FIRST LOVE

6/4/12  A recent Pinterest You-Tube showed 5+ minutes of 60 lip-syncing friends and dancers helping a young man propose to his girlfriend in a BIG way. It was showy, sweet and entertaining. It’s gotten lots of hits. But….the real question for the young couple would be, “After the “hype” of the proposal, The BIG wedding and honeymoon to follow, what path will your marriage take?”

The “Big” productions will be over and the marriage will settle down to the ordinary, the mundane, the “day-to-day-ness of loving another person.” (Mead p, 17) Will they continue to be there for each other---listening, caring and “doing well by doing good” for their spouse? I suspect they will be wanting an “abiding in the trenches” kind of intimate love, not the You-Tube love song version that the entire world has seen.

Similarly, new Christians can ask themselves the same questions. Accepting Jesus as Savior, becoming the “bride of Christ” and receiving God’s grace can be a “heady” experience. But….as the years pass and the “hoopla” and exhilaration wane, it will take discipline and commitment to still be spending time in His Presence, being alone with Him, listening to Him, obeying His commands and loving Him well.  If not, the “slide away” can begin, excuses can take over and fellowship with the Beloved One loses its intensity. But God….will remind them of their faithlessness just as he did in the time of the prophets as He spoke to His people through Ezekiel.

31 My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. 32 Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice. (Ezekiel 33:31-32)

What does a Christian gather from meditating on this? God wants us, not our words, or our bits and pieces of time thrown His way to appease our guilty consciences. He wants undivided devotion that He might remain our first Love.

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. (Revelation 2:4)

As Carol Mead so eloquently expressed in Practically Holy, God doesn’t care about BIG events, “God wants to speak of our Beloved”…….that we might not forget our First Love!

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: “Sunday-go-to-meetin’ day”

6/3/12 Today's perfect Sabbath through the imperfect lens of a point and shoot.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—(Hebrews 10:25)

Chris Tomlin Praise Music---perfect for a communion morning!

“Dance” always gets my attention

PRAISES!!! There’s gonna be dancin’ in heaven!

Saturating Saturdays

6/2/12 During my working years, Saturdays were routinely my time to soak up the scriptures---about the only “me” time I had. Nowadays, Saturdays have taken on a new slant with the same intent. Now I “mull” questions and see how scripture answers the questions or how I measure up with scripture in the “questioned” action? If latter part is negative, I look for the solution, i.e. God’s answer. Still requires some scripture saturation for me.

Past weeks’ sermons from Cole’s series on “The gravitational pull of small orbits” define small orbits as “any action or attitude, any intention or idea, that tilts our axis away from God----such that a vibrant spiritual life becomes unsustainable.”

It’s his way of metaphorically asking, “How do we get off kilter with God?”

Thus, this weeks questions:

• What’s pulling me off balance in my spiritual walk? 
• Which has greater pull in my life, self or God? 
• My small orbits seem to change? Does God ever change? 
• Am I dull toward God and excited toward everything else? 
• Is my spiritual life vibrant? 
• What eclipses God’s light from shining through me?

Answers to these questions for us, as well as the Israelites of days gone by, are found in the Old Testament book of Malachi. As Cole suggests, for those who have a book Bible (as opposed to an app) go to the first New Testament book of Matthew and hang a left.

Answers gleaned from rereading (taking heed and beholding) Malachi and my notes: 

• Self is my “biggest” small orbit. 
• God does NOT change (4:6) on the sinfulness of sin (chap. 2) and the graciousness of grace. (4:7)  
• Judgment of God is both punitive and purifying. Behold---“the Sun of Righteousness will arise with healing in his wings,” those wings that carry us to freedom and joy because we love God (4:2). 

Those who fear the Lord will love Him, serve Him and serve others. Now there’s a measuring stick for your spiritual life.

Maskil--מַשְׂכִּיל NOT a “light and easy” blog

6/1/12 NOT a “light and easy” blog….but needful for heeding.

Started the day early in the Psalms---not too unusual, But God….showed me an unusual word in the subscript of Psalm 55. A maskil of David. (After maskil was a lower-case v) After a refresher in cross-referencing, I found the bold print in the margin , 55:1-23, indicating chapter and verses where I would find “v”. A quick scan showed “v” in verse 11

Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets

Hm-m-m that sounds like our world, doesn’t it? Just as in David’s time, destructive forces of sin and wickedness are all around us and, like David, we need to be aware of what we’re up against. That verse (11) had a cross-reference to Psalm 5:9 and I pretty much “camped out” in Psalm 5---which is a blog waiting to happen.

Continuing in Psalm 55 long enough to gain insight, I began to understand that this psalm of David was written as he was in great anguish over rebellion and rejection by his son, Absalom. But…not only was his own flesh and blood against him, he also encountered treachery from a close friend, one with whom David had worshipped and had sweet fellowship in the house of the Lord. David was caught off guard by such reproach from another who seemed a “saint”. But God, the “searcher of our hearts" knows the difference, so He is the one David cried out to for relief. David lays his heart open before the Lord needing to “vent” his grief before Him. We too have that same privilege which is a great reminder when we began to understand (maskil) that in this world there will be tribulation (John 16:33) and it might even come from within the house of the Lord. But also knowing that “greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

A clearer defining of “maskil” comes in as David recounts the moral teachings that are part of this psalm. Yes, wickedness may abound and David may long to “fly away” from it all and be at rest. (v.6) (Ever felt that way?) Yet, David in his distress continues to call out to the Lord morning, noon and night. (v. 16 & 17) Not sticking his head in the sand thinking wickedness ends up in someone else’s yard, but taking heed and learning from the circumstances and consequences that surround him. That’s being circumspect and that’s saka. Saka the root word for maskil.

That’s the maskil (wise teaching/understanding) in it for us---learn from this. Be aware but continue to seek God knowing, as David did, that if one “casts his cares on the Lord, the Lord will sustain him.” (v.22) Take heed of David’s last words, “But as for me, I trust in You.” (v.23)

BEAUTIFUL BLACKBIRD

5/31/12 Grackles, crows, jackdaws, whatever their regional common name, have a glossy black plumage. At our house, they eat all the pricey bird food that hubby buys for the flickers and jays. Very territorial, their raucous “threats” scare off other birds, namely our little songbirds. (Wish they would scare off the squirrels.)

On a more positive note, I do appreciate that blackbirds are a monogamous species, and the established pair will usually stay together as long as they both survive.

Plus, blackbirds preening in front of our breakfast room window, another daily activity, is actually kind of fun to watch as they display immense “self-satisfaction”.

 Blackbirds usually displayed in literature as destructive were given a new “light” by dear friend and author, Ashley Bryan’s, depiction in Beautiful Blackbird.” (2003)

Blackbird in Ashley’s book says, "Color on the outside is not what’s on the inside. You don’t act like me. You don’t eat like me. You don’t get down in the groove and move your feet like me. (my favorite line)….Just remember, whatever I do, I’ll be me and you’ll be you.”

Those lines spoke volumes to me of acceptance and are so easily lined up with scripture’s admonition to not just look on the “outside.”

For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. (I Samuel 16:7)

Remembering

5/28/12  Memorial Day---my first without my favorite vet, Daddy.

 Listening and Doing--- After we sit and listen during times of scripture meditation, we should rise and act accordingly.

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. (James 1:19-20, NIV)

Interestingly enough, this morning's Commercial Appeal included James 1:20 in the King James version as it's "Today's Bible Verse". For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Scripture worth remembering on Memorial Day 2012.

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: TEXAS

5/27/12

Summerfield Pond---older boys ride bikes there to fish each afternoon

Morning walks show drought conditions still prevail in Allen, TX

Morning chores---To "squirt" the cleaner is the best job of all

Perusal on the patio---a grandboy after Shug's own heart

Everything's bigger and TALLER in Texas

King of friendship---what an honor for a kindergartener

His yearly sports' schedule bears testimony to this award

I would have voted him "Creative Writer" but he does love to "invent" things and blow up liter bottles with soda and vinegar

What's your & ?

5/26/12 Saturday’s question for mulling is just that----“What’s your & ?” How do others really see you? How do you wish others saw you?

Example: Dotsy: Retired educator/librarian & __________________.

What nouns would be used to fill in the blank? Would my ampersand “eventually” include anything spiritual? 

What about an adjective? Diligent Dotsy & _________Dotsy.
Would any aspects of the fruit of the spirit come to mind to those who know me best?

I can already imagine ampersands my family would include----and that’s not music to my ears. I would like words like gentle and caring to immediately come to mind but fear those words would be “down the list.”

Consider your own ampersand. The first words that come to mind about a person usually identify them by position (mother) or profession. Yet, it’s the words that follow the ampersand that reveal character. Our essence as perceived by others follows the ampersand. It’s what we’re presenting to the world. The light of our soul. That’s why one’s ampersand is important and worthy of consideration.

What’s your & ?

Church Signs

5/25/12 Pithy with a Punch Church Sign

Bismarck, AR (5/24/12)---my camera was out of reach

Didn’t matter----words were lodged in my mind! Lodge them in yours!

NO GOD

NO PEACE

KNOW GOD

KNOW PEACE

LOST...........

5/23/12 Lost glasses---can’t  see tp blog.or read or dribe--feel -totallyat a  loss.