I Am Here

Well, we've been in different places every night for more than a week. I've had times when it took me a few minutes to remember the current room number, much less which city! Best I can do is, "I am here!" And hope I can define "here."

1 Samuel 3:4 has the same words as our graphic - here am I. God knows where we all are, geographically and in our life's journey. There's no doubt when He calls us to His service He knows the total circumstances surrounding our lives. He knows what we need to get the job done and that He will provide for us.

We can't doubt He knew Samuel, Isaiah and each person he called out specifically. He does not need the faith He requires from us. He has the knowledge of exactly how things will turn out. We also know that if we decline to follow His call to us, there will be another take our place.

Mordecai explained that to Esther. She was in the perfect position - we see that through history, she had to have faith. That's what we all need when we're called. Oh, yes, we'll be called. It won't be the same for each person - except for one thing, we won't understand what God has in mind. Our trust in Him is required.

And, we'll need to respond - "Here am I."

Personhood

The young lady in the photo (a crop from a beautiful portrait by Beth Marie Photography - please do not copy and reuse) is someone I've known all of her life and someone I love.

She's not alone - there are two other special mothers-to-be who are in my prayers for uneventful pregnancies and healthy babies. All of these ladies are married, planning and working on their futures with loving husbands.

They see their pregnancies as the creation of a person that combines parts of them and their husbands into a brand new, absolutely unique, person. They know the verses in Psalm 139:14-16 that tell us we are fearfully and wonderfully made, and that God knows us in that secret creation.

Even non-believers must agree that from the moment of conception, whatever name is given to the combined cells, the DNA is human. Humans are us. We are special in this world. We are self aware, yet capable of caring for each other. That care is a requirement for life.

A newborn human is incapable of surviving outside the womb without the intervention of other humans. What medicine defines as 'viable' is not - unless fed and protected, cared for and cleansed. The mother's body does this for months before she holds her child in her arms. It is required for years afterward, too. Having lived through it - it is so worth it!!

The decision to institute an abortion is the decision to kill a human, a person whose DNA is a unique combination, never to be repeated. Such a decision to save a woman's life is undertaken with much thought. To make that decision as a simple matter of birth control, as though 'fixing' a mistake in judgment, denies the humanity of pregnancy. It should be a heart-wrenching decision not made lightly nor alone.

The best process is to be as these three young couples now on my prayer list - eagerly waiting for the arrival of a new person not only in their lives, their extended families, but in our world. Each is seeing to medical needs for themselves and their child. They are sharing their expectancy with people who care and will provide support. I am so grateful for that!

Would you join with me in a prayer for these specific new lives? For these couples and the years ahead of them as their children and families grow? Will you welcome them into our world?

Light

It has been years since I've gone through a tunnel in the side of a mountain. Not much need for such along the I-35/I-44 corridor we travel most. Yesterday's journey from Cody to Sheriden took us through this one and two shorter ones.

Reminded me that Jesus is light - and He designated us in Matthew 5:14. If we fail to accept the assignment, someone could be left in darkness.

Light's better. Thanks be to God for providing that light!!

Faithful

This is what we saw walking out to view Old Faithful geyser. Every 88 minutes, give or take ten minutes or so, it blows off steam. There is a live camera pointed toward this spot that you can view on the Internet - last year I posted a screen capture of my daughter's vacation group as they stood there and waved. Both the geyser and the camera are faithful performers.

You gotta know that ties into Bible reading!!! Deuteronomy 7:9 tells us God is faithful while the entire Bible is filled with examples of His faithfulness. 1 Samuel 2:35 shows he requires faithfulness, too. Revelation 1:5 confirms our own faithful witness - and these are only three of 78 verses in KJV that include 'faithful'. Only one, Proverbs 25:19, includes the word 'unfaithful.'

How do we stack up? I write "we" 'cause it's easier to look at this as a group than to ask my self the specific question, "What does my faithfulness tell about my relationship with God?"

More people see my actions than read my words - do they match? When I encourage Bible reading, is it obvious I do it? If I invite someone to services, can they depend on my being there, too? When I speak of my faith, am I sharing an experience or passing judgment?

Jesus Christ is named as our faithful witness. What He said was recorded, God-breathed, by men who witnessed Him. Jesus told us about our Father, His expectations, His preparations, His showing of love for His children. We are shown His faithfulness in every chapter of His book.

Fortunately for us, we've also been shown His forgiveness when our own faithfulness is called into question.

Romans 10:17 tells me how to gain faith. What verse speaks to you about faithfulness?

Still Have Questions?

I captured this quote the other day. It reminded me of a letter to the editor of Fort Worth's Star Telegram. A woman wrote how offended she was during a show done by the Rockettes.

It was well advertised across the Metroplex and sold out for most performances. It was in December and had the word Christmas in the title. The lady saw the ads, bought tickets and was offended that the program closed with a nativity scene.

In order to keep anyone from being offended, our culture has attempted to erase Christianity.

A recent Huffington Post article suggests that such beliefs are mental aberrations that should be curable. I included that link in a Facebook status a few days ago and regret I cannot include the link here - haven't discovered how to in this iPhone!

One responder wrote, "I'm incurable,". Me, too. I do have faith in the God I cannot see. I'm not offended by those who do not have faith in Him, and wonder why anyone would be offended by another's faith.

Oh, Islamist's death-dealing actions are truly offensive - but a Muslim's faith is no more offensive than a Hindu's, a Buddhist's -- any other religion's faith, including a Christian's. In our country, our governments - federal, state, local - cannot impose any belief system. We appreciate that while respecting each individual's choice. We also expect that respect from all of our country's citizens. We would hope other countries would be as inclusive.

That respect is being inclusive - inclusive enough to overcome being offended at open expressions of faith.

Are we, personally, that open? Are we offended by another's faith? How do we respond to those who are offended by ours? Do we know and use 1 Peter 3:15?

Praise Him!!!

Our worship services begin with singing. The words are a part of the service, but I must admit there have been times my attention was elsewhere, keeping up with the notes, not paying attention to the words.

My error.

When I enter the sanctuary, the music does help me set aside things of the world, focusing in my reason for being there - Jesus, Christ, my Lord.

When I sing "We praise thee I God for the Son of thy love," I must mean the words or be a hypocrite. At the close of service, when I sing "All to Jesus I surrender," I should be surrendering my cares, my woes, anything that keeps me from placing my burdens in Him.

Hymns echo God's word. "Come unto me. I will give you rest," repeats the promises of Matthew 11:28-30. The words telling me His burden is light are important. I'm leaving mine and picking up His love for mankind, not just dropping mine off to enjoy a trouble-free life.

No, the graphic is not of a hymnal in our church. It is a reminder that congregations world-wide do the same praising of our Lord.

So join with me in one of my favorites, Fanny Crosby's "Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed redeemer!!"

The Condensed Version

One of the first verses we teach is John 3:16. It contains the essence of God's relationship with mankind.

To begin, it is necessary to believe God created the world. That creation has such a reason for existence, so important to God, that He loves it. He not only knows what is happening in it, but He cares about it enough to provide for it.

For a large number of people, they simply cannot comprehend an entity with sufficient power to create this world. That requires accepting the creation of the entire universe. They find it easier to believe "accepted science", which changes every few years with new discoveries by learned men who create new experiments.

I much more appreciate scientists who have minds open to spiritual concepts as well as physical ones. People who can look upon such a verse and see the depth of meaning, the length of time it took to reach and all the prophecy along the way.

Obviously, many study this one verse today with the same depth of interest John had when it was written. And with as many questions as Nicodemus had during his sit-down chat with Jesus. God is ready for us to come to Him with questions, but the bottom line, from Genesis to Revelation is: Faith.

God is one. One message. When He told Adam and Eve they could partake of all the fruit - except one - they had to believe, have faith, that He meant what He said. They didn't. Such examples abound in God's word. We read of the consequences, too, over and over, and we make the same error - lack of faith.

Spend some time with the verse, look at the graphic and determine if this illustration is accurate, from your point of view. Do you read differences in this verse? Based on what? Can you substantiate your views - cite your sources? Do you study with an open mind, or closed to God's voice?

Answers encompass an eternity.