To the Very Last Drop

Afterward

        Since I started writing this little book, God has shown Himself to be faithful. He has demonstrated His unfailing love in so many unexpected ways. My son is now in First Grade and just qualified for the Gifted Program in our county. We just got a new car with many extras and paid much less than I ever imagined we would. My friend Joy’s son is being invited to sing for many of our local events. Joy is a single-mommy, and her cutie is bi-racial. Another single-mommy friend carried her son’s report card around when he graduated from high school and could proudly proclaim that he never spent a minute in jail, made a baby, or did drugs. He is now in a large university doing quite well, thank you.

        You see, while single parenting is not God’s blueprint, He can turn a bad thing for good. As my little guy likes to sing,

“Jesus makes everything right”*

*Taken from: The Thesis by Ambassador

Epilogue

No More Guilt

It is now July 10, 2009, so much as happened during these past six years. Ben is no longer a “little guy”. He is almost as tall as I am. We’ve both endured and grown tremendously over the last 6 years. The biggest thing is that I no longer feel the enormous weight of guilt that plagued me in the earlier years. That is all due to the gentle care and guidance of our Lord Jesus. Even though I knew in my head that there is now no more condemnation that are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1), my heart and emotions just kept reeling in the shadows of death (Psalm 23:4). I’ve learned that they are only shadows. God doesn’t waste words. He meant it, just shadows. I won’t tell you that we never see the shadows, or that it doesn’t get dark sometimes. By the grace and mercy of God, we keep walking. So can you. We don’t have to fear the dark, or the unknown. Just know that our great Shepherd and High Priest as already been there and knows just how to keep us sweetly in His care.

“Servin’ Jesus gets sweeter and sweeter. It’s done turn to sugar!”

~ an unknown elder

peace and blessings in Him,

Janet                                                                  

Thou hast set a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. – Psalm 23:5

Return Engagement

John 20:11-18 NIV

¹¹ Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb ¹² and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

 ¹³ They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

   “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” ¹⁴ At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

 ¹⁵ He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

   Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

 ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

   She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

 ¹⁷ Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

 ¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

A Return Engagement

      The first mortal to see the risen Lord was a redeemed outcast. When she first encountered Jesus, she had seven demons. Jesus delivered her and she followed Him. Think about it.  Jesus didn’t go to the religious or spiritual elite. He went to a woman alone in the world. This situation is often like being in a cemetery, full of dead men’s bones, sadness, and ceaseless grieving. Jesus met her there.  He returned, spoke her name, and sent her out with a message. What a joy and comfort. But it doesn’t stop there.

        He’s coming back. Yes, He is coming back! The next time, He’s not leaving us or sending us on a mission. He is coming to take us with him…as His Bride! Yea, girl, we will wear white! We will be His pure and holy bride. We will live with Him forever!

Amen, amen.

More from the coffee pot

They Have Got to Go!

Mar 5:35-42 NIV

 ³⁵ While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”

 ³⁶ Overhearing^[a] what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

 ³⁷ He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. ³⁸ When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. ³⁹ He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” ⁴⁰ But they laughed at him.

   After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. ⁴¹ He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). ⁴² Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.

        In this Scripture, Jesus turns out a funeral. In those days, there were paid mourners. Yep, people were paid to cry and make noise. There were others that came just to be part of the scene. You know the old crowd mentality. These people had to go. Jesus allowed only the immediate family and His closest disciples into the house for the miracle. He put the others out.

        There are people today in the world mourning us and our children. Let’s start with those that get paid to go on T.V. and say how bad things are for us. They are called experts.  Then there are those that don’t really know us, but are willing and eager to join the chorus of opinion- giving. We have to put the negative voices out of our lives. Who should we be listening to? The God who made us and knows us, or broken people that don’t know as much as we do? Whose report will we believe?

An Afterthought: I recently cut off my relaxed hair after letting the virgin hair grow for a while. I was amazed at how a little extra care brought nice results. I don't know why I waited so long to walk away form the court of public opinion. So now I wear my hair natural, leave my son in comfortable clothes on Sunday for church, and refuse to spend money on pantyhose. My now 13-year-old is a scholar and musician, not an athlete, while the tallest kid in 7th grade. I say stick to you guns, man! Don't let other people's ideas mold you or define you. Psalms say that God fashions each heart individually, and He considers all their works (Psalm 33:15)

A pause from 'A Second Cup of Coffee'

I am taking a break from A Second Cup of Coffee to share today with you. This morning, one of our church elders shared a communion devotion that he called 'The Gospel and Shame'. It really resonated with me. Those of us that are at least churched have heard that Jesus died for our sins. Many in our society are at least vaguely familiar with John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall  not perish but have eternal life. This dear man of God began to talk about guilt and shame. He defined how guilt is feeling bad about what we do. Shame is feeling bad about who I am. He had my rapt attention.The elder went on to explain that legitimate shame occurs over sins we have committed and having a sin nature. However, illegitimate shame is caused by sins that have been committed against(emphasis mine) us.
This afternoon I began to think about how I grew up knowing about God and all of the Bible stories from Sunday School. Then realizing that God is real and His Word is true. By high school, I wanted to live only for Jesus. At the same time, a series of bad things happened to me from elementary school on through college. Though some things were because of my own lack of wisdom, way too much was at the hands of others. By the time I graduated from high school, I was convinced that while Jesus died for the world, God had forgotten about me, and my pain didn't matter. I was further convinced that I was a kind of after-thought in the mind of God and my family, real friends nonexistent. I was forgotten by all, even God. So I lived this shame-based existence where everyone was smarter, and better than me. Even the perpetrators of my pain were in higher esteem and without consequences. My heart and I just didn't matter.
Over recent years, God has been carefully and slowly pealing back those lies and working to make me understand and know that I do matter. My heart matters. My pain matters. My needs matter. He has not dressed me in shame. The elder this morning brought us Hebrews 10:8-10, 1John 1:7,9, and Hebrews 12:2. But this afternoon, Jesus gave me 1Peter 2:4 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 
The Gospel has removed my shame. I am accepted.

Perfume and dinner parties

Perfume and dinner Parties

John 12:1-8

Luke 7:36 –36

 ³⁶ When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. ³⁸ As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

 ³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.

        When we find out that Jesus is in the house, we want to be there. When we become believers in Him Who Loves us, we can’t help but worship. Finally, a relationship that won’t leave us damaged. Our worship is rich and unhindered, uninhibited. The simply religious can’t stand such lavish affection towards Jesus.

      We can’t let the glares, stress, and folded arms of others keep us from pouring our praise on Jesus. Just as the woman in Scripture broke an alabaster box to pour her sweet perfume on Jesus, break out of your man-made box and lavish your heart’s affection on Him who wants to provide a safe place for you. Doesn’t that cup feel good?