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Archive for the ‘Biblical’ Category

Abiding

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , , on June 11, 2013| Leave a Comment »

We sat around our backyard fire pit. As we watched the stars come out we talked about how to walk our faith out on a day-to-day basis. We talked about what the Bible had to say about business ethics; raising kids; dealing with church politics or prickly people. At the end of many of our discussions our friend, Jerry would say, “It really all comes down to abiding.”

What would it be like to truly abide in Christ and His Word all the time? 

Read more from Gail Rodgers at http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2013/06/11/fireside-wisdom/

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Spiritual Boot Camp Day 2

Posted in Biblical on May 13, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Shelly is walking us through the Book of James in a Spiritual Boot Camp, providing some deep insight. You will find God in your trials- and His Truth in her words. Follow her at Deeply Rooted in Him.

Shelly's avatarDeeply Rooted in Him

Hope you had some insights during your prayer time from Day 1 on where you find your identity. Please feel free to share any insights you gain by leaving a comment. Today we will continue digging into James 1.

James 1:2-4

  Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

There are three main points in the first sentence in this passage. The first is we will face trials and not just one kind of trials, but a variety of them. The second point is the reason we face trials is to test our faith. It is easy to say things with words but much harder to follow them up with action. For example, how…

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In a Tradition

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , , on May 5, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Rogation Sunday is, in the old English or Anglian tradition,  always the Sunday before Ascension Day. Ascension Day is always on a Thursday because it is 40 days after Resurrection Sunday. Actually, Rogation lasts three days.

The tradition is for the service to be a blessing of the agriculture. People would walk around the boundaries of their farms or villages and thank God for His provisions. Back in the day when a majority lived an agrarian lifestyle, it made perfect sense to praise God from whom all blessings flow and ask Him to continue to bless their livelihood.

 

Compton parish 2011

Compton parish 2011

In many churches throughout the world, this old tradition is practiced. 

The service  literally serves to connect the earthly to the Heavenly, the way Eden once was. Traditionally the service for that Sunday is held outdoors.

 

Why is it celebrated the Sunday before Our Lord ascended into Heaven?

“We frequently think of seedtime, planting, and prayers for an abundant harvest as the main emphasis for rogation, but the word “rogation” actually takes its meaning from the Latin word “rogare” which means “to beseech.

This comes from 5th century France: after horrible natural disasters, the Bishop required the people to make a solemn three-day observance in order to atone for their sin; the observance consisted of three main parts: 1. The people were to petition God for forgiveness of their sins. 2. The people were to petition God for protection from further calamities. 3. The people were to petition God for bountiful crops.

Over the years, rogation lost its penitential air and became festive. Present traditions include “blessing of the fields” with processions through local fields, a singing of the litany, and offering prayers for God’s protection and favor. The rogation service is to include a celebration of Holy Communion.

The spiritual lessons of rogation have also developed. God and humanity cooperate in the creative processes of agriculture. Tilling and care of the soil are tasks and privileges given by God. The life-giving power of the sown seed depends on God’s goodness. These relationships result in a bountiful harvest.” http://www.ruralministry.com/Resources/Rogation.htm

 

I believe God can bring new meaning and purpose to what He calls us to do. So, I affirm that the spirituality of Rogation Days can be argued.  It is connected to Jesus preparing His disciples to go into the fields as harvesters of souls.

 In the beginning, God gave Adam the responsibility of caring for Eden.

 

The Lord God took the man kand put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (Genesis 2:15)

 

 The crucified and resurrected Jesus, as the New Adam, has restored the relationship God once had with mankind.  Before He ascended, Jesus gave the earth to His followers and put them in charge of it’s care… and that included the people as well.

 

He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  Luke 10:2 (Matthew 9:37)

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority iin heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (Matthew 28:18-19, ESV)

 Jesus told Peter to feed and care for his sheep. We can take that to mean spiritually of course, but I believe that we are also called to care for the physical needs of others, and we need the fruit and grains of the earth in order to do that. 

 Rogation reminds us that our Lord was human. He ate the yields of the earth. He wandered the fields, mountains, villages, wilderness and seashores.  Though we are not of this world and this is not our home, it is leased to our care. To take care of the earth and it’s people is a commandment from our Lord. 

Maybe that is why we “plant new churches” and cultivate the “fruit of the Spirit”.

 

Rogation prayers:

For favorable weather, temperate rains and fruitful seasons, and that there may be food and drink for all your creatures,
let us pray to our God. 
God hear our prayer.

For your blessing upon the lands and waters,
and all who work upon them to bring forth food
and all things needful for your people,
let us pray to our God. 
God hear our prayer.

For all who care for the earth, the water and the air,
that the riches of your creation may abound from age to age,
let us pray to our God. 
God hear our prayer.

We ask your blessing as we walk into the future
that we may be united in your love with all creation
and that we ourselves be fertile soil,  producing abundant growth rich in the fruits of the Spirit.
In the Name of God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

                                               

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Not in a Store

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Life Experiences on April 21, 2013| 1 Comment »

I was talking to a sales clerk over the phone. As a church secretary, I had called to see if they carried some supplies we needed.  At the end of the conversation the clerk replied, “Boy, it was sure nice to talk to someone from a church who is decent.”

WHAT??? I sucked in my breath. Are not all people who are associated with churches decent? Scripture tell us to treat everyone with love, kindness and dignity. I mean, isn’t that Christianity 101?

“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:8

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????The clerk told me it is a standard joke when venting to each other in the break room over a rude customer. Let me guess, they were from a church, right?

He told me the rudest, most demanding people are ministers and their staff. They treat clerks like low-life and demand they get breaks, freebies and special treatment because they are non-profit and /or represent God.  One lady before my call had come in to the store with a “Jesus Loves You” T-shirt on, and used abusive language to a clerk. She was loud and derogatory enough for the whole store to hear, she belittled the poor employee saying they were all idiots, nothing but thieves who try to trick you into spending your hard-earned money, and she’d pray for them because they were all going to hell. All the guy had asked for was her store discount card so he could verify if she qualified for a rebate offer.

I asked a friend of mine who is in retail about this and they just nodded. Yep,  they get the same treatment. Church representatives are the most “un-Christian” people they encounter on a daily basis.

No wonder non believers call us hypocrites!

Are you as shocked as I am?

Then re-blog this and tell your friends.

Dear brothers and sisters, who are we representing to the world?  The next time you walk in or call a store and you are representing a ministry, act the way Jesus would.  Please!

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In the wisdom of foolishness

Posted in Biblical, Christian, tagged , , , on April 1, 2013| Leave a Comment »

For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. I Corinthians 4:10

 

 

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Happy April Fool’s Day.

Join me (and millions of others) in being foolish for Christ.

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In a Moment on a Hill

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , on March 29, 2013| 2 Comments »

thumbnail[2]Remember – what He did today for You

…and being found in the appearance of a man, he humbled himself; and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:8-9

He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”  I Peter 2:24

fall to your knees and be thankful.

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In a Sermon about wallowing with pigs

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , , on March 11, 2013| 2 Comments »

Have you ever been “wowed” by a sermon? Yesterday in church, I was.

The Scripture for the day was such a familiar one- the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. Somewhere in Heaven, volumes must be stored up on this parable. One of my favorite oldie but goldie Contemporary Christian songs is “When God Ran” by Benny Hester and sung by Phillips, Craig & Dean.

 

 

 

But, my priest, Chris Culpepper at Christ the Redeemer Anglican,  decided to concentrate on the least talked about person in the parable. Not the son, not the father, not the elder brother- but the man the prodigal son turned to after he’d squandered all his money.  “After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in the country and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country , who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.” ( vs. 15-16)

 

That citizen , our wise pastor said, is the father of lies.  The citizen of a country not our own as the children of God, i.e. the world. The world is in famine for love, acceptance and truth, yet it seeks it elsewhere than in its Creator. Instead of humbling ourselves to our Heavenly Father, we think we have done too much to ever return to Him.  So we turn to another- a substitute father.  He gets us to do things we thought we’d never do and convinces us that is the way things are because of what we’ve done.

Pigs were taboo to the Hebrews. This son had sunk as low as he could. And here is the key- no one gave him anything.  Not food, not shelter, and certainly not forgiveness.

My priest challenged us, and I pass it on to you. What is it that you have yet to come to God about? Is the father of lies whispering that you are too sinful? Is your pride keeping you from feasting on God’s mercy? Are you  instead starving for His grace, but afraid to receive it?

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.     (I John 2:1-2)

Stop wallowing in the mud of your past with the pigs. Don’t listen to the whisperings of the father of lies. Listen to Jesus and come home.

 

 

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Grungy Dime

Posted in Biblical, Christian, tagged , , , , , on March 8, 2013| 1 Comment »

During a meeting,  I detected a coin on the floor. At first I thought it might be a penny. Someone probably dropped it then decided it wasn’t worth the effort to retrieve it. The coin was so grungy and dark, even when I held it up to the light, I couldn’t discern its denomination.

800px-One_dime_1976_revisedCuriosity, or latent OCD, got the better of me. I shoved it in my pocket. After I got home, I rubbed the coin with a squeeze of toothpaste. I saw bits of Eisenhower’s face. I rubbed some more. I saw the year it was minted and the inscribed words “Liberty”. I flipped it over and rubbed the other side until the images of the torch, olive branch and oak branch surfaced. No more mystery. I held a shiny dime from 1976, minted in Denver. Not a penny.

It reminded me of the woman who searched for her lost coin in Luke’s Gospel. While nine remained on the table, she hunted and hunted for the tenth one.

[Jesus said] “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:8-10

 

What does the lost coin symbolize?  A lost soul in need of a Savior? Most definitely.

But I can see where it can also be that deep hidden sin lurking out of sight. The grungy one we’d prefer not to deal with yet. We say, “Lord, let’s tackle the easy ones first. The nine  lying open on the table. This one’s being swept under the rug for now, okay? Don’t search for it.”

Human wisdom tell us to let sleeping dogs lie. There are some issues better left alone. But godly wisdom disagrees with that philosophy. Sin begins to cling to us like dirt. We become camouflaged in the ways of the world. It’s hard to determine our purpose or worth.

I have learned I can’t hide things from God for very long. Like the tenacious woman searching for the lost coin, God will search out the sin in our lives. He will exhaust every means to bring into the open what we’ve been trying to hide from Him, and perhaps from ourselves. Knowing all, He encourages us to confess the sin, wipe it clean and then shine forth His glory in our lives.

 

 

 

taken from What Can She Tell Us– a Bible study of the unnamed women in the New Testament.

 

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In the shadows

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on February 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Our church uses a power point display on the walls. We also have a processional, which means we sing as the ministers and helpers in the service come up the aisle. Kids from the congregation carry a wooden cross and liquid wax torches, symbolizing Jesus as the Light of the World.

When the torch bearers pass by the projectors, the light-beam catches the torches. They cast a shadow across the lower corner of the illuminated screen on the wall. But, what is so cool is that the warmth emitting from the torches can suddenly be seen as wispy shadows, almost translucent,  billowing up over the words to the hymn.

Zechariah, the father of John the Baptizer, told his infant boy this:

 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
  for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
  in the forgiveness of their sins,
 because of the tender mercy of our God,
  whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
  to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
(Luke 1:76-79 ESV)

dreamstimefree_91584We are supposed to reflect Jesus as we walk this earth. We carry His torch. If Christ shines His light in our path, will other people, who sit in darkness, see the wispy shadow of the Holy Spirit emitting from our souls like a Godly warmth? Or will they only see the shadow of death because of  our unconfessed sins and worldly week-day ways?

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On A Bird Feeder

Posted in Biblical, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on February 18, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Fort Worth gets winds- gusty winds that whine through my windowsills like a stubborn child in a tantrum. Incessant.  It seems to last forever.  Actually this time, it has been going on for three days.

Before the latest winds hit, I put up a little bird feeder on the tree outside my patio. It was on sale and so was the seed. Within 24 hours I heard the cheeps and saw two finches perched on it, announcing to their feathered kin and friends that they had found free chow. Then a few sparrows, and my favorite, the timid turtle doves appeared.

dreamstimefree_97858While writing at my computer, I noticed the little feeder tilting in the wind. On it clung a determined purple finch, timing its pecks to the gusts. It’s little feet curled tightly around the pole. Wings flapped to maintain balance. But, no matter what, that tiny bird was staying on that feeder so it could have the seeds. As the feeder tilted, some of the seeds fell to the ground, greeted by opportunistic doves below.

I smiled – that’s me on that feeder.

If you picture at the feeder as God’s blessings and the winds as life, can you see the analogy?

Life can get a bit gusty and wobbly at times. We cannot control the winds of change. But we can redirect our sails. That is what a magnet on my fridge that my late mother gave me states.

God gives us abundant blessings. We, though, have to choose to ingest them into our life. When our world turns gusty and we feel tossed about a bit, we can still cling to those blessings.  That takes determination and tenacity. But God continues to provide – that feeder of blessings will never empty all the way.

And here is the best part. When others see us clinging on, a bit of those blessings may spill their way as well. People gather around a person who perseveres. They watch and ask, “How do they do that?”  Our tenacity and can-do attitude attracts others. Just remember to tell them whose feeder you are on and why. You never know where those seeds of blessing will fall.

And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.   (Matthew 13:3-8 ESV)

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