Harvard Professor thinks Homeschooling is "Dangerous?" - Let's Talk It Out: Episode 1

Confident Hope

Hope. It's what every person is craving right now. But where does it come from? Stuff? People? Government? Money? Certainly, not certainty.  Circumstances has proven to the world once again that nothing is “for certain.” So, if hope doesn’t come from these things, where does it come from?
 


Friends, our hope comes from the resurrected Christ. This concept is so challenging for we mere mortals to accept. Jesus is victorious. He conquered death. By accepting His sacrificial gift to us, we are afforded SO many ridiculously amazing gifts in life - like salvation from death, freedom from sin,  purpose and mission for life, joy in the midst of suffering, and HOPE. 



What’s different about our hope? Our hope is not a wish. It is grounded in a concrete understanding of the person in whom we place our hope. Therefore, our hope is more than a “oh please, oh please.” It’s a “I know. I know.” We know that God has a plan. We know that He is at work. We know that He hears us when we pray. We know that He is aware of our deep need. Our need for financial provision, medical attention, and face to face companionship and He is working on our behalf for His glory. We know that He has won the battle over ALL sickness and death. We know that He has placed us here for this time and season to love and serve in ways we haven’t realized yet (or maybe you have and to that I say, “Keep on keeping on, friend!”) We know WHO God is! And, that is where your hope comes from. 



Not stuff. Not people. Not governments. Not money. Not certainty. 



The resurrected Christ! 



As, Paul wrote, "I pray that God, the source of HOPE will fill you completely with joy
and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 



God is your source of HOPE. I pray that you seek Him, find Him, be filled with Him, so that you will overflow with CONFIDENT HOPE to those you text message, FaceTime, buy groceries from, and wave to from across the street. 



Take courage friends and remember His name - Immanuel, God with us. 



Wave Walker and Saltwater Guzzler

Wow, it's been a long time!

I haven't really had much to share or say recently but a few days ago inspiration struck so I thought I would put fingers to keys (no longer pen to paper) and share it with all of you!

A few days ago I was driving down the road, the sun in my face, wind in hair, and the radio on when one of my favorite songs began to play. I started *dancing* in my car and singing at the top of my lungs:

I'm a wave-walker! I'm dancing on water! When the devil tries to shake me, I just pray harder! Even in my darkest hour, got Holy Ghost power! When I keep my eyes upon You, Jesus, I'm a wave-walker -- wave-walker! 

After I finished jamming out to Citizen Way, I was struck with a convicting thought, one I've had often in my life but feel I should share now: I am exactly like Peter in Matthew 14. And, I mean exactly. I am a wave walker. And, I am a saltwater guzzler.

I'm not a songwriter or perhaps I'd write a catchy jam about my guzzling habits. Try singing this to the tune of the aforementioned Wavewalker:

I guzzle salt water. When my eyes falter. When I get distracted by my life, and I don't focus. I find my self-stumblin' and my spirit bumblin'. When I take my eyes off of you Jesus I guzzle salt water, salt water.  

Rough around the edges, I know, but you get the point.

I was driving down the road and had this AH HA moment. You know the kind - where it's clearly the Holy Spirit all up in ya business - yeah that moment.

You see, I was having a bit of trouble dealing with Caitlin again. I found myself feeling old things that I was previously having victory over, settling back in. For me, those things looked like fear, anxiety, and oppression. For you, they may look totally different, but regardless of what their names are, we know what they are for us. And to bring you totally up to date, I had been asking the Lord to help me, once again, have victory in these areas.

Cue Wavewalker.

Cue my *dancing*

Cue the AH HA all up in my business Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit pulled out that old Sunday school story of Peter in Matthew 14 when he's walking on the water and then... well, ya know... not. Suddenly, in the story, Peter's drowning.

Looking at this story we like to shame Peter because he takes his eyes off of Jesus and places them on the things around him. Hence the drowning experience. Y'all, we are always shaming Peter, but I don't know about you, I'm normally always Peter in the story. And, that's what the Holy Spirit wanted to show me.

In this particular case, the reason why I was starting to struggle with Caitlin again, wasn't because God had stopped fighting my battles. Umm... No. It was because I had become distracted by everything around me and not looking at Jesus.

When I started to take inventory of my time, it did not look good. I was spending more time entertaining Caitlin than I was investing in my relationship with Jesus. I was spending more time on the phone with people talking about my worries and fears then I was talking to Jesus about them. Due to work I was unable to gather with believers as often I was used to and I wasn't diligently seeking a way to remedy that because I was tired or timid.

So what do you think happened?

*Crash* Waves ended up going over my head instead of under my feet. *Guzzle* Salt water does not taste nearly as refreshing as living water.

But hey friends, all is not lost - it NEVER is with Jesus.

Remember Matthew 14 and Peter's story? The Holy Spirit reminded me of the entire story, not just the crashing waves and drowning portion. When Peter called out for Jesus, He was there. And Jesus lifted him up to, once again, be a wave walker. (Matthew 14:30-31"But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him...")

And, the same goes for us!

When the Holy Spirit got all up in my business I was like, "Oh my goodness, You are so right. I'm so sorry." You can do the same. But we can't stop there or we'll keep guzzling saltwater. We have to reach for Jesus and get back up on top of the waves.

So whatever the Holy Spirit reveals we need to attempt to remedy. For example, I need to put down Facebook and Hulu and spend some time with Jesus. I need to find a group of believers to meet with that meets when I'm not working. I need to run to Jesus with my problems before I run to my squad (can I get an Amen?).

Side Note: Please, hold me accountable because these are all legit things for me.

To wrap up this epiphany that I had to share with all of my blogosphere friends:

Here's to all of you wave walkers! Keep on keepin' on!

And, here's to all of you saltwater guzzlers. We've all been there, including Peter. I simply hope that you have your AH HA moment soon and reach out for Jesus' hand!

As for me, I'm going to keeping on *dancing* because the Holy Spirit is still working on me Y'all, but you know what? With my renewed focus and His help, I can claim that I'm a wave-walker! I'm dancing on water!

When I keep my eyes upon You, Jesus, I'm a wave-walker -- wave-walker! 

W.W.J.D.

W.W.J.D

This was once the “it” phrase in church youth groups around the country. When I was younger I had bracelets in various colors that had these letters printed or sewn on them. Other children my age had t-shirts that proudly displayed the acronym. Unfortunately, many of us wore these items as Christian fashion statements instead of allowing the question to penetrate our hearts and lives.

As I grew a bit older I realized the importance behind the letters. You see, W.W.J.D. stands for “What would Jesus do?” During my senior year of high school, I selected this acronym to mark one side of my class ring. Why? I realized that I would be making life changing decisions after high school. It was, and is, my opinion, that the way to make those decisions was by asking the question, “What would Jesus do?”

Isn’t it sort of cheesy? Wasn’t it a bit overdone in the 90’s? Perhaps, but the power of the question is not diminished by its popularity. The question, “What would Jesus do?” is significant and powerful regardless of how many times it was printed on a coffee mug, sewn on a t-shirt, or tattooed on an arm.

How significant can it be? It’s not scripture. But, the concept can be derived from scripture. Ephesians 5:1 says, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.”

Did you grow up with a sibling? Do you remember copying them? You did and said exactly the same as your brother or sister. You imitated them.

The word, "imitate" is a verb and means: “Take or follow as a model. Copy.”

Scripture tells us to be imitators of God. We are to “take and follow” Him “as a model.” We should be copying Him, doing what He does. Therefore, each moment of our day should be filtered through the question, “What would Jesus do?”

Whether this acronym is a blast from the past or new to you, I challenge everyone to remember W.W.J.D.

When you’re on Facebook – What would Jesus do?

When you’re shopping in Walmart – What would Jesus do?

When your husband says something hurtful – What would Jesus do?

When your wife disrespects you – What would Jesus do?

When you’re at church – What would Jesus do?

When you’re all alone – What would Jesus do?

Perhaps you’re asking, “Why are you writing a blog so simple and basic?”

Well, in my life I struggle to look like Jesus each day. I have yet to receive a perfect score on my "Did you act like Jesus today?" exam. I need to ask myself, "What would Jesus do?" every day so that I can make the choice to imitate Him. To have compassion like Him. To pray, have faith, and love like Jesus. To be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16). 

What would happen if we, the body of Christ, started imitating Him?

I can think of a few things...

Our families would change.
Our churches would change.
This world would change.

How do you know that? Take a look at the New Testament and observe the difference Jesus made in the world. Then notice the impact His followers had. We can have the same impact and it all starts by asking, “What would Jesus do?”

However, our transformation will not be complete if we only ask, “What would Jesus do?”

No, you and I must move on to the second step.

You and I, through the power of the Holy Spirit, must choose to do whatever it is Jesus would do. No matter what situation we find ourselves in we must be obedient. And, if we are obedient then:

We will speak as He speaks (to those we like and those we dislike).
We will move as He moves (when we do and do not want to).
We will go where He goes (no matter if the location is rich or poor).
We will do what He does (whether it is culturally acceptable or not).
We will love how He loves (unconditionally; with truth and grace).
We will serve as He serves (all of mankind). 

We will live as He lives (submitting to the Holy Spirit's work in us, so that we might be holy as Christ is holy).

We will be imitators of God.

And the world around us will change. Because of us? No, because of Christ within us. 

It all starts with one question, “What would Jesus do?”

You see, it is so much more than a bracelet... 

Craving Something Salty...

As I’ve mentioned in past posts, I love food. My three most favorite times of the day are breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’m not picky. Whatever makes its way onto my plate will inevitably find its way to my stomach. I really enjoy sharing a meal with people – my husband, family, or dear friends. When I share a meal with my family, my grandmother never fails to cover her food in salt and pepper. Most of the time she won’t taste the food before smothering it in seasoning. She adores the flavor of salt and pepper, especially salt. In her opinion, it makes everything better. Her meal is not nearly as satisfying without salt.

Salt has been important throughout history. You can go on Amazon right now and purchase a book on salt and the influence it has had on mankind for centuries. Salt often symbolized wealth since it was a frivolous extra. Then it became a necessity for preservation.  Meats were salted and vegetables stored in a brine so that their shelf life would extend through barren winter months. Now it has returned as a delicious extra on our tables; used to add pop and zing to certain items like corn on the cob in the summer time.

Have you noticed that after you ingest salt you crave liquid? This is true for me. After I enjoy a box full of hot Chick-Fil-A waffle fries that have been perfectly salted, I can’t help but take a long sip of my half-sweet/ half-unsweet iced tea. Salt makes us thirsty.

This is why Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth…” in Matthew 5:13. You, as a follower of Jesus, have been placed here to make people thirsty.

Thirsty for what?

Thirsty for living water – a supply that never runs dry.

It is the water Jesus told the Samaritan woman about in John 4: 13-14. “Jesus said to her, ‘“Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’”

Thirsty for Jesus.

We are called to be the salt that causes people to want a drink of everlasting life.

This isn’t as easy as it sounds. Jesus knew that. That is why He continues in Matthew 5:13 saying, “…but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.”

What do you do with salt that has gone stale while sitting in your seasoning cabinet? You know the kind, you finally need to use it but it has developed a salt rock inside the container that refuses to separate. You attempt to use it but upon tasting it you realize it is bland. 

Regretfully, because you hate to waste, you dispose of this salt. It cannot be used on the meat as a rub, or in the soup as part of the broth; it is purposeless. Why? It has lost its flavor. And what is salt without flavor?

That’s what Jesus is communicating in Matthew 5. Salt without flavor has no purpose. Salt without flavor is not going to lead anyone to drink the living water.

So let’s take away the example for a moment. As a Christian, your purpose is to lead other people to Jesus Christ. The problem is that our salt has lost its flavor.

How did that happen?

Well, are we any different than the rest of the world? What about you is unusual to someone who doesn’t claim Jesus as their Savior and Lord?

Are you just as negative?

Are you just as worried about the state of our world?

Are you angry? Do you lose control and fly off the handle at work?

Do you gossip with the girls during mani/pedis?

Do you accept sin because you don’t want to be alienated for believing in Scripture? Have you accepted sin in your own life by excusing it as a personality trait?

When we do these things, our salt becomes less flavorful. It becomes useless.

Why? Well, who would want more of what you have if it is exactly like what they have?

People look for something different – something salty.

I may sound like a broken record to those who read this blog often, but this is the truth. We must strive to look more like Jesus every day. We do not have time to be flavorless. We must become salty again so that men and women in this world will want to take a drink from the water that brings everlasting life – Jesus Christ!

So what can one do to become more flavorful?

First, you ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart. Ask Him to reveal what does not belong; what is causing your salt to be flavorless.

Second, through the power of the Holy Spirit, commit to removing those things that do not belong in your life. Disengage from sinful behavior and thinking. Allow Him to form you in a way that reflects the image of Christ daily. This will revive your salt and bring back its usefulness.

Third, you must share your relationship with Jesus with everyone you know. If salt is not being sprinkled, it does not transform what is around it. By sharing your story, the Gospel, with others around you, through word and deed, a thirst develops in this world for what you have – Jesus Christ.

So, remember my friends, “You are the salt of the earth…”

Be flavorful today.