The Accommodating God

God knows our difficulty in grasping who He really is. How do we wrap our arms around "God is Spirit" or "God is Truth?" To accommodate our weakness, He uses many images to describe who He is.

For those who have been hurt or abused by a father and cannot look on Him as their heavenly Father, He likens Himself to a woman when He says, "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you." Isaiah 66:13

For those who need guidance, He describes Himself as a shepherd who guides and cares for sheep in Psalm 23.

For those who labor in the arts, He refers to Himself as a potter in Isaiah 64:8 -"We are the clay, you are the potter."

For those who need a lover, provider, and protector, He says, ""For your Maker is your husband" in Isaiah 54:5. Later in that passage He reveals Himself as a compassionate lover.

Psalm 18:7-9 shows God as a fire-breathing dragon. (An interesting image to me.) Matthew 23:37 describes Him as a mother hen who protects her chicks.

He is a warrior in Exodus 15:3; a singer in Zephaniah 3:17; a king in Exodus 15:18; and the woman who mixes yeast in Matthew 13:33. He is a rock, a high tower, a refuge, a redeemer, an ever present help in times of trouble, and the Father who welcomes his prodigal son home in Luke 15.

God understands where you are today. He varies the pictures of His personal revelation because He wants to meet you where you are so He can bring you to fullness and health. He is dynamic and active and refuses to be placed in our little boxes.

Have you placed Him in your little box where you can control and manipulate Him? Surprise! He got out of your box a long time ago! Praise God. No excuses are valid when it comes to knowing God.

Discovering more of Him daily ~ Bob

Motherhood

I love this article in today's local paper that addresses the myths that mothers wrestle with. I found Dr. Lubna Somjee to be "right on," having spent most of my adult life in the role of being a mom. Both of my daughters are now moms, and so I dedicate this post to them and to all the other moms out there - young and not so young, who struggle with the often difficult, exhausting reality of all that motherhood entails.

- Kristin & Jennifer -

Myth 1
Good mothers want to be with their children all the time.

Myth 2
A good mother can do it all.

Myth 3

I am a bad mother if I have other interests in my life.

Myth 4

I was told missing my pre-mom life makes me a bad mother.

Myth 5

Being a good mother means never complaining about your children.

- Melanie, Katie, Andrew, Lydia, Alexa -

So, lose the guilt trip, mom! And rid yourself of those old energy-sapping tapes that run through your head that say you're "not enough." You need that energy to care for your children - whether toddlers or teenagers.

Go ahead and free yourself up to celebrate your children, their uniqueness, and this very special role God has called you to in this season. Take a deep breath. Stay calm. Stay focused. Stop comparing yourself to the next-door supermom. Continue to develop the other areas of your life. Don't neglect your husband. And do cultivate your sense of humor!

You're raising the next generation of Christ-followers. He promises to give us "everything we need for life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3). And that includes parenting!

Linda

"She watches over the affairs of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness"

- Proverbs 31:27.

Safe

"God never abandons anyone on whom He has set His love.

Nor does Christ, the good Shepherd,

ever lose track of His sheep."

- Packer -

"I will not fail you or abandon you ...

be strong and courageous!

Do not be afraid or discouraged.

For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go"

- Joshua 1:5, 9.

Kept safe ~ Linda

The Dialogue Continues ...

We recently began a blog conversation focusing on young adults who walk away from the faith. Click here to read that post and the deep, thought-filled responses that it generated. Carol in NY continues the dialogue as she sends along an article entitled "From Youth Group to Agnosticism." The author considers several "straws that broke the camel's back":

* Victims of Formulaic Parenting

* Confusing Doctrinal and Spiritual Knowledge with True Spirituality

* Controlling Friendships Out of Fear

Click here to read.

What's your take on these provocative musings?

Linda

Powerful Prayer

Have you ever felt discouraged in your prayer life? Like nothing happens when you pray, but you thought that God does incredible things only when the Christian super stars pray?

Jesus' brother, James, has good news for you: "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was a human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years." James 5:16b,17.

Did you notice that Elijah was a human just like us - not a super star? Elijah experienced depression, suicidal thoughts, fear, anxiety, discouragement, exhaustion, and the discomfort of great hunger, just to name a few similarities to what we experience. He prayed and God heard and answered.

James' point is that God will do the same for you as He answers with "great power and produces wonderful results."

Satan might have whispered in your ear that there is some sin in your life that hinders your prayers - if that is true, confess it to Jesus and start praying with expectation.

Use your "boldness of access" to the very presence of the Creator of the Universe; it is time to stop believing the lies that you are not spiritual enough or important enough for God to listen and act, and start believing that God is waiting to hear His children speak to Him (and listen to Him.)

I challenge you today to be an Elijah in your prayer life; then sit back and watch God do something powerful and wonderful.

Encouraging you on ~ Bob

"Manipulative Politics & Power Plays"

"When we descend into superficiality and miss God's agenda of heart transformation, we ultimately resort to our own personal agendas in our churches and ministries ... Once we are focused on our own priorities, we stoop into manipulative politics and power plays, pitting our own personal agendas against one another or against other groups of believers with whom we disagree.

These kind of pharisaic manipulations can be very damaging to the well being of a church. No wonder so many people have become disillusioned with churches today! They simply find no credibility in a group of people who are caught up in this superficial nonsense - especially when they deal with it on a regular basis everywhere else, in addition to church, throughout the week."
- Hobbes -

"If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious ... discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy ... those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God"

- Galatians 5:15,19-21.

Observing & Grieving the Damage Done ~

Linda

"Home is Full of Rules"

I loved this article in a recent edition of the local paper ... and if you have adult children living in your home ... or if you are over the age of 18 and are bunking in with "the parentals," this is a good read.

Humor couches 6 common sense, respectful guidelines for making this often difficult relationship work well.

Based on many conversations I've had over the years with both parents and young adult children, I believe the author's experience just might provide a bit of good fodder for some much-needed, long overdue conversations ...

Speak the truth - with love and respect ~
Linda

4 Foundations of Parenting

"FOUR FOUNDATION STONES OF PARENTAL LOVE"

1.

Meeting the emotional & nurturance needs of your child.

2.

Giving loving training & discipline to your child.

3.

Providing physical & emotional protection for your child.

4.

Teaching & modeling anger management for your child.

- Lists to Live By -

Some simple, yet powerful basics ~

Linda

Praiseworthy!

"All that is good, all that is true, all that is beautiful, all that is beneficent, be it great or small, be it perfect or fragmentary, natural as well as supernatural, moral as well as material, comes from God."

- Newman -

Choosing to Praise Him Today ~

Linda

Whatever Happened to Sunday School?

Sunday School.

It was a non-negotiable when I was growing up. And as we raised our children.

I've had a number of conversations with grieving parents who are grappling with what went wrong along the way. They did all the right things. They faithfully brought their kids to church. To Sunday School. Youth Group. Christian camp. Christian school. They "lived for Christ" at home the best they could. They did all the right things.

And then their kids opted out. Checked out of the faith. Wandered off. And kicked off lots of coulda/woulda/shoulda soul-searching and deep grief and despair to their very perplexed parents.

Click here to check out some very surprising stats ...

The good news is that many of these young adults continue to wrestle with God. They are trying to figure out what their faith looks like. And doesn't look like. And that's a good thing. Because "they don't have to be like me to be like Him." It has to be their relationship with Christ. Not their parents'.

And for this rite of passage to do its work, parents need to do one of the hardest things they've ever done. Finally release their children. Physically. Emotionally. Spiritually. To stand on their own feet. To make their own way.

And the seeds that have been planted have not been in vain. They continue to be watered by fervent, tear-filled prayers as these wise parents finally let their children go and watch them continue their rocky journey into the world of adulthood.

And this is prime opportunity for their own faith to be stretched and deepened, as well ... if they, themselves, do the often difficult work of simply sitting with God. Allowing the Holy Spirit to lead them into some deep soul-searching. Absorbing and applying the timeless truths of Scripture. Discovering new treasures of faith in the darkness of "the waiting room."

And then surprisingly, or maybe not, the sun begins to shine. Slowly, tentatively. Faith is often resurrected when these young adults become parents ... and they begin to see the wisdom and value and validity of the "faith of their fathers." And begin to embrace it for themselves and for their newly formed families.

And they begin to bring their children to Sunday School ...

Encouraging the wrestling ~ Linda