His Word - the Masterpiece

By D. Emily Smith

“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself … And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” Luke 24:27-32

Out of nowhere my four year old daughter Abby approached me, holding a paper tightly to her chest. The look of pride and excitement in her eyes told me that this was her latest art masterpiece, so I took the paper in my hands and did my best to affirm her. The top of the page contained mostly scribbles and a few random letters followed by a smiley face with curly hair. At the bottom was her name, printed in adorable pre-school handwriting.
Clearly agitated by my lack of response, she asked, “Don’t you know what it says?”
“Why don’t you read it to me?” I suggested.
“This part, “She said pointing to the scribbling, “says I love you. This is a picture of me. And I put my name on it so you wouldn’t forget who gave this to you.”
After my initial feelings of motherly pride and affection subsided, I started thinking. Sometimes the Bible seems like random scribbles and letters, something we struggle to understand. We need the Author to explain it us, just as Abby explained to me her words of love. One of the functions of the Holy Spirit is the way he grants us those “A-Ha” moments, when what we read finally connects with our brain and heart. Who better to explain the mysteries of God’s Word than the One who inspired and controlled the pens of the men who wrote them?
And just like that stick figure smiley face Abby claimed as her self portrait, so it is with God’s Word. It is His self portrait to us. The Bible is a picture of who He is and who He is not. From Genesis to Revelation, we see clearly an image surfacing of a Holy God, a loving God, and an unchanging God. The list of His attributes goes on and on, but between the pages of that Holy book we get a small glimpse of who He is and even who we are.
Then He signed it. Abby printed her name proudly at the bottom of her page to reinforce that this was her work and that she wanted to be remembered by it. The Bible is signed on every page with the precious name of Christ. From Genesis to Revelation, I AM is written there. Sure, it’s not scrawled in some type of heavenly cursive, but His signature is ever clear in the message and the bold statements. Jesus Christ endorsed this book. It’s His story, His love letter to us, signed with His own precious blood so that we will never forget who gave it to us.

The Mirror of God

I looked in God’s mirror and saw my reflection.
The image repulsed me, warranting my rejection.
So warped and distorted was my anguished face.
A reflection of fear, rage, shame, and disgrace.

“Child, look inside. Tell me, what do you see?”
With horror and trembling, I cried, “That cannot be me!”
My eyes were hollow, disconnected from life.
They were tunnels to Hell, where torment was rife.

“Cover Your mirror, Lord. Please, take it far away.
That monster inside… I don’t want to portray.”
“Is this who you are? Is this why my Son died?”
God’s voice boomed HOLY and on my face I cried.


“No! I beg you! Change me. Cleanse me from deep within.
Take away the fear, the shamefulness, the sin!
That reflection is not who I am anymore!”
With that, the mirror crashed to the floor.

“Pick it up, Child, and see what I’ve done!
Look in My mirror at the reflection of my Son!”
The cracks in the glass took the shape of a cross.
Gone was that putrid reflection, my Albatross.

Despite the broken pieces, I saw so clearly
A beautiful reflection of one He loves dearly.
Gone is the dead and present is the redeemed.
The person God intended, that Satan demeaned.

My eyes are ablaze with passion filled fire
And I’ve shed the old clothes, putting on His attire.
I know the plot of the enemy and must stay awake
and daily look in God’s mirror for much is at stake.

Have you taken a look lately into the mirror of the Lord?
It’s His Bible, His commands, His Holy written sword.
He commands you to come and take a hard look
Whose image do you reflect in the pages of His Book?

Keep The Home Fires Burning

"Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell face down." (Leviticus 9:23-24 NIV)



"The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it." (Leviticus 6:12-13 NIV)


The altar ... a symbol of death, the means to atone for the sins of the people. The fire ... the life force, the power used to consume and carry out the act of sacrifice and obedience. God gave specific orders to the priests that were to carry out the gruesome task of sacrificing the bulls on the altar, but the lighting of that initial fire was His job. Do you realize that God Himself lit the flames that consumed the sacrifices? Leviticus 9:23-24 explains to us how "the fire came from the presence of the Lord" and after that the priests were told "the fire on the altar must be kept burning" (Lev. 6: 12-13).

The priests had to do whatever was necessary to keep that flame alive. If it meant staying up all night to fan those flames, then they did! If it meant shielding them against the elements, I guess they had to be a little uncomfortable to accomplish it. Think of yourself as that altar. We are called to be living sacrifices, are we not? (Romans 12:1) How weak are we when it comes to fanning the flames that God has ignited in us? 2 Timothy 1:6-8 tells us, "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline." (NIV)

Now, let's go back even farther in the Old Testament to Genesis and the account of God's creation of man. "The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." (Genesis 2:7, NIV) Here we have a mass of nothingness. All that man started from was a formed pile of dust. It wasn't until "God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" that man was anything at all. Another account of God imparting His glory to us - His fire, His life. In John 20:21-22, Jesus, before he ascends into Heaven, breathes on his disciples, giving them the long awaited Holy Spirit. Do you see the parallels?

So many times we would love to take credit for everything. Our lives, our callings, our fire that burns within us. Then when they flicker and threaten to die out, who do we want to blame? God. We think He doesn't love us anymore or that He's far away from us. Maybe you find Him boring and unworthy of your time and attention, but who was given the responsibility to keep those flames alive? Here's a blunt, but true statement... it's your own dumb fault that your fire is nothing more than a wimpy, match stick blowing and dimming with every passing breeze.

What are you doing to keep His flame alive inside you? Do you open your Bibles on days other than Sundays? Do you speak to Him daily, even when there is nothing wrong in your life that you need Him to fix? Keeping the flames and life breath alive takes an attitude adjustment. It means doing whatever it takes to keep those things protected. What are you watching? What are you listening to? Or to whom are you listening? Do you seek Godly wisdom from more mature believers or do you take the advice of the people that tell you what you want to hear? Are you avoiding church? Would you rather take a comfortable road rather than the one that will most encourage your flame to become a raging fire?

Better get some wood and feed that fire through your daily devotions, prayer time, and sitting under a good God fearing, Bible preaching pastor. Grab those billows and infuse those flames with the inspired, breath of God - His Word. Winter is upon us and the storms of life are threatening to put out your flame. Can you feel yourself flicker or are you ablaze? Just imagine how we can light up this dark world if we were all the raging fires He called us to be.

Crow's Feet

I'm vain. What can I say? I hate stepping outside my house without makeup. It used to be worse. Back in the day, I'd dye my hair the minute one strand of silver poked through. I'd tweeze myself raw. My nails were always done and I enjoyed a getting a new hair style.

Call it motherhood or maturity (probably more towards the motherhood end of it) I have noticed these don't matter as much. Even though I feel naked without makeup, I will indeed brave the stores without it. My clothes are not brand new and mod anymore. This is mostly due to the fact that most of our resources go into the kiddies.

I say this because I noticed something today in the mirror. Something that a couple years ago would have sent me to the Este Lauder counter at Macy's. Crows Feet. I remember much older women talking about these horrors when I was little. I had laughed it off then, thinking that they were being downright silly.

Then today as I was looking through some photos recently taken I saw... them. No, couldn't be. I'm not old. I rushed to the bathroom mirror and... yup ... there they were. It looks like a baby crow stepped in fresh cement on either side of my eyes. What's up with that?

I started getting down, but then a familiar verse crossed my mind. Prov. 31:30 says, "Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." (NIV) I smiled and there they were again. Beauty is fleeting. Beauty by man's definition is definitely fleeting. It's true. However, I have come to the conclusion that Crow's Feet are a thing of true beauty.

How does one obtain crow's feet? Do they just appear one day when our skin loses its elasticity? Partly. Also, they are the result of smiles. Many, many smiles. Years of smiles. I think I prefer the term laugh lines. Yes, that's much more poetic! I feel blessed to be the age that I am and to have these laugh lines. It means that even with all the rotten things that have happened in my life, there were also some very good things too. I've had love. I've had friendships. I've had babies. I've tasted the glorious combination of mint and good chocolate. All things that bring a smile to my face.

These eyes have watched my babies take first steps. My eyes have watched my husband skidding across an icy parking lot just to help me get across safely. With these brown eyes, I've taken mental snapshots of some of the sweetest people you'll ever meet. So these crow's feet, uh, I mean laugh lines were earned!

Now, don't be shocked if I dye the silver from my hair. I may even get the gumption every now and then to tweeze my eyebrows from time to time so that I don't start resembling Bert from Sesame Street. But no Botox for me. I think if I'm going to have them, then let them be deep rooted! Bring it on! Let the good times roll and the crow's feet dance!

Family Pictures 2009

These family photos were taken by a talented photographer named Natalie Hudson. With just a few clicks, she captured the love and the various personalities in our family. My husband, Mahlon, and I ... madly in love and as playful as ever. Zachary our oldest at 12 who is the protector. Joshua, 10, our fun loving comedian. Abby, 3, our precious Princess who loves her daddy. And Micah, who just turned 1, with enough personality to leave us wondering what the next several years will hold. I post these pictures as a celebration of the family God has blessed me with. Enjoy. And thanks again, Natalie. God has amazing things planned for you.