Just Let Me Cry

May 15, 2013 by 1 Comment

There are moments in my journey of grief that I feel self-inflicted pressure to show strength and resolve. There are moments that I feel the pressure of others speaking a false strength into me.

  • It will be alright.
  • You are a strong woman.
  • God is with you.

But the fact is, there are moments I don’t want to be strong.  I don’t want things to be alright. And knowing and believing that God is with him or me doesn’t make the pain invisible.

Yesterday I heard this song. It speaks to those moments of my life when I want to tell the world around me:

For now just let me cry…

For now just let me lie…

For now just let me be…

 

Filed Under: Christian Life, Death and Dying, Matters of the Heart Tagged With:

A New Mother’s Day: Honoring Their Birth Mom

May 10, 2013 by 1 Comment

birth mom

As the transitions in my life continue I keep facing new things that I never anticipated. Through steps of grief  coupled with a rapidly approaching adoption, nothing seems like old hat these days. It’s all new to me.

One new piece of our life will now be the biological family of our soon-to-be son and daughter. Our kids were taken from their family about two years ago and had regular visits until just a few months ago. They know their roots.

Their mom isn’t a birth mom she’s just Mom. Their dad isn’t a birth father. He is Dad.

As we approach this Mother’s Day my heart is drawn to their mom. Maybe by choice or maybe by imposed circumstances she does not have her children. She will not have a Mother’s Day dinner or celebration with her children. Whether or not it is what is best, it’s still hard for her and her children.

So as I navigate this new dynamic in our family here’s some things God has gently place on my heart:

1. Find ways to honor their mother.

I read this a few weeks ago somewhere and I just keep meditating on this thought. I honor her because she chose life. She could have aborted her pregnancies, but she didn’t. She carried those babies full-term and gave them life. Beautiful life. I am honored to love and protect her children.

2. Follow the lead of my kids.

I’m not sure where they are emotionally. I’m still not sure what is safest for them yet. But I am open and ready to listen to their hearts and let God show us the way. I am ready to help them navigate through difficult emotions and encourage love and forgiveness around each turn.

3. Pray for her. 

No matter what the future holds, she is loved fiercely by the God who made her. My hearts desire is for her to know true love and true forgiveness that ultimately comes from having an experience with Jesus. May her soul find rest.

 

Filed Under: Adoption, Christian Life, Kids and Beyond, Mama Stuff Tagged With:

Dear Naysayers, Shhh!

May 9, 2013 by 17 Comments
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Pure and genuine religion is this.

If the Lord wills, this fall we will be the parents and caregivers of eight children, 6 biological and 2 adopted.

We have heard all the criticism masked as concern. Ok well, maybe not everyone has had the guts to speak their “concern” but here’s a few I’ve heard already.

  • What if you run out of money?
  • What if the kids don’t get a long?
  • Can you handle it?
  • What if it all falls apart?
  • What if there are problems with their biological family?
  • It’s a big job.
  • That’s a lot of kids.
  • Is that too much responsibility?
  • How will you feed them and clothe them?

Well, I came across this line from the Christian Alliance For Orphans, who hosted an adoption summit in Nashville over the weekend.

“Taking on the characteristics of the Father to the fatherless…You’re not crazy and don’t back down…Uniting under the gospel to demonstrate the gospel.” 

When I read those lines up there, those “concerns” are dirt.  I am eternally motivated to take on the characteristics of my Father to the fatherless. I am roused to demonstrate the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ that saved me. I get to do that for the rest of my life to two children. Maybe it IS crazy but I want to do something the world thinks is crazy. And I want to do it in the name of Jesus, to show his power to perfectly  orchestrate and design my life.

And I wonder if the contemporaries of my heroes of faith thought they were crazy too.

Was it crazy for Moses to challenge the King of Egypt? Was it crazy for young David to challenge Goliath? Was it crazy for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to challenge the authority of a blood-thirsty King? Was it crazy for Mary to challenge the customs of her people and agree to open her womb to Immanuel?

Is it crazy for me to balk at my materialistic, selfish culture and raise 8 kids? I hope so.

When I look into they eyes of my two children who have lost their parents, their home, their life, honestly, money doesn’t matter. What are their lives in comparison to money? If we have to go with less, we will. If we have to sell our stuff, we will. If there are problems, we will deal with them.  And if it all falls apart, we will watch God rebuild it.

At the end of all my fears I find faith. Faith in the promises and truth of my Father. All those concerns melt when matched up to the truth of  God. The Book is filled with truth that cannot be undone, even in the face of fear and concern.

  • It is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35)
  • Defend the orphan. (Psalm 10:14)
  • Blessed are the merciful. (Mt. 5:7)
  • Do to others what you would like them to do to you. (Mt. 7:12)
  • Don’t worry about clothes and food. (Mt. 6:25-36)

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans…  in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James 1:27

Today I choose pure and genuine religion. Today I choose to care for children in their distress. Today I refuse to let the world and its earthly thinking corrupt me. So if you are a naysayer, please… SHHH!

Filed Under: Adoption, Christ-followers & Culture, Christian Life, Kids and Beyond, Mama Stuff Tagged With: ,

Adopted As Sons and Daughters

May 2, 2013 by 2 Comments
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“Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” Galatians 5:25

I may have said it here or somewhere else. I feel like this season of my life is less walking in the Spirit and more eyes- blindfolded-on- a-raft- down-a-river in the Spirit. Don’t get me wrong, my control issues pop up every now and then, but I am really learning to take my hands off the wheel and let my Father have his way.

That way has led us to an exciting and somewhat scary change for our family.

Through some pretty amazing circumstances, the Lord has placed 2 orphan children at our door and asked if we will let them in. We said yes.

In just a few weeks we will be adding a 10 year-old son and a 12 year-old daughter to our mix.

I have been asked if I think I’m up for it. Which is a fair question I guess. I realize I am still in a time of grieving. I am pregnant and expecting a newborn in November. But I also totally believe that God will give me the tools I need. In fact, he may have done it already.

And the truth is, when my fear rears up, and I question in myself if I am up for it, my next question to myself is, “Am I up for meeting God face to face and telling him that I wasn’t?”

Our family has been called to a mission of adoption.  How much more can we learn what God has done for each one of us as his people? I was once a homeless, wanderer, rebellions and proud. People used to look at me with a skeptical eye. Suspicion took the place of compassion. And my Father took me in, cleaned me up and made me part of his family. I am now a daughter of the Almighty.

Instead you receive God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15

Now I get the chance to not just adopt two children in the DeGarmo family, but I get the chance to adopt them in the family of Yahweh. In this family they will they get to call call their Creator by  name… Abba. Daddy.

Filed Under: Adoption, Christ-followers & Culture, Christian Life, Kids and Beyond, Mama Stuff Tagged With:

To Love Again

April 30, 2013 by 3 Comments

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“You cannot selectively numb emotion. When we numb the dark emotion- when we numb vulnerability and fear and the shame of not being good enough- we by default numb joy.”  -Brene’ Brown

 

Sometimes it is easier to just not feel. It is easier for me to wall myself off from vulnerability and fear than to risk the hurt. Over the years I have become quite the expert at building walls around my heart.

But when I read this quote on a friend’s Facebook wall yesterday it stabbed me.  In numbing my fear I have numbed my joy. Inside my protective walls I have paid the price of joy for safety.

Here I sit, 13 weeks pregnant and afraid to even recognize the truth that there is a little baby inside of me. I’m afraid to feel. I am afraid to be vulnerable and love this baby because what happens if I lose this one too.

The truth is I might. It is totally possible that this baby could not be born alive or it is possible that this baby could die too. But I have realized something, if I do lose this baby, when I meet him or her in heaven I want to be able to say that I gave my heart, not reluctantly or with trepidation but I want to tell this child that I loved you fiercely from the beginning.

I cannot risk another day of numbing the pain because it numbs the joy. Numbing the joy steals my ability to love with a relentless love.

I cannot live another day without experiencing the passionate love a mother has, even for her unborn child.

It brings me back to my son’s name, Azaiah, “My strength is Yahweh.” Yahweh loves with unfailing love that he lavishes on his children. Today, I resolve to lavish my unfailing love on all of my children, especially the one yet being formed in my womb.

The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.” Exodus 34: 5-7

Filed Under: Christian Life, Death and Dying, Mama Stuff, Matters of the Heart Tagged With: ,

Purpose in the Pain

April 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment

One of the things that has helped me find comfort in my grief is to relinquish my claim to sole ownership of grief. Some times when we face a trial we treat it like we are the first, only and last person to ever walk that road of suffering.

The truth is, I am not the only mom who has lost a child. I am one of thousands who bury their children every day. My husband is not the only father to lose a son. My children are not the only siblings who have watched a brother or sister die.

Rather than wallowing selfishly in our pain, we have been asked to share our pain and our comfort others.

I believe that truth is one of reasons God led us to create a family ministry:

He Lives Logo

“When he died, he died once to break the power of sin.
But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God.”
Romans 6:10

He Lives For Kids 

He comforts us every time we have trouble so that when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us. 2 Cor. 1:4

Today I am overwhelmed because there is a 5K organized in our community to raise awareness for all the kids who are grieving the loss of a sibling. The proceeds of the race will go to He Lives For Kids. 

Help us bring comfort to as many little hurting hearts as we can. If you would like to join us for this special day check it out!   Click for details:  He Lives For Kids 5K Run/Walk. 

 

Filed Under: Christian Life, Death and Dying, Matters of the Heart Tagged With: , ,

All The Single Ladies: How Far Is Too Far?

April 24, 2013 by 3 Comments
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“Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned?” Proverbs 6:27

I just watched a little Youtube video that has fired up my passion for this topic. From the time I was a Christian single to now that I mentor Christian singles, the question has been asked hundreds of times. I’ve even asked it a few times myself.

How far is too far?

Holding hands? Kissing? French Kissing? Laying together? Snuggling with clothes on?  Body to body contact? What about just talking about what we want to do “someday” when we are married? What about flirty texts or pictures? Oral sex? How much CAN I do and not sin?

Let’s start with the heart of that question. I mean, do we ask the question, How close can I get to murder and not sin? Can I fight and beat them to a near death? Can I fantasize about murder?  Really.

Should the question be how close to sin can I get? Or should we be asking how can I get closer to God? How can I guard my heart and live a God-glorifying life? How can I guard my heart from sin? How can I be a woman of God who does everything she can to guard the hearts of men?

So let’s go on from here assuming that we know sin leads to death and we don’t want to die or cause someone else to die (Rom. 6:23).

1. Purpose in your heart what kind of woman you want to be.

The book of Proverbs describes two kinds of women:

My son, obey your father’s commands…their corrective discipline is the way to life. It will keep you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman. Don’t lust for her beauty.Don’t let her coy glances seduce you... Can a man scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch on fire? Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet?  …He who embraces her will not go unpunished.

So she seduced him with her pretty speech and enticed him with her flattery. He followed her at once,like an ox going to the slaughter. He was like a stag caught in a trap,awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart. He was like a bird flying into a snare. (from Proverbs 6-7)

Or

Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. Her husband can trust her,and she will greatly enrich his life. She brings him good, not harm,all the days of her life…She is clothed with strength and dignity…

When she speaks, her words are wise,and she gives instructions with kindness. Her husband praises her: “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!” Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. Reward her for all she has done.Let her deeds publicly declare her praise. (from Proverbs 31)

There is no neutral. In your heart to have you determine and purpose to be “a woman who fears the Lord”? If not, you may be setting yourself up to be the “immoral woman.” Trust me.

2. Understand your body is the dwelling place of God.

But the body is not for sexual sin. The body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body… Surely you know that your bodies are parts of Christ himself. So I must never take what is part of Christ and join it to a prostitute! The Scriptures say, “The two people will become one.” So you should know that anyone who is joined with a prostitute becomes one with her in body. But anyone who is joined with the Lord is one with him in spirit… 

So if you commit sexual sin, you are sinning against your own body. You should know that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit that you received from God and that lives in you. You don’t own yourselves. God paid a very high price to make you his. So honor God with your body. (1 Cor. 6)

When you sin with your body you are joining Jesus to your sin. The thought of that makes me nauseous. I hate that I did that.  I hate that I dishonored my Lord with my careless, selfish sin. Sin that he gave his life to ransom me from. He allowed men to spill his blood to purify me. All he asks is for me to honor him with this body in return.

3. Lust is the line you don’t want to cross.

Sometimes I think we want lines drawn so we KNOW what we can and can’t do. But the way of Christ isn’t like that. The way of Christ is a faith of the heart, purity and a desire to be holy. We do that not to be saved, but as a  response from the heart of one who has been saved.

One line I can draw is that where lust begins so does sin.

But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Mt. 5:28)

As a married woman who has a very honest husband, the lust line is a lot closer than most of think.

4. Make a purposeful sacrifice.

One day you may be married. The guy you are with may not be him.  So when you do present your body to your husband, do you want it to  have another man’s  hand prints all over it? What message does that send your husband? I will tell you what message it sent mine. As a young man he believed he wasn’t worth the sacrifice. Satan used that and spun a web of lies that held us in captivity for a long time. We started off with a tremendous hill of sin to climb because of me.

We are training our daughters to guard their heart and body so that they can give it over to the man God chooses one day, pure.

5. Plan Boundaries

If any situation leads to lust, which honestly doesn’t take long for sexually deprived singles, stop it!  Jesus said if you lust it’s better to cut off your offending hand and pluck out your eye (Mt. 5:29-30).

Paul said if it leads to sexual sin run away FAST! (1 Cor. 6:18). The point is we need to take radical steps to prevent sin or stop sin after it begins, which is a lot harder!

Some boundaries/lack of boundaries that I know have led Christians into sin:

  • Getting serious too fast
  • Watching movies in the dark
  • Extended time alone
  • Late nights alone
  • Spending the night together
  • Sexual jokes
  • Kissing
  • Road trips
  • “Innocent” physical contact (sitting on his lap, massaging, tickling, etc)
  • Drinking

You might think those are crazy. Jesus said a walk with him is crazy.

6.The Stakes are eternal.

Sexual impurity will keep you from heaven.

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men… (1 Cor. 6:9)

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. (Heb. 13:4)

“Choose this day whom you will serve.” Will it be the god of your flesh? Or the God of holiness?

Previous post: Can Christians Date?

Filed Under: Christ-followers & Culture, Christian Life, Marriage, Singlehood Tagged With: , ,

Offering Comfort To The Grieving

April 18, 2013 by 5 Comments

“I have heard all these things before.
    You men give me trouble, not comfort.
Your long speeches never end!
    Why do you continue arguing?
I also could say the same things you say,
    if you had my troubles.
I could say wise things against you
    and shake my head at you.
But I would say things to encourage you
    and give you hope.

“Nothing I say makes my pain go away.
    But keeping quiet does not help either. Job 16:1-6

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Weeks into our grief a friend asked me, “What kind of things do people say that aren’t helpful?” Well, I’ve been thinking on that for the past 4 months. I can say that I crossed paths with a lot of Job’s friends.  But I was also touched by some remarkable and gifted comforters.

Some interactions were honestly cold. Some where well-meaning, but still hurtful. When someone loses a child don’t try to sell them Amway. Really.  Don’t say you understand if you don’t. Don’t make unequal comparisons. Losing dogs and grandmas is not the same pain as holding a dead child in your arms. Don’t say you can’t imagine. Don’t say you wish you could take the pain. Don’t speak until God puts the words on your lips.

At first I thought the only people that could offer true hope were other moms who lost a child. But as I sit here and meditate on my many comforters I see that isn’t so. I was touched by many hands of love from all over. I want to introduce you today to some of the comforters that blessed me in my darkest hour. May you be blessed by them today as well.

My comforters weren’t afraid to weep with me, hold me or sit beside in silence.  They girded themselves for the battle trenches and climbed in a deep hole with me. As they came and went, they picked up a piece of my burden to make their own.

My comforters offered few words and much heart.

One woman sat behind me during the visitation to cover me in prayer.  She just touched me. Her eyes spoke sympathy. Her words to me were few, but her words to my Father were many.

By the end of the visitation night, hundreds of people came through. My arms hugged them all.  My energy was drained. But there were a few memorable people who poured energy into me as they held my weary body and kissed my salty cheeks.  There was a  woman who knelt down to me. She got  on the floor and folded me into her embrace. She gave me what she had to give- her strength.

I received a letter from a stranger in Florida who prayed all night because God put my name on her heart. Another woman sent me a locket with ALL of my babies birth stones in it. Another sent a necklace with Azaiah’s name and birthday inscribed.

Many of my brothers and sister offered themselves continuously for weeks. They managed my home, fed my children, washed my clothes and lifted the burden of every day life.

Just this morning one of my comforters posted this on Facebook:

“Sitting here this morning reflecting on the last several months of death that have surrounded so many people I know and love. As a person who is usually full of words, I can’t seem to find anything to say.”

As one of the people who has been surrounded by death, let me offer this encouragement today. No words are necessary. In fact sometimes it’s best. Offer your heart. Offer your time. Offer your sincerity. Offer your tears, your hands and most of all your most fervent prayers.

The words of our brother and apostle, Paul, speak a beautiful truth:

“Your faith makes you give your lives as a sacrifice in serving God. Maybe I will have to offer my own life with your sacrifice. But if that happens, I will be glad, and I will share my joy with all of you. “

Phil. 2:17

Filed Under: Christian Life, Death and Dying Tagged With:

The Truth About Prom

April 12, 2013 by 4 Comments

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Chaperons don’t enforce morality; they force immorality to be discreet.  ~Judith Martin

My Facebook feed has been buzzing with response to a timely piece, “But It’s the Prom” by Steve Higginbotham.

So I figured, I might-as-well weigh in with another perspective.

Twenty years ago… oh that makes me feel not so youthful… I was a brand new Christian straight out the world. My first two years of high school were spent immersed in wickedness. My life was full of drunkenness, violence, vulgarity and sexual immortality. I associated with drug dealers and criminals.

Even though I knew better I was trapped. I sunk deeper and deeper into the pit of guilt and shame. I was hurting, broken, hopeless and helpless.

Then I found the Healer.

He picked me up off the ground. He covered me. He spoke life, “Now go and sin no more” (John 8:1-11).

I was rescued. I was redeemed. I was changed. I was also quickly convicted of how much I owed my new Master. My life was now indebted to a cause and to a Man much greater than myself.

He changed my life with these words:

As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
But Jesus replied:

“Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”

He said to another person: 

“Come, follow me.”

The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
But Jesus told him: 

“Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”

Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.”
But Jesus told him: 

“Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

I was now a teenage girl on mission. I unashamedly spoke the same truth that had just saved me. Instead of getting into fights in the hallway I got into bible studies. Instead of cursing, my lips spoke praise. I stumbled but I believed Jesus’ promises to be worth getting back up for.

I was honored to join the ranks of teens who desired to serve God in biblical proportions.

  • Joseph- 17 years old who fled sexual sin
  • Daniel- 15 years old who rejected the delicacies of the King
  • Mary- 14 years old who carried the Savior in her womb

So what’s that have to do with going to the prom?

Well, I’m just about there.

I wasn’t interested in dancing. I was interested in following Jesus. I wasn’t interested in high school drama.  I was interested in preaching the Kingdom of God. I wasn’t interested in loud, worldly music. I was interested in setting my hand to the plow and not looking back.

I didn’t spend my final days of high school planning my outfit for prom. I did spend my last days of high school planning for my first missionary trip to the Philippines.

Even more, with my new-found faith I had no desire to go and watch my friends and classmates drive the nails deeper into the hands of my Lord. I knew what most people would be doing there. There would be girls offering their bodies to boys. There would be girls experimenting with girls and boys with boys. There would be lust. There would be drunkenness. There would be drugs. Their would be filthy talk.

I had no desire to hear filth pour from the hearts. I had no desire to watch their lewd and lustful behavior. I had no desire to keep on participating in the sin that I had so recently been set free from. There are times that I had to be in the world, Prom night was not one of them.

I had enough of sin.

You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols. 1 Pet. 4:3

There is no go-to Bible verse that declares an eternal truth, “Thou shalt not go to the prom.” It’s not carved on a stone tablet some where. Prom doesn’t make the glossary of the New Testament.

 But all the stuff that goes with it does sure does.

Surely you know that people who do wrong will not get to enjoy God’s kingdom. Don’t be fooled. These are the people who will not get to enjoy his kingdom: those who sin sexually, those who worship idols, those who commit adultery, men who let other men use them for sex or who have sex with other men, those who steal, those who are greedy, those who drink too much, those who abuse others with insults, and those who cheat. In the past some of you were like that. But you were washed clean, you were made holy, and you were made right with God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Cor. 6:9-11

Let’s remember this prom season, whether you are a teenage or the parent of one, our kids in Christ have been washed clean and made holy by the blood of Jesus. Let’s honor that as holy and sacred. Let’s not justify sin by saying we can be a good example in the middle of Sodom. Let’s keep our hearts, our hands and our eyes pure before a righteous God who sacrificed a lot to make you his.

Filed Under: Christ-followers & Culture, Christian Life, Kids and Beyond, Parenting Tagged With: ,

Can I Trust the Bible?

April 10, 2013 by 1 Comment
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Hold firmly to the word of life… Phil. 2:16

In American schools we teach the works of Aristotle as authentic. Did you know there are 49 copies of his work in existence today? The closest one dates 1,400 years past his original writing.

How about Homer? His work is mandatory for most high school students in the United States. There are 643 copies of his work dating 500 years after his original work.

The authenticity of the Bible is often under a much different microscope.

Did you know there are 5,686 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament in human hands today? Those manuscripts date just 100 years from the original texts.

God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone… 2 Tim. 2:19

The Bible is actually quite an amazing collection of writings. The word bible comes from the Greek work biblos, which means book of many books. That’s a better description of what the Bible really is. It’s one book that contains many books, 66 to be exact.

Those 66 books were authored on three different continents (Africa, Asia and Europe) by 40 different authors. Those 40 authors penned the books over 1,500 years in 3 languages (Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic). And there are no contradictions within those books.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God… 2 Tim. 3:16

In these diverse writings there is a common theme- the creation and fall of man. God’s redemption of his people and is unfailing love for humanity. Throughout the book, the promise of  salvation is declared to all who obey the word of the Lord.

But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. 1 John 2:5

There are over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament that were fulfilled by Jesus in the New Testament, centuries later. Those prophecies concern his place of birth, mother, home town to his manner of death. MIT conducted a study to determine the odds of one man fulfilling just eight prophecies. You want to take a guess on the odds? 1 in 1 trillion.

The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
    that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently.  Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”  Luke 4:17-21

What about the apostles who wrote the New Testament? Were they reliable witnesses? Did they really believe what they saw to be true? Did you know that most of the apostles were martyred for their beliefs? They were so convicted by what they saw and what they wrote that they were willing to face prison, their own crucifixion and beheading.

After the scriptures were collected and translated into Latin, a period of time came when the common man did not have access to the scripture. Then a radical and fatal restoration of the word took place among the best scholarly men of the day. Beginning with John Wycliffe of Oxford University in the 1380′s to William Tyndale in the early 1500′s, these men risked heresy.  These “heretics” were exiled and burned at the stake to make sure that the Holy Scripture could be accessible and understood in a common language. They did it so I could have a Bible.

The simple fact that nearly everyone who paved the way for the Bible to be in my hands was persecuted or killed for it tells me something very important. Some one doesn’t want me reading it. And the cost to overcome that opposition was the blood of many men.

I trust the Bible with all my heart. I will walk by its statues. I will commit to its way. I will honor its God. And I will face every challenge of my day, knowing there is a Creator who orchestrated a beautiful story of redemption to pass on to me. And my spiritual ancestors believed in that story so deeply they paid the ultimate price to pass that life-giving message on to me. Amazing.

Now, are you too busy to read it?

I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow your laws. Psalm 119:59

Previous posts: We Revere the Bible But We Don’t Read It and Overcoming the Barriers to Bible Study

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