Author: admin

We’re heading into the time of year when we’re noticing the outside, when we’re checking out our lawns and fields more and more, right?  Kind of like a bear emerging from his winter residence, we’re stretching it out and looking to get busy outside.

Our meticulous lawners are just getting geared up.  Whether you turn the key or pull the string (a hundred times), the work’s about to begin.  Us lawners are getting prepared.  Mowers have been serviced, new string for the whacker, fertilizer and lime bought, general cleanup of leaves and sticks on the horizon. 

So, when the worst-best and I walk the fields this time of year, we notice field things, like the circles in the field above.  There are several.  Some bigger than others.  Very strange.  Perfect circles.  No, it’s not a crop circle.  I thought that too.  Out at our place, that’s what we call them, but a little digging has revealed that these dark almost perfect circles in our front field are called Fairy Rings.  Isn’t that a cute name?  That sounds a lot better than crop circles, doesn’t it?  Crop circles are manmade, Fairy Rings are fungi made – oh, that sounds a whole lot better, doesn’t it?  Fairy Rings are actually said to be a sign of good luck and fortune.  I’m liking these Fairy Rings more and more.  

Unfortunately, despite the cute name, Fairy Rings are actually a lawn or field disease.  Fork lore has it that little fairies dance the night away in these circles resting from time to time on toadstool chairs.  Actually, that’s the cause of the circles, toadstools.  I’m not going to get all science on you because I can’t, but as best I understand it, these fairy rings should be called fungi rings.  This fungi grows from the middle out, feeding on decaying organic material creating a crusty layer just under the soil to create a perfect circle.  You may or may not see the mushrooms, they may be under the soil and only come out at night for the dance (wink-wink).

Anyway, these Fairy Rings, or this lawn disease, seems to be most prevalent in sandy, under-watered, or poorly fertilized soils, and can cause serious damage.  Fairy Rings usually do not develop in highly maintained lawns.  Hmmm.

Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.  Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.  But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

Matthew 7:24-27

The wise man heard Jesus’s teachings and obeyed, he built his house upon the Rock.  The foolish man built his house upon the sand, he rejects the teachings of Jesus, and his house will fall off its base.

With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!

Isaiah 12:3

Are we well-watered?  Are we drinking deeply from the perpetual fountain provided by God through Jesus His Son? 

Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any.  So he said to the keeper of the vineyard, ‘Look, for the past three years I have come to search for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Therefore cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

 ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone again this year, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  If it bears fruit next year, fine. But if not, you can cut it down.’ ”

Luke 13:6-9

Are we giving ourselves the nutrients we need to maintain a healthy, well-balanced heart?  Are we feeding on The Word of the Lord that quenches every hunger of our heart?

Sandy, under-watered, poorly fertilized soils.  We must be very careful that our lives don’t end up like Fairy Rings.  It is so easy to get sucked into the dance once the music gets going, if we are on sandy, under-watered, poorly fertilized soil.  We need to keep in mind that that ring is made of fungus.

How do we prevent Fairy Rings?  We maintain our lawn.  How do we do that?  From the inside out.  We rake, we dethatch, we remove the buildup of dead matter.  We build on the Solid Rock and not in the sand.  We continually drink the life giving Living Water.  We keep our lawns well fertilized with nutrients found in The Word. We poke holes in the soil to allow aeration of the Spirit so that the crusty mold does not get a grip and release toxins that can decay our hearts.

While praying the other morning, the Lord “spoke” to me, you know that still small voice.  He will speak to all of us — one way or the other (sometimes whether we want to hear it or not), when we take our cares, our worries, our thoughts our praise to Him.  I was praying about a particular situation, one I’ve been praying about for years.  I spoke my prayer – Lord, I am so tired of their bad attitude and insolent behavior!  He whispered – As am I!  No kidding, that’s exactly what came to me.  It’s funny how He seems to speak loudest in His whispers.

I was like that’s great, we’re both on the same wave length, we both feel the same about this situation and now things are going to change, answers to prayer are forthcoming.  Finally, this disposition that makes everyone uncomfortable and leaves all around feeling inadequate and wondering what they’ve done to that person to deserve such treatment or nontreatment, is going to be taken care of.  WooHoo!  After years of praying – breakthrough — the Lord understands – can’t you hear the chorus of angels – Ahhhhhhh?  The Lord has seen how others have to walk on egg shells, guard every word and be uncomfortable and I just know He’s going to do something about it.  As I was pondering what life could be like in this situation, think bliss, I hear the bird song do do do do do do…

…ERCH, STOP, WAIT…WHAT?!?!?! For about half a second I thought, what’s He mean by that?  Is He talking to me?  Naw, impossible!  I drifted back to my bird song paradise.  But my mind continued to hark back to that thought, As am I, what does that mean?  He’s going to handle it, right? Wait, who’s He even talking to?

And then, THWACK!  It occurred to me that The Lord may have been speaking tongue-in-cheek.  What an idiot am I!  For sure He was talking about the other situation, but for sure, He was talking about me.  How do I know that?  Because the Lord speaks correction to His children.  I am a child of God.

I’m slowly (turtle like) learning that rarely, if ever, are God’s messages just for other people.  The same messages, healings, rebukes and corrections He speaks for others, He speaks to me.  Can I get a witness here?!?!? 

You see, He may have had exactly the same thought about me as I had about the other situation – that’s the tongue in cheek.  I am so tired of Beth’s bad attitude and insolent behavior!  Five little letters speak volumes.  As Am I.  I feel sure He said it with a little smile on His face and kindness in His heart.  Yes…Jesus loves me (and you)!

So, sounds like I need to not just pray for the other situation, but for my own.  It dawned on me that I most likely definitely was treating insolence with insolence, bad attitude with bad attitude.  Seems natural to me.   But, if I am a child of God, I’m no longer a natural man (or woman), I’m a spiritual man (or woman).  That changes everything, doesn’t it?

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.  The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.  “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.  I Corinthians 2:14-16

Paul said it right there — as a child of God, I have the mind of Christ.  When I really think about what that means, it’s a little like — Wow!  I am His! I am equipped! I am adequate!  I am a spiritual man (or woman) – can I get a witness here?!?!?  The natural man (or woman) doesn’t have the mind of Christ.  If one doesn’t have the mind of Christ one will naturally have a bad attitude and be impudent and disrespectful.  The mind of Christ knows better than to treat bad attitude with bad attitude, contempt with contempt, difficult with difficult.  If we don’t live like we have the mind of Christ, we live like a natural man, if we live like a natural man, the natural man will not see the mind of Christ.  Got it?  If we have the mind of Christ, we must act like it so others can learn to know Christ.  Although He doesn’t need to, He has partnered with us, He works through us to reach natural man.  Will we join Him?  Will we confess our sins, put on the mind of Christ?  With Him we never have to walk on egg shells, guard every word or be uncomfortable.  I am loved, I am adequate, I have the mind of Christ.  That’s the message to the natural man (or woman), to the world. 

As Am I…Just As I Am.

Just as I am, though tossed about

with many a conflict, many a doubt,

fightings and fears within, without,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thou wilt receive,

wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;

because thy promise I believe,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

My God, what can I say to you — except that I love you more than words can express?

I love you for what you are to all creatures. In all their forms and every moment, they owe their life and happiness to you. It is far beyond what my narrow imagination can conceive, but everything they know is from you.

But I adore and love you far more for what you are in yourself.

Even after creating so much, your reserves of perfection remain untouched, and can never be used up. Your infinite perfection makes you your own happiness.

You are your own end. You are worthy of a respect that never depends on anything outside yourself.

You are first, most beautiful, and only. Greatest and only great.

Possess all my soul! And surely you do possess it.

While I feel your sacred Spirit breathing on my heart, causing me to love you, I also feel the reality of this human, animal life.

If ever I knew the appetite of hunger, my soul hungers after righteousness — and longs to be more like you (Matthew 5:6).

If ever I felt thirst, so also my soul thirsts for the living God — and pants for more of your favor (Psalm 42:2).

If ever I have longed for my bed after a long journey, my soul rests on your grace — and returns for rest in your embrace.

And if ever I have enjoyed seeing the face of a friend, I rejoice in seeing your face, O Lord — and in calling you my Father in Christ.

That is who you are, and that is who you will be, for time and eternity. What more can I do, but commit myself to you for both?

I leave it to you to choose my inheritance and order my affairs (Psalm 47:4). My only business is to serve you, and all my delight is to praise you.

My soul follows hard after you, God, because your right hand upholds me (Psalm 63:8). Let is still bear me up, and I will press on toward you, until all my desires are fulfilled in the eternal enjoyment of you! Amen.

Philip Doddridge

You see this beautiful little tree was our neighborhood Christmas Tree.  Neighbor Karen started with red bows.  Neighbor Robert added some lights.  The LeMasters came along with a Star.  All unplanned.  Without coordination, each adding their touch to bring this little tree to life for the folks traveling Poor House Road.  That little tree became a seasonal landmark in our neighborhood.  It was used as a point of reference – up, over, to the left, to the right, behind, beside, around the Christmas Tree.

After the season, the tree was stripped and the decorations carefully put away and each neighbor looking forward to pulling them out next year.  There’s only one small problem…the tree is gone!  Our sweet little Christmas Tree that brought us Kumbaya and joy was hacked down.  Yes, I know hacked sounds rather violent, but if you saw the equipment being used by the tree “trimmers” aka tree “hackers,” you’d think that term was mild.  I can only imagine how she must have felt.

You see, our little three foot tree just happened to be growing under the power lines beside the road.  It was the tree “hackers” job to clear everything growing under the 30 foot power lines.  It wasn’t their job to determine what type of tree it was, whether it would ever grow 27 more feet, how round it would be, how sturdy a base it would have, or even if it was a threat to the powerlines.  They were to just hack it down and not ask questions.  The first thought that came to my mind when I saw she was gone was that the “hackers” had committed such an indiscriminate act.  They had thoughtlessly, haphazardly, carelessly removed her without one iota of consideration.  So sad.

My immediate next thought was how many times a day do I indiscriminately hack down something or someone?  Thoughtlessly, haphazardly, carelessly, without one iota of consideration? When I really put my mind on it, I guess I’m not so different than the “hackers” I’ve been complaining about.  Whoa, that smarted!

My next thought turned to our word of the year at Church – intentional.  Are we intentional people?  Are we thoughtful, are we conscience, are we careful people?  I suggest that the opposite of intentional can be indiscriminate.  If we are not intentional, we are indiscriminate.  If we are not thoughtful, we can be thoughtless.  If we are not conscience, we can be unconscious.  If we are not careful, we can be careless.  If we do not guard our hearts, we can be heartless.  So, now we get to the point.

You know, the Bible has much to say about guarding and it gives instructions that are exceedingly clear, another term that keeps popping up in Church. 

Above all guard your hearts for everything you do flows from it.

Proverbs 4:23

As the face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the person.

Proverbs 27:19

Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects every you do.

Proverbs 4:23

Ah…the wisdom of Solomon.  Everything flows from our hearts, it reflects who we are as people, and our hearts affect absolutely everything we do in life.

But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.

Matthew 15:18

Ah…Matthew, who in old life was known as a master “hacker,”  lays it out and doesn’t mince words.  His words are exceedingly clear.  If we fail to intentionally guard our hearts, our lips are sure to speak indiscriminately – indiscriminate words, indiscriminate tone, indiscriminate intentions, indiscriminate timing, indiscriminate conversation – all have the same tree “hacker” result – something or someone is cut down.  As God people, we don’t want to be responsible for such acts.  We don’t want to be governed by our lips, but by our hearts.  We must intentionally guard our hearts to protect from being indiscriminate!

Sometimes I think of the weirdest things…

Last week’s blog was about the attack of the Amaleks and Moses’ efforts to thwart them.  Remember,  pray when you’re attacked, and don’t stop until the battle is done and won?

Here’s my weirdness…

How did Moses keep on praying?  Did anyone else out there wonder what Moses prayed?  I mean, this battle went on for some long  period of time and I just wondered if Moses ever ran out of words?  Like did he pray the same things over and over, did he simply call out God’s name, did he mix praise in with it, did he stumble over his words, did he doze, was he ever not able to find the right words?

I don’t know about you, but I often feel so woefully inadequate at prayer.  I know folks say it’s just like having a conversation with a friend, or just speaking your heart, but sometimes when my mind is whirling and my heart is breaking, I struggle to put two words together let alone stand before the God of the Universe with my offerings.

One thing that helps me a lot is a Prayer Starter.  What’s a Prayer Starter?  Prayers written by Godly people that somehow have the words that I can’t seem to find.  Prayers that were written out of someone’s experience.  Prayers that were offered in His Name by others.  Somehow those prayers nail exactly what I want to say but somehow even in my over wordiness, just can’t find.

YOUR NAME ON MY HEART AND HOME

Precious Jesus, you have been a strength to my poor soul, and you will be my portion forever.  Help me to see my daily need of you, and to feel my poverty and weakness.

From persecution to my guilty conscience, to the remains of sin in a body of death, to the accusations of Satan or even the just judgments of God—I am secure in you, Lord Jesus.  And I continually cry out, as did your prophet:  “Only in the Lord…is righteousness and strength; even to him shall men come.”  I will never be ashamed or confounded, world without end.

You have given grace, glory, and honor to your Israel.  I want your name, Lord, on the gates of my house, so that no one will walk by and miss the fact that a lover of the Lord lives there!

It is my highest honor to have it known whose I am, and whom I serve, in the gospel of his dear Son.  How could I be ashamed of that name before which every knee bows in heaven and earth?

And Lord Jesus, not only write your name upon the gates of my house, but engrave it in the center of my heart and my affections—on my first, and last, my earliest, and latest thoughts!

Let it be my joy to speak out of the abundance of my heart about you and your great salvation.  In all I say, in all  I do, let it be clear that I am in pursuit of the one my soul loves.

Let my every action point to your dear name.  And whether at home or abroad, in my house or family, when lying down or when rising up, let all creation witness for me, that the love, the service, the interest, the glory of my God in Christ is the only object of my soul’s desire.

Let every thing in my life say this:  “Whom have I in heaven but you?  And there is none upon earth that I desire besides you.  My flesh and my heart may fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”  Amen

Robert Hawker (1753-1827)

The Word of God is a perfect Prayer Starter.  There are literally hundreds of prayers in the Bible from cover to cover.  From Moses, to Abraham, to Jacob, to David, to Esther, right on through the prophets, up to the apostles, we see Prayer Starters.  But probably the most famous Prayer Starter was our Savior.  Jesus not only offered prayers to His Father, but He taught His followers, us, how to do the same.  There are no less than 30 prayers of Jesus recorded in the New Testament.  Jesus was the original Prayer Starter.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.  Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine in the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.  Amen

So, when your heart is in it but the words won’t come, get some help from a Prayer Starter.  You will find that although it helps you get started, you will have no trouble finishing.

To His Glory.

I’m currently reading through the Bible in a year (or two?) being guided by a Devotional I’m using for 2022.  You know, it’s one of those read parts of the Old and New Testaments each day.  I’ve always loved the New Testament for obvious reasons – Jesus – and I’m falling deeper in love with the Old Testament.  If you think the Lord can only speak in the Old or the New Testament, wise up.  He speaks so loud and clear from Genesis to Revelation, every single page, every single word – inspired by Him.  That is my passionate belief, as if you couldn’t tell.

The Word is a book from God, to teach us about God, to the glory of God.  Every printed Word is meant to draw us into communion with Him, to change our hearts, and in turn to form us into the image of His Son, our sole purpose for being created, our sole purpose on this earth.

I’m currently reading in the book of Exodus.  What an amazing book!  It is action packed, God’s power on complete display, and I recently came across one of my all time favorite stories:

While the people of Israel were still at Rephidim, the warriors of Amalek attacked them.  Moses commanded Joshua, “Choose some men to go out and fight the army of Amalek for us. Tomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill, holding the staff of God in my hand.”

So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill.  As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage.  Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset.  As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle.

After the victory, the LORD instructed Moses, “Write this down on a scroll as a permanent reminder, and read it aloud to Joshua: I will erase the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”  Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-Nissi (which means “the LORD is my banner”).  He said, “They have raised their fist against the LORD’s throne, so now the LORD will be at war with Amalek generation after generation.”

Exodus 17:8-16

So many lessons here.  The obvious, pray when you’re attacked, and don’t stop until the battle is done.  That seems to be the long and the short of it.  I know and understand that teaching even when I oft times fail at it. But for some reason when I read it again this week, it pierced my heart.  I just don’t know how else to say it.  I’ve been thinking of little since.

One of the notes from The Pentateuch made a point I hadn’t thought of before:

…then came Amalek…

The Rabbis note:  As an immediate sequence of the murmuring on the part of the Israelites…then came Amalek.  It is the invariable lesson of Jewish history that whenever Israel begins to doubt God and itself, asking, Is the Lord among us or not? An Amalek unexpectedly assails it.

The Pentateuch and Haftorahs, Edited by J.H. Hertz

This lesson is not just for the Israelites, but for all believers, right?  When we take our eyes off of God, when we fail to spend time with Him, when we fail to remember His goodness and His mercy toward us, when we buy into the world by our grumbling and complaining, doubts will assail us and even the most devout believer may murmur “Is the Lord among us or not?”  That’s the sequence.

Next lesson…

“Never forget what the Amalekites did to you as you came from Egypt. They attacked you when you were exhausted and weary, and they struck down those who were straggling behind. They had no fear of God.  Therefore, when the LORD your God has given you rest from all your enemies in the land he is giving you as a special possession, you must destroy the Amalekites and erase their memory from under heaven. Never forget this!

Deuteronomy 25:17-19

The Rabbi notes:  “While Israel was to make justice and brotherly love its guiding rule, it was not to forget that Amalek had perpetrated a cowardly and unprovoked attach on the feeble and hindmost when the Israelites were marching from Egypt.”

Amalek waged war on the Israelites, but instead of fighting the young, the strong, those capable of fighting back, they attacked the rear, those falling behind, “the faint and weary stragglers enfeebled by the march,” the march from Egypt, through the Red Sea on their journey to the promised land.

I’ve struggled much this last week as I’m sure you have too.  I feel as if Amalek is on the move.  I won’t pretend to know all the ins and outs of war.  But, what I do know is that God loves innocent people.  He loves the weak, the faint, the weary, the stragglers, those falling behind because of life’s twists and turns.  For that matter, God loves guilty people just as much, we tend not to want to remember that.

When the Amaleks of life, internally or externally, at home or abroad leave us feeling helpless and hopeless, we must raise our staff like a banner, offer our prayers and our praises to the Lord and not stop. When the staff gets heavy and our arms grow weak, we must remember that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are on either side of us, propping us up, interceding on our behalf as we intercede on the behalf of others.

When the weary, the feeble, the downtrodden, the broken, the faint, the hurting, those at the end of the line, those left behind, the stragglers say “Is the Lord among us or not?”  We must always say God is our victorious Banner, the rod of God is in our hands.

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