Trust Me
Pray, then, in this way: “Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be Your Name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:9-13 NASB) On July 3rd mid-afternoon, my dad is sitting up, covered with warmed blankets in room 4012, on the fourth floor of the Silver Tower at Evergreen Hospital. His room faces south, where the old Totem Lake Mall now hosts the county...
read moreWe Have an Awesome God
I’ve been the primary caregiver for my wife. Being a caregiver can be very difficult, and when the government gets involved, it becomes a real headache trying to do everything, and to do it right. And this is in addition of making sure my wife is cared for. In Washington State there is Department of Social and Health Services. DSHS. Their maze of regulations is huge. To make it even worse, the basic law comes from the federal government. So now you’re dealing with both state and federal. Then add county and different non-profit organizations,...
read moreWholehearted
Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37 NIV) I always forget that the context of this verse was a Pharisee who was an expert in religious law and “tried to trap” Jesus with the question, “Which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” (Matthew 22:34-39). In the Old Testament, that command is found in Deuteronomy 6:5, with the three parts of a human being listed in the same order. Interestingly, the section of Deuteronomy 6 in my Bible is labeled...
read moreHonoring My Mothers and Fathers
My neighborhood group just finished our study of Beginnings, the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. A common discussion thread the whole time was, “What is the relevance of this ancient law and society to us?” Concurrent with our Bible study has been working out my primary New Year’s resolution of honoring my mother this year, as she turns 100. These two seemingly different streams are closely connected in my mind with a call to honor those who came before us, to whom we owe a debt of gratitude....
read moreI Like the Book of Job
I cannot eat for sighing; my groans pour out like water. (Job 3:24 NLT) I know many people think the book of Job is depressing. It’s not very popular. First there is a rich man named Job, who fell on some very hard times. Not good. Then some windbags get together and yak, and blah, blah, blah. And then, in the end, Job becomes rich again. This is basically the whole book. All 42 chapters—minus a lot of details. But it’s because of these details that I like the book. First Job was rich, but because of fire, theft, and a house collapsing,...
read moreCollective Responsibility
If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God… (Deuteronomy 28:1-2 NIV) I wrote recently about the collective accountability that is clear in the early books of the Bible. Though it’s uncomfortable to modern American sensibilities, God doesn’t shy away from holding Israel answerable as a community for their general faithfulness to him. The...
read moreTalk to Me
“Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.” (John 16:24 NKJV) Don’t you love it when God suddenly illumines the eyes of your heart to see something old in a new way? He does this often, but I find myself needing continual reminders that this is certainly what He is good at and wants to do. Recently, I have been asking God why I haven’t been experiencing joy the way I ought to, and I believe that part of it relates to how I have not been viewing my prayer as a means to work on...
read moreSpring Training
(This post was originally written in 2009, before my kids woke me up early every day.) “…[T]rain yourself to be godly.” (1 Timothy 4:7b NIV) A few weeks ago, I noticed that I was feeling reluctant to go to church. I always feel a little bit unenthusiastic on Sunday morning, because the 9:30 a.m. church service is earlier than I usually get to work. But this time I noticed a little resentment in my reluctance, and that gave me pause. I’ve been to church nearly every Sunday of my entire life. Why did I suddenly resent it? I used to believe that...
read moreBeing Good Neighbors
Each one helps his neighbor and says to his brother, “Be strong!” (Isaiah 41:6 NASB) Our son Isaac has been watching some TV lately. We have screens on from time to time, and we noticed several months ago that he really liked the Jeopardy theme song. Since Dan and I are nerdy about trivia, we’re totally encouraging Isaac to keep on loving that show! But in finding shows that are geared more toward him, we’ve decided to start with programming that we’re familiar with. Daniel and I never watched Thomas and Friends growing up, but I’ve worked...
read moreCollective Accountability
“I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:5b-6 NIV) Our prayer lighthouse/Bible study group has been working our way through the Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible). At first I was pretty skeptical that I’d get anything out of it; I just remembered lots of skin diseases and Tabernacle decorations from previous times when I’ve tried...
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