MY BLOG POSTS

Did you know poverty can be a blessing?

It can.

Really.

I am going through a study on the Beatitudes right now, and right at the beginning, I read this verse…

“Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt. 5:3)

The commentator broke down the word “blessed” and explained it isn’t “happiness” – that is dependent on externals. “Blessing,” she explained, “depends on being rightly
related to God.”

And “poor in spirit”? That is when we recognize our own sinfulness, humble ourselves before a holy God, and truly repent. We mourn over our sin (Mt. 5:4), hate it, want nothing to do with it. This results in a humility that allows us to be rightly related to God.

And that brings blessings. Not just momentary happiness, but a blessedness that is soul-deep. Recognition of our sinfulness makes us hunger and thirst for righteousness (Mt. 5:6). That hunger and thirst is guaranteed to be satisfied.

God isn’t wanting to beat us up for our sin, but neither is He allowing us to brush it off or act like it’s “no big deal.” Our sins sent Jesus to the cross. But His love for us kept Him there. A failure to recognize the former keeps us from fully embracing the latter.

So be poor in spirit. And be blessed.

I love happy endings. I’ll read the occasional “sad” book, but I prefer knowing in advance that, despite the conflicts along the way, the story will end happily. I want the hero or heroine to get everything he/she wants, to be loved and comfortable and never again have any troubles.

I was in church yesterday, and the pastor was referring to the story of David and Goliath. I love that story. Talk about a happy ending! But instead of stopping at the “David killed Goliath and everyone loved him!” part, he read on. It had been a while since I read what happened after that.

Now I know why.

It is not happy.

After David single-handedly defeats Israel’s enemies and is celebrated by all, becomes best friends with the King’s son, and goes on to win more battles, King Saul hears the people (literally) singing David’s praises. Saul is so jealous that he then makes it his personal mission to KILL David.

Yep. David spends years fleeing for his life. Years. Saul plots against him, gets his daughter to plot against him, his soldiers…he is relentless.

As I thought about that yesterday, I realized that our lives are similar to David’s. Not in the “killing giants and running from evil kings” sense, but in the fact that life goes on after “happy endings.” Throughout our lives, we all have “happily ever after” moments: graduating from high school and college; getting a job; getting married; having kids; retiring…But life goes on after each of them. Difficulties come. We have our own “Sauls” that seek to destroy us.

So how do we do deal with that? We follow David’s example: despite all his struggles – from within and without – he is called “a man after God’s own heart.” Read the Psalms that he wrote and you’ll see his relationship with God in black and white. He was AFTER God’s heart — seeking it, longing for it, distraught without it, ashamed when he broke it, rejoicing when his heart was like God’s.

Our “happily ever after” won’t occur on this earth. Those who know Christ are guaranteed one, though – an eternity that is indescribably glorious.

There are amazing moments here on earth. A former pastor called those “glimpses of eternity.” But those aren’t to be confused with eternity itself. Those are moments. We should embrace them when they come, but recognize that life will go on after them, “Sauls” will chase us, circumstances will threaten to overwhelm us. But we can get through them just like David did – by seeking to be men and women after God’s own heart.

Yesterday, Thomas, my dad, and I went to Disney’s Blizzard Beach – a super-fun water park in Orlando. We had a great time riding the rides, bouncing around in the wave pool, and drifting along on the lazy river.

Not everyone, however, was having fun. As I sat and waited for Thomas to ride the zip line, I watched a drama unfold by the lifeguard stand. A woman had, apparently, lost her sunglasses in the pool below said zip line. It happens. A few minutes before this, I heard a man ask a lifeguard about a pair he had lost in the same place. The lifeguard told him there are a few times a day when someone comes to pick up lost items in that pool, and when that occurs, the items will be available. The gentleman thanked the lifeguard and returned to the fun of the park.

Not this woman, though. Nope. She didn’t like the lifeguard’s answer. She wanted her sunglasses NOW. She hovered over the ladder as kids got out of the (very deep) pool and tried to get some of the braver ones to dive for her glasses. When the lifeguard had to jump in to help a preschooler, the woman met him as he handed the child back to her mom and demanded he dive down and get the glasses himself. The poor guy tried, but he couldn’t get them. He was the ONLY lifeguard at that particular pool, and there were kids jumping in from a zip line AND sliding in on a mini-slide. His job was to watch them, as he very kindly explained. Over and over. He needed to be at his post. Someone would be by to get her glasses later.

Still she stayed. She got her family in on it. Tried to get her son to dive in for them (totally against the rules…the pool was a landing spot only, and needed to be cleared quickly after every landing so the next rider could go). She pulled other lifeguards in – lifeguards that were going on their breaks – and got the same answer. They all knew the policy: no swimming or diving into that pool while kids were on the zip line. Those kids wait a long time for their turn!

I was there for a while. And so was she. She was there after we left. Still complaining, still demanding. Disney parks aren’t called the “Happiest Place on Earth” for nothing — this park was SO fun!! — yet this woman chose misery instead. She chose to stand around griping instead of riding rides, bouncing around in the wave pool, or drifting along the lazy river. We left with smiles on our faces and fantastic memories. She left with a nasty attitude and very wet sunglasses.

But as I was watching her, feeling oh-so-good about myself and my fabulous attitude, I realized that, though I wasn’t behaving like the spoiled brat from “Willy Wonka” right then, I have had plenty of those “I want it NOW” moments: When I’m in a hurry to get somewhere and my family isn’t moving as fast as I want them to; when I’m in line at the grocery store and the woman in front of me has problems getting her credit card to work; when I see a cute outfit I’d love to have, but know it’s just not in the budget right now…I can get SO Veruca so fast. I get frustrated, demanding…This is important to ME so it should be just as important to everyone else!!

The Bible tells us just the opposite. Paul exhorts us to “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Phil. 2:3-4). Those times when we want something now, and it isn’t happening…? Those are opportunities to reflect Christ. Putting the needs of others above ourselves is HARD. And it’s definitely not what the world is saying! But it is true. And there is far greater peace in living according to God’s standard than the world’s.

So relax. Let go of the selfishness, and embrace a life where you’re NOT the center of the universe. Walk away from the sunglasses…

Yesterday, I left church crying. I shed quite a few tears in church, as well. Why?

It was our last Sunday.

We love our church. It has become more than just a place of worship. It is a home, a refuge, a community.

Yet so many people hate church. They leave churches or refuse to join because they have been hurt at church, or people they love have been hurt at church, and they decide they’d rather worship at home than with a bunch of hypocrites.

I get that. I’ve been there. Not every church is a healthy church, but there ARE healthy churches out there. How do you find one so great that you cry buckets when you have to leave it? Try these two tips:

PRAY

Before we joined this church, I prayed like crazy. My biggest prayer was that we find a church where our kids could grow. I wanted them to be surrounded by people who love Jesus and who will encourage our kids to love Jesus. God answered that prayer in such a big way. We had Miss Julia, Emma’s Sunday school teacher, who oozes passion for Jesus. She would call Emma out when she was doing wrong, point her to scripture when she was struggling, and text her at all hours of the night when she was doubting.  She even came to Emma’s activities (like “The Music Man” performance at school). Andrew, Ellie’s middle school pastor, digs deep into the word and knows that 6-8 graders can do more than just play games on Wednesdays nights – they can be world changers! Mr. Frank worked in the elementary ministry, despite his disability. He hugged Thomas every time he saw him, looked him in the eye and said, “You know what, Thomas? I love you. But Jesus is crazy about you!”

Get Involved

I knew a woman who left a church because no one spoke to her. I asked her if she was involved in any ministries? “No.” Part of a Sunday school class? “No.” Volunteer in the nursery or youth group? “No.” She got to church late, left early, and complained that, after six months attending the church, she had no friends. The biggest mistake church-goers make is thinking church is for them. Like it’s Chick-Fil-A where the workers are there to meet your needs and make sure you are satisfied. You miss out on the joy of community and the fulfillment of your God-given gifts when you think that! The church is a body of believers. Every part of that body is important. No church can function if the only people serving are those who are on staff. We are all gifted differently.

My friend Rebekah is both merciful and organized. She is the homeroom mom to a second grade class at an inner-city school that our church has adopted. She makes sure those kids have school supplies and uniforms at the beginning of the year. She sends their names out to our Sunday school class so that each kid has a family praying for him/her and has gifts at Christmas and their birthdays. She plans class parties and field trips. And she LOVES doing that. I can hear it in her voice when she talks about those precious kids.

The Wheetley’s (the “real” Carey and Kristie from the ANOMALY series) are some of the most hospitable people I have ever known. They’ll open up their home to anyone, anytime. When the teen Bible study needed a host home — the Wheetley’s volunteered. When our Sunday school class needed a party house – the Wheetley’s volunteered. The VBS workers need a place to make crafts?? Yep, the whole crew met up at the Wheetley’s. Never once have I heard them complain about the mess, the amount of people, the expense of hosting. They love opening up their home. They delight in using the gifts God has given them to help the body of Christ.

I could go on…but you get the idea (and this post is already long enough!). Want to love a church so much you cry when you have to leave it? Pray about which church God wants you in, then get involved! Use your gifts. Look to serve. It is SO worth it, believe me.