The Redeemed Rose

  I recently read, “Heart chaos is the result of a worship disorder, not circumstances” . You see, my world is anything but chaos free. A minister’s family with seven children ranging from age eleven all the way down to eighteen months; there is always some kind of busyness and noise. Sometimes just accomplishing dinner for that many people can be chaotic!  But it is more than just noise from the sheer amount of people living together in a small space. Sometimes there is unrest, bickering, clamoring, spitefulness, anger, frustration, irritation, and snapping at the smallest thing. And that’s just in my own heart! Now multiply that by eight more.  I have been praying for us to have a peaceful home for many years now. Given our circumstances, many would say that’s impossible. I would have agreed with them. But then I stumbled upon that quote. It isn’t my outward circumstances that cause me to feel chaotic; it is my own heart. If I want a peaceful home, it starts from the i...

  We’ve probably all read the most popular verses on anxiety: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6) “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34) Maybe we’ve even written them on notecards to carry around in our pockets. Or posted them to our bathroom mirrors on sticky notes.  These passages are excellent (after all, they are the inspired Word of God) and helpful to use in our battle against anxiety. But too often I have isolated those texts and made them into a law in my mind.  I knew the Bible said I wasn’t supposed to be anxious, so it became another set of dos and don’ts. If I could check it off my list and say, “Ok, I wasn’t anxious today”, then I had done well. If I broke the rule and had anxious thoughts, I would give myself a mental slap on the ...

  There she sat alone by the water. Given to a man, by no choice of her own, only to be used as part of a selfish plan. She received no protection or provision that normally comes from a union like this. She wasn’t loved. She wasn’t cherished. She wasn’t cared for.  She was despised. Sure, she had been spiteful. But nobody could see the hurt she was going through.  She was cast aside like something worthless. Hated by her mistress. Ignored by the man whom she had been given to as a wife. So she ran away.  Now she sat there, crying out her heartache through hot tears. She felt so alone. There was no one she could talk to about this. There was no one who would understand. Until unexpectedly, someone showed up.  In case you didn’t already figure it out, this is the story of Hagar in Genesis chapter 16. God had promised Abram and Sarai offspring, but as of yet Sarai was still barren. Instead of waiting on the Lord, they decided to take matters into their own hands a...

  I have always struggled with my tongue. From arguing to sarcasm to sharp, cutting words. I have memorized and meditated on verses about the tongue and our words. I have highlighted all the Bible verses I can find about it in blinding neon yellow! I have even hung them as warning signs around my home, disguised as trendy art.  Verses like the following: “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” – Psalm 141:3 “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” – Proverbs 12:18 “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” – Proverbs 15:1  But I have still struggled. And now, to my sorrow and chagrin, my seven kids have picked up the habit.  I have prayed for peace in our home and for us to speak kind words to each other.  I have prayed for gracious words that bring healing instead of those that cut and tear down.  Yet somehow there always seemed to be a disc...

  The Christian life is about community. It’s about fellowship. It’s about being one Body. To do this you have to be willing to be open and vulnerable. To let people in and get to know you. You have to share your struggles and burdens.  Sometimes it can be easier to be the sympathetic ear than to let people into your life. But if you are always the “personal prayer warrior” and never the “prayed for”, there’s a problem.  Here are five dangers of not asking others to pray for you: No one may know you are struggling. Even in our knowledge-driven society where Google and Alexa can find out anything we want to know, we are still not able to be mind readers. And if we don’t know you are struggling, we can’t minister to your need.  This goes for “unspoken” prayer requests, too. I know that in some situations, details must be hidden to protect people, but those times are few and far between. Let your church family and friends know what is going on so they can pray more spec...

  A salvation story doesn’t have to be R-rated to be powerful. We may not all be saved from a life of crime, drugs, or persecuting Christians (like the apostle Paul). Sometimes it is what God  protected   you from doing that testifies to His glory and grace.  I grew up as an only child in a half-Christian home. My mom was a believer; my dad was not. I can count on one hand the number of times my dad went to church (a last ditch attempt to save his marriage).  My mom took me to whatever flavor of church she was into at the moment. When she was feeling in touch with her Catholic roots, we did our fair share of kneelers, making the sign of the cross, and dabbing ourselves with holy water on our way out the door. I even made my First Communion and baptism (at age seven – I was a latecomer) in the Catholic church and started Confirmation classes. We went to a Lutheran church for a short stretch when she worked at their daycare. We also frequented a non-denominational...

  Ever heard a gospel presentation that went something like this: “We are sinners and our sin separates us from God. But Jesus died on the cross and rose again so we could be forgiven. If you ask him to save you, He will. Would you like to pray and ask Him to come into your life?” Most of us probably have. We have probably even said those things. I know I have. While there is not anything wrong with those statements in a stand alone sense, in a gospel presentation they are incomplete.  “What?!” you may ask.  “But they mention that sin is what separates us from God!” “They mention forgiveness!” “They mention Jesus dying on the cross and rising again!” “They even asked them to pray!” “What’s the problem?!” I have one word for you.  Propitiation.  Without this word, the gospel message falls flat – in fact, it is downright wrong.  So what does propitiation mean? Propitiation is a sacrifice that takes away wrath. More specifically, a substitute payment made in t...