It is fine - rest for a while

Life comes at us hard and it comes fast. The journey gets a little rough - too hard to handle alone. We get fatigued - worn out by the constant pressures and worries. Sometimes we just need a break because the battle has been long and hard - that moment of solitude when we just sit back and let the worries of the battle pass from us. Notice, I did not say we let the battle pass us by, but rather we 'regroup' and 'repair' for what is next to come. Regardless of the reason for needing to be "carried", there are times when we just cannot go it alone.There are times in life when we just need a little "carrying". I find encouragement in this passage today. The "unchanging" GOD is ALL strength for his people, AMPLE refuge for his chosen, SAVIOR of his people, and the one who BLESSES his heritage. In him, we find CARE and the open, welcoming arms to be CARRIED for a while. The one who's promises to us never fail - he has us in his care. The one who is consistent today and tomorrow will be the one to bring us through the battles of both today and will not be caught off-guard by the battles of tomorrow.

God is all strength for his people, ample refuge for his chosen leader; save your people and bless your heritage. Care for them; carry them like a good shepherd. (Psalm 28:8-9 MSG)

He is the GOD of ALL strength. At best, I have quite limited strength and it is getting more limited as I age. My strength is based on my general health and body conditioning. It is consistent with the amount of rest my body gets (for in rest, my body finds restoration). It is dependent upon what I put into my body (only being built up to the degree I give it the good stuff it needs). It is dependent upon my position - I am stronger standing up than I am laying down. It is dependent upon my 'use' of various body parts (only becoming stronger as I use the muscles I have been given). God's strength is unlimited. He is not bound by the things which limit us - in fact, he is able to give "boundless" strength to those who ask. As with my physical body, the amount of "rest" I engage in spiritually determines my spiritual strength. So does what I "put into" my mind and allow to affect my emotions. In looking at the position I assume spiritually, I can evaluate the degree of "strength" I will have to endure the battle. The more I use what I have been given, the stronger I become for the battle. The closer I am to the arms of Jesus - the "stronger" I am for the battle.

He is the GOD of AMPLE refuge. If you understand the meaning of ample to be "more than sufficient for your needs", then you understand the "ample-ness" of God. No need exists for which he has not already made provision! Did you get that? NO NEED exists for which he has not ALREADY made full and total provision. Things don't catch God off-guard. Our need is known to him far in advance of us ever realizing it in our lives - and he has already set out to be "more than sufficient for the need". He is the GOD who SAVES us. Some of us struggle with this one because we don't see any need for "saving". We think we are pretty okay on our own. We don't see ourselves as sinners - so we don't see ourselves as in need of a Savior. In the simplest sense, a savior is one who rescues. There is not one individual on this earth who goes through life without one moment or another in which they will require some form of rescue! In the most literal sense, we will always need someone to be "on-guard" to come to our rescue when we realize the need for rescue. A lifeguard at the pool of an Olympic event might seem like they are there for looks - because everyone swims so well. No one can be assured they will ALWAYS and consistently be able to "rescue" themselves when they get into trouble. Hence, the purpose of the lifeguard. He's there when the need arises. In the spiritual sense, we have one who stands guard continuously to be there when we finally recognize we have a genuine need for a Savior.

He is the GOD who BLESSES his heritage. Do you know what a heritage is? It is something that comes to a person because of birth. It is something that has been "reserved" for the one who will receive it. WE are God's heritage - the idea is of us being "reserved" for his pleasure. In turn, we receive a heritage of our own - by being "born into" his family. A heritage "reserved" specifically for us - as his kids! No one is without family if they are part of the family of God and no one is without a heritage - both to enjoy today and to pass on to others. He is the GOD who CARES for us. He is watchful over us - even when we don't feel we need anyone to watch over us! As a teenager, I remember wanting my independence. Then I grew up a little, realized I did not like being alone and on my own so much as I thought I'd like it. I married, finding some sense of peace no longer being "independent" anymore. Soon, children were added to the relationship, and my independence was indeed a thing of the past. In all these transitions, I struggled with the literal "sense" of dependence vs. independence - trying to figure out who was in charge, who controlled the activities of life. In a spiritual sense, I think we also struggle with the "transitions" we make in life. We have to determine if we will yield our independence for the safety of dependence upon one who is more reliable than us in determining the course of our "transitions". There is something quite "restful" about being "cared for"!

He is the GOD who CARRIES us. Most of us don't admit it, but we need to be carried once in a while. We wear out! We get tired! We bog down in the mully-grubs. What happens to one of the shepherd's flock when they get tired? They begin to lag behind, don't they? This places them in danger because stragglers are easy pickings for the ones who would want to prey upon them. So, the shepherd is always watching for the stragglers - not to focus on the fact they are "behind" the others - but to pick us up for a while, carrying us high above the rest until we can again keep up! When we are carried, it is across his shoulders, secure in his care. We rise above the circumstances that only served to tire us out in the first place until we are strong enough to once again join in! There are times we need to be carried - in those times, we just need to allow him to do his part. Just sayin!

Who vs. What

Who are you? If someone asked you that question today, how would you respond? You might start with telling the person your name, but then you may launch into a little 'description' of yourself, such as "I am a nurse, working in the Quality Improvement department of a large metropolitan hospital." We might be full-time stay at home moms raising two boys, or out in the day to day workforce 'bringing home the bacon' in some form. So, when someone asks who we are, we tell them we are an accountant, restaurant manager, author, or housekeeper. Now, describe who your best friend is - go ahead, their name and a little about that person. It is not uncommon that we associate 'who' we are with 'what we do' in life. If that is the case, I wonder what Simon Peter was really saying about Jesus when he made this observation about Christ:

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:15-16)

If we gravitate toward describing what we 'do' in life as the way we describe 'who' we are, then Peter was really giving us some insight into what others could observe about Jesus in his day to day life. He clearly describes Jesus as the CHRIST, the SON of the LIVING GOD. At first, that may just seem like an acknowledgement of something 'good' in Jesus that he was trying to describe, but I think it goes much deeper. Peter clearly had insight into the real character of Christ - he acknowledges more than a 'profession' or 'career', because he would have called Christ a preacher, teacher, or even a carpenter if that were the case.

CHRIST comes from the Greek word meaning the 'anointed one' or 'chosen one' - the same word in Hebrew we translate as "Messiah". He was therefore acknowledging Jesus as one that had a great anointing upon his life - chosen for a purpose, to fulfill all the Old Testament prophecies and to redeem mankind from their sin. The Son of the Living God just goes a little further to describe the 'lineage' of Jesus, something quite common in the days when Peter spoke these words. It was common to say, "I am Jesse, son of Obed, the grandson of Boaz and Ruth", giving a little historical accounting of your 'lineage'. Lineage 'linked' you with 'origin' - so Peter is going way beyond saying Jesus is the son of Mary and Joseph, but sees his true lineage - the Son of the LIVING God.

Peter wasn't focusing on the 'what' when he described Jesus - but rather the 'who' - God's LIVING Son. That word 'living' has a special purpose in this description because he could have merely said Jesus was the "Son of God". He chooses to acknowledge Jesus was God in the flesh, come down to earth, taking on the human form of man, LIVING among man that he might take upon himself the sin of all mankind. "What" Jesus was on this earth to do was foremost in Peter's mind as he acknowledges Christ - he was the Messiah - the Redeemer - the Chosen One - the Perfect Lamb. All descriptors of WHAT Jesus was about to do for not only Peter, but all of those who would put their trust in Jesus. Next time you think about who Jesus is, maybe it would be good to remember what he is, as well. Just sayin!

Assume the position!

Moments come when we just need to 'assume the position'. If you are presently in the military, or are ex-military, you understand the meaning of that statement. Our drill sergeants would ask us to assume the position just before we began our daily workout session, better known to some as the "Army Daily Dozen". Stop for a moment to consider that there is a 'position' and a 'posture' to just about everything we do. There is a posture, as well as a position to worship we often do not consider. The psalms are great "stopping spots" for discovering words of encouragement, utterances of praise, and moments to just "rest" in adoration of our King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This morning, let's consider the words of Psalm 95. It begins with "Come, let’s shout praises to God, raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!

Let’s march into his presence singing praises, lifting the rafters with our hymns!" Then it goes on to proclaim the "why" of worship. It is always good to know the "why" behind our actions, isn't it? So come, let us worship: bow before him, on your knees before God, who made us! Oh yes, he’s our God, and we’re the people he pastures, the flock he feeds. (Psalm 95:6-7 MSG)

The why? "Because God is the best..." (vs. 3) Jehovah, the unchanging one, is the best! The one true God, creator of all things, the one who holds all things in the palm of his hand, and by whom all things are held together - he is the BEST. When our psalmist uses this word, I think he means the most desirable! There is nothing and no one else that can satisfy our deepest longings like he can. As a matter of fact, no one knows our deepest longings quite like he does! The how? We "come", "bow down", assuming a humble posture, "on our knees" before him. Now, "posture" tells us much about a man's heart and mind condition, does it not? Ever encounter someone in the throws of depression? What is their "posture" like? Head down, shoulders slumped, every movement seemingly a great effort, shuffling gait - not to mention the posture of their facial expressions and the lack of clarity in their eyes! These are "tell-tale" signs - posture. On the other hand, come across the one who has just come from a deep, intimate experience with God and you will see an entirely different posture. Head high, joyful steps, exuberance in actions, and facial expressions reflecting the presence of the Almighty.

In assuming a "posture" of worship, the first step is to just show up! Our psalmist says, "So come". The first step out of our "funk" is often the hardest, but it is in "showing up" that we are in a position of having the weight of this world lifted from our already too burdened hearts! Sometimes the hardest step is the most needed step! God would not tell us to "come" if there was not a pull to "stay away". It is only in approaching God's presence that healing can begin. Distance is our adversary. Closeness is our salvation. Our psalmist does not leave us there - in fact, he tells us to "bow down". First, we show up - we take steps toward God - then we remove the masks. When we bow down, isn't this what we are doing? There is an old word we seldom use anymore, but it speaks volumes - "prostate". It means to "lay flat" - in other words, we are to put down the things we hide behind and get real with God. This is where we get the term to "humble oneself". It is a position of being stripped down and bare. In the presence of a doctor, you remove your clothes in order to be examined, don't you? In the presence of your God, should you expect any less? It may not be a literal removal of clothing, but I believe God expects us to "get real" with him in worship.

The result? We are fed! As the sheep of his pasture, our needs are attended to in worship. We follow, he leads. We take in what he provides, leaving all other sources of "fulfillment" behind. Worship is first and foremost about God. What we bring to him is nothing more than ourselves. As scarred, beaten up, and wounded as we are. Yet, in this honest presentation of ourselves before him, in honor of his position as the one who holds all things in the palm of his hand (including us), we bow down. In submissive honesty, we get real with God - in turn, we find him connecting with each beat of our heart and feeling each breath of our nostrils. Sweetly caressed in his presence, it is only natural for the "creation" to begin to raise the voice in praise to the "Creator". Maybe we just need a good dose of worship during these days we are in righ tnow. God calls us to "come" - are you willing to take the first step? Just askin!

Tuning in and tuning up

Lots of medical places have people stationed to check temperatures as you walk in the door and even cameras that can detect thermal temp as they scan your body. This spread of Coronavirus has businesses changing how they do business! Back in the day, before thermometers were a common thing in each medicine cabinet, parents used to "test" their children for fever by placing their lips on the forehead of the child. It seemed like an odd way to do it since we have seen people repeatedly use their hands laid across the forehead to "evaluate" the feverishness of another. Yet, it was a pretty doggone accurate process! More accurate than the hand - and the closest to the true determination of "fever" than anything other than a thermometer. The lips have a great deal of "sensitivity" receptors which allow them to be pretty accurate at interpreting what touches them, so fever was more easily detected using the receptors there. As mom lost her eyesight, she often used her lips to judge if she had the right end of something - it was a more reliable receptor than her fingers that had developed nerve damage over the years, making them inaccurate receptors. We all need 'accurate' receptors, don't we?

Post a guard at my mouth, God, set a watch at the door of my lips. (Psalm 141:3 MSG) 

 
The "sensitivity" receptors in our lips works both ways - affected by what leaves our mouths and by what touches it! Maybe this is why the psalmist prayed for God to post a guard at his mouth - the entry and exit point for many a good or bad thing in his life! He is actually probably asking God to "tune up" his "sensitivity" to what both enters and leaves. I think we all need to pray this prayer at times. We need to "increase" the "sensitivity" of our lips - not just so we "feel" things better, but so we are able to evaluate things with more "receptors" - just like the mom testing her child for fever. Two of the top areas of "sensitivity receptors" in our bodies are the lips and the fingertips. My mom suffered from having lost the feeling in her fingertips, not to mention her vision, so is it any wonder she used her lips to assist her in identifying something she may not have been sure about? The little candy wrappers with the twisted ends were always a challenge for her. She would put the first end in her lips and then pull with the fingers of one hand. In turn, she managed to open it. She had "adapted" to using what remained consistently "sensitive". Did you know your brain has dedicated more area to receiving the messages from the "sensitivity receptors" on your lips and from your fingertips than any other "receptor" area of your body? This means we have dedicated more "brain power" to interpreting these sensations than any other receptors in our body.

Sometimes I think we rely solely upon our "brain power" to do the interpreting of what it is we are receiving and sending out. I learned a little song a long time ago. It goes something like this: "Holy Spirit come. Make my ears to hear, my eyes to see, my mouth to speak, my hands to reach, and my heart to reach out and touch the world with your love." I wish I could give credit for these lyrics, but I honestly don't even remember the title of the song, much less the author. Just know, these words have stuck with me in good times and bad. They have been sung over and over as I rely upon God doing just what these words imply - making me more sensitive to the things I need to be sensitive to and less sensitive to the other stuff. We all have "sensitivity" receptors in our lives. One of the purposes of these receptors in our physical bodies is to keep us from harm. The receptors actually warn us to things like hot, cold, bitter, or sweet. In a spiritual sense, we have been given similar "sensitivity" receptors in areas such as our emotions, mind, and spirit. It is good to post a watch over these in order to avoid undue injury. Without being aware of what "comes" and "goes" in our lives, we would be opened to all kinds of harmful stuff.

Maybe we hear words with a little "twang of jealousy" spoken. Our "ear" receptors have the ability to "filter out" the words to see the real intent of the one speaking them - to divide, to disgrace, or to destroy. Our "heart" receptors have an ability to reject or accept the words spoken - but first the "ear" receptors must do their job! If only one set of our receptors is working, we have a skewed perception. It is good to use the "sensitivity" receptors of our lips to judge how well the other receptors are working in our lives. You see, what comes "out" of our mouth is a good indicator of how well the other "receptors" are doing at protecting us from harmful input. When our ears have filtered out destructive input, our words are likely to reflect back words of grace to the one who spoke with the "twang of jealousy". When our hearts have not succumb to the emotional roller-coaster of latching onto the emotion behind the words heard, our speech will likely reveal words of forgiveness, not judgment. The truth of the matter is - we need our "sensitivity receptors" to be touched by the Holy Spirit. Once we become familiar with the "sensation" created by his touch, we will not be as susceptible to allowing other things past the "receptors" of our ears, eyes, mouth, heart, or hands! Just sayin!

Not just another "Super-Hero"

Back in the day, when black and white TV was the norm and families with colored TVs were considered to be on the wealthier side of humanity, there was one cartoon I used to love to watch. I would work to get any chores done just in time to catch "Mighty Mouse". Tiny mouse, red cape, yellow shirt and pants, streaming through the air to bring justice and right all that went wrong in the world. A 'super-hero' of tiny proportions, but 'super' in the eyes of this child. Bear with me for just a moment while I recap the theme song of this cartoon: 

Mister Trouble never hangs around

When he hears this Mighty sound.

"Here I come to save the day"

That means that Mighty Mouse is on his way.

Yes sir, when there is a wrong to right

Mighty Mouse will join the fight.

On the sea or on the land,

He gets the situation well in hand.

(Source: https://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/mightymouselyrics.html)

Now, let's remember this was a cartoon series featuring a mouse with 'super-powers'. He wasn't some real super-hero, but his theme song sounds a little like this passage from the Book of Isaiah:

Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will give you strength, and for sure I will help you. Yes, I will hold you up with My right hand that is right and good. See, all those who are angry with you will be put to shame and troubled. Those who fight against you will be as nothing and will be lost. You will look for those who argue with you, but will not find them. Those who war against you will be as nothing, as nothing at all. For I am the Lord your God Who holds your right hand, and Who says to you, ‘Do not be afraid. I will help you.’ (Isaiah 41:10-13)

If we can get enthused with a 'super-hero' of 'imaginative proportions', how come we have such a hard time believing God will do what he says he will do with his TRUE super-powers? God doesn't wear a red cape, nor do we see him streaming through the air, con-trail following behind. Yet, he is always 'on the spot' when trouble comes our way. He is already 'on the scene' of your present need, but perhaps we don't recognize him there because we are expecting a 'red cape' kind of super-hero!

I am the Lord YOUR God who holds your right hand, and who says to YOU, "Do not be afraid. I will help you." Let those words sink in just a moment or two. Go ahead, reread them a few times, and even say them our loud. I emphasized a few of those words so you would say them a little differently - because I know God needs you to hear he is YOUR God and he is holding YOUR right hand - he is speaking these words to YOU because he wants you to be assured he is YOUR help in times of trouble. I think we might just believe God has more important matters on his mind at times, forgetting that he is right there to 'save the day' like no other would or could. We just don't ask - nor do we look with expectation - for his intervention.

Mighty Mouse always came because those in need made it known that they were in need. I never really realized that until I was an adult thinking back on those cartoons, but any super-hero of that era was always 'summoned' by a call for help. Batman's cave was equipped with a bat-phone, making him aware of a cruel villain's attempt to harm someone or something. That little shoeshine boy nobody suspected of any super-powers would hear of the impending doom brought on by some villain, ducking into the little telephone booth, he would emerge transformed as the mighty Under-Dog. Speeding into action to right the wrongs, these super-heroes captured our hearts and entertained our minds. If a simple cartoon of old could do these two things, why is it so hard for God to capture our heart and to be central in our minds? Just askin?

A little litter box story

I will praise You with a heart that is right when I learn how right You judge. 

(Psalm 119:7)

I had to reread this passage a couple of times this morning, until it finally sunk in and I 'got' what God was trying to tell me! Ever have one of those moments when you know something is right in front of your face and you just cannot see it? Sometimes I praise God a little 'timidly' because I am sure he knows I haven't been all that good, or that I am walking too close to the line with something he asked me to stay away from. I am not really on the 'wrong side of the law', so to speak, but I have this feeling inside like I have been on that 'wrong side of the law' too many times and maybe there is something lingering there that hasn't been forsaken, so it hasn't been forgiven. I bet some of you are like that at times, too. You cannot get that stuff out of your mind that keeps telling you God isn't happy with you, or that he is about to unleash a bit of judgment on you because of that thing you haven't let go of yet. Let's both get this straight in our minds, so it can begin to affect our hearts - God 'judges' us based on what he sees when he looks at Jesus in us! I didn't quite get that until I looked at how God sees Jesus - as perfectly fulfilling every 'requirement' for our forgiveness.

Learn how right God judges - it will set you free when you do! It isn't that we don't 'deserve' the judgment he could mete out, it is that he chooses to remember that sin has already been forgiven at the cross - there is no further judgment necessary. We are the ones doing the 'judging', my friends. We judge our actions as 'wrong' and even 'unforgivable', but God sees our actions as 'under the blood' of Jesus. His blood shed once was sufficient for all of mankind's sin for all of time. That doesn't give us license to live any old way we'd like, but it does ensure us grace any time we get a little too close to being on the 'wrong side of the law'. We can praise God with a heart that is right because he has made it right - period! The 'rightness' we are seeking in trying to make things 'right' in our lives is really silly - because we are already 'made right' in Christ Jesus. All that effort we spend trying to figure out if we can approach God with a clear conscience just keeps us from spending time doing the one thing that actually helps to wash away all that sense of guilt, shame, and anxiety over our wrongdoings - worshiping him!

Rather than focus on what is wrong in our lives, maybe we could begin to refocus on what is right. Yep, we get things wrong from time to time. We even try to cover it up a bit like a cat trying to bury a turd in a litter box. The turd is still there - no matter how many layers of sand the cat scratches over it. Until the scoop is applied - the turd lingers. Now, I hope that isn't too graphic for any of you today, but we try to cover over a whole bunch of 'turd-like' things in our lives and then wonder why we fear approaching God in praise. We cover over the 'turd-like' stuff because we think God may not be very happy with us if he saw the 'turd' there in our lives. Truth be told - he can smell it! He doesn't even need to look for it - he clearly knows it is there. God judges right because he sees us as we are in Christ Jesus. We forget that at times, thinking he must see us as flawed and unholy. He sees us as perfect and holy - because Christ is perfect and holy and he is looking through Christ at us. Get it? If Christ be in you, and you be in Christ, then you can praise God with a heart that is right because it is right in Christ Jesus. Just sayin!

Go ahead...talk it out

Ashamed: Distressed or embarrassed by feelings of guilt, foolishness, or disgrace. That about sums up how many of us 'feel' about our behavior sometimes, doesn't it? We get the overwhelming sense of guilt that comes over us like clouds of a building storm. The disgust we feel toward ourselves because of some foolishness we chose to engage in just about makes us sick to our stomach. Then you add to it the sense of humiliation we endure because we know we just added one more 'failure' to the ever-growing list of 'failures' we have already created and we get pretty down on ourselves, don't we? The good news is that there is one thing that we should never be ashamed of and it is the very thing that actually removes all our guilt, wiping away every foolish action we have ever taken - it cements the hope we have in Jesus - the power of God received through his Word richly speaking into our lives.

I am not ashamed of the Good News. It is the power of God. It is the way He saves men from the punishment of their sins if they put their trust in Him. It is for the Jew first and for all other people also. The Good News tells us we are made right with God by faith in Him. Then, by faith we live that new life through Him. The Holy Writings say, “A man right with God lives by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)

We sometimes forget the power of the spoken word - so there are times I just open my Bible, thumb to the passage I feel I need to 'hear' right then, and read it out loud, all by myself - just me and God in the room hearing those words spoken out loud. What happens when we speak the Word of God out loud? I think there might just be some quaking in Satan's brood of demons when the Word is spoken - because they don't like to hear truth! Nothing puts Satan's book down quicker than the Word of God - nothing builds our spirits, restores our weary souls, and resets our worried minds quicker than the Word! So, don't just brood in your shame or distress - sitting there all 'hurt' and 'disgraced' because of your foolish behavior - speak the Word of God into your life and let is begin to wash away the disgrace and heal the hurt! We are made 'right' again - no matter how many times we have made unwise choices in our lives - his Word has the power to make 'right again' what mankind just keeps messing up!

I used to think that talking to myself was kind of foolish - because people who were a 'little off' in the head talked to themselves. I don't think that way anymore, so if you see me talking to myself, there is probably a good chance it is me conversing with the Spirit of God within me! I am not afraid or ashamed to admit that there are times I just need to hear his positive words spoken over my life. Heaven knows I hear (and sometimes even speak) enough negative ones over my life! I need to counter-balance the negativity at times - so I allow the Word of God to wash over me and I let his Spirit help me sort things out that need a good sorting out. I am allowing the Word of God to 'make things right' again in my life. That isn't insanity - that is wisdom! Just sayin!

Cleaning out the junk drawer

Following and Leading - two entirely different positions in life. The leader is out front - the followers are moving somewhere "behind" the leader, but usually they are moving consistently in the same direction as the leader. Now, this may seem a little rudimentary to some, but let me assure you, following is a lot tougher than just "getting in line" and "marching on". If you don't believe me, ask any first grade teacher or mother of several toddlers! They will surely tell you how hard it is to keep those little one all in a neat row, especially if they are "standing still" for any length of time! They will wiggle, move out of line, squat on the ground to explore the potato bug crossing in a crack in the sidewalk, or simply fall out of line to go do something else, talk to a friend, or just plain sit down and resist the movement altogether. I think the same may be true with God in our lives - we line up behind him, but if he stands still for too long according to our estimation of how fast he should be moving, we get a little distracted, and at other times, we get a little resistive!

Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for? (Matthew 16:24-26 MSG)

Do you remember playing the game of "Follow the Leader" as a child? Someone would be"it" and you would all do what the "leader" was doing. If he jumped, you'd jump. If he walked in a circle, you were close behind. If he sat down, so did you. The idea was to "catch" someone not doing what the leader did! They were "out". The last person "standing" was the new leader. Sometimes I think we try to live out our "obedience" to God's desires in our lives this way. We line up well at first, setting out to do exactly what he is doing, then at some point, we get distracted. The moment of distraction may make us feel like we are "out" in this "game of life" - because someone else actually noticed our "distraction" and called attention to it. So, we sit down, watching others go on in their pursuit of the "leader". Sad, but it is true - we sometimes quit because we don't think we "followed" well enough and we know someone else noticed we were not following well. The good news is WE are not the leaders. If we were, whenever someone failed to "follow well", we'd make them sit out the rest of the game just like we did as kids! The thing is, we are not focused on becoming the next best "leader", we are focused on being the present best "follower" possible.

Jesus was quite plain - we are not in the driver's seat. He has the honor. Sometimes being in the "passenger's seat" is the most difficult position to be in - especially when we think we know a short-cut to our destination, or that someone is driving too slow! We want to direct the driver to take all the little "short-cuts" so we arrive at our destination a little quicker than the rest. Problem is, our driver has "traffic alert" - we don't! He knows what lays ahead just around the next turn - we don't. So, if we demand the short-cut, we may be placing ourselves right in the spot of "delays" and "disaster" without even knowing it. Jesus lays out a couple of important aspects of his leading. We want to run from what is uncomfortable to us. He wants to lead us through it. To run from it seemingly allows us to avoid the emotional stress of the discomfort. Have you ever tried to run from something you thought was so uncomfortable, only to find your discomfort magnified by your inability to confront the situation? I have! It isn't worth it! I have shied away from tough relationship conversations - only to find the problem just gets bigger. I have refused to take the first step toward forgiveness and reconciliation - only to find the pathway "back" into relationship is now riddled with lots of messy stuff! It truly isn't worth it! We need to remember, Jesus would never lead us where he will not keep us! He wants us to "avoid" the "traffic" of this kind of stuff - taking the path he leads helps with truly avoiding the "delays" and "disasters" in life.

He knows we get distracted by the "stuff" in life. "Stuff" is really a term we use for "clutter", isn't it. When we don't really know what is "inside" something, we call it "stuff". Like when we say we have a "junk drawer" in the kitchen. If someone asked you what you kept in there, you'd likely outline a few things and then add, "stuff like that". Why? Simply because you really cannot account for the "stuff" in there! It accumulates, doesn't it? In time, you have to clean out the "junk drawer" of all the "stuff" that has been stuffed in there! "Stuff" just fills space. It doesn't really need to be there. I used to clean out my son's drawers on occasion when he was younger. You would be surprised by what "stuff" a young boy finds fascinating to keep! There were little pieces of this and that, none of which really had any specific purpose, but it was "stuff" that caught his eye. He picked it up somewhere and there it was, squirreled away in the recesses of the "space" which really was intended for another purpose. This is the problem with "stuff" - it fills the spaces meant for something (or someone) else! God knows we are susceptible to "trading away" what is really the most important thing to keep. We "trade away" our time - in search of things which we think will fulfill. We "trade away" our finances - in search of the next great buy or a winning fortune. We "trade away" our health - by holding onto grudges, living with bitterness, or pursuing life-dominating addictions. There are lots of ways we "trade away" the best for something or someone that will really not fill the "space" of our lives as it was intended to be filled. Jesus' objective is to remind us of the importance of not "trading away" the place in our hearts where he is intended to dwell. When we learn to follow the "leader" of our lives, we find "space" is uncluttered, the "stuff" of life is simpler, and his presence with us as we embrace the "tough stuff" is made a little less difficult. Just sayin!

Let's get a little clarity here

I have tried making jelly and jam, but let me tell you - to get the right 'set' on either one is kind of an art of its own. Have you ever tried to make jelly? When we look at all those various flavors, colors, and pretty jars all stacked with care on our grocer's shelves, we often forget what goes into making the jelly. It really is a science! Some of my jellies tasted pretty good, but I had a few "flops" in the process - something I have become familiar with in many areas of my life! I'd like to share a few lessons I learned in the process of jelly making. Pretty jars all assembled, fresh lids, stock pot filled with water to boil those jars, and sugar all measured out - that was the beginning. Who knew the most important part of making the jelly was not in the "prettiness" of the jar I chose, nor the shininess of the caps that adorned them or the pure whiteness of the sugar that would be measured out with care? What I learned made the most difference in the jelly was not any of the things I assembled, but it was actually the fruit that went into making the jelly! 

If you grow a healthy tree, you’ll pick healthy fruit. If you grow a diseased tree, you’ll pick worm-eaten fruit. The fruit tells you about the tree. (Matthew 12:33 MSG)

If you have mastered this art of jelly-making, you know fruit that is too green (not quite ripe enough) actually makes the jelly a little cloudy. It affects the clarity of the jelly. The fruit must be ripe, but firm. If it is too green, it does not go through the "straining" process well. We used to look for the orchards, or fruit markets, that sold large bunches of the fruit at a really great price - often some quite ripe, while some others were just about green when picked. We'd sort the fruit, because if it was still too green, it would cook up in the pot, but we had to exert too much pressure on it to get the juices out of it in the straining process. It actually made the resulting "juice" for the jelly very cloudy. If you have ever tried to "force" fruit from your life (or had someone else trying to do it for you) - producing some semblance of "jelly-quality juice" from your life - you might have seen some of the issues of being "squeezed" too hard. Yep, you "produced" something, but the quality of what was produced only produced something that totally lacked clarity!

Some of the earlier mistakes I made with "straining" my fruit for the jelly were a result of my extreme impatience in life. For the clearest jelly you must allow the fruit to sit in the strainer, juices dripping freely from it. You don't squeeze the bag to get the juices out! You add the fruit to the cotton flannel bag, then you wait - patiently. Not my strongest suit! I'd squeeze a little here and there, hoping to get just a little more juice out, or to speed up the process so we could get onto capping and sealing the jars. The important thing I finally recognized - fruit comes forth in a process of patient and consistent growth, just as much as the clearest juices are extracted in allowing the process of separation to occur. No amount of my "squeezing" will produce anything as beautiful as the slow, but consistent, process of having the separation of those things that will "cloud" up my life left in the hands of God and in his timing.

Another common issue with "jelly clarity" stems from the cooking process itself. If the fruit is cooked way too long, the jelly-juices which are produced are made cloudy by the "over-cooking". Mushy fruit produces little particles of fruit which escape the "straining" process. In turn, they make the jelly cloudy. The clarity is produced by cooking the fruit ONLY until it is tender. To be able to produce the clearest jelly, I had to "tend the pot" quite frequently. I could not just put all the fruit in, turn up the heat, and walk away. I had to test, retest, and then finally be pleased with just the right quality of "tenderness" which would produce the excellence desired in the jelly. I think God does this with us, too. He allows the "mixture" of fruit in our lives to be brought to a boil, but he doesn't want it to be "over-cooked". He looks for us to be just "tender-enough" to produce the clarity and beauty he desires. When we reach this point, he removes us from the heat - so as not to "over-cook" us!

Probably one of the hardest lessons I had to learn was the art of "pouring off" the jelly into the jars. Pour it too slowly and you allow air bubbles to get in - giving it the appearance of being cloudy. Pour it too rapidly, and you might actually over-fill, splashing hot juices onto yourself. Letting the jelly sit in the pan for any length of time before pouring it off allowed it to begin to "set up" where it was, so pouring it off quickly was important. Sometimes, I think we struggle with some of these ideas as we look at how God brings fruit from our lives. He "picks" the right combination of ripe and "hard-ripe" fruit in our lives - to make the clearest "jelly"! He allows the straining process because he knows the "sweetness" and "richness" of the end product when it is allowed to occur through patient "processing". He might be able to produce "more" juice from the fruit by squeezing the "straining bag" a little, but the sweetest and clearest juices are produces from allowing the fruit juices to "pass through" the straining bag of his Spirit over the course of time. The goal is not the "quantity" of "jelly", but the richness and clarity of what is produced. God doesn't let us "over-cook" - he is attentive to the "fire" in our lives. We may only feel the heat, but he knows when we are just "tender enough" to produce the most flavorful of juices. The next time you pick up a jar of jelly, think about what "jelly" God is working on in your life. The mixture of "fruit" he is using, the care he is taking in getting it "just tender enough", and the patience he exhibits in waiting for it to be "strained" to purity. When he finally "bottles" the fruit in your life, he indeed will be delighted by the richness of it! Just sayin!

What do you stand for?

Virtue is a positive quality developed by taking a firm stand for the right in temptation, or by the suffering endured in consequence of wrongdoing. (Max Heindel)

I cannot help but think there are some who think bearing any consequences for wrongdoing is just 'not fair'. It is like they expect to do something against moral or ethical standards and just go on as though nothing bad happened. The consequences for bad choices should always be there - even when we think otherwise. If nothing else, I have felt the very guilty conscience for some of my wrong actions in life - a feeling that led me straight to my knees and into pretty deep conversation with my Maker! Why? I don't want to live by the violation of any moral or ethical standard, but I make wrong choices that require me to make course adjustments in life. Sometimes I bear the real and tough consequences for my actions, while at others I know God has spared me some painful ones that are merely because of his extreme love and mercy. If we want to stand for anything in this lifetime, we need to stand for what is right - and that may include us bearing up under some pretty tough consequences that we probably would have rather avoided.

A man will not stand by doing what is wrong, but the root of those who are right with God will not be moved. (Proverbs 12:3)

We all 'stand for' something in this lifetime. I want us to take a little inventory this morning to really ask ourselves what it is our lives are telling others that we 'stand for' today. Not what we tell ourselves that we stand for, but what others observe in our lives as the things we genuinely 'stand for' by our life actions. We will make our list and if we were bold enough to ask someone else to make a list of what they see us standing for in life, I wonder if those lists would be remotely similar? Oh, some of the points will probably match up very closely, but there may be others that are on our list (the things we think we stand for), but they don't even show up on the other person's list. Why is that? Have you ever heard that old saying, "We talk the walk, but we don't always walk the talk"? We have a lot of things we think we 'stand for' in this life we walk, but in truth, it is merely talk.

Nothing is harder than getting our 'walk' and 'talk' to align. It is quite easy to 'commit' to one thing, but as soon as something more appealing comes along, we find ourselves bailing on our commitment. Don't believe me? Drive by some garage sales this Saturday and observe just how many weight benches, treadmills, and exercise bikes are for sale! It isn't because they upgraded - those things were gathering dust and it was time for them to go! The commitment was there at one time, but it waxed and waned until the thing that meant so much to them just didn't matter anymore. It may be time for us to look at the things in our life that we have taken a 'stand for' and just how much of that 'stand' really remains today. If we find there is any disconnect between what we say we stand for and what we manifest, it is time for an adjustment. Either the stand was wrong, or the commitment isn't there. Just sayin!

Finding our way

Let's be careful about how we 'slam' each other right now for either erring on the side of NOT wearing a mask or choosing to wear one at all times, keeping our kids home when school begins or choosing to send them into the classrooms, or choosing to work from home to reduce risks of exposure or choosing to go into the workplace every day. We find fault with each other over the stuff of life - that is for certain - but don't let it divide us, or harsh words of criticism be spoken that will leave 'riffles' in our relationships. This isn't wise at all. Yes, there are those who are choosing to live on the edge of life right now - not really being respectful of advice to observe social distancing, choosing not to cover one's mouth and nose with a face mask, and even chafing against the 'establishment' of rules related to where we can socialize right now. It doesn't mean we have to be rude and unkind toward them - we can urge strongly that they take the advice of those in scientific settings that understand the spread of highly contagious, communicable diseases. We cannot help but wonder why some choose one course and others choose a dissimilar one. The truth of the matter is that we all 'find our way' in life - some of us a little closer to the edge than others, but we all are finding our way.

See, I have found only this, that God made men right, but they have found many sinful ways. (Ecclesiastes 7:29)

God made us right - anything within us now that isn't 'right' is really a result of the sinful nature within - the nature that actually works to convince us our ways are 'right' and another's are 'wrong'. The reason we choose one course over another isn't always as cut and dry as we'd like to be, but trust me on this one - our sin nature does a lot of 'choosing' for us that isn't always the wisest! God made us right, but we choose to continue to live 'right' each and every day by putting our trust in Jesus, leaning into what he asks us to do, and then making concentrated effort to continue to select wise choices as we go throughout our day. Lives made right again in Christ Jesus aren't always going to be free of making wrong choices, though. We might have been made right again, but we find this struggle between right and wrong is a very hard thing because our willfulness can be a real problem!

Some will stop reading right there because they see no problem within themselves that even suggests they have a hind to willfulness, but I'd disagree with that assessment. None of us is without sin - that means none of us is without a will. Where there is a will at work, there is ALWAYS room for willfulness to creep in, self demanding its own way, and stubbornness beginning to formulate plans that are contrary to what God requests of us. If we find ourselves being hyper-critical of another who is struggling with some willfulness of their own, we need to beware because the old adage holds true - we see the fault in the behavior of another because we find fault in that similar behavior in ourselves. That saying, "It takes one to know one", isn't just a clever saying. It is relevant truth! We can point out the sins of another so well because we can see the struggle we have with sins that emanate from the same willful nature!

The good news is the God made us right - and the creator of all things is capable of making us right again, even when our will isn't really willing to step aside all that easily. You and I give our will way too much credit - we give it way too much control. Instead of giving into our willfulness, it would behoove us to take that willfulness to God and ask him to 'rewire' the very thing that gives us so many issues! Just sayin!

Your calling has found you

I think we sense some form of 'longing' for success, but more than that we crave something that will be lasting and have a great significance in this world. We all want to understand our genuine calling in this world so we can understand what will give great significance and be of lasting meaning on this earth - but more than that - we want to know what we do that will be of significance into eternity. To be called means we have more than a general knowledge of what we are to be doing - it means we sense we have a deeper purpose in this world. We would all like the scriptures to declare plainly what our 'calling' is in this lifetime. Calling is about who you are, not so much what we do. God wants us to be in relationship with him, then he will ask us to do something - it isn't the other way around. I think we get this confused - we think we have to do something, but we forget that all calling begins with living a holy life.

"I am being held in prison because of working for the Lord. I ask you from my heart to live and work the way the Lord expected you to live and work." (Ephesians 4:1)

What and who we are 'becoming' - set apart believers who enter into the rest of Christ and the passion of his holiness - is to be our primary focus on this earth. We are to become like Jesus - then the things we begin to do will have significance, no matter how 'insignificant' they may seem. We aren't 'called' to a career - we are called into relationship. We get this backwards most of the time, believing rather that we need to focus on what our career should be in this world. While it is important to understand our career choice, we have lots more than a career in this world. Who we are is much more important than what it is we do for a career. Guess what, even being a mom or dad, friend or associate - these are callings, but they aren't who we are! We are the chosen of God - children of the Most High King of the Universe. 

When we focus on our relationship with Jesus, we begin to realize how it is we are 'called' into these various other relationships and 'things' we are doing on this earth. I think this is what Jesus had in mind when he reminded us to 'put first the Kingdom of God'. When we come to Christ, an exchange of heart occurs. The hardness of our sinful heart begins to be replaced with the humble and pliable heart of Christ. We have an exchange of our very core make-up. We might want to think that didn't change who we are on this earth, but it changes everything! We think we will do important things because of our capacity, talents, or skills, but trust me on this one - - - God uses these, but they aren't as essential to the 'important things' we will do as it is to remember Christ is the one who is at the center of our lives.

Whatever is at the center will have the greatest impact on the whole. You cannot 'do' more in your talent or ability than you can by keeping the right 'who' at the center of your life. That is why I emphasize keeping Christ central in our lives so frequently. We need that time in relationship with him, so we will serve with integrity, live generously, and share the greatness of his love with others. The 'who' will make all the difference in whatever it is we 'do' in this world. Don't focus on the 'do' - focus on the 'who' and you will be empowered like never before. Just sayin!

Get 'er done

‘O Lord God! See, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your long arm! Nothing is too hard for You! (Jeremiah 32:17)

We all have things in our lives that we think are a little too hard for us to handle. It may be a task that lies ahead that has frustrated us for a while, but we have put off equally as long because we know once we get into it, we are gonna hate how hard the work will be. It could be the conversation you have been putting off having with that loved one because you know it will be 'hard' and 'hard stuff' kind of makes for a little friction in the relationship, so you avoid it like the plague. If God made the heavens and the earth by his great power (and he did, by the way), then is anything that lies ahead of us 'too hard' if God is with us in the undertaking of that 'hard thing'? 

Our lives are riddled with 'difficult things'. I just spent a couple mornings with my BFF building some raised garden boxes. We are entering in to retirement age and would like to conserve our finances as much as possible. The garden boxes will allow us to grow some of our own veggies and herbs, saving us a little on groceries - or at least that is the plan! It will also give both of us a good way of occupying a little time each day, tending and caring for those things we want to grow. I had to come up with the design, figure out the measurements, and then figure out how much lumber we'd need for the boxes, what I had on hand in the way of screws and the like, and then get the supplies here to to the house. 

The weather in Arizona right now is about 115 degrees in the hot afternoon, but a 'mild' and balmy 90 degrees to start the day! Needless to say, the task could have been undertaken when the weather was cooler, but guess what - we undertook it now because now was the time! There is something about knowing there is a 'time' for every hard thing we must deal with, isn't there? The moment we 'know' in our hearts it is time to take some specific action is the right time for us to actually take that action, yet how many times do we put off what we 'know' we should be doing? Probably lots more than we'd freely admit. We 'squander time' when we don't want to face the hard stuff.

God isn't a fan of 'squandering time', though. In fact, he made perfect use of the six days he took to create this world we live in and all that inhabits it, the skies above and the seas below. On the seventh he rested, but for the days when he knew he had something very important to do, he went about doing it! Let us learn from the example set before us - there is a time and a season for doing what lies ahead, but to put it off until a later time may mean the season passes us by. The reason my BFF and I got busy with this gardening box task in this hot season is so we will be ready to plant the fall harvest! Nothing is hard when God is by your side, so don't squander the time with excuses of how hard it will be - get 'er done! Just sayin!

Stop for the snail

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." 

(Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi) 

I may not have originated these words, but they are something that really resonate in my heart - especially as I get older and recognize that I am not in the beginning of my lifetime any longer, but rather the end of the course. I live for today - because God never assures me I will have tomorrow here on this earth. I learn for an eternity - because God has assured me I will learn at his feet for all of eternity. There are certain things worth learning - such things make us stronger, giving us depth and breadth that might otherwise be undiscovered in our lives.

I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16-19)

Have you ever looked at an individual, considered what they "appear" to be like on the outside, and then made an "estimate" of their strength, ability, or aptitude? If I see a guy who is muscular, with a great set of biceps bulging and six-pack firm abdomen, I think he must have spent a lot of time developing his strength. If I see a busy man in a business suit stop to help a small child explore the wonder of a snail crossing the sidewalk, I see a totally different kind of strength! There is much to be said about the difference between the outward "appearance" of strength and the inner assurance of strength. I think this might be what God had in mind in giving us these words today. It is what is on the inside that makes the man, not the display of what we see on the outside. Brute strength is good if you need to open a stubbornly sealed jar of pickles, but inner strength is even more awesome when you see it manifest in the ability to sense the opportunities that otherwise would be wasted if passed by. Brute strength is the result of consistent work-outs. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing bad about a good physique or a "tight" body, but if it is our ultimate goal, we miss something more valuable than rippled muscles and tight abs. Inner strength is "learned" in the 'gym of life' - not as a result of "working out" in the gym, but in "working out" at the feet of Jesus. We have a "personal trainer" of sorts, better known as the Holy Spirit, just for the purpose of helping to develop this inner strength.

The strength of the inner man comes in looking first at where we plant our feet. If you have ever been in any athletics, you might have heard your coach tell you to "plant your feet". With this simple instruction, you are being urged to get a "stance" that will aid you in having the "base" or "foundation" upon which to build a solid hit, send a carefully calculated pass, or hit some mark down the course. Some believe having both feet solidly placed means you are not willing to try anything new - the meaning of having your feet solidly planted on the ground in scripture is quite different, though. God tells us to plant our feet firmly on love - not human love, but the love of God that permeates us with the vastness of his grace. Where we "plant" our feet is as important as having them planted. It is in planting them solidly in his love where we begin to have the inner strength of our being expanded. We begin to experience the vastness of his love by getting to know the breadth of that love. Maybe this is best expressed in the promise from scripture: As far as east is from west—that’s how far God has removed our sin from us. (Psalm 103:12 CEB) Now that is some "breadth", isn't it? Think on it - as far as the east is from the west - this is how far God's love expands, for his love is the basis of our sin being removed! We need to test its length. Part of experiencing something is to "test" it. In other words, you see if it endures, holds up under pressure. Explore the "lasting power" of God's love - it endures when nothing else does. If this is not enough, he reminds us to plumb the depth and rise to the heights of his love. His love is found both in the deepest sorrows of our soul and in the soaring "wins" of the mountain-top experiences. 

You know, it will take me an eternity to understand God's love fully. What I see and understand about his love only scratches the surface right now. My "finite" understanding is ever expanding, but I know it is limited by what I can see today, understand with my mind today, and interpret with my emotion in the here and now. In eternity, I will continue to learn at his feet. How about you? We need to truly learn to live for today - not letting the opportunities pass us by. The very "snail" we stop to observe could be the thing that leads us to the next great step in our lives! Just sayin!

The ride is pretty rough at times

Have you ever been in a circumstance where you knew 'letting go' of something meant it was going to bring some form of pain into your life? You may lose your grip on it and it will cause you physical pain, but you may also lose your 'grip' on it and it will leave you with a whole lot of emotional pain. Whenever we are holding onto something, or someone, for dear life, we are using a whole lot of effort to hold onto it, as if our very life depended upon not letting go. In some cases, we are the ones doing the "holding" - simply because we are desperate to not let go. At others, someone or something else is holding onto us - because to let go would be to experience loss of some kind. None of us likes to experience loss - no matter how well we are prepared. Loss is often equated with being "deprived" of something you once had, such as when we mourn the loss of an individual in our lives. It can also mean an accidental loss of something, much like misplacing something we once were so careful to have been aware of, but somehow we paid less attention and did not exhibit the care we needed with it. Either way, the loss causes us some type of sense of "urgency" and "grief". Loss is somehow equated with letting go - either consciously, or unconsciously.

“If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says God, “I’ll get you out of any trouble. I’ll give you the best of care if you’ll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times; I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party. I’ll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!” (Psalm 91:14-16)

We need to hold onto God for dear life. We could (and probably will) experience a whole lot of grief, or unnecessary concern if we don't! Foremost in our thoughts should be the position of "holding on" - not to some "thing", but to the God of the entire universe - the Creator of all things. When we are holding on "for dear life", we are determined to not let go! There is a tenacity and determination to hold on, no matter what comes our way. I have been on roller-coasters at the amusement parks, being thrown this way, then that, all the while "holding on for dear life" until the ride came to a safe stop at the base of the ride. Roller-coasters are actually built with something in front of you that is there expressly for the purpose of "holding on" - that little bar which comes across you, or the one which straps over your shoulders and comes down around your arms and chest are to 'hold' you. The "bars" are designed to not only keep you safe, but to give you something to "hold onto" - simply because the ride will be rough! Guess what? Life has some rough twists and turns at times. When we are holding onto the right stuff in life, we find we get through those twists and turns unscathed!

God tells us he'll be the one to get us out of ANY trouble - when we are holding onto him. No person, or thing, can do what God can do - they may promise to keep us safe, but the best security system in the world is nothing compared to the shelter of his arms! Sometimes we stop right there and don't read on in this passage - simply "claiming" the promise that God will get us out of any trouble. The truth of the matter is God gives us some responsibility in this 'safety thing'! We position ourselves to hold onto him for dear life - because our life really does depend upon him! Then we have to get to know him and learn to trust him, even when things get rougher than we anticipated. It is impossible to trust anyone or anything if we never get to know the integrity of the person, or the strength of the object we are placing our trust in. We trust the bar across our body on the roller-coaster because it is there, locked into position, and it is solid. We learn to trust God in much the same manner - because he is consistently there, he is "locked in" on us, and he is a solid foundation!

Simply holding on may not be enough at times - we also need to call out when our resolution is not as strong as it should be, when the obstacles in our path might cause us to stumble, and when our grip seems to be slipping. If you have ever tried to hold onto something tightly for any length of time, you know you eventually allow your grip to slacken. Why? Simply because your attention and strength is diverted from the focus on "holding on" - the effort becomes more than we can handle. God reminds us when this happens, we can call out to him - he is there to strengthen our grip and to pull us even closer. What we hold onto determines the stability of the ride and the security we feel as we go on the ride! We can hold onto our "trusted" ways of self-will - trusting in our abilities to deal with life, or we can let go of our grip on "self-dependence" and learn to depend on the "safety-hold" of God's arms firmly around us. The choice is ours. What we find ourselves holding the tightest to may not always be the thing that we will find the greatest security and protection in. If our grip is on the right stuff, we will endure the "ride". Just sayin!

Half full or Half empty

Time has a way of slipping through our fingers without us even recognizing it has passed us by. We can fritter away time easier than anything else. To fritter means to allow something to slip away little by little, almost like the sands seeping through the hourglass. Frittering something away is not like a glass slipping from our hand and shattering on the ground because we had wet hands when we tried to hold it. In this case, we were unprepared to hold the glass securely, so it slipped and we were fully conscious of it slipping. To fritter a glass out of your hand is kind of like dozing off with a glass of water in your hand, then slowly, little by little, the glass tips ever so slightly. Then it tips a little more, and a little more. Then in the next short passage of time, the glass lays on its side, contents flowing freely from it. We can remain asleep, unaware of the contents being spilled, or the condition of our "hand" which actually "relaxed" its grip and allowed the spillage to occur. Frittering happens - most of the time completely unnoticed by us.

A life frittered away disgusts God; he loves those who run straight for the finish line. (Proverbs 15:9)

The key difference between the two events described above is awareness. In the first circumstance, we were aware the glass was slipping, but could do little to stop it simply because we weren't well prepared when we picked up the glass. In the latter, we were neither aware, nor attentive. Life and time come at us this way sometimes. There are things that life seems to ensure will get put on "our agenda" for the day - some we know about, others we don't. I work in the healthcare arena, so my "agenda" is constantly being altered by the immediate demands of the "urgent" or "emergent". As aware as I am of what needs to be done for the day, some "agendas" have to be placed aside for the more urgent needs of another - the glass slips from my hand because I was not prepared for the next demand. 

I may lose control of my "agenda" for a period of time, but I still remain very aware of what requires my attention when I can get back on track. I have learned the "urgent" may cause things to slip out of my control for a while, but in short order, I will get back on track, because I have prepared for the "urgent". You see, I work "ahead" a little in many of my tasks, so I don't see them slip from my hands when the "urgent" comes my way. As a matter of fact, I am writing this blog post about seven days in advance of it being posted. Slippage is pretty much assured at some point in life, but I don't have to be unprepared for it! Neither do you! There have been times when things seem to be running rather "smoothly" - times like this almost set us up to do some "frittering". It is not that I am lazy, but when there are no "urgent" or "emergent" things demanding my attention, it is easy to change my pace to a slower, less hectic pace for completion of my agenda.  For most of us, we'd rather have the latter, but we all know it is not always the best for us. We are actually doing more harm when we fritter away our time, talent, or treasure, aren't we? God made each of us with both the ability to experience the "adrenaline rush" of the "urgent" and to enjoy the "peacefulness" of the routine - one really doesn't exist without the other.

If we are always operating in the mode of "frittering away", we are really operating in the arena of becoming less and less alert to our surroundings. In time, we become less alert to the things we'd normally pay close attention to, such as the glass of water in our hand! In so doing, we allow things to slip away - they get poured out, or wasted. This may not be a big deal if the "glass" contained only water, but if the "glass" contained something more significant, such as deep purple grape juice, you might be more than a little concerned when you finally realized what you'd allowed by your "frittering". Now, think of your "glass" as filled with relationships, talents, and treasures. We fritter away our relationships, neglecting them little by little until one day our 'relationship' glass is empty. Sadly, we never realized the "spillage" over time, but nonetheless, it occurred. If our glass is filled with talents and treasures, the slippage may leave us feeling empty, unfulfilled and a little remorseful over the loss. Either way, we realize the impact of our "frittering" way too late! Let's be the kind of people who are alert to the tendency we have to "fritter away" what we may not want to find ourselves without when all is said and done! I guarantee you, today's attentiveness to your "glass" will make all the difference with tomorrow's supply within the "glass"! Just sayin!

Pour into each other

Do you know the purpose of the spout on the water or juice pitcher you have in your fridge today? It is designed to pour out the contents it holds in just the right way so that the little "funnel-like" stream hits the spot inside the glass you are pouring the liquid into. I have to ask a tough question today - who is it that pours into your life with such 'funnel-like' accuracy so as to almost consistently hit the right spot? Go ahead - really think about those in your circle of friends and acquaintances that "pour into" your life. You are likely to discover there are a lot more who have the "spout" of your life turned toward them, hoping you will be the one doing the pouring! They take from you, expecting you to pour into their lives, without any thought of ever pouring into yours - not because they are selfish, but because they either don't think they have anything to pour out themselves, or they haven't really thought they needed to 'give back' anything they have received. If you are as fortunate as I have been, there is always some individual who seems to be able to pour into your life just when you need it most - even if it comes in dribbles, it still refreshes.

The words of the wise prod us to live well. They’re like nails hammered home, holding life together. They are given by God, the one Shepherd. (Ecclesiastes 12:11 MSG)

I have shared things a friend says that spark some introspection on my part - words spoken that may not have 'hit home' right away, but in the 'consideration' of those words over time, they bring such refreshing into my life. Without even knowing they have done it, the friend "poured into" my life - words of life, words of conviction, and words of hope. The faithfulness of my friend's "pouring out" is a blessing to me. What do the words of a faithful friend do in our lives? They "prod" us to live well, hold life together, and are really words from God, just spoken with a human voice. When something is "prodded", it is being "awakened" or "aroused" to do something. As a kid, I used to travel through the desert surrounding my home, looking for holes and burrows. It was my greatest joy to "prod" something within those holes to life! I was overjoyed to see a small critter scamper out and look at me with their big eyes, wondering who had just awakened them from their slumber. Sometimes, we need a little "prodding" to get out of some "slumber" of sorts. It is often the faithfulness of a friend's words - sometimes encouraging, other times a little convicting - which cause us to arouse from our place of complacency.

Nails hammered home - the work of the carpenter illustrating the power of our words. The purpose of the nail is to "hold something together". It is a fastener, is it not? The words of a wise friend actually may be a little "sharp" at times, huh? Just like the nail has a sharp point, their words may seem a little sharp at times. Ever try driving a dull nail into wood? It just doesn't cut a path to its destination! The dullness of the nail cannot drive past the resistance of the wood. No matter how much "hammering" is done, the nail just cannot get past the point of resistance. Just as there is a purpose in the nail having two sides - pointed and flat - the words of a wise friend have two sides. One side cuts through the resistance of our selfish pride and the other is available to be continually "tapped" by the Master Carpenter (Jesus)! Nails hold things together. An apt illustration of the wisdom of a friend, spoken into our lives at the right moment. When we waiver, drift off-course, or are just in a slump better known as a "pity party", the words of a faithful friend can actually "bring together" the pieces of our life in an ordered fashion. They not only "pull together" the individual pieces, but they "hold" them together. If you have ever made anything with wood, you will realize the importance of this concept. You cannot just put this end of wood to the next, nail them together and expect them to hold up under the pressures exerted upon them! There is some sense of order in bringing the pieces together and "where" the nails are driven. A faithful friend actually sees the order in which the pieces are fit together and is able to know exactly "where" and "when" the wood is readied for the nail to be driven. When driven home, the "firmness" produced is awesomely strong!

A faithful friend - who can find one? In looking for a faithful friend, do you scout for a person who is willing to be the "nail-driver" God calls them to be? My friend often sees my blog and says, "I was another object lesson for you!" To that I can only say, "You betcha!" The words sparked a little thought, the Lord did the rest. When you are surrounded by the wise, the pieces come together. When fools speak into your life, the pieces just make a mess of a woodpile! Woodpiles are only good for gathering creepy-crawly creatures like spiders, ants, and termites. All are pretty messy to deal with! The spiders spin their webs to catch the unsuspecting. The ants invade like an army, so small so as to go undetected until their numbers amass to insurmountable amounts! The termites just eat away silently, undermining the integrity of the structure. I don't know about you, but I want the "wood" of my life to be put together well, free of any invading forces, trap-setting, or crippling influences. Just sayin!

Not always evident

We all have those moments when we just feel called to pitch in and get something done. The urge to roll up our sleeves and get whatever lies ahead out of the way almost propels us forward with such a force that nothing can stand in our way. Then there are other times when a stick of dynamite could not move us into action! What's the difference between the two? One thing that stands out is the motivation that comes from within. At times, we are highly motivated, while at other times that motivation just isn't there. Is that wrong? I don't know for sure, but I think there are times when we aren't supposed to be the ones that rise up to meet the need - there are others who are called to do it. We aren't always to be the only ones rising up and taking action, but when we are called to do so, we should do it cheerfully, with gusto, and in a way that shows how much God's love is working through our lives.

The man who gives much will have much, and he who helps others will be helped himself. (Proverbs 11:25)

An old historian said, "The return we reap from generous actions is not always evident." (Francesco Guicciardini) Generous actions aren't always immediately returned - sometimes there is a long delay between the action and what some may call the 'reward'. Is it wrong to take the right action because we hope for some positive reward? If that is the only reason you take the action, and we want the reward for ourselves, then yes! If you take the action and trust that God will be honored in the action, no matter how long you wait to see the action's outcome, it was worth it! Guicciardini also said, "If you attempt certain things at the right time, they are easy to accomplish - in fact, they almost get done by themselves. If you undertake them before the time is right, not only will they fail, but they will often become impossible to accomplish even when the time would have been right."

Does the lack of evidence mean that an action didn't accomplish the thing God desired? Not always. In fact, there are going to be times we feel motivated to act, take the action, then see absolutely no evidence of any action having been taken. Do we then tell ourselves the action was fruitless? No, certainly not. Even the smallest action, taken for the right reasons, in the right timing, with the right motivation will yield results - we just may not see the results right away! I have added yeast to a recipe. The action of the yeast is not immediately evident, but let that dough sit long enough and you will begin to see the results of that action! The action was taken - the reaction was delayed, but it came!

Rise up when you are called to rise up. Sit when you are reminded you aren't the one to do the task. These are hard lessons to learn, but invaluable nonetheless. If you are moved into action, take the action as though you were doing it for Christ, not for any person or any reward. Don't be put off when you don't see the immediate reward for the generous action. It will come in time, often in ways you never expected, into the spaces of your life where you never knew you needed to be touched. Generous hearts stem from hearts touched by grace. Grace is always meant to be 'given away' - not looking for any reward or return, but because it was needed. Just sayin!

Dams and Dikes

We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear. (Martin Luther King, Jr)

A dam retains water - a dike holds it back so floods of water won't invade spaces where they don't belong. A dike is an embankment of sorts, but the 'site' selected for a dike is equally as important as the actual material that goes into the building of the embankment. I think we all have some 'embankments' in our lives that are constructed of whatever material we have at hand - emotional 'sandbags' of sorts that are filled with all kinds of garbage that just 'fills the space' and creates barriers that help us avoid things that we fear the most. 

Love is made perfect in us when we are not ashamed as we stand before Him on the day He judges. For we know that our life in this world is His life lived in us. There is no fear in love. Perfect love puts fear out of our hearts. People have fear when they are afraid of being punished. The man who is afraid does not have perfect love. We love Him because He loved us first.(I John 4:17-19)

The real purpose of any dike it create a barrier - to ensure something we don't want doesn't cross over into something we want to protect. You may have thought of a dike as just a stack of sandbags filled with materials sufficient enough to hold back invading waters, but for a dike to be successful in holding back the waters, there first must be a trench created! A trench sufficient to hold several layers of these sandbags, so there is a "key-hold" for the bags. I wonder how many trenches we have laid when emotionally hurt? Trenches that become easily filled with all manner of 'sand-bagged' emotional matter.

The trench actually 'holds fast' the layers and layers of sandbags that get added. As the pressures of the waters push against those bags, they don't move because there is a deep enough trench of filled sandbags to act as a foundation or footing for those piled upon them. One infraction rarely causes a trench to be dug, though. It takes threat upon threat and soon we begin to dig that trench. Once it is big enough, we start to 'sand-bag' those emotional hurts, stacking them into that trench, forming the 'foundation' upon which other hurts and grudges can be packed away.

Before long, we have an 'emotional dike' created that keeps us from having to deal with all the stuff on the other side of that 'emotional dike'. The barrier created keeps unwanted stuff out, but it doesn't keep it from being there! It just makes it harder for us to be affected by it. The problem with dikes is that when the 'waters' that exerted all that pressure external to the dike recede, we are left with a wall that has been 'soaked' with some pretty foul stuff. Floods of emotional garbage remain up against that 'wall', stuff that does nothing more than clutter up our lives and attracts some pretty unwelcome 'emotional vermin'! Just sayin!

Who's doing what here?

Let's take a little inventory today. If I were to ask the question, "What is the one thing you hoped to accomplish yesterday, but didn't", what would your answer be? For a few of us it likely would be some household tasks like cleaning the bathrooms, doing the laundry, or getting the crumbs out of the silverware drawer. Others will say it was something like motor rebuild on the motorcycle that has been in pieces in the backyard for weeks, or the sorting of all those clothes in their closets that they haven't worn since the last time they were actually that size! We all have things that don't quite get accomplished as we would like to see them accomplished, right? There is one thing we don't want to put off in our lives and that is what God wants to see worked out in us. We might try to skirt that, as well, but the longer we skirt his working, the longer he will be working!

He is working in you. God is helping you obey Him. God is doing what He wants done in you. (Philippians 2:13)

Obedience is not our favorite topic to discuss, perhaps because it is so doggone hard for us to actually live obedient lives most of the time. We all want to live in 'safety', but we do things that are counteracting our safety in life, don't we? We know the speed limit, but do we always obey it? Not likely. We know face masks help to reduce the spread of disease, but do we always like how confining they are? Not likely. We all know the top rung on the ladder clearly states it is not a step, but how many times have you stood upon it? Perhaps a few! We do things all the time that are contrary to our safety, but we 'survive' pretty much unscathed, so we'd consider doing it again if we had to. Why? Obedience isn't always easy and we tend to push the limits when things get harder than we'd like.

The good news is that we aren't expected to be obedient all by our own power. God is at working doing within us what he wants done. Did you catch that? It is God in us that is actually going to bring us closer and closer to obedience. God is helping us obey him - not out of duty or obligation, but because we have a desire to do so born within us and nurtured by his presence within us. Don't lose hope, my friends, because of your struggles to always see the right stuff accomplished in and through your lives. It is being worked out in you, so it can be worked out through you. God is at working doing exactly what he wants done - even when we don't think we are doing a very good job at living life right now. 

God isn't put off by our disobedience and he isn't 'thrown out' of our lives each time we take a step that is contrary to what we know is right and true. In fact, I believe he re-doubles his efforts to see us step into obedience in those area where he is working in us. Just sayin!

A little bent

The heart is fooled more than anything else, and is very sinful. Who can know how bad it is? I the Lord look into the heart, and test the mind. (Jeremiah 17:9)

It probably goes without saying that we are seeing some pretty unruly behavior these days. From refusing to mask-up in public to help reduce the spread of this virus to protests turned into violent looting sprees, it all just saddens my heart. Some ask why people act this way, but I'd just have to begin by saying that the heart of man is fooled by many things. There will be those who believe the COVID-19 virus is a 'scam' or 'hoax' - something cooked up by the government, healthcare community, or other 'big brother' entity, so they won't 'buy-into' the plans to slow the spread. Some will say that violence begets violence, thereby justifying their own violent outbursts. We listen to reports - some given with all the wisdom and light man can shed into a circumstance, while others are lacking in any common-sense, but that we find definitely appealing to our 'feelings'. May I just say this one thing - God isn't pleased when we ignore good advice, nor is he excited when we choose to pursue something just because it appeals to some emotion we are experiencing. 

The heart is fooled more than anything else - that says it all. We likely have no idea of how many times we have been duped in this lifetime by our own feelings and emotions unless there has been a negative outcome as a result. If we see the immediate 'bad effect' of our emotional response, such as being locked out of the house because we stormed out in anger without considering to pick up our house keys, we might remember the moments when emotions 'over-rode' good and godly sense. So many times we don't see any negative effect of our emotional actions in the 'present sense', but may begin to see the effect of those choices somewhere down the road, such as when we develop an ulcer from burying our stress and worries. The heart guides our choices more than we might like to admit, but if we depend upon our heart to be our guide, we might just find ourselves 'fooled' into believing the choices we are making are 'justified' or 'right', even when they clearly are not.

To counter-act the 'fickle' state of our heart, being a pretty unreliable guide for our lives, God sends his Holy Spirit into our lives. The more we rely upon his urging in our lives, the closer we will come to making 'less foolish' decisions. He knows the bent of our heart and he acts as a 'counter-balance' to those tendencies to pursue things that stem from things like a lack of trust, envy, bitterness, and anger. he knows what we think upon the most and will work to help us refocus our thoughts toward things that bring wholeness into our lives, but he doesn't 'take over our mind'. We have to yield those unwholesome thoughts to him and then begin to meditate upon the things he tells us will bring peace in place of anger, hope in place of despair, thankfulness in place of comparison and envy. We don't know how to achieve this 'balance' ourselves because of this 'bent heart' we have, so we need to rely upon his presence to help us 'undo' the bend! Just sayin!

Used

God has given me His loving-favor. This helps me write these things to you. I ask each one of you not to think more of himself than he should think. Instead, think in the right way toward yourself by the faith God has given you. (Romans 12:3)

I allowed these words to sink in a bit this morning because there are just some days when I sit to study and write my blog, but nothing 'new' or 'exciting' comes. I just read, reread, and then attempt something. Ever have those moments? This morning I think God was showing me there is no 'thing' within me that writes these blogs - it is HIM in me that helps me write them! The thought crossed my mind that there are others who might be reading this post today who feel like God will never, or could never do anything good through their lives. The word to you today is this - God has given you his loving-favor AND because of that, you are able to do the things he has designed for you to do. There aren't going to be big flashing lights, screaming sirens, or messages written on the wall to convince you that God is within you and has a specific purpose for your life - so stop looking for those things. In fact, he already has given you all the assurance you need. His presence within you stands as an assurance that his calling is on your life - now get up and do whatever it is he has called you to do!

Perhaps one of the hardest things we struggle with is a feeling of 'certainty' that we are proceeding in the right direction for our lives. I am in the midst of doing some remodeling that needed to be done for some time now, but with mom's failing health I didn't want to have her environment upended. Now that mom has passed, I have begun to do all those things that I put off for quite some time and it isn't always easy knowing how to proceed, in what order things should be done, and how well I can get these things done without going over my budget. I was having a dickens of a time trying to find a vanity and counter top that would replace the one in my bathroom (over 30 year old counters and shower needing to be replaced). I searched high and low, but with COVID shortages abounding, the selections were abysmal. It would take me longer to get any I liked than the start date for the contractor to do the work, so I was struggling with moving forward. You know what helped? My daughter's words spoken back to me - words she said I tell her all the time - but words I needed to hear myself!

Those words? She simply reminded me that I needed to pray on it that night, ask God to settle my heart, and if I did not have peace by the morning, not to proceed. Well, isn't she just the smartest girl ever! If you have ever had one of your kids 'speak back' your own words as they get a little older in life, you know there comes this overwhelming sense of 'hey, they were actually listening' kind of moment. Sometimes we think no one is paying attention to us, or that our life-efforts don't really amount to much, but trust me on this one...someone is always watching, listening, observing to learn. We may not know it, but they are! We don't have to have the clearest of direction to know how to proceed in life, we just have to use the direction we have and then begin to walk. In time, the direction becomes clearer and the determination needs to be doubled. Yes, the walk can be hard and the destination not so clear, but here is the hard truth - if we don't ever set out, we won't ever get anywhere! That one was free. Now, back to our passage - God doesn't just 'save' us so we can sit on a shelf looking pretty. He asks us to be 'used' in his kingdom. Maybe it isn't teaching or preaching - but you could sew face masks for the homeless, or help out an elderly neighbor with their yard work. It isn't about us - it is about him being used through us. Just sayin!

A little 'wheel-time'

Drift happens - little by little - almost without ever noticing just how far off-course you have gone. Isaiah is an Old Testament prophet sent to Israel to encounter them for their "drift" - having become "like the other nations". If you have never really read the entire message of Isaiah, you will have missed special words such as: Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow. If they are red as crimson, they will become like wool. (1:18) Then they will beat their swords into iron plows and their spears into pruning tools. Nation will not take up sword against nation; they will no longer learn how to make war. (2:4) Doom to those who call evil good and good evil, who present darkness as light and light as darkness, who make bitterness sweet and sweetness bitter. (5:20) The list could go on and on, but I would like to focus us on one of the latter chapters of this great book. There we find these words: Still, God, you are our Father. We’re the clay and you’re our potter: all of us are what you made us. Don’t be too angry with us, O God. Don’t keep a permanent account of wrongdoing. Keep in mind, please, we are your people—all of us. (Isaiah 64:8-9)

All of us are what He made us. Think on this one just a little for a moment. God is our Father. In his hands, he fashions us exactly as he envisions us to be. I want to call attention to the fact not stated here - he sees the finished product just as he planned for it to be! He is the creator of all life - it is by his hand we are formed in the womb and it is equally by his hand we are fashioned into the person we are today.  I know we have a free will, so some of the "fashioning" may get a little "out of whack" at times. Yet, it is this crystal clear image of us perfectly created by his hands that he sees. The illustration used by Isaiah of the clay and the potter tell us much. Clay is a very mold-able substance - it can take on many forms. Clay is a type of soil. It is a very "heavy" soil - difficult to bring growth from. Why? It is compacted tightly and this makes it difficult for growth to spring forth. Now, in respect to us being clay in the hands of a potter, I wonder how hard is it for God to bring growth from our lives? What does he have to do in order to "coax" any sign of life from within? Did you know clay soil can be the hardest to bring to a place of "tilled productivity" simply because it compacts so easily? The compacting work may come because of what passes over the soil for any length of time - with each "step" or passage, the soil becomes more compact.

It takes much effort to bring growth from clay soil. It is only by the addition of what farmers refer to as "organic matter" that the soil is changed in structure. If you don't know what "organic matter" is, let me just remind you it usually comes out of the tail end of an animal! In other words, some pretty "foul" stuff gets added to the soil, in turn, breaking down the hardness and opening it up to the possibility of life. This might get us to consider the "organic matter" we find in our lives at times as more of a positive additive, rather than a thing we just consider to be "foul"! Our passage makes reference to the clay in the hands of the potter - as the potter fashions it on the wheel. This process is referred to as "throwing clay bodies". Anyone who works with clay will tell you the best clay has three very important characteristics: plasticity, strength, and absorption. Plasticity refers to the flexibility of the clay. Clay with a very high plasticity can be very difficult for the potter to work with - contrary to what we might imagine. Why? There are really two reasons: 1) Highly plastic clay requires much strength from the potter - pushing "against" the plasticity of the clay; and 2) Highly plastic clay shrinks and warps during drying - making the object created no longer able to hold its original shape. So, the potter has to work with the clay to get the right degree of plasticity - so it will yield to his touch, holding its shape in the end!

The strength of the clay is what gives it the ability to withstand the furnace. A very weak clay will simply crumble in the kiln. The hardest of clay might actually crack, yielding a vessel of no use in the end. So, the potter works with the clay in a couple of ways to get the right "strength" to the clay. There is a process called "passing the clay through the grog" which is simply the passing of the clay through a screen. If the little holes in the screen are too small, the clay will be too dry and will be very inflexible to the potter as he attempts to model it. If the clay is not passed at all through some type of mesh screen, it may contain just way too much moisture, making it impossible for the clay to hold its form. He passes it through the right screen in order to get just the perfect blend of moisture and in the process, he adds some of the coarseness clay needs. If there is a right blend of a little coarseness, the strength produced is good. If too much - the thing crumbles. Can you see how this might apply to our lives - going through "screen after screen", little things which seem "unnecessary" to us being added into the "mix"? 

 What we may view as unnecessary to us may be the very thing that adds the strength to our structure! The last characteristic of the clay is its ability to absorb. Water is added to the clay while it is on the wheel. Since this is the case, if the clay is too "wet" to begin with, it might just become too "goopy" to handle. If the clay was to dry to begin with, the water might begin to break down the clay a little, but it takes much strength from the hand of the potter to form anything of value. I think this is why the potter puts the clay through various "tests" first. He wants the clay to be ready for the wheel. In the process, he creates the right plasticity, the proper strength, and the perfect absorb-ability. If we are the clay and he is the potter, does this give you a little perspective of how silly it would be for us to assume we are ready for the wheel? The wheel might produce the object he envisions, but if we are not readied for the wheel, the work of the wheel will have to be repeated and repeated. Just sayin!