>It has been hard for me to do much of anything with Karin gone. Yesterday was the worst; after church I basically spent the entire day in bed, not very motivated to do anything without my girls. Today I was distracted with work for awhile, but really wasn’t excited to get home. The girls come home tomorrow night and I am very excited.
>Psalm 89:46-52
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46 How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my time is!
For what vanity you have created all the children of man!
48 What man can live and never see death?
Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah
49 Lord, where is your steadfast love of old,
which by your faithfulness you swore to David?
50 Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked,
and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations,
51 with which your enemies mock, O Lord,
with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed.
52 Blessed be the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.
God remember how wee we are. Don’t be angry. There is so little power in us, that we are completely dependent upon you.
There are many who will harm us. We carry these wounds in our hearts, they don’t realize that we are God’s chosen and that their mocking is of holy people.
>Psalm 89:29-45
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29 I will establish his offspring forever
and his throne as the days of the heavens.
30 If his children forsake my law
and do not walk according to my rules,
31 if they violate my statutes
and do not keep my commandments,
32 then I will punish their transgression with the rod
and their iniquity with stripes,
33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love
or be false to my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant
or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
35 Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;
I will not lie to David.
36 His offspring shall endure forever,
his throne as long as the sun before me.
37 Like the moon it shall be established forever,
a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah
38 But now you have cast off and rejected;
you are full of wrath against your anointed.
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant;
you have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have breached all his walls;
you have laid his strongholds in ruins.
41 All who pass by plunder him;
he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 You have also turned back the edge of his sword,
and you have not made him stand in battle.
44 You have made his splendor to cease
and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth;
you have covered him with shame. Selah
There is little doubt to me that physically disciplining a child is Biblical. I don’t want to put down parents who don’t do it and use other means of discipline with their children, but I do think the scriptures allow it. Look at this Psalm it is used as a picture of how God will deal with us in relation to his law. The Proverbs are filled with admonishing parents to discipline their children and many times they are clear it means physically. That is one part of parenting that just sucks.
Now the point of this Psalm is not about disciplining our children but rather our discipline when we fail to keep God’s law. He reminds us that yes it will happen but he will not remove his love from us. He has made promises that he will keep. He will get us through even the hard times.
Then there is the effects of our sin, pain that is brought about not through discipline but rather disobedience. What is wild to me is the effect of our sin talked about here is not what it does to us, but rather how it leads us to forsake our neighbor. We wreck them, God’s anointed one, we have become the weak link that makes our community vulnerable. Often times in the church you see that the person who is freely embracing sin might be getting by in his life but it is causing havoc for everyone around.
>Psalm 89:19-28
>19 Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said:
“I have granted help to one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20 I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
21 so that my hand shall be established with him;
my arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not outwit him;
the wicked shall not humble him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,
and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand on the sea
and his right hand on the rivers.
26 He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’
27 And I will make him the firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
28 My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
and my covenant will stand firm for him.
Let’s just say it is not bad to write a wonderful poem about the king. David’s God chosen one. Strong, witty, and humble. God is behind him and taking the lead in defeating his enemies. David has to be one of the most interesting people in all the Bible. It is amazing to me that the way David’s story is told that it is so easy to related to a king of an Ancient Near East Nations. Funny. He is also inspiring with my latest philosophy and that is to not be bored. The entire Bathsheba circumstances might have been avoided if David wasn’t staring out the window every day:)
Let us cry out to God, for his love has been demonstrated forever, and his covenant has stood firm.
>Psalm 89:1-18
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89:1 I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever;
with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever;
in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”
3 You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn to David my servant:
4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever,
and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah
5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord,
your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,
7 a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,
and awesome above all who are around him?
8 O Lord God of hosts,
who is mighty as you are, O Lord,
with your faithfulness all around you?
9 You rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, you still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;
the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.
12 The north and the south, you have created them;
Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
13 You have a mighty arm;
strong is your hand, high your right hand.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
16 who exult in your name all the day
and in your righteousness are exalted.
17 For you are the glory of their strength;
by your favor our horn is exalted.
18 For our shield belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.
God really is faithful. Each one of us has to step out in some way, it is impossible to be human and not. Often our fear of people, what other will think, or not wanting to upset anyone will make us run, but when we show up, God is there with us. That is faithfulness. He shows up just when we need him.
Where are the heavens that he is building up his faithfulness. Is it some place we end up going after we die, or is it much closer than any of us imagine? Perhaps it is those places where his kingdom is established on this earth, in the words of Fredrick Buechner “where a little green grows”, I’m not so sure. But as I read this Psalm I do think it is a place that we get to experience as well as our children. It is close and it is passed down.
Most of us would rather have a missile defense system rather than a shield. Something that allows us to sit in our homes watching Tivo as the war goes on around us while we remain unaffected. But unfortunately God has not described his protection that way. It is just a shield. We are face to face with our enemy. We see his or her eyes. The sweat, blood, tears and beer will splatter on us, and all we have is a shield to protect us. How about that for a sermon or book title; “God shield in a nuclear age.” The fact is that God’s shield is stronger than anything we can imagine. That doesn’t mean that the battle isn’t scary though.
>Psalm 88
>88:1 LORD, you are the God who saves me;
day and night I cry out to you.
2 May my prayer come before you;
turn your ear to my cry.
3 I am overwhelmed with troubles
and my life draws near to death.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am like one without strength.
5 I am set apart with the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
who are cut off from your care.
6 You have put me in the lowest pit,
in the darkest depths.
7 Your wrath lies heavily on me;
you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.
8 You have taken from me my closest friends
and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined and cannot escape;
9 my eyes are dim with grief.
I call to you, LORD, every day;
I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you show your wonders to the dead?
Do their spirits rise up and praise you?
11 Is your love declared in the grave,
your faithfulness in Destruction?
12 Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?
13 But I cry to you for help, LORD;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 Why, LORD, do you reject me
and hide your face from me?
15 From my youth I have suffered and been close to death;
I have borne your terrors and am in despair.
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
your terrors have destroyed me.
17 All day long they surround me like a flood;
they have completely engulfed me.
18 You have taken from me friend and neighbor—
darkness is my closest friend.
(So the ESV website is down this morning so I copied from the TNIV, but I am still reading my ESV) There are only a hand full of times in my life that I have truly cried out to the Lord. The were important moments for me, the last of which was when we were moving out of our home in Oakland, CA. Most of the time I just sort of smile and wink at God. Crying out takes time, emotion, and soul often these are lacking in how I relate to God on a daily basis.
There is a biblical understanding that God brings us through hard times. Last night while reading in preparation for the Communicants class that I will teach the children of Grace Seattle, I started to wonder how to talk about this with kids. To me it seems like something of the human experience and I am wondering if children will be able to name the fallen state of the world around them, and if they can believe in a God who is more powerful even when their hopes are disappointed in the short term.
This prayer reminds me more than any other of my prayers the night our house partner screamed at me and told me one of us had to move out. I was sad broken hearted and was left wondering why God would put us through this. My faith was not shattered, I still believed, I just did not like the actions of a holy God, who seems to “cause my companions to shun me”.
So even in our pain we go to God. A very Godly mad asked me a simple question, “Name one person who’s spirituality you respect that has time with God at night?” You start your morning with God, you might have a time for evening prayers and chat with God, but the morning is where it all springs from. We are forced to face our lack and fear as we go into another day where we are forced to have faith.
This Psalm is also challenging to most of us because it has no resolution. What do you do with that? For me it seems to fit with life. Sometimes there are questions that don’t get wrapped up in twenty lines or even on hundred lines. Why do friends lose babies? That is one question I look forward to having God satisfy after death, because right now I cannot see it. Each one of us come with our own set of unanswerables, if you don’t have them you are in denial.
>Psalm 87
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87:1 On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
2 the Lord loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
3 Glorious things of you are spoken,
O city of God. Selah
4 Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon;
behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush—
“This one was born there,” they say.
5 And of Zion it shall be said,
“This one and that one were born in her”;
for the Most High himself will establish her.
6 The Lord records as he registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah
7 Singers and dancers alike say,
“All my springs are in you.”
God stands behind the city which he founded. Strength, dignity, and upon the rock it stands. It’s gates hold the stories of our fathers and our father’s fathers. They are high and broad, and should remind us of the blessing if God each time we enter. Remind each other of the wonderful stories each time we walk past them together.
There are many that are amazing. New York, Boston, Miami, L.A., San Francisco all of whom many important people have been born in and died. Yet God will bring about one. A spring, a place of life where none would expect. All will enjoy, dance and sing of all that rises up!
>Psalm 86
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86:1 Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my life, for I am godly;
save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.
3 Be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.
7 In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
for you answer me.
8 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
9 All the nations you have made shall come
and worship before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
10 For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.
12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
14 O God, insolent men have risen up against me;
a band of ruthless men seeks my life,
and they do not set you before them.
15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me;
give your strength to your servant,
and save the son of your maidservant.
17 Show me a sign of your favor,
that those who hate me may see and be put to shame
because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
Listen up while I plead my case. First I got nothing, poverty and neediness are exactly what I am. So now that you get that let’s talk about the things I am good at? I trust you, I am crying out to you. I do not want to be forgotten by you. How does that work for you? Will you help me when I am in trouble.
Hear the desire in my heart, Lord. I want to know what it is that you require of me and then I want to do it. Isn’t that what God longs for. Teach me your ways and I will follow.
Things don’t always work out the way I hope…especially when it comes to people. You are really all the good things that I can think of, and because you are remind me of that as you smoke the suckers in my life.
>The CNN/YouTube Debate
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Watching it now. Okay the guy on the toilet with the gun…crazy. This is a wild format! So far I’ve watch about five minutes but I love it. Hillary does not look well…I wonder if she ate something bad. Sen. Biden (spelling?) pretty funny.
Why do they continue to show the screen in the debate with the video’s on it? Can they not edit it into the actual screen rather than a shot of the screen.
Edwards on fashion..nice. Great idea and I like it.
Technorati Tags: politics
>The Big Kahuna
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It has been close to ten years since I have watched this movie. At the time of first watching it I was working successful as a young salesman for a large copier company (the company was large, not the copiers) Since I have gone to seminary, worked for over three years in ministry, and now am back in sales.
Watching the film again was interesting. My thoughts are making my head full. So I wanted to start the fountain and possibly write again later.
Two themes that struck me. Be true and be trust-worthy. We are all people and those are two great pursuits. Truth and trust.
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