Finding Christ in Dr. Quinn

"For ye are bought with a price;

therefore glorify God in your body,

and in your spirit,

which are God's"

1 Corinthians 6:20

You won't find cable or satellite tv at the Brown house, but you will find a lot of movies. We enjoy watching movies, and since the selection on tv is relatively non-family-friendly these days, Ian and I have chosen instead to buy various series of older television sitcoms. Many evenings throughout the week, you will find all the Browns stretched out on the sofa, loveseat or floor, watching a movie together. Some of our selections have included the Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, Andy Griffith and the Cosbys. Our most recent selection has been Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

Despite the despairing cries of my older boys, who heard "woman" and automatically thought "chick flick," we are actually enjoying the first season thus far. Of course, that doesn't mean there haven't been a few scenes that have needed some explanation. For instance, I had forgotten how prominent a place the saloon plays in old west shows, and with the saloon comes saloon girls and alcohol consumption. Interestingly enough, however, God has used that very setting to remind me once again of His mercy and grace. Let me set the stage.

Hank is a swaggering, smoking, swearing, drinking saloon owner. He is self-sufficient and non-sympathetic. He is most concerned about himself and his money. Myra, is Hank's "employee." As we explained to our younger boys (who are innocently unaware of Myra's actual means of employment), Myra is for all practical purposes Hank's slave. In modern terms, Hank is the pimp, and Myra is the prostitute. Horace is a hard working, quiet, God-fearing, man of integrity. During an influenza epidemic, the saloon is closed for lack of business, and Myra pitches in to help take care of Horace and other ill citizens. Horace finds himself interested in Myra and wants to spend time with her, talking, getting to know her. Of coure, Hank demands that Horace pay for the time. Horace is nothing less than gentlemanly and treats Myra like the lady that she has always wanted to be. Ultimately, Horace wants to marry Myra, but Hank refuses to let her go without a price. "Only a fool falls in love with a whore!" he shouts. Horace vows to pay the price.

As I have watched the love story between Horace and Myra play out on screen, I have been reminded of an even greater, more eternal love story. You see, we too were slaves. We were slaves to Satan and slaves to sin. And just like Hank, our master was unmerciful, thinking only of himself and his own glory. Our slavery kept us trapped in a world of sin where we were constantly being dirtied by our own actions and the actions of others. Like Myra, we were helpless and in desperate need of true love, of someone to rescue us from our hopeless existence.

How do you find Christ in Dr. Quinn? You look at Horace. Now, before I go too far with this, let me say that no analogy is ever exact, no comparison can ever be complete when we are talking about our Lord and Savior especially. I am in no way trying to say that every aspect of Horace will equate with Jesus. It won't. It can't. I am just telling you how God spoke to me in the midst of a family movie night and reminded me of His love.

You see, Christ did for us what Horace did for Myra. He paid an exhorbitant price--his life as a matter of fact--to set us free. He didn't wait for us to clean up before rescuing us. He didn't ask that we do anything in return. He loved us in the condition in which He found us. Just as Horace treated Myra like a lady when to everyone else she looked like nothing more than a common "working girl," Jesus saw us through eyes of love. He saw in us the potential to be what He created us to be in the beginning, before we were in bondage to sin. And He paid the price to make us free again, free to have an eternal, loving relationship with Him.

The Greatest Love Story

Born a slave to sin, nothing I could do

To claim my own liberty

With a nature to sin, I chose to sin

There was no way to be free

The price for sin has always been death

A price, for me, way too steep

to bridge the gap between holy and not

It seemed my position I'd keep

Then a valiant knight left his throne

To pay the debt I owed

Only one true and holy Himself

could win me and take me home

Jesus died to pay the price for my sin

and He rose to set me free.

All He asks of me now is to accept His love

and live like the lady He made me to be.

A Little Encouragement Please

"He (Jesus) died for us so that,

whether we are awake or asleep,

we may live together with Him.

Therefore, encourage one another

and build each other up,

just as in fact you are doing."

1 Thess 5:10-11

Can I tell you a secret? My husband sends me romantic emails, the kind that have beautiful pictures, sweet sayings and soft music. They usually make me cry. My boys laugh at me. Evidently it is hilarious to see Mom staring at a computer screen with tears running down her face. But you know what? I don't care. When I get one of those emails, it isn't tears of sadness I am crying but tears of joy, tears of encouragement. It makes my day. It's kind of funny that something so small can mean so much.

We live in a world that is constantly tearing us down. Sometimes I feel like everywhere I turn I am being beaten over the head, being reminded of my failures, my flaws, all the things I need to improve upon. It seems that around every corner there is someone waiting to tell me all the things I need to get started, get finished or get over. Exercise. Lose weight. Eat healthier. Think nutrition. Think fitness. Think organic. Save money. Save energy. Save the earth.

Unfortunately, I sometimes even feel that way at church. That's a hard thing to admit, but it's true. I should be reading the Bible more. I should be praying more. I should be witnessing more. I should be ministering more. I should be giving more. I should discipline my children better. I should be more joyful. I should... I need to... I ought to be... It's exhausting.

The truth is this. I am pretty aware of all the areas in which I need improvement, and I usually know when I make a mistake (or several for that matter). As a believer, the Holy Spirit convicts me of my sin, and while I do sometimes ignore His voice, He is persistent in calling me back to Him. I am not saying that we don't all need an occasional rebuke. We do. I am not saying that we don't need to be taught. We all can benefit from Godly teaching. What I am saying is that what I benefit from the most is a little encouragement. In fact, encouragement is a lot like hot sauce. A little goes a looooong way.

Everyday struggles with family and finances are like weights tied around your ankles as you try to ascend the muddy mountainside of life. Serious health issues, job losses, and other forms of crisis are like barbells hung around your neck. It is no wonder that divorce, depression and suicide seem rampant and even contagious. When mountain climbers are ascending or descending together, if one slips, it affects the whole group. But astute climbers know how to pull the ropes just right to help "catch" a falling climber, to help save not just him but the whole group. After all, they are tied together for a reason.

That's like us. As Christians we are tied together in this world through our bond in Christ. God tells us to "encourage one another and build each other up." We are here to help save each other from the discouragement that can so easily wear us down, and it isn't as difficult as it may seem. Just like my husband's emails, sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest difference. A little encouragement can give us just enough "oomph" to make it one more day, and just like discouragement, it too is contagious. So, how 'bout it? What can you do to build someone up today? What do you find encouraging? Consider my suggestions below and add your comments. It would be an ecouragement for me to read them!

Ways to Encourage Others:

• A smile and a hug
• A brief conversation or simple "How are you?" (Remember if you ask, really listen!)
• A hand-written note (Who doesn't like getting real mail?)
• An inspirational e-mail (with a personal note attached) or a Facebook chat
• Inviting someone to your home for a meal or taking her out to eat for lunch
• Remembering a birthday (Call and sing the birthday song)
• Volunteer to babysit
• An inexpensive gift just to show you care (bookmarks, key chains, sample bottles of hand lotion, etc.)
• Offering to pray with/for someone going through a rough time

Stuck in the Mud

"I waited patiently for the Lord;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

He set my feet on a rock and

gave me a firm place to stand."

Psalm 40:1-2

Last weekend, our family visited a farm. Now if you know anything about the Browns, you will know that farmers we are not. I had "warned" the boys before we left that farms are messy. They wore old clothes, and I packed spares. When we got there, our friends generously supplied them all with muck boots. One of my sons, who shall remain unnamed, was especially disgruntled. Getting dirty is not his thing, but off they went traipsing through the barn, the goat pens, the chicken coops and the cow pastures. Mom (who isn't too fond of getting dirty herself) stayed behind. However, I was told that my youngest son, Braxton, had a hard time staying on path. He kept wandering off into "boot sucking" areas and actually got stuck a few times. Sjon-Paul told me how Braxton would start yelling for help as his boots would literally sink into the mud and mire. He was stuck fast. Thankfully Sjon-Paul's friend, Caleb, came to Braxton's rescue. Sjon-Paul, who thought the whole scene was rather comical, would have left him there. The last time it happened though, something went amiss. Perhaps Caleb took a little longer to get there, and Braxton decided to save himself. Whatever the reason, Braxton wound up leaving his boots behind and walked the rest of the way in his white socks. You can imagine what a sight awaited me when I opened the door upon their return. Despite blaming the whole ordeal on poor Caleb, Braxton survived. After a change of clothes he felt much better; although he still isn't as prone to laugh about it as we are.

This morning as I was reading through a devotional, I came upon the above verses and was reminded of this incident. You see, the past month or two I have felt a little like Braxton. I seem to be in unknown territory, stuck and sinking fast. The circumstances around me aren't totally unfamiliar. I mean, Braxton has seen cows before. He knows what a barn is, what chickens look like, but things seem to take on a different perspective when you are looking at them from the miry pit instead of a grassy field. It's scary. Like Braxton, I have a tendency to yell for help, but after I am rescued, I seem to wander off again and find myself in deeper each time. And just like Braxton, the worst part is when I feel so "down" that I fail to wait for my Savior and leave my boots behind. It's those times that I actually wind up wallowing in the mud. Yuck, what a mess!

But praise God He doesn't leave me there. He is faithful to not only get me out of the mud but to clean me up too. This past weekend, the Lord sent me several blessings (including some much-needed alone time) that helped set my feet back on the Rock. The scenery hasn't changed. There are still questions to be answered, problems to be solved, circumstances that have to be sorted out, but I am back on the path, with a new set of boots so to speak. The objective is to stay on the path. But when the inevitable happens and I wander away, when I get stuck and feel myself sinking, I don't need to try to pull myself out. I need to wait on the Lord to hear my cry. Praise God, He is faithful to lift me out of the slimy pit and give me a firm place to stand.

Animal Science Day

"God made all kinds of wild animals.

He made all kinds of livestock.

He made all kinds of creatures that move along the ground.

And God saw that it was good."

Genesis 1:24-25

Today was Animal Science Day at the Brown's Academy for Boys. We invited a friend and his mother over for a few hours and proceeded to discuss animal habitats, animal births, animal products, and many more exciting animal things. We wandered around the yard for a few minutes examining several birds' nests, filled all the feeders at our cardinal tree, and then took two abandoned nests inside to examine more closely. We looked at various pieces of animal fur and feathers and such with our Bionic Eye, played animal trivia and matching games, cleaned Nemo's bowl together, and performed a couple of experiments to help us understand how God made animals with special features that help them survive. As I sit and reflect on our day, I am reminded once again of how awesome a God we serve. The more I learn about animals, the more amazed I am at the wisdom, imagination and humor of their Creator. When I look out my kitchen window at our cardinal tree (where, by the way, we saw at least 8 cardinals at one time yesterday), I am often in awe of our Lord. I mean, think about it, what purpose does a cardinal really have? It isn't a necessary element in our food chain. While I am sure cardinals eat their fair share of inscects, they aren't so efficient as to be considered a mandatory bird for the farm. They aren't especially useful in any way. But oh how I thank God for making cardinals. I still get excited to see the bright red crest against the backdrop of a snow-covered tree. I still get a slight thrill when one takes flight and the red wings vibrate against a pale blue sky, disappearing into some unseen nest . And I can't help but laugh when I see a male cardinal hopping from one branch to another, chasing after its female counterpart who always seems to be just one second ahead. When it seems as if he has finally caught her, she takes flight, and the chase begins again. Whether it be cardinals that we are watching in our own backyards or lions that most of us have only seen in pictures or at a local zoo, animals capture our imagination and enrich our lives. Most of all they serve to remind us of a Lord and Savior who loved us enough to give us all that is good.

The Adventure Begins

"My heart is overflowing with a good theme.

I recite my composition concerning the King.

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer."

Psalm 45:1

I seemed to have been born with a God-given desire to write. I remember knowing that I would become a writer when I was only 8 or 9 years old. I have always desired to put things down on paper as a way to entertain, a way to motivate, a way to remember, and most of all as a way to honor and glorify my Lord. Like so many others, I write as much for myself as anyone else. If any of you benefit from or enjoy what I have to say here, that is an added blessing. So, here goes, an adventure awaits, a new way to recite my composition concerning the King and the lessons He teaches me everyday.