Doors Closed, Doors Open by Sharon Espeseth

If we plan to take seriously God's great commission to go and make disciples of all nations, he isn't asking us to tiptoe. To get the whole message on how bravely he wants us to act, read the 10th Chapter of Matthew. As well as healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing leprosy, and driving out demons, the disciples were asked to preach that the kingdom of heaven is near.

Today, Jesus asks us to preach this same message. He told his disciples, and he still tells us today, not to mince words and not to worry about what we will say. Jesus still reminds us that it will not be us speaking, but the Spirit of our Father speaking through us. In this same talk with his apostles, Jesus reminds us, "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."

Gratitude for my family

Jesus knew that once the apple had been eaten in the Garden of Eden, the world had changed forever. God knows that storms will come, trees will fall, and branches will be broken. When faced with a mess like that, our first inclination would be, at least, to clean up the front yard. Unfortunately, when we're dealing with people, illness, misfortune and sin, the clean up isn't that easy. We also need to do our part to bring the kingdom of God to more than our own little circle of family and friends.

Since we all live outside the security and peace of Eden, misfortune, and illness do surround us. We cannot outrun or hide from the ill effects of evil. The closer it comes, the more we want to hide either the facts or ourselves in the proverbial closet.

Is there any social network in real or virtual life that can escape mental illness, divorce, sexual immorality, failing grades, cratered careers, unwed motherhood, abortion, homosexuality, imprisonment, any kind of abuse, suicide, cancer, addictions. . . ?" Well, you get the idea. If we have none of this list to deal with, we are either extremely blessed or we are avoiding the truth. When circumstances deemed to be beneath our family dignity occur, what do we do? Turn a blind eye? Turn off our computers? Rip pages out of our journals?

I don't think so. These matters are part of life and God intends us to grapple with and grow from the nitty-gritty of daily living. He has also promised to be with us through our trials and temptations. Today the closets are squeaking open and formerly taboo topics start tumbling out. We do have the responsibility to decide if and how such matters are to be handled. Some of these subjects are, as young people say, TMI (Too Much Information), especially for Facebook, coffee chats, dinner or idle gossip. Still these issues may need a platform.

For instance, we would like our families and ourselves to be spared from mental health concerns. Statistics for 2011 suggest otherwise. "In any given year, one in five Canadians experiences a mental health or addiction problem." (CAMH: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health website)

Nature and exercise--good for all!

For me, the above revelation becomes more than a statistic. In the mid-nineties and again about ten years later, I was diagnosed with clinical depression. During each episode of this illness, my doctor and counselling psychologist reminded me that stress over a long time puts the chemicals in my brain out of whack. Through both major bouts, I needed to slow down, stop work and take meds. My prescription included rest, prayer, reading appropriate material, exercise, eating well, and relying on faith, family and friends.

To this regimen, I added writing, which included sorting things out, expressing gratitude and praying. I determined to figure out, with God's help and counselling, why I was so driven, why I set unreasonable standards for myself, why I as a Christian with my hope in Christ could become depressed, and what I could do to prevent further burnout and illness. For one thing, I need to practice "self-care" and learn to know my own limitations. I need God's guidance in choosing when to say "Yes" or "No" to requests for my time and resources. I am still a work in progress.

I am concerned when I see other people who take on too much responsibility and and who do too much. I do feel God telling me to be more open about my battle with depression so that I may promote prevention, healing and hope to others. It is time for me, with God's help, to push this closet door further ajar.

Which doors, Lord, would you have me open?
Prayer: Lord, help us to submit to your will when deciding how to use each day. Bless our efforts. Amen

"God knows I'm good." - Bruce Atchison

No matter how good we think we are, we still have our sinful nature to contend with. We humans are skilled at making up excuses to justify our crimes, yet God sees through them all. Though David Bowie isn't a Christian, his song, "God Knows I'm Good," hits the nail on the head when it comes to how we figure the Lord will cut us a break when we sin. You can hear the song by clicking here.

I presumed I was basically a good boy back in 1968. Being at a distant institution for blind children, I began to chafe at my fifty-cent weekly allowance. I felt it was unfair that my parents didn't send me extra spending money and the supervisors at Jericho Hill School wouldn't spare an extra dime either.

Once or twice a week, the supervisors took us to a nearby grocery store run by an oriental gentleman. While wandering the isles, I noticed that the cake topping decorations were in a spot where the man couldn't see them from the till. "He'll never miss it if I took some," I thought as I pocketed a few while he was busy with a customer. I felt nervous as I walked out but nobody stopped me.

On subsequent trips, I grew bolder. I came to believe that I had a right to those treats, being so far from home and all. One evening, a package of chocolate sprinkles fell out of my pants pocket as I was about to leave the shop. The owner said nothing but his look spoke volumes. I sheepishly put back the package and never stole anything from a store to this day.

James 1:13-15 (B.B.E.) says, "Let no man say when he is tested, 'I am tested by God;' for it is not possible for God to be tested by evil, and he himself puts no man to such a test: But every man is tested when he is turned out of the right way by the attraction of his desire. Then when its time comes, desire gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is of full growth, gives birth to death." This is exactly how I became a shoplifter. Thanks to our heavenly Father, he forgave me when I gave my life to Christ a year later.

What Could Be Better Than Kool-Aid and Cookies? - Bruce Atchison

Bruce Atchison

In August of 1969, I received something far more important than the usual goodies at a Vacation Bible School. From my Deliverance From Jericho (Six Years in a Blind School) memoir, here's how my life changed for all eternity.

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Once we were settled down, Mrs. Blacklock began her lesson. "Did you know that you can have a personal relationship with Jesus?" she asked. As I had never heard that doctrine before, I listened all the more intently.

"The Bible says that we are all sinners and that nobody is good enough to go to heaven," she continued. "Going to church is nice but it won't save you on Judgment Day. Only believing in Jesus Christ will save you from going to hell."

I felt shocked. Could this honestly be true? No one told me about that before. I thought only wicked people went to hell.

"If you give your life to Jesus, he will come into you and live in your heart." This sounded impossible too. Jesus was up in heaven and God appeared uninvolved with his creation.

As she outlined how Christ died to pay for our sins and that we could be forgiven because he took our punishment, my heart stirred within me. Could this actually be true?

Then Mrs. Blacklock told the story of Nicodemus and how he was an outstanding religious teacher in Israel. Even with all his education and status, he had no understanding of what it meant to be born again. Suddenly, I realized the meaning of what Jesus said.

A few years previously, a Christian clown visited Jericho and performed magic tricks in the boys' Playroom. Along with the usual vanishing objects and interlocking hoops, this man told us how Nicodemus met Christ late one night. It was merely one of many Bible stories to me then. Now I realized that it applied to me as well.

On Friday, Mrs. Blacklock asked us a life-changing question. "Would you like to invite Christ into your heart and accept him as your saviour?" Though I could think of no serious sins of which I was guilty, except for stealing the glass lumps, I decided I had nothing to lose. I raised my hand and said yes. Our teacher led us in the sinner's prayer and then she welcomed us to the family of Christ. Though I felt nothing dramatic happen, joy and a sense that God was pleased with me filled my heart.

I ran all the way home, a distance of a few blocks, after the school ended. "I've been born again!" I exclaimed to the family as I rushed through the front door. They all stared at me, saying nothing. Doubtless, Mom and my sisters thought I had lost my mind. I felt let down because I thought they would understand this important life-transforming decision I had made. Either nobody told me or I failed to understand that not everybody would comprehend my spiritual transformation.

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This memoir and When a Man Loves a Rabbit (Learning and Living With Bunnies) are available through the InScribe site. Click here to visit the page for more information about these paperbacks.

A Better King - Pamela Mytroen

Can you imagine living in the 4th or 5th century B.C.? Persian Kings would make a law and when that law was discovered to be intolerable, they refused to change it. Even if it caused them regret and sadness, they stood by their written, sealed word.

King Xerxes allowed Haman to write an order for the annihilation of all Jews in his vast kingdom. When the king discovered that his beloved queen was of Jewish lineage, he was angry with himself. But would he change the law? Never. But, he allowed Mordecai to take his own royal signet ring and issue another order.

However, the Jews were still faced with a death sentence on the 13th day of the month of Adar, but now, according to Mordecai’s decree, they had the right to gather and defend themselves. The Jews were saved by God’s miraculous intervention.

Though the kings of this period appeared ruthless and unfeeling, they serve to demonstrate both the wrath and mercy of God.

Consider God, our Heavenly eternal King. He too has issued a death sentence. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death...” We have all sinned and the verdict is eternal death, a constant dying apart from the beauty and friendship of God our creator.

Yet God, though unrelenting in justice, is also merciful. Like the miracle of strength and protection he gave the Jews, He interceded supernaturally to save us from certain death. He gave Jesus, his own Son to serve our death sentence, and the sinner is given a full pardon. The verse finishes with: “...but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

God stands by His Word. His laws must be fulfilled. And it’s a good thing, or we would lose trust in an authority that constantly changed His mind.

But God the Judge is also our Savior. Like the Persian kings, He issued the stiffest sentence a King could allow for sin. Our Judge, however, takes it a step further. In humility, God stepped down from the bench, wrapped his royal cloak around the sinner and took the full condemnation of the law on His own shoulders. We are set free from the chains of guilt and death.

Thanks be to God for His amazing love!

Pam Mytroen

De-Liveration! Glynis Belec

For years I have been trying to convince my dearly beloved that liver is an excellent source of iron and a nutritionally superior food, totally worthy of sampling and savouring once in a while.

Sadly my attempts to convince my not so easily-convinced partner in marriage, continue to fail miserably. No matter how much I disguise the liver with sizzling bacon and scrumdillyishus fried onions, he won't take the bait or a bite.

"Toss me on a burger with those onions and bacon, and you finish the liver," comes the response.

But the other day I thought I was making some headway. You know how it is (well some of you do) when you get older. You start thinking how you should get over some of your silly ways and focus on what really is good for you. We had been talking about eating healthy and changing a few things in our diet.

To my surprise, when I announced that I would be putting liver on my shopping list, it wasn't met with the usual moans and groans. I jotted it down and put a happy face on the page. :)

However, it was not to be. Any thought I had about changing my hubby into a liver lover went down the toilet.

...And speaking of toilet, a little later in the week, I heard a noise coming from the downstairs bathroom.

I investigated. 'Twas not a lovely sight. The toilet was overflowing - gushing forth with abandon. My dearly beloved, armed with pipe wrench and towels called me for reinforcements. To cut a long story short, or to flush out some of the details, suffice to say, our septic tank was full and we needed to call - pronto, the nearest available septic tank cleanout guy.

Mr. Septic Tank Cleaner arrived in good time. The flood subsided and we were able to do away with the towel dam. Of course, once the work was completed, we felt duly obliged to offer our septic tank hero a coffee before he went on his way. He accepted and happy hubby had a good old chat with him. The topic of conversation, you guessed it, was the fine art of dealing with sewage. I was stuffing wet towels into the washer and listening in on the conversation every now and then.

"Do you have any liver?" I heard the nice chap ask my hubby.

"Liver?" I interjected. I thought he needed a snack. "Yes, I think I do. But I might have some brownies in the freezer instead."

"No, no..." His furrowed brow indicating a serious matter was underfoot.

"I want you to put some liver down the toilet. And you should do it once a month, too."

My dearly beloved grinned like a Cheshire cat. I knew exactly what he was thinking. He had been telling me to toss the liver down the toilet for a long time. Now he had backup.

Mr. Septic tank guy chatted on for quite a while about his liver suggestion. He shared with us the merits of how liver in the septic tank will help multiply the bacterial count and other sordid details. Apparently liver down the toilet, a healthy septic system makes...

As I become more educated on the beneficial aspects of liver in the septic system and how it multiplies the bacterial count, I start to ponder how sin is multiplied in our lives. We can try to wipe up the mess ourselves and cover up and try to wash our own dirty laundry, but if we do not have the Lord in our lives, it's like the liver in the septic system. Before we know it, the bacterial count in our lives is rampant.

I'm liking the reassurance, though, that God will rescue us if we call upon His name. He wipes away our sin and cleanses us completely. All we need do is ask: He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. (Psalm 40:2)

HACKED by Glynis M. Belec

Today, I spent the day with my daughter. It was unplanned and actually not a very nice reason for me to be at her home. But I had to be there. My grown up baby girl needed her Mom.

I'll back track a little. I was awakened this morning by the shrill ringing of the telephone. My morning voice probably gave away the secret that although it was almost 7am I was still tucked nicely 'twixt the blankets.

Once I realized who it was - a mom of one of my students - I relaxed. That was, until I heard what she had to say. Apparently, she received a heartfelt e-mail from my daughter who was supposedly in the UK and had been robbed. 'She' was asking for money and had sent an e-mail to this mom, who she knows fairly well.

I was slightly confused for a moment until I realized that my daughter was certainly not in the UK and it was her facebook account that had been compromised. She was about to discover what it meant to be hacked.

So the day happened. I got in touch with my daughter right away. She was in tears when I first talked to her. It seems this creepy individual was asking for money from whichever contact he/she could. He was almost successful a few times. I immediately went onto Facebook to see what was going on and that sad individual who was hacking my daughter's computer, had the nerve to strike up a chat with me. I couldn't believe the audacity. I played along for a while. Needless to say, I lost it in the end and revealed that the gig was up and I knew he was some sort of a hacker intent on committing a cyber crime. He disappeared when I mentioned the police. Just like that...gone.

One would have thought that I scared the pathetic person. But the day continued and so did the telephone calls to Amanda and me, checking to see if this was a legitimate request. The hacker did not scare easily and continued to try his luck. Some almost sent money to the suggested bank in the UK but decided to check first. Thank goodness that people called us before succumbing to this request. My daughter has an online, business, too and she was afraid that this numbskull was messing with her clients and all her contact information.

I ended up staying with my daughter for the day, keeping her little ones entertained as she dealt with the police and the myriad of calls that came her way. I also wanted to pray with her, to let her know that although right now she feels upset and frustrated, this will pass. This hacker thinks he has all the power. Little does he know that there is Someone mightier and He is Power and Glory forever and ever!

Technology is a wonderful tool if used wisely and done so with integrity.

As I drove home a little while ago, I contemplated what makes a person commit a crime. Why do people hurt other people? What is it about money and power that cause a person to stop at nothing?

Can't people understand what a beautiful world we would live in if we showed more love; realized the joy in the simple things; desired everlasting peace, had more patience with one another; saw kindness as the best medicine; showed goodness to our neighbour; displayed faithfulness to our family and God; treated one another with the gentleness of Jesus and showed self control in the face of temptation. Can we only imagine?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Galatians 5:22

Sin.

"Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear," says Isaiah 59: 1-2. "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear."

Lessons From a Weapon of Grass Destruction - Lynda S.

I'm painting. No need for Van Gogh, Picasso, or The Group of Seven to worry though; I'm painting my apartment. After the paint comes the decoration. I'm planning "The Farm" as a theme for one of my guest rooms, and that sent me searching for my dad's saw and scythe. To my distress both were badly rusted—the victims of the high humidity here in Venezuela. I needed some expert help.

My colleagues, Bevin and Janie Wray, are entertaining Janie's sister and her family over these two weeks. Calvin and Rita farm just outside Calgary and I was pretty certain that a farmer would know about rusty implements and how to fix them. Sure enough, Carl had an answer to my dilemma.

I soaked two towels in vinegar, wrapped one around the saw and the other around the scythe. Then I wrapped both tools in plastic wrap to keep the towels from drying out. By the time I got back to them later on that evening, it was obvious that something was working—I could see through the plastic wrap that the towels were brown! The smell, as I unwrapped the tools, was not pleasant, but the rust was gone just as Cal had told me that it would be.

It was a good thing that I chose old cleaning rags to do the job. Even though the towels went immediately into the wash, they will bear the marks of rust for the rest of their days.

There had to be a spiritual lesson in this little DIY project. I thought about my life, rusting with sin. Then Jesus came, like that vinegar-soaked towel, and wrapped me in His love and forgiveness. My sins, like those rust stains, He bore in His own body, removing them forever from mine.

However, unlike my old towels, the rust stains of sin were not just transferred, they were eradicated completely, washed clean in the blood of the Lamb of God, They simply ceased to exist.

Somehow, I suspect that every time I go into that particular guest room where dad's tools will be hung, I will never be able to look at his saw and scythe in the same way again. What do you think?

Good Friday -- Janet Sketchley

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!” Philippians 2:5-8, NIV*

I have a friend who resists accepting God because of the Cross. How could a loving Father send His own Son to such a cruel death? Why would He arrange it that way?

Short answer: because there was no other way. A loving Father would have chosen any other way, grasped at any straw. But nothing else had the power to break the power of sin and restore humanity to a God both loving and holy. As long as we stood steeped in evil, we couldn’t stand with Him.

And let’s admit it, there’s not one of us who has never sinned. One sin is all it takes. That’s not hardline legalism, that’s a fact of life. Purity and filth can’t coexist.

That doesn’t mean we’re all dirty, rotten scoundrels, just that we’re not pure. What a love, Who would endure torture and death to restore us!

Let’s be very clear: Jesus was not a victim. He knew what was coming, knew the cost before He stepped out of Heaven. Theologians debate whether He understood it from the Nativity, but we can be sure He knew it that night in the garden. But He chose to go ahead because there was no other way.

Thank You, Jesus, for laying aside Heaven’s splendour to walk in human flesh and show us the Father. And to suffer and die so that we could have eternal life with Father, Son and Spirit.

One of the ways I’ll observe His sacrifice for me is to listen to Todd Agnew’s “Blood is on My Hands” (Reflections of Something, 2007). I invite you to take 5 minutes to visit (Click here or go to YouTube and search by title). The visuals are difficult in places, but you can close your eyes and listen.

Because of Jesus,

Joanna Mallory

PS: If you feel inclined, please lift a prayer for K. God is a patient suitor.

*(New International Version Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. To read this passage in context, see www.biblegateway.com)

© Janet Sketchley, 2008
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For devotionals, reviews and conversation, stop by Janet Sketchley's blog, God with Us: Finding Joy.