Author: Jennifer Armstrong

Today’s reading:  Acts 4

When I encounter something that has a significant, positive impact on my life I have a tendency to talk about it a lot.

Case in point #1 – when I started Crossfit in 2009 I did exercises I never thought I could do and found muscles I never knew I had.  I couldn’t stop talking about it and trying to get everyone else to try it with me.  In fact, 12.5 years later I am still going and still talking about it.  (I can see B.J. rolling his eyes as he reads this.  Please do not ask me about Crossfit when he is around.  He is not a “believer” and is very tired of listening to it after all these years…hehehe!)

Case in point #2 – my favorite store is Aldi.  Yes, you have to have a quarter to get a cart and yes, you have to buy grocery bags if you don’t bring your own.  But it is still the fastest store in town.  Even at its busiest time, I can be in and out of that store with a cart full of food in less than 25 minutes.  Their produce is great because they turn it over fast.  While you can’t generally buy name brands at Aldi, I’m pretty sure many of their “off” brands are the made in the same factory and just have a different name stamped on the label.  (Lovin’ Fresh Italian bread looks and tastes exactly like Brownberry.)  Best of all, everything costs less!  (Again, B.J. is tired of hearing about Aldi, although occasionally I get him to go there with me.)

Case in point #3 – Aquaphor is a miracle ointment.  When Freddy was born, I can’t remember who told me about this supposedly fantastic product called Aquaphor, but I know I was skeptical.  Do you know how expensive that stuff is?  All it took was a teething baby with a red butt and I was willing to pay $1/ounce!  Seventeen years later, I have Aquaphor stashed everywhere – in my bathroom drawer, in my purse, in my desk. While I don’t need a cure for diaper rash anymore, I still use it every day on every sort of skin disorder – chapped lips, dry skin, cuts, burns, etc.  (Feel free to ask B.J. his thoughts about Aquaphor, he is a “believer”…or at least he uses it all the time too!)

The impact these 3 things have had on my life is measurable – I can see the muscles, count the savings and feel the relief.  While I might drive you nuts with my chatter, you can’t deny the results.

Acts 4, our scripture for today, has a similar slant.  Peter and John had spent the last 3 years with Jesus.  They watched him turn water to wine, give sight to the blind, heal the sick, and ultimately give his life to take away the sins of the world.  Now that he was gone they couldn’t stop talking about the impact he had on their lives.  Even though he was no longer with them in person, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were able to perform miracles including healing a lame beggar (Acts 3).  They wanted everyone to know the love of Jesus and experience the same hope they knew.

Today’s reading:  John 9

At the beginning of John chapter 9, Jesus healed a man who had been blind since birth.  The remainder of the chapter works through the reactions of different groups.

• The disciples initially assumed the blind man’s handicap was a result of his, or his parents’, sinful actions; after Jesus’ corrected their theology, the Bible does not record any further reaction from the disciples.
• The blind man’s neighbors were divided over whether this was really the blind man who could now see, when they confirmed it was him, they questioned how it happened, who did it, and where Jesus was.
• The Pharisees wanted to know how it happened, concluded Jesus wasn’t from God because he healed on the Sabbath, turned to the man’s parents to corroborate his story, then insulted the man when he pointed to back to Jesus.
• The blind man’s parents, when questioned by the Pharisees’, sent the religious leaders back to the man for answers, as they were afraid of being kicked out of the synagogue.
• The blind man himself combated the Pharisees’ conclusion that Jesus wasn’t from God; then after Jesus’ confirmed he was the Messiah, the blind man quickly began to worship him.

When I think about the various groups’ reactions above, I think it reveals a lot about their hearts.

• The disciples were trying to learn everything they could to become more like Jesus.
• The blind man’s neighbors were skeptical/cautiously optimistic; they wanted to believe, but needed a few more details to make sure it was wise.
• The Pharisees’ hearts were hard towards God; nothing Jesus could have done would have changed their minds.
• The blind man’s parents were selfish/scared about what others would think (I choose to believe the parents eventually got out from under the Pharisees’ influence and believed, as the evidence was too compelling).
• The blind man quickly put his trust in Jesus and whole-heartedly worshipped him.

I believe God still does miracles, but why?  I think Jesus’ response to the disciples in verse 3 gives us insight.

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:1-3).

While the individual recipients of all Jesus’ miracles were/are benefited in some way, the purpose of miracles were/are to authenticate Jesus’ identity as God’s son, to influence peoples’ belief/trust in him, and to show God’s love.

Today if you find yourself in the Pharisees’, Parents’ or Neighbors’ category, I encourage you to lean in and open your heart to Jesus.  You will not be disappointed.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:3-5).

Today’s reading:  Luke 19

Diversity – All the ways are different from each other.

Inclusion – Bringing together and harnessing these diverse forces and resources in a way that is beneficial; inclusion puts the concept and practice of diversity into action by creating an environment of involvement, respect and connection – where the richness of ideas, backgrounds and perspectives are harnessed to create business value (T. Hudson Jordan, 2011).

From 20 years of experience in various corporate leadership roles, I truly believe in the power of diversity and inclusion.  Diverse perspectives, when coupled with an engaged group of employees who are inspired to be their best, is a recipe for great results and innovative solutions that exceed expectations.  Looking back over the last 20 years, I will attest that some of my greatest successes have been in situations where I was leading leaders and teams who were vastly different than me and each other.  How inspiring it is to reflect on the hurdles we overcame as a team made up of many individuals who were so diverse.

Our scripture for today begins with the story of Zacchaeus.  I’ve read this story (and sang the VBS song) thousands of times in my life.  But it wasn’t until yesterday that ever thought of it in the context of diversity and inclusion.  As you know, Zacchaeus was a tax collector.  Though Jewish by birth, tax collectors were some of the most unpopular people in Israel because 1) they chose to work for the Roman government, and 2) they gouged their fellow Jews in order to make themselves rich.  As such, they were shunned by Jews, including God’s people.  It is no surprise that those who witnessed Jesus heading to Zacchaeus’ home in Luke 19 looked on with disapproval.

Despite his differences, Jesus sought to intentionally engage Zacchaeus.   He called him by name, insisted on coming to his house, and quickly won Zacchaeus over.   In response,  Zacchaeus confessed his sin, promised to make retribution for all the people he had wronged, and Jesus rejoiced.

Are there groups of people you avoid associating with because of their political views, immoral behavior or life style you don’t agree with?  Today’s scripture is a good reminder that Jesus calls us to include and to love those that are different from us.  See, the reality is we are a lot more alike than we often think we are – you and I are sinners just like they are sinners, you and I need salvation every bit as much as they do.  Rather than avoiding them, God calls us to love them and share with them the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Today’s reading:  Luke 7

Segue – to make a transition without interruption from one activity, topic, scene, or part to another (Miriam Webster).

Do you ever feel like the Gospels are a bunch of short, random stories that jump around?  While I know the Gospels, as a whole, are the story of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, zooming from story to story sometimes feels a little disjointed to me.  I’m often left wondering what happened to the ever so important segue?

Our text for today, Luke 7, felt a little fragmented to me at first blush.

Start with the story of the Centurion.  This man was a high ranking Roman official.  While the Jews generally hated Roman soldiers, this official must have have been unique.   The group of Jewish leaders that sought Jesus’ help on behalf of the Centurion made their case by attesting, “he loves the Jews and even built a synagogue for us” (Luke 7:5).  Even so, the Centurion recognized he was not worthy of a personal meeting with Jesus.  His humility, coupled with a faith in Jesus uncommon of Roman officials, led Jesus to miraculously heal the Centurion’s ailing servant.

Next, the story of a widow.  Her situation couldn’t have been more opposite of the Centurion.  Her husband, and now her only son, were dead.  Without them and their financial support, this woman was soon to begging for food.  Jesus had compassion on the widow and raised her son from the dead.

On to John the Baptist.  John’s purpose in life was to “pave the way” for Jesus.  Nevertheless, he was human like we are, and had some confusion and doubt that Jesus was really the Messiah.  Jesus didn’t reprimand John for his doubt, rather he recounted his actions and correlated them to Old Testament prophesies to help John connect the dots and be confident Jesus was truly the son of God.

Finally to the sinful woman.  This woman, an uninvited guest, shows up at a dinner being hosted by one of the Pharisees.  She knelt behind Jesus, pouring perfume on and kissing his feet.  Jesus used the situation to rebuke the Pharisees and to teach his disciples – “I tell you her sins, and they are many, have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love.  But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love” (Luke 7:47).

Here we are at the end of Luke 7.  Four short stories about Jesus’ interactions with different people, no real segue between them.  They are linked, however, by one very powerful message.  Jesus cares for everyone.  It doesn’t matter if you are a successful businessman/woman or government leader, it doesn’t matter if you are unemployed or homeless, it doesn’t matter if you are serving in full-time Christian ministry or if you’ve lived your life entirely apart from God so far.  Jesus cares for you.  Because he voluntarily paid the price for every one of our sins, we have a way to be acceptable to God.  Only when we realize the true depth of our sin and the complete redemption offered through Jesus, however, are we able to offer God the gratitude and love he deserves.

Today’s reading:  Matthew 24

A global pandemic, the busiest hurricane/wildfire season on record, political divisions and racial tensions made 2020 a year like no other.  It was so crazy, the word “unprecedented” became over used.  With each awful development, I heard more “chatter” about whether the end times were upon us.  In our scripture for today, Matthew 24, Jesus was talking to his disciples about the end times – foretelling what is going to happen in advance of Jesus’ return or “the second coming”.

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of birth pains (Matthew 24:6-8).

Does this sounds a little like 2020?  I’ll admit it did to me when I read it this week.  At least until I got to verse 36.

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Matthew 24:36).

If no ones knows the day or the hour, including Jesus himself, is it reasonable to think it would be that easy for us to figure out?  We are not that smart.  Why then would we waste our time?  Rather than evaluating the “signs” and trying to predict what’s next, or worse yet, spending our time worrying about it, we should be focused on getting ready.

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come…So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him (Matthew 24:42, 44).

In previous posts, I’ve mentioned that in Gallup’s Strengths Finder 2.0 my top strength is Achiever – I like to get stuff done.  My second and third strengths are Futuristic and Strategic – I am inspired by what could be and have a knack for coming up with alternative ways to move forward.  When I think about Matthew 24:42 and 44, I am energized about how glorious Jesus’ return will be.  But my mind quickly turns to thinking about what I need to be doing so that I’m ready when he gets here – what is my path to get from here to there.  The answer is pretty easy to come up with – I need to be following Jesus Christ and transforming my life to look like his.

That is much easier said than done, of course, so how do we break this bold goal into smaller, more consumable chunks on which we can make progress?  As I thought about this a little more, my mind went to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).  These chapters are probably Jesus’ most complete description of what the life of a Chrisfollower should look like.  Starting with the Beatitudes (qualities that describe Christfollowers) and moving on to topics like murder, adultery, divorce, giving, prayer, worry, judging, etc, Jesus provides a playbook for how we should think about, act, and react when faced with various topics and challenges in life.  If you are like me, energized about the future when Jesus comes to take us home, yet want to make sure you are prepared for his arrival, spend some time studying the sermon on the mount and let it guide your choices.

…for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:).

Get Ready!

Today’s reading:  Matthew 9, 10

The New Testament begins with four gospels all written about the same subject, the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.   They are each, however, written from a different perspective and to a different audience.

• John was written to new Christians and non-Christians searching for truth.  His goal was to demonstrate that Jesus was (and is) the Son of God and the only source of eternal life.
• Luke affirms Jesus’ divinity, but emphasizes his humanity.  Luke was written to Gentiles.
• Mark was written to present the person, work and teachings of Jesus to Roman Christians, proving to them that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah.
• Matthew was written to Jews.  His objective was to prove that Jesus was the Messiah for whom they had been waiting, and to provide a better understanding of God’s Kingdom.

Matthew was a Jew himself.  He understood Mosaic Law and was familiar with its rules/traditions/sacrifices.  In chapter 9 verse 13 he challenged the Pharisees, who were criticizing him for keeping company with sinners, to search for a deeper understanding of the Old Testament words from Hosea 6:6.

But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners (Matthew 9:13).

God calls us to demonstrate faith in Him by showing love and mercy to others. True believers in Christ genuinely care for others, just as Christ did.  This, not empty ritual, is what God desires for His children.  This was hard for the Jews, who had been living under Mosiac Law for centuries, to fully understand and accept.  Under the new covenant, relationship replaced ritual.

Today, I spent the day celebrating the life of my great aunt Veva Appel.  After a visitation, funeral, graveside service, lunch and family pictures, the day was long and I was tired.  But I left with a full heart.  It was so fun to see cousins I hadn’t seen in many years and share stories of the crazy summer vacations we spent on Long Lake as kids.

I am part of the Appel family through my grandma Evelyn Doris Appel York.  But more importantly, our extended family is bound together by our faith in Jesus.  As I listened to the stories of Veva’s life, I left knowing she spent it showing love and care for others – the same mercy Jesus talked about in Matthew 9:13.  I am confident she was welcomed in to the arms of Jesus last Sunday with these words:

Well done my good and faithful servant.

Summer is the only season I like.  June is my favorite month of the summer and, therefore, my favorite month of the entire year.  Kids are out of school, the temperature is warm (but not super hot and humid), and fun summer activities are in full swing.  After June of 2020 when COVID was on the rise and so many things were cancelled, I have found June of 2021 to be extra fun doing things WITH people rather than trying to social distance all the time.  In fact, I have played more golf so far in 2021 than I played in 2017, 2018 and 2019 combined.

I play golf and have dinner most every Tuesday night during the summer with a group of friends.  Five of us played together this week (rather than a typical foursome), so 9 holes took us a little longer.  Because it was guest night, there were also more people eating dinner than usual.  It was almost 9pm my the time we got our food and I found myself starting to get a little frustrated because everything was so slow…UNTIL…I realized it was June 15.  My favorite month of the year was half over already.  Oh no!  The “self talk” that followed this revelation sounded just like the Zac Brown song I’d listened to earlier in the day –

Quiet your mind
Soak it all in
It’s a game you can’t win
Enjoy the ride (Zac Brown and Wyatt Durrette, 2010)

I stopped and reminded myself to slow down, as I really had NOTHING for which I needed to get home – kids are too old to need my help at bedtime, I didn’t have any work to do, and I didn’t need to get my lunch and clothes ready for tomorrow since I’m working from home.  So, we ordered dessert and stayed out a little longer.  So fun!

Given the events of Tuesday night, it is no surprise that my heart was draw to David’s words in verse 4 of our scripture for today –

For we are like a breath of air; our days are like a passing shadow (Psalm 144:4).

Life is short.  We have the opportunity to choose Jesus and live the life to which God has called us while we are alive, but when life is over, we don’t have a “re-do” option.  Knowing that God alone is the source of purpose, fulfillment and joy for our lives, why then would we chose to live for anything else?

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is (Ephesians 5:15-17).

Carpe diem!

Our text for today is only 7 verses long.  Don’t let the length, however, shortchange the impact of its message.  The Psalmist is calling out to God for help overcoming the impact of slander.

Slander – words falsely spoken that damage the reputation of another (vocabulary.com).

One of the hardest things about dealing with the impact of slander is that you don’t even know it has happened until after the damage is done.  Have you ever experienced this?  I have, and I will attest that the scars run deep.  It is an incredibly hard experience to overcome especially when the perpetrator was someone you trusted and/or thought was on your side.

As I was preparing for today’s post, I consulted my Life Application Study Bible to see what insight it had on Psalm 120.  Its message was just what I needed to hear today.  Rather than focusing on the sin and its harmful impact, the notes for this chapter focus on a God-honoring response – peacemaking.

Peacemaking is not always popular.  Some people prefer to fight for what they believe in.  The glory of the battle is in the hope of winning, but someone must be a loser.  The glory of peacemaking is that it may actually produce two winners.  Peacemaking is God’s way, so we should carefully and prayerfully attempt to be peacemakers (Tyndale House, 1996).

Deciding when to fight for what is right and when to simply pursue peace, especially in the face of slander, isn’t easy.  On one hand, you don’t want to be perceived as a pushover.  But on the other hand, you also don’t want a bad reputation, to be seen as confrontational or viewed as closed-minded.  This may also mar your reputation.  I know peacemaking is supposed to produce two winners, but I will attest, it still feels like losing a lot of the time.  My fourteen year old daughter and I often talk about “taking the high road” and “turning the other cheek”.  It is hard in junior high, but even harder as an adult.  Think about it, the stakes are higher when a bad reputation has the potential to impact things in which you’ve made long-term investment (like your career or long-term relationships).

The Bible gives Christfollowers clear direction on how we are to respond to those who sin against us – return good for evil.  Turns out this is even harder than turning the other cheek and walking away!  Fortunately we have a God who is willing to help us do the right thing even when we don’t feel like it.  Can making peace with those who have sinned against you help repair your reputation?  Perhaps.  Even if it doesn’t though, obedience to the ways of the Lord will always produce a better outcome.  It may not change your reputation, but it may change your heart.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil.  Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.  On the contrary:

Remix – A new version of a recording made by recombining and re-editing the elements of the existing recording and often adding material such as new vocals or instrumental tracks (thefreedictionary.com).

Reprise – a repeated passage in music (Oxford dictionary).

Greatest Hits – An album, sometimes called a best of album or a catalog album, that is a compilation of songs by a particular artist or band. Most often the track list contains previously released recordings with a high degree of notability (definitions.net).

Remix, reprise and greatest hits all have a common theme – taking something that was great or successful on its own, using it again and/or trying to make it better.  Our scripture for today, Psalm 108, could be described as a remix, reprise or even a greatest hit.  This Psalm is made up of un-edited verses taken from two other Psalms – verses 1-5 are from Psalm 57:7-11, and verses 6-13 are from Psalm 60:5-12.

Both Psalms 57 and 60 are Psalms of lament, or Psalms that express deep sorrow for the painful experiences of God’s nation and cry out to God for his intervention/blessing.  Because the lament portion of these Psalms did not carryover, Psalm 108 essentially turned into a Psalm of victory where David 1) offers praise to God, 2) asks for God’s help, and 3) conveys his expectation of deliverance.

• David’ personal exaltation of God

I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
    your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
    let your glory be over all the earth (Psalm 108:3-5).

• David’s request for help

Save us and help us with your right hand,
    that those you love may be delivered (Psalm 108:6).         

• David’s expression of confidence in God’s ability to deliver      

Give us aid against the enemy,
    for human help is worthless.
With God we will gain the victory,
    and he will trample down our enemies (Psalm 108:12-13).

David’s formula was simple. Without God, he could do nothing.  But with God, anything was possible.  Do you have confidence in God’s ability to deliver you from your enemies? From your distress? From your pain?

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:7-8).