I thought the other day-- less than three-and-a-half years and I'll be entering the ninth decade of life. That's a pessimistic way of looking at 80. Growing older one can expect a number of things to happen.. and many of them are actually good. Well, some of them. What are they? I'm thinking.
Friends. Old people have their own humor. Really funny, too. You wouldn't always understand. Instant rapport with new ones sometimes- but always "old" old friends understand best. Trouble is so many of them now live in heaven. (I hope.)
Family "Family" is a big thing to me. But over the generations a family is like one of those computer-generated kalaidascope-like patterns that keep churning out unexpected loops and whorls and new turns and beauty.
When you stop to look at your place in the pattern it is easy to be overwhelmed and lose your place.
I knew my grandfather Purchis, and went fishing with him once; he gave me a shotgun when I turned 14. But I only saw him twice after I was married, and although I "loved" him he was really a stranger to me, what with the separation of miles and years. I didn't know my grandfather Metcalfe at all.
For me family love never stops, but patterns emerge and develop and old people have a place that touches the spinning circles, now intimately, then more and more remotely. We only have ONE father and ONE mother, but TWO sets of grandparents, and FOUR sets (that's 8!) great-grandparents so we never can have everyone "home" for Christmas! More's the pity!
Faith. Ask my son Mark about "pencil" "ink" and "blood." I really am into "blood." Sort of like things that are 'important to our group,' and things that are 'important beyond our group', and things that are IMPORTANT!
Funny how I still live a lot by "pencil" I suppose but I don't judge you by my rules.
It has been dawning on me that God actually loves (even) me! I can't explain a lot of things I used to "know." But I really do believe what I believe, however.
I believe in God's call to holiness. One definition of 'holiness' is simply belonging to God. Even I can do that! Belong, I mean! (See Romans 12: 1,2)
Friday, August 31, 2007
Thursday, August 9, 2007
One Man’s Opinion of President George W. Bush
The hatred of George W. Bush is unreasonable, and approaches mob mentality. He is not always ‘right’ in his decisions, in terms of success or failure of this program or that; that does not mean he has been false in his integrity in seeking the best for his country.
As a Christian I believe it is my duty to pray for the leaders of government, local and nation and world-wide. If God could use pagan sovereigns such as Cyrus, and Darius to further his kingdom, he can rule and overrule the nations of our age in response to the prayers of his people.
George Bush publicly confesses Christ as his Lord. Repeatedly he has expressed the need for prayer. Certainly he deserves my sincere prayer support. My faith is not in him, nor in any political party. But if all the Christians who criticize would also sincerely pray for the leaders of our nation- pray for them by name- the spirit of our nation would be healed.
As a Christian I believe it is my duty to pray for the leaders of government, local and nation and world-wide. If God could use pagan sovereigns such as Cyrus, and Darius to further his kingdom, he can rule and overrule the nations of our age in response to the prayers of his people.
George Bush publicly confesses Christ as his Lord. Repeatedly he has expressed the need for prayer. Certainly he deserves my sincere prayer support. My faith is not in him, nor in any political party. But if all the Christians who criticize would also sincerely pray for the leaders of our nation- pray for them by name- the spirit of our nation would be healed.
Perspective on Being Fabulously Wealthy
I Corinthians 3 "All things are yours!" What in the world does that mean?
When we think of wealth in terms of money or fame and the other marks of our culture we tend get everything backward. The reason is we presume thatwe know what will really makes us whole, happy, fulfilled.
When we think of God and church like the culture pressures us to think we are pressured to "add faith" to our lives just in case there may be some truth to this heaven and hell stuff. We work hard so that we can retire from work.
We think of worship and beauty in worship as superfluous, and want religion that is "practical" and that "meets our needs.
"We think that "belonging wholly to Christ" is something for missionaries or for people stupid enough to be missionaries or full-time pastors or Christian college professors.
We think that really being serious about our faith must be likegoing on a diet: everything good is fattening.
But the Bible tells us that when we belong to Jesus everything good in the universe is in orbit around our best interest!
ALL THINGS ARE YOURS!
Not because in and of yourself you are so great-- but you areChrist's
and Christ is God's
and so Your work is God's work
and God'swork is your work and
Your work and worship is attended by angels...
(...from a sermon on I Corinthians 3)
When we think of wealth in terms of money or fame and the other marks of our culture we tend get everything backward. The reason is we presume thatwe know what will really makes us whole, happy, fulfilled.
When we think of God and church like the culture pressures us to think we are pressured to "add faith" to our lives just in case there may be some truth to this heaven and hell stuff. We work hard so that we can retire from work.
We think of worship and beauty in worship as superfluous, and want religion that is "practical" and that "meets our needs.
"We think that "belonging wholly to Christ" is something for missionaries or for people stupid enough to be missionaries or full-time pastors or Christian college professors.
We think that really being serious about our faith must be likegoing on a diet: everything good is fattening.
But the Bible tells us that when we belong to Jesus everything good in the universe is in orbit around our best interest!
ALL THINGS ARE YOURS!
Not because in and of yourself you are so great-- but you areChrist's
and Christ is God's
and so Your work is God's work
and God'swork is your work and
Your work and worship is attended by angels...
(...from a sermon on I Corinthians 3)
Thursday, August 2, 2007
"Follow ME!" (-Jesus)
I am probably pretty naive, but I'll say it anyway:
There arejust two kinds of people in this world . . . only two kinds oflife-goals:
1) Those who believe that Jesus IS -- is there for them tobuild their lives on . . . AND
2) Those who think they can "fit Jesus in", that Jesus changeswith the times.
It may come as a shock to you, but YOU CAN'T FIT JESUS INTOYOUR LIFE PLANS!
Jesus is the "odd-shaped cornerstone" that only works ONE WAY:
You can trust Him, and build onHim, and He will never let you down as long as you live! or else--He simply always gets in the way!
The first kind of people are people who really believe thatJesus doesn't change, and so they dare to follow him through the changing scenes of life. They believe that Jesus is NOT simply who wemake Him out to be. He is not the private, personal "God of our choice", but the God that IS! He is YHWH!
The second kind of people are people who act as if JesusChrist is in the same category as Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy.They may never admit it out loud, but instead of staying in personal touch with Jesus they begin to accept what the experts say about Him,or they stop talking to Him because that is what little kids and old,old people do.
And so they change their god to fit their world instead of the other way around.The secret of joy in the Christian Way is this:
If you dare to put Jesus first, follow Him no matter where He seems to be leading you, and build your life around Him, then your salvation "experience" will be becoming a relationship!
God is not only your Savior from sin, but your Friend, who desires the very best for you!
Prayer: Lord we come to You, the Eternal God! We thank You we can dare to build our lives on You. Give us grace to make and keep covenant with You and live to please You. In Jesus' name, AMEN
There arejust two kinds of people in this world . . . only two kinds oflife-goals:
1) Those who believe that Jesus IS -- is there for them tobuild their lives on . . . AND
2) Those who think they can "fit Jesus in", that Jesus changeswith the times.
It may come as a shock to you, but YOU CAN'T FIT JESUS INTOYOUR LIFE PLANS!
Jesus is the "odd-shaped cornerstone" that only works ONE WAY:
You can trust Him, and build onHim, and He will never let you down as long as you live! or else--He simply always gets in the way!
The first kind of people are people who really believe thatJesus doesn't change, and so they dare to follow him through the changing scenes of life. They believe that Jesus is NOT simply who wemake Him out to be. He is not the private, personal "God of our choice", but the God that IS! He is YHWH!
The second kind of people are people who act as if JesusChrist is in the same category as Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy.They may never admit it out loud, but instead of staying in personal touch with Jesus they begin to accept what the experts say about Him,or they stop talking to Him because that is what little kids and old,old people do.
And so they change their god to fit their world instead of the other way around.The secret of joy in the Christian Way is this:
If you dare to put Jesus first, follow Him no matter where He seems to be leading you, and build your life around Him, then your salvation "experience" will be becoming a relationship!
God is not only your Savior from sin, but your Friend, who desires the very best for you!
Prayer: Lord we come to You, the Eternal God! We thank You we can dare to build our lives on You. Give us grace to make and keep covenant with You and live to please You. In Jesus' name, AMEN
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