The Plumbline

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. (Desmond Tutu)  But those who trust in the Lord will become strong again. They will be like eagles that grow new feathers. They will run and not get weak. They will walk and not get tired. (Isaiah 40:31) As we walk throughout our day, weariness can come upon us after much toil and hard work, right? Did you know that we don't even need to toil to tire? Ever hear of a friend say they were more tired when they got out of bed than they were when they went to bed? Weariness is both a state of mind and body - it includes our spirit, soul, and all that makes us human. The 'strain' of life doesn't have to be physical - emotional strain can take more out of us than a hard day's labor. Sometimes we grow weary because we become dissatisfied with how long something is taking - like an answer to our prayers. Even the most 'balanced' individual can grow weary spiritually and emotionally. That is wh...

You’re my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me. I shiver in awe before you; your decisions leave me speechless with reverence. (Psalm 119:114) Whenever we declare God to be our 'place', we are saying we are 'positioned' within him. We are not just in the region of him, but we are in close intimate contact with him. When I ask you over to my 'place', do you go to my neighbor's and declare you are 'at my place'? No, you come right up to my front door, ring the bell, or come right in because I have opened the door for you. We are 'placed into' Christ's presence and it is there we are to dwell as a quiet place of retreat from all this world demands of us. I enjoy a quiet afternoon just kicking back and doing nothing from time to time. Why? It renews me a bit. It creates a calm within my life and it helps me unburden from the stuff that normally puts a weight upon my shoulders. Laundry done, floors vacuumed, bathrooms scru...

I am not a 'runner' like some are - simply because my knees cannot take that stress. I do enjoy a good brisk walk, though. In a spiritual sense, we all 'run' a race, so to speak - just as in the natural sense of running, we need to learn the spiritual principles that help us to run so as not to hurt ourselves. Some of us will run in a direction all of our own choosing, but when we do, we run alone. As a believer in Christ, we run in a race alongside the greatest runner of all times - Christ himself. If having his example (pace-setting) before us is not enough, he left us with a huge crowd of "models" who also ran the race and won. We can learn much by considering how they ran. Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this ...

It has been a while since I have been able to break free from the day-to-day caregiving of an elderly parent, so I am a little overdue for some fishing! The great outdoors always beckon to me because I love to be out in nature. I enjoy the moments of listening to the gentle breezes bristling the tree leaves and the gentle movement of the stream's waters. I like to observe the curiosity of the birds as they explore the forest floor and the gentleness of the deer grazing in the open meadow. There is just something about being able to 'break free' for a while that helps to renew a mind and body. While some will choose to laze around the lake, taking in nature in all its beauty, others will head for a few days with far away relatives and friends, renewing the bonds and memories which the miles have imposed in their separation. Yet, others will clamor for the long lines of the amusement parks and the intense thrill of riding the latest rides. Whatever the location, the purpose...

If it has been a long while since you have been able to get away on vacation or to a quiet spot on a beach, high in the mountains, or just alone by a pool somewhere, then you know there is nothing more renewing than a little retreat. I used to think of times of retreat as something along the line of a "forced withdrawal". I really just did not enjoy time away from what I was doing everyday. Some would have called me a little too retentive to let things go and let others take the reins for a while so I could enjoy time away. I have come to recognize that "retreat" is sometimes the most strategic thing you can do! You're my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me. (Psalm 119:114) The very act of withdrawing into a place of quiet and safety is often the best move we make - even when we know there are a whole lot of other 'movements' that need to be made. That very movement into a place of what appears to be a lack of movement is actua...

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want...  Have you ever really stopped to consider those words, or are they just words of 'nice sentiment' to you? If the day will hold just a moment or two for contemplation, I think these could just be the words we might want to meditate upon! They are better than anything we can do to 'medicate away' the pain - emotional or physical. They are more trustworthy than even the most binding of contracts on this earth. They are more fulfilling than the biggest and best of meals we could luxuriate upon. These are words spoken with intent - they are words that are filled with hope - and they are words meant to encourage us even when all else seems to fail us! God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I'm not afraid when you walk a...

Have you ever had to endure that really long period of time it takes for your computer's operating system to actually update? I am in one of those incessant spinning wheel cycles of some major update right now and I am forced to write this on my phone. I don't know why configuring something that already works pretty well has to take so long. There are times when I ask God the same thing about my life. I try to figure out why it is taking so terribly long to finish what he has started! Usually it is because I haven't connected with him in quite the right way so as to allow the "update" to be done! Don’t look at my sins. Erase them all.  God, create a pure heart in me, and make my spirit strong again. (Psalm 51:9-10 ERV) When you think of updating something you probably think of a new coat of paint, a few new furnishings, or putting a new facing on something. The fact remains there is still the old under the new when this all you do! You are merely dress...

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.   ( Romans 12:12   NLT )  Have you ever spent any amount of time fishing? You buy just the right rod and reel, secure the amount of tackle you believe you will need to land that huge haul of wiggly swimmers, and head off to the huge lake or pond to drop that line in the water. Then you wait. Then you wait even longer. Still you wait even more. After about two hours of this, I have had it! I am not very good at this "angling" thing! Yet, I find the day totally relaxing and awesomely invigorating, even though I have given up on the original intent of the day - fishing. Why? Maybe because it is spent with people I love, watching them do something they love. Or perhaps it is that I enjoy being in nature and observing the handiwork of God - remembering he created all this magnificence for none other than each one of us. Better yet - perhaps it is because of both of these reasons!  Sometimes ...