Learning the Blessing of Mourning

Wow, where do I start?  This month has been one of the most roller-coaster months I have ever experienced.  In the course of one month, we have started school for the year, celebrated family birthdays(including my 30th!), traveled to Seattle twice, made some major life decisions (more on this later), received some surprising family news (more on this later, too), started a college course, celebrated the arrival of my newest nephew (welcome, baby Owen!), and lastly, received the shattering news of my uncle's murder.

For those of you who don't know me on Facebook, here's the quick recap: on Thursday evening (the 27th), there was a shooting in Minneapolis.  A disgruntled ex-employee went on a vengeful shooting spree at his former office, killing 4 people plus himself.  My uncle was an innocent bystander - the UPS delivery guy dropping off a package at the wrong time.

My Uncle Keith

My uncle, Keith Basinski, was an amazing person.  Everyone loved him.  He radiated happiness and joy.  He was genuine and giving.  I remember his selfless hospitality - we always stayed at his house when we visited Minneapolis and he was always willing to do whatever to help us feel comfortable and welcome.  Mark said that he holds a special place in his heart as well - so full of joy and kindness.  Learning of his death was quite a blow. 

Death is hard to process by itself, but I've learned this week that murder is a different story altogether.  It's so dark, so evil. 

I've been working through my grief these last few days.  My uncle was a believer, so I have the comfort of knowing his destiny and that he is with the Father right now.  But it is still hard to have someone snatched from life so quickly, so cruelly.

Mark has been reading a book about the Beatitudes, and he suggested the next chapter, which was on mourning.  So I read it this morning in my quiet time, and it really ministered to me, so I wanted to pass along some of the most poignant passages here.

"Mourning means they have given up their self-delusions about control, power and protection.  They know that life is fragile, and that they are not in charge."

"Only when life jolts us do we see the real picture of our existence, that we depend on God's graciousness for every breath.  Mourning brings about the acute awareness of powerlessness - an essential ingredient in spiritual growth."

"Yeshua looked out on the brokenhearted in the crowd and saw that some were ready, posed to accept the incredible announcement about to be theirs.  they were ready because they were the blessed ones.  God could reach them, now, in the moment of their raw openness."

"Yeshua knows that this comfort has two critical elements.  First, it is comfort found only by those who are at this moment open because of their agony.  And secondly, it is a promise that reaches beyond the immediate."

"It is the guarantee that no matter what crisis comes upon us, God is here.  God is in control.  Our lives are not adrift on a stormy sea of emotional trauma.  The Holy Spirit will stand as our Advocate when we fall.  He will intercede.  All of His unfathomable power, care and love will be ours because God hears our cry."

"So grief comes upon us, not as a judgment or a punishment but as the single most clarifying moment of life - the moment that I see that my life is not my own, that it is not even mine to keep.  At that moment, when I know my limits most intimately, I am ready to hear God's message - comfort is upon me."

My prayer in all this is that through grief, many people who were blessed by my Uncle Keith's life will be even more blessed through his death.  May they find the One who was the source of my uncle's joy, the foundation of his giving and generous life.

"Oh, so happy are those who at this moment are broken over life's finality because the day is upon them when God's gracious love is at hand and they have the promise that death is defeated."

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." - Matthew 5:4

A few links honoring my uncle, Keith Basinski:

http://www.kare11.com/news/article/992930/396/UPS-driver-killed-in-shooting-remembered-as-a-gentle-spirit

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/video?clipId=7779705&autostart=true

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_21654524/minneapolis-shooting-ups-driver-was-devout-christian-packers

http://fridley.patch.com/articles/amazing-gentle-minneapolis-shooting-victim-keith-basinski-of-spring-lake-park-remembered

* All quotes except for Scripture are taken from "The Lucky Life - The Backwards Beatitudes," by Skip Moen, D.Phil.

Happy Rosh Hashanah!

I love Rosh Hashanah. It's the beginning of the new year, the celebration of new beginnings. It's the start of the Ten Days of Awe, a time of introspection, repentance and forgiveness. And it's a celebration of the kingship of our Messiah Yeshua!

Biblically, Rosh Hashanah is called Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets. The only details that HaShem gives us for how we celebrate this day are that it is a holy convocation - a day to assemble together, a sabbath - a day to rest, and that we are to hear the shofar/trumpet blown. (Leviticus 23:23-25)

HaShem has always placed high significance in the shofar blast. It was the sound that came from Mount Sinai at the giving of the Torah, and has been used in battle as well as worship throughout Israel's history.

But why did HaShem establish an entire holiday for the purpose of listening to the shofar blast? I believe the answer is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17:

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

Not only has the shofar blast been important in times past, but it will be important in the time to come!

Be blessed this new year and always - Shana Tova!
~Judy

*For more information about the shofar, check out this link:
http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Fall_Holidays/Elul/Shofar/shofar.html

You Are Joy

My meditation this morning, hope it blesses you too!  (Video at the end)

            ~   ~   ~   ~   ~

Through life I’ve seen storms will come and go
You’ve promised me I’m not alone
When my faith is weak and I’ve fallen to my knees
I find You are all I need, all I need

You are love, You bring healing to the hurting
You are peace, You bring comfort to the worried
You are joy, You turn my mourning into dancing
You are good, You are good

The joy I find in facing every trial
Gives me hope and makes it all worthwhile
I’m looking towards all the plans You have in store
Cause the victory is Yours, it is Yours

You are love, You bring healing to the hurting
You are peace, You bring comfort to the worried
You are joy, You turn my mourning into dancing
You are good, You are good

So I’m not gonna complain
My lips will speak your name
My voice will give You praise
And I’m not gonna give up
My strength comes from above
Your grace is more than enough

~ You Are Joy, by Warr Acres

Stretching, Growing, and Entering a New Season

Some of you may know that I visited the Seattle area this past weekend.  Mark sent me to a women's retreat at Beit Tikvah, our home congregation. I was excited and a bit apprehensive about it, being that it was the first time I'd ever left my big kids overnight (yes, ever!).  I also had with me a heavy feeling - not in a negative way, but in a full way.  I knew that the Lord had something planned for me in the retreat, but I really had no idea what.

I arrived in Seattle with Avigail on Friday night, got settled into our friends' home (what amazing hosts they were - such a blessing!), and got a good night's sleep.  On Saturday morning, I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast with my lovely hosts and a relaxing devotional time before making our way to BT for morning service.  The speaker for the women's retreat was Melody Green, wife of the late Keith Green (revolutionary Christian singer from the late 70s/early 80s).  The theme was "No Compromise", but I didn't yet know what that really meant. 

Keith Green

 

 

 (Click Here for Keith and Melody Green's testimonies and ministry website.)

Throughout the weekend, Melody spoke about their lives together, their ministry, and the challenges she has gone through since his untimely death.  Her main teaching text from the first day was this:

“I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first."

(Revelation 2:2-5 ESV)

I meditated on this a bit on Saturday night and Sunday morning, and didn't quite know what to fully make of it.  How to we really love God?  (My immediate thought-response was "If you love me, obey my commandments.") What works is Yeshua referring to?

On Sunday morning, her main teaching text was this:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
   
(Matthew 25:31-46 ESV)

This really hit home.  How can it not?  As a busy mom, my life is consumed by the daily details of raising children, educating them, and running a home.  How often to I even take the time to give thought to all of the people around me who are needy in one way or another?  When was the last time I stepped outside my comfort zone to feed someone, invite a lonely person to my home, or provide basic living essentials such as clothing to someone who needed them?

I'm not beating myself up over this - I believe that we all go through seasons that are each important for their own reason.  Since we've moved, I've been in a season of reestablishing myself.  I've been focusing on getting back to the core of who I am and how my relationship with God works.  And there's nothing wrong with taking time to do that.  In fact, without that foundation, you really can't do anything else! 

But the Lord was speaking very clearly to me this weekend that this season that I've been in is coming to a close.  It's time to refocus a bit more on those around me.  Time to reach out and share God with others, especially in practical ways.  I don't yet know how this is going to look, but it's something I'm praying about and working through, and I'm excited to see how the Lord will be glorified in this next season!

Grace and Law - Opposites or Complements?

I saw a post on Facebook last night that caught my eye.  It was a quote that basically pitted law and grace against each other, showing just how awful law is and how wonderful grace is.  It broke my heart.  God wrote those words of "law" for His people whom He loves with an everlasting love, and who He chose to have a relationship with.  This is the reply I wrote to that thread.  I hope that it helps people to think about God's beautiful word through a slightly different lens.

First of all, the word “law” here is a poor translation of the Hebrew word “Torah” which means teaching or instruction. God gave the Israelites His divine instruction on how they should live as His covenant people. It is their “marriage ketubah” of sorts – a written contract for the covenant that He made with them. You say that the law was put into place for the unsaved, but that's not really the case.

Second, grace and law are not opposites, as is evident when we understand what the “law” really is. (No one would try to argue that grace and instruction are opposites.) Grace and legalism are opposites. Grace and Torah are a beautiful complement to each other.

As soon as people start pitting grace and “law” or NT and OT against each other, they lose the ability to understand either fully. This gives way for us to depend solely on our “conscience” and what “feels right” instead of going to God's word for the answer. I know that most people may not think of it that way, but it happens every day – just look at how many churches are ordaining homosexual ministers. As soon as you bypass God's Torah in favor of grace, you begin seeing it as a license to interpret Scripture however you want.

Jesus said “If you love me, obey my commandments.” He's speaking of the Torah. He said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” He's speaking of the Torah. Then He says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

Grace and Torah serve two different purposes, both of which equally important. Grace keeps us in right standing before God. Torah shows us how to live out our love for God. Because we have grace, we keep His commandments.

Four Months of Grace, Thanks, Joy

"I run my fingers across the pages of the book. I read it slowly. In the original language, 'He gave thanks' reads 'eucharisteo.' I underline it on the page. The root word of eucharisteo is charis, meaning 'grace.' Jesus took the bread and saw it as grace and gave thanks. He took the bread and knew it to be gift and gave thanks.

But there is more.  Eucharisteo, thanksgiving, also holds the Greek word chara, meaning 'joy.' I breathe deep, like a sojourner finally coming home. That has always been the goal of the fullest life - joy."     ~Ann Voskamp, Selections From One Thousand Gifts

Two years ago I read a book that moved me deeply.  "One Thousand Gifts", by Ann Voskamp, challenged me to see my life through the constant lens of thankfulness and grace.  I started a gratitude journal - a list of thanks, of blessing, of grace.  It is a discipline, this learning to see grace in all things.  But it has deepened my walk with the Lord and helped me to see through His eyes so much more.  It has brought me more patience, more understanding, more joy.

It has been four months now since we moved to Idaho.  There has never been a doubt in my mind that this is where God wants us to be, yet there are times that it has been very hard.  Settling into a new home is a long process, especially when that includes starting over in the area of relationships.  But we have been blessed to meet some great people and are excited about what the future holds for our family.

As we hit our 4-month anniversary in our new home, I also reached 500 in my gratitude journal.  It's a big mark for me, and as I reached it I took some time to look back and read many of my entries over the past several months.  I was struck by how many of my thanks would not have been possible without the Lord bringing us here.

193. all of our friends who helped us move - working so hard, long, and selflessly
196. laying-on of hands and prayers from cherished friends
199. the sweet surprise of a beautiful drive to get to our new home
200. our new home - beautiful - and on the outskirts of town, in a beautiful setting off a country highway
213. grandparents living close
237. the homeschool freedom we enjoy in Idaho
250. horses down the street, in pastures of wildflowers
257. our first time enjoying our neighborhood pool
274. two generations of brothers, throwing footballs in the backyard
280. joy-filled days spent at the grandparents' house
285. the freedom, space, and safety we enjoy in our new home
294. summer days!
296. family time at the pool
298. mountains in the distance, decorating the horizon
299. grandparents, close enough to babysit
300. renewed vision for the future, with God's calling at the center!

I know that big changes can be so scary.  Even when you know that God is speaking, taking that big step of faith is so hard, so unsettling at times.  We doubt, we wonder, we can't see the future, and it is so, so hard!  But as I'm learning and growing, the Lord is good - always good - only good - and He knows the beginning from the end.  He knows the plans He has for us.  He knows the desires of our hearts.  And His plans for us are bigger than our own!  But in order to get to that place of being used, we must trust.  We must choose to take joy and offer thanks even when it is hard.  It is a discipline, but one with amazing payoff.

311. evening family walks around our neighborhood
367. family time to explore our new town
393. clarity, given by God, about His purposes
396. sunny days - now the norm
399. grandparents around for birthday celebrations
429. making new friends!
440. the sun, red at sunrise and sunset from all the smoke - beauty from the ugly
448. blue sky again after so many days of smoke-haze
458. Avigail's love for the outdoors, and how easy it is for her to access it
480. three kids in a row, all on scooters
501. the multitude of birds in the tree next door, all chirping together in the morning
507. my children's growing comfort in the water
509. the park behind our house
510. a summer of children riding bikes and scooters to their hearts' content

If you've never done it (or if you're just struggling with faith or joy), I highly recommend keeping a gratitude journal.  It will bless you, because it will bring you closer to the One who gives blessing. 

~Judy