FEAR NOT: 2 Kings 1:15

And the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king.

BACKGROUND/COMMENTARY from the Isidro Annotated Old Testament:  This chapter is the account of the death of the successor of Ahab whose name was Ahaziah. This also continues the account of Elijah before his translation into heaven.  Vs 1-8 -- Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, fell down from the second story of his house and was very sick. First, he sent messengers to Ekron, about 15 miles south of Joppa, to inquire from BaalZebub, the god of Ekron, whether he would recover from his sickness. Baal-Zebub means “god of the flies,” but, he was also known for his supposed healing abilities. Second, the messengers could not proceed to Ekron because Elijah met them and told them that this act of Ahaziah inquiring from a false god was an insult to Jehovah (v. 3). So, Elijah prophesied that Ahaziah will not get well; instead he will die (v. 4).  Vs 9-12 -- The king then sent two groups of soldiers to demand that Elijah come to the king so that the king could punish him for his prediction of death. Instead, these two groups were killed with fire from God. Fire was still the manifestation of the true God (see 1Ki 18).  Vs 13-18 -- The third group of fifty soldiers were not killed because the captain pleaded with Elijah to spare his life and his men. So, Elijah went with them upon order of the Lord (v. 15) and he again made the prediction of the death of Ahaziah. Thus, the king died and his brother Jehoram reigned in his stead (v. 17). He had the same name, son and co-regent of the king of Judah.

PERSONAL APPLICATION:  This story is not as spectacular or well-known as the one when Elijah battled the 450 priests of Ahab & Jezebel, but from this account, we see the hand of God still heavy upon Elijah so that anyone who tried to stop Elijah from doing God's work was destroyed. In this case, it was by fire from heaven.

I think that if God were to send fire down from heaven TODAY when his saints would pray for it, the whole world would pay attention and give their lives to Him. Of course, He doesn't do that anymore because we have the Bible to show us the way to God, but those of us who name the name of Christ should be the ones actively sharing to those who haven't yet given their lives to God, so that our loved ones will not suffer the eternal fires of Hell when they leave this earth.

We need to be more like Elijah who stood up to the armies of King Ahaziah and, without fear because he knew God was with him, spoke God's truth to them and to the king himself.

ASTHMA: MY NEW REALITY

Earlier this year, after a series of tests, including a CT Scan, i found out that I have asthma. My Mom had asthma and died because of it back in early 2010. My eldest daughter, my only son and eldest grandson also have asthma. Now, I have joined their ranks and we all live with our rescue inhalers. I also have a steroid that i take every day, even when I'm feeling fine.

Along with my asthma, I seem to have developed allergic reactions to some foods. (Or maybe I had this first before the asthma...?) When I eat certain foods, I find that I can't swallow or breathe. I have to stop chewing, take deep breaths and wait for the sensation of not being able to breathe go away. So far, this has happened when I would eat chicken adobo and my chicken with cream sauce dish. So, at first, we thought I might be allergic to CHICKEN. But then, it happened again when I ate the Swiss Steak that I cooked for the grandkids. So, now we're thinking that maybe it has to do with the sauces.

Last night, however, I had the scare of my life! We were having dinner with some friends at a nice Filipino restaurant here in Cebu which they own. There was SO MUCH food to choose from! I decided I wanted to try everything, even just a spoonful. First up was the monggo soup cooked with coconut milk. Superb!! Then, I had some crispy pata -- SO yummy and crunchy! After that, I tried the eggplant salad, followed by the Philippine spinach salad. So far so good. No negative reactions to any of those foods. Next, I decided to try this veggie dish cooked with coconut milk. I thought it would be OK because I'd just finished a bowl of monggo soup with coconut milk. I was on my 3rd mouthful when I started to feel like I was running out of air! I tried to swallow so I could take a breath, but I felt like I was drowning... I was given a glass of water. I took a swig, hoping it would help matters, but I couldn't seem to swallow the water, either! I reached for my rescue inhaler and took one puff. It didn't seem to do anything, so i took a second puff... All of a sudden, I just started throwing up!! Good thing I had gotten a wad of tissue out of my purse and was able to catch most of the yuck. But, there sure was a lot of it! 

FINALLY, i was able to get a big breath of much-needed air! I was able to stand up and go outside to get some fresh air! One of my friends, a medical doctor, accompanied me to make sure I was OK. What a relief to be able to take big gulps of air and feel my lungs working again!!

Needless to say, I was very embarrassed!! But, my friends started to tell stories about their relatives who have experienced the same thing. Maybe they were just trying to make me feel better... Of course, that set off another round of conversation about WHAT might have caused me to react so violently!! I think everyone agreed that it might be the spices in the vegetable dish. The only common spice that might be in that dish, the adobo, the chicken with cream and the swiss steak would be black pepper... I will just have to be very careful from now on. I will have to stay farther away from spicy foods (I do already!). I will have to avoid any dish that has a thick sauce... 

It sucks getting old and having so many things I need to avoid. BUT, if i want to live to see my grandkids graduate from college, get married, and give me GREAT-grandkids, I will do what I need to do... :-)

"We leave our families temporarily so that others, too, may spend eternity with their families."

Just read this quote on someone's FB post and it resonated with me... when we first left to go to Cebu in 2008, many people couldn't understand why we would leave our kids and our first grandchild in the States to get involved in my parents' ministry in Cebu. we had either donated, thrown away or packed up all personal belongings and were prepared to spend the rest of our lives in Cebu.
of course, once the Lord took my Mom home, things took a drastic turn and, in late 2012, we returned to the states, not knowing what or where our next ministry would be.
3 years later, God opened the door and gave us TEMI (Telos Euarestos Ministries, Inc.) and in a few days, we will be back in Cebu and Palawan to witness the start of our VBS project and, hopefully, plant the seed for a Bible School for pastors and lay leaders in Brookes' Point, Palawan. 
Exciting times lie ahead for us and it is our prayer that, with His help and the prayers of friends and family, we will be ready to meet the challenges that we know will lie ahead!!

i pray this will be my legacy to my family, especially to my grandkids...

Musings from Sunday, April 3, 2016

We have been attending Church of the Open Door now for almost 3 years and we have been greatly blessed with the preaching ministry of Pastor Ed Underwood, the Lead Pastor. But, i was never more struck by his humanity, heart, wisdom and vision than i was at this morning's service. Pastor Ed who is only 66 years old announced that he has asked and the Elder Board has finally agreed to let him transition out from Lead Pastor to Assistant Pastor. He will be in charge of small groups, discipleship and community development--all of which are near and dear to his heart. 

what struck me most were his reasons for doing this at this point in his life. Pastor Ed has been pastor at COD for 20 years, but now believes that the leadership needs to be turned over to the younger generation. This is so opposite of a lot of leaders and especially pastors who hold so tightly to their positions to the point where they are no longer effective and their ideas are becoming outdated, or they refuse to accept ideas that might be different from their own ideas but are not necessarily bad and could even be better, but they can't let go (and let God!) because they either need to be in control or they feel that there is nothing else for them to do if they're not in command of the church/ organization. Yet, Pastor Ed believes that he needs to make way for a younger leader. He said, "the people [who are] living the dream [for the church] should be the ones to lead... Younger leaders live on the cusp of what God is doing in the world" and they should be given the opportunity to lead their church in the direction in which they feel the Lord is leading.

I especially love this statement from Pastor Ed: "Every pastor is an INTERIM pastor." Absolutely true! God will either replace you with someone else, take you out and put you in another church/location, or take you home."

Although I was sad to hear the announcement, i applaud and salute Pastor Ed for having the foresight and wisdom to do this. He gained even more of my respect when he made this announcement. I believe this is the first time I've seen this happen in a church I was attending. But, I KNOW that God will continue to use Pastor Ed mightily in the years to come. i am honored to have sat under his feet and learn from him. Thank you, Pastor Ed, for being such a great example to us in many ways!! God bless you even more!!

Reconciliation: God’s Heart for Relationships by Andrea @ DaySpring

A few years ago I took out a pen and some lined paper and began to write a letter. I wrote to a friend of mine who had been very close to me for several years until recently. I couldn't pinpoint one big disagreement or one big event that had broken our relationship. It was like a lot of little things just became too much.

I wrote about memories and misunderstandings. I wrote about good intentions and hurt feelings. I wrote out everything I'd been thinking and feeling, and what things looked like from my point of view.

I mailed the letter feeling a little nervous, but also lighter knowing that however they'd be received, at least the unspoken words had finally been said. At least I had reached out for healing.

God's heart for relationships is intriguing to me. I tend to think He is mostly concerned with everyone's relationship with Him and salvation, which He is, but He's also very interested in our relationships with each other. Matthew 5:23-24 says, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift."

Of course we need Him. Of course our relationship with God is important to Him, but we need each other too. He knows how easy it is for damaged relationships to stay broken, and He asks us to mend them instead.
I'm not the master of reconciliation. I often feel like a kindergartner, dragging my feet to apologize to an unmannerly classmate at the teacher's request when God starts to nudge my heart to reconcile with a friend. But then I still feel the nudging, tender and sweet, reminding me of how many times He's showed me kindness, forgiveness, and unmerited grace, and how much it has changed me. Withholding love doesn't change people; giving it unconditionally does.

So how do we pursue reconciliation? Here are a few things that have helped me:

1. Acknowledge your feelings. If you feel hurt or disrespected, it's okay to acknowledge that. Those are your true feelings. I used to think God wanted me to shove those down in order forgive, but I realized that He is okay with me calling things as I see them. If you don't get down to the root of everything you're feeling, you won't be able to fully heal and let things go.  

2. Seek understanding. Ask God to help you understand the other person's point of view. God has great perspective because He loves and knows all of us. It's a good idea to ask the person as well. Listen to their point of view, setting aside your own for a moment. Being able to empathize with others and see things from another's perspective is key for healthy relationships. After you've listened and understood them a little better, it's okay to tell them how things felt on your end as well. You might not necessarily reach a point where you both agree, but you can reach a point where you connect again.

3. Forgive. Ephesians 4:32 says, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." We can't really get around this one. God calls us to forgive. We can find comfort in the fact that He's not asking us to do anything He hasn't already done. He forgives the sins of anyone in the world who asks; we can forgive the people around us. 

4. Give them a chance. If someone has hurt you or broken trust, you don't have to let them in to the place they were before. They don't have to be close to you again right away, but give them a chance to start to rebuild trust. Let them be around you a little bit, and if they are trustworthy, they can get a little closer.

5. In time, let things go. I am good at holding grudges because I have a great memory when it comes to people. It's easy for me to keep a tally of infractions, sometimes without even realizing it. God likes to bring the tally up so He can help me erase the little marks from years ago. The bitterness we hold on to can eat us up inside. It's better to give it to the One who redeems all things.
 

A couple weeks after I sent my letter, I received one in return. My friend had responded with her point of view, her feelings, and her desire for things to be better as well.

My heart settled into peace as I read through her words. I wish I could say things were the same as before after that point, but sometimes brokenness takes time to heal, and that's okay. Small steps still count as movement, and people are worth it. They're worth investing in and forgiving.

Reconciliation takes courage, but we have a God who puts no limit on how much He forgives, and He is behind us cheering us on.