Category Archives: Bible

Does God Care About Kids?

Bible, Inspiration, Life, My Work 2 Comments

One of the darkest times in the history of my church began about 10 years ago. I won’t go into all of the problems that we had. God knows and He is still working to heal all of those old wounds. But I do want to tell you about one event, something that has stuck in my mind ever since it happened.

We had a very, um, interesting group of teens attending the church at that point. Like many churches, we had a van emblazoned with our church name, address, and phone number that ran on Wednesday nights, picking up teens who wanted to be at the service but didn’t have another way to get there. One night after a youth group meeting, one of the young men was in kind of a mood. He sat in the back, where the van driver couldn’t see him, making faces and rude gestures at other cars that passed the van. At least one of the other drivers was so upset by this teenager’s actions that a phone call was made to the church. The result? The youth group was shut down “indefinitely.” Instead of just the one young man being called out on his actions, the entire youth group was punished. I’ll never forget the reasoning behind the pastor’s decision—he was shutting down the youth group because many of the kids who came didn’t have parents attending the church, and therefore this ministry was not a big money-maker.

His attitude hurt me in a lot of ways. First, I hadn’t really thought of a church as a business before. Sure, I paid my tithe and I often gave extra money in offerings. And I knew that the church had bills to pay. But I always thought the main purpose of a church was to introduce others to Christ and to help those who already know Him to forge a stronger relationship with Him. I didn’t know the church was there to make money. Then again, I’m not the pastor. I’ve worked for years in the church, but always in a volunteer capacity. Maybe when your weekly paycheck depends on the amount of money in the offering plate each week you focus more on making money.

But what hurt even more was the attitude that those teens—kids who, judging by their action that particular night, really needed to know more about Christ—were not worth reaching out to because of their lack of income. Even today, when the church is under the leadership of a pastor who has a real heart for kids, that attitude angers me.

What if that had been the attitude of God all along? What if God just ignored young people because they could not “financially” support His “cause?” Can you imagine how many things in the Bible would have played out different?

Joseph was a kid when he was sold into slavery by his brothers. If kids didn’t matter to God, he would have died as a slave rather than rising to the top of the Egyptian government.

David was a kid when he used that slingshot on Goliath. The rest of the army was too scared of the giant to do anything. If kids didn’t matter to God, no one would have stood up to Goliath and the Isrealite army would have been destroyed.

Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were all young kids when they were taking captive in Babylon. They were not very old when their prayers to the one true God got them into trouble with the Babylonian king. If kids didn’t matter to God, Daniel would have been devoured by lions while his friends were burned alive in the fiery furnace.

Mary was a kid when Gabriel came to her, announcing that God chose her to be the mother of Jesus. If kids didn’t matter to God, Jesus would have been born to an old woman.

For that matter, if kids didn’t matter to God, Jesus probably would not have come to earth as a child!

Luke 18:16-17 says, “Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, ‘Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.’” (New Living Translation) Jesus didn’t say, “Let them come but only if they have money.” He cared about the children. Shouldn’t we do the same?

Another verse that comes to mind on this subject is found in I Timothy 4:12. Paul tells Timothy, “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.” It is not age that determines your worth to God—it is that He created you that matters! It is not your age that determines what good you can do for His Kingdom—it is your willingness to follow Him.

The decision of that pastor to disband the youth group all those years ago is my inspiration for writing for teens. It might even go further back than that, back to when I was a teen and I connected with the Carman song “Our Turn Now.” My love of teens and tweens, my desire to see them develop a close relationship with Christ…that is why I created my pen name, Mary Lou Searfoss. I am not giving up on my women’s fiction books. I will continue to write those under my real name. But as Mary Lou, I will concentrate on material geared toward teens and tweens, especially toward young girls.

Just A Thought

Bible, Life Leave a comment

I’ve been working on a series of articles about my hometown, Jackson, Michigan. There’s a long list of things that I enjoy about this town, things that I think make Jackson great. Still, I wanted to get some insight from other residents. What do others like best about Jackson? What things would they miss if they were not here? Where would they be sure to take a friend who had come for a visit? When I posted that on Facebook (maybe not the most reliable place to get information, but it is one of the quickest ways to complete research!), most of the answers were things that I expected. Some people mentioned things that I hadn’t thought of or small town businesses that I’d never heard of. But one answer shocked and annoyed me all at once. In addition to posting her favorite things about Jackson, one woman said she liked these places because they made living in Jackson bearable.

For a while, I couldn’t figure out why this bothered me so much. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I can’t expect others to love life in Jackson as much as I do. Still, this made me so angry. At first, I thought it was because it seemed sort of whiney to me. Life is tough; I know that. I know that things are harder for some people than for others. But what good does whining about it do? I even said, perhaps somewhat hastily, that if you find the life you live so unbearable, you need to do something about it. I think this upset my friend though that as not my intent. I was just trying to vent some of my frustration.

It wasn’t until a piece of Scripture came to mind that I realized why I was to upset by the whole thing. Psalm 37, verses 3 through 6, says, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.” It is verse 4 that really sticks with me: “Delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

My life isn’t perfect. It isn’t what I once dreamed it would be. In some ways, it is better. But not in every way. There are things that I would like to change. One is where I live. Oh, I don’t want to move out of Jackson. But my neighborhood isn’t one of the better ones. I would love to live in an area of town where there were fewer fights among the neighbors and fewer police cars on patrol. But maybe this is what God wants for me right now. In fact, I am sure that it is what He wants. And I also know that He sees what is in my heart. He knows my deepest desires. All He wants me to do is follow Him. My deepest desire is to serve Him, to be closer to Him, to allow Him to work out His plan for my life. And I know that, for now, my house in a less-than-desirable area of town is a part of that plan.

I can already see one way He has use this house. If we lived somewhere else, we would likely not have driven by the homeless shelter so often in the winter of 2009. If we hadn’t driven by there, my then-8-year-old son may not have discovered his desire to help clothe those in this city who have nothing. His idea morphed into Bea’s Love Closet, a ministry of our church.

I guess what I am saying is that even if you find your current circumstances unbearable, God can work through you. You just have to be willing to go along with His plan for you.

And honestly, can living for God ever be anything less than bearable?

Unity

Bible, Life, Prayer Leave a comment

Dear Lord,

In the book of Matthew, Jesus says, “This is the reason a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one” (chapter 19, verse 5, New Living Translation). That first part, the part about leaving father and mother, is the easy part. Being united into one is not always so simple.

One area where I know John and I are not completely united is in the area of finances. We are both very selfish about money, but in different ways. I tend to be selfish in an “I want it NOW” way, while he tends to be selfish in more of a “we need to plan for tomorrow” way. Please help us to work together in this area of our marriage. Help us listen to one another, to really hear each others thoughts and desires on this subject so that we can find an agreement that works for US, as a couple. Help us to put what is best for us above what is best for Lynn or for John. Above all, Lord, help us to keep YOUR desires for our lives in the forefront of our thoughts. It is not going to do us any good to become one if we are not one with You.

Thank You for hearing me and for loving me. Help me throughout this day to show love to John. He is the most precious gift You have given me. Help me to show him that in all I do and say.

I ask this in the precious name of Jesus.

Amen

Praying Wife

Bible, Life, Prayer 3 Comments

After ten years of marriage, I can hardly call myself an expert on the subject. I am not even sure if I could be considered an expert on my own marriage! One thing I am pretty sure of, though, is that I am not always a good wife. My husband would disagree. Maybe that is because he is a wonderful husband. He is always telling me that I am perfect the way that I am, no matter what flaws I see in myself. I can tell you, I am far from perfect. The perfect woman for him? Maybe. Still, I can see that there is always room for improvement.

One area where I know I could use improvement is in the area of prayer.

Last week, I posted about how difficult prayer has been for me. Seems like ever since I posted that it has gotten even harder. Not that it’s hard to understand why—satan knows that I am trying to get closer to God, and he is fighting me on all fronts. Let me tell you, it would be so easy to just give up and let him win. It’s amazing how much physical energy it takes to fight a spiritual battle.

But giving up is just what satan wants, and I am not willing to give him the satisfaction!

A while back, I bought a copy of The Power of a Praying Wife. I started reading, and even started working through the workbook that goes along with it. Can’t really say that I finished it. Seems that I have a bad habit of starting on a self-help type of book and then not finishing it. I don’t know why. Fiction books, I seem to just breeze right through. Maybe it is because those books are for fun and the non-fiction books I choose to read normally have something to do with changes I need to make in my life.

And who wants to admit the need to change?

I am trying to look at this a little differently, though. By reading The Power of a Praying Wife, I am not trying to make changes to better myself, exactly. I am trying to give my husband the wife he deserves. In case you are wondering what kind of a wife he deserves, I am talking about the kind of wife described in Proverbs 31. He needs a wife who enhances his life, makes his life better and easier, not a wife who is constantly nagging him or draining him of energy. By learning how to pray for him—and I mean really truly pray for him, not just saying “oh God, bless my husband”—I will be one step closer to being that wife.

A part of me wonders if he will even notice it. Will he see the changes I am making and how I am trying to make our lives better? It may sound sad, but I seriously don’t think he will. At the same time, I know that God will see the attempt that I am making. In the long run, that will be more beneficial anyway.

Being a Missionary

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I recently finished reading the book Jungle Sunrise by missionary-turned-author Jonathan Williams. On page 121 of this debut novel, two characters are speaking about what has brought them to the jungle. One asks what it means to be a missionary. The answer she is given is, “if you ask a hundred different missionaries that same question, you’ll probably get about a hundred different answers.” Of course, the answer was more detailed than that, but I don’t want to give away the whole thing!

The question, though, has been on my mind since I first read it. Just what does it mean to be a missionary?

Growing up, I always thought that a missionary had to be someone special, living in a dessert or a jungle somewhere, facing danger everyday while sharing the love of Jesus with savages who’d never heard of Him. The really “special” ones got to go to the Communist countries to share Jesus with people who hated America.

As I got older, I realized that not all missionaries serve in remote areas or deal on a daily basis with “savages.” Many do still risk their lives in countries that are hostile to Christian ideas. But not all.

In the past year or so, I have really had missions and missionaries on my mind. My oldest son is now 9. When he was about 4 years old, a missionary serving in Germany visited our church. Immediately, my son informed everyone that he saw that he planned to become a missionary when he grows up. We’d ask him if he knew what that meant, and he would say, “It means that I will get to tell people about Jesus. I think I want to go to Washington…. They need Jesus there.” In the five years since, he has never once waivered in his desire to become a missionary. He has talked about needing to learn how to cook and how to build houses and how to read out loud “because you never know what I might need to do to show the love of Jesus to others.” During the past year, he has even talked about things he could do now, at his elementary school, to “practice” being a missionary. To my son, being a missionary is a simple thing—sharing the love of Jesus with everyone he meets.

I’ve often heard my pastor say that he never, ever wanted to be a missionary. He said he was often scared to give everything completely over to God because he didn’t want God to decide to send him overseas to be a missionary. It wasn’t until Pastor Clive finally gave that fear over to God that he realized God’s plan for him did not include going overseas at all.

I don’t think that meant that God didn’t want Pastor Clive to be a missionary, though, especially if I use my son’s definition of the term. If being a missionary is really as simple as telling everyone about Jesus (and really, considering how adults tend to over-complicate things, it probably is that simple), than my pastor is a missionary. And so is my son.

And so am I.

Now, I am not opposed to taking an overseas missions trip. In fact, I’ve thought about going to Haiti. When the money for that trip didn’t materialize, I figured that God was telling me He needed me to stay here. My mission field, I firmly believe, lies in two places. One is right here, in my hometown of Jackson, Michigan. Remember how my son said that he wanted to go to Washington because they need Jesus there? Well, He is really needed here, as well. There sure are a lot of churches in this town, so I know Jesus has plenty of “houses” here. I’m just not always sure enough houses have opened up to give Him a “home” in this town.

The other half of my mission field has to do with my writing. This blog, my books. Sharing the love of God with others, all the time. Yeah, I definitely think this is part of my mission field. It is what God has called me to do.

My question for you is, how would you answer the question, “What is a missionary?” Do you view yourself as a missionary?

The Power of Words

Bible, Books, Life Leave a comment

Last evening, I was reminded of the power that our words hold. It started with a book review that I had written. The author contacted me to let me know how much she appreciated the kind things I said about her and her work. The book was wonderfully written, in my opinion, and had a beautiful, tender love story. Many others haven’t agreed with that. In researching her reviews on Amazon.com, I saw just how mean and nasty some of the comments were. At first I wondered if maybe we hadn’t read the same book. Then I realized the comments were directed so much at this author and her work as they were the Christian message in her book. One reviewer went so far as to say that the author was untruthful in her promotion of the book, as she didn’t bill it as a Christian book when she offered the Kindle version for free.

These comments were hurtful to the author, and I truly felt bad for her. At the same time, I was proud of her for “sticking in there.” She wrote what was on her heart, the story that God gave her to tell. And she hasn’t given up—I’ve just started on her second book in this series, and I know that the third is scheduled for release this fall.

This situation reminded me of the early Christians. They were often put-down and belittled for their belief in a risen Christ. But they didn’t let that stop them from sharing the Gospel. Christ had made a change in their lives, and those early Christians were anxious to tell everyone about it. Some (Stephen comes to mind) did so even at risk to their own lives. Hurtful, hateful words must have been tossed at the early Christians. Still they persevered, secure enough in their faith to stand up to the harsh words.

The book of James talks about the hurtful things that can come from our mouths. Chapter 3, verse 8 says, “but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” It is in the nature of man to say rude, hurtful things to others. But with the help of God, we can at least control our tongues. It’s not an easy thing. At least, it is not easy for me. I often think that God has many, many more important things to worry about than the words that I say. And thinking that He is too busy, I try to control my tongue myself. I can’t do it. The times when it seems as if I can’t talk at all are times I know that God has clamped my lips shut. Occasionally, He does this even if I don’t consciously ask Him for help.

I know that my tongue is one thing that I really need God’s help with. Sometimes I am a very opinionated woman. What I need to understand is that I don’t always have to share my opinions. Thought I may have right to them, I don’t have to broadcast them to everyone. Like those book reviews. Each reviewer had a right to what they said. They also had a right to share those opinions. For me, though, when I give a negative opinion of a book (which I know will happen as I don’t like every book that I read), I plan to keep in mind these reviews and the way their words made the author feel. I want to temper the negative with something positive. I pray that my words don’t ever leave an author feeling as down as these reviews made my author friend.

How about you? Are you in control of your tongue, speaking every word that comes to mind with no regard to who hears and is hurt by the words? Or have you given control of your tongue to the Lord?

Being A Christian

Bible, Life 4 Comments

Yesterday, a story in the Huffington Post, a publication I freely admit I do not regularly read, caught my attention. The article title was simply: “Anne Rice: ‘I Quit Being A Christian’.” Now, I am not a fan of Rice’s work. I can’t really say I am a non-fan of her work, though. She is the author of Interview with a Vampire and other vampire novels. Vampires are not my thing. They are not something that interest me. I know movies have been made from Rice’s books and that she is very successful in her genre. I have just never felt the desire to see any of the movies or read any of her books. However I did feel the desire to read this article. (If you have that same desire, click here.)

Apparently, Ms. Rice used her Facebook page to announce that she is no longer a Christian. In her post, she said, “I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life” (as quoted in the Huffington Post article). Her words made me think. Is this really how Christianity is defined in today’s culture? By all of the things a so-called Christian is supposed to be against?

I prefer to look at my Christianity in terms of the things that I am for rather than against. For example, love. There are things that I believe to be wrong. It is my belief that the Bible is God’s word and His law for humans. I believe that anyone who is living outside of those laws is living outside the will of God. I also believe that God (as stated repeatedly in His word) wants to me love everyone and judge no one, regardless of how they are living their lives.

Abortion is murder, and murder is against God’s law. Yet I don’t feel that I have the right to condemn a woman who chooses abortion. It doesn’t matter that I cannot imagine any situation where abortion would be an acceptable alternative (including rape, as I know children conceived in rape that are still very well loved by their mothers). God wants me to love each person He has created. I can show that love not by attempting to force a woman to continue a pregnancy she does want or even by “preaching” at her every day that being unmarried and pregnant makes her a disgrace. Rather, I show love by accepting who she is and the choices she has made, and praying for her. My home is very near a clinic where abortions are routinely performed. When I drive past it, I say a silent (and sometimes not so silent!) prayer for the women who enter that clinic. Whatever choice those women make, I pray that someone, somewhere shows them the kindness and love of God.

The Bible is very clear that God made man and woman to love each other. One man, one woman. It’s made very clear throughout the Bible that God does not condone homosexuality. Does that mean He doesn’t love gay men and lesbian woman? No, I don’t believe so. And I don’t believe that He intends for me to shun them, either. I have gay friends and family members. In fact, one of the most generous, kind, and loving couples I know are gay. I love them dearly and couldn’t imagine my life without them. They know, however, that I do not agree with their lifestyle. And that is OK. They don’t agree with everything that I believe and everything that I do. There are some areas where we have to agree to disagree.

I don’t believe that God created women to be better than men, nor men to be better than women. I believe He wants us all to be equal, as He loves us all equally.

I don’t believe that He is concerned with the type of birth control that we use. I don’t believe He cares much about American politics. I don’t believe that everything God does can be explained by science. At the same time, I don’t believe He intends for us to not use to science to improve our lives. And I certainly don’t believe God is in anyway anti-life.

Anne Rice goes on in her statement to say that while she will no longer wear the label of Christian, she remains committed to Christ. In the end, I think this is all that God asks of us—allegiance to Him and to His son. Following the “quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group” of Christians often portrayed in the media is not what we should do. God wants us to reflect His love, not man’s hatred.

I don’t mind being called a Christian. However, I do find the term “Christ-follower” to be more accurate. Christians are seen as following religious laws, laws that were often written by men. Christ-followers follow the teachings of Christ and strive to be more like Him in all they do. That is who I want to be—a person constantly striving to be more like Christ, reflecting His love to everyone I meet.

What about you? What does a commitment to Christ mean to you? How does it look in your life?

A God-Thing

Bible, Life, My Work Leave a comment

I have a story in mind, one that has been with me for a very long time. Even when I was running from God and looking for reasons to not do what He was asking, this idea was with me. I can’t really say when it started. Sometime in my teenage years, I know that. The idea has been influenced by two things—a Bible verse and a song by Carman.

The verse is Joshua 6:16. “The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city.” I vaguely recall Pastor Wermuth preaching quite a bit on that verse. He said that the command was not just for the people of Israel back then, but it was meant for us, too. He also spoke about a promise God made earlier in that book, in Joshua 1:3, “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.” I remember Pastor saying that we could claim that promise now—every place where we step in Jackson belongs to GOD; we could take this city for the Lord if only we believed we could. It has to have been 20 years since I was in that church and heard those words. But they came back to me earlier this month when Pastor Heyd, the pastor of the church I attend now, commented that on a given Sunday, 75% of Jackson County is not in church. That is a huge number of people, hungry for the word of God! And many of them, I am sure, don’t even realize what it is they are hungry for!

The song that has influenced me is “Our Turn Now.” Do you remember that one? Carman and Petra worked together on this song about the need to get God back into schools, and how a lot of the problems with violence and teen pregnancies really took off after prayer in schools was outlawed. I’ve often wondered how things would be different for my children if God walked with them through the halls of their public school. OK, so I know He IS with them. I mean, how would it be different if they could openly show their faith and start their school day by praying with their teachers and friends?

Last week, there was a fight at a local middle school between two eighth grade girls. The result was the arrest of a 15-year-old who had cut a 13-year-old classmate on her stomach and stabbed her leg. The good news is that the wounds were not life threatening and the 13-year-old was not even hospitalized. She was taken to the hospital, treated, and released. The school district’s community relations department issued a statement that this was “an isolated incident” and that other students and schools in the district are safe. I talked about this with some close friends the day after. One of my friends scoffed and said, “It was not an isolated incident. This is happening all over the country.” The incidents are not directly linked, but I understand where my friend was coming from. Kids all over this country are learning that violence is the best way to handle any situation. It’s not something that just happens in one area. It’s not something that ANY school in this nation is completely safe from.

Between the incident at the middle school and my pastor’s comments about the percentage of people in this county who do not attend church regularly, my story idea has really been in my mind the past week. Is it a coincidence that I came across a book about the Columbine massacre in 1999 the same week of the stabbing? I don’t think so. I’ve been looking for this particular book for nearly 10 years. For it to just show up at a time when other things were causing me to really think about that story idea can’t be a coincidence. It can only be a God thing!!!

Still, I appreciate your prayers. This could be a big project, and it is bound to be an emotional one. I think I’ll need the prayers to keep me focused and keep me from giving up when it gets too tough.