Month: May 2022

The Importance of Memorials (in 4 R’s)

May 28, 2022Blog, Personal Growth, Sunday Sermons, , Leave a comment

Surrounded by pitch black, darkness and a bone chilling cold we somberly walked down the dimly lit pathway toward the black, granite wall where his name was inscribed. Shining eerily in the darkness were glow sticks dotting the walkway and carried by attendees. The respectful silence was pierced only by the amplified booming of full names, slowly being read aloud into the night air. We would take our place on the stage, to read aloud the honored names that preceeded and followed that of Lt. John H. Carson. Over the next 60 plus hours, 57,939 names would be lifted from The Wall and sent via sound waves into the memories of those there and the cosmos itself.

This was the 10 Year Anniversary celebration of the Vietnam Memorial in 1992, and it was the first of dozens of visits that I have taken to the Wall on the Mall in Washington D.C.

Vietnam Memorial, Washington DC

Memorials are an important part of every culture. Memorials help us to remember the sacrifice of brave soldiers, the valuable contributions of an important public figure, the life well lived of a great leader or unforgotten hero. Statues, momuments and memorials challenge us to remember the value of a person or event.

Memorial – from the Latin word, “memos” means “mindful”, and that is the task of a memorial, to present us with being mindful of the past and the costs that have brought us to this point.

Lincoln Memorial

Scripture is strong in it’s references to memorials, remembrances, and ancient landmarks. We are challenged to make certain days a memorial, remember certain people’s actions as a memorial, wear certain priestly accessories as a memorial, build a pile of rocks as a memorial, give money as a memorial, eat bread and drink wine as a memorial and to not remove ancient landmarks because they are to be a memorial for all generations.

Memorials serve an important role in our lives and in culture, and we would do well to pay attention to them in these 4 ways – these are my 4 R’s.

RESPECT – every memorial, no matter it’s origin or intention, should be respected. It is there to commemorate something honored and sacred by someone. Whether or not I understand, or even agree with it or the reason, it is incumbent upon me to be respectful around it, to it and to those who are paying or who have paid their respects to it.

President JFK’s Memorial Flame & Tomb, Arlington Cemetery, VA

REMEMBER – Each memorial is set to remind us of someone or something. Stop and remember it. If you don’t know about it or the person, look it up, read up, understand why it is there. Remembering is vital for the success of any society. Remembering does no real harm to us but it does honor the one or event that it represents. In the event there is “harm” by remembering, let it lead you to the next R.

REFLECT – A reflection is light that bounces off of an object. When we choose to reflect at memorials, light will shine and bounce back on us. This light may cause “harm”, sadness, maybe even anger, but let the light shine on you, your memories, feelings, emotions and allow that light to make YOU a stronger, wiser and more understanding person. Allow your reflection to make a difference, even if only in you. Reflection is intended make us better, and our society stronger, then we can reevaluate, make changes and move on to R number 4.

RENEW – Everything that happens does so for a reason and that reason will generally benefit us in the long term. When we honor a memorial and allow ourselves to reflect, we cannot help but renew our commitment to the passion stirred by that memorial. Memorials galvanize our renewed drive toward an honorable and valiant cause. We are stirred, we are renewed by the statememts that memorials make. Our spirit is renewed because of memorials.

Headstone from a Revolutionary War soldier, New York

There are ancient landmarks, memorials and statues that are meant to stand for and through generations. It is the duty of every member of society to respect, remember, reflect and renew themselves in the honoring of these landmarks.

WWII Memorial, The Mall, Washington DC

Whether it be a makeshift memorial at a grocery store in Buffalo, a flower in a granite reflecting pool in New York City, or the overwhelming awe that comes from standing at the foot of The Great Pyramid, memorials are a very important part of every culture.

Twin Towers Memorial, NYC

May we be ones who give honor to whom honor is due and lead the way by example for so many others who don’t care, don’t know any better or fail to see the importance of memorials.

Cheers to you,

Debbie

Jefferson Memorial, Wahington DC

Are You Picking Up God’s Voice?

May 21, 2022Blog, Encouragement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Sunday Sermons, Leave a comment

Radio waves are those electromagnetic waves that are transmitted by an antenna and received by a receiver, which then converts the signals (EM waves) into audio or visual form for you to see or hear. You’ve used them, you tune your radio to 101.3, and pick up that frequency, that specific signal. In fact, every wireless technology has it’s own little band with which it receives it’s assigned frequencies.

  • garage door opener 40 megahertz
  • cordless phones 40-50 megahertz
  • wildlife tracking devices 215-220 megahertz
  • cell phones 824-849 megahertz
  • GPS systems 1227-1575 megahertz

Although most raidos are single purpose radios (AM only receives AM signals, FM only receives FM signals, etc.) a scanner receives a wide range of frequencies and can be set to a specific frewuency.

Your brain has similiar capabilities to a radio receiver. Your brain can choose what you hear. For example, if there were many people talking a foreign language at the same time around you, you’ll hear noise. If one person speaks in a familiar language, you’ll be able to hear that one, even if the others are louder, because our brains react differently when we hear understandable language, thus allowing you to hear it clearly. Your brain immediately pays attention to it and turns it into waves.

Our brain never stops hearing. Even when we’re sleeping, the brain is still hearing frequencies and signals. Our ears can distinguish between 100’s of 1000’s of different sounds. No one has an ear or set of ears like yours. Ears are completely individual – like fingerprints. So you have your own little band for hearing that is uniquely yours and singular in purpose. You can scan a wide range of frequencies or tune in on a specific frequency.

In some ways, we could be compared to a car with its antenna raised. Fully functional – it can tune in and out of AM, FM, XM, and car play waves. But with a broken antenna (like my car), signals are limited and static ridden.

We have been manufactured with a built-in spiritual antenna capable of picking up spiritual signals – or God’s voice. We can choose which of the 1000’s of signals we will listen to. We can scan right by God’s voice or we can choose to set our scanner to the frequency of God’s voice. What do we do? Do we tune it out? Is our antenna broken? Do we hear it and respond?

I am encouraged by this insightful verse –

“… long ago God spoke by the prophets, but in these days he has spoken to us by Jesus…”

Hebrews 1:1-2 ESV

God not only spoke to men and women long ago, but He is speaking to men and women in these days. That means we need to tune in to His frequency, and be picking up His signal.

“Therefore, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.”

Hebrews 2:1 ESV

“Paying careful attention to what we hear”, is not scanning over or past what we hear God’s speaking to us, it is tuning in and locking His channel down. Even making it a pre-set in our spiritual, brainy, receiver.

There are two useful scripture passages to mention here.

1 Samuel 3 tells of a young boy, named Samuel who was sleeping in the Temple. He was under the tutoring of the priest of the day, Eli. Samuel was awakened 3 times by the voice of the Lord talking to Him. Each of these times he had no idea it was God because the days he was living in were dark and desperate, a time when the revelation of God was rare. Samuel didn’t even know God yet.

But that didn’t stop God from speaking to Samuel. Matter of fact, God even spoke to Samuel a 4th time and this time Samuel said, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” And guess what, scripture tells us that God came and stood by him as before and called his name. Then God said, “Listen carefully…” 3:11

Another important scripture along this vein is 1 Kings 19:11-12. Here Elijah, the prohet is listening for the voice of God. He says that God’s voice is NOT in the hurricane, the earthquake, or fire. But God’s voice is like “a gentle & quiet whisper.”

The noise of life drowns out God’s voice. His signal is beaming down upon us for us to pick up on and hear. But are we hearing it, that gentle, quiet whisper? Is His voice above the background noise so that we can hear it? It is but a whisper in our head, a pounding in our heart… are you picking up on it?

“Oh, that my people would listen to me…”

Psalms 81:13 ESV

“My sheep hear my voice…”

John 10:3-4 ESV

As we close, it is interesting to note that the very last book in the Bible places a very high priority on paying close attention to what the Spirit says. Seven letters were written to seven churches and each of them ends with this phrase –

“… he who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches…”

Revelation 2:7; 11; 17; 29; 3:6; 13; 22 ESV

Additionally, twice in the last chapter of Revelation it speaks to those who hear, and a warning is given. Revelation 21:17-18

Dear friend, I firmly believe that God is speaking in these days. He speaks through Jesus, and His words. He speaks through the Bible, and He also speaks in a gentle, quiet whisper into your heart and mind. His voice will never contradict or violate the Bible and will always encourage your relationship with Him. He speaks to you in your prayers, through other people and will always align with your spiritual calling. As you choose to draw near to God, you will hear His voice clearer, because He will be drawing closer to you too. To that one, the signal of God’s voice is strong and steady. There is no static, no doubt.

We can choose to repair a broken antenna, by turning back to Jesus. We can choose which of the thousands of signals we will tune in to. We can be a scanner that scans a range of frequencies or we can be a scanner that is set to a specific frequency – that of God’s, loving and firm voice.

We can be like Samuel. Whether it be the first, second, third, or fourth time that God speaks to us, we can choose to say, “Speak Lord, for I am listening.”

It is no accident that the greatest command to every Jew is –

“HEAR, O ISRAEL : “

Deuteronomy 6:4

“Listen carefully”.

Are you hearing God speak to you? Are you picking up God’s voice?

Go with God,

Debbie

Awake, Awake, Deborah!

May 14, 2022Blog, Encouragement, Personal Growth, Sunday Sermons 1 Comment
Deborah, under her palm

Please don’t stop reading because you are not named Deborah. This is a clarion call to way more than those named Deborah and may certainly be missed by many who are named Deborah. Please keep reading to see what I mean.

I must confess that this is a bit of a “soapbox” issue for me. By that, I mean –

I am quite impassioned about it! But it has not been my passion only, nor has it been only within the context of our modern times.

Since about the year 1237 BC this clarion call for Deborah to awake has sounded. So, I have been a relatively late addition to that call. What is it exactly? I’m glad you asked.

It is a call for women to rise up in the fullness of their giftings and promptings to inspire, challenge and lead their generation in divinely directed strategies towards divinely destined victories. Men, aren’t left out in this call, so don’t click out, they, too, have a place. Let’s look at it’s origins.

In the book of Judges we find the chronicles of the 12 Judges of Israel. These Judges served as the governmental leaders of the time, the time before the kings of Israel. This period covered approximately 272 years in Irasel’s history. The first Judge was Othniel and the last of the 12 was Sampson. Although Samuel was considered both a Prophet and the final Judge in Israel, before the first king – Saul.

Judge number 4 was a woman named Deborah. She is the only woman to serve as a Judge and as a ruler over Israel. She and Samuel are the only Judges who were also prophets. Read it, it is remarkable.

This Deborah was quite the woman in her generation. She was married to a guy who must have been a gem of a guy. His name was Lappidoth, which means “torches”. Other than his name in Judges 4:4, he is never mentioned again in the Bible. But when he is mentioned, as her husband, and we understand the firey meaning of his name, we realize that he was exactly what she needed when she came home at the end of her Judges day, Tired, burnt-out, and frazzled from holding court all day, her fire was relit by her loving husband. Together, they buzzed (her name means “bee”) for 40 years as Israel’s first couple.

What did she do? Well as just mentioned above, all day she sat under a palm tree, between Ramah & Bethel, where villagers brought their grievances and disputes to her for her legislative decisions and wise counsel. It was long and grueling, but she was anointed, and appointed by God for the job.

Where things get dicey is when God gives her a strategy for Israel’s victory over the king of Canaan & his army commander Sisera.

She is to tell a man named Barak,

” Has not the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, “Go gather your men…and I will draw out Sisera to meet you and I will give him into your hand” ?”

Judges 4:6-7 ESV

She was calling out Barak, and reminding him of the word that the Lord had given to him. The word that he had failed to perform. The word that would bring victory to Israel. Deborah’s anointing was to awaken Barak, to get with the program and to quit procrastinating. The life of the nation depended on his action.

He heard her, and her challenge, but he still was lacking in confidence to complete his task. Look at his response –

“If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”

Jud. 4:8 ESV

Not exactly a warrior’s response, right? She, of course, told him to saddle up, she would go with him, and, oh, by the way, you just blew your shot for glory, buddy, cuz Sisera will fall at the hand of a woman. Jud, 4:9

As the story goes, Sisera winds up running from Barak & Deborah’s army and slips into the tent of Heber & his wife Jael. It doesn’t end well for Sisera, for as he lies sleeping, Jael finds a tent peg and a hammer, & literally nails Sisera’s temple to the floor of her tent. It is quite the story, and ends with, “… and there lay Sisera dead, with a tent peg in his temple.” 4:22

Victory is declared and everyone is happy as the ememy is defeated. And amazingly, the entire next chapter, Judges 5, is a 31 verse song that was sung by the duet of Deborah and Barak. Seriously. 31 verses. In it, they sing of the state of Israel before the battle, which tribes rallied to help in the battle, how faithful God was in the battle and what a great vistory Jael had achieved. Yay! “And the land was at rest for 40 years.” Jud. 5:31

In verse 12 of the song it says this –

“Awake, awake, Deboarah! Awake, awake, break out in a song.”

Jud. 5:12 ESV

Hence, our call for the Deborah’s in spirit to AWAKE! And for their Lappidoth’s to arouse themselves too.

I believe we are living in the days of this Deborah anointing. I have been hearing it from many spiritually keen representatives and I agree fully. This is a call for women to rise up in the fullness of their giftings and promptings to inspire, challenge and lead their generation in divinely directed strategies towards divinely destined victories.

It is a call for their torches to be lit by one’s who love and support them. It is a call for the Barak’s to take hold of the promises and instructions from God and go forth in victory. It is a call to a nation to follow God’s perscriptions for winning battles and to move in obedience, lolligagging no longer.

Deborah’s anointing will empower women to judge with discernment. Operate in the Spirit of knowledge & wisdom, mother a generation totally confused about nurture and nature, deliver God given strategies, stir up tribes to rally and men to fight, and sing songs of praise and victory as worshipping warriors.

Perhaps that is why there is such a fierce war against women these days. Because the enemy is trying to keep the spirit of Deborah and Lappidoth silent, bridled, snuffed out and asleep. For if they were to awake, the enemies demise would be inflicted just as a tent peg to the temple.

May the spirit and anointing of Deborah awake within you today. There’s a battle to be fought and won.

Awake, awake Deborah.

Debbie (Debra)

“What is a woman?’

May 7, 2022Blog, Personal Growth, Sunday Sermons, 1 Comment

Mother’s Day 2022

Six weeks ago, on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, before a Judicial hearing of Congress, Senator Blackburn famously asked Supreme Court nominee, Judge Jackson if she could define what a woman was. This was her response –

” Can I provide a definition? No, I can’t. Not in this context, I’m not a biologist.”

My friend, I am not a biologist either, but on this Mother’s day, I will share with you the biblical definition of a woman.

Of course, this takes us back to the beginnings, even before biology was known or studied. In Genesis 1:27, we are told that God created mankind in His own image and likeness. He created mankind/humans (“man”/”adam” in Hebrew) male and female. Just like the Trinity was. Mankind, in male and female form was built, made and worked upon.

Then in Genesis chapter 2, we see in one verse, (2:7) the creation of the first man – “adam”, Adam.

“Then the Lord God formed the man of the dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.”

Half of mankind was made, in the representation or resemblance of a man. A male.

Later on in Genesis, as Adam is surveying and naming all the animals, God says, (to whom I’m not sure), “It is not good that the man should be alone: I will make a helper fit for him”. Gen. 2:18 And then we read of the creation of Eve – woman, the female counterpart of the Godhead. (which takes six verses to describe, jus’ sayin’…:-))

God puts Adam into a deep sleep so that He can surgerically remove a rib from his chest, and close him back up without disturbing his rest. When he wakend, he was pretty excited because he saw someone/thing like him, not with fur, scales or feathers like the animals. He said,

“This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man.”

Genesis 2:23

God called her woman when he brought her to Adam, but Adam named her woman at this time. What’s the Hebrew definition here, of “woman”?

“Woman, wife, female. Opposite of man. (empathetic, a genuine woman, travailing, bearing children, nursing woman, a wise woman, prophetess, wife, female.”

Strong’s #H802

I am not a biologist, but I am a Bible believer and declare to you that a woman is a female created in God’s image capable of also being a wife, bearing children, a wise woman or a prophetess!

If we were to list the characteristics of a woman from Genesis 1-4, this would be our list:

  • female created in God’s image Gen. 1:27
  • made from man’s side Gen. 2:2
  • called a woman by God Gen. 2:22
  • named a woman by Adam Gen. 2:23
  • a helper for man Gen. 2:18
  • to help man’s lonliness Gen. 2:18
  • becomes a wife Gen. 2:25
  • becomes a mother Gen. 4:1
  • conceives Gen. 4:1
  • Has pain in childbearing Gen. 3:16
  • is in pain bringing forth children Gen. 3:16
  • desire to dominate your husband Gen. 3:16
  • he will (your husband) want to dominate you Gen. 3:16
  • (Interesting note: THEY BOTH were given the charge to dominate the animals and earth & have DOMINION together – before the fall! Gen. 1:28 Instead, because of the fall, they would oppose each other & struggle for dominance within their family. Crazy!)

A woman is an adult female, made in God’s image and may become a wife, or conceive children. She also may be wise, empathetic, nurse and travail. She is different from man, who is also made in God’s image and likeness, and they are created to complement each other, help each other and represent the identity of God on Earth.

To tamper with these principles is to attempt to alter the identity of God Himself. He created male and female because the identity of the Trinity emcompasses male and female characteristics. That’s why males and females have the emotions, characteristics and feelings that they do. Duh! They came from the God who also has them.

In a world who’s definitions are changing with each new fad or heresy, we must cling to THE TRUTH of the Word of God, it’s definitions, values and principles.

I am not a biologist, but in the words of Helen Reddy, “I am woman, hear me roar.”

Happy Mother’s Day to all women out there.

Debbie