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- Tough Stuff - Tough Stuff: 2 Peter 1:5 -- For this very reason, make every effort to ADD to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; Powerful little word, ADD, based on what follows. Look at all those behaviors as a way to build up your faith. That powerful little word means that we have to do something. There are times when we are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can. Did you get that? God will not do but we can. Oswald Chambers, in My Utmost for His Highest, makes the distinction clear: “We cannot save nor sanctify ourselves -- God does that. But God will not give us good habits or character, and he will not force us to walk correctly before Him. We have to do all that ourselves. That is the tough stuff that the Lord has told us we must do. In Philippians 2:12 God tells us that we must work out our “own salvation which God has worked in us.” The tough stuff. Continue reading
- That Terrible Day - That Terrible Day: That terrible day? Do you remember? Good Friday. That’s when our Lord and Savior, as he was dying, prayed the Prayer of Forgiveness. Do you remember what some of His last words were there on the cross? “Father, forgive them.” He was saying, “I forgive them and, Father, I ask you to forgive them and not to put this on their account, not to blame them.” His cry, his plea to God, was for us. Forgiveness is hard! No, it is impossible! There is no way to forgive and forget on our own. This is work that requires a partnership, you and The Holy Spirit. Continue reading
- Worry and Pride - Corrie ten Boom, from Clippings from My Notebook, “Worry doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrows, it empties today of its strength.” Worry. We do, despite our Lord telling us “do not worry”, we just go right on worrying. Or do we? Some worry is not worry. Right? We look both ways, twice, before driving through an intersection. We use caution on stairs. Some of us check the ‘Use by date’ on foods, just to be safe. Is all that evidence of worry? In this age of covid19, flu, and other viruses, we are reminded to get our shots, to keep ‘social distance’, all in the interest of keeping healthy. To not take those steps, recommended by science who know, is foolhardy. When you worry, God says, “You’re my child. Why are you acting like an orphan?” Continue reading
- The Light Within - The Light Within: Thomas Kelly, in his book A Testament of Devotion, has a chapter entitled “The Light Within” where he writes that deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul. It is a Holy Place, what he calls a Divine Center, where resides a speaking voice. It's that speaking voice that we sometimes call conscience, that we turn to, continuously, whether we are aware of it or not. Kelly goes on to say that the Light Within is what “illumines the face of God". That Light Within, according to Kelly, can fade, and can weaken, when we surrender to the humdrum of what we’ve referred to as the old normal. This we must guard against. Continue reading
- Failure To Respond - Failure to Respond: I just returned from California where my son took me on a driving tour through his neighborhood in Altadena where the fire had burned its way through so many beautiful family homes, both luxurious and simple, causing chaos, heartbreak and loss. What role should we play in responding to the needs of others? How do you understand the parable of the good Samaritan? What do you think Christ meant when he said go and do likewise? What do you think he meant when he said love others as he has loved us? Imagine yourself standing beside the still smoldering embers of what was once your life. What would you like your friend do to lift you up? Never underestimate the power of your voice, your touch, your extending of a hand. Continue reading
- It Doesn’t Matter - It doesn't matter: Sometimes when we read the Message version of the Bible we hardly recognize the…well, message. Sometimes, however, it speaks to us more clearly than, say, King James, even though it is James! In King James, the subject of this passage is right up there in the first sentence: ‘If any of you lacks wisdom…’ Wisdom. In the Message, the subject is implied, ‘If you don’t know what you are doing…’ Yet, to me, the instruction in the Message is more straightforward on how to proceed, ‘Ask boldly (of God), believingly, without a second thought.’ In other words (King James), no doubts. Continue reading
- It’s Good News - The Good News: Your life will be richer if you take joy in the people you love and who love you back. We are in God’s classroom, and, whether you are attentive or not, you are learning your lessons. If you are like me, the lesson is not learned until the teacher beats you over the head with it time, after time. Take the lesson; “Love one another as I have loved you.” If we did that it would produce joy! We would be happy! We would smile at one another, etc. etc. And, Yet… Continue reading
- The Life… - The Life: We have considered "The Way" and "The Truth" in previous Watchwords, now for a perspective on The Life. What does it mean to be given your life as a reward, as promised in the Jeremiah prophecy? Is that an easy question? I think it is for those who have surrendered their life to Jesus and feel the power of His Peace. However, we do tend to worry about silly things, such as food, clothing, drink and that other "most important" factor; what other people think about us. These are the things that take us away from the blessings of our Lord. We whine, we are impatient, we display lack of trust in God, all because we do not see the graces that abound in our lives, and rejoice in them. Continue reading
- The Truth… - The Truth: One can believe all of the right things and still be quite unaffected, untransformed by that belief. But what we “love”, shapes our lives and has great power to transform. We have seen that in our lives, both the negative and the positive of that power. Marcus Borg, in his book Convictions, makes the statement that “The Bible can be true without being literally true.” Think about that. In your Christian walk, in your core faith and belief in God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, these things do not depend on elements being literally true, only that you are committed to those "truths". Marcus Borg tells us that "Our Biblical ancestors told the stories they told, not for the sake of providing a reliable history of something. Rather, they told the stories they told because of the meanings they saw in the stories." Continue reading
- The Way… - The Way: In my book A Life for Barabbas there is an imagined conversation between the apostle Barnabas and Barabbas in Capernaum within days after the resurrection. That conversation carries an explanation of the term “The Way” used as both reference to meetings of believers, i.e. the church, and the body of Jesus’ teachings. "The Way", is a declaration of the Spiritual power in the teachings of Jesus, emphasized in His statement: "I am the way...No one comes to the Father except through me." That phrase is often the crux of discussion and disagreement among well-meaning believers. For me, those arguments have little substance. Think about it, in the light of our Triune God--No one comes to the Father except through...the Father, and the Holy Spirit, and the Son. It just seems to me that you can't have Jesus separate from the Father. Continue reading
- Sunday Is Mother’s Day - Sunday is Mother’s Day: A perfect day for all of us. A day for joy, a day for the joy of the Lord to be our strength. Yes, a God-blessed happiness to all you mothers! When the psalmist refers to joy, it doesn’t mean the tendency some people have, because of their temperament, to be happier than other people. For one reason or another there appear to be people who are more naturally wired to smile, who can wake up in the morning singing a cheery song, and who look at their breakfast cereal and simply clap their hands with delight. Mother' Day should be like that. Celebrate. Continue reading
- Who’s Planning Your Day? - Who's Planning Your Day? How did you wake up this morning? Are you open to what God has planned for you? Or, are you plotting your day, or maybe you are simply resigned to another same-old, same-old that yesterday was and tomorrow probably will be. If that’s your state of affairs, then let me say to you, as a friend, GET OVER IT! This is the day the Lord has made and he’s a better planner than you are. Continue reading
- Ordinary Times - Ordinary Times: More than six years ago I wrote an essay entitled “Moments of Beauty” which I posted on my website. The focus of the writing was on the gifts from God that come in ordinary times. You are on a solitary hike in the mountains. It's an early day in spring, it is warm, the sky is deep blue and wild flowers are everywhere. In short, it is a perfect day and you alone are there to witness this bit of God's handiwork. There should be a crowd, a huge crowd, the largest in the world to see this and feel the beauty of the day. But it is just you, and you sit and soak up the perfect scene. We all have moments, ordinary times, where the scene before you seems to overwhelm your senses and sparks within you are a feeling of joy. Continue reading
- Blessings - Blessings: Throughout the pages of the Bible there are multiple blessings which are part of prayers and prophecies. These blessings are often associated with protection, help, and happiness. The blessings that come through scripture are meant to protect us, to guide us to the path of righteousness, and to give us hope. These blessings we, as children of God, can claim and apply according to the guidance given by our Lord. Many of the blessings touch us where we live and give us a sense of His presence, His graces, and, in turn, His Peace. Continue reading
- Together or Apart - Together or Apart: Some time ago I read a devotional on Our Daily Bread, entitled ‘The Saddest Goose’. Geese, you may know, are social critters, they have partners for life, and they live in a flight of fellow geese. I’m sure you’ve seen them gather, sometimes in the most nuisance kind of ways. Watch where you step! The ODB author spoke about human beings being created for community, as well. In the Ecclesiastical reading, Solomon describes how vulnerable we are when we are alone. How does one live as a solo, a single, separated from the grounding that loved ones give to your life? How do you love from afar? The common denominator, whether alone or with loved ones? Our faith. The Presence of the Lord in our lives. Continue reading
- Taste and See? - Taste and See? I've always been drawn to that phrase, Taste and see that the Lord is good. Not knowing completely what that meant. Is He implying that I need to read and digest the Word of God and make it part of my life? That would seem to be one understanding. Maybe what is implied here is that the more intimately I I spend time with God, I deepen my understanding of why he is, at his heart, good. I think he wants to seek me out and through me, communicate his word, be a source, a channel of the meaning of the commandments about loving others as he loves us. Continue reading
- Glob of Clay? - A Glob of Clay? I recently turned a certain age, plus one. I considered my life: I'm a scholarly sort, I have a PhD, after all. I'm pretty hot stuff. Then another voice, “Oh, yes, you are hot stuff, a hot glob of clay, my child. Nothing more nothing less, just what I created you to be. I'm the Potter, you are My clay. Before you were even born, I designed you. Over those ‘certain’ years, as you put it, your will and My will flowed together smoothly. You thought you were in full control of your life and that was because our wills were in harmony. And then there were those times when you wandered off. Continue reading
- Were You There? - Were You There?: Witness statements are critical to any important event. As we read the gospel accounts of Jesus passion, we can hear these eyewitness reports. These witnesses were there, were you? Like Peter and Judas, have we denied and betrayed our Lord and savior Jesus? Like Caiaphas and Pilate, have we prioritized our own welfare? By grace, it is Jesus’s blood on us and our children that gives forgiveness and eternal life. So be it. Continue reading
- Because He Lives - Because He Lives: Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Yes, and today is that ‘tomorrow’ that you can face because He lives! He is in your life to love, to heal and to forgive. How does that make you feel to know that He holds your future and that you have no need to fear; not today, not the next tomorrow, or the next? Rejoice! Jesus speaks to us: Dearly beloved, “when I give you no special guidance, stay where you are. Concentrate on doing your everyday tasks in awareness of My Presence with you. The Joy of My Presence will shine on you, as you do everything for Me. Thus, you invite Me into every aspect of your life. Through collaborating with Me in all things, you allow My Life to merge with yours. This is the secret not only of joyful living but also of victorious living. Continue reading
- Empty Egg – A True Easter Story - Empty Egg – A True Easter Story: Jeremy Forester was born with a twisted body, a slow mind and chronic illness that had been slowly killing him all his young life. His parents tried to give him as normal a life as possible and had sent him to St. Theresa's Elementary School. At the age of 12, Jeremy was in second grade. and would often irritate his teacher, Doris Miller, as he would squirm in his seat, drool and make grunting noises. One day Doris called his parents and asked them to come to the school for a consultation. Continue reading
