The Pride of Life

I read a disturbing and convicting article aimed at leaders recently.  It suggested that sometimes christian workers, especially missionaries suffer from the "pride of life."  In other words they may take more than a little pride in what they've suffered, what they've given up, what they've done and who they've become.  

The Crossroads of Pride

I've been sitting at the crossroads of Nebuchadnezzar, the Pharaoh and the Pharisee.

Pharaoh came to me from "Exodus," one of the books we're reviewing (coming up soon) from Pryor Convictions Media.  My 5 year old daughter and I are using it for homeschool Bible curriculum this term.  Nebuchadnezzar has been around for about a month as our little church is reading through Daniel together.  And we read the story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in morning devos where we've been focused on prayer. 

Active Submission

My congregation is doing a marriage class on Sunday mornings.  One day, our teacher said something that impacted me a lot.  He told the husbands that if they want to understand how hard it is for their wives to submit to them, they only need to think about how hard it is for they themselves to submit to God.  I appreciated his comment right off because it made me feel better about my struggles with submission.  It's not just that I'm an outspoken shrew of a woman.  I'm human, and humans have a hard time with submitting.  As time went on, I began to see the importance of the parallel between our submission to our heavenly Father and to our earthly husbands.  

The Question of Suffering

I love apologetics.  There, I said it.  I'm a big nerd, and reading defenses of my faith gives me a bit of a high.  Mere Christianity and The Case for Christ still rank as some of my favorite "Whatsoever" books.  I like to read debate transcripts between creationists and evolutionists.  However, the one "big question" that apologetics has a hard time answering is the problem of pain and suffering.  Oh, they take a stab at it, but all too frequently their treatises are so deeply philosophical as to be almost useless. Perhaps it is because the problem of pain is not one that apologetics should address. 

Isaiah and the Lord's Supper

When I think about Isaiah the man, my mind goes to chapter 6.  Often known as Isaiah's call or his commission, it depicts the time that the prophet came into the presence of the Lord and answered His call to be a messenger to the people.  Isaiah presents us with a pattern of worship that we follow today.  He recognized the greatness of God, he understood his own position in relationship to God, and he came away changed.  

The Shoulds

I am a girl of discipline.  I don't mean I am a disciplined person; in fact if there is a category of sins I have struggled with more than any other, it is those related to self-control.  I mean that I count on my daily disciplines to help me stay on track.  I need those external railings to keep me on the road of self-control.  I read my Bible, do devotionals with my girls, pray, worship etc in a rhythm of days and weeks that sustains and steadies me.  Not because I am strong but because I am weak.  I do them for the joy and when the joy fails me I do them because I should. 

The Outsiders: A Guest Post

I believe we can all relate to today's poem by Netagene Kirkpatrick.  If we have never been alone at church, we surely know someone who has.  May this reminder spur us on to make the extra effort to include the outsiders.

THE OUTSIDER

Everywhere there's always a personwho is almost always alone.
It's especially sad when it's at church,
though usually not TOO bad when at home.

Could be a man, but more likely, a lady.
She may even have been there for years,
but because of cliques, she's an outsider,
and that causes her heartbreaking tears.

Maybe she's shy, or a widow,
or maybe single all of her life,
but to be excluded is hurtful,
and you know that God condemns strife.

Invite her to a party or luncheon,
but don't leave her alone on the wall.
What if Jesus came there by Himself?
Would He feel welcome at all?

Don't YOU want to be treated kindly,
rather than ignored, and almost cruel?
Remember to follow the Bible,
and what we call the "Golden Rule".

You may find you have things in common
when you reach to her with compassionate love.
God bless you as you work to serve others.
Remember ALL blessings come from above.

One day, you may be where she is -
feeling unloved, in the cold.
So PLEASE, if you're in the "in" crowd,
include this lonely soul.

You can read more of Netagene's poetry at http://blindedbyinsight.blogspot.com/