Mission Faithwalk

                  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (II Corinthians 1:3-4)                 We love because he first loved us. (I John 4:19)                 What do you think of when you think of comfort . Nice, cozy fires, warm blankets, cool breezes, soft clothing that doesn’t squeeze, pinch, or otherwise bother you; a hand on your shoulder, good food… I agree. All those things can and do comfort. But comfort is a con/com- word, meaning “with” and -fort comes from the same root as fortify, fort, and forte, all of which have to do wi...

                 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24) I don’t often remember dreams. More often than not, the ones I remember are about me going back to school/work in a place that isn’t a workplace/school, usually with people who make me uncomfortable. Translation: stress or anxiety. Last night, I woke after dreaming that I had angrily called someone significant in my life an idiot. I have no idea what preceded or followed that declaration or accusation. I felt guilty, as if I had actually said it to the actual victim, and when I checked my Bible platform, the above was the passage of the day. Naturally, I’m looking at them together. To begin, of course, there’s my clearly offensive way: calling someone names. I don’t approve of it in general, and even less from myself, even in a dream. It at least sugge...

                     Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.   (Isaiah 25:1)                 One of the problems evolutionists have is that they can’t believe any being capable of creating all that is, in all its detail, with a few sentences. It’s all too complicated to plan and organize in so short a time. (One. I didn’t say they didn’t have other problems.) After all, it takes months or years to do an oil painting. An engineer takes time designing whatever he’s making and develops drawings and blueprints. He doesn’t do it off the top of his head. Were it possible for an engineer to design and build a living thing, it would probably take him years. Maybe decades..             ...

                 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7) Wednesday night at a prayer meeting, someone shared a concern about our kids. I’ve read Jonathan Haidt’s books describing how fear and anxiety plague our youth, but this time, it was about “our” children and how timid they are. Part of it is because of social media, schools, and the press. But another big part of it is our fault. We have spoken with social media, schools, and the press. We have spoken fear, not faith, and conformation, not courage. These have been spoken to us and over us for decades. Maybe you’re not the same, but I have spoken fear over my life for a long time. I can’t say I’m a conformer, but I have been a coward. Today’s passage follows the Shema that Jesus quoted as part...

                 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast . (Psalm 139:7-10) The Hound of Heaven (by Francis Thompson) As Christians, we’re supposed to seek God’s presence and to rejoice that He is with us wherever we go. Promises like the one in Joshua are supposed to be comforting or thrilling. And at least part of the time, they are. This morning, these passages brought to mind a different feeling, and a long poem by Francis Thompson. Don’t worry, it’s not as long as Paradise Lo...

            “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. ” (Isaiah 55:8-9) I wish this passage had shown up before I thought to meditate on Matthew 5:48 yesterday, because it points out one of the things I mentioned. God is far above us: greater, superior, and beyond us. There is no comparison. Even if we were the type of perfection that is without flaws (as discussed yesterday), the comparison would still not exist. Perfection, whether flawless or useful, would not bring us any closer to God, unless, perhaps, our perfection included perfect humility. I suspect that I – and maybe a few others – tend to think God sees us as nightcrawlers that disappoint Him because we can’t fly, or even step dance. But God knows we are people, so it would be unreasonable for Him to expect us to emulate...