verseoftheday

[3] God heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.  [4] God counts the stars by number, giving each one a name. Psalms 147:3-4 CEB Same God. The same God who names the stars, can count the uncountable, sees the unseeable in the universe he created, stoops down, becomes small and gentle enough, to bind up our wounds. Jesus tells a story of a person beaten and left for dead on the roadside, and he is seen, his wounds tended, and he is put on a pathway to healing. Same God. Same Love. #psalms #psalm147 #reasonstopraise  #weareBeloved 

Sunday Psalms; Psalms 147:1-7 CEB Praise the LORD! Because it is good to sing praise to our God! Because it is a pleasure to make beautiful praise!  The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem,  gathering up Israel's exiles. God heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. God counts the stars by number, giving each one a name. Our Lord is great and so strong!  Gods knowledge can't be grasped! The LORD helps the poor,  but throws the wicked down on the dirt! Sing to the LORD with thanks;  sing praises to our God with a lyre!   Psalms 147:1-7 CEB The first part of this song is a skim the highlights of why David has reason to praise God: It's a good thing for him, lifts his spirit, improves his well-being. He sees God gathering in the lost, and the intimate closeness of healing the broken hearted, of bandaging up the wounds of those who have been harmed.  Then he jumps to how big and different God is to him, and then back to God's character, His heart for the...

1 John 3:5 CEB You know that he appeared to take away sins, and there is no sin in him.  1 John 3:5 CEB This word "sin" is "harmatia", a missing of the mark, an offence, an offence against God.  This seems to be turned into a weapon to beat people up with, yet this is couched within Love, and our place as Children of God: 1 John 3:1-2 CEB See what kind of love the Father has given to us in that we should be called God's children, and that is what we are! Because the world didn't recognize him, it doesn't recognize us. Dear friends, now we are God's children... Jesus came to deal with our missing the mark, our rebellion, and there is none of that in Him. We are Beloved.  Children of God. Children who's Heavenly Father made a way, because He Loves Us. And in Being Loved is identity, belonging, acceptance, safety, worth, value.  We are valued and valuable. Accepted and acceptable. Because the One who never missed the mark, came for us. One day we wi...

Friday! Proverbs! Proverbs 5:3-6 CEB The lips of a mysterious woman drip honey,  and her tongue is smoother than oil,  but in the end she is bitter as gall,  sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death;  her steps lead to the grave. She doesn't stay on the way of life.  Her paths wander, but she doesn't know it. Proverbs 5:3-6 CEB Yikes!  This sounds like someone to steer clear of...but I wonder if this Proverb is really referring to a person? The word here "mysterious woman" is "zuwr" (pronounced zoor) and it's primary meaning seems to be someone (or something) from outside of the Life that God had planned for his people. So maybe it's not a person we're to avoid as much as it is ideas, activities, desires (& people) that want to draw us away from the Life God has for us. This Proverb gives a picture of something interesting, enticing, that draws us in, but in the end doesn't lead to Life at all. What are those things in you...

Mark 6:7 CEB He called for the Twelve and sent them out in pairs. Mark 6:7 CEB I wonder why Jesus chose to send them out in pairs? Not on their own, not in groups of 3 or 4 or ? What are we to make of this in our lives? Perhaps when Jesus calls us to some task, some work, some mission, we shouldn't step into it alone. Perhaps we're made for community and connection and are better together. We don't know how the disciples got paired up, but my first instinct would be to go with someone I liked, got on with, would be able to smash the mission out. But what would Jesus want me to learn if I was paired with someone who was slower, who I had to wait for, adjust to? What if I am that person? The one others have to slow down for, wait to catch up? While Jesus was sending his team "out there" on a mission, what if the real Kingdom work was being done "in" them? And therefore, in us? What is this picture of Jesus and his 12 team members going off in pairs invite ...

Mark 6:4-6 CEB Jesus said to them, "Prophets are honored everywhere except in their own hometowns, among their relatives, and in their own households." He was unable to do any miracles there, except that he placed his hands on a few sick people and healed them. He was appalled by their disbelief.  Then Jesus traveled through the surrounding villages teaching.   Mark 6:4-6 CEB Even though he was impacted by the rejection of his family and community, even though astounded/appalled at their unbelief, he kept moving. Moved on. Kept walking to the next place that would accept him. Perhaps there's something here for us, there's times when we need to just accept other people's views and attitudes towards us, towards what is important to us and in us, are not going to shift or change, and we need to move. Move on. Keep walking.  Jesus didn't wait around forever for his family and community to shift, to see him.  He moved. Kept walking. Their rejection impacted him dee...

Mark 6:4-6 CSB Jesus said to them,  "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown,  among his relatives,  and in his household." He was not able to do a miracle there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them.  And he was amazed at their unbelief... Mark 6:4-6 CSB Jesus went back home, to his people, family, relatives, the community he grew up in, and he wasn't believed. And it impacted him. Deeply. If Jesus equilibrium is upset because he was not accepted for who he was by the people who he grew up with, if being rejected impacted his ability to do what he came to do, then just maybe, when we're not accepted, experience rejection, are misunderstood, not seen or heard by people who were once on our team, raised us, were part of our life, that might just impact us too. Jesus felt it, it's OK for us to feel it too.  Validation, love, acceptance. To be seen for who we are (not just for who we once were) is important.  It matt...

Psalms 146:6-9 CEB God:  the maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them,  God:  who is faithful forever, who gives justice to people who are oppressed, who gives bread to people who are starving!  The LORD:  who frees prisoners.  The LORD:  who makes the blind see.  The LORD:  who straightens up those who are bent low. The LORD:  who loves the righteous. The LORD:  who protects immigrants, who helps orphans and widows, but who makes the way of the wicked twist and turn!   Psalms 146:6-9 CEB At the heart of this song David reveals the heart of God that has been downloaded to him, the heart of God for justice, freedom, sight, resources, for restoration, for safety. In a world that often seems full of the opposite to these things, they are there, glimpses, and they are the things that Jesus came to bring in a new way, and asks us to join him in being part of: Justice  Freedom  Sight Resources  ...

Sunday Psalms; Praise the LORD!  Let my whole being praise the LORD! I will praise the LORD with all my life;  I will sing praises to my God as long as I live. Dont trust leaders;  dont trust any human beings - theres no saving help with them! Their breath leaves them, then they go back to the ground. On that very same day, their plans die too. The person whose help is the God of Jacob - the person whose hope rests on the LORD their God - is truly happy! God: the maker of heaven and earth,  the sea, and all that is in them,  God: who is faithful forever... Psalms 146:1-6 CEB A big song of praise! A song that invites us to praise with our life. A song that carries a warning about getting distracted by following a person and not our God.  Another person, no matter how clever, articulate, passionate, charismatic, can save. David brings us back to the Eternal, the Creator, the One who holds the Big Story, who when we look at the vastness of things like the sea,...

My son,  pay attention to my wisdom;  listen carefully to my wise counsel. Then you will show discernment, and your lips will express what you've learned. Proverbs 5:1-2 NLT When we look for Jesus in this Proverb, can you hear him speaking these words? My child, pay attention, listen well. What is Jesus inviting us to pay attention to today? What is he inviting us to listen well to? To let in to our heart? Is it the words of hope? Take courage for I have overcome the world (John 16:33) Or perhaps it's Jesus words of purpose and connection; I have come that you might Life (John 10:10) Perhaps it's Jesus words of direction:  Come, follow me (Matt 4:19). Or maybe it's Jesus 3 part invitation to love; Matthew 22:37-40 Love God with all of you. And just as important to Love your neighbour, & to Love yourself. Jesus had a lot to say to us, to invite us into, what is he calling you towards today? What is Jesus asking you to pay attention to today? #proverbs #wisdom #someth...

Friday! Proverbs! Proverbs 5:1-2 NLT My son,  pay attention to my wisdom;  listen carefully to my wise counsel. Then you will show discernment, and your lips will express what you've learned. Proverbs 5:1-2 NLT The "Pay attention" and repeated "Listen carefully" are the first things that hit here - the kind of wisdom the writer wants to pass on takes careful consideration, it requires our attention, study, reflection, learning. It's let this sink in, apply it, realise that something might need to shift, to change as a result... And the collection of wisdom will change how we speak in 2 ways; What we do say. And what we don't say. Our words come from the heart, and wisdom shapes and changes us, our core, our mind, our will, our heart.  Yes wisdom is shared in Proverbs, in the rest of Scripture, and, in the person of Jesus. Let Him shape our hearts, minds, will, who we are and who we're becoming. #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #itsaheartthing #ta...

Mark 6:1-3 NLT Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown.  The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, "Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?" Then they scoffed,  "He's just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us." They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Mark 6:1-3 NLT If you've ever been rejected by the people who are supposed to care for you, you're in good company.  If you're not seen, judged, looked down on, then your story is also Jesus story.  Seems like there's a cultural expectation here too - if Jesus is such an important Rabbi why are his sisters still living here?  (I wonder about the times I haven't been able to see past my expectations or cultural norms and missed the person...). Even thou...

Psalms 145:21 CEB My mouth will proclaim the LORD's praise,  and every living thing will bless God's holy name  forever and always. Psalms 145:21 CEB OK so this is a song, but I wonder how often I proclaim the Lord's praise unless I'm singing in church? Are there other places? What about other ways? Can I proclaim the goodness of God by the way I work, how I meet people, how I respond to things? Can I proclaim praise of the Eternal, of Yahweh by how I treat the planet, how I use the resources I've been blessed with? Words, actions, thoughts, body, mind, spirit... And what is. This picture David has of every living thing praising our God? People, animals, birds, fish, bugs...every living thing? Heaven is gonna be a whole new level - I think that may be what David is looking forward to, something bigger and more than we can see right now, because our God is Someone Bigger... #psalms #songs #psalm145 #invitation  #invitationintoaBiggerStory #praise

The LORD supports all who fall down, straightens up all who are bent low.   Psalms 145:14 CEB Sometimes in a song there's a line or a phrase that jumps out at you, a line that carries something special  The Lord - Yahweh - the self-existant, the Eternal, notices those who fall down, sees those who are bent low, burdened, weighed down, pushed down, held down, and pulls them up, straightens, strengthens, restores.  This is the hope that we hold, that our God sees us in our struggle and suffering, and bends down. Our place in history is different to David's and we see Jesus as a massive part of our God's bending down. The Eternal became human, less than, small, and entered into the story. And it's Jesus who fell down, who was bent low, for us.  And he was restored, renewed, and that is our hope, our story too. The Eternal is for us.  We are Beloved. We are seen. We are known. And one day, all will be made new, every tear acknowledged and held, and we will know...

Psalms 145:4-9 CEB A psalm of praise. Of David. One generation will praise your works to the next one,  proclaiming your mighty acts.  They will talk all about the glorious splendor of your majesty;  I will contemplate your wondrous works. They will speak of the power of your awesome deeds;  I will declare your great accomplishments. They will rave in celebration of your abundant goodness; they will shout joyfully about your righteousness:  "The LORD is merciful and compassionate, very patient,  and full of faithful love.  The LORD is good to everyone and everything;  Gods compassion extends to all his handiwork!" Psalms 145:4-9 CEB This part of David's song has this beautiful intergenerational listening, speaking, declaring, sharing in, the goodness of God. It's loud. And it includes people, creation, everything that God has made, and finishes with the declaration of the attributes of God. Merciful. Compassionate. Patient. Faithful Love. His hear...

Sunday Psalms; A psalm of praise. Of David. I will lift you up high,  my God,  the true king.  I will bless your name forever and always. I will bless you every day.  I will praise your name forever and always. The LORD is great and so worthy of praise! God's greatness can't be grasped.   Psalms 145:1-3 CEB This psalm, this song seems like a big shift from the last 5, where there have been repeated calls to be heard by God. While David might be a king, who gets praise and honour, he places God as The King, worthy of praise and honour. Human greatness can be grasped and measured, but there's a Bigger Story here that David finds himself part of.  And David's response is to praise His Name every day. To not lose sight of Who God Is in his day-to-day. Perhaps that's the invitation for us too. The last few psalms have been about when things are not going well, and this one seems different. When we have success, when things are going Ok, going well, where th...

Mark 5:42-43 CEB [42] Suddenly the young woman got up and began to walk around. She was 12 years old. They were shocked! [43] He gave them strict orders that no one should know what had happened. Then he told them to give her something to eat. Mark 5:42-43 CEB Jesus seemed to be wanting to damp down the crowds, quite the opposite of our modern culture where the number of views/likes/followers is our measure of success. Don't tell anyone.  You've seen the power of resurrection, of death being defeated, and that's enough. For now anyway. What Jesus was interested in is what the person in the middle of the story needed...food. Get this girl some kai, she's 12yrs old, has been unwell for some time, and has now had this amazing experience, she might need something to eat! Jesus had just pulled her back from death & could've supernaturally provided her with all the nutrition that she needed, but he didn't. He invited those who were there to participate with him in...

Friday! Proverbs! [23] More than anything you guard,  protect your mind,  for life flows from it. ... [27] Don't deviate a bit to the right or the left; turn your feet away from evil. Proverbs 4:23, 27 CEB This is the 4th instruction on guarding and protecting our "leb", our mind, our will, our heart, the core of who we are. v24 is about our choice of words v25 is about what we look at, what we let in through our eyes v26 is about the places we choose to go And now v27 is about choice, and about direction. We get to choose.  Yes there's times when we may have been powerless, but you do have power to choose. Those first steps in an unhealthy direction may seem small, harmless, it's where my friends are, my people, it feels good, attractive, easy... Jesus said something about the narrow road being the one that leads to Life. The road that may seem more difficult where we have to watch our step. The road where we might have to work a bit harder to find our people, an...

...and he took the girl's father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. Holding her hand, he said to her,  "Talitha koum," which means  "Little girl, get up!" And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed.  Mark 5:40-42 NLT This resurrection is a taster of the resurrection  to come.  Why of all the people who had died in the region where Jesus could've walked to that day, he went to this girl's house and returned her from death? In this chapter Mark has documented Jesus authority over the spirit that had taken control of one person, healed the chronic physical ailment of another, and here, held this girl's hand and brought her back into life.  Jesus wanted his team, especially those 3, Peter, James & John, to learn more about who Jesus is. Jesus was a Rabbi, and more. Jesus was a teacher, and more. Jesus was human just like them, and mor...

He didn't allow anyone to follow him except Peter, James, and John, James' brother. Mark 5:37 CEB Jesus has been followed by crowds all day. He even got in a boat and crossed the lake and crowds followed him, pressing in. And now Jesus says "no". He's going to Jarius's house, where the report is that his daughter has died. Maybe the crowd knows that or not, but Jesus imposes a boundary here.  Peter, James & John only. The writer of this gospel, Mark, along with the other disciples, is excluded.  Boundaries. Jesus would gap it off into the wilderness to pray. Boundaries. The rich young ruler walked away from Jesus unhappy - Jesus didn't chase him down trying to make him happy. No people pleasing here.  Boundaries. In this case Jesus boundary may have been for Jarius and his family, for Jesus, or for the 3 of his team, for the little girl in the heart of this story, or for all of them in some way. Boundaries are OK, necessary, and just as Jesus put them ...

Psalms 144:11-15 CEB Rescue me and deliver me from the power of strangers, whose mouths speak lies, and whose strong hand is a strong hand of deception,  so that our sons can grow up fully, in their youth, like plants;  so that our daughters can be like pillars carved to decorate a palace;  so that our barns can be full, providing all kinds of food;  so that our flocks can be in the thousands - even tens of thousands - in our fields; so that our cattle can be loaded with calves;  so that there won't be any breach in the walls, no exile,  no outcries in our streets!  The people who have it like this are truly happy! The people whose God is the LORD are truly happy! Psalms 144:11-15 CEB This is David's picture of flourishing, of Life in abundance...where people can thrive, where creation can thrive, where there is justice and safety. Where God is close. Perhaps if we're struggling to write our own song, using David's template here might help: What we wan...

Psalms 144:9-10 CEB [9] I will sing a new song to you, God.  I will sing praises to you on a ten-stringed harp,  [10] to you - the one who gives saving help to rulers, and who rescues his servant David from the evil sword. Psalms 144:9-10 CEB In the middle of David's psalm, sandwiched between his expression of his problems and his hope for the future is "I will sing a new song to You, God". Not many of us can write songs, but all of us can express to God our hopes, our fears, our loves, our losses, and our faith in Him. Sandwiched between our problems of today and our hopes for the future is our here-and-now, a today to be lived.  In today, what is the song you want to write to our God? What is going on in you that you want to tell Him, share with Him? David's psalm is an invitation to write our song, our psalm, our few perhaps faltering words, perhaps just one word or two today... Perhaps in the writing, the humming, the singing, a new song will emerge, a glimpse of ...

Sunday Psalms; Of David. Psalms 144:3-8 CEB What are human beings, LORD,  that you know them at all?  What are human beings that you even consider them? Humans are like a puff of air; their days go by like a shadow. LORD,  part your skies and come down!  Touch the mountains so they smoke! Flash lightning and scatter the enemy! Shoot your arrows and defeat them! Stretch out your hand from above! Rescue me and deliver me from deep water, from the power of strangers,  whose mouths speak lies,  and whose strong hand is a strong hand of deception! Psalms 144:3-8 CEB David opens his psalm grateful that God has given him the ability to fight, yet ends this part of the psalm overwhelmed by those who are against him, at the end of his ability to deal with those coming against him. For all our abilities and strengths, there can be times when we might feel the same way, that the world, those with power, those who make decisions that impact us, we are powerless. David ...

Mark 5:35-36 CEB [35] While Jesus was still speaking with her, messengers came from the synagogue leaders' house, saying to Jairus, "Your daughter has died. Why bother the teacher any longer?" [36] But Jesus overheard their report and said to the synagogue leader,  "Don't be afraid;  just keep trusting." Mark 5:35-36 CEB Jarius is right there when the woman who had been suffering for 12 years was healed, so close that when the messengers came Jesus caught enough of their conversation.  For Jesus death was not the barrier it seems for us, it was not a permanent state.  It's so difficult not to see it that way - in Jarius' mind he was never going to see his daughter again...she was lost to death. But Jesus says: "Don't be afraid. Just keep trusting." Jesus says "Just keep trusting me." When we face death, when someone we love and care for is lost to death, one of the most difficult things can be continuing to trust Jesus.  When ...

Mark 5:29, 33-34 CEB Her bleeding stopped immediately, and she sensed in her body that her illness had been healed. ... [33] The woman, full of fear and trembling, came forward. Knowing what had happened to her, she fell down in front of Jesus and told him the whole truth.  He responded, "Daughter, your faith has healed you;  go in peace, healed from your disease." Mark 5:29, 33-34 CEB Jesus took the time to listen to her story.  Her story that included 12yrs of suffering, expending all her resources, her story of limitation, her story of faith, and finally, healing and freedom. A taste of what is to come, a taste of what she will have experienced a second time when she met Jesus again, and a taste of what we will fully realise when we meet Jesus; Freedom  Healing Fully Alive #gospelofMark #invitation  #thebestisyettocome #onedayallwillbemadenew 

Mark 5:28-32 CEB She was thinking, If I can just touch his clothes, I'll be healed. Her bleeding stopped immediately,  and she sensed in her body that her illness had been healed. At that very moment, Jesus recognized that power had gone out from him.  He turned around in the crowd and said,  "Who touched my clothes?" His disciples said to him, "Don't you see the crowd pressing against you? Yet you ask, 'Who touched me?'" But Jesus looked around carefully to see who had done it. Mark 5:28-32 CEB Our tired, broke, almost defeated person here took a step of faith, somehow prompted in a supernatural way to touch Jesus clothes. At a supernatural level Jesus knew something had shifted, yet at a human level, he genuinely didn't seem to know who was part of that shift.  And he wanted to know.  He was interested. Interested in the person who had impacted his spirit. And he looked around carefully for her.  This is Jesus, God and human, carefully looking ...

Psalms 143:7-8 CEB Answer me, LORD - and quickly!  My breath is fading. Don't hide your face from me or I'll be like those going down to the pit! Tell me all about your faithful love come morning time,  because I trust you.  Show me the way I should go,  because I offer my life up to you.   Psalms 143:7-8 CEB Panic, anxiety, worry...you can feel it in David's song... And then he kind of flicks a switch (not that David would know what that means!), and asks God to remind him of something, and reminds himself of things he holds as true: Tell me about your faithful love. Remind me that I am beloved, that I do matter, that You see the worth in me. I trust You. Give me some direction, the next step, help me take a step, because I have already committed my life to You. When we feel panicked, anxious, overwhelmed, just like David was, we may find that following his steps will help us too; Remind ourselves that we are Beloved. Remind ourselves of what is True. Take...

Sunday Psalms; A psalm of David. Psalms 143:1-2 CEB Listen to my prayer, LORD!  Because of your faithfulness,  hear my requests for mercy!  Because of your righteousness,  answer me! Please don't bring your servant to judgment, because no living thing is righteous before you. Psalms 143:1-2 CEB David is not relying on his own goodness, his own righteousness, his own faithfulness, or even his own idea of mercy. But God's. David knows he cannot stand before God, request, let alone demand, anything from God. Yet he does.  What is it that joins these ideas together and allows David the freedom to talk to God like this? It's found in the middle of his song to God in v8 [8] Tell me all about your faithful love come morning time, because I trust you. David knows that God is Love. That he is loved. And that changes everything. When we know that we're beloved because we exist, because as Paul shares in Ephesians 1 that we were known in God's imagination from before time,...

Friday! Proverbs! Proverbs 4:23, 25 CEB [23] More than anything you guard, protect your mind, for life flows from it.  ... [25] Focus your eyes straight ahead;  keep your gaze on what is in front of you.   Proverbs 4:23, 25 CEB These ideas at the end of Ch4 seem connected to guarding our mind (our "leb", heart, mind, will, the centre of who we are).  V24 is about avoiding lies and being careful with our words, and V25 is kind of the opposite to what we avoid, to focus on what is in front. I wonder what the writer of Proverbs would make of our world where there is so much clamouring for our attention, wanting to take our focus, distract us. Somedays it seems we're fighting to retain any kind of focus...and that's what this Proverb invites us to do...retain our focus. Two ways that this Proverb encourages us in...the first is about what is in front of us, not getting lost in the "if only" or the "what if", but staying in the here and now, staying whe...

Mark 5:27-29 CEB Because she had heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothes.  She was thinking, If I can just touch his clothes, I'll be healed. Her bleeding stopped immediately, and she sensed in her body that her illness had been healed.   Mark 5:27-29 CEB 12 years of illness. 12 years of hope, and no change. 12 years of making money somehow to give to doctors for nothing to change. 12 years of waiting. 12 years of being "unclean". 12 years of limitation.  And in a moment, she knew that her illness was healed. Everything changed in a moment. In that moment, perhaps for the first time in her adult life, she felt fully alive. Whether we experience anything like this in this life, whether our illnesses and weaknesses and limitations are miraculously healed or not, one day we will meet Jesus just as this person did, and we will experience what she did, the fully aliveness of all we were made to be. She got a taster, because while she...

Mark 5:27-28 CEB Because she had heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothes. She was thinking, If I can just touch his clothes, I'll be healed.  Mark 5:27-28 CEB We don't know this person's thought process, but likely, with the illness she had, she was "unclean", unable to go into a temple and meet a Rabbi, unable to pay for access, and ashamed of the state and place she was in. And thought "if I can just get close enough to touch his clothes that will be enough and no one will know". Where did this idea that touching Jesus clothes would be enough to heal her come from?  The thing is that she heard about Jesus, and then stepped towards him. No matter where we are, the things we are carrying, the illness, the loss, the worry, the shame, step towards Jesus. A step of hope. A step of faith. Come as you are. Step towards Jesus. We're invited to do just what this woman did 2000 years ago, and step towards Jesus...today....

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...