LAZY DAYS

Steve and I are just back from a couple days of rest at beautiful Maple Hill Bed and Breakfast on Lake Barkley.  We're such exciting holiday travelers....let's see, what all did we do?

We turned off the cell phones and left the laptops behind.  No Facebook, no blog, no headline news.  We slept late, went to bed early, and took afternoon naps.  We read.  We watched a movie.  We worked a crossword.  We lolled around in the swimming pool.  We visited a local winery and enjoyed a mini course in wine tasting.  We lingered long over breakfast each morning and got to know the other guests at the B&B.

We enjoyed a thoroughly lazy, restful, stress-free holiday.  Doing just about nothing for a couple of days:  Awesome.  I highly recommend it.

Today, it's back to the busyness of life in Kendallville.  Except that it's TOO QUIET at my house.  All of my kids are scattered across the mid-south - except for Tom, who is out mowing lawns and weed-eating with Mr. Ferguson today.  Steve is at the office, catching up on phone calls, emails, and appointments.  This morning, it's just me and the cat.

Cat and I have fed and watered the chickens, picked cucumbers, run two loads of laundry, and canned 14 quarts of tomatoes.  I have a writing assignment to complete by this afternoon, and a few phone calls and emails to make.  Later today, I need to mix up a batch of sourdough bread, start a bucket of pickles, and pull up the spent Black-eyed Susans out front.  It is nice to be home and busy about the house, but I sure miss the noise and chatter of my kids.  Is this a sobering snapshot of what to expect in the "empty nest" days ahead?

Several of my birds should be flying back to the roost tomorrow night.  It will be good to have a full table at dinnertime, and to hear about all the exciting things they've done while they were away.

YES, LORD

In the garden, our original parents committed the original sin - they denied the veracity of the word of God and they disobeyed His command.

We, their children, have been committing the same sin - over and over, in numberless varied ways - ever since.

In yesterday's excerpt from the article "Christ Died to Save God-Haters", Dr. Rosenbladt wrote that faith "...rests upon the validity of the divine promise of the Gospel."

In the garden, God essentially told Adam and Eve, "If you do this (eat the forbidden fruit), you will die."  They didn't really believe Him, and they ate the fruit.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells us, "Because I do this, you will live."  Again, we don't want to believe Him.  Indeed, as children of Adam, fallen and sinful, it is against our nature to believe God.

Instead of humbly affirming the truth of God's word with a simple "Yes, Lord," we fidget and fumble and squirm.  "Yes, Lord, but I'm going to help You out a smidgen.  I'm going to do this little part over here.  My contribution won't detract from Your work...I only aim to help complete it."  We really don't believe Jesus when He says, "It is finished."  We believe it is almost finished.  Dr. Rosenbladt was correct in saying that we want to boast, "I stuck in my thumb and pulled out a plum and what a good boy am I."

God told Adam and Eve the truth in the garden, but they didn't believe Him.  God told us the truth again in Galilee, but we still don't want to believe Him.  God sent Jesus to atone for the great treachery of our unbelieving, sinful, rebellious hearts ("No, Lord, it is not so!"), and to give us living, loving hearts of faith.

Thankfully, the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not true simply because I do or don't believe it.  It is true because God said it.

Lord, I believe.  Help my unbelief!

GOOD NEWS!

Building on the themes of my last two posts - I want to share an excerpt from Dr. Rod Rosenbladt's essay "Christ Died to Save God-Haters."  A friend shared this with me a couple of years ago in a comment to the post Christ Alone.  It's worth your time today to read every word.

We incline to moralism by nature.  In other words, not all theologies equally draw us.  The theologies which draw us, as iron fillings to a magnet, are the ones that have to do with self-improvement, with the righteousness of the Law.  As children of Adam, we are drawn to those that say:  "I stuck in my thumb and pulled out a plum and what a good boy am I."  We are not neutral toward the various theologies.

The one that is true - that Christ's death alone saves - we are hostile to, because we are children of Adam.  Somebody will ask you, "Gee, don't you believe that we contributed anything to our salvation?"  The Reformation answers, "Sure:  sin, hostility, alienation, death, guilt."  It's not the answer they are looking for, but, sure, we contribute all of those things and more.  But we don't like that answer; we are resistant to this theology.


The reformers said that faith is of its very nature, assurance, the opposite of doubt.  It rests upon the validity of the divine promise of the Gospel.  Faith doubts not, though the Christian doubts often.  This doubt must be reproved and combated.


But how is doubt combated?  It is combated by hearing the doctrine done well.  Somebody should answer back to you in terms of what the doctrine is in the promises of the Word.  This is how the Spirit produces reliance and assurance.  If you say, "Gee, I wonder if I'm really a Christian," and your friend tells you to pray harder, cry more, read the Scriptures longer, fast, and so forth - go find another friend.


Find a friend who will talk to you about Christ, what He did at the cross, the sufficiency of His death, the truth of the imputation of His righteousness to you; those are the things we need to hear.  If the reformers were correct, you can relax about whether you're going to heaven, even if a lot of times you hate God.  Christ died to save God-haters.  And the death of Christ is greater than your hatred of God.  The death of Christ is greater than your and my flabby Christian life.  It is greater than that.  The doctrine of justification is greater than our sin.

This doctrine is what makes Christianity Christianity.  You've got to get across that the righteousness that saves isn't a change in the human heart, it's a declared sentence, "I declare you innocent."  And we say, "But I'm not innocent, I'm guilty as sin!"  But the judge says, "I know, but I didn't say that.  I said I declared you innocent."  That's what Christianity is.  It's a declaration of innocence based on another's righteousness, and reckoned to you as if it were yours.

Brothers and sisters, this is good news for God-haters.  Good news!  Gospel good news!

ALONE

Another thing about those last chapters of the book of Mark....

I was thinking again about how Jesus's disciples betrayed, denied, and deserted Him.  When Jesus was tried, mocked, whipped, and condemned to die, He was on His own.  No one stood up with Him.  Nobody testified on His behalf.  No one defended Him.  And when Jesus went to the cross, He went alone.  Sure, several of His disciples were present among the crowd, on the side lines, in the shadows - but they were not identifying themselves with Jesus.  None were testifying to the truth of who He was.  There were no Amen!-s of affirmation or encouragement.

Still, Jesus went to the cross.  He did what He came to do.  Jesus did the great work of redemption.  He made atonement for His people.

Alone.

Some folks believe that salvation is a joint effort between man and God.  Jesus did His part - dying on the cross for our sins.  Now, we need to do our part - believing, professing, being baptized, living holy lives.  I try hard to be as righteous as I can, and Jesus will step in where I fall short.  It's the old equation:  Faith + Works = Righteousness.

"You could say we're like two peas in a pod.....We're a team, me and God."  Catchy song, Mr. Turner, but it's a lie. Peas in a pod...they are alike.  Made of similar stuff.  God is so completely Other from us that Scripture says it would destroy us to stand in His presence.  When confronted with the almighty God of the universe, the prophets quaked in terror, crying things like "I am undone!" - they did not sing catchy tunes about peas.  No, "me and God" are nothing alike.  And we're not a team, either.  God isn't one of my buddies, running out on the field of life with me after a motivating cheer and a High 5.

Jesus didn't save Peter because Peter believed and stuck with Him.   Jesus saved Peter because He loved Peter.  Remember Peter's "I do not know this man..."? Jesus died for a man who was morally and spiritually bankrupt, a man who was broken and confused and humiliated.  Peter couldn't even choke out a whisper, "I know Jesus."  Peter could not bring one single thing to the cross to help atone for his sins.  All he could do was watch.

Peter - indeed, all Jesus's disciples - were saved not by their unwavering faith or their bold testimonies or their good works.  They were saved by Jesus.  Jesus alone.

Seems to me that, by sending Jesus to die alone on the cross, without friend or aid or encouragement, God made that point perfectly clear.  He deliberately cleared all the "best" of Jesus's followers from the stage, to avoid any possibility of confusion on the matter.  If even the disciples couldn't contribute anything to their salvation, why do I think that I can?

Jesus saves, and Jesus alone. In what then shall I boast?

In Christ alone.

MESSED UP

I just finished reading the book of Mark.  When reading again of Jesus's betrayal - by Judas, by Peter - and of His abandonment by all of the disciples - those men who knew and loved Him best - something new struck me.  Or maybe, it's just that something old struck me in a new way.

I have some young friends who are disillusioned with the church.  Earnest in their study of Scripture and their understanding of right doctrine, zealous in their desire to live rightly, these friends see others within the body of Christ who just don't seem to be getting it right... People who call themselves Christians, but who struggle to understand and embrace the doctrines of grace.  People who call themselves Christians, but who mess up really big in the practical business of living out this faith.  People who seem to be totally devoted to Jesus (Peter said to Jesus, "Even though they all fall away, I will not." Matt. 14:29), but then who turn around and, by their words and deeds, deny the very Lord they profess to love (Peter:  "I do not know this man of whom you speak." Matt. 14:71)

Yes, I suppose it would be easy to grow disillusioned!

But I find great encouragement in the writings of Mark.  Jesus knew these men - that they would be fickle and faltering, that sometimes they would get this faith business really wrong, that they would even run from His presence - and He loved them anyway.  And, in spite of the fact that every one of them really, practically, undeniably blew it, Jesus used them to build His church.  It was thrilling to me to read how Jesus, after His resurrection, went straight back to these men, assured them of His love for them, and set them right to work proclaiming the good news of His Gospel!

This encourages me in two ways.  First, when I see others in my local church who are just "not getting it right," I can be confident that Jesus is sufficient to overcome their ignorance, cowardice, or weakness.  I don't have to bombast them, hate them, or run from them.  Also, it is a HUGE encouragement to know that when I am ignorant, cowardly, or weak, Jesus can handle that, too!  I can never mess up so badly that my Savior can't find me (even if I'm hidden away in an upper room, behind locked doors) and restore me to Himself.

Also, this gives me great hope for my young, disillusioned friends.  They look around at the messed up people who call themselves "Christians" and wonder how on earth there can be any veracity to this faith.  But the good news of the Gospel is that Jesus came to save nasty, messed-up sinners - and He does just exactly that, and He does it very well.  He doesn't lose a single one of the souls He came to save.  Not one.  The Gospel is true and sure because of the faithfulness of our Savior...not because of the faithfulness of His children.

That gives this messed up Christ-lover great hope, great encouragement, and great security.

50-SOMETHING

Seemed appropriate, after yesterday's post!

YOU MAY BE APPROACHING FIFTY IF...
(Originally posted on Friday, May 7, 2010)

 ...you understand the meaning of the term compression garment. Your underwear is a practical application of NASA technology, and, in size, is not unlike a space shuttle landing field.

...you climb out of the recliner after working the daily crossword in the newspaper, and, hearing a clatter, begin looking to see if you've dropped your glasses or your pen. Oh, yeah, I forgot....that's just my joints cracking.

...your kids have ever laughed at you for simultaneously wearing two pairs of glasses - one on your face, and a forgotten pair on top of your head.

...you have discovered that, at large gatherings, everyone in the room sounds like the adults in a Peanuts cartoon. "Wah, wuh-wa-wah..." You're seriously considering taking a class in lip reading.

...you hesitate at the top of stairs, trying to decide between the danger-induced thrill of walking down normally or the safety of taking the steps sideways, one at a time. Step, close. Step, close. Step, close.

...the Classic Rock station plays all the tunes you loved in high school. Where do they get off calling those songs "oldies"?

...your son asks if he can spend Saturday helping a friend round up cows, and you answer by telling him the menu for tonight's supper. "What?" "Oh, you weren't asking about dinner, were you. I misunderstood. What did you ask?"

...your hour-glass figure has transformed into something more like a Ripley's-Believe-It-or-Not version of a sweet potato. Yep, you finally got some curves...they're all just six inches lower and much bigger around than they're supposed to be.

...you think making the bed, showering, and getting dressed in the morning qualifies as an aerobic workout.

...you drop something on the floor, and, after a pause, you decide to leave it there. You'll pick it up later, after you've dropped three or four other things. That way, bending over will be more worth the effort.

...even when you're wearing your reading glasses, your arms are not long enough to allow you to read the buttons on the TV remote.

...in the morning, you reach for the Raisin Bran or the Meusli instead of the Lucky Charms or Cap'n Crunch. And you absolutely MUST have that morning cup of coffee. For health reasons.

...at bedtime, you frequently find yourself debating whether to take two ibuprofen - or - drink a glass of wine - or - just go straight for the Lunesta.

...a good night's sleep means you stayed in bed until the alarm went off (not that you slept the whole time), except for the two times you got up to use the bathroom and the time you got up to change nightgowns after a nuclear hot flash.

...instead of doing things for your kids so that they won't hurt themselves, your kids now do things for you so that you won't hurt yourself.

...removing your brassiere is a cost-effective alternative to having surgery for a face lift. Here is the dilemma: Do you lose twenty pounds in pursuit of your youthful figure, only to find you now look like one of those raisins at the bottom of the box? - or - Do you keep the extra weight, sacrificing your fanny for your face, so that you look a little younger above the shoulders?

...you've ever thought that you have probably already lived at least half of your life. You've paddled your canoe to the middle of the lake. From here on, no matter what life throws at you, you're paddling toward shore. It's all home from here!

PRIME TIME

My lips feel like big hunks of bologna, and my tongue is wearing itself out trying to get re-acquainted with my two back molars.  Doctor S drilled out and replaced two old fillings this morning.  Not having visited a dentist in about ten years, I expected a lot worse.  Surprisingly, last week's exam and x-rays gave us only this little bit of follow-up today.  An hour total, in and out, and I'm good until next year.  Thank you, Jesus!

Having recently turned Almost 50, I am acutely aware that my body is not what it used to be.  Old dental fillings crumble.  Things creak and make odd popping noises.  Other parts buckle or sag or wobble.  People often sound to me like they are talking with rocks in their mouths, or like they're speaking from the back of a cave.  "What?" and "Articulate!" are the words my children hear most frequently from their mother.  Print - in books, on signs, anywhere - seems to have gotten much smaller than back in the old days.  I find that I tire more easily than I used to.  What on earth is the matter with me?!

Recently, I also had my first doctor's appointment in over 10 years.  The nurse weighed me, took my blood pressure, checked my temperature, and settled me into a tiny exam room. On the wall hung a huge poster:  "Your Maturing Body."  While I waited for the doctor, I read all about how my blood vessels are beginning to atrophy, my muscles are losing strength, my skin is losing elasticity, my joints are wearing out, my bones are becoming brittle.  Niiiiice.

At the end of that appointment, Doctor D (who looked to me to be about 18 years old) asked, "Do you have any more questions?  Any thing else you want to talk about before you leave?"

"Yes," I answered, patting my jolly food baby.  "I would really like to lose a little bit of this tummy before it becomes permanently attached to my body.  As a medical professional, do you have any suggestions or tips?"

Doctor D looked at me without blinking and answered not a word.

I squirmed on my perch at the end of the exam table.  "Well, I mean, besides 'Eat less and move more'?"  I thought she must surely know some secret medical trick, right?  Something to make it easier for a "mature woman" to shed a few pounds.

She looked at me a second longer, then replied, flatly, "Really?"  That's all she had to say.  These young doctors are so sassy!

Okay, so the bottom line is, after exams and blood work and x-rays and long-overdue dental appointments, it's official: I'm in fantastic shape.  For a fifty-year-old.  AND, my "mature" body is slowly falling apart.  Which is normal.  Not a crisis.

This morning at the gym, I was giving my food baby a ride on the elliptical walker, the only piece of cardio equipment that my knees don't protest.  I wiped the sweat out of my gray hair with a towel, and squinted to focus on the TV screen above me.  "Do you want to look 20 years younger?" purred a svelte, blonde, 20-something in a white lab coat.  "Do you want to look and feel like you did years ago, when you were at your prime?"

I laughed.  Nope, I thought.  Forget 20 or 30...50 is looking plenty "prime" to me.  Even with the loose bolts and squeaky gears.  Don't believe me?  I've got Doctor D to back me up.

Gotta run, now...time to go pick up my new bi-focals!