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All is Well

“How beautiful on the mountain
are the feet of the messenger who announces,
‘All is well.
. . .God rules as King.’ ”
Isaiah 52:7

A “new year” . . . a new chapter in our lives . . . and we don’t know what has been written for us . We may have already written some events in our new calendars . . . events that are always marked on the same date, no matter the year. But, typically there are more blank dates, and we do not yet know what is to come.

God’s people were awaiting news of the battle in which dearly loved family members were
fighting. There were no electronics for communications of how the battle was going. All that they could do was wait, pray, and watch for the runner who would appear on the crest of the mountainous barrier beyond which their loved ones were fighting for them.

That’s a very tough situation, a reality we all face in life. Situations beyond our control come, we long to intervene and “fix” the problem. But usually, it’s not truly in our own hands.
We just have to wait in our own silence for those things we carry in our hearts and minds to
change. . . for better or worse.

Isaiah knew what that was like. His people knew that experience well. The only news they had was the appointed runner who had to experience personally the battle, gather the information, and then carry the news back to his people. Climbing up the mountainous ridge would not have been easy, but essential. He knew that his people were waiting . . . watching for him. And everybody would drop everything they were doing when he reached the top and came into view.

All eyes…all ears would be attuned to what he would say. His words would be echoed by the
voices of those who were posted at a nearer distance to him when he appeared atop the ridge.

Everything would stop, as God’s people turned their full attention to hear the Message. In
silence, they gave their full attention to hear the words. . . words of life? Or words of death?

The Runner waited for the silence, knowing that the news he would announce could spell life or death in the lives of his people. This would not be easy. . . physically, psychologically, and emotionally. . . whatever he was about to report. It is a heavy, serious matter to speak words that may be of death or life for those listening.

Isaiah’s message this time to his beloved, suffering people of God, was Good News. He was
announcing the coming of the One Who would appear . . . would lead them . . . would be with
them and protect them. His message echoes through the ages . . . even “to us.”

May our lives, and our words . . . echo to the waiting world the Message we have heard.
“All is well. God rules as King.”

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“Don’t you know Me yet?”

John 14:9

They had been with Him for three years. Sitting at the table together, having eaten what,
unbeknownst to the 12 chosen followers, was to become their last meal with Jesus. They were listening to Words Jesus had never spoken before. . . at least not in this way. . . to the small group of men who had been with Him for the past 3 years. So much time spent around the table together in so many places as they had followed Jesus throughout their tiny country of Israel. They were back in Jerusalem now. Home. Three years of following Him, “schlepping” all over that Land. They were not the same men He had told to “Follow Me.” And they had.

But it had changed their lives and their hearts.

So, when Jesus, after the meal, looked around the table and told them that, soon, He would be “going” and that they were not coming with Him, at least not yet,. . . it grabbed their full attention.

“What? Where? Why?” This was something different. He was saying things about leaving. . .
going to His Father . . . and they would not be going with Him. He was talking about their new Assignment, but without Him physically with them. They would be staying, but He was “going.”

I am reminded of a familiar scene that plays out in every family. . . Mom or Dad start putting on their coats because they are going somewhere. They assure the children that it’s for a little while, but they’ll be back. It’s such a familiar scene for each child, yet their thoughts go into a brief panic-mode….Where are you going? Can I come with you? I don’t want to stay home!

Why? When? How long? But . . . but . . . but . . . “ The anxiety is real in the hearts of the
“little’s” staying behind. Tears . . . clinging. . . following to the door. . .Jesus’ circle of men were familiar with Jesus’ periodic short absences. But He always came back. And although they could never have imagined what was coming in just a few hours . . where He was about to go, and what He was about to go through, Jesus made it clear that this Journey He would have to make alone.

“Don’t you know Me yet?” In the Journey each of us is making as we follow Him, the Path and Steps we must take are often not easy . . . not of our own plans nor desires. . . at times
dangerous, heartbreaking, and unimagined.

But in the midst of walking…stumbling…limping…running along that Path, with our fears,
insecurities, heart-aches and joys, He leans over and says, “Don’t you know Me yet?” That’s
the “bottom line” issue as we follow Him. As He asks us to do things…go places…step into
rough waters…face unspeakable fears and sorrows along our Journey, His Voice echoes in our Hearts. . . “Don’t you know Me yet?” That is the bottom line question . . . and Answer.

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Being Human

“The Word became human and lived among us.
We saw his glory.
It was the glory that the Father shares with his only Son,
a glory full of kindness [a] and truth.”
John 1:1-2,14

“Being human” is the most common reality shared by every person, everyday,
everywhere in the world, throughout all of Time. From your first breath until your last,
you are a human being. You are “being human” without any script, or instruction
manual, or on/off button. It is our primary basic reality.

As I hold my newest little grandchild, look into her little dark eyes, see her facial
expressions, the movements of her tiny body, and the incredibly powerful little voice that
comes out of that tiny Being, I have no explanation nor operating manual other than to
begin discovering this little Creation who has entered our family.

Although I can hold her in my arms, I have no real control of her life. All that I can do is
to love her, try to meet her needs, and be present in her life.

In this season of focus on the Birth of Jesus into human life, our newest baby can give
me the most realistic picture of what His Coming physically entailed. Complete
vulnerability, with no possibility of controlling how He was treated, cared for, held, or
taught. From His birth, his survival was at great risk due to circumstances far beyond
his nor his earthly parents control. They could model qualities like kindness and truth,
but they could never be the source of those qualities. Living out those qualities would
have to be His choice.

How do you teach a child “glory”? We cannot, as human parents. That comes only from
God Himself. What we can do is live lives that are full of kindness and truth. It involves
our words and our actions. Jesus’ life on earth was marked by those practical qualities.
. . qualities that can be seen, felt, and experienced by the people around us.

The identification marker for the “Glory” of God Himself in the Life of Jesus throughout
His time on earth was in the tangible form of kindness and truth. And that is something
that God longs to weave into our lives here. . . so do-able that even our children can
bring it to this world as they learn from our examples.

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A Gift for Moses


Then the LORD said to him, “This is the land I promised with an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
I said I would give it to their descendants.
I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you may not go there.”
As the LORD had predicted, the LORD’s servant Moses died in Moab. He was buried in
a valley in Moab, near Beth Peor. Even today no one knows where his grave is.
Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eyesight never became poor,
and he never lost his physical strength.”
Deuteronomy 34:4-7

As I read this passage. . . .the final glimpse of the life of Moses . . . I am struck with the
tenderness of God toward His servant Moses. Perhaps “death” does not seem to be a tender part of the human story, but the way God Himself cared for Moses in his final days of life is permeated with His Love, Tenderness, and Understanding of Moses’ unique Story with Him.

God Himself led Moses to a mountaintop, where he could see the Land he had spent 40 years reaching. Forty years of physically and spiritually leading a nation that God had chosen for His Own eternal Purposes had brought Moses to this Moment. It may not have been the Moment he had imagined, with “the rest of the Story” literally within sight. He had probably had his own hopes and vision of what life would be in that Land of God’s choosing. He may have imagined himself standing on that Promised Land, seeing it . . . walking it . . . living in it with the nation God had chosen him to lead.

But God, in His tender Mercy, led Moses to the “best view” that his tired eyes could take into his mind, spirit, and heart. He was looking at the “Promise” God had ordained. He was looking at it in the Presence of God Himself. What words may have been exchanged as he and God, together, looked. Did God point out regions where His People would live . . .places that would become part of their story. . . where Jerusalem would sit for thousands of years to come. . .within sight of the humble village where Messiah would be born. . .

God was rewarding and blessing Moses in that precious Time together. One-on-one. . .
bringing a sweet, tender closure to a man born a slave, raised as a Prince in the house of
Pharoah, and leading God’s People to the place He had ordained and promised from The
Beginning.

At last, God gave him rest . . . in His Presence.

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THE PLAN . . . That Changes Mine: Mary & Joseph

“He (Joseph) traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.  He took with him his fiancee, Mary, who was obviously pregnant by this time.  While they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, Because there was no room for them in the village inn.”  Luke 2:4-6

The young couple had made their plans.  Mary was now engaged to a young man in her village, with the blessing of her father.  Joseph had had his eye on her, asked for her father’s blessing to marry, and was in the traditional practice of preparing their future home attached to his father’s house.  It would normally take a year to get everything ready for their new family to begin their life together.

That’s when everything in their happy, traditional little world “blew up.”  Joseph had been working on their future home, Mary had gone to her beloved cousin Elizabeth’s home for six months of “women time.”  But when she had returned, it was obvious that she was pregnant…with no reasonable explanation.  Their dreams crumbled.  He was planning to end their marriage promise…she was now viewed as a shameful woman.  To make matters worse, the Roman military was forcing all citizens to go to their family’s birthplace and pay taxes to the government that had devastated their nation, and stolen their freedom.

Their sweet, traditional love story, and their lives, had literally fallen apart.

But God was right in the middle of their turmoil and heartache.  It was His Plan that was behind all of this upheaval.  And His Plans are always Perfect, even though we humans usually miss that part.

After God’s Messenger explained to Joseph the Plan God was orchestrating, the young couple headed to Joseph’s family’s origins, Bethlehem.  In the chaos of Rome’s occupation and very unhappy people forced to give Rome their sorely lacking tax money, they could find nowhere to stay.  They ended up in a cave shelter for animals. Mary was in hard labor with the birth of this Baby, Who was not even their own….He was God’s.  No Mom or Aunties with her at this “first.”  Having watched her cousin Elizabeth give birth to her “miracle baby” (John) months earlier, Mary at least had that experience to draw from. 

When God is “Creating” new realities on this earth, our human minds and perspectives usually see it as “disrupting”, “chaotic”, “upsetting”,  . . . it makes us want to scream, “God!  Where are You?!  This can’t be right!”   That’s when we have to cling to Him more tightly, look in His Eyes with more focus than ever, and hold onto all the Truth we know of Him with a steel grasp…no matter how out-of-control our personal world becomes.  His Ways are so far beyond our human understanding that we just have to keep walking forward, holding onto Him as tightly as we possibly can. 

And then, in the darkness, will be those moments when Light dawns . . . we glimpse what He has been preparing. . . and a quiet, “Oh…that’s why…”  will escape from our hearts.

The newly-wed new parents in Bethlehem may not have had “The Moment” while on this turbulent, dangerous earth.  But it’s the “Well done…good, faithful servants,” from the Father’s lips to our ears, that matters in the End.

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THE PLAN that Changes Mine: Three Kings

“Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod.  About that time, some wise men from Eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn King of the Jews?  We have seen His star as it arose, and we have come to worship Him.”

Matthew 2:1-2

Scientists….astronomers…astrologers…Kings…. The three men were highly respected experts.  They studied the heavens, and understood the laws and patterns of the stars, planets, galaxies, and Time.  They knew  and understood the implications on earth.   They knew things that few humans knew, because they could read the heavens. . . celestial communications from God’s own Space.  It was all very scientific, and predictable.

Until one night, when a New Star appeared:  The Creator’s Own.

They had one decision to make:   Either focus everything to pursue it, or stay put where they had always been and continue in what they could learn from there.

They packed up their most essential tools, charts and supplies and began their journey to follow The Star.  But, because of what they were ‘reading’ in the heavens, they also packed three extraordinary Gifts:

 Gold . . . the gift befitting  a King

Frankincense . . . the precious spice that only the High Priest used for worshipping in God’s Presence

Myrrh . . .  the precious, costly spice used on the body of the highest royalty, for burial.

They had probably never imagined that at their destination, those priceless, precious gifts would be given to a tiny newborn King, not in a palace on a throne, but in a cave…a shelter for animals;  his cradle… a feeding trough.  

Their one-of-a-kind Star led them through the Great Desert to the tiny King who had come to Earth, the planet of Man.  He was the Only One who could be the Great Sacrifice through whom anyone … kings or shepherds, could find the Door to forgiveness and an eternity in Heaven.

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THE PLAN that Changes Mine: Shepherds

“That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep.  Suddenly an angel . . “

Luke 2:8-9

Another night like all the rest…out on the hillside under the stars, a few miles outside of Jerusalem, where the outline of the Temple of God stood, the centerpiece of the city.  The weather-worn old shepherds, warming their hands by their small fire, were spending another night watching over their flocks of sheep. . . like every night.  They could see Jerusalem from their fields nestled between Jerusalem and the little village of Bethlehem, just five miles apart.  Bethlehem was famous for being the city of David, where their most famous King David had been born.

These sheep were special.  They needed the best shepherds because they needed the best care.  These were the sheep destined for sacrifice in the Great Temple in Jerusalem.   To qualify for sacrifice, they had to be in the best condition. . . as “perfect” as a sacrifice lamb could be.  The vigilance of the shepherds was essential.  It would be to their shame if a lamb was flawed in any way, and disqualified from being the sacrifice.

It was a night like any night, except for a one-of-kind, exceptionally bright “new”  Star that none of the shepherds had ever seen before.  They knew the sky well . . . it was their view every night.  They had memorized as very small boys the “map” in the sky.  It was essential to their survival and responsibilities  as shepherds, and their vigilance with these top-quality, “perfect” lambs.  

But this night, something occurred that had never, in all of history, taken place in that familiar sky.  The sheep were safely down for the night.  The “on-duty” shepherds were huddled around their small warming fires watching over their sheep, as they did every night.  A normal night, except for that one “new star” that was directly above them.  In the quiet, chatting together, an eye on the sheep and on the sky, it happened.

Suddenly, a brilliant Being appeared to them, with blinding radiance.  The  Angel spoke, reassuring the terrified shepherds that He was bringing the Greatest News ever sent from God.  

“I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! The Savior – yes!  The Messiah, the Lord, has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the City of David!  This is how you will recognize him:  You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!”   Luke 2:10-12

Suddenly, the entire sky lit up . . .filled with a light show never seen before nor since.  The Armies of Heaven filled the entire sky, all singing a once-in-eternity Song to God:

“Glory to God in the Highest!  

And on Earth, PEACE!!!   Good Will toward Man!” 

“Unto us a Child is born…a Son is given!”  Luke 2:13-14

Then they were gone.

Those rugged, weather-worn shepherds were the first to see that tiny little Lamb of God in that humble manger, in a cave used for sheep.  They knew, more deeply than most, the destiny of any “lamb of God” . . . a Temple sacrifice for sin. They could see the Temple’s outline on the high place of nearby Jerusalem.  Simple, rugged shepherds responsible for all of the lambs raised for sacrifice, became the first to bow before that tiny Lamb of God, and to tell their world of the greatest News of all Time.

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It Begins With a Song. . .

“Enter His gates with a song of thanksgiving.
Come into His Courtyards with a song of praise.
Give thanks to Him; praise His Name.
The Lord is good.
His mercy endures forever.
His faithfulness endures throughout every generation.”
Psalm 100:4-5

God loves to hear you sing. No matter what kind of voice you have, no matter whether you
have a pleasant voice or not, regardless of whether you can even carry a tune, God loves to
hear you sing to Him. He created music. . . especially singing. He loves to hear you sing to
Him…about Him….for Him. There is something Divine that is woven into music. Melodies have a capacity to bypass our mental logic and reason. A song can trigger the human heart and touch our souls. Music is not dependent on a language, nor a vocal tone or quality. It can cause goosebumps to rise without a listener’s choice or intent.

Music can penetrate our human capacities and go straight to a part of us that only He can
reach. And His Spirit loves to touch us deeply. . . Moments that bypass our human reason and ability to control are created by His Divine Intervention into our human core. For many,
“goosebumps” spring without any control on our part. It’s a sign of His Spirit connecting with ours.

God invites you to step through the Gates . . . not stand outside of it with uncertainty or
hesitation. He invites us to come in “with a song . . .” Not whispering. . . not silently so as not to disturb Him. His Gates are open . . . day and night. He is there, just past the Gate, waiting for you.

What will you experience first, after walking through His Gates? No security checkpoint… no ID or “frisking” required. No X-ray scan. You simply enter with a Song. “Thank You…Hallelujah.”

The Song continues as you step into His Courtyard. With each step, you are drawing nearer,
and beginning to focus your attention on seeing Him. Contact with Him. You begin to sing with anticipation. You are joining a song that everyone around you is singing as well. Every
language, every voice, spontaneously… from every heart. All you can think about is Him. His
Name on your lips, and on the lips of every person there. One Focus. One Name. Erupting
from every heart and voice…from every place on Earth.

You are fully aware that you could never be there on your own merit. You were invited by the King Himself. You have entered because of His Invitation. . . His Love for you. You begin to see dear faces that went before you into His Courts . . . into His Presence. The Song is on everyone’s lips. Erupting from every heart instantaneously. You know that you are not worthy to be there. But you are. . . because of Him.

And all that you want to do is to look upon His Face, through tears of joy and love. . . and sing
His Song for all Eternity.

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A Delightful Focus Amidst the Distractions

“Blessed is the person who 
does not follow the advice of wicked people, 
take the path of sinners, 
or join the company of mockers. 
Rather, he delights in the teachings of the Lord 
and reflects on His Teachings day and night.”
Psalm1:1-2

I am trying to imagine what life would be without the deluge of distractions we encounter in our daily lives.   As a person with a touch of self-diagnosed Attention Deficite Disorder, I am perpetually distracted from the task at hand, hopping up to attend to some unimportant detail, then realizing an hour later that I was doing something before my distractions.  Now…what was it…?

The writer of this Psalm had his own category of distractors with which he was contending.  We can hear his heart’s desire to: 

  • Shut out the voices of “wicked people” in his life who had lots of advice for him.  But it was not good advice, as it was not coming from godly people.
  • Walk a different Path than the “normal” sinners in his life.
  • Avoid hanging out with people who love mocking good choices in the face of “what everybody else is doing.”

The writer of this Psalm knew what it meant to follow an unpopular Path.  He could differentiate between choices that lay before him.   Whether temptations that were not part of the Path God had given him to walk, or doing “what everybody else is doing,”  or flat-out mocking those who have no love nor respect for the Path that God has laid out for His Children as we walk through life in this world. . . Can you relate? 

The writer of this Psalm knew what it was to have a completely different focus in life than all the people around him.  He had learned to focus his thoughts on the Words of his Lord.  He had focused his mind on the teachings of God….drinking in the Words,  thinking about them, and considering how those Words applied to his own daily life.  The Words had to be given time in his mind to translate them from a page, and into real-life applications  in his daily life.  

To “reflect…day and night…” requires intentionality.  “Reflecing” needs time.  When you look into a pool of water, or in a mirror, time has to pause as your eyes adjust to the image before you.  Ladies, especially, can relate to focusing to make sure we’re not going to walk out the door with some strange foreign object stuck on our face.  We may even use a magnifying lens to get into the finer details.  We’re not merely looking at what our own eyes see, but we are thinking about what others will see of us as well.   And if we are taking the time to really look . . . “reflect”  . . it’s because it matters to us.  

God wants us to be as attentive to His Words and how they apply to our own hearts, thoughts, and actions as we are to our outward appearance.  His Priority is always our heart.  That matters most to Him.  

Knowing God’s Word is merely the beginning of the Process of knowing God Himself, and His Purposes for our time on earth.  “Delight in His teachings” requires time. .  .  intentionality . . . stillness . . . and a heart that is soft and attentive to whatever Word He has for me personally.

Time. . . attention. . . stillness.  What a sweet way to begin a day.   It’s not a chore.  It is a delight.

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Where Are You, God?

“O God, you are my God.
At dawn I search for you.
My soul thirsts for you.
My body longs for you in a dry, 
parched land where there is no water.”
Psalm 63:1

I write this sitting in my clean, comfortable hotel room looking out of my 25th floor
hotel room in the heart of New York City. I was here to give personal testimony of
the realities I have experienced in the Sahara Desert, living with the Saharawi
refugees. They have been there since their homeland was militarily invaded by
Moroccan forces decades ago. Mothers, children, grandparents fled under brutal
military aggression as their ancient homeland of Western Sahara was being
invaded from North and South. With the Atlantic to the west, there was nowhere to
run except into the harsh Sahara Desert on their eastern border. Fathers,
grandfathers and sons suddenly became soldiers, desperatly defending their
homeland.

Having spent significant time in the Desert with my Saharawi “family”, I have only
tasted a bit of what it is to live in a “dry, parched land where there is no water.”
David lived that reality, as a refugee himself from his homeland of Israel and the
King who wanted him dead.

When life takes a turn, and you experience great loss, great betrayal, there is only
One place to run. Although we may find some escape and relief in our personal
world, it can only be temporary. We read of how David had known and followed
God since he was a boy. He had experienced the Power of God, the Protection
and Peace of God, and the Love of God. Yet, he had those Seasons in life that
were painful, frightening, and dangerous. He experienced a sense of questioning
where God was…

Having known God’s Presence, he knew what it was to be away from Him. We all
have those times of realizing that sense of distance from God. But David knew
what he needed to do. He was the one who had moved away from God and let
things of this world fill his mind, life, and soul.

God was still there. Waiting for David. He is waiting for us. Ready to help. Ready
to pull us back to Himself. . . into His Mighty, Safe Arms…holding us near to His
Heart with Forgiveness and always Love, it is we who need to return.