Category: Uncategorized

My mother was dead set against a house pet most of my childhood.  An indoor pet was more domestic liability to the church parsonage than she was willing to risk.  Her children had no concept of the irreparable damage a domestic animal could do to a borrowed home, but she did and her word was law. 

While I was a freshman in high school my parents built a house of their very own. Finally! My siblings and I were free to spill things on the carpet and at last, have an inside pet!  Mom still didn’t like the idea, but we prevailed and a nice little Siamese cat came to live with us. 

There was never a cat that got more love and attention than “Sam”.  At first we observed cat holding schedules because everyone wanted premium petting time.  However, if the cat got loose it went directly to mom, without exception.  She never sat down without that silly, clueless cat climbing onto her lap. The ungrateful feline loved the very person that initially rejected her. But, mom was the only person that filled the food bowl or emptied the litter box.  We were all told to do this chore.  It was supposed to be the last thing we did as we left through the back door each morning on our way to the school bus stop, but Greg didn’t do it, I (Gretchen) had my flute and homework to lug, Gayle had her reasons and Gwen was too little to reach the feed bag or toss poop.  So, after we all got out the door and the dust settled, mom would find the cat bowl empty and the litter box full.  She just fixed the problem, then she and the cat would settle into a few contented moments of solitude before facing the outside world.

Sandy Jones had every right to get rid of the pet her children failed to care for. Other options were making poor Sam wait until we returned home in the evening and then remind us once again to take care of the cat’s needs.  Instead, Mom alone did what was right and kept the cat alive.

I will insert here, we were given consequences for neglecting Sam and we learned some very important life lessons as well. The issue of selfish, toxic, taking before we gave was not tolerated. My parents knew, if not arrested, this emotional habit would continue well beyond four Jones children and their pet.

It’s trendy and socially acceptable to take what feels good and leave the object of a so called affection empty and dying of emotional and spiritual starvation. The cost of one’s behavior is often paid by others, but it is just too easy to justify their expense or completely discount it all together. God’s character is not a reflection of taking. He is the patient giver, sustainer of life. His capacity to forgive and His willingness to sacrifice for our wellbeing is unfathomable.

At the end of Jesus’ life in human He faced the betrayal of His dear friend Peter.  After walking many miles together, laughing over life’s oddities, standing in awe and wonder at the world’s glories, sharing victories, joys and some sorrows, Peter just couldn’t face the fear and reality of who Jesus really was and His ultimate purpose, to die as a sacrifice. He denied Him not once, but thrice.  He left his beloved friend to suffer alone and friendless.  But, it didn’t matter! Jesus knew his heart and invited him to be a great giver, “Peter, if you love Me, feed My lambs, take care of My sheep, feed My sheep.” 

Our commission is to love, feed, strengthen and encourage each other. If you want to reflect God’s character (and my mom’s), then love and feed…….and maybe even clean up what stinks every once in a while.

Hosanna!

Gretchen

“Where were you when I laid earth’s foundation? Tell, me, if you understand.” Job 38:4 (Job 38-42)

Finally God speaks. I made the universe and all that is in it with specific detail to earth’s provision for man. Man in infinitely small compare to Me. I alone am God, Almighty, Creator, Giver of Life!  The wicked will absolutely be punished, but in My time. Man is not to justify themselves to Me. I know your heart, so no excuses, no defenses except righteousness. AND! Sorrow comes as a part of life. It is not a residual by product or consequence of sin…..it is life, but there is HOPE!

When struggling with life’s everyday disappointments or loss’s deepest grief, man’s only appropriate response is humble recognition of The Sovereignty of God. Trust with all your heart and know that God is working for the best in you, your family, your community, your nation and all the world. He is first and always, LOVE.

Have a Great Weekend,

Gretchen

“Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will questions you, and you shall answer me.”  Job 38:2-3  (Job 32-38:1-3) 

Of all Job’s advisors, Eliphaz is the younger and the last to speak.  He has politely differed to age and experience, but Job’s confident commitment to his defense, misread as bullheaded arrogance, has angered the court sages. This young, learned man spends many words telling how important and profound his insight is before he ever gets around to proclaiming that God’s actions are corrective, not punitive. His exhortation is six Biblical chapters long and when he is done, God speaks! (Read today’s scripture with a thunderous voice.)

Finding and placing blame is NOT synonymous with counsel or comfort. Blame always brings his best friend guilt to confront the offender, most likely the one already suffering. If guilt is provoked, he calls on his friends fear and anger. None of these characters are God’s desire for His children’s company. God’s loving arms bring only security, contentment and peace. 

Job’s friends initially meant well. However, they got wrapped up in traditional thought patterns that made them comfortable, but had the potential to destroy their friend. They passed judgement to fill a silence. Shame on them! God doesn’t need our assistance in anything! But!!He asks us to love for and through Him. We hinder the work God is already doing when we attempt to play God with someone else’s heartache. Be a conduit of Grace, not an impeder or hindrance.

Love,

Gretchen

And He said to man, “The fear of the LORD, that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.” Job 28:28  (Job 22-31)

Job’s friends are relentless. Rather than correct their theologies, they begin making up sins, completely rewriting the history of Job’s character to justify what they believe of God’s character! Job refuses to perjure himself by agreeing that he is guilty of some misplaced, forgotten, hidden or unconscious wrong.

Job clings to the words from God’s mouth and begins to grow in confidence. No longer trying to figure out why, peace is more important than an explanation and he finds what he is looking for by knowing there is an Almighty God. A recitation of Job’s sorrows concludes with a restatement of all he has done right in accordance with God’s laws and commands. Peace with God’s providence has come.

Our greatest faith comes through releasing EVERYTHING to God’s will. We want Him to abide by our definitions of kindness, bounty and justice, but He won’t, and we cannot rely on our own understanding of His ways. Like Job, our only hope and peace rests in allowing God to be God while trusting and knowing that He is good and that is enough.

‘

Not Easy for Me Either!

Gretchen

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.  Job 19:25-26 (Job 9-21)

Job and his three friends enter into a great debate.  Job insists he is not wicked and on several occasions, declares his righteousness to both his sages and God. However, his theology, bad things only happen to bad people, doesn’t square with his reality and the agony is bitter!

Evil people experiencing no visible evidence of God’s judgement or wrath while righteous Job’s pain and loss are excruciating, is noted. Job adds, he could accuse the same friends that hold him guilty of unseen, unspoken, yet ‘obvious’ transgressions, of worse sin than any possible wrong doing on his part. His sarcasm doesn’t set well and he finds himself completely alone. Chapter 19:13-19 lists all those who have abandoned him. Still, Job defends his righteousness and asserts, God sees him as he truly is.

Then! Job’s heartbroken, at times sarcastic, defense becomes faith! Not his old faith, but new and improved with clarity and definition. I KNOW my Redeemer, the one who sacrifices for man’s soul, lives and therefore, I too will live. (ARE YOU LISTENING SATAN?) Job finds hope, born of a faith that didn’t die of natural causes, and begins to understand an everlasting life.

From his primitive understanding of a Creator God and misunderstood justice comes a story of faith with a ‘no matter what’ endurance. When you have this, you have everything!

Love,

Gretchen

He will yet fill you mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. Job 8:21 (Job 4-8)

Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew without doubt, that Jesus was the Son of God. With as much certainty as Mary understood Jesus’ virgin birth, Job knew his righteousness. His faith was in God, not the blessings God bestowed. So why?!

Job is depicted as a patient, all enduring man, but on closer inspection a vocal protester is found. He pours out his heart to God, but God doesn’t seem to be listening, so Job longs for death and an end to his misery. In his grief his friends come to comfort. In their efforts to console, they begin a feeble attempt to explain God’s behavior. In many ways they are correct. No one is blameless, God does judge and discipline. These thoughts turned into outright rebuke over Job’s apparent, secret, horrible sin. They suggest Job’s only hope is in repentance so restoration may occur. Here is where they go terribly wrong.

It is in seeking a reason and placing blame that Job’s friends deviate from correct counsel. For example, Job is suffering greatly, therefore his sin is tremendous. I am not suffering, therefore, God must be more tolerant of my foibles. Yeah for me! Bummer for him, just repent and be done with it! (Please insert mild sarcasm.)

We are designed to define, explain and perpetually seek answers, but there is a fine line where we must stop with the questions. Knowing why the earth takes 365 days to orbit the sun is much different that understanding why an innocent child suffers from cancer or abuse. One answer we are entitle to, the other…… But! This I know, in everything, just as Job will soon discover, God is waiting to reveal a greater, deeper understanding of His Sovereignty and boundless love. Where answers can’t be found, faith does its best work.

Love,

Gretchen

In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. Job:1:22 (Job 1-3)

Job was a wealthy desert prince, descendant of Abraham through Esau, and a really good man. His story takes place during Israel’s sojourn in Egypt, prior to the Exodus. The recording of his story is accredited to Moses who may have known him personally or in the very least, met his immediate family while in Midian for 40 years.

Satan approached God with an accusation against Job. He charged God’s favor as the source of Job’s faith.  Who wouldn’t praise God when one was enviably rich in every way?  God allowed Satan to put Job to the test. In the course of a day, Job lost his wealth, his children and his health. Three friends, wise men of their age, and his wife, promoted four misconceptions: Suffering is punishment, suffering is for correction, suffering stomps out hypocrisy by exposing hidden sin, and final justice happens in this life. Job’s story asks the ageless questions, “How can a good God allow so much bad?” and “Where does man’s destiny fit into God’s sovereign authority?”

Jesus Himself, suffered an unfathomable loss. He became fully man to experience the staggering pains and sorrows of human flesh. Job cursed the day of His birth, but never turned his anger toward God. Jesus had the power to curse, not just those who brought Him harm, but mankind for all eternity. Love stayed His hand and although Satan’s goal was to turn God completely against humanity, it didn’t work. 

Somewhere in Job’s life, He understood God’s love and anchored his only hope in Him alone. It was enough, it was God’s way and his destiny.

Love,

Gretchen

My sister Gayle has a repeated phrase, learned from an experience in our childhoods. She speaks it every time someone is caught red handed and should have known better, “Warm TV’s tell no lies.” 

As my siblings and I entered adolescence and could be trusted to keep ourselves alive until mom and dad got home from work, we were given daily chores to be done each afternoon in addition to our studies and music lessons.  Life was full and mom and dad wanted us to have the best they could offer, so everyone had to do their part. Quality of life depended on it.

There was a television in our home, but it wasn’t on much. At the time there were only four channels, the three major networks and PBS. We were not to have the television on when mom and dad weren’t home. But…… real children work harder at circumventing set norms than living up to them. We were mostly real! Some days we rushed through our chores and studies, doing a substandard job, and sat down to catch a show before the sound of car tires crunched on the gravel driveway.  One afternoon dad came home earlier than expected and there was a scurry of turning knobs, leaping over furniture and looking like we had been diligently powering through a drudgery of responsibilities. Dad never asked a question he already knew the answer to, such as, “What have you been up to?” or “Were you watching TV?” He recognized the temptations we faced and he parented in such a way as to protect us from things we weren’t mature enough to process and confront while leading us as we grew and matured. He knew when he laid his hand on the TV and it was warm that it had been on, and we had disobeyed and acted beneath his expectations.

You may be wondering what consequences he pronounced…… None, except, we were made to understand that hidden sins are still sins. It wasn’t an issue of trust, but a lesson of faith in those who know best and long for everyone to remain physically, mentally and spiritually healthy. We were not held corporately responsible, but individually made to know that lies are festering boils and rot everything they touch, and habits of rebellion and defiance end in noses cut off to spite perfectly reasonable faces.

Each person’s spiritual journey is much the same as a warm TV. Questions of authority, autonomy and fairness arise in every conflict until the moment you realize there are no secrets between you and your Loving Creator. He sees you EXACTLY, with perfect, unfiltered clarity, as you truly are.  This is a tremendous peace or terrifying prospect. But, along with the certainty of taxes, you will face judgement for yourself alone. Make things right. Confess, repent and walk in righteousness.

The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.                                                                                                           Ezekiel 18:20.

Blessings,

Gretchen

At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward Heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified Him who lives forever. Daniel 4:34 ( Ezekiel 29:17-21, Daniel 4, Jeremiah 51:31-34) 

At the age of 59, Ezekiel’s prophecies come to an end as far as is recorded in scripture. With the prophecies of Tyre and Egypt’s destruction he grows quiet. It is possible that he lived long enough to see the Israel’s restoration begin, but it is not known with certainty. As Ezekiel’s work is concluding, Nebuchadnezzar is seeing the miraculous power of God over and over.  First in Daniel’s ability to describe and interpret dreams the king had never even spoken aloud, second, when he witnessed the Angel of the LORD rescue the three Hebrew men from his own wrath in the fiery furnace and finally, when he was boasting of his great success and was stricken with a mental illness for three and a half years.

Nebuchadnezzar  becomes delusional, believing he is an animal.  He lives in the woods around the palace, but following his time of infirm, this great and proud man is humbled to the point that he finally understands his sinful state and need for the redeeming Grace of God. Babylon was a polytheistic culture, but the presence of a personal, exclusive and creative deity, The One True God, never stops reaching out to each one of us so that we will repent and become His child again and know there is no other. 

Until we realize that nothing good comes of our own strength, machinations and resources, we will never fully understand the omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience of our Loving Heavenly Father.

Happy Weekend!

Gretchen

And I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with His glory. Ezekiel 43:2 (Ezekiel 40-48)

Ezekiel is taken, for a second time, back to Israel. The first journey drew him to the complete destruction of the Temple. Now, the LORD has taken him by the hand and shown him, symbolically and in great detail, a New Jerusalem and a new Temple. This new Temple has an eastern gate reserved for the entrance the LORD and from beneath the threshold a river flows. Along its banks are trees who’s fruit provides food and gives healing. God reminds Ezekiel of the debauchery and corruption that occurred at the former altar of the LORD and shows that only the holy, obedient and pure of heart will worship in this Temple who’s name is THE LORD IS THERE.

Ezekiel’s prophecies begin with God leaving the presence of His covenant people. His life’s work ends with a vision of His returned Glory to Israel (Israel represents all believers). In Revelations 21:22 John sees this Temple that embodies the name Ezekiel heard. It is not a building. Being in the presence of God and The Lamb will be our Temple.

Our hearts must be a Temple for God’s glory and our lives a living sacrifice, so that someday we will forever dwell in the Temple/Presence of the LORD.

Love,

Gretchen