I Promise, I’ll Come Back!
When I was a little girl, Dad often worked away from home. Sometimes he’d be gone for weeks at a time, but not once did we ever worry that he might not come home. We knew he’d come home because he told us he would.
Raising the Roof!
Brian took me to my very first NBA game on Saturday to see the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. 
Wow! It was an amazing experience.
The arena was decorated with banners and championship trophies all dedicated to the victories and glory of the Bulls! 
Cheering fans raise the roof here!
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Doors, Drawers and Disrespect
There are 37 cabinet doors, and 24 drawers in my kitchen. You need to know this.
You see, a while back as I was taking my vitamins Brian walked into the kitchen, closed the cabinet door where we keep the vitamins and said, “You always leave the cabinet doors open.” Then he walked out.
What?!?! Are you kidding me?! I never leave the cabinet doors open! And I was going to close this one as soon as I swallowed that vitamin!! How could he say that?
Well, on that Sunday morning things changed! I opened every door and drawer as far as possible, then I walked out of the house, got in the car with Brian and left to go to church. Angry.
On the way to church, I realized it was the first Sunday of the month. We would be celebrating communion. And I was angry. Almost immediately, the Lord brought to mind 1 Corinthians 11:27-28 “So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.”
Drat. My heart was not clean. It was full of anger. I prayed, silently, “Lord, I’m sorry I got angry.”
There, now my heart was right. I confessed my anger. I was ‘good to go’. I could participate in the Lord’s Supper with a clean heart. Wrong. In my heart I knew I needed to apologize to Brian.
Instead, I argued with God, “Lord, he said something that made me mad. I shouldn’t have to apologize to him for getting angry. Besides, he doesn’t even know I’m angry!”
The Lord didn’t buy my defense. Maybe my initial ‘prayer of confession’ wasn’t quite genuine. Or maybe if I didn’t ‘come clean’ with Brian, I would secretly nurse the anger, and let a root of bitterness get started.
So, I apologized to Brian, who had no idea what I was talking about, and he said everything was OK.
Whew! Now, all was good, I could take communion with a clean conscience.
We walked into church, we sang, I was worshiping my Precious God, and then he brought to mind Matthew 5:23-24 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”
What??? Did I have to tell Brian about the doors and drawers? Nope. No way. Not gonna happen. Besides, I thought, he was wrong! I don’t leave the doors open. I always close them. And, it’s not a sin to leave them open, even if I did… which I did that morning.
The pastor prayed and passed the elements. My heart was not clean. I had deliberately opened those drawers and doors just so that Brian would be angry when he got home and saw them.
I jotted on the bulletin, “I opened every cabinet door and drawer in the kitchen and left them open. I’m sorry,” and handed it to Brian. Did he just stifle a laugh????
When the bread and cup were handed to me I received both, and thanked my precious Savior for shedding his blood on the cross so that my sins were forgiven. All of them. Anger. Self-righteousness. Disrespecting Brian. Disrespecting the Lord. Bitterness. You name it.
As soon as we got home, I closed every drawer and door in the kitchen before Brian saw them… because, after all, I never leave them open!
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Beyond the Dash
Wednesday was my dad’s birthday. October 30, 1934 – June 14, 2013
His arrival date – dash – his departure date.
It is said we live our lives in the dash. Dad lived almost 80 years worth of life in the dash. There was joy and happiness, pain and sorrow, frustration and fear, love and laughter. Lots of laughter. There was misunderstanding and error, sin and forgiveness.
The Bible says a man’s life is like a breath of air – that puff that lingers on a cold morning – and then it’s gone. I think God tells us this, not so much that we will make all we can of this short time, but so that we will understand and grasp the reality of eternity.
This life is short; but only in light of eternity. We will all live for eternity. The choice we have is: where? Heaven or hell.
There is only one way to heaven: You must accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ who is, was, and always will be God. Jesus left heaven, as God, and came to earth in obedience, to die on a cross (as God, he is immortal- he was/is eternal, always existing) for the forgiveness of sin. When he died, he carried your sin on his shoulders.
It’s sort of like a ‘balance sheet’. On one side is your sin. On the other is Christ’s righteousness. The books must balance. You cannot pay off your sin. Jesus paid it all. All. Every bit. He died in your place. He paid your penalty. And, therefore, God transfers Christ’s perfect righteousness to your column, and your sin to Christ’s column,
When you accept Jesus’ sacrifice on your behalf you receive his righteousness. You stand before God, justified. God is judge and he, in that moment, judges you fit for his perfect heaven. Then, nothing can separate you from his love. Nothing. Not even your own self, and your sinful actions. Your sin has been removed. And your sinful actions have been forgiven.
When Jesus is your Savior, He must also be your Lord. You commit, in gratitude, to get out of the driver’s seat of your life and let him take over.
One of the last things dad said to me the Saturday before he left was, “If I survive this, my house will be a beacon of light for Jesus!” He meant it! Dad was, and is, saved. He bore spiritual fruit. He reconciled with God and with people.
There were a lot of things ‘in the dash’ that may be hard to understand, or even reconcile — but God knew dad’s true heart. And, in dad’s true heart, he loved Jesus. He had the Holy Spirit living in him. Dad told me once that he pushed the Spirit down for a lot of years — and one can only do that if one knows what he is doing. But, in the end, dad let the Holy Spirit have free reign.
Dad is living beyond the dash. Dad is alive. Dad is singing praises. He is free. He is able to be the child he never could be in this life… he is God’s adopted son. He is co-heirs with Jesus. He is alive.
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The Pillow Fiasco
This afternoon I boxed up my most recent new pillow. It was supposed to be the perfect pillow. I’m returning it. It’s not perfect. This is the fourth pillow I’ve returned in four weeks. Tonight, I’ll be fighting my old pillow again.
Why is it so difficult to find a good pillow? I’m not that picky; I just want one that’s not too firm, not too soft, not squishy, and not crunchy. My current pillow started making crunching sounds a few weeks ago. Trust me, that is not good for sleeping through the night.
I just want to be comfortable. I want to sink my head down into the perfect pillow at the end of the day, and sleep all night without having to flip or squeeze the pillow into shape. Is that too much to ask?
When we stop to think about it, it’s amazing how often we use comfort to make decisions in life. We buy clothes based on comfort. We place our sofas where we’re most comfortable watching TV. We choose friends based on who we’re most comfortable to be around. We go to restaurants where we feel the most comfortable. We avoid people, things, places and situations where we feel uncomfortable.
This morning during my quiet time, I read in Luke 9:57-58, “Someone said to Jesus, ‘I will follow you no matter where you go.’ But Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I the Son of Man, have no home of my own, not even a place to lay my head.’” I wonder if that person followed Jesus. Or did that sound too uncomfortable? Even today, we decide where, when, and how to serve the Lord Jesus based on our comfort.
Would you follow Jesus if you knew it meant being uncomfortable? The disciples did. They left everything. They didn’t know where their next meal was coming from, let alone where they would sleep at night, and I’m sure they didn’t carry along a pillow.
Are you willing to be uncomfortable to follow Jesus?
Would you give up a seat in the pew and serve in the nursery? What about the book club that meets at the same time as the Bible study you were invited to? Would you give up sleeping in on Saturday to attend a Leader’s Meeting? Are you willing to walk into a nursing home and spend time with an elderly or infirm stranger? And, how uncomfortable would it be to volunteer at hospice?
If God is calling you out of your comfort zone, isn’t it worth it? Isn’t it worth trusting him to overcome your fear, complacency, laziness, busyness, introverted personality, or whatever else it is that keeps you from serving him? Isn’t it worth allowing him to remove the idol of comfort in your life?
You may even have to give up some sleep, but it probably means you’ll sleep better when you do sleep, even if your pillow is crunchy.
Marcia Furrow 