A Path Through the Legos--Monday Manna

Today I’m joining in Monday Manna over at Vonnie Blake’s blog, My Back Door.  The purpose of Monday Manna is to get to know God’s word a little better by meditating on a selected verse, then writing about it and linking up with fellow bloggers.

This week’s verse is Psalm 18:36 --
“Thou hast enlarged my steps under me,  that my feet did not slip.” (KJV)




Living in a house inhabited by boys, the first image that sprang to mind was of carefully navigating the minefield of Legos, Hot Wheels, and Star Wars figurines that emerges in our living room every day after school.  You don't step on the Legos (ouch); you stick to the uncluttered path (wherever that might be).

The smooth path is the better way.

The NIV gives a different translation, “You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way.”  The HCSB translates the verse, “You widen [a place] beneath me for my steps, and my ankles do not give way.”

One of my favorite classes in seminary was the “maps class”: Historical Geography of the Bible.  For an entire semester we traced the paths the Israelites took as they traveled to and through the Promised Land.  The Psalmist was quite familiar with the difference between the wide and narrow paths. The best roads to travel were between mountains and across the wide, flat plains. These became the highways that merchants, kings, and armies used.  It’s possible to travel over the mountains, but you need nimble feet and steady ankles.

The smooth path is the better way.

The New Century Version translates, “You give me a better way to live, so I live as you want me to.”

You have to navigate through life's problems and dangers, they come to the believer as well as the unbeliever.   Walk in the way of the world (be this thin, buy this car, earn this much, you can do it--just think positive) and you're likely to wind up with a foot full of Legos.  Walk in The Way of Jesus and he will enlarge your steps:  “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:30)

Let Jesus be your guide. His smooth path is the better way.

You clear the way for me, and now I won't stumble. (CEV)

Quiet Time - Monday Manna

I’m participating in Monday Manna today over at Joanne Sher’s blog, “An Open Book”.  The purpose of Monday Manna is to get to know God’s word a little better by meditating on a selected verse, then writing about it and linking up with fellow bloggers.  It’s interesting to see how each verse impacts us since our lives and locations are different.

Today’s verse is Psalm 27:8 from the New Living Translation (NLT)  “My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.”

As a stay-at-home-mom with two active boys and an erratic schedule, I struggle with finding...

Quiet Time

Dear Lord,
I hear you call
and I’m coming
Then I hear a crash and a child wails and a voice cries, “Mom” and
there’s milk all over the kitchen floor.

Dear Lord,
I hear you call
and my heart is warmed
Then the cat throws up and the children shriek and
are we out of paper towels again?

Dear Lord,
I hear you call
as I tiptoe out of my dawn-lit room
Then a child walks in, yawns “You woke me up” and
sits on the open Bible in my lap.

Dear Lord,
I hear you call
but my heart is torn
‘Cause it’s finally quiet and I can talk
in complete sentences
with the man that I married
before I forget his first name isn’t “Daddy.”

Dear Lord,
I hear you call
and I want to choose the better part
Then one voice whines, another cries, and someone needs
(was that a meow?)
and Martha is pulled back to her kitchen.

Dear Lord,

Photo: Geri-Jean Blanchard

I hear you call
in a quiet oasis when
I’m early for car line with ten silent minutes
alone
Just the two of us

And my heart cries, “Lord, I am here!”

Jesus is no Jedi

Today I'm linking up with Joanne Sher's blog "An Open Book" to talk about today's verse.  I think I took a different tack on this, but the question of why bad things happen has been on my mind...


Today's Monday Manna verse is: 


“And (Jesus) did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.”  --- Matthew 13:58

Growing up in the Star Wars era, I was fascinated by the saga of Luke Skywalker What kid wouldn’t want to be able to use the Force to defeat bullies and get a few chores done?

Then there’s that verse in the Bible where Jesus says, “...if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matt. 17:20)

Whoa. Talk about a Jedi moment.  I envisioned moving mountains, like Yoda raising Luke’s X-Wing fighter from the swamps of Dagobah.  All it took was a little faith...

Well, not really. I knew better than that.

But I think we can get a bit confused about the connection between faith and miracles.  We’re tempted to believe that if we only have a little more faith something incredible will happen.  But what if the miracle doesn’t come: people die, storms ravage, cancer comes back  Does that necessarily imply a lack of faith?

Is God saying to us when life slips away, as Darth Vader did, “I find your lack of faith disturbing.”

No, absolutely not.

Throughout his earthly ministry Jesus performed many miracles, giving credit to faith:

•  “Take heart, daughter. Your faith has healed you,”  (Matt. 9:22)
•  When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5)
•  “Receive your sight, your faith has healed you.” (Luke 18:42)

However, Scripture also tells us that Paul prayed for a “thorn” to be removed and it wasn’t.  (2 Cor. 12)  No one would accuse Paul of having little faith.

Give thanks for miracles. They display God’s glory. They uplift the believer.  They astound the unbeliever.  And no doubt about it--the story from which today’s verse was taken is a cautionary tale.  We should guard and grow our faith through prayer and study. But we should keep in mind that there’s no mystical, “force” of faith that we need to learn to manipulate to bring about miracles.

With God, nothing is impossible. But Jesus is no Jedi.  Thank God for that.

Monday Manna: Live as Free People

Americans cherish our freedoms.  We can do anything we want.  Really.  There are so many choices right now in America that, given enough income, we can live almost any lifestyle we care to pursue.  As they say, "It's a free country."


Thursday morning's news broadcast included an outrageous story about a man who had published a sort of "self-help guide" aimed at pedophiles.  The book was temporarily available at Amazon for the Kindle platform until enough angry Amazon users insisted that it be removed from the inventory.  The author, when interviewed, was unapologetic.


The scary thing is that a surprising number of people would object to Amazon's actions as censorship.  I even know a few former colleagues who would probably agree.  Freedom of expression and the freedom to read trumps pretty much anything else in their minds.  For them, there is no such thing as evil, unless it is the suppression of freedom. 


Such is the lure of evil.


This is an extreme example, but believers can easily forget that freedom does not mean license.


There are no church authorities checking up on me every week. No lighting will strike me when I sin.  I'm fairly free to make choices regarding my time and my money without much fear of earthly consequences.  


That's why Peter's challenge is particularly apt.  I have freedom, but with that freedom comes responsibility.  I am "God's special possession", a "foreigner and exile",  "called out of darkness."  My actions have consequences. When I do good, it exposes (and silences) the "ignorant talk of foolish people."  Good deeds, done in Christ's name, can cause even the pagans to praise God. (1 Peter 2)


It's a free country. I can do anything I want.  I choose to live as God's servant.


Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 
1 Peter 2:16 NIV

Palm Tree Epiphany

The palm tree is like an epiphany...

I wish I could remember where I first saw this analogy, wish I had noted the author, the text, anything.  Google search?  Nothing. Nada. Zip. But I like this analogy.

The palm tree is like an epiphany.  Its bare, brown trunk rises toward the sky, fairly plain of texture and pattern. Then, suddenly, it erupts with a flourish at the top.  A-ha!

I love palm trees.  They’re the predominant tree in our Florida yard.  The streets I drive to school and church are lined with palms of different sorts.  Each type seems to have its own personality.  Queens have long, languid fronds that wave elegantly.  Chinese fan palms look like dancers.  On a windy day, oaks and maples wave their branches at different levels, while palms are confined to waving their arms above their heads, so to speak.

Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,"Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" Mark 11:9 NIV

I first saw today’s verse right before I went to exercise at the Y.  As I warmed up on the treadmill I looked at the trees planted outside the fitness center: palms waving briskly in the morning breeze.  They’re trimmed so neatly that their rigid fronds seem to be shouting, “Hey! Look over here!”  I imagined long avenues of palms welcoming Jesus as he rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, their trunks and fronds aimed toward heaven.  I imagined the crowds cutting and gathering stately palm fronds to line the road leading into Jerusalem, while shouting “Hosanna!”

In a few weeks we’ll be celebrating Palm Sunday, when the people proclaimed Jesus as Messiah, shouting words that one was only supposed to use when announcing the Messiah:

 "Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

 "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!" 

  "Hosanna in the highest!"

But that’s not the only mention of palms in scripture.  Psalm 92 proclaims that “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree” (92:12).  Like the palm, the righteous grow strong and take root in the courts of God, proclaiming the goodness of the Lord.

As we approach Palm Sunday and Easter, be like a palm tree. Stand tall and upright, looking toward heaven, bearing witness to the righteousness of our Lord, our Rock, and our Redeemer.

Shalom y’all. 

My Howling Heart - Monday Manna

"Monday Manna," is hosted by Joanne Sher at An Open Book.  Visit her blog for links to more meditations on Exodus 14:14.

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Right now life is going pretty smoothly. Today anyway.  Yet, when I'm knee-deep in troubles I have to remind myself that, over and over again, scripture tells me to "Fear not."  Moses and the Israelites knew a thing or two about fear and the context for today’s verse is found in the Exodus narrative. Passover joy has turned to terror.  The Israelites are backed up against the sea. As Pharaoh’s chariots close in, Moses tells the Israelites--

The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.  [Exodus 14:14 NIV]

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My Howling Heart

Forgive me Lord for freaking out

When I turn my face toward trouble and my back on blessing

I see attackers closing in and miss the waters opening up

My secret heart fears that you will not fulfill the promises you made to me 

In my captivity

Forgive me Lord for complaining

When I slap at your face in the wilderness

I grieve familiar shackles; flinch from fresh freedom

When I fight with you; when my fight is not with you 

You fight for me

Forgive me Lord for moving

My mouth

My lips

My tongue

Quiet my howling heart and turn my feet toward the promised land

As chariots tumble in the sea

Full Heart

Today I’m participating in "Monday Manna," hosted by Joanne Sher at An Open Book.  Visit her blog for links to more discussion on 1 John 2:15.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15

I have a bag that I pack for swimming lessons. Since the kids are starving after they get out of the pool, I load one center compartment with drinks and snacks.  Another compartment carries my diaper changing kit. The zippered pocket secures items that I don’t want to fall out: wallet, cell phone, swim tickets for lessons.  Outside pockets store easy-access items: keys, sunglasses, sunscreen. But other items sink into corners of the bag: toy cars, paper towels, discarded ads from the mailbox, empty snack wrappers.

Sometimes my bag is so full of non-essential items that I barely have room for towels and swimsuits.

If I’m not careful, I’ll fill my heart with the desires of the world: possessions in one pocket, relationships in another, my to-do list stuffed around the outside. Pile in the empty wrappers of chatter and worry and soon I realize that I’m filled with the world--not the Word. I’ve made no room for the love of the Father.

I cleaned out my swim bag and discarded all the garbage. Now it’s packed with our main goal in mind--swimming.  First in--towels, clothes, and goggles.  They fill the bag, but since I’ve thrown out the garbage, there’s plenty of room left over for the things a mom needs to carry. 

When I ask God to clean out my heart and throw out the garbage--the desires of the world--and put Him in first, I find that He fills my heart. But there’s also room for family and fellowship, a purposeful life and peace.

Shalom, y’all.

Run the Good Race

Cheating a bit by posting this on Sunday, but I’ll not have time in the morning.  "Monday Manna," is hosted by Joanne Sher at An Open Book.  Visit her blog for links to more discussion on Mark 12:17.

Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." And they were amazed at him. Mark 12:17

Chariots of Fire has long been one of my favorite movies.  During the 1924 Olympics in Paris, Eric Liddell, the “Flying Scotsman,” withdrew from his best event--the 100 meters. Although the movie portrays his withdrawal in dramatic fashion, the race schedule was actually published months in advance of the Games. Liddell, a devout Christian, refused to race on Sunday and trained instead for the 400 meter event.

As Liddell approached the starting blocks, a man slipped a small piece of paper into his hand. The note contained a passage from 1 Samuel 2:30: “Those who honor me, I will honor.”  Clutching the paper in his fist, Liddell won the 400m, shattering the existing world record.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. (1 Cor. 9:24)

Eric Liddell brought pride and glory to Scotland--winning their first Olympic gold medal. He steadfastly represented Britain--King and country--running with excellence and bringing home two Olympic medals.  But he acknowledged that his speed and ability came from his true King. 

“I believe that God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. When I run it is in His pleasure."

Eric Liddell raced for Cesar. Eric Liddell ran the good race for God.

Witness to Truth

Today I am participating in "Monday Manna," hosted by Joanne Sher at An Open Book. Visit her blog for links to more discussion on Acts 22:15.

You will be his witnesses to all men of what you have seen and heard.  Acts 22:15

The courtroom gallery is silent. The judge adjusts his glasses.  The jurors sit in various attitudes of interest. An attorney approaches a lone woman, who has just sworn to tell “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.”  

“Tell the court what you saw the night of April 18, 2009.”

The witness’s duty is to provide evidence in a trial, to tell her story in her own words before the court. The judge may ask her questions. She may be cross-examined.  Above all, the witness’s primary duty is to tell the truth.

God instructed Ananias, a devout observer of Torah and a believer in Jesus the Messiah, to go to a man named Saul of Tarsus and restore his sight.   By faith, Ananias delivered God’s mission for Saul--bring His name and His truth before the Gentiles and before the people of Israel. (Acts 9:11-19)

God had chosen Saul, also known as Paul, to be His witness.  A witness is more than one who sees what happened; he has to be able and willing to affirm the truth of his testimony.

After his encounter with Jesus, whom Ananias calls “the Righteous One”, Paul was more than willing. He testified to God’s grace, God’s providence, God’s sovereignty, God’s love.  He told his story in his own words before more than one court. He was put on trial, cross-examined, accused, and imprisoned.

Paul never wavered in his witness.

Your testimony may not contain the drama of Paul’s, the heartache of Peter’s, or the blessed relief of Mary Magdalene’s. But you are also called to be His witness. Speak the truth. Tell your story. In your own words.  

When the Pharisees investigated Jesus’ healing of the blind man at the Pool of Siloam, they grilled him mercilessly. He couldn’t answer all their questions, but he told them the truth: “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25b)