Welcome to my randomized study & miscellaneous thoughts about the Awesome God of the universe, who He is and what He wants us to be.

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Verse of the Day

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:17-19/NIV
Verseoftheday.com

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Today's Quote “Real authority is the power to serve.” —Dick McMullen Quotemeal | Subscribe by Email | Heartlight®

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What’s In a Name

Okay, so as I wrote before, I tend to view myself in terms of what I do or what I’ve done. But in order to be anchored, I need a perspective of myself that is unchanging by my situations, circumstances or actions. A perspective that sees all of me all the time. I need a “God-view” of myself. Which leads to the question, “What does He say about me?”

When studying this topic myself, I came across three very interesting passages in the Bible that really spoke to my heart about this issue. Following is a little of what I took away from this.

Named By God

Imagine being 99 years old with one young son and having God say that you’d be the father of many! At 99 years of age, Abram had another encounter with God. At that time, Abram had moved his household from his homeland of Ur on God’s word. Abram’s name means “exalted father” and was his name even before the birth of Ishmael when Abram was childless. During this encounter, God confirmed His covenant of blessings to Abram. God also renamed him to Abraham, meaning “father of many” or “father of a multitude.” God, who can see the beginning of time and the end knows what is around the corner in our lives. I take away from this that my faith is to be in what God has said about me and my future and not what I can see and perceive. Ephesians 3:14-15 says, “14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.” My Father in heaven knows me and calls me by a name of His choosing. I desire to believe in what He calls me.
Genesis 17

Faithful & Blessed By God

The book of Daniel starts out with a very interesting account of four young men, kidnapped from Jerusalem and held captive by the king of Babylon which is current day Iraq. Young men of wealthy or noble birth were taken captive and trained to become employees of some sort to serve the king.

They were of the children of Judah, the royal tribe, and probably of the house of David, which had grown a numerous family; and God told Hezekiah that of the children that should issue from him some should be taken and made eunuchs, or chamberlains, in the palace of the king of Babylon. The prince of the eunuchs changed the names of Daniel and his fellows, partly to show his authority over them and their subjection to him, and partly in token of their being naturalized and made Chaldeans. Their Hebrew names, which they received at their circumcision, had something of God, or Jah, in them: Daniel—God is my Judge; Hananiah—The grace of the Lord; Mishael—He that is the strong God; Azariah—The Lord is a help. To make them forget the God of their fathers, the guide of their youth, they give them names that savour of the Chaldean idolatry. Belteshazzar signifies the keeper of the hidden treasures of Bel; Shadrach —The inspiration of the sun, which the Chaldeans worshipped; Meshach — Of the goddess Shach, under which name Venus was worshipped; Abed-nego, The servant of the shining fire, which they worshipped also. (from Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary)

So, the Babylonians took these men, renamed them after their own gods and then attempted to feed them with items that were against God’s requirements for the Hebrew people. But Daniel 1 says, “8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel,” So Daniel stood firm in his obedience to God, and God caused the official to look upon him with favor. And what was the result of Daniel’s obedience??? Verses 15-17 tell us the answer to that question. “15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. 17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.” So, I will lean upon God’s knowledge! Psalm 111:10 states, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.”

Though the world, fellow employees, family members or friends may say that I am one thing, I choose to listen to God and what He says I am, what I am becoming and eternally what He has already made me to be! I am a saint because He says so, His Son’s blood allowed it to be. If I act or believe any differently, I am contradicting God…and who do you think will win that argument? :-)
Daniel 1

Touched By God

Oh, how I want to me touched by God. Led by Him, guided by Him, used by Him. That’s probably not a new thought for many of us…throughout man’s history we’ve longed to restore, rebuild and regain the intimate relationship that was originally intended by God. The issue is that we’ve tried to get close to God on our own terms, in our own strength and methods. But He says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

But another story in the Old Testament shows us that God can reach out and touch us and change us so that we’re never the same again. Found in Genesis, chapter 32, it’s a tale of Jacob. Jacob who connived with his mom to trick his nearly blind father and steal his brother’s inheritance. Jacob, who had to run off so his brother wouldn’t harm him. Jacob, who was tricked by his uncle Laban into first marrying the wrong daughter and then had to work as a herdsman for Laban for 14 years in order to marry the right daughter. Jacob, whose name means “he grasps the heel” (figuratively, he deceives ) was himself deceived and used by Jacob.

But in this passage of the Bible, we see Jacob returning home with his entire family and flocks in tow. Before he meets his brother and asks for forgiveness, he spends some alone time with God. We read Genesis 32, verses 22-28:

22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 27 The man asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. 28 Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, [e] because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome."

No longer was he “Jacob” the deceiver. Instead, he was now “Israel” or “he struggles with God.” And note how the encounter changed him physically as well. Jacob…errrr… Israel would walk away from this encounter with a physical reminder of God. Couldn’t an angel easily overpower a mere man? Of course he could. So why didn’t the angel do so? Was it to allow Jacob the opportunity to wrestle or flee? Fight or flight? Here was an opportunity to run away again or stand up and be the man that God wanted to use.

Does Jacob’s being given a new name have the same meaning to us that Jesus meant in Revelations 3:12 when He instructed John to write, “Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name”? I don’t know.

I do know that God has said that whoever wants to find Him, will do so. Whomever wants to draw nearer to God will find God drawing nearer to them. He instructs us to ask for wisdom to be given it. We see those with little faith asking Him for more faith and receiving it. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7. It’s not that I (or we) don’t want to be touched by God. Maybe it’s that we’re afraid. Afraid that we aren’t deserving (ummm, we’re not. Only Jesus is). Afraid of what God may ask us to do. Afraid of the unknown. That’s me many times. I just keep trying to trust Him, knowing that He loves me dearly and has the best plan anyone could ever devise for my life. So, I will continue to try to listen to Him, walk closer with Him and demonstrate my love to Him daily. I will, like Jacob, try to grasp ahold of God and never, ever let go! And if He should choose to change my name to “Bubba” or “Ingrid” or even “John Jacob Jingleheimersmidt”, I’ll be blessed and honored – because He knows who I am better than I do. He knows you too. Climb into His loving arms today, curl up with His love letters in the Bible and see what He may say about who you are, you mat be surprised – but I pray not disappointed!
scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 12:27 AM (0) comments      

 
Distorted

Have you ever played one of those puzzle games where the picture starts out distorted or jumbled and as it becomes clearer you try and guess what it’s supposed to be? The fun part of the game is to see who can be the first to guess the picture correctly. These are funny because the guesses can be so wildly wrong! And the picture is, at first, just a blur. Friends shouting out answers or guesses. “What is that? What is it?!!!”

Do you ever see yourself this way? Are you ever a jumbled up, distorted picture to the world around you or to yourself? Do you find yourself guessing as to who you are? And then changing your answer minutes, hours or days later when the picture becomes clearer?

My mental picture is of the colored sand inside the glass frame that you can purchase at some gift stores or at the mall. Every time you turn it over, it forms a different design. Sometimes it looks like a sunset. Other times it an ocean with waves breaking upon the shoreline. Still other times it resembles the terrain of a distant planet. We let out an audible “ohhh” and “ahhh” at the designs. But we know that they are meaningless. A mere decorative plaything. Our lives are not like that. And if our perception of who we are changes with every twist and turn and tumble that we face in this life, the “ohhh” and “ahhh” may turn out to be an “ouch” or even worse.

Do you recall the song, “What I Am” from 1988 sung by Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians? A one-hit wonder who’s other major move was marrying Paul Simon. This was a catchy little tune, but the words actually offer a glimpse of someone who doesn’t know What I Am. Read on….

“What I Am”
Edie Brickell And The New Bohemians

I'm not aware of too many things
I know what I know if you know what I mean
Philosophy is a talk on cereal box religion
Is a smile on a dog

I'm not aware of too many things
I know what I know if you know what I mean
Choke me in the shallow water before I get too deep
What I am is what I am are you what you are or what?

I'm not aware of too many things I know what I know if you know what I mean
Philosophy is a walk on slippery rocks religion
is a light in the fog

I'm not aware of too many things I know what I know if you know what I mean
Choke me in the shallow water before I get too deep
What I am is what I am are you what you are or what

Okay, who am I? Who are you? As I wrote last time, our identities can be solidly grounded or ever changing depending upon what we ground them upon. Where do our foundational beliefs about ourselves come from? Is a professional athlete still the same person when he or she retires from the sport? Is the lotto winner the same after winning the big jackpot? And am I the same person after a day in which I lost my temper and spoke rudely to my co-worker or family?

I would tend to view myself based upon my actions from the previous hours or days and would get a distorted view of the picture of who I truly am. But how can I get an undistorted view? Who knows me better than I know myself?

In Psalm 139, King David wrote a song of praise to God the Creator of the universe, of life and of David himself. Read through this psalm. Thoughtfully examine what it says about who God is, what He has done, what He knows and where He abounds.

Psalm 139:1-24 (New Living Translation)
O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my every thought when far away. You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to know! I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.

I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night-- but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are both alike to you.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous--and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me!

O God, if only you would destroy the wicked! Get out of my life, you murderers! They blaspheme you; your enemies take your name in vain. O LORD, shouldn't I hate those who hate you? Shouldn't I despise those who resist you? Yes, I hate them with complete hatred, for your enemies are my enemies.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

David had surrendered himself to God, God’s plan and God’s view of who David was. It was God who said that David was to be king even while the picture of David showed him to be a lowly shepherd boy.

David sang, “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!”

Wow! How precious are God’s thoughts about me. This God who never changes created me. He knows me in the innermost parts. He knows my thoughts, dreams, desires, weakness and strength. And I respond to Him by doing what? Do I sing to Him as David did acknowledging Him as knowing the true picture of who I am?

Do I know who God is so that I can then know who I am? Do I tremble in awe and respect like Isaiah who encountered God and said “1 In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. 2 Hovering around him were mighty seraphim, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with the remaining two they flew. 3 In a great chorus they sang, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty! The whole earth is filled with his glory!" 4 The glorious singing shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire sanctuary was filled with smoke. 5 Then I said, "My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a member of a sinful race. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD Almighty!" (Isaiah 6:1-5)

Remember the lyrics from “Who Are You” by The Who from the last post? I don’t know if they believed in Jesus, but they sure did seem to write about Him when they sang,

I know there's a place you walked
Where love falls from the trees
My heart is like a broken cup
I only feel right on my knees

Oh God, use me, a mere broken vessel. Shape me as You desire. Teach me Your ways and Your thoughts and let me rest in Your Truth. Allow me to see the true picture of who I am and please gently shape me into who You want me to be.

seeking Him,
dr. larry
scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 10:38 AM (0) comments      

 
Who Are U?

I hear this song's lyrics weekly..."Who are you? Who, who? Who, who?" For those familar with the show, it's the theme song played for the original CSI show. For those of us old enough to remember, it is also the cry of a generation as originally offered by The Who.

It can be a disconcerting question. It can be a question that has an ever changing answer in this world in which we live. "Who am I"? Sounds like the next book in the Dr. Suess line of children's books. "I am me...who are you?" So who am I? And how do I know it? What grounds my identity - what's the foundation built upon? Is it my past that makes me who I am? My experiences, trials, tribulations? The victories and defeats? I believe partly it is. Is it my heritage? My family, my roots, my lineage? Potentially. What about the influences upon me today? My job, community, friends and family? They all help to shape and mold me as well. Then there's my desires, my emotions, my dreams. They too make up part of who I am as well.

But history is only as influential as I allow it to be. My perspective on history can change, I can supress things of the past in order to create a reality that I wished were true. And the job, community, friends, emotions and dreams can all easily come and go, change and re-change.

In the early 1990's, I was a young chemist who had recently been promoted to lab manager. James Cagney said it best in the 1949 movie "White Heat", I was "on top of the world, Ma! Top of the world!"

Who I was was directly and proportionally related to what I did and how well I did it! I had a neat job, good pay, no real cares in the world!

Then I met a beautiful, young lady and fell in love. The next year we married. Who I was changed. And my motivation did as well. You see, shortly after we got married, I lost this "dream" job and was no longer "that person" anymore. I wasn't the young chemist, the lab manager. So who was I? What I did was so important to how I saw myself, that without the position, I didn't know who I was. It took awhile to work out within myself, but God is patient..and God is kind. He desired me to see who He believes that I am. We can chat about that later.

Who are you? Your identity is tied to something also. What is? Is it solid or ever changing? Let's chat about that too...

The Who wrote about it in their song. It's a cry for something more. Something better . Something different. As they sang, "there's got to be another way." And there is. For those that care, here's the lyrics:


Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?

I woke up in a Soho doorway
A policeman knew my name
He said "You can go sleep at home tonight
If you can get up and walk away"

I staggered back to the underground
And the breeze blew back my hair
I remember throwin' punches around
And preachin' from my chair

chorus:
Well, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
Tell me, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
'Cause I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)

I took the tube back out of town
Back to the Rollin' Pin
I felt a little like a dying clown
With a streak of Rin Tin Tin

I stretched back and I hiccupped
And looked back on my busy day
Eleven hours in the Tin Pan
God, there's got to be another way

Who are you?
Ooh wa ooh wa ooh wa ooh wa ...

Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?

(chorus)

I know there's a place you walked
Where love falls from the trees
My heart is like a broken cup
I only feel right on my knees

I spit out like a sewer hole
Yet still recieve your kiss
How can I measure up to anyone now
After such a love as this?

(chorus)


love, peace & joy,
dr. larry
scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 8:16 AM (0) comments      

 
New Friends

Met some new friends tonight. Had an interesting time discussing life, Eminem, alleys in Tucson, salvation, worldviews, and the redeeming qualities of the movie "Legally Blonde 2."

Made me think of the following:

An Irish blessing

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And the rains fall soft upon your fields.
And, until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

~ peace be with you ~
scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 11:32 PM (0) comments      

 
Cotton Candy For Dinner

Do you ever have things happen in your life that make you ask God, "Why? Why do You allow such things to happen?" Maybe a young child or baby dies unexpectantly or the horrors of war or the destruction of hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes or other natural disasters.

"Why God, why?"

Ever sat alone with a hurting heart wondering why people sometimes act the way they do - and why does God allow them to continue?

I've asked these questions - or questions much like these before...and may ask them again. But God doesn't ever promise us that He will give us all the answers on this side of heaven. Shoot, if we could even understand all the answers...what kind of God would that make Him if we could understand and comprehend everything that He has done?

In the Bible, God does tell us some things like,

* Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Our frail human bodies, unlike our spirit, are only temporal. They are wearing out...wearing out daily...and soon will return to the substance that God used to create them.

All your life you will sweat to produce food, until your dying day. Then you will return to the ground from which you came. For you were made from dust, and to the dust you will return. (Genesis 3:19, NLT)

* We seek to gain happiness, to grasp hold of it on this earth is like trying to grasp the wisp of smoke. We try in vain, running to and fro', expending our time, money and energy to taste joy and peace, meaning in our lives and satisfaction. But we are told that this is an impossibility here.

2 "Everything is meaningless," says the Teacher, "utterly meaningless!" 3 What do people get for all their hard work? 4 Generations come and go, but nothing really changes. 5 The sun rises and sets and hurries around to rise again. 6 The wind blows south and north, here and there, twisting back and forth, getting nowhere. 7 The rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows again to the sea. 8 Everything is so weary and tiresome! No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. 9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 10 What can you point to that is new? How do you know it didn't already exist long ago? 11 We don't remember what happened in those former times. And in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now. (Ecclesiastes 1:2-11, NIV)

* We try to "dig in" and stake our claim on this planet when it isn't our home. It's a precursor to what is to come and we are "aliens" here.

11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (1 Peter 2:11-12, NIV)

13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. (Hebrews 11:13-14, NIV)

* We seek to "understand" the things around us and inside us. We devote schools of thought to the pursuit of this knowledge. If only we can master physics and chemistry, philosophy and reason - then we could become like God Himself! But we've seen it tried before, and the failure that resulted. Can we not accept that there are things that we just cannot understand yet?

2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' " 4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. (Genesis 3:2-7, NIV)

1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As men moved eastward, [a] they found a plain in Shinar [b] and settled there. 3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." 5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." 8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel [c] —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth. (Genesis 11:1-9, NIV)

11 It's like this: When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.[a] All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now. (1 Corinthians 13:11-12, NLT)

* God wants what is best for us. He provides for us, even when we do not see or realize it.

9 "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:9-12, NIV)

25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? (Matthew 6:25-27, NIV)

* God has plans for us that we don't know even realize. His plans will be accomplished...no matter what, even if we resist Him and He works through others, His plans will be fulfilled.

11 For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11, NLT)

9 "Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure'; 11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a far country Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it. (Isaiah 40:9-11, NASB)

It's kinda like this: do you ever remember a time as a young child when you went to the state fair or the movies or to your favorite aunt's home without your parents? Something along those lines. And you were able to have the big bucket of popcorn and a drink and red vines? Or maybe you got to eat all the ice cream you could handle plus a root beer float? Or was it when you had cotton candy for dinner and then rode all the rides one after another?

Maybe this sounds familiar to you, maybe your experience was something altogether different. Point is, our parents told us not to eat too much popcorn and candy, or have only ice cream or cotton candy for it would "spoil" our dinner. "Why," we exclaimed, "it's so yummy!" They may have tried to explain it to us, but as children we didn't understand. It's the same reason my 8-year old son still eats the yummy food first and saves his veggies for last...in hopes that he'll get full and we won't make him eat them. He is to young to understand what we continue to tell him - you must eat the veggies for your body's own welfare, to be healthy!

But we're selfish and vain and prideful. We want what we want when we want it! And that's usually right now dammit! So we stuffed ourselves and giggled with glee as we did it...until it started hurting that is. Until it was fun anymore and we cried out in pain for our mommy or daddy to make it all better. "Why?!! Why does it hurt so much," we cried. And then they held us and gently patted us on the back. They knew what we did not - this too shall pass.

Many things about God are not beyond our comprehension. This universe and yes, even ourselves, God knows and understands but we cannot understand them yet. No more than my hamster can understand a game of chess...oh, he knows what the pieces are called, but he just can't grasp the intricacies of the game! :-)

And so, we cry and mourn when a baby is lost to us or others. We think of all that might have been...understandably so. And we also question God: why, oh God did you take away my sweet cotton candy before I had enjoyed it all? And we don't understand when He replies, "It was for the best."

~ He loves you ~
scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 9:21 PM (0) comments      

 
Isn't It Ironic?

Jesus prayed for us in John 17. It goes like this:

John 17

1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

6 "I have revealed you[a] to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. 13 "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify[b] them by the truth; your word is truth. 18As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25 "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." (NIV)

Isn't ironic that Jesus prayed:
(1) For a full measure of joy (vs. 13)
(2) That we are in the world but not of it (vss. 14-16)
(3) True santification by the word as we are sent out into the world (vss. 17-19)
(4) For our unity as believers (vss. 22-23)

Do you see the irony here?

Definition:
Irony: 1. Expression in which the intended meaning of the words is the direct opposite of their usual sense. 2. An event or result that is the opposite of what is expected.

If not, I'd ask you to consider the following questions:
(1) Are most Christians that you know full of joy?
(2) Are most seperated from the worldy things, attitudes, beliefs or do "we" as Christ followers basically look like anyone else? Why is the divorce rate among Christians the same as among nonbelievers?
(3) Santification means "set apart, made holy" for God's use. Are we like that? Some? All? Most? Anyone..anyone?
(4) Unity??? Mwwahaahaaaaahaaaa Do I really need to ask a question on this one? We cannot even get unified on an issue like baptism much less an issue like abortion. The quote is, "In essentials, unity; in differences, liberty; in all things, charity. ~ Philipp Melanchthon

These are just some things to think about today. May we all continue to grow in the love, peace, joy and grace that God so richly sullies!

~ let your light shine ~
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Building Webs

I had a window seat for my flight yesterday and noticed that a spider had somehow made its way between the plane's glass outer window and the plastic inner pane. The spider had built a web and lay dead--probably from starvation--near its center.

I know a metaphor when I see one.

Why do spiders build webs? Because they expect to catch dinner with them. And it usually works pretty well. An unsuspecting fly lands on the web, get's stuck, and eventually becomes an insect smoothie. But there were no flies between the windows. In fact, there had been no other living thing besides the hungry spider. This spider had built a web because that is what it always did to catch food. Never mind that it was a hopeless strategy in this case. The web only caught the spider.

How often do marketing people make this same mistake? They use the same tactics over and over without regard for changes in their environment. Are you "building webs" because that is what you always do or because they are the very best tactic for your environment?

Excerpt from Pyromarketing (http://pyromarketing.typepad.com/my_weblog/)

Isn't that the way it is? We do something succesfully once ...or we see or hear about something working somewhere else and we try to do it over and over again. And then we're amazed nd baffled when it doesn't work!

Have you ever seen the inside of a fisherman's tacklebox? I mean a real fisherman with a tacklebox full of real lures and plastic worms and bobbers and such! Why would he have so many different types and colors of lures?? Why not just use the same one over and over that caught a fish once? Because fishermen know that (a) different fish are attracted to different lures and (b) fish are attracted to different lures based on changes in weather, season, etc.

So when fishermen are not catching anything, they don't just pack up and go home. They try a different lure...method...tactic.

Why doesn't the church (collective and universal) do the same thing? You say that she does? Well, it's mighty slowly then! And I'm just using the illustration of "lures" not saying that we should be "luring" folks into the church...although I have heard of churches giving away large screen TVs and cars, motorcylecs...why even a house to attract people! I'm not so sure that Jesus would do it that way...but who knows? It doesn't seem to be something that I would be a proponent of anyway.

But I am a bg proponent of seeing where the people are, what their needs and hurts are and then trying to serve their needs thereby demonstrating the love of Christ. This may mean a counseling center, or food pantry. Maybe it's English as a second language classes or parenting classes. It would be different in each place and time.

I do know one thing that is universal and has the same stickiness as that spider's web we saw earlier. It's relationships. Real, authentic relationships matter to people. < Broad generalizations on> People are lonely and need to feel the touch of another human. Not in a sexual manner, but in a caring, loving manner. We all need to know that we matter to someone. That we make a difference and that someone cares and would miss us if we were gone. < /Broad generalizations off>

Look around your life this week. Is there someone on the fringes who's likely to slip away with some loving contact? Make a call. Invite someone to lunch. Invest some of yourself and your time in another person this week. Do for them. Do for yourself. Do it because God loves you so much that He sent Someone to meet you and show you that you are loved.

~ Jehovah agape ~
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Grasping at Air and Clutching at Wind


Are most people happy? I heard someone say that the other day and it struck me as strange.

Most people I know are constantly seeking to have more or better.
They are not content in their situation or circumstances.

Does that mean that they are unhappy? Well, discontent certainly would lead one down the road of unhappiness.

What about those that are feeling unfulfilled in their lives? Their jobs or family life does not satisfy them.

We see from statistics that over 50% of the marriages in this country end in divorce. Another sign of happiness?

We have an unpopular war, unpopular president, seemingly out of control gas prices. We have education issues, immigration struggles, personal and national spending and debt continue to increase wildly with record numbers of bankruptcy filings in 2005. "Just say no" to drugs never panned out. Are we not an unhappy world striving with all our might to overcome ourselves and our circumstances? What to do...oh, what to do?

The author of the book of Ecclesiastes was said to be one of the wisest, richest and most powerful men ever to have lived. He spent much of his life seeking happiness in all manner of forms. He spent much more time, money and effort in obtaining happiness than you or I have and here's what he wrote about it:

Ecclesiastes 1

1 These are the words of the Teacher, King David's son, who ruled in Jerusalem.
2 "Everything is meaningless," says the Teacher, "utterly meaningless!"

3 What do people get for all their hard work? 4 Generations come and go, but nothing really changes. 5 The sun rises and sets and hurries around to rise again. 6 The wind blows south and north, here and there, twisting back and forth, getting nowhere. 7 The rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows again to the sea. 8 Everything is so weary and tiresome! No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.

9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 10 What can you point to that is new? How do you know it didn't already exist long ago? 11 We don't remember what happened in those former times. And in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.

12 I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem. 13 I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done in the world. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race. 14 Everything under the sun is meaningless, like chasing the wind. 15 What is wrong cannot be righted. What is missing cannot be recovered.

16 I said to myself, "Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them." 17 So I worked hard to distinguish wisdom from foolishness. But now I realize that even this was like chasing the wind. 18 For the greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.

New Living Translation

I believe that most people are not happy. They may pretend to be. They may put on a front and act like they are. But most are desperately in search of something that will make them happy. Look around you. Aren't most of your friends depressed, moody and downright unhappy over 50% of the time? Don't they talk about trying different things to find meaning or direction or happiness or escape? Are they rushing to and fro'? Are they grasping at the air and clutching at the wind? Trying with all their might and effort to succeed?

As a follower of Jesus, I realize that it's not a someting that will make us happy but rather a someone. Our relationship with God through His Son, Jesus, is the ultimate road to peace and joy.

Solomon concludes the book of Ecclesiastes like so:

Ecclesiastes 12:9-14

9 Because the Teacher was wise, he taught the people everything he knew. He collected proverbs and classified them. 10 Indeed, the Teacher taught the plain truth, and he did so in an interesting way. 11 A wise teacher's words spur students to action and emphasize important truths. The collected sayings of the wise are like guidance from a shepherd. 12 But, my child, be warned: There is no end of opinions ready to be expressed. Studying them can go on forever and become very exhausting!

13 Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person. 14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.

New Living Translation

Read through the rest of Ecclesiastes to see what wisdom Solomon wrote. Then ask God to fill your days with His joy as He continues to bring you closer and closer to Him. Make you walk in His ways.

~ Jehovah shalom ~
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Priorities

I was thinking about priorites in my life just now. I'm not much of a handyman. I also don't enjoy working in the yard. Much more of a coach-potato or reader or internet junkie I'd have to say. But today was a little bit different.

We all slept in this morning...some longer than others. The beautiful wife and sonny-boy went to Blockbuster^tm last night and rented some DVDs and a couple of games for the GameCube^tm...so guess who was up first playing games! :-)

Anywho, sonny-boy spent most of the day playing games and the beautiful wife (tbw) cleaned the kitchen, made us lunch and then spent the afternoon relaxing and watching a couple of the movies. She said that she just felt like taking a relaxing, mommy-day! And she deserves it. I on the other hand got some kinda bug up my behind and spent the afternoon working on a house project. Very unlike me I must say. But after it was all said and done, I was certainly glad that I did it. I was working outside on the back porch and would come in for water, sweat breaks and to take a break every so often - it was 109^o F outside after all. But the point is, that this project had become a priority to me today...I did sit with sonny-boy and watched him play a few times, even to my turn at the controller twice. And I spent a bit watching bits of the movies that TBW was watching. But I kept coming back to the project that I was working on. And in the end, it was completed.

Often, we find that the things that we make a priority in our lives turn out to be not so important after all. We have choices in our lives to place our priorites on. The Bible tells us a better way to do this:

Matthew 6:30-34

^30-33 "If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. ³⁴ "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

The Message

Luke states it another way:
Luke 12:30-32

³⁰ These things dominate the thoughts of most people, but your Father already knows your needs. ³¹ He will give you all you need from day to day if you make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. ³² "So don't be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.

New Living Translation

So, an answer is for us to seek God's Kingdom first and foremost. I read that to mean God's priorities and His ways. And from Jesus' mouth that would seem to be (1) love God with all out heart, mind and strength and (2) love our neighbors as ourselves (care for them as we would care for our own bodies.)

~ Give peas a chance ~
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Can You Hear Me Now?

They said to Moses, 'You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die'
Exodus 20:19

Oswald Chambers writes,

We don't consciously and deliberately disobey God - we simply don't listen to Him. God has given His commands to us, but we pay no attention to them - not because of willful disobedience, but because we do not truly love and respect Him. "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). Once we realize we have constantly been showing disrespect to God, we will be filled with shame and humiliation for ignoring Him.

"You speak with us, . . . but let not God speak with us . . . ." We show how little love we have for God by preferring to listen to His servants rather than to Him. We like to listen to personal testimonies, but we don't want God Himself to speak to us. Why are we so terrified for God to speak to us? It is because we know that when God speaks we must either do what He asks or tell Him we will not obey. But if it is simply one of God's servants speaking to us, we feel obedience is optional, not imperative. We respond by saying, "Well, that's only your own idea, even though I don't deny that what you said is probably God's truth."

Am I constantly humiliating God by ignoring Him, while He lovingly continues to treat me as His child? Once I finally do hear Him, the humiliation I have heaped on Him returns to me. My response then becomes, "Lord, why was I so insensitive and obstinate?" This is always the result once we hear God. But our real delight in finally hearing Him is tempered with the shame we feel for having taken so long to do so.

If you've passed anywhere near a television set in the US in the past few years, you no doubt have seen the commercial for the cellular telephone company in which the man walks around from place to place, repeating into his phone, "Can you hear me now?" We are left to suppose that the person on the other end has responded with an affirmative, as the man pictured smiles contentedly and moves to another location to repeat the action.

For awhile now, I've pondered about mankind desperately looking heavenward and pleading for God's attention. After meditiating on Chambers' writing (above), I've come to realize that it is (and always has been) God himself who is asking mankind, "Can you hear Me now?"

It started back in the beginning. We find it recorded in the
third chapter of Genesis where God called out, "Where are you?" to His hidden and naked creation. As Chambers correctly wrote, it's a matter of obedience. Adam did not obey God and therefore did not want to hear Him.

Jesus said 27 "My sheep (1) hear My voice, and (2) I know them, and they follow Me;

Trying to obey - letting Him live my life,
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Jeremiah 29:11-13

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (NIV)

Interesting to note who takes the lead in these actions - all actions really.

For I know the plans....Then you will call...

God's always seeking to restore us into relationship with Him, to draw us into His love and His perfect will for our lives isn't He.
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Dreaming Dreams

With a hat tip to MLK, I just wanted to post some quotes about dreams today. Enjoy.

You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however.

Richard Bach 1936-, American Author

A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.

John Barrymore 1882-1942, American Actor

Before your dreams can come true, you have to have those dreams.

Dr. Joyce Brothers 1927-, American Psychologist, Television and Radio Personality

Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.

Les Brown 1945-, American Speaker, Author, Trainer, Motivator Lecturer

You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality.

Walt Disney 1901-1966, American Artist, Film Producer

To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires to do.

Kahlil Gibran 1883-1931, Lebanese Poet, Novelist

There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not.

Robert F. Kennedy 1925-1968, American Attorney General, Senator

Now, I say to you today my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: -- we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.

Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-1968, American Black Leader, Nobel Prize Winner, 1964

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This has got to be the best. Blond. Joke. EVER!
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