Psalm 4:1-8
From August 27, 2007
I have been thinking lately about some of my favorite movie lines. Most often, they are not the famous ones that (almost) everyone recognizes (“Hey, how do you all know that song?”) but rather they are quickies that really don’t catch the ear of the casual listener.
For example, in “To Have And Have Not,” one of my most favorite films, Lauren Bacall’s character concludes a phenomenally charged exchange with Humphrey Bogart with the classic, “You know how to whistle don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow.”
Lesser remembered by the average cinemaphile is the persistent Bogart’s inquiry into Bacall’s sudden sullenness in another scene. “You’re sore, aren’t you? I asked you a question; you didn’t answer. I said, ‘You’re sore, aren’t you?’” His rapid-fire inquisition without giving her a chance to answer the first time just hits me funny when I hear it.
Sore. Ticked. Other more vulgar expressions representing anger involving urine that I really don’t understand. We have all been angry about something sometime somewhere. At work, we often refer to it as “being TL.” That’s for “tight-lipped,” as one of my coworkers visibly becomes during one of his common phases of being honked off.
If anger is such a common emotion, we ought to know how to best deal with it. Many want to taaaalk about their feelings. Put all the cards on the table and see whose hand wins. I understand that each person is different but my experience is that when I crow the loudest about who or what has offended me, I am wrong to the degree commensurate with my volume and the brevity of time between the offense and my reaction.
In verse four, the other David writes, “Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.”
A little alone time usually works best for me, too. I want to examine myself to judge my own contribution to the problem. I want to see what I need to correct and change about myself. After some time to ponder the situation from a number of viewpoints besides only mine, I may find that a circumstance exists which really does require gentle confrontation. Many times, even if I am accidentally right, I will determine that it just might not be worth the trouble to stir up trouble. As often as not, I sometimes conclude that I was indeed wrong! Then, of course, I must set about making remedial relationship reparations.
Oops! Out of space for this week. “This [devotional] will remain closed. For tonight.”
Thursday, May 17, 2007
My Eulogy For Lance
On November 11, my dear friend Lance (OK, his real name is Al) passed away suddenly at the age of 49. I was privileged to be asked to deliver one of the eulogies in his honor. Having never done that before, I wasn't sure exactly what I should (or shouldn't) say. I only knew that I would not let pass from me that opportunity to honor one of the greatest friends a man could have.
So, I stood behind the pulpit from which Al had led congregational singing and even preached, before a capacity crowd estimated by some to be around 400 people, with my friend's casket in front of and below me.
Following are my remarks, as best as I can remember them from that emotional day and borrowing from the notes I scribbled on the Fairfield Inn notepad. I have included some things I meant to say but didn't, mostly due to time constraints, but I don't think I have left anything out.
I hope it was good enough.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first rule of high-wire tightrope walkers is, “Don’t look down.” I am thinking that if I don’t look down, I will be able to make it through this okay. I am not a very verbal person by nature so, in honor of my dear friend Al, I will try to keep my remarks short.
I cannot remember the first time I met Al. He is kind of like that old jacket in your closet--you can’t ever recall where or when you picked it up, it just seems as though it has always been around. You only know that it is comfortable and warm, and you like it enough that you never plan to get rid of it.
We have known each other since the early 1980s, maybe ‘82 or ‘83. We played a lot of softball together for about ten years or so. For awhile, I batted leadoff and he batted second, forcing me out at second base anytime he hit the ball on the ground because he hit it so hard. Finally, I hatched a plan that we should switch spots in the order.
Al was much faster than I, so he would lead off with a base hit and I, having learned to hit to the opposite field, would advance him to second base with a ground out or to third with a simple single to right field, and occasionally, with his great speed, he would score. Even today, he has arrived Home ahead of me.
In the twenty-plus years that I have known Lance (we called him “Lance” for his uncanny mid-1980s resemblance to Lance Parrish, the slugging Tiger catcher from two decades ago), I have accumulated volumes--no, bookshelves--of stories about him. But, they are preparing today’s luncheon downstairs, not Friday’s breakfast, so I cannot take the time to relate as many as I would like…not today, anyway.
There are two words (among many others, of course) that will always come to mind when I remember Al. The first one is integrity. A mutual friend of ours noted that, whatever else some may think of him, amidst many ministerial failures of others over the years, Billy Graham has always maintained his integrity. No one has laid any charge of impropriety at his doorstep in his many years of ministry. Likewise with my friend Al. I know of no one who has anything bad to say about him.
Al would never consider doing anything that would besmirch his reputation, nor that of his wife, his family, his church, or his Lord. In fact, he oozed so much integrity that we sometimes joked that he was hardly any fun to be with anymore.
The other key word that has marked Alan Mol’s life is love. Now, with his cars he has had a love/hate relationship. He loved them (if there was a half of an insect wing on his windshield, you know he would stop at the next gas station to squeegee it off) and his cars, well, they didn’t always reciprocate.
(Ask Debbie about our double-date to Detroit to see the Red Wings--their first date!--when the radiator overheated on our arrival at Joe Louis Arena. After the game, concessionaires at the arena gave us two big pickle jugs full of water that we carried all the way to the top of the ramp and accross the lot to the car. We used them to refill the radiator at almost every gas station on the way back to Grand Rapids. It was so late when we returned home that we decided to go out for breakfast! Or, ask my dad about how Al knows everyone who lives along I-196 to Holland because his cars had broken down so many times on his way to work.)
Automobiles notwithstanding, Al’s love for people was perhaps the hallmark of his life. You can see that by glancing about the auditorium today at the many people whose lives he has touched. I assure you that there are many more who desired to be here but could not due the restrictions of time and distance.
There might have been a time when verbal expressions of love would not have been particularly easy for him as he was not one to bandy such a word about carelessly. He would refrain from a casual, “I love you,” perhaps because he understood better than many of us all that love entails: surrender, sacrifice, selflessness. Doesn’t mean he didn’t love you, he just didn’t like throwing the “L” word around without having established that level of commitment in his own mind.
In recent years, he seemed more comfortable in expressing his love with the spoken word, for example, at the end of a phone call. Mostly, though, Al expressed his love for us by the things he chose to do for us. He is a servant.
(I speak of Al in the present tense because one thing that really bugs me about funerals is that we sometimes speak of those who have passed on as though they have ceased to exist. Al still is, he just isn’t still here. As the song by Big Daddy Weave says, “When I say my last farewells, don’t forget to tell them, that I’m not really dead, I’m just changing neighborhoods.”)
Of course, he loves his wife, and our dear friend, Debbie. Could any husband and wife be more different? Yet, they have been united in their devotion to the Lord and in their desire to serve Him, which they have done very well during their nineteen years of marriage.
(You may not know that I was instrumental in bringing the two of them together in the early days. During a game of Bible Charades, I drew “Noah’s Ark” and so I began pairing off guys and girls and marching them across the front of the room. Of course, I matched The New Girl with “Lance Romance.” The rest, as they say, was history.)
Al also loves his family very much, as he has so often told me.
Al loves all of you, too, and people in general. He has always expressed his interest in people in the way he knows best--by talking to them. He would talk to anyone about anything at anytime. Once, upon returning to his former workplace to visit his former coworkers, Al reminded them of an earlier conversation when someone told him, “Al, if you could get a job talking to people, you’d be the happiest man in town.”
“Now I have that job,” he told them, “and I am the happiest man in town.”
Many Sunday nights after church, when we were in our 20s, we would stop at Mr. Fables to eat and, upon setting his tray on the table, Al would go off in search of people (other than those with him) for conversation, and then wonder upon his return to our booth why there were no strawberries left in his strawberry pie. Hmmmm…..?
Talking could sometimes get Al into trouble. It’s true. One time, he and I had just finished playing video games at the arcade in the bowling alley--we were in our 20s--when we stopped at Arby’s for a sandwich a little after midnight. I ordered and was ready to go on with my life but Al made inquiries of the young woman behind the counter in his usual folksy way, always as a means of setting up an witnessing opportunity.
“My name’s Al. So, what’s your name?”
“Sarah.”
“How old are you?”
“Eighteen.”
“Do you live around here?”
“I live right across the street, about three blocks from here.”
“What time do you get off work?”
“I’m done at 3AM. My parents are out of town and I just broke up with my boyfriend.”
By that time, my flashing yellow light had gone to red and I extricated him from any embarrassment that might ensue once he realized that the two of them were on totally different tracks. Once seated, he innocently asked me, “What did she think I wanted?”
“I don’t know, Al. Eat your fries.”
You’ll have to ask me about the blood donation story later. I am not sure that one is suitable for this particular audience.
Author Steve Brown has said that he never elevates someone to “hero” status while they are still alive because there is always that chance that they will mess up. “Then, I’ll be all disappointed and disillusioned and have to take them off my list. So, I only have dead heroes. They can’t mess anything up now.”
I am proud to say that Alan Mol is now no longer only my friend, but he is now also my hero. He has taught me so much--sadly, I have not be able to learn it all quite as fast as I would like, but I am trying. He has shown me how to resolve conflicts, how to speak to strangers, how to love others, and how to not take one’s self too seriously.
Thinking about those lessons learned from Al helped me realize something in these past few days. Al’s life here was a relatively short one by our count, but his is the rare life best measured not by the length of his years but by the breadth of his influence.
The way that we can best remember Al is to apply the many lessons he has taught to each one of us. Cultivate integrity and love for the Savior and for others around us, those dear to us and strangers, too. If we can begin to do those things, we will never forget Al. He will become a little bit of the expression of everything we do every day.
posted by Turn2 @ 1:20 AM
4 Comments:
At December 01, 2006 10:38 PM
David,
Wow!! What an honor you have gave to your buddy "Lance". I forgot all about that! LOL! I guess it's in life's end that we see the importance of what we have or don't have in our lives.
Thanks for posting that. You did good!
I enjoyed it very much!
Your little sis,
Dee
At December 02, 2006 1:22 PM
Someones life legacy is far greater then anything else they can leave behind! He was and still is an amazing person, God has and will continue to use his life to bring Honor and Glory to Himself. That is what Al's purpose for living was and that should be our focuss as well. The only thing that matters at the end of this life/the beginning of a greater life is what you did for God and not yourself. Al got rewarded for that very thing, when he looked upon the face of his Creator and Savior (How amazing that would have been). You did a great job Sr. Thank you so much for sharing what was on your heart!
His Servant,
Cassandra Carrillo
At December 05, 2006 3:11 PM
WOW!!!
what a difficult thing to have to do. i believe you did it weel though. isn't it amazing what we forget sometimes? and what we remember. i've thought of several moleizims over these last weeks and so far they are still bringing quite a sharp pain in the center of my heart.
he will be greatly missed.
Rossi
At December 28, 2006 9:45 PM
Reading your eulogy reminded me of many good memories of the early 80's when Al & Debbie were still dating, the hotspot of Mr. Fables, Farrells Ice Cream on the Beltline, car rallies planned by the famous David that drove me crazy, etc. What an awesome chapter in our lives those days were and they would never have been nearly as fun if Al wasn't part of them. Truly we wer blessed to have his influence in our lives. And just as true is the reality that someday each of us will face the end of our days in this life to move on into eternity. What an impact Al made in countless lives for eternity - only God knows how many. May each of us remember to lift up dear Debbie in the weeks and months to come as she adjusts to life without Al. I simply can't imagine what she must be going through but at the same time am grateful she does not walk that road alone. She has a heavenly father who we know is walking along beside her and no doubt the many friends and family members she has in the Bay City area who are carefully watching over her as she attempts to carry on without the love of nearly 20 years. May we remember the date of 11/11 in the years to come and to contact Debbie to let her know we are praying for her still. Thanks Dave for all the memories your brought back to life.
Mishelle (Wood) Schoen
Just One, Pleeease?
Jeremiah 5:1-3, 12-19
from January 6, 2006
One.
Sometimes that is all it takes. Just one. Not “I,” but “1,” for we know that there is no “I” in “team,” though, as it was pointed out to me, there is “me” in “team” if you scramble the letters around a little bit. However, too much “me” in any “team” and that team will become “meat.” But, I digress.
You may remember in Genesis 18 something that was a prequel to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. God had the demolition plans all drawn up but Abraham tried to intercede for his nephew Lot and any other remotely righteous people there.
Beginning with 50, Abraham seeks to persuade God not to destroy these wicked towns if 50 righteous people could be found there. “What about 45?” asked Abraham. “Forty? Thirty? Twenty?” He…could…go…all…the…way--if Howard Cosell were telling the story--but Abraham stopped at ten. The presence of only ten good people was all it would take to spare two whole cities. We know how that turned out.
That was the flashback portion of this devotional. In today's text, it is not the pagans who are immersed in sin but the Jews. The people, including the priests, had turned against God, and the people were glad of it! (v.30)
It was so bad that Jeremiah didn’t have Abraham’s bargaining power. God simply offers in verse one,
“Run to and fro in the streets of Jerusalem; see now and know; and seek in her open places if you can find a man, if there is anyone who executes judgment, who seeks the truth, and I will pardon her (Jerusalem).”
The presence of just one godly person would have protected Israel from the pending attack by another nation.
Whether it is a vote in a critical local, national, or even corporate election, or a voice of reason and righteousness amidst confusion, or the encouragement of a personal conversation that helps another person get back on track, one person can turn the tide and maybe even change history. Just one.
If a situation arises, can I be that vote, that voice? Am I ready before God to be "just one," even if I am the only one?
I wonder.
from January 6, 2006
One.
Sometimes that is all it takes. Just one. Not “I,” but “1,” for we know that there is no “I” in “team,” though, as it was pointed out to me, there is “me” in “team” if you scramble the letters around a little bit. However, too much “me” in any “team” and that team will become “meat.” But, I digress.
You may remember in Genesis 18 something that was a prequel to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. God had the demolition plans all drawn up but Abraham tried to intercede for his nephew Lot and any other remotely righteous people there.
Beginning with 50, Abraham seeks to persuade God not to destroy these wicked towns if 50 righteous people could be found there. “What about 45?” asked Abraham. “Forty? Thirty? Twenty?” He…could…go…all…the…way--if Howard Cosell were telling the story--but Abraham stopped at ten. The presence of only ten good people was all it would take to spare two whole cities. We know how that turned out.
That was the flashback portion of this devotional. In today's text, it is not the pagans who are immersed in sin but the Jews. The people, including the priests, had turned against God, and the people were glad of it! (v.30)
It was so bad that Jeremiah didn’t have Abraham’s bargaining power. God simply offers in verse one,
“Run to and fro in the streets of Jerusalem; see now and know; and seek in her open places if you can find a man, if there is anyone who executes judgment, who seeks the truth, and I will pardon her (Jerusalem).”
The presence of just one godly person would have protected Israel from the pending attack by another nation.
Whether it is a vote in a critical local, national, or even corporate election, or a voice of reason and righteousness amidst confusion, or the encouragement of a personal conversation that helps another person get back on track, one person can turn the tide and maybe even change history. Just one.
If a situation arises, can I be that vote, that voice? Am I ready before God to be "just one," even if I am the only one?
I wonder.
Rolling Back And Forth Amidst The Ups And Downs of Life
Jeremiah 7:18-28
from January 10, 2006
When I was a youngster, I had virtually no athletic skills whatsoever. (Sadly, that was a harbinger of the rest of my life, though I have enjoyed playing softball and volleyball as an adult.) As a result of my inadequacy, I devised pastimes which I could engage by myself.
One of the simplest of these was throwing a large ball, or sometimes a tennis ball, up onto the roof of our house, catching it, and throwing it back as many times as I could without letting it drop to the ground. I was young enough that I couldn’t see the ball until it was almost over the horizon of the roof so the more I had to rush, the more scrambling I had to do and it was a pretty good aerobic workout before anyone ever knew what “aerobic” meant.
One thing I never saw happen was the ball coming to rest upon the peak of the roof. It was always rolling toward me or away from me, on those occasions when I would throw it a little too hard and it would go into the backyard.
Note verses 23 and 24: “…‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’ Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward.”
Like that ball, we cannot rest upon a spiritually neutral perch. Life is full of ups and downs and trying to be in Neutral means we will be rolling downhill one way or the other, forward or backward. We are moving closer to God or away from Him, either hurriedly or incrementally, but we are moving.
The critical question is not so much one of movement, but of direction.
Which way are you pointing today?
2 Comments:
At May 05, 2006 1:30 AM, Rossi said…
Pointed in the true north direction, as best i can anyway
At May 31, 2006 6:24 PM, Shannon said…
At Grandma's house on Wednesdays, I always check to see if you have a new blog or not. One week, I saw this one and I read it. It really caught me by surprise as I realized that I was becoming like that ball that you would occasionally throw too hard. I was straying away from God in the way of forgetting to do my Quiet Time each day, and when I would do it, I wouldn't read the passage, I would just read the "Digging Deeper" section and write about that. This blog really opened my eyes to what I was doing wrong, and how I needed to change. Now, the recent weeks in my Quiet Time have no blank spots. It feels awesome to know that I am close to God again. Thanks Dad!
from January 10, 2006
When I was a youngster, I had virtually no athletic skills whatsoever. (Sadly, that was a harbinger of the rest of my life, though I have enjoyed playing softball and volleyball as an adult.) As a result of my inadequacy, I devised pastimes which I could engage by myself.
One of the simplest of these was throwing a large ball, or sometimes a tennis ball, up onto the roof of our house, catching it, and throwing it back as many times as I could without letting it drop to the ground. I was young enough that I couldn’t see the ball until it was almost over the horizon of the roof so the more I had to rush, the more scrambling I had to do and it was a pretty good aerobic workout before anyone ever knew what “aerobic” meant.
One thing I never saw happen was the ball coming to rest upon the peak of the roof. It was always rolling toward me or away from me, on those occasions when I would throw it a little too hard and it would go into the backyard.
Note verses 23 and 24: “…‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’ Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward.”
Like that ball, we cannot rest upon a spiritually neutral perch. Life is full of ups and downs and trying to be in Neutral means we will be rolling downhill one way or the other, forward or backward. We are moving closer to God or away from Him, either hurriedly or incrementally, but we are moving.
The critical question is not so much one of movement, but of direction.
Which way are you pointing today?
2 Comments:
At May 05, 2006 1:30 AM, Rossi said…
Pointed in the true north direction, as best i can anyway
At May 31, 2006 6:24 PM, Shannon said…
At Grandma's house on Wednesdays, I always check to see if you have a new blog or not. One week, I saw this one and I read it. It really caught me by surprise as I realized that I was becoming like that ball that you would occasionally throw too hard. I was straying away from God in the way of forgetting to do my Quiet Time each day, and when I would do it, I wouldn't read the passage, I would just read the "Digging Deeper" section and write about that. This blog really opened my eyes to what I was doing wrong, and how I needed to change. Now, the recent weeks in my Quiet Time have no blank spots. It feels awesome to know that I am close to God again. Thanks Dad!
When Good Friday Goes Bad, Forget It
Jeremiah 2:1-13
from January 3, 2006
It was one of the most disturbing messages I have ever heard: “This is a reminder that B. Braun McGaw will be closed April 14 for the Spring holiday.”
Which holiday do you suppose this company meant? Time Change Sunday has already passed. Arbor Day isn’t until the 28th. Do you think they meant Good Friday, the front door to Easter weekend? Is that so hard to say? Try it. Say it with me:
"Good."
"Friday."
See? Ain’t so hard.
That is, it’s not hard if you haven’t fallen victim to the Doublemint Twins of Evil: Forsaken and Forgotten. That is what had happened to the Jews. Despite the many blessings of God throughout their history, despite the deliverance of God out of captivity, through the wilderness and into the land of promise, the people, and even their priests, turned aside from God. In verse 13, God says, “They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters…”
Venturing outside of our passage, see verses 31 and 32 where God pleads, “O generation, see the Word of the Lord! Have I been a wilderness to Israel, or a land of darkness…Yet My people have forgotten Me days without number.”
Those verses couldn’t be clearer. Forsaking and Forgetting God come pretty naturally for a nation or an individual that no longer “sees” the Word of God--doesn’t read it, doesn’t study it, doesn’t meditate on it, doesn’t teach it, doesn’t hear it preached, doesn’t revere it, doesn't believe it.
Without the Word of God, i.e., the Bible, one has no input jack for truth. Without truth, one falls into the flow of the social current and is taken wherever the stream of political correctness leads. Sin is relabeled, tolerated, and accepted. Over time, maybe even adopted. It might not be something heinous such as racism, homosexuality, or abuse of some description. It may simply be Forsaking. And Forgetting.
The truth is, as financial icon Dave Ramsey regularly and correctly notes, “God is better to me than I deserve.” When is that more on display than during the Resurrection Day season, and when better for each of us to determine to Return and Remember?
from January 3, 2006
It was one of the most disturbing messages I have ever heard: “This is a reminder that B. Braun McGaw will be closed April 14 for the Spring holiday.”
Which holiday do you suppose this company meant? Time Change Sunday has already passed. Arbor Day isn’t until the 28th. Do you think they meant Good Friday, the front door to Easter weekend? Is that so hard to say? Try it. Say it with me:
"Good."
"Friday."
See? Ain’t so hard.
That is, it’s not hard if you haven’t fallen victim to the Doublemint Twins of Evil: Forsaken and Forgotten. That is what had happened to the Jews. Despite the many blessings of God throughout their history, despite the deliverance of God out of captivity, through the wilderness and into the land of promise, the people, and even their priests, turned aside from God. In verse 13, God says, “They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters…”
Venturing outside of our passage, see verses 31 and 32 where God pleads, “O generation, see the Word of the Lord! Have I been a wilderness to Israel, or a land of darkness…Yet My people have forgotten Me days without number.”
Those verses couldn’t be clearer. Forsaking and Forgetting God come pretty naturally for a nation or an individual that no longer “sees” the Word of God--doesn’t read it, doesn’t study it, doesn’t meditate on it, doesn’t teach it, doesn’t hear it preached, doesn’t revere it, doesn't believe it.
Without the Word of God, i.e., the Bible, one has no input jack for truth. Without truth, one falls into the flow of the social current and is taken wherever the stream of political correctness leads. Sin is relabeled, tolerated, and accepted. Over time, maybe even adopted. It might not be something heinous such as racism, homosexuality, or abuse of some description. It may simply be Forsaking. And Forgetting.
The truth is, as financial icon Dave Ramsey regularly and correctly notes, “God is better to me than I deserve.” When is that more on display than during the Resurrection Day season, and when better for each of us to determine to Return and Remember?
False Start
Jeremiah 1:1-10
January 1, 2006
Nothing like a new year to make one feel old…errr, older. Suppose that I told you that the new year didn’t really begin on January 1st but that it started last June. Sure, you’d tell me to get my calendar fixed.
I might agree, and then tell you that 2006 didn’t really begin last June. It always was. It didn’t begin today or last summer, or 100 summers ago. It has always existed. At that point, you would accuse me of watching “The Twilight Zone” reruns on the Sci-Fi Channel.
Nope. Just reading the Bible.
You see, nothing will occur this year that God has not already seen. Much of it He will have planned, all of it will be allowed, and none of it will come as a surprise to Him. He has seen every casualty of every war, every child’s science project in every school, and every home run to be hit in every ballpark. Even Little League.
Bringing it from a global to a personal level, God told Jeremiah in verse 5, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” He knew him before He had created him? That kind of turns back the clock on even us pro-lifers, doesn’t it? Maybe life begins before conception. In God’s mind it seems to.
And so it is with us. God knows what His plan is for each of us. Some of us will try to discover that plan and fulfill it. Some will wander along blissfully (or otherwise) unaware of any kind of plan. Others will seem to try to actively frustrate any kind of divine plan, real or perceived, that may be suspected.
Regardless of our chosen response, God cares enough about each of our individual lives to have planned the challenges, hardships, blessings, and joys that are Personally designed to conform us to the image of Christ and accomplish great things for Him that another person may not be able to do. We’re all limited-edition, Designer models!
How better to begin a new year than to seek to discover and do God’s will for our life!
January 1, 2006
Nothing like a new year to make one feel old…errr, older. Suppose that I told you that the new year didn’t really begin on January 1st but that it started last June. Sure, you’d tell me to get my calendar fixed.
I might agree, and then tell you that 2006 didn’t really begin last June. It always was. It didn’t begin today or last summer, or 100 summers ago. It has always existed. At that point, you would accuse me of watching “The Twilight Zone” reruns on the Sci-Fi Channel.
Nope. Just reading the Bible.
You see, nothing will occur this year that God has not already seen. Much of it He will have planned, all of it will be allowed, and none of it will come as a surprise to Him. He has seen every casualty of every war, every child’s science project in every school, and every home run to be hit in every ballpark. Even Little League.
Bringing it from a global to a personal level, God told Jeremiah in verse 5, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” He knew him before He had created him? That kind of turns back the clock on even us pro-lifers, doesn’t it? Maybe life begins before conception. In God’s mind it seems to.
And so it is with us. God knows what His plan is for each of us. Some of us will try to discover that plan and fulfill it. Some will wander along blissfully (or otherwise) unaware of any kind of plan. Others will seem to try to actively frustrate any kind of divine plan, real or perceived, that may be suspected.
Regardless of our chosen response, God cares enough about each of our individual lives to have planned the challenges, hardships, blessings, and joys that are Personally designed to conform us to the image of Christ and accomplish great things for Him that another person may not be able to do. We’re all limited-edition, Designer models!
How better to begin a new year than to seek to discover and do God’s will for our life!
Seven 7s
Friday, March 24, 2006
Some time ago, many were listing their "Seven sevens" in various blogs--seven answers to the following seven topics. Finally, here are mine...
A. Seven things I want to do before I die
1. Read through the Bible--chronologically
2. Write a meaningful (and successful) book
3. Visit the “Field of Dreams” in Iowa and the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY
4. Go to Noah’s Ark water park
5. Have enough money to live on
6. Visit far-flung friends
7. Be a better Christian/husband/father/son/brother/friend/etc.
B. Seven things I cannot do
1. Swim (or even float)
2. Fix or build anything
3. Understand opera
4. Run long distances
5. Eat sauerkraut or rhubarb
6. Turn back the clock
7. Read music
C. Seven things that attract me to my spouse
1. Commitment to family
2. Makes rice pudding like my grandma used to
3. Good legs
4. Faithful to tasks she deems important
5. Dresses well
6. She treasures her friends
7. Good kisser
D. Seven things I say most often
1. It’s just an observation. (following a well-thought out statement, often followed by #5)
2. I’m not a very verbal person by nature. (it has been a learned skill)
3. I’m not in charge of that. (it’s not my fault--really)
4. I’m two shoes from leaving. (a simple statement of readiness)
5. It‘s not personal. (it was an objective observation unrelated to you)
6. Let‘s move on to The Next Big Thing. (I’m tired, bored, uninterested)
7. It’s not that big a deal. (because, in the big picture, few things are)
E. Seven books (or series) I love
1. The Bible (prefer NKJV)
2. The Savage Nation, Michael Savage
3. Treason, Ann Coulter
4. Any historical baseball coffee-table-type book
5. The Proper Care And Feeding of Husbands, Laura Schlessinger
6. Godless, Ann Coulter
7. More Than A Carpenter, Josh McDowell
F. Seven movies I can watch over and over again (or would if I had the time)
1. “The Bogart Trinity” (Casablanca, To Have And Have Not, The Maltese Falcon)
2. The Thin Man (series)
3. Shall We Dance (with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers)
4. Animal Crackers (or Duck Soup, or most any Marx Brothers movie)
5. Rio Bravo (favorite John Wayne movie)
6. The Princess Bride (so many memorable, quotable lines)
7. You Can't Cheat An Honest Man (or most other W.C. Fields movies)
G. Seven people whose lists I would be most interested to know
1. Mr. Carley
2. My families
3. Sherry
4. Janet
5. The Mols
6. Mr. Jenkins
7. Grace
1 Comments:
At May 05, 2006 1:28 AM, Rossi said…
A. Seven things I want to do before I die
1. Read through the Bible--chronologically
2. Own my own space~with a fireplace please :)
3. Have a room totaly dedicated to stamping/computer/crosstich
4. Have a four poster bed~espresso wood color
5. Have enough money to live on
6. Find my friend Belinda
7. Pass the next test of silence
B. Seven things I cannot do
1. Swim (or even float)
2. Parachute Jump
3. Multiply big numbers in my head
4. Watch a child be hurt
5. Change peoples responses
6. Make people accept the gospel
7. be a child of the living God
C. Seven things that attract me to my spouse
1. Commitment to God
2. Commitment to family
3. A good heart
4. Willing to help others
5. A good Father
6. A good Builder
well, i almost made it
D. Seven things I say most often
1. I have no idea~really i do say that
2. Works for me.
3. TROY!!!!
4. TYLER!!!!
5. I'm outta here.
6. YIPPIIEE!!!!!
7. That's a God thing.
E. Seven books (or series) I love
1. Uncommon Heroes~ Dee Henderson
2. Cape Refuge~Terri Blackstock
3. Love Letter from God (some call it a Bible)
4. Redemption series~Karen Kingsbury
5. Max Lucado~~anything
6. Francine Rivers~Redeeming Love~or anything else but, that's my fav
7. Newpointe 911~Blackstock
F. Seven movies I can watch over and over again (or would if I had the time)
1. “Scarlett Pimpernel” (Jane Seymour version)
2. You've Got Mail
3. Sound of Music
4. While You Were Sleeping
5. Regarding Henry
6. The Princess Bride (so many memorable, quotable lines, sink me!)
7. Oliver
G. Seven people whose lists I would be most interested to know
1. Jesus
2. Dawn
3. Lois
4. Cher
5. Mary
6. Mark
7. Michelle
Some time ago, many were listing their "Seven sevens" in various blogs--seven answers to the following seven topics. Finally, here are mine...
A. Seven things I want to do before I die
1. Read through the Bible--chronologically
2. Write a meaningful (and successful) book
3. Visit the “Field of Dreams” in Iowa and the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY
4. Go to Noah’s Ark water park
5. Have enough money to live on
6. Visit far-flung friends
7. Be a better Christian/husband/father/son/brother/friend/etc.
B. Seven things I cannot do
1. Swim (or even float)
2. Fix or build anything
3. Understand opera
4. Run long distances
5. Eat sauerkraut or rhubarb
6. Turn back the clock
7. Read music
C. Seven things that attract me to my spouse
1. Commitment to family
2. Makes rice pudding like my grandma used to
3. Good legs
4. Faithful to tasks she deems important
5. Dresses well
6. She treasures her friends
7. Good kisser
D. Seven things I say most often
1. It’s just an observation. (following a well-thought out statement, often followed by #5)
2. I’m not a very verbal person by nature. (it has been a learned skill)
3. I’m not in charge of that. (it’s not my fault--really)
4. I’m two shoes from leaving. (a simple statement of readiness)
5. It‘s not personal. (it was an objective observation unrelated to you)
6. Let‘s move on to The Next Big Thing. (I’m tired, bored, uninterested)
7. It’s not that big a deal. (because, in the big picture, few things are)
E. Seven books (or series) I love
1. The Bible (prefer NKJV)
2. The Savage Nation, Michael Savage
3. Treason, Ann Coulter
4. Any historical baseball coffee-table-type book
5. The Proper Care And Feeding of Husbands, Laura Schlessinger
6. Godless, Ann Coulter
7. More Than A Carpenter, Josh McDowell
F. Seven movies I can watch over and over again (or would if I had the time)
1. “The Bogart Trinity” (Casablanca, To Have And Have Not, The Maltese Falcon)
2. The Thin Man (series)
3. Shall We Dance (with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers)
4. Animal Crackers (or Duck Soup, or most any Marx Brothers movie)
5. Rio Bravo (favorite John Wayne movie)
6. The Princess Bride (so many memorable, quotable lines)
7. You Can't Cheat An Honest Man (or most other W.C. Fields movies)
G. Seven people whose lists I would be most interested to know
1. Mr. Carley
2. My families
3. Sherry
4. Janet
5. The Mols
6. Mr. Jenkins
7. Grace
1 Comments:
At May 05, 2006 1:28 AM, Rossi said…
A. Seven things I want to do before I die
1. Read through the Bible--chronologically
2. Own my own space~with a fireplace please :)
3. Have a room totaly dedicated to stamping/computer/crosstich
4. Have a four poster bed~espresso wood color
5. Have enough money to live on
6. Find my friend Belinda
7. Pass the next test of silence
B. Seven things I cannot do
1. Swim (or even float)
2. Parachute Jump
3. Multiply big numbers in my head
4. Watch a child be hurt
5. Change peoples responses
6. Make people accept the gospel
7. be a child of the living God
C. Seven things that attract me to my spouse
1. Commitment to God
2. Commitment to family
3. A good heart
4. Willing to help others
5. A good Father
6. A good Builder
well, i almost made it
D. Seven things I say most often
1. I have no idea~really i do say that
2. Works for me.
3. TROY!!!!
4. TYLER!!!!
5. I'm outta here.
6. YIPPIIEE!!!!!
7. That's a God thing.
E. Seven books (or series) I love
1. Uncommon Heroes~ Dee Henderson
2. Cape Refuge~Terri Blackstock
3. Love Letter from God (some call it a Bible)
4. Redemption series~Karen Kingsbury
5. Max Lucado~~anything
6. Francine Rivers~Redeeming Love~or anything else but, that's my fav
7. Newpointe 911~Blackstock
F. Seven movies I can watch over and over again (or would if I had the time)
1. “Scarlett Pimpernel” (Jane Seymour version)
2. You've Got Mail
3. Sound of Music
4. While You Were Sleeping
5. Regarding Henry
6. The Princess Bride (so many memorable, quotable lines, sink me!)
7. Oliver
G. Seven people whose lists I would be most interested to know
1. Jesus
2. Dawn
3. Lois
4. Cher
5. Mary
6. Mark
7. Michelle
Modesty Is The Best Policy
I Timothy 2:8-15
From October 5, 2005
When people can’t agree on a subject, it is commonly designated as a national historical “gray area.” It may be theological or cultural in nature but is usually the latter. (This is because most people don’t know enough theology to have a position on any of it.) Gray areas include, but may not be limited to, music and fashion. Because the passage today makes no mention of music, let’s look between the lines--the neckline and the hemline.
Verse nine is one of the keys in the quest for modest attire: “in like manner also, let the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing,”
Hmmm… The Ever Precocious daughter is going to be bummed if she can no longer braid her hair. Should ladies liquidate their jewelry collections? Will a sweeping spiritual revival put Nordstrom’s out of business and ascribe boutique status to The Salvation Army?
Modest is a word often used to define clothing which reveals nothing between the collarbone and the ankle bone. I am all for modesty, but there is a great gulf fixed between frumpy and floozy. If you think I am for dressing God’s most beautiful creation in burlap bags, you’re burka-ing up the wrong tree.
To me, a woman should look like a woman, especially to her husband. One woman concerned about modesty expressed to me last summer, “A woman’s clothes should be just tight enough to show she’s a woman but loose enough to prove she’s a lady.” I wonder if that means that the tighter the clothes, the looser the woman. I'll have to ponder that for awhile.
Modest also can be used as an antonym of prideful self-aggrandizing, describing the one who does not try to draw attention to one’s self. That is where I think the “propriety and moderation” come in. What is the intent of the one wearing the clothes--looking good or getting plenty of good looks? While there is no biblical benchmark listed for a skirt’s length or a neckline’s depth, a little good judgment and pure motives should eliminate most concerns.
As I have often said, “If it’s not available, don’t advertise it.” The corollary would be, "If you're not married, it's not available."
From October 5, 2005
When people can’t agree on a subject, it is commonly designated as a national historical “gray area.” It may be theological or cultural in nature but is usually the latter. (This is because most people don’t know enough theology to have a position on any of it.) Gray areas include, but may not be limited to, music and fashion. Because the passage today makes no mention of music, let’s look between the lines--the neckline and the hemline.
Verse nine is one of the keys in the quest for modest attire: “in like manner also, let the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing,”
Hmmm… The Ever Precocious daughter is going to be bummed if she can no longer braid her hair. Should ladies liquidate their jewelry collections? Will a sweeping spiritual revival put Nordstrom’s out of business and ascribe boutique status to The Salvation Army?
Modest is a word often used to define clothing which reveals nothing between the collarbone and the ankle bone. I am all for modesty, but there is a great gulf fixed between frumpy and floozy. If you think I am for dressing God’s most beautiful creation in burlap bags, you’re burka-ing up the wrong tree.
To me, a woman should look like a woman, especially to her husband. One woman concerned about modesty expressed to me last summer, “A woman’s clothes should be just tight enough to show she’s a woman but loose enough to prove she’s a lady.” I wonder if that means that the tighter the clothes, the looser the woman. I'll have to ponder that for awhile.
Modest also can be used as an antonym of prideful self-aggrandizing, describing the one who does not try to draw attention to one’s self. That is where I think the “propriety and moderation” come in. What is the intent of the one wearing the clothes--looking good or getting plenty of good looks? While there is no biblical benchmark listed for a skirt’s length or a neckline’s depth, a little good judgment and pure motives should eliminate most concerns.
As I have often said, “If it’s not available, don’t advertise it.” The corollary would be, "If you're not married, it's not available."
For Big Three, Quality Was Job 1
Daniel 3:8-18
From November 28, 2005
When one speaks of The Big Three, he usually means General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, or Daimler Chrysler, or whatever they are called now. In the book of Daniel, there is another significant Big Three who were friends of Daniel: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. (So why don’t we call Daniel “Belteshazzar” just to be consistent?) For those of us familiar with VeggieTales, you may know the three men in question as “Rack, Shack, and Benny.”
Like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were straight-ahead, good guys. They would have no problems with Dr. Laura’s advice to “go do the right thing.” That’s what they wanted to do. The problem arose when the king wanted them to worship the bunny. (Oops, slipped back into Veggie mode; actually, the king wanted them to go along with the crowd in worshipping the golden statue he had erected of himself.)
Of course, the boys balked. They would worship none other than the one true God. Great, that sounds like something we might even say…until someone holds our feet to the fire. Well, boys and girls, that’s where Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego found themselves. Non-compliance would not result in sensitivity training by corporate mind-control drones but would move them from the frying pan into the furnace.
Their response in verses 17 and 18 is key, I think. “…our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not…we do not serve your gods nor will we worship the gold image you have created.” (emphasis mine) One way or the other, God would deliver them from Nebuchadnezzar. Note that their faith was not in God’s will, what He would do, but in His ability. (see this also in Matthew 8:2)
Many chose to become bitter over God’s apparent failure to respond as they would like because their faith is in what they believe God should do. They superimpose their will over God’s so, of course, their parents should not die, their children should not be sick, they should never be out of work or have their heart broken, nor should they be inconvenienced in any way. Their rope should never break.
In the midst of this Bondian predicament, these three guys placed their faith in God’s ability, part of His unchanging nature, so their faith was stirred, not shaken. They would not deny truth with their words or their actions, even if it meant they would become extra crispy.
We must make sure our focus is correct and let God be in charge of the outcomes.
From November 28, 2005
When one speaks of The Big Three, he usually means General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, or Daimler Chrysler, or whatever they are called now. In the book of Daniel, there is another significant Big Three who were friends of Daniel: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. (So why don’t we call Daniel “Belteshazzar” just to be consistent?) For those of us familiar with VeggieTales, you may know the three men in question as “Rack, Shack, and Benny.”
Like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were straight-ahead, good guys. They would have no problems with Dr. Laura’s advice to “go do the right thing.” That’s what they wanted to do. The problem arose when the king wanted them to worship the bunny. (Oops, slipped back into Veggie mode; actually, the king wanted them to go along with the crowd in worshipping the golden statue he had erected of himself.)
Of course, the boys balked. They would worship none other than the one true God. Great, that sounds like something we might even say…until someone holds our feet to the fire. Well, boys and girls, that’s where Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego found themselves. Non-compliance would not result in sensitivity training by corporate mind-control drones but would move them from the frying pan into the furnace.
Their response in verses 17 and 18 is key, I think. “…our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not…we do not serve your gods nor will we worship the gold image you have created.” (emphasis mine) One way or the other, God would deliver them from Nebuchadnezzar. Note that their faith was not in God’s will, what He would do, but in His ability. (see this also in Matthew 8:2)
Many chose to become bitter over God’s apparent failure to respond as they would like because their faith is in what they believe God should do. They superimpose their will over God’s so, of course, their parents should not die, their children should not be sick, they should never be out of work or have their heart broken, nor should they be inconvenienced in any way. Their rope should never break.
In the midst of this Bondian predicament, these three guys placed their faith in God’s ability, part of His unchanging nature, so their faith was stirred, not shaken. They would not deny truth with their words or their actions, even if it meant they would become extra crispy.
We must make sure our focus is correct and let God be in charge of the outcomes.
Starting Over
Galatians 2:15-21
From November 4, 2005
In the movie “Dark Passage,” Humphrey Bogart plays wrongly convicted murderer Vince Perry who escapes from prison. He is found by a sympathetic Irene Jansen, played by Lauren Bacall, who helps him hide out for awhile until he can connect with a plastic surgeon of sorts who will alter his appearance to help him elude the police and begin his life anew.
Who wouldn’t like to start over? Amidst the few things that I may have accidentally done right in life, there are surely decisions I have taken through the years for which I would like to have “do-overs.” Maybe I would have saved more and spent less. Maybe I would have foregone this relationship or that one and invested my time more vigorously in other pursuits, such as athletics, academics, or music. I like to think that, given the opportunity, I would select more wisely if I had the selections to make again. “If I had known then what I know now…” goes the familiar lament.
In the well-known 20th verse of chapter two, Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Swapping my identity for Jesus Christ’s as I live out my daily existence--that’s better than the Federal Witness Protection Program!
In “Dark Passage,” Bacall risks being discovered as harboring a fugitive in order to give Bogie a chance to acquire a new identity and live freely without fear of his past continuing to haunt him.
On a higher plane, Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross for each of us so that we would have the chance to receive Him as Savior. We are freed from the penalty of sin that would condemn us to Hell for eternity. Our past sins are expunged from our record so that we may live victoriously without constantly looking over our shoulder.
Why continue daily in the dreaded darkness of sin when we can choose to make the “bright passage” to God and live life in confidence according to His plan?
From November 4, 2005
In the movie “Dark Passage,” Humphrey Bogart plays wrongly convicted murderer Vince Perry who escapes from prison. He is found by a sympathetic Irene Jansen, played by Lauren Bacall, who helps him hide out for awhile until he can connect with a plastic surgeon of sorts who will alter his appearance to help him elude the police and begin his life anew.
Who wouldn’t like to start over? Amidst the few things that I may have accidentally done right in life, there are surely decisions I have taken through the years for which I would like to have “do-overs.” Maybe I would have saved more and spent less. Maybe I would have foregone this relationship or that one and invested my time more vigorously in other pursuits, such as athletics, academics, or music. I like to think that, given the opportunity, I would select more wisely if I had the selections to make again. “If I had known then what I know now…” goes the familiar lament.
In the well-known 20th verse of chapter two, Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Swapping my identity for Jesus Christ’s as I live out my daily existence--that’s better than the Federal Witness Protection Program!
In “Dark Passage,” Bacall risks being discovered as harboring a fugitive in order to give Bogie a chance to acquire a new identity and live freely without fear of his past continuing to haunt him.
On a higher plane, Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross for each of us so that we would have the chance to receive Him as Savior. We are freed from the penalty of sin that would condemn us to Hell for eternity. Our past sins are expunged from our record so that we may live victoriously without constantly looking over our shoulder.
Why continue daily in the dreaded darkness of sin when we can choose to make the “bright passage” to God and live life in confidence according to His plan?
What's In Your Bucket?
Daniel 1:1-8
From November 20, 2005
Drop by drop, a bucket gets fuller. Left unattended, the bucket will eventually become full of water, even at, say, a drop a minute. Ironically, if one wants a pail to be fully useful, it must be empty, or at least emptied regularly. A bucket is of no use for catching leaks if it is full, even if it is full of water, the most essential, life-sustaining fluid on the planet.
In today’s passage, we learn that Daniel and his three friends of fiery furnace fame had been selected as men who were young, wise, knowledgeable, quick to understand, able to serve, teachable, and literate. They would undergo a diet and training regimen of three years to prepare for a life of service for King Nebuchadnezzar.
An elite group these were, indeed, the best of the best! On top of their own natural advantages, they would be endowed with more education, preferential treatment, personal attention, and the best food from the king’s very own kitchen. What a deal!
Except for the food part. As fundamental as food is for survival and despite the pleasure found in “finer diner” food, it was a problem. For reasons not fully explained in Scripture, the boys determined that eating the king’s food would defile them. Perhaps it had been offered to the false gods of the Babylonians, thus making it unclean according to Jewish law. In any event, they stuck to their convictions and principles regardless of possible royal retribution.
Perhaps many would have gone along with the food thing but drawn their line-over-which-they-would-not-cross somewhere further along in the journey. Somewhere after the bucket had begun to fill up and, using our analogy above, become less useful for its intended purpose.
Today, it is easier than ever to allow our buckets to become filled with those things that are not beneficial, even though they may be well and good of themselves. Attitudes and points-of-view, and resultantly decisions, actions, and habits can all be tainted by what we allow to fill up our pail, whether we dump in the moral equivalent of raw sewage or simply the allow the foul-smelling trickle of secular philosophy. In either case, emptying and cleansing will need to occur before our bucket is useful again. Like Daniel, we have to decide where God would have our line to be drawn and then draw it--not in the sand but in cement.
To borrow (no pun intended) from Capital One, “What’s in your bucket?”
From November 20, 2005
Drop by drop, a bucket gets fuller. Left unattended, the bucket will eventually become full of water, even at, say, a drop a minute. Ironically, if one wants a pail to be fully useful, it must be empty, or at least emptied regularly. A bucket is of no use for catching leaks if it is full, even if it is full of water, the most essential, life-sustaining fluid on the planet.
In today’s passage, we learn that Daniel and his three friends of fiery furnace fame had been selected as men who were young, wise, knowledgeable, quick to understand, able to serve, teachable, and literate. They would undergo a diet and training regimen of three years to prepare for a life of service for King Nebuchadnezzar.
An elite group these were, indeed, the best of the best! On top of their own natural advantages, they would be endowed with more education, preferential treatment, personal attention, and the best food from the king’s very own kitchen. What a deal!
Except for the food part. As fundamental as food is for survival and despite the pleasure found in “finer diner” food, it was a problem. For reasons not fully explained in Scripture, the boys determined that eating the king’s food would defile them. Perhaps it had been offered to the false gods of the Babylonians, thus making it unclean according to Jewish law. In any event, they stuck to their convictions and principles regardless of possible royal retribution.
Perhaps many would have gone along with the food thing but drawn their line-over-which-they-would-not-cross somewhere further along in the journey. Somewhere after the bucket had begun to fill up and, using our analogy above, become less useful for its intended purpose.
Today, it is easier than ever to allow our buckets to become filled with those things that are not beneficial, even though they may be well and good of themselves. Attitudes and points-of-view, and resultantly decisions, actions, and habits can all be tainted by what we allow to fill up our pail, whether we dump in the moral equivalent of raw sewage or simply the allow the foul-smelling trickle of secular philosophy. In either case, emptying and cleansing will need to occur before our bucket is useful again. Like Daniel, we have to decide where God would have our line to be drawn and then draw it--not in the sand but in cement.
To borrow (no pun intended) from Capital One, “What’s in your bucket?”
Praise Be...
Psalms 150:1-6
From September 24, 2005
Finally, after several weeks we have reached the last chapter of Psalms. I wonder what the overall theme of the book would be. Hmmm…..do you think it might be, um, praise?
If there is one thing of which the Psalms have been reminding me in the last five weeks, it is the magnificence of God and the dependence of man upon Him. Repeatedly, one is reminded of how much and how often He should be praised for He alone is worthy of praise.
Praise of, for, and to God seems to permeate most of the Psalms and, once we reach this final one, the word pops up thirteen times in six verses! Talk about going out with a bang! You might suspect from that subtle hint that we are supposed to praise God.
We are to praise Him in His sanctuary and in His mighty “firmament.” Not a word one commonly uses on a day-to-day basis, firmament often refers to the expanse of the sky or “the great outdoors.” So, verse one seems to say we should praise God in church and while amidst His creation. (Note it is not either/or--we aren’t out in nature in lieu of church, but we can praise Him wherever we are.)
Verse two says to praise God for “His mighty acts” and for “His excellent greatness.” This encompasses both what God has done for us as well as who He is, His nature. Those are two pretty good reasons. In either case, praising God helps to take the focus off ourselves and direct our attention toward Him.
How are we going to praise Him? We are free to use music, as verses three through five indicate. Trumpets and flutes and harps and strings are among those mentioned, and I can’t help but believe saxophones would be included if the psalmist had ever heard one. Surely, one is permitted to use that greatest of all instruments, his voice. Perhaps music is the most commonly thought of way to express praise to God.
Beyond these outward expressions, we can see throughout the Bible that we can praise God through our daily testimony. The attitudes we choose each day, the habits we cultivate, our desire to live a holy life, our respect for authority, as well as the words we speak or sing--all of these things and more reflect upon the Lord whom we claim to love.
You may be like me, not a very verbal person by nature, but the directive is not selective. It is aimed at everyone who has yet to assume room temperature, as Rush Limbaugh euphemistically says: “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD,” because, as my friend John, even now as he battles cancer, often says, “Every day is a good day.”
From September 24, 2005
Finally, after several weeks we have reached the last chapter of Psalms. I wonder what the overall theme of the book would be. Hmmm…..do you think it might be, um, praise?
If there is one thing of which the Psalms have been reminding me in the last five weeks, it is the magnificence of God and the dependence of man upon Him. Repeatedly, one is reminded of how much and how often He should be praised for He alone is worthy of praise.
Praise of, for, and to God seems to permeate most of the Psalms and, once we reach this final one, the word pops up thirteen times in six verses! Talk about going out with a bang! You might suspect from that subtle hint that we are supposed to praise God.
We are to praise Him in His sanctuary and in His mighty “firmament.” Not a word one commonly uses on a day-to-day basis, firmament often refers to the expanse of the sky or “the great outdoors.” So, verse one seems to say we should praise God in church and while amidst His creation. (Note it is not either/or--we aren’t out in nature in lieu of church, but we can praise Him wherever we are.)
Verse two says to praise God for “His mighty acts” and for “His excellent greatness.” This encompasses both what God has done for us as well as who He is, His nature. Those are two pretty good reasons. In either case, praising God helps to take the focus off ourselves and direct our attention toward Him.
How are we going to praise Him? We are free to use music, as verses three through five indicate. Trumpets and flutes and harps and strings are among those mentioned, and I can’t help but believe saxophones would be included if the psalmist had ever heard one. Surely, one is permitted to use that greatest of all instruments, his voice. Perhaps music is the most commonly thought of way to express praise to God.
Beyond these outward expressions, we can see throughout the Bible that we can praise God through our daily testimony. The attitudes we choose each day, the habits we cultivate, our desire to live a holy life, our respect for authority, as well as the words we speak or sing--all of these things and more reflect upon the Lord whom we claim to love.
You may be like me, not a very verbal person by nature, but the directive is not selective. It is aimed at everyone who has yet to assume room temperature, as Rush Limbaugh euphemistically says: “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD,” because, as my friend John, even now as he battles cancer, often says, “Every day is a good day.”
Preserved From Danger
Psalm 140:1-13
From September 19, 2005
A friend of mine remarked that something often goes haywire in many teenage brains. It seems to be fully functioning all their life, developing, inquiring, evaluating, and gaining knowledge throughout their early years. Once they reach teenagerhood, “It’s like they’ve taken ‘stupid pills’ and the brain shuts down for about six years or more. Usually, by the time they reach their 20s and begin to get out on their own, the effects wear off and Mom and Dad suddenly become smarter.”
As the father of one on the cusp of crossing the teen threshold next year, I hardly take solace in that forecast. So, I try to accentuate those times when my twelveteen-year-old does the best, wisest, and most wonderful things.
“Code Red! Code Red! This is not a drill!” The concerned and urgent voice announced the signal over the public address system to inform everyone that lockdown procedures were in effect immediately. The voice was that of the principal. There was an unauthorized individual in the building recently at my daughter’s school.
A man who had escaped police custody tried to elude recapture by ducking in the front door of the schoool. He ran down vacated hallways and emerged from the back of the building before being captured a few blocks away without incident.
During the ordeal, The Ever Precocious Daughter sat smushed against a classroom wall, a little anxious like everyone else. Then, she said, “I began to silently pray and I remembered a couple Bible verses that I kept saying over and over. After a couple minutes, I felt sure that nothing bad would happen. I turned to Ashleigh and said, ‘Everything is going to be OK.’”
That would be the perfect textbook response. Note verses one and four from Psalm 140, from the Old Testament portion of the Textbook:
“Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men; preserve me from violent men…Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men who have purposed to make my steps stumble.”
The psalmist David’s response to an imminent potential attack was to pray. So was The Daughter’s. (“Hooray for ‘smart pills,’” said the dad, who hopes the prescription renews frequently.) Once the danger had passed, the kids expressed how nervous they had been, juxtaposed to The Daughter who told them her initial fear passed after she had prayed. Who says prayer has no place in public schools?
Threats to our safety may come as physical assaults or the meddling of Senate Judiciary Committee members. By praying for God’s protection over us, our loved ones, and our nation, we can latch onto verse 13:
“Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; the upright shall dwell in your presence.
From September 19, 2005
A friend of mine remarked that something often goes haywire in many teenage brains. It seems to be fully functioning all their life, developing, inquiring, evaluating, and gaining knowledge throughout their early years. Once they reach teenagerhood, “It’s like they’ve taken ‘stupid pills’ and the brain shuts down for about six years or more. Usually, by the time they reach their 20s and begin to get out on their own, the effects wear off and Mom and Dad suddenly become smarter.”
As the father of one on the cusp of crossing the teen threshold next year, I hardly take solace in that forecast. So, I try to accentuate those times when my twelveteen-year-old does the best, wisest, and most wonderful things.
“Code Red! Code Red! This is not a drill!” The concerned and urgent voice announced the signal over the public address system to inform everyone that lockdown procedures were in effect immediately. The voice was that of the principal. There was an unauthorized individual in the building recently at my daughter’s school.
A man who had escaped police custody tried to elude recapture by ducking in the front door of the schoool. He ran down vacated hallways and emerged from the back of the building before being captured a few blocks away without incident.
During the ordeal, The Ever Precocious Daughter sat smushed against a classroom wall, a little anxious like everyone else. Then, she said, “I began to silently pray and I remembered a couple Bible verses that I kept saying over and over. After a couple minutes, I felt sure that nothing bad would happen. I turned to Ashleigh and said, ‘Everything is going to be OK.’”
That would be the perfect textbook response. Note verses one and four from Psalm 140, from the Old Testament portion of the Textbook:
“Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men; preserve me from violent men…Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men who have purposed to make my steps stumble.”
The psalmist David’s response to an imminent potential attack was to pray. So was The Daughter’s. (“Hooray for ‘smart pills,’” said the dad, who hopes the prescription renews frequently.) Once the danger had passed, the kids expressed how nervous they had been, juxtaposed to The Daughter who told them her initial fear passed after she had prayed. Who says prayer has no place in public schools?
Threats to our safety may come as physical assaults or the meddling of Senate Judiciary Committee members. By praying for God’s protection over us, our loved ones, and our nation, we can latch onto verse 13:
“Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; the upright shall dwell in your presence.
Keeping Spaces
Psalms 132:1-9
From September 8, 2005
Of all the reality shows that have been on television in recent years, I try to make it a point to see none of them. They’re popular and that’s OK, I guess. They just don’t intrigue me but then we all have our own things that we like.
I think I have seen an episode of “The Amazing Race” once at the recommendation of my friends and that was fine. I think I saw half of a Survivor episode a few years ago. With the recent news that former Dallas Cowboy quarterback Gary Hogeboom would be on the newest edition, my curiosity might be aroused enough to peek in.
The rest of them--I can’t even name them all--I have tried to dodge: “Big Brother,” “Ugly Duckling,” “The Batchelor/ette,” “Wife Swap,” “Elimidate,” “Who Wants to Date A Hooters Girl,” “My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé/Boss/Mother-In-Law,” “Queer Eye For The Normal, Healthy, Well-Adjusted Guy.”
Another popular one, with many knock-offs, is “Trading Spaces.” Not content to renovate their own house, a la Bob Vila, people choose to swap houses and renovate someone else’s place while surrendering their castle to the whims of the other. I think that is how it works. The trouble for some of us is that we haven’t established a “space” for which someone else would trade.
Verses 3-5 say, “Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house, or go up to the comfort of my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty God of Jacob.”
For some of us, that place may be geographical. We may need to find a good church or a routine spot to have our regular, daily devotional time with the Lord. For me, and maybe for you, that place is chronological. That is to say my geography is settled but I find it a greater challenge to carve out a significant place in time within the daily schedule.
Allocating a time slot for something means trading spaces. Sure, I can sing and shower, I can eat pizza and watch a movie, and I can drive while sipping a soda. While multi-tasking is a current business buzzword, there are some things, such as completing tax returns and playing chess, that typically demand one’s full attention. Call it devotion.
Spending time with God’s Word each day requires devotion also. It must be a priority--over sleeping, as the writer expressed, or eating or playing or working--in order to know how to live as He would have us to. Unless a firm and secure place is blocked out in our schedule, it probably won’t happen.
Once we solidify a place and time for meeting God in our routine every day, the reality is that we won’t want to trade those spaces for anything.
From September 8, 2005
Of all the reality shows that have been on television in recent years, I try to make it a point to see none of them. They’re popular and that’s OK, I guess. They just don’t intrigue me but then we all have our own things that we like.
I think I have seen an episode of “The Amazing Race” once at the recommendation of my friends and that was fine. I think I saw half of a Survivor episode a few years ago. With the recent news that former Dallas Cowboy quarterback Gary Hogeboom would be on the newest edition, my curiosity might be aroused enough to peek in.
The rest of them--I can’t even name them all--I have tried to dodge: “Big Brother,” “Ugly Duckling,” “The Batchelor/ette,” “Wife Swap,” “Elimidate,” “Who Wants to Date A Hooters Girl,” “My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé/Boss/Mother-In-Law,” “Queer Eye For The Normal, Healthy, Well-Adjusted Guy.”
Another popular one, with many knock-offs, is “Trading Spaces.” Not content to renovate their own house, a la Bob Vila, people choose to swap houses and renovate someone else’s place while surrendering their castle to the whims of the other. I think that is how it works. The trouble for some of us is that we haven’t established a “space” for which someone else would trade.
Verses 3-5 say, “Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house, or go up to the comfort of my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty God of Jacob.”
For some of us, that place may be geographical. We may need to find a good church or a routine spot to have our regular, daily devotional time with the Lord. For me, and maybe for you, that place is chronological. That is to say my geography is settled but I find it a greater challenge to carve out a significant place in time within the daily schedule.
Allocating a time slot for something means trading spaces. Sure, I can sing and shower, I can eat pizza and watch a movie, and I can drive while sipping a soda. While multi-tasking is a current business buzzword, there are some things, such as completing tax returns and playing chess, that typically demand one’s full attention. Call it devotion.
Spending time with God’s Word each day requires devotion also. It must be a priority--over sleeping, as the writer expressed, or eating or playing or working--in order to know how to live as He would have us to. Unless a firm and secure place is blocked out in our schedule, it probably won’t happen.
Once we solidify a place and time for meeting God in our routine every day, the reality is that we won’t want to trade those spaces for anything.
Fun, Fun, Fun
Psalm 126:1-6
From September 4, 2005
Girls just wanna have fun. So screeched Cyndi Lauper in the 1980s. Well, duh. Doesn’t everyone?
OK, I do know some people who seem to want to go through life fun-free. Few smiles and little laughter punctuate their daily living. Everything is life-or-death. The slightest annoyance becomes equivalent to a capital offense. Somehow, upon making the transition to adulthood, they neglected to pack their pockets with a little bit of childhood for later snacking.
Me, I am probably too much the opposite. I prefer free fun. It doesn’t have to massive expensive fun, like roller coasters at Cedar Point or nice dinners out. I love those, but it can be just Freschetta frozen supreme pizza and a Bogart movie. Or the Marx Brothers.
Life, sadly, is not fun and games 24/7. It is not always even always fun first. Isn’t that what our parents tried to teach us? Chores first, then play. No TV until the homework is done.
That is kind of what today’s verses brought back to my little brain. Verse five says that, “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.” I have heard this verse applied to productively sharing the Gospel but with school beginning recently my thoughts turned to an educational model.
Middle school is not quite as fun as those early elementary years. I know this because I have been there and am there vicariously now as the parent of a middle-schooler. There is more thinking involved on a higher level. The challenges are more daunting…and relentless. Multiple teachers, no longer exclusively females, for multiple subjects, each thinking theirs is the only class for which you have homework. The word “advanced” now precedes math, foretelling such abominable horrors as algebra and trigonometry. (You may have surmised that I was not president of the math club, as my coworker Stacie has also self-diagnosed.) One comes to the realization that Kindergarten is over.
That is not to say that fun must evaporate with age. It may be delayed, however. As we (well, some of us) mature, we swap some Fun in exchange for Rewarding. It is fun to receive straight As; it is rewarding to study. It is fun to shop; it is rewarding to save and invest. It is fun to play and win; it is rewarding to practice. It is fun to pig out; it is rewarding to work out. It is fun to receive a paycheck; it is rewarding to go to work.
Fun is great. I love it! I believe it is a gift from God to help reduce stress and maintain some semblance of sanity and balance in life. Being fun-focused, however, may throw us out of balance by taking our eyes off the future.
Endure, even embrace, the toil of today that will reward you with a harvest of joy and happiness and fun tomorrow.
From September 4, 2005
Girls just wanna have fun. So screeched Cyndi Lauper in the 1980s. Well, duh. Doesn’t everyone?
OK, I do know some people who seem to want to go through life fun-free. Few smiles and little laughter punctuate their daily living. Everything is life-or-death. The slightest annoyance becomes equivalent to a capital offense. Somehow, upon making the transition to adulthood, they neglected to pack their pockets with a little bit of childhood for later snacking.
Me, I am probably too much the opposite. I prefer free fun. It doesn’t have to massive expensive fun, like roller coasters at Cedar Point or nice dinners out. I love those, but it can be just Freschetta frozen supreme pizza and a Bogart movie. Or the Marx Brothers.
Life, sadly, is not fun and games 24/7. It is not always even always fun first. Isn’t that what our parents tried to teach us? Chores first, then play. No TV until the homework is done.
That is kind of what today’s verses brought back to my little brain. Verse five says that, “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.” I have heard this verse applied to productively sharing the Gospel but with school beginning recently my thoughts turned to an educational model.
Middle school is not quite as fun as those early elementary years. I know this because I have been there and am there vicariously now as the parent of a middle-schooler. There is more thinking involved on a higher level. The challenges are more daunting…and relentless. Multiple teachers, no longer exclusively females, for multiple subjects, each thinking theirs is the only class for which you have homework. The word “advanced” now precedes math, foretelling such abominable horrors as algebra and trigonometry. (You may have surmised that I was not president of the math club, as my coworker Stacie has also self-diagnosed.) One comes to the realization that Kindergarten is over.
That is not to say that fun must evaporate with age. It may be delayed, however. As we (well, some of us) mature, we swap some Fun in exchange for Rewarding. It is fun to receive straight As; it is rewarding to study. It is fun to shop; it is rewarding to save and invest. It is fun to play and win; it is rewarding to practice. It is fun to pig out; it is rewarding to work out. It is fun to receive a paycheck; it is rewarding to go to work.
Fun is great. I love it! I believe it is a gift from God to help reduce stress and maintain some semblance of sanity and balance in life. Being fun-focused, however, may throw us out of balance by taking our eyes off the future.
Endure, even embrace, the toil of today that will reward you with a harvest of joy and happiness and fun tomorrow.
Chameleon Christianity Denies True Colors
Jeremiah 15:1, 2; 11-16
from January 18, 2006
The clown's antics, the lion tamer's bravery, the high wire acrobats' daredevilry--they are all elements that make the circus an intriguing event for young and old alike. Wide-eyed children especially are awestruck at the sights and sounds inside the big top.
I was no different on those occasions when I was able to attend the Shrine Circus downtown. In addition to the acts mentioned above--and the cotton candy, I was curiously interested in the little lizards sold by the vendors. That's right, I wanted one of those chameleons.
I envisioned myself amazing my friends as I placed the chameleon on any surface and we watched his skin change to match it. At least, that is how it always worked in the cartoons. As I remember it, I was advised against squandering money on something that would be dead in two days.
The prophet Jeremiah was not a bullfrog, nor was he a chameleon. He did not change to match his surroundings. While the sin of the nation was about to result in God's judgment, Jeremiah remained true to God and His word. In verse 16, Jeremiah tells God, "Your word was the joy and rejoicing of my heart."
When we immerse ourselves in the Word of God that way, when the Bible becomes the "joy and rejoicing" in our life, we too will be able to withstand the temptation to blend in with every passing whim of the prevailing popular culture that seems to resist or ignore God at every turn.
It is then that we are able to show our true colors.
from January 18, 2006
The clown's antics, the lion tamer's bravery, the high wire acrobats' daredevilry--they are all elements that make the circus an intriguing event for young and old alike. Wide-eyed children especially are awestruck at the sights and sounds inside the big top.
I was no different on those occasions when I was able to attend the Shrine Circus downtown. In addition to the acts mentioned above--and the cotton candy, I was curiously interested in the little lizards sold by the vendors. That's right, I wanted one of those chameleons.
I envisioned myself amazing my friends as I placed the chameleon on any surface and we watched his skin change to match it. At least, that is how it always worked in the cartoons. As I remember it, I was advised against squandering money on something that would be dead in two days.
The prophet Jeremiah was not a bullfrog, nor was he a chameleon. He did not change to match his surroundings. While the sin of the nation was about to result in God's judgment, Jeremiah remained true to God and His word. In verse 16, Jeremiah tells God, "Your word was the joy and rejoicing of my heart."
When we immerse ourselves in the Word of God that way, when the Bible becomes the "joy and rejoicing" in our life, we too will be able to withstand the temptation to blend in with every passing whim of the prevailing popular culture that seems to resist or ignore God at every turn.
It is then that we are able to show our true colors.
Monday, May 7, 2007
To Post or Not To Post...
Here I am on the new Google blog-a-rama, unsure of where all my Blogger posts have gone. I guess I thought they would be migrated here...do I have to everything myself?
Many have gone to Xanga or one of the other online self-celebrity sites. I am not saying that I would never do such, but I think that I rather prefer the simplicity of a genuine blog. No feed-a-pets, no blazing colors, no extracurricular distractions.
So, here I am, trying to decide for myself--to blog or not to blog, to Xanga or not to Xanga. I scarcely have time to one or the other well, I can't imagine doing both.
Perhaps I will have to take it upon myself to move all of my Blogger stuff over here so it is all in one place--how long will that take?--and try to resume regular blogging again soon.
For now, it is a quick round of NHL2002, end my relationship with this particular bottle of diet Coke and then off to bed.
SK19
Many have gone to Xanga or one of the other online self-celebrity sites. I am not saying that I would never do such, but I think that I rather prefer the simplicity of a genuine blog. No feed-a-pets, no blazing colors, no extracurricular distractions.
So, here I am, trying to decide for myself--to blog or not to blog, to Xanga or not to Xanga. I scarcely have time to one or the other well, I can't imagine doing both.
Perhaps I will have to take it upon myself to move all of my Blogger stuff over here so it is all in one place--how long will that take?--and try to resume regular blogging again soon.
For now, it is a quick round of NHL2002, end my relationship with this particular bottle of diet Coke and then off to bed.
SK19
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