End of the study of the Book of Daniel

It took a few months, but my friend and I completed our study of the book of Daniel this week.  Some things that really stood out to me were:

1. God is sovereign.  Over angels and demons; over all of human history - including the rise and fall of Gentile nations; over His people, Israel, Whom He chose, chastened, yet still loves; over kings, and over His holy prophets;  And in the end, it is His divine plans and purposes that prevail.  
2. God has a plan.  And it is unfolding.  
3. This world is headed to an epic time of trouble.  God revealed to Daniel that the rebellion against God's authority and a refusal to honor Him as God grows to the time of the end.  Man's rebellion will reach its zenith under the reign of an unholy one, the Anti-Christ.  But he will be brought to a sudden end!
4. Christ is coming.  He will assume the throne of David, and His kingdom shall fill the earth.  "And He shall reign for ever and ever."  King of kings, and Lord of lords.  
5. Man is a speck.  An insignificant little "nothing," that must come to realize his place in light of the Great God.  The Lord God is great and awesome, a revealer of mysteries, and alone is worthy of glory, honor, and praise.
6. Daniel was a great man of God.  He was a stalwart example of a person who, from the time of his youth, made a conscious choice (and series of choices) to not defile himself with the things of this world, but rather to follow God wholeheartedly with devotion, obedience, and humility.  God honors this with a promised allotted place in the age to come.  His prayer life humbled me.  His character challenged me.  His life inspired me.  
7. God loves Israel.  Though He is angered by their stubborn refusal to follow Him, He will "deliver" a remnant in the end times.  While the 'time of indignation' did not end at the end of the 70 years of exile,  God has not forgotten His covenant with the fathers of Israel.  All He has promised, will come to pass, for He has loved his 'first born son' with an everlasting love.  
8. The Church is a witness for NOW.  In the time of the end of this age, the Church is strikingly absent.  The Lord will again turn His attentions (and affections) towards Israel.  Though the latter will suffer horrendously, some will "shine like stars of heaven," dying for their faith in their God and in His Son.  It was exciting to see the end, in spite of the recognition that what will precede that is a time of terrible persecution and suffering at the hands of Anti-Christ.
9. Christians have only "now" to be what we ought.  For me, the biggest thing was to see that God expects His people to glorify Him and to be a witness to His Person when it is their time to do so.  Israel had the statutes and the covenant.  They had met with God personally at Sinai.  They were then responsible to follow the Lord in humble obedience that the world would see that the God of Israel IS God.  They failed.  As I pondered that, it struck me:  How much more culpable, then, is the Church?  We have the entire revelation of the Word of God.  We have lived in light of the Incarnation, and Christ's death and resurrection.  God has come to dwell within us by His Spirit!    If we fail to glorify Him, in spite of His grace and mercy, are we not guilty of the same rebellion as Israel?  I think we will be held very accountable to the LORD.  "For to whom much is given, much more will be required."  If God punished Israel this severely (and for this long) for failing to uphold His glory, then perhaps Christians (all of us) would do well to consider our own lives . . . and shudder.  Have we grown lax because we have been saved by grace, through faith?  Should not the recipients of such mercy be MORE holy than Israel?  More bent on glorifying God?  More obedient?  More faithful?  

Into the Mystic

Okay...not really! (wink) Sometimes I post things on Facebook that are misunderstood. I feel that a recent post this week may fall into that category. So, I wanted to clarify the point intended by my post regarding my son's request for a Bible on the very day I had ordered a new one for him...

...From the outset here, I need to say that I truly think that the timing was evidence of God's sovereign leading and not some mystical, supernatural manifestation of God's direction for me. Neither was it an act borne out of some inward feeling. Frankly, anyone who knows me at all knows that I rarely make a move when it comes to things like this based on feelings. In everything I do, I earnestly try to weigh what I am considering against the Word of God. And when my feelings coincide with the revealed will of God, that's great. And when they do not line up with the Bible, I try to shove my feelings aside and press forth with what God has said, knowing that I cannot trust my heart but only Him. The reason I share all of that is to say that I did note that a couple of the posts that were added to my initial one could have left a person with the impression that I had some little epiphany that afternoon, or was moved totally out-of-the-blue, apart from any thing other than my own feelings to order those Bibles. Nothing could be further from the case. I was simply noting the timing ~ which I believe was an affirmation from the Lord that I was doing what He wanted done.

Actually, I had come to a personal decision about the kids and what I felt they needed to better apprehend the Scriptures over the last week or so. That conviction was borne out of two things.

• First, our own devotions sort of prompted my thinking. I often spend a great deal of time re-translating verses when they are using the one version they both currently own, bringing out word meanings. Ironically, those "fixes" are already translated correctly in say a NASB or KJV Bible because they are word-for-word translations, rather than a thought-for-thought rendering of God's Word. Practicality and ease of study is one major factor in my decision.
• Secondly, watching them stumble through their copy of the Word each week during the Scripture reading portion of our weekly worship services prompted me to see what I could find for them. The NIV and the ESV are NOTHING alike in the way they read. There is a big difference reading something taken in a more verbatim manner than a paraphrase, and the same is true of Bible translations. What was a good Bible for them as small children is now a hinderence to them as they sit in more adult-centered times of teaching. And I feel that focusing so much on trying to read one version while listening to another actually interferes with one's ability to worship the Lord Who speaks through His Word to us during this precious time of our services.

Bottom line: this move was not some epiphany! Neither was it some esoteric experience or divine sign to "mom" that said, "Dawn, buy the kids a Bible today!" ☺ That said, because I had not discussed with them what I had been thinking, the timing was,...well, a little too coincidental to be coincidence, if you catch my drift?

I am pretty passionate about "getting it right," when studying the Word. And while the LORD has been teaching me recently that His Word is not meant "to be conquered," but rather to conquer my heart and mind, the fact remains that the Word must be understood to the best of our ability to apprehend it. So, the conviction that I have about that issue, combined with a couple of recent observations, were catalysts that led to the decision to buy the Bible that day.

Because the origin of such neat events in the life of a family is borne out of God's Word, the credit/glory ultimately for even such things still belongs solely to God. After all, only the LORD puts it in the heart of a depraved sinner to love His word, to cherish it and to purpose to teach it to our children (Deut. 6) or in the case of my son, to better learn it. The way the LORD works astounds me, frankly! He moves our minds and hearts to want to act, and then also to act - all through His ministry through the Word of God. Maybe in that way I feel that the decision was led of God, or Spirit-led for it came from a growing conviction about the Word, itself - a conviction that grows stronger day by day in this sinner's heart.

As inept and failure-ridden a follower as I undoubtedly am, the LORD loves my children deeply. And I see evidence of it all the time. He is a good and loving God! While some of the posts that followed my initial Facebook post depicted this whole scenario as me being somehow mystically led of God, the fact is that "the steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord." And sinful though I am, that I stand clothed in the imputed righteousness of Christ permits me to assert that the Lord is leading - even me. However, as always, that leading's impetus begins and ends with the Word of God. To testify here to this truth, the very day I had purchased those Bibles I had reflected on Psalm 119 and the charge from Deuteronomy 6 to "teach your children." It was obvious, having meditated on on the Word that morning, what I needed to do. I do not know what prompted my son. But how good is God that even as He calls us as parents to obey Him, by the Spirit He grants our children a desire to obey Him, too!

Proud to be a Christian

Saw this today on Facebook: " Proud to be a Christian"

I didn't hit the "like" button because frankly, I'm not sure I can agree with this statement. I marvel at the notion that I could be proud and a Christian. Aren't these mutually exclusive concepts?

Everything about our salvation drives home that we are helpless, hopeless sinners incapable of doing the first thing to "save ourselves." Apart from the truly amazing grace of God, to the Lake of Fire I speedily go - and justly! Everything I have and am and ever will be is the gift of God. Faith and repentance in the Lord Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection are both gifts of God - not derived by works, so that no one can boast. So, then, where is boasting? It is excluded! For it was not by works of righteousness which we have done but by His mercy He saved us. To me, perhaps the only thing I will boast in is in my weakness. I boast in my helplessness and God's ability to bring life to the dead, open blind eyes, and impart eternal life to this mortal, perishable soul.

Can we be proud of Christ? Perhaps! But, mostly, I am humbled to be a Christian. That God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us arouses no thoughts of pride in this Christian. To the contrary, God's unspeakable gift of His Son to die as a propitiation for my sins makes me fall to my knees, to lay down on my face, and cry, "Hallelujah! What a Savior."

Some things about my week at Royal Family Kids Camp

What is Royal Family Kids Camp?
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of serving at RFKC. This camp ministers to children who have been significantly abused, usually by a family member or someone with whom they lived, emotionally, verbally, physically or sexually. Usually, the abuse they have endured is a combination of some or all of those. While it is sickening to think that there are people who prey upon the innocent in their care, that there are godly, compassionate, caring individuals every year who spend their time and money to minister to these kids is very encouraging. And I am so glad I was able to again serve at RFKC! This camp gives these children who come to us via CPS of Marion County the "royal treatment" and a Christian camping experience unlike any other. From the moment they arrive and their bags are carried for them and transported and placed in their beautiful and air-conditioned cabins in a swanky, large conference center, these kids get treated like royalty. They receive all sorts of gifts and have the week of their lives. And mostly, they are exposed to the unconditional love of Christian people who serve them tirelessly for a week, and live out the Gospel before their eyes. RFKC is not your typical Christian Camp. Christian Camps are awesome, and I send my two kids every year because they benefit greatly from it. However, there is no camp like RFKC. There are three RFKC camps in Indiana currently. Please join us in praying that more believers will catch on to the vision of reaching the victims of abuse with the gospel of Christ in the years to come!

Same Camp, New Workers
The staff this year was made up of several new faces to our camp. This was our fifth year, and from the standpoint of dealing with challenges, our toughest. But, the graciousness I witnessed and the love evidenced by every single worker throughout the week as they dealt with the children was awe-inspiring. One aspect of the work this year that I most appreciated was the team-spiritedness of one and all. Frankly, there is no way the work that I had to do could ever have been done without a whole lot of help. So, I praise the Lord for each and every one of the workers and for the directors, Diane and John, who do an incredible amount of work each year to make this camp happen.

The Cattle on a Thousand Hills . . .
The Lord provided the resources again this year for camp. When I think back on where we were financially just a few months ago, I am humbled by my lack of trust in God to provide. Clearly, He wanted this camp to happen and was more than able to "make it so" through His people and His Church. Lesson learned, my Lord!

A Word of Thanks
Speaking of churches, I am especially thankful to the churches in the area that supported the camp. Brookville Road Community, First Baptist Church of Beech Grove, and Gray Road Baptist are all to be commended for their support. How encouraging it is to me to see the Body of Christ work as one body to reach children with the gospel of Jesus Christ! Very cool!

My Part
As for the gospel, the Lord enabled me and all the others numerous opportunities to present the Truth of His Word, including the good news of Jesus Christ. And I am so grateful to the Lord for the opportunities He enabled and tailor-made. It is never tiresome seeing our Great God in action! As for my part of it, teaching the Bible stories to children who have, in some cases, never even held a Bible in their hands was a new challenge. I think I have somewhat taken for granted teaching my little Sunday school class full of students whose parents know the Lord and who have been, from infancy, taught the Scriptures. Wow! I am so blessed to get to do that each week. Nevertheless, in our camp, the majority of children do NOT come from Christian homes. So, there is no way to present Bible lessons in the same manner you might approach a Sunday school or AWANA group. Literally, we had to start at Genesis 1:1. Where else could we begin to tell the story of our God but "in the beginning?"

It was incredibly exciting to "take the gospel" to people who have never before heard it. While the teaching surely was nothing to write home about, the content was fantastic and it thrilled my soul to be able to share the Truth about the origins of man and the faithfulness of our God to send a Savior! Up to now, I have always filled the role of counselor so heading up the work of developing the curriculum and teaching was definitely a stretching experience for me. We had been blessed to have had the same gal do this for us for four consecutive years and to say that I have an even deeper appreciation for all she did having filled her shoes would be an understatement. However, as I am sure she could attest, God does enable us to do whatever He calls us to do. So, I do thank Him for all He did through (and in spite of) me this year in this new position.

Special Moments
In addition to scheduled teaching times, the Lord afforded several teachable moments which was great. Since the workers are believers, every one is a servant and Bible teacher in a very real sense. And the counselors especially did a marvelous work of introducing devotions each day with the children. Again, it is so hard to do this with children that have no such habit or have never before been exposed to studying the Bible. But, they persevered through distractions and little bodies that are bent on wiggling and I know that the Lord will greatly use those times and the seed that was planted to eventually open the minds of those children to the Truth.

For certain, trusting the Lord to work in hearts is what this whole ministry is really centered around. And therefore this camp could not be in better hands! These kids were brought to this camp for a divine purpose. And we trust Him to do His work in them in His perfect time!

On a personal note, each night as a relief counselor I would read the Scriptures in the boys' dorm. This hour and a half time slot ended up being the toughest time each day for me. The boys are . . . well, boys, for one thing. And they were never willing partners in turning out the lights and calling it a day at camp. (ha ha) And with all the fun they were having, I cannot say that I really blamed them. I wanted to share about one little boy, particularly, who really struggled throughout the week with his behavior. Let's just say he was none too happy about having the Bible read to him. In fact, more than once I really wondered if he might be demon-possessed! (Okay - it wasn't THAT bad, but it was pretty tough at times!)

He yelled at me quite a lot the first night to "shut up" and threw things at me. The 2nd night, he cursed at me for insisting that he turn off his mp4 player and listen to the Bible story. When I took it away from him, then the fireworks really began. (Yikes!) Oh, and yes, in care you're wondering, he again tossed every item he could get his hands on at me and then yelled all sorts of obscenities, demanding his stuff back! He had a temper for sure! And he was unafraid to show it. (he, he, he) However, since I am not one who is prone to quitting easily and far more stubborn than he'll ever be, I pressed on and eventually, I outlasted him. Seeing that his temper tantrum was not getting the desired result, he gave up, slumped down into his bed quietly and listened to the Bible story until he finally drifted off to sleep.

It's hard to aptly paint this picture, but the stress he caused the other boys was very real and it was difficult at times to know what to do. We tried to calm him down and reason with him, but I think he's grown accustomed to throwing a fit and getting his own way. Love is not always doting. Sometimes love demands discipline. For the wisdom the Lord granted during these difficult times, and for the co-laborers who helped, I certainly do praise the Lord.

On a positive note, the rest of the cabin listened carefully each night. The next day, I always asked a question about the Bible story and gave a prize to the one who could answer it correctly (and these were not easy questions - mind you). To my great joy, there would always be at least one boy who could answer the question of the day. It was hard not to do a little dance when they would go into all this detail, telling me what they had learned the night before. It was staggering to hear Truth pouring out of these little bodies. So fun!

Well, back to my special boy... in spite of all of his outbursts and protestations, he did end up listening more readily to the Bible being read to him more and more as the week progressed. In stead of fighting it, he began asking to have passages read to him. The last night, prompted by his very wonderful and patient counselor who had spent a lot of time with him reading the Word and encouraging him, he came up to my chair and apologized to me for the way he had treated me. He even told me that he loved me. For just a moment, I saw 'what could be' in that hurting little boy. It was a powerful moment! When he had crawled into bed, and could no longer see me, I admit that I totally lost it and cried silently! It was just one of those moments where you see that God is doing something in a heart and it is so moving that the only way you can respond is to just weep for joy. Praise the Lord for what He has started to do in that little boy! Great stuff!

While it is so awful to see the damage that has been done to these great little kids, it is far greater to see that love truly does make a difference. And while these boys and girls were not magically transformed in a week's time, each child made strides in some way. And for each little bit of progress or ounce of faith that was grown, I praise the Lord.

Things the Kids Got to Do
Swimming and diving; horse-back riding; visiting the petting station and nature center; trying their hand at archery, wall climbing, and fishing playing in the lake on the Blob; hiking; arts and crafts; playing on two mega slides: The Bullet and The Black Hole; and holding many competitive games of Cornhole and carpet ball. And I'm sure I'm forgetting plenty! They also had a movie night, a birthday party replete with cake and ice cream and a huge bag full of very cool toys for each child, a manhunt for a train robber, and other fun evening activities.

What I came away with this week:

• The Lord has given me such a love for my co-workers in Christ through all of this. When the body of Christ works the way that it should, it is truly a beautiful sight to behold. If any of you are reading this, know that I deeply love and appreciate each and every one of you. Truly, you ARE my brothers and sisters!
• And lastly, the Lord expanded my heart to really and deeply love these kids - right where they are. Let's face it. Well-behaved children are easy to love. But God has called us to love all people, period. And what is so great is that, by His grace and with His help, it isn't even hard to do.

May our Heavenly Father work in the hearts of our kids and bring them back to us again next year so we can continue to "plant" and "water" and watch Him bring the increase, all for His great glory!

School

The kids jaunted off on a big, yellow bus yesterday, down the road to their respective schools. Remind me again why this is supposed to be cause for celebration? I know people mean well, but it is incomprehensible to me that a parent should express elation at the resumation of the school year. Sure, I am very grateful for the fine education they are receiving (thank you, awesome teachers and principals - you know who you are!). It is with full recognition of the immense blessings American children have that they are provided with opportunties to learn and to grow, a circumstance denied millions of children all over this world. Yet, I do not embrace this new year with jubilance. I miss them! I miss hearing them playing, or talking to them, or even seeing their little faces. Eight hours away each day is a long time, and a part of their lives I'll miss out upon and never get back in this life. I suppose for that reason I am eternally grateful that they both know the Lord and this life is not all there is! One lifetime, one childhood with my beautiful babies, just wouldn't be enough!

Kids, Mommy misses you SO MUCH!

"We All Have the Same Facts . . .

the difference lies in how we interpret them."

With those opening words, the running commentary begins as visitors make their way through the eye-popping, high-tech, multi-media presentation of the main exhibit at the Creation Science Museum. The plan had been to take my own children immediately upon the opening of this museum, but each time we planned to go some 'crisis' would arise and we would be prevented from visiting. But, we finally did get to go, and it was so very well worth the time.

Hannah, Bryce, Joseph, and Rocky

An acquaintance of mine had shared with me that her son was beginning to have 'doubts' about the Bible due to the inundation of Darwinism via textbooks at school. Worldview matters. In fact, I would say that this is a point that is hammered home beautifully by the lectures and exhibits at the CSM. In response to this mother's concerns I suggested maybe the thing to do was to address his questions head on by taking him to this museum. She agreed and although it took us most of the summer to both find the same day, free, we finally managed to head down there yesterday.

Joseph, Bryce, and his mother, Brandy

I just wanted to say that this 11-year-old young man was radically transformed by what he saw. He is so bright and asked such great questions! Plus, you could just tell that everything he was seeing was provoking some good, independent thinking. I think we were all greatly encouraged and educated by what we saw.

Plus, the resources we returned home with will prove a huge help in the years to come when our children continue to be given 'bad' and flat-out fraudulent information regarding the origins of this universe, world, and lifeforms - especially animal lifeforms. It exalts not only the Bible as authoritative and accurate, but it truly raises one's appreciation for science. Afterall, science is a wonderful field of study. It's not the enemy, neither does it ever contradict the Bible. Anyway, I could write the book on that, but will simply challenge anyone who has the first interest to 'come and see' for yourselves.

For more info, check out http://creationmuseum.org/