lovejoy

last week, the little comet called Lovejoy disappeared into the atmosphere of the sun, and astronomers fully expected it to be destroyed by the sun's great heat. but amazingly, it survived and emerged on the other side!
in the last couple of days leading up to Christmas, the comet, with its new tail, has been visible from our space station and from an observatory in Chile. the commander of the international space station said it was "the most amazing thing i've ever seen in space!" and that's something coming from an astronaut!
it made me think about the original Christmas story. Jesus came to our broken earth, He "wrapped our injured flesh around [Himself]" (MW Smith), He ate our food and healed our sickness...
then He chose to allow evil's heat to consume Him in death, a terrible death on the cross. He entered the burning heat of the sun.
and when all was lost, when He was laid in the grave, when darkness had fallen, when the disciples had given up hope and were overcome with grief, He came out on the other side of Hell's heat!!! He rose from the dead! He took the 'tail' of our sins to the grave and left them there! and when He appeared again, His new 'tail' was the gift of salvation to us!!! it shines in the night sky for all to see. no matter who you are, or where you come from, you can look to the sky and follow His light.
don't wait! just as comets are only visible for a period of time, so your chance to follow Jesus is limited. He WILL come again to judge the living and the dead, and He will come unexpectedly.
the time to accept Him is NOW!

what's on YOUR to-do list?

in our hearts, do we really believe that Jesus is here, now, in the room with us? as believers, we say we do...
but if i could see or touch Him here in this room, would i really watch tv shows, read my book, bake some muffins, write on facebook, and check my email, all BEFORE talking to Him???
when orlondo is in the room with me, i am constantly aware of him, commenting to him, noticing what he's doing, listening for him to speak to me...
i say i believe Jesus is real. i say i believe He's in this room, and that He lives in my heart, but i usually neglect to spend time with Him till it's SUPER late and i'm 5 minutes from falling asleep!
i'm not saying i have to become a morning person and spend my waking-up minutes reading the Bible, because i'd be even sleepier at that time... but i AM saying that Jesus should have my PRIME minutes of the day, whenever those may be. He should be #1!

Christmas is here... a time when we too often get too busy, buying and wrapping and traveling and visiting and eating... at the very end of the season, on Christmas eve, or maybe even Christmas day, we finally take a moment to remember Jesus' arrival on earth as a baby. we look at some cute renditions of a nativity scene and we feel a little happy warmth...
i challenge us to do it differently, starting today! there are only a few days left, but i say we need to put aside the 'stuff' in our 'Christmas season' and look FIRST at Jesus.
GOD, the Creator of all things, became a human BABY! GOD with US! somehow He wrapped Himself in skin: fully God, fully human. and He came with the sole purpose of dying, so that He could rise from the dead and free us from the death WE deserved!
doesn't He deserve to be the first thing on our to-do list this Christmas???

what happened to the real Jesus?

after living here in the 'Christian' country of America, i am beginning to wonder if we've completely lost sight of who Jesus really was in His time. i've had numerous conversations with different people over what Jesus might want us to do.... i've watched t.v. and listened to the radio...
and i'm gathering that here's how most Americans think Jesus acted while He walked the earth, thus this would be a list of how we are supposed to act if we're Christian:

don't do bad things
do good things
be nice to people
walk around with a smile on your face
make sure you're following your dreams
climb the ladder of success
always keep the peace; never ruffle anyone's feathers (that wouldn't be nice!)
don't ever 'judge' anyone for what they are doing (that would ruffle feathers!!)
try your best; that's all you can do
above all, don't kill anyone or wear something out of style!

and while Jesus was kindhearted and gentle and loving, did He really live like that? if He did, why in the world would anyone kill Him??!
the Bible tells us that He 'had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him." (Isaiah 53:2) He didn't come to set up His earthly kingdom or to be 'liked' by us. He came to bring us truth and to save us!
why did we need saving? well, we were choosing ourselves (following our dreams, climbing our ladder of success, doing our best) instead of choosing God. Jesus showed us how to choose God over ourselves. the ultimate example was the night before He was killed. He spent all night praying (in Matthew 26, Mark 14, & Luke 22) for God to spare Him from having to absorb our sins (He was innocent!). the easy way would have been to walk away from us, but instead, He chose God's way, which meant He had to die in our place! He chose to bring our sins to God as though He had committed them, and to take our punishment, which included God turning away from Him!
how could anyone kill an innocent man like Jesus?? well, He spoke the truth, always, and it didn't make Him popular. He didn't walk around with a perpetual smile, He didn't always keep the peace, and He didn't even refrain from judging people when it was appropriate. In many places, Jesus is recorded as arguing with the religious leaders of the day. at one point, He called them 'white-washed tombs,' (Matthew 23:27) because they looked good on the outside with all their 'good deeds,' but inside their hearts were shallow. He pointed out truth. and it made people mad. mad enough to kill.

so what should we make of Jesus?? and how do we follow His example? i think more understanding comes when we realize it's all about what's BEHIND our actions. He cares about our heart motivation. if you've accepted Jesus as the One who died in your place to make you right with God, then your heart will be a thankful one and you will want to live your life for God. when you live your life for God, then HE is what guides your actions.

so we don't do bad (like killing, or any other sin), we do good, but not so we can 'earn our way into heaven,' but because we are thankful to God and we want to point other people to Him. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
we are nice to people and might even have a smile on our face, but not to make a good impression or to lead them to think we're so sweet, but because we truly care about them and want them to know Jesus. (1 Peter 2:12)
our success is measured in God's terms, and our dreams need to match up with God's will, so we read His words in the Bible and talk to Him in prayer so that we can get to know Him as well as we can. (Romans 12:2, 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
we live at peace with everyone, as much as we can (Romans 12:18)
we don't judge if someone is God's child or not; that's God's job. but we DO judge between right and wrong, so that we can live a life that pleases God. and it's even ok to tell someone else (truthfully, not rudely) that they are doing something wrong, so that they can know. (the whole Bible teaches us the difference between right and wrong)
we do our best, but it's not for people, it's for God. 'our best' won't get us into heaven, but it shows that we love God. (Colossians 3:23)

Jesus wasn't just a happy, hippie-looking guy with 'LOVE' tattooed on his arm, as it would seem our culture thinks these days. He lived and died so that we could be right with God. His actions were driven by that purpose, whether He offended people or not. and He sure did offend many.
as i need to remind myself everyday, 'let's not be scared of living that way!'

persecution

persecution.
it's not something we think of a lot in the US. but it's happening all over the world right NOW. i read somewhere that there are more Christians being persecuted NOW than in all of history combined! and our country, with all its political correctness and so-called 'freedoms', is headed in that same direction of hating true Christianity.
i get a magazine called 'Voice of the Martyrs' (find them at www.persecution.com), which spreads the news of the persecuted church and reminds us to pray. it's hard to imagine that there are Christians getting their eyes gouged out and their fingernails ripped off in places like Afghanistan and Indonesia, while i'm sitting here wrapped in my warm blanket typing on my keyboard.

persecution.
i've known about it all my life, partly having grown up in Nigeria, a place of religious extremes, where Muslims can be riled to violence at any moment. and i've always been an avid reader of books on the Jewish plight during World War II, amazed at the courage of ordinary people during a time of such rabid persecution and torture...
and i've always hoped that, if i were called to be persecuted, i would be strong, that i would stand up for God's name, no matter what.
but what do i really know of pain? i've never had a broken bone, i haven't thrown up since 7th grade, i've never been in a fist fight, i get nervous when i think God is calling me to speak to someone and sometimes i even chicken out when the worst i fear is rejection!!!
what do i really know of being tortured? yesterday, while shopping for work, i (briefly and barely) smashed my finger under a carton of apple juice in the grocery cart. it hurt so badly that all the neighboring fingers were tingling and, for a second, i felt slightly sick to my stomach! no blood, no bruise so far, though it still hurts... and i thought of the persecuted pastors getting their nails ripped off for just BELIEVING in Jesus, and thought, could i handle it??!
i think i'm realizing that the answer is a resounding NO! I could never take it. but God's not counting on ME to take it, He promised that HE will be my strength in times of need.
if the time comes and i get taken away from my family, just for believing, or if someone is killed in front of me and i am forced to watch, i pray that i have the courage to trust wholeheartedly in JESUS to live through me at that moment. He's the One who, amidst the horrid persecution of suffocating while hanging by nails in his hands and feet on the cross, used His precious breath to ask God to forgive those who had put Him there.
may i do the same, dear Lord!!!

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom i trust.'" Psalm 91:1-2

"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21

"'Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.'" Joshua 1:9

"But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one." 2 Thessalonians 3:3

"But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps." 1 Peter 2:20-21

what is your position?

Esther was a Jewish woman who was chosen by the most powerful man in the land, the king, to be his wife. she didn't pick her circumstances. she didn't even get to pick her husband.
meanwhile, an evil man in the same kingdom was plotting to annihilate Esther's entire race, and he was was planning to use her husband to do it!
she was the only one in the position to save her people, and her uncle urged her to risk her life to do it. he said,


"Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"
(Esther 4:14)

if you call yourself a Christian, i urge you to contemplate the position you are in.
God has chosen you to be His heir! You have been grafted into His family as His child, to be like a brother or sister of Jesus, even though you don't deserve it! though you are not in the bloodline, you are in a position of ROYALTY!
so what is going on in the world today? so many things happen that we wouldn't have chosen. i'm sure you can think of someone in your life who is hurting, or who is lost, or who struggles with anger... or maybe you are the one who is aching with depression, or who is fighting doubt because you just lost your job, or who has prideful thoughts...
because of Jesus, you have a direct line to GOD, the Creator of the universe! you do not need to go through anyone else to get to Him. His answer to your prayers may not be what you wanted or what you expected, but He does promise that if you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you (James 4:8). and it makes sense to me that if He is near to you, then those around you (including those for whom you are praying) might be drawn closer to His presence as well. and isn't that our goal?
Esther went on to dare to enter the king's court and plead for her people, and God saved the Jewish people through her.
what is God calling you to do? do you dare believe that God has brought you to royal position for such a time as this?

what makes us think we're different than the israelites??

when i was younger and read in the Bible about the Israelites, God's chosen people, i used to wonder why in the world God put up with them! no matter how plain God's laws were, the Israelites broke them! when they were in the desert, He graciously fed them with bread falling from the sky (pretty awesome). all He commanded was that they NOT store it up. they were to trust Him by just gathering what they needed each day. did they listen?? NO! they tried storing it and, just like God said, it rotted. i thought, 'how dumb could they be?!' i read all those stories about these people who kept disobeying and thought how ridiculous they were...

but am i really different?

Nehemiah chapter 9 is a prayer addressing all the shortcomings of the Israelites throughout their history, and as i read it today, i couldn't help but think of how i (and we as Christians) do the same things. these are some things Nehemiah lists and parallels i see today:

the Israelites (vss 16-18) "...became arrogant and stiff-necked, and did not obey Your commands... refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles You performed among them... appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery... cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, 'This is [our] god...'"

us today: 

-we arrogantly say, "i'm a pretty good person; i only need a little bit of forgiveness. God should be happy with me because i didn't kill anyone... or steal anything... or rape anyone... i'm not like those people..."

-we disobediently think with stiff necks: "surely God won't mind if i tell a little white lie. it's not that big of a deal! everyone lies sometimes!" or "there's nothing wrong with 'appreciating the beauty' of another human being by looking at them; it's not lust as long as i don't physically DO anything with them! everyone looks a little!"

-we look at the time our tire didn't go flat until the car was parked and say, "that wasn't a miracle; it was luck!" or the time we ran into someone we really needed to see just at the perfect moment and say, "that wasn't God's blessing; that was a coincidence!"

-instead of turning to our one and only mediator, Christ, for direction and confession, we appoint church leaders and don't dare act without their approval or their blessing. this can be anyone from a counselor to a priest, depending on what type of church you attend. even when we think God might be leading us to act or repent, we turn to these humans for guidance... but it's self-inflicted slavery!

-we build idols out of celebrities, pro-sports stars, news casters, tv show stars, cars, making more money, food... if someone wants to interrupt my show, i think, "how dare they!!! this is my time!" if someone scratches my car or insults my hero, i'm ready to beat them up! we're more willing to fight for our man-made idols than we are for GOD. 

-we are afraid to tell others about Jesus, for fear of offending someone, or getting into an argument.

the Israelites (vs. 26) "were disobedient and rebelled against You; they put Your law behind their backs. they killed Your prophets, who had admonished them in order to turn them back to You; they committed awful blasphemies."

us today:

-we rebel and disobey by wearing what we want to wear, comparing ourselves to the world and NOT to God's standards. we think, "this skirt (or these shorts or these tight pants or this shirt) isn't that bad. i just want to look nice. so what if there's a little cleavage showing? so what if i can barely get these pants on because they're so tight? so what if guys can see most of my legs? no one will ever notice me if i don't look 'attractive'! everyone else is wearing it and it's so hard to find anything else!"

-when people tell us what we're doing is wrong and give us warnings, we roll our eyes and lump them in the 'fanatic' category. we don't want to be that 'good'; we just want to get into heaven by being happy and nice. we don't want to think about what wrong we've done; we just want to send some money to a charity and go on our merry way.

-we blaspheme by telling God we know better than He does. we think He must not understand. He must be far away in heaven somewhere growing a beard, unaware of what we go through, unaware of how 'good' we already are. 

-we blaspheme by telling God that Jesus is not the only way to heaven; we think that surely we are too intelligent and advanced to 'judge' other people's religions!!! often the church is too busy trying to 'make friends' with other religions, rather than telling the truth that ALL NEED CHRIST. 

the Israelites (vss. 29-30) "stubbornly... turned their backs on You, became stiff-necked and refused to listen. for many years You were patient with them... yet they paid no attention, so You handed them over to the neighboring peoples."

us today:

-no matter how many times we hear the truth, we tend to believe what we already believed. we see a Bible verse that says "there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. (Romans 3:11)" and we think, "it can't really mean all that!!! surely someone, like probably me, seeks God!

-we read 1 John 5:12, which says, "he who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." and we think, "that's a little harsh! we're supposed to all be friends! surely God won't judge them for not believing in Jesus! they're nice people!" so we push the verse away and discount it and get back to our lives.

slowly, slowly, we have let down our guard,

we have blurred the lines and cushioned the rules,

we have toned down all the tough language,

until we are left with a corny religion which only compels us to go to church on Easter and maybe tell someone they're 'in our prayers' when they're sick. we believe we're 'Christian' because our parents might have been, or simply because we aren't any other religion.

it is true that changing our actions will not save us. only putting our faith in Jesus will do that. BUT our actions come out of our hearts. so if you find that religion is just a front or a mask for you, PLEASE consider that you need to make a commitment to trust in Jesus TODAY! don't wait till later!

and if you find, though you have committed to Christianity in the past, that you have let your life slide into gray areas, please consider doing what the Israelites did and RECOMMIT your life to Him. He is always ready to give a second chance to someone whose heart is willing to change.

over and over again in nehemiah chapter 9, he recalls how God had GREAT compassion and did not abandon the Israelites nor cease to guide them (vs. 19), He gave His good Spirit to instruct them (vs. 20), gave them deliverers (vs. 27), warned them (vs. 29), was patient with them (vs. 30), and in His great mercy did not put an end to them (vs. 31). 

He has done the same with us!

but how long will God have patience with us? we are already being handed over to those who would destroy us. our schools are removing prayer, removing God. our courthouses are upholding abortion and homosexuality. our military is teaching undercover militant muslims how to fight us.... the list goes on.

we are no different from the Israelites. their story is our story. 

may we learn from them. may we become fearless. 

"But in Your great mercy You did not put an end to them or abandon them, for You are a gracious and merciful God." Nehemiah 9:31

how does worship look?

the last 8 chapters of ezekiel go into great detail of how the Lord's temple is supposed to be build and what is the perfect way to worship God.

Ezekiel 46:9-10
"When the people of the land come before the LORD at the appointed feasts, whoever enters by the north gate to worship is to go out the south gate; and whoever enters by the south gate is to go out the north gate. No one is to return through the gate by which he entered, but each is to go out the opposite gate. The prince is to be among them, going in when they go in and going out when they go out."

what a perfect picture of what our worship is to look like today! we should NOT go out the same way we came in! change happens to us when we worship God correctly, and the change in us is like going out a different door than the one we came in.
if i go into worship harboring anger, i see God's perfection and my shortcomings, and it causes me to forgive.
if i go into worship with sin in my heart, God's presence brings it to light and i have to choose to give it up. i canNOT choose both; it's either choose God or choose my sin.
if i go into worship as king of my life, His ultimate Kingship puts me to shame, and i have to give up the throne.
when we worship God, our focus is to be on HIM alone. it causes us to examine ourselves and realize that we come up short. our love for Him causes us to desire change and then to make it happen.
and i love how the 'prince', though it is referring to an earthly prince here, reminds me of Jesus. He is among us as we worship, going in as we go in, and going out when we go out!

the best parts of life

• safety of family
• driving
• drinking icy coke on a hot day
• snuggling under my husband's arm to watch our favorite shows
• seeing faraway family
• summer
• colors
• traveling to new places
• climbing trees
• deep blue clouds full of thunder and lightning arriving while the sun is still shining
• realizing an new insight about a Bible verse
• eating
• warm cat purring on my lap
• gardening (flowers)
• flying
• sun shining through the leaves
• toes in soft, cool grass
• laying inside while the rain steadily pounds outside
• singing amidst the huge swell of voices in church
• watermelon
• flickering candles (that smell good)
• hugging
• laughing till i cry
• taking the perfect picture
• smelling perfume
• tingly skin from sitting in the sun
• blasting meaningful music in the car... and sometimes crying with it
• reading a good book all evening, uninterrupted
• twinkly lights on a winter night
• getting my feet rubbed
• colorful flowers
• watching people at airports (and hearing languages and accents)
• skyping with family
• watching the green bay packers WIN
• understanding an inside joke
• tapioca
• laying in the grass with the breeze blowing and puffy clouds overhead
• stars
• laying down after a long day at work
• finding something i thought i'd lost
• the smell of baking bread
• successfully communicating in a different language
• eating with my husband at a favorite restaurant

going without my sight...

how incredible our eyes are!!! light bounces off the world and into our eyeballs, and the perception of it all gets transmitted to our brains! God is SO gorgeous!
i remember thinking, during a college course on our 5 senses, how completely foolish it is to count God out! the eye alone could NOT have come about by chance. and when you discover all the processes and body parts that depend on each other and cannot exist without each other, it would take more faith to believe that 'chance' caused them all to come together at the same exact second than it does to believe that God created it all!
"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." Romans 1:20
i appreciate my eyes specifically tonight. i have always known that i depend on and love having sight, but tonight i did 2 simple tasks with my eyes closed, just to remind myself to appreciate them. i fed the cat and put the dishes from the dishwasher away.
so to begin with, i had to walk across the living room/dining room, and halfway across, i started wondering where exactly i was and if i might run into something. i heard nardo (the cat) make a noise and my eyes popped open without me even thinking about it! oops! ok try again...
as i went along with these tasks, i realized how much of being blind for me would depend on remembering where things were, on planning ahead, and on my other senses. i started noticing sounds to reference where i was and i sure spent a lot of time with my hands stretched out in front of me to prevent me from bashing my face into stuff... i needed to plan ahead and open all the cupboards wide so i didn't hit my head on them and so that i wouldn't be trying to get the door open with my hands full of dishes. i started thinking about what part of the dish i should hold out so that it would be less likely to break... these are things i don't contemplate with my eyes open! and as i put dishes away where they always go, i thought, 'hmm.. orlondo thinks i am a stickler for 'where things go' NOW!' haha... i needed to be able to expect an empty shelf or a clean countertop.
when i was done and opened my eyes, it was so comforting to SEE! and, i must admit, i was a little proud of myself when i saw everything 'in its place'. and glad that i came away without a bruise.
i realized again how blessed i am to have my sight. and how blessed those people are who are graceful and kind amidst being blind. i'm not sure how i would be, especially at the beginning, if i went blind.  but i pray that God would grant me patience and trust. and i pray that i never take my eyesight for granted while i have it!

not at home

do you ever feel like this world is not a comfortable place to be?
do you ever look around and feel discombobulated or out of place while driving down the road? like there's more happening than your eyes actually see?
it's a kind of weird and unsettling feeling, like you're not sure what's reality and what isn't...
it's like being in another, unfamiliar country, not understanding the language or the norms... wondering how safe you are... wondering if something strange is about to happen...
you're not alone.
this physical earth is not supposed to be our home. we are just here for a little while. and while we're here, we have a choice: choose God, or choose Satan.
there is no in-between. there's no sitting on the fence... no middle of the road.
not choosing God IS choosing Satan.
Satan wants your soul. he wants you not to care, not to choose. he wants you to shrug your shoulders and say, 'maybe later.' he wants you to reject Jesus because you once met a 'Christian' who wasn't nice to you.
don't be that shallow. don't believe his lies. 'he was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. when he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.' (John 8:44) 'Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.' (2 Corinthians 11:14)
Satan's sole desire is to find a way to keep you from knowing God and the AWESOMENESS of life with Jesus, who is God's Son.
Jesus Himself said, "for my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.' (John 6:40) and 'if anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.' (John 7:37-38)
the choice is yours. God or Satan. living water or unquenchable fire. God wants a relationship with you. Satan wants to destroy you.
either way, your home is not this earth. if you choose God, your true home is heaven, which is eternity with God in all His glory. if you don't, your true home for eternity is hell, an everlasting fire and the home of true evil.
we humans are creatures made for a different land, like foreigners in a strange world. our hearts and our souls know that we do not really belong here. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, '[God] has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.'
somewhere in you, you know that this world is not the end.
eternity is waiting. where will you spend it?
please don't throw away your eternity in heaven. 
seek God with all your heart, and you will find Him.

Look Around.... and Praise GOD!!

1 Chronicles 16:25-27

For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
     He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,
     but the LORD made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before Him;
     strength and joy in His dwelling place.

 

Welcome

This is a new concept for me. :)
I hope this blog can be a place to discover God...
Because Jesus is my Savior, He lives in me and has thus brought eternity to my life! So here I am on earth, living out this piece of eternity, eagerly awaiting the rest of eternity in Heaven.
Hopefully He can be seen through all I may post here, whether in good days or bad, big events or small...