He Rejoices Over Us

Zephaniah 3:17 "...He will rejoice over you with singing." NKJV

He rejoices over us with singing;
celebrating our existence
and finding joy in hearing His own voice
as the music washes over us...

Our security and comfort;
eternal hand of safety and warmth...
joyfully holding our lives in His hands;
and wrapping His spirit around us in peace.

The Hook

I have been watching the DVD of the last Chronicles of Narnia movie that was put out by Disney a few years ago. The white witch manipulated Edmund with skill and an obvious knowledge of human nature. His unwitting help in her plan to destroy the human intruders and conquer Aslan became clear to him only after a measure of damage was done. There were "hooks" in his nature that made this possible. One of these hooks was his desire to cover his tracks. He doesn't come clean about his contact with the white witch when Lucy discovers him in Narnia for the first time. In response to the white witch's threat to the fox, Edmund volunteers damaging information in an attempt to appease her malice towards the creature. Her praise of his honesty is a cold comfort to him at the same time the fox appeals to him as royalty. The prophecy is acknowledged as the fox addresses Edmund as "Your Majesty".
The white witch's action of freezing the butterfly to death and turning it to stone speaks of the death that sin causes as those hooks dig in and begin the fester the affected area of "flesh".
How many times have we tried to cover our sin in full view of the Father's eyes? In 1 John 4:19, we are told that if we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The lie we believe about needing to cover ourselves when we mess up is an all too effective hook that festers in us as we hold onto the hook. Our efforts at trying to cover up the hook and pretend that all is well accomplish nothing to benefit us or others that are affected by the hook. Often, I think that we have stone butterflies caught within our spirits in the form of dead zones; those hooks that have been brought down as we unwittingly embrace the death caused by our sin.
The triumphant return of Aslan(thinly veiled reference to the risen Christ)restores the dead flesh and ignites the fire within once again. Our joy and fulfillment come as we allow Him to remove the hooks and continually learn to forsake impaling ourselves with those hooks in the first place. That process will not complete itself until every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus is Lord.

Home and Hearth

My husband has this theory of male/female roles that I have found truly amusing; oh, I meant to say amazing:)...The male is the hunter-gatherer as in the cave-man days and the female is geared towards cave maintenance. Yes, there is some truth in that; yet the overall simplification of gender roles has me scratching my head. My raison d'etre as been reduced to home-making; while the pressure of the surrounding culture would have me be the career woman that brings home half of the game captured on the way back from beating the rugs...

The cold fact is that I am a domesticated female concerned at least in part with home and hearth. I may have to become the career woman at some point; but I am still in the process of trying to figure that out. I cashier at a local supermarket and work for a home care agency as well. My value to society will be gauged on the level of education my children achieve, the car in my driveway, and the degrees listed on my resume. I am in trouble.

I am not in the least the picture of the Proverbs 31 woman. Lord willing, I will grow closer to that ideal as I draw closer to the Lord. In the meantime, I will seek Him for the answers on how to combine home and hearth with bringing home the road kill.

I just hope my insurance will cover me this time...

Joy,
Lynne

A New Day

Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. -Philippians 2:2

Harmony can be difficult among the body of Christ when our flesh gets in the way of our desire to follow Christ. Human frailty and hurt feelings cloud the issues with an emotional camouflage. Seeking Christ instead of a listening ear for our complaints is the key, I think; to getting us back to where we need to be. Letting go of real or perceived hurts frees us up to worship and grow towards who the Lord would have us become.

It is snowing outside at the moment. The wind is whipping aimless flakes of the white stuff in many different directions. It seems that modern life is much like this snow squall; so many things happening at once. Those little barbs of annoyance or injured pride often seem to lack reason; making us unsure of what happened to bring them about.

I believe that the Lord would have us put away our small annoyances in favor of seeing the big picture. We are human and so prone to falling far short of the Lord's compassion and mercy. The forgiveness and mercy we extend to our brethren will go a long way towards freeing us and them of the bondage of bitterness and roots of unforgiveness. It can happen to any one of us. The damage to our fellowship with each other and to God is seen in many ways: broken fellowship, a restlessness with our situations, and a distortion of the image that we represent to those who don't know Christ. Our joy will increase as we grow closer to the Father's heart.

Celebration

I have been reading a book of writers commenting about what they read and why they read it. It is compiled by Philip Yancy and is entitled, "Reality and The Vision: 18 Contemporary Writers Tell Who They Read and Why". Chapter 8 is entitled: The Devotional Masters: A Love Affair. There is one portion that speaks to me in particular. "...this notion that the ordinary stuff of life is filled with spiritual significance is a theme that reverberates throughout all the Devotional Masters. They take our days and our hours and invest them with a sacramental value. And they invite you, they invite me to discover that right where we are is holy ground, in the families we have been given, in the tasks that we are assigned, among our neighbors and friends. It is this that makes living in our modern world bearable, even enjoyable. Indeed, it enables us, as George Fox put it, to "walk cheerfully over the earth."

What an encouraging thought; to think that daily life has a sacred quality to it that can wash over us and color our days in His radiance. I will give it my best effort and send up a prayer to God when I am faced with a mountain of laundry. "Sacred" and "laundry" do not easily walk with each other in harmony according to my thought processes. Yet, in many ways; the performance of these daily duties exercises our spiritual muscles. We are considering others(who are in desperate need of a clean white load)in our actions. I pray that this thought brings you a new portal in your thinking; as it has brought into mine.

Jesus was practical, as I think of it...water into wine at the wedding, feeding the five thousand, etc. He gave us a model for seeing the practical as an invitation to seeing the divine. I will be forever thankful for His willingness to communicate His truth to a cracked vessel like me in terms that reach a human heart.

Joy and fresh bread to you,
Lynne

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving! If you actually have time to read this on Turkey day, get up now and check the pies in the oven before they burn. Charcoal is not the color of choice when the recipe says "brown". The burnt crusts do not count as a source of fiber. I hear about the food that I burn from my two toughest critics: my kids. I desire to save you the trouble of that scene. Get up and check the pies:)...

Good. Now don't you feel better? I feel better for having reminded you to take care of an important part of Thanksgiving. The pies. Yes, the pies. Pumpkin, apple, pecan, coconut cream, rasberry cream(my mom has a recipe that will make you want to jump up and shout "AMen"). I like a nice hot cup o'joe right next to my pie as I am eating it. I am getting all happy just thinking about it.

Right next to the cup of coffee and the delectable pie is a loved one I am blessed to have in my life. I am more thankful than ever for my loved ones. I could be having soup today, and I wouldn't feel deprived. The food that feeds me richly is from the hand of the Father; the gift of fellowship with those I hold dear. Not only do I have family to reminisce and enjoy the company of; I have a spiritual family at the same time. He created us to have fellowship with one another. What a gift that is for us all year long. The power of praise wells up in my spirit and burns off the mist of worldly care. He has His eye and His heart towards me, His child. Come what may, He is right here with me ready and able to keep me from being destroyed by the pressures of life.

I pray that you give thanks with me today and every day for those precious promises that He provides for us in His word. He is there with ear, hand, and heart ready and able to provide us with all things to sustain us. May His Spirit fellowship with you as you give thanks for all of the blessings in your life. Can't think of any right now?

Look across the table:).

Have a cup o'joy
and a fresh taste of the bread of heaven...

Lynne

A Taste of Quiet

It was actually quiet at my house for a brief spell this morning. Then the kids woke up and the house came alive again. We had a dose of excitement and noise last night. There was an accident down the road somewhere, and the road was blocked off right in front of our house. A fire truck, a passing ambulance, a couple of fire department vehicles, and the utility vehicles evaluating the power lines lit up the sky. We live on a busy road; which means that our power goes out periodically as a result of accidents. Then, the power went out. We camped out in the living room and fell asleep without the street light across the road casting its' light.

I am thinking now of when the lights go out in our spirits. We think the light is gone, and that we are left in the dark. That divine spark is still there, awaiting our attention. He calls to us even when we don't hear the "still, small voice" that speaks of life and hope.

I will leave you now with a parting prayer:

Lord, help us to hear Your voice when we think the light has gone out in our spirit. Remind us that you are with us always. Help us to offer up our "sacrifice of praise" and invite Your presence to illuminate our steps once more.
Amen