Toilet Bowl Water

My cat likes to drink from the toilet bowl. I don't know why. I've never quite understood it. It's not that we don't give her fresh water to drink. In fact, there are days when she follows me into the laundry room and watches me fill her bowl with fresh water, and then goes to the bathroom and begs me to open the toilet lid – and then fusses at me when I don't.

It all makes me want to look at her and say, “Don't you get it?!” I mean, come on – toilet water? Water bowl water is clean and good. It's got to taste better, doesn't it? At the very least, it's healthier even if it doesn't taste as good. It just doesn't make any sense!

I never would do such a thing. No, never. I always prefer the things that are best for me.

After all, I always choose a handful of healthy raw carrots over a stack of greasy potato chips when I'm in a snacky mood, right?

I always choose a hard, fast walk over curling up on the couch in front of a funny tv show, right?

I always choose to do things God's way instead of the world's, right?

Ouch.

I wonder how many times the Lord looks at me and asks why I'm drinking out of the toilet of this world when He offers the living water of heaven. I know I do it many, many, many times. He has such good things for me, but I am so convinced that I am giving up something so good if I choose His way instead of the world's. He, on the other hand, sees how absolutely nasty the things of this world are for me.

It doesn't take much for me to provide a clean bowl of water to my cat. But, God, the Almighty Creator of the universe went to great lengths to make the things of heaven accessible to me. He gave up His only Son to die a horrible death and take upon Himself all of the nastiness of this world. Somehow – I wonder if even in heaven I will grasp how – that sacrifice freed me from having to settle for the nastiness and bestowed upon me the privilege of being heir to everything that rightfully belonged to His Son.

And yet on a daily basis I reject it for the toilet bowl of this earth. When will I learn?

Oh that starting this day, this hour, this very moment I would begin to crave the things of God increasingly more than I crave the things of this earth. Oh that I would thirst for heavenly water instead of this toilet bowl.

What We Know

As I think through what I want to say in this post, it all seems so familiar. Maybe an earlier thought, maybe a challenge. Some days it's hard to know what I've already written about. I suppose that's a challenge for someone who loves to write on a regular basis! But, one thing I'm realizing is that even if I've already written about or processed through a topic, it never hurts to review it. And that, in fact, goes hand in hand with the thought I want to share today.

Recently I read again the familiar story of Cornelius. Found in Acts 10, this is the story of Peter's first real exposure to the conversion of Gentiles. So many awesome lessons are found in this whole chapter, in the experiences of both Cornelius and Peter. The first lesson that struck me is found in Acts 10:1-8, which is the introduction to Cornelius himself.

Cornelius loved the Jews. He loved their ways. He gave generously to them. But, even more importantly, he loved their God. He prayed to their God and sought to serve Him in the best way he knew. Based on all that happens throughout this chapter, it's easy to see that his heart was truly in the right place. He really wanted to be a follower of the one true God, and he followed to the best of his ability all that he knew up to that point.

And that's what got me – he was obedient to all he knew. And Acts 10:4 tells us that God was pleased with Cornelius' faithfulness. And then God showed him more.

We don't have to know it all to be pleasing to God. But, we do have to be obedient to what we know. And, as we are obedient to what we know, He takes us further and shows us more. He always provides a way to learn!

Which leaves me to this thought...if there is ever a time when I am not being instructed to go forward, maybe it's time to stop and evaluate. Am I being fully obedient to what the Lord has shown me? Am I following in all I know thus far? Am I being faithful with what He has entrusted to me?

God was so faithful to supply all that Cornelius needed to grow and to be a true God-follower. He will do the same for me as I follow in obedience. Oh, how I look forward to growing!

Tea with Hezollah by Ted Dekker & Carl Medearis

After taking over a month off from book reviews, I am finally back in the saddle.  My first review of the year was Tea with Hezbollah by Ted Dekker and Carl Medearis.

Tea with Hezbollah is the account of Dekker and Medearis' journey through the Middle East to explore the significance of Jesus' teaching regarding loving our enemies.  Their goal was to discover what the people Americans considered to be their greatest enemies think of Jesus' commandment to love our neighbors, as represented by the story of the Good Samaritan.

It seems an incredible journey, meeting with princes in Saudi Arabia, brothers of Osama bin Laden, representatives and leaders of Hezbollah and even Hamas, among others.  The idea of two Westerners, regardless of background or status, gaining an audience with such prominent members of Middle Eastern culture seems impossible.  Yet these two men accomplished the impossible and lived to tell quite the tale.

One thing I love about this book is that it communicates a few very important cultural tidbits about Arabs in general.  First of all, the hospitality.  Arabs are incredibly hospitable people.  Although it seems far-fetched to think that Americans could go in and sit down with those we consider to be at the forefront of terrorist activities, on an individual basis it makes perfect sense.  Sitting down to visit over tea is a favorite past-time in the Middle East, regardless of nationality.  In fact, my parents have sat down to tea or a friendly meal one day with someone who the day before had taken them to court! It is all "okay" and we can be friends right now even if we must stand as enemies tomorrow.  This is the Arab way, and although it may seem illogical to our western mindset, it is the epitome of hospitality to them.

Which leads to the second tidbit - mentally we as Americans process information very differently from Arabs.  As Dekker and Medearis progress through the interviews recorded in Tea with Hezbollah, they consistently ask for a favorite joke.  The interviewees share their jokes, causing all Arabs in the room to laugh uproariously - except for the authors themselves.  This shows more clearly than anything else, in my opinion, the difference in mindsets between Arabs and Americans.  We think differently.  We process differently.  And this plays a huge part not only in the individual differences between representatives of each culture, but also in the political incompatibilities.  I applaud the inclusion of such a question in the interviews!

Despite the fascinating story of this book, I had several issues with Tea with Hezbollah.  The story itself was very compelling.  It was a riveting read, from the historical tidbits to the personal interviews, from the harrowing tales of Medearis' past experiences in the Middle East to their current journey through dangerous territory.  From a literary perspective, this was a fascinating book.  But, I struggled with several perspectives as I read this book. 

First, Dekker and Medearis adopt a very loose view of Scripture.  In Matthew 22:34-40, Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment is.  He responds that the greatest is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind and that the second greatest is to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Then in Luke 10:24-37, we find the parable of the Good Samaritan based on these same two commandments.  Somehow Dekker and Medearis manage to wrest from these two passages that loving our enemies was Jesus' greatest commandment, and this is the basis for many of their interviews throughout the book. While I don't have a problem with asking Muslim leaders what they think about the parable of the Good Samaritan (and was quite interested in their responses), I do have a problem with misrepresenting the Word of God in such a way.

Secondly, I was a bit frustrated with Dekker's generalization of Christians.  I must qualify this by saying that I do understand the Middle Eastern view of the label "Christian."  In Jordan, for example, when a child is born, his religion is put on his birth certificate.  He is either Christian or Muslim, based on the religion of his family.  Of the "Christians" in the country, however, only a small percentage of them are truly believers in Jesus Christ, just as there are Muslims who do not consider themselves to be religious. Thanks to this religious grouping, many who are called Christian have no comprehension of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Many of the atrocities seen in the Middle East are actually the actions of "Christian" political groups.
  .Having explained this, it is easy to understand why there is a warped view of the label "Christian" in the Middle East.  Dekker, however, extended this to an overall generalization of Christians worldwide.  The greatest frustration with this generalization is not Dekker's attitude as much as the fact that throughout the book he was critical of the West's generalization of the Middle East and vice versa.  If we as individual Americans need to be willing to recognize the humanity and personality of individual Arab Muslims, and vice versa, then can the same courtesy not be offered to individual Christians?  There are Christians around the world - including the Middle East - who still do justice to the label "little Christ," but apart from one individual act of love, very little credit is given to those believers who truly give their all in the name of Jesus Christ.  Most credit is given to those who devote themselves to humanitarian causes, regardless of their religion.

It appeared to me that Medearis and Dekker desired to try to compel Americans as a whole to love Arab Muslims as a whole by reporting what those we consider to be our enemies think of the Good Samaritan.  The truth, however, is that loving our enemies is not a national or political act.  It is an individual act.  We as individual believers are expected to love our enemies, and even in recent months there have been numerous public examples of this love.  Having spent a decade of my growing-up years in the Middle East, I have seen my own parents show love and extend grace to those who have attempted to hurt them in one way or another.  I see the same thing from believers on an individual basis around world, regardless of cultural division.  This is how it is to be done - one on one, from Christ's followers to the world. 

My bottom-line review of this book would be that it is, indeed, a fascinating read and a riveting tale when read as the journey of two men through "enemy" territory. 

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. If you are interested in reviewing books for WaterBrook Multnomah, click here for more information.  To buy this book, click here.

The Right Hero

I've long been fascinated by a man named Gamaliel.

The Bible doesn't tell us much about Gamaliel, other than that he was Paul's teacher and that he stood up for the apostles when they were brought before the Council. Despite the scarcity of Scriptural reference to Gamaliel, we can discern a great deal about his character and wisdom from Acts 5:33-42. Go ahead – hold your mouse over the reference and read the story. I'll wait.

Isn't that powerful? This prominent Pharisee spoke a great truth that actually granted the apostles freedom to go preach some more. Yes, they were told not to, but they did it anyway. And, eventually it did cost most of them their lives. But, not this time. And it was all thanks to the wisdom of a man named Gamaliel. Or was it?

Reading this passage makes me want to hold Gamaliel up as a great man – a hero of the faith in the cause of the early church. The truth, though, is that there is no conclusive evidence one way or the other to show that he ever embraced Christianity. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. Jews and Christians alike have their traditions regarding his faith, but no one has solid proof.

But, when it's all said and done, does it really matter? Is Gamaliel really the one we need to hold up in this situation? Or, could it be that we need to see Someone else's hand in the matter and give Him the glory?

Whether Gamaliel accepted the truth he defended in this situation or not, his wisdom was not truly what accomplished the freedom of the apostles. It was God's action through Gamaliel that accomplished this miracle. He still had more work for the apostles to do, and it was not His plan that the disciples face martyrdom quite yet. He just used Gamaliel to see His will fulfilled.

In this day and age, God still uses many people and circumstances to accomplish His purposes. As we observe His work, we need to be careful to give glory to the right Hero. Speak of God's accomplishments, not of the person's greatness.

Just like Gamaliel, our modern-day “heroes” are just tools. The real force is God Himself. That is where the glory belongs.

Mama's Boy

Some of you may have noticed something – both those of you who know us personally and those of you who have frequented this blog and our family blog. My son is a mama's boy. Big time.

Now that he's getting older (three and a half, at this point) we are, in many ways, fully immersed in the process of teaching him that other people can do things for him as well. At least he's progressed to the point where other people are acceptable, especially for social interaction. But, when there is a need, it's “I want Mommy” all the way.

As his mom, I can't do it all. I need help. I can't always be the one to dress him, cuddle him when he gets hurt, push his chair up to the table, or get his snack. Sometimes Daddy, or even big sisters, need to help with that. Although it's rare, sometimes Mommy needs to be gone, and my silly boy needs to be able to deal with other people meeting his needs.

From a human perspective, a mama's boy needs to be properly trained to be open to other people's involvement in his life. Not to remove the bond, mind you – I don't ever want to lose the love. But, he needs to learn to rely on and have solid relationships with others.

From a spiritual perspective, though, I think there might be a lot we can learn from mama's boys (and daddy's girls).

You see, when I look at this sweet boy and his complete reliance on me, I see a little bit of the relationship I should have with my heavenly Father. There are a lot of things and people my son likes to have around him for comfort and fellowship. He loves the days when his daddy's home. He can't stand to be separated from his beloved sisters. He wants his stuffed puppy and his little silkies. And, he always seems to have a pile of cars wherever he goes. Those are his little comforts and delights.

But, when it comes to needing love, the deepest levels of comfort, or a supply of needs, none of those other things or people work. On all levels, he has a need for Mommy.

What if I were to have that relationship with my heavenly Father? He has created me to need earthly relationships. That is obvious from the very beginning of His Word and is reinforced throughout. He has created me to crave those little comforts and delights. But my true and constant need should be for Him. For His continual presence near me. When I am lonely, I should go straight to Him before anyone else. When I need comfort, I should desire His. When I have need, who else can provide better?

I should want no other more than I long for Him. I should be a Daddy's girl to the extreme.

So, while I am going to be teaching Steven that there are other people who can help take care of him, I hope to teach him that, above all, he should be a Daddy's boy with more reliance on his heavenly Father than on anyone in this world, myself included.

All About Him

Acts 4:24-30 records a prayer prayed after Peter and John had been arrested, threatened, and then released. When I read this passage, I was in a stretch of life when God was really expanding my heart and mind's exposure to information about the persecuted church around the world. I have long been familiar with tales from the persecuted church, but it seemed as if I was hearing more and more about it – and still am.

Reading this passage forced me to stop and think yet again – how would I respond?

In this prayer, the believers are coming together and are lifting up their hearts, pleading to the Lord to glorify Himself through the persecution. But, what I find interesting is that they did not claim the persecution as being against themselves. They recognized that the persecution was against the Lord Jesus Christ, not the church.

Would I respond that way? Or would I respond by complaining at how horribly Iwas being treated?

The truth is that it's not about me. It's about the Lord. It's about the expansion of His kingdom. It's about the attack against Him.

I have never truly felt persecution. Some days I think that persecution would do us as a church much good, waking us up to the depths of serving the Lord. Whether it comes or not, every day we go through things in life that we feel are attacks against us and against our rights and freedom. My prayer is that I will begin, even with things as trivial as those, to grow to a point that realize nothing is an attack against me – it is an attack against Christ. May I no longer wallow in self-pity but instead be thankful that I am counted worthy of suffering for His sake and pour my whole being into turning making sure all I experience gives glory where it is due – to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Plan

There are several verses in Proverbs – Prov 16:9 being forefront in my mind at this moment – that deal with the idea of man making plans, but God being the One who truly puts everything into motion.

I generally consider myself to be in tune with this concept. After all, God's will is the best, whether it goes along with my plans or not! Besides, if I'm truly in tune with God, I'll make my plans according to His will anyway, right? So, that means things will typically go according to the plans I've laid out because I've laid them out with His guidance. I can live with that!

The problem is that even when we plan in accordance with His guidance, sometimes He still has things in store for us that don't line up with our well-laid plan. He doesn't always let us know what is coming and let us plan accordingly. Sometimes he wants to remind us that He's still in control, even when things don't go as we expect them to. And, to be honest, I don't always respond well to those situations.

Interestingly enough, it was not any circumstance of my own that got me thinking about this. It was, instead, a phone call.

The phone call came in the wee hours of the morning this morning – 12:05 to be exact. It was my mother saying she and my father were making the one hour drive from their house to the hospital where my brother and sister-in-law were also heading in preparation of welcoming their firstborn into the world.

Now, to truly understand the connection, let's back up a few days to last Saturday. We were all sitting around my parents' living room on Saturday afternoon just visiting. My parents had just arrived in the country the day before, taking some vacation time from the mission field to make sure to be here for the arrival of their newest grandchild. That, combined with the fact that the baby's due date was only two and a half weeks away, insisted that the conversation delightfully revolve around the baby's impending arrival.

As this is my brother and sister-in-law's first child, we were giving them little tips on what to expect. And as all good expectant parents, they had a plan. A good plan.

Then came the early morning phone call with the news that the baby had decided to make her appearance two weeks early without choosing first to turn and come out head first. Preparations were consequently being made for a c-section. And with that one hitch the plan was out the window.

As I lay awake after the phone call, I wondered how I would have responded. To be honest, I didn't have to wonder. I knew. I would have fussed, whined, cried, pouted, and generally been irritated with the whole situation. “This wasn't the plan! This wasn't what I wanted! I didn't even have time to mentally prepare for this!” Never mind the healthy baby – what about my plan!!

I have no idea what went through my sister-in-law's mind as she faced this unexpected hitch in her plan. All I know is that she and my brother welcomed a beautiful – and healthy – baby girl into the world a little over an hour after that first phone call. The path was not what they'd planned, but the results were everything they'd hoped for.

Sometimes things don't go according to my well-laid plan. But, they never go contrary to God's plan. He is never surprised, and nothing is ever out of His control. And the next time my plans go awry, I pray that I will remember this very truth and faithfully accept what God has in store. The results might not be a precious baby girl, but they will be just as beautiful because they are given directly from the hand of God!