by Cathy Baker | Faith |
The following was originally posted October 2012. With Halloween falling on the same day as our closing of the #write31days challenge, it seemed only fitting.
Thank you for joining me on this October journey, and especially tonight in prayer.
On this Halloween night, pray.
Seven years ago, I received a call from a woman in a class I was teaching at the time. She asked if she could stop by and talk for awhile. I didn’t know her, but the heaviness in her spirit was obvious.
We sat face to face, her tears falling hard, and words barely pouring forth for the heaving. Finally, she was able to share that as a young child, her
parents forced her to participate in Satanic rituals every Halloween
night. Babies and children were sacrificed in deep basements—here, in
our city.
The more
details she shared, the sicker I felt. An unspeakable oppression
hovered. We moved to our front porch. I had to catch clean air and fresh mercy.
We talked, prayed, and then she drove away.
Although
we’ve since lost touch, she wrote me several years ago sharing how
she’d become active in her church, praising God for removing her night
terrors, and replacing them with the reality of freedom, grace, and
mercy. Only God, only God.
Needless
to say, I will never view Halloween the same. I hope I’m not alone now that you’ve read this true story. You see, she was convinced that human sacrifices still take place every October
31st. We know the enemy’s forces have not diminished — so
now, I pray for the innocent on this night, and I ask you to join me.
“Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.”
1 John 4
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Was Jesus that joyful?
I’ll never forget the first time we viewed The Gospel of Matthew over fifteen years ago. The joyful portrayal with which Bruce Marchiano seemed almost, well, sacrilegious.
After all, I’d grown up watching Jesus of Nazareth. For years, I subconsciously carried Robert Powell’s somber portrayal in the back of my mind.
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| Bruce Marchiano, The Gospel of Matthew |
Bruce Marchiano made me realize how I’d underestimated the emotional side of Jesus. Yes, He was on a mission, walking earth with intentionality, but Scripture also reveals He was full of joy. So why did Bruce’s outbursts of laughter catch me off guard? A smile, okay — but a belly laugh? No!
My naivete is embarrassing.
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| Robert Powell, Jesus of Nazareth |
One need only look to the Word to see that Jesus is the very definition of joy.
It was with joy that He chose to leave His place in heaven and take ours here on earth. (Luke 10:21,22)
It was with joy that He dwelt among us, loving the unlovely, and holding children close. (Mt. 13:15-19)
It was with joy that Jesus endured the cross. (Heb. 12:2)
The Word gives us all we could ever hope to know Him but seeing the biblical versions played out on screen helped me to visualize the emotions He experienced as the One who was clothed in flesh—and full of joy.
How about you? Have you always imagined Jesus to be joyful? And who, in your opinion, has best portrayed Jesus in a film?
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| My personal favorite, Brian Deacon’s portrayal of Jesus in the JESUS film project. |
“I have told you this so that My joy may
be in you and that your joy may be
complete.”
John 15:11
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
by Cathy Baker
It began with a prayer journal entry—my asking God if writing was His desire for me.
You see, in recent years I’ve struggled with guilt. Guilt because my love for teaching the Word had begun to wane while my love for writing continued to increase. I simply wanted to be as certain as possible that God was behind my desire to write, and not my flesh.
I was growing weary of asking (wondering if I’d heard Him clearly) and I was pretty certain He too was weary of confirming every fleece I’d thrown at His feet for the past five years. My entry ended with this:
Will you lead the way? I only want what You want. Give me ears to hear, eyes to see, and a teachable spirit to discern Your ways. I love You, Pappa.
As my pen swept over the final “p” in Pappa, the phone beeped, alerting me to an incoming text. It was from my dad.
“Good morning sweetheart. I often think of you on these rainy mornings that I love so much. I see you with pen in hand with a steaming cup of tea or coffee…loving the quiet sound of raindrops as you listen for a special little message to put on paper. I love your writings very much but I love you much, much more.”
Dad
And there it was. My heavenly Father speaking directly to me… through my earthly one.
Tears trickled as I picked up my pen and began to write what God had just cemented in my heart:
Father, You do delight when I write! You even love my writing!
But you love me, your daughter, much, much more.
God peeled back the curtain of uncertainty, allowing me to see the situation through His parental eyes. I delight in my boys simply because they are mine. However, they choose to use their God-given gifts to glorify Him will bring a smile to my face. Why couldn’t I believe this truth for myself in relating to my heavenly Father?
It’s not so much about the gifts, but rather, the heart which motivates the desire to use them. This is what God had been trying to tell me all along.
My days of asking God to confirm whether I should be doing this or that with my spiritual gifts ended that morning. Freedom has come to stay, for His delight in me is grounded in the truth that I am His daughter, created in His image and for His glory, just like you. Whatever way we choose to use His gifts will bring Him great pleasure.
How Do I Love Thee? It will take forever to count the ways but today I celebrate God’s specificity. Nothing vague dwells within Him, especially when it comes to His children. The timing of dad’s text was divinely charged and the message was humbly received. Oh, the joy of serving a living, loving God who IS in the details of our daily life!
Your turn! What’s one specific way God has revealed Himself to you recently?
For in him we live and move and have our being. ‘As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ Acts 17:28
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
After seeing pictures of my yard in past posts, some have shared how they’d love to stop by for a tour. But if they did, they would be sorely disappointed. Yes, there are pockets of cottage charm here and there, but lurking around every corner are crowded beds, unruly wisteria, and planters filled with crispy bygones from last fall. For sanity’s sake, let’s just say they’re not, well, photogenic.
While focusing on a charming pocket of blooms this morning, I was reminded of how much easier it is to expose only the photogenic areas of our lives.
For years, I kept my fears and phobias neatly tucked beneath a thousand excuses. No one knew except for family, a few close friends, and a cognitive therapist. I trusted Christ in one breath, and struggled with fear in the next. I continue to battle with the less photogenic me. But now I’m beginning to realize how vital it is to be transparent, flaws and all.
Consider the implications if writers were limited to write only those things which bring the readers pleasure—the easy, expected, and colorful side of life, while avoiding the failures, deep pitfalls, and dark days. Not only would it be a poor representation of the gospel but countless souls would also be deprived of the blessing found in 2 Corinthians 1.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 2 Cor. 1:3-5
Who might be comforted today in knowing they’re not alone in their struggles?
Only God knows, but it begins with us refusing to tuck our less-than-photogenic selves beneath a thousand excuses.
by Cathy Baker | Faith, Ideas |
Last night’s class was simply amazing. Obviously, it had nothing to do with me, but EVERYTHING to do with my faithful, omniscient, loving, merciful and amazing Father!
We studied Paul’s prayer to the Colossae church in 1:9-14 — and the specific way he prayed for a group of people he had never personally met.
The fact that Paul never knew this group he prayed so fervently for fascinated me several weeks back (and still does!) while preparing for this lesson. Knowing that we wanted to implement a “Go & Grow” challenge at the end of each session, I asked the Lord to show me a group of people our Tuesday night group could pray for… “a group of people we would never know.” Well, the Lord didn’t give me an immediate answer… so I went to Starbucks!
Pulling out of the parking lot, I turned on my radio (106.9), and this is what I immediately heard one of the morning pastors (I believe Chip Ingram) say: “Do you know that there is a group of people that you will never know who could be eternally impacted from your prayers for them today? They would be your great, great, great grandchildren and the generations to come.”
The tears began flowing so quickly that I almost had to pull over. Who says God is not in the details?
As I continued to drive home, a song from a few years back by Sara Groves, “Generations” immediately came to mind. There was no doubt whatsoever that our group of women needed to pray for the generations to follow — and to leave something behind for them to know they were covered in prayer long before they came into existence.
I couldn’t help but wonder, as I glanced around the room last night at some of the most faithful women of God I know, if they could be in the faith today because of the prayers from a great, great, great-grandmother or father. Only God knows.
After last night’s Go & Grow challenge I asked the group to write their prayer for the generations to follow, using Colossian 1:9-14 as a partial guideline. Following the challenge, we played Sara Groves’ song, Generations. Due to copyright guidelines, I can’t write out the lyrics but I encourage you to read them here.
Or even better, take a listen.
Everyone then received a packet, which included stationery and a personalized envelope (thanks to my sweet hubster).
Tammy Slice and I were delighted last night when we realized we would be praying for the same great grandchildren! I have no doubt that Megan’s sweet mom, Desi, is already praying for the generations to come on that side as well. The thought of having all our great, great-grandchildren encircled by prayer pretty much leaves me speechless and in complete and total awe of my faithful Pappa God.
“My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure. I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone… Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.”
Psalm 71: 15-16, 18
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Brian and I got to hang out at Brandon and Megan’s house last night. Love it. Always do. What made it even more special was spending time with Megan’s mom, Desi, who was in town for the night. Any time I’m around Desi or Megan I’m reminded of God’s faithfulness.
I made a ton of mistakes as a parent, especially before coming to know Christ. As I began to grow in my faith, I would say one of my greatest joys was praying for my boys. I prayed they would come to know and love Christ at an early age. Another entry found often in my prayer journal was that the vicious cycle of divorce would end with me. I prayed God would bring godly women from godly homes into their lives. Women who didn’t just say they loved Christ but lived it out with all their heart, soul and mind.
Fast forward 17 years. Brandon and Megan married last July 14. At their rehearsal dinner, during the video presentation, there were two letters shown on the screen. One was from Desi, Megan’s mom, to Brandon. The other, a letter from me to Megan. The content? Specific ways each of us had been praying for them throughout their life…without ever knowing it was them. But God did! I had the privilege of seeing God’s faithfulness walk down the aisle in a beautiful white wedding gown the following evening, pledging her love to Christ and to my son. But the blessing continues. Megan’s mom, Desi, is Jim Frady’s sister (see my posting from yesterday, Teaching, part one.) Megan and her family lived in NC and didn’t even realize that Brandon was from Simpsonville when their paths crossed at a camp in GA. Coincidence? Nope. God’s faithfulness? Absolutely.
Our youngest son, Zach, has been dating the same wonderful girl, Sarah, since he was 16. She also comes from a godly home and lives Christ out loud. Coincidence? Nope. God’s faithfulness? Absolutely.
So, why do I share this tonight? It certainly has nothing to do with me but it does have everything to do with the faithfulness of my Father. I only asked because He told me I could — and should (You do not have because you do not ask, James 4:2)
Could there be certain blessings that are only released into our children through the diligent prayer of a parent or grandparent?
Let’s never give up praying for our children and their future. Who knows? One night, years from now, you may be invited over to dinner by your personal answer to prayer too. And if she/he cooks as well as Megan, well, consider yourself doubly blessed. I thank God for you Megan & Sarah! Great is his faithfulness.
