Breaking news: "Old Dog Learns New Trick"

Do you ever get "bogged down"? Routines can be good; get up at the same time, eat the same breakfast, leave for work at the same time, etc. And even within routines, you have the chance to "mix it up" a bit: hit the snooze once in a while, eat an English muffin instead of toast, leave for work early (not if you hit the snooze button though!). While those things may not have eternal impact on our lives, this one thing most certainly does and if you aren't careful, you may easily fall into a rut or routine before you realize it. Most who know me know of my absolute passion for God's Word and specifically, for the books of Psalms and Proverbs. I have, quite literally, spent most of the last 35 years pouring over and praying through those books, almost to the exclusion of all other books of the Bible. It's not that I don't think God can "speak" to me through any other books, I just like the WAY He speaks to me there. I am currently reading "A Place of Quiet Rest" (Finding Intimacy With God Through A Daily Devotional Life) by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Last night's chapter found me reading this indictment against my Bible reading method, "Likewise, our spirits need the balance that comes from taking in the "whole counsel of God," not limiting ourselves to those passages that seem particularly appetizing. The spiritual growth of some believers has been stunted due to a diet that consists primarily of the Psalms with perhaps a smidgen of the New Testament Epistles."(emphasis mine) Well! Nancy, that was just a little rude, don't you think? Ahem, except in my case, it's true! So, this morning I have blazed a new trail! Ta-da! This old dog is learning new tricks! I have known of the "read the Bible through" chart in the back of my Bible forever but I just couldn't escape my Psalm/Proverb dailies to branch out into something different and really, just a little out of my comfort zone. I mean seriously, can God actually speak through the genealogies? (Just in case you aren't sure of the answer to that question, YES, He can!) Today's selections (made for me by the chart and the hand of the Sovereign)were Acts 18 and Job 7,8,9. Job. Really? Well, heck yeah; I was amazed at what I read there! Job 7: 11-16 “Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. Am I a sea, or a sea serpent, that You set a guard over me? When I say,‘My bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint, then You scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions, so that my soul chooses strangling and death rather than my body. I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone, for my days are but a breath." You go, Job! Have you ever felt like that? I am fairly confident that NONE of us have ever experienced life and loss like Job did and he had some serious questions for God and he wasn't afraid to ask them. Yet, look at what Job says in the next verse (I don't think he knew these words would become "verses" for us!). Job 7: 17-18 "What is man, that You should exalt him, that you should set Your heart upon him, that You should visit him every morning and TEST HIM IN EVERY MOMENT?" (emphasis mine) Friends, in the very deepest anguish of Job's heart, he KNEW that God's heart was set upon him and that he was, all the while, testing him EVERY MOMENT! How could Job (and how can we) reconcile those things? Let's listen in on this conversation as it continues in Job 9:4a as Job declares that "God is wise in heart and mighty in strength." That is how Job could ask the hard questions. He knew, and we would do well to learn, that God IS wise and will allow nothing into our lives that is not best for us. Best does not equal easy, by the way! Job's "friend" Bildad, implies as much in Job 8:11 when he asks, "Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh? Can the reeds flourish without water?" And the question I pose here is: "Can we become Christlike without suffering?" I believe we know the answer to that question but like I said above, just in case you aren't sure, the answer to that question is NO, we can't! Caveat: suffering will look different for everyone, still... So, what is God doing in your life? What has he allowed that is currently making you pretty uncomfortable and if you could "wish it away", you certainly would?! Take heart; take hope. And rest in Psalm 46:10a "Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God.(Amplified) You knew I'd get a verse from Psalms in there somewhere didn't you?! So, whether you find yourself reading in Habakkuk or Hebrews, rest assured, He will speak. Listen closely.

Today is going to be a tough day. As a matter of fact, the next 24 hours promise to put me through the wringer, emotionally. Let me explain: the "wringer" portion of this part of the journey began last week, when on Saturday, June 8, Gene and I met with some of the members of Belmont Heights Baptist Church for a pot-luck "meet and greet" in anticipation of him preaching at that church "in view of a call" (that's how we say it in the south) to become their next pastor. We cleaned up (no small feat), drove the 11 miles from our house to the church, put our best feet forward and plunged in, determined to meet and remember as many people as possible. It was a successful evening; Gene preached the next morning and was voted in. Gene was ecstatic, but my joy had to be kept in check, knowing that I had unfinished business to conclude later that night at FBC, Andersonville. My love for women's ministry is no secret but it has just been in recent years that I have discovered my love for imparting, in a small group setting, the truths of God's Word and teaching others how to apply those in everyday life. So it was on Sunday night, I would go share my last "words" to my small group and tell them goodbye. It broke my heart; there really is so much more I wanted to teach them! I should have seen it coming, really. I had experienced the heights of joy, knowing that Gene was once again going to shepherd a flock (after all, it's what God has called him to do!) and then plunged into the depths of woe (facing the reality of leaving "my girls"), and my migraine tendencies could not handle the emotional swing. Monday morning's pain prevented me from going through this loss and gain with a "business as usual" attitude. Let's just say, it was a long, long day and I am grateful to the makers of migraine specific medication and a dark bedroom! By Tuesday, life was beginning to return to normal and I limped through the rest of the week somewhat successfully, which is what brings us to today. This evening at 6, our FBC, Andersonville pals and co-laborers in Christ, will host a pot-luck in our honor and then tomorrow morning Gene will preach there; I will sing (and don't tell him, but I will probably share a word!). Do you see the tendency for last week's pattern to repeat? Well, with one exception: there will be no heights of joy, only sorrow. My last post to this blog was July 4, 2008 and I mentioned therein that our "contract" with the Tennessee Baptist Convention and FBC, Andersonville would end August 31. That date came and went and Gene had not been called to a church and quite frankly, wouldn't have been ready to go had he been called. Gene had gastric bypass surgery on June 10, 2008 and was still working through his recovery and adjustment to a new life. Blessed indeed, he has now lost (and kept off) 160 pounds. All to the glory of God. But, here's the thing: FBC, Andersonville took us in when we had NOTHING to offer. I am telling you people, we had NOTHING to offer. Did I mention that we had NOTHING to offer?! As my small group will attest, 99.9% of verses I reference come from The Psalms and/or Proverbs. Quite frankly, they are my "bread and butter" and it is where I have lived devotionally and prayerfully, for the last 35+ years. So, it came as no shock to me when God underlined in my heart Psalm 113:7-8 to claim for Gene. It says: "He raises the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the ash heap, that He may seat him with princes-with the princes of His people. He grants the barren woman a home, like a joyful mother of children." I recognized then and affirm today that the people of FBC, Andersonville, are indeed the "princes (and princesses) of God's people." They have quite literally, loved us back to wholeness. It pains me even now, to remember how "broken" we were; that word doesn't begin to communicate. It was utter soul devastation. Yes, Gene had health issues that could no longer be overlooked and those of course, caused pain. But the pain he endured in his body could not begin to compare to the pain that his soul, invested in others, experienced when those were ripped from his life and he had to come face to face with living a life he was not called to live. The man who signed on with the Barnabas Ministry of the Tennessee Baptist Convention had no physical health, no emotional energy and no spiritual vigor. That was March, 2008. Tonight, June 15, 2013, when we fellowship and tomorrow when he preaches, Gene's physical health has been re-discovered, his emotional energy restored and his spiritual vigor renewed. God has used His precious Holy Spirit, His unchanging Word and the faithfulness of His people to accomplish this, once believed, insurmountable task. So, maybe this week the migraine and my out of control emotions can be avoided. I am calling it now: I am heart broken. Tonight I will clean up and wear make-up and promptly cry it off. I will sing in the morning with my eyes closed so as not to look in the faces of those who have spared nothing for Gene and me and wonder if we will ever be assembled in a like manner again. And then, between now and June 30, I will prepare my heart for another journey: that of being the wife of Pastor Gene at Belmont Heights Baptist Church. I just know I am going to love that role like I did with the beloved at Stock Creek Baptist Church from 1993-2007. Thank you, FBC, Andersonville, for allowing us to rebuild, refresh and renew in your presence. Only eternity will reveal the blessings that were ours these last 5 1/2 years. Well, heck. I am already crying. Like I said, it's going to be a tough day!