Every bathroom needs reading material but you got to love it when a business puts a Bible in their’s. You also should have seen the expression on my wife’s face when I walked out. “Did you just take a picture in there?!?” I can about imagine what was running through her head 🙂
In any case…this picture is screaming for a caption. What do you suggest?
edh -|—
It’s amazing what happens when you shut off the TV in the morning. It is amazing what you hear, notice and feel. It’s amazing how peaceful it is. It’s amazing how different your outlook can be. And…it’s amazing how much I don’t miss my old, usual routine…which was (after I showered and got dressed in the morning):
–Make coffee and breakfast
–Turn on ESPN
–Boot up the computer and log into Facebook
–Multitask
That was the routine ~ each and every morning ~ but not anymore 🙂
Everything has changed…
I’m on the computer now and I have been on Facebook this morning, but I didn’t start my day that way. And…the TV is still off, except for a 5 minute blurb earlier to watch a news story with my wife.
Lately I have found a new morning routine. And it might surprise you that this is “new” for me considering I am a pastor for crying out loud. Now, the routine is this (after I shower and get dressed of course):
–Make coffee and breakfast
–Boot up my Kindle Fire
–Read my Bible and other devotional readings
–Post scripture and devotional highlights straight to Facebook and Twitter
–Pray
And I do this while multitasking (eating and drinking coffee).
I like this routine.
I like starting my day like this.
I like filling my head and heart with God in the morning instead of sports.
I like sharing my God insights with people in the morning.
You see…how you start your day will go a long way in dictating how you approach each and everyday. Do you start and approach your day from a worldly point of view?
OR…
Do you start and approach your day filled with God?
Trust me…it makes a huge difference. But don’t get me wrong here. I am not trying to give you some steps in having your best life now, but rather how to have a better relationship with God NOW for that is what is important. I still have bad days from time to time but the difference is that I am more aware of God’s presence and promises. How the Timberwolves did last night is not going to help me during the day.
BUT…
Hearing stories of God’s faithfulness…well…that is just AWESOME.
What’s your morning routine? Is God involved? Let’s fuel up correctly in the morning and praise God along the way 🙂
edh -|—
Proverbs 29:25 says “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.”
Brings up an interesting question, doesn’t it? Who do we fear more ~ God or man? Who’s opinion do we care about more~ God’s or man’s? Who do we try to please more~ God or man? Who’s direction do we follow more~ God’s or man’s?
I can’t help but think (and confess) that I fall into the trap of trying to please people in my life more than God. It is almost like I am more afraid of their judgment of me more than God’s. Maybe it is because man’s judgment of us is more immediate in some ways. Maybe it is because we choose to give people in our lives more power than they should have so we feel the need to listen to them and consider seriously what they say. Sometimes we are afraid of letting people down. Sometimes we consider their experience and knowledge more valuable than God’s.
But Proverbs tells us that it is not wise to rely on (or fear) man over God. People in this life may want the best for us but they do not see the whole picture ~ God does. People in this life may think they are wise, but that wisdom is foolishness compared to God. People in this life have their agendas but God’s plan is perfect. Some people in this life want to have power over us but God is the one in control.
I am not saying that we ignore people in our lives. God does work through people in this world to accomplish His purposes. The issue at hand is this: Who do we fear more? Basically…when a major decision is upon us we need to seek out God first and try to determine what GOD wants us to do. Maybe that is through other people, but in the end, the fear of God is what leads to wisdom. The fear of man is nothing more than a snare.
[I just love it when God is this timely with what I am reading in scripture 🙂 God is indeed faithful.]
Praise be to God and Amen!
-edh-
The text that caught my attention this morning was Proverbs 28:5. Here’s what it says:
“Evildoers do not understand what is right, but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.”
One of the reasons I am reading scripture is this verse. The fact of the matter is that I am an evildoer; a sinner.
We all are.
And the only way I can come to a true understanding of right and wrong is through seeking out God. I have my own version of right and wrong but it often conflicts with God ~ so I need to seek out God and learn from Him.
God is the one who sets me straight.
God is the one who convicts me.
God is the one to teaches me.
God is the one who guides me.
God is the one who LOVES me.
I need God’s direction and wisdom ~ we all do. Seek God out and learn His ways. Don’t try to speculate rather hear it from the Authority ~ the Creator of the universe who is madly in love with you.
-edh-
Today’s assigned Bible readings were many: 2 chapters from Leviticus (which is always a challenging book to read but one not to be ignored), 2 Psalms, a chapter from Proverbs (which has some great pieces of wisdom) and from 1 Thessalonians. Normally there are only 4 chapters a day to read during this plan.
Today it is not a single verse or two that capture my attention but the entirety of Psalm 13 which I included below:
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3 Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
4 my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
for he has been good to me.
Verses 1 – 4 contain a lament/complaint to God. The psalmist is wondering when God will answer him and act. The psalmist feels alone, is wrestling with sorrow, is in a dark place and feels the whole world is against him.
When haven’t WE been there?
But then the psalmist closes with some incredible words of faith. He trusts in God’s unfailing love and rejoices in God’s salvation. And if that is not enough the psalmist will sing to the lord for the Lord has been good to him. Despite what is going on the psalmist maintains his faith.
My prayer is that when times get tough for me I may remember that God has been good to me through sending Jesus to die and rise that I may live. Even though I may feel alone at times; even though I may feel like the whole world is against me, God is for me. God is with me. God has been good to me. And God has not forgotten about me. I pray I may always remember this that I may praise God in the good and the bad. For God has been and will always be good to you and to me.
Praise be to God!
-edh-
A couple months ago I started a reading program that will take me through the Bible in a year. I have started programs like this before but have always gotten behind…and eventually stopped because I got so far behind. But so far I am still going strong. I begin each morning by reading my “assigned” texts on my Droidx smartphone and then I post a verse or two to Facebook; verse(s) that have caught my attention. But when I have done that I usually don’t make any comments about those verse(s); no explanation of why they caught my attention. My plan here is to offer a few words on this blog of why those texts hit me on a particular day. I might not post something everyday but I do plan to use this as a spiritual discipline in helping me engage scripture more deeply.
But before I begin this particular spiritual discipline I want to say a couple words about the spiritual discipline of scripture reading. I know there are many of you out there that read scripture daily (or often). But I also know there are many out there that don’t. Allow me to encourage you today to either continue or to begin.
Each day when I read my 4 to 5 chapters I always (and I mean always) encounter something meaningful. God uses those morning moments to speak to me. Each morning a particular verse grabs my heart and it becomes clear that I need to share it. This morning it was Proverbs 25:21-22 which reads as follows:
“If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.”
Even though there is a “burning coals” aspect of this text in relation to my “enemies” I still find this text challenging. It is usually easier to turn away from your enemies and ignore their plight. It is tempting to think that helping one’s enemies is a sign of weakness. But in the eyes of God it is not weakness but rather strength and a sign of the love of God in your life. It puts God in control. How your enemies react to your kindness is not your problem. This text challenges me, not just today, but everyday. But even so I am glad God hit me with this today. And I hope God strengthens me to show this kind of awesome love to all.
So…you don’t read scripture? Get to it. God is waiting to share some incredible truths with you as well.
Praise be to God!
-edh-
Wow…I get a day off today, but it is not what you think.
I have this Bible app (YouVersion) for my Droid X smart phone. It’s a great little app. It has a few different versions of the Bible. I can bookmark favorite passages. I can share favorite passages with Facebook and Twitter. I can make notes on my favorite passages. I like this app…but there is a glaring flaw.
Another feature of this app is that it contains a number of different Bible reading plans (devotional, partial Bible, topical, whole Bible and youth). One of the plans I have subscribed to is a Lenten plan. It has a short thought to consider and then a couple texts to read each day…almost.
Well…today I signed in to read my text and this is what I found: Sundays are days off in this reading plan, as they are traditionally not considered a part of Lent. Every Sunday is a “mini-Easter”, when we celebrate the resurrection of Christ and his victory over sin and death…”
I have no problem with that part as it is true but this is what came next: “There is no reading for today, enjoy your day off…“
Did they really tell me to enjoy my day off from reading the Bible? So I read it again and sure enough, “…enjoy your day off…” I have a problem with that. True…Sundays are technically not counted in Lent but a “day off” from reading scripture? But not just a day off but “enjoy it”? That doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. It almost sounds like they believe reading scripture is a chore and that they we need a break from time to time. Maybe they are concerned that people will think that reading the Bible everyday is too much work and will be turned off from their app.
Seriously people…if you want to communicate how Sundays are not counted in Lent, fine, but at least include a “non-Lent” scripture reading (on Sunday) to encourage people to read everyday. The Sabbath Day is a day of rest but not a day of rest from reading God’s Word. In Matthew 4, as Jesus is weak and tired from fasting for 40 days, Jesus responds to Satan’s temptation by saying, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” We need this word everyday…you can never get too much. And if you are getting tired from reading God’s word (and need a break) then you’re simply reading for information (like for class) and not for nourishment. You should never need a “day off”.
OK…I am done ranting now. I am going to go and violate my Bible reading plan. Hopefully I won’t get struck down 🙂
Happy reading and may God bless your day.
-edh-
“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5)
The Old Testament small group and sermon series takes us to Exodus this week (despite the fact that the small group have been canceled tonight because of weather). I didn’t get very far in my reading before I was hit by some pondering and thinking ~ holy ground. Moses saw this “strange thing” on the mountain ~ a bush burning but not being consumed by the fire. Of course he had to take a closer look (me…I might have been a little more leery). As Moses approaches the bush God belts out that this is holy ground so take off your sandals. Why take off his sandals ~ more on that later.
As I read that section I got to thinking about “holy ground” today. What is considered holy ground? Many people would define holy ground in various ways. Some might say their home is holy ground. A guy might say his man’s den is holy ground. A golfer might say that St. Andrew’s golf course in Scotland is holy ground. But what is holy ground?
The word “holy” means special, set apart, different. The Bible is holy and therefore special, set apart and different ~ it is a book like no other book; for it is a living word. God is holy and therefore special, set apart and different. Communion, baptism is holy…and you get the picture. But do we treat these things as holy? Do we give such things in our lives the same respect that Moses did for some dirt around a bush? I am not saying we should take off our shoes during Holy Communion or a baptism (that might not be a good idea for some), but how do we treat and view such events? How do we treat the truly holy things of God?
We can get so caught up in protecting “holy things” that we miss the fact that the very things we are protecting are not truly holy. They may be special, set apart and different in our lives, but in relation to our souls they do nothing. I have seen people treat sports as a holy event; protecting it at the expense of time in worship. I have seen people protect their status at the expense of the promises they made in Holy baptism. I have seen people protect their pocket book at the expense of their relationship with their holy God. Our “holy things” do nothing for us in the long run. They provide some happiness and security now, but do nothing for our souls.
But consider this ~ we are ALL living on holy ground. We are living holy lives. We were created by a holy God to do holy things. We were redeemed by a holy savior through a death and resurrection that is indeed special, set apart and different. All that we consider “holy” is only available to us to call “holy” because our holy God created such things and such opportunities. We may have special things, people, places and times in our lives but they are nothing outside of God.
So if I can dare to be allegorical here let me suggest that we take off our shoes ~ which is anything that gets in the way of truly encountering God ~ and worship God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength. Let us treat the things of God for what they are ~ special, set apart and different. Only God is life-giving and life-sustaining.
We are indeed standing on holy ground ~ remove your shoes.
-edh-
My Release Time class (grades 3 – 5) can be a little wild, but today was really neat. We were in the sanctuary talking about worship. I then asked the kids to sit quietly (which is a tall order I know) and look around. Notice the stuff in the sanctuary and make mental notes I said. After about a minute I asked the kids to share their observations. All 9 hands went in the air as they wanted to ask why certain things were in the sanctuary: “What is that? What does that mean? What’s that thing hanging on the wall?” Etc, etc… As I addressed their questions more hands went up. I challenged them and forced them to think a little bit. I think we could still be sitting there if they didn’t have to get back to catch the bus or their ride home.
It was also fun for me to see my 2 third graders come to Release Time clutching their new Bibles they received on Sunday. They were so proud of them. One of them asked me if we were going to be using our Bibles today and I said “not today”. She was bummed. I guess I know what I am doing next week.
Got to love the curiosity and the inquisitiveness of a child.
Praise be to God!
-edh-
Yesterday in worship we gave Bibles to our 3rd graders (one at Belmont and one at Salem). In the past I have ordered children’s Bibles from somewhere (I can’t seem to remember now), but this year we gave away a NRSV Spark Bible (Augsburg Fortress).
During the worship service I had the student and their parents come up front and I spoke to the student about the promises their parents made when they were baptized. I told the 3rd graders that one of the promises their parents made was that they would place in your hands the holy scriptures (among a number of other things that I mentioned as I walked through the baptismal liturgy). I then handed the Bible to the parents and they in turn handed it to their child. We then all prayed together over the 3rd grader and their new Bible.
The fun part for me (besides getting to hand a 3rd grader a new Bible) was watching them (periodically) during worship. Both these 3rd graders spent the worship service paging through their new Bibles…checking it out. They didn’t seem to be paying attention to anything that was going on (if they ever do) but at least they were paying attention to their new Bible. My prayer is that their curiosity doesn’t end.
At what point does this curiosity end for many people?
-edh-
The Heart of a Pastor 