When Praise is a Sacrifice

Today, October 15th, is a day of remembrance.

Two days ago, Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving with friends, family and great food. But today is different.

It's a day I wouldn't have paid much attention to if it weren't for an event that happened in my life just over a year ago.

I never imagined having to count myself as 'one of them' - the group of women with soul connections on this day.

October 15th marks the 'Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day'

As mentioned on the official website, back in October 1988, American President Ronald Reagan proclaimed October as National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. He sensitively said, ''When a child loses a parent, they are called an orphan. When a spouse loses her or his partner, they are called a widow or widower. When parents lose their child, there isn't a word to describe them.''

And as one of those parents, I realize there also isn't a word to describe one's emotions when you lose a child.

Yes, I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy 3 months ago. But on August 6, 2013, I also buried a baby after suffering a miscarriage at 8 weeks.

Since then, 5 friends of mine have unfortunately had to do the same.

How does one reconcile thanksgiving and trial? Love and loss? Praise and pain?

Hebrews 13:15 talks about offering God a 'sacrifice of praise.' Oh, how you and I know that praise isn't always easy. How many days is it a decision we have to make instead of a natural response flowing from our hearts?

Tim Hughes' song, ''When the Tears Fall'', is a powerful summary of the struggles and questions I was left with after my miscarriage. But it's also an intense reminder of hope, an invitation to look up.

I've had questions without answers
I've known sorrow, I have known pain
But there's one thing that I cling to
You are faithful, Jesus You're true
When hope is lost
I call You Saviour
When pain surrounds
I call You Healer
When silence falls
You'll be the song within my heart

I'm not trying to minimize anyone's pain by saying that we should just 'get over' such experiences, that we're not allowed to ask questions, or that we need to suck it up and be 'spiritual'. No, mourning IS spiritual (a whole book of the Bible is all about lamenting!)

But for me it is significant that this day of loss and remembrance falls two days after Thanksgiving. Because I can still be thankful, and praise God even when it's hard.

Praise Him for the fact that I'm not alone, since He is familiar with suffering.
Praise Him for hope.
Praise Him for life.
Praise Him for Shalom - that all-encompassing, deep, healing, life-giving peace and comfort.

Maybe you haven't lost a child, but maybe praise is still a sacrifice for you.  Maybe it's sickness, disappointment, stress, doubt.

But may I encourage you to offer a praise sacrifice even in your suffering?

And friend, if you've lost a little one, let us remember together. Know that Jesus sees your tears and is ready to offer beauty for ashes.

This is Judah...

Not all early deaths are preventable, but some are...

Knowing His Voice

Leading...protecting...disciplining...carrying...providing. The job of a German Shepherd.

No, not a 4-legged furry animal, but a real German man whose job is shepherding. I was privileged to meet one this week.

I was at our ministry base (located at the edge of a village nestled in the hills) and about to head home for the afternoon break when I heard the sound of bleating. I rounded the corner and saw not just one “baaa-ing” sheep, but 480 of them walking the path up to a hill! And at the front of the flock, a young, friendly, gentle man, leading them to fresh pasture.

What a sight! Once they made it up the hill they spread out and began grazing. The young lambs loved exploring, and the faithful sheep dogs were ever on watch to keep the flock together. Meanwhile, we visited with the German Shepherd.

This man literally knows all 480 sheep individually and can recognize their faces. And they know his voice! I caught this video clip of him simply saying “Come, come!” and calling them together when it was time to move onto greener pasture:

What if hearing our Good Shepherd’s voice was so simple? In John 10:14, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” Notice in the video that the shepherd didn’t have to shout, and only repeated his invitation once. Just after turning my camera off, I noticed two little lambs left behind in the field. They had been too busy with their faces in the grass, eating, and then looked up at each other, as if suddenly realizing, “Oops, I think we missed something!” They skipped off to catch up with the rest of the group, with those of us observing encouraging them, “Come on little guys, follow the voice of your shepherd!”

What amazed me was the sheep’s obedience, despite not knowing where their shepherd was leading them. They simply trusted his voice, and even if they were enjoying eating or drinking or resting, as soon as he called, they came, knowing something better was ahead.

Are we that obedient when our Shepherd calls? It can be hard to obey if we don’t know that our Shepherd is GOOD. But He is.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths

for his name’s sake.”

His goal is to care for us - to lead, provide, protect. “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” (Is. 40:11)

“For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’” (Rev. 7:17)

Two babies had been born to the flock just that morning, and the German shepherd left them in the previous pasture with their mother since the lambs couldn’t walk yet. So he didn’t venture far with his flock, but he accepted his responsibility to lead, to provide.

And he indeed had a staff in his hands - ready to protect, defend, and discipline if necessary. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11).

That is how good our Shepherd is - laying down his very life for us so that we could live in abundance, not lacking anything. He knows where good pasture is; he guides us along the best paths. He anoints us with healing oil, and removes the burrs that get attached to us when we choose to wander off on our own.

And our responsibility? Simply to listen to his voice and obey. You don't have to strain to hear it; you already know it. It's the voice that first called you to Him, inviting you into relationship and offering the gift of salvation.

Praying, friends, that you will receive what you need from your Shepherd today: guidance, refreshment, provision, rest.

Giving Tree

A story about a boy and a tree...

...and about you and me?

  

And about our heavenly Father, who 'did not spare His own Son' and graciously gives us all things.

What is our relationship to the Tree? To the God who became man and died on a tree to show the extent of His love? 

'You can either enjoy God, or simply use Him...'

Enslaved.

"Today has been declared Shine A Light On Slavery Day by the folks at the End It Movement."

Did you know that:

• there are 27 million men, women and children, just like you, living in the shadows. In brothels. In factories. In Quarries. Working as slaves. In 161 countries. Including our own.
• YOU can do something against it

The Lord has been stirring mine and my husband's hearts lately about the whole theme of social justice. Sometimes the need seems so great - what can we do? And when, if ever, are we doing enough? The "seashell story" is a huge encouragement, a reminder to never underestimate the impact we can make in one person's life, therefore changing the world.

My parents taught me that "the need is not the call." It's been a helpful guideline in my life as I've learned to say no to certain things and not let myself be pulled in all directions. Obedience is all that matters, not people-pleasing or doing good works to feel good about myself. But, as my husband added, "Although the need is not the call, sometimes we miss the call because we aren't willing to see the need."


If we would just open our eyes and let God "break our hearts for what breaks His," we would see need all around us! And more importantly, opportunities to meet that need. And if we would just obey the Holy Spirit - each of us doing his part - the world around us would be transformed.

I don't necessarily need to invent the wheel, so I want to recommend this article from Shaun Grove's blog: "4 Ways You Can Help End Slavery." It's moving, but not just in the emotional sense; it motivates to action.

And what are we doing to "End It"? A couple thoughts:

• Being informed is a great start. Letting our eyes be opened. I came across a trailer recently for a movie being released this Friday in America....My friends in the USA, could you go for me? I have no idea when it will come out in Germany, but I would love to see it! It is called "Not Today" and focuses on the issue of human trafficking in India. More information here: http://www.nottodaythemovie.com/ "Your ticket in is their ticket out..."

 

• I've written about it before, but one simple yet practical way my husband and I believe we are making a difference is by making informed shopping choices. The "Fair Trade" label is of huge value - ensuring that the people who work to produce our clothing, our chocolate, our coffee, or harvest our fruit were all paid fair wages, treated well, and were not abused at the hands of the slavery spiral.  

• And thirdly, as I've also written about before, another step could be child sponsorship. I am now officially an Advocate on behalf of Compassion Deutschland, and would love to give you resources or help connect you if you're interested in finding out more. Did you know that their method s are scientifically proven to work? Check out this research project: http://www.compassion.com/poverty-facts.htm?referer=128018. Investing into one child's life could protect them from becoming enslaved! Help "Release a Child from Poverty in Jesus' Name!"

• I read Isaiah 61 this morning and the words hit me again: "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon ME..." How does God want to use ME to make a difference? To promote justice? He has "anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captive and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor...to comfort all who mourn...and provide for those who grieve..." Who in my life today needs good news? Needs binding up? Needs freedom, needs light, needs favor, needs comfort? God wants to use my hands and feet, and tangibly display His glory through me in the details of this day. 

From James 2:

"Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?"

Ebenezer (no, not Scrooge...)

There is an old hymn that I love, but unfortunately, like many familiar songs, I often go over the words without understanding what they really mean. Verse two of "Come Thou Fount" is one of those parts that I often sing without really worshiping.

"Here I raise my Ebenezer
Hither by Thy help I've come
And I hope by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wondering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood"

What exactly is an Ebenezer, and why does the person who wrote this song want to raise one? They were for sure not talking about Charles Dickens or A Christmas Carol. And definitely not referring to cold hearts, traditions, or even Christmas at all.

Instead, the reference is to Samuel, the Israelites, and the Philistines. Yes, from the Bible...

The story is recorded in 1 Samuel 7. The Israelites were in the hands of the Philistines (their enemies) because of their own mistake, and the Lord had raised up a prophet - Samuel - to deliver them. The people of God repented of their idolatry, determined to serve the Lord only, and Samuel offered a sacrifice to Yahweh.

"He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.¹⁰ While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. ¹¹ The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Car."

The Lord always responds to the worship of His people. One of His names in the Bible is DEFENDER (but that's a topic for a different post!) and He responded in this instance by wiping out Israel's enemies. 

So what did Samuel do? "¹² Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far has the Lord helped us.' ¹³ So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again."

There it is - Ebenezer. And it's meaning is the second line of that verse in "Come Thou Fount" - Hither by Thy help I've come. Or, as Samuel said, "Thus far has the Lord helped us."

The Ebenezer stone was to serve as a reminder of the works of the Lord and His faithfulness. Abraham did something similar throughout his life; every time he had a significant experience with God, he built an altar in that place and worshiped there. Or it's like the story in Joshua 4 where, after crossing the Jordan, the people were told to take 12 stones (1 for each tribe of Israel) from the river, and build an altar on the other side. The reason? "In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ ⁷ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

There should be times in our lives where we "raise our Ebenezer" and remember with gratefulness what God has done for us. And those times should happen often! Times like Christmas and Easter are natural seasons to reflect on the birth, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus, but we need more than that in our everyday, personal lives. We need to develop a culture in our own spiritual lives and families where we celebrate how the Lord has provided, protected, guided, spoken, comforted, equipped, encouraged. 

So...what is your Ebenezer? What do you use as a reminder for yourself, a testimony for others, or as a symbol for the next generation, of what God has done in your life? Are you building "altars" in your life - places of remembrance, places of celebration, places of significance?

It's not about "spiritual photography" and trying to preserve memories, emotions, or experiences. The Christian life isn't about trying to live from one high to the next! But we are going from "strength to strength" and are called to keep our gaze focused straight ahead; and at the same time there are moments where we need to look back, to remember where we came from and what God has taken us through. 

For me, one practical way of celebrating and remembering is by journaling. Each week, I try to read through my journal of that point in time the year before, and it is always amazing to be reminded of what the Lord taught me, the decisions I was faced with, how God provided, etc. It's often easy to forget that it's "by Thy help I've come."

Another idea my husband and I are beginning (inspired by Pinterest) is this "Remembrance Jar":

We have an empty jar that we will fill throughout the year with notes about good things that happen, funny moments, etc., and on New Year's Eve we'll empty it and look back on 2013, praising God! 

Another simple way to honor God for what He's done in your life is by telling others about it! The power of giving testimony is often underestimated in Christian circles, but do you realize that it's one of the ways we overcome the enemy (Rev. 12:11)?! We proclaim God's acts before a "cloud of witnesses" (Heb. 12) and that confirms to us what took place, and at the same time asks God to do it again in the lives of others. If He can provide for me, He can provide for you. If He healed me, He can heal you!

And one more practical way that my husband and I try to be intentional in is the discipline of giving. When we are generous with our money (whether it be tithing to our church, helping out a friend in need, or sponsoring a child through Compassion),we are reminding ourselves that God has blessed us so richly, and as an act of faith that He will continue to provide, we raise the "Ebenezer" of our wallets and say "Thus far has the Lord helped us."


So where has the Lord helped you? What markings can you set up, what traditions can you develop or have you developed that help you celebrate and remember the help of the Lord?

I'd love if you shared your thoughts and ideas in the comment section below!

 

Angels Are for Real...

 ...I experienced it yesterday!

On my way to a prayer meeting in the morning, I was driving along the highway heading to the village where the ministry base we work with is located. Somehow in the middle of a curve I got too close to the right side, and my tire caught the dip going into the shoulder. I swerved, and then jerked the steering wheel, trying to correct myself and get back into the lane. Either I jerked too hard, or it was icy, or both, but suddenly I found myself in the other lane, completely turned around. I just spoke out, "Jesus, help!" And the next thing I know I was sitting on the shoulder/shallow ditch of the other side, facing the opposite direction on the highway. I had a moment of shock and then realized that I was okay, the car was okay, and that there had been no other traffic on the highway at that time. PRAISE THE LORD! I nonchalantly turned the car back on, put on my signal light, pulled out onto the road, turned around and kept going. 

Miracles still happen today!

When I got home, the Lord brought to mind Psalm 91, and I realized I had personally experienced it:

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty....

A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you....

  If you make the Most High your dwelling—
    even the Lord, who is my refuge— 

 then no harm will befall you,
    no disaster will come near your tent. 

For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways; 

they will lift you up in their hands,    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone....

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 

He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him."

Did you see that? "I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name." There is power in the Name of Jesus! I called out, and He rescued me. There is power to break every chain - every chain of death, every chain of sickness, every chain of fear, every chain of shame, every chain of lack, every chain of hurt and brokenness. What chain do you need Him to break today? Call on His Name!

Praying you will experience the power of Jesus in your life today!

The City of God

So much is happening in the Middle East right now....I don't understand it all and haven't been able to keep up with everything, but it's on my heart.

I just wanted to share these verses from Psalm 122 that I was encouraged with this morning. When we don't know what to do, we can always pray!

⁶ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
    “May those who love you be secure.
⁷ May there be peace within your walls
    and security within your citadels.”
⁸ For the sake of my brothers and friends,
    I will say, “Peace be within you.”
⁹ For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will seek your prosperity.

And a beautiful song I just discovered on YouTube - "Shalom Jerusalem" by Paul Wilbur:

The Butterfly Circus

This post doesn't have a lot to do with vision in the sense of my personal dreams, but I just had to share this absolutely inspiring short film called "The Butterfly Circus."

It is 20 minutes long, and totally worth it! Watch it here:

What an amazing portrayal of one man's vision - the determination to not look at people with their limitations, but their possibilities. And what a beautiful picture of what God does with each of us - takes us out of our sin and struggles, transforming us by his power as we learn our true identity in Him!

Validation

A fun little movie clip someone showed me this week, called "Validation It will make you smile!

If you just watch the first couple minutes you'll get the gist of it, but if you have time, watch the whole thing! :)

Who can you encourage today? What good things can we validate in each other? In strangers?