Lori Hatcher's Blog: Refresh Blog, page 80
July 13, 2015
I Did It My Way
Frank Sinatra recorded the song “I Did It My Way” in 1969, but King David could have sung it in 1010 BCE.Fresh from a victory over Israel’s enemy the Philistines and newly crowned king of all Israel, David had thrown the party of the century. Three days of eating, drinking, and dancing, and family everywhere. “There was joy in Israel.”
As they were sitting around eating raisin cakes, burgers, and lamb chops, David proposed an idea. “What do you think, guys? I’d kinda like to have the ark back. (You'll remember that the Ark of God was a large wooden box that contained priceless artifacts from the exodus). It’s been way out in Kirjath Jearim for a long time, and we haven’t been able to use it to inquire of God. Wouldn’t it be cool to restore it to its rightful place among the people?”
“Sounds good to me,” the military captains said.
“Great idea,” the local leaders said.
“Let’s do it,” the people of Israel said.
So David gathered everyone together, placed the ark on a brand new cart, gave the band its cue, and the parade began. All was well until Oxen #1 hit a pothole and stumbled. Uzza, the chief petty officer in charge of the ark, reached out to catch it and keep it from sliding off the cart.
Quicker than you can say “Duck,” a giant lightning bolt shot from the sky. When the smoke cleared, all that was left of Uzza was his dogtags.
What’s up with this? All King David wanted to do was restore the ark to its rightful place (a good thing). All the people wanted to do was support their king (a good thing). All Uzza wanted to do was keep the ark from hitting the ground (a good thing).
And lightning crackles from heaven and turns Uzza into a French fry?
On the surface, this seems so wrong. So out of the blue (pun intended). So random. So UNFAIR. They were just trying to do something GOOD. Something GOOD FOR GOD, for heaven's sake.
Enter Frank Sinatra.
And the problem that has beset mankind since Day 1 in the Garden.
“I did it my way.”
Many years before, through Moses, God gave the Israelites special instructions for handling and transporting the ark. These instructions are recorded in (Numbers 4:4, 15, 17-20):
Only one particular branch of the Aaronic line, the Kohathites, can move the most holy things.
Never touch the ark.
Carry it on poles.
Remember, this wasn’t just a piece of furniture. It was a symbol of God himself—the place where God chose to place his presence. He “dwelt between the cherubim” on top of the ark. When David proposed moving the ark, he wasn’t just switching the sofa from the east wall to the west, he was relocating GOD. Did God care about how that was done? Yeah!
In total presumption and independence, David, his captains, and the people never stopped to ask God if he wanted the ark moved. Or how he wanted it moved. They just did it.
I am so guilty of this.
I get a great idea. I plan how to make it happen. I invite other people to help. I implement the plan.
But I forget to pray about it. To ask God if it’s his idea or mine. To be still before him and listen for his thumbs up or thumbs down. Sometimes I don’t even care if it’s his idea or mine. I just want him to rubber stamp it.
There are at least four dangers to doing good things without God:
1. We harm instead of help. (Think of Uzzah.)
2. We lack Holy Spirit power. ("Apart from me, you can do nothing. John 15:5)
3. Our work is useless in the kingdom. It is wood, hay, and stubble and will burn up on the Day of Judgment.
4. We misspend and misdirect valuable time, energy, and effort.
So what should David have done? And what should we do?
* Begin with prayer. Sit at God's feet and invite him to give us our marching orders. Let the ideas come from God.
* Write down what we think we hear. As we pray about it, does the desire grow stronger over time or fade?
* Ask, does it agree with Scripture? (If David had asked this question, Uzzah would never have died.)
* Seek counsel from wise, godly experts. If David had consulted the priests, they would have told him there was a special protocol for moving the ark.
Thankfully, David didn’t let his failure stop him. He spent time before the Lord, and God revealed his error (1 Chron. 15:13). He took the appropriate steps, then went back and did it right. The result was a beautiful celebration and the return of God’s presence to Gibeon.
“So David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom with joy” (15:25)
“O give thanks to the Lord,” David penned, "for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. . . Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting!”
If you’re like me, you want to please God and further his kingdom. By praying, seeking his will, confirming it with Scripture, and obtaining wise counsel, we’ll have a better understanding of how to do this.
What about you? When you think you’re hearing from God, how to you find out for sure? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.
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If you'd like to hear "Old Blue Eyes" sing his famous song, here you go. If you're reading by email, click HERE to watch it on Hungry for God.If this post was meaningful to you, would you consider sharing it with a friend by clicking on one of the buttons below? Did you know you can receive bi-weekly Hungry for God posts sent directly to your email inbox? Visit http://www.lori-benotweary.blogspot.com and click on the link in the right hand corner to Subscribe Via Email.
Copyright 2012 by Lori Hatcher
July 9, 2015
6 Secrets Grandparents Never Tell
MYTH: Grandparenting has all the joys of parenting without any of the responsibilities.
This is only partially true. In some ways, being a grandparent is even harder than being a parent. I didn’t discover this, however, until I became a grandparent and learned the six secrets grandparents never tell. I’ll share them with you, if you promise to keep them to yourself:
1. Grandparenting is HARD. Grandparents have a deep-seated fear that our grandchildren will get hurt on our watch. So we follow them everywhere, call out warnings, and rise in the middle of the night to check their breathing. We caution against minimally dangerous behavior, cut grapes into fourths, and renew our infant and child CPR certification. We’d never forgive ourselves if something happened to our precious grandchildren, so if we seem like nervous Nellies, it’s because we are.
2. Grandparenting gives us an excuse to be silly. Even the most dignified grandparent casts off restraint in the presence of his grandchildren. We’re finally old enough to be comfortable in our own skins. The cool factor is long gone, so it doesn’t matter what someone else is thinking. All we care about is making our grandchildren smile. Silly songs, horsey rides, and bedtime stories complete with different voices for every character. Snowmen pancakes, elaborate games of pretend, and tea parties with water from questionable sources. The more they laugh, the happier we are.
3. Grandparenting gives us more to worry about. The possibilities for harm to our precious grandchildren are endless—just watch 20/20. Kidnapping, SIDS, choking, drowning, car accidents, playground falls, accidental poisoning, terrorism, bullying. Because their parents are with them most of the time, they know they’re safe. Not so with us. There’s a whole lot of blank space between one Face Time visit and the next, and much fuel for the imagination. And so we worry.
4. Grandparenting also gives us more to pray about. Not only do we carry the burden of prayer for our adult children’s, we also extend it to our grandchildren. We pray for their safety, their health, and their protection. We pray for success in school, good friends, and obedient dispositions. We pray for their development, their growth, and their salvation. More than anything else, we pray they will love Jesus, for to do otherwise would break our hearts. We know the pull of the world is stronger than it’s ever been, so we do battle for them daily on our knees.
5. Grandparenting makes us eat our words. We realize we don’t really want our grandchildren to hurt their parents like their parents hurt us. From the toddler screaming I hate you to the adolescent telling you your the worst parent ever, we don’t want our children to know how it feels someday. We don’t. We really don’t.
6. Grandparenting brings us more joy than almost anything on earth. When the door flies open and our grandchildren race through the house calling our names, the sun shines more brightly. When the busy toddlers crawl into our laps and allow us to rock them to sleep, our hearts swell. And when we witness their first prayers, baptisms, and steps of faith, our eyes leak grateful tears of gratitude.
The greatest secret of all isn’t really a secret—we love our grandchildren more than we love ourselves. In this way, perhaps grandparenting Is a lot like parenting. Secrets notwithstanding, it’s worth it all.
“Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children” (Prov. 17:6)
You want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.
You need a resource that answers the questions you’re afraid to ask out loud. Questions like:
• Is my situation hopeless?
• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray?
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me?
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit?
Each devotion begins with a Facetime question and ends with a biblical answer wrapped in a modern day parable. Like a spiritual power bar, Hungry for God … Starving for Time is packed with enough scriptural nutrition to get you through the day. Wherever you are—in break rooms, carpool lines, or wherever you can snatch five minutes of quiet reflection—Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women is for you.
If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe? I'll send you twice-weekly 5-minute devotions to help nourish your soul.
Because women need to connect with God in the craziness of life.
Enter your email address and VALIDATE the Feedburner email sent to your inbox.
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Hungry for God is on Facebook! Will you take a moment and LIKE my page? CLICK HERE to help HFG share 5-minute devotions.
If this post was meaningful to you, would you consider sharing it with a friend by clicking on one of the buttons below? Did you know you can receive bi-weekly Hungry for God posts sent directly to your email inbox? Visit http://www.lori-benotweary.blogspot.com and click on the link in the right hand corner to Subscribe Via Email.
Copyright 2012 by Lori Hatcher
This is only partially true. In some ways, being a grandparent is even harder than being a parent. I didn’t discover this, however, until I became a grandparent and learned the six secrets grandparents never tell. I’ll share them with you, if you promise to keep them to yourself:
1. Grandparenting is HARD. Grandparents have a deep-seated fear that our grandchildren will get hurt on our watch. So we follow them everywhere, call out warnings, and rise in the middle of the night to check their breathing. We caution against minimally dangerous behavior, cut grapes into fourths, and renew our infant and child CPR certification. We’d never forgive ourselves if something happened to our precious grandchildren, so if we seem like nervous Nellies, it’s because we are. 
2. Grandparenting gives us an excuse to be silly. Even the most dignified grandparent casts off restraint in the presence of his grandchildren. We’re finally old enough to be comfortable in our own skins. The cool factor is long gone, so it doesn’t matter what someone else is thinking. All we care about is making our grandchildren smile. Silly songs, horsey rides, and bedtime stories complete with different voices for every character. Snowmen pancakes, elaborate games of pretend, and tea parties with water from questionable sources. The more they laugh, the happier we are. 3. Grandparenting gives us more to worry about. The possibilities for harm to our precious grandchildren are endless—just watch 20/20. Kidnapping, SIDS, choking, drowning, car accidents, playground falls, accidental poisoning, terrorism, bullying. Because their parents are with them most of the time, they know they’re safe. Not so with us. There’s a whole lot of blank space between one Face Time visit and the next, and much fuel for the imagination. And so we worry.
4. Grandparenting also gives us more to pray about. Not only do we carry the burden of prayer for our adult children’s, we also extend it to our grandchildren. We pray for their safety, their health, and their protection. We pray for success in school, good friends, and obedient dispositions. We pray for their development, their growth, and their salvation. More than anything else, we pray they will love Jesus, for to do otherwise would break our hearts. We know the pull of the world is stronger than it’s ever been, so we do battle for them daily on our knees.
5. Grandparenting makes us eat our words. We realize we don’t really want our grandchildren to hurt their parents like their parents hurt us. From the toddler screaming I hate you to the adolescent telling you your the worst parent ever, we don’t want our children to know how it feels someday. We don’t. We really don’t.
6. Grandparenting brings us more joy than almost anything on earth. When the door flies open and our grandchildren race through the house calling our names, the sun shines more brightly. When the busy toddlers crawl into our laps and allow us to rock them to sleep, our hearts swell. And when we witness their first prayers, baptisms, and steps of faith, our eyes leak grateful tears of gratitude.The greatest secret of all isn’t really a secret—we love our grandchildren more than we love ourselves. In this way, perhaps grandparenting Is a lot like parenting. Secrets notwithstanding, it’s worth it all.
“Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children” (Prov. 17:6)
You want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.
You need a resource that answers the questions you’re afraid to ask out loud. Questions like:
• Is my situation hopeless?
• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray?
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me?
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit?
Each devotion begins with a Facetime question and ends with a biblical answer wrapped in a modern day parable. Like a spiritual power bar, Hungry for God … Starving for Time is packed with enough scriptural nutrition to get you through the day. Wherever you are—in break rooms, carpool lines, or wherever you can snatch five minutes of quiet reflection—Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women is for you. If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe? I'll send you twice-weekly 5-minute devotions to help nourish your soul.
Because women need to connect with God in the craziness of life.
Enter your email address and VALIDATE the Feedburner email sent to your inbox.
Delivered by FeedBurner
Hungry for God is on Facebook! Will you take a moment and LIKE my page? CLICK HERE to help HFG share 5-minute devotions.
If this post was meaningful to you, would you consider sharing it with a friend by clicking on one of the buttons below? Did you know you can receive bi-weekly Hungry for God posts sent directly to your email inbox? Visit http://www.lori-benotweary.blogspot.com and click on the link in the right hand corner to Subscribe Via Email.
Copyright 2012 by Lori Hatcher
July 6, 2015
There Is a Danger in the Familiar -- Don't Miss God's Comfort
My friend and his wife have an ongoing bet. If he fails to notice her haircut within 24 hours, he has to take her out to dinner.Sometimes he wins. Sometimes he loses.
It’s crazy, really, how someone who lives in the same house, sits at the same breakfast table, and sleeps in the same bed can miss something as obvious as a haircut. And it goes both ways—it took her two days to notice that he’d shaved the mustache he’d worn for six months.
There is a danger in the familiar. It’s possible we become so familiar that we fail to really see.
This happened to me at church recently. The worship leader announced the hymn for the day: “It Is Well with My Soul,” and launched into the very familiar story behind the song.
“Horatio Spafford’s wife and four daughters were sailing to England when a horrible storm arose. . .”
I’ve heard the story a hundred times and could probably spout the relevant details if the question came up on Jeopardy.
“The loss of his precious daughters in a shipwreck at sea,” Alex Trebeck would say.
“What event inspired the beloved hymn, ‘It Is Well with My Soul,’?” I’d respond.
DING DING DING “You win the DAILY DOUBLE!”
But that day, as I sang the words from the hymnal, I noticed something I’d never seen before.
Not a haircut or a mustache, I saw something that makes this precious hymn even more meaningful and deep: two quotation marks.
Huh?
Remember, I’m an editor. Editors see things other people miss, and that day my editor’s eye saw the quotation marks I’ve never noticed before. The last verse of the hymn reads:
And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
“Even so,” it is well with my soul.
A writer uses quotation marks to show he's quoting words from another source. And what was the source that brought Horatio Spafford comfort as he mourned the loss of his beloved daughters?
The Word of God.
“Even so,” is a quote from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14.
As Horatio sailed the ocean that had swallowed his children, broke his wife’s heart, and plunged him into a deep, gut-wrenching grief, the Word of God spoke hope and comfort.“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.”
God used the truth Horatio Spafford had stored in his heart to speak comfort to his broken heart.
You will see your daughters again, the Holy Spirit whispered. Grieve, but don’t grieve as those who have no hope. You believe in Christ—that he conquered death, hell, and the grave. His resurrection proved that death could not hold him. Mourn your loved ones. Mourn them deeply, but fear not. You will see them again. They rest safely in the bosom of Jesus, and he will bring them with him on the last day.
“Even so,” it is well with my soul.
If you’re grieving the loss of someone you love today, may God give you eyes to see the familiar. May his Word give you comfort and hope.
May it be well with your soul.
“It is in the quiet crucible of your personal private sufferings that your noblest dreams are born and God’s greatest gifts are given in compensation for what you’ve been through.” ~Wintley Phipps
If you're reading this by email and would like to hear Wintley Phipps' version of "It Is Well with My Soul," CLICK HERE.
If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe? I'll send you twice-weekly 5-minute devotions to help nourish your soul.
Because women need to connect with God in the craziness of life.
Enter your email address and VALIDATE the Feedburner email sent to your inbox.
Delivered by FeedBurner
Hungry for God is on Facebook! Will you take a moment and LIKE my page? CLICK HERE to help HFG share 5-minute devotions.
You want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.
You need a resource that answers the questions you’re afraid to ask out loud. Questions like:
• Is my situation hopeless?
• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray?
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me?
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit?
Each devotion begins with a Facetime question and ends with a biblical answer wrapped in a modern day parable. Like a spiritual power bar, Hungry for God … Starving for Time is packed with enough scriptural nutrition to get you through the day. Wherever you are—in break rooms, carpool lines, or wherever you can snatch five minutes of quiet reflection—Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women is for you. If this post was meaningful to you, would you consider sharing it with a friend by clicking on one of the buttons below? Did you know you can receive bi-weekly Hungry for God posts sent directly to your email inbox? Visit http://www.lori-benotweary.blogspot.com and click on the link in the right hand corner to Subscribe Via Email.Copyright 2012 by Lori Hatcher
July 3, 2015
What Better Way to Celebrate FREEDOM than with FREE Books?
I love my country.
In recent days it's made me proud and it's made me sad, but nothing will ever change my opinion that it's still the greatest country on earth.
On this, America's 239th birthday, I want to share a few of my favorite patriotic pictures. AND share a very special offer -- five FREE books, all written by Christians, from a Christian worldview.
The fact that we can write, publish, and distribute books that share our faith and encourage others in their faith journey is one of the greatest evidences that the freedom our forefathers fought and died for still lives in our country.
May God continue to preserve this most precious of all freedoms.
And may we never, ever take it for granted.
My publisher, Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, has made 100 copies of my book, Hungry For God ... Starving for Time, Five-Minute Devotions for Busy Women, available FREE on Book Grabber today. I'd love for you to download a copy, then pass this offer on to your friends.
Here's the link: https://bookgrabbr.com/books/3199
AND to sweeten the FREEDOM celebration even more, here are FOUR other Lighthouse Publishing books, also available FREE today:
Andrea's Merrell's Praying for the Prodigal: https://bookgrabbr.com/books/3163
Lori Roeleveld's Running From a Crazy Man: https://bookgrabbr.com/books/3153
Amy Sullivan's When More Is Not Enough, How to Stop Giving Your Kids What They Want and Give Them What They Need : https://bookgrabbr.com/books/3207
Nan Jones' Perils of a Pastor's Wife:
https://bookgrabbr.com/books/3195
If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe? I'll send you twice-weekly 5-minute devotions to help nourish your soul.
Because women need to connect with God in the craziness of life.
Enter your email address and VALIDATE the Feedburner email sent to your inbox.
Delivered by FeedBurner
If this post was meaningful to you, would you consider sharing it with a friend by clicking on one of the buttons below? Did you know you can receive bi-weekly Hungry for God posts sent directly to your email inbox? Visit http://www.lori-benotweary.blogspot.com and click on the link in the right hand corner to Subscribe Via Email.
Copyright 2012 by Lori Hatcher
In recent days it's made me proud and it's made me sad, but nothing will ever change my opinion that it's still the greatest country on earth.
On this, America's 239th birthday, I want to share a few of my favorite patriotic pictures. AND share a very special offer -- five FREE books, all written by Christians, from a Christian worldview.
The fact that we can write, publish, and distribute books that share our faith and encourage others in their faith journey is one of the greatest evidences that the freedom our forefathers fought and died for still lives in our country.
May God continue to preserve this most precious of all freedoms.
And may we never, ever take it for granted.
My publisher, Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, has made 100 copies of my book, Hungry For God ... Starving for Time, Five-Minute Devotions for Busy Women, available FREE on Book Grabber today. I'd love for you to download a copy, then pass this offer on to your friends.Here's the link: https://bookgrabbr.com/books/3199
AND to sweeten the FREEDOM celebration even more, here are FOUR other Lighthouse Publishing books, also available FREE today:
Andrea's Merrell's Praying for the Prodigal: https://bookgrabbr.com/books/3163
Lori Roeleveld's Running From a Crazy Man: https://bookgrabbr.com/books/3153
Amy Sullivan's When More Is Not Enough, How to Stop Giving Your Kids What They Want and Give Them What They Need : https://bookgrabbr.com/books/3207
Nan Jones' Perils of a Pastor's Wife:
https://bookgrabbr.com/books/3195
If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe? I'll send you twice-weekly 5-minute devotions to help nourish your soul.
Because women need to connect with God in the craziness of life.
Enter your email address and VALIDATE the Feedburner email sent to your inbox.
Delivered by FeedBurner
If this post was meaningful to you, would you consider sharing it with a friend by clicking on one of the buttons below? Did you know you can receive bi-weekly Hungry for God posts sent directly to your email inbox? Visit http://www.lori-benotweary.blogspot.com and click on the link in the right hand corner to Subscribe Via Email.
Copyright 2012 by Lori Hatcher
July 2, 2015
Why Do I Write, Even If I Wonder if Anyone's Reading?
What makes you think anyone would want to read anything you write?
You think that’s original? Ann Voskamp’s already said it—better. And with pictures.
Other bloggers write long posts about big issues. Who are you kidding? You’re not even in the same league.
Have you ever had a morning when you were defeated before you even got out of bed? When the voices whispered so persistently you couldn’t even mount a protest? When you questioned your calling, your ministry, maybe even your existence? Any success you may have enjoyed in the past was just a colorless memory, like an old black and white newsreel, and the motivation to do the next thing just wasn’t there?
Times like these don’t come often to me, but on hormonal days when the sun doesn’t shine and my feelings are tender, they have the power to get me down. Like cockroaches too cowardly to come into the light, they scuttle along the baseboards of my mind hindering my progress and distorting my perspective.
Here in the South where Palmetto bugs are four inches long and big enough that we can hear their footsteps, we keep a can of Raid nearby at all times. Similarly, we should keep our spiritual insecticide within arms’ reach.
The insecticide for cockroach comments like the ones I listed above? The Word of God.
When I reached for it, the Word was alive and powerful. Like sitting down with an encouraging friend, my time in God’s Word was just what I needed to banish the dark clouds of doubt and discouragement.
As I read in The One Year Bible, I read the story of Elijah. A bold prophet who had stood up to evil King Ahab, called fire down from heaven, and slayed the evil prophets of Baal, Elijah was riding the wave of the miraculous. Convinced that the supernatural events he had witnessed would win over Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel, he was shocked to receive this message from the royal palace:
So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of (the prophets) by tomorrow about this time (1 Kings 19:2).
Frightened and confused, Elijah ran.
Far far away.
And prayed that he might die.
“It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life . . .”
You know what God did? He didn’t scold him, nor did he pity him. He fed him. He granted him sleep. He listened to his complaints, and then, as only God can do, he reminded Elijah of three things:
1. I am God.
2. You are not.
3. You are not alone.
Through a tornado-like wind, he showed Elijah his power. Through a ground-shattering earthquake, he demonstrated his control. Through a raging fire, he reminded Elijah of his judgment.
And then, in a still, small voice, he showed Elijah that he was quietly, sometimes imperceptibly, at work in Israel.
“You are not alone, Elijah,” God said. “There are 7,000 men whose knees haven’t bowed to Baal.”
“Now get up, dust yourself off and get going. I have work for you to do.”
In January, my friend Jean emailed me:
“My dear friend who is in prison wrote me and said:
Each morning I start my day with three daily devotionals. Hungry for God, Starving for Time is unequivocally my favorite. When information is enveloped in narrative, I tend to remember what I’ve read. Lori’s antidotes are comedic, metaphorically graphic, and rich with a message universally relevant to a believer’s intent to incorporate God’s wisdom into their daily walk. Thank you so much for the book. It has had an impact already. I share it with Lorena (her cell mate) and she appreciates it equally.”
In February, my friend Debbie brought five copies of my book, Hungry for God … Starving for Time, to Kenya. She gave one to Sister Freda, a brave, dedicated sister in Christ who has founded a preschool, clinic, a girls high school, and a nursing school.
In May, I received this email from Andrea, a young woman ministering to Navy wives in Japan through Cadence International:
I have been enjoying your devotional book. I think it is something the women could benefit from … Thank you for being willing to donate copies to our ministry.
And recently I found these kind words in my Inbox from Sharon, a woman I met at one of my Praying with Power conferences who works with Women at the Well Ministries of PA:
My one new idea from your seminar was to pray first, and read the Bible second, looking for answers in my reading. It’s taking a while to get used to making this change, but I am gaining insight and answers from this switch. Yes, you can teach old dogs new tricks if they want to learn!
I have especially enjoyed the two devotions that came out this week. The post on sex and violence spoke to my heart, and reconfirmed some of the limitations I place on things we read and watch. Thank you for your prayers and your ministry of encouragement. I look forward to another time when we can meet. In the meantime, keep writing those great devos!
God, in his still, small voice, used Elijah and these women to remind me,
He is God,
I am not,
and I am not alone.
Author/speaker Alton Gansky says this,
"When you write for God, and you really mean it . . . your work may never show up on the shelves of Lifeway. It may never find its way into bound print at all. But when you write for God, when you write with the heart of a servant . . . you may find that your words are only meant for the guy sitting next to you. If you can accept this . . . live with it . . . grasp it . . . then you can truly write for God."
Why do I write, even when I’m afraid no one’s reading?
Because God has called me to.
What has God called you to? Are you questioning your calling, your ministry, perhaps even your existence? Struggling soul, be faithful, even when the voices cry loudly, no one appreciates you, and you want to quit. Press on. The harvest is coming.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9).
You want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.
You need a resource that answers the questions you’re afraid to ask out loud. Questions like:
• Is my situation hopeless?
• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray?
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me?
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit?
Each devotion begins with a Facetime question and ends with a biblical answer wrapped in a modern day parable. Like a spiritual power bar, Hungry for God … Starving for Time is packed with enough scriptural nutrition to get you through the day. Wherever you are—in break rooms, carpool lines, or wherever you can snatch five minutes of quiet reflection—Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women is for you.
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Copyright 2012 by Lori Hatcher
You think that’s original? Ann Voskamp’s already said it—better. And with pictures.
Other bloggers write long posts about big issues. Who are you kidding? You’re not even in the same league.
Have you ever had a morning when you were defeated before you even got out of bed? When the voices whispered so persistently you couldn’t even mount a protest? When you questioned your calling, your ministry, maybe even your existence? Any success you may have enjoyed in the past was just a colorless memory, like an old black and white newsreel, and the motivation to do the next thing just wasn’t there?
Times like these don’t come often to me, but on hormonal days when the sun doesn’t shine and my feelings are tender, they have the power to get me down. Like cockroaches too cowardly to come into the light, they scuttle along the baseboards of my mind hindering my progress and distorting my perspective.
Here in the South where Palmetto bugs are four inches long and big enough that we can hear their footsteps, we keep a can of Raid nearby at all times. Similarly, we should keep our spiritual insecticide within arms’ reach.The insecticide for cockroach comments like the ones I listed above? The Word of God.
When I reached for it, the Word was alive and powerful. Like sitting down with an encouraging friend, my time in God’s Word was just what I needed to banish the dark clouds of doubt and discouragement.
As I read in The One Year Bible, I read the story of Elijah. A bold prophet who had stood up to evil King Ahab, called fire down from heaven, and slayed the evil prophets of Baal, Elijah was riding the wave of the miraculous. Convinced that the supernatural events he had witnessed would win over Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel, he was shocked to receive this message from the royal palace:
So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of (the prophets) by tomorrow about this time (1 Kings 19:2).
Frightened and confused, Elijah ran.
Far far away.
And prayed that he might die.
“It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life . . .”
You know what God did? He didn’t scold him, nor did he pity him. He fed him. He granted him sleep. He listened to his complaints, and then, as only God can do, he reminded Elijah of three things:
1. I am God.
2. You are not.
3. You are not alone.
Through a tornado-like wind, he showed Elijah his power. Through a ground-shattering earthquake, he demonstrated his control. Through a raging fire, he reminded Elijah of his judgment.
And then, in a still, small voice, he showed Elijah that he was quietly, sometimes imperceptibly, at work in Israel.
“You are not alone, Elijah,” God said. “There are 7,000 men whose knees haven’t bowed to Baal.”
“Now get up, dust yourself off and get going. I have work for you to do.”
In January, my friend Jean emailed me:
“My dear friend who is in prison wrote me and said:
Each morning I start my day with three daily devotionals. Hungry for God, Starving for Time is unequivocally my favorite. When information is enveloped in narrative, I tend to remember what I’ve read. Lori’s antidotes are comedic, metaphorically graphic, and rich with a message universally relevant to a believer’s intent to incorporate God’s wisdom into their daily walk. Thank you so much for the book. It has had an impact already. I share it with Lorena (her cell mate) and she appreciates it equally.”
In February, my friend Debbie brought five copies of my book, Hungry for God … Starving for Time, to Kenya. She gave one to Sister Freda, a brave, dedicated sister in Christ who has founded a preschool, clinic, a girls high school, and a nursing school.In May, I received this email from Andrea, a young woman ministering to Navy wives in Japan through Cadence International:
I have been enjoying your devotional book. I think it is something the women could benefit from … Thank you for being willing to donate copies to our ministry.
And recently I found these kind words in my Inbox from Sharon, a woman I met at one of my Praying with Power conferences who works with Women at the Well Ministries of PA:
My one new idea from your seminar was to pray first, and read the Bible second, looking for answers in my reading. It’s taking a while to get used to making this change, but I am gaining insight and answers from this switch. Yes, you can teach old dogs new tricks if they want to learn!
I have especially enjoyed the two devotions that came out this week. The post on sex and violence spoke to my heart, and reconfirmed some of the limitations I place on things we read and watch. Thank you for your prayers and your ministry of encouragement. I look forward to another time when we can meet. In the meantime, keep writing those great devos!
God, in his still, small voice, used Elijah and these women to remind me,
He is God,
I am not,
and I am not alone.
Author/speaker Alton Gansky says this,
"When you write for God, and you really mean it . . . your work may never show up on the shelves of Lifeway. It may never find its way into bound print at all. But when you write for God, when you write with the heart of a servant . . . you may find that your words are only meant for the guy sitting next to you. If you can accept this . . . live with it . . . grasp it . . . then you can truly write for God."
Why do I write, even when I’m afraid no one’s reading?
Because God has called me to.
What has God called you to? Are you questioning your calling, your ministry, perhaps even your existence? Struggling soul, be faithful, even when the voices cry loudly, no one appreciates you, and you want to quit. Press on. The harvest is coming.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9).
You want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.You need a resource that answers the questions you’re afraid to ask out loud. Questions like:
• Is my situation hopeless?
• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray?
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me?
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit?
Each devotion begins with a Facetime question and ends with a biblical answer wrapped in a modern day parable. Like a spiritual power bar, Hungry for God … Starving for Time is packed with enough scriptural nutrition to get you through the day. Wherever you are—in break rooms, carpool lines, or wherever you can snatch five minutes of quiet reflection—Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women is for you. If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe? I'll send you twice-weekly 5-minute devotions to help nourish your soul.
Because women need to connect with God in the craziness of life.
Enter your email address and VALIDATE the Feedburner email sent to your inbox.
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Hungry for God is on Facebook! Will you take a moment and LIKE my page? CLICK HERE to help HFG share 5-minute devotions.
If this post was meaningful to you, would you consider sharing it with a friend by clicking on one of the buttons below? Did you know you can receive bi-weekly Hungry for God posts sent directly to your email inbox? Visit http://www.lori-benotweary.blogspot.com and click on the link in the right hand corner to Subscribe Via Email.
Copyright 2012 by Lori Hatcher
June 28, 2015
How Christians Should Live in Light of the Supreme Court Decision
Yesterday my pastor stood in the pulpit and said, “I may have to go to jail one day.” “And we may have to do church much differently than we’ve ever done it before, he said. "The time may come in our country when we have to choose between obeying man and obeying God. One thing I can say for certain—we will never, ever compromise the Word of God.”
I love that man.
And the timelessness of God’s Word comforts me, speaks truth to my troubled heart, and reminds me that this season has not caught God by surprise. He inspired Peter, millennia ago, to write these words with us in mind:
Dear friends,
Do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
Christ was born into a government that killed the innocent to preserve a kingdom.
If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.
The disciples were beaten, jailed, and run out of town.
“Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine!”
However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.
“But Peter and the other apostles answered and said, ‘We ought to obey God rather than men.’”
For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"
“Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-- who is forever praised. Amen.
“Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done (Romans 1:24-28).
“On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. . . . But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison. Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went” (Acts. 1:1, 3-4).
“When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed.So there was great joy in that city.”
So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good” (1 Peter 4:12-19).
We can take comfort from the past, knowing that Christ will continue to build his church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58).
What truth from Scripture comforts you when the events of this world make you afraid? Why not share them in the comments so others can be encouraged? If you're reading by email subscription, click here to visit Hungry for God and comment.
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Copyright 2012 by Lori Hatcher
June 25, 2015
When You Don't Like What You See in the Mirror
“It is an observable fact that most people don’t like themselves, in spite of being, for the most part, decent enough human beings . . .” says Phillip Lopate, in Writing Creative Nonfiction.
I thought about Lopate’s quote today, because I looked into the mirror of God’s Word and saw something I disliked. It wasn’t the smile lines around my mouth, the crows’ feet near my eyes, or the less-than-perfect skin on my face.
I looked into the mirror and saw King Ahab. Eeew.
It’s a curious thing, how when we look into the perfect law of God, we see the juxtaposition of our shortcomings and sins. We see who we could and should be side by side with who we are and aren’t. I suspect this is why, in Galatians 3:24, Paul called the law a “schoolmaster”: “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
With no standard to compare ourselves, we look pretty good—better than some of our neighbors, and certainly not as bad as others. But when we look into God’s law, which is really just a template for his perfection, we fall woefully short.
This is how God and his law used wicked King Ahab to show me my sinful family resemblance.
Ahab was rich. The king of Samaria, he had a beautiful palace, all the money he needed, land, horses, and a wife. Oh, boy, did he have a wife, but that’s a subject for another post.
Instead of being thankful for all God had blessed him with, Ahab turned his lustful eyes over the wall onto his neighbor’s vineyard. Now Ahab didn’t need Naboth’s vineyard. He had vineyards galore. And gardeners to tend them and servants to pick their fruit.
But Ahab was greedy. He wanted what he didn’t have. Sometimes I wish for what I didn't have, too.
Where does this continual lust for more come from? I hate to blame everything on our sinful natures, but the apostle James connected the dots on this one:
“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight” (Jas. 4:1).
Our lust for more and our discontentment with what God gives us comes from our human nature—a nature that, left to itself, will never, ever be satisfied. So what’s the antidote when our coveting eyes glance over at our neighbor’s smiling family, intact marriage, pain-free body, etc., etc., etc. . . .?
“. . . be content with what you have,” Hebrews 13:5 tell us, “because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”
If Ahab had been thankful instead of greedy and ungrateful, I think he'd have been much happier. Could this be true of us as well?
Forgive us, Father, for allowing what we don’t have to steal the joy from what we do. Thank you that the boundary lines have fallen for us in pleasant places. We have a good inheritance. Help us remember if we seek first the kingdom of God and your righteousness, everything we need will be added to our lives. And you will send no sorrow with it. Thank you for the perfect law of liberty that promises us freedom from lust and greed and discontentment. And thank you for your Son, who promises never to leave us or forsake us. Truly, Father, what more do we need?
If you’re struggling with covetousness today, will you join me in listing God’s good gifts and saying thank you? It will do much to banish the sin of grumbling greed from our hearts.
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Hungry for God is on Facebook! Will you take a moment and LIKE my page? CLICK HERE to help HFG share 5-minute devotions.
You want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.
You need a resource that answers the questions you’re afraid to ask out loud. Questions like:
• Is my situation hopeless?
• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray?
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me?
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit?
Each devotion begins with a Facetime question and ends with a biblical answer wrapped in a modern day parable. Like a spiritual power bar, Hungry for God … Starving for Time is packed with enough scriptural nutrition to get you through the day. Wherever you are—in break rooms, carpool lines, or wherever you can snatch five minutes of quiet reflection—Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women is for you.
If this post was meaningful to you, would you consider sharing it with a friend by clicking on one of the buttons below? Did you know you can receive bi-weekly Hungry for God posts sent directly to your email inbox? Visit http://www.lori-benotweary.blogspot.com and click on the link in the right hand corner to Subscribe Via Email.
Copyright 2012 by Lori Hatcher
I thought about Lopate’s quote today, because I looked into the mirror of God’s Word and saw something I disliked. It wasn’t the smile lines around my mouth, the crows’ feet near my eyes, or the less-than-perfect skin on my face.I looked into the mirror and saw King Ahab. Eeew.
It’s a curious thing, how when we look into the perfect law of God, we see the juxtaposition of our shortcomings and sins. We see who we could and should be side by side with who we are and aren’t. I suspect this is why, in Galatians 3:24, Paul called the law a “schoolmaster”: “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
With no standard to compare ourselves, we look pretty good—better than some of our neighbors, and certainly not as bad as others. But when we look into God’s law, which is really just a template for his perfection, we fall woefully short.
This is how God and his law used wicked King Ahab to show me my sinful family resemblance.
Ahab was rich. The king of Samaria, he had a beautiful palace, all the money he needed, land, horses, and a wife. Oh, boy, did he have a wife, but that’s a subject for another post.
Instead of being thankful for all God had blessed him with, Ahab turned his lustful eyes over the wall onto his neighbor’s vineyard. Now Ahab didn’t need Naboth’s vineyard. He had vineyards galore. And gardeners to tend them and servants to pick their fruit.
But Ahab was greedy. He wanted what he didn’t have. Sometimes I wish for what I didn't have, too.
Where does this continual lust for more come from? I hate to blame everything on our sinful natures, but the apostle James connected the dots on this one:
“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight” (Jas. 4:1).
Our lust for more and our discontentment with what God gives us comes from our human nature—a nature that, left to itself, will never, ever be satisfied. So what’s the antidote when our coveting eyes glance over at our neighbor’s smiling family, intact marriage, pain-free body, etc., etc., etc. . . .?
“. . . be content with what you have,” Hebrews 13:5 tell us, “because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”If Ahab had been thankful instead of greedy and ungrateful, I think he'd have been much happier. Could this be true of us as well?
Forgive us, Father, for allowing what we don’t have to steal the joy from what we do. Thank you that the boundary lines have fallen for us in pleasant places. We have a good inheritance. Help us remember if we seek first the kingdom of God and your righteousness, everything we need will be added to our lives. And you will send no sorrow with it. Thank you for the perfect law of liberty that promises us freedom from lust and greed and discontentment. And thank you for your Son, who promises never to leave us or forsake us. Truly, Father, what more do we need?
If you’re struggling with covetousness today, will you join me in listing God’s good gifts and saying thank you? It will do much to banish the sin of grumbling greed from our hearts.
If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe? I'll send you twice-weekly 5-minute devotions to help nourish your soul.
Because women need to connect with God in the craziness of life.
Enter your email address and VALIDATE the Feedburner email sent to your inbox.
Delivered by FeedBurner
Hungry for God is on Facebook! Will you take a moment and LIKE my page? CLICK HERE to help HFG share 5-minute devotions.
You want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.You need a resource that answers the questions you’re afraid to ask out loud. Questions like:
• Is my situation hopeless?
• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray?
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me?
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit?
Each devotion begins with a Facetime question and ends with a biblical answer wrapped in a modern day parable. Like a spiritual power bar, Hungry for God … Starving for Time is packed with enough scriptural nutrition to get you through the day. Wherever you are—in break rooms, carpool lines, or wherever you can snatch five minutes of quiet reflection—Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women is for you. If this post was meaningful to you, would you consider sharing it with a friend by clicking on one of the buttons below? Did you know you can receive bi-weekly Hungry for God posts sent directly to your email inbox? Visit http://www.lori-benotweary.blogspot.com and click on the link in the right hand corner to Subscribe Via Email.
Copyright 2012 by Lori Hatcher
June 21, 2015
Today I'm Proud to Be a Christian
There have been times when I’ve been ashamed of my family.My faith family, that is.
Squabbles, scandals, and division. Disputes over denominational differences. Competition rather than cooperation. “Black churches” and “white churches.” These have broken my heart and made me ashamed.
But this week, I’m proud. PROUD to call myself a Christian.
I’m so proud, of Debbie Dills, an ordinary believer whom God called to do an extraordinary thing. Early Thursday morning she watched FOX and Friends’ coverage of the church shooting. On her way to work, providentially running late, she spotted Dylann Roof’s car.
“I got a little nervous,” she told FOX news afterward, “I’ll be honest with you. I’m not a hero, and I’m not brave.”
She pulled off onto an exit ramp, phoned her boss, and told him what she’d seen. He called police, who asked Debbie to get back on the highway, catch up with Roof, and confirm the license plate number.
Would you chase after an armed man who had just killed nine people in cold blood? And get close enough to read his license plate and confirm his identity?
But with courage that only came from God, Debbie got back on Highway 74, chased Roof down, phoned in his license plate number, and tailed him until police arrived.
"I’m not the hero,” she’s quick to admit. “God’s the hero. He just used me. . . . I hope he’s pleased with me. I want him to be pleased with me more than anything else.”
I’m so proud, of Marcus Stanley, a black rapper and survivor of black gun violence. He looked past the horror of Dylann Roof’s crime into the darkness in his soul. He posted a message on Roof’s Facebook page calling him to repentance and salvation.
“Give your heart to Jesus and confess your sins with a heart of forgiveness.” Marcus wrote. “He is the only one who can save your soul and forgive you for the terrible act you have done.”
I’m so proud of the families and loved ones of those who died in Charleston. Wracked with grief, they followed the example of their Savior, who interceded for his killers by saying, “Forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.”
Through tears, Ethel Lance’s daughter said to Roof, “I forgive you. You took something very precious from me, and I will never talk to her ever again. I will never be able to hold her again. But I forgive you. And have mercy on your soul."
I’m so proud that when some called for a race riot in Charleston, Pastor Norvel Goff, standing in the pulpit of Emanuel AME church, said, “A lot of folk expected us to do something strange and break out in a riot. Well, they just don’t know us. They just don’t know us because we are a people of faith, and we believe that when we put our forces and our heads together, working for a common good, there is nothing we cannot accomplish together in the name of Jesus.”
I’m so proud that Emanuel AME opened their doors in faith and commitment as they’ve done every Sunday since the church’s founding. And of the hundreds from all over the state and nation who sat in sweltering heat and crowded conditions inside the church for Sunday school and service.
The church met for Sunday morning services to send a “message to the demons in Hell.”
Perhaps this is what Jesus foresaw when he told Peter, “upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Mat. 16:18).
I’m so proud of the hundreds who held vigil outside the courthouse while Dylann Roof’s arraignment hearing took place. Black and white, young and old, they held hands and sang hymns in support of the bereaved families inside.
And I’m so proud, of St. Andrews Evangelical Church, a mostly-white assembly in my hometown of Columbia, whose congregation walked down the street and surprised a mostly-black church by joining them in worship. “It was crowded, hot, emotional, and awesome,” one church member wrote.Perhaps this is what Paul foresaw when he said, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28).
There have been times when I’ve been ashamed of my faith family. Ashamed to reveal that I’m a Christian “like them,” but not today.
Today, I’m proud.
“The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Mat. 4:16).
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Copyright 2012 by Lori Hatcher
June 18, 2015
The Emanuel AME Shooting -- When Did the Church Become the Most Dangerous Place In Town?
Wednesday night, Dylann Roof sat in prayer meeting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC.One hundred miles away in Columbia, I sat in a church prayer meeting, too. While our pastor led six of us in a Bible study, the door opened and a visitor walked in. We were surprised. Young people don’t attend church much anymore, and only the devout come out on a steamy night in June to pray.
We welcomed him and shared our pizza. We were glad he had found his way to the house of God. When the study ended and we bowed our heads to pray, he bowed with us.
“Please come back,” we said as he left, “our doors are always open.”
Today my heart is breaking for the nine prayer warriors who lost their lives at Emanuel AME Church while praying and studying God’s Word—in God’s house.
The sacred has been defiled. The defenseless have been destroyed. The darkness has dealt an evil blow to the body of Christ.
My heart aches because those who lost their lives in Charleston are my brothers and sisters. They are part of my family. They knelt to pray like I kneel to pray. They studied God’s Word like I study God’s Word. They had a right to assemble unmolested like I have a right to assemble unmolested. They welcomed a stranger in the name of Jesus like I welcome strangers in the name of Jesus.
My sadness is deep because this tragedy has occurred in my country. In my state. One hundred miles from my home. In South Carolina’s Holy City.
President Obama, in a statement following Roof’s arrest, said, “Any death of this sort is a tragedy, any shooting involving multiple victims is a tragedy. There’s something particularly heartbreaking about death happening in a place we seek solace, and we seek peace, in a place of worship.”
He spoke truth. In times past people ran to the church for safety. Wednesday night people ran from the church in horror.
Last night a visitor sat among my small group of believers gathered to study and pray. One hundred miles away, another visitor sat among a small group of believers gathered to study and pray. My brothers and sisters went home to rest safely in their beds. My Emanuel brothers and sisters went home to rest safely in the arms of their Savior.When did the church become the most dangerous place in town?
Maybe it has always been.
The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, fingered the mastermind behind the shooting long before Charleston police fingerprinted Dylann Roof:
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (6:12).
How did my brothers and sisters in Charleston spend the last hour of their lives? Studying God’s Word. Praying for the lost. Welcoming strangers.
May their courage make us brave. May their commitment make us strong, and may their example cause us to live each day in wholehearted pursuit of our Savior.
“Therefore,” Paul instructs us, “put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Eph. 6:13).
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Copyright 2012 by Lori Hatcher
The Emmanuel AME Shooting -- When Did the Church Become the Most Dangerous Place In Town?
Wednesday night, Dylann Roof sat in prayer meeting at Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC.One hundred miles away in Columbia, I sat in a church prayer meeting, too. While our pastor led six of us in a Bible study, the door opened and a visitor walked in. We were surprised. Young people don’t attend church much anymore, and only the devout come out on a steamy night in June to pray.
We welcomed him and shared our pizza. We were glad he had found his way to the house of God. When the study ended and we bowed our heads to pray, he bowed with us.
“Please come back,” we said as he left, “our doors are always open.”
Today my heart is breaking for the nine prayer warriors who lost their lives at Emmanuel AME Church while praying and studying God’s Word—in God’s house.
The sacred has been defiled. The defenseless have been destroyed. The darkness has dealt an evil blow to the body of Christ.
My heart aches because those who lost their lives in Charleston are my brothers and sisters. They are part of my family. They knelt to pray like I kneel to pray. They studied God’s Word like I study God’s Word. They had a right to assemble unmolested like I have a right to assemble unmolested. They welcomed a stranger in the name of Jesus like I welcome strangers in the name of Jesus.
My sadness is deep because this tragedy has occurred in my country. In my state. One hundred miles from my home. In South Carolina’s Holy City.
President Obama, in a statement following Roof’s arrest, said, “Any death of this sort is a tragedy, any shooting involving multiple victims is a tragedy. There’s something particularly heartbreaking about death happening in a place we seek solace, and we seek peace, in a place of worship.”
He spoke truth. In times past people ran to the church for safety. Wednesday night people ran from the church in horror.
Last night a visitor sat among my small group of believers gathered to study and pray. One hundred miles away, another visitor sat among a small group of believers gathered to study and pray. My brothers and sisters went home to rest safely in their beds. My Emmanuel brothers and sisters went home to rest safely in the arms of their Savior.When did the church become the most dangerous place in town?
Maybe it has always been.
The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, fingered the mastermind behind the shooting long before Charleston police fingerprinted Dylann Roof:
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (6:12).
How did my brothers and sisters in Charleston spend the last hour of their lives? Studying God’s Word. Praying for the lost. Welcoming strangers.
May their courage make us brave. May their commitment make us strong, and may their example cause us to live each day in wholehearted pursuit of our Savior.
“Therefore,” Paul instructs us, “put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Eph. 6:13).
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Copyright 2012 by Lori Hatcher
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