The Legend of Two Wolves

There is an old Indian story that you have heard before. I share it as a reminder to guard against getting stuck in the quick sand of personal struggle and pain. When times of difficulty grip us it’s good to recognize that our misplaced self-focus can be dangerous and even disastrous.

The Legend of Two Wolves: One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all.

One is Evil: It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good: It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith"

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

We have an insatiable human nature. So who are you feeding these days? Where do you allow your focus to dwell?

A pearl to string: If we have a heart for Jesus and an authentic desire to pursue godliness, lessons like these become protection as much as conviction.

The Message brings Romans 12:3 home to my heart as Paul speaks: “I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him”.

Better to lose count while naming your blessings
Than to lose your blessings to counting your troubles.
Maltbie D. Babcock

Let’s cast our focus away from that thing that will destroy us. The only thing God wants to withhold from us is havoc. “Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” Romans 8:32

You are in His smile
You are loved,
Lyndi

When Rhinoceros Fly

I really do not want you to think about an orange rhinoceros flying with blue wings.
Come on!
Cut that out!
Really!
I don’t want you to think about it anymore. Orange! Orange! Orange!

Have you ever touched a rhino? It feels like a hard orange. A very hard orange. Are you thinking about an orange rhino? Stop! Where is your self discipline? You’ve probably never heard of an orange rhinoceros! And certainly not a flying orange rhino with blue wings! So why are you thinking about it?

The point to all this silliness is simple: the more we try to not do something, the more we focus on it and ensure we do what we are not supposed to do. Ugg! Extremely annoying isn’t it. I appreciate the way Paul shares this struggle in Romans 7: “I do the things I don’t want to do but the things I want to do those I don’t do”. Our human nature gets the best of us just when we are trying our hardest. Most people don't make the same mistake twice. They make it three or four times or more.

A pearl to string: That's why the gift of the Holy Spirit is so important. He enables and empowers us to move beyond our sin -- not by focusing on it and refusing it on our own power or determination, but by enriching us and "distracting" us with the important things of God.

“Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature”. (Galatians 5:16)

Know you are loved,
Lyndi

The power of a Periwinkle....

By Butch Maltby

















It is our nature to scream through life scarcely aware of the miraculous provision right at our feet or up on the hill that seems so far away. Errant dreams, dashed hopes and tearful tomorrows conspire to wage an all out war against personal peace which seems illusive even on a good day.

The encyclopedia of God's creation has limitless examples of the loud and furious planet producing act when the Master of all things spoke and waters, sky, mountains and plain spouted up out of the nothingness of a brooding promise. And in between the front line creative acts which brought the house down tiny little miracles became the sinew for what we came to call "the world".

Snails. Plankton. Ants. Delicate flowers. Consider "Cathar Anthus Rojeus" or in our horticultural lexicon-- "the periwinkle".

A foot level flowering vine creeping quietly in the gardening beds of faith. Often as with other creation "runts of the litter" overlooked. With cosmic intensity the womb of the universe birthed it all with Jehovah as midwife and sire. Humans took center stage. Animals next. Flora and fauna made bows to the thunderous applause. And somewhere like rich crumbs falling from the King's table came mini miracles in time's seminal creative act. Like this common yet miraculous little flower. The periwinkle.

Thought to have been originally "planted" in ancient Madagascar this magic wand weaves properties both aesthetic and medicinal into a frequently hearty and often curiously fragile plant. Sometimes pale pink with a purple eye she is rough and delicate. Ubiquitous and solitary. Fast growing and stunted. A study in tension and contrasts. But when crushed this lioness yields alkaloid rich nectars used around the globe for the creeping diseases of life. Bleeding, blood pressure, cancer, infections-- all have tribal, native and modern treatments taken from the small veins of a beautiful flower after she is obliterated.

They die.

Others live.

And it struck me this eternal rhythm of living and dying especially to self is mirrored in the creation I take for granted. Your life teems with the turmoil of the unfolding covenant. The rocks, hills, plants and creatures offer spiritual sign language of our God and King's footprints on our sphere of wonder emblazoned with all the colors of the rainbow. New healing surprises greet us in a lush amazon, distant island, rocky crag or ocean floor.

And He whispers again through each solitary periwinkle. I made you. It was glorious.
You contain healing balms for a hurting world. Be crushed. The aroma and sap are life-giving elements in my hands. And others will be touched in their severe moments of agony if you are willing to die. God never wastes a moment. Or a miracle. But She leaves a missing puzzle piece to each reforming act.

That piece is you. Harvest the multicolored periwinkles in your garden. You are the steward of your own gift. Leave a few in a vase on your small kitchen table. Water them daily. As a reminder of who we serve. And what He alone gave. Then take your healing brokenness to your hurting world.

And watch God smile.
Butch Maltby

Truth, Love, and Endurance Dr. King and Christian Activism

"Breakpoint" by Chuck Colson

















January 18, 2010
As Americans observe Martin Luther King Day today, I am reminded of the rich Christian tradition of activism in this country. For millions of Christians who have gone before us, activism was considered fruit of the faith. Not only was the civil-rights movement led by evangelical Christians like Dr. King, so too were campaigns for abolition and women’s suffrage heavily influenced by Christians expressing their faith.
But for much of the 20th century, Christians—especially white evangelicals—shied away from activism. Part of the reason is that from about the 1920s to the 1970s, many evangelical Christians simply withdrew from the public square. Defeats in Prohibition and the discouraging results of the Scopes trial left many evangelicals disheartened. Soon the rich activist tradition was lost or divorced from true faith.
But in the African-American community, Christian principles and hopes prodded the rise of the civil-rights movement. It was not until the ’80s with the rise of the Moral Majority, that activism began to resurface among white evangelicals. Unfortunately, as Tim Stafford notes in his new book, Shaking the System, by then, “The very idea of Christians advocating for public causes created panic among secularists and dreams of utopia (a long-lost Christian America?) among true believers.”

This is why I like Stafford’s book so much: It draws from the rich history of Christian involvement to revive that lost knowledge of what it looks like to be a Christian activist.

True Christian activism, Stafford writes, always begins with the truth. “That means,” Stafford says, that “the true activist is a witness, anxious to pass on truth to others.” This is how the abolition movement began in the United States. About 30 years before the Civil War, the truth that slavery was a sin began to break through the consciousness of more and more Americans.

Soon all activists, however, learn that not everyone can handle truth. That is why a second thing that any Christian should know about engaging the world with a Christian worldview is to expect resistance. When truth collides with the status quo, Christian activists had better know where their ultimate hope lies
Christians must also have a strategy for shaking the system: from prayer to dialogue, from political involvement to pressure tactics such as boycotts and strikes.

But above all, like Dr. King, the activist must possess courage and an unyielding faith in the God of justice. Injustice does not loosen its grasp easily. We must be prepared for a long haul, drawing on the rich resources of community and that abiding hope and passion for truth. And we must avoid violence: in our rhetoric and our actions. As Martin Luther King reminded those who gathered at his home after it had been bombed, “Don’t get panicky. . . . I want you to love our enemies. Be good to them. This is what we must live by. We must meet hate with love.”

So if the life of an activist holds so much discouragement and risk, why get involved at all? Because a Christian understanding of the world compels us to combat injustice and promote truth. That is a thought worth reflecting on, especially on Martin Luther King Day—a man who exhibited those qualities.

This commentary by Chuck Colson originally aired January 21, 2008.

Pain Summons His Grace

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements and to store his few possessions.

But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened - everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger.

"God, how could you do this to me!" he cried. Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him.

"How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers.

"We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground ----it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.


A Pearl to String: For all the negative things we have to say to ourselves, God has a positive answer:

You say: "It's impossible"
God says: All things are possible (Luke 18:27)

You say: "Nobody really loves me"
God says: I love you (John 3:16 & John 13:34)

You say: "I can't go on"
God says: My grace is sufficient (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: "I can't figure things out"
God says: I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6)

You say: "I can't do it"
God says: You can do all things (Philippians 4:13)

You say: "I'm not able"
God says: I am able (II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: "It's not worth it"
God says: It will be worth it (Roman 8:28)

You say: "I can't forgive myself"
God says: I FORGIVE YOU (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: "I can't manage"
God says: I will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19)

You say: "I'm afraid"
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7)

You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated"
God says: Cast all your cares on ME (I Peter 5:7)

You say: "I don't have enough faith"
God says: I've given everyone a measure of faith (Romans 12:3)

You say: "I'm not smart enough"
God says: I give you wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: "I feel all alone"
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)

Leaning into His love,
Lyndi

Be of Good Cheer

Some monks were running low on funds, but didn't want to close up their monastery. After much consideration, they decided to start selling the flowers they grew. Soon after opening up shop, business boomed, much to their delight. They had plenty of cash now for burlap and oatmeal and everything else good monks need.

Unfortunately, the town already HAD a flower shop. The disgruntled owner of the rival store tried everything -- having discount sales, spreading slander about the monks, and even poisoning the monks' flower beds. Unfortunately, they'd been blessed and nothing could stop their little business.

Finally, the rival shop owner sought out a man rumored to “fix things”: Hugh. No one knew his last name, just that he got the job done, no questions asked. After the appropriate amount of money had changed hands, Hugh went over to the friars' place, thoroughly beat them silly, and then destroyed their flower beds.

The next day, the monks promptly boarded up the windows and closed shop permanently, thus proving that Hugh, and only Hugh, can prevent florist friars.

Did I hear a groan? Come on! A cheerful look brings joy to the heart… (Proverbs 15:30a) It’s a new year ….. Be of good cheer!

A pearl to string: To the paralytic man lying helpless on a bed, Jesus proclaimed, “Be of good cheer” (Matthew 9:2). To the frightened Apostles battling the tempestuous sea, Jesus appeared on the water, declaring, “Be of good cheer” (Matthew 14:27).

How does the Lord’s admonition of cheer sound when it is applied to you and me in our world today? When economic uncertainties, terrorist threats, and corruption provide top stories for the evening news where is the cheer? When we experience personal loss in so many ways and on so many days, what is left to be cheerful about? When Christ proclaims, “Be of good cheer,” He is not requesting a naive, Pollyanna-like response to life’s harsh twists and turns. Nor is He promising a pain-free life of constant happiness. The cheer Jesus speaks to comes from a deep trust in God’s unfolding purposes. “In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

As the mother hen covers her chicks with her wings, so the Redeemer will surround us with His all-embracing power if we will come to Him (see Matthew 23:37).

There is room under those wings for all of us.
You are loved,
Lyndi