Tuesday Tidbits

I’m from the generation and grew up in a place where once a young person reached a parent-determined acceptable age, “cruising” was the main form of entertainment and socialization. We would cruise for hours up and down Main Street with the occasional stop and chat time in the town parking lot. This weekend, during a hometown visit, my sister asked a friend what he was doing and his reply was, “just out cruising to see what’s going on.” Not only did his response bring back fond memories but it made me ponder how incredibly different our everyday worlds are, even though we are only separated by one hundred miles on the map. Living in Northern Virginia, the last thing I or anyone I know would do on a Saturday morning is cruise up and down Richmond Highway just for fun to see what is going on. And if someone were to admit doing such a thing we would seriously question their cognitive health.

Just like the two extremes of life I witnessed this weekend, Jesus’s teachings were utterly foreign and astonishing to the early followers (Mark 7:28). He was driven out of his hometown of Nazareth, and a plot to kill Him was devised because of the message He was teaching (Luke 4:28-30). He was questioned, mocked, and criticized because the life of freedom He was offering was one hundred and eighty degrees different than life under the Jewish teachers of the law. I’m sure more than one person questioned His cognitive health. Mark chapters 5-7 records Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. Within those three chapters, a masterful exposure of the law and its Pharisee-enforced legalism is contained, closing with a call to true faith and salvation. The concept of salvation by faith, freely given by grace for all people was utterly amazing to them (Mk 1:22, 6:2, Luke 4:32) and a totally alien concept. 

According to George Barna, forty-six percent of American adults are now unchurched, an increase from 35% in 2005. Considering this very concerning statistic, the likelihood of encountering a person who has never heard the Good News is becoming more and more possible. There is a high probability of an unchurched person viewing our Christian life as irrelevant or immaterial because it is a foreign concept to them, just as with the early followers of Jesus. So, what are we to do about this gloomy statistic? In my humble opinion, we should concentrate on being the people God has called us to be and that is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and to love others as much as we love ourselves (Matt 22: 37-39).  By living out this Great Commandment, the Grace that overflows to others will touch one life at a time and they will be astonished and amazed. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit. 
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Today’s pictures are of the Church of the Beatitudes that sits on the spot where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount and the other is the view looking down the hill where the crowds would have gathered. The Sea of Galilee is at the foot of the hillside.

But Jesus told him, “No! The scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4

Sometimes there are things that happen in life that are as perplexing as they are surprising. Once such thing happened recently in a doctor’s office parking lot. In the months prior to this occurrence, I had changed primary care doctors and my new doctor decided since I had celebrated a milestone birthday it was time to embark on a new level of health screening exams. While I’ve worked in medicine my entire professional career, I have personally experienced very few medical procedures. The scheduled procedures were not invasive or painful but I was still very anxious. I prayed for God to ease my anxiety and fear. After the procedures, as I was getting back into my car I noticed something strange on the hood of the car. As I peered at it through the windshield, I was wondering aloud how in the world a piece of bread ended up on the hood of my car. When I got out of the car to remove the bread, I took notice of the crowded parking lot. No other cars received a bread delivery, not another soul was around, and I had parked facing a wall so a person could not have walked between cars and left it on the hood. It was one of the oddest things that has ever happened to me. The only conclusion I could come to was that a bird must have dropped it there. But why did it land on my car?

The moment I saw the bread on the hood I was instantly reminded of the bread we received daily in our food rations while in quarantine in Israel. Every afternoon and evening meal included a stale piece of bread that looked like a hoagie roll, exactly like the one on my car. The first couple of days my roommate and I didn’t eat the bread but eventually mostly due to hunger, we appreciated and gave thanks for it and the nourishment it provided. 

Jesus uses bread as a metaphor throughout the Gospels. In the sixth chapter of John, Jesus feeds thousands of people with five loaves of bread and two fish and has leftovers, He walks on water and calms a raging storm. The next day the same multitude of people went to Capernaum in search of Jesus desiring to be fed again. But this time Jesus offers them salvation-eternal nourishment.  Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now He offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:32) Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)

Why did God allow a bird to drop a piece of bread at the precise time and place to land on the hood of my car? I believe God sent a tangible reminder that in the midst of fear and anxiety, whether from unknown medical tests and impending the results, illness or anything else this world throws at us, He is the Bread of Life. He is the one we should turn to provide our sustenance physically and spiritually. We need to feast on Jesus because He is the only One who can make us feel “full” and overflowing with peace in every circumstance, whether in an Israeli quarantine facility or a doctor’s office in Fairfax, Virginia.  And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit. 

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The pictures are of the bread on my car and the ruins of the synagogue at Capernaum 

Good Morning,

“Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
Habakkuk 3:17-18

Brooks Buser is a former missionary and President of Radius International, an organization focused primarily on church planting in regions of the world where there is still no translated Word. I listened to a teaching from him this weekend and he referenced an article that had me hitting the rewind button more than once. He cited a paper by Aaron Renn of the American Reformer. Renn maintains that there are Positive, Neutral and Negative worlds in regards to the way society views Christianity. The Positive Era was pre-1994. Society held a positive view of Christianity and Christian morals were accepted as the norm. Christianity was a status enhancer. In the Neutral Era (1994-2014), the church no longer had influential status. The church began the downward slide of assimilating to the secular world. During this time, Christianity appeared to those outside the church as a club or a hobby for Sunday mornings. In the Negative Era (2014-present) the world has become more hostile to Christianity and its beliefs. Church attendance has declined and being vocal about a relationship with Jesus can be detrimental to our careers and lives. This era requires no more explanation because we are living in it and we should not be surprised if we are students of the Word.

But this week, I personally witnessed an entire week in direct opposition to the Negative Era we are all experiencing today. I saw a church filled with children singing praise songs, learning and memorizing the Word, people serving, and donations to those less fortunate filled the floor.  Brooks emphatically expressed that the “Christian witness through the Church is the most powerful tool in any age to combat the world.” And the tangible evidence of that could be seen daily during Vacation Bible School. What joy it was to watch the Good News be planted in those little souls. And if Renn is correct in his assessment, VBS and all evangelism efforts are more important today than ever.

It feels like in every direction we turn there is more bad news, something else to fear, violence and hatred. It is incredibly easy to allow this Negative Era to consume and infiltrate our minds but we must exude the joy of our salvation for all to see and share it. It is the only lasting cure for the negative of this world. The joy of salvation and a relationship with Jesus can not be compared to anything this world has to offer. This is my sincere prayer, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”(Romans 15:13) Choose today to overflow! And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit. 

The trees in the Garden of Gethsemane are estimated to be over 900 years old. They line the paths where Jesus walked and prayed. They are a sight to behold!

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility” Ephesians 2:14

Caesarea by the Sea or Caesarea Maritime has stunning views of the Mediterranean in addition to the awe inspiring ruins. The ruins are evidence of the splendor that once existed. Today, you can visit the Greco-Roman style deep sea harbor, hippodrome, aqueducts and amphitheater. Herod even had an indoor, Olympic sized, freshwater pool in his palace, traces of which are still visible today. An important historical fact to consider for today’s tidbit is that in the 6^th century, Rome made Caesarea the capital of the Judean province and headquarters to the 10^th Roman Legion. As a result the population was as much Gentile as it was Jewish.

One of those Gentiles, was Cornelius a Roman Centurion. The scriptures describe him as a devout, God-fearing man who gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly (Acts 10:2). About 24 hours prior to Peter’s vision found in Acts 10:11-16 and highlighted in last week’s tidbit, Cornelius also had a vision. In the vision, the Lord instructed him to send men to Joppa to bring back Peter to Caesarea and Cornelius was obedient to the Lord (Acts 10:3-7).

And in God’s perfect timing while Peter was pondering his vision, Cornelius’s men knocked at the door and the Spirit of the Lord assured Peter that He had sent these (Gentile) men and he was to go with them (Acts 10:19-22). Peter invited them into the house and the next day they departed for Caesarea (vs.23). The context of the relationship of Jews and Gentiles is vitally important to understand in this time of the New Testament. The Jewish people were not to associate with idolaters or unclean people under any circumstances, much less invite them into their home. It would have been an abomination and the Gentiles didn’t view the Jews any more favorable. What the Lord was asking Peter to do was not your run of the mill evangelizing mission. The work of the Messiah within the context of this setting becomes all the more astounding. He took down the wall of separation with His death on the cross. Peter shared his vision and preached the Gospel when he arrived at Cornelius’ home to him and all who were gathered. While Peter was preaching, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Gentiles and the Jewish Believers were amazed.  

Many important events and prestigious people fill the history pages of Caesarea by the Sea but none can compare to Peter’s encounter with Cornelius and his declaration, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation He accepts those who fear Him and do what is right. This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel-that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.” (Acts 10:34-36) In our world today where there seems to be no end to strife and hostility on all fronts, it’s more important than ever to remember the miracle that occurred in Caesarea for all people and that peace is only found in and through Jesus. He Himself is the Good News. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.   

“For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men” Romans 14:17

The landscape and terrain of Israel is fascinating but equally captivating scenery adorns the roof tops of homes throughout the country and especially in the more crowded cities. Many housetops are decorated with hanging curtains, plants, furniture and lighting. In the United States it is rare to see roof top living and consequently when the Bible speaks of people being on the roof top it is difficult to visualize. But seeing it in person made those scriptures come alive for me.  In the tenth chapter of Acts,  Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.” The roofs of houses in Judea were flat and persons would go there for devotion, recreation and prayer. It was a private place to be alone with God. The sixth hour would have been a noon time prayer and in spite of being very hungry (vs 10) Peter was devoted to his time with God.  Prayer was a vital part of who Peter was a Jew and as an Apostle, so much so he sought out a place to pray in a home that was not his own and he delayed eating in spite of ravishing hunger. It is important to note that the pivotal events of this passage started with two men praying and ended with many people praying.

“But while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”(Acts 10: 10-13) Everything about Peter would have revolted against touching or eating anything common or unclean as ordained by his Jewish culture. And that was evident in his response, “Surely not, Lord! I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”(vs 14) “The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything common or unclean that God has made clean.” This happened three times and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.”(vs 15-16) The Lord revealed to Peter in the vision what God has made clean, Believers were not to call unclean. The wall between Jew and Gentile was torn down; Jews and Gentiles alike are acceptable to God. We will explore more of the wondrous fallout of Paul’s vision in tidbits to come because as miraculous as the vision was it is just the backstory and will lead us to another one of my favorite places in Israel. For this week, give praise that there is no veil between any Believer and God and that prayer is our fast speed connection to heaven. We are to come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16), so don’t be shy this week.  And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.   

Enjoy the picture of prayer from a rooftop in Jerusalem

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” 2Cor 3:17

I am not ashamed to admit that I am fiercely patriotic. I pretty much cry every time I sing the National Anthem and if you are sitting close to me at a baseball game when the Star Spangled Banner begins to play and texting instead of standing with hat in hand, I am that woman! As a military spouse, I have personally witnessed the sacrifices made for our freedom and attended the funeral of a friend that made the ultimate sacrifice. “Freedom is not free” should not be just a cliché attached to a social media post, but remind us of the men and women that make our freedom possible. Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery,” the Apostle Paul begins the fifth chapter in his letter to the Galatians. Paul was intensely passionate about preaching the gospel and zealous to declare that salvation is obtained through faith in Jesus Christ, alone. It is only faith in Christ that leads to freedom and that freedom produces spirit-filled fruit by which we can bless others. Because of Christ we have the freedom to put all our hope and trust in God no matter the circumstances of this life. Paul was imprisoned for his beliefs on several occasions and wrote a fair portion of the New Testament from inside the prison walls. In spite of being imprisoned, beaten, stoned, and depressed his faith anchored and encouraged him. As a twenty-first century American it is hard to even imagine what Paul endured for the gospel’s sake. Most of us have no personal experience of prison, persecution or death because of our beliefs. Although not because of beliefs, my Israeli quarantine experience did provide a very tiny glimpse of what it feels like to be contained and freedoms revoked. The very basic liberty of clean living conditions, free access to drinkable water, and the ability to leave the room or choose a meal was gone for eight days. Although our accommodations would have seemed like the Ritz Carlton to Paul, just like him freedom was found in the prayers, songs of praise, laughter and saving faith of God’s sovereignty within our quarantine cell.  And while freedom on this earth is to be cherished, it is nothing compared to the spiritual freedom we have forever in Jesus. His unceasing work in the hearts of humanity is what brings true freedom. May we be thankful for our freedom as Americans and celebrate and share our freedom in Christ every day. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.

The picture is of the bars on the window of our quarantine facility. We were thankful they were pretty circles and traditional prison bars!

It was a typical trip to the grocery store with my mind checking and double checking my long list while the radio played a bit too loudly. As the music from one of my favorite Christian stations ended the hosts came on air and asked the audience to call in with responses to the question, “Do you think prayer works and how?” They went on to discuss the findings from data collected in April 2020 by George Barna, Director of Research of the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University. The radio host zoned in on one particular finding that sparked the question to the listening audience. The survey revealed that “Among the seven out of ten American adults who consider themselves to be Christian, three out of four (76%) believe that God hears prayers. However, there is a range of ideas concerning how God responds to the prayers He hears.” The first shocker was that twenty-four percent of praying Christians don’t believe God hears their prayers. The Lord says in Jeremiah 29:12, “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.” This comforting scripture is just one of the many that assures us that God most definitely hears our prayers. The second jarring response was that “a surprisingly large share of people who pray (14%) admitted that they don’t know if God responds to peoples’ prayers or, if He does, how He responds. The short rebuttal to this finding is yes, He responds but discerning how He responds requires a deeper understanding of the character of God. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God; that if we ask according to His will, he hears us. And if we know that He hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of Him.” (1 John 5:14-15) The answer can be a variation of “yes” or “no” or “wait, not now”. We are not all knowing and it is important to remember God is and His answers are born out of His love for us and sometimes the answer “no” or “wait” is for our own protection or providence. We must trust that whatever the response to our prayer is, it will be the best possible solution for our lives or the lives of those we are praying for. I surmise that the 14% that question their belief in prayer have a limited understanding of who God is. The hinge is not really about believing in prayer, it’s about believing and trusting God.

Shortly before Kelsey was to begin chemotherapy, my husband’s Greek Orthodox co-worker, sent her name and details of her condition to his friend, Omiros, in Thessaloniki, Greece. Omiros in turn talked with some monk friends in Mount Athos, Greece, to ask for pray for Kelsey and our family. He sent a letter filled with hope and confidence for Kelsey’s healing, along with several orthodox items. In his letter he wrote, “You should absolutely trust God and you must feel this in your prayer. Be sure that God listens to the least we tell Him. A Greek female monk said, “Life is a canvas work. We people see the back side, where the floss is very ugly, but as the years go by and we see the front side, we admire its beauty.” Just today, (don’t you love how God works!) Clay’s co-worker called because Omiros wanted an update on Kelsey. The monks have been praying for fifteen years. We were delighted and humbled to share the Lord’s response to the prayers of many. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit. (the picture is of Mount Athos, Greece-home to several monasteries)

“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”  John 5:7

The fifth chapter of John’s gospel finds Jesus returning to Jerusalem for a Jewish festival after performing His second miracle while in Galilee. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie-the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. (John 5:1-3) The scripture goes on to tell us that Jesus saw a man that had been an invalid for thirty-eight years lying by the pool. When Jesus asked the man if he wanted to be healed, his reply was the complaint recorded in verse seven. He never really answered Jesus’s question but in spite of himself Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. (John 5:5-9) This account usually focuses on the miracle, that it occurred on the Sabbath and the subsequent consequences for Christ performing a miracle on the Sabbath.

But for this tidbit, I want to focus on the cultural context of the Pool and the often overlooked word “stirred”. Archeologists have discovered there were actually two pools. The lower pool was used as a Jewish mikveh (ritual purification bath) and the upper pool was a reservoir of clean water that supplied the lower pool. But before that, the Romans had built a large temple on the site to the god Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine. The Greeks built Asklepions or healing centers all over the Greek empire. The ill and disabled would congregate at these centers, drink and bathe in the waters and sleep inside the temple walls. People seeking healing would wait by the water, waiting for Asclepius or one of his helpful “serpent spirits” to churn the water. They believed this was the best time for a healing miracle was when the water was “stirred”. The Greek word for “stirred” has several meanings but the context in this verse means disturbed, terrified, frightened, confusion, thrown into a turmoil and this context is only found once in the scriptures. (NIV Exhaustive Concordance) Some versions of this scripture attribute the stirring of the water to an angel. And while the people seeking healing believed this superstition, it’s important to realize Jesus never confirmed it and from the meaning of the word “stirred” it was most certainly not an angel of our Lord. Jesus had walked into a place filled with Jews practicing pagan rituals and confronted a longstanding cultural trend. It wasn’t just another day at the baths or another miraculous healing. Jesus was making the claim that He was the only true source of healing-He was the source of “living water” in a place and to a people clinging to a culturally accepted pagan belief.

At some point in our lives, we all are in need of healing. Whether it is physical, emotional or spiritual. Do you sit by the waters of the culturally accepted Dr. Google, prideful intellect or opinions of family and friends before seeking God? I know I am guilty and those sources can definitely stir up confusion, fear and anxiety. Instead, when we congregate at the feet of the Healer we can get up and “walk” in peace and drink the only “Living Water” that redeems our health and well-being. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.        

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each other.” Col 4:6

Salt is sprinkled throughout the pages of the Bible. Depending on the account, salt can have a different symbolic representation across different portions of scripture. It has negative connotations as when Lot’s wife looked back for a forbidden glance and is transformed into a pillar of salt (Gen 19:12-29) or as in Jeremiah 17 where the Lord curses the one who trusts in man and declares he will live in a salt land where no one lives. But usually salt is portrayed in a more positive light. Salt symbolizes new beginnings; salt covenants were made between the Jews and the Lord. It causes thirst; can you really eat popcorn without something to drink? It is a seasoning; it makes food more palatable. It is an irritant with healing and purifying properties; it smarts a bit when that scuffed toe makes it’s first dip in the ocean but feels much better afterwards.  It’s a preservative; country ham would not exist without salt.

In 2Kings 2:19-21, Elisha has been called to help with the bad water of Jericho. The story of the walls of Jericho get a lot more press and similarly a lot more time during a Holy Land tour but this simple, short story holds a great deal of symbolism for us to ponder. Jericho had been under a curse since the time of Joshua and while it was a lovely place to live, the water was bad and the land produced no fruit due to the lack of good water. The correlation between Jericho and our world today can be drawn. The world is full of all the tangible resources that make our lives pleasurable. Water in the Bible is often a symbol of the Word, the Spirit and even of life. But when the water is bad the opposite holds true, the Word is polluted, the Spirit is stagnant and death is inevitable.  Elisha asked for a new jar with salt in it (vs 20). He didn’t request just any ol’ jar laying around, but a new jar. Some commentaries say this could represent a new, regenerated believer, a new creation in Christ. Salt was the mechanism God used to heal the water. Christ purified us through His death, he heals our wounds, and as we feast more on His Word we thirst for more of Him in our lives.

“Then he went to the spring and threw the salt into it saying, “This is what the Lord says: I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive. And the water has remained wholesome to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken” (vs 21-22). God’s power worked through Elisha. It’s important to realize it was not the salt or Elisha but God that healed the water and it was a witness for all to see then and generations to come. In the same way, we are to live an authentic Christian life, well-seasoned with Christ, revealing for all to see and hear the new creation of Christ in us. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.

The pictures are from my recent trip to Israel. The spring is still there for all to see and taste!