Joy in the Journey

  Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:23 As I was with Moses I will be with you; I will never leave you or forsake you. Joshua 1:5b Shirley Temple died this week. That was sad for me because I adored her when I was a child. As soon as I heard the news songs and scenes filled my mind, but one stuck. I don’t remember which movie it’s from but precious, precocious little Shirley struts around singing “When I Grow Up.” Eventually the butler, Arthur Treacher I think, starts singing it too. So there it was, “when I grow up, in a year or two or three.” I suppose that one stuck with me because I’ve just decided, at the tender age of fifty-six, what I want to do when I grow up. It’s a great idea but I don’t know if it’s God’s will so for now, I’ll bloom where I’m planted. But bloom how? The what I want to do is finally pretty clear but who do I want to be? Y...

  Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says; Come from the four winds, O breath and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” “I will put my spirit in you and you will live,”   Ezekiel 37:9, 14a If you’ve never read Ezekiel 37 I highly recommend it. If you have read it, read it again, read it out loud. It’s so powerful. Reading it it’s easy to think how great it would have been to live in that day, to see a valley full of dry bones become standing human beings, with flesh and skin (Ezekiel 37:4-8) and eventually breath (verse 9). Can you imagine it? Now think about this. How many people do you see each day who look done. Their faces are closed and drawn. If they catch your eye they might smile but does that smile reach their eyes? The words I hear most often at work are “I’m so tired.” We work hard, fair enough but it isn’t strenuous physical labor. The tired of which these ladies spe...

  The Lord came and stood there, calling “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak for your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:10 Our Father in His infinite mercy speaks to me, to my heart through His Word, certainly but He knows me better than I know me and so He uses music. I love music and songs tend to get stuck in my head. In my years of walking with Jesus He has used songs to inspire me, guide me and comfort me.   A little while ago I was listening to a few of my favorite worship songs. I started with some that have been my support system for the last few days. Then I thought about one that I love but haven’t heard for a bit. Listening to it I realized the truth of the title, a line that is repeated over and over throughout the song. “You won’t relent until you have it all, my heart is yours.” For the last few days I’ve been working through a section of a Bible study that has been rather difficult. It’s on suffering and breaking free. Sounds fun right...

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites. I AM has sent me to you.” There is a worship song that I just love. I can’t say it’s my favorite because before I could finish typing that ten others would cross my mind as “favorite.” In any case the name of the song is “Great I Am.” The lyrics say just what you would expect from the title that God is indeed the great I AM, holy, powerful, unique, awesome, in the truest sense of the word. I love that song! The bridge includes the truth that the enemy runs from God, that even the mountains tremble in His presence. All true. Listening to the song just a few minutes ago, hearing the words repeated “the great I AM” something occurred to me. I Am, what? As Christians we don’t ask that question because we know or think we do, what that means. It’s the name of God Yahweh, the great I AM. But indulge me for a moment and think about it. God is the great I AM.   If anyone else said to any of us, “Hel...