One of the most significant days for me in Israel happened to be Mother's Day. The morning began with an amazing breakfast at the kibbutz we stayed at off the sea of Galilee. That morning we headed out toward the mountainside where Jesus took his disciples for teaching - known to us as the Mount of Beatitudes. There was a light rain coming down that morning and so we gathered on the veranda of the church that stood on the hillside and listened to the timeless words from Matthew 5-7.
God blesses those who realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them.
You are the salt of the earth . . .
You have heard that the law of Moses says. . . but I say. . .
Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.
Don't worry about everyday life.
Do for others what you would like them to do for you.
And so go the teachings of Jesus. As I listened my eyes began to well up with tears. The words of Jesus stirred my heart. I bring His Kingdom to earth by how I live.
Father, help me not to settle for status quo, but to align with your Spirit's leading in bringing your Kingdom to earth, not for self gain, but to give away what you have given to me.
Two other places had meaning for me that day. More to come this week.
5.22.2007
Israel . . . Heart & Mind in Tandem
Where the elders met at the gate - where Eli would have fallen off the bench when he heard the news that the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant.
Qumran - the caves where all but two books of the Old Testament were found.
Dennis and I standing on a cliff where Herod would throw off his enemies. Galilee in the background.
Wilbur Williams, our tour guide is 78 years old. Our journey in Israel was Wilbur's 132nd trip. He has an amazing wealth of knowledge gained over the past 50 years when he began taking hundreds of people on what he calls a spiritual odyssey. These tours, the fact that he is an Old Testament professor and an archeologist who excavated at many of the various places we visited, makes Wilbur a credible and incredible guide. He wanted the Israel tours to be more than just a history lesson, though it is that, he hopes that those who go will experience the God who is involved in history.
Wilbur prefaced the trip with this helpful insight: "Don't let your heart get ahead of your mind. Don't let your mind get ahead of your heart. Let them function in tandem." I thought about this often as I saw sites that I had only read about in the Biblical accounts. I wanted to understand as many of the historical facts as I could, but I also wanted the experience of these places to penetrate my heart in a way that only God could.
I plan to post several blogs over the next few weeks that share the spiritual odyssey that it was for me personally. More than anything, the trip demonstrated to me the credibility and authenticity of the Bible. The places and people we read about are not just myth or fantasy, but real people in real places. The science of archeology gives evidence to history - an amazing thing to see. To look out over the lowlands of Beth-shemesh and picture the return of the Ark of the Covenant from the Philistines (1 Samuel 6) and then to see the valley where David took down Goliath will forever change the way I read my Bible.
Heart and mind in tandem . . . a good thought for all of life.
5.08.2007
Proper Place . . .
My minds a humming, so this one is a bit lengthy, but hang with me.
My kids would be familiar with an old adage that I often used as they were growing up. If they are reading this, I'll bet they know what I'm about to say. "Everything has a place and everything in its place." Even if the toilets needed cleaning or the kitchen floor hadn't been mopped in months, as long as the house was clutter-free I could function a lot better because at least things were in their proper place.
Over the years I've been discovering (and still am) that the phrase "proper place" means more than just an orderly home. Relationships, material things, and even things in the spiritual life have their proper place. It's so easy to place people or things where they don't belong.
For instance, I need to keep my husband in his proper place. And I don't mean this in a derogatory way. I mean like giving Dennis priority over my children, or other things as far as that goes. A mom can easily put children before husband. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, but I want Dennis to be the one I serve, love and honor the most and my actions and expressions better show it.
On the other hand, I need to keep my kids in their proper place and I need to understand my proper place in their lives, especially with our now grown and married children. As parents we start out as caregivers. Children need us not only to survive in the early years, but to learn and grow in character. Throughout the teen years we assume the role of coach - training them in the game of life, occasionally calling them to the sidelines for a pep talk or a new game play (and at times, discipline), but always their greatest fans. Once they are independent adults we serve as counselors (only when they ask for it - that's the hard part).
Two years ago while taking a college course on Spiritual Formation I realized I had taken "devotions" out of its proper place. "Doing my devotions" had become an idol in my life . . . a check on my spiritual "to do" list, a discipline that made me holy. Now that's called self-righteousness. I'm not saying that reading the Word and praying are not good things to do, but they are only pathways to God. God is the One who makes me holy, not the Bible or my prayer life. We need to be on guard for a Pharisaical view of the disciplines. We need to keep them in their proper place.
And just recently I understood to a greater degree that a certain action didn't belong to me - that of judging. It is not my creaturely role to judge. It is something that solely belongs to God. Only with Him, is judgment in its proper place.
No wonder God made the first two commandments about keeping Him in His proper place. He knew our tendency to misplace even Him. "No other gods before me."
The phrase "proper place" is my "word" for the year. Last fall my schooling consumed me because I had taken it out of its proper place. I loved my classes and all, but not to the point where it took precedence over just about everything and everyone else. I sometimes can become so absorbed with something that life gets cluttered and I need to remind myself, "proper place." Once I put it in its proper place, life is as it should be.
My kids would be familiar with an old adage that I often used as they were growing up. If they are reading this, I'll bet they know what I'm about to say. "Everything has a place and everything in its place." Even if the toilets needed cleaning or the kitchen floor hadn't been mopped in months, as long as the house was clutter-free I could function a lot better because at least things were in their proper place.
Over the years I've been discovering (and still am) that the phrase "proper place" means more than just an orderly home. Relationships, material things, and even things in the spiritual life have their proper place. It's so easy to place people or things where they don't belong.
For instance, I need to keep my husband in his proper place. And I don't mean this in a derogatory way. I mean like giving Dennis priority over my children, or other things as far as that goes. A mom can easily put children before husband. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, but I want Dennis to be the one I serve, love and honor the most and my actions and expressions better show it.
On the other hand, I need to keep my kids in their proper place and I need to understand my proper place in their lives, especially with our now grown and married children. As parents we start out as caregivers. Children need us not only to survive in the early years, but to learn and grow in character. Throughout the teen years we assume the role of coach - training them in the game of life, occasionally calling them to the sidelines for a pep talk or a new game play (and at times, discipline), but always their greatest fans. Once they are independent adults we serve as counselors (only when they ask for it - that's the hard part).
Two years ago while taking a college course on Spiritual Formation I realized I had taken "devotions" out of its proper place. "Doing my devotions" had become an idol in my life . . . a check on my spiritual "to do" list, a discipline that made me holy. Now that's called self-righteousness. I'm not saying that reading the Word and praying are not good things to do, but they are only pathways to God. God is the One who makes me holy, not the Bible or my prayer life. We need to be on guard for a Pharisaical view of the disciplines. We need to keep them in their proper place.
And just recently I understood to a greater degree that a certain action didn't belong to me - that of judging. It is not my creaturely role to judge. It is something that solely belongs to God. Only with Him, is judgment in its proper place.
No wonder God made the first two commandments about keeping Him in His proper place. He knew our tendency to misplace even Him. "No other gods before me."
The phrase "proper place" is my "word" for the year. Last fall my schooling consumed me because I had taken it out of its proper place. I loved my classes and all, but not to the point where it took precedence over just about everything and everyone else. I sometimes can become so absorbed with something that life gets cluttered and I need to remind myself, "proper place." Once I put it in its proper place, life is as it should be.
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