So, why was Paul so astonished (1:6) as to call his friends in Galatia foolish (3:1)? Not wasting words he jumped right in: you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all (1:6-7). He was adamant they understand the monumental personal transformation each had undergone, not by the law but by faith.
What a crazy year this has been. Like you I have floundered in the unknowns. But in the midst of sheltering-in-place like you, the redefined vision statement at GABC has rattled around in my brain: Transforming Lives with the Truth of Jesus. The downtime has been invaluable to chew on its singleness of purpose. Are we not, in today’s vernacular, looking at the great commission delivered by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20?
2020 has certainly thrown the world a curveball. Normalcy, where did you go? All you moms with kids at home, are you wondering what to do next? You working women, is virtual meeting all it was cracked up to be? I prune the azaleas in front of the house and neighbors from far and wide walk by. A man on a bike way-too-small pops a wheelie and impresses his son. Do you wish it would end, or are you loving the change of pace?
Easter came and went with a decidedly different flare this year. Granted, the online services were phenomenal and reached way more than even the usual Easter crowd. A sense of worship was in the air.
Esther is another example of a woman in crisis, albeit of a different kind. More precisely, all the Jews in the vast Medo-Persian kingdom ruled by Xerxes were in dire straits and Esther was the only one who had any hope of getting the ear of the king. You see, Haman held a grudge against Mordecai, Esther’s adopted caregiver, because he refused to bow down and honor him (Esther 3:2). So Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes (3:6). He persuaded Xerxes: “They do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them” (3:8). The date was set to annihilate all…on a single day (3:13).
And so, somewhere between bargaining and acceptance (Kubler-Ross yesterday) I got to thinking: how in the world did the folks of yesteryear handle their crises?
The story of Ruth and Naomi is a classic. It all began in the days when the judges ruled (Ruth 1:1), a dark time for Israel. Eugene Peterson (introduction to Judges, MSG) calls it “nearly unrelieved mayhem”: Everyone did as he saw fit (Judges 17:6, 21:25).
2020 is definitely one for the history books. What details will you cling to? For instance, where were you when JFK was shot? I was on my way with my mom to have my prom dress altered. On 9/11 I had turned on Fox News as I dressed for Tuesday morning Bible study, in time to see the second tower fall. My husband, September 1945, vividly remembers his mom propelling his terrified 4-year-old self past the barricade at the Vancouver (BC) train station to meet this uniformed stranger who tossed him in the air asking, “Where did you get that red hair?”
What thoughts run through our minds during this time of a pandemic! Whoever would have dreamed something like this virus would happen during our lifetimes? We can so easily sink into a state of depression.
I learned a new word today – “ambivert.” Ambivert means someone who has both introvert and extravert tendencies in equal proportion.
Our daughter recently got a puppy which had been rescued from a trash bin. She named it Gwinny -- cutest little black and white thing you ever saw. Of course, she stocked up on all sorts of puppy items for Gwinny including a comfy little bed with soft sides.
As we discussed breaking down walls and strongholds in Bible study that morning I looked down at my hand. A recent surgery and stitches on my right little finger left behind some major scar tissue.
Little did I know when I met my neighbor on July 4th how much I would need her help on December 4th.
Fireworks popped, boomed, and crackled the first July 4th in our new home. I went outside to check out the goings on and noticed several other people out watching as well. After introducing myself to our across the street neighbor, I visited with her as we watched.
Red Rover was a team game often played on the courtyard of Travis school. Sometimes we included the boys. However, if they became too rough, we quickly ousted them.
Our Girl Scout troop had enjoyed sliding down the largest slide at our city park. At noon we left to eat our picnic lunch in another area.
We jumped rope on the courtyard of our elementary school. We always brought our own ropes, but we really liked to jump with the heavy long rope thrown by two of our friends. Remember?
I loved to swing as a child. Our teachers would take turns swinging us on the playground. When I learned to pump, I became an independent swinger. How invigorating to soar higher and higher.
The playground at Travis school in Greenville, Texas was divided: boys on one side of the courtyard, girls on the other. Fortunately, the girls had the playground equipment on their side. This week’s stories originated from this fun-filled place and our city park.
The cross. The event, not the wooden object.
Nothing else communicates God’s love and power so dramatically or completely. Solemnly contemplate with me:
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Galatians 6:14).
Did I just detect a deep huff and a roll of eyes directed to your friend, co-worker, husband, or your children? (Maybe even toward God?) I admit that I am quickly annoyed with others when they don’t immediately fulfill my expectations.
Dear struggling friend,
My heart aches for you. I understand a measure of your pain. My pain may be different than yours and caused by different things, but I’ve been hopeless and paralyzed by fear. I’ve been in the depths of grief, depression and despair. Dark thoughts have consumed me, I couldn’t function, and I believed nothing would change. People’s words bounced off me, written words, even the Word, meant nothing. I looked at others and asked myself, “how can they go about their lives like everything is okay?” More than once—and yes—even as a follower of Jesus.
