tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90261041789543539332024-03-12T17:54:20.066-07:00Something About The Joy
Heaven Dances With Joy!Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.comBlogger193125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-45357806441614282372023-07-07T16:43:00.000-07:002023-07-07T16:43:51.450-07:00A Risky Business
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">My life seems to be a constant growth cycle. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYA_6l8VrHXb70JMf_oH7uL5fhstFvhF65dlrdIeszCV98O16RpYyP3i4YHaOEKYJTcMComAHC8hzl5AhMh6DNQyXP2d8DWi1gf1-XUS9id1OzSnkpEGwf3tSV8PQR8geT4P1abw6ioPe1xH-KcqwnNMu3XPeCJ5Gn52YJ-AU-_wBh5RLAc5PwNkvHh8/s4000/IMG_6945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: georgia; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2248" data-original-width="4000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYA_6l8VrHXb70JMf_oH7uL5fhstFvhF65dlrdIeszCV98O16RpYyP3i4YHaOEKYJTcMComAHC8hzl5AhMh6DNQyXP2d8DWi1gf1-XUS9id1OzSnkpEGwf3tSV8PQR8geT4P1abw6ioPe1xH-KcqwnNMu3XPeCJ5Gn52YJ-AU-_wBh5RLAc5PwNkvHh8/s320/IMG_6945.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I go from an
initial place of trusting in God, to an insurmountable problem, to worry and
anxiety, to remembering His faithfulness in the past, to choosing to believe
once again, to one small encouraging sign of His love—a sign that grows the
faith even before I see the answer, to praise for Who He is and what He is
going to do, and then, finally, to the miracle. Then we begin again, with a
slightly more insurmountable problem.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This faith walk is like following stepping stones across a
raging river. I step out, jump onto the next three stones that are nearby, then
look around for another foothold. I see none at first, then one that is close
but requires a bit of a stretch, then another that is no bigger than the size
of my foot. This one seems too far to hazard a leap but there is no other
option. I cannot go back. So I leap, and then keep on going as far as I can,
taking chances, and all the time wondering if I will run out of rocks in the
middle of the torrent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I go one step at a time, trusting, because I have to. No one
is going to helicopter me out of the middle of this process, even though it’s a
risk each time I lift my foot that I am going to slip and fall. Or else end up stranded
halfway there with no way out. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But it’s a risk that excites me. It challenges me to keep
trying. Because by now the journey is actually a risk-free adventure. My faith
experience over the past 70 years has taught me that when I reach a place of desperation,
at the end of my own strength and wisdom, I can turn to the One Who created the
universe. This same One has held my hand all along the journey so far. I can
turn to Him for wisdom and strength and courage and know He will provide all I
need to get to the other side.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Knowing that He is there and that He is trustworthy has
turned my life journey from an anxiety-ridden existence into an exciting
adventure.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBZhwAFlAlKschqdRYhRJf9DIx8dNn1ha5B60f7t4KomKNOhwWkOSRidXpdlNWsf7urq18uK9k-fRqkH4_s3QNZeDRltdoYN1LDJXnHMj35_bgzMX4innDKwXvUh4zI-d-CnABUSmVYot7m8WJfVrinldEW1KGTYbGD5skXfYUXdqoH7wuH_1aqqruok/s644/Screenshot%202023-07-07%20at%204.39.53%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="634" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBZhwAFlAlKschqdRYhRJf9DIx8dNn1ha5B60f7t4KomKNOhwWkOSRidXpdlNWsf7urq18uK9k-fRqkH4_s3QNZeDRltdoYN1LDJXnHMj35_bgzMX4innDKwXvUh4zI-d-CnABUSmVYot7m8WJfVrinldEW1KGTYbGD5skXfYUXdqoH7wuH_1aqqruok/s320/Screenshot%202023-07-07%20at%204.39.53%20PM.png" width="315" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i> </i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your
own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your
paths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Proverbs 3:5-6</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style> <br /></p><p> </p><p><br /> </p>Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-49415799091495149672023-02-07T16:07:00.002-08:002023-02-07T16:09:24.311-08:00Holiness Lost<div class="separator"><p style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img alt="" class="hCL kVc L4E MIw" height="407" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/ab/ba/2d/abba2d7b4e4fd0e71a249de876750369.jpg" width="209" /></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">The Bible
tells stories about people who “experience” the actual presence of God, and in
all cases, they fall down. They can’t help it. It’s not that God knocks them
down. He doesn’t do that to innocent people. They fall down because He is holy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">The Bible
says that one day everyone who has ever lived will fall down before Jesus
Christ. For some, it will come as a real shock. As Dallas Willard puts it, “Reality
is what hits you when you’re wrong.” None of us is completely right in our view
of God, and we are perhaps most wrong in our mis-understanding of his holiness.
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">We human beings
lost our view of what holiness is in the beginning when our first parents decided
to turn away from Him and take His place of authority in their lives. And we,
as their individual offspring, have affirmed their decision, making ourselves
our own gods, bowing to our own self-interest in place of the One who deserves
worship—the one Who is the source of life.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">In a comment
on an internet site in </span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">Quora, under a discussion of freedom and
death, one person says:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I believe that death
holds more freedom than life. We live in a world where we have no choice but to
participate in activities that benefit others more than it does ourselves. The
idea of not knowing implies endless possibilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I assume this writer
feels that at least one of the “endless possibilities” that agnosticism affords
us is the freedom to live only to benefit ourselves—to reign over our own lives.
That, to some, might seem to be the essence of happiness. But all of our human experience
shows the opposite is actually true.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">We all bend
toward the desire to do life our own way, rather than the way the Creator
designed us. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">But the Bible says living
our lives without reference to God leads to death, not freedom. We destroy
ourselves physically, psychologically, and spiritually when we turn our backs
on Him. We cut ourselves off from the source of life and we are lost. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">This state-of-affairs
is illustrated in contemporary art. Our lostness is reflected in images that
include all the symbols of death and darkness. We wear those symbols on </span><a href="https://mrgugu.com/product/death-metal-sweater"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">our clothing</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">; we ink them on </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/839921399248454326/"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">our bodies</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">; we express them in </span><a href="https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tVP1zc0TCszTEtPs0w2YPTiLMpMzyhJzS8tBgBp2wh5&q=righteous&oq=righteous&aqs=chrome.1.0i131i355i433i512j46i131i433i512j0i433i512j46i131i433i512j46i433i512j0i433i512j46i433i512j0i3j0i512l2.4562j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#wptab=si:AEcPFx5TRTnca31vONqoNYlzoLKYWW9Io4JA99ZVqyY-gPmyoKoGglv3oCRyAbjkNyXtU8TaQy_wU4BgAwkQk-m1JK7efaNZrmqYSL53R2-W3okhmVYM1MnLmtfEzJV2T2NFckc3Rkx-3j1q2ZkozmWf_HvOsdwwmUtMuswqhOcx1U3Isn5s49c%3D"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">our song lyrics</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">. And in an unholy world we earn Grammy awards for
them. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">But we are
self-destructing. </span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">Anyone
with eyes can see it. We live in a “fuck you” world. It’s an agony that we, as
a culture, have turned our backs on God and so lost any real sense of what
holiness is like. It’s a huge loss. </span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-91181936008162556652023-01-28T13:39:00.000-08:002023-01-28T13:39:15.770-08:00Holiness and the F-Word<p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWeW4PbdvJFHAOq-ruTeD78HByrD7q484s4Mycjsjt3vtFCQKWCJgkk_gfLgRWsN_6MivSVonm-4rV-MJu44q39JZFMWByw0eOpst2oLwwdh40MquYpcpe3fY3w2BBP7HUfRzHH7jqTOx1GDSN2bFU2tQAyIpBFZ5vB_-GkNEA94SAJKpd6v1KgEwk/s4608/20211216_154733.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWeW4PbdvJFHAOq-ruTeD78HByrD7q484s4Mycjsjt3vtFCQKWCJgkk_gfLgRWsN_6MivSVonm-4rV-MJu44q39JZFMWByw0eOpst2oLwwdh40MquYpcpe3fY3w2BBP7HUfRzHH7jqTOx1GDSN2bFU2tQAyIpBFZ5vB_-GkNEA94SAJKpd6v1KgEwk/s320/20211216_154733.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">This morning
I’ve been thinking about the word ‘holy’ for some reason. I started this train
of thought by remembering a conversation I had with some girls at school
yesterday. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">I overheard
one of them use the word ‘fucking’ and, since we were just standing around
waiting for another P.E. class we were joining to get organized, I decided to
give a mini-lesson on how and why that word—the F-word—sounds so offensive to
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">Today, as I
think about it, I am realizing that the word can only be offensive if there is really
a God. Atheists and agnostics also often find the word offensive, but if they
were asked why, I think they might have a hard time coming up with an
explanation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">The F-word is
the epitome of whatever is the opposite of the word ‘holy,’ and the word ‘holy’
only has meaning in the context of God. Not just god as an impersonal force
either. Holy defines a personal God—a God who can be wronged, defied, treated
with disdain and therefore offended and abused in the most horrible way--horrible
because of Who He is.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">What does
this have to do with the word ‘fuck?’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #282829; font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI";">When I googled 'fuck' to find
out what it means, I found it described as <a href="https://blog.gymglish.com/2021/10/07/the-origins-of-the-word-fuck " target="_blank"><i>a . . .</i></a></span><a href="https://blog.gymglish.com/2021/10/07/the-origins-of-the-word-fuck " target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">sassy, controversial, comforting,
profane and sacred four-letter word</span></i><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">
<span style="color: black;">covering</span> <i>a wide range of states</i> <span style="color: black;">including</span> <i>pain, anger, happiness,
boredom, elation, panic, disgust,</i> <span style="color: black;">and</span> <i>excitement.</i></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">So it seems
that, though the word has been associated with the sex act, it has become many
other things as well. It’s become a reflection of the confusion of our age: profane
and sacred and everything else we want to make it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">Since it has
become all those things—in a sense all things to all people—I am going to take
the liberty of giving it another definition myself. I will say that ‘fuck’ is a
term of rebellion against all goodness with a capital “G.” In reference to the
sex act, the word is a deliberate desecration of an act of holiness—the act
which a Holy God designed as a process for creating holy human beings—human beings
in His image. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">And so the
word, to me, expresses desecration in general, and a defiance of all that is
good—all that is holy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">Even if we
don’t know why, we human beings seem to have an ingrained sense of awe—some sense of right and
wrong—about these words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both of them:
‘holy’ and ‘fuck’. I believe that’s because we have an innate sense, however
vaguely the concept is understood, that there is a God and that He is good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">We have an
innate sense, as well, that He is more than an impersonal force, however inadequately
we understand that concept. We sense that God is personal, and is, Himself, the
epitome of holiness. Or, I guess it’s holiness that is the epitome of God?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">What if that’s
true? What if holiness is the central, defining characteristic of God? What if
every other characteristic of Him wraps around this central reality?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if His goodness, his wisdom, his merciful
compassion, even his omnipotence, surround His central core—His holiness? What
if Holiness defines Him?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">This is the
characteristic, or personality trait of God, that brings me most often to my knees.
When I mediate on Him—when my mind and heart turn in His direction—I collapse
in awe and worship because of His holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t help it. Even
though I can’t describe ‘holy’ adequately, any more than I can adequately
describe Him, yet holiness floods my spirit when I think of Him. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">I believe that experiencing
holiness is experiencing God. For real.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;">And that’s
why the F-word always makes me cringe. </span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-6572320872871825632022-07-14T12:25:00.007-07:002022-07-14T12:37:38.104-07:00On the Unbelievability of the Christian Message<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhei016iUJWDiii990aWXl_waPE2l2Uqdd3_drjgT5jX669noCxL_4Pdgd3PWUm62jVzMfGGq9YmsSohsZpyrZLGqg5IDUkTTOikjnzLFTVIHNJShW9YKqMLbhxz2RjOIYNejxA_GRyGbqWbZXv7QsUcmQUmlT-4nCUV8JBXxJ6UgiP-10xmklfHMeW/s2248/Goat%20closeup.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2237" data-original-width="2248" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhei016iUJWDiii990aWXl_waPE2l2Uqdd3_drjgT5jX669noCxL_4Pdgd3PWUm62jVzMfGGq9YmsSohsZpyrZLGqg5IDUkTTOikjnzLFTVIHNJShW9YKqMLbhxz2RjOIYNejxA_GRyGbqWbZXv7QsUcmQUmlT-4nCUV8JBXxJ6UgiP-10xmklfHMeW/w400-h398/Goat%20closeup.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">The other night I was thinking about how
unbelievable—incredible—ridiculously impossible the Christian message is.<span> </span></span></span><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s preposterous.<span> <br /></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Am I imagining all this?<br /></span></span><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">How could any rational person fall for the idea of a good
God creating a good world, then creating human beings, and then giving them the
freedom to choose whether or not to listen to Him when He tells them how they
should live in that world?<span> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Preposterous that a good God would give the persons He
created the ability to destroy themselves and others and the good world around
them. That he would allow them to be selfish, greedy and so dangerously careless
as to refuse to choose to live by the owner’s manual He gave them? </span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">And speaking of the Bible, that’s another ridiculous idea: that
He would write a book, over a period of roughly 1500 years, using the minds and
fingers of at least 40 of the very human creatures who messed things up in the
first place—a book full of information about Himself, and about us.<span> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">And that He would expect us to believe that stories in that book,
translated into thousands of different languages, survived over the last 2000
years, intact, because they contain wisdom that has proved to be relevant in
every culture since the beginning of time.<span>
</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_translations">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_translations</a><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">And even more incredible that, after all has fallen apart,
over and over again, down through the centuries, He has devised some plan that
would rescue even the worst of us from the destruction around us—would forgive
us and restore all things to their original state for us, and then give us a
chance to live “happily ever after” when our lives on earth are finished.<span> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">No one could have made this stuff up.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">But, when I think about it, lots of things I see around me
are just as incredible.<span> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ridiculously impossible.<span>
</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Impossible that my body, when I was a baby, contained the
building blocks of three other human beings who would be created and fully
formed, one at a time, over the next 36 years of my life, and that their bodies
contained eight other human beings who would also be born and grow up and grow
old like me.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">And I’m just getting started:</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Not </span>just MY body, but an elephant's body, a goat's body, a whale's body, </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">my cat's body</span>--this is incredibly mind-boggling. <br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">All the great wonders of the world, created
by God and by the humans He created, and all the wonders of the universe—all incredible,
unbelievable, impossible, </span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">and yet they exist.<span> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Unless I am imagining all this?</span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p><style><span style="font-family: georgia;">@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</span></style></p>Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-60821387086504295522022-06-21T13:34:00.001-07:002022-06-21T13:34:09.701-07:00For All the Grads: What Life is About!<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">Looking for help as you step out into the scary new world?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">Here's a Grandma's advice:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">Wow!<span> </span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHs6pLCL9NfA4A-m6c2ttVdGMwc6qKWMIMOzRN33BecKo3GQxE5Oqauqr7plmnyafOY8L9gxY5w7zy2W248gR6yTDlid7DWIOOdP4p6vwou77Xx9_ntC9gRsttkGkTKkRYmunyILQV2DHDH5QK6W_V9yS43O1T-V56vwiZe1EWKqNly7xaVwo-CJCb/s3874/20220621_102547.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3874" data-original-width="2240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHs6pLCL9NfA4A-m6c2ttVdGMwc6qKWMIMOzRN33BecKo3GQxE5Oqauqr7plmnyafOY8L9gxY5w7zy2W248gR6yTDlid7DWIOOdP4p6vwou77Xx9_ntC9gRsttkGkTKkRYmunyILQV2DHDH5QK6W_V9yS43O1T-V56vwiZe1EWKqNly7xaVwo-CJCb/w231-h400/20220621_102547.jpeg" width="231" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span><br /></span></span></span>
<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">So many places!</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">Directions to go!</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">Which path should you follow?</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">How do you know?</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">You could go south, or go north, east or west.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">How can you be sure which direction is best?</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">South could be sending you too far away.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">North might lead someplace you don’t want to stay.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">East might go nowhere and west be too tough.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">How do you pick when you don’t know enough?</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">Your head's in a whirl!</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">There are too many ways!</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">Yet you have to decide how to plan for your days.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">It's too big a problem. You're not fit to choose.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">It's too big a decision. There’s too much to lose!</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">But, wait. Here's the answer: You don't need to know. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">There's Someone else planning which way you should go.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">Someone Who’s smarter—Who’s been there before.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">And His plans for your path will give you much more</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">Than anything you could dream up on your own.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">You just need to relax. You’re not in this alone. <br /></span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">If you reach out your hand He will take it and fly</span>
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">To a future much bigger than you’d think to try.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">Much better than those in your wildest of dreams!</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">More awesome than any direction now seems.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">He'll go flying right past all your questions and fears,</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">With His love in your heart and His song in your ears.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">When you come to the end you will laugh, and you'll rest. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">For you'll know then, for certain, you've chosen the best.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">See, the best is a Person, not a place or a plan.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">And the way there is clear when you’re holding His hand.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">Wow!</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">So many blessings He has up ahead.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">Just rest in His hands, and relax, and be led.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">Your life will not always be easy or fun, </span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">But it will be good when it’s all said and done.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">Just remember, whatever life offers to you</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">If you wonder which option to choose to pursue</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">Here’s a very big hint that will give you a clue:</span></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f5496; font-family: "Apple Casual"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">It’s not “what” you know that matters. It’s “Who.” </span></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-85049268173229506782022-03-08T21:48:00.009-08:002022-03-08T21:55:00.416-08:00Dedicated to the Church Bells in Ukraine Tonight<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">I was
deeply moved by the response to the tribute I wrote about my mother on Facebook today
on International Women’s Day.<span> </span>Some of my
friends said they’d like more of the story of my mother’s time in Shanghai
after Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941, so I looked up some notes I had written
about her for my cousin, who was compiling some family records a few years ago.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">I edited
my notes, added some more details, and am posting here for anyone who would appreciate
a little personal insight into this bit of history from 80 years ago. <span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span lang="EN-US">Mary Smiley
sailed from Seattle to China in August in 1940. She taught English to Chinese
children in Shanghai for a little over a year with a small mission organization
called The Faith Fellowship. <br /></span></i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span lang="EN-US">In
December, 1941 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and soon afterwards moved
into China. The Japanese occupied Shanghai and ex-pat missionaries were cut off
from their sponsors in the States.<span> </span>For
many months contact was lost.<span> </span>Mary spent
most of her time, with her colleagues, trying to find food from various sources
including the Red Cross. <br /></span></i></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span lang="EN-US">Though
food was scarce, and they suffered from malnutrition, there was relative
freedom to move around the city, no sign of conflict, and little contact with
the Japanese. She said they were relieved in many ways when, On February 25th, 1943,
they were arrested and placed in a concentration camp near Shanghai. The
scarcity of food had become a serious problem.</span></i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span lang="EN-US"> </span></i></span></span></i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span lang="EN-US">The
prison camp she was in was one of the better ones. It was probably full of ex-pats,
not soldiers, so there was no overt mistreatment. Psychological torture was a
problem. They would be told to pack their things because they were going home
the next day, and then the order would be rescinded. <span> </span>And, though the food was more plentiful, it
wasn’t a total solution to their problems. In the camp, prisoners were given
chores. The older people, who were not fit for hard manual labor, were given
the chore of picking the bugs and worms out of the rice they would all eat for
supper. But these seniors also had poor eyesight. So the prisoners got a little
extra protein with their carbs. When she eventually returned to the States Mary
brought home one very long tapeworm as a souvenir.</span></i></span></span></i></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i></i></span></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span lang="EN-US">Ten
months after her imprisonment she was released.<span>
</span>She was exchanged for a Japanese prisoner-of-war and returned to the
U.S. on the second repatriation voyage of the Swedish ship, The Gripsholm.</span></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span lang="EN-US">The
exchange was made somewhere in the South China Sea. <a href="https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/burke/2012/09/17/the-gripsholm-exchange-and-repatriation-voyages-2/">The Gripsholm</a>, a luxury
oceanliner that had been seconded for prisoner transfers during the war, pulled
up alongside the Japanese ship, fore to aft. Mary and her colleagues walked
across a gangplank onto the ship at one end, while the exchanged Japanese prisoners
walked across to their ship at the other end</span></i></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span lang="EN-US">While
researching for this blog post I found the attached newspaper articles, some of the many my mother’s parents clipped and saved during the time she was in
China. I couldn’t help but think about the similarities between what was
happening in China at that time—at the very beginning of WWII in the Pacific—and
what is happening in Ukraine right now: the same dangers to civilians, and the
same determination of strong-minded people to remain and carry on in the midst
of it all.</span></i></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJWjfow8ygdx3tCxs3spnf0i0gzARj_TcS1AbbWYlZbsEYn2pvRNeud04tr1vAkPdu1BpQvnFI3xm1iXwqwnPiHWT54hDVcVv4tDGBF4Y_3kSPr0ciOCotXCtJru284CA1TnRvcpn8wbpJnXKzu_45ZTtebyxBEWwR-B5YU4ppM-PPgVgpHoAfLRVP=s3033" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3033" data-original-width="1977" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJWjfow8ygdx3tCxs3spnf0i0gzARj_TcS1AbbWYlZbsEYn2pvRNeud04tr1vAkPdu1BpQvnFI3xm1iXwqwnPiHWT54hDVcVv4tDGBF4Y_3kSPr0ciOCotXCtJru284CA1TnRvcpn8wbpJnXKzu_45ZTtebyxBEWwR-B5YU4ppM-PPgVgpHoAfLRVP=w418-h640" width="418" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /> </span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5COmruGbUGzo12gyfeMFuKLZa6KsImHIbF6LSw76IumF6DPPF6TEfaFBXHbMBztuSnBsD1racPq9HBsn7TDX2djN4ZwkPl4ZpTFYgqQ5hC3GkKngY87-R5MwNaEpWj5B5iXIjiaV3axjardpWPMkbH89b2gC2eKiO714Am7s-wEmpf7b0c4zZY6cc=s2802" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2802" data-original-width="2208" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5COmruGbUGzo12gyfeMFuKLZa6KsImHIbF6LSw76IumF6DPPF6TEfaFBXHbMBztuSnBsD1racPq9HBsn7TDX2djN4ZwkPl4ZpTFYgqQ5hC3GkKngY87-R5MwNaEpWj5B5iXIjiaV3axjardpWPMkbH89b2gC2eKiO714Am7s-wEmpf7b0c4zZY6cc=w504-h640" width="504" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></span><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9C0w1vjRcl1TQgSj7J472fSLLbs7CilPnB3sOkPrZvr7tqvQO_9aKuIA9ST1ptfVtY1HvNBvUb7PYjwinYtdj_GLzinQfCWTFAkSwvrsj4AR74MfthdjQDMrCYwnMjToR5258X1sCOyzqGOfsfnfjC-KGTLjokwvp52aAaVnlsDj08EOZ0F8ZyrVb=s3276" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3276" data-original-width="1974" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9C0w1vjRcl1TQgSj7J472fSLLbs7CilPnB3sOkPrZvr7tqvQO_9aKuIA9ST1ptfVtY1HvNBvUb7PYjwinYtdj_GLzinQfCWTFAkSwvrsj4AR74MfthdjQDMrCYwnMjToR5258X1sCOyzqGOfsfnfjC-KGTLjokwvp52aAaVnlsDj08EOZ0F8ZyrVb=w386-h640" width="386" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><br />I hope
and pray that history is not repeating itself now in 2022. But if it is, there
is still hope. We human beings have survived many attempts to annihilate ourselves.
</span></span></span><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">We have
survived. Not by ourselves. I’m pretty sure we’ve had a little help from above.
And today the Christian church in China is thriving. Underground. Persecuted. Martyred.
But stronger than ever. It’s surviving in Ukraine too. And God is at work,
making sure that the humans He loves are not successful at yet another attempt
at self-destruction.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #202122; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We can be sure that the words of this old
Christmas carol still ring true. The bells in the steeples of churches in Ukraine
are a testimony to that truth. They peal along with the air raid sirens:</span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #202122; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:</span></span></span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #202122; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;</span><br />
<span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail,</span><br />
<span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">With peace on earth, good-will to men."</span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #202122; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One day.</span></span></span>
</p><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-21314167403358213592021-10-19T10:29:00.007-07:002021-10-19T10:34:35.213-07:00Learning to Lean<p class="MsoNormal"></p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RYEucP8Szxg/YW7_CYbrucI/AAAAAAAAhBQ/DKlEh9shbSIBY_XLiPwMnGRjEdsGira3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/The%2BRock%2B.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RYEucP8Szxg/YW7_CYbrucI/AAAAAAAAhBQ/DKlEh9shbSIBY_XLiPwMnGRjEdsGira3wCLcBGAsYHQ/w240-h320/The%2BRock%2B.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here’s a message I just sent to a young friend I am
corresponding with through a mentoring website I belong to that is sponsored by
<a href="https://p2c.com/know/">Power to Change</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a message we all
need to remind ourselves of right now, when it seems like the world is spinning
out of control and we are uneasy with the uncertainty of it all. We want to do
something to fix the mess around us but we don’t know where to begin, it all
seems so impossible.</span><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So I said to my young friend,</span><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>I feel sympathy for you in your striving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have always been a striver too--and have
struggled with perfectionism. Now I am older and wiser and more at peace with
just living from day-to-day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “need”
to “do,” especially for God’s eternal Kingdom, still pushes at me, but more and
more I realize that all I have to do is relax into His sovereignty and not
worry so much.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>A few years back I ran into a meme that changed my
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It says:</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>All we need to do, as Christians, is to be</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>RESTFULLY
AVAILABLE and INSTANTLY OBEDIENT. </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>I love that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Especially the restful part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
more I am able to relax into Jesus the more freedom I see Him having to do His
Kingdom work through me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now I pretty
much go through life just flying by the seat of my pants, knowing that it's His
wings I am flying on!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it's a
wonderfully peaceful and joyful way to live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>I think it's easier to come to this way of living when
you're older.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pressure to perform
(my own pressure on myself!) has sort of passed away and I can just live from
day to day, trying to walk in the pace of the Spirit instead of sprinting off
like there is some kind of finish line I have to cross before the end of my
days. </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>A friend once sent me a card with a picture on the front of
a little girl and a big rock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has
her hands up on the side of the rock and it looks like she's holding it up to
keep it from falling over, but you realize, when you look at it, how ridiculous
that is, because the rock is way bigger than she is and it is obviously holding
her up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>That kind of symbolizes my approach to following Jesus
for most of my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the past I have
been very busy helping Him make sure everyone is doing what they should do and
things in this world are going His way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now,
in my old age, I am just happy to lean on the rock instead of trying to help
God keep it in place!</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>But it takes time for us to learn to lean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And God is not in a hurry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He grows our faith, even as we struggle to
help Him do His work!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is leading us
to a good place--a place of rest and a simple enjoyment of walking day-by-day
with Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have begun to experience
this joy more and more, but I am sure it will grow deeper and sweeter as He continues
to lead me away from the struggle to total trust in His ultimate sovereignty.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We, who want to follow Jesus, are all on this journey.
And it’s a good one.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> It's a journey to complete trust in a loving, powerful and sovereign God.</span><br /></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-17444873310438723742021-09-09T10:38:00.005-07:002021-09-09T10:38:49.947-07:00TWENTY LIFE HACKS FOR OLD PEOPLE <p class="MsoNormal"> <br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aZvZIvyTgKc/YTpE23I6fjI/AAAAAAAAhAI/98rnWkV1HbkFIbYBRzt3B_RZKAGNfPulACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Renee%2BPorter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aZvZIvyTgKc/YTpE23I6fjI/AAAAAAAAhAI/98rnWkV1HbkFIbYBRzt3B_RZKAGNfPulACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Renee%2BPorter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">1. If you want to put off accepting
that you are old, avoid mirrors.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">2. Wear comfortable shoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Always.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No matter what they look like.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">3. Talk to yourself, especially when
you need good advice about things like what to wear or what to eat or what
movie to watch on Netflix.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">4. ALWAYS hold handrails when going
up or down stairs. (Yes, you can fall upstairs.)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">5. Offer to take a grandkid out to
eat if you want to chat. Also offer to give them rides when they need them.
(NB, enjoy this while you can because it will not be as effective after they
learn to drive.)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">6. Be very careful not to offend
your friends by calling them “old folks” even if you think of them that way. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">7. Do something constructive every
day before you read or watch TV. This is how you avoid feeling guilty when you
sit down.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">8. Go to bed early and get up early.
Your best sleep comes before midnight.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">9. Go out to run errands early in
the morning, before all the young ones wake up and get in your way.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">10. Buy things in small containers.
You will be able to use them up before they spoil and they will be easier to
lift.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">11. Put things you use often at waist
level and, whenever possible, in plain sight.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">12. To avoid unnecessary tripping, be
very careful around cats. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">13. Use a nightlight on the path to
the bathroom.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">14. If you live alone, put a baseball
bat under your bed and make a plan to use it in case of emergency. (NB: you will rarely need to activate this plan but it will make you feel safer to have one.)<br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">15. Write lists of things you need to
remember and try to remember where the lists are.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">16. Do only one thing at a time to
maximize the pleasure of the experience: do not eat and watch TV at the same
time; do not play spider solitaire while engaging in small talk with a friend
on the phone; do not cook things on the stove and walk away to do something
else (for obvious reasons).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">17. As much as lieth in you, discover
and use whatever communication application the people you love will notice.
Update this info regularly for maximum effectiveness.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">18. Find a comfortable pace and
think, move, and live in that rhythm. This will lower your blood pressure, help
you avoid accidents, and allow you to smell the flowers along the way.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">19. Pray without ceasing. At this
stage of life you need that more than ever. (Actually, that’s not quite true.
Prayer has always been essential, but now you are wise enough to realize that.)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">20. Enjoy memories and anticipate
heaven, but discipline yourself to live in the present moment. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PcFhXJ4s60A/YTpGDDAn8mI/AAAAAAAAhAQ/NyUKZEJ0fmod3fiDSHZAdiIoErpmfHdtACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_4515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PcFhXJ4s60A/YTpGDDAn8mI/AAAAAAAAhAQ/NyUKZEJ0fmod3fiDSHZAdiIoErpmfHdtACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_4515.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt; text-align: center;">Otherwise you
will miss those lovely flowers along the way.</p>
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{margin-bottom:0cm;}</style></p>Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-52972086910644951352021-08-06T16:02:00.003-07:002021-08-06T22:01:09.753-07:00A THEORY ABOUT CONSPIRACY THEORIES<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I7mhMsIgVq4/YQ29WYOzxEI/AAAAAAAAg-g/ed9JBhnGm4I1HD_QwIu2hxbUXXH1UFS6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/explosion4.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I7mhMsIgVq4/YQ29WYOzxEI/AAAAAAAAg-g/ed9JBhnGm4I1HD_QwIu2hxbUXXH1UFS6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/explosion4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Today,
for my quiet time, I am reading an ancient text, written over 2500 years ago, on
the topic of conspiracy theories. Apparently, there was a plethora of them
buzzing around when Isaiah wrote His diatribe, about and to, the rebellious nation
of Israel just before they were conquered by stronger enemies and their people
were disbursed into the far corners of the known world.<br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">This
is an ancient story, but it seems unnervingly relevant to us living in North
America today.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">I
should not be surprised. This whole ancient collection of books that make up
our Bible constantly surprises me with its contemporary relevance. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">This
may be because the Bible is full of stories that unflinchingly portray human
nature, which seems not to have changed a bit since the beginning of time. But
the Book portrays more than human nature. It also shows the nature of the God
who created human beings and cares, deeply and doggedly, about them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Isaiah’s
book is a commentary on what God’s rebellious people were going through and would
continue to go through if they didn’t smarten up and listen. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Israel was
surrounded by enemies and they were so confused that they didn’t know where to
start attacking.</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">They
were not even sure who was an enemy and who was not. Hence the theories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they probably squabbled among themselves over
the theories instead of sitting back, recognizing the problem, and reaching out
for the solution.</span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">In
chapter 8, Isaiah tries to tell them both the problem and the solution. The problem is that they are
putting confidence in their own ability to solve the problem instead of
recognizing their inability to do that and looking to their Creator to help
them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">God
is angry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At His chosen representatives on earth and
also at their enemies. Things are in turmoil and His message, through Isaiah, begins
with a classic literary example of verbal irony. * </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">God
says:</span><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Make
an uproar and be broken in pieces, O you peoples [rage, raise the war cry, do
your worst, and be utterly dismayed]! Give ear, all you [enemies] of far countries.
Gird yourselves [for war] and be thrown into consternation! Gird yourselves,
and be utterly dismayed!</span></i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (vs. 9, 10)</span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Then
Isaiah says, “For the Lord spoke thus to me with His strong hand [upon me], and
warned and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying,”</span><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Do
not call conspiracy [or hard, or holy] all that this people will call
conspiracy [or hard, or holy]; neither be in fear of what they fear, nor [make
others afraid and] in dread. </span></i>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">The
Lord of hosts—regard Him as holy and honor His holy name [by regarding Him as
your only hope of safety] and let Him be your fear and let him be your dread
[lest you offend Him by your fear of man and distrust of Him].</span></i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (vs. 12, 13)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Isaiah
goes on to say, about this loving, angry, holy God,</span><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> And
He shall be a sanctuary [a sacred and indestructible asylum to those who
reverently fear and trust in Him]; but He shall be a Stone of Stumbling and a
Rock of Offense to both the houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the
inhabitants of Jerusalem.] And many among them shall stumble thereon; and they
shall fall and be broken and be snared and taken.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (vs. 14, 15)</span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Alas,
the Israelites didn’t get it. They were too busy formulating and espousing conspiracy
theories, none of which involved or even considered the activities of the God
of the universe—the indestructible asylum. So they went into exile. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">It
feels like we’re all in exile these days. Disoriented, confused, anxious--afraid
of anything and everything. We are literally at loose ends. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6jAyrMv5BRo/YQ29lGh9QcI/AAAAAAAAg-k/APyk2NnWAGIc0OBqHF2vpmceNdJwbnNQwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_4799.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6jAyrMv5BRo/YQ29lGh9QcI/AAAAAAAAg-k/APyk2NnWAGIc0OBqHF2vpmceNdJwbnNQwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_4799.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />But
there is an answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the one God
gave the Israelites (and us) in another of those ancient books that have been
passed down to us today. <p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Proverbs
3:1-6 says:</span><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> My
son, forget not my law or teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments;
for length of days and years of a life [worth living] and tranquility [inward
and outward and continuing through old age till death], these shall they add to
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Let
not mercy and kindness [shutting out all hatred and selfishness] and truth
[shutting out all deliberate hypocrisy or falsehood] forsake you; bind them
about your neck, write them upon the tablet of your heart.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">So
shall you find favor, good understanding and high esteem in the sight [or
judgment] of God and man.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Lean
on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do
not rely on your own insight or understanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will
direct and make straight and plain your paths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Be
not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn
[entirely] away from evil.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">It
shall be health to your nerves and sinews, and marrow and moistening to your
bones.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">The
only answer to our human angst, today as it always has been, is to attach
ourselves to the One firm foundation—the only Rock that will not move
underneath us, ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt;">*All
verses are taken from the Amplified translation of the Bible.</span></i></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-831772081487825052021-06-19T21:29:00.000-07:002021-06-19T21:29:02.433-07:00Chess, Spider Solitaire and the Rubix Cube, or Deep thoughts on the meaning of the universe.<p class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-US"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">In this blog post I am going to digress,
for a moment, from a pursuit of the meaning of my life in order to pursue the
meaning of the universe. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I realize that's quite a leap--one might
even say a significant one--but I can't help but feel there might be a
connection between the two in the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">My pursuit of the meaning of the universe
came about the other day while I was pondering the meaning of my life and
playing spider solitaire while I waited for inspiration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I began to ask myself, "What do chess,
spider solitaire and the Rubix cube have in common?"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">There might be several things those games
have in common, but the one that struck me is that they are all concerned with
putting things in their proper places--getting things to their perfect final
homes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finding meaning, order and
purpose, you might say.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">But even more than the pursuit of that
ultimate goal, the solutions in all of these puzzles require--yes,
require--that things be put in wrong positions before they can work their way
toward the proper places. And this is a great frustration.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">It is very hard for me to deliberately put
things where they don't belong. I am so impatient.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I see a Ten of Clubs that can easily be
placed on a Jack of the same suit, my fingers immediately want to put it
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Never mind that the card has to be placed
on a Jack of Diamonds temporarily in order to uncover an Ace of Spades, so the
Ace of Spades can be put on the Two of Spades, in order to open up a vacancy in
the piles of cards that will give me more maneuverability, which will, in turn,
eventually allow me to get that Ten of Clubs on the Jack of Clubs where it
belongs.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I have to commit what feels like
intellectual suicide to move a bishop next to a powerful knight, even though I
know it will be safe there, because the rules of the game won't allow the
knight to pounce in that direction.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">And the Rubix cube.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don't even make me go there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mess I have to make in order to put the
colors together in the end drives me crazy. I don't do Rubix for that reason.
It's not worth the mental anguish in my well-ordered mind.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">But it has occurred to me that these games,
and the strategies necessary to win them, are great metaphors for the complex
development of human history. For reasons too numerous to recount here, I am
convinced of the existence of a "Grand Chess Player" who not only
stands outside the universe, but who created it in the first place. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">It makes a strange kind of sense to me that
this Grand Master is playing the game, according to precise rules He has also
created, not only for His pleasure, but also for ours--for the pleasure of us
creatures who have been created, in another strange sense, in His image. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">In other words, He has planned and created
it all for a purpose. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">What if we have been created for pleasure?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">For our pleasure and for His.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">For the pleasure of playing the game, but
more importantly, for the pleasure of the fellowship--the companionship that we
experience during the playing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cjUoJqEIF_E/YM7Ak7EQVbI/AAAAAAAAg6s/aFuAQRXB0RUakcvm7ijmnMpeG0hxq4ZjgCLcBGAsYHQ/s711/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-06-19%2Bat%2B6.04.08%2BPM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="711" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cjUoJqEIF_E/YM7Ak7EQVbI/AAAAAAAAg6s/aFuAQRXB0RUakcvm7ijmnMpeG0hxq4ZjgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-06-19%2Bat%2B6.04.08%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">This is wonderfully mind-blowing: to see
human history as one giant chess game, played out on the board of planet earth,
in which an innumerable number of moves have been, and are being made by each
of the billions of humans who have lived here over the centuries, in concert
with counter-moves being played by the Creator, who sees every possible
iteration and knows how the game will finally be won, by Him, for the benefit
of everyone who chooses to play the game in partnership with Him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">An even more mind-blowing idea, however, is
that the Creator of the game, the board, and the humans, chose to make those
humans free agents, capable of choosing what moves they want to make, with no
regard for, or awareness of, the Grand Design--humans who once were clued into
the Grand Design but lost their understanding when they decided they would
rather play by their own rules instead of the rules of the Grand Designer.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Well, we have not quite lost all of that awareness. Humans do still have some
idea of the Grand Design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They see it in
the stars, in the intricate interactions between genes and cells and chemicals
and Carbon that make up an infinite variety of life forms living on the great
game board, which in itself exhibits order and design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see the design, but not the purpose.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Well, not quite again. There are useful
hints as to the purpose, if not in the miracles of the natural world, then in
the supernatural miracles, one of which is the miraculous preservation, in
words, of the revelation of purpose--the rules of the game, so to speak--that
we call the Bible. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">This Book is amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I've spent almost 70 years reading and
studying it and I still can't get enough. It's as if the words are alive and
speaking aloud into my spirit. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">At the same time the meaning is often
elusive, which only drives me to dig deeper. It's like scuba diving in the
tropics. You want to go as far as your equipment and your body will allow, even
as you realize there are depths you will not be physically able to discover.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">A superficial reading of this Great Book is
deceptive. At first read, the stories and teachings and insights just don't
make sense. It's as if you have to layer some of them over others, where they
obviously don't belong, in order to uncover clues to greater understanding.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Much of the Book is simply an historical
narrative--a history of the human race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As such, it, too, doesn't seem to make sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything humans have put anywhere seems
always to end up in the wrong place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">How can anyone make any sense of David, the
great Jewish King and biblical song writer, committing the worst kind of sin
imaginable, and then--wait for it--being forgiven when he is repentant?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Or King Saul, David's predecessor, who was
put on the throne by the Grand Master, then deposed almost immediately, simply
for the error of being too impatient with the time it was taking his
opponent--the Great Master, Himself--to make His next move?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Mystery beyond mystery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No wonder the Book is often abandoned by
bewildered readers before they even get a start on plumbing its depths. We are too
impatient to look behind the confusing, often irrational moves of the players
for an underlying strategy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">And we are offended when the strategy
sometimes requires pawns to be sacrificed in order to achieve the final
victory. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">(Why do I have to give up my dreams in
order to fulfill dreams the Creator has for me?)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Why do knights need to be placed
uncomfortably close to bishops on their way to the front? </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">(Why do I have to put up with that annoying
co-worker, or that annoying spouse?)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Why do queens have to fall because they
have inadvertently been moved into the line of fire of a forgotten rook or,
even more frustrating, been placed in a position that allows them to be
eliminated by a pawn in a simple one-space move? </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">(Why can't you always rescue me from the
consequences of my worst stupid mistakes?)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">But those are the rules, and we are taught
that they have to be obeyed if the whole game is to make any sense at all in
the end.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">And what if, from high enough above the
chessboard, with a bird's eye view, the whole thing actually does make
sense?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">In school we learn history taught by human
historians. It's a two-dimensional understanding of the narrative. The story is
recorded in documents that have been compiled from a few primary, and a lot of secondary,
sources, analyzed and interpreted and constantly revised by many human minds
over the centuries in an attempt to make some sense of the meaning of it all.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">But what if the Bible gives us a three-dimensional
view of human history? What if it adds another layer of meaning? What if, as it
claims to do, the Bible gives us the Creator's perspective on human history and
the meaning of the universe?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">If there's even a chance that it does, it would
make sense to pay more careful attention to the Book, wouldn't it?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Because if the Bible really is what it
claims to be--the Creator's revelation of Himself to the human beings He has
created in His image--then nothing--absolutely nothing--could be a more
important intellectual pursuit than this one.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-73051442381931954032021-06-10T19:34:00.004-07:002021-06-10T19:37:10.891-07:00First World Problems<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jKlfs69NgRc/YMLJsJ27CoI/AAAAAAAAg5g/MBaYM5yw88MabF8Go9P7RRNER5u9wXisgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20210605_093937.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jKlfs69NgRc/YMLJsJ27CoI/AAAAAAAAg5g/MBaYM5yw88MabF8Go9P7RRNER5u9wXisgCLcBGAsYHQ/w240-h320/20210605_093937.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> I have a First World problem: I have lost
my TV remote. I've looked everywhere--around the house, in the garage (which is
so cluttered it could easily be there without my seeing it) and even in the
garden shed, where I spent some time yesterday. I'm concerned about this
because if there is a way to watch TV without using the remote I have no idea
what it is.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">My sister suggested looking in the fridge
where she found hers the other day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
did that, out of desperation, even though I couldn't imagine myself being quite
that ditzy (my sister is a blond, after all), but it wasn't there either. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">My best friend suggested the loss might be
a case of divine intervention. I know she's kidding, sort of, but I have to
admit that thought had occurred to me. I have been more or less addicted to the
TV lately. It's an easy go-to antidote for COVID ennui. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">It also occurs to me that boredom, itself,
might be a First World Problem. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">It might not be at the top of the list of
problems in India, for example, where masses of people are anxiously helpless
in the face of COVID, or in parts of Africa, where civil wars constantly create
a rather pressing kind of tension and excitement, or in Iran where you can be
executed for converting from Islam to Christianity. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">But in my world, boredom attacks whenever I
have nothing to do, and, as I've mentioned in my previous two posts, I struggle
with an overwhelming feeling that I always have to be DOING something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simply "being" without "doing" is difficult for me.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Interestingly, John Comer has some challenging
things to say about boredom in his book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Ruthless Elimination of Hurry</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
some reason he connects hurry with boredom, and I think he might be right to do
so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He points out how quickly we hurry
to eliminate boredom in our lives, especially in this digital age when
distractions are literally at our fingertips. And he suggests that trying to
eliminate boredom with distractions is not the proper approach.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Instead of avoiding times of boredom, he
recommends the spiritual practice of Silence. Practicing silence requires us to
quit fighting against inactivity. When we do that, we create an empty space in
our hearts that God can fill with good things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Things that would pass right over our heads when we are busy doing less refreshing things. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">It's not surprising that boredom seems to
be a universal human problem today, at least in our part of the world where the
basic needs of human survival are more accessible than in other places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone seems to be running from anxiety of one
kind or another. I believe a general, overarching angst hovers over any society
that is not grounded in a positive worldview, and ours certainly is not.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">So I'm thinking about it lately--asking why
and how boredom happens. Were we created to experience boredom? Or is boredom a
symptom of a deeper problem we were not created to experience? And more to the
point, what should we do with boredom? </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Comer tells us Christians that we are to
imitate Jesus--to follow Him--to mimic his ways of living.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We're called to do this because we believe He
lived the way human beings were created to live. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I am pretty sure Jesus was never
bored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It just doesn't seem like He
would be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So why not?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I want to live like He lived then I need
to understand how He did this. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">In my next post I will continue this topic,
and suggest, for your consideration, one cure for boredom based on how Jesus
lived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">There may be a couple of
others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If so, there will be more
posts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We'll see how far we can go with
this topic.</span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-64792029640290508582021-06-06T21:24:00.000-07:002021-06-06T21:24:13.557-07:00What On Earth Am I Here For?<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US">Reading further in my March 24th journal
entry:<br /></span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fe2iLBJ8eNs/YL2erTSqvsI/AAAAAAAAg48/4Eztc87utAcAGdDNQxAwPEtzZVbTPPSGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s720/%2521cid_002701c708f9%25240ab40f80%252497627757%2540pavilion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fe2iLBJ8eNs/YL2erTSqvsI/AAAAAAAAg48/4Eztc87utAcAGdDNQxAwPEtzZVbTPPSGwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h150/%2521cid_002701c708f9%25240ab40f80%252497627757%2540pavilion.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span lang="EN-US">Today it seems like I am reaching a climax
in my search for what I am supposed to be doing instead of just killing time.</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US">It's like I need answers to this question so badly I will
(finally) quit trying to escape into activities, or mental distractions, and
confront Him a final time for the answer. </span>
<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I have spent the morning sorting through
some books to put in the church library. I had been fasting, but I finally
heated my coffee and fixed some breakfast. As I sat eating and looking out the
window, I told the Lord (or was He telling me?) that I had done all I could to
settle this issue of what I needed to be doing. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I suspect He was thinking that
it was about time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>(Please excuse the pun.)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I have been reading in John 15 about Jesus
being the vine and us being the branches. It seemed God wanted to remind me
that it was HE who chose me, for fruit-bearing, whatever that looks like. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">This thought seemed to take the onus off of
me for figuring out what I should be doing, so I just kind of gave up on hearing what I was supposed to do next. Then I
went back to my book sorting. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The next book on the pile was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Secrets of the Vine</i> by Bruce Wilkinson.
I had started this book before and left a bookmark at the beginning of the
chapter, "More of God, More With God." In it the author shares his
journey at the point where, though his ministry is thriving, he has lost his
excitement with it and has to figure out why.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">He says, "Does any of my story ring
true for you? . . .You have a good amount of fruit <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yes, I have seen God working through me in many ways lately</i> . .
.you feel caught between two opposing tensions--an increasing desire to produce
an even better yield and decreasing fulfillment in the fruit you are already
producing." </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">He goes on to say, "You are ready for
that fourth basket, the one so full of luscious grapes that it is overflowing.
Yet you feel frustrated, defeated, and in danger of losing the harvest of a
lifetime. And you have no idea what to do." <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yup. that's me for sure.</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Then he gets to the point: "His
purpose is not that you will do more FOR Him but that you will choose to be
more WITH Him." To be more WITH Him?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I'm not totally clear where this idea will
take me but it seems I have to re-adjust my focus. Out of a great love for
Him--one that He has planted in my heart--I have longed to do FOR Him--to
fulfill the purposes for which He chose me. But maybe that longing has
outstripped my desire just to be WITH Him? </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Maybe the simple truth is that whatever I
do FOR Him has to come out of my simply abiding IN Him. This means I have to
transfer my trust from me, and what I can DO, to Him, and WHO HE IS. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I will have to think about this.</span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-43333689326272881312021-06-05T12:58:00.003-07:002021-06-05T13:00:42.986-07:00On Killing Time
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US">I've decided to start blogging some of my
journal entries here. </span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ShSOWP7o2iA/YLvVeBXY7oI/AAAAAAAAg40/xJcwp7FZRognplMlZWLLWWJ9NAtpj8E3ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201029_114942.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ShSOWP7o2iA/YLvVeBXY7oI/AAAAAAAAg40/xJcwp7FZRognplMlZWLLWWJ9NAtpj8E3ACLcBGAsYHQ/w240-h320/20201029_114942.jpg" width="240" /></a><span lang="EN-US">I'm a bit nervous about this, because when
I journal I often go so deeply into my thinking that I wonder if what I say
will make sense to anyone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Or even to me in the end. </span>Am I
just musing myself into some wasteland of random thoughts that I will one day
read over, scratch my head and wonder where I was coming from?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">But lately some of my entries have
made a little bit of sense and even helped me enter deeper into my walk with God, so I
will share those with you, my reader.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Feel free to pick and choose. If there is
anything that resonates with you, take it, and just leave the rest.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US">This March (2021) I began a new journal. It
has been a strange year, immediately following the last strange year: two years
like no other this generation has ever experienced, all over the globe. If nothing
else, COVID has stopped the world in its tracks. It has forced us to slow down,
give up, and take stock of our lives.</span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The slowing down, giving up, and taking
stock has actually been a good by-product of this plague experience for me. It
has opened up some new avenues in my spiritual journey.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Here's my March 24th entry:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">It's near the end of Spring Break and I am
spending my time doing nothing. At the beginning of the break I was going from
one form of activity to the next--from Netflix to reading to Facebook to
household chores and back to Netflix again. But more and more I have been feeling led to let those things
all go and do nothing. This is very hard for me. It has been a struggle. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I am driven by the need to perform and
produce. I "need" to always be doing something. I'm surprised Maslow
didn't put this one on his pyramid of human needs. I think this may be a common
experience for us all. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">So a week and a half of this struggle to
embrace nothingness has gone past. On Wednesday of the second week, with only a
few days of Spring Break to go, I am finally, reluctantly coming to the
conclusion that, for some reason, God wants me to quit just doing stuff. Useless stuff. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I have been asking God the whole time to
tell me what useful stuff He wants me to do. I feel I'm at a crossroads in my life's journey
right now and my next task is unclear. It's been frustrating because I haven't
heard anything from Him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Can you relate? What has your COVID
experience been like in this regard? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">More of my experience in tomorrow's post. I don't want to exhaust you with reading today.<br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
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This post will give you the promised 10 ways I have found to conquer fear in my life.<br /><br />Sometimes anxiety comes over us without an obvious reason. We have no idea why. Perhaps a little hint of a fear creeps into our thinking sideways, as an afterthought, or a quiet suggestion, and before we catch it and pluck it out, it has grown into an anxious worry. <br /><br />A while ago I struggled with an unexplainable cloud of anxiety and heaviness. I have no idea why. There was no logical reason for this disruption to my normal state of restful trust in a good God. <br /><br />My circumstances had not changed. And He had certainly not changed. I was well cared for, as usual. He had carried me through my whole life without once stumbling or hesitating, and He has promised He will carry my to the end of my life on this earth, and beyond. I had no reason to fear. My anxiety was a waste of time and, once I noticed it was bothering me, I wanted it gone.<br /><br />I know by experience that if I can look up--if I can get only a glimpse of His lovely face, the anxiety will disappear and the peace and joy that I'm supposed to be experiencing will come back. It always does. So I experimented with ways to look up. <br /><br />Here are ten practices I've discovered that gradually brought me out of a place of extreme anxiety into a place of peace. It is no accident that most of them emphasize the importance of that central book in the Good Book, the Book of Psalms:<br /><br /><b>1.</b> <b><i>Find the "Do not fear" verses</i></b>. Those 365 verses that say "Do Not Fear" are God's encouragements to us to look up. So the first thing we can do to overcome our anxiety is turn to His Book. Use a concordance, or a website like <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Got Questions.com</a> or <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Bible Gateway</a>. <br /><br />But don't just find them. . .<br /><br /><b> 2.</b> <b><i>Read through the DNF verses</i></b>. When you are anxious, read these "DNF" verses, one by one, slowly, until you come to one that speaks expressly to you. You will know when that happens because that particular verse will immediately relieve you of your fear. It's God getting up and personal with you.<br /> <br /><b>3.</b> <b><i>Memorize the DNF verses.</i></b> Obviously, using the verses works better if you have them memorized. If you don't, choose one and repeat it over and over (including the address) until you can say it by heart, in the deep, dark of night. Then start learning another one, by heart.<br /> <br /><b>4.</b> <b><i>Read the anxious Psalms</i></b>--ones that express fear and pain and doubt--and realize that you are not alone. Anxiety is part of the (unredeemed) human condition and has been since the Fall of Man. Often simply expressing your anxiety in God's presence relieves it. And when you don't have words--when you are too anxious to even think--reading the Psalmist's poetic expression of his anxiety will give voice to your inner pain.<br /> <br /><b>5.</b> <b><u>Read any of the Psalms</u></b>. Start anywhere in the Book and read one poem after the other, until you find peace settling into your soul. David wrote half of the Psalms and he had a gift of bringing relief from anxiety. That's why King Saul would call him in to play for him whenever he felt oppressed by the evil one. Most of the Psalms that we know David wrote are at the beginning of the Book.<br /> <br />Speaking of the evil one. . .<br /> <br /><b>6.</b> <b><i>Speak Truth into the face of your enemy. </i></b>Read the enemy psalms. Many of the Psalms pronounce victory over our enemies, and our biggest enemy--the one who loves to see us smothered in anxiety--is actually God's enemy, the Devil. He hates us because we are loved by the God he hates. Reading--no, praying--the "enemy Psalms" is powerful spiritual warfare. It brings Truth to light, and when Truth comes, oppression and darkness cannot stay.<br /> <br /><b>7.</b> <b><i>Read the first verse or two of every Psalm</i></b>, starting at the beginning. Most of the Psalms begin with praise to God. This is good heart medicine. Repeated praise reinforces the Truth of ultimate victory in our lives. It will lift our hearts and open them to the ultimate reality, which is all good.<br /> <br /><b>8.</b> <b><i>Spend much concentrated time reading other books of the Bible as well</i></b>. The Psalms are not the only places to find comfort and reassurance in the Bible. Every one of the 66 books, even though most of them record disastrous events in our past human history, has a message of hope and ultimate victory if we are willing to embrace it. Romans 8, John 14, and the Book of Job (taken as a whole) are three great examples of encouraging and uplifting passages that speak Truth into our lives.<br /> <br /><b>9.</b> <b><i>Listen to uplifting music.</i></b> Find calming or reassuring worship songs that you like and play, listen and sing them to yourself. When one particular one brings you special peace, meditate on that one all day long. Here's a link to a great selection. If you don't know where to find them, a youtube site like <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Hillsong Worship</a> is a good place to start.<br /> <br /><b>10.</b> <b><i>Ask a friend to pray for you.</i></b> This last suggestion is a good one too. Don't overlook it. Call a friend, let them know you are struggling and ask them to look to God for help on your behalf. Ask them to pray, right then, out loud. Hearing someone else say what you want to say but cannot will help to activate your faith, and God has promised that when we call He will answer. <br /><br />You don't have to adopt all of these practices. Adopt the ones that appeal to you, or work for you. But be sure to pick at least one of the Scripture ones. I have no apologies for repeating how important Scripture is to our mental well being. <p></p><p>Christians believe the Bible is God's Word, supernaturally inspired to tell us what Truth really is. It has been the gold standard of Truth for well over 2000 years, surviving every vacillating "wind of doctrine" put forth by human beings--reflecting whatever contemporary cultural mindset currently captures the attention of the masses. <br /><br />And a firm Truth foundation is ultimately the only cure for anxiety. That kind of foundation must be grounded in something, or Someone, outside the realm of space and time. In our space and time world, nothing will last forever, but outside this realm of four dimensions is a reality that is everlasting. <br /><br />Christians believe Jesus was talking about that kind of foundation when He told the parable of the two houses--one built on a rock and one built on the sand. (Matthew 7:24-27)</p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mpBK7ZiOXYo/YJcrpHAqm7I/AAAAAAAAg3k/RSvRY8B1cgsONtYbJlycZkXnj86E8caIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20180824_141847131.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mpBK7ZiOXYo/YJcrpHAqm7I/AAAAAAAAg3k/RSvRY8B1cgsONtYbJlycZkXnj86E8caIQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h150/IMG_20180824_141847131.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Jesus, Himself, is our Rock. A life grounded in Him is one that will never be shaken by the storms of life. Because He bought eternity for us by His death on the cross, a person who chooses to commit their life to Him will live happily ever after. <br /><br />Yes. Such a life is not a fairy tale when it's grounded in Truth!<div><br /></div><div>By the way, I assume you know that the words underlined in this post are linked to their websites. They are clickable. So click away! And be blessed.<br /><p></p>
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</p><br /><br /><br /><p></p></div>Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-73753488771906641132021-05-05T11:25:00.000-07:002021-05-05T11:25:55.667-07:00How to Find Peace in the Middle of the Mess<p class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-US"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The Bible tells us <a href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/rick-warren-why-god-encourages-christians-to-fear-not-365-times-in-the-bible.html">365 times</a> that we should
not fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you look you can find a
different "Do Not Fear" verse for every day of the year!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><span lang="EN-US"> </span>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cZtH4Ttd2ec/YJLiQMb7MjI/AAAAAAAAg2k/tJKsZLZ6D40C-kY5AE-J0_8z5eiPpVbfQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1151" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cZtH4Ttd2ec/YJLiQMb7MjI/AAAAAAAAg2k/tJKsZLZ6D40C-kY5AE-J0_8z5eiPpVbfQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2460.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i><span lang="EN-US">Perhaps there's a reason for that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US">Fear is rampant in our society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has been true in every age and culture,
but it seems that today, because of our technological progress in the area of
travel and communication, everywhere we look, reasons to fear literally stare us
in the face.</span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">On the news we are confronted with towering
dangers, all over the world, many of which seem beyond the control of any human
being or government. Politically, physically, financially, relationally--in
every realm of our existence we see reasons to feel insecure and vulnerable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we're not feeling fear for ourselves,
we're feeling it for those we love who are going through struggles we can't do
anything about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">When we look around us, we have great
reason to be overcome with anxiety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
"around us" is not the only direction we can look.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Christians, we are encouraged to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">look up</i>, and when we do, we find great
reason to rejoice, even in the midst of the mess roiling around at our
feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those who are willing to come
to the foot of the cross, there is hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">If we have come to a decision, at some
point in our lives, to ask Jesus Christ to rescue us from our sins and
ourselves--if we have received Him as our Lord, and chosen, by faith, to put
our complete trust in Him, we have no reason to fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span lang="EN-US">Ever.</span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">But the trust has to come first, before we
can rest in God's peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And gaining the
trust can only happen as we walk with Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Daily attentiveness to the only one Who has the solution to every problem
is our only way to peace in the midst of this broken world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The closer we draw to Him, the more clearly
we see the ultimate triumph of His great Goodness, and so the easier it is to
relax and trust Him with the insurmountable problems we see when we look around
us.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">In tomorrow's post I will suggest 10 ways to find that peace. Ways that have worked for me.<br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/rick-warren-why-god-encourages-christians-to-fear-not-365-times-in-the-bible.html"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-53627350756154413752021-03-22T13:09:00.003-07:002021-03-22T13:09:19.719-07:00And One Final Heartland Post<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">So more on why I'm pursuing an eternally
real Heartland instead of indulging in fantasies that are only temporary.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US">A REASON:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My satisfaction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jHj5nRTFkeE/YFj3415wuJI/AAAAAAAAgyo/sTh8EwIIydI2KoZk5yZ4jEFMrYP5b0m6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/HDR%2BSUNSETc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="2048" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jHj5nRTFkeE/YFj3415wuJI/AAAAAAAAgyo/sTh8EwIIydI2KoZk5yZ4jEFMrYP5b0m6ACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h133/HDR%2BSUNSETc.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>If you ask anyone what their most important
goal in life is they will say it is to be happy. We were created for
happiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Real happiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we long for it above everything else. So
my next reason for paying attention to that niggling feeling and resisting the
temptation to immerse myself in a temporary distraction from my real world is
simply that the distraction does not make me happy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does not satisfy. <p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Temporary distractions do not keep some
vague promise they make of happiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Escaping
into an imaginary world can become a street drug that only immobilizes me and
drags me down. In the end, indulging in it will only make me more miserable. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Any pursuit of any addiction is nothing
more than the heart's restless search for it's ultimate Heartland in all the
wrong places. Human beings were created "to love God and enjoy Him forever,"
and, as Pascal has said, our hearts will be restless, no matter what
distractions we go after, until they have found their rest in Him. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">A DISCLAIMER:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Please
note that this doesn't mean I will never watch another episode of
Heartland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike street drugs, healthy
Netflix shows can be healthily refreshing. They can provide much needed R and R
after I've been pursuing my greater purposes for a period of time.</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9.0pt;"><i> </i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">One
thing I love about my Boss is that He gives me R and R on a regular basis. He has
promised to give me "all things to enjoy" and when He gives them they
are thoroughly enjoyable and refreshing. </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">But when these healthy recreational
activities become my goal rather than my rest, their benefit is destroyed and
so am I if I pursue that goal. So ultimately, goals that satisfy are goals that
lead to benefits that will last forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">A PARADOX:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">But here is a strange thing: I find that my
satisfaction is very much connected to the satisfaction and well being of
others. So the goal of seeking the good of others is the final reason I need to
re-direct my pursuits as this new season begins. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Goals
that truly satisfy are ones that have to do with other people's ultimate well
being, not just my own.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">It may seem like a paradox to say that
investing my life in the service of <i>other </i>eternal human beings,
for their eternal good, will bring <i>me</i> happiness, but it's true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that from experience. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">When I have a chance to watch someone discover
the love of Jesus, and see them choose to submit to His love and lordship in
their lives--when I see them look to Him for their eternal good and find it in
His face--my heart soars with joy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing
makes me happier. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">If I can help one eternal being down the
path toward discovering their value in God's sight, I feel fulfilled in ways no
earthly pleasure can do for me.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7_79XYZzlsQ/YFj3DbJYiAI/AAAAAAAAgyg/P3EWDQ33W9QhtJcSAfMFCHrh4XXCfxruwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20210317_123534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7_79XYZzlsQ/YFj3DbJYiAI/AAAAAAAAgyg/P3EWDQ33W9QhtJcSAfMFCHrh4XXCfxruwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20210317_123534.jpg" /></a></div>That's why the quote by C.S. Lewis pictured
in this post is on the front of my school binder. It's before me every day when
I teach. And nothing gives me more joy and excitement--nothing makes me feel
more refreshed--than loving and praying for and encouraging the students I
stand in front of each day I teach. I have found deep, meaningful purpose in
loving others, and living and working for their eternal good. <p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The joy I experience when I see a teenage
boy sit up straighter because I have affirmed a good answer he has given in a
class discussion; or when another student comes to me, several times before the
end of class, to thank me for giving him a pencil case with a few writing
supplies so he won't have to ask any teacher for a pencil before he can do his
work in another class; or when I see a whole classroom full of students soften
and melt when I tell them how much I love them and want the best for them--this
joy makes the temporary pleasure I get from indulging in some worldly escape
mechanism pale in comparison.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">So this is why I am determined to resist
the lure of temporary, shallow pleasures that do not satisfy. It is a selfish
reason. I want to be happy--truly happy. And I have discovered that deep,
abiding happiness--what the Bible calls "joy"--is found only in the
pursuit of eternally good things--things that will bring enduring satisfaction
to me and to others. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I think maybe this pursuit, in this life,
on this earth, is the beginning of our discovery of our eternal Heartland. It's
the closest thing to heaven on earth I have yet to discover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-77231726219282063882021-03-17T13:39:00.002-07:002021-03-17T13:40:30.802-07:00More on Heartland<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I started a new journal today. It's kind of
like a new beginning--a clean page in front of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What will I do with it?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ONgEpwZS9So/YFJlJjweYQI/AAAAAAAAgyA/ZaecZ3gDsNQ0C-zRPDRavG5yAjwwBJaMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Idaho%2BJuly%2B2010%2B094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ONgEpwZS9So/YFJlJjweYQI/AAAAAAAAgyA/ZaecZ3gDsNQ0C-zRPDRavG5yAjwwBJaMgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h150/Idaho%2BJuly%2B2010%2B094.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>As I hinted in yesterday's post, I've been feeling a tad uncomfortable with
how comfortable I've been feeling in the fictional world of <i>Heartland</i>.* My
thoughts have been more with Ty and Amy lately than with my own friends and
family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's been a great escape. But I
know I can't stay in that unreal, ideal world. I need to live in the real,
broken world that God has put me in.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> <span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">*<i>That's a palindrome, did you notice?</i></span><i> </i></span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I read Jesus' words this morning, in
Matthew 24 and 25, about the end of the world as we know it. He gave His
disciples a parable to illustrate how they should live until He returns to
gather His children home to His heartland. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Ten young woman are waiting to celebrate
the wedding of their friend, the bride, and her bridegroom. They know the
bridegroom will be coming any time to meet the bride and carry her away into
their new life together. They need to be watching for him so they can join the
two of them in a happy journey to the wedding feast.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Five of them are alert and prepared, and
the other five have been spending their days watching endless episodes of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Heartland</i>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Okay. So that's a bit of a stretch when it
comes to interpretation, but it's an apropos <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>application to my situation. I cannot afford
to float off into some kind of virtual paradise, napping mindlessly while I
wait for the Bridegroom to decide it's time to come collect His bride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is work to do before I can relax and
enjoy the feast. So today, in the first entry of my new journal, I turn over a
new page.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I am highly motivated. I'm pretty sure it's
more than the cup and a half of coffee I just drank. There are some pretty
strong reasons for me to renounce the easy life until I can enjoy it eternally.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">For one thing, that life is temporary. It
doesn't make sense for me to invest my life in pursuits that will only last a
short time. Another of Jesus' stories illustrates the futility of doing that.
He says, "What profit is there for a person to gain the whole (temporary)
world if they lose their own (eternal) souls in the process?" </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Or if other eternal souls are lost as
well??</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z74t3SyyB-o/YFJlSCOpgfI/AAAAAAAAgyE/unKpkhLA4109X-EXq2IZQqeY6KBJV-E4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Idaho%2BJuly%2B2010%2B170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z74t3SyyB-o/YFJlSCOpgfI/AAAAAAAAgyE/unKpkhLA4109X-EXq2IZQqeY6KBJV-E4wCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h240/Idaho%2BJuly%2B2010%2B170.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I need to invest my life in people. Real
people. People are the only eternally valuable investments to make.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need to work toward their eternal well
being as well as my own. <p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">C.S. Lewis says that ". . .it is immortals whom
we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit--." Ty and Amy are not
immortals, but the people I come in contact with in my life are. They need to
be the focus of my activities while I am down here on earth waiting for the
Bridegroom to come for us. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yvlxti6tJ_g/YFJlaRONE8I/AAAAAAAAgyM/NHn-0vnU3wwYInK2_yOdcPn1BoyHrDShQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yvlxti6tJ_g/YFJlaRONE8I/AAAAAAAAgyM/NHn-0vnU3wwYInK2_yOdcPn1BoyHrDShQCLcBGAsYHQ/w150-h200/IMG_3957.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US">I need to spend my life for others, praying
for them, loving them, and demonstrating, by the way I live and the words I speak,
how rich and joyous it can be to live for an eternal purpose, moving all the
while toward an eternal heartland.</span><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><span lang="EN-US">So that's the beginning of my future path.
It's a re-commitment to my purpose of following Jesus in this life. I need to make sure my heart stays in this land until it's time to move on to the next one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-63660699001242681412021-03-16T14:08:00.003-07:002021-03-17T13:40:49.222-07:00Heartland<p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IPobcnjOrzw/YFEb3eCUcaI/AAAAAAAAgxk/tSaQdmhpHRE0ltvxjW2ySARffiPGnsl7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Grangeville%252C%2BJuly%2B002.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IPobcnjOrzw/YFEb3eCUcaI/AAAAAAAAgxk/tSaQdmhpHRE0ltvxjW2ySARffiPGnsl7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Grangeville%252C%2BJuly%2B002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">I think I am heart-hungry for <i><a href="https://gem.cbc.ca/season/heartland/season-13/6cfaaf06-89d7-47db-90b7-dfabb91d91cb">Heartland</a>.</i>
I'm blaming my compulsive enjoyment of that TV series on COVID. That's
convenient. But I'm trying to analyze why I'm so addicted to the series and I
think it's a couple of things (aside from COVID). <br /></span></span><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">Or maybe three.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">First, the simple, uncomplicated moral
innocence of the show is a comfort to me. I long for a time when virtues like integrity,
fidelity and honesty are again considered general virtues that society expects
of people.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">They once were. I remember those days, when
you could count on an agreement that was sealed with only a handshake. <span> </span>Moral behavior was expected and people in that
time rose to that expectation. In <i>Heartland</i>, when one of the characters
stumbles or falls--when a character breaks the moral rules and lies, or is
unfaithful in love--the lapse is recognized as a stumble or a fall, and there
are disastrous consequences. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">These COVID days have brought out the best
and the worst in us all.<span> </span>We may have
stumbled and fallen in many ways, but we have also gone out of our way to care
for our neighbours, and we have also learned to live on less and care about
things that are of real value. But our society still reels from the effects of
our rejection of traditional moral values. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">In this past year, integrity has become the
victim of political expediency. There certainly have to be public figures who
are faithful to their calling as public servants--who speak the truth and are
faithful in their service. But so many conflicting "facts" being promoted
by all our media sources have destroyed our foundational confidence in the
integrity of government as well as in public discourse.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">As for fidelity, we scold public figures
for forcing unwanted sex on women, and rightly so, but we say nothing about
infidelity in their marriages, or in ours. The only rule restricting sexual
behavior in this moral climate is the rule that sex should always be by mutual
consent. Other than that, anything goes when it comes to the act that used to
be considered sacred because of the beautiful picture it is of the faithful,
intimate, caring love that has always existed between the Creator and His
creation, and also because of its direct connection with the creation of other
human beings.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">And when it comes to honesty, no one even talks
anymore about the way things 'should' be. It's only about the way things 'are'.
"Well," we say, "if you leave your purse on the seat of your unlocked
car, what do you expect? That was a stupid thing to do." Now, in the 21st
century, stupidity is seen as a worse sin than stealing.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SHeyjIgFSKs/YFEc5a7qkjI/AAAAAAAAgxs/JSp6Bfb2s1YJTzUUZGg_-Kx41GQKvSDOACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2416.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1151" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SHeyjIgFSKs/YFEc5a7qkjI/AAAAAAAAgxs/JSp6Bfb2s1YJTzUUZGg_-Kx41GQKvSDOACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2416.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />There are other reasons for the strings
between my heart and <i>Heartland</i>. My longing is a longing for the past, not only
morally, but geographically. My growing up years in rural America, as well as
my seven years of living in Alberta, left me with an enduring love for the
simple, rural life. </span><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">Those years were not pain-free. There is
always pain and frustration and restlessness in growing up. But the nostalgia
is there, in the Ponderosa pine forests of Northern Arizona that I grew up in
as a young person, and in the shadow of the Rocky Mountain foothills of Alberta
where <i>Heartland</i> is filmed and where we raised our toddlers. <span> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">The nostalgia is there, and it can be a
kind of pain in itself. As if it was a perfect setting, but not quite perfect.
A perfect time, but not quite.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">In fact, I think my longing is more deeply
rooted in a longing for heaven. An old song we used to sing in church says,
"This world is not my home, I'm just passing through." No matter what
sweet memories I have of the past in this life, there is still a reaching for
something more, as if I'm on a journey through this life and have not yet
reached my final destination.<span> </span>In heaven,
only, will the ideal be realized.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">All that gives me pleasure in this life is
passing. But all the deep happiness I<span>
</span>remember experiencing in fleeting moments--these things are what heaven
will be like, not in fleeting moments but in one constant, eternal present--all
the deep joy and none of the sorrow. When that eternal moment comes for me, the
tears of the past will be wiped away. All the nostalgia will find its final
satisfaction, and I will find my <i>Heartland</i>.</span></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-21442738227088311862020-12-28T11:58:00.001-08:002020-12-28T11:58:40.783-08:00The Gift of 2020--Out With the Old, In With the New<p class="MsoNormal"></p><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i9Xvl1dWuHw/X-kDEauVkLI/AAAAAAAAgGc/XejhskODkjwgoVPNjmakDZzprpOvdqvMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/Ruined%2BEarth.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i9Xvl1dWuHw/X-kDEauVkLI/AAAAAAAAgGc/XejhskODkjwgoVPNjmakDZzprpOvdqvMQCLcBGAsYHQ/w179-h179/Ruined%2BEarth.jpg" width="179" /></a></div><br /></span>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">This morning, before sitting down to watch
(virtually) the last church service of 2020, I fix my breakfast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">My conscience tells me I need something
better than the dessert cuisine I've been indulging in for the past four days,
so I boil a couple of eggs and plunk the last two slices of an old loaf of
bread into the toaster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I suspect the sermon may tell me I need
something better to feed my spirit as well--something more eternally
significant than the Spider Solitaire games I've been playing while popping
Christmas candy into my mouth all week.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I am too lazy to make a fresh pot of coffee
so I go to the fridge, pull an old, nearly empty, carton of Costco Chai latte
mix from the back of the top shelf, pour it into a cup, add milk, and zap it in
the microwave.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The key word here is "old."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I stir my latte, un-shell my eggs, and
butter my toast. But when I pick up my cup a minute later I notice three or
four clumps of mold have floated to the top. I dump it and fix a cup of instant
cafe mocha instead. Then I carry my breakfast into the living room and sit down
in front of the TV. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The pastor is talking about "The Gift
of 2020." Intriguing. What gift? 2020 seems more like a year of God's
taking things away than giving us something. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I take a few bites of toast before I notice
the moldy taste there too, and that's when I begin to wonder if God might be
trying to tell me something. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">End of year. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Moldy food in my fridge. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Maybe He's saying I need to do a major
clean out of everything about the old year and get ready for a fresh start.
That makes sense.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">But, "No," God says, "It's
not the old year I want you to throw out. I want you to get rid of the
expectation that things will ever get 'back to normal' after this is
over." </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Ouch. That's not a word I want to hear.
"I'd rather keep that glimmer of hope for the future, God, if you don't
mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It sounds a bit like you might be
planning to throw out our 'normal' forever."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Forever is a scary word. But, thankfully,
experience has taught me that sometimes God has to take old things away from us
in order to give us new things that are better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Like fresh bread, and fresh coffee. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">My
friend, Nikki, is a wisely intelligent woman whose spiritual insight I admire.
God often says things to her directly, with "Words of Knowledge," and
she shares them with those of us who are usually too busy to listen for God's
still, small voice. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">She
told me that in January this year God said to her, "Nothing will remain
unchanged." </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">She
said at first she thought that was a wonderful thing. She supposed God meant He
was going to change things for the better. But then she thought, "Wait.
What if the changes are not going to be good ones?"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">Then
came March and the meaning of the word became clear.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">God
also told her to keep her eyes on Jesus during this time of change. </span><span lang="EN-US">My pastor said that 2020 was a gift to us because God was using it
to shape, or form us into something good. He told us that 2020 was going to
change us, but it was up to us to decide how it would change us. We could
either spend the rest of this year being grumpy and frustrated about 2020, or
we could spend the next few days thinking about why 2020 might have needed to
happen.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Instead of making the 'normal' list of
resolutions or goals for ourselves this year, he suggested we make a list of
all the things God might want to change in us for the better as we move into
the coming year. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">That could mean some uncomfortable
re-arranging of some stuff in my life, like maybe my assumptions about God--His
priorities and goals--or about His purposes for my being here. Will I have to
give up some of the fun I have on my electronics?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">That would be a shame, because one good
thing that has come out of this COVID year, for me, is that I have nearly
perfected my game of Spider Solitaire. I've learned some new strategies. I used
to give in to the overwhelming urge to place a nine of spades on an open ten of
spades, where it needs to be, as soon as that ten of spades becomes available.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">But I've gradually figured out that
sometimes you have to put things where they don't belong in order to open up
several more productive moves later on. I've found you can get that nine of
spades on top of the ten of spades, in the end, if you're willing to live with
the uncomfortable feeling that comes when you temporarily put it on an open ten
of hearts instead.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">2020 has been an uncomfortable year. I've
had to put lots of things where they don't belong and it hasn't felt right. But
what it has done for me is demonstrate that what I've considered to be 'normal'
in the past years isn't necessarily 'right.'</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Before 2020 it was 'normal' to feel secure
in all kinds of things that turned out to be unstable. In 2020 we learned that
we could not count on health, or wealth, or work, or relationships, or even
things we have always taken for granted, like white privilege, an admirable
government leader, or police protection. Literally everything we have put our
confidence in has crumbled to dust under our feet.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The Bible says there is only one sure
foundation for our lives. <a href="https://biblehub.com/nlt/psalms/11.htm ">That foundation is a Person.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://biblehub.com/nlt/psalms/11.htm "> </a> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">That Person told His disciples that it is
nonsense to put <a href="https://biblehub.com/mark/2-22.htm">new wine</a> into old wineskins, because when the wine ferments it bursts
the old skins and spills out on the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus was, and is, that New Wine. He was, and is, the Bread of Life. He
said, "I am come that they might have <a href="https://biblehub.com/bsb-strongs/john/10.htm">life,</a> and have it more
abundantly." </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">So His message was, and is: "Out with
the old. In with the new."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">God warns us in the Bible that we need to
act on this information while we still have the chance. We need to let go of
the temporary things we are holding onto and take hold of the unshakable
foundation of God's love as expressed in Jesus' life, death and resurrection.
We need to do it now, because one day the opportunity will pass. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US">"Seek
the Lord while He may be found;</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US">Call
upon Him while He is near.</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 8.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US">Let
the wicked forsake his way</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US">And
the unrighteous person his thoughts;</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US">And
let him return to the Lord,</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US">And
He will have compassion on him,</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US">And
to our God,</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US">For
He will abundantly pardon.</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 8.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US">For
My thoughts are not your thoughts,</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US">Nor
are your ways My ways," declares the Lord.</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US">"For
as the heavens are higher than the earth,</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US">So
are My ways higher than your ways</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US">And
My thoughts than your thoughts."</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://biblehub.com/context/isaiah/55-5.htm"><span lang="EN-US">Isaiah55:6-9</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">In 2020, everything changed, and those
changes are going to continue into 2021. I need to let go of my hope that everything
will eventually go back to the good old days.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I need to let go of everything I trusted in
before 2020 and fix my eyes on Jesus--the only firm, unchangeable foundation
for my life--my eternal life. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">And as I keep my eyes on Jesus, no matter
what the years that lie ahead may bring, I can rest in the expectation that, in
the end, there will be a whole new normal, and <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2021%3A4&version=NIV">it will be a good one</a>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-4971194400512781862020-12-15T11:14:00.000-08:002020-12-15T11:14:20.260-08:00COVID: A Season of Longing<p></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lRHalE5Mius/X9kC8iCX3bI/AAAAAAAAf-8/JIQofoO0xj4ALFBTNt1AKdmNGrnaCOXwgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1151" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lRHalE5Mius/X9kC8iCX3bI/AAAAAAAAf-8/JIQofoO0xj4ALFBTNt1AKdmNGrnaCOXwgCLcBGAsYHQ/w225-h400/IMG_0655.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US">As I think about this past year and all the
changes it has brought us, I keep hearing the word, 'longing' for some reason.
This, for me, has been a season of longing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I look at this swelling emotion in my heart more closely, I feel it
moves in three directions.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US">First, I've found my heart reaching out,
more than ever, to Jesus. I've had more time this year to spend meditating on
His character and His love for me. My mornings are often unscheduled. I can sit
with the Bible as long as I like, without watching the clock. That freedom has
opened my heart to receive the gift of His presence in a new way. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US">I long, more than ever, to be close to Him,
to please Him in the way I live my life, to give back to Him a little of the
love He has poured out on me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even as
the world writhes in pain in this year of the pandemic, I am overwhelmed with
gratitude for the many ways God has shown me His love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has cared for me thoroughly, even in the
details--details as insignificant as the number of hairs on my head. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US">One example is the new home I
settled into in September, so full of little blessings I didn't even ask for. As
I moved in, everything I needed for my comfort and happiness seemed to fit in a
place that was created for it ahead of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And this downstairs suite is specially suited for the frailer body I'm
growing into--no stairs to climb, smaller spaces that are easier to move around
in, little nooks here and there where the things I need can be stored, close at
hand. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US">A fireplace, and the new soaker tub that will be installed next week! </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US">I
feel pampered by God's love. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US">Second, as I've spent more time luxuriating
in God's love for me, I've developed an even greater longing that other people
might experience His love for them. Many mornings I find myself in tears as I
think of friends and loved ones who are struggling in so many ways, many of
them oblivious to how deeply and earnestly God reaches out to them--unaware of
His great desire to bless them extravagantly with His love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US">I struggle to find ways to share His love
with them--ways that will communicate to each of their hearts--ways that will
avoid the sense that I am 'foisting' my faith on them--ways that will honour
their God-given freedom to choose whether or not to receive the love He offers
them.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US">I feel like one of the lepers in the story of t<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kings+6%3A24-7%3A11&version=GNT">he Aramean siege of Jerusalem</a>. Starving to death after long months of depleting
food supplies in the city, they decide to surrender and head out to the surrounding
army, only to find that the enemy has fled, leaving behind all their
provisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US">After gorging on the food
they find and squirreling away other treasures for themselves, they realize how
selfish they are for not sharing the happy news with the people in the City,
and run back to announce to the guards at the gate the abundance of spoils
available to everyone.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US">I feel like that--like one beggar telling
another beggar where to find food. But I worry that my exuberant declarations
of how wonderful God is, and my urgings that my friends consider the abundance
of wealth He wants to share with them, will come across as condescending, or
proselytizing. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US">So I pray for them, and cry for them, and
hope they get a glimpse in my life of the blessings God wants to give every heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don't want to enjoy those blessings alone!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US">And third, as I watch this poor, broken
world suffer the pain of pandemics, slavery and oppression, the violent
destruction of wars and uprisings, and just the everyday feelings of lost-ness
that come when our moorings are destroyed, I find myself longing, more than
ever, for the day when Christ finally comes back the second time, this time to bring His kind and righteous Kingdom's
rule fully to this earth!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A time when
all swords will be beaten into plowshares, when the lion will lie down with the
lamb, and when children will play safely around the holes of serpents. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US">This is the Kingdom rule that the angels
proclaimed at the birth of Christ 2000 years ago. It's the rule that Jesus
offers to bring into the hearts of each person who welcomes Him in this present
age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it's the rule that He will one
day bring to the whole earth, when <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2021%3A4&version=NIV">"the old order of things has passed
away,"</a> when all evil has been cast out and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US">So COVID has done this to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don't know whether this longing is a
blessing or a curse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it's a little
of both.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is distress in the
longing, but there is also hope. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span lang="EN-US">The longing is painful. My heart feels like
a dry, empty desert waiting for the spring rains. But the hope--the surety that
the spring rains will come--fills me with a quiet peace and joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am content, knowing that this, too, shall
pass, and that one day every tear will be wiped from our eyes forever. </span></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-2098990222929729742020-08-15T11:44:00.002-07:002020-08-15T11:48:20.500-07:00The Mystery of Spiritual Delights: Thoughts on Fasting and the Sabbath <p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Mysteries in the Bible are intriguing. It makes sense that there would be some. If the God the Bible teaches us about is as wise, as powerful and as BIG as all of the universe around us would seem to suggest, there are bound to be things about Him we cannot fathom with our relatively tiny little brains. Yet, we long to know things. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DcThSG2G8k0/Xzgilfo4acI/AAAAAAAAF4A/1sUYFI5q4VUsjP-YsJFWAIrCYxOmM4r_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s720/%2521cid_002701c708f9%25240ab40f80%252497627757%2540pavilion.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="197" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DcThSG2G8k0/Xzgilfo4acI/AAAAAAAAF4A/1sUYFI5q4VUsjP-YsJFWAIrCYxOmM4r_ACLcBGAsYHQ/w262-h197/%2521cid_002701c708f9%25240ab40f80%252497627757%2540pavilion.jpg" width="262" /></a></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="" style="font-size: medium;">I am beginning
to suspect that there are some things we can't "know" logically or
rationally--things our brains are not designed to discover by thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p><span lang="" style="font-size: medium;">Maybe some things we can only "know" by
experience, and what we learn by experience is often </span><span style="font-size: medium;">hard to put into words.<span lang=""> These "knowings" are not necessarily irrational.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They don't go against reason. Rather, they seem to go beyond
reason, into realms we can begin to imagine, but we can't explain.</span><span lang=""> </span></span> </p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The practices of "fasting" and "keeping the Sabbath" are two of these mysteries. Here I share some thoughts on both, and how they might be related:
</span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="" style="font-size: medium;">Our pastors have been leading us
through a series of sermons on spiritual rhythms--disciplines that help us in
our quest for a deeper relationship with our Creator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last week Pastor Gary taught about fasting as
a spiritual discipline.</span><span lang="" style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span lang="" style="font-size: medium;">The mystery about fasting is that the Bible talks about it a lot,
but there's never an explanation of why or how we should do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's as if we are supposed to know,
instinctively, that it's a good thing to do, without being told.</span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="" style="font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="" style="font-size: medium;">And today, as I was reading in Isaiah,
I was drawn to what the prophet says about the idea of the Sabbath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Sabbath is another mystery that has
puzzled me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not that it's a strange idea.
It actually seems like a really good one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It makes sense that a rhythm of resting would be a healthy exercise to incorporate into our lives that are normally full of activity. But I just haven't understood why "remembering the Sabbath to keep it
holy" seemed so important to God. Why is Sabbath-keeping one of the Ten
Commandments? And what does keeping it "holy" mean?</span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-elvB3zW2LZU/XzgsBEPY_dI/AAAAAAAAF4M/Oc42vfUiemUuS0SprWnzPNQtTS__y0DeACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2471.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1151" height="262" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-elvB3zW2LZU/XzgsBEPY_dI/AAAAAAAAF4M/Oc42vfUiemUuS0SprWnzPNQtTS__y0DeACLcBGAsYHQ/w147-h262/IMG_2471.jpg" width="147" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">In Isaiah 58, it seems to me that God brings the two mysteries together in an interesting way. Here He is telling His people
what is important to Him--what they should be paying attention to and doing in
order to enjoy the life He wants them to have. <br />
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="" style="font-size: medium;">Isaiah 58:13, 14 says (in The Amplified
version): </span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="">If
you turn away your foot from [traveling unduly on] the Sabbath, from doing your
own pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a [spiritual] delight, the
holy day of the Lord honorable, and honor Him and it, not going your own way or
seeking or finding your own pleasure or speaking with your own [idle] words,
Then will you delight yourself in the Lord, and I will make you to ride on the
high places of the earth, and I will feed you with the heritage [promised for
you] of Jacob your father; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.</span></i></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang=""> </span></i></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="" style="font-size: medium;">Turning your foot away, and refraining from certain things for a season, on a regular basis, seem like they might be linked somehow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span lang="">Maybe they both have to do with spiritual rhythms. </span></span>I am going to explore this link for a while.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="" style="font-size: medium;">I have to confess that my journal is full of glorious statements about things I intend to do that I never speak about again. I have good intentions but my attention span is very short. So I am not going to promise God, or myself,
or anyone else that I will pursue this idea. But I have decided to try to connect the activity of
fasting with the concept of the Sabbath and see what happens.</span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="" style="font-size: medium;">So, starting tomorrow, I'm going to (try to
remember to) set aside every Sunday (for a while at least) to "fast"
by doing what these verses explicitly say I should do (or not do) on the
Sabbath. That is my <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=meaning+of+equivocal&oq=meaning+of+equivocal+&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l7.13671j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 ">equivocal</a> declaration on this day. You can pray for me if you feel so led.<br /></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><br /><p><style>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-51330541189617139562020-06-29T08:05:00.003-07:002020-06-29T08:08:32.617-07:00On Weeding<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">I've been neglecting my front yard for way too long. I knew the weeds were growing there, shooting up through the healthy grass and causing my lawn mower to groan, but I just didn't want to deal with the hard work, sweat and tears it would take to get rid of them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XjFR771UMWE/XvoChWvDREI/AAAAAAAAF08/5F2elVQLmj0PBXph0Nh3cxBrkSvU_eIHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_3378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XjFR771UMWE/XvoChWvDREI/AAAAAAAAF08/5F2elVQLmj0PBXph0Nh3cxBrkSvU_eIHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3378.jpg" width="179" /></a><span lang="EN-US">I guess I just kept hoping the grass would take over eventually and choke the weeds out. Or that maybe some friendly neighbor would jog by my house, notice how ugly the lawn looked, and stop to pull them out for me. But, no. It looks like I'm going to have to do this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">This is a good time to do it. We've been pounded by rain this spring. We have had the storms, I'll say! Hitting us from every side. Dumping more water on us than we have known how to deal with at times. It's caused damage. Devastating destruction in some cases. But it's also made the soil easier to work with. So this morning I kneel here, in the dirt, digging and tugging and tossing, trying to avoid touching the slugs or injuring the earthworms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">I like it when I get my fingers around a big fat root that pulls up and leads to runners that also come up easily. It's satisfying to take down a whole section of the invasive growth in one handful. Others, the smaller ones, need a more tedious treatment. I just have to dig away, pulling them up one by one, and reminding myself that I am dealing with the problem, little by little.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Of course I know I'm not really solving the problem forever. I'm pulling up as many of the roots as I can get my fingers around, but they still have very healthy ends buried below the grass. I'm afraid getting rid of them will involve more of a long-term commitment. I will have to keep an eye on things and take time to yank up more roots as they sprout. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">One thing I wonder is why the good soil nurtures both weeds and the plants that feed us and beautify our lives? I wish it were more selective. Instead, the soil provides nourishment to all growth, and leaves it up to us to decide which species will be planted, will survive, or will thrive in it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">And sometimes it seems like the weeds are stronger. Why is it the good plants require more nurturing from us--more deliberate planting and tending and TLC in order to survive? It's almost as if we were meant to participate in nature in some way--to choose what kind of plants we want to promote and protect. That's a big responsibility, one I'm not sure I can handle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">But I feel a little better when I remember that I am only responsible for the weeds in my own yard. If I had to worry about the weeds in my neighbors' lawns the task would be hopeless. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZoUacw_ad5Y/XvoCwYK9B5I/AAAAAAAAF1A/8csOgL_zFiI0yVcXzXg4UE-3GL42pEHBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_6727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZoUacw_ad5Y/XvoCwYK9B5I/AAAAAAAAF1A/8csOgL_zFiI0yVcXzXg4UE-3GL42pEHBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/IMG_6727.jpg" width="200" /></a><span lang="EN-US">Wait a minute. </span>I do need to worry about his weeds. If he doesn't pull his dandelions up by the roots I'll be dealing with the consequences when they go to seed and the wind blows my way. I should probably get onto him about that.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">But wait another minute. If I complain about his dandelions, the neighbor on the other side might growl at me for the clover that's growing across the boundary between my lawn and his. I'm not ready to deal with the clover yet. Right now it's just the buttercups. </span>No, I can't afford to worry about the neighbors' weeds. I have enough trouble dealing with my own.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">There is some light peeking through the rainclouds though. I've heard that a good, healthy grass lawn can actually crowd the weeds out eventually. That's heartening. I plan to "overseed" once I've cleared out enough of the weeds to expose the soil. So eventually, with enough rain, and sun, and seed and good soil, maybe the whole neighborhood will begin to look a lot better. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-56639257270398893832020-06-20T12:28:00.000-07:002020-06-22T00:32:59.500-07:00On Finding God<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
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<span lang="EN-US">A couple of people have asked me lately about how I came to "find God." That's interesting, </span></div>
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because I feel like my coming to faith was actually a matter of God finding me, rather than me finding Him.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">My faith journey began very early on. I grew up with parents who were Christians and they taught me about God from my childhood. I decided when I was less than two years old that I wanted God, and so one day I just asked Jesus to come into my heart! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I was not much of a logical thinker then, of course! At that time, the desire for God just seemed to tug at my heart and I responded, almost without thinking, in the same way that a child will instinctively run to their father's arms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">But in my teens, when I began to think about the process of "finding God," I questioned whether I had really been able to make that choice without understanding more about the process at the time. My mother's diary had recorded the decision, and it was obvious from her description that it had meant something to me then. The day after I prayed that simple prayer, I was telling everyone I met about it, and asking them if Jesus was in their heart too. But as a teen, it bothered me that I could not remember such an important decision.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I tend to take life pretty seriously, so I spent a year agonizing over whether or not I had "filled in all the blanks" on my "application for salvation!" Had I believed enough, repented enough, committed enough to really "make" it happen? Was there something important I had missed in the process that would invalidate the application?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Again, it was God who reached out to "find" me in my distress. One day at the end of that year I was reading my Bible and one verse seemed to literally jump off the page at me. In John 15:16 Jesus says to his disciples: "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain. . ." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">That day I felt God speak that truth into my heart. I realized that our "finding" God is always initiated by Him, and it's completed by Him. It's not what we do, but it's what He did, and does, for us. I chose John 15:16 as my life verse, and it settled my angst about my eternal destiny at that time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I had other anxieties to wrestle with during my growing up years however. When I was seven years old, my father was killed at work, and the trauma was so extreme for me that I suffered what would probably be called PTSD today. I remember dreaming, one night shortly after his death, that he was crawling on the low roof of our house and a bear was trying to reach up and get him. The dream ended before that happened, but I knew my father would lose that battle. The thought that he was not all powerful after all pushed me gently toward the understanding that only in God could I find security. All through my childhood and even into my adult life, as I lived with the grief and insecurity, I found myself forced to lean on the steady, gentle sense that an unchanging Heavenly Father was with me and loved me. So my faith grew.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">My faith met another challenge when I was a young adult. Up until then I had been surrounded by Christian thought. I'd graduated from a Christian high school and gone on to take two years of Bible studies at a Christian college before I found myself out of money and needing to move on to a public university.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I'd not known much about other religions or beliefs up until that time, and my first year in university was an eye-opener. I had entered the secular world being confident that God would protect me from all the erroneous philosophies that would challenge my faith. Then I got a job as secretary to the newly formed Philosophy department at Northern Arizona University, and I spent the next three years in very close association with professors who worked hard to enlighten me about the "real" Truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I remember thinking, at one point, that it was like all my life I had been walking up a hill following one road. It was the only road. Then I got to the top of the hill and looked down the other side and saw that there were many roads, and I began to wonder how I could be so sure that my road was the only right one. It might just be the one I had grown up believing because I didn't know better. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The big, seemingly insurmountable problem that brought me to this point of doubt is one that brings many people to question whether or not there is a God. It's a universal question, and it's very hard to answer: </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US">If there is a good God, then why is there evil in the world? </span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">I </span>could not answer that question and it made me really think. It also scared me a little. I had built my whole life--my whole identity--on my belief in God. If he did not exist, that meant I had been building on a false premise and I would have to rethink everything I had ever believed, even who I really was. </div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I had a decision to make at that point. I had to decide whether my faith was the most important thing to me, or knowing the truth. If my faith was false, would I be willing to give it up? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">It didn't take me long to decide that Truth had to be the most important thing. I had always loved Truth, and I wasn't willing to keep on believing a lie just because it was comfortable and comforting to me. So, in my mind, I actually let go of my Christian faith so I could objectively investigate what was actually true. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">But when I did that, it also didn't take me long to find my answer, because once I embraced the idea that the existence of evil disproves the existence of a good God, I found myself confronted with an opposite question: </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US">If there is no God, then how do we explain the existence of good in the world? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">It is hard to explain "evil" if there is a good God, but it seemed to me that it would be impossible to explain "good" if there wasn't a good God. I came to believe that Good is the reality. Evil is just the absence of that reality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">After deciding that there had to be a good God, it was an easy step for me to see Christianity as being God's way of eliminating the evil. The Christian message made sense to me on a whole different level. If evil separates us from the good, it's no wonder that "finding" God is so hard. So hard, in fact, that the initiation of our discovery of God has to come from him. I began to see that all those other roads going down the hill were only human constructs--human endeavors to "find" God. But Christianity was different. Christianity was God reaching down to find us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Some people say that their logical thinking has led them away from a belief in God, but in my case, it was logical thinking that led me to him in the end. I experienced my "crisis of faith" and came out on the other side being even more convinced that the faith that had tugged at my heart when I was a baby was a true one, and to this day I am convinced that Christianity is the only logical explanation for it all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Pascal once said that there is a God-shaped vacuum in every heart that can only be filled by him. Maybe all the brokenness and disconnectedness we feel in our world can be explained by that statement. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I'm glad that God knocked on the door of my heart when I was too young to ponder too much about things. Sometimes it is easier for a child to respond to God, before intellectual abilities cloud the truth. It's harder for smart people, who are older, educated and confident, to by-pass their internal critic when seeking spiritual reality. </span>I do believe in logic, but I have found it can only take us so far in discovering truth about God. When we get to the edge of that cliff, we have to recognize the limitations of our own understanding, and reach out, and let God "find" us.</div>
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Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-90829860443795417752020-05-21T12:52:00.001-07:002020-05-21T12:52:05.572-07:00On Stepping Off the Path
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<span lang="EN-US">At this stage of my life, I find that what
seems just a slight bit of disobedience on my part puts a damper on my
enjoyment of God's presence in my life.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GhlVvCbCowk/XsbaR1qtTlI/AAAAAAAAFwk/3srQxm343g0qeZit7FE3sJV0tL8gvuLPACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_3023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GhlVvCbCowk/XsbaR1qtTlI/AAAAAAAAFwk/3srQxm343g0qeZit7FE3sJV0tL8gvuLPACPcBGAYYCw/s320/IMG_3023.jpg" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US">When that cloud passes between me and the
Son, it's a sign that something is wrong, and it always eventually brings me
back to the source of the problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then
I can acknowledge the thing that is in the way, ask God to forgive me, and
immediately bask in the sense of his Presence again.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">He has promised never to leave me or
forsake me, so I can count on it that he is present always, just like I can
know that the sun always shines above the clouds on dark days.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">So when it feels like he has moved away,
it's really only that there's a cloud between us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he is always standing by, ready and
willing to blow it away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He just waits
for us to ask.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">David's 3000-year-old songs are universally
true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are as useful to us today as
they were to him back then.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Create
in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do not cast me from your presence or take
your Holy Spirit from me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Restore to me
the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.</span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Psalm 51:10-12</span></div>
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Something About the Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493002116735282925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026104178954353933.post-27275300382739870272020-04-15T08:53:00.000-07:002020-04-15T08:53:28.816-07:00Death: Google It
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<span lang="EN-US">Apparently, the keyword, "death,"
has been showing up in Google searches a lot recently. It's no wonder. Death
has been pretty much in our faces over the last three months. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">And that's not necessarily a bad thing. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">When things are going well for us we tend
to live in the moment, and living in the present is a good thing to do--as long
as living in the present moment doesn't interfere with our making plans for a
good future. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">It's funny that we are keen to plan for a
happy retirement, but it doesn't occur to us to plan for a happy
afterlife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Death comes after retirement.
And sometimes it takes us by surprise: for some of us, death will come before
retirement. In any case, death is inevitable for all of us, and so it's worth
doing some serious thinking about. </span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">It's good to enjoy the present, but it's
also good to plan for the future, not just the near future, but also for our
ultimate future. </span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">We probably avoid thinking about death, and
what might come after, because we feel there's really nothing we can do about
it. It's all a big mystery and we assume that means we should just ignore it.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Death is mysterious, for sure, but that
doesn't mean we shouldn't explore that mystery. You might have noticed that
Christians are more serene in the midst of the COVID 19 turmoil around us. They
are less perturbed about the thought of death than others. There's a reason for
that. Christians believe that God has given us information about death and the
afterlife, and has urged us to prepare for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">In fact, God has provided the opportunity
for a good afterlife for all of us. He's made a happy afterlife a free gift. All
we have to do is choose to receive it.</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Christians believe that, because God loves
us, He has provided for us, through Jesus' life and death, the ultimate
afterlife insurance policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christians
are less worried about death because they believe God's promise that if we put
our faith in Jesus we will live "happily ever after."</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">This sounds simplistic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what if the simple answer is the true
one? What if the answer to a happy afterlife is so simple a child can grasp it?
Maybe the answer is worth pursuing?</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Today's suggested Bible reading explains
why Christians are able to relax into the present difficult situation, as well
as into their future destination. It explains the process by which God has made
eternal happiness available to us all.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Click on this hyperlink to read the explanation: <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+1%3A3-9&version=NLT">Our Eternal Hope</a></span></div>
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