The great divide

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.
Galatians 4:4-5 (NIV)

The special, invitation-only open rehearsal allowed guests to get an up close, personal look at the athleticism and beauty of classical ballet as the dance troupe prepared for their upcoming performance. Ballerinas and male dancers moved across the rehearsal studio with grace and performance aplomb far beyond their years. And, as the audience was drawn into the story through the dancers' movements and expressions, the choreographer explained the intricacies behind the creation of a new ballet.

Unlike this open rehearsal, an intentional gap exists between performer and patron during an actual performance--the stage, orchestra pit, and even the lighting, create a space that separates the dancer from the theatre goer. Once the rehearsal program ended, however, it was difficult to distinguish between dancer and guest. Laughter and conversation echoed throughout the studio as young and old alike mingled with one another.

Participating in that rehearsal reminded me of the chasm that separates me from our Holy God because of my sin. When it comes to God's holiness and my sinfulness, there is absolutely no room for a pas de deux.

But thanks to be God in Christ Jesus that He doesn't leave me in my separated condition! In His mercy, God the Father sent His One and Only True Son, Jesus Christ, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem me and all who would believe in Him (v. 4-5).

Dear friend, through Jesus Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection, He made the way for each of us to share in God's gracious gift of salvation (Galatians 3:27-29). He is the cross that bridges the great divide. By the power of the Holy Spirit will you accept his invitation and trust Jesus as Savior?

Our gracious redemption was carefully planned,
The gulf between heaven and earth has been spanned,
The portals are open, the passage is free,
Oh, wondrous salvation, it's even for me!

Blessings, dear friend.
Faithfully Following

Completely Clean, RBC Ministries

Life goes on

Best friends
Bonnie Schulte and Joanne Sampl

Dear friend, I hope you will indulge me as this post is a bit of a departure from my typical blog. This week marks the first year anniversary of my dearest girlfriend's death.

One of the blessings of the friendship that Joanne Sampl and I shared is that we fully recognized it was a gift from God. With that said, I don't know that either of us ever intentionally planned "I want to be Bonnie's/Joanne's friend." Yet, as the years progressed and our camaraderie grew, we took steps to actively nurture our relationship.

Our conversations ranged from business issues--What in the world is a brand's essence, and more importantly, why do I care? To spiritual matters--How do you think Abraham handled that long three-day walk to the mountains of Moriah (Genesis 22). To family life--Aaarrgghh. We're moving again. Joanne knew how to be a friend. She always made time for me. She incited me to seek truth, encouraged me to laugh out loud, and taught me how to back off and listen.

Since her death on August 19, 2009, the world has continued on, in general, and I have moved on, in specific. I've been having the time of my life in my new job at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. My husband marked two years with his job and he has a list of "rip-it-up/fix-it-up" projects that could last him two lifetimes, much less one. Our son's girlfriend recently accepted his proposal of marriage and our daughter was granted acceptance into her university's doctor of physical therapy program.

The world has experienced approximately 129 million births, a gunman opening fire on and destroying innocent lives at Ft. Hood, Texas, and a catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Thousands of gallons of crude oil have flowed into the Gulf of Mexico changing the area's landscape forever and the world's economy is all but turned on its head. Ah, yes. Life goes on.

In complete faith, I know that I know that Joanne's soul rests with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The pain surrounding her premature death, however, is still extremely raw. I can't say her name without stopping to collect my emotions before continuing to speak. If I dwell too long on a memory, tears inevitably pool in the corners of my eyes and unavoidably pour down my cheeks.

I firmly believe the last words I said to her. Days before she died, her loving husband, Michael, placed a telephone next to her ear allowing me to call out across the 775 miles separating us, "I love you, Joanne. Thanks for being my best-est friend. I'll see you again one day on the other side."

Whoever said death is a natural part of life was wrong! When God created the world, all was good. In fact, it was very good (Genesis 1:31). Death was not part of the plan. Because man chose to take matters into his own hands, however, sin entered the world. With it came the pain and suffering of death. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus that the story doesn't end there. Through the life, suffering, death and resurrection of His One and Only Son, we have eternal life through Him (1 Corinthians 15:54-58). Amen and amen!

Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God!
He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:55-57 (NIV)

Blessings, dear friend.
Faithfully Following

Wilson

Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
James 1:13-15 (NKJV)

Wilson! Come back! Adrift at sea, Wilson is carried father and father out into the cerulean waters by the relentless rocking waves. Eventually, he is lost in the wide expanse where briny deep and spacious sky appear to blend as one.

The emotional scene from the 2000 adventure film Cast Away is an interesting illustration of the caution the New Testament writer James issues in the book by the same name.

After his plane crashes on a flight over the South Pacific, fictional FedEx employee Chuck Noland is stranded on an uninhabited island. In his first attempt to make fire, he receives a deep wound to his hand. In agonizing pain, Chuck throws several objects, including a Wilson Sporting Goods volleyball from one of the packages that had washed up on shore. A short time later, Noland draws a face in the bloody hand print left on the ball and names it "Wilson."

Fast forward four years. With Wilson in tow, Chuck is able to construct a life raft and sail over the powerful surf, enabling the now companions to finally escape the island. Soon, however, an intense ocean storm all but destroys the raft. The tethers binding Wilson to the craft loosen and the ball falls into the water. As Chuck cries out "W-I-L-S-O-N!" in gut-wrenching agony, the ball is drawn farther and farther out of his reach and is lost at sea.

In his practical letter that encourages living a vibrant faith, James addresses outward trials and inward temptations. The former must be endured, the latter resisted. He writes that each of us is tempted when we are drawn away by our own desires and enticed. Drawn away from what?

The Old Testament book of Psalm 1 helps answer that question. As you consider this piece of Godly wisdom, take special note of the progression: Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night (Psalm 1:1-2).

As a child of God each of us is marked with the blood of the Lamb. His nail-pierced hand is imprinted on our hearts. By the power of the Holy Spirit, dear friend, bind yourself securely to the Truth of God's Word. As we resolutely turn our backs on evil and set our hearts and minds on doing what He wants, we please God (Colossians 1:9-12).

Blessings, dear friend.
Faithfully Following

Cast Away, directed by Robert Zemeckis, 2000

The silent hours

Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
John 19:42 (NIV)

Taking palm branches, the great crowd went out to meet Jesus on the way to Jerusalem, shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" Five days later following a string of betrayal, arrest, denials, trials, beatings and crucifixion, Jesus' dead, battered and bloody body was taken down from the cross. Without pomp or ceremony, His body was laid in a cold, silent tomb.

I remember like it was yesterday walking away from my daddy's gravesite following his funeral service. The immediate silence weighed heavily on my mother, brothers, sisters and me. In our individual memories, we grappled with the earthly finality marked by our father's death. With God's Word, however, we have the benefit of knowing that when Jesus died on the cross, it didn't end there. I've often thought about some of those who were close to Jesus during the days leading up to His death. What did they experience during the "silent hours" that His body lay in the grave?

There was the little-known man named Malchus, the servant of the high priest. A participant in the arrest of the itinerant preacher, Malchus lost his right ear at the hand of Peter and was miraculously healed by the hand of the alleged criminal he came to arrest. Shocked by the attack, surprised by the healing, did Malchus struggle with the idea that a company of soldiers was ordered, under the cover of night, to arrest a man who would defend and heal an enemy?

What about the centurion in charge of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ? According to Bible scholar William Barclay, "The centurions were the finest men in the Roman army." A seasoned veteran who had watched men die, this army officer no doubt had supervised many crucifixions. Yet, this event was different. He witnessed Jesus' response to the injustice that He endured at the hands of His own countrymen, as well as His response to the torture that the centurion and his men inflicted upon Him. He saw the dignity with which Jesus responded to the lynch mob, the mercy He showed toward the people and, finally, creation's response to the Creator's sin-bearing act.

A man of means and a member of the council that had condemned Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea was too afraid to publicly identify with Christ when the Savior was alive. But then he does the unthinkable; he identifies with Him in His death. Joseph goes to Pilate, claims the "criminal's" body, and performs a task both horrible and lovely. Just the physical struggle of removing the Savior's beaten and bloody body would have been a gruesome task. Did Joseph carry the sorrow of regret about what, humanly speaking, might have been had he declared his allegiance to the Savior sooner? Too late for regret, it wasn't too late to care. As he prepared the body of Jesus for burial, Joseph's secret fears gave way to a very public demonstration of love and devotion.

Then there were the women who stood in faithful devotion by the cross of Jesus. Considered no better than possessions and undervalued by their ancient world, Jesus treated these women of Galilee with uncommon honor and dignity, with kindness and care. What emotional roller coaster of feelings did they experience as they waited out of the silent hours in order to return to the tomb to complete the burial process?

We observe on Maundy Thursday in the Lord's Supper Jesus' command to remember. On Good Friday, we recall with heartache Jesus' suffering as He took our sins and died on the cross. We joyfully celebrate on Easter Sunday His victory over sin, death and the devil. Dear friend, during the silent in-between hours as His body lay in the tomb, it is my desire that my heart, and yours, be stirred to devotion as we consider the marvelous healing, overwhelming mercy and grace-filled care that is ours through our Savior's suffering, death and resurrection.

Blessings, dear friend.
Faithfully Following

Separation

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear."
Isaiah 59:2 (NIV)

I did it again! I let something my husband said escalate, turning me into a selfish, "you hurt my feelings" nincompoop. It wasn't that he yelled, insulted, or called me horrible names. All the same, my ego took over and I got mad.

It was late afternoon when we decided to rearrange furniture--something most married folks probably shouldn't do in the first place. On his knees, my husband pushed a mammoth-sized television set, inch by inch, across the family room floor to a third location. I knew he was tired, not to mention had rug burns on his knees. With little compassion, I pressed, "It needs to go back more into the corner."

I can't recall his exact response, but his annoyed tone matched my frustrated attitude. In fitting kindergarten-ish, "I'm taking my ball and going home" style, I glared at him; and without a word, stomped out of the room.

The evening could have been pleasant for the two of us as our children were out with friends. But, I chose to grunt in response to his attempts at a conversation, slam pots and pans as I prepared dinner, and display the most disgruntled expression I could muster. Later, I sealed our evening's fate with what every decent marriage counselor cautions against--I went to bed angry.

It was the dead of night when I awoke to an unmistakable nudge. Hearing the familiar, steady snoring sound coming from the opposite side of the bed, I realized my husband hadn't poked me. No. It was my heart. I knew better than to ignore the prod and quietly slid my legs over the edge of the mattress, making my way to my "quiet place."

Sitting in the darkness of the early morning hours, a gentle voice in my heart probed, "Anything you'd like to share?" With a sigh I responded, "Yes, Lord. I'm so dumb. I let a ridiculous little comment get to me. I got angry. I became mean. But, you know what? I'm frustrated at how I keep making the same mistake. Quite frankly, I'm rather tired of confessing this sin."

Immediately, a disturbing silence seemed to engulf my entire being.

In that deafening sound of nothingness, my thoughts took me to the Old Testament accounts of Cain and of King David. Turning on a lamp, I reached for my Bible, flipped the pages to Genesis 4, and read, "And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him." Turning the pages further to 2 Samuel 11, I read King David's instructions, "Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die."

Both accounts record grievous, sinful acts. Both men suffer consequences from their actions. Yet, where David is ultimately restored in his relationship with God, Cain is banished. Why is David forgiven and Cain not?

The answer lies in their repentance. David confesses, "I have sinned against the LORD." Cain doesn't. In his pride, Cain is unwilling to admit his sin. What's more, in his rebellion against God, he is removed from God's presence.

As I sat in the quiet of the night, I relived three distressing events involving personal separation. Twenty heart-wrenching minutes when the whereabouts of our then four-year old son were unknown. The clanking sound of metal hitting metal as doors close and an ambulance drives away with our young daughter inside, who had fallen from a horse. My ears straining for the sound of an opening garage door as my uncharacteristically late husband is long overdue returning home from work.

Separation. As these episodes raced through my mind, they stirred up the pain I felt being separated from those I hold dear and the joy I experienced being reunited.

What dread an alienated Cain must have endured as he "went out from the LORD's presence." What amazing delight a restored David experienced as he wrote, "Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him." (Psalm 32)

Sin separates. Repentance reunites. As for me, I never want to be outside our loving God's presence. With humility, I immediately confessed to God my ugliness, mean-spirited attitude, and arrogant heart. In the morning, I also asked my husband for his forgiveness; who in turn, asked me to forgive him for his actions. What a wonderful restoration of relationships!

Dear friend, are you experiencing separation because of unconfessed sin? If so, our gracious, Heavenly Father loves you with an everlasting love. He longs for you to come into His warm embrace and delight in the joy of confession and forgiveness of sins. Won't you come today?

Blessings, dear friend.
Faithfully Following