Normalcy Bias and Faith

Normalcy Bias:  Not recognizing the grave, imminent danger of your situation . . . not heeding warning signs . . . not acknowledging precipitative events . . . overfocusing on bits and pieces of collateral elements . . .  not taking decisive action when decisive action really matters.  Simply acting normal and proclaiming that e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.i.s.f.i.n.e. . . .  and even believing it . . . when things are anything but fine.

 People with a Normalcy Bias have a psychological instability.  They see the world through dangerous colored lenses.  The actions they do not take . . . the words they do not speak . . . and the truth they will not accept result in devastation.  To themselves.  Or to those they would not rescue.

 The most poignant example of a Normalcy Bias at work is the success of Nazi concentration camps within small European communities.  Yes, they saw the massive construction efforts down the street.  Of course, they could not help but notice the trains coming back and forth through the edge of town . . . trains loaded with many cattle cars . . . that some people in town claimed were loaded with many people.  The smoking chimneys, with their acrid smells, could be seen from most dining room windows.  But bakers baked their bread.  And mothers sent their children to school each morning.  And fathers came home from work each evening to listen to the radio.  Who knew that they were killing Jews there?  Who could even imagine it?

 Evil is like that.  It hides in normal places.  It lives with normal people.  Evil feeds upon the normal routines and normal beliefs of normal men and women that pursue their normal dreams with the normal belief that normal efforts will produce normal benefits.  Because evil knows that the best place to hide is in plain sight.

Church . . . disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ . . . please hear me when I say this:  things are not normal.  We are living in perilous times.  While we dance on the deck with our BFF’s and relax in opulent dining rooms filled with special guests, the Titanic is sinking.

Perhaps you have felt the deck rumbling underneath your feet from the collision of ice against cold steel.  Perhaps you even notice ice chunks scattered across the deck from the railing’s close brush with the mammoth, frozen mountain.  Should we now continue on as if everything is normal and fine?  Even if others simply turn the music up and insist that we join them in their reverie?

Today is the National Day of Prayer for the United States of America.  Today we need to hear God’s call to His people to shake off our Normalcy Bias.

Please hear me.

If you believe that the real battle in Christianity today is between “legalism” and “grace”, you are deceived.

If you believe that the real battle in Christianity today is between rigid judgmentalism and open-armed compassion, you are deceived.

If you believe that the real battle in Christianity today is between Zionism and Islam, you are deceived.

If you believe the real battle in Christianity today is between political conservatism and activist liberalism, you are deceived.

If you believe God’s battlefield is our national economy or natural resource use or protection of mother earth or protection of people’s rights . . . you are deceived.

The enemy is hiding in plain sight.  He lives in our churches and our Bible studies.  He soothes our consciences with whispers of “grace, grace” and he quietly nudges us to twist our theologies to fit the cultural relevancies of our times.  The enemy comforts us with the sweet fellowship of friends who support us and flatter us.  He tells us all is well.

But he lies.

The real battle in Christianity today is for our own souls.  The battlefield is our own hearts. 

The battle is for the very character of God Himself to be formed in us.  For the Bible to become a living epistle in all that we think and say and do. 

So that the cost of our discipleship to Jesus can be counted wisely and born courageously.  So that our faith can shake us free from the Normalcy Bias of the enemy’s religious deceptions. 

Because Jesus Christ and the cross of His discipleship are the heart of true Christianity.

“It is not a new gospel we need,” Oswald Chambers has said.  “What we want is men who have the grace of their Lord to face the present-day problems with the old Gospel . . . Nominal Christians are often without the ordinary moral integrity of the man who does not care a bit about Jesus Christ; not because they are hypocrites, but because we have been taught for generations to think on one aspect only of Jesus Christ’s salvation, viz. the revelation that salvation is not merited by us, but is the sheer sovereign act of God’s grace in Christ Jesus.  A grand marvelous revelation fact, but Jesus says we have got to say ‘Thank you’ for our salvation, and the ‘Thank you’ is that our righteousness is to exceed the righteousness of the most moral man on earth . . . The only way to get out of our smiling complacency about salvation and sanctification is to look at Jesus Christ for two minutes and then read Matthew 5:43-48 and see who he tells us we are to be like, God Almighty, and every piece of smiling spiritual conceit will be knocked out of us forever, and the one dominant note of the life will be Jesus Christ first, Jesus Christ second, and Jesus Christ third . . . When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?  We all have faith in good principles, in good management, in good common sense, but who amongst us has faith in Jesus Christ?  Physical courage is grand, moral courage is grander, but the man who trusts Jesus Christ in the face of terrific problems of life is worth a whole crowd of heroes.”

I challenge you to look, as Oswald Chambers suggested, at Jesus.  At what he taught in Matthew.  And at the conviction it brings.

Heavenly Father, I pray that you will rescue us from the curse of a seared conscience.  Set us free to feel again.  To feel Your conviction for sin.  To feel your compassion for the lost.  And to feel your Joy for righteous living.  May You be formed in us.  More of You . . . less of us . . . until You come again.

When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.  He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;  nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.  For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

You have heard that the ancients were told, ' YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ' You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.

You have heard that it was said, ' YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY'; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.

It was said, ' WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE'; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ' YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE Lord.' But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil.

You have heard that it was said, ' AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.' But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

You have heard that it was said, ' YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:1-48

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.  These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority.  Let no one disregard you.

Titus 2:11-15

May the Water of Your Word wash us and examine us and change us.

Nail-Scarred Hands

The sun peers down onto my small ridge-top farm from a cloudless, blue sky . . . wrapping the afternoon in a soft blanket of April warmth. In a few weeks, we will need shade and cold glasses of iced tea to sit on our back patio: Tennessee summers are hot, hotter, and hottest. But right now, gentle sunshine coaxes everything and everyone outside . . . out from Kirkhaven’s dark garden soil . . . out from the stone and brick walls of winter’s sabbatical . . . out into the open, rolling hills of a Kirkhaven spring.

Songbirds, each with their unique melody and refrain, chatter happily from the newly leafed branches of oaks, maples, and poplars surrounding Kirkhaven’s hillside meadows.

A nippy breeze, unwilling to completely relinquish winter’s chilly bite, smells fresh and rich as it skips across the eastern garden. Lilac and lavender and rosemary. Rain-washed soil and lime-green vegetable sprouts. Like soothing aromatherapy, it tempts me to slow down, shush my soul, and simply sit awhile.

It is peaceful here.

I glance at the dirt under my fingernails . . . I am not a fan of gardening gloves . . . and my meandering thoughts are suddenly redirected to a vivid mental image: I see hands. Not my hands. Hands of Another.

I see the rough, work-worn hands of a carpenter. Young hands appearing much older than their 33 years. Scarred and calloused from years of shaping crudely sawn lumber into useful, beautiful things.

Hands brave enough to point a bold finger at institutional corruption.
Compassionate enough to touch the sick and broken with tenderness and healing.
Wise enough to show the way to Truth.
Gentle enough to hold the smiling face of a child.

Hands capable of great strength and great artistry and selfless service . . . but possessing no power to stop the lashes of the soldier’s whip.

Hands once bound by cruel ropes of injustice . . . now cut free . . . so they could be nailed to the beam of a crucifix.

Hands raised . . . willingly, in complete surrender . . . accepting the punishment for vile, dark crimes they did not commit.


Why did I think of this right now?
Such strange juxtapositions:
refreshing breezes and hot lashes of a whip . . .
lyrical bird songs and rhythmic hammer blows of spikes into wood . . .
the fresh, new life of spring and the slow, agonizing death of crucifixion . . . why?

Because the sacrifice bought the serenity.
The grace of God on this small ridge-top farm is very costly indeed.

I have quoted this passage from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book The Cost of Discipleship before. But it is so greatly on my heart that I want to quote it again:

Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace. Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks’ wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices. Grace is represented as the Church’s inexhaustible treasury, from which she showers blessings with generous hands, without asking questions or fixing limits. Grace without price; grace without cost! The essence of grace, we suppose, is that the account has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing. Since the cost was infinite, the possibilities of using and spending it are infinite...

Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything, they say, and so everything can remain as it was before. “All for sin could not atone.” . . . Well, then, let the Christian live like the rest of the world, let him model himself on the world’s standards in every sphere of life, and not presumptuously aspire to live a different life under grace from his old life under sin.... Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves...

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man’ will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ.

It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life.

It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner.

Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “ye were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God...

Grace is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says: “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

This stunningly beautiful Kirkhaven afternoon leaves me awestruck.

The scented breezes . . . the lyrical birdsongs . . . the inspiring vistas . . . and the nail-scarred Hands.

The Lord . . . He is the One that amazes me.
The One who smiles at the dirt under my fingernails.
And bids me to labor with Him for a while.
And knows the cost . . . and promises the treasure is worth it all.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires

and to live sensibly, righteously and godly

in the present age,

looking for the blessed hope

and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior,

Christ Jesus,

who gave Himself for us

to redeem us from every lawless deed,

and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession,

zealous for good deeds.

These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority.

Let no one disregard you.

Titus 2:11-15

Happy Resurrection Sunday!!

Japan

I received a new revelation of grace this week. It has left me silent and still to the core.

I saw the satellite photos of the cataclysmic damage caused by Japan’s earthquake and tsunami. I heard the news reporters talk about long lines at gas stations and barren grocery store shelves. I listened to scientists discuss the possibility of radiation contamination from Japan’s damaged nuclear reactors. I shook my head. I prayed for Japan.

But I didn’t cry . . . until I saw the father crying.

It was a short video clip of a father and mother . . . probably about my age . . . navigating precariously through piles and piles of rubble. The father was calling out . . . desperately . . . achingly . . . with his hands cupped around his mouth. Calling for his son, hoping to find life in the midst of total devastation. As he paused to lean against the side of a wall that was still standing, he began to sob.

That’s when I cried.

The agony and deep mourning of that father’s cry was heartrending. It was so raw. So real. So inconsolable.

I immediately thought of the scriptures in Genesis chapter 3. It is the description of God walking in the garden after His relationship with His beloved children had been devastated:

They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?"

I know I wasn’t there on that day in Genesis. I know I didn’t hear the Lord’s voice as He called out to his son. But as I pondered that short piece of scripture, I saw that Japanese man’s countenance in my heart. I don’t believe God’s question . . . “Where are you? . . . was a casual query. I believe it was a gut-wrenching cry of horrible, tragic loss. Like the sobbing cry of the searching Japanese father.

“Where . . . are . . . youuuuu??”

God knew where his children were. But the reality was too horrendous and too raw to even grasp. They were there . . . in their spiritually shaken garden home. Lost. Hidden. Buried beneath the horrendous rubble of sin and rejection that had quaked the earth to its core. Dead to Him, unless a miracle of resurrection could bring them back again. His heartrending cry, “Where are you?” was a cry of deep, fathomless mourning.

One of the most dangerous postures in American Christianity today is the trendy, light-hearted, slightly scholaresque rejection of mourning. Like macabre specters of otherworldly sprites, we dance and sing and shout the freedom of grace as if our own rescue . . . our own resurrection from the rubble of sin and death . . . was nothing more than a silly, bad dream. Deep mourning and gut-wrenching repentance are no longer welcome guests at our parties. It is a strange type of spiritual hedonism that pronounces victories, brags about prosperity, and thumbs its nose at any notion of suffering . . . as it dances upon the very rubble that others are still buried beneath.

The camp of the redeemed has much to celebrate. And much to be eternally grateful for. The right hand of the Lord has gloriously rescued us.

The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
Psalm 118:15-16

But it is only a CAMP . . . not a princely community of opulent palaces.
And we are only sojourners . . . not reigning sovereigns that need petting and spoiling.
And we are living among the stricken ones . . . not sheltered behind gem-studded walls.
And it is God’s Hand that is valiant and exalted . . . not ours.

A campsite of rescued sojourners. Landscaped with the tents of those who have been rescued from unspeakable devastation. Living among stricken victims: even hammering our tent pegs right beside the ancient rubble of horrible human tragedy. Celebrating with those who celebrate. Mourning with those who mourn. Suffering with those who suffer. Known by the name of the One who saved us because we talk like Him and behave like Him and love like Him. Looking to a blessed hope of eternal reconciliation with the One who has rescued us.

THAT is my revelation of grace.

I am thinking that America should get back to basic Christianity. The kind that says:

“It is sin that devastates us. But God loves us and wants a relationship with us. He is the Great Rescuer. And those who are rescued become His disciples.”

Save the fancy theologies and elaborate church growth campaigns and mystic spiritual ecstasies and exclusive clubs of BFF’s for a time that is less desperate . . . less real. Right now, we just need faithful workers with shovels and compassion. We need people who know the job is too big, but who trust a God who is more than enough.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

Please Pass the Gravy

Default modes are not necessarily a bad thing. We all have them and sometimes we need them. Things in life don’t always pan out the way we want. Sometimes our other modes . . . professional mode, parental mode, religious mode, party mode . . . become insufficient. Default modes, at least, give a person something to fall back on when all hullabaloo breaks loose.


Unless, of course, your default mode is faulty.
Then you might really be in trouble.


Fear doesn’t make a good default mode: it is too doubtful and scary.
Self-centeredness is unadvisable: there are no supportive relationships in it.
Depression and panic fail as functioning systems: you can’t move forward when you can’t move at all. Anger and bitterness close the door on any hope of peace.
Prideful arrogance turns us into untouchable despots.


Good default modes are simple.
Unembellished.
Timeless.
They are based on something outside of ourselves.
They are discernable when everything else is haywire.
And they are a place we can call home . . . we could find ourselves living there for quite a while.


I have been getting a sense lately that it is time for Christians to find their default mode. Scale things down a bit. Shake off all the fluff. Get down to brass tacks. I am really not a doom-and-gloom type of person, but I sense a storm coming. Maybe a big one. And my down-home, southern sensibility tells me that diligently preparing for a storm is better than finding yourself stranded . . . without resources . . . in the midst of it.


Here are some tips I have found helpful in building a default mode that can weather a storm. I have used it a few times. It has served me quite well.


I Don’t Know
There is no shame in not knowing something. Mark Twain says, “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” Some of life’s most poignant journeys begin by admitting that you simply don’t understand. And being humble enough to look beyond yourself for answers.


God Is Faithful
Faith in God is as necessary as breathing. And trusting His faithfulness is the most essential element in any default mode.


The 10 Commandments Are Good
There is nothing in the universe more beautiful than the character of God. Everything He stands for and everything He does flows effortlessly from His impeccable character. The 10 commandments were the first written record of God’s Heart and Soul. To stray from their Truth or to in any way demean the power of their revelation is to place your life on a dangerous tangent. Don’t worry if you find them a bit convicting. That’s a good thing. It means that your God-given conscience is still intact . . . and that the Lord can still lead you to repentance. Exodus chapter 20.


The Sermon on the Mount is Truth
It is easy to fall into self-deception when life gets difficult. And the enemy is always there to feed us mystical revelations, confirming “prophetic utterances”, and well-meaning condolences from friends to help us build a case “for” our endangered self interest and “against” those who endanger it. A “them versus us” mentality is very, very dangerous. It is self-aggrandizing in the least. Cultic at its worst. The Sermon on the Mount is a clear description of Godliness that elegantly disassembles the cult of self. You really can’t go wrong to embrace it. Matthew chapter 5.


Right and Wrong Still Exist
There will always be a bit of an outcast in the life of a disciple of Christ. Popularity must always defer to righteousness. We must never become like the world in an effort to win the world. We must never offer a false cup of justification to soothe someone’s pain when repentance is their only real hope. “Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Luke 14:34-35


Be Still
Struggling in the company of the Lord brings growth. Striving without Him brings hopelessness. It is good to shush ourselves. Be still. Listen. And wait. These things develop a life-discipline that allows us to hear and believe the One who is soooo not like us . . . but wants us to be soooo like Him.


Maybe I am wrong. Maybe the future is all grace-and-gravy for the disciples of the Lord Jesus. But it still wouldn’t hurt to take a look at our own default modes. We might be needing them . . .


Psalm 46

Wrought

This is a picture of a bowl my husband and I bought at a pottery shop in the Smoky Mountain craft community. It was handmade by a Native American Indian. He uses red Tennessee clay and crushed Tennessee limestone to make his beautiful pieces. The simple lines and rich colors are, in my opinion, absolutely beautiful.

I love handmade things. I love the time, effort, and creative spirit that are infused in them. I have handmade gifts that I have treasured for more than 40 years.

This particular pottery piece is especially intriguing to me because it bears the unique signature of its maker. Do you see it? Look at the picture again and see if you can see it . . .

See the fingerprints? There near the bottom of the bowl’s right inside curve? I love that. The fingerprint of the maker stamped upon the creation.

I think that’s why I love nature so much. The starry canopy of Kirkhaven’s nighttime sky. The bare, winter limbs of an ancient oak tree beside my bass pond. The tiny seedlings quietly growing in my greenhouse nursery. I see the Lord’s fingerprints in all of these things. And I am continually intrigued by the story and the testimony this Fingerprint speaks.

I also think that’s why I sense such deep gratitude for the people God has brought into my life. Faithful family members who love me through every circumstance and in every season. Generous, compassionate friends who have spent years ministering the Lord’s Truth and Kindness to my heart. I experience my Lord in their words. Their arms. Their steadfast presence. God’s testimony of the power of His Son is astounding when I think of the love they have given to me.

But I feel no compunction to bragg about my home or my testimony or my family or my life circumstances.  Because the Fingerprint of the Maker completely eclipses every gift He has given. I will be eternally grateful for His mercy and grace. I will never be able to repay Him for His great love and generosity. But in all of it I see the Fingerprint of God.  For me . . . more and more . . . it is all about the Giver, not the gifts.

Everything within me explodes in praise and adoration for the One who is crafting my life.  That is where you can find me as I celebrate my 52nd year on this earth. I am in utter awe at the Fingerprint of God.

He is the Giver of all Blessing.
He is the Rescuer in every tragedy.
He is the Sustainer through every trial.
He is my philosophy.
He is my theology.
He is my reward.
And He is my inspiration.

All that I have is gloriously His.
Every person in my life . . . those who hate me and those who love me . . . those who respect me and those who pity me . . . are precious gifts in my quest to follow Him and to become more like Him.

In these autumn years of my earthly sojourn,
it is my deepest prayer and my greatest passion
that every eye . . .
my eyes and the eyes of all who observe life's happinesses and sorrows . . .
will be riveted
to neither any earthly vessel
nor any heavenly blessing,
but to the Potter Himself.

I pray that the Light of Truth will strike my fragile form in such a way that the miraculous, eternal Fingerprints of the Lord of the Universe will be visible.

When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:11-13

There is so much I do not know.
I am so very fragile and earthy.

But this one thing is the sum of all my knowledge
and the goal of my every righteous pursuit
and the object of all my praise:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:1-5, 9-13

"For God so loved the world,that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."
John 3:16-21

To be wrought
in God,
and by God,
is the real treasure indeed.

Chickens Don't Need a Shepherd

Chickens don’t need a shepherd. They need a rooster.

That’s the pearl of wisdom my husband blessed me with this morning. It is such a rich thought, that I simply had to blog about it. I suspect I will be stepping on a few toes with my ponderings, however.

Eli, the captain of my Kirkhaven Egg Brigade, is a very handsome rooster. His red comb is large and deeply serrated. His long, folded wattles dangle majestically from his chin. His bright black eyes are alert, with an intelligent but slightly suspicious gleam. He has an abundance of beautifully arching tail feathers and a respectable set of rooster spurs. And as Eli traverses the pens and fields of his ridge-top kingdom, he doesn’t just walk . . . Eli struts.

My rooster is a diligent, able provider for his flock of busily-laying hens. He is an excellent forager in the woods behind the barn and easily finds delicious caches of bugs underneath logs or on top of the compost heap. When he chortles happily about a yummy discovery, the girls always come running to his insect buffet. He even steps aside, like a perfect gentleman, so the girls can enjoy the bounty. Eli feeds his girls very well. They depend upon him, and he never lets them down.

Eli is very serious about keeping his flock safe from predators. He is a bit untrusting by nature and never hesitates to gather the girls into a safe corner or protected nook if he gets an unsettled feeling. If he sees imminent danger (a hawk in the sky or a dog on the loose), his loud squawk sends everyone into an immediate scurry for safe cover. Eli is the unchallenged authority on all-things-dangerous. I have never seen any hen hesitate to run when Eli squawks.

He is also quite determined to keep his flock peaceful and orderly. First, he expects the hens to create their own pecking order. Order is achieved when everyone knows their place and no one bucks the system. Secondly, Eli allows no excessive bickering. If squabbles erupt among any disagreeable girls, he simply runs into the midst of the flurry, pecks both offending parties, and the argument is immediately ended.

Eli is careful to keep his small flock in a tightly-knit group. All roosters know that you can’t protect what you can’t easily corral, so he doesn’t let his girls wander too much. He is, however, their “knight in shining armor” if any of them get in a bind. All they have to do is send out a panicked holler and he comes boldly running to their defense . . . wings flapping, head bobbing, spurs at the ready.

He is also is very leery of strangers.  He does, however, give people a chance to get on his “trusted” list if they behave in an acceptable way. He isn’t a mean or aggressive rooster, but he does expect a certain amount of decorum and respect. Here are Eli’s "Three Rules of Proper Etiquette:"

#1.  Respect the Rooster.  Pause before entering the coop, so he can peck your shoes, block your steps, or head-butt your leg to prove his manliness. He will appreciate your role as Farmer if you appreciate his role as Exalted Prince Over All Chickendom.

#2.  Do not make exaggerated movements or unexpected loud noises.  Nothing irritates a rooster more than trying to calm a flustered group of hens.

#3.  Bring treats.  It makes him look good in front of the girls. If he can provide delicacies like bananas, Cheerios, or some table leftovers . . . even if by your hand . . . he can keep the girls happy. And happy girls make for a comfortable coop.

The whole system is harmonious and natural. Eli and his girls are thriving in their self-regulated community. This is how healthy, well-adjusted chickens live.

But this isn’t how people should live. And it definitely isn’t how the Kingdom of God should function.

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before Him with joyful singing.

Know that the Lord Himself is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving

And His courts with praise.

Give thanks to Him, bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His lovingkindness is everlasting

And His faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100:1-5

We are sheep. The Bible never refers to the people of God as chickens.  Men are sheep. Women are sheep. Children are sheep. Even church leaders are sheep.

Sheep don’t strut. They have no pecking order.  They are neither self-sufficient nor community-sufficient. And they do not need a rooster: sheep need a Shepherd.

The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

For His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You have anointed my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 23

Frankly, I am astounded by what “passes” as “acceptable” Christian culture today:

“You are so freaking gorgeous”

“My husband is a stud”
“I am hot”
"You are hot."
bawdy humor
sassy personalities
sharp-witted tongues

It seems that God’s people are so busy trying to “out strut” the world that we have lost the true image of what Godliness looks like.

We are so intent upon having
the most relevant,
least restrictive,
enchantingly cleaver,
globally receptive
outward posture,

that we have completely discarded
the simple 
inward demeanor
of an obedient disciple.

What has happened to old fashioned morality?
And quiet, Godly living?

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:19-26

Let the hens squawk if they must.
Let the cocks swagger and crow.
Let passion and noise and arrogance and wit have their place in the coops of the world.

Sheep don’t need a rooster; they need a Shepherd.
They don't perch in coops, they rest in broad, green meadows.
And a strutting lamb simply is obscene.

I think we should stop being afraid or embarrased to say . . .
and to believe . . .

A quieted heart,
a simple life,
and a Godly demeanor
are good things . . .
in the green patures of the Good Shepherd.

In The Midst: Psalm 139

O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

You understand my thought from afar.

You scrutinize my path and my lying down,

And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.

Even before there is a word on my tongue,

Behold, O LORD, You know it all.

You know it all.
All.

I step into the dawn of this shiny, new year full of hope. Absolutely full to overflowing. Because God knows me. And because I am in the midst of knowing Him.


I do not hold to the “clean slate, fresh-white canvas” theory of new year’s beginnings. My life has never been a mute chalk board and my future is far from a neglected piece of art. I begin the year 2011 with a deep, quiet assurance that the Lord has already gone before me. He has painted, with rich colors and bold strokes, beautiful pathways for me to travel. He has appointed stunning vistas and quiet alcoves to inspire my soul and quiet my listening heart. He has written, with His own Hand, a narrative of blessing and goodness that will follow me along the way. He has prepared noble work and challenging service for my heart and my hands to perform. And if the journey becomes rough or scary, as journeys sometimes do, His own Presence will shelter me and guide me to warmth and rest and safety.

You have enclosed me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the dawn,

If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,

Even there Your hand will lead me,

And Your right hand will lay hold of me.

If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,

And the light around me will be night,"

Even the darkness is not dark to You,

And the night is as bright as the day.

Darkness and light are alike to You.

God knows me more than I know myself. And He loves me more than I could ever love anything or anyone.

For You formed my inward parts;

You wove me in my mother's womb.

I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Wonderful are Your works,

And my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;

And in Your book were all written

The days that were ordained for me,

When as yet there was not one of them.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.

When I awake, I am still with You.

I can’t tell you what is going to happen in politics this year. I cannot prophecy blessings or disasters or revivals or judgments or economic upheaval or miraculous sustenance upon the people of God or upon the lands in which they dwell. I truly have no idea how this new year will unfold on the world stage.


I don’t even know where my personal journey will take me.


But I do know this one thing. Tomorrow morning, when the winter sun rises over Kirkhaven’s snow-covered brae, God will be there when I awake. His path will be prepared for me to travel. His fellowship will saturate the very air I breathe.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me and know my anxious thoughts;

And see if there be any hurtful way in me,

And lead me in the everlasting way.

There is truly nothing more beautiful than to be known by God.
And to be in the midst of knowing Him.

If you have a moment, stay with me just a bit longer and listen to the next song . . . and worship with me . . .