When Stones Speak

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When stones speak

On what we call Palm Sunday, Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem while crowds waved palm branches and laid their cloaks on the ground before Him.

As twenty-first century Gentiles, we might not grasp the significance of this event.

Zechariah 9:9 foretells, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

All through Jesus’ ministry, as He healed people, He told them not to tell anyone. Of course, for most, their healing would be obvious and foster questions. Some did slip up and tell about Jesus, resulting in His fame as a healer spreading, crowds increasing, and hindering His ability to go out in public. Some wanted to make Him king on the spot, thinking His rule would throw off Roman oppression.

But He said His time was not yet come.

Until Palm Sunday. Fulfilling ancient prophecy and accepting the accolades of the crowds, He took His rightful place as the predicted Messiah.

The Pharisees certainly got the message. They told Him to rebuke His disciples. But Jesus replied, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Luke 19:28-44).

Perhaps Jesus was speaking literally. He could make the stones cry out if He wanted to.

But It’s probably more likely that He was speaking metaphorically.

How can stones cry out in praise of Him, in acknowledgement of who He is?

Here are a few testimonies of stones in Scripture:

Stones of righteousness and holiness. The ten commandments were written by God’s own hand on tablets of stone (Exodus 32:15-16). Although the law of God in itself can’t save anyone, because we could never keep it all, the law shows God’s holiness and character.

Stones of remembrance. God decreed that stones with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel engraved on them were to be placed on the garment Aaron wore in the tabernacle as stones of remembrance. Every time Aaron ministered in the tabernacle, he brought all of Israel before the Lord (Exodus 28).

Stones of promise. When Jacob left his family to escape the wrath of Esau and find a wife in Paddan-aram, he spent the night in a certain place and used a stone for a pillow. That’s where he dreamed of a ladder with angels coming up and down. God spoke to Him and promised him the land, a multitude of descendants, and His presence and keeping. When Jacob woke up, he made an altar of the stone where he experienced his dream and promised it would become God’s house (Genesis 28).

Stones for memorial and testimony. When the children of Israel finally crossed over the Jordan River into the promised land after forty years of wilderness wandering, God told them to gather twelve stones as a memorial and a testimony when future generations asked about them (Deuteronomy 27, Joshua 4).

Likewise, after the Israelites defeated the Philistines, Samuel set up an “Ebenezer,” a stone of help, to commemorate the victory God gave Israel (1 Samuel 7).

Stones of deliverance. David, a shepherd boy, killed Goliath the giant. All Israel’s soldiers had trembled before Goliath. But David, in simple faith in God and a desire to vindicate Him, was given the victory with one stone flung from a sling.

Stones of forgiveness. When the Pharisees brought an adulterous woman to Jesus, they said the law of Moses required her to be stones. They asked Jesus what He had to say about the matter, in order to test Him. Instead, he wrote on the dirt on the ground with His finger. When all the Pharisees left, Jesus told the woman He did not condemn her and to go and sin no more (John 8).

Stones of judgment. Jesus foretells the destruction of the temple, when one stone will not be left upon another, “because you did not know the time of your visitation” (Luke 19:41-44).

Stone of resurrection. A large stone was rolled in front of the cave where Christ was buried to ensure no one could come and steal His body and then claim He had risen. But an angel rolled the stone away to show Christ was already gone.

Christ, the cornerstone. Many Old Testament passages foretell “a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” Peter declares Jesus is that cornerstone, which the builder rejected (1 Peter 2:4-8). “Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:10-12).

Stones of habitation. “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:3-5).

Stones of relationship. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it” (Revelation 2:17).

If stones can testify so much about God, how much more should we, with the whole canon of Scripture, the history of His interaction with people, and our own personal experience with Him. May we testify of Him abundantly!

________________________

(This post was inspired by the Our Daily Bread radio program which aired on Palm Sunday, April 13, 2025, and our Sunday School lesson from that day on Mark 11.)

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

The Cross Is the Measure

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The Cross Is the Measure

We talk about the cross of Christ lightly these days. We’ve gotten so used to the news that Jesus died on a cross for our sins that we’ve lost the horror of it.

Perhaps you’ve heard or read, as I have, the physical description of how a person died on a cross. I’m not going to go into all that detail here, but it would have been agonizing. When you consider that Jesus had been beaten, scourged, had nails driven into His hands and feet and was being held up by them as His body sagged–it’s almost too much to think about.

The cross was considered a shameful death as well. It was public. People not only gawked as Jesus gasped for breath, but they mocked Him. He was unclothed. His loved ones had to see and hear all that went on.

Jesus’ cross would have had a spiritual element as well. 1 John 2:2 says, “He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world” (CSB). The holy, righteous Son of God, who never sinned, bore the sins of everyone else.

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).

But I think the worst part of the cross for Jesus was the temporary breach between His Father and Himself. We don’t thoroughly understand how that worked (though this article gives a good explanation). But we hear Jesus’ agony when He cries out from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).

Four times in John 10, Jesus said He lays down His life for His sheep.

Why did Jesus do this?

Because that’s what it took to atone for sin. That’s what sin costs. That’s how awful sin is.  The cross is the measure of sin.

Ye who think of sin but lightly,
Nor suppose the evil great;
Here may view its nature rightly,
Here its guilt may estimate.
Mark the sacrifice appointed!
See who bears the awful load!
‘Tis the Word, the Lord’s anointed,
Son of man, and Son of God.

From “Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted” by Thomas Kelly

No one else could atone for us; everyone has their own sins that need atonement. Instead, “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

But the cross is also the measure of love.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8).

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:9-10).

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:4-5).

The Father was willing to give His Son, and the Son was willing to lay down His life, because they loved us enough to suffer all that was involved in order to redeem us. Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus, “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame.” A former pastor said that “despising” there doesn’t mean that Jesus hated the shame of the cross, but that He “thought it down.” The Greek word for “despise” can mean scorn or disregard. We would probably magnify the shame if we were on a cross.

But Jesus endured the cross, disregarding the shame, for the joy that was set before Him. What was the joy He looked forward to? I imagine He anticipated His mission being over, being reunited with His Father, and going back to heaven when all was done. But I think a big portion of that joy was accomplishing what was needed to atone for us so we could be with Him. All through Scripture, God expresses a desire to dwell among His people. Jesus’ death and resurrection was going to make that possible.

This time of year, with Easter on the horizon, perhaps we think of Jesus’ death on the cross a little more than usual. Before racing to the joy of Jesus’ resurrection, let’s take time to meditate on His cross–the depth of our sin that necessitated it, and the depth of God’s love to pay so great a price so all who believe in Him could be saved.

Face the cross and see the dying Son.
See the Lamb upon the killing tree.
See His anguish and His tears of love.
Face the cross, He dies to set us free.

Look upon the One without a sin,.
Spotless Lamb upon the killing tree.
Feel His pain and love from deep within,
So great a price, yet paid so willingly.

From “Face the Cross,” words by Herb Fromach, music by David Lantz

Ephesians 2:4-5

More songs about the cross are listed here.

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Laudable Linkage

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Laudable Linkage

I found quite a few good reads this week:

Taking Our Stress to the Lord, HT to the Story Warren. “The world invites us into its fear and its solutions to that fear constantly. We live in a particularly tense and defensive time. Fried nervous systems and dialed up threat responses crowd our communities, near and far. Well-meaning tips about stress management often invite more stress with additional tasks to incorporate into our packed lives. And if we’re honest, unhelpful messages about stress are not exclusively external.”

We Can’t Fear Questions. “If you have the truth on your side, you don’t have to be afraid of questions. If you fear questions, people might wonder if you really have the truth on your side. If we want to successfully pass off our faith to the next generation, we can’t be afraid of their questions.”

To Go Forward, We Must Go Backward, HT to the Story Warren. “Other mediums require you to give your attention and, like books, paintings, songs, and even food, sometimes will point you to the transcendent. That’s what art does. But our phones are different. They’re black holes for attention. Social media, when it is primarily used to consume content instead of connecting with others, takes your attention and gives you nothing back.”

Prove Me, Try Me, Test Me, HT to Challies. “I don’t think I can do it. I don’t want to be proven, tried, and tested again. Not now; not tomorrow; not ever. Can we take a little break, God? How about a month? Can we take a month off from being proven, tried, and tested? Just a little vacation from trials? Can life just be easy for a little while?”

Quiet Invitations. A tip for engaging children in activities works for oneself as well.

What Does the Bible Mean When It Teaches Wives to Submit? HT to Challies. “Many people cringe at the teaching that wives are to submit to their husbands. A clear understanding of this teaching will lead us to marvel at the goodness of God’s plan for marriage and society.”

8 Marriage Pitfalls to Avoid Like the Plague. “We’re focusing on marriage’s irritating, foolish snares. When all is said and done, these pitfalls ultimately emerge as spiritual issues, because no one loves to fan the flames of inappropriate, subtly destructive behavior more than the enemy of our souls who most certainly hates any loving, loyal, compassionate commitment. On the table? Eight marriage bugaboos to be aware of. And if you’re not married, you’ll probably glean some helpful insights for other relationships.”

The Enormous Significance of Small Tasks. This is written in the context of parenting, but it’s true of teaching, caregiving, and so many other activities.

Walking with Those Who Weep, HT to Challies. “I have had the opportunity and privilege of walking with many through various forms of loss and trial. It was not until we lost our 18-year-old son, however, that I truly learned that there is a huge difference between knowing about grief and knowing grief. Walking through the death of our son revealed to me that I knew far less about what is actually helpful in supporting others than I thought.”

The Spiritual Problem of Being Overinformed, HT to Challies. “In a sense, ‘being informed’ is more of a liability than an asset in today’s world. The quality of digitally mediated information is simply too untrustworthy. What happens to us when we’re overinformed but underactivated? From my experience and observations, some common side effects occur.”

It Only Gets Better, HT to Challies. “Youth has many advantages, like strength and energy. Getting older has some drawbacks, but it has its perks too.”

Wings and a Prayer, HT to nikkipolani. A fascinating story of a Vietnamese pilot’s escape with 52 family members before the fall of Saigon.

J. C. Ryle quote

Pain that brings you closer to God will always be better
than comfort that keeps you away from Him.-
-J. C. Ryle

Friday’s Fave Five

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Friday's Fave Five

Somehow this week has flown by even more quickly than weeks normally do. I’m joining with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story to reflect on the good happenings of the week.

1. Dogwood trees in bloom. Sometimes dogwood blossoms fall off pretty quickly, especially if a storm comes through. But these in our yard have been hanging on for several days now. So pretty!

Dogwoods

2. Cinderella. The Christian school associated with our church is doing a condensed version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical, Cinderella. They had a free open dress rehearsal this week and invited family and church members with the understanding that they might still have some glitches to work out. But everything went great, except for a broken microphone. It was really enjoyable. This is one of my favorite musicals, especially the 1965 version, so I was singing “Ten Minutes Ago” for days afterward.

3. Dinner out with the family. The play got over around dinnertime, so we went to a new-to-us Mexican food restaurant with Jason, Mittu, Timothy, and Jesse.

4. An easy fix. Jim had a busy week, so I hated to add to it by telling him the knob that turns the water flow from the faucet to the shower had broken. But it was a quick and easy fix.

5. Lunch with Melanie is always enjoyable, but seemed especially so this week. I had gift cards to Red Lobster, and was having a hard time deciding between two choices on the menu. Then I saw a listing for a combo of two of several different things–and both items I wanted were available for the combo. So I got some of each! Then we had probably the best waiter we’ve ever had. But most of all we enjoyed the fellowship.

How was your week?

Review: The Return of the King

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The Return of the King

The Return of the King is the third in J. R. R. Tolkien’s trilogy, The Lord of the Rings.

If you’re not familiar with the story, the ring in question was created by Sauron, originally an angelic-type creature who rebelled against his creators. There were actually nine rings made, but that’s a different story. The “one ring” somehow had the power to influence those who had the other rings and would grant Sauron dominion over everyone in Middle Earth. The ring and its power could only be destroyed by being tossed back into the fires of Mordor, from which it was made.

The ring had been lost for thousands of years, but was found by Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit.

The Fellowship of the Ring told of a group of nine companions on a mission to take the ring to Mordor: Gandalf the wizard; Frodo, the designated ring-bearer and Bilbo’s nephew; Samwise Gamgee, his friend and servant; two more hobbits, Merry and Pippin; one elf, Legolas, a dwarf, Gimli; and two men, Boromir and Aragorn. Aragorn is also know as Strider and is the long-awaited heir to the throne of Gondor, though not everyone knows that at first.

The rest of FOTR and the second book, The Two Towers, tell what happened to the group on their long and dangerous journey.

At the beginning of The Return of the King, Frodo and Sam have been separated from the rest to continue their journey to Mordor. But Frodo had been captured and imprisoned. Sam braves various dangers to rescue him.

Meanwhile, Sauron has sent a great army or orcs (vile creatures) and other beings to Gondor. Gandalf and Pippin go there to warn the steward.

Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli gather help from an unusual source and Merry joins them to battle Sauron’s troups.

There are a number of subplots with the steward of Gondor and his son (Boromir, his favorite, died, and Faramir, his younger son, isn’t appreciated until almost too late); the area of Rohan with its famous riders and their joining in to help, Merry and the king of Rohan’s daughter being severely wounded, and all kinds of other things going on.

The one ring negatively affects those who have it, especially if they wear it for any length of time. The ring grants the wearer invisibility but builds a craven desire to keep it, plus awakens Sauron to its presence. Frodo is beyond weary with all he has suffered on his long journey plus the increasing influence of the ring the closer he gets to Mordor.

After the last great battle, the fellowship splits up and we see each one as he goes back to his land and people. I didn’t realize that there would be a fairly long section when the hobbits arrive back to the shire. It had been taken over by “ruffians,” and took some time and effort to set right again. The hobbits were not very adventurous folks, but Merry and Pippin had fought orcs and other evil beings. They were not about to put up with some ruffians!

Tolkien said he disliked allegory and didn’t write his saga of the rings that way. But he did feel fairy stories and myths could convey truth. It’s not hard to see Sauron as an instrument of Satan. And the king of Gondor coming into his long-awaited throne has some parallels with Christ, especially in this quote:

But when Aragorn arose all that beheld him gazed in silence, for it seemed to them that he was revealed to them now for the first time. Tall as the sea-kings of old, he stood above all that were near; ancient of days he seemed and yet in the flower of manhood; and wisdom sat upon his brow, and strength and healing were in his hands, and a light was about him (p. 121).

Some of my other favorite quotes:

Yet it is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till (p. 73).

In that hour of trial it was the love of his master that helped most to hold him firm; but also deep down in him lived still unconquered his plain hobbit-sense: he knew in the core of his heart that he was not large enough to bear such a burden, even if such visions were not a mere cheat to betray him (p. 83).

As a sweet rain will pass down a wind of spring and the sun will shine out the clearer, his tears ceased, and his laughter welled up, and laughing he sprang from his bed (p. 111).

It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them (p. 154).

And this from the appendix: “Let us not be overthrown at the final test, who of old renounced the Shadow and the Ring. In sorrow we must go, but not in despair. Behold! we are not bound for ever to the circles of the world, and beyond them is more than memory” (p. 174).

My favorite quote of all comes when Frodo has reached the end of his strength, and Sam says, “Come, Mr. Frodo! I can’t carry [the ring] for you, but I can carry you and it as well” (p. 105).

On a side note, for many years, we avoided anything to do with witches, wizards, magic, etc., in stories and film. I had to think through those things when the LOTR films came out and the kids wanted to see them. I wrote more about that here, but I concluded most “fairy tale magic” is a different thing than the occult. Gandalf is more like a wise superhero than what we think of as a wizard. But these things require caution and discernment: I’ve seen some alarming aspects of some stories containing “magic.”

Both the audiobook (nicely read by Rob Inglis) and the Kindle version have appendixes at the back, but they are not the same. The audiobook has sections explaining the different races and their characteristics, a history of the kings, a more detailed account of Aragorn’s and Arwen’s lives and romance, a brief account of events in The Hobbit, and a few others. The Kindle ebook has “Annals of the Kings and Rulers,” family trees, a shire calendar, and information about writing and spelling in some of the languages of the book.

I read The Hobbit and the first two books of this trilogy years ago. I had started The Return of the King, but then didn’t finish it when the Peter Jackson films came out. I always meant to get back to it but never did. After I read The Silmarillion (Tolkien’s history and mythology of the world he created in these books), I thought about reading The Return of the King. I wasn’t sure I wanted to get into another lengthy foray into Middle Earth. But then I thought it might be good to read the last book while all the information in The Silmarillion was still fresh. That turned out to be true: I “got” many references that I think I would have otherwise missed.

I almost wish I had started again at The Hobbit and read all the books through. But I am sure I’ll read them again some time.

I thought it would take a little while to get back into Tolkien’s world. But it didn’t: I was caught up in it again right away.

There are many things to love about these books. Yes, they go into much more detail than if they had been written in modern times. But the older style of writing fits in with a story of ancient lore. Tolkien put so much time and thought into the stories, even inventing different languages for the different races.

But what I love most of all is the truth of human nature they contain, and the bravery, heroism, and overcoming evil as well as one’s own limits to accomplish a great quest. And the books contain a couple of sweet love stories as well.

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Redeemed Regrets

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Redeemed regrets

One of my biggest regrets is that I often did not have a good attitude when caregiving for my mother-in-law. I wanted her to be well taken care of. But I did not have a natural caregiver’s heart. I often felt the weight of caregiving. I resented the intrusion on my time and plans for that stage of my life. When she was under hospice care for three years, we had bath aides, social workers, a chaplain, and a doctor coming in and out (often without calling first). Even though I liked most of the people, I often felt the introvert sanctuary of my home had been invaded.

I tried to fight these feelings by reminding myself of God’s truth: it was good and right and biblical to care for my mother-in-law. She had lovingly cared for my husband, and then our family after we married; she deserved our care in return. This was my ministry for that time in my life, and it was every bit as important as writing a book or teaching a class. God would give grace for each day, each moment, as needed.

Yet I still felt guilty about having these negative feelings in the first place.

Paul talks about the difference between regret and repentance, or worldly versus godly grief in 2 Corinthians 7:10-11. It’s important that we don’t stop at regret. It’s possible to feel bad about doing wrong without really repenting of it. Repentance will involve realization that we sinned against God, confession to Him that what we did was wrong, with no excuses or self-justification, and asking for His grace and help to change.

But even after repentance, we sometimes still regret what we did.

After my mother-in-law passed away, my guilt multiplied rather than ebbed. I confessed these things to the Lord. I knew He forgave me. But I still regretted my wrong attitudes and wished I had served her better.

I think this might be what people experience when they say they can’t forgive themselves. If God forgives us, who are we to withhold forgiveness? We have to accept that we are fallen creatures with a bent towards selfishness.

But even with forgiveness, we still regret our past actions. We wonder how we could have been so thoughtless or selfish.

When the person we’ve wronged has passed on, or we’ve lost touch, our regret festers. There’s no way to make it right, to apologize to that person.

Something happened recently to help me realize regrets can be redeemed.

I walked into the church restroom to find two ladies talking who were both currently taking care of their mothers. One knew I had taken care of my mother-in-law and pulled me into the conversation.

One of the things that had helped me most during my mother-in-law’s care was talking to other people who were currently or formerly caring for a parent. I could be a little freer to share with them and know I’d be understood. So now, I was able to help others in that way: mainly by listening, but sometimes by sharing something that helped me.

God has redeemed my regrets in other ways as well: softening my heart, helping me to be more watchful and prayerful, reminding of my need of His grace and help.

Of course, caregiving is not the only area where I have regrets. As I get older, past situations where I have failed come to mind–in parenting, relationships, ministry, and just about every area.

I can’t go back and redo the things I’ve done wrong. But I can encourage others. I can learn from my failures. God can use the way He helped me by sharing with others. He truly does work all things together for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28). This doesn’t excuse the wrongdoing. But God, in His grace, can use it for good.

I imagine David regretted his sin with Bathsheba. Even though he got a wife and a son out of the situation, he faced other consequences. His sensitive heart, once it was right with God again, had to have berated himself. But out of that scenario came Psalm 51, which ministers to any who have sinned with the hope of forgiveness and redemption. God still used him to write psalms, prepare Solomon for his reign, and provide for the temple Solomon would build.

I’m sure Peter always regretted that he denied knowing Christ when Jesus was arrested and crucified. Jesus forgave him, restored him, and gave him a ministry. His epistles exhort readers to humility and to face suffering and persecution with joy–things I think he learned through his experiences.

It’s not that doing good deeds can somehow make up for our bad deeds. That’s how redemption often works in literature, but not with God. Just as we’re saved by His grace at the beginning, so we walk in His grace throughout life. We don’t do good things to rack up points with Him or to “even the scales”–we could never do enough! Rather, when He forgives us, we serve Him with renewed and thankful hearts.

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:3-7).

But shouldn’t we know better after we’re saved? Isn’t sin that much more heinous after salvation?

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. . . . As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:13-14).

Micah 7:18 says God delights in mercy.

I love what Christina Rossetti wrote: “A fall is a signal not to lie wallowing, but to rise.” We need to let regret do its convicting, humbling work in us. But then we need to seek God’s grace to keep going, walking closely with Him. He might even redeem our regrets by bringing up opportunities to encourage others with what we have learned.

1 John 1:9

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Laudable Linkage

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Laudable Linkage

On Failure, HT to Challies. “Yes, we are going to keep failing at life, again and again. Failing people we love. Failing at things we love. Failing the God we love. But we have a path for dealing with failure. It takes faith, courage, and hope.”

When Your World Burns Down & How to Answer the Question of Pain and Suffering, HT to the Story Warren. “There are love stories that survive fire, and rise straight up from the ashes. This is a Love Story that begins more than 2 decades ago with a bundle of a baby boy …. our third son, named Levi, because the Farmer dared to believe it was a word from the Almighty: ‘And Levi got up, left everything and followed Him,’ (Luke 5:28), and the Farmer said that’s exactly the kind of man that we pray our boy will be.”

Prayer Requests from Jailed Children. “This message is scrawled on a prayer request card, sitting in front of me on my desk. Tears come to my eyes as I read it.”

What Is Your Name? “God requested a sacrificial offering instead of hospitality. And He showed Himself in the fire. He revealed the wonder of Himself in the sweet aroma of their sacrifice.”

Why Feeling Overwhelmed Can Be a Good Thing. “I feel as if I’m drowning in a tsunami of needs. Adult children who need help. Aging parents with health concerns. Personnel shortages at work. Ministry needs. Volunteer opportunities. I want to do good things for good people, but there just isn’t enough of me to go around. I’m overwhelmed. This realization, I’ve discovered, is the first step toward a solution.”

Death Is Not the Worst Thing that Can Happen to You, HT to Journey of Faith. “Contrary to what many Christians think, death is a big deal, and we shouldn’t take it lightly at all. But death isn’t the worst thing that can happen to us.”

What Haggai Taught Me About Priorities, HT to Knowable Word. “‘I can’t. I’m busy!’ These piercing words stopped me as they spilled out of my 2-year-old’s mouth. . . . Yet the reason I stopped wasn’t my son’s disobedience or misplaced priorities; it was because those words were an echo of my heart.”

Brain Fast Food: Living and Ministering in and Age of Casual Thinking. “One of the great advantages of the technological revolution is that we have unbelievable access to all kinds of great resources. One of the great disadvantages of the technological revolution is that intellectually speaking it conditions us to go after McDonald’s hamburgers rather than Ruth Chris steak.”

Stewarding Your Mind. “Doing productivity God’s way means viewing your entire life as a stewardship. Your time, talents, and treasure are all resources left to your care. And the sensible Christian will take care to do all that he or she can to make a good return on these things for the Master. Most believers understand this call to stewardship in areas like finances or even with the use of our time. But are you treating your mind like a stewardship?”

Chuck Swindoll quote

Every time we open Scripture, we’re invited into divine conversation–where infinite wisdom meets our daily needs, where heaven’s perspective illuminates our earthly path.
Chuck Swindoll

Friday’s Fave Five

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Friday's Fave Five

April is here! A new calendar page, a new month squarely situated in springtime. We’re still having some cold mornings, but the days have been very pleasant.

I woke up around 2 a.m. Monday to discover we were under a tornado watch. Thankfully, nothing happened. If we got the thunderstorms that were in the forecast, I didn’t hear them until after I got up. I was thankful the Carolinas got some of the rain, as they’ve had some serious wildfires there.

I’m sharing blessings of the week with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story. Feel free to join in!

1. Impromptu dinner with Jason, Mittu, and Timothy. They had asked to come over to see Jim’s new-to-us camper and truck, but ended up not getting here til dinner time. So they brought frozen pizza.

2. Sunday dinner gathering. Jason and Mittu had invited a couple over from church who were about our ages, so they asked if we wanted to come, too. We enjoyed the great pot roast and fellowship.

3. Another family dinner. I was to make a dessert for the dinner mentioned above. I tried two things, and they both flopped. So Jim ended up buying a gluten-free cake at the store.The one cake I made tasted great, but looked terrible. The blondies were not great, but were edible. Since we had all this sugar in the house with two of us who are trying to keep sugar under control, I invited the family over for dinner and dessert Tuesday. I was able to send some food home with them as well.

I’m not sure if it’s considered a promotion or just a lateral change, but Jesse is in a new position. It did come with a raise! But it’s also third shift to start with. When he came for dinner, we got to catch up with how everything was going.

4. Youth Sunday. Once a year, our church has a special emphasis on our youth, praying for them and having them participate in the service. It’s always so encouraging to see all those bright faces and to be reminded to pray for them as they seek God’s guidance and grow in Him.

5. Dinner out. I had an appointment one afternoon and stopped to get my hair cut afterwards. I got home just before dinnertime and suggested either getting take-out or using a gift card someone had given us to Olive Garden. We did the latter. Sometimes when we go out, we wish we had stayed in after dealing with the excess noise and bustle. But this time, we were seated in a quiet side section with just two rows of tables and had a nice view out of the windows. We had a great waiter. Instead of my usual choices, I tried something new: chicken and shrimp carbonara. It was so good! Plus I had leftovers to bring home for lunch today.

How was your first week of April?

The First Step to Murder

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The First Step to Murder

If we look through the Ten Commandments, most of us breathe a sigh of relief when we come to the sixth one: “You shall not murder.” At least that’s one thing we haven’t done.

However, Jesus takes the issue beyond outward action to the heart. He said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire” (Matthew 5:21-22).

Some translations show the middle of verse 22 saying “And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council” (NKJV). According to the Berean Study Bible notes here, “‘Raca’ is an Aramaic term of contempt, roughly equivalent to calling someone ’empty-headed’ or ‘worthless.'” Other translations use the word “idiot.”

The notes go on to say, “Calling someone a ‘fool’ implies moral and spiritual deficiency, not just intellectual lack. In biblical terms, a fool is someone who rejects God and His wisdom (Psalm 14:1). This phrase highlights the destructive power of words and the importance of speaking with love and respect.”

We can understand how lust is the first step toward sexual sin, as Jesus said earlier in Matthew: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).

But how are anger and name-calling precursors to murder?

They both dehumanize other people and cheapen their worth. Jen Wilkin describes the progression in her book on the Ten Commandments, Ten Words to Live By: “First, I am angry with you in response to a hurt. Next, I begin to question your character with an insult. Then, I begin to question your worth as a person. As anger degrades into contempt, the personhood of another is devalued” (p. 93).

I’ve often wondered at the atrocities humans have committed against each other during the days of slavery or the Holocaust or in prisoner of war camps. Some people thought of slaves or Jews or enemies as something less than human, and that was the first step to treating them horribly.

Even now, online battles reveal a shocking wish for harm towards others who disagree with opposing politics or views. Seven years ago, author and teacher Karen Swallow Prior was hit by a bus and had a long recovery. Recently, she shared a post on X where someone said he wished that bus had better aim. Like her or not, disagree or agree with her, wishing for her demise is appalling.

But these kinds of things are common online. Harm is wished towards people of differing opinions. Cancel culture is a smaller version of wanting to wipe out, to remove from public view, those we disagree with.

A few years ago, I was in a WalMart when I first realized that Covid was going to be a major issue. I had heard of it, but we’d been warned about viruses before (like H1N1), which didn’t have a great effect on our everyday lives. We figured this new virus would be the same.

But that day in WalMart, shelves were empty of disinfecting wipes, antibacterial soap, and toilet paper, among other things. I had never seen anything like this. I was rattled, wondering what was going on, how big this thing was going to be, and where I was going to find what I needed.

In my preoccupied state, I turned in front of another cart to get something from a shelf. It was the equivalent of cutting someone off in traffic. I wasn’t being malicious: I just wasn’t thinking clearly. But I was definitely in the wrong. I couldn’t seem to form the thoughts or words to apologize.

The person I offended pulled his mask down, looked straight in my eyes, and said to his companion, “I hope she gets the Coronavirus. I hope she dies from it.”

I watched him pass by with my mouth gaping open. I couldn’t believe he said that. I was even more rattled.

Genesis 1 tells us God created people in His image or likeness. Everyone has worth because God made them, even though that image is marred because of sin.

When we become believers, we “put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). We start to look and act more like our Father. The more we behold Him and walk with Him, the more we’ll look like Him. Therefore we take care to “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Ephesians 4:24-27).

We don’t keep the sixth commandment just by avoiding murder. We value others as God’s creation.

Jen Wilkin continues:

Because we are accepted in the beloved, we will not be content to simply be not-murderers, or not-contemptuous, or not-angry. We will not merely refrain from taking life—we will run toward giving it. Let us read in the sixth word’s prohibition of murder the exhortation to take every care to preserve life. Let us run to be life-protectors and esteem-givers and peacemakers.

To do so will require that we take stock of how we might be participating in the anger-worship of our cultural moment. It will require that we strive to preserve life in a culture that believes entire categories of image bearers are worthy of our contempt or our disregard—the unborn, the elderly, the physically or mentally challenged, the poor, the powerless, the foreigner. And in a world defined by living at odds with others, it will require that we strive to live at peace with others, as far as it is possible with us. It will ask us to be our brothers’ keepers, even as Christ has been ours (p. 96).

Paul writes in Philippians 2: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others” (verses 3-4, CSB).

He points us to Jesus’ example: “Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death —even to death on a cross” (verses 5-8, CSB).

If anyone had a right to be angry with others, Jesus did. But He became as a servant and humbled Himself, even to the point of death, for people who, at best, did not understand Him, and, at worst, plotted to do away with Him.

We can’t have the attitude Jesus did in ourselves. We need His grace. We need to look long at Him so that we might become more like Him, showing love instead of contempt.

Philippians 2:3

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Laudable Linkage

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Laudable Linkage

A variety of good reads found this week:

When God Used a Stutterer, HT to Challies. “Must limitations and weaknesses keep us from effective ministry? And how should we think about others in the church who have glaring, limiting imperfections?” This is a neat story.

If I Have Matching Dishes, But Have not Love . . . HT to Challies. “If I have matching dishes but have not love, my kitchen cupboard becomes a higher priority to me than the most important person to me in this life.”

People Over Perfection: 5 Tips to Help You When Tiny Distractions Take Over. “Have you ever found yourself in a friend’s living room when you suddenly noticed a picture on the wall that was crooked? Did it occupy your attention for too long, leaving you unsettled and distracted until you walked over and straightened it?”

You’re Beautiful, HT to Challies. “In this month’s letter, I share my personal journey with female beauty standards—a topic that’s been on my mind ever since my daughter was born. I share what life was like growing up with contradicting beauty standards, and how they shaped my insecurities as an Asian Australian woman. I then explore how my new faith, motherhood, and entering my late 30’s has redefined my perspectives on outward beauty.”

Why Christian Men Need Friendship, Not Just “Accountability,” HT to Challies. Yes, yes yes! I’ve always felt there was something off, even artificial, about “accountability partners,” and this helps explain why.

The 10%, HT to Challies.”What does that say about us as a society? We, with the requisite number of chromosomes, determine your fate before we even meet you, before we experience one of your open-hearted hugs or witness your exuberant spirit. How far have we fallen, that we will only welcome you if your test results declare you worthy of our care?”

Why Are There Four Gospels? A great illustration helps answer this question.

You Can’t Do It Alone. “Productivity is not the solution to all of your problems. That’s the promise of secular productivity, isn’t it? Peace, order, simplicity, abundance—the life you want—is just on the other side of one simple system/technique/app/framework.”

The Theology of Work and the Stay-at-Home Mom: Embracing the Value of Our Calling, HT to Redeeming Productivity. “It’s easy to feel like our work doesn’t “count” because we’re not bringing home a paycheck. We don’t get the flashy title that comes with being a high-powered professional, and sometimes, it feels like society only values work that earns money. But if we believe, as Christian moms, that God has called us to this specific work, does the absence of financial gain truly define our calling’s worth?”

God Is Writing Your Story: You Need to Tell It. “God has given each one of us a story. It may not be as dramatic as Corrie ten Boom’s or as screen-worthy as Louis Zamperini’s, but each and every one can be used by God to connect with someone and to ultimately point them to Jesus. And we’re not supposed to keep these stories to ourselves.”

Charles Spurgeon quote

The LORD may not give gold, but He will give grace: He may not give gain, but He will give grace. He will certainly send us trial, but He will give grace in proportion thereto. We may be called to labor and to suffer, but with the call there will come all the grace required.
— Charles Spurgeon