Psalm 88 This Changes Everything

Psalm 88:16-17

Your wrath has swept over me;

Your terrors have destroyed me.

All day long they surround me like a flood;

They have completely engulfed me.

No more……..

No more is this so for………

The one who gives his life to the Savior.

All God’s Wrath-

All of His Anger-

All of His Fury-

All of it-

Was taken-

By Christ………

For me.

Yes indeed-

This changes everything!

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

⁹ For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath,

But to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 ¹⁰ He died for us so that………………. we may live together with Him.

Father-

I read the words of the Psalmist,

And I do not take Your Wrath lightly.

In his words I feel the pain of my Savior and

I say

Thank You my Jesus-

Thank You my Savior-

Thank You.

Amen

 

God is Good- All the Time.......Really?

It was early morning-

The sun was just coming into it's full glory through the window.
The blinds were drawn, but not closed completely.
Now in those ever so small openings-
The openings between each shade panel-
The brilliance of the new morning sun light beamed through-
Right into the eyes of my friend sitting just across from me.
Now this same sun light warmed the back of my own neck just a bit.
For me it was a pleasant start to a promising new day.
Not so for my friend as he first squinted-
Then turned his head awkwardly in an effort to escape his discomfort.
Finally-
After a bit-
My friend picked himself up out of his chair-
And moved to a new spot.

The same sun-

Pleasure for me-

Pain for my friend.

There are times and places in my life-

Where the Goodness of God really feels painful.

Maybe it's the only way though-
The only way I will move-
Move to a better place.

James 1:2 Count it pure Joy, my Brothers,

When you face Trials of many Kinds.

Holy Spirit,

Speak into my heart

The Truth of the Goodness of God

In all my Life.

Amen

Lost Opportunities

"I sold it last week".....

"I'm sorry, but we have offered the job to another candidate".....
"Its over, I want out of here".......

Regrets, Disappointments and Lost opportunities......

Sure there will be other opportunities in the future-
But this one is gone- Never to return.
If only I had.........
Said such and such-
Not said such and such-
Done this-
Not done that.

It's Okay

Our God is the Great Redeemer

of

All That was Lost.

Think of a boy who bragged to his brothers-

Was thrown into a pit-

Sold into slavery-

Was imprisoned falsely-

But in the end...............

Was redeemed by God to preserve a Nation.

Think of the Pharisee of Pharisees-

Holding the coats of men who stoned a martyr-

Struck blind on the road to persecute the Saints-

But in the end..............

Was redeemed by our Lord to spread a Great Gospel.

Think of the one who three times said-

I don't know the man-

I was not with Him-

I don't know Him-

But in the end..............

Was redeemed by Jesus to feed His Sheep.

It's Okay

Our God is the Great Redeemer

of

All That is Lost!

So as this year comes to an end-

With all it's Triumphs-

And all it's Lost Opportunities.......

Look evermore to the Great Redeemer....

And Know that He is always with you-

Even in all these wondrous things.
 

Philippians 1:6

Being confident of this-

That He Who began a good work in you-

He will carry it on to Completion

Until the Day of Christ Jesus.

Father,

Give us rest and strength in the promise

of Your Great Love for us.

Hold us, Carry us and use all these things to

Unite our hearts to Your Great Heart of Love.

Amen

Choices- Living in Conflict

Chocolate or strawberry- This movie or that- Chinese or Mexican- The necklace or the ear rings- The Warm up suit or the Jeans today- To have your cake or to eat it-

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Why does life have to be so complicated? Wouldn't it be better if there were only one clear choice- Only One Right thing to do in every situation?

Easier, Yes-

Better-

I don't know.

What about the choice between Love and Truth- Now there's a tough one! You know what I mean don't you? Think of the classic question of every wife to her husband-

"Honey, tell me-

Do these pants make me look fat?"

Careful fellas!

Now think of the times when friends or family go wrong- Seriously wrong- Confrontation or Tolerance? Preserve Relationship or Stand for Holiness? Tough huh? It's so easy to take a stand for Holiness in the abstract- Or if I am talking about some distant relationship- Or when I am talking about someone else-

But what about when standing for Holiness-

Will jeapodize a close relationship-

Or bring on some persecution?

Is there a way to do both? Can we stand for Truth- Holiness- Yet still preserve relationship?

Can we have our cake and eat it too?

Maybe yes- Maybe no.

(How do you like that for decisiveness?)

Remember- Relationship is always a two party undertaking. I can not control another person's responses- Oh maybe I can try to manipulate to get what I want- But the other person will do what they will do. I wish I could tell you I have it all figured out- I wish I could come up with a magic formula to live by- One that always makes everything come out right- And not only come out right- But with no conflict in the process. I haven't found it. I do have some ideas- Some Maybes. Maybe I can try to speak Truth- In Love Maybe I can Love my enemies- That is- Treat them kindly- Be patient with them- Keep no record of wrongs- Bless them- Pray for them- Be Humble towards them- Maybe, because Jesus is in me I can treat those- Those who trample God's Holiness- As He has treated me- As I trample His Holiness- Maybe I can live out the Holiness of God- By pouring out His Grace- Even when I don't feel particularly Loving.

So what's it gonna be?

Hold to Truth-

People be damned

or

Cling to relationships-

While compromising Truth?

Choices, Choices, Choices- Oh, but wait a minute.......... What if Loving God by Loving people- Is Truth- And Conversely- Loving People by Loving God- Is also Truth. Please make no mistake in all this- My First and Last Loyalty is to God- To my Lord and Saviour Jesus- And the Holy Spirit Who has come to lead us. I am just coming to believe more and more- That Loyalty to Him- To the One and Only Triune God- Looks like loving people-

Matthew 5:44-45 Jesus said,

" Love your enemies-

Pray for them-

That you may be sons of your Father in Heaven.

He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good-

He sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

Father, Lord Jesus, Spirit of the Living God-

Be powerful in us today to choose You-

To look to You in all we think, say and do-

So that all may see Your Glory-

Your Great Love and Your Goodness

As You pour Yourself out through our lives-

The lives of those who Love You.

Amen

Grace- A New Poem

Grace A gentle wind caresses the leaves Rising………. Falling………. Whispering, Somehow……. calling Again…….then again. I see it just now Your breath…….. Your Life...... Filling my beloved Even as she lay sleeping Her breast Rising…….. Then Falling……… Whispering, Somehow…….calling Again……then again The Spirit of the Living God pours over my soul Coming with a rush……. With power Like the laughter of children On some bright and joy filled day Rising…….. Then Falling……… Whispering, Somehow…….calling Again…...then again My heart bursts O’ my God, My Father Oh what have I done Oh what have I done? To witness such beauty- To receive such gifts...... Such gifts meant for a son. The sky lights in the distance...... It pushes the darkness back. My bride lies close to me In restful slumber no lack. Oh the wonder of it all That I……. Even I……. Could know………. Your Grace.

1 John 3:1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us,

that we should be called children of God!

And that is what we are!

Amen

The Jet Ski Saga- Rebecca's Version

At Last- My Daughter Rebecca has joined me on a Blog Post!

I am so proud of her!

Now read on for Rebecca's story of how a Jet Ski ends up in a place no Jet Ski should end up.

It was a warm, sunny day and we were at my aunt and uncle’s house on Lake Oconee. Most of the day had been spent eating, riding on the boat, tubing, or just tethering floats to the dock and chilling out. Somewhere along the way, my dad got it in his head that he wanted to ride the jet ski and, as fate would have it, the jet ski happened to be in working order (finally).

Unfortunately, it was a racing jet ski that happened to be in working order.

You can just see what kind of fun this is leading to, right? You have no idea. On your standard family jet ski, you’d need to try incredibly hard to flip the thing. You will not go down without an effort. On a racing jet ski- The mechanics definitely favor speed over stability. Also, handling is virtually non-existent at low speeds – This will be important in a moment. Another somewhat random though important piece of information-

I’m very nearly blind without my glasses.

Moving on…...... Dad rode the jet ski without a hitch. It looked like fun! I wanted to give it a go and no one seemed to have a problem with it. Just one thing-

My Dad and Uncle Bill insisted that I leave my glasses with them-

Just in case I flipped-

I wouldn’t lose them in the water.

That was the first sign of trouble – As previously stated-

I can’t see-

And jet skis go very fast.

So, glasses off- Unable to see more than large, blurry shapes past about a foot- I was off. For some reason everybody kept yelling something about “Faster or you’ll flip” So.............

“I was off”

looked a little like something out of a 007 movie.

It was awesome!

That is until I realized I couldn’t see much-

Except the rapidly approaching shoreline…

and a dock…

Which happened to be about head height.

Not so awesome anymore.

Quick experimenting told me that reduced speed did indeed equal reduced handling- Anyway- In my hurry to avoid being beheaded by a dock- I somehow ended up roughly fifty yards up a very wooded hill. Right about now someone's inevitably asking, "Why didn’t she just cut the engine?" Well I did, my helpful genius friends- But you don’t go from very fast to absolute standstill the second the engine cuts.

The time it took me to make it back to zero

Left me staring in horror as first stumps,

Then full-fledged trees flew past me-

Until finally I hit one.

It hurt.

I couldn’t breathe- Everything was spinning- I had hit my ribs and my cheekbone hard on impact- I have fifty yards of distance and a life vest to thank for neither being broken. I stumbled down to the water and yelled for help….... And yelled some more. The people whose dock I’d almost been splattered across proved unhelpful. Eventually, I did see saw a boat in the cove. I thought I heard my dad and uncle- So I started yelling again. It was them. I can honestly say I’ve never been so relieved to see either of them. Now- back to Charles

Nehemiah 9:31 But in Your great mercy

You did not put an end to them or abandon them,

for You are a Gracious and Merciful God.

Father in Heaven, You have indeed been merciful to me and my family in so many ways. Move our hearts and minds to continually remember Your Great Love and Mercy towards us and those we love.

Thank You Jesus.

Amen

On Beauty, Grace and Splendor

I love Saturday mornings with my friends. I love being on the bicycle- Riding with a partner- There is such community in it-

Much Grace is given and much Grace is received.

There is the time we spend at Bojangles- Sharing Hope over a warm Bo-Berry biscuit- Meeting new folks like Mr Cummings and Joe Jackson- Two elderly black men who love Jesus- Men who bring a whole different set of life experiences to the table. Men who even with all they have been through- Growing up in the South in the 40's and 50's- Can sit at the table with a bunch of white guys- Sharing breakfast and the Love of Jesus.

God extends much Grace at that table-

Through these men's Grace towards us.

Ah, and then there is the sheer beauty of a fall morning on the river- The crystal blue sky- The water rushing over the rocks- Deer grazing as we ride the trail by the river. Seeing the families as they are out with their children for a morning walk- Even the dogs being walked seem to be smiling!

What is it about beauty that so captures us?

Is it some beckoning back to Eden-

Some longing for what we had so long ago-

A calling out from creation to the life of Jesus in us.

I met a young man on my ride this past Saturday- An Artist- I could not help but notice as he sat quietly at the Canal Headgate- His baby daughter asleep at his side- Todd Cass sat capturing the beauty of the Gatehouse- Capturing splendor with charcoal and a pad. The Artist was immersed in his work- Clearly captivated by the beauty- The beauty he was capturing on his pad.

I think that might be how it is with the beauty of God-

Maybe it's nature is such that we can't truly take hold of it-

Capture it for ourselves-

Until we are first captivated by it.

Job 37:14 and 22-24 Excerpts "Listen to this, Job-

Stop and consider God's wonders........

Out of the north He comes in golden splendor-

God comes in awesome majesty. The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power...... Therefore, men revere Him

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Spirit of the Living God-

Slow me down a bit today-

Open the eyes of my heart to see-

To see Your Golden Splendor-

To see Your Grace toward me in all the gifts of the beauty of Your Creation.

Amen

By the by- the young artist Tood Cass did some amazing work even in the short time I visited with him. If any of you out there have any need for an original drawing or painting or Carpentry work, I got the feeling he could use the support with a young baby and a wife in the military. I have his contact info if any of you are interested let me know!

Mosh Pits and Community (Part 2)

"Dad-
The best thing about a hard core show-
(A particular musical and dance style-
That is shall we say.......a bit dangerous-
Dangerous-
In the sense that there are some pretty wild movements-
Movements that can lead to collisions on the dance floor)

Uh..... let me start over-

"Dad-

The best thing about a Hard Core show-

Is that you don't have to worry about hurting anyone-

About starting a fight................

It's sort of expected that people will crash into one another"

There are so many different directions I could run with that statement-
Many predictable-
I think I will run with the less predictable.

It is amazing to me how much Grace my son seems to

find in something as crazy as a Mosh Pit.

A question-
Do you have a place you can go where you can totally be yourself-
Where you can let down all the facades-
Where you can be honest-
About your fears-
Your doubts-
Your temptations-
Your............... sin?

Do you have a place where you can flail about wildly-
Sometimes rythmically-
Sometimes not so rythmically-
A place where you can collide with other Christians-
Without having to worry about offending-
Without having to worry about starting a fight?

Do you have a place where much Grace is given-
A place where much Grace is received?

We live in a dangerous world.
It seems we always have to be on gaurd-
On the defensive.

I don't know about you but,

I need a safe place.

A place where I know am loved........

No matter what.

I need a place where I can set aside theology-
A place where I confess the good and the bad-
A place where I don't have to work so hard.........
To look good.

I need a place where I can feel the arms of Jesus wrapped around me.
I need people who won't judge me.......
but will still challenge me.

I need a place where I feel Love of God........
Through the Love of His people.

Acts 4:32-33
All the believers were one in heart and mind.

No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,

but they shared everything they had.

With great power the apostles continued to testify

to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,

and much Grace was upon them all.

Heavenly Father-

Thank You for my close friends-

Thank You for how You use them in my life to show Your Great Love for me.

Father,
Help me more and more to come into Community with my brothers and sisters.
Help me to be an instrument of Your Grace to all those You bring my way.
Make us all into safe havens for one another-
Even as we collide in the Mosh Pit of this Life.

Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit-

Take even the pain of the collisions

and use them to spur us on to Love and good works.

Amen