Some days when I get up to read, I have to look hard to find something to write about, something coming from the Scriptures I read, that speaks to me and that I can pass along. So I start off with a reading from the Psalms, then a reading from a Gospel account, and then these days I also read the Moravian Daily Text which gives some hymn readings as well as 3 others, one from the Psalms, one from their reading the Bible through program and another from the New Testament.
Surely, in one of those readings, there will be something that catches my eye, or mind, or something. I've got 5 or 6 chances to listen to God speak through His Word, and, no matter how dense or sleepy or what, in any given morning, I should find something.
So today what do I find? Buried deep with an account of David and Solomon in 1 Chronicles there is a section on David's instruction to his son, who will be king soon, and this is basically to follow what God has said and do right.
I think about that as I walk the neighborhood this morning. Do the right thing. It is easy to just say "no doubt about that, what else is there to do?". If there is a choice between doing the right thing or the wrong, the choice is obvious. Do I always take it, nope, but it is obvious nevertheless.
But how about a choice between two good things, how do I make that? Hopefully most of my choices are these kinds, but there must be some criteria to make a choice in those situations. It might be easy to say, "well, you just choose the one that is best and leave the other good one alone". Sounds like a good plan, but choosing the "best" is not always easy to do.
If I look around at my own circumstances and especially any other people that will be impacted by whatever I decide, it becomes easier. If I think of others and what is best for them, and leave my own desires at the door, most of the time the way to go is clear.
I think God wants me to choose what is best for others, no matter how "good" the other choice might be.
God first of all, others second, and I'll leave me for third.
Do I always choose right over wrong? no way. How about the "best" over the "good"? Not always here either, but at least I think God has shown me what He wants. Now to do it consistently.
Ho, Ho, Ho
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
A Foggy Day in....
If there is a psychiatrist in the house, he or she might have a field day with all of this, but when I walked out the door this morning and looked into the foggy morning, I thought to myself, "this is a great day to walk".
I'm not sure what it is about the fog, but I like it. The quietness of the morning with all sounds muffled is part of it, but maybe I like looking off into the distance and not being able to tell what is actually out there. I don't like it at 70 mph on the interstate with the possibility of a 50 car pile up, but, for a walking time, it may be my favorite.
It is the same way when I get up to read in the morning. As I look at several verses, my first thought is to look and see what they might say to me, and what meaning they may have for the day in front of me. Part of me would like to have spelled out in those words on the page, just exactly what is in store for me in the day and days ahead, but the other part is glad that they are kinda foggy.
As I try to live out each day at a time, and I try to see what God would have me think and do, I come back to the issue of trust. Do I trust God to give me the day he has for me, or do I try to work it all out in my mind beforehand? Do I worry about what might happen or simply let it come? I know He gives me a mind to think and consider alternatives, but do I want to be able to plan the smallest detail? Where is the trust in His goodness and plan? Do I want to be in control, which I do sometimes, or do I live out His word when He says He wants what is best for me?
A lot of questions, and maybe not a lot of specific answers, but I'm working on the trust thing.
When I walk out into the fog, I can see where I am right at that moment and in that place, it is only that "out there" that is not clear.
And that can be a good thing.
I'm not sure what it is about the fog, but I like it. The quietness of the morning with all sounds muffled is part of it, but maybe I like looking off into the distance and not being able to tell what is actually out there. I don't like it at 70 mph on the interstate with the possibility of a 50 car pile up, but, for a walking time, it may be my favorite.
It is the same way when I get up to read in the morning. As I look at several verses, my first thought is to look and see what they might say to me, and what meaning they may have for the day in front of me. Part of me would like to have spelled out in those words on the page, just exactly what is in store for me in the day and days ahead, but the other part is glad that they are kinda foggy.
As I try to live out each day at a time, and I try to see what God would have me think and do, I come back to the issue of trust. Do I trust God to give me the day he has for me, or do I try to work it all out in my mind beforehand? Do I worry about what might happen or simply let it come? I know He gives me a mind to think and consider alternatives, but do I want to be able to plan the smallest detail? Where is the trust in His goodness and plan? Do I want to be in control, which I do sometimes, or do I live out His word when He says He wants what is best for me?
A lot of questions, and maybe not a lot of specific answers, but I'm working on the trust thing.
When I walk out into the fog, I can see where I am right at that moment and in that place, it is only that "out there" that is not clear.
And that can be a good thing.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Compassion
This morning as I awoke, I thought of the things that were on my plate this day. There were some things that did not look too pleasant, as well as other more mundane items. Naturally, my mind wanted to dwell on the aspects of the day that I did not look forward to, but then my glance fell on a letter that was sitting on my table, a letter that needed to be answered. I thought of the sender and what must be going through his mind this morning, in a land filled with poverty and violence. What was his mindset as he awoke to another day? Were the worries overshadowing things he could look forward to?
For a few years now, Mayre and I have been sponsoring a boy in Kenya through an organization called Compassion International. We send a small amount of money each month to this ministry, and they use the funds to help with poverty and education in countries around the world. All of this work is done in the name of Jesus, and we are happy to be a small part of that.
Compassion urges sponsors to write to their children, putting a face to those who want to help them. The children, also, write to their individual sponsors, telling them about themselves and their lives, making the whole project personal to both parties. I know it is good PR and adds the personal touch to the monetary transaction, and I know it helps to keep the money flowing in to fund the various projects, but it is also a blessing to see the boy we are helping and catch a glimpse into his mind as he lives his life, far away in a much different environment.
Two things caught my eye as I read a letter from Peter, who lives in Nairobi with his family and who we support with our small gift. I had sent him a picture of a visit our family made to the Sea Turtle Center over on Jekyll. He said in response to that photo, "I have never seen a turtle and request to know where the turtle lives". I guess I could not imagine a boy anywhere who had not seen a turtle, so I will send him more information on these and show him that I do read his letters and care enough to respond to his request. A little thing perhaps, but something that I can do.
The second item in his letter was more troubling to me. His words: "In our country of Kenya there have been many happenings. There has been bombings where some people died and many were injured. Policemen were also killed by bandits as they were going to take back some cattle that were stolen. Please pray for our country for peace."
What goes through the mind of a 10 year old boy as he hears about bad things that are happening all around him. Even in his home city of Nairobi, I know there is unrest, so it is there also. I am reminded to pray for him, and millions of other children around the world, who live in the midst of violence and poverty, not only overseas, but here in the US as well.
I think of the first verse of Psalm 41 from the reading this morning:
"Blessed is the one who considers the poor!"
What we do is a pittance in the sea of need around the world, but it might make the difference in the life of one boy, and through him to others who will be in his sphere of influence as he grows up there.
There is also that chorus that I remember:
Little is much when God is in it!
God makes all the difference. I need to remember that.
For a few years now, Mayre and I have been sponsoring a boy in Kenya through an organization called Compassion International. We send a small amount of money each month to this ministry, and they use the funds to help with poverty and education in countries around the world. All of this work is done in the name of Jesus, and we are happy to be a small part of that.
Compassion urges sponsors to write to their children, putting a face to those who want to help them. The children, also, write to their individual sponsors, telling them about themselves and their lives, making the whole project personal to both parties. I know it is good PR and adds the personal touch to the monetary transaction, and I know it helps to keep the money flowing in to fund the various projects, but it is also a blessing to see the boy we are helping and catch a glimpse into his mind as he lives his life, far away in a much different environment.
Two things caught my eye as I read a letter from Peter, who lives in Nairobi with his family and who we support with our small gift. I had sent him a picture of a visit our family made to the Sea Turtle Center over on Jekyll. He said in response to that photo, "I have never seen a turtle and request to know where the turtle lives". I guess I could not imagine a boy anywhere who had not seen a turtle, so I will send him more information on these and show him that I do read his letters and care enough to respond to his request. A little thing perhaps, but something that I can do.
The second item in his letter was more troubling to me. His words: "In our country of Kenya there have been many happenings. There has been bombings where some people died and many were injured. Policemen were also killed by bandits as they were going to take back some cattle that were stolen. Please pray for our country for peace."
What goes through the mind of a 10 year old boy as he hears about bad things that are happening all around him. Even in his home city of Nairobi, I know there is unrest, so it is there also. I am reminded to pray for him, and millions of other children around the world, who live in the midst of violence and poverty, not only overseas, but here in the US as well.
I think of the first verse of Psalm 41 from the reading this morning:
"Blessed is the one who considers the poor!"
What we do is a pittance in the sea of need around the world, but it might make the difference in the life of one boy, and through him to others who will be in his sphere of influence as he grows up there.
There is also that chorus that I remember:
Little is much when God is in it!
God makes all the difference. I need to remember that.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Neighbors
In the Moravian Text reading for this day, there was a hymn given.
"These are the ones that we should serve
"These are the ones that we should serve
these are the ones that we should love
all are neighbors to us and you
Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love
show us how to serve the neighbors
we have from you."
Now I don't know this song, but it, and the prayer that closed this same reading:
"May we experience your holy presence, guiding
us to serve our brothers, sister and strangers, in your name
Amen"
Both of these went along with some thoughts that I entered my mind as I walked earlier. I think of the people that I saw, even as the world woke up.
I saw a condo neighbor waiting for her husband to pick her up. She was all dressed up and told me that they were on their way to a grandson's game in a town 2 1/2 hours up the road.
I saw a man coming out to get his paper, talking on his cell phone, to whom at that early hour I could not fathom.
I saw a man running on the cart path who panted a "hello" as he plodded past.
Then I remember the saying that we can choose our friends, but it is God who gives us our neighbors, and, as the hymn says above, we are to serve those He has placed in our lives.
I think of the man in Luke who asked Jesus the question: "Who is my neighbor?" From the parable of the Good Samaritan, I know it is anyone that comes into my life in some way.
It is the couple in our condo complex that I see coming and going. It is the man on the phone, who lives on my walking route, and it is even the jogger that I pass on the path. It is also all those others that have entered my life in some way in the past and those whose lives will intersect with mine today and in the future.
So the question comes, how do I serve them in His name?
Then the answer, "In whatever way He shows, but always with my ears and eyes open to hear and see what that might be in each instance".
Be willing, be seeing, be hearing and be ready to act, and I add another as I start this day; Remember what I have been prompted to think about and to write as the day unfolds, not just publish and forget.
all are neighbors to us and you
Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love
show us how to serve the neighbors
we have from you."
Now I don't know this song, but it, and the prayer that closed this same reading:
"May we experience your holy presence, guiding
us to serve our brothers, sister and strangers, in your name
Amen"
Both of these went along with some thoughts that I entered my mind as I walked earlier. I think of the people that I saw, even as the world woke up.
I saw a condo neighbor waiting for her husband to pick her up. She was all dressed up and told me that they were on their way to a grandson's game in a town 2 1/2 hours up the road.
I saw a man coming out to get his paper, talking on his cell phone, to whom at that early hour I could not fathom.
I saw a man running on the cart path who panted a "hello" as he plodded past.
Then I remember the saying that we can choose our friends, but it is God who gives us our neighbors, and, as the hymn says above, we are to serve those He has placed in our lives.
I think of the man in Luke who asked Jesus the question: "Who is my neighbor?" From the parable of the Good Samaritan, I know it is anyone that comes into my life in some way.
It is the couple in our condo complex that I see coming and going. It is the man on the phone, who lives on my walking route, and it is even the jogger that I pass on the path. It is also all those others that have entered my life in some way in the past and those whose lives will intersect with mine today and in the future.
So the question comes, how do I serve them in His name?
Then the answer, "In whatever way He shows, but always with my ears and eyes open to hear and see what that might be in each instance".
Be willing, be seeing, be hearing and be ready to act, and I add another as I start this day; Remember what I have been prompted to think about and to write as the day unfolds, not just publish and forget.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Satisfaction
With what will I be satisfied this day?
The very end of a Psalm reading, number 17, for today states:
"As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness;
I will be satisfied [d]with Your likeness when I awake."
And I think, when I come to the end of this day, what will I look back on and be satisfied? But that is not the only question. The verse says that when I wake up, I will be satisfied if You are there. Then I question, what does that look like in my life as I go out early today?
For one thing, thinking about this verse puts the Scripture forefront in my life, and I find that it comes to my mind several times during the day. One satisfaction is the knowledge that the Scripture can be brought back to my senses, and the question enters at that point asking "is what you are doing right now bringing satisfaction?"
I write this just after coming home from a round of golf with 3 friends. As I remember what I had read this morning and read what I wrote earlier in the day, I ask myself about satisfaction so far this day. If I do not take my golf too seriously, I find that I can be satisfied with the other things that go along with the outing. Friendship, discussions, the beautiful day and the physical activity are all important parts of those hours on the course. Now a good golf score is like icing on a great cake, but not necessary for satisfaction.
Satisfaction comes from putting things in my life in the right perspective. Relationships and gratitude to God for the ability to play, and the surroundings as I go, are the most important, scoring is secondary. I know my game is not first class anyway, and it does not get any better as I get older, so it is time to enjoy the game and the situation that surrounds it. Should have been doing this all along.
How about the rest of today?
I have not lived it yet, and I trust that the Scripture and its message for me will be placed in my mind and path for the other hours until sleep comes again.
So my prayer is for right priorities and the right order of the same in my life, for the rest of today, and all of the days to come. I pray for remembrance of what I am shown by this one verse, and the desire to live it.
Thank You God for what You put out there for me....
The very end of a Psalm reading, number 17, for today states:
"As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness;
I will be satisfied [d]with Your likeness when I awake."
And I think, when I come to the end of this day, what will I look back on and be satisfied? But that is not the only question. The verse says that when I wake up, I will be satisfied if You are there. Then I question, what does that look like in my life as I go out early today?
For one thing, thinking about this verse puts the Scripture forefront in my life, and I find that it comes to my mind several times during the day. One satisfaction is the knowledge that the Scripture can be brought back to my senses, and the question enters at that point asking "is what you are doing right now bringing satisfaction?"
I write this just after coming home from a round of golf with 3 friends. As I remember what I had read this morning and read what I wrote earlier in the day, I ask myself about satisfaction so far this day. If I do not take my golf too seriously, I find that I can be satisfied with the other things that go along with the outing. Friendship, discussions, the beautiful day and the physical activity are all important parts of those hours on the course. Now a good golf score is like icing on a great cake, but not necessary for satisfaction.
Satisfaction comes from putting things in my life in the right perspective. Relationships and gratitude to God for the ability to play, and the surroundings as I go, are the most important, scoring is secondary. I know my game is not first class anyway, and it does not get any better as I get older, so it is time to enjoy the game and the situation that surrounds it. Should have been doing this all along.
How about the rest of today?
I have not lived it yet, and I trust that the Scripture and its message for me will be placed in my mind and path for the other hours until sleep comes again.
So my prayer is for right priorities and the right order of the same in my life, for the rest of today, and all of the days to come. I pray for remembrance of what I am shown by this one verse, and the desire to live it.
Thank You God for what You put out there for me....
Thursday, January 24, 2013
A Word For Thursday (and the 2 emotions that follow)
Here is the verse from Psalm 37 this morning:
"The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever;"
There are two words that stick out in this verse, blameless and heritage. I know the definition of blameless, but I also know that is not me, so I'll pass on that one and go on to the word heritage.
The dictionary defines the word like this:
So when I think about what all of this means in my life, I realize that I stand right in the middle of the definition. I am the recipient of what has gone on before, and I also have the power and ability to pass things on down the line, to those who will come after me. Realizing this, I have two emotions that strike me; gratitude and responsibility, and I find that both of these are powerful motivators in my life.
Gratitude to those who have preceded me, those that are part of my family and those that have just influenced my life from the past. Gratitude for those who have made it possible for me to live in the political and spiritual circumstances that surround me today. Gratitude for ideas, character traits and examples of how to live and what for. Gratitude for all the positives that encircle me where I live in this year of 2013, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Right here as I stand today, I know that I am the product of all of this that I had no part in creating, and I can reap the benefits of other's work and sacrifice. Their heritage, passed down to me.
Then there is that other word, responsibility. I'm not even sure it is an emotion, but it is something that I feel, and, even if it does not fit in the definition, it should. Responsibility also begs the question, "How can I live today to make sure that I pass down the right heritage to those who follow me?"
What attitudes can I have and what actions can I do that show what is important in life, really important? How do the various roles that I play each day, especially in relationships, give me the opportunity to be the conduit of the heritage that God ordains for each person that follows?
I believe, first of all, that I have the responsibility to be the husband, father, grand father and friend that God calls me to be. I need to seek His face each day to be the best I can be in each of these roles. I need to be the example of all the good and right things that have been passed down by others and entrusted to me, both for my benefit and those who follow.
One word "Heritage" and two more that follow; "Gratitude" and "Responsibility", followed by still another, "Challenge".
"The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever;"
There are two words that stick out in this verse, blameless and heritage. I know the definition of blameless, but I also know that is not me, so I'll pass on that one and go on to the word heritage.
The dictionary defines the word like this:
| "anything that has been transmitted from the past or handed down" |
So when I think about what all of this means in my life, I realize that I stand right in the middle of the definition. I am the recipient of what has gone on before, and I also have the power and ability to pass things on down the line, to those who will come after me. Realizing this, I have two emotions that strike me; gratitude and responsibility, and I find that both of these are powerful motivators in my life.
Gratitude to those who have preceded me, those that are part of my family and those that have just influenced my life from the past. Gratitude for those who have made it possible for me to live in the political and spiritual circumstances that surround me today. Gratitude for ideas, character traits and examples of how to live and what for. Gratitude for all the positives that encircle me where I live in this year of 2013, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Right here as I stand today, I know that I am the product of all of this that I had no part in creating, and I can reap the benefits of other's work and sacrifice. Their heritage, passed down to me.
Then there is that other word, responsibility. I'm not even sure it is an emotion, but it is something that I feel, and, even if it does not fit in the definition, it should. Responsibility also begs the question, "How can I live today to make sure that I pass down the right heritage to those who follow me?"
What attitudes can I have and what actions can I do that show what is important in life, really important? How do the various roles that I play each day, especially in relationships, give me the opportunity to be the conduit of the heritage that God ordains for each person that follows?
I believe, first of all, that I have the responsibility to be the husband, father, grand father and friend that God calls me to be. I need to seek His face each day to be the best I can be in each of these roles. I need to be the example of all the good and right things that have been passed down by others and entrusted to me, both for my benefit and those who follow.
One word "Heritage" and two more that follow; "Gratitude" and "Responsibility", followed by still another, "Challenge".
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Real People, Real Lives...
As I sit here this early morning, I think of two sets of people, whose lives entered mine on yesterday. But first let me set the stage.
On Sunday, after church, we traveled to Chattanooga, where we both grew up, to primarily see a lady that had been our friend for many years. We spent the day Monday visiting with her and some others that are important in our lives. We tried to cram in as much as we could in those hours, because we travel back home today. A short time, but an important one for us.
Our primary visit was to a rehab facility where our 93 year old friend was recovering from a fall and a resultant broken hip. We feared for what we would find, for we knew that having this happen that late in life, the results are many times less than hopeful. We found a lady doing her best to be cheerful in spite of the circumstances, relating with kindness to those around her, not only friends, but staff trying to help her. Her life has always been marked with concern for others, and this setback has not seemed to dim all of that.
Then we went to have lunch with a couple that seem to always want to do something for us when we are in town. She fixed a great lunch and insisted that we join them, where we shared the friendship that we had enjoyed for many, many years. We ate and laughed together, and it was a great time.
Then on to another visit with a family member who was in an assisted living facility close by. Even if her memory was not as sharp as it used to be, she was in good spirits and she was glad to have us put some diversion into her normal day.
Our last stop was to see some folks with whom we had partnered in ministry with for many years. They are still active in a work that is important in the spreading of the Gospel via television and the internet. Sometimes, when we get older, the purposes of our lives get lost in wonder as to why we are still on this earth, but not these people. They are active and busy with the role God has given them to play in His kingdom..
After a snack supper, as we were still full from the great lunch, we sat and watched an episode of a PBS show that we had gotten involved in over the past month. Downton Abbey, a BBC production and a story of an English family after World War I, had occupied some of out thoughts for a few weeks now, and we wanted to see how they sorted out some of their many problems. We had been drawn into those lives portrayed on the screen, just as we had those others, those real people, during the Monday we had spent here in Tennessee.
How easy it is to get caught up in fictional lives, lives that do not really mean anything to us, and let the real people and real lives take a back seat. How easy to let our lives be transported into another world, one that is entertaining to us, but not really ours, and forget the story that we are living in, a place that God has placed us in for His purpose.
All this is not to say that we should not be moved by characters on a small screen, God may have placed that story in our lives to show us something, too, but the stories of those real people, ones that we actually know, are far more important. We can interact with them, and we can be used in those lives to make a difference, just as they can in ours. God has coordinated those encounters for a purpose, both for them and for us, and it seems up to us to at least give those the importance they deserve.
As I think of those real people that occupied a place in our day yesterday, I read again the Psalmist's prayer of this morning.
"The Lord is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!
Be their shepherd and carry them forever."
I would wish the same for those folks in the television story also, but, alas, theirs is happening in the past, not the present, and I surely can't go back and live there, even if I had a notion to.
Mike and Martha or Matthew and Mary? I'll take the ones that fixed the real lunch.
On Sunday, after church, we traveled to Chattanooga, where we both grew up, to primarily see a lady that had been our friend for many years. We spent the day Monday visiting with her and some others that are important in our lives. We tried to cram in as much as we could in those hours, because we travel back home today. A short time, but an important one for us.
Our primary visit was to a rehab facility where our 93 year old friend was recovering from a fall and a resultant broken hip. We feared for what we would find, for we knew that having this happen that late in life, the results are many times less than hopeful. We found a lady doing her best to be cheerful in spite of the circumstances, relating with kindness to those around her, not only friends, but staff trying to help her. Her life has always been marked with concern for others, and this setback has not seemed to dim all of that.
Then we went to have lunch with a couple that seem to always want to do something for us when we are in town. She fixed a great lunch and insisted that we join them, where we shared the friendship that we had enjoyed for many, many years. We ate and laughed together, and it was a great time.
Then on to another visit with a family member who was in an assisted living facility close by. Even if her memory was not as sharp as it used to be, she was in good spirits and she was glad to have us put some diversion into her normal day.
Our last stop was to see some folks with whom we had partnered in ministry with for many years. They are still active in a work that is important in the spreading of the Gospel via television and the internet. Sometimes, when we get older, the purposes of our lives get lost in wonder as to why we are still on this earth, but not these people. They are active and busy with the role God has given them to play in His kingdom..
After a snack supper, as we were still full from the great lunch, we sat and watched an episode of a PBS show that we had gotten involved in over the past month. Downton Abbey, a BBC production and a story of an English family after World War I, had occupied some of out thoughts for a few weeks now, and we wanted to see how they sorted out some of their many problems. We had been drawn into those lives portrayed on the screen, just as we had those others, those real people, during the Monday we had spent here in Tennessee.
How easy it is to get caught up in fictional lives, lives that do not really mean anything to us, and let the real people and real lives take a back seat. How easy to let our lives be transported into another world, one that is entertaining to us, but not really ours, and forget the story that we are living in, a place that God has placed us in for His purpose.
All this is not to say that we should not be moved by characters on a small screen, God may have placed that story in our lives to show us something, too, but the stories of those real people, ones that we actually know, are far more important. We can interact with them, and we can be used in those lives to make a difference, just as they can in ours. God has coordinated those encounters for a purpose, both for them and for us, and it seems up to us to at least give those the importance they deserve.
As I think of those real people that occupied a place in our day yesterday, I read again the Psalmist's prayer of this morning.
"The Lord is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!
Be their shepherd and carry them forever."
I would wish the same for those folks in the television story also, but, alas, theirs is happening in the past, not the present, and I surely can't go back and live there, even if I had a notion to.
Mike and Martha or Matthew and Mary? I'll take the ones that fixed the real lunch.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Hymns that Move...Wretches
This is day 6 of the church's 21 day fast and prayer schedule. As part of the process, our pastor asked us to read each day the Moravian Daily Text, which is a devotional book that, although it is put out new every year, has a 250 year history of ministering to Christians around the world.
This guide has scripture readings, short comments, and a prayer for that day. There are two versions, the North American one and the European one. In the one that we use, included with the above elements, there is also a hymn or two, whose lyrics go along with the readings. It has been fun for me to read over the lines of the hymns, ones that we used to sing in church, but now someWretches of them have fallen into disuse with the advent of the newer praise and worship music. I confess that I miss the old and familiar tunes and words, and it has been good for me to see and think of them again.
There are old hymns and then there are the newer ones. My favorite old one was featured in the reading of today. It has not passed out of style but is still sung and player all over the world.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.
Whether played majestically by a huge pipe organ, or just simply by a lone bagpiper, the melody and the words never cease to move me. It is timeless in its message and score.
Then there are the newer hymns, and they can be no less powerful in their music and words. I have a favorite here also:
Two different eras in music composition, but the same glorious message. The simple message of God's love and His grace, given freely to all who will but receive.
Thanks be to God, for His unspeakable Gift, given to all those wretches like me.
This guide has scripture readings, short comments, and a prayer for that day. There are two versions, the North American one and the European one. In the one that we use, included with the above elements, there is also a hymn or two, whose lyrics go along with the readings. It has been fun for me to read over the lines of the hymns, ones that we used to sing in church, but now someWretches of them have fallen into disuse with the advent of the newer praise and worship music. I confess that I miss the old and familiar tunes and words, and it has been good for me to see and think of them again.
There are old hymns and then there are the newer ones. My favorite old one was featured in the reading of today. It has not passed out of style but is still sung and player all over the world.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.
Whether played majestically by a huge pipe organ, or just simply by a lone bagpiper, the melody and the words never cease to move me. It is timeless in its message and score.
Then there are the newer hymns, and they can be no less powerful in their music and words. I have a favorite here also:
| How deep the Father's love for us, How vast beyond all measure That He should give His only Son To make a wretch His treasure |
Two different eras in music composition, but the same glorious message. The simple message of God's love and His grace, given freely to all who will but receive.
Thanks be to God, for His unspeakable Gift, given to all those wretches like me.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Lead on......
I am having a hard time writing this morning. Maybe I am a little tired, but not from overwork I know. I slept in a little, then took a short walk in the cooler air of today, then breakfast, then a time to study, pray and write.
I have the time, I have the inclination, but my body just says, let's go back to sleep. I read the Scripture portions for today, and they just lay there on the page saying, "here we are, there is something you need in here, find it and apply it". I close my eyes to reflect on all of that, and my mind goes racing off in a million different directions. I confess my inability to concentrate, while, deep down, I realize that God is hanging around, waiting for me to grasp the truths that He wants me to have.
Then I am prompted to read again Psalm 16 where the last verse ways:
" You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
But, I say, I don't feel that way. It may be true for the Psalmist, but I can't see beyond my nose, much less the path that stretches before me. I want to see where that path leads and what things lie along it. I want to know the "whats", the "whys", the "wheres" and the "hows". In short, I want to be able to plan my life and get ready for whatever the future is.
Then I go back and read that verse again. David says that God makes known to him the path of life. Could he have been looking for the path, and God points it out to him. God might say "Take this path, no matter that you can't see where it goes, just take it, and it will be life to you".
In my mind, I can see that path, but it is so foggy that only the first few feet of it are visible. I want to know more, but then I see what David realizes, that where God is, I need to be. In His presence is where joy is and where life is right, no matter the condition of the path.
It may be a stretch, but I think of the hymn "Lead on O King Eternal" and I read the first part of verse one:
"Lead on, O King eternal,
I want to say "Lead on" and I don't want just to ask God to stay with me in my tent, I want to stay in His. There, there is peace and joy.
Now I am awake, and I even think I see something...
I have the time, I have the inclination, but my body just says, let's go back to sleep. I read the Scripture portions for today, and they just lay there on the page saying, "here we are, there is something you need in here, find it and apply it". I close my eyes to reflect on all of that, and my mind goes racing off in a million different directions. I confess my inability to concentrate, while, deep down, I realize that God is hanging around, waiting for me to grasp the truths that He wants me to have.
Then I am prompted to read again Psalm 16 where the last verse ways:
" You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
But, I say, I don't feel that way. It may be true for the Psalmist, but I can't see beyond my nose, much less the path that stretches before me. I want to see where that path leads and what things lie along it. I want to know the "whats", the "whys", the "wheres" and the "hows". In short, I want to be able to plan my life and get ready for whatever the future is.
Then I go back and read that verse again. David says that God makes known to him the path of life. Could he have been looking for the path, and God points it out to him. God might say "Take this path, no matter that you can't see where it goes, just take it, and it will be life to you".
In my mind, I can see that path, but it is so foggy that only the first few feet of it are visible. I want to know more, but then I see what David realizes, that where God is, I need to be. In His presence is where joy is and where life is right, no matter the condition of the path.
It may be a stretch, but I think of the hymn "Lead on O King Eternal" and I read the first part of verse one:
"Lead on, O King eternal,
the day of march has come;
henceforth in fields of conquest
thy tents shall be our home."
I want to say "Lead on" and I don't want just to ask God to stay with me in my tent, I want to stay in His. There, there is peace and joy.
Now I am awake, and I even think I see something...
Thursday, January 17, 2013
What of This Day?
When I woke up this morning, a chorus from some song was in my head. I did not remember the title, but only the words of the chorus which said:
"Come Lord Jesus, Come"
I am not sure of the context in that song. It could have been a call for help in the midst of some suffering or tragedy or it might have been a plea for the second coming, to rid this world of all its sin and troubles, but for me the words just said, "Jesus, please give me what I need for this day".
I have thought these same thoughts many times over the years, and I have written them often. I want to tell myself to just live in this day that I have, not to project the future or go back into the past and relive other days, but just to see the hours in front of me this day as a gift from God and an opportunity to serve Him in some way.
I realize that I do have some responsibility to live these few minutes, the minutes of the day I begin with the words of verses that I read, songs that wander through my mind, and prayers of concerns and longings. God gives me breath for another day, and I don't want to waste it on pursuits that are unworthy of His great love and faithfulness to me.
Maybe as I get older, time becomes dearer. at least it seems so. I know there is an end to my time on earth, and I also know that that time is nearer today than it was even yesterday, and it will be ever closer tomorrow. That is reality, and I want to live in reality.
God was in my yesterdays, even when I did not acknowledge Him, or even think about that fact. He is with me today, and will be there when the sun rises tomorrow. I think of the hymn that was in one of my reading this hour:
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed thy hand hath provided
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me
So I pray for his mercies this day. I pray for His strength, for His wisdom, His understanding and His guidance, for Today.
Today
What will come along the path today? I surely don't know, but I do know that He is faithful and true and His mercies are new every morning, and that I need.
"Come Lord Jesus, Come"
I am not sure of the context in that song. It could have been a call for help in the midst of some suffering or tragedy or it might have been a plea for the second coming, to rid this world of all its sin and troubles, but for me the words just said, "Jesus, please give me what I need for this day".
I have thought these same thoughts many times over the years, and I have written them often. I want to tell myself to just live in this day that I have, not to project the future or go back into the past and relive other days, but just to see the hours in front of me this day as a gift from God and an opportunity to serve Him in some way.
I realize that I do have some responsibility to live these few minutes, the minutes of the day I begin with the words of verses that I read, songs that wander through my mind, and prayers of concerns and longings. God gives me breath for another day, and I don't want to waste it on pursuits that are unworthy of His great love and faithfulness to me.
Maybe as I get older, time becomes dearer. at least it seems so. I know there is an end to my time on earth, and I also know that that time is nearer today than it was even yesterday, and it will be ever closer tomorrow. That is reality, and I want to live in reality.
God was in my yesterdays, even when I did not acknowledge Him, or even think about that fact. He is with me today, and will be there when the sun rises tomorrow. I think of the hymn that was in one of my reading this hour:
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed thy hand hath provided
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me
So I pray for his mercies this day. I pray for His strength, for His wisdom, His understanding and His guidance, for Today.
Today
What will come along the path today? I surely don't know, but I do know that He is faithful and true and His mercies are new every morning, and that I need.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
A Power in Music
Last evening, at the close of Day 1 of the 21 day fasting, there was a prayer service at church for an hour or so. The format for these services is little talk and a lot of quiet, reflective time, which I like very much. I seems so conducive to prayer and worship, that I look forward to each of these times.
Last night was no exception. Since I was a little on the late side, I missed some of the opening remarks, which was OK, but was there for the middle portion, the quiet time. It was not exactly perfectly quiet, but with low lighting, and soft music, I would say it was reverentially peaceful.
I know I am old, but I do prefer the more sedate music, especially in times of prayer, music that is more background than anything else. This music does not command me to sit up and take notice of it in itself. I can let it sort of flow around me and over me, putting me in a place of worship and prayer. Such was the case last evening, and, as the first song was fed through the sound system, a piano rendition of "How Deep The Father's Love", my favorite hymn by far, my mind and heart were immediately put in a prayerful state.
I think of one of the lines on the Truth Project video series, I think the one dealing with Creation, asking the question "Why is there music, anyway?". Why did God create music? What would life be like without music?
Now, of course, my tastes in music are pretty old fashioned, fairly quiet, understandable words if applicable, a good melody. Since these criteria leave out much of modern "music", I know I may be out of step with many, but there I am.
Music has the power to transport us beyond ourselves, and that is a place that I need to be a lot of the time. There is more than just me, and I need to be reminded of that fact.
Thank God for music and its refreshing interludes in life.
Last night was no exception. Since I was a little on the late side, I missed some of the opening remarks, which was OK, but was there for the middle portion, the quiet time. It was not exactly perfectly quiet, but with low lighting, and soft music, I would say it was reverentially peaceful.
I know I am old, but I do prefer the more sedate music, especially in times of prayer, music that is more background than anything else. This music does not command me to sit up and take notice of it in itself. I can let it sort of flow around me and over me, putting me in a place of worship and prayer. Such was the case last evening, and, as the first song was fed through the sound system, a piano rendition of "How Deep The Father's Love", my favorite hymn by far, my mind and heart were immediately put in a prayerful state.
I think of one of the lines on the Truth Project video series, I think the one dealing with Creation, asking the question "Why is there music, anyway?". Why did God create music? What would life be like without music?
Now, of course, my tastes in music are pretty old fashioned, fairly quiet, understandable words if applicable, a good melody. Since these criteria leave out much of modern "music", I know I may be out of step with many, but there I am.
Music has the power to transport us beyond ourselves, and that is a place that I need to be a lot of the time. There is more than just me, and I need to be reminded of that fact.
Thank God for music and its refreshing interludes in life.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Why would I Do THAT?
For the past several years, in January, our pastor has encouraged each of the members to think about prayer and fasting, the object of which is a seeking of God's will for the direction of our church in the year ahead. The schedule calls for a 21 day period to be set aside for some kind of fasting and special times of prayer at the church.
Now this fasting can, and probably does, take many different forms, depending on the person doing it. Some have fasted by giving up certain foods, like desserts or meats. Some have forgone their pleasures, such as movies or TV. Some may fast completely for a day in each week, or for longer periods, whatever they feel like it takes to reap the benefit of this exercise.
It is easier to understand the prayer part of the equation. Prayer is getting in touch with God and letting Him speak into your life. It is setting aside a time to be quiet with Him as the focus and really listen for His voice. But what about fasting? I read in Acts 13 these verses:
"Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers:Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
Sometimes the reasons for fasting become obscured by the act itself. If I abstain from all sweet things (desserts), and let everyone know about my sacrifice, what good does that do, except maybe make me a little healthier for a few days? If I parade my self righteous behavior in front of others, am I no different from those Pharisees that Jesus condemned?
Fasting has a holy purpose. It is to take some time to get apart from the daily routine and seek God's face and His will for my life. To forgo something or other, just to do it, means nothing. Just to do it to let others know about it, means nothing. Only by using the act to get closer to God, is it meaningful to Him and to me.
I think it is good and right to call the church to a period of fasting and prayer, but is 21 days enough, or is it to be a lifestyle of those elements? This is a good start, and it shows a good purpose. but if that is all it is, it will fall flat. I can give up all I want to and still not hear what God really wants to say to me, if what I concentrate on is the "giving up" part. I want to do better than that.
God help me to do it for You, and not for me.
Now this fasting can, and probably does, take many different forms, depending on the person doing it. Some have fasted by giving up certain foods, like desserts or meats. Some have forgone their pleasures, such as movies or TV. Some may fast completely for a day in each week, or for longer periods, whatever they feel like it takes to reap the benefit of this exercise.
It is easier to understand the prayer part of the equation. Prayer is getting in touch with God and letting Him speak into your life. It is setting aside a time to be quiet with Him as the focus and really listen for His voice. But what about fasting? I read in Acts 13 these verses:
"Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers:Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
Sometimes the reasons for fasting become obscured by the act itself. If I abstain from all sweet things (desserts), and let everyone know about my sacrifice, what good does that do, except maybe make me a little healthier for a few days? If I parade my self righteous behavior in front of others, am I no different from those Pharisees that Jesus condemned?
Fasting has a holy purpose. It is to take some time to get apart from the daily routine and seek God's face and His will for my life. To forgo something or other, just to do it, means nothing. Just to do it to let others know about it, means nothing. Only by using the act to get closer to God, is it meaningful to Him and to me.
I think it is good and right to call the church to a period of fasting and prayer, but is 21 days enough, or is it to be a lifestyle of those elements? This is a good start, and it shows a good purpose. but if that is all it is, it will fall flat. I can give up all I want to and still not hear what God really wants to say to me, if what I concentrate on is the "giving up" part. I want to do better than that.
God help me to do it for You, and not for me.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
The Strings of Our Lives
One of the great things about walking in the quiet of the early morning, especially on a Saturday, where a lot of people sleep in, is the collection of random thoughts that go bouncing around in your head. Take, for example, this morning where the writing on a van, parked in front of where we used to live, set off a small chain reaction in my thoughts.
This white van was not from this county, but one out in the middle of the state, and it was not the origination of the vehicle that got me to thinking, it was the name on the side. Martha Bowman and a Methodist logo made up the identification. Then the questions:
Who was Martha Bowman?
Why was this Methodist Church named after her?
Was she related to our family?
I have done enough genealogical research on my family lineage to see how many small decisions by people long in the past, have shaped my life as to where I am, and who I am. And then I think about how the number of these decisions by others, not in my family, have also led to the same thing.
If I just think about my own marriage, the number of strings involved is staggering. There are all the things that got me to the place where I could meet my future wife and likewise all the various elements that went into her arrival at the same place at the same time. One small decision in either line would send it off into an entirely different direction, and the intersection of two lives would not have happened.
If I just move it forward a couple of generations to my grand children and their future wives and husbands, the number of separate strings wound together to produce that moment in time would be a strand of many cords.
Taken on a purely secular basis, this all seems like random chance. What are the odds that one person, dependent on the choices and decisions of many, many men and women back through time, would meet and marry another, whose ancestors have made just as many choices, so that their arrival at the same place in the same moment of time would produce a marriage and offspring.
If God is in control, and has been down through all the centuries, He must have planned all of this. If I believe that, then I must conclude that there is a reason behind all of the choices and decisions. All the various strings have been wound into a rope in a particular way, for a particular reason. It may be fun to unravel the rope to think about each string, but it may be more worthwhile to take that rope and do something with it.
The very least that I can do is to consider the impact of any choice and decision that I make on those that follow after my string. I need to leave them a stronger rope and not one frayed and worn at the end. I realize that fact, right here and right now. God, help me do it.
Now, who is Martha Bowman, anyway?
This white van was not from this county, but one out in the middle of the state, and it was not the origination of the vehicle that got me to thinking, it was the name on the side. Martha Bowman and a Methodist logo made up the identification. Then the questions:
Who was Martha Bowman?
Why was this Methodist Church named after her?
Was she related to our family?
I have done enough genealogical research on my family lineage to see how many small decisions by people long in the past, have shaped my life as to where I am, and who I am. And then I think about how the number of these decisions by others, not in my family, have also led to the same thing.
If I just think about my own marriage, the number of strings involved is staggering. There are all the things that got me to the place where I could meet my future wife and likewise all the various elements that went into her arrival at the same place at the same time. One small decision in either line would send it off into an entirely different direction, and the intersection of two lives would not have happened.
If I just move it forward a couple of generations to my grand children and their future wives and husbands, the number of separate strings wound together to produce that moment in time would be a strand of many cords.
Taken on a purely secular basis, this all seems like random chance. What are the odds that one person, dependent on the choices and decisions of many, many men and women back through time, would meet and marry another, whose ancestors have made just as many choices, so that their arrival at the same place in the same moment of time would produce a marriage and offspring.
If God is in control, and has been down through all the centuries, He must have planned all of this. If I believe that, then I must conclude that there is a reason behind all of the choices and decisions. All the various strings have been wound into a rope in a particular way, for a particular reason. It may be fun to unravel the rope to think about each string, but it may be more worthwhile to take that rope and do something with it.
The very least that I can do is to consider the impact of any choice and decision that I make on those that follow after my string. I need to leave them a stronger rope and not one frayed and worn at the end. I realize that fact, right here and right now. God, help me do it.
Now, who is Martha Bowman, anyway?
Friday, January 11, 2013
I Never Would Have Thought....
A lot of the time, as I walk in the mornings, I think about people that live in those houses that I pass. Some that I know, some that I know of, and some that I do not know at all. All those people, people living lives that may contain any number of things, both good and bad.
As human beings each of us know how to put on a good front. . We walk into a place that is filled with happy people (we think they are, anyway), and someone asks us how we are doing, and immediately we say "Fine", when all the time we are dying on the inside. A quote from Thoreau comes to mind as he states in one of his essays, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation".
A couple of days ago I had a call from a man who said that he wanted to sit down and talk to me about some matters in his life. Last night he came, and we spent a couple of hours together. As he poured out his story of financial problems, I was brought up short, because I would have never known his family was in such shape. Their faces have always been happy ones when we have run into each other in the community. Their kids are well, they live in a nice house, and drive good cars. They seem to be a living example of the American Dream.
But under that veneer of satisfaction with life, there can lie a deep current of unease and maybe even the desperation that Thoreau speaks of.
I can know of this family's situation, because the man chose to confide in me, perhaps hoping for some wise counsel or, at the very least, looking to find a willing listener. I not sure about the wisdom, but I can listen.
What about all those others out there, people that I see on a regular basis? What lives and concerns are hidden behind those smiling faces? Can I ever know the stories, or do I need to? What is God trying to tell me, even as I sit and think about all of this?
Is it to be just more aware around people that I meet? Is it to pray for folks whose lives contain things that I can't even know?
I'm not really sure of the implication of all of this, but I do know that I will listen more closely, that I will look more carefully, not for the sake of gossip, but from the standpoint of prayer and help.
God, help me to consider others and what they might be going through, right now.
As human beings each of us know how to put on a good front. . We walk into a place that is filled with happy people (we think they are, anyway), and someone asks us how we are doing, and immediately we say "Fine", when all the time we are dying on the inside. A quote from Thoreau comes to mind as he states in one of his essays, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation".
A couple of days ago I had a call from a man who said that he wanted to sit down and talk to me about some matters in his life. Last night he came, and we spent a couple of hours together. As he poured out his story of financial problems, I was brought up short, because I would have never known his family was in such shape. Their faces have always been happy ones when we have run into each other in the community. Their kids are well, they live in a nice house, and drive good cars. They seem to be a living example of the American Dream.
But under that veneer of satisfaction with life, there can lie a deep current of unease and maybe even the desperation that Thoreau speaks of.
I can know of this family's situation, because the man chose to confide in me, perhaps hoping for some wise counsel or, at the very least, looking to find a willing listener. I not sure about the wisdom, but I can listen.
What about all those others out there, people that I see on a regular basis? What lives and concerns are hidden behind those smiling faces? Can I ever know the stories, or do I need to? What is God trying to tell me, even as I sit and think about all of this?
Is it to be just more aware around people that I meet? Is it to pray for folks whose lives contain things that I can't even know?
I'm not really sure of the implication of all of this, but I do know that I will listen more closely, that I will look more carefully, not for the sake of gossip, but from the standpoint of prayer and help.
God, help me to consider others and what they might be going through, right now.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Love and Dominion
From Psalm 103 this morning:
"Bless the Lord, all his works,
in all places of his dominion."
The word that caught my eye was "dominion", and, as I walked, I thought about what all that entailed.
The dictionary defines that word as "sovereignty or control", and I see it as encompassing the whole universe, not just our planet, but definitely that. There is not a place on earth that God is not in control. It sure may look like it sometimes, take for example Syria today, where violence and bloodshed reign, but if God is not sovereign there, He is not God, with a capital G, at all.
I think of a friend of ours, a girl in our church, who is traveling today toward a 5 week stay in Africa. She will be working way out in the bush, in a small orphanage, with some kids who have little in the way of material goods, but who are in the process of being saved and ministered to in the name of Jesus. These are kids that had little hope of a life at all, until they were rescued from a situation that was far from their control. Most had either been abandoned to the streets by parents who could not care for them, or left without parents because of the ravages of disease in that part of the world.
God's dominion stretches to that village in Africa. He is in control of those people who serve there, and those who do not know He even exists. He has plans for each and knows their names. Our friend travels there to show God's love to those who are forgotten by the world, but not by Him. He has put those kids on her heart, and she goes to obey the call.
When she was asked why she was going so far away, in mileage and in comfort and lifestyle, she answered "I'm just going to love on those kids for a few days". No high-powered agenda, no reward except the faces of those she loves on and the knowledge of her service for a Savior that she loves above all.
So I pray for Stella today. Praying that God will protect her in her travels, in her stay way out there in the bush, and bless those kids through her. He alone is sovereign, even there.
May I have that kind of love for all the people that come into my life today.
"Bless the Lord, all his works,
in all places of his dominion."
The word that caught my eye was "dominion", and, as I walked, I thought about what all that entailed.
The dictionary defines that word as "sovereignty or control", and I see it as encompassing the whole universe, not just our planet, but definitely that. There is not a place on earth that God is not in control. It sure may look like it sometimes, take for example Syria today, where violence and bloodshed reign, but if God is not sovereign there, He is not God, with a capital G, at all.
I think of a friend of ours, a girl in our church, who is traveling today toward a 5 week stay in Africa. She will be working way out in the bush, in a small orphanage, with some kids who have little in the way of material goods, but who are in the process of being saved and ministered to in the name of Jesus. These are kids that had little hope of a life at all, until they were rescued from a situation that was far from their control. Most had either been abandoned to the streets by parents who could not care for them, or left without parents because of the ravages of disease in that part of the world.
God's dominion stretches to that village in Africa. He is in control of those people who serve there, and those who do not know He even exists. He has plans for each and knows their names. Our friend travels there to show God's love to those who are forgotten by the world, but not by Him. He has put those kids on her heart, and she goes to obey the call.
When she was asked why she was going so far away, in mileage and in comfort and lifestyle, she answered "I'm just going to love on those kids for a few days". No high-powered agenda, no reward except the faces of those she loves on and the knowledge of her service for a Savior that she loves above all.
So I pray for Stella today. Praying that God will protect her in her travels, in her stay way out there in the bush, and bless those kids through her. He alone is sovereign, even there.
May I have that kind of love for all the people that come into my life today.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Morning
I stayed up too late last night, watching a football game that was effectively over in the first quarter, and not going to bed at a reasonable hour. So I did not wake up early as is my custom.
Coming into this time of meditation, knowing that I had to go play tennis (had to!) shortly, I resigned myself to just a quick look at the Psalm reading and then getting on with my day.
But something stopped me, a line from Psalm 110 which stated:
"from the womb of the morning,"
That is an interesting turn of a phrase. I know I function best in any day when I rise early and take some time to think about, and try to listen to, what God wants me to hear. The early part of the day, when it is quiet and still, is my favorite, and I miss it when I don't get up.
When I go to bed at night, one of my last thoughts usually is a quick prayer to God to wake me up if He wants me to listen to Him. Last night I just went to sleep, knowing full well that I did not want to get up.
Was this verse an admonition of my actions yesterday, or just a reminder of where my strength comes from. Not only strength but wisdom also, and I know I need both....Bad.
So I utter a quick prayer of confession and another for forgiveness before I head out, knowing that it is not enough, just a start.
Coming into this time of meditation, knowing that I had to go play tennis (had to!) shortly, I resigned myself to just a quick look at the Psalm reading and then getting on with my day.
But something stopped me, a line from Psalm 110 which stated:
"from the womb of the morning,"
That is an interesting turn of a phrase. I know I function best in any day when I rise early and take some time to think about, and try to listen to, what God wants me to hear. The early part of the day, when it is quiet and still, is my favorite, and I miss it when I don't get up.
When I go to bed at night, one of my last thoughts usually is a quick prayer to God to wake me up if He wants me to listen to Him. Last night I just went to sleep, knowing full well that I did not want to get up.
Was this verse an admonition of my actions yesterday, or just a reminder of where my strength comes from. Not only strength but wisdom also, and I know I need both....Bad.
So I utter a quick prayer of confession and another for forgiveness before I head out, knowing that it is not enough, just a start.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Walking and Waiting
So I walk, and I wait, but what do I wait for?
As I read the verses in the Psalms and in the Gospel of John this morning, I prayed for a time of knowing God. Really knowing Him, not just in a superficial way, but as friend to friend on an intimate basis. I think I have a relationship with the Creator of the universe, but, if I analyze this, I realize that it is not all that personal. I think I know Him from His Word, but again, I know I have not even scratched the surface of all of that.
So I walk, and I wait. Do I wait to see a man appear before me on the cart path and give me a word from on high? Do I wait for a lightening bolt to flash forth and knock me to the ground? I wait, but I really do not know what I wait for. A burning bush that is not consumed by the fire would be nice, but that was for Moses, and none that I see have any smoke coming out of them.
As I come to the end of my walking time, and get ready to go back inside the condo, I make the last eastward turn and look up. The sky is beginning to lighten, the sliver of the moon is still easily seen along with a bright morning star, which I presume is Venus. It is a photographic moment, but with no camera in hand, I realize that God has indeed spoken.
He reminds me that He is still there and the whole universe is moving along in the way He planned it. Another day is dawning, and He has that all planned out, too. He knows my thoughts and prayers. He knows what I want and what I need, and maybe those facts are all I need to know right now.
I am grateful that I have the time to enjoy a few moments on the cart path in the early morning, before the sun rises. God reminds me of this blessing as I stand for a minute and look east into the lightening sky.
Perhaps, just perhaps, that is what I was waiting for, and now I wait no longer. I may walk and wait again tomorrow, but He has given me His presence, and that is what I need for this day.
Each day for that one, and one day at a time.
As I read the verses in the Psalms and in the Gospel of John this morning, I prayed for a time of knowing God. Really knowing Him, not just in a superficial way, but as friend to friend on an intimate basis. I think I have a relationship with the Creator of the universe, but, if I analyze this, I realize that it is not all that personal. I think I know Him from His Word, but again, I know I have not even scratched the surface of all of that.
So I walk, and I wait. Do I wait to see a man appear before me on the cart path and give me a word from on high? Do I wait for a lightening bolt to flash forth and knock me to the ground? I wait, but I really do not know what I wait for. A burning bush that is not consumed by the fire would be nice, but that was for Moses, and none that I see have any smoke coming out of them.
As I come to the end of my walking time, and get ready to go back inside the condo, I make the last eastward turn and look up. The sky is beginning to lighten, the sliver of the moon is still easily seen along with a bright morning star, which I presume is Venus. It is a photographic moment, but with no camera in hand, I realize that God has indeed spoken.
He reminds me that He is still there and the whole universe is moving along in the way He planned it. Another day is dawning, and He has that all planned out, too. He knows my thoughts and prayers. He knows what I want and what I need, and maybe those facts are all I need to know right now.
I am grateful that I have the time to enjoy a few moments on the cart path in the early morning, before the sun rises. God reminds me of this blessing as I stand for a minute and look east into the lightening sky.
Perhaps, just perhaps, that is what I was waiting for, and now I wait no longer. I may walk and wait again tomorrow, but He has given me His presence, and that is what I need for this day.
Each day for that one, and one day at a time.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Do This...Why?
Tomorrow is communion Sunday in our church. The mechanics of the day include a time for those who will serve in each service to meet together before the beginning of each, to take communion themselves. One man is designated the leader, to serve the others the bread and juice. On this day. before the 9AM service, that man will be me.
I do not want this time to be just a perfunctory one for me or for those others who will be participating in the serving of those holy elements. It is important for all of us to be take seriously the command of Jesus when He says to His disciples:
" And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying,“This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood."
"Do this in remembrance of Me."
How often have I heard those words? What does it mean to remember?
I have served communion many times. In our old church, the deacons served the elements by passing the plate with the wafers, and the cups of juice in their holders, down the row of people sitting in the pews. In the church that we now attend, the communicants come forward to receive the elements directly from hands of the servers, and I confess that I am partial to this second method.
I have seen many people come forward, and I have tried to look in the eyes of each one in the attempt to make it as personal for them as is possible. First of all to treat all who come as individual persons, and not just as a mass, and then to remind them of the significance of the taking of the bread and juice, that it is for them, that one individual person, that Jesus died.
I see folks who come with a look of "let's just get this over with, I'm uncomfortable being here and doing this". I see people, especially kids when brought down by their parent, who look at me with the question "why am I doing this?". I see eyes that are filled with tears, for whatever reason, and I am drawn into their emotion as they receive.
I remember that Christ calls us as individuals, not as a group. It is to each one that the command comes to take into account what we are doing in this act of worship. To each Jesus says "Do this in remembrance of Me".
So I try to take this time this morning to do just that. To remember the scene at the Last Supper, the scene in the Garden and the Scenes at the Cross and the Tomb. I attempt to put all of that in perspective as it pertains to one person, me. I confess that I do not understand it all, but I accept it as a fact, and am grateful to be included with His disciples, however unworthy I know I am.
And I will try to lead others in that preparation time tomorrow, to remember also, not only what the scenes are, but what they mean in their lives, so that the congregation gathered in that place in that hour can hear the command also.
Remember and then Respond
I do not want this time to be just a perfunctory one for me or for those others who will be participating in the serving of those holy elements. It is important for all of us to be take seriously the command of Jesus when He says to His disciples:
" And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying,“This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood."
"Do this in remembrance of Me."
How often have I heard those words? What does it mean to remember?
I have served communion many times. In our old church, the deacons served the elements by passing the plate with the wafers, and the cups of juice in their holders, down the row of people sitting in the pews. In the church that we now attend, the communicants come forward to receive the elements directly from hands of the servers, and I confess that I am partial to this second method.
I have seen many people come forward, and I have tried to look in the eyes of each one in the attempt to make it as personal for them as is possible. First of all to treat all who come as individual persons, and not just as a mass, and then to remind them of the significance of the taking of the bread and juice, that it is for them, that one individual person, that Jesus died.
I see folks who come with a look of "let's just get this over with, I'm uncomfortable being here and doing this". I see people, especially kids when brought down by their parent, who look at me with the question "why am I doing this?". I see eyes that are filled with tears, for whatever reason, and I am drawn into their emotion as they receive.
I remember that Christ calls us as individuals, not as a group. It is to each one that the command comes to take into account what we are doing in this act of worship. To each Jesus says "Do this in remembrance of Me".
So I try to take this time this morning to do just that. To remember the scene at the Last Supper, the scene in the Garden and the Scenes at the Cross and the Tomb. I attempt to put all of that in perspective as it pertains to one person, me. I confess that I do not understand it all, but I accept it as a fact, and am grateful to be included with His disciples, however unworthy I know I am.
And I will try to lead others in that preparation time tomorrow, to remember also, not only what the scenes are, but what they mean in their lives, so that the congregation gathered in that place in that hour can hear the command also.
Remember and then Respond
Thursday, January 3, 2013
A Three Legged Stool
There are Opportunities, and there are Responsibilities, but in order to have a stable 3-legged stool, I must have the third leg. For me, at least, the third word that started this year was Relationships. The word came to me on Tuesday, along with the other two, but I had to do some thinking about what that all meant. Relationships involve others, people that come into my life for a brief moment or for a long or intermediate time. People whose lives intersect with mine for different time frames. People that I know well and others that I do not know at all.
God gives me opportunities in my life, and He gives me the responsibility to make something out of these. He gives me people along with those times, and so the responsibility extends in that direction also.
I saw at least four individuals as I walked the cart path this morning. A golf course employee who was cutting the greens, and who I just waved to and walked on. A man that I knew, walking his dog on the side of the course, but too far away to do anything else but wave. A lady, who lived along the path, filling her bird feeder, that I did not know and just waved to as I walked. Finally, a man actually playing golf at that early hour, that I stopped and spoke to as he went to the next green.
Were there any opportunities there that I needed to take some responsibility toward? Was it just to acknowledge that they were in that place, and that they were actually people, or was there something more? Was it for just that brief moment or maybe leading to a future time? At this point I cannot know, but at least I did not just shut my eyes to their presence. Brief relationships, but possibly more.
There are a whole continuum of relationships in my life, from God at the one end to the man on the street, and I have a responsibility toward each. Maybe in varying ways, but one nevertheless. Relationships make the life and without these, it would be a sterile vacuum.
So how do I relate these three words into my life?
The God-orchestrated circumstances in my life bring opportunities that I have a responsibility toward. These circumstances also involve people that are important in some way, but not just because they are in my life, but because they are God's creation also, and important to Him.
Too often I see others in the light of what they can do for me, from God on down to the ones that I do not know. I need to see them as God sees them, important human beings, made in His image, and not just a part of a nameless mass. I can, and should, treat them with the dignity that they deserve.
My responsibility may be greater for God, family and friends, but it also reaches to those whose circumstances have intersected with mine, in any way.
Let me remember that when I get up from this time, and live it out with everyone.
God gives me opportunities in my life, and He gives me the responsibility to make something out of these. He gives me people along with those times, and so the responsibility extends in that direction also.
I saw at least four individuals as I walked the cart path this morning. A golf course employee who was cutting the greens, and who I just waved to and walked on. A man that I knew, walking his dog on the side of the course, but too far away to do anything else but wave. A lady, who lived along the path, filling her bird feeder, that I did not know and just waved to as I walked. Finally, a man actually playing golf at that early hour, that I stopped and spoke to as he went to the next green.
Were there any opportunities there that I needed to take some responsibility toward? Was it just to acknowledge that they were in that place, and that they were actually people, or was there something more? Was it for just that brief moment or maybe leading to a future time? At this point I cannot know, but at least I did not just shut my eyes to their presence. Brief relationships, but possibly more.
There are a whole continuum of relationships in my life, from God at the one end to the man on the street, and I have a responsibility toward each. Maybe in varying ways, but one nevertheless. Relationships make the life and without these, it would be a sterile vacuum.
So how do I relate these three words into my life?
The God-orchestrated circumstances in my life bring opportunities that I have a responsibility toward. These circumstances also involve people that are important in some way, but not just because they are in my life, but because they are God's creation also, and important to Him.
Too often I see others in the light of what they can do for me, from God on down to the ones that I do not know. I need to see them as God sees them, important human beings, made in His image, and not just a part of a nameless mass. I can, and should, treat them with the dignity that they deserve.
My responsibility may be greater for God, family and friends, but it also reaches to those whose circumstances have intersected with mine, in any way.
Let me remember that when I get up from this time, and live it out with everyone.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Take Two...and a Cry for Help
Who can know the mind of God?
That seems to be my question this morning as I think about the second word in my post from yesterday. I wrote about Opportunity on that last foggy morning, and today I want to focus on Responsibility. But it is not enough just to zoom in on that one word, my thoughts go back to how it might relate to yesterday's post.
If I say that God does indeed bring opportunities into my life, for me to grasp and live out, and sometimes to pass by and not even notice, there could be another way that I can treat these occasions. What if I see an opportunity right in front of me and deliberately fail to respond? What if I realize that there is something out there, but put on blinders and don't acknowledge that it exists?
But, of course, there are at least two kinds of opportunities, ones that God brings to bless us in obedience to His desires and ones that are bad and sinful in nature.
What of the second word in this trio from yesterday, Responsibility, in relation to these opportunities?
I know I have the duty to, first of all, ask God to let me see opportunities for what they are and their ability to either be a blessing or a curse. Then I need to act in accordance to what He shows me about each one, shunning the bad but embracing the good.
But doing the culling and accepting does not seem to be the end of the process. Once He has pointed out to me the ways that are in my power to bless, or serve, then the Responsibility deepens. First comes the opportunity, it is recognized and accepted as mine, but I also have the ability to decide how much effort to put into the implementation of it.
How many times have I heard "If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right"? Performance to anything less than my best is a disservice, both to God and to me.
So I have the Responsibility to be aware of the way God is leading, to see what He puts in my path, to act in accordance with what He shows, and to do it the best I can, with His help.
Fortunately there is this verse from Psalm 34, as written in The Message:
"Is anyone crying for help? God is listening,
ready to rescue you."
Help!
That seems to be my question this morning as I think about the second word in my post from yesterday. I wrote about Opportunity on that last foggy morning, and today I want to focus on Responsibility. But it is not enough just to zoom in on that one word, my thoughts go back to how it might relate to yesterday's post.
If I say that God does indeed bring opportunities into my life, for me to grasp and live out, and sometimes to pass by and not even notice, there could be another way that I can treat these occasions. What if I see an opportunity right in front of me and deliberately fail to respond? What if I realize that there is something out there, but put on blinders and don't acknowledge that it exists?
But, of course, there are at least two kinds of opportunities, ones that God brings to bless us in obedience to His desires and ones that are bad and sinful in nature.
What of the second word in this trio from yesterday, Responsibility, in relation to these opportunities?
I know I have the duty to, first of all, ask God to let me see opportunities for what they are and their ability to either be a blessing or a curse. Then I need to act in accordance to what He shows me about each one, shunning the bad but embracing the good.
But doing the culling and accepting does not seem to be the end of the process. Once He has pointed out to me the ways that are in my power to bless, or serve, then the Responsibility deepens. First comes the opportunity, it is recognized and accepted as mine, but I also have the ability to decide how much effort to put into the implementation of it.
How many times have I heard "If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right"? Performance to anything less than my best is a disservice, both to God and to me.
So I have the Responsibility to be aware of the way God is leading, to see what He puts in my path, to act in accordance with what He shows, and to do it the best I can, with His help.
Fortunately there is this verse from Psalm 34, as written in The Message:
"Is anyone crying for help? God is listening,
ready to rescue you."
Help!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Three Words for 2013..Take One
Waking, Reading, Praying and Walking. Those activities bring three words to my mind this morning. As I think about 2013, a new year on the calendar, these words seem to be in the forefront of my thoughts. They are big words, at least in terms of importance in my life right now.
Opportunity, Responsibility and Relationships.
For me, as I sit here in the beginning hours of a new year, the words are real, but the implications are a little like my early morning walk, foggy. I could look in any direction, see the path immediately in front of me, see some houses a few hundred feet off in all directions, but the area past that was obscured. From past experience, I knew there was something out there, but could not see any details.
I also know there is something about those three words that I need to focus on, but there is just too much unknown beyond the foggy fringes of my world. If I try to dissect them all at one time, I will be swamped, so I will try to look at just one right now and listen for words of wisdom from Above.
Opportunity: How does that relate to the beginning of this new year? Opportunity exists in all three of the realms of my life. There have been opportunities in the past, some have been seized and others missed. Both joys and regrets have been present in these, but I can't dwell there.
There will be chances out there in the future, and that future consists of the next minute, the next day, or year. There are things that I can do to try and prepare to grab them, but the grabbing hold is not yet. They are important, but the call for me in this is not to be so short-sided that I am not ready
The only opportunities that I can take hold of are those right now. Just like in the foggy morning, walking alone down the path, my world encapsulated in just that little spot that I can see, the only things that I can affect are right there, right then.
So, what does all of that mean? God has placed me in places where I have opportunity to be His man in His world. In short, I have the chance to serve. As I recognize that fact, another question appears. How?
Even the opportunities that I can see in my life right now are daunting. I see them, but I know I cannot take care of them in any correct way, without help. So part of the plan is to admit that I cannot do it on my own and ask for His help. If the things that come my way are part of His plan for me right now, then He will help me take care of them. I know I need this, really bad.
So, on the first day of this year 2013, I take the opportunity to ask God for His help. I confess that I cannot do anything worthwhile without Him. I ask for this at the beginning of this day. I ask for this help for the day in front of me. I ask for this help in preparation for each of the days ahead in the fog.
Help me to serve, and help me to be ready to serve.
Give me this day, my daily bread, I pray......
Opportunity, Responsibility and Relationships.
For me, as I sit here in the beginning hours of a new year, the words are real, but the implications are a little like my early morning walk, foggy. I could look in any direction, see the path immediately in front of me, see some houses a few hundred feet off in all directions, but the area past that was obscured. From past experience, I knew there was something out there, but could not see any details.
I also know there is something about those three words that I need to focus on, but there is just too much unknown beyond the foggy fringes of my world. If I try to dissect them all at one time, I will be swamped, so I will try to look at just one right now and listen for words of wisdom from Above.
Opportunity: How does that relate to the beginning of this new year? Opportunity exists in all three of the realms of my life. There have been opportunities in the past, some have been seized and others missed. Both joys and regrets have been present in these, but I can't dwell there.
There will be chances out there in the future, and that future consists of the next minute, the next day, or year. There are things that I can do to try and prepare to grab them, but the grabbing hold is not yet. They are important, but the call for me in this is not to be so short-sided that I am not ready
The only opportunities that I can take hold of are those right now. Just like in the foggy morning, walking alone down the path, my world encapsulated in just that little spot that I can see, the only things that I can affect are right there, right then.
So, what does all of that mean? God has placed me in places where I have opportunity to be His man in His world. In short, I have the chance to serve. As I recognize that fact, another question appears. How?
Even the opportunities that I can see in my life right now are daunting. I see them, but I know I cannot take care of them in any correct way, without help. So part of the plan is to admit that I cannot do it on my own and ask for His help. If the things that come my way are part of His plan for me right now, then He will help me take care of them. I know I need this, really bad.
So, on the first day of this year 2013, I take the opportunity to ask God for His help. I confess that I cannot do anything worthwhile without Him. I ask for this at the beginning of this day. I ask for this help for the day in front of me. I ask for this help in preparation for each of the days ahead in the fog.
Help me to serve, and help me to be ready to serve.
Give me this day, my daily bread, I pray......
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