Change is Here to Stay | Balancing the Scales of Justice
Nov 11, 2020 Creative Arts, Dream, Encouraging Word, MeganJoyChapman, Mixed Media Art, Worship Intercession
I’ve heard it said that change is the currency of heaven and that constant change is here to stay. The Greek word for repentance, metanoeó, means to change one’s mind or purpose as the result of after knowledge—a transformative change of heart regarding spiritual conversion. We are living in a time where significant change, good and evil, is taking place rapidly. We must be anchored in the right spirit to discern the godly change God is calling forth, so that we can inherit the peace and prosperity He desires for us.
Balancing the Scales of Justice
On May 20, 2020 I had a dream where I saw the nations of the world, like a map, hanging on a balance. A trash bag filled with money hung over the nations and tipped the scale. Whenever the “dirty money” moved to a particular place on the map (beginning on the east coast of the United States) another location on the map would somehow be balanced. I saw red laser beams pinpointing every area where the trash bag of money would land and each time it did, it continued to balance the scale.
The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Money isn’t evil but greed is. Greed is self-seeking and never satisfied. So, if the love of money opens doors to evil, then the desire for riches (for personal gain and power) must be behind the corruptions and atrocities of the world. Although there are many, here are just two that weigh heavy on my heart:
Human Trafficking: According to facts listed on AbbaHouseFoundation.org “Trafficking in human beings is now the third-largest money making venture in the world, after illegal weapons and drugs. In fact, the United Nations estimates that the trade nets organized crime more than $12 billion a year” (Victor Malarek The Natashas: Inside the New Global Sex Trade). According to a CIA report, 700,000 to 2 million women and children worldwide are victimized by traffickers each year. The UN estimates that around 4 million people a year are now traded against their will to work in some form of slavery. As many as 50,000 women and children from Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe are brought to the U.S. under false pretenses each year and forced to work as prostitutes, abused laborers or servants (Joel Brinkley NYT citing CIA report). *Children, no more than 7-years-old, are sold for sex.
Abortion: Planned Parenthood reports getting more than 600 million dollars a year from the federal government. According to LifeNews.com in a 2019 report- “In America, just under 1 million babies are aborted every year and remains the leading cause of death in the United States. Every 30 seconds in America, an innocent preborn child loses his or her life to abortion. Planned Parenthood leaders admit under oath to harvesting body parts from babies born alive. Advanced Bioscience Resources (ABR) admits to selling aborted baby body parts to researchers whose projects are funded by U.S. taxpayers.”
According to TheHill.com “Planned Parenthood will spend $45 million on the 2020 elections, the nonprofit’s biggest electoral expenditure in its history, according to CBS News. The money will go toward the presidential election as well as congressional and state House races, according to Planned Parenthood Votes Executive Director Jenny Lawson, who told CBS, “The stakes have never been higher.”
Friends, according to these facts alone, our world needs a massive heart change. We cannot turn a blind eye.
A Call to Persevere and Pray
Believers, don’t give up! Our world is literally hanging on a balance. We were created for this time in history to be God’s vessels of hope and change—lights to the world. This is what we’ve been training for, so lift up your prayers of faith and be courageous! As we pray heaven down to earth, hearts and minds will awaken and godly change will manifest. Truth and transparency is coming to our nation and ultimately the nations of the world. Let’s activate our weapons of prayer and pray that deep roots of corruption are exposed and justice will prevail to the glory of God the Father.
So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.
“For in just a little while,
the Coming One will come and not delay.
And my righteous ones will live by faith.
But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”
But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved. –HEBREWS 10:35-39
What Must I Do to Be Forgiven and Spend Eternity in Heaven?
“The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” –MARK 1:15
If you’ve never placed your faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, and would like to know what it means to have personal relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit, consider praying this simple prayer:
Father God, I admit I’ve sinned against You. I’m sorry for the things I’ve done wrong and want to change. I believe that when Your Son Jesus died on the cross, He took the punishment for my sin. But He didn’t stay dead. He rose from the dead and is now seated in glory at Your right hand. Jesus, please come into my heart and be Lord of my life. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I can receive this free gift of salvation and spend eternity with You in Heaven. Amen!
If you prayed that prayer, congratulations! You’ve been adopted into the family of God. You are no longer under any condemnation. Your life is now sealed in Christ and you have an inheritance that will last forever.
If you would like prayer please contact me. If you are pregnant (in Kona, Hawaii) and unsure what to do, or need abortion recovery counseling, contact The Pregnancy Center.
Related Posts
Spiritual Pruning-The Tree of Life
Scriptures
Mark 1:15, 1 Timothy 6:3-15, Hebrews 10:35-39, Psalm 1, Psalm 37, Psalm 139, Romans 8:1, Romans 12:2, 19-21, Luke 6:38, Philippians 1:9-11, Isaiah 40:29-31
Tags: Dream, Encouraging word, Faith, Intercession, Mixed Media Art, Overcoming
King’s Faith, A Good Christian Movie
Nov 25, 2016 Creative Arts, Movie
If you’re on the hunt for a good, family-friendly movie this holiday season, check out King’s Faith. Chap (my husband) and I watched it the other night and equally enjoyed it.
Finding solid, Christian flicks we both like is always a bonus. We thought the content in King’s Faith was entertaining and inspiring— and thought provoking enough to keep teenagers interested.
The movie is about an eighteen year-old foster kid, Brendan King, who is trying to break free from his shady past. Sent to prison at fifteen, he starts reading the Bible and gives his life to Jesus. Paroled at eighteen, he is placed in a Christian foster home and is determined to live a life of faith. But when his former gang shows up, threatening him and the people he loves, Brendan’s faith is put to the test. Will he trust God no matter what challenges face him, or will he give up and go back to his roots?
Learn more about King’s Faith at: www.kingsfaith.com
Tags: Movie, Overcoming
Suzanne Field, Author of “The Painted Table” Novel
Aug 5, 2016 Author, Book, Creative Arts, Guest Artist
I am so excited to introduce Suzanne Field, my first guest artist to be interviewed on my blog! Suzanne and I met many moons ago in Kona in a YWAM (Youth With A Mission) writers group at The University of the Nations. I remember hearing bits and pieces of “The Painted Table” in our group and was so intrigued by her eloquent writing.
She never read her book to us in order, so when it was published, I couldn’t wait to read it in its entirety…I have to wonder if she did that intentionally. And I always loved how she stood up to read her work. She was the only one in the group who did this. When it was her turn to read, she’d shoot up out of her chair, somewhat awkwardly, and then stand properly poised with her pages held in front of her with both hands. She said standing up helped her “project.” For some reason it always made me laugh. But in a good way.
After spending several Wednesday mornings together, Suzanne became one of my biggest encouragers of LH&A. She has always offered me such useful feedback and has become one of my favorite editors on the project.
I’m so thankful to have learned more about Suzanne through this candid interview. She takes us behind the scenes of her novel “The Painted Table” and shares how living with a mentally ill mother has helped fuel her passion to create. By choosing to “honor her mother by not becoming her,” Suzanne inspires readers to overcome pain by embracing Gods goodness.
My Interview with Suzanne Field, Author of “The Painted Table.”
1. What were some early influences in your life?
Movies. Early on, movies became more than my entertainment. They were often teaching tools and attitude molders – for better or worse. I was in the third grade when my parents took me to my first movie, The Wizard of Oz. Having never even seen television (most people hadn’t in the 1940s), I was spellbound by pictures flashing across the screen. Then the black-and-white of Kansas morphed into colorful Oz, and I was simply awestruck! Similarly, when during the following year I heard the gospel message and accepted Jesus as my Savior, my young life shifted from drab to include splashes of color. From that time on, I have found joy in God’s creation vividly blooming all around me. I delight in microcosmic miracles and marvel at His handiwork throughout the universe.
2. Has this led to development of your own creativity?
Curiously, in the visual arts, it did not seem to, and I confess some disappointment about that. It seems I was made to be “an appreciator.” Twice as an adult I tried my hand at painting classes and twice crumpled up my sorry attempts in front of my teachers. They were shocked and disapproving, but on both occasions the action gave me relief. It seemed foolish for me to even attempt to create when God already made everything so perfectly and completely. Of course, I greatly admire artists who are truly talented, and that prompted me to minor in art history in college.
With piano lessons, I persevered longer. It was years in fact until I admitted defeat. My greatest desire would have been to be an accomplished musician. With no natural gifting, the struggle to learn just didn’t seem worth it. I’m hoping that in heaven this desire will flourish into results.
3. Did your family have artistic talent?
No. But my mother also was an appreciator. Our home was filled with two things: pain and music. Pain because of my mother’s mental decline, and music because she loved anything classical, and also dance. Her prized record player, which I was never allowed to touch, schooled me in the great composers of symphony and opera. She also loved Hungarian dance music and operettas. I was not familiar with popular music until I went to college. It wasn’t that I was a snob, but I’m afraid I found music of the day embarrassing.
4. What music do you like now?
Now, I love that once-scorned ‘50s music! In addition, my iPod carries a vast ever-shuffling mix from Pavarotti’s tear-jerking “Nessun Dorma” and Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” to Christian groups like Casting Crowns. I enjoy Iz Kamakawiwo’ole, and my newest find, The Rough Riders. My mood slides from one style to another. Let me hear the overture to “Barber of Seville” and, if no one is around, I dance, literally dance, just like my mother did. Funny, I found her mortifying, but when I dance, I float on air.
5. Can you tell us more about the pain you mentioned?
It is one of the themes of my book, The Painted Table, which is thinly disguised as fiction. Daughter Saffee reaps what is sown into her—both joy and pain. She chooses to glean goodness from her rightful legacy of music, art, literature, etc., and consciously turns away from the hurt and humiliation infecting her home. My hope is that readers who are burdened by any number of unfortunate childhood memories, perhaps much more serious than mine, will find encouragement to cast off pain and retain that which is good. God cares about the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual prisons of childhood. He has remedy. He helps us cast off junk and, in turn, sow good things. I like to think that this is what I have been able to do.
6. Did you actually find catharsis stripping paint off a table like Saffee does?
Well, a few things have to remain secret. But remember, it is a novel.
7. Did your love of writing come from your mother?
Yes. She wrote quite a lot. She loved poetry and much of her own work was in rhyme. Her stories were poetic in style and often humorous. Now I find that a bit odd.
8. Why?
Because the atmosphere in our home was not funny. We walked on eggshells so as not to “make your mother nervous,” as my dad would say. I find it interesting that now of all writing styles, I would like to write comedy. The feeling I like best comes with those rare times when something strikes me as side-splitting funny and laughter squirts tears from my eyes.
9. What makes you laugh like that?
The movie What About Bob makes me laugh until I hurt, even though I’ve seen it many times. I guess that’s a little odd, given my family background, and since the movie is a spoof on psychiatric disorder and care.
10. It seems that mental disorder and its treatment is in the public consciousness more today than before. How does The Painted Table fit into the current scene?
Family members of the mentally ill suffer in unique ways. They often deal with guilt, shame, and unforgiveness. I would like readers to see that The Painted Table is a story that gives hope. My aim was to portray that, for the Christian, our legacy as a child of God is more significant than our biological legacy. As part of God’s family, we can be overcomers through Jesus Christ. With Him we can rise above negatives. We can flourish because He is faithful to show us how. He works uniquely in our messes. And if He asks you to strip paint off an old table, it’s best to do it.
11. You began your writing career at a mature age. Do you consider this an advantage or disadvantage?
Probably an advantage. I would guess that younger writers are more attuned to the present moment and might be less interested in heritage. The Painted Table taps into four generations. I took the opportunity to trace, or at least hint at, the passing on of familial spiritual roots—the godly and the ungodly.
12. What are you writing now?
Short stories. I have twelve diverse stories about ready for publication. A few are gleaned from my own experience, some are entirely fiction. I consider a couple to be quite funny. Not side-splitting, just a bit droll. In most of them I have tried to write in a somewhat obscure way—an attempt to prompt the reader to speculate what is really going on. This has made the writing fun.
Also, my mother’s love of great art is probably responsible for the seeds of another book growing within me. Its setting is an art gallery.
13. What books have you read lately?
Every day I read in Timothy Keller’s inspiring devotional, The Songs of Jesus. Lately I was fascinated by the post-Civil War attitudes of blacks and whites in The Known World, by Edward P. Jones and also Cold Sassy Tree, by Olive Ann Burns. Right now I’m persevering Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse.
Suzanne Field, a graduate of the University of Minnesota, has taught English as a Second Language in China, Ukraine, and Hawaii. She has been a magazine editor and home-school teacher. Suzanne writes to encourage others to rise above memories and embrace the goodness found in each day. She and her husband have five children and two grandchildren. They divide their time between Dallas and Hawaii where she is a tutor and mentor.
Tags: Author, Book, Overcoming
Haley Henderson | Christian Ballerina
May 26, 2016 Creative Arts, Dance, Encouraging Word
In the following BibleWise blog interview, professional ballerina Haley Henderson expresses how her faith helps her overcome the pressures of today’s dance world.
A dancer myself, I have dealt with many stereotypical struggles that are so often seen in the arts—perfectionism, jealousy, and just about every insecurity known to man. But now a Christian, I can relate to Haley’s journey on how to be victorious in the battle.
It is so refreshing to read about this humble, confident woman who has chosen to go against the grain. By taking the focus off herself, she has become a ready vessel in His masterpiece, able to carry out His plan by using her gifts and talents to honor Him.
Well done, Haley. You are a superhero.
Read Haley Henderson’s Interview on BibleWise
Tags: Dance, Overcoming
