Just What I Needed

Back in 2017, after my lead dog Natasha died prematurely, as providence would have it, her daughter Angel had just given birth to a litter of twelve pups at her family's farm in Evington, Virginia. The Farmer and I made the trip to pick out a girl pup, not just to replace Natasha, but to help with my grieving. 

As we entered the family's living room, I immediately spotted a beautiful pup with soft markings. I bent down and scooped her up in my arms. Great Pyrenees are predominately white, but many times are born with dark coloring around their facial features and ears. The markings are referred to as "badger" or "wolf" depending on the color. But occasionally, one is born sporting a warm, blondish honey color.

The girl pup melted into my arms as the family informed me that she had exhibited extremely laid back behavior.   

"I love her," I exclaimed, "And I'm going to name her "Honey" because of her personality and markings."  

Meanwhile the Farmer walks over to the pyramid of puppies, bends down, and picks up the dark marked female on top of the pile, growling and biting at her brothers. 

He walks over to me with the pup and says, "That's the one you want, but this is the one you need." 

As usual, he was right. As usual, he never lets me forget. 

Four weeks later, we returned to Rose Family Farm, and picked up my Shasta. 

"Shasta the Livestock Guardian Girl" is the only children's book I've written, and I hope one day to publish it. It's such a great story, but isn't that like God?

I thought about that this morning when I got up and my ten month old, 110 pound boy pup was missing from the front field. The Farmer eventually found Aslan snooping around at the neighbor's farm, and when we put Aslan back with his cousin Shasta, she jumped him viciously, reprimanding him for running away and worrying us. 

"Good Girl," I called out to her. Still my same tough female on top of the pile. Shasta guards this farm from one end to the other, and we've never lost a livestock under her watchful eye. 

She was exactly what I needed. 

So many days, I've got this thing in my arms that I'm petting and admiring, and begging God to just let me please have, some situation, some healing, some relief, some material desire. And God is looking down at me with this wonderful love in his eyes saying, "That's the one you want, but this is the one you need." 

And he's always right. 

Whatever his sovereign hand has ordained for my life proves to make me more like Jesus. When I finally realized this, and stopped arguing with my Heavenly Father, who knows all things about me, I noticed my life was beginning to transform in the light of my trust in him. 

And what surprised me more than anything is that submission to his perfect will, in the end, actually brought me joy. 💛

My God will supply all of my needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19  

Full after Dinner

When I visit my grandchildren, I love waking up each morning to two sweet babes prepared for Bible reading, after pouring sippy cups full of juice and my own sippy cup of coffee. Their parents have established this spiritual discipline as the first activity of their day, and Gigi is blessed to be a part of it. I personally recommend Baby's Hug-a-Bible as a first Bible. The cover is soft like lamb's wool, and inside the rhyming verses are pleasing to their little ears, and the truth permeates their young hearts in the form of questions presented like a catechism. 

Recently, Jonah pulled my Bible out of my book bag, so I could join in the family devotions. This past wedding anniversary the Farmer gifted me with the ESV Study Bible, which I am loving. So, Jonah carries it over to where we are sitting and says, "Wow, Gigi, this Bible is heavy." 

"Heavier than you know," Dear Child, but will soon find out." 

"You shall teach them diligently to your children, 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." ( Deuteronomy 6:7-9 ) 

We quote these verses often in the church, but my question is: Are we doing it? More precisely, are we teaching them the whole cannon of scripture or just the "good"parts?  

Children need all of the pure milk of God's Word poured into sippy cups for their spiritual bones and muscles to develop strong. 

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." ( Matthew 4:4 )  Every word. 

And so yeah, that holds us adults accountable as well, meaning we need to know and be continually studying the scriptures ourselves in order to properly train them. 

The difficult passages can be and need to be broken down for children, but not skipped over. And are we teaching them the whole Gospel Truth? Are we explaining to them the doctrine of original sin before we teach them about Jesus dying on the cross and resurrecting? Are they learning the bad news first before the good news? 

Because half a gospel is no gospel at all and could in fact do more harm than good. If we only teach our young ones who they are in Christ and all they have, and not how they were born in sin to start with, we are doing a grave injustice to them. If they do not understand the human condition, how can they ever appreciate or fully grasp the grace and mercy God had on us in sending Jesus and the preciousness of the cross? 

If we do not teach them the full counsel of scripture from the fall of man in Genesis to the restoration of everything in the Celestial City, and everything in between, working through the Bible together, on their age level, of course, I believe we are in danger of raising spiritual brats.We'll produce children who possess an entitlement mentality expecting blessing and favor only from the hand of God and not discipline, training, or suffering, which is what he uses to build their godly character. And ours. 

Then and only then, will they NOT love God for what he can give them, but will love God for himself. 

And this is the goal, stated in the verse above the one I just quoted out of Deuteronomy: "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your might." ( 6:5 ) 

It's crucial they understanding the eye-opening reality that God owes none of his creatures salvation, but by his grace and mercy and ferocious love, he sent Jesus Christ our Lord. This truth will produce a godly humility in our children and suppress their pride. The good fruit will begin to form, pushing the rotten stuff to the ground. They will begin to see the beauty of the Gospel and others in the light of that truth. 

The Bible is powerful like this. It will nourish and grow them into wise, vibrant men and women of God equipped to "serve his purposes in their generation." ( Acts 13:36 ) 

How else can they be fully prepared for the world they are inheriting? Not with half a gospel. All generations of mankind are broken and messy, but I have to say that this one seems extra twisted and confusing. We are commanded to teach them diligently these words, all of them. 

For instance, Jonah is a three year old boy, so he is totally enamored with the part about David and Goliath. You know, he sees the spear and the sword, and the giant, and little David, and so I ask him, "Where is Jesus in this story?" 

We always think we've David, don't we? Slaying the giant and being all victorious. But the Bible is about Jesus. The sovereignty of God and his Son are found in every verse, on every page. Every bit of God's story is not only to be taken literally, but instructively. 

I explain to Jonah that Jesus is David. Jesus became weak and destroyed the giant of sin and death, so we could come to God, so now it is possible for us to be strong in Jesus and in the power of his might. And Jonah thinks about this, and he flips to the back of his Bible where Jesus is resurrected and surrounded by children. And I see the wheels turning. Our kids are getting more than we think. They can handle it.  

In my own life, I've found this to be true. Whenever I've listened to a podcast or "talk" or read an article that tells me if I'm feeling sad or down today just remember who I am. The speaker or article then goes on to list all of these blessings and favors. I'm not saying this is bad, but often times these spiritual cheerleaders and life coaches/gurus, if you look close, are self-focused, materialistic, and shallow. They say, "I am," but Jesus says that he is I AM. Most of the time Jesus isn't even mentioned. 

I feel like I've just eaten a piece of pumpkin pie with an entire container of cool whip. I know, that does sound good. But it's not very nourishing and leaves me feeling empty and weak a short time later. 

However, when I've listened to a sermon or podcast or read an article/blog/book, even a short meme, composed of weighty, full biblical theology and sound doctrine, I'm left to feel as if I've just eaten an entire, full course Thanksgiving meal. I find that I can't wait to search the scripture for more of this truth, but I also find that parts of the truth offend me causing me to repent and mull over where I've been missing it and reveal to me where I was believing a lie or not bowing to the sovereignty of God. In other words, the Word is changing me. This is the power of the entire cannon of scripture, not just the "lovely" parts, all of it. This is what it means to eat the meat of God's word and advance past a baby bottle of milk or toddler sippy cup.  

If this is true for us, it is true for our children. 

We need to teach our children and ourselves to "hug" the entire canon of scripture. Nourish causes flourish. 

And results in a life of continual awe and love for our Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and in true, perpetual thanksgiving. 💛

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Daily Bread

"You, however have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions, and sufferings - which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the LORD rescued me." ( 2 Timothy 3:10-11 ) 

Paul is about to die. He writes that his time of departure has arrived and that he's kept the faith and fought the fight ever since Jesus met him and saved him on that dusty road to Damascus, when Paul was on his way to persecute Christians himself. God chooses his vessels his way, doesn't he? 

A person's last words are what's most important to them.

"Indeed all those who desire to lead a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted...." ( verse 12 ) 

His fellow apostle said similar words: "Beloved, don't be astonished at the fiery trial which has come upon you, to test you, as though a strange thing happened to you." ( 1 Peter 4:12 ) 

God uses suffering and persecutions to test us, to conform us into the image of Jesus. Someone who has suffered strong, and allowed their suffering to deepen their relationship with God is a child of substance with a true solid faith. I find myself draw to these people. I think of Elisabeth Elliott. Charles Spurgeon. Paul. More than those, I look to Jesus, the suffering servant.

Someone, somewhere, somehow, said, "God will not allow more on us than we can bear." Have you heard this? I can't find this anywhere in the Bible. I'm not sure how this rumor got started. Indeed God does allow more on us than we can bear, that's the whole point. Jesus said, "Apart from me you can do nothing." ( John 15:5 )  Nothing."We are strong in the LORD and in the power of HIS might." ( Ephesians 6:10 ) "We are weak, but he is strong," even kids in Sunday school know this. In our weakness, we trust and then grow closer to him. So God does allow more on us than we can bear, but never more than he can bear. 

Are some of these scriptures difficult for us to hear? Are they hard? 

Jesus said, "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that lead to life, and those who find it are few." ( Matthew 7:13 & 14 ) 

The gate is narrow. The way is hard. But it leads to life. 

In the last verses of this chapter Paul gives the antidote: The Word of God. "Remember it from your childhood, Timothy, it makes you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." 

"It's breathed out by God, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." ( verses 14-17 ) 

One thing I've learned is that I haven't learn much from the Bible through the years of my life. In recent years, I've finally learned how to read and study it, and not just memorize verses, studying them within the framework of the entire Bible, considering the author's original intent, and seeing what they say about God and not me. Seeking out teachers and leaders who engage in expository preaching and don't tickle ears. Then and only then, after meditating on the meatiness and offensiveness, allowing the truths to take hold and change my life. The word is powerful like that. But it's hard work. And it takes time. 

Do we think the very words of the God of the Universe will come quickly and easily? No, we savor them like a green apple jolly rancher, one sweet layer at a time. And as we do, quietly and softly, we wake up one morning and realize that we are closer to God and to his Son than we have ever been. Why? 

Doctrine leads to devotion. And devotion leads us into worship. We worship what we adore. 

Paul knew this. 

May we not let anything come between us and our pursuit of God through the study of the Scriptures. 

"The LORD will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen." ( 4:18 ) 

"What's that, Atlas?" Oh, he was just saying, "Get behind me satan." 😮

The Garden

As I looked out over the frost covered garden, where a few remaining stems stood, knotty and crooked, shriveled peppers still clinging to the bare stalks, I had to say that I did a bit better this past garden season. Heck, I didn't even break a sweat sowing seed or watering in the compost pile, and it produced a nice yield of squash and gourds along with a few unidentifiable fruits and vegetables. I guess you could call me the accidental gardener. 

It's hard raising livestock and doing life while simultaneously attempting to plant a garden, and even more of a daunting task is maintaining it. But that's the plight of humanity, isn't it?  In spite of the curses and thorn and thistles, we still long to dig our hands deep into the rich soil, clutching handfuls of dirt until it is sufficiently caked under our fingernails. And if it isn't healthy earth, we'll work the devil out of it until it is, even if it's for a couple of humble tomato plants or a simple row of zinnias.  

"Why?" 

Plants brighten up everything around us. They seem to bloom hope. 

When people are sick or are celebrating a milestone, from one end of the life spectrum to the other, we send flowers. We send plants. When we get married, we hold a bouquet of flowers close to our heart, pin them on lapels, toss them about, arrange them everywhere. At Christmas there is the poinsettia and at Easter, the white lily. In fall there is the upstanding and friendly sunflower. In summer, the Shasta daisy sweeps across my fields at Healing Brook in praise of her Maker. Seasons become known by their flowers. 

"Here, have a potted purple iris, it will gladden your day." 

One can scarcely look at new construction; it is painful to the eyes. Dirt without greenery is like lungs without air. Even the desert and tundra labor and birth forth their resilient flora.

We just can't seem to separate ourselves from plants. It's like we're intertwined in this bittersweet love affair with no expectation of a cosmic break-up. 

Every spring, no matter how miserably I failed the previous year, I'm back at it again, digging and planting and yearning. 

"Why is that?"

"It's simple." 

"Life began in a garden."

This little ceramic sign that sits in my kitchen window reminds me that no matter how hard or fast we try to run from our true identities, we can't hide. We were created in a garden for a perfect life that seems to be just out of our reach, thorns and thistles have cursed the ground. Sin and guilt and shame have ruined our plans. The Genesis account of creation reminds us that we failed almost before we ever started, and we've been trying to get back to Eden ever since. 

The words in my window were a gift from my mom. If any of her friends read my blog, they will remember that she always liken her devotional time each morning to meeting Jesus in a garden. Moments before my mom suffered a stroke, she was on her knees in front of her home planting flowers. 

The doctrine of original sin is the first part of the Gospel. I believe when we fully understand this truth, as much as we can, the bad news, the utter hopelessness of mankind, only then can we understand and behold the full glory of the second part of the Gospel, the Good News: Sin and guilt and shame may have ruined our plans, but sin and guilt and shame have not ruined God's plans for his people. 

"Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus." 

"For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." ( Romans 6: 20-23 )  

I think it is so interesting that after Jesus was crucified Joesph of Arimathea asked for the body of our Lord. Along with Nicodemus, they both worked together to prepare it for burial, two rich, prominent, distinguished men, when this was the usual unclean work left to slaves and women. This is powerful. 

After the preparation, they placed Jesus's body in a tomb that was located in none other than a garden. 

After Jesus is resurrected from the dead, on the third day, Mary Magdalene, a probable, former prostitute that Jesus healed and delivered of seven demons, comes first to the tomb. She finds the stone has been rolled away. She runs to tell the disciples. The disciples come and see that Jesus isn't there. They believe it, but apparently scratching their heads, they go back home. 

Mary stays.  

She weeps by the tomb. Then she stoops to look inside. Didn't she already look with the disciples? I don't think so. Remember, women were considered second class citizens. She more than likely didn't, but now that they have had a look and gone away puzzled, she gazes in. Only now there are angels.  

The angels ask her why she is weeping. And then she turns around and sees Jesus, and he also asks her why she is weeping and who she is seeking. And she supposes him to be the gardener. 

Then he calls her name. And she knows it's Jesus. His sheep know his voice. ( John 10:3-4 ) 

Jesus tells Mary to go tell the disciples that she has seen him. Only Jesus didn't say "disciples," he now calls those bumbling rascals "his brothers." And he will use these brothers to light the world on fire.
Go tell my brothers that "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." ( John 19 & 20 ) 

Jesus turned God's people right side up.  

Mary was correct. He is the Gardener. 

Jesus came and brought us back to Eden. 

Down to the simplest molecule of our being, the raw dirt scooped up in the very hand of God, we were created for a garden paradise. We are all farmers. 

And everyday until Jesus returns in victory to whisk away his betrothed, we will continue to cultivate our soil in preparation with the expectation of his coming.  

Until the great wedding banquet, the Bride of Christ will hold this bouquet of hope close to our hearts yearning and waiting and whispering: 

"Come Lord Jesus." 💜🌷

 

Layers

Before I headed out to work this past week, I checked the weather app on my phone for the morning temperature. Yeah, it's fall, ya'll. I pulled my wooly sweater around me and flipped up the hood over top of my head already covered in a knitted beanie. I adjusted the pretty pink birthday scarf from my aunt snuggly around my exposed neck. I slipped into the muddy boots sitting by the door, and when all of that dressing was done, I could finally put on my gloves. 

Immediately out the door, Aslan was by my side ready to be my constant companion in the herd/flock head count and wellness check, but mostly ready for his breakfast. Shasta joins us by the front gate, both dogs have worked diligently through the night protecting the livestock closest to the house, and are deserving of me to sing their praises. So I sing. 

Before we reach the duck, duck, goose pen to let the birds out into open pasture, I removed my sweater and threw it over the fence. On the way to the garage to prepare the dog and cat morning meals, I removed the long sleeve denim shirt and tied it around my waist. I plucked the beanie off my sweating head and replaced it with a Tractor Supply cap hanging on a wooden peg near the fridge. On our way to the barn, the scarf got loosened and the gloves came off. By then, my feet were hot and uncomfortable in the thick boots, and I wished I had thought to change into my work shoes. 

Autumn is not so much "sweater weather" as it is "layer weather." 

And I as I went about the daily farming chores, it had me thinking: 

All of these burdensome layers remind me of the Christian life.

"How so?" 

This may seem like a funny way to start: 

What is the number one reason that people give for not attending church? Let's be clear, a "Christian" church. When we invite someone to church, what excuse do we hear most often? We may have even said it ourselves. I have.  

"Would you like to come to church with me?"

"No. I don't go to church." 

"Why?"

Let's all say it together, on the count of three, one, two, three:

"The church is full of hypocrites."

Good job. Okay, I respectfully disagree. 

First, let's define "hypocrite."The definition of a hypocrite is someone who says one thing and does another. ( Like Angela on The Office ) It is an individual who says they have a moral standard, and yet, their behavior does not reflect this moral standard. For instance, they say that gossip is a sin and that they would never engage in such abominable activity per the Bible, and like so and so, but you hear them stabbing another coworker in the back at the water cooler. They believe their coworker's naughtiness justifies their sin of gossip. 

Now let's look at the definition of a Christian. A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ, someone who is born again with a regenerated heart, not to be confused with someone who essentially says: "Sign me up. I need to get religious and start living better. I believe Jesus is Lord." Demons have good theology. ( James 2:19 ) 

A Christian is someone who recognizes that they are a sinner, hopeless and helpless, lost and in darkness. 

In godly sorrow and repentance, a Christian has cried out to Jesus to save them. They understand he's the only one who can. By God's sovereign grace, the Holy Spirit has given a Christian faith, a regenerated heart, and done something they could never do for themselves in glueing them to the finished work of Jesus Christ. They now through his atoning sacrifice for them on the cross, stand before God justified. By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.  ( Ezekiel 36:26 ) ( Jeremiah 31:33 ) ( Hebrews 8:10 ) ( The entire Book of Romans and many other scriptures. ) 

After conversion a Christian is someone who begins a sanctification journey full of good works that spring from their new heart in thanksgiving for all God has given to them. A Christian seeks God daily in scripture, meditation, worship, prayer, and fellowship with other believers to help them in this transformation process. 

A Christian puts the past behind him as he sets his hand to the plow, learning to divide the Word rightly like the straight rows harrowed for fruitful crops through the rich soil. 

A Christian is someone who wants Jesus to do for others what he did for them. 

A Christians is someone who confesses, "I still struggle with sin, with pride, with selfishness." 

A Christian is someone who admits, "I'm not perfect." 

If someone says that they are a Christian and that they no longer sin, well, the Bible says otherwise:  

"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." ( 1 John 1:8-10 ) 

Hypocrites are self deceived. Christians are forgiven. 

There could be a few hypocrites sitting in the pews, sure, and hopefully they will get saved. I did, so there's hope for others. There were some in the church in Jesus's day, in fact the very leaders of the church were hypocrites, the Pharisees. Jesus called them out. Jesus took hypocrisy very seriously. So we should too. 

Jesus took all sin very seriously, and that's why he taught against it. That's why he had to climb Calvary with a cross on his wounded back. That's what separated us from our Heavenly Father, a holy God. And that's why Christians should fight it as we are commanded every hour of every day until we fly away. 

So you see, a Christian is someone who Jesus has raised from spiritual death. 

A Christian is like Lazarus dead in the tomb, then Jesus called us forth out of death and dreadful darkness. ( John 11 ) 

And like the dead man Lazarus, the Christian rises, but is still bound in linen wraps. 

Jesus instructs the others to "unbind him and let him go." And those encumbering layers begin to unravel, not all at once, but one strip of cloth at a time as fellow brothers and sisters also help each other remove their bandages of sin. It is a slow, often painful process, but with each piece of weighty material that unwraps, releasing its grip, and falling to the ground, more of the beautiful nature of Jesus is revealed in us, the Church, from one shade of glory to another.  

The Bride of Christ is beginning to beam. 

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge cloud of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us." ( Hebrews 12:1 NLT ) 

The church is not full of hypocrites. 

The church is full of sinners saved by grace. 

Why don't you join us? 💜