Honduras II

Six weeks ago, two young men were caught in a web of deceit and spiritual treachery. Their lives were being pulled into a morass of degredation and the sin was eating them alive. The secrets were killing them and the shame in it all was more than they could bear. As it was the mercy of God that exposed them, and as full confession poured forth, each discovered His grace, forgiveness and reconciliation in strong measure and their resulting thankfulness has spilled out in one long strand of miracles (read the “Mad No More” posts).

One such miracle is that these young men just spent ten days in Honduras sharing Christ with natives and being Jesus to the lost and undone in this remarkable little country. My son, Graham, and his friend Jacob were among a group of thirty courageous individuals who went into the deeper recesses of Honduras and offered medical, dental and spiritual aid for an unreached people group, the Toulapan. These are a people so primitive their language is far from developed and unknown even to their neighbors.

The niece of the tribe’s chief came to know Christ (through a miracle) and she became the ad hoc evangelist of her tribe through interpretation! When I think of this, I remember another woman of the Bible who became her people’s evangelist: the woman by the well in John 4. In the last Honduran mission, eight Toulapani received Christ as Savior, making the ground very fertile for a harvest. Indeed it was, as over thirty Toulapani were added to their number last week! Over all, 145 Hondurans opened their hearts to Jesus on this trip and the medical teams ministered to upwards of 800 in the clinics.

Another miracle is that the Lord used Jacob to lead 25-30 people to the Son of God. Last month, he was a stone wall and wanted nothing to do with God and was drowning in a whorl of spiritual darkness. The Deliverer set him free and indefeasibly set his feet in a foreign land scant weeks later, where he was aggressively offering the good news of redemption to all comers.

The Lord used Graham in powerful servant ways. He was often by the side of the team’s leadership, offering himself to do whatever they asked of him, no matter how dismal or difficult. One day, he witnessed a 93-year old woman being treated for a horrendous skin ulcer. The entire lower leg was necrotic, and she told the medical staff that the skin had been dying for 57 years! After addressing the leg, the team focused on her heart and this woman received the Life of God in His Son, Jesus Christ! It is completely unheard of for a woman of her age, steeped in man’s religion, to come to the Lord, but there it was!

Her home is no larger than our living room, and even though she has had to beg for everything in her life, there was a happiness in her that defied all logic. This woman really touched Graham’s heart.

There are other stories to tell, even one about a young lady who became so smitten by my son, she told him she loved him and sobbed like all get out when he had to leave. He, not yet seventeen, told ’Yenni’, a 23-year old that he might come back with another team in January. She said, “no, not might, but WILL!” I think we’ll start looking for another field for Graham…

Our son’s heart is taken by Honduras. He would live there tomorrow if God called him and he looks forward to going back again and again for no other reason than to see God finish His perfect work in his life and because he loves Elmer, Eddie, Meily, Christy and all the glorious souls he has met there and those he has yet to encounter. The night he came back into his home country, he told me that just a few weeks ago, Jacob would bring up his (first) trip to Honduras (in June) and Graham would scoff and say, “I’m not gonna do anything to raise money for it. When the money doesn’t come in, I won’t have to go!”

“Dad, I was so stupid!” he confessed. “Look what I would have missed out on if I got my way!”

What a difference, and Christ has done it all. To Him alone belongs all the praise and the reward of His suffering.

Bliss and Blessing

It was beyond surreal.

I watched as my Dad embraced another woman and placed a lingering kiss on her lips. What’s worse is I told him to do it. Of course, this romantic exchange occurred at the close of that breathtaking duo of words, “I do,” and the accompanying pronouncement of marriage bliss! What son, I ask you, has the distinctly grand blessing of marrying his father? I’m sure it isn’t a Guinness-like anomaly or the stuff of legends, but it did happen to me this weekend.

Dad was married to my Mom for nearly fifty years before the Lord’s angels escorted her precious soul Home almost three years ago. Anything I have learned (hopefully) about what it is to truly love a woman, I witnessed in my father during their prolonged affair. When my sisters and I left the nest, I think their real romance, as good as it may have been, really roared into flame! They were not empty-nesters; they didn’t sit around, whiling and whittling the time away and listening to the clock tick. Hardly. Travels, shared interests, forged friendships and connection to ministries together abounded and they were planning more romance and roses when the Lord held our Mom’s hand and helped her cross over to the eternal side of the Jordan.

Not long ago, Dad called me and told me about a woman he had met while doing some volunteer work at his church. A few weeks later, we met for lunch and he told me that they were dating. Barely a moon phase went by and I was hearing that he loved her and they were shopping for a ring. A scant rotation of the earth later, and came the coup de grace: they had set a date for their wedding and they both wanted ME to do the ceremony! I was thrilled to oblige.

To see my Dad, the most gentle soul I know, a very young seventy-six year old, standing at the altar while giving his heart to his new heart’s flame was a sight to behold. I couldn’t get through the brief service without bawling like a baby for the joy of seeing this next chapter of his life unfurl. “I will always love your Mother,” he told me unsolicitedly days ago, “but God has blessed me with new love for another.”

The “reception,” following what amounted to an elopement for this cute pair, was at a Chick-Fil-A just down the road from the church. There was no post-ceremony anxiety; we talked easily about life and marriage and Sandy and I had much to learn from this couple who had logged nearly 95 years of great marriage between them! How they chuckled as they told of going to get their wedding license and were told they could get a discount if they agreed to marital counseling!

Yeah, right…

Welcome to the family, Myra. Way to go, Dad! May the two of you enjoy a long and healthy life together and be blessed to live in the prosperity of the One who gives marriage to us as a foretaste of the eternal glories He has prepared for us. But, like I told you, if you have any spats, don’t even think of coming home! We’ve already decided to turn your room into a study.

(Next Post: Graham’s Return from Honduras….Good stuff!)

A Good Night's Sleep

“At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.”

(Jeremiah 31:26)

We stood with a couple at the courthouse recently. They were there for a termination hearing for a child they wish to adopt and several of us had given testimony on their behalf. At the close of a very long day for this tired pair, their lawyer was giving them her assessment and counsel as to what would come next. She said the presiding judge would have to study some depositions and other professional testimonies the next day before handing down his ruling. Their part, at least in court, was over. She felt it went quite well.

As we huddled around the hopeful parents and said our fare-thee-wells, we prayed over them then encouraged them to go home, get a good night’s sleep, and rest in the peace that their Heavenly Advocate was on the case. Just before we each went our separate ways, one of the women who had given testimony offered a word fitly spoken which quickly consoled the prospective mother. The encouraging statement seemed to be carried on the wings of a ministering angel to the quaking heart of the mild, soft-spoken plaintiff. One could sense the relief that caressed her in that sacred moment. She smiled and said, “after hearing that, I think I will sleep well tonight…”

I’ll never forget when my son was a little guy, we would pray with him each night and listen to his “Now I lay me down…” innocence. Far and away, the most pressing request on his little heart was, “Dear Jesus, I pray that Mommy and Daddy and I really, really, won’t have bad dreams…” The same request would surface midway through his bedtime prayer and also at the end just for good measure.

The verse above is a wonderful passage from the Old Testament that gives great hope for the fitful, weary and whipped servants of the Lord. I trust the truths that unfold from this great text will chase away the bad dreams that hold you hostage. So, for your slumbering pleasure, I share with you seven sweet lullabies that should foster some of the greatest dreams ever to play across a restless mind.

LULLABY #1: HE SEES OUR WOUNDS

“This is what the LORD says: ‘Your wound is incurable, your injury beyond healing…But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds’, declares the LORD.”

(Jeremiah 30:12,17)

LULLABY #2: WE’RE GOING HOME!

“See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame (yea!), expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return.

“They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble…

“They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD…they will be like a well-watered garden and they will sorrow no more…”

(Jeremiah 31:8-9,12)

LULLABY #3: OUR WORK WILL BE REWARDED

“This is what the LORD says: ‘Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,’ declares the LORD”

(Jeremiah 31:16)

LULLABY #4: OUR CHASTENING IS REDEMPTIVE, NOT CONDEMNING

“‘You disciplined me like an unruly calf, and I have been disciplined. Restore me and I will return, because You are the LORD my God.

“After I strayed, I repented; after I came to understand, I beat my breast. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.

“Is this not Ephraim, my dear son, the child in whom I delight?…I have great compassion for him,” declares the LORD."

(Jeremiah 31:18-20)

LULLABY #5: MY HEART’S ROMANCE WILL TAKE ON GREATER MEANING

“I will bring him near and he will come close to Me, for who is he who will devote himself to be close to Me?” declares the LORD.”

(Jeremiah 30:21)

“Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Take note of the highway, the road that you take. Return, O Virgin Israel (God still sees her in innocence!), return to your towns.“How long will you wander, O unfaithful daughter? The LORD will create a new thing on the earth–a woman will surround a man.”

(Jeremiah 31:21,22)

The word “surround” can be translated “embrace.” In the ancient near east, it was not customary for a woman to be so forward romantically, but the picture is of a woman so enthralled and obsessed with the delight of her heart, she cannot help herself. This is the “new thing”: a relationship that is sealed, shielded, firm and eternal! The old is gone, the new has emerged. The “Trail of Tears” has turned into “Lover’s Lane”…this is the “highway” (v21) the redeemed walk upon!

LULLABY #6: WE WILL NEVER BE REJECTED OR CAST OFF

“Only if these decrees vanish from My sight,” declares the LORD, “will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before Me.

“This is what the LORD says: “Only if the heavens above can be measured (which they cannot!) and the foundations of the earth below be searched out (ditto!) will I reject the descendants of Israel because of all they have done,” declares the LORD.”

(Jeremiah 31:36,37)

See God’s love as a rainbow. By the way, the rainbow is only a “bow” because the horizon of the earth obscures us from seeing the whole picture. A rainbow is actually a circle, which symbolizes eternity. In scripture, we see that Noah saw a rainbow (God’s “bridge of grace”) after the storm; Ezekiel sees a rainbow in the middle of the storm (1:4) and John the Revelator saw one before the storm (4:1-3)!

God has it covered, dontcha think?

LULLABY #7: OUR WORST WILL BECOME HIS BEST!

“The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown and all the terraces out to Kidron Valley on the east and as far as the corner of the Horse Gate will be holy to the LORD. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.”

(Jeremiah 31:40)

The Redeemer specializes in taking the broken, ruined wastelands of our life and recreating them with a beauty redolent of the Divine. Studio hands saw a block of granite, but Michelangelo saw “David.” You may not get past the ugly of personal failure and history, but your Artist sees a masterpiece both in the making and in the finished product.

I truly hope these lullabies will enable your road-weary soul to get a good night’s sleep tonight. Heaven’s Night-Lite is casting its glow over you and the Lord is making sure you are safe and sound. Sweet dreams, Child of God…

(Oh, as for the couple I mentioned at the outset of this post? Well, they got the news just today: the judge ruled in their favor and they are free to adopt their little guy. Bet they'll sleep good tonight.)

Depths

“Out of the depths have I cried unto You, O Lord…”

(Psalm 130:1)

WHEN I AM LOW, I remember that He is intimately acquainted with all my ways (Psalm 139:3)…

WHEN I AM LOW, I take strength from the fact that I am indeed an overcomer through Christ (Romans 8:37)…and I find encouragement in the “we” that includes “me” and not just “he” (Paul)…

WHEN I AM LOW, I exult in the truth that where I am, He is too (Hebrews 13:5)

WHEN I AM LOW, I marvel that He is working it all together for my good (Romans 8:28)

WHEN I AM LOW, I bow in humble adoration for He is committed to finishing His good work in my life (Philippians 1:6)

WHEN I AM LOW, I remember that His strong right Hand is powerful to save and rescue me from all my afflictions (Isaiah 41:10; Psalm 54:7)

WHEN I AM LOW, this I call to mind: the Lord is my Shepherd and with Him I have all I need (Psalm 23:1)

WHEN I AM LOW, this song springs forth: His mercies are brand-new every morning and His pity over me is Life (Lamentations 3:22)

WHEN I AM LOW, I reflect on the truth that He sees me as the apple of His eye and regards me as His “love” and “fair one” (Deuteronomy 32:10; Song of Songs 2:10)

WHEN I AM LOW, I take comfort that when I grieve, He also grieves (Isaiah 63:9)

WHEN I AM LOW, I am blessed that His eye that sees the sparrow, sees my sorrow (Matthew 10:31)

WHEN I AM LOW, I glory in His Love that is better than life (Psalm 63:3)

WHEN I AM LOW, I know I will arise and live in Christ to fight another day (Micah 7:8)

WHEN I AM LOW, I submit to the blessed truth that it is in my dying that the fragrance of Christ breaks forth (2 Corinthians 2:15; 4:11)

WHEN I AM LOW, I rejoice in the promise that He will not give me over to the enemy but will set my feet in a large place (Psalm 31:7,8)

WHEN I AM LOW, my soul sings along with the beauteous strains of the heavenly songs He gives me in the night (Isaiah 30:29)

WHEN I AM LOW, my spirit is revived by the Comforter who stands by me in my distress (John 14:16)

WHEN I AM LOW, I find glorious hope in the pleasures and treasures forevermore that He holds for me in His right Hand (Psalm 16:11)

WHEN I AM LOW, ever lower, I see with joy my name engraved in the palm of His Hand (Isaiah 49:16)

WHEN I AM LOW, yea at my lowest, my heart reminds me that I stand in grace (Romans 5:2), am upheld by grace (2 Corinthians 12:9) and grace will lead me home (Zephaniah 3:20)…

What do YOU remember when you are plummeting the depths?

TODAY’S QUOTE:

“Contrary to what might be expected, I look back on experiences that at the time seemed especially desolating and painful with particular satisfaction. Indeed, I can say with complete truthfulness that everything I have learned in my seventy-five years in this world, everything that has truly enhanced and enlightened my existence, has been through affliction and not through happiness, whether pursued or attained. In other words, if it ever were to be possible to eliminate affliction from our earthly existence by means of some drug or other medical mumbo jumbo …the result would not be to make life delectable, but to make it too banal and trivial to be endurable.”

(Malcolm Muggeridge)

Be Sirius...Get Lost In The Son!

Betcha I don’t have to remind you that we are in the midst of the thermal ‘dog days’ of summer. It is often thought that the term refers to the seasonal heating blanket we find ourselves gasping and groaning beneath when, in actuality, the phrase refers to something going on in the heavenlies. On July 3 every year, just like clockwork, Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, defers its showmanship and rises and sets with our solar system’s true Star, giving it top billing. Eight and a half light-years from earth, the bluish-white “Dog Star” virtually disappears as it no longer stands out through the eventide but rather gets lost in the Sun!

The ancient Romans were so impressed by the greatness of the light in the night sky they thought the earth received its heat from this, the largest star in the Canis Major. But in early July, Sirius gracefully bows and ‘virtually’ removes itself, giving obeisance to the Sun. This phenomenon lasts through early September when the focus is almost entirely on our day’s Bright Orb. We speak of “Fun in the Sun” and look forward to “soaking up the Sun” and express our need to “get some Sun” all the while we dance to summer’s theme song, “Here Comes the Sun!”

Webster gives another definition to the “dog days” of summer, referring to them as a period of inactivity and stagnation. Somehow that rings hollow when you consider these red-letter events in history–all of them occurring in this stamina-pilfering season of sweat:

• This week in 1697, Isaac Newton published his tome, “Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica” which explored new realms in mathematics
  
• This week in 1817, construction on the Erie Canal began at Rome (New York)
  
• In 1863, General Ulysses Grant captured Vicksburg
  
• In 1885, William Booth founded the Christian Mission, later renamed the Salvation Army
  
• In the dog days of 1890, Idaho was admitted as the 43rd State in the Union
  
• In 1917, T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) took Aqaba from the Turks
  
• In 1950, the Israeli government passed the “Law of Return”, giving all Jews the right to immigrate to Israel
  
• During this week in 1964, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964
  
• This week, 2004, the cornerstone of the Freedom Tower was laid in NYC
  

So tomorrow, when you wipe beads of moisture from your brow or swoon beneath the weight of summer’s scirocco, open yourself to the Lord to do something through you that requires no strength of your own. It is when we become as nothing (Mark 10:42-45; John 15:5; Galatians 6:3) that the Son shines through you. After all, nobody speaks of heat and light coming off Sirius, but everyone draws Life from the Son.

And tomorrow, as you rise to start your day, do your rising with the Son and be so lost in Him that others will wonder where you went…oh sure, continue to illuminate a dark night but be Sirius…get Lost in the Sun!

An Enemy's Confession

Major John Andre was head of British Intelligence during the Revolutionary War. His modus operandi was to receive secrets about American troop movements from one Benedict Arnold until one fateful evening when he was intercepted wearing civilian dress and under cover of night before he could gather information from Arnold that would almost certainly have led to a British victory at West Point.

On October 2, 1780, Major Andre, having been convicted as a spy, was hanged even though he had earned the sympathy of many Americans and even the general of the Continental Army. George Washington said these words of the British major: “He was more unfortunate than criminal; an accomplished man and a gallant officer.”

We often think of the heroics of Americans during this time in our history—especially of those who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. But consider the ironclad testimony of this officer on the enemy side, written days before his execution:

The Hiding Place

Hail, sovereign love that first began
The scheme to rescue fallen man!
Hail, matchless free, eternal grace
That gave my soul a hiding place.

Against the God who rules the sky
I fought with hand uplifted high;
Despised the notion of his grace
Too proud to seek a hiding place.

Enwrapt in thick Egyptian night,
And fond of darkness more than light,
Madly I ran the sinful race,
Secure without a hiding place.

And thus the eternal counsel ran:
“Almighty Love, arrest that man!”
I felt the arrows of distress
And found I had no Hiding Place.

Indignant Justice stood in view;
To Sinai’s fiery mount I flew;
But Justice cried, with frowning face,
This mountain is no hiding place.

E’er long a heavenly voice I heard
And Mercy’s angel-form appeared;
She led me on with placid pace
To Jesus as my Hiding Place.

Should storms of sevenfold thunder roll,
And shake the globe from pole to pole;
No flaming bolt could daunt my face,
For Jesus is my hiding place.

On him almighty vengeance fell,
That would have sunk a world to hell;
He bore it for the chosen race,
And thus became their hiding place.

A few more rolling suns at most
Will land me on fair Canaan’s coast;
Where I shall sing the song of grace
And see my glorious Hiding Place.

On this traditional day when we celebrate our freedoms, I am so very grateful that the freedom I have in Christ has transported me from the mountain of justice to the Cleft of the Rock where I am sheltered forever in Jesus Christ; and now I sing (along with Major Andre) the enduring song of grace.