October 8th, 2008 by Kristi Stephens

After the great Shema comes a section of Deuteronomy that I highly recommend everyone memorize. It comes to my mind frequently and is a great reminder to hold on to, no matter what the economy looks like!

“So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land
of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build,
houses full of all good things, which you did not fill,
hewn-out wells which you did not dig,
vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—
when you have eaten and are full—
then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.”
Deuteronomy 6:10-12

This passage is always very striking for me. Remember, this comes directly after the Great Shema and the associated discussion of posting the Truth on the door frames of your houses and binding it on your hands and forehead. Moses’ warning? Once God has fulfilled His promises to you and prospered you, don’t forget Him! Don’t turn to other gods!

It is amazing how quickly we humans turn away from the Lord. In times of difficulty, we question His character and sovereignty. In times of prosperity, we forget Him.

Honestly, I have been avoiding the news like the plague for the past few weeks – there seems to be a general spirit of panic about the economic downturn everywhere we look. For me, I have found that in order to keep my eyes on the Lord and not allow a spirit of fear into my life, I have to stay away from all of the discussion. I want to generally know what’s going on, but then need to step away and give it to the Lord.

It’s amazing, though, to watch people in times like these. We fret, we worry, we watch political debates with ashen faces wondering which candidate can save us out of our peril. Guess what? Neither can! These things we are grasping onto so tightly aren’t even ours to hold – they are God’s!

“Well, I worked hard for my __________ [car, house, 401K, vacation, etc.]“

Who gave you the ability to work? Who allowed you to find your job?

“God helps those who help themselves, you know!” [Shockingly little known fact: this statement isn't from the Bible! God never said this, Benjamin Franklin did!]

Actually, the Bible is full of the theme of God’s grace to the broken, utterly dependent people. Once we feel like we have accomplished something on our own and therefore deserve something good in return, we have begun to worship ourselves, feel autonomous, entitled.

When I taught High School Bible I frequently heard the mother of several of my students quoted by other teachers. I don’t know if I ever even met her, but her words have stuck with me ever since! Anytime someone would say, “Oh, good for you – you deserve it,” or some related phrase, she would answer, “No, I don’t deserve it. I deserve hell. God gave me grace.” Amen! This wise woman understood that we are entitled to nothing except the earned punishment for our sin. Anything else is a gift.

So, as you watch the news tonight, remember: What’s the worst that could happen? What if we lost our income? Our house? Would God forget us? Is He unable to provide for us? Even in the very worst of times, God has never lost control – He is very firmly seated on the throne of the universe. His plan might look different from yours – but you can trust Him.

Over the past few months AG and I have learned about birds off and on. Obviously, the most common visitors to our little bird feeder are sparrows. I love to tell her what Jesus taught about the sparrows:

“Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
Luke 12:6-7

Those little birds are so common and insignificant, I sometimes wish they wouldn’t eat all the birdseed so that we could save it for more exciting visitors! But God knows each one. How much more does He know and value us, His creation, the ones He purchased out of bondage and made to be His own?

We live in an exceedingly prosperous nation. At our worst we are better off than most of the world. And we have forgotten that it is all a gift – that God, in His great mercy, has blessed us in order that we would be a blessing. That He purchased us from bondage and showered us with undeserved blessings.

Beware, lest you forget.

October 6th, 2008 by Kristi Stephens

There are times when we get a little glimpse of the inner workings of our children’s minds. Nothing is as precious to me as when I get to hear first hand the simple faith of my 2 1/2 year old.

We’ve been working on memorizing John 3:16. She’s been doing extremely well and can say the whole verse with very little prompting. Last night as soon as we finished, she said, “Like a pear.” Needless to say, I was stumped. She repeated it again, and then after I again asked what she meant, she said, “What is perish?” I thought she was noticing that “perish” just sounded like “pear,” but when I recounted this to NP later, he pointed out that she likes to describe colors as “brownish” or “purplish” – she probably thinks that “perish” means “like a pear!”

Tonight we had the “perish” discussion yet again, so I thought we should review what that verse means. We started discussing heaven, which is my favorite topic to hear her thoughts on. Tonight’s questions:

“Will Noah be there? And the animals?”
“Can we swim outside with God in heaven?”
“Will we wear shoes in heaven?”

And the one that still comes up frequently when discussing the fact that Jesus will come back for us -
“Will He ride in our car?” [No, we'll fly!]
“Who will help me fly? Will Daddy help me fly?” [GOD will help you fly!]
I cannot describe the pure delight that shines on her face when we tell her that God will help her fly.

It brought to my mind this familiar story from the gospel of Mark:

Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” And He took them up in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them.
[Mark 10:13-16]

My precious girl has a very limited understanding of God. But everything she has learned she believes. In her simple, childlike way, asking if we will wear shoes in heaven is a statement of faith – Such a place exists, and I will live there one day – what will it be like? Will I wear shoes? Can I swim outside with God? Will Jesus ride in our car?

No questioning, no doubting. Just belief. Attempts at understanding, questions, but belief.

I wonder what those little children asked Jesus that day…

I bet God laughed!

October 3rd, 2008 by Kristi Stephens

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 is often called the Great Shema (shema is Hebrew for “hear” – because “hear” is the first word of the passage).

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
(6:4-9)

As you can see in these pictures, Orthodox Jews still follow this passage literally. They put copies of Deuteronomy 6:4-5 in small boxes on their doorframes, tie boxes with these verses on their hands, and bind them on their foreheads.

What is God trying to impress on them?

Doorframes of your house: as you go in and as you go out, your private and public life should be dominated by one theme – belief in the One True God and love for Him that consumes your heart, soul, and might. The text further elaborates saying that this should be the dominating conversation and subject of training in our households.

Bind them on your hands: every single thing you do should be dominated by this same theme- belief in the One True God and love for Him that consumes your heart, soul, and might. The New Testament emphasizes this idea as well.

1 Corinthians 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Colossians 3:23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men…

Bind them on your foreheads: for illustrative purposes, hold your fist up to your forehead – what do you see? Everything you look at is overshadowed by your hand. This idea of tying the Truth to your forehead is that everything you look at, everything you perceive, everything you think about is filtered through belief in the One True God and love for Him that consumes your heart, soul, and might.

So, while I don’t think that we need to follow this literally, it’s not a bad idea! Our love for God is supposed to be so consuming that it will affect how we live on a minute by minute basis (publicly and privately), every single thing we do, and every thought in our minds. This is no one-day-a-week religious ritual. This is consuming – love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, with ALL your soul, and with ALL your strength.

In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus uses this passage to answer the question, “Master, what is the greatest commandment?” He says that on this law (and on the command to love your neighbor as yourself) hang all the Law and the Prophets. What did He mean?

Why isn’t “have no other gods before me” the greatest commandment? Because if I love the Lord with all that I am, I will not serve other gods. Why isn’t “thou shalt not kill” the greatest commandment? Because if I love the Lord with all that I am, I will not degrade and seek to take the lives of those He created and loves.

Remember our previous posts about the law – the law was not a means to salvation by works. Following the law evidenced true faith – true relationship. If a person truly loves the Lord their God with ALL their heart, with ALL their soul, and with ALL their strength, the rest of the law falls into line! Relationship comes FIRST, obedience comes second.

This same idea shows up in first John:

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. (1 John 2:3-5)

Have you ever wondered if you really are saved? You are not saved by the things that you do. If you think to yourself, “of course I am saved – I’m a good person,” then you probably are relying on your own good works to earn your salvation rather than being dependent on Christ Jesus alone. However, if you are aware of your sin and your utter dependence on the work of Christ to save you, and have truly confessed that sin to the Lord and asked for His redemption, you will want to obey Him. It will disturb you to fail Him. (and you will – we all do.) And the pattern of your life will be a desire to know and obey your Lord.

And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.
1 John 2:28-29

October 1st, 2008 by Kristi Stephens

Here is the latest news from Tiffany about Masen:

Hello, everyone! WOW, what a crazy 48 hours!! A lot has happened, and ALL of it has been touched by your prayers for us. It has been SO obvious that God’s hand has been in it all, and we give Him all the glory!

We got to the hospital at 11:30 yesterday morning-Masen had not had anything to eat since the night before, and had her last apple juice at 9am. We were supposed to start surgery at 1:30, but an emergency came in ahead of us, so we didn’t start until 4pm. Our first PRAISE was Masen. She did such an amazing job all day…no complaining about food or asking for anything, really. She asked for a mint in the AM, and when I told her she couldn’t have one, she asked if Josh could. Because she thought he would like it. :) Then around 3:30 she started asking when the doctor was going to come, and when we told her that someone else had needed his help, she said: “I bet they are getting hungry and thirsty.” We ask, “are you getting hungry and thirsty, Masen?” “Yes.” So sweet…and so patient. We were so proud of her!! We had lots of friends come and keep us company during the wait for the surgeon, and the time really went by fast. Thank you, friends and family!!

At 4pm, they wheeled her down to OR on a stretcher; she sat up and smiled at everyone and kept checking to make sure Adam and I were behind her, then would wave and smile at us. We couldn’t believe how composed she was!! PRAISE!! Then we met briefly with Dr. Daniels, and I got dressed in scrubs to go back to OR with her until she fell asleep from the anesthesia. She quietly sat on my lap and just drifted off to sleep…I was fighting back tears, but again PRAISE that she didn’t get so scared or panic at going to OR.

We went to the family surgical waiting room, and after 2 hours, we thought someone would come let us know how it was going (1/2 way through); well, the attendant came and told us they were almost FINISHED! It took almost an entire hour LESS time than he had thought it might, which was incredible. Dr. Daniels said the skull usually fuses together under the first implant and makes removal more technical, etc. Masen’s skull had never fused together–the EXACT hole was still there from the first surgery! All the surgeon had to do was remove the old one and drill new suture holes to secure the new implant. He said he had NEVER seen that happen before. We feel sure it was GOD who kept the bone from fusing–because it meant so much less drilling, pain, and time in the OR.

The actual implant slid right into place with no problems, resulting in a much faster operation than was expected. Again, PRAISE!!! The only bad thing about having the surgery so late (besides having a hungry/thirsty little girl) was that the audiologists had gone home and there was no one to test and make sure the unit was working. The surgeon was not concerned, but it’s a peace of mind thing for Adam and I. It would be nice to know it is working, but now we need to wait and trust and not worry for 2 weeks. :) Activation should be the middle of October.

We went back to recovery to see her–she was still sleeping and VERY out of it. She would open her eyes, but obviously wasn’t focusing on anything. This part was much harder on us–she was crying and obviously in pain. They gave her some morphine and that seemed to help. She started to wake up and then was crying that her ear was hurting and wanted us to take off the big white bandage on her head. She finally fell asleep on my lap in a rocking chair for a bit, then I got on the gurney with her and they wheeled us down to outpatient recovery. She got sick from the morphine, but then fell asleep again for about an hour–her pain seemed much less already, and she really wanted to go home. After she woke up, they let us make the call to go home, so we were in our own beds around 12 last night.

Masen slept all night, seemed a little out of it this morning, but by lunchtime she was ready to eat and started perking up. She’s now back to almost herself. :) Still a bit groggy at times, but much more like happy Masen. We can take off the pressure bandage tomorrow, which will be emotional, I think. She’s afraid of taking off all the tape, and also afraid of how much hair they had to shave off, what the owie will look like, etc. So, you can continue to pray for us, and for Masen especially. We have some more hoops to go through before this is all over, but God is good, and we are resting in His promises to care for us. We love you all and are SO THANKFUL for friends like you. You have made us all feel so loved and cared for. Thank you.

Love,
Tiffany (for all!)