Do Not Depart

Encouragement and Tools to Abide in God's Word

You are here: Home / Archives for Jennifer Hong

Jennifer lives in Houston with her husband and four energetic children. After training and working as a pediatrician, Jennifer transitioned to be home full-time and has found life at home to be wild but wonderful. Homeschooling fueled Jennifer‘s passion for education, offering the opportunity to learn, read, and draw alongside her children. Her favorite day is Thursday, when her family escapes their urban surroundings to walk in the woods and dig in the dirt.

Give Thanks to the Lord, for He is Good!

by Leave a Comment

Our words serve so many purposes. They encourage, admonish, and lift up others in prayer. They worship, sing, and praise. And they give thanks. There is so much to give thanks for. Psalm 107:1 tells us, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.” Amen!

Give thanks

“Thank you, God, for Chippy’s tail.”

Chip is our beloved dog, and that snippet of gratitude is the extent of bedtime prayers we get from one of our kids when they’re especially sleepy. We want to teach the kids that we choose to follow God, and to thank Him, even when our flesh is struggling. “Our family gives thanks to God,” is my refrain on such evenings. If they don’t have much to say during prayers, that’s okay, but we do require one offering of thanks. And so, in more trying moments, one child’s go to is “thank you, God, for Chippy’s tail.” They adore our sweet dog, from his cold, wet nose to his fluffy, wagging tail. It’s my hope that this little habit of expressing thanks each evening to the one Who gives us all good things molds our hearts with time.

The Bible speaks extensively as to why we give thanks.

We Give Thanks…

…because of Who He is.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever,
    and his faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:4-5)

I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness,
    and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High. (Psalm 7:17)

…because of what He has done

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy! (Psalm 107:21-22)

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 9:1)

…because of what He has given us

 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:17)

Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice;  and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. (Luke 17:15-16)

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:11)

“To you, O God of my fathers,
I give thanks and praise,
for you have given me wisdom and might,
and have now made known to me what we asked of you,
for you have made known to us the king’s matter.” (Daniel 2:23)

…and because we are commanded to.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

We give thanks to God, even when we don’t feel like it. Failing to give thanks and honor God is to let our hearts act in rebellion and be darkened by sin.

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  (Romans 1:21)

Thankful as a Practice of Habit

In his book “You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit,” James K.A. Smith teaches that “we learn to love, then, not primarily by acquiring information about what we should love but rather through practices that form the habits of how we love.”

He goes on to say, “Teaching and learning that are attuned to the spiritual power of habit recognize the cumulative power of little things, the formative power of micro practices. Little things repeated over time in community have a formative effect (why do you think US public schools begin each day with their own version of a creed, the Pledge of Allegiance?). As Winnie the Pooh once said, “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”

It’s our aim that our little evening practice of family prayers and thanksgiving daily forms our family’s hearts to look to the Lord with honor and thanks.

For what do you give thanks to God today?

Like much of Texas, today I am grateful for warmth and water. It’s a gorgeous, sunny, February day, and my family and friends are safe. Thank you, Lord, for carrying us through cold nights and for never leaving our side.

Words of Life and Light

by 1 Comment

This month we’ll look at the power and meaning of spoken words, including words we “speak” to ourselves. We will see that God’s words are words of life and light. Our words, similarly, bring forth life and light when they spring from a heart abiding in Christ. Our words can root us in truth and build up the Body of Christ.

Before we jump into an up-close look at our own words, though, let’s start from the very beginning.

Words of Life and Light

In the Beginning…

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. (Genesis 1:1-5)

There was darkness. And God spoke. And there was light.

I wonder what we would have heard, had we been there to witness creation.

I wonder what we would have seen.

I wonder…  God’s speech brought the heavens and the earth into being. His words were the act of creation, bringing shape to the formless. I wonder what is formed by my words.

And Another Beginning

About 1500 years after the Book of Genesis was written, John began his Gospel:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)

Here we see that Christ, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (v. 9), was not only present from the time of creation but is the Word by which all was created.

The Greek John uses for “Word” in this passage is Logos. According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, Logos means “a word, yet not in the grammatical sense… a word which, uttered by the living voice, embodies a conception or idea.”

Creative Writing… and Speaking

In these two foundational passages, I see that words bring into being thoughts and ideas. The act of speaking is itself creative, adding form to that which was previously private and silent. What power.

Christ, Logos, the Word made flesh, is the embodiment of the Father’s light, life, and love. And He dwells within us!

As we begin this month, I pray that He “may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:17b-19).

And may that love spill out in our words, forming our lives and shaping those around us.

 

 

Letting Go of Hesitance, Receiving Every Spiritual Blessing

by 1 Comment

This month we are delving into the character of God and the freedom He brings in a series titled “Let Go and Know.” Jaime posed the question, “What trash are we holding on to, and more importantly, what is it about God that allows us to let go freely?” God is showing me that He is generous with His Spirit, and I can let go of my hesitance to receive the fullness of His every spiritual blessing.

Every Spiritual Blessing

When was the last time you felt hesitant?

Sometimes hesitation is life-saving, like when the speed of the crossing traffic causes me to pause, waiting for a longer gap before making a left turn. But sometimes, hesitation causes us to miss out. Many an athlete has missed a shot thanks to hesitation, and I’ve missed opportunities to encourage someone because I hesitated to speak up.

While the self-restraint of hesitation has an appropriate place in our lives, it can also stand between us and experiencing the fullness of God’s goodness. I wonder if we underestimate God’s generosity in giving us an abundance of Himself.

I set out walking this morning with an anxious heart. As I prayed and sought to give over to God anything that stood between me and His peace, in my mind’s eye I saw myself not far from a flowing river. But there was a steep, rocky ridge between me and the river. That rocky hill was a pile of spiritual disciplines I felt I should have already mastered or character traits I felt I should already be, so that I could really hear from God, really have the abundance of love, knowledge, insight, gifts with which to bless others. I wanted to be there, in that water of spiritual life, right then. But, well, it looked like a lot stood between “here” and “there.”

And then it started to rain.

It sprinkled. And then it poured. I was drenched, with my face turned up and taking it all in.

Friends, I didn’t have to climb of spiritual feats that hill I’d dreamed up, that cut me off from a wealth of God’s blessings. Before I’d mentally even set to asking Him to hold my hand and help me cross the hill to get to into the river, the water just poured out of heaven. I was soaked through, right where I was.

Seriously Blessed

How quickly I forget that God’s Spirit dwells right within me (1 Corinthians 3:16, Ephesians 1:13). God is so extravagantly generous. Paul writes that “He has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing.” Wow.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, Ephesians 1:3

Check out Ephesians chapter 1 for a glimpse into the abundance of his blessings. This morning, these words catch my attention: “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him” (Ephesians 1:17).

With a surrendered, obedient heart, I don’t have to assume that God’s wisdom, knowledge, revelation, or freedom await me only on the other side of a mountain of effort. I wonder what today looks like, when I let go of the hesitation springing from feelings of immaturity and inferiority, and simply receive His abundance.

I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. Psalm 81:10

Grace that Jingles

by Leave a Comment

As we continue our Christmas Tea, complete with holiday memories and favorite recipes, I invite you back to the Shootin’ Star Ranch in the 1980’s. A good ways outside of Houston, Texas, my Nana and Grandaddy’s little ranch house was one of the loudest, happiest places I’ve known. Holidays there meant big hugs, good food, and lots of laughter.

Grace that Jingles

The final mile of our drive to the Shootin’ Star Ranch was down a red dirt road, often in the dark, with the moon “following us” out my window and anticipation fluttering in my chest. As we pulled up to the Ranch and opened the station wagon doors, we were met with the cold night air. The back patio door squeaked open, and loud voices and laughter spilled with the warm yellow light out of the house and into the lawn.

Days at the Ranch were not just peppered with laughter – some evenings were designed just for laughing. As kids, we cousins only caught a fraction of the jokes as our parents, aunts, and uncles let loose playing charades late into the night. Other nights were devoted to “Life’s Most Embarrassing Moments” – an annual opportunity for informal, stand-up comedy, each of us bringing our most cringe-worthy experiences of the year for the amusement of all. We howled and guffawed until cheeks ached and faces were streaked with tears. Eventually, we kids were sent to sleep as the adults’ laughter went on and on.

Sleep was hard to come by with the adults cutting up late into the night just outside our door — sometimes chuckles, often a chorus of belly laughs, it was always punctuated by my Nana’s cascading cackles. Nana laughed with joy and abandon. Eventually we slept, awaking the next morning to the aroma of Nana’s Spanish coffee cake, a delicious holiday morning staple.

My Nana and her children didn’t laugh so easily because life was so easy. She navigated a solid share of struggles and pain. Raising my father and his siblings was no easy task, to put it mildly, and they each had their own share of heartache as adults, too. But Nana lived with great grace and took much joy in her children and grandchildren. When our lives took unexpected turns, Nana’s warm welcome was unswerving. 

Grace that Jingles

I think that grace, with all of its second chances and words of encouragement given out along the way, left my Nana free to laugh. Over the years, Nana exemplified Colossians 3:13-14 as she brought up our family:

“…bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:13-14)

When I let go of my strain towards perfectionism and instead see myself as a mistake-maker who is so grateful for God’s good grace, I find myself lighter. When I see my children similarly, recognizing that of course they stumble and need grace, too, I am slower to scold and quicker to enjoy their playfulness. It seems grace given and grace received free us up for joy, and for laughter.

My Dad’s family was not particularly musical, though a few of my cousins are now extraordinary musicians. Rather than carols and bells, our holiday soundtrack was more of a laugh track, but it jingled nonetheless. As my own family enters this last week of Advent, I’m looking to lean into grace, throw off the pettiness that can so easily entangle me, and enjoy my own energetic, wildcard family with laughter and grace. We’ll also wake on Christmas to the smell of Nana’s Spanish Coffee Cake. Merry Christmas!

 

Spanish Coffee Cake

Ingredients
2 ½ cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
⅓ cup slivered almonds

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Mix together the flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vegetable oil. Remove ½ cup of the mixture and set aside.
  3. Add in the baking soda and baking powder.
  4. Beat together the buttermilk and egg. Add half of this to the flour mixture and beat for two minutes. Then add the rest and beat for an additional two minutes.
  5. Pour into a greased, floured 9”x13” pan. Sprinkle on top the ½ cup of crumbs set aside in the second step and sprinkle on the almonds.
  6. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

Bound with Love, Ruled by Peace

by Leave a Comment

This month we’re studying Colossians 3:1-17 in a series called Renewed: Putting on the New Self. Today we’re looking at verses 14 and 15, with hearts bound with love and ruled by peace.

Bound with Love

On Tuesday, Cheli talked about what God calls us to “put on” as we adorn ourselves in Christ’s character. After addressing compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and forgiveness, verse 14 now tells us to put love on over, covering, all of the rest.

“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:14

Agape love is described here as the bond that joins everything together into mature perfection, producing harmony.

Mmmmmm, Chili

It may be the little drop in temperature that’s finally hit Houston, or simply that I’m hungry, but this verse leaves me thinking, “just like a bowl of good chili.”  Chili is one of those dishes that takes on more flavor the longer it cooks and is even better served the second day.  It needs time to really meld flavors from various ingredients (yes, even the pulsed vegetables I hide in there) into one tomato-and-chili-powder-infused bowl of goodness.

Like a good bowl of chili, love is comprised of a multitude of elements that can exist apart from it but don’t have the same harmony of flavor until they are unified in love. In seeking the best for another, agape love adds a new overtone to each virtue such that they work harmoniously together. 

1 Corinthians 13:1-3  tells us that without love, other virtues holds no value, and verses 4-7 expound on the many facets of love:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

With patience, kindness, humility, grace, and hope melded together in love, the body of Christ is brought into mature unity and harmony.

Ruled by Peace

Next, we are to add in peace, which holds power to direct our hearts and our ways.

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. (Colossians 3:15)

What does it look like to be ruled by peace? It is following Jesus with the deep assurance that nothing lost compares to that gained by following Him. It is resting in God’s grace, no longer striving to keep up appearances of perfection or legalism. It is trusting God’s justice to prevail when present injustice stings. What does a heart ruled by peace mean to you?

And Be Thankful

The word for “thankful” here connotes a mindfulness of the grace extended to us by God. It is more than thankful for the things we are given; it’s an awareness of what has been bestowed on us, leaving us both humble and content.

Love, Peace, and Gratitude… but How?

I am amazed to see what is packed into these two little verses: Put on love. Be ruled by peace. By contentedly thankful. Wow. That can certainly transform our home. But how? We’re certainly trying.

Here, we look not to the next verse but back to the introduction. Colossians 1:1-2 tell us to seek and set our hearts on that which is above — heavenly, eternal. Our hearts grow in love, peace, and gratitude when our eyes lift from our present circumstances up to worship our Lord and delight in the things of God. 

Before taking on the rest of the day, let’s take a moment to fix our eyes on Jesus. Great Is Thy Faithfulness is one of my favorite hymns for focusing my heart.

Bible Study From the Outside In

by Leave a Comment

This month has been full of great insights on Bible study as the team has shared insights and favorite tools for Bible study. Today, I’m sharing how I approach a new passage when preparing to write or teach a Bible study, working from the outside in.

Have you ever tried spotting a far-off bird with high-magnification binoculars? Binoculars can reveal great detail, but it can be surprisingly difficult to get even a stationary bird into view. If you don’t get oriented to the view in front of you first, you can find yourself looking at a mess of branches, leaves, and sky without any feathers in sight. When my children join me on a bird walk, I encourage them to first get a good look at the bird with the naked eye before lifting their binoculars. Where is it sitting? What branches or landmarks might help you find it once you’re zoomed in close? Once we’re oriented to the big picture, we can more effectively use our up-close tools.

Bible Study from the Outside In

When I begin studying a Bible passage in preparation to teach or write, I approach it a bit like I approach bird watching. After reading through the passage initially, I back up and take a wide-angle view of the context before I zoom in on the details.

Working From the Outside In

As I approach Bible study from the outside in, I think of three concentric circles. First I begin with the panorama, the wide angle view that gathers Biblical and historical context. Then, I move in closer, to the passage itself, observing specific details. Finally, moving further in, I prayerfully contemplate what the Lord is showing me in the present. How do these words shed light and truth on my understanding of God, myself, or my community?

1. The Panorama: Taking in the Big Picture

The first circle is the panorama, the big picture with lots of context. Keeping in mind the Bible’s overarching story of redemption, I also begin learning about the historical and Biblical background for my passage and the book of the Bible in which it’s found.

What do I know about the author and about his original audience? Am I reading a Psalm of worship written by King David, or an account of creation recorded by Moses? Were these words written to the Nation of Israel during a time of rebellion, or to a church wrestling with legalism? What else was going on at the time?

I often use the ESV Introductions to review basic details about the author, time, and place, and I  consider the applicable genre of Scripture. As part of the big picture context, I also try to read as much as I can of the surrounding Scripture. What had the author been addressing just prior to this passage?

As I study, I always keep a running list of questions. They may guide my study now or be a topic to delve further into later.

2. The Passage: Delving into Details

The second circle is the passage itself. Reading it once again for overall meaning and theme, I then begin looking more closely at the words.

Do you like to write as you read? It can be helpful to print out a copy of the verses to begin circling, underlining, and drawling arrows between words that relate to one another. What words are repeated, emphasized, or draw your attention?

Bible Hub and Blue Letter Bible are good resources for looking up the original Hebrew or Greek words for further study, and Lisa introduced us to E-Sword in her post this month. Bible Hub is also helpful for looking up other related verses, listed as cross-references in the parallel versions view. These might be Old Testament quotations or citations, or verses with similar phrasing.

As I pray for understanding and read through the passage another time, I pick out a key verse. If I had to pick one, which most embodies the meaning in this passage?

3. The Present: Responding with Praise and Prayer

And now, having gathered information and perspective from both outside of the text and from the passage itself, it’s time to pray again and quiet my heart to both receive and respond to the Word.

Ask the Lord what He would have you take away from your time with these verses. 

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” James 1:5

There are so many ways we may respond to a passage of Scripture. It may be a quiet reading aloud, written journaling, or a hymn of praise. There may be conviction and confession, or a new sense of gratitude. You may be led to approach the Lord in faith with prayers for grace or healing.

Here is a printable with a few questions to guide your Bible Study From the Outside In.

Bible Study from the Outside In

As you receive His Word, be reminded that the Lord is good. May God bless your study.

Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 100:3-5

 

Building One Another Up in Love

by 1 Comment

Cheli began this week in our month-long series on Missional Living by writing about how the Church gathers to worship, serve, and then go out and impact the world with love. Today we look at how life in the Church also builds us up in love as we grow towards spiritual maturity.

Building Up in Love

Almost fifteen years ago, my husband and I composed our wedding vows half an hour before the wedding on a napkin passed between the bride’s room and the groom’s. When our pastor asked for the vows we intended to exchange following the traditional vows, we realized that we’d never written them down!

Thankfully, we had talked about the Scriptural foundation for our marriage, and we knew what we intended to put into those vows. So, I paraphrased Colossians 3:12-17 into a series of (admittedly ambitious, grace-dependent) promises on a napkin, and the wedding was on!

This is God’s model for the Body of Christ:

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
(Colossians 3:12-17)

What a beautiful, descriptive image of Church life! Paul wrote that Believers are to grow together in spiritual maturity into the likeness of Christ, making the Church body “grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:15-16). This passage in the third chapter of Colossians fleshes out some of the ways in which we build one another up in love.

Building with Patience

Today, some concerning policies at my children’s Christian school were brought to my attention. As I process it all, I am struck by the words that begin this passage, “Put on then….” There is an entire wardrobe of godly attitudes available to me, and they must replace the critical heart that bristled initially.

Have you ever tried talking a toddler into putting on a coat on a cold day, when it didn’t appeal to her? Good luck! Similarly, in Christ the garments of humility, patience, compassion, and meekness are available to me but require that I choose to put them on. As I process the school situation, I am commanded to prepare my soul appropriately before I speak.

 “Put on then, … compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
(Colossians 3:12-13)

With compassion, humility, and forbearance, we build up the Body of Christ.

Building in Harmony

“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
(Colossians 3:14)

Love is key to harmony. A speaker at my church recently pointed out that our very diverse congregation spans a wide demographic range, including members who identify with both political parties; we even have members who have run for political office in both parties. What a set-up for division in a politically-charged, divisive season.

Our church, however, is committed to unity and love. Love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony, and hearts ruled by the peace of Christ hold us together as one body.

With love and the peace of Christ, we build up the Body of Christ.

Building with Wisdom

Colossians 3:16 tells us that we are to teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and it begins by identifying the source of that wisdom: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly….” 

The word translated “richly,” plousiōs, is also translated as “abundantly.” When the Word dwells within us, our lives abound in its fruit, including the wisdom to teach and admonish our Church family, spurring one another towards godliness. We must be cautious not to teach or lead primarily from human reason or worldly wisdom but to let everything flow from the wisdom of the Word of Christ.

With wisdom, we build up the Body of Christ.

Reflect

As I think through the ways that the Church was designed to grow corporately in spiritual maturity, these questions come to mind.

“In which relationships or circumstances do I need to put on humility and patience?”
“How does love contribute to harmony in my Church and in my home?”
“Am I letting the Word of Christ dwell in me richly and carrying that wisdom into my conversations?”

Anchored by Hope: Series Wrap-Up

by Leave a Comment

This month on Do Not Depart, we have been considering what it means to be Anchored by Hope, to have our hope planted in the character of God and the truth of the Gospel rather than our ever changing circumstances.

Anchored By Hope

We began the month asking, “What do you hope in?” and looking at the image of an anchor, designed to protect a boat from drifting away or from crashing into danger. A well-designed anchor becomes set firm when it is pulled against, just as our hope, when anchored in Christ instead of our circumstances, will hold true.

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 6:19-20)

With a look at Esther’s story, Ali reminded us of God’s sovereignty. “Even in the most dire situations, and even when our limited human perspective just can’t see it, God is working His good and perfect plan!”

Jaime showed us that, “like Joseph, we are looking forward with hope. Not in the dreams God has placed on our hearts, but in God himself, who never leaves us.”

When we see God’s faithfulness and goodness in our past, we can relax in the present and look to the future with hope. Lisa pointed us to the last verse of Psalm 23:

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Psalm 23:6)

In a beautiful depiction of hope bursting through despair, Cheli said, “in his darkest hour, Jeremiah remembers God’s enduring presence, unfailing love, and abiding faithfulness.”

Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope.
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
(Lamentations 3:21-23, NIV)

God, making all things new, brings new mercies and refreshing provisions when they are most needed. His transformative grace is renewing us, to worship in the fullness we were created to.

That grace is our hope for both forgiveness for our sins but also victory over sin. As Kelli shared, “We can either 1) focus on ourselves and our sin (setting our minds on things of the flesh) or 2) focus on Jesus and all that He has done on our behalf (setting our minds on things of the Spirit).”

He Will Deliver Us

As my husband and I talked about stories of hope in the Bible, he reminded me of the hope held by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When confronted by King Nebuchadnezzar over their refusal to worship idols and threatened with death in a furnace, they answered,

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. (Daniel 3:16-17)

They were confident in His deliverance, and yet their faith extended even further, beyond the specific outcome for which they hoped.

“But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:19)

May our hope be likewise deeply grounded in the goodness, sovereignty, and faithfulness of our God who is the giver of all good things.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13)

All Things New

by 1 Comment

Continuing our series Anchored By Hope, today we consider the hope in God’s promise of restoration as He makes all things new. 

Upon returning from our honeymoon, we unpacked our wedding gifts and began to fill our home. I opened some nice knives and filled the knife block. Once I began cooking with those brand-new kitchen knives, it was amazing! They chopped so easily, cut so smoothly. When I used my mother’s well-worn knives again, the difference was marked. My new, sharp knives were one of my favorite parts of my kitchen.

It’s been nearly fifteen years now — fifteen good, and also humbling, years. If a newlywed with her own brand-new knives visited my kitchen, she might be dismayed at the state of my once-sharp knives. I try to sharpen them occasionally, but I have largely given up on adequately sharpening them myself. I had just found a place to take them when the pandemic hit. Soon, I keep telling myself, I will take my knives to the knife-sharpening guy, and they will be returned to me renewed, restored, working just as they were intended to!

All Things New

New things are nice. They work just as they were made to, and they are full of potential. The Bible is also full of joy over newness — newness with far more significance than kitchen convenience.

In Mercy, the Lord Makes a New Way

We see in the Old Testament that the Lord brings refreshment when the way is weary and surrounded by wilderness and desert. He brings a change, needed provisions, and rest — renewed hope.

Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:16-19)

In Christ, We are Made New

Oh, what hope! Not only does the Lord inject His mercy into our circumstances and our path, but His grace is completely transformative.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. (2 Corinthians 4:16-17)

In salvation, we ourselves are re-created anew and indwelt with His Spirit.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

In His Presence, All Things Will be Made New

God’s renewal and restoration far exceeds our path and our selves. In the penultimate chapter of the Bible, John describes Heaven:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. (Revelations 21:3)

This beautiful description is the ultimate restoration, our unending peace in the eternal presence of God. Read that phrase again: “the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” This is the deepest peace, and it seems that union drives the healing and restoration that follow.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelations 21:4-5)

Death defeated, life eternal, and all things new. The Creator of all we see and all we that don’t is redeeming it all.

Hope to Worship as We Were Made To

When I read these passages together, I am filled with hope. I see that the Lord is active in my life and my day, bringing new mercies each morning (Lamentations 3:21-24). He is restoring me, restoring His Church, restoring broken relationships, broken people, and broken lands.

When I finally get my kitchen knives sharpened, it’ll be glorious. They will cut easily and chop smoothly and work just as they were made to. Life in the kitchen will be just a bit better. Imagine what it means when we are restored, when we are just as we were made to be. In the heaviness that may surround us today, do not lose heart. “Our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).  Renewed and restored, we, too, work just as we were created to. We worship, we love, and we forgive.

We are being made new. All things are being made new. Thank you, God, for that Hope.

Anchored By Hope

by 4 Comments

In the midst of a year characterized by uncertainty, let’s take the month of August to anchor ourselves in a hope that does not disappoint. Our circumstances may ebb and flow or may completely rock us, but in Christ we are securely anchored by hope. 

Anchored by Hope

A few years ago I was listening to a friend of mine give a sermon on the topic of hope. I was sitting in the cry room with a toddler messing about at my feet and an active infant in my lap. My preschooler was in the sanctuary with my husband, but he had spotted me through the cry room window and was clearly negotiating to join me there. Given the chaos around me, I will admit I now recall few details of that sermon. But one moment stands out. While straining to listen over the babbling of the children literally crawling over me, I heard my friend Brandon pause and ask directly, “What do you hope in?” No joke, clear as a bell something in me responded, “Bedtime. My hope is in bedtime.”

True Hope

I chuckled, outloud, because it was somewhat true. I would find myself multiple times a day with frayed nerves thinking, “It’s all going to be okay. In a few hours, they will go to bed, and I will be okay.” I was in the thick of the “short years / long days” season, and though I actually missed the kids when they were sleeping soundly, I also desperately needed the quiet time to collect myself. And yet, on the way home from Church that morning, I knew there was more to it than an introvert’s need for a few minutes of silence.

“When all feels chaotic, when I am afraid that I am failing them at every turn, when I am not sure how to comfort three of them at once,” I asked myself, “is my hope in bedtime? Or am I resting right then in the blessed assurance that the God of the Universe is right here with me? He knows exactly what is needed.” Am I missing the opportunity to be securely anchored by a true hope?

Grounded

Am I white-knuckled clinging to my to-do list? Or am I looking to the Holy Spirit for in-the-moment guidance? Am I holding my breath until the circumstances change? Or am I abiding in the life-giving breath of God, Who calms the storms and stills the winds? This summer, is my sense of hope tied to my confidence in our leaders, to graphs of reported data, or to the One who reigns forever? 

As people, our hope can easily become tied to the ever-changing circumstances around us. But as Believers, our hope is rightly grounded in Who God is. It flourishes when we focus our hearts on Him. He is good, righteous, sovereign, and faithful. Our hope rests in the knowledge that He is making all things new. He is making us into the likeness of Christ and reconciling us to one another in the Spirit.

Anchored, Firm and Secure

The author of Hebrews tells us that we may be encouraged because, “we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” (Hebrews 6:19a, NIV). We have this anchor of hope, he says, because Christ entered behind the temple curtain into the Most Holy Place ushering those washed in His blood into the presence of God (Hebrews 6:19-20, Hebrews 9:1-14, Matthew 27:50-51). That’s the game-changer. His blood and righteousness mean I have access to the throne of God. That’s hope.

Do you know how an anchor works? An anchor is substantial, heavy and solid, sinking into the seabed. It becomes even more effective when resistance is applied. When a force pulls against the anchor, it is designed to dig deeper, becoming more secure. Thus grounded, an anchor protects a boat from drifting away or from crashing into nearby rocks.

Friends, I may have read more news in the past five months than I did in the previous decade. And it certainly is prudent to know what’s happening around us. Let’s check our anchor, though. Where is our hope? I love this sentence from a boating article titled “How to Anchor Securely:” “We know of no way to ensure that your anchor will hold other than by pulling on it hard.” Pull hard, and be assured. Hope anchored in Christ holds true. Join us in a month-long blog series as we explore what it means to be Anchored by Hope.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

Hearts Like His: Hearts for Justice

by Leave a Comment

This month we have been looking at what it means to be made in the image of God. This truth determines who we are and affects how we see ourselves and others. Today, we consider how justice is imprinted on our hearts because we are made in the image of God.

Hearts Like His, Hearts for Justice

Years ago, my heart ached to better understand one of my children. When wronged, they struggled to move on until it was made right. Any opportunity for sharing was fraught with anxiety over whether it would work out fairly. I initially attributed this to self-centeredness, but as I asked the Lord to reveal what my child needed, the He showed me that their heart was particularly sensitive to justice. While immature, it was neither one-sided nor necessarily selfish. When my little one received a small treat at school, they went to great lengths to share with three siblings who had neither noticed nor asked. With that little bit of insight as a mother,  many pieces fell into place.

Imprinted with Justice

The next time my child was distressed over an apparent injustice, I pulled the 5-year-old onto my lap and said, “You see, God made you in His image. He made you like Him in so many ways, and one of the things He put in your heart is a desire for justice. You want to see that people always do what is right, that wrong is always labeled wrong, and that there are consequences when someone does wrong.  You want to see that everyone gets a share of the good things we receive. Your heart aches and says ‘This isn’t right!’ when those things don’t happen.” The child lit up with the relief of recognition. It is my prayer that as this little one grows, their heart for justice grows and matures alongside grace and mercy.

The Source of Justice

You and I were also created in God’s image. Our hearts ache for justice because we bear the image of our Creator, the very standard of justice.

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis explains that the moral standards we find common across cultures reflect the existence of a just God, the standard against Whom all else is judged. “My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?”

Justice is integral to the nature of God.

But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
    he has established his throne for justice,
and he judges the world with righteousness;
    he judges the peoples with uprightness. (Psalm 9:7-8)

For I the Lord love justice;
    I hate robbery and wrong;
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
    and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. (Isaiah 61:8)

The descriptions of God’s justice in the Bible include both retributive justice, consequences for sin, and restorative justice, restoring the oppressed to wholeness and well-being. These concepts are intertwined, as an act of judgement against an oppressor begins to lift up the oppressed.

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.  (Deuteronomy 10:17-19)

Hearts like His

We, created in the Image of God, have that standard of justice imprinted within us. Though marred by sin and pride, our sense of justice is restored as we are made into the likeness of Christ (Romans 6:8, 2 Corinthians 3:18). He is making our hearts more and more like His.

When we see our neighbors through God’s justice, we see that each one bears the image of God. This is foundational to justice and is why each person is to be treated with dignity — not because of what they have done but because of who they are as a person bearing the image of God.

It is for this reason that Christ taught that our actions towards neighbors and strangers hold eternal weight.

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ … Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:35-36, 40b).

To Do Justice

One thing I have experienced in recent  months is a deeper understanding of injustice and oppression in my nation and my community, both historically and presently. Injustice is a big deal to God, and it grieves Him deeply. In fact, God tells us through the prophet Habakkuk that persistent injustice in Judah resulted in Judah’s exile to Babylon (Habakkuk 1:4).

It is my prayer this morning that the Lord would continue to open my eyes to see when the persons who bear His divine image are not treated with the dignity due each of us. And then, may I act, with prayer and wisdom, towards the restoration of justice.

He has told you, O man, what is good;
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

 

Take My Life and Let It Be

by 2 Comments

Continuing our June series on the HIStories Behind the Hymns, today we listen to the hymn Take My Life and Let It Be and learn a bit about its author, Frances Ridley Havergal.

Take My Life and Let It Be.

In place of the traditional New Year’s resolutions, I often prayerfully choose a word of focus for the year ahead. Of the words I have used in years past, my favorite was “nurture.” Full of warmth and possibility, it conveyed how I wanted to approach both motherhood and my own personal growth. I loved contemplating over the course of the year what it meant to nurture learning, to nurture faith, and to nurture the little ones in my care.

Sometimes, however, the focus of a season has not been one I selected but rather a theme that became apparent over time. “Surrender” is one of those. Over the past two years, the Lord has increasingly, repeatedly shown me that this walk with Him is largely about Surrender. Without ever using the word, the hymn Take My Life and Let It Be perfectly embodies a life surrendered to the Lord.

Take My Life

     Take my life and let it be
     consecrated, Lord, to thee.

The hymn’s author, Francis Ridley Haverga, was the daughter of a minister in Worcester, born in December 1836. Describing her faith during her school years, she wrote, “I committed my soul to the Saviour, and earth and heaven seemed brighter from that moment.”

The hymn Take My Heart and Let It Be was written in December of 1873. On a visit, she was staying in a home with ten others, “some unconverted and long prayed for, some converted but not rejoicing Christians.” Miss Havergal began to pray, “Lord, give me all this house,” and He did. In a sleepless but joyful night that followed, she penned a series of eleven couplets, later adding a twelfth.

I love how her heart’s response to the Lord’s victory in the lives of these friends was a contemplation of devotion, offering all of herself to the Lord.

All for Thee

     Take myself, and I will be
     ever, only, all for thee

In the course of six stanzas, Miss Havergal lists what she has to offer the Lord: moments and days, hands and feet, voice, intellect, will, heart, and love. The lyrics expound upon Jesus’ words regarding the greatest commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).

No Longer Mine

In the past two years, I’ve been particularly challenged by this part:

     Take my will and make it thine;
     it shall be no longer mine.

I tend to feel anxious when things are outside of my control (like pandemics). In my anxiety, I grasp to take control of as much as I can. Ask my children how pleasant this makes me. But the Lord has a different way to quiet our hearts. He tells us in Philippians 4:6-7 to turn the circumstances over to Him with both prayer and thanksgiving, letting His peace replace our worry.

“No longer mine” applies to more than my worries. The Lord receives our fears, our pain, and our anger as well.  These are better handed over to Jesus than guarded in our hearts. Surrendered fully to Him, they are transformed for our freedom, healing, and glory (Romans 5:4, 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, 2 Corinthians 12:10).

As I surrender to Him all that is not mine to hold tightly — my wealth, my hours, my talents, my goals, and even my pain, I find my heart becomes more spacious, an appropriate throne for the King of Glory.

     Take my heart it is thine own;
     it shall be thy royal throne,
     it shall be thy royal throne.

 

*********************

Pause, Reflect

* Listen to Take My Life and Let It Be, sung by Norton Hall Band.

Struggling with the idea of Surrender? These verses are wonderful for some moments of meditation. Try asking the Lord what He would have you surrender to Him today.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. (Matthew 16:24-17)

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

Better Than a Thousand Elsewhere {Psalm 84:10-11}

by Leave a Comment

Our family recently adopted an 8 month-old puppy. Cinnamon came to us after being hit by a car, sustaining 3 fractures and a lung injury, and spending 12 days in the veterinary hospital. He came home one month ago on pain medications and with limited activity, but now he is thriving and playful. And you know what? He doesn’t leave my side. As a puppy, he’ll need to learn to be alone on occasion, but his devoted attachment brings to mind the next verses in our study of Psalm 84.

Better Than A Thousand Elsewhere

You see, Cinnamon met us when he was in pain. For the first few weeks, I or one of the kids would sit in his play pen with him. He’d snuggle close and lay his head on our laps. The pain meds helped, but touch and affection alleviate pain, too. Now that he is more mobile, he feels safest when he is right beside me. In fact, he chooses following me from one room to another over chewing quietly on dog treats every time.

Better Than a Thousand Elsewhere

For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
Psalm 84:10a

Whether we were in the midst of a crisis or simply grieved by our sin, each of us first encountered God in the context of pain. We had a burden only He could remove and a hunger only He could fill. He not only alleviates our pain, He has healed us, and He guides us in the way of life. He is our Provider, our Protector, our Comforter, our Guide, and our Light. A single day in his presence is better than any number of years apart from Him. As we experience God’s goodness and grow in the knowledge that His presence is better than anywhere else, we will keep as close to Him as a well-loved puppy.

The Doorkeepers that Sang

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Psalm 84:10b

To work and serve at the threshold of God’s dwelling far surpasses life lived in comfortable luxury inside a place where He is not. Did you know that the use of “doorkeeper” in this verse is not a random example of a humble job, but the vocational heritage of the authors of this Psalm? While the descendants of Aaron were the priests, the descendants of Korah, to whom Psalm 84 and ten other Psalms are attributed, attended to the custodial tasks of the Tabernacle and served as the doorkeepers (1 Chronicles 9:19). I can think of members of our church who serve similarly, attending to the uncelebrated details of the Church, living lives marked by worship.

 

Our Sun and Shield

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 84:11

On the pilgrimage to the tabernacle, and in our walk with God, one encounters both foul weather and adversaries. Our God, the source of every good gift (James 1:17), is our sun and our shield, lighting the way and defending us from the evil one. While we may not take Him up on every good gift He offers, His blessings are not withheld.

We are doing our best to provide every good thing for Cinnamon. Interestingly, that includes a good deal of “no.” He has an abundance of attention and affection, nutritious dog food, and some tasty morsels after dinner. He also isn’t allowed to run or jump, to play with our other dog, or to go on walks. And, after chewing through five leashes in two weeks, he is frequently confined to a play pen. We really want to let him run free, but for now, Cinnamon requires a good deal of protection while his bones heal and become stronger. Right now, wrestling with another dog or running after a squirrel could seriously injure him and stall his healing.

I wonder if there are any “no’s” or “not now’s” in God’s answers to my prayers that are allowing me to grow, heal, and become stronger?

Pause. 

Let’s take a moment before moving on with the day to receive what this Psalm offers us.

“For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.” (Psalm 84:10a)
Have you lived apart from God, walked in disobedience? I have. What is it like? What is it like to be in His presence?

“The Lord bestows favor and honor.”  (Psalm 84:11:a)
How have you received favor or honor? Praise God!

The Lord is our sun and our shield. May we journey confidently in His presence.

Never Alone

by 1 Comment

In the early days of this pandemic, I was preoccupied with the word, “alone.” My heart grieved reading the stories of patients who were critically-ill without the comforting presence of family. Fears of my own loved ones being similarly sick and separated from me disrupted my sleep. As my husband and I discussed plans for his isolation from the rest of the family if he contracted the virus while caring for patients, I broke down crying. “I am so afraid of you getting sick and being alone.”

The moment I said it out loud, I knew the word “alone” masked the truth. As Believers, we are never alone.

Never Alone, suffering

God with Us

It is a beautiful thing as the Body of Christ to be the hands and feet of Jesus, attending to the comfort and physical needs of one another. But even when we cannot reach one another, in our quietest, most solitary of times, Christ Himself is present with us. We are never alone.

Matthew begins and ends his Gospel with the assurance that Christ is “God with us.”

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,” (which means, God with us).
(Matthew 1:23)

“And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:20)

The presence of the Lord with His people is central to the story of the Bible — from the intimacy of the Garden of Eden to the presence of the Lord in the Temple among the Israelite’s, from the physical incarnation of Christ to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, God is with us.

King David knew the closeness of the Lord in seasons of heartache. He wrote, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

Similarly, Jesus taught “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:2-4)

Weathering the Storm

A thoughtful message by an unknown author was recently shared on social media recognizing that, while we are all in the storm of this pandemic together, we are not all “in the same boat.” Our individual experiences differ greatly. For some, the pandemic has meant painful loneliness. For others, it is too much togetherness. It has brought financial insecurity, the loss of a job, or hunger to many. This pandemic has meant severe illness for many patients, and exhausting, high-risk work for health care workers. And for many families, it has meant the loss of loved ones and the grief that follows.

While each of us may be weathering this storm “in a different boat,” Christ walks out across the stormy waters towards every one of us.

“But the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.  And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”… And when [Jesus and Peter] got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
(Matthew 14:24-27, 32-33)

Your pandemic-weathering boat may be crowded right now, with family juggling both work and school in the same space every day. Or you may be alone in your boat, weathering trials your neighbors know nothing about. Regardless of your unique burdens in this storm, know that Jesus is walking out to join you. Invite Him in.

Peace accompanies His presence.

As Jesus got into the boat, the wind ceased. The presence of Christ brings peace.

 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
(John 14:27)

Sometimes, the storm rages on around us. Jesus was very clear that we should expect trouble in this life — tribulation. Jesus spoke to His disciples of His peace at a time when His crucifixion was still ahead and their own trials were only beginning. However, He also assured them that He would never leave them, and that, soon, the Holy Spirit would be sent as to equip them, comfort them, and intercede on their behalf.

 In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
(John 16:33b)

This month, when the news is heavy and the future uncertain, I’ve been reaching for Psalm 121 and hymns like In Christ Alone to ground myself in truth. I am not alone. Not one of His children is alone, today or any day ahead.

Take heart, we are not alone.

 

International Ministry: Right Here

by Leave a Comment

As she opened our March series, Missions: Participating in the Great Commission Right Where We Are, Cheli asked us, “So, what does it look like when we participate in the Great Commission right where we are?” I’d like to turn our focus to the “all nations” aspect of the great commission. How can we do international ministry, right here?

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:18-20

International Ministry: Right Here

International Ministry… Here, or There?

I was a medical student in the international health track, looking forward to a rotation at a missions hospital in Kenya, when the man I had been dating for a few months anticipated a geographic conflict. My husband, you see, is a planner. It is never too early for him to anticipate and solve a problem. David was beginning his career in cancer research and drug development, which would leave him firmly rooted in a major American medical center. Although I would complete some of my training in Africa, Spanish had been my college major.  I knew I was called to serve the Latin American community. David pointed out that, if God had called me to move to Latin America after my graduation, we needed to re-consider our relationship. He did not want to stand between me and the Lord’s leading to international ministry.

In the season of prayer and discernment that followed, I saw that God had opened doors and equipped me to work with the immigrant community right here, in Houston. Though many are called to carry out the Great Commission abroad, my personal international ministry was here. As a medical student and then pediatric resident in Houston, the majority of my patients at the county hospital and primary care clinic were from families that had immigrated from Mexico and Central America. It was a blessing to connect with my patients, encourage them, and pray with them personally, without the use of a translator. After graduation, I joined a pediatric practice serving this same community.

International Ministry at Home

Right here in Houston, the Lord has opened a multitude of ways for us to love, serve, and minister to people of many nations. Each year on the Saturday preceding Thanksgiving, my husband invites the faculty and fellows of his cancer medicine department over for a potluck Thanksgiving dinner. David speaks briefly about the holiday and shares his gratitude to the God who is the Giver of all good gifts before we share the dishes from our own cultures and backgrounds. We provide the turkey and dressing, but the favorite dishes are often the rich flavors of Indian cuisine. These dinners open the doors for more meaningful friendships and conversations. Many years we have six or eight nations represented, and their spiritual backgrounds are just as diverse. Just counting off the top of my head, we have welcomed families from Turkey, Brazil, S. Korea, China, Japan, Egypt, the Czech Republic, Peru, England, Spain, and India.

Student Ministry

Of the organizations doing international ministry right here, we are particularly glad to support Bridges International. Our friend Daka, who grew up in Kazhakstan, is on the staff of Bridges International here in Houston, serving international students at University of Houston, Rice, and Houston Community College. Bridges International has chapters at universities and colleges all across the country and describes itself as “a caring community of Christ-followers committed to serve, promote social connections and engage in spiritual conversations with international students so that students become leaders internationally.” Daka and his wife Heather welcome students into their home and connect students with host families for holidays and other gatherings. They support students through difficult personal times as well as larger events like hurricane Harvey and local floods.  Additionally, Bridges has a wealth of resources they have made available online for holding spiritual conversations.

The Nations are Here

I have been encouraged and challenged by each the Do Not Depart team’s reflections on local missions this month. Ali encouraged me that no act of service is insignificant, and Lisa‘s perspective on supporting those with needed skills may keep me from dismissing opportunities in ministries that appear to be outside of my abilities. I hope that, as you look at your own community, you may also see that the nations are coming to our doorstep. May we share the Good News and the Grace of Christ while they’re here, for the Church is comprised of every nation.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10

Benedictions: Series Wrap-Up

by Leave a Comment

This month we have been looking at Benedictions, God’s words of blessing for His people. Have you been drawn to commit to memory any of the Scriptures we’ve looked at? Let’s wrap up this series with a review of the verses of benediction we have read thus far before concluding with one of my favorites.

Benedictions of the Bible

We began the month with one of the first blessings of the Bible, given to the priesthood of Aaron to say over the Israelites. These beautiful words convey God’s desire to extend His goodness to His people.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)

 

In a post about the God who equips, Ali reminded us that God gives us the ability to do His will and “will not ask anything of us that He will not help us do.” She wrote, “Until God supports me and directs me– until He equips me — I can’t do His will. On the other hand, with God’s help ‘through Jesus,’ I am able.

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21)

 

Jaime explored musical harmony as the metaphor for life within the Church. I found it clarifying to read her words: “Living in harmony with anyone is deeply challenging because we are regularly confronted by and forced to choose between our own selfish desires and the needs or wants of another.” Harmony results from putting the needs of others around us ahead of our own desires.

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6)

 

Elaborating on how benedictions give us words to bless others when we don’t know what to say, Lisa shared that her Pastor’s closing each service with Philippians 1:9-11 has guided her in praying for others.

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11)

 

“God wants the overflow of everything He pours into us to spill out onto others,” Cheli wrote. “Essentially, we are filled up to spill out.” The benedictions exemplify this as we receive God’s blessings and use God’s own words to pronounce His goodness upon others.

“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:17-19)

 

Last week in a post on the God of hope, I shared my experience with hope in the midst of physical pain. “When the roots of hope reach deeper down to living water from the God of hope, our hope is not vulnerable to circumstances. That hope flourishes regardless of circumstance.”

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13)

He is Able

Our evening family prayer time has always been quite a circus, but with my youngest no longer a toddler, I am daring to add a little more structure and reverence. While my attempt to add candle light was short lived (we are still too wiggly for that, it seems), the benediction has stuck. My favorite part of the day may now be the last moments of our evening together as one of us reads words of encouragement over the family. I find the simplest way to memorize Scripture is simply to say or hear it every day, and so we use one passage until it is deeply in all of our hearts, before changing it out for another.

Tonight as we ended family prayers, my 7-year-old son read Ephesians 3:20-21:

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

It is my hope that these truths sink in deeply. After we have lifted our hearts and concerns to the Lord, what joy it is to be reminded: He is able. Able to do far more than all that we ask, or think! (I love those additional words. There is no limit to His power!) And that power? It is more than available to us. It is presently at work within us. What grace. It is my hope that as we lay down to rest each night, my family’s faith and hope will be nourished by those words of truth.

In a church service, the benediction is part of a liturgy — words and actions that are part of a meaningful routine which shapes our hearts and our faith. Is there a Scripture we have looked at this month that you want to make a part of your daily life? One you want to commit to heart and have on hand for when you don’t know what to say or how to pray? Which of these would most nourish your faith right now?

Find Us on Facebook


Recent Posts

Archives