Safe Place with Ruth Graham

When we think of Memorial Day we think of the start of summer, 4-day weekend, cookouts, sales events…My granddaughter was watching TV with me this morning and an ad for a  Memorial Day  car sale was trying to entice us into buying a car. My granddaughter asked, “What’s Memorial Day?” I am glad she asked but it showed me how we tend to forget the reason for Memorial Day.

A day to remember. Remember all those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. Families who have an empty place at their table…

We enjoy our holiday events – I love a good burned hot dog covered with mustard, katsup and relish – but perhaps we have come to emphasize all the activities over the reason. I am touched each time I see the advertisements for the Wounded Warrior Project – what an important endeavor. For those of us from the Vietnam era, there was so much venom spewed out towards those who served our country because so many thought the war was wrong. Our returning veterans were spit upon, taunted,  jeered. And yet they answered the call to duty and served. They were not responsible for the political decisions yet they bore the brunt of it.

This Memorial Day, remember…thank a service man or veteran. Remember all those that serve our nation – especially those who do so out of true love of country. Get a copy of our Constitution and read it. Thank God that you live in the greatest nation in the world. A nation built for freedom – a nation who birthed great men like George Washington, John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan – men of principle and honor.

Remember…

I made a trip out to New Mexico last week to speak for the Lincoln County National Day of Prayer event. It is the largest per capita in the country. They had 1400 people in attendance at 6:30 in the morning! Wonderful, warm people – it was a privilege to be a small part of their observance. It never ceases to thrill me as the present the flag. It gives me goose bumps. I love this country and the liberty for which it stands as a beacon of hope around the world. God bless America.

As I travelled  home my last fight was on a small prop plane that left Washington, Dulles at 10:30 PM arriving at my airport at 11:00. It is a rather small plane and as we boarded, a young woman was ahead of me and seated herself in the front seat opposite the young flight attendant. They struck up a conversation. It wasn’t long before she was confiding some rather personal details about her life. I am sure she didn’t realize that her voice carried over the rattle of the engines! (I was trying not to listen as I was reading an engrossing mystery.)

But it made me so aware how much easier it is to confide our secrets to a stranger on an airplane or in a bar rather than in a church. Why is that? (No, I do not frequent bars other than the one on Cheers som eyears ago.) Do you remember the lyrics of the theme song?

Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got. 
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot. 

Wouldn’t you like to get away? 

Sometimes you want to go 

Where everybody knows your name, 
and they’re always glad you came. 
You wanna be where you can see, 
our troubles are all the same 
You wanna be where everybody knows 
Your name. 

If only our churches could be that kind of place. How can we make it so?

Charles Colson died yesterday.

I have been interested in reading and hearing the media report on it.

The media has reported his death. In a 10 inch column 3/4s of it recounts his transgressions during the Watergate scandal. And there were many. Then they mention his conversion to Christ.

However, the report in heaven might have been like this: ” We welcome one of our choice servants into Heaven today. He was soundly converted some 40 years ago and followed Christ closely until our Father called him to be with us. There are many here today because of his life of obedience. He did “see Me in prison and visited Me.”  He influenced many to live godly and obedient lives. He was an example of the wonderful grace our Father  pours out on His children.”

There was a bit of a mess he stirred up some years ago in the American ploticial system but I have forgotten all about it.

I welcome him with open arms  to join us for all of eternity. I am well pleased with this servant of mine. Let’s pray for his beloved wife, Patty, whom he left on earth.”

I had the privilege this week of speaking in Fort Worth for Lifeline Chaplaincy based out of Houston. They place good and godly chaplains in hospitals in Texas. A great group!

While there I had breakfast with a special friend. I hadn’t seen her for some years but she is the kind of friend that you pick up where you left off. We were sharing our hearts. (Isn’t it great to have those kinds of friends? No masks needed.)

During our conversation we talked about doubts and questions and the role they have in our Christian life. So often we in the Evangelical community are made to feel that we cannot doubt or question. Once we make Jesus Lord of our lives all things are nailed down, tucked in and neat. It’s not supposed to be messy and, if it is we dare not let it show.

Well…that’s baloney! Life is messy. Even the Christian life is messy if it is real. Questions and doubts come. We need not feel condemned.

What if David had never doubted or asked questions? We would not have the most treasured book in the Bible, Psalms. What if Jeremiah hadn’t argued with God and doubted?  Or Job? We wouldn’t have the comfort of their agonizing struggles that we can identify with when we walk in “the dark night of the soul”. Or what if King Solomon hadn’t asked about the meaning of life? We wouldn’t have the wisdom of his book. 

No, doubts drive us to questions and questions drive us to the quest for answers. Welcome your questions and doubts but beware that they keep God out. Invite God into the process of your quest for answers.

He is risen! Hallelujah!

From the cross Jesus declared, “It is finished.” for all of heaven and hell to hear. It echoed through the ages. The human experience was cosmicly changed. God had accomplished His plan to redeem all of mankind.

When we think that tithing, serving at church, being kind to our neighbor, not cheating on taxes, getting up early for devotional time, “being good”, somehow makes God love us more, earns us favor with God, we do not understand, “It is fnished”. What part of “it is finished” do you not get? We can do nothing to earn anything with God. My nephew, Tullian Tchividjian, has written a marveous little book but so profound: Jesus + Nothing = Everything. I suggest you get a copy and let the truth of it sink deep into your heart, mind and soul.

I am expecting my children for Easter. I am so excited! I have been busy getting the bedrooms ready – my house will be stuffed to the gills. I am trying to think  of things they may need or want. I have been baking and cooking the things they like. We have our traditional dishes. I went out and got movies that will entertain the grandchildren – and 2 dozen eggs! Anyone like deviled eggs? It promises to be a beautiful weekend here in the Shenandoah Valley.

In all the preparation, excitement and activity I do not want to forget the great significance of the celebration. It is Resurrection Day!

But between now and then there is “the before”. Jesus wanted to minister, to teach about forgiveness (He would soon illustrate it.). Some of His most pithy teachings were said that week as the Cross loomed: “If you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”; “Render to Caesar that which is Ceasar’s and to God the things that are God’s”; “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”; “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”  He had to deal with the temple leaders who wanted to trick Him into saying something that will trap Him. They cannot trap Him and they become very angry. Angry enough to spur them to murder.

From our perspective now we look beyond Good Friday and know that resurrection is a sure thing. Those in Jerusalem did not have that perspective. Jesus, however, knew. He knew there would be a resurrection morning. But He also knew “the before”. He did not want to go to the Cross. The scriptures tell us He “endured the Cross”; He prayed and cried out to God who could save Him from this cruelty; He asked His Father if this cup could pass from him; He agonized int he garden…no, He didn’t want to go to the Cross. But the scriptures tell us He did it “for the joy set before Him”. 

What was that joy? Being able to go back to the Father in heaven – once agian take His rightful place at His Father’s right hand. Perhaps the relief  from knowing it was “finished”. I don’t think His joy was tied to Himself at all. I think it was a joy knowing He would accomplish the plan of salvation begun back in the Garden of Eden.  The curse would be reversed. Death would no longer be the victor. He had joy because He knew at last the Father’s passion to restore His creation would be fulfilled. And His joy came from knowing there were myriads upon myriads awaiting redemption through His blood and one day He would present “the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.” At last the Bride would be ready!

All this was planned before the foundation of the world. Think about it. While God was busy forming the universe, putting the sun moon and stars in place, dividing the dry land from the oceans, He had you on His mind!  He desired you way back then. It is mind-blowing! Hallelujah.

And if He was doing all that then – what do you think He is preparing now for us? Eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor entered into the heart of man all that God has prepared for them. It is beyond our imagination!

But there is “the before” as we deal with heartache and loss. Stress and fears. Our anger and bitterness. Our shame and regrets. We can know peace now as we turn to the One who endured the Cross that we might be set free. Hallelujah what a Savior!

I have had another blog site which I have enjoyed – it is more personal. But for some unknown reason the address for it does not work. It is the same blog host as this one and I am doing nothing different than I have hundreds of times. Arrgh!

So I shall begin to use this site in a more personal way since there are way too many things that are fun to share! You’ll get my thoughts – on transparency – and much more. You’ll get photos and receipes. I’ll just start my journey on this site as well. And if the other site comes up…

My children gave me a cat for my birthday – they thought I needed some company. It’s a long story but she is a SPCA cat and came to live with me recently. She does not have front claws – to save birds and my furniture – so cannot go outside. One day I had some company and we had just come in through the garage. We got busy doing whatever it was we were doing and I forgot to close the garage door. I noticed that night that the cat didn’t come to sit with me as I watched the news but I thought she was snoozing upstairs.

The next day I noticed ahe hadn’t eaten. That night when I still hadn’t seen her I wondered if she had gotten locked up in a closet or the attic. I searched and called for her. Nothing.

By the 2nd day I realized she was gone and must have gotten out when the garage door was open – she has a pet door to the garage so she can get to her food and her litter box. I was worried about her since she had no claws and had no way to defend herself or catch food for herself.

I called my next door neighbors and put out fliers throughout my neighborhood. No one had seen her. I stopped walkers on the street and asked if they had seen her and to keep a lookout for her. Nothing. I was beginning to think she was gone permanently.

I despaired. About a week later, a neighbor called and asked if I had found my cat. I told her I had not –  she told me there was a little gray cat at her house. This cat had been attracted to her grandchildren. I went over right away but the cat had gone into hiding we knew not where. I called and called. Nothing. I wasn’t sure it was my cat.

The next day I tried again when my neighbor called to say she was outside…but she got away. I took some sardines over for them to use as bait –  I figured the smell alone would attract her. Later that night my neighbor called again to say she was sitting on her window ledge. I had already gotten ready for bed but I put on a long white cotton robe and dashed across the street. (I may have looked like a ghost running down the street!) Sure enough the cat was on the window ledge and as I called – and offered her sardines – she grabbed a sardine and fled. She appeared to be my cat.

I sat in the driveway trying to coax her back. Finally I left, discouraged.

Did she not know that I wanted to protect her, take her home where she would be safe and warm? Well fed and protected? I was willing to provide everything she needed but she ran preferring what she thought was safety. She thought she could take care of herself.

The next morning I got up very early – dawn was arriving with chilly, dense fog- got my sardines and set out to retrieve the cat. (Whose name is “Piper”, by the way – it should be “Traveler”!) I walked around the house calling for her – about to give up I went around to the front and sat in the driveway with my sardines…I heard her meow and saw her under their van. I continued to softly call her and coax her to come near. She did! I gently picked her up and took her home to warmth and safety.

When we got home, uncertain, she ran and hid. Soon realizing the safety of home she came out to eat a huge breakfast, laced with sardines, and take a long nap! I did see her later in the day looking longingly through the storm door to the world outside. Uh oh.

I began to think about her escapade and the Israelites.

God provided them with security, freedom, loving care, everything they needed as they headed for the Promised Land . The scripture says, “Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.” (Joshua 21:45) It says even their shoes didn’t wear out! ( they had tramped around in the desert 40 years!) God even took care of the details. Yet they got tired of the way He cared for them. The grumbled about everything and began to wish they had stayed in Egypt – slavery. They didn’t trust Him or His sovereignty.

Here I had provided for my cat: safety, health-care, food, love, protection…and she didn’t run back to me. No she had her own fears and insecurities. She didn’t trust me.

How very much like that I am with God. He has “granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness….and His precious and magnificent promises…” (II Peter 1:3, 4) And yet I so often choose my own way – willing to trust myself rather than my heavenly father who adores me and only wants what is best for me. So often, like the Israelites, I don’t trust Him. I want to trust Him more.

A book that recently came my way is Indivisible by James Robison and Jay W. Richards. It is a good read. The have “put the  hay down where the cows can get it”. With all the many voices clamoring to be heard theirs is a clarion call to understand our roots and look to the way the Founding Fathers set our government up. It has been very helpful to me as I listen to all the pundits and talking heads. James and Jay articulate the Christian worldview that is so necessary in order to discern what is taking place these days.

Whether you are a Republican or Democrat, we need to understand the times. This is a pivotal year in the life of our country and I, for one, am very concerned. We can no longer sit on the sidelines and be apathetic. It is time to speak up.

I urge you to run, not walk, to your bookstore and get a copy of Indivisible.

In the same vein, it was helpful to read Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxes to understand the times that lead up to the rise of Adolf Hitler. Our political life cannot be separated from our spiritual life. Dietrich Bonhoeffer lost his life because He was willing to take a stand against the evil of his day. We must do likewise.

I don’t know about you but I am so tired of the trashy, inelegant public discourse. It’s not limited to Republicans or Democrats; liberals or conservatives – they just happen to be the noisiest right now. I was listening to the radio in my car yesterday as I had to go to Charlottesville. The words I heard would make a sailor blush – to use a very outdated phrase. It is for sure I would never have wanted my mother to hear such talk – not to mention my grandparents!

Since when is it OK to call people names? Demean them personally? Demonize those that have a different point of view? Or make fun of people in a cruel way?

Is it OK to have Rush Limbaugh call people ugly names? Is it OK for a US Senator to say those who are on the opposite side, “can go to hell”? Is it OK for Shawn Hannity to use a song with words like these: “We’ll put a boot up your ass, it’s the American way.”  Folks, that is NOT the American way! What happened to civility? What happened to “agree to disagree”?

I enjoy politics. But this year we are way over the top in negativity. The one who can be most negative wins most often. How bazaar is that?

Why have we just accepted this trash? Where is it coming  from? These people are intelligent. They are educated. They have a command of the English language and a large vocabulary. Why stoop to gutter talk? Surely there is a better way to express themselves.

I know that there are times when a “certain” word just fits. I’ve been known to spout one or two myself. But it is not my habit and I fear that if we accept this from our public figures, hear it over the airwaves often enough then it becomes the accepted norm – that we will all begin to think it is OK. It isn’t. Have you noticed that when you spend time with a person who uses fowl language, you pick it up?

As a nation are we just so frustrated at the ineptness of our politicians? Is it because our government is too big, too intrusive? Is it because we have forgotten our heritage and legacy as the “shining city on a hill”? Would George Washington stoop to this kind of language and verbal abuse? Abraham Lincoln? Ronald Reagan? No!

I for one, do not want to accept this as inevitable. Let’s get back to civility, people. Let’s raise the public discourse by paying attention to the words we use words.

The wisest man who ever lived, great King Solomon, told us this: “There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” “He who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from troubles.”  Let’s think about the words we use and the effect they have on others.