Although Israel’s rebellion against God occurred thousands of years ago, humanity has not ceased to carry that rebellion on throughout the generations.  If we’re being honest with ourselves, we all have turned our backs on God at one time or another.  Our idols might look different than they did during Isaiah’s time, but they are there non-the-less.  I think the fact that they are not golden calves or Asherah poles makes them harder to recognize.  But anytime we put something before God, anytime we turn to someone or something other than God to meet our needs-give us purpose-fulfill us-deliver us, then we are practicing idolatry.

Take a moment and consider the idols which exist in your life.  What pulls you away from God?  What are you placing before God?  What, other than God, has power over your life?

The following is a Prayer of Confession from the United Methodist Book of Worship.  We recite this prayer once a month as part of our Holy Communion liturgy.  I offer this prayer to you today for your own personal use. I have changed the collective “we” and “our” in the original prayer to the singular “I” and “my” for this purpose. And remember, as Isaiah writes so eloquently, “Though your sins be like scarlet;they shall be as white as snow.”

Merciful God, I confess that I have not loved you with my whole heart.  

I have failed to be an obedient servant.  

I have not done your will.

I have broken your law.

I have rebelled against your love.

I have not loved my neighbors.

I have not heard the cry of the needy.  

Forgive me, I pray.  

Free me, for joyful obedience.

Through Jesus Christ my Lord,  Amen.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?”  And I said, “Here am I.  Send me!”  Isaiah 6:8

The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel…the LORD will cut off from Israel both head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day… Isaiah 9:8, 14

Isaiah’s call story is one of the most dramatic and memorable in all of Scripture.  The prophet is given an all-access pass into the throne room of God.  Isaiah sees the Lord, surrounded by the great hosts of heaven, enthroned in all of His glory, speaking to His divine council.  Fearing for his life, Isaiah cries out, “I am ruined!”–for no one was ever to see the face of God and live.  And yet, God had brought Isaiah into this most Holy of Holy’s for a specific purpose.  God was looking for a messenger–someone who would go to His rebellious people and warn them of the catastrophic consequences their apostasy would have.  The Lord says to Isaiah:

“Go and tell this people: Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.  Make the heart of this people calloused….until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, until the LORD has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken.”  Isaiah 6:9-10, 11-13

I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure my first response to this holy request would be, “Here I am.  Send me!!”  In fact, I’m pretty sure I would have been looking over my shoulder for someone (anyone) else to take that job.  God was telling Isaiah to walk into the places of highest power and tell the leaders of Israel and Judah that they were leading their people into destruction.  God was telling Isaiah to speak out against the idolatry of the people–the pagan practices which had become acceptable in the eyes of society.  This was not a message of peace and prosperity.

Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.  Isaiah 10:1-2

The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Isaiah 24:5

Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine…Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit…Woe to those who call evil good and good evil…Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight…Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks, who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent.  Isaiah 5:11, 18, 20-23

Isaiah was calling the leaders of Israel to account for their corruption and oppression–for leading the people into acts of idolatry and for encouraging debauchery, greed and selfishness.  Isaiah was speaking out against a society which had become godless and defiled to the point that the sacrifices the people raised in the Temple were no longer a pleasing aroma to God.

And yet, God’s purpose in sending Isaiah with such a hard message to swallow wasn’t an act of spite or vengeance.  Rather, God wanted to remind His people of whose they were; of WHO they were, and of who He IS.

 “I am the Lord YOUR God!” God says.  “I teach you what is best for you.  I direct you in the way you should go.  If only you had paid attention to me.  If only you had followed the perfect path I laid out for you, your peace would have been like a river and your well-being would be like the waters of the sea.” Isaiah 48:17-18

But the people’s hearts were stubborn.  Their ears were deaf.  Their eyes were blind.  The message didn’t sink in.  And so God was forced to ask, once again, “Whom shall I send?” 

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

29 years.  That’s how long it’s been since the Kansas City Royals have entered postseason baseball.  29 years.  I was 9 years old during the Royals’ glory days.  I remember packed stadiums and eager anticipation and the awed voices as names like “Brett” and “White” and “Saberhagen” and “Quisenberry” were banded about.  It was an exciting time, full of hope and pride and possibility.

And then it ended.  The drought came.  The excitement faded.  The stadium emptied.  The heroes of the glory days faded into ghosts.  Hope gave way to despair and then to apathy as it seemed the Royals were never again going to stand in the light of the postseason.

But then it came.  Inexplicably, unpredictably, astonishingly–it came.  One chance.  One opportunity to change the course of a 29 year drought.  One game.  One shot.  29 years condensed into 9 innings.  Could they do it?  Could they set aside the disappointments and failures and heartache of 29 years?  The 7-3 deficit in the middle of the sixth inning would tell you no.

But this story doesn’t end there.  This team of young players could have succumbed to the legacy of defeat the organization has carried on its back for 29 years.  They could have checked out, given up, moved back into the void of failure and missed opportunity.  They could have.

 

What they decided to do, however, was to fight.  Four runs and two innings later, the chronic losers had clawed and scratched their way into a tie ballgame.  And when the opposing team scored a single run in the top of the 12th inning, the Royals dug deep one more time.  With two outs and one last ditch effort, the Royals came back for the win.

The stadium erupted.  The players swarmed each other on the field.  29 years–a generation of losing.  But the players never-gave-up.

 

As I fist-pumped in the living room and texted my sister, I thought about my own frame of mind earlier that day.  I had been working on a difficult endeavor.  It seemed hopeless, pointless.  I felt like a failure.  I told my husband I was going to give up, chuck the whole thing, and never strive for anything ever again.  That would be easy.  But watching the Royals scrape their way to a victory last night made me think, maybe easy isn’t really the best option.

The Apostle Paul writes in the book of Philippians:

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:12-14

Paul could have given up numerous times.  He was imprisoned, beaten, cursed, and threatened throughout his ministry.  No one would have blamed him for seeking early retirement far away from Judea.  But Paul pressed on because it was what he was called to do.

I don’t know what 29 year drought you’re going through right now.  I don’t know how it will all shake out in the end.  But I know that, for me, it’s time to dig deep and strive on.  So keep fighting–and watch some baseball.  You never know where inspiration might strike. 🙂

My friend Amy L. Sullivan just published her first book.  For those of you who don’t know Amy, let me just tell you–she’s amazing!  I met Amy a few years ago through a blog network of Christian women writers.  While we’ve never IRL, she’s a definite soul sister!!  She’s witty and sarcastic and sees the humor in every situation, including giving birth to her second child on the side of the road.  (Seriously, you should buy the book just for THAT story alone!)

But Amy is more than just a witty writer.  She is a change agent.

When I first met Amy, she was on this crazy mission to change the culture of her family from self-focused to others focused.  Over the course of a year, Amy and her family intentionally lived out Jesus’ call to love others as he loved us by getting out and serving in their community.  They did all sorts of things,like serving meals at a homeless shelter, hosting “Almost Sleepover” parties to raise items for a local women’s center, making muffins to save animals, charging family members to flush the toilet to raise money to dig a well, and attempting to make shoes out of milk cartons and old jeans!

And while Amy and her family were working to change the lives of others, something extraordinary happened.  They found their own lives changed, as well.  By living an others-centered life, Amy discovered that her family was spending much more quality time together.  In sharing more, they learned to love better.  Her children learned empowerment.  If there’s a need, they can problem-solve a solution!  But most importantly, Amy and her family found themselves in the center of God’s perfect peace.

Take a moment to hear from Amy herself:

Amy makes me want to live a better story.  She inspires me and empowers me to love better.  And, she will do the same for you.  So go visit Amy on her website!  Check out her book on Amazon.  Better yet, BUY her book on Amazon!  I promise you, it will make a world of difference, and a difference in the world.

Blessings and Peace,
Sara

“May God give you
        showers from the sky,
        olive oil from the earth,
        plenty of grain and new wine.
May the nations serve you,
        may peoples bow down to you.
Be the most powerful man among your brothers,
        and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
    Those who curse you will be cursed,
        and those who bless you will be blessed.”  Genesis 27:28-29

I’ve always tried to pray for my children.  It’s usually the same prayer, over and over again.  I ask for God to be with them, for his Spirit to be upon them.  I pray that they grow in his love and live their lives in service to him.

Of course, there are other prayers, as well.  Prayers for healing when they are sick, prayers for peace when they are anxious, prayers for understanding when they’re struggling.

But this year, as my boys headed off to school once again, I wanted to give them something more.  I wanted to impart something to them before they left home–something they could carry with them through their day–something that would remind them of who they are.  I wanted to give them a blessing.

 But what is a blessing, exactly?  And how can we make the act of blessing a meaningful practice?

In its most literal sense, a blessing is a gift from God.  It is something God bestows upon his people for the purpose of protecting them or uplifting them.  Scripture is full of the promises of God’s blessings on his people.  Follow me, God says.  Walk in my ways and you will be blessed above all nations.  Blessing is at the heart of the Old Testament covenant.

Jesus, in his final meal, blessed the bread and wine that became for us the body and blood of the New Covenant.  He blessed his disciples before ascending to heaven and imparted on them the gift of the Holy Spirit as they went out and proclaimed the Gospel message.

Throughout his letters, the apostle Paul offered the blessings of grace and peace to the churches he was shepherding through opposition and persecution.  And while the benediction of grace and peace may have been a common practice, I don’t believe that Paul wrote these words as a “feel good” conclusion to a difficult situation.  Rather, I believe that Paul wrote these words fully believing and anticipating the Holy Spirit’s power to dwell within them.  This wasn’t a generic “sincerely”.  This was a true imparting of God’s power and being.

So, what does that mean for us, exactly?  Do we have the power to bless as Jesus and the apostles blessed?  I think so.  I think we can offer our own blessings to our children, our spouses, our churches and our communities.  That’s not to say that trouble won’t come, that we will be happy, prosperous and well.  But I think that when we speak a blessing, the Spirit is there.

My blessings on my boys in the morning are very simple. My husband always chuckles because I co-opted the formula from The Help.

 I look them in the eyes, place my hands on their heads, and speak words of affirmation.  To my oldest, I remind him that he is kind, he is a good friend, he is a hard worker.  These are all qualities that I see in him and qualities that I want him to continue to develop.  To my youngest, I remind him that he too is kind, a hard worker and a problem solver.  Most importantly, I remind them that they are loved.

I don’t know what kind of an impact this will have on my boys’ days at school.  But I like to think that it makes some difference.  If nothing else, they hear words of love and affirmation as they begin their day.  And isn’t that at the heart of the Gospel message anyway?

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
    where morning dawns, where evening fades,
    you call forth songs of joy.  Psalm 65:8

Yesterday morning dawned dark and stormy.  I rose to greet the day with a mood to match the ominous clouds outside.  All of my insecurities arose with me that morning, rolling across my mind like the thunder outside.  You’ve failed…You’re going to fail…You won’t be successful…Don’t try…Don’t strive…You’re not good enough…Give up your dreams/ambitions/desires…Don’t reach for anything more…

And so I sat down…in the middle of my kitchen floor…on the little step-stool I use when reading my Bible in the morning.  Hugging my Bible to my chest, I poured out all of my tumultuous thoughts before God, big fat drops of doubt and fear splashing down before the One who knows a thought before it enters my mind.

 “I can’t do it,” I said.  “I’m not talented enough.  I’m not cool enough.  I’m never going to sell a book.  This women’s ministry is never going to get off the ground.  I’m just going to be underemployed my entire life, so you can have my dreams back and I’ll just go be average and never dream about anything again.”

I lowered my Bible to my lap and opened it to where I had left off in the book of Acts the day before.  Secretly, I was hoping for some divine promise to wend it’s way like a lightning bolt straight from the page to my soul– some reassurance that all was going to be fine, that my fears and insecurities were unfounded and that God was going to take care of everything and we’d have a nice 30 second soundbite worthy of K-Love’s encouraging story of the day.

The truth is, God and I have never really had that kind of relationship.  In my life, God often waits through the storm, letting the winds whirl and swirl around me–a quiet Presence standing still as the front passes by.  God is okay with me getting a little windblown and wet.  Perhaps he feels it builds faith.

After reading a bit, I stood up from the little step stool, pushing back the clouds that threatened to engulf me.  I went through my morning routine, making lunches, getting boys up and dressed, digging out a broken umbrella for car rider duty at school.  And while the storm hadn’t completely moved on, God’s presence was like my little broken umbrella.  It kept me dry enough.

 

I pressed on through my work, giving my students the best of my abilities, providing encouragement when needed, but remaining quiet and still as students worked to problem-solve unfamiliar words.  As I was was coaching my kiddos through the rough waters of reading, it occurred to me that sometimes, we need God to be silent in the midst of our own personal storms.  Because if God stilled all of our storms, then we would never grow.  We would never grow in our faith.  We would never grow in our hope.  We would never grow in our strength.  And we would never grow closer to him who gives us strength.  

By the end of that gray and stormy day, the sun was shining in a cornflower blue sky.  Huge, fluffy white clouds perched on the horizon.  And I heard, once my own storm of doubt and insecurity had passed by, God speaking into the bright clear blue.  

You know, whatever you pursue or don’t pursue is your choice.

I gave you gifts and talents.  It’s up to you to decide what you do with them.

But consider this: you and I communicate a lot through those gifts.  

Whether or not you choose to make a career of them doesn’t matter to me.  

What matters is that you do them, because it’s how we talk.

And as long as we’re talking, you’re not a failure.  

As long as we’re talking, you’re doing exactly what I designed you to do.

There are always going to be stormy days.  It’s a natural part of life.  And, if we’re willing, those storms can serve a tremendous purpose.  Those storms, which the Enemy so hopes will destroy us, will actually make us stronger.  Because even though it might feel like we’re being buffeted along by the wind, God is there all the time.  His love and his peace act as an umbrella over us, protecting us as the storm passes by.  

I don’t know what your personal storm is today.  Maybe it’s your marriage, your career, your children or your health. Maybe you struggle with insecurity and doubt like me.  Perhaps you’ve been waiting/longing/begging God to shout “Be STILL!” to the wind that howls all around you.  

But, what if God is whispering, “be still” to you?  What if he’s asking you to weather the storm? Or, an even scarier thought, to walk through it?  

I think that the sun looks more radiant after a storm.  The earth seems fresher somehow–cleansed and rejuvenated.  The grass sparkles, there are rainbows on the pavement, and there are puddles to gleefully play in.  There is promise, there is possibility, there is joy.  

And we would never find any of it if we hadn’t been through the storm.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

 

 

 

 

 

Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant,  it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints,  it isn’t happy with injustice, but it is happy with the truth.  Love puts up with all things, trusts in all things, hopes for all things, endures all things.  Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Over the past few weeks, I have been struggling with negativity.  I have been irritable, exhausted, judgmental and a complainer.  Most days, I work hard to exude kindness and positive energy, but the past few weeks, I honestly haven’t cared. This morning, as I was driving to work, I was sort of mindlessly listening to a mix CD someone had given me a couple of years ago.  A song came on that I didn’t know, and as I listened to the words, the Holy Spirit suddenly hit me like a tidal wave.  While I had been blaming outside factors for my negative mindset, God revealed to me that the problem was (and is) me.

The reality is, the world sucks.  There’s really no other way around it.  There are terrible people doing terrible things.  There’s poverty, disease, oppression, natural disaster and personal crises.  But that story is not a new one.  It’s always been like this.  And we can choose to embrace the negativity of the world and be grumpy, irritable, judgmental and rude.  We can very easily take on the mantle of the victim and live our lives moaning and groaning and accepting responsibility for nothing.

OR…..

We can embrace the grace of God given to us through Jesus Christ.  We can take on the mantle of love, showing kindness, respect, mercy, forgiveness and hope.  Instead of being victims, we can be change agents.  

My friend, Amy L. Sullivan, is a change agent.  A few years ago, she realized that she and her family were living very self-centered and selfish lives.  Although they had plenty, it didn’t seem like enough.  One Christmas, after going through the plethora of presents before them and still not being satisfied, Amy said, “Enough is enough.  We’re changing.”  And they did.  Amy and her family started reaching out into the mess that is the world and finding ways to make a difference both near and far.  Amy reached beyond the walls of her house and connected with other change agents from around the world, joining forces to help build wells, feed the hungry, send children to school, support cancer patients, provide shelter to the homeless and so much more.  

I recently asked Amy how living this life of love and connection has changed her family.  And do you know what she said?  They’ve become EMPOWERED.  Her children see a problem, and they DO SOMETHING about it.  A local horse ranch needs funds, her kids make and sell muffins to raise money for them.  There’s not complaining, no wallowing in self-pity, no grumpiness or judgement.  There’s just the active work of meeting needs and doing it all in the name of Jesus Christ.

Amy has written a book about giving, which is set to release this September.  Her book is called When More is Not Enough: How to Stop Giving Your Kids What They Want and Give Them What They Need.  Here’s the link to pre-order your copy today!  Really, go pre-order your copy today.  I promise you, it will change your entire outlook on life.  And then go to her website–she’s working on some amazing things!!

I know I write a lot about love.  Part of the reason is that I have not yet been perfected in love, and that is because I do not practice love enough in my own life.  The truth is, I want to BE a change agent, not just think about being one.  I want to actively pursue living a life of love.  I don’t want to continue to live under this cloud of negativity, but I have to DO SOMETHING about it.  So this week, I am going to be an encourager at work.  I am going to write notes (yes, actual notes on cards that are made of paper) to my co-workers to encourage them and thank them for all they do.  It’s a small step, but it helps me to move away from the negative and to focus on the positive.  I have other plans, but I will share those a little later.

For now, let’s all seek to be change agents this week.  

Blessings and Peace,

Sara 

 

A voice is crying out:
“Clear the Lord’s way in the desert!
    Make a level highway in the wilderness for our God!
 Every valley will be raised up,
    and every mountain and hill will be flattened.
    Uneven ground will become level,
    and rough terrain a valley plain.
 The Lord’s glory will appear,
    and all humanity will see it together;
    the Lord’s mouth has commanded it.”  Isaiah 40:3-5

“Shhhh…. you’re too loud!” This is a common phrase in our household.  With two boys, the noise level tends to escalate quickly.

How many times a day do you think children hear the sound, “Shhh….”?  I don’t know, but I’m guessing it’s quite a bit.  And while there is a time and place to shush our children, we parents need to be cautious about exercising that authority.  For when our children are shushed too often, they can lose their voice.

In a world that seems to be dominated by voices of materialism and hate, it is more important than ever to raise our voices above the din of commercials, cash registers, finger pointing and political rhetoric.  As writing guru Lucy Calkins writes:

“In a world that is increasingly dominated by big corporations and big money, it is easy for individuals to feel silenced…In a democracy, we must help young people grow up to know how to voice their ideas, know how to speak out for what is right and good.”   A Guide to the Common Core Writing Workshop

As Jesus People, I think we have a distinctive voice.  It is a voice that proclaims love in the midst of fear, hope in the midst of despair, patience in the midst of conflict, mercy in the midst of hurt and grace in the midst of blame.

Look at the message Isaiah gives the Israelites about their future deliverance from captivity.  Clear the Lord’s way in the desert!  Make a path through the wilderness!  Get ready for the Lord to come.  This is the same scripture John the Baptist uses as he sets out in the wilderness to preach the coming of the Messiah.  John is the voice calling out of the wilderness, “Get ready!  The Lord is coming!”  Throughout the New Testament writings the authors talk about the Apostles “proclaiming” the Good News of Jesus Christ.

 

You see, throughout Biblical history God’s chosen people have been given a voice to proclaim the love of God to the world.  And we use that voice every time we take a moment to listen to someone who is hurting.

We use that voice every time we recognize and seek to meet a human need.

We use that voice when we practice acceptance of others, recognizing in those who are different from us a fellow child of God.

We use that voice when we defy our culture of busyness and practice Sabbath, stilling ourselves before the Lord.

We use that voice when we tell our children they can’t participate in Sunday sports because we want them to learn about and worship God.

We use that voice when we draw attention to those living in the midst of poverty and oppression.

We use that voice when we actively serve others.

We use that voice when we dedicate the first 10% of our income to God’s use through the church.

We use that voice when we offer words of encouragement and hope to those who are struggling with life’s challenges.

We use that voice when we choose to love instead of blame.

We use that voice when we offer positive solutions to conflict rather than continuing the cycle of negativity and complaint.

In short, we use that voice when we actively seek to follow in Christ’s footsteps, preparing the way for his glorious return.

And in claiming our Jesus People voice, we help to show others the way to claim theirs as well.  When we show others love, we show our children how to love.  When we serve in our communities, we teach our children how to serve.  When we practice Sabbath, we model Sabbath for our children.  In that way, a legacy is created.

Can you imagine what a transformation this world would undergo if we, the Jesus People, chose to claim our voices?  When we prepare the way for the Lord, then the Lord’s glory WILL appear and ALL humanity will see it TOGETHER!

How will you proclaim God’s love today?

Blessings and Peace,

Sara