by donyadunlap | Jul 4, 2012 | Making a Difference, Modern Day Slavery
Today is the birthday of America. A great country that I am proud to be a citizen of during my existence on this planet. Today we celebrate freedom, but the cost of this freedom weighs heavy on my chest in a way that it never has before.
Freedom for the American and for the Christian was purchased through blood. Blood of the innocent. Blood shed willingly for those who were willing to die so that others may live in comfort and security. And yet, the tyrant of evil still reigns in this great country of ours and even in our churches, yet we turn a blind eye to its destruction and go back to our cookouts and sparklers.
I was once this way. I didn’t want to know about the sin and death around me. I felt helpless to stop it and incapable of making a difference so I didn’t watch the news, I ignored the headlines, I thought of the terrible wickedness portrayed through stories on tv, film and books as fairy tales. Oh, I’m sure those things do happen in the world somewhere, but it isn’t my concern.
But one day God made it my concern.
God opened my eyes to the terrible wickedness of human trafficking. He shocked me out of my complacency. How? By revealing to me that not only was this evil real, but that it happens in my communities, my neighborhoods, to people that I encounter every day and to children as young as my nieces and nephews, and even younger still.
No longer was rape part of a story line in a novel that finished with a nice story of redemption and rescue at the end so that I could sleep well at night. No. It was real. And the victims were the faces of those I loved. Young women who should be loved, protected and sheltered from such evil were being sold for drug money by those who should have been willing to die for them. No longer could I turn my eyes from the truth.
At that moment there was no going back.
Stories are told of Christians gathering during the World Wars as the trains of prisoners traveled past their little churches, crying out for someone to help them. Someone to care. Did they rise up? Did they rescue those poor souls on the way to their deaths? Did they pray for courage to fight back? No. They just sang louder.
Today I look around at my lovely home, my family and friends who are safe and happy and my many blessings and I am truly grateful. But no longer can I merely enjoy my comfortable life and sing until the screaming stops. Maybe I can’t single-handedly stop this moving train of abuse, kidnapping, forced-labor, rape and pornography by myself, but I can do something.
I can pray. I can get involved in petitions and law changing efforts that will help bring healing to the abused and justice to the perpetrators. I can learn how to reach out and help those who are trying to put their lives back together. I can use my words to raise awareness to those who haven’t yet chosen to look into the face of the evil and see the truth of the world around them. I can research ways to buy slave-free goods and write letters to companies to encourage them to use fair labor. I can sacrifice some of my comfortable life to donate to organizations that are actively fighting against the evil and helping to restore victims to wholesome lives once again.
On several occasions I have shared similar thoughts with other Christians and on more than one occasion have gotten a response back along the lines of “I can’t think about those kinds of things. It’s too much. I have to push those thoughts from my mind or I’ll never sleep at night.” I wonder what Jesus would say to that? Do you think He came to die for us and for every soul trapped in their personal hells on this earth so that Christians can live in luxury and security and turn a blind eye to the world around them? NO!
Moments before being arrested Jesus prayed for us. He prayed that we would bring the Father glory as we were sent into the world to fight against the evil. He didn’t expect it to be easy. He told His disciples that they would suffer like He was about to suffer. I ask you—are you willing to rise up out of your comfort zone and bring the glory of Christ into this world of darkness? Are you willing to accept the truth of the evil that surrounds us and determine to do something about it?
I beg of you to take off your blinders this Independence Day and rise up for FREEDOM. Freedom for the helpless. Freedom for the needy. Fight for the freedom of those that Christ died to set free. Let us not just enjoy the freedom that has been given to us by others. Let us blaze a trail for freedom for those still bound in the chains of sin and death all around us.
Let us once again make America the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave!
*Photo Credit: Robert Linder
by donyadunlap | Jun 25, 2012 | The Spiritual Life
“Masquerade! Paper faces on parade . . .Masquerade! Hide your face, so the world will never find you!”
Perhaps not one of the most well-known songs from the Phantom of the Opera, but when someone brings up this musical favorite of mine, “Masquerade” is invariably the first song to come to my mind. The artist in me loves the swirling colors of the costumes and masks in the scene, the musician in me loves the energy and spirit of the song, but the writer in me is rather fascinated by the underlying message of the lyrics.
It seems as though society encourages, and almost demands, that we all wear a mask to hide our true selves.
“How are you?” “Fine. Thank you. And you? I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”
As my grandmother would say, “Hogwash!” On many days, that reply is nothing more than a polite lie.
Recently a friend shared that there was no one in her church that she could be real with and pour her heart out to without being judged, or without that person turning around and sharing her secret feelings with anyone that would listen. What a shame! Sometimes things are just too personal to share, but I have to wonder…
How many people would be willing to share if they knew that there was someone that could be trusted to help them, pray with them, or just listen to them in confidence?
It has been said that church is for sinners, but do we church-going people really believe that? We modern American churches have dressed ourselves up in our Sunday dresses and our suits and ties, painted our faces with our Sunday-go-to-meeting masks and convinced ourselves that we are better than those around us. Shame on us!
1 Peter 5:5 says,
All of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
Rather than walking around with our Christian facades firmly in place, we are to be clothed with humility.
We are to submit ourselves to each other, just as Christ showed us by example when He washed the disciples feet.
Only one time in my life have I witnessed a pastor not only preach on this passage, but physically demonstrate it by choosing a complete stranger from the crowd and kneeling before him with a towel and a basin of water, remove the strangers shoes and wash his feet while speaking over him the love of Christ. It was a powerful moment and many eyes in the room that day were moist with tears of understanding how Christ truly loves and serves us despite of our sinfulness.
I can’t imagine humbling myself enough to bow before a person that I loved, much less a total stranger, and take their foot in my hand to cleanse it. But that is exactly what Christ has called us to do. He wants each of us to submit ourselves to each other, and in humility realize that unlike Christ, we are no better than the person before standing before us.
The second part of that verse is equally as powerful as the first, if not more so. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary, that word “resist” is incredibly sobering. It means He “sets Himself against” those that are proud. He wants nothing to do with our pious, church facades. God gives grace to the humble.
Those that are willing to look at someone of a different social class or education status or religion right in the eyes, take them by the hand and show them the love of Christ receive a “well done” from our Lord. Maybe they aren’t dressed very nice, maybe they don’t smell that good and maybe they just got out of jail…these are the ones Christ walked with day by day as He ministered on this earth. What makes us any better than Him?
When you pass someone in the hall that has an obvious look of pain or grief on their face, do you stop and talk to them? Do you even notice them? Jesus left the comforts of Heaven to spend 33 years on this sin-ridden planet to get torn to shreds and nailed on a cross for us. The least we can do is show a little of that love to one of His beloved. Don’t you agree?
I’m preaching to myself as much as to any of you that are gracious enough to read my spoutings. My favorite excuse is “I don’t know what to say.” I am the queen of awkward social moments. Truly. But my introverted awkwardness is not an excuse to look the other way when someone is in need. To do that is to invite the wrath of God upon my life, and that terrifies me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. – Matthew 25:37-40
This was personal to Jesus and it should be personal to us too. What one thing can you do today or this week to extend Christ’s love to someone in need?
Photo Credit: Venetian Mask photo taken by Sorina Bindea, Romania
Masquerade lyrics source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/soundtracks/p/thephantomoftheoperalyrics/masqueradelyrics.html
by donyadunlap | Mar 17, 2012 | The Spiritual Life
Several weeks ago I was reading in Genesis 3 and was struck by an incredible thought. Death is a gift. Never in my life had I ever considered the blessings of death until that moment. Of course, there are times when you think that it was better for someone to die so that they no longer have to suffer with an illness or you console yourself and others with the knowledge that the deceased lived a long life and that they have gone on to a better place, but to actually see death as a blessing given by God was really shocking to me at that moment.
Genesis 3 begins with Adam and Even in the Garden of Eden living in complete bliss and innocence. They walked with God in a physical manner every day and enjoyed their duties with a joy and fulfillment that no human being has experienced since that day. The chapter goes on to tell of the deception of Eve by the servant and the willful disobedience of Adam in eating the forbidden fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It was the one thing God had instructed them not to do. He had given them free reign of everything in the garden with the exception of that one tree so that He might be glorified through their choices to continually submit to His will. And despite everything they had going for them, Adam and Eve chose to go their own way, followed by God responding in punishment and sacrifice for their sin. The chapter closes with verses 22-24. They capture for us the thought process of God, or in essence, God talking to Himself. I love that because I do it too. Not that I’m a triune, unfathomable Deity such as the Trinity, but because I’m scatterbrained and a little schizo. It’s a stretch, but I’m really good at justifying my strangeness. Anyway, verses 22-24 read:
And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Do you see it? Death was a part of the curse. God’s original intention for man was to live in a perfect world and walk with Him forever, but sin ruined all of that. But God, in His wonderful grace and mercy, made it possible for a new beginning. Rather than risk Adam eating of the Tree of Life and living forever in his sinful, fallen state, God banished Adam and Eve from the garden so that they would eventually die and be reunited with Him in perfection once again.
For the Christian, death is a fresh start. Death is walking with Jesus side by side and talking to Him face to face. Death is living in a perfect world created by the Almighty Artist, full of beauty beyond our comprehension. Death is wholeness, and real living and inexplicable joy that we only get glimpses of here in our fallen state.
I know that death doesn’t feel like that and anyone that has experienced it in a personal way probably assumes that I couldn’t possibly say these things if I knew what it was like. But I do. That’s why these truths are so precious to me. I have grieved in the past, and expect to again in the future mourn the loss of those I love. And someday, at a time unbeknownst to me, I will face death myself, should the Lord tarry His coming. Yet, with all of the experience I have and uncertainties I face in death, I still have hope. I have hope that I will be reunited with those I love. I have hope that I will be able to touch and walk and communicate with my Savior. And I have hope that I will one day be rid of the sin that plagues me day in and day out as I walk this earth.
Can you imagine the utter torment it would have been if Adam had stayed in the garden and eaten of the Tree of Life? All of the horrific criminals that have ever lived would still be walking among us, all of the corruption we see in the world would be magnified, and we would literally be forever trapped in hell on earth. But God chose a better way. He chose death. Death for Adam. Death for us. And death for His Son.
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. – 1 Peter 5:10-11
by donyadunlap | Dec 7, 2011 | How Great is Our God, The Spiritual Life
There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.
All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.
For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.
Teach me your way, O LORD,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.
I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
-Psalm 86:8-13
For several months this Psalm has been on my heart and mind. I have wanted to write about this section of the Psalm from the very beginning, but decided to go in the order that David wrote it so as to get a better picture of what he was saying to us. (If you missed Part 1, you may read it by clicking here.) I am glad that I did go in order, because as God would have it, the second part of this Psalm is very appropriate for us to consider during the Christmas season.
I wasn’t planning to write today, but as I was working this afternoon, I was listening to a sermon on anticipating Christmas and I knew I had to make time to share what the Lord was saying to me. It goes along so well with what I believe He has been trying to teach me from Psalm 86.
So many times we put God in a box, wrap Him up all nice and pretty, put a big bow around Him and set Him aside. Once in a while we take Him out and play with Him for a little bit, but then we put Him back and secure the lid again. We fail to see Him for the treasure that He truly is. We fail to allow ourselves to revel in the wonder of His being, the majesty of His power and the awesomeness of His presence. And I am afraid that we do this more at Christmastime than at any other time of the year. We are so busy with parties and presents and baking and decorating that we forget what—Who we are celebrating. Pause in the midst of your busy-ness and consider with me the greatness of our God.
“There is none like You…nor are there any works like Yours.” When was the last time you spoke to God in awestruck reverence like David did here? Consider what sacrifice it was for the One who is greater than all the sum mysteries of the Universe to reduce Himself to be an embryo in the womb of a human, teen age girl. Really stop and think about that for a minute. Consider the most grand and inspiring site that you have ever seen on this earth, or the most breathtaking image of space that you have admired and consider that our God, our Jesus created that. He created everything, including the body of the young woman that was his home for the first nine months of His time in human form.
One day all nations will bow their knees and lift up their voices in praise to our great God, but I ask you…why wait until then? We get so bogged down in the daily that many of us would have to pull ourselves up out of a pit in order to kneel in praise. The muck and mire of our to-do lists, our emotions, our lack of confession…it covers us in guilt and shame and frustration and takes our eyes off of the One who is greater than all other gods, the One whom we were created to worship and glorify, the One we are to praise for His greatness and for His great works. I know I am guilty of this. I have been in a pit of discouragement and frustration over the long list of things I have to do, my inability to do them well, the people in my life that add to the difficulty and the overwhelming feeling I have when I think that there is no end to it all…at least that I can see right now. I think David understood that, but He reminds us to forget about ourselves, get God out of the little box we’ve put Him in and return Him to His rightful place on the throne of Heaven. When we stop to consider Him, the muck of our lives falls away and we are reminded that this dusty road we travel is only for a short while. Very soon we will be face down at the feet of Jesus and none of what we have done on this earth will matter short of that which brought Him glory.
Which brings me to the prayer that has been on my heart these past few months…
Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.
Unite my heart to fear your name. Pull me away from all that tears me up inside. Bind up the wounds that this world has inflicted on my soul. Cleanse me from the filth of my sin. Open my eyes so that I can see that those things that distract me from spending time with you are fleeting and empty. Unite my heart, Lord. Make me whole through the power of your grace and forgiveness. Remove from my life all many things that clamor for my time and attention. Infuse my soul and spirit with your love and draw me close to your side again…so close that I can hear my heart beat in rhythm with your own…for only then can I truly praise you Lord. Only after you have picked up the fragments of my life and glued them together again can I bring you glory and praise your name as you desire. Remind me of your great love for me. Remind me why you came to this earth. Remind me of the true meaning of Christmas. Remind me that you died to save me from the pit that I so often choose to walk back into while navigating this road of my life. Help me to walk in your truth so that you are everything to me. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth. Unite my heart to fear your name.
by donyadunlap | Feb 6, 2010 | The Spiritual Life
I am heartbroken. I have witnessed the slow and painful death of a dear friend and with that loss has gone my joy and purpose in life. What friend? The precious and altogether lovely Word of God—the Bible. What was once a God-breathed, living, powerful, giver of hope and peace and joy has become nothing more than a paperweight. Or so it seems.
As I look around, I see It carried everywhere. I hear It being referred to and quoted, but I do not see It being followed and revered. Its precepts and admonitions are often misinterpreted or ignored. It almost seems like Its presence is an offense—a stumbling block to personal agendas.
Friends, Luke states in his gospel, “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required,” (Luke 12:48) and we have been given much.
Not only do we in America have the Word of God in our language, we have multiple copies. In addition to this great gift, we have study guides, dictionaries, concordances, commentaries, historical resources and much more to help us further understand the depths of Scripture. We are priveleged to hear preaching and teaching every week—even daily should we choose to seek it out. But do we heed these things? No. Do we value these modern-day miracles? Not at all. It is much more important to us to abide by the rules of culture and tradition or to listen to the advice of our friends and Facebook buddies than to seek wisdom from heaven.
It seems as if the average Christian thinks that only pastors will be held accountable for what is recorded in God’s Sacred Text. Nothing could be further from the truth. Each one of us will be held in account for our treatment of God’s Word. No one shall be exempt.
I read the words of Paul in II Timothy 3:1-7 “That in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good.”
Perhaps that doesn’t sound like your local body of believers, or does it? I encourage you to read on.
“Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Does that strike you as it does me? This the local church of the 21st century! This is you and me! God have mercy! We have turned away from the commands of God’s holy Word and in turn He has turned away from us. He has withdrawn the power of His mighty hand from our churches and left us alone with our agendas.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Holy Spirit has left the building.
“I want to encourage this mighty longing after God. The lack of it has brought us to our present low estate. The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire…Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain.” – A.W. Tozer
“As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” – Psalm 17:15
