Mission Faithwalk

                 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 45:10)               This is one of those verses that can benefit from multiple readings:             “ Be still and know that I am God.”             “Be still and know that I am God.” “Be still and know that I am God.” “Be still and know that I am God.”        “Be still and know that I am God.” “Be still and know that I am God .”             It would make a good exercise, to contemplatively read through these lines every morning for a week, or perhaps one each morning for a week to see how one’s understanding grows. R...

                 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Luke 12:6-7)   Sparrows. At this point, sparrows and pigeons. Flying pigs. I know some folks really like them, but they show up at my birdfeeder and scatter what they don’t like and gobble what they do, leaving nothing for the less frequent visitors: cardinals, blue jays, and even starlings. Right now, the pigeons seem to be held at bay by a couple of crows collecting corn crumbs that the sparrows rejected. It’s not just that they weigh about an ounce, bones and all – so it would take at least four to provide one meal for one person. It’s not just that the amount of work involved in separating the meat from the refuse is more than the meat is worth. It’s also that because of their numbers and their appearance. I know t...

                 For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. (Psalm 149:4) Have you ever watched a family as one of the children takes a few first steps? Manages to ride thirty feet with training wheels on? Then with them off? Some schools have graduation ceremonies for every grade, and families hold graduation parties. As a writer, it’s been strongly suggested to me that I should celebrate significant achievements, and when it occurs to me, I have written little poems to celebrate finishing a chapter. I have given myself gifts for finishing a book. Goodreads.com allows me to celebrate finishing reading a book and lets me tell the world what I thought – and I usually get tongue-tied. There are amateur documentary filmmakers who make sure that all sorts of achievements are recorded so that the achiever can look back and relive the deed. We think doing these things are helpful and encouraging...

                 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. (I Corinthians 6:10)   “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. (I Corinthians 6:23)   “If your god is really a god, he can do whatever he wants.” I agree. God can do whatever He wants, but it’s not wise to continue with the presupposition that He would want to do the things we might want to do, or the things that the pagan gods have been described as wanting to do.  It is equally unwise to ascribe to Him the motives we find in ourselves, especially if ours are ours at our worst. But this is our struggle. We find motives in ourselves      that – if (and when) they are attributed to God, ...

            I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good. Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong. (Psalm 36:1-4)   Quite often, the bad guys on TV fit the description above. Even if they profess the Name, there is no fear of God before their eyes. They think they are God or are so close to Him that they speak for Him, no matter how vile they act. It’s s trope, a stereotype, a cliché and, generally speaking, we either smile at their ridiculousness or cringe at their utter depravity, but it’s spectacular in its scope. In C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters , one of the things Uncle Screwtape tells his protégé, Wormwood is that...

                 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. (Psalm 36:7)   Some people speak of verses like this one as showing the feminine side of God, or God, the Mother. That image may exist, but it isn’t necessary to this verse. One of the neat things about technology is the chance to watch eagles, hawks, and owls raise their young. And at least in the Bald Eagle’s nest, the male helps build the next, broods over, protects, and feeds the young, too. Also interesting is the information shared that hummingbirds sometimes build their nests near hawks’ nests ( Hummingbirds ) because the hummingbird and its nest is kept safe from predators by the presence of the hawk, which generally sees the hummingbird as too small to use to feed its young. I’m not saying that God does not do things that we think of as feminine. I’m just saying that this verse isn’t a good proof-text that can ...

                      This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:2-3)   Oh boy! Things I don’t know! The mysteries of the universe at my fingertips! Visions of the future! Wisdom to match that of Solomon (which means all my problems are solved)! Yes, all of those would be cool, and all of those might be included in “great and unsearchable things you do not know,” but first, there’s the question of the definition of “knowing.” There’s head knowledge, and there’s experiential knowledge. Head knowledge is easy. Two plus two equals four (in a decimal numbering system – don’t get your mind twisted here.) You might be able to quote the verse above (in some translation) from memory. Experiential knowledge is d...