What do keeping the phone nearby, a laundry hamper, and a night light have to do with the Second Coming of Jesus? Well, nothing really. Only those things made me stop and think this week. I hope they will make you stop and think too after I share my heart with you.

On Monday, Aaron and I received an email from our placement caseworker that we have been approved and are now licensed foster parents. From that moment on this week, I have found myself in a constant state of watchfulness. You see, we could get a call at any moment with a placement. This is something we have been looking forward to and anticipating for a while.

As you can imagine, I have a heightened awareness of my phone. I keep it close. I jump every time it rings. I leave the ringer on at night. You get the idea. I’m ready for the call.

Also, I keep thinking of things that we still need. So, today, I went out and got a laundry hamper and a night light. I don’t want to be caught off guard when the moment comes. I want to be ready.

I don’t know when the call is coming, but I know it’s coming. It could be in five minutes or it could be in three weeks. Even in the unknown, I am on high alert, and I keep on doing the things I know to do so that I am as ready as I can be.

As I pondered my own behavior this week, I realized something that brought me up short. The return of Jesus is imminent. Current events have me more convinced of that than ever, but do I live like it? Am I watching for Him, waiting for the moment that He appears? Am I ready?

I have to confess that as I thought about it, I began to see that I don’t always live like I believe He’s coming. I don’t feel that same sense of urgency – of getting every little detail in place – that I have felt this last week in preparing for the entrance of a child into our lives.

How would my words and actions change if I lived in that state of readiness for His return? What would that look like? What would I be doing differently? How would I be preparing? It makes me think of this story that Jesus told us –

“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’

All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’ But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’

But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’

But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’

‘So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.'” (Matthew 25:1-13, NLT)

Jesus told us to keep watch and be ready. I, for one, need to do that better. If I knew for sure that Jesus was returning two days from now, what would I do differently? How would my priorities change? What things are consuming my time that wouldn’t even matter at all?

Will I be found ready when He comes? Am I keeping watch? Does my behavior indicate that I believe with all my heart He’s coming soon?

“Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder:

‘Praise the LORD! For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to Him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and His bride has prepared herself.

She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.’ For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.” (Revelation 19:6-8, NLT)

We who are believers in Jesus are His bride. Are we preparing ourselves for that wedding feast? Are we keeping watch? Are we keeping an eye out while we get every little detail in place in our hearts?

Jesus is coming! Let’s get ready!

Jesus, we long for Your return. We see the signs of the times, and we know it could be at any moment. Please help us to learn what it means to keep watch for You. Help us not to be distracted by lesser things that steal our time and energy away from the things You’ve asked us to be doing. Keep us from apathy, and give us the grace to prioritize Your Kingdom above all else. Show us the things we need to do so that we can be ready when You come for us. Amen.

-Dana

Have you ever heard of Euodia and Syntyche? These are two women who had the distinction of being addressed by name in Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

“I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.” Philippians 4:2-3

There are some very well-known verses in Philippians chapter 4 (I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength; Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again, Rejoice; Do not worry about anything but pray; My God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory; etc.), but verses 2 and 3 are not among those that are often quoted. At first glance, they seem to be a message specifically for the Philippians, without much relevance to the 2020 church at all.

Over the past month or so, I have been thinking about these ladies and that church a lot. More on that in a bit…

What about the American church in 2020? Everyone uses the word “unprecedented” about this year, initially referring to our global pandemic, but now encompassing an even bigger picture of deep racial division, repeated and devastating natural disasters, and a presidential election and political climate that have created more collective angst than any in the last hundred years. And as believers in Jesus, part of God’s family, we are in this world, struggling to remember we are not of this world. I have seen people leave their churches over mask decisions. I have read social media posts stating if you are a Christian, you must vote for a particular candidate. We find disagreement, often sharp disagreement, in settings where we are used to seeing basically eye-to-eye. Frankly, for me, it feels like a mess.

So what about Euodia and Syntyche? If Paul was urging them to be of the same mind, they must have been needing that reminder. It is safe to say that they were disagreeing, and that it was a big enough disagreement that Paul, in prison in Rome, had heard about it. I love Paul’s tone as he addresses them! He doesn’t take one side or the other. He asks even the “loyal companion,” who doesn’t seem to be involved in the disagreement, to help restore unity. He reminds the church of the way these women have poured themselves into working for Jesus, and done it together with Paul and others. He speaks of their identity as believers, names written in the book of life.

I had these ladies in the back of my mind as I was working on memorizing the opening verses of the letter to the Philippians, Philippians 1:1-8. As I went over and over the verses, trying to get them word perfect, I noticed that there are quite a few repetitions of the phrase “all of you.” I had to work a little harder to remember whether Paul said “you” or “all of you” in a given sentence.

Paul wrote,
“To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, …
“I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, …
“It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, …
“For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus.”

Could Paul have been emphasizing that his letter and his advice and his love and his prayers were for all the Philippians? To include both Euodia and Syntyche, and all sides of whatever disagreement was threatening their unity?

In chapter 2, he says, “If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” Philippians 2:1-2. He goes on to talk about humility and putting others ahead of yourself, and the perfect example of that, found in Jesus. In verse 5, he tells them “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,”

Paul’s desire was that Euodia and Syntyche have the same mind, that the Philippian church have the same mind, and he explained that the mind they were to have was the mind of Jesus. That phrase “the same mind” pops up again in chapter 3. “Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you.” Philippians 3:15

This letter to the Philippians has helped me so much as I navigate disagreement and division within my own “tribe,” my brothers and sisters in Jesus.

Whether I am in disagreement with others or just a witness to the disagreement, I can pray for all and be confident that God is at work in all. I can know that all share in God’s grace, and I can have compassion for all. I can live in humility and put others ahead of me, like Jesus did. I can practice thinking like Jesus, who modeled perfect love but also stood strong against hypocrisy and promoted heart change. I can rest in the knowledge that it is not my job to convince others, but that God will reveal truth. Unity starts with my posture and my words and my prayers. Unity doesn’t mean we agree about everything. It means that because of the surpassing greatness of the One who holds us together, we can disagree without being divided. Read His prayer for us, recorded in John 17:21.

May I go out on a limb?

Rephrased for 2020,

“I urge Democratic Christians and I urge Republican Christians to be of the same mind in the Lord.”

“I urge masked Christians and I urge anti-masked Christians to be of the same mind in the Lord.”

Let us focus on the “in the Lord” part and be “all of you” Christians.

God, thank You for Your Word, that can speak to us today. Thank You that You hold us in Your hand, that You are in control of the chaos and division that is swirling around us. Please teach Your people to live in unity, united in Christ, standing firm in Your truth and Your love. Forgive us for all the times we have said and done things that do not honor You. Empower us, lead us. Give us humble hearts. We love You.

“I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:1-6

-Leah

I love that video clip! Every time I watch it, I laugh. I can relate to that poor rabbit whose sense of urgency collides with slothful slowness.

I re-discovered something about myself this week. I am not great at waiting. Right now, I’m waiting on a phone call – a call that says Aaron and I are officially licensed as foster parents. I would love to tell you that I have just been serenely and peacefully going about my work until that call comes, but that would not be truthful. The truth is, I have checked my phone constantly. Throughout this last week, I have found myself impatiently wondering, “Will today be the day?” or thinking, “Why is this taking so long?” Every time the phone rang, my heart would pound until I picked it up and realized it wasn’t the call I was hoping for.

Can you relate? Have you ever found yourself in a holding pattern, waiting for something, and realizing that you’re not as patient as you thought you were?

Why is it so hard for us to wait?

When we are waiting, there is usually something that is outside of our control. Most of us really like to be in control. Better said, we like to feel like we are in control. Waiting reminds us that we aren’t independent and we’re not calling all the shots. In reflecting on this, I thought of one of my favorite passages in Scripture.

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;

but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:28-31, ESV)

What precious promises for those who choose to wait for the LORD. As I pondered these verses this week, I realized that waiting requires trust. We have to trust the One who is always in control of everything. We have to trust in His timing and remind ourselves that His understanding is unsearchable.

There’s so much peace in knowing that everything is in God’s hands. A line in and older, well-loved song says, “I know He holds the future.” Waiting is the school where trust is learned. If it were up to us, we would never choose to wait for anything. But there’s work that happens in us as we wait.

It’s in the waiting and in our surrendered will that we find our strength renewed and this amazing ability to run and not be weary. Why? Because we have stopped striving and are learning to trust God more.

“‘Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’ The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.” (Psalm 46:10-11, NASB)

The call will come. We will be licensed foster parents and will soon be entrusted with the care of a precious child. In the meantime, I have a choice to make. Will I strive and fret and be impatient, or will I choose to let the One who controls it all teach me to trust Him more?

Today, I choose to trust because God has not ever failed me. I have experienced His faithfulness and His perfect timing over and over again, and I know that He is trustworthy. I will cease striving and know that He is God.

Dear Father, You are the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. You do not faint or grow weary, and Your understanding is unsearchable. Thank You that we don’t have to figure it all out or make everything work – that is Your job. Thank you that as we wait for You, You teach us to trust You more. Help us to choose trust over impatience. Help us to see You at work while we wait. May we be confident in Your faithfulness today and always. Amen.

-Dana

According to someone’s blog (found on hostingtribunal.com),

“Each month, 70 million new posts appear on WordPress blogs alone.

They instigate lively discussions – 77 million comments attest to it.

The monthly readership on the platform is 409 million people.

For comparison, Tumblr is the home of about 450 million blogs.

Even though the average blog post contains 1150 words…

…the average time spent on blog posts is only 16 seconds; of course, this number is skewered by bounce rates.”

Wow! We have a lot to say!

And, out of the millions of blog posts you have to choose from, thanks for reading this one :). But, actually, my purpose in writing this post today is to tell you NOT to read my blog. Well, maybe not exactly, but I will explain…

My friend sent me this message on Tuesday, with the caveat that it is an hour long, so a bit of an investment, but worth the time. She was absolutely right – I loved it! There is so much truth throughout the entire talk that I cannot summarize it all here, but I would encourage you to take the time to listen.

The B-I-B-L-E…Can’t Be the Book for Me

The main point, told in a direct and funny and thought-provoking way, is that the Bible is valuable, relevant, active, and essential. The speaker makes it abundantly clear that each one of us, as followers of Jesus, need to be reading the Bible, that it is vital for continuing with Christ. She speaks to the true but sad fact that sometimes (or many times) we don’t read the Bible.

Jesus is God’s Word. What God was communicating became a human being, and lived and touched and spoke to other humans. And that divine human being depended on the written Scripture, God’s Words previously recorded, as He lived. Paige Brown said the Scripture was Jesus’ script.

Do you remember the men who walked to Emmaus and had the amazing experience of having Jesus walk with them and explain how He is in all the Scriptures?

“Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Luke 24:27

And as they thought back about that walk, “They said to each other, ‘Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?'” Luke 24:32.

As Paige Brown shared about the Bible, my heart burned within me. There is something that happens as the Word of God illuminated by the Spirit of God resonates with something inside of me, and I think the words “my heart burned within me,” taken from those guys that heard Scripture straight from Jesus’ lips come as close to describing the sensation as anything else does.

It is profoundly important that we read the Book ourselves. That we override our tendency to skim and really read it. Then re-read it. That we read whole passages and even whole books/letters from the Bible and not just pick a verse here and there. That we don’t just read about the Bible, but that we read the Bible. Yes, it’s hard work sometimes, but the investment will not be lost. The Book really is alive and powerful and speaks to the open-hearted reader in a way that can transform who he is and inform what he does.

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Hebrews 4:12

“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105

My intention was to open with this and then share something that I learned a few weeks ago as I was working on memorizing a passage of Scripture. It was new to me and practical for my life. But that doesn’t seem like what is best at this point. You read the Bible. Take at least some of the time you might have spent reading blogs or social media or watching your latest binge-show and open the Book. Don’t wait until tomorrow. God wants to speak to you today, and He has spoken and is speaking through His Word.

“Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son.” Hebrews 1:1-2

God, we need to hear You. We need Your Words to speak to us. Thank You for the incredible privilege of reading the Bible, and in our day of the ability to read it in multiple translations with just the swipe of our finger. We carry Your word in our pockets, let us carry it in our hearts. Use it to teach us what is true and make us realize what is wrong in our lives. Use it to correct us when we are wrong and teach us to do what is right. Use it to prepare and equip all Your people to do every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Live in us and make us Your people. Amen.

-Leah

440,000. According to the most recent data, on any given day, that’s the number of foster children there are in the United States. (The infographic above is from 2013.) Children who have been removed from their homes and families for a variety of different reasons. 440,000 children in crisis. Right here. Living among us.

Two. On any given day, that’s the number of residents at 264 W. High St. in Mount Gilead, Ohio. Two people who have room in their home and in their hearts. Two people who feel honored at the thought of being entrusted with the care of one or more of these precious children.

If all goes according to plan, Aaron and I will be licensed foster parents within the next couple of weeks. We are very much looking forward to this new part of our journey together. There’s a lot of work involved in preparing for this, and we have already had many memorable moments. For me, one of those moments was during a training when the trainer said to us, “You’re expecting.”

We’re expecting. Those are hope-filled words.

We’re expecting joy. The joy that comes from knowing that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Joy from sounds and sights that will be new to us like small feet running down the stairs, sending someone off to school for the day, or seeing a peacefully sleeping child who has likely experienced more heartache in their short life than we can imagine.

We’re expecting love. Our hearts are open, and I know they will be filled up with love for whoever occupies that awaiting room in the upstairs of our house. We intend to love well as we are loved, and we believe that God’s love will flow through us as we continue to depend on Him. It’s His love in us that will enable us to be patient, kind, and understanding.

We’re expecting heartache. Love is often accompanied by heartache. We are not beginning this journey with our rose-colored glasses on. We understand that there will be adjustments, hardship, and even grief. It’s hard to fully love a child and then be asked to give them back. But we have determined that the opportunity to love is worth the heartache.

We’re expecting grace. Grace to do the hard things. Grace to learn what we don’t know. Grace to love without reservation. Grace to transform. Redeeming, life-changing grace.

Expectation is the stuff that hope is made of. As you think of us in the coming week, would you please pray for us? Pray that in His perfect timing, God will bring into our home exactly who He wants to be here. Pray that we will be good foster parents filled with wisdom, patience, and love. Pray that more families will open their homes to children in crisis. We so appreciate your prayers.

“Praise the Lord! Yes, give praise, O servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name of the Lord now and forever.

Everywhere – from east to west – praise the name of the Lord. For the Lord is high above the nations; His glory is higher than the heavens.

Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high? He stoops down to look on heaven and on earth.

He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, even the princes of His own people!

He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother.

Praise the Lord!”

Psalm 113

-Dana