Just the List, Ma'am

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.
Psalm 107:1, HCSB

Today I return thanks to Him for these tokens of His affection:

~ability to support a friend at a celebration of her cancer journey

~nothing suspicious found at my annual skin cancer screening

~Allen rearranging bookshelves for a roomier feel in my office/workshop/physical therapy center

~good news that my sister's family is coming to my town for Thanksgiving

~a pot of gift mums from 2007 is flourishing in the garden and in full bloom just now

~birthday roses from 2010 blushing happily in the cooler weather and autumn rain

~ups and downs of strength and pain teaching me to abide in the true vine

~another friend recovering well from major surgery

~good conversation

~God's patience and grace with me

~praying for friends

~no bee population crisis in our garden

~monarchs decreasing but still splendid

This one's for you, Amy. :)

~honeycomb words

~Ebony's gentle complacency with the neighborhood children's eager attention (not the case with our previous dogs)

~peppers and tomatoes which missed the memo that it's November

(still counting gifts, #2168-2183)

By His Wounds...

Yet He Himself bore our sicknesses,
and He carried our pains;
but we in turn regarded Him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.

But He was pierced because of our transgressions,
crushed because of our iniquities;
punishment for our peace was on Him,
and we are healed by His wounds.
Isaiah 53:4-5, HCSB

Monday night, my mom and I attended a Survivor Art Show at the local oncology center. A friend was one of five breast cancer survivors to tell her cancer story through the collage she'd created in the therapy class.

The women amazed me with their courage, resilience, humor, and gratitude. Our friend seized the opportunity to boast about the support she'd received from her church family, several of whom were there. Almost all the women shared about how wonderful their husbands had been through the ordeal. One brought laughter to the crowd through her story of how her son shaved her head when the time came, how he gave her a punk 'do, a clown head, a mohawk, how hard they'd laughed. Another brought tears through her testimony of "3 months to live" stretching out to 6 years, during which her grandson was born.

The last woman to speak was unique. She was the only one without a husband's support, although her family and friends had been wonderful. She was the only one of Jewish descent, which she highlighted in her presentation as she honored her religious community. She was also the only one visibly afraid, having received the news only that week that the cancer had spread to her bones.

When the presentations began, the crowd parted ways to open an impromptu stage in front of the paintings. In the process, I was separated from my friend's team and found myself in the middle of a Middle Eastern family speaking a language I couldn't even identify, let alone understand. We had exchanged smiles and politely shifted about so the right people could see at the right moments.

The fifth woman, the one whose cancer had progressed, had been standing or sitting to my left through all the preceding presentations. When she told her story, my heart went out to her. When she said she was Jewish, I was stunned.

You see, over the preceding week I had heard five different sermons on Jewish evangelism. (I doubt I had ever in my life heard one prior to last week.) That had been the emphasis for missions week at Dallas Seminary, the school we attended and whose chapel podcasts I listen to regularly. It had also been a key component of the Sunday sermon at church.

My mind flashed back through what the Messianic Jewish speakers had said, wishing I'd taken better notes:

• Love your Jewish friends, neighbors, and co-workers. They are people just like you.
• Pray for them.
• Fly the flag of your faith in Jesus the Messiah. Speak openly about your relationship with Him.
• Isaiah 53 is the one chapter in their Scriptures they can't refute.

Love them. Pray for them. My heart had been in my knees, to paraphrase George Herbert, all week for my Jewish doctor and the family of boys I once tutored, for the middle son whose Bar Mitzvah speech I'd edited and celebration I'd attended, for the youngest son who asked me once "why you guys wear that sword around your necks."

In that context, when I discovered myself surrounded by this wounded, loving Jewish family, I felt there was something I must do. "Why did You place me here, Lord? What do You want?"

When the woman, whom I'll call Miriam, returned to her family and they surrounded her with hugs and encouragement, I moved to touch her arm to get her attention. She looked up, surprised.

"Excuse me, please? I'm not Jewish. I'm a Christian, but would it be okay, would you mind if I prayed for you, for what you're going through? God can do what the doctors sometimes can't. I will write your name on my prayer list so I remember. So... would that be okay?"

She beamed, "Of course! Of course that would be all right."

Someone translated, I think, to the mother who had come from Israel and only spoke Hebrew. The friend nodded at me and said, "Nice."

Embarrassed, I made my way through their group and rejoined my friend's team, wondering all the while, was that the right thing to do? Was it enough? I could have just prayed and not said anything. Should I have given her my contact information, or would that have been too much?

The opportunity passed. We celebrated our friend, now cancer-free. The group smiled for the camera, relished the tiny pumpkin tarts from the refreshment table. Mom and I drove home through sheets of rain. I wrote Miriam's name on a sticky note by my List in the kitchen and later on my prayer list. My heart has been in my knees for her since, that God would heal her cancer if that would bring her to know her Messiah, by whose wounds believers are healed in the most important way. If not, I ask that Adonai (Hebrew for "Lord") would sustain her life until she has come to know peace and true life through Jesus, Yeshua, Messiah.

God is able to water the oh-so-tiny seed of this Gentile stranger offering prayers for an ill, frightened Jewish woman. May He cause it to grow and bring forth fruit to His glory.

Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved (Romans 10:1, NIV 1984).

If you would like to learn more about ministries seeking to share the good news of Messiah with Jews around the world, please visit the Web sites of Chosen People Ministries and Jews for Jesus.

Peace of Christ to You

In the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were [gathered together] with the doors locked because of their fear of the Jews. Then Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, "Peace to you!"


Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you!"


He Himself stood among them. He said to them,"Peace to you!"
(John 20:19,21; Luke 24:36, HCSB)


The notes in the study Bible I'm using this year pointed out that the greeting Jesus used in these resurrection appearances to His disciples was probably the same greeting Jews use today: Shalom alekem. This intrigued me, since shalom carries a slightly different weight of meaning than our English "peace."


According to The Nelson Study Bible notes, shalom "conveys the idea of completeness and well-being--of being a perfect whole" (p.682). Wholeness, well-being, completeness... so much more than just absence of conflict and distress (although the semantic range includes those elements, as well)...


Seven hundred years before the nativity of Christ, the prophet Isaiah predicted that Messiah would bring his people this shalom:

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5, NIV1984).

On the night Jesus was betrayed, He promised His followers peace:

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27, NIV1984). 

When He had been crucified and resurrected, He appeared to His frightened, demoralized disciples, and He spoke peace to them. Shalom.

Paul the converted rabbi extends this peace to all who have trusted in Jesus as their sin-bearer:

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand (Romans 5:1-2a, NIV1984).

Peace. Shalom. Wholeness, healing, reconciliation with God through the blood of the Lamb. Such a simple greeting, isn't it? "Peace to you." Yet how much power in that brief prayer. Dear Crumbles, this is my prayer for you on this grey November Monday. Peace to you. The peace of Christ to you. Shalom, friends.


I'm still counting with the community at Ann's, numbering the ways God says He loves me:
~peace in Christ
~finishing this year's reading of the Gospels... not wanting it to end
~Jewish evangelism focus for DTS missions week messages and our Sunday sermon
~Isaiah 53 fulfilled in Yeshua our Messiah
~this Irish-Italian Texan being grafted into Israel's tree
~the beauty of faithful suffering
~Christian witness on the local evening news
~finding surprises to brighten someone's tough week
~receiving a surprise myself, a gift of Indian ghee candy from one of Allen's co-workers I've never even met

~praying for friends and readers
~Disqus comment conversations
~affirming text message and comment just checking to see how I was doing and blessing me
~seeing my sister sing professionally
~the glorious music of Bach
~double date with my parents
~trying to cheer him up, even when it doesn't work
~puppy-dog eyes

~monarch migration

Butterfly photos by A. Moore

~the mallard fathers, so sober in their clerical collars, gathered for morning prayer with their tweed-clad wives

~Gandalf the Grey

~Galadriel (great white heron) in flight
~new birds in the neighborhood

~trees with henna highlights
~Ebony Special Agent Hoover successfully driving the nefarious Dr. Miao's "muscle" out of the yard. Or at least up the fence.

~honeycrisp apples in season

(#2094-2118 on the gratitude list)

Whose Burden?

"I have glorified You on the earth

by completing the work You gave Me to do."

John 17:4, HCSB

When The List becomes a burden and overwhelms (as it will more frequently as the year hastens toward its conclusion), it helps me to pause, to step back, to look up, to evaluate:

Whose burden is this?

These items on the list, these burdens in my pack, are they really God's portion for me for this day? Or have I added them out of my own ambition and proud drivenness to achieve? Or have others' expectations added them to my pack? Or is that pressure I feel the world system trying to squeeze me into its mold? Or am I simply trying to carry the whole week's load at once, as is my wont?

Have I left room for put delight in God and His Word on the list before everything else?

In truth, I'm not very good at this. It's easy to overwhelm myself with good plans and projects that are not my assignment, at least not right now. My ideas almost always exceed my resources.

Today, though, or at least this moment, my pack is lighter for having stopped to discern. Some things are set aside for tomorrow; some, perhaps indefinitely. On another day, the remaining burden may still be too heavy for my shoulders. In either case, in the midst of the day's duties I may rest in the confidence that Jesus is my yokefellow and that God's grace is sufficient, somehow, for the carrying of His appointed load for this day. The impossible can become possible through His strength, and through the attempt He is glorified and my trust grows stronger. When my best efforts fall short, I can rest in His unchanging acceptance and continuing labors while I sleep.

"Therefore don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Matthew 6:34, HCSB

These words from Anselm (1033-1109) humble and encourage me in practicing trust and rest today:

Come now, little man,
turn aside for a while from your daily employment,
escape for a moment from the tumult of your thoughts.
Put aside your weighty cares,
let your burdensome distractions wait,
free yourself awhile for God
and rest awhile in him (quoted in D. Jeffrey Bingham, Pocket History of the Church, 87).

Alternately, here is David's expression of the same invitation:

Rest in God alone, my soul,
for my hope comes from Him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation, 
my stronghold; I will not be shaken (Psalm 62:5-6, HCSB).

Dear friend, may you find the rest Jesus offers today, no matter what you find in your pack and on your list. Busy or quiet, may God fill your heart with His peace and security.

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P.S. My lovely friend Amy is hosting a tea giveaway at her blog in honor of her first blogging anniversary. If you like tea as we of Wits' End do, won't you bless her by stopping by to leave an encouraging comment? If you do so by Sunday at 4 pm (US CST), you might be the one blessed with her generous gift.

Have I Prayed for My Pastor Today?

Brothers, pray for us (1 Thess. 5:25, ESV).

In June, our pastor resigned at the request of the elders. At the teary, angry "family meeting" when the announcement was presented, the chairman of the elder board confessed his sin against the body. He said he let his friendship with the pastor get in the way of his responsibility as elder so that he ignored the issues involved until this was the only remedy. He confessed pride and laziness in his duties as elder to have allowed conflicts to progress so far.

In the pew I confessed my own sin in not taking seriously enough my duty to pray for our elders, pastors, deacons, and staff. Since then they have held a place on my written prayer list and I have lifted them to the Lord more often: alas, not daily, not as often as my family and close friends, but more than I had been.

In addition, I have been praying for the pastor and deacons at my parents' church, which we attended regularly when I was first trying to resume church attendance last fall but not yet ready for the longer drive and service involved at our own usual church. Their warm welcome when we visited and proximity to our home still felt like a bond of sorts. Even though it was not the best fit for our family, I wholeheartedly support their dedication to missions in our city, the nation, and around the world.

Last weekend the senior pastor of that neighborhood church lost his prolonged private battle with bipolar disorder and took his own life. His congregation is still stunned, having had no reason to expect anything wrong. They had recently celebrated the successful completion of an education building and the baptism of 5 converts to Christ from another major world religion.

There has been so much to think through in response to the grievous news, but two matters rise to the top most frequently:

• There but for the grace of God go I. There is no valor in having resisted a temptation I  never faced, so far be it from me to pass judgment on this man who was suffering intense personal anguish. It is God's mercy and not our own virtue which has kept suicide out of my own family to this point.
• Even my repentance needs repenting of. Even my renewed prayers for the pastors closest to me mainly addressed their church office. I was praying for their faithfulness to the Gospel, their financial and ethical integrity, and God's guidance in their shepherding of their churches, all of which are good and needful prayers. My prayers, however, had neglected to consider them as persons. Pastors share all the struggles we face, in addition to the burden of their responsibility to us, in addition to intensified spiritual attack in many cases. The enemy of Christ's church knows that if he strikes the shepherd, the sheep may scatter.

Today is the last day of October, which someone has designated Pastor Appreciation Month. By all means, let us send notes, gifts, and gift cards. Our pastors need encouragement and special surprises just as we all do. Most of all, though, let us pray for them and renew our commitment to do so not only this month but continually. Let us pray for their faithfulness in the stewardship God has given them; let us also pray for them as our brothers in Christ, asking the same sorts of things that we do for our friends and family (which they are). Let us first and foremost pray that they would experience for themselves the boundless grace and love of God which they proclaim to others.

Recommended Resources: 31 Days of Praying for Your Pastor, from Revive Our Hearts

                                               Praying for Your Pastor, from solidfoodmedia.com blog

If you or someone you love is struggling with depression or severe mood swings, please seek professional medical help or tell someone who can help you to the help you need. If you are actively considering doing yourself harm, I urge you please to call 911 or your local emergency number. There is no shame in seeking help; Jesus welcomes all of us just as we are.

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Quietly lifting heart and hands in thanks to the unchanging Father of lights, whose ways transcend our understanding--

For faithful pastors who serve a single congregation for decades,

For God's work through mortal men continuing even beyond their earthly lives,

For Christian love and community that withstands sin, death, and grief,

For God's grace, bigger than each and every sin, even mine,

For God's ability to use even the worst, hardest eucharisteos for good,

For the unity of the invisible body of Christ,
For the steadfast government of the Chief Shepherd of the church,

For promises of comfort to all who mourn,

For promises that the Lord will wipe away every tear from our eyes one day,

For wisdom available to us in our various needs of guidance,

For sunshine and showers all jumbled together in a week,

For yarn running out before the pattern does,

For working Saturdays,

For muddy paws (again) and cat patrol,

For stabilizing pain and better sleep,

For opportunity to celebrate with a friend how God has worked through her year with breast cancer, for her courage in not waiting until the battle is over to praise

(from the gratitude journal, still counting, #2017-2032)