Moseying down the path of life, seeking God's wisdom
“Let the Fourth of July always be a reminder that here in this land, for the first time, it was decided that man is born with certain God-given rights; that government is only a convenience created and managed by the people, with no powers of its own except those voluntarily granted to it by the people. We sometimes forget that great truth, and we never should.
Happy Fourth of July.”
Ronald Reagan President of the United States, 1981
Remember,
whatever you focus upon, increases.
When you focus on the things you need,
you’ll find those needs increasing.
If you concentrate your thoughts on what you don’t have,
you will soon be concentrating on other things that you had forgotten you don’t have-and feel worse!
If you set your mind on loss,
you are more likely to lose.
But a grateful perspective brings happiness and abundance into a person’s life.
An amazing 5 minutes… the name of the artist is Propaganda. Lyrics below.
It’s the full story of life crushed into 4 minutes. The entirety of humanity in the palm of your hand crushed into one sentence. Listen its intense right. God. Our. Sins. Paying. Everyone. Life. The greatest story ever told that’s hardly ever told. God. Yes. God. The maker and giver of life. And by life I mean any and all manner and substance. Seen and unseen. What can and can be touched. Thoughts, image, emotions, love, atoms and oceans. God. All of it his handy work. One of which is masterpiece. Made so uniquely that angels looked curiously. The one thing in creation that was made with his imagery. The concept so cold. It’s the reason I stay bold, how God breathed in the man and he became a living soul. Formed with the intent of being infinitely intimately fond. Creator and creation held in eternal bold. And it was placed in perfect paradise til something went wrong. A species got deceived and started lusting for his job. An odd list of complaints as if the system ain’t working and used that same breath he graciously gave us to curse him. And that sin seed spread though our soul’s genome. And by nature of your nature, your species, you participated in the mutiny. Our. Yes. Our sins. Its nature inherited, lack in the human heart, it was over before it started. Deceived from day one and lead away by our own lusts. There’s not a religion in the word that doesn’t agree that something’s wrong with us. The question is what is it? And how do we fix it? Are we eternally separated from a God that may or not have existed? But that’s another subject. Let’s keep grinding. Besides trying to prove God is like defending a lion homie, it don’t need your help, just unlock the cage. Let’s move on how our debt can be paid. Short and sweet. The problem is Sin. Yes. Sin. It’s a cancer. An asthma. Choking out our life force. Forcing separation from a perfect and holy God and the only way to get back is to get back to perfection but silly us, trying to pass the course of life without referring to a syllabus. This is us. Heap up your good deeds. Chant, pray, meditate but all of that of course is spreading colon on a corpse. Or you could choose to ignore it as if something don’t stink. It’s like stepping it dog poop and refusing to wipe your shoe and all of that ends with how good is good enough. Take your silly list of good deeds and line them up against perfection, good luck. That’s life past your pay grade. The cost of your soul you ain’t gotta big enough piggy bank. But you can give it a shot. But I suggest you throw away the list cause even your good acts are an extension of your selfishness. But here’s where it gets interesting. I hope your closely listening. Please don’t get it twisted. It’s what makes our faith unique. Here’s what God says is Part A of the gospel. You can’t fix yourself. Quit trying it’s impossible. Sin brings death. Give God his breath back. You owe him. Eternally separated and the only way to fix it is someone die in your place and that someone gotta be perfect. Or the payment ain’t permanent. So if and when you find the perfect person, get him or her to willing trade their perfection for your sin and death in. Clearly since the only one that can meet God’s criteria is God. God sent himself as Jesus to pay the cost for us. His righteousness, his death, functions as payment. Yes. Payment. Wrote a check with his life but at the resurrection we all cheered cause that means the check cleared. Pierced feet, pierced hands, blood stained son of man. Fullness forgiveness free passage into the promise land, that same breath God breathed into us God gave it up to redeem us. And anyone and everyone. And by everyone I mean everyone who puts their faith in trust in him and him alone can stand in full confidence of God’s forgiveness. And here’s what the promise is, that you are guaranteed full access to return the perfect unity. By simply believing in Christ in Christ alone. You are receiving life. Yes. Life. This is the Gospel. God. Our. Sins. Paying. Everyone. Life.
“Do not remember the things that have happened before. Do not think about the things of the past. See, I will do a new thing. It will begin happening now. Will you not know about it? I will even make a road in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:18-19
“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.” Philippians 3:13-15
God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.
I’m an open book to you;
even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
I’m never out of your sight.
You know everything I’m going to say
before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you’re there,
then up ahead and you’re there, too—
your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
I can’t take it all in!
Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?
to be out of your sight?
If I climb to the sky, you’re there!
If I go underground, you’re there!
If I flew on morning’s wings
to the far western horizon,
You’d find me in a minute—
you’re already there waiting!
Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
At night I’m immersed in the light!”
It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you;
night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.
Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I’d even lived one day.
Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!
God, I’ll never comprehend them!
I couldn’t even begin to count them—
any more than I could count the sand of the sea.
Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!
And please, God, do away with wickedness for good!
And you murderers—out of here!—
all the men and women who belittle you, God,
infatuated with cheap god-imitations.
See how I hate those who hate you, God,
see how I loathe all this godless arrogance;
I hate it with pure, unadulterated hatred.
Your enemies are my enemies!
Investigate my life, O God,
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
then guide me on the road to eternal life.
Psalm 139
The Message
This past week we went to the Casting Crowns concert. While many of their songs speak to my heart, my friend Don reminded me of this one. “Jesus, Friend of Sinners”. It has a powerful and convicting message.
Have you ever stopped to think what breaks God’s heart? Jesus came to save us and die for our sins. When we don’t accept His love and forgiveness, and live with the same intent for others… we break God’s heart.
Jesus, friend of sinners, the one who’s writing in the sand
Make the righteous turn away and the stones fall from their hands
Help us to remember we are all the least of thieves
Let the memory of Your mercy bring Your people to their knees
No one knows what we’re for only against when we judge the wounded
What if we put down our signs crossed over the lines and loved like You did
Take a moment to listen and examine your own heart… after all, “we are all the least of thieves.”
Tom
When faced with life’s uncertainties,
we have a choice to make…
We can suffer with anxiety,
or choose which road to take.
Let’s choose to take the high road
where God is waiting there…
To bind our hearts together
as one body, joined in prayer.
We can face what life delivers,
as long as we are strong…
And trust that God will lead us
to the place where we belong.
We can find the right perspective
and unite in one accord…
If we keep our hands together
and our eyes fixed on the Lord.
Jill Lemming
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good,
and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?
Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
And if you greet only your own people,
what are you doing more than others?
Do not even pagans do that?
Be perfect, therefore,
as your heavenly Father
is perfect.
Matthew 5:43-48
So many of you have been kind enough to ask about my mom, I thought it would be appropriate to post an update here.
Four and half years ago, ‘Mimi’ was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a mastectomy followed by months of chemo and radiation treatment. Every step of the way, through a very difficult process, she lived by her motto, “Be a warrior not a worrier.” Mimi has been, and continues to be, an inspiration to my entire family and a wide circle of friends.
Wednesday, after over a week in the hospital from difficult breathing, little strength and back pain, we received the diagnosis. Mom’s cancer has returned. It is moving fast and has spread through her breast and lungs. This time around, chemo, radiation and meds are not treatment options.
My sister and I were blown away by the strength and witness of our mother. Following a long meeting with the doctor my mom turns to me and says, “Honey, death is a part of life. I am ready to face whatever comes.” My mom is a 5′, 96 pound, 80 year old, beautiful and charming woman… in my life and at that moment, I had never been in the presence of a bigger, stronger person. Her strength comes from God who is bigger and stronger than us all.
This morning mom is having the fluid in her lungs drained again and getting a chest tube inserted (pleurex catheter). This will enable her to drain the lung fluid, which is apparently going to continue recurring, on a daily basis so it won’t build up, and that will make her feel so much better, make her breathing better, and help her be able to speak without having to work so hard.
My sister and I need to make a decision about where Mom can go for skilled nursing care as she tries to get stronger so she can go home to her apartment. We have wonderful social workers and hospice care people helping with this, which is a huge relief. Our hope is to get her into a gorgeous facility very close to her home. and not too far from my sis.
An ambulance will take her to wherever her new temporary home will be for however long she has to stay there to build up strength so that she won’t be a ‘fall risk’ if she goes home. That’s all the news for now – she is getting excellent care here at the hospital, but they need to discharge her to nursing care at this point – possibly sometime this coming weekend. She will sure be glad to see the sun and feel the wind again!
My mom, my sister, my children, our entire family and I deeply appreciate your prayers.
“Put on your sword, O mighty warrior! You are so glorious, so majestic!
In your majesty, ride out to victory, defending truth, humility, and justice.
Go forth to perform awe-inspiring deeds!” Proverbs 45: 3,4
Sports Illustrated (my favorite magazine) had a wonderful piece on Dick and Rick Hoyt.
If you are not familiar with this remarkable father and son team, here is the teaser…
“Over the past 33 years, Dick Hoyt has pushed, pulled and carried his disabled son, Rick, through more than 1,000 road races and triathlons, including 28 Boston Marathons. But as time bears down on them, how much longer can they keep it up?”
I wrote a post a few years ago that includes a video set to the song “I Can Only Imagine”.
You can find it here>>>
Read the entire Sports Illustrated article here>>>
It’s an incredible and heartwarming story. Please take time to read it , you’ll be glad you did.
True Freedom July 1, 2007
Freedom of expression
Freedom of speech
Freedom of thought
Freedom of education
Freedom of the press
Freedom to bear arms
Financial freedom
Freedom tower
Freedom, Indiana
Freedom Fries
Spaceship freedom
Sexual freedom
Intellectual freedom Political freedom
Religious freedom
“Live free or die”
“Give me Liberty or give me Death!”
“Free at last, free at last, thanks God Almighty, we are free at last”
Free·dom [free-duh
m] –noun
The state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint Liberty of the person from slavery, detention, or oppression.
All can be free
1 Corinthians 7:20-22 – Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave.
Freedom in God
2 Corinthians 3:16-18 – But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Follow the rules, live free
Psalm 119:44-46 – I will always obey your law, for ever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame,
Don’t look back
Galatians 5:1 – It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
With great power…
1 Corinthians 8:8-10 -But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols?
1 Corinthians 10:23, 24 – “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.
Freedom brings suffering… a price to pay
Ephesians 3:7-13 – I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
The Hound Dog Blog 