During the month of February, the Monday post will feature a book I am reading.Do you believe in angels?As part of my public speaking ministry, the most frequently requested presentation is on Angels: God’s Ambassadors. Interest in their existence and meaning peaked in the 90s, but in every group I speak to at least a couple of people will share their experience with an angel. Bookshelves are flooded with various books about these heavenly agents. During my presentation I mention the classic one by Billy Graham and several others, but always leave the listeners with a warning also. Many books about angels are just plain bunk. Be sure what you are reading is Bible based.I have a new one to recommend that is a solid reference: Angels by Dr. David Jeremiah. Now I have to give the basic disclosure here: This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. But I am so pleased to have new Bible based material to add to my collection. The book is widely … [Read more...]
You Alone – Lectio Divina – January 31, 2010
"We bring nothing at birth; we take nothing with us at death. The Lord alone gives and takes. Praise the name of the Lord!" Job 1:21 (Contemporary English Version)Job lost everything, Lord, and how did he react? Did he curse You, ignore You, and deny Your existence? Did he whine, beg, or bargain? No, he did only one thing: he lay before You in worship. You hold everything in Your hands while I stumble through life falsely believing I am in control.My heart’s desire, Lord, no matter in times of blessing or in times of sorrow, is to praise your name.You alone are the Lord. You alone give us everything we cherish - families, friends, life itself.You alone know what the next minute, hour, year will bring.You alone fully understand the depth of shattered dreams, the pain of lost loved ones, and the heartbreak of betrayal. Daily I place my hopes, dreams, sorrow, disappointments, anger, bitterness, blessings, family, friends, writing, speaking, travel, worries and all I possess on Your … [Read more...]
Above All, Trust in the Slow Work of God
Above all, trust in the slow work of God. We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We should like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new. Yet it is the law of all progress that is made by passing through some stages of instability and that may take a very long time. And so I think it is with you. Your ideas mature gradually. Let them grow. Let them shape themselves without undue haste. Do not try to force them on as though you could be today what time -- that is to say, grace --and circumstances acting on your own goodwill will make you tomorrow. Only God could say what this new Spirit gradually forming in you will be. Give our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete. Above all, trust in the slow work of God, our loving vine-dresser. Amen.Pierre Teilhard De Chardin wrote these … [Read more...]
Lydia, Dorcas and Phoebe – What do you know about these Biblical Women?
January 27 is the commemoration of Lydia, Dorcas and Phoebe by many churches including my own. I noticed this in the bulletin insert on Sunday and realized I didn’t know much about these three women. How much do you know about these women of faith?Lydia – Act 16· First convert in Macedonia· Women had more freedom in Macedonia than in other parts of the Roman Empire so it is not surprising she was an independent and successful business woman. · Seller of purple – her region was known for its purple dye. Purple dye, made from a certain mollusk, was extremely expensive. One use of it was for the stripes in the togas of Roman senators. Lydia's occupation suggests that she had considerable capital· Later sponsor of Paul and the Philippian church in her own home implying wealth and influence.Dorcas – also known as Tabitha in Aramaic -- both names mean "gazelle" -Acts 9· Peter brought her back to life· She is called a disciple and is seen as always doing good … [Read more...]
YOU’RE MINE – Lectio Divina – January 24, 2010
Lectio Divina - a holy reading of the Bible slowly, savoring it, and enjoying it with the Lord – is the spiritual practice of sacred reading of the scriptures. The intention is not to learn or gain information but to deepen our relationship with God. St Benedict encourages us to “to listen with the ear of our hearts.” Join me once a week for Lectio Divina. I will share a verse and a word that spoke to my heart. Read and listen to the verses here. And gently ask God for a word or phrase that speaks to your heart for that day – that is what lectio means. Once we find that gift, we hold it, meditate, and savor its meaning. This step is called meditation. Then offer that word back to God in prayer or the third step of oratio. In prayer we allow our real selves to be touched and changed by the word of God. Finally, we simply rest in the presence of the One who has used His word as a means of inviting us to accept His transforming embrace. No one who has ever been in love needs … [Read more...]
WISDOM QUOTES
In honor of the removal of my wisdom teeth (see previous post for an explanation) I am sharing what others much wiser than me have written about wisdom: “To understand reality is not the same as to know about outward events. It is to perceive the essential nature of things. The best-informed man is not necessarily the wisest. Indeed there is a danger that precisely in the multiplicity of his knowledge he will lose sight of what is essential. But on the other hand, knowledge of an apparently trivial detail quite often makes it possible to see into the depth of things. And so the wise man will seek to acquire the best possible knowledge about events, but always without becoming dependent upon this knowledge. To recognize the significant in the factual is wisdom.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer “Wisdom consists of the anticipation of consequences.” – Norman Cousins “Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.” - Plato“What you think of yourself is … [Read more...]
Let’s Make a Deal – Bargaining with God
Have you ever bargained with God? I suspect many of us if we are honest, have tried to tell God what to do, how to do it and even demanded when to have the job complete. I experienced that lately.I still have three wisdom teeth who live happily in the back of my mouth. My goal was to hold onto them until I was at least 90. But one is chipped and another decayed, so my dentist’s advice was to get them out. “Just make an appointment with the oral surgeon,” he said.I hate dentists. And this suggestion of course put them even lower on my list. So my bargaining with the Almighty began.“Ok Lord, if You really, really want me to do this, things have to be perfect. But I expect they won’t be. I know when I call for an appointment, it will be months before I get in. The receptionist will be cold, cruel and look remarkably like the Wicked Witch of the West. I will see cockroaches in the corner snacking on crumbs left behind by frightened children. The strong body odor of the slimy surgeon … [Read more...]
Finishing Well – Lectio Divina January 17, 2010
Lectio Divina - a holy reading of the Bible slowly, savoring it, and enjoying it with the Lord – is the spiritual practice of sacred reading of the scriptures. The intention is not to learn or gain information but to deepen our relationship with God. St Benedict encourages us to “to listen with the ear of our hearts.” Join me once a week for Lectio Divina. I will share a verse and a word that spoke to my heart. Read and listen to the verses here. And gently ask God for a word or phrase that speaks to your heart for that day – that is what lectio means. Once we find that gift, we hold it, meditate, and savor its meaning. This step is called meditation. Then offer that word back to God in prayer or the third step of oratio. In prayer we allow our real selves to be touched and changed by the word of God. Finally, we simply rest in the presence of the One who has used His word as a means of inviting us to accept His transforming embrace. No one who has ever been in love needs … [Read more...]