The Standard Is Not Mashed Potatoes

(Part 6 of the Beyond Trophies Series)

Okay, I’m not wearing rose-colored glasses.  I know that less than exemplary behavior sometimes wins debate rounds.  Rudeness pops up in cross-examination or in low-blow insults.  Evidence and support get twisted.  Tag lines and impacts don’t match evidence.  Irrelevant arguments get repeated incessantly.  Unsubstantiated claims are made.  Some debaters intentionally lie.  Some bank robbers never get caught either.  

Today I’m going to set before you two challenges in the context of losing to debating that is less than honorable.

CHALLENGE ONE—Absolutely resist the temptation to try winning by less than honorable behavior.  Why?  Here are two good reasons.

REASON ONE—Trading your integrity for winning a ballot is way too high a price.  

Pragmatism
There is a word for this kind of trade. It’s called pragmatism, and it basically means doing whatever it takes to get the IMMEDIATE result you want, regardless of what is right.  “Immediate” is the key word here because the fact of the matter is that the immediate result obtained by pragmatism does not ultimately lead to a good or cool place.  You simply can’t get there with pragmatism.  The immediate result obtained by pragmatism isn’t even on the road to real success.  It’s a hoax, a dead end joke, and the joke is on you if you try it.  You just end up looking really foolish.

That's not all

But, oh, if only looking foolish were all there were to it; alas, looking foolish is only the start of it.  Closely on the heels of looking foolish comes loss of respect and the loss of integrity, both of which are necessary prerequisites for true success.  Though I pray it’s not the case, if you listen carefully in the hallways of the next tournament, you will probably hear news of those who foolishly chose this trade.  They’ve lost respect and their integrity, not only among their peers, but among judges, too, who might have considered hiring them, voting for them, or agreeing to be their in-laws someday.  The wise will consider the stakes.

Debate IS the real world

Don’t be naïve; what happens in a debate round never stays in a debate round!  Debate is not somehow magically separated from the world of reality.  It IS reality when it comes to your character, your reputation, and your integrity; your conduct in the world of debate will affect the rest of your life.

At every debate tournament, people make decisions about whom they would never hire, never work for, never vote for, never write a positive reference for, or never marry—all based on conduct in a debate round.  Far better to lose a ballot than lose your integrity, because, realistically, while you could easily go win the next round, integrity can never so easily be won back.  You need to know that lasting influence works two ways.

Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is to be more desired than great riches.”  

On the other hand, “The name of the wicked will rot.” (Proverbs 10:7)

Reason Two—Though it may look like a shortcut to success, trading your integrity for a winning ballot is actually a dead end because the standard is not mashed potatoes. 

Mashed Potatoes

Pragmatism is a really dangerous game to play, because it ultimately blurs the lines of what is right and true.  People who adopt a pragmatic approach to life see truth and right somewhat like a mushy glob of mashed potatoes.  They assume they can push it around, and mold it into whatever shape works to serve their immediate purposes.  They assume that if they bump into a standard it will yield to their pressure, that the standards are always changing, always negotiable, and only suggestions anyway.  However, inconvenient as it is for them, the real truth about what is right is nothing like mashed potatoes.  It is fixed and immovable, and ramming it leads, at best, to a really bad headache.

The nitty gritty

At this point, let’s dispense with generalities and talk about the nitty gritty.  What exactly are some of those standards that define honorable and less than honorable conduct?  God’s Old Testament book of Proverbs is one of the most straightforward explanations available, spelling out thousands of examples of the nitty gritty aspects of life, with pointed and potentially painful practicality.

Proverbs 11:1-- “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight.”  What’s a false balance look like in the debate world?  The principle here is that deceptive twisting of facts to your own advantage invokes the Lord’s hatred and disgust.  On the other hand, He’s delighted when we represent the facts accurately.

Proverbs 11:2-- “When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom.” 

Proverbs 11:3-- “The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the falseness of the treacherous will destroy them.”  If you say the other side is illogical, you better be prepared to explain how.

Proverbs 11:17-- “The merciful man does himself good, but the cruel man does himself harm.”  Sly, underhanded, or mean-spirited attacks on another person (rather than critiquing an argument) and rudeness or merciless grilling in cross-examination will only come back to haunt you.

Proverbs 6:16 spells out seven things God hates:  

            Haughty eyes

            A lying tongue

            Hands that shed innocent blood

            A heart that devises wicked plans

            Feet that run rapidly to evil

            A false witness who utters lies  (If you say the other side didn’t respond to an argument, it better be true.)

            One who spreads strife among brothers

In addition to the above recipe for success that includes honesty, humility, integrity, and mercy, “A gentle answer turns away wrath.” (Proverbs 15:1)  And, “Sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.”  (Proverbs 16:21b)

No effective shortcut

That fact is that there is no shortcut to success.  The truly successful pay close attention to God’s standard. 

"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, 

but you shall meditate on it day and night, 

so that you may be careful to do 

according to all that is written in it; 

for then you will make your way prosperous, 

and then you will have success.” 

 Joshua 1:8

Are you still wondering why it sometimes looks like less than honorable conduct wins the day?  The faith-testing fact is that sometimes negative consequences are delayed.  But you can be sure consequences are still coming because God is the judge of the finals of life, and His standard is—you probably guessed it—nothing like mashed potatoes!

CHALLENGE TWO—If you do end up losing to less than honorable conduct, trust that God is sovereign and that He knows what He’s doing with every single ballot—even if you can’t imagine what it is that He’s up to.  The key is understanding that at the end of the day, ballots must add up to His purposes.  This subject—WHAT BALLOTS MUST ADD UP TO—is so incredibly important that I’ll be devoting Parts 8 & 9 to that.

But before that, in Part 7, I’m dying to tell you the story of someone you may have heard of, who just may be one of the greatest communicators of all time.  I’ve nicknamed him “THE INVISIBLE MAN.”

He Took Hold of Me

I said something two days ago that I now regret.  And it's been haunting me.  Ever had that happen?

I thought so.  So you can relate.

Well, I told some friends that my life was a logistical nightmare.  I was feeling just a bit overwhelmed--okay a lot overwhelmed.  So what's to regret about saying that?  Well, they certainly weren't the words of a faithful witness to God's capableness, and it just wasn't true.  First of all nightmares aren't real life, and secondly, it wasn't an accurate statement.  On top of that, I certainly didn't want my children to feel like I was insinuating that they were part of the problem; they're not.

My life may feel like a logistical challenge to me at moments, but it's not all up to me.  What was I thinking?!

Logistical challenges are nothing to my God.  

The real problem was that I took my eyes off my Redeemer and looked at the wind around me.  (Thinking just now I have a lot in common with the Peter of Matthew 14:22-34.)  "But seeing the wind, he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, 'Lord, save me!"

Jesus didn't let the doubter sink; He didn't just let him go down.

"Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand

and took hold of him . . ."

And He didn't just let me go down either.

My God stretched out His hand and reminded me (Numbers 1-10) that He organized millions of His people in the desert after they left Egypt, told them who was to camp where--significantly, all centered around His presence, assigned their duties, set up the signals they would use to communicate, and directed when to set out and when and where to camp.  And, with my God's perspective, my life is beginning to look rather uncomplicated now. . .

My God--the One who holds me safely (John 10:27-29), whose everlasting arms are under me (Deuteronomy 33:27), and whose wings cover me (Psalm 91)--wants me to understand that nothing is too difficult for Him (Jeremiah 32:27).

There are days when I, like David did, just need Him to tell me again.

"O Lord . . .  say to my soul,

'I am your salvation.'"

Psalm 35:3b

"There is none like the God of Israel

 who rides the heavens to your help,

and through the skies in His majesty.

The eternal God is a dwelling place, 

and underneath are the everlasting arms . . ."

Deuteronomy 33:26-27

 "'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?'

And when they got in the boat the wind stopped."

Matthew 14:31b-32

Life can be hard.  Sometimes it even gets darker before the light comes, but whatever it is, however big it is, however impossible it looks to you, He can handle it.  And He'll take hold of you, too.

Give Us This Day . . . Sweet Sourdough Lessons

I know I told some of you that I wouldn't tell you what I ate for dinner, so I won't.  But I am going to risk telling you, just this once, what I had for breakfast.

I've been making bread in a bread machine with commercial yeast for nearly twenty years.  It's a pretty foolproof process.  If you measure right, it always works, and in 190 minutes you can have fresh bread.  Once in while, we supplement with purchased bread. We've never been in want for bread; there's always been an abundance.

So whenever I read the example prayer that Jesus gave to us,

". . . Give us this day our daily bread. . . ,"

I always was thankful for our abundance of bread, but I don't think I ever understood the kind of dependence He meant for us to have.

. . . That is until sourdough.  Two years ago, a friend of ours who grew up in France explained how to make sourdough bread.  He even gave me some starter, so I could start right away.  It, too, seemed a fairly foolproof process, though a little more time intensive.  It was wonderful, and my family soon preferred it to our other home-made bread.

Unfortunately, and, viewed in retrospect, probably Providentially, my starter went bad and I had to start over.  I didn't want to impose on our friend for more starter; so I determined to start my own.

And I began to understand what it could mean to depend on the LORD for bread.

To start a sourdough starter, you mix equal amounts of water and flour and wait.  The next day, you discard half, add back more flour and water, and wait again.  And so it goes on for days and days.  There are a few other technical details, but that's essentially it.  How the culture actually grows is totally out of my control.

It's not a quick process, nor is the outcome guaranteed.  A lot depends on weather, specifically temperature.  The first organisms to grow in the culture are nasty; but their growth provides the pH the desired "natural" yeast organisms need.  A couple times, my culture got moldy before the right organisms were growing in it.  So again I had to start over.  And wait again.

And in the waiting process, I found myself praying for daily bread like never before.  When it was easy to buy or make bread, and when there was always an abundance, yes, I was thankful, but I overlooked the reality of my complete dependence on Him as Supplier.  It wasn't until I had no bread and was waiting on Him to make the sourdough process work that the Lord opened my eyes to more fully appreciate how helpless I am on my own for even the simplest of things.  I suspect that the one who waits for rain to grow the grain to grind for flour to start the sourdough leavening culture understands it even more fully.

I'm ashamed that I've taken so much for granted, carrying on as though my expertise accomplishes things.  Thank you, Lord Jesus, for including the call to acknowlege our utter dependence on Your precious Father and mine.

Yes, I had sourdough toast with an egg for breakfast.  And each morning that I am granted the privilege of enjoying sourdough, I am reminded that I depend on Him to give my daily bread—and so much more.

The House of Mourning

(I decided to share this particular post
with the IAHE blog, too, this week.)


"It is better to go to a house of mourning

Than to go to a house of feasting,

 Because that [death] is the end of every man,

And the living takes it to heart."

Ecclesiastes 7:2

This week my husband went literally to a house of mourning, and though our schedule did not permit me to be there with him physically, I, too, was there in my heart.  He watched them bury his forty-nine-year-old cousin--a husband and father of three.  The new year had begun with a new job, but after only a week at the new job, the man entered the hospital, and by the end of ten weeks, after two liver transplants, he departed this earth.  That was it.  His life is finished.

The living takes it to heart.

What if that were I?  What if that were you?  What would be left unfinished?  When we breathe our last breaths, would there be something we'd regret not doing?

The living takes it to heart.

I'm sure he never intended to die at forty-nine.  We all tend to think we've got plenty of time.  The day before the house of mourning, we had 'feasted' with my father-in-law, who was celebrating his eightieth birthday, and who had just come victoriously through heart surgery.  When the future stretches out before us like a road we can't see the end of, we can be lulled into a false sense of eternal life on this earth.  With the end not clearly visible on our horizon, we are tempted to let go of the urgency of living intentionally.  

Living as if we've got all the time in the world, our theoretical priorities of ideals don't translate into actual priorities of time.  The pressing, yet often not so significant, becomes our master instead.  Unintentionally, we give up living intentionally. 

. . .But the living takes it to heart. . .

Our children will not be young forever.

Neither will any of us live forever, on this earth.

What must change, so that we live intentionally, and with no regrets?

. . . ONE YEAR LATER . . . The View From The Top

It’s been one year.  One year since the day our son, Ben, went running at top speed across wet grass after a runaway kite and slipped and broke his hip.  Ever the optimist, his verbal reaction in the emergency room, to the news that he would be having surgery to repair the break, was, “It’s hard to keep a cheerful personality down for long.”  Cheerful he was on the outside, but it still wasn’t easy.

Yes, thirteen years old, and broke his hip.  Who does that?  I’ll tell you who—the one for whom God had an out of the ordinary plan to refine his character.  Some lessons were learned right away.  He wrote about eight pages in the first six weeks about what the Lord was teaching him, and more in the next few weeks.  I shared some of his insights earlier on this blog.  However, the perspective that a year brings has highlighted even more character changes we’d have never foreseen or even guessed in a million years.

Earlier this week, we saw Ben’s orthopedic surgeon on the one-year anniversary of his fall.  She was very impressed with the healing.  In the new x-rays, you can’t even see where the break in the bone was, except, of course, for the three telltale screws, which bear testimony to something out of the ordinary.  Humanly speaking, there had been a moderate risk of part of the bone dying and crumbling, requiring a hip replacement.  We are so grateful for the Lord’s gift of adequate blood supply to the bone, keeping it alive.  Ben thanked the surgeon for her good work, but she said that his body did the healing, to which Ben responded that it was actually the Lord who did that.

After we got out to the car to return home, Ben remarked that, if he had it to do over, he wouldn’t have it any other way.  His sister’s reaction to that was that she wouldn’t go chasing the kite.  But Ben was serious.  We asked him to elaborate. . .

“Can this really be happening?” I thought, when I heard the news at the hospital.  “Why me?  Why Now?  Why did this have to happen?”  Well, some might call it being unlucky, but I call it Providence.  God decided that I should break my leg, go to the hospital, and spend the next several months getting back on my feet.  But it wasn’t just some random decision on God’s part.  He says in His word that He knows the plans He has for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us.  I believe that God used this time to really grow me, and teach me.

The first thing God taught me is that He always has a reason for our difficulties.  So, back to my original question, “Why did this have to happen?”  Well, I believe that God brings into His children’s lives these little things called trials.  Now the word “trial” has a natural negative connotation it, but that really shouldn’t be.  We think of trials as very hard, difficult times in our lives, something like climbing a huge mountain that never seems to end.  But we learn through God’s word that God thinks of trials as a way to grow us and show us new things, something like the amazing, beautiful view off the top of that mountain.  To sum that up, man mostly thinks of trials in terms of the climb and difficulty, or the view from the bottom, but God sees trials, not only as the climb, but also as a way to grow us and show us new things.  In other words, God views our mountainous trials from the top, seeing both our climb and the view.  He always has a reason for our mountains that is for our good.

            Something else that God taught me is that He is faithful.  You probably can’t imagine the size of the inward gulp that I had when we heard the results of the x-rays. A broken leg—that meant surgery.  Now I don’t know about you, but I think most people my age aren’t in the business of having surgery.  I’m not!  So when 8 o’clock rolled around the next morning (the scheduled time for surgery), I was quite nervous.  But after we had prayed, and gone down several floors, and into the surgery area, I had a lack of fear that I can’t explain, other than it being God’s peace.  I woke up after surgery and all was just fine. God is faithful.  This really had an impact on me, because if God can get me through the most scary and difficult time in my life so far, then, of course, He can get me through my math lesson!  God is faithful.

            Lastly, God taught me something regarding work.  Long difficult math problems, working outside pulling weeds, and doing chores were not something I used to enjoy at all.  And now I will use my two favorite words…but God changed me while I was sitting down!  Not being able to do so much for so long made me want to be able to do work.  I mentioned earlier the second thing God taught me, and it applies to this, too.  If God can get me through my experiences at the hospital, then God can certainly get me though my everyday life!   God has changed me.  Now I like work, I know that it is a good thing that God has given us to do, which honors Him and parents, and I know that God can get me through anything (and that includes every kind of work under the sun).

            Someone could say that I’ve had a very unlucky year full of difficult times and climbs, but I say it has been a wonderful time of refining by God.  Looking back on this year, I can see both the climb and the outcome, and I know that it was worth it.  If I had this year to do over again, I wouldn’t have it any other way!   ~Ben

"Consider it all joy, my brethren,

when you encounter various trials,

knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

And let endurance have its perfect result,

that you may be perfect and complete,

lacking in nothing."

James 1:2-4

Note from Carol:  By the way, if you haven't heard the song God gave me to write and share with our family only about 36 hours before this storm in Ben's life, you can listen here.  I want you to see what God did!

Unexpected Storms III-- The Song He Knew We Needed

My dear readers,

I know only a little something of the storms just a few of you are going through right now, but our precious Heavenly Father indeed knows the details of every one of the storms in each of our lives.  He anticipates our needs and is perfectly able to meet them.  In a way, He did that for us when He gave us this song.

It wouldn't be right to keep this song to ourselves, when He intends that we pass on the comfort He gives.  So I share this song (just a living room recording), not to focus on me, but I earnestly pray that you can hear beyond my voice to the words and character of Jesus as He reveals Himself in the gospels.  If you haven't already had a chance to, I humbly encourage you to take a moment to read about the backdrop against which this song is set.  Truly, I think understanding the song's backstory will make it's meaning richer.  Unexpected Storms--Part One especially sets the stage with the Biblical context from Mark 4, and Unexpected Storms--Part Two (Ben's Storm) will give you a glimpse of how God, in His perfect timing, used this song to encourage our family.

May it be a blessing. . . and yes, of course, you may share it if you think it will encourage someone else.

Trust in Him at all times, O people;  Pour our your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.
Psalm 62:8

The words are on the video, but in case they are too small to read, I included them here as well.  You can also hear the song on Vimeo here.

Captain's Anthem
© 2011 Carol Carpenter
Inspired by Mark 4:35-5:1

V1
There will be days
When you think the waves
Will surely break over your boat.
Your knees are knocking,
And your boat is rocking,
And you're not sure you're staying afloat.

Chorus
But this storm was never meant to scare you;
Instead, my friend, it will prepare you.
This whirling storm was never meant to be a threat;
You belong to me, so please don't fret!
Storms will rise,
Dark clouds blind your eyes,
But your strength is not in what you see--
Your strength is found in depending on Me.
Your strength is found in Me!

V2
When courage may waver,
Know that I am your Savior--
Don't let fears run away with you!
When faith starts to slip,
Remember:  I planned this trip.
You're here to see what I can do!

Chorus

And this storm was never meant to scare you;

Instead, my friend, it will prepare you.

This whirling storm was never meant to be a threat;

You belong to me, so please don't fret!

Storms will rise,

Dark clouds blind your eyes,

But your strength is not in what you see--

Your strength is found in depending on Me.

Your strength is found in Me!

Bridge

Can't you see that fretting is a waste?

Surely by now you've had a taste

Of My power and majesty--

No storm ever gets the best of Me!

Chorus

And this storm was never meant to scare you;

Instead, my friend, it will prepare you.

This whirling storm was never meant to be a threat;

You belong to me, so please don't fret!

Storms will rise,

Dark clouds blind your eyes,

But your strength is not in what you see--

Your strength is found in depending on Me.

Your strength is found in Me!

V3

I'm here in your boat;

I will keep you afloat.

You've got to understand Who I am!

Unexpected Storms-- Part Two (Ben's Storm)

Instead of me telling you about the 'storm' we ran into, I will let our thirteen year old son tell it in his own words--

A beautiful day.  A broken kite line.  A mad dash.  A slip on wet grass.  “Crack!”  What?  Why?  How?

Some would say that problems and trials are what they’re called: problems and trials.  I disagree.  James says, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)  You see, God always has a purpose for what He does.  Trials aren’t brought along to make you miserable—they’re brought to strengthen your faith and teach you.  Starting in March of this year, I’ve been getting first hand experience in this, and I would like to tell you some of the things that I have learned and grown in because of my own trial.

Saturday, March 12, 2011, was a beautiful day.  In the afternoon, I went outside intending to get the mail on my bike.  Then, I saw that it was an excellent day to fly a kite.  So, I hurried into the garage and returned with the kite.  The wind was very strong and the kite went up very quickly—too quickly.  For a few minutes, things went well, but the wind was definitely too strong.  The kite started acting very wild because of the wind, and then, all of a sudden my line broke, and I saw the kite headed straight for the power lines and road in a twenty-mile-an-hour wind!  You can imagine what I thought.  A second later, I took off running as fast as I could go after the kite.  I chased it clear out of our yard, and into our neighbor’s yard.  As I ran, I realized I was running on wet grass.  I kept on running after the kite, and as it went down, I started to reach for it.  But on my last stride, my right leg went out from under me, and, as my leg went down, I heard a loud “crack”.  I wondered what I had done and hoped it was nothing too bad.  It took a lot of pain, effort, and time, but I finally dragged myself back to the house.  After I reached the door, I just rang the bell, thanked the Lord that I made it, and fell back exhausted!

I was very grateful to the Lord that the kite stopped where it did—About fifteen feet from the road and just underneath the power lines!

As you could guess, the door was opened, and a very grateful Ben was helped into the car, which we took directly to the hospital.  X-rays of my leg showed that the femur neck (around where the ball of the big leg bone joins the hip socket) of my right leg was broken.  I couldn’t believe it.  Not that I denied the reality, but it was quite a shock!  Truthfully, I had hoped that I had done something much more minor, like tearing a tendon or ligament, or just dislocating my hip.  My hopes were dashed.  Stuck with a broken hip!  “Why?”  “Why did the Lord let this happen?” I wondered.  I knew that the Lord was with me and that He always has a reason for what He does, so I decided to trust the Lord, and then we asked the Lord what He wanted me to learn from this.  Within hours, He started making things clear. . . .

. . .Surgery--that word made me gulp.  We were also informed that the surgery could not be done at the hospital I was at (much to my temporary relief!).  On the way to a different hospital, I had a conversation with one of the paramedics.  I said, “It’s always nice to know that if you ever have medical problems, you know where you can go.”  Then I said, “It’s also nice to know where your eternal destination is, too.” . . .

With me having a broken hip, you can imagine that a lot of nurses and doctors would be visiting my room.  God had given me an amazing chance to be a witness for Him!  My Dad encouraged me to just be myself and be polite, so that is what I did.  I thanked everyone who helped me, I was polite and attentive to what people said, and the Lord used just that. I think one reason God allowed me to break my hip is because of the opportunities to be witnesses that He has given us through this trial.

. . .One of the things the Lord taught me through this was to trust Him more, and also He has shown me how He provides everything we need.  In my case, it was hospitals to go to, the right people to help me, gentle people to help me, assurance from my Dad, who had experienced a broken leg himself—telling me everything would be alright, a chance to talk to the surgeon to get our questions answered, His provision of peace, and His strength (which I still need) in recovery.  He has also shown me, in a very up close and personal way, that I can do a lot more through His strength than I realized before this!

God does bring trials along so that we can learn and grow because of them. This is stated quite clearly in Jeremiah 29:11.

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not calamity, to give you a future and a hope.’”

Sometimes we may not understand His plans, and it may look like calamity, but we can rest assured that it is for our good.  This is also found in Romans 8:28.  So, if God uses trials for our good, our proper response should be to thank Him for the trials that He brings us—in whatever form they may come.

Now, I know, at first this might sound a bit extreme to some.  But if you think about it, (I’ll use a hospital example) if you had an extremely dangerous disease, which only one very-knowledgeable health agency knew about and guaranteed they could help you get over, you would probably want their help right?  But what if I told you the doctor they sent drove a ‘souped-up’ model T, wore chainmail and a sword, his tools were a saw, hammer, flashlight, and jackhammer, his note taking was done with a quill and papyrus, and his beard was nearly tripping him. But he claimed he did know how to help you. What would you think now?  Would you still want their help?

Believe it or not, this situation is like life.  Just like the sickness, we have areas in our lives where we need help and need to grow.  There is an Agency that wants to help you.  That Agency is God’s spiritual health agency—God wants us to grow and become more like Him.  One of the ways He does that is through trials, and, like I said before, we need to be ready to accept His help through trials in whatever form they come, and thank Him for it. Just like the doctor from the agency, the trials could be baffling, weird, ridiculous, or even scary, but we can be sure that the trials are for our good.

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or became His counselor?’” (Rom. 11:33 & 34)  We serve a very creative, caring God who, I know first hand, does things in ways we sometimes don’t understand.  But we can trust and thank Him that He knows what He is doing and that He does work all things to the good of those who love Him!   ~ Ben


You've been reading an excerpt from Ben's writing about what the Lord taught him through this storm.  For the most recent update from Ben, see ONE YEAR LATER...The View From The Top.

About thirty-six hours before Ben fell, I had shared with our family the song the Lord gave me about unexpected storms in our lives (based on Mark 4--see Unexpected Storms--Part One).  A night or two after Ben got home from the hospital, when I came to tell him goodnight, he was lying there humming that song.  As we started talking, we discovered that the first night we spent in the hospital, while we each thought the other was asleep, both of us were actually awake with the truths in that song comforting our hearts while it silently went through our minds.  If you would like to hear what God did, you can listen to the song here.

Unexpected Storms-- Part One

A recent trip to the emergency room (see the Sept. 19, 2011, post Real Life), got me thinking about what I call the unexpected.  From our perspective, life is uncertain, filled with unexpected storms, great and small.

Now, when we talk about 'the unexpected' happening, that may be true enough coming from our own perspective, but from God's perspective, nothing is unexpected.  He never sleeps (Psalm 121:4).  His plans stand firm forever (Psalm 33:11; Isaiah 46:9-10).  Each and every day of our lives was ordained by Him before it ever came to be (Psalm 139:16).  On top of that, He loves us and there is no one wiser.  Not only does He have perfect plans, but He has plenty of power to carry them out.

With that as a backdrop, consider with me this incident that Mark records in his gospel (Mark 4:35-41):

"And on that day, when evening had come, He (Jesus) said to them (his disciples), 'Let's go over to the other side.'

And leaving the multitude, they took Him along with them, just as He was, in the boat; and other boats were with Him.  And there arose a fierce gale of wind and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.

And He himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, 'Teacher do you not care that we are perishing?'

And being aroused, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Hush, be still.'  And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.

And He said to them, 'Why are you so timid?  How is it that you have no faith?'  And they became very much afraid and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?'"

Now, when that storm hit, the disciples were convinced that they were dying.  They said so.  “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re perishing?”  They honestly thought they were going down, but they were overlooking one small fact.  At the beginning, Jesus had said, “Let’s go over to the other side.”  NOT, “Let’s go die in a shipwreck!”

I’m not sure why the chapter divider deciders decided to do it this way, but the first verse of the next chapter (Mark 5:1) actually has the end of this story.  It says, “And they came to the other side.”  That's right--they came to the other side.

When Jesus plans a journey, He finishes it.  However unexpected the storm was to the disciples, it was not unexpected to Jesus.  Yes, they ran into a storm.  Yes, the waves were breaking over the boat.  Yes, the boat was already filling up.  But they got to the other side, just as He planned.

The disciples let their fears get way out of control, way ahead of reality.  When Jesus asked them, “Why are you so timid?  How is it that you have no faith?”, their answer, in the form of the question hinted at the heart of the matter.  They asked each other, "Who is this...?"  They didn’t know, clearly and unmistakably enough yet, who He really was.  It wasn't fully integrated into their hearts yet that it was God in their boat, and that He would keep them afloat!

Somebody once defined worry as thinking of the future as if God isn’t in it.  Fear does the same thing.  They were thinking of their boat as if God wasn’t in it.  They didn’t understand yet that Jesus was Lord over what seemed, to them, their most 'impossible' situations, and that Jesus' plans for them would not be thwarted.  They were still learning that fear, in the face of unexpected storms, was never what Jesus had in mind for them.

If it wasn't fear that He had in mind for His disciples, what was it?  A bit later in Mark, Jesus reassures others who were wrestling with storms of a different kind, with these words, "Go in peace. . ." and, "Do not be afraid any longer, only believe."  Deliberately and progressively, He revealed to His followers more and more of Who He is and what He can do.  "Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid."

What are you afraid of?  Is there something that has taken you by surprise?  Is there a journey the Lord set you on, but now you're wondering if you will reach the end of it? 

We can rest assured that God doesn't have to wait to see the morning paper to find out what's happening in our world.  When you next check the weather forecast, remind yourself that He never needs to.  We can trust His power and His love through any storm.  And when He plans your journey, He will be with you, to get you to the other side.

I asked for a new song
These very themes are some of what I chose to speak about at the June, 2011, Indiana State Homeschool convention.*  As I was preparing, I was earnestly hoping to close the session with a song that we could sing together, that would capture these truths in a package my listeners would be able to take home with them to sing later, when they would inevitably run into storms of their own.  But all the songs that seemed to fit were copyrighted by others, and since the session was to be recorded, that would have been a problem.  So I asked the Lord if we could have a new song.  And He gave me one!

Here's the most amzaing part!  In His perfect way, He gave it, not just in time for the convention, but three months earlier, and just before our family ran into a storm of our own.  Here's what happened (our storm), and here's the song He knew we needed.

* I wasn't there because I've got everything together.  I haven't.  I was there because God has been my strength and comfort, and He wants us to pass on to others the comfort He supplies (II Corinthians 1, you know).  Anyway, what I shared there wasn't some theoretical formula.  I shared some of the truths from God's Word that had become a literal lifeline to me, and, in fact, they still are.  I never grow weary of hearing Him calm the storm again and again!

Real Life

I've been thinking a lot about thankfulness lately, but when I last posted and I said there there was more to come soon on thankfulness, I had no idea what the Lord had around the corner within less than twenty-four hours. . . .


Saturday became one of those days when I needed to sing, when I just needed to break loose and be really thankful.  “It was a perfect day?” you ask?  Well, let’s just say that it didn't exactly go as I had expected.  The path to where I landed began in the emergency room, and most times, when that happens, you’re likely to end up in a place you weren’t anticipating to be when the day began.  Anybody else ever had a day like that?


I don’t just mean a day where your path leads through the emergency room.  I mean any day where something unexpected or potentially overwhelming happens. . . . Maybe your calling looms larger than you are. . . or maybe when discouragement over not making enough progress bars the path to a place or time to relax with contentment. . . or when you long to be free of a particular struggle so you could be able to joyfully embrace life without feeling as though life itself would crush you first.  Anybody know what I’m talking about?

Though it does seem counterintuitive, those are the days when we most need to sing.   That’s right.  And to be thankful.  In our Father’s Word to us, this is what I find.  “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High; And call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me. . . . He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me; and to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God.”  Psalm 50:14, 15, 23.

This sacrifice of thanksgiving.  It has always puzzled me, for how can expressing thanks be a sacrifice?

I think it's because it requires something of me, and is a gift to Him.  It pleases Him and He deserves it.  That would be reason enough, but there’s more.

Thanksgiving, for my part, (God is so smart!) reverses my focus, back to where it belongs.  Frustration or fear takes me in one direction, but thankfulness takes me in the opposite direction.  It’s thanksgiving that puts me back on track.

“And let the peace of Christ rules in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”  Colossians 3:15

“Le the word of Christ richly dwell in you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”  Colossians 3:16

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”  Colossians 3:17

When whatever shade of the gray ‘overwhelmed’ cloud looms over me, its showers threatening to drown me, I need to get under His wings, in the shelter of the Most High, in the shadow of the Almighty (see Psalm 91), and be thankful.  No, things are not hopeless!  I am not without strength, His strength!

He goes before me;

He walks beside me;

He lives within Me; He’s the lover of my soul.

He’s my Defender;

He’s my Provider;

His overflowing mercies are brand new everyday.  

(That's part of a song called This is the Day by Bob Fitts.)

And that’s what I sang Saturday night at the hospital in the room where my dear husband slept after having had his appendix taken out.  “It was a very bad appendix,” to quote the doctor.  The list of ways the Lord orchestrated the situation to keep him alive is too long for this post , or this would be my longest post ever.  (later, Lord willing)

Suffice it to say for now that God is the lifter of my head.  I put my hope in Him.  And not just because he saved my husband's life, but because, no matter what happens, He loves me, He has forgiven me because of Christ, and He will never abandon me.  It doesn't get any better than that.

P.S.  The writer of the letter to Philippians and his friend found themselves in an unexpected situation, too, when they first came to Philippi and ended up in jail for freeing a girl from a demon.  They chose to praise God with singing in prison.  Do you remember what happened?  You can use the Search the Bible tool on the right to look up 'Acts 16:11-40' if you want to see the amazing outcome.