Suffering

Today is Friday, March 30, 2018. Good Friday. Day 21,932.

TWO days until Resurrection Sunday!

It’s the birthday of Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890), who said, “One may have a blazing hearth in one’s soul and yet no one ever came to sit by it. Passers-by see only a wisp of smoke from the chimney and continue on their way.” (BrainyQuote)

The word for today is sepulchre, a noun which means, “a tomb, grave, or burial place.”

C and I are off today. Her job gave her the day as a holiday, and I took PTO to be off with her. We don’t have any big plans, other than picking up our groceries at Kroger. Mostly, I think we need the rest because tomorrow is going to be a long day. We’re supposed to be in Granbury around 2:00 PM for the event, there, and I have this feeling that it’s going to be at least 10:00 PM before we get home. Possibly closer to midnight. We’ll see.

We might go bowling later today, or maybe try to see a movie. I think S might want to go bowling.

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

Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me. 
Hide not your face from your servant; for I am in distress; make haste to answer me. 
Draw near to my soul, redeem me; ransom me because of my enemies! 
You know my reproach, and my shame and my dishonor; my foes are all known to you. 
Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. 
They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink. 
Let their own table before them become a snare; and when they are at peace, let it become a trap. 
Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually. 
Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them. 
May their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents. 
For they persecute him whom you have struck down, and they recount the pain of those you have wounded. 
Add to them punishment upon punishment; may they have no acquittal from you. 
Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous. 
But I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high!
Psalm 69:16-29

Were it not for the steadfast love of the Lord, we would not survive. Were it not for his abundant mercy, we would have no hope. When we are in distress, we can certainly ask for the knowledge of his presence to be evident. As I’ve stated before, I am still not comfortable praying against people the way David did in these “imprecatory” psalms. It’s in the Bible, so there must be some reason for it. But if someone does me wrong, I can’t bring myself to pray that “their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents.”

(From Daily Guideposts 2018)

. . . that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3:10-11

One day, as Carol Kuykendall was leaving at the end of her visit with her friend Leslie, who was dying from cancer, she stopped to talk with Leslie’s husband. He asked, honestly, “Why has God allowed Leslie to endure all this suffering?” He knew some answers to that question, but in the midst of the personal experience, was having a difficult time believing them.

Carol felt bad that she didn’t have a better answer for him, because she often wondered the same thing, as, I’m sure, do all of us.

But Carol remembered something that Leslie had said to her, early on in the illness. “In my strongest moments, I see suffering as something I share with Jesus. He had to go through the temporary pain of dying on the Cross to get to the Resurrection, which brings us the eternal gift of new life in heaven. And I have to endure suffering and die to get there too.”

The wisdom of those words is stunning.

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Romans 8:16-18
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
1 Peter 5:10

None of us likes to suffer. If you enjoy suffering, you probably need professional help. On the other hand, there are plenty of us who seem to go out of our way to avoid suffering. How many of us sincerely desire that Jesus would come back while we are still alive, so we don’t have to go through the pain of death? Yes, death is our enemy. And pain is bad.

But the truth is, if we sincerely desire to be more like Jesus, we have to be willing to suffer, even if just for “a little while.” We don’t need to go looking for it! But neither do we need to shy away from it. It takes great maturity in Christ to be willing to suffer for him, that we might be glorified later. I’m not sure I’ve reached that level of maturity, just yet. But I will say that suffering and death suddenly don’t seem quite as bad, in the light of what Christ endured for us. And if that’s what I need to do in order to be closer to Jesus, then I will rejoice in it. May God bring me to that point in my life.

(From The Business of Heaven, C.S. Lewis)

I feel compelled to share the Good Friday reading.

“God, who needs nothing, loves into existence wholly superfluous creatures in order that He may love and perfect them. He creates the universe, already foreseeing – or should we say ‘seeing?’ there are no tenses in God – the buzzing cloud of flies about the cross, the flayed back pressed against the uneven stake, the nails driven through the mesial nerves, the repeated incipient suffocation as the body droops, the repeated torture of back and arms as it is time after time, for breath’s sake, hitched up. If I may dare the biological image, God is a ‘host’ who deliberately creates His own parasites; causes us to be that we may exploit and ‘take advantage of’ Him. Herein is love. This is the diagram of Love Himself, the inventor of all loves.”

Father, while we were yet sinners, Jesus died for us! “Amazing love! How can it be that you, my Lord, should die for me?” How can we, if we truly comprehend this love, continue to sin?? Forgive me, my God!
Father, I pray that you make me willing to suffer for you, for Christ, that I might rejoice in the glory to be revealed. May I not be so eager to avoid suffering.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

“I hope you see the faithfulness of God in everything He has made. I hope you learn to trust that all of this is His care sworn to you. But mostly, I hope you know Jesus through whom God has wildly and ferociously loved us. I hope you know and that you become sacramental to your neighbor who God also loves passionately. I hope you leave them little doubt about His love and the victory Jesus won over hate and death.”—Rich Mullins

Grace and peace, friends.

Laugh!

Today is Thursday (I almost typed Friday), March 29, 2018. Day 21,931. Maundy Thursday.

Today is R’s birthday! She shares a birthday with Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction), Eric Idle (Monty Python’s Flying Circus), and Cy Young (the pitcher after whom the coveted award is named).

Today is Opening Day!!!

THREE days until Resurrection Sunday!

As mentioned above, today is Eric Idle’s birthday. He turns 75 today. He said, “People can tell the truth much more freely when they’re apparently lying.”
(BrainyQuote)

The word for today is manticore. A manticore is “a legendary animal with the head of a man, the body of a lion, and the tail of a dragon or scorpion.” It also became a symbol for Emerson Lake & Palmer.

Today is “Friday” for C and me. That’s why I almost typed “Friday” up there. It is also Maundy Thursday. What does “maundy” mean? It is a word that designates the washing of the feet of the poor, and this day commemorates the day that Jesus washed the feet of his disciples in order to demonstrate what true service looks like.

Boston and Tampa kick off at 3:00 PM CDT, and the Rangers and Astros begin at 2:35 CDT. I plan to listen to the Red Sox game on the MLB At Bat app on my phone.

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

To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. Of David.
Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. 
I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. 
I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God. 
More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must I now restore? 
O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you. 
Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel. 
For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face. 
I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother’s sons. 
For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me. 
When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. 
When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. 
I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me. 
But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness. 
Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. 
Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me.
Psalm 69:1-15

“Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me . . . let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me.” (Verse 6) What a great prayer for any believer to pray. This would be a great verse to remember when we are contemplating doing something sinful.

(From Daily Guideposts 2018)

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.
Proverbs 31:25
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
Ecclesiastes 3:4
“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.”
Luke 6:21

When Carol Kuykendall asked her friend Leslie if she thought there would be laughter in heaven, Leslie replied, “For sure, so we have to practice.”

There is a popular old saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Reader’s Digest (is that still a thing?) even had a page of jokes in every issue with that as the title. I remember, growing up, when the Reader’s Digest came in the mail, the first thing I would do is go through it and read all of the joke pages.

I like to laugh. I fear I don’t do it enough.

Have you ever pictured Jesus laughing?

Surely he did. He was human, you know.

As we celebrate this “Maundy Thursday,” the day before what could be the saddest day of the year, let us look for laughter. But may it be holy laughter. Let it not be at someone else’s expense.

Father, my prayer, this morning, is two-fold. First, echoing the psalmist, let me not be one who brings dishonor or shame to your name through my actions today (or any day). Second, help me to find laughter today. May I remember the ways of Jesus as I walk through this day, and remember that he washed the feet of his disciples, which means that I need to be more willing to serve those around me.
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.

Waive Your Rights

“Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies.” ― Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Today’s word of the day, from Dictionary.com, is hypnagogic, which means, “of or relating to drowsiness,” or, “inducing drowsiness.” I’m in a hypnagogic state this morning.

Today is Towel Day. And yes, it is a tribute to Douglas Adams. Don’t forget your towel.

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!
I am about to reveal the order of the top four finalists in The Voice. I am somewhat disappointed in how they finished, as my favorite came in fourth place.

4. Laith Al-Saadi
3. Hannah Huston
2. Adam Wakefield
1. Alisan Porter

In fact, my two favorites came in fourth and third. I wasn’t exactly unhappy with the results, though, as I have though Alisan Porter was pretty amazing, most of the way through. Adam Wakefield was a bit of a “sleeper,” though, kind of quietly rising to the top of the field each week with his soulful country style. We haven’t watched Monday night’s performance episode, yet, and we have our bi-monthly prayer gathering tonight, so we weren’t going to be able to watch tonight. For that reason (and it’s almost impossible not to find out, these days), we decided to stay up and watch it last night. Which is why I’m in a hypnagogic state this morning.

It’s Wednesday. Only Wednesday. The good news is that we have a long weekend coming up. The not so good news is it looks like it’s going to rain all day on Memorial Day, which is the day we had planned to go to Scarborough Faire. Saturday looks nice, though, so we may go then.

The Red Sox beat the Rockies 8-3 last night, and Jackie Bradley, Jr. extended his hitting streak to 28. Baltimore lost, so the Red Sox are in first place! The Rangers beat the Halos 4-1. Unfortunately, Seattle also won, so the Rangers remain 1.5 behind the Mariners.

One other thing. Today would have been my parents’ wedding anniversary. 59 years. My mother has been struggling a bit the last couple of days. If you’re the praying type, would you please say a prayer for her? I talked with her last night, and she said that, for some reason, this year is harder than last year. Perhaps it was that last year, the shock of his passing was still fresh. May God bring his comfort to you today and hold you in his loving arms.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Praying With the Psalms)

I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
This will please the LORD more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs.
When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
For the LORD hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.
Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them.
For God will save Zion and build up the cities of Judah, and people shall dwell there and possess it;
the offspring of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall dwell in it.
Psalm 69:30-36

“The great songs of praise are sung by those who have known the intensity of pain, the desperation of doubt, and the abyss of rejection.” To people like these, the love and salvation of God are seen as resurrection and rescue.

“I praise you, merciful Father, that you have not led me in a way bound by grim duty and joyless servitude, but in one that, though it traverses ‘the valley of the shadow,’ always leads to ‘the house of the Lord’ (Psalm 23:4, 6). Amen.”

(From My Utmost For His Highest)

The Test of Self-Interest

Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.
Genesis 13:9

Abraham is talking to Lot in this verse, allowing him to choose which direction they should go when they split up. He rightfully could have chosen the most luxurious of the places, but allowed Lot to choose first. Many choices and prospects will come our way in the life of faith, and some of them would be ours by right, “but if you are living the life of faith you will exercise your right to waive your rights, and let God choose for you.”

There is a lot of clamoring about rights, these days, especially in the camp of “religious liberty,” which, oddly enough, is something that the Bible never guarantees us. In fact, if people would actually read the book, they would take note that it guarantees quite the opposite. Nevertheless, there is a large group of “Christians” who are insisting that politicians uphold their religious liberties and “rights.”

However, there is a “discipline by means of which the natural is transformed into the spiritual by obedience to the voice of God,” and that involves waiving our rights and letting God choose our path. “Whenever right is made the guidance in the life it will blunt the spiritual insight.” The greatest enemy in our lives is not sin, but the “good.”

“The good is always the enemy of the best.”

Father, I all too often fall into the trap of insisting on what is mine by right. I pray for the inspiration and guidance of your Spirit to press me to waive my rights and let you choose what is best for me instead of what is simply “right” or “good.”

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.

Father, Forgive Them

“You cannot step into the same river twice.” – Heraclitus
(BrainyQuote)

Today’s word of the day, from Dictionary.com, is gormless, which means, “lacking in vitality or intelligence; stupid, dull, or clumsy.

Today is Escargot Day. I have to say I’ve never had any. Supposedly, it is a delicacy.

Band practice was fun last night. Sadly, we only had three trombones, and none of them on the third part. I’m playing first for this concert, and the other two guys that were there last night play second. We have a lady who will be playing first, but she won’t be back to rehearsals until school is out, because she is a teacher, and it’s very busy for her during this time of year.

Our next concert will be on July 3, for the Southlake fireworks event. I like that they do it on the third. It’s on Sunday, this year, and July 4th falls on Monday, so we get a long weekend. Next year, it will be on Tuesday, which will be awkward, as it will mean a day of work, one day off, and three days of work.

The Red Sox were off last night. The Rangers, and Derek Holland lost to the Angels, last night, 2-0. I’m pretty sure that’s three losses in a row for Holland, but this time, it’s more because the Rangers didn’t plate any runs for him.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Praying With the Psalms)

Let their own table before them become a snare; and when they are at peace, let it become a trap.
Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually.
Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them.
May their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents.
For they persecute him whom you have struck down, and they recount the pain of those you have wounded.
Add to them punishment upon punishment; may they have no acquittal from you.
Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.
But I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high!
Psalm 69:22-29

We read psalms like this one and think, “Is it really okay to pray like this??” But I believe, along with Peterson, that the fact that this is written here is “evidence that God listens to us when we are angry, and accepts us even while we are burning with revenge.” However, it is not necessarily evidence that he will do what we ask in these prayers. “God shows us how to respond to persecution in Jesus who prayed, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’ (Luke 23:34).”

“Dear God, teach me to love my enemies and do good to those who hate me, to bless those who curse me and pray for those who abuse me, to be merciful even as you, Father, are merciful, after the example of Jesus Christ. Amen.”

Father, I have felt like praying prayers such as this psalm, and probably even have. But I pray, rather, that my mind and heart would be like that of Jesus, who prayed for forgiveness for his enemies. While I don’t know of anyone trying to kill me, I have had “enemies” who have mistreated members of my family, and have desired vengeance upon them. I would not take vengeance myself, as you forbid this. I have prayed for you to do bad things to them, though. For this I confess and ask forgiveness. Give me the heart and mind of Christ. Form his life in me, Father.

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.

Infidelity

“It is easier to go down a hill than up, but the view is from the top.” – Arnold Bennett
(BrainyQuote)

Today’s word of the day, from the Oxford English Dictionary, is nugatory, which means, “Trifling, negligible; of no intrinsic value or importance; worthless.”

Today is Title Track Day. Can you think of a favorite title track? The first couple that came to my mind were “Aqualung,” and “Breakfast in America.”

If anyone read my blog before I edited it, yesterday, I apologize. I wrote some harsh words that needn’t have been put down for public consumption. For reasons that even I can’t figure out, I was in a rather bad place, yesterday morning. Even had to wind up apologizing for some words I spoke during setup yesterday morning. I got better, though, and edited the blog entry when I got home from PAT meeting. One thing I can always count on is for my wife to be straight up with me and tell me when I’ve screwed up. It’s one of the things I really appreciate about her. And this is one of the things that I really dislike about me. Enough about that, though.

Worship went pretty well, yesterday morning, and the PAT meeting was good, too, I think. In the meantime, the Red Sox beat the Indians 5-2, while Jackie Bradley, Jr. extended his hitting streak to 27. In addition, the O’s lost, putting them and the Sox back into a virtual tie for first, with only 5 percentage points between them. The Rangers got all over the Astros, winning 9-2. Unfortunately, the Mariners won again, as well, so the Rangers remain 1.5 out of first.

Today is Monday, of course. I think I feel some better than yesterday. Still not 100%, but better. I have band practice tonight, which I will try to attend. We’ll see how the day goes.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Praying With the Psalms)

Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
Hide not your face from your servant; for I am in distress; make haste to answer me.
Draw near to my soul, redeem me; ransom me because of my enemies!
You know my reproach, and my shame and my dishonor; my foes are all known to you.
Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.
They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.
Psalm 69:16-21

The pain, rejection, and humiliation that are represented in this psalm were experienced most vividly by Jesus Christ. “The Calvary crucifixion is the proper exposition and commentary for Psalm 69.”

“‘O mysterious condescending! O abandonment sublime! Very God himself is bearing all the suffering of time! Evermore for human failure by His passion we can plead; God has borne all mortal anguish, surely He will know our need’ (W.J. Sparrow Simpson, ‘Cross of Jesus, Cross of Sorrow’). Amen.”

(From My Utmost For His Highest)

Careful Infidelity

Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.
Matthew 6:25

When we exercise “common sense carefulness” as disciples, we are actually practicing infidelity. Yes, this sounds harsh, but it’s the way Chambers puts it. We tend to worry about things, and it’s always the “practical details of our lives” that we worry about. We don’t really believe that God can take care of them, so we worry, and we practice this “common sense carefulness.” We become anxious about our lives, what we will eat or drink, or what we will wear.

What did Jesus say would choke out the word in us? It was the cares of this world, wasn’t it? How true this is. “The only cure for infidelity is obedience to the Spirit.” We must give these things up to him in abandonment to his provision and protection.

Father, teach me this abandonment! Teach me not to worry. I’m such a needless worrier. Even this morning, as C leaves for work without her phone because S dropped hers in the water last Friday, I am leaning toward worrying. We have become so dependent on these phones! Teach me to lean on you, Father, for everything!

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.

A Passionate Spirit

“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” – Leo Tolstoy
(BrainyQuote)

Today’s word of the day, from Merriam-Webster, is ideate, which means, “to form an idea.”

Today is Goth Day. Is that even still a thing? When is Visigoth Day?

(This section has been edited, as I was not in a good place when I originally wrote it.)

We did wind up going to the Night of Worship, last night, and we had a good time. I had to get there at 4:00PM for sound check/rehearsal, and so on. It was a good time, and we certainly worshiped. I think that it pretty much turned out exactly like Brandon (the host) and his wife wanted it to. There were children there running around the whole time, which, at times was distracting, but they also played some rhythm instruments that were available, sometimes even in time with the musicians. Brandon led the first set, with a couple of our other leaders playing behind him. One of our other worship leaders, Terry, led the second set, which I believe was the high point of the evening. There were times he was almost so overwhelmed he couldn’t keep singing! I led a couple of songs after that, “Blessed Assurance,” and “God of Wonders.” One lady told me, this morning, that she was glad I sang “Blessed Assurance.” The last set was some friends of Brandon, and they were good, but we weren’t as familiar with some of their songs.

There were people having snacks, children running around, and just an over-all sense of community, which is really what we are supposed to be all about.

We’re getting ready for church this morning. I’m still not feeling great, but don’t feel worse. I’ll keep loading up on Dayquil, I guess. We worship at 10:15, The Exchange, meeting at the Northpark YMCA, 9100 North Beach St., in Fort Worth. We also have a PAT meeting after church, so I’ll get getting home later in the afternoon.

Oh. The Red Sox and the Rangers both won, and Jackie Bradly, Jr. extended his hitting streak to 26.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.
When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.
I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me.
But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.
Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters.
Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me.
Psalm 69:9-15

“In a sea of religious mediocrity, ardent faith stands out as a lone volcanic island. The sea washes its banks and tries to erode its shores. But however vast the sea, it is no match for the inner fires that explode toward heaven.” (Eugene has such a way with words!)

“O God, I want to develop the passionate spirit that you revealed in Jesus, rich in bold faith and adventurous trust. I want my life to become intense through faith, not flaccid through laziness. Amen.”

Father, I, too, desire the “passionate spirit” that Peterson speaks of. I desire the faith that stands out, especially when the storms of life threaten to erode it and wash it away. Keep teaching me about your kingdom and how to walk in it. I will never be too old to keep learning about Christ and the 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.

Carefully Careless

“However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.” – Stephen Hawking
(BrainyQuote)

Today’s word of the day, from Merriam-Webster, is zeroth, “being numbered zero in a series; also : of, relating to, or being a zero.” The reason that the 21st century and new millennium began in 2001 was that there was no zeroth year.

Today is World Whisky Day. It’s all about good times, good company, and good whisky.

I don’t have much to write about this morning. I woke up feeling like I’m catching another chest cold. Bleah.

The Red Sox lost to the Indians, last night, 4-2, but Jackie Bradley, Jr., extended his hitting streak to 25. The Orioles won, so the Sox are a game out of first place. The Rangers beat the Astros 2-1, but Seattle won, as well, so they are still 1.5 out of first.

I’m supposed to go to a Night of Worship tonight, but I’m not sure if I’ll make it.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Praying With the Psalms)

More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must I now restore?
O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.
Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel.
For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face.
I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother’s sons.
Psalm 69:4-8

There is a sense in which people “despise and reject what they do not understand.” And people often do not understand righteousness, so they tend to despise the righteous. Intimacy with God often means that we will be alienated from some other people.

“Father, you know my inner heart, my secret motives, my basic desires. My sins and my virtues are both under your mercy, so that I have nothing to fear from men and everything to hope from you, even in Jesus Christ. Amen.”

(From My Utmost For His Highest)

Divine Reasonings of Faith

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6:33

These words of Jesus comprise one of the most revolutionary statements we have ever heard. We typically argue exactly opposite: “I have to live. I have to make this much money. I have to buy clothes. I have to eat.” “The great concern of our lives is not the kingdom of God, but how we are to fit ourselves to live. Jesus reverses the order: Get rightly related to God first, maintain that as the great care of your life, and never put the concern of your care on the other things.”

In verse 25, Jesus says, “Do not be anxious about your life.” The KJV says, “Take no thought for your life.” He is not saying that we should take thought for nothing. Rather, he is teaching that “a disciple has to make his relationship to God the dominating concentration of his life, and to be carefully careless about everything else in comparison to that.” Carefully careless. I love that phrase.

You see, we might be careless about what we eat and drink, and our lives will suffer for it. I, for example, and extremely overweight. But I should not allow this to be the ruling factor in my life. My relationship to God in Christ and his kingdom should be first, and I should be carefully careless about what I eat and drink. The number one care in my life should be my relationship to God; everything else is second.

This falls so in line with what I have been reading by Dallas Willard, lately. I am very excited to begin focusing on the spiritual disciplines, or spiritual formation.

Father, take these truths that Jesus spoke and embed them in my soul. Make my life about your kingdom and my relationship with you in Christ. Help me to study Christ and make him the main focus of my heart, and put everything else second.

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.

Nobody’s Fault But Mine

“We all have a Monster within; the difference is in degree, not in kind.” ― Douglas Preston, The Monster of Florence
(Goodreads)

Today’s word of the day, from Dictionary.com, is inspissate. Yes, I know what it looks like, but it has nothing to do with bodily functions. It means, “to thicken, as by evaporation; make or become dense.” “Spells were directed at the portrait and hand drums were beaten, scents of noxious herbs alight arose to inspissate the air beneath the hanging image.” – Anthony Burgess, Earthly Powers, 1980

Today is Pizza Party Day. That would be fun, indeed, as pizza is one of my top favorite foods.

We are getting free lunch, at work, today, but it won’t be pizza, this time. It looks like we are going to have Philly sandwiches from a local restaurant. There may be a possibility of Torchy’s Tacos. The thing is, our boss lets us decide what we want, and nobody really knows much about what is around there. I voted for Twisted Root, which has amazing burgers, but nobody else even knew about that, and I was the last one to vote. Every one else voted for the Philly sandwiches. I like those, too, so it will be okay. But it won’t be a pizza party.

There was no baseball last night. Okay, that statement is not entirely true. But the Red Sox and the Rangers both had the day off, so there was no baseball that mattered last night. To me, at least.

We are going to a Night of Worship, tomorrow night. It will be at a friend’s house. A number of people from The Exchange will be there, but it’s not an Exchange-sponsored thing. Or maybe it is, but I don’t think it originated that way. Our friend and his wife just decided they wanted to do this at their house. It could turn out to be a great thing. We are praying toward that result, at least.

We are also having a PAT (Pastoral Assist Team) meeting on Sunday, after church.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Praying With the Psalms)

Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.
I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.
Psalm 69:1-3

There are two things on which we need to be focused when we pray. “That our need is desperate, and that the remedy lies in God.” In this way, our need and God’s will are joined.

“Keep me always conscious, Father, of my need and your salvation, of the perils of sin and the mercies of deliverance, of my empty hands and your bountiful grace, through Jesus Christ. Amen.”

(From My Utmost For His Highest)

The Realm of the Real

By your endurance you will gain your lives.
Luke 21:19

The KJV says, In your patience possess ye your souls. Jesus is speaking, in Luke 21, of the kind of life his disciples can expect. Too many Christians are satisfied to “stay at the threshold of the Christian life instead of going on to construct a soul in accordance with the new life God has put within.” We have to move on, to “form the mind of Christ.” This takes work on our part. Once again, we have made reference, previously, that there are things that God will do that we cannot do (grace), and there are things that we must do that God will not do for us. “We fail because we are ignorant of the way we are made, we put things down to the devil instead of our own undisciplined natures.” How true is this? “The devil made me do it,” declared a famous TV persona of days gone by. No. The devil did not make me do it. I allowed my own undisciplined nature to rule. It’s “nobody’s fault but mine.”

Some things, we cannot eliminate by prayer. Moods, for example. “Moods never go by praying, moods go by kicking.” I love that statement. I can so identify with it. I am a moody person. I get in these moods, at times, that have even caused me to wonder if I am bi-polar. But, truthfully, we can control our moods. Well, most of us can. I do agree that there are people who legitimately struggle with these things. “it is a continual effort not to listen to the moods with arise from a physical condition; never submit to them for a second.” If we rouse ourselves, shake ourselves, we will find that we can do what we thought we couldn’t. “The curse with most of us is that we won’t.

Father, give me this “spiritual pluck” that Chambers speaks of. Help me to kick those moods out, when they threaten me. May your Spirit keep me strengthened against allowing my undisciplined nature to take over. In fact, I pray that, going forward, this undisciplined nature become disciplined. That is my goal, to really focus on the disciplines, the spiritual formation, until new, “holy” habits are formed that shove out the old “unholy” habits.

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.

What More Do We Need?

Good morning. It is FRIDAY!!!! June 12, 2015.

Today’s word of the day, from Dictionary.com, is cavort. This is a verb, which means, “to prance or caper about,” or, “to behave in a high-spirited, festive manner; make merry.” The fact that it is Friday makes me want to cavort. However, there is rarely cavorting at 6:00 AM, around here. 😀 Not until I have had coffee, at least.

Today is Superman Day. Yes, that Superman. Nothing philosophical or lofty about this. It’s a celebration of a comic book character. But not just any comic book character. We’re talking the one and only Superman, fighting for truth, justice, and the American way!!

Well, Christi wound up not going to Huddle, last night. I can’t say as I blame her. She had not had one single evening at home since Sunday, and had back-to-back meetings all day yesterday. She needed some resting time, and that is one of the things Huddle teaches as one of its principles, that we need to have balanced time between work and rest. Christi’s pendulum was swinging a bit too hard toward the work side. So we had a nice evening at home, eating our “Mexican soup,” and watching the season premier of Major Crimes.

Today, Christi has to bowl after work, as they have started a short league among people who work with her. They will normally bowl on Tuesdays, right after work, but Christi and several others, were, of course, trying to leave El Paso, at that time. El Paso was not giving them up without a fight, though! Tomorrow, should be a pretty normal Saturday. And I don’t know what’s happening Sunday, yet. Hopefully nothing.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

Let their own table before them become a snare; and when they are at peace, let it become a trap.
Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually.
Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them.
May their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents.
For they persecute him whom you have struck down, and they recount the pain of those you have wounded.
Add to them punishment upon punishment; may they have no acquittal from you.
Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.
But I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high!
I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
This will please the LORD more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs.
When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
For the LORD hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.
Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them.
For God will save Zion and build up the cities of Judah, and people shall dwell there and possess it;
the offspring of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall dwell in it.
Psalm 69:22-36

(From Knowing Jesus)

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:31-39

Today’s reading is “Jesus, Our Conqueror.”

The author of this book, Jim Reapsome, speaks of defeating cancer twice, in his lifetime. “Two times, Jesus has conquered my disappointment, fear, and hopelessness in the face of the disease.” He states that Jesus did everything that Paul promised He would.

In what is one of the best-loved passages in all of Scripture, Paul is wrapping up his treatise on our salvation in Christ, and he sort of finishes it off with a “dramatic ‘so what?'” “What difference does it really make that God gives us salvation, requiring only our faith in Jesus?”

Well, for starters, God “did not spare his own Son,” but along with Jesus, gives us “everything we might possibly ever need!” In any circumstance we might face, we need only focus on this gift of grace. “Jesus died for us, rose again, sits at God’s right hand, and pleads our cause, so what do we have to fear–from cancer or anything else?”

These truths compel us to run to Jesus, over and over again. It is a “lifelong adventure,” beginning with our initial confession of faith, and going on as we learn more about Jesus, along with brothers and sisters in Christ, over the years.

During one of his bouts with cancer, the author was returning home from a walk, when he heard these words from Jesus: “Wait a minute. What worries you? What do you need? Do you not realize that you are completely secure in me? I have taken care of your most critical need, your eternal salvation. No condemnation awaits you. I died for you. That’s the main thing, isn’t it?”

Jesus loves us, and he is stronger than anything that we could ever face . . . even death. “Nothing can ever cut us off from his all-powerful love.”

Father, the timing of this reading today is perfect, just as your timing always is. There are things that I am grappling with right now, that are consuming me. Yesterday, I had an extreme bout of missing my father. I am trying to sort out where I’m going from here with several directions in my life. But none of these things are enough to separate me from your love in Christ Jesus. Even death cannot separate me; in fact, death is merely a gateway into your eternal presence. Help me to remember the truths of Romans 8, as I grapple with these things, Father.

I pray for this day, that we might have safe passage to and from work. I pray for Christi, today, that her day would be full of you and that she would know your presence as she works. May your great love surround Stephanie, Rachel, Justin, and especially my mother. May we all know your strength in our lives today.

Your grace is sufficient.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What more do we need?

Grace and peace, friends.

Taste the Beauty

Good morning. It is Thursday, June 11, 2015.

Today’s word of the day, from the Old English Dictionary, is recrudescence. This is a noun with two definitions. 1. “The action or fact of breaking out afresh; a recurrence of a disease or medical condition, or of an undesirable state of things, bad feelings, etc., esp. after a period of quiescence or remission.” 2. “A revival or rediscovery of something good or valuable.” I prefer the second definition, and, T-bone, wouldn’t you say that we all experienced “recrudescence,” this past weekend? 😀

Today is Jerky Day, a day set up to celebrate that salty, dried, tasty, chewy treat we all know as beef jerky. Or turkey jerky, or chicken jerky, or kangaroo jerky (yes, that’s a thing). Anyway, you get the point. Don’t BE jerky, but enjoy some jerky!

It’s been a strange week, and I have yet to spend an evening with Christi. She was gone Monday, and Tuesday, on her bowling trip, and the plane was delayed getting back, so she was really late getting in Tuesday night. Last night, she had an outing with Rachel, and they had some really good conversation. Tonight is Christi’s Huddle night, and tomorrow, after work, she is bowling again (I’m getting a bit jealous over all of this bowling . . . I want to get some bowling in, myself), but hopefully, that won’t last too late. Saturday night, I have a PAT (Pastoral Assist Team) meeting right after church. Sunday, I think, might be plan-free, at least for the moment.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel.
For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face.
I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother’s sons.
For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.
When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.
I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me.
But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.
Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters.
Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me.
Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
Hide not your face from your servant; for I am in distress; make haste to answer me.
Draw near to my soul, redeem me; ransom me because of my enemies!
You know my reproach, and my shame and my dishonor; my foes are all known to you.
Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.
They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.
Psalm 69:6-21

(From Solid Joys)

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.
2 Corinthians 1:20

Today’s reading is “Faith for the Future.”

If the above verse is true, then when we trust Christ now, we “believe that his promises will come true.”

As was noted in a previous reading, trusting Jesus and believing that his promises will come true are not two separate manifestations of faith. “Believing in Jesus means believing that he keeps his word.” When we are satisfied in the crucified and risen Christ, we believe that “at every future moment, to all eternity, nothing will separate us from his love, or keep him from working all things together for good.”

The beauty of God will be there for us in the future, and we can know this by looking at the grace of the past. We can taste, in the present, all of the glorious achievements of God in the past, highlighted by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We can also taste the glorious beauty of God in his promises for the future. “Our confidence and trust must be in all that God himself will be for us in the next moment, and in the next month, and in the endless ages of eternity.” For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

No matter how dark our circumstances might be, we need to taste the beauty of the promises of God for our future, trusting in all that God has promised he will be for us, for ever and ever. God and God alone will satisfy my soul in the future. And only when we are certain of this future, can we “live the radical Christian lives that Christ calls us to live here and now.”

When we reflect on the need for this faith, perhaps we can “avoid superficial, oversimplified statements about believing the promises of God.” These promises are real, and can truly be the basis of a powerful Christian life.

Father, help me to taste the beauty of your promises today. Help me to know for certain, in my life, that all of your promises have their Yes in Christ Jesus, and that you are there for me just as much in the next moment, month, and year, as you are for me in the moment that just passed as I was typing this sentence. I pray for a life of radical submission to your grace and mercy, a life that will have an impact for your kingdom on this earth. Help me to read your Word and look at it as a mirror to my soul, rather than just words on a page that need to be read and critiqued. Grant me the faith that believes that your promises will come true, and that your hand will guide me through this life.

I pray for this day, that you will grant us safe passage to work and back again. I pray for a good work day for both of us. May Christi begin to feel less pain from her exertion over the past few days. I pray for your overwhelming love to surround Rachel, Justin, and Stephanie, and that you will continue to hold up my mother, as you have for the past two months. Oh, how marvelous is your love, my Lord!!

What wondrous love is this, O my soul?

My brothers and sisters, taste the beauty of the promises of God today. He will do what he says he will do, and he is there for us, yesterday, today, and forever.

Grace and peace, friends.