Friday, April 26, 2013

One Perfect Life

One of my professors, the late Dr. Howard Hendricks, said we would do well to spend our whole lives studying the life of Jesus Christ. It is not only an inspiration but a statement of challenge. How many of us have actually spent even more than a few months studying the complete life of Jesus?

For the last couple of years I have wanted to do an in-depth study of Jesus, the man. What was it like to be with Him, to be taught by Him and to learn from His example? He was a man…God, yes, but God in human form. And because of that He did have emotions, He did get tired and yet He chose to do the Father’s will at all points. 

I want to see Him, really see Him as He was, as He is, at the wedding at Cana, walking on water, healing the leper. For so many months other responsibilities and studies have bogged me down. Yet now seminary is behind me, the Be Amazing Study is ready to go to print and I have a little free time. I want to become familiar with Christ’s travels and what the places were like that He visited and exactly what did He do in each one of those cities, towns and villages. I want to “see His face” when He healed the leper and I want to “see” the leper” when he realized a life of isolation, pain, poverty and sorrow were behind him. I want to experience the conversation with the woman at the well and see the results as the townspeople came rushing out to meet Him. 

I was reading World Magazine recently and they highlighted a new book by John MacArthur, 'One Perfect Life'. He has always been an author who could take hard things and put them into words I could understand. I bought it immediately and have been drinking in every word! It is a masterpiece. He has arranged all of the verses in the Bible that have to do with Jesus in chronological order. Then because he knew I was easily distracted, he has sectioned the book into smaller “bites”, smaller chapters. So my goal is to “see Jesus” and from that develop an even deeper love for Jesus the Man, Jesus our God and Jesus my dearest friend. . . 


If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; 
John 14:7a

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Graduation

Did you hear the cheers? I have a hunch some came from heaven, more came from my assistant professor who grades my papers and has helped me in several ways, many came from my family, but the most came from me! At 5:12 PM yesterday I pressed “send”, and with that my last paper went to Dallas Theological Seminary where I have been student on and off for about 13 years. Along with the paper and assurance that I have completed all of the course work, came an enormous sense of relief. I have lived under the pressure of papers, readings and projects due for a long time now. When you are paying $1500 to take one class per semester the pressure to get all you can get out of the experience is heightened. Though I have enjoyed much of it and have learned a great deal, I have also seldom had the luxury of just reading for fun, or wasting time on the frivolous or lingering in a shop. Why? Because there was something hanging over my head, one more thing I had to finish, one more text book I had to read. You know the feeling if you have had any experience with the education system. Even fourth graders know what I am talking about!

And so with the press of the send button on my computer, my life instantly became less complicated, less frenzied, less demanding. I am looking forward to having some free time, some me-time, and some friend time. I have graduated.

The whole concept of graduation is intriguing. The word itself means “a process of gradual change”. Yet with some graduations the change takes place quickly. Years ago I attended my granddaughter’s preschool graduation ceremony. It had all of the pageantry one can expect from four year olds. Yet in her life little changed. But it won’t be long before that same grandchild will be graduating from High School and then college and that will bring about enormous changes in her life.

My “graduation” will be May 10 and after that I will receive a piece of paper that says I have completed the course work for a Certificate in Graduate Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. For me, little will change except the satisfaction of knowing I accomplished a goal. So sometimes graduation brings about an enormous change in life and sometimes, like my degree and the preschool certificate, little changes.

But there is coming a day, when I will graduate from this world into the next. It will be the ultimate graduation, the ultimate change. All that I do now is simply course work for what is to come. Sometimes it is very hard (reminds me of my Soteriology class that just about did me in) and sometimes it is simply pure joy (like Dynamics of Christian Leadership). Yet everything is in preparation for THAT day. I have come to see that a life worth living is never free from pressure. I don’t want to graduate with a D- but would so love to graduate with honors…honors for the One who is my all. I have a chance to spend my class time on earth working for the glory of Jesus Christ. And Scripture tells me there will not be a diploma waiting for me but perhaps a crown and the voice of the one I love saying, ”Well done good and faithful servant.” And then all of the work, time and sacrifice will be worth it. Graduation Day is coming!


2 Timothy 4:7
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness….

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Pay Attention

I wasn’t paying attention. I was driving to my dermatologist’s offices and was paying little attention to where I was going. I had a lot of things bartering for attention in my brain. I had groceries to buy and a house to clean and three papers to finish for seminary and …the list goes on so I won’t bore you. But the point is I WAS NOT PAYING ATTENTION.

I had just turned on Westside Parkway and decided that if I turned left at the light I might be able to land somewhere near where I was going. And so without thinking I made a left turn. Just as I got half of my 1998 Toyota Forerunner into oncoming traffic, a Chevy Malibu came out of nowhere and ran right into me.

Many thoughts descended upon my brain at once. Here are a few:
  1. Hey…how come HE did that!
  2. He should have turned into the other lane and missed me.
  3. He should have stopped sooner.
  4. He wasn’t paying attention.
  5. He…he...he…
But then as I sat there reeling, reality set in. I WAS WRONG. It was totally my fault. Though I wanted more than anything to blame it all on the other guy, the truth was the blame was all mine. I was NOT paying attention and ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Distractions come so easily and can cost us dearly. For me it is a large fine and a dented car that doesn’t look smart. But I have thought often of how blessed I was that I did not kill someone. It leaves me shaken. Sometimes the consequences of not paying attention can be lifelong and even eternal. Busyness can distract me from the Word. Outside activities can distract me from the home. Work can distract me from intimacy with my husband. And blaming others can distract me from owning up to my mistakes and dealing with them in a mature and wise way.

Proverbs 5:1 gives us some good advice:

My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
Lend your ear to my understanding,
That you may preserve discretion,
And your lips may keep knowledge.
Proverbs 5:1

So are you paying attention? The consequences could be greater than you could ever imagine.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

SHARE!

There is something secure about hanging on to our stuff. And it apparently makes interesting script as now we have television shows of people who have taken this (hoarding) to an art form…with dismal results. But the truth is, it is hard to share. I see that in my grandchildren….when they were two or three all of them had such a hard time with this concept. And so they got older and we hounded them out of much of the selfishness. Now when they have a friend over they will share (perhaps for only a short time) their stuff. Sharing is indeed hard.

I know adults who won’t share no matter what and they feel justified in doing so. And as we look at THOSE people, I confess I think it is not an attractive character trait. It is small. It is selfish. It is greedy. Yet, lurking within me (and I bet you!) I can still find myself hanging on to my stuff.

Several years ago I longed for a large van that would hold me and my family and all their friends. I wanted a blue one yet knew it was an impossibility as it was far out of our price range. Beloved spotted one on a used car lot, swung in, found it was absolutely do-able, bought the car and it was mine. I named it Big Blue. It had every bell and whistle on it AND it was diesel which meant we got about 30 miles to a gallon. I Loved, loved, loved my van!

So the day came when I got a phone call from the youth pastor. He wanted to borrow MY VAN for a week, load it with a bunch of unruly (my term) teenagers and drive it hundreds of miles away for a youth camp. My first thought was “ARE YOU KIDDING?!!” My hand gripped tightly around the phone as I said “Hmmm… let me pray about it!” - which simply meant- “Not a chance!”

Beloved thinks different than I do and for that I am grateful. He said, “Well, of course they can use it! After all it belongs to God!”

Really? I thought it belonged to me!

So I pried my fingers off the van and gave the youth pastor the keys and watched Big Blue go out of the driveway knowing full well it would never be the same! And it wasn’t.

One week later it came back. The seat belt holders were both broken. There was a slight stain on the beautiful blue carpet. No, it wasn’t the same. But in some ways it was better. It came back with stories of such adventures and great fun. The trip had been an awesome success and lives had been changed. And soon word got out that Big Blue was available and from then on it was used by everyone. Friends took it on vacation. Youth groups felt it was theirs and used it often. Others used it to move from one place to another or haul large things in it. And our family had awesome and made great memories in Big Blue. And in the end it went to college with Cameron. After she and Jay were married and living in the tiniest apartment on campus, we are sure it became a guest room.

Letting go can be hard. But hoarding our stuff can be even more painful because it enslaves us. Looking back, I can’t even begin to list the great blessings Big Blue was to so many people and through their blessings we were blessed. It totally freed me up to say yes anytime and every time someone asked for it. It became a pleasure.

A month ago we asked Matt and Leslie Buchholz if we could use their gorgeous, totally fabulous home for filming all of the Be Amazing teaching segments. This would require them, along with their baby and three year old, to move out of their home for five days. There would be about twenty-five people in their home during that time using their kitchen, rearranging their furniture, using their electricity and anything else that was needed. They did not hesitate. They simply said “Sure”. And so they packed up and moved out and we and our film crew moved in.

They understand something that took me years to grasp. Everything DOES belong to God and should be used for His glory and for the betterment of others. And of course it will never be the same. In taking down some equipment a chunk of the wall came off. We tracked in dirt and even though everyone tried to be ultra careful, things did not remain the same. They were different.

BUT, in it all, God received the glory and soon we will have twenty-four teaching sessions that we pray will change the way women think about their roles, their families and their homes. And there were twenty-five people who stood in awe of Matt and Leslie Buchholz. They have served as a great example for the rest of us. Share! It is worth it!

A most enormous thanks to Matt and Leslie for serving as such an awesome picture of Jesus Christ to all of us who took part in the filming of Be Amazing. For sure you both truly are!


Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Luke 6:38