The Plumbline

The real motives come from deep within a person—as from deep waters—but a discerning person is able to draw them up and expose them. (Proverbs 20:5 VOICE) As I came through school, I had to take some courses in behavioral psychology. Let me begin by saying there was not much in the field of psychology which excited me - although mental health is important, it just wasn't the area of science or medicine I had the most interest in, so psychology classes didn't rank high on my list. That was the case until we got into the study of behavior. This one theory caught my attention and captivated my thought for a good deal of the semester. It was the work of Abraham Maslow. Those who are familiar with him know he is most famous for his "hierarchy of needs" theory. In it he outlines five "tiers" of needs, one building upon the other, until all are hopefully met. The thing which caught my attention was how truly difficult it is to have that "top tier" met wh...

"The sincere friends of this world are as ship lights in the stormiest of nights." (Giotto di Bondone) If you have ever sailed through a dark, dark night on the ever black expanse of the tossing seas, you know the value of seeing even the tiniest of lights beckoning you on in the right direction. It is like a glimmer of hope that you are neither sailing alone, nor are you lost forever in the storm tossed seas. Light has a way of beckoning us - while darkness attempts to envelope and engulf us. Light brings expanse into perspective - darkness allows us to imagine all manner of whatever it is we can make up in our minds about whatever it is we are experiencing. Some of the best light I have received was not read in scripture, nor was it given in an audible voice from heaven. It came in the form of a sincere friend just simply stating things as plainly as possible and leaving those words there to just have their effect on me. I can admit to almost getting way too familiar with t...

Jesus:   I am the bread that gives life. If you come to My table and eat, you will never go hungry. Believe in Me, and you will never go thirsty.   ( John 6:35   VOICE ) One of my favorite things in life is a good loaf of crusty French or Sourdough bread - especially if it is hot from the oven and slathered in butter! It has been almost six months since I have "indulged" in such a treat because I made a conscious decision to watch what I allowed into my body. I have not gone on any radical diet or anything - just good choices and more reasonable portions. I still like bread and even long for it on occasion - but I haven't really given into that longing because I know once I get started, I will want more! That is kind of how it is with Jesus - get one good "taste" of his grace and you just keep going back for more! I live in the desert, so you can understand why I appreciate a good drink of cold water. Yet, I have visited more exotic places, rich with island...

Long ago, at different times and in various ways, God’s voice came to our ancestors through the  Hebrew  prophets. But in these last days, it has come to us through His Son, the One who has been given dominion over all things and through whom all worlds were made. ( Hebrews 1:1-2   VOICE ) You listening? Do you hear him speaking? Is there a tug at your heart unlike any other? Can you see evidence of his words deeply affecting who you are and the choices you make? If the answer to these is yes, you are doing well, but if it is "not really" or "uh uh", then maybe it is time to just stop to consider which voices you are listening to! I find that the loudest voice I hear at times is not his, but mine! I am whining, just downright complaining about something not going my way, or I am disappointed because I didn't get something I thought I wanted or deserved. Have you ever noticed just how loud the voice of complaint can be? In fact, I'd have to say it is the...

Before time itself was measured, the Voice was speaking. The Voice was and is God. This  celestial  Word remained ever present with the Creator; The Voice took on flesh  and became human  and chose to live alongside us. We have seen Him, enveloped in undeniable splendor—the one  true Son of the Father— evidenced in  the perfect balance of grace and truth. ( John 1:1-2, 14   VOICE )  Evidenced in the perfect balance of grace and truth - that describes Jesus for us, just in case you didn't really know he had two sides to his character!  You see, for grace to really make any difference, it had to be coupled with truth - until we appreciate the need for grace, we have no real need or appreciation of it. Truth is what makes the need for grace evident - it reveals what is hidden deep beneath a crust of sin! I also really like the part of this passage that shows Jesus made a choice to take on flesh and become human - so he could live right here...

"One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes... and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility." (Eleanor Roosevelt) I had to take a philosophies class in college - the toughest thing for me to sit through that you could ever imagine. I think might just have enjoyed my root canals better than I enjoyed that class! Why? The purpose of philosophy class was to teach me to think in the absence of laws, medicine, theology, technical precepts, and/or practical arts. While I know not everything in this world can be defined as either black or white, with some gray area existing, it is just plain hard for me to exclude things like God's teachings, evidence based upon scientific experiment, etc., from my possible "solution" to life's problems! You are to fear Him and obey His rules and commands, just as I’m teaching them to you now. Do this your whole lives—you, your children and your grandchildren—and you’l...

Eleanor Roosevelt once remarked, "With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts." It is not always the case, for some thoughts can linger for a good while, giving us many a worry or concern just because they are ever there in the recesses of our minds. We have a way of ruminating on those things sometimes without even knowing we are doing it - it just "happens". Cows actually "ruminate" on their food - chewing and chewing it until it is mashed into oblivion. It is where we get the term "chew the cud". Some thoughts are worth mulling over repeatedly, like those that focus us on God's goodness and his grace. Others are not worth our repeated effort to "dissolve" or "change". They just need to be spit out! Let your heart overflow with praise to the Eternal, for He is good, for His faithful love lasts forever. Let your heart overflow with praise to the True God of heaven, for His faithful love lasts forever. (Psalm 136...