A Pastor in The Northwest

I read this today in a devotional (commonprayer.net): Church father and “golden-mouthed” preacher John Chrysostom said this in the fourth century: “Our spirit should be quick to reach out toward God, not only when it is engaged in meditation; at other times also, when it is carrying out its duties, caring for the needy, performing works of charity, or giving generously in the ser-vice of others. Our spirit should long for God and call him to mind, so that these works may be seasoned with the salt of God’s love, and so make a pleasing offering to the Lord of the universe.” Hmm. God in our everyday moments.  When we walk, when we wake, when we talk when we work.  Lord, help me invite You into it ALL today! Prayer:  "God, help us to show kindness and unrivaled hospitality as the natural extension of our commitment to you. Use us to bring hope and comfort to the abandoned and forsaken corners of your creation. Amen." Photo by Eric Rothermel on Unsplash

I read this today and thought it was worth sharing.  It is about the tragic, beautiful, and confusing story of Job: Job wanted answers, too. He longed for God to make Himself known and settle the matter (Job 9:3). Job mourned that he had no way of defending himself before God: “There is no arbiter between us that he might lay his hand on both of us. May he remove his rod from me, and let his dread not terrify me; then I would speak and not fear him, for in myself I am not fearful” (Job 9:33–35). In the end, when Job requested an answer from God—who alone could answer his questions—God silenced him. He restored Job’s prosperity, but Job still had to live without knowing why. When we don’t have the answer, we should still affirm God’s love and goodness, acknowledging that “He is the one who does great things beyond understanding and marvelous things beyond number” (Job 9:10). And we do have one answer that quiets our fretful hearts—we know the arbiter and what He has done for us, whi...

I was reading again the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10. In that story, Martha is left to handle the household chores while Mary sits and soaks in the teaching of Jesus.  As I pondered this today, I was drawn to the statement Jesus made to Mary: Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42  but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”     The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Lk 10:41–42). (2016). Crossway Bibles. Hmmm. What IS necessary? What is the "better part"? Well, by context, the teaching of Jesus and the kingdom He was bringing into existence. As one devotional I read stated: Choosing the “better part” doesn’t invalidate the things we’re busy with; indeed, Martha’s work served the needs of others. But the things we do shouldn’t shape our identity. The “one thing” that should shape our identity—the one thing we really need—is Jesus. Ultimately, it’s the desire to know Him a...

One of my favorite Psalms to sort of 'sober me up' in life is Psalm 90. Here's part of it from the New Living Translation: 10 Seventy years are given to us!     Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble;     soon they disappear, and we fly away. 11 Who can comprehend the power of your anger?     Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve. 12 Teach us to realize the brevity of life,     so that we may grow in wisdom. In other words, life is brief and will bring us grief... Sure, not a happy-go-lucky sort of song, but, a good reality check that we will face trouble in life and we will die. Ugh. It would be pretty bleak if this was the whole story, but, alas, it is not.  In fact, the beginning of Psalm 90 reminds us that God has and will remain our home and our Creator and will never forsake us - something the writer of Hebrews reminds us of (Hebrews 13:5)! As one writer put it, "When nothing else o...

One of my favorite ancient hymns of the church is Be Thou My Vision.  I like the depth of the lyric and the lilt of the melody.  What I didn't know, however, was just how ancient it is, which was discovered in my devotional time today: Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; Nought be all else to me, save that Thou art; Thou my best thought, by day or by night, Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light. Be thou my battle-shield, sword for the fight; Be thou my armour, be Thou my might; Thou my soul’s shelter, Thou my high tower; Raise thou me heavenward, O Power of my power. Irish, c. 8th century tr. Mary Elizabeth Byrne, 1880–1931 versified by Eleanor Henrietta Hull, 1860–1935   Manser, M., ed. (2015). Daily Guidance (p. 238). Martin Manser. Today, Lord, be my vision! Photo by Ion Fet on Unsplash

  In Proverbs 10:19 (NLT) we read this: Too much talk leads to sin.      Be sensible and keep your mouth shut. I must admit, this is hard for me! In a group of people, I like to keep the convo going and avoid the awkward lull in the dialogue.  Yet, the wisdom of this Proverbs verse would caution overuse of words and endless talking. This isn't the only 'less talk' statement in Scripture. For instance, there's this statement (also likely from Solomon):   Don’t make rash promises, and don’t  be  hasty in bringing matters  be fore God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your  words   be   few . So there we go. Lord, give me wisdom to talk less and listen more! Photo by Kane Reinholdtsen on Unsplash

This morning, as I was praying and listening to Scripture, I was confronted again with Jesus' strong words about being His follower recorded in Matthew 10: 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Mt 10:37–39). (2016). Crossway Bibles. Whoa. Take up the cross - that's rough. His disciples knew that this meant death. In fact, scholars estimate that the typical Roman crossbar used in crucifixion was anywhere from 50-100 lbs. Ugh. In following Jesus, we may face disapproval from family and friends, but even more than this, we face the end of life as we know it. That is a tall order. So I wonder, what does Jesus want us to hear today in those statements? As a follower of Jes...