the olive leaves NET

     Ever tried to make an object out of dust?  You’ve probably made snow angels in the pearly, white substance, but have you ever laid in dust and attempted a dust angel?  Have you ever stacked dust in a heap to build a mountain for the purpose of  tunneling through?  No, no and no!  Dust has no substance, dust has no use except to clog up registers, cause people to sneeze and add extra work for the immaculate housekeeper. 

     However, the greatest creation of all time consisted of dust.  Not mud, which would have been easier to work with.  Not clay which would have been great to have molded and put in an Easy-Bake oven.  The greatest creation, man, was made from the dust of the earth.  “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7.  God took a delicate, non-adhesive substance and formed the first being on earth, Adam.  All other creations, the sun, stars, seas, etc., He spoke into existence.  But with man, God used his hand.  Let’s take a closer observation at this substance and production story.

     First, God used the most impossible elements to work with so that in no way could man ever take the credit.  If God had used clay, sprinkled with gold nuggets, man could have said at the outset, “I am a pretty valuable piece of real estate”.  If Father had made man out of sand with minute pieces of titanium, man could boast, “I have parts of me that are indestructible.”  God wanted man to know that the shell housing his spirit was important to care for, but fragile and doomed to return to the dust.  To put this point in a better perspective, all of the trace qualities of mineral and chemical compositions in our bodies total $1.00.  And, basing the skin’s value on the selling price of cowhide (which is $.25 per square foot), the value of a person’s skin is $3.50.  Thus, the total monetary value of our body is about $5.00. 

     Second, when all of creation (excluding man) transpired, the scripture only identifies “God” (the Father) as the Creator.  However, when man was formed, the Bible says, “Let us make”.  The triune God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) was involved in the making of a triune being (body, soul and spirit).  Your body is your earthly box, your soul  is your mind, will and emotions, and your spirit is the eternal part of you.  The Triune created a trichotomy. Great emphasis is put on beautiful bodies and bodacious biceps, but attention to the spirit should be a life-long priority.  With great planning and intricate detailing, God, with a heart full of love, put within MAN the ability to think, create, love, hate, choose (that is the soul part).  God did not desire us to be fashioned as a robot so He gave us a soul.  He wanted us to live with him forever, so He gave us a spirit. Why this lesson in the creation and finalization of man?  Because somewhere in between we need to realize how intricately and planned God’s creation truly is.    What an insult to God that His creation could have evolved from a tadpole or a chimpanzee.   The Bible declares that we are his workmanship, and that we are fearfully and wonderfully made!  The next time you cry, have an inventive idea, or choose which restaurant to eat at (soul), thank God.  When you observe with your eyes a beautiful sunset (your body), praise your Creator. When you reach heaven (spirit), rejoice forever more.  Our God is awesome for creating the treasure in the dusty box!

     At the beginning of 2011, I left my land and family to journey to the land of Texas, Dallas specifically.  My oldest daughter and son-in-law, Holly and Trent, had been blessed with a third child, a little girl.  With the older children being boys and ages 4 and 2, she desperately needed help.  Never having had boys, I still marvel if little boys are really human, they seem more like from another planet.  Needless to say, on my stay they wore me out. 

     However, my five week stay was filled with new things.  I learned to talk “BOY TALK”.  Things like:  “to infinity and beyond” and “saber swords coming atcha” were pretty common.  I learned to make healthy food in a tricky manner so the boys would think they were eating “goodies”.  I learned again to put myself in a child’s mindset and it was absolutely wonderful.

     I will unequivocally say that in my visit I regressed to simple things and it was exhilarating.  Every morning, Christian, the two year old pounced in my bed and lay quietly beside me until I said, “You ready to get up?”  And every morning without exception, he would shoot up and say “milk” and “fish”.  That was my cue to accompany him downstairs, prepare him a cup of milk, me a cup of coffee and turn on the movie “Finding Nemo”(Disney’s fish movie).  I probably watched that flick 20 times but loved every moment of it.  It was a bonding time, it was a time of making memories, it was a simple time.  My 4 year old grandson, Connor, was excited to show me his finds, his friends and his funny ways.  He and I would venture to special stores on “a mission” to find just the right $1.00 toy for his room already filled so full I was unable to walk.  Here again, it was a simple thing but it spoke volumes to the both of us. 

     One evening Trent put on a worship cd in the living room and he and his boys marched around the room with arms raised praising God. Then Connor would pretend to play the drums and Christian the horn.  Each would take turns being “the leader”.  It was a simple thing but I cried.  I cried to see my little family worshipping God in their little home.  I cried because it doesn’t take money or things to make children happy.  The simple things of “playing like” made them as happy as any item of worth.  I cried because my son-in-law took the role of priest of a household seriously and is teaching his children at a very young age the importance of worshipping our mighty God, such a simple thing but a thing that many homes have forgotten. 

     I know I am telling my age now but I remember at my grandmother’s house just sitting on the front porch with all her big family (10 of them with spouses and kids) just talking.  We would laugh and make memories. 

     With the economy as it is today, many are suffering financially and may feel guilty for their inability to purchase things for the family.  The cable may be cut off, there may be no funds for little league and there may be no extra dollars for the trip to Florida, but the simple is still around.  And they won’t forget the simple.  They won’t forget the “tickle games”, the walk in the woods and naming of the stars at night.  And they will never forget hearing you pray.  And they will never forget Bible story time when you enacted “David and Goliath”.  In those simple times, we are shaping our children and grandchildren.  We are pouring into them memories, words of wisdom and life.  “When you go, they (the words of your parents’ God) shall lead you; when you sleep, they shall keep you; and when you waken, they shall talk with you.” Proverbs 6:22. 

     Make it a point, a vital point, to get back to the basics with your family, whether circumstances force you or not.  For the sake of generations to come, GET BACK TO SIMPLE!

     The goal was a Sony laptop computer in hand, paid for and eventually on her lap.  It was a prize worth much sacrifice because it was valued at $1200 and on sale for $500.  The catch being, it was a hot item on Black Friday.  Black Friday, 2010, I will never forget.  My daughter, a senior in college, needed a new laptop and searching the papers on Thanksgiving Day for “THE SALE” was her goal.  When found, she wanted to go to a store 40 miles away and be “IN LINE” no later than 4:00 a.m.  And who was deemed to escort her on this expedition?  You guessed, mom. 

     We arrived at 4:00 and after standing in line for 15 minutes, began singing the song “Raindrops keep falling on my head” because that was the case.  Moments later strong winds began blowing the rain on us and our clothes were drenched.  But not to stop my daughter.  She had made the remark that no matter what she would realize her desire.  Finally, the doors opened and the stampede carried us physically into the store.  Within minutes the store had given out all the tickets (these were given out and then the items could be retrieved).  Even though disgusted, she didn’t let that stop her.  Making her way to the manager, she began interrogating any other plan of action.  He informed her that there MAY be some who would not return to redeem their ticketed item.  Finding out that another line would form at 8:00 for the 9:00 “SECOND GO-ROUND”, she informed me that “WE” would be back.  And so we were, but not at 8 but 7:15.  First in line!  How refreshing!  She took a seat on the floor under a shelf and of all things, a vacuum cleaner fell on her head.  It didn’t hurt her, but what are the odds?  Finally, 9:00 (not a minute before) came and Abby was granted her wish.  In her arms was the treasure she tenaciously pursued.  It just so happened that CNN was there doing live interviews and I went to the interviewer and told him of Abby’s morning.  He was amazed and did an interview with her on CNN live.  This is what one calls, “BULLDOG TENACITY”.

     In the 17^th century, bulldogs were used for bull baiting.  This was a gambling sport where trained bulldogs leapt at a bull lashed to a post.  Typically, the dog would latch onto the animal’s snout and attempt to suffocate it.  Later this sport was outlawed but the idea was redirected in a positive manner.  Because bulls are dangerous, the wild animals were cornered and the bulldogs were trained to seize bulls by their noses long enough for a rope to be secured around its neck.  The bulldogs would not give up because by nature they are strong-willed and extremely courageous.  They rarely “complain” or whine.  As a matter of fact, they only bark when they really have a reason and they are never demanding. 

     Does this in any way give you a great description of how a Christian should be?  God made you a promise.  His Word is full of promises.  Are you holding on to one of them?  DO NOT LET GO!  You need a healing?  Isaiah prophesied that by “His stripes we were healed”.  You need a financial miracle?  His Word declares that “He wishes above all that we prosper and be in good health, even as our soul prospers”.  Is there a jagged web of problems and insurmountable mountains facing you every day?  God promised to make the crooked places straight and to level the mountains.  We can glean from the Old Testament patriarchs who received promises and held onto those promises for many years until they became a realization.  There is an Old Testament term which is equivalent to “Bulldog tenacity”.  It is “holding onto the horns of the altar”.  In I Kings 1:50, Adonijah ran into the temple, fearing for his life because he had wronged King Solomon.  “Adonijah himself, afraid for his life because of Solomon, fled to the sanctuary and grabbed the horns of the altar and said, “I’m not leaving until King Solomon promises that he won’t kill me.”  Even the wicked man understood the importance of clinging to the “horns of the altar”.  Our horns of the altar are the promises in the Pages and the privilege of prayer.  God is not willing for any of his children to be in lack, sick or turmoil.  YOU DO HAVE A PROMISE, YOU MUST NOT LET GO!  Everyday decree the promise you are holding onto.  Oh God, give your children BULLDOG TENACITY!

The string of grotesque markings on the “ten” were unbearable to live with in every sense of the word.  Leprosy, the social disease and dread, had united these “ten” together with one common goal – a cure, anywhere by anyone at any cost.  Each had encountered the same sequence of symptoms.  The first of the entourage of ghoulish signs were raised rashes on the skin, accompanied with extreme numbness and muscle weakness.  Next came the blisters and skin wounds on the soles of the feet.  Because of the numbness, the wounds went unnoticed and eventually they evolved in erupting and disfiguring sores.  The muscle weakness lead to deformities. The fingers took on the appearance of claws and the feet were no longer able to flex.  Soon the nerves around the eyes became damaged and unable to blink.  Because the blinking was impaired, the eyes became dry and infected.  And then blindness.  Insult to injury, unable to father a child.  Inevitably, the joints, kidneys, and livers became inflamed.  One of the final disfigurements before death was the collapse of the nose.

These were only the physical conditions of the ten who circled the outskirts of the city every night. When this living death covered their bodies, the emotional weight was as heavy as the physical.  So degrading, so humiliating, so lonely!  Their clothes were torn from them, their heads were shaved and they were forced to cry out “unclean”.  The worst blow of this grim reaper was the isolation – living outside the camp, outside the city, outside your family’s domain. Because leprosy was considered by society as the “Curse of God”, the lepers were deemed an outcast from heaven, earth and anything held holy. The Pharisees’ first prayer of the morning was thanking Yahweh, that they were not born a Gentile, a slave, a leper or a woman.

The grotesque beings, enwrapped with rags and resembling mummies, rummaged nightly through the garbage heaps for leftovers.  And during the day searched for a glimpse of hope.  But there was none!  That is until Jesus walked into their town.   From roof to roof, echoed shouts that the miracle worker from Nazareth was in the city limits.  The ten snuck around clusters of news bearers to learn all they could.  Hiding behind walls and creeping alongside the wells, all the stories pointed to one profound truth, Jesus had the power to heal.  Hope began to swell and faith began to grow.  Determination began to deaden the pain of rotting flesh and a glimmering faith pointed the way, that memorable day, to the Healer.

“And as Jesus was going into one village, He was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance.  And they raised up their voices and called, Jesus, Master, take pity and have mercy on us!  And when He saw them, He said to them, Go (at once) and show yourselves to the priests.  And as they went, they were cured and made clean.” Luke 17:12-14.  Ten received limbs, ten received sight, ten received wholeness in every aspect of life.  No longer in solitude, no longer in lack, no longer an outcast of society.  To fathom that all would not return to their healer in jubilation and heart-filled gratitude is incomprehensible.   However, only one came back!

Purposely I detailed the seemingly destitute black hole the “ten” had been thrown into.  But you, at some time in your life, have shared the darkness, the loneliness, the pain in that odious and diabolical realm.  Remember the times you closed yourself in, shut yourself down, held onto the last knot, let go of your last source, wrapped yourself in pity and uncovered your deepest fears.  And then HOPE!  Jesus pulled you out of fear, loneliness, debt, sickness and chaos.  You were brought up out of the pit and placed on top of the mountain.    Have you forgotten, have you continued being thankful for the airlift?

If you have food in your pantry, if you have a roof over your head, if you have loved ones surrounding you, if you have a mind to think and a heart to love, thankfulness should be shouting from your being.  And more than anything, if you have been cleansed from the spiritual leprosy of sin, if you are a new creature in Christ and your name written in the Book of Life, every day should be one of exuberant thanksgiving.  God loves a grateful heart and thanksgiving should be every day.  Please, be the one who comes back!

     If you are a moviegoer and if you are not, I highly recommend the movie, “It’s You Again”.  I believe everyone can relate to this movie because it deals with all the stuff we deal with in high school, particularly, the bullying and belittlement we receive at some point in those “wonderful?” years.  These hurts are very difficult to get over and usually scar us for the rest of our lives. 

     Bullying, if you watch the news, is a growing problem now more than ever before.  Youths are becoming more vocal and vicious in their harassment and I frankly feel compassion for anyone who walks the corridors of any high school in America.  It has become such a problem that many teens commit suicide for they feel so completely alone and vulnerable. 

     All of my daughters went to private Christian schools, however, Abby only went for three years.  The other years she was homeschooled.  She had a very rough year in the eighth grade and would come home many days sobbing.  Her older sister, Kimberly, would listen to her woes and stew.  Kimberly has always been a defender of the underling and would go to bat in a minute for one who needed aid.  Finally, graduation day came and Kimberly went.  She made a bee line to the “sweet little Kathryn” in her fancy white dress and immediately decked her down.  But this was not the first time, she had actually met her in the halls one day and told her to “lay off” Abby.  Abby always felt good when big sister was around.  Even two days ago, Kimberly had an encounter with a “supposedly” great friend who maliciously attacked Abby.  Kimberly, the warring angel of Abby, came on the scene to set the record straight. 

It always feels good to know there is someone who will stand beside you and stand up for you.  It’s comforting to know that there is someone who loves you enough to be willing to take the heat with you.  It’s just great not to feel alone. 

     The Bible says that God is an ever-present help in the time of trouble.  He is our defender against every bully and every troublemaker.  Think about this in Psalms 94: 20-23 (Message), “Can Troublemaker pretend to be on your side? He gangs up on good people, plotting behind the backs of the innocent.  But God became my hideout, God was my high mountain retreat, Then boomeranged their evil back on them: for their evil ways he wiped them out, our God cleaned them out for good.”  To paraphrase Psalms 23 in today’s vernacular, “Yes, I may walk through the valley of bullies and troublemakers at work and at school, hearing their jeers and taunts 24/7, but God, you are with me.  You are my defense.  You will never leave me. All their jabs will go back in their face and they will eat their words.  You’ll see to it”.  Consider David’s plea for God’s justice against his bully squad: “Stand up, God; pit your holy fury against my furious enemies.  Wake up, God.  My accusers have packed the courtroom; it’s judgment time.  Take your place on the bench, reach for your gavel, throw out the false charges against me.  I’m ready, confident in your verdict: “Innocent”, Psalms 7:6-8 Message.  Thank God, we have a Defender who will stand against our bully-ers and watch our back.