"GOOD GRIEF!"

We hear that expression all the time. How can grief be good? It is good. It is healthy. Tears in the eyes are signs of God's grace touching our heart. Tears tell us that there is life in the soul; tears are a living proof of life. The man or woman who cannot shed tears is not fully alive. Blessed are they who can weep like a child, sob it out in their "Gethsemane" and later find relief in the rich laughter of heavenly consolation.

They shall be comforted indeed, as God's Word so richly tells us. Matthew 5:4 - "Blessed are those who mourn: for they shall be comforted." Our hearts "mourn" over many things in life, don't they? Our sins, death of loved ones, losses of all kinds, broken relationships, failures, regrets of what we should or could have done, the "what if's" and the "why nots" of life.

I know recently I had to admit that I am grieving the closeness of my family. Ken and I have been in Texas for two years now and I thought I had accepted the changes in our life. Yet, I still struggle with the separation from my family. I get really homesick at times and find that I am actually grieving this loss of feeling close to those I love so much. Yes, phone calls help and emails...but it is not like being there in the "present"! (Presence)!

The Apostle Paul speaks of people who are "past feeling" ("who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." - Ephesians 4:19). Their consciences no longer sting when they break the law of God, or when they see people hurting and in need, when they withhold love from others, and the list goes on and on. Wow! This is not a good place to be in, is it? Sin and the Joy of the Lord can never be found together, can they?

Look at King David in the Bible. After many years on the throne, he became addicted to power. When he saw the beautiful woman, Bathsheba, he just had to have her. He used his absolute authority to have her brought to him. He committed adultery with her, and to cover up his sin he craftily arranged for her husband to be killed. God sent the prophet Nathan to King David, who "preached" to him. After hearing the prophet King David had to make a decision. Would he mourn for his sin? Or would he choose to override his conscience and ignore the voice of God?

If we are honest, we are much like King David. He found himself being convicted of his sin by another person. We don't like this do we, when we are under conviction? But thank God He still sends us "messengers" to bring us to our senses once again. King David got what he wanted, Bathsheba, yet in the end it cost him the life of his first-born son. God never gave up on David. He loved him and refered to him as: "a man after my own heart."

Psalm 30:5 must have comforted David deeply. "For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." Yes, David wept for his sins and God comforted him in his sorrow. God does the same for us today. Read this beautiful story of "brokenness, repentance, and forgiveness" in (2 Samuel, Chapters 11 and 12.)

God gets blamed for quite a bit of our earthly sorrows, doesn't He? When our hearts are breaking and our eyes are blinded with tears, it's hard to see the sovereign hand of God guiding our every step. We suffer until the purposes of God become apparent to us, which may not happen for years and may not be at all in our life time. I know how many times I had cried out to God as a child. "Why, why is this happening to me?" I wondered where God was when I was hurting. Sometimes it seemed He was silent just when I needed Him the most.

Now, as I look back upon my life I realize God was there all the time. He was guiding and protecting me even when I was unaware of His hand upon my life. It wasn't God's fault because I made poor choices. It wasn't God's fault I was ignorant and avoided His "nudges" and the "wooing" of my soul. Yet in the end, I knew God had a sovereign, long-range plan and purpose for my life which led me through "sorrow to joy in the morning."

If we endure to the end and run the race that is set before us with patience, our tears will turn to joy and our sorrow into singing. Good Grief! Grief is good. We, who mourn will be comforted. God guarantees it! And I am not going to stop praying that a door will open soon, that we will be able to move closer to home again! Until then, God keeps comforting me in my grieving and my sorrow does turn into joy in the morning! Amen!

GoD SOMETIMES WHISPERS:

The other day I had lunch with a friend that shared she just wished God would answer her prayers in a way she would know exactly what He wanted her to do. Like "why doesn't God make it really clear, she said?" I laughed and said, "like you want God to put your answer on a billboard out on 67 and FM 1382, posting His instructions to you step by step, or shout over the PA system at work telling you exactly what His will is for you, or how about if you set down at the computer and the answer to your prayers just pops up on the screen under "ANSWERS FROM GOD," or maybe you could pick up a copy of the Dallas Morning News and discover God has taken out a full page ad with directions for your life listed clearly and concisely?"

Of course, she laughed at that. We all wish God would bust into our world and give us concrete answers to the nagging problems of life. God doesn't work like that. God speaks to us in so many ways that we miss His message all too ofen because it comes in unexpected ways.

In my morning devotion I read about Elijah in 1 Kings Chapter 19. (read vs. 11-12). you will have to pick up your Bible and read how God spoke to Elijah. God came to Elijah in a still small voice, a whisper and Elijah almost missed it.

I love the story of the young man who lost his job and didn't know which way to turn. He went to see his pastor and began pacing back and forth in the pastor's study all depressed about his problem. Finally he clenched his fist and shouted, "I've begged God to say something to help me. Tell me, pastor, why doesn't God answer me?" The pastor, who sat across the room spoke something in reply- -something so hushed it was indistinguishable.

The young man stepped across the room. "What did you say?" he asked. The pastor repeated himself, but again in a tone as soft as a whisper. So the young man moved closer until he was leaning on the pastor's chair. "Sorry," he said. "I still didn't hear you." With their heads bent together, the pastor spoke once more. "God sometimes whispers," he said, "so we must move closer to hear Him."

Don't we all at times wish there were no guesswork involved, we wish that God would just yell out the answers to us so that we could escape the cloud of confusion and doubt that surrounds us at times. Yes, it is frustrating to just not know what God is doing or what He wants us to do. If He would only shout it out, then we would know exactly what it is we are to do. And then there are the times when we really choose not to listen to God because we don't really want to hear what God is trying to tell us about a situation in our life!

If you read about Elijah in 1 Kings you would have learned that Elijah had no problem understanding God when the fire was falling, the earth was shaking and the wind was blowing. But, the one place that Elijah had never learned to listen to God was in the "still small voice" - the whisper from God. And God was teaching Elijah a lesson: I am not going to yell! I am not always going to send fire! I am not always going to shake the earth!

Yes, sometimes God will allow us to lay on a hospital bed. (I have always heard that often we have to be on our back before we can look up.) Sometimes we find ourselves in a deep dark place we don't want to be; a prison cell, a deep depression, going through a divorce, the death of a loved one, or perhaps facing our own death, or in a financial circumstance that is unpleasant and stressful. And yes, even watching a church dying from lack of vision, mission, and total dependence upon God.

I wonder if God sometimes has to whisper so that we will draw close to Him, until our hearts and heads are bent together with His. Then we will listen, we will find our answers. Better still, we find ourselves a lot closer to God. I wonder at times if We don't want to treat God like the internet, just open a heavenly search engine, type in a question, push the button and get the answer. When God doesn't respond immediately, with a wealth of information like the internet does, we become impatient and wonder if He really has heard our prayers after all.

It's unlikely God will shout at us like the commercials on TV. God still chooses to whisper. God still speaks in the still, small voice. David experienced that too. Read Psalm 46:10 - "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

If you will listen closely, draw near to God as He draws near to you, get very close.....I know that you will hear what God is saying! We won't need a billboard, a P.A. system, the ad in the Dallas Morning News, or our computer screen to see God's answers to our prayers...we just need an open heart, a listening ear, and the Holy Spirit to be our intercessor and our connector. We will hear God loud and clear in a still small voice! LISTEN! Amen!

THE FAITH OF THE CANAANITE WOMAN:

Talk about faith and praying...I just read the story of this faith-filled persistant woman in Matthew 15:21-28. I love reading this story of faith as I can relate to this woman as I, too, have prayed for my daughter's healing.

Sometimes when I pray I feel like the heavens are open and I can soar directly into God's presence. And He comes down to me. For me, prayer is an "embrace". God holds me and I hold on to Him. I know that He is there, eagerly waiting to respond to my cries for the healing of others and my own need for His presence. At other times it feels like every approach to God goes no further than the ceiling and comes back down on my heavy soul. At these times persevering in prayer is hard work. When have you felt discouraged because you thought God wasn't hearing your prayers? When have you seen God answer your prayers after a long, difficult, persevering time of prayer?

A Canaanite woman came to Jesus pleading for her daughter to be healed as she had a demon within her and it was severely tormenting her. But Jesus gave her no reply---not even a word...Then He said to the woman, "I was sent to help the people of Israel---God's lost sheep---not the Gentiles." But she came and worshipped Him and pleaded again, "Lord, help me!" "It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs," Jesus then told her. "Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even dogs are permitted to eat crumbs that fall beneath their master's table." "Woman," Jesus said to her, "Your request is granted." And her daughter was instantly healed."

It took a lot of courage for this woman to even speak to Jesus because of the racism of their time. She was despised and ridiculed for seeking an end to her family's torment, but she didn't give up. She believed God was the only one who could help her, and she would not be deterred. Our own desperation and dependency on God can lead us to sincere faith that can lead to the healing and salvation for those we love. How do you approach Jesus?

I have read many books on prayer. And a few years ago I attended a Prayer Conference led by Pastor Mark D. Roberts, the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in California. I didn't especially learn anything new and dramatic about prayer; just a more intense look at prayer, I believe. After reading Pastor Mark's book" NO HOLDS BARRED - WRESTLING WITH GOD IN PRAYER - my prayer life was awakened quite passionately. You might want to pick up a copy of Pastor Mark's book. It is awesome reading.

I find myself very often telling people to "just pray about it" - "turn it over to the Lord and let go". The truth is that this kind of prayer confidence is not something that automatically happens, it must be learned as we grow in faith. Unfortunately, many have the erroneous idea that when another's life is going easy and well blessed, that this is a sign of God's favor and special love for them. This isn't necessarily true, is it? Most likely the sign of God's loving care upon us in when we do endure trials and difficulties because this is when God can accomplish His transforming grace upon grace in our lives.

God loves us just like we are, yet He loves us too much to let us stay that way. And changing us into the likeness of His Son, Jesus, is best accomplished through hardships. We could never improve on God's plan for our lives. And when we ignore His plan and direction we leave ourselves open for all kinds of problems.

We must remember that God is sovereign and in control of our life. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can come to us or touch our life without first passing through His hands and through His permissive will. When we do come to realize that we have a loving, forgiving God, we can just pray about it...we can turn everthing over to Him and let go. Why? Because we know without a doubt that He is merciful and wise. That His arms are there beneath us and we can fall into the palm of His hands with absolute faith and trust. What a great place to be.

The Canaanite woman found this place and we can too. Persevere in prayer - Wrestle with God - He won't let go - we will never win this wrestling match - yet one thing we will receive is a greater intimacy with God! Isn't it true when we read the Psalms - "they run the gamut from awed worship to stunned silence to doubt, desperation, and yes...even rage? David, and others like him, had no time for safe and sanitized prayers." They wrestled with God when they prayed - with no holds barred as Dr. Robert's book suggests.

We can wrestle, we can engage God in our struggles, yet in the end we can only collapse in His loving arms and say..."I SURRENDER!" "THY WILL BE DONE!" Amen!

"HONEST TO GOD!"

I'm sure you have heard that said many times and perhaps even spoke those words yourself. What do they mean to you? If someone says, "Honest to God" to me, it sure implies they are trying their best to be honest. And yet are we always honest? To ourselves, to others, and even to God? Well, we can fool a lot of folks but we can never pull anything off on God. He not only can see right through us...He knows what we are going to say even before we speak it!

I love the cartoon that shows a picture of an answering machine. When the phone rings, the recorded message says: "I am listening to your voice. If, when I hear you, I want to talk with you, I will pick up the telephone. Otherwise, leave a message." The caption under the cartoon says, "Finally, an honest answering machine."

Sometimes we find ourselves in Christian communities where dishonesty prevails. Rather than "speaking the truth in love" we talk about others behind their backs instead of confronting issues like we should. Or we live double lives with an outward appearance of Christian behavior that barely disguises our fractured relationships and our own brokenness.

A friend shared with me recently her most embarrassing momemt at the work-place. She said they were all standing around one of the gal's desk when "church" was brought up. She asked the group gathered around if anyone of them goes to church. Just a few spoke up and said they did attend occasionally. Then to her dismay, one of them said to her red-faced embarrassment..."Do you go to Church? I never would have guessed you were a Church-goer!" Ouch! Honest to God?

It is sad when it is only on rare occasions that we find ourselves saying, "Finally, an honest Christian." My friend said she deserved that honest "blow" - as she really hadn't acted like a Christian at her work-place. How would you describe the level of honesty in your Church, your work-place, other Christian organizations, and even in your own family? God takes our being honest to Him very seriously.

I can share from my own experience, when I refuse or neglect to address an issue or serious problem in any of my relationships, God will bring it to me again and again until I make the changes and the growth in faith to bring these issues and problems to a resolution. I know how true this is as I usually pray..."Ok, Ok, God...I will deal with it this time...give me another chance, please!"

Take a look at Acts 4:32 through 5:11. Good reading. It is very clear that Ananias and Sapphira had a choice about what to do with their possessions. Peter makes it clear that they had the right to sell or not to sell the property, just as they had the right to give or not to give the proceeds away. They were not punished for keeping some of the money. They were punished for lying to the Holy Spirit.

In other words, they weren't being "Honest to God!" Peter confronted their sin of greed and lies, didn't he? Not a good place to be for Ananias and Sapphira, or for us if we find ourselves in the position of telling the truth or "fudging it" a bit. We wonder don't we, why some people just don't trust some folks in our Christian community. When there is no trust the result is spiritual and emotional death of a congregation or an organization. And we won't even "go there" with politicians.

I am reading an excellent book: "Honest To God", by Neale Donald Walsch and Dr. Brad Blanton. When you have a chance pick up a copy at the library. One of the most truthful statements they make is this: "Nobody tells the truth about anything anymore. Not anything important. Everybody's lying to everybody else, and everybody knows it." Wow! Their message of honesty offers real hope. Yet it does not gloss over the courage and conviction required to make lasting changes. These authors show us that just as a great personal tragedy often sparks positive growth, if we're willing to face it, great social tragedy can also serve as a pivotal opportunity for positive social transformation also.

If we say we have never lied or do not lie...we are in denial of our sin. Even exageration is a lie as it is not fully the truth. Often we find it hard to tell the truth because we don't want to hurt someone's feelings. Yet, if we don't speak the truth in love, some issues will never get resolved. We keep sweeping them under the rug and they just keep surfacing.

Again, from my own personal experience with loved ones, church family, neighbors, or at the work-place...once we clear the air we are more than able then to hang in there until we can let go of any anger or resentment. Love is the ointment we all need to heal those damaging wounds of being "Honest to God and to each other!" An open heart, a listening ear, a forgiving spirit, staying positive, and looking forward again instead of dwelling in the past, are all good ways to be "Honest to God" without destroying precious relationships.

Being able to say those much needed words: "I'm sorry!" "I love you!" "I forgive you, will you forgive me?" "I need help!" And move on! Honest to God, it will work out! Amen!

JUST ANOTHER VALENTINE'S DAY OR CHOOSING LOVE AS A LIFESTYLE?

You know, I am just a hopeless romantic! I love being in love (with all kinds of people), first and foremost the Lord Jesus, because He first loved me and taught me all about love! One's thoughts about love can become so warped by the world and society around us. I just wonder what we are teaching our children about love as they watch TV or catch a movie. What does love mean to you? The older I get the more I realize the depth of God's love for me and I can't get enough! Give me more and more of Jesus! He is the lover of my soul!

Pick up your Bible and just soak in the words penned by the Apostle Paul in (Ephesians 3:17-19) - "So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Wow!

Being filled with the full measure of God! That means "our cup truly must be running over!" And when we empty our cup by loving and giving, our Lord is right there to fill it up again and again! To love and feel loved we must undergo some drastic changes. One basic change is to make the decision to focus on the many ways God loves us and this could lead to an entire new way of living for us! Jesus calls us to be different from the way most folks choose to live and love, doesn't He? We are to be different, peculiar, or "set apart," people.

Now, before we sign up for "Love as a Lifestyle 101" lets check and see if we have the required prerequisites. Some are listed in (John 15:9-13) - "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy many be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

Yes, the first prerequisite is persistence. Three times in the above passage we are told to "remain in" His love. To love like the Master, you need to stay under the Master's love. It boils down to staying close enough to the Lord to experience His love and pass it on! God doesn't charge our love batteries permanently. He made us to be charged daily, hourly, moment by moment, as we stay close to Him. The issue is fellowship. God wants us to be in fellowship with Him, and in so doing He enables us to love. I don't know about you but when I see and observe "high energy" people they are always "great lovers" of others - would you agree?

Loving as a lifestyle, giving and receiving love, doesn't mean we are perfect! We are going to have to do a lot of giving and receiving forgiveness also! We will offend others even in our attempts to love. And even those who love us will hurt us from time to time. The only defense against such hurt is a willingness to forgive and keep on loving. Think how many times Jesus was hurt even by those very close to Him. Yet this did not stop Him from showing his sacrificial love to them.

Listen to Paul's strong words of encouragement in (Colossians 3:13-14) - "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Paul seems to indicate that we can learn to love by first forgiving. To follow love as a lifestyle means our perseverance will be severely tested. Anyone can love when things are going great and others allow you to love them, but it takes fortitude to hang in there with a person when the going gets tough and relationships become broken and wounded.

Loving is not like changing shirts (guys) or shoes (gals). Those who love do so with a deliberate life-long commitment. Loving becomes part of who we are because it flows from the life of Christ within! Yes, Christian love, loving others in Christ, is so much more deeper than just romantic love. I guess all these feelings of love were triggered off this morning as I heard an old love song played on FM radio, as I was running around doing errands. You probably are familiar with this old tune by Debby Boone. It's called: "YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE!"

Just listen to these words and think of someone you love that does light up your life...yet also think of Jesus who is "THE LIGHT OF OUR LIFE, INDEED!"

Here they are: "So many nights I'd sit by my window - waiting for someone to sing me his song. So many dreams I kept deep inside me. Alone in the dark but now you've come along. And you light up my life. You give me hope to carry on. You light up my days and fill my nights with song. Rollin' at sea, adrift on the water. Could it be finally I'm turning for home? Finally a chance to say, "Hey! I love you!" Never again to be all alone. 'Cause you, you light up my life. You give me hope to carry on. YOu light up my days and fill my nights with song. It can't be wrong, when it feels so right, 'cause you....YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE!"

We can be romantic on Valentine's Day, thinking of hearts, flowers, candy, wine and dining and special gifts...we can think of that special person who does light up our life...and we can be walking with the Lord Jesus and singing this song of love to Him! God loves us by calling us to be all we can be and we need to love others by calling them to be all they can be also. With true love there is so much potential, possibilities, promises, growth and hope that abounds!

Don't ever give up on love - Jesus lights up our life - we can light up someone else's life also! (Matthew 5:16) - "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven!"

I just want to thank all my family and friends that have truly been a light to me and have "lighted up my life" with their love! And especially to my hubby, Ken, who after 21 years still "lights up my life" everyday! Everytime I talk to one of my children on the phone - I live in Texas and they are miles and miles away...they truly "light up my life!" Love is such a gift! Not to keep but to give away! And the more love you share the more you have to give!

And last, but never the least, I want to thank my Lord Jesus...my light and my salvation...YOU TRULY LIGHT UP MY LIFE! Thanks be to God!

Happy Valentine's Day to all you lovers and to all you lovers of the Lord Jesus; our true source of love itself! U - R - LOVED! Amen!

WHAT COLOR TAG ARE YOU WEARING?

I love the scripture verses in Ephesians 2:12-13. "Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ."

These verses from God's Word reminds me of a true story I once read about the medical staff in World War 11. It seems that the Military medical staff used a "color tagging" system to identify the extent of soldier's injuries.

One color - (red) - meant the injured was hopeless: nothing could be done to save them; they were going to die. Another color (blue) meant their condition is questionable but hopeful; they'd make it if they got immediate medical attention. Last color (green) - meant they are wounded but they'll make it whether they have medical attention or not.

During a certain battle and because of the shortage of medical supplies, only injured soldiers in the 2nd (blue) category were treated (those that would make it if they got immediate help). One soldier by the name of Lou was badly hurt. He had been "red-tagged" because he was hopeless. He was basically left to die in the field while others were being helped. However, one nurse saw that he was still alive and thought she'd make him as comfortable as she could in his final moments and began talking to him. They found out they were both from Ohio and in a few minutes, the compassion within this nurse caused her to go against the rules and she changed his "red tag" for a "blue tag" so he'd get some help.

After spending months in the hospital, Lou recovered from his injuries. He went on and married another nurse from the hospital and although he had only one leg, he lived a full and happy life. All because one compassionate person was willing to break traditions and change his tag from "helpless to hopeful."

As I read this story, I couldn't help but think of the purpose of the church today. I thought of many of us who were hopelessly lost in sin but someone took the time and gave us the attention we needed...and we are in church today because someone cared enough to change our "sin tag" from red to blue...from helpless to hopeful. So often we are so willing to write others off, see no hope for them, abandon them and even watch them die out in the world - the battlefield of life.

The Bible is full of scriptures that encourage the church to reach out and rescue the lost, to restore the backslidden, to go the 2nd mile, to do whatever we have to, so to save someone from an eternity of Hell. James states it clearly to us in James 5:20 - "Remember this, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins."

Thank God for a church that took you in and loved you in your hopeless state. Thank God for a pastor that preached the whole plan of salvation to you and didn't judge you as being a "red tag" hopeless person. Thank God for a Saint that took time to disciple you and give you fellowship/friendship week after week. Thank God for those that prayed intercessory prayers for the lost and God answered them. But most of all, Thank God for Jesus, for saving our souls.

A great story to read is: Luke 5:27-32. It tells about Jesus calling Levi, a tax collector, to come and follow Him. Levi left everything to follow Jesus. Levi in turn invited Jesus to a great banquet at his house, where many of his tax collector friends (sinners) were eating. The Pharisees (the good, righteous, teachers of the law) were upset about this because Jesus was eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners. I just love the answer that Jesus gave them: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." WOW! Doesn't that put everything in perspective for us?

Levi had the usual reputation of cheating people while collecting taxes. Just like He did for many of us, Jesus looked past this "hopelessly" sinful man and saw what he could become and said to him, "Levi, I want you to follow me and be a Christian." While they ate and had fellowship at Levi's home, a bunch of unsaved family and friends started complaining that the local church found fault with their sinful lifestyle - they were trying to justify themselves. Kind of like having "roast preacher" for dinner even while Jesus sat there among them. They looked at Jesus and wanted to know why he was there? No one from the church (Temple) had ever had fellowship with them before. No one ever associated with these sinners before.

Here Jesus sat in the company of people that the "Religious Society" had red tagged as "hopeless". They were the worst of sinners but Jesus broke all the rules and traditions and changed their "tags" from "hopeless to hopeful." This man "Levi", was also known as "Matthew". He became one of the greatest Apostles that ever lived and he wrote the 1st Book in the Gospels; the Book of Matthew. Jesus, like the nurse in the story, believed there was hope! Jesus doesn't write anyone off! Why does the church "red tag" so many and watch them die out in the world?

The purpose of the church is not to sit around and judge the "hopeless sinners" but to look at them and say, "Jesus can help them if they get immediate help." Yes, Jesus can help them if we choose to go against the "norm" and go out of our way to win them over for God. Jesus made it clear to us in Luke 14:23 what our mission is to be: "and the Lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel (them) to come in, that my house may be filled." We wonder why our sanctuaries (our churches) are so empty. Who are we trying to fill them with? Let's realize that God can change our "tags". Society might have written a lot of folks off, but God can "change" - "deliver" - "heal our spirit" - "and save us".

Yes, we can go from a "red tag" - (hopeless and going to die without God) - to a "blue tag" - (someone that is questionable, but would make it if they got immediate help) - and to us today, a "green tag" - (we are going to make it no matter what happens in our life. We have become rooted and grounded in God! We are saved.) There is a God who changes "tags" - who changes and transforms us by His Grace and Mercy. In His timing...He makes all things beautiful...in His time. He needs Christians who will go out into the world and find those who are dying on the battlefields of life and let them know that there is hope for them; a place for them to worship and to be loved!

We can have the victory, if we let Jesus change our "tag" this very day. What color "tag" are you wearing today? And would you be willing, like the brave nurse in the story, to risk changing the "tag" of another's soul to give them hope and another chance? God will pick them up and carry them in His arms. Salvation belongs to God! Our mission is to tell the "Salvation Story" to those who have been tagged by Society as "hopeless". Someone told us this "Salvation Story" when we were broken, wounded, bleeding and dying in pain...look around you today and open your heart and eyes to those who are dying on the battlefield of life all around you!

We can change a tag! We can get someone help! We can pray! God, use us to care enough to change a tag and bring that wounded soul to YOU this day! Amen!

WHAT IS YOUR OUTLOOK?

"It's all in your outlook", he said. We were with a group of friends the other evening for a social night out. And of course the big three topics were brought up: Religion, Politics, and Relationships. Very interesting conversations surfaced and we all challenged each other's faith, views and insights. I love these deep conversations as I am a very intense person (as you probably have noticed). :0)

On the topic of Religion (which I prefer to call it: Spirituality) .... We discussed the declining membership in some of our churches (it has affected most all denominations to some degree). In our fellowship gathering there were Lutherans, Presbyterians, Catholics, and one Baptist. Of course we discussed the Mega Churches and their exceptional growth-splurge.

When I am out and about here in Texas I see these huge churches going up all over. Much was said in defense of the mainline churches that are struggling with folks leaving for greener pastures???? Yet, our group seemed to blame the Mega Churches for "wooing" our people away by entertainment and the "hugeness" of it all. Someone said, "Well bigger isn't always better!" True!

Since Ken and I have moved to Texas we have been amazed to see churches so huge...yes, huge in building size and in membership. What is drawing folks to these huge churches? Is it because one can get lost in it all? There is no accountability! There is no real intimacy or fellowship nor connection? You park in this huge parking lot and take a small bus transport to the sanctuary. You couldn't possibly have close fellowship with the 3,000 - 5,000 on the membership rolls. "It's all in your outlook", as one of our friends pointed out. "We need more members in our churches", he voiced animatedly!

Our outlook is extremely important, probably much more than any of us realize. Our outlook is reality to us. As we grow, our outlook gradually changes. As we change with the genuine leading of the Holy Spirit, we become BIGGER (our Lord God becomes BIGGER and our outlook, problems, difficulities and frustratons begin to SHRINK!) We begin to realize that we have a BIGGER GOD than our small problems in comparison. Which includes why our churches are dying today!

One of the most powerful accounts/examples in scripture that gives us a slam-dunk example of how outlook affects our attitudes, is the situation of the men who were sent to spy on the land of Canaan. (Read this great story in (Numbers, Chapter's 13 & 14.) Moses sent 12 men, and most of them we don't know, except for 2. (Joshua and Caleb) - Why were Joshua and Caleb given to us as examples of an outlook of faith that pleases the Lord? Simply because they distinguished themselves as chosen vessels that possessed willing hearts and attitudes. This ultimately translated into them becoming "champions of the faith".

These men simply had a different outlook into their situation. All 10 doubting spies were afraid, and they told Moses: "We cannot take the country. There are giants in the land." Meanwhile, "back at the ranch". so to speak, Caleb makes it known that he believes they are able to take the land. Again, it's all in our outlook of faith.

How do you see the church today? Is it as some doubters claim: (A place to strive for control and power? - Just serve on a committee or board so you can tell others you are active in church? - Is the Church a place that splits and divides people? - A place that if you don't become like everyone else you will never be accepted? - Is it where people gossip and backbite and consume one another? - Is it all about the competition of "we are bigger and better than you are"?

Or, do you see the church as a place on earth that God has reserved for a holy place, a protected place, a friendly place, a wholesome place, a healthy place, a helpful place, a loving place, a congealed place, a unified place, (well, we don't have to agree on all issues...yet we must agree on the glorious Gospel message) - a place where everyone is kin...where every woman is your sister and every man your brother, a place of loyalty? A place where you can truly grow in grace! No matter how big or small the church is on the corner or on many joined-corners.

I disagreed with my brother in Christ. The Church doesn't need more members (pew setters). It needs more Disciples. We just need to switch modes: Membership to Discipleship. So, what are the marks of a Disciple? The first is this: To continue in the Word - (John 8:31) - To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, "If you continue in my Word, then you are my Disciples indeed." Second is: To Love - (John 13:35) - "By this all men will know you are my Disciples if you have love for one another." - Third is: - To bear fruit to reproduce that other's might see the glory of God. - (Mark 4:20) - "And these are they which are sown on good ground, such as hear the Word and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred."

Yes, it is all in our outlook. Even the good ground can have thorns and thistles and rocks if it is not tended to. We are told to bear much fruit of grace and good works, which show them to be trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, and the work of His hands; wherein the glory of His power, grace and mercy, is greatly displayed. This can be done no matter what size the church is as long as it is empowered by the Spirit of God.

No horse gets anyone anywhere until he is harnessed. No steam or gas drives anything until it is confined. No Niagra ever turns anything into light or power until it is tunneled. No life ever does great things until it is focused, dedicated and disciplined. We can set around and bemoan the churches that are dying on the corner or we can be the one who makes the difference by staying there and taking some action by trusting God for the growth. It's not just going out and getting new members to fill the pews = it's discipling those who come so that the church becomes "contagious" with it's witness and the power of the Spirit that begins to flow freely once again.

So, we will not be what God wants us to be (the Church) until we are His Disciples...because Christian Discipleship implies progress and growth. Yes, it is all about our faith outlook, isn't it? The Church does need more members who will grow by the grace of God into Disciples, who are obedient to the Call of God! The church that becomes lethargic and dying is the one who has lost it's focus and has grown inward. The church that says, "We are right! You are wrong! And you are out!" The church that no longer prays, believes and studies the Word, serves the community, reaches out and welcomes the stranger and makes disciples, will soon die!

People leave denominations for many different reasons and issues. Everyone seems to be looking for the perfect church! There is no such thing! We are all fallen sinners looking to God for grace, mercy, and new life! New life in Christ can still be found in the dying, declining, church on the corner...or it can be found in the huge Mega church that takes up many corners.

The answer lies in our discipleship and how we take action on that discipleship to believe that the Holy Spirit can breathe new life where death seems imminent. And it can also breathe new life in the hugeness of it all in our Mega churches. Where the Spirit is = there is LIFE! Where there is LIFE (Jesus) you can believe that the gospel will be not only heard...it will be lived! It's all in your outlook! Amen!

AMAZED BY GRACE:

Have you truly experienced God's Amazing Grace? Not just singing this beautiful song, but having been touched deeply, transformed and saved by this Amazing Gift of God? As I reflect on my life I am amazed how God forgave me, saved me, and spared my life from my own destruction.

God was always in my life, it's just that I never acknowledged Him or wanted Him there. The day He came to me I was setting in Augsburg Lutheran Church, lost as lost can be. I was just 21 years old without much hope that I could ever find joy again in my life. Because of the circumstances in my childhood, my heart had a huge hole in it. I tried filling that hole with everything possible I could find. Nothing helped!

As I sat there in the pew I heard the pastor say: GOD LOVES YOU! I hadn't heard those words before. I grew up in a home where the message was: GOD LOVES YOU IF YOU ARE GOOD! AND IF YOU DO ENOUGH GOOD WORKS! Well, I knew I wasn't good and I certainly wasn't serving God in any way, shape or form. But I listened! I heard the gospel for the first time in my life! GOD LOVED ME! I felt forgiven, cleansed, restored, renewed, and hopeful once again. I was given a new life! A new birth as I sat in a church pew of all places! I was surprised by Grace! I was saved by Grace! And I began my journey that day by Grace.

God came to me that Sunday as I sat there in tears. There was no altar call, yet God came to me in the pew and with His amazing grace reached into my broken heart, which I had opened to Him, and something miraculous happened! GRACE! That moment in my life changed my whole life! A moment of GRACE! God reaching down to me and touching the pain and brokenness of my life! I will never, never, forget that moment as long as I live! Today, I experience His grace everyday in many different ways! God has never let me go! What is your story of God's amazing grace?

There is a great story in Victor Hugo's novel, Les Miserables. It tells the story of a man named Jean Valjean, who served nineteen years of hard labor for the crime of stealing bread. Rather harsh sentence wasn't it when today many with more severe offences get not much more than a slap on the wrist. When Valjean was finally released from prison he was a hardened, tough ex-convict.

One day in his life he was transformed by forgiveness. A kind Bishop invited him to stay in his home for the night. After the Bishop and his sisters were asleep, Valjean stole the family silver and ran off into the night. The next morning, he was captured by three policemen and brought back to the Bishop. "So here you are!" the Bishop cried to Valjean. "I'm delighted to see you. Had you forgotten that I gave you the candlesticks as well? They're silver like the rest, and worth a a good 200 francs. Did you forget to take them?"

After the policemen left, the Bishop gave the candlesticks to Valjean, who was speechless and trembling. "Do not forget; do not ever forget," the Bishop said, "that you have promised me to use this money to make yourself a new man." Wow! Valjean had to be Amazed by Grace! This was a turning point in Valjean's life for sure! He was forgiven, he was granted Grace by the Bishop.

C.S. Lewis wrote this about forgiveness: - "Forgiveness is a beautiful word, until you have something to forgive." How are you at forgiving others? I had to learn the hard way; by God bringing me back to the same problem over and over until I learned how to forgive. God had to teach me through pain what His Amazing Grace really meant to me and how I needed to grant that grace and forgiveness to others. Oh, how God can teach us through pain, right? And don't ever say, "I've had enough pain"...because God will let us know when we had enough; when we have finally learned to accept His Grace and give that Grace to others.

God can teach us so much more in pain than He can when we are prospering in the sunshine of life. It takes those dark nights of our soul to really see the "light of God" and the healing Grace that light brings. Those "dark nights of our soul" bring transformation to our life and we are changed by God's Amazing Grace. And like my story, those "dark nights of the soul" can happen when one sets in church also. God can find us wherever we are because He comes to us!

The Bishop in the story of Valjean certainly knew what Grace was...and that is why he granted it to Valjean. Why then, is there such a discrepancy between our understanding of forgiveness and our willingness to grant it to others? I just wonder if those who find it hard to forgive others have ever experienced God's Amazing Grace themselves. You can't give away something you don't have, can you?

Respected counselor and author, David Seamands, observes that most emotional problems among Christians are caused by the failure to understand, receive and live out God's unconditional love, forgiveness and Grace to OTHER PEOPLE. He says, "The Good News of the Gospel has not penetrated the level of our emotions." The issue of forgiveness touches our life every day. Occasionally, it comes as a major crisis that forces us to choose between forgiveness and unforgiveness. Or it could come to us with an unfaithful spouse, an unwanted divorce, an unfair termination from our job, sexual, emotional, or physical abuse we experienced as a child, and slanderous rumors that cost us our reputation.

Yet most of the time it is lesser offenses that trip us up on not being able to forgive. We are overlooked by a family member, betrayed by a friend, or maybe we just had a fallout with a neigbor or a church member. Sometimes even a strong disagreement with a spouse or a child takes some time to work through also. Regardless of the size of the offense, forgiveness is not usually the first response is it?

When we are mature in our faith we are no doubt genuinely grateful to God who was so willing to take on human form and die an excruiciating death so that our sins could be forgiven. Once we come to this realization of how sinful we really are and how much Grace upon Grace we need on a daily basis...it becomes almost an inseparable link between RECEIVING God's forgiveness and GRANTING forgiveness to others.

That's the "hinge" isn't it? The primary reason Christians should be "better forgivers" is that they have come to know and admit their own sins and failures. We come to realize the great gulf that God overcame to forgive us as Jesus Himself had to be the bridge to bring us back to God. Then we see that the gap or gulf between us and our offenders seems quite insignificant. You see, in God's eyes we all need His Amazing Grace, His forgiveness.

There really is not any difference between the Preacher and the Prostitute, the Govenor and the Gunman, or the Sophisticate and the Savage criminal, is there? And when we reach that point of spiritual maturity we find it much easier and more likely to forgive.

Pick up your Bible and read the story of God's Amazing Grace in Luke 7:36-50. Simon was a Pharisee and didn't really see any need to be forgiven. He thought of himself as a good man. He invited Jesus to have dinner with him. Then a woman who had lived a sinful life entered the home. The woman in the story was a Prostitute who offered Jesus water and she washed His feet with her tears.

She then wiped them with her hair. She anointed the feet of Jesus with rare perfume and kissed them. She was forgiven much because she loved much. Jesus told them, "Therfore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven---for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

Both Simon, the Pharisee, and the Prostitute suffered from the terminal disease of sin, and both were in need of forgiveness from Jesus. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WAS THEIR AWARENESS OF THEIR CONDITION. The Prostitute understood her need of forgiveness: Simon denied his.

The moral of the story is this: Unless you have experienced the Amazing Grace of God and know you have been forgiven much...it is unlikely that you will forgive and love much either. Have you been Amazed by Grace from our Lord? Who has shown you Grace in your life that you can go and do likewise to someone else? Amen!