The Plumbline

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me. (John 12:24-26) Unless the kernel dies, there is no harvest. This is a principle farmers know quite well. A principle is a 'rule of action' that basically indicates when one condition is met, the other condition is met, as well. We might think we can bypass some of God's principles as we navigate through life, but you can trust me on this one - I have never observed one person being able to accomplish all that God desires for their life when they spend their time bypassing his principles! Loss is something many of us almost fear. We might ...

If   God   doesn’t build the house,   the builders only build shacks. I f   God   doesn’t guard the city,  the night watchman might as well nap. (Psalm 127:1-2) Just a couple of thoughts today as we break down this passage a bit - God must be central in all we set out to accomplish and he must be central in all our relationships. We can 'build and build', all the while not really building of any long-term value. I was able to get some free pallets a while back and decided to break them down into usable pieces that I could build some raised gardens with. They lasted about four years before decay began to make them no longer useful. I had to replace all that hard work with block beds because of the decay. They looked good for a while, but as time went on, the wood didn't hold up to the elements.  There are times when we 'build and build' in our relationships, thinking what we are 'building' is strong and stable, only to find they aren't as 'stable'...

Life is a journey. When we stop, things don't go right. (Pope Francis) So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. (Colossians 3:1-2) Act like it - a behavior change is required, is it not? When we embrace this life in Christ, there is to be evidence of having a life change. How is this change manifest? We embrace or pursue the things that were once foreign to us. In other words, we stop being so absorbed with the things of this world and we ask God for a change of focus. We want to be open to the things God is doing, but there are times we are so absorbed in the things going on around us in this world, we forget to get his perspective. All of this life with Christ is really defined by one w...

Of all possessions, a friend is most precious. (Herodotus) Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah! (Romans 5:9-11) I would say I am blessed to have a 'best friend', but throughout the years, I have been blessed to have many friends. Some stick closer than others, don't they? You are most fortunate if there is always at least one who is 'just there' through thick and thin. There is one friendship we can never neglect - that which ...

You must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3:18) "I do not at all understand the mystery of grace - only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us." (Anne Lamott) Do you understand grace? I know more about grace each and every day I live - simply because there isn't a moment that goes by where I don't need more of it! Grace isn't always 'understood' as much as it is 'appreciated'. We are wrapped in the healing power of grace, not so we can sin again, but so we can see our sin as forgiven and learn to live without sinning again. All of this walk with Jesus is one of coming to 'appreciate' the extreme value of the work of grace in our lives. We discover new things about how grace does a work within us every day. We might not 'feel' grace at work but trust me on this one - if you are a child of God, grace isn't finished with you yet! Have you ever worn a garme...

Is not My word like fire [that consumes all that cannot endure the test]? says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks in pieces the rock [of most stubborn resistance]? (Jeremiah 23:29) Both fire and a hammer have an effect of changing what they touch, don't they? They both can reduce to pieces that which are touched by their influence. There is a "heating" effect of both. The hammer begins to "heat up" the nail as it drives it through the wood - repeated blows from the hammer actually change the temperature of the nail! Why on earth does God compare his Word to fire and a hammer? The Word of God changes whatever it comes into contact with, and it has a way of changing the "temperature" of whatever it touches. It is important for us to see God does not say the purpose of the fire is to consume us. It is just used to consume whatever cannot hold up to the test of the heat! In other words, whenever we feel like the Word of God is a little "cons...

  So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books. (2 Peter 1:5-9) Have you ever frittered away a day, only to find at the end of the day you didn't accomplish as much as you set out to accomplish? There have been days when my list was so long and my accomplishments so few - leaving me with an even bigger list the next day. Early on in my career I learned to do something called 'prioritizing my goals'. I had work that required my immed...

“I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary. You need to know that I have other sheep in addition to those in this pen. I need to gather and bring them, too. They’ll also recognize my voice. Then it will be one flock, one Shepherd. This is why the Father loves me: because I freely lay down my life. And so I am free to take it up again. No one takes it from me. I lay it down of my own free will. I have the right to lay it down; I also have the right to take it up again. I received this authority personally from my Father.” (John 10:14-15) We have all probably read or heard this portion of scripture at one time or another, but I never really caught something that Jesus was saying until this morning. Read that passage again with me and stop at the sentence where Jesus talks about having other sheep in addition to those in this pen. Did you ...

There are things in life that we all need to 'continue', while there are also things we definitely need to 'discontinue'. I cannot binge watch show after show and feel good about how my day went. I cannot go days on end without some physical exercise to clear my mind, regenerate my body, and get my juices flowing again. Self-quarantine certainly lends itself to the kind of 'isolate in place' kind of activities such as binge watching and incessant eating if we allow it to, but we have to make conscious choices to 'continue' in the things that help us to live strong lives. Experts tell us to rise at the same time we usually would, go to bed at similar times, engage in as close to normal activities as possible, and all should be well. I don't drive to work right now, so I try to make a few laps around the house before I settle in behind the computer monitor. I don't get to socialize with my friends, or give my BFF a big hug right now, but I can SKY...

I am going to ask some hard questions this morning, so please bear with me. What kind of friend are you? What motivates you within friendship? How is it that you seek to have your needs met in that relationship? How is it that you seek to meet the needs of the other individual? Do  you build strong relationships, or are you content with nothing more than the superficial or 'artificial' kind of friendships? These are tough questions, but if we begin to answer them honestly, we may find they reveal something about either the 'success' or 'failure' of our relationships with each other! Forgive someone, and you will strengthen your friendship. Keep reminding them, and you will destroy it. (Proverbs 17:9) As a kid, I truly desired close friendships - the kind where you could tell your BFF anything and they wouldn't blab it to the world, or judge you because of something you thought or did. I truthfully didn't have any of these 'close' relation...

It was Carl Jung who reminded us, " Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves."  I find some stuff others do a little more than irritating - like when someone chews loudly with their mouth open, or when they leave one teaspoon of ice cream in the bottom of the container in the freezer. These things are just not supposed to happen! There is an 'etiquette' to chewing and a courtesy to 'sharing', is there not? Yet, if we are honest about what irritates us the most, we might just find out that we do not really stop at finding the 'behavior' offensive - in time, unchecked irritation can lead to anger, disgust, and even a riff in the relationship! For our love to grow, sometimes we have to 'check' our irritations to see if they reveal just a little more about how we really are treating each other. Your faith is growing more and more. And the love that every one of you has for each other is also growing. ...

Kites rise highest against the wind - not with it. (Winston Churchill) I know there are lots and lots things we walk through that have absolutely no appeal to us - we'd rather just dismiss them and walk away rather than go through them. What makes it more frustrating for us is the prolonged period of facing those troubles. We don't mind if they 'come and go' as long as they do so quickly. We don't want them hanging around! All kites rise best when there is wind, my friends, and opposing winds help it to soar higher and higher. A kite without the wind is just a little bit of fabric, paper, sticks, and string. With the wind, it is majestic beauty! My brothers and sisters, you will have many kinds of trouble. But this gives you a reason to be very happy. You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering. If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you t...

One thing is said, another is meant. One thing is done, but the intention behind it is completely contrary to the "appearance". At times, we are presented with individuals who seem to have an "ulterior motive" in their actions. In other words, what is presented is really a "mask" for something being done to deceive the individual on the receiving end of the action. This is very dangerous ground for us - simply because we really don't know what to expect, or when to trust. When expectations are not clear, or trust is not fully established, we can get ourselves into all kinds of pickles! Mixed motives twist life into tangles; pure motives take you straight down the road. (Proverbs 21:8) We would probably call an "ulterior" motive a "second motive" - one which is usually a little selfish or self-centered in nature. These motives result in a life that ends in a tangled mess! Not my idea of where I want to be living, but I have kn...

What is a preceptor? In many learned skills, there is a process of aligning an individual who has much experience with another who is just starting out in the skill. During a specific period of time, the preceptor 'checks off' the 'newbie' on various skills required for the work at hand. The main purpose of the preceptor is to help the newbie add line upon line, precept upon precept, skill upon skill, until they are deemed able to perform the task at hand without constant oversight. We all look for 'mentors' from time to time in our lives - whether learning a new job, or just trying to learn a new hobby. There is no greater 'mentor' relationship one can have than that which mentors another in the 'skill' of being in a committed and growing relationship with Christ. God's readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation's available for everyone! We're being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to tak...

As a parent, we all have those moments when we are less than patient with our children. As caregivers to the elderly, we can experience those similar moments. Regardless of our 'age' in Jesus, he never seems to become impatient with us. God is immensely patient with his children. He gives us space - to make our own choices. He gives us time - to come to our own conclusions. He gives us these things because he knows that in order to have our heart, he must have it yielded willingly - we must 'want to' yield our hearts to him. God is infinitely patient in his waiting for us to turn from our sin - but he will not wait forever. Sometimes, he gives us gentle, but quite firm nudges to cause us to see our sin. When he does, remember that it is out of his immense love for us that he has done so. You didn't think, did you, that just by pointing your finger at others you would distract God from seeing all your misdoings and from coming down on you hard? Or did you think tha...