Lent day 29: Knowing which way to turn

As we enter the second-last week before Easter, let's consider how God directs us. (This is a repost from 2012.)

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Wouldn't it be nice if life had a GPS? Clear signposts? Or lists? Especially if they pointed to the best possible outcomes. Think about it.

• Age 16: NU ahead. Study harder.
• 21: Job from an interview behind the door on the right.
• 25: Marry. Her. (Him.)
• 30s: Invest in retirement. Have another kid.
• 40s: Best boss is the bald guy.
• 50s: Today is your last chance to ...
• 60s: Invest in your grandchildren's generation.
• 70s: Pray more. Complain less.
• 80s: Heaven on November 30.

Life would be SO much easier! We'd always know when to go straight ahead ... or which way to turn.

It's not that simple, is it? And it's not that boring, either.

Sometimes it seems we have no choices. Other times we are flooded with possibilities. We may have options about whom we marry, any of them a good potential spouse. We guess at the best job offer. Hope we're hauling our stuff across the country to a safer city.

We make the leap. And then we take our chances.

I've had a few milestone moments in my life. What to do after high school? A calling to ministry and missions made my initial college choice easy. Whom to marry? I heard God's direction: "He's the guy praying beside you, on the right." (My response: "Hey, are You sure? His head only comes up to my ear!" Being one year older meant a height difference between W and me in our mid-teens. He caught up in that and many other ways!) Stay in our hometown or move away? W had to finish the degree he'd started: we moved.

I've had a few misses. I worried about a few sure things that didn't come to pass. I lost some opportunities, said too little or too much, and thought I was doing the right thing.

So how do you negotiate a fork in the road?

1. Pray. Trust that whatever the initial interest, potential process, or eventual outcome, God will give you direction.
2. Talk to trusted confidants. Gather pros and cons from your spouse, family who love you, good friends, and outside advisers. Don't talk to everyone: in your inner circle, choose those who know you well enough to have your best interests at heart.
3. Listen for pattens in the feedback you hear. Is it a quick, go for it!? When I took a connecting and creative job designing alumni interactions for a university, everyone said, "Wow! Sounds like a fantastic fit." Or is it a universal, "No way!" When we thought about moving into a dark apartment, my friends rolled their eyes and said, "Don't even think about it! There's not enough light in there for you." (I took the job. Rejected the apartment.) If it's somewhere between, keep listening and praying.
4. Start moving in the direction of a good fit. Explore options. Do background research: have others done this? What have they liked or disliked about it? Is it a completely new arena? Examine how the first steps feel: are you happy or afraid, at peace or in turmoil?
5. Keep going until you find your groove or hit a dead end. If doors keep opening, keep moving forward. If there's an impasse, check if it lies with you or others. Can you move the roadblock? Is the road roped off? If you're at the end and prayers haven't unlocked the door, start again at #1.
6. Be prepared for surprises. You may have stepped onto a wide path, but have to traverse a few narrow trails of adventure between "yes!" and your goal. 
7. Walk in courageous trust. How does God keep the earth spinning when airplanes and ships and cars and bicycles keep us moving from place to place? How does the sun stay in the sky with such enormous solar flares that could knock it out of orbit? How does He order our lives to connect or avoid connections with people, jobs, and experiences instead of us chaotically bumping through life without purpose?

"Everything is harder, more work, and more wonderful than I think it will be when I plan it," says W. I agree.

We should know: we've lived a life of unexpected wonders. We've tried, failed, and succeeded at many things. We've experienced good times as well as struggles. Great joy finds its match in suffering.

Thank God for his counsel. Though we may only glimpse the possibilities ahead, God will give enough direction that we will look back and exclaim on His guiding hand and constant direction.

How do/did you know when it's the "Right Thing?" The gospel of John shows how Jesus steadily followed his Father's leading. Would you consider reading it before Easter this year?

Would you be willing to share some milestone moments from your own life?

Read more:

*He was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. Isaiah 53:8 NLT

*Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory? Luke 24:26 NLT

*[Jesus said,] "I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father's commandments and remain in his love. … You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name." John 15:9–10, 16 NLT

*Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13:8-10 NIV

Moravian Prayer: Jesus, our Brother, in your suffering we see the extent to which love can go. You invite us to walk the path of servant love with you. We hesitate, but you promise that we will not be alone as we bring your healing love to a hurting world. Amen.

One hundred "Yes"ses

"How did you get to this point?" someone asked us last week. "How can you leave everything behind to live on the other side of the world?"

"Just say yes." It doesn't much thinking to come up with an answer. "A hundred small 'yes'ses make a big 'YES' possible." When our habit is following Jesus, it feels natural for our feet to turn to his ways.

Do we struggle? Question? Doubt? Struggle? Wonder?

Even sometimes, offer objections?

Of course.

But each small 'yes', repeated over and over as we grow in faith, opens our hearts to consider things we would have thought were impossible. We learn to trust that the One - who delights us with small and ordinary opportunities - has prepared us for extraordinary paths.

Where are your spiritual feet taking you today? (What is your "YES!" to Jesus?)

Our yes is here: http://gokowalskis.com. Please join us by praying and giving.

Read more: 
*If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding  gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others. It is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the completeness comes, what is in part disappears.

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a (wo)man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13 NIV

(CS Lewis) Though Christian charity sounds a very cold thing to people whose heads are full of sentimentality, and though it is quite distinct from affection, yet it leads to affection. The difference between a Christian and a worldly man is not that the worldly man has only affections or ‘likings’ and the Christian has only ‘charity’. The worldly man treats certain people kindly because he ‘likes’ them: the Christian, trying to treat every one kindly, finds himself liking more and more people as he goes on—including people he could not even have imagined him- self liking at the beginning.

This same spiritual law works terribly in the opposite direction. The Germans, perhaps, at first ill-treated the Jews because they hated them: afterwards they hated them much more because they had ill-treated them. The more cruel you are, the more you will hate; and the more you hate, the more cruel you will become — and so on in a vicious circle for ever.
Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible. 

Walking WITH God

The book I'm reading is titled simply, "With." It explores our journey of faith and encourages readers to find themselves on a journey WITH God. Many of us live "under God," trying to follow rules to coerce God to act on our behalf. Some live "over God" as though He were the prime Mover in creation and has paid little attention to us since. Skye Jethani encourages us to rethink our walk with God.

Paul and others describe healthy Christian life through lists of behaviors and spiritual fruit (not fruits) that emerge when we walk WITH God, in partnership with One who is able to transform us from the inside and outside. If you claim to follow Christ, how have these qualities begun to grow in you? Are others eating the sweet fruit of them? Or have you developed a bitter root that spoils what people get from your life?

• love
• joy
• peace
• patience
• longsuffering
• kindness
• goodness
• humility
• selflessness
• gentleness
• compassion
• friendliness

The scriptural lists are long and specific. I have some fertilizing, watering, and basking in the light of God's presence to do to let the fruit grow strong and tasty. You?

Read more:

*Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, God of truth. Psalm 31:5 (NKJV) 

*The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand. Psalm 119:130

*All belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. 1 Corinthians 3:22-23 

*Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12 NIV

Moravian Prayer: Jesus, we put all of our eggs in your basket, all our trust in you because we know you love us. Help us to live a life that shows we always trust in you. Amen. 

Living in the mystery

The world is awash in mystery. Science seeks it out. Religions dive in to explore it. And people both fear and desire interaction with things they don't understand. 

We have a lot of questions:

• Does my life have a purpose? If I didn't exist, would it matter?
• Why have people hurt me? How should I respond to them?
• How much free choice do individuals have? Does it matter if our choices harm others?
• The world became chaotic, just when I thought  was getting a grip on things. Is anyone in control?
• Nature seems to be going mad. How do I understand my place in my surroundings?
• Does it matter what path I choose or whom I worship? Does it all sort itself out in the end?
• How do I respond to (or explain things) I don't understand?

Everyone looks for meaning and comprehending these mysteries of life and more. Most people make excuses to find answers ANYWHERE except in the Bible and through belief in the Christian God. We may have various reasons to avoid the Mystery of becoming Christ-followers, including:

• We prefer to invent our gods. We don't want anyone or thing in authority over us. It's more appealing to pick and choose from religious traditions to imagine a perfect scenario of cosmic appeasement ... with our Self at the center.
• The Christian God makes demands on his adherents - to follow him, we must fall in with him and his expectations. He refuses to come alongside us as a magic genie who responds to cosmic manipulation. (i.e. "If I live well, he must bless me and do what I want/need/desire.") 
• Christians are a funny bunch. God has chosen "the weak things of the world" to show off the marvels of his universe and his generous love. We don't necessarily want to be identified as "one of those kooks."
• It's politically incorrect and intolerant to believe - never mind to say - "This is God's way. The only way to heaven." (And who even believes in a Christian heaven and hell anymore?) 
• We may have been disappointed with Christians or the Church in the past. We might have experienced an abuse of power, hypocritical believers, people who don't live up to our expectations, a church that gets off into weird sectarian doctrines, etc.

Don't look everywhere but God's offer! It's worth checking out the Bible's claims of God seeking us out, the Mysterious Creator wanting to connect with us, providing a way to know a God who is altogether holy, just, AND loving.

I'm encouraging those who are already in the faith to plunge in wholeheartedly. For those exploring their options to consider traveling the road of life, please open wide to the possibility of "GOD WITH US" in Jesus Christ. How?

• Read through the Bible. Not just once, but many times. Grab a Bible handbook and study guides along the way. There are many versions from easy to academic, authored by people who have thought deeply about the faith and can explain culture and customs that are confusing to readers. Or choose an online reader with research resources in it. Click here.
• Listen to podcasts about theology (thinking about God). One version: my husband's been a theology prof for 20 years and has a series on "Basic Christian Thought" here, including thoughts on heaven and hell, God and the angels, the Trinity as holy dance, creation, the place of humans, etc.
• Host or join a group that explores scripture. I like the range of groups here but a local church near you probably has groups as well. If they're kooky, don't give up. After all, you don't give up eating just because you hit a lousy restaurant!

The adventure of life is worth exploring to the max. The mystery of life is worth examination and interaction. Though we can't fully understand God and his ways, he invites us into relationship. That mystery is the deepest of all for me! Have fun on the journey and let me know how it goes.

Read more:
*Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces. Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span. Exodus 23:24-26 NIV

*We have heard with our ears, O God, our ancestors have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old. Psalm 44:1

*Though you have not seen Him, you love Jesus Christ, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries. 1 Peter 1:8, 9-10 (NASB) 

*And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things
in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. Ephesians 1:9-10 NIV

Moravian Prayer: Lord, it is by faith that we know and that we are called. May we follow your call as strongly as those who walked side by side with you. We hear of your works and are led to do your work as well. Amen.

Wierd places with the Shepherd

Have you wondered where the Shepherd of souls is leading you? (Note the nailprints in the icon?)

Among my friends and acquaintances, Jesus is leading through:

• Promotion at work
• Death of a child
• Cancer-free report
• Diagnosis of MS
• Shot at while in the car
• Graduation from MA and doctoral programs
• Being fired from a job
• Pregnancy
• Birth of a healthy baby
• Collapse of adoption plans
• Remarriage after widowhood

You and your friends have your own list of "Wow!" seasons, both positive and negative. Life is like that

One of my regular reads is a blog by a young woman who has chosen "A Different Kind of Happy." She writes though some of her dreams have been shattered. Others are coming true in completely unexpected ways. Click here to meet her.

As you face the journey with the Shepherd today, remember that he tenderly cares for his flock = to those who are committed to follow him anywhere he leads.

Most of us have asked, "Why her? Why him? Why us? or ... Why me?" during times of hardship and transition. If that's you, let the Shepherd talk to you today about his plans for you, as you read John 10, below.

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

[Jesus said,] "Very truly I tell you Pharisees [people who tried to live by religious rules and customs], anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.

"He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.  All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father —and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

"The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life —only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Lent Day 25: Thankful for the next day

"Are we there yet?" If you've traveled with kids, you know the routine. Everyone starts out happy to be on an adventure. After a while, you pull out the toys, play travels games, and snooze.

Then comes the inevitable exhaustion and boredom. Everyone gets restless and cranky. At this point, many parents would rather turn around and go home ... except they may be further than halfway or the destination is vitally important.

In the last month, I've been asking God, "Are we there yet? Will this part of the journey ever be over?"

I successfully defended my dissertation yesterday, with some revisions required. Within 2 weeks, I have to have the amended document to my advisers––and within 4 weeks, the approved dissertation has to be at the copy editor. So ... while the goal is not yet reached, the end is in view. April 15, here I come.

On life's journey, we can be tempted to throw in the towel. Dr. Jack Rozell preached a sermon I remember from 25 years ago. He noted: "Eventually, as you walk with God, there comes a place where you look around you. It may be discouraging, you may feel defeated, and you may be worn out. But you realize, 'I'm too far along to go back now.'

"It's like an airplane ride. Even though the engine is skipping and the fuel is low, you have to keep going rather than turn back. It's the same way in the Christian faith. You know you've committed your life to Christ and the reward is in sight; it would be foolish to go back now."

I was afraid that with all the reading and thinking, I would lose the main focus of life––serving and pleasing God. Fearful that head knowledge would displace heart conviction and spiritual passion. Thanks to good counselors and mentors, life returns to balance again and again, even in the middle of sorting human ideals and ideas.

I'm grateful today for academic help in a spiritual context:

• from AGTS faculty and advisers who have helped me refine my research and writing. 
• I'm thankful for Joy Qualls, an Evangel prof who took time to inform and cheer me on and sat on my committee.
• I appreciate the copious study files of Barbara Cavaness, who opened them to me and pointed out what still needed to be learned.
• Help was ongoing from Gloria Robinett who became a dear friend at the AGWM archives, and Darrin Rodgers and Catherine McGee at the FPHC.

So far, so good. There's more work to do but the end is in sight. Thanks be to God.

Read more:

*Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. Proverbs 3:7

*So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 NIV

*Christ Jesus became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. 1 Corinthians 1:30

Moravian Prayer: Forgive us for our pride, dear Lord, and for thinking so highly of ourselves that we miss the essence of your grace. Restore us and lead us into deeper faithfulness and righteousness so others will get a glimpse of you in us. Amen.

Squinting through the details

"What would I do without Mom?" I keep thinking. My fridge is clean, the indoor plants are trimmed, and the conservatory sparkles. W's gone to a computer convention, so my mother came to help for the week.

By the time we have our morning walk and a light breakfast, it's 10am. It takes me a while to settle into studies. Sometimes my brain doesn't cooperate for an hour after I plunk myself on the office chair. The dogs keep me from freezing to the seat during the day: they want to get up every hour or two, which helps move me from the spot.

I skipped my walk this morning, though Mom has taken her walking sticks and headed out the door. It's 10am. Kirsten had a rough night: the memory foam mattress grabbed her, sank her into its trough, and held her until her neck and back seized up. Mom and I wrestled the padding, mattress, egg crate foam, and sheets off the base of the bed.

Up. Down. Up. Down. Kirsten tries out our experiments for comfort. A 5" thick, firm foam pad from atop the entry closet seems to be the ticket. Covered with an IKEA (folding bed) foam mattress, a doubled feather quilt, and bedding (with a medium-sized towel folded "just so" at the crease in the IKEA mattress), and a just-the-right-height-folded-body-pillow to extend the foot end, Kirsten is resting. "I hate feeling like the Princess and the Pea," she sighs and tries to get a snooze to make up for a sleepless night. "What Prince could want such a person?" We laugh and remind her that the prince of the fairytale actually sought out his princess.

It's a big day: Kirsten plans to go out for lunch and shopping with her s-i-l Melissa. The wheelchair's ready to glide down the ramp, built from the door to the ground (yay, W!) The women will take our SUV, and if her morning nap helps, K will have a fine day out. Grandma asked to watch Kinsey.Oh, that child is in for a treat!

Between all the chaos and changes in the household, I sent off a tutorial last night and am almost done with an article this morning. I'm planning to pack up and head for the library when Mom returns from her walk. "Focus, just focus," I remind myself. (Yeah, and while you do that, remember the girls will have the car. You're not going anywhere.)

This morning's turmoil proves again how life is neither straightforward nor neat. Though the goal may be clear, the journey defies definition.

God's Word is a light on our path, says Psalm 119. However, it's a torch for the next place to plant our feet on a steep hill climb, not a searchlight on a broad flat road. How does scripture inform your steps today?

Read more:

*“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.

"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:6-9 NIV

* Psalm 9:1-10; Genesis 12:10-13:18; Matthew 5:27-42

*The Lord said to Gideon, "Peace be to you; do not fear, you shall not die." Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it, The Lord is peace. Judges 6:23-24

*Christ says, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (NIV)

Moravian Prayer: Faithful God, we depend on your promises. When we open our eyes in the morning, we look for you throughout the day. When we close our eyes in the evening, we trust in you while we sleep. Amen.

The starting line

Each calendar year, we act as though we're at the starting line. The possibilities of blank pages stretch into June, September, November of 2012. What will the days bring? Will there be opportunities that we've prayed for? Will there be sorrows and partings?

Yes.

Yes, there will be all of these and more.

Instead of feeling anxious and fearful of the year, let's release 2012 into God's control. Nothing we do or say will make our dreams come true if he has not designed those things for us. No evil can harm us, no shadows darken our way, except his presence goes with us.

Along with working hard and doing our best, prayers of gratitude and surrender will ease us through the coming year. Whatever path God chooses for our journeys, walking with him adds meaning to glorious vistas and barren deserts alike.

People used to spout the cliche, "Let go and let God!" Perhaps a better motto for the New Year would be, "Hold tightly to God's loving hand to find contentment on the journey," whatever the year brings. After all, our eternal God encircles us without start or end, gently guiding to the final destination where we shall "ever be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:17).

Read more:

*Genesis 1:1-2:3; Matthew 1:1-17

*Blessed are those who walk not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the path of sinners,  nor sit in the seat of the scornful;  but their delight is in the law of the LORD,  and in His law they meditate day and night.  

They shall be like trees planted by the rivers of water, that bring forth their fruit in season,  whose leaves also shall not wither; and whatever they do shall prosper. Psalm 1:1-3   NKJV  (plural added)

"For the word of the LORD holds true, and we can trust everything he does. He loves whatever is just and good; the unfailing love of the LORD fills the earth." Psalm 33:4–5 NLT

*You have made the Lord your refuge. Psalm 91:9

*Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Moravian Prayer: God of our future, things will happen this year which we can not foresee. Some may delight us, and others may cause us grief. At year's end, we will look back and know you were with us. "Great is thy faithfulness!" Amen.