As I sit down to write this morning, a Sunday morning that is chock full of things to do, even good things, I realize that I am in danger of missing the whole object of the day.
I have already been to the church to start the coffee pots, and, now after breakfast, I get ready to return. In addition to checking the pots to make sure they are perking, I need to get set up to count all the money that comes in through the offering boxes.
We have it set up so that there are two men each Sunday that take care of those deposits, but this day, my helper has had to go out of town, and I have not heard from my designated backup. So, either the church administrator comes and helps out, or I do it all myself. It is not hard to get it done alone, but correct procedures call for two men for accountability purposes.
Then, after all of that, there is a luncheon for the Discovery Class, a group that is learning about our church in the context of a possible path to membership.
As I read in Psalm 118 today:
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Even though I am technically serving God in all that I do this morning, am I so busy that I do not have time to hear from him? If I concentrate on taking care of the monies from each service, just slipping in to get the sermon, is this honoring God?
Am I any better off than the person who decides to play golf this morning, or work, or just forget God all together?
It is easy to get so caught up in "things", whatever they are, and wherever they are, and just forget. Or assume that just because I am doing these jobs in God's place, that I will automatically be blessed.
God, help me to get this thing right, and give You the rightful place in the Day that You have made.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Blessed or Cursed
Yesterday, I did get up early, and I did look over the readings, and I did think about them for a few minutes, but then the time constraints of the day took over and I did not write. Here is what I took from that Scripture in Luke 6:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
Then I got up early today and the reading was still in the same chapter of Luke's Gospel and I see the continuation of yesterday's in this:
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them."
I see the actions that I need in my life to switch my life from the "Woe to" to the "Blessed are".
Love, Bless, Give
I see those with my eyes on the page, but do I really see them?
God, help me to move those words from my mind on to my heart, so that I might not hear thy dismissal of my life.
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!"
And then the other side:“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
“Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.
“Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.
“Woe to you, when all people speak well of you"
My concern from all of this was: Which one is me?Then I got up early today and the reading was still in the same chapter of Luke's Gospel and I see the continuation of yesterday's in this:
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them."
I see the actions that I need in my life to switch my life from the "Woe to" to the "Blessed are".
Love, Bless, Give
I see those with my eyes on the page, but do I really see them?
God, help me to move those words from my mind on to my heart, so that I might not hear thy dismissal of my life.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Thoughts on Thoughts
On a day, long ago, a visiting preacher came to our church in Knoxville. I do not remember who it was, and why I remember this about what he said, I don't know, but the gist of what I remember about his message was this:
"When we all die, and we appear before God, all He will have to do is turn on that great tape recorder that our brain contains, and we will get to listen to every thought that we have had in our lives."
Now that is one scary idea. The tape does not even have to play out load for all to hear, that would be really bad, but it would just play in our minds, and that would be enough to make us fall on our faces in shame and contrition.
That could be a far-out example, but I thought of it when I read this portion of the Scripture from Luke, chapter 6:
"But he knew their thoughts,"
Jesus knows my thoughts. He sees the good, the bad, and the ugly. He knows what I thought about when I got up early this morning, when I walked and looked at the morning sky, and He knows them now as I sit and write. He not only knows the actual thoughts, He also knows the motivation behind them. He sees the pride behind some of them, the sorrow behind others, and the questioning behind still more.
Now not all of my thoughts are bad, some are really good and upright I know, but some do not deserve to even see the light of day. They need to be stuffed way back in a dark closet and forgotten, forever.
But there is one good thought:
Yes, Jesus does know all my thoughts, the good as well as the not-so-good, but He loves me anyway, and that makes all the difference.
"When we all die, and we appear before God, all He will have to do is turn on that great tape recorder that our brain contains, and we will get to listen to every thought that we have had in our lives."
Now that is one scary idea. The tape does not even have to play out load for all to hear, that would be really bad, but it would just play in our minds, and that would be enough to make us fall on our faces in shame and contrition.
That could be a far-out example, but I thought of it when I read this portion of the Scripture from Luke, chapter 6:
"But he knew their thoughts,"
Jesus knows my thoughts. He sees the good, the bad, and the ugly. He knows what I thought about when I got up early this morning, when I walked and looked at the morning sky, and He knows them now as I sit and write. He not only knows the actual thoughts, He also knows the motivation behind them. He sees the pride behind some of them, the sorrow behind others, and the questioning behind still more.
Now not all of my thoughts are bad, some are really good and upright I know, but some do not deserve to even see the light of day. They need to be stuffed way back in a dark closet and forgotten, forever.
But there is one good thought:
Yes, Jesus does know all my thoughts, the good as well as the not-so-good, but He loves me anyway, and that makes all the difference.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Doing Nature on a Sunday Morning
This past Sunday, we had "Church in the Park" down here on our Island. Our church has done this for a number of years, from back when we were a small congregation, up till today, when we fill a much larger area. I used to walk around the back of the crowd and estimate how many people were in attendance on any particular occasion, but now it is too hard to even get any kind of an accurate figure, so I don't try. It is a good time, and one of the neat things about it is the people who show up at this popular tourist spot by the ocean. You can spot them as they stroll along the path by the Sound, hear the music and are drawn in to participate. Some listen for a few minutes, but others stay for the whole service. Many individuals will say later that they first came to our church after experiencing it at the Park.
Two scenes from Sunday stand out to me this morning. The first happened when the worship leader told us to stand and turn around while singing the next song. As we looked, not toward the stage where the musicians were playing, but toward the water, a sense of the glory of God through His creation filled the place. It was a beautiful moment.
The second was the arrival of one of God's most wonderful creations. While the music played, or our preacher spoke, monarch butterflies began to flit through the crowd, and my attention turned more to the winged creatures than it did to the message of the morning.
The weather was great, there was a little sea breeze through the live oak trees, the bugs were lying low, and some of the little kids were chasing the butterflies in the open space between the congregation and the pastor.
It was easy to worship the creation rather than the Creator, but that would have been wrong, just as wrong as making an idol in the shape of a butterfly and bowing down before it.
Mayre Lou used to have a flight instructor whose favorite line when He wanted to do something else besides go to church on the Sabbath was "I'm doing nature today". I too could have been "in church" but doing nature just the same.
The verse for today in Psalm 97:
The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.
All of the things that we see and admire around us are great, and God has placed them there for us to enjoy, but I pray that He will keep my mind on Him and not just on His.
Two scenes from Sunday stand out to me this morning. The first happened when the worship leader told us to stand and turn around while singing the next song. As we looked, not toward the stage where the musicians were playing, but toward the water, a sense of the glory of God through His creation filled the place. It was a beautiful moment.
The second was the arrival of one of God's most wonderful creations. While the music played, or our preacher spoke, monarch butterflies began to flit through the crowd, and my attention turned more to the winged creatures than it did to the message of the morning.
The weather was great, there was a little sea breeze through the live oak trees, the bugs were lying low, and some of the little kids were chasing the butterflies in the open space between the congregation and the pastor.
It was easy to worship the creation rather than the Creator, but that would have been wrong, just as wrong as making an idol in the shape of a butterfly and bowing down before it.
Mayre Lou used to have a flight instructor whose favorite line when He wanted to do something else besides go to church on the Sabbath was "I'm doing nature today". I too could have been "in church" but doing nature just the same.
The verse for today in Psalm 97:
The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.
All of the things that we see and admire around us are great, and God has placed them there for us to enjoy, but I pray that He will keep my mind on Him and not just on His.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
We Need a "Finest Hour" Moment
One of my favorite people in world history is Winston Churchill, a man of many talents, a man whose career in England had many ups and downs, but who became the man of the hour in WWII, as he rallied the English people and military as they stood up to the overwhelming odds of a war of survival with Nazi Germany.
I have just finished reading a part of his History of WWII, the volume entitled Their Finest Hour, the title of which is taken from one of his speeches to the people he served. The speech is here if you want to hear it as it was given:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsKDGM5KTBY
The famous line:
One of the ironies of history is that once the enemy was defeated in 1945, and England once again could live in peace without the nightly bombing that they had endured, Winston was turned out of office. He had lived and he had served his people well during that time of crises, but it seemed like the people did not want to be reminded of that anymore, they wanted to move on and forget, as soon as possible, what had just happened.
In our country, we are not abut to be overrun by a seemingly unconquerable foe, at least I don't see that near, but we are so caught up with our materialism and our pleasure seeking, along with our abandonment of God in so many places, that we need a restoration of values and morality. In short, we need a "finest hour" moment.
And of course that turns my mind back to II Chronicles 7:14:
I have just finished reading a part of his History of WWII, the volume entitled Their Finest Hour, the title of which is taken from one of his speeches to the people he served. The speech is here if you want to hear it as it was given:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsKDGM5KTBY
The famous line:
Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth lasts for a thousand years, men will still say, “This was their finest hour!”
One of the ironies of history is that once the enemy was defeated in 1945, and England once again could live in peace without the nightly bombing that they had endured, Winston was turned out of office. He had lived and he had served his people well during that time of crises, but it seemed like the people did not want to be reminded of that anymore, they wanted to move on and forget, as soon as possible, what had just happened.
In our country, we are not abut to be overrun by a seemingly unconquerable foe, at least I don't see that near, but we are so caught up with our materialism and our pleasure seeking, along with our abandonment of God in so many places, that we need a restoration of values and morality. In short, we need a "finest hour" moment.
And of course that turns my mind back to II Chronicles 7:14:
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Saturday, September 22, 2012
It Is Not Too Late To Matter
Back a few years, when our church was young, there were not many senior adults in the congregational mix. So, those of us who were somewhat older, tended to band together, and when the church grew and more seniors joined the ranks, they just naturally gravitated to our group.
When the church began to use Home Groups as a vehicle for fellowship and study, the powers that be made the senior adults into one of those, and so it has remained till this day. People have come and gone, but the core of that group is still there.
A couple of Thursdays ago, when this group met, I looked around the room, thought about the ages represented by those folks, and realized that, for the most part, the group was still intact. Our ages run from the low 80s down into the mid 60s, and, although we had received a few widows into our fellowship, the couples that had been a consistent part were still very active and none had lost their mates.
I can remember back when my parents were living, that their latter days seemed to be filled with visits to the hospital, nursing home or even the funeral home, as the marriages around them were split by the death of one partner, but our group had not encountered that.
Then the call came that one of our friends in this group had to be rushed to Jacksonville to have bypass surgery the next day. Mayre Lou and I, along with another couple, made plans to go down to be with the wife as the husband went through the surgery, and so we did.
As we sat in the surgical waiting room, my mind drifted back to the those thoughts from a few nights previous. Nothing speaks more of mortality than a hospital waiting room, and here we were, right in the middle of it.
The surgery was successful, and the man is beginning the recovery process, but, as I read these verses from Psalm 90 this morning, I wondered about how much longer I, or any of the other members of this Home Group, might be around.
"The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;"
Here I stand right in the middle of this projected age span.
Farther down in that same Psalm are these words that become my prayer for this morning:
"Teach us to live wisely and well!"
I don't want to just fill my remaining days with stuff, but with things that matter. God help me.
When the church began to use Home Groups as a vehicle for fellowship and study, the powers that be made the senior adults into one of those, and so it has remained till this day. People have come and gone, but the core of that group is still there.
A couple of Thursdays ago, when this group met, I looked around the room, thought about the ages represented by those folks, and realized that, for the most part, the group was still intact. Our ages run from the low 80s down into the mid 60s, and, although we had received a few widows into our fellowship, the couples that had been a consistent part were still very active and none had lost their mates.
I can remember back when my parents were living, that their latter days seemed to be filled with visits to the hospital, nursing home or even the funeral home, as the marriages around them were split by the death of one partner, but our group had not encountered that.
Then the call came that one of our friends in this group had to be rushed to Jacksonville to have bypass surgery the next day. Mayre Lou and I, along with another couple, made plans to go down to be with the wife as the husband went through the surgery, and so we did.
As we sat in the surgical waiting room, my mind drifted back to the those thoughts from a few nights previous. Nothing speaks more of mortality than a hospital waiting room, and here we were, right in the middle of it.
The surgery was successful, and the man is beginning the recovery process, but, as I read these verses from Psalm 90 this morning, I wondered about how much longer I, or any of the other members of this Home Group, might be around.
"The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;"
Here I stand right in the middle of this projected age span.
Farther down in that same Psalm are these words that become my prayer for this morning:
"Teach us to live wisely and well!"
I don't want to just fill my remaining days with stuff, but with things that matter. God help me.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Going Home......
I read in Luke 4 this morning:
"All who were there, watching and listening, were surprised at how well he spoke. But they also said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son, the one we’ve known since he was a youngster?”
There is a phrase that I have often heard, and often used, that goes something like this:
"You can never go home."
As I tried, in my mind, to put the Scripture passage together with some thoughts from yesterday, while walking this morning, this other thought came to me. Jesus goes back to Nazareth, but the people there could not accept Him in His new role. To them he would always be the carpenter that made things for them, the son of a carpenter, the man they thought they knew.
Yesterday, we spent the day in Jacksonville, at a hospital, sitting with a friend whose husband was having an operation that involved open heart surgery and 4 bypasses. As the day wore on, and the surgery was completed, and all of the particulars of the past few days had been played out in words and thoughts, I had the realization that life for this couple, and for all that knew them, would never really be the same again.
But isn't that the same for all of us? Our lives move on, and no matter how we would like to turn the clock back, and we all do at one time or another, "we can't go home".
Even though, this very morning, I walked right past the house that we lived in for 10 years, I did not live there any more, and could not just begin again right there. I have great memories of living there, and it was a happy place for me, but that house belongs to someone else. I can visit, literally, but can't reside on a permanent basis.
We all have memories, good ones and bad ones, but we can't live there. Life is today.
God, help me to see this day for what it is, with its opportunities and challenges, and help me not to treat it as just another day.
"This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it."
"All who were there, watching and listening, were surprised at how well he spoke. But they also said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son, the one we’ve known since he was a youngster?”
There is a phrase that I have often heard, and often used, that goes something like this:
"You can never go home."
As I tried, in my mind, to put the Scripture passage together with some thoughts from yesterday, while walking this morning, this other thought came to me. Jesus goes back to Nazareth, but the people there could not accept Him in His new role. To them he would always be the carpenter that made things for them, the son of a carpenter, the man they thought they knew.
Yesterday, we spent the day in Jacksonville, at a hospital, sitting with a friend whose husband was having an operation that involved open heart surgery and 4 bypasses. As the day wore on, and the surgery was completed, and all of the particulars of the past few days had been played out in words and thoughts, I had the realization that life for this couple, and for all that knew them, would never really be the same again.
But isn't that the same for all of us? Our lives move on, and no matter how we would like to turn the clock back, and we all do at one time or another, "we can't go home".
Even though, this very morning, I walked right past the house that we lived in for 10 years, I did not live there any more, and could not just begin again right there. I have great memories of living there, and it was a happy place for me, but that house belongs to someone else. I can visit, literally, but can't reside on a permanent basis.
We all have memories, good ones and bad ones, but we can't live there. Life is today.
God, help me to see this day for what it is, with its opportunities and challenges, and help me not to treat it as just another day.
"This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it."
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Consider....
I read in the Psalms this morning, "God opened up the heavens"
Then I read in the Gospel reading, "the heavens were opened"
Then I remember another verse from Psalm 8:
"When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;"
Then I think about the word "consider", look it up in my online dictionary and see that it means, among other things, to think about.
So I go for a short walk and consider the heavens, the work of His hands, and what do I see?
I see the stars. I see the sky as it begins to lighten, the clouds as they reflect those early morning colors, and I feel the beginning of a new day, a day that He has created.
I feel the wind as it blows, and I consider all of this. Things that I do not fully understand, but that I see and feel.
I see order, and I see consistency. I see the result of the Unseen Hand of the Creator, and I marvel at all of it.
And I think, and remember, that God is in control of everything, of all nature that I see around me, and of the events that happened in the past, plus those that will occur in the future.
And I am grateful that I have the time to consider all of this.
Then I read in the Gospel reading, "the heavens were opened"
Then I remember another verse from Psalm 8:
"When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;"
Then I think about the word "consider", look it up in my online dictionary and see that it means, among other things, to think about.
So I go for a short walk and consider the heavens, the work of His hands, and what do I see?
I see the stars. I see the sky as it begins to lighten, the clouds as they reflect those early morning colors, and I feel the beginning of a new day, a day that He has created.
I feel the wind as it blows, and I consider all of this. Things that I do not fully understand, but that I see and feel.
I see order, and I see consistency. I see the result of the Unseen Hand of the Creator, and I marvel at all of it.
And I think, and remember, that God is in control of everything, of all nature that I see around me, and of the events that happened in the past, plus those that will occur in the future.
And I am grateful that I have the time to consider all of this.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Do THEY Need to See, or Do I?
We hear it on every side, "The United States of America is in deep trouble". Headlines scream it, sermons preach it, and politicians tell us that they can fix it. But what is the real answer to this lament?
From Psalm 80 this morning:
"Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved!"
But there was another reading in this early part of this day also. From the Gospel reading given in Luke 3:
"during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."
John the Baptist has appeared on the scene in first century Palestine, preaching a message of repentance, making an impact on the people, and causing many folks to ask the question, "What can we do?"
John answers their question by giving some examples, and, surprisingly enough, these answers have to do with the personal uses of the resources that the people have under their own control. Listen:
"And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”
Share, don't cheat, don't extort, and be content with what you have.
Before I bemoan the state of the country, and cry out for help like the psalmist, perhaps I might look inward and see the state of my own heart and actions.
The problems that face our country are many; politically, economically, militarily, morally and spiritually, but I need to be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem.
Before I cry out to God and plead, "Lord help THEM to see", I need to see and do as HE says.
From Psalm 80 this morning:
"Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved!"
But there was another reading in this early part of this day also. From the Gospel reading given in Luke 3:
"during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."
John the Baptist has appeared on the scene in first century Palestine, preaching a message of repentance, making an impact on the people, and causing many folks to ask the question, "What can we do?"
John answers their question by giving some examples, and, surprisingly enough, these answers have to do with the personal uses of the resources that the people have under their own control. Listen:
"And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”
Share, don't cheat, don't extort, and be content with what you have.
Before I bemoan the state of the country, and cry out for help like the psalmist, perhaps I might look inward and see the state of my own heart and actions.
The problems that face our country are many; politically, economically, militarily, morally and spiritually, but I need to be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem.
Before I cry out to God and plead, "Lord help THEM to see", I need to see and do as HE says.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Sing a New Song...
One responsibility we have, when we are home here on SSI, is to prepare the coffee for the Sunday morning services. This involves our going to the church on Saturday evenings, filling the pots with water and coffee, and getting out all the condiments that go with it. Then on Sunday morning early, I get up and go turn on the pots so they will be all perked when the first people come in around 8. As such, I am out on the road before most of the Island wakes up.
This morning, as I was on my way back home, I had to wait for a light, and, while sitting, just glanced across the street to a relatively new park, one that had been created as a green space where the old Sea Island stables had once been located.
When we came to the Island back in 1995, the stables were in business big time. People would come and take rides on the horses and their route would take them back across the main road so that they could go on out to Sea Island and ride on the beach. So several times a day, we would sit at that light and wait until the string of horses and riders got across to the other side. Between the horses and the roosters that wandered out from the stables to the road, it was an adventure to pull up to that light.
When the stables moved to a new location a little farther out in the middle of the Island, there was much consternation about what would happen to that property. It was a valuable piece of land, situated at one of the major intersections, and consisting of about 2.3 acres. Would it become a small strip mall, a retail store with a paved parking lot, or what?
As I thought about all of that, and then looked at the nice park, full of green grass and old live oaks, that had replaced the old stables, my heart was grateful for all the folks that had made that transformation possible.
Then, right before going back to church for the early service, I read this part of a verse in Psalms 96:
"Oh sing to the Lord a new song;"
Missing a green light,
A quick glance across the street,
A memory of what used to be,
and a gratitude for what now was,
That could be a new song to sing today.
This morning, as I was on my way back home, I had to wait for a light, and, while sitting, just glanced across the street to a relatively new park, one that had been created as a green space where the old Sea Island stables had once been located.
When we came to the Island back in 1995, the stables were in business big time. People would come and take rides on the horses and their route would take them back across the main road so that they could go on out to Sea Island and ride on the beach. So several times a day, we would sit at that light and wait until the string of horses and riders got across to the other side. Between the horses and the roosters that wandered out from the stables to the road, it was an adventure to pull up to that light.
When the stables moved to a new location a little farther out in the middle of the Island, there was much consternation about what would happen to that property. It was a valuable piece of land, situated at one of the major intersections, and consisting of about 2.3 acres. Would it become a small strip mall, a retail store with a paved parking lot, or what?
As I thought about all of that, and then looked at the nice park, full of green grass and old live oaks, that had replaced the old stables, my heart was grateful for all the folks that had made that transformation possible.
Then, right before going back to church for the early service, I read this part of a verse in Psalms 96:
"Oh sing to the Lord a new song;"
Missing a green light,
A quick glance across the street,
A memory of what used to be,
and a gratitude for what now was,
That could be a new song to sing today.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Seven plus Seven plus Seven Equals......
I guess there is a certain amount of pressure this morning. I have put down seven prayers for my eldest son and my only daughter, and now I need to do the same for my youngest son. The pressure is not to pray for each one of them, I do that often anyway, the pressure is to be relevant in their lives without being "preachy". My aim is not to tell each what I think they should be doing, but to pass on the words that I hear from God Himself. Can I be misunderstood? Sure, but I want them to know my heart and to listen for God's voice in the words that I write. In short, I hope that these are not just my words alone.
I read this morning in the Gospel reading:
"What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”
So, with some sense of fear and trembling, I sit down this morning to finish the task. I woke up earlier than usual today, knowing that I needed help in this completion. I read the Psalms and the Gospel, then set out to walk a mile or so in the approaching dawn, to try to hear what words would come to me to speak. The sky was still filled with stars, the air still, the noises not yet apparent in the world around me, only the sound of a rooster signaling the new day and an owl in the distance. In short, a good time to listen and hear.
Now, my kids are all smart, taken from their mother, of course, they are successful, they are great parents, and I guess they all fit the "Lake Wobegon" model, "the men are strong, the women good looking and the kids, above average". They also fit the "American Dream model". They have succeeded beyond what their parents achieved. God has blessed each one in unique ways and their parents are proud of them all.
So, Doug, what do I pray for you this morning?
I pray that God will continue to bless you in your work, your church and your family.
I pray that your influence with those around you, in all those venues, will be filled with Godly wisdom and caring.
I pray that your kids and wife will see in you, the attitude of a servant-leader, one who is not afraid to lead, but does it in a caring and loving manner.
I pray that God will give you the time to be with Him, to hear His voice, so that your life will be filled with Him and not you.
I pray that you will find that balance in your life, that will allow you to be a father, husband, church leader, teacher, and friend. A balance that helps you to take care of all these aspects of your life, without shorting any of them.
I pray that you and your wife will raise up kids that will know Whose they are, and where they are headed.
I pray that, each day, you would realize how much God loves you and how much your parents do also.
Stopping at seven, to be equal with the others, but realizing that there are more I could and should pray for each one, I leave it at that, but need to add one more for me.
Dear God, I thank you for my sons and my daughter. May they continue to bless the lives of their parents. May they live lives that are pleasing to you in every way. Amen
I read this morning in the Gospel reading:
"What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”
So, with some sense of fear and trembling, I sit down this morning to finish the task. I woke up earlier than usual today, knowing that I needed help in this completion. I read the Psalms and the Gospel, then set out to walk a mile or so in the approaching dawn, to try to hear what words would come to me to speak. The sky was still filled with stars, the air still, the noises not yet apparent in the world around me, only the sound of a rooster signaling the new day and an owl in the distance. In short, a good time to listen and hear.
Now, my kids are all smart, taken from their mother, of course, they are successful, they are great parents, and I guess they all fit the "Lake Wobegon" model, "the men are strong, the women good looking and the kids, above average". They also fit the "American Dream model". They have succeeded beyond what their parents achieved. God has blessed each one in unique ways and their parents are proud of them all.
So, Doug, what do I pray for you this morning?
I pray that God will continue to bless you in your work, your church and your family.
I pray that your influence with those around you, in all those venues, will be filled with Godly wisdom and caring.
I pray that your kids and wife will see in you, the attitude of a servant-leader, one who is not afraid to lead, but does it in a caring and loving manner.
I pray that God will give you the time to be with Him, to hear His voice, so that your life will be filled with Him and not you.
I pray that you will find that balance in your life, that will allow you to be a father, husband, church leader, teacher, and friend. A balance that helps you to take care of all these aspects of your life, without shorting any of them.
I pray that you and your wife will raise up kids that will know Whose they are, and where they are headed.
I pray that, each day, you would realize how much God loves you and how much your parents do also.
Stopping at seven, to be equal with the others, but realizing that there are more I could and should pray for each one, I leave it at that, but need to add one more for me.
Dear God, I thank you for my sons and my daughter. May they continue to bless the lives of their parents. May they live lives that are pleasing to you in every way. Amen
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Seven More and One for Me
I realize that my posting yesterday put me in a dangerous place. Since I wrote about 7 prayers for my eldest child, I could not stop there, but continue to think about other specific ones for my others. As I woke up this morning, my first thoughts were about what I could say today. Could I maybe skip that theme and come back to it at a later time?
So, I opened up the computer in this early hour, this early quiet hour, and looked for what God might be telling me to do. Perhaps it would be something that just spoke to me alone, and I could pray for my daughter another day.
When I went to the Psalm reading, the computer tells me that there is an error and no reading is there for today. So I go to the Gospel reading, and what do I see in the first verses of it? This:
“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.”
I know that I may be taking the whole of the passage from John 12 out of context, but could it mean that I need to finish what I began yesterday morning? I sense that I do and so I begin:
What do I pray for my daughter this morning? How can I affirm things that she is already doing and challenge her to continue some paths and reach for newer ones? How can I word each prayer in love for her and gratitude for her life? How can I show my pride in what she has accomplished and my hope for what she will be ,and do in the future?
With God's help I will try.
I pray that her life will show a willingness to be concerned about others less fortunate than she is.
I pray that God will take the liturgy of her church, that she loves so well, and make it as fresh to her as when it was written so long ago.
I pray that God will bless her role as a mother, as she pours into the lives of her two children.
I pray that God will take her vocation as a teacher and role model to new heights, and that He will be glorified in the ideas that she teaches, and the role that she portrays before her students.
I pray that God will take those times that she spends in academic pursuits, especially in her religious studies and conferences, and speak to her in what others have discovered about Himself and His world.
I pray that her family will be united in love for each other and love for those around them.
God, I pray that this girl, that is much like me in so many ways, that I love so much, will be the woman, teacher, mother, wife, and daughter that You want her to be. That You would fill her life with blessings, that she might be able to bless others in Your name and for Your sake.
And now a prayer as I finish.
Thank you God, for giving me this time to reflect on the life of my daughter. May she be Your child in the days ahead in the ways You want her to be, and don't let me brag on her too much.
Amen and Amen
So, I opened up the computer in this early hour, this early quiet hour, and looked for what God might be telling me to do. Perhaps it would be something that just spoke to me alone, and I could pray for my daughter another day.
When I went to the Psalm reading, the computer tells me that there is an error and no reading is there for today. So I go to the Gospel reading, and what do I see in the first verses of it? This:
“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.”
I know that I may be taking the whole of the passage from John 12 out of context, but could it mean that I need to finish what I began yesterday morning? I sense that I do and so I begin:
What do I pray for my daughter this morning? How can I affirm things that she is already doing and challenge her to continue some paths and reach for newer ones? How can I word each prayer in love for her and gratitude for her life? How can I show my pride in what she has accomplished and my hope for what she will be ,and do in the future?
With God's help I will try.
I pray that her life will show a willingness to be concerned about others less fortunate than she is.
I pray that God will take the liturgy of her church, that she loves so well, and make it as fresh to her as when it was written so long ago.
I pray that God will bless her role as a mother, as she pours into the lives of her two children.
I pray that God will take her vocation as a teacher and role model to new heights, and that He will be glorified in the ideas that she teaches, and the role that she portrays before her students.
I pray that God will take those times that she spends in academic pursuits, especially in her religious studies and conferences, and speak to her in what others have discovered about Himself and His world.
I pray that her family will be united in love for each other and love for those around them.
God, I pray that this girl, that is much like me in so many ways, that I love so much, will be the woman, teacher, mother, wife, and daughter that You want her to be. That You would fill her life with blessings, that she might be able to bless others in Your name and for Your sake.
And now a prayer as I finish.
Thank you God, for giving me this time to reflect on the life of my daughter. May she be Your child in the days ahead in the ways You want her to be, and don't let me brag on her too much.
Amen and Amen
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Seven Prayers
In Psalm 72, David prays for his son Solomon, the son that will take over his throne.
"Please help the king
to be honest and fair
just like you, our God.
2 Let him be honest and fair
with all your people,
especially the poor.
3 Let peace and justice rule
every mountain and hill.
4 Let the king defend the poor,
rescue the homeless,
and crush
everyone who hurts them."
I immediately thought about what I pray for my son, and, although this could be risky, because it may look like my prayers are for him to begin doing these things and get right, when, in fact, he has and is doing a lot of this. Thinking along these lines also leads me to things I wish I had done, or done better, when I was in his position, so I pray that he will not do as I did, in the same way.
There is another potential problem in all of this, and that is that since I am concentrating today on my oldest, I must also commit to doing the same for my other 2 kids. Now that should not be so hard, because I do pray for each on a regular basis, but to have to write it all down, now that is the rub.
So, alas, I begin:
I pray that my son will hear from God daily. That he will take the time to read, meditate, pray and listen for the advice and strength that comes from the One who loves him and knows what is best for him in his place.
I pray that he will be the strong Christian father and husband and lead his wife and children in that way, treating them as God wants, with love in all things.
I pray that he will be the servant-leader in his family, community and vocation.
I pray that he will be honest and fair (as in the Psalm above) with everyone that he comes in contact with, and that others will see this in his life.
I pray that he will, indeed, take note of those less fortunate, and share in their suffering.
I pray that he will show, in his positions of leadership, those character traits that bring out the best in others, that he will lead by example in all he does.
I pray that he will do his best in all his endeavors, so that he will not be able to look back later and wish he had done more.
Seven prayers must be good, although there are others that I probably should have written. I am proud of my oldest, he has done exceedingly well, and God has blessed him. With blessing comes responsibility, and he is definitely a responsible man. I thank God that he turned out so well.
Good grief, now I've got to do 2 more kids.
"Please help the king
to be honest and fair
just like you, our God.
2 Let him be honest and fair
with all your people,
especially the poor.
3 Let peace and justice rule
every mountain and hill.
4 Let the king defend the poor,
rescue the homeless,
and crush
everyone who hurts them."
I immediately thought about what I pray for my son, and, although this could be risky, because it may look like my prayers are for him to begin doing these things and get right, when, in fact, he has and is doing a lot of this. Thinking along these lines also leads me to things I wish I had done, or done better, when I was in his position, so I pray that he will not do as I did, in the same way.
There is another potential problem in all of this, and that is that since I am concentrating today on my oldest, I must also commit to doing the same for my other 2 kids. Now that should not be so hard, because I do pray for each on a regular basis, but to have to write it all down, now that is the rub.
So, alas, I begin:
I pray that my son will hear from God daily. That he will take the time to read, meditate, pray and listen for the advice and strength that comes from the One who loves him and knows what is best for him in his place.
I pray that he will be the strong Christian father and husband and lead his wife and children in that way, treating them as God wants, with love in all things.
I pray that he will be the servant-leader in his family, community and vocation.
I pray that he will be honest and fair (as in the Psalm above) with everyone that he comes in contact with, and that others will see this in his life.
I pray that he will, indeed, take note of those less fortunate, and share in their suffering.
I pray that he will show, in his positions of leadership, those character traits that bring out the best in others, that he will lead by example in all he does.
I pray that he will do his best in all his endeavors, so that he will not be able to look back later and wish he had done more.
Seven prayers must be good, although there are others that I probably should have written. I am proud of my oldest, he has done exceedingly well, and God has blessed him. With blessing comes responsibility, and he is definitely a responsible man. I thank God that he turned out so well.
Good grief, now I've got to do 2 more kids.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
The Word for Today Is.......Rock
There are so many definition of rock and so many usages of that word, so I will start with some that I don't mean to write about.
Not Rock and roll music
Not Rocking the boat
Not 98.3, The Rock
Not a WWE personality
Not even Pet Rocks or Moon Rocks
NOT
OR EVEN "The Rock"
I read this verse in Psalm 62 this morning:
"On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God."
I read the verse, and then I walk. As I walk I begin to think about what the rocks are in my life. Rocks that I treat as security, either now, or ones that I have clung to in the past.
There are rocks such as Health, Reputation, Money, Abilities, or even Relationships. Not that any of those are bad, per se, but do they mask what is really important.
There is an old hymn that goes like this:
"On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.."
Nuff said...
Not Rock and roll music
Not Rocking the boat
Not 98.3, The Rock
Not a WWE personality
Not even Pet Rocks or Moon Rocks
NOT
OR
OR EVEN "The Rock"
I read this verse in Psalm 62 this morning:
"On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God."
I read the verse, and then I walk. As I walk I begin to think about what the rocks are in my life. Rocks that I treat as security, either now, or ones that I have clung to in the past.
There are rocks such as Health, Reputation, Money, Abilities, or even Relationships. Not that any of those are bad, per se, but do they mask what is really important.
There is an old hymn that goes like this:
"On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.."
Nuff said...
Monday, September 10, 2012
Truth is Hard..
I'm not always sure why a particular word or verse appears to jump out at me from any one reading, but I suspect that God has buried down in my thoughts, some idea that I need to look at. Or it may be that the idea has been planted long ago and still lies dormant without producing any fruit.
Regardless, here is what I read this morning from John 11:
"For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
The word poor appears 205 times in the Bible (I used the King James Version for my search), all the way from Genesis to Revelation. This word is used in a variety of ways, but I tried to focus in on my individual responsibility to the needy, because I feel that was what God was calling to my attention, again.
Then, somewhere out of my past, I remembered a phrase, also from the KJV, that was an admonition about the poor, so I searched for that. I found this in Proverbs 29:7:
"The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it."
So what is the "cause of the poor"? What responsibility do I have in this matter? I am only one man, in a sea of poor and hungry, what in the world can I be expected to do, or even think about? From Deuteronomy, chapter 15:
"7 “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, 8 but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. 9 Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly[a] on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin.10 You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.11 For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’
Then there is Jesus talking to the rich young ruler, in Matthew 19:21:
"Jesus said unto him, If thou wouldest be perfect, go, sell that which thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me."
I catch the drift of this Old Testament law and this New Testament challenge by Jesus, but where do I fit in. I want to do what God says, but how far do I go?
It seems to be not how little I can do to meet the minimum requirement, but how much I really care for someone else, someone in trouble.
I know the truth of all of this, but still have a hard time doing it. From John 8:32:
"and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
If I only follow it..................
Regardless, here is what I read this morning from John 11:
"For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
The word poor appears 205 times in the Bible (I used the King James Version for my search), all the way from Genesis to Revelation. This word is used in a variety of ways, but I tried to focus in on my individual responsibility to the needy, because I feel that was what God was calling to my attention, again.
Then, somewhere out of my past, I remembered a phrase, also from the KJV, that was an admonition about the poor, so I searched for that. I found this in Proverbs 29:7:
"The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it."
So what is the "cause of the poor"? What responsibility do I have in this matter? I am only one man, in a sea of poor and hungry, what in the world can I be expected to do, or even think about? From Deuteronomy, chapter 15:
"7 “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, 8 but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. 9 Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly[a] on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin.10 You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.11 For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’
Then there is Jesus talking to the rich young ruler, in Matthew 19:21:
"Jesus said unto him, If thou wouldest be perfect, go, sell that which thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me."
I catch the drift of this Old Testament law and this New Testament challenge by Jesus, but where do I fit in. I want to do what God says, but how far do I go?
It seems to be not how little I can do to meet the minimum requirement, but how much I really care for someone else, someone in trouble.
I know the truth of all of this, but still have a hard time doing it. From John 8:32:
"and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
If I only follow it..................
Saturday, September 8, 2012
A Word....
I actually woke up yesterday morning with a word on my mind. A word that I did not even know how to spell and surely did not know the correct meaning of. But since I had an early tee time with my group of golfers, I only had time to look it up in the online dictionary, and then go on my way.
But there it was again this morning, sitting on my computer, seemingly waiting for more reflection on my part. Was God trying to tell me something? I'll take it as that, and so I delve deeper and try to see what meaning there is for me today in my life.
Is it some great religious word, a word used by clerics of old, one that I can use to expand my spiritual knowledge, or just one that shows me a little more of myself? I'll decide that later.
The word is impervious and my dictionary defines it thusly:
incapable of being influenced, persuaded, or affected:
Sounds like the description of a man that cannot be moved, which, I guess, can be good or bad.
We live in an information age. We are constantly barraged with data and opinions, things that can be spun to show a certain angle. Images can be photoshopped to give out a certain message. Words can be left out of an interview that can change the message that the speaker wanted to give out. How do we decide?
Every four years we live through an intense political season. It seems that this year the electorate is pretty much split down the middle, depending on which poll you reference. Of course I "know" which side is right and can't understand why the opposite side is so impervious to reason on this. Could it be that I am the one who is impervious?
No Way! All the news that I take in, the news channel that I watch, the blogs that I read, the opinions of friends around me, all point to the same logical conclusion. I am not just "set in my ways" I am "right", no doubt about it. Why can't everyone else see it the same way? Are they just impervious to reason?
This does not have to be only about politics. It can cover the whole spectrum of life, even the spiritual. Do I have wisdom on all of this or am I just stuck in the mud? Can God still break into my rut and show me truth? I pray so.
As I sat down this morning, the Examen.me website asked me for my prayer as I began. This is what I wrote today:
Dear Jesus, I would claim the promise that Your mercies are new every morning. I need them this day as I have in all the previous ones, even when I don't think of that, or think that I do need them. As I sit here I'm not even sure of what all that means, but somehow sense that it is true. So be merciful to me a sinner, right now, and for ever more.
Amen
As I end the time, my prayer would be that God would lead me in all truth, and that I would not be impervious to that.
Amen and Amen
But there it was again this morning, sitting on my computer, seemingly waiting for more reflection on my part. Was God trying to tell me something? I'll take it as that, and so I delve deeper and try to see what meaning there is for me today in my life.
Is it some great religious word, a word used by clerics of old, one that I can use to expand my spiritual knowledge, or just one that shows me a little more of myself? I'll decide that later.
The word is impervious and my dictionary defines it thusly:
incapable of being influenced, persuaded, or affected:
Sounds like the description of a man that cannot be moved, which, I guess, can be good or bad.
We live in an information age. We are constantly barraged with data and opinions, things that can be spun to show a certain angle. Images can be photoshopped to give out a certain message. Words can be left out of an interview that can change the message that the speaker wanted to give out. How do we decide?
Every four years we live through an intense political season. It seems that this year the electorate is pretty much split down the middle, depending on which poll you reference. Of course I "know" which side is right and can't understand why the opposite side is so impervious to reason on this. Could it be that I am the one who is impervious?
No Way! All the news that I take in, the news channel that I watch, the blogs that I read, the opinions of friends around me, all point to the same logical conclusion. I am not just "set in my ways" I am "right", no doubt about it. Why can't everyone else see it the same way? Are they just impervious to reason?
This does not have to be only about politics. It can cover the whole spectrum of life, even the spiritual. Do I have wisdom on all of this or am I just stuck in the mud? Can God still break into my rut and show me truth? I pray so.
As I sat down this morning, the Examen.me website asked me for my prayer as I began. This is what I wrote today:
Dear Jesus, I would claim the promise that Your mercies are new every morning. I need them this day as I have in all the previous ones, even when I don't think of that, or think that I do need them. As I sit here I'm not even sure of what all that means, but somehow sense that it is true. So be merciful to me a sinner, right now, and for ever more.
Amen
As I end the time, my prayer would be that God would lead me in all truth, and that I would not be impervious to that.
Amen and Amen
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Silence Speaks...
I have talked before about my routine when it comes to a quiet time with God. This time also contains a portion that is devoted to writing this blog. Sometimes I just come into my office and pray and read, then write. Other times I go out for a quick walk to clear my mind before I do anything. Or I may read the Scripture, then walk, then come back and think about it. I guess there is no real routine in all of that, but, regardless of the order, the same activities take up the time. What I am listening for is the voice of God, speaking to me in some way, giving me direction for my day.
What happens when the voice does not come? When I do all these things and there is silence all around me? There is silence on the walk, silence when I read the Bible, silence when I pray. Have I messed up the routine? Is God not impressed with what I am trying to do? Where is He?
Three times in the Psalm 50 reading this morning it says:
"The Mighty One, God the Lord,
speaks "
What happens when the voice does not come? When I do all these things and there is silence all around me? There is silence on the walk, silence when I read the Bible, silence when I pray. Have I messed up the routine? Is God not impressed with what I am trying to do? Where is He?
Three times in the Psalm 50 reading this morning it says:
"The Mighty One, God the Lord,
speaks "
"Our God comes; he does not keep silence;"
“Hear, O my people, and I will speak;"
God speaks in many ways, but He does speak. The question is, am I listening? Do I give Him a chance to break through my thoughts and plans?
When I ask why I do not hear, is silence an answer? Is my time just too important to waste in sitting here and trying to listen? Who is my priority, me or Him?
Silence may be the absence of noise, but it can speak, too, and I think it just did.
God, help me to hear, especially in the silence.
SHHH
God speaks in many ways, but He does speak. The question is, am I listening? Do I give Him a chance to break through my thoughts and plans?
When I ask why I do not hear, is silence an answer? Is my time just too important to waste in sitting here and trying to listen? Who is my priority, me or Him?
Silence may be the absence of noise, but it can speak, too, and I think it just did.
God, help me to hear, especially in the silence.
SHHH
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