Good morning. Today is Wednesday, July 10, 2013. Hump day.
Today is Bear Picnic Day. Oh. I’m sorry. Teddy Bear Picnic Day! Yes. Today is the day to take your teddy bear on a picnic. Obviously, whoever made this list doesn’t live in Texas. It’s a bit hot for picnics right now. Even for a teddy bear.
Christi had another doctor visit yesterday, and the doctor said she could see no evidence of the fracture!!! Hallelujah!! There is one last visit in four weeks, and Christi is still not supposed to do any jumping or standing on tip-toe, but she can return to doing some impact-type exercise or activity. No jogging or jumping, though, nothing that pounds on the feet. That is so awesome!
Her dinner last night with her friend went very well, and she got some very good advice. That’s pretty much all I can say about that right now. Everything is else is humming along normally. I’m continuing to learn new things at my job, even if somewhat randomly. The training process leaves much to be desired. 😀
(From Great Stories from History for Every Day)
On this day in 1099, the “greatest of Spanish folk heroes, knight and conqueror, scourge of the Moors, faithful defender of Christian Spain,” Roderigo Diaz de Bivar, known in history as El Cid, died while the city he ruled was under siege. At the age of 56, El Cid was ailing, and King Bucar of the Moors was attacking his city, Valencia. But he gave deathbed instructions that were followed. “El Cid’s generals waited twelve days and then strapped his armored body upright on his faithful horse Bavieca. At midnight, with El Cid in the lead, the entire army rode through the city gates. Then, as the noble corpse moved forward with the baggage train, the Spanish knights turned and attacked the sleeping Moors from behind.” A contemporary account described it as such: “It seemed to King Bucar that before them came a knight of great stature upon a white horse with a bloody cross, who bore in one hand a white banner and in the other a sword which seemed of fire and he made great mortality among the Moors . . . And King Bucar and the other kings were so dismayed they never checked the reins until they had ridden into the sea.” El Cid’s body was taken to the monastery of San Pedro de Cardena where it sat on an ivory chair for ten years before being buried. “Not surprisingly, a superstitious cult soon grew up around the tomb.”
Today’s birthday is (in spite of it being John Calvin’s birthday), Ron Glass, born on this date in 1945. While some may know him from his stint on Barney Miller, all the really cool people know him as “Shepherd Book” from Firefly, and Serenity. I found this cool vlog about him on You Tube.
Honorable mentions go to Nikola Tesla, 1856-1943, Ronnie James Dio, 1942-2010, Fred Gwynne, 1926-1993, Arlo Guthrie, 66, David Brinkley, 1920-2003, John Calvin, 1509-1564, Phyllis Smith, 62, Gina Bellman, 47, and Bela Fleck, 55.
TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL
Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved! Psalm 80:7
But you, you are to be feared! Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused? Psalm 76:7
Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. Psalm 115:3
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. Psalm 33:6-11
“O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your servant who calls upon you, and
grant that I may know and understand what things I ought to do, and that I
also may have the grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (The Divine Hours)
Father, I pray that you would teach me something that I may take through the rest of this day.
Today’s reading in A Year With God is called “I Alone Am Left.” The scripture reading comes from 1 Kings 19.
Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life. (1-3a)
But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. (4a)
And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. (5-6a)
And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God. There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” (8-10)
Elijah goes in to the wilderness, once again, for refuge. It might be wise to note that he wasn’t exactly looking for God, in this instance, as he was running from his life from probably the most wicked woman to ever grace the face of the earth. “But even in Elijah’s running away, God met him in his solitude.” Even Elijah, this man who lived an amazing life with great power and firsthand experiences with God, needed some solitude and refreshment, where God could meet him alone. Now, here’s the question? When have we sought solitude for some other reason than meeting God? I know I have. But the amazing thing is, sometimes he meets us there, even though we aren’t exactly looking for him. There is just something about being alone that allows us to commune more intimately with God. And if the place is “desolate,” away from everything else, that opportunity seems to be even more heightened. For me, I keep going back to the ocean. I “ran away” to Galveston, not necessarily seeking the Lord, just getting away from the normal drudgery of everyday life. Yet, as I sat on the beach (not totally alone, but kind of by myself), God came to me and communed with me. He will meet us in the most amazing places.
This reading reminded me of one of my current favorite worship songs, “Your Love Never Fails.” (Not the fake Newsboys version.) There is a line in the song that says, “Nothing can separate, even if I ran away, your love never fails.” You see? Elijah was running (not so much from God as from Jezebel), and God met him! Even when we try to run away, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus! His love never fails!!
Father, I confess that I run away too often. I am shamed by the number of times in my life that I have run away. But you meet me, nonetheless. I praise you for your consistency with me. As I continue to seek out places of solitude during my days, I pray that you will meet me. Your love never fails!
I pray for this day, Lord. May our work day be smooth and productive. May Stephanie be drawn closer to you. May your blessings continue to rain down on our family, no matter where we may be.
Your grace is sufficient.
His love never fails, even if we run away.
Grace and peace, friends.
Spaces of Beauty, Grace, Prayer, and Mercy 