Easter | Real Life on Rocky Top

Holy Week??

Mar 27 2018

It’s Holy Week up on Rocky Top. I said to Preacher this morning, “I’m not so sure what is Holy about this week. Too much hurt, too much pain, too much brokenness and not enough truth and love going around.” Preacher reminded me that “holy” means to be set apart.

Hurt, pain, brokenness set Jesus apart from the crowd—-and He chose it. He chose to bear my sin so that I would never have to bear separation from God—a God who loves me and chose me despite my imperfections.

A few weeks ago I stood in front of a group of women to teach on HOPE. I gave them a nice three point outline from Romans 15 of what women of Hope are to be. I ended the message with a powerful story of Hope.

Then my world was rocked with a seemingly “hopeless” situation. The enemy whispered in my ear, “So where is your HOPE now, Bible study teacher?”

“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

What do I hope for? A marriage that glorifies Him, children who glorify Him, ministry that glorifies Him.

Is that the real answer? Let’s be honest…..the answer usually goes something like “a marriage that makes me happy, children who grow up and make me look good and are successful, and opportunities to do great things for God which make me look good.

Glorify God? God was glorified through His Son, Jesus when He was broken, beaten and bruised yet He uttered not a word. God’s one and only Son nailed and displayed on a bloody cross brought glory to God.

Last week I walked a beach that was covered with broken seashells. With every step I took, there was an eerie sound of more shells breaking underneath my feet. And with every crashing wave that hit that beach, more shells were deposited. People walked through the broken shells hoping to find just one whole and unbroken shell. Their desire was for one shell that was intact with no imperfections. There were very few of those to be found. Yet when they were found, there was no life inside—the shell was empty.

Truth is without all those broken shells there would not be much of a beach, the broken shells made that beach. Brokenness to some may seem invaluable. Brokenness to Christ is everything. He chose it so I might have life. It’s only in my brokenness that He can be glorified!

During Holy week Jesus cursed a fig tree. It appeared to be healthy but it bore no fruit. Christ also turned over the tables of the money changers in the temple. They appeared to be offering a much needed service but Christ knew the truth. Appearance often is deceiving.

Don’t be afraid of brokenness or broken people. Be more afraid of people who seem to have it all together and are just like those “perfect” shells on the beach…….empty and dead inside.

I, for one, need a Savior……..for myself, my marriage, my family, my church.

Be Holy this week. Be set apart from the world’s definition of perfection and wholeness. Celebrate His brokenness. Celebrate your brokenness. Allow your brokenness to glorify HIM!

“May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

The Earthquake after Easter

Apr 30 2017

It was a dreary, rainy Sunday afternoon up on Rocky Top. The cold meds I had been taking, combined with the sound of steady rain, lulled me into a deep sleep in my old brown leather recliner.

Suddenly I woke up to the sound of a muffled thud and the house shaking. After rising slowly and walking around the house, I was convinced I had just woken from a strange dream, likely the result of the cold meds. However, within the hour, I realized I hadn’t been dreaming or hallucinating. Upon entering my office in an attempt to be productive, I screamed, “Preacher, come quick!” There, outside my office window, laid a massive oak tree on the ground not far from our home.

The tree was probably seventy-five feet tall and appeared to be healthy and was covered in new green foliage. Preacher guesstimated the tree was fifty years old. The entire root system came up as it fell to the ground. Just last week our grandkids had been hunting Easter eggs in the shade of that tree.

How does an apparently healthy tree just fall in the middle of the day? There wasn’t high wind or a thunderstorm, just a slow, steady rain that had fallen over the course of several days. Up to six inches of rain had saturated the ground of Rocky Top.

Upon closer inspection of the fallen tree, half of the root system had been exposed by the rocky cliff it had been growing on. In other words, on the outside the tree appeared healthy but the roots didn’t go deep and secure into the ground.

Isn’t that how many people fall: we appear to be healthy on the outside but our roots have not grown deep into good soil.

The pictures on Facebook and Instagram look great: cute outfit, perfect shoes, gorgeous skin and hair, even breath-taking scenery. All indicators point to LIFE IS GOOD!

Nothing wrong with some great pics on social media. When I was a little girl, my “mamaw” used to say “Pumpkin (yes she was a southern grandma), what’s on the inside is so much more important than what is on the outside.” Now as a Nonna to three grandchildren, the importance of root deepening is becoming more apparent. Growing older doesn’t necessarily mean the roots are deep and strong.

Root deepening is a constant process according to God’s word: “So then just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7

Root deepening isn’t about remaining in the same place. It is about growing roots deep in His love, His truth and His ways. Most of the time that involves change which requires faith.
Root deepening isn’t about simply knowing God’s word. It is about doing God’s word. A teacher knows the pupil understood the lesson when it is lived out in real life, not when the pupil simply recites what the teacher says.
Root deepening is about knowing when roots become exposed due to the elements of life, to deal with it. Ask for help. Ignoring exposed roots will lead to a fall.
Root deepening happens when thankfulness is overflowing. A thankful spirit looks up and out to the Giver of Life, Jesus.

The fallen oak tree will be removed soon. No damage was done to anyone or really anything.

Yet, it was a reminder that the adorable Easter picture, the fun Easter egg hunt, and the dinner we enjoyed as a family came at a price. It is because of that high price, I desperately want to grow my roots deep into His love.

“I pray that you will be rooted and established in His love.” Ephesians 3:17

Category - Easter