Soul Sister Time

              As I visited homes in an impoverished community, I was impacted by what can’t be taken away from God’s children.   It’s not easy to see as an American when you can’t imagine daily life without a microwave, not to mention a simple washing machine or even electricity. It’s overwhelming to recognize what is missing in these homes.   It’s hard to prepare people I bring on trips to see the lack of basic life needs we expect.   But what is available in abundance from our God is even harder to recognize.               One reason is because the abundance doesn’t exist in every home.   Most of the homes are full of misery you would expect.   The hardness of life is evident on their bone-tired faces.   They feel hopeless and trapped.   I believe they see us looking at them and know that they should have something more.   Home after home does not have enough food, hygiene, and basic shelter.   Many don’t even have safety.               But there were a couple homes, lived in

              I’ve just returned from a mission trip to work with people living in extreme poverty.   I experienced firsthand that extreme poverty produces great spiritual fruit.   Paul wrote about this to the church in Corinth.   Describing their faith Paul writes: And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.     In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity (2 Corinthians 8:1-2).                 This is the way I saw many of the Christian women I met on our trip.   One home stood out beyond them all.   Last year a small team of leaders traveled to this village on a vision trip.   We made many stops at neighborhood homes carrying overflowing bags of groceries.   This year we returned to a home that we had visited the year before.   You couldn’t forget this home because it was so full of children and moms working, playing, living together while for

              Jesus knew the experience of the Spirit of the Lord resting on Him as He has made possible for all Christians today.   When He preached at his home church, He read from Isaiah 61:1-3: The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives   and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord ’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair .   The chapter goes on and on filled with hope and restoration from the Spirit of the Lord.   It is really good stuff—beauty from ashes kind of descriptions.   Believe me, if you could actually conceive of the gifts of the Spirit available to you

The Spirit Cries “ Abba ”               When you speak about the Holy Spirit, many thoughts come to mind.  Many Christians don’t even try to explore the Holy Spirit because they do not want to be associated with strange fainting, rolling in aisles of churches and speaking in unintelligible languages.  It appears to be a show.  The attention focuses on the person dancing in the aisle or claiming to know a heavenly language that sets them apart from others.  It’s all rather difficult to take in if you were not raised in this kind of setting.                 I do believe that the Holy Spirit manifests Himself in different Christian lives in different ways.  Most of what I observe is that you learn to accept His presence from being around other Christians who accept His presence in that way.  The Holy Spirit never overpowers a Christian’s free will.  You have to want Him to be graced by His presence.               I admit I do feel uncomfortable in some settings where Christians are

The Effects of the Holy Spirit               Can you imagine that the very Spirit of God is given to humans who believe in God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection?  Just thinking about the Holy Spirit makes me realize that I can do better.  I am not left to my own resources when it comes to praying, having faith, obeying God, doing what He asks me to do.                 No one understands the depth of sin’s effect on a soul better than God.  Every action He takes has been to reduce the effect of evil that was unleashed into our world when sin was merged into His perfect universe.  We never saw it coming. Even Adam and Eve did not see what hit them.  God has counteracted with the effect of faith after sin by enabling sinners to be affected by His holiness through the Holy Spirit.  It is the power of God that brings about salvation.  It is the power of God that brings about healing, wisdom, abilities and more.  I know this power.  I have taught

              The first time the Holy Spirit came upon Christians was quite remarkable.   Not only were there supernatural sounds and sights but also there was a tangible reality—the people could speak in known tongues from all around the world.   Granted, they looked a little drunk as the very presence of God entered their beings, and Peter had to explain what was really going on.   Another evidence of the Holy Spirit was that 3,000 people responded to the explanation Peter gave about the Holy Spirit.   Those 3,000 were impacted by the Holy Spirit and wanted to follow His leading to repentance and baptism.               So why can’t I speak another language?   I have the Holy Spirit.   I never saw a vision or heard a loud sound like wind.   An unknown African author of the sixth century answered this question for me.   “And so if anyone says to one of us: ‘You have received the Holy Spirit; why do you not speak in tongues?’, he should reply: ‘I do speak in every tongue.   For

              Prophets foretold it.   Jesus anticipated the moment.   We celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit to all believers on the Day of Pentecost—fifty days after Easter.   After Jesus ascended to heaven the true believers, 120 in total, gathered in the upper room and prayed.   They prayed for nine days, and on the tenth day the Holy Spirit came upon them.   I’m not sure how prepared they were for God to move in that way.   They described it as if tongues of fire fell on them, and a strong noise like wind powered through the room.   Yet the unbelievers who witnessed it thought the best explanation was that they were all drunk at 9 a.m. in the morning!               I don’t think I realized the power of the Holy Spirit coming on me as deeply when I was seven as I do today looking back on the experience.   I describe the moment of my understanding as God is holy and I am a sinner, and my sin separates me from His love for me as if a light bulb went off.   It was sudden.   I

​               I love churches and I love serving in the church.  On family vacations each of my children would "put his foot down" and proclaim— “No more churches!”  I really can’t blame them because we did love to visit churches and see the effort and beauty that individuals put into creating a unique edifice to glorify God.  I decorated my home with beautiful church art.  Paintings, sketchings, replicas of glorious or simple buildings that represented a love for God filled my home and office. I have worked for churches for decades.  Church work is very rewarding, but it is not always easy.  First of all, church work never gets done.  When I worked as a counselor and shut the door to my office at the end of the week, I had done everything I could do.  I filled out all my forms, returned all my calls and made all my notes.  This has never happened since I have been in church work.  There is always more to do.  I never quite feel finished.  I just choose a place to sto

              When Jesus first spoke of His cross during His days of exciting ministry, the disciples—most notably Peter—dismissed the lesson (Matthew 16:22).                 I understand his objection.   The lesson of picking up crosses in the spiritual life is not easy or natural.   Peter was the first of the disciples to have his heart penetrated by the Holy Spirit in order to recognize that the man his brother Andrew had introduced him to as the Messiah was more than a Messiah.   He knew in his heart of faith that Jesus was the Son of God Himself and the Messiah.   Knowledge like that is impossible for a human being on their own.   Peter had experienced the presence of God in a way that allowed his soul to connect with this knowledge.   That happened to me too when I was seven years old.   It was just like that.   I had heard the gospel many times over those years.   But that day, it made sense to me.   God had made it make sense.   I accepted Jesus Christ as my only salvatio

              I suppose I could have prayed more.   I know of individuals who fasted for months and prayed for the bill I was working on.   I saw on social media that hundreds of thousands were praying for the same request.   We witnessed a true miracle.   We prayed and worked together and moved the bill along a little further than two years prior.   It appeared that God had set it up to that we had a small window to move it forward and time ran out.   Disappointment, heartbroken, suspicious thoughts were expressed.                 Now there is silence.   What does this mean?   How do we see God in the silence?   What is the meaning of it all?   Silence does not mean that God has not heard our prayers and been moved by them.   God definitely responded to bring a group of people together for a common purpose to explain how a law could benefit our state and correct the problem of mass incarceration for which we are becoming famous.   There was no doubt that the Holy Spirit was empo

              This is a question that never crossed my mind as I formed my relationship with God.   When I think about my salvation experience at seven-years-old, I realize how miraculous it really is to have faith.   In that moment at church, I had an ah-ha moment.   It was like a light-bulb went off in my mind and soul.   Although I had not done too many bad things at seven, it was clear to me that I was a sinner and that if I had to be holy to have a relationship with God, I was doomed.   I readily accepted the offer of salvation through belief that Jesus was the Son of God and that He died for my sins and was resurrected to spend eternal life with me.   It was simple.                 I still have a childlike faith.   Even as I teach the Bible, I do not struggle as deeply as others to find specifics from Revelation about when Jesus is coming back.   I read Revelation and know He is coming back as the Judge of the whole world and in a time when those who have faith will be pers

              Who does not have questions about God when an ancient, invaluable, precious cathedral catches fire during Holy Week in Paris, and manmade bombs destroy several churches on Easter Sunday making martyrs of the hundreds of worshippers in Sir Lanka?   What is God’s lesson?               My son, Ben, was asked this question from his friend and his comment—that the burning of Notre Dame exposes more about the hearts and minds of Christ-followers in our post-Christian era than a judgement from God—made me stop and think.   Where do you find groups of people willing to sacrifice, dream, endure hardship, work, design and create an elaborate place of worship recognizing that since it would require 100 years to complete, they would not witness its magnificence in their lifetimes?   What do Christians dedicate their sacrifices, dreams, endurance, work, and creativity to in our days?   Has the world so infiltrated our churches that we don’t dream and plan for the witness we will

Monday of Holy Week:   Monday, Monday Monday is not known for being the most hopeful of days. Songs have been written about Mondays. Monday marks the end of the weekend. Though it offers a new start and a new beginning, most don’t see it that way. Monday means back to the grind in most people’s minds. Jesus’ experiences on Holy Monday are a precursor to the work he would do the rest of the week. On Monday He set in motions the dominoes of instant responses for what would lead to Good Friday. The disciples didn’t seem to have a clue. Coming off of the high of Palm Sunday, they might have had their hearts and minds set on some more of the same for this day. Perhaps they wanted to sleep in after such a draining Sunday. This would not be the case. Rather, they followed Jesus as He led them on an intense day of mysterious events with important lessons. Monday, in the week that changed the world, would be a day of teaching about prayer. He would rely on the dramatic to drive His teac