Visions & Verses

Home Sweet Home

For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven. -Hebrews 13:14-16(TLB)

Home Sweet Home...isn't that what they say? And home IS sweet, when it is a safe haven away from the world and its worries. I read a housewarming card recently that read, 'a House is built with bricks and beams,a Home is built with love and dreams' and that is certainly true. Home is where the heart is. There's no place like home. And all of us need a place to call home...a place not just of shelter, but a place of safety and solace.

I'm a huge home show enthusiast: buying them, decorating them, remodeling them. I especially love the transformations when they bring something run-down back to new life. That's a very Christian theme, eh? But as much as I love throw pillows and stone facades, it's important to remember that this earthly home is really only a temporary one. As delightful as we make it, it is still a refugee camp for us. Or perhaps it's nicer to think of ourselves as ambassadors living in a foreign land. While we may enjoy the sweet pleasures of this strange land, we know that somewhere our true home, our Motherland (or Fatherland) awaits us.

That home, which Christ himself is preparing for us, is beyond our imagination. It will truly satisfy our souls in a way that a large deck or stacked stone fireplace can only hint at now. And the most noticeable feature of that home is that it will be saturated in love. Love will surround it, flow through it, be the energy that powers it.

And so, no matter how humble your home here, no matter how broken your home here...resolve that as for you and your house, you will serve the Lord, knowing that there is a mansion in Heaven awaiting you.

You are Loved

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ~1 John 4:7

I've been mourning a lot this year. At my daughter's high school, they've lost two students to suicide this year. And the niece of my dearest friend chose to take her life as well. And I have to say that I don't understand it. My daughter tells me that depression is real, and it's an illness and if not treated properly, it can convince a person that life is not worth living, or to end the pain in the quickest way. I suppose she's right about that. But I think there's more to it than that. Two other friends of hers spent some time this year in an inpatient facility for mental health. It makes me wonder what is going on with teens, in their lives and in their minds to consider suicide as an option...to be THAT hopeless.

Here is my suspicion: her generation has grown up in a post 9-11 world of fear and terrorism, school shootings and economic collapse. 24 hour media coverage has convinced them that the world is dangerous and filled with predators. Focus on divisive issues has convinced them that world is angry and mean and unforgiving. Focus on slow economic recovery has convinced them that college is expensive, exclusive and ultimately worthless since they won't be able to get a job in their field or repay their school loans. Social media has made it all worse since it is immediate and cynical and ubiquitous.

However, mental illness and disorders often have hereditary factors, and our family has had its share. I struggled with bouts of depression myself and participated in some self-destructive behaviors as a result. I tried therapy and medication, but truly only one thing has pulled me out of despair for good: my relationship with Jesus. My daughter rolls her eyes at me when I say that, as if it's an easy answer, or a quick fix, or something that wouldn't work for everyone. But following Jesus is not easy or quick or exclusive. For me it started with LOVE...understanding that I was loved unconditionally by God, no matter what I had done or what I might do in the future. And then learning what true, lasting, sacrificial love was. God's definition of Love is so much different from what society and the world tell us love is. The world's love is bondage to looking good, getting and giving pleasure, manipulation and keeping a constant tally of offenses so that each can be repaid by silence, spite or revenge. But none of that is God's plan for us. God wants to fill us with His love so fully that it overflows on to all those around us. His love cares for other, serves others, considers others' feelings before our own, even when it is hard or inconvenient, even when it is not returned. That is the love He gives to us, and that is the love that can transform the world, starting with our own scarred psyches and souls and moving out into all those around us with whom we engage daily. Kindness, gentleness, compassion...these are all names for God's kind of love. To show it we must set aside entitlement, defensiveness, negligence, irresponsibility and sometimes comfort. But I submit that it is totally worth it. I think that kind of love could save people. It certainly would combat the sense of hopelessness.

Of course no one can really know what is in another person's mind or heart, and I suggest no blame. However, I thought about what I would have been willing to do to save my own children if it were them considering suicide.  I thought to myself "I would pay more attention to what was going on in their lives" or "I would have spent more time making sure they knew I loved them no matter what" or "I would have been certain to tell them that I would be there for them and accept them and help them, so that they could tell me anything" or "I would have kept a vigil by their bedside until the darkness passed" then the next convicting question for me is, so why don't you do those now? God's love takes effort. It involves caring for people in ways they might not like or accept at first. It means dealing with the hard stuff, getting involved, perhaps getting hurt. But we all need a hero, a friend, a person who is committed to us even when it's tough or scary.  Ultimately, our Hero is Jesus. Human love will fail, but Jesus' love never does. He never leaves or forsakes us, even in our darkest moments. Human love will fail, but it is worth the effort.

And it's what we were made for. God's primary command to us is to LOVE GOD and to LOVE EACH OTHER. In every interaction, let us show love. In every conflict, let us show love. In every conversation about politics, let us show love. Despite bigotry and misunderstanding, let us show love. In the face of tragedy, war and fear, let us show love. With every person we meet, let us show love. And let us always remember that the God who created the universe knows us intimately and loves us. Always. Forever. No matter what.

Dear Lord, help us to love others as you love us, with compassion and kindness and forgiveness. Give us the strength to lay aside our anger, hurt, and desire to be right, or get revenge as we try to love those who are not loving toward us. And help us to truly see those who are hurting and desperate so that we might get them the help and show them the love that need to heal. Amen.

New Year, New Possibilities...

 Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. ~Isaiah 43:18

New year, new possibilities. Time to turn the page and start fresh. Whatever mess 2015 was, it is over now. One of my favorite quotes (which I WILL illustrate sometime soon, is: It is what it is, but it will be what you make it. Yes, you did it, you said it, you tried it, it happened - but it didn't turn out the way you expected. There may be consequences: hurt feelings, financial loss, shame, denial... Ok, so take a deep breath. Just like those who lost everything from fire, flood or tornadoes, you need to pick through the pieces, salvage what can be saved, learn any lessons that can be learned and then, after another deep breath, turn the page. Turn the page and don't keep flipping back to re-read that chapter. It's part of your story now, and in time you can go back to it, but for now, in the word's of Frozen's Elsa, 'Let it Go.'

Now look at that blank page of possibilities! Maybe you haven't been too intentional about writing your story. Perhaps it's just been unfolding before you without much planning, editing or re-writing. Ponder that. Is that what you want? Do you have goals? Are you moving towards them? Or are you a leaf in the breeze being blown here and there? Are you driving the car of your life or are you just a passenger?

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. ~Psalm 90:12

I don't want to alarm you, but the clock of time is ticking. We only get a limited time on this earth to accomplish our mission. And we all have a mission, even if we don't acknowledge it. The God of the universe, the God of all creation, the God who breathed life into everything that lives, that God wants you to join His team. He loves you from afar, but He wants to be so much closer to you. He wants to be the coach you can share everything with, the one you turn to first when things are going sideways. He wants that so much, that He sacrificed His best player, His very own Son, as a ransom for your soul. His Son, Jesus, left us with the critical mission, the keys to the game: 1. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; 2. Love your neighbor - all people - as you love yourself and your family, caring for and  praying for them; 3. Go into ALL nations and make disciples by sharing the Good News and sharing your story.

Your story is powerful. Your story is true. Your story is real. And it is important -- too important to leave to others to write for you. Too important to fill with meaningless junk. Could it be that God has been working in your life all along, arranging things, presenting obstacles to illustrate themes, leading, encouraging, sending people and situations to teach you lessons? How well you learned those lessons and faced those obstacles is your story so far, but there is so much more yet to be written! Your experiences can be reframed in a way that helps others dealing with similar situations, obstacles, trials. As you work through those scraps that you salvaged, you can put those pieces together in a new way, with the help of the Holy Spirit, and make something truly beautiful, truly breathtaking, truly inspiring. Others need to hear your story. Others need to be encouraged by the way you took ashes and tears and transformed them into a masterpiece. Others need to know how God worked through your life to accomplish the mission he prepared for you from the beginning of the world. But don't take it from me...

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. ~Ephesians 2:10

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. ~Philippians 1:5-7

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ~Matthew 28:19

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. ~Romans 12:2

I wish you a healthy, happy, blessed New Year! But most of all, I pray you will accept God's invitation to join with Him, through Jesus, in starting a new chapter in the story of your life, making it into the story it's always wanted to be, transforming your life and the lives of others as you share its power with everyone you meet along the way.

Oh, and if you're interested in spending the year with my illustrations and insights, consider picking up my annual calendar. It's available at my Zazzle Store: www.zazzle.com/visionsandverses.

Visions & Verses 2016 Calendar by VisionsandVerses
Find other Christian Calendars at zazzle.com

There are a lot of things I could write about hope -- its power to motivate, its absolute necessity in enduring hardship, its ability to keep our focus on Jesus... but in the end, I thought that the best thing was to go straight to the source and just share my favorite verses about hope. I hope they encourage you the way they've encouraged me and millions of others through the centuries - that great cloud of witnesses and saints that will welcome us home one day...

Romans 5:1-5 (NIV)

Peace and Hope
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Romans 8:23-25 (NIV)

Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

1 Peter 1:3-5 (NIV)

Praise to God for a Living Hope
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Hebrews 6:17-20 (NIV)

Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Psalm 42:5

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Psalm 62:5

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.

Psalm 147:11

The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

May you find comfort and strength for facing each day, for conforming your life to the image of Jesus more and more and for making a lasting impact in the world.

For the Beauty of the Earth

So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

~Genesis 1:27-31

The Pope came last week and when he said that we must care for the Earth and protect it for future generations, quite a few feathers got ruffled. But this was literally God's first command to us. He gave us everything and only asked us to care for it all.

Thinking about all He has given us led me to remember my favorite Hymn, "For the Beauty of the Earth" by Folliot Pierpoint, 1864. From the glory of creation to the joy of family and friends, to the wonder of our senses and faculties, to the mystery of salvation and reconciliation with God, this hymn really says it all. And I am especially fond of the last line of each verse, "Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise." After a little research I found that this hymn was originally a poem, and my favorite last line was originally "Lord of all, to thee we raise this our sacrifice of praise." I like it either way. I am profoundly grateful for everything mentioned in the hymn, the earth, the universe, family, the church and especially Christ Jesus, and it doesn't seem like much of a sacrifice to praise God for all of these blessings. I heard this verse once, though, and it put a new twist on it for me:

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. -Psalm 22:3, King James Version (KJV)

God inhabits, or is enthroned in the praises of His people. Our praise is valuable to Him, and He considers it to be a valuable sacrifice. And it is easy to find things to praise Him for, starting with the beauty of the earth, especially in Autumn when the leaves begin to turn.  

I'll leave you with the words of the hymn to meditate on and hopefully you will start to feel that gratitude and hope welling up from within you and pouring over into praise of our great and glorious God!

For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale, and tree and flower,
sun and moon, and stars of light;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of ear and eye,
for the heart and mind's delight,
for the mystic harmony,
linking sense to sound and sight;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth and friends above,
for all gentle thoughts and mild;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For thy church, that evermore
lifteth holy hands above,
offering up on every shore
her pure sacrifice of love;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For thyself, best Gift Divine,
to the world so freely given,
for that great, great love of thine,
peace on earth, and joy in heaven:
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.