In Praise of Mothers

Greetings Fairy Followers,

Just yesterday we celebrated Mother's Day. That Hallmark holiday where we take time to specifically celebrate all that mom has done. Taking time to look back at moms got me thinking about moms in scripture. They weren't all perfect...and that's putting it mildly.

Eve, well, she committed the first sin and then had to watch one son of hers kill the other.

Rebecca, helped her son Jacob learn how to lie, because she loved him better than her other son, Esau.

Jochebed, put her son in a basket and set him afloat.

These moms are just a few of the all-too human examples in scripture. Even Mary, the vaunted mother of our Lord, was only human. I'm sure she had her moments of frustration with her children for it was her first son who was born with the ability to be perfect, not her.

What's the moral of the story you ask? It is simply this. There are days when we are convinced that our mothers live only to pour into our lives things we can later pour out to our therapists. So, the next time you have reached the breaking point with your mom, just remember that she is doing the best she knows how.

Blessings, The B.D.F.

Nacho Libre and Other Famous Wrestlers

Greetings Fairy Followers,

I'm constantly amazed at the restoring desires of our God. Sometimes we think we're beyond restoring, that we've done too many crummy things. I learned a new restoration story this week and I'm going to share it with you. Hold onto your stretchy pants.

The history of the nation of Israel is filled with those in need of restoration. Liars, cheats and philanderers abound. In Genesis 27 Rebecca convinces her son, Jacob, to trick dad - who is blind with age - into giving him the blessing that belonged to his slightly older twin brother Esau.

Here's how the interaction played out:
Jacob carried the platter of food to his father and said, "My father?"

"Yes, my son," he answered. "Who is it -- Esau or Jacob?"

Jacob replied, "It's Esau, your older son. I've done as you told me. Here is the wild game, cooked the way you like it. Sit up and eat it so you can give me your blessing."

Isaac falls for it, blesses the wrong kid and Jacob then had to flee before the burly anger of his brother.

Now here comes the good part...Jacob gets tricked, does some tricking himself, and then the day comes when he must face his brother again. He sends gifts ahead to try and soften up Esau. Then the night before the coming encounter Jacob wrestles with an angel.

You heard me.

Genesis 32:22ff:
When the man (the angel) saw that he couldn't win the match, he struck Jacob's hip and knocked it out of joint at the socket. Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is dawn."

But Jacob panted, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."

"What is your name?" the man asked.

He replied, "Jacob." Israel means "God struggles" or "one who struggles with God."">

"Your name will no longer be Jacob," the man told him. "It is now Israel, because you have struggled with both God and men and have won."

So, two points of restoration here:
#1. "I will not let you go until you bless me." Now, Jacob is already blessed because he tricked dad into giving it to him. But how blessed do you feel when you trick someone into doing it? Jacob wanted a blessing that he had earned.

#2. Did you notice that the angel asked Jacob his name, just as dad had asked him his name. This time Jacob tells the truth...and out of it he gets a new name and a new destiny.

You are never beyond God's scope of restoration and 'tis the season as we approach Easter, the ultimate restoration of the human race.

Blessings, the B.D.F.

Lines, Triangles and Circles

Greetings Fairy Followers,

I had an interesting day in church today. We were talking about the passage in I Timothy 6 where Paul tells Timothy to flee from certain things and run toward "righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness."

The question I had was, is it an either or? If you are running away from evil, are you necessarily running toward righteousness? Is there another option? Instead of moving back and forth along a continuum, can you run away from both? Form the point of the triangle so to speak...equidistant from evil and righteousness.

Love to hear your thoughts.

Also looking forward to hearing from those of you who went to Dare 2 Share. What did you learn? Surprises? Expectations?

For those of you who missed it, here is your first look:


Can't wait to get the updates. Enjoy spring, Fairy Followers. It is nigh upon us!

Blessings, The B.D.F.

Separation of Church and State

Greetings Fairy Followers,

How often have we heard these words? The all important "separation" of church and state. That anything hinting of a relationship with God should be kept far from any person or place involved in the governing process.

Insert shudder here.

I was reading this week in Zechariah. One of those prophetic books filled with visions of flying scrolls and women with wings. Verse 6:13 says, "And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two."

Did you catch it? A throne - which, back in the day, was the seat of government. The king. The man with the plan. And the one sitting on the throne was a priest. Apparently the Israelites had a hard time with the whole kingly priest thing as much as we do today because they believed, at one point in time, that there must be two Messiahs coming - one from the kingly line of David and one from the Levitical line of the priests.

Zechariah makes it clear here that this person was one in the same. King and priest. And, more importantly, that there would be "harmony between the two."

Picture the day when a man who loves God and his country could rule without all this tension about weather it's okay to pray before a meal in school or wear a tee shirt with a Christian message, or give thanks for a good grade.

Your principals and teachers might be struggling to keep God as far away from your school as they can, but you know the truth. That one day the priest and the king will be one and the same.

Blessings, The B.D.F.

Are you "Them?"

Greetings Fairy Followers,

Last week the BDF was doing some research on "church words." You know, those words that people who've been around the church for awhile throw around like "covenant," "consecrate," or "communion."

I came across a particular church, poking a little fun at itself, that included this definition:

Some People – as in “some people have been saying…” or "some people think..." ~ This is a phrase that is sometimes used to share one's opinion while simultaneously trying to avoid claiming the opinion and give it more weight by implying that you've taken a survey and lots of people agree. We try not to use this phrase at First Christian Church, preferring instead to take responsibility for our own opinions and not to speak for one another.

Have you ever used that phrase? Perhaps it sounds more like "You know, they say that..." (fill in the blank with your favorite controversial opinion.) Yesterday in church, my pastor talked about the most powerful group of people in the church..."them."

Jesus, of course, said it best when, referring to our propensity to promise, vow or, even, push our opinions off on "them" he said, "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No';"
We are to be owners of our words. To take responsibility and, when necessary, make amends for speaking what is in our own heads and what comes off of our own tongues. Which is why James gives us a full dissertation of things that should and should not come off of our tongues.

So, today, fairy followers, banish "them" from your life and your speech. Own your words and if you're apprehensive to take possession of your words, keep them reigned until you are.

Blessings, The B.D.F.

Old School Jesus in Lamentations

Greetings Fairy Followers,

How apt are you to follow warnings?

Warning: Texting late into the night could negatively affect your grades.
Warning: Eating the last piece of chocolate cake could result in your pants fitting tighter.
Warning: Turning left here could result in a flat tire.

While those are all applicable, they aren't very scary. They aren't immediate. They aren't "important."

I can't help thinking that the Israelites were from the same school of thought when the prophets came along and said, "Watch yourself. If you fall away, God will punish you."

Just like the ethereal fear that one random bad grade could lead to a history of poor grades, then poor college performance, then a job history that leaves you working at McDonald's for life instead of managing a financial institution, Israel chose to leave tomorrow's problems for tomorrow instead of heading them off.

God did not have pity on them and their city was crushed, their walls were broken down and the people were either killed or displaced. This book was written as a lament of how far the nation had turned from God and of the great lengths God used to bring judgment and mercy upon his people.

The key section of scripture in in chapter 3:21-26.
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."
25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.

As we read Lamentations, we are reminded that God is all powerful and will use any means necessary to remind us of who He is. And in the midst of all the destruction and death, the writer of Lamentations holds out hope for those that will seek God.

Is the Lord your portion? Are you trusting solely in Christ or in other things?

Praise God that his mercies are new every morning.

Blessings, The B.D.F.

Old School Jesus in Isaiah

Greetings Fairy Followers,

I'm sure all of you have been following the tragedy unfolding in Haiti as survivors struggle to make their way to the top of the rubble and struggle to grab a breath while crushed under buildings that fell in the wake of the 7.0 earthquake that shook the region.

Several conservative commentators have gotten flack for their words about the tragedy

I can't pretend to know the mind of God in this matter. Was the earthquake the result of a long ago deal made with a representative of Satan as an old Haitian legend says? Was it a result of the thousands of years our earth has been under the bane of sin? Or was it, in some inconceivable way, the will and purpose of God?

My brain can comprehend more easily that it was somehow a result that had an inciting event. When I read the Old Testament it is much easier to understand "These people sinned so God sent this plague upon them" than it is to understand a situation like poor Job who was righteous but God chose to test in some horrifying ways.

Jesus pops up in the book of Isaiah in some unusual ways but the entirety of chapter 53 gives a summary of Christ...long before he came to earth. Verse 10 says, "Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand."

A much more righteous man than Job was caused to suffer and make his life a guilt offering because it was "the LORD's will." Ouch.

We aren't always able to see the greater plan and greater purpose and sometimes we can be properly outraged and frustrated and discouraged because we can't see. But God is far and above anything we can understand and deserving of our praise for bringing suffering to Christ so that we didn't have to face it ourselves.

No matter the purpose of the tragedy in Haiti, we can all send prayers on behalf of the families of those who lost their lives and are struggling to survive.

Blessings, The B.D.F.

Guardian Agents

Greetings Fairy Followers,

While Greg and Summer's wedding was a great time to celebrate love and marriage, it was also a time to have a little fun. Glad to see a black suit still brings out the silly in some of us.

However, I couldn't help thinking that these Guardian Agent pictures give us a much needed reminder that God is watching over us. We can't see the heavenly agents that keep watch while we sleep or go ahead of us into danger, or have our backs. But they are ever present.

"He will send his angel before you"

God always sends the advance team. He sets the protocol in place, clears out any potential dangers and gets the venue ready to receive us. Wherever we are headed, he has already been.




"The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them."

While we are in the midst of a situation he does not leave us to fight and suffer alone. Instead, he encamps around us keeping a watchful eye open for any who might wish us harm.




"May their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them."

If a danger presents itself, our heavenly charges are quick to act. While we may not physically be thrown to the ground and held while they pursue the gunmen, they do not allow evil to go unanswered.

So, dear ones, strike out in confidence this new year and be confident that spiritual armies have "got your back."

Blessings, The B.D.F.

Old School Jesus in Song of Solomon

Greetings Fairy Followers,

I usually like to put my own spin on the topic of the week, but this week I've chosen to take the words right out of the mouth of the man in charge. Here are Pastor Alan's notes on last night's topic of Old School Jesus in Song of Solomon.

Song of Songs 7:9,10,13 9 and your mouth like the best wine. May the wine go straight to my lover, flowing gently over lips and teeth. [a] 10 I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me. 13 The mandrakes send out their fragrance, and at our door is every delicacy, both new and old, that I have stored up for you, my lover.

Our desire is to be exclusively for the one we commit to. This means that before we get married, that we STORE UP our physical excitement, energy and passion for our spouse. Sadly, in our culture today we have let the ketchup out of the bottle. We have shared our sexuality so often that it has lost much of what God has intended for it to be. Even if our culture is lost, we have the opportunity to enjoy the beauty and specialness of what God desires for us in our sexuality.

When you look at water in a cup, some see it as restricted and bound up so we spill it out and liberate it. Once the water is out though, we cannot get it back. Think of our sexuality, our purity that way. We cannot get back what we have given away. Some things were meant to be saved up, stored up for the right time so that when it is unleashed in the right way, it will be the ultimate experience.

Jesus is the greatest example of commitment as he is completely committed to us. We are to show that kind of commitment in our sexuality when we commit to one person in marriage.

Amen and Amen. This issue is so prevelant in society today. It's best to just turn off the media and run to the word, dear ones.

Blessings to all of you this week, this new year and safe travels to those of you flitting off to Green Bay for the weekend. Those remaining behind will pine in your absence.

The B.D.F.

First...A Word From Our Sponsors

Greetings, Fairy Followers

How appropriate that the week before we look for Old School Jesus in Song of Solomon, we get the opportunity to celebrate a wedding.

The first day of 2010 marked the first day of Mr. Gregory Heil's wedding to Summer. The couple wed at a camp down in Georgia and though a small affair, it was a blessed one.


Every human love story is designed to be a shadow of the ultimate love story of our savior, Jesus Christ, for his church. Someday we will stand in heaven and experience the love he has for us in ways we can't fathom here on Earth.

Best wishes, Goo and Summer, may you have a long and blessed marriage.



Blessings, The B.D.F.

Spiritual Resolutions

Greetings Fairy Followers,

We are approaching the beginning of a new year. The time when we wipe the slate clean and start planning our successes for the next year. Many of us make resolutions that include losing weight, being a better friend, pursuing a dream.

I admit that I have something on my list from each of those categories. I also have one on my list in the spiritual category. There are always things we can learn about God and His word. Where is your area of weakness that you want to grow? Do you need to harness your anger? Forgive someone who's harmed you? Memorize a greater portion of scripture?

Once you've picked your goal, here are some tips to reach it:
Put it everywhere: Write your goal on a stack of sticky notes and post them places you will see it regularly. In your calendar, locker, bathroom mirror, nightstand.

Break it into measurable steps: If your goal is to memorize scripture then make a list of the verses you want to learn and set goals for each month.

Keep a record: If your goal is to harness your anger, then write down the instances you've been angry and how you responded. Make a plan for how to respond better the next time and some scripture to help you respond rightly.

Find some resources: Have the library find some books on the topic you are studying. Check out crosswalk.com for verses that relate to your issue and articles about it. Remember that people are resources too and you can talk to your parents, friends and leaders about keeping you accountable to improve.

Here's to a great 2010. Praying for all of you who are headed to Districts.

Blessings, The B.D.F.

Old School Jesus in Job

Greetings Fairy Followers,

It is Christmas time and the hollow logs in the neighborhood are bedecked with blinking fireflies. What a wonderful time of year to be talking about Jesus in all of his incarnations.

Last week we talked about Jesus in Job. Job is a fascinating book of the Bible having the designation of being the very first scripture written down. And when that writer inscribed his inspiration he wrote:

"Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever! I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God..."

I know that my Redeemer lives. I know he will stand upon the earth in the end. Wow. Before the tabernacle was toted through the dessert, before the temple was built in Jerusalem, before Sunday morning coffee hour became the standard, Job Knew.

I pray that this season finds you secure in the knowledge of your salvation and your savior. Know that you know, dear followers.

Blessings, The B.D.F.

Greetings Fairy Followers,

Since the great snow of December 8-10 kept us locked up inside the hollow log sipping cocoa from acorn caps, I don't have a new episode of Old School Jesus to bring you.

Instead, our entire pastoral staff had occasion to venture to Green Bay for the Monday night game against the Ravens. Nessie, of course, made the trip and brought back some pictures.

She brought along Pastor Alan and his mom who made sure that Nessie was well outfitted, even if P.A. forgot that the Packer's colors are Green and Gold - Not red and white. Even the Raven fans were accepting of Nessie...before their team got trounced, anyway.

This last picture is of a plaque that hangs at historic Lambeau Field. It is an excerpt from J.F.K's inaugural speech. The final line reads:

Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.

Do you feel that way about the work of God? Do you feel you are his hands and feet and mouth here on earth? Consider today what job He might have in store for you.

Just a little reminder from J.F.K and Audio A.

Blessings, The B.D.F.

Old School Jesus in Esther

Greetings Fairy Followers,

This week we were treated to guest speaker Emily Dunham bringing us Old School Jesus in Esther. She had her work cut out for her in bringing to us a book that doesn't even mention God's name!

Here's a little video to tell you about the book of Esther in case you aren't familiar.



Jesus was foreshadowed in Esther's preparation to go out and plead for her people with her husband.

1. She had to sacrifice her own wants and desires, just as Jesus had to sacrifice himself for us.
2. She fasted for three days, just as Jesus was in the grave for three days. (Incidentally, if you want to do a study of all 'three day' references in the Bible click here. Very interesting stuff)
3. On the third day she rose and went to see her husband. On the third day Jesus rose from the dead.

Jesus had a great adventure in mind for you if you will choose to engage.

Blessings, The B.D.F.

Unholy Alliances

Greetings Fairy Followers,

The B.D.F. of late has become a fan of the TV show "Glee!" I, of course, watch it for the music not for its portrayal of Fox's version of the average American high school.

In said average high school exists one young cheerleader who has gotten pregnant. She tells one boy that he's the father when he really isn't...why? Because he's the good guy, the guy she likes, the guy with a greater chance of supporting her than the baby's father. She's using this child as a chance to attach herself, form an alliance if you will, with the boy. Creating a way for him to have to be with her even if he doesn't love her.

Sounds like average soap opera stuff, right? That's what I thought until someone brought me back to Genesis this week. Chapter 29 describes poor Jacob who winds up married to the sister he doesn't love and working for many more years to earn the sister he does love. Sister #1, knowing she is unloved, begins having children and naming them for her state of mind. By the time she has son #3 she names him Levi (which means 'to attach')and says, "Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons."

Frequently, we find the person we want to "be attached" to - in romantic relationships, business endeavors, friendships - and then we go ask God to bless the attachment, the alliance, if you will. There are many ways to force someone to be attached to you, but none of them will achieve success without us first being attached to God. Instead of forming an attachment and then asking God to plug on at the end, you need to be attached to God and let him be the bridge that brings you together.

Praying you holy alliances.

Blessings, The B.D.F.

Which star are you?

Greetings Fairy Followers,

The B.D.F. has vivid memories of her trips to camp. One night our speaker sent us out into the night and told us to lay on our backs and find the brightest star in the sky. Once we had located the North Star we each took turns describing which star in the sky we were in relation to that one and why. Were we close and working to become closer? Were we dim and struggling to make light? Were we working so hard to be bright that we were close to burnout?

We came back together as a group and our speaker explained his choice. He said that he had pegged himself as the moon because the sun was the brightest star in our sky and the moon made no light of it's own but only reflected the light of the sun.

This past week we talked about Old School Jesus in Judges. The Israelites were proficient at losing focus. They were as easily distracted as a first grader sitting by the window and they fell into a pattern:

Israel serves the Lord,

Israel falls into sin and idolatry,

Israel is enslaved,

Israel cries out to the Lord,

God raises up a Judge,

Israel is delivered

I like the way it starts and ends...but could we maybe skip a couple of those steps in the middle? Could we serve the Lord without falling away? Not without His constant help and guidance. Not without learning how to reflect the Son instead of striving to shine in our own glory.

Blessings, The B.D.F.

One Marshmallow or Two?

Greeting Fairy Followers,

We kicked off of our discussion of Old School Jesus in Deuteronomy with this video of the Marshmallow test. The ultimate in delayed gratification.



What would you have done? Could you have waited to eat the first to earn the second?

How about now? Are you willing to deny yourself things that seem good now to earn God's best?

This world is only the first marshmallow - with a whole truck load to come.

Blessings, The B.D.F.

Jesus in Numbers

Greeting Fairy Followers,

Your sin will find you out and there will be consequences.

That was one of the main themes when we looked at Jesus in Numbers. Now, I'm not calling Shuffle Your Buns "sinful" but there certainly were consequences for using the chairs in the grotto in a manner more rough than they were intended to be used. Maybe one of my followers could let P.A. know that this game should only be played with chairs with no arms!

The Israelites had to learn this lesson over and over again. In Numbers chapter 21, they disobeyed God. Then God, very justly, sent them a gang of snakes as punishment.

Many times when we sin and then are consequenced, we get mad at God. When we experience an unplanned pregnancy because we chose to engage in sex outside of marriage we ask, "Why me?" When we wind up in the hospital after a car accident because we were driving too fast, we beg for healing. Even lamenting our lack of money when we choose not to work for it, or spend it unwisely.

These consequences are the result of our sin and God lets us experience them to remind us that His ways are the best.

The true blessing, however, is that while He may let us experience the full brunt of our sin, He is always ready to forgive. When the people realized their error and asked for forgiveness, God provided a way by having them lift their eyes to a bronze snake (the universal symbol for the medical profession, by the way).

And today 1 John 1:9 tells us that, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

God wants us to be in a relationship with him. When we sin against God in any number of ways, we break that fellowship with Him. God will go to great lengths to get us back to him. Our sin was crucified on the cross. John 3:15 And this was not in shame but done in GLORY.

Are you in the midst of a consequence right now? Are you complaining about it? Take some time this week to rejoice that God isn't content to let you stay in your sin and praise Him for it.

Blessings, The B.D.F.

Jesus in Genesis

Greetings Fairy Followers,

Welcome to a new school year with the Bible Devotion Fairy. This year our youth group is finding Jesus in the Old Testament. Each week we'll be talking about a different book of the Bible and one verse where Jesus is foretold.

In Genesis the first reference to Jesus is after the fall. Before we screwed up, there was no need for a Savior. We were in perfect harmony with God and creation. Once the woman yielded to the temptation of the serpent, God curses the serpent thus:

Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

The "offspring" to whom God is referring in this verse is His own son, Jesus. When Christ comes, Satan is allowed to "strike his heel." In other words, he is allowed to work in such a way that it appears failure is coming. The community is allowed to crucify Christ.

But once that strike is taken, Christ returns, rises from the dead, and crushes the head of the serpent. Christ takes away Satan's power over death, He creates a new path to God. He removes the fear of a relationship with God and becomes our closest friend.

Even from the very beginning God had a plan and he's still working it out in your life today. Be faithful, followers, and see what He has in mind for you.

Blessings,
The B.D.F.

Okay, tell me...No wait. Don't

Greetings Fairy Followers,

Can't believe the start of the school year is here already! Seems we barely had a summer with only a few 90 degree days and cool breezes, but here we are turning the calendar page.

I've been thinking lately about how much I love a good mystery. You have a crime at the opening and then spend the rest of the 300 pages trying to figure out who done it. Twists and turns, you think you have it figured out and then you're taken down a totally new path. That's when I put the book down and say, "What are you doing? It was him. It was totally him. Grr." Then I dive back in and read to the end.

What this school year is going to bring is, as yet, a mystery to you and me. And how cool that our omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent (all-knowing, everywhere all the time, all powerful) God, who has never and will never know a surprise, endowed his creation with the ability to be surprised. To experience his revelations one step at a time.

So today, instead of growling at God for not showing you the full blueprint of your life, praise him for the ability to be surprised and get in His Word for answers to those questions that are following you today.

Have a blessed school year,

The B.D.F.