Posts in Category: down to earth believer
“Giving Thanks for Ordinary Goods”
Here is a wonderful 12-step reading for today. Enjoy! Hazelden Publishing sells some very helpful devotional materials for people in recovery. Some are overtly Christian. Most are not. All are helpful.
“
Thursday, November 28
for most this amazing day . . .
. . . for everything
which is natural which is infinite
which is yes.
—e. e. cummings
Let us be thankful today for all simple obvious things: for the sun’s rising this morning without our having to awaken it; for another good turn the earth makes today without expecting anything in return; for our ability to know right and wrong by heart. Let us give thanks for all small things that mean the world to us; for bread and cheese and clean running water; for our ability to call our enemies our friends, to forgive even ourselves; for our own bodies, however sagging and worn, which insist on continuing for at least another day.
How much ordinary daily good do I take for granted?” (From Today’s Gift: Daily Meditations for Families ©1985, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation.)
“HEARING THE MUSIC BEYOND THE RECORDING”
Here is a wonderful thought from one of my Hazelden Publishing 12-step recovery readings:
“Monday, November 25
All music is what awakes from you when you are
reminded by the instruments.
—Walt Whitman
A small group of friends sat in a room around a record player. It was a heavy
old thing, with parts that had to be operated by hand and only one speaker –
nothing like a modern stereo at all, but more like an antique phonograph. The
record – a recording of their favorite music – was old, too, and scratched, its
grooves worn smooth as a stone in some places. The tone arm skipped and
scratched, and the sound was tinny, hard on the ears.
Most of the friends squirmed in their seats as they listened, and several
grumbled that it was impossible to hear the music with such inferior equipment.
But one of the group sat listening, her eyes closed, swaying to the music and
humming softly to herself.
“How can you enjoy this?” the others asked.
“Ah,” she said with a mysterious smile. “I am listening beyond
the recording to the music I know is there!”
Can I find the music that’s playing for me today?”
(From Today’s Gift: Daily Meditations for Families ©1985, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation.)
Am I—are we—listening to the music I know is there?
As I write this journal entry, my wife is asleep. Sitting here, listening to the rhythm of her breathing, do I hear the blessed hymn of her rest? What a wonderful symphony Sharon is, even when she is asleep!
Will I hear the music that I know is there today when I attend scholarly lectures at the annual Society of Biblical Literature meeting? Scholarly presentations are merely the notes on the page. They are not the music. But the music is there.
And then, there is my own music. Do I really listen to the music of my own life: the dramatically dark movements and the passages that are filled with light and joy? Does God enjoy listening to the symphony that is me?
Today, I will listen to the music that is beyond the recording.
“Fatherly Care and Sovereign Rule”
“Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
(Psalm 103:1–5 The Holy Bible, English Standard Version)
https://accordance.bible/link/read/ESVS#Psa._103:1-5, accessed 11-18-2019.
I am being besieged by Psalm 103:2-3 right now. The preacher at the church we are attending quoted it in his sermon yesterday. This morning, the “3-Minute Retreat” put out by Loyola Publishing used Psalm 103:2-3 as the basis of their daily meditation.
Motyer comments insightfully about Psalm 103. “The blend of changeless fatherly care and endless sovereign rule is the distinctive stress of this psalm.”[1] I need both of those things right now: fatherly care and sovereign rule. The changeless and endless modifiers are also very important.
All the verbs in verses 2-5 (except for “renews” in verse 5) for what God does for us are participles. In Hebrew, participles often suggest continual action that flows out of the character of the one who is acting. God is continually forgiving, continually healing, and so on.
The retreat master for the 3-minute retreat writes, “God’s compassion is abundant. There are times in life when we feel so unlovable, so unforgiveable that we want to hide. We may think that if we just ignore what is going on in our lives, ignore what needs healing and forgiveness it will just go away. Thankfully, God does not act that way. Rather, God waits patiently to receive us and to forgive us again and again. This is why our souls sing out, ‘Bless the Lord, my soul.’ ”
Yes, right now, I would very much like to hide. But there is nowhere to hide. (I try to hide in the refrigerator. I eat when I’m stressed and when I am depressed. Of course, I like to eat anyway.)
Perhaps I could try hiding in
God. Now there’s a thought!
[1]J.A. Motyer, The Psalms, New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition; ed. D. A Carson et al.; Accordance electronic ed. (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 551.
“MEMORIES THAT WARM AND MEMORIES THAT WARN”
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” (Exodus 20:2)
Today, in my gratitude list, I listed back to back two similar that were similar, yet very different.
“Memories that warm.
Memories that warn.”
There are truly good memories. And then there are memories that merely make you feel good for a little while, but then leave a bitter after-taste. These latter “good” memories are not good. A memory that leaves you colder is a shortcut that leads to long regrets.
However, the truly good memories are just that: good memories. And they are to be cherished.
But the bad memories are also to be cherished. They help us to be humble, and to not make more bad decisions that will lead to more bad memories and long regrets. These warning memories also make us more empathetic and compassionate toward others.
Memories that warm and memories that warn both play a crucial part in being fully human. However, I should try to live so that I have more warming memories.
Here is an affirmation that you might find helpful today: Today, by God’s grace, I choose to remember the things that warm my heart, and the things that warn my heart. I am consistently choosing today to make good memories, so that I may be more warmed than warned. I’ve had plenty of warnings already.
“The Timing of God”
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7, English Standard Version)
I have made a great discovery: God’s timing is not my timing. And this is good news, because I have a lousy sense of timing anyway. That’s true when I am at the plate, trying to hit a softball. It is also true when I am going through multiple, crushing stresses as I am right now.
But here is my confession concerning God’s sense of timing:
- God sees more.
- God knows more.
- God loves more.
- God knows more.
And because of the many “more-nesses” of God, I can (at least occasionally) back off of my own frantic timetables.
In 1 Peter 5:7, quoted above, the Greek word translated “he cares” is in the present tense. In Greek, the present tense is used for actions that are taking place continually. God’s continual care for me, for all of us, means that God’s apparent slowness is not a function of his lack of caring about us. God cares continually.
In view of the continual caring of God, the clause “. . . so that at the proper time he may exalt you . . .” means that I need to count on God’s care, even as I wait.
I can wait in God’s care, knowing that God is never late.
“Overwhelming Sins, Overwhelming Forgiveness”
“Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,
and to you shall vows be performed.
O you who hear prayer,
to you shall all flesh come.
When iniquities prevail against me,
you atone for our transgressions.” (Psalm 65:1-3, English Standard Version)
I am always struck by the second line of vs. 3. The first line doesn’t surprise me in the least. Iniquities often prevail against me. I’m only too familiar with that dynamic.
But to say that when my wrong-doings overwhelm me, then—precisely then—God atones for those wrong-doings?!? What! That is non-sequitur on steroids!
And yet, that is what the psalmist is saying.
Sometimes, those of us who are Christians fall into the trap of thinking that the Old Testament is about law and God’s wrath, and the New Testament is about grace and God’s loving forgiveness.
Nope! Law and wrath, grace and loving forgiveness are in both the New and the Old Testaments.
So, as the author of Hebrews (New Testament) says, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16, New International Version)
How much it cost God to atone for our transgressions is made fully apparent at the cross of Christ. Such love and forgiveness can be received as a gift, but it should never be taken for granted.
“Concerning Our Portable God”
Judah was in exile in Babylon, and they wondered where God was. After all, had the LORD their God not dwelt in Jerusalem, in the temple? But now, they were a long way from home, a long way from their God. Jerusalem and the temple were in ruins.
There are times when we all probably feel that way at times: a long way from home, a long way from God. But are our feelings, were their feelings, reflections of reality? Feelings are real, but they do not always reflect reality.
The prophets of Judah and Israel were more about reality than they were about feelings. Certainly, the prophets had feelings, and those feelings often come out in their prophecies. But the prophets also realized—and taught—that the LORD God was not bound by our feelings.
God was also not bound by geography. The God who had created the whole of the universe was not about to be tied down to one location.
Now, before you say, “Well of course!” let me point out something: In the ancient Near East, the gods were almost always linked closely with particular locations. We sometimes fail to realize how radical Israel and Judah were at this point.
Ezekiel was one of the prophets of Judah. He was in exile in Babylon, along with many of the (now former leaders) of Judah. He was a priest, as well as a prophet. No doubt, he missed the temple a great deal.
But Ezekiel had a vision, and in that vision he was confronted with the portability of God.
“15Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them. 16 As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl. And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. 17 When they went, they went in any of their four directionswithout turning as they went.” (English Standard Version)
How is with you and with me these days? Do we have a portable God, or do we have a “god” who is found only in a certain location?
And I’m not just asking about a geographical location. We often get stuck thinking that our God is stuck in a certain location, in more ways than simply geography. We need all kinds of portability, in order to experience God.
We need to cultivate temporal portability, for example. Too many of us say, “When I was in my teens (or twenties or thirties, or . . .), I was so spiritually alive. I had such a vivid sense of God’s presence in my life and my world. But now . . .”
You’re stuck. God isn’t.
We need to cultivate circumstantial portability. Many of us say, “When these were my life circumstances, I was so aware of God, but now . . .”
You’re stuck. God isn’t.
Being mired in our sludge takes many forms. However, whatever form it takes, it is all pretty sludgy.
One problem is that we all kind of like it when God is a local God. The problem is, God isn’t—local, that is. God is a portable God. The God of Ezekiel is a God who is with us, wherever we are.
God is faithful. However, God doesn’t stay put. God doesn’t necessarily transform where we are, at least not right away. But God is with us. And this portable God is a transforming presence.
“STAYING FRESH AND GREEN GOD’S WAY”
I am most definitely old now. So, I always take heart when I read Psalm 92:12-15.
“The righteous flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house of the LORD;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They still bear fruit in old age;
they are ever full of sap and green,
15 to declare that the LORD is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” (English Standard Version)
Derek Kidner comments (helpfully, but in a frightfully British manner) as follows:
“Instead of a static and obstructive permanence, hardly more desirable than the transience of verse 7, this is a satisfying climax. It is not the greenness of perpetual youth, but the freshness of age without sterility, like that of Moses whose ‘eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated’ (Deut. 34:7); whose wisdom was mature and his memory invaluably rich. It is a picture which bodily and mental ills must often severely limit, but which sets a pattern of spiritual stamina for our encouragement and possibly our rebuke.”[1]
In this read-through, I was stopped in my tracks by my own underlining. I had underlined verse 14, the bit about still bearing fruit in old age and staying fresh and green. However, I had not underlined verse 15, which spells out what verse 14 means. In other words, I was doing precisely what I tell my students not to do. I was reading without taking the context seriously.
So, I went back and read the entire psalm. It is not terribly long, so I am reproducing it for your listening (and living) pleasure:
“Psa. 92:0 A PSALM. A SONG FOR THE SABBATH.
Psa. 92:1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
3 to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
4 For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
Psa. 92:5 How great are your works, O LORD!
Your thoughts are very deep!
6 The stupid man cannot know;
the fool cannot understand this:
7 that though the wicked sprout like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever;
8 but you, O LORD, are on high forever.
9 For behold, your enemies, O LORD,
for behold, your enemies shall perish;
all evildoers shall be scattered.
Psa. 92:10 But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
you have poured over me fresh oil.
11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.
Psa. 92:12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house of the LORD;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They still bear fruit in old age;
they are ever full of sap and green,
15 to declare that the LORD is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” (English Standard Version)
This entire psalm is not about the worshiper bearing fruit in old age. It is about the unchanging goodness of the LORD. The truth of verse 14 is dependent upon the truth of all the rest of the verses. So, if I want to bear fruit in my old age, I need to focus on God, not on me.
Now, since I was little, I have had a huge problem focusing on anything but my own precious little self. Perhaps I am alone in this, but I doubt it. And as long as I am self-preoccupied, I am missing an incredibly important point: Life is not about me. Not when I was young. Not when I was middle-aged. Not when I am old. Life is about God. Life is about others. And only if I take seriously God and others, can my life be fruitful, fresh, and green.
LORD, what can I do to celebrate
and proclaim your goodness to others today?
[1]Derek Kidner, Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary, TOTC 16; IVP/Accordance electronic ed. (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1975), 369.
“On Not Giving Up”
I was thinking about giving up.
I was listening to an Andy Stanley sermon titled, “You’re Not the Boss of Me.” Part 1 was difficult to hear, in view of how all-over-the-map my emotions are right now. It is hard for me to tell my emotions, “You’re not the boss of me,” when they are being particularly bossy.
As I walked, I listened to Andy Stanley’s “You’re Not the Boss of Me,” part 2. It was about guilt. The first ten minutes were, even by Andy’s own admission, pretty depressing. He was warning about trying to deny, or minimize, or blame someone else for the harmful things we’ve done. My walk and my listening were getting more and more depressed and depressing.
What was the use of trying to get clean and honest? It had not brought healing to my children, to my wife, to others I had harmed. Had it even brought healing to me? Telling the truth as best I could had simply caused others to wonder what else I might be hiding. What was the point of anything? Why not just give up?
Just as Andy Stanley was making the turn toward the fact that Jesus had died for all our sins and guilt, that we were no longer condemned or defined by our guilt, I made the turn down one of the cull-de-sacs. I finally had enough courage to look up from my blue running shoes, and there, in a yard at the turn of the street, was a sign:
DON’T GIVE UP
This seemed very strange, in view of what I had just been listening to, and feeling, and thinking. “Surely, this is a mirage,” I said to myself.
But, no, it wasn’t a mirage. It was still stubbornly there as I got closer.
I knew the couple who lived there—slightly. We had chatted a few times when we were out walking in the neighborhood. So, I walked up the sidewalk, and rang the doorbell. The man of the house came to the door.
“I needed to see your sign,” I said.
“Thanks,” he said. “I’ve got several of them at work as well.”
“Is this some sort of program?” I asked.
“It is to encourage young people who are depressed or suicidal,” he replied.
“I’m afraid it isn’t just young people who struggle with depression or suicidal tendencies,” I said, fighting back the tears. “Your sign was just what I needed to see. Thanks.”
I continued my walk. Another street, another cul-de-sac. When I made the turn at the end of the cul-de-sac, I looked up and there was the lady of the DON’T-GIVE-UP house walking toward me. She walked with me a while, and she talked a bit about why they had the sign, and how the signs were the brainchild of a concerned person on the West Coast. The lady left me with a card for a free mental health program and a prayer. “You are an angel of God for me today,” I said to her. Only just now, I remembered that her name was Angela.
Sometimes, we all need a sign from God. And sometimes, the sign is a sign.
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
- God’s Specific Likes about Us April 25, 2025God pulled off a surprise love attack on me this morning. God lured me into the trap in a quite trivial way. I thought I would start my day, not by grading students’ assignments, but by reading and meditating on some Scripture. By the way, I am not saying that reading Scripture is trivial. The […]
- “Strange and Wonderful Creatures” March 28, 2025I did not sleep enough last night. Five hours of sleep may be enough for some, but not for me. However, when I tried for a while to go back to sleep after waking up at 1:00 a.m., I realized that it was not going to happen. I might as well get up and work […]
- “Even Computers Need a Rest Sometimes!” February 11, 2025Jumpy cursor! I was trying to grade student assignments, and my cursor was jumping around like a Mexican jumping bean. I would start typing something, and then I would be on a different line. Here is the sort of non-sentences I was ending up with: be Please see my respolownse video. Of course, what I […]
- “Lives as Well as Lips” February 5, 2025“Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD, or declare all his praise? Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!” (Psalm 106:1-3, English Standard Version) […]
- DTEB, “The Wanna-Wanna Method” January 29, 2025“. . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, Phil. 2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12b-13, English Standard Version) In a text exchange with a friend, he confessed that he really, really wants to make some bad […]
- “Fun, Cat Videos, and Transformation” December 9, 2024“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, English Standard Version) One of my twelve-step sponsors suggested that I need more fun in my life. He knows me well, but on this one, I was determined to prove him wrong. […]
- “The Enemy is Perfectionism” December 6, 2024“The good is the enemy of the best.” (A common saying.) “The best is the enemy of doing anything at all that is good.” (My take on the saying and my reality.) Some of you have been wondering why I haven’t been posting any of my musings in the past way-too-long. I am tempted to […]
- DTEB, “Getting Christ and Ourselves Back in Focus” November 11, 2024“Col. 3:1 ¶ If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Col. 3:2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Col. 3:3 For you have died, and your life is hidden […]
- “Search Me!” October 27, 2024“Psa. 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24, English Standard Version) I am participating in a Bible study, and this is a prayer […]
- “Christian Speech” October 26, 2024“Eph. 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Foulkes, in his excellent commentary on the Book of Ephesians, writes the following, which I quote at some length: “29. Now the […]
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