Devotions: A thought

I know this isn't some radical new thought, but it has gotten my attention this last week. 

This world exists in tension, between heaven and hell, faith and fear, trust and doubt, relationship with God or denial of Him. 

I have been listening to the radio lately, and no, not the Christian radio station. There are a few songs on the radio that speak to the sad and deep longing in the soul, but also to the desires of humanity to be able to do what they want. And those songs are haunting, and beautiful, and touch something inside of me. Life is the tension between what the world offers and what we have through salvation in Jesus Christ. Immediate desires versus our eternal lives in community with the Creator of the universe. What would make us think that the same God that created the world and all that we desire within it would make a heaven any less awesome? 

Our salvation is not the end of the story. We aren't Disney Princesses where the curtain falls at the happily ever after. Salvation is our Happily Ever After moment, it guarantees our place in heaven with him. But after that moment, there are struggles and fights, failings, faults, sins. The world is tempting, it's allures are designed to distract us. I do think however that we need to acknowledge our fears and failings, our doubts, our desires for the things in the world, the beauty that is around us. Maybe Christian music spends too much time taking about salvation and not enough time in minor keys, and mournful chords. We are allowed to be honest with God. He knows that we live in this tension and he has sent us The Holy Spirit, not to solve our problems, but to be our comforter, because we feel pain, and our encourager because we feel desire, fear, and doubt. 

As I said, this isn't a new idea or thought, but we should strive to remember that life happens between salvation and righteousness. And even though it's messy, it's worth the struggle. 

Christmas

There is a song by Pentatonix called "That's Christmas to Me" which has gotten me thinking. What defines Christmas for me? So in a nutshell - here you go!

1. Jesus: From setting up the nativity scene (which got changed around every couple hours when I was little) to Christmas eve service with the candlelight Silent Night and remembering the importance of His birth, Christmas has been centered on my families faith in Jesus and his impact on our lives. 

2. Family: Traditions abound! 

                  We always picked our tree from a u-cut tree place the weekend after Thanksgiving. We would go out, bundled, usually in the rain (yay Western Washington!) and the five of us (and the dog) would go pick out a tree. We never took very long, we are a pretty decisive family, but the trip out, the tree shaker, and the apple cider along with the candy cane on the way out of the tree farm was the first excitement of the season! (The tree farm we went to also had signs on the way in and out - they always said the same thing but we three kids all read them in a chorus each year anyway). 

                   The storage for our Christmas decorations was accessed through my bedroom growing up, and I always had to clear away my stuff, pull open the door and crawl in on hands and knees to pull out the boxes and boxes of decorations. That began our day of playing Christmas music, setting up of outdoor lights and decorating the tree. 

                    Mom always took us three girls out to buy our presents for Dad. That included lunch out and a whole day wandering the mall, counting how many people each of us knew and seeing who won our makeshift Christmas popularity contest. 

                    Dad would then take each of us girls out on a Daddy daughter date. This is a tradition I kept even into  my first year of marriage. I appreciated that one on one time shopping for mom and the Baskin Robbins 2 scoop hot fudge sundae with at least one scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, nuts and a cherry. 

                    Christmas cookies. This one has evolved over the years. When I was younger, we used to go to my Grammie's house and decorate sugar cookies, ending up with dozens of cookies with varying degrees of artistic talent stored in our freezer for Christmas treats. Then, it turned into a more varied endeavor starting when my Grandma would come over for a few days and we would spend it making ginger cookies, spritz, snickerdoodles, chocolate chip cookies with red and green chips etc. Now, my Mom, my Aunt, and my sisters and I make our own collection of cookies together every year, a tradition that I cherish for the crazy antics that we all get into, and the delicious results of our labor. And for the fact that I get four to six different kinds of cookies while only having to make one of them (I make the Krumkake). 

                    Christmas Eve was spent together as a family, going to church, dressing up, and then anxiously awaiting the next morning. 

                    Christmas morning is Hot Chocolate, Santa presents, Stockings, watching the dog check out each and every present, wrapping paper balls thrown at Dad (the keeper of the trash bag) and mounds of presents laid out. This was followed by breakfast, showers, and then the re-laying out of presents on made beds so that everyone who came over in the afternoon could examine and ooh and aah over our haul. 

                     Christmas afternoon included pool, lots of food, laughter and family. By seven o'clock we were usually conked out on the couch watching someone's Christmas present movie and thoroughly sated. 

                     These past few years have changed our traditions as we are all getting married and have our own houses. I can't wait to see what new traditions we make for ourselves!

3. The Christmas Excitement: Christmas eve has never been a particularly easy to sleep night. All growing up my sister and I had adjacent rooms in the basement, and often we would talk through the wall to each other before giving up and getting up, spending time playing cards or talking. We would sometimes fall asleep around midnight, but then by about two thirty in the morning I would find myself awake again. I was always so excited I couldn't sleep. But I would BEG to sleep. I would pray, on my knees, asking God to help me sleep so it could be Christmas morning already! I even remember one year grabbing my cd player and listening to music hoping that it would help turn off my mind. 

Christmas is God, Family, and Excitement. It is a time of year where joy fills the air, generosity is more important than what you receive and everyone takes time to spend time with each other. Now that we have all grown up it is harder and harder to make time to spend with each other. Christmas gives us multiple opportunities and we take advantage of every one. 

Jesus is the reason for Christmas. His birth is the reason that we can be with God, but I'm glad that his birth gives us a reason to celebrate, and to spend time in joyous giving and receiving, in laughter and ridiculous antics, in relationship not only with our God, but with each other. 

Devotions: A Look at Hope

How many times have you seen the words "Jesus is the reason for the season". It's ironic how cliche Christianity can get, words and phrases repeated that mean everything and yet nothing at the same time. Jesus is the reason for the Christmas season, but why? Not because we want people to take their focus from presents, or to think about the true meaning of Christmas (although that would be wonderful) but because this is a celebration of our salvation, the hope that should drive our lives - EVERY part of our lives. Jesus isn't just the reason for Christmas, he should be the reason we get up in the morning, tie our shoes, go about our days. Jesus represents the hope of an eternity with our Lord, Jesus represents the hope of a future, the hope of a life spent with Him.

So in reality, the saying should go "Jesus is the reason for my life" but that doesn't rhyme. But life isn't always pretty, it doesn't always rhyme, it doesn't always wrap itself up into a nice little bow. Think about the story of our saviors birth - born to a teenage, unwed virgin whose fiance needed to be convinced via divine intervention (angel) that he should even stay engaged to her. She has a baby in a city she's never been to, in a stable. Jesus is born after a journey that must have been extraordinarily painful for her, physically, emotionally, spiritually. Mary's life doesn't wrap up neatly. She probably didn't ever have that calm and profound moment that is pictured in every nativity scene ever made. But the birth of Jesus represents something for Mary, for Joseph, and for their entire nation of Israel - Hope.

Christmas is the season of hope. And Jesus is our hope, our only hope:

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:1-5

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

Without Jesus we wouldn't even know how to hope, or what to hope for. Israel was the only nation chosen by God and what did they hope for? The Messiah. Well, he had come, he has risen, and he is seated at the right hand of his father! Jesus is now our hope and our everything. Through Him we can come to the father, we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit, we have purpose and peace and salvation. We can live eternally in the presence of the Lord because of Jesus.

Jesus is hope. Hope for a better tomorrow, that life isn't meaningless, that we have purpose, that we were created for a reason and that reason is to be in relationship with a God who doesn't need us, but who loves us because that is who He is. Hope.

This Christmas, take the time to think about Jesus, and what that Hope means in your life.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."  Romans 15:13

Devotions: Life of Moses Exodus 35:1-40:38

"Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up." Exodus 40:36-37

I feel like the story of the Israelites through Exodus could so easily be the story of any persons life. You spend time in constant circles of doubt, confidence in your own strength, failure, trust in God, and then spiritual mountaintop experiences followed by drinking the ash of your idols. Life is a journey, and God wants to be our navigator.

Like Moses, I've told God that I don't have the skills that He needs to accomplish what he desires.
Like the Israelites, I have failed to trust God's promises even if he has recently proven himself in my life.
Like the Elders and Aaron, I have led others astray by compromise within my own life.
Like Moses, I have leaned on God and asked for forgiveness.
Like the Israelites I have shown genuine repentance.

And mercifully, like the tabernacle, I have God in the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of me, with me. God is so good, so loving, so merciful and kind, but he is also the holy and righteous God, the ruler of creation and the only righteous judge. Israel had a bumpy journey through the first year, rescued from Egypt, taken into the arms of a jealous God whom they had very little experience with. Making promises they could not keep, and then failing in them. But they came to the realization that they could not make this journey without the Lord. They repented, they asked God to forgive them and dwell among them again. And when He did, they followed Him. Literally, they followed Him. When the cloud was taken up, they followed after it, when the cloud stayed put, they stayed put.

I don't have a physical cloud to follow. I can't point towards the sky and say, "God want's me to go that way" but I do have his word, and I have his spirit. I have direction and I have a way of learning his desires and will for my life. I have set out on my own, I have created idols, I have told God that he doesn't know what is best for my life, but that doesn't work out. God is a jealous God. He is jealous of the love of his creation. He deserves our undivided attention, our ability to put the world away and focus on Him. He wants to lead us to the promised land. Yes, it takes a lifetime to get there, but he knows the way. He knows how best to keep us out of danger, away from the wild animals, away from the nations that would destroy us. He knows how best to bless our lives, or how best to protect us - whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

Thank you Lord for giving us your word. For mirroring even in this old story, both your plan for the world through your son and the journey that you want to take us on. Lord, you alone are worthy of all of our praise and our admiration. Thank you for giving us your Holy Spirit to dwell among us. May I only ever depart when you are leading, and be content to stay put when you tell me to wait.

Devotions: Life of Moses Exodus 33:7-34:35

"The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin'" Exodus 34:6-7a

A God merciful and gracious. How true is that, a God who in the midst of these stiff-necked people, in the midst of their pride, is willing to forgive because of their repentance and Moses' intercession. What a beautiful picture of his mercy to us through Jesus. After everything we have done, after everything He knows we will do, are continuing to do, he extends His forgiveness. A God of steadfast love and faithfulness. He will not neglect His people. This is the God who threatened to kill the Israelites not a few verses ago, who offered Moses the spot as the patriarch of a new nation. And here He is, naming himself, giving us the attributes that will also describe our salvation.

He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. And I am so grateful to Him for the gift of salvation, of relationship and of His word, so that I can know His character, and who He is. The  LORD, forgiving us for all that we have done against Him. 

Thank you. 

Devotions: Life of Moses Exodus 32:1 - 33:6

Have you ever been caught in a situation where you know that you did something wrong? Where your mom, dad, best friend, husband, wife, sister, boss, whoever is looking at you and asking a question and you know that the answer that you have will disappoint or place the blame squarely on your shoulders? Have you ever hedged your story? Changed details, or left things out because it would cast you in an unflattering light? Do you realize that you can't lie to an Omnipotent and Omnipresent God?

Exodus 32:23-24 "For they said to me, "Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." So I said to them, "Let any who have gold take it off." So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf"

The Israelites have just been delivered by God in power numerous times. They have stood at the base of the mountain and God has spoken to them. They have agreed to a covenant that expressly says you shall have no other gods. Aaron, his sons, and the elders of Israel have all had a personal encounter with God! And here they are, a few chapters later (forty days later) worshiping a golden calf. Now, I don't know if the calf was made to represent the god that they felt had delivered them, or whether they were creating a god out of whole cloth, but regardless they were breaking the commandment.

So, God sees this (because, oh I don't know, he's all-seeing and all-knowing) and Moses comes down the mountain and he and God are angry. Righteously indignant. Here Moses was receiving commandments from God, and they weren't even obeying the first one! So he confronts Aaron. Aaron blames the people first saying they made him. Then, he says the golden calf just "came out" of the fire.

His details seem a little bit fuzzy. Like maybe he left out a few to make himself look better to Moses. It was peer pressure! I didn't mean to! It just happened! They made me do it! If I hadn't done it something worse could have happened!

These sound vaguely familiar, like something I would tell myself or others to justify my actions or to defend myself, or even to cover something that I don't want fully revealed. In our society, we call them 'white lies' or 'lies of omission'. But that doesn't change what they are. Moses's solution was to make them eat the golden calf. They literally bore their sin inside of them. What do we call it when we get caught in a lie? Putting our foot in our mouth?

I think that we all recognize when we are at fault, when we need to own up, confess our sins and ask for forgiveness. Let's stop passing the blame and start taking responsibility for our own sin in front of God and others. We have already broken his commandments, all we have left to fall on is his grace.

Devotions: Life of Moses Exodus 25-31

All I can say after reading this passage is Thank You Lord Jesus! This is a hard few chapters to get through. I appreciate the detail, how the Lord makes sure that his tabernacle is made very specifically so that the people could approach him. I appreciate the fact that he asks for skilled laborers, whom HE has given the skill. He is specific and he blesses the people through skill and through his presence. Here he also asks for a love offering.

Think about this offering for a minute. The Lord has given all of the gold and jewels, linens and animals to the Israelites by having them find favor with the Egyptians as they left Egypt. Now he is asking for a portion back to build his tabernacle. Isn't this just a picture of what we are to do every time we tithe? We too should recognize we only have what we do by the providence of God and that we are stewards until that time when God should require it back from us - in this case to build the temple. In my case? It could be the next missionary to come to our church, the organization down the road, or even the person next door who needs a meal. God has given in abundance and so should we.

But the thing that strikes me the most is the precision with which everything has to be done. The incense (prayers of the saints - isn't that so cool!) is to be lit, the blood sprinkled so that the Lord sees the repentance and blood before he sees the law, the atonement seat, the curtains that Jesus later tore.

I am so glad that we no longer have to look to the rituals and sacrifices to approach God, but rather our bodies are the temple and we have the Holy Spirit inside of us.

How much more does that mean we should take care of it? How much more does that mean that we should take care to treat it like the Lord wants his temple or tabernacle treated, with reverence? We should still approach him with reverence, and with confession and covered in the sacrifice of Christ. But I am so grateful that I can approach my Lord without robes, blood, incense and an ark.

Devotions: Life of Moses Exodus 21-24

Laws. Laws, laws, laws and more laws. Here, outlined in detail, is THE LAW, or at least, the beginning of it. This is what Jesus came, not to abolish but to fulfill. Shouldn't we be acquainted with it? Listen to what it says? These are things that we hope to abide by still, some are culturally contextual, but all can be related to our daily lives and problems. These are laws about relating to each other, dealing with other sinful people, and laws about remembering and worshiping our God.

The part of this passage that made me excited though, came at the end. In chapter 24 Moses comes down the mountain, the people agree to obey all that the Lord says and Moses sprinkles them with blood. They have been cleansed, a sin offering has been offered and they have come into relationship, covenant relationship, with the Lord. So what happens next?

"Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank." Exodus 24:9-11 - I added the italics.

Hello. Woah. Can anyone say AMEN!!

They were cleansed with the blood of an oxen, or two or however many, became a part of the covenant and saw God. And then, like it's no big deal, ate and drank with him.

This is going to become a broken record moment for me, but I don't know how many times I have read Exodus and missed that the elders saw God and then had a meal. How significant is that? What are we going to do when we finally see God? The wedding feast of the bridegroom? What a picture! With the paving stones of sapphire stone? God allows these men to see him in his splendor, to get a glimpse of heaven and more importantly, to have a communal, relational moment with him and with their people.

God is a God of relationships, both through the law and how to treat each other and then through the covenant in relationship with us. Now, we are no longer under that covenant. After all, if you are anything like me, you are part of the gentile majority that would have been excluded from this opportunity. No, thanks to Jesus we have a new covenant in His blood. Now, instead of having to sacrifice oxen to get a glimpse of heaven, we agree to obey and become a part of his covenant through our acceptance of Christ and then we get the assurance that one day, we too will get a feast in the presence of the Lord.

Thank you Exodus for giving us such a picture of our father and his splendor and glory. He let them see him, and then, they ate and drank in his presence. Oh how I am looking forward to that day in heaven.

Devotions: Life of Moses Exodus 19-20

This passage was an interesting one to try and pull from. The ten commandments have been etched into my memory from the time I was very young. We even had a picture in our bathroom growing up that had them all listed out. I have heard many sermons on the subject and read the passage numerous times. It was even touched on in my general theology class in college. The ten commandments are something that I feel like I understand. 

So, when I read chapter 19 and 20, and watched the Israelites prepare themselves, consecrate themselves, say to the Lord that they would hold up there end of the deal - obey His voice and keep His covenant - I was touched by something I hadn't attributed to the commandments before. 

Exodus 20:18-21 "Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, they stood far off and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die." Moses said to the people, "Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin." The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was."

This little passage comes after they have received the commandments, and they say to Moses - hey! We don't want to come close to God, after all, he may kill us! What a crises of conscience! What sort of conviction must they have been feeling to have heard those commands and thought, oh, no, we shouldn't go anywhere near God, because we deserve death. And Moses responds telling them that the fear they are feeling, the reverence and the justified fear of the wrath of God should be before them, to help them to keep from sinning. 

How often do we truly see this aspect of God, how often to we let the fear of God stay before us? I think God has become too soft when we speak of Him. Yes, he is the God of Love, the God who created the world and sent his son to die for us. But he is also the God of righteous wrath and judgment. He will judge us one day, and just as the Israelites did at Mt. Sinai, I have a feeling that we will be trembling. And why wouldn't we be? Which of us has kept all of the ten commandments? Even the first one is hard in any culture. How can we truly say that we have always put God ahead of any of our own pursuits or idols? We can't. That is the beauty of the grace of God and the forgiveness of sin, but I do not think it is inappropriate to keep the fear of God in front of us. 

Maybe if we think each moment that the Holy God of the Universe, the one who was and is and is to come, the alpha and omega who loves us infinitely and wants nothing more than our obedience and love in return is standing right before us, maybe we will react to things differently. Just picture what the Israelites are seeing here. The presence of God in a huge cloud, lightning and darkness surrounding the mountain. Of course they were terrified of the physical manifestation of God, but they are also terrified of the spiritual judgment of God. 

I know that I have been saved by grace through faith by the death of my Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. I know that he was raised on the third day and that he welcomes all who believe in him and accept Him as their savior. I know that I have received the Holy Spirit in my heart, so that I can daily become more like Him. And if I have the Holy Spirit with me, although it is no smoking mountain, I have the power that created that smoking mountain with me at all times. Shouldn't I be living with the fear of the Lord before me at all times? In reverent awe of Him? Obeying all of his commands because He is the Lord of Creation and deserves my everything?

NaNoWriMo Countdown 3 days

To the High Consul of the Court, the Mage Jennan,

My friend, it is never an easy thing to write to someone about the death of a family member, but I think you will allow me a little joy in telling you that your brother Britten is dead. Captain Phaius has written to tell me that he destroyed the tower while he was still in it, and that only after they had dug him out and destroyed any wards still on his being were they truly satisfied. I fear however, that this magical feud is not over. What a sad beginning to such an amazing blessing.

Jennan, I urge you to bring your family and establish yourself in the court once more.  The time for open experimentation is over. Our naivety has brought this upon ourselves. Let us steward this magic with the best knowledge we have and establish the regulations to keep ourselves away from the trap of madness which Britten has fallen victim to. No more will we allow magic to run rampant through our culture. It must be taught, it must be regulated. 

Jennan, you must agree, something must be done.

Sora sends her best wishes to you and your family and we look forward to uniting our families once more. Let us establish a guild of mages Jennan, let us lead magic where we need it to go, not react to where it has taken us.

His majesty the King,

Tairen

NaNoWriMo Countdown 4 days

Jennan,

After you left your King betrayed us. He has sent his guard to destroy me. You must be next. It’s all a ploy to get our power. You know that. We are the ones that should be in control. We are the ones with the power. Tairen knows that, he’s always known that. I see that he has read enough of your missives to know how magic works. They are taking down my wards one by one and they are sharp-eyed about it. But I am not lacking in supply and I am creating my ballroom Jennan, with our without you I will create it.

I meant to send what I wrote above, but now, it would seem, dear brother that your family loyalty is in question. I guess that I was not meant to send a letter to you until now. The men have received a letter from a certain white winged conjuring that I recognize. You never were the brightest of us children. Mother would be so ashamed, after all the work she put into legitimizing magic, showing the capital that what her and Grandmother did was a gift from God and not a thing to be waved aside. We have turned this into an art-form!

And here, in the midst of an incredible leap forward, you have turned traitor against me! Does not God require sacrifices Jennan? Who are you to demand that I stop making them! Which of us is truly holy? You? With your limestone powder and chamomile leaves or me? Who with a single fingertip can destroy this entire structure?

Britten

NaNoWriMo Countdown 5 days

To the Captain of the King’s Guard, Phaius,

Captain, I hope that this letter finds you prepared for things unimaginable. Britten has certainly gotten worse than I suspected in the short time that I have been away. I hope that he is the only one exploring the use of this blood magic, but our experiments have never been a secret.

Mages fighting each other might seem appropriate to you, but I tell you it is the opposite. If I were to confront my brother magically it would go in his favor. My magic is one of preparation and time, his is impulsive and violent. Magic is meant to help and heal, not for combat. My brother’s perversion is just that and I cannot help you other than to give advice.

Educate all of your men. Do not stand in any patterns on the ground, no matter how innocent looking. Pebbles in a line are likely some sort of magical device. Anything that looks like blood should be scattered from its original position to disrupt the magic it is weaving. Once you see my brother you will need to close in on him. He will likely have a few wards on his person.

I would keep him talking, he loves to rant about his achievements, but don’t allow your men to stop looking for his patterns.

I wish you God-speed and many blessings Captain. He gave us this gift and my brother has turned it into a curse. May the Lord be on your side in all things.

High Consul of the Court,

Jennan

Devotions: Life of Moses Exodus 15:22-18:27

As I read through the passage this week, I was struck by the grumbling of the Israelites and the patience of the Lord. The Israelites, scarce days outside of their captivity, complain about thirst, and then hunger, and then thirst again. I find myself judging them. How could they so quickly forget about the provision of the Lord? Did he not say he would bring them to the promised land? Moses’s reaction is right, he prays and cries out to the Lord and he provides, first turning the water sweet, then bringing quail and manna and finally bringing water out of a rock. The Lord does not chastise them, Moses does not chastise them. Their need is simply provided for as Moses cries out in faith for God to provide.

The Israelites do not even thank God. They seem to just move on. Their needs have been met. No songs are sung, no celebrations or burnt offerings are made. It doesn’t even say that they worshipped Him. In addition to their lack of repentance for their small faith, they take each complaint to the extreme: “and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’” Exodus 16:3; “But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?’” Exodus 17:3.

I love Moses’s response as he cries out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people?” Exodus 17:4. I can relate with this as I read this. How can this people complain, Moses is thinking, didn’t you show them your power Lord? How can they still doubt?

But Moses, oh Moses, he isn’t that far from his own complaints. He himself complained about his “faltering lips” quite a few times. Now the man who complained in his own doubts, is dealing with the people’s lack of faith.

This turns my attention to myself and my faith and trust in God’s promises. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time that I have had this type of epiphany. Last year, studying Matthew, I was struck by how the disciples were told over and over about Christ’s death, three days in the tomb and resurrection, and yet they didn’t expect it. Here Moses and the Israelites have been shown the power of God, and yet when God makes a promise, the Israelites find it hard to trust in Him.

My life is a series of these pitfalls. I have never seen the Lord turn water into blood, or make an entire land covered in darkness, but I have seen his miracles in my own life and those of other believers. I have seen his provision, his protection, I have felt his presence. So why do I doubt? There are moments in which my stress levels are unreasonable for a follower of Christ. He never promised an easy life, but he did promise the outcome. I should have faith that he will bring me there in his will and his timing. My grumbling, my complaints, my exasperated cries of “why did you bring me to this place!” need to stop. My faith needs to be in my eternal savior, the creator of the world who loved me enough to call me child.

How have you grumbled in your circumstances against God? How will you lean on him and trust him today? 

NaNoWriMo Countdown 7 days

To the High Consul of the Court, the Mage Jennan,

My friend, I am afraid that I have upset the balance in your brother’s mind and made myself an enemy. Your brother’s letter to you was very revealing and I dispatched the King’s guard to put a stop to this experimentation at once. I should have listened to your advice when you said you should be the one to go back. I hope that by now you have safely rejoined your family.

The staff in your tower has been decimated. My guard reports that he has killed all of them, and hired out for new. Most of the local villagers are too afraid to resist, and according to my captain, he is using magic to trap them and then draining them for more material. This cycle is madness and he has turned away from being your brother or my friend. As you instructed before you left I have equipped each of my guards with a way to destroy the patterns, but the tower itself seems to shake when they encounter a new one.

If Britten is as powerful as you say then we may have a battle on our hands. A battle fueled by magic, my fingers tremble just writing it. So few of us can even practice this new art, and we are still figuring out how it works! What am I supposed to do with a rogue mage? Arrows seem useless and my soldiers are terrified that their deaths will only provide him with more material.

I plead only for your advice. I do not want to involve you in destroying your brother, but I desperately need your help. Others in the kingdom are starting to take notice and it will not be long, I think, before this magic becomes a plague of uncertainty across the land.

I await your response.

His majesty the King,

Tairen

NaNoWriMo Countdown 8 days

Jennan,

This is not the time to abandon our pursuit of knowledge just because the King has a whim. I demand that you come back here! There is a pattern that I cannot hope to achieve on my own and I need your deft hand. I think if we cover the ballroom, starting simultaneously in the North and the South corner and work our way through warding patterns and into building patterns we can create a room that is impregnable. Of course, the pattern will have to be made permanent, but if we rough up the stone and then use blood we should be able to make it a part of the stone.

Human blood, Jennan, human blood makes the power unstoppable! I created a small trapping ward, and it nearly made it impossible for me to leave my own room! I hope you won’t mind that we need to hire a new chamber maid; she was only so willing to donate her veins to my cause. I have only about a pint left, but I am thinking we can use it to start our ballroom pattern.

Have you thought about causing destruction with magic? I think some of these wards could be turned, twisted, and then they would not promote protection but destruction? What if something designed to protect a being actually ended up making them vulnerable? The possibilities, Jennan, are endless and we are just starting to understand.

Come back here quickly brother. The King may need an update but does he really need your presence?

Britten

NaNoWriMo Countdown 9 days

To His Majesty, the King Tairen,

Tairen, it is always good to hear from you. I was sorry to miss the coronation, but you were the one who sent me away. I hope that my monthly reports have been sufficient to inform you of our progress here. I will be on my way to court within the week. I will bring a few written patterns, I have been experimenting with protection magic and have come up with some interesting results. The ward I have been crafting has come out properly the last three of five times and I am close to perfecting it. It is a tedious and time consuming process but the results could guarantee the safety of your person as well as anyone you bring within its warding power.

I must admit, some of the reason that I have chosen to focus on protection or wards as I am calling them is because of what my brother is doing. Britten has discovered that in death there is power, and that power makes me wary. I have tried it, this power that he has found so alluring, and it is alluring. It is fascinating and opens up a realm of possibilities that Britten is trying to explore. That lure, however, is what is keeping me from it. I have stepped back and contented myself in observation and what I have seen is disturbing. The use of blood in magic is like universal ingredient and things that previously required much preparation can be done with a simple pattern. But the cost is great and the potential repercussions are dire. The greater the creature the greater the power and Britten has started mixing his own blood and those of some of the more willing servants in with his cow’s blood.

I am afraid for him, in a way I did not understand at first. I will bring his research along with my own when I travel to the capital, but I must warn you, his notes are not altogether sane. This blood magic is taking something from him, and I almost do not recognize him as my brother. These experiments with magic, this attempt to harness this new power, it has costs and my brother is paying them.

I must admit, I am loath to leave Britten. He is teetering on madness in this pursuit of his and I am frightened of what sort of power he might abuse while I am gone. My old friend, I urge you to be wary of this magic. I do not trust it.

Tell Sora that the children will have to meet another time, my family is at their summer retreat and it is far too long a distance for the short time I will be in court.

High Consul of the Court,

Jennan

NaNoWriMo Countdown 10 days

In honor of NaNoWriMo being 10 days away, I am going to post part of a short history story I am writing as background to my NaNo Novel. There are seven parts to this story and I will post one letter a day for the next seven days. Then with three days to go, maybe we'll learn a little more about my main character? 

To the High Consul of the Court, 

The Mage Jennan,

I hope that this letter finds you well, and is not entirely unexpected. It’s been sixth months since I have had the pleasure of your presence in court and I miss your sharp wit and unexpected insight. I did not think that our friendship would suffer from my move from crown prince to King, but my free time has only become more restricted.  I have heard that you and Britten have discovered some remarkable things. You will have to bring them with you so that we can add them to the library. I need you in court Jennan, so that we can discuss this magic and what it will do to our kingdom.

I am surrounded by men grasping at power, and the shifting trade routes are causing some frustration. Many would have me take what you are doing and use it as leverage. From what you have written, it does not seem like that kind of power. The power to strengthen buildings or heal the sick is power that will help grow our kingdom, not tear another apart. I grow weary of the war-mongers but I must admit that they have a point, the kingdom’s around us are concerning and we can use all the help we can get.

Despite these issues, I am more concerned about the disturbing rumors about what Britten has been doing, and what you have denounced. What could put such a rift between the two of you? Practically inseparable, you were always equals as you experimented. What is this kind of magic that you would spurn its knowledge while your brother experiments freely? I have heard only that it is violent, but what in our world isn’t? If there is merit in this magic, I would know of it. Bring as much of your experiments and your brother’s with you when you come. It may be that even unsavory power is power worth having. Leave Britten behind however, he does not have your poise in court and has never been one to garner favor with my advisors.

Sora sends her love, and reminds me to ask you to bring your family. Your son must be close to five now. Last we saw of him he was barely toddling around! Bring him so that our children can learn to know each other just as we did.  

His Majesty the King,

Tairen

Devotions: Life of Moses Exodus 11:1-15:21

Welcome onto the scene the final plague. It is interesting that the majority of the passage speaks not of the importance of the death of the firstborn, but on the redemption of those that the Lord passed over. There is an overwhelming majority of verses dedicated to the way that Passover will work in the future, how they are going to keep the feast and how they will worship the Lord by remembering what he has done for them.

The parallels between the Passover feast and what will become Holy Communion jump off of the pages. The entire point of the feast is to celebrate the redemption of the Israelites out of Egypt. Redemption from a life of slavery and brought into the household of God as the firstborn, consecrated to him and inheriting the promised land.

“You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt’ and it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes.” Exodus 13:8-9a

Our salvation comes through the blood of Jesus, shed on the last day of the Passover and sealed with a new covenant meal on the Passover feast night. Our act of celebration through Communion is just like that of the ancient Israelites, a celebration of what the Lord did for us, bringing us up out of slavery to sin and brought into the household of God as his child, consecrated to him and inheriting the Kingdom.

Next time I take communion, I am not only going to think about the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for my sins, but I will also remember and thank God for his incredible plan, and his faithfulness through the ages. His plan has always been the same, from the time of Moses to now. So let us tell our children, “it is because of what the Lord did for me when I was saved from sin.” And let us keep it as a sign on our hand and as a memorial between our eyes. Amen. 

Investing in my Creativity

My creative streak has been on strike. You know that feeling when you think “I’m a writer! I should have great ideas!” Well, it’s been fleeting the past few years, drifting in and out in fits of brilliance (which are really quite mediocre) and making me long for the days when I dreamt about my characters and day dreamed plot lines.

In an attempt to kindle my creative genius, I have made myself some goals at the beginning of the summer. I have been listening to some creative writing podcasts since the beginning of the year and was ready to make myself buckle down and write. Goals went like this:

1. Using the writing prompt from my podcast write something every week.
2. Starting in September, outline a novel for Nanowrimo
3. Starting in October, research my novel for Nanowrimo
4. In November, write my novel
5. Starting in December, revise and rewrite my novel

So far, so good. I have been writing twice a week and started using this blog to keep me accountable. It’s hard to track progress if you can’t have a timeline. In September, I started a huge spreadsheet that has the plan for my novel and did a basic plot outline. Now, I am in the middle of fleshing it out, filling in details and crafting my characters.

By far, this is the most pre-prep work I have EVER done writing anything. I have my characters and setting almost fully fleshed, I have a detailed plot outline with every scene beginning middle and end, it looks like I will have 26 decently long chapters in first draft. I like my character, I am beginning to crave putting fingers to keyboard and diving into this thing! Only 16 days left!

Finally I feel like my brain is starting to think like a writer again. This novel is not the most ingenious plot line ever, no it doesn’t have any crazy twists or something so completely out there. This is me, sitting down and just dropping something back into my bank of creativity. I need to invest in my writing ability and work on crafting a great story. I can always revise in the crazy twists and strange attractors. Right now, I’m starting to feel like I’m getting in the groove of writing, I’ve been focused and determined.

I think, I am willing once more to call myself a writer. 

Devotions: Life of Moses Exodus 6:28-10:29

The Lord is the almighty creator of the universe who wants to be in relationship with his people. In this passage, the Lord spends the entire time talking first to Moses, through Moses to Aaron, through Aaron to Pharaoh, and through his actions, to the people of Egypt and Israel. The Lord is proving not only his power and glory, but also his love for his people. Not only does the Lord punish Pharaoh, he uses the opportunity to prove to the god-king that he is not, in fact, a god. He humbles not only Pharaoh, but the entire Egyptian population, proving over and over that their gods are powerless in the face of the Lord. The Israelites are separated out in impossible ways, flies avoiding their land, death avoiding their livestock, darkness avoiding Goshen. The Lord is clearly distinguishing between his people and the rest of the world and Pharaoh sees it, he just doesn’t want to acknowledge it. If he acknowledges it, he acknowledges that the God of his slaves is greater than the god he thinks he is.  

But that is who God is. He is the almighty creator of the universe, controller of life and death, water, flies and locusts, darkness and light. What the plagues demonstrates is the power of the creator of the universe and the lengths he will go to for the love of his children.

Now that, is awesome.

Brain - meet procedure manuals

I.                    Creating numbered lists is sometimes a formatting nightmare.

A.      Microsoft Word alternately:

i.                     Decides it will cooperate, making everything align perfectly

ii.                   Decides it doesn’t know what you are talking about and things come out looking like they don’t match

iii.                  Decides it knows what you want even though it is not what you want and it won’t listen to you when you tell it its wrong

II.                  Trying to outline what you do in a way that tells others what to do is hard

A.      Translating your personal procedures into simple steps requires a lot of forethought about:

i.                     What you need to talk about

ii.                   What comes first and what follows (you can’t just start writing stuff down, you won’t remember something)

B.      Translating your personal procedures into simple steps requires a lot of thought about:

i.                     Common terminology, you can’t always use the jargon terms

ii.                   Screen shots of what you can’t explain but just need to show

iii.                  Not relying solely on screen shots

iv.                 Not relying solely on words

C.      Translating your personal procedures into simple steps requires other people to:

i.                     Read through your steps for clarity

ii.                   Follow your steps and let you know what is missing

III.                Creativity taking a back seat to numbered lists leaves you thinking that your brain is tapped out

A.      Creativity seems to fall flat when you have been crafting words for work all day long

i.                     Your brain fails to think of interesting vocabulary when you have spent all day in one corner of your language skills

ii.                   Fatigue emanates from that area of your brain that relishes the blinking black cursor as a challenge

B.      Fifteen pages of procedures leaves you dreaming of bullet points not plot lines

i.                     Waking up thinking about how to make B follow A kind of kills the attempt to figure out what happens to your character next

ii.                   Your plot and scenes start reading like a list rather than a descriptive experience.

C.      Writing prompts start looking like chores rather than exercises to keep your brain sharp. A number list sounds like an easier exercise then trying to create a story or idea out of your benumbed brain.

IV.                Time to put down the procedures and attempt to do something more creative…

But tonight… that is not going to be a writing prompt. It’s going to be planning characters and scenes for my novel. So, brain meets procedures and insists on thinking in terms of bullet points? Why not put that super organized brain to creative work. Let’s outline!

Devotions: Life of Moses Exodus 5-6:27

In chapter 5 of Exodus, Moses does exactly what God told him to do. He is flying high from the confirmation of the Israelite leaders and goes and asks Pharaoh, to let his people go worship for 3 days. And then the unthinkable happens, Pharaoh says no. Moses must have reeled, maybe even asked again, wait, what did you say? I thought I heard, no? No! Oh you really did say no! And then, to top it all off, Pharaoh makes life even harder for the Israelites that Moses is trying to deliver – again! This is Moses second attempt in his life to be the leader that delivers his people. And understandably, both he and the Israelites hit rock bottom. They cry out first to Pharaoh and then to Moses, who cries out to God. (This order is a little backwards so I think the children of God still have some learning to do!)

They are discouraged, and frustrated! Moses asks God why did he do this? Why did he bring him out here only to fail? The circumstances of his calling had changed dramatically. He went from being called on the mountain of God to deliver his people to being told no and causing more hardship. Moses must have felt like God needed to revise his plan. It wasn’t working! Something was wrong, either him, or the Pharaoh or maybe even God’s plan in the first place.

In chapter 6 God answers Moses. (For being such a whiner, Moses sure gets some pretty compassionate responses back from God, revealing God’s character.) In this chapter, God outlines who he is, what he will do and that Moses will do it. Almost an exact repetition of what he told Moses on the mountain.

To Moses – the change in circumstances demanded a change in the plan.

To God – the plan never changed.

How many times do I get discouraged about my circumstances? God calls me to something, and when I move to obey him my life changes, the people around me change, my support structure shrinks or my personality seems to do back-flips on my ability to do what I am called to do. But even though I think it’s time to go back to the drawing board, is God asking me to continue? He sees all, I have limited vision. Maybe, as with Moses, the set-back that I feel requires a complete plan overhaul was part of the plan the whole time. God’s plans are infallible, and he will make a way, because he is faithful to see it through.

If God has shown you a plan, and you think that circumstances have now made that plan void, be quiet and listen. Is God still saying the same things? Maybe your change in circumstance doesn’t require a change in God’s divine plan for your life, and for the world. 

Writing Prompt: Support Group

                “He just won’t listen.” Cassie says to the three people sitting around the table with her, her fingers wrapped around a chai latte. “He walks away when I want him to fight, he speaks like a pacifist when I want him to get angry. I try to make him angry and he just gets sad! I don’t know what to do with him anymore!”

                “I understand completely!” A small blonde woman on her right says, taking a sip of her tea with a grimace, “My Taisly says one thing, does another and is different from home to school! I don’t know whether she is two people in one or if I’m just incompetent!”

                “You aren’t incompetent!” The man across from Cassie says, “Darla, your Taisly has just got to be split into two people. Maybe she has a younger sibling?”

                “That could work.” Darla says, her eyes going glazed and looking across and over the shoulder of the man on Cassie’s left.

                “Whatever you do.” Cassie says, “Just don’t make it cliché.” They all shudder, and Roger leans across the table to take Darla’s hand.

                “Write through it. It’ll come out. Same for you Cass. Get through the first draft. They’ll fall into place eventually. Maybe your M.C. doesn’t like being the war-causing rabble-rouser you need him to be, but that can give him depth can’t it?” Tom nods at Roger’s words.

                “Yes.” He says, “Focus on the positive. You are at the halfway point. Don’t give up now!”

                Cassie sips at her chai, and looks around the circle. “Well, that covers characters, how are your plot outlines going?” Everyone groans and Roger stands up.

                “I’m going to need another latte for this conversation!”

Devotions: Life of Moses Exodus 3-4

This is not Moses’s finest moment. After spending 40 years shepherding flocks and raising his own family, Moses is finally called to do what he thought he was going to achieve 40 years earlier. You would think that Moses would say “finally! I can’t wait to go back to Egypt and finish what I started” or that he would understand that he is better prepared than ever to lead God’s people. Instead, when God says, “okay Moses, its time” Moses says “Why me? Who should I say sent me? What if they don’t believe me? But I’m not a great speaker and please send someone else!!”.

I wonder how many times I have uttered surprisingly similar thoughts or prayers to God. “I see them Lord, yes, I know this is the opportunity you have prepared for me to talk to them, I feel you Holy Spirit, you don’t need to push so hard, but why does it have to be me? I’m awkward and strange! There will be silence and I’m not prepared, I don’t know what to say! Why don’t you send someone else?” Moses’s excuses and failures are echoed by my own. I am terrified of what God wants from me sometimes. He asks me to achieve things that I know are above and beyond myself.

                

But God never asks us to do them alone. God tells Moses right off in Exodus 3:12 “But I will be with you”. Moses was never told: “Go and free my people, I’ll be here on my mountain, bring them here when you are done.” God knew that the task he was appointing for Moses was beyond Moses’s ability. That was the point! No man can accomplish God’s will. Only God can accomplish God’s will. We are blessed that God chooses to use us to accomplish his will!

                

Next time that I am confronted by a situation for which I do not feel fully equipped, I just need to remember that if it is in God’s will and according to His purpose then he will be with me. God is the one who will accomplish His will. I just get the opportunity to be a part of it.

                

Writing Prompt: A Magic Ring

                Zane isn't sure what it is, but it seems to fit his pointer finger perfectly. He knows it is a ring, that much is obvious, but he isn't sure what kind of ring. After all, it had come out of a box of healthy cereal, which had never had prizes before. It is heavy too, like it is made of metal, but metal didn't come out of cereal boxes, did it? He hops down from the chair at the dining room table and trundles towards his room, half-tripping over a red fire engine. Raising his hand up, he turns the doorknob and enters his room. Running to the bookshelf, he pulls out a box labeled “science kit” and tears it apart, strewing it around the room. Finding what he wanted he raises the magnifying glass to his eye and looks through it at the ring.

                It looks like the ring his dad wore on his left hand, grooved slightly down the middle and growing heavier by the second. Zane takes it off, setting it on the ground and looking at it again. It is dark in color, almost like his panda’s black fur, but it is shiny too. He likes the way it looks, and the way it looks on his finger. He thinks about putting it somewhere safe, but he wants to wear it again. So he puts it on, and waves his hand around, examining the ring from up high and down low. As he swings his hand upwards though, his whole body seems to lift and he finds himself floating toward the ceiling. He squeaks a little and then covers his mouth with his hand, feeling the ring’s cold surface on his face.

                He stops moving, hovering and he looks at the ring, and then points down, and he floats down toward the ground. With a little giggle, he points up again and the ring takes him upwards, he points left, and left he goes, he points right and he zooms across the room. The faster he swings his arm, the faster he switches directions. Laughing out loud he points back to the ground and lands back on the floor.

                “This ring is cool!” Zane says, and trundles back out his door toward the kitchen, only to see a little man, dressed all in blue, sitting on his table.

                “You are right.” The man says, a slight smile on his face. “It is cool.” Zane backs up slowly, and then, remembering the ring, points quickly back at his room only to find the little man in front of him again, his face only a few inches higher than his own.

                “I’d like my ring back.” He says and Zane can feel himself shaking inside.

                “I found it.” He says, hearing the shake in his voice. He clutches his fingers tightly around the ring, and the little man reaches down, pulling his fingers out of the fist and slipping the ring off of Zane’s finger and onto his own.

                “Just because you found it doesn't mean it belongs to you.” The man says, growing taller, and soon he is taller than Zane’s dad. “Now, run off and play.” And the man whips his finger towards the window and slips out. Zane rushes to the window and watches the strange man as he soars upwards. He feels his finger where the ring had just been, and he closes his eyes tightly, his little hands balling up into fists.

                Turning, Zane returns to the table, and opens the box of cereal again, pouring it out onto the table. Maybe next time he found a ring, there wouldn't be a little man to take it from him. 

Devotions: Life of Moses Exodus 2:11-25

2:23-25 “During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel – and God knew.”

I had a moment this morning when this verse just popped into my head, the verbs which were highlighted in my study this week, pulling me into a genuine ah-ha moment. God heard, remembered, saw and knew. He hears us, he remembers his promises, he sees us and he knows all of the circumstances that we are in. He is a God of the details and he knows us intimately. He hears and sees us, he remembers us and he knows our deepest fears and desires.

There have been times when I feel like the Israelite's feel, groaning and calling out to God. Don’t you see me? Don’t you see what is happening? Didn't you promise that you would be with me always? That you wouldn't give me more than I can bear? This passage acknowledges everything that I think the Israelite's might have been feeling.

Yes – I hear you. I hear your cry’s and groans as you suffer. I hear your distress and your pain. I hear every request and every cry for help.

Yes – I remember my promise to deliver you. I remember that covenant I made with Abraham, I remember that I told you I would bring you out from the oppression you are now suffering.

Yes – I see you. The burdens that you are carrying, the weight on your shoulders, all of those dead babies in the Nile, and the atrocities that have been committed against you.

Yes – I know you. I know how you were put together from dust. I know your father and your mother. I know that you desire freedom and a chance to raise your family.

But what about for me?

Yes – I hear you. I hear when you cry yourself to sleep because you think you aren’t good enough. Or when you are lonely. I hear your distress and your fears as you pray, out of desperation or joy. I hear you.

Yes – I remember my promise. I will never give you more than you can bear. I will be with you always, and you are my child. I will never leave nor forsake you and I am your salvation and your life.

Yes – I see you. I see that situation you are in, the stress you are under, the way your brow furrows, or the tears tracking down your face. I see you when you are alone or when you are surrounded by others.

Yes – I know you. I know the plans I have for you, I know where you came from and where you are going. I know why you act the way you do, and what you can become if you let me help you.

God is so awesome. He puts those four verbs in Exodus, and within it is wrapped another promise. I hear you, remember you, see you and know you. You are my child and I am your God.

And I am so grateful. 

Writing Prompt: Sound

                Kvette walks down the street alone, the abandoned and shredded houses staring at her with deep dark openings ripped into their shells. She had to be careful here, large predators liked to use the buildings to stalk their prey. She carries her refurbished speakers with her, tapping on them softly, trying not to let the shaking in her legs reveal weakness. It had been two days, her stomach protests again and she reaches up to pat it, her fingers white and trembling. She had gone longer than two days before although not willingly. She heads towards the houses, hoping to find something that wasn't completely destroyed. She was looking for wires. She still had speakers, but some of the others did not. The winds pick up around her and she curses, looking up at the sky, and the rapidly darkening clouds. The dangers of being in the heartland like this. Although she was safe from hurricanes and tsunami’s, tornadoes were a real danger at all times. Flipping the switch on her speakers, she curses again as the light doesn't turn on. Again, she flicks it, back and forth, back and forth, until at last the light turns on and she holds them over her head, tapping on her phone to call up the correct playlist for tornadoes.

                Popping a set of ear plugs in, she turns the volume all the way up and jazz music starts pouring out of the speakers. Then she crouches, in the middle of the street, and waits. Three tornadoes descend from the sky like fingers, meeting the ground and crawling upon it, ripping dirt and debris high into the air. They speed toward the town, and down the rows of houses. Things that used to be nailed in, but haven’t for a long time, speed upwards, swirling. It was likely that most of these piles of debris that used to be houses had never originated on this street, or even in this territory. Kvette crouches, eyes forward and down, arms starting to shake with the effort of holding the speakers over her head, and waits. The tornadoes converge on her, all three like hungry wolves and she waits. Then, the jazz music does what it’s supposed to. The first tornado seems to hum, the resonance of the music hitting it at just the right frequency and it lifts, slowly, off of the ground and over her head before setting back down, and rioting on down the street, the other two trailing it on either side. Kvette stands, turns the music off, and flicks off the speakers. She needed to conserve the batteries, there weren't many of those left either. 

Devotions: Life of Moses Exodus 1:1-2:10

                Studying the life of Moses excites me. Moses’s life was a series of miracles, starting from his birth and leading to his death. He is a man of exemplary faith and deeds, highlighted throughout the Bible for his faith and courage. But Moses was a man, with complaints, and needs, and serious issues. And the best part is, that Moses, inspired by God, wrote down his own story.

                What he wrote down first, is the story of a miracle, the hand of God at work in his life from the very beginning. He is born to a Hebrew family during the worst oppression Egypt has imposed on them, they are throwing all the baby boys into the Nile river. Yet somehow, Moses mother finds the will to resist, to try to save her baby. Maybe she knew of the prophesies where God had promised he would take his people up out of Egypt after 400 years (Genesis 15). Maybe she had planned the whole thing, the basket, the walking path of the Pharaoh’s daughter, what Miriam was to do and say, but it was out of her hands. The pity that the Pharaoh’s daughter had, the Pharaoh’s willingness to let her keep the child, these show the hand of God on Moses’s life.

                God created the circumstances in which a Hebrew boy, condemned to death by the Pharaoh would be saved by his daughter, raised first by his own family, and then by the palace, who would identify more with his own oppressed people rather than the life of luxury he had inherited through the pity of Pharaoh’s daughter.

                From the perspective of Jochebed (Moses’ mother), this must have seemed like the end of the miracle, and she probably thanked God for saving her son. But this was just the beginning. Which makes me wonder – what in my life has God been orchestrating, is still orchestrating that I just can’t see yet? I don’t have the benefit of hindsight to see where God’s hand has been moving to make me exactly who I am meant to be to fulfill his will and purpose for my life. Someday I will, and I hope I can look back at the times where I’ve struggled, or wondered “why is this happening?” and realize that it was God allowing me to grow, or maybe forcing me to grow, so that I could become something greater and fulfill his plans for me.

                God called Moses, raised by the Egyptians, to fight for his people in an Egyptian court. Who else was better equipped among the Hebrews to do God’s will? And we see the hand of God moving, even in the first few chapters of Exodus, the very beginning. God will never leave us, nor forsake us. He is with us morning, noon and night. His hand upholds us. He is the creator of all things and yet he is with us, each and every moment.

What are the plans he has for you? And in what ways do you see that God has used the circumstances in your past to help you become exactly who he wants you to be right now?