Leah's Rainbow

Today I wanted so much to see one of the special rainbows that God sends me whenever something special is going to happen.  So I asked for it.  Like Elijah I went several times to look over at Semple Cay and at Friendship and even at Monkey Hill, really expecting to see one.  But I didn't.  And even as I was asking, a thought came into my mind that said, "With all the suffering and distress and loss in New Zealand do you still have the heart to ask God for something so trivial as a rainbow?"  But I immediately countered the thought by praying a prayer similar to this:

"Lord, after the devastating flood in Noah's time you sent a rainbow to let them know that all would be well.  You would never destroy the whole world with a flood, ever again.  But the New Zealanders are now mourning after such a great tragedy.  Would you please send them the equivalent of a rainbow to comfort them in their time of loss?"

I also prayed that in case there were still people trapped under the rubble who were still alive after so many days where people were thinking it was impossible to find anyone alive, that God would let them be rescued.

However, I didn't think it was insensitive to ask God for a rainbow at this time.  Rainbows always remind me that God is a promise keeper. Rainbows give me this extra loving feeling for God, my creator. God is not limited by the frequency or the intensity of world events; he isn't too busy to be disturbed with insignificant requests.  But, evening came, and night covered the day. Still no sign of a rainbow. 

Shortly before calling it quits for the night I decided to do a Google search for "Leah"s Rainbow".  I came up with the following blog, which at first brought to mind the mug I have that says,

                           

                  Leah
                                                So willing to help
                                                So much to be done
                                                No wonder she's often
                                                The weary one
                                                                                             Jack Piatr

This mug  description fits me so well. 

http://gladwellmusau.wordpress.com/2010/02/20/married-but-unloved/#more-655

The blog post speaks about a woman desperately longing for her husband's love in her marriage by bearing children with the hope that her husband would fall in love with her.  Finally when she realizes that she cannot win his love that way she stops having children and instead she decides she would praise the Lord.

My name is Leah.  My story is different.  My intention was not to get married, not to have children because of my own childhood experiences, even though I loved children very much.  My earthly father figure did not accurately image my Heavenly Father.  I thought of Him as a harsh, judgmental God, just waiting for me to do something wrong so he could punish me.

But this God who makes the rainbows and draws my attention to them, who thrills me with his colourful arches across the sky, had other plans for me.  He gave me a wonderful husband who loves me so much, who has fathered our three wonderful children who love God and us as parents, and He has for over thirty years been intimately involved in the shaping of our marriage and family for his delight. 

As parents we would put a plaster on a bruise and "kiss and make it better."  God does the same for us.  In this imperfect world we can get bruised, battered and figuratively or literally buried under the rubble of life.  So tonight my heart aches for the children of New Zealand--the big ones and the small ones--whose hearts are all bruised.  May God who is preparing a new heaven and a new earth come and kiss and make it better for New Zealand, for Haiti, for Pakistan, for Australia, for Egypt, and for all those places experiencing some kind of distress.

Finally, in Googling for the significance of a rainbow I came across the following picture which "incidentally" was from New Zealand:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rainbow_At_Maraetai_Beach_New_Zealand.jpg


Love,
Leah

Running Ahead of God

We are like extra-large babies.  I visualize a toddler, fascinated and over-confident in his new walking abilities.  The parent and the toddler appear to be going down the road.  The father is carrying the young child but determinedly the child squirms and pushes himself out of his parent's grasp, slides down to the ground, and then takes off in a speed ahead of him. 

"Wait!" the parents calls out, knowing at any moment traffic can come speeding round the corner.  But on rushes the infant, deaf to the safety calls of his guardian.

As if on cue, with a deafening roar, a rider on motor bike races toward them, frightening the not-so-brave-any-more child, back to the arms of his loving parent.
We are like that.  We sometimes have the idea that we want to go somewhere.  Or we hear God say that we will be going somewhere.  Without waiting for directions, or even misunderstanding directions, if any, we take off, ahead of our Father.  And God, who is ahead of time and knows what's around the corner, stretches out his hand to guide us.  But we wriggle out of his loving arms to strike out on our own.  It isn't that our Father is not going to put us down to walk part of the journey, but knowing the road ahead of time he is selective in where he should do just that.

This morning I read Chapter 4 of Never Alone by Joseph F. Girzone even while I was visualizing the above illustration and I am amazed by the different media by which God is helping me to understand the relationship (intimacy) for which I have been crying out with him.

It's like the story of the prodigal son and how it helps us to see Our Father giving to us lavishly.  We are all prodigal children who have spent on ourselves most of what our Heavenly Father has so generously given to us. 

We have spent our gift of salvation on ourselves. We have had our social Sunday morning parties in our church pews.  The music got better and better.  We had fun and sought more and more ways to make the party more enjoyable.  We spent all our financial blessings on feeling good.  Like gluttons we have eaten so much spiritual food without caring much for the needy outside. We have wasted our talents when we could have invested them in the Kingdom. When we feel empty, hurting and lost we come crawling back to him. Luckily, God is always glad to see us coming back from the distance and he reaches out to greet and welcome us.

From my journal of 9th October 2010

NEW DAY--ARISE!

God reaches down from the sky and tickles my feet.  Like a touch of the television switch my dreams shut off abruptly.

"Wake up, my child," he says in a gentle voice.  For one who holds such awesome power in his hands, his tenderness is amazing.

"New Day's ready!" he calls.

 "What are we having today, Father?" I ask.

"First, let's get you washed in my Son's blood," he replies, washing away my sins and making me feel clean and ready for the day.  "Now that you're clean, put on your clothes."

"Which ones, Father?"

"Those Christ sent.  You can wear the one with the fruits of the Spirit, or you can put on your helmet of salvation, your breastplate of righteousness, your tight belt of truth.  You will need your shield of faith if you choose to wear that armour, and your shoes to be ready to announce the good news of peace.  Call me if you need help."

"Okay, I'm dressed!" I announce excitedly, my anticipation rising as I try to imagine what my Father has prepared in the new day he has spread before me.  "Oh, I'm hungry!" I declare.

"Not bread alone, dear," says my awesome, powerful, loving Father, God.  "But also every word that proceeds out of my mouth."

That spiritual meal is just out of this world.  I'll have some later.

"That was great, Father!" I call out.  "Thank you very much."

"Welcome, my child," he says with a big warm smile that looks like the sun in the early morning.  He kisses me on the cheek.  I feel his breath like a gentle breeze blowing across the bay.  I stretch contentedly.

"Now, get going!" he commands firmly but lovingly.  "Don't forget to keep in touch today.  I'm only a prayer away.  If you forget the number, it's listed in JESUS NAME.  Bye now."

"Bye, Father. In Jesus name..."


This was written by Leah in 1998 and was recently discovered among the many bits and pieces of her writings.

Resident Thought

God lived in Heaven in splendor greater than all the pomp and ceremony of Great Britain.  Talk about opulence! Wealth unsurpassed than anything you have seen on earth.  Peace, with not a spot of disturbance.  His Royal Majesty, Almighty God, in the Kingdom of Heaven.  He ruled and reigned with his created heavenly beings.

And then! He made man like him, i.e. in his image, to populate, manage, beautify and rule over the lesser created beings that were part of the representative Kingdom of God on Earth.

The Glory light of God was man's clothing.  Man basically had the freedom and legal right to govern.  He had unrestricted access to Earth's resources, except the fruit from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

If you know the story, man blew it.  He took a chance on a lie and threw everything back into chaos.

He lost his glorified covering, caused environmental degradation and contracted a deadly disease.  Worst of all, this incurable/terminal disease was passed on through the spiritual DNA of every human being born from the union of the very first man and woman.

SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)?  No.  SINS (Shared Inherited Nature Syndrome)!  SINS have no cure--and here's where the story gets interesting.  What I have just recapped is the resident thought--the baseline information a person must have to be able to share the gospel or good news to Jewish people and non-Jewish people alike.  It is a message for atheists, religious and non-religious people.  It is a message for mankind.  Every human being was born under a death sentence because of a choice made for the human race by Adam and Eve.

The situation was hopeless.  That was until God, in the Kingdom of Heaven, decided to provide a cure and restore mankind and the Earth to what he had originally wanted. God himself (The Father, The Word, The Spirit) decided that the Word would become the Son of God, go down to Earth in the form of a human being, be born from the womb of a virgin woman, grow to tell people about his rescue mission, then be killed on a cross.  In dying on the cross, his blood would satisfy God's wrath for man's disobedience.  He would make an exchange.  His life for the life of every human being.  His pure blood would be the purifier for human blood; it would take away sins, and his wounds (stripes--the horrible wounds  that were inflicted before and at his crucifixion) would heal diseases.  The requirement now is for every human being to believe that Jesus is real, that he is the Son of God, that he died that we might live forever (we first have to lose this old body so that we can get a new and imperishable one), he lives in Heaven where he first came from, and that he will come again.  He is preparing a new Heaven and a new Earth.  You are faced with a choice once again.  Don't take a chance on a lie.  Your sins can be taken away.  If you eat now from the tree of Life, which Jesus now offers, you will surely live forever.  But if you prefer to continue to eat from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, there will be good things in your life as well as evil, and there will be no escape.  If you believe and trust Jesus to take away the sin disease from you, though evil may occasionally show up in your life, the power of God will help you overcome until you put off this old body and step into eternity where you can never, ever, be touched by evil.  

You will rule and reign over the creation in the new Earth that is being prepared for you.  That's how it should have been.  And that's how it promises to be again for all who believe and obey.  Make your choice.

Editor's note:  The search for the Fountain of Youth, environmental protection, and the longing for perfect government and peace strike a common note with the fall of man. You can trace the story in its original source from Genesis Chapters 1, 2, 3 and Revelation Chapter 21.  For easy access to an online bible reference see:


http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis%201&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis%202&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis%203&version=NIV


http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=revelation%2021&version=NIV

Recognizing And Using Your Gift

While my girls were away at university they had my permission to call me at any time of the night or day if they needed to talk or pray about anything.  And they did call.  They have left university with testimonies of how effective those prayers were in their time of stress.  The wonderful thing about it is that their friends would sometimes request prayer during difficult situations because they saw how God answered.

Because of that I used to think that maybe someday I could become a University Mom, where I could be available online for college and university students going through the difficulty of not having their moms around to minister to them in times of urgency.

Many people have a hard time determining their gifts but truly want to serve God with those gifts. 

I would begin by thanking God for them.  He gives good gifts to his children.  Ask him to help you open up those gifts, to understand how to use them, and to connect you to the power to utilize these tools efficiently and effectively. 

Enjoy seeing others transformed by your love for Creator, the giver of good gifts.

If you love children, take a clue from that.  What do you like to do with them? Hiking, reading, art, movies, swimming, dancing, story telling, cooking, videography?   All these activities have the opportunities to incorporate Christian lifestyles and help to bring positive change to a generation that badly needs it.

If you enjoy making people laugh you will be surprised to see how you can touch lives by honing that skill.  So many people are right in your community, at your office, at school-- in fact they are everywhere--and just need some humour to lift their spirits. 

If you like praying, ask God for opportunities to pray for people just when they need it so that their faith can be strengthened.  If you like learning and sharing scripture, ask him for lots of creative ways to share them with others.


It is more satisfying to share your gifts than to keep them to yourself. Above all, remember to always walk with the greatest gift of all--LOVE.  Sometimes we can forget it in our excitement to share the other ones. Whenever that happens, quickly run back home and ask the Father to hand it to you.

And that is another long story to be continued.

Gone To Come Back

I don't know if the expression, "gone to come back" is universal slang.  I know that if I say locally, "I gone to come back", the listener understands that I am not going out to stay but to do my business and return promptly.

It's amazing how God speaks to us in everyday experiences to help us understand his kingdom principles.  Just a few evenings ago I was trying to influence a young Christian to see things from a different perspective as she grudgingly tried to help out in a situation. But she was more concerned about getting the thing done than being bothered with the attitude that went along with the service. 

As I pondered on the matter I remembered the forever presence of God.  I smiled to think that God never takes a break to go to the washroom--you know the kind of "I gone to come back, so in the meantime you can take a break from being the kind and gentle person you try to be while I am with you."  Do for others as (the way) you would like it done for you remains a valid principle in everyday Christian living.

Jesus has literally gone to come back.  In the meantime he has left his Holy Spirit with us to enable us to emulate his character. His character bears fruit like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Image is everything

I sat up in bed.  The sunlight came streaming through the louvres. An early morning quiz popped into my mind. Why are lots of people not attracted to Jesus?  Why can't they imagine him becoming/being their boss, helper, God, champion/saviour?

My number one answer is because of the image that well-intentioned Christians have presented to them. Perhaps they've been handed a tract with a picture of a pathetic-looking man, head bowed down, with a few scratches around his chest and a caption "Christ Died For You".

Added to that they've heard stories about Jesus doing incredible things like giving sight to blind people, making paralyzed people walk, making the deaf and dumb hear and speak, walking on water, curing leprosy and bringing dead folks back to life.  But looking in on what is supposed to be his church there is no evidence that he is alive and operating among his followers with the same power to heal instantaneously, resurrect, deliver from oppression, or do the same or more that he did while he lived here on earth.

Women today are plagued with all kinds of problems like endometriosis, fibroids, hormonal imbalances that could put them in a position like the woman with the issue of blood in  Matthew 9:20. 

There are so many others oppressed by mental illnesses. Stress levels are at an all-time high and people are looking for help.  They are not satisfied with "I will pray for you" with no guarantee of healing.  Jesus demonstrated his power to show that he was who he said he was--the Son of God--healer, helper, God, champion, saviour, boss. Christians have been given the mandate to go into the world and use Jesus' authority to heal all kinds of sicknesses and to do miraculous things that would confirm the reality of the gospel.  Not only can people be forgiven of all their sins but also be healed of all kinds of diseases or demonic oppression.

I read the prayer offered up by Christians in the book of Acts Chapter 4, especially in verses 29 and 30.  What happened next is what normal Christianity should be like. 

Right now we are seeing an increasing discontent among Christians who go to buildings referred to as churches where a form of godliness is displayed but the power to work miracles that prove that Jesus is the head is sadly lacking. Church programs and formalities have been substituted for relationships and sinners are pursued only for membership and conformity in many cases. But there is renewed hope for the disenchanted.

The simple church model is explained in Matthew 18:20. This is a great starting point. In a small group even where as few as two persons are gathered together as Christ's followers he promises to be there among them.  This is the simplest expression of Church.  This is a community of God's people relating together as an intimate group, loving and caring for one another in ways not practiced in a timed service in a building where clock watching and superficial friendliness reigns.

Since leaving the traditional church to work in simple church planting through friendship evangelism I have come across a most valuable reading resource.  An Army of Ordinary People by Felicity Dale shows how God has always used--and is still using--ordinary believers like you and me to carry out his work in simple ways throughout the world.  I recommend that each person get a copy for him/herself and one to give away.  Believe me, you will not want to put it down once you get started.

I also found Andrew R. Hardy's dissertation "The Lamad Book of Mission And Evangelism To Secular Un-churched 21st Century People" to be a very powerful piece of writing.  Chapter 2, beginning on page 13 deals with the relationship of the larger "churches" to the un-churched and he is so accurate in his description.  Here's the link to his paper if you are interested:

http://www.cluonline.com/freebooks/Reaching%20The%20Unchurched.pdf

The question now is, are you ready to begin the great commission the way it was intended? Again I stress, reading An Army of Ordinary People will open your eyes to Christianity the way the author of our faith intended.  See Pages 64 to 69. 

Please share your experiences as Jesus shows up in the middle of your group to confirm his power and authority.