The Last Stand

The photographer paused in his tour of his stunning photographs he had recently taken in the Middle East.  One by one I was amazed at the story they told, one after another, singular and profound.  One struck me with awe.  A picture of two men walking arm in arm like a band of brothers obviously strengthened by their enjoined purpose, trekking in unity.  The photo captured in that one moment a slice of time with high import.  At first blush, you might not think this was anything odd.  Two people walking out into the street with laughter on their faces, joy bubbling from their soul. But these were not just any two people:  one was an Arab, one was a Jew.  In today's world to say that is a paradox would be a huge understatement.  Rival enemies.  Centuries of inbred hatreds at odds with the one common element that could stop fear and violence cold and then with utter contempt cast it into outer darkness.  Something that cannot be fully punctuated by articulate speech, but exemplified in the life of one simply poured into another by the rich, sweet nectar of divine fruit of the Spirit of God. 

Love.

I thought to myself, wow, there it is.  Loving one another.  Who would have thought?  Two Middle Eastern friends who individually chose to walk in righteousness refusing to look the other way or shun each other when opposing religious views and conflicts blocked their way.  They held out a hand of genuine respect and love in friendship refusing to give evil even one scintilla of a foothold.  That one friendship embodied an erasure of centuries of bigotry and violence, all held fast in a fragile envelope of righteous love.

Inside I was ecstatic that an Arab and a Jew had decided to take the ultimate life challenge.  To love one another no matter what odds they faced.  But as the evening progressed I was faced with a firmly-held bigotry of my own and, when confronted with it, I was shocked.  I listened as a friend discussed his personal religious beliefs that ran contrary to my own.  I have always had the highest regard for this person and how he challenged me to be rise strong in the Lord.  His passion for the Lord was undeniable.  His fervor to serve God in ways that I knew I had yet to express was infectious.  I hadn't thought I had a religious spirit that rose stiffly in stone-cold arrogant pride, but the Lord graciously exposed it to me -- not to condemn, but that I might repent before Him.  This friend was explaining how he wore "holy garments" (something I didn't know at the time) and that he felt they were no different than a Jewish man wearing a kippah.  Yet, here I was realizing that the way he served the Lord in the denomination of his own choice -- a matter of the heart -- was causing me to lock myself in a prison of my own making.  I had swathed his whole denomination with a battering ram of locked prejudice.  I still disagree with their tenets, but it made me realize that "throwing out the baby with the bath water" is not God's choice at all.  He has a timing for every person.  Each life is different, each holds a diversity of expectations that the Lord has designed for each one.  Singular in beauty and unique.   His ways are not our own and every day is a startling and profound revelation to punctuate that point.

Division runs rampant throughout the globe -- no matter if Jewish, Christian, secular or pagan.  There are sections that decry they are the favored group or they have the market on God's voice or revelation.  God does not look at us as separate groups but only as those who love and serve Him and those that don't.  But even those that don't, who chose to walk another path, He staunchly and adamantly refuses to leave His place where He was left standing.  He remains in His place waiting for that beauty to expand that only He has right to embrace:  the openness of a man's heart. Too often we rush in to try to baptize one another with our beliefs believing that if they live "our way" then they are safe.  Actually, we may block, divert or even tragically abort what God had in mind for that person in our insistence that others walk in our path.  As Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, "Jesus himself did not try to convert the two thieves on the cross; he waited until one of them turned to him." 

Our hearts are off limits to each other.  We are not allowed to trifle them, stifle them, dominate or challenge with guilt like a sword trying to coerce upon another any cherished dogmatic belief.  Hearts are a precious commodity and the Lord does not take kindly to abuse or bruising of the heart of one another.  He told us the commandments are summed up in this:  love of and to God and love of and to one another.  Not feigned or played in pantomime.  It simply is the way He loves us and that is how we are to treat one another.  

In the parchment of His love He explains this extravagant love.  "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.  Let all that you do be done with love."  Prophets, Bible scholars, rabbis, and pundits all point to an impending financial crisis that will cripple the world.  Countries crippled by debt are crumbling into a financial abyss while huge crowds incited by evil hatred and violence gripped in a frenzy the likes of which the world has never seen continue to hold sway in a global court of high treason.  These are times.  Perilous times.  We are not to retreat.  We are to hold fast.  People are betraying one another, headstrong as granite, haughty and proud, yelling demands like brandished swords slashing others with arrogant and brutal words.  People are yearning for what the Lord demands of us.  Love. 

Let me make a bold statement.  I am a American, but I am not defined by my government.  I am defined by the Lord I love and serve.  I passionately love the Lord, but I am not to be segregated by others if my conviction does not match another person's closely-held belief.  Our hearts belong to the Lord and not ourselves.  We are to stand together with the utmost respect and unwavering integrity with that which the Lord provides:  love unsheathed as a weapon of righteousness.  Its cutting edge is  sharp.  It casts out fear and bathes the soul in soothing oil from the robes of God.  And then with a softened hand of grace extended says, I will stand with you.  I will love you.  I will cherish you. 

Standing halfway is not to stand at all.

A good example of this is standing with Israel.  They are God's chosen people.  He has brought them back to their land.  It is their right.  They have fought for it and they have won it with God's miraculous provision.  It was spoken of long ago by the prophets that they will return and they have.  There is growing anti-Semitism in the land.  Its voice cannot be denied because it is rising in volume, aimed once again at the Jews, God's chosen ones.  But it is also aimed dead center at those who love God and have chosen to stand right beside them -- the Christian people.  Not so long ago Christian people refused to speak up when they saw and heard evil rising.  They turned their backs and thought that maybe it would just go away and they could continue with they were doing. 

It cannot happen this time.  We cannot stick our heads in our denominational (or non-denominational or church group) and deny what is going on any longer.  These are end times.  And end times demand extraordinary stances of truth and courage.  We are demanded to love.  Cross our theological borders and stand firmly for righteousness.  Mix our religious beliefs?  Never.  But we can hold hands of love standing together against evil.  Romans 14 puts it this way:  "Who are you to judge another's servant?  To his own master he stands or falls.  Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.  One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike.  Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.  He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord, and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord He does not observe it ... none of us lives to himself and no one dies to himself.  For if we live, we live to the Lord and if we die, we die to the Lord.  Therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's."



We cannot let evil run roughshod over our lives, our fortunes or our sacred honor.  Not this time.  Not this year, not next year, nor the year after that.  We will let our voices be heard in loud shouts of love.  We will not have another holocaust.  We will not have ovens at the ready for human bodies for whom God gave His only son.  We are told to walk in shoes of peace.

Recently I read again Corrie TenBoom's story, The Hiding Place.  Corrie's sister Betsie always prayed for everyone, especially the tyrant guards.  Her heart was the heart of God who aches and yearns for all to come to know Him.  It was her one statement that has resonated with millions that still speaks today, "There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still."  Even in the stench of the pit of hell she was able to evoke love to its full extent.  Standards of evil must be rooted out and eradicated by those who have the temerity when having done all to stand have stood for the King.

Today I listened once again to the Hallelujah chorus from Handel's Messiah.  It never fails to bring tears to my eyes.  Every time the refrain is heard my spirit soars as it reaches towards the Creator who made me, the one Who holds my heart in His hand.  It says to me we will worship our precious King.  We will serve Him at all costs.  We will love our fellow man no matter where and who.

"Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?  Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?  Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul would soon have settled in silence.  If I say, 'My foot slips,' Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up.  In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.  Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law, have fellowship with You?  They gather together against the life of the righteous and condemn innocent blood.  But the Lord has been my defense and my God the rock of my refuge.  He has brought on them their own iniquity,  and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; the Lord our God shall cut them off."  (Psa. 94:16-23)

This is not the time for petty arguments.  We can either walk in unending strife or in shoes of peace.  This is the time for action.  It's our last stand.  The stand for love.

Dinner with a King: A Royal Invitation

The pencil scratches the paper as the list is made:  eggs, cinnamon, canned pumpkin, sugar, turkey, stuffing, celery.  Each day the list is enlarged as plans are made for a table that will be groaning with the abundance of bounty.  The silver is polished until when looking down at the large platter, you can see yourself as a bad image from carnival mirrors.   Linens are ironed till edges are crisp, ready to snap to attention for those who  have come to dine. 

Invitations are interesting things that evoke polar opposite reactions:  either gladness that a loved one will come or disgust with a desire that it could be tossed in the round file with a heave-ho, such as a "request" to appear for an IRS audit or jury duty that comes right on the very day you expect your guests to arrive.

There's one invitation that is the most coveted of all.  Right in the midst of life at its busiest or worst, when things are flying at us with accelerated speed, truth is rare, lies are the seeming normalcy standard and we think we can't take one more arrogant bully stuffing their anti-God, anti-everything views -- there it is.  An invitation. 

But not just any invitation.  One before you where you didn't expect it.  Right in the middle of your life.  In the center street where all the shouting voices and demanding schedules and vying for your attention intersects.  The traffic light is now solid red.  Everything and everyone has ceased.  Your eyes rest on something in the middle of that intersection.  A table.  A table set with service for two.  A marble table inlaid with solid gold.  Crystal glistening in colors you've never seen.  Ornate silver with filigree etched with your initials.  A glistening white place card in elegant script with your name in exquisite pattern and beauty.  Someone has taken a great deal of effort and outrageous expense to invite you to dine.  But just who and, better yet, why?

He's a king.  But not just any king.  The King of all Kings.  Jesus Himself.  Another king long ago penned a beautiful song about this experience.  He explained that the Lord invited him to dinner.  And obviously he accepted because in his Jewish experience he explained it this way:  He made the dinner.  He poured the wine and then anointed me simply because He loved me.   Because of that,  I will follow Him anywhere.  I live where He lives.  I'll go where He wants to go and do what He wants to do.  I cannot do anything else.  I am smitten by His love.  That's what Psalm 23 is all about.  The essence of a God that pursues us, a heavenly seduction of grace. 

There is a Jewish tradition called Havdalah where a cup of wine runs over onto a saucer underneath.  It symbolizes sufficient enough to fill one's own needs and that of others.  A prayer is given that the expression of hope that life's goodness and bounty will be as abundant as the wine that is being blessed.  In Temple times when the burnt offerings and peace offerings were made an entire container of  wine was poured onto the altar.   It was an offering of thanksgiving, a praise to the Lord of Lords who always provides for our needs and, through us, others.  Kiddush in Hebrew means designation, demarcating a person, place thing or time for a higher purpose.  Also, when a guest is in a home and the host pours wine for the guest if the host wants to show high favor, acceptance and blessing, he will overflow the cup.

The new Thanksgiving season is here.  A time to enjoy family and friends, to be thankful for the bounty the Lord has given.  The harvest time is here.  Many are turning to the Lord in numbers unheard of before.  This is the time when the Lord will appear to all and bring us into His kingdom.   He has done a lot of labor in the harvesting.  But really -- the cream of His crop .... is you.

Be blessed this season.  Embrace His acceptance and love as not just a nice warm fuzzy feeling, but a revelation of the gift of eternal life for you.  He paid an enormous price for you because you are worth that much.  You are a treasure of His heart.  You are worth every stripe, every piece of silver, every abuse and torture He endured.

Look.  His invitation is there.  Right there at your fingertips.  You may have said no before or you may have embraced His offer.  Whichever it is, the time is extremely short.  The call has gone out.  It is a royal invitation.  It cannot be ignored or treated with indifferent procrastination any longer.  It's your choice.

It's time for dinner.

The True Planned Parenthood

It can be discouraging, even daunting.  Verbal assaults that assail from every angle.  School bullies, workplace harassment, families at odds, even those who you thought were friends tear at the fabric of the soul.  Days like that bolt down a soul with weighted chains.  Some come through it, though not unscathed.  Others are encased in a mire of words that have bogged them down to nearly unrelenting paralyzation to move forward with courage.  Words can soothe or they can be hurled with such force and vengeance to abort even the staunchest braveheart.

No one said days like these would be easy.  Even today in the middle of a town square or a city street with signs blazing and red hot vehemence here are voices that scream their so-called proclaimed rights to advantages they feel they deserve.  In their disdain for those who work to support their families with values and strength, they long to abort the way of life of those that ordain their steps with truth, courage, and old-fashioned work.  They flaunt their arrogance at Americans who look in the face of fear and don't flinch.  Not one inch.  They are the ones that will not budge at the hand of an economic abortion doctor who thinks that Communism, socialism, and the death of democracy is a healthy thing for a nation that is already teetering on the brink of an evil social abyss.  With unswerving courage and a blazing fire of faith, they show the world every day there are ones who walk with integrity, righteousness and white hot truth.

There is one parent, though, that will not be denied, the One who will pluck His children from the hands of those who would try to pry them from their destiny and abort the plan of the universe.  It's the Lord Himself, the one true God.  He gave His Son with a high price so that he could claim His children as His own.  No one will chase them from the planet.  They may be imprisoned, maligned, slaughtered, denied, harassed, and assaulted verbally and/or physically but one thing is absolutely and irrevocably true:  He is coming to get His children and His word will be the last word.  His word settles it all.  His words that are not convoluted, filled with half-truths or flat-out lies.  They will not be ignored or disobeyed.  All will know and all will have to bow their knee to the one that will have sovereignty.  Complete and full.

You see, He planned it all.  He planned you.  He planned the way you are right now.  You may think that because of situations in your life that everything has gone downhill at full tilt.  Maybe you don't have a job, your marriage may have fallen apart, your family may be in alienation with unforgiveness like cancer that has eaten your soul to the very marrow of your bones.  The ache of defeat and depression is very real, the outlook grim on all counts from the nation, from your individual life, and even from what you believe is a God that hasn't been listening in a very long time.

I'm here to tell you this: You are planned.  You are valuable.  You are immensely loved.  Far beyond what you can even imagine.  He has seen every struggle, observed every tear, heard every sigh and cry of your heart.  He is listening.  Cry out to him. You are His plan.  He will never abort you.  He will never tear you out of His heart.  You will never be an after-thought, an "oops" or ignored.  You are precious in every way.

Remember this:  In John 16:27 it says, "The Father Himself loves you dearly..."  That's a red letter edition of love.  The one that speaks right to the heart.  It's not an appeal to try to assuage you to believe simply because it's a "religious thing."  In a world that's gone crazy and nuts, this is the real deal.  It's plain and simple truth.  It's right.  Without hidden and crooked agendas.  It brings peace when nothing else can.  It's His word to you today.

You are planned.  Let Him be the parent to you He has always desired.  Give your heart to him unconditionally, without a Plan B.  Throw away the doubts, the weird words that fly out there ... this is the day.  This is the moment He says to you -- and me, too -- "Come!  Be a part of the family, a nativity into the family of God."

You'll never regret it, not even for one ripe second.  You see, you are in the plan ... conceived right there in the Father's heart.

It's Rosh Hashanah 5772 -- Happy New Year!

It's the Jewish New Year this week, Rosh Hashanah.  The Ten Days of Awe begin, the time for repentance, which end with the Day of Atonement. Peering into the looking glass of God's magnificent forgiveness is an endless pool of grace into which we are privileged to gaze.  In Jewish teaching it is the anniversary of the creation of man, a time that God celebrates us.  What a thought.  It's a day to say thank you for the prerogative of enjoying God's blessings and benevolent forgiveness, giving us a chance to start anew, afresh, awash with His closeness of Spirit breathing into us His passion and love.  It is also the Feast of Trumpets when shofars resound throughout the air pronouncing...

... the coming monarch.  His Royal Majesty, Jesus Christ.  Jewish teachers have taught, "Do you know what tomorrow evening is? Tomorrow will be Rosh Hashanah, and among Chassidim the night of Rosh Hashanah is called 'Karanatzia Nacht.'"  Coronation night.

(Selah!)


The crowning ceremony of the King of Kings.  It's not far off.  He's coming.  Lately I have heard, "Oh, but many things have to happen yet."  Hum.  Well, will you personally know the minute or the hour or the day?  Will you know every detail, every fulfillment and you can say with finality and infinite wisdom that NOW is the precise moment and fulfillment and He can come any moment---well, that is, if you haven't been busy living life with all of its demands and stress it commands.  When truly would one know?  Remember this friends, he comes as a thief in the night.  When you didn't really expect it.  Just when you thought there were a "few more things that have to happen first" (or worse, secretly wishing it wouldn't be too soon because we want to do this or that).  I sense that too many in the Body of Christ have a false sense of security thinking that there is "still some time left."  We should live intimately and immediate in His presence so that at any moment (whether now or somewhere in the future) when His shofar is sounded, His voice is lifted in a shout, we will not be caught unawares.  


This is the season of the Lord, the Coronation night.  Whether He comes today or tomorrow or next week or beyond is not the issue; the extent of readiness within ourselves is paramount to being ready to walk into eternity with one breath.  Literally one breath away.  Think about it.  Truly He longs for us with a passion we can never fully understand, a longing with an intensity that is beyond description, and a love that is immeasurable.  


Long for Him.  Look for Him.  Listen for His words breathing life through you and then in the silence He Himself will listen with ardent fervor.  He'll listen for very special words that bring about this most spectacular gathering of lovers of God.  The very words He longs to hear.

"The Spirit and the Bride say ...come, King Jesus."  The coronation celebration is about to begin!  Come! 


Rosh Hashanah 5772!

For the Love of Jerusalem, Israel...the place of God's heart

I will be a ring of fire around her in My midst.

Those that desire Me will dare to 

   enter the ring and find My glory.

Those in indifference or rebellion outside

  are left cracked, barren and dry

in a wilderness where there is no water.

Streams in the deserts only flow unhindered in

  yielded hearts of need to worship Me.

Fear of Me is taught, purposely and tenaciously

   walked willingly in a lifestyle of pursuit.

The ring of My fire of praise is a covenant

  of marital love borne from a pool of blood--

a gift--a broken seal off a stoneless grave,

and the passionate, kissing flames of explosive

Spirit fire bursting forth from a hungry heart.

     Praise Me!  My love is perfect!

     Praise Me!  My joy is complete!

     Praise Me!  My service, My burden 

              is light as a feather.  

Your walls are before Me and they 

catch fire and blaze in consumption

  in the ring of My praise.

                    Rejoice!  

"For I, says the Lord, will be to her a wall of fire round about, 

and I will be the glory in the midst of her."  (Zechariah 2:5)

My Daddy Can Do Anything!

Soft sand flew up in the air and landed on the beach warmed by the sun from an expansive sky.  The sea iridescent in hues of violet and azure blues lapped at the shore.  Kevin and Marta were hard at it.  Castles with stick moats emerged from pressed sand and little crabs scurried to dodge the pudgy fingers of children at play.  They had been talking about their parents and were in a verbal dodge ball game of who was the best.  

"My mommy can bake great big cakes that look like turtles!" Marta said with childish pride.  "As big as a table!  For my birthday she made me a big, big cake.  It was a turtle.  The frosting was kinda yukky green but it tasted good."

Kevin never one to be outdone stood up in his full four-foot frame, stuck out his willowy chest and declared, "My daddy can do anything!  It doesn't matter what it is or where.  He can do anything!"

Anything.  A selah word, don't you think?  (Selah:  Hebrew for stop and listen.)

Simple as a child.  His was a trusting belief that was singleness of heart, steadfast in thought, and executed with clarity.  Faith doesn't have to be convoluted nor trust a Jello-pudding experience when push comes to shove with life's challenges.  A king once said, "Unite my heart to fear your name."  In other words, "Make me single-minded so that I can be so convinced that you'll take care of everything simply because of who You are, God.  Boy, I can't do this on my own.  I always make a muck of it.  My heart is splintered by trusting in wrong things.  Mend me, Lord."  

And "fear your name."  Know what "fear" is?  In the fear of the Lord it's simply displaying a royal protocol to approach the Lord.  It's having a reverence for His majesty.  Let me put it this way.  If I was called to court today -- the closest analogy being the Queen of England in today's parlance -- I really don't think I'd show up with shorts, a baggy sweatshirt, hair all askew, unbathed for a week smacking chewing gum.  I'd prepare myself properly to meet her in mind, heart, and speech.  I wouldn't be afraid or fearful -- but I'd certainly have respect for her and for her court.   Once I presented to her my request (if any) if she proclaimed an official edict over me and gave me the papers to prove it, I'd have no hesitancy believing it would be carried out down to the last letter.  


Thing is, the King of the universe did the same thing for you.  He prepared everything for you down to the last letter.  He paid a price for you.  A heart-stopping price.  (You're that valuable.)  And He will turn over heaven and earth if you will trust him.  He gave an edict, He pronounced a covenant over you, and gave the papers to prove it.  You're a card-carrying royal.  There's no need to worry or fret, pout or complain, whine or be depressed.  Implicit virgin trust can turn out to be your life's most surprising and valuable gift.  When all's said and done there's only one thing to say with absolute confidence:


My Daddy can do ANYTHING!  Believe it.  You have His word on it.


"For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment."  (Luke 1:37 Amplified)

Stunned by His Face ...

Ever see someone's face and you tend to stare?  Someone who maybe is more than fair of face.  A stunning beauty or a face that's ruggedly handsome.  There's a tendency to look only on the outward, to value the things on the surface that please the senses.  A hairstyle, a body type, a tantalizing smile or a curvateous statuesque frame.  Looks are fleeting.  And really that isn't what makes a person no matter what Hollywood or People Magazine may tout.  There's a real beauty that shines from the inside out that defines with precision far surpassing any cosmetic surface imagery.  The outside ultimately fades and decays as age and life accelerate at break-neck speed.

Once in awhile someone exudes radiance.  It doesn't matter if they're good looking or not.  It's that inward glow shining from the inside out when combined true virtuous character and truth can't be ignored.  Simply cannot.  You know it when they walk by.  That kind of presence commands attention without saying a word.  Ever wonder what that is?  There are righteous ones in the earth.  They carry within them the very essence of heaven, it's glory, it's power emanating all-consuming love.  It's never anything they conjured or performed on their own.  They're not some big shot that has a lot of bucks or someone that's "with it."  It's something that was given as a gift.  It's a garment of righteousness, a robe if you will, that flows from their being wherever they go.  Where did they get?

Well, there was a price to pay.  It wasn't something that just shows up in a pretty box with a bow from the UPS guy in the late afternoon.  You ever go to one of those silly exchange Christmas parties, you know, where you show up with a gift that you're supposed to exchange with someone else?  Usually those are pretty sad.  Some wise guy shows up with an old baby toilet seat as a gag.  Of course you took the time to pick out something nice out of the dresser, an extra silk scarf you wrapped in scented tissue paper or a valuable tool that you never use but figured some guy would really like to have it.  Then Bozo with that stupid smirky smile can't wait for you to open the so-called "gift" he gleefully plopped your lap.  Sigh.  But some satisfaction comes in knowing Bozo-brain will have to figure out what he's going to do with a silk scarf scented with Chanel No. 5 and then how is he going to explain that to already suspicious Mrs. Bozo when he gets home a little too late from the party.    
 
The heavenly gift exchange isn't even remotely akin. It's a gift of par excellence that extends far past all here on earth.  No exquisite diamond, certainly no monetary amount, land on a large paradise island, media fame or class or status can buy, compete, compel or demand.  It's simply the gift of the galaxies and of all time.  A unparalleled gift from a King offered in exchange for all the gunk in your life.  Now is that a deal or what?  All the sin and guilt and condemnation that life dishes out without exception to race, gender or age is handed on a goo-filled platter, He willingly takes it and calls it a fair exchange.  Wow!  Thing is, His Blood wipes it out because He Himself paid the price.  You couldn't nor will you ever.  Then at that moment He took off His robe and placed it on you.

No wonder when you walk in a room people since His presence.  It's not you; it's Him.  He entered the room with you.  So when the Father looks at you He doesn't see the goo, the gunk and the condemning heart -- He sees His son, Jesus. His righteousness.  His life.  His power.  His love.  Man, I want to live in that every day.  Don't you?  What a feeling of living free.  I don't have to "try" to be righteous.  He made me that way.  Sins forgiven.  Check.  No condemnation.  Check.  No guilt anymore.  Check.  That makes that checklist complete.  A life that is cleansed and robed in royalty.

It's not a come on.  Not fake.  Not a fairy tale or some lunatic religious jumbo-mumbo.  It's a simple thing you can do.  Take some time today to talk to Him.  Sit down and have a cup of coffee with Him.  Tell him your heart.  You can trust Him.  He won't let you down.  Not like others that have done it repeatedly in the past.  I know there's been people in your life that caused real hurt, the ones that didn't fulfill, the ones that couldn't even hear the heartbeat of your concern let alone understand what you were feeling.  But He is different.  This King listens.  I mean, really listens.  Even the parts that are unspoken in your heart of hearts.  You may have had a rough day where it seemed no one wanted to hear your words and they were carelessly tossed as trash in the ditch.  Take some time in the secret cafe.  A place where there's a warm corner that He's reserved just for the two of you.  You'll find the exchange is exquisite.  The ring He sets on your finger will be a symbol of His love for you, which is infinite.  Never ending, in purest gold, with diamonds and rubies set in prisms of light.  The robe He gives is royal.  You're of the heavenly royal family.  A prince among mere men; a princess among mere women.  He's back there in the corner waiting for you at a table exclusively reserved for two.

Hidden in the secret place of His presence warmed by the breath of His Name,

Safe in the hand of His authority worn down by life's thorns ... I came.

Blindfolded to natural senses He illumined by the Holy Spirit's dawn,

Rising brilliant in revelatory wonder now all imperfect understanding is gone.

In the pavilion of expansive wonder staring up in this secret dome and its gates,

In awe I gaze at the splendor of heaven and look on His beautiful face.

Silenting dumb and numbing fears, impervious to doubts that assail,

Deeply I breathe in His presence exhaling the anointing that impales--

All unbelief that dared to be present now run in confusion and haste;

Till all that's left standing in this secret pavilion--is the Spirit embracing me by Grace!

"...fear not, Abram, I am your shield, your abundant compensation, and your reward

shall be exceedingly great ... and He brought him outside [his tent into the starlight]

and said, look now toward the heavens and count the stars...if you are able

to number them ... and he [Abram] believed in [trusted in, relied on,

remained steadfast] to the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness

[right standing with God]."

(Genesis 15:1-6) 

 

The Father's Field of Fire

The torches brandished the top of the row
     and I shook as the angel bent,
Fear yelled in my ear and I almost fell
   under its weight and constant relent.
"RUN!" the Father said, "No time to lose"
   and His command surged through my soul;
Wanting to please Him, my Lover, my Lord,
   I made His heart's cry my own.
His fingers caressed my cheek aflame,
   I knew I'd do anything He asked;
"Go quickly, My beauty, the time is now spent,"
   and His urgency made me gasp.


Then the Angel of the Lord with sworn drawn
   and His torch hot with flame,
Emblazoned my soul, consumed all my flesh
   as I died to self and life's games.

This vessel He's made in His purpose, His plan,
   I've come to this apex of time;
Illuminated by His Word of Light,
   for my destiny, no demons can bind.


I run down the rows with laughter and joy
   at the service He's made me employ;
"He's coming!" I shout with excitement and glee,

   amazed what I'm anointed to be;
In His giftings I run, in His Spirit now blaze,
  The torch He infamed -- is me!


Be encouraged.  These are days of hot flame both of evil and of good for the power and glory of God.  There are outright in-in-your-face choices that have to be made.  Today.  Not tomorrow.  Today.  Everything is in His timing.  Remember, if you have Jesus as Lord in your life you are a Christian first and then a being in the earth.  The world may seem at full tilt with everything headed to a global war and annihilation of Jews and Christians -- but I tell you at this moment God's people and His church will win triumphant.  This is a day where we need His wisdom and His understanding more than we need CNN, Fox News or endless hours of sports and reruns on satellite TV.  We need God.  There's only one way to receive Him and that's with an open heart without distraction.  Have courage.  Have strength in the Lord.  There's no time for playing games.  No time to "zone out" because of the stress of life.  

Have you ever noticed in the story of the ten girlfriends in the Bible (Matthew 25) there was only one call that the "Bridegroom is coming!"  Not two or three or four times or "Won'tcha, please?"  Nothing like that.  There is a "last call" out there for those that will stop the noise and listen.  There is a calling, an urgency in the voice.  It's the gentle and powerful Spirit of God leading and pulling you to see the goodness of God.  It's time.  It's now.  It's not tomorrow.  It's today.  There are those that will leave this earth today.  There's no guarantees.  Not even for you.  You may feel you have lots of days left or you may think you have only a few weeks or months.  There is a time to live and a time to die.  The numbers of days in a person's life are with precision.  He gives the breath.  He takes it.  Let Him lead you into illumination of the King of heaven -- the King of Kings.  The Lord of all.  He is coming and soon.  Sooner than you think.  Look up!

"After that I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse [appeared]! The One Who was riding it is called Faithful (Trustworthy, Loyal, Incorruptible, Steady) and True, and He passes judgment and wages war in righteousness (holiness, justice, and uprightness).

    His eyes [blaze] like a flame of fire, and on His head are many kingly crowns (diadems); and He has a title (name) inscribed which He alone knows or can understand.

    He is dressed in a robe dyed by dipping in blood, and the title by which He is called is The Word of God.

    And the troops of heaven, clothed in fine linen, dazzling and clean, followed Him on white horses.

    From His mouth goes forth a sharp sword with which He can smite (afflict, strike) the nations; and He will shepherd and control them with a staff (scepter, rod) of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath and indignation of God the All-Ruler (the Almighty, the Omnipotent).

    And on His garment (robe) and on His thigh He has a name (title) inscribed, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."  (Rev. 19:11-16 Amplified Version)

The Five Girlfriends...

Jesus, the consummate storyteller, told a compelling story 2,000 years ago that is just as fresh and alive today as the moment He spoke it.  It talks about 10 girlfriends.  They all had so much in common.  They dressed alike, talked alike, walked alike, carried the same Bible.  It’d be hard to tell them apart in a crowd.  Their smiles were infectious, their fervor unflagging.  Five of them however lacked good judgment and insight.  Tagging on the shirttails of the other five, they relied them to nibble at spiritual food, experience the latest goosebumps, or paying high dollar for twisted prophecies in a futile attempt to keep their lamps full of oil. They had their lamps properly filled at one point, but their busy existence now pushed them to the brink of apathy reducing their vessels into smoldering wisps.  

As time passed and the day grew late all grew sleepy.  They dozed.  The light of their flickering lamps danced in the evening night to music that only the heavenly guard standing silently by could hear.  Suddenly, there was a startling loud cry that sliced through the night,"Get up!  Get up!  He's coming!!  The groom is coming!"  In the hustle and bustle of becoming awake, smoothing out dresses and straightening hair, five girlfriends noticed their lamps had nearly run out of oil.  Didn’t even think about bringing some extra oil.  They asked the five with-it girlfriends if they might borrow a little bit so they could light their lanterns again.

"Sorry, but if I give you some I won't have enough for myself.  You really need to go get your own.  You had the opportunity.  Can't live off my light.  You need to find it for yourself.  If you think you can buy your way to God, go to the ones who sell it."  The five freeloaders trotted off to the religious merchants who enchant with their monthly online trinkets, false prophecies, and witchcraft promises. The truth hurts sometimes.  But the cutting can be healing if allowed to extract the cancerous evil growth.

After they left, you know what happened, don’t you?  Yep.  The groom came.  With great joy He encircled His five lovers into His arms and personally led them into large wedding party (by invitation only!) and shut the door.  (Man, I want to go to that party!)

The five shopaholics now returned to the door of the party.  Loaded down with large purses balancing five smoldering lamps, ten burgenong shopping mall bags, uncreased Bibles, and large gallons of old tainted oil, they lifted their arms to knock.  Their voices were raised in a discordant chorus, "Lord, Lord, open up!  We're here now.  Let us in!  Haallloooo!" 

Some moments passed and then the Lord opened the speak-easy peep opening on the massive wooden door.  “Yes?”

“Oh, Lord, there you are.  Hi.  It’s us.  Let us in, will ya?  We're here.  We're ready now.  Sorry we’re late.  We were shopping and didn’t realize the time." 

His paused silence punctuated the air with finality.  "Who are you?  I don't know you."  

With harumphs they whined, “Well, that’s a fine how do you do.  We’ve been to all the conferences, every church party, participated in running “revival,” taken care of bratty kids in the nursery, handed out offering plates in every prayer meeting.  Man, we even gave prophesies on the platform in Your Name.  And we have been running all over town trying to get some oil so we could see where are going.  We have trudged all this way and now the shut and you won’t remember us?  We’re the girlfriends in your house.  Surely you remember us now.  We’re the ones that always sit on the right-hand side in the fifth row from the back.  Remember now?”
* * * * *
You know where this is going, don’t you?  It’s an old story and yet as timeless as a pair of shoes.  You can dress the same, look the same, go to the same meetings, sing the same songs, even carry the same Bible -- but if you have never had a lover relationship with Jesus ... well, the door is definitely shut.  Just that simple.  No ifs, ands or buts about it.  The only way to heaven is through Jesus, not through nature or trees or mystic energies or tarot cards or alcohol or drugs or the nearest Indian casino.  It’s Jesus.  He only is the door. 

It’s not a church, a denomination or how many good deeds you can do.  It’s not even because you’re a “good person” or a mighty philanthropist.  The Bible says “If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” (1 Cor. 13:3).  Wow. Nothing.  (Selah:  which loosely translated means to pause and chew on that for awhile.)  Most of the time these beautiful “love verses” of Cor. 13 has been used to define how we should love one another.  But the love and reverential fear of God is the greatest of all.  Out of that flows the meaning of life, the ability to live and love better, higher, stronger and with more excellence than ever before.  It generates meaningful existence, implants courageous feats, imbues wisdom to execute equity and righteousness in all life’s dealings.  It turns things that are skewed and upside down into right perspective, a clearing of the mind and heart. 

Sounds noble and beyond reach?  Not really.  All it takes is the silent outreach of a heart to a God who is listening.  He’s sitting on the windowsill of heaven with his arm reaching down to you.  He’s really not that far away.  He’s smiling at you.  You are the crown of his creation, the joy of His heart and He wants to have an intimate relationship with you.  To be the only One that matters.  Some may say that’s nuts.  To you, it may be a bead of hope that you can grab onto with your hands and let Him swing you into His world.  You’ll never be sorry.  Ever. 

This is a timeless story for today.  Don’t be a person piggybacking on others letting them do all the praying, the searching, all the studying of God's Word.  Don’t rely on TV preachers or even your favorite (or not-so-favorite) teacher down the street feed you like a baby bird unable to fly on your own.  The anointing of God is free and rich for all, but individual. It’s nonnegotiable. You have to get it for yourself. 

Dare I say it?  Don’t be a “dumb girlfriend” when you can be a true lover of God. 
 

Wind Whispers...

It's quiet here, Lord, but
I speak out your praises.
I shout them out in my spirit.  Hear the silent shouts!

Shout with proclamations of praise, stampede stupidity 
  and fear so they run in panic into dry and desolate places.
May the scapegoat of doubt not find refuge
   and die on the rocks of vain imaginations.

The white cord of faith on the door of my heart has turned red --
  by the Blood of Jesus -- and I am safe in the arms of God.
He sits enthroned there in peace and I safely am pillowed in Him,
Listening to Him hum along with me 
    the tunes I created solely for a performance to One

Stand Up!  And praise Him -- Meet your Creator,
Bow at the feet of the wondrous fabricator of hearts, souls and spirits,
  the One who made you complete and whole
  missing nothing.  Dance before Him!  The dance of freedom.
Freedom won in violence by those who take it by force.
He has shown Himself strong and worthy.

This is the One who loves me....and you.
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing.
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with [crystal threads of] gladness.
To the end that my glory may sing praise to you and NOT be silent.
O Lord My God, I will give thanks to You forever!! (Psa. 30:11-12)

My praise dances a solo dance.
He captures it in His heart like a video clip and plays it often 
  in the theater of His heart so that my praise of the morning
  is with Him all day until I dance around His throne in the evening
  simply for the joy of knowing Him.  I can't wait until I can be alone
  to talk and laugh and cry and sing and sit with Him in awe. 
 The echo of His words reverberate in my spirit as I work 
  and live before Him in fluid and never-ending grace.

Put your best face forward.  Strike a pose.  The one that is transfixed at His beauty. 
He films your praise as a treasured film -- a heavenly box office blockbuster
A stage to mount the winds of change for a play of abundant grace and benefits.
Praise Him extravagantly.  
He's listening.
He's watching.
He's smiling with joy ... at you.

It's All In a Name

"They're married in name only.  There's nothing else there."  We've all heard it one time or another referring to a couple who share nothing in life, living in separate spheres without intimacy or affirming affection.  What is in a name anyway?  What is it?  Something just on a piece of paper or much more?  Some women don't want to take the name of their husbands upon marriage choosing rather to brand themselves individually and separately.  Something they want to cling to from another time and another space, maybe giving deference to a treasured father or simply for business convenience. 

There are men and women who make a name for themselves through unflinching courage, extraordinary bravery, uncommon strength, and unswerving devotion. Names can mean several things in a myriad of ways.  Names of family members take on duplicity in that they not only bear the family name but also ranking title within the family tree:  father, mother, aunt, uncle, brother, sister.

Cruel derogatory names slash harshly.  A soul can bear scars lasting a lifetime notwithstanding race, age or gender. 

Before the feminist movement tried to twist God's design of a beautiful woman into being some kind of cooky Amazon weirdo, there was the sense of honor in taking a man's name.  One took upon herself not only his name but his reputation, his wealth (or lack thereof), his home, his place in society, everything that came under that banner, that symbol of a name.  Then came the movement of just living together.  A freeloading type of lifestyle that didn't give any sense of belonging or covenant.  A live-in arrangement of conjugal convenience rather than deepening commitment to a oneness of strength to face whatever life may bring together until death without making provision for splitting apart.

The genesis of oneness through marriage wasn't something man drummed up.  God Himself placed the ring of love around both Adam and Eve and pronounced them one.  One not only name but in intimacy and love.  It's been a perfect design all along, predetermined before anybody showed up on the planet.  While still wet ink on the plans spread out on a crystal table in the halls of God, one Name alone stood out above all names.  The Father knew what was going to happen.  We'd mess it up.  We'd have no way out.  Fatality of spirit, soul, and body would set people adrift in a sinful world.  God's Son -- the only One He has, by the way -- said, "You know what?  I know you love them more than breath itself.  There's only one to do it.  Redeem them myself.  They can't save themselves so we'll save them.  I'll be happy to do it for you at the expense of my life and then give them My Name in exchange."  Perfect.

Well.  The thing is, He actually did it. He came and did the right thing and gave up His own life for yours.  A great exchange, don't you think?  If you don't take Him up on it -- boy, howdy, I don't know.  How could you pass up a deal like that?  It's not a made-up fairy tale or some religious contrivance aimed at your checkbook or brainwashing reducing you to simple-minded Ralston mush.  Religion tries to make it ooey-gooey with namby-pamby artwork and Bible-thumping charlatans whose intentions are simply to enlarge the base of their own ministries.  But, ooh, it's so much more than that.  So much more. 

Jesus made a huge mark.  He made a Name for Himself with extraordinary courage, obedience, and joy.  And when you accept that magnificent gift of love and life He holds out to you free of charge without malice or accusation -- whew, there's quite an exchange.  He gives you His name.  Christian.  And you are under all that that Name implies now:  health, vigor, strength, freedom, forgiveness and more.  There are attributes of God that could fill pages, books and galaxies for what that Name implies. 

The world is aflame.  People lives are snuffed out without thought.  Politicians rife with evil and malicious ideologies are bent on the demise of democracy and fair justice.  Families are in enmity with one another even to the point of murder:  Husbands killing wives; mothers killing children; estranged lovers killing whole families.  Weather randomly and carelessly spins out of control snuffing out lives without thought.  The earth is heaving with contractions in a desired longing to see the revealing of the sons of God.  Where will it lead to?  How can anyone make sense out of any of it?

There is a verse that has been repeatedly expressed in the past few years and its import is more valid now than ever before.  It doesn't say that if we vote in the right president (or take out an evil one) or if our economy would just recover or we get the right job or we take out the evil dictators it will make everything be all right again and we can go back to watching 17 episodes of American Idol and waiting for someone else to spiritually feed us when we have some time.  God help us.  We need something more.  Something big.  Something much more for a nation in dire peril.  And here it is:

"If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land."  (2 Chron. 7:14)

Notice it didn't say anything about an election or some charismatic figure or ministry or specific denomination.  It's across the board.  The ones who call themselves after His Name, his character.  Calling on Him under His banner.  His protection, His wealth, His healing, His forgiveness.  If we would tear down the high places of our hearts, of our community, of our nation; if we would pray, seek, and crave His presence and turn away from our wicked ways -- not selective, but ALL of them -- we would once again be a strong, viable, and wealthy nation.  One that can hold out its hands to others to help, to encourage, and strengthen.  My heart hurts for my country, for my countrymen, and the viability of it in the world.  But I have a part to play.  It is to seek God.  It is to pray that I will turn from those things which impede me from hearing the heart of God and living in obedience to Him.  I don't want to be isolated from His Name.  In being called after the Father may the world know that we are Christians by our love, not by our meaningless pasty labels of split denominations or sectors.  We are all one body in Christ if you are called by His Name.  For we are not of ourselves; we are in Him.

You see, it truly is all in a Name.  And that Name is:   Jesus.

Keeping Score

Excited chatter filled the large auditorium with heightened expectancy.  Ticket stubs firmly in hand people hurried to their seats and nestled into the place of musical storytelling at its best -- professional live musical theater.  A quick glance at the program revealed the actors, directors, musicians and technical personnel who in a chorus of one lended their talents to bring characters of a long-beloved tale to life once again on an open stage.

The lights dimmed and voices droned down to silence in that anticipatory moment when the audience collectively held their breath for the first downbeat of the orchestral score.  They were not disappointed.  When the music started all were in awe of the full symphony of music that cocooned the audience in a another time and space.  Lights on the stage became brighter, the large maroon velvety curtains slowly pulled back and the story began.  For the next two hours the audience was transfixed with the beauty and mastery of skill honed by years of intense lessons, diligent practice,  and determination to reach the goal of their God-given talents.  It paid off.  In the end thunderous applause met the troupe and they reciprocated with bows and thank yous before they exited the stage.

Remembering back to the days when I played cello and later piano in musical theater myself, I realized something really quite profound from a spiritual perspective.  Music may fill the senses but it truly comes from a place in the soul that only God designs.  There is a specific place where He wants each one to be, expressing His song in His orchestra.  Some are able to find their place and sing that song all their lives; others seem to drift.  I was one of those.  The gifting did not seem to fit anywhere.  Oh, I could do this or that and fill this space and that void, but it wasn't by design.  It was by someone else's compulsion.  Conformity can bring a slow cancerous-like ailment to the vision that God has placed within each one.  He has placed eternity in the heart (Ecc. 3:11).  There is no time for rabbit trails now.  It's time to take our places.  To tune our instruments, rosin the bow preparatory to placing it on the strings that play the tunes of God.

Any musician knows a cellist doesn't belong in the horn section and the horns don't belong in the violin section.  There is an assigned seat and that is the only one you are to occupy.  There are those in organizations where they don't belong simply because they don't know the score.  They don't know their place and worse, haven't practiced their musical score.  The result is discordant resulting at times with pain, confusion and unfortunately outright rejection.

These are turbulent times.  No one standing on earth need tell you that.  It's frightening clear to those who don't know the score.  It's important to study the music.  To be prepared for when the lights dim and the world holds its  collective breath for the downbeat of the revealing of the sons of God.  It will be a jaw-dropping moment for the beauty of the Lord will encompass the earth like a cocoon and in the next revealing moments all will see Him for who He is. 

It takes practice, diligent and earnest, to be a musician -- and so as a son or daughter of God.  He has given you talents that only you can fill.  He has made you in intricate complexity yet with a simple message of the truth of Jesus.  He displays daily what He did for all mankind through you in magnificent colors of grace .  Truly a gift incomparable.  Salvation pure, complete, assured.  No other religion, god or man can assure you of that.  Only Him.  Only God.  Only Jesus.

In an orchestra sometimes you play; sometimes you don't.  There are times of rest, there are times of furious and seemingly frantic notes that scamper across the audience in lightning speed.  You'll need to know how to read the score, be able to keep time, the crescendo of the sound, when to soften and temper, when to count the measures of the Lord. 

It may seem like you've sat in the same seat in your section of the orchestra for years.  Nothing has happened, nothing has changed, and yet the years that compile seem more a like a meaningless cacophony than a symphony.  Be encouraged.  Your best days, your best moments to play the heartbeat of God are before you.  They truly are!  Don't let the devil talk you out of it -- he isn't worth it.  Your part in the song of God may occur for many days or only a moment, but that moment will shine like the stars of heaven forever in that your obedience to the call He placed within your heart.  It will sound out in fullness the story of Jesus to a world that has no clue.

 

Waiting is a big thing.  Tremendous.  It's a class apart.  It's just as important to God as being completely active.  And in honing that critical skill many will see it and fear the Lord.  "I waited patiently for the Lord and He inclined to me ... and established my steps.  He has put a new song in my mouth--Praise to our God.  Many will see it and fear and trust in the Lord."  (Psa. 40:1-3)

Waiting.  Tick-tock.  The time runs through an hour glass like water from a faucet.  But God!  What do I do?

"Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength." (Isa. 40:30-31).  I used to think that was like waiting at a bus stop for transportation that never seemed to arrive, a frustrating and fruitless exercise of works.  But really, nothing could be farther from the truth.  Waiting is simply counting out the measures as in a score of music until your time to once again play out His tune.  The thing is, you're not only counting so you don't miss your place in the score; you're keeping watch.  You're looking at the conductor, the One who gives the cues.

Look at Him now.  He's looking right at you.  Keep studying the score (the Word of God), practice your lessons (obedience to the Lord), take your rightful place (not some contrivance man would try to mold you into their image), and then watch.  Watch Him.  Study Him.  And you will see it.  You will see it plain as day.  For He has held up two fingers pointing right at you, then turning His hand of love around to Himself, He points at his own eyes while mouthing the words, "WATCH ME."  I am transfixed.  My body is poised on my instrument.  I have studied for this moment.  I have prayed for this opportunity and He has heard my prayer.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus.  He is the symphony of praise for an audience of ONE.  The One true God.  The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  The Father of all, Adonai.  He is breathessly excited to hear your song.  He is intently listening.  He has His program, His plan that's about to be performed on a world stage.  In that downbeat as you play your part in the a symphony of praise your heart will swell in adoration and love to the composer of all life, of all being, of all hope, and saving grace.  Your life is safely directed by the finger of God who is conducting the end of the age.

I'll Be Seeing You ...

Fiddling with a stray thread on the bottom of my shirt, I stared at the floor.  Wasn't sure just how the events that had recently unfolded in my life led me here.  It had seemed so simple long ago.  But now the jaded envelope of life enclosed around me stealing and sealing my fate.  At a friend's suggestion I trudged myself here, but I was uneasy, unsteady and definitely not prepared for what my mind was screaming, "This is a mistake!!"  Without thought, I flipped open a magazine that had been tossed in the empty seat beside me.  With familiar disappointment, I quickly scanned the ad nauseum ads, stories that held no interest, and worthless subscriptions vying for the opportunity to glue themselves to my wallet.

A song drifted out into the reception area that arrested me into rapt attention.  Bing Crosby crooned and carassed the song as if he and the hearer were the only ones in the room.  I closed my eyes and remembered when I heard it last.  The stone of remembrance sank in the well of my heart and its ripples caused memories to flood my heart.

I'll be seeing you in all the old familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces all day through
In that small café, the park across the way
The children's carousel, the chestnut trees, the wishing well

It hadn't been all that long ago he and I had shared that sweet embrace, the kiss of forever, two lovers who can speak the private, unspoken language of a wink, a look, and a touch. 

I'll be seeing you in every lovely summer's day
In everything that's light and gay
I'll always think of you that way
I'll find you in the mornin' sun
And when the night is new


I thought I had said goodbye that morning.  Did I?  Didn't I?  Or what if I would have ... with a sigh of defeated resignation I had to tell myself I didn't remember.  But when the policemen came to my door and the the world reeled at the news of a love lost forever, the axis of life shifted and I tumbled from reality into a place of shock.  Everything after spiraled.  Snippets and snapshots of life fanned before me as my soul reminded me of events that left me shattered not only because of the loss of David, but at the times when I hadn't been my best, lashed out at others or let the bruising of life cause deep gashes of shame, anger, resentment and unforgiveness unattended to and like the Samaritan story from the Bible, I had been left for dead, as it were, another of life's casualties that didn't make it in success.  I'd tried chasing after this and that.  Gotten good at it, too.  But in the end, it didn't make me truly happy.  Not the things.  Not the money (or the lack of it).  Not the new person in my life.  Nothing.  After all, I thought I was a good person.  Things just didn't happen like this to good people, did it?  I mean, is it really -- 


"Jennifer Lassen?"  


I lifted my head quickly, shaking worn-out cycled thoughts of fatigued depression, guilt, and anxiousness.  "Yes, I -- I'm here."  Rising from my chair the ashes of my thoughts tumbled and  littered where I had sat.  "Your mind is working overtime.  Get it together, Jennifer," I mumbled to myself.  


The assistant had a broad smile on her face as if I was the only person in the room.  Didn't really believe that.  It's part of her job, I reasoned.  Part of the routine.  Part of the price of peace.  A farcical play of pretense.  I played along putting on my good-to-see-you-too routine so I wouldn't lose face.  Silly, wasn't it.  But pleasantries and niceties are currency of relationships and the reciprocating price is low comparatively no matter if given with genuineness or not.  I acquiesced to being nice myself. 

The room was inviting lacking the usual sterile environs that accompanied a visit of this sort.  She led me to a surprisingly comfortable chair while handing me a steaming cup that held my favorite tea.  "Wow, this is great," I said with thankfulness.   The chair surrounded me in warmth as did the liquid that passed my lips warding off the chill trying to recirculate doom and gloom in the rooms of my heart. 


The assistant closed my file and placed it in a holder on the wall.  "He'll be in in just a moment."  She turned and left the room leaving me to thoughts that echoed off the walls, "What are you doing here, what are you doing here, what are you doing here?"  Sitting there I stared at all the items in the room that would hold either terror of mind or soothing of spirit depending upon your malady at the moment.  I looked for certificates or diplomas or something that would assuage my feelings of uncertainty about the qualifications of such a healer.  My friend had recommended him, but really and truly, what did I know of him?  Just what people had said and I had learned a long time ago, you can't trust what everybody says.  Don't let naivety be your guide.  I saw a yellowed and faded parchment in unfamiliar script encased in glass.  I immediately wanted to get up and inspect it to see if I could gain my insight about him.  This could be what held the clue.


But then the door opening interrupted those thoughts and he entered the room.  Not at all in a hurry, he looked at me and smiled a broad smile.  His face was riveting.  Eyes like fire that seemed to look all the way through me to the tag brand on my shirt.  He was tall, dark -- and quite frankly, handsome to a undefinable fault.  He sat down across from me and paused as if he had something he really wanted to say, almost like I didn't need to tell him anything and that he knew everything.  


"Life has been a bit rough, hasn't it?"  He took my hand.  His touch was full of compassion and his attentiveness to me was without guile in any form, not beguiling or intrusive.  Truly with mercy and peace.  I couldn't quite explain it now and probably thinking back I never will.  It was one of those moments of lucidity when everything comes into focus and the path to alignment is not all that far away.  


In that moment, I couldn't help it.  There was no way to stop it.  I had thought before I got here, I'm going to definitely have the "upper hand" in this conversation.  I would get what I could from the professional to stop the bleeding of life.  I would tell him what I needed in a no-nonsense manner.  But here in this simplistic moment where love reigned as king through the one who gave it, the emotions collided with my stubborn will.  I could not speak.  Tears flowed unchecked, streaming hot down my cheeks.


"People have treated you with gross injustice, haven't they?  There also have been moments that were complicit where you have said and done things you wished you could take back,  but knew as soon as they were released that would never happen.  It's a bruising of soul, a destruction, something you cannot redeem.  Only I can do that.  I died just for you so that you can be healed body, soul and spirit."  


My head was nodding up and down in short quick affirmations.  The things that he went on to say laid out all that had been done to me and from me.  Nothing I could dodge or ameliorate, contest or feign ambivalence.  All was wide open.  


He placed his hand on my heart and said with all kindness and love, "Your heart is beautiful to me.  I have been trying to win your heart for myself for a very long time.  The home of your heart has been defaced with graffiti laced with vehement angst against you.  I love you so very much.  If you would give your heart to me, I will make it a manor, a place of beauty where my name is forever etched with a diamond nib dipped with my very own blood." 


In that instant I knew where my future was cast.  It wasn't in the shallowness of cardboard religion, the enticement of the world's unending parties or political agendas, not even in the on-and-off-again relationships -- but one on one with this man of strength, power and kingship.  The Lord. The Messiah.  King Jesus Himself, the Healer, the Bread of Life, the Lover of my soul. 

He calmly wrote the prescription for me.  Immediate prescription was Acts 16:31.  

"Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping and you will be saved, and this applies both to] you and your household as well."


"You'll need this prescription as well," he said with a wink.  "Take it PRN (as needed) and all will be well."  He handed me the second slip and my eyes scanned what he had written.


"Psalm 23 and 91 1X day. Psa. 51 and John 14:13 PRN."  

"Thank you," I said with true thankfulness of heart.  He embraced me with affirming love that it took my breath away.  


"Remember my words.  I'm never far away.  I will help you in everything.  I will strengthen you when the day is long.  I will cause you to run and walk and be and do with confidence as never before.  Just whisper My Name.  I'm there."  


As I climbed into my car to go home I realize the Healer for all of His incomparable credentials and skill had applied to my spirit, soul and body a completeness of health, a wholeness unparalleled, a redemption of spirit that no one or nothing else could touch.  He, Himself.  By Himself.  Alone.  My mind had been renewed, my spirit reborn, my soul divested of the bruisings of life.  Suddenly I realized that the words he spoke so long ago to others is just as true today, riveting and replete with fresh-born power as the day He gave it.  He says it now.  Listen.  Listen to the wind words of the Spirit.  They're blowing.  Do you hear it?  Do you sense it?  It's not at the end of the road, the end of power or days stripped of validity.  These days are the days of fulfillment. 



"DO NOT let your hearts be troubled (distressed, agitated). You believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely on God; believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely also on Me.

    In My Father's house there are many dwelling places (homes). If it were not so, I would have told you; for I am going away to prepare a place for you.

    And when (if) I go and make ready a place for you, I will come back again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also."  (John 14:1-3)

I pulled into my driveway sensing the peace that had flooded and ignited my soul.  What a God, what a Savior, what a King!  I was totally smitten.  There are those that scoff at the beauty of God.  I've heard their squalor and squawking at a God that is so entrenched in love for them that they cannot understand, always inaccurately comparing earth with heaven, the inveterate palaces of the King.   I'm hoping I can insert through a fingernail breadth left open of a heart untouched for others to see the gorgeousness of the Lord.  Opening my car door and standing erect I looked heavenward and suddenly the strands of the song took an even greater depth that I just knew the writers never envisioned.

I'll find you in the mornin' sun
And when the night is new
I'll be looking at the moon
But I'll be seeing you



If you know God, I encourage you to go deeper, go higher, go wider in your intimacy with Him.  

If you've never known him and want to, it's really very, very simple.  Just open up your heart and talk to Him.  Tell Him what you want.  Sit down in His office and let Him hold your hand, wipe away your tears, and make you brand new.  He'll do just that.  No one need check your baggage or have you jump through hoops of rules and regulations.  He'll save you.  No questions asked.

And if you're resistant and think, oh, what a bunch of hooey baloney, all I'm saying is this:  Just think about it.  Think about it without all the lashings of current popular thought that Christianity is a crutch, a doctrine of sissies, and an unforgiving, intolerant group full of pride.  You know what?  Some of them may be that. I say that with sorrow.  And if some so-called Christian has really hurt you, let me be the first to say, I'm sorry.  I'm sorry for the wounding.  But truly, who they are isn't what God is.  Bottom line:  God is love.  Full of mercy (who doesn't need that?), compassionate (we all need that from time to time), and brings peace (where in the world IS that??).  There are those who stick their heads in the sand and think the world doesn't need peace, grabbing instead for chaotic reformation laced with unspeakable violence and death.  


I'm just saying ... think about it.  All by yourself.  Alone.  With eyes and heart wide open.  What and Who you see just might surprise you.