Handling Injuries God's Way

As some of you may know, there's no way I could let the whole Olympics go by without writing at least one figure skating post. I actually saw two wildflowers among the figure skaters, but I'm still thinking about the first. I may tell you about it on another day.

In Hebrews 12, Paul compared the Christian life to a race. If figure skating had been around back then, he might have written figure skating analogies, too—or maybe football. Any sport with an objective, a coach, and a crowd of witnesses will do.

Today I'm thinking of injuries. (Thankfully, there were few among the figure skaters this year!) I've observed that injuries can be handled in three different ways:

1. The silver medal winning ice dancing team did the most amazing lift during their free dance performance. I rewound the DVR to watch it a few times, then called my youngest son in to watch it, too. Even he was impressed, so you know it was good! During the lift, Charlie White flipped his partner over his shoulder, so that she landed on his back leg and stood there. (If you missed it, you can go to NBC's Olympics web site and watch the replay on the figure skating page--just click on the little video camera icon next to Davis and White's name, then choose to watch their free dance. Go ahead. Go watch it. It's worth your time!) After their performance, commentators noted that White has a permanent bruise on the back of his leg where his partner's blade lands again and again and again and again.

Sometimes life bruises us. But if we know there's a glorious purpose in the pain, we choose to endure it. That future medal is worth the cost. (See Hebrews 12:1-2.)

2. Some injuries are more severe. The bronze medalist in the ladies' competition lost her mom unexpectedly this week. Still she chose to skate, and the whole world cheered her on! She fought her way through the emotional pain, completed both programs beautifully, and earned her reward.

Sometimes, though we're hurting, we play through the pain. Sometimes, as the Canadian skater seemed to show, this is a healthy and healing thing to do. (See 2 Timothy 4:7.)

3. Yet some injuries stop the performance abruptly and completely. I didn't see any of those this year, thankfully, but in years past and other competitions, skaters have been carried off the ice with broken bones or other serious wounds. The analogy breaks down here because Christians always eventually get back onto the ice to finish the performance—and skaters don't get that chance. They have to wait for the next competition; we only get one life.

Sometimes, we must let God carry us off the ice where He can tend to our wounds. We rest in His care until He releases us to continue on our way. (See Psalm 23:3a, Isaiah 40:30-31, and Matthew 11:28.)

When life injures us, we trust that there's a purpose in our pain—that God will use it for good. (See Romans 8:28.) Then we ask for wisdom, relying on His strength to continue though we're hurt or allowing Him to heal us as we rest in His care.

Lord, thank You for strength to endure and wisdom to rest and Your Spirit Who helps us to choose. When life hits us hard, remind us to look to You, our Coach, and trust Your judgment regarding our injuries. And thank You for the promise that You can use our hurt to bring about something good. The purpose in our pain makes it worth the cost. We rejoice in You! Amen.

Living in the Promised Land

Yesterday I wrote that Lent is all about reflecting on how God gets us from a destiny of dirt to an eternity of life with Him. It's all about Jesus! Yet stories from the Old Testament can teach us a lot about what Jesus does for us now.

The story of the Israelites is the most obvious example. Their Exodus from Egypt and establishment as God's people is often used to illustrate the progression of the Christian life. There are a lot of similarities. They were in bondage to Egypt. We were in bondage to sin. They needed a Savior—so did we. God established them as His people; He gives us this distinction, too. After He rescued them, he set them on a path to the Promised Land. He does this for us, too.

But this is where a common mistake is made. People often compare the Promised Land to Heaven.

It's not.*

If you read the book of Joshua—the story of the Israelites finally entering the Promised Land—you'll notice it's full of violence, struggle, and strife. In fact, it's probably the most violent book in the Bible. That doesn't sound like Heaven to me.

I think it's more likely that the Promised Land is much like the saved and sanctified Christian life—which means we can enter it now—before we die! Two of the Israelites show us the way.

Let's start at the beginning:

When the Israelites were still in Egypt, they cried out to God to save them. It wasn't that they loved God or wanted to be with Him or worship Him or really cared anything about Him. They simply wanted out of Egypt. And that was okay. God wants us to call on Him when we're hurting. He heard the Israelites' cries for help and sent Moses to help set them free.

Then He gave them the book of Leviticus. I don't think it was quite what they were expecting from their all-powerful God. He set them free, made a covenant with them--they would be His people and He would be their God, then He gave them a whole bunch of rules. They just wanted to be free—and cared for—on their terms, not God's.

The last time I read Leviticus, though, I was struck by something new. It's not just a book of impossible rules. Throughout the whole thing, intertwined with all the rules, God says, “Be holy because I am holy.” He gives the rules to help His people be holy because He is holy. He wants a relationship with them in spite of their unholiness! I think in trying to keep all the impossible to keep rules, the Israelites must have lived in constant awareness of God's holiness and their sin. And when you know that this holy God Who is so far above you still loves you and wants a relationship with you, don't you just have to adore and worship and devote yourself to Him?!

Evidently not, because they didn't. Instead they complained about lack of water and food and told Moses they'd rather be back in Egypt serving as slaves than free in the wilderness with God. This really made God mad—and rightly so. Yet He still led them to the Promised Land.

That's where He tested them. He told them to go in. Everyone but Joshua and Caleb (and Moses) said, “No!” As a result, they wandered in the wilderness instead of enjoying God's Presence in the Promised Land.

God doesn't want to just save us and leave us wandering in the wilderness wishing we were more comfortable. I think He leads each of us to our own moment—or moments—of decision. He leads us to the border where we must choose to follow Him in or not.

So many characters in the Bible show us this. Daniel chose to pray three times a day even though he knew he'd be thrown in the lion's den. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego chose to worship only God even though they knew they'd be thrown in the fiery furnace. Esther chose to go before the king to fight for God's people even though she knew she might perish.

And many did perish! Tradition tells us that all but two of the disciples were martyred for following Jesus. Judas betrayed Him and commited suicide. John was exiled to the Island of Patmos where God gave him the Revelation that inspires us to hang in there today. Most prophets were put to death. Paul was beaten and shipwrecked and imprisoned and, most likely, martyred as well.

The Promised Land is not Heaven. It's a relationship with Christ that says, “I know Who You Are and what You can do. I know You love me and want what's best for my life and Your Kingdom. Your plan is perfect, therefore, I choose to love, serve, and trust You—even when I can't see the future or understand the purpose of this path You've put me on.” We enter the Promised Land when we stop worrying about our own lives and choose to walk in trust no matter what.

Job gives us the most extreme example when he says, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.”

And Christ Himself showed us that we can trust God even in death.

Think for this moment of your own situation whatever it is:

• Though my spouse is deployed, yet will I trust in God.



• Though I'm living on the other side of the world from family and friends, yet will I trust in God.



• Though my child rebels against all I've taught and believe, yet will I trust in God.



• Though I'm suffering illness or disease or financial loss or the death of a family member, yet will I trust in God.

And in some parts of the world, even:

• Though my family and friends reject me, and my job, freedom, or life is at stake, yet will I trust in God.

That is living in the Promised Land!

The good news is: we aren't alone. Whatever we face, we live in God's Presence. In fact, when you read the book of Joshua, you'll notice God often tells him to be still, to stand firm, to watch what God will do, to leave the battle to Him!

When we're living in the Promised Land, God is fighting on our behalf. He fights for our good and His glory. And we are honored to give all the glory to Him!

I'll have more thoughts on this in future posts—examples of other Bible characters choosing to live in the Promised Land and lessons we can learn from them. The Bible is a great, big book! I'm thankful for the stories that teach us how to live with God—right now—in His Promised Land.


*Dr. Larry Crabb points this out in his book, 66 Love Letters, one I highly recommend.

Understanding Lent

Lent.

I've known of this season on the Christian calendar since high school. My BFF was Catholic—she still is, in fact. When we were growing up, she tried to explain holy days and such to me as her family recognized them. I found their practices interesting, but didn't understand they could have meaning for a protestant like me.

One year, she decided to give something up for Lent. I decided to join her. Being the teenage girls we were, sugar seemed like the thing to surrender—if you're going to give something up, you may as well lose a few pounds while you're at it, too.

Ah. Motives. I don't really think either of us had a clue why we were giving something up for Lent. We just knew it was something she was supposed to do. And we were completely faithful—right up until midnight on Easter Eve when we didn't have to wait another second and gorged ourselves on Easter candy.

I can't honestly say it was a religious experience. But I think we thought it was, just the same.

This year, I hope I have a better grasp of what Lent's season means. As I mentioned last week, it starts on Ash Wednesday and lasts for 50 days plus six Sundays. It begins with a look at what humanity lost in the Fall. God told Adam, “For dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19b). We mourn with ashes as we consider the dust we deserve to someday be.

But Lent ends on Easter with a celebration of Christ's resurrection. Thanks to Jesus, we look forward to eternal life instead of dreading a destiny as dirt! Lent is a time to consider how Christ gets us from hopelessness to hope, from darkness to light, from death to life, from fallen to someday glorified! We meditate on what He's done for us while reflecting on what He's doing in us—and how the two actions are a lot alike. And always we express our deep gratitude.

Thank You for life, Jesus. Amen.

I have a lot more to say on this subject. God's been bombarding me lately! But I need to process it a little more and break it into blog-size bits. I hope you'll come back tomorrow when I'll take you back to the OT.

Word-Filled Wednesday: Song of Solomon 2:12

I found wildflowers in my yard yesterday! In my very own yard! I didn't take pictures because they haven't opened, but they're there! Spring is coming. Hang in there!

Thank You, Beautiful, Creator God! For the hope of Spring when Winter ends, I thank You so much! Amen.


To see more Word-Filled Wednesday pictures and verses, click here.

Book Review: Yesterday's Promise

I struggled to get into this book. The heroine lost consciousness in the first chapter—and didn't regain it for quite some time. Other characters were introduced, then disappeared, then returned—I wasn't sure what the storyline was or whom I should cheer for as the book progressed. Was the book a murder mystery, a romance, an adventure? I was completely lost and tempted to give up entirely when it finally all came clear on page 108.

Suddenly, I had a hero with a noble cause to follow and the book was worth my time. Would he fulfill his quest—or learn a better lesson along the way? The heroine was still unconscious, but I was certain she'd wake up before her knight-in-shining-armor completed his mission, conquered evil, and gladly returned to her side.

To be fair, if I'd read the first book in the series, I might have understood more quickly what was really going on. But though the characters are the same and the storylines are related, I think each book was meant to be mostly self-contained. This book also leads to another, but one adventure ends as our heroic couple plans for the next to begin.

Part of the book is set in England and part in South Africa in the late 1800's. Dialogue reads like a BBC period film. Fans of Jane Austen or with an interest in the events of this historical time may really enjoy this book series.


Thank you Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing for sending this book for me to review.

Book Review: Beneath a Southern Sky

If you're in the mood for an extremely wild ride on an emotional roller coaster, Beneath a Southern Sky will be a good book for you.

In the first chapter, you'll meet Daria and learn that she is widowed and remarried, but has just been notified that her first husband never died. Then you'll jump back a few years in time to meet this husband and discover, step by step, how Daria found herself in this impossible predicament.

Unfortunately, as impossible as that predicament is, Daria's life and the lives of those around her are full of complications that make the situation even more emotionally devastating. I'm warning you now, this book is intense.

Yet it ends as perfectly as it can. It's a story of redemption and sacrifice and true Christian love, of repentance and of learning to listen to God and to obey His voice. Life is confusing and messy, but God can lead us through—even when we make well-intentioned, but avoidable mistakes. He can even use those mistakes to bring healing to other lives, using bad for good, redeeming everything.

Author Deborah Raney has a gift for creating pleasant settings and realistic characters. She kept me guessing about the outcome of the book right up to the end—and I hope I haven't given it away. The story was a little over the top in intensity at times, but otherwise I really enjoyed this read.


Thank you Waterbrook Multnomah for sending this book for my review!

A Look at Ash Wednesday

“For dust you are and to dust you will return." --Genesis 3:19b

Ash Wednesday is a day for reflection, repentance, and mourning sin. In Mass services held on this day, priests will quote either the above verse or Mark 1:15 as they make a mark of ash in the shape of a cross on each person's forehead. Both verses are so perfect for the thoughts that belong to this day.

Genesis 3:19 is part of Adam's punishment for his sin in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve made the choice that any of us might have made in their place—have you ever wondered if you would have? If God had made you first? We can't know for sure, I guess, but it's sobering to consider—perhaps we shouldn't judge that first pair too harshly.

Thankfully, God didn't abandon humanity that day. He sent Jesus on a rescue mission, which we'll celebrate in 46 days! This leads me to the second verse of this day.


Mark 1:15 says, "The time has come," [Jesus] said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

Ash Wednesday's ashes symbolize two things. First, they remind us of the penalty for sin--"to dust you will return." They also symbolize the Bible times tradition of sitting in the ashes and putting them on one's head when mourning or repenting. The following passages give examples: 2 Samuel 13:19, Esther 4:1, Job 2:8, Daniel 9:3, and Matthew 11:21.

But Mark 1:15 shows us we don't have to stop at sitting in the ashes, mourning our sin. Jesus invites us to take action, turning away from our sin and believing Jesus has triumphed once and for all over all of it for us!

So on Ash Wednesday—and throughout the season of Lent, we prepare for Easter by asking God to search our hearts to help us repent of any unconfessed sin. (See Psalm 51 for help with this.) We reflect on Christ's sacrifice and why it was necessary. We draw near as He's enabled us to and live in gratitude.

Like Christmas, it's something we really should contemplate all year, but these are the dates on the Christian calendar especially set aside to remind us, so we won't get too busy with our day to day lives and forget. Christ gave His life for us because we sinned. Let's honor Him always.

I'll write more about Lent in a future post. For now, just know it starts today—40 days before Easter, plus six Sundays.

Gone with the Scissors: A Tale of Tragedy

Yes. I did get my hair cut yesterday. I think I'm ready to talk about it now. (And, in case you were wondering, tomorrow I'll be back with more devotional thoughts like I usually share.)

Truly, I only remember experiencing two other hair catastrophes of such epic proportions in my whole life. (Studies have proven that the more emotional an experience is, the more memorable. Hair catastrophes are both!)

The first happened several years back when we lived in New York. I told the stylist I'd like to go a little shorter—I asked for shoulder length. She cut it to my chin.

I'm pretty sure there's a good three inches between my shoulder and my chin. When I got home my husband's eyes grew huge and he asked, “What did you do?!” The poor man.

Really. If ever I plan to make a drastic change in my appearance, I like to warn my husband first. It's only fair. But I didn't have any warning, so it just couldn't be helped that time. We got used to it. Then it grew out.

Then two years ago, I asked the stylist to take off about ¾ of an inch. I even held up my thumb and pointer finger to show her how much ¾ of an inch is. She took four inches. Really! I saw it lying all over the floor.

I visited my family in California six months later. My brother said, “Hey! You got your hair cut short.” Six months later! Really!

So now that I've finally just about grown out that catastrophe, we come to yesterday.

Everything was going so well.

She left the back long like I asked—just a trim. Then she added layers. I didn't ask for layers. I just finished growing those layers out. I don't care for layers. I don't need layers! Now I have layers again.

Then she moved to the front. She cut it like I asked. I was so happy. Then she grabbed this little contraption—half comb/half scissor and started randomly hacking at the sides of my head.

My face must have shown my horror because she said, “Oh—don't worry! I'm just thinning it out a little.” Why? Oh, why? Oh, why?!

I think hair stylists should be more careful about random hacking. If their client isn't happy, they can't put it back!

When I walked in the house after the tragic event, my son looked at me and said, “Wow, Mom. Your hair's . . . shorter.” Bless his dear, diplomatic heart. I love that boy.

I checked this morning. In some places, illogical places, my hair is a good six inches shorter than it was—I'll probably be a grandma before I grow that all out!

And I haven't a clue about how to style it. Really! I had a brother . . . then sons. One needs sisters and daughters in order to learn about styling hair. That's just a fact of life. Do I scrunch it? Curl it? Blow it dry?

For now I'm just pinning it back. Heavy sigh.

I think I've been pruned. It's time to mourn. Or maybe I've just given up my hair for Lent!

Today's Life Lesson

Never get your hair cut on a bad hair day. Your hair is already mad at you. You're only asking for double the disaster.

I think some hair stylists just enjoy their jobs so much that when their clients say, "Please do this, this, and this," they think, "Okay, I'll do that, that, and that, then I'll also do this, this, and this." And when they've got your hair in one hand and a sharp pair of scissors in the other, well, you're just kind of at their mercy.

That's one way to get yourself out of a hair rut, though . . . and if it doesn't work out, thankfully, hair grows!

Putting It All Together: A Look at Luke 10

The story of Mary and Martha is one I can't seem to get away from. God is constantly reminding me to give Him my full attention just as Mary chose to do. I'm thankful for that. For in all of life's busyness, it's something I might get distracted from if it weren't for God's calling and help. This short, simple story is found in Luke 10.

Another passage I'm frequently drawn to is Jesus' confirmation of what's most important for His followers to do. He tells us to love God and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. That's as simple as it gets. This passage is also in Luke 10.

The well-known story of the Good Samaritan is in that chapter, too. In fact, as I read through Luke 10 this morning, I realized it's packed full of good stuff—and when we put it all together, it gives us a beautiful summary of what Christian living is all about.

1. The chapter starts with Jesus sending 72 disciples out in pairs to tell the world the good news. As He sent them, He sends us, too.

2. The disciples return amazed because demons submit to them in Jesus' name. (The NLT calls them evil spirits.) Jesus confirms that He has given them this authority, but then cautions them not to rejoice that the spirits submit to them, but that their names are written in heaven. The Christian life isn't about having more power than the enemy. It's about being saved and getting others saved as well. We're on a rescue mission. Jesus has equipped us to face the opposition, but our goal is to honor Him, not conquer them. That is His job.

3. Next an expert in the law asks Jesus what one must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus directs him to the law and confirms that the most important things for a Christian are loving God and loving the people around them—their neighbors. Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan to help us understand that a neighbor is anyone we find in our path who needs our help. Our mission is to watch for opportunities to care in Jesus' name.

4. Finally, Jesus goes to Mary and Martha's house where He affirms Mary's choice to sit at His feet.

Do you see the amazing progression of events? I don't think the sequence is entirely coincidental:

• Tell others about Jesus.


• Let Him take care of the bad guys.


• Rejoice in your salvation.


• Watch for opportunities to love your neighbor.


• Sit in adoration at Jesus' feet.

I don't think sit in adoration is last because it's least important. The whole chapter shows that it's most important! All we do is all about Jesus—all the time! We live to worship, honor, and bring glory to His name.

I love You, Jesus! Amen.

Thankful Thursday: For God's Undivided Attention

As I sat down to begin my devotions this morning, the idea popped into my head that there were hundreds, perhaps thousands, or more other people all along the east coast sitting down about the same time to do the same thing. "That's so cool, Lord!" I prayed. Then I thought about other time zones and realized that as one group finishes their quiet time another begins. Then I thought about those who save quiet time for bedtime. And so on . . .

Suddenly, it wasn't cool anymore. The selfish, jealousy bug bit me--just a little. I pouted as I prayed, "But this is our time, God!"

I think He laughed. I did, too. Though I don't understand it, I know that God can give each of us His absolutely undivided attention all at the same time! I hadn't even started my devotional reading for the day, but already God had me totally awed!

As I did read, however, my mind wandered--just a bit. I think God said, "Hey!" And He was right. If I'm going to jealously demand His undivided attention, which He is more than able and willing to give without such a demand, I should try as hard as I can to give Him mine.

Thankfully, God knows I'm human--and though He's a jealous God (with every right to be), He's also extremely patient with me.

Thank You for Your attention, Lord--and for doing all You can to draw mine all the time. Talking with You is a privilege and joy! I love You, Father. Amen.

Word-Filled Wednesday: Anticipating God's Work

As I drive down the road, making the usual trips to post or the grocery store, my eyes scan the landscape for Spring's first wildflowers. All I see is dead grass and the remnants of last year's plants. “Someone should cut those ugly things down,” I think.

Then I remember thinking the same thing last year about this same time—and being thoroughly surprised when those very plants turned green and bloomed so gloriously! With that memory, I'm joyfully anticipating this year's show.

Spring is God's reminder that He makes all things new. He raises the dead to life. He makes the ugliest of the ugly totally gorgeous—in His time. Knowing that, I joyfully anticipate all He'll do in my life and in the lives of those I love—in His time.

I do stand in awe of Your work, dear Lord! Please revive it all over this world! Amen.

Book Review: Love & War

Epic taught us about the great adventure story God is writing daily. Wild at Heart explored man's role in it. Captivity helps us understand woman's role. Now Love & War puts it all together with a brilliant look at marriage.

Love & War first helps us understand what God planned for marriage to be. John and Stasi Eldredge weave tales of Eden with stories of their own marriage to help us see what God intended, what marriage often becomes, and how God can help us recover. Life is all about learning to love; marriage is the school where God can teach us the most!

Spiritual warfare is an on-going theme in this adventure. The Eldredges teach us that our marriages have an enemy, someone who wants to destroy our love. They reveal some of his strategies and teach us to prayerfully fight together against him instead of turning on one another in ignorance. They include an appendix of prayers in the back of the book to provide a model of this, along with stories of their own experiences.

Along with the metaphor of a great adventure story and the lessons in spiritual warfare that teach us to depend on God together is quite a bit of practical advice and encouragement for getting along day by day: how to love, how to fight, how to put up with petty annoyances, dreaming, playing, trusting, and weathering life's storms. The Eldredges close with ideas on where to go from there, next steps for making and keeping a marriage healthy and strong.

I mentioned in a previous post that there are few marriage books I trust or recommend. I explained why and shared my criteria for a good marriage book. So I laughed at the beginning of this book, when John said he and Stasi found reading marriage books to be a lot like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. But these two know what they're talking about. Whether you're just starting out or celebrating your 25th anniversary like the authors just did, this book will be worth your time.


This book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah. Thank you!

Seeking Is Not Selfish

Sometimes, I think especially on Sundays, we're tempted to give up quiet time with God in favor of "more productive" activities. We're busy people. Taking time to sit in silence, prayerfully seeking God's Presence and listening for His voice sounds nice, but seems impractical. We feel pressured to accomplish something. Time with God is for our benefit; but shouldn't we be serving others, contributing to family, friends, and community in Jesus' name instead? Isn't that the better choice?

I think this must be one of Satan's favorite lies. Seeking God in solitude is not a selfish thing to do. Here's why:

• God created us to have a relationship with Him. He is our purpose for living. The quiet time we offer is a valued gift to our Lord. It's something He wants and more than deserves.



• When we seek God in solitude, He fills us with His strength. This refreshment enables us to serve Him and others more effectively. It helps us to endure and to make better choices. We may actually get more done in less time!



• During our quiet time, God also fills us with Christ's Spirit, Light, and Life, making our witness more powerful—even without words! His Life speaks through ours to draw others to Him.

Yes—time with God is for our benefit. But it's also our gift to God and an act of service to others. When God calls us to meet with Him, we can go eagerly, guilt-free!


For further insight: Isaiah 58:11-14, Luke 10:38-42, 2 Chronicles 16:9a, Philippians 2:15, Psalm 122:1, John 8:42-47

Memories of the Vacuum Incident

My son was watching a rerun of the 90's sit-com Family Matters this morning before school. In this particular episode, Steve Urkel accidentally vacuumed up the police chief's goldfish. (Then, in trying to rescue the goldfish, he accidentally swallowed it—such a sad story! And yet . . .)

It reminds me of the time that same son of mine kinda-sorta accidentally on purpose vacuumed up his hamster. (No—not Titan. This was four or five years ago, long before Titan's time.)

All three of my sons are insatiably curious, creative geniuses. Really! They're all gifted this way. As a result, though, we never know what's going to happen next around here. On this particular day, my son was vacuuming downstairs near the hamster cage. He was using one of the attachments and noticed that the vacuum tube opening was just about the same size as his robodwarf hamster, Nibbles I. He couldn't help but wonder if a vacuum cleaner could vacuum up a hamster. He opened up the cage, and . . .

I hereby interrupt this post for a brief public service announcement to all young hamster owners: Yes! Your vacuum cleaner can and will eat your hamster. Now you know. Please don't try this at home! Your pet won't appreciate it much.

Thankfully, my son had sense enough to yell, “Mom,” as loudly as he could while turning off the vacuum cleaner. We gently coaxed Nibbles back out the way he'd been so rudely pulled in, brushed the dust off of him, and put him back in his cage where he lived to tell the tale. We noticed he was a bit of an airhead after that experience, but he'd never seemed quite right before the event, so we couldn't really know if the vacuum incident was to blame.

And we still giggle whenever we think of it. Poor, poor Nibbles I.

Sometimes, our curiosity threatens to lead us where we don't want to go. When this happens, we're wise to stop for a moment before acting. We ask ourselves, “If I do this, what might the outcome be?” If the answer is, “My pet could end up swimming in weeks of accumulated dirt pulled up out of my carpet,” we'd better rethink our thoughts and not proceed.

But if we do proceed, we yell, “Father!” as loudly as we can and turn off the vacuum cleaner quick before someone gets sucked up into the mess of our mistake.

Lord, please help us all to make wise decisions when motivated by curiosity. We thank You for this gift that sometimes leads us to make wondrous discoveries or experience fun things. Help us to use it well, though, pausing to consider the consequences of our actions, knowing there are some things we might be better off not to experience or know. May Your Spirit guide us daily. We thank You for His sense. Amen.


No hamsters were harmed in the making of this post.

Book Review: Angels

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. In my mind, angels are mysterious creatures, created by God to serve God. He often sends them to protect us and He did send them to deliver messages in Bible times, but I didn't think there was much more we could know about them than that.

Actually, there's quite a bit more information available. In Angels, Dr. David Jeremiah walks us through all the references to angels in the Bible to show us what we factually can know: where they are, what they do, their appearance, how they relate to God and to us, how they are alike and different from us, how they function in the spiritual realm. He devotes one chapter to The Angel of the Old Testament and another to fallen angels. I learned a lot from this book.

Jeremiah does very little speculation. For the most part, he sticks to what the Bible says, and he uses that information either confirm or disprove society's current perceptions of angels. When he does offer an opinion or theory, he tells us very clearly that he is doing so, then he quotes other well-known scholars who came to similar conclusions: Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, A.W. Tozer, Billy Graham, and Larry Libby. (And, to be fair, when other opinions exist, he tells those, too.)

Jeremiah takes his research one step further by showing us in each chapter how this information is relevant to our lives. By knowing how angels worship and serve God, we can follow their example. In this sense, they serve as role models, too. Jeremiah carefully shows us how throughout the book.

On a personal note, several passages in Angels left me completely in awe of God. The angels must have liked this, for they're in awe of Him, too. They exist to honor Him—just as we all do.

If you're curious to know everything the Bible says about angels and why this information matters, this book will appeal to you.


This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.