Seeing the Unseen, Hearing the Inaudible

Photo credit: Matt Reinbold

But [Stephen], being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God ... and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"
~ Acts 7:55-56 (NKJV)

I think of our existence not altogether unlike a fish tank with a two-way mirror. The fish looks into the mirror and sees only self and the reflection of infinity. But the owner can stand nose to glass, seeing but unseen, aware of every movement the fish makes.

Wherever the Bible describes God's nearness, or the heavens being opened, there is the distinct impression that God stands right before our eyes in another dimension, ready to reveal Himself and speak to the one who calls upon Him.

Seek the LORD while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.
~ Isaiah 55:6-11 (NKJV)

How does one come to recognize the voice of God except by listening for it? How can one hear His word unless one stands ready to heed it?

Our Sunday school children just heard yet again of Joshua and Jericho. Does the story become so familiar that we fail to see the incredible faith of acting out the irrational? Who wages war by marching silently around a city? Who wins a battle by shouting?

Who follows the inaudible word of an invisible God?

Only the one who believes He is near.

The God Who hears me, cares about me, and acts on my behalf is not long ago and faraway. He engages Himself in my life as if I am all He has to watch. He speaks in my ear as if His nose is as close as my cheek—as if His Spirit is within my heart.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD...
~ Isaiah 55:8 (NKJV)

He is sure to communicate the unexpected, for His thoughts cannot be guessed, but only revealed.

He is sure to ask the irrational, which can only be done by faith.

And He is sure to prosper me when He speaks, for His word shall not be wasted.

[My word] shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
~ Isaiah 55:8,11 (NKJV)

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This is the "rest of the story" connected to my testimony of gratitude posted at Everyday Testimonies.

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

The Comfort Zone

Once a month, age 12 Joshua and age 9 Abigail go to a drawing class. I send my Abigail because she loves to draw. I send my Joshua because he hates to draw is drawing-challenged.

My days are filled with me leading my children outside The Comfort Zone, firmly but gently encouraging them to rise to become more than they think they can be. It seems that parents continually walk a fine line as we try to discern when necessary testing might become unhealthy pushing or an unfruitful battleground.

The above situation is easy. Others not so much.

The culprit was not me when a different challenge was presented last week to my age 17 Michaelle, an accomplished classical pianist. This spring she received an unexpected opportunity to play with a philharmonic orchestra. One to shun the spotlight, she didn't mind in the least that the pianist sits far left upstage, behind a grand piano and the rest of the orchestra.

One of the pieces presented during this week's concert was the well known Pink Panther theme song. Moments before they were to go on stage, the conductor asked for a volunteer to walk a 4-foot stuffed Pink Panther to the conductor's podium just before the music started. Despite numerous other musicians' eager requests and Michaelle making herself as small as possible, she was selected.

(I shudder to think of the discussion if I'd have suggested her for the role.)

Bad enough that she had to emerge from her niche and walk across the stage in front of the entire audience in unfamiliar heels. The moment of truth arrived when she stepped forward to perform her unrehearsed part and suddenly realized that the musicians' chairs arranged along the front left only a tiny strip of stage for a person to walk.

Have I mentioned before that Michaelle is afraid of heights?

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
For I am the LORD your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
~ Isaiah 43:2-3 (NKJV)

There's no drama or disaster to report. When she had to do what she had to do, Michaelle simply did it. Everyone in our family was tickled ... pink, and I thanked the Lord for accomplishing what I would not have attempted.

(You may have already guessed where I'll take this ... )

God does the same thing all the time as He stretches us well beyond The Comfort Zone. He puts us in situations we'd never in a million years choose for ourselves so that we'll grow.

I know that. You know that.

But it never hurts to be reminded that wherever you and I are being stretched right now, it's all part of His good and perfect plan.

"Our prayers are answered not when we are given what we ask,
but when we are challenged to be what we can be."
~ Morris Adler

Note: Let the record show that Michaelle is not afraid of heights, she simply doesn't like them. [Does that work for you, baby?] ; )

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: decal-orations.com

Question of the Week: Curiosity

I'm calling in sick this week, and guess what would make me feel great?

Send more questions! My pile is getting low, and hearing about your curiosity in Christianity and the Bible is sure to provide a pick-me-up.

I plan to be back next week.

~ Anne

Goals and Purpose, Success and Significance

"Success is to reach a goal.
Significance is making a difference in the lives of others over time."
~ Chip MacGregor

Photo Credit: Dan Norcott

I work best on deadlines. When I hear the clock running, I push through distractions and stretch to reach a goal. Few things motivate like a goal within sight. Few things satisfy like the sense of completion when a goal is met.

But super-goals risk becoming gods, requiring all else be laid down before them. We admire the MVP athlete, the virtuoso musician, the best-selling author. We do not see what price they paid to reach their goals. We know that for too many superstars, all else in life has come second.

At some point, their goals became their purpose.

Life has taught me hard lessons about setting goals. Many goals prove unworthy. Others have merit but can interfere with purpose.

The most important goal there can be is to make sure our call and election to eternal life through Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:10). Having secured this goal, one can better understand one's purpose:

"But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth."
~ Exodus 9:16 (NKJV)

My purpose is to love and glorify God. Part of that purpose is making His glory known by sharing His love with others.

Goals motivate me to achieve my purpose. I pray for success as I stretch to meet those goals.

But if the goals become my purpose, I will find that I've settled for success rather than achieved significance.

"For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it, lest [others] mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'
... So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple."
~ Luke 14:28-33 (NKJV)

: : :

This post is part of a blog carnival hosted by Peter Pollock. You're invited to visit his site and see what others are saying about today's theme: Goals.

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: dannorcott.co.uk

Continuum of the Prophets

"Eye of God" by Riek Jonker

Art Katz says of the prophets that they live in the eternal future while at the same time being in a clear continuum with the biblical past, and speak on truth and reality throughout all ages and the ages to come.

That actually makes sense to me without having to think about it. I watch the Middle East and the Pacific unravel while simultaneously studying Isaiah and Ezekiel, as well as writing about Samuel. I am willingly carried away on the continuum of the prophets between biblical past and eternal future.

The Old Testament prophecies feel as real and current to me as if I'm reading the newspaper. The prophets' words ebb and flow between their present and my present. When Isaiah jumps from speaking about King Hezekiah (eighth century B.C.) to discussing the last days (twenty-first century A.D.?), I scarcely feel the leap. When "thus saith the Lord" shifts from judgment to mercy, it feels as smooth to me as a transition into fifth gear after entering the freeway.

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD to them: "Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. Because you have pushed ... butted all the weak ones ... and scattered them abroad, therefore I will save My flock ... And I, the LORD, will be their God ... "
~ Ezekiel 34:20-24 (NKJV)

I had a general idea on Friday what I would write for this Sunday post. Even so, I was caught off guard during our Bible lesson on Saturday when I read the above passage, and then found myself completely choked up when we landed on the chapter's final verse:

"You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God," says the Lord GOD.
~ Ezekiel 34:31 (NKJV)

I began the day with Isaiah, reading of Jerusalem's horrific destruction, which is followed within a couple of verses by these words:

"Comfort, yes, comfort My people!"
Says your God.
~ Isaiah 40:1 (NKJV)

There is no doubt in my mind that the prophets were overwhelmed by the messages they were given to bear. In their words I feel the grief carried by them and by God. I cannot imagine how they would have continued without the embrace of His words as He speaks tenderly.

When I write biblical fiction late at night, I dim the lights, step back into another time and place, and enter into the lives of people inextricably connected to me by the same Spirit. On a good many days, I don't wholly re-enter the present, but part of me remains with the prophets ...

My continual prayer is that such travels bring the Word of God fully to life when I share it with others, and that I inspire them (you) to make the journey more often—and perhaps take it more slowly.

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Question of the Week: What is Biblical Reconciliation?

by Anne Lang Bundy

"Reconciliation"
Sculpted by Josefina de Vasconcellos
(image source: trinityfellowship.net)

What is the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation, (in the sense of being available for further abuse)?
~ Anonymous

Last week's post provided some contrasts from the Bible about forgiveness, separation and accountability. This week offers some examples of how enmity, forgiveness and reconciliation might play out.

Three important notes in preface:

• if a Christian experiences enmity, relationship with Christ will bring the desire to eliminate it;

• the below examples of forgiveness and reconciliation are biblical ideals toward which God's Holy Spirit enables us to work, whether or not we reach them;

• the person who has been wronged should not only be ready to forgive and reconcile, but also ask God if there is anything for which he or she should repent and ask forgiveness.

"Love your enemies,
bless those who curse you,
do good to those who hate you,
and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
that you may be sons of your Father in heaven;
for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good,
and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?
Do not even the [heathen] do the same?"
~ Jesus (Matthew 5:44-46)

EXAMPLES OF ENMITY:

You hurt me and I hope you suffer for it.

I want to hurt you back, whether I do it openly or secretly, with or without restraint.

I want you out of my life. Your death wouldn't bother me. Killing you myself isn't out of the question.


EXAMPLES OF FORGIVENESS:

If I hate you, it will hurt me more than it will hurt you, so I release my enmity. God's forgiveness and love enable me to forgive and love you, and I choose to do so.

I am willing to hold you accountable for your wrongdoing with the hope that your repentance will enable full reconciliation between you and God, between you and me.

I ask God to do good things for you. I seek opportunity to be an agent of His blessing. I wait for God to heal the injury you have done to me. I hope God will move you to become an agent of that healing by your right response to Him, expressed to me.


EXAMPLES OF RECONCILIATION:

Whether you and I associate peaceably or have no contact, your lack of repentance has prevented reconciliation between us. But my forgiveness prevents enmity toward you—even if circumstances prevent me from escaping further injury. Though I desire reconciliation with you, I instead reconcile myself to knowing I have done as much as I can. I am at peace.

Or:
You have repented—you have acknowledged your wrong against me, you have expressed remorse and apology, and you may have reconciled yourself to God through Jesus. Forgiveness and repentance enables you and I to experience reconciliation. But until your cooperation with God enables you to overcome the behavior which led you to hurt me, we cannot share the level of relationship I still hope for, which I pray God brings to pass. I am at peace.

Or:
Your thorough repentance and my thorough forgiveness have enabled our reconciliation to God and to each other. We are brother(s) and sister(s) through Jesus Christ and are free to enjoy that relationship in love. I am at peace.

Now all things are of God,
who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ,
and has given us the ministry of reconciliation ...
and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
~ 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (NKJV)

Photo credit: Ed Gardener, Flickr.com

: : :

This post originally appeared at Bullets & Butterflies. To see ongoing dialogue in comments posted there click here.

What questions do you have about Christianity or the Bible? You're invited to leave them in the comments below (anonymous questions welcome), or email buildingHisbody [plus] @ gmail.com.

© 2011 Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Creation's Birth Pains

Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it waste,
Distorts its surface
And scatters abroad its inhabitants...
The earth is violently broken,
The earth is split open,
The earth is shaken exceedingly.
~ Isaiah 24:1,19 (NKJV)

I read Isaiah. I read the headlines. I see Christians and non-Christians alike experiencing unrivaled hardship.

I emerge from the valley of death's shadow and feel darkness licking at my heels. It still wants me.

Was life always this difficult and I never saw it? Or are we nearing the end?

"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars ...
There will be famines and earthquakes ...
All these are the beginning of birth pains...
At that time many will turn away from the faith ...
many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold."
~ Jesus describing signs of the end (Matthew 24:6-12 NIV)

Is it just me, or do I also observe unrivaled apathy? Have we, as a people, heard about so many disasters and diseases—have our eyes seen too many violent acts and victims—that we have found ways to desensitize ourselves to the pain and thereby also desensitized our love?

Must the Lord then allow the pain to become more intense, lest we either accept the brokenness of our world or believe that we are capable to fix it ourselves?

For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
~ Romans 8:22-23 (NKJV)

I've birthed five children. I tried an epidural for the first one, but it didn't work correctly and caused far more pain than it relieved, so I didn't try to numb the pain again. I learned to pray through it, taking hold of necessary strength from God.

These are characteristics of birth pains: they get horrifically worse, you don't get out of them except by going through them, and they do end—with the most intense exhilaration life offers.

God's Word says the same of the birth pangs we share with creation. Efforts to mitigate suffering ultimately prove futile. We emerge not by running away, but by pushing through to promised joy and peace.

You will keep in perfect peace, The one fixed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
Trust in the LORD forever,
For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength
[Rock of Ages].
~ Isaiah 26:3-4

Lord, whatever lies ahead, in our world or in our lives, we know we can persevere with the strength You supply. We trust You not to leave us. We look to You to preserve us in peace.

: : :

This is the "rest of the story" connected to my testimony of gratitude posted at Everyday Testimonies.

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image sources: star-telegram dailytelegraph
news.aol.co.uk

Bible Nerd

(My Bible—click to enlarge)
Oh, how I love Your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
~ Psalms 119:97 (NKJV)

Do you ever have a situation sneak up on you slowly and you don't realize how intense it's become until it's too extreme to change?

I'm not sure why this was the week that it hit me. I've known for a long time that I'm sort of fanatical about the Bible. Sort of. I freely admit falling in love with it long ago and never recovering. I suddenly realized what a severe case I still have the other night after I stayed up til nearly 2 am, obsessively sorting out a maze of genealogies from the book of Chronicles like it was a Sudoku puzzle.

Our family reads the Bible every night before bedtime prayers—either a Psalm or a chapter of Proverbs. We also do Bible study most days as part of homeschooling (presently Ezekiel), incorporating studies of history, math, science or language as those topics become relevant. For the last year or so, we also spend a few moments a day working on memorizing Psalm 119 as part of the kids' memory work.

I get up early with my husband on the days he works and read Bible to him while he gets dressed (Exodus). I decided to go through the whole Bible in a year for myself again (haven't done it in a decade) and am also doing that in the mornings (Isaiah). I'm doing some work on Hebrew names of God at the request of a Christian art small business (more study which includes lots of dictionary work). After the house is asleep, I write biblical fiction most nights. And once a week I do study for Question of the Week.

How on earth did I wind up so immersed in the Bible? How did I wind up simultaneously reading out of seven different parts of the Old Testament, when I also read the New Testament plenty? (Besides my random study, John's Gospel is presently Sunday a.m. church, Mark's Sunday p.m.)

How do I not tire of it? I still find every bit of Scripture marvelously fascinating, utterly beautiful, and surprisingly powerful.

I think my husband and kids have seen this for a long time and are so used to it that they just accept it. I'm so grateful that they still love me the way I am.

But most of all, I'm amazed that the Lord would put such an intense love in my heart for His Word.

Why me, Lord? What did I do to deserve this blessing? I thank You for it.


Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Question of the Week: Forgiveness or Reconciliation?

by Anne Lang Bundy

What is the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation (in the context of being vulnerable to further abuse)?
~ Anonymous

Once again, a question is posed which defies adequate explanation on a lone page. This week, five contrasts from the Bible will be presented. Next week will look at how biblical truth plays out in relationships.

Accountability & Forgiveness:

"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more ... if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen ..." (Matthew 18:15-17 NKJV)

"Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:21-22 NKJV)

Holding someone accountable for doing wrong to you, with a goal of reconciliation, is separate from the unrelenting forgiveness of heart that Jesus teaches.

Non-resistance & Escape:

"But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also." (Matthew 5:39 NKJV)

And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?" ... Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him. (Acts 22:25,29 NKJV; other examples of escape are Acts 5:17-20; 9:23-25;12:7-10)

Jesus both taught and set the example of accepting abuse without retaliation. But we should avoid injury when possible.

Marriage, Separation, Divorce:

A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife... If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And [likewise] a woman ... if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. (1 Corinthians 7:10-15 NKJV)

God hates divorce. If separation is necessary, Christians are instructed to remain unmarried and work for reconciliation. Only if the non-believing spouse divorces is the believer released from the marriage. (An exception is divorce for sexual immorality—see "Can Marital Sex be Sinful?")

Willing Suffering:

But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps. (1 Peter 2:20-21 NKJV)

There really are some circumstances when suffering is preferable to quitting a situation or quitting a person. God's will and guidance are necessary for discernment.

Peace With Others & Peace Within:

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. (Romans 12:17-18 NKJV)

Reconciliation doesn't always happen after we offer forgiveness. As much as depends on us, we must offer peace—and then be at peace.

: : :

This post originally appeared at Bullets & Butterflies. To see ongoing dialogue in comments posted there click here.

What questions do you have about Christianity or the Bible? You're invited to leave them in the comments below (anonymous questions welcome), or email buildingHisbody [plus] @ gmail.com.

© 2011 Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: "Reconciliation in Sri Lanka"

Don't Use Words You Don't Know

On September 12, 2001, America reeled from blows by terrorists the previous day. Among the efforts of our leaders to speak words of encouragement was a floor statement by Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle which said this:

"I know that there is only the smallest measure of inspiration that can be taken from this devastation. But there is a passage in the Bible, from Isaiah, that I think speaks to all of us at times like this:
'The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone;
the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.' "

Mr. Daschle most certainly did not recognize the context of the passage. Isaiah is prophesying that when the Lord allows an enemy attack to destroy because He wishes to humble His people, the wrong response is a defiant resolve to rebuild. The verse looks like this when put in context:

The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel.
All the people will know it
Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria
who say with pride and arrogance of heart,
"The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone;
the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars."
~ Isaiah 9:8-10 (NIV)

This example is not cited for ridicule or criticism. I've no doubt that on some occasion, I myself have taken Scripture out of context in the effort to use it for good, and failed to apply it as the Lord intended.

Seeing Isaiah's words again, in context, simply seems like a good time to remind ourselves to be careful of how we use God's Word.

Lord, I thank You for allowing me the honor and privilege to host this blog. Please move me to always handle Your sacred Word with fear and trembling, mindful of its power. Please give us all hearts to thoroughly search out what You are saying when we read the Bible.

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
image source: steeljawscribe.com

Back to the Future

"Your past is important,
but it is not nearly as important to your present
as the way you see your future."
~ Tony Campolo

image from the movie "Back to the Future"

© 1985 Universal Pictures

If the dawn of a new day brings dread rather than anticipation, perhaps we are stuck in the past and need to get back to the future of the present.

Among the reasons we get stuck in the past:

◄ guilt, shame, regret
◄ bitterness, unforgiveness, nursing our injuries
◄ nostalgia

But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
~ Luke 9:62 (NKJV)

Looking back has value. We can gain a better perspective of the present as we better understand who and what brought us here. We cannot afford to forget the mistakes of history. Calling to mind foundational principles and goals helps narrow our options of how to move forward.

But there is a difference between looking at the past and living in it.

► If through Christ God has forgiven our sin, we can do no less.
► If we know God's forgiveness, then He asks us to pass it along to others.
► Whatever good the past held, the Lord has plans for even better.

As the past is a place to look and not to live, so is the future.

Now go with God and create an incredible today!

Lord, please show what to do in this very moment to bring us into step with You, and give us strength to do it.

☼ ☼ ☼

This post is part of a blog carnival hosted by Peter Pollock. You're invited to visit his site and see what others are saying about today's theme: Future.

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Winter Ailments ~ A Question

"We looked for peace, but no good came;
And for a time of health, and there was trouble! ..."
Is there no balm in Gilead, Is there no physician there?
Why then is there no recovery
For the health of the daughter of my people?
~ Jeremiah 8:15-22 (NKJV)

It's been one exceptionally long winter.

Back home in Colorado, winter's arrival isn't entirely certain until the occasion when you step outside, inhale, and every bit of moisture inside your nose freezes. Before then, winter teases with snow from the first dusting on mountaintops in September until the last of it disappears in July—while sunny days prevail the entire time, and 70 degrees plus can show up in January.

Here in Michigan, winter steals in slowly but surely, wrapped in clouds, settling in with a dampness to penetrate places in your body you didn't know existed. You're never quite certain that the cold has departed until heat and humidity descend in full weight and finally slam the door on it.

The heat may not bother me this year. I'm usually healthy enough to sidestep winter sickness, and rarely get even a cold. But I've been run down from emotional stress for many months, and for the first year in decades I've been dogged by respiratory illness all winter long. I avoid pharmaceuticals (especially antibiotics), relying mostly on natural methods to treat sickness. But back to back ailments finally got the best of me, and I'm now on the third Rx in as many weeks, for different problems.

I've wondered if there's any connection between my recent groans to God that I feel like I'm carrying too much in one matter and the body aches that settled in my shoulder for several days. Or between re-emergence of spiritual attack and a strong allergic reaction. Might all the respiratory sickness be connected to a struggle to breathe with the strength of God's Spirit rather than my own?

It wouldn't be the first time body and spirit suffered together. Two or three times in past years, when I was being stubborn about something the Lord wanted of me, I wound up with a bad kink in my neck, and then remembered that the Lord calls stubbornness being "stiff-necked." I wasn't surprised when I heeded Him and the neck pain immediately disappeared each time.

Throughout childhood and into adulthood, I suffered incapacitating migraines. It wasn't until sometime after I gave my life to the Lord that I noticed their disappearance. I'm aware that many headaches are a result of toxins in the body. I've never stopped wondering if mine had a association with toxins in my soul.

There's no question that ailments in body can result from not only strictly physical causes but also the condition of mind and heart. Yet the Bible also has several references to connections between sickness and spiritual matters, which makes me curious about how often that happens.

If you're willing to share, have you noticed any clear links in your life?

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Question of the Week: Worldly Fear or Godly Fear?

by Anne Lang Bundy

Image source: science.howstuffworks

What is the difference between worldly fear and godly fear?
~ Russell Holloway, Blog Host
from the post Love is greater than fear

The short answer might be that worldly fear is motivated by self-protective pride and lust (a wide variety of self-indulgences), while godly fear is motivated by godly love. The Bible says that even Jesus experienced godly fear:

... in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
~ Hebrews 5:7-8 (NKJV)

If my love for another is self-centered, I recognize their potential to hurt me and am likely to limit myself to "safe" expressions of love which cater to the other person and still protect myself.

When my love is other-centered, I see the potential of my weaknesses to do injury to the one I love and have genuine fear of doing so. I am willing, if necessary, to both experience and cause pain if I am assured that doing so gives my loved one what is truly needed. The other-centered love—agape love—which accompanies godly fear values the relationship built up by reciprocal love and seeks to receive it. But agape love is stronger than my desire to experience temporal comfort or pleasure.

Godly fear only begins with the self-protective recognition that my heavenly Father's necessary discipline involves the training and correction which can be painful, and therefore attempts behavior to avoid discipline. (What athlete expects to excel without disciplined training that involves pain and correction?)

Godly fear holds a love for God that understands the injury to Him my sin has caused. Godly fear calls to mind the sufferings of Jesus on my behalf and has a heart which desires to cause Him no more pain.

For all that is in the world—
the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life
—is not of the Father but is of the world.
~ 1 John 2:16 (NKJV)

The worldly fear which does not come from God also involves love—disproportionate love for self above love for God and others. Pride wishes self to be built up rather than use the power of God to edify others and exalt God. Lust for personal and temporal gratification does not possess the sound mind which sees the broader perspective of what provides lasting and unified peace among self, God, and others.

You may recall the verse about God offering not worldly fear, but rather power, love and a sound mind. The next verse explains what's also included:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God.
~ 2 Timothy 1:7-8 (NKJV)

: : :

This post originally appeared at Bullets & Butterflies. To see ongoing dialogue in comments posted there click here.

What questions do you have about Christianity or the Bible? You're invited to leave them in the comments below (anonymous questions welcome), or email buildingHisbody [plus] @ gmail.com.

© 2011 Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

My Eyes Have Seen the King

I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart ...
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
~ Psalms 138:1-2 (NIV)

I write this as the clock approaches 2 a.m., exhausted yet exhilarated. After some two decades of my study on the names of God, a small business which produces Christian artwork has asked me to write the text for a Names of God project. I just completed and submitted the requested work.

My exhilaration is not due to the prospect of publication, but from the work itself. No matter how many hours I've spent on this study, I never fail to uncover new details or gain new understanding about the Lord through His name.

I once was blind. But now my eyes have seen the King.

I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple... So I said:
"Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The LORD of hosts."
~ Isaiah 6:1,5 (NKJV)

I have yet to see the Lord in the same manner that Isaiah did. But through His exalted word and name, I have most certainly witnessed His splendor with the eyes of my heart.

My Lord and my God, Your majesty defies our comprehension and is not exhausted by words. Thank You for all the mercy and truth You have shown me, of which I am not worthy. Please use this labor of love to make Yourself better known—and more deeply loved—by all whom it touches.

Q4U: What is your favorite name of our Lord? Why is it special to you?

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

A Peek at Dessert First

Image source: theidorendezvous.blogspot.com

Now it shall come to pass in the latter days ...
Many people shall come and say,
"Come, and let us go up to the mountain of YHWH,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways ... "
They shall beat their swords into plowshares ...
~ Isaiah 2:2-4

My read through the Bible over the course of a year alternates between Old and New Testaments, between history, poetry / epistles, and prophecy. I now venture into Isaiah.

Most striking is that a book with the breadth of Isaiah begins with a look at the end—as if the Lord YHWH is about to serve a week-long, full course feast, but serves a peek at dessert first. This particular feast will serve some of Scripture's most glorious passages as well as some of its most bitter ones.

We do well to remember the peaceful end God has readied for us to savor for all eternity when we stare down the bitter moments which must also be swallowed.

Father, Your every plan is perfect. Your timing may always be trusted. Please draw our hearts to be taught in Your ways. Please serve from this rich and glorious book the insights each and every blog reader needs for the present hour.

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

I Love Them So

This post is dedicated to a spirit of diversity in Christ's church, and to the unity made possible by love. It is also the "Rest of the Story" behind yesterday's expression of thanks to God posted at Everyday Testimony.

♥ ♥ ♥

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
~ 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 (NKJV)

Though differences among Christians certainly can bring about divisions, how else could we possibly express understanding of a God as huge as ours? I am convinced that without such diversity, we would see much less of God than we do.

The same is true of expressions of love. Seven members of my diverse household each express love in different ways. Unless we value our individuality, we are certain to either miss the more subtle expressions of love we have for one another, or fail to appreciate the bold ones.

The Lord is Master of both.

He's teaching me new ways to be subtle. Yet I can't imagine that I'll ever weary of the frequent "I love you" or PDA (public display of affection) which either embarrasses or grows old with some people. I grew up amid a family fluent in this open love language.

♥ ♥ ♥

My mother, blind since birth, began playing the piano before she could walk, and can literally play a song by ear if you hum a few bars. Her gift for music includes the uncanny ability to remember nearly every song she's ever heard. The miles and years are often bridged by the music my mother shares with her grandchildren in various ways.

Musical skill skipped over me to my children. My love of music is devoid of the same breadth and comprehension shared by the generations preceding and following me. For example, I did not share my mother's affection for the 60-year-old cowboy tune she passed along to my kids several years ago.

Then on Sunday I did a post about social media, "Following." The same day, my 17-year-old daughter offset every pain in the neck social media has ever been with a simple post to my Facebook wall. It included four words, three hearts, and Youtube link:

I love you Mommy! ♥ ♥ ♥




Here are the words to a song which resounds with love reaching across the generations.

MOM AND DAD'S WALTZ
Words and music by Lefty Frizzell
© 1951 Hill and Range Songs

I'd walk for miles
Cry or smile
For my mama and daddy
I want them
I want them to know
How I feel
My love is real
For my mama and daddy
I want them to know
I love them so.

[CHORUS:]
In my heart joy tears start 'cause I'm happy
And I pray every day for Mom and Pappy—
And each night.
I'd walk for miles cry or smile
For my mama and daddy
I want them to know I love them so.

[violin bridge]

I'd fight in wars
Do all the chores
For my mama and daddy
I want them
To live on til they're called.
I'd work and slave
And never rave
To my mama and daddy
Because I know
I owe them my all.

[CHORUS]

I love them so.

♥ ♥ ♥

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.