My parents are visiting us this week.

It’s a week of deadlines: I am studying and writing a talk for Wednesday, leading a two-hour training session Tuesday, working to meet another writing deadline, and blogging as I promised myself I’d do every week this year.

In addition, I’m teaching a knowledge-hungry four-year-old math and reading, going on imaginary adventures with my two-year-old, and spending thirty minutes on my treadmill each day.

You’re busy, and I’m sure you could write paragraphs of your own adventures. Normally with this many activities at once, I’d let the dust gather and the kitchen floor get sticky in spots. But my parents are visiting us this week. So I’ve also found moments to clear the clutter and clean.

Many times the Bible tells us Jesus is coming back. He promises to return in His physical, resurrected, glorified body to defeat all evil and bring true peace on earth.

“Then I saw Heaven open wide—and oh! a white horse and its Rider. The Rider, named Faithful and True, judges and makes war in pure righteousness.” –Revelation 19:11

He will be a spiritual, political, global Prince of Peace. Are we ready for such a Visitor?

In light of my parents’ visit, I will take time to prepare my home for their arrival. How are we preparing for Jesus’ return? What housecleaning do we need to do, what filth or clutter needs to be removed to be ready for the Prince? 

Jesus will revive His Sleeping Beauty. He will slay the dragon and rescue His princess, and we will live happily ever after. Now isn’t that worth rearranging some priorities (and stuff) to be ready? Yes, I think so too.

What do you need to do to be ready for Jesus’ return to earth?

Does Jesus reign in your life today? If not, will you ask Him to forgive your sins and invite Him to be your Lord and King? He died on a cross to forgive us. When we repent and believe His Spirit lives in us. He longs to embrace you!

Lord, remind us everyday to be ready.

Photo Credit: artemisphoto

“Say you’re sorry!”

Instead of apologizing, my two-year old just giggled and tilted her head with a grin.

“Mom, she hit me by cute!” My preschooler, Mary, explained to me in a rage.

Looking serious I asked, “By cute? You mean, she thinks hitting you was adorable?”

“Yes!!” Mary stomped with frustration at my slowness and her sister’s smugness.

“Jill, you need to tell your big sister you’re sorry.”

“I’m sorry, Ma-wee.” By cute, Jill leaned in for a hug.

Hugging her back, Mary said those three special words, “I forgive you.”

Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you. –Ephesians 4:32

Let’s look at both sides of the story. We are all guilty. Whether ‘by cute’ or stupidity or even by meanness, we have all hurt others. We have all sinned against God. We all need to say we’re sorry.

The great news is, God promises as soon as we say it, He forgives and erases it. No guilt trips. No lectures. No threats about if we ever do that again. Just forgiveness. Wow.

As for the other side, in light of God purging my life of all wrong-doing, the least I can do is to forgive others. This isn’t easy because not everyone is willing to say they’re sorry. However, God doesn’t make another person’s regret the condition for us forgiving them.

Look again at Ephesians 4:32: Forgive…quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you. We don’t excuse others because they’re now nice to us or even sad about what they’ve done. We forgive because we’re forgiven.

We all have deep hurts, and forgiveness is topic for a lifetime of blogs. By my brevity please don’t think your pain means little to me. Not at all. I pray for you, and you matter so much to God! Rather, hear me say that forgiveness is not just necessary but possible. (For more resources–especially if you are in a tender spot–please see my friend Sharon Routt’s site and her helpful book Simple Forgiveness.)

For today and this little time together, let me encourage all of us to be Up to Know Good by both asking for and giving away forgiveness. Few words are as sweet to hear and say as “I forgive you.”

Lord, I pray that by Your grace alone we would feel drawn to say we’re sorry to You. Then in the courage of Your grace, may we forgive others. Amen.

How could the words, “I forgive you” change your life if you heard or said them?

Photo Credit: m_bartosch

Ignore Him.  I had a cactus in high school. I kept it on a shelf in my bedroom. Because it was a cactus I never watered it, and because I lived in Fargo, it never received bright sunlight. Eventually my cactus died a quiet, neglected death.

“Do not put out the Spirit’s fire,” (I Thessalonians 5:19).

In a similar way we can diminish the vitality of our relationship with God. By putting Him on a shelf out of the way from our daily lives, we stifle the fire of the Holy Spirit within us. The idea in the scripture above is one of suffocating by lack of oxygen. Instead of neglecting Him, let’s make breathing room for the Spirit and let Him fuel our lives with all His benefits.

Ignore His Word. Now here is something even easier to do than ignoring the Holy Spirit. Don’t read your Bible and criticize every message you hear.

“Do not treat prophecies with contempt,” (I Thessalonians 5:20).

I was giving a seminar on how to navigate the Bible. To practice, I showed my four year old how to find a book, chapter, and verse. After we found the Scripture in my Bible from her Sunday School craft she declared, “I already knew how to do that, Mom!” Few of us like to be taught, we just want to know. It takes mature effort to become humble and teachable.

What one behavior will you change to give God more breathing room and focus this week?

Photo Credit: Chaiwat

Broken. Such a word is almost trendy among Christians. The pastor in a long-sleeved t-shirt and jeans is as common as the one in a suit. We want to tell the world, “Hey, I’m just like you!” But really, we’re not like those without Jesus. God has made us whole, complete, forgiven, and free.

It’s no wonder that brokenness makes us feel almost un-Christian. We try to smile in every situation, act okay with every circumstance. However, when my dear friend was recently diagnosed with cancer just before Christmas, I wasn’t smiling. I was sad. Then mad. Then simply heart-sick. Her prognosis is good, and her faith and future secure. But I felt brokenhearted.

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
   and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

Praise. In the midst of my crazy emotions, I read Hebrews 13. Verse 15 says: “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” My question was what’s a sacrifice of praise?

At 5:30 the next morning, I snuggled into my pillow and tried to ignore my alarm. Instead I heard the Holy Spirit lightly say, “This is a sacrifice of praise …” With a smile at the gentle lesson, I got out of bed–a small sacrifice considering my friend’s more challenging situation with cancer. Still, she praises Him too.

Coffee helps wake me in the mornings, and I enjoy a warm cup of tea each evening. I bought this mug not realizing until I got home that it has a chip on the bottom left side. Nightly it reminds me to glorify God even with my imperfections.

Photo credit: Myron Schaffer

This week, whatever the circumstances, let’s humbly admit we’re broken and still offer praise to the One who heals and holds us.

What is your broken{ness and} praise to God?

Photo Credit: Stuart Miles

The Titanic was impressive.

From the state of the art engineering to the fine china in the dining halls, everything about the ship lived up to her name. 

However, as we know, the unthinkable happened when an iceberg pierced too many holes in her side. The cruise liner could not tolerate so much water rushing through her holds, and the Titanic’s destination became the frigid ocean floor.

As we start 2012, we may have BIG exciting dreams and even plans and pieces to accompany them. However, if we lack integrity deep within, we are also at risk of not finishing the journey. So, let’s begin in the most important, unseen parts and believe.

1) Believe 

The day after feeding thousands of people from only a few loaves and fish, the crowds followed Jesus. They wanted another miracle (meal). Instead Jesus addressed their spiritual need. He told them to work for food that would last. When they asked what that work was He told them, “Believe.”

“Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent’” (John 6:29). 

Believe here means ”to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in” (Strongs).

The crowd pressed Jesus for proof so they could believe. Apparently they’d already forgotten the abundance of food from the day before!

How easily I can relate. The memory of yesterday’s miracles fade when I start to feel uncomfortable. Or hungry. Instead, maybe we insist on evidence. “Just give me certain proof, and I’ll believe You, Jesus.” However, Jesus has already proven Himself, and now the work for us is to place our confidence in Him.

Do you believe?

2) Be ready to do whatever is good  

“Remind the people…to be ready to do whatever is good” (Titus 3:1b).

It’s that simple, and that challenging. You will have at least several chances to do good this week.

Are you ready?

I’m excited to begin 2012 being Up to Know Good with you! I hope you have HUGE dreams and GREAT hope as it starts. I trust that we will not sink but rather sail on strongly with faith and confidence in Christ. To God’s glory, may this year be a Titanic success.

How will you be Up to Know Good by believing this week? How will you be ready to do good?

People packed the auditorium making the 3:00 Christmas Eve service at Flatirons Church a standing room only event. Pastor Jim Burgen asked the crowd–how can you give your presence to Jesus each day in the new year?

Photo Credit: Salvatore Vuono

He provided several examples: a college student who moved to Africa to start an orphanage, church attendees who bought $2 chickens for the orphanage, etc. He encouraged us to inventory what we can do (Think) and to consider who God is (Faith) and to let those answers inspire action (Vision).

“Think + Faith = Vision” -Jim Burgen

He said the answer for most of us lies somewhere between buying a chicken and moving to Africa.

I began to pray with more purpose. How can I make this blog and my newsletters worth your time and honorable to God? I briefly thought about stopping them all together, but then an idea …

Beginning in 2012, I’ll be blogging more faithfully each week and sending out monthly newsletters to friends who prefer to connect via email. The focus will be on over 100 ways throughout the year that we can be Up to Know Good.

The Bible specifically tells us many ways to know God and respond with action. We’ll explore two Up to Know Good ideas weekly (about 8-10 per monthly email). I pray this sharpened focus will inspire you to know God more personally and respond to Him more intentionally.

For today, consider the gifts you have. Then remember who God is. With those thoughts in mind, what vision does God inspire? It will probably be somewhere between buying a $2 bird and relocating around the globe. But whatever He inspires, may we each be eager to be Up to Know Good.

What ideas do you have for [you, your work, your ministry, your family] 2012?

Lord, I pray that you would give us a hunger to begin this new year focused on You. What vision do you have for us? Open our eyes to see and our hearts to embrace it. Amen.

“Christmas is when Jesus is born.” -K.

Sitting in a local restaurant on December 17^th, I thought back to 2011: our trip to see nearly all of our family and Gustavus friends July 1-17; the book published in August, Vivian’s broken arm in September …

Aloud I asked my family, “What should we say in our Christmas letter?”

“Christmas is when Jesus is born,” K. (4 ½ years old) said without hesitation. “Christmas is not for getting, it’s for giving. Say that too.”

Myron smiled at me from across the table and said, “Write that down.”

It has been an eventful and overall blessed year for us. I could go into detail about our humid midwest vacation in July or our delightful trip to Atlanta in October to surprise Uncle Al and Aunt Bea on their 50^th wedding anniversary.

Or I might tell you about V. who started 2011 hardly speaking but now tells epic stories. She is bright, cute, and extremely imaginative. It’s hard to know if she’s in the real or pretend world, but either way we enjoy playing, dancing, reading, singing, and snuggling with her!

I could go on about K. She reads, adds, subtracts, swings by herself, rides a bike with trainers, has a purple & pink princess bedroom, and loves Jesus. She is intelligent, articulate and beautiful. She currently plans to be a mom and a speech therapist when she grows up.

Perhaps I may brag about my brilliant husband. Myron stays busy at work and daily listens into the www.dailyaudiobible.com podcast. He continues to be a wonderful, godly father and husband.

Lastly, I could tell you about my ministry opportunities—how I truly enjoy my leadership role at Bible Study Fellowship; writing and leading a summer study; and the book & CD that are now out.

More than news of us is the Good News of the One we celebrate—Jesus Christ! He is our Lord, our Life, and our joy. Our girls describe Him well: 

“All the time—Jesus loves you all the time.” -V. 

“Jesus is the Light of all.” -K.

We pray that you would know Him and that He would truly illuminate your life this Christmas and New Year. Here’s how Jesus put it Himself:

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

The best news is the old, old story. Jesus came to earth as a baby. When He grew up, He submitted Himself to death on a cross. In so doing, He bore the sins of humanity and suffered death once for all. But the grave could not hold Him; death could not keep Him. He rose three days later and now sits as the glorious, risen Christ at the right hand of God in heaven. We know the story and have heard the facts, so let this be the year we walk daily in the Light.

May God bless you richly through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He loves you, and so do we!

                                        Love, Myron, Sara, K. & V. 

 “Thank You God. You make me so happy.” -V.

One of the first words I could spell was “Bible” thanks to the Sunday school song:

“The B-I-B-L-E. Yes, that’s the Book for me. I stand alone on the Word of God. The B-I-B-L-E!”

Photo Credit: Myron Schaffer

My daughter asked me when she was two how to spell B-I-B-L-E. Her question was cute, but it reminded me how we seriously fail to know and appreciate the Bible.

So here’s a little pop-quiz as we get ready for one of the biggest Christian holidays of the year. I’ve given you links to help you find the answer to the popular Bible allusions and the one that’s an actual quote.

Which of these phrases is in the Bible:

a. “Cleanliness is next to godliness.”

b. “God helps those who help themselves.”

c. “Money is the root of all evil.”

d. “The truth will set you free.”

Did you know without looking it up? If not, will you take a few minutes to read the context of the scriptures given above?

I’ll admit, this is a silly exercise. But as you wrap those gifts and think ahead to 2012, consider reading the Bible as a part of your new year. Don’t like to read? Then check out www.dailyaudiobible.com and listen in each day. However you incorporate God’s Word, it will change your life. You may even end up singing–”The B-I-B-L-E. Yes, that’s the Book for me. I stand alone on the Word of God. The B-I-B-L-E!”

How important is the Bible to you?

Look at this photo. What do you see?

Photo Credit: dan

Can you climb in this balloon? Would it lift you above the earth? Could you get a new perspective from riding in it? No, of course not.

BUT this shadow shows us that these things are possible. Someone is in the basket floating above the ground and seeing things from another point of view.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that this is what the Levitical law and sacrifices are like. They are ” …only a shadow of the good things that are coming–not the realities themselves” (Hebrews 10:1).

So where is the real balloon? Let’s follow the shadow…

God gave the Jews (and us!) the Levitical priesthood, the law, and the tabernacle to illustrate their divine counterparts. We have yet to see the tabernacle in heaven, but we have the evidence and historical reality of our High Priest and Redeemer, Jesus.

His sacrifice on the cross eliminated the need for any other sacrifice from either a Jewish ritual or a well-intended individual. Instead we can completely rely on the forgiveness given through the blood of Jesus. He entered heaven itself on our behalf and now extends His righteousness to us through faith.

Where do you stand? Are you trying by self-effort to make life meaningful?

Let’s stop wasting time on the shadow and get Real.

How real is Jesus to you?

Not wanting to leave the readers discouraged, the next words affirm them: