The Plumbline

Are you able to listen when there are multiple distractions? I have difficulties 'filtering' out sound, conversations, or music lyrics when I am really trying to concentrate. I was never one of those students who could study with the most popular band's music blaring from the stereo in the background. I also know I don't do well where there are multiple distractions. My desk faces the wall, not the window. My computer desk is free of papers and the like because it would just distract me during my quiet time each morning. When I travel, I find a quiet spot, take my coffee and sit a while with God, listening as he shows me things in the scripture. Remove the distractions and we might just find ourselves able to 'listen to the message' God wants to bring into our lives today. “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death int...

"Some things are so unexpected that no one is prepared for them." (Leo Rosten) How is it we can have something so plainly before us and totally miss it? We aren't really looking? We aren't really interested? We think it couldn't be? We oftentimes 'miss' what God puts right before us. The woman at the well was there to draw water - do you think she was looking for the Messiah as she went to the well? Not likely - in fact, the Samaritan woman would have been condemned if her peers had of seen her actually talking with a Jewish man. We might not always see, but God can open our eyes so that we can comprehend what it is we are missing! Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—...

  So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-10) As I read this passage again this morning, my eye caught that phrase to 'use your head and test your feelings'. I guess I never really saw that before, or maybe I just needed to see it this morning. Using your head means you actually think before you act or say something. As I was prayerful on my walk this morning, the idea of how much division is all around us in this world right now kept coming to mind. Division in the government; between churches; and even between those we used to call friends. Why? Masks,...

Get out the message—God Rules! He put the world on a firm foundation;  He treats everyone fair and square. (Psalm 96:10) There are times when we have nothing to say and at others we are unable to keep our mouths shut at all. How is it we can have so much to say on one topic and nothing on another? I purposefully stopped listening to the news channels except for on occasion here and there. In fact, my BFF oftentimes has to tell me something catastrophic has happened because I have not 'heard the news'. Why did I stop listening? It was so much of the same negative stuff and I didn't need fill my mind with a million different 'takes' on why something happened the way it did. Give me the facts - lives were lost, pray for our nation and their families - leave it there! The news stations don't do that, though. They review time and time again the same clips, factoids, and the interviews until you can almost rehearse them ad nauseum. I'd rather get the word out that...

Have you ever been in that moment when you'd like to say something, but you know better than to even open your mouth? I have and let me tell you...it is harder to stay silent sometimes, but oh so worth it! The words I would say would not be helpful, could even incite a little argument or two, and might even end up doing more harm than good. There are times when silence is definitely the best "tactic" to utilize, yet there are others when remaining silent will just worsen a situation. Learning how to use silence in a positive manner is a skill many of us never fully grasp. In fact, many of us don't like silence. We avoid it at all cost. There are also a group of us who like to express our opinion - invited or not. Either way, what we do with the silence is important - what we do with the spoken word is even more so. When Hathach told Mordecai what Esther had said, Mordecai sent her this message: "Don't think that just because you live in the king's ho...

The more we get into this life here on earth, the more we realize it gets very complex very quickly. As little kids, the most complex things we had to worry about were whether we'd watch one cartoon over another, play with this toy over another, or choose to play indoors or outside. The choices we had to make were very complex at the time, but then we grew up! Now we have to figure out how to fix the broken sprinkler valve, where the best deals are on the groceries we need this week, how well we can stretch that paycheck with prices going up on everything, and who we can really count on to be there when we need help. Yes, life gets pretty complex as we grow older, but trust me on this one - we lend to the complexity of things when we forget to put God in the center of it all! You are right and you do right, God; your decisions are right on target . You rightly instruct us in how to live ever faithful to you. My rivals nearly did me in, they persistently ignored your commandments....

It was Thomas Edison who reminded us, " Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. " The truth of the matter is that most of us would rather avoid the 'overall days' and just enjoy the 'lounge wear' days! We want the 'good stuff', but we don't want to put in the effort to actually 'get the goods'. Opportunity is when the timing is favorable - the conditions are met. How many times do we allow favorable timing and conditions to just pass us by? I think if we stop to consider that one, we may just say we have allowed opportunity to pass us by way too frequently without paying even the slightest attention to it as it was. Why? We were not 'positioned' to 'pounce'. The cat who sits still, considering the lizard skittering across the wall isn't duped into slumber by the breeze gently bending the tall grass. He is paying attention - positioning himself to pounce. Opportunity wil...

I think I have shared this before, but I had a friend encourage me to write a book. The idea of having to put into words my life experiences almost intimidated me. Yet, when I began to really think about it, we all are writing a book of sorts - maybe not with paper and pen, but a 'book' nonetheless. We might call it the "book of decision". You see, each action we take is somehow "writing the next chapter" of our lives. Our response to today's events go a long way in determining the events of tomorrow. We here of horrific tragedy every single day - murders, auto accidents taking lives, suicides, and innocent victims in the wrong place at the wrong time gunned down without warning.  The events of those few moments in time have such a ripple-effect on all the families involved. Spouses, brothers and sisters, grandparents, and even their neighbors who knew them - all impacted by the events of the day. The events of that one "chapter" open up...

Do you all get things right the first time you attempt them? Have you ever heard from someone there is a better way of doing something? What did you do with that advice? If you are like me, there are times you have embraced it, while there are other times you have 'let it go in one ear, then out the other'. Wisdom comes through a process of learning. Good judgment is something that must be developed. We'd like both to be "instant", but they only come in the process of time. They are a result of exposure to learning opportunities and time invested. The matter I choose to let out the other ear is not always the right matter! Listen, friends, to some fatherly advice; sit up and take notice so you'll know how to live. I'm giving you good counsel; don't let it go in one ear and out the other. (Proverbs 4:1-2) Ever see someone limping around after they have done some type of activity that they are not "used to doing"? It is like when I spend a da...

There are times when what I need is right there in front of me, but for some strange reason, I just don't see it. I was working in the shop the other day, using a small level to ensure some shelves were put up squarely. The first one up, I was ready to install the second. Wouldn't you know it - that level was nowhere to be found! It was right there a moment ago, but at the moment I needed it, it had vanished! The sad truth is that it was right there in front of me, just slightly hidden by something I had placed half over it! While new life in Christ is available to all, we must still choose to avail ourselves of what is right in front of us. God stands ready to both give us his gift of grace and to forgive us in his mercy. There have been lots of periods in our growth as a society when that message came through loud and clear. I am not so sure that God's message of salvation is as clear, or as loud as it once was - it has been drowned out by the many other messages we hear ...

My mother frequently uses the term "Listen to me!" as a way of getting my attention so that I actually stop, pay close attention, and hear out whatever her idea or issue is at the moment. It isn't always at the most convenient moment, nor is it always easy for her to get out whatever it is she wants to share. Yet, it is important enough for her to ask to for me to hear it, so I respond with, "I'm listening, mom", and she begins.  It isn't said in anger or in a moment of disappointment. Rather, these words are usually spoken in a "sing-song" manner, but with very specific intent - they are intended to get me to REALLY listen to what she was saying. Why? Because she knows she has something to say even if it is getting harder for her to say it! She has walked through much already, learned many lessons, and has the advantage of experience on her side, but the disadvantage of advancing age makes it harder and harder for her to actually form those th...

A verb in the English language is the part of speech which describes an action - in simple terms, it is a "doing" word. It could be used to suggest a mental action, such as thinking. It could also be used to suggest a physical action, such as running. It also can be used to suggest a state of being, such as standing. Did you know God likes verbs? In fact, they are probably one of his most favorite parts of speech!  Don't believe me?  "Go ye into all the world..."  Go is an action word. "Seek first the kingdom of God..."  Seek is an action word.  Many of God's commands and instructions to us begin or end with some type of action on our part - he is asking us to not be "inactive" believers, but participate in what he is doing in this world! Heed counsel, act on instruction, and you will become wise later in life. (Proverbs 19:20 VOICE) Three important verbs to consider:  Heed, Act, and Become. We might just miss that last one if we...

Throwing caution to the wind is rarely the best mode of attack to take, especially when everything inside your head and body is telling you otherwise! Yet, we find today's media pages littered with all manner of people "throwing caution to the wind" in incriminating photos, not well-planned posts, and some pretty crazy "rants".  I never cease to be amazed at what people will post.  I've seen everything from the funniest little kittens tormenting big burly dogs to minions captioned with catchy reminders of the woes of life.  In between, I have also seen some not so sweet or kind things.  You probably have, too.  Watching the news these days is like filling your mind with all manner of hatred, disgusting acts of violence, and just plain unpleasantness.  I really listen to the news for the weather, so I would honestly just prefer to look at the app on my phone!  As my daughter and I were talking the other day, she mentioned she wasn't sure who'd she vo...