Crosswalk.com--The Devotional

[Judy Harder]

May 26, 2010

Trapped in the Darkness
by Fred "Fritz" Alberti, Crosswalk.com Director of Social Media

"...to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me."
Acts 26:18


As I was walking through my nature trail this week I, as I normally do, asked the Lord what I should write this week. As I passed through the chapel area of the trail the sun flashed through the leaves and caught my attention. Light. I had entered the darkness of the woods but that light caught my attention. I "filed" it away and continued my travels through the trail.

Later, I was reading through various news stories of earthquake survivors in China when one particular story jumped out at me and brought back to my mind my earlier encounter with the rising sun. The story was of a middle-aged man named Mr. Shen whose quick thinking to take cover in a doorway saved him from the fate experienced by many of his co-workers.

When interviewed, Mr. Shen recalled shouting to a co-worker to join him in the doorway when the room suddenly collapsed. The next thing he remembered was the sudden darkness that enveloped him.

What struck me in his interview was his statement, "Oh, the darkness, oh, the darkness all over. I didn't know when it was going to end."

There are people that we walk past every day that, without knowing it, are spiritually in the same condition as Mr. Shen; trapped in darkness under the weight of sin.

For Mr. Shen, the darkness crumpled under the hands of the rescuers. After 146 hours his encounter with complete and utter darkness came to an end. That darkness, however, will always leave a mark on his being.

Will you forget the darkness that seeks to crush the hope of those around you?

Intersecting Faith & Life: Find a place of complete and utter darkness and spend at least 15 minutes praying for people you know who have not accepted God's free gift of salvation.

Further Reading

Ephesians 5:8
John 12:46
1 Peter 2:9

[Judy Harder]

May 27, 2010

Trust at High Speeds
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths."
Proverbs 3:5-6


I had been on a WaveRunner before. "No problem," I said to myself as I climbed on behind my fiancé last weekend. I looked down at the brackish water that was more chilly than refreshing and told myself firmly, "Remember, you like going on adventures with him." Sure enough, David looked back and grinned at me when we got away from the dock. He told me to hold on. Then he gunned it.

Jumping on a WaveRunner seems easy when I'm the one driving, because then I get to decide just how sharply I want to make my little WaveRunner bank to catch that big wake. Or I can keep shooting out towards the Chesapeake Bay and avoid the wake altogether if I want. I can slow down if I scare myself, and I only "catch some air" if I'm good and ready - which, in reality, is almost never. Riding behind someone else, however, even when I trust him more than anyone, demands a leap of faith. The only thing I have to hang onto is his life jacket, and this guy in front of me gets to make the decisions while I peer over his shoulder. It's hard to anticipate or even see what is coming next, and leaning the wrong way when we bank could throw me into the cold water at 50 miles per hour.

Out on the open water, with the wind stinging my eyes and convincing me that I'm about to fly off my seat, I'm pushed out of my comfort zone and into something more exhilarating than I'd wander into by myself. And the whole experience stems from letting someone else sit in the driver's seat with not even a seatbelt for me. David knew I didn't want to capsize, and he directed the little WaveRunner accordingly. But he wouldn't let me be completely comfortable, because then we might as well take the paddleboat out and save gas. He made sure we got the full experience of saltwater, fun, and incredible views.

If I can trust my fiancé who loves me, how much more should I trust my Heavenly Father, who knows my fears, needs, and weaknesses far better. God desires to take us on an adventure that lets us experience Him and His creation more fully and joyfully than we can imagine. Focusing on our fear of some abstract unknown keeps us from being open to the adventure unfolding before our eyes every day. We tend to forget God's amazing promise, that "the LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you" (Deut. 1:. Fear and worry indicate that we don't really believe that promise, and that we think we'd do a better job steering. Instead, when we make a conscious decision to trust the Lord - even when life is way too busy and fast for our liking - we find the peace to take a deep breath, smell the salty air, and enjoy where He is taking us.

Intersecting Faith & Life: If you're comfortable with life now, are you open to changes in God's plan for you? If life is crazy now, do you try too hard to make sure everything is under control, instead of resting in God's promises? Roll down your car window for a minute today and feel the wind rushing by. Remember that the Lord of the universe, the One who controls the wind and the seas, calls us cast all our cares on Him (I Peter 5:7).

Further Reading

Proverbs 19:21
Philippians 4:6-7
The War over Worry

[Judy Harder]

May 28, 2010

Reflections on a Life of Service
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.
Galatians 5: 13

This holiday weekend we celebrate something that I think is sometimes hard for many of us to comprehend:  the sacrifice of soldiers' lives for the sake of our freedom. In recent years I've heard many conflicted views on this matter. But I think it would be a mistake to see these brave men and women as merely victims. While each fallen soldier has a unique story, each soldier is a hero who willingly laid down his or her life for a greater cause.

I think part of our struggle to understand the fallen soldier comes with our difficulty in accepting sacrifice, especially when a sacrifice seems so final and appears to hold no obvious reward. The idea that anyone could give up everything - for people he doesn't even know - is hard to process. We spend so much of life trying to gain, to acquire, to win. Our country is home to the American Dream, the land of opportunity. So contemplating the fallen solider can feel uncomfortable, even confusing.

I was pondering this struggle to embrace sacrifice at church. It was the Feast of Corpus Christi and our pastor was reflecting on Christ's willingness to spill His blood for our sake. Our pastor emphasized that the only appropriate response to a sacrifice of this magnitude would be to offer our lives in return. He put it in terms of worship, saying God first bowed down to us by becoming human, and now it is our turn to bow down to Him.

So often I meditate on Christ's sacrificial love, but fail to love Him sacrificially in return. I thank Him with my words, but do little to change my life. Yet this is what God desires of us. We call our soldiers "service men / women" yet that term should describe Christians as well. Just as sacrifice is required to secure our freedom as Americans, freedom does not exist independently of sacrifice in the life of the believer. Yes, the gift of faith brings us freedom - freedom from sin, freedom to be who God made us to be and to know God more deeply. But that freedom came with the price of the Cross and our gift of freedom is to be used for service.

It may seem pointless in some ways to acquire freedom only to turn around and serve. But two thoughts come to mind here. One, is that the free person who chooses to serve knows freedom unlike any other. He has no need of taking from others because his sense of worth comes from a higher source. I've often heard from those with true servant-hearts that it is only when we give ourselves away that we truly find ourselves. The second is a truth I need to constantly remind myself of when life seems hard or unfair: this life is nothing compared to the next. Anything we "lose" here is never truly lost if our lives belong to Christ.

"So the last will be first, and the first will be last" (Mt 20: 16). A friend and I have a running joke about this scripture verse. We will defer to each other in attempt to win "last place" - to secure our first place prize in heaven, of course. While our motivations here may be a bit off, I've come to think it's not a bad contest. Grow your servant's heart by striving to take last place at least once this week - even if it's as simple as being last in line at the grocery store or serving yourself last at the dinner table.

[Judy Harder]

May 31, 2010

How I Came to Enjoy Raisins
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. -- 1 John 2:10

Worst advertising slogan ever: "Two scoops of raisins in Kellogg's Raisin Bran." Blech. But apparently it worked on my mother, who bought the stuff like it was going out of style, while referring to delicious breakfast desserts such as Lucky Charms and Crunchberries as "cardboard." So unfair. So there I sat, choking down my raisin bran, or even oatmeal cookies with raisins in them, always suffering the same horrible fate: the bran or cookie part would be chewed and swallowed before the gooey chewy raisins, leaving me a mouthful of not-nearly-as-tasty goop.

I despised raisins. Thought about writing Kellogg's and telling them that backing off to one scoop would be plenty (nothing like getting to the bottom of the bowl and finding no flakes, only 10 little black things. Ew).

Flash-forward a quarter century. I'm having a similar issue to the raisin problem with people. Specifically, I'm loathe to admit, some Christian people. No, I haven't been eating them, but sometimes, I do find us hard to swallow. Part of the problem, ironically, is my job! Here at Crosswalk we often receive angry emails from fellow Christians who don't like the movie we reviewed, the way we said something, the ad we ran, or the author we allowed to appear on the site. Criticism's fine, even justified; I just have a hard time when it comes with a "You call yourself Christian?" or a "Have you even read the Bible?" punch to the gut. Sometimes it feels as if we Christians are concerned more with hammering home truth no matter how bluntly, or railing against _(fill in the blank)_ than genuinely loving people and meeting needs. Of course, the obvious irony here is that I then, looking in the mirror, find myself in short supply on genuine love myself. Which is not where Christ wants any of us to be. In fact, in Revelation 12:10, the title "Accuser of the Brethren" is given to our enemy Satan at his judgment. Do I really want to claim that monicker for myself?

So what does this have to do with raisins? Well, recently I discovered I kinda like the shriveled little things! I pack 'em for snacks, and eat them with the kids. I like the nutritional value, the fiber, the chewiness. What's changed? My tastes? No. The raisins? No. Not the packaging, not the flavor, not even my effort (I'm not choking them down because they're good for me, I genuinely like them). I realized that what has changed is my perspective. It didn't happen overnight, but about the time "Craisins" (dried Cranberries) came on the scene, I began enjoying all sorts of dried fruits. And here's what I noticed: I like cranberries, ergo I like dried cranberries. I like apricots, therefore I like dried apricots. I love grapes, so obviously I... hate raisins? That didn't seem to make logical sense. Maybe it was time to give raisins another try. Maybe I shouldn't even think of them as raisins. Maybe I should just think of them as "dried grapes!"

That may sound extremely silly... but it worked! I felt like I had come into the light. The texture was suddenly different. The way I savored them changed... everything. And a fun new world of food possibilities has re-opened to me, simply thanks to a different way of looking at something.

1 John Chapter 2 talks about Light, who it comes from, what it helps us do, and what it shows about us when we walk in it. Light is a perspective-changer. It reveals the true nature of hidden or darkened things. It doesn't change them, but it can and does change how they appear, how they are perceived, and the details we notice. Our verse today says, "Whoever loves his brother lives in the light," and I think it also works backwards: "Whoever lives in the light loves his brother." It's not going to be easy for me to see fellow redeemed sinners - especially the angry ones - as Jesus does, but it's clearly possible, and commanded, and in the raisin example it wasn't about my efforts anyway - just turning on a light.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Who's got your goat? Have you ever tried seeing that individual, group, or faceless internet personage in a different light, from a different perspective, or even as God sees them? Have you considered how you might look different to others in a new light? Try filling these blanks in for yourself: "I like ____(x)_____, therefore I like even __________  _____(x)_____."

Further Reading

John 1: 4-11
Light and the Nature of God, by Regis Nicoll
How to Deal with Angry People, by Gary Chapman

[Judy Harder]

June 1, 2010

"Just Keep Swimming!"
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor

"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."
- Hebrews 12:1


On Saturday night, I let myself go limp in front of the TV. The blur of activity, newness, and ridiculously hot weather the week before had exhausted me, so a complete mind/body check-out seemed in order. I don't have cable, though, so my viewing selection was pretty limited. I soon found myself watching "Finding Nemo."

Remember the part where the all-important scuba mask slips down, down, down into the dark gorge? Marlin panics and goes after it, only to swim frantically back out of the darkness. Then the crazy blue fish with a short term memory problem frolics her way into that same blackness with nary a care. A moment later Dorrie comes back to encourage Marlin. "Hey, Mr. Grumpy Gills," she says, "When life gets you down, you know whatcha gotta do?" "No, I don't want to know watcha gotta do." "Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming!"

Not that I'm taking lessons from a digitized blue fish, but Dorrie's attitude reminded me what perseverance should look like. It's not that sitting on the couch and taking a break was evil in itself, but my can't-go-any-farther attitude was. That attitude indicated that I was slogging away in my own strength and had run out of energy without looking to the Lord for supernatural help. At points like that, even though I know the answer, "I don't want to know watcha gotta do" to keep pursuing what God has called me to do. Wallowing in my exhaustion seems so much easier.

Sunday evening, my dad took the opportunity to remind me that, "when life gets you down" and you're exhausted, God's faithfulness has the chance to shine through. The end of my rope is the beginning of grace made evident in my life, providing the strength to "keep swimming" even though I'm exhausted. And He gets the praise, because I know that strength is no longer something in me. His mercies are "new every morning" (Lam. 3:23) and enough to keep me moving in the direction that He encourages me to go. My responsibilities are just one more way to bring me to my knees and let the Lord refresh me with His grace. After that, I can keep going in His mercy, and even sing while I'm at it. His faithfulness never ends.

Intersecting Faith & Life: So are you ready to call it quits when you're exhausted? Or are you relying on God and willing to keep going because of the goal ahead of you? The Bible is full of reminders of God's faithfulness to believers, and the stories all end with God being glorified for their reliance on Him. In the end, it's when we are weak that He makes us strong (2 Cor. 12:10).

Further Reading

Philippians 1:4-6
1 Corinthians 9:24
How to Pray on the Go

[Judy Harder]

June 2, 2010

The Redemptive Value of Facebook
by Mike Pohlman

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. -Matthew 5:14-16

Can Facebook be redemptive? In other words, can this social networking phenomenon be a means of helping Christians grow in grace? Can it be spiritually edifying? Can it promote godliness?

Yes.

My "yes," of course, is not without qualification. I realize Facebook can be used for banal, unhelpful purposes. (Carl Trueman, for example, offers a good critique of our Web 2.0 world.) But today God's grace was extended to me through the Internet; today Facebook was a blessing. Let me explain.

I was tagged in a friend's list of "25 Random Things About Me."* While I have yet to fill out one of these lists, I have enjoyed reading them. It is a good (and efficient) way to learn interesting things about a person. And these lists are all the more intriguing when you haven't kept up with someone for, say, twenty years.

The particular list opened with this amazing declaration: "I would change nothing about my life!" 

How many people can say that about their life? It's one thing to say, "I love my life." Or, "I have a great life." Or, "I'm living the good life." But to say, "I would change nothing about my life"? That got my attention.

The list of "random" things proceeded with unmistakable joy.

24. "I am very happy."
18. "I am thrilled that I have gotten in touch with so many family members and friends on facebook."
14. "I have two dogs and a cat. I am not big on pets, so having them is a testament to how much I love my children."
13. "I don't feel that I could have a more wonderful husband."
12. "I have four children and wish I had more.....6 would have been nice!"
7. "A perfect day for me is spent with my husband and children."

Reading these things was inspiring as they spoke to my friend's deep love for her family. I smiled as I recalled how I used to play little league baseball and Pop Warner football with her husband. Now we both had four kids. More importantly, I found myself thinking about my wife and children and what a blessing they are to me. But then, as I continued down the list, I ran into these sobering statements:

6. "It is a good thing that my life will never be the way it was before I was diagnosed with cancer."
5. "My life will never be the way it was before I was diagnosed with cancer."

I didn't know my friend had been diagnosed with cancer. I paused to let it sink in. Cancer. That word has a way of arresting our attention like no other. And rarely, it seems, is gratitude accompanied with it. But here in a list of "25 Random Things" was the phrase, "It is a good thing...." How could my friend preface any mention of cancer with "It is a good thing"?

The answer came at the end of the list:

1. "The LORD is always #1."

This is the "thing" that makes all the difference in the universe. When the Lord is first in our lives then everything takes on new meaning--our marriages, parenthood, jobs, ministries, leisure time, and, yes, even cancer. We realize that nothing is truly "random." When we see our heavenly Father in His providence orchestrating all our days then we can say radical things like, "It is a good thing that my life will never be the way it was before I was diagnosed with cancer." In other words, God used cancer to help me.

In Matthew 5:16 Jesus says, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Tami's light is shining brightly today and I'm giving glory to God for it.

[*All references to my friend's "25 Random Things" used with permission.]

 

[Judy Harder]

June 3, 2010

The Dip Swimmer
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 
James 4:4-6

August is often monsoon time in Tucson, Arizona. The rains can come quickly, bringing flooding to dry ground not primed to soak them up. He always looked forward to that time of year, to the brief respites from the scorching zephyrs. But not this year. This year was his "nowhere year," the one between high school and college, the one where he lost sense of self, God, and purpose. Most of his friends had gone to school or summer projects. He himself would finally do so in just a few weeks. There was excitement in that knowledge, but also much apprehension. All he had known was Tucson. All he had was there. His best friend and his girlfriend and his family -- he'd be leaving them behind.

The leaving was becoming even more difficult because there were rifts growing. His girlfriend had requested a break because, among other things, he had begun to put on weight. Things weren't good between them. In fact, things weren't good anywhere. This was supposed to be one of the best times of his life, but all he felt was lost, left out, and lethargic. The weather wasn't helping. Neither was the fact that his Triumph TR6 convertible, the one he had received from his dad, the original owner, had finally died. He'd gone from driving that prime machine to a hand-me-up, dented Volkswagen Dasher from, insult of insults, his younger sister. His parents had opted to provide her a more reliable vehicle, a shinier, newer, cuter Honda Civic. It took him a long time, sad to say, to get over that.

On this night, he was also house-sitting for a friend of his mother's. It was a depressing apartment, containing two very depressing dogs. One was very old and mostly blind, and would spend each night spookily wandering from room to room. He would wake up and see it stalking the halls as if in trance. Freaky. The other one was a three-legged little mutt who was so scared of him that the very reason he was housesitting became obsolete! Every gentle attempt to let the dog out created so much fear in the animal that it would do its business in the process of running out the door, meaning he not only had clean-up duty, but still had to convince the frightened critter to come back inside!

So basically, he was bummed. Bummed and lonely. And the last thing on his mind was the Lord, even though he'd known Him for 10 years. He knew he had to get out of there and gain some perspective. Maybe Jay was around. His house wasn't too far away from Dog Central. He decided to try his luck in the monsoon.

As soon as he got to the Dasher, he should have known it was a bad idea. He'd left his windows down. He sat down anyway, right in the puddle of rain and dog hair and his sister's ancient cigarette ashes. At least the car started. He pulled it out onto Alvernon Road, and headed south toward Grant.

Grant Road, when he got there, no longer looked like a street. It was a rivulet. I don't know why, but he pulled out into it. For a while, the old wheezy car made its way slowly through the water. But eventually, it could go no more. He'd killed it. He stepped out into knee-deep water and looked to the heavens. A couple guys who were standing uphill in a shopping center watching the action helped him push the Dasher out of the street and up into the lot. Suddenly he heard shouts of joy and glee. He turned his head in time to see two kids in an inflatable raft cruise down a side street and out onto Grant, laughing all the way. Nice. Did anyone else want to mock him?

Well, what next? He had no cash, no coins. No cell phones in 1989. No ATM nearby.

There was only one thing to do: walk the rest of the way to Jay's house. Why not? He couldn't suffer much more, could he? It was a good 25 blocks. He'd gone about 24 of those in the rain when it was finally starting to let up. But through the parting drops he saw that he made yet another error in judgment. Rather than staying on the main road, where there was a bridge that crossed over a wash, he had taken a side street that dipped right down into it. It was going to mean another half hour if he backtracked, so he made his umpteenth stupid decision of the night. He tied his shoes around his neck, waded into the dip... and swam to the other side (kids, don't try this at home. He got lucky the current wasn't strong).

Emerging, he imagined himself as the creature from the black lagoon. Only several more houses to go. He knocked on the door. Jay's mother answered. She looked confused, then concerned, then sprang into action. "Oh my goodness! Get in here!" She got him towels and something hot to drink, and let him know Jay wasn't home yet. He was out on a date. She was going to bed, but he was welcome, as always, to wait up for Jay.

He sat in a dark corner of the living room, wondering how in the world he had sunk to this. He heard a key in the lock. He saw his best buddy enter, saw him notice a blob sitting in the corner, saw him realize he'd seen no car outside. When Jay recognized his pal, he paused, looked more closely, then... burst into laughter.

What happened next was an all-night conversation that would change both their lives. The gist of it was, "We've been giving lip service to our God and our church for a long time now. We've been part of this great youth group, but at heart we both know we love the popularity more than the fellowship. We've talked about the guys in our group who we know are authentic, who really study, really live the Word. Maybe it is time for us to be that, too? Maybe it's time to stop sinning and start taking Christianity seriously?"

Yes. We decided it was. In the morning the mercy was palpable and freeing. We went to the bookstore and bought a study guide on James. We drove up to Mount Lemmon, just outside the city, praising the Lord on the way and praying once we got there. With James's help, we decided to begin with practicality. We put away childish things. We took our eyes off ourselves, and we recognized that God had been active in answering prayers we'd prayed over a year ago (flippantly though they were spoken) that God would get our attention, develop in us humilty and patience, and a genuine idea of what following Jesus was about.

Relatively speaking, we didn't suffer much, though our achings were deep and real for the time. God put us on our knees, gently but firmly, and turned us around, which is the essence of humility, repentance, and restoration. The Dasher was definitely dead... but we were alive.

Only a couple years later, God gave me a gift, an incredible, forever reminder of that night and what I learned and how it would carry me through the future. It came in the form of a song by Rich Mullins. To this day, I believe that Rich must have been there, must have seen what transpired. For he wrote:

I see the morning moving over the hills
I can see the shadows on the western side
And all those illusions that I had
They just vanish in Your light.

Though the chill in the night still hangs in the air
I can feel the warmth of morning on my face
Though the storm had tossed me
'Til I thought I'd nearly lost my way

And now the night is fading and the storm is past
And everything that could be shaken was shaken
And all that remains is all I ever really had

What I'd have settled for
You've blown so far away
What You brought me to
I thought I could not reach.
And I came so close to giving up
But You never did give up on me.

I see the morning moving over the hills
I feel the rush of life here where the darkness broke
And I am in You and You're in me
Here where the winds of Heaven blow.

And now the night is fading
And the storm is through
And everything You sent to shake me
From my dreams they come to wake me
In the love I find in You
And now the morning comes
And everything that really matters
Become the wings You send to gather me
To my home
To my home
I'm going home...

Intersecting Faith & Life: 1. If a storm were to shake your life, and "everything that could be shaken was shaken, and all that remained was all you ever really had," what would it be that remained? 2. What would you have settled for that God has blown so far away? What has He brought you to that you thought you could not reach? 3. What does it mean to go back "to my home," even if you're actually about to start a journey? 4. When was the last time you shared your testimony? Make an effort to write it down or share it today.

Further Reading

Closer to You Than to Me, David Jeremiah
The Finger of God, Os Hillman
Lamentations 3:22-23

[Judy Harder]

June 4, 2010

When You're in Your Darkest Hour
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor

Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith...
1 Peter 5:8-9a, NIV

I had trouble sleeping last night. Perhaps you can relate.

As we get older, we have more responsibilities in our lives which can lead to more thoughts in our minds which can lead to more anxiety which can lead to restless bodies which can lead to sleepless nights. Whew.

Well, my mind was chock full of these "thoughts" last night. Thoughts about situations and potential situations. Thoughts about family members. Thoughts about friends. Thoughts about friends who could be more than friends. Thoughts about upcoming events. Thoughts about inadequacies. 

After some tossing and turning and watching the clock hit "the darkest hour," I eventually sat up and turned on the light on my bedside table. God, why am I having these anxious thoughts? Should I be praying for these people and these situations? Or did I just eat too closely to my bedtime again? How do you want me to respond? Are you speaking to me or is it the Häagen-Dazs?

After I extricated myself from a bed-sheet cocoon, I reached underneath my stack of books and pulled out my journal. Now, I'm not a disciplined journaler, so I just write down my thoughts whenever the Spirit leads me (which in my case is really code for "whenever I remember to"). But last night, I really did feel led to write out my concerns and my cries as I sought the Lord. 

Now that my supplications and confessions are recorded, I can look back on these late-night scribblings and understand more clearly my own thought processes and distortions of reality. I can see what is vying for attention with my God and causing me to rely on my own understanding and not his.   

You might be struggling with this right now, too. Your life is focused on something.  On one thing.  A job. A relationship. A tragedy. A dream. A child. An illness. A financial matter. Whatever. You are trying to make something happen. You are trying to prevent something from happening. And all of your energy is directed toward this "thing." You feel hopeless and have taken your eyes off of the Lord.

My friend, that's the perfect recipe for a darkest hour-whether during a sleepless night or a restless day. It's an opportunity for the Enemy to get in and fill your mind with doubt. He is the Father of Lies and loves to torment us and mess with our minds in any way that he can. 

But, thankfully, we know these things to be true: "... Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5); "Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man" (Psalm 112:4); "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Let us cling to Truth. Let us cry out to the Father. For he will shine his light in the darkest hour.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Whether on your bedside table, in your car's glove box or on the desk in your office, keep a pocket-sized Bible, a small devotional book or Scripture cards at the ready. This will be a visual reminder to you to keep your eyes (and your thoughts) on Truth whenever you are in your darkest hour.

Further Reading

How to Have a Steadfast Hope in a Shaky World
Overcome Insecurity

[Judy Harder]

June 7, 2010

The Little Way
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor


And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Mt 18:3

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 1 Cor 13: 11

Our family celebrated a breakthrough this weekend. My 1-year-old niece, Elise, began speaking sounds of the "English language" variety. I was the first to hear her new development while reading her the great literary classic Go, Train, Go.

At first, it came in a tiny whisper: "gooshwaygooo."

"What did you say, Sweetie ... can you say it again?"

Huge, innocent brown eyes framed in messy blonde hair looked up at me as she carefully repeated, "Goooo, Shway, goooo."

"You're talking!"

I interrupted her parents' conversation to proudly announce their daughter's newest advancement. Of course, she stared blankly at her father as if nothing new had happened and no amount of coaxing could get her to repeat it.

I guess you can't win 'em all.

Spending time with little Elise this weekend had me pondering the uniqueness found among children, even in their earliest years. Elise is what you might call an "easy child." Unlike her precocious 3-year-old brother, who delivered his first fire-and-brimstone sermon recently, she has a gentle, quiet, angelic nature that makes parenting delightful for her mom and dad (if a bit frustrating for an aunt who wants to show her off).

Of all her sweet little traits, I'd have to say Elise's most remarkable quality is her peaceful acceptance of life's limitations. If her tiny hand reaches for a sharp object, all one has to do is calmly say, "No, no" and she quietly withdraws her hand.

Watching Elise go about her world makes me ponder my own responses to life's ups and downs. Putting complete trust in her parents, she wastes little time throughout her days crying over what she can't have or what she doesn't understand. I suspect that when Jesus tells us to approach our faith like a little child and trust in our Heavenly Father's provision, He has children like her in mind.

Of course, I am rarely a content "Elise" and more often approach my faith like an angst-ridden teenager. I treat my relationship with God as if it is a complicated thing. I struggle. I cry. I resist God's wise voice. I am a restless, rebellious young woman who constantly wants what she can't have and foolishly thinks she knows more than her Father.

So why should God have us grow up at all if He desires us to be like children? In her autobiography Story of a Soul, St. Therese of Lisieux makes a clear distinction between child-like faith and child-like immaturity - both of which are present in all of us. Childish immaturity is marked by lack of knowledge and an over abundance of self-centeredness. 

If you're a parent, you no doubt have witnessed this "other side" of childhood - filled with all sorts of poor behaviors that usually surface at the most inopportune times, like the check-out line at the grocery store. St. Therese was no stranger to it either. As a sensitive young girl, she often had tearful emotional outbursts when life didn't go her way, causing her siblings and father to walk on eggshells in hopes of preventing a scene.

But, at age 14, Therese realized she could not progress in her faith if she continued acting childishly. Her anxious outbursts indicated a lack of love for others and a lack of faith in God to work all things for good. She spent the last 10 years of her life committed to becoming "little" by prioritizing others' needs above her own, performing small deeds of kindness, and trusting that her Father's love and approval was enough to bring her happiness. Therese's "little way" opened doors for God to work through her in big ways, inspiring many to grow in faith through her example.

Intersecting Faith & Life: All too often, we carry our childish ways into adulthood while letting go of our childlike innocence and trust in God. What is one aspect of your life that could benefit from childlike trust? What is one aspect that could benefit from spiritual maturity? My prayer this week is that I will grow to become God's "easy child" - one who is quick to make Him smile and a joy to spend time with.

Further Reading



Mt 7:11
Mt 11:25

Why We Run from the Father

[Judy Harder]

June 8, 2010

Both / And
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
Ephesians 4:15


Consider the following sets of words:

Compassionate, communicative, kind, fair, long-suffering, patient, accepting, gentle, merciful, understanding.
Honest, holy, set-apart, stand-taking, consistent, dedicated, mature, righteous, unyielding, just.
Which set best describes you?

Sometimes it feels like we Christians divide ourselves into these two camps. Camp A rightly believes that "God is love," and as such they do a fairly good job of not alienating those they meet and know and care for. Of course, with every strength there's a weak side, and sometimes our well-meaning Camp-A brethren can become wishy-washy and overly accepting, even false.

Camp B, on the other hand, rightly believes that "God is holy," and as such they do a fairly good job of reminding those they meet and know and care for that sin is sin, and God can not tolerate it. Of course, sometimes our well-meaning Camp-B brethren can end up sounding a lot like gongs and cymbals, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. People know we're here, but they wish we'd quiet down for a bit. Perhaps all the conflict between our own camps has torn at your heart and worn down your spirit, too.

Now consider... which set of words best describes Our Father? Think about it before answering. Honestly, isn't it both? We'll come back to that thought in a minute.

I have a close friend, a youth minister, who has served many years at his current church. Recently, he was summoned to a meeting with the personnel committee and several parents. The gist of their message was that he was teaching the students too much about discipline and truth and knowing what the Bible says and so on. The criticism apparently was that there wasn't enough about love and compassion in his messages.

Reading between the lines, it was clear that fear was at work: fear that these students weren't being prepared for college and a world that is more about tolerance and acceptance and where Christian students who literally believe the Bible are ostracized. After all, who hopes for their student to have to face unpopularity, embarrassment, and harsh criticism while they're already struggling to get ahead in the world? My friend would point out that he's not opposed to compassion and love, not in the least. But what kind of foundation do you want to build in the youth?

It's sad. Because at the end of the day... why can't we have both?

I'm not talking about vacillating. I'm not talking about compromise. I don't want to be lukewarm.

I am talking about balance; checks and balances. I do wish to be balanced. A position of balance is a position of strength. A balanced person stumbles less often. How much fun is a teeter-totter where all the weight is pushed to one side?

I am also talking about paradox. A paradox is a seeming contradiction that nonetheless contains truth. A paradox says an object or person or idea is both this and that. Jesus is the world's greatest paradox, being both fully God and fully man. With Christ as the example and the cornerstone, one learns to see that the whole Bible is full of paradox, including the fact that we can and should "Speak truth." "In love." Both/and. Just like Jesus.

He didn't excuse sins. But He did forgive them.
He was equal with God. But He didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped.
He was sinless. But He refused to cast the first stone at the accused.
He demanded His followers take up a cross and follow Him unreservedly unfettered. But He was sad for those who weren't ready to do so.
Truth. In. Love. Both. And.

Don't forget, Campers, you have the Holy Spirit, which gives you wisdom, which instructs you as to which set of characteristics is needed in a given circumstance. Pull up the tent poles. Become nomadic. You can put on the armor of God, but if your feet aren't balanced underneath you? Ask any beginner student of martial arts what the result will be.

But even if you find yourself gravitating more towards one campsite or the other, that's okay. The same chapter that talks of the need to speak the truth in love also mentions, just a couple verses earlier, that, "It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up."

We're on the same team. And the goal is a "built-up body." One that won't stand unless balanced, unless level, unless unified. What's the result? Refer back to our verse today. When we "speak truth in love," we will "grow up." Bottom line, Campers, our body needs to mature.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Simply ask yourself the next time you proclaim the word: am I being loving? Are my motives pure? Likewise, the next time you get those good feelings about how fair and open-minded and communicative you're being with unbelievers and sinners, ask, "Lord, what truth do they need to know?" Love enough to tell the truth. Be truthful enough to not misrepresent how your Lord met people where they were. It can be scary to think about doing, but remember that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and discipline." 

Further Reading

1 Corinthians 13
Discovering the Value of Your Personality
Education and Relation - or - Truth and Love