Stones

"Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." Luke 20:18

Good morning, dear friends!

If you ever come and visit our family in France, I am sure that we will take you to visit our city of Amiens.  Amiens may not be as large as Paris or Marseilles, but it has its attractions.  One of the main tourist attractions is the Gothic Cathedral which stands in the middle on an elevated plateau, that can be seen from our village, some 9 miles away.

As is often the case when you live so close to a famous landmark, we rarely notice the Cathedral anymore.  In fact, the only time we usually visit the Cathedral is when we have guests that come to visit.

Quite frankly, the Cathedral always creeps me out a little.

I guess I have an overactive imagination but staring at all the statues, the candles burning in the semi-darkness, the coldness of the Cathedral even in the summertime, well, let's just say I feel a little uneasy.  Don't even get me started on John the Baptist's head, which is reportedly housed there.

(Shudder)

"Head of John the Baptist"
(photo wikipedia)

One thing that always amazed me about the cathedral is the size.  For the time it was constructed (early 1200's for those who love history) it was a ginormous undertaking.  In preparing for this blog, I read that to lay the foundations for the facade of the cathedral, the builders dug 26 feet deep into the ground, so that the foundation could be placed on bedrock!

As impressive as all that is, when I look at the outside of the cathedral, all I can think is:

Look at the size of those stones.

I can't imagine what it must have been like to have that much stone carved, brought and assembled for the cathedral.  One stone is just huge.  I'm sure that there must have been times during the construction of the Cathedral when one of those stones got away from the builders, and the end result was not pretty.

As I was reading this week in Luke 20, I read the parable that Jesus gave the priests and scribes about the wicked husbandmen, who so dishonored their Master, that the Lord of the vineyard "shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others." (v.16)

When those hearing Jesus were horrified that this would happen, Jesus reminded them,

"What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."  (v. 17-18)

Outside the Cathedral of Amiens, the walkway is assembled with ancient cobblestones, some of them as old as the cathedral itself.  Graceful as I am, I have fallen on those cobblestones before, as I walked around town.  As painful an experience as that is, obviously it would be a scratch compared to having one of the supporting stones from the cathedral to fall on me.

When I fell on the hard stones, the largest injury was to my pride.  If one of the stones of the cathedral fell on me, the result would be fatal.

Jesus likens Himself to the rejected cornerstone.  To the Jews of His day, Jesus's message of repentance and faith in God was largely ignored, criticized or rejected. Those who rejected His offer of salvation were those whose lives were destroyed, and their eternal future lost.  Those who heard His message, and repented in faith toward God, though they were painfully humbled, found eternal life.

I don't expect that the Cathedral of Amiens is going anywhere anytime soon.  It has withstood fires, two major world wars and many other natural and manmade disasters.  It was solidly built.

May my faith in Christ be solidly built on Him as well.

Homeward Bound

"For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country." Hebrews 11:14

Good morning, dear friends!

I am sure that I am not alone, but as a missionary, ex-pat or MK, there is one question that we ALL hate to answer.  Unfortunately, it is one that we are asked on almost a daily basis.  Are you ready?

The question is...drum roll please...

"Where are you from?"

If we are in the U.S., many well meaning people come up to me (or worse yet, to my kids) and ask this seemingly innocent question. It always throws me into a tailspin.  Do they mean, where was I born?  Or, what country do I serve in now? Or, where did I leave from that morning before arriving at church?  My children invariably look at me with panicked eyes when asked, because, quite frankly, they are as confused as I.

(Just an FYI:  Even though it's a difficult question at times to figure out, please come and talk to me!  I'll always ask a follow-up question if I'm not sure which "from" you are talking about!)

When we are in France, the question is just as difficult to me.  When someone here asks me where I am from, many times it is polite curiosity prompted by a foreign-sounding accent.  I have been Polish, Jamaican, Russian, British, but very rarely American to their ears.  Now that I have the dual citizenship, I usually answer, "I have American origins," so that leaves people wondering as well.  Does that mean that I am French like them, but lived in the US, or am I an American pretending to be French?

SIGH.

The painful part in all of this is the constant reminder that whether I am in the US, or in France, I just don't fit. I don't even know where I'm from.

But, that's okay.

I know where I am going.

I love this portion of Hebrews 11, where today's blog verse comes from.  I love reading about the "heroes of the faith" mentioned in this chapter, and reliving their stories on the pages.  Their stories on earth may have had many unexpected twists and turns, summits and valleys, but in the end, their journeys all ended the same:

"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country."  (Hebrews 11:13-14)

Many times the "foreignness" of this world is very obvious.  Sin is rampant, evil appears to triumph at every turn, right is called wrong and wrong, right.  Other times, when I am not "paying attention," I get too cozy in this world that is supposed to be as strange to me as, well, a foreign country.

I am NOT supposed to fit in.

I am NOT supposed to close my eyes and get comfy here.

I am NOT supposed to get caught up in temporary pleasures and lose sight of the eternal blessings.

My husband in our Tuesday night Bible study is finishing a series of lessons based in II Peter 1: 5-7, listing the Christian virtues that we are to add to our faith.  This week he paralleled the verse with the passage in II Timothy 3: 1-7, which reminds us of all the ungodliness of this world from such we are to "turn away." (v.5)

Instead of regretting my foreignness, I should be ever mindful of just how much a blessing being a "foreigner" is:

"But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly:  wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city." (Hebrews 11:16)

The next time someone here, or in the US, asks me the question, "Where are you from?" I hope I will answer with graciousness and kindness, thankful that someone cares enough about me to ask the question.

And I hope that I will care enough about them, to ask the question, "Where are you going?"

Pestering

"And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?" Luke 18:7

Good morning, friends!

We are entering week two of our winter break.

(Insert scary music here.)

Our children go to a public school here in France.  Yes, there are always things to monitor, filter, screen and check up on.  There are teachers to see, friends to check out, and homework assignments that quite frankly we ignore.  

I imagine for any family, no matter what method of schooling one might choose, this is probably the case.

For our family, in this place and time in our lives, this was the decision that God led us to take, and we don't regret it.  

The schools here operate on a 6 weeks/2 weeks schedule.  That means the kids have six weeks of school, then two weeks off, with two months off in the summer.  Many of you are sighing in longing, but think of us in late June/early July, when we are still in school.

Last week was week one of our winter break.  Today begins week two.  Let the scary music...and the questions...begin.

In all fairness, my kids do not mean to pester.  After all, there are three of them, one of me, and SOMEONE is always needing SOMETHING.  As my children grow up, they are able to take care of more and more of their needs, and help out more, so there is less pestering to be done.  But, there have been those days when I have quite frankly informed them:

My name is NOT "Mom Can I."

One of these moments during a difficult and trying day, I remember telling my children the parable that Jesus relates to His disciples about prayer in Luke 18.  After telling them the story, I remember telling them, "If you don't find the answer you are looking for, you can always pester God."

I am always convicted when I read this parable about prayer.  How often have I prayed about something, did not receive the answer I was looking for, and just stopped praying about it?  How many prayers of mine have gone unanswered, because I lacked the perseverance to keep praying?

Doesn't God care about my problems, just like a Father cares for the needs of His children?

Why, then, do I abandon prayer, instead of faithfully bringing my needs to my Father?

I think the answer to my question is in verse 8 of this same passage:  "...Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"

Faith.  

Do I truly believe that God cares about the problems I am facing today?

Do I truly believe that God answers me when I pray?

Do I truly believe that God is always good, and His answers are always for my best?

If I do, then I should be ready at any moment to pray, "and not to faint." (v. 1)

This passage in French makes me smile a little, because of the wording of the judge.  He says in verse 5 of this passage that he will answer the widow because he doesn't want her to "break his head."  This is the expression we often use with our children when they are driving us crazy:  "Stop breaking my head!"

Is this my attitude towards prayer?  Do I continue faithfully in my petitions, believing that God wants to meet my needs, to the point of "pestering" God?  

May God grant me patience to handle the many questions that I know are coming my way today.

And may I take my many questions to Him, and wait patiently for His answers.

Bonjour...from France!

"As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." Proverbs 25:25

Good morning, friends!

So glad to start off this day with you!

Today I am participating in a "blog hop" with my missionary
friends from the Baptist Missionary Women's group.  Their button is on the side panel of this blog, if you are interested in having a peek into the lives of missionary wives around the world.

My mission for today, should I choose to accept it (wait, I already did), was to tell you five things about myself that I haven't already mentioned here on my blog.

So, five things about myself:

1.  I have been in France for 15 years.  My husband was an MK from France.  His parents served as missionaries here for over 30 years before they left the field to take care of Carey's sick grandmother.  All three of my children were born here.  We all have the double nationality as a result, so no VISAs!  WOO HOO!

2.  I am a pretty quiet person.  I know no one actually believes that, but I really am.   I love being at home with a good book, or working on an English lesson, or playing board games with my family.

3.  I would much rather eat a bag of chips than a candy bar or piece of cake. ANYDAY.  My weakness is more for Doritos than chocolate.  My all-time favorite snack is Doritos crushed in a bowl of stove popped popcorn.  If I have to eat sweets, I love salty sweets, like chocolate covered peanuts or white chocolate popcorn.

3.  I have five cats.  No, I am not a crazy cat lady.  My husband is a cat whisperer.

4.  I am a recovering chewing gum addict.  And a recovering control freak.  No, one is not related to the other.

5.  I love being outdoors!  I love eating outdoors, or going for walks, or working in my garden, or going for a jog.  I hate crowds though, so if we are outside where there are crowds, I'd rather be inside.

Hope you enjoy the blog!  It's a little slice of France for my American friends and family.  Take a peek through the last few ramblings.

 Enjoy the next blog in the blog hop!

Katie - Paradise Praises

Unto the Least of These

"Use hospitality one to another without grudging." I Peter 4:9

Good morning, friends!

I have enjoyed visitng these highlights of hospitality this week with you.  I hope that you have enjoyed them as well.  There are so many more examples that maybe I will revisit this idea in future blog posts.  I have been learning much as I prepared them to share with you.

As I put a temporary bookmark on these verses that I have shared this week, I wanted to share a parting thought with you .  I guess the many years of hearing these words from my husband have engraved them on my brain:

What's my motivation?

Hospitality as I have already mentioned is a necessary part of the ministry here in France.  As I invite others into my home and am invited into theirs, I often bring this question back to mind:  What's my motivation?

Do I really care about the needs of the folks I am inviting?

Do I want to show off a new recipe or my clean house?

Do I reach out to others so that folks will think well of me?

Do I invest myself in meeting only their physical needs (cakes and coffee or tea), or do I support my guests emotionally and spiritually during these times?

Is my door "open" to people, so that they feel comfortable coming in? Or do I place unnecessary "busyness" obstacles in front of it?

When I am invited to others' homes, do I dread the long meals, the late nights, the inevitable alcohol debates?  Or do I welcome this time as a chance to get to know others?

What's my motivation?

The verse at the top of this blog speaks volumes to me, as I live and serve here in France:  "Use hospitality one to another without grudging." I Peter 4:9

I want my home to be a safe place, a confiding place, a welcoming place, an enjoyable place.  The only way that will happen is to have the right attitude towards having people in my home.

The word "grudging" could also be translated as "grumbling" or "murmuring."  If I have people into my home, or go to others' "grudgingly," I certainly do not have the right motivation.  I would be foolish to think that my guests (or my hosts, if I am invited out) do not pick up on this bad attitude.

When I open the door and invite people in, I want them to feel, and to be, welcomed in my home.  When I go to others' homes, I want to be the thankful guest.

Jesus reminds me what should be the motivating factor to my service for Him: "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matthew 24:40)

May every meal that I prepare for others, every cup of coffee or plate of cookies I share, every invitation I receive, be in my eyes as important as sharing that moment with Jesus.

I hope that my heart will be ready the next time the phone rings, or the doorbell sounds.

Who knows, who could be on the other side?

Clean Feet

"For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you." (John 13:15)

Good morning, friends!

The summer camp where my husband and I have ministered since arriving in France is, shall we say, rustic.

(Rustic is the French euphemism for "primitive.")

There are bathhouses and showers, but to get to these small oases of comfort, on rainy days you have to slog through the red clay mud in flip flops.  By the time you leave the shower and return to your tent after your shower, well, let me just say, your feet are no longer clean.

We endure this daily trek for three weeks out of the year only.  One of the reasons we are able to overlook this aspect of camp is because, at the end of our three weeks, we know we are returning to tile floors, pristine bathtubs and showers that you can stand under as long as you would like.

(Or, until the hot water runs out.)

Obviously in Jesus's day, having clean feet was a luxury reserved for the indoors, a refreshing time after labouring outside or walking long distances in sandals on dusty pathways.  No wonder that one of the many markers of hospitality in this arid part of the world was washing of a guest's feet.

To me, this is the Israel equivalent of my Southern American roots:  "Come on in, take your shoes off, and sit a spell."

This foot washing was a task reserved for servants, bidden by their masters to welcome weary travellers to come, clean up, take a load off, and rest.

What a beautiful picture Jesus gives to us at the Last Supper, when He Himself washes the disciples feet.  This passage is recorded in John 13:1-20.

A few thoughts caught my attention as I was reading this passage again while preparing this blog:

1.  The meal was already done! "And supper being ended...he riseth from supper..." (John 13:2,4) Usually this foot washing should have taken place before the meal began.  Perhaps no servant was available for this task, but what is clear is that none of the disciples took this task on for themselves.

2.  Jesus knew who He was, and did not allow a "menial task" to escape His notice.  John 13:3 is sandwiched almost as an aside between supper ending and Jesus rising to wash the disciples' feet.  Jesus, "knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God," did not allow this knowledge to keep Him from performing this servant's duty.  Jesus came to us as a servant, with a servant's heart.

3.  Jesus did not allow His position of authority to overrule His servant's heart. He invested His life in serving His Father and then others around Him.  "If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye ought also to wash one another's feet." (John 13:14)  He could not be clearer.  What a meek and humble heart the Lord had toward His disciples!

If my Lord is willing to give Himself to serve even in the lowliest of tasks, should I not also be willing to give myself in the service of my Lord, and of others?  Am I greater than He?

Of course not.

The next time I am faced with an unpleasant, "menial" task, may I be reminded of this act of humble service, and be prepared to do the same for my God, and for those around me.

It is, after all, the very least that I can do.

Rest and Restoration

"Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house." Luke 19:5

Good morning, friends!

I have sweet memories of hearing my children sing Bible songs as they have grown up.  Of course, those of you who have children have similar memories, where sometimes the lyrics do not line up with the original words.  

My children loved the Zacchaeus song, but whenever they arrived at the crucial moment, it always came out, "Zach-ki-ki, you come down!"

(Sometimes I sing it that way on purpose now, remembering those times.  It always gets a smile from my family.)

I just love the story of Zacchaeus, because when we read the account in Luke 19, it's like a zoomed-in portion of his life.  His life for me is frozen in the time when he is up in a tree, trying as hard as he can to see Jesus.  

It's easy to overlook all that happened in his life before this moment.  I think that had we known Zacchaeus before this encounter with Jesus, we probably would not have been one of his fans.  After all, Zacchaeus was a fraud and a cheat, a liar and a selfish person, who stole from his own countrymen and neighbors to line his own pockets.  

(Of course, before I met Christ, people would not have wanted to know me, either.  There wasn't anything worthy of notice in my "old self," either.)

No, I prefer to start my story of Zacchaeus up in the tree, desiring with all his heart to see Jesus, "who he was, and could not, because he was little of stature." (Luke 19:3)

I had never before really given any thought to the fact that Jesus invited Himself to Zacchaeus's house. Growing up, I think that would have been considered a hospitality no-no.  Thankfully these were not Jesus's rules, or Zacchaeus's, either.  Zacchaeus "made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully." (v.6)

Just an aside here:  How different is this encounter from so many of the other encounters Jesus had in others' homes!  Jesus was welcomed joyfully!  Now, there is a dinner where I would have liked to be present!

At the same time, I can only imagine how Zacchaeus's conscience must have been smiting him.  Here he was, receiving Jesus in a lavish manner, which was gained in dishonesty.  I imagine that his time with Jesus made him very conscious that his lifestyle was FAR from what it should have been.

I am so thankful for closure to this story!  I have no doubts that Zacchaeus made good on his promise to Jesus: "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." (v.8)

When Zacchaeus opened up his home to Jesus, it was for a temporary rest, a reposing time of physical restoration for Jesus's body.  I'm sure there was a meal, and many comforts extended to Jesus.

Welcoming Jesus in his home however was for Zacchaeus a much greater blessing.  He found a rest to his longings and emptiness, and restoration for his soul.  Jesus declares it to him in plain terms: "This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." (v. 9-10).

I am so thankful that Jesus came to seek after me, and to save me.  I have had that Zacchaeus moment, when I was longing to learn about Jesus, and to see Him for who He is.  I have invited Jesus into my life, and had Him offer the same grace and restoration to my soul.

Have you?  If you never have, why not today?