Tag: Summer

“Death Holds No Terrors”

Jeff

Today is Monday, the twenty-second day of September, 2025, in the Season of the Church. It is the first day of Autumn!

May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in all ways!

It is day 265 of 2025, with 100 days remaining.

Day 24,665 of my life

Autumn is finally here, but still acting like Summer. We hit a high of 95, yesterday, two degrees higher than predicted. Today’s high is forecast to be 96 degrees, with a high of 98 tomorrow. The record high for this date was 100, again in 2005. The average high over the next ten days is 88.5

Twenty days until our fortieth anniversary!

Daily writing prompt
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
View all responses

This is actually a difficult question to answer, because I can’t remember all of the advice I have ever been given. So I will write about the best advice I have been given recently, and that involved how to handle what I will call “flat times” in my spiritual life. Anyone who has read this blog for a while knows what I have been experiencing since February. But even during those seven months, there have been times that have definitely been “flat,” or not thrilling, exciting days.

During a discussion about that, my pastor advised me to “lean in” on those days, to intentionally make an effort to draw closer to Jesus. And that advice made a huge difference, even the very next day. And I have found it to be very helpful since then, because every day can’t be a “mountaintop.”

Today is a work Monday for me, and C is working from home, today. I’m actually at the library, working my shift as I finish this, but got all my reading done at home. In essence, I was able to finish my Jesus Time at home, and only needed to compose the blog entry.

JESUS TIME

“Our Father who art in heaven, Thy kingdom come. O dear Lord, God and Father, You see how the wisdom and reason of the world not only profane Your name but also take the power, might, and wealth You have given for ruling the world and serving You and use them in opposition to Your kingdom. They trouble and hinder the tiny flock of Your kingdom that is weak, despised, and few in number. They will not tolerate Your flock on earth. 
 
Dear Lord, God and Father, convert and restrain them. Convert those who are still to become children and member of Your kingdom, so that together we may serve You in Your kingdom in true faith and true love and that from our life here we may enter into Your eternal kingdom. Restrain those who will not turn away their might and power from the destruction of Your kingdom, so that when they are cast down from their seats of power and are being humbled, they will cease their efforts. Amen.” 
(Lutheran Book of Prayer – Prayer 48, Monday Morning) 

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  
(Hebrews 4:14-16 ESV) 

Today I am grateful:

  • For the confidence to draw near to the throne of grace, to receive mercy and find grace 
  • For my great high priest, Jesus Christ, to whom I hold fast my confession 
  • For the marvelous, infinite, matchless grace of God, that always draws us back to His righteousness when we forget Him and stray 
  • For the Light of the word, that scatters the darkness 
  • For the love that Jesus has poured into my heart, making it possible for me to love all others 
  • That I believe “with a passionate, unshakable conviction that in all circumstances and at all times life is a blessed gift”
Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.  
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart  
and with all your soul and with all your might.  
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.” 
(Deuteronomy 6:4-6 ESV) 

God looks down from heaven  
on the children of man  
to see if there are any who understand,  
who seek after God.  
 
They have all fallen away;  
together they have become corrupt;  
there is none who does good,  
not even one.  
(Psalms 53:2-3 ESV) 

Today’s Psalm is rather bleak, but the prayer inspired by it in Sheltering Mercy provides some light.

“Lord Jesus, 
bearer of God’s face to all, 
what a tragedy 
that we – 
breathed into being, 
made in Your image – 
should be so quick to forget You. 
 
We are sick from the womb; 
a tangle of contradictions: 
crooked. 
pride-poisoned. 
death-bent. 
 
Even the kinship of covenant 
cannot keep us from 
wavering. 
wandering. 
withering. 
Will any one of us be fit 
for the glory ahead? 
 
We breed ignorance, 
giving ourselves over to a slow death; 
a four-course feast for evil. 
In Your mercy, 
scatter this deep darkness! 
Strike its messengers 
with fear and blindness! 
Save us from the gut of the grave. 
 
For we are not without hope. 
Where sin reigned in death, 
grace reigns through righteousness. 
Once we were distant, 
but now we have been brought near 
by Your blood, 
that we might walk in newness of life. 
 
How I need that life, Lord – 
to breath with fresh lungs; 
to walk with renewed strength. 
 
Reach out from Your Holy Dwelling; 
bring me back 
to hallowed ground; 
that I, 
with all sin-struggling, 
God-wrestling saints, 
may sing the glories of Your grace.” 
(Sheltering Mercy: Prayers Inspired by the Psalms – Psalm 53: Any One of Us) 

but they who wait for the LORD  
shall renew their strength;  
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;  
they shall run and not be weary;  
they shall walk and not faint.  
(Isaiah 40:31 ESV) 

The following is from For All the Saints – Monday of the Week of Pentecost 15.

“Lord our God, in you justice and mercy meet. With unparalleled love you have saved us from death and drawn us into the circle of your life. Open our eyes to the wonders this life sets before us, that we may serve you free from fear and address you as God our Father. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.” 
(Opening Prayer) 

“Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”  
(Acts 26:19-23 ESV) 

“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that it may not happen in winter. For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.  
 
“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.”  
(Mark 13:14-27 ESV) 

“Now the prospect of death overshadows all others. I am like a man on a sea voyage nearing his destination. When I embarked I worried about having a cabin with a porthole, whether I should be asked to sit at the captain’s table, who were the more attractive and important passengers. All such considerations became pointless when I shall so soon be disembarking. 
 
“As I do not believe that earthly life can bring any lasting satisfaction, the prospect of death holds no terrors. Those Saints who pronounced themselves in love with death displayed, I consider, the best of sense, not a Freudian death wish. The world that I shall soon be leaving seems more than ever beautiful; especially its remoter parts, grass and trees and sea and rivers and little streams and sloping hills, where the image of eternity is more clearly stamped than among streets and houses. Those I love I can love even more, since I have nothing to ask of them but their love; the passion to accumulate possessions, or to be noticed and important, is too evidently absurd to be any longer entertained. 
 
“A sense of how extraordinarily happy I have been, and of enormous gratitude to my creator, overwhelms me often. I believe with a passionate, unshakable conviction that in all circumstances and at all times life is a blessed gift; that the spirit that animates it is one of love, not hate or indifference, of light, not darkness, of creativity, not destruction, of order, not chaos; that, since all of life – men, creatures, plants, as well as insensate matter – and all that is known about it, now and henceforth, have been benevolently, not malevolently, conceived, when the eyes see no more and the mind thinks no more, and this hand now writing is inert, whatever lies beyond will similarly be benevolently, not malevolently or indifferently, conceived. If it is nothing, then for nothingness I offer thanks; if another mode of existence, with this old, worn out husk of a body left behind, like a butterfly extricating itself from its chrysalis, and this floundering, muddled mind, now at best seen through a glass darkly, given a longer range and a new precision, then for that likewise I offer thanks.” 
(Reading IV: Malcolm Muggeridge, Jesus Rediscovered) 

“Oh God, we thank thee for this universe, our great home; for its vastness and its riches, and for the manifoldness of the life which teems upon it and of which we are part. we praise thee for the arching sky and the blessed winds, for the driving clouds and the constellations on high. We praise thee for the salt sea and the running water, for the everlasting hills, for the trees and for the grass under our feet. We thank thee for our senses by which we can see the splendor of the morning, And hear the jubilant songs of love, and smell the breath of the spring-time. Grant us, we pray thee, a heart wide open to all this joy and beauty, and save our souls from being so steeped in care or so darkened by passion that we pass heedless and unseen when even the thornbush by the wayside is aflame with the glory of God. Amen.” 
(Closing Prayer: Walter Rauschenbusch) 

The reading from Malcolm Muggeridge, this morning, was pretty amazing for me. It was like someone was reading my mind. This is how I have felt for some time, now, especially this year.

This life is a gift, it is a blessed gift. But even though I am in no hurry to leave it, because Jesus has gifted me with a task to accomplish while I am still here, I am well aware that, as Muggeridge says, this earthly life can bring no lasting satisfaction, because I have been made aware of the glory that awaits me. Therefore, the prospect of death holds no terror for me.

It is no secret to those close to me that I have said for a number of months, now, that I am fully prepared to die for Christ. On the flip side of that, the idea that death holds no fear also means that life holds no fear. Therefore, I am also ready to LIVE for Christ, and I hope that is what I am accomplishing. This also, as Muggeridge also states, makes everything about this life even more beautiful.

I will admit that there are times when this world wearies me, and I wish I could leave it. But that is the circumstances of this world, the politics of it, which I loathe with a passion, that cause that feeling. I still see the world as a beautiful place; creation is a masterpiece. Whenever I get the opportunity to view mountains, forests, and seaside, I am enthralled with the majesty and glory of our God.

And truly (once again to echo Muggeridge) my love for those whom I do love has increased tenfold, a hundredfold, in recent months! This love that I feel, almost nonstop, is sometimes almost debilitating. That’s a good problem to have.

I also care nothing anymore for the accumulation of possessions, nor do I really care if I am noticed or thought to be important. In short (I know . . . too late), pretty much everything Muggeridge has said in this reading is firmly lodged in my soul because of Christ. I believe that this sentence is my favorite one in the reading: “A sense of how extraordinarily happy I have been, and of enormous gratitude to my creator, overwhelms me often.” This is so very true, and I believe that some of my family and friends could verify the truth of the statement for me.

Beautiful Savior, Lord of the nations, Son of God and Son of Man! Glory and honor, praise, adoration, now and forevermore be thine! I thank You, Jesus, that You have made me thus! For it is You, in Your grace and mercy, who have made me to no longer fear death, because life has no lasting pleasure for me. But let me not be misunderstood, because I do enjoy the life that You have given me; it is a blessed gift! But it holds no sway over me, any longer, because of Your wonderful gift to me, and the knowledge of what awaits me.

I long to see Your face; I long to see Your beauty; Your love is all-consuming, Jesus! Therefore, I have no fear of anything. But still, our enemy whispers lies to me, in order to attempt to get me to fear, and sometimes, he is, to a degree, successful. I pray that You would silence him, Lord! He cannot win. You have built up my faith; You have strengthened my hope; and You have created a stronghold in me that he cannot penetrate.

Thank You for Your creation, Lord. I will enjoy it as long as I am here, and I will thank You, daily, for it. But forbid it, Lord, that I should ever begin to love it more than Thee; just as I pray that I would never love my own life more than Thee. For my life is Yours, Lord Jesus, to do with as You will, for all eternity.

Thank You, my Jesus! Thank You, thank You, thank You!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen!

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters!

Standing Firm

Jeff1 Comment

Today is Tuesday, the sixteenth day of September, 2025, in the Season of the Church.

May the peace and love of Christ flood your soul, today!

It is day 259 of 2025, with 106 days remaining.

Day 24,659 of my life

Only six days until the beginning of Autumn. Summer continues to hang on for dear life. We hit a high of 95 yesterday, one degree higher than predicted. The forecast for today calls for a high of 94 again. The record high for this date is still in triple digits, 101 in 1980. The average high for the next ten days is up just a bit from yesterday, at 91.2. But we are still seeing below 90 predictions for the first day of Autumn and beyond.

In all honesty, though, this has not been a bad summer for us, here in DFW. We’ve only had ten days of 100+ temps, and the highest was only 105. And we had about four times the average rainfall in August, making it a pretty wet summer.

26 days until our 40th anniversary!

Daily writing prompt
Write about your most epic baking or cooking fail.
View all responses

I started to not answer this, but then I remembered something that happened while I was in college. I was with my girlfriend (? could be my first wife . . . not sure if we were married, yet) at a friend’s place, cooking something with shrimp in it. I can’t remember much about it. But we were using her friend’s frying pan. I picked the pan up from the stove, and moved it away, holding it over the floor, and the handle was apparently very loose, because the whole thing just flipped over, and everything just went “splat” on the floor.

This one might be more epic, but it really isn’t a “fail,” at least not on our part. This was around five or six years ago. It was pre-pandemic, because our oldest daughter still lived in Denton. It was Thanksgiving, and C had put the turkey in the oven and gone somewhere (I don’t remember where she went). After a bit, I started smelling something burning, and went to the kitchen, which was filled with smoke. I opened the oven and the turkey was burned, with the baking bag completely melted. It seems that our oven picked Thanksgiving day to malfunction, and it never stopped getting hotter. I have no idea how hot it was in the oven, but it was much hotter than the temperature setting.

So I had to take the green bean casserole and something else up to Denton (or maybe they weren’t in Denton yet?? Might have been Richardson, when she was in UT Dallas) to cook them in R’s oven. C heated up the ham in the microwave, and we still managed to have a successful Thanksgiving dinner.

Yesterday was a busy day, as I predicted. However, it was a good day, I think. I had a good time practicing with Rich at church. We worked out a couple of songs, sharing vocals and instrumentals, and I think it’s going to be lovely on October 5. I got S to her appointment, and got the groceries picked up and put away, and finally had some time to read.

While I was writing this, I saw the news that Robert Redford has passed away at the age of 89. And last night, I learned that a friend of mine from my high school days had passed away last week. That one hit me rather hard. She and I had gotten close on Facebook in recent years, and she spent her last few years urging people to come to Christ. Such a kind soul and a dear spirit, and now she is with Him, all of her infirmities healed for all eternity. I think I may have actually written about that last night.

Today is a normal Tuesday. C is at the office, and I will be at the library today, from 4:15-8:15. I realize that this isn’t going to look much different than my normal blog entry, but I am doing better on time, as it is about two hours earlier than I have been posting. It’s a work in progress.

I do, though, have something to share that is exciting to me.

JESUS TIME

“O Lord Jesus Christ, only Savior of the world, to You I lift up my heart, will, and intellect, and I thank You again and again that, through Your boundless grace, You have protected me through the night against the cunning and power of the enemy and that I have awakened once again restored and fit. O Lord Jesus Christ, You who are my possession and inheritance, my salvation is in Your hands. I do not know of any other helper, whether in heaven or on earth, save You alone. Therefore, I implore You on account of Your unspeakable martyrdom, suffering, and most humiliatingly bitter death, that You would be gracious and merciful to me, both today and for the rest of my life. You, dearest Jesus Christ, have suffered out of great love for me, a poor sinner. Forgive all my transgressions against You. Protect me and keep me safe from sin and from every evil, until You graciously call me away to eternal joy and salvation; hear me on account of Your most holy name. Amen.” 
(Lutheran Book of Worship, Prayer 36, Tuesday Morning) 

“Wake me up from my slumber, God 
Fill my heart with Your fire, God 
‘Cause I want to burn 
I want to burn for You” 

“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” 
(Deuteronomy 11:18 ESV) 

Today I am grateful:

  • For Your Word, Lord, that guides my heart, my thoughts, the works of my hands, and the path of my feet 
  • That if we will allow Him, the Lord will fight our battles for us; all we need to is stand firm  
  • That there is nothing that we can do that will cause our God to turn His back on us; there is also nothing we can do to get Him to love us more than He already does 
  • For God’s constant pouring into me His love and mercy and grace until I overflow again and again and again and again . . . 
  • For the burning in my heart for Him, for His truth, for His Word 
Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

This morning, I read Psalm 47, because that is where I have gotten to, as I read one Psalm a day.

Clap your hands, all peoples!  
Shout to God with loud songs of joy!  
For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared,  
a great king over all the earth.  
He subdued peoples under us,  
and nations under our feet.  
He chose our heritage for us,  
the pride of Jacob whom he loves.  
Selah.  
 
God has gone up with a shout,  
the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.  
Sing praises to God, sing praises!  
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!  
For God is the King of all the earth;  
sing praises with a psalm!  
 
God reigns over the nations;  
God sits on his holy throne.  
The princes of the peoples gather  
as the people of the God of Abraham.  
For the shields of the earth belong to God;  
he is highly exalted!  
(Psalms 47:1-9 ESV) 

In terms of impact, it wasn’t tremendous. And by that, I mean it just didn’t speak great inspiration to me, this morning. However, then I read the corresponding prayer from Sheltering Mercy, inspired by this psalm.

“Blessed Trinity! 
My heart resounds with thankful praise; 
a joyous clamor; 
a grave-shaking racket; 
songs to wake the dead. 
 
Deep respect, 
honor, 
reverence 
shape my praise – 
High God of Heaven: 
Father. 
Son. 
Spirit. 
 
You rule and reign 
over every throne, 
dominion, 
power upon the earth. 
You carve paths through the wilderness 
for the faithful, 
fighting battles on our behalf; 
leading us to a place of abundance: 
Holy Ground, 
wholly given. 
 
Songs well up in me – 
I can’t help but sing Your mercy; 
voice Your grace. 
 
There is none like You 
in Heaven 
or on earth: 
keeping covenant; 
showing steadfast love. 
 
All who love You 
will gather at Your everlasting feast, 
clothed in Your mercy; 
held by Your love. 
 
All powers 
are Your possession; 
all allegiance belongs to You: 
Father. 
Son. 
Spirit. 
Blessed Trinity!” 
(Sheltering Mercy: Prayers Inspired by the Psalms – Psalm 47: Blessed Trinity) 

Right around the middle of this beautiful prayer (and I really, really, REALLY recommend these two books, Sheltering Mercy, and Endless Grace! My spirit is continually lifted up almost every day by these poetic prayers. They are absolutely beautiful, and many of them are outright stunning!) there’s a line about God carving paths through the wilderness for the faithful, and it says, “fighting battles on our behalf.”

At the end of that line, there is a footnote number that directed me to 2 Chronicles 20:17.

“‘You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you.”  
(2 Chronicles 20:17 ESV) 

Now, if you have been keeping up with this blog, you know that, recently, I began feeling this strong push in the direction of working to heal division within the Church, as I believe we are about as divided as we have ever been as people focus on issues that have been made into idols, rather than keeping our eyes fixed on Christ. The Scripture that I have been drawn to over and over is Isaiah 58:12.

And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;  
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;  
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,  
the restorer of streets to dwell in.  
(Isaiah 58:12 ESV) 

There are also other places where Scripture refers to standing in the gap, only in this case, I’m being drawn, I believe to stand in this gap of division.

I mentioned something to my pastor, Sunday night, and again, yesterday morning, about fighting for the Church in an era when it is very popular to ditch church, because, honestly, there are many churches that have made some very bad choices.

But this morning, Jesus led me to that 2 Chronicles passage. Stand firm. You don’t have to fight. God will fight for you. Stand firm.

Then, the Spirit led me to that famous passage in Ephesians 6, about the armor of God.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
(Ephesians 6:10-20 ESV)

“Stand” (v. 11). “Withstand” (v. 13). “Stand therefore” (v. 14).

We are called to put on the armor and STAND! Not fight. Resist, yes. Stand firm against the schemes of the devil. But it is God who fights for us, just as He fought for Moses and the good kings of Israel.

This brings a whole new light to my journey. My mind was a little blown, too, as the Spirit brought new life to Scripture passages that I have read, of course, over and over and over again. But that is one of the things that I truly love about both Christ and His Word. They are alive, living and active in our lives, constantly molding us. One of my recent prayers, “borrowed” from my pastor, is that I would be continually molded by His Word until I stand in His presence, having ongoing transformation, growth, and maturity by His Spirit.

He definitely seems to be answering that prayer.

“My love, my life, my treasure 
You hold me together 
Jesus, you’re the center of it all 
In you, I have my being 
My hope and meaning 
Jesus, you’re the center of it all” 

Jesus, You truly are the center of it all. You are my love, my life, and my treasure. Tu eres mi viver; eres me tesoro; eres mi existir. You do hold me together, Lord. You are everything to me, my being, my hope and meaning.

I thank You for what You are teaching me each day, as I read and meditate on Your Words. You are truly leading me into this role, Lord, and I embrace it, being ready and willing to do whatever You need me to do for You. But in order to stand in this gap and resist, Lord, I need for You to keep chiseling away anything in my life that isn’t You. Jeff needs to be “dead;” empty me out, Jesus, and pour only You into me. Over and over and over, I declare, You are everything; You are everything; You are everything. I can’t stop saying it, because this has become my life. My heart burns within me; tears come to my eyes; tears of joy as I celebrate what You have accomplished in me.

Please don’t ever stop, Jesus. Please. I would be devastated. I love You so much!

“Let the inspiration of the Holy Spirit prevent and assist me in all the duties of this Thy sacred day, that my wandering thoughts may all be fixed on Thee, my tumultuous affections composed, and my flat and cold desires quickened into fervent longings and thirstings after Thee. 
 
Let me join in the prayers and praises of Thy Church with ardent and heavenly affection, hear Thy Word with earnest attention and a fixed resolution to obey it. And when I approach Thy altar, pour into my heart humility, faith, hope, love, and all those holy dispositions which become the solemn remembrance of a crucified Saviour. 
 
Let me employ this whole day to the ends for which It was ordained, in works of necessity and mercy, in prayer, praise, and meditation, and let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be always acceptable in Thy sight. Amen.” 
(For All the Saints – Tuesday of the Week of Pentecost 14, Closing Prayer: John Wesley) 

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

“To the quiet of this room you come 
I am captivated by this love 
You light these darkened corners 
And I’m overcome 
To the quiet of this room you come 
Lord, you come” 

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters!

Make Me An Instrument

Jeff

Today is Thursday, the eleventh day of September, 2025, in the Season of the Church.

May the peace of Christ dwell within you today!

It is day 254 of 2025, with 111 days remaining.

Day 24,654 of my life.

There are eleven more days until the beginning of Autumn. I’m hoping we can get Summer to leave. We reached a high of 92, yesterday, again one degree higher than predicted (not a fan of that trend). Today’s high is forecast at 94 (not a fan of that trend, either), and the record high for this date was 101 in the year 2000. The average high over the next ten days is now 93.5, which is actually slightly lower than yesterday. I am a fan of that trend.

There are 31 more days until our 40th wedding anniversary. I rather like that trend, too.

Daily writing prompt
What’s your favorite word?
View all responses

Oh, my! How does one determine that? I believe that I will go with “gobsmacked,” which is a primarily British word that means “utterly astonished; astounded.” I have used that word a lot in the last almost seven months, in reference to what the Lord has been doing in my life.

At this point, I don’t have a lot to say about yesterday. Personally, it was a pretty average day. For the nation, it was a horrible day, illustrating the mess we have gotten ourselves into. Fingers will be pointed, blame will be laid, and nothing will be solved. We are too polarized, and that is one reason that I do not discuss politics in this forum, or pretty much anywhere, actually. My purpose here is love and unity, and that is what I try to promote. I will say that my blog last night was somewhat in response to it. But I also find that part of my Psalms reading this morning also applies.

Today is a normal day, as well, as C is at the office, and I am off work. I’ll be trying something new for dinner, tonight, called Million Dollar Chicken Breasts. If I remember tomorrow, I will let you know how they turned out.

JESUS TIME

“The day has dawned, O Father in heaven, and everywhere Your children are lifting holy hands to You for strength for the day . . . Let my prayers be acceptable to You for the sake of Jesus Christ, my Savior, through whose merits my peace has been made with You. Let the Daystar rise in my heart, O Lord, by faith in that Savior through whom my place with You is sure forevermore. I beseech You, let not only my prayer but also my whole life, my every act, thought, and word, be a sacrifice to You today, unblemished and worthy, through the power of Your Spirit. Let the message of Your Word fill me with the assurance of the forgiveness of my  sin; let the counsel of Your revealed will point out to me the way I am to go; let Your Spirit give me courage and strength to choose the good part every hour. Hold me in oneness of faith with my fellow Christians, and let me be salt that has not lost its saltiness. Keep me Yours for the sake of Your Son, my Redeemer. Amen.” 
(Lutheran Book of Prayer, Prayer 26, Thursday Morning) 

I lift up my eyes to the hills.  
From where does my help come?  
My help comes from the LORD,  
who made heaven and earth.  
(Psalms 121:1-2 ESV) 

Today I am grateful:

  • For my wife and family 
  • For my friends 
  • That my life is hidden in Christ, and therefore, I am safe forever 
  • That all nights end, and someday, there will be no more night 
  • For His precious and very great promises, through which I partake of His divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 
Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

As a deer pants for flowing streams,  
so pants my soul for you, O God.  
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  
When shall I come and appear before God?  
 
Why are you cast down, O my soul,  
and why are you in turmoil within me?  
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,  
my salvation and my God.  
 
My soul is cast down within me;  
therefore I remember you . . .  
 
By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,  
and at night his song is with me,  
a prayer to the God of my life.  
 
Why are you cast down, O my soul,  
and why are you in turmoil within me?  
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,  
my salvation and my God. 
(Psalms 42:1-2, 5-6, 8, 11 ESV) 

“Father God, 
there is a hunger only You can satisfy; 
a thirst only You can quench; 
a yearning unfulfilled until You meet it. 
I have known the comfort of Your hand upon me; 
the fellowship of Your presence with me. . . .  
 
I have met You in the gathering of the saints – 
in bread and wine; 
in song and celebration. 
 
Meet me again, Lord. 
 
May the peace of God 
guard my heart and mind, 
bringing rest to unrest; 
consolation to desolation; 
as I cling to His promises, 
as sure of their coming 
as the rising of the sun. . . .  
 
Have You ever truly left me, Lord? 
Could You? 
You, who fill all things? 
I seek solace in peaceful waters, 
but the ripple becomes a current; 
becomes a raging sea. 
I am lost in the swells. 
 
Are You not here as well, Lord? 
You, who brooded over the waters? 
All creation testifies to Your kindness: 
waning moons and rising suns – 
daily resurrection. 
Even in despair, 
I remember and proclaim: 
this darkness will not win; 
all nights end.” 
(Excerpt from Sheltering Mercy: Prayers Inspired by the Psalms – Psalm 42: Seized By Longing) 

For he satisfies the longing soul,  
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.  
(Psalms 107:9 ESV) 

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.  
(2 Peter 1:3-4 ESV) 

When pride comes, then comes disgrace,  
but with the humble is wisdom.  
(Proverbs 11:2 ESV) 

The desire of the righteous ends only in good;  
the expectation of the wicked in wrath.  
One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;  
another withholds what he should give,  
and only suffers want.  
(Proverbs 11:23-24 ESV) 

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,  
and whoever captures souls is wise.  
(Proverbs 11:30 ESV) 

The following is from For All the Saints – Thursday of the Week of Pentecost 13

O God, whom we seek in all our need and through all the mystery of life and without whom we cannot live bravely or well, forgive us that we so often miss You. Show us Your paths already at our feet. Give us courage and vision to follow in faith Your ways of love and right until our own lives become Your revelation and Your Spirit transforms our deeds. As we thus draw near to You, please graciously draw near to us until we become more sure of You than the light. In His Name in whose life Your love becomes light and life. Amen. 
(Adapted from Opening Prayer: Gaius Glenn Atkins) 

And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”  
 
And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  
(Mark 10:32-45 ESV) 

“After a while he says; ‘John, did you tell any of them in there about your conversion?’ And I say: ‘Yes, Master Sam, I told them for I knew it, and I feel like telling everybody in the world about it.’ Then he says: ‘John, you may tell it. Go back in there and go up and down the tables, and tell all of them. And then if you want to, go upstairs and tell them all about it, and then downstairs and tell the hogshed men and the drivers and everybody what the Lord has done for you.’ . . . Oh, that happy day! Can I ever forget it? That was my conversion morning, and that day the Lord sent me out with the good news of the kingdom. For more than forty years I’ve been telling the story. My step is getting rather slow, my voice breaks down, and sometimes I am awful tired, but still I’m telling it. My lips shall proclaim the dying love of the Lamb with my last expiring breath. 
 
“Ah, my dear old master! He sleeps out yonder in the old cemetery, and in this world I shall see his face no more, but I don’t forget him. He gave me a holiday, and sent me out to tell my friends what great things God had done for my soul. Often as I preach I feel that I’m doing what my old master told me to do. If he were here now, I think he would lift up those kind black eyes of his, and say: ‘That’s right, John; still telling it; fly like the angel, and wherever you go carry the Gospel to the people.’ Farewell, my old master, when I land in the heavenly city, I’ll call at your mansion that the Lord had ready for you when you got there, and I shall say: ‘Master Sam, I did what you told me, and many of them are coming up here with their robes washed in the blood of the Lamb that were led into the way by my preaching, and as you started me I want you to share in the glory of their salvation.’ And I tell you what I reckon, that when Master Sam sees me, he’ll say: ‘John, call me master no more; we’re brothers now, and we’ll live forever round the throne of God.'” 
(Reading IV: John Jasper, The Unmatched Negro Philosopher and Preacher, by William E. Hatcher) 

“Our Father, I think of all the pain and heartache, the tears and sorrow, the greed and cruelty unloosed around the world. Help me to be an instrument of Thine to alleviate the pain, by this day: 
 
returning good for evil, 
returning soft answers for sharp criticisms, 
being polite when I receive rudeness, 
being understanding when I am confronted by ignorance and stupidity. 
 
So may I, in gentleness and love, check the hasty answer, choke back the unking retort, and thus short-circuit some of the bitterness and unkindness that has overflowed Thy world. I ask this in the name of Jesus, who alone can give me the grace so to act. Amen.” 
(Closing Prayer: Peter Marshall) 

My Lord Christ, my heart, my soul, is downcast, today, somewhat, as I’m sure are many in our land. I do not understand the hatred of mankind that leads to things like this, and all I can do is “take it to the Lord in prayer.” I pray for the “soul” of our nation, even though I know that a nation is not even real, it is just a construct, an idea, and has no soul. So I pray for the souls of the inhabitants of our nation, those souls that are so wracked with hatred that they cannot see the value of human life. Our nation is being torn apart by hatred, and the polarization is being encouraged from higher powers.

But I am confident in Your higher power, Lord, and that power rises above nations, boundaries, and colorful rags. I am a citizen of heaven, Lord Jesus, and that is where my allegiance lies and always will lie. You are my King, Jesus; You and only You. And I will spend my breath for the rest of my days praising You, singing a “new song” to You, and preaching of Your love and mercy, just as that John Jasper fellow spoke of.

I want to tell everyone what You have done for me in the last seven months, Jesus! I really do. I stand at the ready to answer any questions regarding my faith. So I pray to You to “bring it on,” Jesus! Lead them to me, let them ask me, and I will tell them. O Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall declare Your praise. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ! Because You, Christ, are everything! You are everything in this world, You are everything to me, and You are, ultimately, the only thing that matters.

You have poured and poured and poured Your love and mercy into me, over the last seven months, and I stand here totally gobsmacked at it all. I do not understand, but I no longer seek to understand. I embrace it, I revel in it, and I want everyone else to experience it, as well. So I pray that You open the hearts of everyone I know and that You would pour Your amazing love into their hearts until it overflows. I pray that You would open the hearts of everyone else, too; everyone I don’t know! I mean, why not? Father, there is no reason why You could not do that! But Your will be done, right? I pray that, but I also see that Your Word (which I love and adore and cherish more than ever) says that it is Your desire, Your will that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

I pray that You would use me, Lord, just as Peter Marshall’s beautiful prayer says, to ease the pain, to spread the light, to stop the hurting, to heal, to love, and whatever else You deem necessary as I serve as Your ambassador, Lord. These are not just words, not “vain repetitions,” but true desire. It is my heart’s desire to do whatever You want me to do, even unto death. I love not my life, Lord, so much that I would deny You this.

I have said that I am ready, prepared, to die for You and for the sake of Christ. But I also know that, as my pastor shared with me, that this also means that I am ready to LIVE for You! So I pray that You keep showing me how to do that, Lord, that I might be a better image-bearer of Christ, and that I might be a window through which all can get a glimpse of Your amazing, infinite, love for them. Make me smaller and smaller, Lord; Christ must increase, and I must decrease!

I pray for ongoing transformation, growth, and maturity by Your Spirit, and that I would continue to be molded by Your Word (Your Word is truth) until I stand in Your presence, Lord!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

Father, may I never fall into arrogance and pride. Keep my heart humbled, Lord! Always bring me to Your table, where You bring life from death. All I can say is I need You; All I can do is fall down on my knees; All I can offer is praise upon praise for the grace upon grace I have received . . . humble my heart, Lord Jesus!! You are my humble King!

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters!

An Open Ear

Jeff

Today is Tuesday, the ninth day of September, 2025, in the Season of the Church.

May the peace of Christ surround you and yours today and every day!

It is day 252 of 2025, with 113 days remaining.

Day 24,652 of my life

Only thirteen more days until the beginning of Autumn! We reached a high of 84 yesterday, one degree higher than predicted. Today’s forecast is for a high of 88. The record high for this date was “only” 100 (compared with the last few days, that is a significant decrease) all the way back in 1985. The average high over the next ten days continues to increase (wrong on SO many levels!) and is now 93.4. Summer, go home!! Oh. Wait. This is Texas. I guess you are “home.”

Anyway, the high for the next nine days, after today, is over 90 every day!

Daily writing prompt
What personality trait in people raises a red flag with you?
View all responses

There are a lot of ways that I could answer this question, but it just seems wrong to me. Questions like this seem to be designed to create division or dissatisfaction. It’s my opinion that there is already way too much of this in the world (especially in my own country) right now, and that is not the direction that I want to take this blog. While I will point out flaws in the way some people think, occasionally, it is never for the purpose of denigrating, but with hopes, rather, of uplifting and restoring.

After all, I’m supposed to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile and all that, right? And I’m supposed to love my “enemies” and pray for those who persecute me. If I am busy pointing out their “red flag” personality traits, I am hardly doing either one of those. I know that sometimes, people will claim that they are “speaking the truth in love,” when it is entirely possible that they are doing neither. And I may have just inadvertently done what I said I wasn’t going to do. See how easy it is to be a hypocrite??

Today is a normal Tuesday around here. C is at the office, and I will be heading in to the library at 4:15 for my four-hour shelving shift. However, I’m not anticipating that there will be much shelving to do this evening, based on what I saw at the end of yesterday (which turned out to be a really great day), so I will have to entreat one of the librarians for something to occupy my time.

JESUS TIME

“Again, O heavenly Father, You have granted me strength to rise to the tasks of the day. I thank You for Your mercy and love. Without Your power upholding me I should be unable to live. Give me a spirit of gratitude for all Your gifts. Above all, dear Father, keep me grateful for the gift of the forgiveness of all my sins through the merits of Jesus Christ, Your Son and my Savior. Grant that whatever need, whatever sorrow may beset my day, my faith in this forgiveness may remain steadfast and firm. Let not grief or pain, no doubt or gloom, come between me and the certainty of Your love. If it is Your purpose to try me this day with difficulties for the body or the heart, grant that I may, by Your Spirit, conquer in this trial and hold fast to Your mercy, knowing that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory You have in store for me. Make Your Word my joy, Your counsel my guide, Your presence my peace; in Jesus Christ. Amen.” 
(Lutheran Book of Prayer, Prayer 22, Tuesday Morning) 

I love this prayer, today! Especially the last bit about making His Word my joy, His counsel my guide, and His presence my peace!

“Those He saves are His delight 
Christ will hold me fast 
Precious in His holy sight 
He will hold me fast 
He’ll not let my soul be lost 
His promises shall last 
Bought by Him at such a cost 
He will hold me fast” 

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”  
(John 14:1 ESV) 
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you,  
because he trusts in you.  
(Isaiah 26:3 ESV) 

Today I am grateful:

  • For the peace that I have in my soul, when I am trusting Him 
  • That I do not need to understand everything that is happening; Christ is enough for me 
  • That I am part of the people of Your pasture and the sheep of Your hand (Psalm 95:7) 
  • That You have given me an open ear, placing Your Word within my heart, and giving me a delight to do Your will (Psalm 40) 
  • That You plunged into the darkness that held me, raised me from ruin, reclaimed me, restored me, and rooted and established me in love! 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜 
  • For our marriage, and how God has blessed and sustained our love 
Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

There was a lot of good stuff in my readings this morning, probably too much to share in one entry, so I’m having to choose, which is difficult. I read Psalm 40, this morning, along with the corresponding prayer from Sheltering Mercy. Both spoke to me richly.

I waited patiently for the LORD;  
he inclined to me and heard my cry.  
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,  
out of the miry bog,  
and set my feet upon a rock,  
making my steps secure.  
He put a new song in my mouth,  
a song of praise to our God.  
Many will see and fear,  
and put their trust in the LORD.  
(Psalms 40:1-3 ESV) 

You have multiplied, O LORD my God,  
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;  
none can compare with you!  
I will proclaim and tell of them,  
yet they are more than can be told.  
(Psalms 40:5 ESV) 

. . . you have given me an open ear. . . .  
“I delight to do your will, O my God;  
your law is within my heart.” 
(Psalms 40:6, 8 ESV) 

But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;  
may those who love your salvation say continually,  
“Great is the LORD!”  
As for me, I am poor and needy,  
but the Lord takes thought for me.  
You are my help and my deliverer;  
do not delay, O my God!  
(Psalms 40:16-17 ESV) 

“Father God, 
it is a good thing to remember Your mercy; 
to recall Your faithfulness in days past; 
to remind myself that my very life 
is a testimony to Your salvation. 
For I have known the saving hand of God 
after patient pleading – 
when I held to Your goodness, 
though Heaven was silent 
and troubles increased. . . .  
 
You plunged into the darkness that held me. 
Raised me from ruin. 
Reclaimed me. 
Restored me. 
Rooted and established me in love. 
 
Just when I had lost the will to sing, 
Your mercy became music to me; 
and old song – 
older than this tired earth – 
and yet, somehow, 
as fresh and new as the morning. . . . 
 
I am in awe of Your goodness – 
that You, 
Maker of all things, 
would condescend to dwell with us; 
the eternal Word made flesh; 
one with the Father; 
all things created through You; 
obedient to the point of death; 
triumphant in resurrection; 
King of New Creation. . . . 
 
I will meet You in the secret place, 
to be seen only by You, 
as I seek to worship You in spirit and truth; 
a stumbler learning grace. . . . 
 
May my words, 
my thoughts, 
my deepest meditations 
be music to Your ears.” 
(Excerpt from Sheltering Mercy: Prayers Inspired by the Psalms – Psalm 40: A Testimony to Salvation) 

The Lord has blessed me so richly, this year. I praise Him for reaching into my darkness and rescuing me! He has definitely given me an open ear to hear Him, and has given me this delight to do His will. He raised me from ruin, reclaimed me, restored me, and has rooted and established me in His love. Oh, how He has poured His love into me. I can hardly believe it, myself, when I think about it and meditate on it. The last six months seems like an incredible dream. But it is real, “realer” than anything I have ever known in my entire life!

“In Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell 
Through Him, He will reconcile all things to Himself 
And He’ll never change 
Age to age He stays the same 
Eternal, surpassing 
His love’s everlasting” 

Part of this rich blessing has also been in our marriage. Since February, my relationship with my wife has gotten so much better. So when I read today’s readings from For All the Saints, they also really spoke to me.

And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”  
 
And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.  
(Mark 10:2-16 ESV) 

“Marriage is more than your love for each other. It has a higher dignity and power, for it is God’s holy ordinance, through which he wills to perpetuate the human race till the end of time. In your love you see only your two selves in the world, but in marriage you are a link in the chain of generations, which God causes to come and to pass away to his glory, and calls into his kingdom. In your love you see only the heaven of your happiness, but in marriage you are placed at a post of responsibility towards the world and mankind. Your love is your own private possession, but marriage is more than something personal – it is a status, and office. Just as it is the crown, and not merely the will to rule, that makes the king, so it is marriage, and not merely your love for each other, that joins you to another in the sight of God and man. As you first gave the ring to one another and have now received it a second time from the hand of the pastor, so love comes from you, but marriage from above, from God. As high as God is above man, so high are the sanctity, the rights, and the promise of love. It is not your love that sustains the marriage, but from now on, the marriage that sustains your love.” 
(Reading IV: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, A wedding sermon from his prison cell in Letters and Papers from Prison) 

I really loved this reading from Bonhoeffer. Truly it is the blessing of God in marriage that sustains our love for one another, not the other way around.

“Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” 
(For All the Saints – Tuesday of the Week of Pentecost 13, Opening Prayer) 

“O God, who art our dwelling-place in all generations: Look with favor upon the homes of our land; enfold husbands and wives, parents and children, in the bonds of thy pure love; and so bless our homes, that they may be a shelter for the defenseless, a bulwark for the tempted, a resting-place for the weary, and a foretaste of our eternal home in thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” 
(For All the Saints – Tuesday of the Week of Pentecost 13, Closing Prayer: Service Book and Hymnal) 

Thank You so much, Jesus, for pouring into me the way You have. Thank You for plunging into my darkness to rescue me; thank You for rooting and establishing me in love! I pray that You would do the same for everyone, everywhere, Lord. After all, it is said that You desire that no one should perish, but have everlasting life.

I thank You for giving me a “new song” to sing, Lord, and for filling my heart until it overflows. May I be that window through which people can glimpse Your love. I pray for ongoing transformation, growth, and maturity by Your Spirit, and that I would continue to be molded by Your Word until I see Your face! Make me a better image-bearer, Lord Jesus!

I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart would be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen!

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters!

Where Will His Presence Lead?

Jeff4 Comments

Today is Friday, the fifth day of September, 2025, in the Season of the Church.

May the peace and love of Christ flood your soul, today!

It is day 248 of 2025, with 117 days remaining.

Day 24,648 of my life.

Seventeen days until the beginning of Autumn. We hit 103 yesterday!! 103!! Two degrees higher than predicted. Today, however, is no “only” predicted to be 98 for a high. The record high for this date was 103, in 1998. The average high over the next ten days is now 89.5, down a bit from yesterday. There are no longer any triple-digit days in the forecast, but six days at 90 or higher, which is six too many. Summer is not going quietly.

37 days until we celebrate our 40th anniversary! Hopefully, we will be in Galveston when that day gets here, serenely looking at the ocean. Man, I just relaxed a good bit thinking about that!

Daily writing prompt
If you had to give up one word that you use regularly, what would it be?
View all responses

I have no idea. I mean, I could think of plenty of words that I wish would go away, but they are not words that I use on a regular basis. For example, I really wish that the word “hate” would disappear from our language. But it wouldn’t be enough for the word to disappear, would it? Because people will still hate; they would just find another way to express it. I have actually tried to eliminate the word from my vocabulary. It still slips out, occasionally, but usually in reference to an object or experience that I am not fond of. Like liver, for example, or Brussel Sprouts. Or Pepsi. No . . . I don’t actually “hate” Pepsi. But I really don’t like it if I am at a restaurant and order a Diet Coke, and they don’t tell me they are substituting Pepsi. Like I can’t tell the difference. Pft. I’m really more a Dr. Pepper guy, anyway. Always have been. I’m a Pepper. Wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper, too?

So, yeah. I don’t know what word I regularly use that I could give up, if hard pressed. But I would sure love to get rid of hate. I just took a closer look at that last sentence that I typed. I would love to get rid of hate. That’s exactly the way to do it, too. We get rid of hate by loving. So, yes. I do love to get rid of hate.

Today is a normal Friday. C is working from home, and I am at the library Computer Center for eight hours, from 9:15-6:15. Yes, I realize that’s nine hours, but I get a lunch break. If you happen to be in Hurst, TX, stop by and say “hi!”

JESUS TIME

“Send me, O Lord, into the tasks of this day with a rejoicing heart. Teach me to labor diligently, to eat and drink to Your glory, and to think and plan to the ends You have laid out before me. That I may be truly fitted for the day, remind me again of the mighty work of my Savior, Jesus Christ, who redeemed me and in whom my sin is forgiven and my place with You forever assured. Impress upon my heart this day that while there is nothing holy about my life, my speech, or my faith without Your grace and mercy surrounding me, that with You I can faithfully help my neighbor and be of service to him. Teach me to look upon my life today as yet another opportunity to serve my fellowmen. Let me see in the routine of my daily tasks, in the need of my family and those who depend on me, in the want and struggle of the world about me, the good work You have prepared in advance for me to do. Grant that I be ready to forgive, earnest in rejoicing with those who are happy, quick in sympathy, and zealous in bearing the burdens of my fellowman, in Jesus’ name. Amen.” 
(Lutheran Book of Prayer, Prayer 14, Friday Morning) 

“No fate I dread, I know I am forgiven 
The future sure, the price it has been paid 
For Jesus bled and suffered for my pardon 
And He was raised to overthrow the grace 
 
To this I hold, my sin has been defeated 
Jesus now and ever is my plea 
Oh, the chains are released, 
I can sing I am free 
Yet not I, but through Christ in me” 

And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?” And the LORD said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”  
(Exodus 33:14-17 ESV) 

Today I am grateful:

  • That the Lord has promised that His presence will always be with me; Jesus Your presence is more important than anything else – I would rather have You with me than any other blessing You could give me; I would rather have Your presence than know all the answers to all the questions 
  • That my sin has been defeated and my chains released 
  • For the steadfast love of the Lord, extending to the heavens and beyond, through which I am given drink from the river of His delights (Psalm 36) 
  • That You, O Lord, make known to me the path of life, and that I have experienced the fullness of joy in Your presence (Psalm 16:11) 
  • That You, Lord, have given me a heart to be generous with the resources You have provided; may I be more faithful to actively engage in opportunities to serve the poor, the outcast, the widow, and the fatherless

“Peace doesn’t come from knowing the plan. It comes from knowing He is with us in it.” 
(You Version Bible app devotional) 

Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,  
your faithfulness to the clouds.  
Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;  
your judgments are like the great deep;  
man and beast you save, O LORD.  
 
How precious is your steadfast love, O God!  
The children of mankind take refuge  
in the shadow of your wings.  
They feast on the abundance of your house,  
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.  
For with you is the fountain of life;  
in your light do we see light.  
Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you,  
and your righteousness to the upright of heart!  
Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,  
nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.  
There the evildoers lie fallen;  
they are thrust down, unable to rise.  
(Psalms 36:5-12 ESV) 

“Lord God, 
protect me today from the lies of the enemy. 
I have seen too many friends stumble into darkness, 
following the winsome voice of death; 
defacing Your image 
piece by piece, 
until You lay no further claim upon them. . . . 
 
If I could measure Your goodness, 
would it not fill creation? 
Everywhere I look I see the mercies of God – 
in mountain peak, 
pillared cloud, 
swirling waters; 
all created things 
singing Hallelujah. 
 
I am in awe of Your goodness. 
You save to the uttermost 
all who come to You 
You cover them in Your kindness – 
rags to righteousness – 
shielding them from the sting of death. 
You seat us in places of honor 
at Your never-ending feast; 
we go from glory to glory. . . .  
 
Watch over me this day, Father; 
keep me in the path of life. 
May love and mercy guide me; 
the fellowship of Christ center me. 
I am bent toward pride, 
weak of will. 
May Your Spirit guide me 
away from wrack and ruin – 
the easy paths of the dead. 
Step by step they descend 
in the gathering dusk, 
until darkness envelops them 
and they are no more.” 
(Excerpt from Sheltering Mercy: Prayers Inspired by the Psalms – Psalm 36: Patient Chrysalis) 

This prayer, today, is especially meaningful to me, as I have watched friends walk away from God, over the years. I am humbled as I think about how God has kept me from doing the same. I will never know why He chose me (and I don’t need to know), but I am grateful that He did, and that He saw fit to keep me close to Him. Yes, I strayed from the path, many times, but Jesus always brought me back. “To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus!”

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,  
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.  
The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;  
they do not know over what they stumble.  
(Proverbs 4:18-19 ESV) 

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.  
(Hebrews 7:25 ESV) 

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.  
(2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV) 

You make known to me the path of life;  
in your presence there is fullness of joy;  
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.  
(Psalms 16:11 ESV) 

“With all my heart I love You Lord 
You are mine and I am Yours 
And You have put this love in me 
All the beauty that I see 
 
Jesus You’re beautiful 
Humble yet powerful 
I lay my crown at Your feet 
Worthy of every praise 
Yet You still know my name 
Jesus You’re beautiful” 

The following is from For All the Saints – Friday of the Week of Pentecost 12.

And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”  
 
Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.'” David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child who is born to you shall die.”  
(2 Samuel 12:1-14 ESV) 

And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”  
(Mark 9:14-29 ESV) 

Before I get into the last reading, I just want to make note that I frequently repeat to Jesus what this father said to Him. “I believe; help my unbelief!!”

Phillips Brooks, in today’s excerpt in For All the Saints, brings an interesting perspective to Nathan’s charge against King David. He notes that we see both hospitality and meanness coming from the same heart. The rich man in the parable wanted to feed the traveler, but he didn’t want to feed him from his own flock, so he took what belonged to another. “Her is real kindliness and real selfishness in the same heart; and not in struggle with one another but in most peaceful compromise.”  
 
The direction he heads from there is interesting. He goes on to say that it is not enough to do our charitable work through “a society,” meaning, I suppose, a charitable organization through which we may contribute and thus help the poor. But we must engage with the poor ourselves. “The rich men, rich in character, must know that no man can give character to other men without self-sacrifice. Labor, personal effort, personal intercourse with the poor, these must come in before the work can be done. You cannot do your duty to the poor by a society. Your life must touch their life.” 
 
“The poor are always with us. The wayfarers come to us continually, and they do not come by chance. God sense them. And as they come, with their white faces and their poor scuffling feet, they are our judges. Not merely by whether we give, but how we give and by what we give, they judge us. One man sends them entirely away. Another drops a little easy, careless, unconscientious money into their hands. Another man washes and clothes them. Another man teaches them lessons. Thank God there are some men and women here and there, full of the power of the Gospel, who cannot rest satisfied till they have opened their very hearts and given the poor wayfaring men the only thing which really is their own, themselves, their faith, their energy, their hope in God. Of such true charity-givers may He who gave Himself for us increase the multitude among us every day.” 
(From a sermon, “The Candle of the Lord”) 

This is a rather convicting excerpt, today. They can’t all be the kind that lift my spirit to new heights, like yesterday, and other days in the past. Sometimes, the Word of God is used to convict us to change something, and today’s reading heads in that direction. While Jesus has created a generous, soft heart within me, I ponder that I don’t often enough get involved in the actual work of the Gospel. I especially note that statement about dropping a “little easy, careless, unconscientious money into their hands.” I did that yesterday, in fact. I’m sure you know the scenario. On my way to get Sonic drinks, I was approached at a red light. I rolled down the window and gave the man $20. It was easy and required no discomfort whatsoever on my part.

There’s nothing wrong with doing that, of course, it’s better than doing nothing. But is it enough? That is the question that brother Brooks is addressing here, and I find that I must seriously ponder it. I don’t have the answer today, but the reading has done its job. It has made me stop and consider.

“O God our Father, deliver us from the foolishness of self-confidence, from all boasting and vanity, from pride of energy and false notions of success. Teach us that our springs are not in ourselves but in Thee, that so far from being able to do what we will, we can neither will nor do any good except by Thy grace and with Thy help, that it is when we are weak in ourselves that we are strong in Thee, that Thy power is made perfect in our conscious lack of power that compels us to lay our helplessness on Thy strength. Here may we find our rest and feel, pouring through all our impotence, the tides of Thy mighty Spirit, for Thine is the kingdom, the power and glory. Amen.” 
(Closing Prayer: Robert E. Speer) 

And one other thing before I go. The presence of Christ is the most important thing in the world to me. I truly would rather have His presence than have all the answers to all the questions and Him not be with me. Like Moses . . . if Jesus isn’t going with me, I’m not going. I don’t care how beautiful it may look. If it doesn’t include Jesus, I don’t want it.

I praise You, Jesus, for Your constant presence in my life. I thank You for the many promises You give that You will never leave us, and I bank my life on that, Lord. Your presence is so important, so crucial to me, that if You aren’t going with me, I am not going. Period. I don’t have enough words to express my gratitude to You for what You have done in me this year. You know my heart, Lord, because You have made it into what it is today. You know that, right this minute, as I am typing, there is actually a physical feeling of overwhelming love in the middle of my chest. It is indescribable, Jesus.

You also know the truth, right now, that You are all that I want. As yesterday’s Jesus Time brought to me, I want You, Jesus, and nothing but You. That is the wish and the goal of my life.

And it is this truth, that I desire Your presence more than anything, more than all the gold in the world, that enables me to consider what brother Brooks is telling me in this reading today. For You will go with me if I am going to engage with the poor, the needy, the fatherless, the outcast, and the widow. And that will be enough. So lead me, Jesus, to where You want me to go, and give me the courage to follow through and go.

And I thank You for those who have had an influence on my life. May You bless them richly, Lord!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters.

“Jesus, Nothing But Jesus”

Jeff5 Comments

Today is Thursday, the fourth day of September, 2025, in the Season of the Church.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

It is day 247 of 2025, with 118 days remaining.

Day 24,647 of my life

Eighteen days until the beginning of Autumn. We hit a high of 91 degrees, yesterday, two degrees higher than predicted. Today’s projected high is 101 (boo!!). The record high for this date, though, was still in 2000, with 110 degrees!! Tomorrow’s high is 100. And the average high over the next ten days is now 91.8. Ugh!! Summer go away!!!

38 days until our 40th anniversary!! 💜💜💜💜💜

Daily writing prompt
Are you holding a grudge? About?
View all responses

Absolutely not! Holding a grudge is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die. And then, there’s this:

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
(Matthew 6:14-15 ESV)

I take these words to heart, therefore, I do not hold grudges.

Today is a normal Thursday. C is at the office, and I am off work. I’ll be heading out for our ubiquitous Sonic drinks in just a few minutes. Tonight’s dinner will be a couple of my favorites, No Peek Chicken and Fried Corn and Onions. Plus I made one of those simple Jello-yogurt pies, this morning. You know the ones, right? Jello, a couple of containers of low-fat yogurt and a container of Cool Whip. Easy-peasy. No peas, though. That would be gross.

JESUS TIME

“Lord Jesus, by Your regenerating grace given in Baptism, You have made me a new creature through Your redeeming blood. I confess to You, Searcher of hearts, that in me also, that is in my sinful flesh, dwells all manner of evil thoughts, wicked desires, and sinful wishes. This evil is with me constantly and tarnishes my best efforts to do Your will; it plagues my conscience with guilt and shame. I come to You this morning confessing my own weakness and asking You, for the sake of Your suffering and death, to forgive me, to overlook my shortcomings, and to help me in my daily struggle against the old sinful nature. Do not let my flesh direct my thoughts and actions. Lovingly strengthen me so that I can daily put off the old man and all that he works against me, and put on the new man born in Baptism and created after You in righteousness and holiness. Daily make me purer in my desires, cleaner in my speech, and holier in my actions, so that I may be blameless in Your sight and a shining light in the world until You call me home and to perfection. Amen.” 
(Lutheran Book of Prayer, Prayer 12, for Thursday morning) 

I’m really loving this new book of prayer that I got! And this morning’s prayer . . . it’s like Luther knew me!! So beautiful!! 💜💜💜

“What a blessedness, what a joy divine 
I’ll sing your story and you’ll sing mine 
Through the sands of time under ancient stars 
We are leaning on the everlasting arms” 

Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.  
(Ezekiel 37:5 ESV) 

Today I am grateful:

  • That You, O Lord, breathed life into these bones and made me live! 
  • That I am a new creature by Your redeeming blood; please make me a shining light in the world until the day that You call me Home 
  • That You are my only hope, Jesus; indeed, I am hopeless without You! 
  • For each day, each hour, each breath that You give me 💜 
  • That He who began this good work in me will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6) 
  • For the impact that the biblical account of the Transfiguration of Jesus has on me! “Jesus, Jesus, nothing but Jesus, be my wish and my goal.” 
Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me;  
fight against those who fight against me!  
Take hold of shield and buckler  
and rise for my help!  
Draw the spear and javelin  
against my pursuers!  
Say to my soul,  
“I am your salvation!”  
Let them be put to shame and dishonor  
who seek after my life!  
Let them be turned back and disappointed  
who devise evil against me!  
Let them be like chaff before the wind,  
with the angel of the LORD driving them away!  
Let their way be dark and slippery,  
with the angel of the LORD pursuing them!  
(Psalms 35:1-6 ESV) 

Let those who delight in my righteousness  
shout for joy and be glad and say evermore,  
“Great is the LORD,  
who delights in the welfare of his servant!”  
Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness  
and of your praise all the day long. 
(Psalms 35:27-28 ESV) 

Once again, I will state that the one who contends against me is not flesh and blood. My enemy, the devil, seeks after my life and devises evil against me, tempting me, day after day. He is the one who fights against me, because he hates the work that Christ is doing in my life.  

Rise up, O Lord, and take him down. Let him be put to shame. Let his defeat at the hands of Christ’s death and resurrection be final and complete for all eternity! Chase him away from me, Lord! Protect me from his schemes and strengthen my spirit against his temptations. As Luther prayed, my Lord, let not my flesh direct my thoughts and actions and words. 

And “those who delight in my righteousness?” My wife, my family, my pastors, my Jesus Family! 

“You are the Strong Lord. 
I stand my ground 
on the battle line – 
firm in Your love; 
grace; 
volition. 
 
In the power of Your Spirit 
I face down enemies 
within and without. 
You don’t mince words 
with the wicked: 
those who harass the humble; 
who ridicule the righteous. 
 
You are the Guardian of the Graced; 
the Champion of the Chosen; 
the One who goes before us; 
who fights on our behalf. . . . 
 
I am hopeless without You. 
 
I praise You, Lord, 
for You have delivered me from death’s door; 
raised me from ruin. 
You are the Deliverer of the Poor. 
Father of the Fatherless. 
Strengthener of the Weak. 
There is none like You. . . . 
 
I am not concerned with my own defense – 
they can take me or leave me – 
only let them see You, Lord, 
in all Your glory. 
The Word Made Flesh, 
who tabernacled among us; 
our only hope. 
Be lifted high; 
be praised as You deserve. 
 
If it brings You honor, 
defend me. 
If it brings You fame, 
intercede for me – 
only let them see Jesus in me. 
May they be ashamed of their careless words. 
May they repent of their lawlessness. . . .  
 
I am a sojourner here; 
an exile in a foreign land. 
But I will praise You all the more, 
for each day, 
each hour, 
each breath You give.” 
(Excerpt from Sheltering Mercy: Prayers Inspired by the Psalms – Psalm 35: Strong Lord) 

This prayer, this morning . . . so beautiful!

“It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”  
(Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV) 

I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.  
(Ezekiel 34:15-16 ESV) 

“There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.”  
(1 Samuel 2:2 ESV) 

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.  
(Philippians 1:6 ESV) 

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  
(Hebrews 13:5 ESV) 

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  
(John 1:14 ESV) 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 
(Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV) 

Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.  
(Revelation 2:10 ESV) 

“I come again to a table set 
Remembering how You bring life from death 
The Author, Creator and crucified Savior 
Paid every price for my sin 
Forever and ever, amen 
 
All I can say is I need You 
All I can do is fall down on my knees 
All I can offer is praise upon praise 
for the grace upon grace I’ve received 
From a humbled heart to the humble King” 

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,  
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.  
The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;  
they do not know over what they stumble.  
 
My son, be attentive to my words;  
incline your ear to my sayings.  
Let them not escape from your sight;  
keep them within your heart.  
For they are life to those who find them,  
and healing to all their flesh.  
Keep your heart with all vigilance,  
for from it flow the springs of life.  
Put away from you crooked speech,  
and put devious talk far from you.  
Let your eyes look directly forward,  
and your gaze be straight before you.  
Ponder the path of your feet;  
then all your ways will be sure.  
Do not swerve to the right or to the left;  
turn your foot away from evil.  
(Proverbs 4:18-27 ESV) 

The following is from For All the Saints – Thursday of the Week of Pentecost 12.

“O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of laziness, meddling, ambition and vain talk. But give me a spirit of prudence, humility, patience and love. Yes Lord and King grant me to see my own sins and faults and not judge my brother. For you  are Blessed Forever and ever. Amen.” 
(Opening Prayer: Ephraem) 

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.  
And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”  
(Mark 9:2-13 ESV) 

Before I go on, I have to say that this may have become my all-time favorite biblical account. I know that the Resurrection is powerful and meaningful, and we would be lost without it. But this?? The impact that this passage has had on my life is immeasurable! I think it may be one of the most overlooked events in the life of Christ, especially by the Baptist/non-denominational groups. I don’t think I ever heard a sermon on the Transfiguration until I became a Lutheran.

“Jesus Christ, the true book of life, wishes to imprint himself in the ground of our soul, so that through his spirit we might become the written, living copy, and letters of him, which cannot be read by everyone. To this end let us study eagerly in this Book. There is no danger in reading much in this Book. By doing so, one cannot damage the understanding; and where this happens it is only seen to so happen in the eyes of the world whose greatest wisdom is foolishness with God. I hope, then, and I wish from the ground of the soul, that the Father of our Lord Jesus will daily more and more transfigure his voice in us and make us great, so that everything else might become small and nothing, and our heart might be able to say with truth: Jesus, Jesus, nothing but Jesus, be my wish and my goal.” 
(Reading IV: Gerhard Tersteegen, From a letter to a friend on devotion to Jesus) 

And this completely undid me, this morning. “Jesus, Jesus, nothing but Jesus, be my wish and my goal.” This is truly my life now. I keep saying it, and I will, deus volente, never stop saying it. Christ IS everything!

“Morning and evening I commit my soul to Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Enable me, O God, to observe what He says to me: resolutely to obey His precepts and endeavor to follow His example in those things wherein He is exhibited to us as a pattern for our imitation. Make plain to me that no circumstance nor time of life can occur but I may find something either spoken by our Lord Himself or by His Spirit in the prophets or apostles that will direct my conduct, if I am but faithful to You and my own soul. Amen.” 
(Closing Prayer: Susanna Wesley) 

Oh, my God and my Savior! Oh, Jesus Christ! My Lord and everything to me! I am undone, once again, by what You have brought to me, this morning (and this afternoon, apparently, because I am late getting this written). You are everything, my Lord! You are beautiful! I cannot stop declaring this! Oh, how I love You, Jesus! You are my life, and all that I am and have belong to You.

I give you praise upon praise for the grace upon grace that I have received for all my life. I praise You for the last six months of my life, in which You have utterly and completely destroyed me and built me back up from the foundations! It is unbelievable, Lord! I have no idea, still where we are going, but I am going. Whatever You have planned for me, I am ready and willing and waiting. As I rest in what You have done, You simply keep lifting me higher and higher, almost every day.

Strengthen me against the attacks of my enemy, though, because he is relentless and refuses to give up. Replenish me with Your Word and Sacrament each week, as well. I cannot wait to worship with my Jesus Family this Sunday, Lord, and we get to sing Your praises in the choir again, this Sunday morning. I pray for my pastors and everyone else that I know, Lord, that You would pour and pour and pour Your incredible love and mercy and grace into every single one of them.

And make me nothing, Lord, so that only You can be seen in me. I am lost without You; I am hopeless without You; I am nothing without You. But with You and in You, I am filled to overflowing with love and peace. Oh, Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall be filled with Your praise!! Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me! Teach me Your way, that I may walk in Your truth! And Lord, You make known to me the path of life, and I have found and experienced the fullness of joy in Your presence and the pleasures at Your right hand. I don’t ever want to be anywhere else.

Praise. Praise. Praise. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.

Christ, You are everything!! 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Amen! Amen! Amen!

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters!

The Friendship

Jeff3 Comments

Today is Wednesday, the third day of September, 2025, in the Season of the Church.

“May the peace of God wrap around you
As you’re held in His love
May He meet you with hope and healing and truth
As You’re held in His arms.”
(Held, Dana Miller and Megan Tibbits)

It is day 246 of 2025, with 119 days remaining.

There are 39 days left until C and I celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. We are planning a trip to Galveston for that event, if the Lord says so, too.

We have only nineteen days until my favorite season begins. We hit a high of 89 yesterday, one degree lower than predicted. Today’s high is predicted to be 89, as well. The record high for this date happened in 2000 (must have been a real hot streak that year, but I don’t remember it), with a high of 109! That’s pretty hot for this late in the year. The average high over the next ten days is now 88.1, definitely going the wrong direction! Tomorrow’s high is predicted at 102! Egad!! I’m definitely praying against that!!

Daily writing prompt
Share a story about the furthest you’ve ever traveled from home.
View all responses

I’ll make it brief. the farthest I have been from home is only between 1700 and 1800 miles, to Bar Harbor, Maine. I have been out of the country, but only to parts of Mexico. We went to Chichen Itza once, which is less than a thousand miles from home.

That trip, though, to New England, was one of the highlights of my life. It was the year 2000, our 15th anniversary. It was our first time to go up there, and the colors were amazing! We visited many places on a whirlwind tour of New England, the farthest point being, as I said, Bar Harbor.

Today is an off Wednesday for me. C is working from home. We have choir practice tonight, starting back up for the fall semester, so I will need to get dinner ready early today. I have a couple of things to do this afternoon, as well.

JESUS TIME

“Lord Jesus, You have chosen me out of the world to be Your own in time and in eternity. Though I am no longer of this world, You have not yet taken me out of this earthly tent into my eternal home. I am still in this world surrounded by dangers I cannot begin to number and exposed constantly to temptation. Let me never forget that this world will end with all its evil pleasures and only those who do the will of God will abide forever. Increase and preserve in me that faith in You and in Your redeeming work which is the victory that overcomes the world. Give me that fervent love that would not think of choosing the things of this world – its riches, its glories, and its pleasures – and on their account forgetting You and Your salvation. Teach me to despise the world’s mockery, its hatred, and its threats, knowing that even if it should succeed in depriving me of some advantage in this life, it can never rob me of You and Your promise of life forever at Your side. While I yet travel through life, preserve me in the faith that claimed me as a child of Your heavenly household, until that time when You would receive me into my heavenly home. Amen.”  
(Lutheran Prayer Book, Prayer 10, for Wednesday morning) 

“My soul finds rest in God alone, 
My salvation comes from Him 
My soul finds rest, God is my home 
I will not be shaken, I will not be shaken” 

Jesus, You are my Home! Both now, and forevermore! You are my strength; I sing praise to You! In all circumstances, I sing praise to You, my Jesus! I am looking forward to a time of resting in You and what You have done in me. Remind my soul to be satisfied, Jesus! 

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:  
“I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit,  
who leads you in the way you should go.”  
(Isaiah 48:17 ESV) 

Today I am grateful:

  • That my soul finds rest in You alone, my Jesus! 
  • That You are my Redeemer, and that You teach me and lead me in the way I should go 
  • For friendships based in Christ and His redemptive love 
  • That I have reached for God and, by His mercy, found Him 
  • For hope, which is more than just wishing things will turn out okay, but resting in a God who holds all things in His hands
Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

I sought the LORD, and he answered me  
and delivered me from all my fears.  
Those who look to him are radiant,  
and their faces shall never be ashamed.  
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him  
and saved him out of all his troubles.  
The angel of the LORD encamps  
around those who fear him, and delivers them.  
 
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!  
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!  
(Psalms 34:4-8 ESV) 

“Father,  
may every word on my tongue  
be one of thanks to You;  
every thought in my mind  
a meditation on Your goodness.  
All I am,  
all I have,  
is from Your hand –  
You, the Giver;  
me, the happy recipient of breath and bread;  
of beauty, joy, and grace. 
 
The wise among us know their own poverty;  
their unpayable debt to You.  
The only response is gratitude:  
heartfelt thanks for all You have done. 
 
But You are not only Provider;  
not only Lord;  
You have condescended to dwell with us –  
a knowable God.  
I have reached for You  
and found You.  
I have known the comfort of Your Spirit;  
the tenderness of Your mercy.  
I have traded my worries  
for the peace of Your presence. 
 
I am illumined by Your life,  
Your face shining upon me:  
a dim mirror,  
awaiting glory.  
How could I turn back to what I once was? 
 
I was just a beggar at the door of grace,  
but You welcomed me in;  
heard my story;  
offered me a seat at Your table;  
commanded the hosts of Heaven  
to watch over me.  
I am a permanent guest in the house of God –  
a beneficiary of infinite kindness.  
In Your presence I lack nothing.” 
(Excerpt from Sheltering Mercy: Prayers Inspired by the Psalms – Psalm 34: Illumined by Life) 

The rest of this prayer is equally good. I may have to do a separate blog entry just for this one prayer. It is so beautiful! 

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  
(John 1:14 ESV) 

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.  
(John 14:26-27 ESV) 

The LORD is my shepherd;  
I shall not want.  
(Psalms 23:1 ESV) 

Make me to know your ways, O LORD;  
teach me your paths.  
(Psalms 25:4 ESV) 

He will tend his flock like a shepherd;  
he will gather the lambs in his arms;  
he will carry them in his bosom,  
and gently lead those that are with young.  
(Isaiah 40:11 ESV) 

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 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.  
(2 Corinthians 4:17-18 ESV) 

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.  
(Romans 12:12 ESV) 

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;  
bind them around your neck;  
write them on the tablet of your heart.  
So you will find favor and good success  
in the sight of God and man.  
 
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,  
and do not lean on your own understanding.  
In all your ways acknowledge him,  
and he will make straight your paths.  
Be not wise in your own eyes;  
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.  
It will be healing to your flesh  
and refreshment to your bones.  
(Proverbs 3:3-8 ESV) 

“My God hath saved my soul from death 
And dried my falling tears 
Now to His praise I’ll spend my breath 
And my remain, remaining years” 

The following is from For All the Saints – Wednesday of the Week of Pentecost 12.

“Almighty and everlasting God, always more ready to hear than we to pray and always ready to give more than we either desire or deserve, pour down on us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us the things of which our conscience is afraid and giving us the good things we are not worthy to ask but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.” 
(Opening Prayer) 

And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.” And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.” And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”  
 
Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons. And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants. So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.  
(2 Samuel 9:1-13 ESV) 

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”  
 
And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”  
(Mark 8:34-9:1 ESV) 

In 2 Samuel 9:1-13, the story is told of how David honored Saul and Jonathan by bringing Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth to dine always at his table and restoring all of Saul’s lands and servants to Mephibosheth. We are reminded of 2 Samuel 1:26, in which David grieved the death of Jonathan, saying, “your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.”  
 
In reading IV, today, Clarence Macartney, from Sermons on Old Testament Heroes, writes about this friendship. “David had a great heart; a heart, if we may so say, whose strings were almost too open to the gentle, yet strong winds of affection, both of men and of women. But this was the great affection of David’s life, his love for Jonathan. . . .” 
 
Many friendships have selfish bases. There are clubs or associations that we join, so that we can make contacts for our businesses or other endeavors. But this friendship is possibly the greatest friendship in all of history, “a love at first sight and one that many waters could not quench nor floods of adversity drown.” And when we examine this, we find that Jonathan had nothing whatsoever to gain from it. In fact, he had everything to lose. The further David advanced, “the lower must sink the fortunes of Jonathan. If David became king, Jonathan would lose the throne.” Nothing to gain, except, perhaps, “the fervent love of a great heart like David’s. That meant more to Jonathan than the cheers of the army, the songs of the women, or the scepter of Israel. . . .” 
 
The aftermath of this friendship is seen in David’s homage, if you will, to his great friend. He seeks no vengeance on the house of Saul, even though, by human standards, he had ever right. But, instead, “David was never more kingly, never more ‘a man after God’s heart,’ than at that moment. What he said was this: ‘Is there yet any left of the house of Saul that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?'”  

“We are glad, our God, as we remember in this hour the benefits of your goodness in which we have found strength and courage to meet the problems of the common course of things we have to do. We thank you for our homes, our families, and our friends; for those who take an interest in us and whose love surrounds our way; for friendships that give meaning to our fellowship; and for hopes that inspire us to pray for ends that are upright and true. Above all, we thank you for that friend of all humankind, the man for others, who gave his life that we might live through him. May we never fail to praise and serve him so our lives may lead others to be subject to his care. Amen.” 
(Closing Prayer: Donald MacLeod) 

Father, I thank You for this testimony of friendship that we have in Scripture, between David and Jonathan. There is so much in this friendship that flies in the face of traditional “masculinity,” which I have long rejected. And I thank You that You have given me such a friendship. I seem to think that You have given me a heart like David’s, as well, that is “almost too open to the gentle, yet strong winds of affection.” I am grateful, Lord, that You have given me the gift of tears, of a soft heart, that easily empathizes with people. I pray that You nurture this heart so that it is more and more like Your heart. I desire to be, like David, a man after Your own heart.

This does not mean that I am comparing myself to David. I would never.

I praise You, Jesus, that all that I am and all that I have is from Your hand. I am so very thankful for all that I have received from You, throughout my life, and especially this year. I have an unpayable debt to You, and my only true, fitting response is, indeed, gratitude, for I could never pay You back, and You do not desire repayment.

My God, I am thankful that You are, indeed, knowable. I have reached for You, and by Your grace and mercy, I have both found You, and been found by You. In the silence of my heart, I have known You and You have known me. I thank You, as well, for delivering me from the chaos and noise of my own brain. I pray that You protect me from the lies and whispers of our enemy.

Thank You for inviting me in and offering me a place at Your magnificent table of grace, where I am fed weekly by Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion. I thank You for pastors who faithfully feed me with Your Word, as well. They are such wonderful examples of Your love and mercy and grace.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters!

By Faith, Not By Sight

Jeff3 Comments

Today is Tuesday, the second day of September, 2025, in the Season of the Church.

“May the peace of God wrap around you
As you’re held in His love
May He meet you with hope and healing and truth
As You’re held in His arms.”
(Held, Dana Miller and Megan Tibbits)

It is day 245 of 2025, with 120 days remaining.

Day 24,645 of my life.

Twenty days until the beginning of Autumn. Old man Summer is not going quietly, though. Yesterday wasn’t bad, with a high of 87, one degree lower than predicted. However, today’s high is now projected at 90, with 91 tomorrow and {gasp!!} 100 Thursday!! Egad! The record high for this date was 108, again, in 2000. The average high for the next ten days, thanks to resurgence of heat, is 86.3. Here’s to hoping the predictions are wrong for Thursday and Friday (99 for Friday).

Daily writing prompt
What does your ideal home look like?
View all responses

In the spirit of contentment, I will declare that my ideal home looks like the one in which I am living. We have loved this house ever since we moved in, and would literally change nothing about it (except maybe I wish we could put a cover over our deck in the back yard). This home has been ideal for us and will remain so until we leave this world. We have no plans to move, and it should be paid off in less than two years.

Yesterday was a fine day. I was really proud of C. As far as I know, she did absolutely no work, yesterday. After I got the groceries picked up and put away, C, Mama, and I played a game called Really Loud Librarians. It was so much fun!! It’s supposed to be a team game, so C and Mama were a team, and I was a team, even though there is no “I” in “team.” There is, however, a “me” in team, if you get creative. Anyway, they won two out of three games. The premise looks easy until it’s your turn and your brain freezes and can’t think of anything. I look forward to playing this game again. I think it would be fun with maybe six or eight people, but probably no more than that.

Today is a normal Tuesday. C is at the office, and I will be at the library from 4:15-8:15, working my four-hour shelving shift. There should be work to do, as the library was closed, yesterday.

JESUS TIME

On this Tuesday morning, dear God, I am thankful for Your mighty power. Your omnipresence is a comfort because, no matter where this day takes me, You are with me. In my car, at my desk, on my couch, wherever I am, You are there. Your omnipotence is a comfort because I know that all things are within Your power and nothing is beyond Your reach. Your omniscience is a comfort because I know You will handle any problem that comes up. Please help me remember Your might so that when I am confronted with anything today, small or large, I will go to You for answers, protection, power, and comfort. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 
(Portals of Prayer – Prayer for Tuesday Morning) 

“Jesus be all that I want 
Jesus You’re all that I need 
Jesus be Lord of my life 
Jesus be everything” 

Jesus, You truly are all that I need. As I ask, seek, and knock today, I pray that I will know the beautiful nearness of Your presence. While I do desire the things that I pray for, what I desire the most is simply You; to know You, to be near You, to have You embrace me and completely fill my life and my heart with You. 

I am so grateful that Jesus reminded me, last week, that He IS everything! This truth has had such an impact on me since this past March.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”  
(Matthew 7:7 ESV) 

Today I am grateful:

  • For this promise that Jesus gave to us 
  • That Jesus is all that I need 
  • That You, O Lord, have delivered my soul from sin and death 
  • For the joy of walking by faith, not by sight 
  • For the grace that has opened my eyes and heart to spiritual reality 
Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,  
on those who hope in his steadfast love,  
that he may deliver their soul from death  
and keep them alive in famine.  
 
Our soul waits for the LORD;  
he is our help and our shield.  
For our heart is glad in him,  
because we trust in his holy name.  
Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,  
even as we hope in you.  
(Psalms 33:18-22 ESV) 

“Joy! For the beauty of Your holiness! 
Joy! For the constancy of Your truth! 
Joy! For the might of Your justice! 
Joy! For the goodness of Your heart! 
 
With all the citizens of Heaven 
I sing the wonders of Your name – 
with key, 
string, 
drum, 
voice – 
a merry racket; 
grateful praise for all You have done. . . . 
 
Joy! 
For I walk by faith, 
not by sight. 
Grant me the gift of awestruck wonder, 
that I may learn the limit of my knowledge; 
the number of my days; 
and trust You, 
leaning not on my own understanding. 
 
With great effort, I turn a phrase, 
but Your words make worlds. 
 
Joy! For the beauty of Your holiness! 
Joy! For the constancy of Your truth! 
Joy! For the might of Your justice! 
Joy! For the goodness of Your heart! . . .  
 
Your joy is an ambling brook; 
a river of gladness streaming from Your throne. 
My soul finds rest in its waters. 
I delight in trusting You. 
 
Joy! For the beauty of Your holiness! 
Joy! For the constancy of Your truth! 
Joy! For the might of Your justice! 
Joy! For the goodness of Your heart! 
(Excerpt from Sheltering Mercy: Prayers Inspired by the Psalms – Psalm 33: The Sound of Joy) 
 

I tell you, that bit about walking by faith and not by sight was exactly what I needed to read, this morning. Such joy from this. And this entire prayer, inspired by Psalm 33, was absolutely beautiful, this morning. I praise Jesus for His joy in my life!

if you seek [wisdom] like silver  
and search for it as for hidden treasures,  
then you will understand the fear of the LORD  
and find the knowledge of God.  
For the LORD gives wisdom;  
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;  
he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;  
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,  
guarding the paths of justice  
and watching over the way of his saints.  
(Proverbs 2:4-8 ESV) 

“All that my heart desires I see in You my God 
All that I’m longing for is found in You my God 
Your love flows like a river to my soul 
And You fill up my heart ’til it overflows” 

I know this song has been coming up a lot, lately. But it describes exactly what God has been doing in me since February. So I’m not sorry. Plus, these guys sound like Tears for Fears.

The following is from For All the Saints – Tuesday of the Week of Pentecost 12.

“Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church: and, because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” 
(Opening Prayer) 

“Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? . . . Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. Therefore you are great, O LORD God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.” 
(2 Samuel 7:18, 21-22 ESV) 

I really feel like I can echo this prayer of David, in my life, this year. Who am I that God has done such miraculous wonders in my life? He has done great things for me. I have asked, “Why me?” My pastor’s response, “Why not you?” 💜

And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”  
 
And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.  
 
And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”  
(Mark 8:22-33 ESV) 

“What must we do to read the Gospels with faith? It surely isn’t enough to believe that everything written there actually happened once: we owe that much respect to any book of profane history by a reputable author. To read the Gospels with faith is to believe that everything in them is actually happening now, that they’re a book of revelation, a book of discovery, that, far more than a history, they’re a prophecy. They tell us who we are and what we’re doing. They tell us how God lived among men. 
 
“But God continues to live with us. He’s always the same, and so are we. What the Gospels relate is still going on today. They show us our life, how God loves us and how we treat Him – how we mistreat Him, too. So we mustn’t read them like ancient history, a pious memoir, a sentimental pilgrimage, but like the revelation they are: a revelation of God and of ourselves. We’re announced, foreseen and prophesied in them, and we’ve only to find the right place, the words that concern us and are spoken directly to us.” 
(Reading IV: Louis Evely, That Man Is You) 

I found this reading to be very interesting, and worthy of meditating on, further.

“Dear Father in Heaven, as you revealed to the apostle Saint Peter the blessed truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, strengthen us in that same faith in our Savior that we too may joyfully confess that there is a salvation in no one else, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.” 
(Lutheran Worship) 

And this from New Morning Mercies, by Paul David Tripp.

“Grace causes us to be alive to God and causes our eyes to be open to spiritual realities we once had no capacity to see.” 

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,  
 
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,  
nor the heart of man imagined,  
what God has prepared for those who love him”—  
 
these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.  
 
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.  
(1 Corinthians 2:6-16 ESV) 

Paul Tripp calls this a “that says it all” passage. It points out our inability to “know all that we need to know in order to be what we’re supposed to be and to do what we’re supposed to do.” We simply cannot do these things by “personal experience and collective research.” We can only receive this wisdom by revelation. “God first reveals this wisdom to us in his grand redemptive book, the Bible, and then he opens our eyes and our hearts so that we can receive and understand what he has revealed.”  

This, I believe, goes hand-in-hand with the reading excerpt from Louis Evely up there, about the Gospel being not just history, but current events, as well. God is still working . . . this is the reality. As my pastor once said, sin is real; hell is real; but God’s grace is “realer.” And heaven is our ultimate, eternal, spiritual reality. But these are things that can only be seen by God’s grace.  

Father, who can contain the depths of Your love? Yet You pour it in and pour it in, until I am overflowing, Lord! I praise You for the joy that continues to flood my soul and overflow from it. I pray for protection against the devil’s schemes, which attempt to steal this joy, Lord, and are sometimes even successful when I find myself to self-absorbed and quit looking to Jesus for everything. I praise You for the beauty of Your holiness, for the constancy of Your truth, the might of Your justice, and the goodness of Your heart. In all of these things I find great joy, Father, as long as I keep my eyes fixed on Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of my faith.

Indeed, Lord, I walk by faith and not by sight. You reminded me of this, this morning, and it was exactly what I needed. Of course, You knew that, and that is why it appeared in front of me. I pray that You always help me remember that, so that my soul does not become troubled or cast down. Help me to always remember to trust You.

Lord, I thank You for Your Gospel messages. I pray that, as I read those words every day, You would remind me that they are not just history lessons, but that they are spiritual reality that is occurring today, in my life, in real time. Jesus is alive and active in today’s world, through the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us. Oh, how marvelous are the riches of Your grace, Lord, and I give You a thousand thank yous! Even that is not enough!

Above all, Lord, never let me again forget that Christ is everything. This colors my life, Lord. It is my reason for living; CHRIST is my reason for living! I must decrease and He must increase until there is nothing left in me but Him. Oh, how I long for Home, Lord, for that day when I will see my Savior face to face and feel His embrace forever!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen!

All hail King Jesus!! Christus est omnia!

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters!

My Firm Foundation

Jeff6 Comments

Today is Monday, the first day of September, 2025, in the Season of the Church.

May you experience the peace of the Lord in your soul, today!

It is day 244 of 2025, with 121 days remaining.

Day 24,644 of my life.

Today is Labor Day, a holiday in the US.

There are 21 days of summer left. Maybe I will rephrase that. 21 days until Autumn begins! That sounds more positive. We hit a high of 86 degrees, yesterday, one degree below the prediction. It rained pretty hard during the evening hours. The weather site I use said we only got 1.75 inches, but it sure seemed like we got more than that. Today’s high is forecast to be 88 degrees. The record high for this date was 108 in 2000. The average high over the next ten days is up slightly, at 85.9. Starting Wednesday, we have three consecutive days at 90 or higher, but then it drops into the seventies.

Daily writing prompt
What brings a tear of joy to your eye?
View all responses

There are so many ways I could answer this question. Receiving Communion on Sunday mornings usually brings a tear of joy to my eye. Being fed by God’s Word on Sunday mornings also does that. But those tears are not always joyful tears, I will admit. Sometimes those are tears of sorrow as the Word convicts me, but other times, the tears are joyful as it encourages me.

Music of many types can also bring tears of joy to my eyes. Recently, though, the thing that brought joyful tears to my eyes was seeing S having such a good time at the Texas Rangers game, last weekend. I feel like her joys are so few that that one was very special. So maybe my best answer is seeing someone else happy and blessed brings joyful tears to my eyes.

We had a good day, yesterday. The worship service went well, I think, and my time as assisting minister was pleasant and fulfilling. I always get joy in doing that. We had a nice lunch, and the rest of the day was spent relaxing.

Today is my normal Monday off, so the holiday really doesn’t benefit me much, and part time aides at the library don’t get paid holidays anyway. So it’s basically just another day for me. I am, however, switching the grocery order to today for this week, so I will be going to pick those up as soon as I finish this. And there are still chores to do, because laundry and garbage don’t take holidays.

I am glad that C is getting a day off, though. I hope that she takes advantage of it and doesn’t actually do work today.

JESUS TIME

O Lord, Your Word is flawless, so I begin this day worshiping You in the splendor of Your holiness. O God, help me understand the promises You’ve made to be gracious to me, and that You rise to show me compassion. I don’t deserve any of Your promises, but because You are rich in mercy, I am delighted to do Your will! Guiding Holy Spirit, You remind me that I am dead to sin but alive to God. Stir up that calm brook of Your wisdom in me this morning into a flourishing fountain of faith so I speak to others readily about Your saving grace. Instill in me the courage to pray boldly, like Daniel. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 
(Portals of Prayer – Prayer for Monday Morning) 

“Fear not, keep on, watch and pray 
Walk in the light of God’s highway” 

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”  
(Luke 11:1 ESV) 

Today I am grateful:

  • For a good day of worship and fellowship with my Jesus Family, yesterday 
  • That this request by a disciple of Jesus has been answered for all of us 
  • That my transgressions are forgiven, that my sin is cast as far as the east is from the west 
  • That You surround me with shouts of deliverance, and that You instruct me in the way that I should go (Psalm 32:7-8) 
  • For the one holy Christian Church which will remain forever; that I am called as a member of this Church of Jesus Christ 
  • That because of the work of Christ, we will never again face condemnation or punishment for our sins
Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,  
whose sin is covered.  
Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,  
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.  
(Psalms 32:1-2 ESV) 

Therefore let everyone who is godly  
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;  
surely in the rush of great waters,  
they shall not reach him.  
You are a hiding place for me;  
you preserve me from trouble;  
you surround me with shouts of deliverance.  
Selah. 
(Psalms 32:6-7 ESV) 

“Father, 
it is a good thing to be loved by You; 
to receive Your free gift; 
to put on Christ. 
The record of my sins has been nailed to the cross; 
utterly forgotten; 
cast behind Your back, 
flung the distance of East to West. . . .  
 
If only everyone called by Your name 
would behold the face of mercy; 
know the depths of grace; 
carve a space for silence, 
patient for Your presence – 
in poverty of spirit 
and hopeful expectation. 
 
How quickly I forget 
how safe I am with You, Lord – 
held by Your hand; 
comforted by Your kindness. 
Defended. 
Delivered.” 
(Excerpt from Sheltering Mercy: Prayers Inspired by the Psalms – Psalm 32: The Face of Mercy) 

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.  
(Colossians 2:13-14 ESV) 

Behold, it was for my welfare  
that I had great bitterness;  
but in love you have delivered my life  
from the pit of destruction,  
for you have cast all my sins behind your back.  
(Isaiah 38:17 ESV) 

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,  
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;  
as far as the east is from the west,  
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.  
(Psalms 103:11-12 ESV) 

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.  
(John 6:63 ESV) 

“Christ is my firm foundation 
The Rock on which I stand 
When everything around me is shaking 
I’ve never been more glad 
That I put my faith in Jesus 
‘Cause He’s never let me down 
He’s faithful through generations 
So why would He fail now? 
He won’t.” 

The following is from For All the Saints – Monday of the Week of Pentecost 12.

“Almighty God, ever-loving Father, your care extends beyond the boundaries of race and nation to the hearts of all who live. May the walls, which prejudice raises between us, crumble beneath the shadow of your outstretched arm. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.” 
(Opening Prayer) 

The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.  
 
Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?” 
(Mark 8:11-21 ESV) 

“It is also taught among us that one holy Christian church will be and remain forever. This is the assembly of all believers among whom the Gospel is preached in its purity and the holy sacraments are administered according to the Gospel. For it is sufficient for the true unity of the Christian church that the Gospel be preached in conformity with a pure understanding of it and that the sacraments be administered in accordance with the divine Word. It is not necessary for the true unity of the Christian church that ceremonies, instituted by men, should be observed uniformly in all places. It is as Paul says in Eph. 4:4, 5, ‘There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism.’ 
 
“Again, although the Christian church, properly speaking, is nothing else than the assembly of all believers and saints, yet because in this life many false Christians, hypocrites, and even open sinners remain among the godly, the sacraments are efficacious even if the priests who administer them are wicked men, for as Christ himself indicated, ‘The Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat’ (Matt. 23:2).” 
(Reading IV: Augsburg Confession, Articles VII and VIII, The Book of Concord) 

“Lord God, you have placed me in your church. You know how unsuitable I am. Were it not for your guidance I would have long since have brought everything to destruction. I wish to give my heart and mouth to your service. I desire to teach your people, and long to be taught your work. Use me as your workman, dear Lord. Do not forsake me; for if I am alone, I shall bring all to naught. Amen.” 
(Closing Prayer: Martin Luther) 

And this is from New Morning Mercies, by Paul David Tripp.

“Don’t be disheartened because you feel weak. By grace your Savior lives inside you, and he is your strength.” 

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.  
 
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.  
(Romans 8:1-11 ESV) 

The first reality we get from this passage is that “we will never again face condemnation for our sin. . . . Even on days of evident weakness and repeated failure, we will not be punished for our sin.”  

While sin leaves us weak, making it impossible for us to keep God’s law, we are empowered by His Spirit as He dwells within us. This enables us “to desire and do what we would be unable to do without his indwelling presence. This means that you do not have to fear or deny your weakness.”  

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.  
(Ephesians 3:14-21 ESV) 

My Lord Jesus, You are my Firm Foundation, and the Rock on which I stand. I have put my faith in You, and built my life on You, and You have not, and will not ever let me down! I praise You, Lord Jesus! I love You, my Jesus! You are everything to me, and I pray that this remains my state of mind and heart for the rest of my earthly days.

I thank You for the beautiful prayers I have read, this morning, especially the one by Martin Luther. I echo this prayer, Lord. You have placed me in Your Church, and I am most unsuitable for any responsibility or privilege that You have granted me. If not for Your work in my life, I truly would have brought all to ruin, and very nearly did, more than one time in my life. But You are faithful in every season, Lord, and have never failed me. You did not allow me to descend into the grave, Jesus, but kept me in Your arms by Your grace.

Like Luther, Lord, I wish to give my heart and mouth to Your service. I may not be a preacher (probably a good thing) but would be willing to teach others about Your grace and mercy and gladly would share my testimony of Your grace and outpouring of infinite love in my life. But I also long to continue to be taught. And it is not so much knowledge that I long for, except that that knowledge be of You, Lord. I want to know You; I want to possess Your Spirit and Your wisdom in my life. Or, rather, I want Your Spirit and wisdom to possess me! Use me as Your servant, Lord, in any way You deem right and necessary, and never forsake me, Jesus! For if You leave me alone, I will ruin everything.

I love You, Jesus. Christ, You ARE everything!! I am standing strong on You in my weakness, for I am weak; I am nothing without You! All glory and praise to You, my firm foundation and my rock on which I stand!!

Amen.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, you heavenly hosts;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
(Traditional Doxology)

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters!

Pride vs. Confidence

Jeff

Today is Saturday, the thirtieth day of August, 2025, in the Season of the Church.

May the peace of Christ surround you and yours today and every day!

It is day 242 of 2025, with 123 days remaining.

Day 24,642 of my life.

Only two more days until our Labor Day holiday. How cool is it that we celebrate labor by not laboring? Unless you’re in retail, but I will not be contributing to your workload on that day. For me, it probably won’t be much different from any other day.

We have 23 days of summer remaining. We only reached 81 for a high, yesterday, which was three degrees below the projected high, and 19 degrees below Thursday’s high! Today’s high is forecast at 82. The record high for this date was 105 in 2011. The average high for the next ten days is 83.6, which is two degrees lower than yesterday. I am certainly enjoying this trend! Next Sunday’s high (the seventh) is only 73!

Today is a work Saturday for me, so I’m at the library from 9:30-6:15. It is currently raining out there. Yesterday was a pretty good day at the library. It was somewhat dead in the Computer Center in the morning, but picked up some during the afternoon.

JESUS TIME

Dear Jesus, You taught Your disciples that we are created to give You glory in all that we say or do. Guide my tongue today so that what I say reflects Your love to those around me. Stop me from saying unkind words. I need Your strength, Lord, to stand up against temptation, whether it comes from Satan himself or from my own weak, sinful nature. If I am wronged by others, enable me to not want to hurt them back but to treat them with respect. Whether I am working or playing, help me remember that You are here beside me. You created me to be a part of the Body of believers. Your power is great and Your love is endless. Amen. 
(Portals of Prayer – Prayer for Saturday Morning) 

“From his fullness we have received 
Grace upon grace, freely 
Reconciled, redeemed 
 
Blessed are those who have not seen, 
Yet in his name believe! 
Find everlasting life!” 

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  
(John 13:34-35 ESV) 

Today I am grateful:

  • That You have poured love into my heart, and have enabled me to live out this command 
  • For the grace upon grace that I have received from You, and that I believe and have found everlasting life 
  • That You have restored me to life and continue to renew me, day after day; You wrestled me from our enemy’s hands, restoring and renewing me 
  • That it is impossible for me to drift away from You, because You are everywhere; there is nowhere I can go where I am not in Your presence 
  • That You are a steadfast rock beneath my feet; though the earth be shaken and the mountains fall into the sea, I will not be afraid 
Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up  
and have not let my foes rejoice over me.  
O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,  
and you have healed me.  
O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;  
you restored me to life from among those  
who go down to the pit.  
 
Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,  
and give thanks to his holy name.  
For his anger is but for a moment,  
and his favor is for a lifetime.  
Weeping may tarry for the night,  
but joy comes with the morning.  
(Psalms 30:1-5 ESV) 

“Lord God, 
as much as this feeble heart can manage, 
may it exalt You today. 
 
I am numbered with the redeemed; 
an heir of endless grace – 
lifted from the well; 
drawn from death’s door. 
 
The enemy longed to have me, 
but You heard the cry of my heart. 
In Your mercy, You wrestled me from his hands – 
restored me; 
renewed me; 
annulled death’s claim on me. 
You have raised me up – 
a New Creation, 
one with Christ. 
 
I’m overwhelmed with gratitude. 
How can I not sing this song as long as I live? 
I cannot escape Your mercy. 
Once I felt Your face turned away from me, 
but now I see You. 
Once we were enemies. 
Now I sit at Your table.” 
(Excerpt from Sheltering Mercy: Prayers Inspired by the Psalms – Psalm 30: Drawn from Death’s Door) 

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. . . . I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” 
(John 10:11, 14-15 ESV) 

So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”  
(Luke 15:3-7 ESV) 

“Though the seas and earth may shake 
I don’t have to be afraid 
Though the mountains move into the sea 
You’re a steadfast rock beneath my feet 
God my rock 
God my strength” 

So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for  
 
“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;  
 
as even some of your own poets have said,  
“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’  
 
Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”  
(Acts 17:22-31 ESV) 

In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.  
(Mark 8:1-10 ESV) 

“Give us courage, O Lord, to stand up and be counted, to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves, to stand up for ourselves when it is needful for us to do so. Let us fear nothing more than we fear Thee. Let us love nothing more than we love Thee, for thus we shall fear nothing also. Amen.” 
(For All the Saints – Saturday of the Week of Pentecost 11, Closing Prayer: Alan Paton) 

The following is from New Morning Mercies, by Paul David Tripp.

“Grace smashes your pride, but it gives you more reason for confidence than you have ever had before.” 

What is the difference between pride and confidence? Let’s let Nebuchadnezzar show us. Neb was “the arrogant king of the conquering nation of Babylon.” He not only conquered Judah and took the people captive, he also took temple implements of gold and used them as tools of idol worship. Then in Daniel 4:30, he says this. 

“Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”  
(Daniel 4:30 ESV) 

And then this happened: 

While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.  
(Daniel 4:31-33 ESV) 

We have no idea how long he was in this condition, but when he came out of it, his pride had been obliterated and replaced with confidence.  

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.  
(Daniel 4:34-37 ESV) 

He was restored to his place of power and authority, but now gave credit to the Lord for it. “Pride takes credit for what it could not achieve on its own, while confidence stands strong because it recognizes the power and presence of One greater. Only divine grace can lead you from one to the other.” 

My Jesus, I am so grateful for what You have accomplished in my life. I thank You for the way You constantly shake me up, in order to keep me away from excessive pride. I also thank You that there is nowhere I can go to “get away” from You, as if I would want to. I know that Your presences is always with me, even when I do not feel it.

Thank You for the gentle reminders, over these last couple of days, that I have let my own pride and selfishness get in the way of my devotion to You. Even this morning, Lord, You led me to repentance of actions and words that were not pleasing to You. I am always grateful for this, Lord, and that You have created my heart to be receptive to Your nudging.

I praise You for the people You have put in my life who are constantly encouraging me in my faith and in my journey with You. I am even grateful for people in my life who challenge me in my walk with You. May I be faithful to love and cherish all of the people You have put in my life.

May I always be overwhelmed with gratitude to You, Lord, for all of my days. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

"Now you who are loved of God,
step forward into this new day
appointed by him, that you might
journey through its hours
in the peace and the grace 
and the love of your Lord."
(Every Moment Holy - A Liturgy of The Hours: Daybreak)

Grace and peace, friends.