June 2002
Page 1 - Beware of the Stronghold of Cold Love By Francis Frangipane
Page 2 - God Will Guide Us By Kevin McClure
Page 3 - Beauty By Mary Ann Herzan
Page 4 - A Lutheran Charismatic Bible School
Page 5 - Q & A - Speaking in Tongues By Paul Anderson
Page 6 - Directors Note
Beauty
By Mary Ann Herzan"…Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary." PSALM 96:6
What moves you? What touches your heart? Is it the fragile beauty of a newborn child or delicate flower? Is it the rugged beauty of the mountains or a majestic steed running full strength in the wind? Most of us are stilled, held in awe, by true beauty. Even those who desecrate it do so, I believe, because beauty convicts their heart and they must stamp out its witness against them. God has created us with the capacity to behold beauty both with our eyes and with our hearts. His creation is resplendent with so much that is beautiful. He could not help but create it this way, as each attribute of His personal nature is beautiful in perfection and all creation is but a reflection of that within Him. Does the Word not tell us, "As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His people…" (Psalm 125:2), and "I will be as the dew to Israel; he shall blossom as the lily…" (Hosea 14:5)? Even His anger, like the roaring sea, is beautiful because it bears no hint of corruption; it flows from perfect love and perfect justice.
Beauty does touch us; beauty changes us; it draws us higher. When I was a little girl I would often have summer visits to a cousin's farm. We would "swim" in what was the watering hole for the livestock, located in a back pasture. It was small, dirty, and left us with a terrible rash, but I thought it was a wonderful, beautiful "lake." However, after time I saw Shady Oak Lake…then I saw Lake Minnetonka…and then I saw Lake Superior! One of my heart's desires is to live in a log cabin by a lake. Do I dream of it being by the livestock watering hole? No. Nor do I dream of it being by Shady Oak or Lake Minnetonka. I want Lake Superior! Its beauty has captivated me and drawn me on an annual trek to its shores for over 35 years.
What causes us to let go of the less desirable "watering holes" and small lakes of our lives? It is not because others or even Jesus coerce us, but the experience of something more beautiful and wonderful. If all I had known was the livestock watering hole and someone had told me about Lake Superior, I would probably have been curious, but it would not have drawn me from the watering hole because it was all I knew. But once I experienced Lake Superior, the watering hole and lesser lakes lost their draw.
Rev. Charles Miller shared a precious quote with me from the writings of the Desert Mothers: "The spiritual journey is only one yard long and miles deep." These words describe our life in Christ. We take one step into Him and then spend a lifetime discovering the riches of our inheritance in Him-an inheritance of beauty (Romans 11:33 and Ephesians 1:3).
We may be about our busy lives, even our busy Christian lives, and find nuggets of His beauty now and then. But how much more will we "see the King in His beauty" if we, like David, become intentional seekers and create a time and place where He can open His heart to us (Psalm 27:4). He longs for us to know Him and He longs to call forth His own beauty within us.
"For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation." Psalm 149:4
Mary Ann Herzan is director of David's Heart, a ministry of East Immanuel Lutheran Church, St. Paul, MN, which seeks to encourage the body of Christ in wholehearted devotion to the Lord. The above is adapted from a devotional book Mary Ann is writing called, Parables of the Lake. If you would like to invite Mary Ann to speak at your event, you may contact her by e-mail at: "davids_heart@juno.com".
