Harriet Beecher Stowe

God has a purpose for every life.

Somewhere in time, June 14, 1811 Harriet Beecher Stowe was born.  Harriet was born into a large family headed by her father Lyman Beecher.  Her family has many notable characters, and they all lived out their faith with commitment and determination.  Abolition was one of the causes they fought for.  Harriet was married to Calvin Stowe, who was a professor of Theology at Lane Seminary. The same place her father worked.  She went on to give birth to seven children, six of whom survived. 

Harriet wrote about many things, but the cause of abolition was one that weighed heavy on her heart.  One of her brothers moved to New Orleans and he would write her true accounts of what was happening to people bound in slavery. She also read many abolition papers and listened to many stories of what the slaves endured.  She decided to do something about it.   She began writing a serial, which is a series of stories that are published a chapter at a time.  She wrote them for a newspaper, but they were so popular they were combined into a two volume book, the one we know as “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”.    The book has survived for over a hundred years.  I recently purchased a copy at Borders.

I believe that God’s plan for Harriet was to write and more specifically to write a work of fiction called “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”  This book caused somewhat of a sensation as it brought to light the humanity of the slaves, by giving them personality.  People related to the stories and wanted to do something to change this situation for many enslaved people.

Upon meeting Harriet, President Abraham Lincoln is reported as saying, so you’re the little woman that caused the big war.  Many people worked to end slavery, so why do we remember Harriet, because the purpose of Harriet’s life was to write.

Harriet Beecher Stowe said this: “I wrote what I did because as a woman, as a mother, I was oppressed and broken-hearted with the sorrows and injustice I saw, because as a Christian I felt the dishonor to Christianity - because as a lover of my county, I trembled at the coming day of wrath."

You may be thinking that when God has a purpose, we end up with people like Billy Graham or Mother Theresa.  I believe they are two people that really found God’s purpose for their lives.  I also feel there are others out there called to do great things in different ways.  Some are called just to pray, but when they pray things happen.  Others are called to love.  Have you ever watched the nursery volunteer love a baby that was not their own.  Others are called to serve the homeless or give to those in need.  No notoriety and no fanfare, just humble service.

Philippians 2:13 (NIV) “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”

Harriet wrote many things, but her work of fiction is what has gained the most notoriety and lasted the longest in print.  I love the fact that God is not limited in what He can use.  He can use pastors, preachers and missionaries and He can use a writer of fiction. 

What is God’s plan for you?  You may not know what it is, but God still has a plan and He will work it out in you according to His purpose not yours.  I’m glad that it is up to Him and not up to me.   

The Sinful Woman

What are we in the Light of God’s Holiness?

Somewhere in time, about AD 33, Jesus was at the house of a Pharisee.  He was invited as a guest, but when he entered the house, he was not given water to wash his feet, which was a custom at the time, and he was not greeted with a kiss.   As he is reclining at the table, a sinful woman enters.  She falls at his feet and washes them with the tears that gush forth from her over filled eyes.  Seeing no towel, she wipes the feet with her hair.  She does not stop as she anoints the feet with costly perfume and kisses them as if they are precious. 

We have all heard the story, it is found in the Bible, in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter Seven, and verses 36-50.  Put yourself in that room, where would you be? Sometimes I think I would be sitting at the table, I am a religious person. I go to church, I do my best to live my life according to God’s standards.  Were the religious people at the table evil?  Not really.  The owner of the house was a little rude since he did invite Jesus, but he did not treat him like an honored guest, but not evil. 

Think of this. Have you ever put something on in the dark and then stepped into the light to find a small stain.  Have you ever tried to match a white to a white only to find one discolored?  I know I have and it is a little inconvenient because you have to change. The point is that exposure to the bright light or compared to the clean, the dirt and stains are evident.   That is what happened in the story.  The sinful woman had opened her heart to the light and purity of God and she saw the sin and stains in her own life as she recognized the holiness and purity of Jesus.

The religious people in the story were still in the dark.  They had no concept of who sat at the table with them.  Do you think the scene would have been different if they had?  I think so.  Even though I am a religious person, I am a Christian because I was a sinner that needed God’s redeeming grace.  I may not have been an obvious sinner like the woman at Jesus’s feet, but there are no degrees to sin.  Sin is sin and we are all guilty.  If they would have realized, they would all be at his feet.  The tears would come in torrents as the secret sins, the little lies, the pettiness were exposed to the light of the Son of God.  Compared to the holiness of God, what we have to offer is nothing but filthy rags by comparison. 

Romans 3:10 (NIV)   “As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one.”

Jesus tells the Pharisee a parable about two people who owe money and yet both debts are forgiven.  The point of the story is that the one who has been forgiven more loves more. 

Luke 7:50 (NIV) “Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you, go in peace.””

Forgiveness is a fabulous thing.  I hope everyone reading this as already asked Jesus for forgiveness and if not that you will soon, today even.   I know that when I get to Heaven and I am in the presence of God my Father, I will fall at His feet.  I expect to be crying.  The questions will be, will I be crying over all the past mistakes and wrong choices I have made, or will I be crying grateful tears that because Jesus died for me, to forgive me, I can live in his presence forever.  Either way, I will be happy to be there.

 <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NZVjKrmvYYQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Samuel "Golden Rule" Jones

When faith becomes real

 Somewhere in time, in 1850 the Jones family leaves Wales and comes to America with their four year hold son.      Like many families, the Jones’s came to America searching for a better life.  Life was hard and when their son, Samuel was ten years old, they sent him to work on a neighbor’s farm.  Samuel did not really like farm work, so when he was fifteen he went to Pennsylvania to work in the oil fields.  He was a good worker and he had ingenuity.   While working in the oil fields, he invented something that made the oil rig operate better.  Many people wanted it and he was now an industrialist.  Making money was his focus, so he moved to Ohio and leased some land to run his own oil rigs and opened a factory to make his product.  He was wealthy and getting wealthier every day.   Samuel Jones was a Christian, raised in a Christian home and he never abandoned his faith, but his priority was on making money.

One day, everything changed.   Jones was very successful but in 1894 the United States was in a depression.  He was still financially fine, but seeing the desperately poor and hungry caused him to rethink his priorities.  This was when his faith became real to him.  He has always been a Christian, but now he felt he needed to put his faith into action.

Matthew 7:12 (NIV)  “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

Samuel Jones had a sign made and it hung in his office and it stated the essence of this verse.  “Therefore Whatsoever Ye Would That Men Should Do Unto You, Do Ye So Unto Them.”  He made this his life verse and began living it out.    By this time, Samuel lived in Toledo Ohio, this is where his factory, the Acme Sucker Rod Company, was located. 

The first thing he did was pay his employees $2.00 a day when the going rate was $1.00.  He thought it wrong that a man could work twelve hour days and his family still starves, so he set out to change that.    He also gave a 5% bonus as Christmas, even if the company did not make a profit.  During this time, the profits were small because economic times were hard.   Jones also had a company cafeteria and an on sight day care. 

He did not stop there, he was always active in politics and he went on to become the mayor or Toledo Ohio.  As mayor, he kept his sign in his office and tried to make Toledo a better place to live. He created public parks and bath houses.  He brought in speakers to educate and inform the public for free.   He also had a habit of giving money to anyone who asked.  The person receiving the money would always give Samuel an IOU.  When he died, they found thousands of these, but he never once tried to collect.  He gave freely. 

I found out about this man while reading a history book. In it was a short mention of this man as an example of progressive politics.  I really like this time period in political history, this time includes many people of faith getting involved to change things.  There was a foot note that mentioned the book “Holy Toledo”, written by Marnie Jones.  I purchased the book and that is where the information comes from. 

So why am I blogging about Samuel Jones?  I think each of us has a period in time when our faith becomes real, when our focus moves off ourselves and onto something greater.   We face a point in our lives where we move from conformation to transformation.  Doesn’t transformation sound like more fun than conformation?

Roman 12:2 (NIV)  “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

In my opinion, Samuel Jones experienced transformation and it impacted the lives of everyone who knew him.    I feel like God is constantly at work in our lives.  When I was fourteen, my faith became real, but I have seen seasons were God worked to transform me in different ways.  I almost feel like I am in transition for another transformation and I am excited to see what God has planned for me next.

What about you?  Is God calling you to live out your faith in a unique and different way.  Is he calling you to boldness?  Maybe if each of us prayed for God to transform us into the person He wants us to be, we might be able to change our corner of the world, the same way Samuel Jones changed Toledo Ohio. 

Proverbs 31

Beautiful

Somewhere in time, I am not sure when, about 2500 BC King Lemuel wrote Proverbs 31.  Proverbs 31 details the perfect woman.  I don’t know if you have read this lately, but it details superwoman.  Let’s face it, no woman can be all these things.  What amazed me though, as it goes through all the attributes of the perfect woman, it never mentions that she is pretty or skinny or anything else.    If you read magazines or watch television or movies, you may get the impression that external beauty is the most important thing, but it really isn’t. 

Proverbs 31:30 “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

Doesn’t that give you the impression that God values people differently than the world does?    Let me give you another verse to prove my point.

1 Samuel 16:7b  “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Lasting beauty is found in the condition of the heart, not in the condition of the figure or face.  I know so many beautiful women of all ages and the one thing they have in common is that the beauty inside, the beauty of character outweighs the external beauty that is seen.   Even on my really pretty friends and family, the beauty of her character surpasses what can be easily seen.

So here is the Proverbs 31 for the modern woman.

She is a hard worker.  When she is working outside the home, she is doing her best for her employer.

When she is a homemaker, she is not idol. She searches for bargains, she volunteers where needed.

She helps her children with school work, even when she is tired herself.

If her child needs something, she will move heaven and earth to make sure they get what they need.

She loves her family and does the best for them. She considers their needs above her own more often than not.   She works to take care of them and provide them with a warm and welcoming home.

She works with honor and integrity in everything she does.  She is not lazy, she purposefully has to set aside times to rest to keep from over doing.

Her speech is full of wisdom.  When you get advice from her, you know it is good advice.   

She is generous to others.  She has a giving spirit and helps were she can. 

People envy her husband because his wife is such a treasure.   When the husband leaves, they count him a fool for giving up such a good woman.  When she is single, people wonder why some smart man has not proposed yet.

Her beauty is eternal.  It is not affected by fad or fashion. It comes from within and radiates out as she chooses to love others. 

She deserves honor and praise, but she does not need it because she knows she is a treasure to her creator.

To all the women, I know and love, this one is for you.  I know I have part of you in my Proverbs for the modern woman.

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=7PL77PNX

Follow the link for Beautiful, Beautiful

The Gift of Encouragement

Silver Boxes with Bows on Top

Somewhere in time, 1928, Florence Littauer was born.    She is an Author, a conference speaker and someone I had never heard of until a couple of weeks ago. 

Bill and I volunteer in the church library.  I check the books in and out and he puts them away.  Every once and a while, he will find a book he thinks is interesting, he sets it aside.  The funny thing about this is he really doesn’t read them, he just glances through them, but I will read them cover to cover.    One day he grabbed a book called “Silver Boxes, The Gift of Encouragement” by Florence Littauer.  This book was published in 1989 and to be honest will probably be removed from the library.  It hadn’t been checked out since 2004 until the one time a few weeks ago when it was returned. 

Ephesians 5:29  “Do  not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

The book began with her recounting a time when she was asked to give a children’s sermon.   She was at the church to be a special speaker, but she came to the service to get a feel for the people and their needs, when the Pastor spotted her.  He invited her to give the children’s sermon and she really had nothing prepared, so she had to think quickly.  Thinking of Ephesians and the lessons she was working through with her own children, she started to speak on that.   She started talking to them about the power of words and how to encourage people with words.  One little girl remarked, “What she means is that our words should be like little silver boxes with bows on top”.

This was a profound statement and it caused her to really think about words.  I found many things she said interesting.  I enjoy teasing people, but do I ever take the time to encourage and build them up.  That caused me to think.  I don’t think I do that as well as I should.  I love my family, but when was the last time I told each one of them how special they are to me.  It has been a while.    

One story I found very amusing. She and her husband were at a conference, she was a key note speaker, but she hadn’t taken the podium yet.  They were waiting to set up outside a conference room where a conference on personal evangelism was just concluding. When the doors opened, she tried to smile and acknowledge ever one leaving the conference, but no one would make eye contact.  I thought that was funny, how can you personally evangelize if you don’t acknowledge people.    She went on the say that a smile and a kind word to a stranger can brighten a person’s day, so I tried it.

I went to Wal-Mart to buy groceries like I do every Saturday, but this time I tried to smile at the other ladies in the store.  I got a few smiles back, but mostly no one wanted to make eye contact.  I was in the cereal aisle and I noticed an older lady trying to get a box from the top shelf.  She was struggling.  The box she could reach had others on top and they were threatening to fall.  I looked around, there were others in the aisle not as height challenged and me, but no one was even looking.  I went over to her and said let me help.  I pulled out my writing pen and used it to push back the top boxes.  I could not reach the boxes, but the extra two inches of the pen worked.   She looked surprised that I would help, but she was grateful.  We talked a little bit about how they need to restructure the grocery store a little bit for those of us who are height challenged.   I wished her a nice day and continued shopping. 

The real test came at check out.  There is one cashier that I avoid if I can.  She never smiles and I always feel like checking out my groceries in an imposition of her time.   This time, I went to her line on purpose. I smiled and I said good morning, I asked how she was doing.  I did not get a miracle, but I did get a half of smile.  She still put enough groceries in each plastic bag to make the bust on the way from the car to the house, but at least I did not get open hostility. 

I want to encourage who ever reads this to make it a point over the next few days to brighten someone’s day with words or actions.  I would be interested to hear what happens.