1st Sunday in Advent

Today was the First Sunday in Advent.  As the First Sunday in Advent, it is also the first sunday of the liturgical year.  As a Protestant, I identify Advent because of the lighting of the Advent candles, and our sermon series turns to Christmas-like themes.  Beyond that, I don't know that I do anything significant. I think I miss out on some of the expectation that should be building.  Some of the wonder.

I rarely focus on how long the world waited for Jesus' arrival.  I miss the wonder of the creation of Fully God, Fully Man.  How does that come to be?  How can the ability to sin live in harmony and equality with perfection? I don't know that I can comprehend it. Yet at the same time, I have the same battle going on in my soul - my flesh demands its way, while the spirit tries to gain control.  Jesus never gave into the flesh.  The spirit does not often have control of my life.  Such paradox.  Such wonder.

So this Advent, I am trying to slow down and enjoy the wait.  I also want to spend some time meditating on Mary.  Mary deserves some recognition.  God selected her to bear His Son, so there must have been some glimmer in her, some spark, that the rest of us do not have.  What could Mary know that I don't?  What do I know that she couldn't?

In my chorale group, we are singing two Magnificat songs.  The Magnificat is the song Mary sings after Gabriel tells her of her pregnancy.  The songs I am singing are quite different but at the same time, mirror the words in Luke 1:46-55 (KJV):

My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior;
For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden:
For, behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed,
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things;
And holy is his name,
And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
He hath showed strength with his arm;
He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent away empty.
He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy
As he spake to our father, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.


I want my soul to magnify the Lord and my spirit to rejoice in God my Savior.

Black Friday Madness

I did not go shopping today.  In fact, I rarely go shopping on Black Friday.  I don't like crowds, and the deals are never on anything that I want or need.

At times, I think it would be an interesting experience to be at wal-mart or the shopping mall at 3 a.m. As an experience, it would be fun with the right people to be with.  I'm still not sure that the "deals" are worth the effort.

I am amused by the number of ads on TV, the newspaper and the internet advertising the sales on various things.  It appears that everyone has the same price for the same items.  I'm not sure how that makes anything a deal, but who knows.

Adopt from Foster Care or Internationally? Or Both?

Although I am still a couple months from getting my foster care license and about as long from making a firm commitment on adopting internationally, I am still wrestling with how to proceed.  My issue isn't so much whether I'll do either of them but in what order should I do it?

As I've written before, internationally adoption is an expensive proposition.  It can easily cost between $20,000 to $30,000 with an agency.  The other complicating issue is that Haiti, in particular, will not let you have children in the home.  This would seem to preclude foster to adopt while waiting for the Haiti adoption to go through (which could be several years).

By the same token, I know there are many children waiting for families here in the US. It seems silly to wait (possibly years) when there is so much need.

Thankfulness: A learned response

When I graduated from law school, I had to take the bar exam to be licensed.  I spent most of the summer studying and taking a class (which helps you study for the exam).  Finally, I spent three days in July answering questions.  Then the hard part started: waiting.  I was lucky, in Iowa the results are back by mid-September.  My classmates in California and New York had to wait until November and December to find out their results.

After all that waiting, I finally could find a job as a lawyer.  However, that was not so easy.  As September led to October and then November, I still hadn't found a job.  With student loan payments looming on the horizon, I needed to find a job to earn some money.

So, I became a Merry Maid and cleaned houses.  This job opened my eyes in a lot of ways.  First, I learned humility.  I had a bit of an ego after graduating from college and law school.  All that education had prepared me to be in charge of something.  With the Merry Maids job, I was working with women who generally did not have a college education.  Most of them had more seniority at the job than I did, so I got bossed around by them.  In reality, most of them were much better at cleaning than I was - they were more efficient, cleaned better and were more thorough than I.  It was exactly what I needed after months and years of having people tell me I was great for going to college and going to law school.  Being reminded that education isn't everything and that people without education have valuable skills and insight too was important.

I also learned from them that we humans have similar goals.  We all want a better life.  We want our children to be well fed, well educated and well-loved.  We have relationship troubles, often brought on by our own choices and actions.  As we traveled to various houses in the area, I had a lot of time to talk with my co-workers and learn from their life experiences.  It gave me great insight to my clients' lives.

As I worked cleaning, I was left a lot of time to think (vacuuming does not require deep thought).  So I started spending my work time praying.  It was amazing how many people I could pray for during the course of a day.  I could spend the time being thankful for the job I had, the job I hoped was around the corner, and the relationships I was forming with my co-workers.

I did finally get my first law job, and although it was what I wanted, it did require that I give up some of the prayer life I had developed.  Law required a bit more focus than cleaning out someone's sink and toilet did!

I was reminded this month of that job as one of my old co-workers died.  I wish I had gotten the chance to tell her how thankful I was for the time I spent working with her and the things she had taught me.

One More Step

I am now registered for PS-MAPP classes, which is the Iowa foster parent training.  The downside is it will not start until late February.  In any event, I am excited to be taking a few steps further down the path.

In the meantime, I have been contemplating the two possible paths: foster to adopt or international adoption.  I still feel like international adoption is something I'd like to try, but the cost is so astounding that I don't know if it is worth it.  I also am torn about which country to adopt from.  As a single woman, my options are limited.  Right now I like Haiti, the Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Burundi, the Congo and Brazil as possible options.  

As for foster to adopt, I am fascinated by the website adoptuskids.org which profiles kids available for adoption.  Just about any combination is available: 2, 3, 4, or up to 12 kids.  Boys and girls.  Infant to 18 yr olds.  All longing for families.

But in the meantime, I have to wait for the next step.

Gomer: Unfaithfulness to Redemption

Gomer was the daughter of Diblaim and the wife of Hosea.  We know she had at least three children (2 sons and a daughter)

Of the marriage relationships in the Bible, Gomer and Hosea have one of the most interesting and most controversial. 

Hosea 1:2 states that “The Lord said to [Hosea], “Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord.”  So Hosea married Gomer. 

Apparently God not only had a partner selected for Hosea, He specifically directed him to her.  However, the rest of their relationship would not be as simple as a God-given direction.

Commentators have differences of opinion on Gomer’s morality.  Is she a woman who marries, then falls into a sexual relationship with another man?  Was she a prostitute?   Or was she just  a sexually active unmarried woman?  Did Hosea know she had a “morally casual attitude?” Did she have children at the time of the marriage?  Or is this all allegory to make the people understand God’s analogy of their unfaithfulness to Him?

The debate comes from the fact that God’s word admonishes  priests from marrying prostitutes.  We recoil from the idea that God commanded his servant to marry someone clearly not up to God’s standards.  Hosea was not a priest, rather a prophet, but he is commanded by God to marry Gomer, who at the least had a shaky moral reputation.

In any event, Gomer’s lack of fidelity is on display for generations and generations.  She has a son with Hosea, then two more children – with questionable paternity.  Eventually, she and Hosea separate.  Hosea must purchase her back from another for 15  sheckels of silver (the cost of a slave) and some barley.

Grim and frustrating as it is, Gomer’s story is a wonderful one for us:  God loves us just as Hosea loved Gomer.  God stands ready to redeem us from our slavery to sin.  He will pursue us until He lures us back to Himself. 

Even though we are as unfaithful to God as Gomer was to Hosea, God wants a loving relationship with us.  Amazing!

Jezebel: A Character Study

Having It All

Jezebel is considered one of the most evil characters in the Bible.  She certainly did wicked deeds to earn that label:  plotted murder, threatened prophets, influenced her husband to do the wrong thing, and brandished power to her own benefit regardless of its cost to others.

How did she become so hated?  What propelled her to do these evil things which resulted in her death and the death of her family? 

What can today’s Christian woman learn from Jezebel?

Jezebel was born into luxury.  As the daughter of Ethbaal, King of the Sidonians, she probably never knew the anxiety of wondering where her next meal would come from.  She would have retainers, servants, and others constantly waiting on her every whim.  Jezebel may even had some teaching in how to read or write or figure, as her future dealings indicate.  These skills were not available for the average 9th century BC person, as a female, it was even more rare.

The Sidonians resided in Phoenicia.   Likely living in Tyre,  Jezebel’s family worshiped Baal, and it is possible that her name praises the chief storm god of Phoenicia.  However, in Hebrew, her name means ”not exalted.” 

Jezebel married Ahab, the King of Israel.  This meant Ahab was the ruler of the 10 tribes of Israel that did not stay with the House of David.  Whether Jezebel actually loved Ahab is a question that we may never answer.  Jezebel probably did not have a say in whom she was married to as royal daughters, since the beginning of time, were viewed as a way to solidify national ties.

We do know that her husband was greatly influenced by her.  Whether that means she was attractive, persuasive, intelligent or some combination, we do not know.  But it appears that if Jezebel wanted something, she got it.

True Believer?

Jezebel grew up in the Sidonian royal family, which worshiped Baal.  When she married Ahab, King of Israel, she imported her religion to Israel.  Jezebel, like most, grew up with a set of traditions, beliefs, and ways to do things.  For Jezebel, this meant that she followed Baal. 


Jezebel flexed her muscle and convinced her husband Ahab to abandon his father’s God and worship hers, much like Solomon’s wives lead him astray.  I Kings 16:32 relates that Ahab built Baal a new temple in Samaria.  And in that temple, he placed an alter for Baal worship.  Ahab also set up an Asherah pole.

What was Baal worship?  According to the Holman Bible Handbook, Baal means “master” and was a storm god.    His usual title was “Rider of the Clouds” and he is often depicted with a thunderbolt in his hand.   Jezebel had 450 prophets of Baal at the temple, for which she provided food.

Asherah was Baal’s female consort who was revered as a fertility goddess.  Jezebel provided food for 400 Asherah prophets.

In other words, Jezebel put her money where her heart was – with Baal.  She likely spent time with these prophets, and the prophets viewed her favor as something to capture and maintain - both for financial stability and to simply continue to live.

In I Kings 18:16-46, Elijah challenged these 850 prophets to a show down on Mount Carmel.  It appears that Jezebel was unaware this was going on, as she does not find out until later what happened.  Ahab, however, was present, as were the ”people from all over Israel.”  

Elijah told the people to chose between God and Baal.  He had the prophets of Baal prepare a sacrifice and call on Baal to set it on fire (Baal was viewed as a fire god as well).  From morning to noon the prophets called out to Baal, but nothing happened.

Elijah taunted them, indicating that Baal must be asleep or busy or deep in thought.  The prophets started shouting louder and slashing themselves.  Midday passed and the evening sacrifice arrived.  But Baal did not.

Elijah built an altar and had trench placed around it; wood and the meat sacrifice were placed on the altar.  He then had the people fill four large jars with water and they were poured out over the wood, sacrifice and altar.  Again, and Again, the jars were filled and poured out.   Elijah then prayed and “the fire of the Lord” fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the soil and the water in the trench.

When the people saw this, they cried out that “The Lord, He is God!”

Elijah ordered the prophets of Baal be seized and killed.

Ahab was dispatched to eat and drink, because Elijah prophesied rain (a drought raged in Samaria for years which caused a famine).  And Ahab finally got back to Jezebel to report that all of her prophets were dead.

Jezebel was furious.  Her yes-men were gone.  Her money was spent for naught, and she’d have to start training or recruiting a set of new prophets.  Baal worship and indoctrination would be set back for a few weeks, months or years. 

Maybe she even believed that Baal would have vengence on her for her failure to protect Baal’s servants.

In any event, she sent a message to Elijah, stating “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”  Jezebel was a woman used to getting what she wanted. 

Elijah, terrified, fled into the desert.

So was Jezebel truly a believer in Baal?  Or was it just a way for her to get power and control the people?  A way to cloak her plans in a divine manner?

Let Nothing Stand in the Way

In I Kings 21, Jezebel and Ahab lived in a palace in Jezreel.  Near the palace was a lovely vineyard owned by Naboth, a Jezreelite.  Ahab coveted the vineyard, desiring to plant a garden in it.  He asked Naboth to sell it to him, offering to pay the market price or a land swap for a better vineyard.

Naboth refused, noting the land was a family inheritance.  Israelites viewed the land as God's and that the people as tenants could not dispose of their land.   (Leviticus 25:23).

Ahab pouted all the way home, and arrived sullen and angry.  He refused to eat and laid on his bed.   Jezebel came in to see him, and asked why he was in such a mood and why he wouldn’t eat.

Ahab told her of the deal he tried to reach with Naboth.   Jezebel taunted him, “Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat!   Cheer Up.  I’ll get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”  

Jezebel grew up with a differently kingship structure – her father took what he wanted, when he wanted it.  Jezebel was not to be stopped by an Israelite inheritance law or Israelite property law.

She took Ahab’s seal and wrote letters. in his name, requesting the elders and nobles in Naboth’s city host  a fast.  At the dinner, the elders were to have Naboth seated in a prominent place among the people.  Two scoundrels were to be seated opposite him.  These two men would later falsely testify that  Naboth had cursed both God and King Ahab.  After Naboth was tried for blasphemy and sedition, the death sentence was carried out.

With Naboth dead, the land went to Ahab and Jezebel. 

Jezebel told Ahab that Naboth was dead, and Ahab promptly went down to the vineyard and took possession of it.

God, however, did not view this murder and theft as a trivial matter.  He sent Elijah to Ahab in the vineyard.  There, Elijah pronounced Ahab’s punishment for these crimes:  death, specifically, in the place where Naboth died, the dogs would lick up Ahab’s blood.  Dogs would eat those belonging to Ahab’s family and Jezebel would be devoured by dogs near the wall of Jezreel.

Ahab, hearing this prophecy, repented by tearing his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted.  The Lord saw Ahab humbled himself and decided to delay the disaster until after Ahab’s death.

Jezebel apparently did not repent.

Jezebel scoffed at the word of the Lord and schemed a way to get Naboth’s property for Ahab.  She was a dangerous woman because she was a poor loser.  If she didn’t get her way, she’d figure out a way to wield her power to get back at the person.

She was focused on making her own life easier, regardless of the impact on others.  In a way, her persistence should be admired.  Imagine if she converted to the Jewish faith and followed God with the devotion she demonstrated for Baal and for herself.  Instead of a legacy of ashes, she could have a legacy worthy of mention in Hebrews 11.


Lesson Learned


So what can today's woman learn from Jezebel?  First, there are consequences when we flout God's law.  Although they may not be immediate, those consequences do come.  Jezebel tried to ignore God's law and paid for it with her life and her family's lives. 


Second, Jezebel, like all of us, is deeply rooted in the traditions of her family.  We need to examine our lives to see what traditions (both good and bad) we carry over into our adult lives.  Things like gossiping, substance abuse, anger management problems, emotional manipulation, overeating, over-spending, abuse and other bad habits may be deeply embedded in our lives via our family traditions and patterns.  We must be vigilant to remove them from our daily life and thoughts, or we risk passing them to another generation of our families.


Self-centeredness or getting our own way without concern for others is a dangerous path.  In Jezebel's case, it lead her to murder and theft.   We can exhibit the same qualities when we steal time from our employers by talking on the phone or playing on the internet or when we assassinate another's character by talking about them.  In God's eyes, these are still theft and murder and they arise from the same selfish part of the heart that Jezebel's actions did.


Finally, we learn from Jezebel about our God.  He is powerful.  He pursues us (just as He sought to prove to Israel his power).  He desires that we keep his law faithfully.  He is just, in that He does not let scoffers like Jezebel go without punishment.

Spiritual Discipline: Scripture Memorization

A few posts ago, I commented that I wanted to rethink how I do my own spiritual disciplines and look at how we teach spiritual disciplines in the modern American church.  My first stop is scripture memorization.

My church is currently doing a sermon series on Romans 12, and as part of that, we read/recite the first two verses each week.  I think this is a good (and sneaky) way to get people to memorize scripture without even realizing it.  The repetition over several weeks certainly helps people think about the verse, and possibly commit it to memory.

I know that many churches have Awana programs that help teach and reward children for scripture memory, but I'm not sure how many programs exist for adults.

I never attended Awana, but we did do some scripture memory at church.  I am always surprised when a verse pops back to me (not always with the correct citation) in times I need it.  But I have recently felt the need to add more time in my schedule to devote to scripture memorization.

Of course, with anything I do, I have to figure out how to make it work in my schedule and not become another thing to check off.  I suspect many people don't do scripture memorization due to the time involved.  My current plan is to tape up a verse near my bathroom mirror to recite each morning and night.  My hope is that within a week I will have memorized it and can move onto a new verse.

In the past, I have tried memorizing while I walk on the treadmill.  I tried this first in law school when I was memorizing terms and concepts. A friend of mine and I would go to the gym with stacks of cards (available in any fine law book store) and study them, swapping decks half way through the gym session.  This approach did seem to work, but my treadmill walking has fallen off during the nice weather outside.  Never fear, this is Iowa and the weather is due to change any day now, making this method a possibility again too.

So how do you sneak a few verses into  your memory?  How do you think the church should encourage scripture memorization?

Solitude

As an introvert, I thrive on being alone.  I still need interaction with people, but I also crave the time to reflect, think, and plan that solitude brings me.  In fact, I get grumpy and frazzled if I am forced to spend too much time in a large group!

Someone asked me how I could spend so much time alone.  I find there are always things to distract you: television, radio, books, the internet, friends, housework or exercise.  I don't even realize most of the time that I am alone.

On the other hand, I wonder how people spend so much time together!  When do you find time to think things through when you are constantly interacting with others?  

Like most things, God intend us to enjoy a balance of time together and time in solitude.  Jesus modeled this to us during his lifetime.

I find comfort in the fact that Jesus took time to himself.  In solitude, he would pray and talk with God (Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16, Luke 6:12).  Occasionally he'd let a couple disciples come along with him, but the multitude did not get to intrude in this time (Matthew 26:36, Luke 9:18, Luke 9:28).

Have you ever wondered what Jesus prayed about?  What did he need to say to God on a consistent basis?  Why was it important to him to spend the time in solitude?  What benefits would solitude have for us today?

For more Women of Faith blogs on solitude, click here. 

SEEL Retreat #3

Three retreats in, and I'm learning a lot.  To recap, I'm doing an Ignatius spiritual retreat called "Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life." Ignatius' idea was to complete the exercises within 30 days; we are spreading out the exercises over nine months.

We have focused on finding solitude and silence and longing for God.  For the next month, we're looking at God's love.  

One of Ignatius' foundations is that we will strip ourselves of our "inordinate affections" so that we can make decisions that are not based on disordered affections, but rather on what God wants for us.

I think this foundation is very true.  I get skewed priorities and ideas that I need to set back aright. By remaining in God's presence through prayer, I learn about myself and about where He wants me.

Election Day

I've already headed to the polls to vote.  I love actually going instead of absentee voting because it evokes memories of going to vote with my parents.  I was fascinated by the voting booth with its sliding curtain, levers to pull and buttons to push.  They even had a sample machine that was Barbie-sized to see how things worked in the actual booth.

Another reason I love going to vote is to see my neighbors. It is amazing who you run into when voting.  And, since you usually have time to chat while you wait, you can always make a few new friends.

Given the nationwide impact our votes can have, it is important that everyone exercise their right to vote.  My motto is "If you don't vote, you can't complain!"