Getting Ready!

I’m working on my next book, my 365-day devotional; and every day I remind myself how easy I thought the process would be. I thought it would be different than writing a book, for some strange reason. But it is not. I have decided to stick to my self-imposed schedule, but I have also decided, as is always the case, to make sure I have beautiful well-thought out content.  I really want the women who purchase this book to find deep solace in its pages. There will be some great additions, inserts, and interaction. I am so excited!

I will not beat myself up if it is not ready by my initial deadline, but I plan to have it finished as soon as possible.

To get you ready for ‘21^st Century Hannah 365 Days of Praise’, here is a rough draft sampler of one of my ‘days’.  The day can change, so I will not mention which day this is: 

‘Favorites. Do you ever wonder if God has favorites? Do you ever notice how some people seem to profoundly mess up, but God blesses them anyway? You find yourself talking to God, telling him how you just wanted one thing your entire life, but he said no. In fact, as in my case, he seemed to block every possible way that my prayer could have been answered! Yet others are blessed over and over, and some of them apparently oblivious. Well, let me remind you that the comparison game creates a slippery slope that can take you to bitterness and sadness. Don’t go there! Concentrate on you, your life, your relationship with Christ; and with others.  Make sure you are where you are supposed to be physically, spiritually, and emotionally. This is one of the few times in life when it is about you’.  ©     

Remember, this is a rough draft, I may make some changes in the final draft. 

Please also remember that this is copyrighted information. 

Sea of voices

Have you ever been at a large gathering, typically Sunday morning church service, and the entire congregation is reading scripture or repeating a prayer? I think most people are subconsciously listening to their own voice, thinking ‘I don’t like my voice’. I don’t like to hear my voice either. It doesn’t seem to blend in with everyone else’s. Maybe that’s how it is for everyone. But have you ever stopped to listen to all of the voices? The unison but at the same time the differences. The male voices and the female voices. The young voices and the old voices. It sounds awesome doesn’t it?

Do you ever wonder what God hears when he hears our voices? Can you imagine the number of voices he hears on a Sunday morning all around the world? It probably sounds like a sea of voices to him. That’s how I imagine it. A beautiful sea of voices.


But what do you say on the other days? What does God hear when you are not in church? Does he hear negative words and thoughts? Does he hear us ripping each other apart with our lips? Does he hear us ripping ourselves apart? Do the words that come out of our mouths Monday through Saturday match the words that come out on Sunday morning? Do we talk about love on Sunday but use a different set of four letter words on the other days?


Never thought about it? Unfortunately, it’s not something many of us think about on a regular basis. But we should. Now more than ever, we need to be strong in our faith. We need to have the right words and thoughts in our minds at all times. There is so much happening in our daily lives. There are things happening that we never dreamed would. There are wars and rumors of wars. More people around the world are lacking the basic necessities than ever. There is hatred and strife, lack of understanding and empathy, and fear.


But what would our lives, our voices be like, if we speak the way God wants us to? What would happen if we said positive things and remembered his promises? Promises like ‘And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.’ Deuteronomy 28:12-13. How about remembering God’s blessings on us instead of speaking negatively about ourselves?

What about saying and thinking positive things about people instead of thinking and assuming the worst? Like in Philippians 4:8, ‘Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.’ It’s not easy when people have mistreated us, especially when they have done so on purpose. There are times when we will have to dig deep for the right attitude, the right words, and the right thoughts. But dig deep we must. It will work out better for us in the end. It will be worth it.

I often say that this Christian life is not easy. Many people want us to stop believing the word of God. They want us to give up our beliefs and just blend in. Live and let live you know? Say whatever we want, live however we want, believe whatever we want. But how would our voices sound to God? Our voice may sound weird in our ears, but I believe it must sound like a beautiful addition to the sea of voices he hears? I want my voice to be a part of the sea of voices. How about you?

In the Gap

Many times in the Christian community, when we pray for someone who is not present in the church service, we stand in the gap in prayer for that person.  In proxy.  But what about the people who do not have anyone to pray for them, to stand in the gap for them?  There are many people around the world who need prayer.  They may be Christians who are being killed, or non-Christians who do not know who Jesus is.  They may not even care who he is. 

Every day, people leave for work, their children leave for school, and they did not even thank God for waking them that morning, never mind asking Him to go with them throughout the day.  Many people feel like they are living life under their own steam and do not need any help from above.  It could be too, that they did not do it because they did not know to do it.  Besides, you would have to believe God can really help you to ask right?

And that’s OK, because when they get a revelation that there is a God and that they could rely on him in the good times and the bad, they will talk to him more.  They will pray.  They will rely on God to protect their children from the craziness they face at school every day.  They will rely on him to protect them during their commute, at work, and even in their relationships.  They will get a revelation that it is God who made us, who protects us, who wakes us in the morning and takes us through the day. They will realize that prayer before leaving the house is just as important as a good breakfast!

With everything that is going on in our world, what would be wrong with prayer? 

Well, in the meantime, maybe those of us who are Christians should stand in the gap.  Maybe in addition to praying for our family members we can pray for people around the world.  Maybe we can pray for Christians around the world who are going through things we cannot even imagine.  Maybe we should take a world view of our Christian beliefs, and really pray against all of the unbelievable things that are happening.  I believe we can really stand in the gap for the world. 

Many of us are taught to pray what we call ‘specific prayers’, rather than the typical general or generic prayer.  What should we pray for specifically? We can pray for Christian families who have been uprooted because of their beliefs.  We can pray against the kidnappings of children and women who are being used as sex-slaves.  We can pray against world-wide terrorism.  There is actually quite a bit we can and should be praying about.  As Christians, we cannot afford to pray the simple generic prayers anymore.  Life is no longer that simple.  We must pray for each other around the world.  We cannot afford to pretend that all is well because all is well with us.  We are our brother’s keeper.        

Perception

Late last year I went back to the Caribbean Island my family is from, to attend the funeral of a family member.  Of course it was a sad occasion, but as preparations were underway, some days we took the opportunity to stop for lunch at a nearby restaurant.  I walked ahead of the family members I had traveled with that day, to get to the restaurant; I was hungry, and wanted to get a table.  Dressed in a sundress and flip flops I walked into the restaurant searching for the perfect table.  A young man sitting at a nearby table stopped eating, looked at me said something I will never forget: 'you are impressive'.  I said 'excuse me?' He repeated himself.  I said 'you don't even know me, how do you know I'm impressive?' He said 'it's the way you carry yourself.' I was silent for a few seconds, taken aback, and then I said 'thank you'.  He said 'you're welcome' and turned back to his food. I found a table for the group I was with.

I realize as human beings, we will never be perfect. Christian or not. But what I do know is that whether or not we are perfect, whether or not we realize it, we are being watched.  We are being watched when we mess up and we are being watched when we do well.  I read a FaceBook post a few days ago, where an elderly woman eating at a restaurant, apparently wrote a note to her waiter impressed by the way he carried himself.  He reminded her of her deceased son.  Whether or not this story is true, the fact is we have to ask ourselves how are we being perceived, how do we carry ourselves? Does it matter? Of course it does.  Those of us who are Christians know this is especially true.  We know that many times people are watching to see us mess up, and some people in fact some want us to do well.

As Christians, we are representatives of Jesus.  As such, we must live our lives as much as possible above reproach.  We may make a bad decision once in a while or say something we should not have, but we must push to become the person God wants us to be.  We must be a blessing to everyone we interact with.

How do we emanate the right perception, how do we carry ourselves in a good and positive way? Being a person who emanates a positive perception to others can start with simple actions.  We should treat people with respect and dignity regardless of their station in life.  That may sound snobbish or uppity, but the fact is, many people mistreat those whom they think are 'beneath' them. No human is beneath another human, God made us all, and in His image.  If we remember that, treating everyone we meet with respect will come naturally.  We all want to be heard, and sometimes just being heard by you is all another human being will get.

Sometimes we will miss the mark, but the key is to try continually, it will be worth it.  I will be honest, I struggle with patience.  When we travel to the islands my family and I are from (we are from two different islands that are governed by one flag) we have to take a taxi from the airport to the pier, and then take a ferryboat to the island of our final destination. On the flight from the U.S. a passenger was having trouble storing his luggage in the overhead compartment.  I had no choice but to stand in the aisle, waiting for him to get his luggage stored.  Little did I know that I would be sitting next to him for our trip from The U.S. to the Caribbean.  God does have a sense of humor.  He points out our faults to us, giving us a chance to fix them. The gentleman thanked me profusely for my patience, which made me feel guilty!  Because I really just wanted to sit down.  We chatted on the trip to The Caribbean, and when we landed he thanked me again for my patience and insisted on paying our fare from the airport to the pier.  He would not be refused.  We thanked him and took our taxi to the pier.

Whenever I find myself in a situation where my patience is tested, I remember the above mentioned experiences.  The thing about relationship with Christ is that when He knows we are chasing after Him, when we try, and when we fail; He will test us but He will not leave us.  He will teach us through experiences such as the above, but He will not embarrass us or call us out.  We just have to trust Him to grow us, allow Him to grow us.

When Moses was turning his leadership over to Joshua when the Israelites were about to enter The Promised Land, he said many encouraging things to the people, but one of the things that stood out for me was this: 'The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.' Deuteronomy 31:8.  I know that The Lord is going ahead, before me, to teach me, even reprimand me.  He wants me to be of a positive and good perception.  Amen!

Convert or die!

I never thought I would hear those words during my life time: convert or die!  The stories coming out of Iraq right now are fluid, but they are not changing much.  People--Christians and other ethnic minorities are being chased out of Iraq simply because they do not maintain the same beliefs as the militants that are chasing them.  Some of these people left with just the clothes on their backs.

But what I feel is the saddest story to date, something I have heard in the flurry of stories, was about the man who renounced his vow to Jesus, only to be killed anyway. I hope this story is not true, but if it is, I hope he had time to repent and that he his soul went to heaven.
These militants are so evil that people are running because they know whether or not they renounce their faith, they will most likely be killed.  Many of us have seen the images of the affected: fleeing, waiting on the top of a mountain, and burying family members in shallow graves.  Many of the Christians who ran for their lives are waiting in churches.  We have seen other images too difficult to watch, of Christians and others who have not renounced their faith, being shot in the head and pushed into some body of water.  The ground covered in the blood of the slain.

From the time I heard about these horrors, I posed the question: could we 'Western Christians' handle what is happening to the Christians in Iraq and other parts of the world? Could we drop everything and leave our homes with just the clothes on our backs?  Are we tough enough to stand up for our belief in Jesus with a gun held to our head, or the head of a family member?  Do we really believe? What do we believe?  Do we really believe in Jesus no matter what?

Christians have been killed since the beginning.  We have been fed to lions, boiled in oil, and run through with spears from the time Jesus rose from the dead.  What is happening now is just a continuation.  I believe people are shocked at the television images because as a human race we thought we had evolved, become more accepting of each other, more tolerant.  But that is not the case, indeed I do not believe it ever will be the case.  We are too beset with ourselves and with our causes.  We are not willing to live and let live. Actually, that includes we Christians.  When we become believers we are mandated to go and spread the good news.  The issue is that everyone thinks their religious belief is the good news.

We Christians however, believe we have the true good news.  Why? Because the one true God does not compel us to convert people by pointing a gun at their heads.  We do not shoot people in the head at point blank range while videotaping so that we can then show the murders on television around the world.  We live our lives by example, not by beating people over the head with our beliefs.  We believe in a God who lives forever.  We believe in I am that I am, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.  His word does not change. We believe in a Jesus who died and rose from the dead and lives forever more.

When we become believers, our hearts and minds change.  We no longer give in to murderous rages, trying to control other human beings with the threat of death.  We believe in the one true God.  We believe.

What exactly is it?

I've been thinking about it a lot lately.  Many people dismiss it as 'religious', 'holy roller', 'old-school', and no longer relevant.  Even Christians in an effort to seem relevant, do not use the term.  What really bothers me is that some Christians believe we must stay away from certain terms and tenets of our Bible, to be relevant to people who view us as crazy for our beliefs anyway.  In fact, these very people want us to stop believing.  They think that we can just change our minds from believing in a book of ‘stories’ written 2000 years ago about a god that probably does not even exist.  For that very reason, the fact that our beliefs are 2000 years old, we should forget it and 'get into the 21st century'.  We should 'go along to get along', and 'live and let live'.  If we do not comply, we are 'narrow-minded', 'hateful', and anti-anything that is now openly accepted.  

I do not know what is more treacherous though, the belief that Christians should just stop believing, or the Christians who have indeed stopped believing.  If they ever believed at all.  Believe or not, The Word is The Word, and those of us who know The Word realize we cannot just stop believing.  There's a saying, 'stand for something or fall for anything'.  I do not know who said it, but I agree.  I agree not because I want to be stubborn and anti-establishment; but because there is something deep within me, deeper than an impression, that believes.  It is a living, breathing, confidence in someone bigger than me.  That someone created me, and when I worship Him, my heart and my spirit come into agreement with His.  How does one just walk away from that and stop believing?

Am I being asked to stop believing in my creator so that our new society of ‘go along to get along' feels less threatened? In America, it used to be that people were allowed to believe what they wanted.  Now when we believe, we can be accused of hate crimes.  It seems the reverse is happening.  It is the Christians who are being ostracized.  That however, has been the case since the beginning.  We are used to being ostracized.  

At the mention of the name Jesus or God, some people become quite angry.  They will probably become angrier when they realize that 'holiness' is a relevant term.  It is not a religious, old-school, or holy-roller term.  It is relevant to those of us who still believe.  You see, the Word says 'Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.' --Hebrews 12:14.  So for those of us who believe, we must be holy if we want to go to Heaven.  For believers, Heaven is what it is ultimately all about.  But while we are here, holiness means loving everyone, doing unto others as we would have them do unto us, and it means not changing our minds or 'going along to get along'.

Nowhere in the Word does it tell Christians to hate people, but the Word does tell us to hate sin. Furthermore, the word is quite clear on what sin is.  For those, Christian and non-Christians, who believe we can just interchange, add a little here, take away there; it does not work like that. We either believe the entire Word or none of it.  

Christians will continue to believe the Word.  We will continue to love everyone, and we will continue to hate sin.  We will continue to abide by the laws of our land, but we will not compromise The Word.  It will not always be easy to walk the fine line of obeying The Word and obeying the law, but we will do just that.  Our God, The Word, will direct us.  We believe.