On War: Aching For My Sisters

As I sought a moment of quiet this morning, I opened my Bible to the beginning of Paul's first letter to Timothy. Pondering slowly and deliberately, I was interrupted by the dancing eyes of my sweet granddaughter who had sidled up next to me for a nose kiss and a giggle. As she ran off for a new adventure I returned to my reading. 

In stark contrast to the scene that had just unfolded before me, the text soon turned to thoughts of lawbreakers, rebels, and murderers and my mind turned to today's headlines of horrid persecutions by the group ISIS in Iraq. In that moment I chose to let the horror of it all touch the deep places of my mind and heart. 

Lord, have mercy...

...for even as I revel in the nearness of children and grandchildren today, my heart breaks for the mothers and grandmothers, sisters and aunties who are suffering, fleeing, being raped and beaten, seeing their children beheaded and husbands, brothers, fathers murdered. It's unfathomable, yet the reports and gruesome photos bring relentless testimony before me that cannot be ignored. There is no quiet this morning for these families.

Friends, please pray for the Christians and other minorities in Iraq who are suffering these horrendous acts of genocide, that those who might come to their aid would have strength, wisdom and courage, and that the hearts of those intent upon evil would be changed. 

The suffering of war and strife are certainly well beyond the borders of Iraq in so many places, among so many people...and many with no way to defend themselves. Because I am a woman, when I close my eyes I can't help but resonate with the pain and fear of the women, young and old, who ache to protect their children, who cannot escape mob brutality, who are cowering or fleeing in fear even as I linger in the calm of my sun-filled, hope-filled morning, helpless to snatch even one precious sister from harm. And so I pray, and I weep, and I'm reminded once again not to squander the rich blessings of peace.

There are women within my reach who are bound and hurting...hunted and haunted. Lord, where can I ease suffering today? And let me never cease praying for those beyond my reach, for they are never beyond Yours.

Heartsick

I am sickened and appalled by news of the mass shootings in Colorado. I am angry, and sick, and so grieved. 

When will we see that this world has not become a better place by force of man's reason, discovery, and innovation. Mankind will not make itself better by creating it's own virtue and thinking good and fine-sounding thoughts. When I was a child, children were not killing their parents, nor parents their own children. Men did not burst into schools and coffee shops and crowded theaters and murder innocents. Acts of evil are on the rise. We are not being enlightened into a greater state of virtue.

Just as the Bible prophesied, "Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold." (Matt 24:12)..."But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power." (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

From slanderous, hateful discourse on the airwaves, to the worship of self that tears families and relationships apart, brutality in our communities, unashamed extortions in the white-collar sector, and any number of breaking news stories that continue to slap us daily with their sensationalism until we are almost lulled into a complacency of "well, that's just the way it is," hateful, horrid acts are on the rise. This is our world of mankind despising and refusing to acknowledge it's Creator. "I do not want you, God. Even if you do exist, I want to live my life my way thank you very much." Just as in times of old when another culture had fallen into depravity and "everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25), it will not go well when there is a sliding scale for right and wrong.

We can debate philosophies and loiter in the ethereal land of grand thoughts and ideas, but it does not change the fact that man is born into sin. One does not have to strain to see that we have "all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Which parent has ever had to teach his child to lie? And how many of you have had to give tantrum lessons? "Repeat after me, son...Mine! Mine!" This inherent self-centeredness is just that, inherent. We are born with it. And even as adults we continue to battle...or give in to...this inner drive to preserve self, seek our own gain, to have control, to be lords of our own lives. It's not working. It never has, it never will. There is a presence of evil that desires to rule men's souls. Believing that he does not exist is just as perilous as denying God's existence.

For there is an authority to which we will all bow one day, either here or on the other side of this life. And there is also One who can free us from our slavery to sin and give us peace with our creator. His name is Jesus. A name that has been reviled and mocked from the time he walked upon this earth until now. Sent by God the Father not to just say and do amazing things, but in obedience to his Father, to take the penalty for the sin of all mankind; to die a horrible death on a cross for not only every sick and heinous thought, word or deed that has been done, but even for our seemingly passive rebellion against God and what He has declared to be right and true. He was crucified, died, and was raised to life again, our sin upon His shoulders, so that we could be free from sin and live a new life by His spirit. By His death and resurrection we can know peace with the Father in heaven who created us, now and for eternity. Jesus..."Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) Only in His power we can battle against our sin and selfishness and let our lives reflect a goodness that is truly good. 

I may not have ever been tempted to walk into a crowded room and open fire, but I have opened my mouth and spewed out hurtful words that surely have wounded and killed the hearts of others. I am a selfish person. I am a wretched woman. And I am so thankful to know God, to have a Savior who saves me eternally, and saves me everyday...especially from myself. A Savior who forgives me and calls me to seek forgiveness for the messes I've made. How I need Him! So please...I beg you...wake up friend! Wake up world! We are not getting better on our own. Turn to Jesus. Be whole, be healed, be forgiven.

I could go on and on, but I already have... My heart is heavy with grief as I am once again forced to look upon the tragic effects of sin. 

Oh God, have mercy on us. Have mercy on our land. We are sick and so very sad today. Many are grieving and aching...free-falling into despair. Be their hope, their life, their comfort. We need you, Jesus. May we cry out to You today in humility and repentance, "Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise." (Jeremiah 17:14) 

Press "like" if you LOVE Jesus...

I'm not going to press "like" if I LOVE Jesus,

Or forward a prayer to 12 people within 5 minutes,

Or repost because "I'm not ashamed of the gospel"...Bleh!

What is proved by any of these things? Grace is not forwarded or reposted. Grace is from God alone. It is lived, and received, and flows out of real lives, and real hearts, and real words that are governed by the Holy Spirit. We can share words of truth and grace online, but not in trite, thoughtless (without giving it thought), non-soul-searching ways.

Our salvation was bought with the life of the Son of God who became a man, took all our sins - and the punishment for them - upon Himself, died a terrible death, and was gloriously raised from the dead. He did not just "press 'like' if you're God and You so love the world."

We don't summon the God of the universe by pressing "like," or forwarding magic prayers, or reposting "in your face" declarations. And none of these things confirms His real, rebirth presence in our hearts. It's easy to press "like." It takes sacrifice to follow Jesus. It takes humility and repentance. It is a life and a "walk" and a process, not a one-time prayer or an easy click of a button.

Bah! This is my response to the GodVine "ad" in my sidebar: Press "like" if you LOVE Jesus.

(I am not a fan of "Jesus junk" either. "They will know we are Christians by our love for one another," among many other things, but not by our cool bumper stickers, key chains, posters, and pens.)

Does the trivializing and marketing of God and everything that is holy bother anyone else?

Does Youth Ministry Matter?

I received an email while on vacation that posed the question, "Is there a biblical basis for youth ministry? if so, why does it matter?" The email asked for a response. This is an adaptation of my response:

My quick answer to the question of youth ministry is that Jesus said to go and make disciples. He didn't specify how that would look, but we are to be encouraging others to know and follow Jesus. To this end, youth ministry has biblical validity. To this end, women's ministry, men's ministry, children's ministry, married's ministry, etc. has biblical validity.

But...I also feel that our youth need to not be so compartmentalized that they are separate from the rest of the church body. This allows adults to forego their responsibility of encouraging those younger in the faith, sometimes including their own children. "Let the youth pastor teach my child" or "handle this crisis." All adults need to "man up" and take responsibility for those who are younger in years and in faith. Instead of just sending them off the be counseled by a pastor, what if "we" got on our knees in desperation seeking wisdom to bring counsel to one of our young brothers or sisters? Or what if "we" committed to pray diligently for our youth..even for just one or two of them consistently? What if "we" intentionally sought out a young person to know and encourage? Too often we are content to pass on the hard stuff to a "professional"...whatever that means. Aren't we all commanded to be prepared in season and out so that we can give an answer for the hope that we have? To rightly handle the word of truth? To speak the truth in love? To keep on praying for "all" the saints? Are we willing to apply this to our preparation and action in coming alongside teens and young adults? 

I believe it is a wonderful thing to provide a place for teens to find fellowship and encouragement, but I also believe that the church needs to be admonished and challenged  to incorporate these "adults-in-the-making" into the life of the church body. Into our lives. The world is intimidated by teens. We are not to look like the world, but to walk in faith, trust, and obedience. How will teens ever learn that this works or is even worthwhile if we're too lazy to do it on their behalf? To show them, not just tell them. To share with them how God is working in our lives, that His promises are true. To take them along on our journeys, if that's what it takes. 

Many years ago the Lord very clearly said to me, "How will you ever be able to look your children in the eye and tell them that they can trust the Lord if you will not?" I knew all the verses, had all the pat answers, but I was cowering in fear and in rebellion (nicely labeled "sins of omission"). It has been a crazy, hard journey for me since then. I have not arrived, nor am I perfect, but BAH! I just have to keep pressing on! When one part of the body suffers (is sick, weak, ineffective, given over to sin), we all suffer. There is so much at stake! Our "kids" aren't following Jesus, to a great degree, because we aren't following Jesus. Youth ministry is only running around plugging leaks until we who "by this time ought to be teachers..." (Heb 5:11-14) start taking our lives as Jesus' followers seriously. 

So, yes, I believe that there is biblical validity for youth ministry as a specialized focus...but it must be combined with a whole body focus. Why would a kid be excited about becoming an adult, in life and in faith, when we as "grown ups" really do make it look lame, insignificant, powerless, and fake? Our kids are dying out there and all we adults often do is wring our hands, stand around and talk about the sad state of "kids today", point condemning fingers at sinful behavior, or say by our actions, "You're not worth my time. Your problems are too hard and ugly. I have no patience to walk this path of growing up with you. And, by the way, can you just get your act together, you're taking up my valuable time and making me look bad." 

And in venting all this, I have to acknowledge that there are many godly parents and adults who are taking this seriously. But far too many adults are reluctant to wrap their minds, their hearts, and their time around caring for these young people, whether in formal "youth ministry" or in just doing life with teens. 

We need to be on our faces for our kids. We need to be searching the scriptures for wisdom, and acting on what is said so that we will be healed, trained up, fully prepared for those works ordained for us...including coming alongside those younger than us. We need to believe that God will be victorious in their lives...and ours. And, yes, I am preaching all this to myself too, because I am by nature lazy and as prone to lose my zeal as anyone. 

Thanks for asking the question. I've been spurred on by answering it. 

**********

And I would add this: 

Young people are not scary, but by giving in to this lie we are leaving them vulnerable to the speaker of that lie. As I have heard my youth pastor say over and over, "The world is a relentless discipler." It is hitting our kids from all sides, 24/7. If you saw a toddler standing alone beside a busy freeway, would you just drive by saying, "Well, I'm not called to children's ministry?" Our teens are in danger. Will you stop? The battle is real and we stand on the side of the victorious One, but are we instead only sitting on the sidelines? The very power of God that rose Christ from the dead lives in us! It is His power that works in us to will and to do according to His good purpose. Nothing is impossible with God! He says, "Do not be afraid! Do not be discouraged for the Lord your God is with you!" There is no time for sitting, we are needed in the battle. If this spurs even one person on in committing to grow up, or to pray, or to come do life with teens in youth ministry, then it has been worth sharing. 

One very exhausting youth camp as I asked the Lord why I was even there He took me to Psalm 145, verses 4-7:

One generation commends your works to another; 

   they tell of your mighty acts. 

They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty— 

   and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

They tell of the power of your awesome works— 

   and I will proclaim your great deeds. 

They celebrate your abundant goodness 

   and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

And so I press on. Will you?