Barbara's Banter

Music has given me much joy through the years and I’m pretty good at identifying singers of old standards or early rock n’ roll. Being able to recognize someone’s voice is a great way to bore all your friends. “Who’s singing that?” I’ll say. They don’t care, of course, but I give the right answer and it fills me with a certain amount of pride. In the game of life it’s not all that important to be able to recognize someone’s voice – unless it is the voice of God.

People tell me they hear God’s voice all the time. God tells them to do this or God tells them to do that. I’m skeptical. Sometimes it seems like they are not really listening for God’s voice to guide them, but to put a stamp of approval on what they have already chosen to do. In that case you can get God’s voice to tell you anything you want to hear. And you can always blame God if it doesn’t work out. After all, he told you to do it!

What Does God’s Voice Sound Like
Hearing God’s voice is a tricky proposition. What exactly does it sound like? The Bible says God’s voice sounds like…

1. …a still small voice. 1 Kings 19:12 “And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.” (NKJV)
2. …thunder. Job 40:9 “Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?” (KJV)
3. …mighty. Psalm 68:33 “To him that rides upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice.” (KJV)
4. …terrible. Hebrews 12:19 “For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice with a message so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking.” (NLT)
5. …many waters. Revelation 1:15 “And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.” (KJV)
6. …a trumpet blast. Rev. 4:1 “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me…” (KJV)

Do We Really Want to Hear God’s Voice
In ancient times people were not always happy to hear God’s voice. It was usually telling them to do something they didn’t want to do. Such was the case with Ahab. He wanted to attack the King of Aram. All his advisors knew he had already made up his mind and just wanted God to bless his decision. So they told him what he wanted to hear. “Go for it! You will win.” The prophet Micaiah cautioned him against going.

Ahab never cared much for Micaiah because he always told him the truth. In 1 Kings 22:8 (NLT) he said, “There is still one prophet of the Lord, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything but bad news for me! His name is Micaiah son of Imlah.” Ahab, like all of us, only wanted to hear support for what he wanted to do.

If we listen closely we may hear God’s voice. However, he may not tell us what we want to hear.

People have some pretty interesting ideas about what heaven and hell are like.

Usually people think hell is like “The Inferno” described in Dante’s book, The Divine Comedy. Some think Satan rules hell. They envision a horned devil holding a pitchfork, dancing around in leaping flames. He’s the only one that can play with fire and not get burned. Others think it’s another world where the dead continue to exist. You know, like in The Sixth Sense. “I see dead people.” Some think it’s a raging fire used to punish wrong doers when they die. Some think these bad people burn in torment forever and ever. Some think they just burn up and cease to exist. Most believe hell is the just desserts for the unjust when they die.

People’s ideas about heaven are just as varied. Some think it’s a lovely garden and others think it’s a beautiful city. Some think it’s an oasis replete with virgins for the taking. Others think it’s a Paradise. Visions of angels playing harps in the clouds come to mind. Many think it’s a place to be reunited with loved ones. Others think it’s communion with God. Most believe it’s the reward for the just when they die.

Everyone wants to believe in an afterlife. People tend to make that afterlife into what they want. Whatever they love becomes their idea of heaven. Whatever they hate becomes their idea of hell.

In my heaven I eat everything I want and never gain weight. I never have a bad hair day. Everyone agrees with me. I am appreciated. I always awake refreshed and rested. My children do exactly what I say. My husband puts the toilet seat down. I have a housekeeper. I don’t have to recycle. I never have to pump gas. Everyone compromises with me, not vice versa. Dogs never poop on my walking path. There are no mosquitoes. The sun shines mostly but sometimes it rains. It doesn’t storm; it just rains a soft to medium tempo to help the fruits, vegetables, and flowers grow. The trees are a mixture of spring blossoms, summer foliage, and fall colors. It snows occasionally. But even when it snows my heaven is 72 degrees. Actually it’s 72 degrees all the time. And, oh yes, everyone I like is there and everyone I don’t like is “you know where.”

Even religious scholars can’t agree on what heaven and hell are like. But all agree that heaven is good and hell is bad. You might say that heaven is being with God and hell is being without God. And for your information, I’m not just speaking metaphorically or referring to the afterlife. I’m talking about the real heaven and hell.

We live in a constant, changing world. (Pardon the oxymoron!) With our current technology, by the time a new science text book comes out, it’s outdated. New things are being discovered all the time. Countries have different names than they had years ago. Words have different meanings. Our Information Age is on an accelerated course of change, change, change! So much so, that you can kiss some of the stuff you memorized in school goodbye.

I remember when:

• Istanbul was Constantinople.
• Gay meant happy.
• A mouse was a little rodent.
• Television news was not considered entertainment.
• A driver just drove the car.
• AIDS used to help at the principal’s office.
• Everyone believed there was a Holocaust.
• Math was arithmetic.
• Marriage meant the legal union of a man and woman.
• Cape Kennedy was Cape Canaveral.
• There were nine planets.

I must admit I’ve been a bit disillusioned since they decided Pluto was no longer a planet.

Change is not always a bad thing. In fact, our survival could be contingent on our ability to adapt to change. The book Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson is about dealing with change in the workplace and in life. His parable is about two little people the size of mice named “Hem” and “Haw” and two mice called “Sniff” and “Scurry.” Each day all four happily locate their daily dose of cheese, but when the cheese is moved, what will they do? Hem screams, “It’s not fair!” Haw stands frozen in shock. However, Sniff hunts for more cheese with Scurry following close behind. A cute story, but it has a powerful message. Whether, we like it or not, change will always be with us. If we don’t somewhat adapt our way of thinking, then we will not know what’s going on in the world. Sometimes we either adapt or get left behind or die.

Believe it or not, people in Biblical times faced this same challenge. When Jesus came, they had to choose whether or not to be tied to an Old Covenant way of thinking, filled with rituals, legalistic laws and regulations, or accept the message Jesus brought. Believe on me and be saved! The old way led to death, the new way to life. Would people embrace this new way of thinking? Many did; some did not. Change is hard.

Don’t worry about me! I can change. Just give me a little time. Let’s see…Pluto was a planet…but now it’s not a planet anymore…but it might be a dwarf planet…but Pluto is still Mickey Mouse’s dog. Let’s hope that never changes! But even if Disney Studios decides to rename him Uranus, I will adapt.

We greet people by saying, “Happy New Year,” but most of us are not happy. So we ring in the New Year with a long list of resolutions. We are determined to be better and do better. We want to improve ourselves, have more money, lose weight, or enhance our relationships. While well intended, resolutions do not really bring us happiness. In fact, sometimes they tend to make us feel dissatisfied and inadequate. What a way to “ring-a-ding-ding” in the New Year! As if we didn’t get enough of that from a media blitz barraging us with subliminal messages telling us we’re unhappy losers. After all, the successful people are thin, good looking, rich, smart, witty, drive fancy cars, eat in expensive restaurants, vacation in exotic places, and use the right toothpaste.

Why not take a different approach this year? Look back at the past year with gratitude. Maybe you didn’t get your dream job, but maybe you still have a job. Maybe you didn’t get a bigger house, but maybe you still have a house. Maybe your son dropped out of college and is living at home, but maybe he has a job and is paying you rent. Maybe your girlfriend broke up with you, but maybe she didn’t really love you. Maybe you had a major trial in your life, but maybe you developed a deeper relationship with God in the process.

Most of us spend time striving for things we think will bring us happiness and miss the joy of the journey. Happiness is not something we postpone until we get the new car, fancy house, flat screen TV, man of our dreams, and the big promotion. If we aren’t happy before we get them, chances are we won’t be happy after we get them.

Happiness comes from being grateful for what we have. Studies actually show being appreciative improves our lives.

In researching for his book, Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, Robert Emmons and colleague Michael McCollough conducted studies on gratitude and its impact on lives. Three groups were asked to keep daily diaries. The first group wrote about the experiences they had throughout the day without being instructed to emphasize whether they were good or bad. The second group recorded only unpleasant experiences. The third group kept a gratitude journal. The results showed that the people who wrote down what they were grateful for had higher alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism, and energy. They had less depression and stress.

Unfortunately, we take for granted the good things that happen in our lives instead of really appreciating them. That’s too bad, because developing this art of appreciation can change our lives for the better.

Here’s an idea for the New Year… Why not resolve to write down just one thing each day that we are grateful for? Just ONE thing each day! Do not repeat. At the end of 2014 we could read them. Just think of it – 365 things we are grateful and thankful for. What a great way to end one year and start another! Who knows? Maybe next year when we say, “Happy New Year,” we could actually mean it!!!

The New Year is upon us. We’re saying good-bye to 2013 and hello to 2014. It’s time to take down those Christmas decorations so we can start all over again.

Exactly what does a “new” year mean to you? Is it time to start over, time for a new beginning, time to refresh, time to renew, time to look back, or time to look forward?

Scriptures use the word “new” frequently in reference to the Christian journey. Here are a few examples:

• God puts a new song in our mouth. (Psalm 40:3)
• God gives us a new commandment. (John 13:34-35)
• We are to put off the old and become a new person in Christ. (Ephesians 4:20-24)
• God will give us a new name. (Revelation 2:17)
• If we are in Christ, we are a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
• God wants to give us a new heart and new spirit. (Ezekiel 18:31-32)
• We can look forward to a new heaven and new earth. (2 Peter 3:13)

As you make plans and resolutions for 2014, I pray you will place your faith and trust in God – for he is the only one who has the ability to make all things new – even us! (Revelation 21:5)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I love Christmas time. So in honor of this season I’d like to share one of my favorite poems by Robert Louis Stevenson. Many quote this lovely poem but often leave out the second section which is a shame. It says so much!

Oh God,

Help us remember the birth of Jesus,
that we may share in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds,
and the worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let
kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings,
and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and
Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts,
forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake.
Amen.

By Robert Louis Stevenson

And here’s my favorite Christmas quote. May its message help you focus on what this season truly represents – Jesus Christ!

“This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone.”
~ Taylor Caldwell (1900-1985), English novelist

Merry Christmas! God bless you every one!

Some say the story of Christmas begins with the birth of the Christ child but long before Jesus was born there was something wonderful…the promise of his coming and the promise of redemption for mankind.

Psalm 130:7-8 told us, “O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with Him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.”

Jeremiah 23:4-5 said a day was coming when God would raise up a king who would reign wisely and do what was right. His name would be “The Lord Our Righteousness.”

Isaiah 11:2-5 said the Spirit of the Lord would rest on Him, and the spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, fear of the Lord. He would not judge by what he saw or heard but with righteousness.

Isaiah 9:6-7 told us, “Unto us a child will be born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be called: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.”

Over 300 prophecies were fulfilled through the birth of Jesus, his life, his ministry, his death and resurrection. Not just the promise of Christ’s coming was revealed in scripture but the details of how it would take place. This truly was a miraculous event!

He would be from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10/ Luke 3:3), a descendant of Abraham (Genesis 12:3 ~ Matthew 1:1), Isaac (Genesis 17:19/Luke 3:24), Jacob (Numbers 24:17/ Matthew 1:2), Jesse (Isaiah 11:10/Romans 15:12), and David (Jeremiah 23:5-6/ Matthew 1:1).

He would be born of a woman (Genesis 3:15/ Galatians 4:4), a virgin (Isaiah 7:11/ Luke 1:26-31) in Bethlehem (Micah 5: 2/Luke 2:4-7), worshipped by shepherds (Psalm 72:9/ Luke 2:8-15) and honored by kings (Psalm 72:10, 17/Isaiah 60:3/ Matthew 2:1-11). The slaughter of children (Jeremiah 31:15/Matthew 2:16-18) and flight to Egypt (Hosea 11:1/Matthew 2:14-15) were foretold as well. The list goes on and on.

I love the thought of jolly old St. Nick, stockings hung with care, sleigh bells jingling in the snow, trees twinkling with lights, halls decked with holly, colorful presents lovingly wrapped, a snowman coming to life, Christmas card greetings, kissing under the mistletoe, and a red-nosed reindeer. I laugh when I hear “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” and secretly wish Santa would slip a sable (faux sable, if I want to be politically correct) under the tree for me. It all adds to the festivities! But it can’t compare with the redemption of man kind. Let us not forget that without Christ there is no Christmas.

So this Christmas season as you sing your favorite carols, may you remember the birth of Jesus. Only in honoring Christ can we truly partake of the genuine joy in celebrating!

Our world offers a variety of options that were not available a few years ago.

A seemingly easy shopping list becomes complicated by the myriad of options available for each product, not to mention different brands. Orange juice alone comes pasteurized, fresh squeezed or from concentrate, frozen or not frozen, with a little, lot or no pulp, with or without fiber, organic or non organic, with or without calcium, and so on. A husband trying to pick up a few items at the store for his wife is doomed before he pulls into the Safeway parking lot.

Forget about naming your newborn after your favorite aunt. That is passé. If you want your baby to have the “right” name, better call a baby-name consultant who uses statistical data, phonetic analysis, and marketing research to come up with names complementing whatever ambitions parents have for their child. The philosophy is that if we pick the “right” names for our children, we are giving them an advantage over other children who don’t have the “right” names.

Today a woman has the option of freezing her eggs for future use. Some mothers have frozen their eggs for their infertile daughters. That means if a daughter uses her mother’s eggs and has a daughter, then the daughter she has would actually be her mother’s sister. But at least she won’t have to name the child. She can call a consultant. WOW! Life can get pretty complicated nowadays.

Like I said, today we have many options. Most options were probably created to make life easier, but that is not always the way it works out. Sometimes options leave us confused and make it difficult to make decisions. Which makes me think – have we lost our ability to appreciate simple pleasures?

God’s pleasures are simple ones. Nineteenth century English preacher Frederick William Robertson puts it this way:

“All God’s pleasures are simple ones;
the rapture of a May morning sunshine,
the stream blue and green,
kind words,
benevolent acts,
the glow of good humor.”

God has much to say about simple pleasures, although that exact phrase won’t be found in the Bible. He tells us to take joy in each new day (Psalm 118:24). He emphasizes contentment (Proverbs 30:8, 9; Hebrews 13:5). He loves unity not contentiousness (Psalm 133:1). He wants us to be kind and tenderhearted (Ephesians 4:32). He likes a good laugh (Numbers 22:25-31). He encourages us to get away occasionally to regroup and replenish (Matthew 14:23). He delights in children (Matthew 19:14). He paints analogous pictures that bring nature alive (Isaiah 55:12). His creation beckons us to marvel at majestic mountains, enjoy vibrant sunsets, smell fragrant roses, and calm ourselves beside still waters. Yet, some of us don’t even have time to name our own babies.

Life is filled with options. We make the choices. We can choose to enjoy some simple pleasures or not. But remember – life doesn’t always have to be complicated. After all, if we can’t decide which orange juice is best, we could just eat an orange.

Men build doctrines around the interpretation of one, lone scripture and ignore the hundreds that say to praise and worship God. Why? Could it be easier to academically pontificate on hidden meanings than to totally surrender our hearts, minds, and very beings to God? Is it easier to know about God than to come to know Him intimately? I think so, because we can remain detached. If we truly know God, we cannot remain detached for He lives in us.

As we read the Bible we might want to look for buzzwords that are linked to praise. Words like bless, thanksgiving, thankful, thank, sacrifice, look to, lift hands, sing, dance, leap, joyful noise, joy, worship, rejoice, worthy, awesome, and so on are everywhere!

You see, God doesn’t need our praise but we need to praise him. Through praise we affirm over and over again “How Great Thou Art!”  Revelation 4:8-11 tells us the four living creatures never stop saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty…”  They praise God all day and all night!

We worship God through praise, adoration, thanksgiving, prayers, offerings, and so on, but true worship is not an academic duty. It should come from our hearts because of our relationship with God. God is good and kind. He extends his love and grace to us. He sent his only begotten son to die for our sin. And God has only our best interest in mind.

When we realize this we want to worship him by presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to him. God tells us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God which is our “reasonable service (Romans 12:1).” “Reasonable service” is another way of saying spiritual act of worship. Our whole lives should be an act of worship towards God. We should welcome his involvement in every aspect of our daily lives. Being in total submission to God creates an environment for his presence and guidance in our lives.

Worship should be how we live our lives in a 24/7 relationship with God. Psalm 34:1 says, “I will bless the Lord at all times” and Psalm 113:3 says “From the rising to the setting sun the Lord is to be praised.”

Psalm 95:6 tells us to worship God, “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” Verse 7 tells us why, “For he is our God and we are his people.”

John 4:23 tells us God seeks worshippers – not worship. It says, “But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him.”

God commands us to worship him not for his benefit, but for ours. It’s not that he’s looking to be worshipped. After all if he just wanted to hear his name shouted over and over again like he were some sort of rock star, he’s perfectly capable of creating beings to do that. No, what he wants is our hearts. He wants to have a relationship with us. He is looking for people who realize how much he loves them and want to worship him.

Worship isn’t just something we do when we meet together in small groups or a church service. It’s our daily walk with God. Our lives should be an act of worship.

To worship God means we admire, adore, esteem, exalt, venerate, honor, glorify, respect, reverence, pray, invoke, supplicate, sanctify, and extol God.

Why do we worship God? Is it so God will be pleased with us? Do we feel if we worship God he will be happy with us and give us favor? Not really, because God has already accepted us.

We worship because God is our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. We worship out of gratitude for who God is and what he has done. Worship acknowledges God’s greatness, his kingship in our lives, and our willingness to have him rule over us.

Here are just a few reasons to worship God.

• God is our Creator.
• God is our Redeemer.
• God loves us.
• God is with us.
• God will never leave or forsake us.
• God is good.
• God will deal with those who have done us wrong.
• God does not condemn us.
• God is for us.
• God will supply our needs.
• God understands us.
• God hears our prayers.
• God loves us enough not to give us everything we want.
• God answers our prayers.
• God is our Comforter.
• God extends His love and grace to us.
• God is our friend.
• Jesus paid the penalty for our sins.
• Jesus rose from the dead.
• Jesus is our Savior.
• God gave us the gift of salvation.
• God has a plan for us.
• God desires a relationship with us.
• God cares about us.
• God has only our best interests in mind.

With Thanksgiving approaching, meditating on these reasons to praise God becomes even more meaningful because thanking God is another way to praise him. Thanking God means we are appreciative and grateful for all the things listed above – and so much more!

Try this little experiment. Repeat the list above aloud but put the words “I’m thankful” in front of each phrase. To really make it personal replace words like “us, we, and our” with “me, my or I.”

It gives a whole new meaning to Thanksgiving Day!