The Laughter

Psalm 133 Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.

When we arrived at Shevet Achim in Jerusalem there were seven families living at the house in various stages of recovery from heart surgery. Seven families sharing one living room, one kitchen, one bathroom, one bedroom, one TV. No privacy, no car, no air conditioning. These families were away from home; away from their spouses and other children. They are in a foreign country, with a foreign language, religion and culture. They were in essence in the land of their enemy. And do you know what sounds drifted most often downstairs to the staff quarters? The laughter of children, brothers, dwelling in peace. Cramped, hot, unfamiliar. Amazing.

Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.

I am missing them today. I am uncomfortable today. Unsettled. Out of place. I am in my own home, fire in the fireplace, warm, fed, physically well. But restless.

Maybe one reason that life is hard is that we will never feel totally at home here. We are not at home here. For a follower of Christ this is a foreign country. The culture is different, the currency is odd, the language is unfamiliar. We are away from our spouse and our real home. Something is missing. And as much as we accumulate and as many friends and good times that we enjoy, we are not completely satisfied.

God has placed eternity in the heart of every person and until we achieve that we will never be entirely whole.

A lesson can be learned from the families at Shevet Achim. This place can be crowded and unfamiliar. We can feel out of place. We can miss our husband and our real home. We are not completely well yet. Sometimes it is hot and we feel frustrated.

So, what do we do? Make friends. Play with the children. Pray to our Father for grace and mercy. And look ahead to the time that we will be at home, reunited with our husband and finally be whole. Until then let the sound of laughter drift upward to heaven.

Father thank you for all the good things in my life. For this summer, for this blog, for the trip to Israel, for my husband and our children, for our church and for our home. Thank you for placing eternity in our hearts. Thank you for the promise that one day we will all be together in a heavenly kingdom, with a heavenly body, free from sin. But most of all we will be in Your presence and will never be separated again. I love you Lord.

The Cost

Luke 14 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish.

Loving someone always costs something.

I wonder...When God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit said, Let Us make man in Our image, had they sat down already and counted the cost? I believe they had.

Since God is not constrained by time, He is in all time and space currently. Hence, I AM. He always is present. The same is true in His name Alpha and Omega. He is the beginning and the end so it makes sense that He could see the end of this age before the beginning began.

If I can let my imagination go for a moment I can almost hear some of that conversation....Let Us make man in Our image. They will fall to sin; they will be rebellious. A price will have to be paid to redeem them. Are you willing to pay it? Are they worth it?....Yes, they are worth it to Me.

And if I can, for a moment, give holy God man like qualities, I wonder if Jesus thought about that conversation when He told this parable. First sit down and consider the cost. Did He think of that in the garden at Gethsemane? Did He remember when the decision was made that He could finish what they were about to begin that first day?

Loving us cost. It cost a lot. Can we even imagine how much? Leaving all the splendor and perfection of heaven. His home. His Father. His heavenly body. His will, in essence. Humbling himself to flesh, humiliation, hunger, cold, fatigue, thirst, and the agony of the cross. I can't imagine how much it must have cost. I can't imagine thinking that we would be worth it.

No one will ever be able to say that Jesus didn't count the cost and that He was unable to finish what He had started once the foundation of the world was laid. No one can mock Him for an inability to bring to conclusion what He began. This Man, Jesus, began to build and accomplished His work.

Aren't you glad?

Jesus, Master builder, cornerstone...Thank You for counting the cost. For being able to complete what You began. In us. In me. Remind me of the cost of my salvation. A gift given freely to me yet so expensive to You. Flesh and blood. Life and death. Heaven and hell. Expensive. May we walk worthy of the price You paid.

Isaiah 28 Therefore thus says the Lord God, Behold I AM the One who has laid a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation.

John 17 Father I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am, to see My glory that You have given Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

Genesis 1 Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.

The Voice

I Samuel 3 Now the young man Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grown dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called to Samuel, and he said, Here I am! and ran to Eli and said, Here I am , for you called me. But he said, I did not call; lie down again. So he went and lay down. And the Lord called again, Samuel! And Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, Here I am; for you called me. But he said, I did not call, my son; lie down again. Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. And Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, Here I am for you called me. Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the young man. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, Go, lie down, and if He calls you, you shall say, Speak Lord, for your servant hears. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, Samuel, Samuel! And Samuel said, Speak for your servant hears...And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.

How do I know when the Lord speaks? And how will I respond?

Probably the two greatest questions of my life; at least at this point. For most of my life this has not been a burning question for me. I was not listening anyway. Or maybe like in Samuel's time the word of the Lord was rare and there were no frequent visions. Or maybe like Samuel I did not know the Lord and the word of the Lord had not been revealed to me. But now these are the questions that seem to matter the most to me.

Does the Lord have a distinct voice to you? Does it sound the same every time He speaks? Does He come to you in visions or dreams; and are you able to decipher His distinct sound over the random thoughts that fly by?

Samuel did have one advantage. He had placed himself in a position to hear God. Not only was he in the temple of the Lord; he was in the place of the ark of God. Close contact. Approximate. He was able to hear. He was willing to hear. He just lacked the discernment to distinguish God's voice from others.

One problem was that when God would speak, Samuel would run to Eli. Again and again. Unable to hear the tone of his Father, he ran to his mentor. His familiar source of comfort and instruction.

Strange that it took the man of God, Eli, three different wake up calls to recognize that Samuel was being spoken to by a heavenly voice.

The third time was different. Samuel was different. He was listening to the One who was speaking. And the voice of the Lord not only called to Samuel, He stood in his room. Not just a voice from heaven; a presence. God came down to Samuel to speak with him personally.

Once Samuel discovered who was speaking to him, and having placed himself in a position to hear; he had the right response to the Lord. Speak for your servant hears. Only then is he able to get clear direction from the Lord. A revelation. A prophecy.

I have read this story many times but it has new meaning for me today. This is one of the great mysteries of Scripture. Relevant in every age, in every situation and able to speak into every circumstance. So the Lord speaks to me today...Place yourself in close proximity to Me. Be available to hear. Learn the sound of My voice. Be willing to be in My presence. Listen to My instruction. And follow. Wherever. Whatever. Even when it makes no sense to you. Even when you are afraid. Even when you don't have the means or are unable to see the end results.

Whatever He tells you to do, do that.

Psalm 95 Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.

John 10 The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out...When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, buy they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.

Revelation 3 Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with Me.

The Hindrance

Matthew 16 From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, Far be it from You, Lord. This shall never happen to You. But He turned and said to Peter, Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to Me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.

Harsh words. Especially to a friend. Direct. Truth. Jesus always spoke truth. Even when it stung. Even when it made no earthly sense. Unapologetic truth. As I was reading this I was thinking, Why did Jesus speak so harshly to Peter? What was He seeing in Peter that warranted such a strong reaction? It seemed that Peter was speaking only out of his love for Jesus.

Maybe it was this; false hope. A refusal to face the truth. Glossing over reality and avoiding the real issue. Because it was comfortable to do so. Sometimes it is easier to give false hope that to deal with the truth.

I see this often in oncology nursing. A denial of the inevitable. Usually not from the patient but from the family. Someone is diagnosed with a terminal illness; all hope is lost. All treatment is exhausted. And as this person is trying to reconcile themselves to the fact that they are dying, there is usually a family member who absolutely refuses to believe. They suggest more treatment, new alternatives, cutting edge medicine. Even as patients lay dying, they continue to spout false hope. Despite what the doctors say. Despite all evidence to the contrary they refuse to admit the inevitable. They are often critical of other family members for having no faith, no hope. And sometimes they hinder the patient from the task of dying. It is not faith or hope that keeps them pushing for life, it is the refusal to believe that anything bad can happen. It is the age old question of, Why do bad things happen?

Jesus came to die. It was the Father's will for Him to die. He had to die. And we should all be thankful for that. And while Peter may have had good intentions and great motivation he was a hindrance to Jesus. Denying God's will and perfect plan by refusing to see things from His perspective or to align himself with a heavenly design.

So maybe the lesson to be learned is this; Peter drew harsh words from Jesus because of his inability to reconcile his own plans to God's. If Peter was ever to be of any use to Jesus or to the church of the living God, he would have to learn to give up self to gain Christ. He would need to become willing to get in on God's plan rather than trying to get God in on his plans. He would need to see things from God's perspective. To set his mind on the things of God.

Romans 8 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their mind on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile toward God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed it cannot. For those who are in the flesh cannot please God...He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?

Father teach me, like Peter, to look beyond myself and my own plan. Teach me to have a heavenly view. Give me the ability to see beyond the here and now; to look beyond the cross and see past the present suffering and to set my mind on eternal values.

The Proclamation

Jeremiah 7 Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord....Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord. For if you truly amend you ways and your deeds , if you truly execute justice one with another, if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever. Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, We are delivered!-only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord. Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I made My name dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the evil of My people Israel. And now, because you have done all these things, declares the Lord, and when I spoke to your persistently you did not listen, and when I called you, you did not answer, therefore I will do to the house that is called by My name, and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of my sight, as I cast out all your kinsmen, all the offspring of Ephraim.

II Timothy 3 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Numbers 23 God is not man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind.

I know this is an ancient scripture and written to another people at another time but does it still apply? To me? To this country? To the present day church? I believe it does.

When I read, Do not trust in these deceptive words; my first thought was, One nation under God. And, In God we trust. Really? Is that reflected in our country's values or just an antiquated stamp on our money? Is it our battle cry or just a good luck charm? Do we steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to other gods and then stand in the Holy places, the house called by God's name and say, We are delivered? Only to leave the church and continue in our sin?

We are tolerant. Of everything. In our highest ranks of government. In our pulpits. On our televisions and in our homes. Indulgent. Self-absorbed. Materialistic. Insatiable. There is no fear of God before our eyes.

And how long do we really expect God to tolerate that? Are we already seeing the effects of God's discipline in our country? In our church? In our own homes?

Child molestation, adultery, murder, theft, hypocrisy and tolerance of sin in our church. Greed, power, lies, debt, abuse, sickness and murder in our government. Pornography, abuse, molestation, drugs, adultery, incest and rape in our homes.

Most of us do not have to look very far to see the effects of sin on our lives. We all know someone who has been a victim of some kind of aggression. A school shooting, 9/11, a robbery, an act of abuse or neglect, poverty or violence. Could not most of this be attributed to the fact that we have no use for God? Can we not see? Do we have no understanding?

The book of Jeremiah is a proclamation to the people regarding God's perspective on their ways and the fury of His wrath and punishment for their choices. It is a warning.

And you shall say to them, This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, and did not accept discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips. Cut off your hair and cast it away; raise a lamentation on the bare heights, for the Lord has rejected and forsaken the generation of His wrath.

II Chronicles 7 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land...But if you turn aside and forsake My statutes and My commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will pluck you up from My land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. And at this house, which was exalted everyone passing by will be astonished and say, Why has the Lord done this to this land and to this house? Then they will say, Because they abandoned the Lord...therefore He has brought all this disaster on them.

On our recent trip to Israel we had an opportunity to visit the West Bank. We had tea with a family that lives there and they shared with us many of the hardships of life in the occupied territory, behind the wall. The poverty, the fear, the kidnapping and murder of an Israeli soldier a few years ago, the daily struggle of getting back and forth through the checkpoint to work and their personal wishes for peace. We were told that this was the area in which Jeremiah proclaimed the word of the Lord. And I have to tell you that while we were driving through the area I was astonished and did think, Why has the Lord done this to this land?

Maybe it is time for those of us in the land of the free and the home of the brave to take a look at what can happen to a house, a church and a nation that turns it back on the living God.

The Chasm

I Corinthians 6 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

That should just about cover all of us.

There are some verses that stop me every time. If I am reading aloud I choke on them. And I just have to stop.

And such were some of you.

As I read the list of these sins I have to say, Yeah, that's me. And, Yes, that too. Oh yeah, thank you Father for that as well.

And such were some of you.

That is who I was. That is my life. And those kinds of people will not, cannot inherit the kingdom of God. For it is impossible for darkness to have fellowship with light. Holiness and sinfulness cannot abide together. Do not be deceived. It is not possible.

So that was the dilemma. A great gulf fixed between Holy God and sinful man. A chasm. On one side....light, peace, joy, glory, happiness, holiness, eternity and pure love. On the other....immorality, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, thievery, greed, drunkenness, revilers and swindlers.

What to do?

And since we were unable to bridge the gap, God came to us. Gave Himself to us. He took His glory, His holiness, His righteousness and wrapped us in it like a mantle. Covering with His own flesh our sinfulness. He washed us in His blood. He sanctified us with His righteousness. He justified us with His holiness. Through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God. Amazing.

The King became sin for the servant. The honorable Husband forgiving the infidelity of His bride. Set free. From bondage. From debt. From sin. From death. From hell. Not because of any good in us. Because of good in Him. He became our good.

And what did we become?

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in Your body.
He became our good and we became His temple. Wonderful. Merciful. Savior.

Father You alone are good. You alone are wonderful. You alone are worthy of praise. Honor. Blessing. Worship. How unsearchable are Your ways and Your thoughts beyond knowing. How you love us is amazing. Unstoppable. Unchangeable. Unbreakable. Enduring. You are higher and deeper and better than life. We and all the earth reflect Your glory. We lift our hands, our hearts, our lives to the King of all Kings, The Great and Holy One. The Only One. You are God alone. And we will adore Your. Amen Lord Jesus. Amen God our Father. Amen our precious Helper, the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Runner

I Corinthians 9 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

I wonder. What would God do with my life if I gave Him everything I have? If I surrendered totally to His will; if I was obedient in every circumstance; if I laid it all down for His kingdom? What if I stepped into His will, took every thought captive, brought every decision to Him in prayer? What if I held my life loosely before Him and surrendered completely to His purpose for my life? What if I allowed Him complete and total control?

What if I decided that it was not enough for me to just be in the race; what if I raced as to be the winner of the prize; first place and not just a runner up? What would that look like?

Maybe a better question is, Why haven't I? What could possibly prevent me from doing that, especially when I consider ALL that He has done for me? How could I ever give Him anything less than all I have?

The sad truth; the tragic truth is that it is frighteningly easy. It is the doing of it that I find difficult. Discipline is hard. Self-control is hard. Denying self is hard. The cross is hard. And doing it consistently is harder still.

It is true that as long as we live in the flesh we will never be perfect. But that is not the real issue here. I am not talking about perfection. I am talking about my will. Forget perfection. Most of the time I barely get to adequate. Not even a middle of the pack runner. Not a jogger. Usually I am a walker. Content to be drifting along in the back somewhere as long as I am not dead last.

Besides not everyone can win, right? Have you seen the professional runners anyway? They are obsessed. They ruin ice cream for everyone. Perfectionists. They are consumed. What if someone called me a fanatic?

The truth is that I am not self disciplined. I am in love with the thought of being a runner but not with what it takes to actually be a runner.

Maybe if I could see ahead to the eternal prize that is waiting for the runner I would feel differently.

Hebrews 12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and the sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

And there it is. The motivation. A change in perspective. A cloud of witnesses in heaven and on earth. Cheering us on. Reminding us of what is important, really important. Eternally important. And that by throwing off the weights of laziness, worldliness and selfishness we are freed to run with endurance our own race, looking to the prize. The goal. Jesus. The One who ran before us in His own race. Running with joy. Because He could see beyond the here and now. He could see beyond the shame of this life. He could see beyond the agony of the cross. He could see the joy that was set before Him at the finish line. He could see His Father waiting at the finish line. So even though He despised the shame He found the prize worth racing for. He was willing to endure the present agony to attain the prize of eternal Lordship. Thereby bringing to His Father a host of heavenly runners. You. Me.

And He set an example for us. Run. Even when you despise it. Find a way to look ahead to the prize. Run to win. Run to Him.

II Timothy 4 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Now that is worth running for.

Father. Forgive. Me. When I am selfish I will remember Your selflessness. When I am angry I will remember Your suffering. When I forget, remind me. Help me to look past my own self, past the world, past my desires and failures and look to the finish line. To my prize. You are my prize and my portion forever. I will run to You.

The Redemption

Jeremiah 5 Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note! Search her squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth that I may pardon her. Though they say, As the Lord lives, yet they swear falsely. O Lord, do not Your eyes look for truth? You have struck them down, but they felt no anguish; You have consumed them, but they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock, they have refused to repent.

Ever heard the saying, No one likes a Jeremiah? You could also say that no one likes to be confronted with their sin.

If you read my story about our trip to Israel last year, then you know about Abraham; the little elderly Israeli man who took advantage of us in Jerusalem. The man who broke my heart in Jerusalem. For a long time he was the picture of Israel to me. He looked Israeli. Browned by the sun. A sabra or Israeli born. A man of uneven weights and unfair exchanges. A crookster.

The trip this year was completely different. It was a redemption. We made friends in the Old City, the West Bank, Bethlehem and Jerusalem. We learned our way around, fell in love with all the families at the house, the staff at Wolfson and Shevet Achim. Ken and I spent the day together and went to Yad Vashem and that was one of the highlights of the trip for me. I got to know people at the hospital, went to the OR and made rounds with Dr. Tamir. We took a girls trip to Galilee and that was awesome.

Ken and I also spent a day in the Old City. We went to the Western Wall, walked through the Jewish Quarter, visited the Christian Quarter Market and the Cardo. We stopped to take pictures of the Mount of Olives and in the distance, walking toward us, I noticed a familiar figure. A little elderly Israeli man and I knew it was him. Abraham. Same khakis. Same hat. Same smile. Harmless looking. As he walked toward us I thought of how I felt the year before; how I had murdered him in my heart. He stopped right in front of me and asked if he could assist us by taking our picture together. And I said, We met you last year. And a look of knowing crossed his face. But not a look of shame or regret.

....they felt no anguish....they have refused to repent.

How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken Me and have sworn by those who are not gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores. They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing after his neighbor's wife. Shat I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord.

Jerusalem is a very religious city.

For wicked men are found among my people; they lurk like fowlers lying in wait. They set a trap; they catch men...Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord, and shall I not avenge Myself on a nation such as this?

It is also home to crooksters.

An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophecy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?

Ephesians 5 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partakers with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true) and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness; but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

The Least

Matthew 11 At that time Jesus declared, I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was Your gracious will. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

Sometimes I think of what my life might have been like. What if I had been born into great wealth? What if my father had been an ambassador and I had traveled all over the planet? What if my parents were famous actors? What if I had been born into the royal family, the Presidents' child or a rock stars daughter?

Would I have known God? Would I have been drawn to Him because of His goodness and mercy? Would I have studied the beauty of the earth and thought, I must know this wonderful creator? Would I have looked at my wealth or fame or status and thought, How wonderful that God would chose to bless me with all this? Or would I have gone about my merry way and never even acknowledged Him at all?

Do you know what brought me to God? NEED.

Overwhelming need. The need for a savior. A healer. A restorer. I needed to be forgiven and loved; provided for and cleansed. My sin had all but destroyed me. Life had devastated me.

Yes Father, for such was Your gracious will.

Not to the wise or the understanding but to the least ones Your reveal Yourself. The healthy have no need. The rich have no need. The happy have no need.

I thank You Father, Lord of heaven and earth.

No one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

Father thank You for making me one of the least of these. For if I had been wealthy, famous or unbroken I might never have needed You. And where would I be without You? You are more precious than all the wealth of the world. Your love is higher, deeper and more satisfying than the love of all the people of the world in every age. One moment in Your presence is more valuable than the fame or notoriety of the world's greatest achievers. You are life to me. You are breath. You are food and joy. In Your presence is peace and hope everlasting. You bring contentment, fulfillment and happiness.

Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.

Jesus was a lowly one as well. Awesome.

Beautiful. Wonderful. Savior. Giving Yourself to the lowly. The needy. The least of these.

The Spear

I Samuel 18 As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. And the women sang to one another as the celebrated, Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David from that day on.

Saul was chosen by God and anointed by Samuel to be the first king of Israel. The Bible says that Saul came from a wealthy family and that there was not another man in all of Israel that was as handsome as Saul and that he stood head and shoulders taller than any other man in Israel. After Saul was anointed king by Samuel the prophet, God gave Saul a new heart and the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul and he prophesied among the people. The Bible tells us that Saul was a valiant warrior and a deliverer of Israel. Saul was not a perfect king or a perfect man and because of sin God ultimately rejected Saul as king and chose David to be the next king of Israel. And because of this and many other things, Saul was jealous of David and that was the beginning of all kinds of evil. Saul's jealousy tainted his love for David. David was Saul's musician, a warrior in the army, the best friend of Saul's son and the husband of Saul's daughter. The two men were connected in almost every way.

There are few things as destructive to relationships as jealousy. It is one of the ugliest of all human emotions. It presents itself in many fashions and carries deadly poison in its barbs. It is a stifling, strangling character. It is selfish and demands attention. It must always be first and foremost. It cries and whines for attention. It connives and struggles to be heard. It has no pleasure in the success of others and can never be satisfied. It is quick to find fault; critical and sarcastic. It is confrontational and arrogant. It is oblivious to its own worth; always seeking the blessings of others. It is delusional in its thinking; irrational in thought. And, if left unchecked, it destroys love between itself and those at which it is directed.

It is especially destructive between believers.

The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand. And Saul hurled the spear, for the thought, I will pin David to the wall...Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him but he had departed from Saul.

Even in the work of the Lord there is jealousy. Even in the courts of the king. But this should not be.

Ephesians 4 And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

We all have our place in the body of Christ. Our own spot that can only be filled by us. Rest in your spot. You are not more or less important that anyone else in the sight of your Father. You may be a vessel of wood or gold. Silent or vocal. Visible or hidden; but you are His. You are loved. You are needed. Fill your space with grace and peace. Safe in the knowledge that you belong.

I Corinthians 13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hope all things, endures all things.

The Indwelling

Luke 6 Give and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into you lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.

The Lord has been teaching me a wonderful principle this summer. It is this....being filled up and poured out. For Him and with Him. It has become a treasure to me. The thought began with one of the earliest blogs while writing the story of Jesus' first recorded miracle at the wedding at Cana. Water pots filled to the rim, touched by their master and becoming wine to drink.

I am His vessel. He is my potter. I am His wine and He is my portion. He designed me. Crafted me. Molded me in His hands. Not a vessel of gold or bronze or silver. A clay pot. Ordinary. Porous. Earthen. Common. And He filled me with His Holy Spirit. For service. Not for my happiness. Not for my joy. Not to be hidden away or used for my own personal understanding of who He is. For service to Him.

For three months prior to our trip to Israel the Lord filled me with His presence. Quite days of study, prayer and worship. The best days of my life. Uncomplicated. Satisfying. Nurturing. And I could have stayed there indefinitely. But God gives us Himself for a purpose. To be poured out. Good measure. Pressed down. Shaken together. Running over.

And now I find this principle. The more I give Him away to others, the more He gives Himself to me. Filled up. Poured out.

For how can we ever contain Him? The whole universe cannot contain His glory. He sits high above the heavens. Enthroned above the planets. Holy God. Majestic. Glorious. How could we ever, in our human states, possibly think that He could fill these earthen pots and not spill out into the lives of those around us? He's too big.

I am one lowly vessel. But when I am filled with Him, I do not feel lowly or common. I feel extraordinary. I am unable to hold Him to myself so He pours Himself out through my pen. Words of love. Words of hope. To you. To me.

Father you know all things. And you know me. Speak Your thoughts and give us ears to hear. As I pour out, fill me up. Overflowing. Like water. Like wine. Like oil. Joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Israel is dry and I learned quickly to always have a water bottle and snacks. Fatigue sets in rapidly there if you do not stay hydrated. Even our physical bodies teach us the principle of filled up and poured out. The earthly reflecting the heavenly.

The Applause

Matthew 6 Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Our Father's House is the family home of our friends, Darrell and Kathy Morgan. It is a beautiful house that is used for their catering business and for ministry. Recently it was the host home for a women's retreat; a spa day, based on the woman at the well. It was a surprise for women in ministry. I was happy and excited to volunteer to decorate, cook and clean up. The event was wonderful. A day of relaxation, worship, pampering and luxury. The women were so surprised and everything came off beautifully. Many parts of the body of Christ coming together to say thank you to these women by treating them to a short play, worship dancing, teaching, lunch, massage treatment and high tea. And though I didn't know these women, I felt grateful for their service to the Lord and enjoyed the day myself. I came early and stayed late. I was exhausted when it was over but so blessed by the Lord by all I had witnessed that day. I had offered a gift of service to the Lord. Not to man. I felt good about that.

A couple of days later Kathy and I were sitting around and she asked me about two scabbed areas on the tops of my feet. And I told her that they were blisters rubbed on my feet from the day of the retreat. And was was like, Aww. I'm so sorry. You worked so hard that day and everyone was so grateful. We could not have done it without you. You had such a servants heart. And I enjoyed her praise.

On the way home that night I was singing in the truck, feeling so good about myself and the Lord spoke...And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And immediately I knew. I had my reward. It was the praise of man. I had forfeited the reward from my Father. Not that He would want me to lie to Kathy but I did not have to mention that I received the blisters on the spa day. I wanted her to know that.

Thus when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

The Lord had seen my hard work. He saw the blisters on my feet. They were our secret. I had done well. Offered my time to His service. And He was pleased with me. But that was not enough for me. I had boasted of my work in order to receive the applause of another. And that applause was my reward.

Therein lies the goodness and mercy of God. Never condemning. Never shaming. Just a small voice that says, full of love, I SEE you Connie. I'm pleased with you.

And that should always be....enough.

I wonder what reward did I forfeit from the Lord in order to gain the applause of my friend? Did I exchange something heavenly for something fleshly?

Psalm 37 Wait for the Lord and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land.

James 4 Hu mble yourself before the Lord,and He will exalt you.

I Peter 5 Humble yourself, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you.

Philippians 2 H ave this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself as nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Heart

I Samuel 10 Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophecy with them and be turned into another man...When Saul turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart.

Just like that. A new man. A new heart. A new life. Without self-help books, weekend retreats or religious seminars. Just a miracle of the Lord. In an instant.

While there are many wonderful tools of discipleship, only God changes our hearts. He replaces our old heart with a new one. He exchanges our heart of stone with a heart of flesh.

In Israel, at Wolfson Medical Center, I was allowed to watch an open heart surgery. A stool was placed for me at the patients head, between the surgeons, right above the patients chest. A platform theatre seat. This child had multiple heart defects including a missing inferior vena cava, and AV defect and a single atrium heart. In order to make the necessary repairs the child was placed on a heart/lung bypass machine and the heart and lungs were stilled. The heart was emptied of blood and the tedious repairs were made. Meticulous work. Life saving work. Life changing work. This life will never be the same. Blue fingers, toes and lips turn pink, filled with life giving, oxygen carrying blood. A new heart. New circulation. New energy. Now the blood reaches to all the extremities, all the nooks and crannies; hidden places. Before the heart was inadequate to bring oxygen to the very ends of the extremities. Not all of the body was being supplied. Hands and feet were cold, fingernails were clubbing, starving. For life. There was not enough energy to run, to play, to dance.

This child will always bear the scars where the work was done. Reminders of the life that was. Gratitude for the promise of the life to come.

Sounds so familiar to me. I was full of dusky, cold places as well. Lacking the energy to dance. To shine. My old heart was inadequate. I was starving. For life. And the Great Physician gave to me a new heart. A heart of flesh. He emptied my heart of the old blood and filled it with Himself.

I still carry scars, reminders of the life that was. But I am so grateful to the One who healed me and gave me a new life and the promise of the life to come. Sealed in Him. Never fading away.

The Lamb

John 12 When He had washed their feet and put on His outer garments and resumed His place, He said to them, Do you understand what I have done to you?

Do you? Do I? Do you understand what He has done for you? What happened at the cross? What happened in the garden?

Jesus said, For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given Me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

Was the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil worth it?

It seems like such a small thing. Trivial really. It was one act of disobedience. Seems a little harsh to sentence the entire world to death, doesn't it? On the other hand, the man and woman were placed in paradise. Everything was perfect. All they needed to do was obey one law. Do not touch it. It should have been simple. But God's laws were absolute and so through the sin of the one man, all became guilty before God.

So, in their one act of disobedience the entire world came under the penalty of sin. The tree of life was hidden to prevent them from staying in that condition for all time. And the first blood offering was made to atone for their sin and to cover them in the skin of the sacrificial offering.

So it began. The slaying of the innocent for the guilty. Over and over. The sacrificial lamb is brought and slain. The blood atones and the guilty put on the robes of the innocent. It was God's way. The Law was given to show us the depth of sin. Impossible to keep. Impossible to attain perfection. Israel labored under the burden of the weight of it. She labors still. So when the time was right, God chose for Himself a sacrificial lamb. Without spot or blemish. A sacrifice worthy to satisfy the penalty of the entire world. Sinless. Royal blood. A priestly offering. God's own Son. His only Son. God would provide for Himself a passover sacrifice.

So what did Jesus do for you? He was willing to honor His Father. Obedient unto death, even the death on the cross. He glorified His Father.

John 1 Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

Hebrews 9 But as it is, He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

Hebrews 10 Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired but a body You have prepared for Me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings You have taken no pleasure. Then I said, Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God, as it is written of Me in the scroll of the book.

So by His sinless life and sacrificial death for the penalty of our sin, Jesus satisfied the Father. He atoned the debt. Once again, and for the last time, innocent blood was shed to cover the sin of the guilty and the offender was clothed in the righteous coverings of the lamb's skin. He who knew no sin became sin for you. For me.

Philippians 2 Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the Name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Do you understand what I have done to you?

He paid your debt. He satisfied the Father. The innocent for the guilty. His blood for yours. His righteousness for clothing. He gave a way to live for eternity with Him and the redeemed. He is the ONLY way. There is no other. I assure you that any alternative is grim. There is no other sacrifice. There is no other pathway that leads to salvation.

Jesus said, I AM the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by Me.

So what do we do to attain this salvation?

Romans 10 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

And that is the miracle that He did for you. He lived a sinless life. He died a sacrificial death. Resurrected from the dead on the third day. Seated at the right hand of His Father in the heavens. Coming again. He is high and lifted up. Worthy Lamb of God. Coming King of Kings and Lord of Lords. To receive His own. Amen? Amen!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.

Father, words are inadequate to say thank You for all You have done. So we will offer ourselves as a sacrifice of praise to You. It is a reasonable offering of worship. Take what we have and make much of it for Your kingdom. See us Lord and be pleased. Hear us Lord and be pleased. Receive us Lord and be pleased.

The Brothers

Matthew 5 You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?

Genesis 16 And the angel of the Lord said to Hagar, Behold you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has listened to your affliction. He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.

Genesis 17 And Abraham said to God, Oh that Ishmael might live before You! God said, No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.

Psalm 133 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down in the beard.

Some people say that believing the Bible requires a huge leap of faith. I say that anyone who reads the Bible and looks at the world today and is not convinced of the truth of God's Word is blind and deaf.

You only have to watch the news or visit Israel to see the struggle that continues to this day between the sons of Isaac and Ishmael. Two sons. Two mothers. Two faiths. Two nations. Such an enormous conflict for such a tiny country. Ancient. Enduring. Fulfilling prophecy. That is the larger picture. I would like to show you a smaller picture. A glimpse. A sliver of hope of one brother reaching out to help another brother's child.

Shevet Achim house in Jerusalem. The name itself means brothers dwelling together. The building itself is the oldest children's hospital in the Middle East and is home to some of the staff and several families who are awaiting, or recovering from, heart surgery. Most of the children are from Iraq and Gaza. They are without insurance and most of them are without money to pay for the care they are receiving. And without the surgical repairs many of them are without hope. They are the children behind the walls.

I met Dr. Tamir at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, near Tel Aviv, Israel. He is the Jewish cardiologist who allowed me to witness my first open heart surgery. And there I saw the miracle that is taking place in Israel. Everyone in the OR is volunteering for this surgery.

For every child that comes to Wolfson for heart surgery there is a flat fee paid to the hospital that is nowhere near adequate to cover the cost of such a surgery. No matter how long the child stays or how many procedures are done. Right now they are averaging around 50 children per year; some of them staying in Israel for months at a time and requiring multiples procedures, medications, follow up visits and treatment for infections. During that time they are cared for at the hospital or at the house in Jerusalem. All on donations. Muslim families and children brought from enemy countries and territories to Israel for life saving operations.

That is the miracle that I witnessed in the OR and at Shevet Achim. Sons of Isaac saving the lives of the children of Ishmael. For free. Even more incredible, most of the people involved, on both sides, are unbelievers brought together by believers and followers of Christ.

So what does this mean to the average American? Probably not much. But it should. It should hold us captive. Hope springing up like a desert blooming. Small steps of peace. Seeds planted in the heart of a child. A Muslim child shown mercy by a Jewish team of physicians and nurses.

Will it change the world? It just might. It changed me. They changed me. Hamza, Deya, Ikram, Noir, Mohammed, Shad and Belial. Witnesses to God's love. Housed in Jerusalem by Americans. Cared for at Wolfson by Jewish and Arab Israeli's. Visited by people from Wales and Singapore and the US. New hearts paid for by generous donors who they may never meet. Grateful mothers. Healthy children. New hearts. New ways of thinking. Pathways to peace. One child at a time.

If that does not change us, touch us and cause hope to spring up in us...what will?

The Devotion

Jeremiah 2 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the Lord, I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed Me in the wilderness in a land not sown. Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of His harvest. All who ate of it incurred guilt; disaster came upon them, declares the Lord. Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. Thus says the Lord: What wrong did your fathers find in Me that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?

Once again I sit in the courtyard in the heart of Jerusalem seeking His heart, His voice, His words. And He speaks. Where are you, Connie? What are you doing? Are you working for Me or living for Me? Are you in love with Me? Do you love Me as a new bride loves her husband?

I remember the night that Ken and I met. It is was a miracle really that we found each other. Actually, he found me. I was at Nightfall with my sister and Ken saw me sitting on a stone bench. I was waiting on my sister to finish a conversation with someone else. I had no idea that Ken was watching me. As he started to approach me, another man walked up with a flower to give me that he had bought from a street vendor. When Ken saw this, he walked away. The man sat down beside me and said something cheesy like, I know you are not here alone. And I said, You are right, I am not. And he walked away. When Ken came back by I was with my sister, walking to our car. So he followed us. We were almost to our car when I heard a man behind me say, Excuse me ladies but are you going to Blue Water? My first thought before even turning around was, if that is that guy with the broken flower I'm not gonna be happy. I groaned as my sister turned around to answer him. As I turned I saw Ken for the first time and my heart skipped. As I started back to the fence he was talking to my sister but his eyes were on me. I heard him say, Will you meet me at Blue Water? As I started to say no my sister said yes. In that moment, across that fence, Ken held his hand out to me. This complete stranger on the street standing there looking like a vulnerable little boy with his hand out. And I placed my hand in his for the first time. And I know this sounds crazy but I have belonged to him since that moment. My thoughts were for him. My desire was for him. I sought him. And the longer that we are together the more I love him. He is my friend. My protector. He is the soundboard for my thoughts and ideas. He is my love.

When we fall in love with our Lord we have many of the same emotions. We long for Him. Our thoughts are toward Him. We dream of being in His presence and we find rest and contentment in Him. He captures our heart. But hearts are fickle. Tempted to wander. Prone to stray. Drifting away. Why? For many of the same reasons that drifting happens in a physical relationship. Day to day living is much different than the honeymoon. Laundry, cleaning, cooking, work. Responsibility. These are deterrents to romance. And sometimes, without even realizing that it has happened, we replace love and devotion with duty. And duty to God smothers joy. Just like in an earthly marriage.

So I must ask the question. Is it duty or devotion? Responsibility or romance? Do I see His yoke as easy and His burdens as light? Am I in love with Him or just joined to Him? Am I engaged with Him or just involved with Him? And the truth is that sometimes I am a little of both.

So what to do? The same as in my marriage to Ken. When I feel myself becoming a homemaker instead of a bride, I call him away to privacy. I remember the way my heart skipped at the sight of him. I remember the way I felt when I placed my hand in his. I recall all of the wonderful times that we have spent together in different cities, different restaurants, just the two of us. So we get away together, alone. And there we find what we found at the beginning.

It is the same with my Lord. He calls me away to privacy with him. Alone I seek His voice, His face in prayer, in worship, in fellowship. I recall what He is to me. How He raised me up from the dead. How he saved my soul from Hell. How He delivered me from bondage. So we get away together, alone. And there we find what we found at the beginning.

Later in this chapter the Lord says, For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Father, I love you. I don't want to just serve You. I want to know you. I want my thoughts to be toward You. I want to long for You, alone. Call me away, my beloved. Remind me of who You are and what You have done, for me. I have found no wrong in You. I will not trade knowing You for the worthlessness of anything besides You.

The Resistance

Psalm 46 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.

Change is coming. I can feel it.

As I sit in the courtyard here at Shevet Achim the leaves are beginning to fall. Jerusalem is cooling. Soon the rains will come to this dry city.

Change is coming for us. For me. I feel as if I am standing on the edge of a precipice. Taking a large breath. Ready to jump. To fly. To follow. Where, Lord? How, Lord?

I find that most of the time we are resistant to change. Inflexible. Hindering God's plans. He orchestrates a plan, prepares the way, sets everything in place. And our indecision and inability to commit ourselves to His plan, hinders His work. We are reluctant to change.

God has been sifting out of my life any reluctance to follow Him. It has been uncomfortable and liberating at the same time. He stretches me. And that is good. He will not allow me to remain as I am. As I would be. Stagnant. He broadens the borders. Expands the boundaries. Enlarges the territories. He gives Himself more room to work. A larger audience. He reaches out to others through us.

Father, teach us to be flexible in Your hands. Pliable. Moldable. Willing to be shaped into Your image. Teach me to hold things loosely before You. Open hands. Open mind. Open heart. Open wallet. Open eyes. Teach us not to fear. Though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea. Teach us to be still. To cease striving. To rest.

Isaiah 64 But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter, we are all the work of Your hand.

The Angel

Hebrews 13 Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware.

Ken and I met Ronan in the Ben Gurion Airport in Israel on our trip last year. He had been a passenger on our flight from Atlanta but we met him in the train station and he was, strangely enough, headed for the same small town as we were. He noticed that we were having some problems with just about everything; luggage, exchanging money, buying tickets and finding the correct stops so he offered to help. We were hot, tired and grateful. He helped carry our luggage and we enjoyed talking with him so much that we missed our stop. We shared a taxi with him from the train station to our hotel and he insisted on paying the fare and even accompanied us to the desk to make sure there would be no problems with our check in. After dinner he came back to the hotel to visit and brought us an avocado and a map.

When I asked him why he was going so far out of his way for strangers he wrote this saying in Hebrew in my journal; loosely translated is says, How do you behave with your friend? Exactly as you want them to behave with you. He was invaluable to us that first night and was our first introduction to Israel.

On the day we went to Jerusalem, as I wrote about earlier, we were lost in the city of Netanya. It was market day and very crowded, hot and frustrating. So in the middle of this throng of people shopping, lost and needing directions, my husband taps a shop keeper on the shoulder to ask if he spoke English. The man was pulling a cart out of a business with his back to us and when he turned, it was Ronan. I am not sure who was more surprised, him or us. There was probably six hundred people in this square and we tap the only guy we know on the shoulder. So he leaves his shop with other employees and walks us to the bus station, helps us exchange money and speaks to the bus driver to make sure we get off at the correct stop.

That was the last time we saw him. Ken says he still gets emails from him but I don't believe it. To me he is an angel. A bright spot in a heartache. An angel, unaware. Jesus said there is a reward waiting for those who offer a cool drink in His name.

So to all of the Ronan's in our lives....May the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

How do you behave with your friend? Exactly as you want them to behave with you.

The Relief

Matthew 4 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And He said to them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. Immediately the left their nets and followed Him.

On Sunday we drove from Jerusalem up through the Galilee to En Gev for the night. Our first stop was near the Dead Sea where I rode a camel for the first time. Just another thing crossed off the "to do before you die" list. There is freedom in trying new things, in living with abandon. I have had a lot of those kinds of experiences on this trip.

We stopped in Tiberius for lunch on the water and then drove to the kibbutz in Yardenit for fruit, nuts, tea and snacks for the trip. We arrived at our cottage on the sea right at sunset and like children dropped our bags off and headed for the sea shore with ipod and worship banners in hand. I was crying before I got there. Happy, thankful tears to think that Jesus often retreated to this place for rest and to teach. I can see Him so easily here. It feels like home.

Jerusalem can be a very oppressive place, sometimes frightening. There was a bomb discovered within walking distance of our house in Jerusalem on Monday night. There have been riots in the old city since we have been here and always, the just beneath the surface, the tension that is older than the city itself.

But there was something so peaceful about dancing in the dark by the sea of Galilee with our banners, worship music playing softly. The breeze cools us and causes the white angel wings of the banners to flutter out over the sea as the lights of Tiberius twinkle across the water. And suddenly I realize, I am perfectly and totally content. Do you know why? I have left my nets to follow Him. I am thinking tonight of all the things that we lose or refuse to lose for Christ. And just like Peter and Andrew, He is freeing me. From burdens. From fear. From self. From oppression. He is calling to me....Follow Me. Leave it all. Your burdens and your past. Leave them and follow me. To freedom. To rest. To restoration.

The Witness

Isaiah 64 For of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.

Today is Shabbat and it is quiet. Hamza has been admitted for the weekend for fever, Ikram is in intermediate ICU, Belial, Deya, Mohammad, Shad and Noir are upstairs playing. I am at peace.

As I sit this morning in the courtyard of this, the oldest children's hospital in the middle east, I remember the faithfulness of my God. How could I have ever imagined this day ten years ago?

I remember the night He came to me. Commissioned me to become a nurse and to be prepared to come to Israel. On that day, this day was impossible to me. Yet...here I sit. A testimony to the fact that God keeps His promises.

I sense Him, the Gardener, in this courtyard. Quietly working here. Listening, like me, to the sound of children's laughter drifting down from the upper room. Children with wounded hearts brought to this place in His name. Hearts of Ishmael healed by Isaac in Jesus name. Do you get that? The enormity of what that means, especially in Jerusalem?

This city is the birthplace of monotheism. The mother of the three great religions. Judaism. Christianity. Islam. The fact that this place exists is a miracle. The fact that it exists for hearts needing to be mended is ironic. The fact that God has allowed me to be a witness to it is an honor beyond compare.

Acts 1 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My WITNESS in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

I am here to bear witness to the Lord. I have been given a voice to speak for this work, His work. I have been anointed by His Spirit to write what I see for Him.

Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

Revelation 3 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me.

Mohammed's mom (Um Mohammed) calls. They need me. So I go to them. Happily. Thank you Father for Your marvelous gifts. They, like You, are more than I expect. More than I deserve.

The Dangers

Isaiah 55 Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near, let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater so shall My word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Yesterday we traveled into the West Bank to look at cabinets for the new kitchen. The American team of four and a Muslim background believer. And it occurred to me that in the last two days I had been in the Gaza strip and the West Bank. Neither of which is recommended by the US Government for American citizens.

Time is different here and one reason is the hospitality that we enjoy. There is always time for coffee, tea or bread here.

As we crossed the checkpoint into the West bank I was not afraid really but neither am I foolish. I know where I am. I have seen what can happen here. Things can turn in a moment. A man was being arrested, roughly, as we cleared the checkpoint and our driver warns us, No cameras. He says the man will be beaten and that causes unrest here. There is so much contradiction here; of language, culture, religion, social status and education and always the possibility of violence. There was a riot in Jerusalem just a couple of days ago. But while I do not wish to be foolish or reckless, because I do not believe that God honors such behavior, I also choose to trust Him. I am here at His direction and He alone protects and lengthens my days.

So today, I am having tea with a Palestinian family the West Bank. Yesterday I had tea with an Iraqi grandmother from Gaza. The Lord is expanding my boundaries.

Seek the Lord while He may be found.

Our friend, the cabinet maker, tells me that he is a good man. A peaceful man. He wants to come to America where we live free. He tells me that a few years ago an Israeli soldier was kidnapped in the West Bank and placed in a cave next to the house where we are having tea. The soldier was shot. This is life here. And I think, Lord what am I doing here? What can I possibly accomplish here?

For My thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord.

So for every story that I am hearing and for every child that I am trying to nurture there is a flood behind them. How could I possibly help them all? So I pray for them. I touch them. I play with them. I take their pictures in Christ's Name and for His sake. And when I ask myself if I am making a difference, He speaks...

For as the rain and snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater so shall My word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the fields shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle and it shall make a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

The Good Neighbor

Romans 13 Owe no one anything except to love each other; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments....are summed up in this word, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

On Monday Justin and I took Hamza and his grandmother to Wolfson for his final check up and Hamza was released to return to Iraq.

Being from the southernmost part of the US, I have met few people from Iraq. Most of what I know about Iraq I learned from the nightly news. But today, I fell in love with an Iraqi child.

Hamza is unique. He is the most social of children. He spoke to, and knew, most of the people at the hospital and laughter followed with him wherever he went. He is chatty and witty and eager to teach me to speak Kurdish and Arabic. I was terrible at both languages and this was amusing to Hamza. He speaks enough English to converse in simple conversations.

I watched Hamza today with great interest. He engages with everyone and that is unusual today. As he went around the hospital making friends and bringing happiness, he shakes hands and is genuinely interested in the people that he meets. I watched him break a banana in as many pieces as possible to share with the other children. He cleared all our plates after lunch and offered to us all a part of his snack.

Hamza is a good neighbor. He has Christ like qualities which is to be expected since he has accepted Yeshua as His Lord since he has been at Shevet Achim. Since being here in Jerusalem Hamza not only had his physical heart repaired but thanks to the beneficence of Shevet Achim, Wolfson Medical Center and generous people who donate to the work here, his spiritual heart was healed by Christ as well.

Love does NO wrong to a neighbor.

Who is my neighbor? Well, today Hamza from Iraq is my neighbor and Justin from LA, Robin from San Diego, Donna from Georgia, Dr Tamir from Jerusalem, Dr Abraham from Ethiopia.

The time has come to wake from sleep. The world is larger every day and smaller all the time. Awake. Awaken, O sleeper for salvation is closer than ever before. The return of Christ is closer than ever before. Eternity is closer than ever before.

Luke 10 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put Him to the test, saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said to him, What is written in the Law? How do you read it? And he answered, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. And He said to him, You have answered correctly, do this, and you will live. But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor? Jesus replied, A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho,and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeepers, saying, Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back. Which of these three, do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? He said, The one who showed him mercy. And Jesus said to him, You go, and do likewise.

I'm still new here and I don't understand all the history and disputes over the land. I don't understand all the heartache and poverty that they face. I don't understand the language and still get confused over the money sometimes. But I know this: these children are the most precious and gracious children that I have ever know. They are playful, friendly, compassionate to each other and generous beyond anything I have ever seen. Their mothers, who sometimes have so little, break what they have and share it with us. If there are only chairs enough for us they insist on sitting in the floor. We are offered food and drinks wherever we go. The have shown me what it means to be a good neighbor. And frankly, it makes me ashamed of myself.

Father, thank You for the opportunity to come here. Thank You for Hamza and all of the children here and for what they and their mothers have taught me about being a good neighbor. In the states, even if we are middle class, we have so much compared to some of the families here. Help us Lord to be good neighbors to all those around the world who have so little in terms of tangible assets and so much in terms of heart. Forgive us for our selfishness and greed. Give us the Christ-like quality of mercy and a heart for our neighbors.

The Rock

Isaiah 51 Listen to Me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.

Monday in Jerusalem. As the day awakens some will play different roles here. Some to the hospital, some to Samaria, some to the market, some to the office. The day begins. But the kitchen remains. We are on Israeli time. And time is different here. Ken arrives today. Jonathan arrives today. So maybe we begin the kitchen today, or maybe not. God's timing.

These first few verses come to life here in this house of stone. This house is hewn from Jerusalem stone, as are most all of the buildings here. They have thick walls. Beautifully hewn stone stacked together. Strong walls carved out of their mother. They protect from the Middle Eastern heat and Middle Eastern bullets. They buffer the sounds of the world. They are ancient and unmoving. Unbending. They contain the colors of earth, sand, salt and light. Every one different, but similar. Some smoother and all different in size, shape and texture. Some parts of the walls are covered with plaster which flakes away as if the rocks underneath wish to be uncovered. All these stones fitted together to make a dwelling place for the Lord's work; for the Lord's children.

Jerusalem herself is a dwelling place for the Lord and for His people. She bears all of the same qualities of the rock from her own body. She too is diverse and battered. She too carries scars. So do we all.

So this morning, He speaks...Listen to me if you would pursue righteousness or seek Me. Look to Me, the Rock from whence you were hewn. You were carved from Me. You bear my resemblance. At this time, you are battered and scarred, rough in texture and longing to be free of your earthly plaster, but you are a solid dwelling place for my Spirit. Call them to come to Me. Look to Me. Listen to Me. Love Me. They are all mine and I am jealous for them. I long for them. I want to gather them and cherish them; to bring them into a relationship. I have a place in my kingdom where they will fit perfectly because they were carved out of it. No one else will fit there.

When we all assume our rightful place, the place in the rock from which we were carved, then the body of Christ will be fitted together for service. Strong. Unified. Undefiled. A dwelling place fit for a royal priesthood, sealed in the heavens and fading not away.

Look to the rock from which you were hewn. Return to Him and be FOUND in Him. Find your place in him.

Isaiah 50 ....Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon? Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who make the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over? And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; ever lasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Romans 12 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them; if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfullness.