A hero of the faith in our time...

"Thursday, April 28, 2011


Press Release

It is with deepest sadness that we inform you of the sudden passing of Reverend David Wilkerson Wednesday, April 27, 2011. More information will be posted on the World Challenge website as it becomes available. "
 
Many mornings I begin my day by visiting David Wilkerson's blog. I cannot tell you how many of his posts have been printed out, taped in my journal and used as a reference for whatever moment the Lord has me in. Rev. Wilkerson is one of the dear saints I have looked at and cried out to our God saying, "Give me faith that deep!"
 
Mom saw the movie and read the book, "The cross and the switchblade" probably because Pat Boone was the star of the movie. But it went straight to her soul and gave her a promise that God is still active in our world and our work. I always consider this as part of our family testimony.

Good Friday....

Years ago, when the movie, The Passion, came out on DVD John bought me a copy of it. Seemed like the right thing to have in the DVD collection after all. I had reservations about seeing it. After all, the movie is never as good as the Book and I had already read it. I feared it be like Mad Max meets the cross and I was not so sure I would appreciate the director's vision.

John was working swing shift that Good Friday so after the kids went to bed, I popped it in to watch. I curled up on the couch and watched as Jesus was in the garden, and I immediately fell asleep. I woke up after the resurrection. Honestly, who falls asleep during the Passion of our Lord? Oh, right. Okay. I was in good company at least!

Often in the body, you will hear those who complain about seeing a crucifix and that we should not have them in our homes. "He isn't on the cross anymore! It did not end there!" True, but something did end there?

What ended on that cross was the power Satan had over all of us. The cross is the reminder of what He did for me on Calvary. I can't look at images in movies or even a crucifix on a wall and not be moved at the suffering Jesus endured for me. For you. Glory.

I have a crucifix over my kitchen stairs. The story goes that when my dad was a very little boy, his mom had wanted to have a crucifix in the house but they were tough times and food was a priority over such things. As it would happen, their parish was getting new crucifixes for the classrooms and anyone who wanted an old one could come and get it. She took my dad by his pudgy, little. hand to Saintrosalyma Church (St. Rose of Lima for those who don't speak Brooklyn) and got the crucifix that is now in my home.

Each year on Good Friday, Dad would lovingly take the pewter figure of Jesus off that cross and polish it. He would have to re-nail it to the cross. I could barely watch. Just the symbolic gesture made me shiver. I remember Him explaining to me that, for him, it was a constant reminder of what our faith means. Jesus did this for us. Today it's my turn to clean. Perhaps it will be a lesson for my own children.

Holy Thursday and feet....

Oh how I adore Holy Week!

From the moment I woke up this morning, I was keenly aware of the fact that it is Holy Thursday. Can you imagine, Jesus and the boys spending the day together to be topped off by a nice quiet passover dinner. Or at least that is what the boys thought it would be.

Can you imagine their shock when Jesus went to wash their feet? The humble act of the Savior, doing something so practical. Hmmmm. Something just occurred to me. Wanna know? Of course you do or you wouldn't be here...truly He shows us "great and unsearchable things that we do not know"....lets go see.

When Jesus was at the wedding of Cana, he turned the water, the foot bath water into wine. I know I have touched on that fact somewhere on this blog of mine before and if I had one of those practical little "searchy" boxes or tags on my posts I could find it, but I don't so...

Anyway, did you ever consider how practical it was that Jesus turned that foot bath water into wine? He met his mom's request for helping out in the practical need to be met. We won't go into the fact that the party had ran out of wine probably because people were drinking the wine!

He met that wedding at the practical. He performed a miracle to provide for the practical.

At the outset of the Last Supper, He got on His holy knees and washed the feet of the boys. He served them in the practical. It required no miracle, just a bucket of water. Maybe the bucket was not as well appointed as the ones at the wedding feast in Cana, but a bucket of water just the same.

Have you ever considered that He meets us in the practical? You know, when the refrigerator you want is on sale this week making it possible to get a new washer and drier. It may not be a Resurrection, but it meets you in the practical. There just happened to be a sale...

Sometimes, He uses a foot bath to perform a miracle and sometimes, He uses it to just wash some dirty feet...both showed His Glory. Both taught us more about His love for us. Both were a beginning...

Cana would usher in Jesus' public ministry. That upper room would usher in The Last Supper. Both were feasts, both were beginnings. Neither feast gave any hint that the night would hold the Glory of God come down...both were shocking to participants. Both served the practical of a very practical and awesome God.

None of that is what I had planned on writing about today! Hope you are blessed this holy day.

Fellowship....

"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" (2 Corinthisnans 6:14)

Oy, is that a catch 22 for the believer or what? Most of us in the Body use this verse in terms of marrige. And while that is a very accurate application, I've run into way too many believers who take this verse and run right out of the bar with it.

The bar? Yup. That is what I said.

Let me 'splain, Lucy.

I have dear friends who don't know the Lord. People I genuinly love. Some of them sit on the hill with me during football practice. Others I've served with in PTA or worked with. Still others I grew up with and some are family.

"what fellowship can light have with darkness?" Paul asks us. The question began to haunt on me after a Christmas party we had that was made up primarily of non-believers.

If we are to have nothing to do with someone who is un-equally yoked, does that mean that we only associate with the Body? Do we only go to church sanctioned events? Do we only hit the chile cook off for a night out? And in my world, do we only invite believers to our Christmas party?

Every commentary I could find on this verse explained it in terms of marriage. Why? It is related to intamacy. Okay, got it. But lets take it another step shall we? Are we girls not intamite in our friendships as well? I am not talking about anything French here. Duh, family friendly blog people.

But we woman have an ability to be intamite with other woman in a way that men don't get. We do share our hearts and our souls. But when we are friends with unbelievers, and I would maintain that we should be, the level of intamacy in that friendship is what should not be un-equaly yoked. And perhaps even more deeply, if we are friends with a believer who is still only on milk, our level of intamacy should not include steak. (1 Corinthians 3:2)

Now I am not suggesting doing shots with unbelievers either. But I am suggesting that should you happen to have the pagean side of the family over for Easter dinner or you find yourself at the next family wedding, we are still required to be genuine and transparent. But I don't think we are to share our deepest soul with those who simply cannot understand. Even a milk fed believer will not understand a steak dinner. Some believers realy do prefer the darkness for a season. It is not up to us to deliever them from it by shining a spot light or throwing steak at them. God will wean them onto solids soon enough. And who knows, maybe you will get to share a steak together...if not here, perhaps in eternity.

Taking it on the chin...

Sunday morning, I woke up with a boo-boo on my chin. No idea how I got said boo-boo. This morning, I woke up with a new boo-boo on the other side of my chin. I did ask John if he has been beating on me in my sleep. He "claims" to have no idea what I am talking about. Aha. Maybe my watch has scratched me in my sleep? My rings? Yes, I sleep with them on. I am far to ADD to remember to take them off AND to put them back on the next day. Duh. Still, no idea how I got these marks. Got me to thinking. Of course it did. Anyway, it got me to thinking about something God had shown me in His Word recently. Wann'a come take a look? Of course you do.

"He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:26-28)

"whether he sleeps or gets up, the see sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain..."

Have you ever been in one of those quiet seasons when you just don't know what to do next? No? This may not be the blog for you.

I have. Don't like them much. I am in one right now and I am itching for a project. I adored the House Wyne Event. Loved every minute of it. But now it is sooooooooo quiet in my life. Not that God is. I am just itching for something to do.

But I have this conviction to do the last thing I know He told me to do and that last thing I know that He told me to do, is to be quiet. Almost like it is a season of sleep. Have you noticed the blog is awful quiet? No? That's because all ten of you have not seen me on Facebook or Twitter over the last 37 days. Lent and all of that. ;)

I love that the verse says that The Soil grows the seed with out the farmer knowing how...maybe The Soil doesn't need any manure from the farmer either.

But this may wind up being a blog for recipes and crafts if something doesn't sprout soon!
 

...House...