Exodus 16
Precious gift daily
given by a loving God
sustains His children.
© Patrick Norberto 2014
 |
Gathering of Manna, by Nicolas Poussin, ca. 1637 |
Tuesday, October 28
Wednesday, October 22
The Greatest in Heaven?
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who,
then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to
him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless
you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of
heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the
greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my
name welcomes me.
“If anyone causes one of these little ones - those who believe
in me - to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung
around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” ~ Matthew 18:1-6
(New International Version)
Monday, October 20
Empty Or Full?
Take a moment to look at these images of a glass. When you look at them, do you think the glass to be empty? Devoid of anything?
Is the glass truly empty? Or does it hold air which, while invisible to our eyes, is comprised of life-supporting substances, such as oxygen, nitrogen and others? We may not always see or feel the air but it surrounds us and sustains us.
God's Grace is like this. We cannot see it, are not always able to feel it, but it is there, shared with us by a loving God who gives it to us without condition. We don't even ask for it; many of us likely feel unworthy of it.
But it is for us. It is ours. It is yours. Accept it. Grace be with you...
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ~ Titus 2:11 (NIV)
Is the glass truly empty? Or does it hold air which, while invisible to our eyes, is comprised of life-supporting substances, such as oxygen, nitrogen and others? We may not always see or feel the air but it surrounds us and sustains us.
God's Grace is like this. We cannot see it, are not always able to feel it, but it is there, shared with us by a loving God who gives it to us without condition. We don't even ask for it; many of us likely feel unworthy of it.
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ~ Titus 2:11 (NIV)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Reminder: if you have a prayer need, please click on the Share
a Prayer? tab and send it my
way. I will respond.
Have a wonderful day!
Thursday, October 16
The Bold and The Beautiful...?
But Moses said to the Lord, “Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. 2 You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country." Exodus 6:30 - 7:2 (NIV)
==============================================================
We tend to forget, especially if we watch The Ten Commandments every year, that Moses was the antithesis of a charismatic, commanding leader. In my mind's-eye I picture the movie icon Charlton Heston, with his sculpted physique and his chiseled jawline standing strong in the presence of Pharaoh, and before the gathered Hebrews. Is there any doubt that his people, the Israelites, would follow this version of Moses into the wilderness, to escape the oppression and enslavement by the Egyptians?
Whom we meet in the Book of Exodus, whose authorship many scholars attribute directly to Moses himself, is a flawed man who is quick to admit that he may not be the guy that Yahweh wants or needs to stand before Pharaoh to petition for the release of the Israelite people. The New International Version translation uses the phrase "faltering lips"; the Douay-Reims translation, which I have been reading on my Kindle as a bit of a change of pace, employs the phrase "uncircumscribed lips" (how's that for a unique image?).
What seems very clear to me, amid the varying words and phrases used in the myriad Bible translations, is that Moses had a speech impediment of which he was certain disqualified him from being God's man at the front of the line. We learn as we read along that Moses did a pretty good job, when he accepted God's directive and direction. In spite of his inability to speak with confidence and polish before kings and common folk.
The most important lesson to be learned from Moses' example? God equips us to handle whatever role to which He calls us. Time and again we meet in the Bible heroes and kings who accomplish great and wonderful things. These men and women are chosen by God despite, or perhaps because of, their deficiencies or perceived character flaws. He calls to you and me to lead by example and love others, which is the message He wants us to help spread. People who are "practically perfect in every way" (Mary Poppins, Disney) need not apply.
So, if God comes a-callin' there really isn't any excuse that we could throw at Him to beg off. Stand up and step forward.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. 2 You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country." Exodus 6:30 - 7:2 (NIV)
==============================================================
We tend to forget, especially if we watch The Ten Commandments every year, that Moses was the antithesis of a charismatic, commanding leader. In my mind's-eye I picture the movie icon Charlton Heston, with his sculpted physique and his chiseled jawline standing strong in the presence of Pharaoh, and before the gathered Hebrews. Is there any doubt that his people, the Israelites, would follow this version of Moses into the wilderness, to escape the oppression and enslavement by the Egyptians?
Whom we meet in the Book of Exodus, whose authorship many scholars attribute directly to Moses himself, is a flawed man who is quick to admit that he may not be the guy that Yahweh wants or needs to stand before Pharaoh to petition for the release of the Israelite people. The New International Version translation uses the phrase "faltering lips"; the Douay-Reims translation, which I have been reading on my Kindle as a bit of a change of pace, employs the phrase "uncircumscribed lips" (how's that for a unique image?).
What seems very clear to me, amid the varying words and phrases used in the myriad Bible translations, is that Moses had a speech impediment of which he was certain disqualified him from being God's man at the front of the line. We learn as we read along that Moses did a pretty good job, when he accepted God's directive and direction. In spite of his inability to speak with confidence and polish before kings and common folk.
The most important lesson to be learned from Moses' example? God equips us to handle whatever role to which He calls us. Time and again we meet in the Bible heroes and kings who accomplish great and wonderful things. These men and women are chosen by God despite, or perhaps because of, their deficiencies or perceived character flaws. He calls to you and me to lead by example and love others, which is the message He wants us to help spread. People who are "practically perfect in every way" (Mary Poppins, Disney) need not apply.
So, if God comes a-callin' there really isn't any excuse that we could throw at Him to beg off. Stand up and step forward.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Reminder: if you have a prayer need, please click on the Share
a Prayer? tab and send it my
way. I will respond.
Have a wonderful day!
Whither the Verdant Shade?
Once green leaves depart
under gray skies; a maize and
burnt umber farewell…
under gray skies; a maize and
burnt umber farewell…
©
Patrick Norberto 2014
Tuesday, October 14
Family Is Everything and Everything Is Family...
Read Jacob's farewell to his children. (Genesis 49)
My dad always promoted his belief of "Family first and always". All through my life, from my youth - the eldest of his and my mom's six children - until his death in October 2013 at the age of 79, I never heard this message change. Perhaps it was a result of growing up in a broken home, with a single mother and a father who did not exist for him. My dad stressed to us, his children, constantly the fact that "we could choose our friends and ultimately our spouses, but we could not choose blood". I can recall many instances through the years that one or more of us may have been at odds with each other and he never tried to force us to agree and get along all the time but, when an "outsider" antagonized one of us, we were expected to stand by the offended sibling.
Yes, dad loved us ferociously, but that love did not blind him to our faults and weaknesses. Nor did it stop him from speaking out about these deficits. Believe me he didn't sugarcoat or soft-soap any criticism when it came to ensuring that his kids knew that they had some work to do on themselves. And it may have set our teeth on edge to have to listen to these critiques. But I am pretty sure that were it not for these often (let's face it, ALWAYS) unsolicited assessments, I would be a vastly different person. Still far from perfect, I strive each day to live up to the very high standard that he set.
As I studied the story of Jacob and his children in the closing chapters of Genesis I reflected on just how good I had it with my father. Yes, he chided, exhorted, criticized and plain old "busted my chops" until he went to live with God in Paradise last year, but he never played favorites, never set us one against the other, never showed more love to one over the others, never showered one with more gifts than the others.
Our old buddy Jacob is guilty of all that. In fact, it is his unvarnished love for and doting on Joseph that serves as the impetus for all that happens with this dysfunctional family. He makes it very plain that little Joey is his favorite, gives him a magnificent gift of a beautiful outer garment containing a plethora of beauteous pigments (I really did not want you to starting singing the soundtrack of a certain well-known musical so I will refrain from using the more famous words to describe it). Some brothers want to kill him. They end up selling him into slavery and eventually come groveling to him for forgiveness.
One might think, might even hope, that after Joseph's unconditional forgiveness and the heartwarming reunion of this clan that we might read a happy ending. After all, doesn't the film version of that trite, but enjoyable musical (Okay! Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Didn't want to have to type that, but I couldn't help myself.) have a happy ending complete with an emotionally power-packed finale sung by the ageless Donnie Osmond? Well, let us remember that, while he may now named Israel, this is the same guy who duped his old man into making him heir numero uno over his brother Esau. Family never seemed to matter all that much to him and Ol' Jake seems to not have changed so much even in his dotage and declining health. His final words to his children and progeny are caustic at best and offer some praise along with some varying levels of condemnation and admonition.
He calls Ruben his strength then accuses him of defiling his bed (Gen. 49:4), accuses Simeon and Levi of being hot-headed, violent brutes (Gen. 49:5-7).
And the diatribe continues in that vein, until he dies. It must have seemed like a never-ending rant against his own flesh and blood. He does have some nice things to say about some of the others but it seems that he spends his final breaths sowing just more of the same seeds of discontent among his offspring. How can this be a family undivided, a nation united, if it's founder and head teaches discord and distrust right up until his final breath?
Imagine how these children felt?
All things considered, I much prefer my old man to Joseph's and his family's geezer.
My dad always promoted his belief of "Family first and always". All through my life, from my youth - the eldest of his and my mom's six children - until his death in October 2013 at the age of 79, I never heard this message change. Perhaps it was a result of growing up in a broken home, with a single mother and a father who did not exist for him. My dad stressed to us, his children, constantly the fact that "we could choose our friends and ultimately our spouses, but we could not choose blood". I can recall many instances through the years that one or more of us may have been at odds with each other and he never tried to force us to agree and get along all the time but, when an "outsider" antagonized one of us, we were expected to stand by the offended sibling.
Yes, dad loved us ferociously, but that love did not blind him to our faults and weaknesses. Nor did it stop him from speaking out about these deficits. Believe me he didn't sugarcoat or soft-soap any criticism when it came to ensuring that his kids knew that they had some work to do on themselves. And it may have set our teeth on edge to have to listen to these critiques. But I am pretty sure that were it not for these often (let's face it, ALWAYS) unsolicited assessments, I would be a vastly different person. Still far from perfect, I strive each day to live up to the very high standard that he set.
As I studied the story of Jacob and his children in the closing chapters of Genesis I reflected on just how good I had it with my father. Yes, he chided, exhorted, criticized and plain old "busted my chops" until he went to live with God in Paradise last year, but he never played favorites, never set us one against the other, never showed more love to one over the others, never showered one with more gifts than the others.
Our old buddy Jacob is guilty of all that. In fact, it is his unvarnished love for and doting on Joseph that serves as the impetus for all that happens with this dysfunctional family. He makes it very plain that little Joey is his favorite, gives him a magnificent gift of a beautiful outer garment containing a plethora of beauteous pigments (I really did not want you to starting singing the soundtrack of a certain well-known musical so I will refrain from using the more famous words to describe it). Some brothers want to kill him. They end up selling him into slavery and eventually come groveling to him for forgiveness.
One might think, might even hope, that after Joseph's unconditional forgiveness and the heartwarming reunion of this clan that we might read a happy ending. After all, doesn't the film version of that trite, but enjoyable musical (Okay! Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Didn't want to have to type that, but I couldn't help myself.) have a happy ending complete with an emotionally power-packed finale sung by the ageless Donnie Osmond? Well, let us remember that, while he may now named Israel, this is the same guy who duped his old man into making him heir numero uno over his brother Esau. Family never seemed to matter all that much to him and Ol' Jake seems to not have changed so much even in his dotage and declining health. His final words to his children and progeny are caustic at best and offer some praise along with some varying levels of condemnation and admonition.
He calls Ruben his strength then accuses him of defiling his bed (Gen. 49:4), accuses Simeon and Levi of being hot-headed, violent brutes (Gen. 49:5-7).
And the diatribe continues in that vein, until he dies. It must have seemed like a never-ending rant against his own flesh and blood. He does have some nice things to say about some of the others but it seems that he spends his final breaths sowing just more of the same seeds of discontent among his offspring. How can this be a family undivided, a nation united, if it's founder and head teaches discord and distrust right up until his final breath?
Imagine how these children felt?
All things considered, I much prefer my old man to Joseph's and his family's geezer.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Reminder: if you have a prayer need, please click on the Share a Prayer? tab and send it my way. I will respond.
Reminder: if you have a prayer need, please click on the Share a Prayer? tab and send it my way. I will respond.
Have a wonderful day!
Friday, October 10
Man Up! A Little Backbone, Please...
Read about Abraham and Abimelek. (Genesis 20)
Every so often, despite my efforts to maintain a sober and prayerful attitude as I carry out my self-mandated Bible reading exercise, I cannot help but chuckle. A lot!
You may accuse me of apostasy, but I often think that our Forbear in Faith, one Abraham ne Abram, may have been lacking on occasion in the guts and qualities that make for true leaders. One such instance happened while I was reading Genesis 20. After moving into a "new neighborhood", the Negev region, Abraham goes around telling his new neighbors that Sarah, his wife of many years, is his sister. His sister!
"Took her." Does not sound like there was any mutual consent going on with this tryst.
At what cost does Abraham save his skin? A pretty steep one, in my mind.
How can Abraham sleep with himself?! This question screams in my head all through my reading of this passage. How can he look Sarah in the eyes, ever again? Another question that plagued me is, how can Sarah even look at Abraham without wanting to spit in his face or pluck out his eyes with all the fury that I am sure welled up inside her? Evidently, Sarah forgave Abraham because she remained with him until her death.
End of story, right? Hardly!
Abraham's son Isaac - remember him, the almost-sacrificed-to-God-boy? - pulls the very same stunt with his wife, Rebekah. For the very same reason as dear old dad: “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.” (Gen. 26:7)
Guess who outs them? Abimelek. He calls them on their charade and , even though he is obviously peeved (understatement), he protects Isaac and Rebekah by issuing orders to his men to back off. I'm guessing that he was still burning with some serious guilt over the whole sleeping with Isaac's mom interlude.
This almost Shakespearean comedy of errors drives home to me a pretty potent point that focuses on a couple of key issues with marriage partners (NB, I choose the word partner quite deliberately):
[Yeah, I know, I messed up that whole counting thing again.]
Or as my dad and his cronies, rather indecorously, advised my buddies and me: "If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life, make an ugly woman your wife". Politically incorrect (really?!) but my dad and his crew were, if nothing else, men of their time.
There is another really important lesson to take away from this passage. Indeed, it is one that is proven over and over. God does not use perfect people to teach, admonish and lead us. For one thing, there ain't no perfect persons. And if there were, how likely would we be to identify with and want to follow them?
Unlikely...
But, come on, guys. Your sisters?!
Every so often, despite my efforts to maintain a sober and prayerful attitude as I carry out my self-mandated Bible reading exercise, I cannot help but chuckle. A lot!
You may accuse me of apostasy, but I often think that our Forbear in Faith, one Abraham ne Abram, may have been lacking on occasion in the guts and qualities that make for true leaders. One such instance happened while I was reading Genesis 20. After moving into a "new neighborhood", the Negev region, Abraham goes around telling his new neighbors that Sarah, his wife of many years, is his sister. His sister!
Why? Because evidently Sarah is so hot that Abraham fears he will get his butt kicked, or worse, by those dudes who want to steal his wife. So, Abraham's life is spared, but the big local kingpin, Abimelek comes along and decides to sleep with Abraham's sis. Look at how the author worded this scenario: "Then Abimelek king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her."
"Took her." Does not sound like there was any mutual consent going on with this tryst.
At what cost does Abraham save his skin? A pretty steep one, in my mind.
How can Abraham sleep with himself?! This question screams in my head all through my reading of this passage. How can he look Sarah in the eyes, ever again? Another question that plagued me is, how can Sarah even look at Abraham without wanting to spit in his face or pluck out his eyes with all the fury that I am sure welled up inside her? Evidently, Sarah forgave Abraham because she remained with him until her death.
End of story, right? Hardly!
Abraham's son Isaac - remember him, the almost-sacrificed-to-God-boy? - pulls the very same stunt with his wife, Rebekah. For the very same reason as dear old dad: “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.” (Gen. 26:7)
Guess who outs them? Abimelek. He calls them on their charade and , even though he is obviously peeved (understatement), he protects Isaac and Rebekah by issuing orders to his men to back off. I'm guessing that he was still burning with some serious guilt over the whole sleeping with Isaac's mom interlude.
This almost Shakespearean comedy of errors drives home to me a pretty potent point that focuses on a couple of key issues with marriage partners (NB, I choose the word partner quite deliberately):
- Be faithful
- Be true
- Be honest
- Be courageous
[Yeah, I know, I messed up that whole counting thing again.]
Or as my dad and his cronies, rather indecorously, advised my buddies and me: "If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life, make an ugly woman your wife". Politically incorrect (really?!) but my dad and his crew were, if nothing else, men of their time.
There is another really important lesson to take away from this passage. Indeed, it is one that is proven over and over. God does not use perfect people to teach, admonish and lead us. For one thing, there ain't no perfect persons. And if there were, how likely would we be to identify with and want to follow them?
Unlikely...
But, come on, guys. Your sisters?!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Reminder: if you have a prayer need, please click on the Share a Prayer? tab and send it my way. I will respond.
Reminder: if you have a prayer need, please click on the Share a Prayer? tab and send it my way. I will respond.
Have a wonderful day!
Thursday, October 9
What Are You Willing to Do?
Read how Abraham was tested. [Genesis 22: 1 - 19]
The story of Abraham has always challenged me. When God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, a child so long awaited due to his and Sarah's inability to conceive for so very long, I am dumbstruck. Didn't God have a hand in helping Abraham and Sarah to become parents after so many years of nothing? Why would He turn the tables so quickly on this faithful couple and put this command to Abraham? What was the whole point, after all?
In the end, however, what blows my mind even more than God asking him to do this, is Abraham's response. There is no wailing and gnashing of teeth. There is no bargaining with God - "Please, God, anything but that!". He simply gets Isaac, packs up a couple of donkeys, brings a couple of servants, obviously to do some of the heavy lifting, let us not forget that Abraham is about a zillion years old by this time, loads up on firewood and sets out on a road trip. Now the story leaves out a few details, such as how long the trip is from Abraham's home to Moriah, or even why make a journey at all. Why not have the deed done right in the backyard? Why travel mile after mile to some probably desolate place just to kill his first-born?
Some test, huh? And Abraham complies with every instruction without, as far as we can tell from the text, any hesitation or complaint.
Well, Abraham passes the test, does not have to kill his son and is blessed, along with his family, beyond anything he might have imagined. The children of three major faith families point to him as the father of all: Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
Why does this story challenge me? As the father of three children I must admit that this is a test that I might fail. It is inconceivable to me that even were the command to come from God Himself, I fear that my response would be, "Nope. Ain't gonna do that. I love my kids too much." I cannot imagine myself murdering my child, or children, because God tells me to do it.
Can you?
How far are you willing to go to prove your love of God and your faith in Him? I wrestle with this question every day and I apologize if you were expecting an answer. This is a Faith Journey that we are embarked upon and I fear that many more questions than answers will be raised along the way.
I am not perfect in my faith, as I just admitted, but does that make me unworthy of God's Providence? Hardly and that is the extraordinary thing about His love and grace; they are given without "terms and conditions", regardless of whether we deserve it.
Just remember to say "Thank you!" once in a while.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Reminder: if you have a prayer need, please click on the Share a Prayer? tab and send it my way. I will respond.
Have a wonderful day!
The story of Abraham has always challenged me. When God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, a child so long awaited due to his and Sarah's inability to conceive for so very long, I am dumbstruck. Didn't God have a hand in helping Abraham and Sarah to become parents after so many years of nothing? Why would He turn the tables so quickly on this faithful couple and put this command to Abraham? What was the whole point, after all?
In the end, however, what blows my mind even more than God asking him to do this, is Abraham's response. There is no wailing and gnashing of teeth. There is no bargaining with God - "Please, God, anything but that!". He simply gets Isaac, packs up a couple of donkeys, brings a couple of servants, obviously to do some of the heavy lifting, let us not forget that Abraham is about a zillion years old by this time, loads up on firewood and sets out on a road trip. Now the story leaves out a few details, such as how long the trip is from Abraham's home to Moriah, or even why make a journey at all. Why not have the deed done right in the backyard? Why travel mile after mile to some probably desolate place just to kill his first-born?
Some test, huh? And Abraham complies with every instruction without, as far as we can tell from the text, any hesitation or complaint.
Well, Abraham passes the test, does not have to kill his son and is blessed, along with his family, beyond anything he might have imagined. The children of three major faith families point to him as the father of all: Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
Why does this story challenge me? As the father of three children I must admit that this is a test that I might fail. It is inconceivable to me that even were the command to come from God Himself, I fear that my response would be, "Nope. Ain't gonna do that. I love my kids too much." I cannot imagine myself murdering my child, or children, because God tells me to do it.
Can you?
How far are you willing to go to prove your love of God and your faith in Him? I wrestle with this question every day and I apologize if you were expecting an answer. This is a Faith Journey that we are embarked upon and I fear that many more questions than answers will be raised along the way.
I am not perfect in my faith, as I just admitted, but does that make me unworthy of God's Providence? Hardly and that is the extraordinary thing about His love and grace; they are given without "terms and conditions", regardless of whether we deserve it.
Just remember to say "Thank you!" once in a while.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Reminder: if you have a prayer need, please click on the Share a Prayer? tab and send it my way. I will respond.
Have a wonderful day!
Wednesday, October 8
A Little Backstory...
On what seemed at first to be an arbitrary date, October 1st of this year, one week ago, I picked up my Bible and started to read it from the beginning, from Genesis Chapter 1. Okay, I did not exactly "pick up" my Bible; I opened it on my Kindle iPhone app and started to read. After one week I am exactly halfway through Genesis, reading about who begat whom, who slew his brother and those insanely long lives of Adam, Noah and their sons. If you can get through these genealogical lists, there are a lot of pretty remarkable stories.
I elected to not establish a date by which I will finish the read-through. I want this experience to take as long as is necessary for me to become completely immersed in the scriptures. I also chose a new translation (new for me): the Douay–Rheims Catholic Bible. This selection had less to do with my own specific Roman Catholic origins as with my desire to read the most complete version of the Bible on which I could lay my hands (again, digitally speaking). There can be found in the Catholic versions more books than in any other canon, the result of squabbles through the millennia over which writings are considered legitimate (and by whom). Depending on the scriptural, and political, leanings of the respective church authorities, certain books are left out of some Protestant versions (the Maccabean stories, for example) that are part of the Catholic canon.
Okay, enough of the stuffy academics. Back to my point; if I can remember what it was...
Oh! Right! Reading the Bible. I have no expectations or preconceptions as to how long this endeavor will take me. It will take as long as it takes. I do know one thing; had I not started this reading exercise I would not now be sitting here banging out this blog entry. In other words, the first outcome of this endeavor is this blog.
It will be most interesting to see what else unfolds.
Reminder: if you have a prayer need, please click on the Share a Prayer? tab and send it my way. I will respond.
Have a wonderful day!
I elected to not establish a date by which I will finish the read-through. I want this experience to take as long as is necessary for me to become completely immersed in the scriptures. I also chose a new translation (new for me): the Douay–Rheims Catholic Bible. This selection had less to do with my own specific Roman Catholic origins as with my desire to read the most complete version of the Bible on which I could lay my hands (again, digitally speaking). There can be found in the Catholic versions more books than in any other canon, the result of squabbles through the millennia over which writings are considered legitimate (and by whom). Depending on the scriptural, and political, leanings of the respective church authorities, certain books are left out of some Protestant versions (the Maccabean stories, for example) that are part of the Catholic canon.
Okay, enough of the stuffy academics. Back to my point; if I can remember what it was...
Oh! Right! Reading the Bible. I have no expectations or preconceptions as to how long this endeavor will take me. It will take as long as it takes. I do know one thing; had I not started this reading exercise I would not now be sitting here banging out this blog entry. In other words, the first outcome of this endeavor is this blog.
It will be most interesting to see what else unfolds.
Reminder: if you have a prayer need, please click on the Share a Prayer? tab and send it my way. I will respond.
Have a wonderful day!
Tuesday, October 7
James 1:22-27
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. ~ James 1:22-27
Monday, October 6
Put Pen to Paper...
Have you ever come to a crossroad and had no idea which way
to go? Go straight? Right turn?
Head to the left? I found myself
at one of these intersections today, literally and figuratively. Things have been a bit, well, sucky of late.
No job. No money. And creditors who don’t give a damn that my unemployment benefits check can’t stretch to cover the entire balance due. Nor do they concern themselves with the fact that they are merely one of a score of folks to whom I owe money.
Being a typical dude, I sought someone to blame for this avalanche of crap that has buried my family and me. And I picked on God.
Yep. I was pretty angry with him. “Why not that job?! It was a great fit!” Rejection after rejection began to weigh me down and my anger intensified.
I came to a crossroad.
Stopped at a traffic light in downtown Peekskill, God called, in His typical, cryptic way: “Put pen to paper.”
???
Well, I came home and pondered these words, for a while. A long while. After a time I experienced something of a minor revelation. Just last week, on October first, I picked up my Bible, for the first time in eons, and started to read it. For reasons unknown to me then, I made a commitment to start reading, from Genesis to Revelation, start to finish, Alpha to Omega. I am about halfway through Genesis, five days into this exercise and already some things are changing, inside me.
But the most important change led to my encounter at the traffic light, at that intersection, today. I had dropped my guard, discarded the defensive walls I erected and allowed myself to be open to hearing His voice.
“Put pen to paper.” Well, this is the 21st Century so, “when in Rome…” I will come to this space every morning, tap on a few keys – rather than put quill to parchment - and see what emerges.
This blog will be more than just a forum to spout ideas and opinions ad nauseum. God knows there is a surfeit of those already occupying valuable acreage in Cyberspace. It will be a place to stop by - every day, once a month, once-and-never-again – read a little something, leave a brief comment, and be at peace.
And share a prayer, if that is what you need.
God is waiting for you. I am, too.
No job. No money. And creditors who don’t give a damn that my unemployment benefits check can’t stretch to cover the entire balance due. Nor do they concern themselves with the fact that they are merely one of a score of folks to whom I owe money.
Being a typical dude, I sought someone to blame for this avalanche of crap that has buried my family and me. And I picked on God.
Yep. I was pretty angry with him. “Why not that job?! It was a great fit!” Rejection after rejection began to weigh me down and my anger intensified.
“Hey, God!” “Yo, Big Guy!” “A little help here?” “Maybe this week’s lottery numbers?” “Hello?”It became evident to me that God was not going to answer me in a manner of my choosing. It was rather silly of me to expect that but, well again, I’m an overgrown kid whose expectations are not often tempered by the patience and understanding that comes from being mature. Then a remarkable thing happened.
I came to a crossroad.
Stopped at a traffic light in downtown Peekskill, God called, in His typical, cryptic way: “Put pen to paper.”
???
Well, I came home and pondered these words, for a while. A long while. After a time I experienced something of a minor revelation. Just last week, on October first, I picked up my Bible, for the first time in eons, and started to read it. For reasons unknown to me then, I made a commitment to start reading, from Genesis to Revelation, start to finish, Alpha to Omega. I am about halfway through Genesis, five days into this exercise and already some things are changing, inside me.
But the most important change led to my encounter at the traffic light, at that intersection, today. I had dropped my guard, discarded the defensive walls I erected and allowed myself to be open to hearing His voice.
“Put pen to paper.” Well, this is the 21st Century so, “when in Rome…” I will come to this space every morning, tap on a few keys – rather than put quill to parchment - and see what emerges.
This blog will be more than just a forum to spout ideas and opinions ad nauseum. God knows there is a surfeit of those already occupying valuable acreage in Cyberspace. It will be a place to stop by - every day, once a month, once-and-never-again – read a little something, leave a brief comment, and be at peace.
And share a prayer, if that is what you need.
God is waiting for you. I am, too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)