Author: Betsy

The Gentle Whisper

Posted on by Betsy

The Outer Banks has been battered by winds and storms in the last few months. You may have seen news reports that fifteen houses (as of this writing) have fallen into the sea in Buxton and Rodanthe. Here in Colington, we were battered and blown about by strong gale force winds. I was certain that the house was going to blow down. Winds that were the force of hurricane gusts brought an impressive cold front to the Outer Banks, and the windows rattled, the screens tore, and my house swayed. This three-story house was swaying in the wind so hard that it woke me up from a dead sleep. Winds are not uncommon on our little island on the edge of the continent, but this was a doozy. There is something both unsettling and reassuring when we are confronted with the power and force of a true “act of God” of Old Testament proportions. We can do nothing but listen to its howl and wait for it to subside on its own accord.

In the book of 1 Kings, Elijah fled for his life with Jezebel on his heels. He ran to the safety of a cave and had a one-on-one with God, complaining that he is the only righteous man left in Israel, and now they were about to kill him. He was instructed by an angel of the Lord to climb the same mountain where Moses received the commandments and wait.

God sent a great and strong wind to assault the mountain, but he himself was not in the wind. Then an earthquake followed, but he was not in the earthquake. Finally, a fire raged through, but still no God. When the ruckus was over, God chose then to speak to Elijah in a still, small, thin, and quiet voice:

1 Kings 19 (NIV)

11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.

And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

After the power display, God told Elijah that it was time to get back to work. Elijah received his marching orders, was given a helper, and sent back into the trenches. His mission was to bring Israel back to the Lord.

I often wonder if I am missing God in the loudness that surrounds me.

I wonder if we miss our own marching orders because we are so focused on the wind, the earthquake, and the fire that we don’t stand still long enough to tune our ear to the whisper. So much to do! We are so overwhelmed with busyness! I’m WAAY too busy to sit quietly and listen! The winds of our jobs, the earthquakes of family responsibilities, and the fire of maintaining our day-to-day lives keep us from hearing the still, small voice that offers the solution.

Woe unto us if we continue living in the cacophony. God is patiently waiting us out. He will not shout over the noise we have surrounded ourselves with, but rather will wait until we are ready to tune our busy noise out so we can tune his quiet love in.

Take heed. As Thanksgiving and Advent approach, it is going to get louder. Busy upon busy, we will frantically run around preparing to celebrate the … what? Oh, yes, the birth of the Savior, who was quietly laid in a humble manger with only the sounds of the soft-spoken cow and the peacefully snoring donkey providing background noise. Christ is the focus, so don’t get caught up in lights and tinsel and all the rest of the noise so much that you miss the moment.

God with us, Emmanuel. Be quiet! And listen.

Just Listen

All Hallows

Posted on by Betsy

The history of Halloween is interesting. It began as a Celtic practice called Samhain, which was held at the end of the harvest season, when late fall turns into frozen winter and the death of all the earth’s growing things was imminent. The Celts believed that on the day of Samhain, the veil between the living and the dead was lifted, and the dead came back and walked the earth. So the people dressed in costumes and lit bonfires to confuse the ghosts and ward off the evil spirits and the walking dead among them. Samhain was held on October 31st.

All Saints’ Day, a festival for remembering the saints, was set by Pope Gregory III on November 1st in order to co-opt this pagan tradition and connect it to a Christian practice. Samhain thus became known as All Hallows’ Eve, which we now call Halloween. In many ways, the two traditions are related. All Saints’ Day recognizes the work of the faithful who have died in the previous year and have gone on to experience God’s glorious eternity. Samhain was a day when people actively defied death, laughing at the very notion of it.

As it should be.

Nobody wants to die. We are designed by God to seek life, preserve life, protect life, and frankly, we spend most of our days trying to make the best of this life that we’ve been given. So while we don’t look forward to dying, we also can live our lives as those who are prepared to die, because living or dying, our life is with the Lord. God designed us for life, but death is a part of God’s design as well. Because of the resurrection of Jesus and his promise to take us to the place where he went upon his death, we can live in such a way that, while we don’t seek death, we don’t dread it either. We can laugh at death on All Hallow’s Eve, because in the end, death has no lasting power over us:

1 Corinthians 15 (The Message)

51-57 But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I’ll probably never fully understand. We’re not all going to die—but we are all going to be changed. You hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet, and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes—it’s over. On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death, never to die again.

At the same moment and in the same way, we’ll all be changed. In the resurrection scheme of things, this has to happen: everything perishable taken off the shelves and replaced by the imperishable, this mortal replaced by the immortal. Then the saying will come true:

Death swallowed by triumphant Life!

Who got the last word, oh, Death?

Oh, Death, who’s afraid of you now?

I know a man who was not afraid of death, despite his ongoing battle with brain cancer. He sought treatments, had surgery, and received miracles of love, healing, and friendships from the Lord. A new tumor had stabilized, and the original tumor bed has another tumor growing in it. This would be dealt with through prayer, positivity, medical treatments, and the power of God. In the meantime, guess what this man did when he received that diagnosis? He offered to lead a men’s Bible study and support group. That, my friends, is laughing at death. Who gets the last word? Jesus. Always Jesus.

We ain’t afraid of no ghosts.

58 With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.

Don’t hold back! Death has no sting.

.We Ain’t Skeered

Stuff Happens

Posted on by Betsy

Stuff happens. Then more stuff happens. And before you know it, stuff has taken over, and you find yourself spending much more time than is reasonable just managing your stuff.

Our family has just enjoyed a week camping together. We started with two of us, added three more, then added two, then added five more. By the time the last ones had arrived, it became a challenge to find places to put everyone’s stuff. We managed it well, but it was tight at times!

Stuff is the biggest challenge for folks who make the crazy decision to move into a tiny house. Made popular by HGTV, tiny houses are a fascinating (if wholly unrealistic!) trend for folks desiring a more simple and uncomplicated life.

Tiny houses range from 300-500 square feet. Think of that: you need to cram a kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, living room, storage space, and an eating table in less than 500 square feet. And then….where do you put your STUFF?

What do you really need? If you could pare your life down to the essentials, what would remain? Imagine you had to move into a 300 square foot tiny house: what would you keep, and what would you throw away?

The early church found out. They actually sold all their things so that they could support one another and live together in community, where everyone had what they needed and nobody had too much:

Acts 2:45-47 Common English Bible (CEB)

45 They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them. 46 Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity.

47 They praised God and demonstrated God’s goodness to everyone. The Lord added daily to the community those who were being saved.

They shared, with gladness and SIMPLICITY.

Do you ever wish for a more simple life? Is life too complicated? Have you lost sight of the simple delights God has provided? What does the Lord desire for you…more stuff, or more simplicity?

I believe we are all called to simplicity. Removing anything that distracts us from our calling as disciples enables us to experience a certain level of godliness that comes with simple contentment. Paring down to the essentials of what is necessary is a pathway to holiness.

And you might even fit it all in a tiny house, with room left over.

1 Timothy 6 (NIV)

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

Tiny on!

Pray for the Children

Posted on by Betsy

Back when I was a very young mother, a church matriarch named Betty Brown gave me some of the best advice I have ever received. We were attending a program on prayer and she leaned over to me and said, “Betsy, do you pray for your children?” I had a two-year old at the time and was eight months pregnant with the second one. “Yes, I do. Every day,” I responded. “What do you pray FOR?” she asked. “Well I pray mostly for their health and their safety,” I responded.

She looked at me sideways and said, “You should be praying for their college roommates and their husbands.” My mind went “Whaaaaat?”

“Think about it. Who in their lives will have influence over them when they leave home? College roommates and spouses will have a direct effect on their happiness long after your influence is over.” Well, heck. That was just so sad, somewhat devastating … and true.

So from that day forward, I added those two things to my daily prayer list. And lo and behold, each girl had wonderful college roommates who are still close friends to this day, and boy, oh BOY did we hit the husband lottery! Twice! I thank God every day for these wonderful young men who indeed have a much greater influence on their happiness than I do. They truly are God-sends.

God answered my prayer, and the wonderful matriarch who suggested this taught me a valuable lesson … pray for your children and for future things.

In fact, I believe we should pray for all the children. Yours, your friends, the kids on the block, the ones in the church, the vulnerable ones all over our country, the broken ones crying at our border…all of them.

I still pray for my “children,” even though they are grown up ladies with children of their own. They will always need Mama’s prayers. And I pray for their children, the children in my village, and beyond. It is a blessing and a privilege to be able to pray for all of God’s children.

Colossians 4

2 Be persistent and devoted to prayer, being alert and focused in your prayer life with an attitude of thanksgiving.

So to the young mamas and papas out there, get down on your knees tonight and start praying for all the future boyfriends, girlfriends, roommates, co-workers, bosses, teachers…all the people who shape and form your children as they grow into adulthood.

Be persistent. Be devoted to praying for them and their little friends. Be alert to what God reveals to you as you pray. And focus your petitions with gratitude that you have a God who listens and answers.

And for the rest of us, let us join in by praying for the children around us and the children far away. May God hear our hearts as we bow in love and hope for their future. As Jesus said, “Let the little children come unto me, and do not hinder them.” May the Kingdom of God be truly theirs.

Lord, in your mercy

Worry Warts

Posted on by Betsy

Did you know that over 40 million people a year struggle with some type of anxiety disorder? From Generalized Anxiety Disorder to PTSD, there are many types of anxiety disorders, and it is the most common mental illness. And for the most part, it is treatable.

While most of us probably don’t fit in to an anxiety disorder category, it can be said of all of us that we worry. And some of us worry too much. Worrying is both a symptom and a catalyst for anxiety and can absolutely overwhelm you to the point of paralysis. When we worry, our joy is stolen, our peace is non-existent, and our well-being suffers, along with those around us.

The root cause of much of our anxious worrying is fear. When we are afraid of something, we turn that fear into negative thoughts and run through multiple scenarios of what could go wrong. And there are so many things that we fear! 

Rejection

Failure

Abandonment

Exposure

Being manipulated

Losing someone or something precious

Losing control

Accidents

Not getting things finished

Being hurt in a relationship

And on, and on, and on.

Did you know that God does not give us fear? Nope. Fear is not from God. We manage that all on our own.

2 Timothy 17 (Modern English Version)

7 For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and self-control.

I think a clue for how to battle worry is found in what God does give us. Instead of fear, he gives us power. His power is available to us to help us in our problem-solving. Instead of fear, he gives us love, the strongest emotion a human can give or receive. There is strength for the battle in love. And perhaps most importantly, he gives us self-control, so that when worrying begins to overtake us, we can clang shut that nonsense and focus on things that are going right and the many places we have been blessed.

Power, love, and self-control. Next time you find yourself starting to worry, remember that you have these weapons in your battle bag. God is your strength and your shield.

No Worries Here by Michelle Robertson

The Confessional

Posted on by Betsy

How many of you insist on trying to carry every single grocery bag from your car to your kitchen in one trip? I don’t know why we do this. I seem to think that it it somehow against the law to make multiple trips up and down the stairs, so I slide the handles of every single bag down my arms and stagger up 13 steps to deposit them on the kitchen counters and then collapse. Do you do that, too?

It is hard to carry heavy things. Isn’t it lovely when you find a way to set them down?

David knew all about carrying heavy things. His many sins weighed heavily upon him. If you run a checklist of the Ten Commandments, he broke almost every one. But David also knew the joy that comes with forgiveness after you lay that heavy sin at God’s feet and repent:

Psalm 37 (New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition)

Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,
    whose sin is covered.
2 Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity
    and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3 While I kept silent, my body wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
    my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

I have admired the sacredness and promise of the confessional booth. While protestants do not follow a practice of confessing sins to a priest, the visual example of that ornate box while sitting in a worship service must bring comfort to Catholics during mass. It is a visible, tangible reminder of the nearness of God’s grace, and that every single confession is guaranteed to be received with forgiveness.

All you have to do is come.

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
    and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
    and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

6 Therefore let all who are faithful
    offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters
    shall not reach them.

God is our hiding place, where we can take our sins into the sacredness of his presence and be assured of redemption. God hears us when we confess and delivers us from the harm that sin brings.

7 You are a hiding place for me;
    you preserve me from trouble;
    you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah

Are you carrying a burden of sin that is just too heavy to keep lugging around? The “confessional booth” of God’s heart is always open. Just come.

Hyde Park, London

A Great Idea

Posted on by Betsy

A new reader of my devotionals sent me a message saying he had a great idea: He thought I should publish a book of my devotionals. This exchange made me realize that I do not do a very good job of making my four books available to people who read my daily devotionals! As Christmas is on the horizon, I thought I would do a little humble self-promotion today and offer links for my books, in case you are looking for Christmas present ideas. You’ll see the first one is a book of Advent devotionals, so you may want to pick one up for yourself. Advent begins on November 30th this year.

ADVENTuring to the Manger is a book of 25 devotionals to help you get ready for Christmas. Together we journey to that miraculous time when dirty shepherds, regal wiseman, vibrant angels, and a humble, tired couple stood around a feed trough and worshipped a tiny baby who was God incarnate. It’s the best way to get ready for Christmas and it doesn’t involve shopping or baking.

Psalms by the Sea is a collection of 30 devotionals on the Psalms. In ancient times, the people of God found catharsis and release by singing songs of joy, pain, hope, lament, sorrow, celebration, tragedy, and fear. We can face these uncertain times the same way by studying the Psalms.

ReLENTless Devotion Spend the days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday diving deeper into your relationship with God through reflection, renewal, and re-examination. These 40 devotionals explore the Messianic prophecies, the poetic voices of the Psalms, the Gospel writers’ first-hand accounts, and Jesus’ own words. This book can be a part of practicing the Lenten disciplines of study, meditation, prayer, service, self-examination, repentance, fasting, and worship.

Mourning Break Co-written with my dear friend Lisa Mahaffey, this book tells the stories of people’s encounters with grief and provides understanding from a Biblical perspective about where God is active in those moments. Grief is a journey we all must take and there are no shortcuts or U-turns as we experience shock, regret, denial, anger, etc. This book can be the perfect gift in lieu of flowers when someone has just lost a loved one.

Each book is under $14.00, making them affordable. I hope you take a look and see if you or someone you love might benefit from them. Thank you for reading and thank you Bill for this great idea!

World Famous Broccoli

Posted on by Betsy

For some reason, my five-year-old grandson is in love with my broccoli. Like most five-year-olds, he can be a little picky when it comes to food, so I am delighted that we found something he likes. And it is akin to a fabulous Julia Child recipe: steam fresh broccoli in the microwave, add butter and salt. Voila! Bon Appetit!

We had all six grandchildren together last week and I served the aforementioned broccoli. Layne excitedly declared, “GUYS! We’re having Nana’s World Famous Broccoli!” He needs to be an Influencer when he grows up. They devoured it like it was Boeuf Bourguignon made by the French Chef herself.

This is a demonstration of the power of a positive word. Not only does he make me feel good, he convinces his peers to eat something healthy. Positive words can go a long way in changing the atmosphere for the better.

Paul knew a thing or two about the power of words. With his words he was able to build the church, convert pagans and Jews, and establish the Gospel across the known word. He also understood how effective words of affirmation could be:

Ephesians 4 (New Revised Standard Version)

29 Let no evil talk come out of your mouths but only what is good for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. 

Paul wrote these words while he was in prison in Rome. He took that time to think deeply about matters of faith. Ephesians is said to be some of his best theology. Rather than addressing specific situations in specific churches, he let the Holy Spirit guide him through a deeper understanding of Christ’s death and resurrection, particularly focusing on grace.

Do you give grace with your words to others, or do condemnation and judgment flow out of your mouth? Do people hear the echoes of Jesus in your conversations, or do you sound like everybody else on the street?

Let’s end by looking at the entire passage, which gives new rules for our new lives:

25 So then, putting away falsehood, let each of you speak the truth with your neighbor, for we are members of one another. 26 Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not make room for the devil. 28 Those who steal must give up stealing; rather, let them labor, doing good work with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. 29 Let no evil talk come out of your mouths but only what is good for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption.31 Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

Today’s challenge: Be kind.

Ephesus

Ingratitude

Posted on by Betsy

Few things in life bother me more than ingratitude. It boggles my mind when someone extends themself with generosity and thoughtfulness only to be met with silence or worse, to be taken for granted. When I receive any expression of gratitude it means the world to me. A text, a well written thank you note, a gift card to a favorite restaurant … I have been the grateful recipient of other people’s gratitude, and it encourages me and makes me happy to know that my effort was acknowledged. I met recently with a young woman for pastoral counseling and was delighted to receive a handwritten card from her a few weeks later. That meant my time with her was appreciated, and that brought me joy.

On the other hand, I once drove five hours to officiate a funeral and did not receive any thanks in any form, not even from the funeral home that surely was handsomely paid for their services. The funeral director knew how far I had to travel, yet even my gas was not reimbursed. My time spent writing the sermon and planning the service, coordinating with the musician, organizing the bulletin, in addition to the long day, was met with ingratitude. I hope, at least, the Lord was pleased with my effort.

Jesus felt this frustration, too. In our passage from Luke, he extended himself to ten lepers and healed them. Watch what happens next:

Luke 17 (Common English Bible)

11 On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten men with skin diseases approached him. Keeping their distance from him, 13 they raised their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, show us mercy!”

14 When Jesus saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” As they left, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw that he had been healed, returned and praised God with a loud voice. 16 He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus replied, “Weren’t ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 No one returned to praise God except this foreigner?” 19 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

Ten were healed. One gave thanks. And he was a Samaritan, the sworn enemies of Jews like Jesus, making this all the more profound.

This story is a great reminder to us that giving thanks is part of our faith. Giving praise is part of our faith. Acknowledging and appreciating all that God has done for us is part of our faith! You may be familiar with the “ACTS” of prayer: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. Thanksgiving is woven into the very fabric of our relationship with God.

Lest the Lord think we all take him and his wonderful blessings for granted, may we pause right now to fall at Jesus’ feet like a healed leper and give thanks.

Étretat, France

Kingdom Come

Posted on by Betsy

When do your Christmas decorations go up? I feel as though people decorate earlier and earlier. In the past, it seemed as though decorations started to appear the weekend after Thanksgiving, beginning with outdoor decorations. A tree might go up somewhere around the middle of December, especially if you use a live tree with a short shelf life. There is nothing worse than having your tree die before Christmas!

But lately it seems that Christmas immediately follows Halloween. Take a look around your neighborhoods and see if that is true where you live. Perhaps it is an economy of effort, as you might as well take advantage of ladders and steps tools already being out for the removal of Halloween decor. And nothing ages faster than Halloween decor in November.

Advent will begin on the Sunday after Thanksgiving this year, in November. It seems as though even the lectionary calendar is rushing us toward Christmas.

But while we are still in October, let us dwell in the moment of realization that a messiah was needed before we get to the manger. Isaiah is probably my favorite book in the Old Testament, and this passage resonates with the hope and heartache of a nation in diaspora who longed for a messiah to come in order to be delivered:

Isaiah 11 (Common English Bible)

A shoot will grow up from the stump of Jesse;
    a branch will sprout from his roots.
2 The Lord’s spirit will rest upon him,
    a spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    a spirit of planning and strength,
    a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.
3 He will delight in fearing the Lord.
He won’t judge by appearances,
    nor decide by hearsay.
4 He will judge the needy with righteousness,
    and decide with equity for those who suffer in the land.
He will strike the violent with the rod of his mouth;
    by the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be the belt around his hips,
    and faithfulness the belt around his waist.

The humble nature of this messiah is proclaimed right off the bat. By stating that this “shoot” will spring from Jesse and not David reminds us of the humility of the messiah yet to come. David was a king, and Jesse was a plain farmer and shepherd. While both are part of the messiah’s lineage, to name Jesse as the stump is to indicate that this savior would not appear as royalty. Amazing!

6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
    and the leopard will lie down with the young goat;
    the calf and the young lion will feed[c] together,
    and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow and the bear will graze.
    Their young will lie down together,
    and a lion will eat straw like an ox.
8 A nursing child will play over the snake’s hole;
    toddlers will reach right over the serpent’s den.
9 They won’t harm or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain.
    The earth will surely be filled with the knowledge of the Lord,
    just as the water covers the sea.

Good news for the vegans! This seems to indicate a return to the beginning of creation, when all creatures lived in harmony and there were no carnivores on the earth. It wasn’t until Genesis 9: 2-3 that humans were given dominion over the earth’s creatures and meat was added to their diet. When the messiah comes to reign, even the lion will eat straw and the children will be safe around snakes.

10 On that day, the root of Jesse will stand as a signal to the peoples. The nations will seek him out, and his dwelling will be glorious.

“On that day.” We already know the end of this story as it bore fruition with the birth of Christ. We now anticipate Christ’s second coming, which will fulfill all the promises of peace and harmony that the world today so desperately needs. Let’s not jump ahead too quickly but allow the seasons to unfold slowly as we wait. Jesus is coming! Let us take time to get ready.

Harvest Moon at Sunrise by Stacy Murphy