Getting Rid of Spiritual Clutter

By Janet Morris Grimes –

Clutter is defined in several ways. Garbage. Unnecessary mess. Disorder. Confusion. It is the stuff no one knows what to do with, so it just piles up, expanding to fill whatever space it is allowed.

Entire television shows are based on how clutter steals the joy of a home. When left to its own accord, clutter takes over, to the point that it hides all that is beautiful; to the point that the mess is the only thing that can be seen.

During the last week of the life of Jesus, he was disturbed by the clutter he found in the temple. He hoped to find a quiet place of worship and prayer, but instead, he found a ‘den of robbers,’ shady characters who twisted the truth in an attempt to make a profit. He cleansed the temple, overturning the tables in a controlled fit of rage.

He had a right to be angry. Clutter cannot be ignored, and in order for the temple to serve its true purpose, which was to bring his followers closer to him and give them a place to worship once he was gone, he had to get rid of all that did not belong there.

The same is true for our spiritual lives. We hold on to bits of pieces of our past, the parts we aren’t sure what to do with, and we try to ignore them. But they accumulate and expand, soon overtaking our lives and keeping us from serving our true purpose. We end up carrying trash bags full of garbage with us wherever we go, wondering why we don’t feel free to worship and why we can’t sense the presence of God.

Here are a few ways to cleanse your own temple:
§     Forgive yourself and others – True forgiveness is the only act that frees you to move forward. Holding on to past hurts will damage you much more than the person who hurt you in the beginning. The only way your future can be better is by leaving your past in the past and getting it out of your temple. And as hard as it is to forgive others, it is much more difficult to forgive ourselves. Let go. Let go of the garbage, and make sure you are not your own worst enemy.
§     Free yourself from bad habits – Your body sometimes is a great reflection of how you feel spiritually as well. Treat your body with respect, and it will do the same for you. Strengthen you muscles and push yourself hard enough to grow.
§     Focus on Heaven – Most of what the world stays in an uproar about matters little in the end. Life is short and thankfully, it is not up to us to make sure the world is running properly. Paul said it best in I Corinthians 9:24, when he encourages us to “run in such a way as to obtain the prize.” The true prize is Heaven, and all that we experience between here and eternity are just preparing us for the reward of living with God, with Jesus by our side. Anything that doesn’t bring you closer to Heaven is simply not worth worrying about.

Our lives are meant for worship, and beauty, and growth, and anything that gets in  the way of this is clutter, and needs to be removed as quickly as possible. Only then can we find true peace.

I Corinthians 14:33 – For God is not a God of disorder but of peace…. (NIV)

Can God Find Me Anywhere? Even in a Restroom?

By Lori Freeland –

I ran down the hall desperate for a quiet place to meet God. Around the corner, through an old wooden door, an alcove hid a tiny restroom in the north end of the hospital. I pushed through the door and locked myself in the cold, grey refuge of the single stall. A knot formed in my chest, tight and suffocating.

“Lord, please. I need to be alone. Don’t let anyone need to use this restroom.”I stared at the chipped, stained tiles. Would God meet me here? In a worn, broken down, dirty restroom?

Footsteps echoed outside the door. I held my breath as they paused, then continued on.

Unexpected laughter bubbled up and I sagged down onto the worn toilet seat, balancing over the oval shaped hole. Even if this was an odd venue to beg for Kyle’s life—it painted an accurate picture of the day.

Was it better to leap right into the begging or make a bunch of lame promises first? God knew it all anyway. And my time alone was limited. Straight to the begging seemed the best option.

“First, I need you to forgive me. For getting too busy for You. Please don’t be too busy for me.” I flexed my foot, moved my ankle in a circle. Fixated on my dirty shoes.

The air conditioner kicked on and I slid forward on the seat.

Shaky laughter escaped, echoing through the bathroom. “Lord, please. I don’t want to do this. I’m not strong enough. The whole concept of You only give what I can handle? Well, I can’t handle it.”

I rubbed my palms along the rough fabric of my jeans. “I don’t want to handle it. So maybe we could do something else instead? Something easier? I could get sick.”

I stared at my wedding ring. Watched the diamond sparkle under the fluorescent light. “Or Pat? He could get sick. What about a fire? Tornado?” My bitten off nails dug into my legs. “Pat could lose his job. That would be character building.”

I squeezed my eyes together. “Pick something else. Please. I’m begging from a toilet seat.”

I paused to give God time think it over. But there was no great booming voice.

“You could wave the last few days away.”

The air conditioner chugged louder. Tears escaped and I turned my face to wipe them against my shoulder. “This isn’t supposed to be my life.”

The shape of the hard porcelain indented the bottom of my thighs so I stood. “You’re not letting me out of this, are You?” I sagged against the smooth metal wall. Slid down to the floor.

“I guess we’re going with cancer then.” Goosebumps formed on my back where my tank top scooped down.

“I can’t do this alone. And I can’t waste time and energy wondering if You caused this, or allowed this, or could have stopped this. I need to feel Your love, Your goodness. Every day. You are my rock.”

Tears rolled down my face—no point in trying to stop them. As the tears flowed, the hard knot inside my chest stretched and softened.

Still no booming voice.

But for the first time in days, my shoulders relaxed. A verse filled my head. “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” (Psalm 139:8 NIV). God could find me anywhere. He could fill me anywhere.

That day, six years ago, God found me in the restroom of the Children’s Hospital. He heard my plea and answered. No, He didn’t take it away or swap it out for something else. But He met me where I was, in that dirty old broken down restroom, lifted me up and reminded me why He was my rock. Throughout the entire four-year journey, I walked alongside my son with God as the glue that held us together. And not for one minute did I question His love.

“The 168 Film Project: A Crazy Act of Faith”

By Dianne E. Butts –

I’m going to be doing something just a little bit crazy this month. I’m a member of a team that’s going to make a movie. In a month? you ask. Well, actually, in a week. Oh all right—you should probably know it will be a short movie. Eleven minutes max. But still, acting and filming a whole movie, editing, adding music, etc., all in a week? That seems a bit crazy, doesn’t it?

What’s the movie about? Don’t know yet. How could I not know? Well, because it’s a timed contest. We can’t start making the film until 11:00 am on the production week. And the way they keep us from starting early is by assigning each team its topic. That will happen February 6^th.

What kind of a topic will it be? It will come in the form of a Bible verse.

Yep. That’s right. Our film team, one of about 80 teams, will be assigned a verse from Scripture, and it will be our task to write, film, and produce a story that “illuminates the Word of God through short film.” Through this competition, the 168 Film Project “provides a training ground for filmmakers.” They are giving pros and newcomers alike opportunities to learn about and get involved in film production. Teams are made up of people with diverse backgrounds, training, and experience in the entertainment industry. It is also an incredible networking opportunity which can open doors for future work in entertainment. The 168 says, “We encourage fair treatment of subjects, with emphasis on story and subtlety. But, more importantly, filmmakers are advised to honestly portray the tale that God inspires.”

“The tale that God inspires.” That’s the faith-walk part. Can God really help us make a movie in a week?!

There’s something strange going on in Hollywood. There has been an influx of Christians looking to make a difference. Not only do they want to make a difference in the content that comes out of Hollywood in film and television, these Christians want their presence to make a permanent impact. Every job they get, every set they work on, every person in Hollywood they encounter, will give them an opportunity to be a witness for Christ. These Christians plan to transform Hollywood from the inside out by reaching professionals in Hollywood for Christ.

Have you seen something you don’t like come out of Hollywood lately? What did you do about it? Turn off the TV? Stay away from the movie theatre?

Well when was the last time you prayed for Hollywood? If you, personally, would like to make a difference in Hollywood, a good place to start is with the Hollywood Prayer Network.

And when you think of me and this crazy thing I’m attempting this month, I’d appreciate a prayer, too. The 168 competition’s theme for this year’s contest is “Second Chances.” Our verse will be assigned February 6. We’ll have ten days to write a story script that illuminates that verse. Then we’ll be filming starting February 17^th and must turn in our film on the 24^th.

All films will premier at the 168 Film Festival April 1 – 2 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California. If you can’t make that but would still like to see some of these short films that illuminate God’s Word, “Best Of…” DVDs from past years are available on their website. You will be inspired by what these up and coming filmmakers have done with one Scripture verse and 168 hours.

Dianne is the author of the new book, Deliver Me: Hope, Help, and Healing through True Stories of Unplanned Pregnancy (Connections Press, 2011), and an aspiring screenwriter. Her script, A Cowboy’s Faith, was a finalist in the 168 Project’s “Write of Passage” 2010 contest. When she’s not writing, she enjoys riding her motorcycle with her husband, Hal, and gardening with her cat, P.C. in Colorado. www.DeliverMeBook.com www.DianneEButts.com

The Sanctity of Human Life Sunday

By Dianne E. Butts  –

The National Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is January 23, 2011. Each year, Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is held on the Sunday closest to January 22, the date in 1973 when the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision on Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton which legalized abortion on demand.

Since then, there have been nearly 50 million abortions in the United States. Here are some more statistics about abortion in America:

• In the United States, approximately 3,700 abortions are performed every day.

• Of all pregnancies in America (excluding miscarriages), 22% end in abortion.

• About 61% of abortions are obtained by women who have one or more children.

• Of all abortions only 1% occur because of rape or incest. This means that of those 3,700 abortions performed every day, only 37 are because of rape or incest.

• What about the other 3,663? Potential health problems regarding either the mother or child account for 6% (222). The remaining 93% (3,441) are for “social reasons” (i.e. the child is unwanted or inconvenient).

• Of all abortions, 18% are performed on women who identify themselves as “Born-again/Evangelical.”

• Of all abortions in the United States, women identifying themselves as Protestants obtain 37.4%; Catholic obtain 31.3%; Jewish obtained 1.3%; and women with no religious affiliation obtain 23.7%.

• If you’ve seen the “Precious Feet” lapel pin of two tiny human feet, the international pro-life symbol for nearly thirty years, you may know those feet are the exact size and shape of an unborn baby’s feet at ten weeks after conception. Of all abortions, 52% occur before the ninth week of pregnancy and 25% between the ninth and tenth weeks.

• By the time they are 45 years old, an estimated 43% of all women will have at least one abortion.

Do you find anything startling in these statistics? Perhaps you thought abortion today was rare, or only needed or used in extreme cases. This Sunday, on Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, how might you pray for our nation? If you’re inclined to do a bit more, where might you volunteer to make a difference? And the next time you have the privilege, how will you cast your vote?

I’ve learned that many women (and men) who have experienced abortion and now regret it, feel they have committed the unforgiveable. Think of it. According to statistics, this issue affects up to 43% of our population. Through hearing their stories, I’ve learned what a difference it makes in their lives, and their walk with God, when someone compassionately reaches out to them with mercy, talks with them about God’s forgiveness, and helps restore them in their relationship with Christ.

“For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living” (Psalm 116:8-9, NIV).

Dianne is the author of the coming new book, Deliver Me: Hope, Help, and Healing through True Stories of Unplanned Pregnancy (Connections, 2011), www.DeliverMeBook.com. When she’s not writing, she enjoys riding her motorcycle with her husband, Hal, and gardening with her cat, P.C., in Colorado. www.DianneEButts.com

Editor’s note: You may contact the author for information regarding statistics referenced above.

Calling Out to God When No One Else is Listening

By Janet Morris Grimes –

There are few times in life when you may find yourself alone, all family and peer groups stripped away for a season. Life has a way of bringing us to this chasm that isolates us from the rest of the world. It may be a circumstance, such as the loss of a job or a negative diagnosis or test result you were hoping not to hear. It might be the death of a loved one, or a tough situation a child of yours may be suffering that leaves you certain that no one else in this would could possibly know how you feel at that precise moment.

But what I’ve found is that these are the moments we see and hear God most clearly. When He is all we’ve got left, with no one else to turn to, He reveals himself in the most beautiful of ways.

Think about it. The Bible is filled with such stories. Jonah-I’m quite certain there was no one else in the belly of that fish with him to point him in the right direction. Saul, who became Paul, but only after being blinded by the light. Blindness must have an immediate effect of making one feel alone. Joseph, who was beaten by his brothers, dropped in a pit, and then sold into slavery rather than being left to die. These stories demonstrate abandonment at its best. Or worst.

Jesus faced it as well, many times, but the difference was that He knew what was coming. In the Garden of Gethsemane, just before being turned over to the enemy to be led to his own crucifixion, Jesus asked his apostles to “watch and pray” but they were  too sleepy to even notice his anguish, even though He predicted his upcoming death numerous times.

Jesus shows us just how to handle those situations that knock us to our knees, leaving us in fields of abandonment. It was there, alone in the garden, that Jesus cried out to his Father like never before, referring to God as Abba, which means simply Daddy. And his simple prayer says it all.

“Abba Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me, yet not my will, but your will” (Mark 14:36) .

Jesus prayed for deliverance from his circumstances, and recognized that God had the power to change them. But He also accepted God’s will, knowing whatever He was about to face, He would never be alone.

The truth is that people let you down. Daily. And abandonment of any kind hurts us to the core. But it may be those moments when the world turns its back on us, that drive us toward God. He is always ready to meet us on the path, in the belly of the whale, or even in a pit, just as soon as we call His name. He is Abba, Daddy, the one who hears our cries no one else is listening.

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

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