Curiosities & Thoughts

Who Would Jesus Vote For?

2012-03-01T16:37:00.003-05:00

I recently heard this question posed in reference to a Sunday School discussion. In considering the ramifications I was struck by 2 thoughts;

First, I was reminded of the story from the Civil War period of generals who encircled the President Abraham Lincoln and declared "The Lord is on our side". President Lincoln is said to have answered "I'm less concerned about the Lord being on our side as I am about being on the Lord's side." President Lincoln had learned the benefit of measured decision making based upon the recognition of Who God is, what He says in His Word and how we as His followers should think and act in matters of State.

Second, there's Proverbs 25:4-5 to contend with; "Remove impurities from the silver and the silversmith can craft a fine chalice; Remove the wicked from leadership and authority will be credible and God-honoring." (The Message)

With a President to elect, along with 435 Congressmen and about 30 Senators, if we followed this scriptural mandate we could hope for significant strides toward "credible, God honoring" government. Of course this assumes we're following other scriptural directions about government as well such as:
Exodus 22:28 (NLT) "You must not dishonor God or curse any of your rulers."
1 Timothy 2:1-3 (NLT) "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.

I don't know who Jesus would vote for but I have no doubt that His vote would be God honoring, that He would bathe the leaders in prayer and that He would not be swayed by the fear mongering and negative advertising to which we are doomed for the next several months.

Bless Me…Me Too

2012-02-14T10:08:00.000-05:00

It’s the plaintive cry of the brother done wrong; Genesis 27:34 NIV When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!” Bless me. Bless me. Esau had been cheated not only out of his birthright but now his inheritance as well and the “blessing” was a big part of that.

I’ll bet that it’s a rare prayer that doesn’t include that phrase, bless me. I must admit that there are times when I hesitate to play the “bless me” card. I have already been blessed with so much; salvation, family, church, health. How can I specifically pray for a blessing?

In recent years much has been written and said about the “prayer of Jabez”. It is a classic ‘bless me’ prayer. “Bless Me, expand my boundaries, hold me, protect me.” (1 Chronicles 4:9-10 Brother Ben paraphrase) Certainly scriptural but a little self serving for me. Today, however, I found a ‘bless me’ prayer I can comfortably pray. I call it the blessing of Bezalel.

In Exodus 31 God is instructing Moses about the construction of the Tabernacle and furnishings and hand picks Bezalel as the superintendent of the job. In verse 3 it describes the blessing God gave him: ³And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and ability, in understanding and intelligence, and in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, (Amplified Version)

Now that’s my kind of blessing. Bless me Father with the blessing of Bezalel that I may be full of the Holy Spirit, full of wisdom and ability, with understanding, knowledge and a familiarity with any job you set before me. Amen

One by One

2011-05-11T17:09:00.000-04:00

The following verse is by an anonymous author as far as I know. It came to my attention years ago in college when a music student friend of mine put the verse to music. I learned it and have sung it many times over the years.

A dear friend of mine is currently under the weight of having his wife and children in an auto accident and while the kids are good the mom, Ruth, faces much re-constructive surgery. The thoughts expressed in this song I send out to them in love.

"He does not lead me year by year, or even day by day."
"But step by step my path unfolds and God directs my way, as God directs my way. "

"What need to worry then, or fret. For God Who gave His Son"
"Holds all my moments in His hand and He gives them one by one, He gives them one by one."

"Now I am glad that this is so. Today's enough to bear."
"And when tomorrow comes His Grace shall far exceed my care, shall far exceed my care."

"What need to worry then, or fret. For God Who gave His Son"
"Holds all my moments in His hand and He gives them one by one, He gives them one by one."

To Gloat, or Not to Gloat. Is There a Question?

2011-05-04T08:42:00.001-04:00

Since the execution of Usama bin Laden there has been much discussion on whether or not the rallies and revelry were "an appropriate Christian response". The following is my perspective, not intended to change your opinion or to help you find one, just my 2 cents.

I'm a firm believer that God has attributes, or characteristics that don't change. For that reason we can have confidence that He is not wishy-washy. As Christians we tend to lean on the more "New Testament" qualities; Love, Justice, Truth. However, to think that God is different between the Old and New Testaments is to fail in understanding who He is at all.

A familiar story in the OT is recorded in the book of Esther. In a simplified paraphrase it's the story of "Haman bin Laden" who hates people not like him. He sets upon a mission to not only destroy the infidels but to bankrupt their entire society. God uses otherwise anonymous nobodies to disrupt his plan and ultimately Haman suffers the same death he intended for the infidels. The "infidels" not only celebrated his death and the end of his "terrorism" but established a holiday, Purim, to commemorate it all.

The point of this, my point, is that historically there have been "bin Ladens" who tried to do other societies in because they were different and "infidels"in their eyes. God has intervened through the use of willing little boys (David), beautiful young women (Esther) even slaves (Joseph) to ensure that those who would be known as His people receive His Divine protection. In many, if not all, of His "deliverance-s" the result was celebration.

So, is celebration in this situation a bad thing? Not as long as you remember who really orchestrated it. One last paraphrase; the shots of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord.

Maybe this was 3 cents worth of opinion.

Nitey Night

2011-05-02T15:54:00.000-04:00

Now I lay me down to sleep...one less terrorist this world does keep...with all my heart I give my thanks...to those in uniform regardless of ranks...you serve our country and serve it well...with humble hearts your stories tell...so as I rest my weary eyes...while freedom rings our flag still flies...you give your all, do what you must...with God we live and God we trust....Amen

(The verse above was copied from a friend.).

Thank you to all who serve and have served.

I Cain't Get No...Satisfaction

2011-04-22T16:21:00.000-04:00

Satisfaction. What a simple yet complex emotion. I was reminded of this the other evening when my wife and I took her aunt who was visiting to dinner. She's from here originally but lives in Chicago now so when she's in town she wants seafood. She has no problem twisting our arms into submission.

We were at the restaurant scanning the menu and I saw what I wanted but found it a little pricey so I looked along for something else. I found a cheaper meal that I knew would be just as good and decided the check out the appetizers and found Hushpuppies.

Now I'm a good ole boy from the South and I thought "I can't remember the last time I had hushpuppies" so I ordered them to come with my meal. Deb rolled her eyes a little when I ordered them. But her tune was greatly changed when they came.

I took one and ate it and was satisfied. That singular taste both rewarded me and reminded me of previous hushpuppie experiences. My wife and aunt tasted them and liked them so well that they ordered another serving, many of which made the trip home in the doggie bag.

Could I have eaten the whole batch? Of course but I didn't need to. I only needed that simple morsel that reminded me of taste, of history, of pleasure, of understanding.

This weekend the world will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, commonly referred to as Easter. I pray their celebration experience will serve to "satisfy" the need within to be reminded of the hope of salvation, the substitutionary sacrifice He made, the Blessed Hope we have in Eternity and the privilege we have to enjoy a relationship with the Living God.

Mmm, that was good.

Is this thing on?

2011-02-07T17:29:00.000-05:00

Testing, testing...anybody there? Is this thing broke? It hasn't been working lately.

Like the old programmer saying, GIGO. Garbage in, Garbage out. To paraphrase - nothing in, nothing out.

This little exercise to just to say that I'm still alive and if I ever catch up with myself I may be posting again. Life has been interesting and the Lord is very good.

I Told You So

2011-01-20T16:52:00.000-05:00

This year I'm using the "Contemporary English Version" for my daily Bible reading. I don't know why reading the same thing in a different version should have an impact on various portions but it does. Perhaps it's just the difference in the wording that triggers a new or different reaction.

Today, Job 21:22 says ^"Who can tell God what to do?" (CEV) Now Job is making the point that no one "instructs" God. However, the more I read it the more I couldn't escape this answer: I do!! I tell Him all the time what I will do and what I won't do. In a sense, I tell Him to leave me alone.

Job, as we know, followed God in full obedience. He only wanted to know "the charges against him" that resulted in God turning His back on him. Job's example is a stark contrast to my own.

I have no problem conjuring a long indictment with my name at the top. That list is long enough to make me wonder why God would even bother with a worm like me. Why my Job-like calamities didn't happen even sooner.

I believe that God has the power to do anything I need. Unfortunately I believe I can do about anything as well. I need to learn to be more "needy", to recognize my inabilities and shortcomings. It's only then that I can truly appreciate His abilities and even more His desire to pour those blessings all over me.

Who can instruct God? No one even comes close. Who can be instructed by Him? Everyone who is willing. May my willingness in this new year grow to the point it extinguishes my prideful supposition that I have the world on a string and it's Creator as well.

HANDBOOK 2011

2011-01-14T06:41:00.000-05:00

This is a good start -

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2010.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Conflicts happen -- and usually cause smarter solutions.

(Sent to me by my loving Sister.)

Family Vacation part 2

2010-12-28T10:38:00.000-05:00

The girls arrived about 7:00 last night and had no better luck with climbing the hill in the van than Jr. did with his clan. Ben and Dillon, his 7 year old nephew, went down the hill to help the girls with the children and bags. Ariel said they "only brought up enough clothes to have a clean change of underwear for (Tuesday)." Everyone was able to relax then and enjoy the house and the company.

This morning Ben and his sidekick Dillon walked down to the cars to try the hill again in the daylight but failed again. They took the occasion to go into town for supplies ( and I think a break from climbing up and down the hill) hoping the sunshine will help thaw the hill shortly.

The children are having a party. Ellie is friends with the bear now. When I talked to her on the phone she said "he's not real" and she had named him Carson, her little brother's name. Livvie was playing babies and Sydney was being the mother of them all. I think the adults were just chillin', glad for the sunshine and for the men who run the errands up and down the hill.

All in all, it's just the kind of vacation that the parents will talk about in years to come and the kids will remember as the year they had their Winter adventure.

Family Vacation

2010-12-27T18:29:00.000-05:00

It's family vacation time. This time of year my daughter Ariel has vacation time she must use by the end of the year. My son, Ben Jr, and his family have regularly vacationed Christmas week because the church he pastored met on a community college campus that would close for the holiday season. Lastly, Sarah is a stay at home mom since Calvin was born and is always game for a trip.

The plan was made by Ben Jr. to vacation at the family home in the North Carolina mountains and he extended the invitation to the rest of the family. Everyone jumped on board and I convinced mom to go with them. I would stay home to water the dogs, guard the house and corral Gran-tula. (With my dialysis requirements I couldn't risk getting down there and getting snowed or iced in and not be able to get to the clinic.)

They had all planned to leave Sunday morning but a death in my son's in laws dictated that they couldn't leave until this morning. He and his van left at 4:30am and the rest left at 9:00am. After all, some people are built for speed and others are built for comfort and the ladies of my house are certainly built for comfort.

It's normally an 8 hour drive but since both vans had children as young at 6 months it takes longer. Add to that the Christmas blizzard that just swept up the coast and it made for an interesting ride. But the cherry on top was getting there and not being able to get up the hill into the neighborhood. The street had been plowed but apparently thawed, froze, etc. and became a sheet of ice.

After several unsuccessful attempts at driving in they parked at the bottom of the hill, bundled up the 4 children, grabbed a few necessities and struck out on an "adventure". Ben called me when they got in the house to say they had made it in and were safe. In the background I could hear the 3 year old screaming like she was dying. I knew immediately the bear had her. Ellie is not fond of animals to say the least and we have a 3 foot tall stuffed bear that stands by the staircase. I think she had just discovered the bear.

I gave them a little time then I called back to see how they were making out. Ben and his nephew Dillon were outside shoveling snow. I talked to Sydney and asked her about her adventure and she was having a great time. I told her that as the big sister she had to help encourage Ellie in her new surroundings. She said "I know. I told her about the bear and I told her about the deer head downstairs on the wall but now Ellie won't go downstairs."

As I write this the women are still about an hour away preparing their hearts and minds for their own "adventure". My wife can't stand up on dry hard ground in the winter time let alone an ice covered hill. It's going to be interesting. I can't wait to hear the "next chapter" in this saga.

Even after the angel told her

2010-12-23T11:50:00.000-05:00

Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.

The blind will see, the deaf will hear and the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb.

Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding is the great I am.

(Mark Lowry & Buddy Green)

If you live long enough...

2010-11-30T14:03:00.000-05:00

If you live long enough you will see and experience such great differences and contrasts in life as to almost be unimaginable. For instance, I learned to drive 50 years after the invention of the Model T Ford and there were still some around. My cousin taught me to start and drive his and I would occasionally borrow it for a date on a pleasant day. You set the accelerator with your hands, you shifted gears with your feet. You sat on top of the gas tank and at steep hills you had to go up backward because if you didn't the gas tank was down hill of the engine and the gas would not run uphill to it. Now, almost 50 years later, there are cars that brake for themselves, stay in their lanes by themselves, have back up cameras, park themselves, start at the touch of a button, have on board electronics for every imaginable purpose. In both cases the purpose of the car is to take you from point A to point B.

In a different vane, I've lived in the "Bible Belt" at a time when religion was taught in public schools, when many holidays were considered Holy-days, and no self-respecting business man was open on Sundays. Then I moved to the North, den of iniquity that it is. In the years since, "Blue Laws" were abolished and businesses could open on Sundays. Now this includes liquor stores and bars which was not always the case. Religion, even prayer, is not allowed in schools. Holy-days have become economic juggernauts in their focus. This year businesses opened on Thanksgiving and not just the restaurants. Some folks say the economy 'demands' these changes.

Demand or not the picture is clear. Jesus taught his followers (in Matthew and Luke) that when your society is like that of Noah's the "end is near". Genesis says that the society in Noah's time became so bad it made God shake His head and wonder why He had even made mankind. I can imagine Him shaking His head again and reaching to pull the plug. If that's the case, I will have lived long enough, like Simeon, to see the promise of the Lord and to have ultimately seen the reward of His saints. It's amazing the things you see if you live long enough.

Back Yonder

2010-11-18T16:58:00.000-05:00

WHEN I WAS A BOY

Ah! oft in my thoughts do I wander

Away to the dear forest, home,

Far off in the pine-covered mountains,

Where the cabin stood silent and lone;

And I think, with a heartache pathetic,

Of the home circle, rustic and fair,

That there, ‘mid the wildest surroundings,

Dwelt cozy, contented, and poor.

‘T was a paradise, now as I see it ….

So in thought I go back to that cabin,

That clearing, that forest, that farm

Where father and mother and children

Dwelt contented—oblivious of harm.

And as memory retouches the picture,

And contrasts it with life of to-day—

With the hurry, the rush, and the clatter.

On the road thus far down life’s way.

My heart often yearns for the quiet.

The peace, the contentment, the joy

Of the life that I lived in that cabin

Back yonder when I was a boy.

(Isaiah Kephart, September 1899)

The Sower went forth to sow

2010-11-17T18:38:00.000-05:00

In recent weeks I found out that my Pastor is going to leave our church, following the leading of the Lord. In the weeks since it has been determined that the fledgling church can not survive the transition and will close by the end of the year. Hearts are broken. People are disappointed. Many wonder how this could happen. Wasn't the Lord in the original call to plant this church? How could He let this happen?

In tossing this all around this week I was prompted to consider the following parable of the sower. Jesus taught us about the sower (Matthew 13, Mark 4 and Luke 8) who went out to sow seed. Some fell on the path and was eaten by birds. Some fell on hard ground and sprang up but died early. Some fell in weeds and were choked out by them. Other seed fell on good ground and produced "30, 60 even a 100 fold increase".

While we often get hung up on the increase 2 facts remain: The key is that the sower went out to sow. Without that nothing happens and the 2nd is almost as important but often overlooked; The sower knew where he was sowing the seed.

Seed falling on the path or weeds or the rocky ground didn't surprise the sower. He knew where he was sowing seed. He knew the risks. But to not sow seed in those areas was to restrict the opportunity. And the opportunity is to all who will believe.

Perhaps our little church was on hard ground or in the weeds. Regardless, salvation sprouted in the hearts of many in its short 4 year history and all those who shared in the ministry there were changed forever. But it could not have happened had the Lord, our Sower, not gone out to sow seed.

Which scripture to use?

2010-11-10T08:20:00.000-05:00

Jesus taught us to go to a brother that has a grievance against me and He taught us to go to a brother we have been offended by, in both cases to "work it out". In either case He meant for it to be done quickly before the smoldering problem could catch fire.

I don't know how you react in these situations but I generally drag my feet, recite scripture in my mind that fortifies my point, then lose sleep. A situation that occurred to me yesterday was playing in wide screen in my mind at midnight and would not let me sleep. Finally I got out of bed and went to the family room to "unwind". Unwinding consisted of recognizing that while I had been hurt "my brother" probably didn't realize it. "Unwinding" kept saying, 'you didn't ask the right question/s, you weren't clear'. It also recognized that my 'brother' had information he didn't share. Could have, should have, even perhaps would have if I had made the effort to discuss fully the situation and he had responded fully. In the end I had said no more than necessary and his response was the same, no more than necessary. So as the result of our 'economizing' our words and thoughts I'm losing sleep because I'm hurt and even a bit embarrassed at the situation and I can only imagine that he is sleeping like a baby. When I'm able to release the emotion that is stirring this pot I, too, am finally off to sleep.

Now, another day has come, the situation remains and I'm thinking of how I can resolve the feelings I'm having. How can I broach the subject with my 'brother', come to a resolution and model Christ in the process? What I want to model is platting a whip and driving the offender out. Unfortunately (in my mind) resolution doesn't warrant that type of response. Jesus was able to spend time with 'sinners' like Zacchaeus and treat them so purely that they jumped at a chance to make things right. I must be as pure in sharing my problem with my brother and be willing to leave the result in God's hands. After all, that is the point.

Oohh, what a hangover

2010-11-03T10:27:00.000-04:00

It's the morning after and I have such a hangover. I latched onto the election coverage around 10:00pm last night and guzzled until almost midnight. Then started again a little after 6:00 this morning. It finally lured me into a dull inebriation nearing despair.

I'm American born and American bred, and when I die I'll be American dead and I believe and endorse the structure of government set forth by the founding fathers, a representative democracy. Unfortunately I haven't been represented in either the US government nor the Maryland government for years. Redistricting has made it impossible for me to be accurately or even vaguely represented because I'm lumped into a largely urban population. The politicians elected by that group don't represent me at all.

I find myself relating more and more with the Jewish Christians of the first century church politically speaking. They were governed by the Romans who basically ignored their culture as long as they paid their taxes and didn't make waves. Their 'representatives' learned to play the game with the Romans to their personal benefit. It's obvious from the way the various trials of Jesus, Peter and Paul were conducted that the Jewish leadership was very familiar with the 'good ol' boy' system as well as political 'winks and nods'.

The Christians of that era were certainly without political representation and they went on to change their world one witness at a time. Sounds like a grassroots movement to me. As I begin to recover from my stupor I'm reminded that God establishes governments and often uses them to push, pull or otherwise move His people. And, I realize that it's not about an elected official representing me but about me representing my leader, the Lord Jesus Christ, like a star shining in the dark night of humanistic self aggrandizement that surrounds me.

Ancient prophesy still speaks

2010-11-01T07:46:00.000-04:00

Jeremiah was a bold, and extremely obedient, prophet for God Almighty in hard national and political times. While reading in the book that bears his name this morning I read a portion of ancient history that reads like current events. The Message version relates it this way:

(Jeremiah 36:22-26) The king (President) was sitting in his winter quarters in front of a charcoal fire. After (the Communications Director) would read three or four columns (of God's warning to the nation), the king would cut them off the scroll with his pocketknife and throw them in the fire. He continued in this way until the entire scroll had been burned up in the fire. Neither the President nor any of his officials showed the slightest twinge of conscience as they listened to the messages read. The Republicans tried to convince the President not to burn the scroll, but he brushed them off. He just plowed ahead and ordered Biden. Pelosi and Reed to arrest Jeremiah the prophet and his secretary Baruch. (editorial paraphrasing is mine, apologies to the Message.)

You can burn the message, deny the message, ignore the message or blame the message on your enemies but in the end God will not be denied His plan.

I gotta robe, you gotta robe, alluh God's Children gotta robe!!

2010-10-27T10:11:00.000-04:00

This morning as I was reading I found this wonderful encouragement about "putting on Christ".

(9-14)Don't lie to one another. You're done with that old life. It's like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you've stripped off and put in the fire. Now you're dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ. So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. (Colossians 3, The Message)

Lord, help me be more loving.

Braggin' Rights

2010-10-22T09:42:00.000-04:00

Braggadocio has never appealed to me much. Not as a tool and certainly not as an observer. I find that most bragging is a bandaid covering some insecurity. But as I was reading this morning I found a direction about bragging that I can follow:

Jeremiah 9:23-24 God's Message: "Don't let the wise brag of their wisdom. Don't let heroes brag of their exploits. Don't let the rich brag of their riches. If you brag, brag of this and this only: That you understand and know me. I'm God, and I act in loyal love. I do what's right and set things right and fair, and delight in those who do the same things. These are my trademarks." God's Decree. (The Message)

Clean House

2010-10-15T07:42:00.000-04:00

(The following was originally posted as a comment to the Baltimore Sun Newspaper in response to their column Governors Debate Fact Check.)

The basic fact is that governors, as they go, like presidents don't do anything they take the credit or blame for. The Legislative branch runs the government with the support or opposition of the sitting Governor. The point of this election is; will we end up with a Governor who enables the Busch/Miller machine or tries to slow the juggernaut down. The Democratic Legislature has grown the Maryland budget to more than 10 times the rate of inflation since 1972 when I moved to Maryland. The 1973 budget, adjusted for inflation, would be 2 Billion dollars, not 25 billion. I say, CLEAN HOUSE!! LITERALLY!!

on the road again - part 2

2010-10-01T09:33:00.000-04:00

Part 2 – When I left you I was on the shoulder of Rt 50 waiting on my brother Paul to bail me out of my situation. (Paul is one of those “brother from another mother” brothers.)

He arrived quicker than he said.
He arrived with the ever present smile that he is known for.
He arrived with questions about my well being.
And he arrived with what I needed, a full gas can.

That’s a pretty complete picture of our Father and Paul looks more like Him every day.

Gas into the tank. Key into the switch. Foot onto the peddle and I was on my way to the gasoline station a mile ahead. While filling the tank there, we stood and talked to each other about the situation, our children, grandchildren, churches and never once did he let on that he had been inconvenienced in any way. As we engaged in our parting hug I told him “Paul, I can’t thank you enough.” To which he responded “What else could I do? You’re my brother.” We hugged again and each climbed into our trucks to head opposite directions.

The road was wide open and except for the monsoon that I was almost immediately in the ride was uneventful. Well, except for the wipers stopping when they got tired. Except for the leaks in the old truck alternately dripping on my leg and arm. Except for the occasional standing water puddle to surprise without warning. But through it all I knew that my Father was watching over me and had every “special problem” in control just as He had earlier when I was sitting on the side of the road.

BTW, when I came out at 5:45am to go to dialysis I flipped the switch to the forward tank, just as I had repeatedly done on that shoulder in Salisbury, started the truck and drove to the clinic with the gasoline that had been there all along. I guess I didn’t REALLY need gas last night. I just needed a little ‘family reunion’.

on the road again

2010-09-30T22:01:00.000-04:00

Vacation has been nice but I decided to cut it short and get back to my regular dialysis unit. I left Ocean City tonight after dinner expecting to drive to Glen Burnie and be home by 11:00 or so. Best laid plans...

Now I'm sitting on the side of Rt 50 in Salisbury out of gas. Not really out but out enough the truck won't run.

The old truck has 2 tanks and as I was driving along I saw the rear tank getting empty so I switched to the front tank. However, the front tank slept through the process and won't pick up although I know there's at least 5 gallons of gas there. So here I sit, switching tanks, priming the pumps and getting nothing running. Fortunately I have friends in the area so I start going down the list. The 2nd call picked up and agreed to bring me gas so I shouldn't be all that long. Dialysis starts at 6:00 in the morning.

Being part of the family of God is a wonderful thing. When you're in need you can call on the Lord and even call on his children and He provides the answer. I look forward to updating you in the morning with the rest of the story.

Just not worth it

2010-09-27T15:54:00.000-04:00

It's VACATION TIME!! Yee Haa!!

But you never get to vacation from dialysis. So I'm in the chair in another town with attendants that only see me once a year. They all recognize me and I recognize them. It's a little reunion. "Are you here all week?" "How's your wife?" But pleasant intentions only carry you so far.

In June I wrote about a bad dialysis experience titled "4 needles". Dialysis normally involves the use of 2 needles and if there's a problem they may use a third. That day they had used FOUR I thought it was a once in a lifetime experience not to be repeated or exceeded but then came vacation.

The attendant was capable and straight forward, not afraid of hurting me, deliberate. Just what I like. I thought "it's going to be a good day". But in spite of her ability she infiltrated me. 1st replacement needle was a dry hole. 2nd replacement needle was another dry hole. The third replacement needle struck oil but ended up with another infiltration. Finally, 3 attendants and a total of 6 needles, the machine was purring, jiffy lube-ing my blood through the filter. All of this took an hour which gets tacked onto my time that's already 4.5 hours.

SO, half hour to the clinic, 6 hours in the clinic, half hour back to the condo. The first day of vacation and I have nothing to show for it. Makes me wonder why I go to the bother? I guess the treatment I receive at the condo will help heal a bad day. Between my granddaughters climbing all over me and rocking my grandson to sleep I'll get back on the horse and ride the vacation carousel for another day. Still, it will weigh heavily when, next year, it's time to start making the arrangements for vacation dialysis.

What if ...

2010-09-20T09:18:00.000-04:00

What if I could see what HE sees? How would I be different? Is there anything He expects of me that I can deny Him? The short answer, in the human, is yes. But the Apostle Paul found the secret to going all out. He learned that God doesn't expect anything beyond what we are able and equipped to do.

Ephesians 3:7-8 (The Message) This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God's way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities.

I can't imagine the list of "options" that God would list me with if He were to offer me like an auto or item of hardware. But I know that if I'm a wrench He won't try to use me like a hammer until He has satisfied Himself that my transformation into a hammer is complete. All I have to do is learn to say "swing away" Lord.

Remember when you vote this year

2010-09-07T11:00:00.000-04:00

2 Cor. 10:3-6 The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.

I've been found out!!

2010-08-31T15:18:00.000-04:00

After all this time my abilities have finally betrayed me.

Andrew Silow-Carroll: Fly the friendly skies --- or go to Israel

2010-08-30T06:45:00.000-04:00

If you haven't flown internationally this may not be relative to you. However, if you've ever made a Holy Land trip you'll be right at home with these thoughts.

Andrew Silow-Carroll: Fly the friendly skies --- or go to Israel

Solomon had it right and so does "Mallard Fillmore"

2010-08-23T08:50:00.000-04:00

Proverbs 25:4-5 (The Message version) Remove impurities from the silver and the silversmith can craft a fine chalice; Remove the wicked from leadership and authority will be credible and God-honoring.

Eye for an eye, a new perspective

2010-08-19T18:16:00.001-04:00

A unique trial is taking place in Saudi Arabia and the ultimate end could be the 21st century model for "an eye for an eye". See the story at http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/aug/19/report-saudi-judge-considers-paralysis-punishment/?page=1

As much as I might practice the love of Jesus, and experience His mercy, and be expected to promote that mercy to others, you have to appreciate the concept that this case suggests. It is the embodiment of SELF and, if you will, selfishness. Agree/Disagree?

To Mosque or Not to Mosque...

2010-08-19T16:37:00.000-04:00

While opinions fly to and fro on whether or not to include a mosque in the Freedom Plaza complex I'll let my fingers enter where my common sense fears to tread. The following is not intended to sway you to my opinion or to denigrate yours.

The First Amendment to the Constitution provides for freedom of religion. That generally has provided that if a religious organization wants to meet in a place that is permitted for the use, then they should NOT be prohibited from exercising their right to peaceful religious assembly. For that reason I agree that the developers of the Park51 project have the right to pursue their project. HOWEVER, just like the First Amendment to the Constitution also protects the freedom of speech it restricts that right when the resultant speech threatens the welfare of others.

Everyone is familiar with the scenario that says you have the right to say anything you want but you can't yell "FIRE" in a crowded theater. The reason you can't is because the stampede that follows would likely harm people in the crowd. Your right to exercise your speech is limited by the potential to result in harm unintended and unrelated to your opinion. I believe this rationale, when applied to the exercise of religion, applies as well.

SO, like the free speech example, I think that while the Park51 folks may have the right to the exercise of their religion I also believe that right is subject to restriction when unintended and unrelated harm to the surrounding public, inconsequential to the beliefs or tenets or their organization, is the result. I hope all those seeking a place of religious worship find it in a location that doesn't result in harm, unintended or otherwise, to the general population. .

Thirteen O'clock

2010-08-18T02:05:00.000-04:00

Lately I spend a lot of sleepless nights. Or more accurately, sleepless periods during the night. I have no problem getting to sleep. It's more a problem of staying asleep.

Tonight I can blame it on my wife. (Isn't that convenient?) Deb was on vacation for the last week and returned home last night after midnight. Having been in another time zone, and being a woman, she wanted to talk about her trip to wind down. So we lay in bed, her talking and me listening like a good husband until after 1:00AM when I finally tuned out and she tossed and turned until finally being extinguished around 3:00AM.

Tonight she was exhausted so we turned in around 9:00. She read for a short while and I watched some TV until we were both out quickly. Thirteen o'clock rolled around and I was wide awake as though waiting for more vacation tales. At first I tried to go right back to sleep but realized quickly that wasn't going to work. I prayed for a while; family, friends, needs, church, health, wisdom, forgiveness, praise. Surely praying would put me right back to sleep but, no. Not tonight, that is, this morning.

I've found that on nights like this I can become really sharp related to planning for upcoming activities, jobs or events. Sometimes I get up and go to the computer to record my thoughts. Occasionally I'll sit up on the side of the bed and jot myself a few notes. These nocturnal strategy sessions usually produce some succinct results that have proven very valuable. So here I am again.

As part of my prayer tonight I recalled the wrestling match between Jacob and the Lord. How Jacob clung to the Angel of the Lord until morning approached and in the end had a new name, a new promise and a new limp. I prayed that if this were my match I would hold on until I had seen God even if it made me limp. In the end I knew that I had touched God and He had touched me and when I return to my bed it will be in the confidence or our earliest prayers; Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray, dear Lord, my soul you'll keep. If I should die before I wake, my soul, dear Lord, I know You'll take.

Nitey, night.

"The wind’s on our side, boys! That’s all we need!"

2010-08-16T08:30:00.000-04:00

So says Joshamee Gibbs. Severn River Church had an outdoor service yesterday and Pirates of the Caribbean was the theme. We had props, a parrot, costumes and lots of fun.

In building props I used 3 saws, a jointer, a bandsaw, 2 drills, glue, screws, screwdrivers, hammer and nails, rope, lots of rope, knife, the flagpole from my yard, a tunneling bar and sledge hammer. Finally I used the most intricate tool of all; my double edged razor with the guard removed on one side.

While having dinner with my daughter Ariel and talking about the upcoming service she made the comment "you should do mutton chops for pirate Sunday". I told her I had already started filling in the cheeks for that exact purpose. What I didn't say was that I had already planned to "bare the chin" as well.

For 15 years or so we've had a slogan in our house; "suffering for Jesus' sake". It started when Ariel was a missionary in Israel. She and some co-workers had taken a day off and gone to the beach. That meant they were in Tel Aviv and the beach was the Mediterranean. As the event was captured on video one of the girls said "we're suffering for Jesus' sake". When we got a copy of the video with that and other events for Christmas that first year she was away, we adopted the phrase and have teased each other with it since.

So after spending a few treacherous moments yesterday morning with said straight razor I have modified it to the following; "Shaving for Jesus' sake". Aarrg, where is me flask?

It's on the list

2010-08-09T08:02:00.001-04:00

This weekend my wife and I had a typical exchange. I passed the kitchen trash bin and saw a repair that needed to be made. The tools and the glue were in the garage workshop and I thought as soon as I can I will make the repair. The following day she passed the the same situation and said "do you think wood glue would fix the trash can?" and I responded "it's on the list." Of course at this point she just rolled her eyes. I'm sure that what her eyes said, but not her mouth, was "the list? That black hole? It'll never be heard of again."

The lists. We all have them. Those things we see, think, discover that need a portion of our time and attention. Worthy of both, we get to the items that are most demanding. "The squeaky wheel gets the grease" and all that. Still, it doesn't suggest that the things on the list that remain undone aren't important. They just lose to other items on the list. Some items lose to others because of time, value, difficulty or deadline. Others lose because of neglect. "Out of sight, out of mind."

This morning I read "Mere humans don't have what it takes; when they die, their projects die with them." (From Psalm 146, The Message) I thought "this is the ultimate end of all lists." It reminded me of an old lyric; "Only one life, it will soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last." In light of that reminder I must evaluate my lists with the eternal perspective in mind and always remember that if it's worthy of attention it's worthy of action. In other words, don't brush off the prompting of the Spirit. Someone's eternity may depend on it.

"Raise your right hand and repeat after me, I..."

2010-08-03T15:41:00.000-04:00

The Message version of the Psalms has been particularly interesting to read this year. I find so many passages that are just plain RELEVANT. For instance, Psalm 116 ^12-19 What can I give back to God for the blessings he's poured out on me? I'll lift high the cup of salvation—a toast to God! I'll pray in the name of God; I'll complete what I promised God I'd do, and I'll do it together with his people. When they arrive at the gates of death, God welcomes those who love him. Oh, God, here I am, your servant, your faithful servant: set me free for your service! I'm ready to offer the thanksgiving sacrifice and pray in the name of God. I'll complete what I promised God I'd do, and I'll do it in company with his people, In the place of worship, in God's house, in Jerusalem, God's city. Hallelujah!

Promises. You've made'm, I've made'm. And I have enough trouble keeping the promises I make to people who are HERE, in front of me, holding me accountable. Making promises to God who, while He may be in my heart and mind, isn't here in front of me is easy. What if He were? How would he look? Smile turned down into a frown? One eyebrow raised in a menacing fashion? Looking dismayed out from behind a hand raised to the forehead? Eyes glancing at his watch or calender in anticipation of my failure? Never!!

God's generous response to my foolish promises is His fore-knowledge that while my spirit may write checks that my body can't cash at least I was promising HIM. What does He need that I can give him? Nothing. BUT, what do I have or what can I give Him as my "pledge"? Obedience. Pure and simple. As the kids sing; "O, B, E, D, IENCE, Obedience is the very best way to show the I believe."

Let's get Wet!!

2010-07-30T08:08:00.000-04:00

"Summertime, and the livin' is easy ..." These familiar lyrics remind us of the differences of the seasons and their various activities. I've been privileged this year to spend more time in the pool than I usually get to and I've enjoyed every minute of it.

Of course splashing and getting each other wet is part of the fun. It was probably with that background that I took particular interest in a portion of today's reading; 1 Thessalonians 3 (The Message) ^11-13"May God our Father himself and our Master Jesus clear the road to you! And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you. May you be infused with strength and purity, filled with confidence in the presence of God our Father when our Master Jesus arrives with all his followers."

I will if you will! Wetter the better!!

"What's the password?"

2010-07-28T07:56:00.000-04:00

As a "baby boom-er" I grew up playing "Soldiers and Enemies" an off shoot of "cowboys and indians" and forerunner to "cops and robbers". The post war culture made it relevant and in every "battle" you and your friends picked a password. I've lived to see a culture where everyone has not just A password but so many you have to keep a list. Everywhere you go in this electronic age asks for the login "password". SO, it was in this context that I read today about God's "password".

Psalm 100 (A Thanksgiving Psalm in The Message version) "On your feet now—applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence. Know this: God is God, and God, God. He made us; we didn't make him. We're his people, his well-tended sheep. Enter with the password: "Thank you!" Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him. For God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love, loyal always and ever."

Lord, my login is Ben Rainey and my password is THANK YOU!!

Not to be forgotten

2010-07-26T10:11:00.002-04:00

My son tweeted yesterday "Preached outside today. On a day so hot perhaps I should have preached on hell." Then a friend sent me an email of an article he read in which the subject of hell was reiterated. I broke out in a cold sweat as I ... Not really but it did remind me of one of the scariest experiences I ever had.

Fresh out of college I took a position as Youth Pastor in a small church in Connecticut. I'd been there a little more than a year and when my birthday came around the kids decided to surprise me at the Friday night meeting. They ordered a pizza delivery for later in the meeting. The meeting went well and I had a great group of kids that were participating. Steve, a full of life 14 yr old, excused himself and slipped out the back door of the meeting room to sit on the steps in the vestibule to wait for the pizza man. I was coming to the end of the meeting when Steve let out a blood curdling scream. I ran to him and bursting through the back door found him alone on the steps, limp as a noodle, alternately screaming and sobbing. After looking him over to make sure he wasn't injured I began to focus on his sobs. It became clear in short order that Steve was caught up is some sort of dream or vision.

Now, I come from a religious perspective that if the Bible says God gave people dreams and visions THEN then I believe He can and does still do it. I was convinced that Steve was having a vision but it was being played out in 3D right in front of us. He was portraying being cast into hell. He yelled "don't throw me in the fire" and then would scream. I used the term "blood curdling" but that isn't accurate enough. He would sob, scream, cry out as if the act were occurring over and over. When it became obvious that he was "winding down" I picked him up and carried him back into the room with the rest of the group who I had left in the capable hands of another adult coworker who had at the outset called the group to prayer. The "theme" of the vision was obvious to anyone within earshot. The kids all realized that Steve had seen Hell and quickly determined that they wanted nothing to do with it. Steve's brother Kent stood up and gave the most impassioned "altar call" I ever heard which led to many decisions and commitments. In the end, Steve came out of his trance and did NOT remember a thing about the event. Almost 40 years later I consider it the foundation of the old saying; "There's a Heaven to gain and a Hell to shun."

I believe in a wonderful after-life called Heaven made available to me for believing that Jesus is the Son of God who died for my sins. AND I believe there is an equally awful after-life called Hell for those who reject that great gift of salvation. As someone who has had the unique opportunity to "visit" Hell, take it from me, YOU DON'T WANT TO GO!!

Fond Memories

2010-07-19T17:56:00.000-04:00

As the 7 day forecast remains above 90 degrees and the National Weather Service has declared this is the warmest 6 month period in recorded weather history I've decided to revisit the blizzards of 2009/2010. Enjoy, and think "cool" thoughts.

The best laid plans… yeah, blah, blah, blah. Just when you think you’re on top of the world, the world ends up on top of you, or at least trying to swallow you up. But I digress.

On the eve of “Snowmeggedon” Friday night, and knowing that ultimately I have to get out to dialysis on Monday morning, when I get home from work I decide to park in the front yard immediately adjacent to the road. Close to the road, close to the front door, it’s a win/win. That much snow I can probably shovel without having a heart attack. Mother Nature may roar but I AM A MAN WITH A SNOW SHOVEL! Don’t mess with me! But still I digress.

The snow-nami settles in and I spend most of the day Saturday in the garage, unheated garage. Media of all sorts are beating the “be prepared” drum. “It’s coming and you know it; trees down, lines down, power outages, mayhem.” In the garage I had 2 kerosene heaters that I had recently brought home from my mother in law’s house when we cleaned it out to sell in November. They date back to the fuel shortage crisis of the 70s. I know that my late father in law had not used either of them in at least 20 years. A week before, in the teaser snowstorm of last week, I had dug out the blue kerosene jugs and taken them to fill for a mere $4.00 a gallon. I park them in easy access in the garage and wait for the next opportunity to get into the heaters. Saturday is that opportunity. I dig out the first one, dismantle it, clean the dust out of it thoroughly, check all the mechanism and pronounce it ready to try. I fill the tank, wipe everything down well and reach for the lighter. Click, stick, light, close, and it fires up like it was new. I close the assembly, adjust the flame and am immediately aware of how good it feels in the unheated garage. One down, one to go. I repeat the process with the second heater. It is a radiant design with a fan to be more directional. When it fires up I think I’ve hit the mother lode. I shut down the first heater, put it away on the shelf and pull a stool up in front of the second and bask in my success.

As nice as basking may be it doesn’t get any work done so I situate the heater near a pile of tools that are all over the floor as well as 2 boxes of unorganized tools and supplies. The next half hour of picking up and sorting to various shelves flies by. Now I’m on a roll and I prepare to move to the next project; the snowblower. Yes, a 24 inch, like new Snapper snowblower. Now I’m not just a man with a snow shovel, I’m potentially a man with a snowblower. It’s just that “like new” phrase that’s miss leading.

The snowblower has not been used since “Gramps”, my late father in law left us 8 years ago. Like the heaters it came to my house when we moved “Granny” out of the old house. Knowing it hadn’t been run in at least 8 years I didn’t hold a lot of hope for it. I knew what I was up against so I made the best of the situation. I took 3 milk crates and put them under the tires and blade to get it up to a better working height, relocated the radiant heater to aim at the machine and me and clipped a flood light to a ceiling joist directly overhead. Once I moved my stool to an appropriate spot I was ready. My son had spent some time the previous day working on it and by the time he was done told me “we have spark, it barks but won’t run”. That’s half the battle so I settle in to the fuel system. Drain the gas tank and clear the gas lines to the carburetor. Drop the bowl on the carburetor and it’s obvious that it hasn’t run in years. I venture into the realm of floats, needles and screens. The carb is taken off and dissembled as far as I could. The re-assembly goes well and I have at least a little hope at this point. When I pull the starter rope, nothing. Again and again, nothing, not a cough, not a chug and certainly not a bang. At this point, knowing what I did and not knowing what my son did I re-do what he did the day before. I pull the plug, pull the crank to blow everything out and finally confirm there is a blue spark but there is no sign of “barking” or even coughing. At this point it’s gotten to be late in the afternoon and I’m ready for a break. Besides, I have a snow shovel and a plan so what’s to worry about.

When I get back upstairs I can easily see that the snow is still falling sideways. The weather gurus no longer refer to the snow storm, it’s now a “blizzard”. Knowing that the snow shovel awaits I take the rest of the evening off and crash in front of the TV. Of course it’s about this time that the cable goes out. No TV, no internet, not even the home phone works. We do something pre-historic; we turn on the radio. The music is lovely, the on air personality is pleasant and the light-hearted banter about the weather et al is entertaining. After a break I get out my laptop and fire it up with the aircard so at least we have the internet. I get reports from the National Weather Service of accumulations in the area of 26 – 30 inches. (Ultimately we end up with local reports from 30 – 38 inches.) Oh, well, I have a snow shovel and a plan.

Sunday morning dawns with brilliant sunshine. I’ve known since Friday that we wouldn’t have church because we meet at the local community college and they had already announced that the campus would be closed. Other churches that I might visit are closed as well. Since “my ox is in the ditch” I have little choice other than break out the afore-mentioned snow shovel and get to it. This is when my plan’s “feet of clay” begin to come into view.

Granny, as mentioned previously, now lives in the front half of my house. We took 2 rooms and made a living room and bedroom for her. She has made the space her own and endowed it with all of her neuroses. Now Granny is 80 years old, has mid-stage Alzheimer’s and has always thought the world revolves around her. The front door to the house opens to the porch which now opens to her living room. Alas, it has become HER door. She doesn’t want anyone going in or out that door. If you have a good reason, and it better be a really good reason, you may get out that door if it’s daytime but it better be locked like Fort Knox when it’s dark. On the plus side, it’s bright when I go out to shovel so the eyebrows don’t raise too much besides it’s me and she hasn’t figured out in 38 years how to take me.

I spend the next couple of hours shoveling, resting, shoveling, resting and so it goes. I clean the front steps off and while I’m doing it our two yellow labs appear swimming their way around the corner attracted by the noise of the shovel. They had been going in and out the back door for their necessities. They make a fair path along the side of the house and through the course of the day go back and for a few times. After the front steps I shovel about 3 feet wide and 30 inches deep the 10 feet to the corner of the truck. At this point I begin the circumnavigation of my Chevy S-10 pickup (also inherited from Gramps). Again, about 3 feet wide and almost as deep. I complete the passenger side, cleaning the door and windows as far as I can reach and settling into the seat to take a break. There’s more of the same until I have encircled the truck. The only thing from completing the plan is the wall of snow at the edge of the road pushed up by the snow plows. Fortunately I have a loving neighbor who assures me that in an hour or two he will take his mini tractor loader and open the access to the road. Ta Da! The plan worked! Little did I realize…

The remainder of the day came and went. My daughter and her family who live within walking distance came over for a mid afternoon lunch and they came in through the plan, that is the path. After eating, my granddaughter had a bath and took a nap. Her mom went to run some errands. This turned out to be a trip for goodies to go with the ball game later since the cable was still out and I had hooked up my converter box, which with a sufficiently large peace of aluminum foil was able to get the local broadcast signals. As long as we had TV we had company. When later in the evening they prepared to leave and had to go through Granny’s to leave, the neuroses began to raise her ugly head. At that point I knew I was doomed. The plan had failed after all.

I get up at 5:00 in the morning on dialysis days to be at the clinic by 6:00. Gran-tula doesn’t stir until 7:30-8:00 and then makes a beeline to the coffee pot and it better be ready. Going out the front door at 5:45 was NOT an option. Thank goodness for the dog path.

I knew from shoveling that when those swimmer dogs hit the snow their webbed feet packed it down pretty well. They’d made several trips to and fro along the path so it was reasonably well packed. For those who wonder about letting the dogs run loose you have to know that they are homebodies at heart and, besides, the snow was almost twice as deep as they are tall so they surely weren’t going far. I bundled up as usual at the back door and taking a broom for a walking stick headed out. The first step off the landing gave me hope. I didn’t sink into the snow. All along the 80 feet or so that I followed their path my feet only punched through the snowpack a few times. The broom was very helpful helping keep my balance. I got to the end of the path and had to negotiate a change in elevation between the dog path and what I had shoveled. Just as I was taking the step my foot punched through the snow, I lost my balance and ended up lying in the berm of snow I had shoveled the day before. Where was my plan now?

I realize very quickly that it’s COLD. The handrail for the steps is out of reach. The broom handle doesn’t provide much help and I’m faced with rolling over onto my knees and crawling to the steps. Ordinarily that’s not a big deal for most but huge for me. Since I had my knee replaced 3 years ago and my hip the year after I’m under doctor’s orders not to kneel down. It could damage the tendons in my knee by stretching them too far. Now I can’t say that I’ve never knelt down since then but only a handful of times and then with preparation for something to hold onto going down and getting up. As I get to my knees in the snow I’m amazed that I have absolutely no pain or particular stiffness. I move on all fours a few feet to the steps and I put my hands down and push myself into a standing position. At this point I realize something else; all the pain I expected in my knees are in my glove-less hands. Hypothermia acts quickly and my fingers are just burning numbness. I quickly get the door open on the truck and crank it immediately. As my hands and fingers are throbbing I realize that the windshield is just too frosted to attempt driving. I grab the scraper mitt and muster the energy to get out and do the windshield. Getting the mitt on one hand and then another was more work than the scraping. Finally done I settle back into the truck.

There’s no appreciable heat blowing yet but it’s still much better that being outside. I decide that I can see sufficiently through the windshield and as I close the door I realize that the latch mechanism is frozen and the door won’t latch. I strap in and head out, one hand on the steering wheel and one on the door. The road is entirely smooth. For snow cover it’s great traveling. In short order I get out to the main highways only to find an unbelievable mess. State routes and super highways have one lane open and it’s not always clear or smooth. I fight the roads to the dialysis center which has been cleared so well it has melted a bit on Sunday and run across the lot creating a sheet of ice in spots. After parking where I know the sun will shine on the frozen door I gather my goodies and make my way into the center that is warm and bright and suffering from a shortage of attendants. I’m only 10 minutes late and I smile to myself thinking; I’m a man with a snow shovel and I had a plan.

When Life is a Blur

2010-07-14T09:06:00.001-04:00

"I have a few projects then I'm going to be lazy." That's the answer I gave my wife last Saturday morning. In spite of how self serving that sounds I spent the morning on the "projects", all simple tasks for my wife (putting up curtain rods and curtains, winding the hose onto the hose reel, stuff like that), and the afternoon on my computer doing church work. Lazy or not it consumed the day.

Sunday I was up and out early so I could have the trailer to church earlier than usual for a couple of reasons. When you carry your church in a box others are limited in their ability to work on video or sound problems, set up equipment, etc until someone "opens the box". Box time was almost 5 hours between leaving and returning the trailer home. Of course in the middle I was privileged to be in worship with "kindred believers".

Of course the week begins with the dialysis trolley taking me on my regular "5 hour tour" followed by a nap then on to work where we have a major project going on for several days which I'm responsible to translate the results into our computerized scheduling system. 300 changes over 3 days, then review to make sure there are no mistakes so the scheduling can resume for next week's implementation.

Up early again yesterday for a mens small group meeting before breakfast followed by a full day at the office returning last night around 7:30 in time to fix my supper and unwind a bit before bed.

This morning the dialysis trolley stopped at "infiltration junction" so instead of having only 2 "sticks" in my arm I have 4 holes. Additionally I have an icepack taped to my arm to reduce the swelling and ache. Then when I get home I get to wrap it in a heating pad to reduce the bruising that follows. (See previous posts "3 needles" or "4 needles" about infiltration.) Later I'll go into the office to complete the "project".

Tomorrow I've scheduled off so I can spend the day with my bride. 38 years ago tomorrow I spent the morning and early afternoon working on my future father in law's boat. After coming home and washing off the evidence I went to the little church on the hill to await my bride. I had to wait a half hour more than expected when my "precious" forgot the rings and the limo driver had to go back home to retrieve them. I remember distinctly watching her come down the aisle, fearing she would faint any moment. I remember the pastor saying that I could "salute" my bride which in the archaic meant I could kiss her. So, tomorrow we spend the day together doing things we don't often do, eating things we don't often eat, going places we only seldom go.

I'll recuperate Friday with dialysis, followed by running the church trailer to a local community for an outreach that evening. A quick nap, afternoon at work then on to the event. Home probably around 11:00, then sleep fast so I can be at work Saturday morning by 4:30am.

Some say life is like a treadmill, always moving but going nowhere. I prefer to think of it as a carousel. The scenery changes but if you dwell on where you "are" it becomes a blur. Only when you look at where you are going can you enjoy the ride. "I'm not a mortal on a spiritual journey, I'm a spiritual on a mortal journey." (Unknown)

From today's Bible reading: Amos 3:3 "Do two people walk hand in hand if they aren't going to the same place?"

Don't Lose It!!

2010-07-07T10:37:00.000-04:00

I was reading this morning in the beginning of 2nd Kings the story of Elisha being blessed with Elijah's portion as Elijah goes to Heaven in the whirlwind. (2 Kings 2)

Verse 5 - "The guild of prophets at Jericho came to Elisha and said, "Did you know that God is going to take your master away from you today?" "Yes," he said, "I know it."

THEN verse 15 - "The guild of prophets from Jericho saw the whole thing from where they were standing. They said, "The spirit of Elijah lives in Elisha!" They welcomed and honored him. ¹⁶ They then said, "We're at your service. We have fifty reliable men here; let's send them out to look for your master. Maybe God's spirit has swept him off to some mountain or dropped him into a remote ravine." Elisha said, "No. Don't send them." ¹⁷ But they pestered him until he caved in: "Go ahead then. Send them." So they sent the fifty men off. For three days they looked, searching high and low. Nothing. ⁸ Finally, they returned to Elisha in Jericho. He told them, "So there— didn't I tell you?"

The prophets of Jericho were spiritually aware enough to know God was taking Elijah but clueless as the where/why. They were well intentioned but Elisha would not let them talk him out of his blessing.

When God shows you/tells you/blesses you and "you know that you know", don't let some holy man talk you out of your blessing.

Equal Time

2010-07-05T10:40:00.001-04:00

Several weeks ago I announced the birth of my first grandson, Carson Benjamin Rainey. Today I share with you his newest cousin (grandson #2) Calvin Benjamin Gilt born 7/2/2010. 7 lbs, 8 oz, 21 inches long. My children bless me and I wish them all the best. Congratulations, Sarah and Andy, you done good.

Father's Day or Fathers Day?

2010-06-21T07:20:00.000-04:00

What a difference that apostrophe makes. It makes the difference between being lumped together with all other dads and being able to claim it as my own day. Not that there was any doubt but my children, and grandchildren, made sure I knew I was their #1 dad.

From comments made, to jokes, to time spent together, even to the menu and gifts of the day, my children showed(and showered) their love for dear OLD dad. While I've never had any reason to think otherwise it's always nice to see them exercise their love "on purpose".

The Message version, Prov 23:24-25, says "Parents rejoice when their children turn out well; wise children become proud parents. So make your father happy! Make your mother proud!" Color me rejoicing and proud.

Leader or Follower?

2010-06-18T06:55:00.000-04:00

"A consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually." (Abba Eban)

"Consensus building", "Bottom up", "Top down"; all of these phrases of management jargon are intended to make folks feel valuable and included. What can be more valuable than principled individuals promoting and standing by that which they believe. "Let your yes be yes and your no, no." And let everything in between be what you sincerely believe and for which you are willing to take a stand.

4 needles?!?

2010-06-16T07:15:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I posted about a dialysis problem I referred to as "3 needles". I explained that my typical dialysis treatment involves the use of 2 needles and that day I had received the third needle because of a problem call "infiltration". It happens but fortunately it's rare. OR at least I thought it was. I've had 3 infiltrations in 3 weeks and today was the "creme de la creme"; 2 infiltrations in 20 minutes and 4 needles total. Pain, ache, swelling, nuisance.

My son shared an anecdote recently about a minister who was challenged to participation in an outreach with the words "it's not like we're asking you to take a beating and be hung on a cross". I guess that if I'm going to take up my cross daily pain, ache, swelling and nuisance is not all that bad.

The "IRS" Psalm

2010-06-09T07:56:00.000-04:00

(To the pious who will say "How sacrilegious can you get" I say "Chill".)

Like many people I've had occasions over my 40 years of working and filing taxes to have to deal with the IRS. I'm currently in one of those seasons again, this time dealing with the "full weight and authority" of everyone's favorite government agency.

I won't pretend to be blameless but I'm certainly not being devious. I'm not a scofflaw either. However, when the news is filled with references to white collar criminals who have bilked the public out of billions of dollars, and you know they MUST have cheated the government as well, I can only hope that they receive as much attention as I've gotten for the few dollars we have in dispute.

With this situation monopolizing my attention these days I was really taken this morning while reading how appropriate Psalm 143 seems to a case such as mine. The Message version relates it this way:

"Listen to this prayer of mine, God; pay attention to what I'm asking. Answer me—you're famous for your answers! Do what's right for me. But don't, please don't, haul me into court; not a person alive would be acquitted there. The enemy hunted me down; he kicked me and stomped me within an inch of my life. He put me in a black hole, buried me like a corpse in that dungeon. I sat there in despair, my spirit draining away, my heart heavy, like lead. I remembered the old days, went over all you've done, pondered the ways you've worked, stretched out my hands to you, as thirsty for you as a desert thirsty for rain. Hurry with your answer, God! I'm nearly at the end of my rope. Don't turn away; don't ignore me! That would be certain death. If you wake me each morning with the sound of your loving voice, I'll go to sleep each night trusting in you. Point out the road I must travel; I'm all ears, all eyes before you. Save me from my enemies, God— you're my only hope! Teach me how to live to please you, because you're my God. Lead me by your blessed Spirit into cleared and level pastureland. Keep up your reputation, God—give me life! In your justice, get me out of this trouble! In your great love, vanquish my enemies; make a clean sweep of those who harass me. And why? Because I'm your servant."

And I repeat this refrain: "If you wake me each morning with the sound of your loving voice, I'll go to sleep each night trusting in you."

"Wanna play with me Pawpaw?"

2010-06-04T10:35:00.000-04:00

I don't get to amaze my wife of 38 years that often anymore but last night was one of those occasions. My daughter Sarah was visiting with her daughter Olivia (grandchild #2). While Sarah was working on a project Livie was playing with a large bottle of pop beads and accessories. I had connected several pieces for her and she was on the living room floor when she made her request; wanna play with me, Pawpaw? It was the first time she had ever made that request.

When she was born I was recuperating from hip replacement surgery having already had a knee replaced the year before. Not quite a year later I suffered kidney failure and all the physical degradation the goes along with that. So, my granddaughters have never known me to be "normal" but that doesn't matter to them. They will take what they can get.

Once I understood her request I got out of my chair, crossed the floor and very gingerly got down on the floor beside her. I snapped beads together with her and made a necklace which I snapped around her neck. She had made some bracelets so she was "bejeweled". She showed her mommy and Grammy her prizes while I started cleaning up. Needless to say it was a special time.

There were times during her early years when I wondered if I would live to see her playing on a floor like that. But all along the way I knew that the Lord was at work perfecting my physical as well as my spiritual. I had polio when I was 4 and "walked away from it" so I've always believed in God's ability to keep me physically. This morning as I was reading I was reminded of that exact fact.

Psalm 86 in the Message version says "Bend an ear, God; answer me. I'm one miserable wretch! Keep me safe—... Help your servant—I'm depending on you! You're my God; have mercy on me. I count on you from morning to night. Give your servant a happy life; I put myself in your hands! You're well-known as good and forgiving, bighearted to all who ask for help. Pay attention, God, to my prayer; bend down and listen to my cry for help. Every time I'm in trouble I call on you, confident that you'll answer...

From the bottom of my heart I thank you, dear Lord;... You've always been great toward me—what love! You snatched me from the brink of disaster!... you, O God, are both tender and kind, not easily angered, immense in love, and you never, never quit. So look me in the eye and show kindness, give your servant the strength to go on, save your dear, dear child! Make a show of how much you love me... As you, God, gently and powerfully put me back on my feet."

We Con the World Video as performed by Captain Stabbing & Friends

2010-06-04T06:47:00.000-04:00

We Con the World Video as performed by Captain Stabbing & Friends

A humorous look at the recent Gaza "Flotilla" intervention.

Well said, David!

2010-06-02T10:35:00.005-04:00

Psalm 41: 13 Blessed is God, Israel's God,
always, always, always.
Yes. Yes. Yes.

(The Message)

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T07:03:00.001-04:00

(from my favorite strip - "Mallard Fillmore")

3 needles

2010-05-28T10:23:00.000-04:00

Well, the day went downhill REAL fast. I arrived at Dialysis and found out I had one of my favorite attendants, a young Filipino woman who recently became a US citizen. She is very sweet and always sharp and on her toes treatment-wise. Unfortunately she didn't move fast enough for another attendant who decided to jump in and help her by sticking my arm and hooking up my "plumbing".

Now dialysis is simple enough. They put a needle catheter in my arm and tap my bloodstream to take blood out and send through the filter. Then they put a second needle "upstream" where the blood goes back into my system. Simple as long as it's done correctly.

If the arterial needle (the line out or the suction line) isn't correctly positioned the machine alarms because the pressure it monitors isn't correct. For that, I don't feel a thing. However, if the venous needle (the line in or pressure line) isn't correctly in the blood vessel you get what's called an "infiltration". An infiltration occurs when the opening of the needle is not in the center of the vein and the returning blood is pumped into muscle tissue. The results include the creation of a "knot", bruising, terrific burning sensation followed by a not so dull ache. The burn is the first indicator and I quickly let them know there's a problem. This is followed by by attempts to re-position the needle location but most often, such as today, they abandon that needle and add a third needle to do the job.

So, today I have the unique arm in the clinic; the one with 3 needles in it. An ice pack has helped the swelling but the ache lingers on, and on, and on.

Trust or Statistics?

2010-05-26T10:38:00.000-04:00

In the final chapter of 2 Samuel an all too familiar refrain is heard; "once again God was angry with Israel". Perhaps in an attempt to assess the true "spirituality" of the nation, the Lord tests King David. "Number the people" He whispers.

David falls for it and issues the order. Gen'l Joab argues "why would you do this" knowing that when God brought the nation out of Egypt He told Moses "DO NOT NUMBER THE PEOPLE". David insists, Joab follows orders and reports, and THEN David has a bout of conscience because (vs 10) "he had counted the people, replacing trust with statistics." David asks forgiveness and the Lord sends him an answer through Gad, the prophet.

3 years of famine, 3 months of war or 3 days of plague, choose. David makes the "right" choice, plague, knowing that God is a merciful God. Famine would have had its greatest effect on those least prepared. War would have given the world an opportunity to ridicule God as "protector" of the nation. (vs 14) I'd rather be punished by God, whose mercy is great, than fall into human hands."

The epidemic lasted from "morning until suppertime" when God said "ENOUGH!!" The Angel of God had reached the threshing floor* of Araunah the Jebusite. The Lord has David buy the threshing floor and build an altar there. When burnt offerings and peace offerings are offered there "God was moved... and the disaster ended."

May I always recognize the mercy of God and submit myself to Him and be faithful in trusting Him and not "statistics".

*traditionally the site where Abraham had built the altar to offer his son, Isaac, to fulfill God's request.

The "Mother's Day" sermon you never heard

2010-05-25T08:28:00.000-04:00

As I prepare the message for Father's Day soon coming my daily reading reminds me of the Mother's Day message you're not likely to ever hear.

In 2 Samuel 21, as recently reviewed, King David had to make amends to the Gibeonites to get back into God's good graces. The solution required the lives of 7 of King Saul's descendants. Enter "Rizpah".

Rizpah was the mother of 2 of those whose lives God required to settle the debt. Understandably, she was distraught but her reaction was unique. The Message version relates this story: ¹⁰ "Rizpah daughter of Aiah took rough burlap and spread it out for herself on a rock from the beginning of the harvest until the heavy rains started. She kept the birds away from the bodies by day and the wild animals by night."

Maternity spans a myriad of aspects but I find this to be particularly telling. She couldn't countermand the order of the King. She couldn't keep her sons from being killed. What she could do was attempt to prevent the further desecration of their bodies and ultimately her diligence was rewarded. ^11-14 David was told what she had done, this Rizpah daughter of Aiah and concubine of Saul. He then went and got the remains of Saul and Jonathan his son from the leaders at Jabesh Gilead (who had rescued them from the town square at Beth Shan where the Philistines had hung them after striking them down at Gilboa). He gathered up their remains and brought them together with the dead bodies of the seven who had just been hanged. The bodies were taken back to the land of Benjamin and given a decent burial in the tomb of Kish, Saul's father.

When I visited my daughter Ariel in Israel years ago she took me to Beth Shan. At the time I failed to recall the significance of the location. More importantly though, had it been marked, I think I would have preferred to see the barley field where this mother took her last stand for her children.

Famine

2010-05-24T09:56:00.000-04:00

2 Samuel 21:1 "There was a famine in David's time. It went on year after year after year—three years. David went to God seeking the reason."

I must say that if it were me and I was experiencing a famine I don't know that I would think to ask God why. However, in the Jewish culture they believed, and correctly so, that God gave and withheld the rains. So after three years God had David's attention and when asked gave David the answer. In short, Joshua and the Children of Israel had made an treaty with the Gibeonites (see the post "Tip of the Iceberg") but when Saul was King he had ignored it and wreaked havoc on the Gibeonites. While the treaty was NOT in God's plan it WAS in His Name and as such, to dishonor the agreement was to dishonor God. God explains it to David, the chief representative of the nation and David sets thing right with the Gibeonites. (vs 14) "They did everything the king ordered to be done. That cleared things up: from then on God responded to Israel's prayers for the land."

Now, I've had my share of famines. Some I paid attention to and others, probably not. But now I ask myself if my famines are because somehow I dishonored God. Have I misrepresented Him with my body and reaped the famine of my health? Have I misrepresented Him in my finances and have reaped financial setbacks? Have I forsaken the God appointed position of head of family and reaped broken relationships?

Do I think God is just waiting to "get me" for my misdeeds? No, I don't believe that at all but I do believe that If I am God's representative and do a poor job of it He is entitled to withhold His blessing. Why would He bless me if I fail to honor Him.

Is your land well watered and growing or is it time to ask God why?

Revenge

2010-05-20T04:53:00.000-04:00

What did I ever do to him? And who on earth gave him a passport? Oh, I'm speaking of Montezuma.

I'm in the second day, or should say night, of the battle of Montezuma's revenge. Only one other time in my life have I had the experience this badly and that was when I was in Guatemala and had indeed made the mistake of having some local water, actually ice cubes. When you're someplace like that you can be somewhat expectant of problems and beware. But in your own home you don't guard and even if you did what would look out for?

I know it's getting old for me and I'm sure for my wife as well which is why I'm up at 4 AM writing this instead of lying in bed and jumping up regularly to run to the bathroom. I'm at that place where I'm empty so I want something but wonder what is "safe"? I keep some Gatorade in the fridge for Dialysis related dehydration so I'm using that right now to stave off the dehydration that comes from flushing all your fluids through your body.

Ordinarily this is where I say something about "keeping you posted" on my progress but I won't do that to you. Instead I'll just keep fighting the battle valiantly and see if the Gator is the answer.

The miracle of grandparenthood

2010-05-17T06:58:00.000-04:00

My family is all way ahead of me on this but... I became a grandfather again on Friday. Always a wonderful, joy-filled occasion but especially sweet this time because we didn't know the sex of the baby in advance and after three granddaughters he was our first boy. Meet Carson Benjamin Rainey -

Mom and dad are doing fine and the boy is just outstanding. My granddaughters are close in age and despite being cousins have essentially grown up as sisters who live in different houses. In this case we already knew that Sarah is going to have a boy in July so after 3 girls we will have two boys together.

Before God and everybody let me say how proud and happy I am of Ben Jr and Corie who are wonderful parents and to thank the Lord for giving us all the desires of our hearts.

When God does my "light work"

2010-05-10T17:26:00.000-04:00

Of all the interaction between God and the Patriarchs, and ultimately the children of Israel, about the promised land one fact remains; The Israelites were going "home" although none of them had ever been there before.

While I was in college my younger brother was killed in an automobile accident and soon after my folks decided to sell the old home and move away from the memories. Certainly understandable. However at Christmas break I drove "home" to a house where I had never been. I really can't describe the feeling of picking my way through the neighborhood until I saw the house number and knew I had arrived. In my case I was going to a welcoming reunion where I had no fears or concerns, just the adjustment that goes with a new location.

In Exodus 23 God tells Moses about going home to a place he had never been. He recognizes that there are other peoples there who may not be happy at the prospect of millions of neighbors who think they own the land. To prepare the way God says (vs 27) "I'll send my Terror" ahead of you... all you'll see of your enemies are the backs of their necks. Then in verse 28, as if the Terror of God wasn't enough, He says "I'll send Despair" ahead of you... I'm turning everyone living in that land over to you, go ahead and drive them out.

If I'm following the Lord's instruction and going somewhere I've never been, and have the least concern, how encouraging is it that He sent His Terror and His Despair ahead of me to soften up any resistance. What a "my dad's bigger than your dad" scenario that allows. I'm so glad for the privilege to be His child.

God's Anointed

2010-05-05T19:55:00.000-04:00

Although I had read it many times over the years this year the question finally broke through to me and it is this; Why was David so protective of "God's anointed"?

In 1 Samuel chapters 24-26 David is being pursued by Saul who is trying to do him in but every time Saul is vulnerable, David will NOT raise a hand to the King because he is God's anointed. He makes the declaration 6 times in the three chapters. "How could I possibly raise my hand to God's anointed?"

How is it that a shepherd boy is so attuned to God and His plan that he becomes dogmatic about the position of the King? Is it because he recognizes that God has relinquished His leadership to a human King and therefore that King stands in stead for God? Or is it simply "treating others as he would like to be treated"? Whatever the case David lived and breathed respect for the leader that God had installed.

In today's world we often fail to regard the fact that kingdoms and leaders are ordained by God. Do we show the respect that David showed Saul? David was satisfied to let God deal with those He had established. Perhaps I should be too.

Now you are free

2010-05-03T16:57:00.000-04:00

“Now you’re free….” The nurse said. I always look forward to hearing those words but in this instance it was all wrong. Instead of being at the end of my dialysis treatment it was at the beginning.

I had a big day coming up. Dialysis, lunch with some of the family, final preparations for a weekend trip, work through the evening, then drive an hour and a half to my event hoping to be there before 10:00pm. SO, at 6:15am, the idea of being free did not compute.

Her full statement was “now you’re free, to begin your activities without my interference.” Those activities include using my laptop to accomplish various work-related activities. Being human I can admit to doing some personal activities as well. I read my email, surf several news sites and read a couple of daily columns I like. But this is another place where life is interesting.

Because my dialysis access is in my right arm, and of course I’m right handed, whatever I try and do I have to do left handed. As soon as I sit down they take over my right arm to disinfect, insert the needle catheters, hook up the necessary tubing and set the pressures on the pump. On my left arm they attach the automatic blood pressure cuff. After that, I’m welcome to do whatever I wish. So, with my left arm, I set the laptop up on the arm of the recliner and achieve just the right balance, open it, log on work to my heart’s content with the single tool I have, the forefinger of my left hand. (If you thing 2 finger typing is slow, try one, wrong, finger.)

Some who read this will think, “what a bummer”. But given the alternatives I’m saying what a winner! I’m not in a nursing home or hospital, not dead, and when I’m not hooked up to a machine my life is pretty normal. I can chase and play with my granddaughters, work in the yard and around the house, hide from my wife, go camping with the boys program I’ve been part of for years. I CAN be normal, or at least as normal as I’m capable of.

My daily bible reading has me in Samuel reading about the exploits of David. David’s big entrance is of course his battle with Goliath. In providing his “credentials” to King Saul he says “I killed the lion, I killed the bear, this heathen is no big deal.” And everyone says YEAH!! The other way of reading it is; “I’m only a boy living out in the wilderness alone watching over sheep. The days and nights are long and lonely. I don’t want to disappoint my dad and the responsibility is huge. And there are lions and bears, oh my. I’ve even had to defend myself and my flock. Being a shepherd is rough but I’m stuck with it because of the being the youngest.” No, instead, he focuses on his circumstances as opportunities to grow, to accomplish, and to get closer to God.

Yes I’m free, but it has nothing to do with the mechanical cleansing of my blood. It has only to do with the shed blood of Jesus that pays for my sins and guarantees me the privilege of being part of the family of God. Since I got cleansed that way the worst that can happen is that I’ll leave this world and my family behind until we’re all gathered around His throne in Glory.

Obedience is the Way

2010-04-28T08:14:00.000-04:00

When my kids were young the school they attended had a tree on campus with limbs low enough to climb or hang onto. The school rule was to stay out of the tree. The principal related at a parent-teacher night about a boy who was caught hanging on a limb while rhythmically swinging and singing "O B E D IENCE, obedience is the very best way to show that I believe."

King Saul was head and shoulders above his countrymen but it was as if it put his head in the clouds, as though he couldn't see that his feet were still on the ground. He made the mistake of believing his own "press". When Samuel gave him instructions from God, Saul would follow much of the instruction but not all. This ultimately cost him his kingdom.

I have a friend who listens in conversation until she hears the trigger word then proceeds to react or answer what she thinks about where the conversation is going without waiting to hear it completely. This may have been the habit of Saul. He was often close but "no cigar".

In 1 Samuel 15 Samuel instructs Saul this way: (22-23 Msg) "Do you think all God wants are sacrifices—empty rituals just for show? He wants you to listen to him! Plain listening is the thing, not staging a lavish religious production. Not doing what God tells you is far worse than fooling around in the occult. Getting self-important around God is far worse than making deals with your dead ancestors. Because you said No to God's command, he says No to your kingship."

Whoa! Disobedience is worse than the occult. Who'da thunk it? I wouldn't give the occult a second thought but am I that serious about full obedience (he said while swinging from the limb of the obedience tree)?

Perspective

2010-04-27T17:39:00.000-04:00

Individual perspectives have always fascinated me. How 2 or more people can look at the same thing or same situation and see it entirely differently. Try this one out:

In 1 Samuel 4 The Philistines "break bad" and attack Israel. Israel "breaks bad-er" and brings out the Ark only to lose it and the battle. 1 up for Philistia. The Philistine deities fall on their face in the presence of the Ark and subsequently the people begin to experience a plague. It doesn't take long for them to decide they really don't want the Ark and they send it back to Israel territory (1 Samuel 6). Chapter 7 says that "God was hard on the Philistines all of Samuel's lifetime."

After a few chapters that bring about the kingship of Saul we get to Chapter 13 and Saul is feeling his kingly oats and starts building up the army. Here comes the question: The Philistines say "The Hebrews are in revolt!" I thought you had to be a slave or have been conquered "to revolt". Obviously the Philistines regarded themselves as superior to, and conqueror of, the Hebrews. The Hebrews regarded themselves as equal or greater(sounds like an equation) than the Philistines, hence the difference of perspective.

We Christians have an enemy who is always regarding us as being in revolt. He finds us "revolting" for not following him and leaning on God instead. He would have us think he is the superior when in truth he falls on his face in the presence of Almighty God. What's YOUR perspective of it?

What's a father to do?

2010-04-26T19:12:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned last Eli was High priest and he didn't do as he should (1 Samuel 1-3)and his sons came along behind him and did what they wanted until God dealt with them. By chapter 8 we read that Samuel is now an old man and his sons have been set up as judges in Israel but "his sons didn't take after him; they were out for what they could get for themselves, taking bribes, corrupting justice." The national leaders complained to Samuel and demanded a King. This begins the scenario that leads Samuel to anoint Saul and the "Kingdom" period begins.

Do you think it came as a surprise to Samuel that the nation didn't "appreciate" his sons and their habits? As a father I can tell you that you hear scuttlebutt. The point comes to whether you believe it and if so what you do about it. As the father of 2 ordained ministers and 1 minister, not ordained, I care about what they are doing for the Lord. We have a saying in our house that if they were not doing as they should they are subject to getting "a knot jerked in their tail". They know that dear old Dad may not always be right but he is always Dad.

Eli did NOT set a great example and his sons failed. Samuel DID set a great example and his sons failed. Therefore, example is not enough. You have to put your example to work. "Bro. Love" says God gave you two hands; one to reach up to Him and one to reach out to others... and smack them when they need it. Thank goodness I have little experience with the latter but I'm not afraid to if I need to. You've been warned. &)

Are you in or out?

2010-04-25T19:59:00.000-04:00

Every year when I get to the opening of First Samuel I'm reminded of the familiar "Mother's Day" story of Hannah, the mother of Samuel. You all know the story; she is barren, childless, and every year when the family goes to the Tabernacle to offer it's annual sacrifice, she implores God for a child. This year while reading I noticed the Message says she was IN the sanctuary praying.

IN the sanctuary praying. Something about this does not compute. Nobody went IN the sanctuary or Tabernacle to pray or otherwise. Moses had taught in Numbers that the operation of the Tabernacle was up to the Levites and (Num.18:5 Msg) "anyone else who invades the Sanctuary will be executed."

Eli was High Priest for 40 years but the opening of Samuel explains that he was less than forthright in his leadership. Perhaps his lackadaisical ministry had come to allow people into the Sanctuary. Whatever the case, these unusual things happened; Hannah went into the Sanctuary to pray and from a place she was not supposed to be her prayer was heard. Then, Eli the less than dedicated High Priest who should not have let her be there, thinks she is drunk, rebukes her for her "drunkenness" (not for being where she shouldn't be) THEN prophesies over her about her pending pregnancy. Okay, what do we learn from this?

The bottom line is this; The Lord God knows what He is doing and is the expert at making lemonade out of lemons. Being where we shouldn't be doesn't prevent Him from accomplishing His will. It also shows that Balaam's wasn't the only "donkey" He ever used.

This is a test

2010-04-20T18:37:00.000-04:00

This is a test. This is only a test. Had this been an actual blog emergency instructions would have been included. This is only a test. You will now be reconnected to your regular programing.

Jephthah - Did he did or didn't?

2010-04-19T19:15:00.000-04:00

Every year when I'm reading through the Bible and I get to Judges I'm reminded of all the great stories of God's use of individuals, well known and almost unknown. I recall learning about Shamgar from a little chorus that my friend Charlie Swartwood taught us at a recital in college: "Shamgar had an ox goad, David had a sling. Dorcas had a needle, Rahab had a string. Samson had a jawbone, Aaron had a rod. Mary had some ointment and they all were used by God!"

The more well known include Samson, Gideon, Deborah. Not so well known is Jephthah, the patron Saint of shooting off your mouth. We are all given to rash statements at times but Jepthah takes the cake. At a time when vows were big business in the Hebrew culture, and Jephthah was bargaining with God for a victory over the Ammonites, he told God that in exchange for a victory he, Jephthah, would sacrifice the first thing that came out of his tent when he returned only to be welcomed back, to his horror, by his only daughter. She negotiates to go away and mourn the fact that she would never "know" a man and 2 months later she returns and he carries out his vow. Now comes the quandary of the Vow and the How.

There is no consensus among theologians about the how. Some accept that he sacrificed her, others say he didn't and that she remained celibate for the rest of her life in honor of his vow. For me it's easy, he sacrificed her. I arrive at that conclusion because the Bible says he carried out his vow.

I'm a literalist in Bible reading. If Genesis says the creation was in 6 days, I have no problem accepting that as 6 literal days. When it says water came out of a rock, I say get your cup. The east wind blew and the children of Israel walked across the Dead Sea on dry land. These and others have always been easy for me to accept because my God is able to do all those things and more. What's more, when I read His promises I fully accept that they apply to me.

Is there anything about God's plans and purposes that require my bargaining with Him for results? Would He have given Jephthah victory over the Ammonites without his rash promise? Is there a secret formula to success before Him? YES!! It's called obedience. Obedience to His Will. Obedience to His Way.

After all, what kind of God would He be if He negotiated with man as equals?

He is the Air I Breathe

2010-04-17T12:09:00.000-04:00

The single generality that most people recall from the story of Job is that following his catastrophe Job's 3 friends come but fail to console him. Later, Elihu, a younger neighbor, outlines a number of the attributes of God while attempting to show Job that because of who God is He can't have done wrong to Job. After many colorful analyses Elihu says:

Job 34:15 He's (God) the one who runs the earth! He cradles the whole world in his hand! If he decided to hold his breath, every man, woman, and child would die for lack of air. (Msg)

Give that some thought the next time you're singing "He is the air I breathe..."

What is the blessing of God?

2010-04-15T17:16:00.001-04:00

How would you define the "blessing" of God? When you pray “bless me Lord” what are you asking for or expecting? Deuteronomy 28 has the formula.

HOW - ^1-6 If you listen obediently to the Voice of God, your God, and heartily obey all his commandments that I command you today, God, your God, will place you on high, high above all the nations of the world. All these blessings will come down on you and spread out beyond you because you have responded to the Voice of God, your God:

WHERE - God's blessing inside the city, God's blessing in the country;

WHO - God's blessing on your children,

WHAT - the crops of your land, the young of your livestock, the calves of your herds, the lambs of your flocks. God's blessing on your basket and bread bowl; God's blessing in your coming in,

WHEN - God's blessing in your going out. ⁷ God will defeat your enemies who attack you. They'll come at you on one road and run away on seven roads. ⁸ God will order a blessing on your barns and workplaces; he'll bless you in the land that God, your God, is giving you. ⁹ God will form you as a people holy to him, just as he promised you, if you keep the commandments of God, your God, and live the way he has shown you. ¹⁰ All the peoples on Earth will see you living under the Name of God and hold you in respectful awe.

WHY - ^11-14 God will lavish you with good things: children from your womb, offspring from your animals, and crops from your land, the land that God promised your ancestors that he would give you. God will throw open the doors of his sky vaults and pour rain on your land on schedule and bless the work you take in hand. You will lend to many nations but you yourself won't have to take out a loan. God will make you the head, not the tail; you'll always be the top dog, never the bottom dog, as you obediently listen to and diligently keep the commands of God, your God, that I am commanding you today. Don't swerve an inch to the right or left from the words that I command you today by going off following and worshiping other gods.

The Tip of the Iceberg

2010-04-12T10:01:00.000-04:00

Joshua and the tribes begin claiming the land God promises them in the book that bears his name. Battles and successes are the rule of the day. God has told the people through Joshua to totally destroy all the nations they encounter.

All the nations but one combine armies to battle Israel. The Gibeonites say "momma didn't raise no fool" and plot to deceive Joshua and the nation. They put on their oldest, most ragged clothes and convince the Israelites that they aren't locals but travelers just passing through. Joshua makes a covenant with them that Israel won't kill them and the nation moves on.

The Message drops this bomb in relating the story:

Joshua 9 ¹⁴ The men of

Israel

looked them over and accepted the evidence. But they didn't ask God about it. ¹⁵ So Joshua made peace with them and formalized it with a covenant to guarantee their lives. The leaders of the congregation swore to it.

This decision haunted and plagued the children of Israel for hundreds of years. Now you know how the sins of the fathers are visited on the children.

When He calls me by name

2010-04-10T06:48:00.000-04:00

My dad taught me as a boy working in his service station, "never be afraid to ask someone their name. People are proud of their name. It's what sets them apart from the rest of the world." So, when He calls me by name I try to pay attention.

At the end of Deuteronomy when Moses is blessing the tribes, the Message says (33) ¹² Benjamin: "God's beloved; God's permanent residence. Encircled by God all day long, within whom God is at home."

May I ever maintain the "welcome mat".

What version?

2010-04-10T06:29:00.000-04:00

What is the bottom line of Bible reading? Contrary to popular belief it's not "hearing what God has to say". It's READING!

Of course the Bible is full and running over with absolute truth, invaluable nuggets of who God is and "inspiration". But you can only get to it if you read. Consequently find a version that you enjoy reading.

People of my generation started with the KJV. After all, if it was good enough for Jesus it's good enough for me. A number of versions are efforts to take the archaic and make them more understandable. Other are intended to be reading versions, easily understood and relative. I've read many of them and prefer the "read-able" versions; New Living Translation, The Message, etc. When I find a nugget I'll read it in several versions to see the different perspectives.

Additionally I prefer a "chronological" approach. I find that reading the prophets mingled into the history books gives a context that helps create a framework for the visions. In the NT you can read about the expansion of the church intermingled with Paul's letters to the various churches.

As stated above, and here we are on the bottom line, READ the book.

Time for a change

2010-04-10T05:55:00.000-04:00

I first established this blog 4 years ago to chronicle the marriage of my daughter Sarah and the love of her life, Andy. Now, almost 2 grandchildren later I've decided to take the blog in a different direction and make regular contributions to it.

For years I've done daily Bible reading and scribbled notes to myself about things that piqued me. Now, rather than just make notes for myself about my daily Bible reading I'll post some of the questions, insights and blessings here. Hopefully I won't be 4 years before the next post.