Mission Faithwalk

              My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me . (Psalm 31:15)                 The etymology of the word enemy comes from “not” and “love.” An enemy, then, is someone who doesn’t love you. But what does it mean to love you? There seem to be two keys. Someone who loves you wants what is in your best interest and wants to be around and pay attention to you. That means that the person who wants to kill you is your enemy, but so is the person who claims to love you, but who encourages you or manipulates you to do things that aren’t really good for you. Those “friends” who encourage sexual activity outside of marriage, drinking “a few beers,” trying drugs, watching some porn, eating unhealthfully, or other sins, are your enemies. They may claim to be friends.  They aren’t. They may claim to love you. They don’t. And...

               The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. (I Corinthians 2:14)                 I’ve talked about this idea before. It’s not some magical thing that only works in the spiritual realm. If you are shown an optical illusion, like the crone and the young woman, you may only be able to see it one way. Try as they might, those who see it the other way may not be able to teach you to see it the way they do. It’s just the way the mind works. A technical term for it may be “cognitive bias.” Of course, one of the problems with cognitive bias is that those who have it attribute it to others, who eagerly point out the speck in the eyes of others, while ignoring the “log” in their own eyes. What we “know” to be ...

                   Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:11-12)                 This passage was one mentioned during my Sunday School class, in which the topic was loneliness. I’m not sharing this to get pity or to make others feel like they have to do something for me. I’m sharing it to explore and to invite others to explore as well. But these verses hit a little close to home. I don’t tend to think of myself as lonely. I’m used to being on my own.                 At the same time, I’ve written before about recognizing the benefits of community. Some of them are included in the passage above. As we discusse...

                 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:30-31)                 This passage can be confusing. Throughout Scripture, we’re told how loving God is. Jesus came and died to save us. He commanded us to love one another. If God is nasty, it’s the Old Testament God, and Jesus basically made Him irrelevant, didn’t He? The answer to that is “No,” but within that line of thinking, why would it be dreadful to fall into His hands? What does it even mean to “fall into the hands of” someone? We might think in terms of falling into someone’s arms, which involves an embrace. That’s not the same as falling into someone’s hands. Generally speaking, falling into someone’s hands means that one is in the grasp and control of ...

                 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. (I John 2:1)                 Advocate: one who defends or maintains a cause or proposal : one who supports or promotes the interests of a cause or group: one who pleads the cause of another ( ADVOCATE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster )                 “And how does the defendant plead?”                   We might plead “innocent” because what we did wasn’t wrong in our eyes, or because we didn’t know we were doing something wrong.  We might plead “guilty” but with extenuating circumstances. While we’re stammering, offe...

                 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. (Hebrews 10:35-36) The theme at BibleGateway.com seems to be endurance, and it’s a good theme, because it goes against everything we want for ourselves, even if it is precisely what we hope for lots of other people. We don’t tend to want to keep going when the going isn’t pleasant. “Good” people should only have to endure good things. For the rich, those with whom we disagree, and other and various sundry wicked people, we tend to think in terms of repent, endure, or perish. It’s the whole idea behind karma. The problem is that reality doesn’t work that way. In fact, part of the proof that a person is good is that they remain good even while enduring pain, difficulty,  and injustice. That’s what Jesus did, and as His disciples, we’re supposed ...

                 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. (Romans 5:3-4) I’ve said what I’m going to say before, but sometimes, we need a reminder. We like to think that anything that happens to us that we don’t like is evil. And, we might be right, but the thing about evil, or even about hard things that aren’t evil, is that they build resilience. They build perseverance, which builds character, which gives us the capacity to hope. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know this. At least, we think we know this until something tough or evil comes along. Yesterday, I went to the doctor’s for a check in more than a checkup. As a result, I ended up making a phone call to set up another appointment. Yep, the medical merry-go-round. Both the people I talked to congratulated me on making the decision to get my knee replaced. I know it’s a good dec...

                 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. (Romans 15:4)               All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (II Timothy 3:16-17)                 To be a Christian means to be a student of Christianity. To be a Muslim means to be a student of Islam. To be a scientist means to be a student of science. Whatever philosophy, religion, worldview, etc., you happen to claim, simply claiming to be one doesn’t make you one. They all require study, obedience, and the rejection of other, rival perspectives. The prob...

                 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (II Corinthians 13:14) We know there’s a Trinity out there that we don’t understand, and Scripture isn’t really clear about which one is supposed to do what. In other words, they’re not exactly definable or controllable. This is one of the things I think is attractive about a pantheon. Mars/Arez is the god of war. Ceres is the goddess of grain. Hermes/Mercury is the god of medicine. If you have a need, you pick the god who has authority over that matter. It’s like choosing the right store. But God doesn’t work that way. He’s a package deal.  You get all three or you get none. You can’t pit them against each other. There’s no competition, no disagreement. If you don’t like the answer one member of the Trinity gives, it’s a waste of time going to a different member in hopes of a different answer. De...

                  Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because He is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before . (Joel 2:23)                 This was the verse chosen by BibleGateway.com for the day. I try to use them so I’m not writing about the same things all the time. It’s also a verse I’d like to hold God to. In fact, I’d like Him to provide summer rains, too. Of course, the passage makes it clear that it wasn’t a promise, and it was specific to Zion, not to me on a hill over one of the Great Lakes, where water is available whenever we want it, as long as we pay the price. So the verse might not seem to apply to me, or to you wherever you are.                ...

                  Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4:29)                 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. (James 3:7-9)                 It’s not unusual for people to think that attacking another person is the means by which to convince them to change their minds. In some circles, these attacks are recognized as ad hominems attacks, and wi...

               Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)                 First, to be very clear, this isn’t a call for “us” to make the interest of everyone on Earth more important or more valid than ours. It addresses our behavior toward other Christians in our community. This is not to say that we should never look to the interest of non-Christians. It simply means that doing so is not the same as looking to the interest of our fellow-believers, and not as high a priority. It also does not mean believing, saying, feeling, or doing whatever someone wants us to. Looking to the interest of another can mean confronting them about what they believe, say, feel, or do with both love and truth.    ...

                  But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. (Ephesians 5:3-5)                 For those of us who are older, or have been attending church longer, we tend to read the first sentence and agree. Yes, those are standard “big sins” that should be avoided. We may not have as much against them personally as we might, but they’re the traditional things to avoid. But then the passage says “Nor should there be…” and things get a little more difficult. No obscenity? No foolish talk? No...

                    Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. (James 3:13)                 Wisdom and understanding don’t really happen without activity.  You do something stupid, fall, and hurt yourself and if you gain wisdom, you understand that you shouldn’t do that stupid thing. You might learn the same by watching someone else go through the process, but too often, we take their failure as a challenge. “They did it wrong, we will do it right/better . ”                 If we are wise, we should show it, not by impressing others with our wisdom, but by doing what is right. Doing something stupid or wrong doesn’t help you or anyone else. Perhaps more importantly, according to James, wi...

                 All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord . (Proverbs 16:2) “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. (Matthew 6:1) Generally, we think that this means all a person’s ways seem purely right or good to them. I suspect that it’s often true. But a person’s ways can also seem purely worthless, evil, hopeless, etc. The point is that our estimation of what we have done and who we are is often so like the story of the size of the fish that got away. We can’t imagine that our perceptions are skewed. This thing we care about is important! And it is, but part of what is important to us is being seen as what we think is good. God sees what we do, and He not only knows what we’re doing but why we do it. If we do things to look good to others or for their praise, and we get that praise, we...

                 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy compIt lete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. (Philippians 2:1-2) United: 1) Made one, …3) being in agreement  ( UNITED Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster ) According to this passage, we are united with Christ and share in the Spirit. Is there any reason to reject the idea that "united" and "common sharing" are different in any substantial way? One might say that common sharing is the means of being united.  Of course, my automatic reaction to this idea is to pull out the examination table and evaluate whether  I am functionally united with Christ. And I suspect I’m equally concerned in either direction. I want to be united with Christ. I know that it is a good ...

                    Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. (I Peter 3:3-4)                 Technically, these verses concern wives, but young, unmarried women may grow up to be wives, and older widows provide examples for younger women to model. In addition, there are men who are into outward adornment, elaborate hairstyles, and fine clothes. Somehow, I doubt Paul would tell younger, older, or male clotheshorses to ramp it up while wives to rein it in.                 I also doubt that the teaching that applies to clothing would...

                 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!   Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.   And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)                 This is one of those passages that we seem to like to share with other people, but we’re not so fond of having others mention to us. Sometimes, it seems as if others use it to browbeat us, and sometimes, they seem to do it so that they can’t be called upon to step in to comfort, encourage, or otherwise help us. In a sense, those who reprimand us to rejoice, not be anxious, ask God, and be thankful are right. We can make decisions and take acti...

              I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)             Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done . (Matthew 21:21)             This isn’t meant to be a “nice” passage for me today. It’s more of a battle passage. It’s a “kill that gerbil and put a lion in its place” passage. Yesterday, I wrote about a tendency to fixate on the future. Sometimes, there’s something coming in the future that will change our lives. Sometimes, it’s that the future is just more of the same difficulty. And as a gerbil wheel person, it’s easy to spend a lot of time fussing. It’s like looking up into the mountains and wondering h...

              Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. (Isaiah 46:4)                 When you’re young, you think that when you get old, you’ll “get to” relax a little, sit back, enjoy the good life after decades of hard labor. Of course, those of us who are over 50 figure out that it’s not true. We don’t “get to” do less than others.  At least some of us have no choice. And it’s not that we get to take things easier, because everything we do is harder. Friends and family die, are too busy, or can’t be bothered to help; our body parts and finances behave similarly. Oh, there are some great things about being older. I’m happier now than I was for most of my life, and there are challenges in every age group, but for at least some older folks, or for most older ...

                   Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers,    older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. (I Timothy 5:1-2)                 It’s been said that we live in a therapeutic world, but we also live in a culture that focuses greatly on education. Our goals are to make people healthy and intelligent, according to our definition of those terms. Generally, that means that they will think like we do (whoever “we” are). And lots of those who consider themselves elite enough to treat and educate others seem to have some particular ideas about what healing and teaching others is supposed to look like. Oddly, it’s not the way they would want to be treated by their therapist or taught by any parent or teacher out there, but they somehow think tha...

                 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground . (Psalm 143:10)                 A level path doesn’t go up and down, lean from side to side, or have lots of ruts or rocks. So, no mountain tops, no deep valleys. Easygoing but probably boring and generally not a description of reality. Life is full of ups and downs, twists and turns, off-balance moments, and ruts and rocks that seem to appear from nowhere just as you put your foot down.                 God can make our path perfectly flat and boring, but He usually doesn’t, and as a result, people sometimes get angry at a God who seems to have lied to them. The reality is that God makes no promise to guarantee level ground. That’s the plea of the psalmist. Once again, David’s enemies were making his life mis...

                 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)   Sin: violation of divine law, offense against God; moral wrongdoing," also "injury, mischief; enmity, feud; guilt, crime, misdeed," ( Sin - Etymology, Origin & Meaning ) In your own words, what is sin ? For some people, sinning is breaking the rules, either the Ten Commandments or the seven deadly sins: wrath , greed , pride , envy , sloth , lust , and gluttony . Sins are stuff some powerful but arbitrary individual decided he/she didn’t like. When I was in college, someone explained that the Greek term comes from archery, in which “sin” was the failure to hit the bullseye and/or the distance by which one missed. For most of us, that would seem a little silly. I mean, if you miss a bullseye by 0.01 inches, while that does convey the idea of sin as imperfection, it’s still likely to kill the animal, and it’s still so much better than th...

                 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here . (Exodus 33:15) It’s tempting to be jealous of the Israelites. They had the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night to guide them. We have the still, small voice and circumstances. Yes, God has done an excellent job of guiding me. By that, I mean there have been times when I have see, heard, or felt the guidance. But that’s not the same as a pillar of cloud and of fire. You can see that, and if it turns left, there is no doubt you’re supposed to turn left. With the still, small voice and circumstances, faith is needed. God isn’t the problem; we are.  What if we’re not understanding or worse, what if we’ve misunderstood? As I look at this verse, I am tempted to put God to the same test. I want His presence to be somehow manifested to me, so that I can see, hear, or feel and have confidence. The situation isn...

                   “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.   “Late...

                 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” (Genesis 16:13)                 There is a character in the story I’m writing who was inspired, at least a little, by Hagar. He was in a bad situation and met a god he calls “the God Who Sees,” and his life has changed. He met my main character, and in their most recent conversation, she mentioned trying to find the answer to who she is. His answer ties back to his life-changing experience of encountering the “God who sees me.” I don’t intend to try to build some big theological something out of my story, as if my story holds the answers to the mysteries of the ages. It’s just that he’s right. Who we (think we) are tends to depend on who we see looking at us. When the boss is looking at us, we’re good employee...

                  This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. (Isaiah 48:17)                 W…D…AAAA… You’ve read my cries and heard my request: wisdom…direction…ATTITUDE. Some people think I have a bad attitude, or even a chronic one. There are so many ways that an attitude can be bad, so if I don’t have one now, give me 0.972 seconds, and I probably will. Bad attitudes are easy. Good attitudes take work.                 The current attitude issue boils down to control, as it so often does. On my walk this morning, I found myself in familiar territory. I’m not afraid of surgery. I’m afraid of recovery. I’m not afraid of death; I’m afraid of the process o...

                   Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)                 What can you imagine? What could you ask? OK, obviously, since God is God, He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. We know that. But do we really know that? If you think about challenging God to do more than you ask or think, the things that probably come to mind will include wealth, power, fame, and probably the repair or healing of things that aren’t as you think they should be. It might seem strange that Paul would claim God can do beyond what we can imagine, even if, at the same time, we understand that it’s only logical that He must be able to do so. ...

                 For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19)                 This passage came to mind last night. Paul’s prayer was that out of God’s glorious riches, He may: ·          Strengthen us with power through His Spirit in our inner being ·     ...