Grace is...

 

This past week two things in my world collided to bring together this current post. 

First, each Wednesday I receive a "Wednesday's Word" written by Paul David Tripp. Behind by a week or two, I caught up and read a beautiful piece of prose describing what "grace" is all about. 

Titled, "Grace is," Tripp expounded on this "thunderous, expansive, powerful and life-altering word."

Other than the word God, he goes on to say, "there is no more important word that the human mind could consider and the mouth could speak."

So, he tries to clarify this by describing grace as many things...

A rainbow of every shade of mercy...

A fountain, an ever flowing stream...

 

A symphony, each instrument one of redemption...

A forest with oaks of righteousness...

These are just a few of an entire page of lovely metaphors.

Secondly, I've been challenged by a friend, who writes books for writers, to engage with her writing group in creative writing skills (just for fun and as fodder for her next book). 

One of our assignments was to take on a different form of writing that is uncommon to each of us, simply for the purpose of stretching ourselves out of a comfort zone of personal style. 

She, also, threw wide open the windows for topic choice. 

As I reflected on Paul Tripp's lovely piece of prose, I randomly noted that he left out one significant metaphor. 

It seemed important to me, since I recently found myself incorporating this particular figure of expression in several of my retreat sessions. 

So, I played around with the thought further, as the result of my assignment.

The writing is rough.

I am no Paul David Tripp.

But, I'll share it here, simply for the purpose of pondering your own journey with grace.

Grace is a journey.

A journey 

That begins at the cross...

At calvary

Where the gospel story unfolds.

There, with Jesus’ shed blood

Running down red

Puddling the ground

I bow, surrendered.

There, I find salvation,

Forgiveness,

Freedom,

Joy,

Peace,

Hope,

Eternal life.

There, as He lifts me up

Out of the blood-formed-clay

Where I fell,

He plants my feet

 

On a new way -

A path of adventure -

Not safe*

Never safe...

Yet, His magnificent Presence

Is always about me.

And, He is good.

Never anything but good.

So, I embrace this path,

This new ground 

Unexplored, 

Holy-ground.

For where He is 

It is holy!

A sacred place

A pilgrimage

And adventure with Jesus 

Into the unknown 

Yet always destined for the throne...

And, those who set 

Their hearts on Him

Will find their strength in Him.

There is a for-sure-blessing 

Beyond measure.

He, Himself, will lead me on...

Where the path is straight

To Heaven’s gate...

On this journey called Grace.

*Safe. Our journey isn't safe as in the definition of "protected from trouble and trial." Safe IS connected with the biblical idea of safety, meaning "encompassed about for the purpose of strengthening." In this way, our journey as we step heavenward in grace is sure. God, Himself, encompasses around us with His sweet presence, for the purpose of strengthening us in our need. 

REJOICE AND BE REASONABLE.

Monday swept into our lives like water rushing through broken pipes underground....and, actually that was (literally) part of the problem. 

The fact it was Monday, following a weekend of being away speaking at a women's retreat, should have been enough in itself.

A lot needed to be accomplished in this new week before I leave again over the coming weekend.

However, not to be outdone by the length of my to-do-list, Monday brought with her all manner of issues...

...the WORST ONE being that a water line broke and, to prevent flooding, we turned off the water to all the homes on our family's property (although I don't want to minimize the fact I nearly burned the house down forgetting cauliflower cooking on the stove).  

🙄

This day's list necessitated WATER, with the need to "cook ahead" in order to freeze meals for dear Bay (who still needs to eat while I'm gone the next three weeks), a sink filled with dirty dishes (from having been away), dirty clothes to launder, and a house to clean.

Now my day also required a run to town to buy some extra gallons of water to have on hand for flushing toilets, filling the water well on the coffee maker (obviously, some things never get sacrificed), and random other arising needs. 

A whole slough of additional "to do's" hit my list that became "trials" threatening to rob my joy.

My dear assistant, Allison commiserated.

She, too, had just gotten home from a family funeral, and woke this same Monday, to all kinds of issues, including dog messes all about her house and a credit card scam.

My household concerns probably seemed quite illegitimate in comparison; yet, she jumped in with both feet to help where she could.

I assigned her the task of calling 811 to alert all utilities services, and so they could come out to identify lines that might get in the way of digging up the broken pipes for repair. 

We didn't need an electrical outage along with the zero water.

Allison's sweet temperament handles things like this far better than mine.

Had I been on the phone with the woman asking the kazillion technical questions and promising we'd not see a service provider until WEDNESDAY, well, patience and gentleness might not have defined me. 

I know this about me. 

1) I'm not a fan of talking on the phone.

2) I have no sweet spirit when someone seems to be wasting my time, and they are contrary to my will.

3) Let's face it, FORBEARANCE is not my middle name. 

So, as I worked on other things, like clearing away the burnt-to-a-crisp-cauliflower, Allison quietly answered the questions, merely raising her eyebrows at the not-acceptable-time-frame, while gently advocating on our behalf. 

Internally, awe took over as I listened to the conversation develop, and before she ended the call, the service provider called my husband saying she'd arrive in 20-minutes. 

I certainly applauded my decision o have her make that call. 👏👏

Were I on the phone, we'd be well into May before they came in response to my un-gentle approach.

🙄

So, this morning, as I'm reading Philippians 4, yet another conviction overwhelmed my soul.

Of course, I know I'm not experiencing persecution like the church to whom Paul wrote.

My "trials" are merely little and annoying; these folks experienced persecution and suffering. 

However, the words the apostle admonished, I FIND I, also, NEED as a huge dose of application.

He says to them:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

Let your gentleness (reasonableness, kindness, gruntle-ness, mildness) be KNOWN TO ALL.

The Lord is at hand...

Philippians 4:4-5

EVEN WHEN...

"Rejoice and be reasonable." 

In fact, make certain every person you come in contact with recognizes these character traits in you, even if they are the ones to heap hardship upon hardship.

You see, even the "gods" of the Greco-Roman world were known for their gentle forbearance, according to the NICNT/NICOT (commentary on Philippians) written by Gordon Fee.

So, of course, the people of God should be even more so.  

"THIS SHOULD BE THE DISPOSITION OF ALL GOD'S PEOPLE - and, this toward all people, especially, those who make life miserable for us."

PEG FORREST IS NOT EXEMPT - no special dispensation, here.

In doing so, we imitate Christ:

Why? 

Paul's reasoning is interesting:  

The Lord is near.

Paul could mean one of two things, or perhaps a double entendre.

The Lord is ever close.

His presence always with us to empower us, encourage, exhort, and strengthen....

Paul's words are reminiscent of David's:

The second meaning is more eschatological in thought.

Even back then, the possibility that our Savior could appear at any moment crossed their minds frequently...

...and, we are closer than ever.

Of course, as you are reading this, He could appear.

What a thought...

For them it meant a release from the trials of the world.

For us it means the same - and, goodness - don't we relish the day when all things will be made right?!?

Yet, it adds another thought for me, especially.

How do I want to be found when the Lord appears?

Grumbling and griping because of the circumstances, or rejoicing and living out grace, love, generosity, patience and kindness with a gentle/reasonable spirit?

Beware of the Dogs

Sometimes I sit with eyes wide at the harshness of Paul's words to his beloved churches as he writes his letters.

Often, what he says, or the way he says it, gets lost in our English translation; and, yet, these particular words, do not. 

So, this past week, I spent some time in that wide-eyed-posture as I began reading his words of warning to the Philippian church, the brothers and sisters he calls beloved, " his joy and crown."

Because Paul loved these folks so much, he was willing to warn them of ANYTHING, or ANYONE, that might steal away their joy.

There were "dogs" creeping into the camp, and those mutilators of the gospel cared nothing for their spiritual well-being, not like he did!

Here's the thing about the metaphor he uses.

Zoologically, dogs were the low-life: scavengers. 

Among the Greco-Roman world of the time, they were as "unclean," by Jewish standards, as someone with leprosy and should be avoided at all costs. 

Everybody knew this. 

Paul wasn't just saying "look out," he was saying, "STAY AWAY!"

(Oh goodness, there is so much to talk about with this verse, but I must stay on point with what the Lord showed me this week. Sigh!)

The dogs, who were causing no small problems, among the church at Philippi were the Judaizers.

Judaizers wanted to adjust the gospel, make it about Jesus + something else (in this case, the Old Testament Law, particularly regarding circumcision) to equal salvation.

Paul sticks to his guns, his convictions, and tells the church:

"DO NOT CHANGE, ADD TO, SUBTRACT FROM THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST."

The gospel, praise the Lord (!) is by grace, through faith, in CHRIST ALONE!

WE DON'T DO ANYTHING TO DESERVE SALVATION.

As I type the words, I think to myself with wonder, "The gospel is not difficult to understand. Why would we want to add to it? Why make it more complicated?"

This is where my pondering zigged-and-zagged throughout the week, until I think I heard a whisper from the Lord (which sounded like the Lord, at any rate).

Here is what was happening within the church: persecution from these folks who were pushing their gospel...

...and, by looking "more Jewish" (which was acceptable to Nero, who was fearfully worried about this new, as yet, unknown religion called Christianity), they, then, could escape persecution from without.

Therefore, to escape the persecution, even though they believed otherwise, many were giving in to these "evil-workers" (the dogs, the mutilators of the flesh) just to get them off their back.

XXXXX

Oh, how often do I, for the sake of escaping notice, or someone thinking I'm a fanatic, or to not have to stand alone in a crowd, do the very same thing!?!

Instead of being in the world, but not of it, I allow myself the permission to look a whole lot like the world, just to be comfortable...just to indulge in my want-to's that aren't necessarily "bad" things, but they keep me playing it safe...

AND DON'T WE ALL PREFER SAFE?

The problem is safe is joy-less.

SAFE IS JOY-LESS!

That's why Paul was writing this book - his "happy-book" - 

WE CANNOT REJOICE-ALWAYS WHEN WE ALLOW OURSELVES TO BE BIT BY THE DOGS!

LOOK OUT!

YAG Surgery & Secret Places of the Soul

A couple weeks ago, both Bay and I had our eyes checked in Oklahoma, where we had lens replacement surgery last summer.

Over the months, both of us developed a filmy "opacification" that formed over our eyes that left us just a wee bit cloudy, even if our eyesight was pretty near perfect!

Without taking care of it, vision would increasingly get worse and dim the light coming in needed for good sight.

Hence, our doc said, we needed a YAG capsulotomy. 

Basically, Dr. Morgan just used a laser beam and shot that cloudy stuff to smithereens. 

An easy little surgery, taking no more than a few minutes for each of us. 

But as he performed the surgery, Dr. Morgan had to look deep inside our eyes to  find exactly what needed to be zapped. 

Tuck this away.

XXXXX

Things happen in the middle of the night when I'm awake and sleepless.

I've shared before how my mind generally gets the best of me.

It has a tendency to cycle around random things that left me confused over the course of a day; tornadoes of what-ifs; stormy seas of doubt that crash into my faith-boat and leave me wondering. 

Sometimes my mind wanders off and spends time sitting in the shadows of the what-else-could-possibly-happen, conjuring up all manners of fear.

What's even worse are the conversations I should have had, with words I didn't think of in the moment, but have come to surface at 2:00 AM.

AND, along with all the above, quite frankly, my imagination brilliantly creates all kinds of stories about what's happening in the here and now. 

I could probably write some award winning novels if I could remember them all in the morning. 

In the midst of all this, my wise-mind begins to recall all the tools it knows to step away and move out of the path of this onslaught, but that emotional-mind somehow seems to chain it's counterpart to the wall and shuts out all possible communication between the two with duct-tape. 

(This is not literal, you understand, it's just what it feels like in the middle of the night.)

This whole scenario played itself out just a few nights ago, until sometime around 5 AM, I drifted off to sleep til 7:00's morning light woke me.

As is typical, coffee in hand, I journeyed to my place on the couch where I meet with Jesus each morning.

I turned in my Bible to where I'd left off reading the day before: Philippians 2:14.

Paul writes:

"Do all things (EvErY! ThInG!) without grumbling or disputing." 

Grumbling. Disputing. 

"Certainly that's not my problem, right, Lord?"

So, I dug into the words.

Grumble (gotta love it's Greek Word: goggysmos) - to murmur, to mutter, to grumble, to complain. 

Here was the kicker, however - to hold a "secret debate within oneself."

Dispute (Greek Word: dialogismos; where we get our word for dialogue) - literal meaning, the internal thinking of a man who deliberates with Himself, inward reasoning, a hesitation or a doubt...

The whole concept of inner/inward/secret grumbling, murmuring, deliberation, and doubting brought a new awareness.

I'm fine (ahem) for the most part on the outside.

I don't often see myself as a complainer or an arguer. 

And, because I think I'm fine on the outside, I think I'm FINE....

BUT...my middle of the night struggle, where the emotional-mind took over and silenced all wisdom, revealed much more to me about what's in the secret places of my soul than I realized was there; and, it wasn't pretty. In fact, it was sin-ugly!

When I filtered it all through God's Words, what was left were those two words: grumbling and debating with the Lord.

As God's Word says, what's on the inside will eventually come to the outside. 

So....

This, like any sin, blatant or "secret," required the spiritual discipline of confession...that I might be a "blameless and innocent child of God without blemish in a crooked and twisted world (2;15)."

It's the secret places of the soul that trip me up time and time again....and, what's in there clouds my spiritual vision...and, it will dim the LIGHT shining in!

XXXXX

You get the parallel, I recognized the next morning the need for a spiritual YAG procedure...to look deep within and zap away the stuff that's obscuring my spiritual sight.

In the Kingdom world, we call that repentance. 

I acknowledged the secret stuff in my soul, the stuff that the Lord revealed to me in the midst of my sleeplessness, and allowed the Lord to blast them away, clean it all up...and begin again, forgiven. 

Forgiven: to have our sins lifted up and carried away. 

I love what David says in Ps 32 (especially verses 1-5):

BLESSED (Hebrew- eser: made straight) ARE THE FORGIVEN!

In a crooked and twisted world, I can move forward on a straight, level path, because God is so good at His spiritual surgeries. 

He straightens up my heart that I might be a testimony to a crooked generation.

Need a YAG procedure on your heart? 

They are incredibly helpful.

Worship Yourself. 🤔 What? 🤔

This past weekend, I walked into a Walmart in Florence, Alabama and came face-to-face with an advertisement that stopped me on my trajectory to the pharmacy department.

The ad was bright, bold, large enough that you couldn't miss the wording, which caught my eye immediately. 

Here's what it read:

Worship

Yourself!

Sigh. 

Never in a million years did I expect to see this...

XXXXX

Worship: 

Google search from Oxford Dictionary - To ascribe value and worth to something, and to proclaim honor and adoration above all other; to show reverence as to a deity - 

Word Book dictionary - to love unquestioningly and uncritically.

To show "worth-ship." The state or condition of being "worthy."

XXXXX

I'm reminded of what Paul told the Romans in Chapter 1:

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator–who is forever praised. (18-21, 25)

Now then...

I'm one of the first to teach the importance of walking out our God-given identity through Christ-Jesus. 

I recognize the need we have as followers of Jesus to understand this magnificent truth and how it transfers to living boldly and confidently, while we are in the world, just not of it.

I regularly declare that all human-kind is created in the image of the invisible God, and that alone gives us intrinsic value and worth. 

That simple truth demands our attention in a world where it is easy to dismiss others, or cause us to think less of individual lives (from pre-born infant to the infirm and elderly).

(created in the image of God)

However, when we acknowledge any kind of call to worship self, we cross a line that should never be crossed.

When the notion of worshipping ourselves becomes acceptable, pride, conceit and selfish ambition will rule our every relationship. 

To live in a world where we are competing to be like "god," sets us up for a downfall...

...and, according to Romans 1:18, invites God's wrath. 

We must remember that we are the created, not THE CREATOR -

We can not take a breath, but God allows...

Move arms or legs, but that He nods His permission...

...Our internal organs will not work, unless He chooses...

While, we are of great value to Him because of His great love...

While accepted because of the Beloved...

We are NOT, nor will we ever be, WORTHY OF WORSHIP. 

Jesus Followers....

We must kindly rise up against these anti-biblical lies and speak truth as we have opportunity to do so. 

"I Didn't Do the Rules..." and Intimacy with Jesus

Key Verse:

Yesterday morning, in staff chapel at Ramsey Solutions (Dave Ramsey's headquarters) outside of Nashville, Bay reminded me of a family story that we tell often. 

It is worth repeating with a little twist giving it some spiritual significance.

It dawned on me as Bay was sharing the story that there is a TRUTH, we all need to be reminded of on a regular basis. 

First the story.

When our grandson, Ethan, turned four, he, along with his family, came to Colorado for a summer visit.

As a little guy, he loved riding Papa's horses; and, he'd stand for the longest time on the corral fence just watching Papa saddle and work with them in the round pen.

He always wanted to ride by himself, and, although he was still pretty young to do so, he seemed pretty comfortable in the saddle. 

So, one day, Papa let him ride our gentlest horse all by himself, following behind Papa up to the back of the property.

It was fairly obvious that this made E quite proud of his little self.

Before they left the round pen, Papa gave him some good instructions, reminding him how to use the reins as his "steering wheel."

Off they went.

They weren't going for too long of a ride, but enough of one that Ethan would feel like he was pretty big stuff.

I guess at one point, Bay gave E another reminder about the reins, but Bay's report upon their return boasted that E rode like a true cowboy.

However, Ethan had another story.

When I asked him how the ride went, he immediately responded (and here, I only wish I could give you a little audio of the way he said it for the full effect - think Eeyore, from Winnie the Pooh), "I didn't do the rules...."

Somehow these "rules" he didn't "do," caused his riding enthusiasm to diminish.

XXXX

The following is the truth that resonated with me yesterday morning. 

How often do we, as followers of Jesus, attempt to "add to the gospel." 

We figure out (or, someone informs us of their interpretation) of the "rules" for Christian living.

Once saved, there is a "to do" list we must follow if we are going to be "good enough."

I don't think I need to create an example for you - it's as long as your perspective. 

The "rules" generally follow this format.

If I do ___________________, then Jesus is pleased and smiles down on me.

This problem is as old as time. 

It gets confusing, because there are certainly spiritual rhythms I keep (like having a quiet time every morning, or attending church on Sunday) that can feel like I'm following a law, but really those things only create space for me to draw closer in intimacy to the Lord.

When the laws we add start becoming 

Gospel + Something Else = Pleasing God

we begin to lose the joy that comes with faith.

When duty becomes our focus, it will destroy the relationship we have with the Lord.

Duty always destroys intimacy. 

Yet, as I grow in intimacy, the "want-to" to chase after anything that allows me to get closer to my Savior GROWS and GROWS.

Want-to is never birthed out of HAVE-TO.

Like Ethan we can get discouraged by the HAVE-TO-DO, which is man-created, not Spirit-led, by thinking we "didn't do the rules."

The result: 

Rules bewitch us, and, then...

They will always, always, always...

Steal our joy.

What, then, has happened to all your joy? Galatians 4:15a (NIV)

Instead, how do we then live?

One step at a time...

The same way we received salvation...

By grace, through faith in Christ alone.

As we do...we seek His desire and power to work out our salvation in us to do that which pleases Him...

I love how the Apostle Paul puts it in Philippians 2 (where I have been studying the last few days) - Verses 12b-13 (NLT):

...show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Bottom line - 

It's not about "doing the rules" or not...It's all about seeking intimacy with our Savior.

The rest falls in place.

Marriage 302: Further Ways to Tend a Marriage

I love Charleston (we're here for a board-recommended, wee vacation before moving on with our ministry trip). 

We visited here about ten years ago, and I fell hard. 

If I believed in reincarnation (I don't), I'd think that I might have once been a Southern Belle. 

Charleston is rich in history; masterful architecture; warm coastal breezes; splendid, colorful, southern flowers; and, don't even get me started on the food (if I were once a Southern Belle, I was a chunky, "robust" girl)...

So, speaking of food, on Tuesday we toured downtown, then ate lunch at Hyman's Seafood Restaurant. 

Built in 1890, Hyman's newest owners boast being 5th generation descendants.

The restaurant, itself, brags about being #6 on the list of Taste Atlas' 150 most legendary restaurants.

We sat at a table where Kevin Costner once enjoyed a meal. 

Eli Hyman, the current owner, came over to our table to greet us and make certain everything was to our liking - he stood and visited some bit before moving on to another. 

That's good service - and probably why we made sure to come back. 

As he walked away, he asked if we would add Israel to our prayers. 

Done ✔...as in we would do so right then before our meal, but we already pray on a regular basis for the peace of Israel.

You're probably wondering where all this is going and how it relates to marriage.

Well, in the center of our table sat a small box with different colored cards in it - 

Each one distributed great advice, and I collected them all to save.

One of those cards shared 40 different marriage strategies. 

Since I'm writing this blog while on "vacation," these thoughts seem appropriate and they are time-savers (yes, I'm taking the lazy-girl's-method-of-blog-writing this week).

They are good, though, and there are some I know I need to adopt.

They also fit the theme of last week's edition of "Just a Thought" and might give you another idea, or two, or three, to institute as a marriage-discipline (of course, there are a few repeats).

Here they are:

Start each day with a kiss.

Wear your wedding ring at all times.

Date once a week.

Accept one another's differences.

Be polite.

Gift gifts.

Smile often.

Touch.

Give back rubs.

Laugh together.

Send a card for no reason.

Do what the other person wants before he or she asks.

Listen.

Encourage.

Know his or her needs.

Fix the other person breakfast.

Compliment one another twice a day.

Call during the day.

Slow down.

Hold hands.

Cuddle.

As for one other's opinions.

Show respect.

Look your best.

Celebrate birthdays in a big way.

Apologize.

Forgive.

Set up a romantic getaway.

Be positive.

Be kind.

Be vulnerable.

Respond quickly to the other person's request.

Reminisce about your favorite times together.

Treat each other's friends and relatives with courtesy.

Send flowers for Valentine's Day and your anniversary.

Admit when you're wrong -

Be sensitive to each other's sexual desires.

Pray fore each other daily.

Say, "I love you," frequently.

Seek outside help when needed. 

(accredited to Steve Stephens)

If I have to leave with just one thought for today - it's this: 

Marriages last because TWO PEOPLE work at it - forever. 

Be intentional.