The Scarlet Letter

March 9, 2011

Maria Hebrews, Rest , , 4 Comments

‘You are/ it is’ precede ‘you should/ it is necessary that…’  A basic understanding of grammar comes in handy.  In the Christian world, God tells us facts before he commands us to obey him.  He tells us what IS (his character, his accomplishments, his power, his plans and goals) before he tells us what to DO.

When we fall into the sin of legalism, it’s because we’ve harnessed the proverbial cart before the horse, i.e., the imperative (do this) before the indicative (what is).

Here’s how using the indicative can help in our own lives. My thesis is that unless we keep telling ourselves Truth, then we fall victim to feelings which can lead us around by the nose.  Imagine you’re in the car, impatient to get home when someone cuts you off.  If you’re like me, you’re likely to criticize that other driver and think the worst about him.  But if you knew an indicative, a fact, your feelings would likely change.  What if you knew that in that car was a young husband desperately speeding to get his very pregnant wife to the hospital.  Imagine her in labor, in pain and him feeling helpless and mindful of only one thing, his precious wife. Would that change how you feel about him cutting you off?  Of course!  You would offer him some slack.  More information changes your assessment, hence the conclusion you draw and feed yourself, hence your feelings.

This example came to mind the other day when I was meditating on Hebrews.  In chapter 10, the author says that if the people knew that one sacrifice would wipe out their sins once and for all, they would no longer feel guilty for those sins. (Hebr 10: 2b ….for the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins.) That verse caused me to realize that I am not supposed to feel guilty for sins already forgiven.  The information that a sacrifice not only cleanses me, but takes away the guilt was new information.  And Jesus performed the one and only necessary sacrifice for sins AND for guilt.  When I still feel guilty after having been forgiven, I am forgetting a fact, an indicative.  Reminding myself of the fact that my guilt is taken away MAKES me feel differently.

The current message I’m receiving from the Bible and from sermons by RC Sproul and Tullian Tchividjian is how important the gospel message is to believers.  We need a steady daily diet of Gospel indicatives.  Our minds and hearts need to be saturated by the radical and scarcely-proclaimed message (one that is NOT intuitive, nor picked up by osmosis) of God’s grace and love. Culture daily bombards us with all the stuff we should do.  Guilt comes naturally in our culture.

I was brought to tears the other day listening to Tullian talk about the wonderful news of God’s grace.  He was illustrating it with an example of a student so stressed out by a high school honors class that she can’t perform.  In response the wise teacher guarantees her an A for the semester.   This A is contingent on NOTHING the student does, just on the kindness of the teacher.  From our perspective, this is an outrageous risk.  What if the student takes advantage of the ‘pre-destined A’?  Apparently that is a risk the teacher is willing to take.  In this real-life illustration, the high-school junior ended up relaxing and working hard and probably earning the A.  But she worked with peace of mind.

So too, we, have been given this ‘Scarlet Letter’, this predetermined grade of A, purchased in blood by Jesus.  It is a total gift.  We don’t have to do anything to earn it.  Furthermore, God won’t take it away from those he has given it to.  We can relax and learn from him.  We can trust this yoke, that it is easy.  Yet we chafe.  We would rather FEEL WORTHY.  Why is that?  Pernicious pride!  It offends us to have our opportunity  to earn WORTH taken away from us.  Somehow intrinsic value (totally up to God) doesn’t satisfy us.  This twisted thinking needs to be redeemed.  Only the daily drip method of life-giving Gospel truth can transform our minds.

The next time I start manufacturing pressure for myself, I need to pause and reflect.  Why am I feeling anxious?  What truth, fact, promise, and info about God do I need to remember?  What false conclusion am I drawing?  What am I trying to DO out of guilt or out of the idea that THIS is how ‘good’ Christians should act?  It is great news that I don’t have to DO anything.  I just have to ‘abide’ in Christ.  That means:  stay connected, keep my eyes on him, feed on him, hang out with him, be the Mary at his feet, rather than the Martha trying to get Jesus on her side against the ‘lazy ones’.

I want to wear this Scarlet Letter with pride!

A theology of Nos

March 1, 2011

Maria Hebrews, James, Prayer Leave a comment

The fervent prayers of a righteous woman make a lot of power available (James 5:16 – my version of the amplified)

Do all your prayers to God get answered?  How many Yeses have you had?  How many NOs?  How do you measure and track the results?  Recently a significant NO made me stop and think about my tally.

-God has given me many Yeses, many I have taken for granted

-The NOs actually teach me more because they cause me to pause, think and pray all the more.  The NOs teach me about God and about myself.  I want to talk about 3 NOs and 2 Yeses.

Ten days ago God closed a door.  I had been praying boldly in faith that not only would Mike secure an interview, but he would be chosen for a certain local civil service job.  The first cut was not a problem, but 3 weeks later he saw that he was a ‘non-select’.  Not being called for the interview hurt!  By our reckoning, he was imminently qualified.

This NO got me thinking about other NOs.  In the past 23 years, I can only recall 2 significant ones.  I’m sure there have been others, but they have faded from my memory.   More significant are the multitude of Yeses – hundreds of them: yeses to big prayers, to little prayers, to quick prayers and to long-term prayers. In fact just yesterday, a major YES came through, that is: safety and success for Wes in his Ranger course.

So what have I learned from the NOs? :  That I’m not in charge, that God truly does know best, that He has my best interests at heart, and that God has his reasons whether we know them or not.  Not bad lessons.

Our first NO was a response to another prayer about a job.  We wanted to stay in Germany where we were living in1983.  Doors shut and the fish weren’t biting, so we moved back to the States near where my parents were living.  My mom dropped dead, without a warning, 1 ½ years later.  In hindsight I saw the blessing to me and to our boys of that time with my mom.  Had we stayed in Europe (my heart’s desire) we would have been the poorer.

The other NO came as an answer to a fervent daily prayer that Wes and I offered on behalf of his friend who had applied to West Point as well.  Asthma blocked this boy’s admission and no waiver was forthcoming.   Frankly, I was shocked that God didn’t grant the waiver.  I truly thought that if we prayed in faith we could……what? …manipulate God?  I guess so!  That was a reality check.  God doesn’t always do what I think is best.

On the other hand, here are two Yeses that have been cooking for a long time.  I don’t think I really believed that God would answer them, (prayers wrapped in agnosticism).

Since I was 16 (I am now 53) I have struggled with eating issues. First there was bulimia…that God miraculously removed from my repertoire of destructive actions.  But since that deliverance at age 25, I have still struggled, prayed and cried about my body, obsessing over all things food and body.  Now, however, in the past 3 months, God has given me a way to eat and to maintain my weight without obsessing.  I am amazed.  He really DOES answer long-term prayers.

The other long-term prayer has to do with professional skill.  I switched to a completely different method of teaching French 8 ½ years ago.  It has been VERY difficult, because it is a skill that requires thinking on one’s feet and depending on the energy of the students, similar to an ‘Improv’ artist and his audience.  My husband has prayed along side of me, encouraging me with lots of love as he did when I was bulimic.  And again, in the past 3 months, I have popped out above the clouds and the skills have jelled. My confidence and delight in teaching this way have rapidly grown.  An unexpected answer to prayer, it alighted on my shoulder almost unnoticed at first.

In conclusion, here is what I have learned from the NOs and the Yeses.  I am ‘owning’ the command to “pray always”, being watchful and thankful.  As I pray, I totally FEEL that I can trust God to answer the prayers as He sees fit.  He knows all the circumstances and is immensely creative and patient. And I do not grow in prayer only through my own experiences, as if in a vacuum.  Answers to my own prayers are not alone in spurring me on.  Each time another brother and sister in Christ bids me pray for a need and then shares their rocky journey toward the answer (whether a No or a Yes) I am encouraged. For I am reminded that God IS listening and He DOES care.   That is the blessing gained from belonging to the body of Christ and being transparent and unashamed.

“Let us continue to spur one another to love and good deeds (PRAYER), not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day approaching” Heb 10: 24-25

 

The blessing of Academic Freedom

February 21, 2011

Maria Thankfulness , , 2 Comments

May I never take for granted the gift of academic freedom to teach French the way that is best for my students and for me!

I am blessed to teach in a private school that supports me 100 % in how I choose to teach both French & Logic.

What this means for me is that as I learn through what I read and listen to, I can tailor content to fit my students.  I adjust throughout the week.  As a result, I feel free and affirmed as a professional. I derive immense joy at this unconstrained ability to grow with my students.  In addition, my content in French is driven by my students’ imaginations and interests as well as my own.

For example, after 8 ½ years of using TPRS™ (teaching proficiency through reading & storytelling), I now feel both skilled and competent to go into class and do the following two activities.

a)   As an opener or warm up, I can have a conversation in French with any of my 3 levels of class (French 1, 2, 3) that is both comprehensible to them and personal.  We talk about their weekend, their interests, and their problems.  They learn new vocabulary as the conversation meanders.  I write essential words on the board as the conversation progresses.  Curriculum does not constrain or drive my classes.

b)   As my planned activity, I can go into class with one sentence and let this slim basis for a story grow where it will, emerging from my students’ input.  They then embed and adorn that sentence with themselves and a story emerges that is tailored to that particular class

For example, my sentence last week with my French 1 students was:  “Laura’s grandparents were still living”.  Laura was a character they had made up in the previous week’s story.  Going into this class, I had a phrase in mind that I wanted to teach them the following day (they have the tendency to _____).  But first we had to develop this fictional grandpa and grandma.

This couple became Bob & Cherrie who were both 2 feet, 2 inches tall.  Bob, a former soldier, turns out to be addicted to video games in his old age.  Cherrie, a former buyer for a clothing store, is depressed by Bob’s habit and turns to vodka.  I flow with the kids, making sure to make everything comprehensible. I work the details, so that the new words and details are repetitive enough to stick in their long-term memory.  They provide the personal interest, because the details are theirs.  I learn new words (had to look up how to say “addicted to”) so it’s good for me.

Another example of the blessing of unconstrained curriculum is what has happened when a French teacher in Mulhouse France contacted me.  We have set up a loose exchange between her students learning English and mine.  The other day she sent papers they had written about some pressing issues in America and asked for my students to respond.  I have the time to formulate a plan and work that into my lessons for the following week.  We can spend class talking about issues of immigration and ‘the American dream’ and what French teens might think.  If I had to follow a weekly plan imposed on me from the administration, I would have to let that go.

The methodology and thinking behind TPRS™ guides my daily activity, but in a non-constrained way that allows for expansive growth and unlimited possibilities.  I can do whatever I want as long as the French is comprehensible, repetitive and interesting to my students.  I can incorporate music, history, the Gospel, vignettes from my life, random stories from the paper, ANYTHING as long as I make them comprehensible and repetitive.

I am a very satisfied teacher.  Thank you, Jesus for giving me a passion for language and leading me away from the shackles of textbook teaching.  Thank you, Summit Christian Academy for believing in me and supporting me.  Thank you, Michael for working a job that is not your cup of tea but provides income so that I can work in a private Christian school.  Thank you, Blaine Ray for birthing this method and fellow TPRSers for fleshing it out and sharing unselfishly.

My prayer – Lord, keep me grateful.  Keep me growing.  Keep me depending on You!

 

When faith is feeble

February 21, 2011

Maria 1 Peter, Ephesians, Faith, Hebrews , , Leave a comment

It’s not your faith! And that is good news.  If it were, then you might have cause to worry.  For if faith were all up to you, it might not be enough for the job.  We live as though we are the ones who have to generate our faith.  We fret and deconstruct his words, when Jesus claims that all we need is a tiny bit of faith, no more than a miniscule mustard seed.

Here is why we don’t have to worry.  Who or what is the source of your faith?  Certainly not you.  You don’t have to muster up faith and hope that it is enough.  You didn’t have any to begin with.  If you or I have saving faith in any amount, it is because we have been given it.  Consider the following texts:

  • Ephesians 2: 8-9  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
  • Hebrews 12: 2 …let us “…fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith…”
  • And a long passage from 1 Peter 1:  …we are
    “protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last times. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while,  if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,  so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at )the revelation of Jesus Christ;”

I read this passage the other day and was astonished by what God revealed after a 2nd glance.  At first I panicked, “I don’t think I can be truly protected by God, because my faith is weak”.  But then the Holy Spirit reminded me that I am not the source or creator or originator of my faith.  If I have any faith in God it is because it has been given to me.  And God says that whatever size his gift of faith is, it is enough.  The trials Peter refers to are not to make me look bad, but to prove TO ME, that this blessing of faith is not only adequate and reliable but sufficient as well for whatever life throws at me.

Now when we go back and look at all the texts which talk about faith, we see it in a different light:  ‘the righteous shall live by faith”.  Who is that verse talking about?   It is those who have been awakened from the dead (i.e. born again), thanks to God. Once they have been enabled to see, they then realize, and with eyes wide open, the choices of life and death before them. They gratefully accept the gift of both a clean slate and imputed righteousness as well as a storehouse of faith.  They can NOW live by this faith that God has put into them.  So it is the born again (aka the ‘righteous’), who live by faith: faith in God’s character, in his past actions and in his future promises.  They don’t look to their abilities, gifting and experience.

Now we we can surrender the lament that sounds ‘oh, so modest’, but is truly a sign of pride and unbelief, “Woe is me, for my lack of faith!”  If you are a believer, you have been given sufficient faith.  Step out, rely on God.  You won’t fall – and if you do, his strong arms are there to catch you.  Promise!  (God’s word cannot lie).   Encourage yourself with the truth that this gift of faith will not leak out.  You might feel weak, but you just have to realign your thoughts with God’s word and trust this faith. If it is from God, it is adequate.  It’s like manna for the day. Remind yourself that as a new creation, you have new resources to go with your new nature.  The faith is now a fact, if you are believer.  And it can never leave you!

Now what was it that you are afraid to do?  What have you let yourself off the hook about?  Repent and ‘drive on all the way’, as my Infantry father used to say.  With God’s faith residing in you, it’s all good.

 

My Four Favorite Hebrew Words

February 15, 2011

Maria Uncategorized 2 Comments

The best Bible I bought was an NASB translation that has both the Hebrew and the Greek words at the back.  So select words are bolded and then the Strong’s index number is listed as a side script and one can flip to the back and see the meaning in multiple nuances.  It’s VERY cool.  My study is exponentially enriched because I can glean extra pickings and plumb the very context and significance of a term.  I knew I wanted this kind of reference tool as soon as I learned that the Holy Spirit was given to us as a deposit or pledge, as an ‘arrebon’ (Strongs-328).  The reference describing this ‘arrebon’ mentioned that that word is used today in Modern Greek to mean ‘engagement rin’.  That just made me love God all the more!  What a great image of God’s commitment to us!

Today I want to tell you about my four favorite Hebrew words and how they have become friends:  The first one is: # 6960- qavah.  It means to wait patiently.  Psalm 40 commences, “I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of slimy pit, out of the mud and mire.”  Qavah has the sense of binding cords or strands.  I picture David in a pit, confidently waiting on God because he is praying continually.  But all the while he is praying, he is preparing for his assured rescue by weaving a rope from materials found in the pit.  Qavah is assuredly NOT passive.  We pray, thus casting  all our cares on Him.  We know He is going to help and rescue when the time is right.  So we start our preparations as best we can from our end.  We don’t wring our hands and worry.  Qavah appears 53 times in the OT.

Related to waiting patiently is the Hebrew word for trust – # 982 – Batach. Earthy me thinks ‘buttocks’ – hay, I need a mnemonic device!   The meaning of trust is expansive enough to include a good sense of being ‘care-less’, made secure, emboldened, made confident, an utter reliance on something.  It occurs 129 times in the OT.  Psalm 37:3 is a favorite of mine– Trust in the Lord and (you will) do good.  And then again from Psalm 40:4, Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust. This word trust is a version of Batach – it is mitbach  – # 4009.

The next two Hebrew words are often paired together.  They are loving-kindness and truth/faithfulness.  Khesed, # 698 is the Hebrew word for loving-kindness.  I don’t understand how some people blithely dismiss ‘the God of the Old Testament’ as being different from the Jesus of the NT.  God the Father and Jesus are one.  Both are Loving-Kindness in person.  Not fewer than 253 times does this attribute of God appear in the NT.  David relies on God’s ‘khesed’ to protect him.  Numbers 14:18 – The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in  ‘khesed’ and forgiving sin and rebellion.  Hosea 6:6 – For I desire ‘khesed’, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

As a twin to ‘Khesed’ is the Hebrew word ‘Emeth’.  It means both truth and faithfulness.  It is used 128 times in the OT.  Because God is a God of truth, He is faithful to His word, to His character.  What He says is true.  What He says will come to pass.  I can depend on Him to tell it like it is and not change His mind.  Psalm 19:9 says that the law or ordinances or the Word of God is ‘emeth’, meaning that it is sure.  In Psalm 31:15, He is called the God of Truth.  The psalmist, so in love with ‘God’s truth’ swears in Psalm 40 that he does not withhold God’s ‘emeth’ from other believers.  What could be more beautiful than Psalm 85:10, “Khesed and emeth meet together” – ‘Loving-kindness’ and ‘faithfulness/truth’ come together in God.

These Hebrew words are becoming familiar friends that comfort me.  As I read my Bible each day, I am excited to spot them, these signposts of God’s character, and indicators of God’s promises.  I praise God for our love of His Word…..which means our love for Him, the Logos.  And don’t forget that the concept ‘logic’ is tied to the Greek word Logos.   But delving into those riches will have to wait –  for another post,  about my favorite Greek words.

I just want you to realize that since you & I are made in God’s image, equipped to use and savor and understand words, that there is a treasure trove in the Hebrew and Greek languages.  Since God’s communication to us is written in those languages, treasures lie just below the surface, waiting to be retrieved.  Happy digging!

Openers – how to fish

February 10, 2011

Maria Colossians, Witnessing , , Leave a comment

« ……Always be prepared….. »   a fragment of 1 Pet 3 :15

My fear is that I miss opportunities to witness.

“How are you?” comes the greeting from a colleague at school, or the butcher at Kroger, or the owner of two dogs I pass every morning at 5:45.  And nothing God-exalting leaves my mouth.

“Let all who love His salvation ALWAYS say, ‘the Lord be exalted!  Great is the Lord’”   Psalm 40 is convicting.  I do love his salvation…but my mouth freezes when I ponder what to say.  There’s never enough time. (Hint – that’s why Peter counsels us to be like a boy scout)

Don’t think that I don’t TRY to have something at hand.  Often I make an attempt to concoct catchy openings.  Sunday morning I was out walking, rehearsing my memory verses (Psalm 40). Steve and beagle approached.  Banally I intoned, “Cold this morning, isn’t it” – not really a question, just a passing comment.  Blew it again!  How lame can one get!  My continued promenade out I struggled to come up with something that would test the waters – in 3 seconds.  I wanted something that I could say to Steve when our paths crossed on our respective return trips. “So, where do you & your wife worship Jesus on Sundays?”  (too long and pointed).  Nothing seemed natural.  Another complication was that it was Super Bowl Sunday.  (“Say, Steve, who do you think God is rooting for in today’s big game?” )    Fortunately Steve had already turned into his neighborhood and wasn’t subjected to my bungling attempts.  But there is next time.

This morning I was drawn back to one of my favorite OT words “esher/asher”.  Yes, it’s the name of one of Jacob’s sons.  It means blessed, happy, literally –  blissful.  As you can imagine, it is used OFTEN in the OT and also in the NT.

What a great adjective!  I could substitute THAT for ‘fine’ when someone inquires about my well-being.  “Hi Maria, how are you?  – my short response – “Blissful, and you?” With one word, I could ‘fish’.  If this particular fish were enticed by that kind of bait, then a God-exalting conversation might ensue.  If the fish was not into godly bliss, than nothing lost.  He/she would just think I’m a bit weird in my choice of words.

I should not FEEL anxious about fishing.  After all, catching fish for Christ is not our task.  We are called to be ‘fishers of men’.  Offer the Gospel (in parts or whole) and then trust God for the results, the ‘catch’.  But we do have to do our part.  Fish don’t just jump into the boat.

This theme of winsome, strategic conversation is a Biblical theme.    In another passage Paul counsels the Colossians and us to “be wise in the way (we) act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity….(our) conversation (should) be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that (we) may know how to answer everyone.”  Col 4:5-7

Please pray that I may REMEMBER and OBEY God in this first step of fulfilling the Great Commission day by day.

This bears repeating-or how to remember what is important.

February 2, 2011

Maria Uncategorized Leave a comment

It all started with a dream last weekend about my grandmother, Mimi.  Mimi lived with me my whole life until I went away to college.  Yet I cannot remember a single thing she said, except for an embarrassing pet name she bestowed on me, “Maria Baby Ball”.  Ball was a family name 3 generations removed and also my middle name.

When I awoke from my dream I stayed disturbed for almost a week. First I asked my husband what he made of my foggy remembrances.  In the process of sharing my angst, my husband and I started talking about school teachers and those we recalled.  As our memories were stirred, we could only access feelings, no words.  For Mike, the teachers he could name were all ones who had liked him.

When I met for coffee with Kris, my dear friend, she shared about how significant a role her grandmother had played in her childhood and spiritual formation.  She has vivid memories of her grandmother reading her Bible and sharing Jesus with her. Kris’ opposite experience with a live-in grandmother strengthened the remoteness I felt when thinking of my grandmother. The more I sifted through my childhood years, the more I realized that my grandmother was just background.  I next phoned my cousin Darby who is a few years older, to see if she could fill in some color to my two-dimensional recollections.  Our conversation was animated, but produced minimal fruit for either of us.

Remembering is an important theme in the Bible.  Hebrew history is littered with sad tales of generations who failed to remember and subsequently suffered serious trouble.  Many were the warnings, so calamity should have come as no surprise.  But human nature being what it is, we, too are startled when we forget significant past events of God’s lessons.  Being more modern and civilized has not helped us.  (Who seriously believes men are evolving into less evil beings?)

So what are we to do?  What should Mimi have done if she had wanted to bless me with any profound lessons or insights gained from her 95 years?   Verbal repetition is the key.  Repetition sears content into our brains.  I know this from negative experiences.  When I rehearse the hurts done to me by two or three people in my past at various times, I speak the details out loud to a friend or to my husband.  I formulate the thoughts, I say the words, I feel the pain, I hear the words and the intensity of my voice and that memory groove is deepened.

God knows us. (After all he made us).  He knows how our brains work, how we flit to the next event in our lives.  He repeatedly commands us to work at remembering. His word is filled with exhortations to remember and not forget:

Ps 106:13- But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold.

Ps 78:42 – They did not remember his power- the day he redeemed them from the oppressor.

Deut 4:23a – Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God that he made with you.

Josh 1:8- Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; 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.

And a more positive resolution –

Ps 119:16 -I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

Ps 119:93 – I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.

So why does this matter?  Well, for one thing.  I, too am Mimi – to little Chloe Isla Cochrane, aged 19 months.  And there is another Cochrane grandson on the way.  My friend Kris is a grandma to 3 grandchildren.  My cousin Darby is Mimi to 5 grandchildren.  A lot is at stake.  What and why do you need to remember?  What are you going to do about it?

Joy, Obedience and Major Premises

January 27, 2011

Maria Attitude, Joy, Thinking , Leave a comment

John 15: 9-11 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Jesus really wants us to be happy.  And he knows what will satisfy us the most – that is “remaining in him and obeying him”.

He makes amazing claims.  Not only is he not the cosmic meany who wants to block what will make me happy, he is claiming that he can and already has arranged for me to have complete joy.

Who or what ever claims to offer you complete joy?   A house makeover, a body makeover, a new car, a new wardrobe, a new husband, a new job, how about just a new cell phone (can anyone say Verizon iPhone – at last!!)..None of these even pretends to claim to offer us joy, let alone complete joy.  But here is Jesus, explicitly going out on a limb and informing us that he knows us well enough to provide what we cannot even imagine will satisfy us.

I, Maria, don’t even know what will provide me joy. Yet…this offer of his joy, of total joy..it  beckons and stands alone in the universe, unrivaled by anyone, anything.

Hmm…and it doesn’t sound like it will cost me much.  I don’t have to give up my job, my residence, my husband, my money, my habits….(my comfort foodJ  )  All I have to do is…..well..OBEY Him.  Okay, so what does Jesus command?  That’s a bit harder.  There are all sorts of commands in the Bible.  Do I look in the Old Testament or the New?

I can’t be too quick to narrow my scope to the New Testament, just because I am a Christian.  After all, Jesus announces he didn’t come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.  But didn’t the Son of God himself boil the cumbersome laws to just 2 commands – Love God…Love your neighbor (Matthew 22:36)  But wait a moment – there are OTHER two-law summaries. In 1 John 3:23, John reports Jesus as saying –“And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.”   And in Mark 1:15 – Jesus commands us to repent and believe the good news. So what is a sincere Christian to do?

Here is what I conclude.  Jesus tells us that if we abide in him and his word abides in us, (John 15: 7) then we can ask for guidance about what to do and he will instruct us.  There is no other ONE SIZE FITS ALL guideline than this.  Saturating ourselves with his word is enough.  When we take in and meditate on scripture, then we can think through propositional truth, what I call ‘Major Premises’ and they help us make decisions.

Here is an illustration.  I was making Coq au Vin for a small dinner party Sunday night.  As I was dredging the chicken thighs and legs in flour to brown, my first thought was “poor chicken – he/ she was slaughtered for me to eat” and I started down the PETA –path.  Then I quickly was pulled back to reality by a Biblical major premise, by a propositional truth. I was reminded that, ‘God has given us animals to eat and has blessed that gift in a conversation with both Noah in the OT (Gen 9:3) and Peter in the NT (Acts 10:13)’.  From there it was a quick move to 1 Cor 10:31 – So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

My joy was quickly restored and the guests enjoyed the chicken.J

Trust the method – It’s not all up to me!

January 18, 2011

Maria 1 Peter, Acts, Matthew, Trust 3 Comments

Exodus 4:12 – Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and will teach you what you shall say

This week I’m reflecting on a parallel between

  • The ‘success/results’ of my French students whom I teach with an acquisition/input based (non-text book) method
  • and the ‘success/results’ of those with whom I tell the Good News about what Jesus has done

Last Friday as I was reading one particular French 2 student’s homework story I was impressed with her level of writing.  Granted, she is bright and highly motivated.  But the system I use to teach French to her and others is so powerful, that even if I’m not super skilled at it, learners will achieve.  Here was more evidence that the results have little to do with my skill as a teacher, but with the method!  So why the stress?

My husband Mike and I were walking on Saturday, and I was sharing with him how pleased I was at this girl’s ability and how it is due to this fantastic way of teaching foreign languages.  He reminded me that I ‘angst’ all the time about being ‘good enough/ skilled enough’ with the method and that I need NOT play that anxious game anymore.  All of a sudden, I saw the application to my anxiety about sharing the Gospel.  If I truly believe that the power of God is in the Gospel, then why should I worry about ‘doing it’ right?  It’s not all up to me.  Just like teaching French via this input method is not all up to me.  The method works. I just have to use it and trust it.

This is exciting; because the immediate implication is that I don’t have to be PERFECT.  I just have to be willing to DO it.  I’m ashamed to say that often pride gets in the way of this truth and I WANT to do it well. Here’s what happens:

I am a blog-lurker.  I read blogs every day whose content is either Christianity (doctrine, practice, defending/ presenting the faith) or French (content, culture, current events, methodology).  Many days I come away feeling inadequate, that I’m not as good as other Christians or other language teachers who use the method of TPRS® (teaching proficiency through reading & storytelling). Yet I should know better about my profession because at the summer conferences I attend, one of the mantras is:  “Poor TPRS is better than NO TPRS”

To be logical I should tell myself, “Exalting Jesus in some way is better than keeping my mouth shut”.  So why don’t I exalt Jesus every day?”  The truth is, I can get away with not opening my mouth about Jesus.  I’m paid and held accountable for teaching French each day.  There are immediate consequences if I simply conduct a study hall in each class, day after day.  What are the consequences if I don’t open my mouth about Jesus?

I don’t have to list them for you…they are actually far more serious.  So why am I reluctant?  Expectations!  My school kids expect me to teach them French.  What is the expectation of those people whose paths I cross each day?  Well, I actually don’t know.  Who’s not to say that they were prepared by God to meet someone who would tell them some good news?   After all, there is precedence in the Bible.  Cornelius (Acts 10) was told by an angel in a vision to send a message to Peter.  Likewise Peter while praying was prompted to let go of certain food rituals.  These two unlikely people met (because they were obedient) and it made a HUGE difference in their lives and in the Kingdom.

In conclusion….pray that you and I be obedient to God’s commands. As ordinary Christians, our daily duty falls SOMEWHERE between these two expectations:

  • Matt 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
  • 1 Pet 3:15  But in your hearts set Christ apart as holy as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully.

 

 

 

Jumping for Joy

January 11, 2011

Maria 1 Peter, Joy , 2 Comments

1 Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now, for a little while, you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

‘Agalliao’ literally means to jump for joy.  Translators have drained off the very enthusiasm, sucked the brimming delight out of the original Greek.

What makes you deliriously happy?  Sometimes I glance at the gym’s TVs when I’m on the treadmill.  If I’m working out around 4 pm, Oprah used to be on.  Have you ever caught that show on one of her ‘goodie-give-away days’?  You’d think the women had just been told that a tumor is benign or something a little more significant.  But it’s just stuff that has them stirred up.

Or how about Superbowl Sunday in America?  An unpredictable upset can send the winning team’s fans into orbit.  I’ve never witnessed a Mega-Lottery winner’s initial reaction at the news of his change of fortune, but I can picture it.  They say the giddiness of the good news wears off as greedy distant relatives emerge and concrete decisions overwhelm the winner.

So why should you & I as believers, as God’s chosen children, jump for joy every day?  For starters, let’s consider some facts:

  • We have been permanently saved from the fiery grip of Hell’s demons
  • We have a guaranteed inheritance that is waiting for us in heaven. (I really can’t imagine all that might entail, but I am assured by God’s word that it is beyond human imagination.  And it must be VERY good, if Christ were willing to die so we could share in it.)
  • Remarkable  accounting transactions.  As a believer, Jesus’ righteousness counts for me and my sins have been transferred to him. What a deal!
  • God’s supernatural presence, power, protection, provision and all his possessions are mine in this present life -1 Cor 3:21b – ‘for all things belong to you (believers).’
  • God also gives me purpose for living in this present life (we were created to enjoy bringing Him glory) and guaranteed work/purpose in the Kingdom of God that is beyond this worldly concept of TIME.  We won’t float around in unending boredom strumming harps and polishing our halos – we’ll be busy with significant work.
  • God brings meaning to suffering and promises justice for wrongs done us.
  • God promises to work/weave the ‘all things’ (the suffering and injustices done us and our loved ones) into the fabric of our story that will bring Him glory and us eventual joy.

Dear Lord, the next time someone asks, “Maria, how are you doing?” may I remember to let them in on a little secret…that I’m turning cartwheels when I think what awaits me.  Let me NOT be afraid to share the good news that is available to them as well.  There are plenty of invites left for those who want to receive God’s enduring ‘goodies’.  And the joy will not fade within minutes/ hours or days from receiving this blood-stained invitation.  Don’t forget to ‘RSVP’!

 

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