Wisdom and Knowledge

Today is Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Day 22,006.

Five days until Father’s Day!

155 days until Fallout 76.

“Any kid will run any errand for you, if you ask at bedtime.” ~ Red Skelton, 1913-1997, BrainyQuote

The word for today is blamestorming, “the process of assigning blame for an outcome or situation.”

We were planning to go to the Y last night. I was planning to try working out on the recumbent bike, as I felt it would be less strain on my back, since it doesn’t involve standing or walking. However, C was felling really tired, yesterday, as she spent the whole weekend painting the inside of the house. So we will try again tonight.

It took them twelve innings, but the Red Sox beat the Orioles 2-0. Lots of zeros in that box score. This puts the Red Sox record at 45-22. The Yanks didn’t play, so they are in a virtual tie for first place in the AL East, with the Yankees .017 percentage points ahead. The Sox play the Orioles again tonight.

The Rangers did not play last night. But they lost half a game, because Seattle played and won. So the Rangers are 16 games out in the AL West. Sadly, they are eight games behind the fourth place team, which is Oakland.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS
All Scriptures are from the ESV unless otherwise noted

Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage; 
he gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them. 
Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power. 
Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity. 
Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry. 
For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. 
He caused them to be pitied by all those who held them captive. 
Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise. 
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the LORD!
Psalm 106:40-48

The important thing, I believe, to see in this passage is that, no matter how many times the people were rebellious and incurred the wrath of the Lord, he always heard their cries of desperation and delivered them. This is good for us to know. Our God is, as he says, slow to anger. He is a jealous God, but he is also loving and compassionate. And when we rebel to the point that he allows bad things to happen to us, he will always hear our cries of distress and deliver us. Always.

By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
Proverbs 23:3-4

This Proverbs passage is displayed in multiple places in our home.

Father, I pray for wisdom. I pray for knowledge. I pray for the wisdom and knowledge that will build a house and establish it, and fill its rooms with “all precious and pleasant riches.” But the kind of “knowledge” I pray for is not book knowledge. I don’t just pray to know the text of your Word, although I do want to know it. I pray to know you, in Christ, by the Holy Spirit. I pray for intimate knowledge of you. May I walk in your kingdom today, knowing that you are with me, that you and your love surround me. Remind me today that I, and all who follow Christ, are your beloved.
Even so, 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.

Forgiveness, Gratitude, and “Randomness”

Today is Monday, June 11, 2018. Day 22,005.

Six days until Father’s Day. We are planning lunch at Papadeaux’s, probably on Saturday.

New countdown, as of last night’s announcement. 156 days until Fallout 76 releases.

“My fake plants died because I did not pretend to water them.” ~ Mitch Hedberg, 1968-2005, BrainyQuote

The word for today is scrutator, pronounced “skroo-tey-ter.” It’s a noun which means, “a person who investigates.” I think the definition would be better if it used the world “scrutinizes.” I mean, shouldn’t a “scrutator” “scrutinize?”

We had a good morning at our worship gathering, yesterday. The message was a good message about forgiveness and how seemingly random things all work together in God’s plan. The example was Joseph and his brothers, in Genesis. The “random” thing was some guy who just showed up when Joseph was looking for his brothers (before they sold him into slavery). He had gone to a certain place to look for them, as his father, Jacob, had instructed him. They were no longer there, but had moved on to another place. This random guy just happened to be there, and told Joseph where they had gone. Had he not been there, Joseph probably would have gone back home, never been sold into slavery, and the whole Egypt thing probably never would have happened. The point is, you never know what impact the things you say and do in the course of a day are going to have.

The Red Sox lost to the White Sox, yesterday, by a score of 5-2. This is disturbing, because the White Sox are one of the worst teams, this year. And, I believe, the Red Sox lost the series to them, 2-1. The Yankees lost, too, though, so the Sox remain a half game behind them in the AL East. They begin a series with Baltimore tonight.

The Rangers got swept by the Astros, which is disheartening, although not surprising. They lost yesterday’s game by the score of 8-7. I guess Rangers fans can still get a half-price Papajohn’s pizza today, though. The red-hot Mariners won again, so the Rangers are now 15.5 games out in the AL West, which, I believe, is the farthest out for the season. And to make matters worse, one of their starting pitchers, Doug Fister, has been placed on the DL. Oh. Apparently, they lost the game on a balk. Ugh. Their next game is Tuesday night, in LA, against the Dodgers.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS
All Scriptures are from the ESV unless otherwise noted

Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise. 
They murmured in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the LORD. 
Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them that he would make them fall in the wilderness, 
and would make their offspring fall among the nations, scattering them among the lands. 
Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead; 
they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds, and a plague broke out among them. 
Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stayed. 
And that was counted to him as righteousness from generation to generation forever. 
They angered him at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account, 
for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke rashly with his lips. 
They did not destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them, 
but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did. 
They served their idols, which became a snare to them. 
They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; 
they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood. 
Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds.
Psalm 106:24-39

There is such a contrast between Psalm 105 and 106. 105 seems to be all about the marvelous and powerful deeds of the Lord in delivering his people. 106 becomes a run-down of the horrific acts of his people as they seem to completely forget all of the great things that he did for them.

Lest we become too judgmental of them, we need to take a few steps back and examine our own lives. We know what God is capable of, or at least we claim to believe such things. Yet, so often our lives do not reflect these beliefs. A sobering reality for us to ponder.

Father, my prayer today is two-fold (or maybe even more-fold). I pray that I will take the time and energy to forgive all offenses, and even work a little hard to not be offended by things. Joseph is a great example for us on the topic of forgiveness. I also pray that I will be cognizant of the fact that every little thing that I do may have eternal impact. Not so much that I have to worry about it all the time. It’s not my job to try to make things have impact. That’s all part of your plan and your workings, and I just need to be aware that small things can often make big differences. Then I pray that I will remember the great works that you have done in my life and be grateful more often. Help me to live a life of gratitude, and, perhaps, as our pastor suggested yesterday, be thankful for things that we aren’t normally thankful for.
Even so, 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.

Let the Peace of God Reign

Today is Sunday, June 10, 2018. Day 22,004.

Seven days until Father’s Day!

I typically run behind on Sunday mornings, because we get up later and I only have around thirty to forty-five minutes. I try to be, and seldom succeed, finished with the blog by 7:30. It’s already after 7:00, so I’m going to head right on into the devotional this morning. I hope I don’t offend anyone by skipping the daily quote and word, as well as baseball scores. I’ll summarize that. The Red Sox won, the Rangers lost, and the Yankees won again, so no change in the AL East standings.

We are getting ready for our worship gathering, this morning. We worship with The Exchange Church, which meets at the Northpark YMCA, at 9100 N Beach Street in Fort Worth. The gathering begins at 10:15.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS
All Scriptures are from the ESV unless otherwise noted

But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel. 
But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert; 
he gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them. 
When men in the camp were jealous of Moses and Aaron, the holy one of the LORD, 
the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. 
Fire also broke out in their company; the flame burned up the wicked. 
They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a metal image. 
They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass. 
They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, 
wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. 
Therefore he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them. 
Psalm 106:13-23

Suddenly, the Psalm takes a dark turn. The people, just having been delivered from the oppression of Egypt by marvelous miracles, “soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.” How tragic is this story. To make matters worse, people began to be jealous of Moses and Aaron. Then, while Moses was up on the mountain, they coerced Aaron into making a golden calf idol for them. “They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass.” I love how the Psalmist adds that little dig, “that eats grass.” The people were satisfied to worship the image of a dumb animal.

How often, though, do we do the same. I mean, I don’t normally go around worshiping images of cows, or any other animal. But how often do I exchange the glory of God for something much less glorious and just flat-out mundane? Sadly, all too often. This Psalm is a reminder to me to remember the glorious works of God, my Savior.

Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day.
Proverbs 23:17

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:5-7

What is peace? For Shawnelle Eliasen, in Daily Guideposts 2018, it was laying on a trampoline on a cool day, “arms folded under heads, smiles to the sun.” A restful peace, that she begins to compare to the “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding.”

When we commit our prayers and requests to God, this peace will surround us. It will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Sounds easy, right? We all know it’s not. Just like Shawnelle, we “struggle and scrap for control,” which many times causes us to “cower in the darkness.” When we finally let go, when we surrender those worries to the One who is truly in control, “the light comes in.”

These are not just words on a page. They are truths, perhaps even “promises.” I tend to think of them less as promises than as simple truths that will bear out the consequence of peace. It’s almost like the “if/then” statements from our elementary English classes. If we do this, then this will happen. If we cease worrying and take it to God through prayer and supplication and thanksgiving, that peace will literally overwhelm us.

Father, forgive me when I worry about things, which is often; things that are out of my control, which is almost everything. Remind me, Father, to take these things to you and lay them down at your feet, in prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving. Let your peace reign in my life in all things, no matter the circumstances. Fill my life with your peace, Father.
Even so, 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.

For His Name’s Sake

Today is Saturday (whew), June 9, 2018. Day 22,003.

Eight days until Father’s Day!

“This is like deja vu all over again.” ~ Yogi Berra, 1925-2015, The Quotations Page

The word for today is shenanigan, a noun which means, “a devious trick used especially for an underhand purpose.” Also, “tricky or questionable practices or conduct —usually used in plural,” and, “high-spirited or mischievous activity —usually used in plural.”

I’ve a serious case of the “piddles,” this morning, as it is 10:50, and I have barely gotten past my word of the day! And I have to go pick up the groceries soon (between 11:00 and 12:00), as well as our traditional Saturday lunch from Freebird’s.

C has the painting bug, and I’m not talking about canvas. She’s about to start repainting walls in the house. I’ll do my best to stay out of the way. And offer helpful encouragement along the way. I got home from work, last night (after two hours of overtime), and that were paint chips all over the front hallway. “I need your opinion,” she said. “They all look great!” I said. Not really. But I did encourage her to do whatever she likes, and I will certainly let her know if I don’t like a particular shade or color. Which is not likely. I’m pretty easy going about stuff like that. Unless she picks, say, orange. Which is also not likely.

The Red Sox left their bats at home last night, and offered no run support to Chris Sale, so he lost 1-0 to the White Sox. THE WHITE SOX!! The fourth worst team in MLB! Oh, well. Can’t win them all, they say. The Sox are now at 43-21, still having the most wins in baseball, but a half game behind the Yankees.

The Rangers lost to the Astros by a score of 7-3, and are now 14.5 games out in the AL West, which is currently led by the red hot Seattle Mariners. Yes, you read that right. Seattle Mariners. And that’s with Robinson Cano on suspension for cheating.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS
All Scriptures are from the ESV unless otherwise noted

Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! 
Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD, or declare all his praise? 
Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times! 
Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people; help me when you save them, 
that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance. 
Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness. 
Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. 
Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make known his mighty power. 
He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and he led them through the deep as through a desert. 
So he saved them from the hand of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy. 
And the waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left. 
Then they believed his words; they sang his praise.
Psalm 106:1-12

Again, this Psalm seems to begin by showing the mighty works of God in his deliverance of Israel from Egypt. Note the truth of verse 8: “He saved them for his name’s sake.” It is important to understand that, even though he works for our benefit, everything that the Lord does is for his name’s sake. We should mirror that. The works that we do, though they might help other people (and even ourselves) should be done for his name’s sake.

Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
Proverbs 22:16

Father, I am grateful for all of the works that you do for your name’s sake. I pray that, as I live my life, I will be reminded by your Spirit to do all that I do for the sake of your great name. And this includes many so-called “mundane” things, too. May even the simplest act be done for the sake of your name.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you. Psalm 33:22

Grace and peace, friends.

Engage

Today is Thursday, August 25, 2016. 50 days until Galveston!

Quote of the Day

“I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man I keep his house.” – Zsa Zsa Gabor

Word of the Day

Mirabilia – Latin. marvels; miracles.

Today is Burger Day. I probably won’t have one today, but it always sounds good. I always love a good burger. Especially if it comes from Good Burger!

No news or earth-shattering events around our place yesterday. Our hearts and prayers go out for the people of Central Italy, as the death toll from yesterday morning’s earthquake has been estimated at almost 250 in several completely destroyed towns.

R & J will be coming over on Saturday, I think, as we celebrate birthdays and major life victories. We are looking forward to this.

The Rangers pulled out a win over the struggling Reds, last night, 6-5, gaining a game on the Mariners, who are now 6.5 games out. The Red Sox missed an opportunity to pull into first place by themselves when they lost to Tampa Bay, 4-3, in the 11th inning. The Boo Jays got beat by the Angels 8-2, so they remain in a tie for first place in the AL East. It seems like everyone is struggling with the losing teams, right now. How strange.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Praying With the Psalms)

Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the LORD! Psalm 106:47-48

We have several options for our response to sin in our world. We could wash our hands of it, like Pilate did. We could attempt to completely separate ourselves from it, as the Desert Fathers did. However, the best response is “to engage in prayers of intercession for God’s mercy and to give praise for one’s salvation.”

“Lord Jesus Christ, you took all sin upon yourself that you might free me from its death. ‘There is therefore now no condemnation!’ I praise you for your bold mercy (Romans 8:1). Amen.”

Father, teach me the best response in regard to sin in this world. You have never instructed us in your Word to try to eradicate sin from this world. You have, however, commanded us to pray without ceasing, in intercession for the people in our lives and around the world. Teach us to pray; teach us to care; teach us to intercede; teach us to love. Thank you for your marvelous gift of salvation and mercy!

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.

How To Get Answered Prayer

Today is Wednesday (already?), August 24, 2016. 51 days until Galveston!

Quote of the Day

“If the Sun and Moon should ever doubt, they’d immediately go out.” – William Blake

Word of the Day

Thrummy – of or abounding in thrums; shaggy or tufted.

Today is Pluto Demoted Day. Maybe a presidential campaign should be “Make Pluto a Planet Again!” Poor Pluto.

For an added bonus (no extra charge), it is also International Strange Music Day I think this qualifies.

There is more to celebrate for R’s success. As noted yesterday, she got her LPC license. She has also been offered more guaranteed hours at the hospital in Denton, where she has been working on an “on-call” basis. So she is able to quit her data entry job, which is in Carrollton, and a second shift job. Plus she gets a raise at the hospital because she now has her license! Things are finally going well for her, which I think I can safely say she deserves, because she has worked very hard for all of this. We will be celebrating big, this weekend, for these things, as well as for J’s birthday, which was the same day as S’s.

The Red Sox held on to beat the Rays 2-1, last night, maintaining their first place tie with the Boo Jays. Clay Buchholz actually pitched well. We do believe in miracles! The Rangers, on the other hand, continue to struggle with the last place teams, losing to the Reds (whose record is almost exactly the opposite of theirs) 3-0. Dutch Oven returned, and seems to have pitched quite well. He just got no run support. They play one more tonight, before coming home to face the Indians, who now have the best record in the AL.

Tonight is our Anchor prayer gathering. Twice a month, we gather in someone’s home to pray for needs of the church and our world. If you have anything you would like us to pray for, leave a note, either here or on Facebook.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Praying With the Psalms)

Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage;
he gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them.
Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power.
Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity.
Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry.
For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
He caused them to be pitied by all those who held them captive. Psalm 106:40-46

We typically connect cause and effect with the word therefore. In our case, though, God connects them with the word nevertheless. We expect damnation for our sin, but when we believe Jesus Christ, we get salvation. “‘Nevertheless’ is one of the most important words in Scripture, for it miraculously joins human sin with God’s salvation.”

“What a happy discovery, O God, to find that each act of confession is not an occasion for condemnation but an experience of your forgiveness: ‘Make mercy in all of us, out of us all/Mastery, but be adored, but be adored King’ (Gerard Manley Hopkins, ‘The Wreck of the Deutschland’). Amen.”

(From My Utmost For His Highest)

The Spiritual Index

Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Matthew 7:9

In this illustration of prayer, Jesus speaks of “a good child asking for a good thing.” We tend to think about prayer “as if God heard us irrespective of the fact of our relationship to Him.” Rather than proclaiming that it wasn’t God’s will to give us what we asked for, perhaps we should step back and “find out the reason, turn up the index.” There is always someone proclaiming that God doesn’t answer prayer, but if you look at their lives, you see why. Why should God answer the prayer of someone who is consistently disobedient to him??

Are we rightly related to our family, to our work associates? What about other matters? Are we asking God for money when we haven’t paid someone we owe? Are we expecting liberty when we have not granted someone the same? And what about forgiveness? Are we expecting God to forgive us when we refuse to forgive someone in our lives? So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)

“I am a child of God only by regeneration, and as a child of God I am good only as I walk in the light. Prayer with most of us is turned into pious platitude, it is a matter of emotion, mystical communion with God.”

When Jesus said, “Everyone that asks receives,” he was speaking of people who are “good children.”

Father, I pray to be a “good child.” I will spend part of this day, as already planned, being specifically obedient to something that you have placed in my heart. I pray that this will reap answered prayers. I am confident that it will reap closer devotion to you through Jesus. Let my prayer/reading times today be deep, drawing me into closer communion with you.

Come, Lord Jesus!

“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” . . . Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. (Isaiah 30:15, 18)

Stamped With the Presence of God

Today is Tuesday, August 23, 2016. 52 days until Galveston!

Quote of the Day

“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” – Mark Twain

Word of the Day

Venial – able to be forgiven or pardoned; not seriously wrong, as a sin (opposed to mortal).

Today is Cuban Sandwich Day. (The country, not Mark.) It sounds delicious, but I’ve never had one. I did have a really good sandwich at McAlister’s Deli, last night, though, called the “Memphian.” Black Forest ham, turkey, roast beef, Provolone, lettuce, tomato, lite mayo, and Dijon mustard on a hot baguette. Delicious!

The big news, this morning, is that R finally got her LPC license! (That stands for Licensed Professional Counselor.) It’s an “intern” license, but all that now stands between her and her career is a period of internship. We are just all tremendously excited that her license finally came through. It is has been a tough process (and quite frustrating) for her, but she persevered and made it!

The Red Sox beat the Rays 6-2 last night, which launched them into a tie for first place with the Boo Jays, since Toronto didn’t play last night. September is going to be really exciting in the AL East!

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Praying With the Psalms)

They did not destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them,
but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did.
They served their idols, which became a snare to them.
They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons;
they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.
Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds. Psalm 106:34-39

As this psalm continues (I struggle to think of this as a “song” being sung by a group of people, but that is what the Psalms allegedly were), we continue to be warned by the failures of Israel. What should have been victories and triumphs became “defections and compromises; instead of sharing faith in a holy God, Israel adopted the savage rites of child sacrifice.” Instead of a land flowing “with milk and honey,” it became a land of disobedience flowing “with the blood of innocent children.”

“‘Save us from weak resignation to the evils we deplore; let the search for Thy salvation be our glory evermore. Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, serving Thee whom we adore’ (Harry Emerson Fosdick, ‘God of Grace and God of Glory’). Amen.”

(From My Utmost For His Highest)

Prayer Choice and Prayer Conflict

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:6

This is one of the best of all of the readings in this book. We must understand that prayer “is an effort of the will.” Once we get into our “secret place,” the most difficult thing to do is pray. As soon as we shut the door, the wandering thoughts begin. Those of you who are regular pray-ers, tell me if I’m wrong. I know it has definitely been my experience. There are mornings that the hardest thing in the world to do is pray, because as soon as I start, all of the emotions and thoughts start flooding in. I even start remembering emotional moments from decades in the past! “We have to discipline our minds and concentrate on willful prayer.”

To be in a “secret silence” means that we have to shut the door on these emotions “remember God.” When we abide in this “secret place,” our confidence in God grows tremendously. “We become more sure of Him than of anything else.” We should begin our day by letting God in, and then “get into the habit of dealing with God about everything.” When these things happen, every event of our lives will be “stamped with the presence of God.”

Father, as I pray this morning, help me to be focused. Help me to shut the door in my “secret place” and close out all negative emotions (even positive ones that would distract me from prayer) and thoughts that would hinder me. Help me to remember you. I also pray that I might be successful in dealing with you about everything in my day. Be the center of my day, Father, and help me to walk in your Kingdom, sharing the easy yoke with Jesus.

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.

Toward Bethel, Not Meribah

Today is Monday, August 22, 2016. 53 days to Galveston!

Quote of the Day

“Idealism increases in direct proportion to one’s distance from the problem.” – John Galsworthy (Think about that one for a few minutes.)

Word of the Day

Lucubrate – to work, write, or study laboriously, especially at night.

Today is Be An Angel Day. While that is technically impossible, we still might have the opportunity to be someone’s “angel” today by helping them through a difficult situation.

It was a wonderful weekend! We got to Mineral Wells around 2:00 PM on Saturday, picked up Grandma, and headed pretty much straight to Dairy Mart for lunch. They still cook a mean cheeseburger! Then we went to pick up some more Crazy Water (I drink about half a liter a day, and I swear to you it has helped my arthritic knee!), after which we stopped at Jitterbeans for some smoothies and hot chocolate. I actually had a “frozen hot chocolate,” and it was quite delicious! We went back to Grandma’s house, where we had some strawberry cake (we brought it with us), and then sat and watched the Rangers lose to the Rays. We left around 8:00 PM, stopped by McDonald’s, then went to check in at the hotel.

Sunday morning was nice. We had our complimentary breakfast at the hotel, got checked out, and went back to Grandma’s to pick her up to go to church, at First Baptist Church of Mineral Wells. The worship service was very fulfilling, in my opinion. Good worship, and Nathan’s message was quite good, being all about unity in the body of Christ. Mel Kincaid always does a marvelous job of selecting and leading the music for the service, too. Lunch, afterward, was at Pastafina, delicious, as always, then back to the house to finish off the strawberry cake. We visited and watched the Rangers lose some more, then headed on back home for some R&R before getting back into the work week.

S was extremely grateful for the great birthday weekend, and has thanks us profusely for it. We are grateful to God for it as well.

Another thing we are grateful to God for! We had had a low tire pressure alert in the car on Friday afternoon, so we stopped and put some air in the front passenger side tire before heading to Mineral Wells on Saturday. When we got to Grandma’s house, I looked at the tire, and, low and behold, there was a very large screw in the tire! After lunch, C took the car up to Wal-Mart to see if they could fix it. It turns out that the screw was too close to the side of the tire, and they couldn’t repair it. BUT, there was also a split in the tire, as well as a bubble (all on the inside, where we couldn’t see it), and it was apparent that the tire could have blown at any time! That screw very well may have saved us some much worse troubles than a flat tire! Both front tires were original on the car, so we elected to go ahead and buy two new tires for the front.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Praying With the Psalms)

They angered him at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account,
for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke rashly with his lips. Psalm 106:32-33

There are many places in the Old Testament story that remind us of faith and God’s grace; Bethel, Sinai, Carmel, and Olivet, to name a few. However, there are also places, such as Meribah, where the people of God severely tried his patience and sinned greatly. “The geography of salvation shows desirable places to go and troublesome places to avoid.”

“I forget, Lord, how dangerously my discontent can affect another’s trust. I want to be especially considerate of those who are leaders and companions in the way of faith, supporting them with appreciation and intercession, not toppling them with criticism and grumbling. Amen.”

Father, show me how utterly helpless I am without you. Ruthlessly show me how much my mumbling and complaining hurts your Church. Teach me how to pray for your leaders, both locally and nationally, in ways that lift them up and support them. Keep me away from Meribah and lead me always toward Bethel.

Come, Lord Jesus!

“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” . . . Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. (Isaiah 30:15, 18)

Grace and peace, friends.

Today is Saturday, August 20, 2016. 55 days to Galveston!

Quote of the Day

“You can’t have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time.” – Charles F. Kettering

Another good quote for today

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss

Word of the Day

Stultify – to make, or cause to appear, foolish or ridiculous. Hah! I do that to myself, frequently!

Today is Chocolate Pecan Pie Day. Do I even need to say anything else about this?

Yesterday was a truly wonderful day! It was a close to perfect as any day we’ve ever had with S. We probably started a little later than we originally planned, but that’s okay. It started with lunch at Martha’s Mexican Cocina. After that, we surprised S by taking her to the AT&T Store, where we got her a new iPhone SE, which she has been wanting ever since C and I got ours. This, of course, took a couple of hours, because you can’t do anything quickly at the AT&T store. But it was successful, and all went rather smoothly.

After that was finally done, we headed over to Euless to the Nail Spa where we always go to get our pedicures done. We all got pedicures, which were extremely relaxing and felt really good. After the pedicures, we headed back over to our side of town, and went to Main Event for some bowling. There was a short wait (it was, after all, almost 6:30 PM on a Friday evening), and we got a lane for an hour. We managed to get in about a game and a half. S won the first game. None of us scored over 100. I was reminded why I don’t like Main Event. I mean . . . we had a good time, so don’t get me wrong. But Main Event is most definitely not a place for “serious” bowlers. And if you are a serious bowler, you have to be ready to let go of the serious for a while. I don’t think I got a ball on the right side of the head pin until the second game was almost over. There was, literally, no oil in the middle part of the lane at all. The only oil was to the right of the first arrow, which insured that, if you got your ball out there, it would most certainly go in the gutter. S also won the second “game,” which ended around the seventh frame, as hour hour was up. Yet another reason Main Event is not for serious bowlers. Do you have any idea how hard it is to have to stop a game before the tenth frame?? It’s maddening!

Oh, and let me tell you, we did NOT “let” S win the games!

After bowling, we headed west to Ginger Brown’s Old Tyme Restaurant, for dinner. It was quite delicious. I had their Cheddar Ranch Chicken, a boneless chicken breast, deep fried, covered in ranch dressing and cheddar cheese. Yum!! We brought the free cinnamon rolls home to have for breakfast this morning. After we got home, to top off the night, we had a piece of the strawberry cake that C made for S’s birthday. It was, of course, moist and delicious!

Today, we head to Mineral Wells for the rest of the weekend, as soon as I get done here, and we get packed.

Oh, and just so you know, there will no blog entry tomorrow morning. I’m not taking a computer with me.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Praying With the Psalms)

They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a metal image.
They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass.
They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt,
wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
Therefore he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them.
Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise.
They murmured in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the LORD.
Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
and would make their offspring fall among the nations, scattering them among the lands. Psalm 106:19-27

The psalmist shows, in this passage, that neither “worship” nor staying home can be proof of righteousness. We can sin in either instance, as Israel did when they “worshiped a metal image,” and when “they murmured in their tents.” I’ve always been amused by the psalmist’s comment in verse 20 (I see it as almost editorial). “They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass.” (Emphasis mine)

“‘Cure Thy children’s warring madness, bend our pride to Thy control; shame our wanton, selfish gladness, rich in things and poor in soul. Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, lest we miss Thy Kingdom’s goal’ (Harry Emerson Fosdick, ‘God of Grace and God of Glory’). Amen.”

(From My Utmost For His Highest)

Completeness

. . . and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

If you recall, yesterday’s reading began with the first part of that verse, “Come to me.”

“Whenever anything begins to disintegrate your life with Jesus Christ, turn to Him at once and ask Him to establish rest.” Whatever it is that is causing unrest in our lives needs to be dealt with at once. We do not want “self-consciousness” to develop, because it will eventually become self-pity, “and self-pity is Satanic.” And when we engage in self-pity, we always make a display to others. This is heightened by today’s social media outlets. It is very common to see someone make a blatant display of self-pity on Facebook, hoping that they will get validation from others. This results in one of two things. Either they get the validation, which enables the behavior, or they don’t get it, so they get angry and leave Facebook. For a day or two, then they’re back. “Leave others alone and ask the Lord to give you Christ-consciousness.” What we need is not pity from other people. What we need is “Christ-consciousness.”

“The child of God is not conscious of the will of God because he is the will of God. . . . A child of God never prays to be conscious that God answers prayers, he is so restfully certain that God always does answer prayer.” To me, the key word in that last sentence is “restfully.” The whole idea of abiding is resting. When we abide in Christ and his words, we rest in them, with great confidence that they are true.

Now here is the tricky part. “If we try to overcome self-consciousness by any common-sense method, we will develop it tremendously.” In other words, it will have the opposite effect. Come to Jesus. He will give you rest. When he comes, he will give the kind of rest that causes us to not need to be conscious of ourselves.

Father, take away any self-consciousness that I might still have. Make me the kind of child of yours that doesn’t need to worry about whether you will answer prayers, or who doesn’t have to be constantly asking what your will is. I want to be so intimately acquainted with Jesus that my life is your will.

Come, Lord Jesus!

“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” . . . Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. (Isaiah 30:15, 18)

Grace and peace, friends.

Come To Me

Today is Friday, August 19, 2016! Today is S’s birthday! She is 23 today! Happy birthday!!!

Quote of the Day

“Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!” – Dr. Seuss

Word of the Day

Mesmerism – a compelling attraction; fascination.

Today is World Humanitarian Day. May we all see what we can do about either supporting or engaging with some kind of world humanitarian organization.

Today is the day! I slept until 9:15 this morning. That doesn’t happen very often, not even on a normal weekend morning. Of course, I stayed up until mumblemumblemumble o’clock last night, playing No Man’s Sky.

S has already opened her birthday presents, and the birthday cake is cooked. Homemade strawberry cake, from a recipe provided by a good friend of my mother. I’m not sure what we are doing first, this morning. Possible getting those pedicures done, followed by some lunch.

Since today is a special day, I want to see who has the same birthday as S. Besides our beloved son-in-law, J, she shares a birthday with these people:

232–Marcus Aurelius Probus, Roman Emperor
1843–C.I. Scofield, Scofield Reference Bible
1871–Orville Wright, American aviation pioneer
1883–Coco Chanel, French clothing designer
1902–Ogden Nash, American poet
1906–Philo Farnsworth, American inventor (electronic television)
1919–Malcolm Forbes, American publisher
1921–Gene Rodenberry, American television producer (Star Trek)
1931–Willie Shoemaker, American jockey
1935–Bobby Richardson, American baseball player
1938–Diana Muldaur, American actress (Star Trek:TNG)
1939–Ginger Baker, English musician (Cream)
1940–Jill St. John, American actress (Diamonds Are Forever)
1940–Johnny Nash, American singer-songwriter (I Can See Clearly Now)
1942–Fred Thompson, American actor (Law & Order)
1945–Ian Gillan, English singer (Deep Purple)
1946–Bill Clinton, 42nd POTUS
1948–Tipper Gore, Second Lady of the U.S.
1948–Gerald McRaney, American actor (Major Dad)
1951–John Deacon, English musician (Queen)
1952–Jonathan Frakes, American actor and director (Star Trek:TNG)
1955–Ned Yost, American baseball player and manager
1955–Peter Gallagher, American actor
1958–Gary Gaetti, American baseball player
1960–Ron Darling, American baseball player and announcer
1963–John Stamos, American actor (Full House)
1965–Kevin Dillon, American actor
1965–Kyra Sedgwick, American actress (The Closer), married to Kevin Bacon
1969–Matthew Perry, American actor (Friends)
1970–Jeff Tam, American baseball player
1975–Tracie Thoms, American actress
1978–Chris Capuano, American baseball player
1979–Dave Douglas, American musician (Relient K)
1982–J.J. Hardy, American baseball player
1982–Erika Christensen, American actress (Parenthood)
1983–Missy Higgins, Australian singer-songwriter

That’s quite a list, there. I counted seven baseball players, three people associated with Star Trek, one from Full House, and one from Parenthood.

Happy birthday, S!!

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Praying With the Psalms)

But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.
But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert;
he gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them.
When men in the camp were jealous of Moses and Aaron, the holy one of the LORD,
the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.
Fire also broke out in their company; the flame burned up the wicked. Psalm 106:13-18

So often, forgetfulness and rebellion are paired. The people forgot the works of God, then they rebelled against Moses and Aaron. “When we forget God’s ways of providing for us, we impatiently seek to set up our own self-government.” These rebellious acts are done in an “atmosphere devoid of the memory of grace.”

“Merciful Lord, grant that my remembrance of your ways will lead me to a more trusting obedience, and grant that my obedience may improve my memory, so that I may not forget anything you have done for me or quarrel with any of your commands. Amen.”

(From My Utmost For His Highest)

Self-Consciousness

Come to me . . . Matthew 11:28

In this reading, Chambers speaks of self-consciousness as something, though not a sin, itself, can “upset the completeness of the life in God,” continuously producing a wrestling within us. There are various things that can cause self-consciousness, from a “nervous temperament” to being dumped in a new circumstance. “It is never God’s will that we should be anything less than absolutely complete in Him.” Anything that disturbs our rest/abiding in Christ must be dealt with at once. And the way we do that is by following his command to “Come to me.” If we finish the verse, we see this: Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And then what does he say in verse 30? My yoke is easy!

We must come to Christ and ask him to produce within us Christ-consciousness, rather than self-consciousness. Once we begin to examine ourselves too much, we lose sight of Christ and we become divided. “Beware of anything that is going to split up your oneness with Him and make you see yourself separately.”

What I believe is being said, here (it’s a little complex), is that, when circumstances (or people) threaten to disturb our rest/abiding in Christ, we must immediately go to Jesus, rather than following the temptation to begin looking at self in introspection. The answer never lies within me. The answer lies in Christ. His yoke is easy. If I simply follow his command, he will give me rest, and I will be Christ-conscious instead of self-conscious.

Father, this is a difficult teaching, but I think I understand it. I need more of this Christ-consciousness and less self-consciousness. Teach me this way, and show me how to step into the easy yoke with Jesus. My desire is to continuously abide in him and his words. Draw me into these habits, Father, as I move forward in your Kingdom.

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.