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Battling the Buzzing Nemesis

Battling the Buzzing Nemesis
by Fred Alberti, Crosswalk.com Senior Manager of Social Media

In an effort to improve my health I have added trail running to my morning regimen. So five days a week I strap on my New Balance All-Terrain running shoes, throw on a cap, grab my big stick, and set off through the field for the woods.

As much as I struggle with getting up early for this activity I find that I have it better than the many woodland creatures that are constantly awakened by this weird guy crashing through the brush. Most of them quickly get up and take off. However, some, like the buck that lives on the property, will make their displeasure known before bounding away. These don't bother me, and no, the big stick is not for them.

I reserve the big stick for the many spider webs I encounter on my journey. I'd much rather the stick bear the brunt of the webs and the spiders that guard them than my face.

Even so equipped there is one more thing I must fend off. I don't know what it is exactly. What I do know is that it is big, buzzes loudly, and loves to swoop at my face. No matter how fast I run or how much I swat or flail my arms this buzzing bug will not be deterred from its mission to strike my heart with terror and my mind with distraction.

The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8 that Satan, "prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

For the child of God, the Devil is much like my buzzing nemesis. His goal is to strike fear, discouragement, and divisiveness into the heart of the believer while distracting him from completing the task God has designed for His purposes.

I've found that bug repellent is an excellent solution for my dilemma. I spray it on and I am, for the most part, left alone.

Have you been struggling with a buzzing nemesis?

God too, gives us the equipment we need to "extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one" and to stay focused on Him. It's called the Shield of Faith and you can learn about that as well as the rest of the armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-18.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Take the family camping or go hiking and remind them as you spray on the bug repellent that just as it protects them from the effects of biting insects so the blood of Jesus Christ protects us from the "wages" of sin.

Further Reading
The Shield of Faith
Ephesians 6:10-18
The Power of Prayer

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Trapped in the Darkness

Trapped in the Darkness

by Fred "Fritz" Alberti, Crosswalk.com Senior Manager of Communities and Social Media

"…to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me."

Acts 26:18

As I was walking through my nature trail this week I, as I normally do, asked the Lord what I should write this week. As I passed through the chapel area of the trail the sun flashed through the leaves and caught my attention. Light. I had entered the darkness of the woods but that light caught my attention. I "filed" it away and continued my travels through the trail.

Later, I was reading through various news stories of earthquake survivors in China when one particular story jumped out at me and brought back to my mind my earlier encounter with the rising sun. The story was of a middle-aged man named Mr. Shen whose quick thinking to take cover in a doorway saved him from the fate experienced by many of his co-workers.

When interviewed, Mr. Shen recalled shouting to a co-worker to join him in the doorway when the room suddenly collapsed. The next thing he remembered was the sudden darkness that enveloped him.

What struck me in his interview was his statement, "Oh, the darkness, oh, the darkness all over. I didn't know when it was going to end."

There are people that we walk past every day that, without knowing it, are spiritually in the same condition as Mr. Shen; trapped in darkness under the weight of sin.

For Mr. Shen, the darkness crumpled under the hands of the rescuers. After 146 hours his encounter with complete and utter darkness came to an end. That darkness, however, will always leave a mark on his being.

Will you forget the darkness that seeks to crush the hope of those around you?

Intersecting Faith & Life: Find a place of complete and utter darkness and spend at least 15 minutes praying for people you know who have not accepted God's free gift of salvation.

Further Reading
Ephesians 5:8
John 12:46
1 Peter 2:9

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Engraved in His Hand

Engraved in His Hand

by Fred "Fritz" Alberti, Crosswalk.com Manager of Communities

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…"Isaiah 49:15-16

Sometimes we find ourselves in harsh circumstances. We feel isolated from the Lord and begin to ask ourselves, "Is He really there? Has He forgotten me?" Today's passage is a stark reminder that there is no way our Lord will forget us or forsake us.

Being the father of five children I have been blessed to witness the blessed scene of a mother feeding her baby. I've seen both mother and child relax and share that bond that comes through breastfeeding. It is that beautiful analogy that is drawn in Isaiah. A mother does not forget the child she is nursing, she and the baby are in a deep bond that is difficult to be ignored. Likewise, our Father in heaven is in no way going to forget His love for us. But even if a mother were to forget, the Lord proclaims that even if a mother were to forget, He never will.

Dear child of God, you will never be forgotten!

In the midst of losing your house to foreclosure, you will not be forgotten.

When worrying how you are going to deal with the high gas prices, you will not be forgotten.

When struggling to budget the grocery bill, you will not be forgotten.

God will never forget you.

Why not?

This brings us to the second half of our passage.

"See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…"

As we were reading this in church one Sunday my wife was quick to point out an interesting observation. She felt, and I agree, that this was a messianic prophecy.

Our names were written into the palms that would bear the nails that hung our Lord on the cross at Calvary.

Your name, my name, and that of every other believer in Christ Jesus has had our names engraved by the nails that bore our Lord to a cruel tree.

You will not be forgotten because He loves you so much that He was willing to die for you. 1 Cor. 6:20 says, "…you were bought at a price."

That price was paid on a cross between two thieves.

That price was endured until the last breath when Jesus said, "It is finished."

With that proclamation, let's turn to 1 Cor. 1:7-11 which says this:

"… We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we
despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But
this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the
dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On
him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by
your prayers."

Friend, it is our hardships which cause us to turn and rely on God. Set your hope on Him and pray for those who are in distress.

He has engraved you on His hand and He will deliver.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Do a study of the different names of the Lord and write each name on the palm of your hand. As you go throughout the day take time to pray for those who are in distress. See someone in a grocery store with a stern look? Pray for that person. See another person standing at the pumps with a furrowed brow? Pray for that person. Pray for them as the recipients in Paul's letter prayed for him.

Further Reading
On the Bottom Looking Up
He Is Our Joy!
Never Unloved

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Remembering Mother's Unspoken Lessons

Remembering Mother's Unspoken Lessons

by Fred "Fritz" Alberti, Crosswalk.com Manager of Communities

Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching.

Proverbs 1:8

I'll never forget waking in the morning to get ready for school and finding my mother outside on the deck reading her Bible and praying. That scene has been burned into my mind so strongly that I now find myself also abiding with the Lord surrounded by His creation in the great outdoors.

Did my mother tell me that I must do this? No. Rather, she taught me this through example.
One thing I have learned through my career is that an online community tends to be the reflection of those who lead it. I think the same can be true for parenting. Our children are a reflection of us.

Do we habitually break the law by speeding? We can expect to see our children show the same respect to the law.

Do we habitually overeat? (By the way, this is called gluttony and is a sin). If so, we can expect to see our children also become plump when they adopt our own lifestyle.

Do we reject the notion of loving others? Yes, here too, our children will exhibit that same lack of compassion.

Do we contribute to the disintegration of the family by breaking our marriage vows? Yes, if we do not take seriously, "until death do us part" then we can expect our children to likewise adopt the false teaching that marriage vows are expendable and only good for as long as we are pleased with the relationship.

While children are charged with not forsaking their parents' teachings we have the higher responsibility. We are to train and raise a generation of people who are being ingrained with the concept that loving the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, body, and soul is of utmost importance.

How are we doing that today?

What teaching and instruction are our children learning through observing our Christian walk?

Intersecting Faith & Life: Work on consistently setting time aside to be with the Lord in a quiet setting. This can be outside under a tree or even a place in the house with a door that can lock (I've known many a mom that is forced to use the bathroom for such an endeavor). The important thing is that you make it a priority to be with the Lord and seek His guidance in your life.

Further Reading

My Mother Taught Me...

There's More to Mother's Day Than Flowers

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Are You in the Belly of a Big Fish?

Are You in the Belly of a Big Fish?

by Fred "Fritz" Alberti, Crosswalk.com Manager of Communities

But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah 1:17

Being a homeschool family we sometimes have some rather interesting experiments that we get to enjoy as a family. George is one such experiment. George is a goldfish whose bowl-mate sadly perished. My son's task was to teach the goldfish to come to the top of the bowl when he tapped on the glass. After several weeks of tapping and feeding and tapping and feeding the fish finally learned to come to the top of the bowl.

Big deal right? Right, that is until the fish started to do more. Anytime someone would walk by the bowl he would get all excited and start moving his mouth like he was yelling at whoever it was that was walking by the bowl. This became rather normal and we would just ignore him or comment that he was yelling at us in Spanish.

Then one day my kids were listening to an FFH song titled "Big Fish." It was then that George decided to really show off what he could do. When the song played George would begin to swim around like he was dancing in the water and would seemingly move his mouth to the words. (Move over Ashlee Simpson).

I particularly like the first verse of the song which goes like this:

Are you in the big fish

Are you sitting in the belly of a world gone mad

Have you turned your back in His wish

On His will for your life, have you made Him sad

Do you want to get out of the big fish

Listen to God and follow His plan

And you won't be part of the main dish

He'll spit you out on to dry land

I've sometimes felt like I was in the belly of a big fish. I had decided to do something my way instead of first seeking the Lord's guidance and leading.

You, whoever you are, God has a plan for your life. Maybe you feel like you are wasting your time at a dead-end job. Or perhaps you have no job but would desperately like one. Maybe you think you have the dream job but the Lord has been speaking to you in a still small voice to give it up for something else. Like Jonah, you may not particularly like the mission God has for you but He has the intention of making you ideally suited to carry that plan out.

Will you follow His plan or will your turn your back?

Maybe you've already chosen to turn your back and feel that there is no way out now. If that is the case I've got good news for you. The Bible has this to say about Jonah, "From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God." (Jonah 2:1) God is the God of second, third, and fourth chances.

Commit your way to the Lord today.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Buy a goldfish if you don't have one already. As you feed it remember that the Lord has a purpose and a plan for your life. Ask Him to reveal it to you daily.

Further Reading

Jonah Runs From God
Jonah and Me
Hebrews 13:20 - 21

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Striving for the 'Atta-Boy'?

Striving for the 'Atta-Boy'?

by Fred Albert, Crosswalk.com Manager of Communities

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

James 4:17

I had an interesting start to my week. While I was going about my work, I ended up assisting in the capture of a purse snatcher. He was young and afraid.

I am grateful to report that the episode ended without anyone getting hurt. I am also thankful for those who gave me assistance in apprehending this young misguided juvenile.

I spent a good part of the rest of the day analyzing everything. How could I have reacted differently? What would I do if it ever happened again?

Several of my colleagues expressed their appreciation, some even hailing me as a hero.

I do not consider myself a hero, nor do I consider this a particularly heroic act. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time and reacted in a way that brought the situation to a safe close.

Do I deserve special praise or recognition? No, I don’t think so.

I did what was right.

I did what was honorable.

I think sometimes our society is excessively stuck on rewarding doing the right thing when, in truth, we ought to be doing the right thing because it is right; because it is honorable. Our children want to know "what is in it for me?" This is wrong! We shouldn't need to bribe them to do the right thing. They ought to be raised to do the right thing because it honorable and right not because of what they will gain financially or otherwise. Instead our society offers bribes for good things and honors those who do wrong.

I'm not saying that we should not praise, reward, or honor those who have done right, but rather that the motivations of such people should be honorable.

John put it this way: "This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother."

That's a pretty harsh statement. I can delight in doing right not for the sake of recognition but because it helps identify me as a child of God.

Our verse from James puts it even more plainly. If you fail to do what you know is good then it is to you, sin.

Have you wrestled with doing the right thing in a particular circumstance recently? Don't resist any longer. By doing the right thing you may influence someone else to also do the right thing.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Secretly do something good for someone and don't tell anyone you've done it. Let it be an act of good between you and your Creator.

Further Reading

What do you think?
Laboring for God
Creative Compassion: Loving Heartily in a Hurting World

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