all of this, I have come to the realization that this man's 'sight' is one that those of us who live outside of prison walls should have as well. We should look at friend and foe alike as Jesus sees them. We should want to minister to them the forgiveness and grace of the gospel. After all, weren't we all lost souls, and isn't that what Jesus has done for us?

"See from his head, his hands, his feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

(When I Survey the Wondrous Cross)

Words for the Weekend

"I've read the last page of the Bible. It's all going to turn out all right."

Billy Graham

Odd News Friday: A Tale of Two Churches

Today's "Odd News" article is different than any previous Friday post, in that it is odd, yet not funny. All these months I have had plenty of articles to choose from that are weird and amusing. Not so today. This one is just different, and I'd like to hear your responses to it.

St. Gerard's Roman Catholic Church in Buffalo, NY, closed down two years ago after being built in 1911. Mary our Queen Roman Catholic Church in Norcross, GA (suburb of Atlanta) needs another building due to increasing numbers of families joining. After much research, the Atlanta church is hoping to buy and transport the Buffalo cathedral 900 miles south. Additional funds are needed for this project (about $10 million), but all approvals have been granted.

How would this even be feasible?

"Never has so large an American church been moved so far. 'People look at you like you're nuts,' the architect in charge of this project says. 'But it's not like Dorothy's house in The Wizard of Oz - it's not going to fly.' The church would be deconstructed, piece by piece, each piece numbered, packed, trucked south and reassembled. About 80% of St Gerard's would be reused: the exterior limestone, oak pews, stained glass, stations of the cross and confessionals; and the granite columns."

For further information and pictures, click here: http://tinyurl.com/ye8x5yc

As might be expected, there are strong feelings both pro and con on this idea of using Northern churches for Southern congregations. So what do you think? Good idea or bad?

God's Waiting Room

Yesterday's discussion during our Women's Book Study was very fruitful. The topic was impatience and irritability. We particularly had lots of 'true confessions' about the part of life that causes us to be the most impatient: waiting. Waiting at a doctor's appointment, in traffic, at the store, for a phone call, etc. We all agreed that these situations really do test our patience.

But all of these are, at best, just trivial examples of waiting. What if we are waiting for the results of a very serious medical exam? for a prodigal child/spouse/parent to come home? for justice to be served? for our heartache to go away?

One good answer to these questions comes from Psalm 27:

"Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"

But how are we to take courage while we wait? Paul Tripp has some suggestions:

"Waiting on God isn't about the suspension of meaning and purpose. It's part of the meaning and purpose that God has brought into my life. Waiting on God isn't to be viewed as an obstruction in the way of the plan. Waiting is an essential part of the plan. For the child of God, waiting isn't simply about what the child will receive at the end of his wait. No, waiting is much more purposeful, efficient, and practical. Waiting is fundamentally about what we will become as we wait. God is using the wait to do in and through me exactly what he has promised. Through the wait he is changing me. By means of the wait he is altering the fabric of my thoughts and desires. Through the wait he is causing me to see and experience new things about him and his kingdom. And all of this sharpens me, enabling me to be a more useful tool in his redemptive hands." (A Shelter in the Time of Storm: Meditations on God and Trouble)

This greater perspective that Tripp presents will certainly reduce our impatience if we will only embrace it. Let's try to bring it to mind the next time we are called, in some significant way, to sit in God's waiting room. It certainly will be much better for us than watching the clock.

Can You Get There From Here?

The most basic division in the Bible is between the Old and New Testaments. We often describe the OT as everything that happened before the birth of Christ, while the NT centers around Christ's life, death, and resurrection. While this is fundamentally true, it neglects the fact that Christ is everywhere in the OT. I came to one of the best examples of this yesterday while reading Genesis 28, the account of Jacob's dream one night while on his way to his uncle's house to find a bride:

"And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, 'I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac.'"

This ladder depicts Christ Himself. And how do we know this to be true? Because Jesus identifies Himself as the ladder linking heaven and earth:

"And He said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.'" (John 1:51)

As my ESV Study Bible states, "...this ladder provides a bridge between heaven and earth, revealing that God is still committed to making the earth his dwelling place. While human beings want to ascend to heaven (as in the Tower of Babel incident), God is interested in making the earth his temple-city. Jesus is a greater way of access to God than the heavenly ladder on which angels traveled between God and Jacob."

So much more could be said about this passage, but I am overwhelmed by the simple fact that Christ is our ladder, He is our bridge. He is the only one who can descend to earth to bring us up into the heavenly realm, and the only one who can bring the heavenly realm back down to earth on that day when the New Heavens and the New Earth are united into one.

What a glorious Stairway to Heaven!

Listen To This

Many days ago I wrote about the danger of listening to one's own thoughts continually, especially those that lead to hopelessness and despair. I have found a great alternative to this type of behavior - Pandora internet radio!

What is this? The best description is from Wikipedia:

"Users enter a song or artist that they enjoy, and the service responds by playing selections that are musically similar. Users provide feedback on approval or disapproval of individual songs, which Pandora takes into account for future selections."

For example, this morning I set Pandora to play music similar to that of Fernando Ortega - one of my two favorite artists. About every third or fourth song, Pandora will play something by Fernando Ortega. All the other music is similar to the type of music that Fernando Ortega performs. I think Pandora does a fantastic job selecting music that matches a listener's preferences. I have a great appreciation now for artists that I would never have know about before I was introduced to this free service.

By the way, this is not just for Christian music - you can enter Johnny Cash or Benny Goodman or the Beatles. And you can have multiple stations set up and ready to go as your mood changes!

I heartily recommend that all CandyceLand readers try this out. You can set it up to play on your computer or phone or have it stream through your television (as we do) to take advantage of better speakers.

This certainly helps to chase away negative thoughts. Happy listening!

The Benefits of Being a Pastor's Wife

Yesterday I had nursery duty during our morning worship service, and so I never heard Steve's sermon, but I sure tasted it! One of his applications apparently had to do with using gifts in the area of cooking to be of good cheer to others. As a result of his fine preaching, we had peanut brittle tied to the door handle of our car and two other kinds of desserts given to us after the Sunday evening service.

We have such an obedient congregation! Thanks for the good cheer - it worked!