Eric and Lisa

I wasn't quite sure what to think yesterday as we drove to the title company to sign all of the paperwork to finish the sale of our house. I found myself spending most of the day in a reflective mood, because the sale of our house symbolized so many things. It would take me way, way too long to write here everything I observed or contemplated, but I thought that I would share a few "quick hitters" from the day.

Something that gets lost in our consumer culture is an understanding of the concepts of stewardship and ownership. In particular, the Christian concept of stewardship of God's resources is often twisted and perverted by capitalistic principles of ownership. This house was never mine; in actuality, it is a physical resource that I had the privilege of managing on God's behalf. In hindsight, I recognize that my responsibility with respect to this house was to maintain and improve it, so that it would be ready for the next person(s) that God wanted to occupy it. When viewed in that light, every time I mowed the lawn, updated the landscaping, or renovated/repaired something in the house, I was actually being a steward, and not an owner. I have a very clear picture of this now that we are renting the house from the buyers. None of my actions will really change over the next 3 months, but they will all be focused towards keeping the home in proper shape for the next occupants. To me, this is a picture of how we should think about our own lives. Our lives are not our own, even though it may look like it. We are stewards of our time, resources, money, and skills, not owners. When we don't use them, or when we misuse them, we do not just harm ourselves, but we defraud those that follow us.

I have to say that I sure felt good being on the "selling" side of the table as opposed to the "buying" side. I had forgotten the sheer weight of what it means to purchase a home. All of the financial responsibilities, coupled with the maintenance that is sure to come, is something we get too used to. From a Christian perspective, we need to be doubly or triply aware of what we are doing when it comes to such a large scale purchase; "ownership" is a two-way street, and a large-scale purchase like a home ends up owning the owner as much as the owner owns the purchase (if not more). This has real implications for our ability to be free to go where God calls us, or to have the energy and time to give to others.

Finally, it was interesting to sit in the same chairs (or at least, the same spot at the table), in the same room, at the same title company, where we signed for our home 5 years ago. A lot of memories came flooding back. This house has been the place where we have celebrated some of the happiest moments of my life: bringing Ian home from the hospital to a house full of grandparents and great grandparents, celebrating Ian's first birthday with a big party on a gorgeous early Spring day, and numerous other dinners and/or parties with family and friends. I also thought about how this house was the site of the most painful loss I've ever known, and how the few moments on Earth that I had with my second son were here.

I could write much more, but I won't...mainly because I need to work on my dissertation.

Cheers.

--Eric

So I was driving home from the grocery store yesterday with Ian in the back seat. It was a chilly, blustery morning, and I had finished my weekly shopping much earlier than I normally do. As I crossed the overpass above State Road 37, I saw a huddled figure walking over the bridge. Glancing at the person while driving by, I noticed that it was a middle-aged woman. Since there is nothing on that highway for a couple more miles, I decided to stop and see if she needed a ride. Chances were, if she was walking that direction, she was probably going to someplace in my neighborhood and would probably appreciate not having to walk the whole distance in that weather. After inviting her, she got in my car, out of the wind.

Her name was Eileen. She was going to the license branch near my house to take care of a title matter with her RV. Her car broke down a week ago, and she's relatively new to Bloomington and didn't know anyone, which is why she was forced to walk. After guessing that she was a student, I asked what she was studying. As it turns out, she's a Ph.D. student in Human and Family Resources, focusing on miscarriage intervention and therapy. Interesting! I informed her that I recently had a miscarriage, and she began to immediately open up to me and explain why she chose this particular career path. It seems that several different events in her life have served to prepare her to work in this field, not the least of which was her daughter's experiencing a rather horrid miscarriage with very little emotional or physical support. She's also written a short book designed to help women through the loss of a child, whether unborn or not.

Once we got to the license branch, I gave her my phone number so she could call me when she was finished and I could take her back into Bloomington. Because she seemed so independent, I was surprised when she actually did call me about 45 minutes after I got back to the house. So, Ian and I jumped back in the car and picked her up from the license branch. By this time, it was sleeting horribly. I was so glad she didn't have to walk 5-6 miles in that! However, she admitted that the only reason she allowed me to give her a ride again was so she could give me a copy of her book, which she did once we arrived at her house. We parted ways then, after she shared that she felt the universe brought us together so we could participate in "reciprocal assistance." I smiled to myself as I thought, "Yes, the 'Universe,' indeed."

I'm so thankful to God for giving me the opportunity to meet this highly interesting woman. I almost drove right by her, thinking that I had groceries in the car, or that I might be putting my son in "danger" by picking up a strange person on the side of the road, but God spoke as clearly to me as He ever has that I needed to stop. Maybe it was for my benefit. Maybe it was for her encouragement. Maybe it was both.

--Lisa

PS: If you're interested in a copy of her book, email me, and I'll put you in contact with Eileen.

I love Easter.

I love the whole week leading up to Easter, and the reflection and contemplation that takes place when I stop to think about what Christ went through on this earth. I love the significance of Passover and thinking about Jesus' last supper with his best friends and the sorrowful contemplation of Good Friday with the hope of Sunday morning. I love waking up on Sunday morning with rejoicing. I love the bright colors and flowers and happy music. I love singing "The Hallelujah Chorus" at my church on Sunday; it gives me chills every time. I love making or partaking of a celebration dinner made up of delicious food and time spent with people I love. But most of all, I love the fact that we have a God who not only understands our human experience intimately, but also is truly alive and living.

It's this fact that makes me want to jump for joy when reciting the ancient liturgy: "Christ the Lord is risen....He is risen indeed!!!!"

--Lisa

In an article in Relevant Magazine this month, Rob Bell, the pastor of Mars Hill church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was being interviewed on his thoughts on the church and its role in society. One thing that he said in there that really stuck with me was, "We have these giant services with thousands of people, and I think that public gatherings beyond 10 or 20 people should be questioned." He was talking about what church really is, and was saying that the best example of real church he ever experienced happened in his living room with a relatively small group of people who were gathering around someone who was in trouble. There's a lot of truth to that, and it's refreshing to hear someone who is the leader of a megachurch say it.

In the past month, with everything that Eric and I have been through, we have seen that idea firsthand. We have always loved going to our church here in Bloomington, and while we've always been involved there, we've never really had a chance to experience the true love that is available to the members of the congregation (and beyond)....until now. While we absolutely love our Sunday morning services and classes, real church has happened to us on the phone, in hugs, in messages sent to us, or in time spent with us, not necessarily on Sunday morning in the sanctuary. We've been overwhelmed by the loving response of people around us -- not only from those who attend our church, but also our other Christian friends and family who know us. We hope that someday we'll be able to pour out this kind of comfort and love on someone else who is going through a rough time.

It seems like that's what Paul was talking about in 2 Corinthians 1 when he said, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God" (verses 3-4). We've received such an amazing amount of comfort from God through other people, that maybe someday we can take this tragedy that we've walked through and use it to encourage someone else. Based on our recent experiences, it seems pretty clear that that's one important responsibility of the Church as a body and one major way to live out "real church."

--Lisa

"So whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (Colossians 3:17)

This verse stood out to me this morning in my brief quiet time before Ian woke up. It comes at the end of a chapter where Paul is lining out "rules" for holy living. He has some good suggestions, actually: Focus your thoughts on Christ and heavenly things. Get rid of sinful acts. Don't let your emotions control you. Stop always wanting more and more. Banish bitterness, hate, and lies from your life. "Clothe" yourself with mercy and compassion. Be patient. Forgive. Let peace infiltrate your heart. And finally, whatever you do, do it for God, with thankfulness.

It all sounds so simple, doesn't it? Do this, don't do that. But it's more difficult to flesh out in the day to day kind of stuff. What does it really look like? We were discussing in our small group this past weekend how to glorify God in the mundane, every day occurrences. How do I glorify God when I'm stressed out? When I'm sick? When I'm frustrated? When I've got so much on my plate that I can hardly think straight? I know I tend to think sometimes in those moments, "External forces are caving in upon me...it's just not possible to glorify God right now." But Paul says, "whatever you do." In everything. In every situation. In every word and every action.


--Lisa

Interesting. According to www.quizfarm.com (and fairly accurately at that), this is me:

You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan. You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavily by John Wesley and the Methodists.

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 82% Emergent/Postmodern 68% Reformed Evangelical 61% Classical Liberal 46% Neo orthodox 46% Charismatic/Pentecostal 39% Roman Catholic 39% Modern Liberal 36% Fundamentalist 32% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

--Lisa

UPDATE: Here are Eric's results:

You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan. You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists.

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 93% Emergent/Postmodern 71% Neo orthodox 68% Classical Liberal 50% Reformed Evangelical 46% Roman Catholic 46% Modern Liberal 39% Charismatic/Pentecostal 18% Fundamentalist 14%

A couple days ago, I was reading the most recent issue of Relevant Magazine, and came across a little interview page with Michael Spielman, the founder of Abort73.com, which was named after the 1973 Roe vs. Wade court decision. I had never heard of this organization before, and was immediately intrigued. Upon entering the website, I found a vast wealth of knowledge about abortion and arguments against it. They also have videos on the website for those who are more visually- and emotionally-oriented. You'll have to check it out for yourself, but let me just say that I was very impressed, especially with their "Case Against Abortion" lineup, as well as their treatment of birth control and stem cells (found in the "Facts About Abortion" tab). Reading through all that info reminded me of our senior year at Bethel, which was also our first year of marriage, when I ran across a little statement in a book I was reading for Senior Experience class regarding the question of birth control and whether it caused abortions. I remember being completely stunned...and I must admit, a little angry. No one had ever told me of that possibility before. How dare the author of that book disrupt my life in such a way! However, after much ensuing research, Eric and I decided to make a life-altering decision and go off hormonal birth control, trading it for the fertility awareness method, which we felt was a morally safer option for us, given our belief that life begins at conception. While it was ultimately a no-brainer for us, it was a tough decision to enforce. The convenience of birth control really created a very "cozy" feeling, and giving it up was not easy -- or popular, for that matter. But it was one of the better decisions we've ever made, I believe. Now, I'm so glad that my life was disrupted and my moral beliefs challenged. As I look over the five years since that event, I'm thankful for how God has stretched us in this issue. I know I have a lot of room to grow in other areas of social injustice, but I pray that He'll be speaking to me about those, too, and that my heart will be open to listen.

--Lisa

PS: For an overview of fertility awareness, go to this wikipedia site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertility_awareness

Here is a prayer that I discovered this week, and which has touched my heart:

Dear Lord, as I approach your cross, I am like the disciples who ran.

I love you and I want to be a good servant, but getting close to your cross is difficult.

I'm not sure why. I want to say that it is just a struggle to let you die for me. I resist responding gratefully. I resist seeing in your death the mystery of my life.

When I behold you there on the cross I see the meaning of life. You are completely who you are there. Giving your life away you receive it. The grain of wheat falling to the ground and dying.

I see the meaning of my life. To love as I have been loved by you. To be your disciple is to take up my meaning and to follow you. To receive my life only by giving it away is to bear fruit that will last.

As I embrace your cross please give me the grace to place my life in your hands and become day by day a servant of your own mission.

(http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/prep-goodfriday.html)


May God bless you all as you contemplate His death and resurrection this coming weekend.


--Lisa Joy

On this Thanksgiving weekend, I would like to post the lyrics to a song that has recently touched me. I don't think it needs any further commentary. --Lisa

Gratitude, by Nichole Nordeman, 2002

Send some rain, would You send some rain?
'Cause the earth is dry and needs to drink again
And the sun is high and we are sinking in the shade
Would You send a cloud, thunder long and loud?
Let the sky grow black and send some mercy down
Surely You can see that we are thirsty and afraid

But maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case...

We'll give thanks to You with gratitude
For lessons learned in how to thirst for You
How to bless the very sun that warms our face
If You never send us rain

Daily bread, give us daily bread
Bless our bodies, keep our children fed
Fill our cups, then fill them up again tonight
Wrap us up and warm us through
Tucked away beneath our sturdy roofs
Let us slumber safe from danger's view this time

Or maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case...

We'll give thanks to You with gratitude
A lesson learned to hunger after You
That a starry sky offers a better view if no roof is overhead
And if we never taste that bread

Oh the differences that often are between
Everything we want and what we need

So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace
Move our hearts to hear a single beat
Between alibis and enemies tonight
Or maybe not, not today
Peace may be another world away
And if that's the case...

We'll give thanks to You with gratitude
For lessons learned in how to trust in You
That we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream
In abundance or in need
And if You never grant us peace

But Jesus, would You please...

Here are some highlights from our pastor's sermon from yesterday:
God said to Abram, "Abandon it all so that I can bless you."

1. Trust Me with your unknown future (Genesis 12:1-9). God asked him to leave his home and go to unfamiliar territory.
2. Trust Me when you're most vulnerable (Genesis 12:10-20). Famine came upon the very land that God told Abram to go to, so Abram had to move again, this time to Egypt. However, while he was there, he tried to take matters into his own hands to make himself less vulnerable.
3. Trust Me when the promise seems outrageous or impossible (Genesis 15:1-6; 17:1-8 & 15-19). Abram couldn't believe that God was really serious, but he chose to act out his faith anyway because he trusted God.

Things to notice from these passages:

* There were large spaces of time between these conversations, perhaps because Abram had to have faith that God was going to do what He said. God probably didn't speak to him in this way on a regular basis.
* God is more often in the silence than in the speaking -- that's how faith grows.
* Don't go overboard with attributing your decisions to God "telling" you to -- God doesn't speak that way most of the time. Instead, He usually speaks to us in other ways: when we follow His will; when we live in the Spirit, make a decision, and trust that He is sovereign; and when we are in a community of faith.

An example from the New Testament: Acts 15, the Council at Jerusalem. The council said, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us..." They could have had Peter address the Church and say, "God told us to do such and such...", but they instead acknowledged that a lot of decisions are based on faith rather than an audible "word from God."

Faith and trust are inextricably linked. You cannot have faith in God if you don't trust Him.

It's kind of like a little girl who throws caution to the wind and jumps because she is fully confident that her father will catch her -- because He's done it in the past.

Our faith in God is based on our past relationship with Him. Think about the many times that He's come through for us in the past and guided us in the right direction! We can certainly trust Him.