Mission Faithwalk

for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. (Philippians 2:13)           I’ve joined a summer Bible study at my church that is focusing on being present instead of being perfect. It is hard for me too just be with someone. Quality Time is not my love language. It’s made harder because I’m having to be the parent to someone who doesn’t want to give up being in charge.           One of the tasks assigned was to look at a bunch of Scripture and to provide my interpretation of hose verses. Today’s passage was one of the verses, but it was translated this way: “God will accomplish good things through you.” So, what is my interpretation?           In Romans 8:28, Paul tells us all things work together for good, not that all things are good. God will do whatever it takes in me and my life to accomplish His will, which is good and goodness, but that doesn’t mean I’ll think it pleasant. More often than not, it is easy to look past the good th

          So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. (Deuteronomy 5:32-33)             Normally, I would use these verses to suggest that by obeying the law, God will bless you, and that is absolutely true. The prosperity you receive may not be exactly the kind of prosperity you expected but living according to the principles God has given us promotes good health, a solid character, and a strong society. You will not get an argument from me against being careful to do what God has commanded .          This morning, however, I’m facing a different perspective of this. I wanted to finish the second revision of my novel by the end of June. I have one day left in July, and one ...just one scene left to rewrite. It’s the climax of the last battle, and what’s going thro

                Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.   (Proverbs 4:23-27)             One of the reasons I have planted the trees, bushes, and plants that I have this past two months is to attract birds and butterflies, so I can take pictures. I knew from having a bird feeder in the birch tree that most of what I would get at the feeder was House Sparrows. I should probably try to appreciate them more, but there are so many and they’re just not photographically exciting to me.             I didn’t expect my currently second most frequent visitor. I’ve thought for some time that someone must have a pigeon rookery down the road. This morning, a flock of them waited on the power

The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions. (Proverbs 12:27)           I spent yesterday working on three big goals: this blog entry, the front steps, and my novel and two “I really should” goals: my word of the day and my Christian Influence in History blogs. By quarter after six pm, I completed the current phase of the steps. If I do nothing more, we’ll be the only ones who know there was supposed to be more. But I have fussed over several Bible passages, trying to find one that inspired and … nothing. So, I worked in reverse. I started writing and found a theme for which I then found a verse.            The only thing I can say about myself today is “Diligence.” I spent part of three days cleaning the steps, finishing this morning. Though it’s unusual for me, I covered and taped the way you’re supposed to when you paint – which now means I need to find some white paint to touch up places where the tape pulled the white paint off! I put th

He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored. (Proverbs 27:18)             This has been a summer to begin to peek ahead, just a little. As I’ve noted before, I wasn’t going to work outside, but I’ve been working outside a lot. Over the last several years, we’ve removed five trees and I have no idea how many bushes from the property. Some had been around since the sixties. None were fewer than ten years old. Since then, I’ve stumbled around with my gardens, asking, “What do I want to plant this year?” without considering anything more long range.           This summer, that’s changing. As I considered what bushes to put in the front yard, and then what trees to put in the back, I had to decide what I want, and for the front yard, the first key was nature and beauty. I want birds. As I’ve considered more, I want butterflies. I’ve planted service berry bushes, Echinacea, butterfly flowers, fennel, oregano, and garlic chives toward

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.   Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes. (Proverbs 26:4-5)               Yes, these verses are right next to each other. Kind of makes you want to go “Huh?” Isn’t that a contradiction? The study notes say that responding to a fool by descending to his level of thought makes one look like a fool. Arguing on his level is useless. If the matter isn’t important, no one benefits. At the same time, however, responding to a fool with the rebuke that the fool deserves on matters of importance supposedly discourages him from thinking too highly of himself. There are times when it is wrong to be silent.               I can’t disagree with those ideas. I have often made a fool of myself trying to argue a fool out of his folly. Part of the problem is that I tend to see not answering the fool to be condemning him to his folly. To me, that’s unloving. It requires that I give up th

          Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes material for the silversmith; remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established through righteousness. (Proverbs 25:4-5)               Removing dross from silver requires that the silver be molten. To get it to that state, it has to be heated to nearly 1800 degrees. The way the verses are set up, it seems that we’re supposed to draw a parallel between the two processes. The obvious question would seem to be, “How does one turn up the heat on the wicked who surround the king?” And, as important as that question is, I think it’s also important to ask how we can turn up the heat on the wicked around us. Some would say that wicked means not nice, kind, tolerant, compassionate, inclusive…. Others might say that the truly wicked are the pedophiles, rapists, murderers, drug dealers, corporate big wigs and politicians of certain political affiliations. I don’t think either list is sufficiently clear ab

          I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man. (Prov 24:30-34)             I guess I have a green thumb. I’ve had gardens forever it seems. Before I took them over, my parents had gardens. Sometimes we get good crops. Sometimes, we don’t. I can tell you with great confidence that I am an expert gardener when it comes to crab grass, clover, wild strawberries, and pricker plants (whatever they may be correctly named.)            Part of the problem is that I’ve been busy. It takes time to take care of Dad. It takes more time to take care of him when he’s in the hospital, and he spent some time there. We had company

           At the window of my house I looked out through the lattice. I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who lacked judgment. He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in (Proverbs 7:7-9)   This morning, someone shared a post about rape. The message of the post was “Don’t blame the victim.” We are especially not to blame the victim for wearing the clothes she wore. They’re right. Different rapists seek different types of victims. There is no way to know what is or is not safe to wear.           But I also think about passages like the one above. A youth, walking in a dangerous neighborhood at twilight. There seems to be such an emphasis on not blaming the victim that the belief is that we should be able to go where we want, when we want, alone, and not get into trouble. And that’s true, we should be able to do those things, but the reality is

The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. (Psalm 27:1-3)             I’m still thinking about yesterday’s post, and my habit of thought involving “Help me, help me.” I’m not saying we shouldn’t seek God’s help when we need it, but, to put it bluntly, that seems to be my go-to thought even when I don’t really need help. It’s just a bad habit. Today’s verse is, I think, far better, and I have to thank a friend named Dee Ann for sharing it at just the right moment.           I’ve written before about worry being a habit. Worry, anxiety, and fear are close relatives. I think they have some very positive uses, if taken in prescribed doses, but too often, we use them as a rec

I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws . (Psalm 119:30)           This verse and Romans 7 speak to my circumstances this morning. At my best, my walks are also a time of prayer. Recently, those prayers have been little more than “Help!” and “WDA, Lord.” I want to say, “I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws,” but the choosing and setting last maybe two and a half seconds, and I’m back to “Help me, help me.” I can flip back to my standard operating procedure between one sentence and the next.            I strongly suspect there’s habit involved. This is one of those cases when I need to learn to control my bowels (since to the ancients, the bowels were the seat of emotion, but to us they tend to be the source of excrement by one name or another. I’ve come to the conclusion that self-control has a lot to do with controlling the bowels, or at least with changing one’s own diaper.          First things first, learning

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD , “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future . (Jeremiah 29:11)           It’s been a difficult couple of weeks. I’ve said before that I know God will not let me miss the next exit. I’ve also said that in spite of all the heart ache, I know God is good. But I’m weary at the moment, so I am thinking about this verse. Technically, God made this promise to Israel. Also, technically, He has fulfilled it in my life. It doesn’t matter how big a nightmare the next several decades are, because it’s a small thing compared to eternity. I’m still convinced that God will provide all my needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.           I still know all these things. I know that it won’t last forever. I know that a nap after lunch will do wonders. But today is an attitude check day, and my attitude is worse than it should be. I’m focused on the troubles, the aches, the weariness, and I ne

                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 have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. (II Corinthians 1:3-7)             God comforts us in our troubles. Comfort given when there is no trouble is wasted. It’s like pouring water on the wood when the fire’s already been out for a week. According to this passage, one of the reasons for trouble is so that we can be comforted, and in being comforted, learn to

My eyes fail, looking for your promise; I say, “When will you comfort me?” (Psalm 119:76)                       The past couple days have been tough. Dad’s mental dictionary doesn’t include words like cooperate except as applied to others. I can understand his frustration with me. I’m not good at asking his opinion or permission when I’m trying to get things done that I believe need to be done. Part of that is because I know that any idea I suggest to him is a bad idea as far as he’s concerned.           But among the comments made yesterday when we were fighting was one about how much he’d enjoyed the peaches from the old peach tree, and that we should get rid of the tree that is there and put a peach tree in, so he could just walk out in the yard and pick one. So yesterday afternoon, I bought a peach tree for him, and a River Birch for me. It was to go out back as a replacement for the white birch we took out. During a break in our disagreement, I checked on line to see what I

I remember your ancient laws, O LORD , and I find comfort in them . (Psalm 119:52)             Image you’re an ancient Greek or Roman. Have you ever thought about how difficult they had it? I’m not talking about technology, or the fact that the vast majority of people were slaves. I’m talking about their religion. First off, there was just plain fate. The gods could do nothing about that. But let’s say that somehow, you knew what to do to keep Zeus/Jupiter from getting angry with you. That doesn’t mean that any of the other gods in the pantheon will be happy with you. It may mean that if Hera/Juno got angry with Zeus/Jupiter, you may find yourself on her bad side. Not only that, but if you got into a fight with someone else with whom Zeus/Jupiter was fond, he might turn against you. Power wasn’t clearly delineated among the gods, so how much research do you have to do to find out how many of what to sacrifice to which gods to take care of whatever your need is?           This

My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.   (Psalm 119:50)              This is one I know something about. I may not know where I am going, but I am sure that He will see to it that I take the right “exit.” That is the only reason I can call this blog “Mission: Faithwalk.” Years ago, as I whined about not knowing what I am to do with my life, and about being afraid that I would miss an exit (I am notoriously afraid of not finding my way somewhere. I was crying for a GPS long before they existed) God asked me if I had missed the exit when He sent me to Penn State, and when He introduced me to Helen, and when He had brought me home, gotten me a job at the library, and then took me back to school. Each time, I had to answer, no, I hadn’t missed those exits. Then He asked what made me think He would let me miss the next exit. “Um, well, since You put it that way….”           I didn’t miss the exit when I went to the church I’m going to now. I didn’t miss t

Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again. (Psalm 71:20-21)             I can’t imagine a truly comfortless world. I know Heaven is supposed to be perfect and no one there will have a need for comfort, but I just can’t begin to imagine that. It will be wonderful, I’m sure, but it’s beyond my imagining partly because comfort is such a necessary and positive thing now.            How could we possibly know the depth of the love someone has for us if we never needed anything from them? Or if there was never any reason for them to dig deep in themselves to give to us? Comfort is an expression of love, and challenges love to deepen.              We need to be comforted because we are not perfect. We are weak and broken, sinners by birth and sinners by choice living in a fallen, weak and broken world. We need the strength and su

                Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)              I’ve read that a shepherd’s rod was used to beat off the enemies of the sheep, while the staff was used to guide the sheep, draw them near, or even pull them out of trouble. I think sometimes when we need comfort, it’s because we’re running away from a staff, convinced that it is a rod. I know the feeling well.           This morning on my walk, as I was trying to pray about this passage, but mostly repeating my father’s plea of “Help me! Help me!” I was reminded of the idea that while Israel’s Promised Land was physical real estate, ours is spiritual and involves first conquering the “land” of our own minds.           This means that my enemies, the ones one whom the Shepherd uses the rod, are within the borders of my mind more often than they are someone or something out there in “the real