February 3, 2014

Psalm 37:1-17, Ruth 1:1-18, Philemon 1-25

...


Well, much like a previous blog, this blog will end on February 3rd, exactly 5 years later.

My new blog is here. I don't know why I like to switch out blogs from time to time, but it feels good. Like Spring cleaning, or switching to a new journal. I don't really keep a journal or clean in the Spring, but I've heard about these things.

Cheerio!

February 2, 2014

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany 

Micah 6:1-8, Psalm 15, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Matthew 5:1-12

February 1, 2014

Psalm 15, Micah 3:1-4, John 13:31-35

January 31, 2014

Psalm 15, Deuteronomy 24:17—25:4, 1 Timothy 5:17-24

January 30, 2014

Psalm 15, Deuteronomy 16:18-20, 1 Peter 3:8-12

January 29, 2014

Psalm 27:7-14, Genesis 49:1-2, 8-13, 21-26, Luke 1:67-79

January 28, 2014

Psalm 27:7-14, Judges 7:12-22, Philippians 2:12-18

January 27, 2014

Psalm 27:7-14, Judges 6:11-24, Ephesians 5:6-14

In all three of these passages, I am struck by the presence and closeness of the Lord.

In the Psalm, it says that even if our own parents abandon us, the Lord will hold us close.

In Judges, the Lord is sending Gideon to rescue Israel, and promises to be with him.

In Ephesians, we no longer have to participate in a dark and sinful life, because we have the light of the Lord within us. So we are to live as children of light, carefully determining what pleases the Lord.

How is this encouraging, to know that the Lord is with us? Have there been times in your life where you were like Gideon, and wondered where the Lord was, and doubted his promises? Can you think of times in your life when you felt the Lord's presence?

Prayer:

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought
us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty
power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by
adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your
purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

January 26, 2014

Third Sunday After Epiphany

Isaiah 9:1-4, Psalm 27:1, 4-9, 1 Corinthians 1:10-18, Matthew 4:12-23

These are verses of hope and looking ahead to Jesus. Read each passage out loud.

What do you think it means when it says in 1 Corinthians that the cross is the very power of God? 

How are these passages encouraging to you today?

Prayer from Psalm 27:

Hear me as I pray, O Lord.
Be merciful and answer me!

My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”

Amen

January 25, 2014

Psalm 27:1-6, 1 Samuel 15:34—16:13, Luke 5:27-32

Today is one of many examples where the Lord chooses someone that people would have looked over as not good enough.

In Samuel, we start the story off finding out that Saul has disobeyed the Lord and is no longer the king (might have to read all of the story in 1 Samuel 15). After a time of mourning the loss of Saul as king, the Lord tells Samuel to go and anoint the new king. He goes to the house of a man named Jesse to anoint one of his sons as king. One look at the oldest son, and Samuel thought they had their man. But the Lord said it wasn't him.


Verse 7, "But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

After going through seven seemingly eligible men, Samuel still hasn't anointed the king, and wonders if there are any other sons. The youngest one, David, was out tending the sheep. He wasn't even considered by his own family!

Of course, he is the one that is anointed the new King of Israel, and the Spirit of the Lord was powerfully upon him from that day on.

In Luke, we see the tax collector Levi, at work (just like the fishermen from a previous day), and Jesus comes and tells him to be his follower. And, just like the fishermen, he gets up, leaves everything, and follows Jesus.

Later on, Levi invites his tax collector friends over for dinner with Jesus as the guest of honor. This caused some to question Jesus, because tax collectors weren't exactly known for being honest, godly people. Why would he choose to spend time eating with all these sinners?

But Jesus says to them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

God called David, a young shepherd to be the king of Israel. Jesus called Levi, a sinful tax collector to be his disciple. 

Why do you suppose the Lord works with the most unexpected people? How have you seen him equip you or others in unexpected ways?

Prayer:
O God, you prepared your disciples for the coming of the
Spirit through the teaching of your Son Jesus Christ: Make
the hearts and minds of your servants ready to receive the
blessing of the Holy Spirit, that they may be filled with the
strength of his presence; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

January 24, 2014

Psalm 27:1-6, 1 Samuel 9:27—10:8, Galatians 2:1-10

The words that stand out the most to me are in verse 6 in Samuel. "You will be changed into a different person."

What does it mean to be changed into a different person? For some, like King Saul in the Old Testament, or Saul (who changed his name to Paul) in the New Testament, it is obvious. King Saul was overcome by the Spirit of God and prophesied. Paul went from persecuting Christians to preaching the Gospel of Jesus. For others, maybe it is more subtle. Perhaps if you first encountered God as a child, you maybe didn't have as much baggage to turn from. BUT, perhaps getting on the right path early on spared you from all the other options that you could have taken. It's hard to know. Or, maybe you started out on the right path...then took another path...then another...and then had another encounter with God as an adult. Or maybe something else!

Everyone has a different story. But there seems to be a need for change in every story. "You will be changed into a different person." Either a different person than you already were, or into a different person than what you could have been.

2 Corinthians 5:13-21 (I bolded some)

If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

...

Amen!

January 23, 2014

Psalm 27:1-6, 1 Samuel 1:1-20, Galatians 1:11-24

What is the one thing that you ask of the Lord? What is the one thing you seek the most?

The Psalmist wanted to live in the house of the Lord all of the days of his life, delighting in the Lord's perfections, and meditating in his Temple.

Hannah was feeling discouraged and poured her heart out to the Lord, and asked for a son, for she was childless.

Paul received the Gospel message via direct revelation from Jesus. Even though he was a zealous Jewish man, and strongly opposed Christianity, God had chosen him before he was born to eventually be the one who was so passionate about Christianity that he would be the one to preach the Good News of Jesus to the Gentiles.

What has God placed on your heart? Do you seek time with the Lord? Do you seek a family? Do you seek the Gospel? Something else? All of the above?

How have you seen the Lord answer your prayers in the past?

Pray through Psalm 37:3-7a

Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.
He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
Be still in the presence of the Lord,
and wait patiently for him to act.

Amen.

Finally Dawned on Me

One of my dreams has always been to start my own business. Lately I've been thinking that this will have to be one of the things I do once our children (I hope!) are graduated from high school and moved on and out. My priorities are my husband and family; there will be plenty of time for starting my own business later on in life (and if there isn't time, or time is cut short, then I will be glad that I didn't spend all my years busy with a business when my top priority was my family).
I used to say that I wanted to run a coffee shop, especially after such a good time working here. Love the idea of creating a space for people to meet with friends, or work on their own projects while enjoying a hot beverage. BUT, unless you are a major coffee chain, it doesn't seem like the best business plan, to open a shop where people spend hours of their time and only $3 from their pocket. That hardly pays to keep the lights on, or to have a barista to make the drinks. Most Ma&Pa coffee shops that I know have to do other things in order to keep afloat (sell other merchandise in their shop, or include a lunch menu, or cater, or, or, or, or). I also thought it would be fun to have a bookstore, but we all know how well bookstores are doing these days, sadly.
Another idea that I have thought of is a slow-food restaurant. Where you come in, order off of the limited and changing menu, and then I make you your meal from scratch. The menu would probably contain all of my comfort foods (soups, sandwiches, pizzas, pastas, bread, cheese, etc). There would be a greenhouse attached to the back of the kitchen that grew some of our produce. And in both of these dreams we would roast our own coffee, of course. But I've always thought it would be too stressful to run a restaurant. So many regulations, and as always working with perishable items seems risky to me. Order too much and you end up wasting. Order not enough, and you're constantly running out of food and running out of customers. I do like the idea of restaurants who are only open until they run out of food each day. That does ensure a freshness, and probably less waste, I would guess.
Another idea I've more recently had, that doesn't include perishable items (at least not very many) would be a handicraft shop, that would provide three services.
1. It would sell handmade items made by myself and other local people.
2. It would sell crafting supplies.
3. It would provide space for people to work on their projects.

Fun, right? Maybe that is how I will spend my retirement?

And then it dawned on me. I can do all these things without having to try to figure out the business-side of things AND while making my family my first priority (well, actually Jesus is my first priority, but that is regardless of whether I have a family or a job or where I live or what I do. It is a given for me).
In raising a family, I definitely can plan and make healthy and from-scratch meals and work on whatever my craft is to benefit my family. I can support my husband in his work and ministry by opening our home and providing space for people to meet with a friend, read a book, drink a hot beverage, eat a good meal, be creative, study, think, etc. You guys, in just a shade over half a year, we will have the privilege of working with 20-30 young adults in a new Discipleship Program. Why is this just now dawning on me? Perhaps this is what all these dreams are about?

Here is a promotional video for the new discipleship program. Perhaps you know of someone who would be interested in applying? They should go here to find out more information and apply!

January 22, 2014

Psalm 40:6-17, Isaiah 48:12-21, Matthew 9:14-17

Today I am struck by verses 17-18 in the Isaiah passage. I have been thinking about fasting lately, too, but I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunity to talk about that over Lent (in March/April).

Isaiah 48:17-18
This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you what is good for you
and leads you along the paths you should follow.
Oh, that you had listened to my commands!
Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river
and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea."

These are comforting words. So often in life I have wondered where I was supposed to go and what I was supposed to do, and the Lord has always shown me. Recently I have received confirmation from the Lord about where I don't need to be. Maybe someday, but not now. And I feel extreme peace about it.

Like a good parent should, the Lord teaches us what is good for us, he shows us where to go and the right thing to do. We need to practice listening to God, learning to hear his voice, and studying his word. Prayer as conversation. Do you dominate the conversation, or do you listen as much or more as you talk?


Prayer:
Lord, help me to hear you. Help me to listen.


























Amen.

January 21, 2014

Psalm 40:6-17, Isaiah 53:1-12, Hebrews 10:1-4

In the days of Moses, in the time before Jesus came to Earth as a human, people sacrificed animals as an offering to God to atone for their sins.

Today all three passages speak to this.

The entire Hebrews passage for today says this:

"The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.

But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins."

The Psalmist starts out by saying that he realizes that the Lord doesn't delight in his sin offerings. He pleads with the Lord to come rescue him out of his pile of sins.

In Isaiah we see that Christ took on everyone's pile of sins and was punished for them. In our place. So that we didn't have to continue to make sacrifices year after year.

Verse 5 in Isaiah 53 says, 

"But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed."

An older version says, 

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

This is the verse behind my cross tattoo (or, one of the verses). As a daily reminder for what Christ has done for me, and all other rebels who believe in Him.

Ok it's hard to see, but their are stripes on the cross. Taken at the Hill of Crosses in Lithuania.

Read through Isaiah 53 again. Reread the Hebrews passage. Remind yourself daily what the Lord has done for you.

Prayer:
God of every land and nation,
you have created all people
and you dwell among us in Jesus Christ.
Listen to the cries of those who pray to you,
and grant that, as we proclaim the greatness of your name,
all people will know the power of love at work in the world.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

January 20, 2014

MLK Day

Psalm 40:6-17, Exodus 12:1-13, 21-28, Acts 8:26-40

Today in Exodus, we see the first Passover, where the Lord passed over Egypt and spared the Israelites because they had followed his instructions, which they were to carry out in remembrance each year after. In Acts, we see the parallel that Jesus was the ultimate Passover Lamb, and that it is by his blood that we are saved. If you haven't grown up in a Christian home, or haven't spent a ton of time in the Church (or even if you have), all this blood talk can seem a little weird. 

The Israelites were to mark their doorways with the blood of the chosen sheep or goat (one without any defects, spots, or blemishes....a perfect specimen), so that when the Lord passed over, he would skip their house, and the people inside would live (and then would be able to escape slavery in Egypt).

In Acts we see that Jesus is likened to a lamb going to slaughter. Because our broken world is enslaved by sin, we need someone to rescue us. Jesus was not blemished by sin, and was killed on a cross so that humanity could be freed from the bondage of sin, and made right with God (and this all happened around the observance of the Passover...perhaps you have heard of the last supper?). Do you see the parallel?

Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr Day, and think of freedom from racial discrimination. King envisioned a nation where his children would be judged not by their skin color, but by the content of their character. We have come a long way on this, but still have a ways to go, I think. 

Freedom is a broad word. What does freedom mean to you? What did freedom mean for the Israelites in Egypt? What does freedom from sin mean for humanity? What does freedom look like when thinking about human equality? What are some other ways that people think of freedom? Is all freedom the same?

Prayer:
God, we thank you for the inspiration of Jesus. Grant that we will love you with all our hearts, souls, and minds, and love our neighbors as we love ourselves, even our enemy neighbors. And we ask you, God, in these days of emotional tension, when the problems of the world are gigantic in extent and chaotic in detail, to be with us in our going out and our coming in, in our rising up and in our lying down, in our moments of joy and in our moments of sorrow, until the day when there shall be no sunset and no dawn. Amen.

January 19, 2014

Second Sunday after the Epiphany 

Isaiah 49:1-7, Psalm 40:1-11, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, John 1:29-42

What does it look like to work for the Lord? In today's passages we see some examples.

Isaiah was chosen and called by God before he was even born, while he was in his mother's womb. Yet even he has feelings of inadequacy. He says in verse 4,

“But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose. Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand; I will trust God for my reward.”

But he continues to trust God.

The Psalmist says there is great joy for those who trust in the Lord.

In Corinthians, Paul, who also was chosen and called by God says that everyone who calls on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ is made holy by Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:7-9 says, "Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

In John, we see John the Baptist recognizing that Jesus is the Messiah who will baptize with the Holy Spirit when he (John) sees the Holy Spirit descend as a dove and rest on Jesus. Because of John's testimony about Jesus, some of his (John's) disciples immediately follow Jesus.

What does it mean to trust God? What has Christ equipped us with as we wait for his return? Why do you suppose John's disciples so quickly followed Jesus? 

We know that Isaiah had been called by God in the womb, and that Paul encountered Jesus as an adult. John the Baptist was Jesus's relative (and a similar age as Jesus), but it appears that he did not fully realize who Jesus was until this passage. Each has their own story of their first encounter with the Lord. With whom can you relate the most? Why is each story important?

Prayer:
Steadfast God,
you have enriched and enlightened us
by the revelation of your eternal Christ.
Comfort us in our mortality
and strengthen us
to walk the path of your desire,
so that by word and deed we may manifest
the gracious news of your faithfulness and love. Amen.

January 18, 2014

Psalm 40:1-11, 1 Kings 19:19-21, Luke 5:1-11

I have been thinking a lot lately about priorities and boundaries, and what it means to follow Jesus and balance your family, ministry, and work (and all their possible overlappings)....and whatever else people do. Hobbies? Social life? Keeping up with all the latest pop culture? So of course I am not surprised that these are the Scriptures for today. 

In 1 Kings we see Elisha being handed the baton (or cloak in this case) to be the prophet to replace Elijah. He wants to go back and say goodbye to his parents, and Elijah tells him to go ahead and do that, but also to think about what just happened. I'm thinking this means that Elijah wants Elisha to reflect on how important this call is. How big of a life-changer this will be. How high on the priority list this needs to be.

So Elisha, who was plowing in the fields when Elijah came, went back and slaughtered the oxen and used the wood of the plow to make a fire and cook the meat. The ESV says as a sacrifice. He shared the meat with the townspeople...perhaps his parents were a part of this group? Perhaps it was a farewell party of sorts? Either way, after they ate, Elisha left with Elijah and became his assistant. Elisha burned his plow and slaughtered his oxen before he left...perhaps as a way to say, "I'm leaving my past behind me."

In Luke, we see that Simon, James, and John are at the end of a long night of fishing without success. They are weary, and probably wondering what will happen to them, since fishing seems to be their livelihood. Jesus steps in the boat and tells them to cast their nets, and when they do, the amount of fish they catch is overwhelming. In verses 8-11 it says, "When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.” For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.

Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus."

So they left everything and followed Jesus. They left everything. Their boats, their nets, their earthly source of security. Same with Elisha.

Now. Certainly not everyone is called to leave their current job and family in order to go and do something for Jesus. Your current job might be just where the Lord wants you. But some people are called to do something completely different, in a completely different place. Far from their family.
Either way, we as followers of Jesus are all called to make Jesus number one over all other priorities in our life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!"

To what or where or whom has the Lord called you? What does it mean to give up everything?

Prayer:

Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so
guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our
wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated unto
you; and then use us, we pray, as you will, and always
to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

January 17, 2014

Psalm 40:1-11, Genesis 27:30-38, Acts 1:1-5

In each of these passages we see the importance of blessings and being cared for.
David says the Lord helped him, and there is great joy for those who trust in the Lord. He can't even begin to list all of the amazing things the Lord has done.
We see in Genesis the great anguish that comes when your blessing is taken from you (stolen, in Esau's case).
In Acts, Jesus showed many of his followers that he was still very much alive after his resurrection, and promised the blessing of the Holy Spirit, a gift from God the Father.

Can you list ten amazing things God has done in your life, or in the lives of others? Why do you think Esau was so heart-broken? What are the implications of Jesus eating with the apostles and talking about the Kingdom of God? Why do you think they needed to wait for the Holy Spirit? They were baptized by water, and then by the Holy Spirit; do you think the order matters? Do you think both are important?

Prayer from the Psalm:
Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me.
Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.
Amen

Reading Record - Book 2: In Cod We Trust: Living the Norwegian Dream by Eric Dregni

Overall an enjoyable read. A book of essays by a guy who got a scholarship to go with his wife and spend a year in Norway, possibly connecting with distant relatives and experiencing the culture. At about the same time they learn that they will get to go to Norway, they find out they are pregnant. So of course they have the baby in Norway.

Pros:
Easy to read. Fast read. Enjoyable.
Makes me want to travel to Scandinavia (ok. I wanted to travel to Scandinavia before I read this book).
Lots of familiar things. Some of the things they experience in this book are similar or the same as other European countries. So it was nice to remember our time in Lithuania (and other countries we visited) while reading this book.
Always interesting to read about someone's encounter with another culture.
Interesting to read about birthing a baby in another country.

Cons:

The essays sometimes lacked a flow. Examples: He spoke about shopping at Rimi a few times throughout the book, but not until a chapter near the end did he explain that Rimi is a grocery store (as if it were the first time he had brought it up). No worries for me as a reader, we shopped sometimes at Rimi when we lived in Lithuania. Another example is he mentions bunads every once in a while, but in one of the last chapters he describes what bunads are as if he had never brought them up in the book. Little things like that. I'm guessing he wrote the essays out of order, and maybe his editor didn't notice or care? Or maybe the essays are meant to be read as stand-alone?

The author and his wife are sometimes of unlikeable. Sometimes his assessment of cultural things rubbed me the wrong way, like either it seemed like the conclusion he drew was too broad (this one Norwegian does this thing this way, so it must be the way ALL Norwegians do it!) or sometimes too specific (thinking that something was unique to Norway, when in reality, it happens in other cultures too). Sometimes his anecdotes seemed a bit random. Or it felt like he was looking down on the culture sometimes (ok, so fish soaked in lye doesn't sound all that appealing, but try to understand the other side of it. Do you realize that many other cultures use lye in cooking too? It's not just drain cleaner). Sometimes the wife came across as sort of an unadventurous stinker. I don't know if she is in real life, or if the husband's writing just made her seem that way. I can give her the benefit of the doubt, being pregnant when they first got there, and having the baby and being a new mom. Those can be adventurous enough, without having to be in a new place and try a bunch of new things. I get it. But perhaps this is the only chance they will ever have to spend a year in Norway. Soak up the experiences, lady! Try to find something to enjoy! (again, maybe it was just the way her husband wrote her. Maybe if this were her book she would have come across differently).

That's it. If you think that you would be the type of person to read about a Minnesotan's experience in Norway, then of course I would recommend this as a just-for-fun read. If you are going to move to another country and need some advice, this might be a fun read, but I would recommend reading other books in addition to this one to get you ready.