What Charlottesville Teaches Me

There are many articles about Charlottesville and its symbolism of current race relations in our country, from what the president said to our nation to what pastors are saying in their pulpits, from what families are discussing at their dinner tables to what our Facebook friends are saying on their feeds. While many events have arisen since that fateful day, I still think there is something I need to say. I am not sure I can add anything to the discussion that hasn’t already been said. But I am compelled by the Holy Spirit to add my voice to the mix about what this event in our history has taught me and is teaching me still.

One thing Charlottesville has taught me is that I need to reprove the works of darkness (Eph. 5:8-11). This was so eloquently done by a preacher who recorded his reaction to the events on YouTube that one of my Facebook friends shared on her feed.[i] Pastor Mike Kleitz of Calvary Road Baptist Church in New Albany, Indiana, doesn’t have thousands of Facebook followers. I don’t know him personally. He’s not a known TV personality with millions of followers on Twitter nor does he have his own late night TV show. He is a pastor who is charged with the care of a flock of people God has brought into his church, and he spoke against the works of darkness in the white supremacy movement, emboldened (but not new) in our day. He took a stand, and that spoke volumes to me that I, too, must do the same. My Christian testimony is on the line and my witness is being scrutinized through the lens of Charlottesville. So, let me say, very simply, like Timothy Keller did in his own reaction to the events, “Christians should look at the energized and emboldened white nationalism movement, and at its fascist slogans, and condemn it—full stop.”[ii] The Bible tells me so.

Another thing that Charlottesville has taught me is that I am afraid to speak what I believe because I care about what people think of me, not necessarily what they think of my Savior. I live in a climate that is so divided and split—even among my friends and those I love—that if I even hint at an unpopular opinion that goes against one side or the other, someone is going to be offended, get mad at me, think I’m not a Christian worth my salt, think I’m holier than thou, etc. This ought not be the reason I remain silent. So, let me say the white supremacists were in the wrong at Charlottesville because their philosophy is wrong. They do have the right to speak what they believe. The counter protesters also have that same right and some of them were in the wrong, too, in how they demonstrated their opposition. The supremacists were itching for a conflict to happen, and this leads me to believe guns or weapons should not be a part of free speech gatherings because of it. Largely in part because of our current racial climate, I’m okay with Confederate flags and statues of past Confederate leaders being taken down in public places, as well as in private places if the organization that has these wants to do so. Individuals have a right to their own personal decision to fly a Confederate flag or honor the Confederacy how they wish, and people have a right to protest that. Propagandists are having a heyday with changing the narrative of the events[iii] that even good people I know are being deceived. Our president is also changing the narrative and making this event like many, if not all, things in his work as president, about himself not our country and is using it to continue to demonize those that disagree with him or are critical of him. Most importantly, this event has shined a light on my own apathy of race issues in America and convicted me of my silence. God has much more to show me as I reflect on these events, and He’s going to turn it into good for me and for those who love Him (Ro. 8:28).

The main issue God spoke to my heart about through these events, however, is the nature of sin, its consequences and our reactions to sin and the sinner, including in ourselves.  God used John 3:16-21 and v. 36 to teach me this point in my own heart:

 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. … He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

What spoke to me in particular in this section of Scripture is that all of us are loved by God. While we ought to and should condemn the philosophies of hate and the reactions of hate they inspire, we ought not condemn the individuals who hold those philosophies. Jesus didn’t come into this world to condemn us but to save us, so I ought to live in accordance toward others to reflect Christ’s mission. I read those verses this way in context to Charlottesville. God loves the white supremacist protester and he loves the antifa protester. He loves Heather Heyer and he loves her killer, James Alex Fields Jr. His overwhelming love for humankind is more astounding to me because He loves us while we are under His wrath. And we are under His wrath because of our sin (and none of us are outside of that wrath (Rom. 3:23)). He knew we could not in ourselves remove His wrath, so He sent us His Son to remove that wrath for us. That wrath remains on us unless we trust that Christ died in our place to atone for our sins, that He paid the penalty for our sins. Because we live in the church age, like Jesus, God is not calling us to condemn one another, but to condemn sin. All this so we see we all have need of a Savior. You see, in our time, God is calling people to salvation not condemnation. And if I don’t act like I understand His mission in our current time, I will only react in a way that does not bring Him glory and honor. In other words, on the one hand, if I don’t reprove the works of darkness (namely, the hate filled rhetoric I saw on part of many protesters that day[iv]), and on the other hand, if I don’t come to a place where I can be a testimony of God’s love for even the individuals I disagree with, I am not being the testimony I need to be for my Savior.

Beyond that, I see one more vital lesson. God showed His love for us that day in providing His protective Hand over the Charlottesville protests. While the events of that day were tragic and horrifying, they could have been much worse. I read an article on the Intercessors for America website that really inspired me and drew me into the call of God for all His children to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).[v] The article reports on a group of Christians who were also counter protesting, only they were doing so by prayer and by song. In response, the hate-filled rhetoric on both sides came to a stop for a time. People didn't know how to respond to them and so were silent for an hour. Who knows how else God used that form of protest that day.

I’m sure the days ahead will bring more lessons from this and other events that take place in our nation and our world. I only hope I am willing to continue learning from them and then to boldly take a stand when God asks that of me. For His glory and His alone.

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[i] https://www.youtube.com/watch?sns=fb&v=CLPUA0nE6bc&app=desktop.

[ii] https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/race-the-gospel-and-the-moment

[iii] http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/21/fake-news-charlottesville-215514; http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/witness-charlottesville-death-threats-conspiracy-theories-began/

[iv] http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2017/08/17/the_viral_vice_documentary_was_the_perfect_rebuke_to_trump_s_charlottesville.html

[v] https://www.getamericapraying.com/blog/charlottesville-intercessors-take-a-stand-and-sing/

Moral Compass

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”—Romans 12:2

“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace …”—1 Corinthians 14:33a

Processing what is going on in the world is something that takes its toll on my spirit. So much of what takes place in my generation goes against what I know to be true, right, and dare I say logical? Confusion abounds. Media loves to add to this cacophony for their own profit, which makes the discussion among the masses often one of contention rather than polite discourse.

Sometimes the best help for me as I process these thoughts is having an open and judgment-free space and a willing ear. I can then lay it all out there and sit back and listen to the wisdom of those I love and respect, who themselves desire to walk with God in a way that pleases Him. Many times when I share my thoughts with others in this way, God brings me peace in the midst of the confusion, by recalibrating my mind on what is true, kind, noble, of good report, pure, etc. (Philippians 4:8).

Recently, I have had two such open spaces, one with my dear husband and another with my close friend. Both of them hit the “Cassy-sharing-is-caring” jackpot when I burst out of my seams with some of what confuses and bothers me about the world we live in. I really needed to understand how God sees what’s going on in our world and how to move forward in that understanding, both personally and spiritually. How do I approach living in the world but not being of the world as a parent, a relative, a friend, but most of all, as a Christian? How would Jesus act and react to these goings on today and how should we, as His ambassadors on earth (1 Corinthians 5:21), express to others what He would do?

My desire is to be Christ-like in the face of such confusion—not to condemn those who I believe are making choices contrary to God’s Word, some of whom are truly soul-searching and trying to find a place and a voice in this world. I know Jesus didn’t come to condemn us, but to save us (John 3:17). So, should someone ask my opinion on this or that matter, I could lovingly speak the truth of God’s Word into their hearts (Ephesians 4:15).

As a Christian, I believe the Bible is the Word of God and the final authority for all my decisions in faith and life. So, I am to make decisions as best as I know how based upon God’s Word, and not what Christians refer to as the “world’s standard” or doing what I think is right in my own eyes.[1] Again, I am not to conform to the world around me but to renew my mind. I do this by reading, studying and meditating on His Word. Through that process, I am transformed in that renewal so that I may prove the perfect will of God.

As God’s people who live in this world but who are not of this world, our “job” as Christians is to offer a lifeline to those who may also be looking for answers in the midst of all the confusion. We are encouraged in Scripture to do this in a winsome manner (1 Timothy 2:23-25). We aren’t to condemn others for making decisions that stand in opposition to what God states in His Word (John 3:17). We aren’t to condemn ourselves or other Christians because of a perceived spiritual failure on our part that opened the gates to whatever confusion exists.[2]

Satan is at work here (Ephesians 6:12). We as Christians need to realize this and not only that, there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). I will give you that perhaps whatever “new” thing you may be facing may not have been as open in the past or as talked about as it is today (e.g., our 24-hour news cycle). But I guarantee whatever you and I are struggling to understand has happened in the past and is not new to the world. More importantly, it is not new to God. I find comfort in this thought, because I am so often like a deer caught in headlights and shocked and baffled when confronted by all the new theories that abound about all manner of topics. It heartens me to know, God has seen all this before and He not only has an opinion about it, He has a plan to use it for His glory (Romans 8:28).

The answer to all my heart’s questions is simply this: God’s Word is a steadfast and sure moral compass. It does not change because He does not change (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). Its truth, its principles, its wisdom can be applied to all generations in all types of situations. I have faith in Christ. I believe the Bible to be His Word. And that is my moral compass. He steadies me in the storms of our day and my prayer, my heart’s desire is to reflect Him to others in this world in case they, too, are looking for answers beyond the world’s conclusions. I hope they will see in me someone who has a peace that is beyond human understanding and someone who can explain to them lovingly, kindly, and in truth how they, too, can have God’s peace (Philippians 4:7).

The opposite of His peace is the world’s peace, and it changes daily. One day the world will give you peace, and the next day it will be taken away because of this new study, that knowledgeable person’s opinion or this person’s experience. It’s never the same.

I don’t know about you, but I am desperate for guidance and peace in the midst of all this confusion. If you, too, are looking for direction, I can suggest nothing better than His Word to show you the way. It not only tells us how we can have a peace beyond human understanding, it guides us to our true Compass, Jesus Christ.

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1 There are many verses in the Bible about mankind doing right in his or her own eyes and how that is the way to bring troubles upon oneself. The most telling verses on this topic are found in Judges, which is the book of the Bible that is the most descriptive (and frankly, one of hardest books for me to read because of it) of how wicked man can get morally when he is left to his own judgments. (See Deuteronomy 12:8; Judges 17:6; Judges 21:25; Proverbs 12:15.)

2 Don’t get me wrong. We should regularly ask God to show us sin in our lives, personally, and from there confess our sins and repent should God prick our consciences about where we as individuals are not walking with Him. What I am referring to here, however, is a fault-finding spirit that is divisive and not one of unity. One that criticizes and puts down others, especially other believers, instead of lifting and building up. If we as Christians maintain a habit of putting down fellow believers for this or that thing, the world may see us as not having love for one another. And it is this love that Christ commands us to have, so that the world knows we are His disciples, thereby being able to point others to Him (John 13:35).

Without Me You Can Do Nothing

“For without me ye can do nothing.”—John 15:5

I have yet to read a book written by Andrew Murray, but I know he is well known as someone who teaches on prayer very well. During a sermon about a year ago, God spoke to me about three stages of a Christian’s life he defines in his book “Absolute Surrender.”

The first is “I can do it.” This stage is full of our pride, our accomplishments, and our selves. Here is where we fail and then move into the second phase “I can’t do it.” While true, God doesn't want you to stop here. Unfortunately, though, this is where a lot of Christians stop in their walks with God. Through various battles of discouragement, the cares of this world, and frankly, the lies of the devil they come to believe, many Christians stop here and never go further, as they wait on this side of Heaven for their call up. They never reach the Victorious Christian Life on this plain. Instead, they remain on the outer fringes of the Promised Land never tasting the milk and honey of a land where our relationship with God is full and free and our affections for the things of this world die daily.

The last stage is “God can do it through me.” In the sermon, I was again reminded that it is in this stage God can use us. It does not matter if we have skills or talents. I think it could also be added that it doesn’t matter if we have a willing heart because that, too, can be a source of pride. We cannot be fully used of God until we absolutely surrender to Him. I think of my gifts and abilities. My willingness to be used of God. And I have to be honest that I feel like I’m in that first stage again.

I believe throughout the history of my walk with Jesus, He has brought me through these stages over and over. I do not think, at least for me, that this Christian walk is so black and white that once we have crossed over into the Promised Land, that we cannot go back and spend time in the previous stages. Just in reading the Old Testament, the history of the Kings of Judah, for instance, we can see the many ups and downs of God’s people.

I also believe one area of our Christian life may have gotten to the Promised Land, but there are other aspects of our lives that God is still fine-tuning so that He can use us for His glory … for His Kingdom … for that heavenly city where the fruits of His work will reside.

Lord Jesus, you know my arrogance. And you know my willingness. You know my fleshly pride. And you know my desire to be closer to you. I am all mixed up on this plain, believing a lie that to surrender my life to You, which would make an end of me, would be a negative. In one sense it will be. I know my flesh won’t like it. But I know my spirit will thrive and learn of its purpose, and it is only when this happens, that I begin to understand without You, I can do nothing.

Manito Park Rose Garden (Spokane, WA)
September 2007

Words of Knowledge

“Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the 

words of knowledge.”—Proverbs 19:27

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”—Hosea 4:6a

Christianity is a belief system in which its adherents are encouraged to study. That does not mean we need doctorate-level (or even college-level) studies in order to practice our faith more perfectly. No. All of God's children have varying degrees of intelligence and varying degrees of interest. One believer may have a moderate level of education, for example, and loves to delve into the Scriptures by way of word studies. This believer may know he needs to understand God's view of patience more clearly, so that he may apply that quality to his own life. He would then seek out verses that use this word, read and memorize those verses, and then read those verses in context to the verses surrounding it for a deeper perspective and a clearer understanding of how patience applied in each of those circumstances.

You may also have a believer that just can't get enough of theology and how individuals down through history approached their faith. She would study the lives of great theologians and learn the concepts they defined and then learn the concepts of others (contemporary or not) who may or may not agree with this theologian's concepts, and then begin to study what they believe. From there, through her own knowledge of Scripture and by way of much prayer that God would guide her into all truth (John 16:13), she would seek God and ask Him to show her what He thinks of these rich theological concepts by way of His word.

There are Christians who love studying the end times and can't get enough of learning about current and future events and how they relate to biblical prophecies. There are Christians who love poetry and wisdom and so want to read the poetic books of the Bible, over and over and over again, so that the truths in these passages (of Proverbs for example) just start to become his own thoughts as he goes about his days. There are Christians who love to read missionary tales of current and past individuals who lived their faith out loud to a lost and dying world. Simply said, there is so much we can be fascinated with about God and His word that would encourage us to study deeper.

Studying God's word also protects us from the lies that we come across in false doctrine and false teachings. God expects us to study to show ourselves approved unto Him so that we can rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). This is key in our age of too much information because there are many voices and many ideas out there in our world that are clamoring for our attention. In order to clearly maneuver in these waters, we need to make sure our ship and our sails are without damage, and that our anchor is sure. That ship, sail, and anchor can be said to be God's holy and precious word and the basic truths He communicates to us through His word. Without knowledge of His truth to steady us, we will be like children, the Bible says, “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14).

So, how do I cease from hearing instruction that leads to my destruction? I feel very fortunate because I happen to love studying. I love learning and diving deeper into subjects that interest me, and I am blessed with a thirst to know God's ways and to know His word. He has blessed me over and over in my own personal life with deeper understandings on this or that subject. But that thirst is not constant and it does change as far as what subjects I want to study or that He’s leading me to study.

For example, in my earlier walk with the Lord, I loved studying other religions and all the different views even within Christianity. That changed into a desire to know and understand my Bible better, and then led me into the discipline of reading my Bible every day. As time went on, I was then led to take a three year Bible college course that taught on every book of the Bible and how each book fit into the other to make the whole Bible. That was a beautiful and enriching study. I also love preaching, so I am someone who actually likes to attend church and listen to the biblical messages God has given His man to speak on in the pulpit. Today, though, I haven't been as thirsty, and I began to ask God to revive my thirst to know Him more and to live for Him better according to His word. I can speak honestly that God has given me a couple lessons this week alone that have begun quenching a newly growing thirst for Him and His ways.

But even if I'm not thirsty, I try to read my Bible every morning. It may be a chapter or two or several chapters. Lately, I have been reading one chapter in the Old Testament, one chapter in the New Testament, my daily Proverbs chapter, and as many as five chapters in Psalms. Before I read my chapters, I pray Psalms 119:18, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” With that prayer comes an expectation that God will bring to light any subject my spirit needs to feed on before I begin my day. And I think that's why I have a love for His word. He has used my morning Bible readings over and over to speak truths to me that I desperately needed or didn't even know I needed until He showed them to me.

So, as God's people, we need to study His word. This is a truth we see throughout the Bible. We need it so that we understand our place in the world and so that we understand His will for our lives better. But, perhaps most importantly, we need to study His word because if we don't, our knowledge of Him will slowly fade away and we will be setting ourselves up for destruction.

Let us be Christians who study God's word. But more than that, let us be Christians who love His word.

"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

—Joshua 1:8

John 6:13 in my Bible

Sparing Your Words

“He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.”—Proverbs 17:27-28

Have you ever desired to be wise and have a mouth full of wise words? I sure have and I still do. As I began to acquaint myself with the Bible soon after surrendering my life to the Lord, my first favorite Bible character was Solomon. Even today, he holds a special place in my heart. I love how when asked by God for any wish, he asked God for an understanding heart to rightly judge God’s people. And God gave him that and more. (1 Kings 3)

It could be said that because of this prayer request, we have the book of Proverbs, which was largely written by him. Tradition also ascribes the Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes to him as well. In thinking about that, those portions of Scripture don’t even account for a large section of the Bible. In that, we can see the truth of these words above. 

Knowledge and wisdom are not necessarily found in grand words, lengthy speeches, or long pontifications about this or that point but are found in salient and direct thoughts that apply to all generations. Or in silence.

Think of it this way. Have you ever thought to yourself that the Bible should be a bigger book? The last verse of the Gospel of John even alludes to this thought: “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” (John 21:25)

Wisdom, knowledge, and truth do not need large shelves or many volumes in which to be placed. It’s a beautiful thing that we have many books written from different perspectives to help us understand truths better. But I believe all we need to know can be found in Scripture, which has just the right number of pages and just the right amount of words to accomplish God’s desire to pass His wisdom to His children.

In application to my own life, Lord, help me to understand my own thoughts and words in light of this truth, that sparing my words – and holding my tongue – is often the wiser and more knowledgeable choice.  

Sibiu, Romania (December 2005)

Parable of Tom

The story that follows is something I experienced when I was living in Romania as a Peace Corps volunteer in October 2005.  I was very heavy-hearted by the “give-me” mentality that existed among the poor there. The translation of the American “Mister, can you spare a dime?” or some other request for money among our homeless is “da-mi,” which literally means “give me.” The way it comes across was very abrasive to my American sensibilities, and I was so tired of being seen as a “bancomat,” the Romanian word for an ATM machine. Even strapping, young men, who were able-bodied, would recognize I was a foreigner and say, “da-mi.” I wanted to give to true needs, and without manipulation, but it was often not presented to me in that way. I believe God was teaching me something through that experience, and that is something I’m still processing today. That is the background for this “tale” you are about to read.

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There was this kind of alley cat I saw perched on the trash bin outside my apartment, while I was walking home the other night. I recognized him right away. I had seen him before, and in my mind, I remarked about him in much the same way as I had when I first saw him—boy, he looks like he’s been through a lot. As I was walking past his perfect profile on the bin, I thought that he would have made a great photograph, even a classic portrait of sorts. I stopped and looked at him more closely. I saw he had a very soft outline surrounding his body by the sun’s last rays. I saw that he had an ear that probably was deformed by a dog bite years ago. I just thought he looked cool.

So, I walked upstairs to my apartment.  Once in my apartment, I decided to take my camera to go outside and take his picture. I figured if it was God’s will that I am to take the photograph, he will still be in that same pose … or at least out there.

He wasn’t in his same pose on that garbage bin, unfortunately, but he was at least still out there. I saw him digging through the garbage looking for food, in much the same way a gypsy or a homeless drunk scavenges for hidden treasure through everyone’s refuse. I began whispering the pee-see, pee-see, Romanians do when they call for cats. It is their term of endearment rooted in the Romanian word for cat, pisica. It’s like our “here kitty, kitty.” He popped his head up out of the garbage and I started shooting off some pictures.

Onesti, Romania (October 2005)

They were not what I really wanted because the pose I really wanted was the one I had observed some five minutes before. But I kept shooting photos anyway. I walked closer to him to get a better shot. After a few more pictures, he came completely out of the garbage and walked toward me on the ledge. I thought, I better be careful or I’m going to scare him off. I took some more pictures, and finally, he jumped down. I thought to myself that he’s going to be one of those skittish cats, and run away, as if he was startled by me, or something else he had heard. Instead, he came near me, as if he wanted a pet.

Now, let me explain to you how he looked beyond the photographs. He didn’t look like an old cat. He was probably in his twenties in cat years. He was of the orange-striped variety and was very skinny. His fur was matted in many locations across his body, and his tail, although perfectly intact, was also unusually thin. He looked like he had some bumps on him from being hit or run over or who knew what else, under his fur, and when you touched them, those bumps were very hard. His eyes were a beautiful green, and he really had a perfectly-shaped face. A beautiful nose. And that very strange half-eaten left ear. Some mud-caked hair stuck out from the inside of his other ear. His toes, while wonderfully formed, were dirty with the city of Onesti. He looked like he could have been a gorgeous house cat, had anyone cared to adopt him before he began looking the way he did then.

 I thought twice before petting him, knowing there was probably a colony of fleas on him, one of those fleas more than willing to jump on me and start another colony in my house. However, my heart softened as he kept trying to come to me for affection. It’s almost like he had forgotten the routine of getting a pet. I melted, and I began to pet him.  I wondered if he would bite me or scratch me because he was not used to being touched. He didn’t do either of those things. Instead, in his soundless meow, he asked for more of my touches. He even lifted his front paws off of the ground as if to reach up to my hand. I was softened by his desire for love.

I began to think that he was probably hungry and wished that I hadn’t eaten my leftover tuna fish for breakfast that morning. However, I thought about the milk I had bought and decided to bring that out to him to drink. I go back into my house, thinking how it was so much easier to give to an animal than another human being. At least I could know beyond a shadow of a doubt this cat’s hunger was real, and he was not begging me for it. I felt this sense of freedom to be able to show kindness to another living thing that was just between me and him. No guilt or pity of mine being manipulated … just this moment in which I could give just because I wanted to. I’m not doing a great job of explaining this, but for the sake of time, I will go on.

In my house, I found something I could leave outside that could hold milk. I poured some milk into it and filled another small container in case he wanted more. I walked back outside and saw he was right where I had left him the second time—where I was petting him.

I put the milk down, and he came almost immediately to it and began drinking. I was crouched down on the ground, and I felt that there was this circle around us. I became absorbed in his drinking. A thought occurred to me that some of my students, as well as some of my neighbors, might see me and that they would all think I was a little crazy to put this much effort into a cat that wasn’t even cute. But I didn’t care. I felt this circle around us, and I trusted that it would keep others away from my moment. He drank non-stop until a big wind blew a couple of bags down onto the ground from the garbage bin. He was startled and moved away from the milk. I picked the bags up and began talking to him in English, as if he could understand me, and told him it was okay. I began to feel like I wanted to stand there as long as it took for him to finish drinking. I wanted to protect him. I wanted to be his circle.

Then, I looked at him and thought he could probably defend himself. He had already been through so much. And that’s when something began to happen in my mind. I began to look at him and transfer his life onto a human being in this world who had also been through a lot. Someone who had sin’s scars all over their body. Someone who had been damaged over time, abandoned by friends and loved ones, and was tough because they’ve had to be. Someone who you’d look at and say, this person can handle themselves. Someone who you’d think wouldn’t be very affectionate, but as you got to know them, you began to see who God had intended them to be. Someone who craved love and pleasant things to happen to them … Someone who never thought they’d be an outcast in this world, with mud caked inside their ears, with battle scars and bruises all over their body … someone with a perfectly shaped face and eyes that reveal so much more than their words were willing to say.

I began to feel sorrow for those people who end up drug addicts, who wind up in the sex industry, most of them sold into it when they were too immature to choose that life for themselves and who are so caught up in it now, that they feel it’s too late to change. I began to feel sorrow for those individuals the world leaves behind, the true children of need.

I was grateful for these thoughts God spoke to my heart about in this very strange moment with a cat, of all creatures.

Then, he was done. He lifted up his head, and I noticed his whiskers were heavy with milk. Not even finishing the seconds I had given him, he began to walk to an open spot in between some grass. He stopped for a moment, and without even looking back to the garbage bin, to the milk, or to me, he rushed off as if he had another appointment, and he did so in an even-paced stride, not stopping for anything or anyone. I wondered where he was going.

I thought to myself, that this was such an interesting moment in my life. A gift given and a gift received. I named him Tom in my mind as I walked back to my apartment.

I think, yes, Tom. Because he really is a tomcat.

Beaten up, dirty, damaged, hungry, and perfect.

Onesti, Romania (October 2005)

Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” –Proverbs 25:11

Somewhere in the pages of journals past, I know I have written about this verse before. It seems every time I read it in my Bible readings, God highlights it in my soul. It always shines through the pages of Scripture. 

This time, it reminds me that my heart's desire since giving my life to the Lord has been to posses His wisdom, sometimes even to my own vanity. However, it is mostly so I can know Him and understand His ways better, applying what He shows me to my life.

I think this is why I love Scripture because it is a well of God's precious wisdom and a solid foundation of truth. I have experienced His precious wisdom over and over by reading His Holy Word. I know there are many out there that stumble upon parts of Scripture—and you should know, so do I. The book of Judges, for example, has to be one of the hardest books of the Bible for me to read. The depravity of man and just how far we entertain our sinfulness is a fact that I have a hard time dealing with. But when I take a step back and gaze at the awful stories in that book and search for God's understanding or what He wants me to understand about such passages, I am pointed to the cross and the purpose of the Bible—that it points us to a merciful and loving Savior, Who took upon Himself the form of a man and sacrificed His life on our behalf to reconcile us to God.

And yet, some of His judgments can be hard to read too. Again, gazing at these parts of the Bible through the lens of God's whole counsel, we understand that if we turn to Him, He doesn't reward us according to our works and that His long-suffering leads us to a godly sorrow that brings about our repentance. He knows we are but flesh, and His mercies are new every morning.

The Bible taken as a whole is a magnificent treasure especially for those of us who are born-again because we have the guidance of the Holy Spirit in us and with us teaching us the mind of God as we read Scripture.

O friend, have you experienced this? So many “lonely” moments of my single years, for example, were spent in this Scriptural communion with God, sometimes with a pen in hand and blank pages in front of me on which I discussed with praise the treasure of truth God had settled upon my heart.

And do you want to know something I realize as I write this? God molded me where I was. He was the Master Potter directing my thinking one thought at a time. He was and is so patient with me because some truths He gave me were tainted by my sinfulness. My “disposition” toward others as I tried to communicate these truths has often been less than perfect. God didn't stop there with me though. In time and with experience He showed me a better way, a more Biblical way of handling the truths He graciously gave me. He taught me and continues to teach me how to communicate in love.

Thank you, Jesus. Thank You for all the words You have fitly spoken to me and for all the words You will fitly speak to me, so that I, too, may be an apple of gold in a picture of silver for someone else. 

Angkor Wat, Cambodia (2000)

Pearls Before Swine

“Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.”

—Proverbs 23:9

“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.”—Matthew 7:6

Pearls before swine.

Just those three words paint a very strange and descriptive picture, and one that I think is not very pleasant. It leads me to consider how often I go about my conversations with others, hoping to give some godly, Biblical advice, and yet sometimes there is a catch in my spirit that does not give me liberty to do so. I come back to the truths expressed in these verses above. One who does not and will not listen to sound wisdom is one who we ought not to present our understanding.

Isn’t that a strange concept when we are commanded to preach the gospel everywhere and to be a witness? I believe God has given us a guide in these verses, letting us know that not everyone will receive truth, so don’t even try because, in effect, you are casting your pearls of wisdom before the swine, the fool. It’s sad to think there are people in the world, whom God died for, but whom He considers dogs and swine in their understanding. Unable to grasp the truths of His word and apply them to their lives.

And as if that wasn’t a bleak enough picture, He even says the giver of wisdom will be despised by the dogs and swine and that they will do evil to the wisdom giver.

Now, I feel led to say, I believe the Bible teaches that the Gospel should be given to all men, everywhere. Perhaps the truths expressed in these verses above provide a balance by guiding us that not everybody’s mind will be changed. In fact, there are some who we ought not to talk with further beyond the Gospel.

I apply this in my day-to-day dealings with others. How that, sometimes, by casting God’s pearls of wisdom before others, I may be setting myself up to be despised, and possibly injured. And if I do this despite the Holy Spirit’s leading not to, I am at fault, not God. However, if God leads me to say something, that is another story altogether.

It’s not a very nice picture of some people, myself included, as I know I am not always “ready” to hear God’s truth. Thankfully, though, we can trust God’s Holy Spirit to not only lead us and guide us when we should or should not dispense to others what we may have beautifully learned in God’s word, but that He also will help us get ready to hear the truths He’s waiting to tell us.

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: … a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.”—Ecclesiastes 3:1 and 7b

Village of Tescan, Romania. (2004)

Wisdom and the Foolish Woman

“Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars: she hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.” 

Proverbs 9:1-2

For the sake of simplicity, let’s say there are two women who cry out to the simple ones, the individuals who are seeking to understand their way in the world. One woman takes great care to prepare for her guests. As the opening verses of this chapter, interestingly, the shortest one in Proverbs, suggests, she builds her house, taking great care in the details. She kills her beasts, she mixes her wine, and she sets her own table. She prepares her servants and then she goes out into the street and calls unto the people who desire understanding. She says to them, “Come eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.” (v. 5) She says to these who are searching to come to her table where she has placed no substitutes, where she has cut no corners, and live of her. Her name is Wisdom and she prepares and serves that which she offers seekers.

Then, there is another woman. She is simple and knows nothing. She sits at her door. Let’s say she’s sitting on her porch, which happens to be conveniently located at a place of high traffic in the city. Because of its location, she just calls out to those who are going along their way. She doesn’t actively pursue those who want understanding. She just picks from the “low-hanging” fruit, only from those who are walking near her door. She calls out to those who want understanding and says, “Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” She prepares no table for her guests, but offers what some may call the counterfeit of Wisdom’s nutrients. She is lazy and has no integrity. And the guests at her table are dead and “in the depths of hell.” (v. 18) Her name is the Foolish Woman and the Bible describes her as clamorous—noisy, demanding attention, loud, and insolent.

We are, all of us, sought by these two individuals in every aspect of our lives. One, Wisdom, has the real thing, and she actively seeks out her guests. What she offers them is worked for and earned. At her table are truths that are rich, pleasant, and free.

The other, the Foolish Woman, represents the world. She’s loud and demanding, but lazy and slack, as she just picks from those of us who are near her door. There isn’t a lot of work she has to do to draw us to her table, which is filled with stolen waters and bread eaten in secret. Mere shadows of the real thing. She’s dishonest and only mimics what Wisdom offers and not even very well.

I think of God and all He has to offer those of us seeking understanding. He desires us to eat at His table, from the foods He’s prepared. He’s done all the work and all we have to do is accept His gift.

Then, there is Satan and the world. He cares not for you, only that you eat at his table instead of God’s. He’s lazy and unwilling to even make it attractive, but only through his persistent clamoring some of us cannot and do not refuse his offer of hell.

What a vivid picture of the difference between God’s way of offering us understanding and Satan’s way. 

Lord, help me to choose to sit at Your table and eat what only You can and have prepared for me.

 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”—James 1:17

Pike Place Market in Seattle, WA (2007)

An Excellent Spirit

“A man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.”

Proverbs 17:27b

Excellent. What a great word. I love how it ties into understanding. My first favorite verse of the Bible was “Man’s goings are of the Lord, how can a man then understand his own way?” (Proverbs 20:24) It reminded me that my understanding, my clarity of purpose and design, were in the hands of God, and it was my duty, my pleasure, to seek answers from Him to understand my place in this world.

When I gave my life to the Lord in my early twenties, it was like I had access to this fountain of understanding that never went dry. I had so much to learn. I had so much time to make up in my relationship with Him. It was then I first experienced the blessings of clarity of mind. And excellent is a great word to describe this feeling.

Oh, how I loved Jesus in those early days. This is not to diminish my love for Him today, but just like a new marriage or relationship, those first days are full of feelings of wonder and love and awe for that person and how they make us feel. It is only in time, that our love grows and matures into something more precious and deeper than we thought we could feel, that is, if we stay constant through the many ups and downs, as well as in the plateaus.

Reflecting on this verse today, could it be the excellent spirit is the result of understanding, rather than the goal? What I mean to say is we could easily get prideful if we walk around thinking we are excellent because we have understanding. With puffed up heads of knowledge, pointing to ourselves, we say, “Look at me. I have an excellent spirit because God has given me so much understanding.”

Why not look at it like because God has graciously given us understanding, our being exudes this “excellent spirit,” that directs praise to God, rather than ourselves. This excellent spirit may be what a non-believer sees when they look at us and wants what we have.

The Peace of God. The Love of God. The Acceptance of God. Not because we’re perfect but because we understand our place in His Kingdom.

Lord, may this river of understanding never run dry. Oh, it may be a trickle at times, and like a waterfall at other times, but help me to gain the understanding you have for me, so that I may be “of an excellent spirit” always and for Your glory.

Pike Place Market. Seattle, Washington. (2007)

Thought of the Day

Today's thought comes from Charles Spurgeon's morning devotion for November 19. I read it this morning (actually, technically, it was yesterday morning) and have been meditating on what he was trying to convey about "avoid[ing] foolish questions" from Titus 3:9. Here is an excerpt from his devotion.

"Our days are few, and far better spent in doing good, than in disputing over matters which are, at best, of minor importance. The old schoolmen did a world of mischief by their incessant discussion of subjects of no practical importance; and our Churches suffer much from petty wars over abstruse (not easily understood) points and unimportant questions. ... Questions upon points wherein Scripture is silent; upon mysteries which belong to God alone; upon prophecies of doubtful interpretation; and upon mere modes of observing human ceremonials, are all foolish, and wise men avoid them. ... and if we observe the apostle's precept (Titus 3:8) to be careful to maintain good works, we shall find ourselves far too much occupied with profitable business to take much interest in unworthy, contentious, and needless strivings. ..."

He did say that there were questions we should ask, though, and I quote him directly:

• Do I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?
• Am I renewed in the spirit of my mind?
• Am I walking not after the flesh, but after the Spirit?
• Am I growing in grace?
• Does my conversation adorn the doctrine of God my Savior?
• Am I looking for the coming of the Lord, and watching as a servant should do who expects his master?
• What more can I do for Jesus?

This devotion was a good gentle rebuke for me today.