verseoftheday

Mark 5:26-27 CEB She had suffered a lot under the care of many doctors, and had spent everything she had without getting any better.  In fact, she had gotten worse. Because she had heard about Jesus,  she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothes.  Mark 5:26-27 CEB "Because she had heard about Jesus..." For her to hear about Jesus someone had to tell her.  I wonder who that was?  One of the doctors she tried? A family member? A friend? There's someone else behind this story who told her about Jesus. In your story, in my story there's someone who told us about Jesus.  I wonder in behind someone who I know,  when they say "because I heard about Jesus" will be my name somewhere? #gospelofMark #GoodNews  #invitation 

Psalms 142:3-4, 6-7a CEB When my spirit is weak inside me,  you still know my way. But they've hidden a trap for me in the path I'm taking. Look right beside me: See?  No one pays attention to me.  There's no escape for me.  No one cares about my life.   Pay close attention to my shouting,  because I've been brought down so low! Deliver me from my oppressors because they're stronger than me. Get me out of this prison... Psalms 142:3-4, 6-7a CEB David shares his heart with us - I doubt he would've imagined people reading his words, hearing his heart several thousand years later...but here we are - he says he is; Weak. Trapped Unheard  Sad Powerless If that has ever been, or currently is your experience, then you have an ally in David.  He knows. And he's making a ruckus about it, about injustice, about what's not right. It's easy to misinterpret the ruckus, the noise people make about injustice, when they feel weak, trapped, voiceless, sad or ...

Sunday Psalms; A maskil of David when he was in the cave. A prayer. I cry out loud for help from the LORD.  I beg out loud for mercy from the LORD. I pour out my concerns before God;  I announce my distress to him.   Psalms 142:1-2 CEB David's circumstances changed his writing. This prayer starts with David at the centre of everything - because he is living in a cave, hiding. There are times in life when our circumstances overwhelm our ability to manage them, if we could perhaps we'd be hiding out in a cave too. Ever felt like that? The invitation in this prayer of David's is to let God know what's going on.  David wrote this prayer down somewhere, so try  writing your prayers too, keep it real. In his cave, David repeats the "out loud" expression - he wants God to hear him.  This prayer is a gift, because we all want to be heard, to know that we have a voice, and that our voice matters. Even when isolated in this cave, stuck, overwhelmed, David's voic...

Mark 5:25-26 CEV In the crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had gone to many doctors, and they had not done anything except cause her a lot of pain.  She had paid them all the money she had. But instead of getting better, she only got worse. Mark 5:25-26 CEV Broke. Unwell. 12 years. At the end of her resources. Perhaps you know what that is like.  In the crowd, in our community, in our church, there will be those who are broke, unwell, at the end of their resources, and perhaps like this woman, hiding it well. We hide behind "I'm fine", "everything happens for a reason" (see Kate Bowler who's book has this title: Everything happens for a reason, and other lies I have loved). We hide in the crowd, fit in, until we can't any more.  Jarius sounds like a caring Dad too, no doubt tried everything he knew to help his daughter.  And then both these people went to find Jesus.  With Jesus there's never "why didn't you come s...

Friday! Proverbs! Don't let your mouth speak dishonestly,  and don't let your lips talk deviously. Proverbs 4:24 CSB Just don't. If only it was that easy! We have ideas like "white lies" that don't "harm" anyone. We have things that we want, or don't want to happen that makes being deceitful so easy. And then there's shame.  And fear. And comparison. And a culture that more and more appears to be shaped by appearance, by curating what others see, by curating ourselves. If our premise is that Proverbs is not a weapon to beat ourselves or others up with, but an invitation, what is this Proverb inviting us into? Perhaps it's about what is under our words, our heart that needs the look at, the considering, the heart that sprouts the words & the thoughts. Perhaps there's an invitation to look at the influences on our hearts and minds, the people, the places we spend time and invest in, the things, the ideas that we let in. What is this...

Mark 5:25-26 CEV In the crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had gone to many doctors, and they had not done anything except cause her a lot of pain.  She had paid them all the money she had. But instead of getting better, she only got worse. Mark 5:25-26 CEV Do you ever wonder how Mark (or the other Gospel writers) captured people's stories? Did they talk to them afterwards? Did Jesus tell them later? However they found out these 2 stories of Jarius, the keeper of the Temple, and this person who is only known by her limitation, are just two people in the crowd. How many others were there in that crowd with their own stories of grief, loss, disability, illness? When I meet anyone am I meeting a Jarius? Am I meeting a fellow sufferer? When I look at any group of people, at work, where we study, at church, in our sports and recreation activities, people who may have a happy shiny outside, what stories are they holding and carrying? Jarius had position, power,...

Psalms 141:5-10 CEV My prayers condemn the deeds of those who do wrong,  so don't let me be friends with any of them. Everyone will admit that I was right when their rulers are thrown down a rocky cliff, and their bones lie scattered like crushed rocks on top of a grave.  You are my Lord and God,  and I look to you for safety.  Don't let me be harmed. Protect me from the traps of those violent people, and make them fall into their own traps while you help me escape. Psalms 141:5-10 CEV Some of what David writes really makes you worry about him...this protect me from violent people by bringing violence into their lives? I've had some wild thoughts at times, and I guess this is David writing his down, showing us what it's like to be human, especially when we're under pressure, wanting things put right, wanting justice. We get the benefit of being further along in the Big Story than David, knowing what Jesus stood for, that the Kingdom is here, and it's on its way....

Psalms 141:1-5 CEV I pray to you,  Lord!  Please listen when I pray and hurry to help me. Think of my prayer as sweet-smelling incense, and think of my lifted hands as an evening sacrifice. Help me to guard my words whenever I say something. Don't let me want to do evil or waste my time doing wrong with wicked people.  Don't let me even taste the good things they offer. Let your faithful people correct and punish me. My prayers condemn the deeds of those who do wrong, so dont let me be friends with any of them. Psalms 141:1-5 CEV What is David's song about, his sweet smelling prayer to God? To guard his words. To put a guard on the things he says. And then to put a guard on his actions, and then the people he spends time with.  To put a guard on his choices. Ever prayed that prayer? "Lord guard my words, I'm not proud of the things I've said, the things I've done, the influences I've allowed in, welcomed in, change my heart, help me to change my choices...

Sunday Psalms; A psalm of David. I pray to you,  Lord!  Please listen when I pray and hurry to help me. Think of my prayer as sweet-smelling incense, and think of my lifted hands as an evening sacrifice. Psalms 141:1-2 CEV David pictures this prayer, this song, as incense rising to heaven, pictures his posture as something from the temple. How do we, how do I see my prayers? Does it help to imagine them as having an aroma, a shape, a colour, a taste? David is not in the temple, but sees himself there in his imagination, and asks God to see his hands raised as the equivalent.  When I pray, what do I want our God, to see? And then there's the urgency of his prayer, the immediacy of his request - feels bold, the prayer of someone who knows well who he is praying to. He prays to Yahweh, the Eternal, the self-existant, Always, Forever, and is cheeky enough to ask HIM to hurry, to answer, and as he does that, pictures his prayer, his song, his psalm, as sweet-smelling incense, ...

Mark 5:18-19 CEV [18] When Jesus was getting into the boat, the man begged to go with him. [19] But Jesus would not let him. Instead, he said,  "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how good he has been to you." Mark 5:18-19 CEV This man had just been healed by Jesus and wanted to go with him, but Jesus said no. At least part of the reason was that Jesus asked him to be a witness to his own people.  Perhaps there's something in this for us, how does my family, my people, those I live with, interact most with, those who know me best, how am I a witness to them of the goodness of God in my life? Jesus called his disciples who had no desire to change their life to "follow me", but this person who's life was changed, who wanted to go with Jesus he said to "stay here". Stay here and be a witness to what I've done in your life.  It may seem attractive to "follow Jesus" somewhere else, and that might be...

Ephesians 4:1-3 CEB Therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord,  I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you received from God. Conduct yourselves with all humility,  gentleness,  and patience.  Accept each other with love,  and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together.  Ephesians 4:1-3 CEB The last part of this passage is about community. We are in this together.  Paul is writing to a church. We are in this together. Rich, poor, old, young, experiencing success, struggling, buoyant, joyful, weighed down, hurt, all from different places, with stories, experiences that shape us, fears, insecurities, strengths, different culture, language, expectations...we are in this together. Because that is where and how we learn to love. Love lives in all humility, gentleness & patience.  You simply cannot learn those things on your own.  I cannot learn those things on my own. We are in this toget...

Ephesians 4:1-3 CEB Therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord,  I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you received from God. Conduct yourselves with all humility,  gentleness,  and patience.  Accept each other with love,  and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together.  Ephesians 4:1-3 CEB We're up to "accept each other with love"  Some versions of the English Bible use "bear with one another" or something similar. The word here is "anecho" which means  To endure, to bear with, to tolerate, to hold up. It seems to include some concious thought and action towards and for someone else who has a need, and who may, at least in this moment, may not be pleasant (sounds a bit like me someday!). If we read this together with the previous verse about being completely humble, gentle & patient, this verse is the living out of those ideas in relationship with others, in community. This is loving my ...

Psalms 140:9-13 CEB Let the heads of the people surrounding me be covered with the trouble their own lips caused! Let burning coals fall on them!  Let them fall into deep pits and never get out again! Let no slanderer be safe in the land.  Let calamity hunt down violent people - and quickly! I know that the LORD will take up the case of the poor and will do what is right for the needy. Yes,  the righteous will give thanks to your name, and those who do right will live in your presence. Psalms 140:9-13 CEB Justice. David is like us in that we want things made right, and in the last part of his poem, his song he wants things put right.  Interesting that he doesn't stop with just expressing the injustice that he is seeing or experiencing, but looks up, looks up to God's character and His heart for justice.  In a world where we get bombarded with stories of injustice, when we feel powerless at the injustice we or others face, look up, and hold to what and who David ...

Sunday Psalms; For the Music Leader. A psalm of David Rescue me from evil people, LORD!  Guard me from violent people who plot evil things in their hearts, who pick fights every single day! They sharpen their tongues like a snake's; spider poison is on their lips. Selah  Protect me from the power of the wicked, LORD!  Guard me from violent people who plot to trip me up! Arrogant people have laid a trap for me with ropes.  They've spread out a net alongside the road. They've set snares for me.  Selah   Psalms 140:1-5 CEB If you have or are experiencing bullying, being verbally abused, attacked, trapped by someone else in a way or place you don't want to be, then perhaps there's something in David's song that resonates with you.  Perhaps David's cries are your cries.  For those who have been pushed around, pushed down, disregarded, hearing David's voice express his  experience may validate yours. This song is here for a reason, maybe if no...

Ephesians 4:1-3 CEB Therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord,  I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you received from God. Conduct yourselves with all humility,  gentleness,  and patience.  Accept each other with love,  and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together.  Ephesians 4:1-3 CEB If we connect the Everlasting Way from Psalm 139 that David was inviting us into, and we've considered the call made to us, the invitation into God's family, the adoption, then we're invited to walk in this life with 3 attributes, 3 ways of being, 3 ways of living: To conduct ourselves with all - humility - gentleness - patience Wondering where and how this might be tested in me today, how I might live in these 3 things today, and how I might live them out today #truthtorestin  #truthtoliveoutof

Friday! Proverbs! My son,  pay attention to my words.  Bend your ear to my speech. Don't let them slip from your sight.  Guard them in your mind. They are life to those who find them,  and healing for their entire body.   Proverbs 4:20-22 CEB This Proverb is challenging with it's sense of urgency and importance.  I'm not sure that I approach God's word with this life-and-death perspective, or that it might impact my overall health and well-being. Listen well. Guard what you hear. Life is found right here.  Right here. Does it make you want to drop into Proverbs and see what the author gives us next? Letting God's word into the deepest parts of us, allowing it to speak, allowing Him to speak to our deepest needs, and guarding His truth (guarding truth from the distractions of this world, the claims of the world, and sometimes our own internal dialogue - perhaps not guard against that, but allow His Truth to gently nudge and challenge some of our in...

Ephesians 4:1-3 CEB Therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord,  I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you received from God. Conduct yourselves with all humility,  gentleness,  and patience.  Accept each other with love,  and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together.  Ephesians 4:1-3 CEB We've spent a couple of weeks in David's song (Psalms 139) which ends with David's plea to be lead in the Everlasting Way. Perhaps this passage from Ephesians (one of my faves) is helpful in how we walk in that Way. The first thing Paul invites us to do is to slow down, take a breath, and consider just what it is we've been called into. In Ch1 he uses two pictures, adoption and inheritance, and maybe they're connected here. We have been adopted in, chosen, picked, accepted in, not just to any family, but to God's family.  And He has already prepared an inheritance to show that we do belong, even when it's hard ...

Psalms 139:24 CSB "...lead me in the everlasting way." Yahweh, the Eternal, God-in-person-Jesus, Holy Sprirt, lead me in the everlasting way. Lead me even when I don't think I need it. Lead me when it's bright, things are shiny and good. Lead me when it's dark, the storm is coming, the storm is here, when it seems there is nothing but storm. Lead me in the Everlasting Way when life hurts, when life is ebbing away, when life has ended in tragedy. Lead me in the everlasting way in deep sadness. In despair. In fear. Lead me in the Everlasting Way in success, when there is new life, flourishing, growth, abundance - I need the Everlasting Way just as much here.  Lead me in the Everlasting Way when hope is weak, strong, non-existent. Everlasting Way when I'm tired, when I'm bored.  Lead me in the Everlasting Way in the ordinary, the everyday, in the small. Lead me in the Everlasting Way in all things. Amen. #psalms #psalms139 #knownandBeloved  #dangerousprayers 

Psalms 139:1, 23-24 CSB [1] Lord,  you have searched me and known me. ... [23]  Search me,  God,  and know my heart;  test me and know my concerns.  [24] See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way. Psalms 139:1, 23-24 CSB David starts this song with being known, that God has searched his heart, and then ends his song asking God to keep on with this searching.  Knowing and being known is not a "once and done" process. It's an ongoing living thing just as it is between us - the person who I was 10 years ago is not the same person I am today - "searching" would find some things the same, and some quite different.  Perhaps David is wanting to be known by God afresh, in the here and now, perhaps in the searching by God, something good happens in him and to him, a shift, a change in direction... Am I prepared to pray David's prayer today, sing his song today? "Search me,  God,  and know my heart;  test me and ...

Psalms 139:19-24 CSB God,  if only you would kill the wicked - you bloodthirsty men, stay away from me - who invoke you deceitfully. Your enemies swear by you falsely. Lord,  dont I hate those who hate you,  and detest those who rebel against you? I hate them with extreme hatred;  I consider them my enemies. Search me,  God,  and know my heart;  test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way. Psalms 139:19-24 CSB This part of Ps 139 about hating people, putting people in categories against God & against David seems to be the least popular part of this song. It's like this should be part of a different song, not this beautiful picture we have in the first part. Yet it's here.  It seems that David is doing what he asks God to do, examine his heart, test what's there, and he gives us a slice of what is there, he's being honest with himself, and honest with God, and asks God to check him out, ...

Sunday Psalms; God,  how precious your thoughts are to me;  how vast their sum is! If I counted them,  they would outnumber the grains of sand;  when I wake up,  I am still with you. Psalms 139:17-18 CSB This song of David's has taken us on a journey from David's thoughts, his inner world, being known, even to his thoughts.  This song explores the created world in which we live, and the journey back to the time when David's life started, his personal creation story, and how our God is woven in to all the strands of his story. And here David tries to grasp the immenseness of God's mind, his thoughts (same word used in v2 for David's thoughts), and then leaves us with this idea that God is always with him. With. Perhaps even in his dreams somehow. Maybe today we need the reminder of the vastness of our God's mind, of His imagination, or maybe today, it's the reminder that He is With us, chooses to, because we are Beloved. #psalms #psalm139 #Sunday #worship...

The way of the righteous is like morning light that gets brighter and brighter till it is full day. The path of the wicked is like deep darkness; they don't know where they will stumble.   Proverbs 4:18-19 CEB Try overlaying this little passage from Proverbs with Jesus life. The original readers and hearers of Proverbs never got that opportunity, but we do.  Jesus light got brighter and brighter, even though his day-to-day circumstances weren't always pleasant. His days included being exhausted, tired, rejected by family, friends, spiritual battles, emotional battles, lots of walking, abuse, coming up against "the system", and being murdered.  Yet his trajectory was getting brighter and brighter, and he now is the light of heaven. And those who stood against him couldn't see the story that they were in, lost in their quest to hold on to power, wealth, and their own righteousness.  Trajectory  Direction If we realise we're not on the path of light and life i...

Friday! Proverbs! The way of the righteous is like morning light that gets brighter and brighter till it is full day. The path of the wicked is like deep darkness; they don't know where they will stumble.   Proverbs 4:18-19 CEB Trajectory Direction It's almost like neither the "righteous" or the "wicked" can see the trajectory that they're on...maybe that's why we need some outside referenece points to illumimate the dark, or show us what darkness is. We need God's Word to give us some markers...like...love is patient, love is kind...am I heading towards this kind of love or away from it? We need God's truth to speak into the darkness that we can carry with us, that we are seen, chosen, adopted, beloved. Perhaps today's Proverb is inviting us away from something, and towards something better, towards more of the fully aliveness that we were made to be. Trajectory. Direction. It's a heart thing. #proverbs  #wisdom #somethingtochewon #i...

Psalms 139:13-16 CSB For it was you who created my inward parts;  you knit me together in my mother's womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous,  and I know this very well. My bones were not hidden from you when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was formless;  all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began. Psalms 139:13-16 CSB This is not a biology textbook, it's a song, written to express something of David's view of God, of himself, of creation, of his relationship with God. It's a song. One interesting thing I discovered today was that the word "yastar" which means formed like with clay, is the word that is translated here as your days are "planned". The image is of God working clay, forming our days, not some plan made in antiquity, but an active on-going process...maybe something to think about...

Psalms 139:1-12 CSB Lord,  you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up;  you understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest;  you are aware of all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue,  you know all about it, Lord. You have encircled me; you have placed your hand on me. This wondrous knowledge is beyond me.  It is lofty;  I am unable to reach it. Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to heaven,  you are there;  if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I fly on the wings of the dawn and settle down on the western horizon, even there your hand will lead me;  your right hand will hold on to me. If I say,  "Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will be night" - even the darkness is not dark to you.  The night shines like the day; darkness and light are alike to you. Psalms 139:1-12 CSB David's song is n...

Before a word is on my tongue,  you know all about it, Lord. Psalms 139:4 CSB Ouch! If there's a verse to encourage me to be quick to listen and slow to speak, this is it. Yesterday I was quick to make a judgement about something and voiced it out loud, and I was completely wrong. Somehow David sees Yahweh as having access to his thoughts, maybe you agree with him or not, but this is not a weapon to be used to guilt or shame us, but a song that invites us into speaking with care to those around us... What do you think? #psalms #psalms139 #Monday  #Godsgym #lovewins #speaklife

Sunday Psalms; For the choir director.  A psalm of David. Lord,  you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up;  you understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest;  you are aware of all my ways. Psalms 139:1-3 CSB David writes this song about Yahweh being far away, yet close. He sees Yahweh as somehow seeing his choices, what's going on on the outside, from a long way away, but somehow connected and knowing what's going on inside, at the same time. Perhaps this is David's way of making sense of our God who is present in Creation yet is distant, our God who at times whispers into our hearts in the midst of the toughest of times, yet doesn't, or didn't, fix things for us. Perhaps this song is David trying to figure out the Big Story, and how his small story fits in. Perhaps David knows what it is to be fully known, and to be loved, to be Beloved. Songs are written to be sung, repeated, to move us, lift us, s...

Matthew 11:28 CSB "Come to me,  all of you who are weary and burdened,  and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 CSB Weary and burdened.  Is that you today? Name those things that are weighing heavily upon you. Jesus doesn't say "put those things down, sort them out, then come to me", he says in your weariness, with your burdens, come, and I'll give you rest.  We don't have to have all the answers or all the fixes or even know the next step, but take the step towards Jesus. In him we can find some rest. Put things down. What do you need to bring to Him today? Take some time to seek Him, step towards Him. We get to do that because we are Beloved. "Come to me,  all of you who are weary and burdened,  and I will give you rest." ##wordsofJesus #redletterBible #weareBeloved 

Friday! Proverbs! Proverbs 4:13-17 NLT Take hold of my instructions;  don't let them go.  Guard them, for they are the key to life. Don't do as the wicked do, and don't follow the path of evildoers. Don't even think about it; don't go that way.  Turn away and keep moving. For evil people can't sleep until they've done their evil deed for the day. They can't rest until they've caused someone to stumble. They eat the food of wickedness and drink the wine of violence! Proverbs 4:13-17 NLT This passage starts with what to hold on to, and then encourages us to put up the guardrails in our life. Boundaries. Because there's the risk of a small action, a small choice taking our lives in a direction, on a trajectory that we may not have seen or anticipated or chosen. So we are called to wisdom. Called to sometimes stand apart, stand against, take a step on a road less travelled... What is the place where wisdom is asking you to make a shift today, make a ...

Mark 4:39-41 CEB He got up and gave orders to the wind, and he said to the lake, "Silence!  Be still!" The wind settled down and there was a great calm. Jesus asked them,  'Why are you frightened? Don't you have faith yet?" Overcome with awe, they said to each other, "Who then is this?  Even the wind and the sea obey him!" Mark 4:39-41 CEB The disciples were incredulous, overawed, they'd seen healings, seen Jesus face down the leaders in their community, but this day, they were afraid for their own lives, and Jesus supernaturally stopped the storm, stopped the waves. Can you imagine being in the storm, tossed around, it getting so bad you thought there's no way out, and then it's all calm, quiet, not a ripple, in an instant. Who even is this? We so want the storm "out there" to be calmed, our circumstances to change, but Jesus did this not to make their boat ride easier, but to show them who He is.  Because the real kingdom is a he...

Mark 4:37-38 CEB Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped. But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow.  They woke him up and said,  "Teacher, don't you care that we're drowning?" Mark 4:37-38 CEB This story raises so many questions! What did Jesus know about the storm?  Did he intentionally get them to sail into harms way? How could he sleep through this drama and have to be woken up?  And what if anything are we to make of this for us today, 2,000yrs later? In a couple of years Jesus wasn't going to be physically in the boat with his team, but he does say that he is still "with" them.  With them in this world that wants to shape them into something it wants, when the storms hit, when nothing seems right, He is "with". The disciples had the right idea, go and find Jesus and ask him, seek him out in the storm, find him "with" you. #gospelofMark #GoodNews #invitation #weare...

I give thanks to you with all my heart,  LORD.  I sing your praise before all other gods. ... On the day I cried out, you answered me.  You encouraged me with inner strength. ... Even though the LORD is high,  he can still see the lowly, ... The LORD will do all this for my sake.  Your faithful love lasts forever,  LORD!  Don't let go of what your hands have made. Psalms 138:1, 3, 6, 8 CEB There's praise, thankfulness, there's being seen by God, there's the knowing that God's love lasts forever, there's all of this goodness and knowing, and then, right at the end, this heart request, "Don't let go". Don't let go of me. I know that you are who you say you are, that you have seen me, that you love me, that nothing can change that, and, I feel small, vulnerable, limited, don't let go. Don't let go. #psalms #psalms138 #dontletgo

Sunday Psalms: [1] I give thanks to you with all my heart, LORD.  I sing your praise before all other gods.   ... [3] On the day I cried out, you answered me.  You encouraged me with inner strength.   Psalms 138:1, 3 CEB Back to songs of praise, this one about giving thanks, being grateful, starting with being grateful for our God. Things change when we start and/or end our day with gratitude, with thanks. And then in v3 we have this song writer's answered prayer. This person's circumstances didn't change, nothing was "fixed", but something shifted inside. Some inner strength was discovered, unlocked, found, kindled, by thankfulness and prayer. So often I want things changed on the outside and God wants to work on the inside, wanting to see me find those inner resources that He has made me with, made us with. Thankfulness & prayer. Take the next step. #psalms #psalms138 #sunday #worship #thisisourGod #takethenextstep 

Take hold of my instructions;  dont let them go.  Guard them,  for they are the key to life. Proverbs 4:13 NLT Can we hear Jesus in this Proverb? Jesus speaking in parables and stories, Jesus patiently explaining their meaning to his disciples, Jesus speaking the "Sermon on the Mount", Jesus sharing a meal with people, Jesus meeting the woman at the well...the rich young ruler...the Pharisees and church leaders...Peter on the beach with breakfast... Jesus speaking life and instruction and inviting his listeners to let the truth in... And that invitation continues to this day. Take hold of Jesus words, guard them, for they are the key to life. #proverbs  #wisdom #somethingtochewon #itsaheartthing  #keystolife

Friday! Proverbs! Take hold of my instructions;  dont let them go.  Guard them,  for they are the key to life. Proverbs 4:13 NLT The word "instruction" is "musar" which carries several meanings; discipline, instruction, correction, chastisement. It seems to lean towards the "setting me straight" kind of instruction, the kind that points out the right path, that warns of the dangers of following a different path, that is honest and upfront, the kind of instruction I may not like, (the instruction I get from my GP after he's seen my blood tests).  Take what God has to say and hold it close, let it instruct. One of my favourites is 1 Cor 13:4 Love is patient. This instructs me when I'm rushing, got behind, someone holds me up, is moving too slow for me, isn't keeping up, can't keep up, "love is patient". When it's my mistake, my misstep, a problem of my own making, "love is patient", I get to give myself that gift. ...

Mark 4:30-32 NLT Jesus said, "How can I describe the Kingdom of God?  What story should I use to illustrate it? It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground.  It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of all garden plants;  it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade." Mark 4:30-32 NLT Another story about a garden, seed, plants, growth, and this time includes a place of refuge, home, safety, for the creatures in the story. Then Mark gives us this gem: Mark 4:33-34 NLT Jesus used many similar stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they could understand. In fact, in his public ministry he never taught without using parables; but afterward, when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them. Maybe we're not supposed to "get" all that the parable is about at the first listen (we get the luxury of reading these parables). Maybe we're supposed to sit with them, look for connections between...

Mark 4:26-29 NLT Jesus also said,  "The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, while he's asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. The earth produces the crops on its own.  First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens.  And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come." Mark 4:26-29 NLT What are we supposed to pay attention to here? What would Jesus have wanted those hearing him to "get" from this story? What does he want us to get, or invite us into? Perhaps it's in a world where we want certainty, to know how everything works, where logic and reason is valued above intuition or values or emotions, where mystery is not something to accept or sit with, Jesus offers us some mystery...the Kingdom grows how it grows, a bit mysteriously, a bit underground, ye...

Mark 4:24-25 NLT Then he added,  "Pay close attention to what you hear.  The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given - and you will receive even more. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given.  But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them." Mark 4:24-25 NLT Sometimes I wonder how much notice I take of Jesus words, his parables and stories. Here he is inviting his listeners to pause, to wait, to pay attention. I wonder what Jesus would be wanting me to pay attention to from what he has said? What does he want me to take seriously today? This invitation is in the middle of parables about soil and seed and plants, and lamps and lights, and growing things, harvesting and gardens.  Perhaps the invitation is to sit with these stories and allow them to speak into our lives today, our circumstances today...to pay attention... #gospelofMark #GoodNews  #invitation...

1 John 3:2-3 NLT Dear friends, we are already God's children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:2-3 NLT There is something purifying, cleansing, uplifting, healing, in letting the truth into our bones.  There's something in knowing that we belong, that we're held inseparable in God's love, that we're chosen, and held not by our strength, our goodness, our deeds, but by His. Jesus said it's the truth that sets you free.  Where does this truth set you free? Free from the "should's", free from the people pleasing, free from the fear of what others might think or say, free from the fear of rejection... What does it set you free to do? To step towards? What does it cleanse you from? As we sit today in this belongingness, what washes away? What nee...

Sunday Psalms; Psalms 137:1-4 CEB Alongside Babylon's streams,  there we sat down, crying  because we remembered Zion. We hung our lyres up in the trees there because that's where our captors asked us to sing;  our tormentors requested songs of joy: "Sing us a song about Zion!" they said. But how could we possibly sing the LORD's song on foreign soil?   Psalms 137:1-4 CEB And we're back with lament...lament and sadness for the loss of place, of land, of connection. Lament for loss of freedom. Lament for what was. It's OK not to be OK when something, or someone, important to us, is lost.  It's OK to cry.  This song laments the culture that the writer finds him or herself in that doesn't want to tolerate sadness and loss, just wants songs of joy to be sung... So this song invites us to just be real about what is wrong, what is going on in our outer world that isn't right, that isn't just, and the impact on our inner world. It's OK not to ...

My child,  listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life.  I will teach you wisdom's ways and lead you in straight paths. When you walk, you won't be held back; when you run, you won't stumble. Proverbs 4:10-12 NLT Can you picture Jesus speaking this Proverb? Can you hear his voice, inviting us in, inviting us to trust him... Can you get Jesus metaphor, he knows you may be able to physically walk or run, but there's a deeper thing he is opening up here... I will teach you. I will lead you. Listen for my voice. As we listen...what opens up? #proverbs #wisdom  #somethingtochewon #invitation #weareBeloved

Friday! Proverbs! Proverbs 4:10-12 NLT My child,  listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life.  I will teach you wisdom's ways and lead you in straight paths. When you walk, you won't be held back; when you run, you won't stumble. Proverbs 4:10-12 NLT The word used here for "long, good life" is "rabah", to increase, grow, includes the idea of abundance, if we follow wisdom's path our days will be more abundant - this idea is connected to where we walk: Straight paths How we walk and run: Not held back Not stumbling Wisdom will help us choose where to walk, where that path might be taking us. Ever been on a path of action or made choices that you know are unhealthy? Wisdom helps us choose another path. What holds you back? Thoughts? Memories? Fears? Wisdom helps us see those things in a new light. What trips us up? Makes us fall? Wisdom helps us see those things so that we can avoid, get over, make a way, without them tripping us...

Friday! Proverbs! Proverbs 4:10-12 NLT My child,  listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life.  I will teach you wisdom's ways and lead you in straight paths. When you walk, you won't be held back; when you run, you won't stumble. Proverbs 4:10-12 NLT The word used here for "long, good life" is "rabah", to increase, grow, includes the idea of abundance, if we follow wisdom's path our days will be more abundant - this idea is connected to where we walk: Straight paths How we walk and run: Not held back Not stumbling Wisdom will help us choose where to walk, where that path might be taking us. Ever been on a path of action or made choices that you know are unhealthy? Wisdom helps us choose another path. What holds you back? Thoughts? Memories? Fears? Wisdom helps us see those things in a new light. What trips us up? Makes us fall? Wisdom helps us see those things so that we can avoid, get over, make a way, without them tripping us...

Isaiah 54:2, 12-14 NLT Enlarge your house; build an addition.  Spread out your home, and spare no expense! ... I will make your towers of sparkling rubies, your gates of shining gems, and your walls of precious stones. I will teach all your children, and they will enjoy great peace. You will be secure under a government that is just and fair.  Your enemies will stay far away.  You will live in peace, and terror will not come near. Isaiah 54:2, 12-14 NLT As we live in this world, our hope is held in what is to come...the picture here includes a rebuilding of the place we call home, peace for our families, justice from those in power, enemies banished, and peace. Peace on the inside.  The things we hope for, strive for, the needs we have that are not fully met, will be. Destruction, dismay, ruin, these things are all banished, made new. It seems that Isaiah is inviting us to be OK with putting down roots here, knowing that there is a Bigger Story that we're part of, th...

Dear friends,  we are already God's children,  but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears.  But we do know that we will be like him,  for we will see him as he really is.  1 John 3:2 NLT If we're feeling a bit lost, when this world seems too much, when we're struggling to find hope, John reminds us of at least these 3 things: Dear friends - we're in this together with all our limitations and doubts and insecurities and questions - we're not alone. We are already God's children - of this there is no doubt, whether we're close, living under the same roof, across town, or living in another country across the globe our belonging does not change. Proximity to God right now does not determine family status. There's more to come - when Jesus returns there's another transformation coming for us - just what that looks like is a mystery, but there's more.  #lettersfromJohn #testimony  #light  #hopeishere  #belonging  #the...

Mark 4:21-22 CSB He also said to them,  "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed?  Isn't it to be put on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light." Mark 4:21-22 CSB This parable follows on from the farmer, the seed, the soil and the fruit. Are these ideas connected? When you hear Jesus words about a lamp being brought in, what is it being brought into? What's the space Jesus wants us to see? Is that space the world and Jesus is the light? Is it about his people? Is Jesus wanting to shed light on corrupt and broken world and religious systems? What about that space being me, my heart, will, choices, direction, desires. Is Jesus getting personal with his disciples and wanting to shine His Light in every corner of us? Is it all of these things? Or something else? (Does he want us to be the lamp?) Mark has recorded these parables for us to mull over and see where they m...

Psalms 136:5-6 CEB [5] Give thanks to the one who made the skies with skill - Gods faithful love lasts forever.   [6] Give thanks to the one who shaped the earth on the water - Gods faithful love lasts forever.   Psalms 136:5-6 CEB This song invites us to look out, look up at the world around us, to look again with the wonder of a child, and give thanks. When I look out I see the range of hills that we name the Tararua Ranges. A landscape that existed before I arrived on this earth and will be here long after I've gone. Gods faithful love lasts forever. I look up and can see the sky...no clouds today ...breathe in the air...and give thanks to the one who made the earth's systems in such balance that we have seasons, and as I hear the birds in the trees as dawn breaks I give thanks to God who is Life, and whose faithful love lasts forever. Look up today, look out, what are we invited to give thanks for? #psalms #psalms136 #GodisFaithfulLove #speaklife

Sunday Psalms; Give thanks to the LORD because he is good. God's faithful love lasts forever!   Psalms 136:1 CEB There's 26 verses in this song, 26 repeats of "God's faithful love lasts forever". "God's faithful love lasts forever". And 14 "Give thanks". The song starts with proclamations about God's character, moves on to how He intervened in the story of his people, rescued them when all hope seemed lost, and ends with how God's goodness benefits everyone. I'm wondering if we were to write our own song, what is it about God's faithful love that I would write? "God's faithful love lasts forever". What is it that I would give thanks for? What are the things that come up for you? Perhaps it's spiritual experiences, a sermon that changed things, a word, a verse, a passage of scripture. Perhaps it's a person, or people who have impacted you, an author, a friend, maybe someone who has passed, maybe someone ...

Isaiah 54:2, 11-12 CSB [2] Enlarge the site of your tent, and let your tent curtains be stretched out;  do not hold back; lengthen your ropes, and drive your pegs deep. ... [11] Poor Jerusalem, storm-tossed, and not comforted, I will set your stones in black mortar, and lay your foundations in lapis lazuli. I will make your fortifications out of rubies, your gates out of sparkling stones, and all your walls out of precious stones." Isaiah 54:2, 11-12 CSB Everything will be made new, set right, put on a new foundation, rebuilt, remade, renewed. When we hold this hope, what changes for us today? Where can I take a step I've hesitated in, move when I've felt stuck? Where might I drive that tent peg in more deeply, commit to a community even though it's imperfect, incomplete? The hope we hold changes everything. #held #weareinaBigStory  #takethenextstep 

Friday! Proverbs! Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment. If you prize wisdom,  she will make you great. Embrace her,  and she will honor you. She will place a lovely wreath on your head; she will present you with a beautiful crown. Proverbs 4:7-9 NLT The writer of Proverbs has been hammering away at "getting wisdom"! So I'm wondering if my "go to" for wisdom is to rely on what I already have, what I've learned, as if that's enough, enough for what I am facing or what I'm dealing with. Sometimes I can't locate that deeper wisdom that I may hold, becuase of all the noise around me. Getting wisdom doesn't stop at a certain age or stage, it's an ever growing resource, and Proverbs is imploring us to make the space, make the time, to gain it.  Will we? #Proverbs #wisdom  #somethingtochewon #itsaheartthing 

"The seed scattered on good soil are those who hear the word and embrace it.  They bear fruit, in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case sixty to one, and in another case one hundred to one." Mark 4:20 CEB Embrace it. Wrap the word in. Absorb it. Let it in to the deepest part of ourselves...that's the invitation here, the story Jesus is telling. Embrace the Word, and the fruit will follow.  By itself. A tree doesn't labour to produce fruit, it happens from the DNA of the tree, the seed, the environment, the soil, the rain, the sun, and fruit happens. The point is not the 30, 60, or 100 - it's not about comparing, it's just that trees fruit differently, and difference is OK. Embrace the word & fruit will appear, it may not even be what you expect... #gospelofMark  #GoodNews  #invitation  #rememberweareBeloved 

Mark 4:19 CEB ...but the worries of this life,  the false appeal of wealth,  and the desire for more things break in and choke the word,  and it bears no fruit.   Mark 4:19 CEB Our friend Mark who wrote this couldn't even imagine the "worries of this life" could he? Would he understand grief and loss and losing the people we care about the most? Would he understand the threat of disease, or wars, or famine, or hardship? Would he know what it's like not to think you fit in anywhere, don't belong, are rejected, not enough? Maybe he would know what it's like to be treated differently because of your ethnicity or religion, and that any of these things can choke off the seed that has been planted in us that wants to thrive and flourish and bear fruit. Maybe he was never bombarded by messages to consume or buy, but he does seem to recognise the heart's desire for more & what that can do. Jesus does, because these are his words, not to comdemn, but to shine a...

"Don't you understand this parable?  Then how will you understand all the parables?  The farmer scatters the word. This is the meaning of the seed that fell on the path:  When the word is scattered and people hear it, right away Satan comes and steals the word that was planted in them. Here's the meaning of the seed that fell on rocky ground:  When people hear the word, they immediately receive it joyfully. Because they have no roots, they last for only a little while. When they experience distress or abuse because of the word, they immediately fall away. Others are like the seed scattered among the thorny plants. These are the ones who have heard the word;  but the worries of this life,  the false appeal of wealth,  and the desire for more things break in and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. The seed scattered on good soil are those who hear the word and embrace it. They bear fruit, in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case sixty to ...

Sunday Psalms; Praise the LORD!  Praise the LORD's name! All you who serve the LORD, praise God!  All you who stand in the LORD's house - who stand in the courtyards of our God's temple - praise the LORD, because the LORD is good!  Sing praises to God's name because it is beautiful!   Psalms 135:1-3 CEB Suddenly the Psalms seem to have shifted. For weeks we have been in the songs of ascent, of journey, of taking the next step. And now the invitation is to praise, to sing, whether we're in the inner part of the temple where the priests are, or out in the courtyard, we're all in this together. And why sing? Because the Lord, Yhwh, is good, He, the Eternal, the self-existant is "na'iym", delightful, the One who all these songs of ascent have been moving us toward... So sing. Praise. This is not a "have to", but an invitation...so maybe it is just another part of the journey...the ascent... #psalms #psalms135 #weareinaBigStory 

Isaiah 54:2, 10 CSB [2] "Enlarge the site of your tent, and let your tent curtains be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your ropes, and drive your pegs deep. ... [10] Though the mountains move and the hills shake,  my love will not be removed from you and my covenant of peace will not be shaken," says your compassionate Lord. Isaiah 54:2, 10 CSB The world, your world, your piece of peace may not be what you'd like it to be, but in that we are invited to hold on to our Covenant God, who IS Love, who will NOT abandon us, no matter what our circumstances might try to tell us. And in that Covenant Love, perhaps something opens up in you, a vision to stretch out, or drive in deeper... We are held. By Compassion.  Maybe today, it's about resting in that... #held #compassion #invitation

Friday! Proverbs! Don't abandon wisdom, and she will watch over you;  love her,  and she will guard you. Proverbs 4:6 CSB Why would we be encouraged not to abandon wisdom? Perhaps the path of wisdom seems more difficult, not as pleasant at times, might bring us into conflict with others, or into conflict with ourselves. Wisdom may well create a clash of values in us, and it becomes easy, attractive, to abandon the way of wisdom. This Proverb is pleading with us to stay the course with wisdom, to hold on. Where are we tempted to drop wisdom? Where does it seem difficult today to walk in wisdom? How does this Proverb encourage us to stay the course, to follow wisdoms path today? #proverbs #wisdom  #somethingtochewon  #itsaheartthing  #rememberweareBeloved

1 John 3:1a NLT See how very much our Father loves us,  for he calls us his children,  and that is what we are! 1 John 3:1a NLT Children of God! If we could mash up the very best parts of being a child that we've all experienced, snd discard all the hurtful and harmful parts of our story, we might be getting somewhere close to what being called God's children means for us, being loved by our Heavenly Father. Those deepest needs that we have, those that weren't even close to being met, will be.  We are seen. Known. Accepted. We belong. Nothing can separate us for God's Love. We are redeemed. Covered. Welcomed, and welcomed back, again and again. We get to meet with Him as children, learning, discovering, growing, changing, curious, and safe. Safe. He calls us his children. Because that is what we are... #lettersfromJohn #testimony  #childrenofGod #dearlyloved

1 John 2:28 NLT And now,  dear children,  remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns,  you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame. 1 John 2:28 NLT What stands out for you from this word from John? That we are dear children? That we can have, and hold fellowship with Jesus? That Jesus is coming again? That we can be full of courage and our source of courage is Jesus? Or that Jesus is our antidote for shame? "Aischuno", disfigurement, shrinking back, shame.  If we think that God's Word doesn't see or address my shame, it does - and our hope and our help is in the person, Jesus. Fellowship with Him shrinks our shame - in Him, fellowship with Him, the closer we get and journey with Him, "in" him, His Love, His Grace, absorbs all that we hold as shame, and we get to walk a little more in the light, a little less hidden, a little more upright, with a little more courage...as we let Him retell our story... #lettersfromJohn #test...

As for you,  the anointing that you received from him remains on you,  and you don't need anyone to teach you the truth.  But since his anointing teaches you about all things (it's true and not a lie), remain in relationship to him just as he taught you.   1 John 2:27 CEB This passage has been warning about false teachers trying to draw people away from the Truth. In v20 John mentions this annointing which the NLT translates as the Holy Spirit indwelling. The annointing keeps us in tune with Jesus.  Does that make us infallible? Hardly. But it help us keep looking to Jesus, enquiring what Jesus would say, have us be in our world, and keep welcoming us back. Back home. Home to ourselves. Home to all He has made us to be. Home to shalom. Peace. #lettersfromJohn #testimony  #light ##weareBeloved 

Mark 4:2-9 CEB He said many things to them in parables.  While teaching them, he said,  "Listen to this!  A farmer went out to scatter seed.  As he was scattering seed, some fell on the path; and the birds came and ate it. Other seed fell on rocky ground where the soil was shallow. They sprouted immediately because the soil wasn't deep.  When the sun came up, it scorched the plants; and they dried up because they had no roots.  Other seed fell among thorny plants. The thorny plants grew and choked the seeds, and they produced nothing. Other seed fell into good soil and bore fruit. Upon growing and increasing, the seed produced in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of one hundred to one." He said,  "Whoever has ears to listen should pay attention!" Mark 4:2-9 CEB Perhaps this is the first time you've read this, but if it's not, try reading it as if it is. Who are the characters in this...

Sunday Psalms; A song of pilgrimage. Behold,  bless the Lord,  all you servants of the Lord,  Who serve by night in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands to the sanctuary  And bless the Lord.  May the Lord bless you from Zion,  He who made heaven and earth. Psalms 134 NASB2020 I'm not sure of the stature of those who "serve by night" as it also means to be present, to abide, the implication seems to be that less important in the eyes of the world are present during the night in the house of the Lord. If today we're feeling ordinary, less than, then this song is for us. It starts with "Behold", "hinneh", lo, look, or perhaps it should say "Yo!" Look! In this journey, Look! Where are we heading? Towards the One who made Heaven and Earth. Yo, lift up your eyes, have another look, there's more to this world, more to this life, more to your life, we're heading towards the maker of it all, we are in a Bigger Story, so in this ascent...

Mark 4:1-2 NLT [1] Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore. [2] He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables... Mark 4:1-2 NLT Jesus told stories when sharing with crowds of people.  Lots of stories. The word used is "parabole"; Para is "close beside, with". Bole is "to cast" Teaching alongside, casting light. This is Jesus, alongside, with, casting light.  Jesus isn't there with a list of rules, but alongside, with, casting light. Jesus doesn't bring a manual, a "how to" guide, platitudes or catchy sayings, he comes alongside, with, casting light. As we follow him, perhaps that's what he is inviting us into in this world, in the lives of others, to come alongside, to be "with", and to cast a little light. #gospelofMark #GoodNews  #invitation  #alongside  #with #ca...

Friday! Proverbs! When I was a son to my father,  Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother,  He taught me and said to me,  "Let your heart take hold of my words;  Keep my commandments and live;  Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth." Proverbs 4:3-5 NASB2020 If there are Proverbs for parents, perhaps this one could be at the top of the list; It encourages us to focus on the heart of the child. It encourages us to start early. It encourages us to have 1:1 time with a child. And it sets the goal for the child: acquire wisdom. We're not children, so perhaps today the invitation is to spend some 1:1 time with our Heavenly Father, and to reset our goals to include, or move up the list, acquire wisdom. Acquire wisdom. I can hear some thoughts coming back; "if you knew what I'm dealing with, what's in front of me today, I don't have time or space for acquiring nothing". So perhaps within all t...

1 John 2:22-26 CEB [22] Who is the liar?  Isn't it the person who denies that Jesus is the Christ?  This person is the antichrist: the one who denies the Father and the Son. Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father, but the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.  As for you,  what you heard from the beginning must remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you will also remain in relationship to the Son and in the Father. This is the promise that he himself gave us: eternal life. I write these things to you about those who are attempting to deceive you.  1 John 2:22-26 CEB Maybe you have been caught up in arguments about the inerrancy of the Bible, or End Times, or something...or maybe there are days when we can't make sense of the world and the decisions of others...John is reminding his readers of this letter to come back to the heart of the Big Story: Jesus is who he said he is. Follow Jesus, and everything else fl...

A song of pilgrimage. Of David. How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore. Psalms 133 NRSV A pilgrimage is about movement, from somewhere, to somewhere. I'm wondering when David wrote this song about how good living in community with others is, whether he was experiencing that in the moment, or looking back.  When we're on the journey, on the move, transitions, change, shifts, are not easy.  The unknown. And we look back on the good, and at the same time, look forward with hope...this journey is taking us to where we belong better, fit better, and ultimately, into the fully aliveness of communion with God and people.  There are days, weeks, months, where the journey can feel slow, arduo...

A song of pilgrimage. Of David. How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore. Psalms 133 NRSV I'm pretty good at looking to others, my church, people I know, family, and putting the weight of this song, this call to live in unity, this call to living together, onto others. As I head into Monday morning I'm wondering where this is up to me? Where is it up to me to be that glue that joins one person to another? Where is it up to me to start with a smile? Where is it up to me to reach out (even when part of my brain says "It's not your turn" or "you shouldn't have to"). Where is it up to me to bring peace? Where is it up to me to love with patience? To love with kindness...

Sunday Psalms: A song of pilgrimage. Of David. How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore. Psalms 133 NRSV The NRSV uses the word "kindred" here for the Hebrew "ach" which carries the broadest of meanings, family, belonging, belonging. On his pilgrimage David may well have been looking back on gatherings of people that have been a blessing to him, and perhaps at the same time, looking forward to gathering again, in new ways. You get the picture of the preciousness of communion and community and belonging. On our pilgrimage, our journey, our ascent, we get moments, glimpses, and one day, our belonging will be complete, our communion ongoing, meeting all our needs. Maybe today we can...

Isaiah 54:2, 5 CEB Enlarge the site of your tent, and stretch out the drapes of your dwellings;  dont hold back. Lengthen your tent ropes and strengthen your stakes. ... [5] The one marrying you is the one who made you - the LORD of heavenly forces is his name.  The one redeeming you is the holy one of Israel, the one called the God of all the earth.   Isaiah 54:2, 5 CEB When we feel like pulling back, making ourselves small, taking the safe option, when it all feels too much, when we don't think we have the energy to maintain our current tent, we get given this picture: The Lord of Heavenly Forces, the One who made us, the Creator, is also the One who enters into this closest of relationships with us.  He is with us. On our side. And it is He who redeems us, buys us back, buys us out of the things that bind us and hold us down.  It is He who walks us into freedom.  The freedom to "stretch out the drapes of your dwelling", to breathe, to Live. As we si...

Friday! Proverbs! Hear,  children,  fatherly instruction;  pay attention to gain understanding. I'll teach you well.  Don't abandon my instruction.  Proverbs 4:1-2 CEB  As we listen to these Proverbs we're invited to hear them as fatherly instruction - for some that might be helpful as they had a Dad who was present, on their team, wanting the best for them, but for others their experience is quite different.  So we have to use our imagination - imagine the heart of a great Dad who wants the best for you, giving the best of his wisdom and experience - and now listen. The second thing that struck me from this little introduction in Ch4 is not to "abandon" his instruction. How easy in this world is it to move on, to find more voices that might seem more interesting, more relevant, more current than the ancient wisdom . It's like an invitation to slow down, to mull over, to hold these things, spoken in love, with a heart for our thriving, and let them gui...

1 John 2:17 CEB And the world and its cravings are passing away, but the person who does the will of God remains forever.   1 John 2:17 CEB There's more. More to this story. When the misery and grief of this world seems too much, there's more. When we feel stuck, there's more. When the world's systems of power seem immovable, there's more. When we run out of hope, there's more. When things seem out of control, even our own thoughts, our own desires seem uncontrollable, there's more. The things, the way of being that our world tells us is important is going to fade away, but the things of God, our Life In Him, there's more. There's more. The person, you & I, the important parts of us, there's more Life for us. There's more. #lettersfromJohn #testimony #weareBeloved 

1 John 2:16-17 CEB Everything that is in the world - the craving for whatever the body feels, the craving for whatever the eyes see, and the arrogant pride in ones possessions - is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world and its cravings are passing away, but the person who does the will of God remains forever.   1 John 2:16-17 CEB Large parts of our economy, our culture, seem to be centred around the very things that John kindly let's us know are passing away, that will not last. I found it easy to skip past the first part, but as I linger there, I find that there are things that I want that drive my choices, there are these thoughts about how others might see me or judge me based on the things I own... Does John mean that all these things are bad? Or that they're temporary and may pull us away from the things that will last? There is more to a person than the sum total of their desires, their possessions, yet that is often what our culture measures. We're inv...

Mark 3:31-35 CEB His mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside and sent word to him, calling for him. A crowd was seated around him, and those sent to him said,  "look, your mother, brothers, and sisters are outside looking for you." He replied,  "Who is my mother?  Who are my brothers?" Looking around at those seated around him in a circle, he said,  "Look,  here are my mother and my brothers.   Whoever does Gods will is my brother, sister, and mother." Mark 3:31-35 CEB Jesus Kingdom, belonging, adoption into His Family is not bound by our cultural idea of what family is or "should" be.  Jesus wasn't rejecting his family here, but broadening the idea of who is important, who matters, who belongs.  Those who were following, listening, belong. Doing God's will in that moment was doing exactly what that crowd of people was doing - following Jesus, listening to His word. Jesus wrapped everyone in that day, and wraps us all in. #gospelo...

Colossians 3:1-4 CEB Therefore,  if you were raised with Christ,  look for the things that are above where Christ is sitting at God's right side. Think about the things above and not things on earth. You died,  and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ,  who is your life,  is revealed,  then you also will be revealed with him in glory.   Colossians 3:1-4 CEB This verse came up at Church yesterday, and I tried sketching it: Raised with Jesus. Look up. Look up where Jesus is with God the Father. Think about things "up there". And I've died in some sense, and my life is hidden, held, somehow in Jesus, in God the Father. And, at some future time, Jesus is going to be revealed it seems in some new way, and we will be revealed with Him. Somehow. Can you see it all? Maybe we're not supposed to see it, but to feel it. Jesus said to his team just before his death that in this world you will have trouble, but to take heart, have courage, "beca...

Sunday Psalms; A song of pilgrimage. LORD,  remember David - all the ways he suffered and how he swore to the LORD,  how he promised the strong one of Jacob: "I won't enter my house, won't get into my bed. I won't let my eyes close, won't let my eyelids sleep, until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the strong one of Jacob." Psalms 132:1-5 CEB This song of pilgrimage seems very personal. David believing he had to do something for God, and this picture of not resting until it was done, and as the song goes on a kind of merging of David's prosperity and God's blessing, an interesting collection of ideas. I'm wondering what song I would write today. What I would say about who God is, what He might want or expect from me, how I relate to Him, what I might want or expect from Him? And how that might have changed, from a year ago, 5 years ago, 10 years ago. It's OK for our songs to reflect where we're at.  Our hopes, fears, losses...

"This exile is just like the days of Noah for me:  I promised then that the waters of Noah would never again flood the earth.  I'm promising now no more anger, no more dressing you down.  For even if the mountains walk away and the hills fall to pieces, My love won't walk away from you, my covenant commitment of peace won't fall apart." The God who has compassion on you says so. Isaiah 54:9-10 MSG "My love won't walk away from you." The Message captures something of God's heart for His people, for us, for you. "My love won't walk away from you." He has made a covenant of peace - it doesn't rely on us - so it will not fail. "My love won't walk away from you." There may well be times when we don't understand God, blame him, reject him, wonder why he doesn't just fix the things we see are wrong, wrong with this world, wrong in our world, wrong in me, and at the same time, we get to hold on to what he says: ...