Life Is-- Good or Bad?

Have you seen the t-shirts and bumper stickers declaring Life Is Good ? Although I agree with this general philosophy, I believe Jesus has more to say on the subject. Here is my take on life:

When your stomach is full, life is good. If the meal was tasty and you had dessert, life is tremendous.
When you are so sick you haven’t seen your appetite in weeks, life is hard
When you are holding all three grandchildren on your lap and singing, “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” life is fun.
When you miss out on the grandkids’ ballgames and birthday parties because they live three states away, life is difficult.
When you know at least one of your family members love you unconditionally, life is sweet. If there is more than one, you are blessed beyond counting.
When you are forced to say goodbye to someone you loved sooner than you’d planned, life is horrible.
Well, which is it, then? Delightful or dreadful? Terrific or terrible? That depends.
Jesus told His followers, “I came to give you life abundantly, in all it’s fulness, 'til it overflows.” (John 10:10) He also said, “In this world you will have tribulation.” (John 16:33) Jesus acknowledged that we’d have happy days and horrible days. He was not an idealist who refused to admit the presence of evil in the world, hoping it would go away if He ignored it.
Although what I know would fill a thimble, I believe I’ve discovered the secret to Jesus’ success in the rough times: He spent time with this Father, getting His perspective. Jesus often stole away from the crowds to spend hours, even entire nights in prayer, seeking God’s wisdom and strength. This is how he maintained control and composure when a lynch mob tried to throw Him off a cliff, or religious leaders accused Him of doing miracles by the power of satan. Because He was full of His Father’s thoughts, Jesus always faced darkness head on, refusing to tremble or run from trouble.
While we may not be able to spend all night in prayer, we can follow Jesus’ example of turning to the Father when we need wisdom for rough days. We can sit quietly and simply listen to His still, calm voice in our hearts. We can open His word and mine jewels of direction and understanding.
Life is good. Life is also hard. Yet, we do not have to crumple in a heap of despair and fear when hard times confront us. We have the same solution Jesus had, because His father is our father, too. When life is hard, we can pray.

The Law of the Toddler

A sample devotional from my HOPEFULLY soon-to-be-published book, God Is Bigger:

The Law of the Toddler

I’m sure you have either heard of “The Law of the Toddler” or seen it in action:
If I am playing with it and you glance at it, it’s MINE.
If I am not playing with it but you go anywhere near it, it’s MINE.
If I saw it first, it’s MINE.
If you have it and I want it, it’s MINE.
If it remotely resembles one that looks like mine, it’s MINE.
If I have 322 of them and you want to play with only one, ALL of them are MINE.
If it’s broken, it’s yours.
Our three-year-old granddaughter, Jenessa came up with a new twist on the Toddler Law recently. I bent down to kiss her sleeping brother, Daniel and she whispered, “That baby is mine. Not Mommy’s baby, but mine.”
I never thought of Jesus as being a possessive sort of person until I discovered this statement He made about Himself: “My own sheep know My voice: I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one shall snatch them from My care. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of the Father’s care (John 10:27-30).”
Are you scared that you are going to accidentally do something to mess up your relationship with God, and Jesus will disown you? Don’t be. He says, “You are MINE!”
Are you worried that someone is going to come along and talk you out of your belief in Jesus as your savior and Lord? Don’t be. He reassures you: “You are MINE!”
Are you fretting that the problems and challenges you face will distract you from your walk with Him, causing you to lose your faith? Don’t be. He lovingly whispers, “You are MINE!”
When you meet God face to face, He is not going to ask you how many good deeds you did, or failed to do. He is not concerned with perfection, but position. All He will care about is Who you put your faith in. If it’s Jesus, He will turn to His angels and command, “Open the gates! This one is washed in the blood of My only Son. This one is MINE!”

To Be or Not to Be: Thankful

I recently purchased a cd by Joel Osteen about being thankful. Although most of the time I am pretty upbeat, even zany, I was convicted by this teaching. I need to be more thankful to the Lord for all we have, or don’t have! I need to wake up in the morning praising God for my health, my job, my family and my mind that works (most of the time!). I am especially thankful for a place in Heaven, and my sweet relationship with a loving Heavenly Father.
So we don’t own our own home, we live in a parsonage—but it’s a lovely home in the country surrounded by great neighbors and few noises, other than birdsong and cricket opera. We have no smog, we see crimson and lavender sunsets and watch bunnies prance across our lawn.
So our church is small—the people love and support us and tell us how grateful they are to have us pastor them. I have an awesome group of ladies in my Sunday School class, and Kevin gets to preach every week.
Let’s not allow the news media to manipulate us into thinking the world is on the verge of collapse just because the economy has taken a nosedive. God is still God, and this world will be here until He says not. There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.
I’d like to challenge you, as Pastor Osteen challenged me this week: what are you thankful for? Please share with me, and other readers, what you are grateful for. Let’s see how long a list we can make. Let’s focus on the good in our lives, and make God smile. Love you, Jen

Keep your Eyes on the Prize

I spent a large chunk of my afternoon formatting articles into a single document for my book. I barely accomplished a tenth of this process.
Writing for fun and writing for publication are as different as playing in the sprinkler in your front yard and training for the Olympic swim team. What I love to do is write. But that’s only about 25% of the process of getting published. The other 75% is revising, sending query letters to prospective publishers and agents, researching markets that will buy your writing, creating a book proposal, and reading about how to do those things. A lot of tedious stuff, but necessary. It can frustrate you if you forget your focus.
It’s kind of like making a recipe. What you love to do is the actual cooking or baking of the food. Your goal is to create something that will nourish but also entertain the taste buds. You relish the process of putting together ingredients and savoring the smell and taste of your culinary creation.
What you find is that you must spend a wagon load of time writing out the recipe, filing it in the proper spot in your recipe file, making a shopping list, purchasing the ingredients, then cleaning up the mess after the final satisfied hiccup. The creation is only a smidgen of the process. You do all the other tasks, however, because you are addicted—in a healthy way—called, if you like, to the art of cooking. And you are rewarded by the pleasure of those you cook for. So, although you may greatly dislike the tedium of the ‘other’ parts of cooking, you force yourself to do them, because the gratification of expressing your creativity and ministering to others is worth the trouble.
In my case, when I sell an article or a greeting card verse, or when someone tells me that one of my columns helped them, it makes all the monotony worth it. My goal is to change lives, to draw people closer to the Master, to hear someone say, “your writing revolutionized my walk with God.” So if I have to suffer along the way in order to get my writing out there, it’s a small price to pay. Especially if someone who didn’t believe, becomes a Believer from reading something I wrote.
I just need to keep reminding myself of the goal…
--- Jen

Miracle Eve

It is Christmas Eve, 2008. This last year has been awfully challenging for millions of people, including us. The world is full of hopelessness and panic pushers. But we have a hope that pierces through the blackest headlines. We have eternity in our souls. We have Jesus, the light of the world and the Master of Miracles.
The original Christmas Eve was a hopeless time for the world, too. God had promised a savior and redeemer, but that was seven hundred years earlier. Do you suppose the Israelites wondered if Isaiah had made the whole thing up? Where was this redeemer who would rescue them from the tyranny of a godless government? Why was God taking so long? Didn’t He care?
Then, in the swiftness of a baby’s first wail, God came to earth. Light was embodied. Hope was born. The world has never been the same.
We all have prayers we are waiting for God to answer. We know His word promises us certain things, and we don’t understand why He takes so long in fulfilling His promises. Did we misunderstand His word to us? Does He really care about our plight? We have the same questions the Jewish nation had just before Jesus came.

One of my favoriter preachers, Joyce Meyer, likes to say: "faith requires unanswered questions." If we knew what God was going to do ahead of time, it would not be faith for us to believe His love and goodness, and rejoice in Him in the darkness.
Let’s not give up on God. He may be planning the greatest miracle we’ve ever experienced. He may be staging our rescue this very moment. The blackest picture can transform to a lovely, light-filled landscape with one word from Him. He is still the Master of Miracles. Let’s hang on just a little while longer, and believe that He will come through. Any night just might be our Miracle Eve. --- Jen

Imposed Reverence

Imposed Reverence

Last Sunday afternoon we attended an eye-misting, heart stirring Christmas musical performed by an all-church community choir and several instrumental groups. Some of the music was classical, some traditional, and I was amazed at the talent and creativity in our little town, stuck away in the middle of Eastern Illinois. “My heart rejoiced in God my Savior” as Jesus' mother, Mary said. I even got goose bumps from the sheer joy of knowing this God-become-man, and His eternal love for me.
But, I left the church with it’s exquisite stained-glass windows less than elated. Instead of my joy remaining and spilling into the coming days, I was disappointed, sad and angry. Why?
Because some zealous soul got the idea that reverence equals silence.
Printed in the bulletin for this glorious, Godly music was a request to not applaud, either during or after the program. We, the audience had to bottle and cork our thanks and exultation as we stoically, politely listened to the story of the God of eternity stripping off His robe of glory to become a man. I was tortured.
Praise was shooting out my ears, oozing out my eyeballs and dripping from my hands, but I was not allowed to express it. I felt like a frog at a sitting convention, or a jumping bean in a straightjacket! It was all so frustrating. The beauty and magnificence of the music was squelched by the rule of silence.
I understand that when some people are moved by beauty and awe, they are silent. I have experienced that myself in the presence of God as I’ve prayed or worshipped my Lord and Master. But to impose it on all in the audience because it is one person’s or one group’s idea of reverence, is criminal. I felt cheated out of the blessing of giving my whole self to the One I owe everything to. I needed to clap! I needed to shout “Hallelujah, Jesus is real!” “God is good!” to fully enter into worship (I did sneak in a few ‘amen’s that only Kevin could hear, but that didn’t satisfy my ‘praise’ appetite). I needed to be allowed to express my gratitude to the Savior of my soul, who bought my life from satan and freed me from hell. But, I was obedient during the program, sitting in silence. Later on the rocks and I cried out in praise to Jesus.
Sadly, I won't return to this program next year. Not because the artists didn’t do a splendid job of glorifying God and His majesty. But because they were the only ones allowed to do so.
-Jen

The Moon Shines Down book review

The Moon Shines Down
By Margaret Wise Brown

This beautifully illustrated children’s picture book was lost for over fifty years, and recently discovered in a Vermont barn. The original manuscript was written by Margaret Wise Brown, but since the manuscript was too short, it was added to by Laura Minchew, a children’s book publisher and a fan of Brown.
It’s singsong style and bold, colorful illustrations are endearing. However, the rhymes that did not rhyme grated on my nerves. Some examples are “asleep” and “country”; “East,” “sleep,” and “speak”; “dream” and “things.” Either make a rhyming book or just write prose. Don’t say it’s a rhyming book if it doesn’t truly rhyme!
Another factor I questioned was the use of the word “kids” in place of children. Because Margaret Wise Brown lived from 1910 to 1952, I doubt she used the word “kids” in her writing. In trying to appeal to modern readers, I think the newer text lost the flavor of Brown’s original writing.
Different cultures of the world are wonderfully represented in both the manuscript and illustrations by Linda Bleck, an award winning artist. From Holland to Japan, from Africa to Australia, the moon shines down on each boy and girl. Every poem ends with the familiar and comforting, “I see the moon and the moon sees me. God bless the moon and God bless me.”
In spite of my two little issues, I would recommend this book for young children. They will enjoy the vibrant colors and the cadence of the rhymes.

-- Jeanette Levellie