Far From Home

I've just finished reading Far From Home, by Joseph Stowell. This means I'm still on track with my book a week for 2006 resolution. Whew!

This book's special to me for a couple of reasons. One is that it was a fairly easy read. Another is that I liked it. But the best part of all is that it was a gift from the women in Garmisch when I left.

Mr. Stowell makes many good points in the book. I have highlighted pages throughout. But I was particularly impressed with some comments about Psalm 46, and this is what I want to write about today.

I am partial to the Psalms. I read a portion of them daily. I have come closer to grasping the awesomeness of God through this. You can't read through them and not be humbled by the very man-ishness of man and the very godliness of God. In verse 10 of Psalm 46, God says,

"Be still and know that I am God."

In his book, Stowell tells us that this means more than to refrain from squirming. The Hebrew word gives a more vivid picture, with the idea of "relaxing" or "letting go." Our author tells us that in this verse, God is saying that when we get out to the ragged edge of life, we have to let go and trust Him. How many of us do that? Or are we more prone to stress and grab and scrape?

He uses 2 Chronicles 20:1-15 as an example. Three armies were facing the Israelites, and in human terms the odds were overwhelming. Jehoshaphat, one of the good kings in Jewish history, "was afraid." But his response is a reminder to us all...he "turned his attention to the Lord." As a result, through a prophet, God told the king and his people:

"Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's."

Do you really understand this? Do I really and truly believe this? The battle belongs to the Lord!

There are three points based on this that Stowell brings out, that I want to share. They are each gems in themselves, so spend a little time mulling them over.

1. "We know that God is willing to spend His power on us." Psalm 46:10 tells us He is our refuge and our strength. Not a refuge and a strength. OUR refuge. OUR strength.

2. "We know that He is present with us." He was with that ancient Israelite army. He's with His modern day warriors as well. Psalm 46:1 says He is a "very present help in trouble."

3. "We can also know that God will be exalted in our dilemma." Let me say that again. God WILL be exalted in our dilemma. Psalm 46:10 says that God "will be exalted among the nations." As Stowell tells us:

"God's reputation rides on the ragged-edge realities of life. In a world full of people who aren't His, we stick out like sore thumbs."

We are a peculiar people. I don't know why God has called us out, or why He chooses to work through our weaknesses, but the amazing thing is that He does. In fact, He delights in doing so.

It is this same God who speaks to our hearts and says:

"Be still, and know that I AM GOD."

Praise

Isn't singing one of the greatest gifts God's given us? Of course, I wish I did it better (as do the people around me), but I love it none the less. It's thrilling to me to know that as much as I enjoy it, God is pleased with my "joyful noise" as well.

The church has such a great legacy of spiritual hymns and songs. And much of contemporary praise music is inspiring as well. I know there are battles fought over which is better and which we should use in our worship services. I have my own preferences about music, but pretty much that's just what they are...preferences.

I do have this comment to make. Sometimes during worship, we sing songs about our Christian journey. Sometimes we sing ballad like songs about longing for heaven. Sometimes we sing songs of encouragement to one another. All of these categories have a place in our time together.

But I think as we meet to worship the One Who is Worthy of Glory, Honor and Praise, some of what is proclaimed from our mouths has to be adoration for our King. How can we offer anything less?

Yes, someday I'll fly away. No, this world is not my home. Yes, the tie that binds is blessed. Yes, Jordan's banks are indeed stormy. And yes, the road I've traveled down is lonely and often times no one seems to care. But at the end of the day, I have to stand in awe. I have to proclaim Holy, Holy, Holy, because in the presence of the Merciful and Mighty even seraphim and cherubim bow down.

According the the Westminster Shorter Catechism, the primary purpose of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. I believe this. My heart feels it. Are there not times when every fiber of your being just wants to sing hosannas to the King? We were made for this. Besides, if we fail, the very rocks will sing out.

Epistemology

Epistemology is the branch of of philosophy that concerns "how we know what we know." It's a fancy shmancy word that on the surface, seems to have little to do with everyday life. But it shapes our worldview. And this is terribly important.

I'm working on something with the boys. We are reading through The Chronicles of Narnia again, this time with the purpose of understanding C.S. Lewis' worldview and his message as a result of that. I'm going to quote an author here (Douglas Wilson). It's a little long, and I hope you'll bear with me. Its about "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," specifically where Edmund betrays his siblings.

"With this basic problem driving him, Edmund is the one who raises all the basic epistemological questions. How do we know, Edmund asks, if the robin is really a good kind of bird, one to be trusted? How do we know that the Witch is wicked and the fauns are good? Maybe it is the other way around. Maybe the Witch has been slandered, and she is a very nice lady indeed. How do we know that Mr. Tumnus really saved Lucy? Edmund's responses show that he is devoid of the common morality that we mentioned in 'The Magician's Nephew.' He cannot see what should be obvious from the stories that he has heard, or should have heard. Witches are evil. In other words, the one whose heart is filled with treachery is very concerned with the issues of treachery. His loyalty, which ought to be to his brother and sisters, has been twisted, and he goes over to the Witch. He does this, claiming that he does not know that the Witch is wicked at all - this is just a story he has heard. But he does know that Peter, Susan and Lucy are his brother and sisters, and he does know that he owes them his love and allegiance. He departs from this, telling himself a very complicated story in order to justify it in his own mind, when all the time, the truth is as easy as any decent nursery rhyme. He betrays his family memebers (that he knows very well to be decent people) for the sake of a very dubious Witch."

(How many times have we told ourselves a similar "complicated story in order to justify" something?)

Douglas goes on to say:

"Many Christians today do not know how they are supposed to behave because they have not read the right stories, or they have not read enough of them. This means that they cannot see the story they are currently in, and this means they do not know what to do."

Of course, the "stories" are found first and foremost in Scripture. Throughout the centuries, writers have been using them for their inspiration, and these stories have continued to guide generations of readers.

But what happens if we fail to pass these stories along? What happens when we cease to make Biblical literacy a priority in our children's education? We not only short change them by robbing them of rich and amazing creative works, but we also fail to give them the foundation they need to build their lives upon.

If they don't know the stories, they will be more apt to be swayed by any dubious teaching, whether it comes from a Witch or something seemingly less frightening.

Let's stop throwing away what we know to be true (as Edmund did as he betrayed his brother and sisters)in exchange for a probable lie. And let's be careful about which worldview we're giving our children for their foundation.

Monterey

Yesterday I was driving away from Pebble Beach. As I came over a hill, Monterey Bay spread out before me. It's a beautiful view and I looked on with mixed feelings. Monterey holds memories for me. I met my husband here. My parents and sister now live here, so it's a place to come back to. It's a place where I am always welcomed and loved. It's so good to be here.

Not all my memories are good, however. Some of my most "far away from God" moments were lived out in this place. So when the beauty spread out in front of me, it was partially marred by the pain of disobedience.

I read a blog this morning that mentioned a "prayer of remembrance." The author talked about looking back over our lives and recognizing God's providential care. I think that includes seeing the places where we've been that weren't so lovely. Even though this area is physically lovely, I wasn't. To know that God has blessed me each step of the way, in spite of rejection on my part, fills me with gratitude and humility.

Something this place has taught me is that God provides encouragement and growth opportunities in some of the most unlikely, seemingly imperfect places. There is a very small church in Marina. We go there with my mom whenever we come back here. A few years ago that little church served as a sort of oasis for me when my lack of faith left me desperately needing something to hold on to. I will be forever grateful to the people there, especially the women.

Also, this place reminds me that God is in control. Before we moved to Germany, the US Army insisted that we could not accompany my husband there. Surprisingly (or not) God had other plans. As it turned out we were there for over 3 years, which was more than twice as long as it was supposed to be. During that time, my children flourished and God did so much work on and in my own life. Now we are in this place again, by means that are so bizarre that only God's hand makes sense (paid for by the US Army). Not only that, the the Coast Guard is getting ready to send my brother and his family here as well. God's timing never ceases to amaze me.

I just want to my heart to be sensitive to the direction He has for us here. I want His purposes to be mine.

My Canaanite

My friend Sue is teaching a Bible study called Enhancing Your Marriage. There are a few of us who no longer live in Garmisch but still want to participate in the study. So she sent an email to us today to mull over.

One of the questions dealt with a list of inner enemies, what the author called our "Canaanites." In Deuteronomy, God told the Israelites to drive out the Canaanites that were in the promised land before they (the Israelites) took possession of it. Likewise, we have enemies or weaknesses in our "land" or lives that we need to banish. These are things like: anger, guilt, envy, unforgiveness, selfishness, jealousy, apathy, discontent, greed, hate, foolish talk, procrastination, etc.

Looking over the list, I saw that I had several. I don't want to share them with you all. It's bad enough to have to circle them on the paper. But I do want to talk about one of them. The author had us identify our number one "Canaanite." For me, that was a critical nature.

So...my goal is to defeat this. (I'll tackle the others later!) But I'm counting on God to help me out. And my friends. I want people to hold me accountable.

The sad fact is that I am not alone in this. Sitting in a Bible class the other day, I heard several comments about what other people were doing wrong. How can we spur each other on toward good works if we are too busy noting the bad works that others are doing? What good is it to point out the speck in our neighbor's eye, if our own is blinded by the plank?

I am tired of this. When I complain about what someone else is or isn't doing, ask me what it is that I am doing. When I hear you comment about the faults of others, I will gently ask about how to deal with our own.