Looking for an earlier Watchword?
- Black-Hearted? - Black-Hearted? Whatcha got hidden in your heart, fella? Would you be willing to post those sly little thoughts, for all the world to see, the total content of your mind, your heart, your desires? You say, of course, my mind is as white as the driven snow. So, you don’t think there’s a black corner in your inner being? I wonder. What thoughts, do you suppose, David had standing on that roof-top, the King gazing down on bathing women? This is the man after God’s own heart? Nathan the prophet came to see David, and he comes to see us. He tells the story of two men, one rich and one poor. And how the rich man took from the poor man. We are angry at this injustice, just as David was. He said, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die!” Nathan points his finger at David and at us and says “you are that person!” So, one more time, Whatcha got hidden in your heart, fella? Continue reading
- Wish You Were Here - Wish you were here: These days, how do you pray? Do you pray as Jesus did: “If it be thy will, take this cup from me”, or do you skip the first part, about ‘thy will, and go right to the second? Take this cup, these stresses, this fear, this uncertainty from me. Lord, it’s uncomfortable. Help me! Is that your 'fall-back'? When you are in over your head, when you have made one poor choice after another, do you cry out, 'Help me, Jesus'? How often have we lifted up our hearts, seeking reassurance and restated the basis of our own security: He makes me to lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” That is the foundation of our security: Our Crucified and Resurrected Jesus Christ, Continue reading
- Holy Spirit? Hallucination? - Holy Spirit? Hallucination? You sit in your private place focusing on a devotional, perhaps a passage of scripture or engaged in private conversation with God. Out of nowhere comes some inspiring ideas or thoughts that causes you to jot a brief note to yourself to remind you of that thought. Persistently. Excitedly. Kind of a warm sense of inspiration. Yes, sometimes urgent, almost demanding a response, now. Maybe the response demanded is far outside anything you have ever written or thought or did? Far outside your comfort zone. Beyond your qualifications, as you see them. What then? Lord, send someone else? Lord, don’t ask me to do that. What then? Continue reading
- God’s Plan Is Sacred - God’s Plan Is Sacred: God knows us better than we know ourselves. When God called upon Moses, he whined and cried out ‘choose someone else’. When God calls people it’s not because of what we think of ourselves, it is what He thinks of us. God’s plan and how we fit in is…God’s plan. When God’s call comes to us, the right response is to obey. For those who serve God there’s no need to think about it or to worry or to dither on what to say, God doesn’t need our flawed eloquence or experience. God does not need our mortal brains working on what He has already determined. Instead, the first thing we should learn to do is close our mouths and find the strength to say ‘Here am I, send me’. Continue reading
- You Are a Miracle - You Are a Miracle: Have you ever considered yourself a miracle? I mean, a living, breathing, walking around this planet, miracle? Do you believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life? Yes? Well, then, you are a miracle, because belief in Jesus is a miracle produced through redemption, by the sheer, unaided power of God. In Saul’s case, redemption came through a powerful lightning-strike of God’s presence. A miracle that knocked Saul off his … donkey … and into Paul, the apostle extraordinaire. The sheer power of God. What if I said that we all get knocked off our donkeys through the power of God. We even get a name-change: Christian. Our 'Damascus Road' experience may not be as dramatic as Saul’s, we may even call it ‘born-again’, but at its core, it is the same. Continue reading
- Wits End - Wit's End: Have you visited wit’s end? You know where that is. It’s where you finally realize God is not in what you’re doing and you made a mess of it, so in desperation, you pray. Or maybe you’ve reached the end of your rope. Reached the frayed end where there’s nothing below it and you realize that you have no other choice but to cry out “Jesus. I need help with me!” You know it’s not cowardly to pray when we are at the end of our rope, when we are at wits end. Sometimes it is the only way to get in touch with reality. Continue reading
- Christ Within Us - Christ Within Us: In my home I have a framed, rustic rendering of a variation of that quote from Joshua, “…as for me and my house, we will serve that Lord.” I have a prayer list that reminds me each morning of the names and faces of those I am lifting to the Lord, and my morning prayer always concludes with “Help me Lord to be committed to what you have placed on my heart.” In a basic sense, these are all just words, sentiments that are simply read and have little meaning, until the words are translated into the actual flow of everyday living, inspired by our faith in God. Randy Alcorn, in his book The Grace and Truth Paradox, dramatically describes the horror of what Jesus endured, from trial to cross, for us. Continue reading
- God Bless America - Cost of Discipleship: God (continues to) Bless America! July Fourth in the year of our Lord, always. Some might say this nation is in a mess, that we're on the verge of total collapse. I don't agree with that in anyway. I believe that God is in charge, this plan is perfect. We may not like the pain that we are going through as we follow his will, but His plan remains perfect.I love the concept of the cost of discipleship, because I think too often we focus only on the glory, only on the blessings, only on the feel-good parts, while ignoring the road that is sometimes rocky, dangerous. We tend to forget that we carry a cross when we follow the Messiah, our Lord and Savior. Continue reading
- My Story, Your Story - My Story. Your Story? 3:45 a.m. I am awake, have been for ten minutes, or more. I glance at the clock and think, Oh, Lordy, and try to get back to sleep, without success. While the coffee is making, I sit in my chair by the window, and turn to the Bible passage for the day, God telling me He is in control of everything and His love for me is unchanging and unfailing. I think about that and what a privilege it is to be His child. I marvel at this feeling of newness that comes over me, no longer lonely and joy has replaced depression. I’m excited for the day. A new me, each morning.. Continue reading
- What’s in Your Hand? - What's in Your Hand? I would not want to be in Moses’s sandals, knowing what I know and what he will be going through in the next 40 years. You can hear the doubt in his voice and if you read further in Exodus 4, it becomes clear this is a task that God has assigned to him despite his fear and resistance. It was a difficult people that he was leading, full of resentment and demanding. Lord, send someone else. This is so hard. So unlike us? Really? How often do we use this excuse as to not get involved, to not reach out to others, to keep quiet about our faith? In other words, to do as Jesus would have us do. Our comfort zone, our schedule, our small aches and pains are often a barrier to our response. The “send someone else” ploy, won’t work, He has called you. Continue reading
- Habits - Habits: We all have behaviors that we may call habits, but we were not born with them. No one is born either naturally or supernaturally with elements of our character, like habit, that must be developed as we mature. We may not be born with godly habits, but on the basis of our new life in Christ, we learn through the discipline that God exacts on us. God does not want this child of God to be a perfect example, but to be seen as exhibiting his gifts and graces in the ordinary moments of life. God loves us, and scripture tells us in multiple passages, that because he loves us he disciplines us. It is good to remember His discipline is proof of His kindness, love and care. Continue reading
- Dear Santa Claws - Dear Santa Claws: She handed me the envelope saying, please mail this for me. it was addressed to “Santa Claws” and I noted it was unsealed, just in case I wanted an idea or two. That little girl is on the verge of doubt about Santa, but isn’t sure yet. I stood there smiling, holding the envelope, and a verse from Matthew came to me, “…unless you… come as little children”. I started to dismiss the thought but instead I asked myself, “How do I come to Him?” Do I come as a little child, with the honesty and the audacity of a child, or am I apologetic. Is it only when we know we are powerless that we are prepared to listen to Jesus Christ? Continue reading
- Letter from Annie - Letter from Annie: My daughter Beth, who has been reading Watchwords from the start, received this lengthy letter/essay from her friend, Annie Lamott. Beth thought this was a striking bit of writing and raised many ideas and thoughts that have made their way through Watchwords over time. Think of this as a letter from a fellow Christian, struggling, as we are, to come out of our personal storms, closer to our Lord and Savior... Continue reading
- Peace in the Face of … - Peace in the Face Of ... Peace is knowing that despite the reality of the storm there is a greater reality in the One who can calm the storm. Peace is the tranquility to stand in the storm and know without question that everything will be alright. Peace is knowing that Jesus is in the boat with me. When the rains fall and the winds blow, I can be content just knowing that he is in control. Real peace is attainable only in Christ. There is no security outside of Him, none. God spoke - “Pray about everything. Fear nothing.” Continue reading
- Why Are You Afraid? - Why Are You Afraid? And Jesus asks us, “Why are you so frightened?” and we have no answer because, in our fragile-faith lives, we think it is obvious why we are afraid. As if to reinforce that thought, we look around us and, sure enough, there it is, cause for fear. But Jesus said something else. Were we listening? Did we hear? He spoke to our storm, to our wind, and waves and fears. Peace, be still and know that I am God. And “and all was calm.” Continue reading
- Spiritual Ears - Spiritual Ears: What is God saying to us in the scope and flow of our lives, even through those rough places we would rather not revisit? Are you listening? His Spirit is speaking. For the disciples, at first it was something different. Perhaps they all knew what John, Peter and James had witnessed in Jesus ascending to God. So, when they were told to stay in Jerusalem until the “Helper”, a “Comforter” would come that would somehow take the place of Jesus. That is not what they wanted. The wanted Jesus to stay, but they had no choice. So, they waited. Continue reading
- Fearless Faith - Fearless Faith: I read in the news about a teenager who was escorted out of a shopping mall by police for wearing a “Jesus Christ is Lord” tee-shirt. How could that be? Why not? We’ve taken Jesus out of our schools, off the playgrounds, off our government buildings, so, why not take Him off the clothes of our backs? That’s okay. Doesn’t hurt me. Not my shirt. How about, “Love others as I have loved you.” How about that? Love others? Not those people! You know that Thomas Jefferson had the “red-letter Bible” created to highlight the “most important parts”, mostly those parts he agreed with. Interesting. Do you suppose we should have a “purple-letter Bible” to highlight those parts we simply can’t and won’t abide? That way we can skip right over some parts and not worry about them. Continue reading
- Simple Faith and Plain Truth - Simple Faith and Plain Truth: Is there such a thing as simple faith and plain truth in this age, with politics gone amok, and governments injecting themselves into the family structure? Something is wrong with this. I recently read an article that asked the question, should church be involved in politics? My impulsive first answer was, of course not! But how can that be? I think it is interesting to note what Paul instructed Timothy to do. He called Timothy, and the church he was leading, to pray. Prayer was the abiding call of the church. Continue reading
- Where’s Your Imagination? - Where’s Your Imagination? Are you in love with Bora-Bora, Fiji, or perhaps your taste runs more toward Nantucket Island, or maybe the prairies of Wyoming, or the food of Italy. What are your preferences, and how were they shaped? Did you imagine yourself as a detective solving the most difficult of cases. Maybe you imagine yourself in a Hallmark romance.A skillful writer can make us feel like we have entered the very heart and lives of some very interesting people. Sometimes it’s so vivid that we add what we have read or seen to the sum total of what we call our experience or our preferences. Continue reading
- Humility? Who Needs It? - Humility? Who Needs It? We do, you and me. Humility and obedience will take courage, inner strength. In His commands, the Lord laid out the plan for us. They are clearly stated and quite understandable. His Covenants are unbreakable. What He promises, He does. Yet, we deny Him. We have a chunk of Peter in our soul, and it is hard to always follow Him. Why are we not obedient? 'Cause it's messy…I don’t want to touch it. Yuck! What does all that sound like to you? I think it sounds like we are forfeiting His blessings...turning our backs on God. Think Hebrews in the desert, three days after the miracle. What miracle? You ask. Any of them! Continue reading
