re: the "jesus" bumper sticker

I've never had a "Jesus" bumper sticker on my car.  Admittedly, I don't like to be labeled as a Christ-follower while driving.  Instead, I like to drown in a sea of anonymity while I disobey traffic laws.  I got caught a few weeks ago in my disobedience and was pulled over for speeding.  While the kindly officer was writing me a well-deserved ticket, another officer drove up beside him.  I don't know the nature of the exchange between to two men.  However, I do know that for a brief moment, it seemed as though officer #1 had called for back-up, making that common traffic stop look like a crime scene.  

Right at that moment, a minivan went by that was driven by a woman who gave me the "stare".  You know the one - searing eyes, complete with furrowed brow and frown.  I started to imagine the diatribe going off in that woman's head: "For shame!  There goes another drunken, pot-smoking mama, trying to pass herself off as a goodie-two-shoes with her soccer and co-op nursery school bumper stickers.  Probably doesn't even have that kid strapped in her car seat correctly.  Glad she got caught!  They're probably searching her car right now for drugs.  I bet she has them hidden in her kid's lunch box, poor thing.  Tsk! Tsk! I hope they cart her off to jail and take that kid into child protective services."

I really wanted to flag down that woman and plead my case.  I had my reasons for speeding, none of which were great, but I wanted to explain them to her.  I surprised myself at how desperately I needed grace from that unknown woman.  And to think how much more I'd have to explain away if I'd had a "Jesus" bumper sticker on my car!

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Something strange happens when we shut the door of our vehicles.  Many of us feel as though we become a faceless operator, hiding behind glass and metal, without a name, identity or label (that is, unless you have a bumper sticker).  The lack of accountability gives us the freedom to do things we might not otherwise do, and say things we might not otherwise say.

If I'm being honest, I sometimes imagine that same shield of anonymity follows me when I'm doing something less than becoming outside the vehicle as well.  Then, when I'm caught or my sin comes to light, I run after God to plead my case and seek grace ... just like I wanted to do with that woman who I was sure was judging me.

In repsonse to my desire to hide my faults, this verse can be a bit unnerving:

Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?" says the LORD. - Jeremiah 23:24

I know this to be true, but I still like to think I can hide, much like Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden.  The late pastor Jack Hyles, taken from his sermon entitled "You Cannot Hide from God", has a good response.  He acknowledges that, "You can´t hide your sins from God, you can´t hide your soul from God, you can´t hide yourself from God; but you can hide your sins in God, you can hide your soul in God, you can hide yourself in God by faith in Jesus Christ".
 
Yes, God sees all my faults, plain and clear.  However, He has chosen to cancel the record of charges against me, taking them away and nailing them to the cross (Col 2:14).  So I can approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph 3:12) because my identity is in Christ.  It appears I have a "Jesus" bumper sticker after all!

re: chasing tornadoes ... and wonder

I am sitting here on a dreary April afternoon, drinking a coffee to shake off the sleepiness and listening to the low rumble of thunder and the rain pound on the our rooftop.  I love thunderstorms!  This springtime storm is quite mild, but it still makes me smile.

Growing up in Ohio we got our fair share of good thunderstorms.  I remember one in particular: the mid-afternoon sky churned rapidly, conjuring up ominous storm clouds, turning the day into night, making it as dark as the caldron in which the clouds swirled.  I was mesmerized at the resulting brew - the sparks flew, the thunder cracked all while the storm sirens screamed.  In the aftermath, I recall that the sky glowed with a mysterious green hue.

Many times these storms were joined by tornadoes.  We grew so accustomed to the warnings that instead of grabbing our flashlights and heading to the basement, we would grab our lawn chairs and head out to the porch.  One particular evening, my siblings and I even hopped into the car to go out and chase one down.  I can now better grasp the death, injury and destruction that can result from tornadoes and realize that may not have been such a good idea.  However, the desire to witness such power and such magnificence has not subsided.  I yearn to lay eyes on something so forceful that it can fell barns in an instance, toss vehicles like they are matchbox cars, and twist trees from the ground all while leaving flowers 10 feet away untouched.

In looking back, I realized I was not only chasing a tornado, but chasing Wonder.

These Wonders are sometimes terrifying:  My cousins from California were visiting during that impressive storm I described.  Not used to such sights, they were filled with terror.

These Wonders are also sometimes shocking:  My husband and I were opening up a bank account upon moving to England several years ago.  It was raining cats and dogs outside ... nothing unusual ... when we barely heard a crack of thunder.  Dave and I would have continued signing documents, blissfully unaware, if it hadn't been for the flinch of every single other person in the bank at the time.  Our personal banker sheepishly explained that they were not used to such sounds.

These Wonders ... sometimes terrifying, sometimes shocking ... for me are glimpses of God.

In Job 38, God pelts Job with some humbling questions in hopes that he recognizes the following Wonders are His doing:  Who created a channel for the torrents of rain? Who laid out the path for the lightening? Who makes the rain fall on barren land, in a desert where no one lives? Who sends rain to satisfy the parched ground and make the tender grass spring up? Can you shout to the clouds and make it rain? Can you make lightening appear and cause it to strike as you direct? Who is wise enough to count all the clouds? Who can tilt the water jars of heaven when the parched ground is dry and the soil has hardened into clods?

Whoa!  It's humbling to recognize these Wonders from God.  Do you chase them too?

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky.  Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature.  So they have no excuse for not knowing God. - Romans 1:20

*photo from flickr creative commons found here.

re: it's friday - but sunday's comin'!

It's Friday, but Sunday's Comin'
by Igniter Media

It’s Friday
Jesus is praying
Peter’s a sleeping
Judas is betraying
But Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
Pilate’s struggling
The council is conspiring
The crowd is vilifying
They don’t even know
That Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
The disciples are running
Like sheep without a shepherd
Mary’s crying
Peter is denying
But they don’t know
That Sunday’s a comin’

It’s Friday
The Romans beat my Jesus
They robe him in scarlet
They crown him with thorns
But they don’t know
That Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
See Jesus walking to Calvary
His blood dripping
His body stumbling
And his spirit’s burdened
But you see, it’s only Friday
Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
The world’s winning
People are sinning
And evil’s grinning

It’s Friday
The soldiers nail my Savior’s hands
To the cross
They nail my Savior’s feet
To the cross
And then they raise him up
Next to criminals

It’s Friday
But let me tell you something
Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
The disciples are questioning
What has happened to their King
And the Pharisees are celebrating
That their scheming
Has been achieved
But they don’t know
It’s only Friday
Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
He’s hanging on the cross
Feeling forsaken by his Father
Left alone and dying
Can nobody save him?
 It’s Friday
But Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
The earth trembles
The sky grows dark
My King yields his spirit

It’s Friday
Hope is lost
Death has won
Sin has conquered
and Satan’s just a laughin’

It’s Friday
Jesus is buried
A soldier stands guard
And a rock is rolled into place
But it’s Friday
It is only Friday
Sunday is a comin’!

re: mercy expected?

 

I got a speeding ticket today.   

For some people this is not an uncommon occurrence.  For me, this was the first in my 22 years of driving.  

I had been pulled over once before, but not ticketed.  It was in college during exam week.  After an evening of studying at the library, I was heading to a friend's house to continue studying for an exam the next day.  I safely turned right on red onto a street with no cars.  However, there was a "No Turn On Red" sign posted at that particular crossroad.  Sure enough, lights flashed, sirens sounded and I pulled to the side of the desolate street.  As soon as the cop came up to my car, I did what any sleepless, naive college-aged girl would do ... I cried.  He was most apologetic to ME! and all but ran back to his car to get away from the streams of tears running down my face.  I was let off without anything ... not even a verbal warning!  I think he was afraid he would completely crush my spirit.  He simply said, "Drive carefully now."

Today, I didn't get off so easily.  I didn't cry ... maybe I should have.  However, I had no reason to do so.  I had a pretty good night's sleep last night.  The only exam happening today was that for my 3-year-old at her swim class ... for the record, she passed her safety exam with flying colors and has a rainbow ribbon as proof.  

My offense today was simply traveling 50 in a 35.  Now, in my defense (because that does seem a bit excessive), it's a 4-lane stretch of road, non-residential and it should very well be 45!  Nonetheless, I broke the rules and got a ticket.  The cop was quite generous and I was let off with a civil infraction - the kind that incurs a fine, but no points and no record of wrong.

In reality, this wasn't what I deserved.  I could very well have been faced with a heavier fine and harsher penalty.  The funny thing was, I wasn't surprised when he showed me mercy.  After he took my license and registration, he asked me what was on my record to which I could reply: nothing.  So, I expected to be let off easily.  I was hoping for a warning, but was OK with the civil infraction as long as I could get on my way as soon as possible.  

I expressed my gratitude, but it wasn't until later that I began to realize something was wrong with the way I was thinking: I. expected. mercy. 

I'm quite embarrassed looking back on my attitude today.  What right did I have to expect mercy?  I did break the law afterall.  Truth be told, I break it just about every day by going over the speed limit.  It was only today that I got caught.  If I got caught more often, I'm sure my chances of mercy would dwindle each time.

It was good to reflect on mercy today.  While it is something I should not expect, it is something I receive freely from God.  And while the world's mercies may dwindle at each passing offense having kept a record of my wrongs, God's mercies are new every day (Lamentations 3:23).  

*photo credit here.

a re:deemer for the old testament

The Bible is not always an easy read, especially the Old Testament.  There are 39 books included in the Protestant Old Testament written by several different authors in various writing styles.  It is full of narratives, dialogues, poems, genealogy, laws and prophecies.  Some words describing ancient imagery are woven into beautiful, unique tapestries.  Other words form repetitive, bland patterns, sort of like that on a simple buffalo plaid shirt.  Both are necessary, however.  The artistic pieces draw on our emotions and senses.  The workhorse, record-keeping sort of pieces keep up the logic and information.  The remaining narratives and dialogues, which include a wide-ranging combination of both drama and logic depending on who is writing or speaking, keep the story progressing forward.     

I have to admit, the story's progression is much slower than I'd like.  I have been reading through the Bible for Lent at a pace where I will be able to complete the entire Bible in 40 days.  I still have one more week of reading the Old Testament before reaching the New Testament.  Even for me ... someone who knows the promise that lies ahead ... I have been challenged to remain positive amidst all the difficult events in the Old Testament.  The stories of war and destruction are difficult for a peace-loving girl who avoids confrontation at any cost.  I am uncomfortable with the patriarchal system where some women are treated as possessions.  In addition, the Lord's anger against His chosen people leaves me feeling 1) embarrassed for them for continually turning their backs on God, their creator and their champion, and 2) guilty, knowing I do the same thing.

Yes, reading through the Old Testament is, at times, bleak.  It seems to linger in the dark shadows for a terribly long time.  I recently read a reaction by a woman who was reading through the Bible for the first time.  She thought: these people need a hero.  She's right!  They need an Arbitrator (Job 9:32-35).  They need an an Attorney, a Champion and Friend (Job 16:18-21)  They need a kinsmen redeemer, like Boaz for Ruth.  They need someone to intercede for them like Esther for her people.  The Old Testament is peppered with promises of a hero!  However, leading up to Isaiah, no promise speaks so directly than when Isaiah prophesied about a baby being born to a virgin who will be called Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14), and when he said in Isaiah 9, "The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. ... For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. ... And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."  

Reading these words this week was like eating a warm piece of apple pie.  Once you break through the firm crust on the exterior, you are welcomed with an inviting and delicious core that you knew was there all along though it was unseen.  Yes, the Bible is a hard read sometimes and the Old Testament sets up like a tough coating, but there is yummy goodness on the inside once you reach the promises of a Savior!

I cannot help but think of the phrase: It's Friday ... but Sunday's coming!  As we lead up to Easter, we remember that on Friday, Jesus Christ was crucified, dead and buried, but on Sunday He rose again!  He rose to conquer death and sin, He rose to redeem all who believe and by God's grace we can be saved for eternity.  

By reading the Old Testament, I am learning much about God's character and becoming evermore enamored by Him.  Still, sometimes I get stuck on "Friday".  However, I am reminded this week through the promises of the prophets of the Old Testament that "Sunday" will come with the good news of the New Testament!

* linking with Emily at Imperfect Prose (here).