My pastor has been preaching from the book of Ezra. As we have neared the end of the book he has been emphasizing repentance, restoration and reconciliation. He has been preaching, I have been pondering. The same thoughts reached a crescendo the past few nights as I read the detailed instructions in Exodus for the building of the tabernacle.
What is it I have been dwelling on? The power is in the promise.
The prophet Zechariah prophesied during at least part of the time covered by the book of Ezra and his book opens with, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. Amen. Some time back I wrote about this verse and you can read it here. What a promise! But, if we only focus on turn ye unto me, we create a problem. We can create the impression, or begin to think ourselves, that repentance and faith carry weight with God.
As in, the wife and I go to a restaurant for supper. I want us to have a good meal and a good time, but I am watching prices because I only have $50. I’ll get good service and enjoy a nice meal, BUT, the man who comes in and makes it clear, Money is no object, he wants the best food and best service and he is willing to pay for it - he’s gonna have a better time. Money talks.
When we apply this kind of thinking to the things of God – oh, we don’t ever put it like that, but our whole emphasis is on turn ye unto me – then we begin to worry, Is our repentance/faith sincere enough? thorough enough? fervent enough?”
Many years ago I met a woman who worried about these very things. She went to a different church than the one I pastored, so I must have met her where she worked. She began to talk to me and to express her fears and doubts. She had very little assurance of salvation because she was afraid she had not believed the right way. Those were her actual words, “I’m afraid I did not do it the right way.” I tried to teach her that we are not saved by our faith, we are saved by Jesus. So,
It’s not you! It’s the promise of God. Yes, turn ye unto me. But, I will turn unto you is what makes it work. The power is in the promise.
As I mentioned, I have been reading about the tabernacle, and the detailed instructions for its construction. It was important for them to follow these instructions to the last letter. But was the power in the rearing of the tabernacle? No.
And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.
The power was not in the building of the tabernacle. It was in the promise: Build me a tabernacle and I will dwell there. Amen! The power is in the promise.
Consider my house. It is fully wired and I have outlets everywhere, fans and lights etc. When I flip the switch, the light comes on. I am one powerful man! I flip a switch and a light comes on! BUT, if there is no power coming to the house, the light will never come on, no matter how I flip the switch. No matter how sincere, earnest, fervent I am – no power, no light.
Even so, the power is in the promise, not in my repenting or believing.
Consider some other promises
whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Call unto me, and I will answer thee
And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee,
I could call on the name of the Lord all day, every day, for the rest of my life, but without the promise: I will save, I will answer, I will deliver, nothing would ever happen. Yes, I need to call upon the name of the Lord, but the power is in the promise. I call because He promises to answer, deliver, and save.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved
I could believe everything about Jesus and be baptized every way and every day, but without the promise nothing would ever happen. There is no power in believing or in baptism. The power is in the promise: shall be saved.
That’s my incentive, my motive, and that’s what makes repenting and turning and believing effective! Yes, I must repent, I must return, I must believe if I would receive from God – I must flip the switch if I want the light on. But it’s not me, it’s Him. The power is in the promise! Amen.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Advocate or Lawyer?
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2)
I made it to church this morning. First time this month! And Sunday School, too. In Sunday School they are going through 1 John. When we got to the verses above, it was mentioned that an “advocate” is like a lawyer and a little bit was said about lawyers.
DISCLAIMER: This is in no way intended as a comment on or correction of anything that was said by anyone in Sunday School! But, in Sunday School, in the worship service, and for the rest of the day, I’ve been thinking about “advocate.” And isn’t that the best kind of Bible study, one that causes you to meditate further on the passage?
Anyway, I began to think on this word "advocate” and why it is such a better translation than “lawyer.” While there are many kinds of lawyers, I suppose most of us think of court-room lawyers. There are two kinds of court-room lawyers: Prosecutor and Defense.
The prosecutor comes to the judge, points to you and cries, “He did it. He’s guilty. He broke the law and he must pay.”
The defense attempts to either demonstrate that you did not do it or seeks to find a loophole in the law, a technicality, that will get you off.
Jesus is not the prosecution, charging you, accusing you before the Father. No, it is the devil who is the accuser of our brethren…which accused them before our God day and night. And the truth is, the devil is correct – I did do it, I am guilty, and I should pay.
But neither is He the defense lawyer, attempting to prove that I did not do it, or that there is not enough evidence to convict me of it. Cause I did and there is!
Jesus is not our lawyer in heaven, He is our advocate. He is our high priest. As our priest and advocate He intercedes for us; He pleads for us. And what is His plea? A defense attorney will often plead the character of the accused: “He is not like this. This is not the kind of thing he does. He’s a good person.” He produces “character witnesses” who testify to this. And if you are actually guilty, your good character is adduced as reason for mercy and leniency this one time. I got to tell you, if Jesus pleads my character, I’m in trouble! Yes, I can say that by the grace of God I have walked in the ways of God much of my life as a believer. But I cannot say, “God, I stand or fall by my righteousness.”
No, Jesus does not plead me.
So what is His plea? The context helps us a lot: we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins. Amen! Amen! Amen! He pleads His blood, His work, His righteousness. My hope is not me. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I stumble, I sin, and the devil accuses me before God, “There! You saw it. Jeff sinned. He did it. He sinned and he deserves to die. Away with Jeff!” And what can I say? He’s right.
But Jesus, my high priest, my advocate, arises and pleads for me: “My blood was shed for him, my righteousness was imputed to him. He has taken refuge in me. He is mine. Forgive him for my sake.”
Words fail me as my heart rises in praise to God for such an advocate! Charles Wesley expressed it better than I ever could:
That’s what I thought about when I meditated on this verse, And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. O what a great salvation God has provided for us! A Savior and an Advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous one!!
I made it to church this morning. First time this month! And Sunday School, too. In Sunday School they are going through 1 John. When we got to the verses above, it was mentioned that an “advocate” is like a lawyer and a little bit was said about lawyers.
DISCLAIMER: This is in no way intended as a comment on or correction of anything that was said by anyone in Sunday School! But, in Sunday School, in the worship service, and for the rest of the day, I’ve been thinking about “advocate.” And isn’t that the best kind of Bible study, one that causes you to meditate further on the passage?
Anyway, I began to think on this word "advocate” and why it is such a better translation than “lawyer.” While there are many kinds of lawyers, I suppose most of us think of court-room lawyers. There are two kinds of court-room lawyers: Prosecutor and Defense.
The prosecutor comes to the judge, points to you and cries, “He did it. He’s guilty. He broke the law and he must pay.”
The defense attempts to either demonstrate that you did not do it or seeks to find a loophole in the law, a technicality, that will get you off.
Jesus is not the prosecution, charging you, accusing you before the Father. No, it is the devil who is the accuser of our brethren…which accused them before our God day and night. And the truth is, the devil is correct – I did do it, I am guilty, and I should pay.
But neither is He the defense lawyer, attempting to prove that I did not do it, or that there is not enough evidence to convict me of it. Cause I did and there is!
Jesus is not our lawyer in heaven, He is our advocate. He is our high priest. As our priest and advocate He intercedes for us; He pleads for us. And what is His plea? A defense attorney will often plead the character of the accused: “He is not like this. This is not the kind of thing he does. He’s a good person.” He produces “character witnesses” who testify to this. And if you are actually guilty, your good character is adduced as reason for mercy and leniency this one time. I got to tell you, if Jesus pleads my character, I’m in trouble! Yes, I can say that by the grace of God I have walked in the ways of God much of my life as a believer. But I cannot say, “God, I stand or fall by my righteousness.”
No, Jesus does not plead me.
So what is His plea? The context helps us a lot: we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins. Amen! Amen! Amen! He pleads His blood, His work, His righteousness. My hope is not me. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I stumble, I sin, and the devil accuses me before God, “There! You saw it. Jeff sinned. He did it. He sinned and he deserves to die. Away with Jeff!” And what can I say? He’s right.
But Jesus, my high priest, my advocate, arises and pleads for me: “My blood was shed for him, my righteousness was imputed to him. He has taken refuge in me. He is mine. Forgive him for my sake.”
Words fail me as my heart rises in praise to God for such an advocate! Charles Wesley expressed it better than I ever could:
Arise, my soul, arise; shake off thy guilty fears;
The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears:
Before the throne my surety stands,
Before the throne my surety stands,
My name is written on His hands.
He ever lives above, for me to intercede;
His all redeeming love, His precious blood, to plead:
His blood atoned for all our race,
His blood atoned for all our race,
And sprinkles now the throne of grace.
Five bleeding wounds He bears; received on Calvary;
They pour effectual prayers; they strongly speak for me:
“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,
“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,
“Nor let that ransomed sinner die!”
The Father hears Him pray, His dear anointed One;
He cannot turn away, the presence of His Son;
His Spirit answers to the blood,
His Spirit answers to the blood,
And tells me I am born of God.
I now am reconciled; His pardoning voice I hear;
He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear:
With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And “Father, Abba, Father,” cry.
That’s what I thought about when I meditated on this verse, And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. O what a great salvation God has provided for us! A Savior and an Advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous one!!
Wisdom or Caution - Let's try that again
A couple of days ago I made a post I called "Wisdom or Caution." This morning, someone at church came up to me and said they had read it. But this person came away with the idea that I was criticizing the young couple I briefly mention. I was shocked! The criticism was aimed at me. I thought that was plain. Obviously not. My attempt at succinctness sacrificed clarity. I have made one alteration that I hope will make it abundantly clear, all fingers are pointed at me!
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee . . . So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him . . . and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. Genesis 12:1, 4
When you are young, you just know that you know everything.
With a few more years you begin to realize that that’s not quite true. Wisdom has begun.
When you are old, worked awhile, been married awhile, raised kids, you do have some wisdom. You’ve seen some things; been through some things; hopefully, learned some things.
The brashness of youth is replaced with the hesitancy of maturity.
Or, is it temerity replaced by timidity? *
In other words, is it Wisdom or Caution?
I know a couple in their twenties. They have sold or given everything away in order to spend two years on the Mercy Ship in ministry along the coast of Africa. Great! Right?
Yes. It is great. But I confess, I keep thinking about what they will do when their two years is up. They will have to start from scratch. This kind of thinking is not wisdom. It is terrible!
I’ve surrounded myself with a few of my favorite things; with comfort and routine. I don’t consider myself as having a lot of things, but I have realized recently, in reading the Sermon on the Mount, that I have so many things it would take me a while to up and move.
This is the caution of comfort and routine, not the hesitancy of wisdom.
This is what is so amazing about Abram. He was 75 years old. God said Get thee out of thy country and he went. I know there was some hesitancy on his part, and that he lived to be 175 years old - he was just barely middle age, but, he was 75 years old! When God said “Go” he went! He left his comfort and routine. That was wisdom.
It is always wisdom to obey the voice of the Lord.
The brashness of youth is often marked by rashness and presumption. The caution of old age by hesitancy. One steps too soon and too far. The other steps not at all. I want to be wise and not rash; to walk in faith and not presumption. But, when God speaks I want to have the temerity of faith and my youth, not the timidity of comfort and routine.
*Temerity - the quality of being confident and unafraid of danger
Timidity - lack of willingness to take risks
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee . . . So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him . . . and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. Genesis 12:1, 4
When you are young, you just know that you know everything.
With a few more years you begin to realize that that’s not quite true. Wisdom has begun.
When you are old, worked awhile, been married awhile, raised kids, you do have some wisdom. You’ve seen some things; been through some things; hopefully, learned some things.
The brashness of youth is replaced with the hesitancy of maturity.
Or, is it temerity replaced by timidity? *
In other words, is it Wisdom or Caution?
I know a couple in their twenties. They have sold or given everything away in order to spend two years on the Mercy Ship in ministry along the coast of Africa. Great! Right?
Yes. It is great. But I confess, I keep thinking about what they will do when their two years is up. They will have to start from scratch. This kind of thinking is not wisdom. It is terrible!
I’ve surrounded myself with a few of my favorite things; with comfort and routine. I don’t consider myself as having a lot of things, but I have realized recently, in reading the Sermon on the Mount, that I have so many things it would take me a while to up and move.
This is the caution of comfort and routine, not the hesitancy of wisdom.
This is what is so amazing about Abram. He was 75 years old. God said Get thee out of thy country and he went. I know there was some hesitancy on his part, and that he lived to be 175 years old - he was just barely middle age, but, he was 75 years old! When God said “Go” he went! He left his comfort and routine. That was wisdom.
It is always wisdom to obey the voice of the Lord.
The brashness of youth is often marked by rashness and presumption. The caution of old age by hesitancy. One steps too soon and too far. The other steps not at all. I want to be wise and not rash; to walk in faith and not presumption. But, when God speaks I want to have the temerity of faith and my youth, not the timidity of comfort and routine.
*Temerity - the quality of being confident and unafraid of danger
Timidity - lack of willingness to take risks
Friday, September 20, 2013
Wisdom or Caution
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee . . . So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him . . . and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. Genesis 12:1, 4
When you are young, you just know that you know everything.
With a few more years you begin to realize that that’s not quite true. Wisdom has begun.
When you are old, worked awhile, been married awhile, raised kids, you do have some wisdom. You’ve seen some things; been through some things; hopefully, learned some things.
The brashness of youth is replaced with the hesitancy of maturity.
Or, is it temerity replaced by timidity? *
In other words, is it Wisdom or Caution?
I know a couple in their twenties. They have sold or given everything away in order to spend two years on the Mercy Ship in ministry along the coast of Africa. Great! Right?
Yes. It is great. But I confess, I keep thinking about what they will do when their two years is up. They will have to start from scratch. That is not wisdom. It is terrible!
I confess, I’ve surrounded myself with a few of my favorite things; with comfort and routine. I don’t consider myself as having a lot of things, but I have realized recently, in reading the Sermon on the Mount, that I have so many things it would take me a while to up and move.
This is the caution of comfort and routine, not the hesitancy of wisdom.
This is what is so amazing about Abram. He was 75 years old. God said Get thee out of thy country and he went. I know there was some hesitancy on his part, and that he lived to be 175 years old - he was just barely middle age, but, he was 75 years old! When God said “Go” he went! He left his comfort and routine. That was wisdom.
It is always wisdom to obey the voice of the Lord.
The brashness of youth is often marked by rashness and presumption. The caution of old age by hesitancy. One steps too soon and too far. The other steps not at all. I want to be wise and not rash; to walk in faith and not presumption. But, when God speaks I want to have the temerity of faith and my youth, not the timidity of comfort and routine.
*Temerity - the quality of being confident and unafraid of danger
Timidity - lack of willingness to take risks
When you are young, you just know that you know everything.
With a few more years you begin to realize that that’s not quite true. Wisdom has begun.
When you are old, worked awhile, been married awhile, raised kids, you do have some wisdom. You’ve seen some things; been through some things; hopefully, learned some things.
The brashness of youth is replaced with the hesitancy of maturity.
Or, is it temerity replaced by timidity? *
In other words, is it Wisdom or Caution?
I know a couple in their twenties. They have sold or given everything away in order to spend two years on the Mercy Ship in ministry along the coast of Africa. Great! Right?
Yes. It is great. But I confess, I keep thinking about what they will do when their two years is up. They will have to start from scratch. That is not wisdom. It is terrible!
I confess, I’ve surrounded myself with a few of my favorite things; with comfort and routine. I don’t consider myself as having a lot of things, but I have realized recently, in reading the Sermon on the Mount, that I have so many things it would take me a while to up and move.
This is the caution of comfort and routine, not the hesitancy of wisdom.
This is what is so amazing about Abram. He was 75 years old. God said Get thee out of thy country and he went. I know there was some hesitancy on his part, and that he lived to be 175 years old - he was just barely middle age, but, he was 75 years old! When God said “Go” he went! He left his comfort and routine. That was wisdom.
It is always wisdom to obey the voice of the Lord.
The brashness of youth is often marked by rashness and presumption. The caution of old age by hesitancy. One steps too soon and too far. The other steps not at all. I want to be wise and not rash; to walk in faith and not presumption. But, when God speaks I want to have the temerity of faith and my youth, not the timidity of comfort and routine.
*Temerity - the quality of being confident and unafraid of danger
Timidity - lack of willingness to take risks
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Wednesday Night at the Roo
When I got to work last night there was a man hanging around the door. He appeared to be homeless. I asked the clerk I was relieving, “How long has he been here?” She was real perturbed by his presence and said, “I don’t know. Maybe two or three hours.”
There was a sheriff’s deputy in the store at the time, talking to two EMS guys. When they got ready to leave I asked the deputy, “Can you run this guy off?” He did.
So, my shift began with me harassing the homeless.
Shortly after this, a woman came in and asked if I could give her directions to the Marathon on Cherry Road (a sister store). Actually, she wanted to go to a specific road which I was unfamiliar with, but said she could find it if she could get to the Marathon. Said she and her friend had been driving in circles for two hours. I gave her what I thought were the safest directions. A little long, but safe.
As I finished her friend came in. This friend, another woman, was rather agitated and upset with her traveling companion who “kept getting lost” and they began to bicker about getting and being lost. This second woman said, “Give me directions to Cherry Road from I-77, then I can find my way from there.” Aha, this called for a new set of directions!
So, I began to explain how to get to Cherry Road where it intersects I-77. They are still fussing at each other. I mentioned I-77 as a landmark and the second woman snapped at me, “I don’t want to go to 77!” I replied, just a little testily, “I know, but you’re gonna pass under it.” She also made it clear that I was to give the directions to the first woman (who she was continually and loudly accusing of getting them lost), as woman #2 has “no sense of direction.”
They continued to carry on about whose fault it was that they were so lost. Woman #2 went to the rest room, muttering, and woman #1 went out to the car, muttering. I looked at the customer at the register and said, “I would NOT want to be in that car!”
A little later I got rather busy and had several customers. A man joined the crowd and asked if there is a 24 hour store close by. I tell him about two, both approximately three miles away. He asks, “Are they 24 hours?” Uh, yeah.
But he doesn’t leave. He wanders around the store for awhile and then asks a new question, “Do y’all take EBT?” I say, “Yep.” He proceeds to buy $17.81 worth of stuff: Slim Jims, ham and cheese sandwiches, Mountain Dews, Pringles etc. Clearly, he is not restricted to $4.50 a day.
Then between 2 and 2:30 another group comes in who just got off from work. They get $17.69 then $8.61 on EBT. Same kind of stuff (that’s the only stuff we carry!). And I hear how much she still has left on the card. Sounds like she’s getting more than $4.50 a day as well.
The newspapers are brought in each day by a family that happens to live just down the street from us. Nice folks. This morning Mom was talking about her need to find something to do that helps her relax. They have three boys. One is in the Marines; one is into sky diving; the other into tennis. “And my husband has more energy that all three boys combined!” We got to talking about their middle son. He just got his sky diving license or whatever you get and has a swim meet today. He was due in a few minutes with more papers so I said I would ask him about this.
When he got there, I asked him about the swim meet and sky diving. When I said sky diving, his face lit up. Obviously he really likes it and is excited about it!
Around 5:15 a woman came in for coffee. She got to the counter and I saw that her shirt said, Punxsutawney. I read it out loud and commented about her being rather far from home. She said, “That’s Pennsylvania. Punxsutawney Phil.”
I said, “I know. That’ why I said you were far from home.”
She replied, “You’d be surprised how many people don’t know that.”
In a sad tone I said, “No I wouldn’t.”
She went on to tell me about her ties to Pennsylvania and a recent trip up that way for a memorial service for her husband’s grandmother. She told me the grandmother lived in Washington or Oregon. When I asked which, she said Washington.
“I know where that is too.”
She said, “I’ve run into people who don’t know where that is either.”
Yeah... Just a Wednesday night at the Roo.
There was a sheriff’s deputy in the store at the time, talking to two EMS guys. When they got ready to leave I asked the deputy, “Can you run this guy off?” He did.
So, my shift began with me harassing the homeless.
Shortly after this, a woman came in and asked if I could give her directions to the Marathon on Cherry Road (a sister store). Actually, she wanted to go to a specific road which I was unfamiliar with, but said she could find it if she could get to the Marathon. Said she and her friend had been driving in circles for two hours. I gave her what I thought were the safest directions. A little long, but safe.
As I finished her friend came in. This friend, another woman, was rather agitated and upset with her traveling companion who “kept getting lost” and they began to bicker about getting and being lost. This second woman said, “Give me directions to Cherry Road from I-77, then I can find my way from there.” Aha, this called for a new set of directions!
So, I began to explain how to get to Cherry Road where it intersects I-77. They are still fussing at each other. I mentioned I-77 as a landmark and the second woman snapped at me, “I don’t want to go to 77!” I replied, just a little testily, “I know, but you’re gonna pass under it.” She also made it clear that I was to give the directions to the first woman (who she was continually and loudly accusing of getting them lost), as woman #2 has “no sense of direction.”
They continued to carry on about whose fault it was that they were so lost. Woman #2 went to the rest room, muttering, and woman #1 went out to the car, muttering. I looked at the customer at the register and said, “I would NOT want to be in that car!”
A little later I got rather busy and had several customers. A man joined the crowd and asked if there is a 24 hour store close by. I tell him about two, both approximately three miles away. He asks, “Are they 24 hours?” Uh, yeah.
But he doesn’t leave. He wanders around the store for awhile and then asks a new question, “Do y’all take EBT?” I say, “Yep.” He proceeds to buy $17.81 worth of stuff: Slim Jims, ham and cheese sandwiches, Mountain Dews, Pringles etc. Clearly, he is not restricted to $4.50 a day.
Then between 2 and 2:30 another group comes in who just got off from work. They get $17.69 then $8.61 on EBT. Same kind of stuff (that’s the only stuff we carry!). And I hear how much she still has left on the card. Sounds like she’s getting more than $4.50 a day as well.
The newspapers are brought in each day by a family that happens to live just down the street from us. Nice folks. This morning Mom was talking about her need to find something to do that helps her relax. They have three boys. One is in the Marines; one is into sky diving; the other into tennis. “And my husband has more energy that all three boys combined!” We got to talking about their middle son. He just got his sky diving license or whatever you get and has a swim meet today. He was due in a few minutes with more papers so I said I would ask him about this.
When he got there, I asked him about the swim meet and sky diving. When I said sky diving, his face lit up. Obviously he really likes it and is excited about it!
Around 5:15 a woman came in for coffee. She got to the counter and I saw that her shirt said, Punxsutawney. I read it out loud and commented about her being rather far from home. She said, “That’s Pennsylvania. Punxsutawney Phil.”
I said, “I know. That’ why I said you were far from home.”
She replied, “You’d be surprised how many people don’t know that.”
In a sad tone I said, “No I wouldn’t.”
She went on to tell me about her ties to Pennsylvania and a recent trip up that way for a memorial service for her husband’s grandmother. She told me the grandmother lived in Washington or Oregon. When I asked which, she said Washington.
“I know where that is too.”
She said, “I’ve run into people who don’t know where that is either.”
Yeah... Just a Wednesday night at the Roo.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Reflecting on the fire
Thursday
We have a really nice outdoor pit. Slate. Tiernan and I picked it out, I don't know, maybe three years ago. The pan has reached the end of it’s life. It already had a puka in it. I used aluminum foil to fix that. Well, the hole grew so large it became a sinkhole. The whole bottom of the pan is now gone and I can no longer use it. Been shopping around, but the slate part is still fine and I hated to just throw it out. Looked one more time for the paperwork for my fire pit. And I found it! See, it pays to never throw anything away! I called the number. They no longer make the fire pit, but they have parts. So I ordered my pan. Should come to me in 2 to 3 weeks.
Meanwhile, I was off and wanted an early evening fire. So it was out back at the old fire spot. The one in the backyard. Under the trees. The wood was very dry and started burning right away. Jack was over here on Wednesday and he wanted a fire there so Mary had brought the chairs out there. I was high class that night – I sat in a chair and not on the ground! Nice fire.
And instead of the crickets being off to the side, I was right in their midst. Must’ve been three different kind of crickets singing. The crescent moon was behind a tree, but you could see the light. Couldn’t hear any frogs, but it was neat to be right under the crickets. Nice fire.
But I did notice something. It was a lot noisier. Just that distance from the lanai to the back of the yard made a lot of difference. Road noises. And some little plane flying around in an irritating fashion, or some motor that sounded like a little plane. It’s quieter up on the patio. Location. Location. Location.
I was sitting there, enjoying the fire and my Reserva Real, thinking about time. Time fascinates me. I mean natural time, not minutes, seconds, hours. Anyway, I was pondering this when I saw a plane flying overhead, headed for the Charlotte Airport. I was struck by how different our nights were. Same night. Same hour. Yet, I’m sitting in the dark, around a nice fire, relaxing, listening to crickets, enjoying the night. They are sitting in a plane crammed full of people, straightening their seat backs, turning off their electronic devices, stowing everything under the seat in front of them, preparing to land. Once they land they have to rush off the plane, make their way to their cars and the ride home. I could see them and visualize their plight, but they couldn’t see me. I did not envy them at all.
The plane passed by and I went back to reflecting on the fire. A little irritated perhaps, at the rudeness of people, making so much noise on a Thursday night. How rude! My fire burned down and I went inside for a bowl of ice cream and a movie from Netflix, It Happened One Night.
One night off this week. Nice fire. Now it’s back to that place.
We have a really nice outdoor pit. Slate. Tiernan and I picked it out, I don't know, maybe three years ago. The pan has reached the end of it’s life. It already had a puka in it. I used aluminum foil to fix that. Well, the hole grew so large it became a sinkhole. The whole bottom of the pan is now gone and I can no longer use it. Been shopping around, but the slate part is still fine and I hated to just throw it out. Looked one more time for the paperwork for my fire pit. And I found it! See, it pays to never throw anything away! I called the number. They no longer make the fire pit, but they have parts. So I ordered my pan. Should come to me in 2 to 3 weeks.
Meanwhile, I was off and wanted an early evening fire. So it was out back at the old fire spot. The one in the backyard. Under the trees. The wood was very dry and started burning right away. Jack was over here on Wednesday and he wanted a fire there so Mary had brought the chairs out there. I was high class that night – I sat in a chair and not on the ground! Nice fire.
And instead of the crickets being off to the side, I was right in their midst. Must’ve been three different kind of crickets singing. The crescent moon was behind a tree, but you could see the light. Couldn’t hear any frogs, but it was neat to be right under the crickets. Nice fire.
But I did notice something. It was a lot noisier. Just that distance from the lanai to the back of the yard made a lot of difference. Road noises. And some little plane flying around in an irritating fashion, or some motor that sounded like a little plane. It’s quieter up on the patio. Location. Location. Location.
I was sitting there, enjoying the fire and my Reserva Real, thinking about time. Time fascinates me. I mean natural time, not minutes, seconds, hours. Anyway, I was pondering this when I saw a plane flying overhead, headed for the Charlotte Airport. I was struck by how different our nights were. Same night. Same hour. Yet, I’m sitting in the dark, around a nice fire, relaxing, listening to crickets, enjoying the night. They are sitting in a plane crammed full of people, straightening their seat backs, turning off their electronic devices, stowing everything under the seat in front of them, preparing to land. Once they land they have to rush off the plane, make their way to their cars and the ride home. I could see them and visualize their plight, but they couldn’t see me. I did not envy them at all.
The plane passed by and I went back to reflecting on the fire. A little irritated perhaps, at the rudeness of people, making so much noise on a Thursday night. How rude! My fire burned down and I went inside for a bowl of ice cream and a movie from Netflix, It Happened One Night.
One night off this week. Nice fire. Now it’s back to that place.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Take Heed
One of my goals for this year’s vacation was to take a look at take heed in the Bible.
So, using my BibleWorks computer Bible, I did a search for take heed. Right away I discovered that this warning occurs in the Old Testament as well, so I restricted myself, for now, to the New Testament. I looked at every occurrence and studied the context to gain a better understanding of each warning. This is a very brief summary of what I found.
First, take heed is a translation of different Greek words. There are two main words, two occasional words, and some really interesting combinations. I have not done the word studies yet.
Second, take heed occurs more often in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, never in John) than the rest of the New Testament combined.
Third, there are a lot of pertinent warnings here! But here are the most interesting to me:
Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.
This one I expected. This next one, however, really surprised me
And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
Not only how I listen to the truth, but what I listen to! This has big ramifications
Take heed to yourselves
This occurred a few times. Apparently, I can be my own worst enemy
Take heed and beware
This seems like an especially serious warning and occurs more than once. It is noteworthy what the Lord says to beware of
Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
This one struck me as the most intense. Three imperatives in a row, piled one on top of another. An especially serious warning.
As I said above, I still have the word study to do and the Old Testament to go through, but it seems that watchful care is in order.
So, using my BibleWorks computer Bible, I did a search for take heed. Right away I discovered that this warning occurs in the Old Testament as well, so I restricted myself, for now, to the New Testament. I looked at every occurrence and studied the context to gain a better understanding of each warning. This is a very brief summary of what I found.
First, take heed is a translation of different Greek words. There are two main words, two occasional words, and some really interesting combinations. I have not done the word studies yet.
Second, take heed occurs more often in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, never in John) than the rest of the New Testament combined.
Third, there are a lot of pertinent warnings here! But here are the most interesting to me:
Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.
This one I expected. This next one, however, really surprised me
And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
Not only how I listen to the truth, but what I listen to! This has big ramifications
Take heed to yourselves
This occurred a few times. Apparently, I can be my own worst enemy
Take heed and beware
This seems like an especially serious warning and occurs more than once. It is noteworthy what the Lord says to beware of
Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
This one struck me as the most intense. Three imperatives in a row, piled one on top of another. An especially serious warning.
As I said above, I still have the word study to do and the Old Testament to go through, but it seems that watchful care is in order.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
On getting lost
This past week, on two different occasions, I got lost.
The first time was when I went for a hike in Edisto Beach State Park. I wanted to see Spanish Mount (after three years of talking about it), an ancient Indian mound made of shells. It is 1.7 miles from the parking lot to the mound, with maps and clearly marked, color-coded trails. It was hot and humid, and there were as many mosquitoes as there are trees!
I enjoyed the walk and made it to the mound. I explored the area and headed back. The path I was on was red. I decided to take the orange path back in order to see a different part of the park (I was also hot and getting tired of the mosquito assault). That meant orange until it crossed the purple path, and purple back to the parking lot. So I set off.
However, I ran into a problem: there was no purple. It was red. I took it anyway and I was clearly in a part of the park I have never seen before (and I have driven around most of it). While I was walking on this path, Mary called and asked, “Where are you?” I said, “Lost in the woods.” A little bit of hyperbole. I mean, I knew I was in the park and felt confident that I could backtrack to the car, but I didn’t know where I was in the park. And I had carefully followed the map!
I saw a park ranger, flagged her down and explained my predicament. She smiled and pointed behind me, “Your parking lot is that way.” I thanked her and walked “that way.” And after a few feet I saw my jeep. I wasn’t as lost as I thought!
The second time was coming home. We packed our cars. I hooked the kayak trailer to the jeep and Aimee (my granddaughter) and I headed home. This is the second year in a row that we have all left at different times and I have been on my own trying to get back to the interstate - and I’m not really sure how to do just that! I mentioned that to Aimee and we both recalled that we got lost last year.
We decided to follow the “Hurricane Evacuation Route” signs. It went well for a while: 174 to 17 to 64. So far so good.
But, there is a place where you have to make a right turn in order to stay on Hwy 64. There were as many orange construction barrels as mosquitoes at Edisto Beach State Park. I thought I was supposed to turn there, but I also thought the evacuation sign said straight. Well, we went straight. Wasn’t long before we realized we had never been on this road. Lots of construction, no houses, no businesses, nowhere to turn around. So we drove on. I was hoping this road would also cross I-95, but as I tried to picture it all in my head, I began to despair. Finally, I said, “This is not right. We’re gonna turn around.” Which we did.
We went back to the turn and took that road. But we were both filled with uncertainty. We recognized some things, but not many. We stopped at a gas station for their facilities. I asked the clerk for directions, which she provided and which we followed. We drove on, turned at the light, and knew where we were. Piece of cake after that! Aimee laughed and said, “This is why I like riding with you. You get lost on the most interesting roads.”
So, the first time I was lost while carefully following the map. Well, I wasn’t actually “lost”, I was in the right place, just didn’t know it. I needed a guide to help me. And with that help, everything was clear. The second time, I was stumbling and bumbling around, trying to follow the signs. I needed someone to instruct me in the way to go.
This is so easy, even I can make the application.
The first scenario is like a person who has the “map’ (the Bible) and he’s trying to follow it. It’s clear, the path is marked, yet he is confused. Is this possible? Can a person read the Bible and come away confused? Yeah. Who can provide guidance, to make things clear? The Holy Spirit! (And God is so good, he has also given us The Faith. When I read the Bible and make an interpretation, how can I test it? Well, does it agree with The Faith handed down by the Apostles? If not, I’m on the wrong path!). Of course, the good news is, the map worked - I was where I was supposed to be, I just needed help seeing it.
The second scenario is like a person who is trying to find the way but who is having trouble. He needs someone to help him. “Is this the way I should go?” “Yes, go this way.” He needs a friend who knows the Way and can tell him.
Hanging out with me really is an adventure!
The first time was when I went for a hike in Edisto Beach State Park. I wanted to see Spanish Mount (after three years of talking about it), an ancient Indian mound made of shells. It is 1.7 miles from the parking lot to the mound, with maps and clearly marked, color-coded trails. It was hot and humid, and there were as many mosquitoes as there are trees!
I enjoyed the walk and made it to the mound. I explored the area and headed back. The path I was on was red. I decided to take the orange path back in order to see a different part of the park (I was also hot and getting tired of the mosquito assault). That meant orange until it crossed the purple path, and purple back to the parking lot. So I set off.
However, I ran into a problem: there was no purple. It was red. I took it anyway and I was clearly in a part of the park I have never seen before (and I have driven around most of it). While I was walking on this path, Mary called and asked, “Where are you?” I said, “Lost in the woods.” A little bit of hyperbole. I mean, I knew I was in the park and felt confident that I could backtrack to the car, but I didn’t know where I was in the park. And I had carefully followed the map!
I saw a park ranger, flagged her down and explained my predicament. She smiled and pointed behind me, “Your parking lot is that way.” I thanked her and walked “that way.” And after a few feet I saw my jeep. I wasn’t as lost as I thought!
The second time was coming home. We packed our cars. I hooked the kayak trailer to the jeep and Aimee (my granddaughter) and I headed home. This is the second year in a row that we have all left at different times and I have been on my own trying to get back to the interstate - and I’m not really sure how to do just that! I mentioned that to Aimee and we both recalled that we got lost last year.
We decided to follow the “Hurricane Evacuation Route” signs. It went well for a while: 174 to 17 to 64. So far so good.
But, there is a place where you have to make a right turn in order to stay on Hwy 64. There were as many orange construction barrels as mosquitoes at Edisto Beach State Park. I thought I was supposed to turn there, but I also thought the evacuation sign said straight. Well, we went straight. Wasn’t long before we realized we had never been on this road. Lots of construction, no houses, no businesses, nowhere to turn around. So we drove on. I was hoping this road would also cross I-95, but as I tried to picture it all in my head, I began to despair. Finally, I said, “This is not right. We’re gonna turn around.” Which we did.
We went back to the turn and took that road. But we were both filled with uncertainty. We recognized some things, but not many. We stopped at a gas station for their facilities. I asked the clerk for directions, which she provided and which we followed. We drove on, turned at the light, and knew where we were. Piece of cake after that! Aimee laughed and said, “This is why I like riding with you. You get lost on the most interesting roads.”
So, the first time I was lost while carefully following the map. Well, I wasn’t actually “lost”, I was in the right place, just didn’t know it. I needed a guide to help me. And with that help, everything was clear. The second time, I was stumbling and bumbling around, trying to follow the signs. I needed someone to instruct me in the way to go.
This is so easy, even I can make the application.
The first scenario is like a person who has the “map’ (the Bible) and he’s trying to follow it. It’s clear, the path is marked, yet he is confused. Is this possible? Can a person read the Bible and come away confused? Yeah. Who can provide guidance, to make things clear? The Holy Spirit! (And God is so good, he has also given us The Faith. When I read the Bible and make an interpretation, how can I test it? Well, does it agree with The Faith handed down by the Apostles? If not, I’m on the wrong path!). Of course, the good news is, the map worked - I was where I was supposed to be, I just needed help seeing it.
The second scenario is like a person who is trying to find the way but who is having trouble. He needs someone to help him. “Is this the way I should go?” “Yes, go this way.” He needs a friend who knows the Way and can tell him.
Hanging out with me really is an adventure!
Monday, September 2, 2013
That’s what I’m talking about
One of my goals for this vacation was to kayak in a place I had not been before. Check!
I woke up this morning around 6:30 and was out the door and on the road shortly after 7. I went to Edisto Beach State Park and Live Oak boat ramp. I put in and headed upstream on Big Bay Creek. I had no real plan except to paddle up for a while, turn around and come back down.
I rounded the first bend and was a little disappointed – docks and boats and houses. Impressively large houses. And docks. And about four or five double-masted schooners. But this was not what I was hoping for so I paddled on.
A little bit of work and I was beyond the houses, and docks, and boats, and even the seagulls. It was amazing! And so quiet. The only sound was made by me paddling, and the kayak rushing against the current. When I would stop, all I could hear was the marsh grass blowing in the wind; and the popping of the marsh as it dried out (it was low tide); the occasional bird fluttering up when I got too close; and silver-bellied fish jumping out of the water. Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about!
I kept pressing on because of my nature, “Wonder what’s around the bend?” What was around each bend? More magnificent, spectacular scenery! This creek wasn’t narrowing, and since a larger boat had put in when I did and also gone up-river, and I had not yet come across it, I was beginning to realize I was nowhere near the headwaters. So I was beginning to consider turning around.
I was off to the side, listening to the marsh pop, when I heard a lot of splashing up ahead. At first I thought a pelican had either landed or caught something. But it continued. It was a lot of splashing. “Well, let’s go see what it is!” When I got closer, I could see that it was a couple of dolphins, right at the edge of the water, raising a ruckus. I went closer. And even though I tried to approach them softly, they were aware of me and moved away a little. I crept up until I must’ve been within 20 feet of them. They would move away, in front of me, then behind me. Then they sorta circled me, blowing air from their air holes. The "poof" they made gave me the distinct impression that they were a little irritated with me. After surfacing all around me for a little while, they disappeared. I thought to myself, “I don’t think it’s going to get any better than this” so I turned around and headed back.
Good timing too. I was passed by four or five boats on my way back. The current wasn’t bad but I made it back a LOT faster than going up.
I have always wanted to kayaking early in the morning. This morning was the earliest I have ever been out, and it was amazing. Great trip! Edisto is awesome!
I woke up this morning around 6:30 and was out the door and on the road shortly after 7. I went to Edisto Beach State Park and Live Oak boat ramp. I put in and headed upstream on Big Bay Creek. I had no real plan except to paddle up for a while, turn around and come back down.
I rounded the first bend and was a little disappointed – docks and boats and houses. Impressively large houses. And docks. And about four or five double-masted schooners. But this was not what I was hoping for so I paddled on.
A little bit of work and I was beyond the houses, and docks, and boats, and even the seagulls. It was amazing! And so quiet. The only sound was made by me paddling, and the kayak rushing against the current. When I would stop, all I could hear was the marsh grass blowing in the wind; and the popping of the marsh as it dried out (it was low tide); the occasional bird fluttering up when I got too close; and silver-bellied fish jumping out of the water. Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about!
I kept pressing on because of my nature, “Wonder what’s around the bend?” What was around each bend? More magnificent, spectacular scenery! This creek wasn’t narrowing, and since a larger boat had put in when I did and also gone up-river, and I had not yet come across it, I was beginning to realize I was nowhere near the headwaters. So I was beginning to consider turning around.
I was off to the side, listening to the marsh pop, when I heard a lot of splashing up ahead. At first I thought a pelican had either landed or caught something. But it continued. It was a lot of splashing. “Well, let’s go see what it is!” When I got closer, I could see that it was a couple of dolphins, right at the edge of the water, raising a ruckus. I went closer. And even though I tried to approach them softly, they were aware of me and moved away a little. I crept up until I must’ve been within 20 feet of them. They would move away, in front of me, then behind me. Then they sorta circled me, blowing air from their air holes. The "poof" they made gave me the distinct impression that they were a little irritated with me. After surfacing all around me for a little while, they disappeared. I thought to myself, “I don’t think it’s going to get any better than this” so I turned around and headed back.
Good timing too. I was passed by four or five boats on my way back. The current wasn’t bad but I made it back a LOT faster than going up.
I have always wanted to kayaking early in the morning. This morning was the earliest I have ever been out, and it was amazing. Great trip! Edisto is awesome!
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