No Man Knows the Hour Or the Day

Today is Friday, May 11, 2018. Day 21,974.

Two days until Mother’s Day!

“Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.” ~ G.K. Chesterton (The Quotations Page)

The word for today is otiose, an adjective which means, “producing no useful fruit.” Also, “being at leisure,” or, “lacking use or effort.”

I’m a little later than usual, this morning, because, as previously mentioned, we are off work today. C has been preparing for her colonoscopy, which will be . . . well, I’m not sure exactly when. I just know I’m supposed to have her at the facility by 9:00 this morning. Beyond that, I’m kind of clueless. We are hoping for unremarkable results. I’m not sure what we will eat afterwards, but I know she will be quite hungry.

I could have used an entire bottle of Tums last night, as I stayed up and watched the whole game between the Red Sox and Yankees. Finally, the Red Sox won a game, beating them 5-4, in a game marked by a rain delay of close to an hour. Up to the rain delay, the Sox were leading 4-0. E-Rod came back in and pitched the fifth inning so he would be eligible for the win, but sadly, the bullpen once again made sure that he would not get credit for that. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Heath Hembree gave up three runs, and then Joe Kelly gave up the tying run on a wild pitch. Fortunately, our hero, J.D. Martinez popped a solo home run in the top of the eighth, and that was, as they say, “all she wrote.” Kimbrel got the save, as he struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth. It was most definitely a nail-biter. I’m sad for Eduardo Rodriguez, though, as he pitched brilliantly for five innings, except for one bit of trouble before the rain delay. But he only gave up one hit and no runs.

This puts the Red Sox and Yankees back into a tie for the AL East, as well as best record in MLB.

Tonight, the Sox play in Toronto. The Rangers, who had a night off after winning a series against the Tigers, play in Houston.

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

How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire? 
Remember how short my time is! For what vanity you have created all the children of man! 
What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah. 
Lord, where is your steadfast love of old, which by your faithfulness you swore to David? 
Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked, and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations, 
with which your enemies mock, O LORD, with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed. 
Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen and Amen.
Psalm 89:46-52

Even after all of the negative passages in this Psalm, the writer finishes with “Blessed by the LORD forever!” Even when things seem as bad as they could get, true children of the Lord remember; they will not forsake their love for God.

(From The Business of Heaven, C.S. Lewis)
Predictions of the Second Coming

“Many people find it difficult to believe in this great event without trying to guess its date, or even without accepting as a certainty the date that any quack or hysteric offers them.”

We know that Paul even had to deal with such folly, as he wrote in 2 Thessalonians, Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. (2:1-2) Lewis cites one William Miller, who, in 1843, apparently made a prediction down to the “very minute” as to when the Lord would return. “Thousands waited for the Lord at midnight on March 21, and went home to a late breakfast on the 22nd followed by the jeers of a drunkard.”

Lewis admonishes us that we should not speak to people about the Second Coming “without emphasizing again and again the utter impossibility of prediction. We must try to show them that that impossibility is an essential part of the doctrine. If you do not believe Our Lord’s words, why do you believe in His return at all? And if you do believe them must you not put away from you, utterly and forever, any hope of dating that return? His teaching on the subject quite clearly consisted of three propositions: (1) That He will certainly return; (2) That we cannot possibly find out when; (3) And that therefore we must always be ready for Him.”

Jesus said, in Luke 12:40, You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. There are similar passages elsewhere in the Gospels. Lewis is right. If we believe the words of Jesus, why on earth would we waste time trying to figure out when he is returning?

Father, thank you for the promise of the return of Jesus, and for all that it means for those of us who follow him and his words. Forgive us for the stupidity of trying to figure out when that’s going to happen. While it is certainly okay to watch the “signs of the times,” help us to not become obsessed with them. Remind us, too, Father, that “the day of the Lord,” will not be a happy day for this planet. Mostly, help us to simply follow Christ and his teachings as we interact with the world around us.
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.

A Time To Slow Down

Today is Wednesday, May 9, 2018. Day 21,972.

Four days until Mother’s Day!

Billy Joel turns 69 today. He said, “Most people are satisfied with the junk food being sold as music.” BrainyQuote
I have to say I agree with him.

The word for today is plethora, a noun which means, “overabundance; excess.” What I did not know is that it used to mean, “a morbid condition due to excess of red corpuscles in the blood or increase in the quantity of blood.”

The Red Sox lost to the Yankees, last night, 3-2. It was definitely an intense game. Severino, the Yankees pitcher, was on fire, striking out eleven Red Sox batters. The winning run came for the Yankees in the bottom of the seventh inning, just minutes after the Sox had tied the game. Hembree was credited with the loss. This puts the Red Sox and Yankees in a tie for both first place in the AL East, and the best MLB record. The series continues tonight with Porcello on the mound for Boston and Tanaka for the Yankees. The Red Sox season record is now 25-10, as they became the last team to lose ten games.

The Rangers lost to the Tigers, 7-4, making their record 14-24. They remain in last place, nine games behind the Astros.

The Baltimore Orioles have taken over the worst in the MLB spot. The O’s, Reds, and White Sox have yet to win ten games.

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

If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my rules, 
if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments, 
then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes, 
but I will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness. 
I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips. 
Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David. 
His offspring shall endure forever, his throne as long as the sun before me. 
Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah.
Psalm 89:30-37

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Romans 10:17
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 
a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 
a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 
a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 
a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 
a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

In today’s Daily Guideposts reading, Patty Kirk reminds us that we need to slow down and listen. In her reference, it is about jogging and running and noticing the sounds around her. She then takes that and relates it to our lives and how we listen to God.

In our world, things are going increasingly faster. It often seems to me that there is no way this world could get more fast-paced. I have come to believe that this is a bad thing. We go so fast that we cannot possible be listening or looking for God.

This underscores the importance of at least two of the spiritual disciplines: silence and solitude. In order to get away and practice solitude, one must not only slow down, one must STOP! And in order to truly listen, one must practice silence.

Even our churches are afraid of silence, anymore. Time and time again, I have had pastors ask me to play some music during the prayer. Why?? Why are we so afraid of silence?? I think the answer lies in the above premise that we are moving too fast. Television has decreased the attention span of all of us to somewhere around fifteen seconds. That’s the length of the average TV commercial now. We are inundated with sound bites and tweets, which can only consist of 120 characters. You can’t say very much in that amount of space.

If we allow silence to prevail, people will lose interest, so we insist that some music be playing. The problem with that is, if it is music that has well-known lyrics, people will be thinking about the lyrics instead of what is being said and prayed.

The point is, we need to re-introduce ourselves to these disciplines. Solitude: get alone, get away. Just sit. Silence: don’t say anything for a period of time. Try to listen. It’s okay to pray, but try not to do it out loud. And try to spend more time listening.

There is a time for everything, including a time to slow down.

Father, help me to follow my own advice and find a time and place to practice solitude and silence. I desperately need more of these in my life. I need to spend more time listening to you and less time talking. I pray that my lips would only be loosened in order to speak encouragement and edification.
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.

Abundant Life Here and Now

Today is Tuesday, May 8, 2018. Day 21,971.

Five days until Mother’s Day!

It’s the birthday of Harry S Truman (1884-1972), who said, “You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog.” BrainyQuote

The word for today is infomania, a noun which means, “an obsessive need to constantly check emails, social media websites, online news, etc.” It also refers to “the effects of this obsession, especially a decline in the ability to concentrate.” I fear I am afflicted with infomania.

We did not go to the Y last night. I think we decided before we left, yesterday morning. We were both tired from the various events of the previous week, C from her trip and lack of sleep Friday night, and me from being up late for the baseball game Saturday night. We both feel much better this morning, after a good night’s rest.

The Red Sox had the day off, yesterday, in preparation for a series in New York with the Yankees, which begins tonight. This has potential for being a brutal series. Fortunately for the Sox, the Yankees were also off, yesterday, so nothing changed in the standings. The Sox still have a one game lead over the Yankees in the AL East and in the over all MLB standings. That will change tonight, one way or another.

The Rangers managed to beat the Tigers, last night, after a back and forth game that finally ended 7-6. The Rangers are 14-23, 8.5 games behind the Astros and five games behind the A’s who are in fourth place. They play Detroit again, tonight.

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

Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said: “I have granted help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people. 
I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him, 
so that my hand shall be established with him; my arm also shall strengthen him. 
The enemy shall not outwit him; the wicked shall not humble him. 
I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him. 
My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him, and in my name shall his horn be exalted. 
I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers. 
He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’ 
And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. 
My steadfast love I will keep for him forever, and my covenant will stand firm for him. 
I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens.
Psalm 89:19-29

Every day, I get an email from biblegateway.com with a C.S. Lewis excerpt. I thought today’s excerpt, from Mere Christianity, was a good one. “I think all Christians would agree with me if I said that though Christianity seems at first to be all about morality, all about duties and rules and guilt and virtue, yet it leads you on, out of all that, into something beyond. One has a glimpse of a country where they do not talk of those things, except perhaps as a joke. Everyone there is filled full with what we should call goodness as a mirror is filled with light. But they do not call it goodness. They do not call it anything. They are not thinking of it. They are too busy looking at the source from which it comes. But this is near the stage where the road passes over the rim of our world. No one’s eyes can see very far beyond that: lots of people’s eyes can see further than mine.”

I believe this is true. If we are truly focused on the one who gives us all things, we are not knowingly thinking about doing good things. I like the reference to the mirror. We should be filled with “goodness” as a mirror is filled with light. “They are not thinking of it. They are too busy looking at the source.” I love that. I want to spend more time looking at Jesus than I do thinking about doing good things.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
John 10:10

This verse is at the top of today’s Daily Guideposts reading. However, I’m going in a totally different direction with it. When Jesus said these words, he was, I believe, referring to the quality of life that we can have now. This will, I believe, be made more clear by other passages that will be shared shortly.

Abundant life is not something that we have to wait for until we die. I used to believe that. I used to believe that the kingdom of God (or heaven) was something that I would not know fully until I have “passed on” from this life. I no longer believe this. I believe that it is something into which we can enter now. Jesus came to earth and began declaring that the kingdom of heaven was here. He urged people to pay attention to it, to seek it. This was the “gospel.” Over and over, he mentions the “gospel,” or “good news” of the “kingdom of God.”

Abundant life does not mean that we can get everything we want. People who teach this are deceiving multitudes. But that makes sense, because we, as humans, are greedy. It’s easy to believe that God wants me to have that new house or that new car or that raise or that lottery. But all of these things are material and temporary. In Matthew 6, Jesus makes it clear.

“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Matthew 6:31-34

Earlier, Jesus said, in verse 25, “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Seek his kingdom, along with its righteousness, and God will provide everything you need.

This is abundant life. This is life that we enter into as soon as we begin walking with Jesus. Believe in his words; believe the things he did and said. Truly believe. This is the hard part. It’s easy to believe in Jesus. It is much more difficult to believe Jesus. And, yes, there is a huge difference.

After all these years, I’m still struggling to believe him. But he is drawing me closer.

Father, thank you for the promise of abundant life! Thank you for Jesus, and the invitation to walk with him. Thank you for your kingdom, in which I am walking now, not later. I believe; help my unbelief!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 
Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 
There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 
Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, 
which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. 
Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. 
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 
the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 
the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. 
  More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 
  Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 
  Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. 
Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 19

Grace and peace, friends.

Sing A New Song

Today is Monday, May 7, 2018. Day 21,970.

Six days until Mother’s Day!

It’s the birthday of Robert Browning (1812-1889), who said, “Perhaps one has to be very old before one learns to be amused rather than shocked.” BrainyQuote
Perhaps, then, I am very old, because I believe I have reached that point.

The word for today is ocellated, an adjective which means, “having eyelike spots or markings.”

We didn’t do a lot, yesterday afternoon. We didn’t even cook our steaks for lunch/dinner. We were both so tired that we decided to freeze them and have them next weekend. I’ll cook them for Mother’s Day.

I got to watch the Red Sox/Rangers game on TV, since the Rangers are our local team. For me, it was a great game. Not so much for the Rangers fans, as their lone run was scored on an unusual Ryan Rua home run, late in the game. The Sox pretty much dominated the game and won 6-1 behind a strong outing by Chris Sale. The puts the Red Sox record at 25-9, being the only team left in MLB that has not lost ten games, yet. The Yankees, however, continue to roll, and remain one game behind the Sox, both in the AL East, and MLB, overall.

The Sox are off tonight, and begin a series in New York tomorrow night. I hope I have some Tums. The Rangers host the Detroit Tigers, beginning tonight.

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

Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! 
For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD, 
a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? 
O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O LORD, with your faithfulness all around you? 
You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them. 
You crushed Rahab like a carcass; you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm. 
The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them. 
The north and the south, you have created them; Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name. 
You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand. 
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you. 
Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face, 
who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted. 
For you are the glory of their strength; by your favor our horn is exalted. 
For our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
Psalm 89:5-18

I’ve always wondered who “the council of the holy ones” is. There are other references in the Psalms to “gods,” as well, that make me scratch my head and wonder. What I love, though, in this Psalm, are the references to God in nature, the “raging of the sea,” along with references to God’s “might arm” and “strong hand.” I love the Psalms that poetically describe the Lord in such majestic terms.

(From The Finishing Touch, Charles Swindoll)
Making Melody

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Ephesians 5:18-21

Ephesians 5:18, says Chuck Swindoll, is one of those verses that doesn’t get noticed a lot. Like, for instance, John 3:17. Or 1 John 1:10. Can anyone quote either one of those? I doubt it. (“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:17) (“If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:10)

Ephesians 5:18 tells us to sing! We are to sing “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,” which pretty much covers all the possible genres of “Christian” music. Furthermore, as our pastor pointed out a few weeks ago, we are to sing to one another! I confess that I had not noticed that before he pointed it out to us. When we sing together, we not only sing to the Lord, but we sing to one another, “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.”

Why would we sing to one another? Because we all need to be reminded. We all need to be encouraged. Which is why we need to be together, in the first place.

I’m an introvert. I don’t particularly like to be “together.” But it’s necessary. And I’m finding it easier to bear, as the Lord brings me along.

But that’s not the point today. The point is singing. You notice that this verse doesn’t really make any reference to “church” or anything like it. It just says that we are to sing and make melody. When’s the last time you sang? “The Spirit-filled saint is a song-filled saint,” says Swindoll, as he reminds us that animals, pews, and pulpits can’t sing. Bibles and buildings can’t sing. Only we can sing. Some of you may not be able to carry a tune in a proverbial bucket. But you can still sing to God. God is not tone-deaf, but, somehow, by the time our feeble attempts at melody reach his ears, they have been filtered through some kind of heavenly “autotune.” God loves to hear us sing, I promise you, because he, himself, is a singing God! See Zephaniah 3:17, “The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

I’m short on time, or I could write more on this. But spend some time today, I encourage you, singing! Try to remember the songs from church yesterday, or pick one that you are greatly fond of. Then find a place and time, where you can joyfully sing it to God. He will love to hear you sing.

Father, let me sing today. Teach me to sing more and more. I confess that I have not been singing enough in recent years. I used to sing all the time. Restore me, Lord, to the joyful singing that I once knew. Fill my lungs with your air, and open my lips that I might praise your name in joyful song!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

A Psalm.
Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. 
The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. 
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! 
Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! 
With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD! 
Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! 
Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together 
before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.
Psalm 98

Grace and peace, friends.

Healer of Broken Hearts

Today is Sunday, May 6, 2018. Day 21,969.

Seven days until Mother’s Day!

Willie Mays turns 87 today! He said, “They throw the ball, I hit it. They hit the ball, I catch it.” BrainyQuote

The Word for the day is sabulous, an adjective which means, “sandy; gritty.”

I had a great time at the baseball game, last night. There were five other people there that I knew, from my work place. Our site manager was there, and it was nice chatting with him during the game. C did not make it, as she didn’t get back home until after 4:00 PM. She was running on three hours of sleep. She kept apologizing for not going. I told her I didn’t expect her to. I might not have gone, myself, but I knew that there would be a few people there that I knew, and that made it more fun.

What really made it fun, though, was that the Red Sox won, 6-5. It was an exciting and close game. Joey Gallo hit two home runs for the Rangers, one almost going into the right field upper deck. Delino DeShields hit a three run home run into the left field stands in the bottom of the fifth, right after the Red Sox had tied the game on a Mitch Moreland solo home run. The Sox came back with two more in the top of the sixth, to make it 4-3. Gallo hit his second home run in the bottom of that inning, making it 5-3. The top of the seventh was when things fell apart for the Rangers. On a looping pop hit to left field, Jurickson Profar ran out from shortstop, picked up the ball, and stood there with the ball while Mookie Betts scored. I’m surprised that Profar wasn’t charged with an error for that play. The Sox scored another run in that inning, tying the game at five. Nothing happened in the eighth. Nothing except Joe Kelly striking out Gallo and Profar with the bases loaded. The Sox scored on a sad fly by Hanley Ramirez in the top of the ninth, and that was all they needed. Kimbrel got his 300th save, making him the youngest to do so.

The Red Sox kept their one game lead over the Yankees in the AL East, as well as their status as the best team in MLB.

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

“O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance of the glorious resurrection of your Son our Lord:
Give us this day such blessing through our worship of you,
that the week to come may be spent in your favor;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.” (The Book of Common Prayer)

A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. 
For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.” 
You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: 
‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.'” Selah.
Psalm 89:1-4

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psalm 51:17
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 147:3
All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.
Isaiah 66:2

One this is certain. The Scriptures tell us that God is near to those whose hearts are broken, whose spirits are crushed. But before anything good can come of it, we must come to him with our broken hearts and crushed spirits. If, in our arrogance and pride, we attempt to handle all things in our own strength, we will receive no relief. God will heal our broken hearts, but we must bring them to him.

Father, I thank you that you are the healer of broken hearts. I thank you that you are most tender towards us when our hearts are broken, and we humbly offer our contrition to you. We give you praise for your mercy and compassion, which we most definitely do not deserve. You are good, Lord! You are good!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

“O God the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning:
Drive far from us all wrong desires,
incline our hearts to keep your law,
and guide our feet into the way of peace;
that, having done your will with cheerfulness during the day,
we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.” (The Book of Common Prayer)

Grace and peace, friends.

Surrender

“We are all hypocrites. We cannot see ourselves or judge ourselves the way we see and judge others.” ― José Emilio Pacheco, Battles in the Desert & Other Stories
(Goodreads)

The word of the day, from Merriam-Webster, is nadir, which means, “the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the zenith and vertically downward from the observer,” or, “the lowest point.”

Today is Meteor Watch Day. If the conditions are right, look at the stars tonight. You never know what you might see.

It looks like July is coming in with a vengeance. The projected high for Sunday is 101, followed by six more days of 100+ (that’s as far as the forecast goes), with 104 on Saturday, the ninth.

Ugh.

Both the Rangers and Red Sox lost last night. The Rangers blew a great lead on the Evil Ones, and lost in the bottom of the ninth, 9-7. They gave up six runs in the bottom of the ninth. Just one game, though. They are still well ahead of the second place team. The Sox got shut out by the Rays. The Rays!! The last place team in the East, they are 2-8 in their last ten, and both of those two are the Red Sox! Tonight, they play the Halos, who are even worse than the Rays. I’m very afraid.

Not really . . . it’s just baseball. That’s the way baseball go, you know.

We’re having a pot luck lunch at work today. The company is providing hot dogs and buns. I’m bringing a dump cake.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

But now you have cast off and rejected; you are full of wrath against your anointed.
You have renounced the covenant with your servant; you have defiled his crown in the dust.
You have breached all his walls; you have laid his strongholds in ruins.
All who pass by plunder him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
You have exalted the right hand of his foes; you have made all his enemies rejoice.
You have also turned back the edge of his sword, and you have not made him stand in battle.
You have made his splendor to cease and cast his throne to the ground.
You have cut short the days of his youth; you have covered him with shame. Selah.
How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?
Remember how short my time is! For what vanity you have created all the children of man!
What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah.
Psalm 89:38-48

“Trust in God is tested by tremors of judgment. No covenant precludes such experience, and no faith is exempt from such testing. The marvel of the gospel is that faith emerges from such troubles with stronger song and firmer trust.”

Even when we fail the testing, like I did Monday night, when we acknowledge that failure, trust and faith are strengthened.

“Take the incidents in my life, dear God, that I interpret as your rejection and disapproval, and show me how they are consistent with your covenant love, used by your Spirit for my salvation. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Perhaps another way of saying this is that events that we perceive to be “rejection and disapproval” are not that at all. They are testings designed to make us grow stronger.

(From My Utmost For His Highest)

Do It Now

Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.
Matthew 5:25

While this verse tends to be primarily about paying what is owed, there is a deeper principle at work. “Am I insisting on my rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ’s standpoint?” The fact that we work so hard to insist that we are right indicates that there is some point of disobedience in our lives. This all goes back to the question of whether we are willing to surrender our rights for the sake of the Gospel.

Father, I pray that you keep working in my life on this point. There seems to have been progress, but I still fall back into the natural human habits of trying to defend my own rights. I pray that I would seek you and your kingdom above all else. Direct me toward a life of simplicity.

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.

Cut It Off

“Life is 10 percent what you make it, and 90 percent how you take it.” – Irving Berlin
(BrainyQuote)

The word of the day, from Dictionary.com, is supererogatory. That’s a mouthful! It means, “going beyond the requirements of duty,” or, “greater than that required or needed; superfluous.” Not exactly the opposite of derogatory.

Today is Camera Day. So get out there and take some pictures today. I wish I could take some at work, but we aren’t allowed. Secret guv-ment stuff, you.

So, obviously, the power is back on. It was off from just after 6:00 PM Monday evening until just before 8:00 AM Tuesday morning. So fourteen hours! The transformer had failed, and they had to replace it. For reasons unknown, though, the crew didn’t show up to do that until around 6:00 AM. None of us slept very well Monday night. For one thing, it was warm in the house. But we also sleep with a fan on, for steady noise. So it was also very quiet in the house. And I sleep with a C-Pap machine, because I have Sleep Apnea. So, no power, no machine. My Fitbit said I slept for 5.5 hours, and wasn’t awake during any of that. I disagree. I know I was awake during that, because I called the Oncor outage line every time I woke up and I called them at least five times during the night. The message never changed. They were unable to give an estimated time . . . I’m guessing I slept four hours, at best.

As a result, we weren’t very alert at work, yesterday. I almost didn’t go, but I didn’t want to waste PTO. I almost fell asleep at my desk several times, and driving home from work was a bit of a struggle. But all is well, this morning. We went to bed at about 7:30 (haha!), and were asleep by 8:30. My Fitbit says I slept eight hours and 39 minutes.

It’s Wednesday, right?

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Praying With the Psalms)

Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said: “I have granted help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people.
I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him,
so that my hand shall be established with him; my arm also shall strengthen him.
The enemy shall not outwit him; the wicked shall not humble him.
I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him.
My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him, and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers.
He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’
And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.
My steadfast love I will keep for him forever, and my covenant will stand firm for him.
I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens.
If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my rules,
if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments,
then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes,
but I will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness.
I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David.
His offspring shall endure forever, his throne as long as the sun before me.
Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah.
Psalm 89:19-37

Have you ever thought that God “changed his mind” about you, because your circumstances changed? The witness of Israel is that there is “no fickleness or inconsistency in God.” We may not understand everything about God, but that doesn’t mean he is unworthy of our trust.

“Thank you, Father, for the reassuring witness of the generations of believers that there is no hesitation in your will, no deceit in your promises, and no flaws in your covenant commitments. Amen.”

(From My Utmost For His Highest)

Direction of Discipline

And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
Matthew 5:30

Jesus didn’t say that everyone has to cut of his right hand. He did say that if it causes you problems in your walk with him, cut it off. “There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do them.” I believe that Chambers has captured the meaning perfectly.

I’ve never believed that Jesus literally wanted us to cut off body parts. But I believe that the quote from Chambers nails it. We may find, no, we most definitely will find, that Jesus will keep us from doing things that are “perfectly right for everyone else,” but not for us. But we must be careful. We dare not use our “limitations to criticize someone else.” In other words, just because you see someone doing something that God has convicted you that you should not do, do not judge them for doing that very thing. Classic examples have to do with alcohol consumption and what types of movies Christians should watch or not watch.

God deals with me, and he deals with others. I have no right nor reason to judge that in someone else.

Father, as I move in the direction of discipline, I pray that you show me those things that need to be “cut off” in order to fully concentrate on you. But do not allow me to judge others who may not have been similarly convicted. It is no business of mine how you deal with my brothers and sisters.

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.

Steadfast Love and Faithfulness

“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” – Martin Luther
(BrainyQuote)

The word of the day, from Dictionary.com, is transmogrify. Yes, that’s really a word. I seriously thought Calvin made it up! It means “to change in appearance or form, especially strangely or grotesquely; transform.” Here’s a quote from Don Quixote, written in 1755: “How strangely can that miscreant enchanter, who is my enemy, transmogrify things to thwart me? Know, Sancho, that it is a very easy matter for necromancers to make us assume what shapes they please; and the malicious wretch who persecutes me, envying the glory I should have gained in this battle, hath doubtless metamorphosed the squadrons of the foe, into flocks of sheep …”

Today is Please Take My Children To Work Day. Hahahaha! I got a good laugh out of this one!

We had a pretty good day, yesterday. Our worship gathering went really well, I believe. I had a good time playing, even though one of these songs was brand new to me, and another one, I hadn’t played in a very long time. The pastor’s message on prayer was a good one, as well. It was all about trusting God with our prayers.

C didn’t do much of anything, other than rest, which is good. We watched some TV, then some baseball. C went to take a nap, and I fired up the PS4 and played The Evil Within. I finished Until Dawn on Saturday. Very interesting game, and I probably should play it again, someday, and see if I can get a different ending.

It’s Monday again. I have band practice tonight, the last practice of the summer. Our July 3 concert is this coming Sunday night. I will link to it tomorrow. The power just flickered, which shut off my computer, and I had to wait for it to reboot. Now I’m a bit behind, so I need to get on to the devotional.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Praying With the Psalms)

I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.
For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”
You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant:
‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.'” Selah.
Psalm 89:1-4

“Steadfast love” and “faithfulness” — what two better phrases/words to be the central focus of a song? This is “God’s relationship with his creation.”

“O God, within the sometimes puzzling experiences of this pilgrimage, I will gratefully sing of your steadfast love and your faithfulness which, despite my stuttering steps and recurrent doubt, steadily develop a redeeming purpose in my life. Amen.”

Father, as I go through this day, may I be constantly aware of your steadfast love and your faithfulness. May they be the driving forces of my life today.

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.

Access

Good morning. It is Monday, again. Monday, August 3, 2015.

Today’s word of the day, from Merriam-Webster, is doppelganger. I love this word for several reasons. But first, the meaning. It is a noun, meaning, “a ghostly counterpart of a living person,” ” a person who closely resembles another living person,” “the opposite side of a personality : alter ego,” or, “a person who has the same name as another.” So why do I love this word so much? The first reason is that it is the name of the second album of The Alarma! Chronicles, by Daniel Amos.

Doppelganger

Second, it is part of the name of one of my favorite Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes, from season three. The episode is called “Doppelgangland,” in which a vampire version of Willow has been magically transported to Sunnydale.

Today’s holiday is Watermelon Day. Actually any day in the summer could be Watermelon Day. But this brings back really good memories of my cousins and me eating a watermelon outside my Grandmother’s house. We would get a half of a watermelon, put it on the picnic table (on a newspaper to catch the drippings) and go after it with our spoons. Good times.

Yesterday was an okay day. I was in a strange mood for half of the day, one of those times that makes me wonder if I’m bipolar. I know it stresses Christi out when this happens, but at least we are both becoming more aware of it, and how to deal with it. It got better around the time we were delivering the groceries to Christi’s mom’s apartment. We picked up a couple of Redbox movies at the store, though, and when we got home, we watched Into the Woods. Now I was not aware, yet, that this was a Sondheim musical. At some point, when the “Jack” character was singing a solo (I also didn’t know it was a musical at all), I found myself thinking, “Hey, this sounds a lot like one of the songs that the boy in Sweeney Todd sang.” I looked it up, and, sure enough, Into the Woods was written by Sondheim, just like Sweeney Todd! I really enjoyed the movie, and, just when I thought it was about to be over, it took a very dark turn and went on for a while longer. The ending was actually bittersweet. Christi liked it okay, but wishes it had ended when we thought it was going to.

While that movie was going, Christi was baking potatoes, and we had bone-in rib-eyes and baked potatoes for dinner while we watched our second movie, St. Vincent. This one had Bill Murray, Naomi Watts, Melissa McCarthy and some kid. It was a wonderful movie! It was, in some ways, deeply disturbing, but also quite moving. In fact, I was in tears at the end.

Tonight, the Southlake Community Band begins rehearsing again, at 7:00 PM. So I will be home late, but I’ll be glad to be playing again. Unfortunately, I cannot make our next concert, due to a scheduling conflict. But I’ll keep going to rehearsals, and will hopefully not have any more conflicts like that.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

Today’s Bible reading is Genesis 32-33, Matthew 11, and Psalm 131. Due to the time, I will have to read these selections later in the day.

Today’s Psalm reading from Heart Aflame is Psalm 89:46-47.

46 How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my time is! For what vanity you have created all the children of man!

(From Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God)

Jesus taught us to pray to the Father in his name. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (John 14:13-14) You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. (John 15:16) In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16:23-24) D.A. Carson says, “Prayers in his name are prayers . . . in recognition that the only approach to God . . . the only way to God is Jesus himself.”

Keller relates a story that shows how this is about access. When he was a student, he approached a well-known speaker after a lecture. The speaker was distractedly greeting other students “with perfunctory pleasantries.” However, when Keller mentioned that he knew a friend of his, and actually spoke the friend’s name, he had the full attention of the speaker. “When I said the name, he immediately snapped to attention and spoke to me with warmth and interest.” So he got access to the speaker, not in his own name, but in the name of a friend. “Because we know Jesus, because we are ‘in Christ,’ God focuses his almighty love and attention on us when we pray.”

In Ephesians 2:18, we get a sort of formula from Paul that is “deeply Trinitarian.” For through him [Christ} we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. “The word access was commonly used when an ancient king granted someone an audience.” One does not simply walk into the presence of a powerful king.

The consequences could be dire. But consider that the difference between a king and a commoner is infinitely smaller than the difference between man and God. God is holy; man is sinful; the gulf between us is immeasurable. Yet, through Christ, by the Spirit, we have access to God. How astonishing is this? “We always have an audience because of what Jesus Christ has done.

Father, help me to remember this truth as I pray. This will give me confidence, to know that I always have access to you because of Jesus. Let not that confidence become arrogance and cockiness, however. Let me always remain humble when approaching you, knowing full well that, were it not for Christ, I would have no access to you at all. May I truly pray in Jesus’s name, because I am in Christ.

I pray for the day ahead. May we have safe passage to and from work today. I pray for a good work day for Christi, as they continue getting things working for the new season. I pray for drama levels to be low today. I also pray for a good work day for the team at my job. And may the rehearsal time tonight be enjoyable as we begin to play together again. Help me to develop some relationships in this band, as well as share your Kingdom with people there. I pray that you show your great love to Stephanie, Rachel, Justin, and Mama, today.

Your grace is sufficient.

For those of us in Christ, we always have access to our Father in heaven. We don’t even have to wait for him to invite us in. We are adopted as sons and daughters, and are welcomed with open arms. All because of Jesus.

Grace and peace, friends.

When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong

Good morning. It is Saturday, August 1, 2015. Welcome to August.

Tough choice for word of the day, today. So tough, I’m not choosing. I’m going to give you both of them! The word of the day from Merriam Webster is skulduggery, a noun, meaning, “underhanded or unscrupulous behavior; also : a devious device or trick.” I’ve always been a fan of that word. The other one, from dictionary.com, is noctambulous. I mean, who couldn’t love that word, right? It means, “of, relating to, or given to sleepwalking.” So let’s see if we can get on with some noctambulous skulduggery, here!

Today is Mead Day. No, not Margaret. Mead is an alcoholic beverage made with honey. It is similar to wine, but much, much sweeter. It is also very difficult to find, being a throwback to the days of knights and ladies of the court. Every year, when we visit Scarborough Renaissance Festival, I make it a point to have a glass of mead. It’s quite delicious, in my opinion. Perhaps I will see if I can scrounge some up, today, but I have my doubts.

I wound up working until just shy of 6:00 PM last night. Christi and I actually got off work at almost the same time, so that turned out okay. She stopped and got our Sonic drinks, and I ordered pizza. We didn’t stay up too terribly late, because she had to get up and go in by 6:00, this morning. But she’s already back home, and everything seems to be working correctly, which is good news.

We don’t have much planned for today, I reckon. We’ll get some lunch, and have our prayer and worship gatherings this evening. Tomorrow, we will go get our groceries, along with some for Christi’s mom and step-dad. Usual Sunday stuff. After that, who knows. Perhaps we will go bowling this weekend. We have decided that we don’t need another activity added to our weekly schedule, so we won’t be bowling in a league, just yet. Beginning Monday, I have band practice again on Monday nights; I have Huddle on Tuesdays; Christi has bowling on Tuesdays (currently over, but they are planning a winter league); Christi has Huddle on Thursday; we have church on Saturday. If we add a bowling league to that already frenetic schedule, we will have something five nights a week. That’s just too much. Maybe after our Huddles are done, we will look into something, but who knows. For now, we will stick to casual bowling on Sunday afternoons, whenever we get the chance.

The Rangers and Red Sox both won again, last night. The Rangers have a three-game winning streak on, while the Red Sox have won two in a row, which hasn’t happened in quite some time. Cole Hamels, newly acquired by the Rangers, will be pitching in tonight’s game.

On this date in 1876, Colorado became the 38th U.S. state. In 1902, the U.S. bought rights to the Panama Canal from France. In 1941, the first Jeep was produced. In 1944, Anne Frank made the last entry in her diary. On this date in 1966, Charles Whitman killed his wife and mother, after which he took numerous guns to the Tower on the campus of the University of Texas, where he killed 14 more people and wounded 32 others, from the observation deck of the tower. The tower was closed for a while, reopened and closed again several times, due to suicide jumps, 9/11, and other events. It has been open to visitors since 2004. On this date in 1981, MTV aired its first music video. It was, as is commonly known, “Video Killed the Radio Star,” by The Buggles. I’m not sure when MTV played its last music video. (Sarcasm, there.)

Today’s birthdays include Claudius (Roman Emperor), William Clark (American explorer), Frances Scott Key (Star Spangled Banner), Herman Melville (Moby Dick), Dom DeLuise (American actor/comedian), Yves Saint Laurent (French fashion designer), Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead), Tommy Bolin (American musician), Robert Cray (American blues musician), Joe Elliott (English musician, Def Leppard), and Madison Bumgarner (American baseball player). Also born on this date was my granddaddy, D.W. Vinson.

Joe Eliott is the lead singer for the rock group Def Leppard. He turns 56 today, and they are still touring. I think they are going to be playing in the DFW area soon. One of my work associates keeps asking me if I’m going to see them. 🙂 Here is their hit, “Pour Some Suger On Me.”

Notable deaths on this date include Marc Antony, Calamity Jane, and Charles Whitman (see history notes above).

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

Today’s Bible reading is Genesis 30 and Matthew 9. In Genesis 30, we pick up the ongoing tale of Rachel, Leah, and Jacob. Leah has had four children, and Rachel has had none. “Give me children, or I shall die!” she declares to Jacob. Jacob, flustered, says, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” So Rachel gives Jacob her servant, Bilhah. Because that worked out so well for Sarah, you know.

Leah’s sons were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. Through Bilhah, Rachel had Dan and Naftali. Then Leah decided to get in on this act, since she had stopped having children. She sent her servant, Zilpah, in to Jacob. Zilpah had Gad and Asher. After this, Leah conspired with Rachel to get the mandrakes that Rachel had found. Apparently mandrakes had some kind of fertility characteristics. So, then, Leah had two more sons, Issachar and Zebulun. After this, Rachel had Joseph. That’s eleven, so far. Oh, and there was a daughter in there, who barely gets mentioned, Dinah.

At this point, Jacob starts trying to get away from Laban. It takes some scheming, as we will find out, for Laban was every bit as good a trickster as Jacob.

Rich Mullins wrote a song about this whole ordeal that Jacob went through.

In Matthew 9, we get a truncated account of Jesus’s healing of the paralytic that was brought to a house by friends. After this, Jesus calls Matthew, the tax collector, to follow him, and has lunch with him. This gets criticism from the Pharisees, because they really hate tax collectors. Matthew gives us quick accounts of Jesus raising a girl from the dead, healing a woman who had been sick for twelve years, healing two blind men, and casting a demon out of a man who had been unable to speak.

At the end of chapter 9, Jesus gives this instruction to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Today’s Psalm from Heart Aflame is Psalm 89:34-35.

I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David.

(From Solid Joys)

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:9

Today’s reading is “Our Weakness Reveals His Worth.”

Our suffering magnifies Jesus Christ’s worth and power. This is God’s design for us. And this is grace, because our greatest joy is to see “Christ magnified in our lives.”

Right before the verse above, from 2 Corinthians, Paul had pleaded with the Lord to remove what he simply called a “thorn in the flesh.” We have no idea what this means. There is never any indication of what this “thorn in the flesh” was. We only know that the Lord refused to remove it from Paul’s life, responding, instead, with the verse that is quoted above. “God ordains that Paul be weak so that Christ might be seen as strong on Paul’s behalf.”

This is one of those things that is seen to be foolish by those who do not believe as we do. But we know that, if we appear to be self-sufficient, God does not get glory. Instead, we get glory. That is not our goal, nor our desire. Remember the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29.

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

So Paul, as he experienced this grace, rejoiced in it.

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

“Living by faith in God’s grace means being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus. Therefore faith will not shrink back from what reveals and magnifies all that God is for us in Jesus. That is what our own weakness and suffering does.”

Father, may my faith not shrink back when suffering is ahead. I have not truly suffered for your sake. I cannot ever say that I have. But I have been weak before men, and will continue to do so, if being weak makes you appear to be stronger. I am surrounded by men who act as though they are strong. I pray daily that all of us who call ourselves by the name of Christ will rejoice in our weaknesses that make you stronger. May we say, along with Paul, “when I am weak, then I am strong.”

I pray for this day, that you will be glorified in what we do today. May our prayer and worship gatherings be strong in you today. May we lift your name high, both in prayer, and in worship. May we rejoice in you, and may we hear the proclamation of your word, and receive what you have to tell us today.

Your grace is sufficient in all things.

May we rejoice in our weakness, knowing that it makes Christ appear stronger.

Grace and peace, friends.