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    Trinity
    Trinity
    Trinity
    Ebook168 pages2 hours

    Trinity

    By Joyce Long

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Is God detached and irrelevant? Does he even exist? Perhaps you've never considered God as a three-strand cord—unified in strength but approachable and personal. Trinity illustrates God's interaction with and within us. To discover the fullness of God is to begin living a life of love, forgiveness, and peace.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCrossLink Publishing
    Release dateDec 28, 2018
    ISBN9781386462422
    Trinity

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      Book preview

      Trinity - Joyce Long

      Foreword

      Because I have a job in which I read and critique writing for a living, a lot of words have come before my eyes over the past two decades. Clearly some are more appealing than others. Yet it’s a breath of fresh air when I find an author whose words captivate me, causing me to want to read more.

      Joyce Long is one of those breaths of fresh air. Reading her work throughout my years of magazine editing at The Lookout engaged my senses and my spirit—as well as my attention.

      After working with Joyce for some time, my confidence in both her writing and her dependability blossomed. When she suggested an article idea, I said yes. I knew she would take on any topic with care, finding a way to intertwine aspects of faith with everyday living. And when we had a need to fill, I knew I could call upon Joyce because she was willing to create quality pieces on a variety of subjects. In fact, when I recently began my own writing project, I sought out voices who have moved me over the years—and Joyce was one of the first authors I called upon to participate.

      The power of Joyce’s writing is her willingness to be vulnerable and pour her heart into her words. She writes about what she has lived, and she has lived in search of God’s truth and grace. She is unafraid to weave her own exploration of faith and her life experiences into her work, and that resonates with her readers.

      Joyce’s background has equipped her well to examine Scripture and write in ways to encourage biblical growth. Her education in the fields of English and journalism prepared her writing skills, while years spent working in the Church continued her spiritual development. Perhaps what also endears me to Joyce as not only an author but a sister in Christ is that she lives out what she believes. Even now she spends her time on God’s work among people in need. While serving on the board of directors for the Center for Global Impact, Joyce combined her talent and her compassion to further make a difference for God’s Kingdom.

      Studying God’s Word and then teaching it to others, in any form, takes time, commitment, and a higher level of accountability. As James noted, Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly (James 3:1). Truly God entrusts certain people with this task, to investigate the Bible and then present it with conviction, honor, and truth. Joyce has taken on that mantle with humility.

      Reading Joyce’s work challenges me to investigate Scripture and reevaluate how to live out my own faith more fully. As earlier noted, I have read many a devotional work in my years working for a Christian publishing house, so to challenge me through writing is difficult—a high bar that I set. I do not offer my praise frivolously. At the same time, as I read what Joyce writes, I feel as if a trusted friend is by my side to walk alongside me through a topic. That is a tone that not all authors can offer, and a gift that not all authors are willing to bestow.

      Now we get to the topic of the book at hand: the Trinity. How do we, finite beings, relate to a mysterious, triune God? Humanity has been on a quest since the beginning of time to reconcile the Father, Son, and Spirit. Simultaneously, we struggle to comprehend how our Creator, Savior, and Comforter can be so vast yet care so much for us. What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? (Psalm 8:4, NLT).

      Joyce takes us on this journey of searching, of asking deep questions in a gentle, unintimidating way. She shares the spiritual queries she has posed, and she reveals the wisdom she has gained. Her words are biblically sound without being unreachable.

      As we take steps together closer toward our gracious Lord, Joyce introduces us to each aspect of the Trinity. Whether we are meeting God for the first time or gaining a new perspective on our eternal King, Joyce helps us grapple with His truth without feeling afraid. We begin to piece together His sovereignty and His grace while finding our place in His plan.

      —Kelly Carr

      Kelly Carr, former editor of The Lookout, is a writing and editing consultant in Cincinnati, Ohio (EditorOfLife.com).

      Preface

      Although its title might suggest that it is a work of theology, Trinity explores God in His three-part nature not to prove it, but to celebrate it and encourage you to walk with Him in love, forgiveness, and peace.

      While I am not a theologian, I was introduced to God as a child. Throughout the years, I’ve studied the Bible and even taught some excellent Kay Arthur and Beth Moore studies. Most recently I’ve learned from Priscilla Shirer’s passion and insight found in her Bible studies.

      But like you, I find many lessons, ones that require a hang-tough faith, are learned during life’s difficult times. That is when I turn to God for strength, trusting in His promises and praying for His grace and power to keep me from sinking.

      As my faith has stretched, God has expanded my understanding. In a sense, this book chronicles much of my journey. A few years ago, when I didn’t feel or see God’s presence in my life, I decided to focus on Him while devotionally reading through the Bible and journaling what I learned. This book evolved from those writings. And during that time, God’s fullness as Father, Son, and Spirit became more real to me. Even though I’ve worshiped God for much of my life, in all honesty sometimes He felt far away. Perhaps you can relate.

      If you are not sure about God, then I hope that my musings will bring His majesty into clearer focus. That is my prayer. Hold on to this biblical truth: Come near to God and he will come near to you (James 4:8).

      If your love for God has grown stale or even disappeared altogether, my prayer is for His Holy Spirit to rekindle its fire within you. If the God of the Bible is foreign, may you meet Him for the first time, stirring a desire to follow His teachings and to trust Him with your life, now and forever.

      May God bless you and yours,

      Joyce Long

      Acknowledgments

      The most difficult part of publicly thanking people is the possibility of leaving someone out. In writing this book, many friends and family have encouraged me during this journey that has spanned almost a decade.

      First, I want to thank my husband, Al, for helping with laundry, errands, and cleaning while I sat at my father’s roll-top desk smacking the Delete button. You know the 10 steps forward, 5 backward kind of progress. He also read each original section and then provided better wording or asked for more clarification. Definitely a man crafted in patience and compassion, my husband never turned me down for yet another edit.

      For all my friends in the Heartland Christian Writers Critique Group who, on each third Monday morning of the month, patiently listened as I read aloud my 1,500+ word segment, I thank all of you for simply not nodding off. Yes, I saw your eyelids droop once in a while. But you always provided insightful feedback. Did it make sense? Could you relate? Where were you confused? Your answers guided my revisions.

      I would not be an author now if not for Janet Hommel Mangas who started Heartland Christian Writers and then allowed me to co-lead for almost a decade. Those writing conference road trips furthered our desire to serve you, Father God, and brought us closer together as faith sisters. We appreciate Michele Harper Israel who now leads Heartland Christian Writers, encouraging the next generation to write for God.

      Since writing can be isolating, after finishing the first draft, I asked friends to provide feedback. Special thanks to Cheryl Ewbank whose honest appraisal led to the last section being revised; to Cheryl Fitzgerald, Diana Satkamp, and Mary Hershberger whose careful suggestions spurred me to develop ideas more thoroughly; to Jennifer Young, Pati Page and Lorraine Richardson who have encouraged me since the beginning to finish this work; to Seana Zoderer whose kind and gentle spirit assured me this book would be used by God; to Yolanda Manson for her photographic editing expertise. Finally, heart-felt appreciation to Donna Kelker, who gently nudges me to serve God in respect life issues and encourages me to write for His Kingdom.

      A special thanks to my editor Kelly Carr, who not only cheerleads my efforts as a writer, but also with her Holy Spirit-inspired suggestions, makes them 100% better. She read the book objectively and revealed its deficiencies kindly, offering sensible suggestions that enhanced its readability and finesse. Kelly has become more than an editor, but also a vital part of my faith family.

      Finally, I cannot thank CrossLink Publishing enough for believing in me, first in 2009 with Real Mothers: a bible study about mothers for mothers and now nine years later with Trinity: Walk in Love, Forgiveness, and Peace. Publisher Rick Bates prayerfully and patiently walks his writers through the publishing process, understanding that CrossLink’s books minister to millions of people. May God greatly bless him and his amazing staff.

      Introduction

      Walk in Love

      Walk with me for a few moments through the streets of Mombasa, Kenya, a coastal city in East Africa. Skinny roasted chickens hang from jute in open-air sidewalk stands. Flies constantly swarm the blood-dripping raw meat but are swatted away by hovering customers. Fresh mango and papaya invite passersby to dig through their pockets for a few shillings. People study the pavement, heads down, hoping not to fall on the cracked, broken-up concrete while dodging the dusty green vans whose sweat-drenched drivers swerve onto sidewalks, screeching for more passengers. Turn a few corners. and then you see it—Mamboxini Street, literally translated, my box.

      Here kids hang out, their number calculated to be close to 30,000, ages toddler to teen. Not only that, here is where they sleep, play, and eat. Ebony skin hangs on their ribs. Their eyes, glazed from a glue-sniffing stupor, pierce you. They run up, grab your hands, and then demand either in English, Swahili, or both: I want to go to America. Do you have any money? Where’s the food?

      With their plastic bottles filled with scavenged industrial strength glue tucked under their upper lips, the kids stand glazed, staring through you and past you. Numbed by the inhalant, the runaways radiate an uneasy, unseen pain mirrored in their huge eyes. Most likely scenes of parents dying, babies starving, and harsh uncles

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