Tag Archive - real

The 2 Most Incredible Shrinking Arms of All Time

May 7, 2010 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife with 2 Comments

I don’t know when it happened, but my arms changed. They got shorter, weaker too. It was obvious their strength would no longer allow arm-wrestling with the kids. I understood the strength loss, but shorter? I was quite bumfuzzled. Doesn’t osteoporosis diminish height instead of arms?

I hope I don’t have a weird bone disease.

First Symptom

Incredible arm

The first short-arm symptom showed when the kids brought me their homework. With their scribbling in hand, I hyper-extended my elbows in order to make sense of it. While doing what I’ve always done, I was astounded with how tired my weak, shortened arms got.

That’s when I decided to get in shape. Surely a strenuous workout schedule focusing on arm strengthening would help. But even with six months of pumping iron at The Nautilus, my arms were still dwindling.

Their length used to be perfect for reading iPhone messages, enjoying Mary DeMuth’s Daisy Chain and studying my leather-like bound Bible. Now, I’m in a quandary. I don’t know what else to do about my incredible shrinking arms.

Some might disbelieve in the profound degeneration of my limbs. They may scoff and tease, or make wild suggestions like it isn’t my arms at all. But I know.

I know something’s wrong.

Diagnosis

Then headaches became the norm, but only when my eyes were open. I decided to see Dr. Means and discovered he is the kindest sort of mean. He laughed at me, spoke truth over my circumstance, then diagnosed me with multi-focal instead of some strange osteoporosis.

Apparently, my incredible shrinking arms were not so . . . Well, let’s just say I was wrong. I now sport new contacts and can’t believe the detail in the leaves on the trees.

Eye-opening Experience

Isn’t it eye-opening how our experience or understanding is limited. We are so sure of what we know. It’s like we’re stuck in the teen years—I know, I know—when we are clueless. God can say in truth, “I know.” He is the wisest. He knows everything and if we allow him to lead, we will not go off in obscure, weird ways of thinking and living.

“A person who has Christ as his Master is the master of every circumstance” (Streams in the Desert, p. 184).

God takes care of me. “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you [God] preserve my life” (Psalm 138:7).

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Name Calling . . . Our Reality?

February 10, 2009 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife with 0 Comments

God calls names. Hard to believe, but in both the old and the new parts of the Bible he called people names. He called the righteous, "sinners"; wimps, "mighty heroes"; and stones, "big rocks" (Lk. 18:9-14, Jg. 6:12, Mt. 16:18). Each time he is stating something that is, but is not yet revealed or seen. God calls an Ace an Ace, whether others see the spot or not. The ones being named don’t see it in themselves and often no one else sees it either.  I guess if the name-calling is to point out reality or truth as God does, it’s okay.  

Bad kid or creative genius?

Bad kid, or creative genius?

God sees our reality better than we do and guides us to realize it ourselves. While hiding from the enemy Gideon must’ve felt much more like a wimp than a “Mighty hero” (NLT, Jg. 6:12). Gideon didn’t jump up out of the winepress with inflated chest instantly becoming a great leader, but he trusted God enough to begin obeying him. Gideon’s transformation or step into his reality didn’t happen overnight. But in time and through daily obedience to God he found himself full of the Spirit of God and leading the people of God victoriously—a mighty hero.

Since each Christ follower is called, what is that God whispered into your spirit? What has God called you? Leader. Follower. Encourager. Warrior. Pray-er. Speaker. Server. Helper. Writer. Mentor. Teacher. Are you trusting him to make it real to you by daily obeying his promptings? If so, like Gideon, one day you will look back in amazement, wondering how cool it is to trust God and see that he’s done amazing things in and around you.

Daily trusting and becoming . . .

 

It Will Be! But the Choice is up to Me (Acts 1:16-19)

May 6, 2008 in Acts Forum with 0 Comments

It Will Be! But the Choice is up to Me (Acts 1:16-19)
God’s promises will be fulfilled. His word is true. It will be as God says it will be. “The Scripture had to be fulfilled” (vs. 16). Those statements are true, but consider how our life fits into the promises of God. What part do we play? How do our choices in life position us in relation to God’s promises? Are we playing on God’s side of the fence or not? The promise is a reality!

Judas. Here’s a guy that didn’t look closely at the promises of God, or consider his choices wisely. But don’t be too rough on him without taking a hard look at ourselves. Jesus chose him to take a share in his ministry (vs. 17). Aren’t we as believers also chosen to share in Jesus’ ministry, to be his witnesses, to love people like he did? Have we considered our daily choices? Are we going through religious motions or rituals without all heart or sincerity in seeking God? Or do our choices reveal apathy concerning anything related to God? For me, pretenders are harder to stomach. Maybe it’s because I struggle with authenticity at times. Pretending is a great temptation. Daily choices are hard to make, but they position us in God’s promises.

The blood price. Judas’ unbelief caused his blood to be spilt at his own hands (vs. 18-19). By faith, believers are covered with Jesus’ blood that takes away sin—Jesus paid the price. Without belief, our blood is on our own hands. Wrong choices mess up our insides. If we’ve made bad choices—figuratively hung ourselves, we can bring our messed up lives to Jesus and ‘spill our guts’ out with him, begging forgiveness, and accepting his blood to cover us, rather than buying our own field of blood to die in. Jesus has already paid the blood price for us.

God’s promises are as good as done. Jesus’ forgiveness and mercy are available for our asking. Where do we stand in God’s reality, his promise? In what portion of his ministry do we give all heart? What do our daily choices reveal? God, help us to be authentic—not pretenders, to make wise choices.

Join me in living authentic lives, making good faith-filled choices, and please help me keep to this task! I could use the assistance.

I pray, God, that you help us make a difference by being real and making choices out of belief in you.
Robin

Continuous Authenticity! Prayer? (Acts 1:13-15)

April 29, 2008 in Acts Forum with 2 Comments

Let’s be real. Amongst us, who is continuously authentic at anything? I’m the chief mess up; the worst I know. The only real thing I can be is a mess. Hiding my mess is my natural response. There now. I’ve confessed I am not perfect nor good enough to even get close, and I’ve been around enough other people to understand the same is true of them as well. We are all a mess, every last one of us. Even God agrees, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23, NLT).

God knows all things. Nothing is hidden from him. Our every thought is known by him. Therefore, we ought to pray to him confessing all that is within us, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Especially since he already knows, and we can’t hide it. God has said he loves us even with our shortcomings. John 3:16 says he loved us even before we recognized our need for his love. “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him” (NLT). His love caused him to die for us that we might have purpose in our life. Believers ought to always pray openly and in an intimate manner.

God asks believers to gather together and it seems from this passage, verse 14, the main purpose for gathering is to lay aside self, focus on God, and worship him in prayer. Could it be the reason the church of today struggles with petty discord is that we don’t gather together to authentically pray? We don’t humble ourselves before God either personally or in our corporate prayer. We don’t really pray.

I heard a statement about marriage and prayer. The couple who prays together stays together. This is true if their prayer is authentic opening of themselves before God and each other, confessing wrongs and asking forgiveness. This doesn’t work if the only prayer request is for the likes of Aunt Edna’s ailing knee, a sort of shopping list prayer. God isn’t a heavenly department store clerk to pass out blessings requested from a list. No, he honors genuine seeking him in prayer.

Please don’t think I am saying praying for a list of sick ones, and such is wrong. What I am saying is the most effective prayer is meeting with God, being humbled in his presence, confessing unworthiness, and asking as one in complete dependence for genuine felt needs. Does the church today really pray?

I have experienced this kind of genuine, heartfelt, humbling encouraging group prayer. A gathering where each one prayed from the depths of their heart, confessing sinful attitudes and behaviors, and the desire to live in the manner causing God to smile in approval. I’ve come to understand more clearly the heart of others as together the group prayed corporately in this manner. Real prayer brings real unity. Authentic living.

For further reading on unity in prayer, examine Hebrews 10:25 (gather together), 1 Thes. 5:17 (pray continuously), Ephesians 5:21 (submit to one another).

Why don’t believers pray?