Perceptions vs. Biblical Truth

Our perceptions sure can lie to us, can't they? How many times has someone misinterpreted your written word or misconstrued your actions? Perceptions are always skewed by bias and clouded by limited vision and finite minds, so we must guard against allowing perceptions to shape our beliefs.

Sadly, the American church is filled with seminary professors, church leaders, pastors, and lay people who fall into this trap all the time. To attract more followers (and sadly for some, to bring in more money to pay for Mrs. Meyer's many jets and all the multi-million dollar homes she buys for her children or to fund the Osteen's lavish empire), teachers will preach on the feel good scriptures while omitting the passages that are convicting or uncomfortable. By presenting half of the truth (ie, "You do not have because you do not ask") without the "in Jesus name' - or "according to His will" or without mentioning that those who follow Christ will be persecuted and suffer for righteousness (yes, suffering is promised while getting filthy rich and possessing magical healing powers and kegs of water from the fountain of youth are NOT - not in this life anyway, but get ready for the next for that's an entirely different story), they preach a false prosperity gospel that leads people astray. In this culture, perceptions often lead people to focus on the Bible verses that speak of God's love while rejecting those that speak of sin or His standard of holiness.

Christ followers are individually responsible for examining God's word for themselves so they can know their Lord's identity fully and distinguish between false teaching and the whole truth of God, just as the Bereans modeled so faithfully. We must be very skeptical of any teaching that comes from a leader who does not place himself or herself under LOTS of Biblical accountability or who tries to exert too much control, for such a leader will inevitably corrupt God's word.

Beth Moore described this alarming trend in the church so well when she wrote, "What we see, hear, and experience can be so glaringly persuasive that we end up scribbling invisible addendums and corrections all over Scripture. Like the half-man/half-goat in Greek mythology, our theology ends up in the shape of a mythical half-us/half-God. We create our own blend based on the parts of Scripture that match our perceptions. Fusion becomes the answer to our confusion."

And I would add that such fusion only compounds our confusion and results in delusion.
If any changes or white-out were needed for the divinely inspired (2 Peter 3:16), complete, authoritative, always relevant, perfect word of God, then God would not have inspired this final warning in the last chapter of Revelation:

“18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. (Revelation 22:18-19)

Let us be discerning and faithful stewards of God's word, "wise as serpents and innocent as doves." (Matthew 10:16)

Gun Control

SOAPBOX RANT: Guns

While I'm proud to be married to a veteran who knows how to use a gun to save lives, I will admit that guns scare me. I'm so sensitive to violence that I can't watch PG..much less R movies or even regular TV shows without being haunted by violent images, so I avoid them all. Guns are dangerous in the wrong hands, especially in those of crazy folk who are filled with hatred and deadly intentions.
Ironically, the most devoted Christians who serve the Prince of Peace,who is perfect in both love and mercy, have been the target lately. Of course, the press will not call it a hate crime unless one who is a threat to society, hates Christians, and has terrorist connections and evil intents is targeted instead. The Bible warned us of these days, so we are not surprised or shaken by them. We know how this story ends.

I'm not nearly as afraid of guns, however, as I am of losing my freedoms to a corrupt power. I'm not as afraid of guns as I am of walking into a gun-free zone where one instantly becomes a sitting duck. And even there, in the firing zone, I am not all that afraid because I know without a doubt that after I die, I will go home to my Father in Heaven where there will be no more sorrow, sin, evil, corruption, pain, or need for guns.

I would welcome a world without guns as gladly as anyone, but as long as there is evil in the world, there will be murders of all kinds by any number of weapons. So until we have no evil, corruption, or sin in the world, gun possession (by guards or responsible individuals) has been proven time and again to be the only effective way to prevent a mass shooting. Killers have no interest in obeying gun restrictions, but they are very interested in making sure they destroy as many lives as possible before being shot themselves, so they enter churches, schools, and other GUN-FREE ZONES where they can get the most bang for their buck.

So, to the one who is paving the way to arm Iran with nuclear weapons, whose mishandling of gun transactions with terrorists resulted in the murder of four Americans at Benghazi, who ran guns to drug cartels in Mexico which were then used to kill more Americans, who relies upon armed guards to keep himself and his family safe, who invites to the White House a boy who brings something that looks just like a bomb into a school and who has questionable connections while refusing to acknowledge, much less welcome, the man who took multiple bullets to stop the Oregon shooter, who speaks lies every time he opens his mouth, and who lives as if he cares about no one but himself, give your gun control agenda a rest for a moment and try to show a little compassion for the lives lost and for the many severely wounded by a sick man whose fires of hatred have been fueled by the press you have manipulated and controlled to divide and weaken America.

 

Critter Update - October 2015

Sometime Orwell likes to cuddle with a stuffed dolphin when he naps. Other times he prefers to sleep by laying hands on his favorite family member.

You know that double digit days of rain and all the resulting sunlight deficiency have made you crazy when you entertain yourself by playing dress-up with your bunny. Next up: Hot pink claw polish. ‪#‎PrincessMuffin‬ ‪#‎doublechin‬

The next day, Muffin  modeled a white shirt with silver bling. She likes to sit up by herself, but you can see the shirt better when she gets a little help from her friends. ‪#‎TooMuchRainMakesMomInsane‬ ‪#‎FashionShow‬

Look, Mom, no hands!

 

When Orwell realized how many costumes Muffin had, he asked us to get him a Puss in Boots costume for Halloween.

Muffin continues to endure Orwell's brotherly affection and love.  Orwell must think Muffin is a cat.  Although considering how much Orwell eats Muffin's food, maybe Orwell thinks he's a rabbit!   ‪#‎TLC‬ #‎CuddlyCritters‬ ‪#‎KittyKisses‬

Everything I Need to Know about Life I Learned from the Family Cat (Part 1) 

1. No matter how hard you try, you can't make someone (especially not a cat) love you.
2. You can, however, get someone to tolerate you by giving them good food to eat (preferably no later than 6:31am every single morning) and by meeting practical needs first.
3. You can't make a single tiny move in life without someone noticing, stiffening, then wiggling his/her rear end before pouncing on you for a big attack.
4. No matter how clean, well-groomed, sweet, and adorable people (or cats) may be, they still have claws and sharp teeth they will be happy to show you the moment they feel threatened or whenever they are simply having an off day.
5.  No matter how much trouble you may cause with your high maintenance ways, do something dumb and/or funny like chasing your tail, climbing walls to attack the moving shadows reflected on them, or randomly turn somersaults and log rolls for no apparent reason, and instantly all is forgiven and your fans will adore you once more (at least if you are a cat, that is).

The critters came in handy over Fall Break when I had enough house projects and lesson planning to keep me up until 4:30 am most nights and our travel plans got rained out. The two destinations we considered traveling two had 1000 year flooding, and we only had the one weekend free without commitments, so no traveling for us this year. While the kids' friends went on exotic vacations, they were stuck at home to entertain themselves.  Thankfully, with our daughter's imagination and two pets, they had lots of grand adventures.

After seeing so many awesome pics of friends on vacation, I considered how well we too were keeping up with the Joneses.  (Sarcasm here).

Okay, Jones families, I see your pictures from your exotic fall break vacations aboard cruise ships to foreign countries and your fancy trips to Disney and/or beautiful beaches where it hasn't rained once, and I raise you one rained out trip to the mountains, one rained out trip to the beach, and an elaborate bunny fort on the front lawn complete with air strip, Podracer, and custom-designed, hay filled cockpit for Mighty Muffin's galactic adventures...all constructed by kiddos 11 and under while Mom cleaned out the fridge and freezer. We do entertainment at it's finest right here, y'all.
‪#‎KeepinUpwiththeJoneses‬

When Muffin has a play date, Orwell be like:

T

Before and After Photos

With a heart of levity, an appreciation for satire, and a desire to send a helpful message while making friends laugh, hoping not to offend while reaching a few hurting hearts who struggle as I have to find balance, seeking to highlight the real dangers and concerns that come with all the hyped up diet and "health" products, I bring you my own personal BEFORE and AFTER story. I pray my story can help someone realize sooner than I did that true health and lasting peace with yourself require balance. Too much of anything, even those things that seem so good for us like running, cleanses, or diet plans, are not good for us. Trading too much running and excessive meal planning for a balanced workout program and an "eat whatever my body craves whenever it craves it while opting for whole foods over processed" diet plan changed my life for the better. To God be the glory for leading me back to health.

Truly, though, an obsession with any physical aspect of yourself will lead to despair. Too often I lament over my wrinkles which I can't prevent but often try to remove with photo editors while forgetting that they represent a blessed life filled with smiles and abundant laughter for which I should rejoice. I can't do anything to remove the stretched out skin around my mid-section, but I can choose to see it as a reminder of the precious gifts for whom that skin stretched to hold for a full 9 months instead of being delivered too soon....children I once thought I would never be able to conceive or birth. I could whine about minor genetic conditions that cause me occasional pain and seem unsightly, or I can rejoice that I am healthy and strong, able to do things I never could before, not even during the vibrancy of my youth. I can work on those health areas I can control and should change to make me more effective in my roles as wife, mom, teacher, and friend, but I must keep my priorities balanced. Focus on what you can and should improve without shirking more important obligations to God and others, but do not obsess over what you can't control or fall for quick fixes or gimmicks with short term gains and long term losses. Life on earth is too short to waste on the trivial.

I want a life like his

I mentioned in the previous volleyball post that one of my daughter's teammates lost her father suddenly in late September to a brain aneurysm.  It was such a devastating life and shock to us all, for he was energetic, vibrant, healthy and so fruitful in ministry.  While we can't possibly understand the ways and timing of God or why He would take Ehud from his family so young in life, no one can deny how much God has worked that tragedy for good. (Romans 8:28)  I did not even know Ehud, but I knew his wife, for she was my son's music teacher for the past two years at school, and she was also a member of my Mighty Moms Monday morning muscle and movement class as well as a volleyball team mom.  She had the sweetest, gentlest, kindest spirit.  Their children are well respected as faithful, loving, kind Christ followers, so I knew he must have been a wonderful man.  Despite not knowing him personally, my daughter and I and countless others are forever changed by the way he lived his life.

His memorial service was the most Christ honoring and moving service I have ever attended personally and I could audibly feel the Lord's presence there, changing hearts and lives of others for eternity during the songs and testimonies giving all Glory to God for this man's walk of faith.  The strength and faith displayed by his wife, children, and dearest friends during the funeral at a time when they should be in despair was clearly a demonstration of the spirit of God.  They were much more focused on sharing Ehud's faith in Christ with others and casting his vision and light for the lost onto the thousands gathered than they were on their own loss.  They held back tears and spoke with power and might, yet with gentleness and humility.  They shared their confidence and trust in God's plans and purposes, even though their lives would never be the same and their loss was immeasurably great.  Their eyes were so fixed on eternity that the monumental loss was easier to bear, knowing it is only a temporary separation, and that Ehud is in the presence of His Lord.

On the morning before the  doctors confirmed his death to the extent that life support was removed,  I saw large crowds of students and teachers gathered in circles praying before school began and wondered what compelled such an outpouring of cries to God and intense emotion.  When I arrived at the weight room to set up for Mighty Moms, one of other moms in our class who is a close friend of Ehud's family, told me the news.  The last text she had received from Ehud's wife was "The doctor's will confirm his death one more time at 8am before harvesting his organs."  Imagine sending such a text only a few hours after serving together at church and watching him play ping pong with friends and family.

As I led a prayer with the other "Mighty Moms", we asked our God, who loves and cares for you all infinitely more the greatest human love, to sustain, comfort, and uphold Ehud's family and for His presence to overwhelm them with peace.  Soon after that prayer, a bird flew into the weight room and struggled to find it's way out until one of our animal loving moms gently picked up the bird into her caring hands and released it to soar outside once again.

Perhaps my analogy is far-fetched, but that bird's sudden entrance reminded me of the gospel hymn, "His Eye is On the Sparrow" and of the passage from which that song was written, Matthew 10:30-32.   It seemed as if the Spirit was saying, "Do not fear. I know and love this hurting family perfectly, and I have them cradled in the palm of my loving, strong hands. I will carry them to a place of peace and rest and show them the way out when they are ready to soar once more."

Grief is a burden much too heavy to carry. Because of Christ, we don't have to carry it alone, and I can see your family leaning so much into His loving arms.

Oddly enough, when I came to Mighty Moms the following week and turned on Pandora radio, the song, "His Eye is on the Sparrow" was the first song it played.  What are the odds of that?  His eye is on you, sweet family.  He told me so that morning. :-)

After the memorial service, I was so moved I shared the following:.

He only lived 46 years and had only been in our state for six of those years. He never sought fame or fortune, powerful positions, or public praise. He avoided center stage, choosing to serve tirelessly behind the scenes instead. He was a devoted father, faithful husband, dedicated disciple maker, missionary, Bible teacher, true and generous friend, son, brother, and a diligent worker/provider who offered himself as a living sacrifice each and every day, taking delight in serving others at every opportunity. He passionately served the cause of Christ while manifesting unconditional love, abundant joy, and unshakable peace found only through a close and personal walk with the Lord. His legacy reaches across the globe and deep into eternity.

So many people came to his funeral that the large church parking lot, the lawns of several homes near by, the Food Lion parking lot where a shuttle service ran, and the roads between them were all littered with vehicles. The worship center, every classroom, halls, foyers, and lobby areas were all packed to SRO as screens projected the funeral service into all those overflow areas. For almost three hours, people testified of his faith filled life and effective witness, giving God all the glory for choosing to work through him. One simple life surrendered to Christ impacted countless lives for eternity and the ripple effect will continue for generations. My daughter was deeply moved, and the only words she could find to describe her experience there were "I want a life like his." I do too, so let us not chase after the things of this world, but choose instead to live every moment intentionally for eternity.

As Jesus taught the lost religious leaders in Luke 10:37, "Go and do likewise."
Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8b)

I came home from the service and scrubbed bathrooms in service to my family.  That's the chore I like the least.  Meanwhile, my mentor high school math teachermade her husband's favorite meal for dinner which is something she detests.  We were inspired to serve.

I barely slept that night as I felt God calling me to follow Ehud's example.  So when I went to church the next morning where I serve in the Access Ministry (a buddy ministry which helps special needs kids integrate into the regular classrooms), I wanted to be intentional about serving this time as Ehud had been.

My Access ministry buddy with glasses and a magnifying glass

I wrote the following after serving at church that morning:

One of the themes from that moving memorial service I wrote so much about yesterday was to take every opportunity to love and serve, not because our all sufficient God needs anything at all that we can offer, but so that we can experience the great joy and blessing that comes through watching God at work in the lives around us. Still I could not understand how this one man could have given so much of himself every single day. Did he not grow weary, overwhelmed, or burned out? How did he so successfully juggle so many ministry responsibilities while keeping his priorities in the right order?

So today when I was "serving" in Access Ministry I realized that working with these amazing kids with special needs isn't a sacrifice or an obligation, and it no longer makes me tired. It is a joyful privilege.

How many times have I built towers with my own kids and not really been intentional about it or been totally there in body, mind, and spirit? They may have said "thank you" on a good day before smashing the tower into bits all over the floor. But when Zoe and I built a tower together this morning, I was all there because I was supposed to be "serving", and her face lit up with immense excitement as if we had just built the world's tallest and most beautiful skyscraper together. She gave me enthusiastic claps, more high fives than I can count, and smiles that melted my heart so much that I wanted to buy her all the LEGOs in the land and build her a tower to the moon. She taught me what I had been missing all those times I failed to intentionally serve my family, opting instead to merely go through the motions.

That's when I understood better why Ehud was able to live such a life of humble service. Serving others intentionally is not a burden, but a joyful privilege and a wise investment, for God is faithful to give back more joy and wisdom than your investment ever costs you. Serving is partaking in the riches of God's grace. I love you, Zoe, and I praise God for the way He glorifies Himself through you. Thanks for teaching me today. Thanks also for insisting that I take this photo to show your mommy because now I have a picture to remind me of all the ways you teach me.

These examples may seem small to you, but I did not even know Ehud personally.  Yet, I have been profoundly impacted by the overflow of the love in his heart.  What a privilege and blessing it is to know his family.

I found this devotional blog post from Proverbs 31 Ministires to be helpful as I prepared for the funeral. "Dealing with Deep Grief"

Volleyball Season is Already Over!

It's been so fun to watch our daughter and her teammates grow in their skills, their relationships with one another, and in wisdom this past season.  They lost far more games than they won, but their attitudes were amazing, striving each time to play their best game, not to merely win the game.  The season included some tough life lesson as well.  One student broke her wrist at the beginning of the season and could not play again until the last week or two.  Another student was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes within the first few weeks of practice.  Her world changed forever as she went from carefree living to having to regular check her blood sugar and administer insulin, knowing her life could be at risk if she ever misses those daily healthcare disciplines.  Then, in late September, one of her teammates lost her father to sudden death by brain aneurysm. He was one of the most faithful, humble, servant minded, ministry focused men on earth.  These challenges taught the girls that each day is a gift, and that hardships fall on both the righteous and unrighteous.  Sometimes we cannot understands God's ways but we can trust in His sovereignty and goodness.  The way these families faced their trials from a temporary injury to a life changing devastating loss strengthened the girls' hearts in ways nothing else could.  I'm so glad our daughter had this experience and was shepherded by a coach with such a giving, loving, heart for God and His children.

 

No circumstances, no matter how devastating, can bring these girls down!

She gave up her lofty gymnastics dreams to play school sports with her friends and has NO REGRETS. She learned a lot from her coach and her teammates and from her personal Bible study and prayer times with the Lord this season about priorities. She has discovered that she has far more joy and peace when she puts God first, people second, and herself last than she ever had when she had first place gymnastics medals draped around her neck.

Two of her biggest fans!

 Right after her last game

Team Prayer

  

 

Our daughter may not have been the MVP, but she sure did win the Coach's heart!

Manon Turns 50!

A dear friend I met in our church life class recently turned 50.  Instead of letting us give gifts to her, she gifted her friends with the best birthday party I think I've ever attended.  The party had a 50s, 60s, 70s theme, and guests were asked to dress up in the style of one of those decades.  Since my husband and I were born in the 70s, that seemed the decade we should choose. I normally struggle with costumes as I'm not creative that way, but when my parents brought us some vintage pants they wore in the 70s, I was suddenly ALL ABOUT IT.  Many thanks to my parents for saving these clothes for over 40 years, so that we could thoroughly enjoy them that night.

I'm not sure if mustering up the courage to be my real crazy self came with age or from helping out at the Joy Proms. I think it was more the latter for the special needs community knows far better than most of us how to relish life, withOUT so much self-awareness/self-consciousness, and just be oneself - expressing some of the great joy within our hearts which cannot be contained. I cannot thank those fine folks enough for all they have taught me.

 

If I had a dollar for every stranger who came up to us at that awesome decades dress birthday party and took pictures just like this one, I could buy us some jewel studded vintage platform shoes to match our pants.

My husband was very tired at the party after camping out with our son and 46 other fathers/sons the night before, so I kept checking his mood ring so I would know when he was ready to leave.  Ha!  I loved mood rings back in the day.

Manon made much of the elaborate food which included:  Smoked Salmon Canapes • Sea Scallops wrapped with bacon • Teriyaki Chicken Kebobs • Grilled Cocktail Lamb Lollipops • Cheese Puffs • Shrimp Cocktail • Devil Eggs and more…The dessert buffet was filled with all sorts of her fabulous baked goodies she's made from scratch for us before for Life Class along with chocolate truffles and brownies that made my mouth water.  Best party food ever, and she labored over it all for us. She should start a party planning/catering business.

She set up this photo booth and all the signs, too. So clever!

 

The guy in the wig is from my hometown & attended our rival high school.

 

Her next door neighbors (to the left is our marriage pastor's wife)

Here's last photo post from the party to prove that growing older, wiser, more responsible, and stronger in the faith does not necessarily mean that all the youthful sillies, dancing shoes, disco grooves, and fun parties have to go away. In fact, they only get better...as does the food. Happy birthday to the most fun-loving, talented, energetic, generous, and youthful 50-year-old I know.