Constant Contact

Good morning. It is Sunday, January 18, 2015. Welcome to the Weekend Edition!

Today’s Word of the Day is “proxemics.” Proxemics is “The study or interpretation of physical proximity between people in various situations; the ways in which people interact spatially, esp. in maintaining a certain amount of space between themselves and others.” Of course, that immediately makes me think of this!

I haven’t seen very many episodes of Seinfeld, but I saw that one.

Today is Winnie the Pooh Day. You have no idea how happy that makes me!

We had a great evening at church, last night. Everything from the prayer gathering to the end of the worship time, was pretty awesome. Our pastor truly has a gift, and I told him so last night. He has a way of bringing new life to the Scripture passages he preaches on. Last night was Colossians 1:15-20, as he is continuing, at least for a couple of weeks, his Colossians series. The music that was selected fit perfectly, as well.

Christi and I finished the evening by watching last week’s episodes of Downton Abbey and Parks and Recreation, which is on its last season, or at least that’s what “they” say. I think they’ve tried that before, though.

Today, we are expecting Rachel and Justin over for a visit. We have Rachel’s new license plates, so that was a good reason to get them over here. We’ll do lunch, and then, maybe, go bowling, if they are up to it.

(Source: This Day In History)

It was on this date in 1778 that Captain James Cook became the first known European to discover the Hawaiian Islands, which he referred to as the “Sandwich Islands.” Why did he call them “Sandwich Islands?” It was in honor of John Montague, who was the Earl of Sandwich. Montague was one of Cook’s patrons.

Today’s birthdays include Daniel Webster (American statesman), A.A. Milne (author of Winnie the Pooh), Oliver Hardy (comedian), Cary Grant (actor), Danny Kaye (actor), Ray Dolby (inventor), Curt Flood (baseball player), David Ruffin (singer), Bobby Goldsboro (singer), Kay Granger (politician), Kevin Costner (actor), Dave Attell, comedian, Jonathan Davis (singer/Korn), Jason Segel (actor), and Joanna Newsom (harpist).

Curt Flood was a major league baseball player who played most of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was born on this date in 1938. However, his claim to fame has more to do with something he did off the field. In 1969, Flood wrote a letter to then commissioner of baseball, Bowie Kuhn, demanding that he be considered a “free agent,” as he challenged the reserve clause that kept players tied to a team, even after they had fulfilled the terms and conditions of their contract. Kuhn denied the request, and in 1970, Flood filed a lawsuit against Kuhn and MLB, citing violation of anti-trust laws. In 1972, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of MLB. It would not be until 1975, when Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally once again challenged the reserve clause, that players would gain the right to be “free agents.” Curt Flood died from pneumonia in 1997, at the age of 59, after having been diagnosed with throat cancer in 1995.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds!
For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
Be gracious to me, O LORD! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation.
The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah.
Psalm 9:10-16

(From Daily Guideposts 2015)

I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words.
Psalm 17:6

In today’s reading, Erin MacPherson speaks of someone known as the “Fly Lady.” This person encourages people to tackle a single cleaning project every day, the idea being, “if you clean a little every day, your house will never get dirty.”

As Erin observes, it is pretty obvious that the Fly Lady has no kids, and maybe even has no husband. “If she did, she’d know that even if I was to clean my baseboards on Monday and do laundry on Tuesday, come Wednesday there would still be a giant explosion of toys littering my living room floor and a pile of laundry waiting for me to find time to put away.” Sometimes life is just that way. Even in my own house, it seems as though the laundry never stops.

Our spiritual lives can be that way, as well. Some people seem to think that they can get by with an hour or two on Sundays. Others believe that a few moments in prayer on Monday, a little time in the Bible on Tuesday, and so on, is enough. But yet, they find that “on Wednesday, hopelessness, envy, and bitterness, seep in.” We still tend to rely on self instead of God.

“Half an hour here and ten minutes there with God just isn’t enough.” We need to be connected with God and rely on his power and strength, not just a few minutes a day, “but every moment of every day.”

Father, I confess that there have been times in my life when I thought that thirty minutes to an hour every morning would be enough to get me through the day; that it would be enough contact with you to do for 24 hours. But I know better now. You have brought me down a path where I believe that I must be constantly thinking about you and your presence in my life. Even with that, I still fail, though. I allow my thoughts and my imagination to be drug down paths that are not healthy for me. I pray that you would keep working on me, that I might be able to accomplish what Paul commands in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, when he says, “pray without ceasing.” Help me to be more serious and more deliberate about keeping my mind in focus and in contact with you all day, every day.

I pray for this day and its activities. I pray that Rachel and Justin will have safe travel as they come to our house and return home, later this evening. I pray that we will have a good time as we gather together as family. May our meal be blessed, and whatever else we do after that, as well. May your grace shine on us. I pray, as well, that Christi and I will have some good rest this evening, as we, once again, prepare for another work week ahead. May we work out of our rest; may we abide in you that we might bear fruit for you.

I pray for our dear friend, Melissa, who is having oral surgery tomorrow morning. I pray that it will go smoothly and that her recovery will be brief with a minimum of pain. I pray for her husband, Rob, as well as children Chloe and Trinity, that they will be helpful during this time.

Normally, we don’t eat just one meal a day. In order to survive and have strength for our daily tasks, we usually eat at least three meals a day, with some snacks in between. Why would we think we can get by on any less with our spiritual lives? May we find strength in constant contact with our Father, every day.

Grace and peace, friends.