Molly

 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master's happiness!'

Matthew 25:23

As I do every morning, I came to the blog to see if there were comments left and to check the traffic counter.  The reason I look at the counter is because, often, I  can see the URL's of my visitors and by opening a new page, type it in and visit their own.  As I moved through the visitors, the last one showed the name, "525,600 Minutes: How Do You Measure A Year?", but the actual URL of the blog is what nearly knocked me from my chair:  "mollyinhaiti.blogspot.com".

Quickly opening a new tab, I typed in the blog name as the internet moved me at incredible speed to a page full of smiling, laughing children surrounding a beautiful young woman.  

Molly is her name.  And at 9:23 AM this morning, it was reported her body was recovered from among the devastation in Haiti.

Molly's profile states she was 22 years old, from Port Orchard, Washington, had completed her multi-degrees and was not ready to rush into the world and begin working.  But what is evident from her blog is that she had devoted her life to work that was far more rewarding than that of using her education to bring home a paycheck.  

Molly had devoted a year as a missionary for Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos International (NPH) who, according to their website, have been "Caring for orphaned and abandoned children in Latin America and the Caribbean since 1954".  The photos she posted on her blog reveal a compassion that speaks multitudes for those who are less fortunate.  The smiles on the faces of the children who surround her tell us of a heart full of great love and a desire to provide them with what they so sadly were denied by their own parents: someone to hold them and let them know that all would be well.

As I sit here wondering how Molly came to my blog, who it was that revealed her to me, I could easily pass it off as just coincidence.  After all, MSNBC did profile Molly's life and death this morning and revealed her blog address.  However, because I never turn the television on until the evening for the news, I was completely unaware of whom she was, what she did, and how she died.  Perhaps a grieving relative went to her blog to read the (at last count) 128 comments left there by many expressing their condolences and clicked on "next blog", inadvertently taking them to mine.  My prayer to God was that He would keep fresh in my mind and heart the sudden destruction and sorrow that came upon the people of Haiti.  Maybe this was His way of answering that prayer.  I will never know the true answer.

But what I do know and  believe is that God wanted the world to know just how much He loved Molly, and also His love for the people of Haiti.  In the midst of all the devastation, the tragedy of so many deaths, and the chaos that will continue to plague Haiti for a long time to come, God reminds us He is still with us and knows the sorrow that fills so many.  His eye has not failed to see.  His grace continues to pour out upon this world through people like Molly.  And His hand of mercy will not forsake us or leave us helpless.

Molly's "525,600 Minutes" may have been cut short, but they were full.  We see the evidence of that in her few blog posts.  The measurement of them will last her an eternity.

I pray that Molly's family and friends rest in the comforting knowledge that she was a faithful servant and is now at peace with her Lord.

Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti.

Looking Within

Luke 18:9-14

How many of us have the courage to look within ourselves, to search the depths of our being to see the condition of our soul?  We want to believe that, because we are Christian, all is right there.  We heard and believed the Word.  We said the prayer.  Now all is well and we can continue on with our lives without worry or fear.

I am not a betting woman, but I would lay odds against the majority of Christians that very few have what it takes to peer deeply into themselves.  They want to remain in the cozy existence of having salvation through belief and leave it at that.

The Apostles Paul and James both spoke of looking into a mirror.  Paul, in 1Corinthians 13:12, uses the analogy to describe not knowing what we will become when we are at last in glory.  The image we now see is but a dim reflection of the perfection we will then have.  But James uses the mirror in James 1:23-25 to demonstrate that man often looks at his reflection “and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”  In other words, he failed to peel back the layers of his self-righteousness and see the true depths of his depravity and offenses against God.

It does take great courage to stand in front of that mirror and ask ourselves who we truly are.  Within every Christian there is hiding some sin we refuse to face and to allow God to root out.  And I am just as guilty of this as the next.  Whether the offense is arrogance, pride, laziness, unwillingness, or a host of other grievances, if we were honest with ourselves, and most importantly to God, we would admit them and become actively involved in eliminating them.  The man that does this is like the man James speaks of in verse 25 who is blessed by “not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it.”  However, the one who does forget after turning away from his reflection “deceives himself and his religion is worthless” (v26).

In order to fully understand just how filthy and depraved we once were in God’s sight it is necessary that we brace ourselves and take a good, hard look within once in a while (see 1Corinthians 6:9-11).   A good example of those who do and those who do not is told by Jesus in His parable in the Book of Luke (18:9-14) of the self-righteous Pharisee whose outward appearance seemed blameless, and the publican, or tax collector, who had examined his inner self prior to going to the temple to pray.  The Pharisee failed to see his prideful sin.  But the publican had stood before his mirror, gazing deeply into his heart, and knew how sinful he was and in need of mercy.  Unlike the Pharisee, he did not “exalt” himself.  Instead, he came humbly before the throne of God, beating his breast in sorrow, and confessed his unworthiness.

My challenge to everyone reading this is that you muster the necessary courage and go stand before your mirror.  Look deeply into yourself and examine your lives, your walk and talk, but most importantly, your heart.  When God closely looks there, He is looking to see if your heart reflects that of His Son Jesus Christ.  If it does, God is pleased.  If it does not, perhaps you should take another look.

"For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love. For He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men." 

Lam 3:31-33 

 

Please pray for the people of Haiti.

Pestering Persistence

“When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’   Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ ”  

Mark 10:46-52

Children have an annoying habit of pestering persistence until their voice is heard.  With their stature three-plus feet shorter than ours, it is a necessity for them to tug on pant legs and raise their tiny voice so that it reaches our lofty ears.  They barge in expecting an audience and rarely concede until they are given one.  I have concluded, especially since having been blessed with grandchildren, that their little minds are being filled with so much information at such a rapid speed, it has to find a way of escape or it will crash like a computer.  When they entered this world, they were empty little vessels.  And as they grow, often the cup is tilted and the things they are learning slosh over the rim.  From an adult’s standpoint, this can be an annoying mess.

As children growing up, my siblings and I were often reminded of the old adage “children should not speak unless spoken to.”  We were instructed that it was rude to interrupt an adult conversation and should wait our turn.  The importance of what we had to convey would just have to be side-lined until the adults briefly gave us a precious moment of their attention - if we were lucky.  Our persistence could be received with mild interest, a bored look, or an impatient frown.  The worst we could expect would be a sharp rebuke, telling us to stop being a pest and go play.  But if the matter was important enough, we would charge ahead with boldness because of our determination.  In spite of the response we may have received, nothing was going to stop us from having our voice heard.

The Apostle Mark tells us of a man with this child-like persistence.  His name was Bartimaeus, a blind beggar destined to sit daily on the side of the road and eat the dust from the feet of the people passing by; hoping a coin or two would be dropped in his hand.  It was an all-too-common site in Mark’s day.  How Bartimaeus knew that Jesus was present in the crowd can only be explained by the number of people who were with Him.  The impact Jesus made as He traveled Judea with His message of peace caused an uproar heard around the world.  As a beggar who probably sat at Jericho’s city gates and heard the Rabbis speak of this bold stranger who was causing such a stir, Bartimaeus’ ears had been sharply attuned to anything new or of interest.  More than likely, the blind man had heard of the miraculous healings performed by Jesus; the lame able to walk, the blind able to see.  Whatever his reason, Bartimaeus was going to be heard.

It’s interesting that the reaction of the Apostles and the people surrounding Jesus closely resembles how we respond to children who are persistent.  Twice Bartimaeus called out to Jesus.  Twice he was sharply rebuked by the Apostles and others.  Perhaps they were deeply engrossed in a conversation with Jesus, or they themselves were straining to hear the words of their Teacher above the tumult that surrounded them.  But one thing is clearly evident: Bartimaeus “shouted all the more” because of his need to be recognized, and Jesus heard the man and gave him His full attention.

“Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’ ”    

Wait a minute.  Let me read that one more time.

“Jesus stopped and said, 'Call him.’ ”

 It’s hard to believe that among the jostling crowd who were all vying for His attention that one voice was heard above it all.  Unlike the way we respond to our own children and grandchildren, a child’s voice called out from his darkness and our Lord heard his plea.  And Christ did more than just hear it.  He stopped what He was doing and immediately responded to it.  There were no half-interested, bored or impatient looks from Jesus.  There was no sharp rebuke to be silent and not bother Him.  Instead, Jesus asked the blind beggar, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

Now, we know that the man’s physical ailment was glaringly obvious, that there was no need for Jesus to ask him about specifics.  He could have impatiently spoken the words, healed the man, and been onto more important matters, if that had been His way.  Instead, Christ looked with genuine intent into Bartimaeus’ heart, rather than into his milky and clouded eyes, to see what lay there.  And what He found was far more than what those with good vision could see.  He saw faith.  He saw a heart filled with the stories and rumors Bartimaeus had heard of what this man called Jesus was saying and doing.  Jesus saw belief, and it was Bartimaeus’ faith and belief in the Messiah that healed him.

“Rabbi, I want to see,” he said.

What greater thing could Bartimaeus have asked for than to see the Man Who was healing the sick, the lame, and the blind?   He knew Him to be the One spoken of in prophecy, the Son of David, come to save the world.  Bartimaeus believed He stood before him and it was this belief that gave him the desire to gaze upon Jesus.

“Rabbi, I want to see.”  

And see, he did.

Jesus’ children never need fear that when we go to Him with something of importance to us that He will wave a shushing hand over our heads and tell us to go play.  Our excitement will never be quashed because He thinks our questions are trivial, unimportant, or unworthy of His attention.  We can be assured that He will give us His undivided and immediate attention for His greatest desire is that we go to Him always with every need, trial, or hope.  And Jesus’ ear isn’t lofty and beyond our voice.  There is no need to beg, plead, shout, or tug on His pant leg.  His ear is ready and waiting for our pestering persistence.  When we call out to Him for an audience, we are guaranteed He will quickly respond with, “What do you want Me to do for you?”  

Be a Bartimaeus and believe it.

(Copywright 2007 Karen L. Brahs)

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The Atheist's Manifesto: A Declaration of Religion

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

Hebrews 11:1

Lately, I have received several blog hits from atheists.  The latest is from a young man in Belgium who states he is a "proud and confident atheist," and a member of "Atheist Nexus" which calls itself "A Community of Nontheists" (sic).   

Webster defines an atheist, in the simplest of terms, as "a person who believes there is no God."  The atheist believes he has "reasoned" with himself, or as one blog writer posted on the "Atheist Nexus" website, "I did it with my mind...a true story," giving "luck" credence with his success in denying God any credit.  He relates a story of traveling from Seattle to Arizona with friends, getting stuck overnight in a rice field in California, and crediting his brilliant mind and his own reasoning for getting out of their predicament.  I found it odd that he would use such a benign and easily solved situation as an example.  After all, God did gift us with common sense.

Another post by the same man speaks loudly of his failed attempt to define himself and the reason for his existence. The most profound example of this is that he is incapable of coming to any conclusion other than what he sees as his own reasoning and a randomness of events, as is obvious in what I see in this confused statement:

"But what is evidence? Is it tenaciously consistent and constantly recurring figments of my imagination? Is the outside just a projection of an elaborate story I am telling myself? This, I can never be sure of. There is simply no way to know." 

Interestingly, he concludes his post by borrowing a term reserved for those who do hold to faith in a Sovereign and Holy God: hope.  It is the solution he is looking for, but  he is unable to see and grasp it.

"I believe that, no matter what is actually happening, I am, on balance, more filled with wonder than doubt; driven more by curiosity than ideology; inspired more by mystery than faith; more grounded in poetry than reality; have more respect for compassion than power; and hold nothing more sacred than the profound hope that, when I cease to be, the universe will remain." 

He attempts to place his hope on a continuance of the things he is able to see, to touch, to smell, and to hear.  If he can not experience anything with his senses then, in his mind, it does not exist.  However, my question to him would be, "What difference would it make to you for, by your belief system, you will no longer continue to exist?  You have accomplished what you sought out for your life, and the 'universe' you created for yourself is not imperative or necessary to the 'universe' others create for themselves.  The nothingness you hold dear would simply cease to exist after your death.   Therefore, it should not matter to you."

Furthermore, I would advise him to drop his ill-defined term of "hope" from his vocabulary.  It holds no meaning for an atheist, other than a hope for more nothingness.

There are key words within the above statement that define what this man is actually searching for:

"no matter what is actually happening...",  "...doubt...",  "...curiosity...",  "...mystery..."

They all reveal a confused mind, a troubled heart, and an unwillingness to allow the Holy Spirit to lead him to God's eternal Truth.  He is unable to discern "what is actually happening" because he wants to believe in himself and his desire to gain everything he can now before his meaningless life ends and he disappears into the darkness of nothingness.  But, to me, it also reveals that God is continuing to work with him in ways that are only known to Him.

The tragedy of this man's statements speaks volumes regarding those who adhere to the atheist's manifesto that God's existence is a mere tale woven by men who are either frightened into a belief system, void of any importance in their lives, or are power hungry and bent on subjecting men to myths to control them.  And their manifesto places them squarely where they do not want to be and what they are attempting to shun: a belief system that can legitimately be called a "religion."

The atheist, however far removed he wants to be from "religion", builds upon this system a doctrine of unbelief.  Within the definition of "atheist", Webster stresses that the term "unbeliever" implies "a more negative term".  As an unbeliever, the atheist has established tenets, rituals, and a theology of "self", thereby creating a form, albeit a subverted one, of organized "faith" in nothing.

Atheists fellowship and commune with each other, as is evident in the above-mentioned website.  They encourage and edify each other with what they see as their "truths".  In other words, they unknowingly gather to worship a false god, preach its lies, and attempt to "evangelize" the world into their system of unbelief.  The problem, however, is that they have not been able to reason an end to their miserable lives here and what they can expect as eternity comes crashing down upon them.  The fear with which they are so willing to accuse Christians of being subjected to is nothing compared to what they themselves will face when they meet their Creator.

If the visitor I mentioned at the beginning is what he claims to be, why is he searching the Christian blogs, and what is it he is looking for?

I do not believe in the coincidence or randomness of creation that atheists adhere to.  Granted, my visitor confesses on his own blog that he will willingly discuss his religion with anyone who is foolish enough to take him up on his offer.  But there should be a clear warning to a Christian in this offer.  After all, you would not be debating with him, but with Satan.  His pride and arrogance are part of his theology.  Sadly, he could just be looking for more victims, like the unwitting and deceived 15-year old he responds to in one of his posts.  But I have a different theory, mainly because he did not leave a comment on my blog, inviting me (or challenging me) to a debate on theology, the reliability of God's Word, and the dangerous foolishness of his belief system.   

What this man thought was mere coincidence could possibly have been engineered by the God in which he refuses to believe.  Perhaps he unknowingly yielded to God's gentle prodding and stumbled upon this blog in what he thought was a random search.  Or, the blog could have been recommended by someone attempting to witness to him.  I will never know the answer.  What, if anything, he read is not known, either.  But what I hope for is that somewhere within my articles, stories and rambling is a tidbit, a word or phrase that was meant for him to see and ponder, and that a seed of faith was sown upon his heart.

If this is true, then I pray Paul's words in Hebrews 11:1 will encourage his "curiosity", unveil God's "mystery", and remove any "doubt" from his unbelieving heart.  When that happens, then the answer to "what is actually happening" will be made known to him.

NEW YEAR BLESSINGS TO EVERYONE!

Christmas Is Only the Beginning

The Christmas season has come and gone.    Once again families are parting and returning to their own homes.  Houses that were temporarily disassembled in the hubbub are being put back into order.  Christmas trees are stripped bare and discarded and the ornaments and decorations that adorned them for a brief time are placed carefully back in storage until next year.  The magic that filled the minds of the participants begins to fade as each day passes and the year draws to a close.  

How swiftly time passes, especially amongst the excitement and anticipation of Christmas day and all of the revelry and joy it bears.  It is a time of year when we are called to remember the importance of its significance.  And as we pause and reflect upon the meaning behind this special day that has been set aside, we cannot but wish that the joy its message brings would remain forever fresh in our minds with nothing to dispel it.  But as it comes to a close, the world comes crashing back in and the realities of the harshness of life on this earth can often discourage or depress us.  All we have to do is turn on the television set or read the latest headlines.  The brief vacation we enjoyed is over and we must re-enter the lives we have created and the hardships that surround us, whether we like it or not.

Our hearts were opened during the Christmas season.  We shared.  We generously gave.  And we united to partake of the Holy Communion and fellowship with our God.  But it should not end there.  The willingness to worship Him and to delight in the Gift He so graciously bestowed upon all mankind should continue within us each day of the year.  We should return to the world with renewed resolve and a desire to serve Him even more.  The Spirit that enveloped us in a loving embrace as we pondered God’s glorious plan of salvation should not fade as a mist into the air.  And like the ornaments that are packed away in boxes until the next Christmas season, we should not store away the importance of Christ's message, but continue to give and to share the great Gift that was given us.

When Christ was born, it was only the beginning of the story of God’s vast plan of salvation.  The fullness of the Gospel does not end there.  The end of the story has been written and many more chapters are waiting to be read that are equally as exciting and worth waiting for.  And as we watch the events foretold unfold before us, let us wait with the same joyful anticipation and faithfulness we experience when celebrating our Lord’s birth.  There is much work to be done for Him.  Let us carry forward into the New Year the Spirit of joy Who dwells within us and continue His journey to the Cross.  And as we do, may we continue to faithfully serve Him and remain in prayer for the persecuted, the hungry and homeless, the sick, and the despairing souls in need of a Savior.

To Christ be all glory, honor and praise EVERY day of the year and forever!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!

Our Christmas Eve visitor looking for a handout!

May the Lord richly bless you and yours as we unite in spirit to celebrate His birth!

In Christ's Love,

Karen

Father Tim Jones: Re-writing the Eighth Commandment

"Thou shalt steal when the need arises."

What? 

You heard me right.  It is okay to steal if you are poor.  But only steal from the rich, the large corporate chains who pass the loss down to customers in higher prices, not from the small businesses run by families.  Their loss would be too great and inflict too much damage to their livelihood.   After all, stealing from the rich does no harm, right?  They can afford it.  And the result is that you get what you want and no one is the wiser.

Sound ludicrous?  It does, but that is what one so-called Anglican "Christian priest" who resides over the St. Lawrence Church in York, England is preaching from his pulpit.   In his nativity sermon of all things, he encouraged the "poor", those who are suffering through the current recession, to steal from large store chains.

"My advice as a Christian priest is to shoplift," he said, insisting that it was better than "prostitution, mugging, or burglary."

He also stated that he believes he is not violating God's eighth commandment, "Thou shalt not steal".  Rather, he is of the mindset that "God's love for the poor outweighs his love for property rights of the rich."

Jones' response to the condemnation he quickly received, not only from law enforcement but also from the Archdeacon of York, for his misguided advice was this:  "This is simply a call for our society no longer to treat its most vulnerable with contempt."

At this moment, I could not feel more contempt.  And that contempt is for a supposed "man of God" who is encouraging his congregants to violate one of God's laws; contempt for a "priest" who is advocating sinning against God; and utter contempt for re-writing Scripture that clearly opposes what this man is preaching.

Is this what Christ's church has come to?  Do we continue to add to the multitude of offenses that are being committed against our God and preach a doctrine of thievery, along with the other abominations that are currently being embraced within the church?  And if we do, do we expect God to remain silent and not bring swift and utter destruction down upon us for our disobedience?

As Christ was telling the parable of the judge and widow in Luke 18, He concluded with, "However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"  If He was to return to Jones' parish at this moment, I doubt He would discover much in the way of true faith in the heart of this man who is a wolf in sheep's clothing teaching his congregants a false doctrine of theft and deception.  His irresponsible brand of preaching defies the truth.  It reeks of lies, even within this one sermon, and tells of him leading his charge down a destructive path.  I can only hope that the pews will be empty this coming Sunday.

God made His case about stealing quite effectively as He gave the Law to Moses.  In Leviticus 6:1-7, we see that stealing involves much more than just merely taking from someone else something that does not belong to you.  The remedy far outweighed the crime for the Lord commanded that restitution with interest be made, and be made quickly.  Only then would the offender be forgiven.

Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 discovered what happens to those who steal from the Lord, then lie about it.  "You have not lied to men but to God."  The property that was sold did indeed belong to them prior to its sale.  But it was their sin in "test[ing] the Spirit of the Lord" by not giving all the promised proceeds to Him - their greed and covetousness, their lies, their theft - that condemned them.

Jones relates a time when he encountered an ex-prisoner who was made to live on a paltry 100 British pounds for six weeks upon his release.   He uses this man's situation as a demonstration to defend his position that theft is acceptable when you are hungry or homeless.  Perhaps Jones, instead of insisting it is okay to steal from those who have, should have reached into his own pocket, encouraged his congregation to reach into theirs, and assisted the man in the way God has called us to serve Him.  The offer of a job, regardless of how menial and trivial, would have far-better served this man and those like him then preaching a doctrine of theft and disobedience to God's laws.  Or perhaps the Lord had this man right where He wanted Him in order to turn Him to salvation - but a man like Jones got in His way.

It is my contention that Tim Jones is the violator worthy of contempt.  He is the enemy within the camp who is bent upon the destruction of God's Word, and who leads his congregation with untruths and deception.  He mocks God and His laws that are intended to convict us of our sins - including the sin of stealing.  It is not a trivial matter that should be overlooked when a man proclaiming himself to be a servant of God encourages others to disobey the very God he claims to serve.  He should be removed from his position - immediately - before he inflicts more damage upon the hearts of those whom he leads.