Psalm 57:21 and John 13:5 ""Christ Uses the Ordinary not the Spectacular" (June 1)

Why does the next worship service have to be better than the one before?  Why does the next song need to be more powerful than the last?  Why are we always trying to outdo ourselves?  Jesus wrapped a coarse everyday towel around his waist.  He dipped His Hands in a worn porcelain water basin and poured water. John 13:5. He spit in the dirt to stir up some mud to spread on a blind man.  He didn't use the spectacular.  He used the ordinary to reach, to touch, to give life. May I not be caught up in thinking I have to have the next best book or song or experience.  Seek Truth not the blessings of this life.

Psalm 55:2 - The LORD looks down from heaven to find those who seek Him
Psalm 57:21 It's my friend, my companion who taunts me:  His speech was smooth as butter yet war is in his heart.  His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.  What to do?  Cast your burden on the LORD and He will sustain you.  The One Who judges on the earth.  The One Who uses towels and dirt and water and 5 loaves and 2 fish to make a difference.  Not the dramatic nor the flamboyant.  God doesn't try to outdo Himself, does He?  We're the ones who think the next show has to be so much better than the last. 

Psalm 40:17 and John 12:27 "Save Me From Myself" (May 31)

Save me from this mess?
Save me from this hour?
Save me from myself?

John 12:27 - Jesus prays:  Save me from this hour?  No, You brought me to this place.  For Your Greater Glory and for each one of us.  Sometimes, I want to be saved from the mess I am in but we aren't zapped, are we?  My mess is of my own making and I must believe and be brave and repent and return. 

My loss is huge this night.  Huge.  Just huge.  My head hangs low.  But I will keep believing in His Power at work in me though I do not see.  I will keep telling of His Grace pouring in though I do not know it.  I refuse to do anything less than lean in on Him.  Falling hurling headlong but it's not fatal, never.

Psalm 39:1 - Guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue.
Psalm 39:4 - Make me know my end, the measure of my days
Psalm 40:1 - I wait and I wish it were patiently
Psalm 40:12 Evils encompass me beyond number...my heart fails me
Psalm 40:17 Poor and needy, The LORD takes thought for me.

Psa 36:11/ Psa 37:24/ John 11 "Hurled Headlong" (May 30)

Jesus comes back to Bethany and the man he raised from the dead, Lazarus, throws him a dinner party. Meanwhile, the Jews plan a murder party for Lazarus.  What! ---for being raised from the dead. Imagine that? So...There they all are celebrating: Lazarus, Mary, Martha, Judas ... Reclining at the dinner party table with their Suffering Savior who holds secret knowledge of his soon betrayal. Jesus leans on the Father of Mercies for His Comfort to keep on giving out, pouring out his life. He doesn't lean on Lazarus or Mary (like please come through for me by saying the right things) nor does He give in to their pull (like come heal Lazarus today---and I am memerized by Jesus'response: how about if  I come in 4 days).

And it is the Beauty of God that stirs in Lazarus' sister, Mary. Overcome with the Goodness of God. I mean, Jesus just gave her brother back to her. You know when you lose something precious and someone gives it back to you in deep measure. But who gets the love of their life back? Mary did. And she bathes her LORD in perfume that equaled an annual wage. If Mary had access to that kind of resources, you know there was more. That's not the issue. Her motive was challenged by the betrayer, Judas. Aren't our motives challenged every single day of our lives. Why are we really doing what we are doing? And what are we really getting out of what we are doing? "Many Christians hold the idea that if you are good, it does not matter if you are a fool." C.S. Lewis

I read books. I read blogs. I read hearts---as best as I can. So much of what I see is people building their own kingdom here on earth and not ever even realizing it. Fudging the truth. Distancing themselves. Positioning themselves. Look at me. It's all about numbers for some, isn't it? What about me?

The bible reading in John 11 is not tidy and trim. It is horrific. A resurrected man---wonder how he told his story---is now a hunted prey because of his powerful relationship with Jesus.. It's dangerous knowing Jesus. It's not like some make it out to be. Some say: Study this passage and go live and you will be free. No, it might cost you things in this world. It just might cost you dearly like the stories of the Blind Man and now this one about Lazarus.

O God, Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me. Psalm 36:11 Help me to understand my depravity a whole lot more than I do. Establish my steps and when I fall, help me to really know that I will not be cast headlong for you, my God, upholds my hand. Psalm 37:24. For I am ready to fall, and my pain is ever before me. I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.  Psalm 38

Psalm 31:22/ Psalm 35:22/ John 11:41 "Unanswered Prayer" (May 29)

Is there ever a prayer that is unanswered.  Not really.  God answers all of them---it's just that maybe the answer we hoped for is not the one we receive, the timing we require is revealed to be our will not His. 

In John 11:41 ~ Jesus lifts up his eyes and says, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.  Lazarus had been dead for 4 days.  Did anyone really believe that God would bring him back to life? 

If we ask, He will answer. 

Don't be silent.  Please be near to me.  Psalm 35:22
Please hear my voice as I cry for mercy.  Psalm 31:22

Just like Lazarus, awaken my soul to see life again. 
Just like Lazarus, send people my way to unbind what I cannot.

Thank you, God, for the invitation to pray without ceasing. 

Psa 27:13 and John 11:6 "Take Courage" (May 28)

No one had seen people raised from the dead, restored to sight, water changed into wine, 20,000 people fed from 5 loaves & 2 fish, demons cast out---until now, the 33-year-old Jesus performed unprecedented miracles.  So, when Mary & Martha of Bethany send word to Jesus to "Come" for the one He loves is gravely ill, they surely didn't expect Him to tarry.  Did they?  Would you?  If I had two days to live, would you come quickly, dear Jesus?  John 11:6 says "he stayed two days longer in the place where He was," when he learned of Lazarus' condition.  Jesus knew Lazarus was going to be all right.  Jesus knows that you and I are going to be okay.  Death is His Domain not ours.  There is a Bigger Story going on here.  Is sickness the worse thing that can happen to us?

In all that God has allowed to come my way, there is a verse that I have meditated on for three decades.  Never a week goes by that I do not think of it.  Be strong, Bev.  Let your heart 'Take Courage.'  Wait for the LORD, Bev, not for your circumstances to change.  Psalm 27:13 - I would have despaired unless I had believed that I will see the Goodness of God, even in this.

O God, "Be our  Shepherd.  Carry us Forever."  Psalm 28:9
Bless your people with Peace.  Psalm 29:11

Psa 24:6/ Psa 25:16/ Psa 26:12 "Standing on Level Ground" (May 27)

It does not matter what happens to us in life.  One huge reason is John 10:29 God is greater than anything that could happen to you.  "No one can snatch me out of His Hand."

No matter what, my foot stands on level ground, even if my world is falling apart - Psalm 26:12.  So, turn to me, dear God.  Be gracious for I am lonely and afflicted - Psalm 25:16.

I want to be a part of this generation, seeking your Face, O God.  Not your Hand for what you can do.  Your Face for Who you are.  A Redeemer inviting me into a relationship.  Face-to-face. 

Standing on Level Ground while an earthquake shatters my world.

Psalm 22:22 and John 10:9 "Keep Telling" (May 26)

What do people trust in today?  Success.  Reputation.  Ambition.  Personal Peace.  Affluence.
In John's day, they trusted in horses and chariots. 

I spent many days as a child in the midst of trouble.  Psalm 29:7 ~ God answers us in the day of trouble.  He is the Door.  I cannot remember much about my childhood.  I do remember one afternoon that went south.  I've reflected on the terror of the moment way-too-many times in my adult life.  I asked the LORD, one time, where was He when this tragedy struck?  Immediately, John 10:9 came to mind---He was the Door, standing at my door, saving me from trouble.  I made it through.  I'm still here. 

I love David's mantra in Psalm 22:22 - Keep Telling, Keep Trusting.  Even when you feel like Psalm 22:1 Forsaken.  A heart like melted wax.  A strength dried up like a prune.

I cannot change my present circumstances.  I can believe that the Good Shepherd is standing at my door.  So, I will keep telling of His Love, His Kindness.  I mean, so far, He has rescued me again and again.  And He will take care of me. 

Psa 17:15/ Psa 19:14/ John 9:30 "Far Too Easily Pleased" (May 25

We are far too easily pleased. C.S. Lewis said it. May I never be satisfied with anything greater than becoming like Christ.

Whether we can see or not, believe for the sake of His Glory. John 9:30 "Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes." Since the world began, no one has ever even heard of anyone who can open blind eyes. So, why is it that we don't believe God?

Psalm 17:15 - As for me, when I awake, I shall be satisfied with His Likeness. What am I settling for these days? His Likeness only? Or is a solution that I demand. A response that I require. A change that must happen or else...

Psalm 19:14 Let these words of God that are in my mouth be acceptable to you, God. Let this meditation of my heart that wanders off the tried-and-true path be pleasing to you, God. My Rock. My Redeemer.
"We are far too easily pleased."

Psalm 15:4 and John 9:5 "Light of the World" (May 24)

I used to think that God gave me my portion in life and I just had to accept it.
I do not think that way any longer.
The LORD is my chosen portion. Psalm 16:5
Big difference for me.

Help me, O God, to speak truth from my heart not just my lips
Strengthen me to swear to my own hurt and never change.  Psalm 15:4
Bless you LORD Who gives me counsel.
Make me aware every single night of my heart instructing me. Psalm 16:7
Thank You for making known the path of life.  Psalm 16:11

Some are born blind on the path of life
That the works of God might be displayed. John 9:3.
Would you welcome a Stranger into your face?
Rubbing the Smell of Dirt on your blind eyes?
Telling you to go to Siloam---a place you've never seen.

The no-named blind man risked a lot.
Sure, he gained his sight, but he
Lost his job begging for money
Lost his reputation being healed on the Sabbath
Lost his credibility in the community---he was never really blind.
Lost his parents support---they threw him under the bus.
But look what he gained:  The Sight & Light of the World. John 9:5

Psalm 12:7 and John 8:28 "Lift Up the Son of Man" (May 23)

Our society is grasping for a word from a preacher, a word from a teacher, a word that will change their life.  Preachers feel the pull that they have to deliver something to help you live the Christian life and become a better person.  Christ says in John 8:28, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He," and that changes everything.  We cannot stay curved in on ourselves if we are flat before Him.  Radical repentance will change your life not a list of good things you should be doing.  "...Abide in My Word and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."  John 8:32
Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone;


Psalm 12:7 - God will guard us from this generation that says you have to do it their way.  Be successful.  Make a name for yourself.  Guard us, God!  Light up our eyes, Psalm 13:2

Lift up the Son of Man.

Psalm 9:9/ Psalm 11:4/ John 8 "God Stoops Down to Me" May 22)

I wonder if Jesus stooped down to write in the sand for me, a sin-sick-soul "curved in on myself."  Whatever he wrote, caused the elderly to leave first.  They understood his mantra.  They got it.  God still stoops from heaven into our daily lives to forgive and blanket us with grace. 

“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” John 8

Why do I so quickly want to roll my eyes?  distance my heart?  put up a wall?  justify my actions?  prove my point?  throw a pebble? 

The God of transcendent Beauty stoops down to me this day because "His Eyes see."  Psalm 11:4  The God of the Vast Universe lowers Himself down, lowers His Eyes.  He is my Stronghold in this time of trouble. Psalm 9:9. 

Psalm 8:4 and John 7:38 "Mindful of Me" (May 21)

What flows out of me?  I cannot verbalize the fathom of the depth of my dilemma. 

All I know is this---I have the holy privilege every moment of choosing ravishing repentance before my Holy God, Who will never let go of me.  So grateful to the One Who is mindful of little me, Psalm 8:4.

John 7:38 ~ Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”  We all have to ask:  What is flowing out of us.  I do not really know.  But, there is Something so different about my life and how I can now let go of the guilt that once encompassed, entrapped, enslaved.

This I know. 
The evil within me is real. 
The God within me is so much Greater. 
The wrestled guilt no longer holds any power over me.

Psalm 6:6 and John 7:18 "Flooded with Tears" (May 20)

Sometimes, I think I'm reading the Bible for the first time.  How did I miss that before?  David had so many enemies---his own father-in-law and the whole household, his own son Absalom, and I don't have to list any beyond that uncontrollable grief.  Yet, in Psalm 6:3, David's very own soul was troubled.  I think there is validity to the Crabb quote that says our greatest enemy is within.

David flooded his bed with tears.  In the morning, David awoke to pour out his voice to his God, Psalm 5:3.  Oooh!  The cry of my soul.  It is not what is happening to me but what happens within me that makes me so needy. 

Whose glory do I seek?  John 7:18
The one who seeks the Glory of God is true.

2 Sam 24:10 and John 6:64 "Heartstruck" (May 19)

Oh!  To be like this humble servant in 2 Samuel who was so willing to take a look at what was going on inside of his heart. 

2 Samuel 24:10 ~ David's heart struck him, after he numbered the people.  While he was taking care of his business, David's heart grew cold toward the stirrings of his heart.  But, wait, NO MORE...Heartstruck! 

John 6:64 "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life."  Oswald Chambers writes that the Words from God are ones He speaks this day to us, not the past, according to the tense of the verb in the Greek.  God is speaking Spirit and life.  And if we are listening, our heart is struck.  So, where am I this day?  Heartstruck or Heartless? 

Psalm 18:28 2 Sam 22:37 John 6:26 "Why Do You Seek Me?" (May 18)

Oh, earthly mess of mine!
My steps take place in the dark
My God is there, O this God Divine
Enlightening my blackness with His mark.
Psalm 18:28

I think I' swinging my doors open wide
But it is my God Who initiated first
My God is right here by my side
Offering me verse by verse!
2 Sam 22:37

"Why do you seek Me?"
Is it for earthly gain
To live my life for me?
To live my life for Thee?
"Why do you seek Me?
For what stirs within
Or for a better life without.
John 6:26

Psa 64:6 Psa 27:13 John 6:6 "Five Loaves Two Fish" (May 17)

Sometimes, I feel like I have no earthly idea how I am going to get out of the mess I am in.  This is one of those times. 

Psalm 70:5  "I am poor and needy (probably more than ever).  Hasten to me."  Come to my house, O God.  Do not delay.

I have NO IDEA how this all can work out. 
John 6:6 "Where are we to buy bread?" 
Someone in the crowd offers 200 denarii---someone's rich----that equals a year's salary.
There is no place that can cook bread in 33A.D. for 5,000 men plus their families and the bill would be extravagant. 

I sat in a counselor's office six years ago.  I sunk into the chair in deep despair in every which way.  Inward minds and hearts run deep, Psalm 64:6.  How I found this genteel guy is beyond me.  I remember asking him if there was any hope for me?  He looked me square in the eye and said:  "Five Loaves and Two Fish."  And I believed in the midst of my despair.  Psalm 27:13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the Goodness of God. 

It is six years later and I'm still looking where to buy bread.  But I know something this day that I didn't know then.  I know Something this day that I didn't know last year, last month, last week, maybe even the last day.

And, maybe, God is being good to us through our enemies, you know, the ones throwing stones. 

2 Sam 19:6 and John 5:44 "Do You Hate Those Who Love You?" (May 16)

You cannot have it both ways.
Your son is trying to kill you.
You cannot take it easy on him.
Those seeking him are dying too.  2 Sam 19:6

David is rebuked.
You love those who hate you---father-in-laws and sons.
You hate those who love you---the ones risking their lives.
Wake up.

John 5:44 ~ Do you want the Glory of God
or the glory of man?

It's so much easier to love the distant than
to love those you rub noses with every day.

2 Sam 16:12 and Luke 5:5 "God Is Repaying Me With Good" (May 15)

I cannot fathom the depths of betrayal that David passed through.  O Absalom, my son, my son!  Would I have died instead of you---even with how vicious his son treated him.  Horrific.  Macabre.

Whether it's the fool, Shimei, throwing rocks at David or his father-in-law ravaging David's resources, strangling David's life, David takes a beautiful look at the Sovereignty of God and writes:

2 Samuel 16:12 ~ "It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today.” Is there anyone in your life that has done your wrong?  Maybe even this day?  Can we join this saint of old who conjured up that even cursing could be used by God.  Maybe God is repaying me with good by "this thing" that is happening to me? 

Luke 5:5-6 ~ You may be stuck in your situation for 38 years.  "Do you want to be healed?"

Whatever "this thing" is, know this.  Your God might be repaying you with good---His Goodness!

2 Sam 15:31/ Psa 69:4/ Psa 3:3 "Lifter of My Head" (March 14)

If anyone knew betrayal, it's David.  Now, his eldest son, Absalom conspires against him.  Oh my goodness. 

2Samuel 15:31 David prays to God to turn Ahithophel's advice to David to foolishness---but it didn't happen. 

Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.  I am the one who will give you justice.  I'll treat you right. 

Do we ever make it our goal, the theme of our days, to steal the hearts of our children, our husband, our friends?

No wonder David writes in Psalm 69:4, at this same moment in history, that those who hate him w/o cause are more than the hairs of his head.  One day, God will answer David that it actually His Thoughts toward him that are more than the number of hairs on David's head.  Each strand stands for God's thoughts not David's enemies.

And no wonder at all that David writes in Psalm 3:3 a verse that has captured my heart for decades:  My Glory! And the Lifter of my head.  If I can stand this day, and I am standing tall, it is only because my God has lifted my head.

2Sam 13:1 and Luke 4:16 "Stand in God's Presence Today" (May 13)

Am I present in my conversations with my world?  Focusing on them not on what I will say next.  Focusing on them not how I feel.  Focusing on them not caring what the world thinks of me.  Focusing on them, realizing I will have to take a stand for what I say and do.  Focusing on them, drawing out from them the man or woman God intends for them to be, no matter what the cost to me.

2 Samuel 13:1 talks about how the time was right for what?  Sin. 

Luke 4:16 - Jesus asked the woman from Samaria, "Go and get your husband."  He knew she didn't have a husband.  He wanted her to deal with the untruth.  The womans response:  Which mountain should we worship on?  Do I do the same things?  Divert the attention away from myself cause it's too hard to deal with the fact that I have had 5 husbands. The woman wanted to talk about where to worship rather than dealing with worship from her heart.  Worship of the one whose in whose Presence she stood.  She wanted to converse from 20,000 feet in the air.

May we all stand today in the Presence of the God we adore, fully standing in the Truth of the moment. 

Psalm 51:6 Psalm 32:6 John 3:19 "The Rush of Waters" (May 12)

There are dark corners in all of us. 
Do I loathe them or peer into my innermost being.
Oh, to live this present hour in Truth, in Rest.

David connives, murders, denies, steals
Someone's husband.

David agrees, confesses, embraces, delights
Someone's servant.

In the rush of waters,
You are our forever Hiding Place.
In the depths of despair
You surround us with your Face.

Psalm 51:6 - one of my most favorite verses...
You delight in Truth in my innermost being.

Am I living in the present? 
Dealing with what is stirring inside?
We are all curved in, so bent.
Disturb & delight ~ may we never hide.

2 Sam 11:1 and John 3:8 "Rend Your Heart not your Garments" (May 11)

Rend your Heart not your Garments. Does a fish know when it is wet? Same for modern man born in the past 200 years. It is hard for an arrogant person to know that he is arrogant toward God. Arrogance is the ocean we swim in, the air we breathe (John Piper).  Rend your heart, not your garments. Joel 2:13.

David should rended his heart.  In 2 Samuel 11:1, David decided to take the high road.  He had just killed 40,000 horsemen in the last battle.  He was reeling off success.  But in the spring, when kings go to battle, David stays home.  Arrogance.  And he connives how to get rid of Uriah so he can have his wife.  Unbelievable jargon. 

John 3:8 says that for those of us born of the Spirit of God, and David was, the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.  Same with all of us who follow Him.  Listen for the Wind.  Rend your heart.  And go with God.

2 Sam 9:7/ Psalm 60:12/ John 2:3 "My Wine Ran Out" (May 10)

Someone, Someone
has shown my family kindness this year
by offering to us their heart, their home
And we barely knew who they were
It is the Kindness of our God

Someone, Someone
has just breathed his last breath
I've never met the man; I will one day
He has reached deep into his pockets
More than anyone else ever has
He has given my son a future, a college education.

I'm "taken" by the story of Mephibosheth
The one who was lame in both feet
The one who now eats at the king's table
All because he waited on God ~ 2 Samuel 9:7
His wine ran out (John 2) and David poured it back

There's no wine in the wedding of my life this day
Depleted.  Devastated.  Drained.  Discouraged.
No Wine.  So I wait for a King to appear
I know He will.  I just know He will.

Who will bring me where I need to go
Who will lead me past this mess
Have you rejected us, O God
I don't see you in my dilemma
With God, we shall do valiantly;
it is He who will tread down what we face.
Psalm 60:11-12

2 Sam 7:3 and Psalm 30:5 and John 1:38 "I Find Courage to Pray" (March 9)

Who am I?  You have brought me to this place.
Alone.
Stable.
Kept.
Fixed.
Grasped.
And everything that is going on---it's all right by You.

2 Sam 7:18 ~ “Who am I, O Lord God...that you have brought me thus far? ...
I find courage to pray this prayer to you.
May it please You to bless this house, this generation
that our children may continue before You forever...forever...forever!

Go.
Do.
All.
That is in your heart
For the LORD is with you. 2 Sam 7:3


"What are you seeking?" John 1:38
What are those tears for?
Your weeping may tarry
God's joy will carry you - Psalm 30:5

2 Sam 4:8 and John 1:23 "Change Your Ways" (May 8)

What does it mean to change our ways?  Really.
Aristotle said: "The unexamined life is simply not worth living."
So what needs to change?  Behavior?
Could that be nothing more than behavior modification?
What was does real deep change of the heart look like?
I know a little better this night than I did last year, a few months ago.
This isn't about the power of positive thinking---"it's all good."
This isn't about being positive, giving thanks in all things.
This is about a wrestle with those things that cause our heart to be darkened to the Light. 

Here's a story of someone who chose darkness, for whatever reason. 
2 Samuel 4:8 Here, David, here is the head of the son of Saul, your enemy.  Avenged! 

No. No. No, cries David in  “Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life."

Once again, do not take matters into your own hands.  "As the LORD lives, Who has redeemed my life out of every adversity, you will not be rewarded for revenge. 

How can I see this day, this circumstance that my God is redeeming me right out of this adversity?

Leave it on His Lap.

Make straight the way of the LORD, John 1:23.
A calling to change our circumstances.  No
A calling to change our ways.
Written in the stark darkness of my life.
All the lights, all the power in our neighborhood is off.
There is more Light in my life pushing out this present darkness than ever. 

2 Sam 1:16 and Luke 24:45 "Don't Take Matters into your own Hands" (May 7

I don't think figuring out life is as easy as people make it out to be.  I am currently embroiled in a mess.  A real mess.  And I do not know what to do other than Love God, Love His People, Trust in the Darkness, Fall Forward in Love.  I do not know.  Bring me the ephod.  Inquire of the LORD.  God help us!  But do no take matters into your own hands, Bev!  Don't do it. 

Luke 24:38 Why are you troubled, why do you have doubts arise in your mind?
Luke 24:45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

For those of us who need to find our way
Find Your Kingdom
Disrupt Disturb Extinguish Enlighten Protect Provide

2 Samuel 1:16 ~ An Amalekite tells David that he killed the Anointed one, King Saul, the one who was trying to murder David.  David orders this man executed for killing the one whom God has anointed.  Unbelievable.  David never took matters into his own hands.  He trusted that God would take care of him and that God would take care of the evil king, his father-in-law. What will I do with this story?

I Sam 30:6 and Luke 24:31-32 "Bring Me The Ephod" (May 6)

There are things we do to ourselves and we are responsible for our actions.  There are things God allows to happen to us and His Provision always takes care of us, according to His Way.  But to hear of David's plight in the ending chapters of I Samuel is so much.  David learns of the Amalekites' raid on Ziklag---home of his wives and daughters.  They're all gone.  No wives at home waiting with a hot meal.  Captured!  David becomes greatly distressed because the people of his town now want to stone him for getting them in this mess. 

So, what does David do?  I Samuel 30:6 - "David strengthened himself in the LORD, his God."  Wonder what that means for me this day?  "Bring me the ephod! And David inquires of the the LORD---what shall we do?

Luke 24:31-32 Their hearts burned within them as the Risen Christ opened up the Scriptures burned within them and the Risen LORD opened their eyes.



Hearts burning within.  Not only did David contend with a father-in-law gone made but a city gone wild.  Yet, he remained a man tethered, grasped, kept.  The Scriptures burned within him. 

And all this fighting costs King Saul his life.  I climbed a treacherous hill (for me) at Beth-shan and stood on the tippity top of that huge mound where the Philistines fastened the headless body of Saul to the wall overlooking both sides of the valley to send a message.  And I thought about the Scriptures burning within my own soul.  And how alive I am to God.  And what it really means for me to strengthen myself in the LORD.  To inquire of Him.  Bring me the ephod.

I Sam 29:5 and Luke 23:51 "Looking For The Kingdom" (May 4)

I am looking for the Kingdom of God.

Luke 23:51 ~Joseph of Arimethea was "looking for the Kingdom."
What a way to live your life.   Is there any other way to live?

David was looking for the Kingdom in I Samuel.
Trying to live right before a holy God.
Don't kill my lord, my king
My betrayer.

David was willing to fight for the Philistines.
But would he kill the Israelites?
A mercenary gone mad.
Go home.

And for the third mention of the mantra concerning David:
I Samuel 29:5 ~ "Is not this David,
of whom they sing to one another in dances,
‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”
Three mentions!  You know Saul thinks about this way too much.
What about me?
Do I think about the success of others with delight or disgust.
Leave this in the lap of the LORD we so love.

What do these verses really mean for us today?
Am I looking for the Kingdom of God or
Am I looking for the Kingdom here on earth?

I Sam 24:10 and Luke 23:5 "What Stirs in You" (May 4)

What stirs in you?  What is the energy behind your words, your thoughts, your actions this day?

Is it the Energy of Christ, Col 1:29.  Or is it the energy of your flesh that doesn't want to suffer, doesn't want to look bad.

Luke 23:5 talks about what the people said about this Galilean carpenter who fixes more than just furniture.  He fixes broken hearts.  "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.”  And that teaching has reached our hearts this day.

From David in a cave being stirred by God to spare the life of his father-in-law who is seeking to murder him, I Sam 24:8-10.  David who says to Saul:  Why do you listen to the words of men? I am going to do you good, not evil for evil, for what stirs in me is the Mighty God...

From rich men in trees stealing money from the community and stealing a look at this Christ...

From poor lame, blind men who can't feel, touch, see their way...

From Jesus surrendering to a cross for the sins of the world...

All the way to me, this moment in history.

What stirs in me this day?

I Sam 23:4 Psa 54:4 63:3 Luke 22:61 "Upholder of My Life" (May 3)

Where are you today?
Fleeing from your enemies.
Coasting with your friends.
Feeling good about yourself.
Where are you this day?

David is hiding from his father-in-law.
Betrayed.
He hears that a city needs his help, his men.
David saves the city of Keilah.
Yet, instead of wearning a hero's halo,
David hears Keilah's betraying words.
We are willing to turn you over to Saul.

Why do I think things don't make sense.
Why do I think life isn't fair.
Because it's not.
So, I want to pay very close attention to
what David does next ...
"David inquires of the LORD" I Sam 23:4
Who leads Him to the Rock of Escape from Saul.

Psalm 63:3 "Your Steadfast Love is better than life."
In the watches of the night, what does David do?
He meditates on His God not his dilemma.
"Behold, God is my Helper,
the LORD is the Upholder of my Life."
Not, IF the enemy goes away, IF evil leaves me alone.
No matter what, the LORD is the Upholder not man.

Psalm 52:7 57:2 142:7 "Sleeping for Sorrow" (May 2)

Luke 22:45  Jesus found the disciples "sleeping for sorrow," instead of praying for hope.  He told them:  "Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

So, here's David flailing, fleeing, in flight from his father-in-law.  The one earthly man he should be able to trust.  Saul, whose eyes burn with the rage of hell.  The psalmist hears that Doeg slaughtered 85 priests who helped David---who prayed to the Steadfast God of Love on David's behalf.  Don't trust in the abundance of your riches, your blessings, in this life. Psalm 52:7. Trust in the steadfast love of God, no matter what is going on around you, and you'll be a green olive tree.

I wish I could verbalize the thoughts swirling in my head, my heart.  Why is it that people don't listen to their own heart.  What stirs within reveals your heart.  That look on your face reflects the anger, disgust within.  I've heard "it's all good," way too many times in the last 24 hours.  Maybe, it's not.  And you just think it should be, if you were spiritual.

David knew. 
The Steadfast Love of God, not what he conjured up in a cave.
Psalm 57:2-3 I cry out to God Most High, in whatever this current cave may be,
to God Who fulfills His purpose for me. 
Psalm 142:2 I pour out my complaint before Him; tell my troubles to my LORD.
"There is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains;
No one cares for my soul."  Psalm 142:4
David's dilemma sinks deeper than just losing his life. 
He lost part of his family.  Betrayed. 
Bring me out of prison, God.  Deal bountifully with me.  Psalm 142:7
I'm flat out of energy.  May the Energy of Christ be alive in me. 

I Sam 22:14, Psa 56:9, Luke 22:21 "Inquiring of God for You" (May 1)

It's rare these days that I cannot sleep but last night was one of those tossing and turning turbulent times. 

"You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?"  I cannot even type the verse without tears streaming down my cheeks.  It's a low point for me as I look into my own heart, my brokenness, and my tremendous need for God.  "This I know, that God is for me." Psalm 56:9

Doesn't matter whose hand is on the table...Luke 22:21...traitor or friend.   What matters is whether I move in love.

Here's the House of Ahimelech in I Sam 22:14 moving in love to help David and the King will have none of it.  David---Saul's very own son-in-law.  Saul plots against him.  He takes the lives of 85 priests because Ahimelech "inquired of God for David." Saul has gone mad.  Wouldn't you just love for someone to inquire of God for your son-in-law?

May I never stop inquiring of God for my enemies and my friends.  And I offer deep thanks for all those white-hot teeming tears being collected this present hour.  May I live present, not absent. 

Psalm 34:15 and I Sam 21:11 "Your Redemption Is Drawing Near" (April 30)

Scripture interprets Scripture.
And it's all about being redeemed.
Your redemption is closer.

For every single believer, Luke 21:28 holds true:  Your redemption is drawing near.  It's one day closer than it was yesterday. One minute closer than when you opened this blog. 

So, "watch yourselves less your heart be weighed down with the cares of this life," even the blessings of this life---and no one wants to hear that.  We can become so tripped up in seeking the blessings of this day, this life.  It's a trap.  A snare. 

God's Eyes are toward you this day.  (Psa 34:15)
Your cries fall upon God's Ears.
Look to Him not to ambition.  (Psa 34:5)
Your redemption draws so near.

In I Samuel 21, there's a horror of a tale of a son and his father:  Saul and Jonathan. 
The father chased after ambition, recognition, success---at the expense of his family.
One little statement in 21:11 about David slewing 10,000 while Saul heralded 1,000---
and Saul's rage turns into a mission of death. 

And the question for me is this:  What will I do with ambition?  How did I get to this place where I am today?  Do I truly believe my redemption draws nigh?   That changes things for me. 

Psalm 59 and Luke 21 "Plumb Lines" (April 29)

Vertical Hope comes from corporate worship. (PDT)
Horizontal Hope comes from working out my salvation with fear and trembling.
The plumb line of the Scriptures.
Amos 7:8 says this is what God has shown me---what do you see?  A plumb line and God will never pass us by again.  The straight line of God's Word.  He is here for us.  He will never leave us helpless.  Never will pass us by again.  Here's your plumb line today:

I Samuel 19
Psalm 23
Psalm 59
Luke 21:1-19

I Sam 17:26 and Luke 20:46 "Bleating Sheep" (April 28)

It's all right to be satisfied and encouraged and gratified from others.
But it's not all right to demand that it happens.

Luke 20:46 - Beware of:
* looking good
* best tweets/ most loving comments
* best seat in the house
* words of honor

David's father doesn't want him to go to war...stay home and take care of the sheep.  David didn't live for recognition.  He was faithful where he was found.  Bringing comfort to his valiant older brothers at war, David sees this Philistine giant and questions out loud why this guy should defy the armies of the living God?  I Samuel 17:26.  David's eldest brother lunges down David's throat...I wonder why?  "Why have you come down here? ... I know the evil of your heart."  I Samuel 17:28.  Snippy, sarcastic, suspicious rhetoric from the older brother.  Why?  All David did was show up to help.  Doesn't the same thing happen to us?  We show up and someone slips and the slights start streaming.  So hurtful.  What does David do with his hurt?  Against all odds, he takes courage and stands up to the abominable Giant with weapons of heart not armor.  God's glory is not in our strength, not in our armor.  God glorifies Himself through our hearts.  Nor is His Glory in the applause of men.  The women came out of all the cities of Israel singing and dancing to celebrate David's victory over the giant.  So, what did the king see:
"Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”  King Saul heard those stinging shouts and became terribly displeased.  Verse 9 says that Saul "eyed" David from that day on.  Do I have my "eye" on anyone, watching how things turn out for them, with them, to them???

Stay home and take care of your bleating sheep. 

I Sam 16:7 and Luke 20:25 "God Looks At My Heart" (April 27)

Luke 20:25 Render to God what is God's. Live a quiet life. Mind my own business. Owe no man anything except to love him.  That's it...owe a life of love not distance, not making people pay, not manipulation nor shame nor half-hearted obedience---no presumption.  "The LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."  I Samuel 16:7.  Someone may look good on the outside but what's stirring within? 

"The unexamined life is simply not worth living."  Socrates

Luke 19:44 and I Sam 14:52 "Attached to Strong Men" (April 26)

Am I truly dealing with this present hour? During my life, I have attached myself to strong men, wise pastors, successful people, ever-present help.  I didn't trust my own intellect, even my own tastes.  I looked for the best, went after them, and patterned my life after theirs. Develop your strengths, that's what I would say. No more (as Hannah's verse goes).

I Samuel 14:52 ~ "When Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant man, he attached him to himself."

And here's a verse to overlay on that kind of philosophy:
Luke 19:43 ~
Your enemies will
set up a barricade around you
hem you in on every side
tear you down to the ground
and your children within you.

And all because
Luke 19:44
You did not know the time of your visitation...am I living in the Present---
hearing, receiving and moving on the Spirit of God?  Am I dealing with this present hour??

I Sam 10:9 and Luke 19:8 "God Gave Another Heart" (April 25)

So much spiritual talk. 
But what does our lives look like today?
Do I see the Movement of the Spirit of God in my life today?

God's Standing Invitation to me, to you, changes our lives.
I cannot remain the person I am in the Face of a Holy God.

Zaccheus was curious, rich, a bully. 
A sinner who extorted people silly.
A ravenous tax collector working the streets.
Love compelled him to climb a tree to meet
a Stranger Who invited Himself to Zaccheus's door
And repentant leaves fell from Z's eyes ...  no more
I'll give half of what I have to the poor.
I'll restore 4-fold the defrauded's door.
Not a checklist for Z
Just evidence of The Almighty.

Confession.  Repentance.  Change. 
Evidence of a heart that moved from
Curiosity to Commitment.

And the verse, I Samuel 10:9 steps off the page...
God gave Saul another heart...
Not a moral one.  Not a spiritual one.
A civil heart to govern well in wisdom.

God, change us as we climb the trees of life this day.
God, give us "another heart" to honor You in what we do.

I Sam 7:12 and Luke 18:41 "I Raise My Ebenezer" (April 24)

I do not know what God is doing in my life.  I am at the end of my rope.  So, I've tied a knot and I am holding FAST.  But this is not about how strong I am.  I am free falling and expect a very Good God to catch me, Someday.

Meanwhile, this wild ride just became way more scarier.  So, I'll set up a stone between Austin and Fort Worth and call it Ebenezer.

I Sam 7:12 Then, Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.”

God has helped me to this point in my life. I know He will help me again and again. I need Him so. I don't know how I can get out of where I am, but in this dark night, I'm reaching out for a Hand, hoping I will find His soon, to direct and disrupt, no demands. 

So, grateful to God for a standing invitation.  Luke 18:41 ~ "What do you want me to do for you?"  Could you, ... I know not what to ask before a holy God ... except, make me holy. 

I Sam 4:9 and Luke 18:8 "Read My Life into God's Story" (April 23)

I Samuel 4:9 reads "Be men and fight." For what? The ark of the Covenant? The Philistines were ignorant. They thought they could receive power from this chest. "They thought of it as a spiritual tool." Wonder how many things I view as a spiritual tool to find God? God gives justice to His elect who cry to Him day and night. When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth? Luke 18:8 So what am I worried about these days? How does it read into God's Story? Concerned about my husband not having a full-time job and where will we go? Concerned about leaving a mark and how will I do that? How do I live in ignorance like the Philistines or in forgetfullness like the Israelites? How do we then live?

I Sam 3:10 and Luke 17:31 "Live Into This" (April 22)

I Samuel ~ What it means to be human, desiring a good story for my life. One thousand years have passed since the calling of Abraham. It will one more thousand years of living before Christ comes, the Savior. We read looking back. We know the Story. I Samuel 1:18 - No More! Hannah. God will hear your childlessness. I Samuel 3:10 - Speak God, for your servant Samuel listens. I Samuel 2:9 - God will guard the feet of his faithful ones. Luke 17:31 - The Kingdom is coming. Don't look back for your purse, your possessions, your prize. "The biblical way is not so much to present us with a moral code and tell us 'Live up to this,' nor is it to set out a system of doctrine and say, 'Think like this and you will live well.' The biblical way is to tell a story and invite us, 'Live Into This.' ... We do violence to the biblical revelation when we "use" it for what we can get out of it or what we think will provide color and spice to our otherwise bland lives. That results in boutique spirituality---God as decoration. God as enhancement. The Samuel narrative will not allow that. Submit our lives to what we read and we find that we are not being led to see God in our stories but to see our stories in God's. God is the larger context and plot in which our stories find themselves."

Ruth 4:15 and Luke 17:3 "Not Left Out" (April 21)

Writing from a hotel on Westheimer while visiting Houston with our track team. Saved at a bar on Westheimer when I met a Man Who knew everything about me...and still changed my life. Ruth 4:15 ~ My God has not left me without a Redeemer. He has not left you. He shall be our Restorer of Life and a Nourisher in our old age. Hanging on to this verse with all my spiritual might. This love story of Boaz and Ruth whose child will become the grandfather of David. God never forgot Naomi and He hasn't forgotten me either. Luke 17:3 ~ "Pay attention to yourselves" and forgive over and over and over again. May His Name be Renowned in this city and in yours.

Luke 16:25 "A Great Chasm" (April 20)

Sometimes, all I know to do is to keep on searching the Scriptures for truth, not as a play book, rule by rule, line upon line, but to find the Living Word. So much of what I see today are people seeking to try harder, live better, be positive, change our thoughts...I used to live that way, no more! Life is too short to miss it. Luke 16:25 ~ Lazarus and The Rich Man. Abraham said to the rich man after he had died: Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. I am awestruck that this rich man is settled into this fixed chasm in Eternity and able to do nothing about his dilemma, anymore. Faces flash way-so-fast of those I love who have not bowed the knee. I cannot wrap my mind around an eternal decision that one moment in time will be finalized for every one of us. The Great White Throne of Judgment. Meanwhile, many years before this exchange between the unnamed Rich Man and Lazarus was another unnamed Concubine and a Levite. Judges 19:25. An unbelievable story of rape and rage. The unnamed girl is cut into 12 pieces and mailed as a message. Oh my word. Consider and speak is the message. What words can be found? And, again, tonight. The message for me is to deal with my own bosom sins, my own besetting sins. LORD, have mercy!

Judges 16:28 and Luke 15:17 "Come Home" (April 19)

There is no more important moment than this present moment. Am I living in the present? The prodigal comes to his senses, comes to himself, comes home. He didn't stop til he reached the doormat that read "Welcome Home." Will I come to my senses in what I'm doing to myself, to others? Will I come home to my LORD and not stop til I reach that moment in prayer. The crowds are pressing in to Jesus. The Pharisess are keeping tabs. It's a dead man, who is now alive, Luke 15, all because he came home humble. He came to himself when he realized that his father's servants were being treated better than he. Samson came home briefly in Judges 16. Departed again for his own delight, Delilah. Didn't make it all the way home. Departure. Destitution. Distance. Come Home Now ~ your God is Waiting, always.

Judg 13:25 and Luke 15:9 "Deal With My Own Bosom Sins" (April 18)

What do I do when the Spirit of God begins to stir? Judges 13:25 ~ "The Spirit of the LORD began to stir" in Samson. What happens after that? Such stories of spiritual rollercoasters in these chapters---Jephthah, now Samson. Do I deal with the energy that is dominant in my center---the one that is going to win out? Do I press hard to get my own way? Do I let go and let God. Or do I look to what others are doing flat out wrong? I blew up over something so trivial, last evening. What was stirring in me? "The easiest thing in all the world is to be constantly denouncing popular faults; but to wring the neck of one of my own bosom sins is a harder work by far, and a much better sign of conversion." Charles Spurgeon I am that "one sheep" that goes astray. Luke 15:9. It might look good to go after the sins of our husband, our children, our church, our ministry but is Grace stirring in our hearts? "To loathe my own sin, to humble myself on account of my ow personal faults, and to endeavor in the sight of God to renounce every false way, is a work of something more than human nature." It is the stirring of the Spirit of God in me and you. Charles Spurgeon

Judg 11:9 and Luke 14:28 "Counting the Cost" (April 17)

Am I counting the cost of what I participate in? Am I counting the cost of what I believe God wants me to do? Am I counting the cost of moving in love in my current relationships? Luke 14:28 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Jephthah was a mighty warrior with a dark shadow over his life. Son of a prostitute. Yet, he counted the cost and did what he knew to do best---he became a mighty warrior. So, when the chips were down, who did they go to---Jephthah who said: "if the LORD gives them over to me," then we will win. Judges 11:9. Counting the Cost for the Glory of God

Judg 9:2 and Luke 14:10 "Resting in the Lowest Place" (April 16)

What do we value, sitting in the place of honor, wanting to be right next to Beth Moore, John Piper, Tim Keller. What if we aren't recognized in this life. I am a nobody. It is my God Who lifts one up and places one under another. Don't sit at the place of honor, don't covet it. Luke 14:10 says: Sit in the lowest place. Can we be content there? Can we rest there? Abimelech counted the cost for himself ~ Judg 9:2 not for the glory of God. This son of Jerubbaal promoted himself, hired reckless warriors, killed 70 brothers. God returned the evil of Abimelech. God takes notice of every price we pay. Letting go of those things that count only on earth.

Judg 7:7 and Luke 13:24 "Enter Through Narrow Door" (April 15)

Luke 13:24 is a sobering verse to me. Some will say to the LORD---open the doors of heaven for me...and He will answer "I do not know where you have come from." Why are we here? To build the best life possible? Try the hardest that we possibly can? God says: “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer that He doesn't know you. Is it your own hand that is trying to craft, to build something of yourself? In Judges 7:7, God said that 32,000 was way-too-many to defeat the Midianites lest they think that "my own hand saved." So, God reduced the army from 32,000 to 300 exhausted warriors who worked for God's Glory first then Gideon's glory. For God's Glory!

Judges 5:31 and Luke 13:19 "What is the Kingdom Really Like?" (April 14)

You just have to read Scripture in context. This is all still about the Kingdom. Luke 13:19 ~ What is the Kingdom like? A mustard seed. A mustard tree. The shade leaves loom large and offer a respite, a rest. Don't we all need to find a little more rest in our lives. Something happened to me 6 years ago and as I faced my Maker, I changed my value on physical rest. Honestly, the spiritual value shattered first---reversed those days of "little sleep." I now sleep like a baby every single night. I am finding a little bit more of a rest spiritually, too, than ever before. A tremendous freedom to be free from what others think of me, even now. Judges 5:31 “May your friends be like the sun as he rises in his might.” And the land had rest for 40 years. Physical rest. Spiritual rest. Oh, may we know a tiny bit more of rest this day than we knew yesterday. And for me, freedom from what this Christian community thinks. People seem to be so fixated on behavior without looking at what lies beneath their actions. What is the Kingdom really like?

Judges 1:2 and Luke 12:33 "Search the Scriptures" (April 13)

Search the Scriptures. Read them in context. Scripture interprets Scripture. Luke 12:32 says: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." There is that word again. One Thing Necessary---we read 2 days ago. Yesterday---seek the Kingdom. Today---God's Pleasure is to give you His Kingdom. So, Luke 12:33 says: Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Where is my heart this awful desolate abandoned lonely day? We also read Judges and a very strange story in Chapter One about Judah and Simeon taking possession of their land and going in and defeating 10,000, Judges 1:2, and then ... cutting off the thumbs and big toes of the king. How strange some of the stories seem. What does that mean for me this day to take possession, to seek His Kingdom, to ask relentlessly, impudently, for what God already wants to give. Search the Scriptures.

Josh 24:15 and Luke 12:31 "Seek The Kingdom" (April 12)

There is something so very appealing that our God Who sees and knows beckons us to keep the faith and seek His Kingdom. He knows the way we take. He sees what tugs at our heart---recognition, success, approval, meaning. And He invites us to live in the moment, present. For there is Someone Present in all of our moments and we do not face them alone. And it's an elderly Joshua who stands up to speak right before he dies. His last words. I don't think people today value the wisdom of the elderly like before. Joshua 22:31 God is in our midst because we have not broken faith. We live in repentance. Joshua 24:15 Choose this day whom to serve. Is it a decision we make with our minds? May God quicken our conscience and awaken our souls as only He can. To choose Whom I serve means: Luke 12:31 Seek the Kingdom and these things will not be added. One Thing Necessary ... Seek The Kingdom ... wonder what that means for me this lonely day?

Josh 21:45 and Luke 11:35 "Is My Light Really Darkness?" (April 11)

May I be more concerned, way more concerned, about taking possession of what God has given me, what God has done, than I am concerned about what is happening to me or what people are doing to me. Luke 11:35 says: "Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness." It might be. Listen to what people are saying to you. Truly listen. I may think I am right but am I really? Joshua 21:44-45 The Israelites took possession of what was theirs. And the Lord gave them rest on every side, not one of their enemies still stood. Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. Mind your own business. Lead a quiet life. Let God be God. Hold fast to Him. And value rest more than conquer. Listen to God's Word more than what others say. Our God will never fail us.

Josh 17:15 and Luke 11:8 "Impudence" (April 10)

This life is flat out difficult to live whether you are sixteen or sixty. I spent the better part of my afternoon undergoing inhumane tests for cancer. So far they are all negative and I am immensely grateful for that, having been down that harrowing narrow road. So, Joshua 17:15 speaks to me in the dilemmas of my day ~ If you are a great people, says Joshua, then take the land you already possess from the cave dwellers and from the savages, expecting the assistance of your God. Am I expecting the assistance of God to do what looms impossible this hour? Am I being impudent about it? Luke 11:8 makes me want to stand up in impudence. "Because of his impudence, he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." I am rising up in impudence today cause I need God's help or I just might crater.

Josh 13: 1 and Luke 10:42 "Only One Thing" (April 9)

Choices. Martha was anxious and troubled about more than one thing. Jesus told her: "Only One Thing is Necessary." Mary chose the good portion. So, what's the good portion? If this is just about making good choices, we can "work" on our salvation but that's called works righteousness. The choices must come from a good portion, a good place in our hearts. It's about making choices for His Glory not mine, His Goals not my comfort. our LORD reveals our motivations in our choices---the intentions of our hearts---and thus, even choices may look really good, but are we controlled by the Love of our Christ. I may choose to say a good word to you this day and sin horribly in the midst. Man looks on the outward appearances; God looks into our hearts. Only One Thing Necessary. An incentive comes from Joshua 13:1 ~ You are advanced in years but there yet remains very much land to possess. As long as we have breath, we may choose to do what's right and the piercing of our soul will be found out. Choose this day the God you serve or you choose another god. Only One Thing is Necessary.

Joshua 10:9 and Luke 10:9 "The Kingdom is Near" (April 8)

About twenty centuries ago, on this Easter Sunday, God raised Christ from those among the dead. Mary prepared 75 pounds of spices from Nicodemus to prepare his body. Joseph of Arimathea wrapped His ravaged body tightly and totally. They prepared Him for a traditional burial not a Resurrection. Nobody really expected the Christ to rise, did they ??---except the Jewish leaders. The Jewish authorities didn't want that to happen, therefore good guards protected the entrance to the grave. Even when the first reports hit the streets that the tomb was empty, the response from the disciples was one of disbelief. Jesus was alive and when we believe that, so are we. Alive in Christ. The Kingdom is near. It is here. Luke 10:9 ~ The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. C. S. Lewis said it's the verse that Satan wants you to believe: the Kingdom of Heaven is here on earth and life here is what it is all about. No, it's a foretaste of what is to come---the day we live for---when we are with Him for all Eternity. Meanwhile, the Kingdom is near, even in your mouth. May the God you love draw you a little closer this Resurrection morn. Happy Easter. He's Alive and so are we!

Josh 7:5 and Luke 9:62 "Put Your Hands & Tears to the Plow" (April 7)

Oh, my fickle soul. I cannot talk myself out of this one. Holidays are family days but not yet for me. I try to make things work and what happens when they don't work out for me? Will I break faith? Everytime I live for this world, I do. God forgive me on this Easter Saturday as we move forward, O Dolorous Procession. Joshua 7:1, 5 - The Israelites broke faith...their hearts melted and became as water. I don't want a heart with little substance. Luke 9:58 - He knows. Just read that verse a few days ago and something moved in me. He knows. He had nowhere to lay His Head. Nowhere. No bosom buddies through thick and thin. His closest friends were both hot and cold. Betrayers and beloved. Yet, our Friend will alway treat us like beloved. Luke 9:62 - So, put your hand to the plow and don't look back. With tears streaming down my face, my hand is on this plow and I'm moving forward. Alone.

Josh 4:23 and John 9:20 "The Mighty Hand of Our God" (April 6)

It is the Mighty Hand of our God that is working in our lives. If I could tell you what God has done for Bob and me this past year, it's simply phenomenal. Can't share it here out of respect for others. Joshua 4:23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for the Israelites until they passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea. Wondering this day what waters the LORD your God has dried up for you. Why did He really dry up the river? Because they had to get across? God wanted all the peoples of the earth to know that the Hand of the Lord is Mighty, that you may Fear the Lord your God Forever. And we go back to the question that really matters in all of life. A question that each one of us must wrestle with. Jesus asked each of his disciples: John 9:20 Who do you say that I am? When we've stood on dry ground and didn't feel a trace of engulfing water, do we humbly bow the knee before our Maker?

Josh 1:8 and Luke 9:5 "Shake the Dust Off" (April 5)

I remember the spot where I was sitting---Verizon Wireless on Bryant Irving Street---when a dear friend called me to say that she heard I was moving to Austin. She told me that she hoped that I would "mind my own business" in A-town. "Stop sharing all those stories about things that happen to you---no one wants to hear it." Plenty tears fell as I sat on a bench in front of rows of cell phones for sale. And I mulled over the words way-too-long. Everyone hopes that their friends sift through their stories and blow away the chaff. And I reflect as I read words written centuries ago in Joshua 1:8. Mull over the Word, Bev. Let go of what others think. Nothing more important than chewing on God's Word not what I have done right or wrong. My High God is saying in Joshua 1:8 ~ "Be Strong and Courageous. Do not be dismayed." Shake the dust off your feet (Luke 9:5) whenever discouraging comments come---and they will---and move in love. "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous ... the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Deut 33:26 and Luke 8:50 "Riding to Our Help" (April 4)

I believe tonight that my God is helping me. I don't see it. I don't feel it. I just "only believe." Luke 8:50 in the face of Deut 33:26 There is No One Like Our God Who rides through the heavens to our help. And He is committed to help us be holy not happy. Therefore, that help may look a little different than what I had hoped for. This we do know: Deut 33:12 "The Beloved of the LORD dwells in safety. The High God surrounds him all day long, and dwells between His shoulders." Am I looking for God's blessings or Presence?Deut

Deut 30:14 and Luke 8:15 "Word in My Mouth" (April 3)

What is the Word that is in my mouth? What can I truly live and depend on in the mess I've made. I may not be like the "many-sin woman" but my sins are many. What Word is for me? Luke 8:15 ~ Hear the Word/ Hold it fast/ In an honest heart that lives in the present/ Bear fruit with patience for it will come one day. So, what is this Word for me? Deut 30:14 ~ The Word is in your mouth. And it is in your heart. Really, God? Deut 31:19 ~ Write down this Word, Moses. Put it in the mouths of the Israelites. Moses, you are going the way of all flesh. Before you go, I want you to know: These Israelites who rebelled in the wilderness, they are going to "whore after foreign gods" where I am taking them. They are NOT going to hold fast to Me. Wonder what Moses thought about his ministry as he began putting closure on his life. Did he think his ministry was a success? Put a Word in their mouths, Moses. Put a Word in mine, God.

Deut 29:9 and Luke 7:45 "So Many Sins/ So Many Tears" (April 2)

What am I known for? Is my reputation riddled with shame? This girl was known in the town for her many sins, not just for one. Yet, when the Silent Savior welcomed her into His Presence, He received her feeble fumbling flowing tears and touch. He didn't shrink back; didn't require her to change first; didn't even offer a word of advice or help. No, He received her brokenness and said: Luke 7:47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven--—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little. Confess our sins to Him Who waits to hear, waits to untangle the mess, waits to offer hope. Deut 29:9 God establishes you, His people, to be holy to Him. He makes us holy---it's not our achievement, our goal. What do I want more than the Love of my Christ?

Deut 26:1 and Luke 7:27 "Live In It" (April 1)

A widow's son died. No name. Little fanfare. One look from Jesus. The young man sits straight up in his coffin. And Jesus leaves the Village of Nain. A nameless family is rejoicing with a lifeless son sitting up in his brier. And He moves on to another village. The man with the name whom Jesus loved...John. One look into John's eyes. This is what I am doing for everyone in the villages all over the place. The dead rise. The lame walk. It is not going to happen for you, John? What do you think? Luke 7:27 Blessed is the man who is not offended in Me and what I do. Or what HE does not do. Deut 26:1(ESV) "Live in it."

Deut 24:2 and Luke 6:27 "Log In Your Own Eye" (March 30)

I saw an enemy this week...and what did I do? I looked the other way and glanced back to see if he cared. How sad that I missed the Grace of God. Jonah 2:8 Luke 6:27 says what to do with the enemies of our soul... Love Do Good Bless Pray Offer the other cheek and your other coat too Give Don't demand your stuff back. That's it...only by the power of God/ For we must purge evil from our midst. Cause there is a "log" in my own eye. Deal with your own stuff and leave your enemies alone. Before God they will stand or fall.

Deut 20:1 and Luke 6:8 "Excluded" (March 30)

I am smack dab in the middle of a battle. So, when I hear Deut 20:1 "When you go to war and see horses and chariots---an army way larger than your own, don't be afraid." And my mind immediately goes to our NT reading: "He knew their thoughts." Luke 6:8. God, you know... And yet You say: Don't panic. Don't be frantic. God is with you to fight for you. Deut 20:4. You know. So, what stirs in this frantic mess. A glorious mess. And so I ask the words penned by Dr. Luke in the Beatitudes: Am I poor? Am I hungry? Am I excluded? Am I weeping? He knows my thoughts...

Deut 17:12 and Luke 5:19 "Lowered Through The Roof" (March 29)

What does it take for me to not go beyond the limits of what is appropriate, what is permitted, what is allowed? Deut 17:12 says: You shall purge the evil from Israel. And all the people shall hear and fear and not act presumptuously. Don't go beyond the limits. Are we talking about behavior or heart? Aren't we always dealing with the motives of our hearts. Were the friends who lowered the paralytic down through the roof presumptuous? I think not. We actually know they were not---Jesus called them as having faith. He could see straight into their hearts. Wonder if He will see faith or fear in me today, wisdom or presumption. It's not about doing the right things---human do'ers. It's about being a better person than I ever have been---human beings who are a little more brave, a little more beautiful because we have lowered our husbands, our children, our family, our friends through the roof ~ Luke 5:19-20.

Deut 14:2 and Luke 5:9 "Beyond Human Comprehension" March 28

It is beyond my human comprehension that we are chosen to be treasured possessions out of everyone in the world. There is no language to describe the Matchless Beauty and Unparalleled Love that God has for each of us, no matter what we have done. He says: Deut 14:2 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. There. That's simply amazing. So where do I go with that? Luke 5:9 came to my mind this morning as I had such an evil thought toward a friend pop into my mind. "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man." I'm awestruck that Peter would say that about his story. I mean, he had been fishing all night long and had caught nothing. Peter was the pro at fishing, right? Yet, he offered his poverty to his LORD who made something big out of it. May we give to God out of what we have with full hearts.

Deut 11:2 and Luke 4:34 "Consider His Mighty Hand & Outstretched Arm" March 27

Consider the Love of Christ. Can we even fathom the depth and breadth? Where do we find such language to consider today? Deut 11:2 And consider today (since I am not speaking to your children who have not known or seen it), no, He is speaking to me and to you, to consider the discipline of the Lord your God, his Greatness, his Mighty Hand and His Outstretched Arm. And I have to ask the same question we find in our New Testament reading: What do you have to do with us, LORD? Luke 4:34 What do you have to do with us? Everything.

Deut 6:2 and Luke 4:18 "White Flag of Surrender" (March 26)

Our tests are always for our good, to reveal our hearts to live for Him or to live for myself or to live for you. Remember the whole way the LORD led you---Testing You---to show you what was in your heart. Deut 6:2. God already knew what was in our heart. He is committed to our holiness and showing us what it takes to follow Him. Luke 4:18 - The Spirit of the LORD is upon you. You are anointed to proclaim "good news" to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, to recover the sight of the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the Year of the LORD'S Favor. Okay, I'm proclaiming: We are all called and God so wants to lay His Favor on our white flag of surrender.

Deut 5:29 and Luke 3:3 "Baptism of Repentance" (March 25)

Sometimes, I think that I don't know that I could be any lower than I am today.  How could I be more confused than I already am? Does that matter?  Sure it does.  But at the same time, same place, what matters more is that I find my God in the midst of my mess.  A baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins. Luke 3:3.  Forgiveness for making life about me not Him. Forgiveness for ingratitude for what He has not provided.  Forgiveness for demandingness that life takes a turn in a different direction.  Forgiveness for jealousy looking into the lives of others.  Dare I go any further?  Hot blazing tears burn and blacken like charcoal. 

And God says in Deut 5:29, Oh that they had such a heart as "this" always --- to fear Me and keep all my commandments...

Be careful, Deut 6:7, when you sit, lie down, walk, rise... Be careful.
God has brought me to cities that I did not build.
God has brought us to a house full of good things that we did not fill.
God has given us cisterns that we did not dig.
And vineyards and olive trees we did not plant. Deut 6:11

Take care, lest you forget the LORD Who brought you out of slavery.
And I sit here typing wanting something more than what God has provided.
Oh my LORD, have mercy.  A Baptism of Repentance. 

Deut 4:9 and Luke 2:35 "Take Care" (March 24)

Take Care.
Keep your Soul Diligently.
Lest your Eyes Forget What You've Seen.
And your Heart Remembers Never Ever No More.
The Israelites are called to a Promised Land of such Beauty.
They must fight to get there, but wait, the LORD fights for them.
They need only learn to Rest in the One they Trust wildly.
Because HE has been appointed as their Savior.
He alone reveals the intentions of hearts.
So watch carefully what stirs in you.
Keep your Soul Diligently.
Take Care.

Deut 1:30 and Luke 2:7 "No Room in the Inn" (March 23)

Sometimes I wonder if I belong on Mars.  I think so upside down these days.  It's not about who is right, who is wrong. Not about the pro-Calvinists, the diehard Charasmatics, the  For me, life is all about who is experiencing the Presence and Rest and Beauty of God? 

Simply amazing to think that there was "no room in the inn" for a pregnant mom to deliver the Savior of the world.  Luke 2:7.  It so shows what God values that he planned the birth of low estate. 

Moses recounts the Goodness of God.  It is our Lord God who goes before us in all our wilderness experiences.  It is He Who will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,  and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place. Deut 1:30.  So, am I at the place God wants me to be?  Am I willing to move on with the light that I have?

God will take care of us but it actually may look like a distorted picture of what I hoped for.  Oh, but arriving at His Place, there is room in the inn.  It's a place of rest like we've never known before.

Numbers 34:2 and Luke 1:79 "Light in My Darkness" (March 22)

Here it is...the Promised Land.  Over 2 million Israelites swayed and swooned in the wilderness.  Even 603,550 soldiers marched on Canaan with confidence and never made it.  Here stands a few thousand who did, who trusted in their darkness.  Caleb and Joshua were two of them.  They didn't trust in a cloud to lead them by day and night.  They trusted a Person Who was committed to making them holy, way down deep inside.  Luke 1:79 ~ "The sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”   This was more about a place in their hearts than a piece of land.  The sun rises this day and may our Good God show us what emanates from deep within us. 

Num 33:52 and Luke 1:53 "God Fills The Hungry" (March 21)

I wonder if we sometimes think that God's reputation is at stake and we need to make the Christian life look really super inviting.  Make life intriguing, interesting, invigorating.  Don't complicate things and, for sure, don't make things way-too-serious or people won't want to read your stuff, they won't want to know your life.  Be positive.  It's all good.  No, not at all like that. Sometimes I feel like I am from another planet as I observe how others approach life. 

In the context of these verses, the Israelites had just been numbered and pointed in the direction of the Promised Land. Well, go!  No brainer, right?  Wrong.  They were invited to step into this new land flowing with God's Goodness but FIRST, Numb 33:52,  "When they pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then they shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places.  And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it."  Maybe God gave them the Land, but they still had to fight for it.  They were hungry and God promises to fill them up. 

Luke 1:53 "God fills the hungry with good things."
What am I really hungry for in my life at this point?
Am I hungry enough that I'm willing to suffer?

Num 28:2 and Luke 1:38 "God Is Always Right On Time" (March 20)

Only once in Zechariah's career of priesthood may he enter the Holy of Holies.  This is it.  Zechariah receives a grand manifestation of what God will do for the community of believers and for Zechariah and his wife.  Zechariah receives the news he was not expecting or should I say that now he is expecting.  And wait, his son will be a Forerunner to the One.  God is always right on time---it's just we who have different plans, crazy ideas.  We think it's a shame, a sham, if we end up childless.  Reproach.  What does God think?   

We hope our prayers are answered timely.  What are we thinking??  Sometimes, God's answers to prayer come way down the road of life.  God's timing not ours.  As one of 18,000 priests, Zechariah humbly walked into the holy place, fatherless, and came out with a baby and a name and a mission.  Zechariah is barren, one moment, and blessed with child, the next.  Oh, if we would only hold onto our dreams that God breathes in us.  Wonder what little prayer this Scripture will prompt us to hold onto? 

Meanwhile, back in Numbers 28:2, God commands the Israelites to do something for the good of their whole community---offerings at the appointed times.  Over One Million Israelites who have failed miserably, yet they offer what they have.  Hundreds of years later, Zechariah is chosen by lot to offer sacrifices for the good of the nation. 

And God intervenes after all these years of sacrifices that were never enough.
A Forerunner is coming. 
He belongs to you, Zechariah and Elizabeth.
You are going to have a baby.

Luke 1:37 "For nothing will be impossible with God."
Luke 1:38 "Let it be to me according to your word."

Num 27:13 and Luke 1:15 "Meet You in the Moment" (March 19)

The LORD heard the prayer of Zechariah.  Advanced in years.  Barren.  The prayer spoke through decades.  When the answer came, the brand new father could not figure out how God could or would make it happen. Isn't there a bit of Zechariah in you and me.  We want to figure things out.  Two plus two doesn't equal five, so help me with this, God.  A friend said to me this week that she needs to know why God did what He did in her life, a tragedy.  Will we ever really know?  The angel silences Zechariah.  No voice.  Wonder if we can hear better with no voice?

Welcome your new baby who will grow to be "great before the LORD." Luke 1:15.  He will turn many to the LORD.  He will turn hearts of the fathers to their children, the disobedient to the wisdom of the just.  Unbelievable young man named John.  And his head will end up on a platter while his LORD turns silent.  John will lay down his life for his Friend.

Someone said to me tonight that they hope that I see all my children walk the aisle, hope I see my grandchildren born.  I think there's so much more.  John lived for the Glory of God.  His parents buried him, a young man.  Something bigger here---why am I here.  The milestones are measured in minutes not monuments.  God says to Moses in Numbers 27:13 "when you have seen the Promised Land," know this---I won't let you "in," but I will meet you in the moment.

Num 23:12 and Mark 16:8 "Stunned, Swimming, Silent" (March 18)

Am I stunned when Jesus does something for me? What do I do with that?  Do I go silent?

Mary, Salome, and Mary Magdalene could not believe the stone was rolled away from the grave of Jesus. "They got out as fast as they could, beside themselves, their heads swimming.  Stunned, they said nothing to anyone." Mark 16:8. 

What an end to the Gospel story breathed through Mark.
The moment they hoped for...Resurrection..
.and the three women entered great confusion as to what to do.

This L-shaped tomb confirms verse 5---
they looked to the "right" and saw an angel. 
The body is atypically laid to the right in this rare tomb in the Holy City.
I gasped when I walked into the hallowed hole in Jerusalem
And gazed to the right, expecting to find an angel. 

Numbers 23:12 "Must I not take care to speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?"  How could the 3 women go silent???

Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene, you know, the woman who had 7 demons cast out. The disciples did not believe "her."  Nor did they believe that Jesus appeared to two unnamed fellas.  Jesus could have gone straight to John or Peter, the ones who look spiritual.  The ones waiting for Him to show up on their agenda.  No!  This verse means much to me because people don't give much stock to this no-name person over here---me. My head swims in disbelief like that demon-possessed girl.  Does what I have to say matter to anyone?

Mark makes a point.  Jesus comes to Mary Magdalene in the course of her daily life.  Peterson says that this is really hard for Mary and you and me.  It's not hard to applaud the making of a miracle--- cheering blind eyes that now see, shaking dead girls and boys back to life--- but this...

"Resurrection turns the tables.  No longer am I doing something for God; He is doing something for me.  No longer am I drawn by my needs to God; He is drawn by His compassion to me, whether I'm ready for Him or not, whether I feel anything for Him or not.  That means you and I are not in charge; He is.  That means that you and I aren't coming to God; He is coming to us.  We never expected that.  Like the 3 women at Christ's tomb, we are beside ourselves, our heads swimming, stunned.  For it means the end of one way of life in which we know where we stand, and the beginning of another in which we don't know what will happen next."  Eugene Peterson

Num 22:15 and Mark 15:27 "Standing in the Darkness, Take A Hand" (March 17)

Numbers 22:15 ~ God told Moses that Moses didn't uphold HIM as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel ... so, Moses will not be assigned to bring his assembly into the land God has given them. I don't hear Moses throwing a frightful fit that he lost the privilege.  What does Moses know about God that I do not?  Probably, a lot!  But when Moses fails, what does it look like?  How does Moses handle his loss of leadership?

Fast forward hundreds of years later.  Jesus becomes the Word made flesh and walks in the same places where Moses did.  And Someone forsakes Him?  Who you might ask?  God!  And there is Darkness everywhere ... until The Curtain is torn in two.  Symbolic of the New Kingdom for me, for you.  We don't have to live in the darkness because our Friend was crucified there between two robbers. Mark 15:27. Therefore, we can live, truly live  --- big lives, brave lives, beautiful lives.

We now hear That Voice calling:  Come unto Me.  And every day, we come to Him, not knowing if we are doing it right or even hearing Him right.  "Faith is standing in the darkness, and a hand is there, and we take it."  Will you reach out in your Darkness this day to the One Who can change you to make you fearless, courageous, faith-filled, and loving --- mothers and wives and daughters and friends who will be changed daily from glory to glory and leave, every day, a mark in this world. 

Num 17:12 and Mark 15:2 "He Is Coming To Me" (March 16)

I am in awe at the Compassionate God Who is coming to me this year.  I am surprisingly stunned, simply spellbound. 

Because of His Death in this chapter,
He moves.
He lives.
He comes.
Every day if I'll just listen, wait, relinquish control. 
I tried so hard to not lose control under anesthesia this week when it's ludicrous to even think that I was ever in charge to begin with. 

Mark 15:2 King of the Jews --- That's the Crime? 
Pilate knew this Man was innocent, but he crumbled and asked the crowd:
"What shall I do with this Man?" 
Wonder why popularity ruled his roost. 
Wonder why Pilate couldn't judge based on the standards of the Word of God and the community of those who were wise in his day, not a crowd who begs for an insurrectionist to be released.
Just like the Israelites in Number 17:12 who were undone, they were all undone.  I am undone.

And here comes a God of Justice to undo us all and end this old way of life.  It's all about Him coming to us, now.  He is in control and only He knows what comes next for each of us. 

What am I trying to keep alive that He is trying to put to death?  For me this day, it's what the crowd thinks, the popularity of Caesar who stood on the shoulders of the betrayers not The Betrayed. 

Num 16:16 and Mark 14:72 "Recipe Theology" (March 15)

My life is steeped in confusion right now. I want to dismiss it, dissipate it, drive it away. Does God want us to be confused? What happens when I am present in what I face this day? Number 16:16 ~ Be wholly present before the LORD.  There will be no room for "recipe theology" as Crabb calls it in The Second Adam.  He says that we should not look at the confusion as something to be solved but as something to be entered. But, how do I view the confusion in my life?

In Mark 14:72, there are two words I have never seen before:  Peter swore.  It's not something we are proud of when we breathe those hackneyed humphs.  My default mechanisms swore all-the-time when I was really young and didn't know the LORD.  But---this---this Peter is a follower of the Christ.  Wonder why Peter distances himself so much from the One he has been so attached to, every-single-day, for one thousand+ days, seeing with his own eyes one miracle-after-another. Watching Tabitha healed back to her mother's arms, witnessing demons cast out-of-control into a herd of pigs, seeing a blind man see for the very first time, hearing the scream of the Widow of Nain whose son rises from the dead,and on and on and on ... .  Unparalleled.  Unprecedented. Unbelievable. Yet, Peter swears to prove his piddly point.  And, really, what point am I trying to prove this day?  That I'm right?

And what happens as the rooster crows---Peter remembers.  Remembers what?  The words of his very own Christ---you will deny me and leave me.  It was Peter who pulled away, just like me and you.  God is always waiting wide-armed open.  We are all holy Sabbath breakers picking up sticks (Numbers 15:32).  A high-handed act in the middle of community---do I do the same things?  Playing it safe, distancing ourselves from life because the pain is too overwhelming. 

And what happens when Peter remembers?  He breaks down and weeps. What will my tears be for this day? Living a present life?  Not trying to minimize the confusion of why Peter (or even me) would distance himself from the LORD but entering into the confusion and looking deeply enough at what's really stirring inside of me.  Finding tearful repentance for lives lived distant, not fully present before God NOR before my husband, before my children, before my friends, before my world.  So, who am I distancing myself from this day? Will I enter this confusion or find a way to make it stop and shut down a piece of my heart?  I'm so deeply moved in hope for my high-handed sin. 

     "Recipe theology, that collection of practical biblical principles that tell us what to do in every situation, treats confusion as something to be solved rather than entered. It reduces the mysteries of life to things we can manage."                The Silence of Adam p. 66

Num 14:24 and Mark 14:30 "White-Hot Courage" (March 14)

Do I know what faith or fear resides deep within my heart?  Do I recognize the words that come out of my mouth as coming from a good place or not?  Do the red flags fly when my thoughts dance down the corridor of discouragement?  When the tears fall way too easily.  Give us white-hot courage to face this moment, this day. 

For before the rooster will crow twice, you and I will both deny Him, just like Peter did.  Peter didn't know what was in his own heart.  A few yards away, Peter's Master prayed alone in a garden for Jesus knew what stirred in His heart.  Mark 14:30. What do I think I see?  I feel terribly alone this day in what I face. 

The words of Numbers 14:24 invite me to be like Caleb not Peter and have a different spirit, to follow my LORD fully.  Even when the reality of relationships seems like I am a grasshopper in the eyes of others. Numbers 13:33. When I lack the power to subdue my enemies.  What stirs deep in my heart?  Is the LORD with me in this?  Numbers 14:43.

Num 9:23 and Mark 14:6 "A Beautiful Thing for Me" (March 13)

Numbers 9:23 When the LORD commanded them to move, they did.  When the Cloud hovered, they stayed like nursing babies attached to their mothers.  They didn't question whether it was for their own good or not, did they?  Tonight, my waiter asked me about this religion thing?  Why not follow what makes your heart happy?  Why follow a God and His rituals? He was balking at all the Lenten hoopla.  Why sacrifice?  My, oh my.  More than ever, I want to move only when my God tells me to move.  Just like the woman who poured the extravagance over her LORD, Mark 14:6---"She did a beautiful thing for Me."  My world may not recognize the beauty but my God loves it...and He says to my world:  "Leave her alone."  Yes, leave me alone, o world of mine, for I am taken up by a Good God Who loves me so.  So taken up with His Beauty!

Numb 8:24 and Mark 13:27 "Stay Awake" (March 12)

Stay Awake.  Mark 13:27.  Jesus is coming back to gather His elect from the four winds.  What we do matters only inasmuch as who we are.  We can outserve everyone but if it is not coming from a good place in our heart, it's clanging cymbals.  Whether we are like the Levites in Number 8:24 who faithfully did their duties of service from the time they were 25 years old up to 50 years old or if we are waiting to age 65 to retire, do what God has called you to do.  We have this moment to become the person God is calling us to be.  Every day.  Fresh new slate.   So what does it look like to stay awake today?  In a couple of hours, I'll be under anesthesia.  No way I could stay awake.  Oh, it means so much more.  Alive in our soul.  Leaning on the One Who holds all things together.  So, what does staying awake look like for me? 

Numbers 5:6 and Mark 13:8 "For Whom Did You Carry the Stone?" (March 11)

I heard my friend, Elisabeth Elliot, share this story many times.  It's not in the Bible, just a legend.  It goes like this...   Jesus was walking one day with His disciples and He asked each of them to pick up a stone and carry it for Him. They all picked up stones, some big, some small. Peter picked up the smallest stone possible and placed it in his pocket. (Wonder why?) They walked to the next town, arriving tired and hungry. Jesus immediately turned the stones into bread and said, "Eat up."

Of course, Peter grew frustrated at the size of his tiny piece of bread. (Numbers 5:6 And don't we do the same kind of things, breaking faith with the One with Whom we walk, carrying out stone going after what we think we need).  Jesus again asked His disciples to pick up another stone and carry it for Him. Peter, being a quick learner, picked up a huge boulder and placed it on his shoulder.  They all traveled to the next town. Arriving at a river bank, more tired and more hungry than before, Jesus asked them to throw their stones into the river and they obeyed. They looked at Him, waiting expectantly for the stones to be turned into bread. This time, Jesus did nothing. When Peter and the disciples began to grumble, Jesus said with Great Compassion, "For Whom did you carry the stone?"  The pains of childbirth, Mark 13:8, from Creation to character to Compassion.  Groan inwardly.  Why do we do what we do this day?

Numb 4:49 and Mark 12:44 "Superabundance or Poverty" (March 10)

A good friend of mine wrote a book on organization and spewed out: The average household has about 10,000 things in it.  Probably a meager average. Who knows the life of poverty like the widow who gave to God everything she had to live on.  She gave out of her want. None of us know that kind of life. She put God to the test in the immediate moment. We may not know poverty of the pockets but do we know what it means to live out of our own poverty of soul?  Giving all our wants to Him.  Letting go of all that consumes us this day.  All because we are "listed" in the Lamb's Book of Life.  Numbers 4:49 - Listed for serving and carrying.  I am rather low this day and I surrender out of poverty of soul.  Why am I doing all of this anyway?  What's left of me?  Immediate Need ... falling forward ... with tears to the plow ... I need Him so. 

Number 1:1 and Mark 12:24 "Do I Know the Scriptures & The Power of God Today? (March 9)

I'm living smack dab in the midst of confusion.
Trusting a Good God to show up.
He hasn't yet.
Wait!

God told Moses in the wilderness to take a census of the Israelites. 
Number the people from #1 to #1,000,000+.  Numbers 1:1
God knew the exact number of children He owned.
Why would He want the people to know how many neighbors they had?
It is to show the Power of God. Mark 12:24
It is to fulfill the Scriptures. Mark 12:24
And I'm wrong if I do not know the Scriptures
And the Power of my God.

Be ready in your own wilderness as God counts you among His faithful
while you face the storms of this life and the sneers against your soul.
Maybe you think all is good
Maybe you know there's much confusion
as you are numbered every day and kept by a Good God!

Will you wait in the midst of confusion
in the middle of your own wilderness
Not for a change of circumstances
but for a change of your own
for a Good God to show
That you stand tall
and be counted
No matter
What!

Lev 26:1 and Matt 11:25 "If You Have Anything Against" (March 8)

Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone.  As I read this passage, I thought that maybe I just might have some little thing against someone:

* I recently saw an old friend who had not been kind to one of my children
* I pondered today on a rainy 3-hour drive about how unfair life is
* I read a tweet from someone who is not on my side
* I bumped up against someone's sin this day
* I didn't like what I heard this day
* I still remember ...

There is not one of the above that is sin...
unless I stand in unforgiveness and ponder, wonder, flounder.
If I carry these things in my heart, unforgiving,
Lev. 26:1 - I've set up an idol of appreciation, recognition, support, ministry, kindness ... idols are anything that keep us controlling our circumstances, steering our own lives.