Gotta show it

Our Daily Bread
I have been involved in church work and attending church for 46 years.  During that time, I have seen a LOT of different ways that church tell folks "Don't even bother, you aren't welcome here!"  Yikes!  Whether it is the way a person dresses or the car they drove in or the way they look, church folks can be judgmental.  If we are honest, we know that everyone is judgmental, we just expect better from church folks!

During that time I also worked with the greeting committees at different churches.  We had some informal training on how to "welcome" someone, not just "greet" them.  There is a difference!  What does your church do?  Welcome or greet?  Let's pray and work on welcoming!

Lord, thank you for welcoming us into your kingdom if we just ask.  Please help us make our churches the same way!

Psalm Sunday
Let's look at Psalm 102 today.  I can honestly say I am feeling this psalm today after being sick and weak all weekend.  Whew...  I love the verses where the psalmist assures us that God will answer our laments!

Psalm 102

A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the Lord.

1 Hear my prayer, Lord;
    let my cry for help come to you.
2 Do not hide your face from me
    when I am in distress.
Turn your ear to me;
    when I call, answer me quickly.
3 For my days vanish like smoke;
    my bones burn like glowing embers.
4 My heart is blighted and withered like grass;
    I forget to eat my food.
5 In my distress I groan aloud
    and am reduced to skin and bones.
6 I am like a desert owl,
    like an owl among the ruins.
7 I lie awake; I have become
    like a bird alone on a roof.
8 All day long my enemies taunt me;
    those who rail against me use my name as a curse.
9 For I eat ashes as my food
    and mingle my drink with tears
10 because of your great wrath,
    for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.
11 My days are like the evening shadow;
    I wither away like grass.
12 But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever;
    your renown endures through all generations.
13 You will arise and have compassion on Zion,
    for it is time to show favor to her;
    the appointed time has come.
14 For her stones are dear to your servants;
    her very dust moves them to pity.
15 The nations will fear the name of the Lord,
    all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.
16 For the Lord will rebuild Zion
    and appear in his glory.
17 He will respond to the prayer of the destitute;
    he will not despise their plea.
18 Let this be written for a future generation,
    that a people not yet created may praise the Lord:
19 “The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high,
    from heaven he viewed the earth,
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners
    and release those condemned to death.”
21 So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion
    and his praise in Jerusalem
22 when the peoples and the kingdoms
    assemble to worship the Lord.
23 In the course of my life he broke my strength;
    he cut short my days.
24 So I said:
“Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days;
    your years go on through all generations.
25 In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
    and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you remain;
    they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them
    and they will be discarded.
27 But you remain the same,
    and your years will never end.
28 The children of your servants will live in your presence;
    their descendants will be established before you.”

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Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. - 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Six to eight glasses a day

Our Daily Bread
Have you ever been on one of those weight loss (or lifestyle change) periods where it instructs you to drink six to eight glasses of water a day?  This is to flush out harmful things from your body.  Eating right and drinking right can lead us to a healthy life!

The devotional talks about "avoiding dehydration" in a spiritual sense.  Whenever we think we can handle things on our own, we push Jesus, the Living Water, away from us.  We can end up with spiritual dehydration as we fail over and over to follow God's will for our lives and do the things he wants us to do.

Are you feeling spiritually dizzy and disorientated today?  Call up the Living Water of Jesus to fill your life each and every moment of each and every day!

Lord, thank you for living water.  Please help us to rely on it daily for strength.

Simply Saturday
My Name is
If you have read my blog at all, you probably noticed that music speaks to me in a multitude of ways.  Sometimes it is classical, sometimes pop, sometimes Contemporary Christian music.  While listening to the radio last night I heard a new song that I immediately purchased on iTunes: My Name is by Matthew West.  I listed the lyrics below.

So this song is a follow up to an incident a few weeks ago.  I posted some sad, pitiful message on Facebook that sounded soooooo sinful like I robbed a bank or leaked national secrets.  DOH!  This transparency thing sort of sucks at times!  Several friends reacted like I mentioned last week.  What was my huge sin that was weighing me down?  "I let someone steal my joy...again.  That can't happen ever again".  There were some shrugs over that response!

Back to the song for today.  What name tag are you wearing today?  Regret?  Defeat? Is the wreckage you left behind dragging you down?  Let's ALL change our name tag to "Child of the One True King".  God's amazing grace is the song we sing as he makes all things new in us.  Leave it all behind.  I know it is difficult.  Circumstances cannot dictate our mood or steal our joy unless we let them.

My name is Duane and I am a Child of the One True God!  Nice to meet you!

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May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit - Romans 15:13

Constant reminder

Our Daily Bread
I like to watch and play tennis.  There are sooo many good tennis players out there, but most of them have one thing in common -- some kind of weakness.  For me, it is my backhand stroke.  I have a decent slice backhand, but it can be exploited if a player can continue hitting to it over and over.  It definitely keeps me humble despite how good my forehand stroke is!

Our life in Christ has some of the same characteristics.  We all have some things that we are very, very strong at, whether it be prayer or caring for the sick or singing or preaching, etc.  AND, we all have our weaknesses.  ALL of us have our weaknesses.  I don't know about you, but I am reminded of mine each and every day.  How do we deal with those weaknesses?  Well, we practice to get stronger!  I practice my backhand whenever I get the chance.  I put it to use in my league matches when I am under pressure.

We can do this with our spiritual weaknesses.  We can do this!

Lord, thank you for giving us eyes to see our weaknesses and the strength to overcome them.  Praise God!

Foodie Friday
So I get adventurous at times, especially when I see something I think looks cool or delicious or both.  For dinner group on Sunday, I am making a Polka dot cake.  In short, you bake some cake balls in different colors, then embed them in white layer cakes.  I will also try to make some real butter cream icing to frost it with.  Check out the web site below for the full instructions.  I included one of the pics to show you what I hope mine will look like!

Polka dot Cake


Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Recipe type: Desser t Author : Savor y Sw eet Life Pr ep time: 2 mins Cook time: 3 mins
Total time: 5 mins Ser ves: 2.5 cups

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or 1/2 pound), softened (but not melted!) Ideal
texture should be like ice cream.
3-4 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar, SIFTED
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
up to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Instructions
1. Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the sugar doesn't blow everywhere) until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk 1 tablespoons at a time.

Recipe by Sav ory Sw eet Life - Easy Recipes from an Ev eryday Home Cook at http://savorysweetlife.com/2010/03/buttercream-frosting/

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Trusting God’s faithfulness dispels our fearfulness. - Our Daily Bread web site

The eyes have it

Happy Fourth of July!

A friend posted this on Facebook from Addision, TX

Our Daily Bread
Yes, yes, I know the title is a play on words.  On purpose!  DOH!  hehehe  A funny moment for me was watching a Despicable Me 2 preview where a one-eyed minion looks at another minion in disgust and says "aie, aie, AIE"  I kept thinking he was say "eye, eye, EYE".  Get it?  One eyed minion?  Never mind...

I don't feel like I am anything special in the spirituality department, but I liked this quote from the devotional:
Those who have known the Lord for a long time or who have gone through great trials seem to have a better heavenly vision than the rest of us.

Does that describe you?  I like to think it describes me, but I admit there are sooooo many things about which I am clueless!  Clueless I say!  I like the prayer at church "Forgive me of my sins, both known and unknown".  I hate the unknown sins!  How can I stop doing them if they are unknown?

ANYWAY, let's pray for each other for better spiritual vision.  To see what God sees in each and every person.  To have a better heavenly vision!

Lord, we cannot comprehend your love and your heavenly vision.  Please help us do the best we can!

Technology Thursday
Fireworks are in the air for a few day to celebrate the birthday of the United States of America.  I realized that I didn't understand all the technology used for fireworks displays, so I did some research.  Here are some good articles:

The scientific flash behind the fireworks - Technology & science ...

The inner workings of fireworks - Technology & science | NBC News

How new tricks make Fourth of July fireworks better than ever ...

Enjoy!

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CELEBRATE CALM

I refuse to give you power over my attitude and mood.
I refuse to allow you to dictate my response to you.
I refuse to give you the power to change my behavior.
I refuse to allow you to steal my peace and joy.

You can be mean. I will be kind.
You can hurt me. I will forgive you (but not trust you!).
You can be a jerk. I will have mercy.
You can be bitter. I will be grateful that I don't have to live with that poison in my soul.

I cannot tell you what you are going to do.
But I can tell you what I am going to do.

This is self-control. This is humility. This is dignity. - Unknown

Are you serving?

Our Daily Bread
I like British humor at times.  A favorite is "Are you being served?" about a British retail store.  Whenever a salesperson sees a potential customer that is looking around the store, she says "Are you being served?" to offer assistance.  There is a lot of funny British humor if you like that sort of thing!

The subject of the devotional today is not about "being served", rather serving God in whatever way we can so we can tell others of God's love and mercy.  What a difference!  And...no British humor involved!  Bonus!  ha!  The devotional uses the 2 Corinthians 4:1-17 passage to talk about this topic.  Paul is our example in this area.  What are we doing today to serve God and tell others?

Lord, thank you for your love and grace.  Please help us serve you and tell others!

Wellness Wednesday
I found this article about vacation.  Check out the full article here.

How To Prepare Yourself For The Perfect, Stress-Free Vacation

Last year, Matt Richtel wrote for the New York Times about setting out to find a way to avoid what he calls "the seven-day trap: three days impatient to be relaxed already, two days actually being relaxed, and then two final days of dread before going back to work."

1. Don't stress about leaving things the way you'd like to come back to them
2. Don't make yourself too reachable
3. Practice
4. Level your expectations
5. Remind yourself this is a vacation
6. Do a little something differently with your phone
7. Schedule an activity
8. Remind yourself everything is fine

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May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit - Romans 15:13

A perty little butterfly...

Our Daily Bread
I don't know how many of us have said at one time or another: I am a caterpillar -- God isn't done making me a butterfly yet!  OK, maybe I around with a different kind of friends that you do!  ha!  If you live in or around Columbus, Ohio, please visit the butterflies at the Franklin Park Conservatory.  Amazing!

The example in the devotional is a beautiful one -- the miracle of a butterfly.  I have always marveled that the butterfly.  The way it transforms from humble beginnings into a work of art, each one unique.  I admire the determination of the butterfly to migrate thousands of miles each year.  Wow!  I admire the way such a humble creature can do so many amazing things!

We should be humbled in that we are capable of so much more than the little butterfly.  Are we trying to live up to our potential?  Are we performing our God-given tasks using our God-given abilities?  God is so good.    He makes our lives complete with we follow him!

Lord, thank  you for creating the miracle of the butterfly.  Please work your miracles in us!

Teaching Tuesday
I started my new book over the weekend.  I read almost half of it.  It is a sllooowwww read because it is very intense.  It is fascinating to me, so I am trying to take it slow.  I will have to read and study it for a while to get it all.  The book is A Pilgrimage in Faith by Franklin Ferguson.  It is about the Episcopal church and approach to faith.

Here are a couple of my favorite passages so far:
In speaking about 1 John 1:1-3:
Here we can see that the meaning of Jesus, the truth that was in and of him, is not a truth which lies at the end of theological studies or the psychology and sociology of religious phenomenon.  It is truth discovered in community with those who bear the tradition of proclaiming him.

In speaking about the church:
A recent Gallup poll reveals that, while a high percentage of people believe in God, the majority of those who have dropped out of church believe that, as an institution, it is unimportant, primarily because of its preoccupation with nonspiritual concerns.

Wow!  Some great stuff!  I am blessed and challenged to read and study this.  There is a lot to learn even if you aren't planning to become Episcopalian!

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Here is a meditation/chant I use when I need to focus on God:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, I love you, I trust you, I thank you, I praise you.

I will survive

Our Daily Bread
"At first I was afraid, I was petrified".  Those the beginning words of  I will Survive sung by Gloria Gaynor. Haven't we all felt this way at one time or another?  Maybe you are feeling this way right now?  I know I love to boogie when she breaks out into the chorus "I will survive, I WILL survive, ooohhhOooohhhhh"  ha!

Surviving our own failures can be very difficult.  Dealing with the alienation from God and from others can be overwhelming.  I know I made several mistakes in my life.  I was able to recover from some of them due to the grace of God and the love of friends.  Some others were irreconcilable.  I am still sad about those relationships at times, but I know stuff happens.  No one is perfect.  I will survive!  How about you?  Are you surviving?

Lord, thank you for your love and grace.  We can live victoriously, not just survive!

Movie Monday
I saw two movies this weekend: World War Z and Monsters University.

World War Z
I was pleasantly surprised by this movie.  If you go into with an open mind, it is enjoyable and very suspenseful.  Friends who watch The Walking Dead thought it sucked!  Oh well.  Everyone has their own tastes.  It is not a waste of time like I originally thought from the previews.

I give this two bear paws.  You can rent it.  Not necessary to see at the theater.

Monsters University
I really liked the first Monsters Inc movie.  The second one did not disappoint.  Lots of college humor and some interesting insights into the first movie.  It is the story of the main heroes from Monsters Inc as they attend college.  There are some very cute and funny parts with a lesson to be learned (of course).

I give this two bear paws.  Not necessary to see it at the theater.

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We are far from perfect, but despite our mistakes and our sins, we will never abandon the Lord and he will never abandon us - adapted from a statement about Abraham from the EfM Training Guide