The Plumbline

Although the life of a person is in a land full of thorns and weeds, there is always a space in which the good seed can grow. You have to trust God. (Pope Francis) For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will most certainly cause righteousness and justice and praise to spring up before all the nations through the power of His word. (Isaiah 61:11) I enjoy getting away into the remote regions of our country once in a while. It is a way to just admire what God has created. I can sit for hours watching tiny ants build their colony, birds gather twigs and leaves for their nests, and birds soaring high above on currents of wind. Nature has a way of conveying things about God that can capture an open heart, bringing awe and gratitude for his restorative processes all around us. The leaves fall, but they provide shelter and nourishment even in dying. The clouds scatter across the once blue skies, some filled with hopes ...

This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you... Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect (mature) in their relationship to Christ. (Colossians 1:26-28) The message is clear - God wants us in his family. There are unrealized riches awaiting all those who say yes to Jesus. Because Christ lives in us, all that Christ possesses - his riches and glory - are shared by those who enter into this relationship. The more we hear this message, the more it should strike a chord within our hearts that reminds us just how much we are loved. We could have been abandoned to our sin, but God chose to give us the very thing that would cause sin to relinquish its control over our lives - Chris...

Why do some flourish in times of trial, while others just barely eek by and often have a harder time due to the increased pressure? If faith plays a part in "holding up" and "conquering", then what part does it play? The condition of their spirits matters - when the spirit is 'healthy', it is easier to conquer adversity. A crushed spirit will get us down quicker than anything else! A healthy spirit conquers adversity, but what can you do when the spirit is crushed? (Proverbs 18:14) The spirit of man animates him - it gives us the connection we need for life itself. There is a connection with the source of all life - God himself. When the spirit is well, the entire man is well - regardless of the circumstances coming our way. Consider the three parts of man - body, soul, and spirit. The body is made up of all we consider as being in contact with the environment around us - it is what we use to experience the sensations of sight, touch, sound, etc. We ...

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 1:5-8) If you have ever started a 'project', then realize it sits unfinished some months later, you are not likely alone in that 'project completion' cycle. Many of us are great at 'making starts', but then somewhere down the road it all fizzles out. Why? We began with all the gusto in the world, but somehow that gusto didn't carry us along to the finish line. W...

There aren't too many of us who can honestly report we are 'true to our word' all the time. We might intend to live with integrity and not make empty promises, but truth be told, we all struggle with saying things we will eventually forget or not find significant enough to focus our energies on any longer. The commitment may have been made, but that promise kind of takes the backseat when something more 'urgent' comes along. It is a good thing God doesn't get distracted by the 'urgent' and forget his promises toward us! His word is true and consistent - not moved by the distractions of life. One of the most significant ways he keeps his word is when he gives us space to just breathe a little in life. Space to catch our breath comes in many forms, even when we find the going is tough and the way seems to be riddled with all manner of things trying to get us down or off course. God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush mea...

Back in the day, there was this little contraption you'd suspend from the door jam that allowed the infant to bounce happily up and down. Suspended in the enclosed seat, the infant could test out their legs a little and develop some strength in them. These simple devices were eventually replaced with walkers with four wheels, then these walk behind toys, and even more complex contraptions over the years, but the idea is all the same - to help the child develop their strength and balance. God gives us a whole lot of things in life to help us develop strength and balance, but none as lasting and true as his Word! We can hang onto his Word like nothing else - it never fails because it is backed by his oversight and careful attention to each detail contained within it!  Remember what you said to me, your servant—I hang on to these words for dear life! These words hold me up in bad times; yes, your promises rejuvenate me. (Psalm 119:49-50 MSG) His words have a unique way of reju...

There are lots of invitations that come our way. We get invited to birthday parties, sometimes celebrating huge milestones in one's life. We receive invitations to social events such as the grand opening of an art gallery, new theater production, or movie premiers. We are encouraged to attend small events that honor someone who has done a great job, or larger ones that celebrate their heroic efforts. Invitations some in all shapes and sizes, for small and big events, celebrating great and small achievements. One invitation rises above all the rest - the one that invites us to recover our lives. "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”  Matthew 11:28 MSG I get tired at ...

I am always touched when I observe someone just going the extra mile for someone. Maybe it is they guy who stopped to help an elderly lady with a flat tire, or the team of landscapers who jumped out to help someone push their stalled car off the roadway safely. It could be the child who tenderly helps their grandmother navigate some uneven pavement, or the worker on their way to the cafeteria who helps someone lost in the maze of hallways looking for a particular department. Brotherly love and kindness are traits that never grow old, my friends. In fact, they are traits that seem to exhibit just a little bit of the character of Christ in all of us - because he was always looking for the opportunity to serve others, if even in the slightest way - just because his heart was moved by their need. 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 w...

Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need! He lets me rest in the meadow grass and leads me beside the quiet streams. He gives me new strength. He helps me do what honors him the most. ( Psalm 23:1-3   TLB ) "Because" is a big word in the hand of Jesus! Because we are his, we have all we need - everything - nothing missing or incomplete or lacking in any manner. We are secure in this knowledge, my friends. We are allowed to rest - not made to rest, but allowed to rest. There are times when God guides me to take times of rest, because he knows without it, I will be on a downward slope toward burnout. I imagine the same to be true for each of you. We can all get a little too over zealous in our pursuits. Right now I have a couple of projects in mind, several started, and a bunch almost complete, but not quite there yet. If I don't manage these well, something gets left 'undone' or 'half-done'. God helps us have times of rest so that we get...

Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right or better.  ( John Updike ) Isn't it true that we are always looking for a new way to do things, or perhaps a new take on a matter? I don't care how many photos I take of the landscape, or things found in nature, no two are quite alike. Something different is there each time - maybe the light, or even the focus - but something is just a little different from the last view. Do I take these time and time again because I am impulsive or compulsive in my actions? No, I do it because there is something "divine" in the work of capturing that new image! After all, isn't it the process of change and creating that the Master is continuously engaged in within us? They all depend on you to give them food as they need it. When you supply it, they gather it. You open your hand to feed them, and they are richly satisfied. But if you turn away from them, they panic. When you take away their breath...

When we live in a finite world, with things changing all the time around us - aging, wearing out, becoming obsolete - it is hard for us to imagine them being renewed.  In fact, we have the hardest time with this one because even our own bodies wear down by the end of the day and all that we do to "make them strong again" is really just succumb to the rest cycle they were designed to go into once a day.  We don't even do the restoration of our bodies in sleep - God takes care of us even when we sleep!  I was talking with mom the other night, as she listed her aches and pains, bemoaning the many changes her body has been through which has left her with impairments too many to really recount here.  As she got to the end of the list, she recalled the pastor having recently spoken about "getting a new body" in heaven.  She wanted to understand what that body would be like.  I told her I honestly don't know for sure, but the promise of a new body is given in scr...

As the days pass, I see subtle changes in mom which clearly indicate the aging process is taking a toll on her. Her energy waxes and wanes, mostly waning these days.  Her memory doesn't hold the details, or process the input as quickly anymore.  The hearing is kind of shot, the legs don't propel her as quickly, and the teeth don't chew through food as well as they once did.  All in all, the changes may be gradual, but they definitely mount up.  One thing I can be reassured of - though her outward body is failing, her inner spirit is strong! She is being renewed day-by-day, energized by the Spirit indwelling her.   So we have no reason to despair. Despite the fact that our outer humanity is falling apart and decaying, our inner humanity is breathing in new life everyday. (2 Corinthians 4:16 VOICE) None of us lasts forever, despite all the advances in medicine and the tremendous amount of money some of us will drop on this "enhancement" or that, we canno...

We all have those moments when we just feel like we aren't going to get to where we hoped to get to, finish what we hoped to finish, or just accomplish that one big thing we set in our sights.  What we do with those moments matters because it often determines if we will ever pick up the task again, or direct our focus toward it.  If we get defeated by having to put down the pencil when we are trying to finish a rough draft of a book just so we can rest our minds and renew our creative juices, we'd never finish the book.  We cannot think of having to "rest" in between the spaces or seasons of "accomplishing stuff" as a negative thing.  In fact, I think God purposefully gives us some seasons in our lives where we kind of "coast" for a while, though they aren't long, because he knows we'd be overwhelmed if he didn't.  He knows our personality and our emotional make-up.  So, just because you need to step back for a moment, don't beat y...

As a small girl, I loved to spend time just watching things in nature - because they offered such great lessons.  Even as a child, I guess I was a little bit of a "deep thinker", spending lazy afternoons lulling about, studying geckos on the wall, watching birds build a nest, or taking in the activity at the anthill.  The gecko amazed me with its ability to scale the walls without even a slight "slip" in its grip.  The birds caught my attention for long period of time as they'd work those tiny beaks and claws around some piece of freshly cut grass and weave it into the form of their nest.  The ants, on the other hand, captured my attention because of their seeming "smallness" which never seemed to slow them down or cause them to abandon a project.  They hauled objects bigger than their own body size, with nothing more than those two little pinchers and a great deal of balance.  Their steady pace was never stopped despite the obstacles presented in thei...

As you read these words, I am about half-way through my vacation, taking some time to "catch my breath" and renew my spirit.  Each time I have the opportunity to get away for a while, I usually create some kind of "countdown"  calendar or clock.  I am blessed to have a "smart phone", so it has an app for "days until" which I can use for this exact purpose.  It helps me to focus on the time I have until I get to enjoy this much deserved break in the hectic routine of my life.  The "expectation" builds as the count gets below 30, but it builds at a frantic pace once it is under 10 days.  Have you ever noticed just how much the last 3-4 days just drag on???  Why is that?  I think it is kind of like a mother about to give birth - the day is approaching, the expectations are high, the moment of "delivery" is imminent, but the agony of waiting is driving you nuts!   God , my shepherd!   I don’t need a thing.  Y ou have bedded me d...

Weary:  Physically or mentally exhausted by hard work, exhaustion, or strain.  The origin of this word has its basis in the old English word used to describe the condition of crumbling, breaking down, or tottering.  I think this comes very close to describing the condition of mental strength when we are at the point of weariness, doesn't it?  We are almost crumbling into pieces - if not on the outside, maybe on the inside.  We find ourselves just not able to go on much longer - because we are at the point of being broken down by the pressures of life.  There is a condition of both mind and body which leaves us kind of "tottering" on the edge - so weary we just don't know if we can go on any longer.  I have heard it said that those who take care of others all the time are often the ones who need a little care themselves.  I observe caregivers all the time, on the brink of exhaustion, but constantly giving out of themselves to give and give again. ...

There are times we all feel like quitting.  We also have heard the words of Vince Lombardi, "Winners don't quit and quitters don't win."  Another quote goes something along the line, "Quitters are good losers."  So, we keep plugging along, hoping not to be labeled as a quitter.  I think God may look at us, realize our desire to quit, and then somehow begin to meet this despondency with his provision.   14  God gives a hand to those down on their luck,  gives a fresh start to those ready to quit.  (Psalm 145:14) Robert Ingersoll once said, "Happiness is not a reward - its a consequence.  Suffering is not a punishment - its a result."  There are indeed times when we think we will never be "happy" - but look at the quote again.  It is a "consequence" - an outcome of something we do, or perhaps don't do in life.  Sometimes, the best thing we can do is to make a "fresh start" with what we have been given .  We...

 Remember what you said to me, your servant— I hang on to these words for dear life!    These words hold me up in bad times;  yes, your promises rejuvenate me.  (Psalm 119:49-50 The Message) Bumper stickers abound in our society today.  An individual is able to post almost any viewpoint for public display simply by attaching one of these "emblems" of opinion on their vehicle.  There have been times I have tried to pull just a little closer in order to read the small print!  Something caught my eye and I wanted to know what it said!  On occasion, they make me laugh.  Sometimes I have to turn away because the words are less than uplifting.  At others, they give me a moment to pause and think.  Each has its impact, does it not? In the times David penned these words, bumper stickers were not invented.  The use of mass publication was not even possible.  The scriptures were handwritten, kept by only a few in religious s...