Tag: Janet Lenz

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Making Music

“Let them make music to Him with tambourines and lyres,
because the LORD takes pleasure in His people.”
Psalm 149:4

Growing up in a pastor’s family, my sisters and I experienced LOTS of different church
music. As the Psalmist expresses, the music of worship is something that the Lord
enjoys from His people. A few memorable moments come to mind:

● I’d sit next to my mom on her piano bench while she practiced hymns in
preparation for the Sunday service. (She’d let me add MY little plunking
attempts to play along with her. Of course, what I was playing was COMPLETELY
different from what she was practicing. But I liked it anyway.)

● Our family was exposed to many churches and their unique musical styles…and
musicians.

● We visited a tiny church one Sunday when my dad had the day “off” and wasn’t
preaching at ours. One such memorable occasion, our family of 5 filled one
bench, right in front of the church’s old upright piano. There were only a few
other people in the whole place. The woman who was seated at the piano got up,
faced all of us and said, “Y’all pray for me now, ‘cuz I don’t know how to play the
piano. But we’re gonna worship God together anyways!” She then sat down on
the piano bench and proceeded to bang on all of the keys as loudly as possible.
There was no tune. She began playing “runs” (swiping all the keys from high to
low) like I’d never heard before nor since, at full volume. My mother very subtly
leaned over and “mouthed”, “Don’t laugh! Nobody laugh!….pass it on.” I
obediently passed the message down the row to my sisters. The building was
vibrating, and nobody was able to find the tune, including the piano lady. It was
our only visit to that church. But one of our most memorable church
experiences. . . ever.

● As Pastor’s Kids (P.K.’s for short), one sister and I were often asked to sing at
church. . . especially when visiting churches where our dad had been asked to
preach. We would get very nervous, but Mom encouraged and coached us,
playing the piano for us as we sang together in front of the people. I was the
shyest one… Nervousness sometimes found its outlet by vomiting . . . first one,
then the other. We were a little tag team.

● At one large church where our family had often visited, my sister and I were so
afraid that we’d be asked to sing, that we threw up in the foyer. In unison. The next time we attended that church, two ushers recognized us, quickly disappeared, and returned with a bucket and mop. Just in case . . .

Over time, we became more comfortable with singing in front of people, and
without the drama. We even began to enjoy it, and were eventually grateful for
the opportunities to sing. We weren’t singing for the praise of people . . . We
were singing to God, our Audience of One, and experienced His Presence in the
midst of musical worship. God was not looking for perfection, and we came to
welcome the experience of sensing His Spirit coming near. . . through the music
of worship.

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Changing the Focus

“Those who want to save their lives will lose them.
But those who lose their lives for Me,
will find them.”
Matthew 16:25

What would it require to save your own life? Wouldn’t it require a total focus on yourself?
Your circumstances, your risks, your possibilities to save yourself, and anyone or anything that might give you a chance to survive would likely capture your entire focus. Panic would set in as you frantically look for anything that might save you from being swallowed up by the danger. Even using another person to be able to save yourself from death would become a very real consideration in order to survive.

Most of us battle with thoughts of not being enough, doing enough, not knowing enough. And looming before us is the thing that gives us faith to take the next step of the Journey We don’t want to die in our wilderness! So we may grab onto the “hope-giver” on our path. . . and hang on for dear life… Even if what we’re clinging to for survival is another human being who is also frantic to survive.

Jesus knew the dangers for human beings on this earth. Desperation to live can mean
grabbing onto anything that floats by . . . even if it’s another human being.

Our desire to survive is deeply ingrained in us. We look for any means of escape from our peril. We hate being afraid. We hate suffering. We hate facing our own death. Jesus understood that about us. He had temptations to save His own life from the death He knew was ahead forHim. He struggled . . . even to the point of sweating blood.

Jesus calls us to follow Him. Wherever that might lead. Whatever it costs us personally. It’s
serious business. It’s scary. It may cost us everything.

But to walk that Path with Him, and to know His nearness as we walk together, is worth all of the unknown’s along the way.

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Desert Thunder

“Sing to God; make music to praise his name.
Make a highway for him to ride through the deserts.
The Lord is His name. Celebrate in His presence.
The God who is in His holy dwelling place is
the Father of the fatherless
and the Defender of widows.”

Psalm 68:4-5

I will never forget the “thunder” I heard in the desert. It was the thunder of a camel race. I
heard it long before I saw where the “thunder” was coming from. The camel riders in their
flowing white robes and ornate headdresses were heard before they were seen. Clouds of sand dust filled the air. The race eminated power, both of camel and rider. In the unbroken desert sands, the powerful camels and the billowing robes of the riders were nothing less than a jaw-dropping drama that seemed to come right out of a movie. Crowds of people lining the sandy raceway were going wild in the excitement. The thunderous power created a deafening sound that caused all of the spectators to move far back from the path of the ground-shaking racers.

The Psalmist captures a glimpse of such a scene. . . but the race is not one of human nor
beastly power.

The Rider is God Himself. All-powerful, all-mighty, focused, fully present, and thundering
through Time.

We become aware of His Presence through a strange, distant sound , , , before we see the
cloud surrounding Him as He comes our way. When we realize Who is in the Cloud, we
instinctively step back, because there is awesome Power in the middle of that moving cloud of sand dust.

In the most desolate, desert places and times of our lives, we feel alone, unprotected, and
have experienced great losses, like the “fatherless” and “widows” in this verse, Then, we hear something… a Sound grabs our attention, and we begin to see the Cloud moving our direction. The Rider comes into our sight . . . into our lives. He chooses to come.

He is not focusing on a trophy for winning a race. He has come, not for the praises of the
powerful. He comes to those who are unprotected . . . unloved . . . alone in this world, no matter how that Reality became theirs . . . His coming into our worlds is not for trophies, or accolades of the rich and famous. . . He is not focused on Himself. His Focus is not on the spectator crowds watching Him from the sidelines. . . at a safe distance from Him.

His focus is on those who are most unseen. . . most unprotected . . . most alone. . . most
vulnerable . . . Those who feel the most unable to offer Him anything of value in this world.

He comes to those who grab onto Him in the desperation of knowing that they have nothing to offer but themselves. Those who, out of great sorrow, know that He has come for them.

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Desert Thunder

“Sing to God; make music to praise his name.
Make a highway for him to ride through the deserts.
The Lord is His name. Celebrate in His presence.
The God who is in His holy dwelling place is
the Father of the fatherless
and the Defender of widows.”
Psalm 68:4-5

I will never forget the “thunder” I heard in the desert. It was the thunder of a camel race. I
heard it long before I saw where the “thunder” was coming from. The camel riders in their
flowing white robes and ornate headdresses were heard before they were seen. Clouds of sand dust filled the air. The race eminated power, both of camel and rider. In the unbroken desert sands, the powerful camels and the billowing robes of the riders were nothing less than a jaw-dropping drama that seemed to come right out of a movie. Crowds of people lining the sandy raceway were going wild in the excitement. The thunderous power created a deafening sound that caused all of the spectators to move far back from the path of the ground-shaking racers.

The Psalmist captures a glimpse of such a scene. . . but the race is not one of human nor
beastly power.

The Rider is God Himself. All-powerful, all-mighty, focused, fully present, and thundering
through Time.

We become aware of His Presence through a strange, distant sound , , , before we see the
cloud surrounding Him as He comes our way. When we realize Who is in the Cloud, we
instinctively step back, because there is awesome Power in the middle of that moving cloud of sand dust.

In the most desolate, desert places and times of our lives, we feel alone, unprotected, and
have experienced great losses, like the “fatherless” and “widows” in this verse, Then, we hear something… a Sound grabs our attention, and we begin to see the Cloud moving our direction.

The Rider comes into our sight . . . into our lives. He chooses to come.

He is not focusing on a trophy for winning a race. He has come, not for the praises of the
powerful. He comes to those who are unprotected . . . unloved . . . alone in this world, no matter how that Reality became theirs . . . His coming into our worlds is not for trophies, or accolades of the rich and famous. . . He is not focused on Himself. His Focus is not on the spectator crowds watching Him from the sidelines. . . at a safe distance from Him.

His focus is on those who are most unseen. . . most unprotected . . . most alone. . . most
vulnerable . . . Those who feel the most unable to offer Him anything of value in this world.

He comes to those who grab onto Him in the desperation of knowing that they have nothing to offer but themselves. Those who, out of great sorrow, know that He has come for them.

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Playing the Faith Crowd Game?

“They were united with Moses by baptism in the Cloud and in the Sea.
All of them ate the same spiritual food,
And all of them drank the same spiritual drink.
They drank from the spiritual rock that went with them,
And that Rock was Christ.
Yet . . .(here’s the kicker)
God was not pleased with most of them,
So their dead bodies were scattered over the desert.”

They’d done it all . . . and they’d done it together. The dramatic deliverance from
slavery in Egypt, the Cloud of God on the mountain top, the 10 Laws written by the
finger of God that they were to follow, the 40 years of walking through the endless
desert following a Cloud and Fire, the Sea splitting to allow them to walk through safely
into their Promised Land, and then seeing that Sea wiping out the entire Egyptian army
that had been in hot pursuit of them.

The miracles that God had done for them were unprecedented in all of history. And He
had done it for them because they were truly His People.

Never before, never since, was there such a long-lasting miracle unfolding for the
people God had chosen to be His Own. Sharing such miraculous and faith-building
experiences together had helped to form them into a nation, with a great mission to the
world. God had His Plan for them.

When God does things that only He can do with a people, or a person who He has
chosen, there are lots of people who want to be part of the experience. They want to fit
in with that “Chosen” crowd through which God is moving. They want to be part of the
“fireworks” and the action. They want to be chosen.

But if they have not been chosen by God for carrying out His Plans, or if they are just
looking for a new emotional thrill, God will orchestrate events to sift out those who have
chosen themselves. God looks for people whose hearts belong to Him. They may
have blended in with those God has chosen, may have learned “the walk” and “the
talk”, but God cares about their heart. Blending in with the “faith crowd” can work for a
time, but eventually the Truth will become clear and the performers will fade away.

The ‘Next New Thing’ will come along, but God knows each heart involved. The heart
He looks for is one that has truly surrendered everything because of the love that moves
each to follow Him however He leads, regardless of who is or is not watching or doing it
with you. All that matters is what HE sees in your heart, and that you truly belong to
Him. . .no matter what. You are His.

In your heart of hearts, why are you following Him?

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Celestial Production

“The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky displays what His hands have made.
One day tells a story to the next.
One night shares knowledge with the next.”

Psalm 19:1-2

When I look up into the sky, especially at night or during an amazing sunset, I can’t say that I
imagined the above conversation shooting back and forth up there. Story-telling, heavenly
displays for all to see and hear!

What would a heavenly declaration be like? I’m sure it wouldn’t be missed by anyone. A
“declaration” is a verbal announcement of Truth. What’s the theme of the declaration? God’s Glory! When you look up into the black night sky, especially, and focus on all the visual action taking place, it’s mezmerizing. A Light Show that you don’t want to miss. . . not even a blink! Constant movement. And every tiny sparkle or shooting star or glow radiating out is by God’s own Hand. Illuminated….sparkling…..shooting through the sky….creating images as stars move into place and shine through the night. Nothing man-made can even begin to compare.

The Conversation uses individual stars, and entire galaxies of the universe. That captivating
Moon glows larger than any other shimmering point up there.

But there’s a Story being told. And the Story has a universal point. . . The Story the heavens
are telling is all about God, and how He made it all. That night sky is telling His Story. Those
heavenly bodies are not just showing off, or causing “Oooh’s” and “Ahhh’s” from earthlings.
They are all telling God’s Story. The Story of the Glory of God. And the Sky is the Display of
what God’s Hands have made. Each Day tells its story to the next day.

This is not sleepy, dreamy, warm and fuzzy feelings or Bedtime Stories. This is a seamless,
brilliantly written and perfectly-orchestrated living production, staged in the Universe itself.

  • Story Written by God
  • Stage Design: God Set Design: God
  • Creator: God
  • Orchestrated by God Production Concept: God
  • Produced by God Credits: All God
  • Directed & written by God
  • Night Sky: God
  • Technical Director: God
  • Funded by God
  • Heaven’s Declaration: God
  • Moon’s Lighting: God
  • Goosebumps by God
  • Theme Music: Composed by God
  • Twinkling Stars: God
  • Shooting Stars: God Galaxy
  • Designs: God
  • Copyright unnecessary
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Neighbors

“We should all be concerned about our neighbor
and the good things that will build his faith.”
Romans 15:2

It’s usually the people with whom we have the most contact that also cause the biggest “rubs” in our lives. Neighbors may fit into that category at times. Paul likely knew how neighbors can affect each other…in good ways and bad ways. Though he was often on the move, unless he was in exile on a deserted island, he likely had experienced a “neighbor.”

In our first home, our neighbor was a sweet, old woman who had never had kids. Our three
busy little boys were “interesting” to her. One day, in the midst of making a cake, I realized I
had no eggs, and called my neighbor to ask if I could borrow two. My two-year-old was
“helping” me, seated on the counter watching the mixing process. My neighbor popped in,
handed me the two eggs and went back to her house. My little helper soon climbed down and disappeared as I was mixing in the borrowed eggs. I assumed he had better things to do.

Then my phone rang. It was my neighbor. “Did you get the eggs, Jan?”

I asked, “What eggs?”

She said, “The two eggs Seth came to get from me, because you had broken the first two.”
As the little guy appeared through the back door, carefully holding the two eggs in his little
hands, my sweet neighbor and I shared a delighted laugh.

Nothing profound, nor deeply meaningful. But it was a sweet moment provided by a little boy who had innocently created a special memory shared by two neighbors.

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Where Trust Grows

“God’s riches….wisdom…and knowledge
are SO deep, It is impossible to explain His decisions
Or to understand His ways.”Romans 11:33

Do you remember the first time you were put into a pool of water as a kid? Were you scared? Who put you into the water? Was it a fun experience at first? Did you think they were being mean? Or were you excited for a wonderful experience?

For many kids, that first introduction to a pool is pretty scary. Kind of like the
grown-up fears of life and new steps that we must take in our experience.
Most likely, being put into that scary pool was out of an act of love, wanting to
make sure that for the rest of the child’s life, they would know how to swim
and come to truly enjoy the experience of the water.

Reading this verse, and thinking about how it applies to my life, I know that
the realities that most impacted me were ultimately God’s Decisions to allow
in my life. Not my choice. Pain, loss, injustice,… and it was easy to jump to
the words that followed: “. . .or to understand His ways.” There are so many
“WHY’s” in life! The answers will likely never come in this lifetime.

But the Words Paul wrote before he expressed his longing for answers are
the most foundational point. They are Words of Truth about God Himself:

● His riches: God has everything that we could ever need or want or
even imagine. His riches are part of every Decision He makes. The
foundational Resources in His Hands are a practical baseline of all His
dealings with us.
● His wisdom: His best, all-things-considered choices in guiding our
steps and allowing whatever comes or does not come into our lives to
be covered and led by His deep understanding of what is best for us as well as all those whose lives we touch.
● His knowledge: There are no missing pieces in what He knows of
us, from before the beginning to the end. He knows all of the past and
future of our experience: how we are wired, how we’ve been hurt,
what struggles we face, all of it. And He knows exactly how He
intends to use all of it as we touch the lives of those around us.

Nothing escapes His awareness.

We are the ones who do not have the understanding, knowledge, wisdom nor
resources to go through this life on our own. We need Him, throughout every
day. We cannot rightly walk through our time here without His living
Presence with us . . . His Spirit in us.

It is a matter of deliberately holding tightly to Him as He carries us through
the rough waters, held firmly in His Arms.

That is where TRUST grows.

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3 Simply Wise Guidelines for Healthy Relationships

“ My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this:
Everyone should be quick to listen,
slow to speak and
slow to become angry…”
James 1:19

James grew up with a perfect big Brother. Literally. Imagine . . . His name was Jesus.
But growing up in the same home would have surely provided the same types of
relational rubs as would be the reality of any family. Imagine a typical conflict between
the two young brothers being corrected by Mom or Dad. It would have never been “HIS”
fault. He was perfect. Literally.

We can only imagine what it was like for James, growing up as a younger brother of
Jesus. But the fact that he became a devoted follower of his big Brother, even losing
his own life for the Cause of Christ says a lot about their relationship.

James wrote these important guidelines for healthy relationships. He kept it simple
and clear. I wonder if this might have been a daily family recitation as the children of
the carpenter’s home headed out to their normal activities. The wise, simple principles
are just as pertinent in our relationships now, whether within families, the work place,
school, in a grocery store, or hearing from the neighbor that your children have again
stepped on her flowers.

James followed his older Brother, carried on in ministry, and wrote about Him. James
was stoned to death in Jerusalem because he had faithfully followed his Brother Jesus,
long after Jesus returned to His Heavenly Father. Three key relational guidelines given
to us by James: “ Be Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak,” and “Be Slow to Become Angry”.

Simple to read, practical, but not easy to do in the heat of conflicts. James’ simple, wise
principles are truly needed for any successful relationships that may last a lifetime.

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PRAYER FOR A DYING YOUNG MAN

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the good news of the kingdom
and healing every disease and sickness.”
Matthew 9:35

Many of the most extraordinary Moments of my life have taken place in the Sahara
Desert. . . in an all-Muslim nation-in-exile. Nearly 200,000 refugees.

Due to the long-standing political impasse, half of the People of Western Sahara are
refugees in the Sahara Desert of western Algeria, North Africa. The other half remain
in their historic homeland of Western Sahara, but under the brutal military occupation of
the Kingdom of Morocco. The desert refugees, the extraordinary native people of
Western Sahara, have chosen to do all they can during their forced exile to retain their
human dignity, to lay groundwork for their deep passion to return to their rightful
homeland. In their desert exile, they have prepared themselves to be able to “hit the
ground running” when they are finally able to return to their historic Homeland of
Western Sahara.

Giving one’s life for that cause is something that most of the hundreds of thousands of
them are willing to do.

I was in the refugee desert camps when a young man who had been on a hunger strike
for his people’s ‘just cause’ was in everyone’s minds. He was near death. I knew of the
situation, and its widespread attention of his nation. His name was on everyone’s lips.
It was an extraordinary act to try to bring the world’s attention to their plight.

I had never personally witnessed a real life situation unfolding like this. It deeply
touched my mind and heart. An unexpected thought began growing in my mind…. that I
needed to go to his deathbed and pray for him. This is not something I would normally
consider, but the thought continued to grow stronger.

I asked a friend in the camps if I could go to this young man. Just for a few minutes. A
car and driver was arranged, and I was soon on my way through the desert. When we
arrived, I was directed to the young man’s bed. . . outside, on a thin mattress on a
shaded concrete “bed”. His form was so very thin, that it took me a few seconds to
realize that his skeletal body was under the thin sheet. His eyes were closed, his
breathing very slow and silent. The scene broke my heart. I was alone with him as he
lay silent and still.

I gently put my hand on his arm, and quietly asked God to come near to him and speak
to him in his silent, motionless sleep. I asked God for His Presence to surround this frail
young man with His Peace. I asked God to whisper to him of His Love, His Presence,
and His Purpose for his life. I asked God to hold him… that he become aware of God’s
Nearness.

As I reluctantly, tearfully returned to the waiting truck, I continued praying for God’s
nearness and intervention in this young man’s life. I asked God to make Himself real to
him, and to spare his life. I never heard anything more about him after I returned
home.

This past year, on a return visit to the refugee camps, a young man approached me and
we spoke of several things . . . a simple exchange.

Then he stopped and looked directly into my eyes. “I want to thank you.” I had no idea
what this total stranger wanted to thank me for. “I want to thank you for praying for me.
I was that young man very near death some years ago, and you came and prayed for
me.” I was stunned. I had never heard if he had died (which I assumed) or anything
else of the situation.

He continued, “Your words. . . your prayer to God for me, changed everything. It
changed my life. . . . Thank you.” And he was gone.

We never know when a “Moment” will come in our lives and we have the privilege of
inviting God’s Presence into a situation. He comes. And that can make all the
difference in the life of a person who has lost all hope in this world.

He Comes.