The Plumbline

You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” (2 Peter 2:9-10) Too many of us overlook the "as a result" in this passage. Because we are chosen by God, made into a holy body of believers, we can show others the way to find grace. There are times we feel like God could never use our story or talents, but nothing is further from the truth. We all have been called to move away from darkness into the light of his grace. We may not occupy a pulpit, but we have a story to tell and it begins with grace. Once we had no identity worth speaking of, but that all changed the moment we said yes to Jesus. What did mercy change in your life? How did God's grace make a difference in your choices? There is a message in the answ...

Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They put their trust in God.... (I Peter 3:3-5) I might just burst your bubble today - that new hairstyle is nice, but your real beauty comes from within. The more 'beauty' your heart develops, the greater the true beauty within your life will begin to shine forth. This type of 'beauty' is only possible for those who have said a resounding 'yes' to Jesus' authority in their lives - not a casual acquaintance with him, but a deeply committed relationship with him. Some have used this passage to say we should not wear make-up, dye our hair, or adorn ourselves with jewelry, but this was not the meaning. The goal of these verses is summed up in ...

Do you ever put something on, thinking it would make you look good or would be of the newer fashions available in the stores, then immediately pull it off, replace it back on the hanger and return it to the rack at the store? Your first impression was, "I have seen others wear this style and it looks so cute!" Your first impression on you: "Uh....this does not look good on me!" Maybe it is a "girl thing", but I think guys go through this frustration once in a while, too. They may just not admit it! There is one form of "attire" which will never disappoint, never look odd on us, and always flatters us! It never goes out of style. Everyone can 'wear it', but no one wears it quite the same, yet they look so very good in it. That attire is none other than the grace and peace of God. It is what scripture references when we hear about the 'garments of righteousness'. I will sing for joy in God, explode in praise from deep in my so...

In some cultures, the wearing of 'floral' adornments is quite commonplace. Leis or garland wreaths for the head are part of both the Polynesian and some Asian culture. In the islands, they use this as a welcome gift. They are worn at weddings and ceremonies. Natural flower petals and leaves of the area are gathered and then worked into a beautiful display of the most divine smelling adornment.  In a sense, these flowers are like "garland" - adorning the visitor with beauty and anointing them with the aroma of the beautiful flora of the region. In scripture, there are times when 'adornment' is spoken of as being 'garlanded' by some form of interwoven vine, foliage, or even flowers. God has a type of "garland" he would like us to adorn ourselves with that definitely leaves a 'heavenly scent' in one's life. That garland? Grace! Take this to heart. Do what I tell you—live! Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding! Do...

I have a observed this trend to get eyelash extensions, lip puff ups, and other types of augmentation. If you have them don't be mad at me right now, but why on earth do some of these gals get those eyelashes almost an inch long? It is like they almost need to work at opening their eyes! Those lashes are so long and with all the mascara on them to boot, they must catch the focus of their eye a whole lot. I also notice the lip enhancements with some form of stuff that is meant to puff them up, the eyeliner that goes on forever, and the six inch heels with the pointy toes. Mom had always taught me to leave the house "presentable". This does not mean I dress up, or 'super-enhance' what I have, but simply that I don't go out in my PJs or with hair every which way! Silly, isn't it, how much we focus on the external as our "view" of being presentable or beautiful to those around us? So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, i...

Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the  Lord  will be greatly praised.  (Proverbs 31:30 NLT) I was taking a look of some recent photos of movie actresses as they are now in their seventies or older. They look nothing like what they used to! In fact, those who have chosen to "stay young" by getting all that botox, collagen, and who knows what pumped or implanted into various areas of their bodies look a little bit "morphed" from what they were! Maybe they see this as an improvement over the wrinkles and natural sagging process of older skin, but eegads - it can be scary! Those voluminous lips stand out like nobody's business! The perfectly toned skin is obviously stretched to capacity - it barely moves when they blink, talk, or smile! Audrey Hepburn once commented about "true beauty". She said, "The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love reside...

While fishing by the shore of Showlow Lake in the White Mountains of Arizona, I observed what is known as the "cow killer" - a solitary red velvety ant or wasp-like creature. Although the red velvet appearance of the wasp-like insect made it quite attractive and enjoyable to watch as it made a track across the rocks along the shoreline, I found out it has the sting capable of bringing down a full-grown cow! It destroys bee colonies by laying eggs in their hives and then the young kill all the bees in the hive. While it looked beautiful on the outside, the awful venom in that single sting was something that none would soon forget. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. (I Peter 3:3-4 NLT) Sometimes we evaluate others by what we see on the outside...

Look on me with a heart of mercy, O God, according to Your generous love.  According to Your great compassion, wipe out every consequence of my shameful crimes.  Thoroughly wash me, inside and out, of all my crooked deeds. Cleanse me from my sins.  For I am fully aware of all I have done wrong, and my guilt is there, staring me in the face. (Psalm 51:1-3 VOICE) Singer and song writer Natalie Grant has a new song out entitled "Clean".  One word which implies so very much - each of us realizing just how much being "clean" can be so dramatically different for each one.  There are just a couple of lines in this song which continually catch my attention whenever I get to hear it.  They are:   " There's nothing too dirty that you can't make worthy. You wash me in mercy...I am clean ." Ponder those words just a few minutes, will you? There is something powerful in Natalie's message - and I daresay, there is something powerful which has...

WorkingWomen.com posted a picture of a weathered, elderly female with the caption: "A beautiful face will age and a perfect body will change, but a beautiful soul will always be a beautiful soul."  I could not agree more!  We spend so much money and time trying to attain/maintain the perfect complexion, avoiding any signs of the aging process having occurred, and so little time actually looking into the eyes to see what the soul behind the face really reveals.  I catch a show on TV now and again where women are trying to "redo" their bodies for totally cosmetic reasons, not because they have some birth defect, life-altering scar from a traumatic event, or the like - just because they want smaller this or bigger that.  What does all this effort produce?  For most of them it still leaves a sense of dissatisfaction because they are "career lifters/fillers"!  They aren't fulfilled by their first attempt to get the "perfect image", so they go back...

As I photograph things, I don't look for the "perfect", but am willing to accept the "imperfect", for there is something of great beauty in the tree set askew by the wind, the broken branch protruding from the gentle waters, or the windblown dunes of the ever-changing landscape.  Some of us think of "being perfect" as what we are attempting to attain - as though it is a destination at which we arrive at some point in time because of some effort we take in life.  The truth is - we will live in imperfect bodies, in an imperfect world, with other imperfect people all our lives!  The pursuit of perfection is kind of over-rated!  What we fail to see is how God sees each of us - as made perfect through the blood of his Son! God looked at the "imperfect" in each of us and saw something of beauty he just didn't want to discount, or turn away from.  Just as I capture those photos of the broken, ever-changing, and kind of askew in nature, God reac...

Every now and again I catch one of those shows on TV which feature women all decked to the nines, competing against each other for some Miss USA, Ms. Universe, or the like.  It isn't often that I see those with the "truest" of beauty actually win in these events, though.  The outward is dazzling, but I don't know that the inward "character" and "beauty" of the individuals who actually win these contests consistently measure up to the standard of "beauty" God has for his kids.  These women can move across the stage in glamorous sashays and then dazzle us with their comments about world peace, dreams of saving the starving children in some third world country, or the like.  Deep down inside, they are not "bad" people, but all the outward grace and beauty can actually fool us to what is really at the core of what it is which "drives" them.  God is more concerned the with the "beauty" and "grace" which...

Probe:  To search into; examine thoroughly; to place under scrutiny.  Some call this being "under the microscope".  As long as someone is only viewing with the "naked eye", what is seen is not always what it appears to be.  But...put the same object under the microscope and you see things hidden from view!  It is like when you thought you dusted well, then the sun comes shining through the window, or you turn on that bright light in the room, and poof - all the dust on the shelves you "missed" is quite apparent!  You just didn't "probe" far enough with the duster!  Yet, you thought you had "cleaned house". Close the book on Evil,  God ,  but publish your mandate for us.   You get us ready for life:  you probe for our soft spots,   you knock off our rough edges.   And I’m feeling so fit, so safe:   made right, kept right.  God in solemn honor does things right,  but his nerves are sandpapered raw.  (Ps...