Love Thy Ninevite

Found a journal entry, written in the last days of 2008.

For me, this is a new frontier of forgivenness I’m called to.

I hear a lot about how now we will be able to love well and

more effectively, now that we have a new president, now

that somehow something is in the water and will allow

us to find the best of ourselves.

I’ve lived a while now, and seen a lot of things that

have changed for the better, and others for the worse.

Most of all, I see the same people trying to do the same

things….be the best person they can in a world that

pushes hard against humility, sacrifice and bending the

knee.

Love your enemies.

Love those who despise you because you love Me.

Love and forgive, over and over until it seems impossible

then do it again.

That’s the message of Jesus…the message of I Corinthians

13.  We have faith hope and love…but love is the greatest

of all.  Because love is the core of God’s heart, and what

took His Son to the cross.

Love.

Love the ones who spit and rant and rail and call others

unenlightened Jesus freaks…

Love the ones who hurt those who are helpless and for

saken…

Love the ones who are arrogant and look down their noses…

Love the ones who don’t want to receive love.

That’s the call.

In my journal I wrote, “Everything I know of God, of Christ,

of the Holy Spirit is about love.  Everything I have stacked my

deck of cards on is about His love.  Everything about the be autiful

tatters of this world and the promise of the one to come is birthed

in His love.

God’s love coming, coming, coming and calling, calling, calling.

Redeeming, restoring, forgiving..bloody, real, here, there

and forever—for all who will receive.

I must try to live out a breath of this love I have been given.

HIS love.

To press down hard to forgive further, to pray for my enemies,

the Ninevites Jonah took the message of God’s love to restore.

To embrace the cross is to embrace those who know not what they

do. 

As I know not why I do so much of the time.

No room for rock thowing from my hands.

I must continue on the journey to love, love well,

love when it makes no sense, because loving me makes

no sense.

That’s the glory of my Jehovah God, and my risen Jesus.

A love that makes no sense and is the most real truth in all

the world.

Silence, not always golden

Now that the election saga has officially ended and some time has passed, I find myself looking in the mirror and asking some hard questions.  They aren’t questions about our next president, what he will or will not do, who will be in his cabinet, whether or not the stock market will stabilize and how old I’ll be when things calm down….

Things of personal substance seem to leap out more than ever.  What really matters?  What are the treasures this side of heaven no government can touch or take away?  What do I follow hard after?

What have I said that will have eternal purpose?
What battles are worth the fight?

The Freedom of Choice Act may be put before a new administration next year. This extremely important legislation could easily be lost in the barrage of ongoing news and endless sream of ‘what ifs’.  Bot it got this tall girl’s attention.  If passed, the FOCA would remove all restrictions for any abortion, anywhere by any woman in the US, without parental notification, and the tax payer would be involved in paying for the procedure.  Procedure.  Here I find again a ‘politically correct’ word.

A more accurate word would be PARTICIPATION in the procedure

of murder.

No more.

We would all be paying for murder.

My confession is one of giving up.  For years I’ve mourned the practice of abortion in our nation. For a while, I was actively vocal about alternative choices for young mothers.  I give money to organizations that offer help and adoption, education, support and the arms of God for brave women who choose to bring a child into this world regardless of how it was conceived.

But over time, “Roe vs. Wade” has loomed as a mountain that will never crumble.  And my heart has fallen prey to giving up, shrugging my shoulders with a ‘this will never change, and we live in a country where choices are free’ resignation.

No more.

The FOCA threw cold water into my defeated soul and I fell on my knees to repent anew for the ongoing slaughter of innocent children in America.  The gag order on my lips has been lifted.  I will speak out and I will pray more fervently for the leaders of our government and courts to stop this horror.

Touring the Holocaust Museum in D.C. was a forever experience.  I moved from tears, rage, anger to unspeakable grief.  I recall the profound silence when I took the tour…the shared reverence among a group of strangers honoring the horror of so much suffering.

I’ve heard myself say, “Well, as bad as things are, at least we aren’t gassing people,

or throwing them to the lions for sport.  At least there aren’t reality shows that kill

for entertainment….”

But I realize that the Holocaust in Europe which took millions of innocent people, not even a century ago, continues here…with a new face.  It’s sanitized now.  It’s legal.  In the sterile offices of doctors across our nation 50 million babies, human lives have been taken.  WIth the approval of our Supreme Court.  With the approval of a culture demanding ‘choice’.  With a church that does little to speak out.  With people like me who give up.

NO MORE!

I certainly am not one for bombing clinics ro using violence to fight a violent act. But it’s time to speak out intelligently, to hope again that prayer does change hearts, that even if I’m uncomfortable in christian circles (baffling as that may be) I will not, cannot be silent about this any longer.

BECOME informed about the Freedom of Choice Act.  Google the thing!  The irony is that it gives no choice whatsoever to the unborn child…not fetus…child.

I’m sick to death of christians arguing that abortion is not the issue when we have soldiers dying on a battlefield.  Both are heartbreaking.  But at least the soldier had a chance to live…and the choice to choose to serve in the military!  AT least they had the chance to walk this earth, intentional children of God every one!  War does not justify killing the unborn.

Sin does not justify more sin.

I’ve wondered how long the Lord would bear the blood of millions of babies crying out for an end to this 21st century Holocaust.

It’s time.

NO MORE.  This is a battle worth praying, fasting, writing, pleading and  going the distance for.

Silence is not always golden.

The “Seabiscuit” CPA Volleyball 8 of 08

The CPA volleyball team in Nashville Tennessee was not expected to make it past the first district elimination round. That was before one of their strongest players, Cameron Foltz lost her momma, Vickie, who died suddenly on Oct 10th. CPA shared the shock, grief tears and mourning with the Foltz family, holding vigil at the hospital and prayers through the day and night. Ironically, CPA had agreed to host the district games at their school.
Everyone dreaded the week where they would have funerals and volleyball matches
to face. Cameron chose to play with her team. It has been one of the most powerful, holy ground experiences I’ve ever witnessed. These girls came together to be strong for Cameron. The stands filled with students screaming her name. Game by game the girls push themselves beyond what they believe possible and have asked God to give them His strength.

Win by win they have made CPA history and now they will play for the statechampionship next week in Murfreesboro. It’s a Seabiscuit/Cinderella story. It’s watching a gym become a cathedral. It’s a story none of us will ever forget.

Watching these moments, watching these girls, watching my daughter’s life

experience and skills as a volleyball athlete be used so redemptively as a coach.

It reminds me there are eternal, hallowed moments no one can ever take away.

Our memories and experiences of God’s mercy will never be robbed.

In light of what we face in the upcoming months in our country, this is a sweet

unexpected gift.

Soli deo Gloria.

View From The Ryman Debate from this native Nashville girl

 

Last night Courtney and I went to the Ryman (free tickets!) to watch the Presidential candidates debate.

 

It was a powerful feeling to be sitting in the Ryman, a former church, with

my precious daughter who is so full of the newness of seeing the debate

happen in her hometown, and right in the middle of the excitement.

 

In the scheme of things that don’t matter, we expected trays of great food

to be offered up….NADA, nothing.  Had to buy a diet coke and eat some

popcorn!~  (Once you came in the building there was a sign that made it

clear you could not leave–make a dash to Panera –and return.)

Big night for Belmont University and they played it up big.

Big night for Nashville and it was cool to see the Ryman balcony draped

in flags that looked like they might have been used 100 years ago.

 

We were in center seats, mid-section on the main floor.  Three screens

aired the pre-show from C-Span so we saw the before activity.  Lots of

thank yous and officials of the debate system, president of Belmont, etc.

Spanning the audience of the people watching at the Curb Center Al

Gore and Tipper were acknowledged to a thunderous, standing ovation.

 

Then the debate finally started.

That’s when the wonder at being a part of this historic night turned a

corner.

 

It was not until the candidates spoke that I realized how my home town

represents the tearing apart of this nation.  There was no way to prepare

for the shouting and yelling from the Obama supporters in the room.

And I’m not describing cheers of encouragement and excitement.

I’m talking about screams of derision and making fun of Senator McCain

when he spoke.

Explosions of hate-filled comments from sectors of the room that just

made me so deeply sad.

 

Courtney and I left 3/4 of the way through in search of good food

and to get away from the people around us who could not watch the

debate without angry, ugly comments.

 

It’s one thing to have a healthy disagreement.

It’s quite another to hear the people of your hometown spewing venom.

 

Really unsettling.

 

Whatever happens in this election I will pray for whoever is in office.

Whatever happens in this election our nation needs to find common ground

in humility.

Whatever happens next we will need each other, not to turn on each other,

but to find a way to get through what the future holds.

 

My heart broke a bit.  I grieve the loss of patriotism, the loss of respect for

the office of president, the loss of what our country once was.

I grieve the ever-growing divide between right and wrong.

I grieve the ever-growing government that was never meant to play the role

of parent to the people.

I grieve the state of my country.

 

But I have to say, as for me and my house, we will continue to serve the Lord.

We will not look to any political party to be our ‘god’ or ‘alpha and omega’.

We will hold onto what we know is truth.

 

In Jesus always we do continually and confidently hope.

volleyball daughters rock

my tall girl developed a passion for volleyball when she was in middle school.

being a clueless mom about most sports i couldn’t understand when she

begged me to let her just be the ‘water girl’ for the team.  Several years later

on a full volleyball/academic scholarship Courtney’s love for the sport had

totally taken me over.  my tall 6′1″ beauty now coaches the middle school

team where she began….full circle. They won the HVC district this week!

tall girls are good for a lot of things….one of them is having tall volleyball

daughters who rock!

bonnie keen