Lori Stanley Roeleveld's Blog, page 34

Hey! You Don’t Have to Stand for This!

The young man stood with his arms crossed. “My dad says I don’t have to stand for any of this.”

I stopped my paperwork and turned to look at him. I liked the kid. Despite his chronic late arrivals and his clear preference for chatting with members over cleaning equipment, he had an “everyman” quality I appreciated. “I’ll bite. What exactly does your father say you don’t have to stand for?”

“All these extra trainings you say are mandatory. He says I don’t have to stand for stuff like that at a minimum wage job.” He tried to look me in the eye as he spoke, but to his credit, he couldn’t hold my gaze.

“You know you get paid to attend these trainings, right?”

“Minimum wage.”

“True. But, did you know these trainings on things like CPR, First Aid, listening skills, and child abuse prevention will provide you with skills you can use in your next job and in everyday life?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I’m not worried about my next job yet. My dad said I can make minimum wage at the fast food place up the road and NOT have to attend extra trainings that just waste my time.”

“That’s true. Your dad is correct about one thing. You don’t have to stand for it, but you can’t keep working here unless you attend the trainings.” I paused. “The funny thing is, I thought you enjoyed most of this work. You’re good with the members. They all like you.”

He looked away again. “Yeah, I like most of it. I like them, too. But, I don’t like the trainings, and my dad says –“

I held up my hand, “I know, you don’t have to stand for it. Well, work your shift, and let me know what you decide by the end of the night.”

He chose to walk away. He took his father’s advice and refused to “stand for” a job that provided him training and opportunities that would serve him well down the road because “trainings waste my time.” It’s not uncommon for young people not to see the benefit of the “extra” work. Less common is hearing a father urge a son to take the easier, short-vision path.

Our Father is not like that with His children.

We may complain that the path is hard, the pay is low, and the benefits hard to foresee, just like my young friend. Our Father nods as He hears us out, but He offers different counsel.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4

That, dear loved ones, is the spiritual equivalent of “eat your Brussel sprouts. One day, you’ll thank me.” And the truth is, we will.

The world is full of crummy fathers. Fathers with sad advice resulting in children who make devastating choices, and then cry foul when faced with the consequences of those choices.

They call press conferences and issue thin apologies that sound more like “I call backsies” than actual repentance. Anyone who holds them accountable is accused of bullying.

A world of grown up babies who won’t stand for nothing, so they aren’t prepared to withstand anything.

We are not those children.

Our Father tells us to consider all hardship as training. To turn our attention to Him when faced with trials, to seek His strength and counsel through struggles and pain, and He will use everything the world throws at us to make us more like Him.

He says we are more than conquerors. Not only can we stand for it all, we can withstand everything that is to come, and even when faced with evil, He will help us make a stand.

I heard an echo of this biblical counsel in an unlikely place this week. A father many know better than our Father. Rocky Balboa, when speaking to his son, Robert, imparts these words:

“The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place… and I don´t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently, if you let it. You, me or nobody, is gonna hit as hard as life. But ain’t about how hard you hit… It’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward… how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That´s how winning is done. Now, if you know what you worth, go out and get what you worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers saying: You ain´t what you wanna be because of him or her or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain´t you! You´re better than that. I’m always gonna love you, no matter what. No matter what happens. You’re my son and you’re my blood. You’re the best thing in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, you ain’t gonna have a life.” – Rocky Balboa, 2006

Many times, I’ve faced our Father as I read the words of James 1, usually after I’ve poured out my heart about how hard life is and how much others are at fault for my trials, and I’ve heard His heart beat for me like Rocky’s beat for his son.

I can hear Our Father say to me, “I’m always gonna love you, no matter what. No matter what happens. You’re my daughter because of Jesus’ blood. You can let this trial press you to the mat or you can choose to face it in my strength. In Christ, there is no condemnation, but if you face it, on the other side of it, is more abundant life. You’re my daughter. It’s my blood flowing through your soul, so what’s it going to be?”

We have a good, good Father. Sometimes, that means we stand what others cannot. But on the other side, is life.

Hey! You don’t have to stand for this! https://t.co/K616dTN9QQ when dad’s give bad advice #Jesus #Rocky #FathersDay

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) June 6, 2017

CAN WE HEAL THE WOUNDS?

I’m enjoying a much needed vacation and was so pleased to be awarded the Director’s Choice Award at Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference for Jesus and the Beanstalk (Overcoming Your Giants and Living a Fruitful Life).  Joining you all in praying for those in the line of persecution and terrorist attack.

Today’s guest post is from a dear, godly writer Nancy Wolfe. I’ll be back to blogging by the end of next week (Lord willing). 

 

Love, compassion, truth, bathrooms, refugees, politics, faith.

Taxes, health-care, international relations, rights, obligations.

Conversations are heated. Editorials are harsh and pointed. Social media threads get contentious and off-topic at the speed of light. Not to mention the marches and protests. Taking a knee or making the sign of the cross.

It is everywhere, coming from all directions.

How can there be anything new or surprising?

But then the next shocking issue or image or quote emerges and takes us beyond the pale of possibility. Same old same old.

I don’t like it. Not one bit.

Now I’m a pretty smart person – the perpetual A/B student. I pick things up quickly – well, most things (please don’t even mention Excel). But nothing I learned at any of the schools I attended has prepared me for the world of right now.

I must navigate ever-so slowly and apprehensively through the daily news events and controversies. I spend time with Jesus and ask for wisdom. I seek out what’s really happening before I choose which flag I will fly or which side of the field I take.

But when it gets dicey, I feel pressured to take a side right now. In public. With no time to ponder the implication of my words. Please, can we just put our heads down on our desks for a minute?

Good golly, Miss Molly.

I have read about all of it: bathrooms, refugees, politics, faith, health-care, personal rights. I’ve read the words of many people, all of whom are convinced they speak the truth – the Gospel truth.

Sometimes this version of the truth is spoken at the expense of love and compassion. Or with a tone that utters “Duh!” And that just isn’t OK.

Also, not OK? Smirking as we describe the “other” side, snidely promoting our own point of view. Didn’t that really wise man once say, “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion”? Proverbs 18:2

Sometimes we snicker amongst ourselves about “their” foolishness. Solomon kinda turns the tables on that one, too … “Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” Proverbs 26:12

So, today, let’s not focus on what we say. (Not that our words are insignificant. Jesus was clear about that: “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.” Matthew 12:36)

Let’s make today about how we say things. About how we listen with both ears and no agenda. How we ask good questions and respond with reason and kindness.

And truth be told, we don’t have to listen to duh or endure a smirk or snicker. We don’t have to accept someone’s personal interpretation of Scripture. That’s not me talking – that’s Paul: “As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.” Titus 3:10-11

Yowzers!

So, my lovelies, let’s turn off the bullies and smart-alecks. Let’s resolve to walk away from the hurt and attack. Let’s start to heal the wounds.

Today, we welcome a well-thought out question or position, free of land mines and grenades. We peacefully join the conversation.

As always, we will be very clear about the bottom line: we are not willing to compromise the beautiful orthodoxy of the truth of salvation. We will not budge one inch.

And, when the hurtful and pompous words about a trivial controversy drive weary souls out of the church or far from Jesus, we will stand together and say, “Enough.”

We will love. We will listen. And we will leave the duh, the smirk and the snicker behind.

Today, we will be Jesus with skin on.

 

After retiring from a career in education, I found God calling me to use this gift to help provide for my family while I help further the Kingdom. Other than being with my family, there are few things I would rather do than create beauty with words – or read other beautiful writing. I’m a believer, wife, mom, stepmom & grandmom, and writer…Nancy K. (Burton) Wolfe

You can enjoy Nancy’s blog at https://livingcenter.me/about/

Can we heal the wounds? https://t.co/syKUnypCN1 guest blogger Nancy Wolfe today – representing Jesus today #Jesus #hardtimes #culture

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) May 27, 2017

Why I No Longer Take God on Vacation

We look forward to vacations, because they give us a chance to exhale and breathe. But, sometimes, in an attempt to escape life as we know it for a week, we leave God at home.

We don’t do it on purpose. We even pack our suitcases with good intentions: Bible, journal, Bible study, and pens. Check, check, check, and check. It is at this point our experiences may differ.

You may follow through as intended. Too often, however, I don’t.

Once home, unpacking an unused Bible left me feeling as if I’d missed out on something special during my vacation. And I had. But life quickly ensued and the yearning for something more while on vacation faded into the background of a busy life. That is, until the next time I unpacked an unused Bible.

There is a dynamic shift in perspective when we grasp that God goes with us everywhere, including our vacations—that we don’t pack Him in a suitcase between the toiletries and the extra pair of shoes? He created rest, both temporal and eternal, and He longs to join us in both. 

Going on vacation without choosing to engage God’s “withness” is like drinking tepid lemonade by the pool. It can satisfy for a moment but your thirst is never fully quenched.

So how do we join God—engage the power of His being with us—on vacation this summer?

Delve into the Word, even if for only a few minutes. Scripture is alive! (Hebrews 4:12) It quickens in our soul to produce a holy alliance that cultivates a life of love, joy, hope, freedom, and rest.

“With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:10-11 ESV

Pray. It doesn’t have to be long or filled with flowery words. In fact, based on Matthew 6:7, Jesus emphasizes how He loves to hear prayers directly from the heart. Period. When we engage the power of God’s withness, it is there we find confidence and joy in knowing we have been heard.

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah 33:3

Raise the awareness of your surroundings. Consider Jesus and the way He mastered the skill of sensory teaching. The storms, vineyards, the building and usage of the Temple—He knew the power of our sensory system, for He created it and leveraged it throughout the Bible to ultimately draw people closer to truth and to Himself.

“Taste and see that the LORD is good.” Psalm 34:8

This magnificent mystery of having the one true living God with us in every aspect of life is not one I’ve always fully appreciated. Those Bible-less vacations tugged on me somewhere deep down inside. Looking back, I see how legalism, guilt, and truth all took their turn at the ropes. But now, as I embrace God’s presence in me and with me, I fully entrust the tugging only to truth, allowing it to ring freedom throughout my soul.

Now I recognize the truth. We don’t take God on vacation—He takes us. And when we choose to engage His presence through His Word, prayer and leveraging our God-given senses, all of life is enhanced, especially our time away for rest and refreshment.

Bio: Cathy Baker is a Bible teacher and an award-winning writer who delights in observing God at work in the nuances of life. Her recent release, Pauses for the Vacationing Soul: A Sensory-Based Devotional Guide for the Beach (available on Amazon) is the first in a series of books created to draw readers closer to God through our five different seasons. A variety of vacations, as well as holiday celebrations, will soon follow.

Her work has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Upper Room, Focus on the Family’s Thriving Family, etc. Her poetry has been published in two anthologies. She and her husband, Brian, live in the foothills of the Carolinas where she one day hopes to raise miniature Pygmy goats.

Greetings, Fellow Adventurers,

I’m taking just a two week break from the blog to rest and recreate! Thank you to my two great writer friends, Cathy Baker and next weekend, “Good Golly, Miss Molly” Nancy Wolfe. I know you’ll enjoy meeting them. This would be a great two weeks to catch up on posts you’ve missed, peruse one of my books, or just sit on the front porch and consider the lilies of the field. I’ll see you all again in June! Mercy and grace, Lori

Why I No Longer Take God on Vacation https://t.co/NisnHwJ3bu guest blogger while I vacate #Jesus #vacation @cathysbaker

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) May 20, 2017

When the Headlines Mention Crematoriums and Mass Graves

You consider yourself a fairly positive person.

You don’t load every text with smiley faces or wish everyone a nice day, but you’ve made it a habit to live by faith, to open your eyes to the good that God may be working through trials, to praise God in the storm.

But, when the evening news rolls footage of those who stagger, displaced, along the Syrian border,

when the headlines contain words like “crematoriums” and “mass graves,”

when weeping mothers appear on screen and you don’t need to hear the translation to understand their agony,

positive fades in the rear-view mirror of your soul.

These are Psalm 120 times. Times of distress, of lying lips and deceiving tongues, when even pew-sitters sense the urge to call upon the Lord.

Warrior used to be a word you heard in history class, a term for ancient times.

Now, it’s a present-day term for young boys who should be playing ball in the back yard and aging saints who might be spending their prayer hours in gratitude and praise, but instead still wage warfare on the front lines of a battle that grows more intense every day.

“Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar! Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!” Psalm 120:5-7

These are times when we will be pulling the word “woe” out mothballs.

The Psalmist dwelled in a land of warring tribes devoted to their battles. Tribes with an appetite for war. The writer longed for peace.

You long for peace.

Your faith in Jesus Christ established peace between you and God.

Your faith in Jesus Christ secures your peace now in troubled times and into eternity.

Your faith in Jesus Christ instructs you to be at peace with everyone, as much as it is up to you.

Your faith in Jesus Christ directs you to work at peace within the church and with those still to enter the kingdom of God.

But, when you speak, they are for war.

People declare you their enemy without ever laying eyes on you. You are associated with Jesus. It’s an association you treasure, one in which you’re invested, and which you live to deepen.

It’s an association that’s placed you on the frontlines of an epic battle – meek sheep that you are, even clothed in armor, the sight of you is little enough threat, but when you open your mouth and words of peace emerge, you become a bulls-eye for every flaming arrow in their extensive arsenal.

What are you to do, you drafted ewe, you armored ram?

Keep reading, loved one. The Psalmist didn’t stop writing at woe.

These are the days of Psalm 120, but they are also the days of Psalm 121. We will be a generation that sees great woe, but we will be privileged, too, to see God at work both in us, through us, and for us, of this you may be sure.

Psalm 121 “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day,  nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep     your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”

When we gather around that great eternal campfire to tell stories of days past, people will ask us – “how did we endure the days of woe?”

We will exchange glances with one another, remembering how hard was our task, but then we all will smile and tell the truth.

“Our eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,” we will say together. “And what a sight He was to behold. We are the privileged, the honored, those blessed to see Him at work against the enemy of His truth. And here we are, safe forever.”

The tale you will tell will be no tale of woe, but of wonder forevermore.

When headlines contain the words crematorium and mass grave https://t.co/T0YDYRPoYl surviving the days of woe #syria #ISIS #Jesus

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) May 18, 2017

Things just aren’t coming together the way you’d planned

Things just aren’t coming together the way you’d planned.

This was the road you felt sure God led you to take. You’re no day-tripper with God. You’ve signed on for life. The eternal kind.

And you’re not one to go off-roading. No. You take the directions seriously. You keep your eyes on those Jesus tracks in the sand. You pray. You obey. The best you can for someone relying on grace. You avoid the shadowlands and live in the light – even when it reveals your failings.

Maybe that’s what’s getting to you. The glare.

Why doesn’t it get any easier? Why does it seem that others struggle less? Why does one dreamer’s dream appear while another watches his dream dissipate like a mirage at sundown? Where is the promised water in this desert? All you’re getting is the thirst.

Aching, relentless thirst.

Righteousness. What of that illusive gift? You’ve sung of it with such confidence, but on weekdays it’s hard to find, especially when you’re facing the mirror. Others worry about wrinkles, but you, you’re seeking that lotion that removes the vague fear that you’re disappointing God.

If He’s going to complete His work in you, why do you feel so undone? If His yoke is easy and His burden is light, why do you feel so weighed down? If He has promised you a peace that passes all understanding, why is your gut churning and your blood pressure an issue of concern? You know He’s doing His part, so it must be you.

Seriously, you’ve been following Him far too long to feel this way. The smell of spring used to fill you with hope, but this season it feels like even dandelions know something you don’t.

Life is just more ragged and untidy than you imagined it would be following Jesus. This doesn’t feel like a narrow path, it feels like bushwhacking through thick jungle carrying a full pack with the enemy hot on your trail.

And if one more person tells you it’s Satan, you might just give into the temptation to thump a Bible or two in their direction.

You’re too old for this. You know too much. You’ve known the Lord too long to entertain this level of frustration and despair. How come everything you know, every Bible verse you’ve absorbed, every hymn and praise song you’ve memorized, every prayer you’ve prayed isn’t working to lift your bootstraps out of this current funk?

The news keeps coming – global and personal – a relentless conspiracy to remind you how far we are from home. You hear yourself encourage others. Speak truths you believe, but the words taste like dust as you speak them. Your voice sounds distant – like an echo of a you that still exists somewhere – but right now, you’re struggling to access that person of faith.

Then, just as you’re feeling like maybe you’re the hypocrite all the haters are shouting about, you hear the hiss of accusation that brings you back to solid ground.

“Why don’t you just give up? If you gave up, things would be so much easier. You take it all too serious, you know. Others are doing fine, because they’ve learned to compromise. You’ll see. Give in. It will all get so much easier. Does this burden feel light to you? No, of course not, where’s your promised peace? C’mon. Don’t take it all so literally. The world is right. This narrow road is for dupes and fools. Look where it’s gotten you. Out here lost in the weeds. Turn back now. There’s no shame in turning back.”

The voice of the enemy is unmistakable. You recognize the accuser and can now trace the poisonous trail of vaporous lies he’s been whispering to you all along. Shooting them like arrows disguised as your own thoughts into your weary mind. You almost fell for it, but mercy reigns.

Your ear is tuned to the Shepherd’s voice. You lift up your eyes and remember that saints before you have been tempted to lay down and give up alongside the narrow way. You remember you’re not alone. He is nearby even when the road feels long and the story far from complete.

If other stories are shining with promises fulfilled and comforts provided while yours is still in the working and the waiting, well, it just means yours is epic. Maybe you need a rest. It’s a long, hard journey to Mordor. Maybe you need a friend. A good meal. A long nap. And a song.

He will never forsake you. Not Jesus. He did call you on this road and if you hunger and thirst for righteousness, know for sure you are blessed and will one day be filled.

And if you are weary, remember that you’re human. You have limits. He knows them better than you do. Don’t resist His nudging guidance to rest beside the quiet waters. He’s not taking you off the front lines, just issuing you a furlough for some R & R (refilling and remembrance).

Refill on His boundless resources.

Remember whose you are.

He’s not disappointed in you. It’s cute you think you’re more holy when you feel holy, but Jesus made you wholly clean all the time no matter how you feel at any given moment.

These times are hard, hard for a lot of people. Harder than we’re all willing to let on all the time. But, He designed us for these times. Stay alert to the voice of the accuser and call the snake out when he tries to draw you in.

Out into the Light.

Jesus has the last word on every story. Remember, He’s still telling yours.

Things just aren’t coming together the way you planned https://t.co/j1jYGvOTGM facing the enemy head on #Jesus #spiritualwarfare #Christian

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) May 17, 2017

Cowards Stay Home from Worship (Brave Hearts Gather)

Sometimes staying home from weekly worship is a necessity. Children need tending, bodies need resting, illness strikes, weariness sets in. There are occasions to pull back, to regroup, to lay low.

Sometimes, though, staying home from weekly worship is an act of cowardice, a passive rebellion, the first step in a walk away from God.

I love the church and believe it was one of God’s best ideas. When we enter into relationship with Him, we enter into a family. We are no longer alone on this outpost of glory. We belong.

But, we don’t receive immediate perfection. Frankly, most of us are a mess on the day of our adoption into Christ’s family and our ragged edges remain serrated and hazardous for years and years to come.

It takes holy courage to face us week after week. Church is not for the fainting soul. It is a place for brave hearts to gather.

It requires special courage from those who love God deepest in between weekly services. Alone in our prayers and time in God’s Word, our minds fill with images of communities of others sold out for Christ. We eagerly anticipate corporate worship and arrive prepared to celebrate Him with like minds.

The reality sometimes sucker punches us right in the plexus of our souls. How can these be His saints, these bumbling clods who take so casually their relationship with the Almighty, or who bicker on His doorstep, or who perseverate on minutia before the altar of His Glory?

And, we also stumble at our own reflection, as we fall so far short of our goals for following Christ, for being like Him, for focusing on only Him for this brief hour. Doesn’t He deserve far more and yet we can barely make it through this without returning to our own small thoughts and daydreams.

It is during corporate worship we’re most likely to slam hard into what is lacking in us, in our world, and in those who profess Him to our left and to our right. We can allow this lack to drive us away from Him or draw us closer to Him. This is the choice He presents at every gathering of believers.

It requires special courage to gather weekly with others to worship Jesus in a world so far from home, and yet to avoid it, to absent ourselves, to stay home, is to mimic the worst chapter in King David’s life.

“In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.” 2 Samuel 11:1

David remained home when it was time for kings to go out to battle. And it was the first sad decision in his undoing.

When believers stay home when it is time to gather to worship, it can be an act of cowardice that becomes a foothold that becomes a stronghold that breaks His throne in our own souls.

Yes, the church falls short and that’s often hard to face head on, but if Jesus is willing to show up there, so should we. Who sees better than He our lame attempts at following, our pathetic tries at love and understanding, our pale shadows of worshiping like the hosts of heaven.

And yet, where two or three are gathered in His name, there He is in our midst. Can we do any less?

What better thing is there in this life than to be where Jesus is? He is where two or three gather.

Where are you, loved ones?

Cowards Stay Home from Worship (Brave hearts gather) https://t.co/KJIISDvLye #stayinghomefromchurch #Jesus #worship

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) May 14, 2017

God May Not Be Your Father (or the gospel is only good news if . . .)

My college professor used to repeat this line, “The facts are our friends.”

Out of the dozens of notebooks I filled during those four years, that phrase remains embedded in the fabric of my thinking. Especially valuable in a world rampant with lies.

The air we breathe is part oxygen, part nitrogen, and part delusion. Like helium, this delusion leads us to believe we can fly to heaven with our own wings, rise on the currents of our own empowerment, and soar on our own strength.

Jesus Christ popped that balloon at every opportunity. He didn’t come to coddle us, to nurture our self-esteem, or to show us that what we needed was within us all along. He came to confront us with the truth. He, too, believed the facts are our friends, even when we find those facts distressing.

The crowds in ancient Israel would not have described Jesus as a “nice guy.” His entire focus while He walked among us was doing the work of His Father and our opinion of that work didn’t sway Him in any way.

As He preached the good news that He came to free us, He also delivered the bad news, for many, that He came to deliver us from our deception, out of darkness, out of half-truths and false matrices, into His glaring, Holy, pure truth light.

The apostle John captured an uncomfortably direct moment (John 8:31-59) that resembles a twist on the famous Star Wars scene where Darth Vader reveals to Luke “I am your father.” Jesus revealed to the gathered crowd the truth, the hard truth, that we are NOT all children of God.

That’s right. God may not be your father.

We’re all God’s creation.  We’re all loved. But the only way into God’s family is through Jesus Christ. God becomes our Father when we repent of our sins and receive the grace and forgiveness provided through Jesus’ death on the cross.

Jesus didn’t mess around with this concept. He had a crowd of people gathered around, hanging on His every word, ready to hear a message. If most of us were in this situation, we’d be excited about the prospect of sharing the good news with an eager horde of needy souls. We’d seek God’s strength and ask Him what message they needed most to hear. We’d search for just the right words.

If we heard God whisper, “Tell them they are not my children,” I suspect most of us, would stumble at delivering this particular truth. We’d check with God a second and third time.  Some of us might try to sugar coat, tailor, or alter it, just a little. We might even let our courage fail and outright refuse to tell it straight.

Not Jesus. Because Jesus isn’t a nice guy, He is His Father’s Son. Jesus had no identity crisis. He knew where He came from and where He was going.

Jesus is love, truth, and obedience. The truth isn’t always “nice.” So, His conversation with the soul-hungry, needy, seeking crowd went like this:

“I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

“They answered him, “Abraham is our father.”

Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.”

They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.”

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” John 8:37-47

Tough stuff, right? Jesus’ words were so inflammatory, the crowd picked up stones and hurled them at Him. He didn’t just annoy them, they wanted Him to shut up – permanently. They wanted Him dead for speaking truth into their lies.

That’s the Jesus we follow. He created us. He loves us. He sees our incredible, insatiable hunger for a perfect Father. He knows we’re lost children seeking a home. He desires to welcome us into His family, but He won’t lie to us. He’s not afraid of us. He doesn’t need us to like Him, and He won’t soft-sell what must happen for us to be adopted as sons and daughters of the Most High God.

The truth is that there is only One way to the Perfect Father and it is through Jesus Christ. He is the Door, He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him.

It isn’t a “nice” message. I’m sorry if it torpedo’s anyone’s ship of lies. But, ultimately, I’m not.

It’s the truth we need in order to live forever as part of the family we all seek with every fiber of our broken souls. We can find the Father we crave by following Jesus Christ. That’s the good news, for those who choose to hear.

God May Not Be Your Father (the gospel is only good news if . . .) https://t.co/WzIxcdJlbD #whoisyourfather #Jesus #FatherGod

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) May 12, 2017

Six Secrets to Share Amongst the Sheep

I speak less now than I ever have. This isn’t a bad thing.

We live in risky times. Sides are being drawn from the White House to the watercooler. Deception is rampant, as are tempers and indignations.

Rumors fly, half-truths circulate, and fingers click on headlines designed to spread viral fear and pestilent propaganda, with high rates of success. We’re still amazingly adept at erecting towers of babble.

People navigate their days with fists-raised, slogans ready, and litmus tests buried like IED’s in everyday conversations. It’s more than a little nerve-wracking for the meek still awaiting the day of our inheritance.

Yet, I believe God assigned us to these times and has equipped us with all we need for life and godliness. (Acts 17:26, 2 Peter 1:3)

It’s not His desire for us to wrack ourselves with terror, worry, rage, panic, or despair. It’s still His plan for us to represent Christ, even on this slippery slope of personal, social, cultural, political, global shift.

Even if our society is post-Christian, we are not.

So, we ask our Father, how do we now live, love, work, and speak? We need answers now, because it’s a long haul from Sabbath to Sabbath these days.

Knowing the Good Shepherd never abandons His sheep, we turn to Him to guide us and find He’s there. And not only Him, but other sheep who faced similar times, left us words we now find wholly, holy relevant, even with their ancient tone, because God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He doesn’t shift, slip, or slide.

Which is why James, can help us now, even in the lunchroom, the classroom, the chat room, and the dining room. Even from ancient Israel his words instruct today, if we study his writing and seek God in our private prayer room, our war room, our quiet place.

First, James says, count it all joy. Trials of various kind are for the testing of our faith and that produces steadfastness. And if, with this tested faith, we ask God for wisdom, He’ll generously supply. We are blessed who persevere under trial, therefore, we don’t give into despair. Our Father is with us through these troubled times. (James 1)

Joy is a powerful witness in times where the default of others is panic and despair.

Second, James instructs, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Embrace the meekness that is core to our sheepness, and act on the truth we know. Let our lives and our choices testify to our God and to His power. Live the pure religion of caring for orphans, widows, and remain unpolluted by the world. Amen? (James 1)

To listen to others unafraid and calm is to disarm them, so as to invite them into the way of love.

Third, our brother says to love our neighbor without showing partiality to the wealthy. Let mercy triumph over judgment. Live in such a way that our acts convict us as followers of Jesus Christ without a deeper investigation. Even if this becomes our earthly condemnation, it will stand as our heavenly defense. (James 2)

Mercy is a shocking grace in a crowd armed with pitchforks and raised fists.

Fourth, bridle our tongues and respect the power of words to not only cry Fire in a crowded theater, but to also spread like fire on crowded media. The kingdom of God does not consist in talk, but in power, and this power isn’t found in the wisdom of this world. (James 3, I Corinthians 4:20)

No, God’s wisdom “is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.  And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” Does this sound like anything you’ve shared on Facebook recently?

The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we represent that Word with every word, all are uttered, written, tweeted, and posted in full view of heaven, loved ones.

Fifth, James who navigated in a society where Christians were hunted wisely advises us to choose our friends cautiously, to embrace humility, to resist the allure of the evil one, and to stick together. We have our differences in the family of God, but what family doesn’t circle the wagons when others come against? (James 4)

The cross provides salvation and the church provides shelter. We’re wise not to take it for granted nor run from it even when brothers and sisters wrestle, as they do.

Finally, be patient until the coming of the Lord and pray in all things, for the prayers of a righteous person (and are we not righteous in Jesus Christ?) have great power in their working. (James 5)

Prayer is not a phone call to Dad requesting money for more comforts while we’re traveling afar, but a warrior’s cry from an isolated outpost of glory – for instruction, fresh ammunition, and a swift end to the war, so we can all go home.

We speak less now than we ever have, but not from fear or because we’re confused about the truth.

Silence is a sanctuary where we find ourselves listening more, considering our actions, and communicating with the One who knows what tomorrow will bring.

You cannot tell we’re listening because you cannot hear His voice, drowned out by the babble. Pray for mercy and for ears that hear. We don’t look like much now, but us meek sheep, we inherit the earth.

Six Secrets to Share Amongst the Sheep https://t.co/YbRbhhLeHe how to conduct ourselves in a shifting society #Jesus #amwriting #Christian

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) May 11, 2017

You May Be Worshiping Wrong

There was a great sadness in the woman before me as we discussed the dysfunction of her marriage.

“Does he ever bring you gifts?” I asked.

She nodded, staring out the window. “He brings me gifts all the time, but nothing I desire. He brings what he wants to give, what he wants to be seen giving, things he wants a woman to have. Each one, as valuable or costly as it may be, simply reminds me that he doesn’t even see me. Our relationship is completely about him. He gives what he wants to give, nothing more or less, and revels in his own satisfaction.”

It appeared the man’s emotional maturity halted in toddlerhood. Many a mother or father has received a well-intended gift for Mother’s or Father’s Day from a child that reflected the child’s own interests with little thought to the recipient.

While I treasure all my children’s attempts at giving, I clearly recall the single gift each one chose that indicated to me they had matured enough to consider my interests, my desires, and that I may want something different than they would choose for themselves. Those gifts marked a maturing point in our relationship.

We’ve all experienced the frustration of receiving an offering of praise, or gifts, or service from someone that wasn’t anything we wanted, only to be told we should be grateful we’re receiving anything. In both our personal and professional lives, this is a sign of an unhealthy relationship.

For years, I struggled with the story of Cain and Abel. The brothers, born to Adam and Eve, each brought an offering to the Lord. Abel brought “of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions” to the altar, while Cain brought an offering of “the fruit of the ground.”

The writer expresses what happened next this way, “And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?  If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:4b-7 ESV)

In my immaturity, I sympathized with Cain. Wasn’t it the thought that counted? Didn’t he bring what he had to the Lord? How could God reject Cain’s offering, his worship. Why was a lamb better than fruit?

Now, as I watch a generation of people, old and young, who insist “I can worship anywhere, any way I desire.” Or throngs of people who believe they can engage in worship that God “should accept” without mention of Jesus Christ, without repentance, without discomfort, without transformation. Now, that I understand God was explaining to Cain that there was an acceptable sacrifice that Cain could offer if that was Cain’s desire, but that blood is required to cover sin. Now, I have a glimmer of understanding.

Too many modern worshipers are like that boorish husband. Their worship says “I don’t care to invest the time or energy to learn what You are like God, or what you desire. This is what I want to give You and You should be happy with that. Worship for me is less about our relationship and more about how I want to express myself and how I want others to see me expressing myself.”

Modern day Cains abound and in very real ways, they seek to destroy their Abels, because they sense that their brothers’ and sisters’ worship is somehow acceptable, where theirs is not. Easier to tear down the true worshipers, than to engage in repentance and a transformative relationship with Jesus.

The answer hasn’t changed. Worship outside of relationship with Jesus Christ, the lamb who was sacrificed for us, is no worship at all. Unacceptable. Denied.

Lest you think this is archaic, Old Testament thinking, Jesus, the loving God of forgiveness and grace who laid down His life for us, indicated that not every offering would be acceptable before the throne of God. “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 ESV

He told the Samaritan woman that a time was coming when “the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” John 4:23b ESV

If there are true worshipers, there are false ones, as well, loved ones. Truly, the thought does count with our Father. But, if the thought is “I don’t care what God says or wants, I simply want to express my own freedom of worship,” it is rightly rejected.

There is a cultural concert of rebellion barraging us daily, demanding that we say “All ways to God and all expressions of worship to Him, are acceptable. All understandings of God are fine. All approaches to God work equally well. Who am I to judge?” As if the spirit of Cain has multiplied and his descendants now occupy a large portion of the earth.

Now is the time to press into God, to immerse ourselves in His Word, to encourage one another with the truth, to remind one another daily that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. That no one comes to the Father, except through Him. That true worship isn’t about what we want to offer, but about what He wants to receive.

Are you worshiping in spirit and in truth, loved ones? The answer matters.

You may be worshiping wrong! https://t.co/hVM6tO7dgh don’t let cultural bullies make you believe a lie #Jesus #worship #amwriting

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) May 6, 2017

The Scandal of Vanilla Christians – the Deeper Story

The fashionable flavor changes with the times. There was a time when vanilla was exotic.

Originally cultivated by pre-Columbian Mesoamerican people (think Aztecs), vanilla is derived from orchids. That’s right. Orchids.

Cortes introduced it to the Europeans along with chocolate. Montezuma drank his chocolate flavored with vanilla. Eventually, the orchids came to be grown in Madagascar and Indonesia. Nothing ordinary about this.

It’s the second most expensive spice after saffron.

Recently, vanilla’s become synonymous with terms like bland, flavorless, banal, tame, and unexciting, but its rich history tells a contrasting tale.

For centuries, the only reliable method for pollinating the orchids was a bee native to Mexico and Central America. Then, a 12-year-old slave boy of French colonists named Edmond Albius, discovered an alternate method for pollination and revolutionized the vanilla trade. Such an astounding discovery by a slave, a child, a person of color, created a horticultural scandal.

On the surface, vanilla may appear simplistic and colorless. A bit deeper, however, we find it to be a fascinating, valuable, delicious, aromatic, downright intriguing spice with a delicious story.

Too often, modern humanity just doesn’t want to invest the effort.

Word on the street, on social media (and in some Bill Nye agenda-fied animation), is that vanilla is no longer in vogue. It’s passé. Christians with little drama in their life stories feel colorless. They worry that they’ve nothing to offer of interest in furthering God’s kingdom.

Everyday, faithful, quiet-life believers, those who read God’s Word and commit to obeying it without rebellion, drama-free followers – feel second-class, lesser than, invisible, like a small scoop of vanilla beside thirty-nine wonderful flavors with twists and sprinkles at the ice-cream store.

It’s easy to lose sight of the deeper story. God created vanilla and He’s never lost His taste for it. He has never felt the need to be fashionable and He has no favorites. God felt the world would benefit from salt and pepper, vanilla and saffron, chocolate and pistachio alike.

Vanilla is a spice, a flavoring, a fragrance, an idea born in God’s great imagination and heart. When He spoke the world into being, one of those explosive, potent words was vanilla.

Spices speak to God’s nature. His passion for variety, His creativity, His wisdom, His inventiveness, and His love of hard-work, ingenuity, and great stories. We wouldn’t want a world without curry, cilantro, or cinnamon.

Or vanilla.

Do you feel ordinary? Do you despair that your testimony is uninspiring? Lacking in drama? Without purpose? You just need to scratch the surface. There’s a deeper story that takes a little more work to uncover.

Our testimony is never truly about the drama of our sin. That’s a made-for-TV-movie. A worthy testimony speaks more about God, highlights His work and His nature, testifies to the intersection of our story with Jesus (emphasis on the Jesus).

Vanilla is a versatile spice – capable of standing alone or partnering well with others. It can be an accent or a base, a backdrop or a featured player. Vanilla rocks.

Vanilla has a place on the planet, a place in the church of Christ, and a place in the heart of God. Coveting the other spices is a waste of heart and imagination.

Paul wrote these words to Timothy, who people could have accused of being vanilla himself, “2 1-3 The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.

4-7 He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we’ve learned: that there’s one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us—Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-7 The Message).

Simple faith. Plain truth. Vanilla. Chocolate. Salt. Pepper. Curry. Cinnamon. Heart. Soul.

Be God’s idea of you. Freedom comes from fully inhabiting God’s idea of who you are in Jesus, then fearlessly and unapologetically exposing that idea to the world. A willingness to do this imperfectly will speed up the process and further the kingdom of God.

Are you vanilla? Be vanilla. Forget what’s fashionable. Fad’s fade. The kingdom of God is here to stay.

The Scandal of Vanilla Christians – the Deeper Story https://t.co/gALrBYrDYc #vanilla #Jesus #Gospel nothing boring about vanilla

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) May 3, 2017