Saturday Morning Post #12: CHRISTMAS 2010

THE WISE TEACHER SAID, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die…” *

He didn’t die until January, but the time to die began the previous October when the doctor stood before us sharing the results of my husband’s brain scan; his words seemed distant and muffled as he announced it was a massive brain tumor. In Michael’s absence I pressed on bravely, supported by the love and comfort of God; and yet, something in my own soul had died and with the approach of each Autumn Season death raised its ugly head causing my heart to ache once more. Until…

…THE DAY I sat on the back porch sipping coffee and watching the curious way those big white birds trail along side of the black steers grazing down by the pond on the back side of my property. The shuffling of hooves through the grass serves to dislodge insects to the delight of the opportunistic birds. It was well into October and the air felt different that morning, dryer and cooler – almost fresh. Ah yes, it was that season again; the one I’d always looked forward to because it brought relief from the heat and humidity of our Southwest Florida summer and triggered the time of year when Michael and I would jump on our Honda and go “winging” to parts North or West for the shear delight of seeing colored leaves drifting to the ground. But for the past four years it had been the season which cruelly reminded me of death.

THIS OCTOBER MORNING, however, the Lord was visiting with me on the back porch as I sipped my coffee – we often chatted there. The sun was shining brightly from the clear blue expanse above and it seemed somehow the gentle breeze was ushering in “glad tidings of great joy.” In the deepest recesses of my soul I heard the Spirit of God reciting, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…”** This Autumn Season was going to be different. The time had come to laugh and to dance - to live again. As I sat and sipped, the Lord spoke and I felt emotions stirring in my soul, emotions I believed were dead; but perhaps they were only lying dormant, waiting for the right season to resurrect. This surge of emotion may have been prompted by news earlier in the week that my niece was expecting her first child – a son! The promise of a new life brought to mind the truth that death is not the only season. It is but one season of the cycle of life.

THE SPIRIT OF GOD had shed light on this passage from the Book of Ecclesiastes, bringing with it a renewed sense of hope and life to my soul. Every willing encounter with God’s Spirit and Word results in positive transformation. Inspired by the light of his word to me and infused with his very own life, my knowledge of his love has been enlarged. Knowing God’s love extends beyond mere intellectual perception to experiencing his love. It has become the force which now drives me to love others and makes possible the willingness to accept love in return. Indeed, the season for living has come!

THE DAYS OF AUTUMN are pressing hard toward the first day of winter and Christians the world over are celebrating Advent. In his fascinating devotional guide, Living the Christian Year, Bobby Gross provides us with an overview of the Liturgical Calendar and shares how celebrating Christian holy days throughout the year helps us rehearse the “Christ Story.” He sets forth three annual cycles for celebration.

THE “CYCLE OF LIGHT” celebrates: Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. This first cycle tells the story of a world in darkness waiting for the first and second comings of Christ to bring light into the world. The second cycle, the “Cycle of Life” covers: Lent, The Paschal Triduum (Passover) and Easter, focusing on the resurrection and what it means to be “made new” in Christ – to receive eternal life. And lastly, Bobby Gross has coined the phrase “Cycle of Love” to describe the lengthy period from Pentecost to the next Advent. He explains this cycle by saying, “Pentecost sets the overall theme: the presence of Christ in the world through the Spirit, transforming the individual Christian and empowering the church for mission.” In following the Liturgical Calendar we keep before us the Christ who brings light, life and love into the world.

THE MANIFESTATION of light and life and love in this "season of my life" has shown me what it means to personally participate in the “Christ Story” and by the experience of it Christmas 2010 has become a far richer celebration!

*Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

**Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 4

Saturday Morning Post #11: A WORSHIPING LIFE

WORSHIP SHOULD BE the hallmark of every redeemed life. Romans 12:1 reads, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” The same passage in the King James translation calls for our sacrifices to be “holy and acceptable unto God.”

THROUGHOUT HISTORY God has delivered explicit instructions to his people concerning the offering of sacrifices which constitute acceptable worship. We need go no further than the fourth chapter of Genesis to see that not just any sacrifice will do. The sons of Adam and Eve both offered sacrifices to God, but we are told that, “The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.”* The nation of Israel worshiped God by offering animal sacrifices as prescribed by the Law of Moses, but through the prophet, Jeremiah, God expresses his displeasure with some saying, “Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please me.”**

UNACCEPTABLE: WHY? The attitude of one’s heart and the manner of one’s life are far more important than the ritual of sacrifice. Today worshipers are called upon to offer themselves as living sacrifices to God. Typically we think of worship as offering thanks to God for what he’s done for us. But that is just one aspect of worship. We must remember that God is worthy of all our praise and adoration simply for who he is, even if we could not call to mind a single benefit for which to thank him. Thanksgiving and praise are vital components in the worshiping life, but to offer our bodies as living sacrifices is to worship with every part of our being.

CHILDREN OF LIGHT are whole-life worshiping people. By that I mean, they recognize God’s worth – his supreme value – and they respond by honoring and adoring him with their whole life. They have an overwhelming longing to give themselves to God. They yearn to honor him and express their love for him with their attitudes, in their relationships and by the sharing of their possessions, until worship touches and colors every aspect of their way of life!

INWARDLY, they seek to please God by hiding his Word in their hearts. They allow his Spirit to apply the Word to their lives as needed to produce spiritual fruit consistent with “goodness, righteousness and truth.” Outwardly, their worship of God shows in the way they treat others. Expressing the love of God for others in tangible ways they demonstrate his compassion and honor him. Finally, their offering of thanksgiving and praise to God for who he is and what he has done is their upward dimension of worship.

“THROUGH JESUS, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”***

*Genesis 4:4-5

**Jeremiah 6:20

*** Hebrews 13:15

Saturday Morning Post #10: BRINGING WORSHIPERS TO GOD

KNOWING ALL THINGS beforehand, Jesus, light of the world, began to prepare his disciples for his impending departure. He told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer… Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become children of light.”* Our Posts have been examining the children of light, asking the question, “What do they look like?” Thus far we’ve seen that their lives bear the fruit of goodness, righteousness and truth; they live in love, expressing their love for one another in tangible ways; and today we find at the core of such a life is a worshiping heart.

                                                    ******

“I DIDN’T GET a thing out of that service.” Ever heard that being whispered as you exit the church on Sunday morning? Ever whispered it yourself? I’m sure in over forty years of attending church services I must have muttered those words more than once! What we are really saying is that we don’t have a clue what worship is about or the concept of entitlement wouldn’t have entered our mind. Genuine Christian worship does not concern getting, it concerns giving!

AT THE RISK of sounding like a modern day heretic, I would suggest that God has not redeemed us primarily so that we might escape the torments of hell in exchange for the glories of heaven. Salvation was not so much for our benefit as it was a demonstration of God’s own glorious grace. From cover to cover the Bible makes clear the object of our redemption was not that we should get anything, but that we should give glory to God.

SOME SAY we’ve been “saved to serve”, implying that because Christ has provided for our salvation, we should offer our time, talent and resources in service to others. While it is true that one aspect of Christ’s death on the cross was to purify for himself a people zealous for good works, it was not the central theme and should not be presented as the ultimate purpose. Christ’s mission was predominantly to bring worshipers to God! Simply stated, “Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.”**

FOR WHAT PURPOSE did he bring us to God? The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks the question, “What is the chief end of man?” The Catechism’s response is, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” They didn’t just pull that answer out of the air. The crafters of the Catechism were theologians and as such meticulously searched the Scriptures to formulate their response.

WORSHIP IS ascribing glory to God. For the children of light, every aspect of life provides an opportunity to showcase the glory of God! Next we shall consider the concept of “whole-life worship.”

*John 12:35-36

**1 Peter 3:18

Saturday Morning Post #9: LOVE

 THE QUESTION we’ve been pondering concerns the children of light. Seeking to catch a glimpse of what they “look like,” we considered the fruit produced by a soul living in the light of God’s presence – goodness, righteousness and truth. Widening the angle of our lens we see today that love is another inescapable feature of the landscape in God’s presence. “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”* So, “How does that look?”

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”**

LET ME TELL YOU a little secret – getting the picture didn’t come easily for me. If you’ve read my pages “About Bunky” and “From Grief to Glory” you know Michael, my husband, died as the result of a massive brain tumor a few years ago. The impact of that loss caused me to refocus.

 BEFORE I LOST Michael my whole world revolved around the life we shared together – around the love we had for one another. Aside from faith in God, my marriage was my greatest priority and pleasure. I didn’t have a very happy home life as a child. The missing component was “unconditional love;” the kind of love lavished upon me by my husband. It seemed as though everything I needed in life was found in that relationship. The downside of such marital ecstasy was a subtle short-sightedness and self-centeredness when it came to other relationships.

WHEN MICHAEL DIED I was forced to come up for air, so to speak, and realize there was a whole world of other people out there. Unlike me, most were not enjoying the good life. Many had broken hearts because they had already lost loved ones. Some were suffering from broken relationships, others suffered with broken bodies – permanently disabled in accidents or weakened by disease; while some had lost their incomes, homes, or dignity. With my eyes focused on my own happiness, I failed to notice others who hurt. Now I see them everywhere and, because I’ve actually felt the pain of grief in my own heart, I care for them. I know what it feels like to have your “good life” taken away. God has given me a compassion for people I never felt when I was busy focusing on my own happiness.

CHRIST GAVE THIS COMMAND, "Love one another...  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."***  In other words it is our love, expressed in acts of compassion, which will show the world how the children of light look!

*1 John 4:16

**1 John 3:16-18
***John 13:34-35

Saturday Morning Post #8: FRUIT & LIGHT

ECHO, the Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization, is an international Christian ministry offering sustainable farming solutions to missionaries and community development workers helping poor farmers globally. Their home base and demonstration farm is just about fifteen minutes from my home on Little Farm Road and before retiring I served as the “Tours & Talks Coordinator” for the organization.

THE FARM is divided into five sections, each showcasing sustainable farming techniques under unique conditions: hot humid lowlands; tropical highlands; monsoon; semiarid; tropical rainforest; and rooftop gardening for city dwellers. Giving farm tours was a fun kind of job which included introducing visitors to exotic edible plants, trees and small animals useful to families on small farms living in the tropics. It was a sort of “show and tell.” Visitors were often surprised to learn that soil is not necessary to grow crops. Truth is all you really need is “light, air, water and nutrients.” I was reminded of that bit of trivia as I read the verses for this morning’s Post challenging us to “live as children of light.”

“LIVE AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”*

A BIT OF A STRETCH perhaps, but here is where I was reminded of my ECHO tour days. Light serves as a “productive” force. Consider the effect of light on plant growth and the bearing of fruit in the tropics. Those expanded hours of intense sunlight make for a bountiful harvest. In the spiritual realm, those who live in God’s light should produce the fruit of moral and ethical character in abundance. Notice the contrast between those inhabiting the darkness and the light. The verse says the deeds of those living in darkness are fruitless. Wouldn’t that be true in the realm of nature as well? Tropical plants simply will not produce the desired fruit without proper light!

“CHILDREN OF LIGHT,” What do they look like?” That’s a question we’ll ponder for the next few weeks; but, today’s verse says they bear the fruit of goodness, righteousness and truth. So how do they look? “Goodness” appears as something conforming to the moral order of the universe. It’s useful, beneficial and praiseworthy in character. “Righteousness” acts in accord with divine or moral law and is free from guilt or sin. “Truth” is the state of being in agreement with fact or reality, manifesting itself in sincerity of action, character and utterance.

IN OTHER WORDS: A person who obeys the Word of God (righteousness) and speaks the truth in love (truthfulness) is praiseworthy in character (goodness). There we have our first snapshot of the children of light!

*Ephesians 5:8-11

Saturday Morning Post #7: CHANGE OF KINGDOMS

SPEAKING OF LIGHT, Isaiah prophesied, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”* He spoke those words during one of the darkest periods in Israel’s history, predicting the coming of Messiah. More than seven hundred years later Jesus Christ announced, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”**

TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY life, it would follow, should offer us a much enlighten age, but it ain’t necessarily so! Only last month I received a Newsletter from missionaries serving in Latin America which included the following report:

“There is a growing and popular interest, especially in Mexico, in the cult to the image of death. In some places they have even built sanctuaries to worship death. As the movement grows, its adherents rationalize their cult saying that, since death is something you cannot avoid, it is only reasonable and safe to worship it and have it on your side. While it is true that the worshiping of ‘Holy Death’ is popular primarily among people outside the law, its practice is growing among professional and business people.”

DARKNESS depicts all that is wicked, evil, and false; while light represents all that is good, holy and true. Those of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke were sinners to be sure, but it’s more than a case of bad behavior. Darkness is where they lived – it was their dwelling place. Scripture calls it the “dominion of darkness”; not referring to a territory but rather to the authority, rule or sovereign power of a king. “The people walking in darkness…”, then and now, are held captive by Satan, the King of Darkness.

ETERNAL GRATITUDE and perpetual praises with joyful thanksgiving should flow from the hearts and lips of the redeemed “to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins!”***

AMEN & AMEN, for once we all dwelt in the Kingdom of Darkness, but now by faith and the grace of God we have been transported into the Kingdom of Light!

*Isaiah 9:2

**John 8:12
***Colossians 1:12-14



Saturday Morning Post #6: ETERNAL LIFE

OUR DAYS ON EARTH seem to be governed by the “clock” and the “calendar.” Let’s be honest – doesn’t it feel as though we’re constantly in a race against time?  Eternal life, who wouldn’t want that? Well, I suppose some of us are not enjoying the kind of experience we’d hope to be having long term.  But eternal life as promised in Scripture will not only be infinite in duration, it will be infinitely pleasurable as well.

CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD who is eternal, our souls cry out for permanence. The great human tragedy is that man’s choice to sin resulted in our mortality. Not only did sin bring about physical death, breaking our relationship with God, we died spiritually as well.

CHRIST INTERCEDED on our behalf with infinite pity, mercy and grace.  Offering his life in exchange for ours on the cross, he paid the penalty for sin and secured our redemption.   By this glorious sacrificial act he has made it possible for us to be born again.

THE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE has been freely given to all who believe. Life never-ending is ours as we draw the first believing breath. Nevertheless, it is impossible to experience all the blessings of eternal life as long as we remain on earth. Entering heaven will inaugurate a fuller experience of our eternal life. This was the reason the Apostle Paul could assert that “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain!”* He knew the best was yet to come.

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE what that might look like. I know the constraints of time, as well as the presence of sin with its dreadful consequences, will be removed. I know that “…we shall be like (Jesus), for we shall see him as he is.”** I know we will at last catch sight of his glory and with one glimpse all thought of self will be forever eclipsed by such a manifestation!

ONCE UPON A TIME I could almost see it from earth. Standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon one crisp December morning, the clear blue sky overhead hosting a giant fireball which brought warmth to my soul as its rays kissed my body from head to toe; I found myself losing all sense of self-consciousness while being completely enthralled by the handiwork of the Maker of Heaven and Earth – the I AM! Such a moment of self-forgetfulness and God-consciousness is the impetus for a season of true worship! Such will be the bliss of heaven!

*Philippians 1:21

**1 John 3:2

Saturday Morning Post #5: SO YOU WANNA BE A ROCK STAR

SEE YOUR NAME in lights; get your fifteen minutes of fame? Famous, what does it look like?

MY TRUSTY MERRIAM-WEBSTER’S states to be “famous” implies little more than the fact of being, sometimes briefly, widely and popularly known. The "sometimes briefly" is probably more often than not -- in other words, Rock Stars come and go. One of fame's synonyms carries a bit more weight. “Renowned” is defined as a state of being widely acclaimed and highly honored – having glory. And, just look at a few of the words that pop up when checking out the word glory in your Thesaurus: magnificence, splendor, beauty, wonder, grandeur, brilliance, praise, laurels, triumph, success – and on it goes.

THAT’S THE KIND OF FAME I’d like to enjoy, not for fifteen minutes, but for eternity. But, how does the ordinary soul experience lasting glory? The Apostle Paul sheds light on the subject as he unveils another of God’s mysteries in his letter to the Colossians. He reveals the divine truth that Christ in you (is) the hope of glory.* Indeed, he is your only hope of lasting fame.

GLORY, LIKE LIGHT, is one of those multifaceted concepts. Woven throughout Scripture like a golden thread it shines differently as you unfold the tapestry. Preeminently it appears in the form of “the weighty importance and shining majesty which accompany God's presence.” The verb means “to give honor.” The honor which people give to one another recognizes the position of the honored person in the human community. Scripture makes reference, for example, to the “glory” of King Solomon because of the abundance of his wisdom and wealth.

JESUS CHRIST encompasses the whole gamut of “glories.” Our finite minds can conceive of but a few.

THE CROSS WORK of Christ displays the magnificence of his glory. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus… who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”** In this single act, Christ accomplished our eternal redemption through his humiliation; and, his own glorification as evidenced by his resurrection and exaltation. 

WHAT AMAZING GRACE that Christ shares his glory with those who believe in him. Shortly before his arrest we find him praying for us. Listen, “Father… I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me.”*** 

“CHRIST IN YOU THE HOPE OF GLORY” –your only hope of lasting fame!  Any humiliation we may suffer in our present circumstances is far outweighed by the prospect of future glory, the subject of next week's Post.

*Colossians 1:27

**Hebrews 12:2

***John 17: 22

Saturday Morning Post #4: WHO WAS THAT MASKED MAN?

OF COURSE, Jesus wasn’t really wearing a mask to the Feast of Tabernacles, the subject of our #3 Post.  Nevertheless, I’m sure he left a few heads spinning after standing in the temple court and proclaiming, “I am the light of the world…”, as the festival drew to a close. Can’t you just hear the buzz as the Israelites packed up and headed for their homes in the Palestinian countryside? “Who was that guy?”

HE WAS, in fact, “the image of the invisible God!”* The Apostle Paul uncovered that truth and a great deal more a number of years later in his letter to the Colossians. He must have been enjoying one of those mountain top experiences the day he penned those words. Colossians stands as a sort of Pike’s Peak among the range of mountainous truths embodied in Paul's Epistles.

IN COLOSSIANS Paul reveals some of the “mysteries of God” – the purposes of God, unknown to man except by revelation. Christian mystery is not secret knowledge for a few, but rather a revelation of divine truth – once hidden but now openly proclaimed.  One such mystery unveiled in this letter is that “Christ (is the one) in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”**

COLOSSIANS ALSO discloses the astounding reality that the strange man at the Feast of Tabernacles claiming to be the light of the world is himself, Creator of that world. “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together!”***

JESUS CHRIST—

IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD!

IN WHOM ARE ALL WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE!

CREATOR OF ALL THINGS!

CAN YOU IMAGINE having stood in his presence that morning, the festival lights being extinguished while folks prepared to depart Jerusalem, never knowing the true identity of the man who had spoken those awesome words?  "I am the light of the world..." Verily, verily everything’s clearer in hindsight.

*Colossians 1:15

**Colossians 2:3

***Colossians 1:16-17

Saturday Morning Post #3: LIGHT OF THE WORLD

IMAGINE THE BUZZ permeating the air, which hung heavy over the bustling town of Jerusalem, as Israelites from every corner of the Palestinian countryside gathered for the "Fall Festival." Listen: “Where is that man?” Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews.* 

THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES or as it is sometimes referred to, Feast of Booths, serves as one of Israel’s seven annual sacred seasons. In addition to furnishing the framework of worship for the people of Israel, these celebrations contain a symbolic or typical significance for the church today and find their fulfillment in the person of Christ.

IN CHRIST’S DAY pilgrims erected their booths, resembling modern day pup tents, on the flat roofs of Jerusalem homes or scattered throughout the fields. The booths served as a reminder of their forefathers’ days of wandering in the wilderness. Approaching Jerusalem the Israelites would find the town blanketed with the warm glow of burning candles and torches. A pair of imposing candlesticks was kept ablaze in the temple courtyard. Every detail of the festival had been prescribed by God and all were pregnant with meaning.

THE LIGHTS SHIMMERING in the dusky evening shadows represented the pillar of fire which guided the Israelites of long ago as they made their exodus from slavery in Egypt. A passage from the Book of Exodus makes clear the imperative of this pillar. “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.”** The pillar of fire furnished the people with a visible symbol of God’s presence among them and his divine guidance.

AS MORNING DAWNED and the week of celebration became history, those who gathered for the fall festival disassembled their booths and packed up for the long journey home. It was only then that the light of candles and torches, which had been kept burning throughout the festival, was snuffed out. A new day was upon them and one by one the lights flickered and died. And, with the dimming of the fires -

JESUS STOOD in the temple court and proclaimed, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life!”***

CHRIST WAS THE FULFILLMENT of the light symbolically portrayed in the pillar of fire. He, himself, is God present among his people. He not only provides our salvation; he is for us the very light of life. He lightens the path for us so that we know how to live – he guides us on our way so that we can travel wisely by day or night!

*John 7:11-13

**Exodus 13:21

***John 8:12

Saturday Morning Post #2: SEEING THE UNSEEN

LAST WEEK in sharing about my experience with the Adjustment to Blindness support group, I made the point that, although for them the light has failed to make vision possible for their physical eyes; they may enjoy an advantage over those of us who are sighted when it comes to light reflected in the form of spiritual illumination. The reason being, the eyes of their spirits need not be distracted by all the “stuff” the rest of us look at daily.

PEOPLE, SIGHTED OR BLIND, gifted with the ability to behold things unseen possess a vision which is truly unsurpassed. Physical sight affords us a view of things which are merely temporary while spiritual sight unlocks our horizons to that which is eternal – to things unseen!

 THE QUESTION is, “How does one see what is unseen?” Simply, with the eyes of faith. The Living Bible puts it so plainly. “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.”* Every person exercises faith. A down-to-earth example is the flip of that tiny switch on the wall which is expected to light up the room.

THE REAL QUESTION then becomes, “What (or who) is the object of your faith?” Faith must have an object and when it comes to seeing that which is unseen, spiritual and eternal, the object of genuine faith is God. The 11th chapter of Hebrews vividly recounts story after story of men and women in ancient times who were commended for their faith in God. Names, common to all, come to life on the page – Able, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. The list goes on and on.

AND THEN, it says this about Moses (you remember Old Mo, the guy who went up against Pharaoh in an effort to rescue the Hebrews from slavery to the king of Egypt – he finally led them through the Red Sea on dry ground), well it says, “By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible!”**

DID YOU GET THAT? “…he saw him who is invisible!” I love the way the Living Bible puts it, “Moses kept right on going; it seemed as though he could see God right there with him!” Can’t you just picture him hustling across the Red Sea, never a backward glance, his eyes focused straight ahead on God, the invisible one? Moses’ faith opened up the realm of things unseen for him. Because he had faith he was given light in the form of spiritual illumination.

WHAT ABOUT US? The Book of Hebrews gives a clue.  It says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…”*** Focusing on him we receive light to see that which is unseen.

*Hebrews 11:1
**Hebrews 11:27
***Hebrews 12:2

Saturday Morning Post #1: SEEING

IT’S MY PLEASURE TO SERVE on the Board of Directors at the center for Visually Impaired Persons of Southwest Florida. The VIP is a non-profit rehabilitation center committed to ensuring blind and visually impaired persons have the tools, support and opportunities necessary to successfully achieve their desired level of independence. My position there has afforded me the privilege of speaking with the Adjustment to Blindness support group about my belief that life’s losses can ultimately turn out to be gains.

THE LOSS of their physical sight is traumatic. It is quite natural and normal that they experience the “grief of loss” much like I did when my husband, Michael, died. Life as they knew it is irreversibly changed – they can’t go back in time. They can’t somehow recapture the life they had before the loss of their vision. I seek to identify with them on the elements of grief which are common to all who have suffered the loss of a way of life they were enjoying. We share the need for acceptance of our new circumstances and the challenge of responding in positive ways. Through coping with my own loss I’ve discovered that, despite the inescapable psychological and emotional pain, loss can be a valuable life experience and may actually serve to enrich our lives.

NEVERTHELESS, I can’t help feeling that my ability to identify falls pitifully short when considering that these individuals are expected to press on in a world of darkness while I enjoy the advantage of making all my adjustments in the light.

 BUT THEN, there’s more to living in the light than being blessed with 20/20 vision. On the Welcome Page you’ll find various definitions of “light” as well as “darkness” and the contrast between the two. The first and most basic description is that light is something which makes vision possible. This aspect of light is, of course, what our clients at the center are lacking; but we who are sighted in the physical sense have no advantage over them when it comes to any of the other facets of light. 

 TAKE FOR INSTANCE the reference to light as being something that enlightens or informs. My friends at the center are every bit as enlightened and often better informed than I.

WHEN IT COMES TO SPIRITUAL ILLUMINATION the only thing which blinds is an unwillingness to see. In fact, I would venture to say the visually impaired just might have the advantage here; for the sighted are inclined to have their vision of “things unseen” blurred by the numerous distractions of the “things our eyes witness.” Whether sighted or blind, those whose eyes behold things unseen possess a vision which is truly unsurpassed. Scripture puts it this way, “For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal!”*

HOW CLEARLY do the eyes of your heart see?

ON LITTLE FARM ROAD our hearts see that:  "God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."**

*2 Corinthians 4:18
**2 Corinthians 4:6

Opening Post: WORKS OF ART

EVERY LIFE TELLS A STORY; no two are exactly alike. “For we are God’s workmanship...”*

AS GOD'S WORKMANSHIP our lives serve as “works of art.” Each redeemed life, displayed in Earth’s Museum of Art, is designed to showcase the manifold beauty of God’s love in order to draw the onlookers to the real masterpiece, his Son, Jesus Christ, who is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.**

GOD DELIGHTS in diversity as witnessed by his creation. It has been said that unity in diversity is more beautiful and more powerful than the unity of uniformity. For example compare the choir singing in unison with the majestic sound of voices performing in harmony. The deep base tones supporting the richness of the tenors blended with the beauty of the altos and crowned with the silver-tongued sopranos. No comparison!

YOUR LIFE, like my own, is unique in God’s eyes. The joys and sorrows etched on the canvas of our personal lives are all shaded differently.

MY STORY is one of love lost. If you’ve read my page, “About Bunky” you know that my husband, Michael, went home to be with the Lord a few years ago. The fabric of our souls had become so intertwined over thirty-eight years of marriage that the separation of them by that dread of all dreads – death – left me reeling. Why hadn’t our days been numbered the same? Who would I be without him? Did I even have a life without Michael? It was so painful losing his love; and yet, in that place of grief, I experienced the all-surpassing love of the Lord as he expressed his merciful comfort to my suffering soul. There he showed me that I’ve remained behind because my work on earth is not complete.

THE LORD’S LOVE continues flowing into my broken heart, filling it to the full. In turn, it's his love which overflows from my heart to others who stand in need of a touch from the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.*** This is how I’ve come to see my own redeemed life as having been designed to showcase the manifold beauty of God’s love – it is his “work of art” in me.  Sorrow is the tool he’s employed to form the image of Christ in me.

I ENCOURAGE YOU to dare and look beneath the surface of your own life to discover there the beautiful “work of art” being formed in you by the Lord’s own hand. What do you see in his “tool belt” for you?

 * Ephesians 2:10
** Hebrews 1:3
*** 2 Corinthians 1:3