10-1-11 Saturday, 5:27 am Springfield, 42 degrees, clear.
Yesterday was a full day of ministry. I worked at the office until early afternoon, made a hospital visit, went to the gym, and then back to Wesley for the evening “Family Festival” where I had several great visits with young and unchurched families. Today I will work on my sermon, dig through emails, make some phone calls and continue to unpack and get back into the routine here at home.
On our way through customs in Memphis on Thursday Audrey and I had an interesting interaction with the agent. She was uncharacteristically lighthearted and joked with him when he asked what the purpose of our trip had been, and when he asked about our vocations. When I replied that I was a pastor, and that I was looking forward to getting back to work, he responded “you must be a real pastor then, if you are looking forward to your work.” In an unexpected way, this was very affirming coming from a customs official. I do look forward to my work, each day, and being away for a while has refreshed and reinvigorated my soul.
Philippians 2:19 – 3:3 (One Year Bible)
Paul commends Timothy to the church, stating that many people look out for their own interests, but he has proved himself in all his work supporting Paul’s ministry. He also thanks them for sending Epaphroditus to serve in their stead, and he is sending him back because they have heard Epaphroditus had been sick, and he did almost die in serving Christ. These are two very personal glimpses into the ministry of Paul and the life of the church. Down through time and around the world there have been countless men and women who have served faithfully as did Timothy and Epaphroditus. Though unknown to history, their work is pleasing unto God, and it is good for the church to recognize them whenever possible. Pastors and church leaders do well to follow Paul’s example of commending faithful servants.
Psalm 73
As I scrolled my Droid through the scriptures for today, I was surprised by this Psalm. It popped up right after the Philippians reading, and I almost read it by accident. I am familiar with it, and it is one of my favorites. During this early hour on Saturday, its words speak deeply into my spirit.
The writer is a faithful believer, who worships the God of Israel. But he states in verse 2 that his “feet almost slipped,” that is his faith was shaken. This occurred as he watched the arrogant and the proud who appeared to have no struggles, for whom “pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.” Throughout history there are such men and women. In some periods they are very visible, such as the Nazis during the 1930s. Mostly, though, it seems to me that every believer knows people who ignore God, live their lives in selfish and insensitive ways, and appear to “have it made”, while followers of God surrender their lives to His lordship, and struggle.
Verse 13 gives voice to the discouragement “Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence.” During the long haul of life, there are seasons during which following God and living a holy life can seem futile. However, the key to the Psalm, the hinge upon which it turns is verse 17. The writer states “till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.” Entering the tabernacle, or the temple, the space set aside to worship God almighty, complete with reminders of His presence, His power, His purposes, and His people reoriented the writer to the spiritual reality. God is in charge, and no matter how secure arrogant people seem, they are on slippery ground (18). They are “suddenly destroyed, completely swept away by terrors.”
Verses 21 – 28 record the repentance of the writer for being so close to despair, and his renewed commitment to a life of faith in God. “Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My strength and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Verses 23-26) This is my prayer this morning, and I shall meditate upon this Psalm throughout the day. Thank You Lord for your word, and for your Spirit which speaks to your children through your word.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Friday, September 30, 2011
September 30, 2011
9-30-11 Friday, 5:23 am Springfield, 49 degrees, sunny
We arrived home last night around 9:30 pm from our 9 days away. We flew from England to Amsterdam, to Memphis, and then Springfield, following the sun and gaining 6 hours. My Circadian rhythm tells my body that it is currently 11:23 am, thus I am wide awake. I will enjoy these quiet moments with God’s word and this journal, and then begin the process of settling back into the routine of home, church, and community.
Philippians 1:27-2:18
Yesterday I read the first 26 verses of Philippians, remembering why it is one of my favorite books of the Bible, as Paul is so full of joy for these believers, even as he writes from a prison cell. He articulated that to “live is Christ, to die is gain.” (1:21) This is also my aspiration, even as it is “weird” or counter cultural to orient oneself to the gain of dying (almost sounds akin to the rational of fanatical Muslim suicide bombers.) The key of this phrase is the first part, “to live is Christ” and this is my focus today.
In Chapter 2 Paul instructs the readers to have the same mind that he does, and to “do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself.” (2:3) These first 5 verses serve as an introduction to the great verses (2:6-11) which describe His self emptying, “taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of humans” (Verse 7).
Empower me today Lord to live with Your mind and heart in all that I do, filled with joy and unselfishness, serving, shepherding, nurturing. Guide me steps, my schedule, my interactions both planned and unplanned. I give you thanks for Wesley United Methodist Church in Springfield, Missouri.
We arrived home last night around 9:30 pm from our 9 days away. We flew from England to Amsterdam, to Memphis, and then Springfield, following the sun and gaining 6 hours. My Circadian rhythm tells my body that it is currently 11:23 am, thus I am wide awake. I will enjoy these quiet moments with God’s word and this journal, and then begin the process of settling back into the routine of home, church, and community.
Philippians 1:27-2:18
Yesterday I read the first 26 verses of Philippians, remembering why it is one of my favorite books of the Bible, as Paul is so full of joy for these believers, even as he writes from a prison cell. He articulated that to “live is Christ, to die is gain.” (1:21) This is also my aspiration, even as it is “weird” or counter cultural to orient oneself to the gain of dying (almost sounds akin to the rational of fanatical Muslim suicide bombers.) The key of this phrase is the first part, “to live is Christ” and this is my focus today.
In Chapter 2 Paul instructs the readers to have the same mind that he does, and to “do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself.” (2:3) These first 5 verses serve as an introduction to the great verses (2:6-11) which describe His self emptying, “taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of humans” (Verse 7).
Empower me today Lord to live with Your mind and heart in all that I do, filled with joy and unselfishness, serving, shepherding, nurturing. Guide me steps, my schedule, my interactions both planned and unplanned. I give you thanks for Wesley United Methodist Church in Springfield, Missouri.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
September27, 2011
9-27-11 Tuesday, 7:15 am Birmingham 55 degrees, foggy
Yesterday I was on a great 8 mile run along the canal tow path when I rolled my ankle. Clearly it was a severe sprain, and thus I eventually took a cab back to where we are staying. For lunch we visited a country estate and enjoyed a fabulous meal, including rabbit liver and ox cheek. In the evening we watched a charming tv show called Doc Martin. Today Audrey will go shopping with some gals and I will visit the world's best motorcyle museum here in birmingham.
Ephesians 5
"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love..." (Verses 1-2)
"But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality... (3)
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light...(8)
"Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise. But as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil." (15,16)
There are many verses in this chapter exhorting the reader to live carefully a life of love. In many ways this chapter summarizes the theme of my preaching for the next month - living beyond normal - making choices that are careful and wise, which will inevitably prove different then most people around us.
Guide me today Lord as I carefully live this day as I "sing and make music in my heart" to You, being filled with Your Spirit.
Yesterday I was on a great 8 mile run along the canal tow path when I rolled my ankle. Clearly it was a severe sprain, and thus I eventually took a cab back to where we are staying. For lunch we visited a country estate and enjoyed a fabulous meal, including rabbit liver and ox cheek. In the evening we watched a charming tv show called Doc Martin. Today Audrey will go shopping with some gals and I will visit the world's best motorcyle museum here in birmingham.
Ephesians 5
"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love..." (Verses 1-2)
"But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality... (3)
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light...(8)
"Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise. But as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil." (15,16)
There are many verses in this chapter exhorting the reader to live carefully a life of love. In many ways this chapter summarizes the theme of my preaching for the next month - living beyond normal - making choices that are careful and wise, which will inevitably prove different then most people around us.
Guide me today Lord as I carefully live this day as I "sing and make music in my heart" to You, being filled with Your Spirit.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
September 24, 2011
9-24-11 Saturday, 9:30 am
Lacking a good internet connection as I was having my devotions, I went for a morning run and pondered tbe scripture. Now I am back at our hosts and reflecting as breakfast cooks and worldcup rugby is on TV.
Ephesians 3:16-19 TNIV
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s 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.
This is my prayer, my desire, my hope for myself and for each person within my sphere of influence. To really know the love of God, and to live in that love.
Guide today Lord as I experience and share your love.
Lacking a good internet connection as I was having my devotions, I went for a morning run and pondered tbe scripture. Now I am back at our hosts and reflecting as breakfast cooks and worldcup rugby is on TV.
Ephesians 3:16-19 TNIV
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s 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.
This is my prayer, my desire, my hope for myself and for each person within my sphere of influence. To really know the love of God, and to live in that love.
Guide today Lord as I experience and share your love.
Friday, September 23, 2011
September 23, 2011
9-23-11 Friday, 8:45 am Birmingham
I am glad to be connected to the internet through my Droid. We are having a great visit with Malcolm and
and Olwen. Yesterday I ran six miles, got stung by a bee in my eyebrow, and lost badly in scrabble. Today the sun is out and the air is fresh.
Psalm 67
"May God be gracious to us and make His face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations."This is a beautiful desire, and it is my desire to make His salvation known among the nations.
Ephesians 2
Paul teaches and reminds the readers about how each of us were dead in our sins when we "followed the ways of this world the spirit who is now work in thoses who are disobedient." He reminds us that "all of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts." The remedy is described in verses7 and 8, salvation by grace through faith. We are now one in Christ, fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household! This is such good news and I live in this reality.
Thank you Lord for being our peace and making possible our adoption. Guide my steps today as I live this day in your presence.
I am glad to be connected to the internet through my Droid. We are having a great visit with Malcolm and
and Olwen. Yesterday I ran six miles, got stung by a bee in my eyebrow, and lost badly in scrabble. Today the sun is out and the air is fresh.
Psalm 67
"May God be gracious to us and make His face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations."This is a beautiful desire, and it is my desire to make His salvation known among the nations.
Ephesians 2
Paul teaches and reminds the readers about how each of us were dead in our sins when we "followed the ways of this world the spirit who is now work in thoses who are disobedient." He reminds us that "all of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts." The remedy is described in verses7 and 8, salvation by grace through faith. We are now one in Christ, fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household! This is such good news and I live in this reality.
Thank you Lord for being our peace and making possible our adoption. Guide my steps today as I live this day in your presence.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
September 20, 2011
9-20-11 Tuesday, 7:00 am 48 degrees, clear.
It is a beautiful day in the Ozarks! Audrey and I are getting ready for a long day of travel. It will be good to see friends and to be on a different pace. I am taking three books with me – Weird by Groeschel, Onward by Schultz – “How Starbucks Fought for its Life without Losing Its Soul”, and In the Garden of Beasts about the Dodd family in Germany, 1933.
Galatians 5:13-25 (Today’s One Year Bible)
“If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” (Verse 15) It seems that people in communion with one another always face the temptation to “bite and devour”, to pick and complain and gossip. Paul addresses this directly with this precious group of believers in the region of Galatia, and his words ring powerfully appropriate down through the ages.
His antidote follows in verse 16 “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Verses 17-25 clearly teach about the conflict of the sinful nature and the fruit of the spirit. “Love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Verses 22-23) are the components of the fruit of the Spirit in a person’s life. My goal is to fully rely on God’s Spirit to cultivate these fruits in my life, using every circumstance, every trial, every day to ripen and polish these attributes.
Guide me today, and every day as I live for Jesus, in the power of the Spirit with a long view of this short life. I am yours, Lord, direct my life in every way through the twists and turns of this journey. Amen.
It is a beautiful day in the Ozarks! Audrey and I are getting ready for a long day of travel. It will be good to see friends and to be on a different pace. I am taking three books with me – Weird by Groeschel, Onward by Schultz – “How Starbucks Fought for its Life without Losing Its Soul”, and In the Garden of Beasts about the Dodd family in Germany, 1933.
Galatians 5:13-25 (Today’s One Year Bible)
“If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” (Verse 15) It seems that people in communion with one another always face the temptation to “bite and devour”, to pick and complain and gossip. Paul addresses this directly with this precious group of believers in the region of Galatia, and his words ring powerfully appropriate down through the ages.
His antidote follows in verse 16 “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Verses 17-25 clearly teach about the conflict of the sinful nature and the fruit of the spirit. “Love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Verses 22-23) are the components of the fruit of the Spirit in a person’s life. My goal is to fully rely on God’s Spirit to cultivate these fruits in my life, using every circumstance, every trial, every day to ripen and polish these attributes.
Guide me today, and every day as I live for Jesus, in the power of the Spirit with a long view of this short life. I am yours, Lord, direct my life in every way through the twists and turns of this journey. Amen.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
September 18, 2011
9-18-11 Sunday, 6:30 am
When Audrey and I were dating we visited the church in Omaha where her family had attended. It so happened that a friend of mine was the son of the senior pastor. Spotting me in the congregation, he came down to where we were sitting and said “Bruce, we have a tradition here of asking someone from the congregation to pray. Would you be willing to pray during the service?" I was in my second year of seminary and I was comfortable praying in public, though I had not done so very often and I said that I would be happy to pray. After the opening singing Pastor Murdoch introduced me and asked me to pray. I stood up and began to form the words of a prayer asking God’s blessing upon the service, upon the preaching from the Word, and upon the congregation. The problem was that I got tongue tied, and my thoughts ran ahead of my spoken words and my prayer was somewhat of a mess of garbled phrases that did not really fit together. I finally said amen and sat down. The pastor went to the pulpit and began his sermon with these words: “tonight, I would like to teach about how to pray.” It was a very good message which followed my prayer, which was really an example of how not to pray. With each point I sank deeper into my chair, agonizing over my botched attempt to pray.
Matthew 6:5-8
My sermon this morning is titled “how to pray”. I will be teaching from this gospel account of Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, giving us instruction and example in how to pray. It is an awesome task to stand before a congregation and teach on prayer. Guide my words, my actions, and my openness to your Spirit most holy Lord.
When Audrey and I were dating we visited the church in Omaha where her family had attended. It so happened that a friend of mine was the son of the senior pastor. Spotting me in the congregation, he came down to where we were sitting and said “Bruce, we have a tradition here of asking someone from the congregation to pray. Would you be willing to pray during the service?" I was in my second year of seminary and I was comfortable praying in public, though I had not done so very often and I said that I would be happy to pray. After the opening singing Pastor Murdoch introduced me and asked me to pray. I stood up and began to form the words of a prayer asking God’s blessing upon the service, upon the preaching from the Word, and upon the congregation. The problem was that I got tongue tied, and my thoughts ran ahead of my spoken words and my prayer was somewhat of a mess of garbled phrases that did not really fit together. I finally said amen and sat down. The pastor went to the pulpit and began his sermon with these words: “tonight, I would like to teach about how to pray.” It was a very good message which followed my prayer, which was really an example of how not to pray. With each point I sank deeper into my chair, agonizing over my botched attempt to pray.
Matthew 6:5-8
My sermon this morning is titled “how to pray”. I will be teaching from this gospel account of Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, giving us instruction and example in how to pray. It is an awesome task to stand before a congregation and teach on prayer. Guide my words, my actions, and my openness to your Spirit most holy Lord.
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