MENTORED BY THE MASTER

“When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.”

Exodus 33:7-11

I have always loved this story of Moses going into the Tent of Meeting and talking with God ‘face to face, as a man speaks with his friend’.  It reminds me of my Quiet Times with God in the mornings, when I have my coffee and read the Bible and simply sitting in God’s Presence.  It is a spiritual Practice I began early in my spiritual journey and have remained faithful to it for over forty years.  It never became a duty to do, but was always a delight to participate in.

One day while reading this passage my thoughts focused on the ending sentence that speaks of Joshua.  I began to picture him, seeing Moses go to the Tent of Meeting and secretly following him and sitting outside of the Tent, listening to the conversation between God and Moses.  But when Moses left Joshua remained.  Did God speak to Joshua as well, as he sat outside of the Tent?  It didn’t say that the cloud, God’s Presence, left.  It simply says that Joshua would not depart from the tent.  I would tend to think that God spoke with Joshua as well, because of whom Joshua became and what God had in store for him.  God went to Joshua and passed the torch of leadership on to him. 

          “After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to

           Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aid: Moses my servant id dead.  Now then,

           you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the

           land I am about to give to them…As I was with Moses, so I will be

           with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:1-5).

Joshua went on to be the leader of these people that God had freed from slavery, not by a vote from the people, but by direct assignment from God Himself.  Were those times of following Moses and sitting outside of the Tent of Meeting times when God and Joshua were speaking with one another; or did God simply honor the determination and faithfulness of a young man who followed his master to over hear their conversation and then didn’t want to leave the place where the Presence of God was.

I am a great believer and supporter of the idea of mentoring.  The concept has been around for a long time.  Apprenticeship or discipleship to one who is a master of something is a great way to learn, hands on, a trade, a practice, or a way of life. Jesus work in that capacity with the twelve men who were seeking something in him.  He walked around being who he was and doing good, giving glory to his Father.  He was a “dispenser of a new thirst and a hunger” for God, and his disciples were the recipients of that thirst and hunger and then told by Jesus to be that for others.  They were to be salt, making people thirsty, and light, showing the way, to the people of the world that they came in contact with.

There have been people in my life that were that dispenser.  I would watch and listen to them and do what they did.  But most important I would follow them to the Tent of Meeting and I would stay there, by myself, in God’s Presence, and learn from Him.  It is good to learn from one another.  But what is crucial is to find where they go to learn who they are and what to do; follow their lead to the Tent of Meeting and then remain there yourself, in God’s Presence.  Then we can become salt and light to others, making them thirsty and lighting the path to the one who can satisfy that thirst. 

THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD

“This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom He has sent.”

John 6: 28, 29

The thing I appreciate about the Christian religion is its context and continuity.  There is a beginning, there is an end, and in between there is a connecting tissue that holds it all together; a thread that runs through it all.

If one has eyes to see and ears to hear, that thread can be followed from beginning to end.  I haven’t been finding that in all of the other religions.

Some have a good foundation to start with but they stop midway, not proceeding on until the end.  They have a firm foundation but an incomplete building on it, as of now.  Some have no foundation but are mere loose sparks off of a fire.  These are started by men with noble virtues and grew into great movements; but there is no firm foundation to build on and no prophetic vision of where they will be lead to except what there founding fathers dictated.

The Christian faith has a firm foundation and a prophetic vision to build on.

The foundation is built by God and the vision is revealed by God.

          “Unless the Lord builds the house those who build it labor in vain.

           Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake

           in vain” (Psalm 127:1)

To me that doesn’t mean that that these religions are good or bad; they simply won’t endure forever.  In the end what will be will be. That alone is God’s judgment; but it makes sense to me that if God is the judge, it will be done God’s way, according to His plan.  For Christians God’s way is revealed in the Scriptures from beginning to end.  God doesn’t want His people unaware or blindly walking through this life on earth.  He loves those who love Him and enter into a relationship with Him.  That goes beyond religion to a relationship, but religion matters only if it assists in developing that relationship.

The door to eternal life is shut in the end.  The only thing given as an explanation to those on the outside is, “I don’t know you”.  God will eventually judge all people according to the work they have done.  When the disciples asked Jesus “What must we do, to be doing the works of God? Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (John 6:28, 29).

THERE IS NO OTHER LIKE HIM

“And when he had said these things, as they were looking on,

he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.”

Acts 1:9

I have read this verse thousands of times but today it jumped right off the page and into my soul.  Throughout the Scriptures a cloud is the Presence of God.  It was there covering the Tent of Meeting in Exodus 33:9, and 40:34.  It was there on the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew 17:1-9.  And again it is there when Jesus goes back to heaven to be with his Father.

The thing that touched my heart about this is that the Father wasn’t sitting up in heaven waiting for His only Son to return.  God Himself came down, surrounded His Son, and took him home.  What a loving gesture.  It spoke to me about how much God loved His Son and how excited He was to have him return to his home, especially after all he had been through in the mission he was sent to earth to accomplish and finished.

I would sense that this is like the reunion of fathers and mothers of sons and daughters as their children have been away as soldiers in the wars being fought overseas in the world today and are now coming home.  They just don’t stand and wait; they run out to meet and greet one another with tears in their eyes and great gladness in their hearts.  Their embraces are strong and true, like there will never again be a separation ever.

I am convinced that this is how God will receive me when I return home, never again to be separated by time and space.  That is certainly the picture painted by the parable of the prodigal son and the lost sheep.  God is the powerful force behind all creation and everything on this earth.  But He is also a Father who loves His children and will run out to meet us when we come home.  That is the God in whom I believe and have committed my life to.  There is no other like Him.

THIS I KNOW I CAN TRUST

“What do you want me to do for you?

Mark 10:46-52

Jesus doesn’t impose himself on people.  He invites them to recognize what they need and then responds to them by meeting that need.  Jesus walked through life simply Being who he was.  People sought him out by observing him as he walked along the way.  As a follower of Jesus I am to do the same.

Jesus calls me to be salt and light, as well as a witness to who he is and what he did.  Salt makes one thirsty; light shows the way in the darkness.  They are simple things to be and do.

I am looking a different religions, especially those in the Middle East, and it fascinates me.  I see the same story line but so many different ways that it goes.  But what I see in all the people is a basic need for something meaningful in their lives; that usually draws folks to religion and a supernatural orientation.  Even the terrorist is saying that he is doing things for a meaning above himself. But when I listen to people who claim to be atheists or to those who scorn religion all together, there is a total self satisfaction in who and what they are in themselves.  It makes me wonder about what that means and what makes the difference.

I have always had a ‘God sense’ that has nothing to do with religion or church.  Even as a kid I knew I experienced God’s Presence with me, even though I didn’t have the words for the experience.  I guess that is why I have difficulty with Institutional and organized religion.  They seem to interfere with that ‘God sense’.  I would say now that the ‘God sense’ was and is the Holy Spirit that can’t be neatly defined and packaged for consumption.

I have been studying Islam and as I listen to Muslims talk about their faith I see that in some of them; the ones who go beyond the religious practice and the written Quran.   I realize more and more than I don’t and can’t know everything.  I do know what I believe in and I believe that comes directly from God through the Spirit of Truth that lives within me…no middle man.

So now I watch and I wait, with no judging or reacting.  God’s revelation opens up in way and in His timing.  This I know I can trust.

I do know that the fruit of this studying I am doing is an increased love and respect for the Sovereignty of God and for the Bible that He speaks to me through.  It becomes more awesome every day.  It puts the world and the current events in perspective for me and increases my faith that God is in absolute control over everything.

THINGS THAT WORKED AND STILL WORK

I like to reflect back over my life and see what worked and what didn’t work.

I like to see when I was at my best and when I was at my worst. What worked usually coincides with when I was at my best. Looking at both of them with equal interest gives me perspective on my life.  I learned and grew from both my successes and my failures, so in the end product, they’re all good.

I look at all the times and experiences in my life and I find there are two that stand our as things that worked and when I was at my best.  The first was my life at Camp, specifically Valley Mill East in Colesville.  The second was my life as a part of the Bible Study Group that met at the McLaren home, that eventually became known as Rockville Community Bible Fellowship.  Interesting, they both overlapped and covered one era of my life.  Those two times and places were where I was home within myself.

My Camp experience is for another story at another time.  These days I am thinking mostly of the RCBF experience.  I guess that is because I am constantly trying to figure out the issue of Church in God’s realm of things.

Whatever we did back in that group, in those days, bore the fruit that still stays with me and it is what I can’t seem to find any where else.  Even now I still connect better with some of those folks, even though it’s been forty plus years since I have seen them.  They know me better than anyone else and give me the spiritual support that the other people I have lived with, studied with, and worshipped with fail to give.  I find myself wondering why that is the case.  My conclusion is that whatever we did back in those days worked and continues to bear good fruit, telling me that it was God at work in that time and place.  My quest is to discover what we did that obviously aligned with what God was doing and is it possible to do it again?

I found a quote from Old Monk that shined some light on my search.

“It’s sadness to me that we seldom share our deepest religious experiences, our true religious beliefs with others…Is there a greater joy than a good meal with a friend and talk of things that matter, to tell and retell the sweetest of tales?”  This really spoke to me because that is exactly what we did in our times together in the McLaren’s living room on Monday nights.  We sang songs, shared what God was doing in our lives, shared Scriptures with one another, and prayed for one another.  We celebrated holidays together, meals together, and time together.  We came to know one another on a very real and deep level.  Most important, God was in all of our conversations and in our communion with one another. These conversations, this communion, and the companionship we felt for one another resulted in a true conversion of who we were, with each other and with God. We shared our thoughts and feelings with one another and having God in our midst in all of it created a spiritual fellowship and bond with one another; a bond that I still feel even though time and space have moved me far away from any of these people.  It was and remains to be a very significant and real experience for me, one that I feel very blessed to have been apart of.  It makes me think of the scripture in Malachi 3:16, 17.

          “Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another.  The Lord

           paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was

           written before Him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed His

           name.  They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I

           make up my treasured possession.”

FOREVER IN HIS PRESENCE

My bliss is being in the Presence of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  In my understanding this Holy Trinity Community is really the One True God.  I enjoy being in His Presence, getting to know Him and being in a relationship with Him.  I also enjoy being in the presence of people, getting to know them and being in a relationship with them.  Being in one another’s presence does not necessarily mean doing anything or needing anything; it’s simply being with them. I continually ask for a hospitable heart; a heart that is welcoming and open to others; especially to God.

I think that is why I loved Camp so much.  It was a life filled with God’s Presence because we were out in nature all day and all night; and we were with one another in that Presence together.  We had a schedule of activities, but we did not have an agenda other than to have fun while we learned new skills and also learn how to get along with one another.  Special bonds developed between people as we walked along the creek and sat along the bank with our feet dangling in the water; while we cooked our dinner over a fire and then sat around that fire singing, eating s’mores, and looking up at the stars we were sleeping under.  Good conversation and good company made those times very special and left me with enduring memories.

My favorite time of the day is in the morning when I have my time alone with God over a cup of coffee.  The sweet stillness of that time stays with me throughout the day.  I enjoy the Presence as I sit in silence, read the Bible, and just get to know God better.  My only goal during this time is to enjoy Him, enjoy His company, and enjoy our conversation.

My friend Leslie and I used to spend a lot of time walking along the tow path at Great Falls, especially in the Autumn.  We would take a lunch and our guitars and find a quiet place to sit and sing and take with one another.  Such simple pleasures flood my memories and always make me smile.

Now that I am growing old and not able to get around much, I enjoy these quiet, simple pleasures even more. My time with God has increases far beyond the morning Quiet Time.  There is a true dwelling in the Presence all day long that I enjoy more than anything else.  Friends have passed on and I find myself more on my own now; but every once in awhile someone comes to visit, to simply sit and talk. 

Sometimes I like to imagine what heaven will be like.  I see porches with rocking chairs, paths along a creek, campfires, skies filled with stars, and simple folks who appreciate simple pleasures and simply enjoy being in one another’s presence.  As the backdrop to that vision I keep in mind the verse, “Wherever two or three are gathered, I am there in the midst of them.”

DISCERNMENT

Hebrews 5:12-14

Discernment is founded on being skilled in the word of righteousness.  Then their powers of discernment are trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil, not on fleshly desires or personal preferences.

My knowledge of good and evil was supposed to come from God to me directly.  My discernment is faulty because it is tainted by the flesh.  When Eve looked at the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil se was looking through fleshly eyes; “it was good for food, a delight to the eyes, desired to make one wise.”  She was convinced by her flesh not the fear of God.  If the fear of God had been her motivation she would have obey God’s command of not to eat of that fruit.

I have made many choices in my life.  As I look back upon some of these choices I can see where the true motivation was; in my flesh.  Even though I claimed that they were discerned before God, I know in my heart they were more what I wanted than what God wanted.  I know that because those choices are the ones that in the end proved faulty in my life.  I am much more aware now that the spirit of deception that was in the serpent is still alive and well and operates in the realm of my flesh.

I know God better now and continue to learn from Him what is good and what is evil.  The more I know Him the more I can discern His ways for me.  The fear of God works within me and over powers the desires of my flesh.  The more I know Him the more my personal preferences align with His personal preferences.  My experience is that His ways never prove faulty.

I DO AND I AM

I was a part of the 60’s experience.  Some say everyone was against authority.  That was not the case for me.  I was against bad authority, like the one ruling our land at the time.  I am not against all authority; I want good authority.

Fear and discouragement subside when I know someone is in control of a situation; someone I know well and can put my trust in; someone with integrity and deals honestly; someone who is faithful in whom I can put my trust.  Ultimately the authority I look to is God. When that is secure then I can be at peace within myself, no matter what the outward circumstances come to.

The choice boils down to two things; do I believe that Jesus is who he says he is, and is God really who Jesus days he is, and is the Holy Spirit really who Jesus says he is?  If I choose to believe what Jesus says then I have found what I have been seeking and simply need to follow him.  The second choice is do I really believe that the Bible is a way that God speaks to me and is True in what it says; that it is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.  If I do choose to believe that then I have found all I need to know and simply need to listen and obey what it says to me.

My years of experimenting and experiencing life have bought me to a simple faith.  There is no need to discuss or defend my choice; simply follow, listen, and obey.  Do I really believe these two things?  I DO! Am I willing to stake my life on what I believe?  I AM!

BE APPALLED, SHOCKED & DESOLATE

If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?

Psalm 11:3

In the time when people need an anchor, it is a tragedy that the foundations of God, Jesus, and the Bible have been the focus of attack, not only between the world and Christians, but sadly between Christians themselves.  But then, it has been that way since the beginning of time.  The rival enemy of God is not stupid.  He began with, “Did God day?” and continues to ask that same question today.  His attack has left many without a firm foundation to stand on; something that is solely needed in these times of corruption and chaos.

The religious system of Jesus’ day, with its Pharisees, Scribes, High Priests, got it wrong about Jesus.  They supposedly searched the Scriptures and yet they completely missed Jesus, the One the Scriptures were about.  They knew the words but not the Word of God.  They were looking through a faulty lens; a human, flesh centered lens.  Is that not the same today, as the scholars and theologians try to find the historic Jesus, the Jesus that can be proved and whose words can be reasoned out and explained in human terms?  Try as they might; try as we might; try as I might; I must remember

          “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,

           declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

           so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your

           thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8,9).

It is crucial that we get perspective on who God truly is.  It is important for the human race and for all of creation.  The foundations of faith are being tampered with in a destructive way.  And for those who are aware, the foundations of the earth are being tampered with in a destructive way as well.  I believe there is a correlation to the two.  Jeremiah 2:11, 12 says, “Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit.”  Then God yells to the heavens. “BE APPALLED, O heavens at this; BE SHOCKED; be utterly DESOLATE, declares the Lord.”  Creation is in tune with God; human beings are not.  Could it be that nature is responding to God’s cry by being appalled, shocked, and desolate?  Earthquakes, intense and destructive storms; is it possible that our environmental problems are nature’s reaction to the foolishness of human beings being at odds with and forsaking the very One who created them?  Paul said that nature is awaiting the judgment of God that is to come so that things can once again be as they were meant to be.

Should that not be our heart’s cry also?  Should we not also be appalled, shocked, and desolate and return to God with all our hearts, minds, and souls?

GOD ALONE CAN BRING PEACE

My religion is my understanding of God and my response to that understanding.  It helps me make sense of my life; it helps me make sense of the world I live in.  It gives me an anchor of hope so I can look beyond the darkness of the storm and see the light of day. 

Terrorism is not a new tactic.  Terrorists are human beings that require love and care just as all human beings do.  Violence has corrupted them and damaged their souls.  That doesn’t excuse their behavior but it helps to understand why they respond to life the way they do.

Jesus came into a troubled and violent world.  He did not come with the mission of setting up an army of good to defeat the bad.  He did not come to overthrow the Roman Empire, as some people of the day were expecting him to.  He did not come to overthrow the religious system, as some people thought he was doing.  He sis not come to the systems; he came to the people, to the individuals who needed to be healed and needed to restore their relationship with God that had somehow become broken.  He came to invite people into the kingdom of God, where they were meant to be from the beginning of time, to restore the wholeness of creation as his Father meant it to be.  He came to give light and life to all who were seeking it and to those who would receive and believe in it and in him.

Religion is the foundation and the fuel for most of the violence in the world today, especially in the Middle East.  The solution is not at the mind level.  Only a transformation of the heart will bring lasting change.  Only God can change hearts.  My response to the world situation is to acknowledge that God is certainly in control of this world and He alone can bring lasting peace, and pray that all will come to see this as the only Truth.

TIME TO BE ALERT, AWARE & AWAKE

I believe we are living in the last days that the Bible talks about; the last days that Jesus spoke to his disciples about before he died and left them with a message and a mission to carry on after he ascended back into the heavens.  I have seen people get all obsessed with this knowledge; they start making predictions of when and where, naming names, and getting other people all worked up, warning them to get ready for what is to come.  I am not one of those people, but I am aware that something is brewing and it is important to be aware of what is going on all around us.

Jesus said that, “In those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away” (Matthew 24: 38, 39).  The reason for the flood was the corruption and violence of all flesh on the earth.  The people were unaware and continued living their lives as usual.  It surprises me that things can get that bad and people are not at all aware of it, and yet it feels like that today. 

All this corruption goes on every day in every place and yet the people act unaware and the ‘beat goes on’.  Nations are corrupt, governments are corrupt, churches are corrupt, and institutions are corrupt.  Societies have made corruption and unrighteousness an acceptable norm by legalizing sinful and Godless behavior.  Violence is responded to with more violence, thinking that will bring it to an end.  It all hits social media for a day or two and then it’s forgotten, and ‘the beat goes on’, life as usual goes on, and people remain unaware and uninterested. 

I believe the time is coming when life as we know it will not be able to go on as usual; nor should it.  The prophetic voice of God’s church should be making people aware of the times they are living in; not alarming but warning folks to keep their eyes open to the events going on all around them.  Things are brewing in the Middle East that will have world wide consequences.  All people must keep alert, awake, and close to God during these days; these last days that the prophets spoke of; that Jesus spoke of.  It is important.

SIMPLE, SUSTAINED, SATISFIED

Genesis 3:1-6

What are the fruits that I am picking off the tree of knowledge of good and evil?  What are the fruits that I see as good for food; that I see as pleasing to the eyes; that I see as are desirable for gaining wisdom?  Who am I listening to?  Am I listening to the God who said, “Let there be…and there was”; the God who formed man out of dust from the ground and breathed life into him; the God who made every tree spring up out of the ground; the God who commanded, “you may eat of every tree, but one; the God who said, you shall surely die”?  Or am I listening to the tempter who said, “Did God actually say; who said, “You will not surely die”?

The road to temptation is an easy and inviting road to travel.  It is filling to the appetite; it is pleasing to the eyes to have others look upon you with respect for what you know; it is desirable to the ego to be acknowledged as well read, knowledgeable, and wise.  Aren’t these all very good things to strive for?  Don’t these elements make up a well respected man about town?  Aren’t we ‘co-creators with God working to hewn our own cisterns, filling them with water to offer to the thirsty?  Aren’t we supposed to be awake and aware of new ideas?  Aren’t we meant to be as God to others?  Isn’t it time we grow up, take our inheritance and go out to make our own ministries, asking for God’s blessing on all we do? The road to temptation is easy and inviting, but the road leads to separation from God and ends in death.

The Way of God is not always easy, but it is simple; not always inviting, but it is secure.  It is simply knowing God, listening and obeying God, and dwelling with God as our God.  We are made in His image and created to do what He would do.  But without the original there is no image; without the “God said”, there is nothing to be done.

          “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the

           fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken

           cisterns, that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13).

Where I dwell, the food I eat, and what I do, is my choice.  I want to dwell where God dwells; I want to eat the manna that God provides by the Spirit of Truth that dwells within me, revealing every word that comes from the mouth of God, revealed in nature and in the Scriptures; I want to freely swim in the fountain of living waters.  That is all that I seek and with that I will be simple, sustained, and satisfied.

BEYOND

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

John 5:39

When I read the Bible I have to go beyond the written words to the Spirit of the Living Word they speak of.  If I get locked in the literal word I will miss the Living Word behind it.

BEYOND

Beyond the scholarship the Spirit speaks

Beyond the study the Spirit speaks

Beyond the scriptures the Spirit speaks

Beyond the human words the Word of God speaks

Beyond the written word the Living Word speaks

See Beyond

Hear Beyond

This is where the Spirit takes us

Beyond the known to the unknown.

A WAY OF PRACTICE NOT A DEMONSTRATION OF PERFECTION

“Slow down, you move too fast. You’ve got to make the morning last, just kicking down the cobble stone. Looking for fun and feeling groovy.”  This song, one of my favorite Simon & Garfunkle songs, popped into my head this morning.

My life has certainly slowed down, as far as activity.  But my mind goes into hyper mode more than I would like it to, especially when I read.  A friend lent me a little book she thought I would like to read.  She told me she used it as a morning devotional this winter, reading one meditation per day.  I picked it up this morning and loved the first meditation and “Bang”…I am off to races and out of the starting gate.  I was on my way to devouring this book in one sitting…but then I stopped.  I have been intentionally trying to savor what I read, rather that devour it, reading from the beginning to the end in one sitting.  I justify myself by saying this is an overview reading and I will reread it slowly the second time; there is rarely a second time.

This reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend one time.  We had discovered than M&Ms were our favorite candy.  She told me she had disciplined herself to buy an individual pack of M&Ms and eat one M&M per hour.  That way the bag lasted the whole day.  I remember looking at her like she was nuts.  I never put less than five M&Ms in my mouth at a time and the bag is devoured in 15 minutes or less.  Sweet but short was my experience; luscious and lasting was her experience.  I tried her way and found it lovely to extend that experience out over time.  I can’t say I always do that, but I do try because I know the benefits.

This is the same idea behind using lectio divina as a spiritual reading practice…luscious and lasting, as those words go down into my soul and give me delight in my soul.  I have intentionally been using this practice for many years in my morning devotional time; but sometimes I forget to use it in the rest of my reading, or in my studying.  I constantly have to remind my self to slow down and be patient in all that I do.  It makes me grateful that the Christian life I have chosen is a Way of Practice and not a demonstration of perfection. 

HIS PRESENCE IS MY HOMELAND

Jesus was identified by John the Baptist as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.  I think the sin of the world goes back to the very beginning of creation, when the human beings that God created with His own hands disobeyed God and hid themselves, separating themselves from God’s Presence.  The story continues when God took the Israelites out of Egypt so they could go and be in the desert, in the Presence of God; and then when Jesus was crucified and the curtain to the Ark in the Temple was torn, making God’s Presence available to all who would receive it.

Jesus didn’t come to earth to fix the Religious System, or the Political System of the world.  If he had, he would have.  He came to teach us, show us how to be in God’s Presence and live peacefully in the Kingdom of God, where God rules and reigns.

I miss the true message if I think sin is about being good or bad.  It’s about removing all obstacles to God’s Presence in my life.  It’s about living in the fountain of living water of His Presence and not building my own cisterns of dos and don’ts.  I am not to try to be good in order to be in God’s Presence.  I am good because I am in God’s Presence, and that’s the only way that makes sense.  That place in His Presence is where I am who I am.  That is home, the home land that God promised His people in the beginning and throughout history; and still does.

DISAPPOINTMENT IS A DESTRUCTIVE TRAP

It’s easy to get caught in the “If…then” trap; if I do this, then that will happen.  For some things that might be true but not for others, especially when the others involve people.  People are fickle.  Disappointment is sure to follow if I use the “if…then formula in my relationships with them.  Jesus knew that; he entrusted himself to no one, even the ones he loved the most.  He knew human nature very well.

When Jesus yielded himself to the authorities and was crucified, I am sure that his disciples were disappointed in him.  This was not what they expected to happen.  They gave up everything to follow him and they certainly expected more than the ending he gave them.  In their heart of hearts I suspect that they expected a good position, power, and authority in this world.  They would be looked up to by others, and feel special. 

I can easily identify with what these friends of Jesus were feeling; I have felt that “if then” expectation for a lot of my years on the Christian path.  It’s human.  I have learned, after many disappointments, that “if then” expectations are faulty and I try hard not to fall into the trap.  Flesh is needy, weak, wanting, and is never satisfied.

          “All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.

           The grass withers, the flower fades” (Isaiah 40:6,7).

Only that of the Spirit will last forever.  When I remember that in my relationships with others and in my dealings with life I will be more at peace rather than disappointed and disillusioned.

Jesus had every right to be disappointed in his disciples; but he wasn’t.  He looked beyond the disappointment to how much he loved them and he responded in love and patience towards them.  He has done that with me as well; over and over again.  It is how I must be with others.

          “I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but only lean on Jesus name.

           On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

A FAST ON WORDS

“Guard your steps when you go to the house of God.  To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools.  Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.”

Ecclesiastes 5:1-2

I am learning how important it is to prune my words so that only the fruitful ones will come out of my mouth.  Too often it’s easy to complain and grumble.  But that doesn’t uplift and encourage one another. 

Words are life giving, meant to build up and encourage.  Too often mine are not.  It’s not that they are bad; they just don’t produce fruit, so what it the purpose of saying them?  Taming the tongue is a goal I want to keep ever mindful of.  Of course, it starts with taming my thoughts by pruning them of jealousy, selfish ambition, and feeling like I have to have an opinion on everything.

I hear a lot of words that are attributed to God or to the Holy Spirit; but I wonder.  The Spirit of God will never conform to the world.  This world has become a world of words.  Twenty-four/seven there is chatter ever present on the air waves.  My ears grow dull; my thoughts go into overdrive and become jumbled and incoherent. 

I am becoming more and more appreciative of stillness, and silence, in my thoughts and in my words.  A fast on words seems like a good practice to me at this point in my life…something to think about.

NO WINNING OR LOSING, SIMPLY PEACE

The attribute of God that is most impressive to me is His faithfulness.  I have never been let down by God.  He is always there, even when I am not.  He is always faithful in His love, faithful in His forgiveness, faithful in His car, faithful in His attention, and faithful in His provision.  He remains to be God even when people deny His existence; He remains being God even when people disobey Him; He remains being God even when people curse His name.  I have never seen or known such faithfulness; I have never been that faithful.  It is most impressive to me and humbles me every time I see and experience it.

The world is a harsh place for people with a simple faith these days.  People want to argue about God, about Jesus, and about the Bible.  They like to attack simple beliefs and require proof.  They destroy the foundations of faith that folks have held true for centuries; they scorn the simple and over power them with their words, their arguments, their new ideas, and their new right ways to do things.  It is bullying at its best.

The temptation is to engage; but at this point in time that response is unproductive.  Just like wars breed more wars, arguments breed more arguments.  They lean on their credentials and their ears are closed, their eyes are shut, and there is no sense in continuing the argument; their minds are locked.  Minds that are locked, which ever side of the argument one is one, will only produce cold and hardened hearts.

The one thing I have to offer is the one thing that no one can argue; my experience.  I am learning to simply share that and then they can only be silent.  They have no offense against that; I have no defense other than that.  There is no winning or losing; but for me there is peace of mind and soul.  That works for me.

SIMPLY LIVING LIFE

I became aware of something the other day, as I sat and contemplated my life.  This is the first time in my life that I haven’t been a part of something. I grew up in a big family, joined the Girl Scouts, went to school, went to church, got various jobs, went to college, and became a part of all of those things.  My family has dwindled and distance separates all of us that are left; I am retired so I don’t work with other people, I don’t go to a specific church, and I don’t go to school anymore.  So the question I had to ask myself is, “where do I belong”, which leads to a second question of, “what is my purpose?”  It all boils down to what do I keep busy at and why.

Everyone I have a conversation with these days, is busy…too busy to talk, to busy to get together, to busy being busy.  It seems to have become a buzz word for where we are in our lives today.  I guess I have to ask busy at what?  I do things, but I never consider myself busy.  Even when I was in the school and job world and did what I did in it, I never considered myself busy; just doing what I was doing.  I honestly can’t remember ever saying I was too busy to talk with someone, or do something with someone.  I guess that is why I find it insulting to use “I’m too busy” as an excuse for anything.  When I am in one of my snarky moods I ask, “Busy doing what?”  I have found that there is usually a stammering or a silence on the other end.  “Just busy, that’s all”.  That’s when I realized it was more of a buzz word than fact.

Somewhere the message got out that being busy was what we humans were suppose to be…busy and productive; always on the go.  The what, who, and how of it wasn’t important; we are just to be busy.  Somewhere along the line I missed that lesson.  I think I got that from my father’s side of the family.  My father’s sister let people know that “Thomas’ just sit”.  My mom used to say my dad spends his time sitting and watching the grass grow. 

My father never looked busy, always had the time to chat with the neighbors, appeared to be not doing much, and yet he accomplished a lot.  Besides his job he was a Mason, he built things, and he worked with leather and glass as craft hobbies, making some really cool things.  He was active, but, not too busy.

My mom was more of an “out and about” type; girl scouts and church work kept her on the move.  She also did a lot of craft work with ceramics, making some really cool things.  She was active, but, not too busy.  

Time with family and friends, and those who we loved always was there, no matter what.  People were a priority, especially family.  We ate our meals together, went on weekend outings together, vacationed together, and enjoyed spending simple times, like games in the yard, picnicking, or just hanging out with one another.  I never heard the words too busy.  My folks weren’t rich and so we all learned how to provide our own entertainment. Fortunately I come from a really creative family so we were never bored.  Maybe that is why I don’t have the need to be busy. There is no emptiness to work hard at filling.

Sometimes I miss being a part of something; most of the time I don’t.  My purpose now is to simply enjoy life as it comes to me.  Life is very full but not busy.  Life is very still but not boring.   I can sit for hours just looking out my window at the trees, the birds, and the squirrels and never be bored.  I can sit for hours and watch the ocean waves rise and fall, and splash along the coast line.  I can sit for hours gazing at the mountains as they rise to the sky.  My Aunt was right; Thomas’ just sit.  Never busy, never bored, but very much a part of life.

“I have come that they may have life,

And that they may have it more abundantly.”

John 10:10

LET IT BE KNOWN THAT GOD IS AWESOME

Psalm 27:4

I have been pondering on a goal I have set for myself.  It certainly isn’t an original goal; it’s what I believe Jesus would want of those who commit to following him.  His passion was God and the kingdom of God.  I want that to be my passion as well.  I see that asking what I can to make this world more like the world it was created by God to be would be what Jesus told his disciples to pray for; “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”

Jesus spoke a lot about dwelling with God.  In John’s revelation of the kingdom of God it is all about God dwelling with His people.  When people dwell together, they grow close to each other, building a relationship one with another and with all of those in the place where they dwell.  If that is the fulfillment of the Spiritual journey I have been on, I think it would be helpful to know how to build good relationships; first with God, and with others.

Over the past few years I have come to the point in my life that David speaks about in Psalm 27:4. “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.”  Most of the things that I thought were important have faded in comparison to knowing and loving God.  They have become like dross that is scooped off until only the pure gold remains.  That didn’t come quickly and it didn’t come by being told how to be that kind of person; it came by my life experiences.

 I have found God to be better than anything or anyone else this world has to offer.  He is always there, even when I am far away; He is constant in His love even when my love grows hot, cold, or lukewarm.  He never condemns my erring ways, but through His loving and caring conviction I came to my senses and He always forgives.  He is faithful, true to His Being at all times and I trust no other as I trust Him.  Those qualities and others are more than worthy of all my adoration, personal sacrifice, and worship.  That is the God that Jesus represented here on earth. That is the God I would hope others would want to know and experience.

God Said No But Man Said Yes

God said No…Man said Yes

Hence the Problem

God saw a void and created a world

Man saw a world and created chaos

God saw His creation and said, “It is very good.”

Man saw God’s creation and said, “Let’s make it better.”

God gave all to man except one tree

Man looked at it all and said, “I want that tree.”

The Kingdom of God was rejected

And thus the empires of man began.

THE WORLD AS IT WAS CREATED TO BE

“Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.”

Matthew 6: 9-15

I responded to a post today written by a friend, commemorating the Kent State killings on this day, in 1970.  The 60’s and 70’s were turbulent years for our country and landmark years for me.  My response to the post indicated that I have never felt so involved and committed to a cause than I did in those years.  I joined in with a lot of other people who truly wanted to make this world a better place to live than it presently was.  Peace and justice for all was the cry heard on every campus and every corner of the world, not through war or even political means; but by simply loving one another and working for the best we could be and do in every situation in life.  I think they are honorable goals.  Unfortunately it takes more that setting good goals.  It takes a change in the hearts of people and there is where the rubber meets the road.

The positive momentum of love, peace, and justice for all eventually succumbed to the powerful poison of fear, disillusionment, and greed.  Personal kingdoms were being made and the poor were not helped to be participants in the world but were thrown scraps and kept where others believed they should be kept; marginalized and invisible.  This went on for years unnoticed by those who were doing well in the world; not rich but not in poverty either; in the middle and doing ok.  But now that too has changed.

Humanity can do a lot of good things, but it cannot change hearts.  God alone can do that, and does.  In the early 70’s I experienced that first hand.  One of the evidences of a changed heart is a radical change in perspective.  For me that change in perspective caused me to see that human beings can never make the world a better place to live in because human beings are only human and are generally ruled by the flesh and the flesh watches out for the self first.

I would say the goal for me now is to do what I can to make this world more like the world it was created by God to be. Jesus’ passion and commitment was to the kingdom of God and his mission was to have that be on earth as it was in heaven.  That requires a death to self and an agape love for other people; all people.  That requires a change of venue for all of us; especially us that claim to follow Jesus and walk with God.  That is the goal I want to be involved in and committed to.

QUIBBLING WITH LIFE IS UNPRODUCTIVE

Psalm 148:1-6

The things in nature do not quibble about God’s laws.  They simply live and act them out in quiet obedience.  They don’t change them or deem them out of date and now unnecessary.  They don’t open them up to debate or assume they require reinterpretation to conform to cultural demands. The laws of God are the fiber of their being and their action.  They simply live and grow and act as they were created to live, grow, and act.  They live, breathe, and have their being in the kingdom of God with no desire to be anywhere else or to look to anyone else except the One who created them.  That is the desire of my heart.

God formed me, my inner most being, with His hands, like a potter forms the clay.  He knit every fiber of my being together in secret; He knows all about me, even more than I know myself.  Nothing is hidden from Him.  How can I do anything other than be and do as He created me to be and do?

In the sanctity of His Presence I have all I need.  In the sanctity of His Presence I am truly free to be me.  In the sanctity of His Presence I can live out my days and my ways.  In the sanctity of His Presence I am fully known to Him, shaped by Him, and loved by Him.  I, with the rest of nature, do not quibble about God’s laws.  They make me all that I can be and guide all that I can do.

LIFE AS A TEACHER

Deuteronomy 6:5-7

I have always embraced the concept of life long learning, of discovering a lesson in every event and every experience that I found myself in. It was God’s intention that adults would teach their children at all times and in all situations the love of God and the importance of God’s commands.  If I keep my eyes open I will see opportunities to do this all through the day.

Jesus taught with his life as he lived his life with his disciples and the other folks who he encountered throughout the day.  Every event and every experience had a lesson to be learned within it.  He did not isolate or insolate himself and his disciples.  They simply lived their lives together for three years and in their daily comings and goings learned what he wanted them to be and do.  He learned from his Father’s method of teaching and passed that method on to those whom he taught.  Life lessons are to be found in all I experience; I simply need to keep awake and alert as I walk through my day.

As I look to Jesus as a teacher, it’s not just about what he says; it’s also about how he says it and how he is to those he is sharing with.  His life speaks just as loudly as his words.  I want this to be true of me as well.

God speaks to me through His Holy Spirit.  He speaks and teaches through nature and through the Scriptures.  I am surrounded by lessons to be learned through life experiences.  I need to pay attention and be aware of what God is showing me at all times and in all placed.  A full life involves all experiences; happiness and sorrow; fun and serious; joy and pain.  I can learn from all of it.