Sarah Onderdonk

2011-10-20T10:02:00.004-05:00

Testimony to holding the Shield of Faith from Morning Star Church on Vimeo.

Oh, my. So powerful...

on my iPod... All My Days by Alexi Murdoch

2010-06-10T10:25:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the extended hiatus. Really busy with the boys and getting close to a conclusion for Anders in the Heavens... coming soon!

Pic: Lifesong Recital Night... boys performed hip hop routine to a Michael Jackson medley.

2010-03-04T12:48:00.005-06:00

I had a contractor out recently who informed me he usually works in er, um, well, higher-end neighborhoods. This was an outdoor matter so as we walked the perimeter of the house he had occasion to spy my brand new solar oven in the backyard. I'd come to a place of peace over the years at what our energy efficient lightbulbs do for my complexion (Johnny Depp's Alice in Wonderland scenes were shot in my kitchen.) In fact, I quite fancy certain green lifestyle habits. So, the contractor who works in much nicer neighborhoods took one look at my backyard kitchen and said to me: "What's going on back here?" To which I replied "Fixin' dinner!" I let him linger for a moment with the unsettling thought that Granny Clampett here just might have a squirrel in the pot before fessing up to a simple batch of chicken soup gently rolling to a boil under a brilliant Texas sun. All to say... it's a little unconventional... but the solar oven simply rocks. It was some of the best soup we've ever had! I did a bit of research and settled on the Global Sun Oven. In case you're interested, I bought mine here at a nice discount. Bon appetite!

On my nightstand: The Intellectuals by Paul Johnson... a fascinating survey of what motivated and shaped the hearts and minds of some of the world's most influential leaders. Just beware of teeny, tiny print...

Satan's Spin?

2010-01-10T06:52:00.000-06:00

Going back to the most primitive renderings, human beings have tried to put a face and a tangibility to the look of evil. Invariably, that face looks, well, evil. Although sometimes today, the face of evil is more of a joke. The $9.99 horn and tail get-up you can buy in the seasonal aisle at WalMart. There would be something organically out of whack, to our thinking, of depicting old Beelzebub with apple cheeks and a filmy set of cherub's wings. Save the pretty imagery for the nice guys, right?

But what does Scripture have to say about the appearance of Lucifer?

You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. Ezekiel 28:12

Even in the garden, we are privy to the workings of some sort of smooth operator. Eve and the serpent conversed. She took him seriously, no doubt entranced by every hook-and-line reeling word. Eve didn't shriek and dispatch Adam for a garden hoe. There was something altogether convicting and charismatic about this guy.

Your heart became proud on account of your beauty. Ezekiel 28:17

So, are we, perhaps, looking for Satan's biggest traps in all the wrong places? Where should we be looking?

Please contact me here to schedule session about "Stars & Scars" for your ladies group. Our Sonrise study group will be meeting this Wednesday at Hebrew's Cafe from 8:15-9:15 to analyze the results of a powerful personal inventory developed by Dallas Theological Seminary Professor Ramesh Richard that's designed to open eyes and change hearts. You're welcome to join us!

…for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44)

On my iPod... Use Somebody by Kings of Leon

Thanksgiving in Florida

2009-11-29T09:30:00.000-06:00

Just back from a memorable Thanksgiving in Destin and Naples, Florida. Boys splashed around in the surf and had a fun golf outing with Gramp. Hope you all had a most awesome holiday!

On my iPod... Magnificent by U2

Ewww...

2009-11-28T20:54:00.008-06:00

So, we had just enjoyed the sweet movie "Up" at our rental condo in Florida and I was getting the boys ready for bed. My 13-year-old remembered seeing a promo for the American Music Awards and asked to check it out on ABC. We found the show just in time to catch Ryan Seacrest at the end. We like American Idol, so we stayed put. Then, to my horror, out comes Adam Lambert dragging some scantily clad, leathered-up woman around on stage. I told everyone to look away and fumbled around rather unsuccessfully in the dark for the remote thinking it doesn't get much worse than that. Unfortunately, that was the gentle part. By the time I found an "off" button, I'd witnessed the absolute depths of prime time network programming. The sad debasement of God's beautiful creatures. Lambert is throwing the word "discrimination" around. I'm not anti-gay, friends. When I'm perfect, I can start throwing stones. But I am unapologetically anti-orgy on prime time television.

ABC says it got a modest amount of complaints. I'm thinking that if the calls and letters don't ratchet up, we'll be seeing a Caligula routine next year. If you have kids... if you think you might have kids... hey, if you know a kid... please take a moment to send ABC a note of complaint here.

Manna & Mugs!

2009-11-13T13:09:00.004-06:00

Join me on December 5 from 9-12 for "Manna Mug & Muffin" at Scofield Church in Dallas. I'm speaking on the subject of endurance. The event is free but you'll need to make a reservation by calling 214.349.6043. Details are here. It promises to be a fun morning of fellowship and gourmet muffins! Hope to see you there!

On my iPod... I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight by U2

Great Coffee... Wonderful Value!

2009-09-30T11:41:00.003-05:00

Coffee lover or, dare I say, coffee snob? You might want to pass on the pricier brands next time you shop and try Eight O'Clock coffee, instead. At $4.98/pound, it's a better value than the other brands... and, surprisingly, it tastes better, too! Rich and velvety with no bitter aftertaste! Kathy P says the grind-your-own whole beans are great. I bought them already ground in regular and decaf and was delighted!

Looking forward to... U2 at Cowboys Stadium... nosebleed section facing stage... happy party of 5!

1 Samuel on Fathers

2009-09-24T10:11:00.006-05:00

I'm taking an interesting course this semester on Old Testament History. As part of a recent assignment, we were asked to evaluate fathers and sons in 1 Samuel 1-15. I walked away with more questions than answers, but believe in the reflection that there's a lot to learn.

Fathers & Sons in 1 Samuel 1-15: An Evaluation

Deuteronomy 6: 6-7: “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.”

In light of God’s command for fathers to teach His word “diligently,” what can we learn from the examples of Eli, Samuel and Saul?

Eli: The Deadbeat Dad?

“Clueless” is the word that might describe Eli as father. Scripture indicates he “honored” (1 Samuel 2:29) his wicked sons more than God. But the honoring appears to be accidental as he becomes aware of their egregious sins (vs. 12) late in life (vs. 22). It was established and known throughout the priesthood (vs. 13) and in fact, all of Israel (vs. 14) that Eli’s sons were bad apples. This type of heart toxicity doesn’t typically happen overnight but is in evidence over a period of years. Eli was either in denial or oblivious to sin that should have been obvious. As we examine the text, one wonders why it takes third-party reporting (vs. 22-23) to see the immorality of his sons! God holds Eli accountable (2:30-36) for his lack of faithfulness in evidence by his blind eye (vs. 22) and impotence as a father (2:23-24). Eli loses his standing with God (vs. 31), the health and security of his family (vs. 32-34) and his very legacy (vs. 35).

Interesting to note that Eli “fell backward” and died upon hearing that the ark of God was in enemy hands (4:18), having first been told that Israel had suffered a great defeat and his two sons were dead. Not to diminish the huge impact of the news of the ark, but most fathers would have already been on the floor with the news that their sons were dead. This strikes me as a telling “delayed reaction.”

Samuel: The Do-Good Dad?

The Bible tells us that Samuel’s sons “… made money dishonestly, accepted bribes, and perverted justice.” (8:3b) While it’s difficult to evaluate his “parenting style” from what’s been revealed, we see his heart for the Lord in his open-minded response to the request from Israel’s elders to find a king other than his sons (8:4). Samuel puts aside concerns over legacy and never attempts to defend his sons or rationalize their sinful behavior. Instead, he goes straight to God for wisdom and is concerned first and foremost with His agenda (8:6). When it is revealed to Samuel that Saul is God’s chosen king (9:17-19), he is cooperative and obedient. Here we have the apparent case of a good and faithful man whose kids have gone afoul.

Saul: The Dangerous Dad!

Scripture reveals in vivid detail the patently bad heart of Saul who is willing to kill his son to save his skin (14:44; 20:33). From God’s perspective, he is unfaithful (15:11) and disobedient (15: 22-23). He lies (18:25), steals (15:19) and has no regard for human life (18:21; 19:10; 20:33; 22:17). He is a textbook sociopath. Yet his son, Jonathan, emerges as a moral hero, pledging at great personal risk to protect his friend, David (18:3).

Question: Why do kids from bad and good homes mess up?

Proverbs 22:6a advises parents to “train up a child in the way he should go.” Studying the father/son dynamics of 1 Samuel, we encounter a conundrum. How do seemingly good people (e.g., Samuel) rear crummy kids while evil people (e.g., Saul) can raise nice ones? I see four possible scenarios:

Scenario 1: Simply, God’s purpose won’t be thwarted.

Perhaps God allowed the children to fail according to his design (much like an evil spirit tormented Saul in 16:14). If the progeny of Eli and Samuel were faithful, the issue of kingship would have been thornier. God had a succession plan it involved neither Eli nor Samuel’s kids. We see some rebellious character traits of the sons as well as intentionality on the part of God in verse 2:25b, as well: “…”But they would not listen to their father, for the Lord had decided to kill them.” (Consider here Proverbs 1: 8-9)

Scenario 2: Boys will be boys.

Or, maybe the children exercised personal prerogatives (i.e., free will) and either chose wisely or poorly, irrespective of their upbringing. Proverbs 1: 8-9 admonishes children to pay attention to parental instruction. This puts the onus on parents to teach and children to listen. Could it be that Samuel’s children simply “checked out” on dad’s counsel?

Scenario 3: Rebels With and Without a Cause

Someone once said: “Every generation will find something to annoy the parents.” Some rebellion goes hand in hand with growing up. We even see bold independence, albeit for a good cause, on the part of Jesus in Luke 2: 41-52 where we encounter the 12-year-old Jesus on the brink of Jewish adulthood. He’s been separated himself from his parents for several days and is incredulous that His mother is so anxious. As independence beckons the mortal youth, there is some degree of forced separation that may manifest in opposition to authority. So, is it possible that we see in 1 Samuel a bad father (Saul) with a good kid in “rebellion” and a good father (Samuel) with a similar u-turn dynamic?

Scenario 4: What family?

Perhaps the fathers were so wrapped up in self (Eli) or ministry (Samuel) that they put family on the back burner? So, we have on one hand, an effective agent of God (Samuel) who could have been a remote father? Scripture offers an intriguing clue about the relationship of Saul and his son. In 20:2, Jonathan remarks: “…Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me.” (Saul also shows some concern about his son’s future kingship (20:31), though it is no doubt more about self/family pride than love of son.) There is the reality or at least the perception on the part of Jonathan that he and his dad are close or at least in close contact, and what is intimated here is that the father, albeit a bad one, has invested time and attention into his son.

Bottom Line

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

In the book of Proverbs, we’re told about the results of good training. This verse has left many scratching their heads when the product doesn’t seem to always match the investment. It’s important to realize, however, that Proverbs are principles not promises. For reasons we have yet to fully understand, sometimes the real world presents with unexpected hairpin curves and u-turns. Our best defense in an unpredictable and uncertain world:

As always, prayer...

Photo by Sean Dreilenger... see here for restrictions.

On my iPod... Right Here, Right Now by Jesus Jones

2009-08-31T11:35:00.003-05:00

Todd and I are prayer coordinators for Faith Christian School's Take a Knee ministry. Our focus is 7th grade football. Below is our devotional for this week.

And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (Luke 2: 52)

It’s hard to think of Christ on the brink of adolescence, but that’s where we find Him in Luke Chapter 2: 41-52. It was the year before his 13th birthday when Jewish tradition would legally recognize Him as an adult. Jesus had spent several days separated from his parents who had unknowingly left him behind following the Passover feast. When they were reunited, Jesus responded boldly to his mother’s anxious questioning yet remained with his parents in subjection. It is shades of where we many of us find ourselves today… experiencing a growing tug of independence versus dependence on the part of our children.

The first sight of my oldest child in full pads on the football field Thursday night nearly stole my breath. I flashed to a time not so long ago when he was a toddler full of needs and under our ever-watchful control. I have a growing sense this year of the fleeting nature of our time together. My nerves over contact football have softened this week. I find myself very grateful that this rite of passage is occurring under the discipleship of godly coaches who see beyond the boundaries of the field to the larger horizon of our faith and all that we as Christians aim to be.

Still Thinking About... The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

2009-08-22T22:21:00.002-05:00

Squawkers made it! Cheryl set him (her?) free on Sunday and we were there for the joyous release. What a sweet experience!

On my iPod... The Story in Your Eyes by the Moody Blues

Fall Bible Study!

2009-08-22T18:34:00.004-05:00

Our Sonrise Bible study group will be looking at what Scripture reveals about Angels & Demons this Fall. If you're interested in joining us for a 12-week study, please e-mail me. We'll be meeting Wednesday mornings from 8:15-9:15 in Grapevine beginning September 16.

Saving Squawkers

2009-07-25T10:21:00.004-05:00

Texas is fire ant country. Tiny red menaces that no doubt keep some sort of undesirable population under control but also must be managed for the predatory mayhem they inflict upon civilians. Walking Ruthy last week, I encountered a still-moist and wriggling earthworm on the asphalt path that was on the early phase of an attack. Still viable but in serious trouble. I stopped and thought about intervening. I wished I had the courage to reach down a pick it up and put it back in the grass. But the gross-out factor of both worm and ants prevented me from doing anything.

Flashing to things spiritual, I was suddenly struck by how blessed we are to have a God without constraints or limitations. How he intervenes on our behalf even in our messiness, and mercifully, graciously gives us chance upon chance to survive and thrive in this world.

So when we saw the baby bird who had just fallen from its nest being bitten by ants attacking from seemingly every direction on Thursday, we felt we had to do something. It was messy and we were totally clueless about the path forward and had about a dozen things we really should have been doing but I kept thinking about God's intervention into my own life, how he has repeatedly scooped me up and nurtured me and given me new beginnings.

We did some blazing Internet research, consulted knowledgeable friends and experts, and kept "Squawkers" alive, feeding him every half hour and putting a heating pad under his little box. We investigated a return to the nest but found it had been overturned and was teeming with carpenter ants. But, God led us to a wonderful lady in Arlington named Cheryl who takes in orphaned and injured birds. She said Squawkers is a Mockingbird no more than nine days old and, apart from some bruising from the fall, is in remarkably good shape. She put him in a little box with a larger bird who'd been attacked by a cat and told us she'd take good care of him. I noticed him instinctively move closer to the larger bird, burrowing beneath it, no doubt thinking he'd been reunited with his mother.

The boys sure did learn a valuable lesson this week. Me, too.

On my iPod... Anything Can Happen by The Finn Brothers

Washington D.C. Adventures

2009-07-13T12:04:00.009-05:00

John has better pictures of the main attractions in D.C. But here are a few outtakes from me! I haven't figured out an easy way to insert captions... so suffice to say I've got pictures of George Washington's tomb at Mount Vernon, my parents with the boys, Colin in a "line-up" at the Crime and Punishment Museum (great t-shirt choice for this shot, eh?), Daniel standing next to an enormous geode at the Museum of Natural History, the boys as "Washington's kids" at Mount Vernon, the Hope Diamond, boys on the Metro, John at the JrNLYC drop-off, Colin cutting down a tree for Papa and Mama, George Washington's teeth, and Daniel as a "Wanted" man from the Colleyville Public Library summer reading program kick-off!

On my iPod... Baba O'Reilly by The Who

Ahhh... Oregon

2009-06-11T20:45:00.013-05:00

We had a blast visiting my brother and his family this week in Oregon. His house overlooks the Pacific Ocean and we were treated to breathtaking views of unspoiled nature. Some scenes below from our trip.

On my iPod... In the Hands of God by the Newsboys

Blogger Reflects on Motherhood

2009-05-30T10:39:00.004-05:00

Carol Fruge is a friend from Dallas Seminary and she's launched a new blog. I love her original poem about the "unflappable mother" here. Lots of wisdom for those of us with young children.

I also stumbled upon a quote worth pondering this morning... More people fail from lack of encouragement than anything else.

And to all the mothers I've encountered this week who feel like they are running out of fuel with about sixteen laps to go: Sometimes "sufficient" or "not this year" or "no" is truly the best answer.

Question: Who have you encouraged today?

Juggling Perspective

2009-05-28T11:24:00.004-05:00

End-of-the-school-year madness for 3rd, 4th and 6th grade is converging with little league baseball tournaments times three which is converging with a mess in my house that would tax an OSHA inspector which is converging with a laundry pile so high it would kill a Sherpa. It all hit a fever pitch yesterday when I realized that I needed to feed 49 kids world's best sugar cookies and ran out of dough at cookie number 44...

So this morning I was boohoohooing to a friend how I'm dropping more balls that I'm catching. To which she replied: "But aren't you glad for the balls you get to catch?"

Ahhhh.... I feel so much better.

Question: What are you grateful for today?

Photo by Mathias L; see here for restrictions.

On Fame and Dying

2009-05-15T17:09:00.007-05:00

We were going around the dinner table a while back with the question: "Who among the living would you most like to meet and spend time with?" The boys were forthcoming with baseball heroes and famous authors. I can't honestly recall who Todd mentioned, but it seems he had someone in mind. But I remember struggling to identify anyone apart from people I already admire and know. Chalk it up to cancer, I guess. Something happens with respect to the way you look at people and time. You get focused with bull's eye precision on what and who matters most. For me it's family and friends.

This week, though, I realize there's one celebrity I wish I could meet: Farrah. Her fight for life and her unmasked journey toward death has me gripped. It's the lack of vanity now over her appearance, I guess, that makes her story so different on the surface, anyway. I caught the last 45 minutes of her documentary last night and also watched a bit of a talk show afterwards that featured some "experts" questioning her motives. She and her friends stated her motive pretty clearly in the documentary, I thought: to help others. Personally, I choose to believe it. Because I know how cancer helps define one's purpose, sometimes in an instant. When you're engulfed in suffering and hope is ebbing, don't you think it's natural to want to glean something, anything good from the journey? Though it was somber and depressing in parts, Farrah's story felt to me, anyway, like a soft blanket of empathy... something I pray that the "experts" will never have to wear.

Beneath the surface of Farrah's story, I wonder if the legacy she will leave goes beyond that of one's fight for life. Is there something for all of us to learn about the roller-coaster trajectory of celebrity and our own role in perpetuating a truly appalling cycle? What they do to themselves. What we do to them. There's a diseased downside to fame. When people rise and then soar and then cling to and cloy at heights before consumers change their appetites and spit them out.

Pop culture gives me the chills this week. The whole supply chain is seriously whacked. Where you have media outlets chasing falling stars like cannibals, just looking for a bit of fat on a thigh or a pedestal-smashing personal weakness. And the consumers who buy the trash at the check-outs who perpetuate this cycle. And the celebrities, themselves. In the end, would they, themselves, call it blessing or curse?

You could argue that a public figure with a hand-held camera has invited such scrutiny. The tabloids will no doubt run with "exclusives" on law suits and restraining orders and underbelly angles of this sad, sad story in days and weeks to come.

So, Farrah has invited us in. And there's something important about her story. Something sad. Something redemptive. Maybe. Something beyond how to die. I really think so.

Photo from Today MSNBC.com entertainment. Article is here.

Fear Not... Always?

2009-05-13T12:29:00.005-05:00

My dog, Ruthy, is a golden retriever who, not surprisingly, likes to retrieve things. This is charming until the retrieved item doesn't get returned and it happens to be something like your second set of running shoes and you're down to two left feet or date-night shoes for the daily power walk. That's where I found myself this morning. Two left shoes and a these kind-of-hurt-my-feet-but-are-simply-too-cute-to-throw-out pair of pink and gray fabric flats. Without a good option, I started rooting through the boys' shoe bin. Just so happens, Colin has a newish pair of comfy-looking black tennis shoes that are just my size. So I slipped those buggers on my feet and off Ruthy and I dashed for our morning sniff-about. About a quarter of a mile into the walk, however, I realized that my feet were killing me. You see, my son's cushy-looking shoes have these big metal shoelace holes that kind of dig into the top of your feet. The appearance of roomy comfort was merely an illusion. After two miles, I felt like a little bound-foot Geisha. This catapulted me to things spiritual.

Do You Really Know How Those Shoes Feel?

For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control. (NET Bible)

I saw recently where someone used 2 Timothy 1:7 to encourage group participation in something at the peak of the swine flu scare. This reminded me of the many times I've heard good-intentioned Christians blast the suffering with this same "God did not give us a Spirit of fear..." admonition. To what end? Like this is going to make someone suddenly drop whatever the fear is like a pan that's about to host a grease fire? I have never, ever heard anyone who's suffering say "Oh, gee, that makes be feel a whole lot better." Quite the contrary, it usually makes whoever is anxious all the more fretful because now the fear is wedded to in-their-face aspects of weakness and sin.

Have You Tried Those Shoes?

I have a dear friend who gets violently sick when she passes accident scenes on the highway. For me, it's relationship stuff that makes me ill. If you tell me about how your little heart has been broken, a piece of my heart will break with you. This sensitivity has allowed me, in my own mind, to feel as if I really know what you're going through. But just like I didn't know my son's shoes were foot crushers until I walked in them, I can't necessarily understand what you're feeling unless I, too, have been there. I can give you, hopefully, counsel based upon Scripture. But I can't begin to really get your situation or feel your pain until I have lived it. So, I need to be careful using verses like 2 Timothy 1:7 to counsel the anxious or the suffering, especially if I'm not able to authentically empathize.

Some Context

The apostle Paul is the author of 2 Timothy. It's an epistle or letter from Paul to his "apostolic representative" (NIV Study Bible) or younger assistant who's been tasked with a special ministry to the church of Ephesus on Paul's behalf as he languishes in prison. In the NIV translation as well as many others the word "fear" is replaced with the word "timidity." Other references to Timothy in Scripture (1 Cor 15:10-11; 1 Ti 4:12) suggest he is both young and, perhaps, lacking in some degree of confidence. So Paul writes verse 7 to remind him of the power He has in God (2 Ti 1-8:). Some translations also capitalize the "S" in "spirit" while others feature a lowercase letter. (I just spent 10 minutes trying to explain why this is significant, but my post-semester brain is not cooperating... if you re-read it, you'll see!)

What this verse doesn't say, is that fear is an unnatural human emotion. Some fear in this fallen world is in fact a good thing. I might think the giant fuzzy panda at the zoo looks cute and cuddly, but my fear keeps me from hopping the fence and trying to give it a hug. Beyond the obvious health consequences of drugs and alcohol, it's the let down of inhibitions and protective fears which lead to risky, harmful behaviors.

So, you might say, yeah, but we're supposed to trust God and if we really trust God, we won't have any fear. I'm inclined to say that so long as I have the inheritance of Adam, I will always have some degree of fear over something. It's the post-Garden funk of our broken humanity.

The Remedy

When I confront situations that are fearful, I am reminded to pray. I recognize my frail status apart from God and turn to Him for rescue. And I don't imagine for a second that in this vulnerable moment that God is saying tsk tsk and registering divine disgust over my fear. Quite the contrary, I believe He is probably happy that I phoned home.

Pic by Jacob Earl; click here for restrictions.

2009-04-24T11:03:00.002-05:00

Whew... 142 pages double-spaced and done! Please pray that Anders lands with a nice publisher...

Cover art by my favorite photog... Evelyn Adams

Intermission

2009-04-05T21:24:00.003-05:00

I'm swamped but will be back, hopefully, in about three weeks!

Pic by Blogging Dagger; click here for restrictions.

2009-04-05T10:26:00.000-05:00

For FF...

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. (Psalm 91:4)

Move Over, Mr. Knight...

2009-02-23T08:52:00.003-06:00

I read a review recently of a book called Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey. I'm not endorsing the book because I haven't read it. But there was an intriguing excerpt in People Magazine that's worth a second glance. According to the author, there are three ways to tell if a man loves you:

1. He professes it.

2. He provides.

3. He protects you.

I'm missing a bit of context here but I wonder if the author is onto something. For those afflicted by excessive Hallmark Hall of Fame sentimentality, it suggests that we are perhaps looking at our guys through lacy doilies and maybe missing the real virtues. Todd, for example, doesn't come charging through the back door after a hard day contemplating the outlook for energy on a big, old white stead with a rose between his teeth (well, not too often, anyway). This kind of behavior, Harvey might argue, "is not in his DNA." This sent me to Scripture to see what we can learn from Jesus.

The Biblical Husband

Husbands, loves your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her... (Ephesians 5:25a)

Much has been written about what loving one's wife as Christ loved the church means. While we will never appreciate in the mortal sphere what this utterly selfless love really implies, it serves as an ideal for human love... something to strive for. As I think about Harvey's three-point love grid, I wonder if Christ's love for the church sets the standard here.

Christ professed His love.

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (John 13:34)

Christ provided mortal and eternal sustenance.

Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted... (John 6:9)

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world though him. (John 3:17)

Christ protected.

But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7)

So, ladies... if your husband is professing his love, trying in some way to provide for you, and protecting you, give him a hug today and tell him you appreciate all that he does!

Pic by One Lucky Guy... click here for restrictions.

Gracie

2009-02-08T21:34:00.002-06:00

Heartbreaking news from a classmate at Dallas Seminary whose baby went home to the Lord on Saturday. They have written about their journey with precious Gracie here. Please keep this family in your prayers.

About Replacement Costs

2009-02-03T12:34:00.012-06:00

You can judge who deserves the bigger thwhack on the head: the one who left the brand, new cell phone in his pants pocket in the dirty clothes (that would be my 12-year-old son) or the one who washed the pants without checking the pockets (that would be me). So there sits his long-coveted cell phone in black-out mode in a bag of organic brown rice on a counter next to the jar of newly hatched sea monkeys that mysteriously went from seven to one overnight (sniffle, sniffle... more on that later). The Verizon guy said water damaged cell phones occasionally dry out in rice, so that's where we are.

Todd and I resisted the "But everyone else has one" guilt trip for many months before caving in and buying our tween a cell phone. I, personally, viewed with some, dare I say, judgment the accessorizing of our pre-teens with technology they really don't need. But, as our family increasingly fans out like an NYPD SWAT team over Texas ballparks, guitar studios and kenpo dojo's, it was becoming clear that a cell phone might, indeed, serve a purpose.

The Deal We Couldn't Resist

We acquired our son's phone as part of a "sign up" deal that commits us to a service contract and basically throws a nice phone in a minimal or no cost. But we learned yesterday, that the cost of replacing that good deal would be more than $300. So replacement costs are a bugger.

(Todd remembered he still had his "old" cell phone which really isn't that old. It's got a little aluminum finish chipping off and the picture window has a nice-sized crack. But, hey, it turns on! I enthusiastically rushed this over to my son expecting to see a grin of relief. "It works, it WORKS!" I chirped. "Uh, did you notice that has an antenna?" Which left me wondering when antennae became un-cool..)

Salvation: What Are the Replacement Costs?

So, we got this complimentary phone a while back with a service contract. And while the replacements costs are high, the phone could be replaced. I could go to the Verizon store this afternoon, lay down $300, and we could walk away with a new phone. It's not free anymore. But, it is obtainable. I flashed in my mind to things spiritual. Is there a salvation analogy here?

Salvation is free.

You've heard it said, perhaps, that the gift of salvation is free. This is what that means: Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose again. All who trust in this truth are spared an eternity of separation from God. You are saved. You don't have to do tricks. You don't have to perform. You don't have to excel. You don't have to compete for anything. It is yours... free... for the asking. The gift made possible by a merciful and gracious God.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2: 8-9)

But there are no replacements.

Unlike my son's dead cell phone, there is not an option once you die to "sign up" under different contract terms. If you pass on the free gift of salvation and you expire, you have made an irrevocably bad decision. It's something that can't be undone or renegotiated. There's no bargaining or bartering.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

There is but one path to salvation.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

My son fired up Todd's old cell phone last night and got himself a Bon Jovi ringtone. He has reconciled the fact that we will not be smacking down $300 for a Lexus-level cell phone for someone who doesn't even smell of after shave. The shiny, new phone still sits in a bag of rice awaiting a technological miracle of some sort. But it's all good. Cell phone, schmell phone. He's going to heaven and that's the main thing.

Are you?

Photo by b2tse... click here for restrictions.

Pride Is... What?

2009-02-02T13:15:00.006-06:00

Stand tall, don't you fall.
Oh, for God's sake don't go and do something foolish.
All you're feeling right now, is silly human pride

(Lyrics from "Stand Tall" by Burton Cummings)

OK, I don't have this song in my iPod library. I don't actually like this song. I find it kind of corporate-marketing-meeting cheesy. That of course is just my opinion (I don't have any Bruce Springsteen songs in my collection, either...). But there's something in the verse about the "silly human pride" that's worth a look. A careful look.

What does the word "pride" mean, anyway? I'll bet if you took a person-on-the-street poll, you would get answers like: "Someone who can't say she's sorry." And that would be correct. Or, "Someone who can't accept help." And that would be correct. This is probably the popular, normative understanding of the word. But as it relates to what God finds upsetting in the spirit of the creature, is there more to the story? Have we taken a truly reviling and ignoble human quality... a mortal fault... and turned it culturally into a kind of euphemism? Narrowly defining it such a way that we miss the point of what it is that leads God to allow for sometimes painful correction in our lives?

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)

I was trying to sketch out a kind of "trajectory" of what precipitated some legendary "falls" in the Bible. To see if there is a pattern of some sort. I looked at Satan (who was of the highest angelic order before he fell), Moses (who had a top job but wrestled with "people" issues), David (who defied God and counted his men and also sinned with Bathsheba), Solomon (who amassed a fortune and turned his affections to pagan women). There are lots of other falls, of course, but here we have a sample for illustrative purposes. All those mentioned got to the top of something. Is it possible that, like a dripping faucet, there was something "leaky" in the ascent that created a heart condition that led them to sin and, ultimately, fall? Could we call it selfishness? And is this selfishness a manifestation of pride?

Pride: noun (from dictionary.com)

1. a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc

Larry Crabb wrote an illuminating book called Inside Out that deals with the perils of living our lives fixated on self. And it's popular to assail the problem with "pride" in our Christian walk. "That's a pride thing," we say somewhat knowingly. But, more and more, I wonder if I really have a clue as to how this pride really manifests. And so long as culture has me thinking it's a "silly" or narrowly defined she-won't-accept-my-offer-of-meatloaf issue, am I inclinced to properly deal with it? I'm beginning to wonder if I have a clue as to what pride really looks like... and that's, uh, scary.

Question: What does pride look like in your life?

On my iPod... _____________. Having a new music deficit!

2009-01-31T08:56:00.005-06:00

My dog and I walk a couple miles every day. Along our route we encounter two beautiful dogs that are mostly white with tan spots. Both have arresting crystal-blue eyes. They are mostly "outside" dogs and never, ever miss an opportunity to rush the fence and bark their snouts off. One day, their owner was outside doing yard work and I stopped to inquire about the pedigree of these gorgeous creatures. I instantly recognized the legendary lineage of these prize-worthy specimens and nodded my head knowingly.

"Simple mutts," the man allowed.

"Ah," I said, "the best kind."

So, every day, day upon day, week after week, for some four years now, these dogs have responded in a predictable way to our daily appearance. They bolt to the fence and they bark at us. This despite the fact that my dog, Ruthy, has never once engaged them. I have never tried to leap the fence. We have never so much as coveted a Frisbee, tennis ball or spare rib bone. But these dogs are on point. They are missional. The are single minded in their goal. Their raison d'etre is to defend and protect their space.

God wants our focus.

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, 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. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12: 1-3)

There are no doubt days those pets feel tired or dog-stereotypical lazy. Maybe they'd rather be lying belly up in a tuft of grass bathed in Texas sun. Maybe they'd rather be gnawing the heck out of a rubbery chew toy. But their innate focus is to stay focused on a priority that is instinctive to them.

What if we were so zealous in our faith as to never take our eyes off our mission in Christ? What if we were defenders of our faith and living as if our life depended upon bringing glory to our Creator. (Of course, in Jesus Christ, we are removed by faith from the burden of proving ourselves.) Still, it's worth some serious reflection as to where our mission lies and how we are living inside that mission.

How we lose focus.

So, the dogs are utterly predictable. We walk by, they go nuts. Yet one day, the pattern broke. As we approached the familiar house with its lovely canine residents, there was silence. No rushing, no barking, no nothing. Are they gone, I wondered? No, they were there. Planted like cake toppers at the bottom of a tree with those crystalline eyes fixed upwards.

"Hey guys!" I called. Ruthy cautiously broke from the path and edged over to where they were standing behind a see-through metal fence. It was as close as she'd gotten to these dogs ever. But they didn't so much as flinch. They were utterly oblivious to us even though, were it not for the fence separating us, I could have reached out and stroked them. I could have been a big, old slobbering mad dog. They didn't care! Ruthy could have been the Tarrant County Dog Catcher. They didn't care! Bloomin' Bigfoot could have been bearing down on them. They didn't care! The threat of enemy invasion was suddenly yesterday's rawhide. Because, you see, there was a squirrel in that tree. Now, the mission had shifted. Protect and defend had taken a back seat to catch that thing and eat it!

The snares of Satan.

And that's how it goes in our own lives so often. Satan shifts our focus. The real enemy is lurking and waiting to pounce while our eyes are fixed on something else. Satan even shifts our focus with counterfeit opportunities, hiding our real purpose and mission behind something that seems good but is, in fact, a drain on us or a distraction from God.

'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' (Isaiah 14:14)

Satan didn't express the desire to be different from God. He wanted to be like God. So, when we look for the traps of the devil in things that look expressly evil or stereotypical-Hollywood ghastly, are we missing the metal-teeth traps right in front of us? In the diminished mindset of those dogs, that squirrel was captivating and nothing, absolutely nothing else mattered. It wasn't a 102-pound bull mastiff or a 215-pound dog catcher that seized their attention... it was a small, vulnerable creature with a brain the side of a hazelnut that took them off mission.

Beware of myopia.

All of this makes me wonder what the dogs are doing when they aren't stirred to defend and protect (or lust). Which is a question for me, too. Did the mysterious unrevealed human author of Hebrews mean that I should immerse in Scripture and become a student of Jesus Christ to the exclusion of all else? That I should board up and shutter out the world around me? Is that what "fixing eyes" is all about? Am I to myopically stare ahead without regard to what's going on around me?

I believe we are to fix our eyes metaphorically, as revealed by the author of Hebrews. It is ultimately much more than a simple vision exercise. We need hearts and minds affixed to Christ, so that thoughts and actions and our very mindset adhere unwaveringly to truth that we find in Scripture. We're running a marathon and there are people lining the route that we need to invite into the race. There are also those running in our midst who have stumbled or fallen who need to be helped even carried. This requires that we look beside us, behind us and beneath us. That our consciousness is never removed from the familial bond and the family inheritance we have in Jesus Christ, but that we don't miss the lost, the struggling and the wounded because we fail to see them in a pursuit of knowledge.

Question: How and where are you most vulnerable to shifting focus from Jesus Christ?

Pic of Ruthy.

2009-01-30T08:06:00.000-06:00

Hey, that should be our tagline, don't you think?

Sonrise Update

2009-01-21T11:21:00.003-06:00

Great session this morning... and a sobering look at the model of humanistic psychology and its impact on many surprising aspects of mindset and culture. Next Wednesday, we'll talk about angels from the perspective of Scripture. What is their role and function? What do they look like? How did they minister to people long ago? How to they differ from humans? Are they actively intervening on our behalf today? Please come and also share your amazing "encounters" with God next week.

Don't forget to order your Boundaries book for our February study!

Please join us, wherever you are, in our prayers for former President George W. Bush and our new President Barack Obama. We prayed specifically this morning that George Bush and his family would transition with a sense of peace to the next leg of life's journey, knowing that there are many who stand grateful for his years of commitment and service to our nation. We prayed for safety and health and protection for Barack Obama and his family, and that the guiding hand of God would be firmly on his shoulder, ever affirming his Christian faith and providing discernment and wisdom... and that change in whatever form it takes transcends politics and economics and culture and results, ultimately, in glory to God.

Love, Sarah

The Pantry vs. the Seminary

2009-01-21T10:02:00.000-06:00

Before the start of a new semester at DTS, I found myself in a bit of a juggling dilemma. We'd spent much of our Christmas break out of town and upon returning, the house was in a December 26 time warp. It was now January and most of my friends had long retired the old Christmas stockings, but we'd come home to vestiges of wrapping paper on the floor and a dried out tree in need of undecking. Not to mention the post-vacation laundry assault and the never-ending battle I always seem to lose against counter space clutter. I had a moment (that actually lasted about four days) of seriously contemplating dropping out of seminary, which I attend part-time, to focus like a worker ant on my house. The catalyst for this was actually an incident involving my husband and my pantry.

Imagine, if you will, a junk drawer that is accessible by foot. A place where soup sits alongside cereal and onion flakes, and chocolate baking chips buddy up to stewed tomatoes and third-grade cotton-ball crafts. Where ketchup bottles are scattered about, pocking nearly every shelf like a polka dot sweater. Where expiration dates pre-date Pauline epistles. Where there's the ever present danger of things like kidney beans--the canned ones--getting edged out by jars of mixed nuts and landing on someone's foot (or head).

So there stands poor Todd one day, at the threshold of the abomination and desolation that is my pantry.

"Uh, got any mocha coffee in there, 'ya think?" he attempted.

"Oh, dear," I cautiously began, "Could be behind the Rice Krispy treats. Or the cling peaches? If not there, than check behind the Grape Nuts. Or the paper towels. Or beside the ketchup, maybe?"

"Which ketchup?" he asked, eyeing enough condiment bottles to accommodate a new heaven and a new earth.

Todd paused briefly, then shut the pantry door, subordinating his lust for a cool Starbucks and avoiding avoid bodily injury and/or wasted man hours searching.

So began an extended inner battle of the pantry versus the seminary.

In the end, I concluded it's possible to have a livable pantry and also swing a single three-hour course. But it was a bit of a process getting there.

God's Revelation

I've never heard the audible voice of God. I've never had a vision. But God communicates to me and to you in diverse and varied ways.

Theologians speak of two "classifications" of God's revelation: "general" and "special." General revelation is how God reveals Himself as the Creator and "CEO" of all matter. General revelation is not not limited, as we know it, by a specific time or space in history and it is not manifest in words. Instead, it touches our senses. From the beginning, we have been able to look to the sky at the vast expanse of stars or the diversity of life forms on earth and sense that there is a force at work that is far greater than mortal man (Psalm 19), though not all connect the dots to the one, true God (Romans 1: 18-23). From the beginning, man has felt the "tug" of human conscience and has been able to perceive that there is something beyond the mortal consciousness (Romans 2:15), though not all heed this tug (Romans 1:18-23).

Special revelation, then, speaks to the way in which God has revealed Himself at specific and defined times to individual(s). The fullest special revelation comes to us in Scripture. The Bible itself is revelation. It also describes revelationary events (e.g., ancient appearances and utterances of Gods, visions, miracles, prophetic and apostolic communication, historical events, including creation of the Church, and the person and works of Jesus Christ.)

So, there's a lot we can know about God because He has graciously revealed aspects of Himself and His will pretty much all over the place. In our day to day lives, God communicates to us through the Holy Spirit. In my life, typically, by creating a special awareness of something or someone. A person placed upon my heart in need of prayer and support. Scripture that captures the attention and seems to have some sort of illuminating or guiding purpose. Any number of seeming "coincidences" that result in something purposeful for God.

(Is anybody wondering what, pray tell, this has to do with my pantry? I'm getting there, I'm getting there...)

God Whispers

So, I was coming home after running an errand last week and I felt very attuned to the bleak winter landscape. I drove by yard upon yard of yellow, straw-like grass lying dormant and pale in the cold. I sensed in a heart-felt, tuggy kind of way as if I was supposed to pay attention to this. So, I did. At one point, I rounded the corner and, though it was barely above freezing, there was one neighbor who had a lawn full of lush, velvety green grass. It stood in striking contrast to a landscape of yellow. One thriving lawn in a sea of old-photo yellow. Then I noticed his sprinklers were on.

Instantly, I had this green versus yellow grass analogy in my head that had a V8 slap kind of spiritual linkage. I was reminded of a course I took on Leviticus and how the "holiness" required of the Israelites was all about being different or "set apart." God's people were to aspire to a standard of conduct and thought that wasn't arbitrated by the world. It's God's standards to which they were to aspire.

My neighbor with the green grass has a different kind of grass. His grass stays green all winter long, while mine goes dormant and yellow. As Christians, you are like that green grass. You are different. Not because of anything you achieved on your own, but by virtue of the decision you have made to follow Jesus Christ.

But just as my neighbor had his sprinklers raining down on that grass, we are called to be active in our faith. To keep growing in pursuit of Christ. And that requires a tending to or watering of our faith.

I felt strongly that the "watering" of my own spiritual growth would not be accomplished by dedicating myself to the function of throwing out 2,000-year-old cans of corn niblets. While the cleaning of the pantry is vital periodic household task, it's not the reason to bail on the education that builds a ministry.

The Test of Scripture

By this point, I now have a different vibe going and see my decision to bail on seminary as potentially foolish. But at this point, it is still a feeling. And feelings deceive. So I need to check these feelings with Scripture, which is God's most detailed propositional (words) revelation.

Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding; do not forget and do not turn aside from the words I speak. (Proverbs 4:5)

This verse resides in a section that challenged ancient listeners to follow the teachings of God to avoid being deceived and fall into harm. What can I reliably infer from this verse today? That the pursuit of God's truth is as critical to those of us living today as it was when this verse was spoken or written. This is a universal, unchanging principal for me and for you. We are to pursue God. What is the most reliable source of God's revelation in our midst? Scripture. And for me, anyway, the best path to learning about Scripture has been seminary where every semester I am smacked upside the head with some new glint of understanding passed on from an incredible professor and, at the same time, humbled by how little I really know.

This weekend, Todd and the boys rolled up their sleeves and pitched about eight black trash bags of junk we'd accumulated that needed to go. I worked on the pantry while Todd and his little band of helpers raided closets and stripped them of clutter. It was a beautiful team effort that suggested to me that we have underutilized resources in our midst--i.e., the kids.

So, now I have a reasonably respectable pantry (though we never did find the Starbuck's mocha...) and I am back at seminary in a compelling study of angels, demons and sin. The confusion is gone and I'm right where I believe God wants me to be. Thanks to the whisper of God and the affirming truth of Scripture.

Photo of someone else's clean pantry. Click here for Jiggs Images' restrictions on use of this pic.

Sonrise Update: Meeting Wednesday!

2009-01-13T10:04:00.003-06:00

Sonrisers... great time of sharing (and laughing) this morning. Welcome and Happy Birthday to AN! We looked at aspects of "happiness" this morning and will continue the theme next week by examining the ultimate human aspirations. We'll be comparing and contrasting humanistic psychology with Christianity. Please read the following Scripture: Matthew 6:33, John 18:36, Luke 12:7.

New Meeting Day

Also, please note the date change for our life group. We will no longer be meeting on Tuesday's. Beginning next week, please join us on Wednesday mornings from 8:15-9:15 at 121 Community Church in Grapevine. You do not have to be a member of our church! Contact me here for more information.

Bye for now!

Sarah

Meet Logan

2009-01-09T11:20:00.002-06:00

This is so precious... it will touch your heart.

"... Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me..." (Matthew 19:14)

In Search of Truth

2009-01-09T08:09:00.009-06:00

Bernard Madoff swindled $50 billion dollars from thousands of investors worldwide committing what some are decrying the biggest financial hoax in history. People burned and singed by Madoff's "Ponzi" scheme include private citizens, institutions and corporations. My heart goes out to the many people whose economic viability--the ability to pay today's bills and plan for tomorrow--was tethered to untruth. We have a pecan tree in the back yard and it's hard to tell just from looking at the shell which ones are hollowed out and full of decay. So it goes with the human experience.

Perception vs. Truth

Often we confuse our perceptions about the state of reality with that of truth. Madoff's investors put their trust and confidence in something they thought was true. But the reality proved false. I found a very helpful explanation of truth vs. reality on pluggedin.com:

Reality reflects the varying conditions and circumstances that characterize our world—right or wrong, they’re all a part of “real life.” Truth, on the other hand, is objective, eternal and absolute. For the Christian, it is grounded in the Word of God.

Our Clouded Vision

It's a tricky, shadows and light world in which we live. How often do we take the "right or wrong" aspects of our reality and embrace them as truth? Making decisions and living our lives pointed toward a direction that seems right based upon the conditions and circumstances of our world only to be spit out and deposited outside the boundaries of God's truth. Truth transcends our experiences and perceptions.

Sometimes we suffer from faulty vision. If I encounter better-than-acquaintance-but-not-quite-BFF Betty Jean in the cereal aisle at WalMart and she snubs me, I may think that she hates me. My perceived reality is that I have just cheerfully chirped "Hi, Betty!" and she has cruelly rejected me with an incomprehensible sputter and a frosty, mean- girl stare. My perception is that we are no longer friends and I won't be calling Betty for coffee next month. Unbeknownst to me, however, Betty's 12-year-old Yorkie was put to sleep that morning. My perception of her feelings about me had no grounding whatsoever in truth. Betty was mourning not snubbing.

God's Truth

Truth can set us free (John 8:31,32), sanctify us (John 17:17-19) and purify us (1 Pet. 1:22). “Reality” cannot. Truth, as found throughout Scripture, gives us a reliable set of unwavering parameters to live by. Reality is affected by time and manipulated by the agendas of man. It knows no boundaries of acceptability. Every form of depravity is “real.” Does that mean it’s acceptable? (pluggedin.com)

The Spirit of God worked through divinely empowered human beings to reveal truth through the medium of words which are now canonized in Scripture. Theologians use the term "propositional revelation" to describe God's provision of truth through the written word. The Bible is the Christian's "mapquest" to salvation and a "playbook" for moral living. The text is alive and relevant to every aspect of our relationship with God and one another, and is simply truth defined.

Pursuing Truth

So, Scripture is truth. Going back to my hypothetical encounter with Betty Jean in the cereal aisle, how would my thoughts (and actions) play out if I were on a quest for truth?

Step 1: Suspend My Judgment (1 Samuel 16:7)

Understand that my "gut" feeling about Betty Jean--my perception--might not be true.

Step 2: Check My Heart (1 John 4:11)

When my feelings get hurt, my focus turns inward. My first concern is "self" not "others." This is a normal, natural first response and the universal heart affliction of our fallen state. But, as followers of Christ, we need to pray for help from the Holy Spirit to overcome this tendency to self-protect or "get back" at others when the perceived injury involves pride.

The Madoff crime is a worst-case example of something that seemed true but proved to be false. But all reality--macro and micro--is rife with untruth that often masquerades as truth. Our challenge is to discern the difference. Thank God we have Scripture as revelation to guide us.

Quotes in green from a wonderful article by Bob Waliszewski and Bob Smithouser from pluggedin.com. Click here for the full text.

Photo by The Rocketeer, click here for restrictions.

Sonrise Update

2009-01-07T10:23:00.003-06:00

Sonrisers... so wonderful to reconnect yesterday. Thanks to KP for a powerful devotional on worry. I'm still processing her insights and everyone's shared input. Please don't forget to read the handout this week!

Next week... let's talk about happiness. Our Scripture periscope is 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8. Also, consider this quote by the French Philosopher Blaise Pascall: "All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and others avoiding it, it is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves." Do you agree or disagree with this?

We will be reading Dr. Henry Cloud's Boundaries in February. Please order your copy now!

Love,

Sarah

Happiness Is...

2009-01-06T12:27:00.009-06:00

Just back from a week in Virginia visiting my parents and skiing at Wintergreen. Actually, I was an active participant in the visiting part but passed on the skiing (bahk, bahk bahk bahk). Still, I suited up in black and purple multi-layers and stood on the edge of slippery slopes trying to fend off the East Coast chill while watching the boys on their first-ever ski trip. I looked like the Michelan Man in a Barney costume, but managed to stay warm! Great fun, all around.

On the last night, however, I was done with the sporting life but lost the vote (4 to 1) to stay in by a fire and watch a movie. Todd and the boys wanted to pack in a few more hours of skiing, but graciously suggested that I could retire my Michelan suit for the evening and stay inside! So, there I sat on a fluffy couch with a TV remote in my hand, feeling a bit like the beer commercial guy looks. After a few minutes of surfing, I landed on the Lifetime Channel several minutes into a movie starring Heather Locklear. It was pretty much your typical made-for-TV deal, but something had me hooked and I hung with it to the end. I learned a lot, too.

The Plot

I can't remember the name of the movie, but the character played by Heather Locklear, a mother of two young children, is recently divorced and off on a solo trip to Hawaii to celebrate her 40th birthday. She hooks up with a 20-something surf instructor and spends the rest of the movie going back and forth between Hawaii to keep the affair alive. In the end, "love" prevails and there is the suggestion of a happy albeit complicated ever after.

The Theme: Pursue Happiness At All Costs

This sentence was uttered two or three times by Locklear's character: "They [the kids] like me better when I'm happy." This was how the character justified dumping her young brood for a week every month to romp around Hawaii having sex. Which made perfect sense to not only her, but managed to also shut up her critics.

The Trap

Have you ever fed a ticket machine at Chuck 'E Cheese? It makes those gobbling, snarfing, chomping sounds as it devours the ticket. That's how this movie struck me. I imagined all the people out there bug-eyed on a sofa watching this movie. Choking down a message about pursuing happiness at all costs. Justifying selfish, destructive behavior by passing it off as being in the best interest of someone else. Harmless Hollywood chick flick fare? Maybe so. Maybe not.

What Scripture Says

For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness. Consequently the one who rejects this is not rejecting human authority but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. (1Thessalonians 4: 7-8)

Much has been written on this subject in recent years, but someone said it best who said that "God is most concerned about our holiness not our happiness." Happiness is a fleeting and transient emotion that derives principally from man-made sources. And as quickly as it comes, it goes. So, when we chase off with blinders to God in pursuit of earthly pleasures and treasures, we are grabbing at fog. Not to suggest that we as Christians can't or shouldn't be happy or enjoy the state of happiness. My laughter is now officially a source of embarrassment to my tween who has hit the I-would-rather-die-than-draw-attention-to-myself stage. "Can you control that?" he often pleads. Through Christ Jesus, we are free to know joy. But when the pursuit of fun becomes life's driver, edging out our focus on Christ, we become vulnerable to temptation and high-wire instability. We say and do reckless things that threaten our primary relationships and our Christian vision ices over.

Question: What makes you happy? Why?

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T21:22:00.003-06:00

Photo taken of sky over Orlando by Todd Onderdonk!

Jesus is the Reason...

2008-12-16T21:51:00.008-06:00

I learned a lesson on Sunday when I set out to bake an award-winning, multi-layer Southern Living white chocolate cake. Nothing good has come out of my kitchen since 1993, so I'm not quite sure what possessed me to attempt the Martha Stewart thing. But I wanted to provide this outstanding baked treat to a few people for Christmas and attempted a "dry run" with the family to make sure it tasted as good as it looked.

After three-and-a-half hours that left my kitchen looking like an encounter with the Unibomber, the cake that flung from my oven tasted like leather smells and had the texture of a 14-day-old bagel.

"I think we need some ice cream here," I mournfully said to Todd. No doubt sensitive to the subtle quiver in my lower lip, Todd bolted for the freezer and returned with a gallon of Blue Bell Pralines and Cream. The kind of ice cream that fixes most anything.

"Do you want this on the side?" he gently asked.

"Please pile it on the top," I croaked.

Then I waited. And waited. And waited. The ice cream clung to the surface like a bobber on the lake.

"It won't even soak in!" I wailed. It was then I realized I had just baked a patent-pending recipe for tire traction on frozen asphalt.

Disappointed but undaunted, I tossed my award-winning cake into the trash and set myself in front of google to search for "five-star cookies." What emerged was a winning recipe for pumpkin drops. It didn't seem too Christmasy, but, after my cake disaster, I just wanted something people could actually consider eating. After a trip to Walmart for the new ingredients and about two more hours in the kitchen, I slid from the oven two cookie sheets of brownish orange lumps that bore a striking resemblance to East Texas dirt.

"Who wants to try these?" I cried. Todd and the boys exchanged worried glances. Baking project number two was an unmitigated flop.

I could see now grief just streaking Todd's face (no doubt contemplating his own front-yard disaster the day before involving the re-stringing of the lights on our swivel-headed lawn reindeer. "It's not as easy as it looks," Todd explained as he gestured to the metal creature on the lawn that looked a bit like a sheep with alopicea and rickets.)

So here we languish in Colleyville with a trash can full of baked goods they wouldn't throw at a Medieval prisoner and a lawn ornament that is borderline frightening to young children. Then it occurred to me, at last, that I was losing my way this Christmas. That Jesus is the reason and He was nowhere in my limited sight.

So, yesterday, I pulled out my trusty Sugar Cookie recipe and decided to go with what I know works. In the background, I had my laptop playing Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) sermons, including this amazing fusion of improvisational music and preaching by Richard Allen Farmer. I could feel all the stress of the baking and the shopping and the field trips and the recitals and all the other stuff we pile on top of Christmas just melt away. Talking to a friend this morning, she suggested that Jesus be brought into every activity we engage in, whether we are stringing lights or waiting in a long check-out line. I believe this is the key to maintaining our focus and our grace at this time of the year, and the true source of our joy.

Question: Where is Jesus in Christmas preparations for you?

World's Best Sugar Cookies

2008-12-16T15:52:00.000-06:00

An oldie but goody from the vault...

I found a recipe for "The World's Best Sugar Cookies" on cooks.com. These cookies are incredible. My friends and I think it may have something to do with the combination of oil, powdered sugar and butter.

If you use this recipe for cut-out cookies: the dough is airy and the cookies are very fragile. I wouldn't advise making super thin cookies; go a little thicker to avoid breakage. Use chilled dough and a metal spatula (I use a smaller cake server) to transfer cookie dough from your work surface to the cookie sheet. Also, I remove from the oven right at 10 minutes to avoid over-baking.

Enjoy!

WORLD'S BEST SUGAR COOKIES
Printed from COOKS.COM

Ingredients

1 c. butter
1 c. vegetable oil
1 c. sugar
1 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 beaten eggs
5 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar

Cream butter, oil and sugars; add vanilla. Stir in eggs and beat well, add dry ingredients and chill. Roll in walnut size ball, flatten with glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Very crisp. Half of a recipe makes a lot.

Frosting (optional)

1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 T milk
2 cups powdered sugar
Food colorings

p.s. Making a big batch of cookies this Christmas? Don't forget the "unsung heroes" who work so hard behind-the-scenes on our behalf-- e.g., the mail carriers, refuse collectors, and all those wonderful folks in the many service industries we've come to rely upon. Imagine the world without them!

(Pic by georgie grd; see flickr.com for restrictions.)

Sonrise Upate!

2008-12-03T13:46:00.005-06:00

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thess. 5:16-18

Hello, friends! We are back from an action-packed Florida Thanksgiving. It's been a tough month for Life Group with our collective travels, appointments, sick kids, etc. Let's pray that next Tuesday is a go... we'll continue with plans to share our three-minute "stories." Then the following week, we'll examine the three aspects of worldliness that we threatened to talk about a few weeks ago!

In lieu of getting together this week, I would ask you to perpetuate the "thanksgiving" spirit. In a kind of reverse but potentially revealing fashion. Pick one of the following exercises to reflect on this week:

Exercise 1: What and Why?

Typically, when we gather around the Thanksgiving table and throughout the day, we focus on God's blessings. For me, it's a bit like a kaleidoscope. So much to fathom and process that I don't stop in a meaningful way on any one blessing to seriously reflect and process. They're all just kind of colorfully morphing around in my mind. Everything from the goodness of God to Starbuck's Special Anniversary Blend. At the risk of sounding dismissive, that's honestly how it often goes for me. As I run through all the blessings brought to mind, the sublime and the mundane often get dumped into a big, old mental sieve where the intensity of gratitude for any one thing can become diluted. I'm challenging myself to re-visit and really ponder some of the key things I'm thankful for. I would encourage you, also, to freeze frame on one or two blessings this week. Thank God for what He has provided. Meditate on the provision. Then ask yourself why you are thankful for whatever it is.

Exercise 2: Oops! I forgot to say "thanks" for...

Ask God to help you discern what are you ungrateful for! What or where is the blessing that you take for granted? Thank God for whatever insight He provides in this area. Then imagine a world without it (or him or her...) and look for ways to show your appreciation today!

If you want to attempt a cyberspace "chat," hit "comments" and let's discuss! You have to sign up for a google account... it's self-explanatory... and you can identify yourself or hide behind the cloak of anonymity if you'd rather!

Love, Sarah

on my iPod... Lose My Soul by Toby Mac

December Book Signing

2008-11-07T08:30:00.004-06:00

News Flash... Karen Graham will be joining me with her fabulous paintings on display!

Hey, friends... meet me at Corban Books on Saturday, December 6 from 10:00-1:00. If you already have a copy of Little Sins, Big Problems, you can come for Cathy P's homemade chocolate chip cookies... you know the ones!

Who: Me and hopefully you!

What: Book Signing (Little Sins, Big Problems/AMG Publishers)

When: 10:00-1:00

Where: Corban Books: 106 N Denton Tap Rd # 340, Coppell, TX 75019, (972) 304-4800

Why: 'Cause that's what they tell me authors are supposed to do...

Post-Election Reflections

2008-11-05T08:59:00.005-06:00

Someone I love once told me it's not smart to talk about religion or politics. I have taken to heart half of that advice. I talk about religion religiously. But I never feel quite right about showing my cards politically. What I find more and more, is that I really have very little in the way of a passionate leaning to share. I woke up this morning feeling, frankly, under-represented. But I would have felt this way no matter who had won last night's election. Because what I hunger for in the way of leadership is someone who will affirm the things that echo my faith. The things that help marriages and families knit together. Things that promote gentility and kindness.

So, as I caught myself kind of wistfully sighing this morning... I had to do a "reality check" with Scripture.

1. The role of government.

In truth, no living man or woman or physical entity or institution can be the image of God in our lives. Our nation is founded on principles that honor God but clearly separate Church and State. This has biblical precedent. In the New Testament, the followers of Christ were also citizens under secular rule and bound to submit to the governing body. (Romans 13). They had an ultimate moral authority and a day-to-day governing authority. Scripture reveals the philosophy of government is to maintain justice (1 Peter 2:13-14)--that is, to praise good (e.g., tax deductions for benevolence) and punish evil (Genesis 9:6, Romans 13:4). So, whether you rejoice this morning in the election of Obama or mourn the loss of McCain (or maybe you are simply too fed up to care), you have gained or lost nothing with respect to a personal relationship with the ultimate victor, Jesus Christ.

2. We are not powerless.

Friends from my Bible study group clued me into what's shaking on some of the prime time television shows we never watch. Prime time for us is get-the-kids-ready-for-bed madness, so we tend to catch a bit of news and call it a night. I like to think I'm pretty current on some aspects of culture, but I had to practically pick my jaw up off the floor as friends described some recent plot lines from Gray's Anatomy. It left me with a sick feeling for my children and their future. In my mind, I went straight to the presidential election and wondered who would be best able to lift the manhole cover off the sewer for us. But here's the thing. At some point, we have to realize that we all have a role to play in breaking society's fall (recognizing that there will come a time in the grand metannarative where the fall will be precipitous and irrevocable for some) . We can grumble and gripe about things, or we can avow to make a difference in the communities where we live and work. The starting point for the type of grassroots activism is not with a single human leader or with our own muscle mass, but with the indefatigable power and might of the Holy Spirit.

3. Prayers of the righteous.

I've heard so many people talk about how hard they've been praying over this election. But now it's time to shift the focus. We need to be praying for our new leaders, God's hand on their shoulders, and that His will be done through them. But here's the thing. I can pray until I'm blue in the face, but if I am simmering in unconfessed sin (1 John 1:9) and living hypocritically, I have broken fellowship with the One who can turn the tide. Do you want to make a difference through prayer on behalf of others and the nation? Then join me today in taking an honest look inward and acknowledging before God where our own houses need cleaning.

4. You can move and groove.

I know of people who are doing some pretty amazing things at the local level, including a woman who is leading a group of prayer walkers through a local mall to appeal to the vendors to pull down the seedy posters hanging in storefront windows. This is the kind of "spark" that has the potential to ignite a "fire." Do you see an area of need in your community? Get involved! Don't wait for a committee or an organization to tell you what to do. Ask God to give you direction and go after it!

5. The Bottom Line.

Are you stressed out or anxious? Read Psalm 46:1 and rest in the security of the One who is really and truly in control.

(Photo by BohPhoto... click here for restrictions.)

On my iPod... just kind of hanging out waiting for David Cook at this point...

Refreshing Our Perspective on Prayer

2008-10-17T17:48:00.005-05:00

desensitize vb: to make insensitive or non-reactive to a sensitizing agent

Familiarity with things can desensitize us. I used to be fearful about the long highway commute from my suburban Texas home to downtown Dallas where I attend seminary. You could shoot a Dirty Harry movie on certain stretches of Dallas highway and years spent cruising around lazy-river suburban roads with the kids had not prepared me for a 75-mile round trip alongside commuters who sometimes drive like they're going after blinking Pac Man fruit. After, ahem, a number of years now spent in slow pursuit of my degree, the fangs of the highway commute have sanded down a bit. Today, it's just a long drive in a car and, to be honest, some days it might seem like I'm going after the fruit. You see, I've been desensitized to the fear because it is now familiar to me.

People get desensitized to all sorts of things. Sometimes it's a good thing. I am grateful that my knuckles no longer turn a Geisha shade of white every time I point my car in the direction of downtown Dallas. But other types of desensitization aren't so good. People can get desensitized to sin and the suffering of others. We can even get desensitized to Scripture. I remember as a child one of my earliest memorizations was the Lord's Prayer found in Matthew 6: 9-13 which we recited weekly in church:

9 "This, then, is how you should pray:

"'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

These are the words of Jesus spoken to His disciples during the Sermon on the Mount. A divine prescription for prayer. Spiritually and practically speaking, this is huge, isn't it? Jesus on prayer. How ironic, though, that of the bazillion times I've uttered these words in church, it has only recently really resonated. You see, I had become desensitized to this prayer and turned it into a facsimile of the very "babbling" (vs. 7) that Jesus warned about two verses before!

I heard a worship leader recently say this: "Let's trust not just with our lips, but trust from our hearts." I flipped straight to the Lord's Prayer and realized that this has been an exercise in rhetoric over the years, and that I needed to internally appreciate it. In order to do that, I needed to step back and look at this prayer afresh. When I am studying the Bible, it helps to try and isolate major themes. So, that's what I did with the Lord's Prayer and this is what surfaced:

Key Fundamentals

1. You are worthy of love and respect. (9)

2. I trust you. (10)

3. I need you. (11-13)

Underlying Heart Conditions

1. Humility

2. Submission

3. Self Surrender

After isolating key themes and understanding the heart conditions necessary for internalizing this prayer, it’s helpful to re-read the words with themes in mind. Also, consider the following:

Prayer: It’s Intimate

Notice Jesus ascribed the pronoun "Our" to "Father." This is a case in which a bland little workhorse descriptor becomes a staggeringly important key word. Why did He not say "my" father or drop the possessive attribution altogether? Because, the father of Jesus is the father of all who believe and we have a familial bond to Christ. Scripture affirms this and, to most Christians, it might seem like a statement of the obvious. But have you thought about what this means lately?

The Greek word for Father here is "pater" and is used elsewhere in Scripture to refer to a male parent (Mk. 9:24) or ancestors (e.g., Mt. 3:9). "Pater" is also employed as a title of respect for an older man (Mt. 7:2), and elsewhere refers to God as the Father of all believers (Mt. 5:16). Though the true nature of our bond with God is beyond our limited human understanding, the word gives us the picture of a perfect father, a loving provider and protector, worthy of his child's love and respect.

Prayer: It's not one-sided

You notice that Jesus begins His prayer by acknowledging the honor, trustworthiness and authority of God. In this way, the Lord's Prayer is not "me" centered. Before the first petition is made to God, there is other-centered recognition of His greatness. Think about it in human terms. We all have people in our lives who "take" from us and we know what that feels like. How do you suppose God feels when we only go to Him during times of need? When our only approach to the throne comes when we need to be bailed out.While there's not a thing that you or I could do to fill a "need" in God because He is perfectly complete, we should be praising His authority and goodness, and expressing to Him our love and gratitude.

Prayer: No Boats or BMW's, please

"Give us today our daily bread" does not bloat into boats and BMW’s. Our "daily bread" is perhaps a reference beyond food to our most basic needs. But if our prayers are chock-full of requests for "things" and "more things" on top of the seam-busting array of "things" we already have, I wonder if we've gone astray of what Jesus meant when He told His followers to ask for "daily bread."

Prayer: Necessary Forgiveness

The author Gary Thomas has a particularly thought-provoking message in his book, Sacred Marriage. Thomas suggests that when we are bothered by something with respect to our spouse--a habit or personality trait--that we should step back and see if the problem doesn't reside with us. Is it my own deficiency or sin area something I notice in others? If we could see our own role—a true and unvarnished picture of ourselves—in relationships that challenge us, maybe we could bridge nearer to the necessary forgiveness of others that Jesus calls for in The Lord’s Prayer.

Bible Study Tip: Are there passages of Scripture that have lost impact in your life because you have become desensitized to the message? Try reading them with a focus on identifying key themes or re-write and paraphrase the verses in your own words as a journal exercise..

References for this article include the NIV Study Bible (Zondervan 1985), Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Zondervan 2006) and Webster's New Dictionary of the English Language (Merriam-Webster 2005). Photo by impactmatt, click here for restrictions.

2008-09-30T08:30:00.001-05:00

Our family mourns the passing last week of a dear friend, Dr. Ted Mock. He had a brilliant mind that harmonized faith and science, and he will be missed. Below is a reprise of a blog interview I had with Dr. Mock a couple years ago.

2006 Interview with Ted Mock...

2008-09-30T08:25:00.001-05:00

I was curious about recent scientific news reported in Newsweek Magazine. So I consulted family friend, Dr. Ted Mock, who is a scientist. Dr. Mock has some interesting thoughts on science and God. I have his permission to share the note below.

With respect to your query pertaining to the origin of the universe, let me preface my remarks with the statement that many scientists like myself believe in a “world of reason” and a “world of faith,” and properly understood they shed light on each other, they are never in actual conflict with one another, and they simply must be accepted on the basis of their own terms.

Scientists and mathematicians – [think here of the well known Goedel's Theorem that proves the existence of meaningful mathematical statements that are neither provable nor disprovable, now or ever] – have accepted the fact that there are some statements that can neither be proven true nor false. To my way of thinking, scientists will never be able to “prove” nor “disprove” the existence of God. We can admire his handiwork and marvel at how he created the world and everything in it, but we will each have to accept his existence on the basis of our faith.

Scientists are constantly evoking new theories or improving on old ones as to how they believe our universe was created. One of the more popular concepts for the past half century has revolved around the theory of the “Big Bang”. But theoreticians go far beyond that concept to try to explain how the “Big Bang” was generated and how many other universes may have been created at the same time (or at any other period of time). Some theories postulate that we live in a multidimensional space of infinite membranes, and when any two parallel membranes touch at any point at any instant of time, there is a transfer of an immense amount of energy that would appear in the recipient membrane as a “Big Bang” with all the subsequent attributes we currently attribute to that phenomenon.

There are many other theories proposed for the creation of the universe. One of these is based on Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle – which can be used to assert that even a pure vacuum contains a myriad of virtual particles that come into and out of existence -- with positive charges balancing negative charges, positive energy particles balancing negative energy particles, etc. Occasionally, over an infinity of time and space, some of these particles will appear with near infinite energy, thus creating universes such as the one we inhabit. (Somewhere another universe exists which is a “negative” of our universe, the exact “reflection” of our own.) There are other theories, such as those based on the fairly recent “string theory” as a starting point.

The message I wish to convey is that the farther back we penetrate into the origin of space and time, the more we understand how limited our knowledge really is, and how we merely move the frontier of our understanding farther and farther back as if we are receding into an infinity of mirrors in which we will never catch up to our own image.

I realize that this may seem a bit confusing – because it simply isn’t clear to anyone – including Einstein. Place your faith in God, and take time to marvel at the intricacies of his handiwork, as we slowly understand them with the growth in our scientific knowledge.

Dr. Ted Mock is a distinguished scientist and educator who holds graduate degrees in engineering, chemistry, international affairs, business administration, and a Doctorate in nuclear science. He also has a J.D. and L.L. M in intellectual property law. Dr. Mock has served as a professor of mathematics at the U.S. Air Force Academy, the George Washington University and the University of Virginia, and a Visiting Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has also contributed as a Senior Science Advisor to the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Energy.

(Photos by Alidarbac (top) and Feuillu. See flickr.com for restrictions.)

Sonrise Meeting Next Week!

2008-09-19T08:14:00.004-05:00

Great discussion Tuesday on an incredibly revealing verse in Hebrews. You had some stellar insights. At JH's suggestion, this week we tackle James 1: 1-8.

1. First pray that God will lead you in your study.

2. Then read the Bible text without consulting notes or study aids.

3. Determine who is speaking to whom and why (OK to use commentaries here).

4. Then begin asking questions. Focus on any aspect of these verses that you'd like to personally explore. You might want to do a "key word" study on one of the words, e.g., "endurance" or "trials." Or, you might want to close your eyes and visualize the experience of being "tossed by the wind" using the imagery of vs. 6. Or, you might ask why it is that we should not expect to receive anything from the Lord (vs. 7). Or, you might think of example of someone you know (or, ahem, even yourself) who has at one time or another been "double-minded" (vs. 8). So, lots of freedom here... lock on to whatever the Holy Spirit leads you to focus on and study it a bit... pray about it... ponder it.

Then at the end... let's wrap ourselves around a bit of application and consider what type of attitudes people exhibit when they are in the midst of trials/temptation/suffering... and let's see where our discussion goes from there!

See you next week!

Love,

Sarah

On my iPod... Land of Confusion by Genesis.

Sonrise Meeting: 8:15-9:15 Tomorrow!

2008-09-08T08:59:00.003-05:00

Welcome to new Sonrise Bible Study friends! We're so happy to have you join us! As you "regulars" know, we had so much fun learning about "How To Study the Bible" in the Spring, we are doing it all over again! (My favorite comment: "Can I have a cold cloth for my head?") We moved along at a pretty aggressive pace the first time around. This time, we'll be revisiting the highlights of what we learned and rolling up our sleeves to begin working more closely with the text. So this is a great time to jump in!

Below are tomorrow's notes:

Discovery Steps:

1. Observe: What does it say?
2. Interpret: What does it mean?
3. Apply: What do I/you/we do with this?

The Approach:

1. Pray: It’s a “team” effort.
2. Start with Bible.
3. Ask questions.
4. Consult references (e.g., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary, Mounce’s Dictionary of OT/NT terms, Internet sites (trusted, please!).
5. Begin answering questions.

Cover Many Bases: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How, So What? (Professor Howard Hendrix/Dallas Theological Seminary)

E.g., Mark 4: 35-41

Who: Textual Context: Verse 34 explains “them” in verse 35. Jesus is talking to His disciples.

What: A summary in your own words. They (Jesus & disciples) are leaving a large crowd and preparing to cross a lake when a violent storm hits. The disciples awaken Jesus, who was sleeping, and accuse Him of not caring about their welfare. Jesus uses three words to calm the storm then questions the faith of His students. The disciples are terrified and astounded.

When: Verse 35 tells us it is evening. Can you imagine the amplified terror of this scene in darkness?

Where: We go back to the beginning of the chapter (4:1) to learn that the crowd was so large, Jesus took a boat out onto the lake to make room for more people on land. The disciples have joined Jesus in boats. They are preparing to go from one side of the lake to the other. What lake? See 2:1. Geographical context: Capernaum/Sea of Galilee, a location known for especially violent squalls when cool mountain air meets shallow, semi-tropical waters (The Moody Atlas of Bible Lands).

Key Words: Two other Gospel accounts: (Matthew 8:22-27, Luke 8: 21-25). “Very much afraid” versus “amazed” (Mt.)?

Why: Why is this story important? What can we deduce? Is this a story about boating? Or storm preparedness? Or is it more likely a message about faith?

So what (Application): What’s the take-away? What are we to learn in 2008 from God's revelation? Are there furious storms in your life? How do you respond? Do you worry? Are you anxious? Or are you stepping out and abiding by faith?

Next Time: Read, analyze and interpret Hebrews 2:18. Who is this about? Any key words? What is the context? Is there application value for us today?

A View on Empathy

2008-09-05T09:02:00.006-05:00

empathy (noun): 1. Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives. The American Heritage Dictionary

What are the descriptors we typically use to describe God? We might say He is holy... awesome... loving... gracious... merciful... just... compassionate... pure. The list could go on, of course. In my reading of Hebrews this week, another word came to mind. God is empathetic.

For since he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

Hebrews 2:18 (Net Bible)

"He," of course, refers to the incarnate Jesus Christ, who resisted the temptations of Satan, most vividly described for us in the wilderness account (Luke 4). Though Jesus never had the experience of committing personal sin, He had direct exposure as a man to the demonic tugs and whispering that can lead to sin. Thus, Jesus acquired empathy.

As we are called in the Christian walk to model our hearts and actions after Jesus Christ, and we pray and think about what it means to be more holy and loving and merciful and just, etc., I believe we are likewise called to be more empathetic.

How does an ordinary man or woman acquire empathy? From experience. What kinds of experience? All kinds of experience. Even our sins.

I know a lot of Christians who are haunted by "guilt ghosts." Ashamed of past missteps and misdeeds and unable to move forward with confidence and agility. Satan loves and perhaps carefully works at crafting this mental rut. Because guilty Christians have less impact for God. The shame holds them back like a car downshifted into low gear.

When Christ sacrificed His body for our sins, He paid the price in full for every, single one of your sins. What you have thought and done in the past... what you are thinking and doing right now... and what you will think and do in the future. Your sins are forgiven. (Hebrews 10: 10-18)

Still, God loves a contrite heart. So, we are to confess our sins to God in prayer as we abide in a deepening and maturing relationship with Him. (1 John 1:1-10) This is not for His edification; He knew what you were going to do before you even thought about it. But He cares about your spiritual walk and wants you to have a growing awareness of what constitutes Christ-like thoughts and behaviors.

But back to this word "empathy..." I would challenge you today to reflect upon your own personal sufferings... those beyond your control and those that have stemmed from sin. What valuable lesson have you learned. And who can be helped by your experience?

Question: Who can you empathize with? Who, then, can you serve?

Taming Transitions

2008-08-26T08:49:00.006-05:00

"... the Lord will go before you, and God of Israel will be your rear guard." Isaiah 52: 12 (b)

This is for all you parents with bittersweet hearts today as you launch your children on a new leg of the journey. It's my favorite verse of assurance in times of transition. It's the picture of God paving the way... clearing obstacles ahead... while standing strong behind us... protecting and safeguarding.

I've had to remind myself the past couple of days that most transitions tote some degree of uncertainty and fear. But on the other end of most change is a routine... a rhythm... a familiar groove.

Take heart in whatever transition you face today or tomorrow that God is all around you!

(Sunrise pic by ccgd... check here for restrictions.)

Browning Bummer

2008-08-23T11:45:00.008-05:00

The chip folks (Frito Lay, Heinz, Kettle, Lance) got into a bit of trouble with California regulators for lack of compliance with respect to product "warning" labels regarding levels of a potentially harmful chemical released in high-temperature cooking. I'd never heard of "acrylamide" before so I did a bit of googling and was surprised at what surfaced.

Acrylamide isn't an additive but a byproduct of frying, baking, toasting or roasting foods--primarily plant-derived foods (potatoes, grains, coffee beans)--to the point of excessive browning. Studies on animals have suggested that extremely high levels of acrylamide prove carcinogenic. There are ongoing studies looking at what constitutes safe levels of human consumption. In the meantime, the snack producers are being fined and have said they will modify cooking methods over the next three years to reduce acrylamide levels.

We should perhaps be aware of how the byproduct sneaks into our home-cooked foods, as well. The FDA has a helpful paper on this here.

I used olive oil exclusively now, which is for the most part a good thing. But it's worth noting that the "smoke point" for olive oil is a bit lower than that of other oils. So when cooking with olive oil, attend to it carefully to prevent over-heating. And if your oil does smoke--any type--you're well advised to get rid of it and start over!

(Photos from FDA website. Pics contrast good (left) versus excessive browning which hikes acrylamide production. I know, I know... that's how I like my toast, too!)

On top of my reading stack: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean -Dominique Bauby

A Sweet Treat

2008-08-18T08:46:00.003-05:00

This was the perfect end-0f-summer indulgence for me. Elizabeth Reaser is utterly charming in the role of Inge, a 1920's mail-order bride. The multi-generational period piece has elements of winter but plays out on balance more like gentle Spring rain. Fleeting moments of innuendo put the film out of children's reach. But if you're looking for a beautifully filmed and cleverly scripted love story to wind down the summer, Sweet Land: A Love Story is a treat.

Love Letters Ministry

2008-08-02T08:30:00.000-05:00

God has worked so powerfully through a gracious and godly woman in my church who has been sending me letters of encouragement for several years now. The letters lead off with a Scripture verse and conclude with a short, personal note that always speaks to my soul. In a world of Blackberries and e-mail and IM, it's a special day when a hand-written note lands in the mailbox.

My Bible study group is launching a "Love Letters" ministry and I'd like to invite you to contact me with the name and address of someone you know who needs encouragement. Tell us a little bit about the person and his or her needs. Then, one of us will send a letter with a relevant Bible verse. You can contact me at: sarah@sarahonderdonk.com

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Firefox Looks Funny!

2008-08-02T07:03:00.000-05:00

If you are viewing this blog using Firefox, the layout looks really weird. I'm sorry about that. For normal viewing, use Explorer. I'll try and figure out if there's a fix for Firefox...

A Knopfler Gem

2008-07-27T22:15:00.003-05:00

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Darling Pretty by Mark Knopfler is available in MP3 format on amazon.com.

2008-07-26T15:36:00.003-05:00

As I was writing the post below and thinking of truly exceptional teacher/preachers, I was reminded of Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California. His sermons are broadcast here on the radio and I really enjoy listening to him in the car sometimes. I was trying to track down a link to his website for you when I came upon a tribute to his son, Christopher Laurie, who was tragically killed in a car accident this week. Christopher, who was 33-years-old and worked on staff at Harvest, had a young family and a baby due in November. Please, please keep this family in your prayers.

"Bible Teaching" Debate

2008-07-26T12:13:00.008-05:00

Interesting post on The Blogging Parson (and a good discussion under "comments" there) about the term "Bible teaching" and all that it conveys. You can check it out here.

At first read, I felt a bit defensive about seeing the "teaching" arm of the American "Bible church" under somewhat unflattering scrutiny, believing that it does fill an important role--in name and function--as it seeks to represent, edify and equip those who hunger to know God beyond a meet and greet. But, I think there's an important and valid point being raised. If the "teaching" prunes back the Bible's inherently thrilling testimony of the ministry and person of Jesus Christ, and fails to create a supportive, positive environment where spiritual passion can ignite heart-felt activism, there's a problem... something akin to vaguely symptomatic heart disease that just might eventually become a "teaching" church's major health concern.

On my iPod... Call My Name by Third Day

ROLF Over Regan

2008-07-23T09:38:00.003-05:00

Brian Regan is very, very funny!

Tasty Lentil Stew

2008-07-22T07:13:00.002-05:00

See my recipe below for the lentil soup we made last week. Please note the photo above illustrates someone else's recipe (but ours looked similar). This recipe is full of antioxidants and vegetable protein. You may also wish to use "lower sodium" versions of the soy sauce, V8 and broth if you're trying to cut back on salt. This recipe will cook to a "stew" consistency. You can add more water toward the end to make soup. Also, vegetarians can double up on vegetable broth in lieu of chicken broth. Mainstream researchers are intrigued by the potential cancer-fighting properties of olive oil and tumeric, so enjoy these ingredients in abundance!

Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

1 package dried lentils
1-2 T. olive oil
1 leek stalk (chop in “rings” and wash well in colander) or 1 medium onion diced
2 T. peeled/grated ginger root (optional)
2 T. chopped garlic
2 C. chopped veggies (celery, carrots, corn, tomatoes, etc.)
1 box Swanson’s Organic Chicken Broth
1 box Swanson’s Organic Vegetable Broth
2 Cups water
2 T. Honey
1 T. Soy Sauce (we used reduced sodium type)
1 T. Worcestershire Sauce
1 1/4 C. V8 or Tomato Juice

Spices:

Tumeric: 1 tsp.
Mild Curry: 1 tsp.
Cumin: 1 tsp.
Garlic Powder: dash

How To Cook:

Rinse lentils in colander and set aside.

Sautee leek, ginger root, garlic and rest of veggies in 1-2 T. oil over medium/high heat until tender (about 5 minutes… carrots will still be crunchy, that’s OK).

Add spices and cook another minute or two until mixed.

Add Broth, Honey, Soy Sauce, Worstshire Sauce, V8 Juice, water. Then, add lentils.

Cook over medium-high heat to boiling.

Then, cover pot and reduce heat to simmer for an hour.

Makes a bunch of servings. Freeze what you won’t use in two days.

Photo by Seitti... see http://flickr.com/photos/seitti/451267635/ for restrictions.

Useful Giving Sites

2008-07-19T16:03:00.002-05:00

Check out this site and be inspired by some cheerful givers. Curious about how various charitable organizations rate? Find out here.

Harrowing Heroism

2008-07-18T06:14:00.000-05:00

I had to remind myself to breathe during certain scenes of this suspenseful and harrowing movie. Brilliant casting serves up cringing tension between an understated and wholly believable heroine and her iconic-evil tormentors. The New Yorker nailed it: "Compelling. Wire-tight suspense. May sound like a history lesson, but don't be fooled. It's a horror film."

Turning Picky Eaters into Good Stewards

2008-07-17T06:24:00.011-05:00

Picking up here we left off a couple days ago on the subject of food conservation...

Last week's story coming out of Great Britain calling for food conservation reminded me of the World War II rationing my mother used to tell me about. Not to be alarmist about what's going on over there. The government's not decrying the end of the world. But with no relief in near sight for the world's energy woes, it appears the British government is trying to help its citizens navigate uphill challenges ahead.

My parents were young adults during a period of rationing here and I grew up hearing stories about how people had to make do without an abundance of things like sugar, coffee and nylon. My mother described the way in which women without hose would draw a line down the back of their legs using eyebrow pencil and people began to drink a coffee-substitute called Postum and would sometimes use things like jam or jelly to sweeten beverages.

"Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' (Matthew 6:31)

The Bible tells us we're not supposed to worry about what we will eat or drink or wear. We are to trust in the total sufficiency of God as our provider of all things.

"For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. (Matthew 6:32)

Some translations use the word "pagan" instead of Gentiles. The point here being that those who don't have faith have material concerns because they are fundamentally of a mindset of self sufficiency. Christ followers, in contrast, are to realize their inadequacy and trust in God to provide. He knows what we need and we are to set our minds on spiritual matters, instead.

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

I imagined myself coping in a world of rising prices and dwindling resources of "worse case" rationing magnitude. I've trained myself over the past few years to essentially live without added sugar and, except for some limited dairy, I avoid most animal products. Not for "doomsday" but health reasons. With the exception of coffee, which turns the ignition key in my brain, I like to think I could transition without major trauma to a lifestyle of stricter conservation (though, admittedly, fewer choices would take some getting used to...).

But my gut reaction as I extrapolated the Great Britain story was concern for my children's future and how unwise it's been for me to serve as "short order cook" all these years. "Oh, you don't like dinner tonight? Well, what can I make for you, instead, little sweetie?" Consequently, "Good Cop" Mom (versus "Bad Cop" Dad who's quick to say "Eat what's on your plate and thank your mother for this delicious food!") is raising up these children who are text book picky eaters. What if some staple of their diet was suddenly no longer available? They don't do substitutes too gracefully. A world of cutbacks and conservation in certain areas would be pretty difficult for my crew.

Mercifully, my default is Scripture where Matthew assures me that it is not a stocked pantry or a tremulous economy but God who sustains my children. I trust that He will provide. Still, as a mother, I have a responsibility to guide my children and if there's the chu-chu-chu-chu-chu of a slow train coming, God wants me to shoo them off the tracks.

So I've avowed this summer to make some changes. To begin building a healthier respect for our food and other resources. To expand their culinary horizons beyond the limited offerings within their respective comfort zones. I know that many if not most of you are way beyond me in this area having already adopted and are living out some of the tips that follow. But in case you find yourself in the same indulgent food rut with your kids, here are some suggestions:

"Clean up your plate!" is well intentioned but can lead to food issues and even eating disorders. Better to teach kids to serve themselves small portions then return for more if desired.

Let them participate in the cooking process. Give them a "grown up" task beyond simply dumping ingredients into a bowl. This has to be carefully supervised, obviously, but let them chop up vegetables and other ingredients when they are old enough to handle a knife responsibly. I wouldn't let my eight-year-old do this yet (unless the job can be accomplished without frustration using a butter knife), but now frequently enlist my ten-and-twelve-year-olds in the chopping mission. I will hold the knife with them for some tasks involving foods like onions which can cause a blade to slip. I've been amazed at what the kids will try and like when they've had a meaningful role in the cooking process.

Trim off eaten portion of foods they don't finish (to prevent the growth of bacteria) then promptly wrap and refrigerate. Tell them this will be their snack later. You'll be amazed at how this helps with the child who takes more than she wants. All it takes is one or two half-eaten, left-over slices of pizza or peanut butter sandwiches as the "snack" for Junior to begin taking only what he will really eat.

Gently talk to your older children about rising prices worldwide and the importance of being good stewards of God's resources. Tell your older children about World War II rationing and the creative ways in which people learned to substitute one item for another, and how a nation of individuals became a patriotic team. Talk about the importance of any ongoing environmental programs you already have in place, such as recycling. Be positive. Read from Matthew and assure them that God is always in control.

Consider having a "Good Steward" day this summer where you plan to cut back on consumption of energy (no television or driving). Prepare a vegetarian stew and homemade cornbread for dinner. Heavily involve the kids in the cooking process and look for ways to make the day fun and memorable. We did something like this last week. We worked together to make a lentil stew using a lot of vegetables we had on hand for salads. The kids did most of the prep work and for the first time ever... everyone not only willingly tried the lentils... but thought the stew was absolutely delicious. It's probably 102 degrees where you are this week, but the stew is healthy and tasty and you might enjoy making a batch this summer. I'll publish the recipe soon.

Tell the kids "no" in advance of shopping missions... that "no" will be the response to any requests for the junk you typically cave into in response to "Can I have it... please?" Then mean what you say. Don't buy it! After a few trips, the kids will see that you mean business and will back off the supermarket junk food barrage. But it's important to be consistent. Don't say "no" in advance then say "okay" to silence them at the store. Short term respite does not make for lasting relief.

Maybe some of you have some other ideas to share on this topic or some good recipes for left-overs. I'd love to hear from you! Hit the "comments" button to reply. You can sign your name or remain anonymous.

Photo by all in green: see http://flickr.com/photos/isoldesmom/434057363/ for restrictions.

On my iPod... Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore by Bon Jovi & LeAnn Rimes

Sonrise Update

2008-07-16T17:36:00.002-05:00

Sonrisers... wonderful discussions the past couple weeks from our reading of Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. Please continue to read at your own pace and we'll probably conclude this summer study within the next few weeks.

For next week... please come with plans to share your "three-minute testimonial..." something that crystallizes the impact of salvation on your life that can be easily shared with others.

Love to you all!

Sarah

Photo by Thomas Glass used with permission. All rights reserved.

Waste Away

2008-07-15T13:56:00.005-05:00

Interesting news coming out of Great Britain this past week. Seems the government is encouraging its citizens to stop wasting food in response to escalating prices. You can read about it here. There was another interesting story last week about what researchers in St. Louis theorize about longevity and calorie restriction. You can read that one here but the bottom line is that research suggests a link between longer life and reduced food intake. So one story casts food reduction in an economic light and the other saddles up to health benefits. These two stories went ding-ding-ding in my brain and sent me to scripture for some biblical perspective.

Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Cor 10:31)

This verse begins the summation of a section that deals with matters of conscience as it relates to activities that would cause someone to stumble, specifically the consumption of meat used in idol rituals. The point being here that meat in and of itself is not bad, but if there's the risk of tipping someone off the fence by taking in the vestiges of pagan living, the Christ follower should abstain. This is the Apostle Paul's writing and not surprisingly his bottom line on the subject of eating in drinking is to bring "glory" to God.

This made me think about the "glory" to God in being good stewards of His resources. It seems to me we dishonor God when we waste things like food because we are demonstrating, publicly and privately, a spirit of entitlement or lack of gratitude for God's gracious provisions. When the Christ follower wastes in public, where is the glory to God? When she wastes in private, where is the honor to God?

I remember being at an all-you-can-eat CiCi's Pizza buffet a couple years ago with a group of kids. The little boy ahead of me in line was maybe 10 years old. He proudly exclaimed, "Ten (slices) is my record!" As he began to pile slices of pizza on his plate, undoubtedly attempting to beat the record, I gently said: "I don't see how you can eat so much pizza! Why don't you just take a couple slices now and come back for more if you want to." He looked at me with those big, round, pleading kid eyes and said, "But I'm really hungry." I felt like I'd just stolen his bicycle, so I let it go. Then I watched the little guy take one or two bites off the tip of each slice, casting the balance of pizza on his tray. When he was done, he still had the equivalent of a perfect pan pizza on that tray, now contaminated and destined for a dumpster.

Not that we are any better, mind you. I discovered more than halfway through the school year that most of one of my children's school lunches was getting tossed in the trash. He was "starving" by the end of the day and one of his teachers was occasionally providing a nice snack. By my estimation, about 100 all-natural peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and an assortment of green and orange vegetables and probably some heart-healthy Kashi products plopped into the municipal landfill bewteen September and early February. (To think I even used a crimper...)

We waste in other ways. A major waste factor in our house is failure to plan ahead. We'll often decide to go out to dinner even though there are left-overs in the fridge that need to be consumed. When I'm pulling outer leaves off lettuce or red cabbage, I will often thrown out the whole leaf instead of taking the time to trim the bad spots. I rarely save the kids' half eaten meals for later. Instead, I dump them in the trash. Same thing with the "to go" boxes we take home from restaurants. They usually languish in the fridge for a couple days and when I get sick of pulling them out to reach the pickles, I pitch them.

I'm totally out of touch with what lurks behind the green beans and noodle soup in my pantry. This weekend, I found a bunch of expired canned goods and boxed products that I simply failed to remember I had. Same thing with the freezer. The back of the bottom shelf looks like an underground crystal exhibit at Luray Caverns. I waste fuel by treating my trunk like it's across between a home office and baseball dugout, and by failing to strategically coordinate errand runs. We waste electricity when we leave TV's running and lights on. I waste water and energy when I wash items like pajamas that have only been worn once. I waste more energy when I keep cool air pouring through air vents in rooms we don't even use. I could go on and on reflecting upon the ways in which I fail to glorify God by wasting the resources He has so graciously afforded us.

The folks in Great Britain have inspired me to think about areas in which my family wastes resources and, perhaps, there's even a health benefit to being better stewards of God's gracious provisions.

On my iPod... Brian Regan Live... oh, my... beyond hilarious...

Photo by hipsxxheart; click here for restrictions: http://flickr.com/photos/hipsxxhearts/2244996809/.

Meeting at Mimi's

2008-06-20T07:27:00.002-05:00

Friends... our Bible study group is meeting at Mimi's Cafe in Grapevine on Tuesday, June 24 from 8:30-9:30. We'll be back at 121 Community Church the following week. Remember to read the first two chapters of Sacred Marriage for our discussion. Contact me at sarah@sarahonderdonk.com for more information. See you there! Love, Sarah

My Cookie Secret (Shhh....)

2008-06-19T08:43:00.002-05:00

The cookie cake I just baked for Todd's department was such a hit, I received a request for the recipe. Here we go:

1. Find the dairy aisle at your nearest WalMart.

2. Pick up a big tub of "Nestle's Tollhouse Cookie Dough"

3. Get it home and smoosh w/spoon to a depth of ~1/2 inch in the bottom of a greased pie pan.

4. Follow baking instructions for "Make a Big Cookie" on the label (don't over-bake).

5. Delight in the fact something yummy just came out of your kitchen and you only have a spoon to wash!

Finished reading... Love in the Time of Cholera... famed author has a way with words... but I had a bit of trouble immersing into the messier character elements of this protracted passion play... in the end I was left wondering who to cheer for...

What Dreams May Come

2008-06-12T10:30:00.002-05:00

Next Sonrise Session: How Are You Planning for the Future?

Question 1: Describe your dream for the future.

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

Question 2: Who is served by your dream? (Circle all that apply.)

God
Me
Others

Question 3: Can you accomplish your goals without advanced planning? (Circle one.)

Yes
No

Question 4: If you answered "no" to question 3, describe some tangible tactics you could pursue right now to advance your distant goals (i.e., education, networking, counseling, lifestyle changes, etc.)

_________________________________________________

Question 5: Can you accomplish your goals without the help of God? (Circle one.)

Yes
No

Hint: "Yes" is the wrong answer...

Question 6: If you answered "no" to question 5, describe your plan for spiritual development (i.e., informal or formal Bible study, prayer, find a church, service to others, find quiet spaces for reflection, etc.)

________________________________________________

Finally, where is the synergy or integration between your answers in 4 & 6?

Summer Reading Club!

2008-06-10T09:30:00.002-05:00

Our Sonrsie Bible Study Group will be reading Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas this summer. (We'll be picking up where we left off this fall with "How To Study the Bible.") Sonrisers, please order or pick up a copy of your book this week so we can dive in. I'll try to get a copy myself today and map out a liesurely reading pace for the summer.

If you are looking for a ladies Bible study group in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, this is a great time to join us! We're very friendly and casual (got to be that time of the morning...)... but committed to growing our spiritual maturity and love for God and one another. Some of our best moments are along "side roads" that sometimes become the "main road" of a given session (this is not BSF). So if you want a highly stuctured study group, we might drive you crazy. But we do try to hold to a firm end point (1 hour) so that busy ladies can move onto the next leg of the day. Please come and check us out one Tuesday this summer!

What: Sonrise Bible Study Group
Where: 121 Community Church in Grapevine, TX: http://www.121cc.com/
When: Tuesday's from 8:30-9:30 (except next week... we meet at 8:00 a.m.)
Contact: sarah@sarahonderdonk.com

Next Week: I was admiring some Mexican feather grass the other day. Swaying back and forth with the wind. But it made me wonder how many of us are like that grass... at the mercy of the "winds" of life... living defensively... ill equipped to endure life's major transitions... stuck in a perpetual "reaction" rut... waiting passively for opportunities or solutions that may or may not come... focused on the past or the present but oblivious to the potential for the future. This week, I'd like you to think about your dreams for this life. What are they? And how are you preparing today... in tangible, purposeful ways... to ultimately realize those dreams?

On my iPod... Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits (I'm on a Mark Knopfler kick...)

2008-06-07T09:48:00.004-05:00

An interesting theological ponderable inside this excerpt about human creativity...

The artist is the creator of beautiful things.
To reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim.

From the Preface To The Picture Of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

On my iPod... Telegraph Road by Dire Straits... a long song that speeds away with an amazing guitar and keyboard duel at the end... though lamenting lyrics would seem at times to play a blame game with God...

Sonrise Bible Study Summer Schedule!

2008-05-24T14:24:00.003-05:00

Friends... please note the schedule change for our Tuesday Ladies Bible Study. This summer we'll be meeting on Tuesdays from 8:30-9:30 at 121 Community Church in Grapevine. Visitors are welcome!

A couple near-term adjustments, though...

1. Next week, we're meeting on Wednesday the 28th at 8:00 a.m.

2. The beloved and beautiful KP is leading us on June 2 at 8:30.

3. On June 10 and June 17, we need to meet at 8:00 a.m. (sorry about that... I sense the tomatoes and lettuce heads flying...)

See you on Wednesday for more on the subject of biblical context...

Love,

Sarah

Bella is Beautiful

2008-05-17T06:45:00.004-05:00

An unusual, gently paced film that leaves an echo in the heart. Lead actor and producer Eduardo Verastegui gives an understated but moving performance. Hiding behind a mountain-man beard for the balance of the film, Verastegui acts with his eyes, exposing in ways more powerful than words the character's passage from pain and hopelessness to love and redemption. Despite mature themes, Bella is refreshingly devoid of sex and violence. Filmmakers took the high road here, as Bella abounds in grace.

On my iPod... All I Need Is You by Click Five

Tough Choices

2008-05-15T08:30:00.008-05:00

When we're trying to encourage our boys to make good moral choices, we use a lot of "path" imagery (e.g., Psalm 27:11). But I've come to realize that we need to make sure that we're not painting a picture for the boys of rose petals and gentle breezes and marine skies along that right path. Because sometimes there are land mines and thickets along the good path, too. Other times we will find ourselves, quite frankly, off track where corrective measures follow painful choices.

We found ourselves stuck and nearly halted in traffic the other day. We'd gone after school to a bookstore in Lewisville and were on the early end of rush hour on the highway. But traffic was moving in slow motion. "Must be an accident," I speculated. Sure enough, as we passed a strip of familiar restaurants off to the right, we could see that a huge 18-wheeler had turned the parking lot of the Macaroni Grill into a junk yard. Cars were compressed like squeezed accordions and I prayed that the people involved by some miracle could have survived.

Turns out, there were no injuries at all. The driver had sustained a medical crisis of some sort that made him lose control of his truck. While he still had a breath of functionality, he made a split-second decision to careen his truck to the right and take out a phalanx of parked cars. If he'd gone left, instead, he would have plowed into Dallas highway rush hour commuters. So his decision, though it proved costly to property and restaurant income, undoubtedly saved several if not many lives. This is a case, I told the kids, of when the right decision proves better than the wrong one yet both options resulted in distress.

In Luke 14:25, we find Jesus en route to Jerusalem where he pauses to teach a swelling crowd that there is a cost to following Him and that they are wise to assess this cost before signing on. In verses 31-33, He relates to the people a parable about a king who wants to wage war against another king and emphasizes the importance of planning ahead:

Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? (Luke 14: 31(b)

If the war-minded king determines that he can't win the battle, Jesus teaches, he must surrender:

If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. (Luke 14: 32)

The point of this story is to show would-be followers that discipleship requires an all-out surrender to Christ, and there will be suffering and rejection and pain and abandonment of that which glorifies the self. Jesus wants people to know this up front so that they can assess whether or not they will are willing to submit to the burdens of discipleship.

But let's get inside the mind of the earthly king for a moment as we explore the subject of choices, in general. Within this parable, we have a person who has two possible courses of action or "paths." The first choice, to clip at the heels of the bigger dog, would most assuredly result in personal destruction. The second choice, which amounts to rolling over with a whimper, would result in enemy domination but, presumably, the preservation of one's life. Two choices which involve pain and sacrifice, yet one is clearly preferable to the other.

Sometimes in life, we are faced with a choice of two paths. Oftentimes, the benefits of being on the "right" path versus the "wrong" path are strikingly obvious. If you steal a car, you're going to jail. That's a no brainer.

Other times, it really comes down to making the best choice along the path we're on. If we find ourselves on the wrong road, by victimization or accident or our own personal sin, the only way back to the right track involves a decision that will result in pain. Though it appeared he was not at fault, the driver of the truck that plowed into a parking lot was the instrument of mayhem. But his choice to crash one way versus another, though calamitous, undoubtedly saved lives.

So what's my point? If you're reading this and it's sounding like I'm making the case for choosing the nicest bad behavior or a "little" versus a "bigger" sin, that's not the case. But I'm enough of a broken vessel and realist to know that all of us and all of our children will find ourselves at various points on paths that are torturous, either by our own actions or the engagement and interference of others. God allows people to wind down these roads and oftentimes we are stronger and more mature, and our consciences are fortified and sensitized for having been challenged and affronted. Learning from our mistakes can make future choices--the right ones--easier.

In all of my "right path" and "wrong path" discussions with my kids up to this point, I've focused on the absolutes: If you do "x," you will ruin you life. If you choose "y," you will stand to benefit. While there is always truth in this lesson, more and more, I see the need to build upon this instruction with the message of choosing sometimes as best we can in a given circumstance, recognizing that the right choice may have uncertain or even painful consequences.

What's our guide on the "bad path" patches? It's certainly not our human nature or reasoning, which will always drive us further into the deep, dark woods. It is love of God and one another--the twined cord that bundles God's Commandments--that will right a wrong course, making our paths ultimately straight.

My Dream Band (today, anyway!)... Chad Kroeger, David Cook, Rick Astley (I know, I know...) Chrissy Hynde on vocals... Mark Knopfler and Carlos Santana on guitar... Stewart Copeland on drums... Rick Wakeman on keyboards.

Sonrise Session #9: Cultural Context

2008-05-14T13:12:00.004-05:00

We've had a couple weeks of great discussion... off topic... but good stuff. Re. next week... I'm at the school on Tuesday and will need to re-schedule... could do Thursday, maybe? We'll chat. In the meantime... see notes for next session below.

History, PLUS... what was going down around...

o 1Timothy 2:9-10: Ancient haughties?

o 1Cor 8: Best chops can be found here, but…

o John 20: 17: Mary as messenger/ref. John 4:27

o Acts 1:8/ref. John 4:9: Yes, go talk to them.

Random Comments...

"What's the rush?"

"Where is the voice in America... after all these years... that we can hear... that's speaking out against the objectification of women?"

"It's out there... being drowned out."

On my iPod... Weather With You (Live) by Neil & Tim Finn

Mother's Day Simplicity

2008-05-13T13:44:00.000-05:00

My mother, who is 83, implores me each year to recognize Mother's Day with a simple card. "It's really all I want," she's told me for, like, 30 years.

Do I listen?

Noooo. Because, somehow, I think I know best. So, off I go every year in search of a token or a trinket or something to wear or hang or otherwise display. But after so many years of accumulating things, she is running out of space and "thing maintenance" is no longer her groove.

Mother's Day kind of crept up on me this year. I realized it was approaching four days beforehand, which left me with little time to pull together a thoughtful gift. So, this year I did what she's asked me to do all these years. I simply sent a card. Mom was thrilled. She got what she wanted.

I got what I wanted this year, too. The boys, in non-matching pajama ensembles and serious bedhead, burst into the bedroom on Sunday morning to wake me up (I'd been awake for about an hour, mind you, but Todd clued me into special events that required me to stay put!). "Happy Mother's Day!" they squealed proffering breakfast on a tray which consisted of about 18 corn flakes ("I poured them myself!") in three-and-a-half-cups of milk ("I poured that, too!), a label-emblazoned banana, and a couple splashes of orange juice in the distressed plastic Pepsi cup we've used over the years as a bath toy, bug trapper and listening device.

"This is the best Mother's Day breakfast ever," I exclaimed! Todd, no doubt reflecting upon past years of gourmet muffins, omelets and fancy schmancy coffees, shot me a look that said "Oh, sure..."

But, I meant it. I really, really did. And for the first time... I understood what my own mother has been trying to say all these years... sometimes less is best.

Produce & Pesticides

2008-05-10T22:24:00.000-05:00

Fruits and vegetables are power foods and should be abundant in your diet. But you need to be aware that some produce carries and retains more pesticide than others. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the most contaminated fruits and vegetables are (ranked high to low):

1. Strawberries
2. Green and red bell peppers
3. Spinach (poor veggie needs some good PR!)
4. Cherries (USA)
5. Peaches
6. Cantaloupe (Mexico)
7. Celery
8. Apples
9. Apricots
10. Green beans
11. Grapes (Chile)
12. Cucumbers

You might want to consider buying organics, which are pesticide free. Otherwise, it makes good sense to peel fruits if possible. Avoid non-organic potato skins. Remove and discard the outermost leaves of lettuce and cabbage. Other surfaces that can't be peeled can be washed with soap and water or a commercial vegetable wash. Washing with plain water removes 25-50 percent of the pesticide residue.

Studies show that the more fruits and vegetables consumed, the less the risk of certain cancers and heart disease. So don't give up on good foods! Just make the good foods better by properly minimizing harmful residues and, perhaps, opting for organics if you can.

Source: Eat to Live, by Joel Fuhrman. M.D.

(Photo by pocho, see flickr.com for restrictions.)

Losing My Patience (Or Finding It?)

2008-05-08T19:23:00.005-05:00

There's a sentence I'll think twice about before saying again: "I am losing my patience." Because, honestly, I now wonder if I ever really had any. I wonder how much patience you have, either!

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Psalm 130: 5-6

Key word wait: quvah (Heb: to expect, look patiently, wait upon)

Scripture paints for us the picture of watchmen longing for the first glint of sunlight creeping over the horizon, a visual that would signal for them the end of a sleepless night spent on defensive alert. Only after a prescribed period of time or "shift" can a watchman release his heavy eyes to the freedom of rest. Have you ever pulled an all nighter? Up late studying? Or working into the night on some sort of deadline-driven project? Utterly spent and aching for sleep? Even more than that, Scripture tells us, the psalmist longs for the Lord.

In order to fully appreciate these verses, I suppose one would first need to understand what it really means to wait. In the world in which many of us live today, this sense of waiting becomes more and more abstract, I believe.

In 1922, it would take days by train to chug across the country to visit Grandma.

In 1942, it might take weeks to get a letter to a loved one fighting in Europe.

In 1972, I would have to live with a bad hair style two years as it grew out. (Now, if I have the money, I can get hair extensions!)

In 1982, I would be tapping away at a manual typewriter with a bottle of White-Out nearby. Now, if I make a mistake, the computer tells me about it and I click a fix.

In 1992, I was still waiting for the newspaper to land on my doorstep so I could find out what was going on in the world. Today, I type in "msnbc.com" and learn about events and situations as they occur.

Today, if I want to feed the family a nice home-cooked meal, I don't have to shoot anything or even simmer something for that matter. I pull up to the Boston Market, brandish my credit card, and dinner is served.

So, what's to be patient about? What does that word even mean?

When the Bible tells me to "wait" on God, how can I understand a concept that human experience no longer stringently requires? Mind you, I'd be loathe to go backwards. I like my instant headline news and Boston Market on little league nights. It's a good life. Still, gone are the days of running eagerly to the mailbox to see if that letter from a loved one has arrived. We can check our inboxes, quickly read, and click to an invisible trash can. Makes me wonder if there's something we've lost in the web of progress.

So, as I contemplate this concept of "waiting" on God, I have to wonder if, despite all of our ready access to things spiritual (the entire Bible can be found here: http://www.netbible.org/), if we are at a certain disadvantage as it relates to the ability to appreciate the silent spaces of God's economy--the times we're meant to stand still and simply trust.

Strikes me as a case, frankly, of when more is truly less...

On my iPod... Welcome to Wherever You Are by Bon Jovi

2008-05-01T08:57:00.004-05:00

We do not want the men of another color for our brothers-in-law, but we do want them for our brothers.

Booker T. Washington

(Photo from: http://owlhaven.net)

Movie Star Personality Quiz!

2008-04-28T07:30:00.006-05:00

Dr. Richard's Spiritual Life course at DTS features a personal inventory called Stars & Scars that's designed to help us understand where we are spiritually weak and strong. I learned a lot about myself in that class and have been a fan of personal "polls" ever since.

A friend forwarded the quiz below to me over the weekend. It's in the spirit of fun... but if you go a bit below the surface with your Hollywood "type," you might find some areas of personal strength and vulnerability. My star type (strengths/weaknesses) was surprisingly consistent with what surfaced in my DTS inventory. So... see what you can learn!

Ladies Only: Ever wonder which movie star you are most like?

A team of researchers has analyzed the personalities of movie stars and incorporated the data into this quiz. There are only 10 questions so it doesn't take long.

Number your paper from 1 to 10, then answer each question with the choice that most describes you at this point in your life, and then add up the points that correspond with your answers.
Don't look ahead or you will ruin the fun!

1. Which describes your perfect date?

a) Candlelight dinner for two
b) Amusement Park
c) Roller blading in the park
d) Rock Concert
e) Have dinner & see a movie
f) Dinner at home with a loved one

2. What is your favorite type of music?

a) Rock and Roll
b) Alternative
c) Soft Rock
d) Classical
e) Christian
f) Jazz

3. What is your favorite type of movie?

a) Comedy
b) Horror
c) Musical
d) Romance
e) Documentary
f) Mystery

4. Which of the following jobs would you choose if you were given only these choices?

a) Waiter/Waitress
b) Sports Player
c) Teacher
d) Policeman
e) Bartender
f) Business person

5. Which would you rather do if you had an hour to waste?

a) Work out
b) Make out
c) Watch TV
d) Listen to the radio
e) Sleep
f) Read

6. Of the following colors, which do you like best?

a) Yellow
b) White
c) Sky blue
d) Teal
e) Gold
f) Red

7. Which one of the following would you like to eat right now?

a) Ice cream
b) Pizza
c) Sushi
d) Pasta
e) Salad
f) Lobster Tail

8. Which is your favorite holiday?

a) Halloween
b) Christmas
c) New Year's
d) Valentine's Day
e) Thanksgiving
f) Fourth of July

9. If you could go to any of the following places, which would it be?

a) Reno
b) Spain
c) Las Vegas
d) Hawaii
e) Hollywood
f) British Columbia

10. Of the following, who would you rather spend time with?

a) Someone who is smart
b) Someone with good looks
c) Someone who is a party animal
d) Someone who has fun all the time
e) Someone who is very emotional
f) Someone who is fun to be with

Now total up your points on each question:

1 a-4 b-2 c-5 d-1 e-3 f-6
2. a-2 b-1 c-4 d-5 e-3 f-6
3. a-2 b-1 c-3 d-4 e-5 f-6
4. a-4 b-5 c-3 d-2 e-1 f-6
5. a-5 b-4 c-2 d-1 e-3 f-6
6. a-1 b-5 c-3 d-2 e-4 f-6
7. a-3 b-2 c-1 d-4 e-5 f-6
8. a-1 b-3 c-2 d-4 e-5 f-6
9. a-4 b-5 c-1 d-4 e-3 f-6
10. a-5 b-2 c-1 d-3 e-4 f-6

NOW take your total and find out which Movie Star you are:

(10-17 points) You are MADONNA:
You are wild and crazy and you know it. You know how to have fun, but you may take it to extremes. You know what you are doing though, and are much in control of your own life. People don't always see things your way, but that doesn't mean that you should do away with your beliefs. Try to remember that your wild spirit can lead to hurting yourself and others.

(18-26 points) You are DORIS DAY:
You are fun, friendly, and popular! You are a real crowd pleaser. You have probably been out on the town your share of times, yet you come home with the values that your mother taught you. Marriage and children are very important to you, but only after you have fun. Don't let the people you please influence
you to stray.

(27-34 points) You are DEBBIE REYNOLDS:
You are cute, and everyone loves you. You are a best friend that no one takes the chance of losing. You never hurt feelings and seldom have your own feelings hurt. Life is a breeze. You are witty, and calm most of the time. Just keep clear of back stabbers, and you are worry-free.

(35-42 points) You are GRACE KELLY:
You are a lover. Romance, flowers, and wine are all you need to enjoy yourself. You are serious about all commitments and are a family person. You call your Mom every Sunday, and never forget a Birthday. Don't let your passion for romance get confused with the real thing.

(43-50 points) You are KATHERINE HEPBURN:
You are smart, a real thinker. Every situation is approached with a plan. You are very healthy in mind and body. You won't be taken advantage of. You have only a couple of individuals that you consider 'real friends'. You teach strong family values. Keep your feet planted in them, but don't overlook a bad situation when it does happen.

(51-60 points) You are ELIZABETH TAYLOR:
Everyone is in awe of you. You know what you want and how to get it. You have more friends than you know what to do with. Your word is your bond. Everyone knows when you say something it is money in the bank. You attract the opposite sex. Your intelligence overwhelms most. Your memory is the next thing to photographic. Everyone admires you because you are so considerate and lovable. You know how to enjoy life and treat people right.

Joyful Photography

2008-04-25T10:05:00.002-05:00

Check out this link: http://mightyworksproject.blogspot.com/ to see some breathtaking photography and an example of someone using his gifts to glorify God.

Photo by Kirk Jordan... please contact him via link above for permission to use.

Chipper about Chores? (Yeah, right...)

2008-04-22T21:21:00.006-05:00

Researchers at University College London have come up with a novel way to battle the blues. According to a recent study involving some 20,000 people from Scotland, those who pushed around a broom or ran a vacuum just 20 minutes a week reduced the risk of depression by 20 percent.

And to think that all these years, I thought housework was the source of my depression...

Photo by Geekgirly; see flickr.com for restrictions: http://flickr.com/photos/geekgirly/1429251603/

Sonrise Update

2008-04-19T15:38:00.002-05:00

A reminder, friends... we won't be meeting as a group for the next two weeks (April 22/29). But we'll pick up where we left off on the subject of cultural context on May 6. (Can you believe it's almost May?) Please e-mail me or call with any prayer requests and I'll forward to the group. Praying that the next couple of weeks go smoothly for everyone and that you find rest in God's unfailing love!

Love, Sarah

2008-04-15T14:03:00.001-05:00

Dylan and Colin (l, r) getting one last rehearsal in before Sunday's Barnes & Noble "gig."

Recently read and watched... The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini... a misery-soaked saga of one man's torturous quest to redeem himself... chased with a viewing this weekend of the Afghan film Osama (10 squared on the old dreary meter, albeit masterfully woven and delivered). EA... we will laugh at the comedy club, yes?

The Pharisee Within

2008-04-10T11:32:00.007-05:00

Most every seminary course I've taken has affected my outlook and heart in a significant way. Some have evoked awe over our great God. Some have kindled compassion. Others have prompted a piercing, surgical exploration within.

My current course falls into this latter category as a sweeping literary study of the gospels has peeled back the layers of the heart of a Pharisee and demanded, really, a "heart check" of my own Pharisaical tendencies.

Prior to this course, if you said "Pharisee," I would think "legalist." Certainly, that's part of the problem. But, as the professor continues to drive home, the problem with the Pharisee's heart warrants a more thoughtful and probing diagnosis. What is the basis for the legalism? What is the root of the hatred for the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ? What is at the core of the missing compassion for those outside the "club"?

It is simply this: love and prioritization of one's self.

The tough question: What are my motives?

So, I've been working on new facial creases for the past few weeks (and feeling bad that I notice that I'm doing this) as I question my motives behind just about everything. Why do I do what I do? For the glory of God? Or, for the glory of Sarah?

My instructor says our efforts on behalf of God are aimed at a "top line" where we are to be imitators of Christ, our actions obediently reflecting the desire of God. Anything that we do that is not inspired by God, but tethered, instead, to selfish gain, resides on the "bottom line." What motivates our acts of service to others? Is it all about God and His will? Or is something internal driving us? Though they may be essentially indistinguishable in their works and actions, will or should a believer and a non-believer who volunteer have different heart motivations?

Which begs the question in my own mind: Why do I write? Why do I teach? The answer, friends, better be because I love God and I love you. End of story. Not because writing makes me feel good (ouch). Or I like to hear myself talk when something halfway intelligible eventually comes out of my mouth (ouch). Or, I think it's kind of cool to have a blog (ouch). But because I love God... and I love you.

Question for today: Why do you do what you do?

Sonrise Session #8: Historical Context

2008-04-09T10:17:00.016-05:00

Historical Context: Setting, Setting… Setting!

The Bible details real events and situations involving real people physically engaged at a specific point in time. It differs from other works of non-divinely-inspired literature in that the “editor-in-chief” is a living God through whom revelation is as alive today as it was when it was first captured and conveyed by the human “reporters” on the scene long ago. (My newspaper analogy doesn’t quite cut it, friends… but it was the best I could muster this morning.)

Who was talking to whom… when, where and why?

Exegesis: Let’s let the text speak for itself.
Eisegesis (a “no-no”): Let me force myself into the text to suit my purposes.

From a sound exegetical hermeneutic, we can then determine:

a. Situation specific?
b. Timeless truth?

Apologetics:

Role of History:

Eyewitness accounts recount the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ affirmed by secular historical records. It happened… and history affirms it!

Q. How can something so old be relevant today?

A. All of Scripture—since God inspired it—is profitable for teaching (2 Timothy 3:16). But not all words contained in Scripture have direct application to me or to you. For example, in the book of Romans, Paul is thankful for “all of you” whose faith “is being reported all over the world.” He’s not talking to me here. I wasn’t even born then (though some days I feel like I’m about that old.) Paul is writing a letter to Christians in Rome in or around 57 A.D. We need to bear this in mind as we set out to interpret and ultimately apply what follows in the text.

Q. So, was the Bible written for someone other than us?

A. Scripture has preserved the gracious revelation of a living God. Its truth is as valid and alive today as it was when it was originally inspired by God and conveyed by men. When we talk about the importance of “historical context,” we don’t suggest that we are dealing in leftovers or “yesterday’s news.” Instead, we urge a careful study and understanding of what it meant then… so that we might accurately understand—as best we humanly can—and apply it today.

Q. Who was the Bible originally written for?

A. There were many human authors who took God’s revelation and put it to pen, so to speak. In order to answer that question, we need to examine each book of the Bible and try to determine 1) who wrote it… 2) to whom… 3) when… and, to the extent that we can know, why? If we can answer these questions (and in some cases, we simply don't know), we will have a basic grasp of the setting. From there, then, we can situate the text and begin to wrestle with other aspects of interpretation, including the application of what it means to those of us living today.

Q. Did God have me in mind at all when He wrote Scripture?

A. I can't grasp the mind of God. But I believe that God knew you before you were born. And though you were not the original audience for Scripture, He has graciously overseen the preservation of these accounts for the benefit of all of mankind (if only all of mankind would listen...). God's revelation has powerful relevance to our lives today. We are, as someone has said, “looking over the shoulder” of the players of the original theater and benefiting from eyewitness and other accounts, giving us, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, precious insights into the nature and will of God.

Q. What is the role of the Holy Spirit, then?

A. I believe the Holy Spirit is our ultimate “guide.” When I was undergoing cancer treatments several years ago, Psalm 91 seemed to "follow" me, surfacing four or five times from independent sources (personal study, friends, strangers) at particularly challenging points along the journey. I believe the Holy Spirit led me to this Psalm (and inspired others to lead me to it) to encourage me. Its message of hope under the protective wing of God is one of those “timeless truths” that speaks to the trustworthiness and protective oversight of God. (Interestingly, we don't know for sure who wrote this Psalm, but it appears that God is addressing Jesus when he speaks of granting a "long life" in verse 16. And Satan quotes, as well, from Psalm 91 as he tempts Christ, obviously envisioning that this Psalm is about Jesus. So, from a personal standpoint, I can draw tremendous comfort from this Psalm, as it describes an utterly loving, trustworthy and protective God. But it would be errant for me--I believe--to lock onto verse 16, for example, and imagine that God is telling me that he I will live to be someone's great-great grandmother on the basis of a verse about Jesus. Make sense?).

Where we need to be careful, I think, is when we take Scripture and “make it our own” without any regard for what it originally meant. If I use “those who are first will be last, and those who are last will be first” in some sort of funky numerology deal to try and ensure that I win something… I’ve just gone wildly afoul of this verse’s original intent and I'm thinking that's probably not the way the Holy Spirit works.

Q. How do you tell whether or not something is directly applicable to us today or not?

A. Sometimes it’s fairly easy to discern. Like I said, I know that Paul is thankful for someone other than me as he begins his letter to the Romans. In 2008, I won’t be kicked out of my seat on Sunday morning for wearing my hair in braids (though the Pippi Longstocking routine would probably send most of my family to another row) or pearls around my neck (I’m wondering what mother of three boys has the time to accessorize, anyway?) (1 Timothy 2: 9-10). But there is an underlying fundamental—a timeless truth based upon the humble, selfless decorum of a Christ follower described elsewhere in Scripture—that suggests to me today that I should refrain from dressing to show off at church. In 50-something A.D., that was evidently braids and pearls. Today, it might be low-riders and a tube top or an October birthstone lip ring (or whatever might prove a distraction to others in church).

Other times, it’s not so easy. People have built entire systems of worship around isolated phrases or sentences in Scripture. Then, someone will come along and say, "You have taken that out of context!" At which point blood pressure starts to rise, fur starts to fly... (and you will find me looking for the nearest exit.)

OK... are we now officially off topic?

So, what about the new poll! I voted once... so that means only 8 of you made your opinion known to our vast worldwide audience (OK... that may be a bit of a stretch... we're hardly vast... but so far this week my little meter shows we've had visitors from Canada, Turkey, New Zealand, Australia, Germany and Japan... as well as folks from Delaware, Kansas, Iowa, Virginia, Chicago and Texas. Thanks for stopping by!)

So... do we like the poll? Do we like the music?

p.s. And don't let me scare you away... my meter doesn't tell me who you are... mainly just where you come from geographically... and how you found the site (from "google images," one of the blog rings, etc.) It's not "big brother"... just a helpful little analytic that lets me know whether or not the blog has a pulse...

Friday's Quiz!

2008-04-04T12:53:00.003-05:00

DTS friends... have you seen the hermeneutics quiz?

http://buildingchurchleaders.com/assessments/individuals/hermeneuticsquiz.html

Perception Vs. Reality (again)

2008-04-02T13:50:00.008-05:00

On the heels of a controversial IMF report, a popular newspaper in the United Kingdom has run an inflammatory piece on the state of the U.S. economy speculating we are on the brink of a depression. To illustrate the article, editors dug up a file photo that depicts a long, hopeless ribbon of poor folks standing in line. The bleak picture looks like a contemporary dust off of the soup kitchen lines of the Great Depression.

Commentators quoting economists here say the problem with the article is that its analysis of our economic situation is alarmist and simply wrong. Problem with the photo is that it goes back a number of years and was taken at the scene of a free coat exchange in New York City presided over by the mayor, himself. Uh, hence the long lines?

So, we have a situation--shocking, I know--where what we see in the world's press is not exactly as it really is. Reality redacted.

I heard a psychologist on the news talking about the harm that could leak out of this type of news story. He said that what we take "harvest" from the media--even if we rightly doubt it--can penetrate our psyche and begin to influence our perceptions and even our behaviors.

I have loved ones who are going through "stuff," and I'll leave it at that. Though their stuff isn't my stuff, I can't help but run a parallel track with them in my heart and my mind and absorb some of what they are experiencing even though it is not directly applicable to my own life. When this transference begins to affect my perceptions, my attitude, and, ultimately, even my behavior, I enter into kind of a "shadow land" where someone else's reality almost becomes my own. (Is this my weirdest post since the dark days of pondering Pascal?)

All to say: seek to understand the truth. And when reality starts to look like a fogged up bathroom mirror, recall this:

Finally bretheren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. (Phil. 4:8)

Sonrise Meeting Session 7: Literary Context

2008-04-01T10:51:00.008-05:00

Another good meeting, friends. I apologize for letting the time run out before we could get to your "homework" assignment from last week. Good news is... those of you, ahem, whose dogs ate the assignment have another week to reconstruct it!

If you missed us this morning, see the notes below:

The Bible uses words or literature to communicate God's truth. It is revelation from God captured and conveyed through human beings whose unique backgrounds, experiences and personalities have influenced the style and structure with which they wrote and taught.

Genre (broad literary categories):
historical narrative, law, wisdom, poetry, prophecy/apocalyptic, gospel, epistle (letter), etc.

Common Descriptors:

Metaphors (symbolism):
Vine (Jesus) and branches (disciples) John 15:5; God symbolized by fire (Hebrews 12:29), Lamb of God (John 1:29), Bread of Life (John 6:35)

(Note: context always determines meaning. Is "shepherd" always Jesus? Is "fruit" always actions/deliverables?)

Similes:
Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed (Matthew 13:31), Pharisees… are like whitewashed tombs (Matthew 23:27)

Point of View: A "lens" through which a given story is situated and told. Who is communicating? What is his/her perspective (which has been shaped by both the knowledge at hand and personal values)?

David (rejoicing or under siege)… Solomon (reflections on the other
side of prosperity)… Matthew (tax collector)... Luke (physician)...
John (fisherman)... Paul (tent maker/Jewish scholar)

Literary Interpretation: The "flow" of a narrative

Characters: protagonists, antagonists, agents (active or neutral)

Setting:

Tension:

Climax:

Response:

Resolution:

Next Session: Historical Context

On my iPod... Obvious by Anthony Callea... kind of a sweet song that reminds me of the five years it took Todd and me to go out on a first date. We still debate whose "fault" that was...

Oh... one other thing... my cell phone won't re-charge... so please call the house or e-mail me if you need to get in touch.

A Place for Everything?

2008-03-28T08:40:00.006-05:00

Interesting little article (original source: Prevention) on places we might not want to stash our stuff: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23727879/

Pic by jasmined @://flickr.com/photos/jasmine/2314639195/sizes/m/.

On my iPod... Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley

2008-03-26T10:29:00.005-05:00

Problem:

When the truth is found to be lies

And all the joy within you dies

Don't you want somebody to love

Don't you need somebody to love

Wouldn't you love somebody to love

You better find somebody to love

When the garden flowers baby are dead yes

And your mind is full of red

Don't you want somebody to love

Don't you need somebody to love

Wouldn't you love somebody to love

You better find somebody to love

Your eyes, I say your eyes may look like his

But in your head baby

I'm afraid you don't know where it is

Don't you want somebody to love

Don't you need somebody to love

Wouldn't you love somebody to love

You better find somebody to love

Tears are running ah running down your breast

And your friends baby they treat you like a guest

Don't you want somebody to love

Don't you need somebody to love

Wouldn't you love somebody to love

You better find somebody to love

Solution:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever belives in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Lyrics to Somebody to Love by Jefferson Airplane

"Faded 60's" pic by katalina pics; see http://flickr.com/photos/maretpicpic/1554525840/ for restrictions.

Sonrise Recap

2008-03-25T10:05:00.005-05:00

Great session, friends. Next week, let's continue our discussion about context. See last week's notes below and we'll pick up where we left off this morning.

Re. your "assignment" this week (that sounds so unfriendly...), use the resource of your choice (alternate Bible translation, commentary, Bible dictionary, atlas, key word dictionary, internet site, etc.) to answer one or two of the questions you raised after reading our Matthew passage.

See you all next week!

Love, Sarah

Random Comments:

Our kids are watching us...

What immediately precedes and follows that verse? Very important.

Let me help you spray that (LOL!)

Try to remember what it was like to learn English... or the experience of watching your children learn. Things we take for granted when we approach text as adults who are fluent in our language. Learners are aware of things that modify other things... how sentences hang together... what constitutes a clause or a sentence... the difference between a period and an exclamation mark, etc. Approach Scripture you really want to understand from a grammatical "learning" perspective and see what is revealed in the mechanics of the words.

Where's Alex?

Easter 2008

2008-03-24T09:11:00.003-05:00

Real Faith, Real Change

2008-03-22T21:34:00.010-05:00

Barack Obama has had an amazing journey from national anonymity to the main course of American dialogue on this alluring platform of change. Critics have blasted the vapor-like nature of Obama's change. What does change look like? What does it mean? Show us where. Show us how. Show us more. Criticism aside, we now see through polls and caucuses and real-time analytics that there's a critical mass of Americans desperately wanting to boomerang hope and see something good come back.

A central theme of the Easter message this week at church was "change." The change of destiny afforded to believers by Jesus Christ. The promise of a home in a future Kingdom where there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain (Rev. 21:4). Pastor Ross spoke tonight about the Kingdom end zone. How believers will be resurrected with new, perfect bodies in a perfect earth to come.

I found myself wondering about the atmosphere and physicality of this distant Kingdom. Will I live in a house and joyfully continue my life's work? Will C.S. Lewis live down the block (in a much bigger house) and have dinner parties with little break-out sessions on creative writing? Will every day be a perfect hair day? Will my craving for Tostito's and that artery-sludging (but five-star yummy) cheese sauce finally end? Or will cheese sauce be like broccoli in the new world? It occurred to me there's much mystery around aspects of the future with God. I don't know if we'll be working in heaven. I don't know if I'll be living in a cheery little hut down the road from C.S. Lewis. I don't know if we'll have good hair, bad hair (that looks good to us, anyway) or no hair. I don't know what we will eat or if we will eat.

So, while I was thinking scholarly thoughts about hairstyles in paradise and a big platter of warm nachos, Todd was drawing his own contemporary parallels to change. His focus was on the political landscape where he was reminded of Obama's platform of change. That got me thinking about all the vapor around not only Obama's message, but everyone else's campaign rhetoric, as well. Is it just me, or do the political moorings this season have all the substance of a half-shaved wheel of Swiss cheese?

Thank God for the gospel of Jesus Christ and change that's real and everlasting. There's no thin, misty vapor around the crux of the gospel message: Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again. It's a simple truth. A plain truth. Truth unplugged. And when I put my trust in this truth, I am irrevocably changed. I am dead to sin but alive to God in Jesus Christ. (Romans 6:11). Will you see the change in me? I hope so. But not always. Some days, sadly, I may not look very "Christian" at all. Yet, as a believer and a follower of Jesus Christ, I remain most assuredly and fundamentally changed. I have a different purpose. A different future. A different status as a child of God. Not the teetering, misty promise of a Republican or a Democrat or an Independent or any other man or woman whose sphere of control only extends so far and is ultimately influenced by so many earthly tugs and pulls, and subject in the end to an end. In Christ, we have the promise of a secure eternal destiny. Guaranteed by the only one who has never, ever been misguided, mistaken or misled.

Though it's discomforting in many ways, I appreciate the dialogue that's come out of the spotlight on Obama's pastor, and I was thrilled to read the prescription for healing our racial divisions right there in Scripture: Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. (Colossians 3: 9-11)

The equal opportunity community of Jesus Christ. The answer to the problem that Obama has been compelled to address. God tells us through whom unity is possible. And He tells us how it may be achieved. See Colossions 3: 12-17. Problem solved. (If only we could bind and gag our human nature long enough to attempt what God has told us to do... that's, well, the hard part.)

Are you looking for change this Easter? Real change? Do you want the assurance of life everlasting? The promise of a future with God? Scripture affirms one candidate truly worthy of your utmost trust:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

On my iPod... Keep the Faith by Bon Jovi

Next Sonrise Meeting: March 25

2008-03-14T10:06:00.006-05:00

Friends... see notes below for our next Sonrise meeting on March 25. If you can find the time, would be good to do the exercise below and familiarize yourself with all Scripture references in the "context" section. Have a safe and happy Spring Break everyone!

Session 6 Notes: Understanding Scripture: Questions & Context

Questions: The bridge between observation and interpretation (Wald)

Exercise: Questions about Matthew 6:25-34 (don’t answer yet):

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Context: Some Types

o Syntactic (Acts 1:8)
o Literary (e.g., genre, point of view)
o Historical (real events occupying a specific time in history)
o Cultural (1Timothy 2:9-10, 1Cor 8, Mary as messenger/John 4:27, Acts 1:8/John 4:9)
o Geographical (Genesis 13: 1-18)
o Canonical (OT/NT)
o Experiential (e.g., early NT church experience)

A very interesting ponderable from our last session: "We are constantly training others how to treat us."

The Toxic New Story

2008-03-12T12:40:00.019-05:00

Tough times for the Spitzer family. Tough times for Christian news junkies, as well. The evening news has morphed into a peep show and I, for one, wish this story would just go away. If the primary headline isn't seamy enough, we can turn on the telly or fire up the internet and get an insider's look at the underbelly (literally) of the "high-class hooker" (is that an oxymoron?) as the media bloats the story. Is it just me, or does it seem to anyone else like the atmosphere is poisoned? T.M.I... big time.

When the news broke, I felt kind of, well, sad. I was sad for his wife. Sad for him. Sad for the polluted state of humanity. (I have a different adjective for Dr. Laura whose commentary from the nose-bleed seats was decidedly, uh, unhelpful.)

I was also reminded of a verse in John and a passage from 1 Corinthians. If you're discomforted by the news, I would encourage you to read John 16:33. Then, find 1 Corinthians 6: 12-20 for insight. We should be in prayer for Spitzer, his wife, his family, and all the women out there who are offering up their precious, God-given bodies as commodities.

There's very little obvious compassion for Eliot Spitzer at this moment. A couple years ago, I would have personally viewed him with brine-like contempt. But my vantage on sexual sins changed a bit when I took on the subject of pornography in a research paper last year. Not to mitigate the wholesale disaster of the Spitzer situation. But there is a context here. A prevailing condition--called sin--that shadows all of humanity, utterly crushing those who make the poorest choices.

When I studied the problem of pornography, I learned that exposure to sexually explicit material and subsequent discovery can lure an individual to the doorstep of an addiction, not unlike the better understood vice-like bondage of drugs and alcohol. If a threshold is crossed--and that line can be almost instantaneous or years in the making--then the ability of an individual to fight the addiction on his/her own becomes practically insurmountable (1 Cor. 6-12). This impressed upon me a certain sympathy for those who fail to do what Scripture dictates--the only recourse when confronted in the flesh with sexual temptation: to flee. (1 Cor. 6:18)

Since I'm in the nose-bleed seats as well, I hesitate to do a "Dr. Laura" and chime in where analysis is specious. Who knows why the Governor of New York did what he did and whether or not he is addicted to sex. But I had to check my own first-blush instincts on this story--to mentally club the men of planet earth--and allow for the fact that we live in dangerous times and that a wicked and formidable adversary is on the prowl "looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5-8).

I'm not inclined to sit in the bleachers and toss peanut shells and call Eliot Spitzer names. Though it's truly a challenge for the heart, I'm trying to view him as a person who unwisely took the bait. I admit I rolled my eyes when I heard that he was energetically busting prostitution rings on the job. The newscaster used the word "hypocrite" to describe him. That may very well be. But if you've ever had a behavior that contradicted your words, you, too, are a hypocrite. I don't have to go back too far to find some hypocrisy in my own life. In fact, I think it was just yesterday. As Christians, we need to run to the Word of God and encourage one another... refraining from terms being tossed about like "hypocrite" without first looking at the inevitable echo of hypocrisy--in all its forms--from within.

And until this story becomes yesterday's news... I'm thinking maybe I'll pass on the evening headlines and pick up a good book. Any suggestions?

2008-03-05T08:14:00.003-06:00

A gritty and evocative window into a sad and painful chapter in Australian history. Based on a true story that recounts the awe-inspiring resolve of three fugitive children from the "Stolen Generation" who follow a fence 1,500 miles on foot through treacherous and forbidding Australian terrain to return home. Aboriginal child actors shine throughout. Original music score by Peter Gabriel.

Next Sonrise Meeting

2008-03-05T07:14:00.011-06:00

Ahh... how was that for a nice, agenda-less session, friends? It was fun to just catch up!

Next week... let's come with our questions from reading Matthew 6:25-34. Remember, questions are the "bridge" between observation and interpretation.

I'd like to walk through some issues around context, too. We'll look at several different ways in which Scripture needs to be "situated" before we attempt to interpret it, recognizing that we come to the Bible essentially "reading over the shoulder" of those who originally captured and conveyed the revelation of God. Our challenge as interpreters, through careful study and the illumination of the Holy Spirit, is to understand and apply the timeless relevance of God's word in light of the historical/cultural, syntactic and literary occupancy of its original rendering (and later canonization). Who was speaking/writing to whom and why? What were living conditions like in ancient times? What status did certain ancient people hold within their communities--Jews, Christians, secularists, women, etc? What do the earliest public records reveal about society in general? What can we learn from the geography, climate and environment? In terms of the words, what precedes a given verse? What follows it? What is the relationship of a phrase to a sentence to a paragraph to a section to a book to a canon to the whole? What genre of literature are we exploring and how can this guide our study? These are the types of questions you begin to probe as we consider context and the pivotal role it plays in hermeneutics.

Our esteemed women's minister--KP to you and me--has asked me to identify three goals for our group, which I've done:

1. Grow to know and love the incredible God we encounter in Scripture.

2. Take this learning and cast it outward (by testimony and example)--evangelize and teach others.

3. Better understand and develop one's personal ministry (today) and think in terms of the future (what's next?).

Would be very interested in hearing about your own goals for our group, friends. Maybe we could also spend a bit of time on this next week.

Have a great week all!

Love, Sarah

p.s. We meet next Tuesday as scheduled then take a week off for Spring Break.

Let's Try Again... Next Week!

2008-02-28T09:32:00.004-06:00

We are almost back in commission, friends... thanks for the offers of food, errands, shuttling kids, and your prayers. God willing... Sonrisers to meet next Tuesday!

Love, Sarah

on my Ipod... AI's David Cook sings All Right Now

Sonrise Update: No Meeting Tomorrow!

2008-02-18T17:43:00.001-06:00

Hey, friends. I have one down with the flu and will not make our meeting in the morning. Also understand that several others are not able to come. So, let's adjourn for this week and plan to meet again next Tuesday!

Continue to e-mail or call with prayer requests this week, friends.

Love,

Sarah

How To Study the Bible: Session 5

2008-02-14T09:00:00.009-06:00

Notes for those who missed our awesome meeting on Tuesday...

The Questions…

Who, What, When, Where, Why (observation/interpretation), How, So What ( interpretation)?

… that comprise these tasks:

1. Observation
2. Interpretation
3. Application

Let's keep observing the text... going a little deeper:

o Key Words (“save” in Luke 23: 32-39, "love" in John 21: 15-17, "rested" in Genesis 2:2-3)
o Advice, Admonitions, Warnings, Promises (“Behold!” “You shall not…” “Woe to you [Scribes & Pharisees]”)
o Reasons, Results (… “therefore,” “because”)
o Contrast, Comparisons, Illustrations (Mark 12: 41-43: widow’s “penny” versus all other contributors)
o Repetition and Progression of Ideas (…Ro 1: “…God gave them over to…)
o Questions (Jesus and the Sadducees… Matthew 22.)
o Connectives
o Grammar
o Atmosphere/Feeling
o Literary Form (genre)
o General Structure (e.g., theme stated up front or text culminates in main idea at end?)

Helpful to “bracket” sentences when looking for and analyzing key points:

(Note: blogging does not allow proper formatting/indentation of what follows... please ask me for hand-out or refer to Wald's example on page 20 in Discovery book. Also see that I inserted green brackets.)

Matthew 6: 25-34

25.{ "Therefore I tell you,
do not worry about your life,
what you will eat
or drink;
or about your body,
what you will wear.
Is not life more important than food,
and the body more important than clothes?}
26. {Look at the birds of the air;
they do not sow or reap
or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they?
27. Who of you by worrying
can add a single hour to his life?}
28. {And why do you worry about clothes?
See how the lilies of the field grow.
They do not labor or spin.
29. Yet I tell you
that not even Solomon in all his splendor
was dressed like one of these.
30. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field,
which is here today
and tomorrow is thrown into the fire,
will he not much more clothe you,
O you of little faith?}
31. {So do not worry, saying,
'What shall we eat?'
or 'What shall we drink?'
or 'What shall we wear?'
32. For the pagans run after all these things,
and your heavenly Father knows
that you need them.
33. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things
will be given to you as well.}
34. {Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.}

For Next Session:

1. Underline in Scripture above any word you think might be especially important, including words that are repeated. Then, go through again and try to identify key words.

2. Questions are the bridge between observation and interpretation. Note any questions you have of the above text. (Don't provide answers just yet... we are still observing!)

Random Comments

Don't worry... there's a distant "click."

It's your recipe! (No way... it is not.)

When you read this in Greek... you see that the word "love" means something different in the way Jesus is using it versus Peter! (KP... this was stunning... thank you for sharing!)

"What game are we playing today?" asked the pastor in passing.

Where is Evelyn?

What We Take for Granted...

2008-02-09T10:44:00.001-06:00

I was happily resigned to having a laundry party with EA for the next couple weeks as it was looking like a rather serious repair of the old (er, new) washing machine. Looking forward to it, actually! How often do we have an opportunity to chat while Zouting out grass stains? But Flo from Accent Repair (nice guy... flat rate) was able to fix the part on site and I was back in business inside of 24 hours. Left to think about how spoiled I am. While I was worrying about my washing machine, there are people in our world without water! I've taken to thanking God lately for all that we take for granted. I was reminded this week of all of our modern conveniences and comforts. We have it so easy, friends.

I joked the other day that the five saddest words known to man are warranty related. In truth, as someone from DTS has said (can't remember who)... the saddest, most chilling words are really found in Scripture. A phrase (4 words... three or four of which are the same depending upon your translation) repeated three times in Romans 1 (see vs. 18-28). Do you know what it is?

Have a great weekend... don't sweat the small stuff... be grateful to God... and will see the Sonrisers on Tuesday!

Love,

Sarah

2008-02-06T12:21:00.000-06:00

I am a desperate housewife.

My 28-days-past-the-one-year-warranty-washer broke yesterday and the Ma Ingalls-let's-handwash-and-wring-out-our-laundry routine has me, um, a little anxious (when's the last time you tried to wash and wring out a bath towel, ladies? I got about 36 gallons of water out of one towel last night and still needed a gurney to haul it from the sink to the dryer... makes me appreciate how easy we have it today!). The repair people are telling me we have an especially special part that needs to be replaced (translated: they will be contacting their supply people in Timbuktu during office hours next week to see if the part that's probably no longer manufactured has turned up on e-bay yet.) The boys are entertaining this weekend (sleep-overs) and by Saturday afternoon my laundry heap will no doubt resemble the back room of a Super 8.

What I am grateful for today (among many other things)... modern conveniences we so take for granted and a working dryer!

Six of the saddest words known to man: "Did you purchase our extended warranty?"

How To Study the Bible: Session 4

2008-02-06T06:10:00.000-06:00

Notes from yesterday's session... and welcome, RS!

Observation Exercise : How many squares do you see?

“Save”… What does it mean? (Wald/pg. 35)

What are the three “discovery” steps?

1. ________________

2. ________________

3. ________________

Hermeneutics is _______________

Exegesis is ___________________

Context, Context, Context:

1. Literary

2. Historical

Discussion: What was he/she feeling?

Exercise A… ______________

Exercise B… ______________

Exercise C… ______________

Next Session: Read Chapter 3!

A great ancient Biblical history/geography/sociology resource... Biblica by Barry Beitzel