Coming to the Still Waters

We have become a nation of sound bytes.  We skip to the end of the story or zoom through the video to "the good stuff."  I've heard around the church, "I went to the end of the Bible and it says that we win."   This is great but it is important to know what happened to make that win possible.  We also say, "freedom isn't free" and so it is with our salvation on Jesus' part but He deemed the suffering He would endure as worth it. Today's Wednesday in the Word is John chapter 12 and verses 29 through 36, which read, v.29 - So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, "An angel has spoken to Him." Last Wednesday we ended with God speaking from heaven about Jesus.  He has done this before.  As with Jesus, God gets some mixed reviews from the crowd.  Some thought a storm was coming and others attributed the sound as some type of communication with Jesus.  It wa...

Another film roll back so it is Maine roll #4!  Here is looking at you and the precious face is our little Evie from the backseat of her parents Ford Explorer.  Stephanie and I had some wonderful time away with this part of our family and I loved my time in the backseat with Evie. Here is little Evie with her big brother Joshua.  She is able to follow him around the playground.  So whatever Joshua can do, she can do to...at least until she gets rescued by mom! Or Grandma and then she not certain she really wants to go.   But something more her size and she glides down with no fear.  It is something to be around the grandchildren and try to see life from their eyes.  We once looked at life that way.  It seems so distant now.  I can still go down a slide but I've lost the joy of this face to do it again and again and again. A neighborhood pool allowed me to get this picture of three generations.  What a pict...

This summer I made a friend named Tom who is a runner.  I watched him cross the finish line in first place at the annual Blueberry Run in Machias, Maine.  Work has moved him on but he has been crossing some more finish lines.  Sometimes in 1st place but always determined to finish the race.  I thought of Tom as I walked through these verses about our Savior, Jesus Christ who is approaching the ultimate finish line of all history. Today's Wednesday in the Word covers John chapter 12 and verses 20 through 28. v.20, 21 - Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast; these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Jesus has come into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey.  Cloaks are laid down and palm branches are waved to the sound of the crowd shouting  "Hosanna."  Some are believing that Jesus is the Son of God while others are p...

The above photo is the view from the front window of the house we are living in at the present time.  Hadley Lake Road curves unto Ridge Road.  Hadley continues on north toward the lake it is named after and a turn to the right takes you onto Stagecoach Road.  It is a busy intersection during certain times of the day and the right of way of the curve makes for observing some interesting stops and signaling to go against the normal flow of traffic. I am in a season of life where I am observing some intersections in my life.  I would have been going with the flow and around the curve but God has asked me to stop and signal to go a different direction.  The construction of the road is basically the same in all four directions but these two roads to the north and east are definitely less traveled.  What I believe and how I live in accordance to my beliefs (the road surface) has not changed but where I take those lived values has.  My future looks dif...

The Apostle John has brought us to the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into the holy city of Jerusalem.  This is a very old drawing depicting the event described to us in this passage.  Let us together experience this again today and be engrossed with our King making His grand entrance. John chapter 12 and verses 12 through 19 says, v.12, 13 - On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” We have arrived at what we call "Palm Sunday."   There is quite a backstory that John does not give us that appears in the other gospels but the donkey will appear in the next verse.  This is the day after the anointing of Jesus by Mary in the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany.  Thousands are gathering to Jerusalem to celebrate t...

First off, this is not my nose, just a free image of someone's nose on the internet.  I have posted it to use the phrase "as plain as the nose on your face."   My Monday Reflections takes me back in time but with some solid answers to early 80's college questions. I have started my second online masters class and this one is the study of the Pentateuch, the first 5 books of the Bible, referred to also as the Torah.  We are looking at Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.  Any serious study of any book of the Bible usually starts with identifying the author.  This is where I travel back in time. I went to a small Christian liberal arts college in the early 80's.  There really wasn't a degree on Bible education.  You could get an associates in the area of Contemporary Ministries but the closest to and preferred route for someone entering the pastoral field was a B.A. in Philosophy/Religion.  This is what I hold but what did I g...

(For those following our ministry of interim pastoring, I had my first meeting with a 10 member transition team last night.  This is the start of stage 3 of the 5 stage intentional interim process.  I have been looking forward to part of the plan.  What love for the church I heard around the table and the elders of this church did well with their selection of voices to hear from and work with to see greater church health.  I can't thank you enough for your prayers for us and this ministry.) Today's Wednesday in the Word will cover John chapter 12 and verses 1 through 11.   v.1 - Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Lazarus has been raised from the dead and now Jesus makes a house call.  Bethany is just a few miles outside of Jerusalem and during the time of the Passover the population of the Holy City would swell well beyond its city walls.  The tow...

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_fist-fight_between_Lord_Brougham_and_Lord_Melbourne_as_Pea_Wellcome_V0050236.jpg#filehistory It seems we have been resorting to throwing a punch here and there as a solution to solve our problems for a long time.  What has me going down this trail is an image I saw last week of someone asking to hug another.  The circumstances would have probably allowed public opinion to endorse a rightful reason to punch the other but this young man decided a hug with his arms was better than hauling off with a few good ones. It is hard to hug someone if you are punching them, I would say nearly impossible, and it is hard to be hugged by someone who has been punching you.  The two just don't go together.  You are either punching or hugging.   As Christians we are to proclaim Christ, "the way, the truth, and the life."   The world does not love the truth.  Actually, when you stand as an ambassador of the tr...