Hey! What About Job's Wife?

Yesterday the power was out for a few hours due to a small fire. I decided to crack open the spine of my Bible again and started reading. I picked up with Job and read for 45 minutes.... I got to thinking about Job's wife ... Wow. I don't know about you, but the only thing I've ever heard about Job's wife is that she tells Job to curse God and die. And she's gotten an awful lot of bad press over those few words she was given to speak. But now I see that she just didn't actually say that? My question is, how do translators know that this particular passage is or is not sarcasm? I mean, what if Job's wife truly meant, "Bless God, and die"?

Along with this thought, it occurred to me for the first time that everything Job lost, his wife lost, too. And yet we never hear about it this way. Was it not her children who were killed? Was it not her home that was lost? Was it not also her fortune that disappeared? And was she not having to watch her husband be tortured and waste away before her very eyes? It had to be a living hell ... But we hear nothing of her faith, we don't even hear her cry or suffer along with Job. Surely she suffered!I know these things are "outside the text." The story is not concerned with Job's wife, but with Job. Even so, I would love to hear the story told again from her perspective.

Just some thoughts on a Monday morning ...

Tim

Job 2:8-10

2:8 Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes.

2:9 His wife said to him, "Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse/Bless God, and die!"

2:10 But he said to her, "You speak as any foolish woman would speak. Should we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

You know there was a day I thought that I would run out of quizzes, (which may be a relief to some lol), but now I wonder if the number of them is inexhaustible! Anyways ... This one is interesting to me as its done from a more secular viewpoint with anime graphics and all ...

Which Fruit of the Spirit Do You Bear?

Click here: Quiz - Which Fruit of the Spirit Do You Bear??? - spiritual personality - Quizilla Quizzes

My result:

You have Patience!!! Like Peace, you are cool and calm and dont like to hurry. Though you know there is work to do, you get it done at your own pace. You know that moving too fast causes problems so when you feel stressed you take a break to collect yourself. Waiting can be hard but, most often, is worth it.

Every Seventh Letter - TORAH

An interesting thing I found in a blog ... Just because the Bible was originally written in Hebrew/Greek, that does not mean God cannot do wonderful things in His Word in Any language.

FOR INSTANCE. take the book Genesis.. in the original Hebrew language.

Genesis 1:1

what is the 7th letter ?? it is a " T "
what is the 14th letter? it is a " O "
...and the 21st letter ? it is a " R "
....and the 28th letter ? it is a " A "
....and the 32nd letter ? it is a " H "

all I did was look at every 7th letter !

Now.. Exodus 1:1

what is the 7th letter ?? it is a " T "
what is the 14th letter? it is a " O "
...and the 21st letter ? it is a " R "
....and the 28th letter ? it is a " A "
....and the 32nd letter ? it is a " H "

Now .. Leviticus.

Every 7th letter ..

...........???? NOTHING !!!!!! "gibberish" (forgive me Lord ) !!

NUMBERS 1:1

what is the 7th letter ?? it is a " H "
what is the 14th letter? it is a " A "
...and the 21st letter ? it is a " R "
....and the 28th letter ? it is a " O "
....and the 32nd letter ? it is a " T "

DUET: 1:1

what is the 7th letter ?? it is a " H "
what is the 14th letter? it is a " A "
...and the 21st letter ? it is a " R "
....and the 28th letter ? it is a " O "
....and the 32nd letter ? it is a " T "


Look !!!! The first two books are pointing to Leviticus
The last two books of the torah are pointing to Leviticus also

LEVITICUS IS THE TORAH (the law) !!!!

Its amazing the off the wall "gems" one can find in the Bible!

Tim

ancient Irish prayer (Or is it a curse?)

Something I came across ...

May the people love us; And if they don't love us, May the Lord turn their hearts; And if their hearts won't be turned, May the Lord turn their ankles, So that we can know them by their limping. Oh ... If only we can tell of those whose hearts aren't turned by their limping!

Have a blessed evening everyone! Tim

Tale of Two Pots

TWO POTS

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of apole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.

At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house. "Each of us has our own unique flaw.

~Author Unknown

Evening's Benediction

The sunset was a sight to behold,

not only in the western sky;

It spilled its beauty all around

so it couldn't miss our eye.

A crater of deepest purple,

with an icing of aqua-marine;

Profound pink rose to fiery-orange

overflowing the entire scene.

A combustion of colour,

ignited by nature,

was her sunset for today

-A scene that would linger in minds and hearts

before it went on its way.

Joan Adams Burchell

Numbers 6:24-26

The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

Life According to Wile E. Coyote

When I was a child, I used to sit for hours and watch Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show. In fact I have a couple DVD's now for the 'kids'! lol Of course I was always curious about why Wile E. Coyote kept trying to catch the Road Runner when he always failed. And of course I always wanted him to get that annoying bird! And I think I may have an answer of why he kept at it ... We live in a plan "B" world!

Plan "A" is what we want; what WE plan; our goals; our desires. Plan "A" is all about us, like the coyote was all about getting the Road Runner. We stress and obsess over our plans, giving not much regard for plan "B" possibilities. Plan "B" is what God's reality is for our lives. True, plan "B" can be painful and it can be unpleasant, but we were never guaranteed an easy ride through this life. Jesus tells us that we WILL have troubles, but don't worry ... He has given us exactly what we need to overcome the trials and troubles.

Now that I'm older I know that sometimes Plan "B" requires that we learn a lesson, sometimes it's just a matter of getting our eyes off of our wants. I also find the greatest joys I have had include (David Crowder Quote) "A Beautiful Collision". That's the point in which God's will for my life and my hearts truest desire collide. God's plan for my life has turned out WAY better than the measly plans I thought up! We worry and stress too much! But we are commanded in Scripture to turn all our anxieties over to God and let Him worry for us (1 Peter 5:6-7). I'm all in favor of "letting go and let God" because I manage to botch things up every time without even trying!

So the moral of this story? Want less stress? Turn it over to God and TURN LOOSE, you're going to need both hands for this adventure ride! Have a great day everyone! Tim

A Beautiful Collision/David Crowder

The breaking makes a sound I never knew

Could be so beautiful and loud

Fury filled and we collide

So courageous until now, fumbling and scared

So afraid You'll find me out

Alone here with my doubt

Here it comes, a beautiful collision

Is happening now

There seems no end to where You begin and

There I am now

You and I collide

Something circling inside

Spaciously you fly, infinite and wide

Like the moon and sky, collide

Here it comes now

More Pictures From The Klamath Restoration Pow Wow/ Chiloquin

It was a great Pow Wow this year!! The event was large this year. At least 50 vendors surrounding the powwow dancing grounds offered food, shawls, jewelry and other goods. More than 100 dancers filled the dancing grounds and celebrated throughout the day. The open youth rodeo outside of town had at least 80 entrants, filling the schedule. I'm already looking forward to next years!

The Italian Tomato Garden

From an e-mail...
The Italian Tomato Garden

An Old Italian man lived alone in the country. He wanted to dig his tomato garden, but it was very hard work as the ground was hard. His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament.

Dear Vincent,

I am feeling pretty badly because it looks like I will not be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I am just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. I know if you were here, my troubles would be over. I know you would be happy to dig the plot for me.

Love,
Dad


A few days later he received a letter from his son...


Dear Dad,
Do not dig up that garden. That is where I buried the bodies.

Love,
Vinnie


At 4 am the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day the old man received another letter from his son...



Dear Dad,

Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That is the best I could do under the circumstances.

Love you,
Vinnie

Power of Love

There is so much in these paragraphs that resound deeply within my soul I can't really summarize it! Tim

When a human heart is set on fire with love, the entire human being is enlightened by its radiance. All extraneous things step back to the background, and a soul can completely, sometimes even ecstatically, plunge into contemplation of the beloved one. Even the most dry and boring people change when they fall in love, their soul softening and becoming bright, as if having wings. For other people a person who is loved by someone does not seem to be any better or more handsome than others, but for the lover he or she is the only one, the incomparable and the irreplaceable. This is the idealization that is so often described in literature. It means that through an external cover, we, in light of love, see the ideal side of the loved one which is hidden from others. It is present in every human being, as an image of God, not noticeable, and very often suppressed by the external shell, by appearance or "character," which is always something secondary, and not representing the "essence."

All the power of love consists in the fact that through love we are as though touching upon the internal beauty of a human being. We cannot leave the person – we would like to be joined with the loved one forever. A soul that has experienced those feelings even once will preserve memories about their transforming and creative power for the rest of its life.

It is exactly in the rushes of love that a soul experiences a deep need to come out of the boundaries of its own personality in order to be united with a loved one. The need for love witnesses that it is impossible to retire into oneself — all the natural limits of individuality are overcome in love, and its shell is torn apart. That is why in the rushes of love a human being starts to be burdened by himself: to retire into oneself, in the light of love, means to condemn oneself to loneliness, to find oneself in a metaphysical emptiness. That is why our soul is tirelessly looking for somebody to love in order to find a point of rest and a purpose for existence.

The power of poetic imagination that is so characteristic for young love, through which we idealize a loved one, is not some play of fantasy. On the contrary, it reveals a deep thirst for a spiritual and absolute life.

~ Bishop Alexander (Mileant)

Pow Wow Weekend!!!

It’s Pow Wow time here in the metropolis of Chiloquin, Oregon, but I figured I would share anyways. The Restoration Pow Wow is always a big event every year in this former Rez town, but this year has additional meaning to me. Back when I was in the hospital and beyond sick a goal of mine was to be up and about in time for Pow Wow. And here I is, out and about!!! Praise God! Have a most blessed day everyone!!!

Tim

From Ashes To Roses

I have some time this evening so I thought I would share one of my most favorite passages of scripture ...

The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me because God anointed me.

He sent me to preach good news to the poor,

heal the heartbroken,

Announce freedom to all captives,

pardon all prisoners.

God sent me to announce the year of his grace—

a celebration of God's destruction of our enemies—

and to comfort all who mourn,

To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion,

give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes,

Messages of joy instead of news of doom,

a praising heart instead of a languid spirit.

Rename them "Oaks of Righteousness" planted by God to display his glory.

will sing for joy in God,

explode in praise from deep in my soul!

He dressed me up in a suit of salvation,

he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness,

As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo and a bride a jeweled tiara.

For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers,

and as a garden cascades with blossoms,

So the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloom

and puts praise on display before the nations.

In reading the Gospels I am keenly interested in observing the ministry of Jesus Christ, His attitude towards those who were acknowledged, confessed sinners. To the woman that was brought to Him caught in the very act of adultery, He shows great tenderness, understanding and grace. "Woman, where are your accusers?" "Sir, I guess I don't have any." "Well, neither do I condemn thee, go thy way, sin no more." (John 8) Oh, how tender He deals with her. Then there is the woman at the well in Samaria. Now she wasn't the most moral woman around obviously. She had been married to five different men. And then finally decided marriage wasn't for her and so she was just living with a man. And yet Jesus in His dealing with her was so gracious, revealing to her His identity. Oh, the attitude of Christ towards the sinner was always beautiful! He had good news for sinning man and those that confessed and were aware of their sinful state. "Bouquets of roses instead of ashes" indeed!

“Do not watch the petals fall from the rose with sadness...know that, like life, things sometimes must fade, before they can bloom again.”~unknown author

The Peace of Wild Things

The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry

"When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free."


Tim, heading to the woods on another hot day ....

Miracles

I like this quote ....

A miracle is not the breaking of the laws of the fallen world.It is the re-establishment of the laws of the kingdom. -Sourozh

~ Psalm 51 ~

A Psalm I would like to share ... In essence its about the journey from forgiveness to transformation ....

Psalm 51 1-3

Generous in love—God, give grace!
Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.

Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry.

I know how bad I've been;

my sins are staring me down.

4-6 You're the One I've violated, and you've seen it all,

seen the full extent of my evil.

You have all the facts before you;

whatever you decide about me is fair.

I've been out of step with you for a long time,

in the wrong since before I was born.

What you're after is truth from the inside out.

Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

7-15 Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean,

scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.

Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,

set these once-broken bones to dancing.

Don't look too close for blemishes,

give me a clean bill of health.

God, make a fresh start in me,

shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.

Don't throw me out with the trash,

or fail to breathe holiness in me.

Bring me back from gray exile,

put a fresh wind in my sails!

Give me a job teaching rebels your ways so the lost can find their way home.

Commute my death sentence,

God, my salvation God,

and I'll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.

Unbutton my lips, dear God;

I'll let loose with your praise.

~The Message

What a great Psalm! It strengthen my soul and confirm that my God is always there reminding me that He will cleanse my mind and my body. This feeling I cannot explain. It’s just so calm and mentally relaxing. God let’s me know He’s always there. My faith in God is all I have and all I need to continue my journey ...

Tim

Dancing

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder

You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger

May you never take one single breath for granted

God forbid love ever leave you empty-handed

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean

Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance, I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance

Never settle for the path of least resistance

Livin' might mean takin' chances, but they're worth takin'

Lovin' might be a mistake, but it's worth makin'

Don't let some hell-bent heart leave you bitter

When you come close to sellin' out, reconsider

Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance, I hope you dance

I hope you dance, I hope you dance

(Time is a wheel in constant motion, always rolling us along

Tell me who wants to look back on their years

And wonder, where those years have gone)

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean

Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

Dance, I hope you dance

I hope you dance, I hope you dance

I hope you dance, I hope you dance

(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along

Tell me who wants to look back on their years

And wonder where those years have gone)

~Author Unknown Strikes

Your C-Factor

This quiz was sent to me from a staunch Calvinist friend of mine and I figured I would give it a shot ... How Calvinist are you?

http://www.trouw.nl/religie-filosofie/nieuws/article2050113.ece

I scored a 56%

Apparently ... I'm not so staunch ....

A Strange Toast Indeed ~ Ruth 4:11-12

Ruth 4:11-12 "... We are witnesses! May the lord make the woman who is now coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, from whom all the nation of Israel descended! ...And may the lord give you descendants by this young woman who will be like our ancestor Perez, the son of Tamar and Jacob."

A strange toast for sure when one looks at it. Did the Elder really want Ruth to be barren like Rachel, or unloved like Leah was? Then in v12, it gets more bizarre, for did the Elder want Ruth to do a Tamar number and disguise Herself as a prostitute and bear a child by her father-in-law? This is like saying, "I was your marriage was messed up so that you can do the good that only comes through hard times." So why would this toast possibly be thought of as good?

There is a big obstacle to relating to God. There seems to be no higher goal really than feeling better now ~ the Bible calls this "the flesh." But the problem is that a lot of the times "Gods best" looks far different from we want it to. Could it be that the Elders prayer is for brokeness, the power to trust God no matter what? We pray often for God to maker things better, I know I do, and then things often stay the same ... then we take things into our own hands... We want things to improve! Fixed! Like now ...!

Its like the Elder told Boaz, "You married a lovely, beautiful woman, and I want the best. But if the unthinkable happens and Ruth turns out to be conniving as Rachel or insecure as Leah, God will still being at work to bring about the good He intended." This is a very freeing thing to ponder! I know for myself that having ones dreams smashed around a bit may be God's best after all. The broken dreams are actually just pieces in a bigger puzzle to help us get to the bigger dreams, not really dreamed up yet. The desire for feeling good now may be a limit on us to really fly later!

Just some thoughts ... Tim

The Peace Prayer of St. Francis - The Story

I've posted this prayer before way back when, but I would like to share it now as well. This time I found a bit of history behind it so I added it as well.

Tim

The Peace Prayer of St. Francis"

Lord make me an instrument of your peace

Where there is hatred,

Let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is error, truth;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, Joy.

O Divine Master grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled

As to console;

To be understood,as to understand;

To be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

The Story Behind ItThe Peace Prayer of St. Francis is a famous prayer which first appeared around the year 1915 A.D., and which embodies the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi's simplicity and poverty.According to Father Kajetan Esser, OFM, the author of the critical edition of St. Francis's Writings, the Peace Prayer of St. Francis is most certainly not one of the writings of St. Francis. This prayer, according to Father Schulz, Das sogennante Franziskusgebet. Forshungen zur evangelishen Gebetslitteratur (III), in Jahrbuch fur Liturgik und Hymnologie, 13 (1968), pp. 39-53, first appeared during the First World War. It was found written on the observe of a holy card of St. Francis, which was found in a Normal Almanac. The prayer bore no name; but in the English speaking world, on account of this holy card, it came to be called the Peace Prayer of St. Francis.

Prayer Of The Stressed

Lord, help me to relax about insignificant details beginning tomorrow at 7:41:23 am.

God, help me to consider people's feelings, even if most of them ARE hypersensitive.

God, help me to take responsibility for my own actions, even though they're usually NOT my fault.

God, help me to not try to RUN everything. But, if You need some help, please feel free to ASK me!

Lord, help me to be more laid back and help me to do it EXACTLY right.

God, help me to take things more seriously, especially laughter, parties, and dancing.

God, give me patience, and I mean right NOW!

Lord, help me not be a perfectionist. (Did I spell that correctly?)

God, help me to finish everything I start.

God, help me to do only what I can, and trust you for the rest.

And would you mind putting that in writing?

Lord, keep me open to others' ideas, WRONG though they may be.

Lord, help me be less independent, but let me do it my way.

Lord, help me follow established procedures today.

On second thought,...I'll settle for a few minutes.

Lord, help me slow down andnotrushthroughwhatIdo.

Amen

~Author Unbeknownst 2 me

... and I never got what I wanted

Regardless of our circumstances, we are called to make the best use of every opportunity that God gives us to serve him—what the older translations call “redeeming the time” (Eph. 5:16; KJV). This means embracing whatever God has for us in every season of life. Anyways here is a poem which I think reflects on this ...

It was Spring, but it was Summer I wanted:

The warm days and the great outdoors.

It was Summer, but it was Fall I wanted:

The colorful leaves and the cool, dry air.

It was Fall, but it was Winter I wanted:

The beautiful snow and the joy of the holiday season.

It was Winter, but it was Spring I wanted:

The warmth and the blossoming of nature.

I was a child, and it was adulthood I wanted:

The freedom and the respect.

I was 20, but it was 30 I wanted:

To be mature and sophisticated.

I was middle-aged, but it was 20 I wanted:

The youth and the free spirit.

I was retired, but it was middle-aged I wanted:

The presence of mind without limitations.

My life was over,and I never got what I wanted.

~ a poem from a book by Charles Swindoll

Off The Rails

Kind of a downer subject..."The sadness will never go away."-Van Gogh suicide note

I would think that life without God would be kinda lonely, incomplete... Yet Van Gogh did know God... I have to wonder why some push the self destruct button, while others carry on? God made everyone in His image, but do some have more God than others? Is suicide EVER an option?

Depression on this level is something I really don't understand. Rather its only actually feeling it that I don't understand. I know enough to know that it isn't just having a "blue" day or something a person can just get over. God may just chose to heal someone of it, but to just dismiss it, as some do, as something that can just be cured or lost if someone seeks God enough doesn't seem realistic. Nor does it show compassion, which is something we, as a Christian, should have... The reason I bring this up as I've been thinking of a friend at work who committed suicide a couple of years ago. I wonder...where is he now?

I am comforted by Romans 9:39. "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord."

I think that as a Christian, we may step out of Gods will, but not out of His care. You know, I praise God I have not suffered serious depression, or feelings of suicide, but if I ever should, I know these will not separate me from the love of God. The victory and the glory of Christ cannot be snatched from Him because I go off the rails, in a matter of speaking.

Just some thoughts ... have a blessed day everyone!

ever had a day when EVERYTHING fell into place?

I was just wondering... I couldn't find my keys this morning and was 5 minutes late to an appointment. It turns out I dropped the keys using the keyboard and they were underneath me the whole time! Sheeesh! Then I got to thinking, I've never had a day when EVERYTHING fell into place, or couldn't think of any! Not that I'm complaining...just an observation. lol

Melchizedek: The Blessing

Just a few thoughts on a kinda obscure subject.

Not much is really known about Melchizedek although he is a major figure in the history of Israel and the church. Hebrews devotes a lot of chapter 7 to him. He is first met in the Bible when Abraham is returning after battle, exhausted, and extremely aware that he ticked off four of the most powerful kings of his day. And the story goes as Abraham was returning, "Melchizedek, King of Salem, brings out bread and wine and blesses him."

Hebrews 7:7 says, "Without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater." But who is this guy you know? He is the King of Salem (ancient Jerusalem) and a "priest of God most high," who fed and blessed Abraham. Non Biblical sources say he was anything from an angel to just a man so righteous he was made a priest. In Psalm 110 David saw Mel as a type of the promised Messiah who would establish a new order of King priests. Hebrews 7 takes it farther says that Mel was like Jesus, whose title is "king of righteousness" and "king of peace," who appears in scripture without beginning or end to life and remains a "priest forever." So Melchizedek was a picture of Jesus, but probably also just a man ...

I want to focus on what Mel did with Abraham for a minute though. This priest was out and about, not holed away somewhere. He went out looking for those who have been through some stuff, tired, weary, maybe disillusioned ... Instead of trying to "fix" the problem, and he probably really wanted to, he cared for Abraham and Co., and listened to them. He came out with bread, wine and a blessing. The bread offers endurance and strength. The wine gladdens the heart, i.e., cheers them up. The blessing ... A definition of "to bless" is: "to bestow something that promotes or contributes to another's well being, happiness and prosperity." Interestedly the root of the Hebrew word is "to kneel." We cannot undo the circumstances of another's journey, or take away its pain. But we can help them out in real ways and point them to the One who is the source of all blessings. We may not be able to show another the way, but we can reflect and show them Jesus. And bless them good ...

Numbers 6:22-27

The LORD said to Moses,  “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
““‘The LORD bless you
and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’
“So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

Start Loving

Something I would like to share …


“Our failures. That’s the hardest area, especially when they have affected the lives of our loved ones. As our two children step out into the adult world it is a joy to see many beautiful things in their lives. But it hurts to see areas of need and struggle that stem in part from ways we have failed them. A friend reminded me recently that even those areas are part of the ‘all things’ which God will use to make a man and a woman who will accomplish His unique purposes. So when thoughts of my failures push there way into my consciousness, I let His total forgiveness dissolve my regrets, and go on to praise Him who accepts us just as we are and lovingly works to make us more than we are.


~Colleen Evans, from the book Start Loving


Have a blessed evening everyone! Tim

Liars

A quote I just came across ...

"Of all the liars in the world sometimes the worst are your own fears." (Kipling)

I have to agree ....

The Jungle Test

An interesting quiz for a Sunday ...

http://www.blogthings.com/thejungletest/




My result:




You Are Dramatic

You are colorful and charismatic. You get and hold people's attention. Right now, you are seeking peace and tranquility in your life. You are drawn to people who are innocent and pure of heart. You feel like there are a few minor things in your life that need to be changed. You find that any decision you have to make needs to be slept on... often for multiple nights.




Pretty accurate ...

God of Thunder

I was going to write on some positive thing about God, being a Christian or whatever but I'm not in the mood...lol

God is a God of love, as we all know, but there are other attributes as well. God can also get really ticked off! In Numbers 13-14 God was really torqued at the Israelites because of their unbelief and even threatened to destroy them. Then an amazing thing happened as God "changed His mind" after listening to an appeal of mercy from Moses. This is interesting as does God need mortals like Moses to reason with Him and hold Him to His promises? God obviously CAN be hurt by the people He loves.

What I get from this and other parts of the Bible, especially the Psalms and the Prophets, that He wants to engage our minds AND emotions. He wants us to feel fear, alarm at whats around us, the tension of our will against His. He wants us to sense when things are wrong, and wants us to ask and ask again until we find out where that wrong is. Much of God does seems to have the goal of shocking us to our senses. To get to that awareness where we become eventually contrite and humble before Him (repentance) and with others.

This is where mercy is found. Grace received does enable grace to be given... It doesn't seem to be a matter of being nice to a God who could fry you in an instant but being very real with Him. Its not appeasement per say but struggle that gets us to the place of intimacy... (Kinda reminds me of the story of Jacob.) Our God is also the God of Thunder ... and not just this cheesy, wishy washy, always positive wimp type of god...

Just some thoughts

C Cells

A couple lived near the ocean and used to walk the beach a lot. One summer they noticed a girl who was at the beach pretty much every day. She wasn't unusual, nor was the travel bag she carried, except for one thing. She would approach people who were sitting on the beach, glance around, then speak to them.

Generally, the people would respond negatively and she would wander off, but occasionally someone would nod and there would be a quick exchange of money for something she carried in her bag. The couple assumed she was selling drugs and debated calling the cops, but since they didn't know for sure they just continued to watch her.

After a couple of weeks the wife asked, "Honey, have you ever noticed that she only goes up to people with boom boxes and other electronic devices?" He hadn't and said so. Then she said, "Tomorrow I want you to get a towel and our big radio and go lie out on the beach. Then we can find out what s he's really doing."

Well, the plan went off without a hitch, and the wife was almost hopping up and down with anticipation when she saw the girl talk to her husband and then leave.

The man walked up the beach and met his wife at the road. "Well, is she selling drugs?" she asked excitedly." No, she's not." he said, enjoying this probably more than he should have.

"Well, what is it, then?" his wife fairly shrieked. The man grinned and said. "Her name is Sally and she's a battery salesperson."

"Batteries?" cried the wife. "Yes," he replied. "Sally sells C cells by the Seashore

OK, its kinda lame but it gave me a giggle or two for the day... Tim

Thank You

Here is an interesting quote ...

We are loaded down with too many good things, more than we can need. The good things we cling to are more than money. We hoard our resources, our gifts, our time, our families, our friends. As we begin to practice regular giving, we begin to see how ludicrous it is to hold on to the abundance God has given us and merely repeat the words, “Thank you.”

Francis Chan, Crazy Love

sets of sheep

Just wanted to share with you these three verses, which I imagine most of us have heard bunches of times...

"Let me ask you this. What would you do if you had a hundred sheep and one of them wandered off? Wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go look for the one that had wandered away? I am sure that finding it would make you happier than leaving the ninety-nine that never wandered off. That's how it is with your Father in heaven. He doesn't want any of these little ones to be lost.-Matthew 18:12-14 CEV

I've taken this to mean we are all precious in His sight. But here is an interesting take I heard recently that shown some new light on the verses for me. If a person ever collects a set of anything, be it postage stamps, baseball cards, Burger King "Lord of the Rings" figures or whatever, its the last one that really matters. The one which completes the set is "THE ONE"! Without it, the collection is flawed. An interesting take huh? He loves each one of us so, that with any one of us missing, the collection is flawed... Have a great day!

pitching His tent

This morning I've been thinking about holiness and holy living. What kicked this off was this familiar verse is 1 Peter v. 16 "Ye shall be holy; for I am holy." Therefore our goal in life is not happiness, health or any of these things (these are the things added "unto you") but holiness.

Unfortunately I have been less-than-holy so many times! Sheeeeesh! From childhood I have associated holiness with this long string of do's and don'ts. But seeing holiness as rule keeping really causes some major problems and really limits what Biblical holiness is. OK, the "rules" more likely than not are Biblically based there is this big tendency to obey rules instead of God. And this concern for the letter of the law which cause us to lose its spirit. Then comes this attitude that we can be holy through our own efforts in spite of the fact Paul said that there can be no holiness apart from the Holy Spirit, and its grace that causes us to even want to be holy! Then there are those whose pious efforts at rule keeping, and are even good at it publicly at least. These are the ones who like to point fingers at others, gossip ect. I've been the one who has had the fingers pointed at me and on many occasions. Then it dawned on me "Thank God I'm everything I never wanted to be," you know what I mean? Its obvious I can never live up to it and am totally dependent on grace. I can never make it on following the rules. Rule keeping leads to self righteousness anyways which is the very opposite of true holiness! Its hard to be humble and "esteem our brothers (and sisters) above ourselves" when we are doing it on our own.

This may be a Tim tangent but I think it fits. From Exodus to Revelation we have this imagery of God "pitching His tent" among His people. A truly awesome thought when you think about it for any length of time. In Exodus 29:44-45 "...I will dwell among the Israelites." In John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." And taken to its conclusion, John when describing the new heaven and new earth in Revelation 21:3 "...He shall dwell among them,..." Each time the word "dwell" means to "pitch a tent" in the original language. Now we are getting to what holiness is. God pitching His tent; first in the tabernacle, then in Christ and Christ in us, and then in our future life... At its base holiness means wholeness. One cannot be whole without a relationship with their Creator. It is living in Gods presence .. He has pitched His tent among us.

These are strange verses maybe to quote on this subject from Zechariah 14:20-21. This is a picture of the millennial reign of God. "On that day "Holy to the Lord" will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the Lords house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. Every pot in Jerusalem and Judea will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and pans and cook in them." Say what?!

Heres what I think its getting at; When God is at the center of your life, then every moment, every commonplace object of your existence is touched by His presence. Visibly true some future day, spiritually true now. There is this talk of "victory" in the Christian life which I think is kinda skewed. It seems to mean how God will conquer sin for us and is self centered. Sin is not simply the wrong we do to others and/or ourselves. All sin is a root rebellion or offense to God Himself. Its all about Jesus, what we can do to please Him, not what He can do for us. Personal victories may come but is the result, not the object. I'll conclude with Jesus' parable of the vine and its branches. (John 15:1-8) Holiness is walking with our creator completing us to be what we are supposed to be. In this passage Jesus explained that we do not PRODUCE fruit through our own efforts but BEAR fruit only by abiding in Him and letting Him work through us. Another thing that comes out of this passage is that what we are called to do or be is IMPOSSIBLE! "Apart from me you can do nothing." To grow in holiness is to grow closer to Jesus, knowing Him more clearly, practicing His presence in even the littlest of things, loving Him more, obeying Him more... Even when we seemingly screw up our lives repeatedly, He cleans up and we are back into holiness with our first step of obedience.

We are (not will be but ARE) a Holy Nation 1 Peter 2:9...

If Thou Not Kiss Me?

I don't know who wrote this, but I came across this a couple days or so ago and thought that I would just throw this out there...

The fountains mingle with the river

And the rivers with the ocean,

The winds of Heaven mix forever

With a sweet emotion;

Nothing in the world is single;

All things by a law divine

In one spirit meet and mingle.

Why not I with thine?

See the mountains kiss high Heaven

And the waves clasp one another;

No sister-flower would be forgiven

If it disdained its brother;

And the sunlight clasps the earth

And the moonbeams kiss the sea:

What is all this sweet work worth

If thou kiss not me?

Road Trip: Spring Creek/Winema National Forest

Time for yet another beat the heat mini road trip, this time with my son Shay. We drove around awhile before deciding on trying this place out about 7 miles from home! The campground has five campsites & a picnic area on the headwaters of Spring Creek. Unfortunately the campground itself is in disrepair due to 'thinning' of tress, but a short jaunt outside the place gave us a primo spot right on the creek.

Spring Creek is an underground river that rises to the surface here. Oux-Kanee, the nearby overlook offers a view of the headwaters of Spring Creek & a sign to help you identify landmarks. On most days you can see raptors soaring just below the cliff!



Sunset from our camping spot.

Wildflowers abound here at this time of year growing on the logs in the water and on the shoreline.

Camping can't be camping without a campfire right? This was our view of the creek right before cooking up some vittles! Methinks we found yet another "secret site"!

3 quotes to throw out there ...

"The significant problems we face are not solved at the same level of thinking as the state of mind in which we created them. --Albert Einstein"

"If I am ever good, its not because I'm trying to be, but because goodness is for a moment offered me as a gift of sheer grace." ~ Madeleine L'Engle

"The power of Sauron is still less than fear makes it." ~J.R.R. Tolkien