a breath

Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.

Remind me that my days are numbered, & that my life is fleeing away.

My life is no longer than the width of my hand.

An entire lifetime is just a moment to You:

human existence is but a breath.

We are merely moving shadows,

& all our busy rushing ends in nothing.

We heap up wealth for someone else to spend.

And so, Lord,where do I put my hope?

My only hope is in You.

Psalm 39:4-7

I look around our world these days & see so many people, within our country & outside our country, who act as if they are going to live forever.

Some of them give me the feeling that they are pretty omnipotent.

I've lived too long & seen too much.

Life is short – we blink our eyes & it's coming to an end.

What would I do differently if I could? Oh my... many things...

I would take more risks - & I have been seen by many as a risk taken in many ways, especially as a music minister.

I wouldn't sweat the small stuff – I worried about what a friend of mine in Fitzgerald, GA would have called, “small potatoes”.

I don't know if I'd tolerate some things in my workplace.

I met a guy at Hannah & Lance's wedding – a friend of Lance's who works for The Cheesecake Factory.

I ask him if it was a good place to work.

He said it was for him.

I told him that I've come to believe that life's too short to work in a place that abuses you or where the mix of employee / management personalities is toxic.

I wouldn't wait until I was 52 ½ years old to start reading the Bible every day without fail (you knew I was gonna say it eventually ;-) LOL)

I have wished so many times in the last couple of years, as I have watched events unfold in our world, that the people who lead us & influence us could grasp the concept that “our lives are but a breath”.

Maybe things would be in as big a mess if they grasped it a little more.

But I don't think they will.

I continue to believe there's more afoot these days than what we are able to see.

And the longer I watch things, the more I realize the truth of verse 7...

“And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in You.”

All I know is all I know

Are you worn out today?

Are you so discouraged, defeated, or frustrated?

Do you thing that who you are &/or what you're about is of little to no consequence?

Is your life so overwhelming that you feel completely overcome?

Do you feel put on the shelf?

Does it feel like you're not making any different to anything or anybody?

Does your life seem “over” or “done”?

“Do you think “what's the use?” a lot?

Does the knot at the end of your rope feel like it's coming undone?

Are you tired of saying, or thinking, “I don't know” to every question put to you or put to yourself?

Does the trajectory of your life seem to not “traject”?

Do you just feel “wo' out”?

You too, huh?

This verse is not offered as a glib panacea of hope, or a smug “fixing” for all your think & feel right now.

I offer it as it is – it is what it is.

It's from Paul's letter to the followers of Jesus who lived in Galatia.

God definitely gave it to be 10 years ago in reference to a relationship I thought was irrevocably broken.

And He's given it to me over & over again in regards to many, many situations in my life, including my life right now.

He keeps saying the 6 words of the 2^nd line.

It is a promise that not only comes from Paul's life lived following Jesus – it's something that God Himself speaks to each of us.

I don't think it's a way out immediately for any of us.

What I think it is is what it is – a promise from God for all of us – for you, & me...

...even though it doesn't feel like it.

It is what it is.

All I know is all I know.

So don't get tired of doing what is good.

Don't get discouraged & give up,

for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.

Galatians 6:9 (NLT, 1^st edition)

sowing

Mark 4

1 Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore.

A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat.

Then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore.

2 He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:

  3 "Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed.

4 As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it.

5 Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock.

The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.

6 But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn't have deep roots, it died.

7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain.

8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!"

9 Then he said, "Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand."

  10 Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.

  11 He replied, "You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders,

12 so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:

'When they see what I do, they will learn nothing.
When they hear what I say, they will not understand.
Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven.'

  13 Then Jesus said to them, "If you can't understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables?

14 The farmer plants seed by taking God's word to others.

15 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away.

16 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy.

17 But since they don't have deep roots, they don't last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God's word.

18 The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God's word, 19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.

20 And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!"

We often hear this parable used as a challenge for us to give ourselves to missionary work overseas &/or organized evangelism.

But maybe Jesus was using this parable as general call for all of us, to sow the seeds of the good news about Him & how He has provided a way to connect to God?

Maybe this is a call for all of us to “sow seeds” in our homes & neighborhoods, at work, or anywhere we go in our lives – the stores, groceries, doctor's offices, auto service centers – anywhere & everywhere, to anyone everyone?

I have often wondered if this is a prophetic parable about our season here in Blairsville.

this will fry your brain

Galatans 4

4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.

5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law,

so that he could adopt us as his very own children.

6 And because we are his children,

God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,

prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father."

7 Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child.

And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

“Abba” is for Jews the intimate name used for the father – possibly like “papa”.

Using it means a person is addressing someone with whom they have a very very close, familiar, intimate, open relationship.

That is the term Paul says we can use with the God of the universes who is eternal, who ever has been & ever will be.

Paul maintains that we a followers of Jesus have been adopted into God's family – iow, God considers us His children.

This is another indicator of the level of connect God now has instigated between us & Him.

The God of the universes, who is so unspeakably holy, who knows everything, who is completely all powerful & wise, who is the very essence of love, who is, always has been, & always will be, considers us to be His children.

This was an astounding piece of information to everyone & anyone of Paul's time – no God said He thought of His creation as His children.

It is still something people consider astounding when they discover it.

And if we are His children, then everything God has is ours.

If you want to short circuit your brain, try to wrap it around the fact that God simply “is” - He ALWAYS has been around, & He ALWAYS will be around.

Then if your brains isn't completely fried, then consider that we, as God's children, are now on the eternal continuum with Him – and as His children, have access to everything He is, & everything He has.

This may be a bit much too much – think about it today during some down time today – like during the sermon today at church ( ;-) LOL )

whose yardstick?

Galatians 3

26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ,

like putting on new clothes.

28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile,

slave or free,

male and female.

For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

What Paul is saying in verse 28 seems to me to be that when God looks at us, He doesn't see the things about us that we see.

iow, we are all the same to Him.

The things that we use as yardsticks to measure the worth of someone simply are the things that God uses to measure our value.

God looks at us & see us as His children – that is all.

If this is true, then how should we view people?

Should we differentiate one person from another by some temporal yardstick?

I don't think so.

So, iow, we are to look at each other, see each other, and conclude each other as God does – as simply God's children?

And how should this impact our behavior toward, & treatment of, other people?

Think about THAT for the rest of the day!

letting loose

Galatians 2:20

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (NLT)

I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Amplified)

When the Messiah was executed on the stake as a criminal, I was too; so that my proud ego no longer lives. But the Messiah lives in me, and the life I now live in my body I live by the same trusting faithfulness that the Son of God had, who loved me and gave himself up for me. (CJB)

So I am not the one living now—it is Christ living in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God. He is the one who loved me and gave himself to save me. (ERV)

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (ESV)

As far as the Law is concerned I may consider that I died on the cross with Christ. And my present life is not that of the old “I”, but the living Christ within me. The bodily life I now live, I live believing in the Son of God, who loved me and sacrificed himself for me. Consequently I refuse to stultify the grace of God by reverting to the Law. For if righteousness were possible under the Law then Christ died for nothing! (J B Phillips)

What actually took place is this:

I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God,

and it didn’t work.

So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man.

Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it.

I identified myself completely with him.

Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ.

My ego is no longer central.

It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion,

and I am no longer driven to impress God.

Christ lives in me.

The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave himself for me.

I am not going to go back on that.

Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God?

I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace.

If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.

(The Message)

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (NIV)

I have been crucified with the Anointed One—I am no longer alive—but the Anointed is living in me; and whatever life I have left in this failing body I live by the faithfulness of God’s Son, the One who loves me and gave His body on the cross for me. (The Voice)

* * * * * * * *

What actually took place is this:

I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God,

and it didn’t work.

So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man.

Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it.

I identified myself completely with him.

Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ.

My ego is no longer central.

It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion,

and I am no longer driven to impress God.

Christ lives in me.

The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave himself for me.

I am not going to go back on that.

Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God?

I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace.

If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.

(The Message)

I think The Message, a paraphrase edition of this text, puts it all together better.

It expresses what was going on in Paul's mind.

It makes a better statement of about how Paul abandoned his reliance on his good works to get himself justified as a person worthy of God's attention.

His reality now is that he relies now on the sacrifice of Jesus to make him acceptable to God.

And as he abandons a “work your way into heaven” thinking, he lets go of his life, & let's Jesus take control of him to the point that there is less & less of Paul's personality coming out & more & more of Jesus', who now lives in & through Paul.

I hope all this is making sense. Sometimes at this hour of the morning, it's hard to tell ;-)

what He said

Matthew 28

18 Jesus came and told his disciples,

"I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

19 Therefore,

go

and make disciples of all the nations,

baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.

And be sure of this:

I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

I've said it before in this blog – I'll keep saying it until the world looks level...

The operative word in this passage is “go”.

Not “just be godly & wait for the heathens & unbelievers come to you”.

I get the feeling some people, a lot of people, a huge chunk of people in our culture here in America evidently think that's what it says.

Jesus also uses the imperative.

He didn't say

“you will go”

or “you can go when it's safe”

or “you can go when everything lines up & there's plenty of money & you can continue to live your precious & prissy white upper middle class lifestyle”.

He said “go” - the you is implied.

It's not implying “some of you” or “those of you who feel good about doing this” or “those of you who feel qualified”.

The implied you Jesus used is an “all of you” you – plural, not singular.

He said “go” in the strongest way possible – the imperative.

And Jesus' imperative suggests “go now”.

Not “when you feel like it”

Or “if you can live in the paradigm you've always live”

Or “to the people with whom you're comfortable”.

Or ”when you have your 401K situated”.

He meant “now”.

Jesus' imperative meant “all of you go now”.

It still means that.

Go.

what if...

The Lord says,

"I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.

I will advise you

& watch over you."

Psalm 32:8

What would our lives look like if we REALLY believed this?

How would we act, behave, & think if trusted God at this level?

What would our stress levels be if we REALLY thought God was faithful in guiding us?

And what would our responses to life be impacted if we thought God was really going to watch over us - no matter what happens, He was going to take care of us?

We either believe this statement by the Lord, or not.

I continue to hold on to it – what choice do we have anyway?

If we don't, our footing in life will always be uncertain & imperiled.

But if we do, we may not be able to explain the ups & downs of our life, but we can express faith in the One who is always with us in those ups & downs.

weak vs strong

2 Corinthians 12

7b So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh,

a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

  8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.

9 Each time he said,

"My grace is all you need.

My power works best in weakness."

So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses,

so that the power of Christ can work through me.

10 That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ.

For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul wrote this.

We don't know what his “thorn” was.

That's not the important factor.

The most important thing Paul learned is that God is able to be & do great things in our lives when we are weak.

He learned that God strength is much more abundant when he acknowledges his weakness & need for God's intervening power.

Why is this true for Paul & us?

Because God is able to work more freely when we are admittedly weakend so that God can work through us more or less unhindered.

I've experienced this, more than once.

There have been times when I knew I couldn't pull off what was required for me to be or do.

But if I surrendered myself to whatever is at hand, expecting God to empower me every step of the way, He has always come through for me.

Always.

Consider that today as you go about your life, & think about if we trusted Him more to come through for us, what our lives might look like.

no wiggle room

In this country, our attitude stinks about the poor & the working poor.

It hasn't always been that way.

It started over 30 years ago, but it has really gone down hill in the last 16 years.

Every time I hear anyone get cranked up about the poor & the working poor...

I think of this passage & wonder if the person who is spewing such negative attitudes about the poor & working poor has bothered to ever read this passage.

The poor & working poor back in Jesus' time weren't any different from people in that socio-economic strata.

There was no such thing as “the noble poor” back then, anymore than there is today.

But Jesus is pretty up front about what He as God thinks about them.

And He leaves no wiggle room...

Matthew 25

31 "But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne.

32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

  34 "Then the King will say to those on his right,

'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.

35 For I was hungry, and you fed me.

I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink.

I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.

36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing.

I was sick, and you cared for me.

I was in prison, and you visited me.'

  37 "Then these righteous ones will reply,

'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you?

Or thirsty and give you something to drink?

38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality?

Or naked and give you clothing?

39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?'

  40 "And the King will say,

'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'

  41 "Then the King will turn to those on the left and say,

'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.

42 For I was hungry, and you didn't feed me.

I was thirsty, and you didn't give me a drink.

43 I was a stranger, and you didn't invite me into your home.

I was naked, and you didn't give me clothing.

I was sick and in prison, and you didn't visit me.'

  44 "Then they will reply,

'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?'

  45 "And he will answer,

'I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.'

  46 "And they will go away into eternal punishment,

but the righteous will go into eternal life."

enough said

Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.


If you live for Him & make the Kingdom of God your primary concern,


He will give you all you need from day to day.


Matthew 6:32b-33 



...enough said.

3 miracles

Yesterday, our daughter, Hannah, got married.

I cannot quantify the panoply of emotions that played through my mind.

I saw 3 miracles yesterday.

I was reminded of the miracle that God gave her to us.

31 years ago, if Lynn & I had gotten the child we deserved, she would have had 2 heads & horns.

Instead, He gave us Hannah.

The 2^nd miracle I saw was the godly woman she has become.

Considering the ups & downs of living with 2 strong personalities as mine & Lynns, well, it's a miracle she turned out so dynamically well.

And she has become a person who loves people well with the love of Jesus – a love that so obviously is channeled through her.

And she is loved so very very much in return for her willingness to share His love.

And the 3^rd miracle is that God led a tremendous man to come her way, who fell in love with her, & with whom she felt safe to fall in long.

To see their open, transparent, & strong playful love yesterday was one of the most amazing blessings of my life.

And once again I am reminded that the happiest day of your life really isn't the day you get married.

The happiest day of your life is when you child gets married.

Thank You, God for Hannah, & for Lance, for the way they love you, for the way they love each other, & for how they now get to do that dance of love, together, with You.

Yesterday was the happiest day of Lynn's & my life.

Thank You, God...

# 2

My favorite psalm is # 139. We just all read it a few days ago in this blog.

My second favorite is Psalm 27.

I read it this morning as part of my sequential reading of Psalms.

It's good stuff.

Here it is...

Psalm 27

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—

  so why should I be afraid?

The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger,

  so why should I tremble?

2 When evil people come to devour me,

  when my enemies and foes attack me,

  they will stumble and fall.

3 Though a mighty army surrounds me,

  my heart will not be afraid.

Even if I am attacked,

  I will remain confident.

4 The one thing I ask of the LORD—

  the thing I seek most—

is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,

  delighting in the LORD's perfections

  and meditating in his Temple.

5 For he will conceal me there when troubles come;

  he will hide me in his sanctuary.

  He will place me out of reach on a high rock.

6 Then I will hold my head high

  above my enemies who surround me.

At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,

  singing and praising the LORD with music.

7 Hear me as I pray, O LORD.

  Be merciful and answer me!

8 My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me."

  And my heart responds, "LORD, I am coming."

9 Do not turn your back on me.

  Do not reject your servant in anger.

  You have always been my helper.

Don't leave me now; don't abandon me,

  O God of my salvation!

10 Even if my father and mother abandon me,

  the LORD will hold me close.

11 Teach me how to live, O LORD.

  Lead me along the right path,

  for my enemies are waiting for me.

12 Do not let me fall into their hands.

  For they accuse me of things I've never done;

  with every breath they threaten me with violence.

13 Yet I am confident I will see the LORD's goodness

  while I am here in the land of the living.

14 Wait patiently for the LORD.

  Be brave and courageous.

  Yes, wait patiently for the LORD. -