Today is Monday, August 1, 2016. 18 days until S turns 23!
“The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.” – Sven Goran Eriksson
Kerfuffle – (chiefly British) disturbance, fuss
Today is Rounds Resounding Day. We all know what a “round” is, right? Singing a song, such as “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” in several groups, all starting at staggered times.
We had our PAT meeting yesterday. It began at Pancho’s Mexican Buffet, but we had to leave there and go to a house, because it was just too noisy to have the conversations we needed to have for our meeting. It was good fun, though. How was the food, you ask? Some parts were good, some not as good. The tamales were delicious, as were the tacos and cheese enchiladas. The guacamole was decent. Most of the sopapillas were flat, not puffy. Overall, it wasn’t bad, pretty much just like I remember it from “back in the day.” However, the price was a bit steep for the quality. $10.99 each for Saturdays and Sundays. I could have had better food for less money and been just as full at Martha’s or the old Fogata’s. But we had a good time, and that matters more than anything else. We went to a member’s house, afterward, where we struggled to stay awake and alert while we discussed church matters.
Tonight, Southlake Community Band practice kicks off again. And we have another concert in only about five weeks. I’m not sure what the date is, but we have a short time to prepare for it. Consequently, we will be playing a number of tunes that we played in our last concert.
It’s going to be really hot in Texas this week. The high this week is projected at 104, and we may hit 105 next week. Yesterday, when I got in the car after PAT meeting, my car told me it was 114. It felt like it, too.
TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL
The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!
Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!
Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul. Psalm 103:19-22
Artur Weiser, in his book The Psalms, calls this psalm one of the “finest blossoms on the tree of biblical faith.” Eugene Peterson says of the psalm, “It is balanced, intense, and inclusive. The people’s tradition and the individual’s experience are integrated in praise. Adoration is at both center and periphery.” I would love to hear how this one sounded when sung by the people.
“‘Bless, O my soul! the living God; call home thy thoughts that rove abroad; let all the powers within me join in work and worship so divine. Bless, O my soul! the God of grace; His favors claim thy highest praise; why should the wonders He hath wrought be lost in silence and forgot?’ (Isaac Watts, ‘Bless, O My Soul! The Living God’). Amen.”
(From My Utmost For His Highest)
Something More about His Ways
When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. Matthew 11:1
If God tells us to go, and we don’t go because we are concerned about the people we would be leaving, we might be robbing them of the teaching of Christ, himself. When we do not obey, we get in the way. We must not allow our perceived “duty” to get in the way of what God is telling us to do. Do we really think we know better than God? Sadly, sometimes, it seems to be so. “When we are certain of the way God is going to work, He will never work in that way any more.”
We must also heed when he tells us to wait for further instruction. When we wait on God, he will work, but not if we wait in spiritual sulkiness. We must not be swayed by the fact that we can’t see what is next. “Are we detached enough from our own spiritual hysterics to wait on God?”
We must also learn to “keep our mouths shut and our spirits alert.”
Father, keeping my mouth shut has long been a problem for me. I pray that you will continue to work on this within me. Yes, it has gotten better over the past few years, but there is still much work to be done. Keep my mouth shut and my spirit alert, that I might know what you are teaching. May your Spirit help me to wait, if that is what is needed. And if you tell me to go and do something, may I be obedient. Obedience before “duty.”
Come, Lord Jesus!
The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Grace and peace, friends.
Spaces of Beauty, Grace, Prayer, and Mercy 