“Ma’am, ma’am! Please come here,” insisted a man standing behind a book- piled table in the St. Louis airport.

 

Slowing my sprint as I headed toward the escalator and baggage check, I turned and reluctantly rolled my bag over to his table.

 

“I’m giving all the lovely ladies this free book today,” he said smiling; and handed me a beautifully covered devotion sized book.

 

He continued talking as I skimmed its front and turned it over to read the back cover. Realizing it was a compilation of new-age Eastern religion teachings, designed to help me find my own “perfect path to enlightenment” I laid it back down on the table.

 

I looked him in the eyes, smiled, patted my chest and said “Jesus Christ” and turned to go.

 

He said, “What do you mean”?

 

I said, “He’s in here”, continued smiling and began walking away.

 

He said, “You still have to find your own path to perfect enlightenment”.

 

By now I was across the way and about to reach the escalator.

 

Still smiling, I said, “Oh no, He did it for me and His grace covers me”.

 

By now, I was on the escalator and his voice was raised to reach me.

 

“No! Jesus didn’t do that for you! You have to do it yourself”!

 

I smiled really big, nodded my head, and said, “Oh yes. He did”.

 

And then the escalator raised me out of his line of vision.

 

And God was there. Over the years I’ve had a number of specific times when I knew God had just provided the words…and all I had done was open my mouth and let them tumble out.

 

…God will give you the right words

at the right time.

Matthew 10:19

 

I love, love, love books and years ago wouldn’t have dreamed of writing on their pages; these days I should probably just go ahead and buy stock in the yellow gel highlighter company.

 

I’ve practically drowned my copy of Yawning at Tigers by Drew Dyke; its pages are dripping yellow and it might possibly glow in the dark.

 

The first chapter’s thoughts pause me and cause me wonder: What would it take to cultivate a daily awareness of the otherness of God? How would my life be different if I did? How would I pray differently? And, more importantly, how might God answer my prayers differently?

 

These thoughts are found in just the first 11 pages:

 

“…we have heard reports of a foreign entity in our midst…however, we often fail to appreciate the gravity of what that presence means.”

 

“he is called ‘a consuming fire,’ ‘Judge of all the earth,’ and the ‘Lord of hosts’—a title that portrays God poised for battle, at the head of a heavenly army.”

 

“God is not human, that he should…”

 

“God is radically different from us, in degree and kind…wholly other, dangerous, alien, holy, and wild.”

 

“But for the most part we neither tremble in fear nor thrill with excitement at the prospect of encountering this wild deity.”

 

“We give mere mental assent to truths that should leave us shaking.”

 

“…we’ve succeeded in making the strange ordinary.”

 

“We’ve forgotten how big God is.”

 

“…his holiness is dangerous, even deadly.”

 

“The good news is that this dangerous God turns out to be a lover. And he’s not content to love us from a distance.”

 

“He’s the Intimate Stranger, and we are the objects of his fierce affection.”

 

“The Holy of Holies beckons, and we’re free to enter. Just remember to tread lightly…he’s still the same God.”

 

Amen.

 

…“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God,

the Almighty—

the one who always was,

who is,

and who is still to come.”

Revelation 4:8

 

 

 

 

There’s such an infinitesimal space between (1) continually and prayerfully holding someone in God’s presence, and (2) beating them over the head with my attitude, Bible, and words.

 

I grimaced when I reread what I wrote—but only because it’s so true.

 

(1) is an amazing gift of grace; both for me and the one I hold to the Lord.

 

And (2) is an amazing aggravation; both for me and to the unfortunate one I’ve targeted.

 

“Healthy people don’t need a doctor—

     sick people do.”

Then he added,

“Now go and learn the meaning

     of this Scripture:

‘I want you to show mercy,

     not offer sacrifices.’

For I have come to call

not those who think they are righteous,

but those who know they are sinners.”

Matthew 9:12-13

 

I’d have to work hard to misinterpret Jesus’ words; so here’s my personal take-away:

 

Be merciful.

Attitude trumps action.

Don’t be self-righteous.

Acknowledge I’m a sinner in need of a Savior.

 

Amen.

 

I think this scripture passage is beautiful; not with poetic grace, but with the bold, wildly undeserved, and redeeming grace of God.

 

Only Aaron and his descendants

     served as priests.

They presented the offerings

     on the altar of burnt offering

     and the altar of incense,

     and they performed all the other duties

     related to the Most Holy Place.

They made atonement for Israel

     by doing everything that Moses,

     the servant of God,

     had commanded them.

1 Chronicles 6:49

 

Aaron didn’t earn the honor of performing the duties of the Most Holy Place; nor did he deserve to make atonement for Israel.

 

While his brother, Moses, was consumed within the holy presence of I AM WHO I AM on top of Mt. Sinai; Aaron was busy too, leading the LORD’s people astray at the bottom of the very same mountain.

 

And when Moses’ hands reached out to receive the two stone tablets, still warm from the hand of God; Aaron’s hands were reaching out to cast melted gold earrings into a golden calf.

 

God definitely noticed; and even interrupted Moses’ time with him on the mountaintop to say:

 

…Hurry back down!

Those people you led out of Egypt

     are acting like fools.

Exodus 32:7

 

When he reached the bottom, Moses found Aaron leading a wild drunken revelry of worship around the lifeless idol.

 

When confronted, Aaron denied responsibility; and then claimed that he’d only thrown the earrings into the fire and the calf jumped out fully formed.

 

Judgmental words leap to the front of my mind at this point in the story and I want to blast Aaron. But if that’s where I stop, I’ll miss the best part of the story; because God, boldly and inexplicably, stepped in and cleaned up the mess.

 

He took Aaron’s dirty hands, guilty heart and lying tongue and redeemed him; and Aaron could then perform the most sacred duties of the Most Holy Place.

 

God uses unlikely people. And he knew, even before he laid the foundation of the earth, that someday I’d need his transformational gift too—because at the heart of it all…

 

I’m just like Aaron.

 

Abruptly transitioning from 33 years of happy marriage to widowhood was indescribably hard and bleak; I felt so very vulnerable in the months after Dan was killed.

 

I submerged myself in Bible study and scripture reading. Learning about real people who had faced real problems and found real answers from God soothed my soul and stiffened my spine.

 

One of my favorites, and someone I definitely plan to meet some day, is King Hezekiah of Judah. He was a good ruler sandwiched in between two evil horrors: his own father and son murdered some of their own sons by burning them to death as idol sacrifices.

 

Hezekiah’s turning out to be decent is in direct proportion to his trust in the LORD, the living God of Israel.

 

When I was hurting so badly, I loved to read how he, and others, desperately called on God for help; and how God miraculously answered their cries.

 

Assyria (modern day Iraq) had Jerusalem under siege and the situation was extremely dire for Hezekiah’s kingdom of Judah. But the Assyrian’s attitude, exhibited in their letter of threat, was one of the final straws because…

 

After Hezekiah received the letter

     from the messengers and read it,

     he went up to the Lord’s Temple

     and spread it out before the Lord.

 

And Hezekiah prayed this prayer

     before the Lord:

 

“O Lord, God of Israel,

     you are enthroned

     between the mighty cherubim!

 

You alone are God

     of all the kingdoms of the earth.

You alone created the heavens

     and the earth.  

 

Bend down, O Lord, and listen!

Open your eyes, O Lord, and see!

Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance

     against the living God.

 

“It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria

     have destroyed all these nations.

And they have thrown the gods

     of these nations into the fire

     and burned them.

 

But of course the Assyrians could destroy them!

 

They were not gods at all—

     only idols of wood and stone

     shaped by human hands.

 

Now, O Lord our God,

     rescue us from his power;

     then all the kingdoms of the earth will know

     that you alone, O Lord, are God.”  

 

2 Kings 19:14-19

 

 

I love Hezekiah’s prayer and I especially love God’s response…

 

“For my own honor

     and for the sake of my servant David,

     I will defend this city and protect it.”

 

That night the angel of the LORD

     went out to the Assyrian camp

     and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.

 

2 Kings 19:34-35

 

Prayer releases God’s power.

 

My sister-in-law was packing to move from her new house back to her old house; and had just finished moving from her old job to her new job. Smack in the middle of all that packing and moving, eight of us descended upon her for a mini-family reunion. She’s a great sport and we all enjoyed some wonderfully silly, laughter-filled days together.

 

I love traveling, but don’t like packing and preparing. I usually take too much stuff because I’m convinced I might need it and not be able to find it wherever I am. That’s actually never happened, but it could. Possibly.

 

 

One time I drove five hours to Mississippi for board meetings and realized, right before arriving, that I’d left all my dress clothes in Texas. I took a lot of ribbing for the new stuff I bought, but it was either that or dress in jeans and pajamas for my board meetings.

 

I also don’t like dealing with dirty laundry when I return home. Dan made a great suggestion years ago before I went to Germany. He said he knew I’d want to bring home souvenirs, so just leave all my underwear in Germany; and it’s still a great practice for freeing up my suitcase.

 

I believe it’s awfully good of God to not require me to pack a suitcase for my very last trip. And I have it on good authority that I won’t need to purchase anything when I get there because I won’t be missing a thing.

 

…only God knows

     whether I was in my body

     or outside my body.

But I do know 

     that I was caught up to paradise

     and heard things so astounding

     that they cannot be expressed in words,

     things no human is allowed to tell.

2 Corinthians 12: 3 – 4

 

…a city designed and built by God.

Hebrews 11:10

 

…”No eye has seen,

     no ear has heard,

     and no mind has imagined

     what God has prepared

     for those who love him.”

1 Corinthians 2:9

 

When I was about 8 yrs old, I decided I wanted to make a quilt. My mother didn’t sew and I’d never seen anyone piece a quilt, but I loved all the different colors in my grandmother’s Around the World quilt.

 

I started with a little cardboard pattern and cut out my first cloth square. Then I used that cloth square as a pattern for my second square. Then used the second cloth square as a pattern for my third. And then used the third cloth square…and so on.

 

I vaguely remember Ma Mooney suggesting I should use the original cardboard square as my standard pattern; but it was hard to hold in place and I didn’t want to struggle with it.

 

When my hands grew tired of cutting, I tried to line out all  my cloth squares into the beautiful quilt design I’d envisioned; and was heartbroken to discover they didn’t fit. All the squares were different sizes because I’d unintentionally used a faulty pattern for every single cut.

 

And I know it’s the same in this life I’m living.

 

If I don’t measure my thoughts and decisions against an absolute unchanging standard; I’m eventually going to discover I’ve used faulty patterns.

 

Fortunately, there’s a absolute pattern available that comes without fault or blemish…

 

Your word, LORD, is eternal;

it stands firm in the heavens.

Psalm 119:89

 

What do I forfeit if I deliberately sin?

 

Uncluttered prayer connection to God

God’s answers to prayer

Ability to live guilt free

Peace of heart and mind

 

What do I gain if I deliberately sin?

 

Guilt

Remorse

Consequences

 

 

 …if we deliberately

     continue sinning

     after we have received

     knowledge of the truth,

     there is no longer any sacrifice

     that will cover these sins.

 

There is only

     the terrible expectation

     of God’s judgment

     and the raging fire

     that will consume his enemies.

 

For anyone who refused

     to obey the law of Moses

     was put to death without mercy

     on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

 

Just think how much worse

     the punishment will be

     for those who have trampled

     on the Son of God,

     and have treated the blood of the covenant,

     which made us holy,

     as if it were common and unholy,

     and have insulted and disdained

     the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us.

 

For we know the one who said,

     “I will take revenge.

       I will pay them back.”

He also said,

     “The Lord will judge his own people.”

 

It is a terrible thing

     to fall into the hands of the living God.

 

Hebrews 10: 26-31

 

For the Lord had made a covenant

     with the descendants of Jacob

     and commanded them:

“Do not worship any other gods

     or bow before them

     or serve them

     or offer sacrifices to them.

 

But worship only the Lord,

     who brought you out of Egypt

     with great strength and a powerful arm.

Bow down to him alone,

     and offer sacrifices only to him.

 

Be careful at all times to obey the decrees,

     regulations, instructions, and commands

     that he wrote for you.

You must not worship other gods.

 

Do not forget the covenant

     I made with you,

     and do not worship other gods.  

 

You must worship only

     the Lord your God.

He is the one who will rescue you

     from all your enemies.”

 

But the people would not listen…

 

2 Kings 17:35-40

 

Everything in me wants to holler STOP! Why won’t you listen? Can’t you see this isn’t going to work out well? Play the story all the way out.

 

During the years I worked as a mental health professional, I oftentimes helped my clients visualize the probable outcome of their choices; if they continued in the same direction they were going.

 

If you do that, then…

If you take another drink, then…

If you go there, then…

 

God does the same thing in Scripture. He tells me things like:

 

If you…then I will…

If you don’t…then this will happen…

Don’t forget me…and I will…

Obey me because…

 

Everything he says to me is all wrapped up in his love and grace, and by playing the story out; he’s encouraging me to love him back. My creator knows me best.

 

God’s given me seven steps to becoming a worthless person. The directions are pretty straightforward—and if I follow them, they’re guaranteed to bring me some wildly unpredictable out-of-this-world results…

 

“They have planted the wind

     and will harvest the whirlwind…

(Hosea 8:7)

 

First, I have to block out new information; which means I should never ever read the personal words God inspired specifically for me. Because if I do, I might accidentally hear what he’s saying and then I might possibly understand it. And who needs all the guilt that could create? Surely my own thinking is good enough—and I probably already know it all anyway.

 

Second, the more stubborn I choose to be, the better the plan’s going to work for me. If I don’t budge in my thinking, there’s no possible way change can ever happen to me.

 

Third, if I follow everybody else, I can be in the majority; and I won’t even have to waste time thinking for myself. What could possibly require less energy or go wrong with that?

 

Fourth, I can boost the effectiveness of step three, if I worry incessantly over what other people think about me.

 

Fifth, I can live my life exactly as I want and base all my decisions on my feelings. That day. That moment. Sacrifice, boundaries, and standards are probably overrated commodities anyway.

 

Sixth, I need to value and trust the things I can see, touch, and control instead of the invisible Creator who made and holds them. And I should never ever be gracious about relinquishing what wasn’t mine in the first place.

 

Seventh, I need to be first. Always. People around me shouldn’t be bothered if I need to sacrifice them on my altar of convenience. Otherwise, how can I possibly be happy?

 

But the Israelites would not listen.

They were as stubborn as their ancestors

     who had refused to believe

     in the Lord their God.

 

They rejected his decrees

     and the covenant he had made

     with their ancestors,

     and they despised all his warnings.

They worshiped worthless idols,

     so they became worthless themselves.

They followed the example

     of the nations around them,

     disobeying the Lord’s command

     not to imitate them.

 

They rejected all the commands

     of the Lord their God

     and made two calves from metal.

They set up an Asherah pole

     and worshiped Baal

     and all the forces of heaven.

 

They even sacrificed

     their own sons and daughters in the fire.

They consulted fortune-tellers

     and practiced sorcery

     and sold themselves to evil,

     arousing the Lord’s anger.

2 Kings 17: 14-17

 

Foolproof. Yep.