The Plumbline

The absence of alternatives clears the mind marvelously.  (Henry Kissinger) When it comes to our thought life, I daresay we could do with a few less 'alternatives' to ponder, rehash, and ruminate upon. We all probably struggle a little bit with the 'clutter' of thought we encounter all day long as we go about our regular tasks and chores. Any 'alternative' is simply means we have to make choices - one becoming more demanding or clearer than the others. We choose when to begin the laundry, whether we will leave the vacuuming another until another day, or even if we will listen to music while we go about those chores. We choose to hold onto or let go of the thought 'alternatives' when it comes to our misadventures that leave us feeling a little less than 'right' in the end. Guilt can lead to shame all because we don't let go of something we have spent way too much time ruminating on in our minds. Anger can lead to bitterness because we continue...

I have days when it seems like I can accomplish just about anything, and others where it seems like there is nothing getting done. Interruptions seem to rob my planned activities and replace them with those that were unplanned. The harder you seem to work at something (especially those things that are a little harder to accomplish in the first place), the more difficult it seems to become. You never seem to "catch up", never seem to fully "grasp" the goal - making it harder and harder to get to the desired end. In the end, you just stand there in total frustration, more in a muddle than you were when you first began. Just as quickly as we started, we find ourselves out of energy to continue the journey toward that goal! We stop short of the goal - never really crossing the finish line. What a waste, huh? Or is it? We all need reminders from time to time to stay focused even when there are things that aren't going so well for us.  You know by now that I like...

What are the ways you are influenced? Where is it you turn to when you need to be updated on the state of affairs in politics, the weather, or the results of the football game? It used to be we had newspapers, but more and more of those have gone by the wayside. We used to huddle around radios and listen with intent as the latest events were crackled from the airways. Now we are likely to read our social media posts, quick one liner tweets, and updates on our 'electronic' news feeds. As times change, so do the ways we receive our influences in life. We might not realize it, but the things that need to have the greatest influence in us are actually being suffocated out of their place of influence by all the things that vie for influence in our lives today. "Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he's up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right ...

Let me see clearly so that I may take in the amazing things coming from Your law. ( Psalm 119:18 VOICE ) What is it you are not seeing that clearly right now? Is there some question you have been wrestling with for some time unable to quite reach some form of resolution or solution? Is the time you spend pondering the stuff of everyday life kind of getting harder and harder when you expected it might just let up a little? If so, you are not alone in this inability to see clearly at times - we all suffer from the same "lack of clarity", but may not always admit to it because we don't actually realize we haven't reached a point of "clarity" yet. I think one of the greatest things which unlocks clarity in my own life is when I reach a place of gratitude in whatever are I am struggling or wrestling with at that moment. That may seem a little naive at first, but hear me out. When I transition from questioning into trusting, it usually happens when I begin to set...

PAY ATTENTION:  Did you ever stop to consider these two words in that order? First, to "pay" means you give something over in order to obtain something different.  It has the idea of "transfer".  "Attention" has the idea of directing one's mind toward something.  So the "transfer" here is one of "mind space" - we are giving our "mind space" to another in order to have what it is they will "fill" that space with.  At first that may not seem like much, but if we do this enough, we become filled with the right stuff.  If we yield our "mind space" to the wrong stuff - that which is very limiting in its focus and which really has no lasting benefit for us - we find our minds become "cluttered" rather than more "ordered".  Maybe this is why God adds the next words - listen to me.  The idea of giving one's mind space over to God in order for him to fill it involves some willingness on o...

Have you ever considered just how hard it is to get the knowledge we form in our heads to begin to affect our hearts?  It seems like we can almost be beaten over the head with the same lessons (knowledge) until we are almost numb, yet totally miss the formation of any wisdom  which keeps us from doing the same silly thing over and over again!  Then we find ourselves getting all down on ourselves, God and others just because we failed!  What's that all about? Grow a wise heart—you'll do yourself a favor;  keep a clear head—you'll find a good life.  (Proverbs 19:8 The Message) First of all, let me say something which may open your eyes a little.  You and I are not in this alone!  There are others just like us, seemingly being hit over the head with the same lessons time and time again.  We have similar natures - therefore, we have similar responses!  So, lest you think you are the only one struggling with your present battle, look arou...

  22-23 "Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!" (Matthew 6:22-23) As a nurse, one of the first things I notice in my assessment of a patient is the clarity of their eyes.  The eyes really tell a lot about what is going on with a person.  Whenever one of the boys gets sick, I look to the eyes, often seeing reddened "rings" around their eye, making the eyes themselves look a little "hallow" and "sad".  They may not open their eyes as wide, and the "crystal-clear" appearance of the eye may look a little "foggy" or "dry".  See, the eye really can "alert" us to much that is going on inside a man! I may not know all the specifics of what is making the child "ill" at that moment...