Psalm 19 ~ reviving the soul

Psalm 19


The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech,and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words;their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth,and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,and like a strong man runs its course with joy.


Its rising is from the end of the heavens,and its circuit to the end of them; and there is nothing hid from its heat.


The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring for ever;
the ordinances of the LORD are true,
and righteous altogether.


More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honeyand drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover by them is thy servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
But who can discern his errors?


Clear thou me from hidden faults.
Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,and innocent of great transgression.


Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

My mom said age is an exaggeration of personality. We had a High School Reunion of old friends. And people arrive as they will. Some are busy far away and life perks along like a cup of coffee. Others felt too shy to come.

Generous people, Amy and her husband, opened her grandfather's amazing Camp for us. Now, if you don't speak Yankee like Edward doesn't - you ask the Wonderful Master Gardener - where Camp is and is it located on a Public Park Map. We were amazingly blessed and enriched by the Gardener I failed to get his name from who appeared on a hike and led us for an hour explaining what you can eat, how to call in a host of birds, and suddenly you have and understanding Why do birds suddenly appear
Every time you are near?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.


Well, this man has the K n a c k.

It was purely, simply, marvelously a gift of God. Thank you, Master Builder,Master Gardener, leader of tours in Benezette, PA. Found out he is a cousin to our friend Sally Guloine and is Mark Turner.

So we had to explain to Edward that a Camp is a private weekend retreat. Our Cameron County Pennsylvania boast these camps from miles away because the beauty here is so great that - well, its a funny, little story. But we were sitting in a Subway sandwich shop and they had a great forest of Pennsylvania photo mural. And Edward saw me mesmerized by this beautiful mural of ferns lining the floor of a dapple covered tree canopy. And actually misty eyed. And Edward's comment snapped me out of my revery. He said he hated those murals. WHAT. "Yep bonified hated it when they photoshop.... Heaven."

I have at times realized I'm not good at conveying thoughts to words. EDWARD, That's PENNSYLVANIA!! And due to financial constraints we did not get there until 2005. And my sons, well one of them, wept when he had to leave Margaret and Father Bill's Farm. I hated it that Cal could not come with us. Hated it. Hated that.

So... we went to Amy's Camp for the Reunion. And Amy's Grandfather built... a camp for "Veranda". A camp for "Southern Living" and her seven brothers and sisters have build this wood shed with a windsock that should be in movies. And a front porch the bull dog puppy could hardly bear to leave. And the incredible drive way stretches on and on with these non-lethal, I just learned, Hemlock pines that must be just about first generation pines. Aaaaaaamazing.

And... how did we arrive. Well lemme tell you, a seven hour reunion for 30 year past High Schoolers is an awesome thing. But finally, you find out that 30 years have past and you look at the people who haven't been part of the circle for some time. And you see who is congenially sitting and enjoying other people enjoy themselves. And you are looking at some saints.

Why don't they do that? Put Saint badges on people who are the people enjoying the other people and are the support. Even the guy watching the football game is the support.

Bear with me ya'll this is about appreciation.

So I gushed southern style that .."they just allll looooook jussst the saaame!" And the song of the south, baby, it that in that gracious fakeness there is Truth.

And back to the topic sentence. We are all the same. Jaw droppingly so. If you'd stuck me on an airplane next to these fine people I would have figured it out. Who told us you were born with a personality.

Amy has family. Man that woman has family. And she mothers and warms and laughs and feeds more family. AWESOME!!

Phil - man they need you. The COUNTRY needs you. Phil will work from July to PEAK SEASON (that's a compliment PHIL) to move and shake an event. And he is FATHERING this group. And if you are stuck at your locally ignored, precious campy jewel hotel the Buttonwood Inn, (named after a local tree) - - Phil and his wife Kim will go get you in their pristine truck and you will find the absolute back, back, back roads to bump over. They are the kind of people you and let them drive away with your handbag and not worry about your handbag! These people Outta run the county or the state. Good people.


Now Janice has this talent that faded. She had a ping pong life and her WARM LOVING Heart got caught up in the absolute hell of husband world we all know exists. Coincidentally enough, my High School Best Friend, who owns major real estate in my heart for eternity and I had awesome phone calls at key times in life. Yep, I know where Janice buries her bodies. And Janice, has a talent for raw honesty that will have you roll on the floor. Yep. Janice got careered. And engineered. And she came about full circle. We sat in a smokey bar, man I hate that, and she told me about what it's like to have your roosters come home and you look at your life. At the end of the evening she was back to the old Janice coo as she described the people in her life. Janice, no one else can coo like you do. The exact way she used to kiss Bryan, aww my baby Bryan.

Now LIFE, has actually improved Janice. Which can only be a God thing. Janice was once described in High School as being the friendliest puppy in the County. But Janice had not yet been baptized in the crik, yes the crik. Now when you talk to Janice she is puzzled to describe a man who didn't like the book "The Shack." You have to have to tell Janice, well, the person you are describing is a hater. And then she has to absorb the idea. And Janice, with all that engineering career, can take that bull by the horns and, now, understand not all people are as fundamentally good at taking a problem and solving the problem while being a loving person. (Phil take Janice when you run the country or county.)

Kelley has all the love she ever exuded. Her family she grew up with has passed on to Home. And Kelley is bring Light House to the Blind dogs to improving life. And children in the Library up to a new and more loving existence. Her husband clearly thinks Kelley rocks. Because Kelley does. Taking the love her family had and giving back to the world around her. Kelley is like the Blues Brothers - she is on a mission from God. Building her life.

June is like the others, her personality is much the same. Her innate intelligence and ability to offer order to the lives around her stems from her compassion. She wants others to experience her peace. She moves towards helping others almost intuitively. She will start conversations easily about the the thought processes of HER Tolkien. And I can tell you from speaking with a physician friend of mine, the next phase of this conversation is going quantum physics, which is mindly (cough cough) out of my rhelm. Unless you want to discuss Jesus moves the boat immediately across the Sea of Tiberius. Then I`m good for about ten more minutes.

Linda radiates the peace of the Spirit. When she is telling you about bundling up against the extreme cold of Lake Eerie, she might as well be telling you she knows something extremely enduring about knowing Jesus is her core. Her fulfillment in knowing she has a Home port. Shelter from the storm.

Carolyn has a joy inside her. Granting her the ability to see life as interesting, engaging and filled with humor and a going into the fray with verve. She and her husband connect like right and left hands. Carolyn is going to make old, old age look easy. And she is going to be in demand with her grand kids - as one in touch lady.

Julie still has her undiminished inner glow. The ability to move gently and quickly.Her genuine smile rarely quits!! Kim still is not on the A for Anderson side of the room, but she is still beautiful with amazing Pre~Raphaelite hair.

The pen is tired, but the soul revived. Many thanks Lord for your willingness to pour out a blessing!

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Letters to Him

So as a young adult, you start out and let's say you have a stern Dad. We could use the analogy of your dad being like Clint Eastwood in the movie, "Grand Torino". And you get calls from your priest, Father Janovich, he tells you as a good adult child, you would be advised to contact your dad - how often - daily, weekly, bi-weekly? No, you are informed by Father Janovich, that you are to be in constant contact.

That's a tall order, but Father Janovich says, constant contact is required. That's going to be uphill work. Why? Walt Kowalski is opinionated. His opinions are brought about by years of living. His cantankerous set ways work for him. And he's not going to let you take the t-bird out for a spin. Because basically, it's not fun, fun, fun and Daddy's never going to let you take the t-bird. Because having Walt Kowalkski as a dad, your dad is always gettin' wise to you now.

Conversations are going to not be for exchanging the soft, warm portions of the heart often, because the heart is set in stone.

Jesus told us, when we understand Jesus, we see the Father. Our Father runs to us returning prodigals. He literally runs to welcome us back. Jesus gave us prime examples of this when He was perfectly willing to help out a Roman Centurion.

Matthew 8
7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.


This just isn't very Walt Kowalkski oriented. This Father is ALL about seeing Him with confidence.

Hi Dad! You are Wonderful! I know You love to help me and You are always there for me. I can remember a few times. Right. Like that time. Right, that was... well, You know. When You help me, things seem to turn out better when we talk and work together. You know what I like about talking with You, it's rarely Your way or the lowway. You reach out to me when my faith sinks. You sit with me when I'm surrounded by people who want to accuse me. You forgive me, when I'm not there for You. And You give me chances to make up that mistake. Thanks, Dad. So much.

You tell me when to flee, you tell me when to be silent, you tell me - get over yourself. Let it go. Forgive. The best air we can gulp down is that breathe of forgiveness. Sometimes, Dad, I need Your wisdom and help to decide if flight is best. I need Your salvation to really get away.

Dad, I know You have all the insight and wisdom to give me. And, Dad, you do that because I'm Your's. I share Your name and You have that covered. Thank You, Dad, for being mine and making me Yours. Amen.

Praying the Lord's Prayer is not about kneeling on the cold, hard floor of a Cathedral. To a God with all the answers carved in a Stone Book of Life, unwilling to walk the hardships of life. The people who walked beside Jesus, the Man, in wonder, saw Him put His hands in mud to heal. They saw Him reach out and touch leprosy. Jesus even healed the mother-in-law's of a male friend.

Now, let's return to the Book the Bible tells us in Psalm 139, and other places too, called His Book of Life.

I Timothy tells us Scripture is created as He breathes out. The Commandments - those are written in stone. His Book of Life, is firm but He is the Father who runs to us.

Prayer is just not about ~ oh please, please, but He won't listen. He's too Big. When we say to Him - please Speak the Word, we really also say - but You are Dad. And I'm going to let You help me with this prayer.

Cmon. Why the Heck would we think He wants to hear ~ oh please, please. Whether we dress That up in austerity. Or if we just wallow in whimpy, whiney woo. He Wants US to have FAITH in HIM.

Remember when 2011 January opened to all the weird animal and bird die offs? Google went WILD from people asking if this was the end of the world. God tells us about people willing to scream about, "This is the Big One!" The truth is, we don't know for sure. Except Jesus told us when He returns He is questioning whether there is faith on the earth. Today, an extraordinary amount of people believe Jesus is the Son of God and HE wants to hear our prayers. That...is a very good sign He is still wanting to Save the Entire World.

Letters from Him

Just as the story of Kings of Israel is our story, so is the Book of Revelation. Individually, we all have an invitation to leave the planet. And meet our Maker. The idea of prayer revolves around this and this ~ are you going to meet the cold Judge? Our Living God says families live on Heaven and Earth. We are going to meet our Father - who runs to meet us - to have conversation in the Garden. He tells us this, as His Story opens, in Genesis.


John 14 ~ Conversation in the Garden with HIM, Jesus tells us

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

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Psalm 34: 9-14 ~ Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

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Psalm 34: 9-14

9 Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.


The stories of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah are our stories. And in the middle of the Kingdoms and towards the end, life has a lot of work and many opinions and options. Yet the direction saving the Kings, the Kingdoms, the people swept in events is to worship Him corporately and in His Word. Seeing good, turning away from voluntarily handing Him our messes to clean up and to truly trust Him.

Hezekiah was King. No one doubted that. And Hezekiah found from time to time that his good life was lacking. Hezekiah was as prosperous as Solomon. With fewer blemishes. I sometimes wonder why we fuss so over Moses and Solomon. Joshua swept up a mess, surely we understand working with the events life gives us with Trust and Effort.

Hezekiah had all kinds of bad advice from his environmental upbringing. His generational sin was.... heavy. And Hezekiah said to his late father's memory, sure you wanted me to strip the Temple of Gold and hand that to the Assyrians, but really when I got to the point of that abomination - that felt wrong for me. And we realize Hezekiah had help from golden Isaiah. Well... um notice with me Isaiah had three other Kings that Isaiah was learning the ropes with. Wow. Like we learn as we get older how things work. And older people have some wisdom.

Well. Sometimes. Because we see a lot of the Kings ran after perceived power and other pursuits of 'wisdom'.

Hezekiah had time to make mistakes and recover.

Now also notice being King has perks. And some really awful exposure. And this. None of us is immune to judgement, we all feel like we lack in some circumstances. We grow weak with the same circles we think and trod. We grow Spiritually hungry and don't perceive that need clearly. We feel the love of LIFE has left. Give us the Day! Has Fled without Hope for many good days.

God asks us what decision will we make when we are tried again. Because the truth is Isaiah was working with his fourth King when Hezekiah came along. Isaiah isn't recorded as being "generational -sins- flop- for- Hezekiah's- daddy." (Yet we could make a case for that, but we like Isaiah and give him the nod instead of the magnifying glass.)

God asks us what we will do with our beliefs, our efforts. What King do you pick for your life? Yes, of course the answer is Jesus. In reality, we cannot ever do what Jesus did, because we are not HIM. He was without sin, to forgive our sins.

 Are you .....

... are you the right side or the left side? Because unlike Joshua, sometimes we don't get to pick the middle! Of course we are supposed to be balanced, but not all bicycles have the same training wheels in true circumstances. A lot depends on where your alligators are placed. And which metaphor do you like?

In the end, we get to be just like Hezekiah who felt like his nice life was about to be invaded, stamped out, rubbed raw, and you just didn't get the fair shake afforded to that dratted Solomon.

Why did Hezekiah prevail? He did something every day... He went out and thundered to the guy next to him about the LORD. Muscular Christianity to the extreme. Nope. The Scriptures record he wept, cried, complained, plotted, thought it out again, fretted, fussed, WHILE HEZEKIAH WAS PRAYING. And he put papers before the Lord and said... what am I to do. Sometimes, even rarely, Hezekiah decided to hush and wait upon the LORD. Because even kings get picked on by other kings. Perils of life.

In the end the Kings that prevailed did this...

Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.

We get so backward over this. Kings of Israel wanted to stuff HIM behind a curtain. Even David did this. People who understand God believe what we say when we say The Kingdom, The Power and The Glory are Yours.

And Hezekiah went forth Thundering Witnesses to this... No. Instead Hezekiah did this...

Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Hezekiah spoke to the Lord, and of the Lord, rather quietly, but used his words, and his actions to reveal his belief that God would work with Hezekiah. And the Word of God says, He does this routinely when we place our trust in HIM.


God help me to be one too. In Jesus we pray, Amen.

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Galatians 2 ~ But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not!

Galatians 2

Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. 3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.


11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.


"The Knights Templar & the Protestant Reformation" states when Stanley Jones, a missionary, met with Mahatma Gandhi, Stanley Jones asked Gandhi, "Mr. Gandhi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?"

Gandhi replied: "Oh, I don't reject Christ. I love Christ. It's just that so many of you Christians are so unlike Christ."

Well, Mahatma Gandhi has hit upon a truth expressed in the last Chapter of the Gospel of John. In The Book of Acts, Chapter One. And in this Word of God. All these people are Flawed. All the people of the Bible are flawed.

But Mr. Gandhi has failed to extrapolate. The British left India without a war. It takes two to tango. We call it cowardice to fight people who don't fight back, but that's done quite a lot.

God says in the Gospels, people are a hassle. He just isn't of the opinion you throw them out. That Forgiveness is Divine. And Paul dealt with these matters not in a turn the other cheek fashion, he addressed his concerns. Now just Maybe, he was so vocal that God decided Paul should move. God gave us a brain to be congenial and be like Hezekiah, King of Israel, who knew when to button up his mouth.

Mr. Gandhi knew personal sacrifice. And fasting. Jesus agreed and said, "When we fast." Recently, I met a woman who decided not to abort her baby upon finding anger from the father of the baby, because her mom fasted for two days, promising assistance as well.

God says in Matthew 22, The Kingdom of Heaven is like a King who prepared a Wedding Banquet for His Son.

“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’

The Body of Christ welcomes all who would would want to come to be part of the banquet of His Name, His Kingdom and His Blessings.


How are we justified?

justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified

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Psalm 109 ~ My God, whom I praise, do not remain silent

Malachi 4

“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. 2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. 3 Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.

4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.

5 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”

One of my favorite people on the planet has a real problem with "hateful religion". Haters gotta hate, he says. And, of course, he is really right. Except one of his favorite things to snarl used to be...."Die in a Fire." I don't know, maybe he meant that kindly.

Is the Word of God hateful.. I do not believe so. God is the giver of the Feast. Inviting those to participate. Come to the Table of the Lord and be filled.

The Word of God tends to run to fulfillment. The Root of David did come to save us. Elijah did return in the Transfiguration.



Psalm 109
A Psalm of.... David


1 My God, whom I praise,
do not remain silent,
2 for people who are wicked and deceitful
have opened their mouths against me;
they have spoken against me with lying tongues.
3 With words of hatred they surround me;
they attack me without cause.
4 In return for my friendship they accuse me,
but I am a man of prayer.
5 They repay me evil for good,
and hatred for my friendship.

6 Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy;
let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty,
and may his prayers condemn him.
8 May his days be few;
may another take his place of leadership.
9 May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.
10 May his children be wandering beggars;
may they be driven[a] from their ruined homes.
11 May a creditor seize all he has;
may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
12 May no one extend kindness to him
or take pity on his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants be cut off,
their names blotted out from the next generation.
14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord;
may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
15 May their sins always remain before the Lord,
that he may blot out their name from the earth.

16 For he never thought of doing a kindness,
but hounded to death the poor
and the needy and the brokenhearted.
17 He loved to pronounce a curse—
may it come back on him.
He found no pleasure in blessing—
may it be far from him.
18 He wore cursing as his garment;
it entered into his body like water,
into his bones like oil.
19 May it be like a cloak wrapped about him,
like a belt tied forever around him.
20 May this be the Lord’s payment to my accusers,
to those who speak evil of me.

21 But you, Sovereign Lord,
help me for your name’s sake;
out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.
22 For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I fade away like an evening shadow;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees give way from fasting;
my body is thin and gaunt.
25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they shake their heads.

26 Help me, Lord my God;
save me according to your unfailing love.
27 Let them know that it is your hand,
that you, Lord, have done it.
28 While they curse, may you bless;
may those who attack me be put to shame,
but may your servant rejoice.
29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace
and wrapped in shame as in a cloak.

30 With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord;
in the great throng of worshipers I will praise him.
31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy,
to save their lives from those who would condemn them.

Mostly, I've really had a very blessed week. Maybe a bump or two. What do we do when people disappoint us? David faced some pretty big trauma. Running for his life from an "Anointed King."

I was told this summer this is just another example of how man wrote the Bible and the Bible is just awful. Actually, this is deeper than that. This is how transparent we can be with HIM. How would you react if your children suggested to you with evidence, "It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.” And kept that from you for years? And then you leave the promised land to discover they really only sold him into slavery for you to Think your child was dead... and they never record saying, "I'm remotely sorry."


Or may Jesus came and said, "Father forgive them." and from now on we just turn our cheek at all things. Preston Yancy leads our Bible Study and he calls this Happy Clappy Jesus. I am growing fond of him.

Or maybe we do like Jacob and do the best we can and say some injustices are left to HIM because the are horrendous like Jacob and Joseph. Jacob did end up blessing his sons and telling them how the cow ate the cabbage. You have to like real. Reuben tried rather ineffectively to save Joseph, didn't confess his part and ended up sleeping with his father's concubine.

Well how can we have a Jesus type forgiveness from Jacob before Jesus lived? The Holy Spirit is indwelling. Jacob was confined by life events and did his best. This could be why Israel and Jacob are the same in name.

Yet some of the blessings were very... mitigated.

Perhaps we should clean this up for the LORD. In that case, don't call on me, please. I'm not going to PR this piece into being politically correct.




The LORD does not say all meanies fry. But He did say if you aren't particularly loving representing HIM, He could say this...

Deuteronomy 18:20
But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.

Or this..

Matthew 25
"44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

And He could reply .. "I never knew you."





Christianity doesn't seek to scare us into believing, neither is it the "Inspirational Hour" for us all to just feel great. Self-help isn't just all about me...Jesus all about me...

Matthew 7:21
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.





To not declare Jesus spoke of Hell is to delete part of His message.

Mark 7:6-9
And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!

Jesus wasn't meek and mild. He thundered. And He spoke directly of hell eleven times. Not to mention Judgement and where the fire is not quenched. Jesus said He came to save and that there is a different direction. Jesus spoke twelve times about our inability to judge each other as well.




As HE told us not to Judge others, we find out He does.

Matthew 25:31-46
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 The people of every nation will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right but the goats on his left."

How does He accomplish this judgement?

2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”





A heart open to God requires open ears and a willingness to tune in to every part of God’s word.


Lamentations 3:22-23
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

2 Kings 22:19
Because your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord.

Psalm 14:2
The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

Jeremiah 29:13
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.


Matthew 6
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Isaiah 26:4
Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.

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Psalm 7 ~ My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.

Painted by Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1525.

Psalm 7

1 Lord my God, I take refuge in you;
save and deliver me from all who pursue me,
2 or they will tear me apart like a lion
and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

3 Lord my God, if I have done this
and there is guilt on my hands—
4 if I have repaid my ally with evil
or without cause have robbed my foe—
5 then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;
let him trample my life to the ground
and make me sleep in the dust.

6 Arise, Lord, in your anger;
rise up against the rage of my enemies.
Awake, my God; decree justice.
7 Let the assembled peoples gather around you,
while you sit enthroned over them on high.
8 Let the Lord judge the peoples.
Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness,
according to my integrity, O Most High.
9 Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
and make the righteous secure—
you, the righteous God
who probes minds and hearts.

10 My shield is God Most High,
who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge,
a God who displays his wrath every day.
12 If he does not relent,
he will sharpen his sword;
he will bend and string his bow.
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;
he makes ready his flaming arrows.

14 Whoever is pregnant with evil
conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.
15 Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out
falls into the pit they have made.
16 The trouble they cause recoils on them;
their violence comes down on their own heads.

17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;
I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.



Luke 12:12
“When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”





A lion attack is a fairly serious thing. Usually happening very fast.

And we all readily remember the Colosseum being a place of Christian martyrdom where the last Pope celebrated Good Friday.

Compared to:

Daniel 6:26-28
“I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.

“For he is the living God
and he endures forever;
his kingdom will not be destroyed,
his dominion will never end.
27 He rescues and he saves;
he performs signs and wonders
in the heavens and on the earth.
He has rescued Daniel</b>
from the power of the lions.”


God is the Living God. Discerning all events and people.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Why would God allow Daniel to be saved from Lions and not Christians in the Colosseum - does one story negate another? I would say not. I got in the cage with a lioness on steroids once. Not very intelligent. But I'm here today. Compared to the disaster at the Colosseum, the Lions were not entertaining with the Christians and that was unusual. Even here God's Plan was at work.

I'm trying to say, God does not work all events in the same manner. We can be the people saved from the lion's den and the people who are eaten. And still be of the Lord. One story does not mean that HE is inept in His Word or indifferent.

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Deuteronomy 30:19
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live

This seems almost impossible to believe in some situations. And yet we can say with sincerity some will be saved from Lions and some will not. And other Christians rose and fled, and still the Word of the Lord went with them. Life is a lot about Hope, Faith and Love. Knowing what to do when life offers us storms or lions.

Mark 4:38
He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

This is what Jesus is to us ~

Mark 1
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”—
3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”

One of the reasons we make straight paths for HIM, we want what Jesus gives pouring out in a blessing. He is our foundation. Our Rock. Knowing where we stand or rest, knowing what He would have us do or say.

Romans 15:13 Hope in Adversity

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Psalm 103
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

Psalm 5:12
For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.

Genesis 12:3
I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

James 2:23
And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend.

Genesis 15:1
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”


Matthew 5:7
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Luke 6:36
Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

Numbers 6:
22 The LORD said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

24 “‘“The LORD bless you
and keep you;
25 the LORD make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace.


John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.

Thank You Father God, for the blessings brought forth in my life. This was a blessed day and I am so grateful replying to all who blessed us ~ Father God please bless them as well. Comfort those we know in trouble and sustain us to the season of more blessings. In You, Your storehouse is never to full to pour out more blessings. We ask Your will be done, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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