Just Checking In....

I feel like today deserves a blog entry. Today is the day I officially completed my master's degree. It is a momentous day, but my energy and creativity are simply gone. So, I think I will do something completely brainless and watch TV with a boy or two.

Matthew West: The Motions

My new favorite song:



Love it!

Apollos' Telling Reaction to Truth

Acts 18:24-28

²⁴ Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. ²⁵ He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John’s baptism. ²⁶ When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.

²⁷ Apollos had been thinking about going to Achaia, and the brothers and sisters in Ephesus encouraged him to go. They wrote to the believers in Achaia, asking them to welcome him. When he arrived there, he proved to be of great benefit to those who, by God’s grace, had believed. ²⁸ He refuted the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah.

Apollos catches my attention for several reasons. First, he was a scholar, an orator, and a debater. When he began preaching, he lacked "the rest of the story" in that he did not know of Christ as the Messiah. Priscilla & Aquila approached Apollos to "fill him in," and his response is quite telling. I love what Apollos DID NOT do:

• Apollos DID NOT reject the new message or the messengers;
  
• he DID NOT express anger or jealousy over another person's knowledge;
  
• he DID NOT feel criticized; and
  
• he DID NOT feel embarrassed.
  

Apollos listened and responded. This is an example of John 8: 31-22 (NLT):

³¹ Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. ³² And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Apollos recognized the Truth, accepted the Truth, and the Truth freed him to spread the "new and improved" message with even more passion! Often a person's reaction to instruction is a open door to recognizing whether or not they are teachable, open-minded, and honestly seeking Truth. If a person is not teachable, open-minded, and honestly seeking Truth, then beware of their ability to discern God's message in contemporary terms.

In I Corinthians, we read about Apollos' charismatic leadership. The human race really likes charismatic leaders! The danger with this type of leadership, however, is that followers interchange the message and the man; followers begin to worship the man. Apollos, or any other human, should not be lifted above God's message.

In all areas of thought, we must become lifelong learners and critical thinkers in order to be teachable, open-minded, and Truth seekers. Then, we will experience the freedom God promised through His Truth.

"There is no end of opinions ready to be expressed.
Studying them can go on forever and become very exhausting."
Ecclesiastes 12:12 (NLT)

2009 Goal - June 1-15

Okay, I know I said Apollos was next, but it's June 1st. May I present you with my next memory verses:

"Give me an eagerness for your decrees; do not inflict me with love for money! Turn me eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word." Psalm 119:36-37 (NLT).

and

"Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey His commands, for this is the duty of every person." Ecclesiastes 12:13 (NLT).

So, I couldn't choose one.... I am LOVING all of Psalm 119 - it is speaking my language at the moment. The Lord is using His Word in my life in a way I can not even explain or understand. All I know is that it is beyond me! Pastor Lightcap quoted another of my blogs in yesterday's sermon. As I listened, I thought, "Those are not my words; I did not write those words...." And, I wonder, God, what are you doing?

A friend of mine, who I once taught in Caravans (!), is writing a new blog entitled A Wanderer's Repose. Lightcap quoted Heather, too. Somehow, I had already happened upon Heather's blog and I was blown away by her writing. She and I had a compliment fest as I shared with her how much I enjoyed her blog, and she shared with me that my blog inspired her to write in this forum again. And, I wonder, God, what are you doing?

My mom is asking me to teach a class, or sorts, for her friends in Medford, Oregon this summer regarding Christ, critical thinking, and our culture. And, I wonder, God, what are you doing?

I had already prepared for June 1st by choosing Psalm 119:36-37. Then, I went to church on May 31st. The second half of Ecclesiastes 12 jumped out of the sermon and sat in lap; I could not ignore it. I am certain I will refer to these verses in upcoming posts as God continues to reveal what He is up to in and around my life.

Until then, will you read Psalm 119 and Ecclesiastes 12? Come on - join Him in this journey.

God's Truth & Culture Is Not Oil & Water

Well friends, I am back to Acts after a month-long furlough for no particular reason.... Once again, I believe the Lord is revealing His Truth through The Word and culture - this never fails to amaze me, truly! I began reading Acts because I believed it would reveal to me how I should be responding to our current culture as a Christian. My Lord has not failed me! I love this Truth:

"For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are. Nothing in all creation can hide from him. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes. This is the God to whom we must explain all that we have done" (Hebrews 4:12-13, NLT).

I had a troubling experience this week.... Someone called me a "Sunday School Christian." After I gained some distance and perspective from the comment, I realized that this person does not know me well, is not an "up close and personal" friend, and does not respect me, as an individual. While still feeling quite disturbed, though, I started reading again in Acts, because I believe the differences between me and my friend are culturally relevant. It is now "PC" to disrespect conservatives and Christians without even knowing whether or not they are critical thinkers. If there is one thing I know for certain about myself - weaknesses and all - it is that I am not a "Sunday School Christian." No one who knows me well at this stage of my life, whether or not they agree with my belief system, has accused me of such superficial thinking.

Acts 17:11 describes open-mindedness: Open-mindedness is eager listening followed by diligent searching.

"The people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened to Paul's message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth" (Acts 17:11, NLT).

This describes precisely what I have been called to do: I eagerly listen to multiple sides of culturally relevant issues and search the Scriptures to make sense of these issues. As a graduate student at a secular university, I never use Scriptural references as they are not considered scholarly; however, I have never even felt the need to because good science, the use of the scientific method, supports God's Truth. I may address this further in another posting....

Later in Acts 17, responses to Paul's message are described:

"Some laughed, but others said, 'We want to hear more about this later.' That ended Paul's discussion with them, but some joined him and became believers" (Acts 17: 32-33, NLT).

Based on these verses and others found in Matthew 13:11-17 and Isaiah 6:9-10, I believe:

• Some will hear God's Truth, but will be unaffected;


• Some will receive knowledge and refute it using intellectual prowess without Spiritual power from God;


• Some will embrace knowledge - with a spiritual power, but not The Spiritual power. They will either refute God's Truth and/or create confusion among those who are not seeking God's Truth;
  


• Some will embrace God's Truth with a heart and mind empowered by a personal relationship with Jesus Christ - which is the only way to fully know, comprehend, apply, analyze, and deeply relate to God's Truth.

To all options, I respond with Acts 5:38-39:

"My advice is: Leave these men alone. If they are teaching and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. But if is of God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God" (Acts 5:38-39, NLT).

My next post will be about Apollos, a scholar, orator, and debater known for his persuasive preaching. He, too, is teaching me some powerful Truths about engaging in contemporary culture as a Christian.

Project Warm Baby

A few weeks ago I posted a link to blogger's description of a Compassion International trip to Calcutta. Ever since, I have been praying and considering how I can earn $300 to sponsor a child from India. There was even a chance to win a sponsorship, but I totally missed the opportunity! I am still praying about this need and considering ideas. One idea I have is to hold a garage sale this summer - I will probably follow through on this idea in June or July.

Another way that I can give immediately is through a foundation that my brother, Todd Winter, initiated to support a missionary hospital in Papua New Guinea - the best hospital in the country. I am so proud of my brother for applying his medical expertise, connections, and income to a serious need in our world. I wrote an article about Todd and his family for our alma mater's website. I know that I am a bit biased, but I think it is a good read, and will give you a little history about the foundation. My mom also writes a newsletter that is sent to all of the foundation's supporters.

A year ago my parents had the wonderful privilege of traveling to PNG with a work group. My parents do many things to support the foundation stateside, but this was their first opportunity to actually see the work of the hospital. It just so happened that my boys and I arrived in Oregon for our annual visit just a few days after my parents' return. As a result, we participated in their debriefing process which was very special for us!

One need that struck the girls in our family is related to the babies delivered at the PNG hospital. The hospital delivers around 900 babies per year. Many of them have absolutely nothing to wear upon their arrival on this earth. With this need, a project was born... Project Warm Baby. Since last summer, volunteers from all over the U.S. have been sending "layettes" for the hospital's new mothers and their babies. Each newborn or preemie layette contains: 1 onesie, 1 sleeper, 1 hat, 1 pair of socks, 2 diapers, 2 pins, 1 large bar of Ivory soap, 1 washcloth, and 1 receiving blanket. My mom took on this project, and it has exploded. Her goal was to send a few hundred layettes within the first year. Project Warm Baby has not even reached the one year mark, and many volunteers have gathered materials to send nearly 900 layettes in the next PNG shipment.

$300 to sponsor a child is a bit of challenge for me right now, though I am working on it. This weekend, however, I happened upon the mother load of baby hats and socks at a garage sale. The sign read: "All hats and socks are free with the purchase of any other baby items." For $10, I purchased nearly 30 hats and pairs of socks, about a dozen sleepers, 6 onesies, and 8 receiving blankets. Here's the stash:I even enjoyed laundering the cute, little items! I am imagining new mommies carefully clothing their sweet newborn babies - love it! How fun, don't you think???

Summer Focus: Nurturing my Family

I like to create goals - not that I always, or even frequently, meet the goals I set for myself.... At the beginning of every new season, I look ahead and think about what I would like to do differently; what I would like to accomplish. As summer approaches, and as I look forward to no work and no school, I can not help but consider summer goals. My main focus this summer will be my boys: Tanner and Tyler. They have patiently (sort of) endured my educational journey. This summer will be dedicated to them.

Chuck Swindoll recently spoke on nurturing our kids. I caught his 5/13/09 Insight for Living broadcast. It appears I only heard the third message of a three part series. Even so, the message spoke to me about my summer goals. Swindoll defined "nurture" as (1) helping our kids know their God-given giftedness and (2) cultivating those gifts. This has inspired me to consider and pray about Tanner and Tyler's giftedness. Tanner is 11, so his are clearer to me than Tyler's gifts. Tanner is a "behind the scenes" kind of guy. He comprehends technical things with amazing ease. He has an exceptional memory, and he is a good athlete. His teachers tell me he is very social at school and is quite funny - I think of Tanner as more shy than social.

I believe Tyler's gifts may be related to leadership and they need some serious honing - if you know what I mean! Seriously though, Tyler is perseverant and outgoing. He has some creative interests, but he doesn't express much care in pursuing them, yet. Tyler is 9 and he is more interested in emulating his brother than developing his own strengths.

This is my prayer:

God, help me to know Tanner and Tyler better; to respond to them with more sensitivity; to nurture their growth in You. Grant me the wisdom to make decisions with their best in mind. You know my strengths and weakness, dear God, nurture my parenting skills and guide me in growth.

On May 18, 2009, Lysa TerKeurst wrote of "Mommy Guilt." She hit the nail on my head! If I have areas vulnerable to Satan's attack, then mommy guilt is one of those areas. What I really liked about Lysa's blog, though, was her guidance in dealing with mommy guilt. In following her direction, I pursued reading and applying Proverbs to my diagnosis of mommy guilt. From my time in Proverbs, I am asking God for wisdom - He is the provider of wisdom. Based on the wisdom He provides, I am seeking consistency, discipline, self-control, honesty, and purposefulness in being a better mom and wife.

"Let the words of Christ, in all of their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise.... And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus."
Colossians 3:16-17 (NLT)