Changed my focus

To any of you who’ve been visiting Cas’s Cache, thanks! And, I’ve changed my approach and am now blogging regularly at www.thruadirtywindow.wordpress.com – come over for a visit!

What the Grinch reminded me about Christmas

The Christmas season began for me about a month ago. Due to an unscheduled garage-door problem, Bob left me at Pier One to finish up some shopping and I ended up doing a lot of walking. First, I meandered my way to Old Navy, then decided to brave the 1/2 mile walk to Michael’s. So, there I was, bags in hand, treking my way down Renaissance Parkway. I grumbled, “Everything’s so expensive. Why didn’t I start this earlier? How am I ever going to get this all mailed? These bags are heavy. Why didn’t the garage door guy come when he said he would? Why are you such a big baby?”

“Bah Humbug” perched precariously on the edge of my lips….

Uninvited, a tune began to wind itself along my chilled earlobes. “All this for a King. All this for our King.” (I love David Crowder Band!) The Spirit’s song gave me focus. “That’s right! It’s all about the King.” The December sun warmed my sour face. The Carolina blue sky brought delight to my clouded eyes.  All this, the shopping and baking, the cleaning and decorating, the wrapping and mailing, is for our King. As I walked along, no longer burdened by my task, I possessed a new sense of resolve and wonder that has carried me through the past few weeks.

December 23rd, just hours after returning home from a lovely, relaxing vacation, Bob worked to acquire my Christmas present. He ran into a glitch – it won’t arrive until next week. In the midst I found myself sucked into the clouded vortex called “the holidays.” I forgot who Christmas is really about. I hated the selfishness pulling at my insides but couldn’t seem to knock the nauseous feeling of want. The King slipped into the backdrop while wrapped gifts with “Cas” scribbled boldly across the top lured me to the edge of a candy-cane cliff.

Then, I watched the Grinch almost steal Christmas. “He grabbed all the boxes and trimmings and stuff, and robbed all of Whoville. It was really quite rough!”

When his dastardly deed was done, he heard all of Whoville celebrating despite his crime. He exclaimed, in a moment of green Grinch clarity, that Christmas isn’t about the presents at all. His heart started beating and a new celebration began.

That’s right! Christmas isn’t about the presents at all. But it is about a gift. A pure, unstained, perfect gift with all of our names written boldly across the top, arriving at the perfect time. The gift of a Savior, the King. My heart started beating again.

As I dust the living room and knead orange roll dough for tomorrow’s breakfast, paint my nails and dress for church, unwrap sweet gifts from far-away friends and family, I’ll lift each one to Jesus in celebration. All this for my King!

Have you received His gift?

 

Louie T Monaco : 1919-2010

Louie was the best father-in-law a girl could ask for. He was kind and patient with me when I was a feisty young woman. He teased me about being Irish and didn’t make me eat meat sauce. In fact, he always roasted a potato just for me during those otherwise Italian dinners.

Louie loved to garden, always devising new ways to guide the beans up the poles, or scratch a spot for a sliver of scarce sun to shine on his zucchini. Deep in the damp basement he grew the best oregano I’ve ever had. He saved every nail, screw, coffee can and lid, and oodles of other stuff most of us would call junk. He was known to hide a few rolls of $100 bills in a cigar box too.

A favorite memory – Louie, whistling a tune, sweeping out the garage with a clenching a cigar between his teeth. For a long time he wasn’t allowed to smoke at all…then not in the house…and finally, in his last months at home he had free reign. Loraine forgot she didn’t want him to smoke inside.

He remembered sleeping on a cot, in Hawaii, during WWII. He walked to his Union Pacific RR job — all the way down Broadway Drive and back up again. He put coffee on his cereal. He liked ice cream and pie.

Louie was a great dad to my husband. He loved his wife, served his family, provided well, and set an example that Bob surely follows to this day. Just like his dad, Bob loves to grocery shop and likes a good deal…Bob often whistles a tune just like his dad.

Louie T Monaco left this world fairly peacefully this week. We’ll miss him.

Why Fajitas are OK for Thanksgiving

In September of 1620, on a tiny ship called the Mayflower, 102 passengers, most of whom sought religious freedom, set sail from Plymouth England for the New World. Sixty-six days later, in November, they dropped anchor in chilly Cape Cod. I’ve seen a replica of the Mayflower, and I can tell you right now it was no luxury liner. Two months is a long, long time to live among 102 people without a real bathroom or shower. There was no refrigeration, so the food situation was surely meager — at best. Sickness, sleeplessness, boredom, fear, anxiety…I cannot imagine.

Upon arriving in Massachusetts many who, undoubtedly, left England full of hope and faith didn’t live through the first winter. Surely all 102 had to wonder at times, “Was it worth it?”

Most of the men, women, and children aboard left the security of their homes in search of freedom to worship God. Today I read my Bible without fear of arrest or reprisal.

They risked their lives. I’m listening to worship music, that I chose, on my computer while I write.

They left all that was familiar, stepped onto a tiny ship into the unknown. I live in a country that’s incredibly blessed.

My 12th great grandfather was a pastor on the Mayflower. I’m a domestic missionary…blogging.

So, I’m thankful for a lot of things tonight – for my adventurous forefathers who, full of faith, followed the same God I do, and persevered. I’m thankful for the freedom we enjoy everyday – freedom to preach the gospel and talk about Jesus. I’m grateful for a husband who loves God, a roof over my head, devoted friends and family, a fabulous church, an amazing job…and freedom to eat fajitas for Thanksgiving dinner – because that’s what sounded good.

 

Nothing Works

Technology – you can’t live with it and you can’t live without it. For instance, cell phones. Who hasn’t faced some degree of frustration with this fabulous little tool? Bob and I recently “upgraded” our Sprint phones for newer, snazzier, app-loaded, email friendly, rebate-ready phones. Exciting, right?

Wrong. For over a month we’ve battled “nationwide cell-tower” issues that prevent Bob from hearing incoming calls on his phone, his calendar doesn’t sync, and we’ve both experienced an usual increase in dropped calls. You’ve been there, I know. In addition to these more than frustrating inconveniences, my new android malfunctions on almost every level – I’ll spare you the gnarly details. I’ve visited my nearby Sprint store, and Jeff the manager, regularly. He understands the phone is a tool more than a toy (I wish I had an iPhone), and has tried valiantly to rectify the problem. I talked (calmly) with a woman in the “retention” department yesterday to see if I can simply exchange the faulty phone. For $35.00 she says, they’ll send me a refurbished replica, and they’ll waive the fee. Why would I want a “refurbished” phone? Sigh.

This got me thinking. A few years ago Bob and I celebrated our 25th anniversary – hooray for us!  To celebrate we “dressed up” my wedding ring and had it reset. It’s beautiful. How was I supposed to know that I’m allergic to platinum?

Many years ago my mom passed away (she was a great mom, by the way) and she left me her Rolex watch. “Ooo, nice,” you say. It has never, in 22 years, worked well. We’ve spent quite a bit of money on repairs, and, still, it doesn’t keep time. What’s wrong with the watch, and what’s wrong with the guys who charge all the money to only make the problem worse?

Did I sigh already?

I find myself fighting a strong sense of entitlement. “I pay good money for Sprint’s service every month, I’m justified in requesting a phone that works, a strong signal, and properly functioning towers. My work is important.” (Did I say I wish I had an iPhone?) Or, ” My wedding ring is a symbol of our vows and commitment, I wonder, “Why is this happening? Don’t I have the right to enjoy my ring?” And, the watch. I love it because it was my mom’s and it reminds me of her. Surely, surely I deserve a quality repair and a properly functioning timepiece.

If you’re at all like me, you struggle with stuff like this too. When we let these feelings and thoughts go, they take over. We start to demand our rights everywhere we turn, nothing satisfies, and we become bitter in our soul. The darkness of our heart is exposed. I know from first-hand experience.

In the midst of this phone setback I’ve been reminded that nothing earthy satisfies, yet an unquenchable thirst forces us to keep looking. We search and search for happiness and fulfillment, the perfect phone (I still think it’s an iPhone), the perfect home, the perfect spouse.Yada yada yada. It’s a cyclical-cycle on a road to nowhere.

Jesus said to a five-times divorced, clearly unsatisfied, still-searching-for-the-right-guy woman, “Everyone who drinks of this water (from the well) shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life” (John 4:12-14). In Him the relentless thirst is quenched. At His feet we find grace, forgiveness, strength, protection, and hope – a hope that never disappoints.

I honestly found this to be true this week. Each time I cried out to Him regarding my phone woes, He was there. He gave me His patience in the moment (otherwise my phone would be at the bottom of the murky pond out back.) When I yielded I found peace, and when I didn’t I found forgiveness.  For some unimaginable reason, Jesus cares about us in our dealings with phones, rings, watches; homes, husbands, finances. He uses it all to draw us back. He invites us to drink from the water that always satisfies.

 

Politics, Schmolitics

Another election, another opportunity for America to swing in the opposite direction. Clearly, among a myriad of other things, the economy is in deep trouble, spending is out of control, the education system is a mess, immigration is a major problem. Michelle Obama spoke recently, somewhere, recalling the “movement of change” the president promised not so long ago. I think it’s clear, we’re desperate for a NEW movement of change.

What frustrates me is the fact that politics get in the way of the real problems. Okay, so the republicans have a voice again. I say, put your political swords down and use your voice to pull for real change – the kind of change that will restore some dignity to our country. The kind of change that will stabilize our teetering economy, the kind of change that brings healthy solutions to immigration. The kind of change that brings lasting reform to our education system. The people have spoken, please, please work on behalf of the people.

I get so tired of schmolitics – it’s wearying to my soul. We’ve been down this road before, and it was embarrassing. We’re in trouble – let’s work together, on many levels, for a new “new movement of change” for the sake of our great nation!

If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, pray for our government. I admit…my prayers for America are erratic. I don’t feel we deserve His grace – He’s poured it out and we’ve rejected it on so many levels. But, because God is long-suffering and merciful, I’m compelled to pray, afresh, for God’s generous wisdom to flow freely in the House and Senate. Join me. May we repent, on behalf of our country, for turning its eyes away from Him and the Biblical principles upon which our nation was founded. Let’s band together before the throne of grace.

 

A Different Kind of Danger

So, after I tangled with pride and singed my brand-spankin’ new lacy shirt, the Spirit whispered this in my ear:

“As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God” (Galatians 6:14-16).

Why boast in the cross? Well, it symbolizes forgiveness – complete and full. All of our sins washed away by the pure and perfect blood of Jesus Christ. The heavy burden of guilt has been lifted. We’re free, at last, from the tyranny of regret. It’s a stark reminder of the depth of God’s love, unconditional and immeasurable.

So, what’s so dangerous about the cross? When we really follow Jesus, when we boast in the cross, we’re boasting in a whole new way of life – counterculture. As we learn to take pride in the cross the world loses it’s grip. What once held great appeal is marked for what it really is: A sham. Temporary and worthless.

It’s the cross that reminds us of our weakness and our need for a Savior, and it’s the cross that beckons us to a totally different way of life. “Not my will but Yours. Not my way but Yours.” We’re called to take up the cross every day and die to ourselves and follow the One who made all things new, who redeemed our lives from the pit, who promises us something far more magnificent than we can ask or imagine.

Danger Part 2: Singed

Pride:–noun

1.a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc. (Dictionary.com)

So, as much as I hate to admit it, pride is squeezing through the cracks and oozing all over everything! A few weeks ago I was in Portland for some meetings. After they ended I stayed in town with family for a few days. I love our family and look forward to being with them. We have a great time, laughing, teasing, chatting. Such a huge blessing. So, anyway, one evening I was getting ready for church and went to iron my new, very cute lacy top. My sister-in-law showed me to her ironing board and iron, and as she left the room she warned, “Be sure and turn down the iron’s heat before you touch up that lace.” My response, “I know Marian, I’ve been ironing for a long time.”

I proceeded to touch the not cooled iron to my pretty lacy top and singed a nice big hole hole. Can you say “humbled?” The Lord tapped me, ever so gently, on the shoulder and pointed out my arrogance. I showed Marian…we laughed and she mended the hole…somehow. She’s a genius!

A few other incidents like that happened over the course of those few days. Things I said with great confidence that I wish I could take back. But, then that’s pride too, isn’t it?

I’ve started doing a little study on the cross…Paul wrote, “But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” I long to grasp the meaning of this verse in the depths of my prideful soul – it’s because of that cross that I can claim forgiveness and peace. In the meantime I’m grateful for His grace that covers all of my sin, and for family who love me unconditionally.

Danger Will Robinson!

I wasn’t even a fan of Lost In Space as a kid, but for some reason “Danger Will Robinson” keeps flashing through my mind. Perhaps because this week I faced danger, not from being lost in space mind you, but from being filled with pride and arrogance.

Subtle though they were at the first of the week, I justified my lofty and prideful thoughts as justified and fully warranted. Moving along through the days and afternoons, nights and mornings, I slowly moved from lofty thoughts to bordering-on-bitter rumblings, which slipped down that familiar slope and led to rueful rants, and culminated in self-righteous slices of sickening sin.

Pride is smug…deceptive. It dresses up ideas and opinions as RIGHT, THE BEST, THE ONLY WAY. (My pride wants to invite you to agree with me – I want to feel better knowing I’m not alone.)

By Thursday evening a sick wrestling was swirling in my soul. As I brushed my teeth (with great vigor I might add), the Spirit interrupted the debate raging in my hot head – “Danger Cas Monaco!”

“Before honor comes humility…God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble…God hates a haughty spirit.”

Oh how I needed His warning! How I needed to repent. So, I did. Face flat to the ground. Reminded, again, how much I need a Savior. “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Today, in the quiet of my room, as I sat upon my favorite chair, the Lord gently, but firmly spoke to my heart through the words of Jeanne Guyon (17th Century follower of Christ), “God gives us the cross, and then the cross gives us to God.”

I wish I wasn’t surprised by my sin. I should know better really. But, the beautiful thing about the cross is that it’s there to remind us of the gift of God’s love, the depth of His forgiveness, and the power of the new life in the Spirit.

When we’re on the verge of being “lost in space” and face great danger, we can, as my friend Barbara always says, “Hold up the holy stop sign of the cross” and find safety and freedom.

Under Seige

On October 3, 1994 I was riding in a taxi across Moscow. It was a beautiful fall afternoon, and life was good.

As I rode along the taxi driver was visibly concerned. He told me that a riot that was taking place in the center of town. I could tell from his description that it wasn’t peaceful. I felt a little nervous. By the time I reached my destination my friends knew all about the demonstration and it was clear that a governmental take-over was unfolding. All of us hurried back to our respective homes feeling afraid.

By the time I got home Bob had learned from Russian TV that the Parliment Building (The White House they called it) had been bombed. Soon the TV station was taken over, and we had no idea what would happen next. By the next morning military tanks rolled down Leninski Prospect, just one block from our flat, toward Red Square. Our friends stood at their window and watched them pass. One couple had just arrived with their three little kids. They called us periodically over the course of that day describing what it was like to hear the echo of gun shots reverberating through their neighborhood. Over 600 people died as a result of that battle.

Most of our American friends served with Campus Crusade in the city, and we had emergency protocols to follow if anything like this should happen. So, on the same day that the tanks headed toward the city center, we all made our way to the ministry office to pray and figure out what to do. I remember being the only people nuts enough to be on the streets that morning!

Psalm 2 came alive to me that day. “Why are the nations in an uproar and the people devising a vain thing? I’ve installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain.”  Every time I read those words I remember The Two Day War. It was over almost as fast as it started. Those words reminded me in the craziness of those days that God is sovereign, and is in control of all that goes on around the world even when it looks like chaos reigns.

As I prepared to teach on Psalm 2 today I looked back to my 1993 journal. I don’t usually record the specific events of my days, but I did on October 3 and 4 that year, for which I’m very grateful. I’ve not been in a physical war since that day, but I do face a spiritual battle on a regular basis – and so do you.

Every day we’re under seige – all sorts of lies are like land mines in our minds and hearts. “God doesn’t care about me – I’ve been forgotten.” Or, “What’s the point of living for Christ? It doesn’t really matter.” Godly morality and integrity is eroded by some subtle and other very overt messages we hear all of the time in movies or in magazines, in music and on TV. “Does God really answer prayer? Does He really exist?” When the tanks surround our lives, and things feel like they’re blowing up, it’s so tempting to think the Lord has abandoned us.

When everything within screams,  “Run away, hide in a hole!” Run into His arms instead. When the Enemy’s flaming missiles and fiery darts whiz past – cling to Jesus. He’s the Victor and Prince of Peace. “In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage I have overcome the world.”