~Lucius Annaeus Seneca

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.

~Psalm 130:5-6

I was reading in my daily devotional this week. Topic: “He Cares For You.” Title: “The Sin of Anxiety.” I thought of a number of friends going through a wide variety of extremely challenging circumstances yet how each of them are facing and responding to them differently. I thought about my own challenges. Yet, in every circumstance no matter how great or small, I was struck that anxiety IS sin.

Here’s why:

1. When we are anxious we are not trusting God. Read Matt. 5:25-34 — how can we, after reading that, think that God won’t care for us? If we don’t we have unbelief in our hearts.

2. We do not accept God’s providence when we are anxious. If He is conducting the universe, the earth, our lives, and counts the very hairs on our heads, and wants only good for His children, then why should we worry?

While reading this I remembered a new friend I met recently in Europe. She’s been a missionary in Czech for over 16 years. A crisis in the family has struck the very core of what would be anyone’s “WHY GOD?!?” — yet she did not ask that question. She prayed and praised and prayed and surrendered to His will that this was His story for her and for her family. I was humbled at that response and thankful, so thankful for her example. It’s not one I would get to see, normally.

It strikes me extremely peculiar that American Christians have such high percentages of stress-related illness when we have it “so good” compared to our brothers and sisters in the “10/40 window” and elsewhere who endure far worse, yet experience great joy and absence of real anxiety in spite of such poverty and persecution. Hmm…

Perhaps they have grasped the truth of God’s word? Perhaps they are content to BELIEVE that God’s providential will for them in their circumstances flows from His wisdom and goodness and is ultimately intended for their good? Do we? I love this from Tara Leigh Cobble in her book, Orange Jumpsuit: “I have come to highly value my friends who walk through life with a bit of a limp.” She also says, (and I highly recommend this book!):

In that great void, I found myself grappling for only one thing: Him. Deep aches are a cave in the soul–and when you’re in the dark, you don’t care what the light reveals, you just want the Light. Had God not been juxtaposed against the desires of my heart, I would never have seen that He was the truest desire of my heart. . . . I know that I am not guaranteed a life without suffering. I’m only guaranteed that He has equipped me to suffer well.

I have not had to deal with a situation as serious as my friend in Czech. I do not believe that I will always be able to say that. I pray that I will be able to respond with the wisdom, trust, submission and joy that she has. I pray that I will “suffer well” and not be anxious for anything. Why should I not? God is good. ALL of the time.

Let’s ask Him to give us a heart that is submissive to His providential will, regardless of our circumstances, small or big.One more quote (this from Matt Chandler): “The message of scripture and the Gospel of Christ is not that in following Him everything is going to go right, but that He is enough, no matter what happens.”

Amen.

I read Stephen Altrogge’s blog yesterday morning, Churches Are Going to Be Messy Places, and agree 100%. Also reading the book, Glorious Mess by Mike Howerton, which clearly shows that messy churches are filled with messy people. I like that this is NOT an excuse for believers to avoid committing to a local church. My supported opinion: There is NO excuse for a believer to avoid becoming part of a local church AND getting there regularly! In this post by Phil Johnson, Providence is Sweet, he tells a story that illustrates one more reason to be connected to the body of Christ.

Earlier this week I posted a few links discussing the Kony 2012 controversy. I’ve updated it with a couple of new links that are very compelling. Here is the post on my other blog, Collect Yourself.

Heath Lambert lays out a most excellent pattern for holding one another accountable without harshness in Gracious Candor: A Tutorial in Speaking Truth in Love.

This an older post by John Piper, but a topic that has been my focus for a few months, so thought I’d share here: How to Glorify God at Work.

Finally, since it’s St. Patrick’s Day, here is a great post by Mark Driscoll on the REAL Patrick’s life–it’s nothing like the advertisements (go figure!): Happy Greatest Missionary Who Ever Lived Day!

I was there because my sister invited me. My sister was there because she was invited back to lead worship for the women’s retreat. I ended up with the wonderful task of running sound and media at the back of the room during worship and meeting times as well as taking photos throughout the three days, so I had the unique view of seeing God move in hearts and watch the women respond. I noticed several things. 

1. Worship was immediate and deep. Before three words were sung the entire room of 40 women were singing—loudly, boldly, and urgently. There was no “easing into it,” no “waiting for the mood to strike.” It was as if moments like this were rare and precious and they were determined not to miss a minute of it. Each time they gathered together this intensified. There was no mistaking their love for God and desire to meet with Him and it was evident that He honored that.

2. Worship was nearly as unique as each woman. There was no set pattern, no pretense, no expectations. There were raised arms, bent bodies, tears, smiles, the works. Response to what the Spirit of God was doing in each heart and mind was evident.

3. Worship didn’t stop with the music. Attitude of prayer and worship continued throughout the day — and this doesn’t mean these folks walked around like monks with a vow of silence, just that it was clear that gratitude and communion with the most Important Person in their lives was constant.

4. Identification and confession of sin was common — a habit that seemed as normal as breathing. I found the contrast here to be striking: The typical American pew sitter probably has more sin to unload than all 40 of these women put together, yet these women were quick to respond to the Spirit’s revelation and repent, confessing to God and one another — then moved forward in happy freedom. We can learn a huge lesson here…

5. God is Everything. Not just for Sunday. Not just for a few minutes each morning. He is Everything, all the time. He is food and water and breath and life. He is not compartmentalized, minimized, or any other kind of ized.

Granted, I was seeing these women at a retreat — where we expect to meet God and experience life change. But hearing their stories over meals and watching them in all kinds of settings, I could tell their dependence and reliance on God was greater than the typical American Christian. And I’ve been to dozens of retreats over the course of my life, and this was not typical in my experience.

I have been challenged over the last several months to not be a Babylonian even though I live in Babylon. I could tell these women were doing a masterful job at just that. And because of that, God spoke. In different ways to different hearts, but He responds to those hearts that worship freely, that depend on Him, that despise any sin that has crept in, that want badly to shine a bright Light in the dark places, and to glorify Him above all else.

God speaks to the listening heart.

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

~ 1 Peter 5:8-9

Last week I read 20 Ways Satan May Seek to Destroy You This Week. A short but sobering post to be sure. I was prompted to read this after reading in a book that we should not to argue with the enemy or address him directly, but rather say “The LORD rebuke you.” More importantly, it is critical that every Christian recognize she or he is a target, every day–putting on the whole armor of God is not an option in this warfare.

This week I read a post by Tim Challies on Learning to Stand in this battle. This is an excellent piece on how exactly we practically “apply” this armor. The enemy not only wants to destroy individual believers but the work we do for God’s Kingdom, those that would come to know Christ because of us, the Christian vestiges of this country, and the spread of the Gospel throughout the world.

I strongly recommend reading both posts. Taken together, these should spur any believer to dig in deeper and be diligent to live out Ephesians 6, for ourselves and for the Gospel.

Do we really trust God in all situations? Mark Altrogge says, “We’re funny creatures, us humans. We ask our heavenly Father to provide for us then we try to figure out how he’s going to do it,” in his post, Don’t Rent That Clown Suit Just Yet…

If you are a parent, this is a must-read from Barnabas Piper: Vehicle, Obstacle, or Passenger?

And if you are a women with regrets, you have to read this – Kristina Haury trusted God in a very difficult situation and shares how He responded. Get out your tissue — she posts on Gracefull Women: God’s Grace in My Great Loss Part One and Part Two.

If you missed my FB post of this movie trailer, it’s worth the watch: 200 Million Girls Missing in the World Today. Can you say “gendercide”?

An then sometimes, you just gotta laugh. Mark also offers a great alternative to the lyrics of “American Pie” with “Bye, Bye Mrs. Chicken Pot Pie.”  :-)

~ Blessings on your week!

‎”Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow lights for fools the way to dusty death.” ~Shakespeare

“Please don’t say anything to me about tomorrow. Tomorrow is the word the Bible does not know. If you can find me any place in the Scriptures where the Holy Spirit of God says ‘tomorrow.’ I will step down from this pulpit and never step into it, or any other pulpit, for as long as I live. The Holy Spirit’s word is the word ‘today.’”             ~ Bruce Thielemann

We just completed session four in our “not a fan” book/DVD study. The key passage was Luke 9:57-62 where Jesus calls three different people to follow Him but each has something else to do first. They want to follow Him, but not right now. Maybe tomorrow. The second one, for instance, wanted to wait until his parents grew old and died and he collected his inheritance. Then he’d follow. The third one wanted to get his party on first.

What about us? After work isn’t so demanding, I’ll follow. When I’ve got my financial ducks in a row, maybe then. Once I’ve sowed my wild oats and settle down, then I’ll follow. But God says the time is now. He says, today if you hear His voice…

I’ve wasted a good many “today’s” because I said, “tomorrow.” Life is short—a breath. In Don’t Waste Your Life, John Piper says:

“We waste our lives when we do not pray and think and dream and plan and work toward magnifying God in all spheres of life. God created us for this: to live our lives in a way that makes him look more like the greatness and the beauty and the infinite worth that he really is. . . . .Life is wasted is we do not grasp the glory of the cross, cherish it for the treasure that it is, and cleave to it as the highest price of every pleasure and the deepest comfort in every pain. . . . The opposite of wasting your life is living life by a single God-exalting, soul-satisfying passion. the well-lived life must be God-exalting and soul-satisfying because that is why God created us. . . .What a tragic waste when people turn away from the Calvary road of love and suffering. All the riches of the glory of God in Christ are on that road. All the sweetest fellowship with Jesus is there. All the treasures of assurance. All the ecstasies of joy. All the clearest sightings of eternity. All the noblest camaraderie. All the humblest affections. All the most tender acts of forgiving kindness. All the deepest discoveries of God’s Word. All the most earnest prayers. They are all on the Calvary road where Jesus walks with his people. Take up your cross and follow Jesus. On this road, and this road alone, life is Christ and death is gain. Life on every other road is wasted.”

My prayer is to be a “today person” and remove ‘tomorrow’ from my thoughts and words. To not look back on the second half of my life and feel that it was wasted. Amen.

This video has gone viral on FB and blogs with debates on doctrine and orthodoxy raging. I like this best: Stephen Altrogge In Defense of the Video That No One Seems to Like.

Related, Barnabas Piper has this to say about the definition of the word, religion: Religion: Why’s Everybody Always Picking on Me?

Justin Taylor posts a brief quote from John Stott: Don’t Be Scandalized When Christians Debate One Another in Love as well as another piece summarizing Jared Wilson On the Cross and the Giving and Receiving of Criticism.

Related to #1 and #3 above, Kevin DeYoung posts some emails between he and Jeff Bethke, Following Up on the Jesus/Religion Video.

At the risk of adding to the Tim Tebow posting overdose, Nathan Busenitz attempts to do the impossible: stake out some middle ground in Tebow Time: 10 Thoughts and a Cloud of Dust.

Finally, an article about New York City Pastors arrested for doing the right thing in peacefully protesting a very wrong thing.

Blessings!

A great friend passed this one on: Leanard Lee ponders childlike faith in See a Penny Pick it Up.

Does God Care Whether Tim Tebow Wins on Saturday? A Christian theology professor tries to answer the question that’s dominated conversations in bars, dorm rooms, and the pages of ESPN.

Justin Taylor found this: The Most Riveting Description of the Goal of Christian Living I’ve Ever Read.

If you would like to know How To Disagree Online Without Being A Total Jerk check out this post by Stephen Altrogge.

I was saddened beyond words to read this article in the Hindu News posted by a friend on FB. Could this happen in a Christian nation? Will this happen in America before too long? Dignity Denied in Death Even for Widows. God forbid…

And for something just plain beautiful-beyond-words but for the beautiful words of Ann Voskamp: When You Feel Pulled & Torn.

It’s an eclectic collection, I know. That’s just the kinda gal I am.

~Blessings on you!

Are you Too Tired to Pray? So is Wendy Pope.

In Blessed are the Un-Cool, Rachel Held Evans longs for a church with a coolness factor of zero.

A very good word from R.C Sproul on What Is The Unpardonable Sin?

Biographies Are Good for the Soul. Just read this by Jason Helopaulos if you need convincing.

Another great reminder about new beginnings, Julie Moore writes about Leaving It All Behind.

Aaaand, just a little blast from the past: Ann Coulter admonishes If You Can Find a Better Deal than Jesus Christ offers every single human being, left OR right, Take It.

Blessings!