Month: July 2019

It was obvious very early on, my oldest child loved dirt and her grandparent’s farm. She testified to her delight in soil’s smell and texture and spent many happy hours in the garden with her grandmother planting and coaxing things to grow. Today she still plays in the dirt working for the University of Arkansas Extension Service in crop research. However, there was one big issue in her dawning dirt days.  Her favorite place to play was around her grandparent’s mailbox, close to the road.  The texture of pulverized rock, dried leaves and other earthy stuff was the consistency of talcum powder and at every opportunity, Leah packed her toys and headed for the corner of the driveway.  The problem with this playground was the traffic flying down the straight, one mile stretch of country road. We warned her of the danger and punished her each time she was found in her favorite pile, but nothing deterred. So, it was day after day of yard guard to keep her safe.

One afternoon, grandfather came in from the hayfield looking for a shovel. He had hit one of the laying hens with the tractor tire and needed to dispose of the crushed carcass.  I asked if I could have a moment and took Leah to the scene of the crime.  While showing her the dead chicken I explained all death encompassed. The clucking was forever silenced, no worms would be eaten ever again and the baby chicks had no mother. Upon burial, everything from feathers to beak would decay back into dirt. I wanted desperately for her to understand the finality of death and the consequences of an encounter with a motor vehicle. Success was had. Leah never again went to play in the road.

It was said I taught a gruesome lesson on death that day.  Rather, it was life I was teaching and fighting for. I did not want my child to suffer the same fate as that barnyard fowl and so I introduced a harsh reality for her to understand and consider.  She did and changed her behavior. 

There is only one thing I ever hope to achieve; life eternal, for myself and everyone else I can encourage to believe. And! I’m willing to discuss ugly realities and wages of sin. There is a Heaven and there is a hell. One or the other will be your destination, there is no other option.

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.                                                                            Revelation 21:8

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whosever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

I John 5:11-12

It is instinctive kindness that desires to say, “Everything will be okay.” It might not be so. When someone dear is in spiritual danger, fight for their life! For this is true love.

Blessings,

Gretchen

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Acts 20:35 (Acts 20-21:14)

Paul knows the anger and antagonism against him is growing. He is leaving Greece, headed to Jerusalem to take the benevolence offering he has gathered. It is important that he go because the Jewish Christians believe he favors the Gentiles, but by this act he wishes to unite them in love.  His good byes are emotional as he does not expect to see these friends again. Twelve years of missionary work are ending.

This message to the Ephesian elders is the only address Luke, the author, heard Paul give first hand. Paul clearly sees the troubles the Church will have and gives appropriate warnings. Revelations 2:2 shows these leaders heeded Paul’s words.

Determined to complete his mission, Paul finally turns toward Jerusalem. His physical future is uncertain, but his spirit is secure in the work of the Lord’s Gospel.

Never grow weary of doing good and giving. It’s what Jesus did, and would still do today.

Love,

Gretchen

I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.  Romans 16:17-18 (Romans 13-16)

Having given direct instructions on Christian conduct, Paul now turns to living peacefully in community with believers and nonbelievers. Not an easy task for a people set apart from the standards and motivations of this world. He instructs Christians to submit themselves to civil government because all earthly dominions are allowed by God.  This does not condone possible evil conduct, but places them in the cosmos of God’s created order. The Church is not tasked with building roads, amassing armies and erecting prisons, so we must gladly pay taxes so these benefits and more can be sustained. There will be times when Christian integrity will conflict with government. Many believers around the world worship and protect the marginalized in secret, knowing they could suffer severe consequences if found out, but they are willing and we must all consider there may come a time for a similar choice (Acts 5:29). God promises that Satan and all wickedness will one day be crushed. Be careful who you hitch your wagon to.

The diverse Roman congregation was faced with issues that offended the Jews but not the Gentiles and it was serious to communal peace.  Meat sold in the markets was most likely sacrificed to pagan gods. This was a huge offense of the Jews, but the Gentiles ate without a thought.  Paul directs them to be considerate of each other, absenting judgement toward one another in anything.  This carried into all aspects of life. We are given great freedom as Christians, but it is a BIG responsibility. Our privileges must never oppress or antagonize anyone. Paul iterates that one’s personal rights should never compromise healthy, functional relationships with our neighbors.

Paul closes his letter with greetings and commendations to friends and shares his plan to visit after he delivers the offering from Macedonia to those hurting in Jerusalem. In teaching the nature of Christ, he taught the value of Christian love and friendship. It is not our place to create distress and disfunction.  All sins committed are against God and He’s got everything under control and in His time, so we are fully free to love.

Have a Great Weekend Eve,

Gretchen

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Romans 10:10 (Romans 9-12)

The Jews were zealous for The Law, but not the Messiah that actually came to fulfill it.  They rejected Jesus at every point and were bitterly antagonistic toward all who delivered the Good News. This broke Paul’s heart to the point he would have given his own soul to change his nation’s behavior. As he writes to the Messianic Jews and Gentile converts in Rome, he addresses, works verses faith and God’s sovereign authority contrasted with man’s free will and righteousness of the heart.

In Chapters 9-11 two theologies collide. God is absolute and has complete control over His creation. It is His right to allow and disallow at His pleasure. However, man was created with free will and God does not restrict or interfere with this gift. Both doctrines are plainly taught and so, we must except we will not clearly understand until there comes a time of complete clarity we do not have today. Paul speaks of seeing in a glass darkly. In other words, as we look through a window into darkness, we see a back lit past of a world going on around us, and a mirror reflects an exact moment, but neither gives answer to the future. Forward we step in faith, knowing God is already there, for He is not bound by our limitations of time.

And just when it seems we will never understand…… BAM! Paul hits us with chapter 12! His words echo Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and ends the theological discussion by setting forth the manner of Christian Life. All we can and will do, depends on the Mercy of Christ and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

It comes down to humility of heart. We must become less so others can be more, as we are nothing but what God designed us to be, A Reflection of Himself to a dark and lost world.

Love,

Gretchen

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (Romans 5-8)

God has done what The Law could not. He set us free from the control of man’s sinful nature.

Paul uses the language of the Jewish judicial system to illustrate the work of Grace that is God’s alone. In the Jewish court system there are only the accused, the accuser and a judge, no litigators. When the judge hears all evidence he finds the party guilty or he acquits. The person acquitted is described as ‘justified’ or ‘righteous,’ not as a moral statement, but as their status before the judge.

Adam, one man, brought sin into the world by a single act of disobedience, and doomed us all to death. Jesus’ one act of righteousness has made our acquittal available and life eternal is ours, free for the asking. Through faith, we are justified by God, our Judge.

We are not only the recipients of life ever lasting, but we can exist today, in peace, with hope, through the presence of the Holy Spirit. He is active and alive in everyone who choses to believe. Through this we can be like Christ in character and restored to our original, created likeness to our Father. Do not be defeated by your instincts and past sins. You are so much more than that; a new creation with infinite hope.

Love,

Gretchen

What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  Romans 4:3 (Romans 1-4)

The Roman Empire of Paul’s day stretched from Britain to Arabia. It was wealthy and  cosmopolitan. Their engineering feats made travel safer and swifter than ever before and all those new roads lead to Rome.  On the Day of Pentecost many of Rome’s citizens were in Jerusalem, heard the message of salvation and believed. They returned home and continued meeting together and growing in faith despite horrid persecution. Paul was passionate to go see and minister to these people who lived in the cesspool man’s sin and depravity, but first he had to deliver the benevolence offering to those suffering in Jerusalem and he wasn’t sure he would escape alive. A woman named Phoebe was traveling to Rome and could deliver correspondence, so before he left Corinth he penned this letter, a complete explanation of the nature of Christ, so the churches in Rome would not be led astray or waver and could continue to grow in grace.

All men are sinners.  We know this through the Law of Moses, but it is not this Law that makes us righteous. The Law is for knowing the will of God and recognizing we fall far short in our endeavors of self authority and power.  Through God’s Son we are given Grace that justifies us in the perfect judgement of God. Instead of a death sentence for our transgressions, we are given Mercy and on the day when our heart and life’s practices are laid bare for all to see, God will find us righteous if we have believed and lived accordingly.

Paul reminds those who cannot reconcile the Law with Mercy and Grace and instead, look to works for their security, that Abraham was first found righteous and then chosen by God, and finally, circumcised as a means of setting apart. We are not called to change our bodies, but to live differently than the pagan world around us. There is only one way to the Kingdom of God and it is through a faith that changes us for Heaven’s glory.

Zigging When the World’s Zagging,

Gretchen

Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. II  Corinthians 8:2 (II Corinthians 8-13)

The Church in Jerusalem, the place where it all started and so many came to believe, was struggling financially. In the years that followed Pentecost, many Jewish converts were cut from their families and often lost their jobs. These believers were suffering in poverty for their faith. Paul encouraged the Gentile churches in Galatia, Macedonia and Corinth to send assistance. They did! And they left us a very detailed instruction on how we should respond to the needs of the church and those around us.

These self supporting churches soon took on benevolent causes, and sponsored missionaries. The offerings were voluntary, proportionate, systematic and above reproach in their administration. Paul commends them for their kindness and sacrificial offerings, even among the very poorest of people.

In giving, the early Christians learned the blessing of honoring the parent church in Jerusalem. Christian giving is a loving response to the example given to us in the total sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  Jesus left all the riches of Heaven to become poor and make a way for us to walk the streets of gold without ever counting the cost.

Happy Monday,

Gretchen

Recently, Keith dropped me off in front of a department store while he went to put fuel in our ‘draggin’ wagon,’ the car we tow behind his bus so we will have a way home. I was tasked with purchasing DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fuel) an additive that makes fossil fuels more environmentally friendly.  Out of my element in the automotive section, I was wandering from isle to isle. A man and a woman walked slowly by, seemingly searching for a hidden item too. They reached the end of the shelving where a bin was full of various things at bargain prices. Both stopped. The man looked around for a second and proceeded to another isle, but the woman began piddling with the items and stepped in the opposite direction. Abruptly he hollered, “Why do you always do that to me? No matter where we are, you walk away!” Welllllllllllll……… I saved his life this particular afternoon…….because, I chose not to jump on his back and shake him till his head fell off. The woman meekly, with blushed face and dropped shoulders, apologized, and rejoined him. She did a magnificent job impersonating a scared turtle and I feel as though I should get some sort of extravagant commendation for my restraint!

“Sick at heart,” is all I can say to describe my feelings. I wanted to invite her to my side, rescue her and set her free from the oppression and abuse she experienced in my presence. Knowing my intervention might possibly lead to greater harm later, I didn’t, but I prayed. The incident won’t leave my heart and mind because man’s interpersonal relationships are where life goes to horribly wrong. Look no further than Adam and Eve to see this.

The world gives many mixed messages on the relationships between man and woman, even within Christianity. In all its complexities it is still quite simple. God does not favor one gender above another. (Genesis 1:27) We are made in His image and for His glory.  Physical sex is for exclusive intimacy between husband and wife, and held in the highest esteem for God’s glory. Outside the marriage relationship, believers are called to see each other equally, in a nonsexual manner. (Galatians 3:26-29) Other than marriage, man has no special authority or entitlements over woman except his righteous behavior. The reverse is also true. 

Marriage is a covenant between two people who are irreversibly changed when they agree and enter into its boundaries and benefits. God ordained this relationship and set a model for its application and perfection. Wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for Her to make Her Holy. Ephesians 5:22, 25-26b.

Please notice the scripture says, “As to the Lord.” Not “He has now become your lord.” Husbands do not become gods, they are given the authority of love at its purest and most refined. They are to love as Christ loved the church, His body, and gave His life as Savior and source of all that is good and hopeful. Wives, in submitting to the cross with unquestioning reliance on the greater good, and compelled by love, Jesus laid the foundation for Holiness and exemplified perfect love through submission. We are to live this hope and trust in our relationship to our husband.

As God gave His only beloved Son and The Son submitted to The Father’s plan, husbands and wives must be willing to give, without resentment or hesitation. It isn’t about authority, it’s about covenant, being changed and being LOVE.This is the most exclusive relationship on earth, designed to make the world a better place.

There is a saying, “If it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, flies like a duck, then it is surely a duck.” The same is true of humans. Our actions and appearances go together to define us, so be careful what you’re telling the world. BE NICE!!!!!!……Or you might find me on your back in Wal Mart!

Love,

Mrs, Michael K. Rooney

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. II Corinthians 4:16 (II Corinthians 1-7)

The Corinthian churches have been very critical of Paul. The message he delivered was boldly straight to the point, taking names and pointing fingers. It was met with resistance and often all out rebellion, even among those who first believed.  Some teachers from Jerusalem followed Paul, bringing into doubt his authenticity as an apostle because he wasn’t one of the original twelve disciples, reminding Christians of his previous persecutions and generally stirring dissension. In addition, these aggravators wished to force the gentiles to live according to orthodox Jewish tradition. Following news that things have gone badly with these congregations, it is believed that Paul wrote a very harsh letter that is now lost.  He agonized over their reaction and began writing the letter we know of as II Corinthians as he awaited word from Timothy and Titus.  Good news finally arrived. His is message had the hoped for result and the Corinthians were making straight their way of righteousness.

After leaving Ephesus, Paul went on to Macedonia with the intention of going to Corinth. While in route he penned this very personal correspondence we call Second Corinthians. The objective is staying connected, focused, and encouraged while adding clarity to previous teachings. Understand, this was written over several months as Paul traveled and reflected on the trials and tribulations he knew the church was experiencing. Paul talks much about his sufferings. There were numerous plots to kill him, he was often stoned and beaten, once being left for dead. Putting him in stocks for public humiliation could not silence his praise. His endurance was amazing for he sang as he suffered. He was given a vision of glory there are no words to describe, for how do you explain color to a blind man. Paul saw something of life beyond death that gave him the strength to see far beyond his mortality. 

Paul was bold, but there was too much as stake not to be.  He saw man in his sinful state, but he had seen the hope and wonder of our eternal home. His passion was for all who would to be with him and His Savior when time ceased to matter any more. As his body grew weaker his spirit soared stronger and his message reached further and further and is still reaching today. Paul would tell you in your struggle and weakness, don’t lose heart, more than you can ever imagine already has your name on it!

Love,

Gretchen

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” I Corinthians 15:54 (I Corinthians 15-16, Acts 19:23-20:2)

Life is found only in the resurrection of Jesus The Christ. It is the singular event separating Christianity from all other religious thought and has been affirmed, validated and established by first hand witnesses. Because some early church leaders attempted to discredit this reality Paul gives the Bible’s most detailed teaching of resurrection theology. Don’t argue, debate or doubt this. Through faith you are saved and enter into the life eternal.

These thoughts are Paul’s closing comments in his first letter to the Corinthian believers. He is in Ephesus with other disciples awaiting news and declaring the promise of a living, breathing Savior, when the local silversmith guild becomes alarmed at the power of this new religious thought. It is being said that gods made by man’s hand have no power. The Ephesian economy was strongly bolstered by the presence of Diana’s temple. Taking over 200 years to build, it was a magnificent structure and is listed as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Worship of this goddess was a perpetual festival of vise, securing these craftsmen a hefty annual income. They became enraged and their ire caught on in the crowded streets creating a lengthy riot where some of Paul’s fellow laborers were beaten. A local official calmed things down, but for the good of public safety, Paul made his way to Macedonia.

Man has an instinctive need for tangible/touchable proof.  We need the unexplained defined and broken into elemental increments we can comprehend and process. It is this urge that drove the early philosophers to discredit Christ’s living, breathing resurrection, but it is our only Hope and it is fact. Death has been swallowed and life, so live!

Love,

Gretchen