The Lukewarm Church

"Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth"-Rev. 3:16.

Dear Reader,

I'm finishing the last week of my Precept Upon Precept study (Revelation Part One: Jesus' Message to the Church).  I've spent months disecting the purpose and context of Jesus' messages to the seven churches in Asia.  When I bought this workbook, I couldn't wait to understand the prophecies of Revelation.  However, this workbook spent little time on anything but the personal application of Jesus' instructions to each of the early churches.  Having studied all of the messages, I am grateful for the Lord's historic and present advice to His church, as every word applies today. 

Each of the messages follows a general pattern.  First, Jesus describes Himself to the individual church in an identidfiable way.  Following, He commends, rebukes, warns and instructs as the churches need.  Finally, Jesus makes a faithful promise to overcomers.  

Only two of the churches received no reproof (Smyrna, called the "Persecuted Church," and Philadelphia, known as the "Faithful Church," or the "Church of Brotherly Love").  These churches deserved praise for endurance and for keeping Jesus' name. 

On the other hand, one church received no commendation from Christ.  Laodicea, called the "Lukewarm Church," was bereft of any good deed before the Lord.  Through John, Jesus spoke this message to the Laodiceans: 

"The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.  So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.  Because you say, 'I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,' and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.  Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.  Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.  He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne'"-Revelation 3:14-21.

Verse 17 piqued my interest, where Jesus says, "You do not know that you are..."  The Laodiceans didn't understand their sad spiritual state!  They had no idea that though they were rich in this life, they would be destitute in the life to come.  They were too busy getting wealthy to realize that they had not stored up any wealth in heaven, as the Lord instructed in Matthew 6:20.  This worried me.  Lord, am I too busy planning for the future, getting an education or making decisions to see that I've left You behind?  A couple of days ago, I had a discussion with my husband about our future.  After we finished talking about what we both want, I realized that the Lord's plan never even came up.  How can we hash out perfect plans without consulting the One guiding our path?   Why is it so easy to be self-sufficient and independent from God?

In spite of ourselves and because of His grace, hope abounds even for Laodicea.  Verse 19 says, "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline."  Jesus wanted the church to know her spiritual poverty because He loves her.  This life is but a breath (Job 7:7), so we must store up our treasures in heaven.  We must buy from Jesus gold, white garments and eye salve to be rich, clothed and seeing.  If one only hears His voice and answers the door, that one will sit on Jesus' throne.  What an incredible reward, even after turning away from Jesus in pride of one's own work. 

I pray for those who do not realize their destitution.  Lord, reveal the truth through Your Word.  Give us the strength to gently remind those who have fallen by the wayside of this world of the true, lasting riches You offer.  You give freely to anyone who thirsts (Revelation 21:6).  Stir up Your Spirit inside so they will thirst after You.   

I've always been told that Jesus is a gentleman (He knocks on the door instead of kicking it in).  Let's quiet our hearts so that we don't miss His gentle knocking in our lives.  He is true and everything He says is true.  So let's listen.

By His grace, 

adguglielmo  

          

A Temple for God

"Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's"-1 Corinthians 6:19, 20.

Dear Reader,

My husband and I are competing to see who can lose eight pounds first.  So far, we've trudged through a level one "8 Minute Abs" video, and we haven't had dessert all week. 

The dedicated road to weight loss seems much easier together.  All my life, I've struggled with poor body image.  For years and years, I made my major goal losing weight.  I had academic, life and spiritual goals, too, but they never took first place.  Instead, I focused on my body.  With all of the effort and energy I expended, I should have gotten in shape and been satisfied.  However, I gained ten pounds one year, five pounds the next, and ten pounds more.  I was crushed.

I can't trace my battle with food back to a specific date, but I know some of my greatest struggles began at age 15.  First, I tried convincing myself that I didn't have to eat (what a glamorous life I could live at 80 pounds!).  I listed every crumb that I consumed, calculating fat grams and carbs.  At night, I would lie awake, budgeting calories for the next day.  Quartering portions made my head ache, from both over thinking and hunger.  By the end of the week, I would take my measurements and discover I had lost a couple of inches.  And then I would overeat.  I would try so hard not to eat  and then make up for all that I had deprived myself of during the week.  I would remeasure on Sunday and discover my bloated belly added a few inches to what I had to lose.  So on Monday, I would resume my "orderly" plan.

This sort of eating phased in and out throughout the years.  At times, it was replaced by fasting completely.  Other times, I ate more than several grown men could in a day.  Purging cycled through from the time I was 16.  Needless to say, I was out of control.

Until fairly recently, this struggle with food overshadowed everything else in life.  It consumed my mind, as drugs consume the mind of a user.  I wondered how much I could accomplish if I weren't always thinking about food and my figure.  I desperately wanted to stop abusing my body.  I reached out to the church for help.  I reached out to fellow believers online in chat rooms dedicated to encouraging healthy, godly lifestyles.  I attended a church recovery group for people once addicted to drugs and alcohol. I started seeing a Christian counselor.  I prayed constantly.  I meditated on verses like 1 Corinthians 10:31: "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God" (I thought that one was written just for me!).  But no matter what I did, I just couldn't stop. 

Here's the key: I wouldn't stop.  I had it wrong all those years.  Had I really believed 1 Corinthians 10:13 ("God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it"), I would have known that my actions could not be attributed to anyone but me.  Yes, the tempter tempted me very effectively.  Even when God's "way of escape" arrived crystal clear, I took things into my own hands and rejected His provision.  I repeatedly made the mistake of thinking that eating would make me feel better, even though I always felt worse afterward.  And the whole time, I kept wondering, Lord!  I'm praying for Your help!  Why aren't You helping me?    

I made two major discoveries.  The first, before I stopped abusing God's temple, was Colossians 3:1-3: "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on the things above, not on things on the earth.  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."  Where had I set my mind?  Certainly not on my life with Christ in God!  In spite of all of my pleading prayers, my mind remained on the things on the earth (my body).  Though my heart greatly desired the ability to just eat like a normal person, without having to miss meals with family and friends because of a diet, and without blowing off events with those same people to sit at home overeating, I thought if I trusted the Lord to guide me to eat properly, I would never lose weight.  I couldn't get past my earthly body.

The period between abusing food and enjoying God's provision perplexes me.  Again, I can't point to a specific date and say, "I was healed this day!"  But I know the Lord used the building up of my relationship with my husband and his family to produce my new, healthy approach to eating.

An Old Testament verse explained away my confusion about why the Lord "wasn't helping me."  Isaiah 59:1,2 says: "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.  But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear."  Why didn't God remove my burden as soon as I prayed for help?  It's because my willful sin caused a separation between us that prevented Him from hearing my prayers.  I was disobedient and thought I knew what was best for me.  I continued to disregard the command to glorify God in my body.  How could He hear me when I continuously profaned what belonged to Him?

I praise the Lord for softening my heart and enabling me to seek the things above.  I am far more concerned with exercising myself toward godliness (1 Timothy 4:8) now that Satan's lies about food and my body have been dusted out of my head.  I mentioned the competition between my husband and I because I'm thankful to finally put weight loss in perspective.  Thinking about my physical flaws no longer fills up the day.  Instead of thinking about how to look more like Twiggy, I think about how to become more like Christ.  My husband will probably win the competition, and he will receive due reward.  But I'm just so thankful to be able to eat with a grateful heart!

Because this temptation and sin took up much of my life, I pray that God will use me to comfort those who are struggling, just as He has comforted me (2 Corinthians 1:4).  Let me know how I may be of service to you today.

God bless His children, 

adguglielmo

A Modification

Dear Reader, 

Lord willing, this will really be my last post on feminism.  It wouldn't be fair to you to end as I did when I've since been enlightened with more truth.  A great thanks to my mother-in-law for shedding the light on something new.  

Over tea last week, she asked me, "When do you think feminism began?"  "It was the late nineteenth century, around the Victorian period," I answered, based on what I had learned from high school history classes and The Feminine Mystique.  Then we turned to the New Testament:

"Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved.  For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn.  But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered... Does not nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?  But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her"-1 Corinthians 11:5-6, 14-15.

What authority does Paul have over hairstyles?  Why do women have to wear hats while praying?  And what does this have to do with feminism? 

If we look back a few verses, we will see the natural, God-given hierarchy in 1 Corinthians 11:3: "I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." 

God

Christ

Man

Woman

Now look back at the word "head" in red.  Given the context, we discover that a woman does not dishonor the head balanced by her neck when she prays uncovered; rather, she dishonors her husband, who is the head of his wife.  Feminism dishonors men.  Further, a husband who assumes the submissive role (in this case, by covering his head) dishonors his spiritual head, which is Christ. 

These verses pertain to our lives now and to the lives of men and women around 57 A.D., when Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians.  That means feminism has been around a lot longer than we read about in our history books.  I hadn't recognized feminism as such a prominent, ongoing form of disobedience.  Of course, the word of God addresses everything, and there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9).  Again, I thank my mother-in-law for leading me to the Bible for answers.  

From further research, I discovered many debates on the meaning of the first 16 verses of 1 Corinthians.  I found a helpful resource here: http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/1844

While I don't agree with everything (like the pastor's disrespectful comment about the church), this sermon debunks many a question about these verses.  He made a great point about the natural order, saying that Christian feminists who believe women are not meant to be in submission to their husbands must also believe that men are not in submission to Christ, and that Christ is not in submission to God.  Why, then, would Jesus hang on the cross if He were not in submission to His Father's glorious plan?

Paul indicates submission by citing distinct physical features in verses 14 and 15 (women have long hair; men have short hair).  The women who were cutting their hair short defied the conventional appearances of women; in order to defy the natural order, they were shorn.  We see another action resulting from the flawed feminist attitude dating back far before the "roarin' '20s."  A woman's shaved head represented her insubordination, while a man's long hair indicated his nonacceptance of his role as the head of his wife.  It's not really about the hair!  During those times, those hairstyles did relay an underlying attitude.  But these days, a woman cuts her hair short because it's convenient, and a man grows it long because he skateboards.  I would say that's fine and good as long as they each have an attitude of submission to the headship of a husband and Christ.

Paul further emphasizes the different roles by telling women to cover their heads and men to leave theirs uncovered.  Does that mean we ought to show up to church in our Easter bonnets every Sabbath?  I should hope not!  Instead, knowing our roles of submission, we ought to cover ourselves modestly to bring honor to our heads.

These verses on head coverings always threw me for a loop.  I wondered why so few women in the church wore hats, but if I should start wearing one, too.  I now understand how these verses pertain to the roles of men and women and the ways in which we ought to be in submission.  I highly recommend listening to the sermon I used for reference (I read the transcript on an external site before discovering the audio!).  One of the best ways I absorb the word of God is by listening while cleaning my apartment; it helps me remember Whom I'm serving as I scrub the counters.  

Thank You for this day, Lord.  I pray that You will enlighten Your people to understand the words of Your mouth.  Help us to be in submission so that we may glorify You in the order You laid out for us.  We love You and praise You for all that You are and all that You are doing in us, God.  Amen.

Have a blessed day of discovery!

adguglielmo        

 

The Proverbs 31 Woman

"Who can find a virtuous wife?  For her worth is far above rubies.  The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain.  She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.  She seeks wool and flax, and willingly works with her hands.  She is like the merchant ships, she brings her food from afar.  She also rises while it is yet night, and provides food for her household, and a portion for her maidservants.  She considers a field and buys it; from her profits she plants a vineyard.  She girds herself with strenghth, and strengthens her arms.  She perceives that her merchandise is good, and her lamp does not go out by night.  She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hand holds the spindle.  She extends her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.  She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household is clothed with scarlet.  She makes tapestry for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.  Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.  She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies sashes for the merchants.  Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come.  She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.  She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.  Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all."  Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.  Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates"-Proverbs 31:10-31.

Dear Reader,

We've got a lot to do.  As women of God, we've been called to many great things.  I don't know how we will explain ourselves to the Judge if we aren't striving to measure up to this amazing woman in Proverbs.  But this instruction doesn't condemn us before God; rather, it makes promises to the virtuous wife, and likewise, to the husband who wisely chose her as his helpmate.  If we fulfill this great calling from the Lord, we as wives will be called "blessed" by our husbands and children (v. 28).  We will be praised by our husbands and our own works (v. 28, 31), and we will be given the fruit of our hands (v. 31).  Our husbands will trust us and, therefore, gain (v. 11), and they will be done only good by us, their wives (v. 12). 

These verses teach us what we need to be as wives, and what we can expect as a reward.  Being a virtuous wife does not go unnoticed by God, and prayerfully, by your own husband.  I cannot express the gratitude I felt when my husband told me how nice it is to come home to a clean apartment on Monday.  His appreciation only makes me want to do more.  

I pray that we will remember the actions of the virtuous wife in Proverbs 31.  Perhaps you will find a verse within that especially speaks to you, and ask the Lord to strengthen you to become a virtuous woman.  I pray that He will have His hand on all of us, young and old, as we strive toward the day when we will be perfect.  

Until then, God bless you, 

adguglielmo        

Whatever Things Are True

"Whatever things are true...think on these things"-Philippians 4:8.

Dear Reader, 

This week I started on the workbook for Loving God With All Your Mind by Elizabeth George.  A friend gave me the book and its corresponding study back in December.  I read a few chapters then, and it helped me realize all of the lies the enemy puts in our heads (as did The Screwtape Letters).  At the time, I needed to get over a hump, and just reading the first couple of chapters enabled me to do that.  Well, then came the final weeks before the wedding, then the honeymoon, then all of the settling...I just didn't pick it up for awhile.  I've had the intention, but I didn't make the commitment until the Lord brought the book into multiple conversations and Biblical messages last week.  

So I've been thinking about the first chapter all week.  It hones in on the verse above, and, let me tell you, exercising this command has proven unnatural.  That may appear to be a strong claim, but here's a little on just one of Satan's tactics that he has been using in my life:

He puts morbid scenarios in my head.  I've only told my husband about a few of them, but I have awful daydreams without realizing it.  I imagine a loved one dying, or an emergency situation (in a less than preparatory way).  I imagine being in a serious car crash, or an intruder marching through the door to take me captive.  I've always had a vivid imagination, and I found that writing my Barbie's stories in my head was always more fun than making her play them out.  But I've also had a lot of years of sudden emergency situations, and I think the devil has a hay day using my memory as a tool against me presently.  When I was growing up, I can't count the times that the police came out to my house.  The call would come from a family member, a neighbor or myself.  And these things would happen in the middle of the night as likely as they would in the middle of the day (it was never safe).  I would be asleep and have school or work the next morning, and explosive yelling would ring out.  One of the most dangerous times was only a couple of years ago, before my mom separated from her husband.  It seemed like something happened every day or night.  I carried my cell phone everywhere, including into the bathroom.  I tried to shower quickly so I would hear a fight start and be prepared for whatever happened next.  I slept in clothes I thought I could run in, if I had to.  

Now I sleep soundly next to my husband, knowing I'm safe.  I sleep in the arms of the Lord, confiding, "What can man do to me?" (Psalm 118:6).  

But the enemy knows what happened for all those years, and before I've been able to remember to think on whatever things are true, new wicked scenarios and untruthful images run through my head.  Sometimes they're upsetting, and other times, I am numb because of how frantic my life once was.  But I know they come from the evil one.  

This book is a perfect, necessary read for anyone who has experienced trauma.  We get swept up in our thinking before we know it's all lies.  But we're not allowed to do that.  The Lord commands us to take every thought captive and put it under the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).  As He instructs us in Philippians 4:8 to think on eight virtues, He instructs us not to think on what opposes those virtues.  So we disobey God when we give in to thinking about things untrue?  Yes.  Like I said, especially for people who have undergone some form of abuse, it seems unnatural to think on what is true instead of our anxieties (powered by Satan), which direct our thoughts.  But it's unnatural to do any of the things the Lord commands us to do when we're in our flesh.  That's why we need to ask the Lord to help us to take our thoughts captive.  We need to ask Him to transform us by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2).  I looked up the Greek for "renewing" in Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, and came up with the word anakainosis, meaning "a renewal," which "stresses the willing response on the part of the believer."  This means it will be work.  We can't change our lifetime patterns of thought overnight.  But with the Holy Spirit working inside of us, we can think on the truth and leave Satan's lies in the dust.

Lord, I pray for forgiveness, because though I know what Your Word calls me to think on, I have forgotten and allowed my mind to run free when my thoughts ought to be captive.  Help me to take them captive, that they may be under Your authority, Jesus.  Help others who have been touched with trauma, that they may see that Your truths conquer the enemy's lies.  Direct us to Your Word when the liar starts speaking.  I pray that we will learn to always turn to You.  Amen.

I hope my anecdotes are helpful.  I don't feel sadness or anger when I relay them to you because I have forgiven those who created that past, and also because I long for the Lord to put to use that tribulation.  I want to comfort you as He comforted me (2 Corinthians 1:4), because He allowed the affliction for your benefit (verse 6).  

The Lord bless us and guide us together, 

adguglielmo          

Gratitude, Part Two

Dear Reader, 

This morning, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.  I foolishly started the day without getting into the Word, and I ended up even grouchier.  Breakfast was a disaster!  I decided on waffles, but then the first one completely stuck to the iron, and there was no way to clean it off until the whole iron cooled.  Since I had the batter ready, I moved onto pancakes.  The first three flipped normally, but the fourth collapsed into a gooey mess as I attempted to flip it uncooked.  This flipping attempt followed a mess of veggie bacon that stuck to the pan like glue.  I didn't even get a chance to flip those.  At that point, I just wanted to crawl into a hole and cry.  Really, the situation was quite humorous, as my husband expressed, but I was in no mood to hear it.  

I don't know why some days start out grouchier than others, but I do know that there's an immediate way to change my attitude.  At a time when I endured near constant trials, I meditated on Psalm 118:24 daily.  It reads, "This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."  I spoke that verse in my head over and over again so that I could remember to be grateful for what I knew would be another trying day.  I made it through that time, and only with His strength inside me (Philippians 4:13).  I sometimes forget how much my life has turned around, making it easier to take things for granted (how could I be grumpy waking up next to my best friend on a day that my Best Friend graciously provided for me?).  But then the Lord does something for me that I don't deserve, and I humbly change my attitude.

Today, He provided me with excellent customer service.  I worried that going shopping would make me even less patient, as it isn't my favorite chore.  But when we need something, somebody has to go get it! I asked just the right person about a certain product that wasn't on the shelves, as the brand was discontinued.  She hopped online and checked all of the stores in the country to find what I was looking for, and then spent 20 minutes on hold while someone in Utah checked the store's stock.  It turns out they had one!  So the clerk wrote down my information, waived the cost of shipping, accepted my coupon, and told me to expect it on my doorstep.  I had been looking for this product for months, only hearing from other clerks that if I didn't see it on the shelves, they didn't have it.  But someone went the extra mile to ensure that I got what I had been looking for.  I thanked her with much gratitude, and I let a superior know about her excellent service.  I would have felt so guilty walking out that door if I wasn't sure that employee would be recognized for her outstanding customer service.  

After I let the clerk know how much she blessed my day, I thanked the Lord for the woman's presence in the midst of my bad attitude.  I've been in a much better mood since.  God seems to put just the right people in our lives, even strangers, when we need them.  I am so humbled by the Lord's continual grace and blessings in spite of all of the things I do that make me undeserving.  He is so merciful, isn't He?  Thank You Lord, for always caring for Your children in spite of our ingratitude toward You.  There isn't a thing we shouldn't be grateful for, as You make everything work together for our good.  Please forgive me for starting the day blindly by neglecting Your Word.  Thank You for Your mercy.  Amen. 

I pray that you will be quicker to kneel before the Lord when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed.  He's given us this day, after all!

In His grace, 
adguglielmo     

Gratitude

Dear Reader,

In two days, I’m heading to my first women’s ministry event since I’ve been at Grace Bible Fellowship.  Since it’s my first time, I didn’t volunteer to host a table or speak (we’re having afternoon tea).  The focus of the event is gratitude (“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”-1Thessalonians 5:18).

Needless to say, I’ve been thinking on my thanks.  And I made an interesting discovery: Some of the things I’m most grateful for are the times God answered my requests with a “no.”  How strange!  Who would think that a denied request would bring the most blessing?  The Lord answered “no” when I so desperately wanted to go to a university after high school.  I flip-flopped between wanting to go to a Christian school and a secular school.  When I realized that I just couldn’t afford to attend a Christian college, I moved onto applying to other schools.  I started out of state, but that was too expensive, as well.  So I moved onto state schools.  Even then, I couldn’t make it work.  So I went back to my first desire to attend a Christian university.  I can’t tell you how many colleges I applied to in the two years after I graduated, or how many scholarships I wrote essays for.  I was desperate. 

Even after I started dating my husband, I wanted to live on campus at Bethany University in Scotts Valley.  I thought it would finally work out, and that it would be the way to get me down to the Bay Area where Josh was waiting for me…and then the school closed!  I was in shock when I got the notification.  Once again, my plans didn’t work out. 

Today, I can see just part of the work God needed to accomplish by saying “no.”  The first lead me to meet and move in with my father after nineteen years of separation (please pray that I will be a light to him).  The second allowed me to marry my husband when I did (had I gone to Bethany, I would still be living on campus; had I gone anywhere else, I wouldn’t have met my husband).  I can only imagine all of the ways the Lord protected me by not allowing me to have my own way.

 Lord, Your will be done (Matthew 6:10).  I pray that others will be quicker to thank You for saying “no” to their requests.  Thank You for showing me some of the work You’ve been able to do just by denying my selfish request.  You are good!  We know that all things work together for the good of those who love You (Romans 8:28).  Help us to be thankful for everything, especially our tribulation, as it teaches us to be more like Jesus.  Thank You, Lord.

 In His name,

 adguglielmo

On Peace and Patience

Dear Reader, 

I have been wanting to write since I posted my last message on Tuesday, but life always seems to get in the way. So I've had to exercise patience. Patience is a difficult fruit (Galatians 5:22, 23) to cultivate. I had a great opportunity to exercise it last week, and I chose not to. I started off thinking, When I get out of this one, I'll be able to encourage everyone with how patient I was.  I’ll be able to tell them how easy it is to turn to God when we're in a bind. Well, the latter part holds true...if we choose to turn to the Lord. Let me tell you about my day.

I clean out my rats' cage at least twice a week.  I bring the cage and the girls (Abigail and Fanny, for Tiffany) into the two-doored enclosure to the bathroom sink. I've been cleaning their cage in there for weeks, allowing the two to wander around curiously as I make their home a little less smelly. It's a small space, and after having mishaps with Abigail under the entertainment console in the living room and both of them behind the refrigerator, I figured there was no possible way for them to get into trouble in a tiny area. Well, a couple of weeks ago, Fanny discovered a small gap between the wall and the cabinet under the sink. So I laid out cornbread crumbs and quietly, patiently waited for her to come out. That ordeal lasted no more than half an hour, and since, I've been stuffing the holes on either side with hand towels. That seemed to work. 

And then Thursday happened. I started at 9:00am.  Everything was fine until just before I finished cleaning the cage. I had been watching the girls, but Fanny must have escaped my view just long enough to make her way back into the hole. So I put Abigail into her clean cage and decided on graham cracker crumbs as a lure this time. Well, it didn't work. Neither did baked apple. Or honey. Or peanut butter. I tried to use Abigail as a lure a couple of times, but Fanny would just poke her head out and then pop back up to whatever was so important up there.

This isn't just a cute story about my pets: It's about how I fell apart and didn't allow myself the peace of God that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). All day, I went about my chores and errands and Bible study like a zombie. I could focus on an activity for a few minutes, and then I'd think of a more creative way to get Fanny out. So I'd spend another twenty minutes, thirty minutes, hour desperately trying to get my rat back in her cage. I felt sick with worry (that crevice seemed like a perfect home for a black widow), and I refused to listen to reason (and the Holy Spirit) telling me that she'd come out if I just left her alone. I tried! I'd leave the room for fifteen minutes and then poke my head in to see if that was enough. It wasn't. I wasted the whole day because I wasn't waiting on the Lord to answer my request to bring Fanny out safely. I wanted that prayer to be answered before it left my lips. 

I imagine if things had gone differently, I would've stayed out longer running my errands instead of dashing home to check on my pet. I don't think I would have been grouchy like I was when my husband came home. And I can bet I wouldn't have felt sick all day, because the peace of Christ would have been ruling in my heart (Colossians 3:15).

She did come out. It was 10:30pm, but she came out. Abigail got so excited when we reunited them, and my husband was happy to stop hearing about it from me. I can't tell you how relieved I was. Then I realized how differently things could have gone. Instead of ignoring the Spirit's attempts to quiet my worry and direct me toward God, I should have listened. How much easier those thirteen-and-a-half hours could have been! How silly I was.

I hope you find this tale amusing. I also hope you'll look to the Lord the next time your rat crawls into a hole in the wall. 

God bless,

adguglielmo

Marriage Full of Hope

Dear Reader, 

This morning, I had good fellowship with a friend from church.  When my husband and I got engaged, she stepped up and offered to help keep us organized.  Anyone who has planned a wedding (especially in a short time period) knows the importance of being organized.  I got to know her as we met to discuss our progress, and she got to know a very cranky version of me.  Still, she pressed on, and in spite of the near arrival of her grandson (he was delivered four days after the wedding), she helped us to and through our "big day."  Needless to say, I was grateful to be able to sit down and really talk for the first time after the wedding.

Today, she and her husband are celebrating their 30th anniversary.  Where I come from, exchanging the wrong glance warrants divorce.  It wasn't until I moved to San Jose and started attending Grace Bible Fellowship that I really got to know people who carry out long and successful marriages.  Of course, that was my aspiration (and now my commitment) as I dated my husband.  But toward the end of our engagement, fear crept in and I started wondering if I would be able to accomplish anything but the cycle of divorce that runs generations deep in my family.  I knew that when I got married, that would be that.  After, the choice couldn't be whether or not to stay, but whether to allow myself to be miserable through our future trials together, or whether to accept everything from God with thanksgiving  (Ecclesiastes 7:14).  Obviously, the fear subsided and I realized that the Lord had provided this man to be my husband.  And I was able to step forward and make my second biggest commitment (my first being to God). 

Today, Josh and I have been married for three months.  Small potatoes, I know.  But anyone who has celebrated a 30th, 40th or 50th anniversary started out with one month, one year, one decade.  I so look forward to all of the milestones my husband and I will share.  Unlike the secular world, I am able to say that my marriage and my commitment before God will not fail.  Because Josh and I united on the foundation of Christ with the Holy Spirit dwelling within each of us, we will be able to live out our vowed love for one another.  We will struggle through the trials set before us together.  We must!  What is the alternative?  I know I didn't have one in mind as I vowed to love, honor and submit to my husband, til death do us part. 

I am grateful for my friend's openness about her marriage and the trials they have pushed through.  I admire her strength and will to submit to her husband in spite of his many years without the Lord.  Praise Jesus for saving Him several years ago!  It sounds like we're both working on the same things in our marriages, which teaches me that Josh and I will never be perfect.  But oddly, it's very encouraging to hear that even though my friend has been married for so long, she and her husband are still working together to be better.  I pray that I never reach a state of complacency in my marriage; I pray that I will always make growing together toward Jesus and glorifying Him my utmost priority.  And while that means we are bound to face trials and growing pains, I hope I will stumble upon this message again in the midst of that tribulation, and that I will be encouraged by my current vigor. 

I hope to encourage you, as well.  Always feel free to leave comments and let me know what you're thinking.  I pray that the Lord blesses you in your marriage as He has blessed me.  Remember today that intense hope and love you felt on your wedding day, and may you carry that through to an act of love (a simple kiss on the cheek will suffice) toward your husband.     

God bless you,

adguglielmo

About the Will of God

Dear Reader, 

Bear with me as I wait for further instruction and inspiration from God on The Screwtape Letters.

I want to talk about something inspired by the message I heard last Sabbath at church (http://www.gbfsv.org/).  The key verse Pastor Cliff used was James 4:15, which reads: "You ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.'"  This made me reflect on what I know about the will of God.

First, we are to understand that everything is in the will of God.  Nothing happens that isn't allowed by Him.  This can be difficult to believe when we suffer hardship.  We wonder, How can the Lord expect me to endure?  How could He allow this for His precious child?    "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose," says Romans 8:28.  Even the hardship.  Especially the hardship.  It seems I asked myself for so long, Why do I have to suffer?  How come my family doesn't act like all the other families?  And as I grew older, resentment grew, and I just couldn't figure it out.  Even after I became a Christian, I looked at my friends' lives, at their parents who raised them in the way they should go, and I felt jealousy over the guidance and love they grew up with.  How come they have You and they get to have functional lives, Lord?  I've come to realize now that Jesus saved all of His people in the same way (by dying on the cross in the place of each of us sinners who accept His grace), but we don't all find salvation in the same way.  For some, it takes a lifetime of a willful attitude and sinful action before they see the Truth while lying on their deathbeds.  Murderers find Jesus in prison as they serve their life sentences.  Paul came to know the Lord after actively persecuting those who believed.  For some, it takes a lot of sinning to realize the abounding grace of God.  But for others, it takes the Biblical formula for how to live.  It takes parents who learn the Lord's commands and then teach them diligently to their children (Deuteronomy 6:5-7).  But maybe if I grew up in a Christian home, I wouldn't have the relationship I have with the Lord today.  So I am grateful for God's knowledge of my soul (Romans 8:29), and the blessing of enduring hardship in order to know Him.  Amen.

James 4:15 indicates that we ought to want His will to be done (also refer to Matthew 6:10). This can be tricky.  I am no expert on wanting anyone's will but my own.  My grandma kept a journal for me from the time I was a year-and-a-half old.  Her first entry, dated September 12, 1992, reads: "You...are very strong willed and aggressive.  You very much want your own way...I like to hug you or sing 'Shine Jesus' when you are especially naughty.  Sometimes I just laugh and tell you that someday Jesus will break that strong will of yours.  He certainly delights in making us gentle."  At such an early age, I showed my sinful nature and pride in my own way.  Now, when I seek to fulfill my will, I see that I am just acting like a toddler.  Just in the months since I've been married, God has been working to teach me to honor the will of my husband.  In my women's precept Bible study, we just learned the Greek for the word "submit," or be subject to, in regard to our husbands.  What interested me is that the key is willfulness.  This kind of submission is a developed will of a wife under her husband.  We are to desire to do the will of our husbands!  In the same way, we are meant to long for the implementing of God's will.  Again, we do not wish hardship on our families or ourselves.  But truly longing for the will of God allows us to accept with gratitude these trials ("In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you"-1 Thessalonians 5:18).  

  

Father, I pray that you crucify our selfish desires today.  Help us to long for Your will, knowing that our submission brings glory to you.  Fill us with the truth that abiding by Your will brings us closer to You.  Thank You, Jesus, for your ready forgiveness for when we stumble and long only for what we want.  We praise You for Your grace.  Amen.

As always, may God bless you in everything you do today.

adguglielmo

On Forgiveness, Part Two

"Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth"-Colossians 3:2.

Last year as I was working my way toward marriage, I thought it would be a good idea to see a Christian counselor.  I knew the importance of preparing for such a permanent life choice because I had seen the results of what happens otherwise.  I wanted to get over my "coping mechanisms" and learn to be at peace in Christ, so I went on a hunt for someone who taught Biblical principles and instruction as a method of healing from abuse.  I didn't want anyone to tell me, "You look great!  I can't believe you overeat" (which was a similar response from the first counselor I saw), or "I'm impressed by you.  You've really overcome your tribulation" (which I've heard from people who view the choices I've made as petty in comparison to what some do as a result of abuse).  I wanted to tell someone exactly what kind of a sinner I was, and I wanted to hear what the Bible had to say about that. 

It only took two consultations before I found my guy.  He was a pastor for nearly a decade, had a counseling practice for over two decades, and a wife for even longer than that.  He had eight children (the youngest being my age), and when we weren't talking about me, we were talking about his kids.  I appreciated his emphasis on family, as that is what I couldn't wait to build.  So we met and talked for about three months.

I promised myself that I would be completely honest.  I truly wanted to "heal" and move away from the resentment I had built up over the years.  I didn't want to start a family on the foundation I had grown up with, but on the foundation of Christ.  We looked up a lot of Scripture, and I was assigned a lot of homework.  It started with dissecting Bible verses, but it turned into a lot of writing about events from the past.  I had always liked journaling, so I had plenty of records.  But the point wasn't to disclose to my counselor what had happened.  The purpose was to draw out my feelings about my family and the hurt I felt by the choices my parents made.  I have documents called "10 Things Being Robbed Of My Childhood Did To Me" and "List of Ouchies" (literally a compiled list of all the wrongs my parents had ever done that affected me.  Well, I had started with my mom, and by the time I was finished, I was too exhausted and upset to attempt to think about what John had done). 

This is where we went wrong. 

When I moved to San Jose last summer, part of me thought I had left all of my troubles behind.  My counselor had warned me that would not be the case, but I couldn't imagine carrying all of my baggage with me.  In reality, I just couldn't blame my family for my actions anymore, because they were all of 682 miles away. 

I started going to a Bible study a couple months after the move, and that's when I heard the truth I needed to hear.  Colossians 3:1,2 directed me to Christ rather than myself.  The chapter continues, "For you died, and your life is hidden with God in Christ" (v.3).  What does this mean?  I am not to go on dissecting this life, because it isn't my true life.  I am not to be inward-focused on how my parents made me feel.  When my counselor had me do these activities, I couldn't figure out why "letting myself feel" didn't stop me from hurting myself anyway.  I would cry during our session, but they weren't healing tears.  Rather, they turned to hot anger the next time my mom and I spoke, preventing my heart from forgiving. 

I praise the Lord for opening my eyes to His Word.  Oh, how opening my Bible has opened me to true life with God in heaven!  I couldn't have forgiven if my thoughts had remained on my hurt.  But knowing what Christ has done for me, finally having the eyes to see it relate to everything, has allowed me to forgive.  Praise the Lord! 

People can't heal people.  God heals people.  He does it in different ways, through different Scripture and experience and study.  I thought I had done everything I could possibly do to heal, and I felt hopeless against my habits.  But one day, the Lord showed me something different, and everything changed.  Oh Lord Jesus, thank You for Your work in my life!  I praise You for the blessing of eternal life with You, and the knowledge that in You, my true life lies.  I pray today that everyone who reads this will know or come to know this truth.  In Your name, amen.

May the Lord bless you as He has blessed me,

adguglielmo 

On Forgiveness

"You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?"-Matthew 28:32, 33

Part of my Bible study homework focused my attention on forgiveness this week. After I looked up the directed Scripture reading, I came to the next question, which asked, "Now, are you going to forgive?"

What I have to forgive in others is great. I was born out of wedlock, and I didn't meet my father until I was 19 years old (my mom gave birth to me at the same age). My mom's first marriage was short and nearly unmemorable, as I was only about two when they married and divorced. Around that time, you'll find John, the man I called "dad" throughout my childhood. But he didn't fill the role very well: Once he moved my mom and I away from all of our family, he proceeded to beat us. They had already brought my first sister into the world, but she remained untouched. John's attention stayed on me. Every move I made, every word I spoke came under harsh judgment followed by abusive punishment. Sometimes my mom would intervene. Sometimes she couldn't bear to believe what I told her. She never understood why, as I got older, I grew angry with her for the abuse John inflicted on me. Years passed, two more sisters were born, and the abuse continued. After several reports of John's crime, he nearly ceased to harm me physically. But how much worse was the emotional abuse. I spent such a long time trying to pacify my anguish by hurting myself. I started cutting when I was 12. I spent many years trying to gain control by overeating or under eating, or by not eating at all. My mom saw what was happening, but what could she do? Her life wasn't exactly together. But she reached the end of her wit with John two years ago, that summer he shattered the glass back door of our SUV over her arm. She obtained a restraining order, and he couldn’t come near my family.

My mom and I fought so much after that. She didn't understand why, after my years of pleading for her to leave him, I wasn't satisfied. Because I was grown! I was moving out of state two weeks later! Why hadn't she gathered her senses sooner? I would never get to be a happy child.

Let me tell you something: I am a happy child! The Lord is my Father, and He has fathered me well. He is gentle and caring and always listening to what I need...and then He provides for me. He comforts me when sorrow fills my heart. He encourages and strengthens me to do His bidding. There is no shortage of love from my Father, and I am the happiest a daughter could be. And to have His grace! Oh, how it abounds. I am sinful and in desperate need of forgiveness, and He forgives me. How, then, can my heart remain in unforgiveness for others?

"Now, are you going to forgive?"

Yes. I forgive you, John. I have an uplifted heart, and I am not burdened by your misdeed anymore. Please come to know the grace of God yourself. And Mom, I forgive you, too. It was a slower forgiveness, but it came through growth in the Lord. Thank you for seeking our Father. Now we're sisters in Christ! Although I know neither of you will ever read this, you will come to know my forgiveness.

It took much longer to forgive than to write this to you. I pray that the Lord will soften your heart sooner than I allowed Him to soften mine. Remember what Jesus taught in Matthew 6:14 and 15: "If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Now, are you going to forgive?

Screwtape and I, Chapter Five

I don’t know much about war, but that it results from sin, and therefore seems a playing field for Satan. However, in this chapter, Screwtape urges Wormwood not to become too excited over the approaching World War II. He tells his nephew that war draws people to think of death, taking away from “contented worldliness,” which the devil works to cultivate in people in order to gain followers. If we’re content here, what vision of the future could we possibly wish for? Will our eyes be set on the things above if we’re living for the perpetuation of the earth?

 Again with that distraction! I’m coming to see what a powerful tool it is. Back in chapter four, Screwtape writes, “It’s funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds; in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.” If we don’t know the truth of eternity, what else could we live for but each day? War brings to mind the possibility of the end of a life. Whether you’re thinking about yourself or your spouse or your brother, you’re enabled to see life’s frailty (this life’s frailty). But the devil doesn’t want us to think about that! He wants us to seek every pleasure to our fulfillment, having no vision of consequence. But when we seek those pleasures, we are never fulfilled. We will not be satisfied until we reach eternity with the Triune God (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

While it seems that war would be the devil’s ultimate tool to drag people to hell, God works even in the utmost evil. Because war opens eyes to the potential of death, we have to address the inevitable question of the afterlife. Where are you going to go? Let’s think like those in combat, and ask the biggest question of life: Where will you be once this short life is over and we begin in eternity? Where will our friends and our families be? While it is truly up to God who is written in the Book of Life (Revelation 3:5), it is our responsibility to ask the question. It’s not something worth waiting for. As those who face the very real potential of death in war, we need to ask, Where am I going? and Where are you going? Let’s not allow Satan to withhold things from our minds. Yes, it seems as though there’s always tomorrow to ask your friend where she’ll be in eternity, but that may not be true. Give her a chance while she still has one. Pray with me today that we will have the courage to ask others the most important question they will every answer. Do not fear the reaction of man more than the fate of their eternal lives. Let’s stand together in our evangelization!
God bless,
adguglielmo

Screwtape and I, Chapter Four

In Screwtape’s next letter, he encourages Wormwood to drive praying for a feeling into his patient.  Screwtape writes, “When they meant to pray for courage, let them really be trying to feel brave.  When they say they are praying for forgiveness, let them be trying to feel forgiven.  Teach them to estimate the value of each prayer by their success in producing the desired feeling.”  Have you ever done this?  Have you ever felt heavy laden with sin, turned to God in repentance, and still felt guilty?  Did that continued guilt seemingly indicate a failed prayer and unforgiveness from the Father?

We well know that Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44).  Have we thought about how he tries to enter our prayer life with these lies?  If he can’t prevent us from praying, he will try to push his way into our conversations with God by encouraging us to pray the wrong way.  When we pray for forgiveness, we want our sin to be wiped clean, but our human nature calls for that pacifying feeling in order to know that we’ve been forgiven.  The truth is, though, whether we continue in guilt or we feel that our sin has been washed, if our hearts truly repent, we have been forgiven.  Sometimes I am glad to quickly move away from my sin, and other times, the guilt lingers.  But that lasting feeling that I’ve done wrong serves the purpose of reminding me not to do it again.  

Speaking from my own walk, I think sometimes Satan has an easy time of focusing our attention inward on our emotions.  He teaches us to think of our present state of mind as “reality,” calling us to focus in on whatever we feel at present, tricking us into seeing only a brief moment in time rather than the whole picture.  When we think thusly, we don’t always see impending consequences for what we say and do in these moments.  Do you find yourself reflecting on the devil’s strategy, only to fall into the easy snare the next time you’re upset?  I do.  After an argument or a short temper, once some resolution is made, I feel so silly!  Tricked into believing in feelings again.  That’s not to say I don’t believe in the value of emotion.  The Lord created us to emote and connect with others because of feelings in common.  However, feelings leave us, and the Truth doesn’t.  Remember this.

Keeping the perspective of what feelings are in relation to everything else will help us stand against the devil when he tells us our prayer is ineffective because we don’t feel better.  Remember, he doesn’t want you to pray.  He wants you to think that your prayers mean nothing so that you will stop praying.  But don’t stop!  Don’t stop, even when you think God can’t hear a thing.  He hears everything, and He wants to hear more.  Please don’t be deceived.  Pray with me today that we will keep praying in spite of how we feel when we pray.  Pray that we will be able to keep our emotions in perspective, and always see beyond to God’s true Word.  

God bless you today and every day, 

adguglielmo

Screwtape and I, Chapter Three

The third chapter addresses “domestic hatred.”  A common phrase denotes this equal-opportunity attack: “Familiarity breeds contempt.”  In households lacking Christ, this often leads to a ripping apart of husband and wife, toppling what was not built on a firm foundation.  Or we end up living at odds with our natural family, picking apart tiny offenses.  Screwtape encourages Wormwood to focus his “patient’s” attention on those annoying habits his mother has, teaching him to believe that she does them to spite him.  

I can say I’ve easily fallen into this trap.  My sister keeps singing that song she knows I hate!  My mom knows it bugs me when she doesn’t answer her phone, but she never seems to pick up when I call!  These seemingly harmless actions can turn a family upside down for a time.  How silly it is to think so highly of ourselves that everything everyone does has anything to do with us.

The enemy can wreak havoc on a family, if we let him.  The difference between a marriage of believers and a marriage of non-believers is the foundation (whether one exists or not).  Those who marry under God have the foundation beginning with the chief cornerstone (Psalm 118:22).  At times, it may seem like there’s nothing they can agree on.  But then they’ll agree on Christ!  And if Christ is the agreement, everything is settled.  Unfortunately for a couple who doesn’t believe, there may be a time when there’s nothing they can agree on, and that’s where it ends.  There’s no Mediator or commonality between them.  

“Familiarity breeds contempt,” but the Lord Jesus Christ triumphs beyond selfishness and human nature.  Scripture commands us to “be angry, and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on [our] wrath” (Ephesians 4:26).  While sinful people grate on sinful people (therefore binding us to some annoyance resulting from our sinners surrounding), we are told to resolve our conflicts before the day passes.  When we take our time to forgive or ask for forgiveness, we give the devil a longer deception period.  He wants us to have time to think so that he can inject his own thoughts, sometimes slyly enough for us to believe they belong to our minds.  When my husband sees a conflict forming, he immediately wants to resolve it.  It takes me a little bit longer.  My natural family was never quick to address issues, so I carried that with me.  But I so appreciate my husband’s diligence in not allowing the enemy any time to warp our thoughts.  When I look back on family arguments lasting any time span, I can see where the enemy took the liberty of including his paragraphs in our speech.  Often, the original conflict got lost in Satan’s injections. 

As believers, we don’t want to give place to the enemy in our lives, but he’s very good at creeping in, especially into a family.  He wants to tear us apart.  He wants to deceive us into thinking that we are, in fact, fighting flesh and blood (contrary to Ephesians 6:12).  But we must realize that, yes, our family of sinners will do something to make us angry.  It’s best to catch this at the beginning of an annoyance, realizing that Christ’s followers are too distracted by Him to be doing anything to intentionally bother us.  If the annoyance gives way to open conflict, be aware of the devil’s purpose (go back to 1 Peter 5:8).  Don’t let too much time pass before you remember.

Pray today that we may remember our family is made up of sinners, including you and me.  Pray that we may get to a place of repentance quickly if we offend our sister; pray that our heart easily forgives our brother for his offence.  Let’s walk humbly before the One who humbled Himself on the cross.

In His name,

adguglielmo     

Screwtape and I, Chapter Two

The second chapter of The Screwtape Letters brings to light our need for humility in regard to the church.  Mr. Lewis uses Screwtape’s guidance of Wormwood to call into question our thoughts about fellow Christians.  I know that my thoughts have been turned away from the Word being preached in the pulpit by each of these: What I think is inappropriate clothing to wear to church; voices singing out of tune; the breath of the person sitting next to me; that weak handshake; that lack of note-taking; the Starbucks cup of the attendee who walked in late…the list continues.  Oh, how easy it is to be of a raised mind!

But we’re called to “esteem others better” than ourselves (Philippians 2:3).  However, we know very well, because of our fallen thoughts toward our brothers and sisters, that Satan does not want us to consider others better.  Satan’s division starts in the minds of men.  Once he gains a foothold and is able to control our thoughts toward the people of the congregation, he can dictate our thoughts about the Church, which would, at its worst, determine our thoughts about the Lord (if we despise the Bride, how highly do we think of the Groom?).

As in “Letters,” a romantic notion of what the church body ought to look like can distract and discourage us.  The unnamed temptee finds himself subconsciously disappointed by the common garb of believers when he first goes to church.  I have found myself not only distracted by clothing I deem inappropriate to wear to church, but also by clothing I find exactly appropriate.  I have looked at an unknown member of the Body in admiration because of her pristine dress, and formed an ideal of a Christian woman based on that appearance.  How fleeting these wicked thoughts are, but they are present.

Reading this novel brought to my attention the countless lies that stream through my subconscious every day.  Because hatred and sin begin in the mind, we must bring all of our thoughts captive in the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).  Humility is defined as humbleness of mind (Greek: tapeinophrosune), a mind in which we cannot exalt ourselves above the Saints.  I pray that today we are able to see not the faults of the sinners whom we abide with, but that we see the sins of our flesh, praising God for His grace.  I pray that we ask God for humility of mind, taking each thought captive, growing in the ability to visualize the beauty of the Bride.  We are the Bride!  Praise the Lord for our journey toward glory and perfection. 

In His name,
adguglielmo