THE MOTIVATIONAL GIFT OF ENCOURAGEMENT

". . .if it is encouraging, let him encourage . . ." (Romans 12:8, NIV)

This word "encourage" has an interesting meaning.  It comes from the Greek word "parakaleo" which, in simplest terms, means to admonish, to encourage, to beseech.  The deeper meaning, however, means "to come alongside."  In other words, you, dear Encourager, are not just words -- you are action.  Sometimes this gift is referred to as Exhorter.  You'll find the word "exhortation" in the RSV Bible.  Exhortation and encouragement work together in this gift.  Encouragement mainly involves comfort, understanding, help, and strength.  Exhortation involves rebuke and admonishment along with words of comfort and strength.    Unfortunately, it's a difficult word to translate because we don't have a single word that brings those two ideas together.  I'm going to use the word "encourage" instead of "exhort" for the sake of simplicity, but just know when reading this post that I'm referring to all aspects of this gift.

A good picture for what it means to "come alongside" might best be drawn in the relationship between a lawyer and his client.  The lawyer stands in the gap and defends his client's case.  He strengthens his client's position before a judge.  More than that even, one who comes alongside cares enough to confront and correct the wrong.  When unbelief rears its ugly head you challenge us to faith.  When we are too weak to stand you come along and motivate our hearts back to a place of strength.  So much of scripture upholds this type of behavior.  Jesus most assuredly comes alongside us and strengthens our case before God.  "He's there from now to eternity to save everyone who comes to God through Him, always on the job to speak up for them." (Hebrews 7:25, Msg)  He never leaves us to find our own way.  He corrects and rebukes and comforts us to the point of change.

If you scored high in the Motivational Gift of Encouraging then here are some things you should know about yourself.  You are, for the most part, practical, tolerant of others, a little serious minded, orderly and a good counselor.  You express yourself easily in a group setting and others willingly listen when you speak.  You might interrupt people when they're speaking in order to convey needed application of the truth but it's only out of enthusiasm to apply the truth of God's word to others.  Your greatest desire is to show how God's word is applied to everyday life and conduct.  Although you tend to believe that Scripture holds the answer for every problem the application is more important than quoting the actual verse.  You are usually a good teacher and this gift often finds itself working with the Motivational Gift of Teaching.  Unlike the person with the Motivational Gift of Teaching, however, you are more apt to teach the same material over and over, perfecting it and changing it up so as to make it more and more applicable to the listener each time.  You are persuasive and others probably seek you out when confused or hurting.  At the core of this gift, however, is your willingness to take risks with people.  You are willing to believe in someone when no one else will.  This is truly a defining characteristic of the Encourager.  Your willingness to see people through to the desired end result: victory over sin and a life that resembles the Savior.

On the downside, if not relying on the power of the Holy Spirit, you will tend to get discouraged yourself.  You give out a lot allowing others to take everything you have to give, and, many times there isn't always another encourager around to help build you back up.  You also have a tendency to rely on yourself for answers and needed encouragement instead of relying on the Lord.  It's only because it comes so naturally to you.

If this is you, you have most likely learned, or are learning, how to truly be an encourager through the fires of experience -- through times of standing in the empty halls of ruthless trust.  This gift is being built in you and refined in you by the hard times in life.  Ruthless trust has made it's mark on you and is pouring out of you by means of encouraging others.  Be encouraged yourself!  God knows what He's doing with you and you will literally live out the verse that says "Praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.  For just as the sufferings of  Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows." (2 Corinthians 1:3-5, NIV)  If you're a little older you can probably look back on your life and see some pretty difficult things that you've survived. What's more, you've not only survived them but they've become solid reminders of times when God lifted you up, comforted you, admonished you, corrected you, and, instead of judging you harshly He held you tight and set you right.  These places in your life are the pillars of your faith.  It is only having come out the other side that allows you to be this person to others.

I once had a very, very sweet friend (she has recently passed away) who operated heavily in the Motivational Gift of Encourager.  Her life exemplified the hard times of which I speak.  She epitomized what it meant to come alongside someone.  She came alongside me and my husband many times.  When we were still very young in our faith she recognized the need we had to understand God's word in a deeper way even before we did.  She supplied us with at least two different Bibles (one was a topical Bible for ease of finding things -- makes me smile a little now) along with other study guides and books.  She called us up on a regular basis just to ask about our spiritual life.  She would pick our brains during those phone calls until she got a clear picture of the current depth of our faith and until she was sure that our understanding of God's love and will for our lives had become clearer to us than the last time.  As you can imagine, the phone calls were quite lengthy.  It wasn't just us, either.  You could ALWAYS find her talking to and sharing with the stranger in the church service or the bedraggled and down-trodden soul at the store.  I have this gift operating in me but it's not the one I score the highest in.  It always comes up third for me.  I'm not so apt to take risks with people, although I have surprised myself lately.  (Maybe the gift is growing in me a bit.  I hope.)  My friend, the Encourager, never, ever considered coming alongside someone to be risky.  It was just what she did.  I'm not sure I ever made sure that she knew how much she did for us all those years ago.  She knows now.  Thank you, Ann.

Let's look at an example from scripture: Barnabas, the quintessential encourager.  Barnabas' name means Son of Encouragement. (Acts 4:36))  Barnabas took risks with people.  Like Saul before he became Paul.  "When he (Saul) came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.  But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles.  He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus." (Acts 9:26-27, NIV, parenthesis mine)  How much risk do you think it would take to come alongside a known persecutor of Christians, your own brothers and sisters in Christ, and make a statement to these same people that you are going to believe in this person no matter how scary it feels or looks regardless of this person's past. It would look like you were betraying those who have walked beside you.  That's what Barnabas was up against coming alongside Saul.  Did you notice how Barnabas defended Saul and strengthened his case before the harsh judges?  And, what about John Mark?  Remember him?  When this same Paul rejected John Mark and would no longer stand beside him because he failed to be all that Paul wanted, needed and expected him to be, Barnabas saw more. "Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, 'Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.' Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.  They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company.  Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus." (Acts 15:36-38, NIV)   Barnabas took the risk and came alongside John Mark until John Mark became the person that Paul, later on in his ministry, could not live without. "Get Mark and bring him with you because he is helpful to me in my ministry." (2 Timothy 4:11, NIV)  Please understand how valuable you are, Encourager!  Who knows what might have become of Saul or John Mark had it not been for this gift working through Barnabas.  Jesus exemplifies all of the gifts, but of them all, this one screams the life of Christ (at least to me) who comes alongside us when no one else will -- who risked everything on our behalf, no matter how many times we fail.  He does whatever  is necessary to help us see and understand truth -- His truth!

If you scored high in the Motivational Gift of Encourager here's what you need to do.  First, remember your Source!  It is not YOU who is doing the encouraging but the Holy Spirit working through you in your gift.  Likewise, it is the Holy Spirit who is willing to encourage YOU and fill YOU back up as needed.  Second,  because of your tendency to look to yourself for answers and solutions you also have a tendency to forget to pray.  Make time to pray.  Pray while on the treadmill, while walking through the grocery isles, while in your office and anytime you can grab 5 minutes.  PRAY!  It's important because every 5 minutes you will probably find someone else to come alongside.  Third, taking risks with people does not mean that you allow yourself to become a doormat. Needy people have a tendency to take advantage of your time, sucking the life out of you.  This may not be intentional on their part, but it happens far too easily.  And it does not mean that you put them before your family.  This is always my mantra: family comes before others.  Your family is your first most important ministry.  They need you to be willing to take those risks for them first.  They need you to come alongside them first.  Fourth, try to take notice of when you are enthusiastically interrupting others in order to bring the necessary application of truth.  It's a little thing to be sure; however, refining our gifts and doing the Christian life with a little finesse shows maturity.

Encouraged,
Kerry

NOTE:  The description of each gift is based on the highest score possible for an individual.  You may find that only certain things are true for you and the rest is only true to a certain measure.  We are individuals created by an infinitely creative God.  We do not fit any certain mold.  These descriptions help you to understand why you see things a certain way, why you act a certain way and why some things are more important to you than other things.  Most of us will score fairly high in 2 or 3 gifts and how these gifts rank and what God has you involved in at the time will determine how well these gift descriptions speak to your individual personality.

THE MOTIVATIONAL GIFT OF TEACHING

". . . if it is teaching, let him teach."  (Romans 12:7b, NIV)

The Motivational Gift of Teaching is a bit different than some of the other gifts because it's a little more quiet.  By "quiet" I mean that you probably won't run the risk of becoming a workaholic and neglecting your family like with the gift of Serving; and, you probably won't make people mad like with the gift of Prophecy.  There are a couple of things to watch out for with this gift, however.  1) You do run the risk of boring your listeners to death with all your knowledge -- too thorough, too detailed, concept beat to death, class overwhelmed with too much information and everyone bored.  And that is truly one of the difficult things about this gift, the possibility of being a real bore.  2) More importantly, this gift comes with a hefty warning from God.  "Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more harshly." (James 3:1, NIV)   It is a highly important gift because it aides in helping the church to understand God's word correctly.  This gift is meant to help bring God's word to life, to help clarify the truth found in Scripture and to do so without compromising the mystery and integrity that lies within the life-giving, life-changing pages of the Bible.

If you scored high in the Motivational Gift of Teaching here's a few things you might recognize about yourself.  You love God's word and it drives you crazy when a verse is taken out of context and used incorrectly or paraphrased to the point of losing it's proper meaning and application.  You love to study and research a word, a passage or a concept from the Bible and see how it works in to the rest of God's word.  You feel comfortable behind a podium.  You would never consider teaching on anything unprepared.  In fact, you over prepare.  You want what you teach to be clear, concise and understandable to your listeners.  This is also your greatest fault.  You can beat a concept to death.  You can become so detailed in your explanation and application that you lose your listeners.  You can monopolize the conversation in an effort to get your point across.  As I mentioned earlier, you can become a bore.  (Sorry.)  I know because this is my gift and I've been there.  Now, those who know me probably would not say that I monopolize a conversation, but that's only due to the fact that I'm fairly introverted and a little shy.  My problem comes when I write.  I've been told that what I write is too long (I believe the term was "long-winded") and that I run the risk of losing the interest of my readers.  The problem isn't writing about my subject.  The problem is going back through and knowing what to chop out because it ALL SEEMS SOOOO IMPORTANT!  The comfort zone of teaching will vary from person to person.  You might enjoy one on one time as opposed to a classroom full of students or you might love a lecture hall where you can have undivided attention from people who want to hear everything you have to say on a subject.  Or, you might love the quiet work of writing.  Personally, I love a classroom and a podium (provided I am thoroughly prepared), but I have most recently found a love for writing Bible studies.

A friend of mine who clearly exhibits the Motivational Gift of Teaching is a lovely, loving, warm and highly intelligent person who is always thorough in her subject matter and I can count on her to give me a clearer understanding of the topic than I had before.  She has one problem, though: when she invites questions during her teaching time it is always towards the very end of the class time after she has realized she has (and apologized for) taking up too much time.  Then, when a question is presented she spends what little time is left and beyond addressing it and leaving no time for anyone else.  This is simply due to the fact that she has spent so much of the class time making sure the material is understood . . . thoroughly . . . from every angle.  Again, I've been guilty myself.  This is clearly an example of what not to do.  The person with this gift, however, has the incredible opportunity to make a huge difference in his/her listeners just by establishing a few simple classroom rules and learning a few simple teaching techniques.

Although it varies from person to person, some other things common to those with this gift is a love to read and a love for charts, graphs and lists.  You will probably find yourself questioning others who try to teach you and pick apart their theology.  It's possible that you love the research more than the teaching but teach you must because nobody else will teach it is well as you.  The telling of any account must be factual and not exaggerated.  You are concerned for the truth of God's word and once convinced of the truth you are not easily swayed.  You are more apt to want to help build up believers than to help make new believers.  In other words, you typically do not enjoy evangelism.  You would rather teach Discipleship 101 to new believers than to share your faith with someone who is not a believer.  Don't worry.  This does not make you heartless.  It's not that you don't want to see people get saved.  On the contrary, you want those who love evangelism to evangelize so that you can fill up your Discipleship 101 class with new believers and help them on their way to deeper truth.

Let's look at an example from Scripture: Luke, the quintessential teacher.  The Book of Luke is the longest of the four gospels.  Luke wrote his gospel so that the full truth might be made known.  "Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught." (Luke 1:3-4, NIV)  I don't know about you, but I can just feel Luke's need to make sure that a factual account was being given.  He is oozing with accuracy in the telling of his account, plus he carefully investigated it.  Bless his heart.  He made sure that no important facts were being left out or exaggerated causing the account to lose credibility.  He researched it, told it straight, backed it up.  It was very important for Luke (a physician by trade) to include as many facts as possible, and so his account is longer than the accounts of Matthew, Mark and John.  Plus, we also give him credit for the writing of the Book of Acts which is a thoroughly informative account of the formation of the early church.

Now . . . about that warning.  Some things cannot be known.  Regarding some concepts, no amount of research is going to give you an answer.  Just because you have this gift doesn't make you 100% correct about everything.  In Matthew 23, Jesus severely judges the Pharisees and teachers of the Law for not handling God's word correctly.  He accuses them of keeping His people from finding Him -- the very thing they were supposed to do.  They were haughty with knowledge and pious without understanding of the spiritual disciplines of grace, mercy, forgiveness, compassion and love, to say the least.  Micah 6:8 is applicable here for the teacher: "He has showed you, O man, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."  Look to and trust the Spirit of Truth who "will guide you into all truth!" (John 16:13)  So, do not be afraid to teach for teach you must, but do your homework and walk humbly.  A little trepidation is healthy.  It is no small thing to handle the Word of God.

If you scored high in the Motivational Gift of Teaching, here's what you need to do.  First, learn to recognize when you have monopolized the time and/or conversation, but, more importantly, learn to avoid it in the first place.  In a lecture style environment this is fine, but in a Bible study or Sunday school class it's not so fine.  People want to be invited to add their own thoughts and questions to the mix.  Learn to listen as well as you talk.  Be willing, in fact, be expecting to learn from your students.  (Remember: humbly.)  Second, create a learning environment wherein your students feel free to share and are safe from ridicule.  Establishing some classroom rules like, "Everybody has a voice here," and "There are no dumb questions," make it easy for you and your students to learn.  It's more important for your students to find their own way to the truth than it is for you to share all the minutia of detail on your subject, so create a joyful and safe path for them to do so.  Students will learn better if they can figure some things out for themselves.  Third, keep it simple.  If you are the kind of teacher that LOVES research and needs answers then know this: some questions are unanswerable, some topics are going to be controversial, and some people are going to remain unconvinced.  By all means glean all the information your little heart desires on a subject but do not expect everyone else to be as interested or as convinced as you.  Being too detailed and too technical is no way to influence your listeners.  Accuracy is good but not to the point that you are dwelling on the trivial.  Fourth, you must leave room for the mystery of God.  Mystery begs for the space to just be -- to just mysteriously be enjoyed -- to remain a mystery, and God is FULL of mystery!

Humbly,
Kerry

NOTE:  The description of each gift is based on the highest score possible for an individual.  You may find that only certain things are true for you and the rest is only true to a certain measure.  We are individuals created by an infinitely creative God.  We do not fit any certain mold.  These descriptions help you to understand why you see things a certain way, why you act a certain way and why some things are more important to you than other things.  Most of us will score fairly high in 2 or 3 gifts and how these gifts rank and what God has you involved in at the time will determine how well these gift descriptions speak to your individual personality.

THE MOTIVATIONAL GIFT OF SERVING

". . .if it is serving, let him serve." (Romans 12:7a, NIV)

I love Servers!  I do!  I love them!  They do everything I am unlikely (sometimes unwilling) to do.

The word Server comes from the Greek word "Diakonia" which means "service."  It's where we get the word Deacon (1 Timothy 3).  Other words used for this gift are "helps" and "ministering."

If you scored high in the Motivational Gift of Serving, here are some things you might like to know about yourself.  You are practical in the way you approach life.  For you, if something needs fixed or cleaned up you are quick to respond.  You are happiest taking care of the behind the scenes tasks like tightening screws, cleaning up after a meal, changing light bulbs, taking out the trash.  You typically do not like being in the spotlight.  You would rather take care of all the menial tasks there are to do than to just sit and visit with those around you.  (That does not mean you are unfriendly!)  You find it hard to say no when asked to take care of something that needs fixed or cleaned up.  You could easily be a workaholic.  Servers sometimes feel they are insignificant in and unappreciated by the church (and even at home) because they do not always get a "thank you" or "well done" for their work.  We take you for granted.  It's true.  For my part, I apologize!  You are VERY appreciated and your significance is unmatched.

God has gifted a lot of people with this motivation -- probably because there is always so much that needs to be done.  God understands about the details of life.  I have known many Servers in my life, but one in particular stands out.  A long time friend of ours, this man was seriously, deliriously happy taking out the trash or fixing a squeaky hinge.  One time after a meal at our church I was helping to clean up in the kitchen (serving is not my gift but I was trying to exercise it *smile*).  I went to throw something in the trash and realized that it was so full it had become unusable.  I shouted out to no one in particular, "Someone needs to take out the trash!"  It didn't occur to me at the moment to take it out myself.  My reaction to the full trash can comes from a different motivation.  I didn't mean to be rude, I was just trying to help by letting someone know that this needed to be done.  (See?  I'm not a Server.)  Our friend came running, sorry that he hadn't noticed it sooner, and rushed it out to the dumpster, but not before putting a new bag in the can so that we could continue or work.  Servers are great people!

Do not confuse this Motivational Gift of Serving with a gift for hospitality.  They can differ.  I should know because although Serving is not my gift, there is nothing I love more than being a great hostess.  I love to make people feel exceptionally welcome in my home.  I spend hours setting the table just right, picking out just the right color of napkins and napkin rings.  When I have overnight guests I want the sheets I put on their bed so fresh that they still smell like soap!  I am adamant about going last in the serving line for a dinner in my home. I always seat myself very close to the kitchen so that I have quick and easy access to the food and drinks.  And I hate it when people feel that they need to help me clean up.  When they're in my home I just want them to sit and relax and enjoy!  Servers are very uncomfortable with the idea of just sitting like this.  This is not to say that a person motivated to serve cannot have a gift for hospitality, it just doesn't always go hand in hand.

Let's look at an example from Scripture: Martha, the quintessential server.

As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what He said.  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.  She came to Him and asked, "Lord, don't You care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?  Tell her to help me!"  "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her."  (Luke 10:38-42, NIV)

No matter how you've read this passage in the past, it is NOT a passage about how Mary is better than Martha because she was sitting at Jesus' feet instead of helping her sister.  It is not about Jesus being disappointed in Martha because she was neglecting Him for all the details of serving guests.  On the contrary, this passage points out the necessity of what both Mary and Martha had to offer.  Mary loves to worship.  She has one foot on earth and one foot in heaven.  Max Lucado says these are the people you want praying for you.  Martha, on the other hand, is motivated to serve.  It is how she does life.  I think that Max Lucado has it right.  In his book Cast of Characters, listen to what he writes:  Every church needs a Martha.  Change that.  Every church needs a hundred Marthas.  Sleeves rolled and ready, they keep the pace for the church.  Because of Marthas, the church budget gets balanced, the church babies get bounced, and the church building gets built.  You don't appreciate Marthas until a Martha is missing, and then all the Marys and Lazaruses are scrambling around looking for keys and the thermostats and the overhead projectors.

Mary and Martha just do life differently.  (But this, my friends, is exactly what I'm talking about when approaching the subject of spiritual gifts!  One body, many parts.)  Mary is seated, worshiping Jesus.  Martha is angry because she thinks that everyone should have the same priorities as her.  There's a hundred things that need to be done in order to feed their house full of guests.  And, all these things really do need to be done.  Martha sees Mary's actions as impractical, inconsiderate and a little lazy so she complains to Jesus, "Tell her to help me!"  Her issue at the moment is that she has forgotten to serve the Master.  She has forgotten that her service to Him is in serving His guests.  This is her personal act of worship.  Jesus is not condemning Martha for not sitting at His feet.  He understands the details of life.  Instead He's reminding Martha to choose what is better: worship Him in her service.  If we were all like Mary instead of Martha, life around us would become the equivalent of a dump.  Does any of this sound familiar, dear Server?  It's hard for you to understand why others aren't as practical about the details of life as you.  For you, the practical needs easily trump the spiritual needs.

If you scored high in the Motivational Gift of Serving, here's what you need to do.  First, know that it's OK to say "no" once in a while.  It's not going to feel good and you'll most likely feel guilty for saying it, but it's OK!  Do not allow yourself to be a workaholic around the church or around your home.  Stop.  Rest.  Ask God to help you become conscious of overworking and then to give you the wisdom and strength to say "no."  Second, remember that your family needs you.  Your children won't remember you for all those jobs you did around the church.  The rest of us might, but your children won't.  Third, and this cannot be overstated: DO NOT NEGLECT YOUR SPIRITUAL NEEDS!  Even though for you straightening things up or making sure tomorrow's list of jobs is already written down feels like a spiritual experience, it DOES NOT take the place of time spent in prayer, in quiet, in reflection, in the Word.  Even though this is when you feel the least productive, it is when you are actually the most productive.  Fourth, remember Whom you serve!  It is not the church, it is not the pastor and it is definitely not me.  You serve the One who gifted you with this unique and special motivation.  Your reward is from serving Him and Him alone.  Fifth, be merciful with those who do not jump up to take out the trash!  Instead, invite someone whom you suspect does not have this particular gift to grab a bag of trash and join you in the experience.

Serving Him,
Kerry

NOTE:  The description of each gift is based on the highest score possible for an individual.  You may find that only certain things are true for you and the rest is only true to a certain measure.  We are individuals created by an infinitely creative God.  We do not fit any certain mold.  These descriptions help you to understand why you see things a certain way, why you act a certain way and why some things are more important to you than other things.  Most of us will score fairly high in 2 or 3 gifts and how these gifts rank and what God has you involved in at the time will determine how well these gift descriptions speak to your individual personality.

THE MOTIVATIONAL GIFT OF PROPHECY

". . . If a man's gift is prophecy, let him use it in proportion to his faith."  (Romans 12:6b, NIV)

Prophecy (or, Prophet) is the only gift that shows up in each of the gifts lists (Romans 12, Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12).  This gift has a different purpose, however, in each of the three areas.  We are discussing here the Motivational Gift of Prophecy in Romans 12.  Scoring high in this gift does not mean that you are gifted in the other two uses of the Prophecy gift.  Using it "in proportion to his faith" simply means that you are to exercise your gift in the power of God but with a reliance on Him.

The Motivational Gift of Prophecy does not mean that you can foretell the future.  It does not mean that you will speak words given directly by God.  It means that you hold the Word of God in the highest regard.  The Word of God alone is the only gauge by which you measure a person's actions, thoughts and motivations.  It means that you will hold the rest of our feet to the fire and aide in keeping the Body on track and lined up with God's Word.

Let's look at an example from Scripture: the Prophet Isaiah.  Isaiah is a great example because he had the gift of prophecy operating in his life as a motivational gift, a ministry gift and as a manifestation gift.  He was the quintessential prophet.  Everything he did and said was motivated by his love for God and his strong desire for right and wrong.  He said whatever God told him to say to the people and to the king at the cost of his reputation and later his life.  He was considered by most to be harsh and uncaring.  The leaders of the day, both Jewish and Gentile, wanted him to stay quiet.  He could not, though.  He was a highly motivated prophet.  Isaiah, chapter 1 gives you a good taste of how this prophet operated and how he saw life and people.

If you scored high in Prophecy in your Spiritual Gifts Assessment, here are some interesting things you may want to know about yourself.  For you, everything is black and white.  You don't operate in the gray areas of life.  The gray areas in life are nothing; they are non-places.  You feel that people need to get right with God, seek His will and walk in it; or, get out of the way.  Things are either right or wrong.  If you see someone doing something sinful, it's hard for you to hold back the truth that can set them right.  I've known some who would give you a severe beating with the Word.  At the very least, you call sin what it is: sin.  Only through the development of humility in your own life do you become more tempered in your views.  The development of humility in anyone's life is God's job.

You are probably highly conscious of the political atmosphere, suspicious of quick church growth, somewhat critical of contemporary culture, very aware of the public unrighteousness that surrounds you and ever ready to shout at the injustice of the world.  You understand God's grace and mercy best when it follows a heart that has turned back to the Lord.  Isaiah 1:16-20 says this:

Wash and make yourselves clean.  Take your evil deeds out of my sight!  Stop doing wrong, learn to do right!  Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.  Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.  "Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord.  "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.  If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best of the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword."  For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

 I hope you can see through the eyes of this prophet the black and white and the wrong and right that he sees.  I hope you can see through his eyes how mercy is given when hearts turn back to the Lord.

You can be a little scary for others in the Body.  Like Isaiah, you are often misunderstood and mistook for cold and uncaring, harsh, lacking grace and mercy (though that is not necessarily how you feel).  You are often uncomfortably direct and you never lie.  Your words can come out sounding judgmental, but all you really want is for others to wake up and understand the importance and urgency of knowing God and living right.  Because of this, others think you need to relax a bit.  They probably would prefer that you stay quiet because more times than not you will offend someone by calling sin, sin.  Enter your complete reliance on God.

This gift is most often found operating alongside the Motivational Gift of Teaching, but typically, if you scored high in this gift, you probably only scored average at best in something else.  I knew a person with this motivational gift who also had the gift of Serving.  What you won't find working alongside this gift is the Motivational Gift of Mercy.  It just doesn't happen.  The person with the Motivational Gift of Mercy deals in ALL of the gray areas of life.  In fact, many times you butt heads with the mercy people and they with you.  You have a hard time understanding the other one.  Although there are some pastors with the Motivational Gift of Prophecy, they typically come with the gift of Mercy; therefore, they can have a difficult time with you.

When the Holy Spirit is in control of your gift you are highly regarded and others will seek you out for spiritual direction.  When YOU are in control you become a pain in the rear.  (I say that in the most loving way!)  Know this: I already regard you!  My husband and my oldest daughter have this motivational gift.  I know you well.

Here's what you need to do if you have this gift.  First, do not be quiet, but do become selective in your moments to point out sin.  To be quiet would be to neglect your gift.  To be selective is being sensitive to the Holy Spirit's direction regarding when and when not to speak up.  Second, allow the Holy Spirit to work in you the fruit of gentleness so that others may hear you without feeling fear and condemnation.  Ephesians 4:15 says to "speak the truth in love."  Third, cultivate mercy.  It may not be your gift, but it is your calling as a child of God and a member of the Body of Christ.  Strive to find harmony with some, not all, but some gray areas because this is where most people live.  God is merciful and so should you be.  Fourth, work with your pastor, not against him.  Heed his words as a member of his fold.  It is not your job to convict others of sin, it is the Holy Spirit's job.

You are precious!  God gave this gift to the Body for the good of the Body.  Hopefully, I have clarified this.  The Body cannot thrive without you.  Because of your willingness to speak out on behalf of righteousness, it makes it a little easier for the rest of us to find the line in the sand.

Word!
Kerry

NOTE:  The description of each gift is based on the highest score possible for an individual.  You may find that only certain things are true for you and the rest is only true to a certain measure.  We are individuals created by an infinitely creative God.  We do not fit any certain mold.  These descriptions help you to understand why you see things a certain way, why you act a certain way and why some things are more important to you than other things.  Most of us will score fairly high in 2 or 3 gifts and how these gifts rank and what God has you involved in at the time will determine how well these gift descriptions speak to your individual personality.

Happy Birthday!

I've been wanting to write a study on the Spiritual Gifts found in Romans 12:6-8 for some time now. It's a bit of a pet project of mine. I think they are important and understanding them helps us to live in peace and freedom with each other. For some, a study on the Spiritual Gifts may seem redundant. You've already been there, done that. For some of you who read this, it may be the first time you've ever studied this topic. Think of it, if you will, like a birthday party and these are gifts of God -- for you! Presents to be opened and used to better your life and the lives of those around you. Whoever you are, let me challenge you to to take a(nother) look at what it means to be given spiritual gifts from God.

There are many studies out there on this topic and you'll even find some that differ slightly in theology from this one. Hopefully, though, you'll find this to be a balanced and useful approach. I will focus mainly on the Spiritual Gifts listed in Romans 12:6-8 as opposed to the ones listed in Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12. I will, however, explain a bit about how these 3 sets of gifts differ in a later post. The gifts listed in Romans 12:6-8 are: Prophecy, Serving, Teaching, Encouraging (or Exhortation), Giving, Leadership (or Administration) and Mercy. "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully." (NIV)

The gifts listed in Romans 12 are sometimes called the Motivational Gifts. The gifts listed in Ephesians 4 are sometimes referred to as the Ministry Gifts. The gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12 are sometimes called the Manifestation Gifts. I find it easier to remember the 3 sets of gifts by using the 3 "M" words; and, it helps to differentiate their unique purposes in the Body.

Your motivational gifts are built into your personality. They affect the way you do God's work and the way you respond to God's work. They are a part of your natural drives and human tendencies. They motivate your choices in life and are the reason you find more joy doing some things more than others. Your gifts affect how well you get along with others. Your gifts are to be nurtured and celebrated!

Your motivational gifts differ from the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). The Fruit of the Spirit are characteristics or virtues produced in each one of us by the Holy Spirit. We are all called to live a life that will not hinder the complete development of each and every fruit. We are to possess every fruit -- not every gift. As you discover what your gifts are it will be important to keep in mind that even though you might find that you score high in Prophecy, for example, that does not mean you are to neglect showing Mercy.

Motivational Gifts also differ from specific roles in the Church, like teaching Sunday school or helping to serve a meal. You may be a Sunday school teacher and find that you don't score very high in the gift of Teaching. However, since you are already serving as a Sunday school teacher you should definitely remain one until God directs you otherwise. These gifts will, however, affect how you do any Christian service. Your motivational gift will cause you to do this task differently than someone else who is doing the same task. Sometimes God will call you out of your zone of comfort to do a job that does not come as easily for you. A task that you find yourself literally dragging your feet to do. But what you bring to the job is your unique set of gifts that cause others to grow and stretch, too. Plus, it will cause you to exercise the other motivational gifts that are not so prevalent in your life. Not to perfect them, but to exercise them.

Let me give you an example from my own life. I typically score the highest on Spiritual Gifts tests in Teaching, Leadership and Encouraging. These 3 come easiest for me. What does not come easy for me is the gift of Serving or Giving. Every once in a while, though, I find myself in a situation where I must help with serving a meal or handing over what little cash I may be carrying for that special trip to Starbucks. I grumble a little (sadly). I do. But, doing these things helps me to exercise those areas where I fall short. Just because they are not my particular Spiritual Gifts strengths does not mean that I am allowed to neglect them or opt out of them altogether. It just means that these things do not come as easily for me. I do not jump up and volunteer for them. The do not bring me as much joy as they bring to others who do have these strengths. I used to feel guilty about not really wanting to do these things. After all, what kind of a Christian doesn't want to serve food in a soup line or give a measly $5.00 to someone more needy. Let me tell you right now it is a waste of emotion. God has equipped you in a certain way and there is freedom in allowing yourself to be who God made you to be! Hence, the Body of Christ! Many parts, one body. "Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function." (Romans 12:4, NIV)

In the sidebar you will find a link for a Spiritual Gifts test you can take online and get your results within seconds. Although this one adds two other gifts to the list found in Romans 12 (Pastor/Shepherd and Evangelism), I feel it will give you an accurate assessment without taking forever to finish. The two extra gifts listed are gifts found in Ephesians 4 and I believe they do not belong in this list. It won't hurt anything though and its the best test I could find for free. Once you've taken the test and gotten your results, do not look only for your strongest score. Instead, find your top 3 and begin to look for how they work together in your life and ministry. (If Pastor/Shepherd or Evangelism is one of your top 3 then find the fourth one on the list to replace those. We will talk about these gifts later.) If you are under 20 or still young in your faith you might want to consider taking a Spiritual Gifts test once a year for 5 years because you may not yet have a clear understanding of your desires and limitations. Your desires and limitations will grow and/or change with time. If you happen to score extremely high in one area and score average or low in all of the others, this is a good indicator, no matter your age, that this one gift is significantly present. Take heed, though. It could also mean that it needs to be tempered and refined in you. Just a little personal note: I find my scores for Teaching and Leadership to go back and forth depending on how God is using me in the Body at the time.

Through the next weeks, we will study each gift in turn. We will discuss how it works -- for good and for bad -- and its relationship to the other gifts.

Remember, these are gifts from God! He has formed you and knit you together with His loving hands to be the person you are! The gifts you have are not a mistake. They should not be taken lightly. They should be received with thanksgiving! My prayer is that this study will help you find joy in the Body.

Happy birthday!

New post coming soon! I'm going to start a study on the gifts of the Spirit, focusing mainly on the motivational gifts. Watch for it! (Soon. I promise.(

HiStory

From the beginning of time, it's been His story. We walk into it. He doesn't adjust His story for our entrance. We've been a part of it from the beginning.

Some of you know that I've been participating in a Bible study called "The Bible in 90 Days." Obviously, the idea being that you read through the Bible in 90 days, which breaks down to 12 pages a day. It's a bit of challenge, but has proven to be well worth my time, and, well . . . amazing!

In regards to this study, I hear many comments about "this God" of the Old Testament. I hear comments like, "I'm having a hard time reconciling this God of the Old Testament with the God I know," and, "How can a loving God annihilate entire nations?" or, "The Israelites were supposed to kill the women and children, too?" All good questions. Questions worth asking. Unfortunately, as seems to be the case in many portions of scripture, there just aren't enough good answers. But, there are some.

Here's some things I've come up with (for whatever it's worth). God is a mighty big God. There is so much about Him to learn. It's taken millenniums to know what little we do know about Him. But, just as the New Testament gives a larger picture of God's grace, I think the Old Testament gives us a larger picture of God's holiness. Sin is sin and there is certainly nothing new under the sun. However, reading the Old Testament the way that I have (in very large chunks) has given me a clearer snapshot of the blatant sin of idol worship going on at the time. The world was still rather new, relatively speaking. Nations were still new. God was introducing Himself to those He put on the earth, and it was Israel's job to help the other nations know who the one true living God was. It's not that God cared nothing for the other nations. On the contrary, He made His works known to the other nations through the miracles He performed on behalf of the Israelites. Through the Israelites, He wanted the other nations to see that He was not like the other "so-called gods." He was not a golden calf or any other handmade sculpture that had eyes but could not see, a nose but could not smell, ears but could not hear, a mouth but could speak. Through the miracles and the devastations He was making it known loud and clear, "I AM the God of Universe and you will have no other gods before Me!" Commandment #1! It's His story.

"And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord." (Ezekiel 38:23, NIV)

"Joshua said to the people: 'You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; He is a jealous God. He will not forgie your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after He has been good to you.' " (Joshua 24:19-20, NIV)

It was a harsh time. And, it's hard to take it all in. For those of us who have entered His story during this present time of grace find it very difficult to adjust to this holy God. Well, be assured! God has not changed! He is the same holy God today that He was then. The difference is that Jesus came and stepped into the middle of the story. God's gift to human beings! Grace! God is still angered by our idolatry, but instead of me being annihilated Jesus paid the price for it. So when God looks at me, He sees Jesus (the picture of holiness and righteousness!) because Jesus lives in me!

It's always been about grace. The God of grace of the New Testament is the same holy God of the Old Testament. But what is also true is that this same God of grace ia alive and well in the Old Testament. In Isaiah we read how God sent prophet after prophet to the other nations in order to give them opportunity to repent and turn to Him. We read the same in Jonah with the city of Nineveh. God is a God of grace. Except for a few instances like Rahab, we're not told of countless souls who repented and chose to trust God and were saved from the annihilation. Anytime it's written how someone did in fact turn towards the Living God we see that God was compassionate and merciful and gracious to that person and saved them from destruction. Just like today! When reading the Old Testament, and you come across things that seem harsh on God's part and difficult to understand or reconcile, it's always safe to weigh it against the rest of His character. Don't stop at His holiness --begin with it and end with His grace!

This is His story! We are invited in. More than that, we were planned for! You and me! Since the beginning of time, God planned for our entrance at this particular time and place in His story. "From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would see Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us." (Acts 17:26-27, NIV) What's more, His story is His responsibility. He bears the weight of history! He is a big God! Full of grace! Full of mercy! Full of compassion! Very Holy! Justice is His name!

"God's Message:

'Don't let the wise brag of their wisdom.
Don't let heroes brag of their exploits.
Don't let the rich brag of their riches.
If you brag, brag of this and this only:

That you understand and know me.
I'm God, and I act in loyal love.
I do what's right and set things right and fair,
and delight in those who do the same things.
These are my trademarks.'

God's decree."

(Jeremiah 9:23-24, The Message)

It's HiStory! You have been invited in! Trust in His full character at all times!

WHOLLY, HOLY, HOLEY

I got to thinking about 3 little words the other morning during Sunday school: wholly, holy and holey. Here's what they mean:

Wholly - entirely; totally; completely; altogether; to the exclusion of all others.
Holy - consecrated; dedicated or devoted to the service of God, the church, or religion; a sacred place; sanctuary.
Holey - several or many openings through something; gaps; full of holes.

Our church started a study on June 1st called "The Bible in 90 Days." The idea is to get as many people as possible reading the Bible altogether at the same time. The creators of this study recommend that while going through this process you do not try to understand it all or figure it all out, but that you do read attentively every word of the Bible in 90 days. What's been so amazing to me is the enthusiasm within our church walls that this study has generated! People have been genuinely excited about it and eager to accomplish it. Those of you who know me well know that I have a passion for God's word! I love what lies between those leather covers. It's full of mystery and mess. It contains life and blessing! It has the power to convict and change lives! Few things bring me more pleasure than motivating another to read the Bible for themselves. I've read through the Bible cover to cover one other time in my life, but it took me closer to a year to accomplish it. This has been more difficult. It's 12 pages a day and it's really easy to get behind. So, it's making me be disciplined, diligent and determined in my Bible reading. It's all good!

Genesis was interesting, as always, and so was Exodus. The creation story, Abraham and his descendants, Joseph in Egypt, the miracles that God performed on behalf of the Israelites, Moses life and times, the ten commandments -- you can't write fiction this good. Leviticus and Numbers though were like hitting a brick wall, and Deuteronomy wasn't much better. So many rules and laws! It was exhausting. And, the details! Holy cow!!! Burn this up, but don't burn that up. Eat this but not that. If someone is guilty of breaking a particular law, that person must be killed -- if he's guilty of this other law, he must live outside the camp. Who on earth could ever keep straight all the rules for sacrifices and what sacrifices are made for what sin. Do I bring a roasted grain offering or should I grind the grain into a fine powder with some oil added to it? Or, do I bring doves or goats or lambs or heifers or bulls? Or should I just bring some shekels? Good heavens! It goes on and on through these books. And, some of the details of what was considered unclean got a little nauseating like the chapters on infectious skin diseases (it's tough to glean profound, life altering truth from that!). Then, when you're not reading about the rules and laws you're reading through list after list of who beget who. I have to admit, it got a little boring and laborious to read. But, I learned a few things.

I learned all over again that we were created by God and for God and His word is life to us. "These are not just idle words for you, they are your life." (Deut. 32:47) He rules the nations and He wants us to be wholly His. I learned, again, that sin will wholly destroy us. And, because sin is so destructive to us, the sacrifices had to be a serious reminder of how sin destroys life. The priests were busy day in and day out with sacrifices. Nobody could be perfect. God knew that all were going to sin. And, because sin destroys life, life was what had to be taken to pay the price of each sin. When an animal was sacrificed you can be sure that blood was everywhere (if you want it in greater detail, you'll have to read it for yourself). Can you imagine the humane society tolerating sweet little lambs being sacrificed today for someone's careless behavior? Children became attached to the lambs and goats that would eventually have to be taken to the temple. If the sacrifices were not made then the people would die from their sin. And, so they watched and learned and saw the destruction of life right before their eyes so that they could live. In some cases, there was no sacrifice that could be made because the sin was too great, like murder with "aforethought." (Numbers 35:16-21) The only thing that could be done was to kill the person who deliberately took the life of another. Sin destroys life.

I learned, again, that our God is a holy God. He does not tolerate sin because 1) He Himself is sinless, and 2) He knows how sin destroys life. I learned, again, that although the laws are many, they are summed up in the two greatest commandments: "Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matt. 22:37-40, NIV) God wants us to fear Him and revere Him. God wants us to know how serious He is about His love and justice. He wants us to understand that if we love Him like we should and love those around us like we should then we will live in peace and safety. I understood like never before God's timeless and holy plan to redeem us -- to pay the price Himself for our careless, sinful behavior. The concept of redemption was intricately woven through the Old Testament. Redemption is a concept that the Israelites understood, and yet when Jesus paid the final and ultimate price for their redemption, they spurned His gift. When God sent His son to die for us, the Jews should have understood it immediately -- they should have understood it like no one else. They above all people understood the practice of sacrifices and one life dying for another. This practice was such a prominent and prevalent part of who they were that this One Sacrifice For All should have rocked them to their core, their world and everything in it. But, they did not believe. Unbelief was another concept intricately woven through their history.

I learned one more time just how flawed and faulty and full of holes human beings are. Never before, however, have I read through these books with such anticipation and foresight of a Savior. With every written law and rule I heard the words that Paul wrote to the Galatians, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free!" (Gal. 5:1, NIV) Israel's identity was wrapped up in their history. All of them, clear up through the time of Christ and beyond, knew of their history with the living God. All of them knew of the miracles that God performed on their behalf in Egypt and while wandering in the desert for 40 years. All of them knew of their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They quoted King David. All of them, especially by the time Christ had come, knew of the laws that they must uphold or die. From the time they left behind their captivity in Babylon to the time Christ walked on this earth (about a 400 year span) they had become acutely aware of God's holiness -- so much so that the rules and laws imposed on them milliniums before in the desert they had added to and built upon to the point of utter nonsense making the law even more impossible to live up to. What the law really did was point out God's holiness and our holey-ness. The Israelites (i.e. human beings) were never able to live up to all the laws and rules set before them and the first five books of the Bible confirm this over and over. We are so holey that God's laws pour through us like a seive. What could become of such a messy creation? God's plan was brilliant.

Jesus came. God in the flesh. He died once for all. No more sacrifices to be made. No more would we have to die for our careless sins. Jesus died in our place. (There are still sins that go against the laws of our land that require a death sentence whether that sentence looks like a life lived out in prison or an actual death sentence. But, that's always been the case.) No longer would we die for all the careless acts that in the past required the death of another living thing. No longer would the life of innocent animals be taken to pay the price of my sin. No longer would we be bound to a law so lofty that no one could live up to it. Jesus set us free from the heavy burden of the law and now we live under grace. No longer do we have to be shackled by the weight of sin that so easily grips us keeping us outside the camp. Jesus' death on the cross was too monumental for words! God Himself paid the price for our sinfulness and He had it planned all along. What's more, even though He was working out His plan in all of history, He was always with the individual. He was always moving on behalf of one or two or three or twenty or a thousand or ten thousand. Everybody has a part in His plan and His plan is for everybody.

God made the laws and rules so hard to live up to and the sacrifices so numerous and messy that we should have been FULL of joy and rejoicing at His pardon! The Israelites had centuries and centuries of trying to live up to God's standards and every time failing that news of their Savior should have brought the most exuberant shouts of joy for their most AMAZING GOD! But, instead, the news of Jesus' coming slipped through the holes of their spirits and hearts (and ours!). The Israelites did not believe that Jesus was God and we find that true of so many people still today. (There really is nothing new under the sun.)

I struggle to put into words how amazing God's plan was! Is! I encourage you to read the first 5 books of the Old Testament (the Pentateuch as it's called by our Jewish friends). Put yourself in the pages, in the lives, in the thoughts of those who lived during this most incredible time. You will find that there is truly nothing new under the sun. The same sins we struggle with today, they struggled with then. Why? Because we are all human beings born into sin. The good news is that we have a God with a plan. His love lives on. I want to be, to the exclusion of all others, completely and totally, wholly His, the Holy God of our past present and future, as I live this life as one who is very holey.

"I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yolke and enabled you to walk with heads held high." (Leviticus 26:13, NIV)

"Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life . . ." (Deuteronomy 30:19b-20a, NIV)

DAVID: A MAN WITH A HUMAN HEART

" . . . the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him leader of His people. . ." (1 Samuel 13:14, NIV)

Whenever I read the Bible, my tendency is to look for the broken qualities of those about whom I'm reading. I guess it helps me to feel hopeful that I'm not a lost cause. It's easy to read about some of our heroes of the faith and then romanticize them into more than they were. But the characters in the Bible are people just like you and me. They did not hold some secret key to the mysteries and mind of God. They had to come to Him the same way we do, humbly and by grace. Right now I'm especially intrigued by King David, a man after God's own heart.

Read Psalm 32 and Psalm 40:1-3

Questions for reflection:

What are some ways that God relates to you like He did with King David?


"A man after God's own heart." That statement makes him sound like he had some sort of elusive quality that made him extra special. Something more than human -- superhuman. Whenever we think that about any Bible character (or anyone else for that matter) we have just made a huge mistake in interpreting God's word. It's true that David loved God and sought Him wholeheartedly (for the most part). It's true that David prayed for God to bless him and to give him the throne that was promised to him so that he could finally rule as the King of Israel. It's true we see God answering David's prayers and speaking to him about his life as a man and as a king. But what about any of that is different from you and me? I, too, love God and seek Him wholeheartedly (for the most part). I, too, pray for God to bless me and to give me the things that come as the promise of a righteous life. God also answers my prayers and He speaks to me about my life as a woman, a wife, a mom and a Christian.


It's very easy to make King David larger than life, but he struggled just like you and me; and, just like you and me, he sinned. He had to fall upon God's grace and mercy more than once in his life. God picked him up from the miry pit of mud and clay and set his feet on solid ground more than once in his life. Just like you and me. One of my favorite stories about King David is found in 1 Samuel and it involves two other very interesting characters: Nabal and Abigail. This story paints a picture of the famous and the average, the mean and kind, the evil and the good and the brokenness of us all. It also points out, as always, the gracious and merciful hand of God in the lives of the broken ones. King David, Abigail, Nabal, you and me.

Read all of 1 Samuel 25.

In this chapter of 1 Samuel we find David still living out in the fields and caves hiding from King Saul having attracted an army consisting of rejects and malcontents. Nabal, a wealthy man from Carmel, has sent his men out to shear the sheep that were pasturing out where David and his men happened to be camping. David, having been anointed King of Israel but unable to rule, already had the heart and attitude of a king. You can tell by the way he had his men surround Nabal's sheep shearers and his sheep as a way of protecting them from harm. This is what a king does. He keeps his people safe and brings no harm to them. I love this about David. Before he is actually sitting on the throne, he is living into his calling from God. He knows he is the rightful King of Israel and lives into it, with or without the throne. When the sheep shearing is finished and Nabal's servants return to their master, David sends out his own messengers to Nabal with a message of peace. He expects to receive food and other necessities for his men in return for his protection. Let's not make the mistake in thinking that David only gave protection to Nabal, his men and his property in order to get something in return. David protected Nabal and his property because it was the right thing for David to do. Nabal returning that consideration to David and his army by means of food and other supplies was the right thing for Nable to do. Nabal, however, was a mean brute of a man.

Abagail was kind, wise and beautiful, and, unfortunately, Nabal's wife. When she finds out how her husband has treated Isreal's future king, she rushes out to meet David, sending lots and lots of good food ahead of her (everything that Nabal should have sent) hoping to talk David out of murdering her husband (deserving as he was). It made sense to her that David would come after her husband because what Nabal did went against all common considerations among the Israelites -- especially considerations toward the King. So off she goes to convince David otherwise.

David is a king yet he hides in the wilderness like a common criminal. Nabal as much as acts like a criminal yet lives like a king. Nabal's heart is dark and cold and Abigail's heart is kind and full of love and life. David is a master who serves the people. Abigail has a servant's heart that becomes the master of a king's heart. There are so many dichotomies in this story. I'm certain you can come up with a few of your own.

Read Matthew 5:43-48; 13:24-30; Acts 17:26-27 and Psalm 31:15.

Dichotomies can often times seem like injustices yet God always has a plan and He holds our days in His hand. What are some situations in your life that seem like dichotomies? Some weeds among your wheat? Some evil clouding your sunshine?

How is knowing that God holds your times and has directed where you are right now comforting to you?

Abigail bows at David's feet and begs him not to commit murder -- an unnecessary and heavy burden, she explains, that the king will have to carry on his conscience for the rest of his days. Killing another person is never an easy thing to bear no matter how much the other party seems to deserve it. She begs him not to avenge himself on her husband. She reminds David of his role as the King and not to let his anger and humiliation brought on by Nabal discolor his honor, his dynasty and his rule. This is beauty. This is humility. This is grace! Abagail, the wife of a brute, a servant of David, a daughter of The King rules the day and David's heart. I love how she pronounces on David the true law of grace and mercy: "Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my master will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the Lord your God." (1 Samuel 25:29a, NIV) David heeds Abigail's words as God's hand on his life and turns from doing what he has set out to do. The law of grace and mercy always results in life and honor.

Now, here's what's real to me about David: even though God characterizes David as a man after His own heart, David's heart is still very human. When Nabal refuses David and his men nourishment and hurls insults at them, accusing David and his men of being nothing more than runaway slaves, David gets angry and humiliated and sets out to act upon that anger and humiliation. David acts the way any of us would act, or, at least would want to act. He goes about taking matters into his own hands. In an effort to make the world a better a place in which to live and because Nabal breaks all the laws of decency by refusing the King (an act worthy of severe punishment, if not death) and the King's men of needed food, he deems it necessary to rid the earth of wicked Nabal. David is very human. Very real. David, the man after God's own heart, feels the need for revenge, acts out of anger, retaliates after being humiliated. I doubt anyone would have even tried to stop him. No one from Nabal's camp or his own. Nabal, after all, was mean and wicked and selfish and, therefore, more than likely hated by his servants, so his servants certainly wouldn't have stopped the future King of Israel. David was already recognized as the King of Israel by most people of the day so who would dare try to stop him. He was already renowned for his fighting ability, his leadership ability and his merciful ways with King Saul. He already held the loyalty of the people, so who would question him after Nabal acted so ungraciously towards him. I think it would have been so interesting to be a part of this time period. News about the comings and goings and ins and outs of Saul's and David's reign and relationship spread daily. If they'd had FOX news back then, it would have been a top story every day. "King David said to be spotted in the wilderness of Maon." "When will King Saul give up the throne?" "David spares King Saul's life yet again." "Obscure shepherd spots David and his army in the wilderness." The headlines would go on and on. You can be assured that news got around for there wasn't anyone in the land who did not know of David's exploits. There was no one in all of Israel who did not know that David was to be King. Abigail knew it (which is why she spoke to him the way she did). Nabal's servants knew it (which is why they feared what was going to come of them if Abigail did not do something). And, you can be sure that Nabal knew it (which makes his insults all the more arrogant and brutal).


Abigail returns home to her husband who is now drunk from too much celebrating. In the morning, after he is sober, she explains to him her actions on his behalf. Nabal immediately has a heart attack and goes into something that looks like a coma and dies 10 days later. By God's hand, not David's. God held Nabal's times in His hand. The shock of his wife being so bold and presumptuous as to wander away without his permission with goods that belonged to him to take to David, someone for which he clearly had no respect, was just more than he could take in. I kind of think that Abigail was secretly happy that her brute of a husband was no longer able to terrorize her or the servants or the hired hands. His death, however, left her with the dilemma of having no one to provide for her. A serious matter. Abigail, too, was a broken human being. After all, she was married to someone who showed her no respect and undoubtedly mistreated her at every turn. She had asked King David to remember her. She said, "When the Lord has brought my master success, remember your servant." (25:31b, NIV) And, remember her he does. He sends her word to come and be his wife.

It should bring hope to you and me that one of the most loved characters in the Bible, one of the great heroes of our faith, is actually someone who acted impetuously from time to time. Even though we see that sometimes David could act rash and allow his feelings to dictate his next move God was still able to see deep in David's heart. God saw the love David had for his King. I love how God used Abigail, an average Israelite woman, to keep David, the famous King of Israel, from sinning. I love how God extends His hand of grace and gets involved with us, working to guide and direct us in the right path. I love how God extends His arm of mercy and provides a way out of our own impetuous, rash decisions before they become a sin to great to bear.

As with every passage of scripture, the life lessons and profound truths are numerous. This story holds truths I've yet to pick out. I can only write about the way it hits me and the about the truths that God points out to me at the time. My hope and prayer is that God sees deep into my own heart and finds the love I have for my King in spite of my rash and impetuous ways!

A NEW DAY -- A NEW MERCY

"I knew You were sheer grace and mercy, not easily angered, rich in love, and ready at the drop of a hat to turn your plans of punishment into a program of forgiveness!" (Jonah 4:2b, The Message)

My husband and I went through something several years ago that caused us to wish for some retribution on an offending party. Unlike Jonah with the Ninevites, we didn't really want God to strike them dead, but we did desire for God to bring some wrath upon them in our defense. (I don't know what sort of wrath I was hoping for -- I would never be able to pick. Maybe just something that looks like a spanking.) We even sat back and watched and waited for things to fall apart a little for this group of people. Thus far, we haven't seen any significant punishment come down. We've seen only mercy. Jonah is a lesson for me in God's rich and unfathomable mercy. He is merciful to the Ninevites and He is merciful to Jonah. I understand Jonah better than I like to admit.

Let's begin by reading Jonah 4.

Earlier in the story we saw how merciful God was with Jonah by saving his life and how Jonah repented and agreed to do God's will. But again, Jonah becomes angry with God -- so angry that he would rather die than live, again. Some lessons are very difficult to learn. Wouldn't you agree? The real reason for Jonah fleeing to Tarshish is revealed. He prays, "O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? THAT is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I KNEW that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity." (Emphasis mine.) Imagine yourself doing something you knew God wanted you to do knowing that you weren't going to like doing it. Then, after doing it, you say to yourself, "This was just as awful as I expected it to be!" You might take some comfort in knowing that you were obedient, but no comfort in the task itself. Can you imagine a situation like that? Have you been in a situation like that? That's how I felt regarding the situation I mentioned above. We were obedient in following through with what God had asked of us and it turned out to be just as difficult and uncomfortable as we expected it would be. I wonder if days or weeks later Jonah thought about what he said to God. Recognizing the irony in his words.

Questions for reflection:

Why would Jonah rather die than see God's mercy come to the Ninevites?

God had defended Israel against her enemies so many times. God had just delivered Israel from the rule of Damascus, and Israel was a little cocky. The Israelites always expected God to give them victory over their enemies (without any thought towards their own sinful state it would seem). Israel was quickly approaching a time when God would tolerate their promiscuity and unmerciful ways no longer and was beginning to prophecy to them through Amos and Hosea about their pending exile. The Israelites had become very narrow in their worldview and in their view of God's love. They weren't considering that God might just love and desire the best for all of His creation, enemy of Israel or not. So, for Jonah to accept God's love and mercy toward the Ninevites was counter-thinking -- Jonah's brain would need to make a complete 180 degree turn to consider God's love toward Nineveh. Tough spot for Jonah -- tough spot for Israel.

Questions for reflection:

What is the most difficult thing that God has ever askef of you?

Why did Jonah construct a shelter and sit down to watch what would happen to the city?

Think of a time when God constructed a shelter for you.

Has there ever been a time when you were disappointed in God's answer to you personally for a difficult situation?

Is it ever right to be angry with God?

Here's what's so real about Jonah for me: after giving Nineveh God's message he goes out and plants himself outside the city still holding out that God is going to bring some judgment upon this undeserving nation. He plops himself down in a pouting stupor to watch and wait. At this point he doesn't really know for sure that God is going to be merciful with them. Only time proved this out. He's fairly convinced that the Ninevites' reformed actions are not heartfelt and that their appeasement of his God by fasting and wearing sackcloth was just that, appeasement. He's thinking that their reformed ways cannot last and God will see and bring the retribution that will finally relieve Israel of this military threat once and for all. Keep in mind that God only recently saved Jonah's life, undeserving as he was. So he waits. He constructs a makeshift shelter to protect him from the wind and heat, and what does God do? He mercifully builds Jonah a better one by growing a large vine up to give him adequate shade. Now, God also brings a treacherous east wind and a worm that destroys the vine, but lest you think that God's mercy only went so far with Jonah, think again.

If God's mercy came to an end with any of us, we would die. It is because of His mercy that we live and breathe. "And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. . . For in Him we live and move andhave our being . . ." (Acts 17:25 & 28a, NIV) It is because of His mercy that He takes the time to teach us invaluable lessons like the one He teaches Jonah. Verse 6 tells us that Jonah was "very happy about the vine." Who wouldn't be. This is the only time through this whole story that we see this emotion. He might be thinking that because God relieved his suffering from the heat that He was was also going to comfort him and ease all his pain at this moment. He might be thinking that because God is merciful to him yet again (just like He's always been to Israel) that He will indeed see God overturn Nineveh. He's more than a little wrapped up in his own feelings and views. Maybe Jonah's view of God is that He is like one of those parents who can't stand to see their children be unhappy even for a moment about anything. You know the kind I'm talking about. The one's that ease their child's pain in every discomfort and get them out of every difficult circumstance. God is not that kind of a parent. And, we should be thankful. God always has a plan for our maturation. He's always working at helping us to see a bigger picture, a bigger love -- His perspective. Indeed, it is because of His mercy that He takes the time to teach us about His heart.

A new day dawned for Jonah. God's mercy was going to show up in Jonah's life all over again. We know that Jonah spent the night outside the city because verse 7 says that at dawn the next day God provided a worm which ate the vine. After the vine withered and died, God brought a scorching east wind causing Jonah to nearly faint from the heat. What does Jonah say? "It would be better for me to die than to live." (Shocking!) The east wind reveals the condition of Jonahs' heart attitude. He would rather die than live. He would rather die than live with God's mercy and compassion on his enemies. He would rather die than live with the fact that God loves the people of Nineveh. He loves God's mercy and compassion for himself. But then don't we all! The worm reveals Jonah's misplaced compassion for a plant over people. Jonah recognizes compassion, one of the theme's of this story, as something God possesses -- but he does not share this trait with Him. Instead, Jonah says (and at this point I can almost hear him myself), "I KNEW You would do this! I KNEW You would be merciful to these people! THAT is why I didn't want to go!" He basically wishes that God wasn't so good. Try as we might to be different, we all have our moments when we wish God to be exceedingly good to us but not so good to the undeserving people in our lives. Jonah did God's will but not with the right attitude. God asks him, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?" Jonah says with assuredness, "I do. I am angry enough to die." The Ninevites cared nothing for Israel and Israel cared nothing for Nineveh. The evil that marked the Ninevites, now marks Jonah. Now Jonah himself needs to face God's punishment. Maybe, just maybe, Jonah deserved punishment more than the Ninevites because of God's ever-present grace and mercy in the lives and history of the Israelites. Instead, God shows Jonah the same compassion He'd shown Jonah's enemies.

I love the end of this story. After God reveals the condition of Jonah's heart, He reveals His own heart. His heart is for people and all of His creation. "But the Lord said, 'You have been concerned about his vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?" End of story.

God loves all of His creation and so should we. There is no race of people better than the next -- no individual less sinful than another. We all share the same propensity toward sin. Israel was not blessed by God because they were a supreme race. They were blessed because of Abraham's obedience. Abraham was not a man without sin, either. He was just a man -- like Jonah. But, God made a promise to him and He was faithful to hold true to what He said, "Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him." (Genesis 18:18, NIV. Emphasis mine.) Israel was called "God's chosen people" because He chose them as a nation to do a specific job. One of Israel's jobs was to show other nations the grace and mercy of the one true living God!

I asked you earlier if it was ever right to be angry with God. What do you think about that? I know that God is always right and that He always has my best interest at heart, so . . . therefore, when I am angry with God it is safe to assume that I am in the wrong, not Him. But, I'm human and sinful, just like Jonah. My perspective is not always God's perspective. Many times my own worldview is very narrow. I get wrapped up in my own feelings. Sometimes I try to appease Him by just going through the motions of my faith -- trying to earn His love and mercy, just like the Ninevites. Yes, I do get angry with God sometimes. I don't always like His answer for me. But, you know what? God has really BIG shoulders. He can take my anger without feeling threatened or hurt. He is unmoveable in His purpose and love for me!

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:23, NIV)

Cake everyone!

Mercy Speaks Louder Than Words

"When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He had compassion . . ." (Jonah 3:10a)
Read Jonah 3:5-10.

"Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." Jonah spoke 8 graceless words to the people of Nineveh. What would you think if some foreigner came into your city and spoke those words in the city's downtown area? If you're anything like me, I would be hard pressed to think the person speaking to be anything but a nut. But, before you develop an answer to that question you need to put yourself in the shoes of a Ninevite. Because when they heard Jonah's less than compassionate, completely unremarkable message, "The Ninevites believed God." (vs. 5) Let's bring the Bible to life by looking at this place and time for a moment.

Regarding the place, Nineveh was a fierce city. It might be like you or me going to Iran or Burma and telling them that the God of universe was going to overthrow them. I can't imagine it setting well with the powers that be. Nineveh was notorious for their torture techniques. You might say they had it down to a fine art. This was a place that was feared by everyone. Regarding the time, prophets were common and accepted in the ancient world, and Ninevah would have had its own prophets running around. Because there were so many prophets, believing the right prophet was tricky business. Also commonplace was the use of omens. Omens were observations made in the natural world that were believed to be related to what the gods were doing in the spiritual world. One of the most common ways to observe omens was by examining the entrails of animals that had been sacrificed. (Gross! I know!) They had other ways of observing omens, this was just one of them. To a modern day Christian that sounds a little scary, something that's associated with the dark underworld. But, again, remove yourself from this present time. Back then using omens to predict the future was similar to the sailors aboard the ship casting lots to make a decision. Neither one represents time spent praying to God for an answer; nonetheless, we find that God used both to accomplish His will. All of that to say, that if the omens were unfavorable (meaning something bad was on the horizon) for a few days or weeks prior to Jonah's message then the people would have readily accepted the truth of his message. The omens would have supported what Jonah was telling them. If sacrifices were offered and the entrails verified an impending doom then Jonah's word would be taken very seriously. This was how Jonah, an Israelite, could bring a message to Ninevah, one of Israel's most feared enemies, without facing Nineveh's wrath and torture. Nineveh was more afraid of Jonah's message and his God than Jonah was of them. God had them ready.

Questions for reflection:

Think about a time when God used natural things to work in supernatural ways in your life. (Take a few moments to write it out because that helps you remember it as an important moment of grace in your walk with God.)

Prophets are not typically known for their own acts of mercy. Although not always as cold as Jonah was when delivering his message, they do tend to be rather harsh and unyielding about how others live their lives. Would it have been easy for you to add a measure of mercy and grace into that message? Would you have tried to soften the blow somehow?

Jonah's message could be accepted in spite of the fact that he was a foreigner. In a polytheistic society such as Nineveh, there could literally be hundred of gods, any of whom could impact their lives. If the Ninevites' omens supported Jonah's message, then they would have no reason to disbelieve it. In fact, that he was a foreigner only gave weight to the message. Why would someone have traveled such a great distance if not impelled by a god? Besides, it's not like Jonah's message threatened their beliefs. Hearing from prophets was common and accepted and sacrificial systems were practiced allowing for easy access to entrails and other body parts. It was a different time, a different place. The one constant in our history is the nature of mankind. In that sense we can always find commonality with the characters of the Bible.

Apparently, when this message reached the King's ears, even he believed. He rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. He officially declared a fast and commanded his people to call upon God, to give up their evil ways and their violence. Since the Ninevites did not know Jonah's God personally, they reacted to the message as best they could in an effort to appease this most powerful God. They acted the way an Israelite would act (after all it was Israel's God). They wore sackcloth and fasted. Even the animals wore sackcloth and fasted. (That must have been a funny sight!) The Ninevites undoubtedly heard many of the stories of the miracles that God had performed on Israel's behalf. Still, in their minds, because of how they were brought up and taught, and, although Israel's God was to be feared, Yahweh was still just one of many gods to be feared. There is no indication that the Ninevites turned from their false gods to worship the One true living God. In fact, the introduction of another "god" did not preclude the worship of the gods with which they were already familiar. By inquiring about the God of the Israelites, they could easily learn that He was a God of justice and so they acted accordingly. They cleaned up their act and, for a time, responded with some reforms. It's no different for you and me. When someone is introduced to Jesus Christ, it's unlikely that he or she would give up all of their current vices and bad habits (other "gods") because of it. It usually takes time for changes like these to occur. I struggle to live up to my own convictions every day. I am always missing the mark. The Ninevites recognized God's power and responded and God extended His mercy to them -- the very thing He wanted to do. You can be assured that the other gods they worshiped were not merciful -- not like the God of Israel! "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you." (Psalm 89:14, NIV) Maybe this was the only message necessary for now. Maybe this was enough. We don't know how many Ninevites gave serious attention to God's mercy that day -- whose lives were not just changed for that day, but forever.

Questions for reflection:

Have you ever responded to God in a purely outward way (like the Ninevites putting on sackcloth and fasting because they thought this was what God required)? Did it remain purely outward, or did a change of heart eventually follow?

What do you think the ramifications were for Jonah upon returning to Israel and announcing that God did not bring judgment upon their enemies, but mercy?

The final chapter brings me to the following conclusion about Jonah: Jonah is a big baby. At least that's how he acts. Seriously, what a pouter! We'll discuss Jonah's behavior in my final installment on the Book of Jonah.

An Attitude Adjustment for Jonah

"From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God." Jonah 2:1

Have you ever had to have an attitude adjustment? It's not a pleasant experience. It usually means that God is going to take me through a difficult situation to help me see things with a little different (hopefully better) perspective. It's usually happens when I think I'm impervious to a certain sin or behavior or attitude. Like the time I thought I could just open my mouth and spout God's word like some sort of fix-all for someone else's painful situation. The problem wasn't with God's word or the application of it in their particular situation. The problem was with my arrogance and my lack of love and sensitivity to the other person's heart and problem. I was told so by the other party and it shot me down. But, I learned to be more of a listener and my attitude was adjusted accordingly.

Start today by reading all of Jonah 2 and also Jonah 3:1-4.

Jonah's time spent in the belly of a fish became the start of a major attitude adjustment. Jonah recognizes his time inside the fish as God's merciful deliverance from death and repents. When you read the 2 chapter of Jonah you hear in his voice the cries of someone who just can't feel any lower and realizes the depths (literally) from whence he came. "From the depths of the grave I called . . . You hurled me into the deep . . . the deep surrounded me . . . To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever." Jonah knows that the sea could have and should have swallowed up his life and I'm sure that he expected to die. But now, Jonah sits in the belly of this big fish and contemplates what just happened. I'm not certain that Jonah even thinks that there is hope beyond the belly of the fish, though I think he suspects that there might be life beyond his present situation because he plans to make good on the vow he's made to the Lord (whatever that may be). Jonah knows one thing at this point: he is alive. He offers a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord and makes a vow to Him. The Lord, in His mercy, commands the big fish to vomit Jonah out (nice image) and, conveniently, Jonah lands on dry ground.

Questions for reflection:

Have you ever been so thankful to God for His rescue from a difficult or frightening situation that you made promises or vows to Him in response? Think about what those promises or vows were? Did you follow through with them?

You can imagine that Jonah might lay there on the beach for a bit before getting up and moving on with life. If it was me, I might have laid there and re-capped what just happened, how I got in the situation I was just in. I might be trying to wrap my head around the fact that I just spent 3 days of my life inside of a fish. I would most certainly be considering my impending task ahead (the whole reason for my current situation). There was a lot that just happened in his life. Think about it. We've all heard this story so much that we easily take it for granted. But let's you and I recap. Jonah was just given a monumental task to do for the Lord. (A task he wasn't happy about and that made him angry.) He made the monumental decision to run away from God. (Never a good idea.) He was thrown overboard and given monumental mercy from God by being rescued from death. (There's that exquisite Grace again!) He was swallowed by a monumental fish! (Big, big Grace!) He sat inside the fish for 3 days of which I am sure was monumental torture. (I don't know if you've really thought about what that was like, but please do.) All of the events leading up to this moment lying on the beach are monumental.

Jonah must go to Nineveh. I suspect that that was the vow that Jonah made to God -- to follow through with what God had asked him to do. Although, let's not make the mistake of thinking that Jonah is any happier about doing it. He did indeed get an attitude adjustment -- enough of an adjustment to decide to be obedient. Not enough of one to be happy about what his obedience required. But, that's ok. We're not always happy with what God asks us to do. Some things are difficult. To say that we do all things with exquisite joy is not realistic. Jonah must go to Nineveh.

When he reaches the great city, he delivers God's message of impending judgment. Now, Jonah wasn't a missionary. He was a prophet. It's a different gift. (It was a different skill set -- just as important :).) A missionary would bring a message of salvation to everyone who would listen convincing them of God's love and grace. A prophet brings a specific message to a particular audience. You can tell by Jonah's message that he was not happy about being there. He says (half-heartedly, I'm sure), "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." (3:4, NIV) Count them -- 8 words. He did the bare minimum. He used the fewest amount of words possible. No call to repentance. No instruction about what God might want from them. No conviction of their sins. No convincing the Ninevites of the love of God. His message was short and terse. I'm thinking he knew the message would bring fear, but he also suspected that God was going to be merciful with them. God just doesn't play by our rules, does He? Jonah is conflicted and troubled and he probably just wants to get out of there.

Questions for reflection:

If you were to deliver that message to Nineveh, would it have been easy or difficult for you to add a measure of mercy and grace into that message? Do you think you would have tried to soften the blow by directing them towards repentance?

Next time:

How did the Ninevites come to believe Jonah's message?

If the Ninevites were so cruel to Israel, how did Jonah get away with giving his message without facing their cruelty?

We'll talk about these questions in my next and last installment of my thoughts and teachings on the Book of Jonah. Let me know what you think!

Cake,
Kerry