The Awesomeness of Acts

The book of Acts is such an exciting and encouraging book. If you haven't read anything else this year, read the book of Acts. It may be a struggle to read the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy because it is hard for us sometimes to find application to our lives in 2018 (even though it is there!), but the book of Acts...it shines right on the work of the Holy Spirit in the church then and now.  

The grace of God is all over this book. I am thrilled to read the way lives are dramatically changed because of the gospel, empty traditions and practices are replaced with genuine worship, and encouragement that even when people are doing exactly what God wants them to do there is still struggle and sometimes even persecution. I have had (and taken) the time to savor over these individual stories that make up the fifth book of the New Testament-Acts.  As a Gentile this book is especially Good News! "They reported everything God had done with them and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles." Acts 14:27  

This book has also awakened and renewed my pray for the church - locally and globally. We see clearly in Acts every great act, miracle, and movement is preceded by fervent prayer. How awesome to have our sanctuaries shaken (Acts 4:31) and for us as the church to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to be bold (Greek word 'parresia' which means tell it all) to speak God's word.  The day I read this particular passage I had an opportunity to share my faith. It was a situation where it would have been easy for me to shake my head in agreement that as this person I was talking to stated 'I respect all religions..' The Holy Spirit reminded me of the scripture and to be bold (tell it all) so I shared my faith in Jesus. The person who was from a different culture and had a completely different background from me didn't respond in a confession of faith but I had planted a seed of the gospel-that we are saved by faith in Christ alone. I don't share that to in any way brag on myself...I've missed countless opportunities to be a witness but that day the Holy Spirit had reminded me of the early believers and their willingness to share their faith in a much more hostile environment than a nail salon.

I found this quote in some of my study of Acts "Satan has attacked us (i.e. the western world) with worldliness, selfish pride, a need for acceptance and status....a compromising Christian is depised by the world." (Enduring Word.org) No wonder we don't see people coming to our churches - we have compromised so much so that we won't offend or blend in that we have lost our identity. The book of Acts brings that back into perspective.  

I encourage you again if you have gotten behind in the Bible reading plan (RTBT2018), start with Acts. It is the beautiful sunrise of the beginning of the Church.

Forty Years Ago

Do you ever get a reminder for something that you don’t need a reminder for because there is no way you could ever forget it?  I received a reminder this morning that tomorrow is Heather’s birthday.  There is no way I would forget this birthday as I remember forty years ago (yes forty!) the joy, pain, excitement and fear the birth of our firstborn would bring.  

It was one of the iciest, snowiest Februarys ever on record for the Fort Worth/Dallas area.  “The Ice of Texas is Upon You” was the headline from the Fort Worth Star Telegram that February day.  Bill was a student at Southwestern Theological Baptist Seminary and stayed by my bedside during the 36 hours of labor.  I came in to the hospital on the night of February 7 and since it was so icy and the roads were dangerous the hospital decided to keep me close by.  Bill and I didn’t have any family nearby and no one could travel because of the icy roads so we sat together, just the two of us, knowing that soon our lives would change forever.  

At this ‘ancient’ time in 1978, you did not know whether your baby would be a boy or a girl so we had picked out names for both.  Joshua for a boy and Heather for a girl.  We were prepared for either way-I even decorated the nursery in a 'safe' yellow and green gingham - well the “nursery” in the sense a poor seminary couple could afford. It was basically a crib and a dresser - both covered with a new coat of paint.  

Even our dog knew something was special the night I left for the hospital. He laid his head in my lap and looked up at me with his big Cocker Spaniel eyes as if to say 'can I go with you?’  Little did he know how this baby would change his life!

Finally the time came on February 9, 1978 at 1:10 pm after a long labor and no pain medication (this was the generation that embraced the idea you weren’t being a good mother if you took any medication for the birth—which I found out later was total bunk) and bringing my young husband to tears, that we were blessed with a precious little girl.  Our little family of two was now three and our hearts were immediately smitten.  That night we looked out over the city lights of Fort Worth, Texas through the Harris Hospital window, holding our little Heather and we felt like we were the only ones in the whole world.  The next day, grandparents all miraculously made their way to us and the journey as parents began.

Now forty years later I still remember so many small details of that time.  Our little Heather grew from a toddler to being a big sister to Kara.  She grew through the elementary years, middle school, then high school years.  She entered the work force as a lifeguard, flight attendant, and sales person then graduated from college with her master’s degree.  She married a sweet, kind young man named Lance and now is the mother of her own four children-a full family complete with a dog, cat and Suburban.  

There were lots of details of life between all those growing up events.  Many things that were life changing…things that seemed to go by at lightning speed.  Things that helped Heather and me  and all of our family grow closer and more dependent on God.  

What I contemplate most today is how Heather is who she is by God’s beautiful grace.  That little baby girl has grown up with a heart to serve, a heart to care, and a heart to love.  She can whip up a gourmet meal and host a party of fifty at the drop of a hat.  She makes time to have lunch and be a listening ear.  She invites people over at Thanksgiving who are alone. I am prouder than I could have imagined in all my hopes and dreams as I held that baby girl the first time to now see the beautiful young lady she has become.  

Life is made up of many memorable moments and this is one moment of which I need not be reminded but will always be in my heart.  

Happy 40th birthday Heather Dawn!