Tolerance

I find it interesting.......

There is nothing more in the world that I HATE (yes, I'm using that word on purpose) more than Halloween. There is so much history for me there that the day itself sickens me...as does the little innocent tradition of trick-or-treating. I just want nothing to do with the day---regardless of how simple, fun, or innocent a part of it may be.

Now, please note...I don't condemn anyone who decided they want to decorate for Halloween or take their kids trick-or-treating. If that's what you want to do with your family, by all means, go! You won't hear a word from me.

But why do we all assume that EVERYONE participates? Yesterday, my oldest daughter and I were at the grocery store at the same time that trick-or-treating in our town was starting. Three people at the store pointed out to to us that we were late in getting home.

"Why are you here? You're supposed to be home!"

"Why aren't you home passing out candy?"

"Hey, you forgot your costume!"

These are the comments we heard. Our family has made the decision to stand apart and not give the day any attention. And that's just our decision.

I wonder what those same people would say if I went to the store on a Sunday morning and told them they were late for church.

People who don't celebrate Christmas get easily offended by those who do and want all public decorations and ceremonies removed. But if I were to publicly state my opposition to Halloween, I'd be deemed the untolerant freak.

Does this fall into the same category as prayer being removed from school? It seems the ones who claim to be tolerant of free speech, free lifestyle, and free choice of religion are the least tolerant of speech, lifestyle or religion.

Sorry...Halloween is the one time of year I pull out my soapbox. This is why I had my Christmas tree up in October during college........

Trying to find that routine again

Have you seen it?

My routine...I seem to have lost it. I'm sure it's under a basket of clean laundry, but I haven't gotten that far yet, either.

I want to get back into my morning routine of reading and writing after going to the gym. Would you please pray for the strength and motivation to get back to the routine that I thrived on before this last week???

Thanks...

I Don't Wanna Smell Like Smoke!

This study in the book of Daniel is phenomenal! Yesterday we had the video portion and we looked at Daniel 3. Many of you know the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego in the fiery furnace from childhood. We looked at seven different aspects of that instance yesterday, but today I'd like to focus on just two.

If you aren't familiar with the story, I encourage you to go to www.biblegateway.com and do a Passage Lookup of Daniel 3. I won't copy it all here for sake of room. But I will copy the part I'd like to look at this morning:

Daniel 3:26-30 (New King James Version; www.biblegateway.com)

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire.
27 And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.
28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!
29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.”
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.

We all go through fiery trials in our lives, don't we? Some are little birthday candles and some feel like roaring forest fires. But nonetheless, they are a fiery trial that God wants to see us through. We talked yesterday about the different scenarios of the outcome of a fiery trial. The first is that God would deliver us from the fire (remove the trial). The second is that God would deliver us through the fire (give us strength to see it through). The final is that God would deliver us out of that fire and right into His arms (taking us home through the trial). I can't imagine that Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were even thinking that the second was a possible option. I'm sure they were either hoping they'd get tossed in and the fire would divinely go out or that they would certainly die and go home to be with their Savior. When God miraculously delivered them out of the fire, verse 27 tells us they were not even singed and that the smell of fire was not on them.

Wouldn't that be great? To go through one of life's trials and not even smell like smoke? So many times I know that I make sure everyone knows I'm going through a trial. (That's the Drama Queen part of me, isn't it, Mom?) But yesterday's lesson encouraged me to forget about that. This isn't to say that I won't answer when people ask how I'm doing. But I'd like to be going through something, big or small, and when it does come up in conversation, have someone say, "Wow, I didn't even realize...you don't even smell like smoke!"

If I can keep my trials between myself and my Savior, but share it with my prayer warriors so they, too, can lift it up in prayer, I'd come out of it giving Him glory and being free and clear of any lingering stench.

It's hard to watch those you love go through a trial. We have someone very dear in our family who is going through what is possibly the hardest trial of his life. And though I love him dearly, he reaks of smoke. Everywhere he goes, he has a scowl on his face, or worse, just sits there and says nothing. Depression may be a part of it, but I'll be praying that he turns to the Savior and gives the trial back, fully and intentionally. We'd all love to see him without that cloud of smoke around his head.

And I'd love to be without that cloud in every trial and be remembered for giving Him the glory in my last days.

That brings me to my second point. This instance is the last we see of or hear from Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. King Nebuchadnezzar is so impressed that he gives God glory, commands that no one talk bad about their God, and he promotes the three men. As our study said yesterday, the last we hear of their names is in the mention of God's fame.

Wouldn't that be something? The last time people hear of our name is in mention of how powerful and awesome our God is. That trial may be so big that the only option is scenario #3. But I don't wanna smell like smoke...I wanna go praisin'!

Plan vs. Goal

I was talking with a friend yesterday about if and how we make Life Plans and Goals. This has had me thinking about this since our talk and my reading this morning fit right in. As you know, our Bible study has been looking at the book of Daniel. It's taking us two weeks to go through one lesson and though some prefer it this way, I liked the accountability of having to get my homework/reading done every day. Now, we have a week to get 2/5 or 3/5 of a lesson completed.

This last week, we were looking at the first dream that Daniel interprets for King Nebuchadnezzar. The passage that took up the bulk of my time this morning is found in Daniel 2: 20-23. Let me set the scene...

Nebuchadnezzar has a dream. It causes him to wake up and obsess about the dream and its meaning to the point that he starts killing anyone who cannot interpret it. He doesn't even know what he saw in this dream and its making him crazy. Daniel, hearing the rumors of the massacre, asks the king for more time so he can interpret the dream for the king. Daniel and his friends (Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego) are up all night, fervently praying for God to grant wisdom and understanding for the king's request. Sometime during the night, God grants a vision upon Daniel, explaining the dream and its interpretation. Do you know what Daniel's first words were?


19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20 Daniel answered and said:
“ Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
21 And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
22 He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.
23 “ I thank You and praise You,
O God of my fathers;
You have given me wisdom and might,
And have now made known to me what we asked of You,
For You have made known to us the king’s demand.” (New King James; www.biblegateway.com)

He praises God and thanks Him for His answer. God had this planned all along. After all, wasn't He the One who planted this dream in the king? Here was Daniel, threatened with the great chance that he was going to be killed, and he asks the king for more time. God grants him boldness and tact in his request.

I was then looking at Jeremiah 29:11. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." I couldn't help but read the context, only to find out that Jeremiah wrote this letter "to all who were carried away captive" (vs. 4). These were those taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar into Babylon. I could be wrong, but this could have been Daniel and his friends. God wanted to reassure Daniel that He had a plan and a purpose.

Our study was then talking about God's provision. God's plans are ultimately in time with His end in mind. What about our plans? My friend and I were talking about making plans and goals with our lives. I see nothing wrong with making financial goals, house plans, even spiritual goals. But we need to be sure that our plans and goals fall in line with His end in mind. Are our plans for His benefit? Does God care if we build a house or remodel a kitchen? Sure He does...what is our motive? If it's just for earthly recognition and social status, then I'm sure He wouldn't approve.

But if we put every request before God, even the ones we think are trivial, we must be open to His changes. If we set a goal and it isn't met, have we failed? Or are we open to seeing how God is working and if/when He wants that goal met?

He promises to grant the desires of our hearts, but they must fall within His will. And we will only know His will if we are in constant contact with Him through His Word and prayer. We'll never meet our goals here on earth if they don't fall within His goals for eternity.

Do I still hope to build a house someday? You betchya. And I talk to Him about it every day. Maybe He'll show me that He wants us to stay here or move somewhere else. But I have to trust that He knows the desires of my heart and that as long as they serve His purpose here on earth, then we'll receive His reward in Heaven.

Who knows...maybe I'm completely off base here. Maybe God doesn't want me to make these type of plans at all. Maybe He wants me to just sit and wait for Him to play His next hand. We know people who believe that if God wants them to do something or be somewhere, that He'll just show it. I don't know...I think maybe God wants us to be active and proactive in our lives here on earth for His purpose.

And I can trust that along the way, He'll show if my desires are a part of His plan or not.