DoxA

Consider It All What?

James... tough book. That's what I always think.  It convicts  me everytime I read it.

I like living in the world of "Grace." You know, I'm a sinner. I do things I shouldn't do... "but where sin increases, grace abounds all the more." You see, I know and am secure in my salvation and the status of my sin being completely a propitious work of Christ... But I also know in the back of my mind and deep within the recesses of my heart there is a notion that, "If you love me, you'll obey me." So, why then would I think this thought, "tough book," at the very first truth presented in James?

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, James 1:2

Oh, how often we think that is all there is to this truth... We should smile, put on a happy face and see the world through those rose colored glasses (I broke mine a long time ago). We have a name for people who live like that, and it's not "Christian."

Okay, so I'm no "Polyanna." But I'm not going to make excuses again about being a realist either. Why? Because the whole verse isn't represented in this truth. The truth is not to be joyful because we have difficulties in our lives. The truth comes subsequently...

... because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:3-4

I hate taking tests. In school I was never really good at it. I buckle under the pressure of them and if you were to ask me point blank any question that required an immidate response I would probably give the wrong answer just because I'll ask myself, "Is this a trick question?"

What's the purpose of taking a test anyway? Well, it could help evaluate your understanding or preparedness for a given subject or task and reveal an area of weakness thereby, giving you an area to focus future effort for future success. Or, it can just reveal how dumb you are after all.

I usually assume the latter.

But James says taking this kind of test builds character. And that's where the conviction comes in. The problem here is; I know character (and frankly senator, you are one...) causing me to to ask myself, do I have that kind of character, mature and complete, not lacking anything and do others see it in me? If not, I can assume (and I do) that there is another test coming my way in the very near future... Have I mentioned I don't like tests?

This past week I was reminded of a quote by C.S. Lewis, “It is through the hammer and chisel of adversity that God shapes and molds our ‘Christian soul.’ He whispers to us in our pleasure, He speaks to us in our conscience and he shouts to us in our pain."

The apostle Paul put it like this… All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.   2 Corinthians 4:15-18

Okay, character building put in terms of "what is seen verses what is not seen; representing that which is temporary verses that which is eternal and knowing that it is for our benefit and to the glory of God"...that is pretty well said and a truth our Heavenly Father would want us to understand and share with others... but I can't help thinking, "I don't care what color they are... I want those glasses!" but until I get a pair I'll just keep reading James... tough book.

Thanks

I learned my manners from my grandma. My mom taught me common etiquette but it was my grandma who made me be polite. I think the concept of learning is more than knowledge of something. It’s putting it into practice that counts. It’s the actual doing that proves you’ve learned. Let me give you an example… I was taught how to spell words. You know, words written on the board and the simple rules of spelling explained like I before E except after C but it wasn’t until I put those words into practice that I learned them. Like in the second grade with Mrs. Klingenburg’s weekly spelling tests; if you got 9 out of ten words correct you could pick a candy from her bucket and if you got them all right you could choose a candy bar! It was then I “learned” the concept of motivation. But seriously, I learned a lot from my grandma. She was always patient, smiling and firm. She was a rather large woman and didn’t move fast; but then, she didn’t need to. She was the center of our family; aunts, uncles, cousins -- we all migrated to Grandma’s house… daily! She had a large kitchen and like most of our houses all the living was done there while very little actually took place in the living room. In Grandma’s kitchen there was one drawer which was called the “bread drawer.” On the top at first glace would always be two loaves of “Big Loaf” white bread wrapped in white but underneath the bread were always a couple different packages of cookies. They were there for us since she was a diabetic and could not eat anything with sugar. We knew this and like clockwork every afternoon my cousins and I would run into the kitchen and ask for a cookie. She would say, “You can have two.” We would pull open the clumsy drawer and grab. If we pulled out any more than two, we were scolded. If we asked for more, we were scolded. If we reached in the drawer without washing our hands, again, we were scolded. However, if we walked out without thanking her, not only were we scolded but subsequent cookie privileges were taken away until further notice! Grandma was a stickler for manners and politeness was essential.

I miss my grandma. She was a phenomenal cook and made the worlds greatest (no lie) macaroni and cheese. That is forever gone in my life because when she died so did her gravy, which is what you poured over the homemade mac and cheese. There are a lot of once taken-for-granted pleasures that I’ll never experience again. No one has been able to reduplicate many of her recipes or even Herculean traditions like her Christmas cookies which would be done by the thousands! Meringues, Crazy 8’s, Toffees, jellied butters… there were so many different kinds and all exceptionally delicious and delivered to you in a tin container.

When I think about it, I have to realize that I was very fortunate to have such a wonderful grandmother. I called her Grammy. She had diabetes and horrible blood-pressure. When I was younger she drank like a sailor and partied hearty! By all evidences she should have passed well before her 80 years. But I and so many who were a part of our large Portuguese family (and many who were freckled with red haired or blond with last names like Swensen) were constantly flooding my grandma with thanksgiving. Thanks for what she did, for what she gave and mostly for who she was.

I’ve looked through the bible and discovered God honors thankfulness with blessing. Long life is one of his best promises and I believe my grandma was blessed. I believe God was honored and I believe both my grandma and her family were blessed by her being around a lot longer that anyone expected.

   

Psalm 50:23

    But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.

        If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.

Today is Thanksgiving. Let us be thankful! We may never know what blessing it brings us today. But we might tomorrow or next year or sometime thereafter when we see what a life of gratitude today, for all that is good, has done to give us a good life tomorrow, for all that is right.

Philippians 4:6-9

    Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

    And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you.

Today is thanksgiving. And I am thankful: For my family, for our friends, for the gifts God chose to give me, for health, speed, clarity of mind (although that is often questioned) and for the salvation which comes as a gift as I attempt to stay on His path and put to practice all that I’ve learned.

Mrs. Klingenburg would have been pleased… My grandma would have been pleased.

   

Here Goes...

I could always be counted on to be negative if the situation offered an opinion. I was really good at seeing the glass half empty. After all, I considered myself a "realist." Who are these people who find glasses that make the world monochromatic anyway? I don't know of anyone who, nor do I for that matter, believe seeing everything in the light shade of red as preferable! Being realistic, things based in fact and calculated cost, should easily determine action. That is why, when I would generally attempt something for the first time, I would enter with the words, "Here goes nothing."

Therefore, as not to disappoint those who've come to expect the bottom view, the lesser hope, the realistic concern from good ol' me; as it comes to my very own, very first and very personal blog post... "Here goes nothing."

I have been praying and listening for God lately... you know what I've heard so far? Nothing. I honestly can't tell you what I've wanted to hear because I really don't know what I'm asking. Sure, I'm asking questions about why so much is happening in the lives of our home group, the people we love. Let's see, just this week, someone's father passed away from cancer. Another's mother experienced the loss of her boyfriend from a tragic car accident and of course our own Karen went through a radical procedure removing most of her nonessential internal organs to keep her rare form of cancer at bay. We've been praying for Karen, for Rick's dad, Gina's mother's boyfriend, and so many other issues that are bearing down on our lives. But then I listen to these prayers and even my own and we ask all kinds of stuff. Some of it contradictory, "God, heal my friend..." "... God, do everything according to your will." One is my will God, the other is Your will God. Sometimes as I listen to group prayer I can't help believe that God is thinking to himself, "Why don't they all ask for the same thing?" Then I think to myself, "But wait. This is good. At least someone's being realistic." It's like we're saying before we're praying, "Here goes nothing." Again, because I'm a realist, I somehow think I'll hear God answer my questions when I "hear" something when all along He's speaking to me through His Word.

Jesus said, "You don't have because you don't ask." Paul said it like this in Philippians 4:13, this is from the Message, "Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am."

For some strange reason... that makes sense to me. If God made me, he can fix, change, correct, remove, remain and adjust anything in me. In my friends. In their family's lives. In all situations. So, I'm going to change my attitude, approach and expectation when it comes to those words, "Dear Heavenly Father..." It will go something like, "Here goes God."

And it will be realistic.