HEART CHECK FRIDAYS!

Yesterday, in my daily Bible reading, I was in the book of Deuteronomy. 

 Oh how God's scriptures keep informing IF us we open our hearts as we open His word. 

 In Numbers it finally hit me that a whole generation was unable to see the promised land.  I have intellectually know this for many years: I am a seminary graduate after all!  But in my heart, as God commanded Moses to count the people (hence the name book of "Numbers" in our English translations)  a second time.  God knew that over the 40 years and numerous incidents of disobedience and the sad repercussions who was there and wasn't. 

 BUT for our sake He had the people counted, so we would KNOW.  GOD WILL HAVE HIS WAY!

  So in the book of Deuteronomy God and Moses review the last 40 years with this new generation, who know only the desert, who don't recall Egypt.

  "God, our God, made a covenant with us at Horeb. God didn't just make this covenant with our parents; he made it also with us, with all of us who are alive right now. God spoke to you personally out of the fire on the mountain"  Deuteronomy 5: 2-4 MESSAGE.

Another AHA moment for me - The whole book of Deuteronomy for THIS GENERATION.  RIGHT NOW!  IT IS CRITICAL FOR ME, TODAY!  FORGET THE 'practices' of yesterday.  I am ready start NOW, TODAY!

So as chapter 5 progresses Moses states the commandments of God again, as they were given to Moses and God inscribed on the stone tablets that are in the Ark of Testimony with the congregation.

The verse I want to focus on, struck me as a prayer from God's heart if you will, for our hearts.

 "Oh, that they would always have hearts like this, that they might fear me and obey all my commands! If they did, they and their descendants would prosper forever."  Deuteronomy 5:29 NLT

God's desire is that we would have a heart for HIM, that we WOULD FEAR HIM, and OBEY HIS COMMANDS. 

 I think that on the coming Fridays we are going to do some heart checks.  What does it mean to have a heart FULLY FOR GOD!  TO FEAR GOD and HOW DO WE OBEY HIS COMMANDS - as we journey in a land far from Horeb/Sinai? 

And God wants us to get this - for if we do as the verse states it will result in prosperity for us and our descendants.  But as I read and reread this verse - God knows where we fall short!  But yet this is HIS DESIRE that we try, that we love, that we make room for HIM.

Unfortunately I too, have more questions than answers, BUT I am learning about "practicing my practice" God desires that we try and He helps us as we do!

I am closing today's musing with the devotional written to go with the beautiful collage you are enjoying with the blog today.  Both art above and thoughts below are from Gillian Ross from Grace Chapel in Lexington Massachusetts.

An Undivided Heart
Whatever our lives look like from the outside, God looks on our hearts. Herein is determined our purity - or lack of it! So the 'heart' (in the painting) represents our hearts - our mind, will, emotions - the very 'fabric' of our lives, in all its multi-layered, multi-textured compartments. It is this heart that God longs to make pure, clean, undivided. This happens first through the 'washing by the blood' of Christ, signified here by the deep red, washing through every area of life, and continues throughout our lives as Christians as we are sanctified.  As we allow God into each area of our lives, the compartments become less distinct, and our hearts become more unified. The gold signifies the purification process, which is God's work… impurities are purged through the Refiner's fire.  As our hearts are transformed like this we can draw closer to Him: One day we will see Him as he is, and we do see Him now at work in our lives. The natural result of 'seeing God' is to worship Him - hence the figure in white in a posture of praise to God.
 
"Teach me your ways O Lord,
And I will walk in your path.
Give me an undivided heart,
And I will fear your name.
I will praise you,
O Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever."
Psalm 86:11-12

Gillian Ross from Grace Chapel in Lexington Mass 10-26-07

Let THOSE VERSES BE OUR PRAYER as we learn and practice our heart songs of praise to HIM on the Hike 'O Life....amen

Practice what you preach - huh!?

 

Yep, if you are following this, you might notice that I am REALLY SLOW to get this posted today.  My practice is showing, eh?   For whatever struggles I am walking in today, I am determined that God is showing me some hard things by the daily discipline of writing these notes.

 

As I look at all the different dictionary definitions of practice, I just keep thinking of athletes (specifially baseball players, must be the weather today) who practice their skills from the very littlest T-ball players to the professional baseball players who still begin with a few months of preseason training and PRACTICE before the games that really count begin!

 

Their outcomes (practices, how they do) is based on their preparation (training practices, what they do).

 

But God is not looking for the same outcomes that we are, we tend to to look at outward victories (wins on a teams record or personal statistics) and He is looking at the effort we put into learning and applying (our hearts and our lives lived for Him in the process)

 

I want to share another verse with you from the beattitudes,

 

 

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst  for righteousness,  for they shall be satisfied"  Matthew 5:6 (NIV)

 

 

You see as Jesus spoke about our desire to PRACTICE righteousness, what does he say we have to do to achieve satisfaction?  Do we have to accomplish it?  NO! We simply are blessed for hungering and thirsting for it! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we hunger and thirst for something we try to taste it, perhaps we don't get it all right, but we are TRYING!

 

I have just one question for you today as you go out to practice what you want to practice - in other's words do what we day we want to do.....

 

Who gets more enjoyment of of playing baseball;a first year T-Ball player or a retired Major League player? 

 

This obviously could be a loaded question.  I tend to think that the satisifaction of the pure joy of the game continues for a lifetime.  I got to take my nephew to his traveling league workout the other week. I usually only see him at games with a serious "game on" look and watch him (usually) with the precision of a surgeon as he positions his glove or bat and gets the job done. 

 

 Waching him field and hit that night, I saw the delight of someone who loves to play and wants to keep trying, all while knowing how hard it is to get better and better. 

 

My nephew is not settling for a easy game, he keeps practicing and learning and when I commenting to him about what I saw that evening He smiled and just said, "yep, I had a great time!"

 

 

This throws the legalistic works bandwagon out the window.  But the key to our satisfaction is our humility of heart as we practice our practice.

 

God just wants us to want him!  That is what He want us to practice and practice and practice - wanting more of Him! 

 

None of us will ever be able to fully acomplish this on earth, but yet as Paul wrote we learn to "be content" in all kinds of situations as we simply practice wanting to love and obey Him. 

 

So friends - as you go out this day - may be you blessed as you practice and practice and practice and May God see the your practice of LOVE on this 'hike o life" 

By practicing your practice: HE WILL PERFECT YOU!

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.  Philippians 4:9

Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.  Romans 12:13

As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. Luke 6:47

Yesterday I kept hearing the word practice.  My friends blog had the verse from Luke 6:47 cited.  I was using some of my allotted television time to watch the NCAA "play in" and heard the commentators mention the practice habits of the teams and I just pondered these things.

I am going to ask you to ponder a bit your practices today and tomorrow - OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH yes,  a cliff hanger!  More on the greek and perhaps more on how God wants us to understand!

Are you willing to practice your faith today? 

Will one be able to see love by your practices?

Or will someone watch you and see as Jesus said in the verse below?

But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” Luke 6:49

They Key is GOD KNOWS YOUR HEARTS and even if as you practice (try do it better) God is working on your heart and HE WILL SEE you practicing (putting into action your FAITH!"

LORD LET US BE KNOW BY THE PRACTICE OF YOUR LOVE TODAY!  AMEN! 

more to come!

Be BLESSED as you PRACTICE YOUR PRACTICES TODAY!

Tuesdays, Rain & Soup

"Better a small serving of vegetables with love
   than a fattened calf with hatred."  Proverbs 15:17 NIV

So we have made it this far in our journey.  I will be honest, I am having a difficult day!  I had planned on posting the recipe and kinda have a plan for these blogs, but I couldn't get on line this am!  I could run a quick list of complaints, but let me just state, that things don't seem to be going my way today!

However, I know GOD and I know that things are going to go HIS WAY in HIS TIME!  As we all get ongoing news of death, destruction and worries from the Japanese earthquake, we need to claim this.     As we all attempt to get our spiritual pulse on this journey we are on and we fall short, we need to claim this.  God is present and we can only pray for the transformed lives eternally that are not being reported on the evening news in Japan.  And we need to keep trusting and obeying even if we are not seeming to have things come out as we have planned. 

We can look to the master storyline of the Bible and see this.  GOD WILL HAVE HIS WAY.  From the beginning of Genesis to the eternal GLORY that only begins in REVELATION 21 and 22.  His way will correct us, rebuke us, teach us and guide us.

And in this MOMENT I JUST STOP AND PRAY - "THANK YOU LORD BECAUSE YOU ARE ABOVE ALL AND WILL BRING YOUR LOVE AND WILL TO PASS FOR ALL WHO LOVE YOU..."

 The proverb before the veggie proverb states,

 "Better a little with the fear of the LORD
   than great wealth with turmoil "  Proverbs 15:16 NIV

This journey, whether our days go as we planned or not, is about lining up to God and allowing HIS WILL and HIS WAY to transform us!

on to the soup!

Tomorrow evening in Dushore PA, several churches will gather to begin their Lenten tradition of meeting as a ecuminical community.  The Catholic, Lutheran, Methodists and my former parish of calling will gather for soup at 6 and service at 7 each Wednesday between now and Palm Sunday.  There is something so wonderfully comforting about coming out and gathering for a light meal with friends and worshiping and learning together about life, our shared experiences and meeting each other on the common ground of Jesus. 

We didn't teach doctrine in those messages, we shared LOVE.  We together acknowledged our suffering but paused more importantly in the Holy reverence of the great suffering of the son of God for our sake.

This soup recipe is one my mom discovered since I have been home and we have enjoyed it several times.  It makes me think of our Lenten Soup and Service nights in SULCO, because as each church took turns to fix a variety of soups and each pastor and choir took turns bringing special music and message, we were always looking for new things to share.  This soup is truly a vegetarian fare, honoring those who are abstaining from meat is you a vegetable broth. 

This recipe is meatless, but DELICIOUS! 

So try it and you will go back for more - because it is so GOOD!

Bean and Pasta Soup from Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked small pasta
• 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups water
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Hunt’s® Original Diced Tomatoes, undrained
• 1-1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 can (15 ounces) white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups shredded fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick saucepan, saute the celery, carrots, onion and garlic in oil for 5 minutes. Stir in the water, tomatoes, broth, basil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until carrots are tender.
• Drain pasta; stir into vegetable mixture. Add the beans; heat through. Stir in spinach; cook until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired. Yield: 5 servings.

A PRAYER FOR A RAINY TUESDAY IN LENT,

Lord we call out, because at times this seems so hard, but we thank you for reminding us that Your Way is best.  Shape us and mold us and bless us as we seek You and your way.  Bring You Kingdom purposes and Glory, even admidst the earthly sufferings in Japan at this hour.  Make us ready for you ways in this season.  Give us willing and thankful hearts as we learn in the greatest lessons of Your Love as we journey closer to you.  AMEN!

So on for Forty - why forty?

"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry."   Luke 4:1-2

Forty

There are so many times when we see the number forty in scriptures.

The great flood had rain for 40 days and nights.

Both Isaac and Esau were forty when they married.

Moses was called up to the Lord on Sinai for 40 days.

The Isrealites were in the desert for 40 years.

The spies were sent into Canaan for 40 days.

Both David and Solomon ruled over all Isreal for 40 years.

Elijah traveled for 40 days and nights to have respite with God at Horeb.

Jesus in the passage above - was 40 days in the desert - being tempted after he was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus after the resurrection spent 40 days teaching the disciples before His ascension.

Paul noted that as a prisoner, he recieved 40 lashes.

And that is only scratching the surface, there are many more instances.  Check it out!

WHY FORTY?!

Many scholars far greater than I have argued whether the "forty" in scriptures are literal or symbolic and I am not going to enter that discussion.  In my simple theology, it doesn't matter. 

As I read the scriptures and keep seeing the forty's pop up.....

Forty is a season.

A significant season.

A season God wants us to notice.

Forty is a long time, but not forever.

Forty seems like a long time to suffer, but really it will be over before you realize.

Forty is a great amount of time to have to immerse in something you enjoy, but it really isn't long enough.  Can you imagine the disciples getting to hang out with Jesus after they thought it was over...but then He had to go again....they still didn't understand and how could they of - WOULD YOU HAVE? 

So as we head into this journey of 40 days (forty six counting the Sunday's)

It's doable.

And even if you struggle,

Well, you are supposed to struggle

and if you fall off, you get up, shake it off and start again!

 I really haven't even come close to wanting to overdo the television limits.  I am prefering to work on this other lenten discipline or read. 

How bout you?

And if you have given up chocolate, those huge Easter bunnies that you can bit the heads off, will be here before you know it.  How sweet they will taste after you have abstained from them for just forty.

Forty - is a good number - hang on to it!

On a side note - I was very blessed at the megachurch I attented yesterday by worship and message
and of great interest to me -

An  invatation to fast and pray for 40 days.  They are not beginning their discipline until March 15 so are counting the Sundays in their journey

 They are not calling it "LENT" - but so graciously invited all to reconnect and recommit to corporately and individually draw nearer to God, to see and know Him more clearly as Easter draws near.

And that my friend is what it is all about - an invitation to walk with HIM more closely!

These are forty's worth noting!

PRAYING ALL IS WELL WITH YOU AS YOU JOURNEY CLOSER TO CHRIST FOR THIS SEASON OF FORTY!

Songs of the Season - BE THOU MY VISION

This is what the LORD says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the LORD
Jeremiah 9:23-24 NIV

Just wanted you all to know that many who practice lenten disciplines do not have their fasts on Sundays. The reason for this is that every Sunday when Christians worship is considered a celebration of the resurrection and therefore a feast day and no fasting or sorrow is allowed!

That leads me to kinda silly ancedote, that I feel the need to confess. I had felt led to give up coffee and coffee drinks my last lent while I was in seminary, and so I did. What made that a very difficult discipline was that I volunteered weekly at New Grounds Cafe, a Christian coffeehouse in our community.

It really was a hardship. One week when I thought I would have to give in, my one friend reminded me that I could have coffee on Sundays. Well to make a long story short, I didn't volunteer Sundays at that time, but did on Saturdays until midnight. So one midnight as we closed, I settled on a cup of decaf! This really was not a joyous cup of joe, I mean really, who wants to really drink coffee and then go to bed!

AWE - legalism and loopholes. Pray through your journey and practice whatever it is and GOD WILL DIRECT YOU.


On Sunday's I am going to look at some music that might be sung during lent. If you didn't already I would encourage you to look at the great YouTube rendition above.

While this song wasn't on the list offered to me by my organist friends, I think it still feels like the season and I wanted to give you a little background on hymn that is usually the OLDEST in every hymnal.(The two hymnals I own cite it at 8th Century A.D.)

ABOUT BE THOU MY VISION

With its heartfelt poetry and moving melody, "Be Thou My Vision" beautifully expresses the desires of the Christian heart. Though its popularity rose only in the past fifty years or so, the hymn actually has a rich history dating back to the eighth century.

This classic hymn is attributed to an Irish folk song, Slane, which is about Slane Hill where in A.D. 433 St. Patrick defied the pagan High King Lóegaire of Tara by lighting candles on Easter Eve.

Between the years of 400 and 700 AD the Irish people lived out a passionate faith in Christ. Ireland took up the missionary endeavor with excitement, and the country became known for its all-absorbing efforts to share Christianity throughout the world. Irish missionaries were found from Scotland to Switzerland, spreading the Good News wherever they went.

Some scholars believe that the words to the hymn are the product of a man known simply as St. Patrick. Patrick was born in A.D. 373 along the banks of the River Clyde in what is now called Scotland. When he was 16 he was kidnapped by pirates and taken as a slave to Ireland. There he gave his life to Jesus Christ.

He eventually escaped, but he never forgot this experience and when he was about 30 he returned to his former captors with only one possession: the Latin Bible. History tells us that St. Patrick was the man most responsible for the Good News of Christ coming to Ireland. As a result of his preaching, over 200 churches were established and 100,000 converts were baptized.

"Be Thou My Vision" undoubtedly comes from this spiritually rich period. Its prominent theme encourages single-hearted focus and devotion to Christ. In the hymn lyrics, the poet expresses his adoration of God through the many titles he gives him: Vision, Wisdom, Word, Great Father, Power, Inheritance, High King of heaven, Treasure, bright heaven's Sun, Ruler of all.

Today, we continue to sing the words of this hymn, echoing the poet's response to God's many titles. "Thou my best thought, Thy presence my light."

The eighth-century prayer was composed in Old Irish:

Rob tu mo bhoile,
a Comdi cride.
Ni ni nech aile,
acht ri secht nime …

Only in this century did this text find its English translation. Mary Byrne rendered it into literal English prose in 1905:


BE THOU MY VISION
(The YouTube only uses verses 1,2 & 5. Please take a look at the lyrics of verses 3 & 4 as well.)

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
naught be all else to me, save that thou art;
Thou my best thought by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, thou my true word,
I ever with thee and thou with me Lord;
Thou my great Father, I thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

Be thou my battle shield, sword for the fight;
Be thou my dignity, thou my delight;
Thou my soul's shelter, thou my high tower:
Raise thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise:
Thou mine inheritance now and always;
Thou and thou only first in my heart;
High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys, O Bright Heaven's sun!;
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

This hymn reminds me that I am not on this journey alone. In fact it makes it clear to me that I am being guided by HIS LIGHT AND HIS LOVE. Day or night, rich or poor, in battle or at peace HE IS MY TREASURE and how joy comes down.

I also like this hymn becauce of St. Patrick's Day (sic)coming up this week and if you are in IRELAND you will hear this song. Those who know the truth of St. Patrick do not drink green beer and have crazy parades and shenanigans!

They praise GOD for His FAITHFULNESS in even the hardest circumstances as was seen in the life of a converted slave named Patrick who returned to the land that enslaved him to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ! AND AMEN!


Enjoy your day all! I am back on the hike O' life to resurrection day....

because its ALL HIS anyway

Praise the LORD.
   Praise the LORD, my soul.

 I will praise the LORD all my life;
   I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 
 Do not put your trust in princes,
   in human beings, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
   on that very day their plans come to nothing. 
 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
   whose hope is in the LORD their God.

 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
   the sea, and everything in them—
   he remains faithful forever. 
 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
   and gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free,
 
 the LORD gives sight to the blind,
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,
   the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the foreigner
   and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
   but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
 
The LORD reigns forever,
   your God, O Zion, for all generations.
   Praise the LORD.    Psalm 146 NIV (emphasis from blogger)

My thoughts so far on this journey!

How is it going for you?  Three days in, and not really tempted to much yet and sensing God's presence each step along the way.

I don't think I ever shared what my Lenten Practice was going to be this year yet, so here I confess to you. Of course that just increases my accountability.

I am doing one strengthening practice by adding this blog and one fasting practice by limiting my television to less than 2 hours each day.  Since I live with my parents who are very tuned in with news, weather and some fun programs, I have chosen to have a few hours to connect with them as we share in what is on the old tube.  (And so while I can't be full blown march madness - I will get a few lunatic moments!)

As I contemplate each day, so far I really think that limiting is better than outright avoidance.  In this world God has given us many good things and if we don't use them we are not honoring God.  I often speak about this in measures of dietary practice.

Please enjoy the writing of Devin Brown from a Christianity Today Article on "Lent in Narnia...

C.S. Lewis makes this point in "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe"  as Edmund and Lucy so
Poignantly learn.  Early in the story, the White Witch creates a box filled with "several pounds" of Turkish Delight which Edmund greedily devours. Donald Glover has called Lewis's specific choice of Turkish Delight a master stroke, one made with clear intention. What would have been lost if the Witch had tempted Edmund with, for example, oatmeal and raisin cookies?

Turkish Delight is "a highly overrated sweet," and Narnia fans who have gone in search of the candy may agree, wondering how Edmund could have fallen prey to the overly sugared confection. Surely the name promises more than the candy delivers, and this, perhaps, is Lewis's point. Furthermore, it is not just Delight but Turkish Delight, a title containing, as Glover has observed, "Oriental and romantic overtones," further promises left unfulfilled by the sticky goo.

The Witch's magic candy is a sickly imitation of the wholesome food the children are served at the Beavers' house. There they eat boiled potatoes with "a great big lump of deep yellow butter" from which everyone can take "as much as he wanted." The main course is "good freshwater fish" followed by "a great and gloriously sticky marmalade roll" fresh from the oven and steaming hot. Afterwards, they each have a big cup of tea, push back their stools, and let out "a long sigh of contentment."

Lewis's point with the Turkish Delight, is not that enjoying sweets is bad; in fact, his position is quite the contrary. Enjoyment of life's pleasures in all their variety and plenitude will be an essential quality of proper Narnian life. This was seen earlier in the tea that Mr. Tumnus provided for Lucy which included "a nice brown egg, lightly boiled, for each of them, and then sardines on toast, and then buttered toast, and then toast with honey, and then a sugar-topped cake." Meilaender points out that in both his fiction and non-fiction, Lewis suggests over and over that "to be fully human involves a certain stance toward the things of creation," one of deep enjoyment but not slavish adoration.

"A properly Christian view of things requires more than a right relationship to the things of heaven," Jonathan Rogers writes.

"It requires a right relationship to the things of earth too." Rogers concludes that "by allowing the reader to watch the creation of another world, C. S. Lewis evokes an appropriate awe and delight in the things of this world."

...back to Darcy

And so I pray for each us a proper reordering as whatever practices we have taken up, denied or limited are helping us to more clearly see the world about us from a HEAVENLY PERSPECTIVE. 

I am most curious about others practices so please comment on the blog/email/facebook what you been led to do and each Saturday I will comment and seek comment on the balance, struggles and God moments within this journey.

I am also seeking some recipes to share that can be considered Lenten worthy (no meat, desserts, or rich in fat) SO PLUG IN WITH ME FOR THE JOURNEY.

And realize that God in working in you and through you and all around you,

OUR PRAYER OH LORD IS THAT WE SEE AND KNOW YOUR PRESENCE IN OUR LIVES.   Have a great day everyone!