Psalm 23 In The Time of Covid19

Surely this is one of the most famous portions of Scripture.  I remember learning it as a child.  And for that reason I believe that I sort of wrote it off for so many years.  But over the past ten years this psalm has become a constant hum in the back of my brain.  It is always there.  It is always providing comfort.  It is always available to "call to mind" so that I can have hope (Read Lam. 3:16-26, noting verse 21).

All of the sheep herding images and so beautiful to us.  We love the idea of lacking nothing.  Lying down in green pastures!  I am no shepherd but I am pretty sure sheep only lie down when they trust that they are safe.  And sheep need still waters - fast moving currents are dangerous.

Abruptly the image changes - I am being lead in paths of righteousness.  I am walking in threatening places but I have no fear.  I trust the Shepherd. He is with me.  His direction and correction are a comfort to me.  They aid in my awareness that I am safe.

My perspective on verse 5 changed several years ago.  This passage always brought to mind images of eating at a great big Southern table filled with my favorite foods on fine china with with the most beautiful table cloth and hydrangeas everywhere.  My enemies were so far away I didn't notice them.  They could see me but I paid no attention to them.  I have very few enemies.  However, one day I was at my favorite restaurant in the world, eating my favorite food in the world (mutton and burgoo is you must know!) and in walked one of my only enemies.  Someone who did not want my good.  And INSTANTLY this verse rushed to the forefront of my brain.  THIS is what it means.  I am eating in the very presence of my enemies.  He is not far away.  He is right beside me.  He can see me.  He knows what I am eating.  He can stare.  BUT God (don't you love those two words when they are together?) has set this banquet table.  He is here.  He has set me apart (anointed my head with oil). My cup is overflowing with blessing.  I have nothing to fear.  Strangely, I am not afraid.  (Definitely unsettled, mind you, but not afraid.)

This is what Psalm 23 is all about.  Surely God's goodness and his mercy are mine.  All the days of my life.  God is mine.  I am his.  I will dwell in his steadfast love and faithfulness in His house forever.

How beautiful to think on this psalm in this crazy time of COVID19.  We are being told that we must assume it is everywhere.  We are exposed.  Maybe for you that feels like the valley of the shadow of death or it feels like that banquet table with the enemy very near.  Either way - God is with us.  He is not far away.  He leads us and protects us.  May we suffer?  Yes.  But our heads are anointed - we are set apart to and for Him.  Psalm 4:3 - But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for Himself.  We cannot make ourselves Godly - He freely give us godliness and righteousness in the gift of Jesus.  2 Corinthians 5:21:  For our sake He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God.

And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord FOREVER. 

Are We Prepared?

This post is first and foremost for my Trailhead family.  But if you stumbled upon it, welcome.

During this pandemic Steve and I find ourselves having a conversation that I am sure many pastors and many churches are having.  Are our people ready for what is ahead?  In a moment of utter exhaustion Steve asked me what more he needs to do to prepare Trailhead for the craziness:  the separation, the fear, the isolation, the uncertainty of a worldwide pandemic and seemingly an economy that is reeling.  There are obviously very practical things that we all can and need to do -  things to protect ourselves and to support our community and those in need.  But spiritually... are we as a church ready?

Y'all!  It brought tears to my eyes to be able to look Steve in the eyes and say, yes, we are ready!  Not that we are eagerly anticipating this, but we have been well prepared spiritually.  How do I know?  Here a few thoughts.

We know these things to be true:

As Christ followers our identity is sealed and eternal.  Being afraid does not change that.  We belong to God.
When we are afraid, we know that this fear does not disqualify us from God's love.  It does not remove us from His presence.  It does not mean that we are not worthy or even useful to God.  It doesn't even make me ineffective in my service to Him.  There is no shame in fear!  It is yet again another opportunity to press into the love of God.  Nothing - my fear of death or even death itself - can separate those who follow Christ from the love of God (Read Romans 8:31-39) He is not far away.  He has not abandoned us. Our lives have been redeemed and sealed in Him (Ephesians 1:13-14).  We are His!

As Christ followers we will suffer.  Our Savior suffered.  We will be like Him!
We often talk about the loss of Shalom.  The peace of this world is broken.  There is suffering.  COVID19 is showing this in ways some of us have never imagined.  But we are not surprised by suffering.  Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Psalm 53).  His life was not exempt from suffering and ours will not be either.  But our hope isn't in having a life free of hardships.  Our hope is in a Savior who was willing to die for us - in our place.  He took what we deserved and in return gave us everlasting peace  (shalom) with God.  Our pain and suffering is an invitation to sit with Jesus and to be like Him.  He is present with us.  He has not abandoned us.   Jesus experienced death and was victorious over it.   It is also an invitation to sit with our neighbors and mourn the brokenness that we see and to share the hope that is within us!

As Christ followers we know that God's promises are true and they depend on HIS faithfulness, not our faithfulness!
I'm sure that you have read Lamentations 3:22-23: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning: great is your faithfulness." But don't overlook verses 16-17:  "He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is."  This explains the state of my soul in times like the current pandemic.  But verse 21! "But this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Great is Your faithfulness."  Now reread verses 22-23!  In times of fear and anxiety we must call to mind the hope that is within us!  Our hope isn't in our ability to save ourselves - to do better or try harder.  Our response to fear and anxiety isn't to pull ourselves together or to "believe in myself".  Our hope is God and HIS faithfulness.  The good news of the Gospel is that His mighty work of salvation on my behalf is a gift.  I do not have to earn it.  It is grace freely given. Verse 24 states:  "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in Him."

As Christ followers we can have joy.
Often in our anxiety and our fear there is nothing we can do but beg God for more of His grace, throwing ourselves at the feet of Jesus. He is our hope.  And our hope is unsinkable!  (See Tim Keller's sermon entitled Peace - Overcoming Anxiety 2-18-1990.). This pandemic and shelter at home proclamation can wreak havoc with our emotions.  Happiness seems fleeting.  But happiness comes from the comfort of things.  Joy comes from comfort in the Giver of things.  The Bible says that we can be joyful AND sad at the same time.  Joy is a spiritual buoyancy that comes when you rejoice in God. It is not impervious to suffering, but it is unsinkable.  What a gift!

As Christ followers we can have gratitude.
Even now, we have been shown so much grace, the gift of underserved favor.  That grace causes us to be grateful for what has been freely given to us.  Gratitude in turn pushes us out of our comfort zones to serve our neighbors and our city and to stretch and grow!  This in turn brings about even more grace in our lives - grace upon grace!  And the cycle continues.

The beautiful thing about each of these statements is that if you have been at Trailhead Church for very long YOU ALREADY KNOW THEM!  They are not new.  In Lamentations the phrase is "And this I call to mind".  We are calling these things to mind in the days and weeks ahead.  You are prepared for whatever this crazy time brings.  Will it be difficult?  Probably.  But we can Walk In Christ As Community On Mission and rest in these truths.  Together.

Trailhead Church - we love you.  And if you need someone to help you call these things to mind just let us know!

Thoughts for Mother's Day

I am a mother.  Some of my friends are not.  I can still hug my momma.  Some of my friends cannot. Some of my friends don't even want to hug their mommas.  Mother's Day is such a hard day.  I find it even more difficult in the church.  The capitalistic, American church has developed a devastating value system for women that plays out on this holiday.  The church says:  Married woman, worthy.  Single woman, less worthy.  Wife with kids, the most worthy.  Wife with no kiddos, failure.  What a calamitous thing to do to each other!!   Why would I be seen as more godly, more blessed, more valued, more anything just because of what has been given to me?  How did my value get determined based on things that I had NOTHING to do with acquiring?  ALL women are a reflection of our heavenly Father.  We reflect an aspect of Him that could not be reflected in men or even in one group of women.  We are daughters of the King.  We are loved and valued and cherished by God.  Why do we stand by as shame and humiliation and disgrace are placed on other women.  Please, oh please, my Trailhead women and other fellow followers of Christ, let us love each other well today.  Let us SEE each other and place the highest value on each one of us - married, single, mother, daughter, divorced, widowed, young, old, black, white, wealthy and poor.  Let us choose our words carefully (maybe you even need to write down ideas for greeting others before you leave the house!).  We will all stand before Jesus Christ one day equal in every way.  We have been redeemed.  We have been washed in the blood of Jesus our Savior - the one who paid a great price for us.  See each other in that light.

A Trip for Two to the Florida Keys

This is October.  It is starting to get chilly - which I love.  But it has me reminiscing over the warm days of summer.  Steve and I had a lovely trip to Florida this year.  So I will share a few photos and stories from a lovely week full of little surprises.  Mostly just enjoy the pictures!

This is the view from our condo.  There is a nice little bench right there on that dock.  We saw sunsets and dolphins and basked in the warm sunshine.  (Booked through VRBO - find some great deal there by searching Islamorada.)

We were right on the water - with two chairs just waiting for us!  There was kayaking and swimming by the pool, day dreaming, and lots and lots of relaxing.  

                                                      

We took a quick run down to Key West.  Some of the highlights were the Audobon House to see original John James Audobon paintings.  It is also worth your time to hike on over to Blue Heaven (www.blueheavenkw.com).  Don't miss the loaded black bean bowl.

We had lots of key lime pie on a stick!  I won't even tell you how many times we stopped to pick a couple of them up!  In Key West Visit Kermit's.  Thankfully they also sell them at almost all Circle K's in the area as well.

Best muffins in the Keys!  Try Harriette's Key Lime Muffins served warm.  Makes my mouth water just thinking about it!  Harriette's is located in Key Largo.

The very best part of the trip were the sunsets!  Every. Single. Night.  We saw the most amazing skies.  From our bench at the condo or from a restaurant on the water.  At one particular restaurant Steve and I were sitting on the dock watching the sun go down.  It was the most peaceful evening - we just sat and watched the sun go down while enjoying just being together.  I turned to Steve and said, "I wish someone would take our picture."  Five minutes later two women visiting from Great Britain said that they had just taken the most amazing picture of us and would like to show us!  They texted us this photo!  I have been so grateful to God for this tiny little blessing - and for those two very gracious ladies.  Maybe I cried... 

Perhaps the best choice of the trip was deciding to take a group sunset cruise.  We were on a budget

 

so chose a pontoon tour that held around fifty people. Renting a boat for ourselves was just too pricey.  However, when we arrived, no one showed up but us!  So instead of a packed out boat vying for the best views,  we had one captain and his little boat and the whole sunset all to ourselves!

We started out with the tour guide giving us his routine - but after a few minutes I asked him to turn off the loud music and just hang out with us.  He graciously agreed!  He answered all our questions, confirmed my eagle sightings, watched a shark with us and told us all sorts of interesting facts.  The most important of which, was that he had not found any wayward pythons!  Thank goodness!  He even gave us complete silence to watch the sun go down.  I think we were all three in awe.  It was the most perfect gift ever.  Maybe I cried again...  haha!  I couldn't have dreamed of a more relaxing way to end our week away.  The two and a half hour trip ended with a lightening show as we pulled back in to the dock!  If you are ever in the Keys, check out the tours at Cheeca Lodge (book through Islamorada Boat Tours (www.islamoradaboattours.com).  It was also a great way to see a beautiful lodge that I had been wanting to see for years... just too pricey to vacation at!

This is looking back over our shoulders as we headed back before it got to dark!

All in all it was the best night ever.  But Steve might actually put up an argument about that.  Some time you should ask him about snorkeling - with SHARKS!  He had such a great time.  If you can imagine that being a great time!  He came back grinning like a little boy - who had just seen a shark up close and personal!  I got the added bonus of Steve without a beard (cause you can't snorkel with a beard).  Haven't seen that face in years.  Looks just like the boy I married so very long ago!  (For the best snorkeling experience in the Keys, book through Bahia Honda State Park. at www.bahiahondapark.com/looe-key-snorkeling-tours.html)


There are a hundred different sunset photos and fifty different food pics.  We had great weather and great meals and even got upgraded from our original rental to a convertible Camaro!  Every little detail of this trip was a blessing from God.  We are so thankful for the good gifts he gives.

The sunset on our first night - from the chairs on the beach at our condo.

View from the tables at the Islamorada Fish Company!  Great food, too.

This was right before two dolphins swam past.

The whole week I had hoped to see a manatee - which is apparently unusual for June/July.  But we saw three!!  One was a cute little baby.  So thankful for this little blessing as well.

We ended the trip with a visit to our favorite church away from Trailhead - Core Community Church

in Homestead, FL.  Such a refreshing visit with good friends.  Then on to our conference in Miami.  It was such a sweet week full of little reminders that we have a glorious God who revels in showing off His creative beauty!  And boy, did we enjoy every minute of it!  Even better that we got to spend it together.  After twenty six years of adventures, I am still glad to run away with Steve.  Already planning when and where we can sneak off to next!  But it's gonna be hard to beat those sunsets...

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta( a Morracan traveler from the 1300's)

No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow. ~Lin Yutang (Chinese writer and inventor 1895-1976)

Singleness Forum and Resources - Trailhead Church - March 2015

Last week I was privileged to lead a forum on singleness with three amazing people at Trailhead.  We had a good evening full of hard questions, thoughtful answers, and good teaching from Redeemer Presbyterian Church (New York, Tim Keller) via video.   We did not record the evening because we wanted the attenders and participants to be able to speak freely without worry of their questions being shared to a bigger audience.  I do want to thank Kristy Wakefield, Meagan Monke, and Kevin Monke for willing to be open and honest and vulnerable.  That is a hard thing to do.  They did it well - to the glory of Jesus.   Here is a brief overview with links.  (If you are short on time - I recommend that you watch the two video clips listed below for Bethany Jenkins and Wesley Hill)

This forum was planned in the middle of the Song of Solomon series at Trailhead Church.  It had to be postponed due to the snow - but we want to begin in that context.  The language of Song of Songs is that of oneness.  Oneness in a marriage relationship.  Song of Solomon 2:16 - "My beloved is mine and I am his."  Jesus offers us that oneness - that belonging - that relationship!!  In John 17:11 Jesus prays for us:  "Keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one."  This is the language of oneness, of community.  The church has historically said that the epitome of oneness is marriage, that true oneness is found only in marriage.  This is false.  The CHURCH is the perfect experience of oneness.  Jesus prays for oneness for you.  He intercedes on our behalf.  Psalm 68:4-6 "...God settles the solitary in a home."  Romans 12:5 "So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another."

We briefly looked at singleness in the context of the Old Testament (Old Covenant) and New Testament (New Covenant).  What does God think?  This is taken from a sermon by Jenny Salt (From the Gospel Coalition Women's Conference 2012  Listen here.)

Under the Old Covenant

• Physical blessings most important
• Genesis 2 - marriage for community just as God has community in the Trinity
• Marriage was needed to grow the nation of Israel
• Marriage was needed for protection 
• Marriage was needed for preserving inheritance.  
• No voluntary singleness is seen in Israel.

Under the New Covenant

• Spiritual blessings most important
• The Church offers community just as God has community in the Trinity
• Jesus was single - did not need marriage for community
• Church offers protection for those not in a family
• Matthew 19:11-12 - Singleness is mentioned as a possibility by Jesus
• Mark 12:18 - Jesus describes marriage as temporary and if temporary then it is of lesser importance than our standing in Christ Jesus.  Heaven is beyond the limits of earthly marriage - this life is NOT all there is.
• 1 Corinthians 7:32 - Both marriage and singleness are good.  God uses both.  They are equal - both reflecting the character of God.  One is not better than the other.  

Ms. Salt took much of her information (and gives as a resource) the book Redeeming Singleness by Barry Danylak.  I highly recommend that book as well.  It will be listed in the resource list below.

This was our schedule for the evening:

7:00-05  WELCOME

7:05 - Open with first video:  Questions to Redeemer members about singleness 

Click this link:  https://vimeo.com/album/2763100/video/87819497 

7:15 - INTRODUCTION TO THE EVENT/EXPECTATIONS -   Discuss the theology of singleness:

7:45-8:00 Play entire Bethany Jenkins video

Click this link:  https://vimeo.com/88162695   

• Our identities are not founded on what we don’t have, but on what we have been given
• Family - commitments to spiritual family
• Kiss - the church should be as affectionate as possible - covering our brokenness and shame
• Future - Look at the future with eyes of faith: “single by sight, but betrothed by faith”, “let not your hearts be troubled”
• Stanley Hauerwas - “There can be no more radical act than singleness as it is the clearest, institutional expression that one’s future is not guaranteed by the family but by the church.  The church, the harbinger of the kingdom of god, is now the source of our primary loyalty.”

8:15-8:45  Q&A

8:45-9:15  Play entire Wesley Hill video - CHASTITY (and spiritual friendships)

Click this link:  https://vimeo.com/album/2763100/video/88121005

• Seeing chastity as part of God’s POSITIVE calling - to enter fully the risen life of Christ
• Phil 3:4-11 To know Christ, be known by Christ, new identity in Christ, orient his life around Christ, bless others around him (share in Christ’s sufferings)
• 2 Cor 4
• Must not see my calling/obedience in negative terms - my primary goal is not to keep myself from doing something.  “Out of enunciation comes a positive vocation.”
• Two types of love - “You’re mine because I love you.” (Friendship) or “I love you because you are mine” (God given friendships - they are given, vowed, not-negotiable.)  Mutual commitment.  I am called to this vision.  Don’t have to be married to wait for this relationship.  Fully honorable loves - not second class love.

9:15-9:45  Q&A

RESOURCE LIST:

Singleness:

Book - Redeeming Singleness:  How the Storyline of Scripture Affirms Singleness by Barry Danylak

BEST resource:   Sermon on The Theology of Singleness from Gospel Coalition 2012 (audio only):

http://resources.thegospelcoalition.org/library/singleness-what-does-god-think

Four Books on Singleness recommended by The Gospel Coalition:

www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2012/07/27/resources-on-being-single-in-christ/

Video by David Platt “Don’t Squander Your Singleness” (17 minutes) which is a call to mission

www.patheos.com/blogs/thoughtlife/2014/04/david-platt-dont-squander-your-singleness/

Best resource about same sex attraction (and loneliness and struggling against sin for everyone):  Book - Washed and Waiting by Wesley Hill

The entire S!NGLES forum put on by Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Tim Keller's church in New York City is available to stream.  It is worth your time!  http://new.livestream.com/redeemer-nyc/single

Dating Resources recommended by Desiring God:

www.desiringgod.org/all-resources/by-topic/dating-singleness

Two Highlighted:

www.desiringgod.org/articles/when-the-not-yet-married-meet-dating-to-display-jesus

• Quotes:  “While the great prize in marriage is Christ-centered intimacy, the great prize in dating is Christ-centered clarity.”
• “Focus on the harvest, and you’re bound to find a helper. Instead of making it your mission to get married, make your mission God’s global cause and the advance of the gospel where you are, and look for someone pursuing the same.”
• “Don’t let your mind marry him/her before the rest of you can.”

www.desiringgod.org/articles/10-questions-on-dating-with-matt-chandler

1. The questions:  Is My Boyfriend (or Girlfriend) Godly Enough?
2. Is There “Too Fast” In Christian Dating?
3. Has Facebook Ruined Dating?
4. Should My Church Help Me Get Married?
5. Should I Date a Godly Girl I Do Not Find Attractive?
6. Should a Boyfriend “Lead” His Girlfriend?
7. Keys to Sexual Purity in Dating?
8. When Should a Single Stop Dating?
9. Dating and Marriage for the Victims of Past Abuse
10. What Hope Does God Offer Lonely Singles?

A Story of Friendship and Kentucky Blue

It is March.  That means March Madness.  My team is doing pretty well.  I am happy.  Today I am actually wearing my Kentucky sweatshirt.  That used to just make me think of my beloved Wildcats team.  Lately, though, I think more of my friends when I where this.  There is a lovely story.  I'll share it with you.

Back in the early fall of 2014 I woke from one of those mesmerizing dreams that leave you wishing you could go back to sleep.  I dreamt that it was my birthday and all I wanted was hot fudge sundaes and time to pray with a group of eight specific women.  So I promptly emailed all eight of them and told them about my wacky, beautiful dream.  They did not all know each other and we all live in far away places, so getting together is impossible.  But I wanted each of them to know how fun my dream was and how someday in heaven we would have hot fudge sundaes together and plenty of time to pray!

Fast forward to my actual birthday.  Wouldn't you know it, but one of those women is a beautiful instigator!  And she worked her tail off to plan a way for all of those wonderful women to secretly come to my house - everyone made it except one who needed to stay home (but she was so very missed!).  The funny thing is that I was actually cleaning my garage when they showed up!  Steve had taken me out to birthday dinner and then I had asked if we could spend some time working on our colossal disaster of a garage!  (Yes, I know, I know.  Not very cool.   But "acts of service" is my love language!)  I teased him later that he could have said, "Yes, dear.  But you may want to put on a cute shirt to do so!"  He did not.  So I was scrubbing mud off of the back door while wearing my big, well worn, very unflattering Kentucky sweatshirt when my first friend walked in!

In comes  beautiful friend #1 with ice cream.  She said she wanted to give me a hot fudge sundae for my birthday.  Hooray for me!  Nothing too unusual.  Then two more beautiful friends showed up.  I should have been suspicious when I noticed my Arkansas friend wearing a UK shirt.  However,  I was so excited I didn't really process that.  Then my most cherished, lovely Kansas City friend strolled in and I could start crying even now when thinking of how elated I was to see her!  We proceeded to make our sundaes.  Then... they kept on coming!  One at a time!  My beautiful friend from Wisconsin.  Oh, the tears!  And as soon as I stopped crying in walked my lovely friend from Memphis!   More sobbing and hugging!  Then, my lovely friend from Florida waltzed in and I was a weeping fountain of tears!  Y'all - there is video.  I am not joking.  But I will refrain from sharing that... you are welcome!  It was so sweet, yet heart wrenching, to hear that my dear, dear beautiful friend from St. Louis had been
unable to join us for reasons outside her control!    (But boy did we pray for her!)

Bonus - they were all wearing Kentucky blue!!

Oh everyone... have you ever been overwhelmed with how loved you are?  I am so rarely overwhelmed (except maybe by fear!).  But they did it.  I am told that I ate a hot fudge sundae - but I truly don't remember it.  And it was the sweetest time of prayer that I have EVER experienced.  Sadly, at the end of the evening - well, in the early morning, everyone had to go back to their homes and families.  It was truly like a dream.

What a story of friendship and sacrifice.  It was hard to leave families and responsibilities and drive for hours (one friend with a broken tailbone even! and one friend hopping several different flights)!  But I am grateful.  They are such a picture of the sacrificial love of Jesus to me.  Every day.  They love me well by praying and pointing me back to Jesus.  Makes me think of the verse in Hebrews 10:26  "Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works."

It is difficult to write a post like this - for I have so, so many good friends.  I cannot tell you where I would be without my Trailhead Church friends and family.  They love me day in and day out and I love them right back!  Truly.  And my husband and parents and sisters and my children!  But these ladies made a dream come true.  Literally.  :)  And I am thankful.

Welcome 2015

Hard to believe that I haven't written anything since 2014... oh, so long ago. But here we are in March already. January and February (and Stevie-palooza) were lovely. But the clock keeps ticking onward.

And in those ticking moments, I have been thinking about community. This calls for a Wendell Berry quote, don't you think?

"A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared, and that the people who share the place define and limit the possibilities of each other's lives. It is the knowledge that people have of each other, their concern for each other, their trust in each other, the freedom with which they come and go among themselves."  ~Wendell Berry, The Long-Legged House (1969)

Such a sweet place to be in. "And so I came to belong to this place..."