Mission Faithwalk

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9)           Three times in the past two days, and at least one more time in the past week, the subject of the heart has been flung in my face. Twice this morning. I suspect God is trying to tell me something, but at the moment, I’m grinding my teeth. The third time, we were talking about the full armor of God. When the subject of the belt of truth came up, I mentioned that in the culture in which the Bible was written, the guts were considered the seat of emotions. The teacher said that he’d get to that in a moment, and when he discussed the breastplate of righteousness, he told us that the heart was the seat of emotions. I didn’t correct him or kill him.            The second time, John Eldridge got it closer to being right. He noted that the heart is the seat of the self, and its voice is emotions. That, at least, is food for thought.           The first time was the typical appeal t

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength   he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms . (Ephesians 1:18-20) God loves you; you matter to him. That is a fact, stated as a proposition. I imagine most of you have heard it any number of times. Why, then, aren’t we the happiest people on earth? It hasn’t reached our hearts. Facts stay lodged in the mind, for the most part. They don’t speak at the level we need to hear. Proposition speaks to the mind, but when you tell a story, you speak to the heart. We’ve been telling each other stories since the beginning of time. It’s our way of communicating the timeless truths, passing them down. (John Eldridge, Waking the Dead , p. 24)           I’m not

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.   For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father,     a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—" a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. (Matthew 10:34-36)           I finished reading Hearing God yesterday. Today, I pulled Waking the Dead by John Eldridge from the shelf. In a way, it begins with one of the same issues discussed in Hearing God . If God speaks to us, why is it we have such a hard time hearing Him or figuring out He’s the one speaking? Why is life so hard? Why does it “always” feel like we’re in a funhouse with its mirrors that distort? We’ve been saved, so why is it we so often feel lost? We’re like the disciples in the boat, in the storm, shoving at Jesus and asking, “Don’t You care that we’re going to drown?”           Mr. Eldridge’s response is that we’re at war, and in this war, those clos

For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. (I Timothy 2:5-6) Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me . (John 14:6)           Some folks say that it doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere. Some folks say that all roads lead to heaven. For some, all that matters I that one is “spiritual,” meaning whatever they mean the term to mean.            It’s true that all religions speak truth, because all religions deal with the universe, other people, and sometimes, God. All three can be perceived from two sides, from the inside, or the outside. Another way to describe this is to say from the human perspective or the divine. In that, religions are no different from a car wreck. The driver, each passenger, the witnesses, and the forensic experts can each provide

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)                 In reading the penultimate chapter of Hearing God , the issue that stood out to me is my reason for wanting to hear God: I don’t like risk. I want God to tell me what to do and guarantee the outcome. I want to know I’m right. It’s part of my personality, which means it’s not something I can turn on and off. I have to figure out how to deal with it, to recognize the weakness.           I’ve written before about God’s will sometimes being like a six-lane highway. You can travel down the right land, the second lane from the left, or any other lane. Your experience won’t be quite the same, but you’re still in God’s will. Sometimes, God’s will requires that you get out of th

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy   because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,   being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:4-6)           When you pray for others, is it with joy? Are you confident that he who began a good work in them will carry it on to completion? How do we pray for others? I know part of the time, we pray “solve the problem” prayers. Heal them, get/keep them out of trouble, meet that need, grant salvation…. I don’t think these are wrong things to pray about. Neither do I think it wrong to pray “WDA” or using the fruit of the Spirit. David even prayed “shatter their teeth!” I’m not sure that’s the best prayer to pray, but it’s honest.            I don’t know which is easier to pray, in confidence that he who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion, or in confidence that he who began a good work in

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9)           “Yes, I did it, but I couldn’t help it, I was born this way.”           “Yes, I did it, but he deserved it!”           Are these confessions? I think we’d be tempted to believe they are. After all, they both admit that the person speaking did something. If you check the etymology of the word, you’re likely to be told that con intensifies the rest of the word, and the rest of the word meant “to admit or declare.” However, con also means “with.”            According to the etymologies, to confess is to really admit or declare, to strongly admit or declare. That would mean both examples are confessions. I suspect a judge would agree. It doesn’t matter what you say after, “I did it.” And maybe that’s correct. But as I look at it in the larger picture of God’s holy courtroom, it seems as if the with understanding of confession strikes close

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery….   You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. (Galatians 5:1 & 13)                Raise your fist and chant with me, “Free…dom….free…dom….free…dom.” We all want to be free. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal….” You remember those inalienable rights, don’t you? Life, liberty , and the pursuit of happiness. It’s amazing how quickly we go from canting about our freedom to taking away the freedom of others, but that’s not the issue of the day. At least, not the main idea.                 Since I was sixteen, there have been perhaps two years when I wasn’t either in school or employed. There were a couple summers during college, and the times between leaving school or one place of employment and starting another. T

                The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”           Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.             When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. (I Kings 19:11-13)           I love this story, but it has to be put in context. Elijah had been hiding from King Ahab for three years. He had taken on four hundred priests of Baal in a “My God is better than your god” contest, and his God had won. Elijah had then killed the four hundred and prophesied the end of the three-year drought. After all that, he’d run twenty-five miles ahead of Ahab’s chariot in the ra

               When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.                          “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.”                 Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (II Kings 6:15-17)                 Today’s chapter of Hearing God has to do with whether or not God speaks to us today. Like the past three-and-a-half years, this spring is about “going where I do not know,” and I suppose it’s only natural that the “do not know” part should raise energy levels and call for attention. The Syrian army besieging the city certainly seemed like enough reason for Elisha’s servant to take notice.             I wish I

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7-8)           There are times when life isn’t easy. March was a month of mourning, moving, and muddling. Part of the reason I’m rereading Hearing God is because I’m seeking direction from the Lord about everything. Professor Willard describes two types of guidance that God gives. The first is like driving a car. It’s direct. He turns the wheel and we go in that direction. The second is more personal. It asks for our cooperation.            I both love and hate both these methods. The car method is great because there’s no mistaking it. A friend used to talk about wanting God to lower a message on a fishing line. That’s a warm, fuzzy idea, except it takes away both choice and

Blessed are the meek , for they will inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)                 Now that I have access to my library, I’m rereading Hearing God by Dallas Willard. Today, it was about the requirements necessary to hear from God. He quotes A.T. Pierson, who says that we must be meek, and defines the term as having “a real preference for God’s will.” Mr. Pierson goes on to say,              To wait before him, weighing candidly in the scales every consideration for or against a proposed course, and in readiness to see which way the preponderance lies, is a frame of mind and heart in which one is fitted to be guided; and God touches the scales and makes the balance sway as he will But our hands must be off the scales, otherwise we need expect no interposition of his in our favor.”                  The thought that came to mind was not the scales that Mr. Pierson mentioned, but a Ouija board. The idea behind a Ouija board is that the people whose hands are on the pointer are no

  Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2  The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. (Acts 28:1-6)           A local Christian radio station guy walked about this passage this morning as I went to the grocery store yesterday morning. His comment was that it made him giggle more than some other passages do. My reacti

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)           Hope, the belief that things will get better, or at least won’t get worse. Joy, the response to the belief and reality that one is cared for by someone who is capable. Peace, the positive (not passive) allowing of God (and the universe) to be what they are. It was my plan to think about these things while driving today, but instead, I let the words of the poets and prophets of the Old Testament wash over me.            Right now, the night before you’ll read this, I’m sitting with my legs under an electric blanket with a space heater on high to try to keep the bedroom warm enough to sleep in. I did some grocery shopping and cooked chicken thighs because the oven was on anyway. By the time you read this, I’ll be waiting for the gas and water guys to show up and reconnect those utilities. Right now, it’s easy to be hop

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (II Corinthians 9:8)           God has blessed me. Oh, God had blessed me in so many ways, so abundantly. Some would say I’ve had an easy life, and they’re right. I hope that I have abounded in at least a few good works (please, no back patting.) As I head toward my home on the north coast, I hope to listen to lots of Scripture, but when I am not, I will have a lot to think about. And, wisdom, direction, and attitude require that I turn my attention to the future in a positive way. That’s not my natural inclination.            How often does a person get to start over? Some people, more than others. One of the things that I want to consider as I start over is what will allow me to abound in every good work? Getting a job? Where? Not getting a job? Getting back to my writing? Losing weight and getting in better shape? Those are a few of the ans

“Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.   I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own. They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor. Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen come from afar. They fly like an eagle swooping to devour; they all come intent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand.   They mock kings and scoff at rulers. They laugh at all fortified cities; by building earthen ramps they capture them. Then they sweep past like the wind and go on—guilty people, whose own strength is their god.” (Habakkuk 1:5-8)           “My god would never…”            Today’s passage is God’s answer to Habakkuk’s question

How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted. (Habakkuk 1:2-4)           This is one of those audacious prayers that I would describe as toeing the line. The same words can come from different attitudes. One attitude is that of a child pleading with his father. Another is that of a master questioning his slave. Habakkuk looked around at what was going on in the world, and in his own country, and what he saw concerned him.           As we look at our world, it’s easy to agree with Habakkuk. Things are a mess. Ideas about exactly what the mess is differ, but we agree it’s a mess. Jonah had a similar complaint, only he stepped over the line. He didn

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;   and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;   and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.   For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-8)           The exercise instructor on the video frequently gets us into a pattern with our feet, whether marching in place or step-together or grapevine. Once we’ve done it a couple times, she says, “Now, add the arms” and tells us what to do with our arms. Of course, adding the arms sometimes throws off the feet.           I remember reading about one of the Founding Fathers. He determined to become virtuous and chose one on which to work. When he was satisfied with that one, he moved on to the next. Before he accomplished the second, he r

                Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:31 NASB).           but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles ; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31 NIV)           I’ve read and sung this verse more times than I can count, but as I looked at it today in the NIV (second) translation, I had to go back to look at it in the NASB. Somehow, I’ve been misreading it for thirty-five years, and so has everyone I know. We have all taken this to mean that if we wait for the Lord, the Lord will give us new strength. God will do miraculous things if only we wait.            As I read it today, I find myself with a different perspective. Those who wait on the Lord or hope in the Lord will gain or renew their own strength. Those who wait for the Lord will

Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (II Peter 1:4)           Back in Genesis, Satan’s temptation to Adam and Eve was that in eating the fruit of the tree, they would become “like God, knowing good and evil.” I believe Adam and Eve thought that knowing evil would do them good, that they would be able to sit in judgment over it. They weren’t thinking of their own experiences, knowing the experience of evil done to them.            We have not changed in all the generations that have followed. We still want to be like God, in His might and His authority. We want to be the judge, jury, and sometimes executioner, not so much in killing others (though sometimes that) but as in executing our own decisions, whatever they may be. And we are often offended when God doesn’t seem to think we’re grown up enough to fill His shoes.  

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. (Deuteronomy 7:9)           Glad to see this verse this morning because it brings us back to definitions. What does it mean that God is the faithful God? According to the passage, it means He keeps His promises. I’m holding onto that tightly right now, as I try to figure out what I’m going to do. And doing seems to be the problem. I have “no problem” with waiting for God to direct me, as long as I’m busy. But right now, I’ve been given as much as a week with nothing that specifically moves me forward. I can clean and I can take part in activities, and I can (I hope) get back to writing.            And this morning, it comes to me that this is one of the decisions I have to make. I have fancied myself a writer, but for the past several days, I have done little writing. There are things that need to be done, b

not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25)                 The passage for today’s A Long Obedience In The Same Direction chapter is Psalm 133. It’s all about how good it is when brothers and sisters get along. It’s something I’ve been thinking about a little, because my instinctive reaction to pain is to pull away from people and to push projects. This time, I’m struggling with writing. A lot of people would say that’s OK, but I’m afraid if I don’t get back to writing soon, it’s just going to fade away like another broken dream. I know, I know, it’s all in God’s timing, and it will be OK, but what I know unfortunately doesn’t control what I feel.                 I’m also finding myself even shorter with people than usual. I have no patience. It’s interesting in a way, because I just got to the negative character traits part of a book on negative character traits,

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ (Jeremiah 33:3)           This is another of the promises that I’m holding on to. This is one of the foundations of my prayer for wisdom, direction and attitude. I’ve written before about God making sure that I don’t miss my exits or turns. This exit has huge signs. The problem is, they say, Karen, exit here! without telling me where the exit leads. Some exits have told me the destination: go back to school, take care of Dad, I know a tiny bit of it, but so much is up in the air.            So often, that seems to be the way God works. One writer called it “just enough light for the step you’re on.” Of course, I want to know more. Equally, if I did know, I’d stress out because I can’t get started on it. That’s the problem now, I’m trying to hard to get started on things that I can’t do yet. I want to do in two weeks what may take a year or more.            I suspect that’s why God timed

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)           I think I looked at this verse not long ago, but this morning, I need to look at it again. Today, I get to start building a life with my father. For the past four years, my focus has been on taking care of him, and doing what I can on the side. Now, I find myself face to face with the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and the realization that “grown up” is beginning now . I couldn’t think about this while he was alive, because there was no way to know when. But when is now, now!          This time is a huge blessing, and a bit of a terror. How often does one get to build a life from scratch with wisdom greater than a young adult’s? Empty-nesters, divorcees, widows, and “elder orphans” sometimes must, but most of the time, it’s a major scramble, without much thought. God has given me two weeks to figure out what the questions are, to establish go

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139: 23-24)           The other day, I got to write about Joshua 1:9, one of my favorite verses. Today, I get to write about a passage that is in one of my favorite psalms. For a long time, I didn’t like this passage. I mean, read it! Search me? God? Search me? Um, no thank you. If God knew my heart, He’d know how corrupt it is. If He knew my anxious thoughts, He’d be embarrassed that He ever even considered having anything to do with me. Lightning bolt? Sulfur and hellfire? Yes, those would be more likely. And when He found the offensive ways in me – too many to count – well, what could He do but shake His head and turn away? Can we just stop reading with verse 22?            As I said, I didn’t like this passage. Past tense. I can’t tell you when or how it changed. I just realized one day that it was suddenly very important

Not only so, but we [ c ] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. (Romans 5:3-4)           In yesterday’s chapter of Long Obedience In The Same Direction , Eugene Peterson wrote something that I highlighted in a previous reading. He said, “…perseverance is not resignation…” I apparently needed to learn the difference before. I clearly still do. Sometimes, it feels as if I’ve done nothing but give up, all my life. Oh, I don’t give up on issues or principles, but I think I give up on God, and I know I give up on me. People tell me that I should do this, or I should pursue that. I should move somewhere with a better economy. But I seem to take the attitude that “This is just the way it’s going to be, from now to the end of eternity.”           Yes, we’re back to a definitional issue. There is perseverance, which means keeping on keeping on (I’ll add to this in a moment), and resignation, whic

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)             I know a few people who claim that they do not want to shove their beliefs down their children’s throats, so they aren’t going to teach them about religion at all. When they grow up, they can make their own decisions. I suppose they think they’re being fair, not making such an important decision for their kids, but the reality is that they are either being negligent, or dishonest, or both.             Part of the difficulty stems from a misunderstanding of what a religion is. Some people seem to think that a religion I “the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.” By rejecting the superhuman controlling power, they consider themselves without religion and therefore superior to all those “sheep

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,   and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)                 Oh! One of my favorite verses. That’s not hard, I have so many. I feel as if I need this one today. It’s close enough to time to head north that I’m feeling the pull of the road, Dad is still Dad, and I’m trying to work on two books. In less than a month, a third may come back into play. It’s also getting to the time when I have to consider sending out a new batch of queries. So much that disturbs my sense of control and equilibrium.                  Yes, just be strong and courageous and God will be with me. He’ll give me victory, jus

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)           My initial response to reading this passage this morning is “Oh, thank God!” If you have any wisdom, you’ll thank God that His ways and thoughts are higher than my thoughts, too. No, this isn’t self-deprecatory humor. I’m also sincerely thankful that His ways and thoughts are higher than yours, too. I used to pray for several thousand people a day (many in groups like the House of Representatives, or utility workers) and now I find it hard to get beyond Dad and me. I know, I’m dealing with circumstances that take a toll on a mind and body, but the point is that those circumstances don’t distract God from caring for the members of the House of Representatives, the utility workers, and all the others I was praying for.            I also like that God’s

             But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. (Job 23:10-11)                   One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”             Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”                Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” (Job 1:6-8)           Somewhere, recently, I read that “a teacher is always silent during a test.” This winter has felt like a test. I don’t think I’ve done very well, but I’m no good at judging such things. I recall someone asking why we would think God needs to test us. If He’s omniscient, He already knows how we’ll answer, doesn’t He?