Really? Seriously?

Zachariah said to the angel, "Do you expect me to believe this? I'm an old man and my wife is an old woman."
But the angel said, "I am Gabriel, the sentinel of God, sent especially to bring you this glad news.20 But because you won't believe me, you'll be unable to say a word until the day of your son's birth. Every word I've spoken to you will come true on time-God's time."

Incredulous is the word to describe Zachariah...so not like the response that Mary had a few months later when Gabriel came with good news of another baby coming. Mary had questions about the obvious....how, I haven't been with a man..etc. But Z man...."Really, you expect me to believe this?" I get this quite often when I am trying to explain something about the Bible to our Bible illiterate International students. With respect, they get that look on their face, kind of smirking, "really...you expect me to believe this?" I know, when you step back from the story and begin to hear it for the first time, it sounds a bit out there. I don't know about you but when I hear the story through the ears of non-believer, it sounds a bit out there as well.

I love Gabriel's anger and frustration in response but at the same time I wonder what I have lost when I have responded in unbelief? What silence I have had to endure in relationships because I did not believe that forgiving was the only way? What separation because I did not believe that letting something go was the best way? How many morning lay silent as I pounded heavens door because I would not believe?
I am so Zachariah !
I want to be more Mary.

Christmas parenting

Luke 1:

15 He'll achieve great stature with God.16 He will turn many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God.17 He will herald God's arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics-he'll get the people ready for God.

Interesting that part of the message of John the wild one :) is that his message will soften the hearts of the parents to children. Eugene Peterson, who paraphrased this, lost a bit though...everyone else says, turn the heart of the fathers back to their children. I am a pro co-parent advocate ie: I believe that Mom's and Dad's mission in life is to parent in tandem. One is not more important than the other, nor is one more valuable...both are needed to balance the picture of God's image. BUT is does seem that fathers have to work harder to engage in the heart part of raising children. I think it is part our culture, but the scripture seems to hint that it is a fundamental problem. Fathers can loose the softness required to parent well.

Jesus was never a father and throughout his whole life here on earth, Joseph is not a part of the picture. I don't remember any pointed sermons at or for fathers but I do remember that children loved being with Jesus. As far as we know, John wasn't a father either nor does it seem that his parents were around long after he was born. Neither of these men had long term earthly father or were fathers in the natural sense. Yes...Jesus had his Father in Heaven, I realize this but I am talking about his time here on earth. So what did these men know about fathering?

It seems that the gospel is supposed to make men better fathers not just having a good father. What is supposed to happen is that this gospel, good news, is supposed to soften the hearts of men to their children. NOT make them more rigid, distant, per-occupied, absent, ultra-disciplined, angry...But more kind, present, engaged, grace-filled and gentle. The strength of a man and the kindness of the gospel...a heart softened to his kids. Unfortunately, some men believe that this is the job of the mothers...the soft part of parenting. This is not feminine, this is humanity bathed in the grace of the gospel. We both raise, love, discipline and nurture within the gifts we both have to raise our kids.

Christmas and parenting...who would have thought !

The Altar of Longing...

Luke 1:8 Unannounced, an angel of God appeared just to the right of the altar of incense.
Zachariah was paralyzed in fear.

To the right of the altar of incense where day and night the Priests made sure an aroma was set before God...the prayers of his people.


“May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” (Psalm 141:2)

“Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand.” (Revelations 8:3-4)

If we can think that nothing is by accident in this story of Jesus...there is something significant about that angel, maybe the same angel in the book of Revelation standing right next to the altar of prayers in the temple that morning. I read somewhere else that this work of the priest was the most beloved of all the tasks to do...to keep the incense of prayer burning. That pleasing aroma before the throne...the prayers of the saints.
I can picture bowls of our prayers scattered in the throne room of the Almighty. As we pray we add together an accumilation of sweeter and stronger aroma. Can you imagine the bowl with the prayers of the saints that had been praying for the Messiah? How large that bowl, how sweet that smell before the throne? And Today....Gabriel came to stand beside the very representative on earth...that bowl of longing prayer...Today he was bringing the Greatest answer to prayer EVER!
I can imagine Gabriel...bouncing with anticipation....cannot wait to tell...smiling and grinning...maybe a bit like how we feel when the gift we wrapped, that one gift we know is going to make our kid beam and bounce and burst with excitement. The anticiaption we feel knowing how much joy this one gift will bring...

"IT is STARTING...Zachariah...The MESSIAH IS COMING... Your son ,John, will be the VOICE....it starts TODAY...Yes, you will have a son in your old age...you and your wife Elizabeth...your miracle starts it all....YAHOO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Coming Soon.....

I will begin posting on Christmas as soon as I can catch my breath...I have many ideas of what I want to write, just need to find a few minutes....Thank you for waiting.

the Strength of Thanksgiving

The joy of the Lord is my strength...how does this really work itself out in reality? I have been needing strength lately, not so much for the physical kind but for the wisdom , perspective kind. This new job I have jumped into has so many layers of interaction that at the end of the day I go home wondering if I have done all that I could.
I do love Thanksgiving for its odd but meaningful celebration. A very neutral holiday that everyone understands...on all levels of income, faith and cultural experience we understand that being thankful is an essential aspect of being happy. Can't be happy without being grateful...it is really as easy as that. So in our pursuit of happiness in this amalgam of a country, thanksgiving is the most appropriate place to start. Maybe the strength of our country lies in this particular holiday more than any other.
Personally then it follows that if I need strength it comes from joy which comes from gratefulness it all begins with thankfulness. In the middle of it all...I begin with the simplest of prayers...
Thank you.
The simplicity of that prayer explodes out....and keeps going. Amazing that all the strength I need starts here...
Thank you...thank you...thank you...thank you for, in, because...

Broken ignoble vessels

This has been a week of broken hearts here in the hallways of LC. It is amazing to me how much pain is carried in our broken vessels and how in all of it we still...we still function on some level. Most of us are clay pots of ignoble purposes when we dream to be those of noble purposes. Maybe not so noble, we just want to be treated that way.

Ignoble : baseborn, common, humble, inferior, low, lowborn, lower-class, low-life, lowly, lumpen, mean, plebeian, prole, proletarian, unwashed, vulgar is Miriam defined.

In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. 1 Tim. 2:20
Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? Rom. 9:21

This goes against all that we aspire to in our western, we are the best, number 1, better than, society we swim in every day. We don't want to be normal, ordinary, second place, humble, common or inferior. We really believe when we read these verses that we are the gold and silver, never the wood and clay. We are the ones for noble purposes not ignoble...that would just be unfair. Our American culture oozes and perpetuates the idea that we are all above normal, amazingly unique and special. We deserve to have the best because we really are the best. Everyone else can have less...are less.
Something is wrong...because in reality aren't most of us common? We are not so good being ordinary, that one for the common use. It is also hard for us to admit that we may not be the one for noble purposes. As I write this is seems to be go against the grain of thinking how wonderful I am :), I deserve much more ...blah blah blah.
Coming into Christmas...it strikes me how in the story of Jesus ,the ignoble and noble dance so well together. The gold serving the clay, the silver hanging with the wood...always in the same story line. What we are and what we do is just clay and wood. When we are giving our clay and wood to His use...it becomes silver and gold. Ordinary and normal works perfectly in service to Glory.

Today

Andy is taking a test in my office because he could not finish during class.I have to translate idioms that are common to us but not to them. What is a fingerprint he asks...why is that important?
I just ran down Jack so he could go with Anne for doctors appointment, while I was doing that I needed to know if Adam was staying after school to take his test or if he was even ready.
Haley just came but somehow missed her 6th period class and went to her 7th period class but she has been moving around so much she forgot we had seven periods rather then six, which was her last school.
In class before that I was making sure that the 5th paper I was reading for English class had enough corrections to help but not to many to discourage.
At lunch, Akino said it was an emergency. Not so much, but she wanted to make sure she did not get someone in trouble.
Before that I needed to get a hold of Scott to see if he could do the color guard for tomorrows chapel.
During 5th I could not finish the planned lecture because we got caught up talking about the norms in our LC community.
During 4th I was reading the 3rd and 4rth paper on October Sky and wondering if we will ever get these International students to write.
I had just came back from taking a student to the Doctor. She had needed to go for awhile but today they had an opening when I called at 9: 20 for 9:40. We scrambled to get her there and back...
Haley came for the first time this morning...she needed her schedule and her books and an introduction to the school.
I needed to read my test essays and put them in the grade book first thing in the morning so I came early.
At 6:45 this morning I was cutting up onions, celery and potatoes to put a stew in my crock up.
5:30 is early to wake up but it seemed I was gearing up already for the day ahead.
I'm a bit tired...it's all good.