Psalm for March 12, 2012

  
A Psalm for a season of change to the God who never changes.

I praise Your Name to the Heavens.

You are my Rock and Strength.

Your adopted family will reign forever,

Your counsel never fails.

Guard the backdoor of my heart,

and let none enter it without Your blessing.

Search my soul and cleanse it.

May I stand before You with clean hands.

Your silence is strength.

Your guidance is sure.

When my feet fail to find firm ground,

Your light keeps me from stumbling.

 Though men forget Your Name,

You don't ever forget Your own.

Even the faithful fail one another.

When they seek You, both are reconciled.

Your silence strengthens the hearts 

of those who believe Your written Word.

Your Love is not silent; it shines in all who believe You.

It serves, conquers jealousy, restores honor.

Your peace confounds men;

It burns slowly, waters constantly blessing all who know it.

We praise and thank You for your unending love

that saves us from eternal loss.

Pause.

It is by Your Grace Alone

We can say that we know You Are God.

Just Say "Thank You"

Ever wonder what to say when complimented, even for something that you didn't have a hand in?

"Thank you."

No commentary. No explanation.

Did you hear the one about the salesman that did a great job selling his product and then talked so much after the sale that he had to take the product back?

"Thank you" contains everything you want to say but don't have the words to say.

When we explain, it's like apologizing for having received the gift of a compliment, unless we're crediting another person for the compliment we have just received.

Proverbs 10:19 says it all, "When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is prudent."

Enough said :-)

This post is dedicated to my husband who says a lot with the few words he uses. Love you hon!

I Have Finally Joined the World of Texting!

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...I used to be up on the latest and greatest in technology.

Then one day I woke up and it seemed like technology was running me.

So I decided to simplify, examine what I needed in the way of staying in constant contact with others and what needed to be scrapped.

The illusion about social media that I have had to confront for myself is to think people want to hear my thoughts or see my life piped in like cable TV, and in turn when I see theirs, maybe the world will become a better place. But I am always amazed that if I want more of anything of value, I must always be satisfied with curbing my wants. "Me" on the big screen is tiring. Don't get me wrong. I am grateful for my life, I just don't have the inclination to use social media if all I want to do is send email or text.

What good is sharing what we don't need to share, knowing something we don't need to know and then feeling unempowered to do what we really need to do?

For today and for my own reasons, I have said no to social media and yes to texting.

I have this phone...


And it does this...
 
I love it!

Yes, I know I am at least seven years behind the learning curve. This is not a pitch for you to be like me, it's my story about why I downsized the information I take in, and ironically, I think I'm in better physical shape too :-) But feel free to downsize if you know you need to, it will do you good!

Now for the benefits I have gained from my choice:

• Texting correct English, with the rare abbreviation, has taught me to be more concise in speech.
• Words say enough. Pictures can overwhelm unless it's a special occasion.
• It's usually real time, unless there is a provider glitch, so I can respond in kind.

I think of the children's song, "Oh be careful little eyes what you see...little mouth what you say...little ears what you hear...For the Father up above, is looking down in tender love, so be careful little [body member what you do.]" This song reminds me of God's great love and His desire to guide my life in small and great things. But if it doesn't work, do away with it.

The verse that pops out to keep me from wanting to keep up with others is James 3:16. "For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice." Ouch! I don't want those repercussions.

Modesty Matters

Modesty still Matters. Modesty sees no gender. Our minister recently told us that the men in our congregation pray for modesty in speech and action each Sunday morning before they lead worship. Modesty was well understood by our parent's generation but the term today is akin to an alien life form. As for dress, I believe apparel is a symptom of a greater misunderstanding of modesty, which will be my primary focus. I believe that modesty is a universal law, blessing those at any age, at any income level and in any culture when submitting to modesty.


Modesty defined. The first definition for Modesty by Merriam-Webster is "freedom from conceit or vanity." The second is "propriety in dress, speech, or conduct." Breaking it down, modesty seems to be composed of five main components: 1-Meekness [opposite of conceit], 2-Humility [opposite of vanity], 3-Proper dress, 4-Proper speech and 5-Proper conduct. Apparel is only one part of modesty's multi-facted gem.

 

Mom's Age of Modesty. I love this picture of my mother. As a child I remember how statuesque and confident she was. Her outside matched--and still matches--her inside. Mother is kind and compassionate serving others in the name of Christ and doing so quietly, and with tact and humor. She was and still is a good listener. She makes every effort to speak only when she has fully understood something. She doesn't interrupt and neither is she showy. She is a kind-hearted, relatable woman whom other women seek to know and go to for advice. They see her as strong and reliable. Mother's modest demeanor has always attracted others and has been a wonderful gift for me to watch and imitate.



Modesty starts in our Minds and Mouths. I would suggest that one of the reasons we wear what we do and behave the way we do is because of what we think and talk about. When we think in a Godly way and use our talk to bless, encourage and find Godly value in others, I truly believe that God will bless us. Proverbs 18:21 says that "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." If our speech is good, then the fruit will be good. If bitter, it will turn our stomachs. Our outside is a reflection of what's in our heart and in our speech; even if our apparel is right, what's on our minds usually shows up on our face.

Redeeming Modesty. Basically, what we think and what we say inspire us to act, which in turn reinforce what we think and say. Modesty is a life cycle. If good, it perpetuates good. If bad, it will continue so unless one stops the cycle. Can one stop a bad cycle and become modest? Yes. Can anyone guarantee us a modest mind and mouth through their advice so that our talk and expressions be flawless? No. Even Christ cannot mechanically make us modest. But He can help us mature in modesty when we do what He says through the study of God's Word. Christ will help us at any point in the cycle so that we can become a beautiful person of modesty. We learn in baby steps. Baby steps lead to big steps (Luke 19:17). The perfect One, God is there to guide us through the process when we seek His wisdom through His Word, and are open to the practical wisdom that flows from Him. I believe that our actions, facial expressions and dress eventually follow.

Mom, this post is dedicated to you! I love you very much :-)

P.S. Let me hand it to you parents who teach your children modesty in dress. Keep it up. They won't know otherwise. I hope this piece is a hand-in-glove with your hard work in teaching them God's grace in dress, speech and thought.

The Bible Series: Fact, Artistic Licence and the Joy of Learning

John and I really enjoyed the first episode of the History Channel's series called The Bible. In the spirit of the Bereans who examined the Scriptures daily to see what was true (Acts 17:10-11), I decided to verify what was fact, what was artistic license and in the process ingrain more Biblical literacy into my soul.

A personal note on artistic license; I don't take offense to it as long as the main theme is not violated. For the sake of time or possibly money or resources, sometimes artistic license is used to get to the theme quicker as rolling out every detail visually might take too long and lose the viewer. This series also doesn't proclaim to be Biblically detailed, but is an adaptation, that is, it is the film maker's take on a story; it is adapted to the audience. So for Biblical accuracy and literacy, we can all do our homework and become more Biblically literate where we have questions. Our interpretations may fail, but the Bible's do not.

I am so grateful that this series has been made and any comment I make is an addition and clarification, not as a judge, for I take the caution of Jesus seriously that I am to use right judgments (John 7:24), and the measure of judgment I use will be used on me (Matthew 7:2). I am also cautioned in the book of James in his book that mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13). That being said, here's what I learned after doing my homework.

These are my observations only and as a non-scholar, I hope they help you see that you too can learn directly from Scripture without the blessing of those whom you value to know more about the Bible. These historians and scholars are human also; while they deserve the respect and consideration at times for their study, neither are they ultimate authorities on the Bible as a whole. The Bible is its own authority; the more we know it, the more we learn. And the more we learn, the more we learn what we don't know and so the cycle keeps us students of the Word of God.

1. Noah's retelling of the Creation Story: Artistic License/Possibility. Two-minute link in the words of the film makers: Mark Burnett & Roma Downey on opening scene with Noah. The Creation story is historically attributed to Moses whom many scholars believe wrote Genesis. My take: I loved this interpretation where father Noah reminds his family who God is, who they are and why they are doing what they are doing.

2. The Biblical text's first addressing of Abraham and Sarah as "Abraham" and "Sarah": Artistic License/Fiction. When God first called Abraham, he was called Abram and his wife was called Sarai (Genesis 11:29). Their names were changed in Genesis chapter 17, verse 5 and verse 15.

3. Sarah still attractive at age 90: Fact. In Genesis 17:17, Sarah laughs when she finds out she is to be pregnant at age 90. A few chapters later in Genesis 20:2, Abraham asks Sarah to lie to King Abimelech of Gerar about being his wife. She was attractive enough for the king to have taken her into his collection of women/wives (Genesis 20:3). Abraham had done this one other time in Genesis 12:10-20 with and Egyptian Pharoah.

4. The Three Visitors to Abraham travel on to Sodom and Gomorrah and Abraham goes with them: Fact. The three visitors (Genesis 18:2) to Abraham and Sarah journey on to Sodom and Gomorrah with Abraham (Genesis 18:16). Abraham stays back speaking with the Lord in Genesis 18:22, while the others go towards the city. From the three visitors to Abraham and Sarah we see that there were two angels who entered the city of Sodom and Gomorrah while Abraham was speaking to the Lord (Genesis 19:1).

5. FYI-Theophanies: Many Scholars believe that Christ Himself appeared in the Old Testament many times. I have no reason to doubt this, and it lends credence to the fact that without the Old Testament, the New Testament does not make sense. God started History and He will continue it because He is the author of it, though for a while evil exists.

6. The two angels strike the men outside Lot's doorway blind: Fact. Genesis 19:11.

7. The two angels kill the people of the city as Lot's family flees: Artistic License/Unclear. There is no account of this in the story found in Genesis 19:1-29.

8. Lot's family's escape was the same night the visitor's came: Artistic license/Fiction. The Biblical text says that the escape was the next morning (Genesis 19:15).

9. Moses was 80 and Aaron was 83 when they spoke to Pharoah asking him to let God's people go: Fact. Exodus 7:7.My take: They looked to be around 60 years old to me, but I am going with the notion that because people lived longer back then, that they looked younger longer.

10. God led the people of Israel out of Egypt with a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night: No Mention of this Fact. Exodus 13:21.

11. Moses parted the waters within minutes or possibly a few hours, though it was hard to tell from the film: Artistic License. It took Moses all night to part the Red Sea according to Exodus 14:21.

12. Moses and the people crossed the Red Sea in mud: Artistic License/Fiction. In this case, the Biblical text is clear that the people crossed on dry land in Exodus 14:22, then it is repeated again in Exodus 14: 29.

13. The waters were a wall of water on the left and right of the people: Fact. Exodus 14:22 & 29.

14. Pharoah didn't die with his army in the Red Sea: Unclear. The Biblical text accounts for the fact that all of Pharoah's men died, but there is no clear mention of him perishing in the story found in Exodus 14:21-29. My take: I will admit that my first instinct was that I thought that Pharoah died as well when the Red Sea closed up. In looking up the text, I understand the story better.

15. There were two men who scouted Jericho, not twelve: Fact. My take: My first thought in this scene was that there were twelve who went in. Again, doing my homework I was reminded that twelve men spied the land when Moses commanded one man from each of the twelve tribes scout the promised land before they were to enter. This story is found in Numbers 13:1-15. Joshua sent two men, which is found in Joshua 2:1.

I am sure there is a lot I missed, but what I got was immeasurable! How wonderful it is to have the Biblical text available for verification, edification for us who seek to follow Christ and that we may share it with others joyfully! May God always bless the reading and teaching of His Word, and may we do it humbly and with right judgment, always using His gifts according to I Corinthians 13, in Agape love towards all men.

Video: Mandisa's "You Wouldn't Cry for Me Today"

Wow!