The One Great Love

Years ago, the Holy Spirit captivated my heart with the thought that the Lord is my relentless Lover, intent on a deeply personal and profound relationship with me rather than merely adherence to a set of rules, a message so easily internalized when growing up in the Christian fundamentalist community (Matt.11:28-30). I knew God had more for me in relationship with Him than I had experienced up to that point, but I was still blocked by much from the past. 

The visual of Christ riding out of heaven on a white horse with me and all saints following Him on mounts was one I held fast to my heart (Rev.19:11-16). It smacked of fairy tales come true. My Prince. The Prince, Faithful and True, the Word of God, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Such a majestic, powerful, penetrating, and yes, sobering scene. Of settling the score for all time. Of love. Of adventure. 

The stuff of stories, all of which emanate from the One Grand Love Story.

From God Himself.

Sometime during that period, I read a novel by Robin Jones Gunn which profiled a verse her grandfather had shared with her as a teen—Zephaniah 3:17: “The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with singing” (NIV). Certainly, a prophetic glimpse in reference to Israel but also a heart reality for the believer in Christ who is resting in the arms of Love. A Love which quiets, comforts, reassures, motivates, exults. A Scripture that placed me deeper into mutual affection with the living God.

 

Still, that intentional awareness came in spurts. But God in His faithful wooing continued working to deepen my appreciation for His love. Out of dark places, the Holy Spirit led me on a scriptural quest to restructure my concept of the Father’s love. This “seeking His face” (Ps.27:8) resulted in further healing.

 

Yet, I was so busy writing and speaking to other women that God’s personal message to me got “packaged” for others but lost under layers of service for Him rather than enjoyed with Him on a regular basis.

Quiet places of contemplation before Him, yes, but perhaps too quickly turned into the next devotional, article, speech, or book. For someone else. 

 

Nevertheless, in all fairness to God’s faithfulness, even the process of writing laid groundwork for God’s deeper work still to come in my heart. Praise Him—He uses all things! Even when we’re not looking. In fact, sometimes it’s only in the looking back that we can see how.

 

This grace gift of Love from the Father of lights deepened further when the Holy Spirit led me to study Song of Solomon with focus not on earthly marriage but on my marriage to Christ, of all things. This rich poetic immersion into marital intimacy was not the place (the book) where I expected to discover so much of Jesus’ profound and intimate love for me as my Bridegroom. But I did. Since then I have returned to that beautiful book often, especially when I sense I’m drifting from His arms, at least in my awareness; for in reality, He is always holding me, even when I am unaware of it.

 

So, you can imagine my joy when another book came on my radar recently which reinforces my love journey with Christ.

 

FREE: Rescued from Shame-based Religion, Released into the Life-giving Love of Jesus by J. Kevin Butcher reaffirms so much of what I’ve been thinking for some time. That the God who is a real Person deeply loves and delights in me and wants to be with me in a mutually satisfying love relationship, not out of duty, shame, and fear, but out of freeing love. This “abiding in His love” (John, chapter 15) forgives, heals, protects, empowers, motivates toward holy living, and frees us to dwell in His life-giving embrace all the way Home and invite others to come along with us. 

While Butcher acknowledges that spiritual disciplines such as Bible reading/study and prayer, to name two, are crucial to Christian growth, he insists that these are meant to flow out of love for Jesus, not obligation nor mere formulaic plan. The Scripture is fleshed out in relationship with Jesus and in the healing community of His Body.

 

A Dallas Theological Seminary grad, former pastor, and now founder and director of Rooted Ministries, Butcher encourages pastors and their families, having emerged from a past of “just do it” Christianity himself.

 

While I disagree with a couple minor doctrinal issues in FREE, I don’t find that these detract from the rich meaty premise of the book. I recommend FREE to any Christ-follower who longs to live in the freedom God’s love provides and model that freedom to others. View on Amazon.

 

 

Stories That Ask for More

 

 Have you ever asked yourself why you read?

            Maybe you love a good mystery simply for the delicious spine-tingling suspense, or a horror story for the sheer terror the villain evokes. Perhaps you enjoy a love story that makes you feel all warm inside. You might be a reader whose strong intellect craves material that makes you think or reason through a situation.

            I dare say, most of us read first and foremost for enjoyment or to glean information. Only students read because they have to in order to pass the test or write the paper.

            Yes, reading is one of the supreme pleasures of life. You avid readers understand this.

            On the other side of the coin, as a writer of both fiction and nonfiction, I often ponder where my responsibility begins and ends with readers. Yes, I want to produce a story that keeps the reader turning pages. Yet, as a Christian writer who serves the King of Kings, is that where my job ends?

            I don’t think so. Personally, I feel compelled through my writings to build awareness and move to action. In the course of the reading, I want the reader to identify with a scripture, an insight, a character, or a situation in a way that invites change, either small or great. I also want to write words that heal hurting hearts.

            I read. A lot. In order to write effectively, one must read voraciously.

            In my book travels, I’ve read some works, even Christian books, that amount to little more than entertainment. I’m left with nothing to grapple with that stimulates personal growth. These are often books that do well, even hit the bestseller’s list. I wager a guess it’s because they require so little of the reader.

            May I challenge you—both readers and writers alike?

            Get on your face before God and ask Him to guide you in your choice of reading material. Refuse to settle for fluff, for books that merely entertain without moving you toward a decision or out of your comfort zone and toward action. Two such novels in my recent reading history are Scared and Priceless by Tom Davis, founder of Children’s HopeChest. Not only are these works great fiction, but they detail the plight of African orphans and trafficked victims. Highly recommended, by the way!

            God loves books. If He didn’t, He wouldn’t have authored the Bible. Since His desire is to transform us into the image of Christ, He wants us to choose reading material (and write words) that requires something of us, that asks for more than a fluttery heart or a good time or even gained knowledge. He delights in words that bring life and healing.

            So should we.

 

 

 

Mary Had a Little Lamb

 

Photo by Kat Jayne from Pexels

I remember her in black, though offhand, this memory may do her an injustice. Though dark her clothing, her countenance shone kindness, gentleness. Life.

This was Miss Mary. Long time supporter and encourager of the children’s ministry God led my Daddy into as a young man.

         

At her call to come in, Daddy and I stepped over the threshold into her kitchen. Her back turned, Miss Mary bustled about, readying refreshments. A tea kettle spewed steam. A random assortment of dishes lined the counter. Over the sink, vines trailed a sunny window. Cats, so many cats, curled in and out of her stocking clad legs. Somehow, she managed not to step on them with the thick heels of her black shoes. The laced ones worn by older women in the 1960s. A bun loosely twisted at the back of her head appeared as a cotton puff. Wisps of white stuck out here and there. 

When she pivoted with tray in hand, she smiled, and with a nudge of her head, directed us to follow her into the living room, cats and kittens on her heels. What a strange mix of scent—the spice of pumpkin pie with the strong odor of cat. Made me wince. Yet, her storybook house and demeanor held such fascination, I was caught in their spell.

We moved into the adjacent room, shadowed by drawn blinds with only a flicker of sunlight creeping through an open slat. She set the wooden tray on the antique coffee table. Formality otherwise cast aside, for we were frequent visitors, Daddy and I settled on the sofa, a burgundy velvet with wooden trim, richly oiled, but whose seat was anything but comfortable. I inwardly yelped when I shifted, and a spring dug into my bottom. Still, I reveled in the intrigue of the room as I nibbled on my pie, Daddy and Miss Mary chatting to the backdrop of a ticking clock. I loved making ministry calls with my Daddy, especially when he did all the talking and I could simply enjoy the ambience each visit presented.

However, on occasion, Miss Mary would pause, focus on me with twinkling eyes, and ask a question. Like grownups do who are trying to draw out a shy child. Which I certainly was around adults. I’d burrow into Daddy, and he would pat my knee. Words froze on my tongue. Still, Miss Mary, like most adults, would smile and laugh, and pass off my reticence with some reassuring excuse.

Yes! Back to my pie in peace.

Then, as if seeking to win me over, Miss Mary sprang something on me, something I’m guessing she knew I couldn’t resist.

“I have a little lamb,” she said, smoothing a hand over her lap, signaling several cats to hop aboard.

My eyebrows shot up, and I scooted to the edge of the sofa.

“That’s right.” She glimmered at me with cocked head. “And I sure need help feeding him. Sadly, his mother died. He’s so little, he still needs to take a bottle. Would you like to give him his bottle?”

Would I! I’d never fed a lamb before. Would I do it right? Would he eat for me? But here was Miss Mary inviting me to feed her little lamb, so she must trust me, at least enough.

I looked up at Daddy. He nodded his head, a signal to go for it.

Beaming, I followed Miss Mary out to the barn where she gathered up the little lamb into her arms. “Sit down on the ground.” She motioned to a soft grassy spot. I obeyed, and she lowered the lamb into my outstretched arms. A milk bottle followed. The lamb instinctively lunged for the nibble and started sucking. The power in that suckling infant overwhelmed me at first, but I held fast to the tiny creature. I felt at peace. For those few moments, the world stilled, and the only creatures who existed were that little lamb and me. Years later, I experienced a similar phenomenon with my own suckling infant girls, so vulnerable, so dependent on me for nourishment. I don’t remember ever feeding Miss Mary’s little lamb after that day, but the memory remains of a kind lady who loved her animals, my Daddy, me, and a host of other children in Johnson County. One orphaned child she took in and raised as her own, though she was a single woman.

Undergirding her life was her love for Jesus, presented more in action than in words. Her kindness and gentleness for all creatures showed me the Good Shepherd who also became the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world, my sin, and welcomed this little lamb into His everlasting arms.  

                   

Your Favorite Prayer Posture

 

         Prayer postures. Been thinking more about that lately.

When I reflect on my childhood, I can visualize Mama faithfully kneeling by her bed after breakfast, door ajar. I now wonder if she left the door open in hopes that I would see and model her prayer life.

Daddy, on the other hand, prayed in solitude, either in his home office or I suspect on the long morning walks he routinely took around our mountain. I chuckle now, but I sometimes wonder if he was talking to the Lord in the bathroom at times. For Daddy, prayer truly was a continual conversation with Jesus.

Bible characters prayed in a variety of ways, too. I think of Abraham who enjoyed such a rich friendship with God that he walked and talked with the pre-incarnate Christ (Genesis, chapter 18). Consider Daniel who in Jewish fashion, prayed three times a day while kneeling before an open window which faced his beloved Jerusalem (Daniel 6:10). And David, shepherd boy turned king, who wrote and gifted us beautiful, meaningful poetic prayers and praises, many of which I suspect he penned with back braced against an olive tree while gazing at God’s creation (see the Psalms). Later, Jesus models a lifestyle of prayer with frequent trips to the mountains for alone time with His Father (i.e. Luke 6:12). At Lazarus’ tomb, He lifts His eyes toward heaven and talks with His Father in the hearing of the mourners (John 11:41-42). Paul writes that he bows his knees to the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:14). To Timothy, he exhorts all men to pray, lifting holy hands (1 Timothy 2:8).

Prayer posture is not the emphasis of Scripture, however. Heart posture is. Clean hands and a pure heart are prerequisites to engaging God in the holy of holies, which was made possible through Christ’s atoning work on the cross (Psalm 24:3-4; 1 John 2:2). Praise the Lord for that torn veil that provides 24/7 access into the very throne room of God (Hebrews 10:20).

Prayer posture can vary according to individual preferences. If I come with respect, awe, and wonder before God, I may do so with any posture.

At times, I like to kneel and gaze up through the window at the sky. In my mind’s eye, I’m kneeling at Jesus’ feet, holding His hand as I look into His gentle, reassuring eyes. At other times, I like to write out my prayers and praises in my journal. One of my favorite prayer postures is talking to Jesus while walking or jumping on the rebounder which, yep, faces the window. I wonder if Enoch who enjoyed such intimate fellowship with God also liked to literally walk and talk with Him, and one day just kept right on walking into heaven. Sometimes, I stand in front of the window, raise my arms in prayer and praise to my Father. On rare occasion, I lie prostrate on the floor, arms outstretched, but not that often, since I don’t like the way the carpet smells or the kink I get in my neck. Hey, that’s just me.  😊 Sometimes, I sit down at the piano and pour my heart out to Him through music. Still other times I type out email prayers to encourage others. And I join in corporate prayer with other ladies (that’s you gals!). So many possibilities!

Perhaps you’ve read this or a version of this: The story is told of a man who placed a chair by his sick bed. Day after day, he imagined Jesus sitting in that chair while the two of them talked together. One person who didn’t know of his practice thought he was talking out of his head (think Hannah in the O.T. whose mouth moved in prayer but with no sound. Eli thought she was drunk!). One day, the man’s caregiver approached his bedside. The man’s body still lay in the bed, but his head rested in the chair. He was dead. But oh, so very alive in Jesus, as he possibly laid his head in Jesus’ lap, then was safely ushered to heaven.

Yes, indeed, so many ways to pray.

What’s one of your favorite prayer postures?

How does this posture help you sense the reality of God’s presence?

Share your thoughts in the comment box below to encourage others.

 

 

 

A New Year. A New View.

 A new year. A new view.  

Literally. 

Since I handed over my office to hubby when he came home to work in April, I moved my makeshift office to our living room, then more recently to an upstairs guestroom. On New Year's Eve, I decided to move my portable office to our bedroom. Now my card table with laptop, writing and teaching materials, sits in front of a window facing our back woods. 

Already I've witnessed squirrels at play, a beautiful display of fireworks, a coyote ambling through on his way to who knows where, Woody Woodpecker and his smaller cousins, plus a host of other bird varieties, and a rainbow. I thought I'd feel a bit cloistered in my new location. Not yet, anyway. Not with such an amazing view. 

That simple switch reminds me that my view, my perspective, on life will be what I choose to make it in this new year. 

Many say they are relieved to close the curtain on 2020 with all its trials and chaos, that perhaps things will be different, take a decided turn for the better. 

Maybe. "Hope springs eternal," Alexander Pope once wrote. 

Yet, in reality, I don't anticipate things getting better, not culturally anyway. But that needn't influence my internal view. I like to call it an eternal view. 

It's exciting as a believer in Christ to realize that God's timetable is playing out. That we are closer than ever to Jesus' return. 

"Come, Lord Jesus, come!"

Today would be great.

Still, I know there are so many yet to enter into God's mercy, grace, and eternal life provided through Jesus Christ.

So, I pray for God's help as I share Him with those I encounter daily. That He would turn their hearts toward Home. 

As I return to 1 Corinthians for my personal study and time with Jesus, I'm reminded that "'no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him,' but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit" (1 Cor. 2:9-10 NIV).

Thank You, God, for revealing Your wisdom of the gospel through Your Spirit to hearts who have received You.

My heart is one of them. And while I don't know every nuance of what You have prepared for Your people, for me, I know what You have revealed through Your Word.

And it is overwhelmingly good stuff! Even now before heaven.

According to Ephesians, chapter one, we're already positionally seated in the heavenlies with You, chosen, holy, forgiven, the praise of Your glory, given peace, lavished upon by the riches of Your grace (I love this one), sealed by Your Spirit until we see You face to face and live forever in Your presence. 

Your presence . . . 

It is enough just knowing I will finally be with You in person. Whatever bells and whistles heaven provides otherwise is do-da in light of seeing You at last. 

I love you, Lord, and even now in my imagination, I see myself kneeling at Your feet, Your hand in mine, kissing Your hand, thanking You for saving me, bringing me safely Home. Then you lift my head, cup my face in Your hands, and with the beam of Your smile brighter than anything I've ever experienced, You lift me up, and I stand as a joint-heir with You. Without you saying anything, I know this is true. Your confidence surges through me in that moment . . . 

"You are my glory, and the lifter of my head," David reminds me in Psalm 3:3.

"I am my Beloved's and he is mine," as Chuck and I have delved deeply into since early September with our methodical, rich and sweet time in the Song of Solomon. How that love letter from God has nourished our couple relationship and our individual relationships with Jesus. What a precious poetic call to slow down, take time and care with these vital relationships. 

So, yes, the view out my window is fun, even spectacular at times, but it can't compare to what God in Christ has accomplished in my heart and the plan He has for my future with Him. 

This God-given view creates hope that does indeed spring eternal! For me, and all who take hold of life in Christ, that eternal view will make 2021 worth living. 

Not Locked in Fear, Liberated by His Spirit!

It is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace . . . 

Not locked in fear, but liberated by His Spirit!  

Lots of thoughts have passed through my noggin lately. I suspect that has been true for you as well.

As I filter those thoughts through God's Word, He reaffirms again the power of prayer in the lives of Old Testament saints, like Daniel, New Testament saints, like Paul, and contemporary saints like us (those who have received Jesus as Savior and Lord)! 

This morning, He reaffirmed in my heart Paul's charge to young Timothy . . . 

"First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time" (I Timothy 2:1-6).

Notice how many times the word "all" appears in this passage. I'm especially struck with the reminder that God desires ALL men to be saved. I feel the Holy Spirit's gentle rebuke with His recurring question: "Eileen, are you more interested in praying that God would thwart evil or that He would change hearts? After all, the remedy for evil is heart transformation. Pray for those you are concerned about, that they will come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved."  

And then the even more pointed reminder . . . 

"If I can change a rebellious heart like yours, I can change the hearts of leaders and those in your sphere of influence who in your eyes seem so far beyond My reach." 

Which takes me back to Paul's reminder to pray. 

Our role is to pray (with thanksgiving, by the way), participating with our Father in gently guiding others to the truth in word and behavior, as did so many others who came before us. 

Old Testament Daniel modeled prayer and faithful service while living in a pagan culture. His faithful daily prayers paved the way for a pagan King, all wrapped up in his own glory, to come to the knowledge of the truth.

If God can reduce wicked Nebuchadnezzar to all fours so that ultimately he lifts his eyes toward heaven, not in pomp and pride but in humility, and declares that the LORD alone is the Most High God who is great and mighty, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and whose dominion is from generation to generation (Daniel, chapter four), then God can in His sovereignty change the hearts of all for whom we pray. The change may come now, in our lifetimes; the change may not come until we gather around His throne. 

But rest assured, ALL will fall before Him and declare Him Lord (Philippians 2:9-11). We pray and we witness so that as many people as possible will declare Him Lord and serve Him as Lord on this side of heaven. 

May we not be locked in fear that erupts in our minds in multiple forms but liberated by the Holy Spirit who through God's Word grounds us, quiets our hearts, and motivates us to prayer and godly living.

May you who know the Lord be strengthened by His grace today. And those of you who need the Lord, surrender to Him in repentance and faith, receiving Him as your personal Savior from sin and self, and then serve Him as Lord. Then He will strengthen you with His grace, deliver you from all fear, and liberate your heart with His Spirit who comes to live inside of you.     

Eileen Psalm 46:10

Breakfast for Jesus

 

Courtesy of Pexels, Valeria Boltneva 

My husband’s early morning prayer meeting at our home brought one young man to our door. Intense spiritual warfare threatened him and his family. While my husband prayed with him downstairs, I prayed for them upstairs. 

As I interceded, the Holy Spirit prompted me to fix them breakfast. A sudden awareness flashed across my mind that the breakfast I would prepare was first and foremost for Jesus, not for the two men who knelt by our sofa. 

Never had I experienced more clarity concerning the truth of Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men” (NASB). 

So many times I’d served others with abandon, but when it came to my husband, I grumbled and hesitated. I pushed from the floor with joy as I prepared and served eggs, sausage, and smoothies to “Jesus” that quiet Saturday morning.