Why the Boy Threw the Clock Out the Window

Why did the boy throw the clock out the window?

So he could see time fly!

Well, my friends, I do not have to throw my clock out the window to see time fly...it is already flying by far too fast as it is. I was astonished this morning when I realized that it has been six whole months since I first set foot in Zambia, Africa on a one-month-long missions trip.

Six months.

Sometimes it seems like six years, and other times it seems like yesterday.

Not a day goes by that I don't think about this strange, special place that has so occupied my mind, and the wonderful, beautiful people who have so occupied my very heart.

The day I arrived home, my thoughts were so full of Africa that I could not sleep without dreaming Zambia, could not speak without telling about Zambia, could not eat without recalling the Zambian food that had sustained me for a whole month, could not think without remembering Zambia, could not even walk down the street without seeing something that brought back memories of Zambia like a flash. Every taste, every sight, every smell, every sound startled me, either because of its similarity to my beautiful Zambia or because of its stark opposition.

I welcomed the memories. I held on to the dreams.

I thought, "Soon the day will come when you won't think about Zambia every waking hour, so enjoy it while you can." Well, "that day" still hasn't arrived. I still think of Zambia every day, although thankfully with a little less intensity than in the beginning.

When I was preparing to go to Zambia, so completely unaware of what my future held there, I thought, "When a place really grabs ahold of someone's heart, sometimes after they return they'll sob uncontrollably into their pillows at night because of their longing to be back in that special place. I wonder if I'll be like that."

You'd think. At least, you would if you knew how emotional I can be.

I was wrong. After I returned, I would clutch at my pillow, wishing I could tear it to shreds or punch it or throw it through the window, because I couldn't cry even when I tried to make myself. I wondered why. I still do. Only now I know, as I could not have guessed before I went to Zambia, that my desire to cry, the steady ache in my heart, the overwhelming parade of thoughts that came every single day and night...now I know that these did not come because of the beautiful, special place I was in. I was not longing for the scrubby trees or the red dirt or even the vast display of stars that shone overhead each night.

I was longing for the people.

In Zambia, a very wise person told me this: "It's not the places you go, it's the people you're with."

I can't think of a single thing in that statement that I could possibly argue with in this case.

Sure, I miss the scenery. Sure, I miss the beautiful stars. Okay, and sure, I even miss the pet cat that sat outside of my cabin door and squalled at me. I could cry for those things. (Well, maybe not for the cat...)

It is the relationships, the new friends, the new family that God gave to me. Somehow I had never realized that after meeting all of these people, after blessing them and being so blessed in return, that a day would come when I would have to say goodbye.

It is the prayers, the tears, and the laughter that tug at my heartstrings. It is the spiritual conversations, the lively debates, the beautiful fellowship, the singing and dancing that make me so happy, and yet so full of longing. It is the joy I saw written on so many faces, the chorus of "Amen, and praise the Lord!" that spilled from their lips, the eagerness of young men and women to share the gospel that both inspires me and causes me to miss these people very deeply.

I was so convicted, so challenged, so broken by God there. I was uplifted and renewed. I was changed. I was taught a great many things that, without this trip to Zambia, would have likely taken years to learn in some other not-so-challenge-ridden environment.

I am so blessed.

The pain of being separated from the Africans and the American missionaries I met there is bittersweet, my friends. Bittersweet. There is pain, yes. There are moments of "I-wish-I-could-just-let-it-all-out," yes. But in the midst of those moments, there is yet a Hallelujah chorus playing in my ears.

Without my Lord and Savior, my life would only have the bitter and none of the sweet. Without bitter, there is no sweet. My life is richer having spent one month serving in Africa -- if only I could explain to you how much richer! And my life after serving in Africa has been richer and fuller than I would have thought possible the day I stepped back into the United States of America. Since I have returned, God has presented to me opportunities to make His name -- and His glorious salvation! -- known to others, opportunities that I can clearly see that He prepared ME for while I was in Zambia.

Even as I think of my dear brothers- and sisters-in-Christ who are in Africa and am filled with the desire to return there someday, I know full well that I am blessed in my pain. To be filled with such good memories -- so good that my heart still aches when I think of them -- is a blessing indeed.

Many of the Psalmists who begin their songs with lamentation and cries to the Lord for help will often conclude with a praise to the Lord. From their sorrow and anger they will do an about-face, sometimes so abruptly that it is almost startling, and begin to bless the Lord for His lovingkindness and faithfulness in the midst of their hurting.

As I close here, I want you to know that I am doing the same in my heart. I began with a measure of confusion and frustration, but it is with gladness that I think of what God has done through my trip to Africa and what He is doing still.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord!

Falling in Love

Once upon a time, there was a young girl. She was too young to know what love was.

Once upon a time, there was a also a man. He knew what love was, and when he saw that young woman, love is what he had for her.

At first the girl was too young to think of him as a love interest. But as she grew older, she heard his name mentioned more and more often. Her parents spoke of him with loving smiles, and her friends with shining eyes. This man was kind and unselfish, continually sacrificing his own desires so that he could serve others. What was not to like?

Finally the girl admitted it. She was interested in him. He sounded quite...extraordinary. But of course he would never notice her. It was impossible!

But he did notice her. He prompted her parents to ask her if she would consider getting to know him better.

With joy, the girl listened attentively to the offer. She spoke with her parents late into the night. They talked of how this decision would affect her life; how getting to know this man would have its difficult and rewarding moments; how she would have to either accept or deny his proposal.

She decided excitedly that she was willing, even eager, to get to know him. With tears in her eyes, she said, "I accept..."

Her life was never the same after that.

She fairly floated up the stairs to bed that night, shivers of excitement coursing up and down her arms.

As you may have already guessed, this girl was me.

The man?

Jesus Christ my Lord.

He saw my sin and my mess and, unfathomably, loved me in spite of it. I accepted His prompting and acknowledged Him as my Lord and Savior...the only One who could save me from my sin. Just as my parents told me, my life was forever changed. I've had very challenging times in my walk with Him, as well as incredibly fulfilling ones. He has never failed me yet.

But I think perhaps this aforementioned young woman still doesn't know as much about love as one would think. So a short while later, as she was wondering what on earth it would be like to have a husband and to be in love, she got out a notebook and wrote down some things:

When I am in love...

I will want...

-to be with my man all the time, day or night;
-to talk to him about anything, exciting and mundane alike;
-to serve him;
-to show him how much I love him by doing nice things for him;
-to work beside him, play beside him, laugh and cry beside him;
-to give him good gifts;
-to simply watch him and learn about him. There will never be an end to the things I will find out about him;
-to do his will--whatever he asks--with a cheerful smile;
-to find out what he thinks about certain things;
-to read our texts and emails over and over again;
-to go out of my way to do things that please him;
-to treasure his gifts to me, and not allow them to get ruined by someone else;
-to tell others about how amazing he is.

I will...

-think back to the time when I didn't know him and wonder how I survived;
-feel warmth and a sense of pride when I hear someone praise him, as though they were praising me;
-draw comfort and courage from him when he is with me.

When he goes away I will long for his safe return, for the time when we will be together again.

I want to KNOW him inside and out.

 When the list was halfway completed, tears began to spill out of this young woman's eyes as she realized suddenly that the way she desired to love her husband was the same way she wanted to love her Savior. What would it be like to long to speak with God, to pore over His word the way one would pore over a love letter, to treasure His gifts, to continually serve Him with cheerfulness?

That's the way a girl should be in love with her God.

That's the way I want to be in love with my God.

Annual Hide-Everything-In-The-Closet Day

November 23, 2015. For some people, this date signified "it's-only-three-days-before-Thanksgiving" day.

November 23, 2015, for others, signified Labor Thanksgiving Day. If you're Japanese, that is.

You know what November 23, 2015 was for me?

My annual Hide-Everything-In-The-Closet Day.

In other words, time for me to clean up my room. Now, as Mary Poppins would say, in every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. For me, the element of fun I find in cleaning my room is when I write blog posts in my head. Very educational, I assure you. Even more educational than snapping my fingers and letting the bed make itself. (I've tried that, by the way. Doesn't work.)

I don't know if any of you have this problem, but often when there is a mess in my room (papers all over my desk, books piled at the foot of my bed, laundry scattered across the floor, and earrings and bobby-pins on my nightstand) for an extended period of time, I soon learn to ignore it. I work around it. After a while, I don't even see the piles of junk and laundry anymore. Yes, it hurts when I trip over an object that has blended into my carpet (and kind of looks like my old pair of rollerblades from two years ago), but I ignore the pain and keep going. Admirable of me, I know. I'm quite proficient at overcoming the obstacles dusty rollerblades in my path.

However, in spite of my blindness to my messy room, my eyes can be opened...especially when a friend stops by and wants to talk in my room. Oops. Excuse the mess. Here's a shovel; you can help me dig a path to my chair so we can sit down and have a chat. Want coffee? There's some in my room from two months ago, if you'd like.

Okay, so that's a huge exaggeration. But still! Once a minor problem, like books all over your bed, has been in your life long enough, you learn to "un-see" it.

On November 23, 2015, after I was finished with my room, I looked around and dusted off my hands with a satisfied sigh. All finished.

I was surprised when I came back upstairs later that night to find, right smack in the middle of my floor, a pair of old rollerskates that I sometimes used for decoration. How had they gotten there? I was shocked when I remembered that, several weeks before, I had decided to put the skates away for the winter since they seemed like too summery of a decoration. I had set them in the middle of the floor to "put away later"...and lo and behold, I'd forgotten all about them. But they were right in the middle of the floor! I stepped on them every night on my way to bed, and yet I'd never thought to put them away!

As I scooped up the skates and put them away (in my closet!), I thought of several other areas in my life that often get messy and neglected. The junk that infiltrates these areas is ignored until at last I can no longer clearly see the damage that is being done.

These areas are my emotions, my heart, and my mind.

When I hear nasty words and I don't immediately root them out, they stay in my head and repeat themselves over and over. When I allow unhealthy emotions in, they wreak havoc with my thoughts. When I let the desires of my heart be consumed with this world, and my heart is no longer focused purely and wholly on Jesus Christ my Savior, I become selfish and hateful. When I care about what people think of me more than I care about what God thinks, I get caught up in jealousy, pride, vanity, and covetousness.

A great passage about seeking Christ instead of this world is Colossians 3. "Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil, desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry." (Colossians 3:1-5)

How much better is our life in Christ than the old one we used to have! But, with our sinful nature being what it is, how can there be victory over evil desires unless those desires are rooted out? And how can our sin be rooted out until we stop ignoring it?! Sin must be dealt with. It is impossible to have a healthy relationship with God when we make light of our sin and try to brush it under the rug.

You know what? It sure is a lot easier to keep up with your room if you just take care of the mess right away, without letting it escalate into a junkyard. Same with sin. When you meet it head-on and nip it in the bud (as Barney Fife would say), it becomes far less time consuming than a junkyard-level sin mess. Sin is addicting. It seems easy to just let it slide in the beginning. But that sliding turns into an avalanche, and before you know it, you're trapped!!

Instead of dwelling on the impurity and the lust and the vanity that is so rampant in this world, focus on a Bible verse that directs you back to Jesus! Have a person in mind to pray for every time you are confronted by sin. Run from it, don't stay and think, "It'll be okay. It's not really that bad."

Harmless snowflakes turn into snowballs, and snowballs turn into raging, destructive avalanches!!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus!
Look full in his wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glorious grace.

On Ketchup and Gay Rights

Some people ask the question, “Are people born gay? Or is it a choice?”

Many Christians would reply, “Well, of course they weren’t born that way! They made the choice to become gay.”

But when faced with the question, “How do you know? Why do you think that?” most don’t know what to say. Some might retort, “In the garden, God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” And while that’s true, how does it help the situation?

So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
    for she was taken out of man.”

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

-Genesis 2:21-25

In the Garden of Eden, God created woman out of man—and when a man and a woman are married, when they “become one flesh,” it pleases God because that is how He made us from the beginning. When a man and a man are together, or a woman and a woman, it is directly defiant to the way God created us to be.

But think of it in terms of ketchup and cantaloupe.

In 1876, Henry J. Heinz created ketchup. And when Henry J. Heinz created ketchup, what do you suppose it was for? It was made to be used as a “table sauce” for hot foods such as hamburgers, fries, sandwiches, hot dogs, French toast, and eggs. (Ketchup is very good on eggs, by the way).

So the creator had a specific purpose for his creation and how it would be used.

But what happens when that creation was used in ways it was not created for?

When my brother and I were little, we mixed ketchup and mustard and dipped cantaloupe in it. It was definitely not a natural taste (it was extremely disgusting, actually), but we eventually grew to like it. In fact, every time we saw cantaloupe on the table, we ran to the fridge for ketchup and mustard.

Ketchup was not invented as a dip for cantaloupe. In fact, if poor Henry J. Heinz knew how I had used his yummy invention, he probably would’ve wrinkled his nose in disgust. In fact, I might even go as far as to say that it would tarnish Heinz’s reputation as a successful businessman if people knew what disgusting concoctions my brother and I made with the ingredient he created.

So.

God created men and woman to glorify Him. That is the purpose of our existence—to glorify our Creator. He created man to go with woman and woman to go with man. And then God’s creation rebelled and decided to use what God had given them in ways that are utterly disgusting. They went against God’s plan and took matters into their own hands. I can guarantee you that God is doing more than wrinkling His nose at the way we have tarnished His reputation as a creator.

The consequence for mixing ketchup, mustard and cantaloupe was a horrendous stomachache.

The consequence for homosexuality is far worse. The wrath of God will fall on those who reject the truth and follow evil. He will repay each person according to what they have done. (Romans 2:5-8)

Henry J. Heniz is dead and can do nothing about the way I have misused his product.

God is most certainly not dead, and He will do something about the way we have misused what He has given us.

An Unexpected Answer

It happened several years ago on a dark, rainy Saturday night.

Lightning was flashing and thunder was booming.

Abby and I stood on our front porch and watched the rain come pouring down, pelting the streets and streaming down from the overflowing gutters. The air was cool and smelled like the storm we were in the midst of. And as we stood there watching the raindrops pounding the ground, we wondered together what the end of the world would be like.

After all, it seemed like the end of the world was nearing. I don't have problems with depression, but with the never-ending rain that blotted out the street lights, the chill in the air, the abandoned streets...well, it WAS rather dismal. With the chilliness of the air came the chilliness of the questions we asked each other, questions to which neither of us had any answers.

I don't remember now the exact words we spoke, but I think our discussion had something to do with God's justice and the tribulation. Questions, questions, questions, but no answers. I think God would have given us the answers through the Bible, or maybe Mom and Dad, had we searched. But we had no time. It was Saturday evening and we had to get to bed. 

In the end, though, God gave us the answers through something completely unexpected.

As you might have guessed *smile*, the next morning was Sunday. At first it seemed like an ordinary day at church. But then our pastor told the congregation that he was going to take two weeks off from preaching in Hebrews and go to a different passage of Scripture. I certainly didn't mind.

In our church, we stand to read the passage of Scripture that Pastor would be speaking on that day. So we stood as Pastor Bob read aloud. I didn't hear anything even remotely shocking.

It wasn't until about five minutes into his sermon that I realized with a jolt that God was speaking through Pastor directly to ME.

As I said before, I don't remember now the exact questions I had been asking myself and Abby about the end times. But what I do remember is that Pastor Bob unknowingly addressed every single question Abby and I had asked each other, and explained very thoroughly the answers to these questions according to the Scripture.

I was stunned.

I kept looking over at Abby to see if she was catching all this. I never caught her gaze, but later she told me that she had been trying to get my attention to see if I had realized just what Pastor was preaching about. As if I could have missed it!!!

God knows what we need before we ask Him.

I have to wonder how many things I would have already received if I would only have asked. God delights in giving to us...but so many times we miss out because we simply overlook the "asking" part.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7, ESV)

Our Heavenly Father loves to give us good things, just like an earthly father delights in showering his little ones with presents. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that we'll get whatever we ask for. That is why my siblings and I have been taught to say, "Lord, if it is YOUR will." Because if it's NOT God's will, then I don't want to be a part of it!

Just before I came on here to finish this post up, I was reading a book called FireStorm, and one of the main characters prayed the following words: "I believe--and I will always believe, no matter what happens--that the eye of my storm will always be smack in the middle of your hand. And there's no place I'd rather be."

I LOVE that. The eye of my storm will always be smack in the middle of my Father's capable, loving hands. And there is truly no place that I, Kaitlyn M. Bergen, would rather be. Lately I have seen over and over again how inadequate I am, but thankfully that bit of knowledge has come right alongside the assurance that for every weakness of mine, God has more than enough strength to carry me through. 

Anyway, that got a little off-subject. Back to asking and receiving, though... James 1 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be giving to him." Well, later on James says this: "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures."

Often when I do remember to ask, it's for the wrong things. God, hurt her since she hurt me! Lord, I'd REALLY like this present for Christmas! God, I want things to go MY way today. Please, don't let Mom call me for help just yet...I want to finish my book first!

My pleasure. My will.

And somehow God loves us! How?

He loved me enough to send me answers, even though I didn't ask for them, even though I didn't pray, even though I didn't cast my cares upon Him. Still, He heard me and blessed me through the way He chose to reveal the answers.

But I'll tell you one thing. Next time I need to call on Him, this will be a reminder to me NOT to hesitate. My loving, all-knowing Creator delights in giving to His children, and if we ask Him to reveal His word to us, He will! Although let me tell you...His answer may not come in a way you'd expect! 

For me it sure didn't!

A Message from the Past

Hello again! [After nearly five months of silence] *embarrassed grin*

Sorry. I didn't mean to be gone so long. I actually had a Christmas post I was planning to bring you -- back around Christmas time. But *ahem* since we're now in May, I shall just leave the Christmasy stuff for next year. If I remember. 

In the first two months of 2015 I was kinda busy (click here if you want to know why), so throughout January and February I had no time to spare. And in March, April and May? Uh, well, I kind of, er...forgot about this blog -- and [unfortunately] my With Eagles' Wings blog too, so you aren't the only ones I've been neglecting.

Moving on.

Guess what I found today?

A message from the past, you say? 

(Whoa, I rhymed! Sounds like the beginning of a poem...)

I found in a notebook of blue and gray

something that I wrote one day.

I must've loved flowers at the time,

because -- oops, that was another rhyme!

Anyways *ahem* I must have loved flowers at the time, because I filled eight pages with my ginormous writing about (ready?) the similarities between (are you sure you're ready?)...Christian life and...flowers. I kind of enjoyed reading it again, because -- this proves that my brain wasn't all fluff back then -- I actually made a few valid points there in my notebook of blue and gray. I think. Okay, so some of it is kind of cliche, but you gotta remember I was a young when I wrote that. 

*Disclaimer - I did alter a few phrases here and there and took out a few sentences that didn't go well with the rest of it.

And now I'll just stop talking and let you be the judge...

~

The seed represents our life growing in Christ. It starts out small, but grows and becomes productive if it is taken care of.

Good soil represents God's word. We cannot grow without sinking our roots into the Bible. A flower in sandy soil will not last very long. It is easy to uproot because it is not firmly planted. If we stay firm in God's word, we will prosper and no one will be able to uproot us!

Sunlight represents our daily experiences. There are bad rays of sunlight and good rays. We learn lessons by everyday experiences...some of these lessons can be good experiences, but others can be bad. [The bad ones] make us want to wilt, just like a flower under the hot sun. The bad-experience lessons come along with the good-experience ones, and we need both kinds to mature into the people God wants us to be. However, when the load seems too heavy to bear...don't fret! God is there to bestow His love and blessings on us....

Rain (or water) represent God's blessings. There are times when it seems that God is pouring down a rainstorm of blessings, yet there are other times when it seems like a drought of hardships has descended on us. Even when tough times seem to be unending, we must realize that God's love is also unending. 

Roots -- As believers, our roots of faith must be anchored deeply in the ground. When storms of worry, trouble or anger come along, we must not be uprooted by them; we must sink our roots of faith into God's soil. We must be prepared for storms, for we undoubtedly will have some. But our faithful, all-knowing Creator knows the storms that come trying to uproot us, and He will steady us with His firm hand.

We view the Garden of Life from the bottom side...all we can see is the crumbly dirt and scrambled roots, and it doesn't make much sense to us. But God can see the Garden from up above -- each one of His colorful, unique flowers -- and He knows exactly where we need to be to make the Garden BEAUTIFUL! So be willing to move when God asks you to. It will make the big picture...well, picture perfect! [that was the cliche part...]

Sometimes it feels as though we're being uprooted and tossed onto the burn pile when God decides to move us. Which brings us to...

Pruning. Yes, we're all a bit frightened by the word "pruning." But again, God is preparing us for the BIGGER picture, the one we'll be able to see from above. If we are willing, God can prune us and make us look whole and beautiful. The thorns of idleness and temptation, the deadness of sin and destruction, the wilting parts can all be cut off to make a new you! The brown, dead, wilting mess can be transformed into a new, pure flower that dazzles the eye!

Consider the lilies of the field; see, they are better dressed than even Solomon and his courts!

Flowers do not question their worth, who they are, or WHERE they are. They bloom for their Creator, not for man. Flowers bloom in rain and in sun; in hard times and in easy times...no matter who is (or isn't) watching or praising them. They glorify their Maker. Flowers bloom in all kinds of places: deserts, meadows, gardens, and even in the sides of cliffs! In beautiful, balmy places, AND in rough, rugged places. Wherever God puts them, that's where they stay and prosper. 

But don't get me wrong...flowers DO die. Some, after dying, spread their seeds so that many new plants are born because of that one death. Our Creator sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us. Because of His death on the cross, many people can have new birth. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and YOU will be saved! 

Just as flowers bloom for their Creator, so we must bloom for ours. God will help us to prosper, and we will begin to bear the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such there is no law.

The Unscrambling of Ephesians 1

Have you ever noticed how the words "He" and "His" are said over 20 times in Ephesians 1...and that, unless you study deeper, you can't really tell the difference between the times when "He" and "His" refer to God and when they refer to Jesus? Well, I had actually never noticed. I guess I always just skimmed over that chapter and never tried to fully understand it. But once you find out which "He"s are talking about God and which are talking about Jesus, it really makes quite a difference in the level of your comprehension.

During family devotions one night, Dad had us go through those verses in Ephesians 1 and figure out which named belonged to every "He" and "His." It was challenging at times, but it was fun...not to mention the fact that we all came away having a better understanding of that first chapter in Paul's letter to Ephesus.

Take a look at verses 7 through 9. "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him." Not all of those "Him"s are meaning "God." At least two are talking about Jesus.

If you want to read Ephesians 1, the way it is written in the Bible (NASB), click here.

And below is Ephesians 1 with the names God and Jesus instead of He and His. Maybe this will help it make sense, or at least stick in your head a little better. *smile*

(If you see God or Jesus not highlighted, it's because the name was already there and was not in the "He" or "His" form. And as you can see, God is highlighted in green, Jesus in orange, and the Holy Spirit in purple, so that they really stand out to you.)

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as God chose us in Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before God. In love God predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself [God], according to the kind intention of God's will, to the praise of the glory of God's grace, which God freely bestowed on us in the Beloved [Jesus Christ]. In God we have redemption through Jesus' blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of God's grace which God lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight God made known to us the mystery of God's will, according to God's kind intention which God purposed in Jesus Christ with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Jesus Christ also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to God's purpose who works all things after the counsel of God's will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of God's glory. In Jesus Christ, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of God's glory. For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of God's calling, what are the riches of the glory of God's inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of God's power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of God's might which God brought about in Christ, when God raised Jesus Christ from the dead and seated Jesus Christ at God's right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And God put all things in subjection under Jesus Christ's feet, and gave Jesus Christ as head over all things to the church, which is Jesus Christ's body, the fullness of God who fills all in all.

Does that make better sense? I know it completely changed the way I read Ephesians!