This weekend I had the privilege of having brunch with my agent and some of her other clients, all Christian writers, and several well-known. We were a mixed bag: some wrote non-fiction how-tos; others, devotionals; still others wrote various genres of fiction. But what we all had in common was a desired to serve the Lord, a desire to use our skills for His kingdom.

It was a great time of fellowship, and while we talked amongst ourselves about writing and the publishing world, marketing and contracts, we actually spent more time talking about laboring for the Lord, about how He was opening the doors of service for each of us. One writer talked about her ministry to military wives and how she traveled around and spoke to these wives about Jesus, already resulting in hundreds coming to the Lord. Another writer spoke of her ministry to widows. For another, it was about getting people healthy and whole through nutrition. Servanthood was the main issue here.

And I think that’s the important issue for any Christian no matter his/her profession. We are all servants of the Most High. All called into different fields, given different talents and different marching orders, but all co-laborers in His vineyard. And each job is important.

I think sometimes it’s easy to forget that. In our day-to-day struggles our job can sometimes feel small, tiresome and even unrewarding. At those times we must remember the bigger picture; that we are fulfilling God’s plan and purpose for our lives. And at those times it would be prudent to recalled Ephesians 2:10 that states, “For we are His workmanship. Created in Jesus Christ unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” And then there’s 1Corinthians15:58 (Amplified) “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be firm, steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, always being superior, excelling, doing more than enough in the service of the Lord, knowing and being continually aware that your labor in the Lord is not futile, it is never wasted or to no purpose.”

Until next time,

Sylvia

Last weekend I went to a family wedding. The bride, of course, was beautiful in her lovely satin dress; and the groom handsome in his black tux. But what struck me most was the anticipation on the groom’s face as he waited beside the pastor for his beloved, and then the incredible love that radiated when he first saw her as she stepped onto the unfurled aisle carpet.

That look was heart stopping and made me imagine what Jesus’ face would look like when He first sees His bride—the collective believers, His set apart ones. I imagine His face full of love and yearning. He has, after all, waited over two thousand years for this, for us, all one body, cleansed and beautiful in white as a bride should be. But I also imagine His eyes lighting up as He looks at each of us as though we are the only ones in the room, for He also loves us individually and not only knows our name but the very number of hairs on our head.

And He has paid handsomely for her. As required by ancient Jewish law governing weddings, the bride price is paid prior to the wedding and reflects the value placed on her by the groom. And this bride is greatly valued for she has been purchased by the very blood of her beloved. And she is so beautiful. No longer the reproach of the world, or despised and ridiculed, she is now radiant in her splendid garment and crown; flawless and without spot or wrinkle or blemish (Ephesians 5:27).

Every bride’s wedding is memorable and special, but this wedding between the heavenly bridegroom and His bride will be a day like no other. All the heavenly hosts will be in attendance. And the celebration? Oh, my, it will be beyond anything we have ever seen before.

So when will the wedding take place? Again, according to ancient Jewish wedding laws/traditions only the father of the groom can decide this. That’s why Jesus said only the Father knows the day or hour of His return. But even now Jesus is preparing a place for us (John 14:2-3).

Then what should we, as the waiting bride, do in the meantime? I think it wise to heed the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:2-3 (Amplified): “For I am jealous for you with a godly eagerness and a divine jealousy, for I have betrothed you to one Husband, to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But now I am fearful, lest that even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, so your minds may be corrupted and seduced from wholehearted and sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

More than ever, we, the bride, need to be vigilant and keep our garments clean as we wait for out beloved.

Until next time,

Sylvia

Just when you think you’ve heard all the 2012 prophecies, another emerges to be added to the Mayan calendar, the Aztec calendar, the Cherokee calendar, and other 2012 warnings. This one concerns the Pope of Rome.

So what does this prophecy say, and who said it?

A 12^th Century Archbishop, Saint Malachy, purportedly received a vision wherein he was given the description of 112 future Popes, then detailed it in a work entitled The Mysterious Prophecy of the Popes. The current Pope Benedict XVI is number 111^th, thus the very next Pope will be the 112^th.  Of this final Pope, Malachy says this: “In extreme persecution, the seat of the Holy Roman Church will be occupied by Peter the Roman, who will feed the sheep through many tribulations; when they are over, the City of Seven Hills will be destroyed, and the terrible or fearsome Judge will judge his people.”

This Pope is obviously the end-times Pope, the Pope who will oversee the Catholic Church during the seven-year tribulation just prior to the return of the “fearsome Judge” or Jesus, and during which time Rome will be destroyed. It also fingers this end-time Roman Catholic Church as “Mystery Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots”, the one that ushers in the great apostasy and sets the stage for a one world religion. Vatican II has already paved the way for that with its ecumenism as evidenced by Pope John Paul II in his 1982 Assisi prayer meeting, which included pagans and voodoo priests, and where he said that voodoo possessed “truth and good, seeds of the Word”.

Over the years several Jesuits have worked hard to debunk Saint Malachy’s prophecy as a forgery, then along came respected Belgium professor and Jesuit, Rene Thibaut (1883-1952), who not only asserted it was a valid prophecy but through elaborate computations put the date of 2012 as the time this final Pope will enter the world stage.

But is it possible? Can the 112^th Pope really usher in the end times? Worse yet, can he be the False Prophet of Revelation that Thibaut and others believe him to be?

According to Father Malachi Martin, the answer is “yes”. A Jesuit and eminent Catholic theologian, Martin was a personal friend of Pope Paul VI, and a member of the Vatican Advisory Council, as well as the personal secretary to the celebrated Jesuit Cardinal Augustin Bea. He was also the Vatican researcher on the Dead Sea Scrolls, and spoke seventeen languages. His startling claim is this: an Illuminate-Masonic group (Freemasons) has infiltrated the upper ranks of the Catholic Church and conspires to bring about a one world government. In his book, Windswept House, Martin talked about “prominent clerics who worship Satan” and that “networks . . . had been established between certain clerical homosexual groups and Satanist covens,” hence the world-wide cover-up of pedophile clerics by the church establishment. Martin also talked about a secret ceremony, the “enthronement of Satan”, that took place at the Vatican in 1963 in order to ensure two outcomes: 1) Satan’s control over Rome and 2) a demonically controlled end-time Pope. Martin died under “suspicious” circumstances in 1999 while working on another book connecting the Catholic Church with the New World Order.

If considering a Pope of Rome in the role of the future False Prophet or affiliated in any way with the end-time Antichrist is still unthinkable, let me assure you that Malachi Martin wasn’t the only one who believed it possible. The list is long, and includes such notables as Luther, Calvin, Thomas Cranmer, John Knox, John Wesley, Charles Spurgeon, George Whitefield, and Jonathan Edwards. To learn more, read Petrus Romanus, The Final Pope is Here, by Thomas Horn and Cris Putnam. It’s guaranteed to frizzle your hair.

Let me end by saying I don’t believe the world is going to end in 2012 but I can’t and won’t discard the notion that perhaps something unprecedented will happen this year, something that shakes the spiritual realm. When you realize that 2012 is the year the Mayans and the Aztecs both believed their flying dragon god would return, and the year the Cherokees believed their flying rattlesnake god would return—all pictures of Satan as described in the Bible—and couple it with the prophecy that the final Pope will be an agent of Satan, then you have to wonder if negative spiritual forces are about to shake things up.   

On the other hand it could signal that the time of the rapture and return of Jesus is nearer than we think.

Until next time,

Sylvia

I’m a doer. Standing still is hard for me. That’s why I find scriptures like the one in 2 Chronicles 20:17 tough: “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.” Or the one in Ephesians 6:13 “having done all, stand” Both are speaking of warfare, of times when the going gets tough and we’re in the thick of it.

But isn’t there more I can do? I always reason. No, sometimes there isn’t.

And it’s during those “sometimes” that one must leave it all in the Lord’s hands and wait.  Oh, how hard waiting is! Oh, how hard it is to just stand still. Yet, these can be some of our best times with the Lord. It’s during these times that He shows Himself strong in the face of our impotence. It’s when we see His awesome power in the face of our own inability.

If you’re in a tough place where there is nowhere to go, where there is no discernable solution, don’t be afraid to stand still and allow God to work things out. Even in the midst of the most terrible situation, God can show Himself wonderfully strong and able. And He can redeem and bring out of a negative circumstance something beautiful and amazing.

Until next time,

Sylvia

Several weeks ago the subject of slavery in the Bible came up in a conversation along with the inference that instead of being condemned outright by God it was treated too lightly.  The conversation made me want to look into the subject more closely, and here are my conclusions.

First, I suspect that what Jesus said about divorce in Matthew 19:8 could also be said about slavery: “Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.” In other words, slavery, too, is a product of the hardness of our hearts and not the will of God, nor did He intend this for mankind in the beginning.

And secondly, because slavery has existed from ancient times, God chose in His word to use it as an illustration of man’s condition. In John 8:34 (Amplified) Jesus says that “whoever commits and practices sin is the slave of sin.” But then two verses later He goes on to say, “So if the Son liberates you, makes you free men, then you are really and unquestionably free.”

Roman 6:16-20 confirms this by telling us pretty much the same thing; that we become slaves to whatever we yield ourselves to. If it’s to sin, then we become slaves to sin. Conversely, if it’s to Jesus, he frees us from the bondage to sin but then we become slaves to righteousness. So whether we want to admit it or not, we are all slaves.

Perhaps you find it offensive that Jesus has the right to call believers “slaves”. Even so, He does, for He purchased us with a great price—His very blood. But does He call us slaves? No. Instead, He calls us “friend”. In John 15:14-15a He says, “Ye are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants (slaves).” But it gets even better. Galatians 4:7 tells us that we are no longer slaves of sin but a son “and if a son then an heir of God through Christ.”

Friend, son, heir. What a far cry from slave! Unfortunately, there are still too many who are slaves of sin and to this world. If only they would leave their captivity for the wonderful world of freedom God offers! If only they understood how much He loved them! Oh, pray that their hearts and minds be opened!

Until next time,

Sylvia

Last week my grandchildren had a sleepover at my house and oh, what fun we had! My grandson and granddaughter are computer savvy, own their own DS, and have several Wii games, but it was pool volleyball, the board game Sorry, Disney movies, and pencil drawings that filled our days, reminding me that “simple” is still best. It’s a good reminder, too, in this fast-paced-consumer-world where the new, the improved, the latest is so coveted.

I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m losing this race to keep up with technology. It seems to change weekly. That’s why days like I had with my grandchildren are so precious. It reminds me that quality of life is still found in people, not things; in moments shared not knowledge gained; in making memories with those you love.

Since this blog is about simplicity, I’ll keep it simple, too, and end by saying find something low-tech to do tonight, something that doesn’t cost money and requires no gadgets, something like watching a sunset or just taking a walk with someone you love. I think you, too, will agree that more often than not, simple really is best.

Until next week,

Sylvia

I came across this great scripture last week. It really got me excited though it’s not the first time I’ve read it. As is often the case, I can read a thing several times before it clicks or, as now, actually seems to explode in me. The scripture: Deuteronomy 31:8. It’s at the end of Moses’ life and he has just turned things over to Joshua and commissioned him to take the Israelites into the Promised Land, and then Moses says this: “The Lord himself goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you, neither forsake you, fear not, neither be dismayed.”

Here the Israelites were finally going to enter into God’s promise. But much warfare was ahead of them; battles and hardships, dangers and privations, and on top of that they were going to lose their trusted leader, Moses, who was now to be replaced with his underling, and just when things were about to heat up.

But . . . and here’s the good part . . . they are left with this incredible promise that God Himself was going to go before them. It was God who would be preparing the way for them, softening up the enemy, setting the stage for victory. And if that were not enough, after He had finished all this preparatory work, God was also going to go with them. Yes, every step of the way He would be there to gird them up, encourage them, guide them, and strengthen them. And then, get this, God would not fail them. He could be counted on to bring the thing to its proper conclusion. And He wouldn’t leave them either when things got rough. He would stick with them all the way. In the face of this great promise how could the Israelites fear anything? Or become discourage no matter how long it took to realize victory?

If this was the only scripture in the Bible, aside from those about salvation in Jesus, it would be all we’d ever need. It would be enough to see us through any battle or trial. We need to remember no matter the circumstances, if we’ve committed our way to the Lord, He Himself will go before us, go with us, won’t fail us or forsake us. In the face of a God like that, what is there for us ever to fear?

Until next week,

Sylvia

Today, Americans celebrate Memorial Day, a time to remember all our fighting men and women killed in war. It’s a day that speaks of courage and sacrifice, a humbling reminder that so much of what we enjoy has been procured at great cost. It’s also a stark contrast to the lack of courage and sacrifice displayed by those who fill the halls of our government, as well as the many governments around the world.

It is this lack of courage that has pushed us to the brink of a financial cliff, has pushed countries like Greece and others to near insolvency. If our leaders and theirs had the courage to make the necessary unpopular decisions when it mattered, we would not be so close to the edge of disaster. And if our leaders and theirs had made the necessary sacrifices, even if it meant not being reelected, things would be different now. When leaders and those in authority continuously pander, do the easy, the expedient, and follow their own self-interests instead of what is right or best for their nations, then it’s only a matter of time before calamity strikes.

What a lesson our leaders can learn for our fallen heroes; those men and women who gave everything for the greater good; men and women who understood the meaning of courage and sacrifice!

Happy Memorial Day

Until next week,

Sylvia

When a good friend of mine and I first came to the Lord we use to go to every conference and church meeting we could find. Oh, how excited we were, and so on fire for God! We wanted to be like Christ. We wanted to know God’s word. We wanted to be all He desired us to be. We had learned that in order to accomplish this we needed to “die to self”. And when we tried putting it into practice all we succeeded in doing was to turn off those around us to the things of God. But that didn’t stop us. We were determined. Even our phone calls to each other were prefaced with the words, “are you dead yet?”

But being merciful, God began to open Zechariah 4:6b to us, “not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts”. This call to holiness, this dying to self was not to be a grit-your-teeth I’m-going-to-do-this-if-it-kills-me exercise but a work of God’s Holy Spirit. And so the real transformation began—the gentle changing from within. People and situations that once bothered us or could press our buttons, no longer did. We began to see things differently, feel differently, act differently. It seemed too easy! It couldn’t be real, could it? All we did was to completely rely on God, confess our sins as they occurred, put them under the blood, then ask God to change our attitudes, our actions; ask God to make us more like Him in a given situation.

But it was that easy because God was doing the work. Yet in another sense, it was hard, too, because we had to see ourselves for what we were, acknowledge our short comings, then be willing to allow God to change those things in us. And this could cause pain or disruption our lives, and, at times, even turn them upside down.

Now, when my friend and I talk we never ask each other if we’re “dead yet.” We know better. As long as there’s breath in our bodies we’ll need the Holy Spirit to continue His work for there will always be issues needing attention. But we can take heart because we are God’s workmanship, not ours, and He’ll never give up on us. Doesn’t Philippians 1:6 tell us that “being confident of this very thing, that he (Holy Spirit) which hath began a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”?

It sure beats trying to do it on your own.

Until next week,

Sylvia

Wonder why God really destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah? It wasn’t because sodomy is the worst sin on the planet as some might think. It was because of the total rottenness of that society. When a nation or society throws off all restraint and flaunts its sins, no matter what those sins are, that nation or society not only loses the blessings of God but incurs His wrath as well. Genesis 19: 4-5 tells us that all the men of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded Lot’s house and demanded that Lot bring out his two guests—which they had no way of knowing were angels—so they could “know them” i.e. have carnal knowledge of them. Was every single man in Sodom planning to abuse Lot’s angelic guests? There’s no way of knowing for sure, but I doubt it. Still they stood with the others demanding their right to do so, or at least the right of their companions to do so. When a mob of men can surround a house like that and make demands like that, it suggests a total breakdown of society, a total lack of understanding of right and wrong, and a degeneration so deep that sin, as Sodom shows us, becomes pervasive, brazen, flaunted, and militant. What else could God do but utterly destroy the place?

Is this where we’re headed?  Look at the signs, then you tell me. Scripture says “Righteousness exalteth a nation” (Proverbs 14:34). Conversely, the opposite is true. Unrighteousness will tear down and destroy a nation.

As sinners of all stripes begin to openly flaunt their sins in society, unabashed and regardless of consequences; not fearing censure or God Himself, we can only be heading toward the edge of calamity. And make no mistake, my friends, the gag is about to tighten around those who desire to stand for righteousness and honor God’s word. The howl and roar of the world outside our door will only get louder as it demands we condone its immorality. And it will try to pressure into silence, those of us who do stand, demanding we conform to their way of thinking by calling us bigots, haters, extremist fringe, people void of compassion and the milk of human kindness, insensitive, or outdated Neanderthals. And when they do, remember their fight is not with us but with God. For they fight to throw off His statues, not ours. And no matter what heads of state, no matter the number of dignitaries or lawmakers or courts that tout or enact ungodliness, there is still the Just Judge, the Creator of the Universe, and He will have the last say because He makes the rules and we don’t.

We need to pray for our nation and the people around us. Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness.” It carries the sobering reminder of what’s at stake.

Until next week,

Sylvia