INKSPOT

by Barbara Chadwick



Ogilvie tells the story that Martin Luther dreamt that Satan appeared to him reading a long scroll with all his many sins from his birth on. As the reading of the list proceeded, Luther's terrors grew until he finally jumped up and cried, "It is all true, Satan, and many more sins I have committed in my life which are known to God only; but write at the bottom of your list, 'the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin.' "
Then grasping the ink well on his table, he threw it at the devil, who immediately fled.

This ink spot on the wall of Wartburg Castle, Germany is one of the most famous ink spots in the world."


I read the ink spot story yesterday after reading the following scripture from Zachariah 3:1-4:
       Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, with Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan: "The LORD rebuke you Satan!...."  Now Joshua was dressed with filthy (the Hebrew word here means human excrement!) clothes as he stood before the angel. So He spoke to those standing before him, "Take of his filthy clothes!" Then He said to him, "See I have removed your guilt from you and I will clothe you with splendid robes."

What a perfect picture of us standing there in our grime at the moment we come to the Lord. Then, it's as if He says, "Welcome, I've been waiting for you!" He completely removes the guilt and grime and dresses us in a new, splendid robe of white. No spot or stain visible.

Satan wants to keep us in our guilt, despair, depression or whatever has us groveling in the dirt. But he will run from us if we even whisper the name of Jesus.

THE TRIP TO BETHLEHEM

by Barbara Chadwick and Audrey Wauson

One month. We’re going to stay one month. It took several days to pack. I kept finding things I would surely need. At last we were ready for the trip.

On December 19^th we boarded a plane in Denver. Our itinerary was Denver to Seattle to Ketchikan to Sitka, Alaska.

 We had smooth connections and pleasant seat mates. However, for much of the trip we had serious turbulence. It was like riding a wildly bucking bronco. There was a crying baby – maybe I should call it a screaming baby – for the entire trip. In addition, there was a crying cat across the aisle. Don’t know if it was reacting to the baby, or scared or just unhappy at being put in a bag under a plane seat!

After my six hour plus trip I was very tired with a headache, backache and just wanted to put my head down on a pillow for a day or two of rest.

During those hours on the plane I thought of Mary; nine months pregnant, away from family and in unfamiliar, possibly unsafe territory, riding on a donkey. My trip was really a piece of cake in comparison.

I have to stop here and say that scripture does not say that Mary rode on a donkey. That picture has become a tradition. I suppose it was expected that being nine months pregnant she could not have walked the approximately 75 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

Pregnant, at nine months, it’s hard to get comfortable. No position feels good. Mostly miserable is what you feel. Walking feels more like waddling and riding on a donkey would surely have felt like rolling around on top of a beach ball!

I can only imagine how uncomfortable and weary she must have been that last day or two before her firstborn son, the Savior of the world was born. I wonder if she had to keep reminding herself that this was indeed going to be a blessing.

But let’s go back to the beginning of this journey:

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,

to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.

The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you

who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his

words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to

her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with

child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will

give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of

Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." "How will this be," Mary asked the

angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come

upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one

 to be born will be called the Son of God.   Luke 1:26-35

Now read the words she said after receiving this amazing message.

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Luke 1:38

Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished! And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. Luke 1:45-49

Beautiful.  Just imagine how it would be for us if we could respond to the Lord with similar words of acceptance and obedience in every situation. “I am the Lord’s servant…My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…”

Mary was ready for the trip to Bethlehem.

AT THE RIGHT TIME

by Barbara Chadwick

November:

The anticipation and waiting!

Deanna, our daughter-in-law, always sends me a gift on our son Kerry’s birthday.  She includes and note saying how thankful she is for her husband and thanks me for bringing him up so that he’s this wonderful man! This gift she gives me every year fills my heart with blessings and joy. So this year the gift was an amaryllis. 

The amaryllis is growing tall and at just the right time it will bloom.  I wait daily for this. I check it every day to see if it needs water and to see just how much it has grown.

We are also waiting for two great grandchildren. One is imminent and the other in February. One granddaughter posted on facebook a picture of her belly (the baby) showing how it seemed to be ready – but not yet.  That picture was two weeks ago. At just the right time these two babies will come.

December:                               

What a joy to see the gift in full bloom!

Our church is doing a Living Nativity this weekend. A guide takes a group of people around to different active scenes depicting the beautiful story of the birth of Jesus. The first scene shows the pregnant Mary with Joseph, there are Roman soldiers, the innkeeper, shepherds in a field with animals then, of course, Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus in the manger. The tour continues with the Wise Men, etc. and ends with cookies and hot chocolate in the fellowship hall.

In this fifteen minute tour we go from the pregnant Mary to see the baby “wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”  Luke 2:7 

In our world we talk about “real time” and instant chocolate, oatmeal, etc.  We, (humans) get impatient sometimes thinking God doesn’t see what’s going on. We think we can see and judge when a thing should happen. But God’s timing is different.  It is perfect just as His gift of a Savior is perfect.

The Jews waited for hundreds of years for the Messiah, But when the right time finally came, God sent his own Son.  Galatians 4:4

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Ever lived in a no-where town? Nothing ever happens, no famous people or leaders are from there, outside of the very near surrounding area no one’s ever even heard of it … that was Bethlehem

But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler who will be the Shepherd of my people Israel

Matthew 2.6

I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep … 
My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to Me is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 
I and the Father are one.

John 10:11-30

Ever thought that you life was so low that you would never crawl up out of that pit? I mean no one seems to know your name and the ones that do don’t use it with respect … pity maybe … Ever wished someone would just come in and make it all right?

So the two women [Ruth and Naomi] went on until they arrived at Bethlehem … 
“Don’t call me Naomi, call me Mara

because the Almighty has made my life very bitter” Ruth 1.19 …

Praise be to the LORD who to this day has not left you

without a kinsman- Redeemer … Ruth 4.13-17

The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the Lord. “As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is on you, and My words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.

Isaiah 59.20-21

… “The righteous will live by faith.”

… Christ Redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us

… He Redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham

might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus,

so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Galatians 3.11-14  

Ever wondered if there was a leader out there that was worth following … or ever listened to the news and wondered if there was someone worth listening to?

I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be King.

1 Samuel 16.1

They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because

He is LORD of lords and KING of kings

– and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers.

Revelation 17.14

Ever really wanted a drink of water something that would quench your thirst? Maybe just an inward longing … just a wishing that there was something that would satisfy?

David longed for water and said,

“Oh that someone would get me a drink of Water 

from the well near the gate of Bethlehem.

2 Samuel 23.15

You ask me for water and I would give you Living  Water …

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.

Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said,

streams of Living  Water will flow from within him.

John 7.37-38

Ever wanted some peace? No arguing, quarreling, griping or complaining? No wars and rumors of war … just a place in your life where all would be at rest?

Peace I leave with you;

My Peace I give you.

I do not give to you as the world give.

Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14.27

O little town of Bethlehem

… and He will be their Peace.

Micah 5.2-5

O Little Town Of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight

A SONG IN YOUR HEART

by Barbara Chadwick

The character, Stephanie, in the movie Let It Snow said, “I don’t know the words to a single Christmas carol.”  Her mother died when she was six and her father quit celebrating Christmas. Of course, that was just a movie but the sad thing is that there are so many people in the world who race through life and don’t stop to hear or sing the music. Music speaks to the heart in a very special way.

On Thanksgiving day we were with extended family and friends.  We had an abundance of food and, of course, family stories. Kenneth’s niece remembered that her father’s mother had Alzheimer’s and couldn’t remember much but one holiday the oldest daughter suggested to the mother that she play the organ. The mother went to the organ and played hymns that she had sung all her life. Most of the family didn’t even know she could play because her husband had sold her organ when times were tough and she never played after that. She had never forgiven him.

I told them about my aunt, Nellie, who had Alzheimer’s and didn’t even know her sisters. But one day when my own sisters and I took my mother to visit Nellie, we began to sing hymns. Nellie sang all the words with a smile on her face.  I watched with tears streaming down my face.

The music stayed in the minds of these two women because it was a part of the heart and soul. God put it there. From the time we’re in the womb we respond to music.

God put a song in our hearts. The Psalmist, David, said often: Sing a new song to him, play the harp with skill, and shout for joy! Psalm 33:3

By the way, at the end of the movie Stephanie tells her dad, “I love singing Christmas carols.”

SAILING OUT JOHN

by Barbara Chadwick

Our church provides a Thanksgiving meal for the community. So yesterday we loaded our pumpkin pies and sweet potato casserole in the car and headed out. It would be an hour and a half drive.

As we drove down our snowy lane, a snowshoe hare darted across the road in front of a coyote. He was “sailing out John” (that is – running as if his life depended on it)

Driving down the mountain we passed fields of cows – standing perfectly still – as if waiting.

So it was an hour drive down a mountain road to hwy 287. On hwy 287 the speed limit is 65 mph only we got stuck behind someone driving slower.

Fif – ty – five – miles – per -  hour Kenneth said, emphasizing each syllable.

We made it to the church, put our stuff on the big table, then had to wait for everyone else to bring their food. Finally it was 12:00 and time for the pastor to pray. By 2:30PM we had fed 125 people. The table was heavy with food and the fellowship was great among people who only waved to each other occasionally. What a blessing.

We get in the habit of “sailing out John” – the habit of hurry. Why does it seem so hard to wait. Our impatience gets in the way sometimes. 

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

Be still and enjoy your family this Thanksgiving!

Measuring Effectiveness

I recently got hired to be the Jail Coordinator for the McLennan County Jail. My boss and I were talking about how to encourage the volunteers we have and how to get more volunteers. And two of the questions that we covered were: How do you measure effectiveness? Specifically, how do you measure the success of a jail ministry?

As I reflected on this question it occurred to me that I couldn’t measure my success based on the response of other people or I’d be sunk before I got started. You can never base what you do or don’t do, what you say or don’t say, by what someone else wants or doesn’t want. However, if I know why I’m doing something, or who it is that I’m doing it for, in other words, what am I responsible for? … well, then I might be able to come to a reasonable answer.

Why am I going to jail? Because I believe that God sent me to jail. I believe the word of God when it says to not forget those who are in prison; when it says to love others the way you want to be loved. And whoam I doing it for? I’m doing it for Jesus, only Jesus, my reason for living. Scripture tells me that I prove my love for God in the way that I love others. I’ve heard it said that the health of a country is best evaluated by how it treats its lowest citizens. I believe the health of the church can also be evaluated by how we treat those who are weaker than we are, those in jail, or prison, those who are marginalized. What am I responsible for? Loving God and loving others.

I asked some of our jail volunteers how they would measure their effectiveness in jail. I was so blessed by their responses and I hope you will be as well.

·         George: It’s like the farmer; he goes out and works hard planting all the seeds, then he goes home and rests. He’s done. The rest is up to God; to bring the sun and the rain and to give it life. I am responsible to sow the seed. Therefore I must get the seed … I must spend time in His word so that I have seed to sow.

·         Edmond: I am here because of the love of God. It was the love of God that saved me and made me whole. It is the love of God that moves in the heart of men to change them. I am responsible to share the love that God has given me to others.

·         Marvin: I’m obedient. God tells us to go, so I must go. He does the work.

·         Mary: I listen to the Spirit. The closer I listen the more effective I am. The Spirit is the One who gives me words to speak the moment I go back there. My job is to make sure that I spend time with Him daily so that I recognize His voice.

YOU ARE MY ROCK

by Barbara Chadwick

Adversity, trials, sickness, pain and death are all parts of life. We can face them only with the help of our “Rock, our Salvation.”

“When I had shingles the music stopped.”  (from a commercial about a singer who got shingles.)

 My sister, Mary, in a similar situation said of God, You are my hiding place…and you will surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7

A friend, Shirley rode the 1 ½ hours to our women’s retreat with a group of women from our church. When she arrived I said, “I’m so glad you could come.” She smiled and told me about the ride down the mountain with her sisters in Christ and said, “It felt so wonderful to laugh again.” Her husband had died 6 months before. They had been married over 50 years and she had felt bereft since his death.

O Lord, my God, I called to You for help and You healed me… weeping may remain for a night but rejoicing comes in the morning. Psalm 30:2, 5

All of us have our litany of stories from friends and family who’ve faced adversity, trials, sickness and deaths of loved ones. Many have prevailed, stood on the rock that is Christ and given honor to Him through it all.

Writer Madeleine L’Engle said, “It’s a good thing to have all the props pulled out from under us occasionally. It gives us some sense of what is rock under our feet and what is sand.”

Who is the rock except our God. It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. …I will sing praises to Your name. …You broaden my path beneath me so that my ankles do not turn.       2 Samuel 22:32-33, 37, 50

When we were building our house on the side of a hill in the Colorado mountains, we were informed that  the foundation would be secured to a huge rock. The wind often blows furiously here, shaking the house.  I am always grateful for that secure foundation. On the days when I feel overcome with adversity, pain or trials I am eternally grateful for my God, my Rock.

The Psalmist, David wrote: Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to You, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  Psalms 61:1 Then in chapter 63:7-8  he says, Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me. 

THE OWNER IS WATCHING

by Barbara Chadwick

For the eyes of the lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. 2 Chronicles 16:9

A friend was talking to be about our government snooping on us. “They know everything about us. Nothing we do is secret any more. But you know what? That’s nothing new with God. He has always known everything we do.”

She went on to tell of when she had a business taking care of dogs when people were on vacation. She told her employees, “When you enter a house, assume someone is watching. We don’t know that every house has a security system but we assume it does. So every move you make should be as if the owner is watching you.”

Wouldn’t that be a great way for the Christian to think? To realize that the God who put the stars in place, who created the world and started it on its orbit, who made the hippopotamus and the snowshoe hare is watching you – that’s awesome. 

O Lord, You have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down. You are familiar with all my ways.  Psalm 139:1-3

In the middle of the night I ran to our son Ken’s bedroom to see why he was bawling. He was three years old. I put my arms around him and held him tight. After he quit sobbing and hiccupping I asked what was wrong and he said, “He’s watching me!”  When I asked who was watching him he cried, “God. God is up there in the corner watching me!”

Well, obviously he had been listening to the Sunday school lesson!  Only somehow in his little mind it got turned from an awesome sweet thing into an awesome scary thing.

If we would remember how great a love the Father has for us, (I John 3:1)  we would feel how awesome it is that the Father is watching us.

Do you know the song, Every Move I Make by David Ruis?

Every move I make I make in You. You make me move Jesus.

Every breath I take I breathe in You.

Every step I take I take in You. You are my way Jesus.

Every breath I take I breathe in You.

Waves of mercy, waves of grace,

Everywhere I look I see Your face.

Your face, Your love has captured me.

Oh, my God, this love, how can it be?

So make sure that, “…every move you make should be as if the owner is watching you.”

TEACH US TO PRAY

by Barbara Chadwick

Dr. Theodore J. Wardlaw, President of Austin Presbyterian Seminary tells the following story:

“There is a small, but once-large, Presbyterian church in Nashville that was founded in the wake of the commencement of the Second World War. Its pastor, previously at the prominent Presbyterian congregation downtown, had been a thoroughgoing pacifist for at least a decade. In the wake of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor – a time when thoroughgoing pacifists, or pacifists of any kind, were hard to find in this country – this pastor had preached a passionate sermon against war and, predictably, had ignited the wrath of many of his parishioners. Over the issue of the freedom of the pulpit, the pastor and some nine hundred of his supporters left that church and founded this new one: a pacifist Presbyterian church, in a Southern city, on the eve of our involvement in World War 2.

I heard this unusual story years ago, and later, when I was in Nashville for a short visit, I had to go see this church. An architecture enthusiast, I was curious as to what it would look like, How would its roots in radical pacifism affect its appearance? It looked like lots of Presbyterian churches formed in that era – in a lovely neighborhood, shaded by the canopy of large trees, all stately and rectilinear with its abstract glass and stone exterior. The thing about it that startled me the most was what was carved in stone above the main entrance to the sanctuary. If I had even thought about what pacifists might carve in stone over the doorway to their sacred space, I might have imagined a fiery scriptural critique of establishment religion – something like, ‘Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream…’ or ‘I hate, I despise your feasts and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies…’ or Pilates’s tired question, ‘What is truth?’  What I saw instead over that entrance surprised me. It was Luke’s account of a plea by one of Jesus’ disciples: ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’

These lonely rabble-rousers had searched the scriptures and had wisely carved in stone over their church’s doorway a reminder of the heart of Christian piety: the quiet, steady, relentless discipline of prayer.”

His story struck me because I’m very concerned about our country and often say, “If we as Christians would just stand up and be true to our beliefs in everything we do, we would make a big difference.” 

You know the word “Christian” means “little Christ’s.”  Sometimes, we want to just blend in with the world. We don’t really want to be radical. We don’t want to stand out from the crowd.

Ed Stetzer, President of LifeWay Research, says: “I suggest we tweet thinking more about Jesus and less about politics. That’s just basic Christian prioritization.”

We need to pay attention to what we’re here for. We need to plead with Christ to, “teach us to pray.” Lord, teach us to love and care and give in Your name.

Remember that the heart of Christian piety is, “the quiet, steady, relentless discipline of prayer.”

YOU ARE GOD'S LETTER

by Barbara Chadwick & Jodi Denning

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 2 Corinthians 3:3

            If you knew that your life was to be a letter from Christ to someone’s heart would it look any different from today or yesterday? Read this story from Jodi Denning, a very special woman with a loving heart who ministers to hurting women.

I have to share a story…  Erika (the young woman living with my husband and I) shared something this week with me that blew me away (and gave me a BIG dose of humility about my own Christian walk).  She is a hostess at Applebee’s, and does the seating of customers.  One of the waitresses is pretty ugly to her, calls her names, curses at her, gets in her face, mocks her for being a Christian, etc.  A large group came in to be seated, and they should have been in the waitress’s section but there were no clean tables, so Erika seated them in another section.  The waitress came up and spitefully chewed her out and cursed at her for not seating them in her area.  Erika said she did begin to get mad inside, but God gave her the ability to say calmly “I’m very sorry.  I would have seated them in your section, but there were no clean tables.”  The waitress stormed off.  Erika said she thought about the waitress’s accusations, name calling, etc. and she started feeling anger building up inside her… but then she said she prayed and asked God to take it away.  And here’s the part that blows me away.  There was a break in customers coming in to be seated, and Erika said she felt prompted to go clean some of the tables for the waitress.  I’m sure my jaw dropped when told me that part!!!  She’s only been a believer about a year, but WHAT spiritual maturity!  She said “I need to show her how Jesus makes us (believers) different”.  She also prayed for the waitress as she was cleaning her tables.  The waitress didn’t say anything to Erika, but you can BET she noticed.  Then the next group that came in, Erika seated them in that waitress’s section.  This made me SO aware of how I respond when someone treats me ugly like that – I withdraw, clam up, and tend to back way off.  She chose to serve that person.  My mind immediately went to Jesus’ prayer from the cross – Father, forgive them… they don’t know what they are doing.  Oh for the courage and self-control to LIVE THAT OUT! 

That’s a beautiful letter, written by God. May our actions show Christ’s love as clearly as Erikas’s actions so that the world will know who God is.

BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR OPPORTUNITIES

by Barbara Chadwick

As we walked up to the front door of KFC we saw a man sitting beside a backpack. Beside the backpack was a hand lettered sign - HUNGRY.  I told him to come in with us and order whatever he wanted. He seemed grateful and said, “Thank you.”  When we got inside I saw several people look at us with interest.

Waiting for our order we asked where he was from. He said he’d been around and in different places but now he had custody of his son and he wanted to find a job and someplace to live and a church. He said, “I believe in God. People have told me the Mormons are no good and others say the Catholics are no good. Whatever denomination you come up with someone will say it’s no good. The Bible doesn’t say you have to go to church in order to be a Christian. I just believe in God.” I invited him to our church and then our food was ready.

He had ordered his “to go” so he said, “Thank you and God bless you” again and left. We found a table and started eating. As we were eating, a man came up behind me and said, “I want to commend you folks for getting that man some food.” Had others noticed as well?

So. Isn’t it interesting. All the people that came in that door saw him there but didn’t invite him in – because…?

-          lack of money?

-          haste to get back to work?

-          they’d been taught not to get involved for fear of getting hurt?

-     they'd read that some indigents are not really needy but scam artists? 

-          distaste? (He did have tattooes all over his face. He did smell like he hadn’t had a bath.)

Jesus said in Luke 10:27, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” And in describing who is our neighbor He tells the story of a man who was robbed, beaten and left for dead. A priest and a Levite passed that way and saw him but they crossed to the other side of the road. A regular guy, a Samaritan, came along. He bandaged his wounds, put the man on his donkey and took him to an inn. Notice that he didn’t just leave him right away. “He took care of him.” (verse 34) Then when he had to go he gave the innkeeper money with instructions to care for the man and a promise to reimburse him for any extra expense he might have.

Then Jesus asked, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell in the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law answered, “The one who had mercy on him.  And Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

I’m afraid I don’t have Jesus definition of mercy. It’s easy to buy someone some burritos and say, “God bless you and goodbye.” But in Jesus story, The good Samaritan cleaned and bandaged his wounds, took time out of his own schedule, took him to an inn and paid for his care and recovery. In addition he planned to come back and check on him!

So if we’re going to “Go and do likewise,”  we’ve got to seriously develop some mercy. We need to have some determination and practice. Then we need to be on the lookout for opportunities.

SUPPORT

by Barbara Chadwick                                                

 

“The problem with your thumb is tendonitis. You must wear this brace to support your wrist and thumb.”  The Dr.’s pronouncement was firm.

Tendons and ligaments are connective tissue. Ligaments connect tissue to bone and tendons connect tissue to muscle. Each one is necessary for the body to function properly. When they’re damaged or torn they cause pain and dysfunction.

The church body is like that also. Have you known people who seem to be spiritually wounded or damaged?  Words and actions are either like darts or spears or like balm to the body. They can either sever relationships or heal the connective tissue of the church.

Just as the physical body is made up of different parts – each one necessary – the church body is composed of different parts. The Apostle Paul tells us in I Corinthians 12:12 …as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body; so also is Christ, - and verse 27: Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.   Then in Ephesians 4:15-16 he says, But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head – Christ. From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.

Relationships are like connective tissue. They need to be supported and nourished. Paul’s words are firm. He uses the command form as he shows us how we can do this throughout Ephesians:

1.      Be forgiving – 5:32

2.      Be compassionate – 5:32

3.      Be kind – 5:32

4.      Walk in love – 5:1

5.      Be imitators of God – 5:1

6.      Render service with a good attitude, as to the Lord – 6:7

7.      Be strengthened by the Lord – 6:10

8.      …your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace – 6:15

9.      In every situation take the shield of faith – 6:16

10.  No rotten talk should come out of your mouth, but only what is good for the building up of someone in need in order to give grace to those who hear. – 5:29

So let us build up the body of Christ in love so the church can function properly; so people can see God’s grace and love in action, through words and deeds that imitate Him. Be a supporting ligament! Support each relationship, each connective tissue, if you will, with smiles, hugs, and encouraging words!

What Jesus was actually doing:

What people thought Jesus was doing:		What Jesus was actually doing:
What the Disciples thought Jesus was doing:	Coming to establish His kingdom here on earth.	Establishing His kingdom in the hearts and souls of men
What the Pharisees thought Jesus was doing:	Coming to abolish the Law and do away with the traditions of the church	Fulfilling all the Law and the Prophets
What the Sadducees thought Jesus was doing:	Bringing a hocus-pocus spiritual experience and  convincing people of angels and the resurrection of the dead	Preparing a way for the Holy Spirit to come and indwell every believer so that they would be resurrected to heaven at the second coming
What the sick, hungry, hurting sinners thought Jesus was doing:	Bringing a quick fix, a solution, something for nothing	Making the payment required to buy freedom from sin, sickness, and disease … giving them everything at His expense …
TRUTH & GRACE for LIFE !!

if you would just obey me

My son called me today to tell me that my granddaughter is having quite the time growing up. My husband and I were out and about and I know heads were turning as I responded to his story … but I couldn’t help myself … my granddaughter’s life was at stake. Recently she’s been struggling with nightmares and being scared. So much so that every night has turned into quite the drama of tears and pleading and not wanting to be left alone, wanting to sleep with her parents. My son has been struggling to deal with the situation and not really sure how’s the best way to handle her. But the other night she settled the issue for him. After much tears and pleading and refusing to stay in her bed he closed his bedroom door and locked her outside of it. She proceeded to through the most hellacious fit.

At this point you might begin to doubt his father’s heart; doubt his understanding and care of her tender heart and feelings; and so did he … until he heard:

“Daddy if you would just obey me I would go right to bed and go to sleep!” Ha ha ha.

I would’ve been rolling on the floor laughing if I wasn’t out in public! That is SO hysterical. But isn’t that the way we talk to God? If You would just obey me God and do what I’m asking you to do … THEN … I would follow You and everything would be wonderful again.  

The Purpose of the LORD

by Dr. A. Kerry Chadwick

     We plan many things in our lives. We plan what we are going to wear, where we are going to go, whom we are going to go with, and how we will get to or intended destination. My wife is a great planner. As soon as I mention I might be going somewhere she starts to plan my route and where I will stay, eat, and get gas. This kind of planning is very helpful. I married well. Fortunately, she is also flexible and does not melt down when plans change. She knows that if I make a plan it may very well change. Once when we were traveling we had to change our route unexpectedly. There was no complaining, she simply started a new plan.

     We can learn a valuable lesson from my wife; we can learn to take life in stride. When things happen that you have no control over you just roll with the flow. This does not mean that we neglect to plan. Few good things happen in life when we do not set goals and plan. One time I went on a trip without the benefit of my wife’s careful planning. The most notable event on the trip was staying in a negative five star hotel because of a convention.

     My mom and sister planned to lead a conference this week but due to flooding, they are stuck at a friend’s house. They are unable to go home and they were unable to lead the conference. They are also unable to write this week’s devotional because they do not have access to a computer.

     Plans change but our God is sovereign. God knows where you are and what you are facing. Trust Him with your plans and if they do not work out the way you thought, then ask God’s guidance and make a new plan. You may never arrive where you started out to go but you will arrive where God wants you.

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand."

- Proverbs 19:21 ESV

DANDELIONS

By Dr. A. Kenneth Chadwick

 

The dandelion has received a bad name not because of its beautiful flowers but because of its wonderful propensity to reproduction. It is as if the dandelion thought that when God told man in Genesis to be fruitful and multiply He was speaking to the dandelion.

I would maintain that it should not be the national flower but the world wide flower. It grows everywhere. It grows in the cracks of the sidewalks of the large cities. It grows along the unpaved streets of small villages. It grows alongside the highways and byways of all nations. It grows in the high mountains and the low valleys. It has the ability to adapt to all kinds of soil and weather patterns. 

Would not the dandelion serve as a wonderful example for the Christian to follow?

 Its roots go deep in the soil and it is difficult to extract them. It sows it’s seed indiscriminately and with profusion. Would not it be wonderful if all Christians would send their roots deep into the rich fertile soil of God’s Holy Word? So deep that it would not be easy for the cares and worries of this present age to so easily uproot them. And would not it be wonderful if Christians would sow the seeds of the gospel along the highways and byways of life in such an indiscriminate manner that many of the seeds would take root and there would be growth of the church that would astound all the people of the world.

Was not this what Jesus had in mind when he said in the closing words of Mathew’s gospel, Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.? Matthew 28:19-20

THE TRACE YOU LEAVE BEHIND

by Barbara Chadwick

 

 

“We don’t hack on bushes, we don’t hack on trees and we don’t hack on people.”

Andy Hornbaker was training a group of men backpacking into the high Uinta mountains of Utah. The training was called, “Leave no trace behind.” 

In life we do leave traces. Our words and actions are often etched onto the minds of others.

One evening we were sharing a meal with extended family. There were twelve of us sitting around the table. For some reason half of them were ragging on my sister-in-law. One tease after another – relentless. Why do we hack away at people just because they are a “good sport?”

As we were leaving I said to her, “I want you to know how much I appreciate you. You have always been an encouragement and an inspiration to me and I want to thank you.” Her eyes filled with tears and she hugged me. On the way home I felt badly that I didn’t say that at the table in her defense.

Paul said, So then, we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another. Romans 14:19 

Paul shares this theme in other books of the New Testament as well: …Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ… Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves… Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:27; 2:3, 5  (Note: To “Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus” means to value what Jesus values. Apologetics Study Bible, p. 1775)

Jesus valued people. He loved people so much that:  For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

The Lord is very compassionate and merciful. James 5:11

Jesus didn’t hack on people. Instead , in the Sermon On The Mount of Matthew chapter five He instructs believers to be encouraging:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Blessed are those who mourn, because they will be comforted.  Blessed are the gentle, because they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness because they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, because they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Matthew 5:1-10

 

Let the trace you leave behind be gentle, compassionate, merciful, pure, peaceful and humble. Do not hack.