A Time for Everything

Good morning! Today is Wednesday, the third of November, 2021.

May the peace of God reign in your heart today!

Day 23,246

Nine days until C’s birthday!

And we have a birthday gift on the way. Besides the fact that we are taking a trip to Indianapolis the following week (after her birthday), we are getting a new garage door opener soon. I’m pretty sure the one that is currently installed, and not working, is the original one, installed in 1999.

Of course, the next order of business, garage-wise, is getting room to put a car in there. I told C that wasn’t happening for her birthday.

Last night was a fine evening at the library. I got a full cart of books sorted and shelved, and then there weren’t any more in the hall to sort, so I spent the last hour walking the shelves looking for stray books. If we find books that were pulled off the shelves but not checked out (we do prefer that the patrons not attempt to re-shelve them), they are marked “used” in the system and placed in the shelving area for the next day. This tells the librarians that there was at least some interest in the materials . . . someone at least touched them.

Every so often, some “weeding” is done, in which a librarian marks material for removal/discard (the official term is “deaccession”), based on when the last time it was checked out. Marking items “used,” at least shows that there was some interest in them.

While I was there, I discovered, thanks to the help of one of the assistant librarians, that our library holds one copy of the 1963 film, The Haunting, so I checked it out. This black and white film is based on Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, which I recently finished.

I just remembered that I forgot to post my current read, yesterday. I am currently reading The Divine Embrace, by Robert E. Webber, subtitled, “Recovering the Passionate Spiritual Life.” I decided to dig deep into my “want to read” shelf on Goodreads. This was added to my list back in May of 2008. Seriously. That’s how far back my TBR list goes. I still had my copy of the book, too. So I’m reading it, now. I haven’t gotten very far into it, yet, but hope to make some serious progress over the next couple days.

I plan another trip to the grocery store, this morning, probably right after I finish the blog. I do believe it has finally quit raining for a while. I changed my mind. I’ve ordered Albertson’s for delivery, instead. Not leaving the house unless I have to.

Oh, and lest I forget, the Braves won the World Series, dominating last night’s game six with a score of 7-0.

Today is Cliché Day. I want all of you to get out there and give 110% today! Seize the day! And whatever you do, be sure and run upstairs when the chainsaw-wielding maniac is chasing you.

The word for today is maringouin, “a mosquito, especially a large swamp mosquito.” Why?? Why, dictionary.com, do you wish to put that image in my brain??

Today’s quote is from James Thurber, American author. “Love is what you’ve been through with somebody.”

Birthdays on November 3:

Stephen F. Austin, founder and colonizer of Texas, 1793-1836
Bob Feller, American HoF baseball pitcher, 1918-2010
Charles Bronson, American actor (Death Wish, White Buffalo), 1921-2003 (I met him once, in Colorado)
Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie (aka Lulu), Scottish singer (To Sir With Love), 1948 (73)
Dwight Evans, American baseball player (Boston Red Sox), 1951 (70)
Roseanne Barr, American actress and comedienne, 1952 (69)
Jim Cummings, American voice actor (Winnie the Pooh), 1952 (69)
Kate Capshaw, American actress (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), born in Fort Worth, TX, 1953 (68)
Dennis Miller, American comedian (Saturday Night Live), 1953 (68)
Stuart Goddard (aka Adam Ant), English rocker (Goody Two Shoes), 1954 (67)

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS

Be sober-minded;
Cast all your anxieties
On Him who loves you.
(1 Peter 5)

Open to me
the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the LORD.
(Psalms 118:19 ESV)

Today I am grateful:

1. that You have given me a thankful heart
2. that I am alive and breathing
3. for my job at the library
4. that there is a time and a season for every purpose under heaven
5. that You have given me a love for Your Word

Scriptures and Prayers from Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year

ORDINARY TIME – WEEK TWENTY-FOUR – DAY FOUR

INVITATION

Our God forever,
who guides us till the end of time.
(Psalms 48:14 MSG)

As I pause in the quietness of the morning, interrupted only by the amusing cat next to me, who is pawing at the front of the computer, non-stop, I consider the love and grace of God Almighty, who condescends to even think about us. What are we that He is mindful of us? Yet He is, even to the point that He desires for the children to be brought to Him.

BIBLE SONG

Your statutes are wonderful;
therefore I obey them.
The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.
I open my mouth and pant,
longing for your commands.
Turn to me and have mercy on me,
as you always do to those who love your name.
Direct my footsteps according to your word;
let no sin rule over me.
Redeem me from human oppression,
that I may obey your precepts.
Make your face shine on your servant
and teach me your decrees.
Streams of tears flow from my eyes,
for your law is not obeyed.
(Psalms 119:129-136 NIV)

BIBLE READING

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV)

DWELLING: SILENCE AND MEDITATION

As I read these passages again, perhaps even out loud (in ancient times, Scripture was heard more than seen), I ponder how the Word of God has moved me, this morning. What has connected with my heart? What has my mind observed? I pray these things back to the Lord as I turn my thoughts toward Him and enjoy His presence.

The celebration of the love of God’s Word continues in Psalm 119. I love the thought in verse 131. “I open my mouth and pant, longing for Your commands.” Our desire for the Word of God in our lives should supersede any other desire. Reading and meditating on God’s Word should be like breathing to us, just as prayer should be. The love of one flows directly out of the love of the other, perhaps even feeding off of each other.

I love, also, the idea in verse 132, the the Lord always has mercy on those who love His name. Just as, I believe, all who love His name should be sorrowful when His Word is not heeded or obeyed (verse 136).

There is much love and appreciation for the passage from Ecclesiastes. Most people my age are familiar with the song, written by Pete Seeger, “Turn, Turn, Turn.” Here’s a beautiful version by him and Judy Collins.

I do love the wisdom of these words. There is, indeed, a time for each of these. The wisdom comes in knowing when those times are. When are the times to weep and mourn; when are the times to laugh and dance? There is way too much tearing down, right now, in our world. We need to do more building up. I love to embrace; I’m a hugger. But the last year has been a time to refrain from embracing. Probably the most difficult is knowing when is the time to speak and time to be silent.

For many years, I’ve loved the last line of the song, “a time for peace, I swear it’s not too late.” But there will not be everlasting peace until we are Home. But we could certainly be striving a little more for it.

Father, there is, indeed, a time for everything. I pray for wisdom to know when those times are. Help me to be, though, one who works more for peace then fighting. I pray that I might be willing to be silent when silence is needed, but also give me the right words when speaking is called for. Help me to be one who builds up more than tearing down. Thank You for the love You have placed in my heart, love for Your Word, love for You. I pray that the thirst for Your Word will always continue, driving me deeper and deeper into it. I pray with great sorrow, that Your Word and commands would be revered more, in this world, today.

I lift up a prayer, this morning, specifically for my aunt, uncle, and cousins. You know the circumstances, Father. Healing is needed and desired, physically and beyond. I pray for Your intervention.

"God for all time,
assure me that no matter the moment,
I belong to You.
Whatever the season -
whether in cold stillness,
budding brightness,
full bloom,
or loss and decay -
I trust all my times are in Your hands.
In my faithful Savior's name,
amen."

BLESSING

“You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution.
The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.”
(Matthew 5:10 MSG)

Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.
(Isaiah 58:8-10 ESV)

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
(Matthew 5:14-16 ESV)

May Your light shine in and through me, Father, as “borrowed light.”

I pray for peace in our nation, peace in our world. I pray for racial injustice to end, and I pray for the pandemic to be over. Above all else, though, I pray for Your will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Break forth, like the dawn!
Light! Shine out in the darkness!
Gloom! Be as noonday!
(Isaiah 58)

Grace and peace, friends.

Rightly Related

Good morning. It’s Thursday, August 30, 2012. It really needs to be Friday. Can I get an “Amen?”

Today is “Frankenstein Day.” I guess that’s because it is the birthday of Mary Shelley, author of the story.

On this date in 30 B.C., Cleopatra committed suicide. Legend has it that she took the bite of an asp.
On this date in 1918, Vladimir Lenin was shot twice in an assassination attempt. He survived the attempt.
On this date in 2003, actor Charles Bronson died. I met him once. My high school band was in Colorado while he was there, filming The White Buffalo. I got his autograph. I have no idea where it is.
On this date in 1965, Casey Stengel retired from being manager of the New York Mets. He had a 56 year career in professional baseball.

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Last night, I experienced something a little strange. It was like I crashed, spiritually. Of course, it goes along with the things that the Lord has been teaching me, now that I think about it. For most of the day, I was on pretty much a “spiritual high,” feeling pretty good. Not just spiritually, either. Emotionally, it was a great day. On the way home, I talked to Christi (it’s not her fault, mind you), and her mother had fallen while out at Albertson’s, and was taken to the hospital (she was released soon after…she is, apparently, okay), and Christi’s back was hurting her really bad. (“Badly?” No, I don’t think so…her back was doing a pretty good job of hurting her.) Anyway…what happened was this. I started having a pity-party. All this praying I’ve been doing, and Christi still hurts. The prayers aren’t working. I started sinking. By the time I got home, I was in a total funk. But I realized it by the end of the evening. Stephanie and I went to work out at the gym. I left the gym feeling better, but recognizing what had happened. This, I believe, is a definite improvement over a few months ago, which is, to me, a sure sign of the work of the Spirit. There was a time in the not so distant past that I would have carried on in this funk and made everyone around me miserable. I never lost sight of that “unutterable trust” that I spoke of yesterday. I never doubted that God was standing by me, perhaps even carrying me. Yes, I crashed. I came off of that…no, I FELL off of that “mountaintop” that I’ve been on for the last two days. Into the “demon-possessed valley” where “the facts laugh ironically” at my beliefs. And this morning, I got up and here I go again. Right back into God’s Word for some more nourishment.

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Father, I offer up a special prayer for friend and sister in Christ, Samantha Alexander, who is currently undergoing back surgery. I pray that the surgeon’s hands will be sure and steady, and that this surgery will fix the back pain she has been suffering from. May her recovery be quick.

I pray, this morning, that you will send the Holy Spirit to me through your Word, and reveal your Word to me, enlightening my mind.

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Today, I’m reading Psalm Psalm 91. This is one of my favorites! There is no indication of who wrote this one.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. (1)
What a wonderful place to be, abiding in the shadow of the Almighty!

I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (2)
My God is my refuge and my fortress. I trust in him with an Unuterrable Trust! I will not doubt that he is right beside me, holding me up. In fact,

Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge—
no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. (9-10)
I’ve loved those two verses for years. I memorized them many years ago. As long as the Lord is my dwelling place, I am protected. Does this mean nothing will ever hurt me? I don’t think so. We all undergo pain. But this provides a state of mind that is impenetrable by fear.

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.
When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” (14-16)
This is what God says about those who love him. And so far, in my life, this has proven to be true. He has delivered me; he has protected me; he has answered my prayers (not always the way I wanted, but he knows better than me); he has rescued me; yes, he has honored me, multiple times; I have been satisfied with long life (so far); and he has shown me his salvation. What more could one ask for?

Just had another goosebump moment…

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My Utmost For His Highest
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. Luke 10:19-20

I think a lot of people in “Christendom” missed verse 20. They got so excited about that “power,” that they never read the following verse. Jesus tells us that we should not rejoice in “successful service,” but that we should rejoice that we are rightly related to him. It is a dangerous snare to begin rejoicing because God has used you. I’ve struggled with that, even recently. Yes, it is exciting to see prayers answered, and it is tempting to think, “I did that!” But I most certainly did NOT do that! I did nothing, outside of obey what my Father told me to do! “You can never measure what God will do through you if you are rightly related to Jesus Christ.” That is actually a rather huge statement. If I stay rightly related to him, throughout the circumstances that come, day by day, he will pour “rivers of living water” through me, and I may not even know it. In fact, I’m better off if I don’t know it! Do you get that? It is better to be used of God and never realize it. If we realize it, our meekness goes out the window. We are human. If we know that God is using us, we get puffed up. But if I am rightly related to Christ, there is almost no limit to what he can do through me. Wherever I am, I am there because God put me there (another huge statement), and it is by my reaction to those circumstances (OUCH!) that I fulfill (or fail to fulfill) God’s purpose for me.

“The tendency today is to put the emphasis on service. Beware of the people who make usefulness their ground of appeal. If you make usefulness the test, then Jesus Christ was the greatest failure that ever lived.” (Emphasis mine) Yes, he just said that. The test of the saint is God, not “estimated usefulness.” It is what God does through us that matters, not what we do for him, and, once again, he can work through me without me even knowing it! All I need to do is to be right in my relationship with him.

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Father, I thank you for the protection that you have been for me in my life. Yes, there have been trials. Yes, there have been disappointments, major disappointments. But you have not been a disappointment to me. If anything, I have disappointed myself. But that’s not why I’m here this morning. I give you thanks for the fact that you are my refuge and my fortress. You have kept me and my family for all these years. We dwell in the shadow of your wings, Father. You have shown me your salvation, and for that I will eternally praise you.

I thank you that you have used me. I thank you that you use me at times that I’m not even aware. I pray that this will always be true, even more so, going forward. I desire to be useful to you, but I desire more to know you. My heart’s desire is to be rightly related to you in such a way that, no matter where I am, I will react in the right way to all circumstances, and, thereby, demonstrate your grace, love, and mercy to all who are around me. At this point, I’m kind of at a loss for words. I depend on your Spirit to intercede for me. I love you, Lord, and I thank you for making yourself known to me.

I pray for this day. Again, I pray for Samantha Alexander, who is in surgery as I’m typing this. I pray for successful surgery with quick recovery.
I pray for Christi’s doctor visit this afternoon, that they may have some kind of solution for her, or at least have gotten the MRI through the red tape of insurance bureaucracy. I pray for her day at work, and that her pain would be less today. I pray for my day at work, that it would be smooth today, without issues. I pray for Stephanie’s day at home, that you would show yourself to her, and show your love to her today.
I also pray for Rachel and Justin, as they begin a new semester (started yesterday). I pray for strength and wisdom for them, as well as endurance as things get tough. I pray for relief of stress. I have prayed for them every day, but simply putting it in here today.

Give me focus and clarity as I continue praying this morning.

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Focus not on the works that you do; rather, focus and rejoice in being rightly related to Christ.

Grace and peace, friends.