Peculiar

Today I’m going to take a poll. How many of you have felt you were different than other people? Has anybody ever been told that you were weird?

Yeah, me too! I’m right there with you. Just look at me. I may live in Colorado, but I wear Hawaiian shirts and flip flops as often as I can. I constantly challenge nature by growing tropical plants. And, in case anyone still doubts my “weirdness”, I am a goat farmer! A little strange? Yep! Weird? Definitely!

Have you ever wondered what God thinks of you? I have. What does he think of all of us?

I found my answer in many verses in the Bible, but many had a common word – “Peculiar”. Yeah, really! In books such as Exodus, Deuteronomy, Titus, 1 Peter, God’s word says we are PECULIAR!

And, no, He’s not just talking about me, He’s talking about all of us!

Let me share 1 Peter 2:9 with you:

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (KJV)

In the NIV, the wording has been updated to read: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light”.

In this verse God is telling us that we are a people set apart, belonging to God, a chosen people. Why? Well, it says that we are to declare the praises of Him! Our praise time to the Lord is not meant to be a drudgery, just a duty or obligation, something we have to do. It’s a privilege to praise the Lord. As Nike says …. Just Do It!

In the Palm of His Hand

Awhile ago I had oral surgery. Never a pleasant proposition. When the day came to go to the surgeon’s office, I was really nervous.

I visited their restroom, and noticed their wallpaper was a palm tree print. I smiled and told God “Very funny. What a sense of humor You have.” In the waiting area, I couldn’t concentrate on the magazine I’d picked up so I looked around. The office décor was an upscale tropical theme. I saw a palm tree shaped pillow on a palm tree printed sofa. “Ha ha God, very funny again!” When I met the oral surgeon before the procedure, I couldn’t believe it … his scrubs had palm trees all over the shirt!

If you don’t know me, this doesn’t seem profound. Just coincidence, you might say. But for me, palm trees represent life - everything warm, wonderful and tropical. I have them all around my house. Large silk ones, palm tree artwork, a real cabbage palm in my kitchen, refrigerator magnets, even a palm tree clock! Ditto for my online computer persona … my web pages always have palm trees somewhere. Even my cell phone cover photo features a palm tree.

I was overwhelmed that God would reassure me through some guy’s choice of office décor. I chose this surgeon through his good reputation, not for his decorating expertise. But my loving Heavenly Father knows me so well … He cared enough to send me the very best, just like a Hallmark greeting card.

Was I still scared? Yes. But I endured it, knowing that my God loved me enough to guide me to an office with palm trees, and that He would care enough about me to get me through the surgery and recuperation.

I’m in the PALM of His hand! Hallelujah!

Green Thumb

I am blessed with a green thumb when it comes to plants. I guess it’s in the genes. After all, I am from the Garden State. My Poppop was an avid gardener, and I remember plants on their windowsills. My Mom had one of the largest gardens around while I was growing up. Despite the trials of a short Colorado growing season, she continues to raise all sorts of yummy vegetables, but she claims that houseplants don’t like her.

Ever since I married and started my own home, I have grown lots of houseplants. I delight in God’s creativity with leaf sizes, shapes, and colors. Every type of plant has its own “personality”; some like lots of light, others not-so-much. Some prefer to be kept high and dry, others desire to have their “feet wet”.

I even remember where most of them came from. Some were gifts. A few were bought to add to my collection. Most were obtained as “babies”; snippets of plant parts that were carefully cultivated to grow. And now, some are “children” or “grandchildren” of plants I’ve had in the past.

I have a special fixation with palm trees and tropical plants, keeping Hibiscus, Bougainvillea, Croton, Mandevilla, and Brugmansia (Angel’s Trumpet). My thumb is more brown when it comes to actual palms, so I compensate by owning several silk palm trees. I DO, however, have one real live Fan Palm in my kitchen. This one seems to like me, and is quickly outgrowing my home.

But I love it. I love ‘em all. Luckily, my husband has grown to love them too. I am blessed.

Turn From Your Sleeping

A while ago I listened to an audiobook I borrowed from our library. It is called "Turn" by Max Lucado. It's only an hour long, but it is very powerful and thought provoking. It conveys how we, as a nation, need to turn from our wicked ways and get back in touch with God. The following Bible verse really sums it up:

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

2 Chronicles 7:14

Right after I'd finished listening to the audiobook, the Lord laid upon my heart the song "While You Were Sleeping" by the group Casting Crowns. I'll post the lyrics below. I can't really describe what came over me while I listened to that song, but it was very powerful. I had such a burden for our country, coupled with the sadness at what I see we have become.

In the song, I find it interesting how the songwriter has compared Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and the United States. In each "milestone" of Jesus' life that is mentioned, the majority of the inhabitants are oblivious to Him.

The lines "As we're sung to sleep by philosophies That save the trees and kill the children" just broke my heart. It's way too true. The priorities and convictions of many of our countrymen have gotten so mixed up.

How deeply are we sleeping? Can we wake up in time? The good news is that God has promised that if Christians humble themselves, pray, seek Him, and turn from their wicked ways, then God states that He will hear us, forgive us, and heal our land.

He's given us a chance. Now, what will we do with it? What will YOU do?

"While You Were Sleeping" by Casting Crowns

Oh little town of Bethlehem,

Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep,

A giant star lights up the sky
And while you're lying in the dark,

There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne,

And is sleeping in a manger tonight

Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
For God became a man, And stepped into your world today
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history,

As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping,

While you were sleeping

Oh little town of Jerusalem,

Looks like another silent night
The Father gave His only Son,

The Way, the Truth, the Life had come
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save

Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today
Jerusalem, you will go down in history,

As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping,

While you were sleeping

United States of America,

Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies,

That save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark,

There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned,

And has carried His bride away in the night

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again,

And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history,

As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping,

Will we be sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night

If you haven't had the chance to hear this song … try to find it. You will be blessed. It is on the "Lifesong" album, and the artist is the awesome group "Casting Crowns". (The song "Set Me Free" that inspired another of my blogs is on that album as well.) You can also sample songs at www.imeem.com ; type in the song title and group in the search window.

Look for the book "Turn" by Max Lucado in your local library. If they don't have it, perhaps they can obtain if for you through the Inter-Library Loan service. It can also be found through various sources online. Audible.com offers it in the audiobook format at:

"Turn" Audiobook at Audible.com

Set Me Free

As I'm learning how the blogging format works on here, I thought I would share one of my earlier blogs with you. This is one that still touches me deeply. Come ... let's get 'set free' together!

"SET ME FREE" lyrics

by:CASTING CROWNS

It hasn't always been this way
I remember brighter days
Before the dark ones came
Stole my mind
Wrapped my soul in chains

Now I live among the dead
Fighting voices in my head
Hoping someone hears me crying in the night
And carries me away

CHORUS
Set me free of the chains holding me
Is anybody out there hearing me?
Set me free

Morning breaks another day
Finds me crying in the rain
All alone with my demons I am
Who is this man that comes my way?
The dark ones shriek
They scream His name
Is this the One they say will set the captive free?
Jesus, rescue me

CHORUS

As the God man passes by
He looks straight through my eyes
And darkness cannot hide

Do you want to be free?
Lift your chains
I hold the key
All power on Heav'n and Earth belong to Me
(repeat)

You are free
You are free
You are free

I was listening to the song "Set Me Free" by Casting Crowns this week on my iPod; really listening to the words. I was intriqued, and wondered if the lyrics might be inspired by the story in the Bible about Jesus casting demons out of a man that lived in a cemetery or something.

Today I looked up the Bible story, and I found it in three gospels. If indeed this is what inspired the lyrics, the accounts are written in the following Biblical places: Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20; and Luke 8:26-39. I did not see it in my quick glance through the book of John.

An interesting thing I DID note that was in Matthew's account he talked about two possessed men whom lived amongst the tombs. In the accounts of both Mark and Luke, they mentioned only the one man. Just an observation, and I won't get distracted too much by that. Ty and I had talked before and again today of how different eyewitness accounts can and do vary, maybe that little detail can be the topic of a different blog in the future.

My own synopsis of the story will go something like this:

Jesus and his disciples have just sailed across a lake, and that was the story about how Jesus calmed the waves in the storm (another lyric-line in another Casting Crowns song incidentally).

When they reached the other side, a demon-possessed man met Jesus. He had been "ill", and had not worn clothes or lived in a house for a long time. He had been kept chained and under guard for a time, but he had broken his chains, and the demon drove him out into a solitary place. Apparently that is how he came to live among the tombs. Mark says that night and day he would cry out and cut himself with stones while wandering among the hills and the tombs.

When the man saw Jesus, he fell at his feet and shouted "What do you want with me Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torture me!" Then it says "for Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man".

Jesus asked him his name, and the demon in him replied "Legion", because there were many of them in the man. They then begged Jesus not to throw them into the Abyss, and for Jesus to instead send them into a nearby herd of pigs. Jesus gave them permission, they entered the pigs, and the pigs stampeded down the steep hill into the lake.

The pig-herders watched this, and ran to report it in the town and countryside, and people came out to see what had happened. They arrived to see the man sitting at Jesus' feet, dressed and in his right mind. Then the Bible says they were afraid.

Those people who had gone to see this now spread the news of how the demon-possessed man had been cured; and all the people in the region asked Jesus to leave them because they were overcome with fear. So He got into the boat and left. The man who had been delivered asked to go with Jesus, but Jesus responded to him that he needed to return home and tell how much God had done for him.

Now to share some of the thoughts rolling around in my head after contemplating this story!

I cannot imagine how horrible life must have been for the afflicted man and his family. But God had allowed it to happen; if not, there wouldn't have been the story and testimony. And another thought: could there be any correlation to the modern day persons who have some kind of mental illness and cut themselves?

I thought it interesting that Jesus had already commanded the demons to leave the man when the man was crying out "What do you want with me?". So He must have discerned them immediately and took action, and the demons had immediately known who Jesus was.

The demons must know how terrible the Abyss is since they begged Jesus not to send them there, but into the pigs instead. What did they know about possessing animals? It becomes obvious through this example that evil spirits can indeed possess animals; but can they do it by their will, or just in an instance where God allows or commands it. What happened to them after the pigs drowned? And why did Jesus have mercy (or whatever it was) and allow them into the pigs? Perhaps if he had commanded them to go into the Abyss there wouldn't have been such a dramatic testimony.

On a side note, I would like to know what a herd of pigs looks like, and how do persons actually herd them?! Mark says there were about two-thousand pigs. Can you imagine the mess left behind by 2000 pigs?! Both from rooting and the, er, other left-0vers! I remember having pigs growing up, and boy can they stink. There is no record of how many pig-tenders there were. I think of our County Fair, watching the swine judging classes ... it's hard to herd even one pig. And the fights! The kids' dads and other men stand near with quarter-sheets of plywood to shove between fussing piggies, or to try and persuade the pigs to go a certain direction.

I can understand the herders running to the town and countryside to tell what happened. I can even imagine the media frenzy that would happen if this story were to occur in this day and age. Hmm, wouldn't that make a funny play?! Maybe I'll work on that another day!

In talking about this story with my a pastor friend, he put forth the idea of the law suits that would fly if this took place in today's time. The pigs' owners suing for the loss of the animals; the herders suing for the loss of their jobs; probably the people for pain & suffering! Sheesh. What a mess.

I can even understand the fear of the people of the region who had come out to see for themselves. I'm sure the demon-possessed man had been quite infamous, and it must have been kind of unsettling to see him dressed, calm and rational. (Again my Pastor friend made me laugh as he mused about the youth of the day, sneaking up to spy on the deranged man, daring each other to check him out, etc!).

But I don't understand the depth of their fear. Why were they SO afraid that they begged Jesus to leave? And then He just got into the boat and left! Those people really "MISSED THE BOAT". Didn't anyone among them think that maybe since Jesus had healed the man they thought hopeless, that He could heal something in their own life?

Now, what do I think might be relevant for us today in all of this? I wonder if this is similar to what people do if they see a manifestation of Jesus' power that they don't understand. For example, what if a person sees God move in a way that they haven't seen before, or didn't expect ... what if the manifestation is loud, like maybe a person crying, or shouting; or a person falls to the floor ... are they afraid on some level, and reject Jesus outright?

And what became of the man who had been healed? Mark says Jesus told him to go home to his family, so he obviously had loved ones. I'll bet they were shocked ... but I'll bet they became believers. Does being close to the person receiving the manifestation of God make it easier to accept?

Interesting food for thought, indeed. Lord, Set Me Free!