The inspired, hopeful scripture and another inspirational Sunday sermon from our dear Interim Pastor, Brian Conklin, yesterday at Madison Valley Presbyterian Church
The Glorious New Creation
17 For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating, for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy and its people as a delight. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it or the cry of distress. 20 No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days or an old person who does not live out a lifetime, for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed. 21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat, for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity,[a] for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord— and their descendants as well. 24 Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.
The world seems very fragile Seems everything’s falling apart Between despair and hope we are Wondering how to take heart
Promises and warnings go hand in hand Isaiah speaks of a new world beginning He promises the Kingdom has arrived But Luke reports Jesus’ warnings of sinning
Luke 21:5-19 NRSV Updated Edition
The Destruction of the Temple Foretold
5 When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, 6 “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”
Signs and Persecutions
7 They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” 8 And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray, for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’[a] and, ‘The time is near!’[b] Do not go after them.
9 “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified, for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” 10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom; 11 there will be great earthquakes and in various places famines and plagues, and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.
12 “But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 13 This will give you an opportunity to testify. 14 So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance, 15 for I will give you words[c] and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents and siblings, by relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 You will be hated by all because of my name. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your souls.
Jesus tells of a world that trembles He encourages us to stand and endure “By your endurance you will save your soul” Dig deep into your heart and persevere
We’re caught between joy and sorrow We’re asked to trust God even when we Can’t see evidence of His promises The Kingdom of God is now and not yet to see
Where you see the church planted, you see Signposts that point to the kingdom to come God’s love wins out over human nature So keep speaking peace over poverty and slum
God’s love holds us together when we feel The world is falling apart at the seams May we see even now glimpses of this New Heaven and New Earth – and know what it means.
I discovered a new challenge. From inlinkz, there is a weekly invitation to write a “Six Sentence Story.” Each week the word prompt that must be included changes. This week it is the word NEED.
Here is my 6 sentences to go to the “Blog Hop” –
Take my hand, I’m a stranger in Paradise. I’m lost in a Wonderland. It’s just being with you. Tell me everything will be alright. I need to know that’s true!
I’m picking to fight for more love unity and respect in this world!
With gentleness and respect I choose to fight for a better world
Fight to replace controversies and arguments with more love and joy.
Love, JanBeek
ben Alexander (David) from the Skeptic’s Kaddish blog https://skepticskaddish.com/ invited us to write a poem or prose with exactly 49 words today. So, the blog above does that. Thank you, David, for the challenge.
In his book, Catching Whimsey, Bob Goff told about the time he and his wife, “Sweet Maria,” bought his father-in-law’s decrepit old wooden wagon. They bought it so they could restore it to mint condition. I related to Bob Goff’s story because I have friends who have an old wooden wagon in their yard. It has been a part of their family for two or three generations. They treasure it and have restored it to mint condition.
But, in the case of Bob & Maria Goff, after buying sandpaper and paint and nuts and bolts and the tools needed to get started on their immense reconstruction project, there was a huge storm. A hundred-foot tree fell on the wagon. Bob Goff wrote, “We had plenty of firewood that winter, about a hundred feet of tree and one priceless wagon’s worth.”
So what does this have to do with WHIMSEY? Well, ya gotta know Bob Goff! Whimsey is his favorite word!! And in his “Faith Step” at the bottom of the page, he cautions us, “Don’t let today’s challenges break you, and don’t live in fear that a tree might fall on you. Live a life so full of love and whimsey people will think you are made of the stuff.”
Three out of four of the devotionals I read yesterday and today had the word TRUST as one of the main topics. Everytime I see the word trust, I draw a rectangle around it and affirm, “I Can Trust.” Today I decided to write about TRUST in my journal, “I Can and I Will, Watch Me.” My mind just thought about it in a Haiku format. Here’s what the result was:
I CAN Trust
I know I can trust – The world may feel chaotic, But I reclaim peace.
Unsettling events, An unknown future, Don’t define my mood.
I am claiming peace. I see where my power lies: It’s trusting in God.
What I want in life, Peace, love, joy, kindness and faith, Are mine when I trust.
I know I can trust In the Ruler of my heart To heal what’s broken.
Heal the world’s chaos, Bring back Unity for all. I can trust my God!
Thinking of you and sending love your way. Trusting Him to guide you and me through the storms of life. What storms are you facing?
My soul magnifies the Lord, too. He is so faithful to hear us and to answer our prayers! I was so concerned yesterday because we are traveling today to spend the next three weeks in California with our son and extended family… and Bob was short on a medication that he NEEDS. I prayed fervently to God for the medication to arrive before we had to leave this morning. And yes, you guessed it… At 5:00 PM last night, it arrived at our door. My soul magnifies the Lord. He is My Savior.
I hope He is yours, too. Magnify the Lord… and praise His name. In His hands I place my trust.
What image comes to your mind with the word MAGNIFY?
See ya tomorrow for the next Word of the Day. Meantime, please pray for our safe travel. We are flying from Montana to California today.
Happy Friday the 13th to you! Using the prompts from @sanctifiedart, I am enjoying the opportunity to share the “Words for the Beginning” each day with you during this Advent season.
Today’s Word is:
When I put the prompt in AI, it generated the word above. What image would you display if you were depicting enough? Here is my choice:
Bob Perks wrote that poem Unfortunately, he often doesn’t get credit for it. He has a book by the same title, but it is no longer in print. I love this poem… and Bob Perks!
Several others have used his theme and written their own “Enough” poems. Here is another.
This poem was posted on New Years Eve 2013 Posted by blogger, Doina , at 11:11 PM
I want to join the bloggers who are wishing you enough. May you live with a sense of “Enough” by: 1. Counting your blessings 2. Knowing you have more than 99.9% of all the folks on earth 3. Focusing on your can’s, not your can’ts 4. Appreciating your HAVEs and not worrying about the HAVE NOTs 5. Reaching out in love to those who have less 6. Prioritizing your needs – and allowing your faith to guide you
My office used to look a little like this:
Obviously I had more than enough “stuff.” Getting rid of the excess, Clearing out the clutter Helped me receive that sense of ENOUGH.
My desk will never look as clean as these:
If I had to maintain that level of cleanliness, I would be fired in a nano-second! So, there is a middle ground on this sense of “enough.” God does bless us with “stuff.” It’s not all bad. But the key is moderation, don’t you think?
Share what you have. Reach out to those without. God will bless your generosity. Ask for what you need. That’s okay!! And remember, YOU are enough, too!!
If you have “enough,” make your requests on behalf of others’ needs!
God bless you, dear blogging friends. May this be a day of “Enoughness” for you. Friday the 13th can be your lucky day!
In her blog she wrote, “Age is a topic that adults of different ages often talk about in my therapy groups. We have so many preconceptions and judgments about age. For example, women aren’t supposed to share their age. Why not? I’m proud that I’ve reached the age of 71.”
She posted many quotes about aging. They got me thinking about that topic and how it relates to today’s prompt. Prioritize tomorrow? What about today? You’re one day older… How do you feel about it?
Do you look in the mirror and count your wrinkles? Or do you wink at the mirror and thank God for another day?
I commented about aging on Ann’s blog. This is what I wrote:
“Aging is a gift not all humans are given. It’s a privilege to age along side my 85-year-old hubby. I’m only six months behind him. We will celebrate our 63rd anniversary this February (and there were nay-sayers who said it wouldn’t last!). I can honestly say we love one another more now than we did the day we were married. It’s a well worn, comfortable, endearing, respectful love. If you are given the gift of aging, unwrap it, flaunt it, appreciate each day, share your gained wisdom, and thank God for each sunrise-sunset. Life is a gift!”
The Lord promises His continued love and concern for the elderly. “I will be your God throughout your lifetime — until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you (Isaiah 46:4)
Thank God for this new day. What is your number one priority for today? Carpe’ Diem!
In her blog she wrote, “Age is a topic that adults of different ages often talk about in my therapy groups. We have so many preconceptions and judgments about age. For example, women aren’t supposed to share their age. Why not? I’m proud that I’ve reached the age of 71.”
