WHY I AM THANKFUL FOR EASTER

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I always thought that Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane, when he was preparing to face death, dreaded the physical pain of the cross.  But now I am not so sure ……

Think of the worst thing you have ever thought or done.  Do you remember feeling shame? Guilt? Filthy? What if the whole world knew? You will never be innocent and clean.  Have you hated yourself?  Have you felt that there was no hope of reconciliation with God because you could not even accept yourself?

Now multiply that by the shame and guilt felt by all sinners through all the centuries.  Think of all the rapes and murders and betrayals that have occurred.  Hideous things hidden from all but God.  All human selfishness.  All human evil, collected together.  The sins of Ivan the Terrible.  The sins of Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Franco, Pol Pot.

Imagine if you had to carry the guilt and shame of ALL human sin, not just your own.  Imagine paying the price of separation from a Holy God because the guilt of all of those sins were on your shoulders.

When the Lord Jesus Christ hung on the cross, and “became sin who knew no sin,” He must have felt all of the shame and guilt of all sins committed through all of time.  No wonder, He said “My God, why hast thou forsaken me?”  He was feeling the separation from His father because of all that sin, for He was no longer Holy in that moment, because He was loaded down with our guilt and taking the punishment for it, in our place.  In my place!

I think that is what He was dreading.  Yet if it were not for the sacrifice of my Lord Jesus Christ, my sin would now separate me from a holy God.  I would be doomed but for the fact that Jesus was separated and punished in my place. Isaiah 53:5 says,

 

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

 

The Cross is where human sin met Divine love.  The cost for our cleansing was extreme but holiness and sin can never mix.  Our sin had to be dealt with and paid for.   It was the only way we could have a relationship with our creator…the only way we could be in His presence, our sins covered by the blood of Jesus.

Am I thankful for Easter?  Eternally so!!

Jesus is the ONLY way to know God.  No one else shed divine blood FOR YOU.  Seek Him and you will find the highest TREASURE in the universe!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Most Important Gift

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For your sake he became poor

2 Corinthians 8:9

Christmas has become, in the eyes of the world, about so many things.  But it is really only about ONE GIFT.

Jesus left heaven and became a poor little boy on this earth for us.  He gave His whole earthly life

for us and then died for our sins.  As Charles Spurgeon says,

“He descended from His lofty position, and we rose from the depths.”

God has given us the best gift – nothing I can wrap or unwrap could ever compare.  

Merry Christmas To Us All

A REAL LIFE INDIANA JONES

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Ever since the age of 12 I have dreamed of going on an archaeological dig, and at least in my case this dream had nothing to do with that famous archaeologist “Indiana Jones”.  However, like Professor Jones, I do share his interest in Biblical History.  Recently I read a book about a real life “Indiana Jones” named Dr. Stephen Collins, and Dr. Collins strongly believes that he is excavating the Biblical City of Sodom.

The book focuses on items which Dr. Collins has found while digging in an area around an ancient Tel.  A “TEL”,  for all you non-history buffs, is an earth mound that is formed when cultures repeatedly build a city in the exact same spot.  Dr. Collins’ dig focuses on Tall el-Hammom which is an area that is located on the Jordanian side of the Jordon river, just northeast of the Dead Sea.

In his book, Discovering the City of Sodom, Dr. Collins describes the painfully tedious work that is producing evidence of a unique ancient city.  He has found a large city gate as the entrance to a large Middle Bronze Age city.   Even more intriguing is the fact that he has found some Trinitite.  What is Trinitite?  Well Trinitite is a compound that is formed when silica sand is melted at an extremely high temperature.  Trinitite was first described as an entity that was found at ground zero of the atomic explosion test site in southern New Mexico.  What is interesting is that Dr. Collins found this type of rock in southern Jordon in a region where there has been no known previous atomic explosions.

What does this all mean?  Well Trinite plus other items found by Dr. Collins have led him and others to believe that this area is the exact site of Biblical Sodom.  Now if that is true it is an amazing discovery….and it also would confirm the likely existence of another Biblical story— the cursing of Sodom

Does all this intrigue you?  Well if it does, then I suggest you go on-line and order the book, Discovering Biblical Sodom.

 

AMERICAN Freedom is Messy ….DO WE STILL WANT IT?

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According to the declaration of Independence,  “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers FROM the consent of the governed,”  and that if that power “becomes destructive” it is the right of the people governed to bring it back in line with it’s intended role.

So what is government’s intended role?  Is it not to provide a safe and healthy environment for each citizen to be able to enjoy their God-given rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, while leaving the specifics of what that means up to the individual?

The government is meant to serve its citizens.  It should provide a safe framework within which its citizens freely pursue their life interests.  It is not meant to be the source of all we need – only to promote an environment where each individual has opportunity to grow and work and live and thrive.

The US government is not there to micromanage its population.  Today, it seems that politicians are involving themselves more and more in the more intimate details of our lives.  They are interfering more and more in decisions that we should be making for ourselves.   I am talking about decisions like where your kids go to school and what they are taught.  Who your doctor is or if you can go to church on Sunday morning or what time you have to be home at night?

All of these decisions have, in many instances, been taken away from people and made by the government, especially in recent covid times.  To me, the important thing is NOT whether the government is doing something good or something bad.  It is WHO is making the decision.  Let me give you an example of what I mean.

As a physician, I try to have a healthy diet.  It is healthy to eat  a lot of vegetables.   So, because it is a good thing for my health, I eat a lot of vegetables.  It would be a GOOD thing for everyone’s health if everyone ate a lot of vegetables.  Perhaps the government should mandate that every citizen  eat 5 helpings of vegetables a day.  After all, it would benefit society as a whole.

Why would it be wrong for a government to mandate something that is in everyone’s best interest?  Because that is NOT the government’s job!  The government that mandates good things can also mandate bad things.  Every time we cede power to our government to make another decision in our life, even if it is a good decision, we must consider what will happen when the government is not so wise.

It is best that individual citizens retain as much power as possible over their own lives.  Sometimes we will make good decisions, and sometimes we may not.  The point is that WE make the decisions.   If you value your freedoms…then it is not just a matter of whether the government is doing something good or doing something bad….it is a matter of whether the government is making the decision in the first place.

Freedom in America includes the ability to make personal decisions.  Therefore, by definition, freedom means having the ability to make a wrong decision!  That can make freedom messy!  But I would rather be free and make a wrong decision, than have my government make my decisions for me, even if they are right.

No person or institution will ever always make the right decision.  If you are hurt by an incorrect decision, let it at least be YOUR OWN!

LOVE

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The word LOVE was front and center recently, as Dr. Jill Biden wore it on her back.  Dr Biden says it was part of an effort to promote unity.   I do believe in love….and I believe in unity (though not at any cost)…….but I wonder if LOVE is really understood.  What is it, really?  Where does it come from?  How do you get it?

You can work a lifetime and accumulate great wealth, but you cannot buy love.   You may purchase acceptance and accolades.  Not love.

You can give your life to a good cause…..environmentalism or equality or a cure for cancer.  You can purchase admiration or gratefulness.  Not love.

If you have been gifted with an unusual talent or athletic ability, with hard work and dedication you may rise to the top of your chosen field and garnish much praise.  You can purchase notoriety and fame.  Not love.

If you are the smartest person in the room, if you can predict the future, and understand the mysteries of this world, you can make a lot of noise and people will listen to you.  You can purchase a following…but not love.

And yet, the ONLY answer for our poor lost world is real LOVE.

If you are wondering what real love is, I know of no better definition than what is found in the famous words of 1 Corinthians 13.

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It idoes not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;2 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,endures all things.

8 Love never ends.

If you go with this definition, you realize that real love is not attainable within ourselves.  We are a self-seeking species.  On our own, we all must admit times when we have been impatient, unkind, envious, arrogant, rude  and irritable.

So where does real love come from?

1 John 4:7 – Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

Real love comes from only one source.  It comes from God. That is why Jesus says “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have lovefor one another.”   (John 13:35)

If the world wants to find a way to dwell in peace, to care for all peoples, to help each people group to be nourished and prosperous, the ONLY answer is to turn to our creator and seek His love.   He can change us so we truly love others.  And when we truly love others, we will want what is best for them, as well as ourselves, and answers will be found.

As Charles Spurgeon said,

LOVE IS AN EXOTIC PLANT; IT DOES NOT GROW NATURALLY IN HUMAN SOIL

So what is going to happen?

It seems that the human race is deciding to go it alone.  We have decided that we were, in fact, not created.  We have decided that we evolved by natural forces, that there is no absolute truth, and definitely no God given moral law.  We no longer know what we don’t know.

1 Corinthians 13 also says that if we take all our knowledge, our powers, our achievements and try to solve the problems of this world without God and His love, we will be noisy gongs and clanging cymbals, but we will GAIN NOTHING!

Unfortunately, I hear a lot of noise…. a lot of gongs and cymbals.   I fear that nothing is where we are headed.

Is Meditation Effective ??

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Some food is healthy and some food is not.  We all need to eat…but the actual practice of eating can help or hurt us, depending on what we actually INGEST.

Is it not the same with meditation?  What our mind ingests?   Can we meditate to calm our anxiety?  Can we meditate our way to mental health?  Exactly what is meditation and does it work?

Meditation can have many different connotations, some secular and some spiritual.

For example, it is a part of modern yoga where it has come to mean a form of mindfulness….an effort to increase one’s awareness by paying nonjudgemental attention to the present moment.

( Though yoga may help stress,  anxiety, and quality of life, there are studies that show that simple stretching may be  as or more effective than yoga in this regard.  I don’t think mandatory Yoga classes will solve the world’s problems…or yours.)

There are other forms of meditation –

Some forms of meditation involve an effort to “empty the mind”.

Some involve chanting.

Some involve focusing on sounds or visualization techniques.

Some involve breathing awareness or breathing techniques.

It is obvious that meditation can mean a lot of different things.  I would like to make the argument that, just like eating can help or hurt,  some meditation is helpful and some is harmful.

Soooooo…………..What is helpful meditation?

#1 – if your life is always in a drive mode to do more, be more, accomplish more….If you are always busy, then shifting from drive to neutral and taking time to slow down is helpful.    We were not created to always be in high gear, always in “drive.”  We were created with a need for rest.  Not just physical rest, but mental rest also.   We all do need to learn the art of  BEING STILL.

#2 – Don’t JUST be still.  God says to be still AND know that I am God!  No matter what the world says about how we can help ourselves or what we need, I am thoroughly convinced that apart from God you will never find true, lasting rest.  You were created by God, but also for God.  Just like I think a man and wife, deeply in love, were MADE for each other and are not happy apart, you were made for God and will be restless until you find your rest in Him.

#3 – Once you “come to your senses,” so to speak, like the prodigal son, and come home to God, begin to meditate or focus on the absolute truths that God has revealed.  Your mind is capable of being deceived.  It does need to be renewed, but only by ingesting or dwelling on healthy things.  You need to develop a worldview based on reality.  It is amazing how something very simple, like admitting that God is God, and I AM NOT, can bring a lot of relief to a troubled heart.  A restful mind is a wonderful thing to experience.  Center your mind on Your Creator, who promises that our peace increases as our trust of Him increases.

#4 – The media, in all its forms, and even some well meaning Christian leaders would have us focus on what is wrong in the world.  I think they seek to use fear to influence us.  After all, there is a lot wrong!  But there is hope.  There are solutions.  Our focus should be on finding the right paths forward.    The past is in the past.  It might be a good learning tool, but mistakes in the past cannot be undone.  We are commanded by God to actively look today for “Whatever is true and honorable.  We are told to hunt for what is JUST!  What is pure and lovely.”   These are safe things to meditate on and pursue. (Phillipians 4)

#5 – In keeping with dwelling on what is good, If we spent more time thinking about and honoring those who acted unselfishly, those who put others first, those who wanted to really solve a problem and not just use it to promote an agenda, I think our society would look very different.  Healthy thoughts and gratefulness produce one chemical response in our brains.  Unhealthy thoughts produce another.  After all, a cheerful heart doeth good like medicine!

So, yes, meditation can help (or hurt) your mental health away …  it all depends on what you meditate on!

REST FOR YOUR SOUL

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Last week discussed the subject of anxiety.  That is something EVERYONE struggles with.  There may be days that seem carefree, but there are many that are not.  When I am anxious, I have found that often it is that I (or life in general) feels out of control.  I really like control, and I suspect I am not alone.  

Here are five activities that may give temporary help with anxiety.  

  1.  Laughter – comedians, funny sit-coms, jokes, funny stories, or anything that brings on deep and hardy laughter can change your mood
  2. Nature – a peaceful walk in a meadow or the woods can be very calming
  3. Discussing a problem with an optimistic friend – if you worry a lot, you can get to a point where it is hard to be objective about things and another viewpoint can help
  4. Exercise – there is a natural release of endorphins
  5. A good nights sleep – it is amazing how a lack of sleep makes everything seem worse.

                                                                     BUT THEN

IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE PERMANENT HELP WITH ANXIETY………..  THERE IS A ROAD 

This road can be long and it involves going back to basics.  It involves changing your worldview in the direction of timeless truths that have been rejected by the world.  It involves learning to think differently, and that takes time.

To start, go back to the very beginning.  According to Nancy Pearcey, who wrote Total Truth ( a book I highly recommend), we need to go WAY back.  She says that the Christian message does not begin with “accept Christ as your Savior”:  it begins with “in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”  The creation is orderly because He designed it that way.  The laws of physics and the laws of mathematics are nothing but a reflection of God.  There is nothing outside of His jurisdiction.  It is true that because of rebellion, creation is fallen and waiting for redemption, but His rule and beauty are still visible.  It helps anxiety to remember this.  

Sometimes I will gaze at the stars and wonder how all of the heavens just go on when I am in turmoil? But they do.   “The heavens declare the glory of God.”  (Type in heavens in a concordance and read the verses that come up)

Knowing God would NOT help my anxiety without knowing of His character and  His love for His creation.  He loves you!  He cares about what is troubling you, even to the smallest of matters.  His word says that He knows how many hairs are on your head.  Do you know how many hairs were on your head yesterday, or today?  

God invites you to know Him.  Read His word and learn.  Tell Him you want to know Him.  As you get to know Him, He can change your perspective.   When you do not know what to do in a situation, you can ask Him and find practical guidance and help.  Instead of following our own instincts, it is helpful to try and see things from God’s perspective.  He has a much broader view!  Why stumble around in the dark when you can turn on the light?  We can learn what is pleasing to Him.

 I will never like the feeling of being out of control, but in reality I am very limited in my ability.  Therefore it is a GOOD thing I am not in control.  Knowing who is and being able to ask for help makes all the difference.  Knowing that He loves me and cares, even when things seem dark and bleak, brings relief from feelings of hopelessness and despair.  It calms my fears.  

The world says there is no God.    But those who know Him are amazed at the foolishness of the world.  If you are uncertain, seek Him. ” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him”. (Lamentations 3:25) Tell Him you want to find Him and know Him.  There is nothing better than knowing God.   All real truth is God’s truth, and finding it will guide and guard you.

It is the only way to  bring REST TO YOUR SOUL

The Antidote to Anxiety

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Today’s world is full of anxiety….and full of anxious people.  Anxiety is not a pleasant state, and can lead to all sorts of health problems, but in a world full of trouble, what is the answer?  How does one keep from being anxious?  How do you have peace in such troubled times?

There is an answer to this question, but it is not popular.  The answer goes against everything the world believes and teaches.  That is because the answer does not come from within ourselves.  It is nothing we can accomplish or even understand on our own.  It starts with acknowledging Truths that the world has totally rejected.  Of course that is why anxiety is so prevalent.

First of all, to not be anxious you have to recognize that you are not in control.  It is not up to you to make everything that is wrong, right.  It is not within your power to fix all things, including all your own problems, or even yourself.  That is a relief in one sense.

Secondly, if we are not in charge, then who is?  The world does not acknowledge God but He is still in charge.  Even though we humans, in our naivety and pride have decided that there is no creator, He has not gone anywhere.  As Psalm 2 says, “He who sits in the heavens laughs.”

God is true and His truth covers and effects ALL things.  He has control over every rainbow in the sky and every devastating earthquake.  God rules science which is,  in its truest sense,  our discovery of “the laws or creation ordinances by which God structured the world.” (quote from Total Truth, Pg 35 by Nancy Pearson)   We have made it something else.

Thirdly, to escape anxiety, we need to KNOW this God.

Jesus, when He was on earth, made the statement “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” (John6:44). Tell God you want to get to know Him.  Christ came to give you peace and take away your anxiety.

John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you; my Peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

So, if you would like to find the antidote to anxiety, come to Jesus.  He is real. He knows how messed up you are and He loves you.   Give your life to Him along will all of your anxiety.   The battle belongs to the Lord.  He will gradually take your fears as you learn to trust Him.   This world will never be “fixed” as long as God’s creation is in rebellion against Him.  But that does not mean that individually, we cannot abide in His presence and peace, even in the midst of turmoil and chaos.

Then your prayer will join with others …… THY KINGDOM COME AND THY WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN!

PS – Anxiety can take many different forms.  Causes of anxiety are numerous and varied.  Everyone experiences it. Sometimes I am anxious and do not even fully know where the anxiety is coming from.  It is important to learn HOW to rest in God.  That is NOT a quick fix and is not something we do naturally.   Coming to the end of ourselves and learning to abide in God can be a long and excruciating road.  It can take a lot of  time and effort.  But He promises it is worth it….and avoiding the alternative is worth whatever it takes!

Let’s discuss some PRACTICAL ways to fight anxiety and pursue the peace of God’s presence in the next blog.

FOOD AND MOOD

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How you feel can affect what you eat. Anyone who has eaten a carton of ice-cream because they felt lonely or bored or angry or depressed knows this. But hey, when you are in “a mood” you eat what you crave. So you need to train your body to crave food that it really needs!

But just as mood can drive us to certain foods, what we choose to eat can also affect our mood. I did not feel especially good about myself the last time I ate a batch of unbaked brownies (sometimes I like them uncooked). In fact, I was in a pretty bad mood after that, but it can go both ways. Choosing the right and healthy foods is hard, but you do feel better knowing you are treating the only body you will ever get in a healthy manner. And though it is sometimes difficult to eat right, the benefits show up gradually over time. And since everyone wants to feel and look good 6 months from now, it is helpful to take the long view…………

So, if you want to feel better in 6 months than you do right now, you can start by making sure your food intake helps to accomplish that. Again, work to train your body to crave what it really needs!

So what does your body really need? Of course, that is a long discussion, so for now lets just focus on something Americans do not crave enough. Your body needs “whole food” fruits and vegetables. I have noticed on surveys done at my office for Medicare wellness visits that many patients check NO when asked if they eat fruit and vegetables every day. I find this very discouraging. Do you know that it is recommended that you get between 5 and 10 helpings EVERY day? Are you anywhere close?

Why is this so important? One reason is because of the nutrients and micronutrients in these foods. Beta carotene. Vitamin C. Calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Selenium, zinc, manganese. The list goes on………….but you have other things to do. Anyway, a variety of brightly colored fruit and vegetables will give you the minerals and vitamins that should really come through food rather than a pill.

A second reason is the fiber content of whole fruits and vegetables. A glass of V8 juice may be good for you, but it does NOT equal eating whole fruit and vegetables. The fiber in the whole food helps protect against disease, including constipation and colon cancer. It also helps with weight loss.

So since Spring is here and Summer is around the corner, think of new ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables into your daily diet. Perhaps you could plant a small garden. Even if you can only plant a single plant! A cherry plucked off your very own tomato plant tastes so much better than the one shipped to your grocery store from another state.

Try new recipes! I think about how I used to cook vegetables. I was a slow learner, I think, when it came to discovering all the delicious ways to cook that broccoli or cauliflower or carrots or whatever! (Right now I am eating delicious lima beans, but my husband made them)

Anyway………..Spring is a season of new beginnings. Make it the beginning of

A NEW YOU!

It is a season to experiment. Change your diet ………… In 6 months you will thank yourself!

God’s Wrath and Love Meet at the Cross of Jesus Christ

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I get it!  The world has a problem with Jesus.  The Son of God dying for us?  It is too much to take in…too easy and too hard at the same time.  Jesus did it all?   We just accept it?  That seems unfair.  We want a clearer system of reward and punishment for what we do.  Something that we earn.

Have you every tried to make yourself more loving? more caring?  more forgiving?  Have you tried to change, not an outward action, but an internal characteristic on your own?  And failed miserably?  Then the Easter message is blessedly welcome.

Jesus left the glory that he had as God in heaven.

He became a man and voluntarily died for our sins.  MY sins. 

At the cross Jesus took God’s wrath that I may know His love

He did it so I could have a relationship with Him and be FREE.

Without Jesus, I would be fighting a losing battle with myself.

Christ within me gives me victory over my own sinful human nature.

          If the Son sets you free,  you will be free indeed

Is there anything more important than this relationship with my Creator?

This past year the world has been laser focused on health and safety.

Is my safety more important?

Is my health more important?

NO – The only thing I truly want to be safe from is the wrath of God

The ONLY safe place is in the LOVE OF CHRIST