Yesterday I taught a Bible study on one of my favorite passages, Acts 16:6-9. I love this passage so much, because God uses it every time I study it to remind me of a couple of things. This is the story of Paul and his companions trying to take the gospel into western Asia, but the Holy Spirit kept putting obstacles in the way. I wonder about those obstacles . . . it's not like they were going through border checkpoints, but they KNEW that those obstacles came from God.

They finally went to Troas, an artificial harbor, to figure out where to go next. In a vision, Paul was asked by a Macedonian man to come there to "help" him. The word for "help" there was more like an SOS. It was an urgent plea for help. Paul and his companions were "convinced" this was God's leading and they "immediately" left for Macedonia (northeastern Greece today). I love that feeling of urgency and response and obedience and of not looking back, but of only going forward––even into the unknown.

When they arrived in Macedonia, landing in Neopolis, they walked the 10 miles to Philippi because that was the major city in the area. If it had been me, I would have been looking for the "Macedonian Man" who had called us there.

In Philippi, Paul and his companions went to the river outside of town for worship since there was no synagogue in the city. There they met a group of women and sat down to preach. In time, Lydia, already a worshipper of God, accepted Christ and asked to be baptized. 

So why does this passage resonate with me so completely?

Because I've run into so many obstacles in my life when I thought I was doing what God wanted me to do. And yet, each time He has redirected me, he has led me into something I could never have imagined for myself.

Because I tend to see things literally. If I had been with Paul, I would have been tempted to pass over seeing the women as part of what God was calling us to do . . . I would still have been looking for that "Macedonian Man." It's a good reminder to me that my expectations of what God is doing are often wrong.

Lydia not only took Paul and his companions into her home, but her home became the gathering place for believers in Philippi (see Acts 16:40). And it's obvious from Paul's letter to the Philippians that the church there was loving and generous and open to those in the community.

So God's reminder to me, again, is to look at the obstacles in my life to see how He is redirecting me, and to not get so literal in my expectations that I miss what God is leading me to do, to see, to meet.

Have you seen obstacles that were God's way of redirecting you? What have you learned through the process?

Margie Williamson

Community Manager 

I just returned from our annual family reunion camping trip in the north Georgia mountains. We always go to a campground our family found over 45 years ago. There's a sense of history and constancy each time we go back there. This year we had 32 family members with a couple of friends there. We spent time playing cards and Scrabble, eating, catching up, and sitting around a large campfire until we could no longer keep our eyes opened. It was a wonderful four days.

I couldn't help but think about the legacy of family, especially of our faith as a family, as we were all together. In this one small branch of our family tree, we have one full-time minister, one part-time minister, two seminary students, two who are working with international students and feel called to the foreign mission field, a retired pastor, a former seminary professor, at least two deacons, a church administrator, and two firemen. That really just scratches the surface, but it gives you an idea of this legacy of faith that strings us all together, that binds us together, and is strengthened by our shared faith.

There's a sense when we're together that we are brought together by something greater than ourselves––our faith in Christ.

I don't know everything about my ancestors, but I do know about those who are alive today. We have been chiseled into sones which fit perfectly together to represent Christ.

That doesn't mean by the way that we're not competitive, sometimes manipulative, even cranky. It does mean that we  are brought together through our faith in Jesus Christ and are stronger because of that. Isn't that a great picture of the church––God's family of faith?

How do you see that legacy in your family? 

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

Yesterday, I taught on David's escalating sin with Bathsheba. It's one of the better known stories in the Old Testament. I love it when God gives new insight (at least to me) as I study a passage I thought I knew well. I thought I'd share some of the insights from yesterday's study.

I've always read that the whole "affair" started because David was in the wrong place at the wrong time. That it was the spring, "the time when kings go off to war", but he hadn't gone (2 Sam. 11:1). A commentary I read this week pointed out that since Rabbah was under seige, David wasn't due at the battle field yet. He would have been there in time to lead his troops in capturing the city.

When David went out of the roof and spotted Bathsheba taking a bath, he hadn't started out to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was just "up on the roof". But his mistake was that he acted on the lust he had for Bathsheba.

David sent a messenger to find out who she was and discovered her military lineage: Her father Eliam was a member of David's elite troops, her grandfather Ahithophel was one of David's advisors, and her husband Uriah was a high-ranking soldier in David's army. David could have walked away, but he still wanted her.

David sent several messengers to bring her to him. She obviously didn't want to come, but he persisted. He took what he wanted and his sin escalated as he acted upon his desires. Even knowing who she was and that several people now knew what was going on, David allowed his desires to push his actions. He committed adultery.

The sin led to consequences. Bathsheba became pregnant, so David tried to create an elaborate coverup. However, Uriah was an honorable man and didn't play along. In his panic, David's sin escalated again, this time taking the life of another.

It's a common story, isn't it? How many times have we read of someone who did something unthinkable who always says, "I didn't mean for it to go that far." I wonder how many times I have said that to myself about my own actions?

2 Sam. 11:27 records that what David did had "displeased" the Lord. The word in Hebrew means "to tremble or quiver". I get "displeased" with my 7-year-old grandson when he pitches a fit. I've always felt better about using that word than saying the kid is driving me crazy. But I think our English understanding of the word discounts the passionate response God had to David's sin. God loved David. David "had the heart of God." God must have felt deep disappointment and betrayal at watching David's escalating sin. 

David could have walked away at any time and stopped the escalating desires and actions. But he didn't. He kept acting on them until he did what should have been unthinkable.

Eugene Peterson wrote a precious little book in 1987 entitled Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity. In the book, he points out that three pastoral or ministerial acts are so important, so critical, so basic, that these acts determine the shape of everything in our lives. These acts (which he describes as the angles of a triangle)––praying, reading Scriptures, and searching for spiritual direction––are quiet acts that do not call attention to themselves and are often left undone. Each is an act of attention before God. Pray is the act of bring ourselves to attention before God. Reading Scriptures is the act of giving God attention through speech and action. Spiritual direction is the act of giving attention to what God is doing in our lives and in the lives of any persons who happen to be before us at any given time. Picture a triangle. We see the triangle in it's full structure, but the angles are what makes the triangle what it really is.

In a nutshell, these acts keep us focused on God. The more we can focus our attention on Him, the less likely we will be to allow our focus to take us into sin that escalates beyond our control. Peterson's reminder for all of us is that if we work these three angles, the rest of the structure of our lives will be solid. But if the angles are left unattended, our lives can easily become a three-legged stool with a broken leg. We can become total unbalanced, unfocused, and whobbly in our faith.

The final insight from this lesson was that our vulnerability to sin impacts everyone around us . . . not only is the sin against God, but it will hurt our families, our friends, our faith communities. In David's case, it even placed the holy nation of Israel into civil war. What we do matters to God. It's that simple.

S. D. Gordon said, "The greatest thing anyone can do for God or man is pray." Today is our National Day of Prayer. Has there ever been a greater need in our country for the body of Christ to come together to pray for our world, our nation, and our leaders?

If you've not already discovered our sister network, Pray Network, today is a great day to do that. Check it out at http://www.praynetwork.org/ and spend time today praying as a part of this national movement. 

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

Saturday, I attended a family reunion with members of my dad's side of the family. My dad died in 1982 at the age of 55. When his mom died a few years later, we lost contact with that side of the family. It may be something about aging, but the older I get, the more I desire to reconnect with family members from my past. Saturday was one of those days.

Several family members, including my sister, have been doing a lot of research on our ancestral lineage. You know the saying, "Be careful what you seek because you might not like what you find." It came up Saturday that our part of the family tree might not be as we thought. If the research was accurate, it would mean that our grandfather had a different father than what we thought. It would also mean that there was a huge part of my background that was now missing. I began to have an identity crisis, because part of my identity had suddenly put in question.

Now, this is in no way a comment or a criticism of adoption. It just means that everything I thought I knew about myself, and especially my grandfather, was called into question.

It was a tough place to be in, but as always, God used it to remind me of something much more important: My identity and my inheritance is found through Jesus Christ.

The other stuff––my family background, where the family came from, what the family experienced throughout the years––is interesting to discover and helps inform me about why my family has morphed into the body that it is. But, that's all it is: interesting. All that really matters in that I'm a part of the body of Christ, a daughter of the King, and destined to spend eternity in heaven with Him.

By Sunday afternoon, my sister had studied the census of 1900, birth dates, and marriage dates, and determined that we really are a part of that family.

By then, I didn't care near as much. Amazing how God uses even the smallest moments to teach us huge lessons!

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

I fell in love with the game of golf in 1992 when Fred Couples' ball hung up in the hill between the bunker and the water on the par 3 4th at Augusta National. As I remember, he holed the ball from the bank for a birdie and went on to win the tournament. I was amazed. He was even older than I was at the time. I thought if someone that old could do something so amazing, I could learn to play the game. I did and I'll forever be a fan of Couples for being the one who encouraged me, unknowingly, to step out of my comfort zone to learn the game. (He's back. His game looks great and I can't wait to see what he can pull off over the weekend!)

In 1999, I had tickets to a practice round to the Masters for the first time. We followed Payne Stewart and two other greats around the course for most of the front nine. On the par 3 3rd, Payne's ball was in the front, right bunker, probably 10 feet below the elevated green. As he stood in the bunker, trying to jump high enough to even see the green, one of the other golfers, as I remember it was Tom Watson, walked to the edge of the green, looked down on Payne, and said, "$10 says you can't hole that from there." Payne's demeanor changed, he looked the shot over a little more closely, and holed the ball. The crowd went wild, something that doesn't often happen in the practice round, and I was caught up with how these golfers could turn up their games when they wanted. That year, Payne barely made it through the tournament, taking home just over $9,000 in winnings. He went on to win the US Open that year in some of the most amazing golf I can remember and then died in an airplane crash in October. I'm thrilled I got to be there to see Payne in person, and I couldn't help but take away from that year two reminders. One, there's always an opportunity to do your best, even when it doesn't seem to matter, and two, you never know what the future holds for us.

This year, I tuned in to watch my favorites, Phil Mickelson and Fred Couples (you know, the old guys) and fell in love with some young players who set the course on fire––Rory McIlroy, Ricky Fowler, and Jason Day. McIlroy has probably the most beautiful, natural swing I've ever seen. Fowler has discovered the importance of matching his shoes to his belt (day 2 they were bright blue)––what we women refer to as accessorizing correctly. But Jason Day and his caddie Col Swatton most made me think. Swatton was described as Day's "caddie, coach, and life-long friend and mentor." Watching them, I could see the relationship that had developed over the year. One announcer said that Swatton had helped raise Day after his father died.

Coach, caddie, life-long friend and mentor. Can there be any better description of a discipler? As his coach, Swatton has spent untold hours at Day's side, teaching him, refining his moves, encouraging him in the tough times, and celebrating the victories. As his caddie, Swatton walks beside him every step of the way, providing advice, encouragement, keeping him calm, charging him up, investing in him, but carrying his baggage and knowing when to back up and get out of the way when it's time for Day to do his thing. 

Imagine how much of a difference we could make as disciplers if we could invest our knowledge and experience, our time, and our energy to someone who wants nothing more than to learn from us as they join us on the journey of discipleship. Is there anything that feels better or brings more true joy in life than to have that kind of relationship with another believer? I can't imagine what it would be . . . 

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

This is the second part of the discussion on adopting and the theological basis for it:

In your book, you talk about the call to care for orphans going hand in hand with the Great Commission. Tell us a bit about how orphan care is part of God’s call to reach the world.

Paul says that as Christians we are adopted into the family of God. We were once orphans who were estranged and without hope, but God redeemed us and provided for us. When we care for orphans, we are giving a living illustration of the gospel to the world. Very few of the world’s 200 million + fatherless children live in America. Many of them live in places where they are marginalized and forgotten and where a gospel presence is rare. By caring for orphans in these places in particular, we are able to show how Christ transforms.

In your book, you mention some practical ways that church leaders can lead their churches to be more involved in orphan ministry. What are some of those?

I think when we talk about the scope of the orphan crisis in the world; many people are frightened away from action. In reality, some of the simplest ideas for ministry can be the best. We have seen people become involved in our local foster care system by becoming respite care providers. Essentially, they get training so they can babysit for a foster family. Others volunteered to hold a Christmas party for local foster kids and their families. We have a preschool choir who take up shoes and send them with every mission team that travels from our church to be given to an orphanage or local ministry to fatherless kids. We have seen everything from that to the founding of Promise 139, an international orphan hosting ministry. It really runs the gambit.

If someone wanted to preach a sermon or series of sermons on the subject, where would they start? What resources are available?

As I said in my portion of the introduction to Orphanology, when I finally began to study the subject of adoption and ministry to the fatherless in the Scriptures, I was amazed about how much was there. There is a thread throughout the Old Testament of God’s concern for the fatherless that extends from Exodus through Deuteronomy into the Psalms and Proverbs and into the Prophets. God undoubtedly wanted His character as a compassionate redeemer to be put on display in His people to the praise of His glorious grace. In the New Testament, James carries that theme forward with his instruction to care for orphans and widows in their distress. That care is literally to be “pastoral” in nature. We are to shepherd orphans as a pastor would care for his church. In Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians, Paul draws on the theme of adoption as a way of communicating how believers are brought into the family of God. When Christians show compassion in earthly adoption, we give a living illustration of the love that God has for us. Our picture is imperfect but illustrative. All of these would be good places to start for sermon ideas.

As for resources, other than chapters 1 & 3 of Orphanology, which give great places to start with a short practical theology of orphan ministry, I would recommend two books in particular: Fields of the Fatherless by Tom Davis and Adopted for Life by Russell Moore. Both of these book do a great job of dealing with the relevant Old and New Testament passages regarding both care for the fatherless and adoption.

How do you begin an orphan ministry in the local church? Where do you start?

I think our message in Orphanology is most of all just start somewhere. What we have attempted to do is give a host of ideas and examples of ways that ordinary Christians and churches are ministering to orphans. In most cases, churches with well-organized, well-functioning orphan ministries did not start that way all at once. Instead, they began with one ministry and grew from there. At last year’s Christian Alliance for Orphan’s Summit, I had a conversation with Matt Donovan from The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas. They have quite an impressive Foster and Adoption Ministry (FAM). As we were comparing notes, it became obvious that their church and ours began our ministries in two totally separate ways. They began with a strong local connection to domestic adoptions and local foster care. Ours began with a strong tie to international missions and international adoption. They are growing in international ministry, and we are growing connections in our own community. In any case, the main ingredients are God called, passionate people to begin the ministry and a pastor who will champion it. If you have a pastor who buys into the biblical and theological rationale for caring for the fatherless and is willing to make this ministry a part of the core identity of the church’s mission, then it will succeed. If you have a team of people who are willing to take on a project and passionately pursue it for God’s glory, then it will flourish. As more people come to the work with their gifts, talents, and resources, the opportunities to expand your focus will increase.

Your book talks about the concept of an orphan-hosting ministry. Can you tell us about that, and some of the logistics of bringing that about?

That is a difficult question to answer in a short space. Orphanology contains the story of the founding of Promise 139, our orphan-hosting ministry, and I would invite you to look there for a more detailed answer. In short, to host orphans from another country, you must:

1.   Create an organization that will manage the hosting effort. (A board or committee that will be responsible for finances, schedule, child safety, government interaction, legal work, etc.)

2.   Find a country that allows orphans to travel internationally for hosting opportunities that has a reciprocal visa regime with the US that will permit such a visit.

3.   Find an orphanage that will agree to engage in such an exchange program with your organization.

4.   Prepare and submit all of the proper documentation to secure travel permissions and visas.

5.   Secure a host home or other venue for the hosting

6.   Secure funding for the program (travel, food, etc…)

7.   Establish a plan for the hosting program. (Most foreign governments allow children to travel based upon evidence of some cultural exchange and/or health benefit for the children. You must demonstrate in advance how those objectives will be fulfilled.)

8.   Recruit volunteers to interact with the orphan guests. (In our first year, over 200 volunteers participated in our hosting effort.)

This is really just the beginning. Our orphan-hosting program has become a year-round effort that requires the attention of many people. It is a fantastic ministry that has borne much fruit, but it is not easy. I would advocate others replicating this model of ministry, but it is not something to be rushed into unadvisedly. Orphan-hosting takes a team of diverse and committed people who are willing to stay at the task for the long haul.

How can we get this discussion going in our churches?

Margie Williamson

Community Manager 

I've known Dr. Rick Morton as a fellow student (we did much of our Ph.D. studies together) and a fellow colleague from my seminary days. Later, I prayed as he and his wife Denise moved through the process of adopting a child from the Ukraine. Rick and Dr. Tony Merida have written a book that explores the theology of adoption and the Christian response to it. I've been thrilled to work on the study curriculum that NavPress will debut on April 4th that goes with their book, Orphanology. As a part of that, Rick agreed to an interview to introduce the book to our DiscipleshipNetwork members.

As you read this first part of the interview which deals with the social and global issues of adoption, please pray for those who will be reading the book and using the curriculum that God will use this work to help Christians and churches consider how they can respond to this tremendous need.

After you've read it, let me know what you think. How can the church make a difference in the lives of the orphans of the world?

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

What is the problem of orphans in the world? Approximately how many orphans are there around the globe; and if unadopted, how is their life experience, generally?

The statistics regarding the number of orphans in today’s world are staggering. UNICEF estimates that there are between 143 and 210 million orphans worldwide. Most likely, these estimates are low. UNICEF defines an orphan as a child who has lost one or both parents to the death but fails to account for “social orphans” who are abandoned as a result of causes like addiction, poverty, or neglect. The UNICEF figures also fail to account for nations who fail to report their orphan populations such as many Middle Eastern nations.

Only a small fraction of the world’s orphans actually live in orphanages (approximately 10 million). The rest live with extended family or many are relegated to life on the streets. In all, these children are a voiceless mass. They are defenseless, and in most societies, they are seen as no more than a social problem. Most of these children live life without hope of a future that ends well. They are vulnerable to those who would prey on them for profit or those who would try to hurt them or rid society of them as a nuisance. These are the children for whom Robert Raikes began the Sunday School almost two centuries ago. In the forgotten street children who were a social blight to most of the world, Raikes saw value because he recognized that they were created in the image of God and made to know the gospel.

What do many orphans experience going from an orphanage into the wider world. What does life look like for them after the orphanage?

In general, the institutional environment poorly serves children. Research has demonstrated that orphans who graduate from orphanages are more likely to become engaged in antisocial behavior in later life. They are more susceptible to suicide, drugs, and falling into a life of crime. Many of them are vulnerable to falling pray to human trafficking, particularly sex slavery.  While the orphanage may meet the basic needs of a child’s life (food, clothing, and shelter), often the institution fails to nurture and prepare the child to be ready to live independently. In Orphanololgy, we deal with how the church can be involved in changing this trend. We highlight ministries that people and churches can engage that will make a real difference in the lives of institutionalized kids. Certainly, we believe that every child would best be served by having a family, but that is not always possible. In lieu of that, we must actively engage in ministries to orphanages and workers who care for children in orphanages.

What is the tie between orphans and child trafficking?

As I stated earlier, orphans are among the most marginalized and voiceless people on the planet. Often, when they run away, no one goes to find them. When they graduate from the orphanage and go missing, no one notices. They are easy prey for those who would traffic children. Some are abducted to serve as slaves in factories working long hours for little or no pay. Others are lured with the promise of modeling jobs or au pair positions in foreign positions only to discover that they are being taken to become sex slaves. Regardless, they have no one to call for help, so they are defenseless. Approximately 300,000 to 400,000 children are trafficked across international boarders each year, and a significant percentage of them are orphaned children. If the church is to live out James 1;27, we must become active in the war against human trafficking.

I'm back in Europe this week with a group of senior adults from the church. We're cruising down the Rhine River and enjoying visiting the towns an cities along the way.

Yesterday, we were in Cologne, Germany, the site of the largest cathedral in Germany. The cathedral's main claim to fame, however, is the golden shrine that is placed behind the high altar which is supposed to contain the bones of the three wise men who came to visit Jesus. The idea that someone might know where those bones actually are blows my mind. I know from my church history that Helena, the mother of Constantine, spent much of her life looking for relics of faith and documenting holy places in Israel. She's given credit for having located these bones.

Of course, I also read that there were so many relics of the cross sold (tiny slivers of wood), that a ship could have been built from them. 

Everything is not always what is is presented to be.

I can't help but wonder why having claim to those bones matters. It's the reason this cathedral is so large, because they have this claim to the bones of the wise men. The city's crest is of three crowns, representing the three kings. Everywhere I went in the town, I was reminded that they have possession of the bones.

I asked if there had been any testing on the bones to substantiate the claims. The answer was no. They've looked at the bones, and archaeologists believe the bones are from a young adult male, a full-grown male, and an older male. Funny, I don't remember those details in the scripture.

But does it matter? What is it about us as humans that we are constantly searching for tangible proof of the things in which we place our faith? The very idea of faith is to trust in those things we cannot see, touch, or even understand. Yet, in our desire to prove our trust that God sent His Son to us as a babe, we want to hang our trust on things that have withstood time. 

I can't help but wonder if we demonstrate the shallowness of our faith when we look for tangibles to prove what we believe. I think there's a reason that God didn't give us those tangibles -- even an empty tomb! -- so we focus everything we believe on Him.

How would you describe our desire for tangibles to a non-believer? Is it a sign of the weakness of our faith or the strength?

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

Bob and I attended a conference Saturday morning in New Orleans that was designed to raise awareness of the human trafficking problems in the United States. My daughter is involved in this ministry in New Orleans, so I thought I understood the problems of human trafficking through our conversations. Not so! I learned alot in the conference.

1. I learned that women and children (and to a smaller number young boys and men) are being pulled into slavery to drug sellers and sex pushers through intimidation and threats. Some are even sold into slavery by a parent who needs the money or by being orphaned.
2. I learned that human trafficking is real and flourishing in the United States, even though it's seldom given any press.
3. I learned that in almost every case, those who are in the sex industry especially should be seen as victims instead of labeled with names like prostitutes.
4. I learned that most every city in the U.S. has problems with human trafficking.
5. I learned that Christians, sometimes through their churches and sometimes by themselves, are making a difference by educating children, building self-esteem to offset the promises of those who would lie to them, and building relationships with those in the industries to help them know about God's grace.

The movie Amazing Grace tells the story of William Wilberforce, a conservative, evangelical Christian, who used his position in parliament to help bring about the abolition of slavery in 18th century England. I can't help but wonder if this is a time for Christians to step up in numbers to help abolish this form of slavery as well.

Please, tell me what you think. How should we as Christians respond to this treatment of those who can't respond themselves? What's being done in your community to eradicate this form of slavery? Is your church involved? Should the church be involved?

I walked away from that conference with so many questions . . . I would love to hear your thoughts!!

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

One of the things I spend most of my time on is developing curriculum to go with NavPress' LifeChange Series. As a part of that work, I've spent a lot of time reading Matthew Henry's biblical commentary.

Even though a new edition of his work was published in 1997, his original work is over 300 years old. I fell in love with some of the old classical writings in my doctoral work. I especially enjoyed reading books on teaching that dated in the late 18000s and early 1900s. I loved being able to see the passion of those early teachers and how far we as teachers have come.

When I first started reading Henry's older work, I couldn't get past the funny English spelling (seemed like every other word had a "u" in it that had no purpose), the use of "thee" and "thou" and "thy" and the convoluted sentence structures. I mean, he used semi-colons and colons in ways that would never pass an editor these days. The editor is me kept getting hung up on those idiosyncrasies.

And then, I started reading the words for themselves, and making my way through those convoluted sentences, and found instead a passion in those words that began to resonate with me. I found myself nodding with affirmation of a uniquely-turned phrase that captured truth for me in a new way, even though the words were penned three centuries ago. Commentaries today are so academic, and so analytical, that there's little room for passion for Christ in the words. Not so with Matthew Henry. The reader can tell that Henry not only knew what he was talking about, he personally knew the One as well.

Many years ago, a youth worker wrote that the greatest sin youth teachers could commit was convincing teenagers that the Bible is boring through the way they teach. I can't help but believe she would have loved Matthew Henry's take on the Bible. 

Other commentaries give more depth and have the luxury of the work of textural critics and archaeologists to draw upon. But for fun, try Matthew Henry's. 

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

I went through the unimaginable over the past week and a half. My computer hard drive crashed. Luckily, I had backed up everything so I didn't lose much. There are messages and files that were sent to me that never arrived, but everything on my desktop survived.

The bad part for me was just being without my computer. For more than a week, I had: no email, no facebook, no calendar, no address book, and no way to do my work. I was lost. My entire life is now connected with my computer. Without it, I was lost.

That got me thinking (because there wasn't much else I could do!). I have become so attached to my computer as my means for communicating, that I was unable to keep up with most of my relationships without my computer.

Ouch! Shame on me! Isn't that taking the easy way out?

I email and chat on-line with friends and collegues because that's the easiest and most efficient way to keep in touch.

I keep track of Facebook so I'll know how my hundreds of friends are doing, even though I seldom interact with them.

Being without my computer for a week was a good reminder for me that I need to make sure that I intentionally put others first instead of relying on what's easiest and most efficient.

Oops. Sorry!

Margie Williamson

Community Manager 

Yesterday, I attended a funeral for a older gentlemen who passed away suddenly. I barely knew him. He and his wife had recently come to the church and were just beginning to find their places of service. In fact, he had taught a Bible Study class on Sunday, felt bad, and had a stroke on the way to the hospital. He never recovered. I went to the service to support my mom who had taken the death hard.

His service was a celebration.

I cried my eyes out throughout the service.

As always, God used the experience to show me the depth of His love. One of the things that was presented as part of the service was the Andrew Lloyd Webber song, "Love Changes Everything." One line kept resonating for me:  "Love changes everything, how you LIVE and how you DIE." I've been through so many funerals recently that God used the song and the grief to remind me of three things.

First, I cried my eyes out because the service was in the same room that my dad's funeral was in 1982. I haven't been in that room since his service (he was only 55 when he died) and I wasn't expecting the overwhelming grief that I felt for him. It came out of nowhere. I was reminded again the depth of God's love for us. The deep love that we have for a lost parent or child or friend can only make sense when considered through the lens of God's love for us. Because He loves, we can love. Because He loves us deeply, passionately, eternally, we, too, are able to experience that type of love. I love my daddy, and the love doesn't diminish through time. Neither does God's love for us. No wonder heaven will be so full of love.

Second, as I considered how much I could still grieve anew over the death of my dad, I couldn't help but think of the grief the Father felt when He had to watch the agony of humiliation and the pain of death as His Son died on a cross. I know God planned from the beginning of time for His Son to fulfill His promises to us. I don't think the knowing lessened the Father's grief and agony as He watched His Son suffer physically and spiritually as He took on the sins of the world. The more I understand the depth of God's love, the more I realize the depth of the Father's grief during that horrible day when Jesus suffered and died.

Third, I went to the service to support my mom. My mom and step-dad are best friends with the man who died and his wife. They have been best friends for the past 13 years and have traveled extensively together. What I didn't know until the night before the service was that this man's grandsons were members of my youth group when I served as a youth minister. Isn't it amazing when God shows us that as disciples, we're all connected. We're like heavy chain links that are soddered together with the Father's love and the Son's sacrifice into an unbreakable safety chain. We're all connected. Maybe that is the way that we can most feel the love of the Father and the Son and the Spirit.

Love changes everything . . . how we live and how we die.

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

I fell today on the stairs in my house. Unfortunately, that's not really an unusual occurrence. I have had several falls before and I guess they'll continue. Today's seemed different to me.

I was carry a load of sheets downstairs in one hand and a partially filled cup of coffee in the other. One of the sheets dropped out of my grasp and tangled around my foot. With the cup of coffee in one hand and the laundry in the other, I didn't have a chance . . . I missed a step, hit my back on the corner of the wall, and landed on the slate tile below. It hurt. My husband has become amazingly calm with my falls.

You're probably wondering why in the wold I'm sharing the details. It's not because I'm looking for sympathy, but rather because I couldn't help think today about how much my fall is like the Christian life. I was doing the things I needed to do today, but lost my focus. It was only for a second, but that's all it took. And the baggage I carried––in this case the laundry and the coffee––prevented me from stopping what was an inevitable fall.

It's so easy to look out for the big things that can take our eyes off God––those ethical and moral failures that are so big that it's easy to think, "But I'd never fail like that!" It's not as easy to look out for the little things that can creep into our lives––like pride or anger.

I'm battered and a little bruised tonight. I've spent much of the day in my bed taking pain killers to help ease the pain. All because I lost my focus for just a second. Tonight, I pray that God will help me keep my spiritual focus on Him. It only takes a second to lose focus on Him.

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

I've written in the past that 2010 was a tough year for our family. Bob's dad passed away on February 20 after a year long struggle with congestive heart failure. That was tough on the family. But nothing as tough as the death of Bob's youngest sister Jan, who passed away suddenly on January 21st at the age of 52.

Working through the arrangements and the grief and the details was overwhelming. But when I finally stopped and got still for awhile, I couldn't help but think about my own demise one day. Jan had left specific instructions about everything she wanted as a part of her memorial service. I had never thought about those details. But I have now. And there's just a few things that I care about when that time comes:

1.  I pray my death, whenever and however that happens, will glorify God and point to my Redeemer.

2.  I pray that my death will bear witness to how I led my life through the relationships I had, the lives I was able to touch, and the things I was able to do.

3.  I pray that there can be joy in my going, because I know my final destination.

4.  I pray that at that last day for me, only one thing will resonate from my life:  "In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus. . . . When I come to die, give me Jesus."

Blessings.

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

I may be back from Israel but I'm not through chewing over things I heard, saw, and experienced while there. One of those was at an overlook on the south side of Jerusalem, facing the old city and the temple mount. Our guide, Gila, a extremely well-informed, Jew, shared that the Jews believe that it was at that spot on the overlook that Abraham left the donkeys behind and proceeded on foot to climb Mount Moriah with his son Isaac. If you're like me, you've read that passage a hundred times and always struggled with the pain Abraham must have felt as he anticipated the death of his son.

I can imagine some of that pain because I watched my parents go through the death of their first and only son. My brother Lenny was born with Leukemia and a hole in his heart. Back then, either were a death sentence. He lived eleven months to the day, spending most of his time in the hospital. My parents were devastated. It took years for them to come to grips with his loss. I've another friend who's son died suddenly two years ago. They, too, are struggling to move on in his absence.

I don't think we can gloss over the pain that Abraham felt as he and Isaac began that journey. Our guide Gila shared the teaching of a rabbi in Israel who said that Abraham was so full of faith that he knew God would take care of Isaac somehow. Why? Because scripture says that Abraham got up early the next morning to set off for Moriah. For the rabbi, the fact that Abraham arose in the morning was proof that Abraham had slept. Again, for the rabbi, the only way Abraham could sleep that night was by depending on God to make things right.

Sounds great, doesn't it? I thought at the time, "Boy, that'll preach" (or teach in my case). Unfortunately, there's no scriptural evidence that the rabbi's thoughts are accurate. According to several friends who spend time in Hebrew language studies in the Bible, the words used have nothing to do with "sleep." One friend, a biblical scholar, offered the suggestion that maybe the rabbi was basing his comments on oral tradition rather than on biblical facts.

The whole discussion has stayed on my mind since I returned and I can now offer my own interpretation. I can understand the rabbi's teaching––it's easier to accept what Abraham did, actually taking Isaac to the place to be sacrificed, when we can imagine him having been able to sleep because he so trusted God to take the sacrifice away. However, I don't think it's that.

I think Abraham laid away all night, grieving the loss of his son on the next day. I think he rose with a heavy heart early in the morning, knowing that there were things he had to do that weren't going to be easy. I think he made the trip up to Mount Moriah, treasuring ever moment, every second, that he could spend with his beloved son. I think, with all his heart, he wanted not to have to do what he was doing. But he did it anyway. Why? Because God told him to.

There's no doubt in my mind that Abraham acted with complete faith and obedience, even when God's instructions literally ripped his own heart to pieces and made no sense. The point is that Abraham acted. He obeyed. He demonstrated his faith in God. And God honored that.

I've never had to face the pain that Abraham faced, but I've faced difficulties in trying to follow God's will in my life. And in spite of the frustrations or lack of understanding or disappointment, God has honored my obedience. Maybe that's the lesson we can learn from Abraham.

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

We flew back from Tel Aviv on Saturday. I got to my house about 2 pm, took a shower, and was asleep on the sofa in front of the Saints/Sea Hawks game by 3 pm. Believe it or not, I slept until 3 am and then dozed most of Sunday and even slept about 10 hours Sunday night. I knew I was tired, but that was incredible.

I've traveled to Israel before (this was my fifth trip), and I've been blessed enough to have at least that many trips to Greece to visit the sites where Paul preached. I've been to Ephesus and I've been to Rome. In all of those trips, I've never come home so exhausted. Why? I can only come up with a few thoughts (and none of them are based on meing getting too old to travel!).

(1)  Traveling through Israel is different from traveling to any other holy lands. They're all amazing, and seeing them make the Bible come to life in a three-dimensional way. But traveling through Israel is also personal and spiritual and emotional. I can't visit Israel without thinking of how God planned for me before time began, how He sent His Son for me, and how Jesus chose to take on my sin for me because I couldn't. That's emotional, and spiritually, and highly personal. Going to Israel is all about my relationship with Christ.

(2)  Having the opportunity to go more than once allows the experience to become even more personal. In the first trips, I was just so overwhelmed and so amazed to be standing in the places where Jesus walked and preached and ministered, where Abraham walked . . . the Bible came alive for me. But it was so overwhelming, that I couldn't take it all in. This time, though, I had time to think and reflect, to feel and to grieve, to engage and process the totality of what Christ did.

I've heard adults say that they know everything in the Bible and are ready to study other things. I don't get that. We can know the stories, but not "know" in the deepest sense of the word what God is teaching us, what He has in store for us, what He has planned for the end of time.

I'm so grateful that God's given me the opportunity to be in Israel enough to be able to soak up His presence, to be able to dwell in His land, and to be able to continue to learn how to "know" Him. 

If you've never had a chance to go to Israel, I encourage you to put that on the top of your prayer life. The Jews in Israel believe that no one comes there that God didn't bring and that no one leaves there without being changed. From my own experiences, I think they are right.

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

We spent the first night in Israel south of Beersheva and then went north to Galilee for four nights. I love Galilee, both the sea and the area. It's beautiful, it's peaceful, and it's full of amazing spots when Jesus ministered - the place where He preached on the beatitudes, the town of Capernaum where He lived and preached at the synagogue there, Caesarea Philippi where Peter proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, the place traditionally held where Jesus spent time with Peter after His resurrection . . . the list goes on and on. It's easy to be on Galilee and just bask in the surrounding area in which Jesus ministered.

Then, we moved on to Jerusalem and spent the next three nights. Jerusalem is a totally different experience. It's busy and crowded and noisy. There's a tension here that's unlike anywhere I've ever been, and it's both political and religious. You can't move through the different quarters in Jerusalem, the Jewish Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter, without quickly becoming aware of how tenuous peace is here. This week has been especially busy as the city is filled with pilgrims who have come to celebrate the Greek Orthodox Christmas on January 6. It's been chaotic. It's hard to be peaceful in Jerusalem.

That's probably a pretty good picture of what it was like for Jesus and His disciples as well. Their time in Galilee was one of building relationships with each other and learning from Jesus. They had time to walk and talk together, to sit around at night and unpack their days, and learn from Christ.

However, early on, the Bible says that Jesus turned His eyes toward Jerusalem. Once there, He faced the crowds of Passover, the anger of the Pharisees, the frustration with the money changers in the temple, the humiliation at the hands of the Sanhedrin and the soldiers, and finally the ultimate humiliation through His death on the cross . . . as a believer, you can't come to Jerusalem without emotionally experiencing the guilt and sorrow of your role in what Christ did for you.

Galilee and Jerusalem. You can't understand the significance of one without the other, just like you can't understand what Christ did for us without both.

Margie Williamson

Community Manager  

One of the spots in Israel that always moves me emotionally is a place on the shore of Galilee called "The Primacy of Peter." It's the spot that is traditionally held to be where Peter encountered the risen Lord and was given the chance to accept His forgiveness.

On my last trip to Israel, back in 2006, one in our group had felt that God could no longer use him in ministry. I don't know what caused him to feel that way. But he stood on the shore in that place, felt God's forgiveness, and prayed, "Lord, if You can still use me, and if You still want me, I'm ready." God responded with a resounding, "Yes!" And his life was changed, and redirected, when he accepted God's love and forgiveness.

While I don't know what caused this young man to feel that way, I do know what caused the apostle Peter to feel that way. In spite of all his bragging about how much he loved Jesus, he had caved in to fear when he had a chance to speak for Jesus at Caiphas' palace. I can only imagine the agony Peter must have felt. On the other hand, John 21 provides a beautiful picture of Peter leaping off a boat, rushing to shore to meet his Lord, the minute he saw Jesus on that shore after the resurrection.

There are a lot of reasons that this place could be found special. For me, the place is special for one reason:

Because I'm too much like Peter.

Sometimes I'm proud. Sometimes I'm humble. Sometimes, I'm strong in my faith and I stand up proudly for my Lord. Sometimes, I give in to fear and I cower in the background.

Sometimes, I'm way to quick to speak and way to slow to listen. Sometimes, I'm impulsive and impatient. Sometimes, I forget that Jesus called me to demonstrate His love to others.

Sometimes, I deny my Lord . . . either through my actions or my words.

Sometimes, I need another chance to get it right, to be the person God has called me to be as a follower and a disciple of Christ.

I'm glad Jesus showed Peter that he had another chance to get it right. Because in so doing, He showed me the same thing.

I heard a devotion today at that spot in which the speaker declared that Peter's Primacy was in the area of His example to us. I like that, because I can definitely relate to it. 

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

We visited Dan and Caesarea Philippi today, two sites that had seemed unconnected to me until today. But there’s a mighty word from Godthat can be heard in both sites.

Dan is the site of the Canaanite town with the city gate still standing that Abraham would have walked through. As one person in our group announced, "That is crazy good." Dan isalso the site of one of the two temples that Jeroboam built to keep his peoplefrom going to the temple in Jerusalem. The ruins of the temple are still there.However, it’s not a holy site. Not only did Jeroboam build a temple, he createda golden calf for worship (see 1 Kings 12:25-33). Jeroboam tried to take on therole of God by creating his own temples, altars, and even his own worshipfeasts. Those worship feasts, including the dates they were celebrated, hadbeen dictated by God. In response, God allowed the Assyrians to capture the tentribes in northern Israel, including Dan. God tolerates no one trying to assumeHis role.

Caesarea Philippi was a city also in northern Israel that was the headquarters of Philip and a major pagan worship center. Fourteendifferent gods were worshipped there, including the Greek god Pan for which thecity was originally named. It wasn’t even a Jewish city. Today the site has theruins of temples and the remains of what was once a bottomless pit that wasused for pagan sacrifices. The worship of pagan gods by non-Jews could not havebeen more obvious. But it’s at this site that Jesus intentionally used toidentify Himself as the messiah (see Matthew 17:13-20). Interesting that Jesuschose a pagan site to reveal God’s plan, a plan that included Jews andgentiles, you and me.

What a reminder that God is God and will not accept our trying to take His place.

Margie Williamson

Community Manager