Bring Your Umbrella

Our ladies Bible class is doing a study of Joseph.  We are studying from The Joseph Road by Jerry White.  This week’s topic was about the time Joseph spent in prison after he interpreted the dreams of the baker and the cupbearer.  You may recall the baker and cupbearer were also in prison with Joseph.  They each had dreams and described them to Joseph.

In the baker’s dream, he had three baskets of bread and baked goods for Pharaoh on top of his head, but there were birds eating the baked goods.  Joseph told the baker this meant that in three days “Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole.  And the birds will eat away your flesh.” (Genesis 40:16-19)  I guess the baker’s crime didn’t sit well with Pharaoh, to say the least.

The cupbearer had a dream too.  He told Joseph that in his dream he saw a vine with three branches.  As soon as the vine budded, the blossoms turned into ripe grapes.  Pharaoh’s cup was in his hand.  He squeezed the grapes into the cup and put the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.  Joseph told the cupbearer this meant that within three days he would have his job back as Pharaoh’s cupbearer.  Joseph then asks the cupbearer to remember him when he gets his job back and help get him out of prison as he had done nothing to deserve being there.  (Genesis 40:9-15)

The events came to pass just as Joseph had described.  Three days later the baker was executed and the cupbearer was allowed to return to his position.  However, the cupbearer did not remember Joseph.  Instead, “he forgot him.”  (Genesis 40:23)

That ends chapter 40 of Genesis.  Chapter 41 starts with, “When two full years had passed…” Pharaoh had a dream which no one on his staff could figure out.  Suddenly, the cupbearer remembered Joseph.  Joseph was brought from the prison to interpret the dream of Pharaoh.

Two years later?  He had helped the cupbearer, had given him hope.  He asked to be remembered, but the cupbearer forgot him.  When they came to get the cupbearer, do you think Joseph thought, “This is my chance.  Surely he will help me be exonerated.”  Then, as the author of The Joseph Road said, the days turned into months and the months turned into years.  Why did God leave Joseph in that prison for two more years?  What did Joseph do during those years?

Have you ever felt like you’ve been left in prison?  I know I have.  What should we do while we are left to wait in prison?  If we follow the example of Joseph, we do our job to the best of our ability, always giving thanks and having faith in God, and wait for that twist of fate, wait to be called to Pharaoh. 

One thing the author of this book suggests that we should do while waiting is prepare for that twist of fate.  Expect God to be faithful.  Expect him to deliver you.  Our preacher talked about the story of a congregation holding a prayer meeting asking for needed rain.  The congregants said they believed in prayer but no one brought an umbrella to the prayer meeting!  A friend of mine once started collecting copy paper boxes from work.  I asked her why she was collecting boxes and she said that she was moving.  I asked where to and when.  She said she didn’t know but that she was unhappy with where they were living and that she had prayed to God for an opportunity to move.  She said she expected him to answer the prayer, so she was going to start sorting through things and packing so that she would be ready when he did. 

Have I ever done that?  Have I asked God for something and had so much faith that I just started preparing for the change in circumstances?  I have a dead car in the side yard that needs a new engine (yes, welcome to the South – that’s how we do it here).  I really need that car fixed – to the tune of about $900.  If I believe that God will provide a way to fix that car, why haven’t I aired up the tires, cleaned the leaves off of it, or cleaned it out so that it will be ready to take to the mechanic?  If I want new clients and have prayed for new clients, why haven’t I stocked up on file folders or copy paper? 

Why haven’t I brought an umbrella to the prayer meeting??

I’m sure Joseph didn’t just rest on his laurels after correctly interpreting the baker and cupbearer’s dreams.  I’m sure he didn’t sit around for two years saying, “Remember that time I told the cupbearer he would get his job back?”  He kept serving, stayed faithful, and waited expectantly.  I’m going to give that a try for a change.  Want to join me?   

Our Little Old Man

We went to Wal-Mart on a December day and there was a lady there giving away pit bull puppies.  One little brindle stood out to Rob.  We took the little guy home.  He was still so tiny that all he wanted to do was snuggle (and for months Rob snuggled him in our bed – over my objections).

He was never a particularly exuberant puppy.  We often said he was more like a silent little old man in a soft puppy body.  He always seemed put out for some reason.  We decided he needed a little old man name.  We settled on Amos.

Well, six and a half years later I sit here at this computer knowing that later today I will put that little old man in my front seat for his last car ride.  We found out a few days ago that Amos has cancer and that he won’t recover from it. 

I think of myself as a fairly practical, logical person.  I know that dogs don’t live forever.  As the author wrote in Marley & Me, “. . . owning a dog always ended with this sadness because dogs just don't live as long as people do.”  Intellectually, I know that.  And I know that Amos is uncomfortable.  He just lies around, not wanting to move much.  His breathing is shallow.  But his blessed tail refuses to quit wagging, just a slow rhythmic beat, reminding you that he’s there and that underneath the gray hair and the now gaunt frame and beyond the tumor, he’s still alive.

I’ve had numerous dogs die on me, in tragic, traumatic ways.  I’ve been sad, but really only momentarily.  This is the first time we’ve known the exact date and time of death.  I know because I chose it.  How can that be?  Who am I to choose when something lives and dies? 

Especially when I’ve said repeatedly how the dog annoys me and is rude to me.  How hypocritical is it of me to sit here now and have sadness over his death?  Who am I to make this about me?

For his entire life, Amos only had one goal -- to run away.  You couldn't let him just run and play in the yard because he would just head on down the road.  He might come back that night, but if the new house he found seemed interesting enough, he was content to live there (just ask our former neighbors).  Amos would stand by the storm door and just breathe in the air… it must have smelled like freedom to him.  This didn't change even after he was neutered.  Still he waited.  Waited for his opportunity to head off into the sunset.

At the time, this made me crazy.  For six and a half years, I threatened to give him away.  If he didn't want to be here, then fine - he didn't have to be.  But for six and a half years, it was just talk.  His big dumb head was always just there, waiting, with his tail slowly flap-a-flap-flapping.

“Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day.”  Marley & Me.

In the rare moments he wasn't patiently waiting for an opportunity to make a break for it, he would come easing over to the recliner that Rob frequents.  He would first gently and silently lay his head in Rob's lap.  Then slowly, ever so slowly, one paw would come up.  Then another... all the while, the tail was slowly wagging.  Generally, Rob would say, “What?  You want to come up here?  Then come on.”  Amos would climb up and do his best impression of a lap dog (you do realize that we are talking about a 75 pound pit bull, right?).  There would be legs sticking out all over the place.

So I'm steeling myself for this afternoon.  I'm reflecting on too many nights we made him sleep in the yard, too many times we didn't buy him the high quality dog food, too many times I yelled at him for being in the way while I was trying to get through a door, too many times I passed by him and didn't pat him on the head... and I’m hoping that grace covers me...

“When you have dogs, you witness their uncomplaining acceptance of suffering, their bright desire to make the most of life in spite of the limitations of age and disease, their calm awareness of the approaching end when their final hours come. They accept death with a grace that I hope I will one day be brave enough to muster.”  Dean Koontz, A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog. 

I wish Amos didn't have to die like this.  I wish he would live to a ripe old age and just quietly pass in his sleep.  But those aren't the cards he was dealt.  I will be there for him in his final moments, to make amends for those missed pats on the head, and to see him through to the freedom for which he always longed.

*** Thanks to the courteous staff at Cheatham County Animal Control.  They were so sweet and kind.

Here's a photo of Amos that I took today just before we left the house.  You can see even today he had no interest in me and had his gaze fixed on the horizon.  I hope he's somewhere running through a field and, for once, not looking over his shoulder to see if we've caught up to him yet...

Overheard in Court

I have been saying for the past month that I was going to start back on this blog and list some of the crazy things I hear in court.  Well, I got distracted because lately I have been mostly working in juvenile court and it's just not funny.  It's sad.  So after a depressing week last week of sad families, I am going to try to recall some of the things I heard in the month before that made me laugh!  Here are the top stories from my first month in the practice of law.  

Not all of these are from court in my hometown, but many of them are.  I hope that you see that the real star of this show is our judge.  He has been on the bench (elected) for 20 years.  He has heard everything under the sun and it is as if it never phases him.

1.  Judge: "Why haven't you paid your court cost?"  Defendant:  "Well, they used enhanced interrogation techniques on me to get top secret information from me."  Judge: "Uh huh."  Defendant: "I never told them nothing even though they used the enhanced interrogation techniques on me in '79.  So since 9-11, I have been real sad, depressed, and unable to work."  Judge:  "Ok.  Well, when do you think you might be able to pay these costs?"

2.  Judge: "So what happened to make you get these charges (impersonation and resisting arrest)?"  Defendant: "Well, I was sleeping in my car when the officer came up to me and knocked on the window.  He asked me my name and I was kind of still asleep so I told him the wrong name by mistake.  Then he told me to put my hands on the steering wheel and I did.  Then he told me to get out of the car, but I couldn't because he had just told me to put my hands on the steering wheel.  So I couldn't reach down and open the door because my hands were on the wheel."

3.  Judge:  "So what happened to make you get this charge (violation of probation)?"  Defendant:  "Well, I was supposed to be doing weekends and, well, I come in drunk."  ----translation:  he was given jail time in a previous charge and ordered to serve his time on the weekends.  He was to show up by 6pm on Friday evening and be released on Sunday at 6pm.  This guy was revoked because he reported drunk, probably for a DUI!

4.  Judge:  "Why didn't you make it to your last court appearance?"  Female Defendant:  "Well, Judge, I was having my monkey worked on."  Judge:  "Court is in recess for 10 minutes."

I Don't Have to Trust My Husband

The other day my husband and I were having a "discussion."  As we were having this discussion, I thought to myself, I don't trust him.  Not that I think that he is going to have an affair or anything, but on the issue we were discussing, I realized that we were having a hard time of it simply because I didn't trust him to have my best interest at heart.  I didn't trust him to love me as Christ loved the church.

Having taught a lesson in our ladies Bible class about submission (or arranging yourself in order under, as I like to call it), intellectually I know the value of this directive.  I understand that for things to work smoothly, someone has to be the leader and the rest followers.  I know that this applies to projects at work, events at my children's schools, the family, and the church.  I know that God, who knows me better than anyone, has placed my husband in that leadership role in our household.  As I said, I intellectually understand that, but often my heart doesn't understand.  I just think there are some times when my husband doesn't see things as clearly as he should (or at least as clearly as I think he should).  In those moments, I don't trust him. 

So after acknowledging that I don't trust my husband on some things in our life, I mulled this over, pondering what to do about this.  I know that I will never be able to arrange myself in order under someone I don't trust.  I will try to control things myself, I will usurp, I will undermine.  How can I develop trust in my husband?  How can I convince myself that this man, who from time to time infuriates me, who from time to time makes selfish decisions, is trustworthy?

Then it was as if God opened my heart and spoke to me.  I am assuming this was the Holy Spirit moving.  I felt like a little window was opened, and I was offered the chance to see something of God.  I realized that I don't have to trust my husband.  I don't have to trust my boss.  I don't have to trust my government.  I don't have to trust my elders.  I don't have to trust the economy.

I only have to trust God.  The rest will flow from that.  Even if my husband is every bit as awful as I thought he was on that day, I trust that God will take care of us.  Even if I lose my job, I trust that God will take care of us.  Even if our elders make bad decisions, I trust that God will take care of us. 

I read a devotion from Proverbs 31 Ministries a few weeks ago that was along these lines.  It asked, "When bad things happen to me, is God enough?"  If I have decided that God is enough and that I can trust him, then the rest doesn't matter.

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God."  Psalm 20:7

"When I am afraid, I will trust in you."  Psalm 56:3

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."  Proverbs 3:5-6

I apply all of these same questions to myself as well.  How can I trust myself when, from time to time I infuriate myself, from time to time I make selfish decisions?  I know my short comings better than anyone else.  I know of what I am capable (good and bad).  I know how mean I can be.  I know how sharp my tongue can be.  How can I trust myself to always be right, always do right?  

Today I know something that I didn't know yesterday which makes it easier.  I don't have to trust myself.  In actuality, I shouldn't trust myself.  My heart can lead me astray.  My heart can be persuaded.  My trust should be in God and God alone.  He is the only thing which is unchanging and reliable.

"In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.  They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment.  Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded.  But you remain the same, and your years will never end."  Psalm 102:25-27

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."  Revelation 1:8

Basis of This Study

I based the topic of this study on a book I read titled, Liberated Through Submission.  The titles of three lessons, Faith + Submission = Power, Lost in the Garden, and Submission and the Married Man, were pulled from the book.  Many of the Bible verses quoted for those lessons came straight from the book, with some colorful commentary from me.  Parts of the book I don't agree with, but it at least got me to thinking and inspired me to do some research of my own.

Just wanted to let you know and give credit where credit is due...

When I am Weak, I am Strong

I read an article a few weeks back where the author described what she called the “dailyness” of her life. She said life wouldn’t be so hard if it weren’t so daily. She figured anyone could handle one temper tantrum of a two year old. Anyone can handle one day without work. Anyone can handle one argument with your spouse. It’s when the child is crying every day, when you can’t find a job for months, and when relationship problems linger that you begin to lose your strength.

After a Bible study class or after reading a good article or hearing a good sermon or even just after having a good talk with a friend, I can be motivated and energized about God’s will for me and my family. But then the dailyness of it creeps back in and it’s then that the race set before us seems to be unwinnable. Maybe a job falls through or the water heater breaks. Maybe your friend hurts your feelings. Maybe there’s a death or illness.

It may be at times like that we feel we are not growing in God, not moving forward, and maybe actually going backwards. Why? Why would it be part of God’s plan to move us backward?

There is a quote that says, “I tell you, if you are serious about wanting to be like Christ, He is going to put you in circumstances where your only true choice is to become like Him.”

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again, as in the days of your appointed feasts." Hosea 12:9 (NIV)

From another article: the Israelites were constantly being sent back by God. They were delivered out of Egypt, yet complained along the way. They were brought out of slavery, yet didn’t trust God to lead them through the wilderness. God knew that the best thing for them was to return to the days when Israelites had to lean on God the most, when they were focused on God and His goodness.

We can read in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 about Paul’s weakness. He was sent a thorn in the flesh which he called a messenger of Satan. He begged God to remove the thorn, but God refused stating, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul accepted this decision and said, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

So it may be that at times we are sent to the tents so that we can recognize that our strength does not come from our own ability, but rather from God. Michael Powell described it this way in a class once: who is stronger, me on my own or me with God? The obvious answer is me with God. When is God most present in my life? When things are going good and I’m riding high or when I am in the tents and feeling despair? God is most present in adversity. So our obligation is to recognize that and be more like Paul by delighting in our weakness.

C.S. Lewis said, "The thing is to rely on God... Meanwhile, the trouble is that relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing has yet been done."

In the article on our dailyness, the author said that your dailyness isn’t like hers which isn’t like mine, but is still God ordained. It is exactly what we need to live dependant on God rather than ourselves or humans in our life.

Sometimes we are tired, overwhelmed, or just plain mad. It’s then that we need to stop, take a breath, say a prayer, and lean on God. His power is made perfect in our weakness. The flat tire that I had on the way to work is holy. The harsh word my husband said to me today is holy. The sadness in my heart when my child is in the tent is holy. His power is made perfect in my weakness.

"Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway." Proverbs 8:34 (NIV)

"Give us today our daily bread." Matthew 6:11 (NIV)

"Then He said to them all: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'" Luke 9:23 (NIV)

"Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessitates and not live unproductive lives." Titus 3:14 (NIV)

Every one of those verses says that we should expect nothing more than DAILY provisions. It’s just like the manna provided to the Israelites which would spoil after a day’s time. Be aware that this isn’t just limited to food, shelter, etc. God gives you just enough strength to make it through the first day after the death of a loved one. Then he will give you just enough strength to make it through the second day after the death of a loved one. Not providing us the depth of understanding required to immediately handle the problems we face keeps us dependent on Him and perfects His power.

"The whole company that had returned from exile built booths and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated like this. And their joy was very great." Nehemiah 8:17 (NIV)

"They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God." Exodus 29:46 (NIV)

We are closer to God when we are in adversity. He is present and we are joyful – in adversity.

How would our life be different if we started each day thanking God for this day and the struggles it contains?

How can trusting God with our daily struggles point others to Him?

Think of a time when God took you backwards. What did you learn from that time? Did you draw closer to God?

The Result of Submission - Unity

Well, I could just scream.  I just typed out this huge post about last night's lesson and for some mystical reason, it wasn't autosaving and I hit Publish and got a screen saying, "We're Sorry.  We can't perform that operation."  Aaarrgghhh.  Maybe it's a good thing, though, because I was feeling pretty preachy.  So let's try AGAIN.

While researching for last night's topic, I came across a website that has all different kinds of sermon outlines with Bible verses etc.  I found one that was dead on what I wanted to talk about, so I just borrowed it verbatim, only adding my commentary along the way.  You can see that outline here.  This post will be limited to my thoughts on the topic.

During this series of lessons we have been studying submission / hupotasso.  When you put it in context of battle, I get it.  I get that as Christians we are at war with Satan.  He is roaming around seeking those he can devour.  He is like a wolf at the door.  He wants me, my soul, my children, and their souls.  He wants you.  I get that for an army to be successful, there must be order in the ranks.  With the new understanding I have gained in the past couple of months, I see that I am called to hupotasso, to arrange myself in order under.  As Shannon has pointed out, we have a problem with the word SUBMIT, not the theory behind it.  So as the saying goes, change your vocabulary, change your life.  Now instead of SUBMIT (and all of the negativity that I have associated with it), I say that I am called to arrange myself in order under.  I am good with that.

Sticking with the military theme, the purpose of arranging yourself in order under is to be better in battle, to be unified.  The most tangible benefit of hupotasso is UNITY.  This means UNITY at home and UNITY in the church.  To be a unified church, the church must have the right attitude, the right doctrine, the right organization, and the right spirit.

To have the right attitude, we must be content with ourselves.  Paul wrote that he was content in plenty and in want.  When he wrote the letter on contentment, he was in a Roman prison.  He was not afforded Constitutional rights or civil rights.  He was tortured, cold, hungry, sick, alone.  Yet he found contentment in his circumstances.  How?  Through Christ, who strengthens him.  We must also be content with our fellow man.  We are to live at peace.  We are to rejoice with those that rejoice, weep with those that weep.  Our neighbor's struggle is OUR struggle.  We are to be patient and kind.  This build UNITY.  Lastly, we are to be content with God and the authority of Christ.  Those not in submission to the authority of Christ will cause disharmony.

To have the right doctrine, we must focus on the one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one Father.  Many of you know that my husband and I have had our ups and downs during our 15 year marriage, but one thing that we keep coming back to is our unified plan for our family.  We are on the same page.  We have the same fundamental beliefs about how to be a family.  So the problems we face are constantly being held up to our foundation.  We certainly get distracted and sometimes forget the foundation, but then we snap out of our selfish needs and get back to basics.  We love each other.  We love our children.  We love God.  We want to guide this family through the world in such a way that we all make it to heaven.  That is our fundamental goal.  The same should be true for the church.  We love each other, we love the next generation, we love God, we want to guide this church family through the world in such a way as to get us all to heaven.  Jude 1:3 calls us to contend for the faith entrusted to all saints.  Two thousand years ago Christ died on the cross. These years later, we are still telling the story. I saw a movie the other night called The Road. As a whole the movie wasn't that good, in my opinion. But there was a line in it where the son is talking to the father about why they are on this path, why don't they just give up like everyone else. The father says they don't give up because they are carrying The Fire. They are the good guys. They have been entrusted with goodness, and it is their obligation to carry that into the future.  We have been given the Word of God.  Sticking to that foundation will build UNITY and grow the church.

To have the right organization, we have to internalize that we are many members in one body.  Christ rules us from heaven, but we are the hands and feet of the church.  We each have a purpose.  Some are called to teach, some to preach, some to pray, some to help those in need.  As we've said before, God is perfect.  His creations are perfect.  God made you exactly like you were supposed to be.  Moses didn't believe he was fit to deliver the Israelites because he couldn't speak well.  God told him that he was made perfectly for the job (he was the Israelites' huckleberry).  We have to believe that we each have something to offer the body.  Every single cell of the body is necessary for the body to work properly.  Dr. Seuss says, "“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”  You are you for a reason.  You have gifts given to you by God for use in His kingdom.  Value those gifts in yourself and value the gifts given to others.  Everyone has something to offer the body.  Finding value in yourself and in others will build UNITY because you will see that we are all needed. 

To have the right spirit, we have to realize that when there is UNITY in a family or in a church, growth and edification will result.  Where there is division, fragmentation and decay result.  I just read a book review that says that a big predictor of a future divorce is eye rolling after a comment by a spouse.  Something that seems fairly harmless leads to a lack of UNITY.  I am sure that the same applies to the church.  Have you ever rolled your eyes (even if only on the inside) at an announcement made by an elder?  I know I have.  That is the beginning of a lack of UNITY.

In class, we had Chris Radcliffe visit and lead us in a song that struck a chord with me.  This song has a chant like quality to it.  I like songs like that.  I know we have learned that the first Century church didn't really sing with melody and harmony.  They simply chanted verses from the Scripture.  I like chant like songs for two reasons.  One, it makes me feel closer to the first Christians, those who personally knew Jesus.  Two, it is a way to get a simple, clean thought into my heart and head.  So here is the song we sang.  Click on the title to hear a version of it.

They'll Know We Are Christians

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord

And we pray that all unity may one day be restored

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love

They will know we are Christians by our love

We will work with each other, we will work side by side

We will work with each other, we will work side by side

And we'll guard each one's dignity and save each one's pride

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love

They will know we are Christians by our love

By our love, by our love

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love

They will know we are Christians by our love

We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand

We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand

And together we'll spread the news that God is in our land

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love

They will know we are Christians by our love

By our love, by our love

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love

They will know we are Christians by our love

Here's another version where the singer replaces the last line of the second verse with "we'll give up all our dignity and crucify our pride."  I like that a lot.

Now the last thing I have to say on this is that I think as Christians in America we don't realize how good we actually have it.  I Googled "persecution of Christians today" and retrieved headline after headline about Christians across the world being killed simply for being a Christian.  In one article, a priest and some deacons were stopped on a road in Pakistan (I think) and were told to convert to Islam.  When they refused, the were shot.  In another article, a church was burned killing the women and children inside.  This is happening in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, India, Vietnam, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc., all while the government either turns a blind eye or even participates.  Christian martyrdom isn't a thing of ancient Rome.  This is now.  This is real.  We have to put aside our small problems for the strength of the church and to show solidarity for the Christians being persecuted around the world even as you read this.