Hunger

It seems everyone I meet is hungry, in a spiritual sense, regardless of whether they are Christians or not. The Christians are hungry for more of God, for a real sense of His presence, for something beyond playing church on Sundays and trying to "be good" the rest of the week. And the non-believers are also hungry for God, they just don't know it; so they try to satisfy this craving with whatever the world has to offer. And the world has much to offer. Check out the TV Guide and you will find show after show with witches, mediums, spiritualists, demons, ghosts, and much much more. Some of these shows are out-right evil and perverse, but the majority appear wholesome, if I can use that word. The point is, they draw people in. The shows wouldn't exist if the desire for them didn't exist.

Let's talk about real food for a moment. A baby has an unbiased palate. Everyone knows you need to introduce vegetables before fruits or else the baby will not like the vegetables because they are not as sweet. In other words, if you give the baby sweet foods, he will crave sweet foods. This is true for all of us. We desire the foods we feed ourselves. If you say you don't like water, but you know it's good for you, so you decide to drink it anyway - you will eventually come to like water. The more you feed yourself junk food, the more you will crave it. But learning to like wholesome foods takes time.

Okay, back to the spiritual. Philippians 2:16 says we hold out the word of life. What is the word of life? Jesus - the Bread of Life. So, according to the Bible - we hold out Jesus to a crooked and depraved world, offering them Life. This is good food. This is the best food. Fragrant; irresistable! Imagine walking into a bakery. What's the first thing that you notice? The smell. If you're hungry, you might even start to drool. You can't wait to get in there and pick up a freshly baked bun or a still-warm loaf of bread, slather it with butter, and pop it into your mouth. Mmmm - heaven!

Yes! And "yes" again! That's the way it should be.

But sadly, that is not the way it is. So many unbelievers pass us by, and what do we hold out to them? The word of life, like the Bible says? No - we hold out nothing. We don't have any bread for ourselves, so we have nothing to offer them. Or maybe we hold out our church programs, our traditions, or our religious mumbo-jumbo. It's not the Bread of Life, but hey, it's still good food. Right? (Maybe, but maybe that's why so many walk away from churches and from Christians saying they "tried it" but "didn't like it" - weren't satisfied). Our programs are like brussel sprouts and spinach. They may be good for us, but they don't taste good until you develop a taste for them. But everyone like bread. So let's serve up Jesus.

But how can we do that if we don't have any Bread for ourselves? Maybe it's time to stop feeding ourselves spiritual junk food. Maybe it's time to develop a hunger for God alone. Such a hunger that only God His-very-own-Self will do. Nothing else will satisfy. Jesus promised that this hunger would be satisfied. Am I making myself clear here? Whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) Jesus is pure. Jesus is lovely. Jesus is admirable. Think on Him. Develop a hunger for Him. Then He will give you the Bread of Life to eat and you will have enough (and more than enough) to hold out for others.

Philippians 2:14-16 - Do everything without complaining

or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure,

children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved

generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe

as you hold out the word of life.

The Best Dream Ever!

I was on a boat – a large sailboat – and I was fishing. The water was so clear that I could see down into it for a long way. I caught a fish, but a larger fish caught my fish, and I was watching them both under the water. There was something odd about the larger fish. As I slowly reeled in the line, I finally realized that the larger fish wasn't a fish at all, it was a turtle. I thought at first it was a snapping turtle and I was afraid, but as I pulled it in closer, I saw that it was a sea turtle, with a gentle mouth, and it (she) was beautiful. She let go of the fish and I dangled the lure in front of her again, hoping to entice her to catch hold of my line. I really wanted this beautiful creature to stay up near the surface just long enough for me to take a picture of it. I didn't want to harm her, just get her to stay long enough for me to reach my camera. I fumbled one-handed to open the case and push the power button. Of course, by the time the camera was ready, the turtle had gone under the boat. I walked through the boat, hoping to spot her on the other side. But I came across the dive pool and there she was, swimming gracefully in this clear calm pool. Oh, she was gorgeous!

The dream shifted slightly and she was caught inside of a submerged car. I had to help her. (I don't know if I was underneath the water or not. If I was, I had no trouble breathing). I reached inside the car and gently wiggled her to free her from whatever the obstruction was. Her shell came off and I lifted it out and placed it carefully on the ledge beside me. Then I reached for the body of the turtle; but now, she wasn't just a turtle – she was a turtle-girl. Now I really saw her face. Looked into her eyes. She was alive and sentient and oh, so beautiful. I had to be careful. Her body wasn't meant to be touched – hence the shell. She was able to get free of the car on her own and she swam up to the ledge and asked for her shell back. I held it in the water while she wriggled into it. Then she let me take her picture and swam away. I was awed; I felt so privileged to be able to not only see her, but help her and even share a moment with her. I wish my words could convey the emotion. I've felt fear before in dreams, and pain; I've given birth, been lost, been in run-away cars – but this is the first dream I can recall ever with such positive emotion and depth of feeling. The beauty; the serenity; the feeling of utter peace and completeness. Wow.

New shift in the dream. I go back on deck. I want to fish some more, because that was such a positive experience. But now the deck is covered in flies. Big black ones. They aren't too scary, though, because their wings are fragile and they look like if they tried to fly, the wind would carry them away. So I walk through them (where they are covering the deck) and go to the side of the boat, where there are 2 steps down to the water's edge (long steps, like bleachers – they run the length of the boat). That's when I notice the flies have landed on me! There are 6 or 8 on my right arm and a couple on my left and a bunch all over my legs. I'm disgusted and a little freaked. I brush them off as quick as I can. I've been bitten a couple of times – 2 or 3 bites on my right arm and 2 or 3 on my right leg. The bites don't hurt, but still, I don't want to fish here anymore. I want to go back to the dive pool where it was calm and peaceful.

Another shift. The boat has been apprehended by pirates. Modern-day pirates. We have been told to gather together in the hold. I'm walking there slowly; but as I'm walking, I'm looking out to sea. The pirate ship is tethered to a large rock that sticks up out of the sea and it is circling this pinnacle. Our ship is tethered to the pirate ship but we aren't moving. The view is static. I look to my left and I know that one of us has escaped. It is the blonde woman I've dreamed of before. She must be in another boat of some kind, but I don't remember seeing one. I just know she's managed to get away before the pirates came on board, and she is going for help. I have the utmost confidence in this woman and the presence of the pirates does not trouble me in the slightest. I know that everything will be fine.
When I wake up, I don't remember this dream at first. I have other things on my mind. But as soon as I ask, “Didn't I dream last night?” - I start to remember. And the more I recalled the dream, the better I felt. I feel awesome right now. Energized and happy. This was the best of the best dreams ever! And the ending doesn't trouble me in the slightest. My focus is not on the flies or the pirates, but on that timeless moment in the pool with the turtle-girl.

It's Only a Test

This is a test. This is only a test. If this had been a real examination, you would not be reading this, but instead, would be standing before the King of Kings, awaiting judgment. So before you hear His verdict, take the test for yourself:

Instructions:
1) be completely honest
2) only "true" or "false" answers are allowed. "Sometimes" or even "often" is not good enough.
3) read the following sentences, then answer if the statement is true or false.

The Test:
1) I am patient.
2) I am kind.
3) I am not envious.
4) I do not boast about my own achievements.
5) I am not proud.
6) I am not rude.
7) I do not seek my own welfare before that of others.
8) I do not get angry easily.
9) I do not keep a mental record of all the wrongs others have done to me.
10) I do not enjoy things that are evil; I do not read, watch, or dabble in things that God calls evil.
11) I rejoice (take delight) with the truth.

I will tell you my score: 1/11 (I really like the truth).

There is a song running through my head: "Christ in me, Christ in me, Christ in me, the hope of glory!"

The bad news is that none of us pass this test on our own.
The good news is that "Christ in me" aces this test!
The challenging bit is to constantly seek more and more "Christ in me"!

And, by the way, I did not make up this test. God did. You can find the original in 1Corinthians 13:4-6.