“Oh, no!” says the Lord. “That’s not your lot. “Look unto me; I’ve not forgot. “Give Me your hand, “And come my way. “You have a future. “It’s a brand new day.”
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgiveyou: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgiveyour trespasses. (Matthew 6:14-15)
Christian philosopher, Bible teacher, author, and prolific poet, Margarett Inez Bates is a graduate of Mount Vernon Bible College with a Bachelor’s degree from the Christian International School of Theology. Actively involved in Christian service for over forty years, she currently resides in her hometown, Kokomo, Indiana. Margarett has published two books: Poetical Insights: Lifting Up a Standard, and Poetical Insights Vol. 2: A Closer Look. You can read more of her work at Kokomo Poet.
The room is filled with deafening silence except for the tick of the clock and the periodic roar of the blood pressure cup inflating. We find ourselves once again in life’s waiting room. Dad has just come back from having his heart cath. He sleeps. I write. We both wait for the doctor to inform of us of the next step.
These days seemed to be filled with waiting and unknowns. My prayers of adoration often become overshadowed by prayers of desperation. “God, what is the next step? Just tell me and I will do it.” And just like we wait now for the doctor, I wake each day waiting for God to step in and provide light for my next step. Next steps for…
Dad’s health
Wisdom for caregiving
Guidance in my job
Answers for hurting friends
Stewardship of time and resources
Strength for my weary body
I glance toward my father. His deep breathing now adds to the rhythmic sounds being played out in this room. As my eyes witness the gentle rise and fall of his chest with each breath, my mind replays his favorite verse. The one I need to hear right now in the wait.
“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:31
This “doing heart” of mine is unnerved with waiting. You too? To just sit seems so counterproductive. I would much rather be busy, moving around. At least then things are accomplished. But are they the right things? Are they the best things?
As I reflect on this familiar passage, my eyes move past the phrases at the front end and land on the “doing” words. “They will walk, they will run, they will soar.” These are the words that grab my attention when steeped in turmoil. However, these action words give me a false sense of control when life is filled with uncertainty. Then God draws my attention to the first half of that scripture. My eyes shift and I stare at the uncomfortable part of this passage… they that wait.
It is in the waiting light is given for the next step we take. It is in the waiting wisdom is gleaned for the race we run. It is in the waiting courage is gained so that we may soar higher than we dare dream.
Perhaps this is due in part to the desperation that comes in the silence of waiting. Our hearts yearn for comfort, direction, and wisdom. We intentionally lean in anxious to hear answers to the prayers we have poured out in the night season. We strain to hear the Father whisper hope to our worn heart.
My friend, maybe you can relate to the season of waiting. I am right there with you. One thing I know… God speaks in the wait. It may not be within the realm of our comfort zone, but He does speak. So, we must resist the temptation to rush ahead. The slow pace of waiting affords us precious time in His presence that is often stolen by the fast pace of life. It is in this time, waiting at His feet, that He does a transformative work in our hearts.
Let’s hold tight to Him knowing that He is with us in the wait. He is renewing, strengthening, and transforming us.
Until next week, let’s find hope in the journey. Evelyn Sherwood
Hi There! My name is Evelyn. I am a lover of all things family, faith and Fall. So grateful that you found your way here. The chaos of life can leave us feeling a bit worn around the edges. Sometimes a little ray of hope is all we need to provide courage for the next step in our journey. So come on in, take a deep breath. My prayer is that in this space, you will be able to grab hold of hope. For more of my blogs, see my website Hope for the Journey.
Jesus Christ on the excruciating cross of human salvation is a frightening image, one upon which only the very crassest among humanity would gaze and ask: “What’s in it for me?”
Fact is, none of us wants exactly that – the cross of Christ – as Christian life’s promise. Believe in Jesus, be Christ-like, do Godly things with a Godly attitude, love God, love others, read the Bible, go to church, be selfless, kind, obedient … and what do we get? A horrendous and humiliating public death? No thanks.
That’s not the deal anyone is looking for.
We must be especially wary, then, in our Christian witness and preaching, to be very clear what it is exactly that Jesus did on the cross. The world sees punishment, shame, payment, retribution, and maybe feels a little (or a lot of) personal sin and guilt. The neurotic Christian may wilt with remorse: “That agonizing passion on the cross is my fault! That bloody end is what I deserve!” The arrogant libertine may be repulsed and dismissive: “How can a good God allow that to happen to His son? I don’t believe any of it!” A devious theologian may see a means to control people with fear and guilt.
What we see on the cross is less a picture of God than of what a perfect human will do to glorify God. In that sense a little neurosis about our fate is quite apt. The wrathful God of the Law is the same loving and sacrificial God of the New Testament. God never changes, but the enormous gift we are given through Christ is to see the true nature of a Godly human: Jesus is our example of what a perfect human in God’s eyes actually is. Our fallenness makes it hard to see that.
We are – each of us individually – a great mess of conflicts, fear, aspirations, hope, and pain-avoidance. The sneaky truth of Christ that takes a while to truly see is that our greatest human joy – and our highest, most God-like humanity – is the picture of Christ humbly sacrificing himself for others. Seeing the cross as God’s love and mercy for us, rather than seeing it as God’s anger and wrath for our sin, changes everything about what kind of Christian we can be: loving? … or judgmental?
Our greatest joy, then, is in serving others in freedom, freedom not just from sin but freedom to be all that God created me to be… what He created each of us in His own image to be. I get that the cross is a picture of humanity’s gross failings and sinfulness, but more importantly it is the picture of God’s love, Christ’s humility, and the Spirit’s illumination of truth. In this picture are glory, love, self-sacrifice, humility, restoration, forgiveness, repaired relationship, covered sins, eternal life, the conquering of both sin and death… and overwhelming peace that exceeds all understanding.
As much as we fallen humans focus on “being forgiven,” in Jesus’s entire last prayer – indeed His final teaching we see in John 13-17 including foot-washing, the last supper, the vine, His relationship with God, the Kingdom as life, God as Father, Jesus as Son, the Spirit as comfort, plus persecution, glory, faith, and perseverance – there is not one word about forgiveness of sin. Instead, there is assurance of God’s truth.
When the chips were down and His own end was near, Jesus prayed humbly for God’s glory, His own restoration, and for our faith. So should we. It’s part of the deal.
That’s the best thing I can do for my sake; that’s what’s in it for me.
My drive into work finds the car filled with an unfamiliar silence. This space is typically flooded with prayers and contemplation woven together with an outburst of worship songs. But not today. Fatigue weighs on my shoulders like a wet blanket…pressing down, smothering. I am trying hard to pray, but nothing escapes my lips but a deep sigh. “Lord, there’s nothing I can say that I haven’t already said. I am worn. So, if it is ok with you, I will exhale a silent prayer.”
I wait in uncomfortable silence. Will He speak? If He does, will it be the answer to so many prayers I have wept? Will strength find its way to my weary bones?
Then in the quiet, I hear that still small voice, “Look around.” Hands clutched tight around the steering wheel I glance to the left. The sun is peeking up over the eastern horizon spreading rays of vibrant orange, plum red, and canary yellow across the sky. I turn to the right and catch a glimpse of cornfields, swaying gently with the rhythm of the wind. My heart inhales deep gratitude for the farmers who thought their fields would lie in muddy waste this year. My eyes are waking up as I spy geese skimming the diamond-studded ponds on either side of the road. The fog begins to lift off of the landscape and my heart as I take in the wonders of His handiwork.
He speaks.
“My child, you have prayed all your wants, concerns, and needs. Though I long to hear your heart, there is something you are missing. You are consumed with expressing your weaknesses, while I am more concerned that you understand my strength. This life is less about you constantly remembering your inefficiencies and more about embracing my all-sufficiency. Remember me, who I am. I am God.”
God
With that simple yet profound word whispered to my heart partnered with the visual reminder of His creative power, hope and strength begin to rise.
There are books of the Bible that get referenced abundantly when we face trials. David paints a picture of the authentic heart throughout all of the Psalms. We get a front-row seat to his deepest struggles and his resolve as he concludes that God is God. Somehow, his version of man’s inner wrestling is easier to identify with than say that of Lamentations. Just the mention of Lamentations and I feel as though I have watched a movie where all the heroes die in the end.
Yet today, that is precisely where God led me. Tucked away in this book of deep grief is a passage that solidifies what God has been speaking to me in the car. Written by someone whose prayers were steeped in more pain than the ones I have been praying. But someone who in the middle of the crushing remembered the very character of God…and that was enough.
But this I call to mind, and therefore, I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore, I will hope in Him.”
Lamentations 3:22-24
There is truth to be gleaned from the old hymn Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace.
It has been quite some time since I have shifted my gaze toward Him. I had allowed the weight of my circumstances to nag at me, reminding me of lack. But one glance in his direction was all I needed to remind me that He is enough. No matter what surrounds me, He is enough to face it head-on.
What about you? Do the voices in your head pull your gaze away from the one who loves you more than you love yourself? Are your eyes locked tight on your failures rather than His faithfulness? Then maybe these verses from Lamentations will guide your vision back to His glory like they did mine.
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
Lamentations 3:25-26
Oh, my friends, life gets so busy and burdens pile up. It is in our nature to grab hold of our failures rather than reach for His faithfulness. But if we are to be a people of hope in troubled times, then we must turn our gaze away from our inadequacies and behold the One who is more than enough.
“Father, the landfill of my failures continues to pile up. But You, oh God, are the faithful one. Today, fix my eyes on you the one starter and finisher of my faith. Remind me of all the ways you have led me up to this point in my life. And as I remember, may hope rise out of the ashes. May I see with a fresh vision that you God, who created all things, is the very one that cradles my heart in your hands.”
Until next time, let’s find hope in the journey, Evelyn Sherwood
Hi There! My name is Evelyn. I am a lover of all things family, faith and Fall. So grateful that you found your way here. The chaos of life can leave us feeling a bit worn around the edges. Sometimes a little ray of hope is all we need to provide courage for the next step in our journey. So come on in, take a deep breath. My prayer is that in this space, you will be able to grab hold of hope. For more of my blogs, visit my website Hope for the Journey.
“I don’t know” … and … “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
— Cain, to God, Genesis 4:9
First a lie, then a dumb question… after starting with a weak offering.
Cain simply did not understand, embrace, or cherish his responsibilities to God.
Since the second generation of man – well, if we include Adam and Eve it actually starts right at the beginning – humanity has sustained an overall miserable record of discerning that for which we are and are not responsible in the eyes of God.
Abel – the object of God’s question and the brother whom Cain had just killed – was an exception. Abel honored God with an offering of the best that he had, and God looked upon him with favor. Cain, essentially, offered God leftovers and God knew the difference. God’s favor was not on Cain, and Cain was self-righteously outraged.
You can read the entire story in Genesis 4, but here let’s focus on God’s reaction and some of the important aspects of man’s various responsibilities to God, to Mankind, and to all God’s creation. I can’t think of a better starting point than Cain and Abel.
First, note God’s even-keeled response to both offerings. He favored this and didn’t favor that. No celebration, no anger … just … favor or not. Abel’s pleasure was in honoring the Lord, period. Cain’s heart was set more on the transactional dynamic of if he gave something to God, God better like it and act like He likes it! Or I’ll get angry!
We often skip over Cain’s dissatisfaction with God and think Cain is simply but murderously jealous of his brother Abel. No … Cain is angry at God so he destroys that which God favors. Who/what does that sound like? Satan’s playbook; Page 1.
Just as God never asks a question to which He does not know the answer (such as, “Where is your brother?”), so too He knows the exact heart of every man and woman in His creation. Abel with his “fatted parts of the firstborn of his flock” revealed a heart truly with God. Cain thought his own duty to God amounted to something like a trade for which Cain could keep account. It is an error still with us today the world over – in church and out of church. Do we simply love God? Or are we working an angle?
I bring this up because I see a modern society quick to assign and approve an entirely self-directed, secular, and personal responsibility in sole support of one’s own appetites and opinions. But it is a one-dimensional responsibility to self, not the proper, manifest palette buttressing the workings of a Godly and civil society: responsibilities to family, community, nation, and God.
The shame of the modern public square is its numbed, frequent, and shockingly dire opposition to – and typically total ignorance of – God’s coherent commandments for how things go best for us. Call it “360-degree accountability.” We must honor God, but also weigh and discern the circumstances of our brothers and sisters; and they, ours.
This is the great lesson of Jesus Christ, what true responsibility before God and mankind looks like. We wildly assert personal rights of pleasure, comfort, and opinion, yet vehemently shout down suggestion of Godly regulation extending beyond our liking.
Jesus’s death wasn’t so much a payment; it was a picture of responsibility.
In the light of Jesus, we are all each other’s keepers and our responsibilities are never just to ourselves. We must always ask others: What can I do, for your sake?
This past Sunday, Steve preached a message about what it means to start each day by “putting on Jesus.” What does it mean to get up each day and lay down self to be clothed with Christ? In the sermon, he shared the story of the good Samaritan from Luke 10:25-37. One I grew up hearing.
In short, a Jewish man gets beat up, robbed and left for dead. A priest walks by, sees the man and crosses over to the other side of the street. Then an assistant at the temple walks over, takes a look at the man lying in a crumpled heap, and turns away from the desperate scene. Finally, a Samaritan, despised by the Jews, sees the wounded man and has compassion. He cares for the man’s wounds then goes even further by ensuring that his medical needs were cared for. Jesus asked which of the three was a neighbor to the man.
This morning as I climbed into the car for my morning commute, the question Jesus asked so many years ago, haunts my heart. I will most likely not come upon a physically wounded stranger. But I may find myself surrounded by those whose wounds and scars are hidden to the natural eye. But I want to put on Jesus. I want to walk in compassion. How will I know if I don’t have His eyes to see? This line of thinking prompts a prayer on my lips, “Lord, who is my neighbor today?”
That was the prayer, plain and simple, nothing more. But that simple prayer set my heart on a journey. It was an invitation to journey with eyes wide open to the wounded. An invitation to embrace my neighbor and wrap their wounds with grace. I arrived at work ready to meet my neighbor.
What a surprise God had in store for me. Instead of God sprinkling my path with neighbors to love He brought neighbors to love on me. I was the wounded one, lying in a heap and I didn’t even know it. But God let unassuming strangers see me. They saw past the facade of “I’m fine, really I am.”
It started with the lady at the flower shop who heard me as I shared why I needed pink flowers. “My friend is still in the hospital battling cancer. She loves pink.” With that, a few extra flowers and greenery were added to the mix at no additional cost. With an encouraging word and a bit of wisdom, “Don’t forget to take care of yourself,” she sent me on my way.
It was in the smile of the barista who looked me in the deep in the eyes and asked, “So, how is your day going?” Her gaze at me reflected a heart that genuinely cared.
It was the bubbly teller at the bank, the one who threw her arms up in excitement as I entered the building. She had mistaken me for a dear friend. Though I was a temporary embarrassment, the kindness, smile, and conversation that proceeded, brought a ray of sunshine to both of us.
While I had hoped to be a neighbor to others, God taught me a lesson today.
When we love the Lord with our whole being and demonstrate that love by serving our neighbors with compassion, He, in turn, wraps our wounded places with His grace and mercy.
“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Luke 10:27
I can’t wait to see who my neighbors will be tomorrow!
Who are your neighbors?
Until next time, let’s find hope in the journey, Evelyn
P.S. If you know someone who is weary, struggling to hold tight to hope, please invite them into the journey with us. Let’s encourage one another on to love and good deeds.
Hi There! My name is Evelyn. I am a lover of all things family, faith and Fall. So grateful that you found your way here. The chaos of life can leave us feeling a bit worn around the edges. Sometimes a little ray of hope is all we need to provide courage for the next step in our journey. So come on in, take a deep breath. My prayer is that in this space, you will be able to grab hold of hope. For more of Evelyn’s columns, see her blog Hope for the Journey.
Fall is just around the corner! Grab your friends and join us for a painting party and fall drink tasting.
Thursday, August 22 | 6-9PM Cross America (840 Daniel Dr., Kokomo)
Our favorite artist, Kathy McDonald, will walk us through creating a lovely wood piece for our homes or work place. Thursday, August 22nd is the date and 40 spots are available. Get your tickets now! Click here to order tickets, or you can purchase tickets at the Doubting Thomas Cafe inside Cross America.
John’s “Shakespeare” version of The Three Little Pigs has been viewed millions of times, and his book “A Triune Tale of Diminutive Swine” is in its third reprinting. John is featured on nine recorded comedy projects with people like Ken Davis, David Jeremiah, Ted Cunningham, and Tim Hawkins. Jon and his wife, Lori, have four children and six grandchildren (so far).
“People didn’t invent laughter. It was given to us by Someone who knew we’d enjoy it.”
John Branyan
And he never gets tired of sharing that gift with others. Learn more about John Branyan on his website!
Join us at Cross America to laugh off the stress of life and enjoy a fun-filled evening with your family! Get your tickets by clicking here!
Kenny Evans is a comedian/musician and will be joining John Branyan on the stage at Cross America July 19!
Music has always been a part of Kenny Evan’s life. His grandmother Irene was a bluegrass musician and singer, and as a child, he sang in a family quartet with his father, brother and younger sister. The Evans Family Quartet toured the southeast doing concerts at churches, festivals, and theaters and also made guest appearances with Archie Campbell at the live Hee-Haw theater in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
In 1994, Kenny signed with a booking agency as the opening act for some of country music’s biggest stars including Kenny Chesney, Charlie Daniels, Lonestar, Sara Evans, Toby Keith, Tracy Byrd, and many others. In February 1998, Kenny signed a record deal in Nashville and released his debut album “When You Love Somebody,” and just as his career was taking off, tragedy struck as Kenny and his band were almost killed by a drunk driver on tour. It took several months to recover from the accident, and in the spring of 2000, Kenny left the country music industry to serve the Lord.
Kenny Evans has served churches in eastern Tennessee and southern Florida as a student pastor, music minister, and associate pastor since 2005 has traveled the nation as an evangelist singing and speaking in more than 100 Christian events each year. For more information, see Kenny’s website!
Don’t miss this fun concert! Tickets are onsale now!
“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” – Paul, Philippians 4:13
The upcoming quote – a verbatim Instagram from 2015 by someone you never heard of – showed up in select media last week. As an all-purpose, plenary statement of Christian love, doctrine, trust, and obedience, I couldn’t have put it much better.
Read it slowly, let it soak in, and then we’ll talk.
“Jesus didn’t come to save those who already believed in Him. He came so that the lost, rejected, and abandoned men and women would find Him and believe. I believe with every fiber in my body that what was written 2,000 years ago in the Bible is undoubtedly true. It’s not a fictional book. It’s not a pick and choose what you want to believe. You either believe it, or you don’t. This world may change, but Christ and His Word NEVER will.
“My heart is that as Christians we don’t begin to throw a tantrum over what has been brought into law today, but we become that much more loving. That through our love, the lost, rejected, and abandoned find Christ. The rainbow was a [covenant] made between God and all his creation that never again would the world be flooded as it was when He destroyed the world during Noah’s time. It’s a constant reminder that no matter how corrupt this world becomes, He will never leave us or forsake us. Thank you Lord for your amazing grace, even during times of trial and confusion.
“Love won over 2,000 years ago when the greatest sacrifice of all time was made for ALL mankind.”
Jaelene Hinkle
Wow. Jaelene Hinkle, 22 years old at the time, penned that remarkable witness of Jesus’s love and sacrifice in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergfell ruling affirming same-sex marriage. Note that it is a statement of belief and trust, not of anger or derision. Note the rainbow reference. Note the very inclusive “ALL mankind.”
Jesus came for all: in grace, with courage, and even unto death … trusting God.
With grace and courage, Jaelene also experienced a death due to her faith in God: the death of her dream to play soccer for the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT). After much prayer, she declined a 2017 invitation onto the team for June exhibition matches during which the team would wear rainbow jerseys celebrating Gay Pride month. “I felt convicted that it was not my job to wear that jersey,” she said.
Without bitterness.
Playing for the pro Carolina Courage, Jaelene is called by some “the finest left-back in the NWSL” and now at age 26 was not invited back onto the 2019 U.S. women’s world cup championship team. A newspaper noted, “Hinkle likely would have been a fish out of water on the uber-woke women’s national team.” It’s hard to disagree.
We saw the team’s activist and desolately profane character in many cantos during and after its championship run. They won the Cup. Yet to me it is Jaelene’s faith that reveals a true champion’s strength not for what she did, but for what she did not do.
This year, we’ll be joined by the one and only John Stonestreet. John is the president of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview and a nationally recognized writer, speaker, and presenter on areas of faith and culture, theology, worldview, education and apologetics. John is the daily voice of BreakPoint, the nationally syndicated commentary on the culture founded by the late Chuck Colson. He is also the voice of The Point, a daily one-minute feature on worldview, apologetics and cultural issues.
John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN). He and his wife, Sarah, have four children and live in Colorado Springs, CO.
