Hey, Y'all,
Hope you had a great weekend--it's always cool, especially as I get older (and somewhat wiser? :-) to stop and think for a bit about dads and the sacrifices they've made (and make) without giving it a second thought--so thanks, dads (y gracias, Facho).
Also find it funny--—like this weekend at church--—to see dads who've been taking care of us for years, decades actually, being honored side-by-side with some dads who've been dads for all of like 5 minutes ('sup, Hose). Cool...I half-expected to hear Elton John belting out "The Circle Of Life" (little tangent: "Mufasa!" "OoOoOoh! Say it again!").
Anyway, got to thinking about Godly fatherhood, about being a real man and a real dad, not some inferior, weak imitation. About the privilege and responsibility that it is, to not only care for someone entirely dependent on you, but to also be responsible for being a child's first understanding of who God is and what He's really about.
And the verse that kept rolling around my head is actually one that I remember learning when I was way young--as evidenced by the fact that I remember it most clearly in the King James Version--it's Micah 6:8...
"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."
So although there are a million verses and quotes on the topic, this is the one that kept ringing more and more true as I thought about it: to act justly, to demonstrate kindness and mercy, and to humbly walk with my Lord...is there a higher calling for a man?
You've been prayed for today...
Monday, June 18, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
Fail To Persevere?
Hey, Y'all,
Ran across this quote the other day and it resonated with me--'cause I'm sure I'm the only one who on occasion gets distracted by circumstances and can be discouraged and pout and (ironically) stay away from the only True Solution to whatever it is that ails me.
"There is no danger that the Lord will neglect the prayers of His people. The danger is that in temptation and trial they will become discouraged and fail to persevere in prayer."
Christ's Object Lessons p. 175
Key word, that--"persevere"--doesn't exactly imply a walk in the park but rather quite the opposite, no? Hmmm...I wonder, do I ever give up too quickly and mope? Do I fail to persevere in prayer while the winds and waves pick up and in moping fail to see a Lord ready and able to say, "Peace! Be still!"?
You've been prayed for today...
Ran across this quote the other day and it resonated with me--'cause I'm sure I'm the only one who on occasion gets distracted by circumstances and can be discouraged and pout and (ironically) stay away from the only True Solution to whatever it is that ails me.
"There is no danger that the Lord will neglect the prayers of His people. The danger is that in temptation and trial they will become discouraged and fail to persevere in prayer."
Christ's Object Lessons p. 175
Key word, that--"persevere"--doesn't exactly imply a walk in the park but rather quite the opposite, no? Hmmm...I wonder, do I ever give up too quickly and mope? Do I fail to persevere in prayer while the winds and waves pick up and in moping fail to see a Lord ready and able to say, "Peace! Be still!"?
You've been prayed for today...
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
I Know My Redeemer Lives
Hey, Y'all,
Heard a song the other day and decided to hunt down the text that engendered it, and I was downright surprised to find it in Job:
I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end He will stand upon the earth.
Job 19:25
What does it take to have that kind of faith...
how does that happen?
To really know the things I believe, to be utterly certain of them; that is my prayer, for me and for you--today, and every day.
Heard a song the other day and decided to hunt down the text that engendered it, and I was downright surprised to find it in Job:
I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end He will stand upon the earth.
Job 19:25
What does it take to have that kind of faith...
how does that happen?
To really know the things I believe, to be utterly certain of them; that is my prayer, for me and for you--today, and every day.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Audio RST -- (Slightly Belated) Memorial Day Thought: "Gratefulness"
Hey, Y'all,
Sorry this has taken a bit to get out to you--been slightly busy this week at work (what is it about "short weeks" that makes them a little extra-crazy?), also been scheming--errr--planning a really cool program set for June 30th (stand by for further shameless plugs :-) as well as getting ready to preach this Sabbath and, finally, well, I guess it just took me a little while to get these thoughts just right (hey, I'm an editor, what do you want from me?!? :-)
So, though the wishes are now a bit belated, I hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend--I certainly did, managed to completely disconnect for a couple days and decompress from a phenomenally stressful couple of weeks/months/years (just in time of course to re-compress this week--oh well :-) Also had some time to realize again how gratifying the previous weekend was, especially because I got to see friends and family, some of whom I hadn't seen in far too long--thanks for making the effort and coming out (you know who you are :-) I am truly grateful to have you in my life. And to those who couldn't make it but wanted to--I know, and I totally understand. You were missed :-)
This weekend I was privileged to attend a wreath-laying ceremony on the flight deck of the (former) USS Midway. First of all, I've always liked Memorial Day--more than most holidays, I suppose--because it's all about concepts I value and respect immensely: real sacrifice, true honor, genuine idealism. Anyway, I figured there'd be a few of us standing around (after all it was fairly early in the morning and it was a long weekend), but I was very pleasantly surprised as more and more people (of all ages) arrived--families, boy and girl scouts in uniform, proud old codgers wearing their uniforms or VFW garrison caps--in all we numbered over 250. How cool is that? I love this town. My kind of people.
Anyway, we all rose and stood at attention as the color guard paraded and then posted the colors and the national anthem was played, then the speakers spoke briefly before we stood solemnly once more as Taps was sounded and the wreaths were reverently dropped into the bay while the destroyer USS Bunker Hill slipped silently by with her sailors manning the rails, rendering honors to the fallen as well. Utterly moving. Indescribably so...
One of the speakers used a couple of lines from favorite quotes of mine (one from the Tomb Of The Unknowns at Arlington, the other from Lincoln's Gettysburg address) to speak of the fallen. He reminded us that the purpose of Memorial Day is not merely to sleep-in and barbecue; we must teach the rising generations that there are those who rest in honored glory, having given the last full measure of their devotion, for these ideals.
As the service wound down, it occurred to me that Memorial Day is almost exactly 6 months before (and after :-) Thanksgiving (and Veterans' Day as well, I might add)--so that's kind of cool, huh? Two almost equidistant opportunities each year to scrape off some of the cynicism and selfishness I've accumulated and deeply feel and express and think about gratitude.
And then it occurred to me that long before all of these men and women I admire, these patriots, gave their all, Christ gave the last full measure of His devotion for me, and for you, that we might truly live, free. Hmmm...now how often do I remember that?
Funny, too, that all of this tied in beautifully with the conversation we'd just had (during a truly "superior" vespers at the James estate :-) about thankfulness and humility, and as I "threatened" to send out Hezekiah Walker's "Gratefulness" (BTW thanks Art for introducing me to quite seriously one of the greatest songs I've ever heard), here indeed it is. Put on some headphones, play it in your car, irritate your neighbors if you must, but play it loud, this song warrants it; close your eyes if you have to, and really listen to the message...and remember.
You've been prayed for today...
Sorry this has taken a bit to get out to you--been slightly busy this week at work (what is it about "short weeks" that makes them a little extra-crazy?), also been scheming--errr--planning a really cool program set for June 30th (stand by for further shameless plugs :-) as well as getting ready to preach this Sabbath and, finally, well, I guess it just took me a little while to get these thoughts just right (hey, I'm an editor, what do you want from me?!? :-)
So, though the wishes are now a bit belated, I hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend--I certainly did, managed to completely disconnect for a couple days and decompress from a phenomenally stressful couple of weeks/months/years (just in time of course to re-compress this week--oh well :-) Also had some time to realize again how gratifying the previous weekend was, especially because I got to see friends and family, some of whom I hadn't seen in far too long--thanks for making the effort and coming out (you know who you are :-) I am truly grateful to have you in my life. And to those who couldn't make it but wanted to--I know, and I totally understand. You were missed :-)
This weekend I was privileged to attend a wreath-laying ceremony on the flight deck of the (former) USS Midway. First of all, I've always liked Memorial Day--more than most holidays, I suppose--because it's all about concepts I value and respect immensely: real sacrifice, true honor, genuine idealism. Anyway, I figured there'd be a few of us standing around (after all it was fairly early in the morning and it was a long weekend), but I was very pleasantly surprised as more and more people (of all ages) arrived--families, boy and girl scouts in uniform, proud old codgers wearing their uniforms or VFW garrison caps--in all we numbered over 250. How cool is that? I love this town. My kind of people.
Anyway, we all rose and stood at attention as the color guard paraded and then posted the colors and the national anthem was played, then the speakers spoke briefly before we stood solemnly once more as Taps was sounded and the wreaths were reverently dropped into the bay while the destroyer USS Bunker Hill slipped silently by with her sailors manning the rails, rendering honors to the fallen as well. Utterly moving. Indescribably so...
One of the speakers used a couple of lines from favorite quotes of mine (one from the Tomb Of The Unknowns at Arlington, the other from Lincoln's Gettysburg address) to speak of the fallen. He reminded us that the purpose of Memorial Day is not merely to sleep-in and barbecue; we must teach the rising generations that there are those who rest in honored glory, having given the last full measure of their devotion, for these ideals.
As the service wound down, it occurred to me that Memorial Day is almost exactly 6 months before (and after :-) Thanksgiving (and Veterans' Day as well, I might add)--so that's kind of cool, huh? Two almost equidistant opportunities each year to scrape off some of the cynicism and selfishness I've accumulated and deeply feel and express and think about gratitude.
And then it occurred to me that long before all of these men and women I admire, these patriots, gave their all, Christ gave the last full measure of His devotion for me, and for you, that we might truly live, free. Hmmm...now how often do I remember that?
Funny, too, that all of this tied in beautifully with the conversation we'd just had (during a truly "superior" vespers at the James estate :-) about thankfulness and humility, and as I "threatened" to send out Hezekiah Walker's "Gratefulness" (BTW thanks Art for introducing me to quite seriously one of the greatest songs I've ever heard), here indeed it is. Put on some headphones, play it in your car, irritate your neighbors if you must, but play it loud, this song warrants it; close your eyes if you have to, and really listen to the message...and remember.
You've been prayed for today...
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Vast Difference
Hey, Y'all,
So as promised, we're back discussing Philip Yancey's book "Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?" and today's quote addresses some queries we've all no doubt had sometime...
All my friends have some similarities to me and some differences...Every relationship spawns a kind of dance between "the self" and "the other." How much more so with a holy, ineffable God, who both lives here with us as well as in the realm of spirit?
I am overwhelmed by the vastness of God, the imbalance or asymmetry of any creature's relationship to such a being. "Since it is God we are speaking of, you do not understand it. If you could, it would not be God of which we speak," said Saint Augustine. True. How strange to think that we who barely comprehend ourselves are approaching a God we cannot possibly comprehend...
In prayer I am approaching the creator of all that is, someone next to whom I feel immeasurably small. How can I do anything but fall silent in such presence? Moreover, how can I believe that anything I say matters to God?...
In one hand I hold the truth of God's vastness, and in the other hand I hold the truth of His desire for relationship, for intimacy with us...I gaze at the stars and marvel at the apparent insignificance of the entire human experiment; then I read the passage of scripture (and it is just one of many like it) that says that, just as a mother with her child, God "rejoices over us with singing." Only lately have I understood that it is the vast difference between God and us what allows this very capacity. God operates by vastly different rules. God's infinite greatness, which we expect to diminish us, in fact makes possible the closeness the we--and He--desire.
How amazing is that? His vastness, my tiny-ness, His interest, my disbelief, His insistence, my acceptance--and subsequent awakening (rebirth?) into a new and far better existence, right here, right now.
It is no wonder then that David wrote both
"When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars you set in place, what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?"
and
"The Lord is my shepherd--I have everything I need."
You've been prayed for today...
So as promised, we're back discussing Philip Yancey's book "Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?" and today's quote addresses some queries we've all no doubt had sometime...
All my friends have some similarities to me and some differences...Every relationship spawns a kind of dance between "the self" and "the other." How much more so with a holy, ineffable God, who both lives here with us as well as in the realm of spirit?
I am overwhelmed by the vastness of God, the imbalance or asymmetry of any creature's relationship to such a being. "Since it is God we are speaking of, you do not understand it. If you could, it would not be God of which we speak," said Saint Augustine. True. How strange to think that we who barely comprehend ourselves are approaching a God we cannot possibly comprehend...
In prayer I am approaching the creator of all that is, someone next to whom I feel immeasurably small. How can I do anything but fall silent in such presence? Moreover, how can I believe that anything I say matters to God?...
In one hand I hold the truth of God's vastness, and in the other hand I hold the truth of His desire for relationship, for intimacy with us...I gaze at the stars and marvel at the apparent insignificance of the entire human experiment; then I read the passage of scripture (and it is just one of many like it) that says that, just as a mother with her child, God "rejoices over us with singing." Only lately have I understood that it is the vast difference between God and us what allows this very capacity. God operates by vastly different rules. God's infinite greatness, which we expect to diminish us, in fact makes possible the closeness the we--and He--desire.
How amazing is that? His vastness, my tiny-ness, His interest, my disbelief, His insistence, my acceptance--and subsequent awakening (rebirth?) into a new and far better existence, right here, right now.
It is no wonder then that David wrote both
"When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars you set in place, what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?"
and
"The Lord is my shepherd--I have everything I need."
You've been prayed for today...
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
From Him, Through Him, To Him...
Hey, Y'all,
Yeah, I know, I said we'd get back to Yancey's book on prayer this RST, but maybe it's the lack of sleep, or maybe it's the fact (like I told a friend of mine earlier: been waiting seems like forever to say) that I just got done with my final final finally (yep, fully embracing my inner geek tonight! can't take me anywhere :-) (hey, I did say I haven't been sleeping much of late, right?!?!).
Anyway, as I was saying, don't know what it is exactly, but I (not-so) randomly ran across this passage in Romans and it really really struck me--and interestingly enough, it does segue nicely back to Yancey's book as you'll see later. So here it is...
Oh, the depth of the riches
of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable His judgments,
and His paths beyond tracing out!
Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been His counselor?
Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.
To Him be the glory forever! Amen.
Romans 11:33-36
Just...perfect for where my (somewhat addled) mind is tonight...
And you've been prayed for.
Yeah, I know, I said we'd get back to Yancey's book on prayer this RST, but maybe it's the lack of sleep, or maybe it's the fact (like I told a friend of mine earlier: been waiting seems like forever to say) that I just got done with my final final finally (yep, fully embracing my inner geek tonight! can't take me anywhere :-) (hey, I did say I haven't been sleeping much of late, right?!?!).
Anyway, as I was saying, don't know what it is exactly, but I (not-so) randomly ran across this passage in Romans and it really really struck me--and interestingly enough, it does segue nicely back to Yancey's book as you'll see later. So here it is...
Oh, the depth of the riches
of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable His judgments,
and His paths beyond tracing out!
Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been His counselor?
Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.
To Him be the glory forever! Amen.
Romans 11:33-36
Just...perfect for where my (somewhat addled) mind is tonight...
And you've been prayed for.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
P.S. "Remember"
P.S. One last not-so-random thought before we get back to Yancey's book on prayer (funny how this was touched on yesterday both in the sermon and in Sabbath School--go Trina and Olya!).
If you worry that you can't remember those last texts (and others) when you need 'em...stand by for another gratuitous shout-out to the fellas of the men's group...(Fellas! :-) In said august gathering we have lots of passages that seem to come up repeatedly, and thanks to our brother Ellis this one has become one of the classics--it's John 14:26 (right before John 14:27 above, in case you missed it) and yeah, it addresses our (sometimes? usually?) balky memory:
"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."
So there you have it--we talked about God's Word and His Spirit's ability to allow us to see things more clearly (especially within ourselves--not always an easy thing--or maybe it's just me :-), and we talked about His recipe for peace (the good stuff--not that cheap counterfeit the world gives), and if you forget any of it, don't worry, He says He'll even remind you. How cool is that?
You've been prayed for today...
If you worry that you can't remember those last texts (and others) when you need 'em...stand by for another gratuitous shout-out to the fellas of the men's group...(Fellas! :-) In said august gathering we have lots of passages that seem to come up repeatedly, and thanks to our brother Ellis this one has become one of the classics--it's John 14:26 (right before John 14:27 above, in case you missed it) and yeah, it addresses our (sometimes? usually?) balky memory:
"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."
So there you have it--we talked about God's Word and His Spirit's ability to allow us to see things more clearly (especially within ourselves--not always an easy thing--or maybe it's just me :-), and we talked about His recipe for peace (the good stuff--not that cheap counterfeit the world gives), and if you forget any of it, don't worry, He says He'll even remind you. How cool is that?
You've been prayed for today...
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