verseoftheday

The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,  But the perverse tongue will be cut out. Proverbs 10:31 NKJV When we look for Jesus in this Proverb, he's right there - the one who is wisdom, the righteous one who's words speak life and light into this world, who's word created and sustains our reality! And the promise is that when he returns all that is "tahpukah", perverse, twisted, will be straightened. Somehow, all that is wrong will be made right. There will be justice. And Love will be in charge.  So go and vote today, knowing that our hope is in someone way bigger. #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #itsaheartthing #weareBeloved 

Friday! Proverbs! The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,  But the perverse tongue will be cut out. Proverbs 10:31 NKJV Yikes! No indication if who does the cutting or when but the second part of this Proverb is quite a grumpy! When we dig a little deeper we find that the word for "cut out" is "karath" and is also used as part of the covenant promises when a sacrifice is cut in half. Perhaps there's something covenantal going on here. The word "perverse" is "tahpukah" which means  "the twisting or overturning of what is straight". This isn't about swearing or using the odd "bad" word, this is a heart thing. I twist or overturn something except to get some benefit for me.  So I find both parts of this Proverb operate in me and thru me at times.  Wisdom and deceit. Yikes! The invitation of Proverbs is to see our own heart and what direction we are heading in... One day, that deceitful part, that part that deceive...

[32] Then, by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other.  [33] And now may God, who gives us his peace, be with you all.  Amen. Romans 15:32-33 NLT I thought this was the end of Paul's letter, but not quite...but he ends this part with looking for mutual encouragement- genuine connection with each other, and brings his readers/listeners back to the source of peace, God, "Theos", the owner of all things. May He be our source of peace. In this crazy, messy, beautiful, sad, glorious, good, disheartening, hope filled life, we need an anchor that is bigger than us, something or someone that will hold no matter how big the storm is, who can hold the thoughts we don't share, who can carry our shame, who can redeem our messed up hearts. Someone who when they say that nothing can separate us from His Love has the power and authority to make that real. Our story is safely held, we are safely held in someone...

[30] Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me.  Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit. [31] Pray that I will be rescued from those in Judea who refuse to obey God.  Pray also that the believers there will be willing to accept the donation I am taking to Jerusalem. [32] Then, by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other. Romans 15:30-32 NLT When you think of the Apostle Paul, what characteristics come to mind? Met Jesus, life turned around, theologian, super Christian, evangelist? Here at the very end of his letter to the church in Rome we have vulnerable, human Paul, in need of prayer. And he is specific about his fear.  And shares his hope. Paul's vulnerability invites us to be vulnerable too, to ask for prayer, to let our needs be known (in safe ways to trustworthy people). What would you...

But before I come, I must go to Jerusalem to take a gift to the believers there.  For you see, the believers in Macedonia and Achaia have eagerly taken up an offering for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem. They were glad to do this because they feel they owe a real debt to them. Since the Gentiles received the spiritual blessings of the Good News from the believers in Jerusalem, they feel the least they can do in return is to help them financially.  As soon as I have delivered this money and completed this good deed of theirs, I will come to see you on my way to Spain.  Romans 15:25-28 NLT Right from the earliest days of the New Testament Church seeing the poor, seeing their need, stepping towards that need and giving has been part of the church story. Whether it is our time, resources, gifting, skills, money, giving to a need is an invitation that is always open to us. Paul shares their motivation to give - it's not compelled, they wanted to. They also banded tog...

My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else.  I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says, "Those who have never been told about him will see, and those who have never heard of him will understand." In fact, my visit to you has been delayed so long because I have been preaching in these places. Romans 15:20-22 NLT Paul is crystal clear about his call, his mission. A little further on he places an expectation on the audience of this letter, the church in Rome, to fund this mission. What about me? If I don't have this big crystal clear mission, does that make me some kind of second rate Christian? We aren't all Paul. We can't be. Paul needed the ordinary, everyday Christians, and never said "be like me". His call was to love. To really love. To take risks in loving others, in looking for ways to accept rat...

Sunday Psalms; Wake up,  O Lord!  Why do you sleep?  Get up!  Do not reject us forever. Why do you look the other way?  Why do you ignore our suffering and oppression? We collapse in the dust, lying face down in the dirt. Psalms 44:23-25 NLT If you've been in distress, lost, alone, wondering what God is up to, wondering if He even is there, then this psalm from the descendents of Korah (who's whole community perished - see Numbers 16) may express some of what you are experiencing. The sons of Korah did not join the rebellion & this Psalm is where they're at this point in their lives; Questioning God. They feel tossed aside, dishonored: [9] But now you have tossed us aside in dishonor. You no longer lead our armies to battle. Psalms 44:9 NLT They don't believe they are to blame at all: [18] Our hearts have not deserted you. We have not strayed from your path. Psalms 44:18 NLT And yet, at this moment, here they are. Questioning. Hurting. And the redemptive str...