Mocked now, but not for Long 3-28-11

“There was nothing beautiful or majestic about His appearance, nothing to attract us to Him.”  Is. 53:2

Our college boys were on spring break last week, and during one of our dinners with extended family, we got to telling “stories of ole”. One of the storylines centered on how our eldest son and friends used to tease younger brother Conner. Our eldest vividly recalled a story when he and one of his buddies regretfully mocked a ‘then much smaller’ younger brother to the point of running for their lives and locking themselves in a room for hours until Conner’s anger subsided. (Unlike Jesus remaining silent when mocked (Matt. 27:12), our Conner did have a breaking point when it came to the scorning of himself.)

Why was this story humorous? Well, a lot has changed these days. In short, Conner’s physical frame, emotional demeanor and spiritual depth have change drastically from those days of ole’. At 6’7” people (esp. his big brother) simply don’t mess with him much.

Why tell this story? Well, hopefully without sounding disrespectful, this remembrance reminded us of a much bigger story: Jesus’ story.

Despite Hollywood portrayals of a good looking muscular chap, have you ever considered that when Jesus walked on this earth as a flesh and blood man, society at that time likely described His physical appearance as an unattractive whippy scrawny dude vs. some kind of a super human hunk?  Check out the scriptures! The text clearly tells us that there was NOTHING about Jesus’ appearance that would have attracted us to Him…nothing. Jesus was mocked and discredited His entire adult life (Scorned in every area of His life, Jesus’ physical, emotional, and spiritual makeup was discredited. Rom. 1:21-22; Lk. 18:32; Matt. 27).

But all of that is about to change. Instead of going away to college and growing up, like our Conner, Jesus ascended to heaven and got Himself one kick-butt glorified body and all the power of the universe to boot. And one day shortly this same Jesus will once again reveal Himself to the world. And what will be her response this time? Shock, as she in horror realizes this Glorious Truth for herself, then recognizes and openly admits that she has been completely WRONG, as each one bends a knee and confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord. (Phil. 2:6-11; Rom. 14:11; Rev. 19-22; Is. 45:22-25)

What does all of this have to do with us? Jesus tells us that if we are His followers, we too will be mocked and persecuted during this life (Matt. 24:9; Mk. 13:13). ~~We will be thought of as idiot-fools.

When this happens (not if), let’s remind ourselves of these truths:

·       “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.” 2 Cor. 4:16-18

·       “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.” 2Thess. 1:6-10

God bless you this week!  xoxoxo  ~Shaun and Betsy 

He Calms the Storm 3-21-11

“A fierce storm developed that threatened to swamp them, and they were in real danger.” Lk. 8:23

The first words spoken on our car radio this morning were “Have you got your neighbors picnic set in your yard? … Call it ‘the neighborhood swap meet’! …Damages from this weekend’s storm continue to mount.” ~~ We Cleary’s were out of town this weekend, but as we drove closer to our beloved Santa Barbara Sunday evening, we observed agricultural fields completely under water, the 101 freeway flooded and narrowed to less than 1 lane, 1 accident after another, trees down, debris everywhere, …then back at home, the creek that runs through our property now 40 ft. across and our yard quite rearranged/redecorated. What a sight!

And this morning, we find ourselves in a storm of a different kind with a dear family member in major surgery back in Walter Reed Medical.

We are reminded:

·       Is. 24:20 “The earth staggers like a drunkard. It trembles like a tent in a storm.”

·       Is. 25:4 “O Lord, You are a refuge from the storm. To the needy in distress, You are a shelter from the rain and the heat.”

When calamity overcomes us like a storm, when we are engulfed by trouble, when anguish and distress overwhelm us we are wise to remember, Ps. 107:29 “He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves.”

God bless you this week.

Much love,

Shaun and Betsy

Spread the Fleece 3-14-11

“For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” Acts 5:38-39

Dependence on God:

·       “As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.” 2 Chr. 26:5

·       “The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.’ So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning (dependence on God).” Ex. 17:8-11

Dependence on self:

·       “You have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception…because you have depended on your own strength” Hos. 10:13

·       “But Moses said, ‘Why are you disobeying the LORD's command? This will not succeed! Do not go up, because the LORD is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies’…Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the LORD's covenant moved from the camp. Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah. Num. 14:41-45

Living life depending on God frees us! ~Instead of personally making something happen, when we sense God telling us to do (or not to do something), we’re wise to put in the work towards that end whilst watching God open and close the doors, thus allowing HIM to be in charge of the results.

Ask: What am I doing today in my own strength (no matter how noble)?

Next question: WHY? …Do I actually LIKE being stressed out and maxed?

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Eph 2:10 

Each of us has a unique call…a unique call for every moment of every day through a lifetime.

Question: Am I doing what I am called to be doing right now, no more or no less?

We Cleary’s are certainly asking ourselves this question as we “spread the fleece” in a few areas (Jdgs 6:34-40). Will you join us?

Much love,

Shaun and Betsy

Discerning Opportunities 3-7-11

“Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do.” Eph 5:17
How to best discern opportunities in this life? Before tackling this BIG topic in one little page we’re wise to understand that God has lessons He is determined to have us learn in this life, and He will creatively use many vehicles to this end. Our personal opportunities aren’t as important as what we do with them and how we do it.

What we do with “opportunities” and our personal conduct is a direct reflection of what we truly believe. Question: Are our daily choices and bigger decisions based on eternal perspectives or are they primarily influenced from our temporal earthly vantage point?

In Num. 13:17-20 After promising the Israelites a extraordinary land of their own and before blessing them with it, God directs Moses to send some men to explore this land to gather information. Moses obeys God and sends a scout team on a 40-day venture into the heartland of enemy territory. The result? The scouts gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. (Like God promised.) BUT the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large…the land we explored devours those living in it.” Num. 12:28; 32.

We can examine these verses from numerous angles, but the one we’ll highlight here is this: God promised His Jews this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And indeed, after gathering information (as we should do when we are discerning opportunities), this promise proved to be true. But, these scouts also discovered some very real obstacles standing between them and this divine promise.

~Where the Israelites failed was in their next move. Instead of wholeheartedly seeking God and transparently taking their very real concerns to Him (fervent prayer and seeking Godly counsel), they tragically chose to focus on the temporal obstacles and abandon the promise. 


(A side note: Discerning what is of God and what is not of God only comes through fostering a vibrant relationship with God Almighty. In our personal lives we are wise NOT to assume that every good opportunity is of Divine origin.)

Personal example: We Cleary’s are currently in a private time of ‘discerning opportunities’, but let us share with you a time in our past when we were given a divine promise, a promise that manifested itself so differently than what we’d envisioned, we almost missed it. ~This was our move from the Bay Area to SB over 14 years ago.

God made it indisputably clear that we were supposed to sell our business and move to Santa Barbara, but this was NOT something we wanted... or envisioned. (Can you believe this? Not wanting to move to Santa Barbara? Claw marks can still be seen all the way down the 101 from Betsy’s fingernails!) Thankfully we followed God’s lead and made this difficult move. The result? We have been amazingly blessed in so many realms, physically, emotionally and spiritually. But, please don’t assume that because we’ve found blessing, we did not experience hefty difficulty and heartache along the way. Be assured, we did.

The bottom-line? When discerning opportunities, cultivate a vibrant relationship with the Lord, gather information, seek divine counsel, and pray unceasingly for Him to reveal a divine thumbs up or thumbs down. And remember, God’s promise may not be the picture we’ve had in our head.

Much love this week as we walk in faith together,

Shaun and Betsy

After the Thrill, then What? 2-28-11

“…Earnestly I seek You; my soul thirst for You, my body longs for You.” Ps. 63:1

David’s life is a great example for us regarding this kind of dependence (what to do) and of self-reliance (what not to do). ~David was hoisted into fame at an early age. His new found notoriety was neat for a while, but soon David's fame inflamed David's jealous king . It was while running for his life from this mad-man, King Saul, that David penned this verse: “O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirst for You, my body longs for You, in this parched and weary land.” Ps.63:1

How did David’s Lord respond to his plea? God provided protection, sustenance, and companionship within each grave situation to which David found himself. ~~David’s needs were met spiritually, emotionally and physically when he chose to continually seek God with whole-hearted dependence.

Here in the United States today, we may not find ourselves running for our literal lives like David or present day believers in Sudan, but God and His principles are the same: “I am the Lord, and I do not change.” Mal.3:6. ~~ So right now, today, the question is still the same: With our personal nuisances, heartaches, catastrophes, AND blessings, are we choosing to seek God with all of our heart, mind, and strength in a very literal way? Or in actuality, are we self-reliant, choosing to put on the 'Christian guise" and give God mere lip-service, all the while duping ourselves most of all?

Personal example: Saturday was a day of heightened emotion as we Cleary parents got to witness our daughter and her high school water polo team secure a national championship victory with their 67^th consecutive win.

To say there was “excitement” at this game would be quite an understatement. ~But just 2 short days later (today), as the saying goes, “all things that go up must sooner or later come down.” 

It is so fascinating to observe how individual players, parents and fans are making the transition from “HIGH” back to “normal”. ~And the ease or difficulty of this process, appears to be directly correlated with where each person has chosen to place his or her trust, security and happiness. (In God? Or in something other than Him, no matter how noble?)

Even we Cleary’s regretfully discovered ourselves acting like adult infant-wankers yesterday as Shaun headed out on another business trip. Thankfully it was short lived. (During Shaun’s long drive and Betsy’s yard work, God spoke individually to both of our hearts something to the effect, “You are BOTH big babies…not one or the other, but both of you. S&B, grow up. Put down your pride, pick up that phone and get it right between you 2 NOW!”) ~Gratefully, we both do cultivate a vibrant relationship with God and we both sensed His chastening. And literally, within the 1^st 5-10 sec. of our phone conversation, we were joyously restored.

The point? Circumstances may differ or change from generation to generation and culture to culture, but God and His principles do not. Just like with Uzziah, when we seek Him with the big and small areas of our lives, He will be found by us, and He will grant us success. 2Chr. 26:5.

Big hugs,

Shaun and Betsy

How Can I Keep Silent? 2-22-11

“But Peter and John replied, ‘Do you think God wants us to obey you (the religious leadership) rather than Him? We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we have seen and heard." Acts 4:19-20

Peter and John could not be silenced. Despite the threat of being beaten, imprisoned and death, they had simply witnessed too much to deny it all now. ~And apparently so had the religious leaders as they asked themselves, “What should we do with these men? We can’t deny they have done a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it.” Acts 4:16

2000 years later, worldwide, this equation is the same: Christ-followers that have simply witnessed too much and cannot stay silent vs Christ-haters that are intent on silencing them/us.

A personal story: Friday late afternoon, we Cleary’s happened into a SoCal coffee shop in to escape the rain and hail outside. Shaun and I had just sat down with our coffee in hand when I overheard a woman behind me exclaim, “I know there is a god. I know I can talk with god. But I don’t know much else, and my life is so messed up.”

It was less than a minute prior that I had just opened my bible for some personal “filling”. My chair sat 2-3 ft. away from this woman’s voice, and as I sat, I heard another female voice answer the 1st, giving me a pit in my stomach.

My heart then began beating quite hard as I looked up wide-eyed at my Shaun, but he was busy checking e-mails and had completely missed what I had unintentionally overheard. But God had heard, and quickly spoke to me words to this effect: “Betsy, DO SOMETHING NOW… I’m right here with you”. ~~My mind started to race, “What to say (if I do), Lord?...What if this other women is trying to convert this young searcher to something other than knowing Jesus, and makes a scene if I say something contrary to her agenda?...What if the young seeker reacts poorly and I’m made a fool in this capacity-filled coffee shop?...etc. etc.”.

Right then, Jer. 29:11-14 came to my mind, and I felt prompted to write it down on an index card. ~So I did, adding “Jesus” in parentheses after every reference to God. “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord (Jesus), plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me (Jesus) and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I(Jesus) will be found by you…and will bring you back from captivity.” ~~~Then I prayed for the opportunity to say “hi”, explain my odd actions, briefly share my personal ‘God-quest story’ and hand the woman this index card…all in under 60 sec.

White knuckled, I prayed, stood, smiled, and with the love of God, shared my heart and handed the card to this young woman. And to my amazement (and relief) both smiled widely, and later, stopped by the table I’d relocated to and thanked me.

Why share this story? I don’t’ really know. These kinds of stories happen to Shaun and me kind of regularly. ~Perhaps we share this to be a source of encouragement? Folks tend to assume that because we look confident and we do share our faith regularly, that when God prompts us to “GO”, it’s always easy. And this is simply not the case. But when God says “Go!” what we have learned is to go directly to prayer, because in doing so, we allow God to be the spokesperson through us (leaning not to our own talents), entrusting Him with the process and with the outcomes … because He cares SO MUCH.

Let’s let our light shine this week… How can we remain silent when we’ve witnessed so much? ~Our world is so desperate for what only He can offer.

Much love,

Shaun and Betsy

Real Love 2-14-11

“…if I didn't love others, I would be of no value whatsoever.” 1 Cor. 13:3b

Below is a lesson to us from the Author of Love Himself (with some practical application). Today, on this Valentine's Day, we pray you sense the warmth of His loving embrace. 

Love is patient: Even though I may be eager to have my needs met and my dreams fulfilled, I won’t demand instant satisfaction from God or people. And with God’s strength, I will persevere through misfortunes, troubles, offenses and heartache.

Love is kind:  I will endeavor to see people and circumstances in my life through God’s eyes, and not according to what is “presented” or according to my personal perceptions. Then I will chose to allow His love to charitably guide my interactions.

Love does not envy: I will choose to find my security and my identity in God.

Love does not boast and is not proud: I recognize that all my talents and successes in this life are gifts from God, and are not for me to claim for myself.

Love is not rude or self-seeking: I will endeavor to give others the same consideration, courtesy, respect and attention that I would give to an honored guest, and regard another’s needs as important as my own.

Love is not easily angered: I will trust God, knowing that He is in complete control of all circumstances, and that He will give me discernment, peace and self-control in tricky contentious situations.

Love keeps no record of wrongs: When I have been hurt or wronged, I will choose to forgive and move on without keeping score, whilst guarding my heart.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in truth: I will daily ask God to break my heart with what breaks His, and to give me joy in the things that give Him joy.

Love always protects: I will keep to myself minor errors and faults of others.

Love always trusts: I understand that people will fail me, but God is ALWAYS faithful, and I will choose to entrust myself to Him.

Love always hopes: As I daily draw near to God, I will ask Him to infuse me with the knowledge of His promises, and then with full confidence, I will choose to trust Him at His Word.

Love always perseveres: With Jesus as my ROCK, in life’s difficulties I will live in His strength and not my own, and I will choose to bravely and calmly bear ill treatments.

Love never fails: God is always here for me. He sees all, is intimately acquainted with all my wayward thoughts and motivations, Knowing all this, He chose to die for me, so that He can live eternally with me. How priceless is His unfailing love! Ps.36:7

Loving like this is a tall order and a seemingly impossible task at times. But rather than feeling defeated from the start, we're wise to remember this: when God instructs, He ALWAYS equips!

Much love you, our friends, this Valentine's Day!  ~Shaun and Betsy