Day Seven... The Lenten Journey Continues...

"Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun."
~Psalm 37:3-6 (NIV1984)

We have traveled a week, seven days along our Lenten Journey. How is your journey going? Did you promise to give something up for Lent... or add something to your daily routine? Have you kept up with your Lenten promise (whatever it was), or have you been side tracked? Are you beginning to wonder about your promise... whether it really makes any difference whether or not you keep it?

If you are beginning to wonder about your promise, about whether it really makes a difference if you keep it, let me encourage you to examine your heart and your motives. Ask yourself why you made the promise to begin with. Did you make your promise so that you might look good in the eyes of other people, so that they might think you to be especially holy or religious or righteous? Did you make a Lenten promise out of pure habit, because you felt you were "supposed to" or that you "had to"? Or did you make your promise to bring glory to the LORD and to deepen your faith and relationship with the LORD?

The last reason is by far the best one for your having made a Lenten promise... But no matter which of the them was your reason, keeping your Lenten promise makes a difference to the LORD.

As our scripture encourages you to do, and as you think of your promise, "trust in the LORD"... "Delight yourself in the LORD" (in other words, do what pleases the LORD, not you)... and finally, "commit your way to the LORD"...

Your Lenten promise is not about you showing off to others how holy or religious you are, but about you showing your heart to the LORD... and about preparing your heart for the LORD... and about allowing the LORD of LORD's to change your heart so that it reflects his love to all others...

Your promise is important... look into your heart and reflect on what you find... begin again if you need to... ask the LORD to help you with this... that is of course what Lent is all about... journeying with the LORD...

Day 2... The Lenten Journey Continues...

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

     ~Matthew 16:21-24 (NIV1984)


No, Lord, never!!  You, the Son of the Living God, the Messiah, suffer??  Be killed??  No... that is not the way it should be... We should die for you... in glorious battle!!


And we disciples, who like Peter, might so willingly follow you into battle against an enemy, find instead that we must follow you on a much harder journey...  for instead of calling us to arms, you call us to suffering... to self-denial... you call us to the cross... and to death... 


But you also mention something about being raised to life?


Is it just possibly true that following your path... journeying with you through self-denial and suffering, following you to the cross and death... that all of this leads to... new life?


Yesterday's ashes are gone... but the journey continues...

Ash Wednesday...

“Even now,” declares the LORD, 
   “return to me with all your heart, 
   with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

Rend your heart
   and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
   for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
   and he relents from sending calamity.

         ~Joel 2:12-13 (NIV1984)

Today is Ash Wednesday.  It marks the beginning of Lent, a 40 day period of time set aside for introspection and reflection as we journey with the Lord to the cross.  It is a time to remember why the Lord had to die for us... to remember our sins and to repent.  Ashes are a symbol of our mortality as well as a symbol of repentance.  As the prophet Joel encourages, rend or tear open your hearts... pray and deeply mourn and grieve over the things that you have done that have grieved the heart of God... and repent.  For our God is indeed "gracious and compassionate... abounding in love..."  God will have mercy and forgive.

Happy Valentine's Day...

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
     ~John 3:16 (NIV1984)

Today is Valentine's Day...  a day in which people celebrate their love for each other.  It's origins are shrouded in mystery, but are most likely a combination of being a feast day to St. Valentine and as well as a celebration to "Christianize" the festival of Lupercalia, a pagan festival of fertility.  In any event, it has become a day to celebrate romance and love.

Our scripture reminds us that true love is sacrificial and unconditional, and that it is the greatest gift that God has given to us!  Let us follow our LORD's example as we celebrate the love we have for those special people in our lives.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Monday morning scripture....

This one speaks for itself.  I pray each of you has a day filled with God's blessing!!

"In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;

in the morning I lay my requests before you

and wait in expectation."

~Psalm 5:3  (NIV1984)

Sunday worship...

Praise the LORD!

Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

Let everything that breathes praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD!
~Psalm 150 (NKJV)

A Saturday Devotional...

"Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone."

    ~Colossians 4:2-6  (NLT)

Ahhhhh....  Saturday!!!   That wonderful first day of the weekend!!!   We spent all day yesterday rejoicing that it was Friday (TGIF - Thank God It's Friday) because that meant today was almost here...  and now it is.  It is Saturday... we can do whatever we want... don't have to go to or do any work!!

Well....   that is almost true...  we may not have to go to our place of employment (unless of course your work week includes Saturdays), but we still have work we have to do for the Lord!  Our scripture today lets us know that we, as Christians always have work to do for the Lord... there are never "weekend" days where we are off work... Our scripture reminds us that there are some things we are always to be doing... no matter what day of the week it is:

1.  We are to be devoted to prayer... praying with a thankful heart and an alert mind for not only our needs and the needs of others, but also for the mission that we as Christians are to be on - that of sharing the good news of God's redeeming love, mercy, grace and forgiveness, through which we can have new life!!  And not just praying that our church leaders and pastors will be able preach and speak about this, but that we will also have opportunities and be able to do the same.  Jesus called all his disciples to do this!!

2.  We are to live wisely within our world... we will spread God's message of love in more ways than just speaking about it... we will mostly spread it by the way we live!  St. Francis said, "Preach often, and when necessary, use words."  In other words we must live in such a way as to proclaim the Gospel with our very actions...  and there is more to doing that than just going to church every Sunday and living by the legalistic expectations of whatever church you might attend...  Jesus said, "...learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice'" (Matt 9:13).  We are to show our love and mercy to all people!!  Our words about the gospel message will be empty if our lives do not back them up!

3.  When we do speak with others about the faith, let's remember that God had grace and mercy on us, and we should be passing that grace on to others...  as the scripture says, our words should be gracious... attractive... open... inviting others to accept God's love and mercy... not judging or threatening or telling people they have to get right before God will love them... Scripture tells us that "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8).  We don't do the cleaning up, we just do the catching... God's Holy Spirit, working within people's lives does the cleaning up!

So you see, my friends, there are no weekends off for Christians... we who call ourselves followers of Christ always have work to do!!  Let us do it joyfully!!

put this on your calendar!!

No matter what your daily schedule already looks like, adding these activities will bring you untold blessings and help you focus on what is truly important.  God bless you today!!  

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!   

~Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)

Schedule for today: 
Wake up:  Worship the Lord 
Mid-Morning: Snack on Scripture
Lunch: Listen to the Lord
Mid-Afternoon: Meditate on your blessings
Dinner: Discuss His Faithfulness
Bedtime: Thank Him as you retire in the evening.
~while the actual author of this schedule is known only to God, it was contributed by Nellie, my sister in Christ.

a meditation for today...

This meditation is taken from: 
Let Nothing Disturb You: A Journey to the Center of the Soul with Teresa of Avila,
edited by John Kirvan, Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, IN, 1996

"Our Lord asks but two things of us:  love for God and love for our neighbor.  These are the two virtues that we must strive to attain.  If we practice them perfectly we shall be doing the will of God, and so will find the union we seek.  The most certain sign that we keep these two commandments is that we have a genuine love for each other.  We may not know for certain whether we love God, but there can be no doubt whether or not we love our neighbor.

If we fail to love our neighbor, we are deceiving ourselves if we think we love God.
But if we possess a true love of neighbor, we will certainly attain union with our Lord.

Beg God grant you true love of others and you will be rewarded with more than you know how to desire.  God will insist that you surrender your self interests for those of your neighbors, taking upon yourself their burdens.  Do not believe that this will cost you nothing and that you will find it all done for you by God.  Never forget what the love God bore for all of us cost the Son of God.  To free others - his neighbors - from death he suffered the most painful death of all, the death of the cross."
   ~Teresa of Avila

as evening approaches...

Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love's sake. Amen.

~The Book of Common Prayer

daily scripture

Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; 
   I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe. 
Lead me in the right path, O LORD, 
   or my enemies will conquer me. 
Make your way plain for me to follow.
~Psalm 5:7-8  (NLT)

scriptures for a good nights sleep...

"I will lie down and sleep in peace,

   for you alone, O LORD,

   make me dwell in safety."    
~Psalm 4:8  (NIV1984)

"I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me."    
~Psalm 3:5  (NIV1984)


Sleep well, knowing who holds you in His hands!!

something to think about...

"What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless."  

~James 2:14-17, 26  (NLT)

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."   ~Micah 6:8  (NIV1984)

Thoughts?  Reactions?

answered prayer

A big thank you to all who took time to pray for my friend Charlie Awad.  It seems as though Charlie has come through his surgery ok.  Please continue to lift Charlie up in prayer, that he would continue to recuperate and recover.  Again, thanks and please keep praying.  And if you know someone who is a colon cancer survivor with a story to tell, go to Charlie's site, www.cancersucks.tv, and add their story!  God bless!

prayer request

Today, I ask that all who read this post would lift up my friend, Charlie Awad, in prayer.  Later this morning, because of cancer, he will have surgery to remove a part of his lung.  Please pray for the surgeons and other medical professionals that will be involved in this procedure, as well as for Charlie's recovery and healing.  Also, please lift up his family in prayer, that God would give them strength and peace.

To learn more about Charlie and his battle with cancer, click on his name in the first sentence of this post... that should take you directly to his blog site.

Thank you all for your prayers.

Book Review: The Story of Evangelism: A History of the Witness to the Gospel by Robert G. Tuttle, Jr.

            Dr. Tuttle has written a complex book in which he weaves church history, world history and theology together in order to give us the history of evangelism, a history that begins before time itself.[1]  His use of first person narratives throughout the various historical periods help to bring this history to life, drawing the readers in and encouraging them to become a participant in the events described.  The book does not just give us the history of evangelism, but rather it guides us through that history pointing the way to the uncertainties of the future.  It challenges the readers to step “into the mainstream of God’s already intercession”[2] in order to join God’s work in the world.  To that end, as Dr. Tuttle moves from past history to possible future, he leaves the readers with insights and impressions of the cultures and religions that we as Christians will encounter as we share with others God’s message of hope. 

            Dr. Tuttle’s book is written in an easy to read style that flows in a natural progression through historical time periods.  Within each time period, there is also a pattern, as Dr. Tuttle gives the reader social, political and religious background information so that the context is understood and the reader gains a wider world perspective as a backdrop for the evangelical message and history.  In addition, Dr. Tuttle includes a section in each chapter that deals with the history’s relevance for today, or in the case of the last few chapters, the relevance for tomorrow.  This helps readers understand that the information presented in the book is not simply dry history, but rather a living history that can have an impact on evangelism today and tomorrow.

            Dr. Tuttle develops his history carefully and thoroughly, and the insights to be gained from reading this book would seem to suggest that it should be an evangelism resource for every Christian, lay or clergy.  However, in our fast paced world in which we all seem to want instant answers and even faster results, especially when it comes to effective evangelization within the church, those people interested in the subject would probably be looking for a book that gives principles of evangelism that can be quickly accessed and easily put to use.  This book, in spite of the richness and depth found within its pages, would probably be seen by many as one to be used only in a classroom setting.  

---

[1] Robert G. Tuttle, Jr, The Story of Evangelism: A History of the Witness to the Gospel (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2006), ix.

[2]  Tuttle, The Story of Evangelism, 420.

the knots prayer...

A friend posted this on facebook, and I thought I'd share it.  It is interesting that all the "nots" in our lives can sometimes tie us up in "knots"...  let the Lord untie your "knots" today, whatever they are.  God bless.