Lora Jones's Blog

He Still Came.

One recent December Sunday, as I stood in worship with my church family, I became overwhelmed with the incredible steadfast love of our God.

The words resounded within me over and over as stories throughout the Bible flipped through my mind.  He still came!

In the very beginning of time, God created this world and its inhabitants of all kinds. From that very first moment, He desired a relationship with his creation. In fact, He walked with the first two people, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden.

But they turned away from Him. They believed the lies of the snake instead. They even lied to God and hid from Him.  Even so, God’s faithful love stayed true. Though He punished their disobedience, God promised that a Savior would come someday and defeat the snake.

In the generations after Adam and Eve, most turned away from their Creator. Yet God kept reaching out to them, over and over.

When God chose Abraham, He gave his solemn vow that Abraham’s family would become a great nation. In fact, He promised that all the world would be blessed through them. Through this promise, God whispered again that a Savior will come and defeat the snake.

Generations later, Abraham’s family became slaves in Egypt. With a mighty display of His power, God came and rescued them.  He promised to be their God, if only they would love Him in return.

They did not. They turned away from Him and chose a king to lead them instead.

Across the centuries, God continued to reach out to His people – through prophets and priests, and even through their kings. King David loved the Lord with all of his heart. God promised David that his kingdom would never end. Through these words, God whispered His promise once again. A Savior will come and defeat the snake.

Yet even David’s family turned away from God. They followed other gods who could not keep their promises, who did not love them like their Creator – gods made by the people’s own hands.

Eventually, God allowed his people to be defeated by neighboring nations and be carried away to other lands. But even then, God continued reaching out to them through prophets who told them that God would bring them home again – and reminded them of the everlasting promise of a Savior who will come to defeat the snake.

Sure enough, God made a way for them to return. Joyful worship resounded in the new temple. Surely this time, the people will stay faithful to their God. But no.

Once again, over time, most turned away from their God. Prophets disappeared and God grew silent.

One would think that He had given up.

But no.

He still came.

Just like He promised from the beginning of time. Jesus came to pay the penalty for our sin on our behalf, in order to render the snake powerless . . .

You know what that means? He will come back again. Just like Jesus said He would. Even though our world has turned away from Him for the millionth time. Even though most no longer believe.

Jesus will still come and fully defeat the snake.

Because of his incredible, steadfast love.

John 14:1-6; John 3:16

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I read a book recently which describes our life with Jesus as an adventure through a familiar forest with our old, trusted walking stick. Sometimes we journey on the well-worn, well-known path. Other times we strike out to find a new adventure. And still other times we sit by the stream and remember treasured moments from past trips. Through it all, the walking stick points out things of interest, holds our hand, and catches us when we nearly fall.

Now, the image is etched in my mind. I think it was God’s gift to my soul this season.

It’s November. I’ve walked this part of the journey 18 times now. I dread it every time. But it’s a familiar, well-worn path. It leads down into the valley of the shadow of death, but it also leads me beside still waters. His staff comforts me and holds me up. Sometimes I stay awhile and remember. Other times I try to go through the darkness of the forest too quickly and miss the comfort of his hand in mine.

The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:1-4

I’ve been on many adventures with the Lord during these last 18 years, and I treasure each one. I’ve seen God do amazing things.

But I will always return to this well-worn path of grief for as long as I live on this earth. Why? Because of my deep love for J., Janessa and Jayden. I long to touch their faces, hear their voices, see life through their eyes.

Though tears stream down my face, my grief is not without hope.

Because…

These paths through the forest lead me home. All of them – the adventures, the memories, the grief. They are all part of the life God carved out for me. He will always hold my hand. I will not lay down his walking stick. I’ll follow him another 18, or 28 or 38 years or more.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6

 

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I received an unexpected small package in the mail this week. The return address told me that a sweet, thoughtful friend had been thinking about me. I wondered what could be in the bulky envelope.

I looked inside and found a simply beautiful necklace. Smiling, I looked at the tag. When I read it, my heart instantly ached – and yet paused in amazement:

“In Ethiopia, we partner with Artisan Businesses bringing hope and dignified work to women emerging from vulnerable situations. The Artisans utilize recycled metal melted down from artillery shells to transform objects of violence into objects of beauty.” (NoondayCollection.com)

Wow.

Immediately, war-torn images filled my mind. Certainly, our media is filled with them today from another terrible war. I truly cannot imagine enduring a war in my own land. Undoubtedly the fear and sorrow in my imagination doesn’t even cast a shadow on the reality. The devastation and loss of war shattered these women’s lives and dreams.

But these Ethiopian women were able to begin again. How?

They gathered the very objects which brought them devastation. Then they made them into something useful again – even beautiful.

Violence. Hatred. Pain. . . turned into. . . Beauty. Love. Joy.

That’s what our God can do.

He takes our broken, painful stories and makes them into something beautiful. Our lives begin afresh. Then, as a result, we draw others to the love of God.

It doesn’t take my imagination to picture that kind of re-creation. I’ve experienced it. He took my devastated life and broken heart and breathed life back into me. So He could use my story to reach the hearts of others with his love.

I’m confident He would love to do the same for you.

The Messiah said, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.” Isaiah 61:1-4

Wow. What a God we serve!

Let him restore what has been devastated within you. Without a doubt, He will bring beauty from your ashes.

He loves you.

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Last weekend I enjoyed a delightful reunion with a group of people I treasure. We stayed at an Airbnb with an outdoor pool – and a firepit. I LOVE a campfire, especially on a chilly October evening. So, of course, we kindled a fire every night and enjoyed its warmth. Someone dug a napkin out of the trashcan, sent the children to find small sticks, and with the help of a lighter, we began the slow process of going from a tiny flame to a fire capable of cooking our supper.

This morning in my devotional, I read Leviticus 6:12-13. “The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.”

It was an important job to tend the altar – the responsibility of the priest. That’s because the flame represented God’s presence to the people of Israel.

How easy it is to add a log to a hot bed of coals. In just a few moments, the flame reignites. But how difficult it is to build a fire by adding a log to cold ashes. Nothing happens at all. A new bed of kindling must be built – a source of fire must be reintroduced. The job of the priest was much easier, and the fire much brighter, if he tended to his job faithfully.

God no longer requires us to make animal sacrifices as part of our worship because Jesus sacrificed himself for us. Therefore, there’s no longer a fire in our church that needs to be tended.

Or is there?

God teaches us in the New Testament that when we believe in Jesus – choose to live our lives in obedience to Him – we become priests who offer spiritual sacrifices to God. He builds a fire within us that offers light and warmth to the world around us which draws others to the love of God.

How do we build that fire?

God himself builds that fire when we offer Him our lives. He requires his children to bring our own kindling – a splintered, broken heart that recognizes our need for cleansing from sin. Jesus brings the spark of forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit brings the crackling flame to life. Before long, a warm fire invites long talks with our Creator, Redeemer, and friend.

But when we don’t spend time there, the fire goes out.

Maybe it’s time for us to have our own reunion – each of us personally with our God. Bring your kindling. He’s been waiting there.

And tomorrow remember how much easier it is to add a log to a hot bed of coals….

 

Verses to study on this topic: I John 1:9; Psalm 51; Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 5:14-16; John 13:35; John 14:26; Hebrews 10:1-18; I Peter  2:4-5.

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Spring. Time to begin again. I know it’s June, but I’m just now doing some of the maintenance my flower beds have needed since the beginning of spring. I’m not sure why I put it off. It’s always a peaceful, rewarding job.

In April, my lilacs were budding profusely from the warm, wet weather in March. Then, unexpectedly, our area suffered four nights of frost. The temperature plummeted to 20 degrees.

Lilacs in full bloom after a four day freeze to their buds.The peonies were the biggest I’ve ever seen on my plants.

I was worried about my lilacs, and my peonies – fearing their buds would no longer bloom.  But when the weather warmed back up again, these hardy perennials bloomed brighter than ever before. I was astounded at their tenacity and their beauty.

But while I wasn’t paying attention, my beautiful rose bush in the front yard died.

It hadn’t turned green with leaves nor buds when the frost came – but evidently it was preparing to do so. The freeze took its life.

I’ve put off cutting it down, partially because I’ve been distracted by other things in my life, but mostly because it’s so discouraging. It was so beautiful last year.

Today, I finally decided to start the job. I trimmed the dead wood out of it’s neighboring smaller rose bushes, until I had no more excuses. One by one I cut off big branches of dead wood, until suddenly I uncovered two tiny sprigs of life coming from the base of the plant. Carefully cutting away all of the lifeless branches, I made way for the new life which struggled to begin again.

It’s going to begin again, after all!

What a joy it was to see the hope of the future.

As I often do, I came back inside contemplating the lessons of nature.

Some of us only paused during the pandemic. We worried about whether we’d make it through, but when it was over, we resumed blooming, brighter than ever before.

But some of us suffered greatly while no one watched.

There’s hope dear one. You have a Master Gardener who is not neglectful like me! He saw you and heard your cries. Jesus  knows all your needs. He will patiently help you begin again. Don’t give up.

Jesus, our Messiah, came to bring new life.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” Isaiah 61:1

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Dawn broke cold last Sunday morning, but I looked forward to the warmth of worship as I drove the four short blocks to church. A couple of hours later, when I walked back outside, the entire landscape had changed! While I sang inside, the moisture in the air and the frigid temperatures outside worked together to coat every single tiny branch with a layer of white ice. I felt like I had walked into a stunningly beautiful winter wonderland.

Each morning for the next four days, I awoke to more ice on the trees. The temperature stayed well below freezing, the sun refused to break through the clouds, and the forecast offered no hope of a break in the temperature for another week. The beauty of the ice began to look frightening and bring worry to my heart.

Thick ice covers the trees behind my house, causing them to bow dangerously low.

 

My backyard has two magnificent 70-foot trees. Each day, as more ice accumulated, the branches above my house hung lower and lower with the weight of the ice. What used to look so marvelously beautiful now threatened to break huge limbs out of these trees. I didn’t want to think about the damage it might cause to my house.

I began to pray, asking God to protect my home, and the home of my neighbor.

God heard my prayer.

Thursday morning, I awoke and meandered out to the living room. To my astonishment, sunlight streamed in my windows, spilling across the floor and onto my favorite chair. In grateful relief, I sat in the sunshine and soaked up its warmth. I have to admit that each day without the sun had become more and more difficult for me.  It’s a good thing I live in the Midwest because I couldn’t live in climates with lots of cloudy rainy weather. My motivation and emotional well being suffer without the sun.

I watched all day long, expecting the ice to fall in chunks from the trees. Even though the temperature stayed well below freezing, I still thought the ice would melt with the power of the sun.

It did not. I went to bed disappointed.

The next morning, I walked into the living room and peered out the window. Astonished, I stared at the brown branches of the trees. Where did the ice go? No signs of it lay in the yard. Instead, a new light snow covered the evidence. During the night, while I rested, God restored the world. He had been working all day long, I just couldn’t see the effects until morning.

Why am I telling you this story?

Because I couldn’t help but draw parallels to God’s interaction in my life. I desperately need the power of His love to shine in my life. Without it, I grow cold and icy. Oh yes, life might look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside, the weight of the enticing beauty of sin threatens to break me in two, wreaking destruction in the process.

But when God’s precious love breaks through, and I gaze into it, it melts me from the inside out. It doesn’t show for a while, but all of the sudden, people notice the difference. They might criticize that I’m just a brown, leafless tree at first, without the thrill of the icy exterior – but don’t worry, come spring everyone will be able to see the effects of a well-watered life, planted in the Son.

Another storm begins tonight, but thanks to God’s sunshine, my trees are ready.

How about you? Will you let the love of God’s Son melt away the ice in you before the next storm comes?

 

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

 

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Nothing warms my heart like campfires.

As the calendar turns to September, I’m looking forward to cool nights and warm campfires. I absolutely love to build a fire. I always challenge myself to successfully start it with only one match. Starting with a bit of paper or dry tree bark, I add some kindling, and continually feed it until it slowly builds and consumes the firewood. Some of my friends say I could do it much quicker with a little fire starter. True. LOL. But that would take the fun out of it.

For the first couple of years after the accident, I lived in a house with a fireplace. Every night I’d build a fire and watch it burn. In the quiet stillness by the crackling fire, God whispered many things to me. Often, he used the fire itself as an illustration. This week he reminded me of one of those lessons.

Try as you might, it’s nearly impossible to light only one log on fire and keep it burning. It takes two – and three is much preferred. With three logs crisscrossed, or leaning against each other, the fire will stay warm for a long time. If you decide you want to go to bed, you can roll them to opposite sides of the fire pit and the fire will die out before long. They simply need each other to stay ablaze.

Believers have a lot in common with campfires.

We need each other.

You can study the Bible for yourself for a while, but it will be difficult to stay with it in the long run unless you are also studying it with a group of people. With others, your faith can stay much stronger. And your understanding of the scriptures will grow when you sharpen your skills with another.

There’s good reason why God said, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25)

I know we have had to stay separated for a few months because of the pandemic. I’ve been thankful for the many technological options available to stay connected to each other and worship “together.” But as your area becomes able, please take the opportunity to get together to study the Bible and worship. It will refresh your soul. Don’t let the weeks of not attending church tempt you to stay watching online even after you are free to return. Where there are still restrictions, gather a small group of friends in your home. Open the Bible. Ask questions. See if you can find the answers together. Pray for each other.

I’ve been pondering how I can help you do that.

My game plan is to prepare a Bible study for you to do in your home with a few friends. With the aid of Zoom connecting all the small groups together, I’ll lead the study as a large group. Then I’ll give you questions to discuss with the people in your home. Please pray for me as I work out the logistics and prepare the study. I hope to also include an option for those who live alone and cannot gather with anyone due to health restrictions.

If you would like to be a part of this Bible study, or have questions, please email me. 

May the warmth of God’s love fill you with peace.

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Hope.

The definition for hope in the dictionary reads “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.” Let’s divide that definition in half.

“desire for a certain thing to happen”

There’s lots of things which I desire to happen. I hope to lose the weight I gained in quarantine! I think we can all agree that we hope that the Covid virus would come to an end. You may be hoping for a raise, or a better job, or to win the lottery. These are things we want to happen, whether or not we think there’s a fair possibility of it actually happening.

“a feeling of expectation”

Expectation adds an entirely different aspect to desire. To say I expect to get a raise means I may not know when it will be finalized, but I’m sure it’s coming. If I expect to lose weight, then I’m actually doing something that should produce those desired results in the near future.

When that feeling of expectation begins to die, we lose hope for the future. I’ve seen that look in the eyes of people lately. Conflicting information in the media leaves us feeling like we don’t know the truth anymore. Without intervention, hopelessness leads to despair. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

I have good news.

We can place our hope in a God who never changes, always loves us, and faithfully keeps His promises. He promised to forgive us when we turn away from wrong, to never leave us, and to prepare a place in heaven for us. I am placing my trust in God because He is the only one in control of the chaos around me. In fact, when I spend time with God in prayer, and read the Bible, I find myself filling back up with peace, hope, and even joy.

If you aren’t sure where to start, I’d love for you to use J.’s Bible Reading Plan or use my “Beginnings” Bible study from the book of Genesis to get you started. Start with this link and then continue through the archives to all 19 lessons. (They are posted in date order, so you will have to go to the end and work backwards.) Feel free to reach out to me with your questions. I’d love to encourage you in your journey.

So today, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

There’s hope!

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I don’t know about you, but I’ve sure gotten a lot done around my yard this year – much more than I ever accomplish. Now I’m not saying I finished everything, mind you. I could completely fill another twelve weeks of self-quarantine with various yard (and house) projects. The crazy thing is that by this time next year, you won’t be able to tell I did a thing. All the flower beds will be overgrown with baby trees and grapevine all over again. Outdoor work never goes away.

The work is important though, even if I have to do it all over again each season. If I don’t do it, the weeds take over the beautiful things.

Like my clematis vine. . .

My mother had a clematis outside her bedroom window. I loved to see it in full bloom. Each year it grew bigger, healthier, and even more beautiful. So, I planted one for myself several years ago. It struggled to grow. In fact, I honestly thought it died. Then, last year, I saw a single purple bloom among the weeds along the fence. That’s when I knew it was still there, quietly hiding behind my baby-tree-weeds. Thrilled, I cleaned out around it and waited to see what would happen.

It touched my heart to see it blooming this year. Mom would be so proud! It’s still small, but it had several big blooms on it. I wish I would have taken a picture of it while it was still in bloom, but here’s one from the internet. Isn’t it gorgeous? I think I want a whole bunch more.

Until I looked a little closer. . .

About the time the blooms began to fade, I looked a little closer at the plant. Right in the middle of the vine stood one of those pesky baby trees. It had been there all season apparently, maybe even since last year, because the vine was completely intertwined with the tree. The vine’s tiny tendrils wrapped themselves around the tree, using it as a means to climb.

Disgusted, I decided to clip the tree off at the ground so it would die, and I could help the vine attach better to the small trellis already there behind it. Well, as you might expect, as soon as I clipped the tree, the vine completely fell over. It had never attached to the trellis at all, so nothing held it up when I clipped its tree.

It took some time, but I carefully unwrapped each strand of vine from the branches of the tiny tree. Then I wound them around the strength of the trellis, tying them in place with a piece of string. Now it can grow on something that won’t outgrow and kill it.

What a perfect illustration. . .

As I worked, I thought about how perfectly this clematis vine illustrates people. We choose to cling to things that will hurt us in the end. Without paying attention, we find ourselves completely dependent before we realized what happened. When we wake up to the fact that we are caught in a losing situation and try to just cut ourselves away from it, we simply fall. But if someone will patiently help us reconnect to a good, solid source, then we can begin to bloom and succeed again.

God will happily do both things for us. He can disconnect us from the things which will hurt us. And He’s patient enough to do the tedious work. When He’s finished, we can rest in his solid strength, confident He will lead us the right way, and give us everything we need to grow and bloom.

 

Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. . . Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 15:1-2,4-5

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When God does the inexplicable.

Spring 2020. It’s a season few of us will ever forget.

Instead of baseball team practice, more dads played catch in the backyard with their sons. Rather than going to school as normal, many teachers sat at tables in their kitchens with laptops open trying to engage students who would rather be playing a video game. Instead of attempting to get each family member to their evening event or meeting, families tried to remember how to cook. Many extended families were separated by miles and travel restrictions instead of being together during a crisis. Instead of visiting in nursing home rooms with aging parents, adult children gathered around windows to wave and encourage best they could. Our normal expectations of getting over the flu in a few days were demolished when the illness sapped strength and stamina for an entire month, sometimes leading to a lonely extended hospital stay, or even death. Some families found rest and renewal, while others faced unexpected depression or anger.

Normal no longer existed. Some good changes, some horrible changes.

Amidst all of that change, the weather followed suit. Four days of below freezing weather came in mid-April. We woke to sheets of ice on the flower beds. My hyacinths froze in place.

 

Of course they did.

But in the backyard, my tulips continued to bloom.

If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it. The first day I didn’t think anything of it. I figured they were frozen in place. But when the temperature returned to normal during the day, and they were still standing, I thought I’d go investigate. I touched them. They were soft and delicate. When the second round of freezing nights came, I thought sure they were gone. But no, instead of freezing, they still stood, quietly blooming.

 

When a bud opened to reveal a new tulip, I couldn’t believe my eyes.  God did the inexplicable.

Why?

Because He wanted to remind me that He can do anything.

Whatever you are facing, don’t lose hope. God is still in control. He loves you, and He cares what is happening to you. His love is inexplicable. Don’t stop praying. Don’t stop believing. He will make all things beautiful, in His time.

Of course it reminded me of a song. In His Time by Maranatha.  I hope you will listen to it and ponder God’s inexplicable love for you.

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