A Day in the Life
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Is Your Email Saved?
I’ve wanted to write about the topic of email for some time now. Specifically, about the emails that I receive from Christians. More often than not the emails have been forwarded from someone else.
When I take the time to read the email…all too often I find myself wondering, “Did this come from a Christian?” Did they actually take the time to read this before they sent it? If they did read it, why did they think it was remotely fitting or appropriate for a Christian to send?
I receive emails from Christians that have filthy language, sexual innuendo or worse. There are the emails that mock people for their looks, how they dress and their race.
I’m not surprised when I receive something like that from an unbeliever. But when it’s from a Christian…not only am I shocked and amazed…I’m deeply saddened. In fact, I’d say I get less inappropriate emails from non Christians than I do from Christians. Why? Because the unbelievers know I’m a Christian and they are respectful of that fact.
If someone were to read the email that you send…would they know that you are a Christian?
Here are some general guidelines that all Christians should apply to our communication…be it emails, conversation, or what we read, watch and listen to.
You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices. Colossians 3:7-9
….as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:14-16
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; – Ephesians 4:22
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; – 1 Thessalonians 4:3
The LORD detests men of perverse heart but he delights in those whose ways are blameless. – Proverbs 11:20
….as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:14-16
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; – Ephesians 4:22
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; – 1 Thessalonians 4:3
The LORD detests men of perverse heart but he delights in those whose ways are blameless. – Proverbs 11:20
At first glance some of the emails may seem funny…but when you take a closer look…be it something that mocks people, uses cuss words or laughs at sexual immorality…what’s so funny about that?
I don’t think it any accident that the enemy has deceived Christians to go along with the world and be just like them. We can even laugh at that which Christ died for. When we compromise…what does the world see different about Christians? What do we have to offer the world…when we are living like unbelievers?
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. – Romans 12:1-2
I’m sure that there are many Christians that are shaking their heads…and saying, “Loosen up Susan…there’s no harm in it…we’re just having a good laugh or two. Who are you to judge?”
I’m not worthy to judge anyone. But I know that I will give an account to God. He tells me that I will give an account to Him…for every idle word. Everything will be laid bare before Him and He knows the motives of my heart.
It’s not about following the rules as much as it is about loving Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Wanting to live my life in such a manner that what I do is good and pleasing to Him.
Lest you think I’m deluding myself and believe that I actually achieve that all the time…I know that I don’t. I know that I fall short. Without the power of the Holy Spirit within me…I’m incapable living a life that is pleasing to God. But as I yield to God, strive to live in a manner worthy of my high calling…I’m able to do it more. I won’t be made perfect this side of heaven. But praise God…He is in the process of sanctifying me.
In light of God’s word…does your email reflect your Christian faith? Is your email saved?
For the Birds
Backyard Treasures
A Time Away…La Jolla & San Diego
When Fear Grips My Heart
I turn on the news
Only to hear the reporter inform
The economy continues to spiral downward…out of control
Fear grips my heart
I pick up the phone
Listen to more bad news
Another friend lost their job today
With a lump in my throat I whisper, “I’ll pray”
I open the prayer email
I scan the requests only to find
Another family is facing foreclosure
I fall on my knees and cry out, “Oh Lord…”
All around me the rumors fly
Then we get word
A mandatory meeting…“Be there at 3:00 pm sharp!”
My heart is beating a little faster and my hands start to sweat
Then the Holy Spirit reminds me
Take every thought captive
Meditate upon the goodness and faithfulness of God
Never have the righteous been forsaken
With each bad report
May I be moved with compassion
Fall on my face before my sovereign Lord and King
Not even a sparrow falls without it escaping the Father’s notice
May I count it a privilege
To come before God’s throne in prayer
As I lift up my family, friends and strangers from afar
Cast all your anxiety upon the Lord, for He cares for you
May I delight
Not in possessions
But in the Lord Jesus Christ
May I praise You in the morning and evening…all throughout the day
May I find security
In God alone
When the phone call comes and my hand trembles
May I find peace in the presence of my Master
Susan Bunts Wachtel
June 24, 2009
Easy Faith
An easy faith
That requires nothing of me
I come to God as I see fit
On my own terms
Church attendance is not required
No time in my busy schedule
Prayers are uttered
But only in times of crisis
No need to study God’s word
No desire to know truth revealed in Scripture
My faith is more about how I feel
An experience that makes me feel good
No need to share the gospel
Don’t all paths lead to God
My thoughts are not taken captive
There’s not much difference between me and the world
My son whom I love so much
Surely he is good enough
No need to train him up
In the way he shall go
No time to take him to church
When our days are filled with baseball, basketball, football and tennis
God’s warning may go unheeded
By ears who do not hear
Rather than being welcomed home
“Come, enter into the joy of your Master”
There will be a loud and resounding proclamation
“Away from Me, I never knew you”
Susan Bunts Wachtel
June 17, 2009
Hymns of Old
Hymns of old
So rich in theology
Proclaim the excellencies of Christ Jesus
They tell of His humble birth
His human incarnation
Of the One who was here before the world began
His sinless, perfect life
Of the innocent Lamb
Slain before the foundations of the world
Veiled in human flesh
Yet He is the very essence of God the Father
He set His glory aside that He might redeem the lost
He came to do the will of the Father
The propitiation for our sin
Turning away the Father’s wrath
He suffered like no other
As He hung on Calvary’s cross
Marred beyond recognition as a man
Even bearing the weight of our sin could not compare
To the pain of separation when the Father turned away from the Son
For He who is Holy, Holy, Holy cannot look upon or dwell with sin
Death could not hold Him
The sinless Son of God
He arose victorious from the grave
Today He is seated
At the right hand of the Father
For the work He came to do is finished
By Susan Bunts Wachtel
April 12, 209
While I love all kinds of music…both hymns and choruses…there is nothing quite like the old hymns. They are so rich in theology and Christ centered.
Some of the songs today are very man centered. In focusing on us, we lose the magnificence of God’s plan and Jesus sacrifice for unworthy sinners. We were dead in our sin there is nothing in us that is attractive or deserving of our salvation. It was Jesus Christ and His sacrificial death on the cross in obedience to the Father’s plan that earned our salvation. He paid the debt we owe, but can never pay.
While God’s love motivated His plan of redemption and salvation through His Son Jesus Christ…it was His holiness, righteousness, justice, and wrath that necessitated our sin debt be paid.
May we choose to know God fully as He has revealed Himself in the Word of God.
Once, But Now
Once my lips cursed You
Now I praise You
Once I denied You
Now I seek You
Once dead in my sin
Now I proclaim salvation is found in no other name than Christ Jesus
Once I ran from You
Now I follow You
Once I heeded my own voice
Now I listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd
Once I longed to fit into the world’s mold
Now I desire to live the sanctified life
Once blinded to my own sin
Now I see my “good works” in light of Your holiness and righteousness
Once a sight walker
Now a faith walker
Once my own advocate
Now the Son sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for me
Once a grumbler and complainer
Now a prayer warrior
Once I held on to hurt, nursed a grudge
Now I forgive as I have been forgiven by my Lord
Once I hated my enemies
Now I love and pray for those who come against me
Once I allowed every kind of evil thought and wickedness to enter in
Now I guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus
Once filled with anxious thoughts
Now I have the peace of Christ
Once I put on self righteous
Now I’m clothed in Christ’s righteousness
Once I walked in my own strength
Now I’m weak but find my strength in Christ
Once self sufficient
Now fully dependent upon God
Once I was defenseless against a powerful foe
Now I’m armed with the Sword of the Spirit
Once deceived by the lies of the enemy
Now growing in wisdom from the study of God’s word
Once bound for eternity in hell
Now my heavenly future is secure
By Susan Bunts Wachtel
April 11, 2009
On this Easter weekend 2009, I give thanks, honor and praise to Jesus Christ, my Glorified Risen Lord and Savior. Because He chose to take on flesh, receive my just penalty of death, I stand forgiven. Because He chose rejection, scorn, beatings and death on the cross, I can have my sins covered by His precious blood. Because He was the sinless Son of God, death could not hold Him down and He arose victorious from the grave. Now He imparts, through the power of the Holy Spirit living within me, power and victory over sin.
You too can have your sins forgiveness…by Jesus Christ, the One and Only Living Son of God. You can have your future in eternity secured if you will confess with your mouth and believe with your heart that Jesus is Christ is Lord.
Why go another day without Jesus Christ?
Two-thousand years ago…He paid a heavy penalty for your sin so that you might be set free. Won’t you accept that free gift found in the Beloved Son?
Beautiful
Beautiful is the woman who loves the Lord
She grows sweeter
With each passing year
In the midst of difficulties
Trying circumstances
She leans on, depends upon the Lord
She has a peace that passes all understanding
When others around her are anxious
She has a quiet trust that the Lord will work it out
Her countenance radiates
Joy and happiness, peace and love
As she grows more like her Savior
Her voice is sweet
She chooses to bless and not curse
Praise God and pray
She befriends all whom she encounters
Confident that the Lord has brought them into her path
Humbly she offers encouragement and wise, godly counsel
She raised her children
In the fear and admonition of the Lord
Trusting God’s faithful promises to those who love the Lord
She does not grow old
No matter what the calendar might say
Instead she’s growing into the woman God designed her to be
She has an inner grace and radiance
A light that shines forth
As she basks in the glory of the Lord
She looks forward
To the day the Lord will bring her home
There she will be reunited with those who have gone before
She does not fear for her future is secure
Her hope can never be shaken
For her foundation is built on Christ alone
By Susan Bunts Wachtel
February 26, 2009
One of my favorite things is to turn on the digital picture and watch the pictures randomly scroll through the hundreds and thousands of pictures that are loaded on that little tiny memory card. Yesterday as glanced over at the picture frame…Jean’s picture came up…and in my mind I could hear her sweet voice from singing the night before at Bible study. Soon the pictures of many other women whom I am so blessed by God to know came up. I found the contrast striking to the last poem I wrote about…“Mean Girls”. What a difference these godly women who continue to grow in the Lord. With each passing year, they grow more beautiful…and radiate the love of Christ.
This poem is dedicated to these beautiful women of God that I know. I thank you for the example you share…and pray that one day…I will grow into the woman God created me to be. Love you so much and thank God for you!
ESV Study Bible…Give Away?
Well I’d never heard of the ESV Study Bible. But a quick Goggle search revealed that many of the pastors and teachers that I respect and listen to give much praise to this version of the Bible.
Pastor John Piper…says the study notes are breathtaking. Joni Eareckson Tada says it’s reliable and true. CJ Mahaney is impressed with the ESV Study Bible…and advised that a Christian could make no wiser investment.
That’s just a few of the many high praises coming from reliable trusted Christian pastors.
As such…I’d like to win…thus the link to David A. Porter’s “A Boomer in the Pew” blog.
Check it out…so you might win this valuable resource for your Christian study library.
The Stethoscope Video
Carlsbad January 2009
Choose This Day
The world tells me
Be open and tolerant
Accept all points of view
All are of equal worth
Be open and tolerant
Accept all points of view
All are of equal worth
But God tells me
Narrow is the path that leads to life
Salvation is found in no other name
Than Jesus Christ
The world tells me
Just do the right thing
Encourages me to feel good about myself
Then I’ll be at peace and at one with the world
But God tells me
Before I came to Christ
I was at enmity with God
In me lies no good thing
The world tells me
The only real sin is to be judgmental
That I should live as I please…put myself first
Without concern about heaven or hell because there is no God
But God warns me
Some have a form of godliness, without power
They are lovers of self
And do not love God
The world tells me
It’s wrong to say Jesus is the only way
Surely all paths lead to God
Who am I to tell someone else they are wrong
But God tells me
That Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life
If I confess with my mouth, believe with my heart
I will be saved!
How can I withhold the truth
From those who are lost and perishing
Blinded by the enemy
Deceived…and believing a lie
There are no second chances
No purgatory to pay for my sin
No good work that will save me
Except one
Only God’s perfect sacrifice
The atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross
Testify I must
Of His redeeming love
by Susan Bunts Wachtel
January 21, 2009
Through a Glass Darkly
When I downloaded pictures I had taken this last Sunday…I found a number of shots that were not so hot. Especially this one of the cross on the hill at Kindred Community Church. I have so many great shots…but in this picture I can barely see the cross. Instead I’m focusing on the dried wiper marks on the windshield that make everything blurry and hard to see.
At first I was going to delete the picture and dismiss it as just a bad shot. But then I realized it kind of signified what I’ve been feeling in my relationship with God lately.
While my theology is sound…and biblically based…and I know that God will never leave me, nor forsake me…emotionally I haven’t felt a connection with God in the last few weeks. I feel emotionally disconnected.
I’m sure that the busyness of a recent move, unpacking our new home, cleaning and store things from our old place, working too much overtime, having very few minutes a day to rest is contributing to the equation.
I find myself asking God if there is any un-confessed sin in my life that is blocking that feeling of relationship. If there is sin…that He would reveal it to me so that I can take care of business quickly and restore that relationship.
Last night the feeling of disconnect was especially strong. I found myself desperate be connected to God. To have the sense of His presence in my day to day life. I felt like God was absent. I picked up the word of God and found my mind was so busy and wandering through the events of the day and recent weeks that I couldn’t focus.
If I could have snapped my fingers or done something immediate in the moment to feel God’s presence…I would have done it. I felt quite desperate for Him. Almost a physical ache. Those feelings were a reminder of what I had experienced before. After some desperate times…I came to the conclusion that I can get through any circumstance as long as I have Jesus Christ. While I may have to endure unpleasant circumstances or difficult times…it doesn’t compare to living a life without God. To not have relationship with my God…my Savior Jesus Christ…is unbearable. It’s like trying to live without oxygen.
One of the ways I connect with God…and work through issues is to write. It’s there that God ministers to me and counsels me. He helps me to examine what I’m feeling or what I’ve seen through the truth of the Bible.
Because of the exceptionally busy times…I’ve not been able to write. I’ve had no time to be still and abide in God. Instead I’ve been dealing with the demands of life at the expense what’s essential. So tonight…while I’ll pay the price with tomorrow for too little rest…I’m thankful to have slipped away to spend a few minutes with God.
Thankfully during this busy time…I’ve been able to go to church, Bible study and be in prayer. But all that doesn’t substitute for some alone time and connection with God on a very personal level.
It’s kind of like a wife who sees her husband across the way at a friend’s party. She sees him from afar and even says, “Hi”. But if she doesn’t spend any alone time with him…away and apart from others…I can guarantee you…the relationship would suffer.
God says in His word that He will never leave us, nor forsake us. I guess I haven’t been showing up to meet with Him personally.
Thank you Lord for being there…and meeting with me once again. May I be a Mary and not a Martha. May I put that which is essential…Jesus Christ…before everyone and everything else.
Consuming Fire
Our God is a consuming fire
None can stand before Him
Save One
Christ Jesus our Lord
All our works
Will one day be revealed
Only salvation found in the cross of Christ
Will remain secure and unscathed
Works righteousness
Will be judged in the refining fire
All our own works
Will be scorched…burned…unrecognizable
Only Christ
His work on the cross
Will remain untouched
His work alone will endure
Susan Bunts Wachtel
November 17, 2008
Thank you Jesus…for our secure salvation found only in you!
Picture from Jim Salinger…thank you!
Is It Love?
They say its love
When I look into your eyes
And see stars
They say its love
When I kiss your lips
And hear fireworks all around us
They say its love
When we are making love
All night long
But I ask
Wouldn’t any fool stick around
When it’s easy, magical and fun
What about the times
When I look into your eyes
And see your beautiful blue eyes looking back
What about the times
When all our busy schedules afford
Is a quick kiss as we head out the door
What about the times
After an exhausting day…we come home spent
And we are most grateful to fall into each others arms
Is it love
That says “I love you”
When everyday is like a fairy tale
Or is it true love
When I come home weary from fighting the battle
And find…the one will stand with me
Or is it true love
When I’m swimming against the tide…about to drown
And out reaches a hand…to hold me up
Or is it true love
That says…I’m committed
And would marry you all over again…no matter what
Susan Bunts Wachtel
November 1, 2008
To Chris…the one I love. Thank you for sticking around…fighting the good fight…holding me up in prayer before the throne room of God. Thanks for being willing to pursue a mature love that sticks with it in good times and bad…who doesn’t get weak-kneed and afraid…when the challenges don’t stop and the tough times outweigh the good.
Running Shadows
With This Ring…
Tell Tale Signs
The body of Christ
Suffered another assault today
By one who calls himself Christian
By outward appearances
The signs were all there
Indeed he put on a good show
In church each Sunday
With Bible in hand
He even shared Christ with those not yet saved
A fish symbol strategically placed on his car
A bumper sticker proclaiming
Know Jesus, Know Peace
But closer examination
By the One who looks upon the heart
Revealed a wolf in sheep’s clothing
Sacred vows made to love his wife
As Christ so loved the church
Were set aside and trampled underfoot
His children
Once beloved were now forgotten
In his quest for personal happiness
The Lord whom he proclaimed to love
With all his heart, mind, soul and strength
Was long forgotten as he raised himself in God’s place
Destruction and devastation lay in the wake
From the vehicles of lies and deceit
No concern is demonstrated for those he once claimed to love
Those who once admired the Lord’s blessings to this man
Stand with their mouth gapping
Poised and ready to utter the words hypocrite and liar
The witness for Christ
He so carefully sought to build and protect
Now lies in the heap covered by selfishness and pride
Oh Lord, even now we lift up this one so deceived
Like a lamb led to slaughter
So willingly he followed the father of lies
We pray for his salvation
Forgiveness for his sins
That without Jesus he will have no peace
Like the prodigal son
May he come to his senses
And return to the Father whom he once he loved
By Susan Bunts
September 26, 2008
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