Under My Vine and Fig Tree

But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. – Micah 4:4

There is an empty bench under a tree somewhere with your name on it. It is waiting for you to stop running so hard and sit for a while.

Samuel Walter Foss wrote, “Let me live in a house by the side of the road and be a friend to man.”

You can sit and greet people as they pass by. You can watch the children playing. You can read a book. You can behold the beauty of the world. You can watch life go by.

You can meet God.

God invites you to a life beyond the rat race, a place of safety and solace, a moment of quiet and grace.

Can you imagine a park with no benches?

Can you imagine a life with no quiet moments?

Can you imagine a world without any hope of peace and fulfillment?

God could not and so He made a promise through Micah of an age to come when people would sit in the open, secure, studying war no more, and drinking from the fountain of grace.

Every promise of the future has it glimpses, hints, and previews in this life. In Christ we come to find rest. We take His yoke and find it easy. We sit with Him in Heavenly places. We take a break and behold Him.

Under My Vine and Fig Tree

But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. – Micah 4:4

There is an empty bench under a tree somewhere with your name on it. It is waiting for you to stop running so hard and sit for a while.

Samuel Walter Foss wrote, “Let me live in a house by the side of the road and be a friend to man.”

You can sit and greet people as they pass by. You can watch the children playing. You can read a book. You can behold the beauty of the world. You can watch life go by.

You can meet God.

God invites you to a life beyond the rat race, a place of safety and solace, a moment of quiet and grace.

Can you imagine a park with no benches?

Can you imagine a life with no quiet moments?

Can you imagine a world without any hope of peace and fulfillment?

God could not and so He made a promise through Micah of an age to come when people would sit in the open, secure, studying war no more, and drinking from the fountain of grace.

Every promise of the future has it glimpses, hints, and previews in this life. In Christ we come to find rest. We take His yoke and find it easy. We sit with Him in Heavenly places. We take a break and behold Him.

Jonathan Swift

Born this day in 1667 – Jonathan Swift, Irish satirist, essayist, and Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.

He is remembered for "A Tale of a Tub," " An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity," Gulliver's Travels," and "A Modest Proposal."

His prose satire was and is considered among the best in the English language.

"Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own."

"Falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it, so that when men come to be undeceived, it is too late; the jest is over, and the tale hath had its effect: like a man, who hath thought of a good repartee when the discourse is changed, or the company parted; or like a physician, who hath found out an infallible medicine, after the patient is dead."

"Conversation is but carving!
Give no more to every guest
Than he's able to digest.
Give him always of the prime,
And but little at a time.
Carve to all but just enough,
Let them neither starve nor stuff,
And that you may have your due,
Let your neighbor carve for you."

King Jesus the Shepherd with the Sheep and the Goats

The Test of a Nation's Greatness

"And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats..." Matthew 25:32

This is a dramatic and overwhelming scene that Jesus describes. As far as the eye can see, the nations are gathered before the throne. There are sheep and there are goats at a time when only sheep are truly welcome in the flock. There has been considerable blending up until this point, but now the shepherd is dividing them.

And there is one criterion by which He judges the nations. How did you treat me when I was among you?

He is not talking about His incarnation here, but His presence among His people many of whom were the poor, the lowly, the imprisoned, the hungry, and so forth. He is identifying with the powerless that He described in Matthew 5 and, from their perspective, evaluating the powerful.

What did you do with all your influence to positively touch the people I love? That is His question. It is the test of a nation's greatness and the test of greatness for every institution or individual that has been entrusted with power. Were you just? Were you fair? Were you generous? Were you compassionate? Were you righteous? Were you aware that I was there in the midst of my brethren?

This is one dimension of judgment in the heavenly kingdom and Jesus gives us a preview. It is but a glimpse. We could not understand more, but we can understand this much: We must always be aware of Jesus and receive others as if we were receiving Him.

The greatness of America has always been in her central idea: the dignity of every human being under God. It is the basis for freedom, laws, and our system of government. For the Christian, that means looking for the image of God in every person we meet and treating that person as we would treat Jesus.

Another Thought on Verse 32

Seeing Jesus: Sheep and Goats

There is a question for self-examination emerging from this passage.  Such examinations are painful, but the process is necessary for our growth.

Am I among the nation of sheep or the nation of goats?  How do I align myself with what God values and those with whom Jesus identifies?

Leo Tolstoy spun a tale about a cobbler who was given to believe that Jesus would visit him on a particular day.  He made simple but elegant preparations.  One by one the poor came to his door and he served them, but he came to the end of the day without the visit for which he longed.

Then he realized what had happened and he heard the voice of Jesus with the words of this passage.  So, the real question is this: Am I seeing Jesus where Jesus is?  That question separates the sheep from the goats.|

 

 

King Jesus the Shepherd with the Sheep and the Goats

The Test of a Nation's Greatness

"And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats..." Matthew 25:32

This is a dramatic and overwhelming scene that Jesus describes. As far as the eye can see, the nations are gathered before the throne. There are sheep and there are goats at a time when only sheep are truly welcome in the flock. There has been considerable blending up until this point, but now the shepherd is dividing them.

And there is one criterion by which He judges the nations. How did you treat me when I was among you?

He is not talking about His incarnation here, but His presence among His people many of whom were the poor, the lowly, the imprisoned, the hungry, and so forth. He is identifying with the powerless that He described in Matthew 5 and, from their perspective, evaluating the powerful.

What did you do with all your influence to positively touch the people I love? That is His question. It is the test of a nation's greatness and the test of greatness for every institution or individual that has been entrusted with power. Were you just? Were you fair? Were you generous? Were you compassionate? Were you righteous? Were you aware that I was there in the midst of my brethren?

This is one dimension of judgment in the heavenly kingdom and Jesus gives us a preview. It is but a glimpse. We could not understand more, but we can understand this much: We must always be aware of Jesus and receive others as if we were receiving Him.

The greatness of America has always been in her central idea: the dignity of every human being under God. It is the basis for freedom, laws, and our system of government. For the Christian, that means looking for the image of God in every person we meet and treating that person as we would treat Jesus.

Another Thought on Verse 32

Seeing Jesus: Sheep and Goats

There is a question for self-examination emerging from this passage.  Such examinations are painful, but the process is necessary for our growth.

Am I among the nation of sheep or the nation of goats?  How do I align myself with what God values and those with whom Jesus identifies?

Leo Tolstoy spun a tale about a cobbler who was given to believe that Jesus would visit him on a particular day.  He made simple but elegant preparations.  One by one the poor came to his door and he served them, but he came to the end of the day without the visit for which he longed.

Then he realized what had happened and he heard the voice of Jesus with the words of this passage.  So, the real question is this: Am I seeing Jesus where Jesus is?  That question separates the sheep from the goats.|

 

 

Forgiveness

Saint Mary of the Presentation Church

“Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

F - Free yourself from the burden of retributive passion.

O- Orient your heart in the direction of joy and healing.

R - Release your need for vindication to the One who vindicates.

G - Give your pain and regret to God.

I - Invest in the future and resist the tug and anchor of the past.

V - Value the image of God in the one who offended and harmed you.

E - Energize your future with grace and mercy.

N - Nest yourself in God's love.

E - Exist the drama of victimization.

S - Surrender to God's best for your life.

S - Sing. It hardly matters what. Let the song move your forward.

-----------------------
Matthew 18:21-35
New International Version

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Endurance - Moses Style

The secret of endurance as discovered by Moses ...

"he endured as seeing Him who is invisible." (Hebrews 11:27b, NKJV)

Seeing the invisible God. It really goes to the heart of faith for people of faith.

We deal in that realm that an outsider might legitimately view as subjective ... and yet we see.

All people of vision, whether people of faith or not, see things that others do not see. Some see the future. Some see possibilities. Some see realities too small or far away for the naked eye to surround.

If it can be captured and perceived through the optical nerves, it may not be faith and it may not be enough to produce endurance.

If it requires a leap into the uncharted unknown, one has lengthened the distance of vision and shortened the gap between what is and what can be through the Eyes of the One Who Is.

By Faith ... Leaning

Rembrandt

"By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped, leaning on top of his staff." - Hebrews 11:21 (NKJV)

He worshiped, leaning ...

Faith, in itself, is a kind of leaning. Blessing others, we lean into them. Proclaiming the blessing as if already accomplished, is a leaning into the future with faith. Worshiping is leaning into God.

"Leaning on the everlasting arms," we need a bit of support. Jacob had a staff.

It worked, but still, he was dying.

But aren't we? We live with dying and we die with living.

Jacob chose faith in his dying days, he envisioned a future, and he fell upon his staff and found God supporting him. Thus he worshiped.

I am not exactly sure how this day will unfold, but I am leaning toward a faith that shall not falter with faith that cannot fail because it leans forward on a Father who receives my faith as an expression of worship.

By Faith ... Leaning

Rembrandt

"By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped, leaning on top of his staff." - Hebrews 11:21 (NKJV)

He worshiped, leaning ...

Faith, in itself, is a kind of leaning. Blessing others, we lean into them. Proclaiming the blessing as if already accomplished, is a leaning into the future with faith. Worshiping is leaning into God.

"Leaning on the everlasting arms," we need a bit of support. Jacob had a staff.

It worked, but still, he was dying.

But aren't we? We live with dying and we die with living.

Jacob chose faith in his dying days, he envisioned a future, and he fell upon his staff and found God supporting him. Thus he worshiped.

I am not exactly sure how this day will unfold, but I am leaning toward a faith that shall not falter with faith that cannot fail because it leans forward on a Father who receives my faith as an expression of worship.

My Thanks

Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash

 

Thank you, Sovereign, Mighty, and Loving God.

 

Thank you for the capacity to recognize that I did not get here alone.

 

Nor will I stay here on my own.

 

Nor do I wish to be alone.

 

But, alone with you, I find refreshment in my soul.

 

Thank you for the alone times that draw me out of myself toward others.

 

Thank you for the people who surround me with hope and promise.

 

Thank you for precious stones, promising seeds, and profound sentiments.

 

Thank you for the gift of wonder, the grief of waiting, the grace of all your ways.

 

Thank you for food and fulfillment and the hunger that causes me to appreciate them more.

 

Thank you for the slight pains I have endured on the path to healing that i might know your healing mercies.

 

Thank you for the hope that has always kept my eyes open for possibilities in the midst of despair.

 

Thank you for always providing, even when it was not on my schedule.

 

Thank you for a family that has grown into a community and is more than I deserve.

 

Thank you for a community that has grown into a family and is also more than I deserve.

 

Thank you for friends in real time and cyber time whose words and thoughts challenge and inspire me.

 

Thank you for the gift of words. Teach me to use them with gratitude and grace.

 

Thank you for a reason to get out of bed this morning.

 

Thank you for rest and for this day of rest.

 

Thank you for things to do and places to go and people to see.

 

Thank you that I may, from time to time, retreat from these activities.

 

Thank you for moments with you and for your listening ear, but also, your voice that speaks to my very heart.

 

Thank you for the bible. It has been one of the greatest treasures of my life and never grows old to me.

 

Thank you for the church, flawed as she is and yet, always lovely, always a home for me wherever I go.

 

Thank you for pastors who have been my brothers, and sometimes my sisters for so many years.

 

Thank you for parents and grandparents who helped to make me, guided me, loved me, and expected the best of me.

 

Thank you for a wife who has been an example to me, a rock, a reason, and a best friend for so many years.

 

I thank you for my sons and my grandchildren and their families, extended and creative.

 

Thank you for the tea I have been sipping and the honey that has sweetened it.

 

Thank you for renewed health. I am younger today than I was ten years ago. Anyone still reading this can scratch their heads at that.

 

Thank you for the warm socks on my feet and the clothes on my body ...

 

For this very computer upon which to type my prayer that is truly for you, but also a call to prayer for anyone who wishes to read.

 

This is my closet, but you are welcome. I pray that this will not be one of those long prayers on the corner designed to impress that Jesus warned us about.

 

But I am openly grateful, Lord and could and will go on and on and on all day.

 

I have nothing that you have not given me in some way.

 

Even what it seems I have acquired is because you gave me the gifts I have and placed me in the right places with the right people at the right times to

exercise them.

 

I have a head full of hair, albeit thin, a body full of energy, a mind full of thoughts and ideas, a heart full of love and joy, and enough challenges and irritations to keep me from ever getting complacent.

 

And thank you. You have given me a mission and a ministry and a passion to serve and a heart that breaks for the brokenness of the world with renewed energy to do something about it.

 

Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me new life. For your great sacrifice, I thank you. For calling me to serve, I am grateful and humbled.

 

Thank you that you are teaching me even now how to pray and how to give thanks and I offer these thanksgivings to you in the name of Jesus. Amen.

 

The Core Work of Theology

"I will give great thanks to the Lord with my mouth; 
in the midst of the multitude will I praise him;
Because he stands at the right hand of the needy,
to save his life from those who would condemn him."

A vital element of theology is of be found in the word "theology" itself. It is a word about God and Word of God.

If we are to do genuine and life-changing theological reflection, it will be as the psalmists often did, a meditation on the nature, character, and acts of God.

The more we come to know the character of God and experience and practice the presence of God, the deeper our theology is established within us.

In these two psalms, we are enable to reflect upon a God who is just and merciful. These are not two sides of the nature of God; they are a perfect blend. God's justice is mercifully administered and God's mercy is always just and true.

Then, there is the next psalm of the day, 109 where we declare with the ancient singers, the God of our praise, Deus Laudem!,

This God acts in history, generally, specifically, broadly, and personally to redeem those in greatest need of God's advocacy and help.

The psalms enable us to contemplate God's character, presence, and power by observation of his mighty deeds among us, the Word spoken and written, and nature itself.

Let us enter into the Presence and do the real work of theology today.

-------------------------------------

Psalm 101
Misericordiam ed judicium

I will sing of mercy and justice; *
to you, O Lord, will I sing praises.

I will strive to follow a blameless course;
oh, when will you come to me? *
I will walk with sincerity of heart within my house.

I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; *
I hate the doers of evil deeds;
they shall not remain with me.

A crooked heart shall be far from me; *
I will not know evil.

Those who in secret slander their neighbors I will destroy; *
those who have a haughty look and a proud heart I cannot abide.

My eyes are upon the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me, *
and only those who lead a blameless life shall be my servants.

Those who act deceitfully shall not dwell in my house, *
and those who tell lies shall not continue in my sight.

I will soon destroy all the wicked in the land, *
that I may root out all evildoers from the city of the Lord.

Psalm 109
Deus, laudem

Hold not your tongue, O God of my praise; *
for the mouth of the wicked,
the mouth of the deceitful, is opened against me.

They speak to me with a lying tongue; *
they encompass me with hateful words
and fight against me without a cause.

Despite my love, they accuse me; *
but as for me, I pray for them.

They repay evil for good, *
and hatred for my love.

[Set a wicked man against him, *
and let an accuser stand at his right hand.

When he is judged, let him be found guilty, *
and let his appeal be in vain.

Let his days be few, *
and let another take his office.

Let his children be fatherless, *
and his wife become a widow.

Let his children be waifs and beggars; *
let them be driven from the ruins of their homes.

Let the creditor seize everything he has; *
let strangers plunder his gains.

Let there be no one to show him kindness, *
and none to pity his fatherless children.

Let his descendants be destroyed, *
and his name be blotted out in the next generation.

Let the wickedness of his fathers be remembered before the Lord, *
and his mother’s sin not be blotted out;

Let their sin be always before the Lord; *
but let him root out their names from the earth;

Because he did not remember to show mercy, *
but persecuted the poor and needy
and sought to kill the brokenhearted.

He loved cursing,
let it come upon him; *
he took no delight in blessing,
let it depart from him.

He put on cursing like a garment, *
let it soak into his body like water
and into his bones like oil;

Let it be to him like the cloak which he wraps around himself, *
and like the belt that he wears continually.

Let this be the recompense from the Lord to my accusers, *
and to those who speak evil against me.]

But you, O Lord my God,
oh, deal with me according to your Name; *
for your tender mercy’s sake, deliver me.

For I am poor and needy, *
and my heart is wounded within me.

I have faded away like a shadow when it lengthens; *
I am shaken off like a locust.

My knees are weak through fasting, *
and my flesh is wasted and gaunt.

I have become a reproach to them; *
they see and shake their heads.

Help me, O Lord my God; *
save me for your mercy’s sake.

Let them know that this is your hand, *
that you, O Lord, have done it.

They may curse, but you will bless; *
let those who rise up against me be put to shame,
and your servant will rejoice.

Let my accusers be clothed with disgrace *
and wrap themselves in their shame as in a cloak.

I will give great thanks to the Lord with my mouth; *
in the midst of the multitude will I praise him;

Because he stands at the right hand of the needy, *
to save his life from those who would condemn him.

The Core Work of Theology

"I will give great thanks to the Lord with my mouth; 
in the midst of the multitude will I praise him;
Because he stands at the right hand of the needy,
to save his life from those who would condemn him."

A vital element of theology is of be found in the word "theology" itself. It is a word about God and Word of God.

If we are to do genuine and life-changing theological reflection, it will be as the psalmists often did, a meditation on the nature, character, and acts of God.

The more we come to know the character of God and experience and practice the presence of God, the deeper our theology is established within us.

In these two psalms, we are enable to reflect upon a God who is just and merciful. These are not two sides of the nature of God; they are a perfect blend. God's justice is mercifully administered and God's mercy is always just and true.

Then, there is the next psalm of the day, 109 where we declare with the ancient singers, the God of our praise, Deus Laudem!,

This God acts in history, generally, specifically, broadly, and personally to redeem those in greatest need of God's advocacy and help.

The psalms enable us to contemplate God's character, presence, and power by observation of his mighty deeds among us, the Word spoken and written, and nature itself.

Let us enter into the Presence and do the real work of theology today.

-------------------------------------

Psalm 101
Misericordiam ed judicium

I will sing of mercy and justice; *
to you, O Lord, will I sing praises.

I will strive to follow a blameless course;
oh, when will you come to me? *
I will walk with sincerity of heart within my house.

I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; *
I hate the doers of evil deeds;
they shall not remain with me.

A crooked heart shall be far from me; *
I will not know evil.

Those who in secret slander their neighbors I will destroy; *
those who have a haughty look and a proud heart I cannot abide.

My eyes are upon the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me, *
and only those who lead a blameless life shall be my servants.

Those who act deceitfully shall not dwell in my house, *
and those who tell lies shall not continue in my sight.

I will soon destroy all the wicked in the land, *
that I may root out all evildoers from the city of the Lord.

Psalm 109
Deus, laudem

Hold not your tongue, O God of my praise; *
for the mouth of the wicked,
the mouth of the deceitful, is opened against me.

They speak to me with a lying tongue; *
they encompass me with hateful words
and fight against me without a cause.

Despite my love, they accuse me; *
but as for me, I pray for them.

They repay evil for good, *
and hatred for my love.

[Set a wicked man against him, *
and let an accuser stand at his right hand.

When he is judged, let him be found guilty, *
and let his appeal be in vain.

Let his days be few, *
and let another take his office.

Let his children be fatherless, *
and his wife become a widow.

Let his children be waifs and beggars; *
let them be driven from the ruins of their homes.

Let the creditor seize everything he has; *
let strangers plunder his gains.

Let there be no one to show him kindness, *
and none to pity his fatherless children.

Let his descendants be destroyed, *
and his name be blotted out in the next generation.

Let the wickedness of his fathers be remembered before the Lord, *
and his mother’s sin not be blotted out;

Let their sin be always before the Lord; *
but let him root out their names from the earth;

Because he did not remember to show mercy, *
but persecuted the poor and needy
and sought to kill the brokenhearted.

He loved cursing,
let it come upon him; *
he took no delight in blessing,
let it depart from him.

He put on cursing like a garment, *
let it soak into his body like water
and into his bones like oil;

Let it be to him like the cloak which he wraps around himself, *
and like the belt that he wears continually.

Let this be the recompense from the Lord to my accusers, *
and to those who speak evil against me.]

But you, O Lord my God,
oh, deal with me according to your Name; *
for your tender mercy’s sake, deliver me.

For I am poor and needy, *
and my heart is wounded within me.

I have faded away like a shadow when it lengthens; *
I am shaken off like a locust.

My knees are weak through fasting, *
and my flesh is wasted and gaunt.

I have become a reproach to them; *
they see and shake their heads.

Help me, O Lord my God; *
save me for your mercy’s sake.

Let them know that this is your hand, *
that you, O Lord, have done it.

They may curse, but you will bless; *
let those who rise up against me be put to shame,
and your servant will rejoice.

Let my accusers be clothed with disgrace *
and wrap themselves in their shame as in a cloak.

I will give great thanks to the Lord with my mouth; *
in the midst of the multitude will I praise him;

Because he stands at the right hand of the needy, *
to save his life from those who would condemn him.

Prayer of One Afflicted

This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

 

This is called, "A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the LORD."

Surely, many here have had days when the cry sounded something like this, first to be heart, and then to be answered:

" Hear my prayer, O LORD;
let my cry come to you!
Do not hide your face from me
in the day of my distress!
Incline your ear to me;
answer me speedily in the day when I call!"

(Psalm 102:1-2 ESV)

"Do not hide ..."

How do you know that an invisible God who rarely manifests His presence directly and obviously in your life is really hearing and answering? Sometimes it is in the subtleties; often it is in the coincidences; frequently it is in the irrational peace or the unexplained strength and faith that arises in our hearts as we trust and follow.

So often, it is in joy and in the joyful reality of community that becomes the presence of God to us.

We experience God's presence as we brutally pour out our hearts to God in the full range of human emotion, despair, and frustration:

" For my days pass away like smoke,
and my bones burn like a furnace.
My heart is struck down like grass and has withered;
I forget to eat my bread.
Because of my loud groaning
my bones cling to my flesh.
I am like a desert owl of the wilderness,
like an owl of the waste places;
I lie awake;
I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.
All the day my enemies taunt me;
those who deride me use my name for a curse.
For I eat ashes like bread
and mingle tears with my drink,
because of your indignation and anger;
for you have taken me up and thrown me down.
My days are like an evening shadow;
I wither away like grass."

(Psalm 102:3-11 ESV)

You know through hope and you know through the acting on feeble faith. This God who regards and hears the prayers of the destitute will not despise your prayers:

"But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever;
you are remembered throughout all generations.
You will arise and have pity on Zion;
it is the time to favor her;
the appointed time has come.
For your servants hold her stones dear
and have pity on her dust.
Nations will fear the name of the LORD,
and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory.
For the LORD builds up Zion;
he appears in his glory;
he regards the prayer of the destitute
and does not despise their prayer."

(Psalm 102:12-17 ESV)

This God manifests Himself and, in due season, manifests Himself to you. He appears in His glory, even if only in glimpses and hints, even if only in flashing moments of self-disclosure, He lets you know.

Furthermore, He reveals Himself in worship as one who attends to our prayers and in the words of those who record His deeds and share together, in community, their experiences of grace:

" Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:
that he looked down from his holy height;
from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,
to hear the groans of the prisoners,
to set free those who were doomed to die,
that they may declare in Zion the name of the LORD,
and in Jerusalem his praise,
when peoples gather together,
and kingdoms, to worship the LORD."

(Psalm 102:18-22 ESV)

It is our witness of one another of His witness to each of us.

Comparing our notes, we realize that there really are no coincidences.

" He has broken my strength in midcourse;
he has shortened my days.
“O my God,” I say, “take me not away
in the midst of my days—
you whose years endure
throughout all generations!”"

(Psalm 102:23-24 ESV)

He has His ways of bring us to the place where we can experience His grace in healing ways, but they sometimes seem like the breaking of our strength in the middle of our lives. We are moving toward a grand goal and suddenly, we are interrupted.

Perhaps our interruptions are necessary for refocus - at least sometimes ....

But in the meantime, go ahead and register your complaint to God.

Our struggles with faith land on faith. Believers' doubts, fears, and frustrations are real, but they are differentiated from the ordinary because they land on faith. They settle on solid ground. They come to rest where they have always rested in that confidence that simply will not go away, that stubborn trust in the one who upholds all things including our own feeble lives:

" Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you will remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
but you are the same, and your years have no end.
The children of your servants shall dwell secure;
their offspring shall be established before you."

(Psalm 102:25-28 ESV)

The Risk-Aversive Property Manager

Or "The Servant Who Was Afraid to Take a Risk."

What happens when we are so afraid of the master that we bury our resources and refuse to do anything?

Nothing.

And that is a problem.

 

Matthew 25:14-30

The Parable of the Talents

 

 

We Must Laugh

Ask me what laughter is.

Go ahead and ask.

I know it when I see and hear it. So do you. But what is it? I am not really sure.

The dictionary is not much help. In fact, it is rather circular:

"the action or sound of laughing."

That settles it - somewhere. I suppose.

Wikipedia offers more.

"Laughter is a pleasant physical reaction and emotion consisting usually of rhythmical, often audible contractions of the diaphragm and other parts of the respiratory system."

That helps. I suppose.

Of course, there are neurological studies that give us insight into the brain functions involved. There are chemical stimulants that provoke it and chemicals that are produced by it. Norman Cousins echoes, in the 80s, the wisdom of Solomon that laughter is very good medicine.

Even if it does not cure, you feel better.

I know very few people who do not agree that it is good to laugh. I do not seek out the company of those who never laugh. I enjoy people who contribute to the grace of laughter in my life.

So, here is my shot at an experiential definition of laughter in the form of an acronym:

LIFE

Life is absurd, silly, painful, perplexing,  deep, and shallow. It is difficult to cope without learning to laugh at oneself. It is impossible to cope without laughing at all. If you are not laughing, you are not looking at life.

AFFECT

Affect, used as a noun, means to display emotion. If one does not harness the power of laughter and occasionally give in to it, one is stifling a significant emotion and not displaying the full range of affect. Dulling the senses locks out a great deal of potential.

UNDERSTANDING

When we can appreciate humor, it is often the result of a deeper understanding of the connection between ideas, circumstances, and other emotions in our life. Laughter both triggers and is triggered by self-understanding, insight into human nature, and appreciation of the realities of life.

GROWTH

Our senses of humor grow with us. As we mature, our laughter matures. As we become more sophisticated, so does our humor. Subtleties take on greater meaning in our lives. We can chuckle and grin at the complexities. We learn to laugh at ourselves with greater ease.

HOPE

If we can laugh, we can hope. Laughter that is not cruel can bring us onto common ground with others who might be natural adversaries.  It enables us to see one another as part of a shared humanity. It reminds us that we are more alike than different. One wonders if there can be any real peace without shared laughter. But I hasten to add another "h" here. It is hopeful because it is healing to  humans, to the emotions, to the body, and to relationships.

TERMINAL

We will stop  laughing someday. We all will, in our bodies. Don't stop before you are dead. That is soon enough. When you terminate laughter, you terminate an important part of your living. Live until you die and then, go out with a chuckle.

ESSENTIAL

During the pandemic, I watched more late night comedy, told more jokes, and enjoyed more silliness than usual. Many people did. When all that could stay open were essential services, humorists broadcasted from home. It is essential because we need it and because it is intrinsic. i remember my grandchildren laughing at silly things without being taught to laugh. Early in life, they knew how to take food in, expel waste, cry when the wanted something, and laugh when they were happy.

RIGHT

For all these reasons, it is right to laugh. Red Skelton believed that God had put him on earth to make people laugh. And he did. Laughter is not always the right response, but it often is, even in the hardest of times, even when mingled with tears, even when our tasks are dead serious. It is right to laugh.

 

 

 

Read Cousins' book (above) and this talk.

 

A short joke for you:

Which Way to Heaven?

 

Billy Graham tells of a time early in his ministry when he arrived in a small town to preach a sermon. Wanting to mail a letter, he asked a young boy where the post office was.

 

When the boy had told him, Dr. Graham thanked him and said, "If you'll come to the Baptist Church this evening, you can hear me telling everyone how to get to heaven."

 

The boy replied, "I don't think I'll be there... You don't even know your way to the post office."

 

Laughter is the Best Medicine

And it’s a great adjunct in the treatment of patients with cancer.

By Charlene Gayle Story Pattillo, BSN, RN, OCN, and Joanne Itano, PhD, RN, OCN

Laughing All the Way

Author and scholar Norman Cousins’ pioneering research on the impact of humor on health continues through the center that bears his name.

A Joyful Heart is Good Medicine

"For many years, Reader’s Digest magazine has published a monthly article called 'Laughter the Best Medicine.' But Reader’s Digest didn’t originate the idea..."

 

The New Kumbaya

Kumbaya, my Lord!
Come by here.

Yes. Yes. Yes.
Make a way.

Come quickly!

Come and speak..
Come and touch.
Come and lead.
Come and sit awhile among us.
Come, instruct us.
Come, teach us.

We have waited so long, Lord.

Come and correct the errors of our ways … including …
Several misconceptions of You and how we have …
Used you and taken your name in vain to promote our own views,
Our prejudices …
Our biases …
Our desires …
Our angry obsessions and our power plays.

We are so alone without you. We are lost, confused, and misguided. It is dark.

Come, Lord, by here and lovingly squeeze the meanness out of us.
Hug us till all the hurt and anger and bitterness oozes out of our souls.

It has been too long wince we have asked with the sincerity we felt around the campfire. It is high time that we asked again.

Come and heal bodies, minds, souls and
Rifts in the fabric of our communities,
Tensions in the streets of our cities,
Dissensions in our board rooms,
Apathy in our churches,
Venom in our national discourse.

We sing and pray as if it were a new song.

Kumbaya, Lord, Kumbaya.
Now, we need Your Visitation!
Come by here.

 

 

Another Color Purple

When I See Purple

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple … - Luke 16:19

Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! – John 19:5

When I see purple I think of Lydia who, in the book of Acts, was known as the dealer of purple.

Purple was a precious commodity, the garment of royalty, the symbol of wealth.

Purple is a featured color in the Lenten season as we meditate on the road to the cross that Jesus trod.

It is also an element of two of Jesus’ teachings, one that he spoke and another that he lived. One was a parable and the other was a reality.

Jesus spoke of a rich man, clothed in purple, who died and discovered that all he had valued and cherished in life was worthless in light of a Godless eternity. This man begged for a drop of water and someone to warn his brothers. He was simply called, “a certain rich man.”

Later, Jesus would also ask for a sip of water, from the cross. Just prior to that pivotal event in salvation history, Jesus was paraded before Pilate clothed in purple. The soldiers were mocking His message of a spiritual kingdom that transcended all human kingdoms.

Jesus wore the purple unwillingly on His willing path to bear the shame of the world for our salvation.

The rich man wore it with a prideful heart proclaiming his superiority and gaining nothing.

One exalted himself and was humbled. Jesus humbled Himself and was exalted.

And both wore purple.

Ready

There were ten bridesmaids waiting for the groom to show up and the festivities to begin. Five were wise. Five were foolish. Those we were wise were wakeful, waiting, and prepared for the long haul. They were ready.

What is the key to readiness?

Listen.

 

Now, I Am Found

(Luke 15:6 ) And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost… (Luke 15:9 ) And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost… (Luke 15:23b-24 ) … Let us eat and be merry. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

-------------------------------------------

“We have heard the joyful sound: Jesus saves! Jesus Saves! Spread the tidings all around. Jesus saves! Jesus saves!”

So that grand hymn of faith calls us to “give the winds a mighty voice.”

How sweet the sound? Oh yes. The lost has been found. It is the sound of laughter and merriment. It is the sound of praise. It is the sound that rings through the streets of Heaven and even the angels sing. It is the sound that warms the heart of God. It is the sound that ought to flow from our voices daily and throughout the day, the song of gratitude, of joy, and of love.

Whereas I was lost, I am now found. I am no longer lost, no longer hopeless, no longer guilty, alienated, or dispossessed. I am no longer unworthy, no longer useless, no longer an orphan. God no longer sees me as a sinner, but as a son. I have a hope. I have a future. As He did with Jeremiah of old, He knows the plans He has for me.

I am found.

Do you know the joy of being found? Or have you forgotten. The truth can be seen in your attitudes toward your brothers and sisters in Christ, whether you are patient and forgiving or irritable and judgmental? The truth is revealed in your attitudes toward people who are still lost.

Are you charitable and seeking or critical and aloof? The truth is seen in your attitudes toward new believers. Do you rejoice or rebuff? Do you step aside and move over or do you guard your established territory? Do you join the celebration, feasting with the friends of the father or do you stand afar off as the son who feels he never left home?

You will never be at home as long as you cling to the notion that you never left. You will never experience the full joy of redemption if you forget that you were lost in slavery to sin when grace found you. You will be unmoved at the singing of Amazing Grace if you forget that the wretch saved was you and the lost one who returned was also you.

You have been found! Rejoice!

Social and Media

Social media are defined and valued by how we use them.

Yes. “Media” is a plural word and “medium” is the singular form.

Media are means to an end. Social media are tools for communication.

We have a wide range of possibilities for using the tools. Two of mine are prayer and prayerful concern

Another is encouragement. I feel fulfilled when I can encourage people.

For me, online friends are real friends.

I find out what I need to be reading, listening to, and watching based upon friends’ recommendation.

We collaborate on big ideas.

Then, there are puppies, kittens, cute pictures, and jokes.

There is music

Then, there is education.

Of course, it is all communication. It is a bag of tools and every age has its tools for communication. If you want to meet people, you have to meet them where they are with the tools available.

What is your favorite social medium and why?

Sometimes these platforms give me a soapbox for my ideas and sometimes a conference table for collaboration. Out of that collaboration come bigger ideas, mutual understanding, and respect.

Sometimes people complain about mean-spirited postings on Facebook, too much drama, too much politics, inconsequential conversations, and wasted time.

That is not my experience.

I have built my platforms for the most part. I have had a hand in creating my communities. I set the tone for my on-line presence and pages.

It is largely up to me what I experience, with some exceptions.

Facebook is one of the best tools I have ever had at my disposal for intercessory prayer as well as the nurturing of community and friendship. I utilize others as well.

They keep me “in-the-know,” so that I can pray more effectively with my mind even as my spirit prays. Combine all the media into one singular entity and it connects us in a network of caring, even for people we have never met.

Like any “tool,” it can be misused.

It is neutral as a technology; but it is powerful as an instrument for potential good.

Are we using social networking to build people?

If not, why not?

It is really all within our control.

Can a Person Still Write Offline?

Photo by Unseen Studio on Unsplash

Writers enjoy instant gratification on the internet. We expect feedback within minutes of posting an idea. Without it, we feel crippled and dis-empowered unlike our fathers who secluded themselves for years, wrote only to God, and never had any assurance that anyone else would read what they were writing.

I wonder if they hit dry spells in the desert.

If you are a writer and you don’t write much for a while, you have to struggle with a certain measure of guilt mingled with fear. You feel you should be writing, that there are tens of people bereft of your wisdom and charming words.

The internet does not lend itself to seasons. It cries out for constancy.

On the other hand, despite all your advice to others to write something every day, you know that you have seasons in your life. You have times of intense productivity and times when something has to brew inside of you.

It is like one of our California rivers that rises and recedes with the flow of its water supply from the mountains.

Then comes the panic. Will I ever write again? Will I ever again be seized with a passion, desire, or creative urge?

Will I ever again have a creative idea?

Will I be forgotten? Will I lose all my readers who, as it is, cling by a thin thread?

Suddenly, we want to write whether or not we have something about which to write.

That season often arrives as a flash flood and often when ones life has been filled with things to do, places to go, and people to see. Life gets in the way of art.

… And we are far away from our computers hooked to the internet …

It raises an interesting question. Can a person still write offline?

Invest Wisely - My Word to Me

Meet Teen Tommy. Do you have any advice for him?

I wonder what I would tell this kid if I met him in some time-warped, celestial vestibule during a meet and greet.

Could I tell him anything?

Or should I just play dumb and let him figure it out as best he could ... which ...

I suppose he did.

Would you actually try to tell your younger self anything if you had the chance?

"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. " -Psalm 27:13

I have a challenge for my young local heroes, so engaged in our cities and driven by the passion of gospel that has deep implications for the poor, marginalized, and oppressed: Start raising up some among you to run for office.

Build coalitions, raise funds, and speak at every meeting where kingdom issues are addressed.

We need your voices and your leadership. My generation is stuck in a rut of old ideas and biases. All we can come up with are clichés and repackaged prejudice. You think with fresh minds.

This is your day. Take it.

Today could be a turning point for you and for others.

Some Turning Points Are World-Changing.

On this day in 1983 – Bill Gates introduces Windows 1.0.

 

What will happen today that will change the world tomorrow?

 

How will you be part of that?

 

What if we started every day with that question.

 

What questions arise from that one question?

 

How might you strategize around that?

Some Turning Points Are Catastrophic.

On this day:

"The Wilmington insurrection of 1898, also known as the Wilmington massacre of 1898 or the Wilmington coup of 1898.

It was a turning point in post-Reconstruction North Carolina politics.

The results were

- more severe racial segregation
- effective disenfranchisement of African Americans

"What happened in Wilmington became an affirmation of white supremacy not just in that one city, but in the South and in the nation as a whole ... " - Laura Edwards (Democracy Betrayed)

According to Wikipedia, it "affirmed that invoking 'whiteness' eclipsed the legal citizenship, individual rights, and equal protection under the law that blacks were guaranteed under the Fourteenth Amendment."

At first, the perpetrators sought to blame the black population for "precipitating a riot" and held themselves up as victims and heroes.

Beit She'an , Scythopolis (Σκυθόπολις in Ancient Greek) is a city in the Northern District of Israel, which has played an important role in history due to its geographical location at the junction of the Jordan River Valley and the Jezreel Valley. It was an amazing Roman outpost in its day.

 

The ancient city was destroyed in one day in the Golan earthquake of 749.

 

Many things can happen in one day or a single hour.

 

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/bet-h-shean

 

I would give myself this advice:

 

Be careful what you consider permanent if you are investing your life in it.

“Alas, alas, for the great city

that was clothed in fine linen,

in purple and scarlet,

adorned with gold,

with jewels, and with pearls!

For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.”

And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning,

 

“What city was like the great city?”

And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out,

“Alas, alas, for the great city

where all who had ships at sea

grew rich by her wealth!

For in a single hour she has been laid waste.

(Revelation 18:16-19 ESV)

 

Invest Wisely

.

 

Love, Politics, and Service

We cannot love our neighbors as ourselves if we refuse to take the effort to see the world through our neighbors' eyes or try to imagine life in his or her skin.

We cannot love our neighbor without learning to sing the songs of lament and the entire book of Lamentations.

We cannot love our neighbor by telling him or her what he or she should be or not be feeling.

We cannot love our neighbor without tears. We cannot love our neighbor by having an answer for every word our neighbor speaks in fear or frustration.

We love our neighbor more with our ears than our words. When we do use words, we love our neighbor more by what we speak on behalf of our neighbor than what we say to that neighbor.

We cannot love our neighbor by taking our scripts from Job's friends and having all the trite answers organized and ready to spout. We cannot love our neighbor without working at it and putting aside our own interests and opinions long enough to understand.

We cannot love our neighbor while belittling our neighbor. And ... we cannot love God without loving our neighbor.

--------------------

Loving our neighbor defines us as Jesus followers in a way that makes us oddballs.

This is not to be resisted or defended.

The world has always been indifferent and hostile to the values of those who center their core convictions in the prophetic and merciful Word of God.

That will continue and so will our mandate to speak truth to power, stand with the oppressed, be misunderstood, be in a minority, and be faithful to truth.

No political system represents us, We are sojourners, We are peculiar people. We pray for our leaders and pray with hope that hearts and policies can be shaped by truth.

We also must hold every system accountable for justice in unpopular causes and for marginalized people who are mistrusted and hated. Whoever you supported leading up to yesterday, you have a big job ahead if you will truly follow Jesus in the areas of His biases - to pray - act- speak - and sometimes resist. Our King is in the midst and He is King.

"God has taken his place in the divine council;
in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
'How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.'"
(Psalm 82:1-4 ESV)

--------------------

When I was still doing volunteer chaplaincy, I scribbled these notes:

On Thursdays, I put on a volunteer chaplain badge and walk the halls of one of our local hospitals visiting patients. I often walk in wondering how long I can keep doing it because of time constraints. I generally leave wondering how I could ever give it up. I learn lessons and receive more than I give:

1) Time becomes less relevant than living and serving in the moment. You go with the flow and find that the flow helps you go and God takes care of the timing.

2) It takes very little time and effort to connect with someone in pain if you come with open heart, open mind, open hands, and few words. A listening ear and a gentle touch communicate much love.

3) Compassion speaks and is reciprocal. People want to give and do give, even when they are utterly depleted in body and strength.

4) There is much gratitude in these rooms. I seldom find as much gratitude on the streets as I encounter in this context.

5) You do not have to speak the same language to connect. There are universal languages that often cross linguistic barriers: love, prayer, touch. When I come in the name of Jesus, there is often an unseen translator in the room because it is, after all, His voice that calms the storm.

6) You cannot fake genuine care, but even the coldest heart submitted to the grace and compassion of God can be taught to care -- quickly. On your worst days, God can use you if you place yourself at His disposal.

7) Where I go, my whole church goes. When I minister, it is because I have The Fellowship of Joy and 4141 Ministries with me. I carry them in my heart and they make it possible for me to give my time to the community. I do not push our church at the hospital or identify myself as its representative, but I know and others seem to find out. Where you go and serve, you are always part of a body of God's servants who have formed a community of support and equipping.

Ultimately, all we have to give is the presence of Jesus in us and through us. We have wonderful chaplains of other faiths who pray and care. My role is to be who I am and meet people where they are. I come in the name of Jesus, not to be pushy about my faith, but openly and honestly sharing His love.

9) I spoke with a deputy sheriff in the hall who was guarding a patient in custody. He was so moved by the caring of the nurses and the pain around him that he was considering becoming a nurse in his next career. He loves his work, but he wants to keep giving and serving. Everyone in that hospital needs a little pastoral care. The nurse and caregivers are ministers of God in ways that I can never be. They are so often grateful for our support.

10) I walk out with more energy than I come in with. That is what ministry does. That is how the Holy Spirit works.
Perhaps you might consider being a chaplain if your heart resonates with this.

--------------------

Testing this statement:

The first job of politics is to tell the truth whether or not is supports our narrative.

Babylon is Going Down!

At the end of the list is the real "cargo" of unscrupulous commerce in a marriage of convenience with illegitimate and oppressive power. It is the slavery of human souls.

"And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls." - Revelation 18:11-13

This subversive circular is calling out power for its tracking of humanity. The test of authenticity, legitimacy, and righteousness in any system of commerce and government with all their entanglements may well be --- Does it profit from the enslavement of human souls?

If it does, and that includes the enticements of systems of addiction, then red flags go up everywhere. This one is "Babylon" and it is going down.

Here is an angel, a messenger of God, speaking truth to power - power that you are either attracted to or that you resist --- or both.

What is your Babylon?

What is that seat of power that attracts those who also want power and hope to get it through association, conspiracy, and sinister collaboration that oppresses the weak and the righteous? We are attracted to that bright, beautiful, lively, ostentatious "city of influence," its sensual pleasures and its facade of wealth, luxury, and illegitimate power.

It intoxicates and it draws in those who are inclined to be drawn.

And lest we lift our own heads in pride, something in it is inclined to draw something in us and it can intoxicate us as well --- for a season or for a lifetime --- our choice if we remain conscious enough to make choices.

For Babylon is fallen. It is an eternal reality in Heaven where all is accomplished already.

Every false god and every pretender to every throne has eventually been vanquished and neutralized. It has been; it shall be. Ultimate rectification is reality, but in the meantime, the dance is repeated throughout history.

The only history that immediately matters for us is the one we are living, the choices we are making, the alignments we are activating, and the loyalties we are forming.

It is an angel, a messenger by definition, that has the authority to put power in check and glory gathers around the sound of his mighty voice. 

That says that it is truth that brings powers to their knees. It is the voice of truth, the message of God that humbles the proud and pronounces judgment upon oppressors.

Let that be an encouragement to all of you who daily, and without apparent reward, consistently and faithfully, speak truth to power.

"After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. And he called out with a mighty voice,

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
She has become a dwelling place for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.
For all nations have drunk
the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality,
and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”"
(Revelation 18:1-3 ESV)

 

I Do Not Know

Photo by Jay Lamm on Unsplash

There are several bald spots on my metaphorical head from metaphysical head scratching. Mind baffles have frequently made me drowsy to the point of stupor. Not everything adds up because, to embrace everything, one must also embrace unknowns and unknowns challenge our sense of control and self-sufficiency.

“Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.” — Psalm 139:6

Sometimes, the right answer is, “I don’t know.”

“Yet in the midst of my madness, God had been making himself known to me in profound ways. In my drunken prayers, God’s presence was ever-captivating. My journal would reveal tears of desperation and longing for God. I couldn’t reconcile the fact that I was doing something wrong and the fact that God was showering me with love. I have a tendency to view life in terms of black and white, good and bad, happy and unhappy.. I was finding life to be filled with shades of grey and God ruled over it all. I was starting to come to terms with the fact that I didn’t have all the answers.” — Nathan Foster, “Wisdom Chaser — https://amzn.to/3u759hC

https://amzn.to/3u759hC

I was not prepared for turning the page to 105, chapter 13. You’ll have to read it yourself, but you may find your story there. You didn’t know anyone else had lived it. You were making such progress with God, in so many areas, but there was something, a drag, more than a drag, something yanking you down.

Not all progress is steady and it is seldom neat … usually very messy.

Mystery. What sort of God is this? Job thought he knew Him but realized he knew only OF Him. When they finally met “face to face,” it was not to impart all the answers to this faithful servant. The truth was in the encounter. The reconciliation was in the relationship.

Every day of our lives, we are surrounded on all sides by knowledge we do not possess, swimming in a sea of wonder, marinating in questions we do not know to ask. We possess less understanding than we will have tomorrow, but vastly less than the universe holds — much less the God of the universe.

We can skip some steps and slip through a spiritual wormhole emerging, through folds in space-time continua to that lace on the other side of the creation where we can meet the God who knows and bends reality to His own purpose.

But we still won’t know everything.

And climbing will still involve struggle.

And we will have some bad days, some very bad days … and some good days … and some that don’t seem to fit any category at all.

But if we keep climbing we will find we are going somewhere. Along the way, some of the answers will be clearer. At the summit, there willl be a very clear perspective.

I am convinced that the Somewhere and Someone of it all are worth the climb and I have chosen to continue. Who will go with me?

Photo by Tobias Rademacher on Unsplash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meetings of the Minds

 

My opinions are like underarms.
Like most, I have two.
Others are offended by their emanating aroma before I notice
I need opinion hygiene.

To distinguish between
Opinion,
Preference,
Emotion,
Perspective,
Prejudice,
Inspiration,
&
Insight
Is no small task.
Speak.
Listen.
Be.

Politics at its best: collective, collaborative, courteous, and civil communication to solve problems as a people of differing perspectives.

I cannot hear the voices whose volume exceeds their content or whose hyperbolic pronouncements outdistance their capacity to listen.

If I cannot recognize the name you are calling me, how can I know you want me to listen. Name calling accomplishes nothing of good ever.

If I represent Jesus, it may require that I keep my own opinions within the laboratory of my own mind until they are better formulated.

There's no shortage of clever slogans to obscure, marginalize, fragment, & distort the truth they purport to underscore- including this one.

If we can agree we have a problem and agree on some part of what it is and agree we want to solve it, we have made much progress. 75% maybe.

If I say that Z is an unprincipled ignoramus, but Z is holding cards we need for a mutual win, I've gained nothing by winning that battle.

There must be some detente if there is going to be any negotiation. Negotiators do not compromise principles. They start with common ground.

Standing one's ground may lead to necessary impasse, but one never knows until common ground us sought and all voices have been heard.

Meetings of minds are superfluous among clones, but essential to the fluid thoughts of intersecting individuals crossroading life's journey.

So, let's meet. Reflections on Buber.

As I was walking to St Joe,
I met a man with a broken toe.
He knew some things I did not know,
Which I suppose just goes to show ....

If you fear me
When you see me
And I, in turn, fear you,
The spiral of
Communication
Downward
Would be the envy
Of roller coaster
Engineers

If making up my mind is like making up my bed, it won't last long ... or I will be too sleep deprived to remember anyway.

“I Have Already Come” All Saints and the Day of the Dead

Fra Angelico (circa 1395–1455), The Forerunners of Christ with Saints and Martyrs 

I Have Already Come 

“Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come.” — John Newton, “Amazing Grace”

We a tossed about and fraught with dangers, toils, and snares, but we have come through those over and over again.

“And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” 
– Revelation 7:14

There are two powerful words joined together bounce off the page  — two prepositions that together bring us hope in our trials and tribulations: out of.

We catch a glimpse of Heaven and behold the saints on display as examples of potential victory and ultimate triumph. These are they who have come out of tribulation. You might as well say, “through.”

Years back, my wife underwent surgery for breast cancer. The next day she was visited by a survivor. While she had already made up her mind to be more than that — even an “overcomer,” the visit was an encouragement. Someone had come out of the struggle, through the difficulties, and over the hurdles. And out of those tribulations, there emerged good.

“I have already come.”

When we hear those words and when we speak those words, we get courage. Whether it is our experience or someone else’s, there is precedent for victory. We affirm again with Paul that we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

We draw upon past victories to nurture belief for present and future challenges. We recognize the power of God’s grace in our lives up until this point. We see where we were, what we had to face, and how we emerged and we know that if we must, We can do it again.

We don’t want to do it again, but we can.

Then we think of the saints around the throne and know that we have really faced such little hardship compared to them. And from there we look to the cross and know that we have not even approached Christ’s suffering. Then we go back to our Bibles and underscore the words, “out of,” and back to our hymnals and highlight the word, “through.”

I have already come.