Keep Waiting... God Has Not Forgotten

The more I read the book of Exodus, the more I love it. The more I relate to Moses. It's a behind the scenes look at how God works at times. Because the Bible is full of great stories where God shows up and bam, things get done! But the freedom of the Israelites and their coming into the Promised Land, takes a long time.

In Exodus 5, Moses visits Pharaoh and demands that the people be let go. And Pharaoh says no. Not only does he say no, but he makes life even harder for the Israelites and they are not happy about it. And Moses doesn't get it. God said he'd free the people and he hasn't yet... What gives?

Then Moses went back to the Lord and protested, “Why have you brought all this trouble on your own people, Lord? Why did you send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh as your spokesman, he has been even more brutal to your people. And you have done nothing to rescue them!” (Exodus 5:22-23)

But God reassures Moses that all is ok. 

And God said to Moses, “I am Yahweh—‘the Lord.’ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty’ - but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them.  And I reaffirmed my covenant with them. Under its terms, I promised to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living as foreigners.  You can be sure that I have heard the groans of the people of Israel, who are now slaves to the Egyptians. And I am well aware of my covenant with them. (Exodus 6:2-4)

God goes on to reassure Moses that the people of Israel will be set free from captivity. He doesn't set a time table for when this will happen, just that Moses and Israel can rest easy knowing that God's got this. 

But I love the phrase "And I am well aware of my covenant with them" from verse 4. God hasn't forgotten his promise, because he never does. Abraham didn't get to see God's promise fulfilled. Isaac didn't get to see God's promised fulfilled. Jacob didn't get to see God's promised fulfilled. And Moses didn't know it, but he also wasn't going to get to see God's promised fulfilled. But God was still aware of his promise. 

God doesn't promise that we won't have hardship and God doesn't work with our time line in mind. But he is well aware of his promise. 

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (Philippians 1:6)

Letting Fear Ruin Our Destiny

Moses tried really really hard to forfeit the plan God had for him. He didn't want to go back to Egypt and free the Israelites. Moses was happy where we was. Even with God speaking to him from a burning bush, Moses had no intention of carrying out the plans God had for him. Moses was full of excuses, even with the assurances of God.

But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?” Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?”

“A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied.“Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back. Then the Lord told him, “Reach out and grab its tail.” So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd’s staff in his hand. Perform this sign,” the Lord told him. “Then they will believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—really has appeared to you.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out again, his hand was white as snow with a severe skin disease. “Now put your hand back into your cloak,” the Lord said. So Moses put his hand back in, and when he took it out again, it was as healthy as the rest of his body. The Lord said to Moses, “If they do not believe you and are not convinced by the first miraculous sign, they will be convinced by the second sign. And if they don’t believe you or listen to you even after these two signs, then take some water from the Nile River and pour it out on the dry ground. When you do, the water from the Nile will turn to blood on the ground.” But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.” But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.” Then the Lord became angry with Moses. “All right,” he said. “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you.  Talk to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will instruct you both in what to do.  Aaron will be your spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say. And take your shepherd’s staff with you, and use it to perform the miraculous signs I have shown you.” (Exodus 4:1-17)

Three times in Exodus 4, Moses asks God to use someone else. What if they don't believe me? I'm a bad public speaker. And then just, please Lord, use someone else. 

I'd like to think that if God showed up and spoke to me in a burning bush and asked me to do something, even something I didn't want to do, that I would listen and wouldn't argue. But I know myself, and I'd probably be like Moses and put up a fight. 

Fear can be crippling. Fear prevents us from taking the steps God has in store for us. But if we let fear get the better of us, we can miss out on the destiny that God has in store for us. Moses tried to default on God's plan for him and let someone else take the wheel. 

And to be fair, the destiny God had in store for Moses was going to be difficult. God says He's going to make Pharaoh's heart hard and not willing to let the people go. God makes an attempt to kill Moses shortly after he heads towards Egypt. And Moses' first encounter with Pharaoh doesn't really help the Israelites and doesn't make them view Moses with a lot of favor. And then Moses had to deal with the Israelites, who made is life awful!

But Moses got to talk to and see God. He got to free God's chosen people! And he tried to throw that all away...

Little Brother in the Middle Seat with the Hump Between His Feet

Please stop kicking me!

My annoying little brother in the middle seat with the hump between his feet. 

Your attention span is short and I don't really have time for you. 

Sister is watching this month's latest pop craze and I just want to play Super Nintendo. 

We're only two hours in to this eight hour car ride and I can already tell we're going to be mortal enemies when this trip is through. 

After last year's fiasco where sister threw my blue comb out the window, I'm not prepared for another vacation of terror. 

And I just know deep down in my gut that as soon as we get to the hotel, mom and dad are going to suggest we share a bed. 

Oh this nightmare just won't end. 

And I know, that one day you'll be the one by my side, as some unknown man walks to me my future bride. 

You'll tell a joke as my best friend, about disastrous car trips from way back when. 

And I know that you'll always be there for me

And if you have a bully, he'll have to mess with me. 

And that's all great and I'm looking forward to it. 

But right now... Please stop kicking me!!! 

My annoying brother in the middle seat with the hump in between his feet.  

Fields Of Grace

"And I started to wonder if He (God) had been with me all the time and I just hadn't allowed myself to see the beauty and breadth of His reach because of the narrow lens I had been given through which to see Him." - Hannah Luce

I read Fields of Grace last week while on vacation. It was an easy and compelling read. I picked it up on  a whim because it looked interesting enough. I think if I had done more than look at the cover of the book I would've passed by it. If I had seen it was written by Ron Luce's daughter, I might have ignored it. I'm glad I didn't. 

I'm not sure I've ever read a book where I've thought "holy sh!t" as much as I did while reading Fields of Grace. Part because Hannah's story and personal tragedy is heartbreaking and at times hard to read. Mostly because some of her life experiences make me wince and I find it hard to believe that anyone would think books by CS Lewis and Donal Miller to be rebellious and not good for a christian teen to read. 

I think Hannah's experience and where her relationship with God went represents a lot of people I know. Some have walked away from their faith and some have just expanded and shifted their view of God. It's interesting to hear someone who was their and in the trenches of Teen Mania talk about questioning God and having to figure out what she believes. And I don't have any hard feelings for Ron and his ministry. My life was deeply impacted by Teen Mania and Acquire the Fire is where I rededicated my life to God. But I also know that Ron and me wouldn't see eye to eye on everything if we sat down today. 

Hannah didn't "hear" God. She felt abandoned and alone. Because she didn't feel and connect with things the way her parents and those around her did, she felt lost. And I relate. Because I was there. It's a struggle I think a lot of people my age have felt. What do we do when our perception of what God is doesn't match up with our convictions and what we see? It was a struggle of mine and I related to Hannah's struggle. 

I also enjoy that the book doesn't end with any sort of declaration. Yes, the book is more about her struggle and the tragic plane crash in which she was the lone survivor. But it would've been an easy and a nice happy ending to have Fields of Grace end with Hannah talking about how she's come back to God and has clarity and life is awesome and her relationship with God is perfect. But it doesn't...

And I love that! What we get is a girl who no longer needs painkillers and alcohol to help numb her pain and grief and is finally able to just be comfortable in her new skin and with her scars. She's still trying to figure out the role that faith and God play in her life and what both of those look like. And I appreciate that. Because it's real. 

It's not a conventional happy ending but it's a resolution that leaves you feeling satisfied and not cheated. 

Fields Of Grace is a great read and I think a lot of people will connect to Hannah and her (spiritual) struggles. She's relatable. And her story is both heartbreaking and inspiring. There is hope....

Let The Steroid Guys In!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the greats from the steroid error, even those who were using, SHOULD be in the Hall of Fame.

Let me be clear, I'm against cheating. And the big home run guys who used steroids to hit those ridiculous numbers, were in the wrong. Bu the idea that Bonds, Sosa, and McGwire hurt baseball by using steroids is a little hypocritical.

Baseball thrived on Sosa and McGwire's home run race to break the record.These guys were honored and covered nonstop. They helped bring fans back to baseball after the strike. I, like thousands of others, watched every night to see if one of those guys would hit a home run. We watched and waited for the record breaking home run. It was an exciting summer and baseball made a lot of money on the backs of these guys.

Yes, they cheated and were in the wrong. But they made baseball really exciting and it's a damn shame that they won't be in the Hall. Go ahead and put an asterisk by their names. But them in the Hall!!!

Hall Of Fame

The baseball Hall of Fame just added three new members yesterday and as a Braves fan, it was an exciting announcement. Along with Frank Thomas, former Braves pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine were added to he Hall of Fame. And both deserve it.

Maddux and Glavine, along with John Smoltz, Chipper Jones, and Bobby Cox, represent my Braves fandom. They're a part of one of the greatest starting trios of pitchers ever. They were a huge part of two World Series appearances, one World Series Championship, and fourteen straight NL East titles. It's a well deserved honor.

The two pitchers will go into the Hall with their former manager Bobby Cox. It's a great trio and I imagine a lot of Braves fans will make the trek to Cooperstown to see all their inducted. I know I want to go.

Righteousness?

As Christians, we put a lot of focus on being righteous, living righteously.Our lives should reflect righteousness. There are things we should and shouldn't do to live righteous lives. But are we over complicating things?

Abram was considered righteous in God's eyes.

And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. (Genesis 15:6)

Abram's faith and trust in God's word was credited to Abram as righteousness. Nothing he did, or said, or didn't do, or din't say... Just his unwavering faith. 

So, like many other things, are we over complicating what God wants for and from us?

Just a thought...