BIBLINE

Look at the world and see it is full of people. Look at the sky on a clear night and it is full of stars. Go into the forest that is full of trees. People can also be “full of themselves” and even our homes are full of stuff.

Many people watch Netflix or their lives are full of social media. Others are consuming culture, a cause or even food. Their journey in life is full of the world and all it has to offer. John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress is much like J.R.R. Tolken’s Lord of the Rings trilogy in that it is the journey of a Christian from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City.

The story is full of characters - Talkative, Giant Despair, Worldly Wiseman, Pliable, Formalist and Obstinate. Bunyan’s Prilgrim’s Progress is also full of reflections of a bible verse or passage from the bible. Charles Spurgeon, a great theologian once said, that “if you pricked Bunyan, his blood would be “Bibline”; or in other words, full of scripture. He, like Paul, read the Word until his soul was saturated with scripture. He was a living bible. What an example to us!

Recently, I started writing bible verses on index or recipe cards to keep in my vehicle. When I am waiting for someone, in traffic or at the lights, I try to memorize the scripture verses - line by line. Keep the Word of the Lord written on the tablet of your heart and stored in your mind for future reference. God will bless you when you speak His Word. What ways are you etching His Word into your life, your mind and your blood?

My son, do not forget my teaching,
    but keep my commands in your heart,
 for they will prolong your life many years
    and bring you peace and prosperity.

 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
    bind them around your neck,
    write them on the tablet of your heart.
 Then you will win favor and a good name
    in the sight of God and man. Proverbs 3:1-4

cattywampus

I don’t know about you, but there are just some things in the world today that are cattywampus! Yes, this word says it all: something is off kilter or askew. Many theologians, philosophers and prophets have told us that we are to watch for signs of the times. Newscasters announce disasters and catastrophic events. Educators, medical staff and politicians communicate that the world is wacky these days. We even have Wacky Wednesday! You may be nodding your head in agreement!

Whether it’s wild, wacky or weird - there is an answer to what to do about it all and change those adjectives into wonderful, warm and welcoming. In 1904, a headline from the New York Times caught my attention:

Commuter Carred Victim and Guildty Secret to New York

Apparently, a New York business man from New Jersey had a number of pigeons, but lost many of them to vagrant cats. He became so aggitated that he lay in ambush with a gun watching for stray cats. Sure enough, one emerged with a pigeon in its mouth. He shot and the cat was dead. The problem was that he needed to dispose of the carcass. He first thought of burying it in the back yard, but the neighbors might see him.

He decided instead to wrap the cat in papers and throw it off the ferryboat that he took to cross the river. The next morning he took the train and then boarded the boat where he was greeted by a group of friends. He realized he would have to do some explaining, so his plan was deterred. He thought he would toss the bundle into a trash can on the way to the office but someone was always gazing in his direction, including a policeman.

He went all the way to the office and locked the dead cat in a closet, vowing that he would take care of matters on his way home. But once again, on his return trip home, he met more acqaintances. He boarded the train, laid the package beside him and tried to read the daily paper. Reaching his station, he took the package and went home defeated. When he got home, he handed the bundle to the cook and told her to bury the cat in the back yard.

She took the package but returned a few minutes later.

“There’s been a mistake, Sir. This isn’t a cat. It’s a nice leg of mutton.”

Evidently, the man had picked up the wrong bundle when he left the train. He hoped that the person who reached home with the dead cat didn’t learn his identity.

Thankfully, we have our identity in Jesus Christ as believers! We don’t need to hide anything and He wraps His arms around us in love and comfort.

1 Peter 2:9 ~ “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

Galatians 2:20~ ” I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

PLUVIOPHILE

The thunder resounded in the heavens. Lightning flashed across the skies in electric lines jagged and jarring. And the drops of rain pounded on the roof with a staccato of melody keeping the beat as the thunder rolled on by. Another summer storm on the prairies.

Our mother loved the rain - the smell of freshness, the baptizing of the trees, the sound of pattering on the window sill. She was a pluviophile - a lover of rain. What is it about the droplets that fall from the sky in torrents or drizzle across our window panes that makes us love precipitation from the heavens?

As humans, we always have questions: Will I find someone to love? What’s our purpose here on earth? Why do people die so young? We vibrate with unanswered questions even though we have access to information at our fingertips. Old tales tell that we all take a journey to discover answers to our questions - even with uncertainty. We step into adventure; embark upon the sea; take flight to the skies. There is something to discover, but even though there is discord or uncertainty, there is something to behold.

Joseph is a perfect example from the bible about uncertainty. I am sure he had many questions. Why did my brothers betray me? Why did I end up in prison for all those years? Did God forget about me? and yet through it all,

“The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master… so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned.” Genesis 39: 2, 4.

Even later, “But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden… The warden had no more worries because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.” Genesis 39: 21, 23

Joseph displayed his trust in God in the midst of his uncertain circumstances. The result was that even though he wasn’t where he wanted to be, he trusted God and as a result, God faithfully honored him. We would do well to trust in God despite all our questions and know that He is there to walk with us through whatever it is we are going through. Even the storm passes to give us sunshine. In the waiting, listen to the rain.

Matutinal

of, relating to, or occurring in the morning

The awakening - the dawning of a new day - like a cat stretching its limbs, I slowly open my eyes to the light. There was a time when I would jump, feet planted beside the bed and dash about in a panic ready for the multitude of errands, demands and commitments depending on the items scribbled on the calendar. But these days, I move much slower.

Time to pray, to meditate on my blessings, being thankful for each breath, the beating of my heart and that I can hear the tinkle of the wind chimes outside my window. Slowing down. Listening. Quiet. Moving into the day. What do we give our firstfruits of the morning to? Our time and attention can be given to distractions, busyness, worry or it can be used for precious moments with God.

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3

In the bible, Jesus rose while it was dark, even after long and tiring days. In Mark 1:35: Rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. Perhaps we too can learn from Jesus. Other examples include, “Early the next morning, Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord.” (Genesis 19:27) In Exodus, God told Moses to rise in the morning and stand before Pharaoh. Joshua, Gideon, David and Samuel are also examples of men who rose early to go into battle, cross the Jordan and listen to God’s voice. David tells us in Psalm 5:3 “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Starting the day positively can impact the rest of our day. It brightens our perspective; it gives us energy and it points us in the correct direction when we start with God’s Word, prayer and that matutinal positive habit. Let’s get off on the right foot and wish someone a Good Morning with a smile!

snatchy

adjective : done in or by snatches broadly : marked by breaks in continuity : interrupted, spasmodic

Life is never smooth; it’s the ride or the journey that takes us down bumpy roads at times. It snatches people from our hands. It eats away time, one bite at a time and it hits us with a sledgehammer at moments - interrupting our daily lives.

Snatchy usually applies to a vehicle’s performance with stops and starts; much like learning how to drive a standard or a stick shift for those of us who even know that kind of vehicle that is! But it can also involve interrupted conversations when someone butts in. It might be when the baby cries or the snoring interrupts our sleep. It could be the interruption when we are immersed in a novel or book, or It might even be the snort of someone blowing their nose that startles our thoughts.

But words do change in meaning over time. Shakespeare’s “husewife” was a hussy and even today the term, "housewife” has negative connotations of cleaning, laundry and cooking. Grass was green and a bit was something in a horse’s mouth. And so it is with snatchy. The Urban dictionary now defines the word as: inintentional trash talk in a sexual manner. That’s the world for us. Thankfully God’s Word stays true but there are many who want to distort God’s intentions.

That’s what the enemy does. He takes something that has one meaning and twists it to his evil intentions. For example, when Satan was tempting Jesus in the desert, he told him, “ If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. (Matthew 4:3) Satan knew full well that Jesus is the Son of God but he was hoping that Jesus’ hunger would cause him to cave in and eat. But Jesus replied with scripture and resisted the devil.

We could well learn from the many times Jesus was tempted. Using scripture and focusing on the authentic Word of God, allowed Jesus to rebuke Satan. How are we doing when it comes to resisting the devil Because if we do, scripture tells us, he will flee. When those evil, negative, hurtful thoughts come into our minds, we need to change our thinking.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4: 7-10

distinto

There is no question that in history, in biblical times or even today that people have been “set apart” by God for specific purposes in their lives. Paul, who was not one of the original apostles, or even Moses are examples of this from the bible, but individuals in our world demonstrate their calling.

In Romans 1: 1-2, the bible reveals, “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God - the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures.” Paul went on to write a large portion of the New Testament and made a huge impact in the world then and today. When Moses was born, Hebrew babies were to be thrown into the Nile at birth, but Moses was saved by his mother who hid him and then Pharoah’s daughter rescued him. We know the story of his leadership and leading the Israelites out of Egypt.

Distinto is the Spanish word for “different”. When we become believers, we become different from the world. We are not of the world. God has saved us. We are called to live a holy life. “…not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.” 2 Timothy 1:9

Unfortunately, many people “fall away” or become “like the world”. They lose their faith, abandon it or become weak by not progressing in their faith. They don’t spend time in the Word reading scripture, studying and learning more about the bible or even taking time to pray and draw closer to God.

There is the story of the boy who kept falling out of bed. Every day his parents would hear a thump, go into his room and put him back to bed. This continued until one day his dad asked him why he kept falling out of bed. The boy simply replied, “because I stay too near to the “getting-in” side." And that’s like the Christians or believers who choose to “stay where they are” and never move on.

And so I challenge you to be the salt, be the light and be the difference in a dark world. Read the Word, pray fervently and rejoice that you have been chosen for such a time as this.