God, My Surgeon

It was a Friday morning around 8 o’clock. I had just arrived at the hospital for another routine NST (non-stress test) where they were going to monitor the baby’s heart rate and my contractions. I would walk in, sit in the recliner, have the two monitors put on my belly, and they would hand me the clicker to press every time the baby moved. She would roll over. Click. Kick to the ribs. Click. Etc. Twenty minutes of monitoring and I would be all done. By this time in the pregnancy I had been coming in twice a week for a month and they all knew my name. I had gotten used to the routine and had come to expect to get in and get out.

However, things did not go as planned. Fifteen minutes into the test, I had a huge contraction. “No big deal,” I thought. I had been having them for weeks, and the nurses knew that because they often showed up on the test. However, this time was different. It seemed to take forever to ease up. One minute passed, then two minutes. Still I thought, “Oh well, I just must be dehydrated or something, no biggie.” Finally it started to subside. During the contraction I noticed that the nurse who usually monitors from her computer on the other side of the room had come to stand next to me and was intently staring at my monitor. “ Wow! Did you feel that?” she said. I replied with a simple, “Yep” all the while I’m thinking “Doi! Do you not see the peaks on that thing???”

I had handled it pretty well I thought, but it wasn’t me that she was worried about in that moment. The baby did not handle it well. Her heart rate that had held steady in the 150s had dropped down to 60 and then dropped off completely. Everything changed in a second. They laid me back, put me on oxygen and kept moving the monitor around to find the baby’s heartbeat. Welp, I was staying. After being admitted and constantly monitored over the next several hours, the baby’s heart rate kept dropping with contractions, and I was taken back for an emergency C-section. Ironically, after being prepped, it only took 10 minutes before I was a mommy again to a PERFECT baby girl.

The day of Alathea’s birth was hectic and not what I had envisioned or planned, but that was nothing compared to the pregnancy itself. My pregnancy was nothing short of a daily struggle. I had to take it one painstaking day at a time. For starters, I was on a low carb diet for gestational diabetes, so I had to plan ahead every meal so as to not go over my carb limit (PS. Carbs are in everything! I thought I was going to starve- lol). I had to check my blood sugar four times a day by pricking my finger for my ENTIRE pregnancy. I had to give myself six injections of insulin a day. I had to receive a hormone injection at the doctor’s office once a week for 20 weeks. I had no less than three appointments a week AND…a partridge in a pear tree! Haha, just kidding, but seriously it was a lot.

So, when Alathea was born, a part of me was like, “Are you kidding me? After all that, THIS is how she is going to be born, God?” The struggle during my pregnancy and her birth was not just physical but also mental and emotional. Day by day I had to cling to truth, not always sure that I believed it. Day by day I asked, “Jesus, where are you? Why is this so hard?”

It is only in retrospect that I am now able to see that He was bringing new life, not just into our family, but He was creating new life deep in me as well. I see that:

         - GOD was for me (My faith is stronger and I possess a greater endurance to weather hard things rather than being taken under).

         - GOD was there (I was able to hear God’s voice and feel His presence on the operating table. What?!).

         - GOD was in it (He was intentionally drawing close to me through those circumstances), and

         - GOD was working it out (Alathea was born healthy and my heart was being revealed).

Like a careful surgeon, He was and is exposing my false saviors and removing my misappropriated ideals. Sometimes, although it seems like Jesus does things the hard way (hard for me anyway), I know He can be trusted. And just like I was joyfully anticipating seeing my baby at the end of that C-section, I also look forward to seeing what beautiful life will be produced in my heart and soul when He is done.

Faith, Love and Perseverance: Essential Marks of God’s People

We can learn a great deal about others and their character through what we hear their friends or the public saying about them. I like getting my ear close to a letter the Apostle Paul wrote because, as I hear him speak about the church in Thessalonica, I get to learn about who they were as people. Furthermore, the way Paul speaks about them leaves me thinking that it would be worth imitating them. There are three key characteristics Paul highlights about these folks:

First, they have a faith that is growing abundantly.
Second, they have a love for each other that is increasing.
Third, they are persevering in the midst of persecutions and afflictions.

When I read what follows this description I am astonished. Paul makes a case that these evidences in a people point to the fact that there will be a judgement one day. And part of that judgement will include bringing deliverance to God's people from their persecutions and afflictions. God will do this. Sadly, during this judgement those who have not believed in God or disobeyed the Gospel of his Son Jesus will experience eternal destruction and will be alienated completely from the presence and glory of God and His Son.

But judgement is not be the only thing that will take place then. This will be a time when Jesus will be revealed and those who have believed in Him will participate in His glorification. They will marvel at Him! This will be considered the best show time the universe has ever had.

So, because there is so much at stake, Paul ends this chapter with a prayer. In his prayer, he asks for the Thessalonians for he desires for them to participate in the revelation of the Son of God. His prayer sounds like this:

God, make them worthy of your calling.
God, fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by your own power.
I ask these things so that they may be glorified in Jesus and Jesus in them by the grace you and the Son can provide!

Are you seeing your faith grow? How?
Is your love for others increasing? What is the fruit of that?
Are you enduring your persecutions and afflictions? What evidences this?

Take courage! God and His Son promise to make their grace available to you. You too can pray, and ask others to pray, that God will make you worthy of His calling; that He will fulfill every good resolve and every good work originated in faith by His power!

An Odyssey

I will tell you a sad story from many years ago.

I was thirty-one, and I was putting my seven-year-old daughter to bed one night. It was Christmas time, with carols galore everywhere, and after she said her (ritual) prayers, she wanted to ask me something. She said, “Mommy, is Jesus really God?”

This was during the period in my life when I THOUGHT I was a Christian because I had grown up in the church and I wasn’t Jewish so I must be a Christian, right? I hated child evangelism because I thought it was manipulating the emotions of children too young to make such decisions. Oh, I was very sure of myself. And so I said to my precious daughter, “Andi, that’s something you will have to decide when you get older.” She was so troubled, and she said, “But I want you to tell me!” And I said, again, “No, sweetheart. You will decide that when you are older.”

I remember feeling very shaky as I left her room, but I did not doubt that I had done the right thing. And so life went on. Some years later God brought me to the truth, and I REALLY became a Christian, and so did my children ---- all except Andi. It was like she had slipped through the cracks. And I suffered. I could clearly remember every detail of that night when she begged me to tell her who Jesus was, and I refused to give her the answer. She became like I had been; she and her husband went to church because that’s what nice people in Texas do on Sunday, but her life was her own. And I prayed and prayed through many tears.

Then, some more years later, she had an accident at work and had one finger removed, and came home to New Jersey in a cast to heal. And one Sunday night she was having dinner at her brother’s house instead of going to church like I wanted, and the reason that they didn’t show up was that her brother was leading her to the Lord! Praise God! Then she wanted to be baptized right away and so she was, in the ocean, with one arm in a cast held up above the waves!

BUT GOD…such wonderful, wonderful words!  In the midst of my grief and fear, He reached down and touched the heart of my precious daughter and repaired the damage of my arrogant decision. He also taught me a few things about needing to be right and the folly of ‘leaning on my own understanding.’

Do you, perhaps, have someone you love who resists every effort to tell him or her about your wonderful savior? Have you prayed and prayed, seemingly with no result? Have you wondered if God even hears you?

He hears, and He cares. It is so hard to try to understand God’s timing. My dear grandmother was a devoted Christian, and I know she must have known I wasn’t, and I know she prayed for me, but she died before I really learned to love the Lord. Still, when we pray for the salvation of one we love, we can be sure that we are praying in God’s will, and that He wants the same thing!

So be encouraged. Pray and pray and pray. Know that God’s timing is perfect. Know that God loves you and that loved one beyond your understanding. Remember all the seemingly impossible stories where great sinners turned to the Lord. Remember stories like mine, where I also had to repent of my arrogance and pride and allow God to change me.

This is the God we love and worship. This is the God we serve. And this is the God who loves us, and comforts every grieving heart. Trust Him.

The Seen Savior

When we read about the birth of Christ in Luke chapter 2, we are quickly drawn to this particular verse: "Today, in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."  This is where the Savior was announced.  This is where the prophecies of the Old Testament came true.  This was the news of all history.  It is of particular interest to note that the man of God, Simeon, states with utter confidence eight days later in Luke 2:30, "For my eyes have seen your salvation."  Simeon knew he was looking at the Savior.

This Jesus, whom we call Messiah (the Christ, which literally means 'the anointed one') is the Seen Salvation.  God prepared this for the sight of all people.  It is a Seen Salvation.  He is a Seen Savior, which is a light for Gentiles and for the glory of Israel.  So, the invisible God becomes a visible God-Man - Seen.  He is a Seen Savior who provides a Seen Salvation.  His foretelling in prophecy - Fulfilled and Seen.  His birth - Seen.  His identity confirmed by angels and shepherds and kings - Seen.  His life - Seen.  His ministry of truth and miracles - Seen.  His sacrificial death - Seen.  His resurrection power over death - Seen.  His ascension - Seen.  His glorious return - Imminent.  Soon.  To be seen.  This is our Seen Joy.  Praise Him our Wonderful Savior whom is Christ the LORD!  May we help others to SEE Him in us and through us.

Blessings for Christmas, my LFAC friends!
Thor Knutstad

One Of The Bases For Thanking God In All Circumstances

Don't you love those commands we are given in the Bible that are so absolute? My humanity usually responds internally with something like, "Who can do this all the time?" Or "This seems so impossible!". Take for instance the imperative the Apostle Paul presents to us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." A couple of observations here. One, this is an all inclusive imperative--in all circumstances. That means there is no moment of my life that can be exempted from gratitude. Two, this is the will of God for us in Christ Jesus--which points to something we cannot do on our own or through other means but Jesus himself.

So yesterday I was reading this verse and was curious about the context. To my surprise, I saw a connection, for first time ever in my life, with verse 23-24. Let's say God is giving me more reasons to understand the basis for thanking Him in all circumstances. Here it is: because God is always working toward my "complete sanctification", everything becomes a tool or avenue for Him to accomplish that in me. So the basis for thanksgiving is that, in this moment, in this circumstance I am in, God is working toward my transformation. This transformation, or sanctification, involves my spirit, my soul and my body. It gets even better. Paul affirms that the one who calls us, God, is the one who is committed and is able to fulfill the promise of our transformation and presentation of a blameless life on the day when Jesus is revealed again.

So my gratitude in this moment could sound something like this:

"I thank you God because in Christ Jesus I am the direct beneficiary of your work in my life,
Thank you that your work at this moment involves my transformation,
I receive the molding you are doing in my spirit, my soul and my body,
And I renew my trust in you and your promise that you will accomplish your good purposes in me
Until that day when you will present me blameless at the revelation of my Savior."

Daily Bread:8 Reasons Why You Need It More Than You Think

Melissa Kruger, author of The Envy of Eve and Walking with God in The Season of Motherhood, wrote a blog that I think is perfect for all of us during this busy season of holidays. In her blog, Daily Bread, Melissa offers 8 essential reasons why we need to pursue daily times in the Word of God. I recommend this blog posted under the Gospel Coalition website. To read the blog please click here.

Setting Boundaries

Check out this video of Dr. Henry Cloud speaking on the Dave Ramsey show about boundaries with family! This holiday time can come with a very mixed bag for many people. Isolation, celebration, spending money on gifts, family gatherings, family issues all seem to be highlighted during this season. Hopefully this short 10 minute video will give you some helpful tips on healthy boundaries! Be blessed friends

Lois

Why My Christian Family Celebrates Hanukkah

Last year my wife, my sons, and I began celebrating Hanukkah.  On Sunday, we will once again begin eight days of observing this Jewish holiday, starting at sundown, with the lighting on the menorah, the eating of oily kosher foods, and the reading of the traditional blessing, in both English, and my best attempt at Hebrew.  We will play competitive games of dreidel, and give traditional gifts (small chocolate coins) to the kids.  We will talk about the victory of the Maccabees, the miraculous way that one day of oil lasted for eight days, and God’s provision for his people.  If I sound old-hat at this, remember, we just started celebrating this holiday last year. 

Here’s why we did:

Embracing Our Spiritual Heritage

We wanted to embrace the past and pay honor to our spiritual forefathers.  As Christians, many of us feel a strong connection to Judaism.  A large portion of our scripture is also the Jewish Torah. Our spiritual history includes Jewish history, Jewish law, and Jewish tradition.  If we read the Bible, we can not deny our Jewish foundation.  And generally, we embrace it.  This has not always been the case.  Throughout much of Christian history, we have shamefully persecuted Jews (and Muslims) in the name of Christ.   

Today, as we rocket toward the future, it can be difficult to connect with the past.  For my family, the reading of the Hanukkah blessings in Hebrew is a special and specific way that we slow down and feel a deep sense of kinship with our spiritual predecessors. 

Embracing Our Family Heritage

A few years ago, my sister and I were researching the genealogy of our family and discovered that our great-great-great-great-great-grandfather came from Germany in the early 1800’s.  Our ancestors, with names like Benjamin, Eli, Jacob, Samuel, and Ebenezer, gave us some clues as to their culture, and we were able to trace the family line directly to a Jewish village in northern Germany.  Interestingly, when visiting the National Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, I was able to see the actual Synagog door from the village of my family.

So, while we are not Jewish, my family is of Jewish ancestry, and we want to celebrate that.  We are undeniably American and Christian, but there is something to be said for focusing on something beyond ourselves and our own lives.  We chose, if only for eight days out of the year, to focus on our heritage.

Embracing a Less Commercial Holiday

First, let me make it clear that my family LOVES (and certainly celebrates) Christmas.  We love the spiritual aspects of Christmas, celebrating the birth of Jesus, the spirit of giving, and spending time with family.  But we also like looking at Christmas lights, giving and receiving gifts, watching Christmas movies, decorating the tree, and eating a lot.  Despite our best efforts to focus on the non-commercial, Christmas is both a religious and secular holiday.  In popular culture, it’s almost entirely secular.  For my family, there is nothing commercial about Hanukkah.  

I understand that for Jewish families that don’t celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah is becoming much more commercial.  But for us, Hanukkah is still purely about celebrating God, his provision for his people, and our spiritual history.  There is no expectation of gifts, no focus on decorations, no hustle-and-bustle.

So will we stop celebrating Christmas in favor of Hanukkah?  No.  But in celebrating Hanukkah, I hope that my sons learn something about the joy of celebrating a holiday that embraces the spiritual, the past, and family, without the trappings of our culture that is all-too-willing to commercialize it.  Perhaps celebrating Hanukkah will change the way we celebrate Christmas, giving us a better understanding of how we can interact with a holiday that celebrates the divine, when that divine meaning is often lost in the shuffle.