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

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Today's Quote

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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 ~
scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 5:14 PM (0) comments      

 
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 ~
scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 6:53 PM (0) comments      

 
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 ~
scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 12:29 AM (0) comments      

 
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 ~
scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 7:05 PM (0) comments