MERRY WHAT?

     Who would have thought that a simple greeting would become so controversial?  Yet today, just wishing someone - a friend, coworker, or store employee - "Merry Christmas" - is considered RADICAL amidst all the "Happy Holidays" that are sent out among us this time of year.  One doesn't even hear about "Christmas trees" anymore - it's "holiday" trees! (At least here in the "Great Northwest," one of the country's most unchurched and ANTI-Christian areas of the U.S.!)  Hmmm - what other holiday do you know of this time of year that involves dressing up an evergreen or fir tree? 

     I like what Charles Stanley (Baptist pastor of a large church in Atlanta, GA) said this morning on his TV program.  He went into a store and the clerk wished him "Happy Holidays."  He politely but firmly responded, "NO - Merry Christmas!"  He pointed out that because of THIS holiday, they (store owners and clerks) get to take our money but many don't want to hear the name of the one whose birth we celebrate and whose name is right there in the name of the day - CHRISTmas.  We don't offend them by giving them our money, but don't remind them of the name of the One who is responsible for the reason behind the giving and receiving that they are benefiting from. 

     But this is where the Enemy of our souls, Satan, is working, and has become more blatant over the years.  There have always been athiests who have hated the idea of what Christmas stands for and others who have been "uncomfortable" with mention of CHRISTmas, those "Scrooges" who want nothing to do with the day. And they are entitled to their misery.  But today ONE such voice piping up can be responsible for nativity scenes being removed from small towns or government offices, Christmas carolers forbidden and even Salvation Army bell-ringers removed from the front of big-name stores, in spite of MANY others in the same town who love the celebrations!  All because we in this country have come to value what we call "inclusiveness" (aka tolerance or not offending others) above all other values, which on the surface sounds like a good thing.

     This is the M.O. of Satan - making wrong sound right, (but don't let me get started on that sermon!) He's been at it since the Garden of Eden!  We don't want to offend people unnecessarily, of course.  Rudeness offends me.  Needless violence and rage offends me.  And rightly so.  But celebrating a holiday?   Particularly one that, in our culture has already lost most of the outer trappings of the true spiritual meaning?  We are bombarded, from practically Halloween now (I've even seen some Christmas displays up starting in September!) until December 26 (when the "After-Holiday" sales begin) and into the New Year with "Holiday Shopping" ads all over the TV and radio, yet children in schools (having worked in one capacity or other in that environment for the better part of the past 28 years) cannot utter the word "Christmas."  (Though I still see pockets of children in school halls and out in playgrounds wearing Santa hats.)  Christmas as it is celebrated (where it IS) in our culture has largely become a cultural rather than spiritual holiday, which is very sad.  But even our  cultural celebration of Christmas is under fire by those who are "offended" by the thought of the day.  I wonder how offended they would be if they truly got their wish and everyone stopped buying all those items to put under all those unnamed fir trees. 

     I grew up in New York City and go back there every year.  The highlight of my trip is going to Rockefeller Center to see the gigantic Christmas tree, all lit up with multicolored lights, the skaters, and the rows of wire angels blowing their wire trumpets leading up to it.  Add to that all the "magic" of the creative and beautifully decorated store windows (not even speaking of what is INSIDE the stores) designed to entice people in to buy as well as to provide delight to the millions of tourists and New Yorkers who annually do the whole Christmas ritual - "Carol of the Bells" playing in the air from seemingly nowhere like in a movie musical,  horse-drawn carriages transporting all manner of wide-eyed children,  young (and older) lovers, and tourists alike,  the millions of dollars spent around the city to amaze and - oh yes,  get people to spend their money.  Take all that away and the city would probably go bankrupt in a month!  THEN who would be "offended"?

     I have no problem with the idea of "tolerance" as long as it is used in a blanket way.  This nation of ours has tolerated everything imaginable, not to start naming names.  But this idea of being offended by all things Christian, including our cultural celebrations (like Christmas and Easter, which has also been largely stripped of the great If they are so offended by our holiday, Spiritual significance it has for Christians the world over) needs to be reconsidered.  We live in a country that says it values "culture" yet seems to include (in it's inclusivistic ideology) every "culture" except our own.  For those anti-Christian "humbugs," maybe there should be a symbol created to put up in their store windows so that Christians could avoid offending them with our business. After all, why should they be forced to contribute to  (not to mention profit from) a holiday they are offended by?  Maybe this would teach our soul-stripped culture the true meaning of "tolerance."    I would love to hear what readers of this commentary think.  Feel free to respond, and

                                              MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Season of Miracles and Wonder

     Ring out those bells to proclaim this season of miracles and wonder, starting with the best one of all:  the birth of God in the flesh, or as Pastor Andy Stanley said in his sermon this morning, "God in a bod." 

      As with most of us, this has been a crazy and eventful year for me:  going from unemployment to getting 2 jobs, five months apart, working with preschoolers and school-age kids (a nice balance), getting into a car acccident resulting in neck and back injuries (and a new-to-me car), and then, best of all,  going to hear Mario Murillo on Nov. 9 with my new boss at the after-school program at Leschi Elem. and BOTH of us getting healed, me of my neck and back injuries from the accident and also from  long-standing back trouble! 

     I know I tend to be a pessimist,  and don't like my negative attitudes - it's something God is CONSTANTLY working on with me.  But my healing reminds me (maybe that's WHY God did it!) to praise Him.  Not just because He has healed me, though that's certainly the big picture, and reason enough but moreso because healing, especially the miraculous kind that happened to me, is spiritual warfare.  As much as we want to focus on the good at this time of year (and always), we also have to realize the truth that we are ALWAYS involved in warfare, and rarely moreso than after such a healing miracle!  For one thing, healing boosts our faith, which Satan obviously doesn't want to allow!  So, one of his tactics after such an event is to throw out what I call "phantom pains" - he wants us to doubt our healing and figures that if we feel a twinge of that "old pain,"  we'll give it up and doubt God - both His ability (did He really do it?  Could he?) and His goodness (Maybe it was just wishful thinking or the power of suggestion? Would He really have healed ME?). 
    So, what I've learned in this matter, which carries over to the rest of my life (when I think about it and practice it!) is to battle the doubts with words of praise and trust!  When I start to feel those "old pains,"  I've learned to point to Jesus and thank Him for what I KNOW He's done for me.  And guess what happens EVERY time:  the "pain" disappears!  And, to boot, my faith is once more boosted!!!  Now, to get that message across to myself in all other aspects of my life - not that they'll all change instantly, but that with that attitude of praise rather than complaining, I will change into a more grateful person. 
    Today at church one of the points my pastor made was from a verse from Philippians 3:16, "Only let us live up to what we have already attained."  A good place to start!
    

Who Art in Heaven

       Tonight at my church's weekly prayer meeting,  Pastor Steve, who leads the meeting, had us meditate on the second part of the first line of the Lord's Prayer, "Who art in Heaven."  While asking the Lord what He wanted me to see in it, here are some of the things I came up with:

       1)  He is the Ruler over all principalities and powers in the spiritual realm.  Every power in heaven, earth and hell is subject to "Our Father in Heaven."

       2)  He sees the "Big Picture."  Like a helicopter flying over a freeway can "see" and even predict accidents about to happen because of  it's perspective,  God sees and knows everything going on at once (being outside of time) and even what is going to happen at any given time. 

      3) He knows us completely,  being the Creator of all.  Check out Psalm 139 as well.

      4)  He is all powerful,  being over all and knowing all.

      5)  He is worthy of worship, based on all the above.  How could I NOT?

      6) He is worthy of trust.  If  He knows more than I do, sees what I can't,  and is above all evil  "forces,"  then I can trust Him and don't have to struggle for control of things I can neither help nor understand or change.  What a relief!

      7)  I'm not  (any of  above numbers 1-6)!

       How humbling is that? 
    

Not Hate but Knowledge

      I have been reading a lot of articles lately by those who raise arguments against the so-called “Muslim-bashing” or “Muslimophobia” as described by Daisy Khan, wife of Imam Rauf and many others, including yourself and many Muslims in response to the proposed building of the Ground Zero mosque.


• Not all Muslims are terrorists. (TRUE) I have had opportunities to work with several Muslims in a school setting as a teacher, both with bilingual assistants as well as parents and students. I got along well with all of them and had some excellent discussions with one in particular with whom I shared a classroom. In many ways we had more values in common than either of us did with many of the more liberal staff. My difficulty is not with Muslim people—it is with Islamic ideology.

• The Muslims who are trying to build the “Community Center/Mosque” near Ground Zero have our country’s Freedom of Religion to worship as they please. (TRUE). However, there is a difference, as we have just seen with the controversial pastor in Florida, between having a right to do something that may be legal but still WRONG. They have a right to worship as they please. BUT they need to practice what they want others to do for them=sensitivity must go two ways. They have sought and DEMANDED that our culture, including government, schools and businesses be “sensitive” to their culture, even holding “sensitivity trainings.” Now, when they are asked, even by the Governor of NY, David Patterson, to find another location because this one infuriates and offends the “sensibilities” of 70% of New Yorkers and a large number of Americans, they staunchly refuse. Does anyone (of the many groups that think they are fighting the “hatemongering, Anti-Muslim, Anti-freedom right-wingers and Christians) stop and even bother asking themselves WHY?
      Like me, I believe that a lot of Americans since 9/11 have been learning about Islam and Sharia Law. Knowledge of the FACTS, not ignorance, hate or bigotry, is what is fueling the negative feelings about Islam as a belief system and ideology. I feel sorry for the many moderate Muslim people who get caught in the crossfire while simply trying to go about their daily business. Violence against anyone cannot and should not be condoned, whether in the name of bigotry, hate or religion. However, the increasing push for Sharia Law, (including by the Imam of this proposed Mosque/”Community Center”) as well as specific verses in the Koran itself, say to me and many others that this is not just about a few “bad eggs.” In 1998, Omar Ahmad, co-founder and longtime Board Chairman of CAIR Council on American-Islamic Relations), said this: “Islam isn’t in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant. The Koran should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth.” (After he received unwelcome publicity as a result of this statement, Ahmad denied saying it, several years after the fact. However, the original reporter, Lisa Gardiner of the Fremont Argus, stands by her story.
      So what is CAIR? It is an unindicted co-conspirator in a Hamas terror funding case — so named by the Justice Department during the trial of the Islamic charity known as the Holy Land Foundation. CAIR has a long record of duplicity and deception. Although it has received millions of dollars in donations from foreign Islamic entities, it has not registered as a foreign agent as required by the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), despite spreading Islamic supremacist propaganda within the United States. Although it presents itself as a civil rights group, CAIR actually has numerous links to Islamic supremacist and jihad groups. Lies and deception, which ARE acceptable, even encouraged in the name of proselytizing non-believers to Islam.

      Look at YouTube to find instances, not only in Taliban-controlled countries but our own, about the increasing number of Honor Killings occurring, muslims who leave Islam are threatened with their lives (according to the Koran and Sharia that they should be killed for deserting their “faith.”) Is this the meaning we want for “Freedom of Religion”?

     Imam Rauf (of the proposed infamous Ground Zero Mosque and “Community Center”) has stated his support for Islamic Sharia Law which strips women of most of their rights. In countries that have fully implemented Sharia Law, girls are not allowed to be educated; women may not be seen in public without a man; they may not work, drive, or be uncovered. Under Sharia Law they may even be stoned to death or given 99 lashes for adultery, or for such things as having a picture of themselves without their covering. ( I haven’t heard of these same penalties being given to men, who presumably were the ones sharing in the act of adultery.) Women’s statements in court and their inheritances are worth half that of a man’s, and they can be routinely beaten by their husbands, a punishment sanctioned by the Koran (Surah 4:34 There are many more examples of intolerance under Islamic Sharia Law.

      According to the Koran, non-Muslims must be fought against until killed, converted or “subdued.” As Surah 9.029 states:

      “Fight those who believe not in Allah… nor acknowledge the religion of Truth [Islam], (even if they are) of the People of the Book [Jews and Christians], until they pay the Jizya [protection tax, extortion] with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.”)

      In Islamic countries, non-Muslims, as second-class citizens, cannot get the good jobs reserved for Muslims, must pay extra taxes as non-believers, and have no freedom of religion or speech expressing any disagreement with Islam or anything associated with it. To this day, Muslims who want to convert to Christianity or other religions, fear for their lives as they might be killed at any time by relatives or members of their mosques for doing so. I have read many such reports.

      Add to that the historic fact that a victory mosque has been erected in every place Muslims have conquered since Islam began in the Seventh Century AD. This is entirely consistent with the Koran, which states in Surah 18:21: “Erect an edifice over them-- their Lord best knows them. Those who prevailed in their affair said: We will certainly raise a masjid [mosque] over them.” The most famous example of these victory mosques is the Dome of the Rock, built in 688 AD atop the foundation of Judaism’s most holy site, Solomon’s Temple. This is the reason why the location of the Ground Zero mosque is important, as well as the plan to build a crescent-shaped “memorial’—which, again, has all of the design elements of a mosque—at the Flight 93 crash site in Pennsylvania.

     Surah 18:21 also explains why the promoters of the Ground Zero Mosque refuse to accept offers by the Governor of New York and others to assist in finding a less controversial site. Though they are being promoted as “memorials,” the Ground Zero and Flight 93 crash site mosques are designed to be symbols of Muslim Conquest, pure and simple.

      Americans are becoming aware and growing tired of the duplicity practiced by Islamic leaders, claiming one thing but in actuality being something quite different. So naturally we will be hearing a lot about “Muslim-bashing” and Islamophobia.” In this way Islamic leaders are using the politically-correct rhetoric of the American culture to subdue it and ultimately replace it with Sharia Law.

     You are right about one thing: many Muslims have come to America to experience the freedoms of this country. Those include the freedom NOT to be bullied and tormented by religious leaders/systems (i.e. Sharia Law). Americans like the freedom to choose how, who and/or what we worship. And even though we often must agree to disagree with each other about our individual beliefs, we have managed until now to respect the other’s rights to believe what they will.

      Freedom is what they came for. Freedom is what those of us who are against the Mosque at Ground Zero are FOR. This is NOT a “Republican” or conservative fight (though some liberals seem to desperately want it to be, though I can’t see why. It wasn’t just Republicans or conservatives or “right-wingers” who were killed on 9-11). It’s a fight against those who would take away our Freedom long fought for and declared in our Declaration of Independence (“Inalienable rights given to us by our Creator.” ) Not to be taken away by some radical and hate-filled group that sees itself as Supreme and WOULD go against the First Amendment’s “Establishment of a Religion” clause because of their Koran. America, wake up before it’s too late! Look at the world that IS controlled by Islam.

      Is that what WE want? I don’t think so! If you do, then, great - move to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan or the many other places that practice Sharia Law. And enjoy practicing your faith. But leave the rest of us to Democracy and Freedom.

Faith on Wheels

      Everytime I get into panic mode over ANYTHING (and I'm so GOOD at it!), God comes along again and teaches me another lesson on trusting Him!  And this week He did it again.

      Last week (Aug. 26th, to be exact), I was driving with a friend to a bookstore on Lake City Way when suddenly, right in front of us a car pulls from the center lane into a restaurant parking lot!  Since he was no more than about 20 feet away when he pulled in front, no amount of braking could have helped to avoid him, so - CRASH we went! 

     Thankfully, no one was hurt (on either side) and the young man who caused the accident apologized profusely, asked if we were ok, and explained that his sister was getting married in two days, and he was starving, so a little distracted.  We exchanged insurance info and did all that fun stuff.  My car still worked and so my friend and I (who were also hungry) decided to opt out of the bookstore and calm ourselves down with some dinner. 

    Thankfully,  the young man's insurance company were able to arrange for a rental and the following day the company picked up my car to have it assessed. 

    Well, this week I heard back from the insurance company that they decided to total my car, though it still worked internally, probably because it was 10 years old.  Then they said that I would only be able to keep my rental until Saturday the 4th of Sept. (today).  I started to break into a cold sweat.  A couple of days later, I spoke with a different representative of the same company, and this one told me that I could have the rental until I got a CHECK from them, so my panic abated a bit, and I started thinking of how I was going to acquire a new car!  I signed up with a car broker, but he told me that it could take a week to a MONTH to get a new car.  NOOOO!!!  Panic swept in again.  Then I finally got back in touch with the original insurance adjuster.  No, I couldn't keep the car until I got the check - I had to give it up on the 4th.  That was yesterday.  Panic deepened. 

     Then I remembered, or God planted a thought into my pea-brain, not sure which -- that right in front of my apt. building was an Enterprise (I've lived there for 3 years this very weekend and always thought it was a car rental place until I had to rent a car via this accident and found out that it is a car SALES place, not rental).  So I thought, "Why not?"   So after work and running a few errands afterwards (in case I wouldn't have a car after today- woman of faith, right?),  I ambled over there and walked in.  I won't bore you with details, but the long and short of it is this:  I tried out a car on the lot, liked it, and am going to get it (or a different-color model they had to bring in from Renton) when I get my settlement on Tuesday or Wednesday!  Meanwhile - here's the best part for NOW - THEY are going to pay to extend my rental until then!!!  So - ta-da!  I don't have to be "Wheel-less in Seattle"!!!

     When will I learn? 

Judging the Law

     We've all heard the line, "Who do you think you are to judge me?"  And:  "Your Bible says that you can't judge me!"    Is that true?  Are we told, in the Bible that we are not supposed to judge anyone - ever?  In our day, the only non-relative value is tolerance; the only non-relative wrong,  judgement. 

     No one likes to hear about judgement:  it makes us feel guilty because we know that deep down, we ARE, about SOMETHING.  Many people, who do not believe,  deny or even hate Christ because they associate Him and Christianity with the concept of eventual judgement and accountability. 

     So let's examine this issue of judgement in the Bible.  Mind you, this is by no means an exhaustive study, but it will hit on some of the main Scriptures on the subject.  For those who don't believe that the Bible is God's definitive message to us,  try to at least read this with an open mind and temporarily suspend disbelief until you (who may not have read the Bible for yourself or read these references before this) have "heard me out."  (Of course, this assumes that anyone at ALL will read this post to whom this may apply.)

     First of all,  the Old Testament speaks often of judgement coming and God being the judge of all.
           1 Sam. 3:13 - Personal judgement of the family of Eli.
           Ps. 1:5 - Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement (referring to following death).
           Joel 3:12 - "...There I will sit to judge the nations on every side." (prophetic voice of God speaking)
           Jeremiah 25:31 - "[God] will bring charges against the nations, he will bring judgment on all mankind..."
    
     And from the New Testament, a few highlights:
           Matt. 11:24 - "But I tell you (Jesus, speaking to Capernaum, where often preached) that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you." (implying an ultimate day of reckoning).
           John 5:22, 23 - "Moreover, the Father judges NO ONE, but has entrusted ALL JUDGMENT to the SON,  that all may honor the Son just as they honor the FATHER. He who does not honor the Son, does not honor the Father who sent Him.
           John 5:27 - "And [God] has given [Jesus] authority to judge because He is the Son of Man."
           Heb. 9:27 - "Just as man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment"
           Rev. 20:12 - "And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books."

      OK, so three things we have learned here so far:
            1) There will be an ultimate judgment.
            2)  Each person dies and is judged.     .
            3)  Jesus is the ultimate judge.

       Now,  that is one kind of judgment.  God is the ultimate judge (in Christ).  But what about us
 judging one another?  What does the Bible say about that?  Let's check that out. 
    
       Matt. 7:1-2 - Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you too will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."  (This is the verse everyone seems to know and is referred to at the top of this post.)

       1 Cor. 4:5 - "Therefore, judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes.  He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness, and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

       James 4:12 - There is only one lawgiver and judge - the One who is able to save and destroy. But you - who are you to judge your neighbor?

       Gal. 5:14-15 - "The entire law is summed up in a single command:  Love your neighbor as yourself. If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

       1 Cor. 5:12 - "What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?   Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside."

       1 John 4:1 - Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

      In summary here:

     1)  We are not to judge others because we do not know their hearts or motives. The way we judge others is the measure of the way we will be judged by God.
     2)  God will ultimately judge;  He knows people's hearts and motives and will rightly judge everyone, so we don't have to.
     3)  We should focus on loving one another. Backbiting is of no value and destroys/ plays into Satan's wishes and tactics. 
     4)  We are to test (judge / discern) the spirits of what people say to see if they are of God or not. (See 1 Jn. 4 to find out how). Not all are, even those who say they are. Satan acts as an "Angel of Light" to deceive, kill and destroy).  So we need to practice discernment and wisdom!

      When someone says to you, "You can't judge me!" (for whatever it is, whether an immoral lifestyle or something else,  we learn here that we in fact should not judge those outside the family of God.  God will do that.  Inside the family,  we need to avoid arguing, be gentle with, instruct, pray for, and when in conflict follow the instructions given by Jesus in Matthew 18: 15-17.  

      If the person saying this to you is not a believer, as is often the case,  the irony is that in many if not most cases,  they are judging you, which may also be pointed out.  Funny (not really) how those who preach the loudest about tolerance and nonjudgmentalism can yell the loudest and be the most intolerant and judgmental when it comes to those with whom they disagree.

     Don't worry about them.  Just pray for their spiritual eyes to be opened - they are deceived.  Pray for God's Spirit to reach them with His love, and try not to argue, especially when you realize that they are not listening and do not "have ears to hear," as Jesus said.  When they accuse you, don't fire back, just step back and pray. 
      

Open doors to...?

     I started a job in May that requires me to drive nearly downtown every day, Monday through Friday.  So, every day I drive down there, and before this job (with the exception of two years in between), I did the same for 8 - 1/2 years.  I'm sure you're thrilled with this bit of my driving history, but the point IS coming soon. 

    Last night on the show, Dateline, they focused on how we miss things around us, even some important things, when we are not expecting them.  So here I was, driving to work as usual yesterday, and about a mile before an exit before the one to the University of Washington,  I happened to be stopped in traffic and looked around me.  There, on the right side of the freeway, up an embankment, was a wall.  In the middle of the wall was a door in a frame, opened.  Looking through the door was...grass and open sky!  A door to nowhere!  Straining my brain, I tried to remember if I'd ever noticed it before over the past ten years.  Maybe it was new.  One can hope.

    After passing that exit, I started to think about how many times I've let something important go unnoticed.... a sad or concerned expression on a friend,  sudden change of attitude or behavior, a new person seated alone at church.  I  am often guilty of this,  as I am more of a "big picture"  as opposed to a "detail-oriented"  person.  What might I notice if I asked God to help me?  How might I have more of an impact on those around me if I truly "saw" and "heard"  those I came across every day, whether at work or play each day? I want to be, not only a "believer" ( "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even demons believe that - and shudder!" James 2:19) but true "follower" of Jesus in everything I say and do. Lord, open my (spiritual) eyes to see people and circumstances through yours, and show me how to be your instrument of love each day!

Welcome to Springs in Baca!

    What in the world are "Springs in Baca"?  Well, I'm glad you asked.  The book of the Psalms is one of my favorites in the Old Testament, and the Bible in general.  One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 84. It is attributed to "Sons of Korah." (refers to the Levitical choir made up of the descendents of Korah appointed by David to serve in the temple liturgy.) It is a psalm of praise and longing to be near God. 

To give you the context for this title, "Springs in Baca,"  I'll quote the entire psalm here. I think you'll get the idea.

     "How lovely is your dwelling place,
         O Lord Almighty!
      My soul longs, even faints,
          for the courts of the Lord;
       my heart and my flesh cry out
           for the living God.

      Even the sparrow has found a home,
           and the swallow a nest for herself,
           where she may have her young --
      A place near your altar,
           O Lord Almighty, my king and
                my God.    

       Blessed are those who dwell in your
                   house;
             they are ever praising you. 

       Blessed are those whose strength is in 
                   you;
               who have set their hearts on
                   pilgrimage.

         As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
                they make it a place of springs;
                 the autumn rains also cover it with
                     pools.

         They go from strength to strength,
                till each appears before God in
                     Zion.
        
         Hear my prayer, O Lord God
                 Almighty;
          listen to me, O God of Jacob.
          Look upon our shield, O God;
                 look with favor on your anointed one.

          Better is one day in your courts
                than a thousand elsewhere;
          I would rather be a doorkeeper in the 
                        house of my God
                than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

           For the Lord is a sun and a
                        shield;
                the Lord bestows favor and honor;
           no good thing does he withhold 
                 from those whose walk is blameless. 

           O Lord Almighty,
                  blessed is the man who trusts in you.

     That's the psalm.  Beautiful in it's simplicity and devotion;  longing.
Longing for God who is seen as a nurturer, protector, giver of strength, favor and honor, as well as all good things to those whose walk is blameless. 

      Now, we might look at that and go, "WHOA! Who can live up to THAT?"  I am certainly NOT that person. Just ask my mother or any of my friends!  Who IS? 

     Another good question, this time answered in the New Testament, and spelled out in the first nine verses of the second chapter of the book of Ephesians (as well as Rom. 3:21-18) which says, in paraphrase, that though we were (spiritually) dead in our sins because of our desire to do things OUR WAY, God, in His kindness and by His grace, gave us (spiritual) life through Jesus's sacrifice and His (physical) resurrection from the dead, so that only in HIM, not in ourselves, can we be declared "righteous" or blameless.  It is a GIFT, and nothing that we can say we earned by our own goodness, which we don't possess.

     Anyway,  that's getting off the track a bit, but it spells out that by faith we can all enter into a living relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and in Him, we can get through the dry, desert lands of "Baca,"  and make them "springs" (of refreshing water) in the midst of them.  I don't know about you,
but my life is full of deserts - especially lately (like the past 4 years or so!).  I need those springs and that strength that can only come from the One who gives generously and freely, and who draws us lovingly to Himself.  What other "god" can say that? 

      Do you want those "Springs" of refreshing in the midst of your desert?  Then just cry out to Jesus and He WILL meet you.  Jesus says in the book of Revelations 3:20, "Look!  I stand at the door and knock.  If you hear my voice, and open the door,  I will come in and we will share a meal together as friends."  He died and rose from the dead to make that invitation possible.  Take Him up on it.  He is the only One whose love will never disappoint or leave you empty.