Frozen Thanks-giving

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  1 Thessalonians 5:18

I'm finding it pretty easy to be in a thankful mood today. My daughter bought me a pint of my very favorite ice cream to eat all by myself. It's a treat I haven't enjoyed for over a year. As you can see from the photo it's already half gone and I'm going to swallow the rest as soon as this blog is done. So this will be brief.

Besides enjoying my surprise, I am enveloped in the blessings of our family dinner table. Thanks-giving is my favorite holiday. The opportunity to tell each other the things for which we are thankful is an annual event that warms my heart. This year though my Honey isn't by my side so the joy is tempered.

You see, I'm in the USA and he's still at home in Prague.

There's another detail that's sobering my thoughts. It's the ads I've seen about extending Black Friday sales into Thanks-giving evening. I've been convicted recently about my less-than-ideal level of gratitude for all the blessings God pours down on me. The increased pressure to buy more is not a welcome visitor to my holiday.

I'm working hard to clarify the difference between the desire and the need categories. Cherry Garcia definitely qualifies as a desire rather than a need. As a matter of fact, I've been noticing that there are a lot of things around here that sit fully inside the desire category. My passport country seems to have a lot more enticement to confuse the two than my host country.

I'm thankful to be here for now because that's God's directions. I'll be thankful when I go home for the same reason. How about you? Are you thankful where you are? Tell me why.

Father, I'm grateful that you moved us to Prague. Please get me back to my Honey right on time. Thank you, in Jesus' Name. Amen

Plentiful Praises

Praise God a dozen times.

Where?
Praise Him in His sanctuary, in His mighty heavens.

Why?
Praise Him for His acts of power, for His surpassing greatness.

How?
Praise Him with the resounding trumpet, with the harp and lyre, with tambourine and dancing, with the strings and flute, with the clash of cymbals.

Who?
Let everything that has breath praise Him.

Psalm 150

Praise the LORD.

Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD.

Milk Mayhem

Milk may not be a very important topic in your life. I admit that it wasn't one in mine, that is BEFORE. When we moved to Prague last fall we had a milk dilemma and it looks like we're back into it. "What could be the problem?" you ask. "Milk is milk." Well, not really, at least not in the Czech Republic.

Most milk comes in cartons and is sold unrefrigerated on shelves or stacked in a grocery store aisle. You can see what I mean in the picture above. 'Mléko' on the carton is the Czech word for milk. It's one of the first words we learned because it's part of the necessary shopping vocabulary. 

I am holding a carton of Meggle Mléko, the brand we much prefer. The reason it's our favorite is because it has a small screw-on cap. Now that may sound odd to you, but here's the reason. Milk cartons most often appear with a dotted line to guide the use of scissors to cut and create a spout of sorts in opening it.

If you look closely at this picture you'll see that we ignore those instructions. We cut across the dotted lines because when we follow their directions we end up with dribbles and spills. Our cutting style means we have to squeeze the box a little bit when we want to pour - a skill we've acquired. The question you want to ask now is, "So why do you have that kind of carton?"

As happened last fall, we haven't been able to find Meggle Mléko for a while. I'm telling you it's a dilemma . . . a serious dilemma. Of course this time around it's a bit easier to handle. We know our favorite will appear again. It's just a matter of time.  

God sure knows how to keep sanctifying us.

on Psalm 124

Because God is on my side . . .

I have not been swallowed alive.
I have not been engulfed by the flood.
I have not been swept over by the torrent.
I have not been swept away by raging waters.
I have not been torn by 'their' teeth.

I have escaped like a bird from a snare.
I have escaped!

My HELP = the Name of the LORD.
My HELP = the Maker of heaven and earth.

Hallelujah!
I am not abandoned.
My Protector is but a breath away as I speak His Name.
My Defender is The Creator of ALL things.
My God, The God, is ALL-sufficient.
AMEN

Psalm 124

A song of ascents. Of David.

If the LORD had not been on our side - let Israel say -
if the LORD had not been on our side when men attacked us,
when their anger flared against us,
they would have swallowed us alive;
the flood would have engulfed us,
the torrent would have swept over us,
the raging waters would have swept us away.

Praise be to the LORD, who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
We have escaped like a bird out of the fowler's snare;
the snare has been broken, and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

The Tunnel

God is really marvelous, you know. He is perfect in every aspect of His character and attributes, activities and interactions. He was all of these things before time, is every one of them in total completion today, and will be each one securely forever. Since He is the very definition of Truth and cannot lie, His promises are more reliable than bedrock. I'm glad you're joining me as I rediscover and affirm these divine facts in my inner woman.

On October 3, 2012 I began to chronicle my Abyss-Cave-Tunnel journey as a modern day testament to God's self-defining faithfulness and never-ending love. I've spent the last 30 days wandering through the Tunnel in spurts and stops. As I was fumbling along I received a message from a friend in the midst of a severe trial. I did my best to offer her the treasures I was unearthing in my own explorations wherever I felt they might encourage her heart. As is so often the case, the Spirit was talking to both of us.

reaching out to my friend: 
I ache for you even as I too am experiencing some of the deepest and darkest days of my Christian walk. I am thankful that you've read 'Faith' Fails [the October 3 post] and pray that it means that you are not looking to me as the older woman who has life all figured out. That simply is not so. I, like you and the woman of Luke 8, must fall prostrate at the Savior's feet and reach out to touch the hem of His garment for healing. I can not answer every question nor solve every problem. Rather I am very aware of all that I do not know. I relate easily to your comment, "I do not get it." 

The confusion of my experience in the Tunnel exhausted me. I groped around in terror unable to cope with the harshness that surrounded me nor the despair of ever finding an exit. It was a massive relief when I was granted simple up and down orientation, and then the reminder that God was with me. I had been able to locate a few basic Truths that acted like trail markers, but I was making only minimal progress. As I searched the Scriptures to encourage my friend, the tiny light I'd been moving toward grew brighter.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Romans 8:28-30

God was reminding me/us. He is the Shepherd who calls and cares. He is the Sovereign who reigns and loves. He is the Alpha and the Omega who judges and redeems. The passage reminded me of my relationship with Him. The mercy and faith He bestowed on me is secure for it comes by His grace. He set the plan for my reconciliation and He carries it through to completion. I can be sidetracked for His purposes, but I can NOT be sidelined. I started to realize that God was using the isolation of my incarceration to grant me further insights into my embattled mind.

The tension that threatened to undo me in spite of the progress I was making became more clear. I seemed to be chronically caught between what I wanted to do to please God and the overload of everything else in my life. Every moment felt as if I were confronted by physical, emotional, psychological, and/or spiritual boundaries and limitations, distractions and disruptions that trapped me in disobedience. Even if I were able to do the 'right thing' there was always the possibility that it was accomplished with the wrong motivation. Peace evaded me.

Somehow Paul came to mind as I pondered the dismal corridor around me. I seemed to remember that he addressed something like this in his great epistle to the Church in Rome.

"I do not undersand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" Romans 7:15-24

Sure enough, Paul understood the conflict. His description expresses the turmoil and strife I know and brings it into focus. The Law of God is in hand-to-hand combat with the law of sin. The delight for God's ways in my inner being is in direct opposition to the craving for sin in the members of my body. I piggyback on Paul's conclusion, "What a wretched woman I am! Who will rescue me from this Tunnel?"

Hallelujah, I am not crazy. There is a real war being waged within me. The inner clashing I feel is reasonable. It's not my selfish desires railing against the world around me and the people in it that simply will not accede to my wishes. It's the effects of the Fall and the expansion of sin that irritate my spirit. I praise God that His Word doesn't stop there. Paul continues with the inspired assessment of the battlefield and the rescue plan the Father has divinely set in place.

"Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin." Romans 7:25.

I will reverse the order of the phrases for clarity for myself.

"Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, in my sinful nature I [Sandra] am a slave to the law of sin, I myself [Sandra] in my mind am a slave to God's law." 

I pray that you, my friend, can grab onto the deep, internal, intimate, life-changing value of these Truths with me. Yes, there is a battle raging, but it's not against outside forces. There no sense in taking them on as adversaries to conquer. Rather since the 'mind' of the redeemed is enslaved to God's law that is the target to bombard with Truth to drive the enemy from having any foothold. Oh Hallelujah! I get it. That's why Paul urges us on with a specific strategy.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world [with my sin-yearning body], but be transformed by the renewing of your mind [which is bonded to God's law]." Romans 12:2

It is true that we are waging war. It feels like that because we are locked in battle, but it's not against our parents or our mates or our children or our neighbors or objects or circumstances or anything we can see around us.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12

Sin, the very thing that the enemy used to poison the relationship between God and Man and Man and Woman in Eden is the real enemy. Sin is the specific object of God's wrath, HOWEVER, that consequence is nullified on behalf of all those we who are hid in Christ. We are not open to the full force of the Father's wrath because we are hid in His sinless life and substitutionary death. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1  
Thank you, Jesus.

In the meantime, though I'm relieved of ultimate accountability, I am still engaged in the war. It is not at all the kind of campaign I thought I was fighting. It's as if I had my weapons aimed in the wrong direction. I am not battling the people and circumstances around me. It's a completely different kind of war that calls for different weapons and spiritual strategies.

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine powers to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."  2 Corinthians 10:3-5

We, you and I, need to be intentional about putting on the Ephesians 6 armor. We need to be conscious to pray without ceasing. We need to be ever-submitting our wills to the Father in loving gratitude. We need to pay attention to the 'billboards' that God gives to declare His Truth.

The war is real.

You are combatants.

I have secured the victory.

I AM with you and will be with you from now through ALL ETERNITY!
Selah

God is granting me a glimpse of the Tunnel as a kind of specialized training ground to purify my faith. I'm understanding more keenly that it is the LORD Himself who orchestrates even these confusing, sense-depriving circumstances in my life. Since He is the ultimate and proper authority and He loves me perfectly, that's fine by me. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be refined that I might more fully reflect His image and bring glory to His Name.

back to my friend: I close this heart-pouring-out message with much prayer that God will, as He has done and prayerfully will continue to do for me, meet you at your greatest point of need, hold you close and reassure you of His great, unbiased love for you, and then cause you to lie down in green pastures, lead you beside quiet waters, restore your soul, and guide you in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake. [from Psalm 23]   AMEN

No Big Deal? (Next Day added)

Biometrics, noun

the application of statistical analysis to biological data

In case you didn't catch the operative word in that definition, it's 'biological'. That's an adjective that means, of or relating to biology or living organisms. And 'biology' means, the study of living organisms . . . morphology, physiology, anatomy, behavior, . . . In other words, biometrics means analyzing the physical aspects of living beings, such as myself as it relates to my BODY. 

That's the understanding I bring to the appointment we have bright and early tomorrow morning at the Czech Ministry of the Interior, previously known as the Foreign Police. =8-0

I keep wondering what possible biological (my BODY) information they're going to want to gather for analysis. I mean I'm thankful that our visa application has been granted and all, but at what intimate personal cost? 

Maybe this type of thing doesn't upset you, so you can't quite grasp my concern. Let me share a little bit about myself to see if that helps. 

I'm not afraid of the medical world though getting injections and being stitched are not my favorite activities. I'm not overly comfortable with folks poking and prodding me, but I've found a way to accept the full body scans at the airport, not to mention the pat-downs that are required when I pass through the metal detectors in a wheelchair - no joy but doable. 

In this I think I've been a trooper with the whole international travel bit. However, I find it offensive, even abhorrent, every time I notice one of the retina scanners that provide speedy passage through passport control. I mean who would want to give up an electronic record of their retinae to be delivered at will to who knows where or whom? Not me. Ugh!

My 'unease' about sharing biological (my BODY) information hit a peak last January shortly after we landed in Nairobi. We filled out a form and waited in the visa line as we expected. It wasn't until we got near the check point that I realized the officials were fingerprinting every single person. My insides froze. The $50 fee seemed like enough of a price to pay for the privilege of entering Kenya. I suddenly felt like a rat in a trap. What was I going to do? 

My first option didn't seem too viable; throw my form up in the air, turn around and run back to the plane. I tried to steady myself. I whispered my observations and conclusions to my Honey as calmly as I could, "It looks like they're going to take MY FINGERPRINTS." His response was casual and confident, but the tone had no affect on me. My mind began raced to figure out a way to avoid the collecting of biological (my BODY) information - to no avail. 

The two+ hours wound down and we stepped up to the counter. There was a small problem with our paperwork and I found a moment to breathe. When the official told me to put my hand on the glass surface I hesitated, but I did it. I don't know how, but I did. He took the money and stuck the visa into my passport. I walked through the opening as if I were a normal human being who'd given up their biological (my BODY) information every day of the week and twice on Saturday. Aaaaagh!

That's the way I react to these invasions of my personal, physiological, anatomical, . . . aka biological (my BODY) information . . . by others. It's more than uncomfortable. It feels like a total assault on my personhood. After all, God made me unique. Nobody else has my fingerprints or retinal surfaces. They can't be changed and, if nothing else, they identify me beyond a shadow of a doubt. I suppose I could avoid detection if I had to by having plastic surgery or dying my hair, but once somebody has my biological (my BODY) information, my goose is cooked. They can track me and find me anywhere!

If at this point you think I'm totally irrational, so be it. I have no idea why I might need to go into deep hiding. I mean I don't intend to undertake criminal activities or anything. Then again, in the world today who's to say what might be considered criminal and/or what might necessitate the need to avoid detection by government officials. There are way too many realistic possibilities. Seriously!

Uh, I just looked at the clock and realized that in approximately 19 hours and 20 minutes I will be presenting myself at the Czech Ministry of the Interior to go through the biometrics process to receive my extended visa. I have no idea what to expect and the prospect is unnerving. Are you with me now?

You might want to ask me what I've been asking myself, "Why put yourself through all this?" Hah, if you only knew how many times I've posed that very same question. The answer has refined itself over time and I think I've got it straight enough to offer it to you at this point.

"From one man he [God] made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being." Acts 17:26,27   emphases mine

Almighty God, my loving Father, redeeming Savior, and comforting Spirit, called my Honey and me to move to the Czech Republic. We responded as best we could along side Abraham and Moses, Jacob and Samuel, and so many others, with "Here I am." The LORD has confirmed His hand on us by using us in His service in countless and unexpected ways. He has even been so gracious as to meet our daily needs and beyond.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them case to be." Psalm 139:13-16

God's the One who formed my fingerprints and retinae. They are His to take where He pleases. He made them and He can certainly protect them as He sees fit. Just as my days were numbered before I was born, so my going out and coming in was ordered. My Creator knows me from the inside out. He is with me as much today as He was before I was born and He is trustworthy in every aspect.

In light of these truths, what is a little bit of biometric analysis? When stacked up against God's unchanging character and fail-proof promises, what's the big deal about sharing my biological information? I don't know what will happen tomorrow morning, but I know Who's in charge and He's goin' with me. Hallelujah!

Next Day:
I sure am happy that I wrote the above portion of this blog the day BEFORE we went to the Ministry of the Interior. The LORD used that review of His Truth to keep me walking from the metro to the bus and the bus to the building. The courage the Spirit gave kept me calm as we waited on the sidewalk for the doors to open. Jesus held me tight as we squirmed our way through the crowd of people so we could make it to our appointment. The Father planned the time sitting in a chair to be really short AND for the lady in the little booth to be really friendly. Color me thankFUL!

I sat on a small metal stool in front of a communication window with a low sill, staring into a camera. When I realized the camera was mounted upside down and was staring right back at me my palms started to sweat. The lady slid paperwork over for me to sign, pointing at the spaces I was to fill in - date and signature. My panicky self asked, "Wa ..., wa ..., wait, I can't read what I'm signing!" My fortified-in-the-Truth self reached out, took the pen and did the job.

First came the photo. That was a breeze. Well, except that I never thought of that possibility and my hair was kinda wild. I guess I was laughing about that on the inside because the lady signalled me not to smile. The preview image showed just my face; wild hair and dull expression only. NO RETINAE!  =8-D  I immediately look go of a huge sign of relief. Then it happened . . .

The lady signalled me to put my finger on the little box on the sill, my "forefinger". Up popped a little diagram that showed all my fingers and thumbs. It intrigued me because the words were all in English though it took a bit to realize it. I was thankful I still knew what a forefinger was and that I had put the proper one on the glass screen that formed the top of the box - for each hands.

The smiling lady gave me a few more instructions in Czech which I did not understand. She slid a sheet of paper over to me which was, oh hallelujah, in English and said, "Na shledanou." Hah, that means good-bye. I was released. I smiled and waved and returned her, "Na shledanou." AFTER that I lived through pushing our way back out through the crowd and off to have coffee with a friend. And best of all, we now have an appointment to pick up our two year visas. God is gracious!

Moral of the story:
All the stuff above "Next Day" is not only True intellectually. It is also all True experientially. 

Who knew!

Proclaiming the existence of God in the every day of life can be a tricky undertaking. It's been a desire of mine to do exactly that in small and large ways, verbally and non-verbally for the last 35 odd years. Living cross-culturally makes one particularly sensitive to scouting out and making the most of every such opportunity. Little did I know it could be so easy in the Czech Republic.

You see, it's as easy as "Jak se máš?"   (pronounced 'Yock se mosh' for English speakers)

We started our Czech language studies and in Lesson 1 learned some of the basics; hello, what's your name, where are you from, what do you do, and so on. My Honey and I paid close attention to the pronunciation and intonation as we repeated each phrase with our teacher's help. We did our homework faithfully and came across the phrase "Jak se máš?" 

We practiced diligently and returned to class for our teacher's opening question, "Jak se máš?"  We answered as best we could with "Dobře", the ř sounds like the ř in Dvořak, and made our way through our second meeting. Another adjustment to be made: pedagogical differences.

Since our biggest hurdle is not being able to practice our Czech day to day I decided to give my new favorite phrase a try the next time we went to the grocery store. As the cashier turned from the previous customer to us I asked her, "Jak se máš?" She looked surprised and a bit taken aback. Then she turned a shy smile on me and said, "Dobře." I had no idea how to respond since she didn't ask me, "Á ty?" So I just smiled as warmly as I could and nodded my head in response. 

Phew! I made it. I tried out my first official Czech phrase on a local citizen and lived through it. Hurrah for me!

When we went to class the next week the story of my grocery store encounter bubbled over right away. The teacher stopped and looked at me as if she hadn't understood. I repeated myself carefully knowing that English is her second language. She still seemed a bit distant and then a broad smile broke out on her face. At first I thought I'd made a major cultural blunder. As it turns out, the LORD used my hesitant attempt at practicing my new language to promote the desire of my heart.

Evidently, according to the teacher, "Jak se máš?" is a phrase that is not normally used in such casual interactions as checking out at a store. It's okay to say, "Dobry den." (hello / good day), but "Jak se máš?" (How are you?) is reserved for other settings. It seems that here in CZ a simple "How are you?" is a meaningful question that implies a serious interpersonal relationship - that one person really cares about how the other person is feeling. Of course, the further implication is that certainly nobody would care about a cashier in that sense. 

Pause for contemplation.

Well I did and I do care about how the cashier was feeling. Yes, I wanted to practice my Czech, but I could have chosen other phrases and other situations to do so. I really did want to know how the lady who was serving us was feeling. Why? Because she's made in the image of God and He in His perfect plan caused us to be face to face for a few moments. It was up to me to make the most of that divine opportunity to show forth His existence. 

Maybe if you were there with us when we check out with our groceries you'd understand more fully. Twice a week we make our way through the line with our collection of goods. When the cashier finishes the order before ours, she (or sometimes he) sits back just a bit as the previous customer takes their purchases and loads them into their bags or backpack. The interruption might take only a minute or so. Sometimes it's a bit longer. 

During that suspension of activity it's as if the cashiers' power sources were switched off. Their facial expressions go blank and they sit staring off into space until the way is cleared to begin handling our order. Out pops the usual question about whether we have the club card for their store which we don't. Then the regular routine of scanning prices and pushing products down the ramp begins. We've experienced this exact set of circumstances about 100 times over the last year. 

But this time it was different! As I pondered what the teacher shared I felt more and more excitement. What happened was not merely a bit of language practice. By God's grace I'd been able to establish a small presence on the beach head of Prague. I pray that His Spirit will use my little "Jak se máš?" to let 'my cashier' know that she has value and that at least one customer cares about how she's doing. 

Jeremiah 29:7 tells us that we ought to pray for the nation where God has placed us and my Honey and I do that. It's also important to live in such a way as to give evidence of God's presence before the watching world. So I'm keeping my eyes open for 'my cashier'  every time we head to Billa. Who knows what the LORD has in store?