Consuming or Creating?

For months I’ve been dreaming of a pearl necklace.  It appeared at my sons’ school auction, and I was completely smitten by its beauty.  Since the necklace was beyond my means, I gave up hope.  Then I had an idea.  Our insurance company gives cash awards for preventative health measures like regular exercise and recommended checkups.  If I fulfilled enough requirements, I could earn the money.  And since I wasn’t taking money out of our paycheck, I could feel good about earning my own jewelry.  But God’s been whispering to me lately, “don’t use this money to consume.  Use it to create.” 

I know what you are thinking.  This isn’t another post ranting about the evils of consumerism and materialism.  Instead, I’m talking about another way to grow closer to God that I often overlook.  God's very nature is as Creator.  The first three chapters of the Bible are all about God’s intensely creative nature.  You and I exist because of this nature.  We're talking about the same God who created the tiny bumblebee and the majestic whale, the endless sands of desert and the vast Amazon Rainforest.  And the best part is that He gave this creative nature to humanity. 

Think about it.  When’s the last time you’ve seen an animal sketch a painting just because the mood struck?  Or write a bedtime story for its young?  Only humans create anything for reasons beyond a physical need.  When we create, we are using a special gift God gives to us and us alone. 

When we create anything, whether it’s a photograph or a purse or gourmet dinner, we are creating an original, something the universe has never seen before.  Consuming is so boring by comparison.  When I go down to Target and buy a new bedspread, you can be sure hundreds, if not thousands of women have the same one I want sitting on their beds.  But when we create, we bring something into the world that it has never seen before. 

Of course, bringing to life a creation has its dangers.  Our creation can be mocked, ignored or destroyed.  In the blink of an eye, a box cutter can destroy a priceless Picasso.  Our most heartfelt creation can be misunderstood or dismissed by those whose opinions matter the most to us. But God took this risk to create us.  God has seen each of us mock, ignore and hurt one another, His masterpiece.  Still, when we conquer our fears and choose to use the creativity God gave us, we honor our Creator.  Even in this disappointment, we can turn to God knowing He's felt that sting before.

In today’s world, consuming and creating is not an either/or choice.  Some of my favorite things are reading a good book, taking a hot bath and eating fine chocolates.  But if that’s the only thing people remember about me at my funeral, I have failed my calling in life.  I was made to create something that reflects the awe and beauty of God.  For me, it’s a strong family, tasty, healthy meals and inspiring words.  For you it may be a lush garden, colorful needlework, new songs, or a lifelong love of reading through a book club.  

Whatever God has put on your heart to create, I can promise you that when you do, you will feel closer to God than you ever thought possible.  

~Denyse

NOTE:  I have felt God's calling to write more blogs that explore modern day faith in Jesus.  I have set a goal to attend a Christian writer's conference in 2014 with 50 devotions in hand.  Please pray for me.  I would also be blessed if you shared your honest feedback.  Thanks. 

Martha Got It Right

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”   ~ Luke 10:40 NIV


Maybe it’s because apparently we both like to cook, but secretly whenever I hear this passage I want to stick up for Martha.  I mean, that was a lot of people in their house.  They were bound to get hungry some time.  And buffets for fifty don’t set themselves, even when Jesus is around. 

But lately I’ve realized why I really admire Martha.  Even in her frustration, she got it right.  Did you notice what she did not do when she became disappointed with her sister?  She didn’t spend the rest of the day in a snit, forcing everyone around her to guess why she’s in such a bad mood.  She didn’t suffer through the day and then call and complain to another friend about how no one ever appreciates her.  She didn’t pull Mary aside and throw a temper tantrum.  Sad to say, I’ve done all of the above.

Instead, she does what every mature Christian woman should do.  She takes her frustration to Jesus.  Remember, she could have stifled her feelings with that old Jesus-must-have-better-things-to-do-than-listen-to-me-whine excuse.  How many times have I said to myself, “Look, believers all over the world are dying for the faith.  How can I really expect Jesus to care that I feel slighted because my family didn’t faun all over my dessert?”  Instead, Martha has enough confidence and faith in her Lord to interrupt the Bible study.  She trusts Jesus won’t dismiss or embarrass her.  Whatever insult she feels at the time, her faith is strong enough to humble herself to bring the hurt to Jesus.

And as always, Jesus does not disappoint.  He stops the entire meeting to say the very words that Martha needs to heal her heart.  He doesn’t shame her for interrupting or make her feel small because her problem isn’t as big as a dying child or a crippling, lifelong disease.  Instead, he agrees with her.  Yes, she is worried and distracted about many things.  But he reminds her only one thing is needed now.  Focus on what’s most important, and the other worries will fall into perspective.  Even her seemingly tiny problem is enough for Jesus to care about. 

While most pastors and Bible teachers use this passage to remind us to be more like Mary, Martha is still my hero.  I’ll never be a Mary; I’m not sure I was created to be.  My temperament is too rigid, too driven.  But I can be a Martha who knows when to put down the schedule and the to-do list and run to Jesus.  

~ Denyse Blasdel

Good Temptation

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability… 1 Corinthians 10:13

Temptation itself is not evil. If it were, even Jesus would have been stained by His experiences with temptation in the desert. He was not because temptation itself is not sin.  In fact, temptation can be revealing and helpful.

Temptation reveals, to one degree or another, our great desires. These desires at their core are often very good; they reveal much about the purposes and plans God has for us in this life. But through temptation we are offered a sinful shortcut to achieving our greatest desires. God created us to desire many good and noble things; our adversary, through temptation, seeks to corrupt our greatest good desires into our areas of greatest weakness.

Praise God that He does not leave us defenseless in temptation!  Just as Jesus Himself warded off temptation using God’s Word, so wise Christians also memorize applicable Bible verses to address areas where we are often tempted.

Temptation, because of the victory and forgiveness won for us by Christ, need not be a cause for intimidation and fear. In fact, temptation can reveal much about the good and holy purposes God still intends for you.

Faithful Father, hold my hand and keep me from falling when I am tempted today.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.  

Mortified!

I die every day! 1 Corinthians 15:31


In the movie The Matrix, the enigmatic Morpheus offers the hero Neo an unsettling choice. Was Neo willing to discover the truth about his existence? Doing so would mean intentionally dying to his comfortable shadow-life within the Matrix. But embracing his own “death” to unplug from a world of robotic make-believe was the only way for Neo to become truly alive, awake, and free. 

Long before The Matrix, St. Paul challenged God’s people to embrace this same basic spiritual truth: we must die to truly live. It’s true; slumbering in sinful habits and spiritual slavery can appear deceptively comfortable, even as the process drains us numbly of our very souls. But choosing such a false life assures we remain controlled and manipulated by our Enemy. 

Choosing death each day seems a terrifying choice, as we contemplate what the cross of Jesus truly means. But each day we wake, we trace the sign of the cross over our hearts, as we reaffirm our Baptism into Jesus. Our death is forever joined to His. His new life, by God’s grace, becomes our own. 

As a result, sin no longer has power over us. Those deceptive dreams have little appeal for us now, for we have embraced the death of Jesus and arisen, forever alive and awake, in Him. 

Jesus, Your death and life have set me truly free. In Your holy name I pray. Amen. 

When Hitting the “Unfriend” Button is You’re Most Sincere Act of Friendship

~written by Denyse Blasdel

My cursor hovers over the “yes” button.  Am I sure I want to unfriend this person?  No I don’t want to.  My friend is beautiful, kind, thoughtful, funny and smart.  Everything I’ve ever wanted to be.  On top of it all, she was so approachable.  No matter how shy or awkward I felt, she made me feel like I had something worthwhile to share.  

I can feel Satan staring at me with quiet disbelief.  “Seriously?  Are you going to play judge this time?  We both know what you’ve done.  All the pride.  The desperate grasping at attention.  The utter contempt for your blessings most people will never get?  Is this what you call friendship, abandoning her in her darkest hour?”  As usual, Satan’s half right.  My sins may be different, but not any better.  And she was there for me with words of encouragement when I had a preemie newborn and two other children to care for.  If the roles were reversed, she’d be by my side with her gentle nature, leading me out of the forest of destruction. 

But the Bible is very specific about this kind of sin.  As if God were saying to me, “Yes, I really meant that,” I Corinthians 5 pops up in my daily devotions.  I want to beg God, “Can’t we just ignore this, just this one time?  Don’t you know how much good she’s inspired me to do?  Can’t that outweigh this wrong?  Just this once?”  But of course it can’t.  

But the last part of I Corinthians 5:5 says, “so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.”  God is telling me I have to walk away from someone who won’t walk away from her sin not to punish or pretend I have a right to judge, but as the only hope we have to bring her back.  God knows everything, and He knows nothing else can possibly work.

In the end, my heartbroken spirit knows God is right and I hit the “unfriend” button.  Not out of anger or retribution or some sick sense of superiority.  Not even out of a sense of justice.  I press “unfriend” because I am painfully aware of what my sin has cost me, and I care about my friend enough to try to warn her away from the same burden.  So like the prodigal son’s father checking the horizon daily, I wait for an email or phone call that may never come.  And I pray for the wisdom to heal if it does.  And no matter what, I trust God when He says that leaving this space of friendship empty is the only way to be a light of help for her.    

The Power of Life and Death

Have you ever paused to think about how you communicate? A thoughtful, encouraging word, an empathetic comment, a compassionate glance … or a careless comment, a rude remark, a sarcastic smirk … what do they really communicate to those closest to you? 

Your words have the potential of bringing life or death to the heart of another. Your words, along with underlying attitudes, will either build others up or tear them down, strengthen them in the Lord or weaken their faith.  As God's Word says, 

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”  (Proverbs 18:21)

So how do we know when and what to speak?  The Bible reveals a lot of wisdom about communication, but if you could distill it down to three key points, three key questions to ask yourself before something comes out of your mouth, they would probably be...

Is it True?  Is it Necessary?  Is it Loving? 

TRUE. Objective truth -- not merely our own feelings or opinions -- is sorely needed today in our world now filled with lies, half-truths, and various points of view. God is truth (Psalm 31:5), and He invites us to reflect His image and truthfulness to the world. So before we speak, we ask ourselves... "Is it true?"

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.  (1 John 3:18)

NECESSARY. We might possess the truth, but sharing it in the right time and in the right way is critical. Jesus Himself warned about casting your pearls to pigs (Matt. 7:6). Solomon encouraged us to overlook the small stuff (Proverbs 19:11). So we ask ourselves also before we speak... "Is it necessary?"  

A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.  (Proverbs 25:11)

LOVING. What we have might even be true and necessary to share, but the spirit in which we share is critical and will help our words accomplish God's purpose. As Christ loved us, so we also seek to be loving in all our deeds and all our words. Our final question we ask ourselves before speaking is... "Is it loving?"

Do everything in love.  (1 Corinthians 16:14)

As I mentioned before, the Scriptures are full of great communication concepts to bless us at work and at home. A more complete list may be found here, for example.

What other key concepts for Christian communication would you add to this list? Please share your comments below. ~Brady

When God Breaks In

She was glowing with joy… filled with the excited buzz and energy seen in most 13-year olds, who’re just beginning to change from girls into young women.  This was an exciting time of life for her.  Female friends chatted happily with her as she went each day to get water at the local well, “Mary, we hear you’re ready.  When are you going to get engaged, Mary?  Has your father made arrangements for you yet?”   Her older siblings and aunts were also happily teasing her, knowing she’d matured to this delicate and sensitive time in life.

Her father and mother, Joachim and Anna, had already made arrangements for her future.  Joseph was a respected carpenter in their town.  He and Mary were now formally engaged to be married.  Jewish law took their year-long engagement seriously.  Their law said that if Joseph died, Mary would be a widow. If she died, he would be a widower. And if they separated, it was called a divorce.

Both of them, Joseph and Mary, spent that year of preparation getting to know each other… and getting ready for married life together.  Joseph prepared for their marriage by building… taking that entire year to build their future house… the roof, the rooms, the furniture, and more.

Mary, on the other hand, spent much of her time preparing for the week-long wedding feast...  She dreamed of that celebration, with food, and dancing, and music… the family and friends coming from all over.  And Mary as lived with her parents one last year, she got ready, that final year… by sewing.  Mary sewed the dishcloths, washcloths, and towels for their new home.  She sewed all the clothes she would wear for her wedding day, that joyful week, and their life of marriage together.

Real people, with real emotions and feelings, this was an exciting and tender time for this new couple.   As Joseph & Mary slowly began to learn each other’s ways.  Starting to fall in love, as they planned their new life together.  Enjoying and treasuring the smiles, whispers, joys, and fears of this special time.

But then, God broke in.  The powerful messenger angel Gabriel appears one morning before young Mary in a flash of light.  His mere presence is so breathtaking and overwhelming, that she sinks to her knees in fear and trembling as He speaks, “Hello, blessed one!  God is with you!”

Now, most people really get rattled and surprised when God breaks into their world with something unexpected!  And faithful Mary was no exception.  She was, God’s Word reminds us, “greatly troubled” at the angel’s words.  Think what this message of the angel meant for Mary.  In a moment, all her plans change.  By receiving the work of God, this holy child now within her womb, EVERYTHING changes for Mary in a moment.

Now, gone are the happy dreams of a beautiful wedding; gone are the days of sweet anticipation; gone are the carefully thought-out plans for a wedding feast. Sure, Mary will be married, but not before rumors about her purity spread through the countryside.  There will be a wedding feast, but not the grand way she planned and hoped.  By welcoming God breaking into her world, Mary knew that her dreams for an ideal, perfect wedding would be forever changed.

Yes, that’s often the first thing that happens, when God breaks into our world.

GOD CHANGES OUR PLANS.    He changes our plans, sometimes drastically, from what we’d expected.  Not always in bad ways.  But always in ways we didn’t quite expect.

And so, to comfort us, God reminds us, just before He shakes things up… Don’t be afraid, Mary… Don’t be afraid, brothers and sisters in Christ… because of Jesus, you have found favor with God.  God’s promises us that His plans are better than our plans, and His ways wiser than our ways.  But no matter what... when God breaks in… in Mary’s life, in our lives…  plans are gonna change.

Of course, if our plans change when God breaks in, that also means that, in that moment…

GOD INVITES US TO GIVE UP CONTROL.  When God is really working, when God is really doing something special… when He’s doing it, He invites us to give up control.  Truth is, we’re not really in control of our lives, anyway.  We like to pretend that we are, of course.  We like to set our plans in motion, to have our own routine, to have a rhythm to our life that’s comfortable, predictable.  (James 4:13-15)  But when God breaks in… He invites us, powerfully, to give up that control… to Him.

Mary gave up control, in that moment, when God broke in to her life.  Her words of faith in response to God’s goodness reveal her true heart.  “I am the Lord’s servant.  Let it be to me as you have said.”  “I am the Lord’s servant.”  You are in control, God, not me.  You make the decisions, God, not me.  Creator of all things, you own my home, my body, and all my possessions… not me.

You know, I looked at a lot of art, images of Mary in paint and sculpture, as I prepared my heart for our message this week.  And in almost all of them, I was struck by a serene quality, a sense of Mary’s radiant, even other-worldly peace.  I see that same look, every now and then, on the faces of believers today, who have truly given up control to God.  It doesn’t matter what’s going on in their lives, or where they are.  Home with family… or in a hospital bed.  Working hard… or facing unemployment.  That same look is there… among those who have yielded their hearts to Him, those who, like Mary, are gladly and gratefully His servants… who have given up control.  They gain, in exchange… immeasurable peace.

That’s a peace, an inner tranquility we will need, too.  Because when God breaks in…

GOD CHANGES OUR RELATIONSHIPS FOR GOOD.  From the moment that God broke into Mary’s life, her relationships changed for good.  From that moment on, her relationships with those in her life would be forever colored by child God had chosen her to bring into the world.

It happened in Mary’s family.  Aunt Lizzie, an old woman, now pregnant with John the Baptist and filled with God’s Spirit, proclaimed her visiting teenage niece “most blessed among all women.”

It happened with Mary’s promised husband.  Joseph, confused and upset by this unexpected pregnancy, almost divorced her in fear and frustration.  But God’s angel also encouraged Joseph to not be afraid, and to love the child in Mary’s womb as if he were his own.

It even happened in Mary’s hometown.  People in her hometown shunned, even mocked Mary in that day and age, for what they thought was her sinful behavior.  Her unexpected pregnancy, with no husband, would have caused her friends to abandon her, even her family to disown her… all because they did not understand what God was doing in her womb.

God breaking into her world… changed her relationships for good… but for Mary, it sure didn’t feel good… at least not right away.  And when God breaks into our lives, here…  our relationships, too, change forever.  Of course, like Mary, some of us aren’t really thrilled with the change.  Other changes are amazing, as we see the miracles and relationships God works through His family, His people.

As together, we are united forever around His Son, our King Jesus Christ.

Yes.  That’s what happens when God breaks in…
1) God changes our plans.
2) God invites us to give up control to Him.
3) God even changes our relationships for good.

It happened to Mary.  And, as we are living proof, it happens still to His people today.  And for those who eventually welcome His disruptive, life-changing presence, God still gives the privilege of bearing His Son Jesus to the world.  Not in our womb, like Mary.  But Jesus in our hands, outstretched to help.  Jesus on our lips, speaking His promises.  And Jesus in our hearts, changed forever by His love.

Yes.  These are the miracles that still happen among His people today…
when God breaks in.