Experiencing God - chapters 1 & 2

This year I have been posting a bit about books I have read in order to remember what each of them taught me. Last night I started a book that has been around for several years, but one that I never chose to read until now. It's called Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby and Claude King. It says "How to live the full adventure of knowing and doing the will of God." Sounds like exactly what I need!

Instead of waiting until I read the entire book to post lessons learned, I may post after every chapter or two so I can keep straight some of the things that stood out to me. I finished the first two chapters and wanted to reflect on them now.

Chapter 1

Knowing God By Experience

The authors say that we don't come to know God until He reveals Himself to us. Just as God was not called "The Lord Will Provide" until He provided a ram for Abraham so he wouldn't have to sacrifice Isaac, we don't really know God as "Comforter in sorrow" until He has comforted us in times of grief. In other words, we know God in a relationship, not just a name. He's not some abstract name, but REAL to us. He "reveals Himself with purpose," and "The Scripture is a record of God's revelation of Himself to man. Each of the many names of God is a part of that revelation."

There are many names and descriptions of God in the Bible and "to focus your attention on His name is to focus attention on the God of the name." The authors present us with a list of some of God's names, and I want to pick out a few that are real to me about God because He has revealed Himself to me in these ways.

• Comforter in Sorrow
• my hope
• our Father
• a sure foundation
• God of all comfort
• Prince of Peace
• my stronghold
• refuge and strength
• my help
• my song
• my salvation

Chapter 2

Knowing God's Nature and His Will
1. God is love; His will is always best.
2. God is all-knowing; His directions are always right.
3. God is all-powerful; He can enable you to accomplish His will.

Things that spoke to me. God's very nature is love. Nothing He does is apart from His love. Even when He disciplines us for disobedience, it is because of His love. I only have to look at the awfulness of the cross to see how much God loves me.

God's commands are for my good. Since I know He loves me, I can safely trust in the plans He has for me. God wants me to have life and have it abundantly! No need to go through life "under the circumstances." I can be more than a conqueror because of God's great love and His will for me!

God enables me to do His will. I don't have to look at myself and see how unqualified I am. God qualifies the called, and He wants to work through me. I am not to do things for me and in my power so it is fine that I am weak and not very talented or knowledgeable. If I am yielded to God, HE can do great things through me. Moses told God that he was not a good enough speaker to go in front of Pharoah. God's reply was that HE made Moses' mouth, HE knew Moses' limitations, but HE would be the One Who spoke through Moses. This gives me hope! Whatever God calls me to do, I can do it through Him.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

I should not lean on my own understanding, but trust in the Lord! I can rest in the fact that He loves me, He calls me according to His will and what He calls me to do, He will enable me to do through Himself.

On the Lighter Side

Here are a few things I wrote to some friends. I thought I'd post them here in order to remember them.

On Tuesday my sister was asked to substitute where my mom works so I was at Michael's house all day. It was fun. I was his teacher and when I said I would leave cursive "b" for his mom to teach him later, he said with enthusiasm "Why, Susie? You're doing a great job!" He was really so sweet that day. We went out in the morning and I walked while he rode his bike beside me. He talked the whole time about various things particularly Indiana Jones. :-)

Monday night one of our church friends had us and 4 other couples over for a Labor Day gathering. We had BBQ, slaw, potato salad, shrimp, chicken, corn on the cob and corn off the cob (for those with braces...Kevin's son), garlic bread and homemade ice cream. It was great! One of the couples is a young, newly-married couple, Amy and Matt. They are about 20 or so and are English-teachers/missionaries in Pakistan. I had a great time hearing stories from them about living there. Amy was so enthusiastic about the people. I could tell she really loved them except for the men who are always staring. She even wears the hijab in order to blend in with the locals, but the men stare. I'm talking coming up to your car while it's stopped in traffic and peering in the window. :-)

Ohhhh, Gina mentioning The Dark Knight reminded me. Last Friday Michael spent the night with his friend from church so Steph and Will took advantage of the free evening and went to see TDK. On Sunday they were telling us a bit about it and Michael piped up, "I'm getting that movie when I'm 18. Dad said he would buy it for me then since it's not suitable for children." Struck me funny that Michael is anticipating owning that movie over 11 years from now when he is 18! Ha!





Also this past week I finished a book that contained short stories and recollections of life and history in Alamance County according to Mary Louise Mason who was born in 1912. It is called Mary Louise's Opus and it was edited by Corinne Bivins and Gail Nelson. I know Gail from the gym, and she gave me a copy of the book. She wrote inside "To Suzanne, my beautiful friend. I hope you enjoy this little history book. Blessings, Gail 8/08." It was an enjoyable book. Mary Louise is definitely witty! I actually laughed out loud at some of her tales! Great "light" reading for the evenings. I especially loved when her grandson went to Cherokee, NC expecting to see the Indians dressed as they are in western movies. He commented with disappointment that the Indians had become too "Americanized." Ha, ha, ha!


Today I woke up to rain and wind from Tropical Storm Hanna. She left us 4.5 inches of rain -- yippee! Last Wednesday, Fay's remnants gave us over 6 inches so we are happy about the much-needed rain! Thank You, God!

Tears

What a week! Many joyful hours, but also some sad ones. But isn't that life? Highs and lows. Sometimes I feel like I'm on an emotional rollercoaster...wheeeee! Hang on for the ride!

Just a few days ago in my post about The Attentive Life, I copied something the author wrote about tears. I only want to post a small portion of that again here because it is something that seems fitting in my life right now. And, hey, this is my blog so I can repeat myself as much as I want, right? ;-)

The old spiritual teachers used to say that it is very important to pay attention to our tears. Athanasius prized "the gift of tears" as the outward sign of God's puncturing of our heart. Deborah Smith Douglas recalls hearing a wise priest say that we should be grateful for whatever breaks our heart: "Reflecting on God's promise to write 'upon' our hearts, rather than 'within' them, he suggested that our own hearts are so hard that all God can do is write upon the surface (Jeremiah 31:33). It is only when our hearts break, that they break open: then the word of God can enter deeply, like a seed in a harrowed field."

Ahhh, I do feel as if God is puncturing my heart, but I have a hard time being grateful for tears. I always seem to cry too easily, but is desiring a harder, not-as-easily-concerned heart better? Hmmm.

Helpful verses this week encouraged me to keep things in proper perspective.

Proverbs 3
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;


II Peter 3
9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.


Mark 16
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.



In closing, I want to offer this prayer of thanks to God ...

Thank You for breaking my heart so that You can pour Your love into me. Please use me so You can love others through me. I want to be a willing vessel even if that means more puncturing and more tears. It will be worth it in the end. Thank You for the hope I find in You!


Psalm 126
5 Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.
6 He who continually goes forth weeping,
Bearing seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him.

The Faith, Attentive Life, Called to Die (book reviews)

The Faith by Charles Colson and Harold Fickett is a book seeking to answer the questions about "what Christians believe, why they believe it and why it matters. The authors note

"Christians must see that the faith is more than a religion or even a relationship with Jesus; the faith is a complete view of the world and humankind's place in it. Christianity is a worldview that speaks to every area of life, and its foundational doctrines define its content. If we don't know what we believe -- even what Christianity is -- how can we live it and defend it? Our ignorance is crippling us."

Charles Colson argues that the truth "is the faith given once (Jude 3) and shared by all true Christians from the apostolic era to today."

This books covers topics such as God Is, He Has Spoken, Truth, The Invasion (God became flesh and invaded our world), God Above, God Beside, God Within, Exchanging Identities, Reconciliation, Be Holy - Transform the World, The Sanctity of Life, The Joy of Orthodoxy and more. I enjoyed the examples and stories shared including the Amish community in Nickel Mines, PA, Speratus from North Africa in AD 180, the Chinese house church movement, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jesus Amado Sarria, Theo van Gogh, Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Mohammed Bouyeri.

A few things that I made note of include the following:

The Trinity "answers the deepest needs of the human heart, offering a depth of spirituality unknown in any other religion." The authors state, "The Creator God of Christianity is not a distant, unapproachable, judging God as in Islam. Neither is God so diffuse within creation as in Eastern religion that God cannot be found. The Father is close beside us in the Son, as we encounter this God in the person of Jesus: 'God with a human face,' as Pope Benedict likes to say. Further, through the power of the Holy Spirit this God comes to dwell within us -- God gives us His life. The Holy Spirit enables us to live out God's will with its heroic demands." (pg. 104)

Concerning time -- "As Christians we do not need to live oppressed by the ticking clock -- the tyranny of the urgent. Life's value doesn't depend upon where we are in time; whether we are young,middle aged or old. We see life, all of life and all of the time that God created for us, as a gift. The greatest time of our life, then, may occur at any point in our lives. Maybe the most important insight we'll ever have or the greatest contribution we'll ever make is in our dying words or in a youthful experience of learning. Maybe it will come during our most productive years. But the point is we are not restricted. Each moment of life is a gift open to the possibility of eternity, and so what we do now matters for eternity. The gift of time enables us to prepare ourselves for an everlasting relationship with God. This is what gives significance to every one of our actions." (pg. 109)


"In Beijing, an American journalist recently encountered one of China's foremost scholars, a man who had spent long years studying the West. His colleagues and he had investigated the reasons for the West's success and preeminence, examining our history, politics, economics and culture. Their first conclusion was the West's success was due to its more advanced military; later they believed it might have been the political system; or perhaps the economic system. But 'in the past twenty years,' one investigator said, 'we have realized that the heart of your culture is your religion: Christianity. That is why the West has been so powerful. The Christian moral foundation of social and cultural life was what made possible the emergence of capitalism and then the successful transition to democratic politics. We don't have any doubt about this.'" (pg. 215)


"The orthodox Christian faith is the one source that can renew culture because it relies on a wisdom far beyond humankind's own that can yet be known by reason. It constantly calls people to the practice of virtue and charity guided by this greater wisdom." (pg. 224)


"Chesterton explains why Christians are change agents. There are, he says, optimists and pessimists in the world. The optimists are always trying to do good things, and the pessimists are always wringing their hands in despair. But the Christian, he argues, is the only one with a balanced view -- a pessimist because he knows that this is a fallen world and things do need fixing, but an optimist because he knows that God is all powerful and in charge and that all things therefore can be fixed." (pg. 225)


"Christianity does not seek to impose, it proposes. The Gospel is the great proposal: Come to the wedding feast, one and all -- black, white, rich, poor, East, West, Muslim, Jew, Christian -- all are welcome, and it's never too late. God turns no man or woman away, not one. Through His Son, Jesus Christ, the Father brings us into His Kingdom. This is the promise He holds out to individuals and nations alike, a Kingdom not of eating and drinking or of marching armies and clashing swords, but a Kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (pg. 225)


In closing, I want to make note of a verse that the Mr. Colson uses in his prison ministry. It was taken from Jesus' message in the Nazareth synagogue as he read from Isaiah's scroll: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor (Luke 4:18,19 & Isaiah 61:1,2).




The Attentive Life by Leighton Ford caused me to ponder many things. In defining attentiveness, he said it "may be just the opposite of ' fixing our attention.' Instead it involves a letting go of our usual need to control, an opening of ourselves to what we are being told or shown. Our instinct is to hold on." This book was one you had to read slowly and with care. Things that stood out to me include the following:

* This quote from French philosopher Emile Caillet's account of his own discovery of the Bible as "the book that understood me." (pg. 73)

* A prayer from the Bible,

To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;
in you I trust, O my God ...
Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long. (Psalm 25:1-2,4-5 NIV)

* This quote from Henri Nouwen about prayer

Prayer can only become unceasing prayer when all our thoughts -- beautiful or ugly, high or low, proud or shameful, sorrowful or joyful -- can be thought and expressed in the presence of God ... This requires that we turn all our thoughts into conversation. The main question, therefore, is not so much what we think, but to whom we present our thoughts ... Prayer is an outward, careful attentiveness to the One who invites us to unceasing conversation. (pg. 93)

* Robert Llewelyn wrote about the "'constancy of God's love. No power in heaven or on earth - and that includes sin -- can stop God loving us.' When we fall into sin, said Julian, it may seem that God is angry with us, but actually we are often projecting our own disappointment onto God. The truth is that God is present with his forgiveness whether we choose to take it or not." (pg. 128)

* Something about Mother Teresa: '"We do our work for Jesus and with Jesus and to Jesus,' ... ' and that's what keeps it simple. It's not a matter of praying some times and working others. We pray the work.' She also told us how she and the other sisters sought to see Christ in the face of each one they served." (pg. 132)

* From Hwee Hwee Tan -- "That's the profound truth: you are what your mind looks at. You are what you contemplate." (pg. 199)

* "The destination is Christlikeness. The wonder is not only that we will be like him, but that when we are like him we will most truly be ourselves." (pg. 203)

* "Love is seeking us, the only Love that redeems time, that takes the fragments of what is past and the hope of what is coming and binds them together in the 'love of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord.' That love is reaching out even now, calling us to our heart's true home." (pg. 204)

* Paying attention to our tears

The old spiritual teachers used to say that it is very important to pay attention to our tears. Athanasius prized ' the gift of tears" as the outward sign of God's puncturing of our heart. Deborah Smith Douglas recalls hearing a wise priest say that we should be grateful for whatever breaks our heart: "Reflecting on God's promise to write 'upon' our hearts, rather than 'within' them, he suggested that our own hearts are so hard that all God can do is write upon the surface (Jeremiah 31:33). It is only when our hearts break, that they break open: then the word of God can enter deeply, like a seed in a harrowed field."

We should prize the gift of tears? What a hard saying that is. Yet I concur with Leon Blum: "Man has places in his heart which do not yet exist, and into them enters suffering in order that they may have existence." Looking back, I know there are in me "places of the heart" that have opened to God's presence, or to welcome the hurt of others, places that I might never have explored had it not been for the dark passages I have come through. In a very strange and mysterious way the light shone in and opened up the darkness. So when tears come, instead of avoiding them I am trying to learn to pay attention, to pause and ask: What makes these tears come? (pg. 145)

Called to Die by Steve Estes is a book I received from The Voice of the Martyrs and is the story of American linguist Chet Bitterman who died at the hands of a terrorist group in Colombia after being held hostage for many days. The terrorists wanted the linguistics missionaries to leave Colombia because they said the Westerners were trying to destroy the native cultures. When the linguistics institute refused to meet their demands, they killed Chet. I especially enjoyed the talk of called to missions (pg. 83-85-- instead of asking "why go?" it changed to "why not go?"), and the story of how Wycliffe Translators was born (p.89 "if your God is so great, why doesn't He speak our language?" -- from a bilingual Cakchiquel), and also the responses to Chet's murder (pg. 251 -- "The guerrillas had intended to oust the translators; instead, they entrenched them. Almost a decade of negative press gave way to supportive editorials. ... Strangers embraced Al in the streets, tearful and smiling. 'I saw you on television,' they would say. 'We're glad you stayed.'" In the US people stepped up to fill the ranks and applications for overseas service with Wycliffe Bible Translators doubled and this trend has continued.) What M-19 guerrillas meant for evil, God meant for good.

Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Israel and Palestinians in the West Bank (book review)

Victory For Us Is To See You Suffer was written by Philip C. Winslow, a UN worker stationed in the West Bank for 30 months. In his book he describes life as he saw it lived out from day to day. He tells of events as he witnessed them and also ones told to him by others. He doesn't draw many conclusions, but presents the facts with a fairly objective eye.

The author tells of the hopelessness of many of the Palestinian youth and how this has lead to an almost unruly madness in the society. But he also shares of other Palestinian young people who have decided the best way to fight is by studying. He shares of the many ways the Israeli soldiers make life miserable for the Palestinians. Speaking of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, he mentions the long lines at check points, the difficulty in getting to and from work (and the resulting high unemployment in certain West Bank areas because of it), hospitals, doctor's appointments and even the hardship faced when one wants to buy shoes. He explained in detail how the Israelis tore up roads with bulldozers, destroyed houses where supposed terrorists lived or took shelter and taunted children to throw rocks at their armored vehicles among other things. He shared how the Jewish settlers moved into occupied lands and made Palestinians feel as if they were thieves while they were just trying to work their own olive farms. Of course much of the soldiers' actions are justified under the guise of watching out for terrorists. Indeed the Palestinians' decision to use themselves as suicide bombers has lead to harder times for them plus the loss of sympathy from many people who find this practice inexcusable. After reading this book, I better understand why the Palestinians have resorted to this practice (part frustration, madness, desperation, honor and incentive from a religion that rewards martyrdom with instant gratification). The author describes some Israeli groups that are against the Jewish settlements, the checkpoints and other methods the IDF uses. One group is made of former soldiers who are "breaking the silence." I especially enjoyed reading their accounts.

The accounts of the author's interaction with the children interested me. He spoke with some of them in school and they asked why America unwaveringly supported Israel and if George W. Bush really hated Palestinians. As for what they want to do after leaving school: "I want to be a suicide bomber!" or "I want to kill Jews!" were common replies from children under ten. (pg. 95) One little 5 year old saw the author coming to his house and ran inside crying. His mom rushed out and explained, "Uday ran in and said the Jews were coming!" (pg. 87) The easy manner in which the children talked of death startled me. In one example the author had warned two small children to be careful because they were headed out with some older children to throw stones at armored Israeli vehicles.

"I want you guys to be careful, " I said through my translator. In shocked tones, she told me what they both said in reply. "We hope the Hummer comes back and runs over you both, and we hope you die!" they had said cheerfully. The translator, a woman with grown children of her own, leaned over and gently asked why they would say such a thing. "Because we all want to die! We want to be martyrs and go to heaven!" they said as they ran off to chase the Humvee. It was not an idle boast by children too young to know what violent death looked like. And it wasn't that they wanted anything bad to happen to us; they just figured that if we were crushed under the wheels of the Hummer, we got a special pass. Life on earth -- theirs or ours -- was nothing special, and paradise awaited. (pg. 87)

A few surprising facts I learned was that so much money was being spent "in the territories" dealing with Jewish settlements and keeping the Palestinians at bay that 1 in 3 Israeli children were living in poverty, roads were not maintained and as one leftist Israeli peace activist put it, "Do you know how many Israelis live in California? They don't want to live in this militarist atmosphere. The cost of the settlements ... all at the expense of Israeli children." (pg. 133)

Upon seeing evidence of how the Israelis treated the Palestinians the author admitted to a lingering question: "was Israel trying to crush the Palestinian economy, either to encourage people to leave or to keep them under complete control? As cynical as the question was, much of what I had seen, and was seeing again, had nothing to do with protecting Israelis from terrorists." (pg. 132)

One group of Israeli women who are against the mistreatment of the Palestinians had this to say regarding their work at checkpoints: "We are far outside the mainstream of Israeli society . . . Israelis think we are undermining the government. Security is the magic word in Israel." Her friend agreed, "The government has brainwashed people and exploits fear . . . They are frightening people over terrorism." (pg. 160)

"Soldiers saw their personalities change during violent patrols and particularly at checkpoints, where they exercised total control. One solider said:

You start playing with them, like a computer game. You come here, you go there, like this. You barely move, you make them obey the tip of your finger. It's a mighty feeling. It's something you don't experience elsewhere . . . It's addictive. When I realized this I checked in with myself to see what had happened to me. I thought I was immune ... a thinking, articulate, ethical, moral man. ... I thought of myself as such. Suddenly I notice that I'm getting addicted to controlling people. (pg. 179)

At one point a former Israeli soldier discussed the curfew that was imposed upon the Palestinians. If anyone were caught walking in the streets between a certain time, they had orders to shoot and kill them. One night a Palestinian was killed during these curfew hours as he walked to his bakery. His bag had pita bread in it. According to the solider, "Turns out he was a baker. He had pita bread in his bag! He was on his way to work! I know his name, his age, where he worked. You know what the IDF statement was, that same morning? That the IDF shot an armed terrorist suicide bomber that was on his way to explode on the IDF forces. Did anyone ask a question? No! Did anyone go and check who was killed and why? No. That is not about war. That is about a society that doesn't want to face the truth. That's about a society that sends their best sons and daughters to oppress, to kill, to violate, to humiliate, to abuse and doesn't want to know about it." So why is the occupation still going on? "I don't think that is the right question [Yehuda Shaul] replied. "It's very obvious why it's going on. Why not? Because on one side you have people who do it, who live this life. You have a lot of people who benefit from it. And the majority is silent." As another Israeli put it, "...There's a sort of pathology with the Jewish people, especially Israelis, a people who have been persecuted for along time. It's a paradox that we, as the powerful, don't see ourselves as the oppressor." (pgs. 180, 181)

Another interesting story is told by Ami Ayalon, a former head of Shin Bet and a retired career naval officer. He is now a peace campaigner and member of the Knesset for the Labor Party.

I had a very interesting meeting in London . .. during the intifada. A Palestinian friend approached me [and said], "Ami, we won. We Palestinians won." ... I asked him, "Are you crazy? What do you mean 'We won'? You are losing so many people ... and we are losing so many people. What is the whole essence of victory?" He said, "Ami, you don't understand us. Victory for us is to see you suffer. This is all we want. Finally, after so many years, we are not the only ones who suffer in the Middle East. (pg. 193)

A veteran aid worker told the author that "in thirty years of working in the world's war zones he has not seen such intense hatred between combatants." (pg. 193)

Avraham Burg from the Knesset had this to say in an article "The End of Zionism" published in the Guardian,

It is very comfortable to be a Zionist in the West Bank settlements such as Beit El and Ofra. The biblical landscape is charming. You can gaze through the geraniums and bougainvilleas and not see the occupation. Travelling on the fast highway that skirts barely a half-mile west of the Palestinian roadblocks, it's hard to comprehend the humiliating experience of the despised Arab who must creep for hours along the pocked, blockaded roads assigned to him. One road for the occupier, one road for the occupied.

This cannot work. Even if the Arabs lower their heads and swallow their shame and anger for ever, it won't work. A structure built on human callousness will inevitably collapse in on itself. Note this moment well: Zionism's superstructure is already collapsing like a cheap Jerusalem wedding hall. Only madmen continue dancing on the top floor while the pillars below are collapsing.

Israel, having ceased to care about the children of the Palestinians, should not be surprised when they come washed in hatred and blow themselves up in the centres of Israeli escapism. They consign themselves to Allah in our places of recreation, because their own lives are torture. They spill their own blood in our restaurants in order to ruin our appetites, because they have children and parents at home who are hungry and humiliated. We could kill a thousand ringleaders a day and nothing will be solved, because the leaders come up from below -- from the wells of hatred and anger, from the 'infrastructures' of injustice and moral corruption. (pg. 201-202)

As Dr. Yehudit Elkana put it, "It is a rotten society with no moral standards." (pg. 202)


I wrote more about this book and quoted much from it because I don't want to forget what I read. I grew up with a pro-Israel mindset because they are our allies plus I feel some kinship with the Jews because my Savior came from them, and they were chosen by God to bless all nations.

It has only been in recent months that my views on the current Israel have been challenged. After reading of the ideology behind the founders of Zionist Israel, I am not convinced I have to stand behind their cruel and deceptive ways. I believe I can still love the Jews without supporting secular Zionist ideology which goes against the Bible's teaching.

God's goodness to Israel wasn't because of Israel's goodness, but because He is good and faithful to the promises He made Abraham. God wants us to love Him with all of our hearts, souls and minds. And He wants us to love our neighbors as we do ourselves. Obviously, Israel of today is not there. I pray one day they will be. Then they will be a shining example to the world of how GOD changes hearts and lives. Right now they are an example of how depraved and sinful we are without God. The Palestinians aren't any better. Their excuse that "Israel made us do this" makes them out to be unable to control their responses. Their own words cheapen them and make them seem powerless. Does Israel now control their attitudes and reactions?

The Lord makes the difference in our hearts and lives! I look forward to Him doing a glorious work in the hearts of Israelis, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Palestinians and Arabs alike so that one day the world will see that area of the world and say, "They are now at peace! What happened?" Then we can rejoice and say, "Oh, that is God at work!"

All glory and praise to Him! Blessed be the name of the Lord!

2 books reviews

Scratch Beginnings is a book about Adam Shepard's idea to start with $25 cash, a sleeping bag, very few possessions and the clothes on his back in an effort to find if the American Dream were still obtainable. After drawing a city name out of a hat, he headed off to Charleston, SC. I greatly enjoyed hearing of his months of living at the shelter, working, saving money and meeting all sorts of interesting characters. Adam set certain goals he wanted to meet within a year. I admire his good work ethic, discipline, delay of gratification and good attitude! I really loved this from his book. He had just had a series of setbacks in his goals. For one thing, he broke his toe while working for a moving company so he had to elevate his foot for 5 days. He told how low that was to stay at the shelter for 5 days and how mundane and boring it was. he started thinking about some "what if" questions and finally concluded with this: "I suppose that these type of 'what if' questions lead to even more questions than answers, and that the chain has to be broken off at some point. It happened, I hit a roadblock. OK, now what do I do? I could complain about my situation and feel sorry for myself or I could get back on the horse. If nothing else, I was discovering that life just simply isn't fair, but the difference emerges among the people that accept the ideal, embrace it even, and bask in the unsung glory of knowing that each obstacle overcome along the way only adds to the satisfaction at the end. Nothing great, after all, was ever accomplished by anyone sulking in his or her misery."

From his book, I also realized the importance of thanking people for the differences they make in your life. Adam modeled this by giving a kind note to a bus driver who started his day right by his cheery smiles and pleasant conversation. It made me realize how my countenance can affect others and also how my words of thanksgiving can be a blessing.

I enjoyed Adam's sense of humor and his sharing a lot of details in this book. It was great to be reminded of what a wonderful country we live in. As for whether or not Adam met his goals and achieved his first step in the American Dream, I'll leave that for you to find out. I highly recommend this book.






Too Christian, Too Pagan by Dick Staub -- This book challenged the readers by declaring if we are going to live like Jesus then we will appear too pagan for our Christian friends and too Christian for our pagan friends. He sited Jesus fellowshipping with sinners as his basis for being too pagan for your friends in the separated Christian culture. On the other hand, Jesus never compromised His holiness by sinning. He just reached out to those people where they were. Chances are most "pagans" aren't going to come to the church on Sunday so we have to reach them where they live and hang out. The author challenged us to watch movies and TV, listen to secular music and read secular books with discernment. Identify the needs of the world and see how the gospel addresses those needs. By doing this, we can talk to people in our culture and point them to the hope that we have in us because of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Good book....very thought-provoking.

Even when I walk through the valley....You are with me! :-D

My cousin Beth & the beautiful valley
July 2008

My aunt sent this to me in a recent e-mail. I thought it was such a lovely thought that I wanted to post it here "for keeps."

As we were driving home from Venice last weekend, we came through the most beautiful part of the Alps, which is where Austria and Italy meet. When we were up high, we would come out of a tunnel and suddenly come up on the most beautiful scenery we had ever seen, the lush, green valleys, dotted with little villages. I asked Doug how come we call our trials in this life "valleys" because it seemed to me that valleys are a very beautiful and peaceful place. We pondered this for some time, but never quite came up with an answer.

Then last Sunday, as we listened to Pastor John Hagee on the satellite TV here, he explained it for us in a beautiful way. He brought out that the Shepherd takes His sheep to the valley when they need extra nourishment, because the grass there is sweeter and more lush. Also, He takes them there when He feels they need some special attention, and that it is in the valley that the sheep grow stronger and actually get more attached to the Shepherd, because of the special one-on-one time they have with Him. So, the valley is really not a bad place to be after all. It just means that He wants to teach us some things, so please pray that we are good students and learn all that he has for us. One more thing about the valley is that the only way out is UP! Praise the Lord! I have ceased trying to understand this entire situation and have given it over to God completely. The only thing I know for sure is that He has never let us down before, so I have no reason to expect Him to do it now. I will occupy til He comes, whether that is in Germany or in South Carolina.

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.

1 The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever.

God has promised to never leave or forsake us. Even in the bad times, He is here.
Hallelujah, what a Savior!