Prayer for a late Summer Sunday

Dear Lord Jesus, this summer is rapidly disappearing. The locusts cry out during the daylight hours. The lightening bugs have gone. The wild flowers are the hardy, dry plants that can endure the torpid heat of the 'dog days' of summer. The future-stressed marketers have long ago forgotten the summer. Some are even treading on the verge of the sacred season of Christmas. We all have a tendency to live where we are not - whether in a fondly remembered past or in the hazy vistas of some future when we "really will live." Dear Lord Jesus, center us in the present. Show us that you are with us in this moment, that this slice of time that seems so fleeting is an everlastingness to you. You are forever and now.

Give us your peace in the midst of change. Sometimes the pace of change is so rapid that it brings us close to chaos, Dear Lord Jesus. Sometimes it is so slow that it seems to take forever just to get up and get going in the morning. But you are the master of wind and wave, you have a capacity for overcoming the chaos of change. Your grace saves us from the nothingness of drawn out days and nights. Touch us with that grace. Let a bit of your eternity dwell within us, giving us a weight of glory in the middle of the vortex of change we are all in.

Dear Lord Jesus, we remember before you those who have suffered loss -- of loved ones, of hopes, of dreams. Help us to know that nothing good is ever lost, but that which is all good and precious is gathered up into your everlasting kingdom. Help us to remember that those we have lost are not lost if we know where they are. Be with those who are lonely and depressed. Give unto them the boost of your joyful laughter and music, winging from your heavenly throne. Be with all who suffer and are ill at ease. You are with us no matter what we feel, Dear Lord Jesus. You are ours and we are yours. Sustain us with your grace and grant us your peace. Hear our pleas, we bring them all to you, Dear Lord Jesus, in your name. Amen
from the prayers of Bill Spencer

Don't let yesterday use up too much of today.
Will Rogers

Good words from that beloved humorist of the early part of the 20th century.  Blessings, Bill

THE ENDING

Sounds good to me.

Loaves and Fishes

There are multiple layers of meaning in the scripture before us this day. Were we to look at all of them we would be here most of the day and part of the night. It would be a profitable task that someday we must do – here or on a distant shore. But for this given day, this given hour, let us look at only four of the multiple meanings, and a blessing will be given us for hearing and doing the truth.

The first layer of meaning is the miracle itself – the occurrence and the joy surrounding it. Let us approach this first point by listening to a conversation that could have occurred. Surely, something like this was said:

"We did it! We did it!" shouted the young boy, bounding into his small home near the shores of the Galilean Sea. His eyes blazed with heavenly fire. And on his soul was emblazoned the utter joy of that day.

"Did what, son? What happened?" asked a perplexed father.

"Father, there were thousands of people gathered on the edge of the mountain to see and hear the new teacher from Nazareth. He taught them of his God’s love and of a new kingdom of peace that is now beginning. At the time of the meal, he wanted to feed the crowd; but they had nothing to cook for so large a group. That’s when it happened."

"Son, you talk in riddles. What happened?"

"Father, I offered my food, the five barley cakes and two salted fishes I had in my basket. And he took them in his hands and that is when it happened."

The father sighed. He looked at his son, a handsome lad of eleven, almost to the age of manhood, and he thought, "He is like his mother’s brother Samuel. He talks in circles – around and around until he reaches his destination." He gently placed his hand on his son’s shoulder, looked in his eyes, and said, "Son, tell me exactly what took place."

Their eyes met. Jacob, the young one, smiled, laughter crinkling the corners of his eyes, wrinkling his nose, and said. "It was a miracle. He took my five loaves and two fishes, blessed them, broke them, and fed the whole crowd with them. They all ate and there was food left over. It was a miracle, father. One of the men said, after it was over, that if I had not given my food it would not have happened."

Ari looked down on his son. His old eyes filled with tears that filled his wrinkled skin with little rivulets of water, rushing down his cheeks. He simply smiled at his son and embraced him – a thing he did not often do.

And that is the first layer of meaning. The miracle itself! The sheer joy of one life, giving all, and rejoicing! The boy would never forget, and faithful followers throughout millennia would always remember that sun sparkled day when Jesus sat people down on the green grass and taught them the Words of Life, and fed them the bread of heaven.

This story leads into the dialogue about eating Jesus’ flesh and blood, given for the world. So each time we receive the bread and wine we receive food for eternal life. It is not lost in history; but remembered in every gathering of the faithful – in churches crowded with believers, or in crowded huts where churches, hidden from the authorities, still break the bread of heaven. In lands of ice and snow, in withering tropic sun, in lands where the seasons come and go the miracle is remembered and renewed.

"We did it! We did it!" he shouted. And we catch that childlike joy and smile, we remember and are blessed at the miracle itself. God is always sending life into the wheat and pouring life into the vine. It is a miracle of life when it comes to us, each time. But I wonder if it would happen at all if we did not give ourselves first.

Next, we note the layer of meaning suggested above – that Jesus is the bread of heaven. "I am the bread of life," he said. It is as if he said, "In my person I sustain life, nourish it, feed it. I am the bread, and the bread which I give is my flesh, given for the life of the world."

The one true food that feeds our feelings and understandings, our yearnings and sensitivities is the great sacrifice that Jesus gave on the cross. Christ is our Passover. He sacrificed for us, and you may feed on him in your heart by faith. He will bring cleansing. He will be love. He will bring wholeness. He will be truth. He will be life to you. Feed on the true bread and your soul shall live.

Another layer of meaning is found in the results of that day’s miracle. They all did eat. Let me say it again: they ALL did eat – men, women, children, all ages, all classes! All found the food they needed in the bread that came from Christ’s hands. There are no barriers to the heavenly bread, no walls to keep out the poor, the lame, the blind. No one is excluded from the table of the Lamb. There are no barriers – unless you put one up in your heart. When you absent yourself from the table you are excluding yourself.

And the last layer of meaning is this. It cannot be used up. It cannot be exhausted. Do any of you remember Andee Krueger? He was a member of our church. I held his funeral a couple years ago in this very place. One of his daughters, Rebecca, is the owner of a candy store in San Diego. She and her crew make some of the best chocolate in the world. I order some for my valentine each year. But this Christmas, Rebecca sent us a box of her Meltaway Chocolates, which describes their nature and their end. They melt in your mouth and soon the box is empty. Alas, even the wonderful chocolates leave an empty box. But the bread of heaven cannot be exhausted. It is always replenished. There is enough and more. They all ate and were filled and twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered. Some foods perish with use; but the food, which Jesus gives, multiplies. There is enough for you, always. There is more than enough. And there will be more at the end than at the beginning.

I urge you, though my words are like barley cakes and little fishes, little to offer this gathering of faithful people, feed on Christ, the bread of heaven. Eat and you shall live. He spreads a banquet for you in your wilderness, by your mountains, and feeds you all the days of your journey, and at the last, he takes you to his table in his kingdom, to be with him forever.

Willard Spencer

Text: John 6:1-14

remembering ...

Dear Lord Jesus, We remember that you are the bright and morning star.  You are the sunrise on a cloudless day.  You are the beginning and the end and our companion in between.   We praise your holy name this day, and give thanks for your mercy, ceaseless as waves of the deep, soothing at the gentle rain on the windowpane.  To you we bring our words of praise, our words of need, our unspoken words -- the hopes and dreams of our days.  We look up when we are here, at your calling.  We lift our hearts before you.  We feel our spirits grow light, taking flight, soaring on eagle's wings in the updrafts of your holy wind. Just be with us, and touch us in places of our deepest need, today, in this holy space.  To you be praise and honor, power and glory, forever.

Dear Lord Jesus, we remember this day those who have died in wars, giving their lives in defense of their families and friends.  We mark their sacrifice with our memories and remember them before you this hour. 

We remember that you save us from the insidious enemy named despair.  With all the reasons to be filled with hope, with all the Words of sacred writ before us, we still may fall before that adversary, who tempts us to give up, to lose hope, to quit.  Show us your sunlight that chases every shadow, every mist, and every gloom wrapped wraith of despair.  Give us hope again.

Holy Lord,  we remember all who suffer this day.  Be peace to all whose lives are troubled.  Be with families and individuals.  Be with the children who dream about warm summer days.  Be yourself to all of us, Dear Lord Jesus, and refresh our hearts again.  In your name we speak, and in your name we pray your prayer together.  Pray the Lord's Prayer.
from the prayers of Willard Spencer

"Sentimental Journey"

Gonna take a sentimental journey
Gonna set my heart at ease
Gonna make a sentimental journey
To renew old memories

I got my bag, I got my reservation
Spent each dime I could afford
Like a child in wild anticipation
I long to hear that: "all aboard!"

Seven, that's the time we leave - at seven
I'll be waiting up for heaven
Counting every mile of railroad track - that moves me back

I never though my heart could be so yearny
Why did I decide to roam
Gotta take a sentimental journey
Sentimental journey home.

Les Brown and others in l944

Friends, I've been humming this song all day.  It's an old Doris Day song.  She took it to the top of the charts in 1945.  I remember that my Aunt Ruth played that song on a juke box one day when she took me to Baskins' .. a drug store in Caruthersville, MO.  Aunt Ruth was the poet in the family.  She was the president of the Poetry Society of Tennessee in later years.  Wrote a book of poems, my copy of which is one of my treasures.  We got along so very well.  So, today I am humming her song.  No message yet. No lesson. Just a set of good memories returning to bless the present.  May we all have many more.  Stay on the journey.

Blessings,

Bill

Try Smiling

When the weather suits you not, try smiling.

When your coffee isn't hot, try smiling.

When your neighbors don't do right,

Or your relatives all fight,

Sure 'tis hard, but then you might

Try smiling.

Doesn't change the things of course--just smiling.

But it cannot make them worse--just smiling.

And it seems to help your case,

Brightens up a gloomy place,

Then, it sort o' rests your face--

Just smiling

Author Unknown

Friends, Sounds good to me.  You know I think that laughter is the language of heaven.  There must be smiles galore there. Victory celebrated eternally.  Enjoy the thought...and smile

Blessings,  Bill

p.s.  My son John's poem, which I posted here recently, is being voted on today.  I would ask you to use the following link and vote for Higherhawk if you would.  Thanks.  http://www.voella.com/stories-poems/not-a-word-poetry-challenge-which-are-your-favourites/

A psalm of Praise to the Lord

Dear Lord Jesus, you are our rock and our refuge, our ever-present help in time of trouble.  You are the lion and the lamb, the risen and ascended Lord.  You are the life of everything that breathes and the giver of life beyond this present breath.  We take heart when we think of you.  Our breath deepens and we feel our loads lighten when we speak your name.  Though we try to invest these earthly days with meaning, they only secure true and pure value when we bow before your throne.  There we find our hope, our joy, our peace and our destiny.  

To you, Dear Lord Jesus, we lift praise and honor and glory.  To you we offer the best of voice and instrument, our laughter and our lives, our failures and fears, our burdens and our tears -- we know that you save our tears, our sorrows.  We give our hearts true devotion and our sacred honor.  We give the heartbeat of the moment, and the accumulated rhythms of all our moments and days.  For you are the One whose name is above all names, before whom every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that you are Lord, to the glory of the Living God.  Your light transcends all our sense of loss and despair.  You scatter every darkness!  The sunlight is but your shadow.  You are the creator of all the worlds there are and of all that ever will be.  You are the source and the ending.  All things hold together in you, by the power of your grace.  You are the culmination of every good dream, of every long carried hope.  You are the culmination of history, and by you the battles for truth and justice will be won.  Living Lord you are the one who will wipe away every tear.  And when you come again in glory there will be no more death.  We let our lives be lifted by your Holy Breath, and we revel in the purity, the clarity, the cleansing waters that flow from your throne.  Hear us when we pray.  Call us by name.  Hold us with your everlasting love, and never forsake us.  We give you thanks and thankful living in your name, and to your name we pray this precious prayer... Pray the Lord's Prayer.
from the prayers of Willard Spencer

Poetry Challenge by Higherhawk – Tucked Away

He never wanted love like that The love that we all seek Putting out every ounce of Our flesh for the taking

Too many times he had fallen under The ravens wing His heart tucked away in a corner Somewhere he forgot existed

Years in a world of his own illusion, until now A pinch inside something deep Like a fledgling trying to fly, his heart fluttered Something found its way in

Something he never saw coming he thought Reaching for denial and its reliable sedation Only to grasp wildly at a hope he never found Falling to his knees, a crack in the shell created

Pieces falling from a life he thought he had died for Not realizing he was being reborn Lying in a pile of a shattered nightmare Naked, exposed, weak, free

Realizing what he thought had found its way in Actually never left, buried in that dark corner His heart never let go as he did Only a mask remains from the pile of his past

A reminder to him, that no matter how hard We try to silence ourselves, love finds a way

Friends, The above is by my Son, John.  He was chosen to participate in a poetry challenge.  I am sure that you enjoy his words.  If you would like to help him you could go to VoElla.com.  There you will find a link to the poetry challenge.  You could vote for him there.  Remember his pen name is Higherhawk.  

Blessings,

Bill

Faith and the Old Swimming Hole

It held me up again. It always does. You just have to lift up and let go, and you find yourself borne up with little effort. It always feels great when the hazy fields shimmer with summer heat, to swim in the cool water of the old swimmin' hole. But swimming is not only refreshing, it is an act of faith. It still amazes me to float and glide above the deep.

Can you imagine what it would be like if you had never seen anyone swim and someone tried to tell you about it? On the water? Impossible! Wood floats. Iron and people don't. First you'd have to learn to trust your teacher, then to try the water. You'd have to have a lot of faith before you took your feet off the bottom and trusted yourself to the water. What a joy that first swim would be.

I guess you know that religion is like that too. You find it's claims hard to believe. Impossible! Yet if you can trust The Teacher, try the water, and take your feet off the bottom you will find it holding you up. Faith is like that. When you are knee-deep in life, when the pressure shimmers like haze on the field, or when nothing is moving in your life and you find it torpid and still, take to the water, trusting the Lord, and
you will find refreshment you had not imagined. O yes, and it will hold you up. It always will.

​by Willard Spencer

Blessings,

Bill​

Moon from our porch last night

It is not security or rest that we need.  We need the certainty that here on earth no eye weeps in vain, no wound bleeds in vain, and no one whose hope is in God hopes in vain.  This certainty is God's gift.  

John Biegeleisen in Morning Dew

Friends, The above author was a professor in a seminary located in Webster Groves, MO, where we lived and served for a time.   It was a superb place to live and I enjoyed the use of the seminary library.  It was right on the way to work and often I had a difficult driving past it.  The car seemed to draw to the entrance.  Ah well.  Beiegeliesen was a fine teacher.  He wrote several books to help the folks that enjoyed his keep insight.  What he says is true.  Certainty is a gift that grows on us when we draw closer to the Living Light.  It is there.  It is for us.

Blessings,

Bill

-You know you're stressed when you start getting on your own nerves.

-My exercise program consists of having a lot of stairs in my home and forgetting things.

-Now, I'm not saying you're an idiot. But everyone else is.

-I always thought by 2014 we would have flying cars. Instead, we have blankets with sleeves.

-Unless you can be Batman, always be yourself.

-Ten: Number of fingers children have. Twenty-six: Number of fingers children have when you try to put gloves on them

​.

-

NASA would be a lot more popular if once in a while they'd fight some Klingons.

​-​

​Twitter is the only place where you're thrilled when a complete stranger starts following you

​.

-​

Scientists say the universe is made up of Protons, Neutrons and Electrons. They forgot to mention Morons.

​Friends, Just enjoy the one-line humor above.  Laughter lifts the eyes and the spirit. It can be  a prelude to prayer.

Blessings,

Bill​

"Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest."  For there was constant coming and going.  They didn't even have time to eat.

Mark 6:31 (The Message version.)

Friends,  The quote above leads to the feeding of the 5000. The Lord and his apostles were looking for a quiet time apart, but the pressure of the hungry people (not just for food) called them back to work.  Ministry is not about putting in hours. It is about people and God.  The middle sentence above describes much of our time. Most of us are caught up in the sweep of days.. "there was constant coming and going." What follows in scripture is the glorious event of the feeding the 5000. There is a time to take a break.  But when we are with the Lord even our weariness can lead us to holy times, to grace shared, to food for the soul.  Rejoice in the hours! Let the Lord lead you to places of need, and places of rest.  (Worship is a wonderful time for spiritual rest.)

Blessings,

Bill

One Liner -  It's not the torch she carries for me that has me worried, it's the gas can in her other hand.

It was a doughnut kind of day!  Aiden agrees. Krispy Kreme is best.

Mark 9:1-9

Verse one states that some of those with Jesus would not taste death until they saw the Kingdom of God come with power. Critics have mistakenly thought that this was an error, for they say that all those who were with Jesus died and the Kingdom has not come. So they think that the Bible has an error. Actually, verse one refers to the events of verses two through nine. On the mountain Jesus was transfigured. He was seen as he is in his own Kingdom. Moses and Elijah, long departed, appeared alive, as they are in glory, and gave honor to Jesus. Jesus was not only the completion of their labors, but their Lord and King. The light on Jesus' face is the light of heaven. God is light...not reflected light, but self-generating light. That brightness was like the morning sun on a summer day reflecting on highly polished metal. It was a glorious foretaste of the Kingdom. This passage in Mark brings that glory to our sight. You may taste and see that the Lord is good. (And note that Moses finally made it into the Promised Land.) 

Blessings,

Bill 

 The Red Bud in our front yard...up close.

Luke 19:1-10

Jericho was a very wealthy city, a garden spot. Palm and Balsam grew in abundance. The city also commanded the crossings of the Jordan, so there was much traffic on the Jericho road. It was a good place to be a tax collector. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector, a leader, one of the "best." The problem was that Zacchaeus was not content. He lived amid garden splendor, but his interior life was like a desert. Wealth could not provide him with what he needed most. So, when Jesus passed through Zacchaeus went way out of his way to see him. Climbing a tree, going out on a limb, he found himself looking into the face of the Christ. An amazing thing happened then. Jesus said that he would go to the house of Zacchaeus that very day. No one expected that. Tax collectors were shunned as collaborators. Jesus went out of his way that day to seek and save that son of Abraham. The result of his caring for people was new life for many, including the chief of tax collectors.

Blessings, 

Bill

Cards won their home opener.  A joy to see.  Molina put them ahead for keeps.

Luke 18:35-43

Pilgrims filled the road to Jerusalem. As they walked out of the ancient city of Jericho the procession stopped. Jesus halted the movement of pilgrims going to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. A beggar was crying at the side of the road. It is remarkable that Jesus heard the voice of one crying. It is wonderful that he would stop the whole parade to help one person. All the travelers to the holy city stopped, and listened, and beheld the bringing of light to eyes held long in the ever enduring dark. He knew what he wanted. He called Jesus a fellow Jew, a son of David. He called him Lord. He followed Jesus in the road and praised God. It was a glorious day... blue skies overhead, a warm breeze blowing, dust from many feet filling the air, and a blind man seeing. Many people with sight could not see what Jesus was doing, who he was, but that blind man would see it forever.

Light and Warmth,

Bill

Bible ideas

Luke 16:19-31

There are interesting details in this story. The rich man was exceedingly rich, as shown by the use of purple dye...an extremely expensive commodity. His clothing was purple and "fine" linen. The poor man was extremely poor, as shown by the dogs showing pity on him, licking his wounds. Other details include the description of hell, the fact that Abraham was alive in heaven, and the great gulf in between. This is a story of interesting details, but there is a great appeal given in the middle of it. The great plea is to "remember." Remember your life. Remember what you were and what you did. Remember your attitude to others in need. It is a strong word, calling us to see our own lives clearly, while we may. "Does any human being realize life while they are living it?" was Emily's question in the play "Our Town." It is difficult to live our everyday lives and find space to reflect upon what we are and what we are doing. But the opportunity is there if we will seize it. Church is a place for that kind of remembering. Think about it. 

Blessings, 

Bill

Cardinals won their first series of the year.  Many more ahead.

Luke 16:1-8

This is the story of a rascal, an employee who wasted his owner’s goods. After some time he was found out and called in, given notice, and was told to clean out his office. While he was in the process he tried to endear himself to other rascals by reducing their debts to his own boss. When the owner discovered this he complimented the shrewdness of the wicked employee and, incidentally, revealed his own wicked character. The point of this story is not found in "likeness," but in "unlikeness." It is a story of opposites. God is not like a wicked owner. God is the opposite of such a person. If an evil old boss can approve what a rascally employee does, how much more will a loving God approve those who live faithfully. God will not forget the least faithfulness. Our little deeds of love and encouragement will not be forgotten. Evil unnoticed will be found out and ultimately punished. Good not seen will eventually be rewarded.

Blessings, 

Bill

Matthew 14:13-21

No fast food in that day. No MacDonald's. No Hardees. Not even a Taco Bell. Jesus and a multitude in a solitary place!  It is a great clue that even when he was looking for a little solitude, when they came to him, he spent the day teaching them. And though he did not know a tithe of them personally he had compassion on them all. At evening his disciples suggested that the crowd be sent away...to find something to eat elsewhere. Were they afraid that they would be called upon to share? Jesus replied that the disciples were to feed them. The disciples then uttered what we could call the complaint of the enfeebled church, "We have here only..." We just can't." "We don't have enough." "We're too strapped" And thus the church is impoverished by its own words and lack of faith. Jesus took what they had, and it was not only enough, but more than enough. Think about it. Does it apply to individuals too? 

Light and Warmth, 

Bill

St. Patrick

Remember the great Saint Patrick.  He was a missionary and a firm believer. He escaped from slavery to lead the church.  He used the shamrock for a symbol of the Trinity...three in one.  Blessings to you this day. Bill

Genesis 22:1-14

Abraham had waited a century for the child of the promise. He was one hundred years old when Isaac was born. A great nation was to descend from Abraham. His descendants were to be as many as the sands of the sea. All of this depended upon a child. Abraham knew that God would keep his word. The child was born. He was called Isaac, meaning "laughter", because he was a joyful gift. Now Isaac was to be sacrificed. Though the emotional struggle must have been severe, Abraham would obey God, believing that the child of the promise would be spared. It was so. God provided a substitute for Isaac, a lamb. (This event was to be reflected in the sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God, as a substitute for all.) Abraham called the place "Yahweh Yireh," God sees, or God will provide. He named that mountain after his deliverance, not after his trial. Name your mountains after your blessings.

Light and Warmth,

Bill

Matthew 6:19-21

Many times the Bible warns us about doing things for selfish reasons. These are valid warnings. But here, in this scripture, we are told that there is a proper action we may take for ourselves. First, we are told what we are not to do. Do not store treasures that can be eaten by moths or corroded by rust. Things do not last. We all have some trophies left over from a previous stage in life. We look at them and wonder why they had such emotional power for us. They represent things done, good things maybe, yet they are just metal or plastic. Some things are not as important as we thought. Even valuable possessions can be lost through theft. But there are some things that do not wear out, cannot be lost or stolen. In the middle of busy days we need this reminder.. of the impermanence of earthly things and of the permanence of heavenly treasures. We should seek heavenly treasures for ourselves.

Blessings,

Bill

Glad we missed most of the ice and snow.  Roads okay now.

Genesis 12:1-7

Here is another call, given to Abraham centuries before the Apostles were called. The Lord spoke to Abraham and said, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." Of course Abraham obeyed the voice of God. He is listed in the New Testament roll of heroes of the faith (Hebrews 11:8-10) because he made that journey. It has always been a puzzle to me how Abraham recognized the Lord's voice. There were no scriptures written, no temples of the Lord, no synagogues. In Ur, his first home, and in Haran, his second home, no one knew anything about the Lord. How did Abraham hear and recognize the voice of the true God? There were many false gods. It is a wonder that Abraham recognized the voice of the living God. We have the Bible, the Church, The risen Christ; somehow it should be easier for us to recognize God's voice. Do we hear it? Do we obey?

Blessings,

Bill

Humility is not thinking less of yourself... it is thinking of yourself less.

attributed to C. S. Lewis

Friends,  Can anyone help locate this quote?  I would like to know the source, and would appreciate your assistance.  The thought is certainly like Lewis' reflections on this life.  It is remarkable how he identifies the basic problems of this existence.  He does not skip around, does not try to act like a 'great' person, he just pointedly states the human condition.  Yes, we often think too much of ourselves; but humility does not require a lessening of self worth.  It is to focus on the Holy One, the words of scripture, and the missions to which we are called by the Savior.  What a blessing that Lewis' words endure.  Hope all is well.  Looks like we missed most of the big winter storm.  Certainly hit Southeast Missouri .. where Cheryl and I spent childhood days.

Light and Warmth,

Bill

The best way out is always through. Robert Frost

Friends, Read Frost many years ago on a radio show I had.  Saturday morning, early, I read poems and short devotional pieces. Mostly older folks up then.  They listened while they had morning coffee.  I would go to  various places and record people in their gardens, or with special things they owned.  It was a great time.  Frost was a favorite.  Someone gave me his complete book of poetry. The above quote was a favorite about which to visit.  It captures the essence of a steady faith .. willing to brave the 'slings and arrows' of the journey to forever. Hold steady on your journey.  Keep the faith.  Follow the One who leads us heavenward.  

Light and Warmth,

Bill

That we may learn from our suffering

Dear Lord Jesus, Thank you for all your mercies, sweet and severe, for your hand is in all things. We do not believe that you will any suffering to any of your creatures, yet suffering is our lot here on Earth, and we cannot believe that anything occurs beyond your will. So we try to count all things yours and learn from our sufferings, seeking to bring good from ill, light in the darkness. Help us meet good days and bad days with an equanimity that is born of faith, sustained by trust in your goodness, and nurtured by listening to your Word. Help us to live each day for you, toward you, within your will.

Be with those who suffer this day. Be with those who have suffered from the dread catastrophes of earthquake and fire. Be with those who are victims of violence. Be with nations and peoples locked in endless cycles of pain and political wrangling. Be close to your children this day, young and old. Be with those who have undergone surgery and with those who are now forced to face again the possibility of surgery. Be with those who suffer from cancer, the scourge of our day. Touch the lives of the young. Fill them with the desire to carry your good news to every corner of the world.

Bless our land as we lean toward the light lengthening days of spring. We long for the first crocus, the first hyacinth, the jonquil and the daffodil, the red bud and the tulip magnolia. The days hasten on in the ritual of recovery, the warmth calling to life the dormant seeds deep planted in the ground. Bless us this day, Lord, may all we say or do be done for your glory. In the sweet name of the savior, you, Dear Lord Jesus, we bring our prayers and offer the prayer you taught us... pray the Lord's prayer.  

Blessings,

Bill

A happily married couple -- 52 years. Ten years in retirement.  Enjoying kids and grand-kids.  The smiles are real.

Bob, our old cat.  About 20 now.  A fine beast and good friend.

Picture taken in the Pyrenees by our Son, Dr. Thomas Spencer.  He is a great scholar and photographer.  He also leads tours of Paris, where he has lived for about 20 years. Check American in Paris Tours...   https://www.facebook.com/American.In.Paris.City.Tours

The Thief on the Cross -- Luke 23:32-33, 39-43

Note with great care the road the thief's growing faith follows, for every one must walk that road if you are to find the light. He says, "Lord!" What a great distance between calling him "man" and calling him "Lord!" Grace bridges the gap between looking at Jesus and calling him just a man, and calling him Lord. And, as the lightning flash lit the whole land, so his faith hastens to completion, for he calls him "King!" "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

Oh, if we could ask that thief, "Thief, first Christian believer, what did you see through the pain? What did you see through the dripping blood? Thief, how did you see the Lord of life whom we often fail to see? Tell us how you saw the kingdom beyond the cross which no one had eyes to see? Did you see the crown? How did you see that life was not to be lived in violence and strife, but in loving fellowship? We know you did not have time to think it out, but you saw it – saw enough to act. You saw the certainty of life beyond the cross, the light beyond the shadows. O blessed thief, whose soul was swept from the doorway of hell to the open gates of heaven, we cannot equal nor add to your praise. The Lord Jesus gives your reward with his words: ‘Today, you will be with me in paradise.’"

It drives us to wonder. It sends us to awe. It moves us to prayer! We pray for that thief’s ending! – that we too may stand near the cross for one brief hour, that brilliant light dispersing our shadows, that love healing all our deep distress, that mercy luring and leading each of us into that blessed kingdom, where we will join heaven’s host in perpetual praise, where we will cast our crowns before God, lost in wonder, love and praise. Give us an ending like that. 

Blessings,

Bill

You are also invited to view the following: http://wspencer61.wordpress.com/

Moses in the Back Forty

Moses fled to Midian and, let us say, grew a beard, put on a baseball cap, and drove a pick-up. We could say, rather, if we were to observe the austerities and sobrieties of staid religion, that he 'took on local ways.' The one bright spot in this experience was Zipporah. My Old Testament professor, Charles Baughman, both preacher and teacher, who would break into a sermon in many a lecture, used to say that Moses and Zipporah might have been called "Birdie and Sonny." They were a match, and Moses left behind his haste and his own time schedule for doing things. He threw away his laptop, and settled into the slow rhythms of the desert. He lived with a local sheep rancher and gradually began to change. 

Then his first son was born. Moses gathered up his old grief and spat it out in the name of that child. It was Gershom. Know anyone by that name? I knew an old preacher who had Gershom in his full name. Gershom means "stranger, alien." He was a stranger in a strange land. 

But things changed for Moses. Time heals all wounds, and, a humorist added, "wounds all heals." Healing set in. He found things in the wilderness that were interesting, then fascinating, then uplifting. He found the flower in the rock. His wandering became a time of learning and joy. He gathered knowledge that was to serve him well in another day, when, in God’s time, he would be a deliverer.

His second son’s birth demanded a different appellation. It was "Eliezer" – "God was with me." That, dear friends, is not only a name but a great answer. We remember Moses this day only because he came to that answer, sought, found and fleshed out in that name. Eliezer! "God was with me from the beginning!" His first born was "stranger." The second born was "With me! God was with me!" It was a great change. (Read about the names in Exodus 18.)

This picture of Moses early life is also a picture of you and me. We live between youth and age, between ego confusion and ego integrity; between seizing life and saying, "I am my own and I’ll do it my way!" and giving life to God and saying, "You have been with me all along." Friends, we live between Gershom and Eliezer.

We are like this in our feelings about things. There are times in life when we feel like strangers, alienated and lost, our world in pieces. And then, from time to time, looking back on those rough stretches, we find ourselves saying, "No, No! Not Gershom, but Eliezer, God was with me on that road."

God was with me! It is simple to say. Easy for the intellect to grasp, but to learn this great truth with the heart may require years, tears, and the bending of the will in one holy direction until all our "alienations" are transmuted into the dearly bought phrase, "God was with me all along."

Moses went on to greater things. In God’s time he was to be a deliverer of his people; but today I wish for you this one thing: that somewhere between the hither and the farther shore, between youth and age, between the heady idealisms of Egypt and the tempered vision of a Mount Nebo, you should discover "Eliezer."—that God was with you all along.

Blessings,

Bill

Christian thoughts...

-If thou bear the cross cheerfully, it will bear thee. Thomas a Kempis

-Religion is the best armor a man can have, but it is the worst cloak. John Bunyan

-Christ sends none away empty but those who are full of themselves. Donald Gray Barnhouse

-When a man is getting better, he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him. When a man is getting worse, he understands his own badness less and less. C. S. Lewis

-People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out. But in the darkness, beauty is seen only if there is a light within. Unknown

Friends, Here is a collection of thoughts from various Christians.  May they stir the mind and feed the heart.  Hope all is well in your domain.

Light and Warmth,

Bill

I would rather have speeches that are true than those which contain merely nice distinctions. Just as I would rather have friends who are wise than merely those who are handsome.
Augustine

Friends,  We are a culture of words -- TV, texts, email.. on computers, tablets, laptops, etc. Words, words, words, from all directions.  They pummel us daily from all directions and sources.   We can weed out unwanted emails, and choose texts and TV, but all of this is just action in our culture of words.  I am thankful for a year of typing in high school... for words were and are my business for a life time.  Thus, the above is for me, and maybe for you too.  At any rate, Augustine points us in an accurate direction in writing and hearing words.

Blessings,

Bill