Month: February 2022

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about friendships and just how precious they are on this earth.  What a great gift God gives to us.  I had the opportunity to reconnect recently with a friend I hadn’t connected with in many years.  Even though we were close childhood friends, you know the basement roller skating type, college and life had intervened in our friendship.  As old good friendships work, we reconnected over a difficult life experience.  That’s just how the gift works. 

While speaking over the phone she said that even though we had not stayed close over the years, she had felt like we picked up where we left off and our childhood friendship “transcended time.”  That’s the phrase I’ve been chewing on since – I even made a note of it, and posted it on my desk. 

Transcend means to overcome, to go beyond ordinary limits.  What she was saying is that our friendship had withstood the test of time over the years, that regardless of our life’s physical locations, time could not diminish the friendship.  The friendship, the love, the connection, the comfort, the support were still intact, regardless of the amount of separation by time.  It’s taken me a while to grasp its meaning.  Now that I have it’s taken on a whole new context for me.

It reminded me that our relationship with God, our friendship with Him or His friendship with us (cause He’s definitely the better friend) also transcends time.  Think about that – God’s friendship with us transcends time.  This friendship surpasses time.  When I think about this, I’m completely humbled.

His friendship with me, with you, transcends all time!  Process that out.  The dictionary offers another definition of transcend “to be prior to, beyond, and above (the universe or material existence).”  The dictionary definition people must have done a little research…

I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.  Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world.  Jeremiah 1:5

It’s so hard to take in, but roll that around for a minute.  He “knew” us “before” we were even formed.  He yada us before we were yatsa.  He knew us, he recognized us, he cared for us, he acknowledged us before we came out, before we appeared.  I know that’s pretty deep stuff, to think that God knew us, loved us, planned a friendship with us, before we were born.  But, that’s just how big our God is!  It should make us think…

His friendship with us transcends all time.  Let alone the fact that He knew us before we were, He longs to know us for eternity.  What’s eternity?  Unending time, infinite, timelessness, forever, without end.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

You know, people will come and go, family will come and go, friends will come and go.  There is only One whose friendship is for all time, before the beginning of our time. The One who knew us before we were formed, the One who will know us for all eternity, if we believe, if we trust, if we have faith, if we surrender.    Who wouldn’t want a friend like that, that loved us so much, before our time, that they want to spend forever and ever with us and made it possible for us to do so? 

We must think it through because eternity is a very long time.  Where do we want to spend our forever?  Our friendship choice today will impact our forever. I urge you to chose the only Friend who transcends all time. One who will never leave or forsake you.

What a friend we have in Jesus
All our sins and griefs to bear
And what a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer

Oh, what peace we often forfeit
Oh, what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged
Take it to the Lord in prayer

Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness
Take it to the Lord in prayer

Morning has broken like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the world

Sweet the rains new fall, sunlit from Heaven
Like the first dewfall on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where His feet pass

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God’s recreation of the new day

Although we often think Cat Stevens (now known as Yusuf Islam) was the writer of these lyrics, these beautiful words were actually written before he was even born by Eleanor Farjeon.  I think of this  song almost every morning – every morning I sit at my desk that is.

Today’s picture is a snap of the morning from my desk.  You can’t see it very well, but about mid-picture, a third of the way over from the left is a tiny white light, around 9:00.  Not the one to the right(house lights), but the faint mid-light.  The picture (or the photographer) doesn’t do this light justice.  It is a brilliant bright light.  It looks like a star to me because you can easily see five points and it actually twinkles.  I see this bright white every morning in the east about 5:00 a.m.  The fascinating thing about this bright white is that it moves so very quickly.  When this light first comes to view on the top of the ridge, no kidding, you can visually see it moving.  Believe it or not you can tell the time of day by this bright light.  It is a great reminder of how quickly our earth is rotating.

I call this light my morning star.   My practice is to pray of a morning in the dark.  Today, I hum Morning Has Broken.  I look at this star and speak to my Lord and I marvel.  Ah…the work of His hands…A little research has told me that this work is the planet Venus.  I don’t understand the rendezvousing of the lights in the Milky Way, but I do know that I can see Venus better sometimes than others.  Sometimes it is only 38,000,000 miles away, sometimes a little bit more.  Ponder that.  If we keep track of the trajectory of Venus, we can see it throughout the day sky – it’s just that bright.  The super interesting thing about Venus to me, again I know nothing about the movings of the lights in the solar system, in the evenings when I walk to the mailbox, toward the west, there it is again, bright as can be.  Venus rises with the sun and sets with the moon.  Although I know my God never sleeps, it gives me comfort to think that He rises with me in the morning and stays until I rest my eyes.  And then He stands watch.

Here’s what gets me.  I’ll be looking at Venus and blink and it’s gone, and the next minute it’s there.  Maybe a cloud moved in.  Maybe the earth’s rotation changed its rising pattern.  Maybe I wasn’t looking in the right place.  Maybe I was looking where I thought it would go and it didn’t.  Maybe I just plain closed my eyes and refused to see it.  But, just because I cannot see Venus does not mean it has fallen from the sky.  It doesn’t mean it is not still there.  It doesn’t mean that it is not shining.  It doesn’t mean that it is not standing watch.  The view may be obstructed temporarily by a cloud or so, or the whole orbit of Venus may have changed and I didn’t, won’t, or can’t change my direction to see it.  For whatever the reason, I’ve lost sight of it.

I, Jesus…I am the bright and morning star.  Revelation 22:16

As the softest light starts moving darkness, breaking morning, Venus has now moved to 12:00.  I can see it very clearly, brilliantly shining, twinkling.  I again think of the works of His hand and God’s creation of the new day.

Look up into the heavens.  Who created all the stars?  He brings them out one after another, calling each by its name.  And he counts them to see that none are lost or have strayed away.  Isaiah 40:25-26

Lord, keep us ever in your sights today from east to west, but more importantly Lord, may we keep you ever in our sights today from morning to night.  Lord, may we be reminded by your whole constellation that there may be obstructions, courses may change, but you never ever leave us from eye open to eye close, from light to darkness to light.  We praise with elation, we praise every morning.  Amen.

Are we readable?  I am.  Whatever is in my mind is all over my face.  I can have a conversation with you without even opening my lips.  Eyebrows up.  Frowns down.  Wide eyed surprise.  Mini eyed suspicion.  Big smile.  Little grin.  Pursed lips.  Red faced.  Pale faced.  Head held high.  Head bowed.  Nose tilted up.  Mouth agape.  Tears flowing.  Stoic stare.  Mischief eyes twinkling. 

I can carry on that conversation with the rest of my body too – kind of like charades.  Rubber neck nation.  Hands on hips.  Arms folded.  Arms flailing.  Finger pointing.  High fiving.  Toe tapping.  Jazz hands.  Anxious panting.  See what I mean? 

What do you say when you say nothing at all?  What are some of your wordless communications?  Hmmm…where do those actions come from?  Our expressions reflect what’s inside.  Our moods, our thoughts, our attitudes flow out of our bodies through our minds.  Oh, I know, some of us are much better at not being readable.  Some of us are more composed.  Pokerfaced.  Not me.  You neither?  For some of us, try as we may, we cannot hide what we’re feeling inside.  Penny for your thoughts kind of people.  We’re not alone.

And Jacob began to notice a considerable cooling in Laban’s attitude toward him.  (NLT)

At the same time, Jacob noticed that Laban had changed toward him.  He wasn’t treating him the same.  (MSG)

Jacob also noticed Laban was not as friendly as he had been before.  (CEV)

And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.  (KJV)

Genesis 31:2

Remember this story?  Isaac sent Jacob to Laban (his mother’s brother) to find a wife.  Jacob worked for 14 years for the woman he loved, Rachel, because of Laban’s trickery – see the tension building?  Jacob had a slew of children and as he continued to work for Laban, Laban  became a wealthy man.  Jacob says hey man I need to make a way on my own and provide for my children.  Laban says, oh, don’t leave me, I’ll pay you.  What do you want?  Jacob asked for the speckled, spotted and dark-colored sheep and goats.  Laban said ok.  But, Laban again was the trickster.  He went out and removed all those he promised from the herd.  Jacob continued to take care of Laban’s flocks. 

With a little bit of miraculousness involving some shoots and bark, Jacob’s flocks increased incredibly and he became a very rich man.  Laban’s sons were not happy with Jacob’s prosperity and accused Jacob of robbery.  Can you just imagine the looks from Laban’s sons?  Daggers.  Hands high in the air.  Finger pointing.  It is at this point that Jacob notices a change in Laban’s countenance, in his mood.  Laban wasn’t quite as friendly as he had been – his attitude, his position, his posture, his expressions, his demeanor, his disposition, had cooled considerably, and it was written all over Laban’s face.  Jacob read Laban’s face like a book.

Are we just as readable as Laban?  Chances are, we are.  When I think about that, I make the yikes – ugh face.  Why?  Because I know what’s in my mind is written on my face and in my actions and I’m not always proud of that.  Here’s the thing – it’s not about changing the look on my face or taking my hands off my hips, it’s about changing what’s inside my head – that crazy mind of mine.  You got one too.  Our brains power our whole bodies.  My brain tells me to smile, frown, cry, laugh, clap, dance, point – my brain tells me how to act, based on what’s inside.  My mind tells me how to express myself.  Does anybody besides me need a good mind renewing – yes, yes you do, I can see it!  I’m glad I’m not alone.

So, how do we go about it?  We can’t just change.  Oh sure, some things we can, but we can’t change our minds without the power of God.

But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Here there is no conflict with the law.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.  If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.  Let us not become conceited, or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another.  Galatians 5:22-26

Our minds are changed when we allow the Holy Spirit to control our lives.  Oh sure, it’s a tug of war sometimes.  We want to scowl when we don’t get our way, but we cannot change our body language, our face conversations, our flailing arms, we are powerless to do it alone.  Only by remaining in Jesus can we change what we say, by changing what we think.  What we think dictates our conversations.

Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me.

Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.  Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.  For apart from me you can do nothing.  John 15:4-5

If we want our conversations to change – verbal and nonverbal, we must remain in Jesus, under the control of the Holy Spirit.  Staying connected to the vine is the only way we can produce the face fruits – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.  What’s in our minds is written all over our faces.  What’s your face saying?

Piercing Heaven – Prayers of the Puritans, edited by Robert Elmer, has been my go-to prayer book lately.  It’s a great read but definitely challenging.  The Puritans were those in the 1600s and 1700s who sought to, yes, purify the Church of England.  That actually sounds a little strange to me, that the religious leadership needed purifying.

I think the Puritans sometimes get a bad rap.  They’re often thought of as a bunch of old holier than thous.  Strict, stringent, firm, judgmental, dogmatic, holy rollers, even harsh.  Their words and phrasing were definitely Puritanian, if that’s a word.  Definitely more formal.  For sure, there was no urban slang, half words, abbreviations or emojis.  They didn’t dummie down so that it would be easy.  The Puritans spoke a different language. They sought purity of the church, of worship, of scripture and of prayer and they challenged the church to do the same.

Leland Ryken says:

In Puritan thinking, the Christian life was a heroic venture, requiring a full quota of energy.  For the Puritans, the God-centered life meant making the quest for spiritual and moral holiness the great business of life.

Honestly, how could you argue with that line of thinking?  I’m thinking I could use me a little Puritan in my life.  As I read through the prayers, one saint’s prayers spoke to my heart.  It doesn’t seem to matter what he’s praying for, Philip Doddridge always seems to intertwine the theme of life.

Bring me to life, oh Lord, so that by me you may also enliven others!

Make me the happy instrument to kindle and animate the flame of divine love in others.  May the flame catch and grow from heart to heart!

Again, how can we argue with that way of thinking?  Do you see it?  He was all about life.  The word that jumped out at me was animate.  No less than three prayers written by Doddridge in this book (I’m only a quarter of the way through) use that same word – animate.  Now my thoughts of that word in a quick way went to Walt Disney – the king of animation.  At first I thought naw, that’s not what Doddridge means.  But, it is.

The definition of animate is to give life to, to make alive, to make lively, vivacious or vigorous, to fill with courage and boldness, encourage, to move or stir to action, to motivate, possessing life.  It means living, breathing, moving. 

Then the Lord formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.  Genesis 2:7

We’re not talking about a cartoon flip book here.  We’re talking the God of the Universe gave life with His very own breath.  God, the great animator, the great life giver.  Isn’t He the one who gives life, makes us alive, encourages us with boldness? 

Sometimes I learn as much about what a word means by learning what it doesn’t mean.  Animate does not mean spiritless, sluggish, dull, dead, idle, defunct.  Doesn’t the true King of Animation take our spiritless and sluggish dead lives and give them life?  Hallelujah!

I was caught flatfooted by Doddridge’s use of that life instilling word in another prayer:

I am so barely animated by your love, or interested in serving you, that a stranger might talk with me for a long while and not have a clue that I knew you, or had even ever heard of you!

Oh, geez…I had to ask myself…Am I so barely animated?  What do I display?  Do my words, my actions, my thoughts, my face reflect that God has filled me with life?  That He breathed His life into me?  Do I act alive, lively, vivacious, vigorous, filled with courage and boldness, living? 

Unfortunately, after that self-reflection, I had to begrudgingly admit that at times, I completely forget, or honestly, when doing my own thing, I just don’t think about God’s love for me and my love service to Him.  I have actioned spiritless, sluggish, dull, idle and defunct. I have talked with people for a very long while and they didn’t have a clue that I knew Him.  Ouch, that’s painful.  But goodness, what a great reminder.

How could I act so dead when the King of Animation made me alive?  We need to examine that and the reflection of our lives.  But here’s the thing, the King of Life is also the Father of Forgiveness.  Hallelujah!  He can take our words, our deeds, our actions, our faces from dead to life!  That’s a beautiful thing.  He can change us to be animators from inanimates.  He can bring us to life so that we can bring life to others!  That, my friends, is our sole purpose on earth — to bring life to others which brings glory to God.

Because we live in a world that is spiritless and dead, we must pray that Holy Spirit constantly breathes new life into our souls and causes His Word – His Son – to come alive in us.  We cannot give life if we don’t have life.

May I awaken from this lethargy into which I am sinking and may Christ give me a more abundant spiritual life than ever.  Alive in him, let me recover the ground I have lost – and then gain yet more!  Bring me to life, of Lord, so that by me you may also enliven others! Philip Doddridge