Draw Me Near

    My husband has this really great sermon that he preaches occasionally about worship and sacrifice.  He uses the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 in which Abraham is told to sacrifice his son, and yet he says to his servants that he is going to worship.   True worship will cost you something, he says.

    Me, well, I tried to look for a deeper connection between the two concepts and looked into the Greek words.  Worship is proskuneo and sacrifice is prosphero.  They have the same root word, which I thought just went to support his sermon.  (Please be warned I know NOTHING about Greek and this is just the barest of scrapings into a complex language). 

    So last night, before he was to preach it again, I wondered out loud if proselytize had the same root word too.  I mean, it sounded like it might.  So I looked, and yes, it is the same!  Proselytos is the Greek origin of the word and has the same root as the words for worship and sacrifice. These three concepts are all entwined with each other in a very relevant way...worship and sacrifice and sharing your faith are basic building blocks that often rely on each other.  What amazes me even more is what the root word means and why these three words bring me again to my knees in awe of GOD. 

    The root word 'pros' means simply 'near'.  You draw near to GOD when you give up something for Him or give something to Him.  You draw near to GOD when you give Him honor and glorify Him in your words, songs, or deeds.  And you draw near to Him by telling your story and bringing others to Him.  You can't worship without Him.  Sacrifice is meaningless without Him.  And what is there for anyone without Him being the center of our lives and focus?

    So GOD, draw me near to You.  Everything is wrapped up in who You are.  Help me to stay near to You in challenges and victories, celebration and defeat.  You are the I AM.  There is nothing else.

Surrounded

    With my father-in-law's transformation in Jesus, I just wanted to share a few pictures from church on Sunday.  (It was the first time my husband has ever gone to church with hisdad and it just happened to be my husband's birthday!)

    When my in-laws went up front to receive prayer during worship, they were literally surrounded by about half the people at church that day.

   When the pastor and worship leader saw what was happening, they extended the music portion of our worship service to allow GOD and HIS people to continue with what HE was doing.  They worshipped together for several songs and inspired more people to join in.

    To watch my father-in-law and his wife be surrounded by people who love them was such an inspiration to me.   What kind of person draws people to him like that?  What power but love could draw a church to a couple that just a year ago had nothing to do with GOD?  I am in awe of what GOD is doing and excited to see even more!

Transformation Power

   Confession time...I was a goody-two shoes.   I never had any desire to smoke or drink or party.  I always did my best in school and the first time I ever skipped a class was my senior year when I cut band because I wasn't allowed to practice "Pomp and Circumstance" with the band (since I would be walking in my cap and gown). 
   But given all that, I still had the overwhelming experience of becoming a new creation in Jesus.  I was fresh.  I was clean.  I was pure.  I was loved.

    The transformation power of a new life in Jesus wasn't lost on me, but maybe it was a little under-understood.  That changed this week when I walked into my father-in-laws arms.

    This was a man I knew I would never be able to please.  He was a hard man with distinct opinions and his way was the right way, no matter what.  If things didn't go his way, he would kick you out of his life.  My husband, his oldest son, had been disowned more times than he could count, and just in our 17 years of marriage, I can count three times in which we went several years without speaking to him.  This most recent time has lasted four years.  We were told he didn't exist to us and we should leave him alone...don't call, don't visit, don't bother.
    So imagine my surprise when he calls out of the blue and asks us what happened to cause this lost relationship!  My husband explained it all, and his dad asked for forgiveness.  Forgiveness!  Without making any excuses, he simply admitted he'd done wrong and could we please start over.  My husband agreed, with caution and watchfulness.  They continued to speak at least weekly over the phone, and we made plans to visit this month.  When we got here, this man who was always too strong to be effected by emotion was crying his eyes out at how beautiful the kids are, how much it means that we came, how good it is to see us.  He asked my oldest daughter (who is just as opinionated as he is) to please forgive him.  He humbled himself so much that he asked for forgiveness from a child! 

    Now I was pretty floored by what I was seeing, but because of past history, I maintained a watchfulness of my own.  After all, I had given up on this man.  I had written off any hope of ever having a relationship with him.  But as I listened, I noticed how different he was.  Where he once spouted his opinions as gospel, he now shared what he was learning from the Gospel.  When he would once complain about how his church was doing things wrong, he was now telling everyone who would listen what his church was doing right.  When he used to push people away, he was now calling them close to pray over his weakness.  When anger used to rule his emotional scale I was now seeing love, empathy, and compassion.  This man, who at one time lost every friend he ever had, was now surrounded and embraced by men on a scale I never dreamed was possible.  And in the quiet moments, he embraces his family.  There are hugs almost more than there are words. 

   It was there in his arms, where I never dreamed I would ever be welcomed, that I realized the depth and power that Jesus has when it comes to changing a human heart.  There is no other explanation than the hand of GOD was moving in this man.

GOD have Your way!

Bean On My Tooth

   The other day I had some really great chili dogs.  Flavorful chili, melty cheese, onions that weren't too strong or too weak...just a really great chili dog.  It wasn't until about two hours later that there was a problem...no, not that! 

   I looked in a mirror and saw my tooth was completely browned out by the skin of a bean!  I groaned in horror and frantically tried to think of how many people I smiled at who would have seen my social gaffe.  Then, as my list grew longer and longer, I wondered why these people, whom I love and know well...why wouldn't they tell me I had an embarrassing problem??? 

 

   I had an epiphany...

 

   My tooth issue was similar to what we face with sin in our lives.  Sometimes we may not even know it's there.  But our loved ones may see it.  And then, for some reason, the people we love the most are too embarrassed to point out what we are doing wrong.  They let it go, hoping it will resolve on its own in a positive way.

   We all end up like the people in the story who were cheering for a naked emperor who was wearing 'new clothes'...where is that innocent voice declaring the truth of the situation?  Where are the courageous who know what is right and have no fear of recrimination?  Where are those who love enough to know that standing for what is right is worth more than watching what is wrong never fully resolve on its own? 

   Why couldn't my family tell me there was a huge thing stuck to my tooth???

   Maybe it was just about them wanting to giggle...