The Plumbline

Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world. (Psalm 46:10) I have a hard time being 'still'. It is as though there has to be some 'activity' going on, even if it is thought. I spend a good deal of time thinking on things, then I usually take action after learning what I can from thinking on the subject. I think about what is for dinner, plan a menu in my head, and then execute the preparation of the meal. I think on my next woodworking project, plan the tools I will use, bits and blades needed, any finishes I will utilize, and the types of woods I will incorporate into it. Then I execute the steps to see what I envisioned created. It is never wrong to just 'be still' - for in the stillness, we often 'hear' much clearer and 'plan' much better than we do without all that thought! To 'be still', one might imagine we need to cease all movement, but there can be movement in stilln

When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions: Wait for hope to appear. Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face. The “worst” is never the worst. Why? Because the Master won’t ever walk out and fail to return. If he works severely, he also works tenderly. His stockpiles of loyal love are immense. (Lamentations 3:28-32) Life isn't always going to go our way. In fact, we will likely face more than one hiccup in our day today. When hiccups come, how do you handle them? Do you complain like I do sometimes? Do you say life isn't fair like I do at times? Do you just want to escape it all like I do on occasion? If you didn't notice it as I asked those questions, I don't always embrace what I am going through - there are times I want to find the quickest and easiest way to be 'out of the mess'. Life is heavy and hard to take - sometimes more frequently than we might like. When we face these 'hiccups&#

I’ve kept my feet on the ground, I’ve cultivated a quiet heart . Like a baby content in its mother’s arms, my soul is a baby content. (Psalm 131:2) Quietness of heart comes as a bit of a hard thing because we are so used to "noise" in our lives. We are a little bit too inundated with all kinds of things adding background and foreground noise. Background noise is there, almost unnoticed, until it is gone. Foreground noise is evident, with it even getting our attention in the here and now. Yet noise is just that - noise everywhere. Noise is really something which just confuses the clarity of that which is really trying to come through! Think about the things that are "just there", but intently creating confusion in our lives - things when removed might just give us a little more clarity on what it is God may be trying to show us. Quietness is the opposite of noise - it is not the total absence of it, but it is the clarifying and eliminating of all which lends c

  “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with  getting , so you can respond to God’s  giving . People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met." (Matthew 6:33) The more we 'strive' the less we 'rest'. The more we seek attention, the less we feel appreciated. The more we worry, the less peaceful we become. I guess the lesson here is that we reap as we sow - sow the good seed and reap the good harvest; sow the 'so-so' seed and the harvest will be less than stellar. As I drove through the countryside a few weeks back, I was taken aback by the

“Be still, and know that I am God!    I will be honored by every nation.  I will be honored throughout the world.”  (Psalm 46:10 NLT) I believe man looks at how much he wants, but God looks intently on what it is that man needs - peace and a stillness of spirit. The only path to a still spirit is for the God of Peace to dwell in the midst of that place designed only for him - our own spirit. Man is a tri-part being made up of body, soul, and spirit. To leave that "spirit" place open to any old influence that wants to invade it is to leave one's self open to some pretty crazy, mixed up stuff that can leave us a mess in the long run.  Stillness is more than the absence of noise, as I have often said. It is the actual ability to stand secure, firmly anchored, and without the need to "do" anything simply because there is a deep trust and confident assurance in the PEACE that indwells us. WE don't DO - we wait in confident assurance and allow the God of Peace

I bet you could almost guess what my "Q" List would hold this morning.  There were a variety of possibilities, such as quickness to respond to God's voice and leading, or possibly the quality of time and energies you expend toward the things God desires.  I chose just one word to focus on this morning:  Quietness.  For most of us, this comes as a bit of a hard thing because we are used to "noise" in our lives.  We are inundated with all kinds of things which add background and foreground noise.  Background noise is there, almost unnoticed, until it is gone.  Foreground noise is evident, with it even getting our attention in the here and now.  Yet noise is just that - noise.  Noise is really something which just confuses the clarity of that which is really trying to come through!  So, as we focus this morning on our Q-List, let's begin by thinking about the things which are really "just there" creating confusion in our lives - things which once remo

Do we expect God to "appear" one way (the way we imagine in our minds)?  Do we expect him to "perform" in a certain manner (the plans we have so carefully calculated)?  When he doesn't "appear" or "perform" as we imagined, how do we handle it?  For some of us, we get mad at God for a while - because he did not "fit" our "mold" of how he should act.  The Jewish Pharisees probably had this same kind of "mental argument" with Jesus as he walked this earth - simply because he didn't "fit the mold" of how they envisioned the arrival of their Messiah!  They missed out on so much of what Jesus wanted to do in and through them simply because they refused to believe Jesus could "operate" outside of their mind's conceived "box". 15-21  A lot of people followed him, and he healed them all. He also cautioned them to keep it quiet, following guidelines set down by Isaiah:   Look w ell

Let praise cascade off my lips;  after all, you've taught me the truth about life!     And let your promises ring from my tongue;  every order you've given is right.   Put your hand out and steady me  since I've chosen to live by your counsel.  (Psalm 119:171-173 The Message) Have you heard the term, "Talk is cheap"?  It means it is easier to talk ABOUT something than to do it!  Another meaning would be it is easier to talk ABOUT someone than to do something for them.  We could say talk is "cheap" in many respects - - if our words aren't a sincere revelation of our motives (inner heart), they are simply have no real "force" behind them. I have friends who speak continuously when we are together.  Other simply are happy to sit and enjoy times of quiet with me, occasionally bringing some discussion into the quiet, but it is not the main "theme" of our time together.  I was once told we could "gauge" the &q