Window Rattler

The rhythm of the clock, tick-tick-tick-doo, it goes and goes.

K-u-n-n-a na na—whoa, K-u-n-n-a na na—whoa…

Boo wa wa shoo…

The gentle roar of a mighty snore, counters the clock in syncopated time.

How can sounds such as these come out of a creature so fare?

How does she snore soooo  loud!

Yep, my room has musical style: deep, noisy, and cantankerous to the ears.

So the plugs of the ears go in, 25 decibels less—yes!

But, the oceanic roar of the snore still comes right through.

I can hear it loud and clear.

Its billows roll, crash and hold then come again.

These strange sounds would frighten a wild bear or lonely wolf. In bizarre wonderment, somehow they soothe me and slow my spinning mind.

Why is any of this spiritual? If you live long enough and look hard enough, you’ll see everything is linked to the spiritual side of life. Our body, soul, and spirit link together and are only separable at death. Yet in marriage I have another link and union. You say, “I know this, what’s point?”  

This window rattler is uniquely mine. Joined at matrimony, our souls are intertwined with God stamping that connection. With complements and contrasts, we're made complete. The person laying next to me is a "living spirit," made by God. Yes, that one keeping me awake melded and merged into my life, making mine hers. God calls it, "one flesh." It’s beyond comprehension that two, can be one. It is one of the paradoxes found in the bible; look through it and you’ll find many. It goes against thinking. It's counter-intuitive, yet true. Two are one? Yes!

 Even with these two as one, how can this ever work? How can it be? Is this true even with me? Then I remember, it never was about me, it's the grace of God that holds us and keeps us. This same grace  molds and transforms us too. Within the context of marriage, we find it only works well in one way: doing it as designed. We are to each take our rolls. Husbands love your wife like Jesus loved the Church—He died for it! Wives, submit to your husbands. And, most miss this, submit to each other. These words about roles aren't mine they are Paul’s, taken from Ephesians.

In our day the words of Paul goes against popularity. When did anything of God fit into popularity? Speaking, this is all easy to say.Yet, like anything else in scripture, it is impossible to do without God's supernatural help. Don't think I'm one to have it all down either. Knowing the words, even knowing the Word, does't just make it all better or easy. We, in fact, are ones that slip out of our roles easily; getting back in them is not so easy. Yet, nothing is impossible with God!

^"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." 

Ephesians 5:21-25 NIV1984

Eden, Serpents and Doves

The bliss of ignorance once clothed our eyes.

Oh how I wish it to be!

Please!

Once again?

Will our eyes... will they be shielded once again?

Only in our earliest memories as child do we have the slightest hint of that Eden ‘lost’.

It still calls.

Innocence.

It calls!

Echoes of the past are fixed; they play in our minds and drive the day.

Fixed in our minds there are memories of that Eden past.

The longing persist and calls, pure innocence pulls and tugs.  

We are told, “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

We’re told not to be “spotted from this world.”

In Christ we find Wisdom.

In Christ the dove our innocence is restored!  Please erase the memories too!

In Christ the spots, they fade day by day, thank You Jesus!

You make the past stay in the past!

May our souls rest!

We know Eden!

Jesus is our Eden.

"Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere,  I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly,  asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him."

Ephesians 1:15-19a NLT

34

When verses bless, share them! So, I am taking my own advice. I read the bible in my own structured way. When I read Psalms, as part of my plan, I read them at random. Here is one that blessed me!

34

"I will praise the Lord at all times.
    I will constantly speak his praises.

I will boast only in the Lord;  

let all who are helpless take heart.
 Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;
    let us exalt his name together.

 I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
    He freed me from all my fears.
 Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
    no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
 In my desperation I prayed, and the Lordlistened;
    he saved me from all my troubles.
 For the angel of the Lord is a guard;
    he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
    Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
 Fear the Lord, you his godly people,
    for those who fear him will have all they need.
 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
    but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

 Come, my children, and listen to me,
    and I will teach you to fear the Lord.
 Does anyone want to live a life
    that is long and prosperous?
 Then keep your tongue from speaking evil
    and your lips from telling lies!
 Turn away from evil and do good.
    Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right;
    his ears are open to their cries for help.
 But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil;
    he will erase their memory from the earth.
 The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.
    He rescues them from all their troubles.
 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
    he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

 The righteous person faces many troubles,
    but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.
 For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous;
    not one of them is broken!

 Calamity will surely overtake the wicked,
    and those who hate the righteous will be punished.
But the Lord will redeem those who serve him.
    No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned."

PSALM 34 nlt

Rain

Perhaps I should never say this. No! Get your mind right back here. I’m not going to say anything profound. I’m not even going to say something new. Should I ever let anybody into my heart and soul this deep? Perhaps no one should know others thoughts. Well never? Could intimacy even exist in our souls, with secrecy? Occasionally I think, is anybody like this? Like me? 

My wife tells me I think too much. She’s right, I think…?

 If I think too much, my heart becomes heavy and depression sets in. It’s sad how fast I forget to pray. Yet, even in prayer a heart can weigh us down for a period. Read David and Jobs story. Read Paul’s journeys and the weight of life bearing down. They all became depressed as life rained down. Even Jesus felt depression. He felt weight of the cross in the 'future' tense. He knew His destiny, it had to be heavy. It fact it became heavy to the point of death in Gethsemane.

“  They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”  He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”

Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour

might pass from him. “Abba,Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”” 

Mark 14:32-36 NIV1084

What! Christians get depressed too? Contrary to myths and fairy tales that float through Christian circles, we as Christians experience the same emotions, tensions, tragedies, and traumas as anybody else. We often forget, “ it rains on the just and unjust.” That old statement isn't just talking about water falling from the sky. It includes the water cycle, but goes much deeper.

The depth of that verse we feel everyday. This is both physically and emotionally. That rain just keeps-a-rainin’. Throughout the whole of the bible, it rains on everybody. I’m not in the prove it kind of mood (we would be here all day) just read the bible for yourself.

Here I am on a tangent again. I heard Gayle Erwin, author and bible teacher call it something interesting; he called these tangents, “The rabbit trails of life.” Life would be boring without these (opinion of course). When I do this, and it's often, it drives my son nuts, sorry.

I've written a few paragraphs and said hardly anything.

Forgive me for lost thoughts and trails to nowhere. Just remember that phrase, “it rains on the just and unjust.” Then next time you have a “Why” question for our Father. Think on this, the next time injustice and travesty rules the News; think of that phrase.

As evil progresses at the speed of communication, I get frustrated. We see lost souls about the globe, too busy for God. We as communicators to stop in them in their tracks, to give out the Gospel message. Why won’t they listen? Are we just not saying it right? Or are we just not living it right?

I don’t know, but venting has lifted my spirit. Perhaps, I've made you more depressed (I do it to my wife sometimes). Yet, the reason my spirit lifted is because these verses came to me as I typed.

““Come, all you who are thirsty,

    come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
    come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without cost.

² Why spend money on what is not bread,
    and your labor on what does not satisfy?

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
    and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
³ Give ear and come to me;
    hear me, that your soul may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
    my faithful love promised to David.
⁴ See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
    a leader and commander of the peoples.
⁵ Surely you will summon nations you know not,
    and nations that do not know you will hasten to you,
because of the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel,
    for he has endowed you with splendor.”

⁶ Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call on him while he is near.

⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way
    and the evil man his thoughts.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him,
    and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.

⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰ As the rain and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
    so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

Isaiah 55:1-11 NIV1984

Hell Bound?

Father, may my prayers always seek what You wish and will; may I leave my selfish ways behind. Please help me, help us leave “I” behind. May our prayers seek Your ways. Father, burn in our hearts Your mission: the Great Commission. Press us with Your love.

Help us to:

Teach and share

Love and care

Father, Jesus brought Your light. Lord may our hearts delight in Your love: Jesus. Father, Your heart for this world cost You Your Son. We would let others die. To live in Your selfless love is our desire.

May we:

Fast and pray

Listen, don’t play

Prick the watchman in our hearts. Fix our fickle ways and center us on You. Help us see You.  Help us see Your heart. Help us see…

Hurting hearts are everywhere.

Empty souls walk by us every day.

Does the same routine dull us that much?

Are we so wrapped in this world we can’t even see?

Father, please take the scales and cataracts off our eyes. Open our ears to what You say.

Listen…hear Him speak.

How many will die without Christ?

How many are hell bound?

  ^"“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself."

Ezekiel 3:17-19 NIV1984

Image, "Heaven or Hell?," used by permission from Yong Lin Tan. He was gracious in returning my email and granting  permission, thank you Mr Tan.

The Quiet Soul

Quiet my soul O Lord.

Quiet my hectic surroundings, if You would?

Please quiet the ringing in my ears!

O LORD, quiet the night; let me hear the voice of great delight.

Living God, who holds my breath, let me sense You.

In weakness, I reach out my hand to You.

In love, You reach back with Your Holy Spirit descending like a dove.

The same Spirit that raised Christ from the grave comes in, in the gentle way.

He comes to comfort and I am comforted; hallelujah greatly indeed!

Yes! In gentle love, You still my heartache.

O that I would wait with You more!

Sing softly, my soul. Sing softly my soul…

His peace is near and it is so dear.

My quiet soul comes from Him.

In gift, He gave His loving peace.

My soul's refreshed!

Its peace is restored.

Praise our loving Jesus!

Praise the loving Holy Spirit!

Praise our Holy Father, for He lavished us in His love!

^“ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace  that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”

Ephesians 1:3-8 NIV1984

Excuses? And Judgement

If we judge ourselves, we will not be judged.

If we forgive others, our Father will forgive us.

If we humble ourselves in prayer seeking God’s council, He will hear in heaven

If we will turn away from our wicked ways, He will forgive our sin and heal our land

 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.  So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?

Roman 2:1-3 NIV1984

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Luke 6:37-38

"if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV1984

Think about it

Free or Slave?

Do you have an earthly master? And, if you do, are you a slave to it? Our men’s bible study went over a few verses in Colossians 3 tonight. To tell you the truth, these verses make me uncomfortable. Before I explain or state what I mean here are the verses:

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 

Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.  Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.”

Colossians 3:22-4:1 NIV1984

What gets my attention right away is the opener, “slaves.” Just a mere mention of that word “slavery” and our heads wag.  At least mine does. Mention slavery and I always see segments of “Roots” in my mind. “Roots”, a TV mini series, did a great job showing the brutality of slavery. One scene from nearly 40 years ago is still vivid. Kunta Kinte, the main character, has half of his foot chopped off to prevent him from running to freedom.

The bible is often accused of being in favor of slavery. It’s really not. And I’m too tired to explore the scriptures. I don’t want to look up a ton of references to prove my case. So look it up and do your own homework!

 Well maybe I’ll give just a couple verses. But that’s all!

Computers spoil us with the ease that it sifts through information. Well here they are.

^“ If a slave has taken refuge with you, do not hand him over to his master. Let him live among you wherever he likes and in whatever town he chooses. Do not oppress him.”

Deuteronomy 23:15-15 NIV1984

"Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so."

1 Corinthians 7:20-21 NIV1984

 One hundred and sixty four verses, in my NIV bible, mention slavery. Face it, it was and is part of our world. It’s wrong, but many things in our world are messed up. Boy wouldn't the list of our worlds’ woes go on and on forever. Slavery, in my opinion, is one of humanities great blunders and sin.

Most of the verses, sifted with technology, were mentioning Israel’s slavery under different captors and the like. God forced Egypt to set all of Israel free. That should tell us something. Rather than gloss over slavery's reality, the bible regulates the owners to treat a slave right, something unheard of in that day.

Here is an example. God commanded Israel to take a Sabbaths’ rest. In the same manner, those who had slaves were required to let the slaves rest too Exodus 23:12. I could go on and on, but I’m getting tired and I haven’t even really talked about what bugged me.

Paul in Ephesians and Colossians establishes how those in certain roles of life are to act. Here, he gives a general line of conduct to be upheld as our reference point. If one was a husband, wife, child, slave, or owner, each has and had their role or duty as a Christian. All is fine and dandy right?

I guess so, but…, why are workers compared to slaves and bosses to owners? I get it. The comparison has a common relationship with certain similarities. But, the biggest difference is, the worker gets to go to his own home at night (so once there, they can be a slave to their own families upkeep). The slave gets to, no has to stay on duty all the time.

I’m beginning to bore myself. I don’t even like that term, slave!

Yet, it wasn't always a bad deal. Sure you, as a slave would have a job to do. Yet, a wise master would find a way to maximize the slaves output. A wise master would find ways to make having that slave worthwhile. Special talents of a slave, could better the masters position. (Acts contains one such example of this. Starting in Acts 16:16)

So, why would a master abuse his property if he has to pay for the slave’s medical care? It would make sense to value such an investment. Yet, knowing human nature and history, many just abused their slaves.

Those who once were enslaved in western civilization, primarily Jews and Africans, less than a hundred years ago were thought of as less than human. I’m talking about the Holocaust and the Nazi idea’s that destroyed as many Jews as possible. Sure they weren't slaves at point. But their German captors dehumanized them and then proceeded to exterminate them like vermin.

I’m getting riled up just thinking about it! Our sin sick world is capable of any evil imaginable. It wasn't too much for Satan to press God’s people over and over again, in an attempt to destroy them. Satan has always hated anyone called a child of God. Israel becoming a nation of them just made them a huge target. That was too much! Satan wanted to annihilate any chance of that seed of the woman that would crush his head!

It didn't work, of course. 

Sorry, It’s late and thinking’s too hard. The bed is calling!

To wrap this up, the similarities of slaves and their owners to workers and their bosses is perhaps right? Paul, himself, was at times a hireling working for others as he made tents. Jobs did exist, even 2000 years ago.  Why didn't he just use the worker, boss model instead?

It’s easy, now that I think about it. The easy answer is that the Holy Spirit of God guided him in this direction instead. If we believe the word of God is real, then we know it is active and cuts into areas of our lives we would rather avoid.

I don’t like slavery, because Christ is our freedom. Yet, even with that, I've let sin drag part of me into slavery over and over. It simply sickens me to think of it. O the memory dredge!

Forget that.

There was a different type of slavery too. The bond slave: one who chooses to be a slave for life, or one who is ordered to be one for life. They were nailed with an awl to a door post. It marked them for life.

I easily wander and I know it. Yet, as Christ has paid my debt of sin forever and I am his forever. I’m marked as a child of God and it echoes in my head. Being marked, defines ownership. That’s why He goes after wayward sheep, they are His. He leaves the 99 to find just one. Get this mark on your life! Then you’ll always no He’s coming to get ya!

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I wrote about being the one Christ sought after in an earlier post. It's called the Lamb. Here is a link:
The Lamb

Keeping Our Focus

Our world spins and moves faster and faster all the time. Now the Internet offers us the world (somebody offered that to Jesus once); we have pet projects, hobbies, causes, and well you name it, it’s here. That feeds a person like me. I’m not to sure about all the psychological profiling and labeling. Every ailment known to man, it seems, has a label of one sort or another. My daughter found a label for my wife and daughters. It's about the strange behavior of hating, with a passion, someone--me--smacking food. Crazy, I know. Back to the ADD thing is it real? Looking at myself, I would say yes. I lose interest in just about everything and fast. There are couple exceptions too: music and the bible.

I've started and stopped more hobbies than I could remember. So, I’ll drum up a few if I can dig them from the corners of my mind.  Forget that! I know no one cares anyway. Back to that ADD thing, I like things to work fast and well. I even like music that way too. Music, I can take in just about any form. I used to say I liked everything but Country and Opera. Even with those, I've had to repent. I had to can my ideas and fix thoughts to fit this matter. If the music is play well and it praises our Savior, I like it, no matter which genera. 

This is what mind Sciences do. The try and sort everyone into a category based on behavior. Sometimes they get it right and some times it’s wrong. I mean look back in the history of Psychology and not to many years ago it labeled homosexual behavior as aberrant and a mental illness. Now it’s just an alternative. This science can’t really make up its mind; they can’t see these behaviors are just sin. Either way, this sin or that sin, Jesus dealt with them all. We've all got at least something wrong mentally according to some crazy theory. Psychology is trying to gather and group all of humanities mess after the fall, good luck! This labeling of every category is really trying to figure out how sin (original sin or ours own) messes with our mind and results in strange behaviors. Well, maybe I’m ADD according to those groupings, either way the rule books the same and so is this game—life.

G+ has random circles circulating every where. Someone always wants you to join this group or that group and it goes on to infinity. I've join in several and ended up with a few thousand "friends" I'll never know; I've had to delete hundreds too. There are seriously some mess up people in G+ land. If you hop in the circle wagon you can roll like a doughnut on speed straight to the pit hell. In the social network world, you could waste a life time, or you could let God use you. Perhaps the only thing we can make of this all of, is this: God can and does use everything to complete His plan. That means verses in Romans are true? You know it is, baby!

“  We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. They are the people he called, because that was his plan.  God knew them before he made the world, and he chose them to be like his Son so that Jesus would be the firstborn of many brothers and sisters. God planned for them to be like his Son; and those he planned to be like his Son, he also called; and those he called, he also made right with him; and those he made right, he also glorified.” Romans 8:28-30 NCV

I’m getting carried away playing with those fonts! Somebody slap me.

We have opportune to reach out with the message of Christ’s good news to the entire world. But instead I just look the pretty pictures of God’s beautiful earth. Wake up Gordon! As you can guess from all this, I haven’t got it all together. Yet, God can, will, and does use people just like you and I. We are imperfect cracked pots filled with holy treasure. 

We have the words that can lead somebody, anybody to eternal life!

We have that pearl of great price that Jesus talked about. We know those words of life that we were taught even as children. “For God so loved the world...!” Those simple words of Jesus tells God’s plan. Our Father in heaven, wanted to fix what sin broke in the Garden of Eden. Jesus came and restored us to our Father. SHARE this Gospel! Complete the Great Commission and let’s go home.

I really do, I really want to go home and though I love this family God’s given me, I would still rather be home in heaven. I don’t fit in this world. Yeah, I have a few Christian friends and they don’t fit in either. Since we don’t fit elsewhere, what keeps us from fellowship on a daily basis? We do. We busy ourselves in our connections. I wrote about it a while back, in one of my frustrated moments. Check it if you like.  http://creationgivesglory.blogspot.com/2012/06/sharpen-our-sword.html

G+ can be a plus or minus in our lives. We have open doors into the entire world. What are we going to do with it?

I let’s change it and ourselves. I pray it means being more and more in tune to become like Christ. I know it’s our Fathers will, we read it up above. God uses us as-is. Then He molds us along the way. I have the attention span of a gnat and still God uses and fixes even that. I’m still amazed. Why would He do this? Oh yeah, He loves us.