My heart still aches, Father; night is not past;
But in the cold and in the void I hear Your voice at last:
Is there any way that you could trust My love,
My life in you, My promise from above,
That joy comes in the morning, that beauty comes from pain?
Can you hold on one moment longer? Is there any way?
I Took What Wasn’t Mine (and I Can’t Return It)
How to overcome habitual time theft
Let me tell you how to save 5 minutes…for someone else.
Recently I gave a Sunday evening talk at my home congregation. I talked 5 minutes into the pastor’s sermon time.
On an earlier occasion, I arranged to meet a friend. I arrived 5 minutes after the set time.
On each occasion, I took 5 minutes that weren’t mine.
When I am late to an appointment or when I’m overtime in a presentation, is that…
- time theft?
- inconsiderate rudeness?
- valuing me more highly?
- taking advantage of another?
How could it not be at least one of those?
So…how do you explain being late or over time?
Actually, never mind that. I’m far more interested in how to overcome habitual time theft from another. Read it all
Berwynn: Still the Candle Burns
No one asked me if I were willing to...
Our daughter Michayla writes stuff. Including a book I reviewed on Amazon. Alas, Amazon rejected my review. Because parents just aren’t objective, apparently. 😯
Here’s my little review:
Sex slave? Trafficked girl?
This book drew me in. Unexpectedly, it lifted my spirit several times along the way. It renewed my vision for the redemptive, victorious work of the Most High in our breaking, darkening, corrupting world.
At a couple places later in the book, my eyes welled up at the grace of Jesus to the “least” among us. One of those times was when Berwynn recognized the true identity of…eh, I better not be a spoiler!
Berwynn — is she a blend of Rahab, Deborah, and Mary Magdalene? Perhaps. But Casimir, one of the heroes all the way through the tale, early on declared in her defense, “She is a creation of the Most High. And I’ll not have her referred to as anything less than such.”
Well, it took me a few pages of reading to get “into” this book (since this genre generally isn’t my type of reading). But after that, I was hooked.
Thanks for the great read, Michayla!
I easily give Read it all
Motorcyclist Goes Off Pudding River Bridge
East of Hubbard (Oregon) about 2.5 miles.
He was alive the last I saw him.
I heard an eyewitness tell law enforcement the cyclist hit a low trailer pulled by an oncoming vehicle. Next he hit the bridge railing. And ended up in the river.
The fire fighters finally got him out.
What No Man Had Said Before
Underawed by grace?
Can you imagine the wonder of this?
I cried “No man, Lord” and He said
What no man’d said before,
“Neither do I condemn thee,
Go and sin no more.”
What no man’d said before,
“Neither do I condemn thee,
Go and sin no more.”
I Flunked Song of Solomon 907
I wrote it for ninth graders and overshot the mark.
You may know I’m writing Old Testament lessons for high school freshmen. Recently I got to the sole lesson on the Song of Solomon.
The instructions I had were quite elementary:
Bride and Groom. Applies to marriage and to Christ and His church; we are focusing on Christ and His church. Good for married people. Relate to Eph 5. Use appropriate passages; skip explicit ones. To relate the Song of Solomon to the relationship between Jesus and His bride.
The lesson focus is that last sentence.
In addition to those mandated parameters, I had these of my own:
- Make it practical for ninth graders.
- Avoid eye-rolling stretching to make the passage point to Christ and the church.
Well, I finally settled on using these passages:
- Song of Solomon 2:4 (85)
- Song of Solomon 4:1-7 (176)
- Song of Solomon 5:10-16 (143)
- Song of Solomon 7:10 (107)
- Song of Solomon 8:6,7 (217)
The numbers in parentheses tell you how many words I dedicated to each passage.
I began and ended the lesson with these paragraphs respectively:
Song of Solomon is a difficult, much-debated, little-understood book. Perhaps it describes a real-life romance. Perhaps it’s more a poem or play to instruct and encourage husbands and wives. Perhaps it’s an intricate allegory illustrating God’s relationship with His people. Perhaps it’s some combination of those. This lesson, though, will help you consider several portions of the Song of Solomon from three different angles: pre-marriage guidelines, marital principles, and spiritual truths pertaining to Christ and the church.
Nothing shall be able to separate us from divine love (Romans 8:35-39). As the church is secure in Christ, so the church must secure her love for Christ alone (Matthew 24:12; Revelation 2:4). We should let Him know in thought, word, and deed that we are His alone.
Considering the parameters I had, I was enamored with what I submitted. Well, that’s too strong. Maybe infatuated. No, not that either. Pleased, anyway.
So much for feelings. I received instructions to please rewrite the lesson. 
(Oh, you’re wondering about the 907 in the post title? Well, 101 is so predictable, passé, and/or blasé.)
Today I started that process by reading through Song of Solomon. Alas, now I’m less optimistic than when I started. 😯
Do you have any passages to suggest (that fall within the above parameters)?
Do You See Israel’s Expanding Peril?
While the world is used to the planes being airborne anyway...
RISE OF ARAB ARMY
I saw that headline on the Drudge Report early this morning. He linked it to an LA Times story that includes this quote:
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Sisi endorsed the creation of a joint military force to defend Arab nations.
Sisi said the Arab world was at a critical crossroads and facing unprecedented difficulties.
If Israel’s Arab neighbors get a “good thing going” with their joint military efforts in Yemen…
And if Israel’s Arab neighbors see the American Administration’s growing hostility toward Israel…
And if Israel’s Arab neighbors perceive American weakness in relation to Iran…
And if Israel’s neighbors imagine a shift in America’s long-standing commitment to Israel, her secrets, and her security…
And if Israel’s neighbors take literally the American threat to abandon Israel at the United Nations… Read it all