SelahV Today by hariette petersen

CELEBRATION and FAVORITE MOVIE LINES

Yesterday hubby and I celebrated our anniversary.  We took my son's two girls to dinner at Cracker Barrel.  Abby, 8, asked, "So Grama, how long have you and grampa been together?"

"46 years if you count the year before we got married. We've been married 45 years."

"Wow!  That's a long time."  The girls then asked where we first met and grampa answered. "In a parking lot."  I figured we needed to explain that a bit so I filled in the blanks.

"My girlfriend and I were at the swimming pool and we were talking to some friends of hers.  He joined the group and they introduced him to me.  He said 'hello' and I fell in love at first sight. True story. So I guess you could say, he "had me at hello".

[Renee Zellweger's line to Tom Cruise in Jerry McGuire has been my favorite all-time movie line ever since I heard it.]  What's yours?  selahV

DUMB THINGS PEOPLE DO

Some folks do anything to get a story.  Some folks are so bent on making their points that they ignore the innocent folks in life who may get in their way.  Some folks flatten innocent people in their quests and must live with the humiliating mistakes they make.  As you can see here, some folks have little common sense:

WIPED OUT

Heart is full of joy.  Spirit at peace.  Brain is fried.  Body is beat.  Taking a break.  Promise to resume living on Monday.  Blessed be the name of the Lord!  What else can I say?  It's been a busy week at Camp Grama's. 

COME LET US REASON TOGETHER

One of my favorite things in life is a mountain brook lined with ferns and stately evergreens.  I especially love the one that flows along a country highway through the mountains of Tennessee.  There are places in that brook that are deafening; whispers cannot be heard and conversation is all but impossible.  The rushing water beating upon the rocks and mossy banks create a cacophony of roaring sounds.  When the cicada and treefrogs join in the blending of sound and nature, beauty and flowing life takes my breath away.

If you walk along the creekbeds, there are spots where the water pools and creates a glistening retreat from the barrage of water beating against the boulders and moss-covered stones.  Mountain trout gather there and live in harmony with their surroundings.  Tiny minnows multiply.  Terrepene and crawfish dig their homes and burrow into the banks.  Butterflies cluster around the rhododendron bushes.  Dogwood and redbud trees dot the area with new life in the Spring.  Sparrows, robins and cardinals sing.

Recalling this splendor brings to mind another kind of stream.  The comment streams among us.  So many websites offer respite from the rushing roaring waters that beat across the boulders in the middle of their streams.  Jutting boulders divide the flow of the stream in a mountain brook.  If one tries to cross the stream by stepping on the stones, they do so at their own peril.  The moss covering can be slippery.  Very slippery.

I find my greatest comfort in the pools of glistening water that gathers in an open area and offers calm and peace.  I love the rushing waters; I love their majesty and power.  But most of all, I like the refreshment offered in the calmer collections of streams.  You see.  In the pools, the movement and flow is still there.  But it is a quiet undercurrent flowing beneath the surface.  It moves, but it does not erode the banks.  It carries minnows and fish downstream, but does not crush them.  The beauty still surrounds me; nature's course is not destroyed.  And the peace and contentment found by the still waters restores my soul.

May this be your place of pooling water.  May you find respite from troubled waters and rushing streams.  May you drink and enjoy and be refreshed today.  Come, let us reason together in Christian love.  Share a word of testimony.  What is Christ doing in your life today?  What incident today has drawn you closer to Him?  What event has caused you to seek His strength and know His sufficiency and calming presence?  selahV         

HOW DO YOU KNOW FORGIVENESS IS REAL ?

Ever wonder if forgiveness is real?  The Lord taught me something about forgiveness and mercy last week.

Today I wrote in my newspaper column, Common Matters, about some incidents we've had with vandals on our street.  I probably will never know who did the things to us and our neighbors.  I was pretty angry when I saw a giant "BK" on the hood of my car, and a giant "HK" sprayed on my driveway.  I called the police and the officer told me that "BK" meant Blood Kill.  "Gang slang."  It kinda curdled my morning breakfast.  Many in my neighborhood are retired folks, and elderly widows.  They live on fixed incomes and many have to pay for repairs to their property.  I wanted the police to do something.

Then a few days later, the vandals struck again.  But only my house was hit.  This time they pulled up our mailbox from the ground and threw it in the street.  I didn't call the police.  I thought, "why bother?"  Then I began to think, what could anyone do unless they caught them red-handed, in the act?  It really irritated me.  It annoyed me that someone would do this to me and my neighbors.  Then the Lord told me to pray for them.  And I prayed for the safety of my neighbors and our property.  But I felt no peace about the situation.  "Forgive them, for they know not what they do" came to my mind.  I began to pray for the unknown vandals.

I realized they need my prayers as much or more than my neighborhood.  I prayed the Lord would send someone into their lives to help them before their vandalism escalates into something worse.  I realized that unless someone reaches them, to help them get at the root of their acts of violence to "things" of others, more than likely the thrill of getting away with vandalism will move onto violence toward people or animals.  Things they did last week on my street can be easily repaired, though costly to some.  Yet, the greater cost will be to those unknown vandals if they are not helped to move beyond their destructive acts.

I was able to use Goo Gone to remove the paint from my car.  It works great.  And just as the Goo Gone removed all evidence of the vandals' sin from my car, Christ can remove all evidence of sin from their hearts.  Praying mercy upon them is the least I can do.  The more I prayed mercy upon them, the easier it was to forgive them.  As I forgave them, mercy filled my heart for them.  They will never know this side of heaven that they are truly forgiven, but God knows.  Sometimes folks who need our forgiveness never know they are forgiven, but letting go of what they've done to me, I believe, helps me as much or more than them.  Don't you? selahV

HOW DO WE KNOW ANOTHER REPENTS?

My previous post about saints of old and their lies, mistakes and misleading statements, left out any reference of them repenting.  (Intentionally, I might add.)  I figured someone would have to bring it up though; they'd have to point it out to me.  We've come to accept that these saints repented because of how they lived their lives afterward.  However, is there record of Peter, Abraham and others publicly saying they were sorry, confessing and expressing such to the world?  Jacob and David, yes; but the others?  

We know David repented, for it is written that he did.  And we have his beautiful Psalm 51, too, to confirm it.  Anyone who has ever sinned against God and been repentant would probably relate well with his humble prayer.  Humility is further illuminated for us by our Savior when He tells us of the publican's prayer and the pharisee's.  Jesus shows us exactly what the difference is between a humble prayer of repentance, and a proud unrepentant prayer, doesn't He?  We are able to take this example and compare it to our own lives, aren't we?

Abraham never said he was sorry. In one account of Abraham lying about Sarah, scripture shows him being confronted by King Abimelech.  We see where Abraham explained his actions, but he never said he was sorry for lying to the king and misleading him, did he?  And as far as we know, Sarah never said she was sorry, either.  Did they repent? [see Genesis 20]  I'm sure God knows.  And since God instructed Abraham to pray for King Abimelech, and later uses Abraham for good, we may conclude he repented, right? 

Jacob actually lived a life of fear even to the day he met Esau in the field.  He strategically placed his servants and his first wife in front of his second, most favored wife, in case Esau took vengeance upon him. Jacob made restitution to his brother seeking "his favor".  It took quite a few years before he bothered to offer anything to him, though, didn't it?  Afterward, they went their own ways, and lived separately.  The reconciliation was limited. 

Then, there is Peter. Did he repent? Did scripture say he repented? Did he profess his sin before his brethren? Did he go make it right with the servant girls?  Did he?  Scripture says he was sorrowful and wept bitterly.  But did he repent openly?  We know that Jesus came to him and emphasized His love toward him.  We know that Peter went on to "feed" the sheep. 

What is "repent" to you, actions, words, or both?  Some people will accept us when we make restitution, when we admit mistakes, when we confess our sins, when we try to reconcile.  Others could care less, they have their own agendas, they do not have the ministry of reconciliation.  They are offended by our very existence.  They cannot be satisfied no matter what we say or do.  They have self-made rules of order, legalistic ideas, specific signs they must see before they will accept us.  And even if we apologize, they beat us on the head with whatever wrong we committed for the rest of our lives.

Then some people have the grace to forgive us before we even turn around.  Just like Jesus did those who crucified Him.  That's the kind of grace I want to have for others.  How about you? selahV

HE LIED

In front of others, he lied.  He lied about where he'd spent the last three years of his life.  Three times he lied.  As the Son of God looked on, Peter lied.  He denied ever knowing Jesus, the one he'd called Master, and Lord.  How could he do such a thing?  Peter was a leader in the inner circle of disciples that Jesus taught.  He stood with Jesus as He was transfigured.  He saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead.  He saw Jesus feed thousands with a little boy's lunch.  Yet, Peter lied.

Abraham lied, too.  He lied about his wife being a sister and he told Sarah to lie about him being her husband.  Caused quite a stir in Egypt.  Yet, God blessed him with descendants that outnumber the stars.  Jacob lied.  David not only lied, he had others set up an innocent man to die on the field of battle so he could have the man's wife.

I've wondered sometimes why God shows us these fallible saints of old to share His message with us.  Perhaps to illumine the magnitude of His grace?  I think so.

Sometimes it seems as though professing Christians fail to exercise the grace God has shown us we should exercise.  Sometimes we forget how much grace He pours out upon us each day and how much undeserved mercy we have in Christ.  It's hard to understand how some people can be so hateful to others.  It's hard to comprehend how some are deceived into believing they're better than another when they put another Christian down and shovel dirt upon him when his name is brought up in conversation. 

Have you ever done anything in public or in private that would bring shame upon yourself if the world were to know?  Have you ever lied? Do we walk into church each Sunday and give the impression to those around us that we walk a bit straighter than another by our lofty words and testimonies?  Do we ever teach what we don't do ourselves?  Does our pride in our own integrity and faithfulness make us any better than another who seems less faithful or honest in our eyes?  While we try to live as Christ taught us, we fall prey to our own flesh again and again.  In Him is our righteousness.  In Him is our justification.  In Him is our forgiveness.  Without Him we falter and fail.

Yes, Peter lied.  Did Jesus confront Peter?  Yes.  Did He beat Peter over the head with the knowledge of Peter's denials and sin?  He did not.  In fact, He singled Peter out to hear of His resurrection.  He told the women at the tomb to go tell the others and "Peter".  Jesus told Peter to "feed" His sheep.  Jesus forgave Peter, restored him, and used him to build His church.  Such grace is ours in Christ.  He has forgiven us.  He continues to forgive us.  May we live in His example and do likewise with others.  Seventy-seven times.  selahV 

FREEDOM

Free to choose sin.

Free to repent.

"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."  John 8:36

Free to live in Christ forever.