The Life Death and Resurrection of Peter... and Your Dreams!

After the crucifixion, and Judas betrayal, the disciples had to appoint a replacement. Peter who I'm sure knew his Bible had read the Psalms many times having never imagined that he himself and the others had been spoken of right there in Psalm 109:8 when it says "Let his days be few and let another take his office" referring to Judas Iscariot. What an unspeakable revelation to recognize this personal mandate recorded so many centuries before the event unfolded!  But that was three years after meeting Jesus. 

Upon meeting the Lord and becoming one of His disciples, Peter believed he would be the most faithful to Jesus as he walked with him through three years of ministry. He was a fully devoted disciple...or so he thought. But when Jesus was arrested, Peter would not be caught with Him or even knowing Him. Fear took over! A fear he did not know was in him! He thought they had it made...that Jesus being the Son of God would take the government on earth..in Israel, and that the disciples would be at His side. Eternity doesn't seem to have crossed his mind. He was  delusional as were the rest. He forgot that humans only live so long; they thought they would rule with Jesus and then die and go sleep with their fathers. HA! They thought small...did not see the HUGE picture...the eternal plan that was in Peter's Friend! Jesus knew the disciples were delusional; that they had their own ideas of why He was with them and they with Him. Yet he 'suffered' them. After denying Jesus something arose in Peter. I believe it was one of the purest things we can feel; remorse of losing a friend we love; not through death but through betrayal. 

Whether Jesus was the Son of God or simply someone who had been a true friend to Peter, Peter had pledged his heart and life to this Friend and let Him down. But even as he had let Jesus down he also felt let down by Jesus. The whole plan to reign with his Friend was shattered and Peter ran not only from his professed alliance but his faulty dream. He was grieving a great Friend and a lost destiny. 

Yet something was still alive; He discovered that he still loved Jesus and his conscience was eating away at him. The closest he could get to Jesus now that He was dead was to join the other disciples and grieve with them. He was sustained and encouraged through fellowship but I'm sure feeling most unworthy. Peter, who had been taken out of his simple life in a moment and set down outside of his own expected timeline most unexpectedly. Peter who was written into the story that unbeknownst to him was to fill the world with it's wonder, was now no longer delusional about the Man that he had touted for three years. Oh, no.The Man was dead and Peter's dream was over. No going back. And yet a great wonder was taking place behind the scenes of his world, in the depths of hell! His friend ( not worried about what Peter thought of Him at the moment) was making an open show of satan and his minions. He was saving Peters soul! The true plan was being birthed! Peter and the others did not have a plan B or any grid for it. Little did they know that plan A was still intact.  No, all they knew was that they had each other and clung to what only they together had known and loved; the memory of an amazing Friend. It made them a family of sorts and yet they knew that they would have to go back to who and what they had been before the great and terrible adventure. Or so they thought, for it had only just begun!

I believe that we humans are mostly delusional. It's an insult I know, but what is revelation for if we aren't? Maybe I should rather say false perceptions are what we are born into. Either way, it is the work of the Holy Spirit Who leads us into all truth; to chip away at what we think and replace it with what He knows to be true. This plight mostly comes from who we believe ourselves to be and how we want things to be; our dreams. The problem with this is that we do not really know who we are as God's children. We believe in our own strengths or lack of and our dreams  fit only into this short sighted perception. His dreams for us will not fit into such a framework! Our dreams have hidden agendas, unspoken motives and self-made decor and we base them on what we think of ourselves rather than what God knows about us. He must expand us. When the Holy Spirit expands us through revelation knowledge, is it not like Peter? The eternal cannot fit into our finite thinking!  Savor the rich voice of the Lord when He visited His weighty prayer upon the ignorant. "Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name. THY kingdom come. THY will be done on earth AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation (Aramaic: Do not allow us to enter wrongful thinking or testing), for Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory FOREVER and EVER. Amen"!!! (Matthew 6:9-13) Whatever I had in mind...well, I like this better. It is God's will God's way and it is ETERNAL. His plan for our lives has eternity in it. It will go further, spread wider and punch through the time warp right into forever!

Meanwhile, back at the Sea of Galilee, Peter had succumbed to a fisherman's' life once again. How perfect for Jesus to come and redeem His friend while fishing in the waters he found Him in 3 years before when they first met. By then Peter knew that Jesus was alive but Peter was still living with his own betrayal. Three; unity, completion and conformity. It is just about to slowly dawn on Peter that he has been saved, sanctified and set apart by a true Living Miracle; the Friend he Betrayed. Three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him. And there he joined eternity by his profession of love for Jesus. He was a new creation. I see him sitting there before his Master with such wondrous love in his eyes for the One he....well sort of took for granted on the other side of that cross.

I think this is all the Lord has me to say about Peter right now. But my hope is that the reader will begin to take a fresh look at his/her own expectations and decide with the help of the Holy Spirit whether they are the small version or the plans that are eternal. The plans that couldn't squeeze into our finite thinking if we pounded them the like yeasty dough into a match box all day long! There is a destiny inside each one of us and we must be willing to lay down what we have in mind or pull out what is  stuck in our hearts so that the true plan can begin to unfold. I don't make light of your dreams but what if His are so much more wonderful and far reaching? Or what if you know what you are destined to do and it is you hearts desire but you are setting out to do it your way? How stubborn we can be!  How many times have we "failed" at our attempt to push a "dream" through and silently blame God when it does not materialize and we have lost our investment of time, energy, emotion, possibly a friend and usually even money? I think that might be the first hint that it was not His dream for us. 

There is so much scripture that is key to this dilemma. Oh, how many times are we told to rest in Him, to let Him go before us and make the path straight; to wait upon the Lord, to place all of our hopes and dreams into His hands and let HIM form, shape or reshape and give us back a much better dream that He can actually go to work on without our interference? Is it so hard for us not to make a plan? (Proverbs 3:5-6)"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not unto your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path". It's such a clear instruction and yet few believers ever really do it.

 I don't know about you but I am tired  of seeing my dreams of the future being rolled up like astroturf in my front yard and tossed out. It is time to come into the present where the Living God dwells and know that He will take me where He wants to if I will stop making my own plans.I used to wonder why God would allow me to fail. After all, it is HIS Name that is at stake here, right? The problem was I was making decisions without Him. As a good Father, he is not going to reward disobedience. His ways are not our ways and He does not owe it to me to make me "look good" nor does He need me to make Him "look good". He is steadfast and unmoveable in all of His ways and does not change, nor can we make Him change to fit into our plans and ideals. While Peter was looking around in a stupor wondering what had just happened, Jesus was executing His plan to bring His friend all of the way through into glory. And just so, He is doing the same for our stories in this life; always working behind the scenes. He is always the Victor, but we can make it easy or we can make it hard!

I leave you with two prayers:
Heavenly Father, I pray that the eyes of our heart may be enlightened in order that we may know the hope to which he has called us, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people. I Jesus'  Mighty Name, Amen! Ephesians 1:18-19

The prayer of Jabez: "Oh, Father, that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would keep me from evil. that I may not cause pain! In Jesus' Mighty Name, Amen! 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 Be willing to lay down what you see and take up what HE SEES!

God bless you,
Uncultured Pearl

The Life Death Resurrection of Peter....and Your Dreams

After the crucifixion, and Judas betrayal, the disciples had to appoint a replacement. Peter, I'm sure, knew his Bible and had read the Psalms many times having never imagined that he himself and the others had been spoken of right there in Psalm 109:8.  "Let his days be few and let another take his office" referring to Judas Iscariot indicated the assignment of another apostle to be taken up by Peter himself and the others! What an astounding revelation to recognize this personal mandate recorded so many centuries before the event unfolded!  But that was three and a half years after meeting Jesus and days after His ascension. In those few years they spent with the Master, they still did not have a clue for there was just no grid. 

Upon meeting the Lord and becoming one of His disciples, Peter believed he would be the most faithful to Jesus and he walked with him through three and a half years of ministry. He was a fully devoted disciple...or so he thought. When Jesus was arrested, however, Peter would not be caught with Him nor would he even acknowledge Jesus.  Fear took over! A fear he did not know was in him! He thought they had it made...that Jesus being the Son of God would take the government on earth..in Israel, and that the disciples would be at His side. Eternity doesn't seem to have crossed his mind. He was  delusional as were the rest. He forgot that humans only live so long; they thought they would rule with Jesus and then die and go sleep with their fathers. HA! They thought small...did not see the HUGE picture...the eternal plan that was in Peter's Friend! Jesus knew the disciples were delusional; that they had their own ideas of why He was with them and they with Him. Yet he 'suffered' them. After denying Jesus something arose in Peter. I believe it was one of the purest things we can feel; remorse of losing a friend we love; not through death but through betrayal. 

Whether Jesus was the Son of God or simply someone who had been a true friend to Peter, Peter had pledged his heart and life to this Friend and let Him down. But even as he had let Jesus down he also felt let down by Jesus. The whole plan to reign with his Friend was shattered and Peter ran not only from his professed alliance but his faulty dream. He was grieving a great Friend and a lost destiny. Or so he thought. 

For something was still alive; He discovered that he still loved Jesus and his conscience was eating away at him. The closest he could get to Jesus now that He was dead was to join the other disciples and grieve with them. He was sustained and encouraged through fellowship but I'm sure feeling most unworthy. Peter, who had been taken out of his simple life in a moment and set down outside of his own expected timeline most unexpectedly. Peter who was written into the story that unbeknownst to him was to fill the world with it's wonder, was now no longer delusional about the Man that he had touted for three years. Oh, no.The Man was dead and Peter's dream was over. No going back. And yet a great wonder was taking place behind the scenes of his world, in the depths of hell! His friend ( not worried about what Peter thought of Him at the moment) was making an open show of satan and his minions. He was saving Peters soul! The true plan was being birthed! Peter and the others did not have a plan B or any grid for it. Little did they know, however, that plan A was still in tact.  No, all they knew was that they had each other and clung to what only they together had known and loved; the memory of an amazing Friend. It made them a family of sorts and yet they knew that they would have to go back to who and what they had been before the great and terrible adventure. Or so they thought, for it had only just begun!

I believe that we humans are mostly delusional. It's an insult I know, but what is revelation for if we aren't? Maybe I should rather say false perceptions are what we are born into. Either way, it is the work of the Holy Spirit Who leads us into all truth; to chip away at what we think and replace it with what He knows to be true. This plight mostly comes from who we believe ourselves to be and how we want things to be; our dreams. The problem with this is that we do not really know who we are as God's children. We believe in our own strengths or lack of and our dreams  fit only into this short sighted perception. His dreams for us will not fit into such a framework! Our dreams have hidden agendas, unspoken motives and self-made decor and we base them on what we think of ourselves rather than what God knows about us. He must expand us. When the Holy Spirit expands us through revelation knowledge, is it not like Peter? The eternal cannot fit into our finite thinking!  Savor the rich voice of the Lord when He visited His weighty prayer upon the ignorant. "Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name. THY kingdom come. THY will be done on earth AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation (Aramaic: Do not allow us to enter wrongful thinking or testing), for Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory FOREVER and EVER. Amen"!!! (Matthew 6:9-13) Whatever I had in mind...well, I like this better. It is God's will God's way and it is ETERNAL. His plan for our lives has eternity in it. It will go further, spread wider and punch through the time warp right into forever!

Meanwhile, back at the Sea of Galilee, Peter had succumbed to a fisherman's' life once again. How perfect for Jesus to come and redeem His friend while fishing in the waters he found Him in 3 and a half years before when they first met. By then Peter knew that Jesus was alive but Peter was still living with his own betrayal. Three; unity, completion and conformity. It is just about to slowly dawn on Peter that he has been saved, sanctified and set apart by a true Living Miracle; the Friend he Betrayed. Three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him. And there he joined eternity by his profession of love for Jesus. He was a new creation. I see him sitting there before his Master with such wondrous love in his eyes for the One he....well sort of took for granted on the other side of that cross.

I think this is all the Lord has me to say about Peter right now. But my hope is that the reader will begin to take a fresh look at his/her own expectations and decide with the help of the Holy Spirit whether they are the small version or the plans that are eternal. The plans that couldn't squeeze into our finite thinking if we pounded them like yeasty dough into a match box all day long! There is a destiny inside each one of us and we must be willing to lay down what we have in mind or pull out what is  stuck in our hearts so that the true plan can begin to unfold. I don't make light of your dreams but what if His are so much more wonderful and far reaching? Or what if you know what you are destined to do and it is you hearts desire but you are setting out to do it your way? How stubborn we can be!  How many times have we "failed" at our attempt to push a "dream" through and silently blame God when it does not materialize and we have lost our investment of time, energy, emotion, possibly a friend and usually even money? I think that might be the first hint that it was not His dream for us. 

There is so much scripture that is key to this dilemma. Oh, how many times are we told to rest in Him, to let Him go before us and make the path straight; to wait upon the Lord, to place all of our hopes and dreams into His hands and let HIM form, shape or reshape and give us back a much better dream that He can actually go to work on without our interference? Is it so hard for us not to make a plan? (Proverbs 3:5-6)"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not unto your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path". It's such a clear instruction and yet few believers ever really do it.

 I don't know about you but I am tired  of seeing my dreams of the future being rolled up like astroturf in my front yard and tossed out. It is time to come into the present where the Living God dwells and know that He will take me where He wants to if I will stop making my own plans.I used to wonder why God would allow me to fail. After all, it is HIS Name that is at stake here, right? The problem was I was making decisions without Him. As a good Father, he is not going to reward disobedience. His ways are not our ways and He does not owe it to me to make me "look good" nor does He need me to make Him "look good". He is steadfast and unmoveable in all of His ways and does not change, nor can we make Him change to fit into our plans and ideals. While Peter was looking around in a stupor wondering what had just happened, Jesus was executing His plan to bring His friend all of the way through into glory. And just so, He is doing the same for our stories in this life; always working behind the scenes. He is always the Victor, but we can make it easy or we can make it hard!

I leave you with two prayers:
Heavenly Father, I pray that the eyes of our heart may be enlightened in order that we may know the hope to which he has called us, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people. I Jesus'  Mighty Name, Amen! Ephesians 1:18-19

The prayer of Jabez: "Oh, Father, that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would keep me from evil. that I may not cause pain! In Jesus' Mighty Name, Amen! 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 Be willing to lay down what you see and take up what HE SEES!

God bless you,
Uncultured Pearl

Talk to the Hand (It says it all)

               Talk to the Hand


Omega

I have a black Himalayan hybrid cat. Her name is Omega, but we call her Maggie. At 16, she zigzags across the floor ending in an out-of-control slide, just missing the wall...every time. She has well entertained us with her mashed in little nose, dwarf ears, beautiful gold/green eyes and her perfectly pink tongue which exceeds the rest of her face, draped a centimeter or so over her little tiny jaw. I assume it's because her breeder face is mashed in but her tongue ...is not. She is a typical fancy cat with a walk to beat the band. When she was a kitten into her junior years, she would allow herself to be carted around by my then 3 year-old, George. He  crossed the hall from one room to another with her flopping over his shoulder like a rag doll. But as she got older she became less affable and more independent; preferring to make her own call on when where and how! We learned to give her her space as she grew into her queenly persona. She has a charisma that commands respect and we give it to her. One could believe Maggie is a flawless individual simply by the way she carries herself (Only her litter box gives her away).

The Hand

I don't know if you are familiar with those greasy plastic hands that kids  bring home from school fairs and such. You hold the end of the stringy part and sling it (without letting go) towards a surface, and it  slaps and sticks. I hated those things (I played with them, but I hated them) because they left grease spots on my walls. Rabbit trail? Keep reading.

The Queen's Wave

One afternoon my then husband was poring over blueprints and had been for hours. Maggie had planted herself squarely on the corner of the drafting table and lay there all day. Tom, feeling due for a good stretch, leaned back inciting Maggie to hop off and look for a new spot. Giving her a sideways glance, he spotted a greasy green hand ...waving goodbye to him from none other than her anus! He screeched, and I ran to witness this sight as the hand continued to wave from her anus like the Queen of England while she prissed across the floor! Knowing this had to be managed, we picked her majesty up; Tom taking the hand and I, the cat. He goes one way and I, the other. It wasn't pretty folks. Just sayin. Feces covered the hand and the long arm that was never ending as Tom and I got further and further away from each other! It stunk to high heaven, and we were in such a fit of hysterics we couldn't see what we were doing! Anyway, when the end of the apparatus finally made its way out of Maggie, it came with a vengeance...like a rock held back in a sling shot. Way back! Feces flew everywhere, and we rushed the cat to the sink and washed the muck off of her. It was disgusting and putrid! And to think this from a "queen"!

Your are what you Eat

It reminds me of the meme "You are what you eat". While Maggie gave off an air that would inspire jealousy in any other cat, the ugly truth was bound to come out. She was a rubber addict and even though she looked good on the outside, on the inside.... she stunk. We soon learned that we had to keep all rubber bands, not to mention needles and thread far out of her reach. Maggie had a problem!

Denial-Not just a River

There often seems to be something I have ignored for too long. As they say, denial is not just a river. I don't like to admit that I can fall and so what happens? I fall. I let whatever it is I'm "ingesting" wind its way throughout my soul. Maybe you can't see it because I am extra careful to look good on the outside.  I can justify my actions all day long until a "hand" pops out and then we are ALL the wiser. Then I must come to terms with what I am "eating". For me it will never be a greasy hand, but it doesn't matter. What matters is that no matter how harmless it may seem, if we take the first bite, we may well be on our way to being over taken.



 God spends much time in His wonderful book teaching us about idolatry which isn't just a shop full of cute little handmade gods. Much more than that,  a deadly love of self and a preference for what feeds the flesh. WWJD has become an inept mantra.... one more greasy toy that mocks us when we live like we don't care. This is why we sing of the Love of God...because He sees it all but still loves and never gives up on us. Ever. We may be convinced that  we have him fooled with our amazing church pizzazz, and we often have our brethren fooled as long as we are pulling our pious weight, but God sees.

 "For man looks on the outer appearance, but God looks on the heart". 1 Samuel 16:7. "Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice deeds of wickedness With men who do iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies,". Psalm 141:4. 

Jesus

So as I write this I hear in my heart" Living Word"; the Bread of Life. The One whose flesh we eat and whose blood we drink in communion with Him and in honor of Him who loved us enough to give Himself up for us. He came in a divine humility that was not conducive to a kings character.

 "Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Philipians 2:8 

Needless to say, I have told Maggie this many times and I think in her older age she is getting it. Neither does false humility work. We all may come boldly into the throne room of God. But humble works too. Face down is a beautiful thing. Maggie and I would like to encourage you to be yourself..inside and out. We should know! We love you, God loves you, now go and love yourself...in all humility!

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight." Philipians 2:8 

Gossip is Like a Fire Truck?

                                   Where's the Fire??!!

Who What When and Where

Back in the early 70's when I was about 13 or 14 years old, I lived with my family in a small town named Greenville. Original name, I know. There is one in about every state and back then our Greenville was no different. And yes, it was (and is) very green. I believe it was about that same time that we got our first and only sky scraper built by Fluor Daniel Construction (before Fluor entered the picture). The Daniels lived in Greenville and so we were afforded the privilege of boasting this monument of great promise. This in a place where everything else had been abandoned for the new mall that had just been built nearer to the residential areas. Downtown had become a ghost town but we had a Kmart back then and little else. That is why Alexanders' was the place to go for more catalog wants. It was across town from our house; I'd say about 8 miles. I mention it because there was this one particular Saturday afternoon Dad took my brother, Devin who was about 10 years old, to Alexanders to look around and see what they could find; Dad hoping to come home with something he didn't already own. Mom had begun to make dinner and I was back in my room....probably kissing Bobby Sherman's poster. What an age! I don't really remember where everyone was when things got disrupted, but they did get disrupted!

A Lesson in Emergencies

As Dad and Devin set out for home they had to pull over and let a fire truck go by. It was a great opportunity, siren screaming, to educate Devin on emergencies such as fires in the home. The way Dad went about it was this: "Oh boy, Devin! You want to follow the fire truck?" Devin: "Yeah, Dad, let's go!" So, yes, they did. They followed the fire truck all the way across town. "Look Dad, it's on our side of town!" exclaimed Devin. A few more minutes into the illegal chase... "Look Dad! It's in our neighborhood!" he shouted. Both of them were on high adrenaline now as they pulled into the very familiar landscape. Now they began intently looking for signs of fire perhaps in the woods for they had caught fire before.

No Turning Back

As they continued on, it began to sink in that the truck was coming too close to our very own house. I'm sure Dad's face changed from one of excitement to concern to well...horror as the surreal became too real. The truck had stopped at 117; the number of our own house where there was a fried chicken fricassee happening all over the now blackened kitchen still bursting into a new flame here and there, to be put out! The firemen had it out in no time, but the kitchen was a total loss. In just a little while the fans were up to draw the smoke out of the rest of the house, Mom crying and Dad hugging her while we kids went hanging like monkeys all over the fire truck.
That was a day to remember.

Happy Endings

Since then our little town has grown to be one of the most visited cities in America; the downtown revived and thriving.  My mother went on to burn down the kitchen just a few more times and Dad likes to say he learned to fly so he could dump water on the house if needed or rescue someone off the roof. Well....bless Mom's heart. To be fair, she may not have been one to stand over a hot stove waiting for the grease to get hot, but for the most part she was a very good cook and we loved her suppers!

In Retrospect

Why is it our pulse races just a little bit when there is a hint of alarm in the air? We want to know who, what, why and where, and as soon as possible. It is an inherent need to be in the know or the first one at the scene of whatever has thrown another's life off course. Are we asking ourselves why we must know? Why we must run to? This isn't to say that motive can't be good. Some people naturally go into rescue mode. They may rescue the victim of an accident or even the victim of vicious gossip. Yet others may just want to be in the mix! I always admired my best childhood friend in those days for deliberately staying out of any squabble or painfully embarrassing accident. While everyone else had to have an opinion over an incident, Millie did not. I learned from her, however it was years later. The mental note I made never went away and I finally grew into it. I wish I could say I had her wisdom much sooner, but it wasn't always that way.

The Nature of the Beast

You ever wonder why the traffic has slowed to a creeping crawl for two long miles only to find out that everyone had to have a good look at the fender bender on the side of the road? Now you find yourself looking too? Maybe thinking surely there was more to it than that, and looking for the blood? And how about those news reporters like schools of little fish rushing here and there at the hint of a feeding frenzy because they must not be left out of whatever is being torn apart?
Proverbs 8:6-7  tells us that "the lips of fools bring them strife and their mouths invite a beating,7 the mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives".
Gossip is a lot like a fire truck; it's colorful and exciting, with lots of bells and whistles and ladders so that one can go as far up and into the fire as they want to! And a fire truck can get everyone's attention as soon as the siren is heard in the far distance, just like a juicy morsel of gossip.  Hopefully there will be the one person who knows where the fire hose is and how to put it out! But for the most part gossip is an eternal fire as long as there is an audience and there always will be.
  Proverbs 26:20 Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down 21 As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome person for causing strife.

I Didn't Start It!

So what if you are not the slanderer? The initiator? Did you lean your ear in? Did you even think about it first? I admit I have had to reign myself in a lot lately because there is much to be heard. I have not kept my little nose out of the wind of adversity entirely and I have been convicted of it. One thing I know for sure; that gossip is always spoken in order to exalt one's self.

God Did not Give us a Nose for News

My question to you is this. Will you resist the temptation to lift your nose up to the wind and smell what direction the gossip is coming from? To run to it or even justify sitting still knowing it will eventually come to you? I can tell you what I love more...peace. Shalom peace. And I will gladly give up knowing who, what, when and where for that part of God. He has been wonderful to me and I do not owe it to Him to hurt my brother with a nod of the head in a room full of piranhas or even one smile in the face of a flowery tongued messenger.

Spare me the Drama

Let me offer an example of "spare me the drama" which depicts a healthy mindset in the matter.  After a throw-down with myself, I finally came to a place where I was ready to grow up. I had reached the end of myself and was ready for God to take over. I had been through several years of self -medicating which had in them one car accident and one near arrest (after the after-the-wedding-reception reception was over). So as I rode my beach bike down my quiet little island street on Wilmington Island to a friend's house, I tried hard to ignore the three Sheriff's cars going by rather quickly... toward my home. 'It's nothing', I told my paranoid self as I successfully carried on and spent a lovely afternoon with friends. I couldn't help but wonder though what event they were rushing down Omler Loop to. Upon returning that evening, I learned that a dead body had been discovered in the driveway next to mine just under the bushes. It made national news! A drug deal gone bad on the way from Florida to New Jersey and he picked our little island and our little street and close enough to my little house to...well, drop his bloody buddy off! I was tuned into Jesus then and willing to move along with Him rather than look for trouble. Had I turned around and followed the police cars, I would have wound up at my own driveway which split off into my neighbor's as well. It would have been an exciting evening for sure, but I was somehow glad to have missed it. I loved where I was; in fellowship with friends playing Trivial Pursuit, eating wonderful food and laughing a whole lot!  Makes me think of the verse “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead” ha ha. Of course here, Jesus is talking to a young man about burying his father before coming with Him, but I believe this also applies to all of us in life! Why waste our time with harmful distractions when we could be in the sweet spot of God's will?

Prayer of Repentance

Dear Lord Father God, I ask that you would forgive us where we have fallen short and harmed another with our reckless words.  That You would empower us with virtue that rises above the easy flow of lies and gossip. That we would come up higher and know mercy and grace and a blessed silence. We state here and now that we prefer Your presence. We prefer to follow You, Lord, wherever you go instead of the fire truck. For it is a very real possibility that if we follow that firetruck of gossip, we just may wind up at our own address with our own homes on fire. May it never be! And may we be the ones to step in and reach for the hose, always preferring Love. In the Name of Jesus we pray. Amen

I love you, God loves you. Now go and love yourself as God's own. And remember  Proverbs 29:11 ... But a wise man speaks carefully. He does not speak hastily, or without study, or offer opinions as truth. He rules his mouth to choose wise words and wait for the right timing.

God Bless,
Uncultered Pearl

Country Cat

Are You a Country Cat?                          

Wildlife

Many moons ago, when my first born was the only born and we lived in Travelers Rest, South Carolina, I was pregnant with my second child and we saw little of their father. We owned a tile company and he was busy trying to get it off the ground. So, it was Justin and me with ten acres to roam when we felt like it. We lived in a Dutch Colonial house with a little screened in porch which acted as covert hiding place from which to spy on the surrounding wildlife.....when it showed up.  Lots of crows, an occasional fox....a cat. A wild cat. We called him "Country Cat" because we were just that original. Country Cat WAS wild. He was able to make his way uninvited into the porch through a small tear in the screen each night and sleep/crouch on top of the old black shiferobe positioned right by the kitchen door. And each night as my now ex would come in the door, the cat would jump on his head. It's a wonder Tom still has his eyeballs or that a thatch of hair didn't go missing. What a way to be greeted! By then we were always in bed and could not control Country Cat after hours.  Needless to say the day came when Country Cat had to go for a ride; terrorism was not an option.  I'll just leave it at that.

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

 Sometimes it's sad when someone or something we love has to leave us. The reason might be beyond our understanding....or we may understand completely. Other times it isn't so sad. This was one of those times and we understood it....and I'm afraid that although Country Cat probably found himself in a decent neighborhood possibly full of loving children, things probably did not get better for him, nor could they have improved for whoever felt the need to take him in.

Misery Loves to Change Things Up

Have you ever wondered why when you think you are making an improvement in your life, things still don't get better? Maybe you have gotten a job promotion and been transferred to what you considered a much better place to live for you and your family....or just you. You find yourself giving it a little more time to get better but it isn't ,and you find yourself wondering where you went wrong in your plans for a good life. Maybe you just hit the road like you always wanted to, ready to explore and meet the world head on, but it just ends up sucking. You can't put your finger on it, but it's ...well lonely and all the people you meet a long the way ....are not connecting with you. You may have fulfilled your lifelong dream of marrying and having a family and you are wondering why on earth you still aren't happy? Maybe you are taking it out on a loved one on a regular basis because you believe it they would just change you could be happy....like you were (not) before you met them. Well, maybe you have become Country Cat who lived on a little ten acre hill with all the birds and mice he could eat and all the rabbits and leaves he could chase down, but wasn't satisfied until he had jumped on a mans head!

Geographical Cure?

The question is, what is the common denominator? Could it be you? When you went on that road trip did you take you with you? When you married your dream girl/boy and moved into that sweet house you've had your eye on and began producing littles, did you take you? When you got that job promotion but it didn't hit the spot, did you happen to go with you?It's an honest look at ourselves that will give us a flicker of hope for some solid joy. But the joy doesn't come first for an honest look can be a painful thing. They say you can take the cat out of the country but you can't take the country out of the cat (a bit skewed but same thing) but I beg to differ. There is a way to change the cat and put him back in the country! Becoming a new creation  can happen through One Person who came and gave his life that we might have life and have it more abundantly. He Who knew no sin, became sin for the sake of the  transformation of our "inner man", the person you may have yet to meet. You. Redeemed.

Don't go the Way of Country Cat

I would be remiss if I left you without this very important visual:You being carted into the back of the SUV and taken to....well a "much better place". While I'm sure your loved ones would never attempt such a thing, it can happen where it is not so evident; in the heart. Your loved ones don't want to lose you, but you may just find yourself looking into the familiar faces of complete strangers one day if you cannot find it in yourself to bring Jesus with you to the mirror and take a good hard look. He loves us and He is so ready for us to turn our self made selves over to Him so that we can be made new..... made one with Him. Joy is to be found in that sweet spot, my friend! Surrender is a beautiful thing when the battle has been against ourselves and a loving Father. Remember, He has a big backyard and all the blessings we can chase down and it's ours to enjoy without being carted off by "loved ones"!  "Oh how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity"!~Psalm 133:1

 "Thou openest thine hand and satisfieth the desires of every living thing"~ Psalm 145:16.

Maybe we think this scripture is bunk because we aren't happy. But maybe our desires are contrived by us and we have not let Him fulfill the deepest most powerful and truly innate desire of our hearts which awaits eternally......Himself.

I love you and God loves you. Now go and love yourself knowing it's so and making peace with God and with your inner man!

Your Uncultured Pearl

                                   

                         That was God?

The Otherwise Typical Day

Twenty-four years ago we lived in the little rural town of Travelers Rest on ten acres of land where mid-day you could practically hear a leaf drop it was so peaceful and quiet. My two-year old and I roamed the property daily  touching, smelling, playing in and eating from it! There was a beautiful huge pink crab-apple tree that rose above the old two-story dutch colonial house , engulfing my bedroom window when in bloom. Justin sat at his little picnic table underneath the shade of her branches counting and playing with fallen crab-apples time on end. I adored our private and blissful little world where calamity seemed to be off-limits. That is, until a moment of calamity reached our door one otherwise typical day.

A New Kind of Co-dependent

Justin had been playing downstairs with his little transforming dinosaur while I had been upstairs for a few. When I came down and walked into the kitchen it seemed all good; Justin lying on his tummy engrossed in the machinations of the dino. But the dino was not his only attachment. While the top half of my child was transfixed on trying to figure out how to transform a toy, I soon found myself trying to figure out how to get his  bottom half….his foot out of the ironing board. Somehow he had wheedled it into the small triangle of metal where the legs of the board meet the brace.
With Man it is Impossible….
It was impossible. I couldn’t do it. I would have had no problem with putting my child in the station wagon for a little trip to the fire station, but I was no Houdini and could not envision getting him AND an ironing board in it, much less getting the two of them into the fire station! Not even that big old jalopy I had inherited from my grandmother was going to accommodate that endeavor!
As if discovering it for the first time, Justin informed me that his foot was stuck. “Yes, honey it’s very stuck”, I confirmed. But God will help us like He always does. “God is going to help us, Mommy?” “Absolutely!” I assured him and we said a little prayer.

No Child Left Behind!

 With my husband far away, I  called the operator and told her my dilemma. She was on it, boy! I asked her specifically to tell the fire department NOT TO PUT ON THEIR SIREN because this was NOT AN EMERGENCY. But Darlene was not to be hindered from doing her utmost to make sure a two-year old child survived this ironing board entanglement crisis! ( I don’t think Darlene was kept busy enough)
Hence, on that sweet peacefully blanketed morning, all the routine of man and nature within a square mile of countryside was brought to a halt by the barrier busting sound of a siren! Here they came, tearing up dirt and gravel to get to the back of the house… three men–one in the back–of a fully equipped pick up truck…to the rescue. The siren was louder than the size of this emergency vehicle, but the determined looks on the faces of our heroes was all I needed to know this day would end well!

The Father The Son and The Holy Ghost

As they rushed into my home equipped and ready, looking for the child in distress, the “distressed child” looked them over then turned his trusting little eyes to me and asked, “Mommy, is this the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost?” The atmosphere let out its own sigh of relief, and we all burst out laughing at my precocious little boy, who seemed very comfortable with meeting God! One of the men stooped down onto one knee and told Justin that his guess was close because he was a preacher…. but not God Himself.

Ironing Board Surgery

Listening to the three of them decide the best way to get extract Justin’s foot was almost like listening to the best plan for surgery for this mom who was so afraid that they would hurt her baby’s foot! They considered all angles and all possible solutions. To cut the metal would bring them dangerously close to cutting his foot! This was getting a little tense again and I found myself praying. Well, somehow they managed to pull his foot loose. It looked impossible and Lord knows I couldn’t do it, but thankfully they did and without harm! I know that the good Lord had His hand in it. “Justin, what do you say to these men who helped you?” He looked at me and back and them, pausing for a moment and said, “Amen”. Ha ha ha! Yes, let it be so! I gratefully sent them to their emergency pick up truck with iced teas where they stood to recap their adventure before leaving us to our former peace. Justin had already forgotten the incident and was on to the next thing!

But with God ALL Things are Possible!

Sometimes we expect God to show up as God and when He doesn’t, we see ourselves as forgotten or unworthy. Maybe we know others who have had amazing encounters with Him and wonder when it will be our turn. I’ve wondered. But God in his infinite wisdom, I believe, loves to present Himself in His glory through the hearts…the persons…of men and women, even children. Oh, how I want to see the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit! But in truth, I already have! When my car stalled on a hill before a green light, and a woman whose car was behind me stopped her car at the bottom of the hill to give me room to get it going again. When neighbors who I had never met came over to clean my house because I had been in a car wreck and couldn’t do it. When a humble woman came to my door with her two children to pray for me because I WAS a wreck! When a stranger saw me in my car with a sleeping baby wondering how to return my videos to the store as I idled in front of it. She had assessed my dilemma and took them in for me. May seem like a small thing but it wasn’t to a stressed mom who was 30 miles from home on the due date of return! When I had miscalculated my bank balance and was brought to a mild horror at the grocery store check out and a manager swept down from his office and released me with free groceries! When others have reached out to me with smiles that reflected the love of God.

“….but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

I am aware as I write this that there have been countless times in which my Best Friend has reached out to me but I can’t remember most of them! Why? Do we prefer to remember the times that we were misjudged or done a disservice? Or could it be that we just take God for granted? What might our lives have been like if we had not encountered God in so many seemingly trivial (or otherwise) challenges through the helping hands of the very people He indwells? Maybe someone you wouldn’t give the time of day has helped you pick up fallen groceries or helped you out of a mud puddle incident (don’t ask). Did you check out the smile? He or she was not leering; It was Love: Agape’.
“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you”. John 15:12
I do believe that the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost came to help us with Justin’s ironing board struggle. When the preacher told my son that he was not God himself, well………he was wrong! Why would God care to the point of over caring? Justin wasn’t in danger. If he had never gotten out, I still would have fed him and kept him clean, ha (I’ll have to tell him that one)! God Himself paid us a visit on that day. I can tell you about Him. He cares beyond our understanding. He is jovial. He is compassionate and reassuring. The Trinity gets together and discusses us, not only that but They, Who need nothing from us….will accept a glass of tea! And He is justly angry when we are unjustly treated. I am honored.
Yes, I am highly honored when the head of the business office of the hospital system looks at me and softly and kindly says, “Honey, your debt is far greater than you will ever be able to pay off. That is why we are cancelling it.” I was looking at God. When my grandmother called the adolescent me her “Sugar Pie”; me ungratefully rolling my eyes in the midst of her tears of love….that was God.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” 2 Corinthians 1:3

 There were many years when I was not comforted in my own home, but outside of it was God in the form of every kind of human suit you can imagine, when I was unsaved as well as saved, and inside of me is a God who has always offered Himself as my COMFORTER. That is a God encounter. We who believe and even they who do not…have found ourselves mercifully in the middle of many, I believe.  How wonderful! How amazing! And to think that I can be someone else’s God encounter as well!
The only thing I would add to this is how you might view yourself. As a believer, you are not exempt. You are the hope of Glory for all who are around you. You must take that into account. Don’t waste your life downplaying your worth. Others need God in you. God loves you. I love you. Now you love you and take Him to the world. It’s right outside your door!

Most Sincerely,
Your Uncultured Pearl

                         My so not Perfect Christian Life

So Not Perfect!

Welcome to my so not perfect Christian life, where in all of my imperfection and endless nerve I shall bare my soul and hope that it isn't too scary for you my beloved brethren (and whoever else may be reading this). You can call me Uncultured Pearl or...just...challenged Christian (hopefully, transforming before your eyes by the grace and faithfulness of God). Listen, God has already performed absolute miracles in my ....character. Yes folks, the religious church lady has been, and is being very carefully removed from my person because she has done me no favors throughout my years as a Christian. I have done my best in the past to keep all flaws carefully tucked away in the courtrooms of my own heart, but it got chaotic in there and I found that I just don't like having a room that I don't want to go into!

A Light at the End of the Tunnel!

I am embarking on a new life in my Christian walk..or a new chapter....or a new book (oh whatever) ,and I feel that blogging my way into it may be helpful in putting my Christian past and present in it's true perspective and at the same time bless you, the reader with hope( where maybe you have judged yourself wrongly), a light at the end of the tunnel and some stories; a few of which you may find a lesson in! If so, great! If you just laugh your way through it, well....again great. If you are mildly amused I will see that as 5 stars so you won't too much hurt my feelings. You are also welcome to cry at your own discretion (cuz I'm sure I'll be crying at mine;).

My Uncultured Family

God, in His mysterious way has made me a dreamer, so there will be stories of how He has shaped my understanding through dreams. He has also given me a sense of humor to carry me through the most painful events in my life, so I will surely share those times. I will share my so not perfect Christian life and the lives of those precious creatures I tried my best to raise: my three sons, (and on occasion their father who I will refer to as "now-ex" with whom I have parted ways - but I will do this only when unavoidable). I respect the man for having put up with me for 26 years and we shall leave it at that unless God otherwise directs.

Let me introduce you to Justin Luke 25, my oldest son, Nicholas Jordon 21 (who I presently call Bible Man by faith) and George Olivia 20 is the last but not least. Yes. I said George OLIVIA. I named him George Oliver and whoever prepares the birth certificates renamed him. He is now soon to be 20 years old and still has his pretty middle name. Well, look people, I am not perfect! I made an attempt at changing it and it somehow failed and....I got busy okay? Anyway, when he turned 15 I was like, "Hey George we better go change your middle name because you don't want "George Olivia" on your driver's license (and by now he was required to go with me to change it....or maybe I made that up). George didn't want to do it. He was too busy. It happens! He said he didn't really care. Folks, in my book that's a real man and I'm proud of him! I did ask him though if he might feel a little embarrassed when he gets stopped and the officer has a look at his name. No telling what conclusions he might draw. Didn't care. Of course the day came when he got stopped and the Officer did ask him if he was aware of the type-o on his license and he told him yes, that it wasn't a mistake...it's his name. Yep. So that's one little glimpse of one of my kids, and there is so much more to come. I wouldn't want you to miss any of it!

Jesus Loves Me!

I am forever grateful to Jesus for breaking through this heard head and heart at the age of 19 and then pulling me back out of the mire at 25, and proving His unbelievable talent for loooooongsuffering throughout the following years! I don't know how He has stood me but The Father HAS NEVER LEFT MY SIDE! I have sinned more than a time or two since then people, but He did not leave me! And here we sit, He and I, finally doing what He has been asking of me for some time, so may He and you all have mercy on me as I stumble through this uncharted territory. You may find some of it rather rough going but maybe you will also find yourself being stretched and better able to carry the grace of God in your own beings. Let Him do perfect and let you do you, because the you in Him will continue to change until the day you go to be with Him forever....in all of your new perfection. Until then let's do some life together.

I love you, God loves you, and You must love you!
Your Uncultured Pearl