From My Back Deck: ENOUGH (d365)

INVOCATION....(d365.org - Nick Foster)

We scramble through many of our days, hopeful that things will turn out well, and sometimes fearful that we may come up short. Will our resources be equal to each day’s demands?

As followers of Christ, we want to be faithful—and capable—in the face of life’s challenges.

We should know that there is enough grace, enough mercy, enough love—and enough time, just now—to meet the day.

MONDAY, July 28    Enough Love

Isaiah 55:1-2 GNT

“Come, everyone who is thirsty—
    here is water!
Come, you that have no money—
    buy grain and eat!
Come! Buy wine and milk—
    it will cost you nothing!
2 Why spend money on what does not satisfy?
    Why spend your wages and still be hungry?
Listen to me and do what I say,
    and you will enjoy the best food of all.

      Enough.  The very word gave me cause to pause and say, 'YES! I'll spend another week with d365.'  Enough is the key word to Rick saying he would retire.  We didn't have great wealth but we certainly had enough (probably way more than enough in the Biblical sense!)  In reality we in the Western world, born into affluence and privilege, have no idea what 'enough' really is.  We would equate the enough of others as poverty, scarcity, and lack.  Yet, those very people often feel they are blessed with enough, because they are blessed to understand that enough really applies to relationships, to love.  And we are born to love.  We just sometimes get too caught up in the material enoughs to practice the enough we have within us.  Enough Love.  If we would all practice it, there would be no lack of food, shelter, security.  
     In yesterday's sermon Jim quoted from a country western song, "I'm drinking from my saucer cause my cup has overflowed."  My cup is plenty full.  I have more than enough.  What shall I do with it....today?  

TUESDAY, July 29  Restock
Matthew 14:13  GNT
     When Jesus heard the news about John, he left there in a boat and went to a lonely place by himself. The people heard about it, and so they left their towns and followed him by land.
     Jesus has just heard bad news: his cousin John has been brutally killed by Herod.  Beheaded no less.  He needs to get away by himself, so he takes off in a boat across the lake.  I think Jesus knows the crowd will follow.  I think Jesus knows demands are going to be made on his inner reserves.  So he takes a brief retreat to 'stock up' so he will have enough. 
     We need to heed Jesus's example.  There is nothing wrong with taking a respite in order to be prepared to serve; to take time for personal recharging allows us to have 'enough' when we need it.  Respite care-givers know this is mandatory.  Jesus does this often.  We should too.  

WEDNESDAY, July 30  God-Well
Matthew 14:14 GNT
Jesus got out of the boat, and when he saw the large crowd, his heart was filled with pity for them, and he healed their sick.
     Crowds flocked to Jesus.  To listen, to be healed, to experience his magic.  How does he do it?  He draws of a God-deep well of compassion, of love, a well of God. Even though Jesus is tired and weary, even grieving, he has the inner strength from the well of God to minister to the people.  When we need that kind of help, we can draw from such a well too.  It lies within our reach.  It will continue to bubble forth as needed.  

THURSDAY, July 31  Listen to Love

Matthew 14:15-17 VOICE

Disciples: We’re in a fairly remote place, and it is getting late; the crowds will get hungry for supper. Send them away so they have time to get back to the villages and get something to eat.

Jesus: 16 They don’t need to go back to the villages in order to eat supper. Give them something to eat here.

Disciples: 17 But we don’t have enough food. We only have five rounds of flatbread and two fish.

When we are overwhelmed, it is easy to listen to that inner voice saying, "Just give up.  You don't have the resources.  It IS too much to ask."  That's what the disciples do, it's what we would do in a similar situation.  But Jesus asks us for more.  Jesus asks us to listen to the inner voice of love, the voice that says, "You can feed them.  You can do this task.  You can serve in this way."  

How do we do it?  With trust. With prayer.  With gratitude for what we DO have. And then, with the assurance that through us God  WILL provide   God can take our simple gifts and use them in unimaginable ways.  

FRIDAY, August 1  Trust. Act.
Matthew 13:17-19 MSG

But Jesus said, “There is no need to dismiss them. You give them supper.”

17 “All we have are five loaves of bread and two fish,” they said.

18-21 Jesus said, “Bring them here.” Then he had the people sit on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples. The disciples then gave the food to the congregation. 

I know what happens next in the story, but I'm going to pretend I don't.  The disciples don't know, the crowd doesn't know.  Maybe even Jesus doesn't know.  But he knows to act.  He knows to trust God to act.  And so he prays.  He blesses the food.  He asks God to intervene in the situation with the faith that God will respond.  That is enough.  That is enough to get started.  Take action. 

SATURDAY, August 2  Overflowing Enough
Matthew 14: 19-21 MSG


Then he had the people sit on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples. The disciples then gave the food to the congregation. They all ate their fill. They gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. About five thousand were fed.
     At the end of the story we find out just how many were in the crowd.  Five thousands plus!  The disciples must have thought Jesus was crazy when he began to break the bread and divide it into baskets to distribute to the people.  How long must this have taken!  But we can't sweat the details.  They aren't important.  What is important is Jesus acted on faith and through that action the people were fed.  There was enough.  More than enough.  There was overflowing enough, like a well of abundance that, once tapped, just kept bubbling forth with bread and fish.  God still provides that kind of enough. 

SUNDAY, August 3  Nothing's Insignificant
John 6:9 VOICE
Andrew:  I met a young boy in the crowd carrying five barley loaves and two fish, but that is practically useless in feeding a crowd this large.

        d365.org ended the week with Psalm 145 and a reminder of God's constant and abiding love.  A good ending, but.... As I read through the passages for this week, I was struck by the simplicity of this miracle.  (Not the logistics!)  The Gospel of John is the telling that recounts a young boy.  Not someone of importance; just a kid!  (But we know how Jesus feels about children - nothing JUST about him!)  What does the boy offer?  Five small fist size loaves of bread and a couple dried fish.  The boy knows it is not enough to feed the crowd.  The boy knows it is all he has to eat.  But he shares.  He offers it up, not realizing the impact that simple and small meal can have in the hands of God.  

      Are we often reluctant to offer what we have to God because we think it is too insignificant?  Not enough to matter?  We can never sell God short for what God can do with just a little.  

      I just started reading a new book by Debbie Macomber - One Simple Act.  It is about discovering the power of generosity.  Amazingly (God!!) I came to a chapter titled Loaves, Fishes, and Miracle Math last Monday, the same day I started this post on ENOUGH.  I will close with some of Macomber's insights:

"If we are willing to hold our resources with an open hand, there's no telling what God can do. 

"The real miracle is the multiplication of limited resources.  It may not compute on your accountant's calculator, but it is a central element of God's economy. 

"Here's where the real power of generosity comes in.  Often, the more we give, the more we receive. 

"God multiplies our giving. In His hands each act of generosity we offer him, no matter how small, becomes part of this miracle of multiplication." (p. 31-33)

       Another thought concerning generosity, giving and receiving.  This one came to me in the shower and is probably directed toward my mom, who finds giving so easy and receiving so hard.  Mom, you have spent a lifetime feeding the thousands; a lifetime offering your fish and bread to others.   Now it is time to give the five thousand the opportunity to be blessed by feeding you.  :)  Love you!  

BENEDICTION BLESSING ...  (d365 - Nick Foster)

There is plenty. You need only take a little time to wait on God; then you will be prepared for the work God has for you.

So do not be discouraged; you can make a difference. The result may be greater than you can imagine.

There is enough and more than enough mercy, grace, and love to carry you. To carry us all.

From My Back Deck: THE KINGDOM OF GOD - d365

Invocation...... (d365.org - Richard Vinson)

What would our world look like if it were everything God intends? Peace, understanding, comfort, satisfaction, true abundance for everyone—everywhere?

Maybe something like that.     We might never see it in our lifetimes. But in the meantime, there is this place and this moment. The kingdom is keen to break in.

MONDAY, July 21   It Starts with Love

Romans 8:38-39 MSG

 I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

     This week we take a look at the vast realm of the Kingdom of God.  Kingdoms automatically trigger the concept of a vast realm - far larger than our sphere of community and life.  But the Kingdom of God can exist on a minute single-action basis.  It can involve one or many.  It can be a moment in time or eons of infinity.  And it all begins with the single act of God's far-reaching love.  An inseparable love.  The grace of love.  

TUESDAY, July 22  Start Small

Matthew 13:31-32 MSG

Another story. “God’s kingdom is like a pine nut that a farmer plants. It is quite small as seeds go, but in the course of years it grows into a huge pine tree, and eagles build nests in it.”

This scribble is from the same parable in Mark!

    Eugene Peterson takes liberty with this parable!  Despite the pine nut reference, this IS the parable of the mustard seed.  But we in Western society associate better with pine trees and eagles.  We can relate.  I have never seen a mustard plant full size.  I have no idea how big it gets.  But the point is .... God starts where we are - insignificant and broken - and grows our love into a magnificent community.  God starts with a small group of people 2000 years ago and spreads the Gospel message around the world.  God starts with an individual act of compassion that can trigger a chain reaction of generosity.  We can think big, but we need to start small!!  Let God take it from there!  

WEDNESDAY, July 23  A Lump of Leaven

Matthew 13:33 VOICE

Imagine a woman preparing a loaf of bread. The kingdom of heaven is like the leaven she folds into her dough. She kneads and kneads until the leaven is worked into all the dough.

     In Biblical times yeast didn't come in a little ready-to-use packet from the store.  A form of sourdough, or a lump of leaven, was saved from the previous days' dough to be used for the future.  A small bit of leaven could cause many loaves of bread to rise.  Modern translations use the terms yeast for this scripture, but the meaning is the same. 

      Just like the mustard or pine seed, a small lump of leaven or a few grains of yeast, can grow to mighty proportions.  That's God at work, the Kingdom at work, when we allow it to grow in and through us.  Meek to mighty with the power of God.  What can we do as just one person when the Kingdom is in action? 

THURSDAY, July 24 Hidden Treasure

Matthew 13:44 GNT

“The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man happens to find a treasure hidden in a field. He covers it up again, and is so happy that he goes and sells everything he has, and then goes back and buys that field.

     Discovering a buried treasure is almost magical (is Jesus finally describing the kind of Kingdom to which we can relate - the Magic Kingdom!)  I think back to this spring and the California couple who found ten MILLION dollars worth of gold coins in their backyard, or an Idaho family who discovered  $50,000 in silver ingots during a home renovation.  These are hidden treasures and the discoverers already owned the land!  
     Such discoveries make us almost giddy with excitement.  To discover the depth and eternity of God's love, to realize the impact of the Kingdom of God, can electrify us as well.  And just think....we don't have to buy it!  It is a gift from God!  But it isn't free - the cost is ourselves, our life, our devotion, our trust, our love in return.  For many, that cost is too high.  I have a treasure hidden within me....have I realized it?  How am I spending that treasure, that gift?

FRIDAY, July 25  Pearls

Matthew 13:45-46 MSG

Or, God’s kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it.

     Again, the question is asked.  What have I done with my treasure.  I have the wealth of God within my grasp, my life is God's.  Now what?  Am I hoarding the pearls, the gold coins, the love and compassion.  Am I spending my time exclusively in personal meditation thinking 'Oh, how great is God!' without releasing some of the goodness to those around me?  Faith is great.  Faith can move mountains.  But faith or treasures, without action, is worthless.  I'm afraid I am often guilty of hoarding my wealth.  Perhaps it's time to share a pearl. 

SATURDAY, July 26 Fishing Nets

Matthew 13:47-50 MSG

Or, God’s kingdom is like a fishnet cast into the sea, catching all kinds of fish. When it is full, it is hauled onto the beach. The good fish are picked out and put in a tub; those unfit to eat are thrown away. That’s how it will be when the curtain comes down on history. The angels will come and cull the bad fish and throw them in the garbage. There will be a lot of desperate complaining, but it won’t do any good.”

     Any fisherman will tell you that unwanted fish are included in the net.  Just ask the dolphins caught with the intended tuna!  Jesus uses the analogy to say the unwanted, the undesirables will be cast aside.  He is talking, however, to the disciples, not to the crowd.  He is talking to those ALREADY IN THE FAMILY!  He is talking to the good fish!  Jesus isn't using this parable to frighten us into the Kingdom.  He is describing what is going to happen IF WE DON'T SHARE THE KINGDOM.  We can't be the dragon hoarding our treasure in a cave.  We can't be the Scrooge who counts our coins without sharing.  We have been blessed!  Part of receiving that blessing is to use it to bless others, to share the Kingdom of God with those who don't have it yet.  And we can do it one coin, one pearl, one mustard seed, at a time.  

SUNDAY, July 27 Old and New
Matthew 13:52  MSG

"....every student well-trained in God’s kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it.”

     I had to go to The Message for a better understanding of this final Kingdom verse.  Other translations refer to scribes and homeowners seeking old and new.  Old and new what?  My initial reaction is old and new kingdom theology.  Old and new ways of looking at God and our relationship with God.  Old and new ways at looking at our place in the Kingdom of God. We don't throw all the old out to replace with the new.  There is value in tried and tested goods sometimes!  But Jesus was bringing new thoughts to the people; new approaches and ideas, new challenges.  All to be interwoven with their past experiences with God to form a new relationship.  

     It is the same for us today.  God comes to us where we are, as we are.  Our past is part of who we are, it can't be totally forgotten.  But as we come into the Kingdom, new experiences with God are brought into that past to form a new us, a resurrected being in Christ.  As we share the kingdom with others, we must remember the old and new as well.  The results will produce a mighty Kingdom, the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven!  That's some Kingdom! 

Summary of the Kingdom Parables

Benediction Blessing .... (d365.org - Richard Vinson)

Maybe it’s not just a romantic notion. The kingdom comes in things that are very small, but that can become something great; something worth giving everything you have to be part of it.      The kingdom is something fine, worth more than we can imagine. And it is worth all the more when we share what we know about it, though we will never understand it completely.

From the Back Deck: CHILDREN OF GOD (d365.org)

INVOCATION.... (d365.org - Elizabeth Evans Hagan)

It’s an important part of your identity, going to the root of who you are. It speaks to where you come from and, to a large degree, where you are going.

So whose child are you?

Since God is our source, we are children of God, made to be loved and to thrive. In these next few moments, consider who has birthed you into the world and who is nurturing you along the way.

THURSDAY, July 17  Abba! Daddy!

Romans 8:15b-16 VOICE

The Spirit you have received adopts you and welcomes you into God’s own family. That’s why we call out to Him, “Abba! Father!” as we would address a loving daddy. 16 Through that prayer, God’s Spirit confirms in our spirits that we are His children.

     I just returned from a lengthy visit with my mom and a stay in my father's pastoral study in the basement of the Bandon home.  I read old letters from my dad's first years of ministry, his hopes and dreams for the church.  Wow.  What a spiritual legacy I received from both my parents - what a welcoming into the family of God in a literal sense as well as spiritual.  While my parents are distinctly human, I can interweave the terms father, mother, abba, God together in some way because they all convey a sense of belonging and love.  It is a heritage to inspire gratitude and action.  What can and will I do with such a gift?

FRIDAY, July 18  Communal Anticipation

Romans 8:18-19  GNT

I consider that what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. 19 All of creation waits with eager longing for God to reveal his children.

     I get lost in the middle of Paul's ramblings to the Romans.  In this passage, the apostle is reminding the struggling and suffering Christians of the glory that awaits them as Children of God.  We do well to remember still, and today I am thinking about the passage in the context of family. 

     When we wait for something marvelous (Christmas, a big trip...God!), it is always best to remember that 'misery loves company'.  It is easier and less painful to wait in communion with the rest of the family.  Together we can create ways to ease one another's suffering; together we can bolster each other's spirits; as family we support one another.  It is no fun to wait alone!  (Just ask the PYGS what the Boise airport wait would have been alone!)  Well, we are all children of God, so one BIG family, all awaiting the eventual glory of God's fulfillment for the world.  But in the meantime, we have work to do while we wait....

SATURDAY, July 19  A Journey

Romans 8:22-23 MSG

All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs.

     It seems ironic that just a couple days ago I was writing about journeys and travel, and now in a totally different context, I am back to the word again.  Life is a journey, a time of growth and maturing, much as a baby develops in the mother's womb.  Time spent in the womb is not wasted; our time here on earth is not for negative gain.  We are BECOMING.  Journeys have bumps in the road, road blocks (just ask anyone trying to get past all the fire closures to Baker City right now!) and set-backs.  But each 'birth pang' is another step on the way to full realization as Children of God, as a Creation of God. 
     It has been a rough week for the world.  It is tough to see the events in Gaza and the Ukraine as birth pangs, the homes lost in western wildfires or hostages shot down as mere bumps in our journey of life.  But if we can continue to keep our focus on the whole picture, if we can keep seeking the face of God in those around and IN OURSELVES to be the hands of God, maybe we can endure another labor pain.  God IS with us.  How can we show it?

SUNDAY, July 20    HOPE
Romans 8:24-25 VOICE
But hope does not involve what we already have or see. For who goes around hoping for what he already has?   But if we wait expectantly for things we have never seen, then we hope with true perseverance and eager anticipation.
      We want. We hope.  We want now.  But as a child of God, we are not the one in control.  We can't stand there, as my little great-nephew, and say, "But I WANT it, God!"  As a child, we don't get everything we want when we want it.  But the knowledge that we have a good and loving parent God who wants the best for us and will provide that best in the best time frame is enough.  It allows us to wait, sometimes patiently, always eagerly, for the fulfillment of our hopes and dreams - for our fulfillment as a child of God.  That is worth waiting for!  
BENEDICTION BLESSING.... 

(From “Strong, Gentle Children” by Dan Damon)

      Strong, gentle children, God made you beautiful, gave you the wisdom and power you need; speak in the stillness all you are longing for; live out your calling to love and to lead.

   

NOTE:  As I work through the final chapters of Luke in a daily Scribble (I WILL get that book done!), I am returning to Passport's d365.org for my daily thoughts - written from the summer comfort and beauty of my back deck!  

More God Texts.....

WEDNESDAY, July 9

     Today was a catch up day as far as my devotions go.  I hadn't written in my journal for over 10 days.  I spent time checking the status of my Luke scribbles.  On my walk, I concentrated on looking for letters from God in the 'non-beach' portions of the journey.  I had no focus for the day, so I took all the letters I found and put them into my phone app for Quiddler that also has an anagram portion.  Here are some of the key words that I discovered:
AHOLD   AVOW   FLAW   FLOW   FOLD   
HOLD   LOAD   FAD   FAX   HOW   LAW  OLD   VOW 

Now, what in the world is God trying to tell me through these messages?  Is there a FLAW  in this system?    Should my messages FLOW one to another?  Do I need to carry another's LOAD?   Is God sending a FAX to me?  HOW in the world do I interpret this?  The LAW of the Lord is perfect....   OLD Testament?  Is there a VOW I should take?  
  
Hmmmm....maybe God wants me to VOW to HOLD another in prayer, to carry their LOAD HOWever long it takes.  Perhaps a reminder to focus on my two prayer challenges..... (Unnamed - that's between me and God!)

This could be a VERY interesting means of interpreting God's word........I chose one of the words, LOAD, and did a Bible search, just in The Message translation.  The best verse for today's idea?  
Psalm 55:22-23  MSG

Pile your troubles on God’s shoulders— he’ll carry your load, he’ll help you out.

THURSDAY, July 10  DON'T HOLD BACK
This morning I picked a different one of my three words, HOLD, and did a search through The Message.  I found HOLD to be used 282 times in this translation, with several different meanings and interpretations.  So....let's consider what God is telling us through this God-Text!!!
Joshua 10:25  MSG
Joshua told them, 'Don't hold back.  Don't be timid.  Be strong!  Be confident!
1 Corinthians 15:58  MSG
With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground.  And don't hold back.  Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort. 
     Don't hold back!  This reminds me of the challenge to pray bold prayers, to be confident in our actions and words for God.  When we hold back, we are immediately left with regrets.  What if I had done this?  Why did I let the crowd rule me?  Why didn't I trust God?  If we feel the urge from God to act, ACT! With confidence and assurance that God is with us all the way.  
     Hmmmm....I am missing many of the letters necessary to write out today's whole message.  I wonder if I will find some C's, K's, N's and T's today!?  (In the non-beach letters?)  In the meantime, the beach version.....

FRIDAY, July 11   HOLD TIGHT!
Joshua 23:6-8 MSG
'Now, stay strong and steady.... Hold tight to God, your God, just as you've done up to now.'
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 MSG
Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you've got, be resolute, and love without stopping. 
Mark 10:22 MSG
The man's face clouded over.....he walked off with a heavy heart.  He was holding on tightly to a lot of things, and not about to let go. 
     Today I am still exploring my word, HOLD, but just a little different meaning. To what should we hold tightly?  God, our convictions, our faith, to relationships even. But not materials things!!  And therein seems to be a problem with our society.  How quickly we seem to toss people and convictions aside while grasping tightly to our proof of wealth, the evidence that we have 'made it'.  
     I have discovered that God writes much better letters on the beach!  It is harder to read God's handwriting in the woods and forest!  So I shall keep to my beach writing for the most part right now!  

Photo quality suffered here.  I messed up.  :(

SATURDAY, July 12  VOICE
Proverbs 3:6  MSG
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
    he’s the one who will keep you on track.
     Off to the beach this morning with open eyes for a word from God!  It was a low, low tide so I was literally just wandering to see what I might see.  I again put all the letters into my anagram program and several words leaped from the screen.  Devotional fodder for a few more days! 
     When I realized VOICE was one of my words, the first thing that came to my mind was from Handel's Messiah, "The voice of him who crieth in the wilderness..."  - John the Baptist text.  But in a scripture search I didn't even get to the New Testament.  I found this Proverbs text and it matched somewhat the theme of Patsy Lewis' book: find God in everything!  
     How do we hear God's voice?  How do we recognize it?  (Letters in the sand?)  How can we BE God's voice in our world today?  How can we be sure we are speaking on behalf of God and not ourselves?  So many questions....perhaps the answers lie in listening to the one who will keep us on track.  

SUNDAY, July 13   VOICE of GOD
Deuteronomy 4:12 MSG
God spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but you saw nothing—no form, only a voice.
2 Peter 1:19 MSG
We couldn’t be more sure of what we saw and heard—God’s glory, God’s voice. The prophetic Word was confirmed to us. You’ll do well to keep focusing on it.
     We cannot see God in a visual form we understand.  Yet we are made in God's image, so we should see God in each other, right?  Well, many find that difficult. The Bible has very few recorded instances of actually SEEing God (burning bushes and pillar of fire perhaps!) 
    But hearing the VOICE of God?  Those references fill the pages of Scripture! Verses of glory, majesty, and power.  Verses of compassion and mercy.  Verses of retribution and forgiveness.  But always the voice of God trying to make the relationship with God's people work.  
    We do well to heed Paul's word to focus on God's voice, wherever and however we perceive it.  

MONDAY, July 14  LIVE JOY
Psalm 97:11 MSG
Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God’s people,
Joy-seeds are planted in good heart-soil.
     Wow.  I think I truly heard the voice of God yesterday....in the voice of John Hubbard, guest pastor at Bandon Presby.  John had begun his sermon and I was mildly tuning out (confession time!) as I began to ponder my words for today.  I hadn't yet found a scripture I liked.  Mere seconds after I had written LIVE JOY on my bulletin, John's thunderous voice penetrated, "Is Jesus aLIVE in us today?  Is JOY present?"  Needless to say, I looked up.  I listened.  God WAS speaking!  
     Some bits and pieces of John's message as I interpreted them:  

• The Gospel Message, as God intended, is a joyful demonstration of the freeing grace of God.  Celebrate that freedom! 
• The JOY that we have was given by God - it cannot be taken from us!

    
   

The text for Sunday was the parable of the seeds from Matthew 13.  John interspersed his message of joy and life among the lessons of growth and nurture found in this parable.  I actually scribbled the sermon as well yesterday afternoon.  (Something of a red-letter day I guess!)







TUESDAY, July 15
Psalm 119:105 VOICE
Your word is a lamp for my steps;
    it lights the path before me.

     This is another one of those passages that I can't help but sing as I read the scripture!  It was one of the preliminary scriptures from last Sunday's service.  I realized that I could 'text it' using just the three words.  

WORD: Scripture, Voice of God, Instruction, Lessons
LAMP and LIGHT: Sources of illumination, direction, and guidance.  

Together our message becomes one of hope.  God is our lamp, our headlight on the path of life.  God's Word steers us straight.  What is our job?  To bear the light, to spread the light to others.      Yesterday morning I found a man creating labyrinths on the beach.  It seems to me that perhaps he was sharing the light that glowed within him.  He was helping us see another way to read the Word.  
     What ways do I find the Word?  In what ways am I a lamp, do I share the light of God in me?   

WEDNESDAY, July 16   TRAVEL

Exodus 33:15 MSG

“Moses said, ‘If your presence doesn’t take the lead here, call this trip off right now.  How else will it be known that you’re with me in this, with me and your people?  Are you traveling with us or not?

     I am traveling home to Baker City from Bandon after an even four weeks of time helping my mom receive visitors at the beach.  People have been arriving and departing, travelers of  summer.  It seems appropriate then to consider the word travel.  Perhaps another message from God?

     Moses asks for God to make his presence known, so the people of Israel would know God was traveling with them.  Do we today, beyond the quick request for ‘traveling mercies’, really seek the presence of God as we move from one place to another, as we explore one culture or another, meet new people along the way??  It is the summer travel season….my sister has returned from Russia, Mac has guests arriving from Texas, Liz just entertained her grandson Tommy from NYC, Karen & family visited Bandon from Massachusetts, Dennis & Sally from Southern California.  It is a small world we live in now, much ‘smaller’ than in Bible times.  May we remember God’s overwhelming presence in ALL the world, in ALL it’s people, as we seek to make the bonds between us stronger.