Saturday, May 29, 2010

Words for the Weekend

“Behind Calvary is the throne of heaven. And if we have seen God acting at the Cross with power and great glory, if to that conquering grace we have yielded up our souls in absolute, irrevocable commitment, then every suffering is transmuted, every despair is pierced through with hope; and bright against the dark background of the menace of the mystery of evil, we see the glory of the Kingdom that is to be.”

-James. S. Stewart, A Faith To Proclaim (Of First Importance)

Friday, May 28, 2010

WWID: What Would I Do?

There are many instances in the Bible when I think "I would have made a better choice than..." The account of the fall of man is one such place. Surely I would not have eaten of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and thus I would have spared this world much pain and misery. Or during the exodus from Egypt I certainly wouldn't have complained about the manna from Heaven. And certainly I wouldn't have the problem the disciples had in the Garden of Gethsemane - as described by Elisabeth Eliot in The Music of His Promises:

"When our Lord Jesus knew that the hour of His suffering was upon Him, He asked of the three chosen disciples only one thing - such a little thing: sit here and watch. They failed. Had they any inkling of the desperate flood-tide of anguish that was about to overwhelm their Master? Did they turn from it helplessly and take refuge in sleep, or were they so oblivious that they stretched out comfortably under the olive trees and took 'forty winks' to kill time?

Jesus had asked for supportive companionship - three men to count on. All they had to do was come into the garden, sit there while He prayed alone, and stay awake. It was a share in His sufferings. A very little share.

So He asks of us. Whatever the measure of suffering life has meted out, it is small indeed when measured against His..."

It is so presumptuous of us (me?) to think that we would have made all the right choices in each of these situations. But the older I get, the more experience tells me that obedience is not as easy as it appears. Nonetheless, God is faithful. He began a good work in us, and he will complete it (Philippians 1:6).

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Yellow Marks

It really amazes me the sheer number of great resources for studying God's word that we who live in the modern era possess. Think of the number of Bibles that we have in our individual homes. Add to that all the commentaries, theology books, even "how-to-live-as-a-Christian" manuals we own. I've recently discovered that almost all of the classical commentaries are available on-line for free. I even have some bookmarked on my computer - like those of Charles Spurgeon and Matthew Henry.

All these musings came about because today I picked up a Bible that I haven't used in several years. I know this to be the case because at the end of each book of this New King James Version Bible I had penciled in the date when I had completed reading it. The dates are from November 1999 through February 2005. This also is the only Bible that I have ever highlighted in yellow marker. I don't know about the rest of you, but I have always felt uneasy writing in my Bibles - but this one had scattered marks - not many, but some.

So it was with some fascination that I happened upon Psalms 37 and 38. These are the two verses that I highlighted so many years ago:

"Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret - it only causes harm." (Psalm 37:8)

"Lord, all my desire is before You; and my sighing is not hidden from You." (Psalm 38:9)

What is discouraging about finding these verses is that I know why I highlighted them - because all my life I have been known for my fretting and sighing behaviors. My parents used to say to one another "Uh-oh, Candy's fretting again." And in college, even those friends who had adjoining dorm rooms to mine would comment on how often I sighed.

So have I made progress in these sin areas since February of 2005? I don't think so. If anything, I have had an increase in both fretting and sighing. The solution? Perhaps instead of only making note of the Scriptures in yellow, I should memorize these two verses, remembering Psalm 119:11, also highlighted five years ago:

"Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you."

Monday, May 24, 2010

Dreams That Cannot Be...


Long-time readers of CandyceLand know that I am a big fan of Andree Seu, a columnist for World Magazine. She is the one, actually, who initially inspired me to write a blog. Her writings proved that one didn't have to write an entire book in order to be a "writer." Her words, in small essay form, intrigued me enough to try out this medium of blogging.

Her latest column, then, is so wonderful that I can't help but comment on it and apply it to my own life. It was written and published online just last Friday (May 21st) and is entitled "We Propose, God Disposes." It is based on Romans 1:13.

"I want you to know, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you..."

As Andree points out, the most interesting phrase here is "I have often intended to come to you." We know that there was nothing inherently wrong or sinful in Paul's plan to visit his friends, yet God repeatedly denied Paul the opportunity to do so. Very often, at least in my life, and probably yours, God overrules even very good dreams that we have, dreams that even seem so in line with God's very own teachings. Here is how Andree interprets this:

"It did me good today to notice that verse and to realize that even the Apostle Paul prayed for things that did not materialize. I am assuming that each time Paul 'intended,' or 'planned (NKJV),' to visit the Romans, he had prayed about it. He prayed with the assurance that his request was for good and godly things—he had kingdom expansion on his mind. He prayed knowing that God was able to remove all obstacles that might prevent him. And yet 'often' he had been 'prevented' from going ahead with a godly plan. He had perhaps made copious preparations, and perhaps found what seemed to be open doors and green lights. He perhaps canceled other engagements and packed his bags and lost money on the venture. What did me good was Paul’s evident lack of theological concern regarding these unanswered prayers. He doesn’t feel the need to explain or defend much."

All of this brought to mind something that Steve and I 'intended' to do for God and for some orphans in Romania several years ago. For three years we attempted to adopt a sibling group of 5 children. (Three of the kids are pictured above.) The Reader's Digest version of this very long story involved Steve and multiple visits to these kids, battles with State Department officials, so much bureaucratic red tape and paperwork, etc... But Romanian and American officials ultimately said no. Which meant, of course, that God said no.

I remember at the time of our disappointment thinking and even saying something like "Well, we don't understand what God did here in this adoption saga, but probably in 5 years or so we'll know what this was all about!" I can emphatically state that I have even less of a clue now as to why God said no than I did when it first happened. So at present I say "Well, probably when we get to Heaven we'll find out the reason behind those years of effort to bring those children into our home." But will we know then?

I will give my favorite author the last words here - since I can think of no better way to interpret this strange Providence of ours regarding our efforts to help Monica, Ionel, Mihai, Vasili, and Elena:

"I need to stop doubting God’s existence and the meaning of life whenever my prayers and godly endeavors don’t pan out as I prayed. Paul is my model. He prayed, made plans, and moved forward on his plans. And when all that prayin’ and plannin’ did not issue in his desired goal, he was as confident in God as ever."

I sincerely hope that I can follow Paul in being content in the midst of confusing and perplexing situations. How about you?

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Words for the Weekend

“We are to seek to demonstrate in our lives the perfect love that has existed between the Father and the Son through all eternity. It is the reality of love in our lives which will be one of the most powerful means of people in the world seeing the beauty of the message of Christ. By our love people will know that the Father sent the Son into the world. By our love for one another, people will know that we are loved by God.”

Jerram Barrs, Learning Evangelism from Jesus (Of First Importance)

Friday, May 21, 2010

Poem by John Piper

Very often I peruse John Piper's website. This is an amazing source of materials, most of them free. There are sermons, blogs, videos, even books available for downloading. Recently I stumbled upon the following poem, written by Piper in 1985. It is his vision of Heaven entitled "Glorified" and it certainly brought tears to my eyes. Enjoy.

As far as any eye could see
There was no green. But every tree
Was cinder black, and all the ground
Was grey with ash. The only sound
Was arid wind, like spirits' ghosts,
Now gasping for some living hosts
In which to dwell, as in the days
Of evil men, before the blaze
Of unimaginable fire
Had made the earth a flaming pyre
For God's omnipotent display
Of holy rage. The dreadful Day
Of God had come. The moon had turned
To blood. The sun no longer burned
Above, but, blazing with desire,
Had flowed into a lake of fire.
The seas and oceans were no more,
And in their place a desert floor
Fell deep to meet the brazen skies,
And silence conquered distant cries.

The Lord stood still above the air.
His mighty arms were moist and bare.
They hung, as weary, by his side
Until the human blood had dried
Upon the sword in his right hand.
He stared across the blackened land
That he had made, and where he died.
His lips were tight, and deep inside,
The mystery of sovereign will
Gave leave, and it began to spill
In tears upon his bloody sword
For one last time.
And then the Lord
Wiped every tear away and turned
To see his bride. Her heart had yearned
Four thousand years for this: His face
Shone like the sun, and every trace
Of wrath was gone. And in her bliss
She heard the Master say, "Watch this:
Come forth all goodness from the ground,
Come forth and let the earth redound
With joy." And as he spoke, the throne
Of God came down to earth and shone
Like golden crystal full of light,
And banished once for all the night.
And from the throne a stream began
To flow and laugh, and as it ran,
It made a river and a lake,
And everywhere it flowed a wake
Of grass broke on the banks and spread
Like resurrection from the dead.

And in the twinkling of an eye
The saints descended from the sky.

And as I knelt beside the brook
To drink eternal life, I took
A glance across the golden grass,
And saw my dog, old Blackie, fast
As she could come. She leaped the stream-
Almost-and what a happy gleam
Was in her eye.
I knelt to drink,
And knew that I was on the brink
Of endless joy. And everywhere
I turned I saw a wonder there.
A big man running on the lawn:
That's old John Younge with both legs on.
And there's old Beryl, and Arnold too,
Still holding hands beneath the blue
And crystal sky: No stoop, they stand
Erect. No tremor in their hand.
The blind can see a bird on wing,
The dumb can lift his voice and sing.
The diabetic eats at will,
The coronary runs uphill.
The lame can walk, the deaf can hear,
The cancer-ridden bone is clear.
Arthritic joints are lithe and free,
And every pain has ceased to be.
And every sorrow deep within,
And every trace of lingering sin
Is gone. And all that's left is joy,
And endless ages to employ
The mind and heart to understand
And love the sovereign Lord who planned
That it should take eternity
To lavish all his grace on me.

O God of wonder, God of might,
Grant us some elevated sight,
Of endless days. And let us see
The joy of what is yet to be.
And may your future make us free,
And guard us by the hope that we,
Within the light of candle three,
Your glory will forever see.


Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Is he or isn't he?

Before leaving the subject of Psalm 127, there was one additional insight made by James Montgomery Boice in Psalms: An Expositional Commentary that really captured my attention. I have read elsewhere, and it was confirmed in this article as well, that Benjamin Franklin was not a Christian, but did appreciate several of the doctrines and followers of historical Christianity. Boice says the following: "Franklin understood the futility of work without God and expressed it well in his 'Speech to the Convention for Forming a Constitution for the United States,' delivered in Philadelphia in 1787."

So here is the portion of the speech that refers to Psalm 127, and particularly verse 1: "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain."

"In the beginning of the Contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending providence in our favor. To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time (81 years) and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that "except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel."

Wow. If Benjamin Franklin really wasn't a Christian, then he certainly did a very good imitation of one.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Nisi Dominus Frustra

As mentioned in the previous post, I have been loving James Montgomery Boice's Commentaries on the Psalms. There are additional reflections of his concerning Psalm 127 that I would like to share in the coming days with CandyceLand readers.

As a reminder, this Psalm was authored by Solomon, the son of David. The opening words are as follows:

Unless the Lord builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.
In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat -
for he grants sleep to those he loves.

Here is the fascinating comment by Boice that I was drawn to:

"A Latin motto says, Nisi Dominus Frustra. It comes from the first words of this psalm and means "Without the Lord, Frustration." It is the motto of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, appearing on its crest, and is affixed to the city's official documents. It could be attached to the lives of many who are trying to live their lives without the Almighty."

Isn't it amazing that Edinburgh still maintains this motto? And isn't Boice correct when he reflects that many in our world could use this as their life motto? And how many of us, now saved by grace, somehow imagine that we do not need the presence of God in all of our daily acts of serving Him and others around us?

Let's keep this motto in the front of our minds today: "Without the Lord, Frustration."

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Words for the Weekend

“When Christ left the grave, it was not merely an announcement that there is a hereafter and a life beyond . . . it was the shattering of history by a creative act of God Almighty. In this cosmic event . . . God was doing something comparable only with what He had done at the first creation. This was the beginning of a new era for the universe, the decisive turning-point for the human race. . . . In the Resurrection the new age had arrived, and . . . this stupendous miracle signified the storming of history and the transforming of the world.”

- James S. Stewart, A Faith to Proclaim (Of First Importance)

Friday, May 14, 2010

Unless...

During the last two weeks I have become engrossed in a book series: Psalms, An Expositional Commentary, by James Montgomery Boice. It is a three-volume set and well worth the investment of time and money.

I was particularly struck by much of what Boice wrote about Psalm 127, the first half of which reads as following:

Unless the Lord builds the house
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.
In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat -
for he grants sleep to those he loves.

Boice contends that this Psalm (along with Psalm 72) were the only ones written by Solomon, son of David. Apparently there is some disagreement in scholarly circles about this, but I think Boice makes a convincing case. He cites the the similar theme of vanity here in the beginning of Psalm 127 and also in Ecclesiastes. Most readers will remember the frequently used words of 'vanity' and 'meaninglessness,' in Solomon's other work. "Vanity of vanities... All is vanity!" (Ecclesiastes 1:2)

But here is the lesson for us today, from Boice's thoughts on this Psalm:

"Useless! Meaningless! In Vain! Is everything meaningless? Yes - if we leave God out of the picture. Building is useless - unless the Lord builds the house. Precautions are useless - unless the Lord watches over the city. Unless the Lord blesses our work, unless the Lord blesses our family, our Herculean labors are in vain. They are not in vain if God is in what we are doing."

Oh that we would remember to pray that the Lord would be involved in all our endeavors, our loves, our plans, our lives. What blessings would follow!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Study Leave 2010

The most dramatic result of our recently ended Study Leave was the completion and publication of Steve's latest book - Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon: Brief Bible Sermons. Initially I was the editor on this project, but was unable to finish it due to my medical leave. God provided a much better solution - our daughter Kristin! As most of you know she is an English major at Grove City College and has been known as "The Grammar Queen" for many years. She graciously stepped in and worked with Steve to finalize the edition that is expected to arrive in our mailbox any day now!

Steve also finished writing all the sermons for the next book - Job: Brief Bible Sermons. These will also be edited by Kristin. Publication date is expected to be early June.

In addition, Steve and I outlined our book entitled Heaven's Comforts: A Guide for the Grieving Soul. Because I am the primary writer on this project, and since my body rebelled and I had to surrender to a totally unexpected surgery, I have only completed the Introduction. These four themes come next: Heaven Exists, Life in Heaven, Heavenly Living on Earth, and The Heavenly Finale. Under the next large section (Heaven Exists) the focus will be on Scripture proofs, beginning with the Old Testament.

Despite the medical complications, this really was an enjoyable and fruitful Study Leave. It is such a blessing to us to be able to have special times like this. Many thanks to Exeter Presbyterian and to all those who prayed for us!

Monday, May 10, 2010

I'm (Almost) Back!

Okay, okay, I know I have slacked off recently on CandyceLand. But I absolutely do have a Doctor's note to excuse my recent absence! Although my health is improving, I am slowly coming to the realization that this recovery may actually take as long as predicted both by the medical profession and by those that have previously been through this particular physical challenge. In the past I recovered from surgeries much more quickly than the experts foretold, so I assumed the same would happen this time. Two differences: this was a much more taxing surgery, and, as Steve so tactfully explained, "You are twenty-eight years older than the last time you were in the hospital..."

So I thought I would ease back into writing by promising to post something on CandyceLand each week; perhaps not every day, but as often as health allows. My blog statistics have taken a serious nose-dive these past two weeks, but I ask my loyal readers (all three of you!) to be patient and not leave me. With the help of therapy and meds (TV Land reruns and Friendly's Chocolate Almond Chip Ice Cream) I should be back in full action soon!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

I'm Better

Hello friends,

I thought I would just check in and give you an update. I am feeling better, the surgery was a success, and I should be back to writing soon. My main complaint is fatigue. Who knew that total bed rest could be so exhausting???

Mostly I wake up every morning with several goals to accomplish before the day is done. Then before bed I realize that I have done nothing except look out the window and think, sleep, and read lovely get-well wishes! What a life, huh? :-)

So don't stop checking CandyceLand - more meditations on Heaven should be coming soon!