Sign Here

“Sign here…,” our veterinarian told us shortly after the decision was made to “put her down.” Most of us can relate to the request …sign here.   We place our signature as we write checks, sign official documents or buy a house.  Granted, the reason to sign these forms is important, but hardly life and death.  But here we were signing our name as our dog, Jordie, lay waiting in the back of the clinic to take her last breath. We signed the euthanasia form after the doctor explained what would happen.  With the last sweep of the pen, we had sealed her fate.  A pain began to well up from inside, causing my head to spin while a weight seemed to be added to my legs putting reality into slow motion. We were led to the special room and looked down on the weary face of the dog that had been our friend for over thirteen of her sixteen years.  The decision was made.  We signed our names, said good-bye and with our hearts too torn to watch, turned our backs and went home.
 
Weeks later, in our now dog hair-free home, my husband and I discussed the paper we had signed that dreadful June day.  We know that “every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of Lights…” James 1:17a (NASB). Our dog was a good gift from the Father and we were most grateful.  But as we talked about how much we loved our dog, and then had turned our backs on her at her time of death, we got a very small glimpse of the pain the Father God must have experienced as He and His son, Jesus, signed their approval for Jesus to be saddled with the sin of this world.  There was a cost for the atonement of our sins and God made the decision that changed the world forever.  Yet, Jesus remained silent as He was led like a sheep to slaughter, vicariously taking on the penalty for our benefit. God signed His approval to this death and turned His back (Isaiah 53:10; Mark 15:34).  Unlike our dog’s death, Jesus’ death had and has a happy ending for all who believe.  Three days later, the power of God was displayed as Jesus rose from the dead.  He lives today to intercede for us to the Father and to be our Friend.  A more faithful Friend than any dog.  A Friend with the power to transform lives.  A Friend who loves us with a never-ending love.  And a Friend that will never leave us nor forsake us.  Do you know this Friend of mine?  Have you signed your name as a follower of Jesus?  The sweetest name is just a prayer away to rescue, revive and redeem you.  He is ready.  Sign here.


What Do You Expect?

Have you ever expected a situation to go a certain way only to be disappointed? Your candidate for office doesn't win; your child doesn't get the grades you hoped for; or after weeks of dieting, you did not lose the weight expected. The things of this world let us down, don't they?

But, aren’t we fortunate to know our Lord is consistent and offers good results that don’t disappoint (James 1:17)? He is the true God that welcomes us to “ask, seek, and knock”. Once you have, what do you expect the result to be?  Sometimes we aren’t so sure He will answer. Luke 11:9 tells us we can expect to be given when we ask; to find when we seek; and that it will be opened when we knock.

But maybe you’re like me and sometimes have knocked only to think the door bolted shut. We may bang so loudly that we miss the Voice calling, “Come in! It’s open!”  Sadly, our faith lacks and our expectation dips to where we fear we will not receive what we have asked and sought for, giving up on the door ever opening. We might even excuse God’s slow arrival or what we perceive as absence with “Oh, something better must be coming or this is a consequence for a foolish or sinful act on my part.”  Of course, both of those are possible results to our prayers but many can give testimony to the Lord’s mercy, graciousness and abundant blessing despite our failures.

Often through fretting and wringing hands in worry, I find I am taught a new aspect of God’s majesty and love when the Lord doesn’t “produce” when I call.  Martha and Mary certainly viewed a deeper level of Jesus when He delayed His appearance to them. They expected Him to show up when Lazarus became ill (John 11: 1-40). I imagine their tears streamed down as they desperately watched for His arrival. When Martha finally saw Him, she ran to Jesus saying, “Had you been here, He would not have died!” After He met with her, she went to Mary to tell her Jesus was there and calling for her. Mary ran to Jesus saying the same words Martha had said. (Perhaps the tone was different for the aggressive Martha who may have had anger in her voice. We are told Mary’s words were filled with tears as she fell at Jesus’ feet.)

Jesus met each woman’s need to remember He was who He said He was. They “knew” it, but needed His blessed assurance.  Along with this assurance came comfort. Then, He raised Lazarus. We too can experience that miracle of confidence of Jesus’ promises and faithfulness. Ask in prayer, seek by opening His Word, knock with a listening ear and expect He will answer.


“I Don’t Want to Serve!”

I was called to jury duty for the first time in seventeen years. I had been eager to serve, but this one came at a bad time. We had four trips planned in just over five weeks and the trial would go for up to six weeks. Eyeing the other eighty or so prospective jurors, I falsely believed I’d be spared. Yet, something inside me spoke the truth that I was indeed going to be called. A tightness in my chest occurred as juror after juror was dismissed and my name was called prior to the lunch break.

I drove through downtown San Jose saying over and over, “No, Lord. I don’t want to serve! You know I have these trips. Oh, please Lord, don’t take these trips away.”

After fretting for most of the hour and a half break, I remembered Isaiah 26:3, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee; because he trusteth in Thee.” I was not at peace because I did not want to surrender my travel plans. After all, one of the trips was a missions trip! Those precious words of God repeated in my heart over and over. Just before we were to return to the courtroom, I went in a bathroom stall and begged the Lord for forgiveness for my stubborn heart. I focused on two things I knew to be true. God is Sovereign and He loves me. That was enough to surrender these trips to Him. He asked me to trust Him. With palms open I gave Him my plans.

A peace that passes all understanding flooded over me and I took my seat in the jury. I calmly answered the attorney’s questions and was promptly released. I have heard the definition of joy described as “whirling about excitedly”. All I can say is that I hope there were not cameras in the courthouse elevator because I certainly was whirling around in joyful praise. The peace came first. He met me where I was and reminded me of the need to trust Him regardless of the situation. It was after I trusted that the peace washed over me. Had I been kept on the jury or free to take my trips, my peace remained and my trust increased.


Get Back on the Road?

I have a few things on my checklist to clean this summer when the weather cools.  Those things were also on my winter checklist to do when it warmed up a little. What am I waiting for? To be honest with you, I just don’t want to clean these areas. I have found  reason after reason to do other activities and ignore what only I know needs cleaning.

Sometimes, my spiritual life needs some cleaning up, too. Ministry, family and everyday life can take so much of our schedules that before I know it, my time with Jesus get squeezed. "I’ll memorize that passage as soon as __________; I’ll have my normal quiet times again as soon as __________." 

I find I lose track of my first love. I step off of the narrow road, for just a second, only to realize I’ve been off it a week. How can I, who have died to live, wander off? Simple! I have placed something else besides Christ at the Highest Place. I wonder if the writer of the old hymn, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”,  somehow walked in my shoes.  The third verse describes me:
“O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be! Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee.  Prone to wander, Lord I feel it.  Prone to leave the God I love.”

I have wandered more times than I can count. Experience has taught me, just like the children of Israel who daily relied on God to provide for them, that the result is wormy manna when I stroll off the path to rely on myself. Off the narrow way we are unaware of our arrogance of self rule and shocked to turn around and see the path just passed is full of weeds and thorns.

Questions like, “How did I get here?” and “Why did I wander?” leaves us with a heart cry to God for help.  A familiar Psalm reminds us that “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me”. If it is following me, it knows I’m off the path. It knows I am lost. The God of goodness and mercy has never left. He was there all along and ready to receive when we turn away from self.


Mind the Gap

During our first trip to London, my husband and I road “the Tube” from Heathrow Airport. The Tube is the underground subway, most recently known for the July 7, 2005 terrorist attack killing fifty-two people. Stepping through the doors one year and one day after the attack, I immediately felt a foreboding to be aware of the emergency exit handle, if a need for escape occurred. I told my husband that I had heard that in case of a bombing one should hit the ground to avoid flying shrapnel.

Suddenly, the lights flickered, the train drew to a halt, and I felt entombed. Paranoia rose to a dangerously high level in me when, just as quickly as we stopped, the train gave a lurch and continued safely to our destination. Whew! My anxiety calmed as the doors opened and a voice said, “Mind the gap.” The “gap” was a four-inch space between the train and the platform. Just enough room to trip one up if not aware. “Hmmm,” I thought, “I must be careful not to twist my ankle.”

It’s okay to laugh at the over-cautious behavior of this novice world traveler. I’m happy to say our time in London was a charming experience full of history and delightful people and I did not need to pull the emergency door opener once!

However, the term “mind the gap” stuck with me. I think I sometimes forget I live my life unaware of the dangers to my spiritual walk that lurk in unexpected places just like the train’s gap. Am I as cautious of the gaps the Enemy sets as I am about a possible terrorist? In this world we don’t know if we will ever experience a dynamite-laden extremist, but as Christians we know the Enemy will strike when we least expect it (I Peter 5:8). We must be prepared and pro-active.

How do we ready ourselves? We READ the Word! One step is found in Ephesians, instructing us to put on “the armor of God so you can stand against the devil’s schemes (6:10-18).” Next, we RUN the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1)! It’s hard to run if you have not trained. Sometimes we will falter in our steps and get tripped up by the “gap”. We get up, amazed we were hit and look back to see how unaware we were. At those times, REMEMBER who God is and His faithfulness in ages past (Psalm 77:11). Then RETURN to our loving Father and REJOICE as He welcomes you back time and time again (Isaiah 44:21-28).

I pray you will “mind the gap” the Enemy sets as you walk your spiritual road, remembering along the way that this world, and all its trappings, is not our home. We are a fortunate people to call America home. Yet even in enjoying relative safety, we must acknowledge it is only by His grace and will that we are here.


If My People…

As I write this article today, it is the National Day of Prayer. A day set aside for praying on behalf of our country, President and future, under the mighty hand of God. I was intrigued to again hear a verse that seems to be the mantra for this special day: