Independence Day is usually a good time. Freedom. Fireworks. Frankfurters. Family & Friends. Fun. A time to celebrate our country, a nation with a grand and glorious history -- 233 years of independence, growth and leadership. An unparalleled example of democracy built on Christian principles. There has never been anything like it.
I am proud to be an American. This partly explains why, this year, July 4 has been bittersweet for me.
George Washington said, "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible." Nearly every other founding father made statements reflecting this same belief. I do not have the space to print them all here, but their remarks are compelling.
As anyone who does not live under a rock can attest, our nation has been making steady progress further and further from our heritage. We are abandoning the principles that made us a great nation faster than high-speed internet service.
But it is not only the increasing separation of the State from God that upsets me. I'm upset by the fact that it upsets me.
"What?" you ask.
The United States of America has been an idol in my life.
"Okay...um...what?"
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines an idol as a representation or symbol of an object of worship : a false god : an object of extreme devotion.
Anything, or anyone, that I turn to other than God is an idol.
I confess that I have counted on the Constitution and our body of laws to save me. I have looked to our government and military to protect me from attacks by enemies. I have placed my hope in the stability of our form of government, of checks and balances and majority rule.
That foundation is no longer a surety. I have been examining the extent to which I place my trust in my nation and its leaders.
I have looked to my country to provide things only God can give. While I care deeply and am concerned about the direction our country is headed, I must not let it become a make-or-break issue for my life. I must count on God to provide what I need for life, no matter what the economy, judicial system or resident of the Oval Office is doing.
Don't misunderstand me. I would rather live in the United States of America than any other country in the world. In spite of all its flaws it is still, today, the best country on earth.
But I need to remind myself that my hope is in Christ, not the Constitution. I need to bury my head in the Bible and not the Bill of Rights. I need to seek comfort and protection in God's loving embrace and not in the folds of the American flag. I need to no longer put my faith in my government but in my God.
Turn with me from the comfort our standard of living affords to the peace that transcends all understanding. Phil 4:7 Turn from the pursuit of happiness and pursue the Creator of every good and perfect gift. James 1:17 America cannot offer the abundant life. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10
I offer my respect and loyalty to my country. I offer my love and my life to my Lord.
I became the temporary secretary at Central Christian Church when I was 17. It was the summer after graduating high school and before starting college. Basically they needed someone who was a Christian, could type and answer the phone, and wouldn't need the job in the fall when the new secretary arrived. I fit the bill.
I was not the only employee of the church who was brand new that summer. Brett was our straight-out-of-seminary Youth Minister. This was my first job as a secretary and his first job as a minister.
Intelligent guy that he is, it took him no time at all to figure out that I was one of the most clueless individuals on the planet. On top of that, I had only been a Christian for a year and a half and hadn't matured in my faith as much as I should have. The only explanation for me getting (and keeping) the job was that it was a God thing. Truthfully.
A few years later I got married and moved away. Brett went on to plant a church that was, and continues to be, one of the fastest-growing congregations in our brotherhood.
Fast forward about 18 years. Clinton and I were attending the North American Christian Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. In the program of events we happened to spot Brett's name and I realized he must be at the convention. Of course, thousands of others were there as well. It would NOT be an easy task to find him out of the blue. Undaunted, I told God that it would be fun to see him, even for a second, if He could arrange that for me.
From the program I knew Brett was on a committee that was meeting in a certain room at a certain time. Clinton and I tried to find the room before the meeting adjourned but never found it. While standing in the general vicinity of where we thought he might come through, with hundreds of people milling around and on their way to the opening session, I prayed and turned around.
"Somehow" I knew that Brett had already passed me and was walking away. "Somehow" I knew that the man in khakis and yellow polo was him. I ran after and shouted his name. He stopped and turned around. I will never forget the look on his face when he recognized me. To this day the memory of it makes me smile.
His gaping mouth, wide eyes and raised eyebrows told me that I was one of the last people he expected to run into at an event like the North American. It was a look that said, "YOU?! HERE?!" Now I don't often get to mess with people's heads, but I got him good that time. After he remembered how to talk we had a nice conversation.
In that moment I realized the milestone. Here was a man who knew me as a hapless baby Christian. Now he was seeing me all grown up. And for him, the simple fact of my presence at the conference meant that I had grown in the Lord and was still walking with Him. Otherwise, why would I have been there?
Sometimes it takes a "chance" meeting to help you realize that you have, in fact, grown and changed. And, at the same time, you can catch a glimpse of how far you still have to go. You see, in those few minutes I got to see a bit of how Brett had grown up over the years as well.
I just hope Brett isn't surprised to see me when we get to Heaven. :)
Spiritual warfare isn't something I'm extremely familiar with, but it has been a theme in my life over the last few weeks. I know that we have an Enemy who comes to kill, steal and destroy, the Devil who prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour.
So my question is, what do I do? How do I win this battle? Three verses have stood out to me in how best to fight our Enemy. The first is from Ephesians 6:10-17.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Lessons from here: 1. Remember who the enemy is. My enemy is not anyone I can see with my eyes. Other Christians are not my enemy. Even non-believers who are violently against God are not my enemy. Satan and his minions are.
2. Use God's power, not mine. Not "be strong in myself", but strong in the Lord. Not "be strong in my mighty power" but strong in His. If I ask Him, He will help me. And He will help you.
3. The armor of God, if you'll notice, is nearly all based on defense. The only weapon is the Sword of the Spirit.
4. Why do we put on the armor? So we can STAND FIRM, STAND OUR GROUND. Not run around looking for a fight, but ready to stand when confronted with one.
The next is from James 4:7, "Submit therefore to God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you." First we whole-heartedly offer ourselves to God. After that, we are not to stand there quivering in fear. We are not to let the Devil come up and push us over with his foul breath. We are to resist. This is an active stance. We use truth, righteousness, gospel, faith, our salvation and God's word against his attacks. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan, this is EXACTLY what He did. (Matthew 4)
And finally, my favorite of these verses. Exodus 14:14 says, "The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still." Moses said this to Israel as they watched all of Pharaoh's army ready to attack and kill them at the Red Sea.
If Israel had turned and fought the army in their own strength we would not be having this conversation. But what did they do? They stood still and watched God send a pillar of fire to halt the army and open the Red Sea for them to walk across. They waited and God showed up in one of the most dramatic encounters in the history of the world.
Lesson from this: I AM NOT ALONE IN THE BATTLE! WHOO-HOO! In fact, I'm not the one actually fighting the battle! If I let God fight the rulers, authorities and powers of the dark world and just be still, standing firm and resisting, the battle will be won! And it will be a victory that no one can deny came by the hand of God. I love it!
One more note: I've learned that Satan cannot read our minds! Only God can do that. Satan does NOT have that power! When Jesus cast out demons he didn't "think" them gone, he spoke to them. Out loud. For all to hear. Everyone thought He was a nut case UNTIL they saw the results. It's when we allow God's strength, God's plan, God's timing and God's truth to fight the battle that we can be still. We can be calm, cool and collected in the midst of the most devastating circumstances. Stand firm, stand your ground, resist, and be still as God fights for you.
It was the summer of 2006. I pulled my Explorer into the Walmart parking lot and found a decent parking space. As I breezily meandered towards the store I noticed that Ruth's car was parked in the space next to mine.
Ruth was a long time member of the church I attend, a retired widow with grown children whom God was calling to the mission field. She was selling her house and getting ready to store a few things before she left.
As I was checking out I saw Ruth finishing up at her own check out line. She had purchased several extra-large Rubbermaid storage boxes. We walked out together, chatting about how much longer she had until she left and where she planned to live when she returned.
We arrived at our vehicles and began to unload. As I prepared to close the back hatch I could see Ruth struggling to get the boxes into her back seat. There was absolutely no way those things were going in there. We tried the trunk. Same story.
That's when I realized that I was part of the plan. We loaded the boxes into the back of the Explorer and I followed her home. Free delivery!
I'm sure Ruth has completely forgotten that story by now, but I doubt I ever will. You see, she got "the stuff" but I got the blessing.
As someone who writes, I can appreciate a well-crafted storyline. God sure handed me a doozy that day.
I can only imagine that His thought process went something like this: "Ruth is going to buy storage boxes that won't fit in her car. I need someone with a bigger vehicle to take those for her. Aha! Debbie needs to go to Walmart this afternoon. Bingo! I'll arrange for them to park right next to each other, for them to finish checking out at the same exact time, and for Debbie to not be in a hurry. (smiles to Himself) That part alone will be a miracle! Debbie is ALWAYS running late and in a hurry to get somewhere. But I think I'll use her today. She can be part of my plan to show Ruth how much I love her and how I'm taking care of her."
There are so many things I love about this story. I love that even though I was early (for me), I was exactly right on time. I love that God used me (or at least my car) to help someone who needed it. But my favorite part is that before Ruth ever knew she had a need, God had filled it.
And many, many times since that day I have gone back to this story to remind myself that God does the same for me.
I have to laugh.
One of our outdoor cats, Sunny, is the most lackadaisically fearless cat I've ever seen. Our dog barks and runs at him and he doesn't even begin to flinch. "Eh, no big deal." A car's tire nearly clips his hind leg off and he doesn't even begin to pick up his pace. "Eh, I've been closer. I'll just lay down right here and bask in the sun."
And then there's my favorite. His non-reaction to the gray and white bird that has migrated back to our little patch of acreage.
I know it is the same bird because it behaves the same way it has the last 3 years. Any time Sunny is walking around in the yard north of the house, this bird dive bombs him. From the maple tree it swoops down to just above Sunny's head, over towards the sweet gum tree and back again, chattering at him the entire time. Sunny just keeps walking, oblivious to the bird's rantings and ravings.
I don't know what grievous sin Sunny committed against this bird (well, I have an idea, but I really do not want confirmation), but it certainly remembers Sunny and refuses to forgive him.
I need to take a lesson from my cat. You see, whenever Satan dive bombs me, chattering at me about the sins I've committed, I need to walk on by as nonchalantly as Sunny does. "Oh, yeah, I've been forgiven for that. Move along..." Don't even give The Accuser the time of day off the sundial.
Sunny doesn't let his past ruin his present, and neither should I.
Maybe I'll go bask in The Son.
So Tuesday morning Nathan and I were in my bedroom. He had his sippy cup of milk and accidentally dropped it on the tile in front of the fireplace. Several drops of milk spilled out onto the tile. I went to get something to clean it up, and when I came back in I found him on his knees in front of the fireplace. He was running his hand back and forth across the milk spill, saying "I kyean, I kyean."
I love when they start to "help" you.
He also does laundry. Apparently, I don't fold the clothes correctly as they come out of the dryer so he "refolds" them for me. He's such a sweetie. :)
Kind of like when I try to "help" God. I'll see a "mess" somewhere and think to myself, "I can help with this." With the best of intentions, I'll run my hands through the mess and shout, "I kyean, I kyean" and really, only make matters worse. If only I would ALWAYS remember to ASK Him if He would like my help before I just jump right in. If only I would also stop and listen for His answer...
Unfortunately, I'm not nearly as cute as Nathan is when I try to help.
Wow! It has been a VERY long time since I've posted on here! I'll try not to go that long anymore. The problem is that I've been using all my spare time (and creativity) writing a skit and a workshop for a Ladies' Retreat this coming weekend. I am VERY excited to have this opportunity to use some of the skills/gifts I have to His glory.
God has called me to speak. My "career" in this is not where I thought it would be by now, but that has more to do with A) my lack of vision and tenacity and 2) the fact that my idea of being a speaker and God's idea of me being a speaker seem to be 2 totally different things. I do have MANY other responsibilities in my life, responsibilities that only I can fulfill. What He is preparing me for I cannot see right now, but He knows the plans He has for me, plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me a future and a hope. (Jer 29:11)
His idea of prospering me may have nothing to do with speaking, or it might have everything to do with it. And I'm sure our definitions of "prospering" differ as well. Only He knows. And only He knows how much or how little speaking He wants me to do. But I plan to be ready, willing and able when the opportunities come. Anything beyond that is in His hands.
