Honoring your parents

I saw a woman in the elevator at work. She was taking her mom to or from an appointment. The woman’s mother looked to be around eighty or so. She had twinkling blue eyes and she smiled at me. The woman with her mother looked bored and aggravated, as if this action of taking care of her mother was the most unwelcome chore in her life.

I remembered when my Dad was in the hospital at the end of his life. He was very ill, and apologized to me for being such a bother. I thanked him for the great life he provided for me, and told him never to apologize. I said “Dad, you didn’t throw us out when we were too much trouble, you made sure we were fed, sent us to good schools, and never turned your back on us (there were six siblings) even when we deserved it.”

People are living longer now, and many people have taken on the role of caregiver to their aging parent. I see some of them. They are aggravated with their parent for being old and needing care. And, yes, it is difficult. But so were they when they were they were babies, toddlers and teenagers.

If you are in this situation, remember your parent took care of you when you were unlovable. And, the way society is today, your parents could have ignored you, walked away from you, or simply thrown you out of the house.

There is a psychological toll when a care-giving child has to come to terms with the fact that they, the caregiver, are no longer children. It is a kind of forced adulthood. However, do not dishonor your parents. Do not act as if this is a huge inconvenience and wear your distain on your face. No parent wants this situation when the roles reverse.

Remember the fifth commandment:

Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. Deuteronomy 5:16 (ESV). This is not just for kids.

What is so wrong with prosperity

I have been looking at the many objections to prosperity teachings among Christians. I did a word study of the word prosperity and found some interesting information.

Prosperity comes from the Latin word prosperitas and means good fortune and success. The word prosperity was first used in the 13^th century. So what happened in the 13^th century?

“The first hand-written English language Bible manuscripts were produced in the 1380's AD by John Wycliffe, an Oxford professor, scholar, and theologian. Wycliffe was well known throughout Europe for his opposition to the teaching of the organized Church, which he believed to be contrary to the Bible. With the help of his followers, called the Lollards, and his assistant Purvey, and many other faithful scribes, Wycliffe produced dozens of English language manuscript copies of the scriptures. They were translated out of the Latin Vulgate, which was the only source text available to Wycliffe.

I looked at John 1:1  in the handwritten English version. Old English.

Today, the word prosperity means "the condition of being successful or thriving; especially:  economic well-being." (www.merriam-webster.com)  I am thinking that the association with economic success is what causes Christians to pause.  In the Word, we are cautioned: For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:10 (KJV).

However, many people forget that it is the love of money, and not the wealth itself, that is the root of all evil. There are many scriptures that point out how riches are deceitful, and those that trust in them trust in vain. Trusting in wealth is foolish. Wealth can come in many forms: a wealth of talent, a wealth of knowledge, a wealth of beauty-trusting in any wealth instead of trusting in God can create a heart of pride and self-confidence.

God wants Christians to be prosperous. God wants His children to be rich in spiritual knowledge, wisdom, spiritual gifts, and in love. He wants His children to thrive. Throughout the Old Testament, God tells Adam, Noah, and the Israelites to be fruitful (abundantly productive, thriving). In the New Testament the Word says: That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;  Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Colossians 1:10-11 (KJV)

Our lovely English language, which gave birth to the word "prosperity", has many meanings for the same word. Fruitful, an adjective, means productive, rich, abundant, successful and profitable.  Prosperity, a noun, means success, richness, and wealth.  Each is part of the same theme God has for His people- that we would be abundant in the riches and wealth of His Spirit and multiply the Word of God (Jesus) in the earth.  For the heavens and the voices of angels are “saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”  Revelation 5:12 (ESV)

Why are Christians stoning each other

I was talking to a friend the other day who did not like Joel Olsten. When I googled “Why don’t people like Joel Olsten” I found a few Google pages of websites talking about what was wrong with Joel Olsten. Curious, I search for “why don’t people like Joyce Meyer” and found many websites that spoke against her.

Hummm.  I serve a BIG God who is able to search the hearts of men and bring all things done in darkness into the light. I listen to many preachers and teachers. If they say something I don’t agree with, I pray for wisdom and search the Word of God.  But I was still courious why so many people were so worried God was not BIG enough to tear down a false prophet.

So  I search “false prophets 2014” and I was amazed at what I found. According to one site, listening to religious apostates like Joyce Meyer, Rick Warren and Joel Osteen will lead Christians astray. There is a site that lists the 10 most false prophets naming James Swaggert,  Oral Roberts, Pat Robinson and John Hagee among these. Creflo Dollar is a false prophet at another site.  Another site lists Billy Graham, Kenneth Copeland, and many others as false prophets.

As I searched for false prophets, I found Christian sites naming almost every speaker and minister as a false prophet. So are we all going to hell?

I didn’t find much about who a true prophet was, and that made me feel a little better.

Christians might do better by spending more time reading the Word than judging those who are delivering the Word to the nations. In the Bible I read it says:

 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:10 (KJV)

I (Paul) appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 1 Corinthians 1:10 (ESV)

    

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.  In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.  In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:7-11 (ESV)

So am I going to spend my time obeying the Word of God, or stoning others? 

Understanding the Christian Walk

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. (Job 38:4 ESV)

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (1 Cor 10:21 KJV)

I have a difficult time listening to Christians who believe they alone have the truth. There is one truth-Jesus is Lord. There is one church-the followers of Christ. There is one God.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. (2 Tim 3:16). The goal is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, learning to trust God above all else, even our own wall of wisdom.

When I hear Christians bashing other Christians, my heart hurts. Yes, there are wolves in sheep’s clothing, but when we hear servants of the Lord speaking words we don’t necessarily agree with there are proper actions to take.

Pray and ask God why you are having a difficult time with the message.

Gain understanding that words mean different things to different people. How we hear a particular word can be colored by our upbringing, or the place where we stand in our walk. For example, I hear the word “jerk” and it is an affectionate word for me. My Dad use to say, with love, “come here you little jerk”

Choose to disagree without slandering the brother. I had a very difficult time with a one of the days in Rick Warrens 40 Days of Purpose. When I read the sentence “God does not care about….” I closed the book. I was going through a very hard time coping with the death of my grandson.  Later when I read the book, I had less internal pain and more understanding.

Show grace to the brethren.

Sometimes my dreams come true

I love to write, and I love the Lord. When I am able to write about the Lord, it is a dream come true. I am writing for Believe.com, and just looked at my articles.

Pennee Struckman-Beleive.com

Oh Yeah!

Are we in the end times?

Some friends and I were discussing the end times. Are we in the end times? There was a lot of information about how it could be the end of days. But my big question was AND? I thought about this for several days, reading and considering what we, as believers, were instructed to do. We should be aware of signs that point to the end times, and continue to spread the gospel. (Shine the light of the Lord into the darkness). And, overwhelming, not let our hearts be troubled, and go our way.

As I read Mark, I saw how scary it would be. However, I understood that the only way to endure is to trust God. If we are given to persecution, we are not to worry, but to speak the words the Holy Spirit gives us. We are urged to be aware that many will come in the name of the Lord, but they will be false. In other words, we should be wise as serpents and gentle as doves.

It’s important to drop the façade that we are able to endure, and realize that only Christ in us will endure. Personally, I listen to God. I test the words I hear by comparing them to what God says. I take myself out of the mix, and realize that my wisdom is really limited. I am a person of the world, and my language and thinking have been shaped by the society in which I grew up. My only hope is in Christ and the wisdom of God.

I wish I could tell people how to do this. But I know that each person has their own walls and gates that guard their hearts. I know that whenever I find a locked place I recognize it before God and ask Him to open it. It is a constant challenge, one that will never be complete. But I live in hope, for as long as we breathe there is hope. When we stop breathing, we will be with God, and know the truth.

Mark 13:5-11 (NKJV)

And Jesus, answering them, began to say: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and will deceive many. But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.  But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 24:3-36 (NKJV)

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"   And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.  And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

"Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.  See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.  "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.  "Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near--at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.

Daniel 12:11-13 (KJV)

And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.

Attitude is everything

I am amazed at what a difference a good night’s rest will do for an issue. Yesterday I battled. All day, I had to remind myself of God’s goodness and faithfulness; of His provision and constant care over my life. I struggled to bring my attitude under control. It seemed almost hourly I was digging myself out of the desire for sadness and self-pity.

I was worn out at the end of the day. I gave it to God and went to sleep. After a good eight hours, I woke and noticed the change in my attitude. I woke up thanking God for all His goodness in my life, and have enjoyed peace all day.

What it takes to succeed in life

I am going through financial situations and hoping to secure full time employment. I think often of Joseph (one of my heroes). Joseph had favor in his father’s eyes. Because of this, his brothers sold him into slavery. Yet he succeeded despite all the difficulties he faced. I want to have a better attitude and remain in peace with God.


I read Genesis 39-41 to see how Joseph handled his challenges. Reading these chapters, I couldn’t find any notice of Joseph’s attitude expect that he refused to sin with his master’s wife. This landed him in prison. What I did read is that the Lord was with Joseph, and Joseph prospered in all that he did.

Gen 39:2-The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant.

Gen 39:20-But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

As I meditated on this, I accepted that the Lord is with me. I will succeed in everything that I do in accordance with the will of God. I remembered (I heard this the other day listening to Joyce Meyer) that even though everyone ignored David, even though his father did not consider him for king, and his brothers thought little of David, God remembered David. God was with David and chose him as king.

I will remember the Lord my God.

How the Holy Spirit helps Christians

The Holy Spirit is sent as a comforter to help Christians live in God's abundance and endure life's challenges. I believe that the filling of the Holy Spirit is a separate experience following salvation. Jesus promised the disciples He would not leave them alone. “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. (John 15:26-27). In another translation, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the comforter. The Holy Spirit engages our spirits and gives us understanding.


John the Baptist said: “I baptize you with£ water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matt 3:11). John was referring to Jesus.

God created us, Jesus died for us, and the Holy Spirit enables us to communicate with God in a deep and personal way. I understand that some believe that the Holy Spirit comes with salvation, when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, and there is truth in this. However, Jesus made a promise to the apostles that He would send them a comforter and counselor.

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:1-4)

As I read the Word, I understand that God is my creator, and He sent His son, Jesus, to be the fulfilling sacrifice to enable us to reconcile with God. God sent the Holy Spirit to the apostles to encourage them, remind them, shirr them up, and enable them to carry the truth to all people. I am grateful to God for opening my eyes to the truth. When I learned about the Holy Spirit, I opened myself willing to God. The Holy Spirit is a gift from God, and how can I turn that down.

What it's like to be born again

I was praying for a friend this morning. God showed me an example of what it is to be born again.

My dachshund gave birth to seven puppies. During the birthing, one of the puppies was very large, and Gretchen (my dachshund) was very tired. The puppy couldn’t get through the birth canal. I had to gently reach pull the puppy into the world. The puppy was encased in a thin transparent sack. I pulled the membrane away so that the pup could breathe, and begin his new life.

Our hearts can become encased in a film of protection, pride, and fear. We strive to find meaning, happiness, and purpose in life. When a person is born again, accepting Jesus as Lord, the Holy Spirit gently removed the membrane surrounding the heart. The newborn believer can breathe, see, and feel for the first time in the newness of life livable without the binding and blindness that comes with life apart from God.

Only God can tear away the encasement of the heart. Pray for your friends, your loved one, and your family. Ask God to have mercy, and to show these loved ones the grace that was shown to you. Pray that Jesus will reveal Himself to your friends, and provide the grace so they will allow the Holy Spirit to free their hearts to be born again.

St Louis is fascinating

I was writing an article for CBS Local on railroad adventures in St. Louis. I was doing research and was reminded how fascinating it is to live in St. Louis. Most people do not know how rich the history is, and what incredible treasures are everywhere. When I was younger, I had some friends who lived off Dorsett Road, when Dorsett was just a two-lane road and Westport Plaza was only a plan. My friend’s house sat on a large piece of land that is now a subdivision. There was (and probably still is) a large creek that ran through the property. I was walking along the creek bank and found the old Creve Coeur Trolley tracks. The Creve Coeur Trolley once ran from the Delmar Loop along what is now Midland and ended at Creve Coeur Park. The power station still stands in Creve Coeur Park.

The neighborhood I live in used to be a large lake. The spring that fed the lake still runs through the neighborhood. As I walk my dogs, I can “see” the curvatures of the lake still in the landscape. In fact, when walking my dogs, I actually walk uphill from my house and back to my house.

St Louis is a very old city. Looking at the architecture of the buildings and houses in the city, one might not guess this. The city was destroyed several times-once from a riverboat fire that burned most of the area near the Mississippi River, once by the strongest tornado every recorded, and once by an earthquake that was so intense the Mississippi River ran backwards. But if you are aware, you can find remnants of history still standing, or laying around.

God will supply all our needs

My God will supply all my needs according to His riches in glory. (Phil 4:19) He will give His angels charge over me, Jehovah Jira cares for me.

I have been thinking on this for a few days. I have been thinking about needs. Needs encompass all aspects of our being, from food and shelter to realizing our potential. How often I have limited to God in my prayers to a particular request that I perceived as a “need”. But God cares about us in our entirety, and desires us to become all that we can be.

In college, I studied Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The hierarchy of needs is presented in a pyramid, the lowest layer composed of basic human survival needs and the highest composed of “self-actualization”, our realization that God loves us perfectly and wants the best for us in spite of ourselves. At the highest level, we accept the grace of God, accept that God loves us as we are, and learn to accept and love ourselves.

The hierarchy of needs is presented here, from one to five, with additional subsets added to the pyramid in later years. Although Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is attributes to humanism, it is really just borrowed from the Word of God.

 1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep.
        
• God gave manna to the Israelites. Jesus fed the multitude. God fed Elijah, the widow and her son.

2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, stability.

• God protected the Israelites from Pharaoh. God released Paul from jail. Jesus disappeared from the Pharisees who meant Him harm.

3. Belongingness and Love needs - work group, family, affection, relationships.

• Though your mother and father forsake you, I will not forsake you (Ps 27:10)

• For the Lord will not forsake His people, He will never forsake His inheritance. (Ps 94:14)

4. Esteem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility.

• The Lord promoted Joseph to a high rank no matter how low he was cast down by others.

• For God is a shield for me, my glory and the lifter of my head (Ps 3:3)
• God took a shepherd and made him a king.

       4 a. Cognitive needs - knowledge, meaning, etc.

• The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. (Ps 119:130)

       4 b. Aesthetic needs - appreciation and search for beauty, balance, form, etc.

• As Christians, our eyes are opened to the breathtaking beauty in the world. We understand and see the world not only as it is, but also how it could be.

5. Self-Actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

• Although Christians were persecuted on all sides, Christians survived the Roman Empire and survive today.

       5 a. Transcendence needs - helping others to achieve self actualization.

• A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13:34-35)

”One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.” (Ps 27:4-6) David’s hierarchy of needs.

God’s medicine for sadness and depression

The Bible contains so much timely information. I read the Bible to understand how to handle life’s situations, how to be a better woman, a servant, a disciple, and a friend. I heard something the other day “the Bible is God’s medicine”.

As I thought about this, I realized how many hours I spend reading the Psalms, and how supportive and healing these words are. I am an introspective person; it is hard for me to see only one way, one solution, or one meaning of a word. I internalize the word of God, and apply it to situations in my life.

There are times when situations upset and confuse me. My heart races, I develop a headache, and I cannot think straight. This happened today in a work situation. I was involved with a person I don’t know well, and have learned is difficult to work with. The person approached me for my input into a situation. The person had done this once before, and then turned around and created a situation in which I was rebuked, purporting that I brought up the subject and wanted the particular solution.

I paused to pray, asking God why I had these reactions, and how was I to handle my reaction. God led me to Psalm 27 “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear”. As I read, I was reminded that God is in control of all situations, was always on my side, and always looking out for my best.

Psalm 27 contains my favorite passage. “What would have become of me if I had not believed I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living?” What a beacon of hope.

For those who battle panic, depression, and sorrow, read the Psalms every day. David was an introspective man, sometimes sad, maybe depressed, but he wrote “why are you downcast, oh my soul?” He reminded himself that the Lord is mighty, worthy, and always a shelter filled with wisdom.