Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. – John 19:31, 33

Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. – Mark 15:43-45

I heard it stated recently that the central doctrine of Christianity, the Resurrection, consists of three things we must believe: 1. that Jesus was alive, 2, that He died, and 3. that He was alive again.

Nearly every historian, Christian and non-Christian, believes that Jesus of Nazareth was a real historical figure. That He lived on earth at one point is rarely contested.

There are some who contend that Jesus did not die, He merely fainted (“swooned”) and regained consciousness later after being buried in a tomb for days. But for the most part, His death on a Roman cross is accepted by nearly every historian. This is the part of His life that we commemorate today, the poignant and most painful chapter of the story. And yet there is a note of triumph, as we see an ancient prophecy fulfilled “between the lines,” so to speak …

Having studied the Bible for over half a century, you’d think I would have picked up every bit of interesting trivia related to its contents, but far from it. Scripture is a bottomless well of information, some of which may seem trivial on the surface, but which upon further examination becomes a profound revelation (or confirmation) of the God behind it.

Case in point: my latest vocabulary word: lividity.

My apologies to the radio preacher who was speaking on this yesterday, as I don’t remember who you were, only that I was having a “senior moment” and was on the road earlier than I should have been. Providentially, I heard your message. (It’s embarrassing how many of my testimonies start out with a physical or mental blunder on my part.)

So, since I can’t quote the preacher, I will quote merriam-webster.com:

li·​vid·​i·​ty li-ˈvi-də-tē  specifically : reddish- to bluish-purple discoloration of the skin due to the settling and pooling of blood following death

Since at death the heart stops pumping, it makes sense that the blood in the body will pool at the lowest point. (Even this theater major understands the laws of gravity.) With this knowledge, one examining a dead body can determine not only how long the person has been dead but also the position of the body at death. If the person was shot or stabbed and knocked over, the lividity would occur at the back, front, or side, depending on how the body was lying.

Jesus, having been crucified, died in an upright position. In the time between His death and His body being taken down from the cross, the blood would have settled in His feet. So, those who removed Jesus from the cross would have found His feet to be in a state of lividity – or, as we non-medical people would call it, severely bruised.

Does that ring a bell?

To see the pertinent prophecy that was fulfilled that first Good Friday, we must go back to the very beginning, the book of Genesis. Man (and Woman) had barely been in the Garden for two chapters before the trouble started that led to the Fall that has cursed the earth and its inhabitants ever since. Given any tree they wanted to eat from except one, Adam and Eve, enticed by the devil in the form of a serpent, chose to disobey God and eat from that one forbidden tree. In Genesis 3 the Lord predicted that from then on, the woman’s pain would be multiplied in childbirth, and that the man would be subjected to “painful toil.” But before doing this, He pronounced a curse on the serpent (Satan) and prophesied his ultimate demise:

“I will put enmity between you and the woman,
    and between your seed and her seed;
he shall crush your head,
    and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

Thousands of years later, the body of Jesus (the “seed of the woman” – that is, born of a woman without an earthly father) hung on a cross, having given His life for our forgiveness and salvation …

His feet badly bruised.

But while Jesus’ heels were bruised, Satan’s head was crushed. As sad as the story is on Good Friday, we can also proclaim victory over our enemy, who set out from the beginning in the Garden of Eden to destroy us. He has not succeeded. The penalty was paid for our sin, and as Jesus declared with His last breath:

“It is finished.”

Our enemy is defeated, his head crushed by our Savior’s bruised heel.

HALLELUIA!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we can never thank You enough for the price You paid for our salvation. We have nothing to give You but our flawed and sinful lives, and yet this is what You ask of us. We give ourselves to You gladly and ask only that You make us into the people You want us to be, who will glorify You with every breath, in Your name. Amen.

Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. – Psalm 34:3

As some of you know, for a number of years now I have wanted to get a group together from our church to go to the St, Patrick’s Parade to share the gospel with some of the 10,000 attendees in a fun but clear way. Always the teacher, I had created a four-question quiz to challenge people, complete with multiple choices for answers, some that sounded right, some creative, and some weird enough they just might be right. (https://seekingdivineperspective.com/2020/03/17/who-knew/ ) I had tried it out on individuals in the waiting rooms at the doctor’s office and car repair shop and was convinced the parade goers might like it. I had seen them turned off by the man on the corner screaming at them about their sins. But maybe a game would be more in tune with the festivities and connect with more people while still getting the message across in the end.

Over the years I had gone alone, been rained out, seen Covid postpone and cancel the parade, and had volunteers cancel on me.

Last year my sweet granddaughter Charlotte joined me, along with one friend who wasn’t feeling well that day, but to her credit, she came anyway, because she had told me she would. She stood with us, presumably praying, while Charlotte and I took turns asking the questions, reading the multiple-choice answers, and giving the correct answers after our contestants gave it their best shots.

I almost stopped trying this year, but in the end, I decided to give it one last shot. I sent out an email to my church and made an announcement at the evening prayer meeting. To my surprise, I had about ten people express interest in coming. By the time work schedules and unexpected out-of-town company subtracted a few and a couple of people decided to join us at the last-minute, parade day found seven of us meeting at the church for prayer before heading over. Charlotte, my trusty granddaughter, had come again ( ❤ ). I was thrilled that the deacon of local outreach was not only supportive but was coming with us. There was a young man I had seen at the adult Sunday school class but had never gotten to know, two young ladies I also didn’t yet know, and one of my friends from China, willing to give an American outreach at an Irish parade a shot. (I admire her sense of adventure.)

After prayer and distributing materials, we headed toward the parade route about an hour before starting time, because I remembered parking had been a problem last year. But there was a much better reason to go early, and I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.

Knowing many come early to “get a good seat,” and knowing they’re just hanging out waiting for the parade to start, this seemed the ideal time to approach them with something fun to do while they were waiting.

Sure enough, our little “contest” was met with enthusiastic participants and good-natured competition. While the two male members of our group headed off to cover more ground, the “girls” stayed together for a while, holding up the signs with the questions, making “buzzer” sounds with the incorrect answers, “high-fiving” the correct answers, congratulating the most knowledgeable (or best guessers), and offering our little booklets as “souvenirs” so they could go out and quiz their friends, co-workers, family members, etc.

At one point we passed a group of Hispanic people, and I was delightfully surprised to hear one of our young ladies speak to them in Spanish. Their faces lit up as she explained the quiz to them, and the rest of us backed off to let her take over. But then they let us know it was OK, they understood English, too. They took the quiz in English, so we could all enjoy that encounter.

After that I was on the lookout for people my Chinese friend might talk to, as well.

Once the parade started, the girls went inside to talk to people who were having refreshments, since it seemed rude to interrupt people as they were watching the parade. We spread out a bit and had some enjoyable exchanges with people sitting informally around tables. When we got to the question about the shamrock, what Patrick used to explain the Trinity, different members of the group used their own words and styles to convey the message of the gospel. To my delight, two of the girls spontaneously gave their testimonies. When we offered the booklets to the participants, I began pointing out that we had printed them out and were offering them, and all they had to do was accept them. As for salvation, Jesus did the work, He made the sacrifice to pay for our sins, and He’s offering us eternal life. We only have to respond.

We don’t have to earn it. It’s a gift.

Meanwhile, the men were far down the street, having encounters of their own. These included a long talk with a couple who had had a bad experience with church in the past, but who were considering accepting their invitation to join us some Sunday. I’m praying they’ll come and find the love and joy and truth the rest of us have found.

Only eternity will tell us what resulted from our time “planting seeds,” and that’s fine with me. As I wrote in another post recently, I don’t need to keep score. God knows it all, and He’s the One doing it all, anyway.

But I am looking forward to doing the outreach again. Maybe next year we’ll come two hours before parade time.

And maybe I’ll try to get the booklets printed professionally before the parade, instead of copying, printing, cutting, and stapling all week…

Prayer: Lord, thank You for the miracle you did in the life of Your servant Patrick, and for giving us the privilege of serving You, too, by telling his story – and our own. Help us always to be Your witnesses, whatever the occasion. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. – James 1:2-4

I have a young acquaintance who tells me she has seen the Lord show Himself to her in the past with all kinds of signs and proofs. Whether these were physical, emotional, or both, I don’t know. She recently expressed discouragement that lately she hadn’t seen God “come through” for her the way He has in the past, and she occasionally succumbs to the feeling that He no longer keeps His promises, that He has abandoned her … etc.

I understand the feeling. But it’s just that – a feeling.

God can and does manifest Himself in those wonderful emotional “highs,” especially when we’re young and those feelings mean so much to our perception of reality. As “baby Christians” we need the encouragement, and those moments help reinforce our budding faith.

But the enemy of our souls can use those feelings, too. He’ll use the highs to tempt us to rely on a “feel-good gospel,” which is really a false gospel. Or, when the low points come, he’ll try to use them to get us to believe God no longer cares, has forgotten about us, or is powerless to help.

When that happens, it’s time to grow up. Are we going to live according to our emotions, or according to the truth? I would suggest that the Truth is much more reliable than our feelings. (I speak from experience.)

My response to this young lady (and a reminder to myself) went something like this:

” ‘Seems’ is the key word here. Things are NOT what they seem – God has not abandoned you! He is very much involved, but you are growing, and He wants to make you stronger.

There’s a reason we are told not to ‘help’ a chick hatch or a butterfly to come out of its cocoon. We see the creature struggling, and we’re tempted to give it a little aid. But if we do, once the chick is hatched or the butterfly is out, it will be too weak to survive. They need the struggle, and so do we. You are entering a new chapter in your spiritual growth, and you will need stronger faith that (by definition) trusts God even when we can’t ‘see’ Him.”

We trust, not because we see His hand, but because we know Who He is, how He has come through for us in the past, and that He can be trusted now. Meanwhile, we should not shrink from the task at hand. God’s purposes are worth waiting and working for.

Such is true with individuals. My fellow blogger, Lisa V., recently applied the same principle to nations in a sobering post:

The camels are on the horizons……………………….

Certainly something for the younger generation to think about.

There is truth here, that is really a prediction about our future.

The founder of Dubai, Sheik Rashid, was asked about the future of his country, and he replied, “My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I ride a Mercedes, my son rides a Land Rover, and my grandson is going to ride a Land Rover…but my great-grandson is going to have to ride a camel again.

Why is that, he was asked?

And his reply was, “Hard times create strong men, strong men create easy times. Easy times create weak men, weak men create difficult times. Many will not understand it, but you have to raise warriors, not parasites and pansies.”

And add to that the historical reality that all great empires…the Persians, the Trojans, the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, and in later years, the British…all rose and perished within 240 years.

They were not conquered by external enemies; they rotted from within. America has now passed that 240 year mark, and the rot is starting to be visible and is accelerating. We are past the Mercedes and Land Rover Years … the camels are on the horizon.

The greatest generation consisted of 18 year old kids storming the beaches at Normandy. And now, two generations later, some 18-year-old kids want to hide in safe rooms when they hear words that hurt their feelings. They also want free stuff from the government because they think they are entitled to it.

The “camels are on the horizon” for sure. Something to ponder.

History has a way of repeating itself.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, forgive us for the times we have valued pleasure, comfort, and ease more than You. Save us from cowardice, selfishness, and laziness. Help us focus our minds and hearts on Your faithfulness to us. Make us sensitive to Your voice, and as we resolve to obey You, give us the courage and strength to follow through. As a nation, raise us up to be righteous warriors, leaving a legacy of faith to future generations. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. But our citizenship is in heaven. – Philippians 3:19-20a

Two weeks ago, my husband and I decided, rather spontaneously, to join our daughter and her family on a four-day cruise to the Bahamas. We had been invited to join them some time ago, but my very practical husband was wrestling with what was involved in actually getting to the boat. (That perspective would prove painfully insightful by the end of the journey.)

I’ll skip the long, frustrating, boring part about all the hoops we had to jump through to get to the port in Fort Lauderdale, where we finally boarded the ship, and the fun part of the adventure began.

To say it was a large ship would be a serious understatement. There were over four thousand guests on board and more employees than guests – about ten thousand people on board all together – a floating city.

And what a city! As we set sail, the main pool deck was teeming with people, packed like spectators at a sports arena, drinking their beverages, hollering their jubilation, and dancing to the loud music. As a group of them started line-dancing like pros, reminiscent of a flash mob, I wondered what four straight days of this was going to be like, and Marty muttered something about “too many people.” But I doubted any of them were going to jump overboard, and it was too late to change our minds now.

Though things did settle down somewhat, there were always people everywhere. The ship had virtually every kind of entertainment and recreation one could imagine, including but not limited to: restaurants, bars, stores, pools, water slides, mini golf, basketball, boogieboarding, surfing, silent disco, karaoke, art exhibit, kids’ party, casino, and even an ice rink.

With all those people, it astounded me that the staff knew our names from day one. Our room attendant, a friendly, creative man from India, greeted us by name in the hallway, even if we weren’t close to our room. He left towels in our room cleverly fashioned into the shape of a different animal every day. Our waiter and bus boy knew the names of every family member around the table – eight in all – and little things about us. He would point out the sugar-free desserts to me and ask our nine-year-old grandson if he wanted the usual cheeseburger and fries. He would bring him fresh raw veggies to balance out his meal but then unbalance it by giving him extra cookies with his ice cream.

The gourmet food was exquisite – even the sugar-free and/or gluten-free desserts, made by master chefs from all over the world. I’ve heard that one can go on a cruise and eat virtually non-stop, and we did see many people carrying plates of the “free” food, presumably back to their rooms for a midnight “snack” later. To counteract the risk of overindulgence and not fitting into any of our clothes by the end of the trip, Marty and I took the stairs instead of the elevators whenever possible. Since the kids’ rooms were on Deck 2 in the middle of the ship, and ours was on Deck 9 in the bow, getting from their room to ours took a bit of a walk and a climb of 112 steps. (Yes, I’ve recovered from my hip replacement – Yay God!)

For four days we experienced being treated like royalty, being able to indulge in pretty much anything we wanted to do or have or watch or eat or drink. I’m guessing many of the passengers had saved up for months, maybe years, to go on this cruise. And there were moments when I wondered how they would feel at the end of the trip.

Would they feel satisfied? Would they continue to believe four days on this floating carnival was the pinnacle of life and start saving up for the next cruise? Did any of them stay too long in the casino and lose everything? Did anyone’s perspective on life change as a result of this experience? Mine did … sort of.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, I have always known that heaven holds more for us than this world could ever offer. But, not ever having seen heaven, I need to keep reminding myself, because what the world offers is a lot more tangible. More than once I thought of Solomon, how he indulged in the wealth of the world without restraint, “because he could,” and how depressed he became in the end. (He wrote about it in the book of Ecclesiastes.)

To be clear, I did enjoy the cruise. I loved being with family, and I’ll admit I enjoyed the great food (and not cooking!), diverse entertainment, and playing with my grandchildren in venues not always available to us. But I never got the feeling, “This is IT!” That experience was yet to come …

A few days later, I was back in my home church, standing with several hundred other believers. We were worshiping our God, singing our hearts out in four-part harmony and feeling His presence with every note. When I closed my eyes, it was easy to imagine we were in His Throne room. That fifteen-minute glimpse of eternity beat all the pampering, entertainment, and amusements of the past week. It was more real, more personal, more lasting, more deeply satisfying. It wasn’t heaven, it was just a taste. But if a brief taste of heaven could outshine the world’s treasures, how much more incredibly wonderful will it be when we all finally come home?

I hope and pray that each and every person reading this will be there on that day.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for turning Your back on the treasures of this world that are rightfully Yours, to make eternal life available to us. Thank You for dying and paying for our sins so we can be forgiven and join You in heaven forever. Help us to be mindful of that glorious future, as the world clamors for our attention today. In Your name, amen.

This was one of my first blog posts back in 2018, and since most of my followers were not among the dozen or so original followers, ;) I thought I’d share it again. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Then the angel said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited

to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’”   Revelation 19:9

Well, it’s official: White Castle is taking reservations for Valentine’s Day.

I did a double-take as I passed the billboard, trying to imagine who would consider a meal at that establishment a romantic thing to do on Valentine’s Day. With all due respect to those who love and crave “sliders,” frankly the two thoughts “White Castle” and “romance” had never crossed my mind at the same time.

What do you picture when you think of a romantic dinner – white  linen tablecloth? Candlelight? Crystal, silver, and fine china? Soft music? I had to laugh, thinking of a couple sitting in hard plastic chairs, eating fries, and the girl trying hard to pretend she thought this was remotely elegant. (Am I just showing my age here?)

But then I thought of God’s perspective. (I was on my way to church, after all.) Jesus told us that our eyes haven’t seen, our ears haven’t heard, nor could we even imagine what He had prepared for those who love Him. (I Corinthians 2:9) That means, compared with the feast that awaits us in heaven, that candlelight dinner with all the luxuries attached is more like digging in a dumpster. And yet that “high-class” type of lifestyle is what so many people run after all their lives.

I’ve been there. I was raised in a country club culture from the time I was much too young to understand or appreciate what I was being given on a daily basis. And yet my first taste of what it was like to be a child of God – forgiven, saved, filled with His Spirit – awakened in me such a craving for more that I knew no private club, no amount of possessions or membership in a worldly “inner circle” could satisfy.

So, while I smirk and roll my eyes at the thought of a Valentine’s Day dinner at White Castle, I should be equally amused – or grieved – that so much of the world is “settling,” having no idea that “Better is one day in your [God’s] courts than a thousand elsewhere.” (Psalm 84:10)

Prayer: Jesus, our Beloved, our heavenly Bridegroom, help us to have our eyes and hearts fixed on You. Help us not to be distracted by the glitter of worldly things that will fade and decay, when You have promised so much more to those who love You. Let us live in eager anticipation of that day we are are joined with You forever, and the Wedding Feast has begun. In Your precious Name, Amen.

When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. Acts 9:26

So, for the past few weeks, I have been recovering from hip replacement surgery. (I know, thousands of people have had this procedure. But millions of women have gone through childbirth, too. That doesn’t mean it’s not a big deal to the one it’s happening to.)

Having had a relatively easy life so far, I found the first few days to be an eye-opening experience. The literature about what the surgery entailed was disturbing, but the fact that it is such a common operation, led me to expect … well, I’m not sure what I was expecting.

From the first moments of consciousness after the surgery, I was given a walker and encouraged (ordered) to walk. That’s right, folks. Having had a section of one femur cut off, I was to put my weight on what was left and walk on it! I’ve never broken a leg, but I’m pretty sure walking on it is not the usual recommended course of treatment. But I was told I should continue to get up and walk around for 3 minutes at least every couple of hours.

Sometime during the second day, the anesthesia started wearing off in a bit of an O-my-GOSH! moment. Pain meds, I had been told, were for pain management, not “pain elimination.” So, pain became a constant companion at one level or another. Opioids were a blessing those first few days, but they weren’t for long-term use, and getting weaned off them as soon as possible without doing if too soon was a balancing act.

When getting up in the middle of the night that first week, I sometimes found myself shaking uncontrollably, my teeth chattering, even though I didn’t feel particularly cold. My physical therapist explained it as a sign that my body had been severely traumatized. (Gee, ya think?) It would seem the rest of my body was coming to terms with the fact that there was a large foreign object invading the system, and as imperfect as the old system was, we were not exactly welcoming the invader with open arms.

On Day Two a physical therapist came to my house, a delightful woman who showed me exercises and stretches I needed to do several times a day in addition to the regular walking. Compliant to a fault, I’ve been doing these religiously and painstakingly – literally.

In the first couple of weeks, when I wasn’t doing the physical therapy, I was dealing with something else I’m not used to – being waited on. I have always been more comfortable being the one waiting on others. Now before you think I have some marvelous “servant’s heart,” I should tell you, it’s not any admirable selflessness on my part. It’s just that with my touch of ADHD, I’d much rather be moving and serving than just sitting, especially sitting waiting for someone else to do things for me.

So, with all this in mind, I continued the milder pain meds, napping a lot, trying to ditch my pride and self-sufficiency, praying for patience, and doing the therapy consistently 2-3 times a day. My body still complained, but not as loudly as it did at first. So, I pressed on, knowing in the long run this new hip will be an asset.

And I thought about the apostle Paul.

In the early days of the Church, believers (the Body of Christ) were experiencing extreme trauma – intense persecution from the religious establishment, notably Saul of Tarsus. He would routinely have believers in Jesus hunted down, arrested, and thrown in prison. So, it’s understandable that when word got around that Paul had become a zealous believer himself, the Body of Christ was very reluctant to accept him as “the new guy.” With his background as a Pharisee and one who had overseen the execution of the first martyr, Stephen, he didn’t seem to fit in, to say the least. Everywhere he preached the gospel, there were some who believed and others who opposed him, sometimes violently. Even within the Church there were those who had problems with him, and on more than one occasion Paul had to deal with painful divisions in the Body.

We believers in the 21st century have the advantage of hindsight. We know what the early Christians didn’t – that Saul of Tarsus, who became the apostle Paul, was one of the greatest leaders of the Church in the first century. His letters make up about one third of the New Testament, and millions have benefitted from them to this day.

So, although the Church of Jesus Christ might have had a hard time accepting and adjusting to Paul, in the long run he proved to be one of their greatest assets.

Is there something (or someone) in your life that has seemingly invaded your space, that you feel “doesn’t belong,” that is just a little too different from what you’ve become accustomed to? Have you taken the matter to the Lord? And has He revealed that, uncomfortable as you might be with this new development, it’s part of His plan for you? Is accommodating this new element of your life going to require a little extra work on your part – maybe painful work? We all have times like these, when we must make a choice: We can either complain and resist God’s plan, or we can believe that He knows what He’s doing infinitely better than we do. It’s likely that this new inconvenience (or invasion) could become something He uses in your life in a mighty way.

It could end up being the titanium in your hip. It could end up being the Paul in your church.

Prayer: Lord, You never cease to surprise me with the variety of things You bring my way to mold me and direct my life. Help me to be malleable, trusting, and eagerly anticipating the unfolding of Your plan, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. – I Peter 5:8-9

Recently social media and the news is all abuzz with the release of the infamous “list,” which presumably incriminates a slew of celebrities. The story appeals to the public’s more salacious side, as millions of consumers devour every new piece of information as it is leaked out a trickle at a time. What happened is beyond disturbing, but I find the public’s appetite for such news disturbing, as well.

Now that we know more than ever about the notorious J. E. and his activities, it’s easy to understand the system that made him so obscenely wealthy. His island appealed to the rich and famous, who went there to enjoy unbridled carnal pleasures, sadly at the expense of countless innocents, all the time thinking their activities would be kept confidential. After all, Jeffery was their buddy, he wouldn’t tell.

Then came the blackmail, which explains why those targeted were the rich and famous – the ones with both money and a reputation to protect. Having filmed every indiscretion, the man who owned the island was then in a position to blackmail everyone who participated, releasing an endless flow of money that ensured him (he thought) a cushy lifestyle for many years to come.

(Until it didn’t.)

The man is dead now. (There’s controversy about the circumstances surrounding his death, but there’s already been more than enough discussion of that topic.) But somewhere out there are pictures and videotapes of illicit activities that could still destroy many prominent individuals and their families.

Does this scenario ring a bell? It should, and before we start passing judgment on those whose sins are much better publicized than our own, let’s consider the strategy of Mr. Epstein, brought to you from the pit of hell.

The enemy of our souls, the devil, a.k.a. Satan, has been using this strategy since the beginning of Man’s existence. He disguises himself as a friend, telling lies and giving invitations that appeal to the flesh, designed to destroy us. The very first lie: “God doesn’t want you to have fun. He’s keeping something good from you.” With this lie he persuaded the first man and woman to disobey the Lord and eat the forbidden fruit, thinking it would be a wonderful thing. They realized too late that this advice was disastrous, and Man has lived in a fallen world ever since.

Satan is setting the same trap today, offering all kinds of goodies to enjoy, persuading his victims to live for the moment, and assuring them, “no one will know.” His temptations give no hint of consequences for the behavior he’s encouraging.

Then, when the consequences inevitably come, he turns from being your ”buddy” to your betrayer – from tempter to accuser. He points to your sin – the sin he persuaded you to commit and says “Shame on you!” hoping to separate you from God permanently.

So, are you on Satan’s list? Every one of us is on his list of targets, but we don’t have to be on his list of ruined lives. When tempted, instead of going along with the enemy-disguised-as-buddy, turn to Jesus. He is the One who gave His life for you, the One who died on the cross to pay for the sins that would otherwise condemn you to an eternity of darkness. Life with Him may not always be “fun,” as the world defines “fun,” but the joy that comes with a relationship with Jesus is something the world will never comprehend or have.

If you have already given in to the temptations, – and I’ll let you in on a secret, we all have at one level or another – your enemy will then try to convince you that you are now too bad for God to want you. He’ll tell you, “God’s not going to forgive you after that, so don’t even bother to ask.”

Don’t fall for the second lie! Instead of avoiding your heavenly Father, run to Him! Confess your sins, and He will forgive you and restore you to Himself. (I John 1:9)

The enemy’s strategy: 1.) tempt, 2.) accuse, 3.) alienate from God. He knows he is already condemned to everlasting torment, and he wants to take as many people down with him as he can. Don’t be one of them.

Prayer: Our loving Father, how many times have we fallen for the lies? And how many times have you forgiven us and restored us? Thank You for Your amazing patience with us, and for loving us too much to give up on us. Help us not to fall for the devil’s lies, and on those occasions when we do stumble, help us to come running back to You and not believe for a moment the second lie, that You don’t want us anymore. You wanted us enough to sacrifice Your own Son for us! May we never, ever take Him for granted. It’s in His name we pray, Amen.

For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest. – Leviticus 25:3-5

The Old Testament Law had not only a Sabbath day for God’s people to rest from their labor, but also a Sabbath year, for the land to “rest.” Fields were to be left fallow one out of every seven years.

As of this month, I have been blogging for six years.

In the spirit of this “sabbath” concept, I am planning to take a break from blogging in 2024. This may take the form of discontinuing my blog or, more likely, blogging a lot less, possibly just reposting pieces from years ago. I can respond to comments but won’t be reading and commenting on others. As great as so many of your blogs are, I can never read them all and leave comments (as if y’all couldn’t survive without my all-important opinions – >eye roll<). And trying to do so has kept me from several other writing projects that have been on the “back burner” far too long.

I have a book that is 99% complete and has been waiting to be edited and published since before Kovd. I also need to come up with a cover design.

I want to finish production of the audio version of my Awakening trilogy. Last year I was able to complete the first two books, COUNSELOR and VISION. The final book, SPARROWS, has yet to be recorded.

Another goal for 2024 is an expanded edition of BARRIERS (So, if prayers are so powerful, how come mine don’t get answered?) to include lessons I’ve learned since the first edition came out. (Most of the chapters to be added have already been published as blog posts, posts such as “Are You Praying to the Wrong Person?”* – definitely a “barrier”!). Years ago, I taught a Sunday school class with BARRIERS and still have the lesson plans, or study guide. And I know of at least two prison inmates and a pastor in India (!) who have led studies based on BARRIERS. In this new edition I plan to incorporate the study guide in the form of questions at the end of each chapter instead of as a separate booklet. Meanwhile, the Indian pastor has expressed an interest in having BARRIERS translated into one of the Indian languages – a language I’d never heard of but which I found out is spoken by over 48 million people! He has also invited me to come to India and help him teach. That prospect seems unlikely, but you never know. If God wants it …

My sister has suggested I publish a compilation of my blog posts as a devotional. I have also thought that I might rearrange key posts about my life to publish as a memoir. As for titles for these two projects, I haven’t yet come up with a better title than Seeking Divine Perspective, as that still pretty much says it all.

All these things are not going to get done if I continue to spend 2-4 hours a day blogging. Many days I have set aside an afternoon to “get down to business!” and as the emails pour in, I keep thinking, “I’ll read just one more…” (You guys are just too good!) And next thing I know, the afternoon is gone. Something as wide open as blogging, for someone as scatterbrained as yours truly, is practically asking for trouble!

If I get a good amount done in 2024, l might return to regular blogging. In the meantime, I’ll probably post my “perspective” occasionally when I’m particularly inspired. If you read and comment on these, I promise I will answer. So many of you have become what I consider good friends, even though I’ve met few of you face to face, and I’d hate to think of losing touch with you! I just don’t have the willpower to blog without setting boundaries for myself.

Bottom line: You’re probably not going to be seeing as much of me in 2024, at least not in the blogosphere, but as long as the Lord has work for me to do, I will (as we used to say in the 60’s) “write on!”

Prayer: Lord, thank You so much for the experiences of the past six years. I never would have imagined You would inspire me to write so many hundreds of messages, much less that so many people would find them interesting and inspiring. As always, I trust You to continue answering my prayers for “divine perspective.” – I’m living in the world but don’t want to see things as the world does. Thank You for my blogging friends. Please bless and guide them in their own journeys as we all strive to reach the world for You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

*https://seekingdivineperspective.com/2022/11/04/are-you-praying-to-the-wrong-person/

*https://seekingdivineperspective.com/2022/11/11/are-you-praying-to-the-wrong-person-part-ii-saints/

*https://seekingdivineperspective.com/2022/11/18/are-you-praying-to-the-wrong-person-part-iii-angels/

*https://seekingdivineperspective.com/2022/11/25/are-you-praying-to-the-wrong-person-part-iv-fallen-angels/

*https://seekingdivineperspective.com/2022/12/02/are-you-praying-to-the-wrong-person-part-v-wrong-jesus/

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. – Galatians 6:2

I had expected that as I recover from my surgery I would have more time for prayer, reading, and writing. But with physical therapy several times a day, keeping my feet up in a position that makes it very hard not to fall asleep (I’ve had more naps in the past week than in 2023, total.), and difficulty concentrating (possibly from medications?), I can barely focus long enough to pray the basics or count reps.

I’m so grateful for friends that pray for me when I can’t pray for myself, and that salvation is by God’s grace, not religious performance. I’m grateful for a church that always prays for one another, for whom prayer is not “the last resort,” it’s our lifeline.

This week I’m letting a relatively new member of the church share “divine perspective” with you, a story of answered prayer:

A little over one year ago, God answered your prayers and delivered me from utter hopelessness. 

I visited Honey Lake Clinic (which is a Christian mental health facility) as an alumni back in August.  I was blessed with the opportunity to sit with, listen to, encourage, and pray for patients who were there for a variety of reasons:  mental health struggles, trauma, substance abuse, etc.  While there, I was invited to participate in an exercise with a patient who needed a partner.  We were asked to reflect on our lives and to talk about a time when we felt the most joy / peace…

As I thought about it, I realized that I was “there” in that moment (and in this season of life).  As I write this right now, I have more joy / peace than ever before.  The Lord’s presence almost seems tangible at times.  He is answering prayers in ways that are far above  / beyond what I’ve prayed for.  It’s truly surreal and I’m eternally grateful.

So, why am I broadcasting this?  The reason is that I did not enter this season of life on a “winning streak” and I want to glorify God for what He is doing now in the “light” of this season and how He used the “darkness” of the previous season to bring me to this point.

That said, here’s an overview of the previous season.  From July of 2021 to October of 2022 (a total of 15 months), I experienced relentless “anxiety / depression” that often led to paralyzing suicidal ideations.  Further complicating things, there was no clear culprit for my struggles because my life was going well overall.  The “anxiety / depression” was completely disproportionate to my circumstances.  Here’s a brief highlight reel of that 15 months:

– I checked myself into mental health hospitals / treatment centers three different times for suicidal ideations.  I was inpatient for 40+ days (in all).

– With the help of highly respected psychiatrists, I responsibly tried 7 different antidepressant medications and various combinations of medications / supplements (in all).

– I spent 3 months in bed nearly 24 / 7.

– Although I had no desire to (and I never have) hurt myself, I begged God to take my life almost everyday because the pain / anguish was so intense.

Even with all of that and so much love, support, counseling, and prayers, nothing brought lasting relief.

Then, in October of 2022, the Lord delivered me from hell on earth.  It was the third week of October and I was going from bad to worse again.  I thought I was going to have to check myself into another mental health hospital just to be proactive / safe.  I was so exhausted physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  I had lost hope that medication would help me (even a little bit).  My lifelong struggle with shame was at its peak.  Although I didn’t want to hurt myself, I had no desire to live.

As I was considering what mental health facility I might go to next, I decided to send out a prayer request to my new church that I had joined a few months prior after moving from Dallas to Louisville for work.  I was / am a covenant member and covenant members are allowed to send emails that go to all of the other covenant members (+/- 800 people).  In desperation, I sent an email to the entire church with an overview of what I had been through during the previous 15 months (which was similar to what I’ve shared with y’all here).  Ultimately, I asked them to pray for me.  I didn’t know what else to do.

Within an hour of sending that email, the “anxiety / depression” was gone and I haven’t experienced it to any degree since then.  To be clear, nothing had changed circumstantially.  For reasons that are above me, the Lord decided that was the day that He was going to answer the prayers (both past and present) for my restoration.  After 15 months of suffering and so many attempts to find lasting relief and help, the Lord used a prayer request sent to my local church to lift me out of the valley of the shadow of death.

One year later, I’m writing this as I sit on a plane and I’m in even more awe of God’s grace and mercy.  Although I’d prefer to never experience anything like that previous season ever again lol, I can genuinely say that I wouldn’t change my story if I could.  God used it to increase my trust in Him.  He used it to increase my love for Him and others.  He used it to increase my compassion for others (especially those who have suffered in similar ways).  Ultimately, He brought me down to lift me up and the mess is now a message 🙏🏻

_______

If you’re still with me, I hope that you’re marveling at the grace of our incredible God.  No matter what you’re going through, please:

– Don’t stop crying out to God and asking others to cry out to Him on your behalf.

– Don’t forsake the spiritual disciplines.

– Don’t withdraw from the people of God.

– Don’t stop fighting.

– Don’t give up.

I love you church and I’m eternally grateful for y’all.

Prayer: Our gracious Shepherd, thank You for the gift of Your Church, the “Body of Christ.” Thank You for not requiring us to live the Christian life alone but allowing us – commanding us – to come together regularly to share our joys and struggles. If there are those who have wandered from the flock, thinking they can make it without the Church, please use this testimony to bring them back safely into the fold. In Jesus’ name, amen.