I am sharing this post today from a new blogging friend because I think it is so beautifully written … and so powerful. S/He wrote it about three months ago, but it is timeless. Read on and see if you agree…
… I was inspired by a podcast episode that I was asked to be a part of concerning prayer. I chose …
“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”
How about the gift of cooking or baking? That’s Kathy Humphrey’s gift! She baked that delicious, beautiful lemon meringue pie!
Here we Presbyterian Women are – in some years past – selling our pies at the Madison County Fly Fishing Festival. Today’s the day again… Come buy a pie!!
Thank you, Kathy, for sharing your baking gift! See you at the Festival, my friends. Don’t miss out!
My last couple of posts dealt with the theme of shipwrecks and lifeboats. Today’s sermon at Madison Valley Presbyterian Church seemed to contradict the idea of jumping from the ship and hopping on the lifeboat. Or did it?
The boat in today’s scripture lesson was in a storm (“…beaten by the waves …the wind was against them,” Matt 14:24b). The boat was filled with the 12 disciples. Jesus was walking on the water to come to them.
Matthew 14:22-33
Jesus Walks on the Water
22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way[a] from the land,[b] beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night[c] he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind,[d] he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
In his sermon today, Rev. Steve Hundley took me on a new journey through that scripture. Instead of focusing on Peter and his desire to also walk on water – and his doubt which caused him to begin to sink, Pastor Steve invited us to take a closer look at the eleven disciples who remained in the boat. I had not done that before. In fact, I am not sure I even realized the boat was big enough for eleven of them to fit in there!
If you have followed my blog for a while, you know I have a habit of listening to the sermon and taking notes in poetry. That way I can share the message with Bob on our way home (since he has trouble hearing and following the sermon during church). Well, I did that note-taking today. Here is what I came away with:
Is this a story about faith? Is it about Peter’s doubt? Or, is it about the eleven who Stayed in the boat without a shout?
They saw Jesus walking on the sea. They thought He was a ghost. Jesus said, Never fear, it is I.” Peter: “… if it is You…” Not the eleven, though. Who believed most?
Peter doubted – and he asked to be Set apart so then he’d believe. Like the rest of us who ask For exemption – “Give me special power – relieve!”
Relieve my doubt. Let me ask for help. Do you have trouble asking for help? Do you like playing the hero? Unlike the eleven disciples, do you yelp?
Peter yelped, “Let me walk on water, too.” Jesus gave him the ability to walk. But Peter continued to doubt And so he began to sink. Walk the talk?
No, the church doesn’t need heroes. It needs disciples like the eleven were. Stay in the boat – Wait for Jesus to come. Don’t try to be a hero and cause a stir!
We’ve got a storm of constant change Going on all about us. We need To stay in the boat and pay attention To the eleven. Don’t be a Peter of greed!
The wind and waves stirring up change In our world can eat a person alive. It’s easy to jump ship, but Jesus says, Stay the course. Stay in the boat. Survive!
Take heart! You are not alone. I am with you in the boat. Sing! Know that this is your lifeboat. Wait for the peace and calm that I will bring.”
Amen? Amen!
In his “Prayers of the People” after the sermon and a hymn titled, “Eternal Father, Strong to Save,” Pastor Steve prayed,
“Take us by the hand And rescue us in our darkest hours. It is You who rescues us. We pray You will not leave us alone. As we strain at the oars, protect us when we find ourselves adrift. Strengthen our hands when we are weak.”
I would add, “Strengthen our faith when we are weak. Keep us on the boat. It is not a shipwreck, not if You, Lord, are our Captain.”
Don’t jump ship! Life may be a shipwreck, but with Jesus as your Captain, your boat is a lifeboat! You can trust Him completely. Sing in the lifeboat!
Sing, “I will make you fishers of men, fishers of men, fishers of men…” (and of women, too!)
Thanks for visiting JanBeek this lovely Sunday afternoon. I hope you had a great day. Bee well, and Bee safe! And stay in the boat!!
Hi! Welcome back… Two blogs in one day. Unusual for me! But I wanted to share with you one of the devotionals I was eluding to in my last post when I told you several readings this morning were dealing with ships, boats, storms, etc. This one is worth your time, too… Have a read:
I read this one this morning….
Saturday, August 12, 2023
I was inspired by it. I think you will be, too…
Now you are a wrecked ship, broken at the bottom of the sea. All your merchandise and crew have gone down with you. Ezekiel 27:34 (NLT)
AFTER ENJOYING A WEEKEND AT the coast, my husband and I headed home. As I drove along the highway, we spotted a large roadside sign. Its words read, “Life is a shipwreck. Sing in the lifeboat.” We exchanged a glance and smiled, reflecting on the previous several months.Together, we’d weathered a shipwreck of our own. After Dave suffered a life-altering accident, we slowed our pace. He needed to be taught a few basic skills and to learn appropriate emotional responses. Speech challenged him. Like a metaphorical bird, words perched at the tip of his tongue, then flew away before he could capture them.I became versed in the true meaning of caregiving. Caring and giving. As I looked after Dave’s needs, I saw in his eyes a new level of love—richer, more complete. Just as his trust in me grew, my faith in Jesus deepened.I felt panic as waves crashed against our boat of the life we’ve made for ourselves. For a time, I wondered if the ship Dave and I sailed was sinking. But when I cried out, Jesus was there. He wasn’t asleep, because God never sleeps (Psalm 121:4). He calmed our waves and guided our vessel to a safe harbor. This tempest hasn’t drowned our faith. It strengthened it (Proverbs 10:25). Yes, we are singing in the lifeboat—singing praises to Jesus, our Captain, and we always will. —HEIDI GAULFAITH STEP: Are you sitting in a lifeboat? Ask Jesus to settle the waves of your life and find rest on His calming seas. He’ll never let you sink.
I hope you are inspired, as I was, by this post to abandon the shipwreck and “Sing in the lifeboat!”
So many of the devotionals I read this morning had the theme of ships, boats, storms, and rescues. One quote that particularly struck me was, “Life is a shipwreck; sing in the life boat.” It and yesterday’s events along with the other readings today prompted this poem:
Life is a Shipwreck
Life is a shipwreck Sing in the lifeboat Thank God for our faith It keeps us afloat
When plans go astray And you can’t do as planned Just climb off the ship There’s a lifeboat on the land
Jesus is calling you To listen to His Word All you had intended to do May, in fact, be absurd
His lifeboat will take you To a much better place So sing as you sail along And keep your eyes on His face
Yesterday I was all set to go on a bus to the county fair with a group from our local nursing home. When I arrived to help out, I discovered there were only two residents going and they had two volunteers to help already. I could have gone along to be an extra pair of hands, but as I sat in the back seat between the other two (with no seatbelt in my center space), I heard the Holy Spirit telling me, “This is a shipwreck! This is not what I need you to be doing today.”
I heeded His warning and returned home where God had a lifeboat prepared for me: Bob needed to go in to Bozeman to have his hearing aids fixed and my company was needed right here at home.
Sometimes we reach out to help others, thinking that’s the service to Him that God has in mind for us, and He manages to head us off at the pass. He says, “No, your service is needed right where you are! Get off the ship. Come sing in the lifeboat!”
Life doesn’t have to be a shipwreck!!
Do you relate?
May your faith Keep you afloat As you avoid the shipwreck And let God float your boat
Listen for those instructions. Keep the faith, my friends. Avoid the shipwreck; Sing in the lifeboat!
It was a marvelous Montana morning. The sun wasn’t up yet, but the doves were. They cooed and wooed and greeted the day. I was happy to be up before the sun.
Note the puddle on the rock there. It rained a little last night. Everything is so fresh and green. Welcome to Terrific Tuesday!
As the sky brightened, so did my spirits. Looking at the purple mountain majesty, How could anyone not be happy here? Montana is such a beautiful place to be.
Good morning, sweet Montana sunrise. Thank you, Lord, for another day; A day to rejoice and be glad in it, A day to sing God’s praises….
Sing along with me and the children:
Have a Terrific Tuesday! How will you celebrate life today?
“As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
Listening to me You will get a clear picture Hidden in plain sight
How would you describe yourself to someone afar? Tell me. I can’t see!
My word for 2023 is “Ready!” Most mornings I add one thing to my list of whatever it is I am ready for. Some days I don’t add anything. Today is one of those days. I am not ready for anything. I just want to veg…
Do you have days like that? Do you let yourself just rest? Do you have that privilege?
Photo by Ihsan Adityawarman on Pexels.com Cats know how to rest… Let’s follow their example!
Matthew 11
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Some days we need to stop… andJust rest!
I’m gonna do that today. You gonna take some time to rest, too?
