Out of The Silence… Action Develops

Silence, the other side.

In our spiritual formation circles, we long to practice silence. For it is life giving. We become more attuned to listening, hearing from God, sensing His awesome Presence.

But the other side.

When God seems to be silent.

And we are either raging, passionate, hopeless and more…

That silence is fiercely quiet.

We question the quiet.

We pelt the heavens with our desperate cries of ‘why the silence?’

And yet we long for silence so we can ‘hear’ Him. But when the tables are turned or so it seems, we long for the noise and restless stirrings of the heavens to break in upon us, to reassure us that we are not alone.

And then we come upon Revelation 8:1: Heaven fell quiet- complete silence for about half an hour.

!!!

Heaven fell quiet? All of heaven with its legions of Angels and Saints worshipping day and night?

Fell quiet?

Perhaps they were silent so that they could hear the prayers of those from earth who were desperately crying out to God for help.

Well, if we continue to read about what happened next, we will see that out of the silence, action developed. All heaven heard the prayers of the people!

And then they took those prayers, those heart cries and offered them up to God. An Angel was given a great quantity of incense so that he could offer up the prayers of all the holy people of God on the Golden Altar before the Throne. …Smoke billowed up from the incense-laced prayers of the Holy ones, rose before God from the hand of the Angel. Then the Angel filled the censer with fire from the Altar and heaved it to earth. It set off thunders, voices, lightnings, and an earthquake. (v.4b-5)

Quiet … Action!

Eugene Peterson calls this ‘reversed thunder’. “The prayers had ascended, unnoted by the journalists of the day, returned with immense force- in George Herbert’s phrase, as a ‘reversed thunder.’ Prayer reenters history with incalculable effects.” (Rev.8 – Conversation: Eugene Peterson)

All is not lost when there is silence in heaven. All may seem lost when we are crying out, feeling as if our prayers are floating somewhere out there in cyber space or something.

But the real picture, the true picture is that God is listening. Our prayers are not for naught. Rather they are caught and returned with action.

So today, take heart.

Out of the silence, action develops…

 

Simply

Dedicated to our newest grandchild Abigail!

Simply.
Abigail Marie McAtee.
Simply.
Born.
April 26, 2013.
Simply.
Beautiful.
Simply.
Soft.
Simply.
Gorgeous.
Simply.
Grateful.
That You, O Lord brought her from the womb, hidden from our eyes.
To suddenly and simply…born!
Into the light of our lives.
Simply.
Amazing!

Names On Purpose

There’s just something about a name…I was thinking about how beautiful are the names of our grandchildren. When I ponder on their names, each personality comes to light. Although they all carry similar DNA being cousins and siblings and all, each one is a person on their own.
And they own their name.
And wear their names well.
The reasons behind their namings is varied. From family names to just because we love this name, to this name is a good fit with the last name and some or all of the above. Their names have become representative of their persona.
For instance, I can’t imagine calling Anna, Ellie, Jack, Lydia or Gavin anything other than their given name simply because when I think of their names, I envision all of who they are and who they are becoming.
And that’s a grand thing!
Oh my. I am overwhelmed right now with the ponderings that their names bring to mind. All of these grandkids are precious. Thinking about each one of their names evokes deep feelings of passion and love that only a grandma and grandpa would understand. Smile!
Anna Grace, Ellie Elizabeth, Jack Martin, Lydia Addison, Gavin Wesley…
And oh my goodness (!), in just a few days we will be meeting either Abigail Marie or George Alden! Another name to add to the family list of names.
And I am once again smitten with names! Their names!
There certainly is just something about a name!

Never Too Late for a New Year Epiphany

Isn’t it interesting that the first Sunday of the New Year is always the first Sunday of Epiphany?
New beginnings. New lease on life. New moments to experience.
That centuries ago church leaders intentionally lined up this season which means for us – a sudden awareness of God, to journey intentionally with God, to look up and be present, be there, come in and know me better man – to match the first Sunday of our calendar New Year?
Perhaps this is where we have gotten into the practice of New Year’s resolutions, a starting over of some kind, a trying to do it better, again…until we fail at our own humanistic goals…again.
But the difference here is epochal. Beginning fresh, waking up, putting our faces in the sunlight as Isaiah, the Prophet says. (Is.60:1-6). It is about God’s mercy, His redemption, offering us a renewal that is fresh and new every morning.
Discovering God in fresh and new ways.
“We face the sun – (the Son) – in a dark world, for God’s bright glory has risen for you. The whole earth is wrapped in darkness, all people sunk in deep darkness. But God rises on you, his sunrise glory breaks over you…Look up! Look around!” (Is.60: 1-3)
This is the gift God is offering us today, making today a new start to a new year, a new season.
For each day can be an epiphany day!
It is a sudden appearance. An epiphany moment when God’s presence becomes manifest to us this day and again and again.
We face the Son!
I pray that this intentional time spent will spill over into my everyday days. That being present to the One who is always present to us will be my Life On Purpose. Daily.
I look forward to experiencing and exploring our God who is always handing out epiphany moments!
After all, it is never too late for a New Year Epiphany!
How about you?

God –Revealed Hope

God revealed His redemption plan over and over again for centuries to a waiting people.

A people who wouldn’t always listen.

A people who would come back to Him, time after time with their heads bowed in repentance and a desire to come clean once again.

It is a God-revealed hope that came in the form of a baby.

Almighty, everlasting God as God-Revealed.

Jesus.

Jesus is God-Revealed to us.

God With Us.

Emmanuel.

And we find in scripture that God reveals His Son again and again.

In the manger.

In the temple.

In the baptism.

In the crowds.

On the cross.

In the Resurrection.

God-Revealed has come.

The waiting is over.

He is here!

From Mary’s song, the Magnificat, to Jesus’ being carried up to heaven in the sight of His disciples, post resurrecton.

God-Revealed came and will come again.

So we wait.

In hope.

A God -revealed hope.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

I Smile…

At yet another Great Reversal.

This time it is about the story of the workers. An estate manager went out early in the morning and hired workers. He returned to the town square several times during the day and hired more workers, the last ones being hired to work his fields around 5 o’clock. Those hired at the end of the day’s shift were paid the same amount as those who worked all day.

The workers who had put in a full day’s work were enraged. These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun. (Mt.20:12)

But the manager replied with this: Can’t I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous? (Mt.20:15)

I smile.

At yet another Great Reversal.

As I read between the lines, I see a kingdom principle emerging in which the first shall be last and the last shall be first.

Jesus knows best. He rules and reigns over His Kingdom. And these stories are hints of how He works, of how He loves.

Jesus loves much. Jesus values much. So because of that, He is adamant about going after the one lost sheep, the children, the outcasts, the poor, the first, the last, the least, the lost.

He values the worker who has spent his whole life serving the master just as much as He values the worker who comes in at the last hour.

I smile.

At this first, last, least, lost principle.

As I was growing up, I saw that my grandparents weren’t going to church and would seem to only use Jesus’ name when using it in vain.

So my prayer for them became “ Lord, don’t take them until they are Yours.”

My grandpa was one of those ‘workers that came in at the last hour’. About 3 months before going home.  After spending 86 years on earth not serving the Lord, He finally surrendered his life to the one who always loved him, to Jesus. He came to work in the fields at the 5 o’clock hour.

Did he make it in? To heaven? Last minute?

According to Biblical stories on the Kingdom, it’s a big yes! Of course he did!

I smile.

At this late- in- life homecoming.

Am I enraged that he got the same pay that I will get someday?

I who have tried as best I know how to serve Christ all of my life?

He who slipped in at the last minute?

Of course not.

If anything, I am saddened by the fact that he spent most of his life here feeling that God wouldn’t want him, didn’t love him, couldn’t love him. He didn’t feel valued by God…until that day some 86 years into his earthly journey when truth prevailed.

I smile.

At my grandpa.

At God.

 

 

Does it ‘Feel’ Like Your Birthday?

So the question of the day – “does it feel like your birthday?” greeted me as I attempted to roll out of bed. Rather I attempted to get off the blow -up bed, get to my knees and hoist myself up onto my 62 year old feet.

I’ve been sleeping on that floor for several nights now. We are staying with our daughter and son- in- law trying to give them some help with their new baby and of course playing with big sister Lydia.

And I began think about that question.

How should a birthday feel?

I could conjure up some expectations that for today, this April 18th, 2012 birthday, wouldn’t work. Those expectations would just set me up for disappointment.

As I muse a bit more about this particular day, I know that in the middle of this fine day I will find God. He is truly my keeper and he has kept me here so far.

And as I look around me today, I realize that I have received a most precious gift, the birth of a new grandchild.

So I ask myself, is this what a birthday should feel like?

Knowing and feeling that I am quite blessed?

After all, I am with family.

After all, I have had the privilege of getting to know this new little guy named Gavin.

After all, my husband of almost 37 years is right here, well not quite by my side as he is sleeping on the couch by the blow up bed! Ha! Quite the scene here, with two 60 somethings trying to get out of their make shift beds…

Does it feel like my birthday? I must answer with a resounding ‘yes’! I will remember this day as very special.

After all it isn’t everyday that I get to celebrate the birth of a new grandchild just days before my own birthday.

I couldn’t ask for a better gift.

Sure feels like a birthday to me!

 

 

Pardon Me? May I Interrupt You for a Second?

Don’t you just love it when someone says that to you especially when you are in the middle of a hot conversation?

Pardon me. May I interrupt you for a second?

Or when as a mom you finally get a chance to converse with someone other than a kid and your child tugs on you with an “but I need to tell you something right now!” kind of interruption?

Does consternation or impatience rise up in you?

After raising 4 kids, I did get used to their little interruptions to the point where now as a grandma, I love my grandkids’ interruptions. I look forward to their “grandma, I need to tell or show you something right now” kind of interruptions.

But what about those huge life- changing interruptions? How well do we handle them? The ‘pardon me, may I interrupt you for a second’ kind of interruption that erupts your day, your life, your heart forever?

The kind of God interruption that Simon of Cyrene experienced.

The one where he was pressed into service to carry Jesus’ cross to Calvary.

I believe it was a divine interruption into this devout Jew’s life.

Last night, ‘Good Friday’ Friday night, I watched the movie, The Passion of the Christ.

And even though I have watched this movie at least once a year since its release, I never can get past certain scenes in the story.

One of those scenes is when a Roman soldier presses Simon of Cyrene into service by ordering him to leave his children and carry Jesus’ cross.

Simon, a lesser character in this Crucifixion story, must be reckoned with.

Henry Blackaby, preacher and author, said this about Simon.

Simon, who just happened to be passing by, when the Lord of the Universe laid a cross on him…A divine interruption…

Hmmm. The Gospel accounts tell of how the Roman soldiers ordered Simon of Cyrene to pick up the cross and carry it. They yanked him from the crowd, pulling him away from his two little boys.

He was definitely interrupted but ultimately by whom?

It is said of Simon that he was a Jew from the countryside of Cyrene, who just happened to be in Jerusalem with his two boys Alexander and Rufus for the celebration of Passover. A good Jew. One who followed the law. One who knew the importance of remembering God’s deliverance of his own people centuries ago.

Just happened to be in town for the annual celebration of Passover.

Just passing by on the streets when suddenly, a divine interruption set him on a new course.

An interruption that may have caused his heart to faint for a moment but his life to change forever.

In the movie, you can see this transformation take place by watching his face. His demeanor changes as he carries Jesus’ cross. He goes from reluctant servant to passionate follower, realizing that his duty as a Jew is to attend to the one who calls himself King of the Jews.

I believe this transformation was eternal, not just for the momentary interruption.  The “pardon me, may I interrupt you for a second?” type of interruption.

I believe that Simon’s eyes were opened as he recognized God’s Messiah, King of the Jews.

And what about you and I?

Are we willing to be pressed into service, interrupted by the God of the Universe at a moment’s notice?

Much like Simon of Cyrene who just happened to be passing by, when the Lord of the Universe laid a cross on him…?

Hmmmmm…

Pardon me? May I Interrupt you for a second? A lifetime?

Between the Rock and Those Hard Places

When I am afraid I will trust in You! Psalm 56:3

This verse was handed to me a couple of months ago on a rock. A painted rock to be exact. Granddaughters Anna and Ellie gave one to Marty and to me.

How appropriate that this verse is transcribed by little hands on a solid piece of rock.

For when we are truly afraid, there is only one way to get help – from the Rock of Ages, Jesus Christ.

When things seem to not make sense in this life, reversals, upside down happenings, the ‘I don’t understand but I trust You’ stuff, then I can hold in my hand this rock with the verse written on it, an icon that points me to the truth, Jesus.

Anna and Ellie told me that they read the story of David and Goliath, then followed up this story by painting these rocks.

How appropriate for King David to write down this remembrance of His God, Psalm 56:3. For there were many times when he was caught between a rock and a hard place and he held onto the Rock.

And it was literally a rock, a smooth stone that killed the giant Goliath.

That handpicked smooth stone/rock was David’s choice of redemption at that moment when faced with almost certain death.

As I begin to walk through this year 2012, there are swirling about a number of uncertainties, places in my life where things seem to  be turning out quite differently from the way I had anticipated.

While I spend my days walking between the Rock and those hard places, sometimes feeling like I park too long at the hard places, I know in my heart that there is a solid, never moving Rock that I must hold onto.

So today, I choose to embrace the Rock, Jesus Christ, as I hold in my hand an iconic hand painted orange rock with the written words When I am afraid I will trust in you!

 

Merry Christmas Dear Family and Friends!

God is giving out gifts today as always.

Do you believe it?  Do we believe this?

God? Gives us gifts?

Presents?

Presence?

He has arrived!

Bearing gifts.

This Son of God, Jesus, is here to gather up the fragments of our little lives, the fragments of our collected and hoarded disappointments and give to us Himself and all the trimmings that come with Him.

Like eternal life.

Like  His peace to us now as we live out our daily lives.

Like His Presence to dwell with us.

He is here as Emanuel! God with us!

His gift of eternal life starts today, now. It isn’t something that we need to wait for. We get to live today knowing that it is already a done deal.

His word to the shepherds when the angel of the Lord appeared to them in a field so many years ago is also for us, for our kids, for our grandkids and beyond.

So take this word and run with it. It is yours, ours for the taking and believing and living out.

And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which shall be for all the people for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2: 10-11)

There has been born for you a Savior…

Can’t top that one.

May God or an angel speak to you today that there has been born for you a Savior.

And with that, I add a crispy -clear Merry Christmas!

There! Take that and run with this gift in hand as you go about your day today, as you celebrate this wonderful event – Jesus’ birthday!

Merry Christmas!