Sunday, June 20, 2010
A Story About My Dad...
My father passed away 5 years ago, but he left many images of strength and character behind for me to draw from. One such memory comes from my high school days. It was towards evening and my father and me were standing near the garage door. He could see I was troubled and asked what was up. I spilled out a litany of bad breaks that had happened to me in that last week. I had girl problems, car problems, friendship problems, school problems and a general sense that nothing was going well. His answer to me was both short and surprising helpful. He patted me on the shoulder and said, “Son, tomorrow is another day”. He didn’t even have to interpret the phrase for me. Somehow his stance and his eyes did that. I instantly got the point that sometimes we just have to admit that this day is a bad one, and look to tomorrow when we’ll get a fresh start with fresh optimism. I remember waking up the next morning with dads words in my mind. He was right. I indeed felt different than I did when I went to sleep. I have remembered that short lesson many times over the years. Sometimes we need to stop fretting over and trying to fix today, and instead decide to wake up to a new tomorrow. I appreciate what my dad breathed into me…and still does. I miss him. God did a great thing when He designed life to include the strength of dads. Happy Fathers Day to you all! ~Verlon
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Able Provider...
We spend a lot of time dealing with income and expense issues. Even those with great wealth can’t get away from it. In fact, their financial stress actually increases because they have more to lose. But no doubt the financially strained people wrestle with these things daily. How many times a month do you worry about money?
Moses said, “I’m standing here surrounded by 600,000 men on foot and you say, ‘I’ll give them meat every day for a month.’ so where’s it coming from? Even if all the flocks and herds were butchered, would that be enough?” God answered Moses, “So, do you think I can’t take care of you?” Numbers 11:21-23
Moses had an amazing responsibility set on his shoulders. He had to navigate the people to the promised land, restructure their entire society, train them in their covenant with God, and make provisions for them. That last role was becoming especially heavy for Moses. The people were really tired of manna and were putting pressure on Moses to provide something better. Gods response to this was to tell them they would start getting meat. This drove Moses to his tent to pour out his frustration to God. The verse above was Moses’ lament. In midst of Moses’ tired and faithless rant God asked him a very important question, Do you not think I am an ABLE PROVIDER? We all need to ponder that question from time to time. By the way, God made good on this promise by sending enough quail to feed everyone. Moses didn’t see that possibility, did he. ~Verlon
Moses said, “I’m standing here surrounded by 600,000 men on foot and you say, ‘I’ll give them meat every day for a month.’ so where’s it coming from? Even if all the flocks and herds were butchered, would that be enough?” God answered Moses, “So, do you think I can’t take care of you?” Numbers 11:21-23
Moses had an amazing responsibility set on his shoulders. He had to navigate the people to the promised land, restructure their entire society, train them in their covenant with God, and make provisions for them. That last role was becoming especially heavy for Moses. The people were really tired of manna and were putting pressure on Moses to provide something better. Gods response to this was to tell them they would start getting meat. This drove Moses to his tent to pour out his frustration to God. The verse above was Moses’ lament. In midst of Moses’ tired and faithless rant God asked him a very important question, Do you not think I am an ABLE PROVIDER? We all need to ponder that question from time to time. By the way, God made good on this promise by sending enough quail to feed everyone. Moses didn’t see that possibility, did he. ~Verlon
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
More Than A Philosophy...
Christianity provides a great vision of life that enriches everyone who engages in it. But walking with God is more than a great way to do life. There’s something deeper going on!
“I’ll take some of the Spirit that is on you and place it on them, they’ll then be able to take some of the load of this people. God came down in a cloud and spoke to Moses and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put on the seventy leaders. When the Spirit rested on them they prophesied. Meanwhile to men, Eldad and Medad, had stayed in the camp. They were listed as leaders but didn’t leave camp to go to the Tent. Still, the Spirit rested on them and they prophesied in the camp..” Numbers 11:17,25-26
Moses was getting tired and finding it hard to trust that God would provide for such a large people in such a barren place and get them into the promised land. So God told him to have the 70 leaders assemble in the meeting tent, and once there God implanted a part of the same Spirit He had placed in Moses into those men by divine act. Their hearts became so filled that they started speaking like Moses did; the words of God literally poured out of them. Even the leaders who didn’t make it to the tent had it happen to them. It was truly an inward spiritual miracle. There is an important truth for us in this story. Our faith will get tired at times. God’s answer to this is to pour His Spirit into us and to flank us with others who hear the Spirit too. Walking with God is MORE THAN A PHILOSOPHY! ~Verlon
“I’ll take some of the Spirit that is on you and place it on them, they’ll then be able to take some of the load of this people. God came down in a cloud and spoke to Moses and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put on the seventy leaders. When the Spirit rested on them they prophesied. Meanwhile to men, Eldad and Medad, had stayed in the camp. They were listed as leaders but didn’t leave camp to go to the Tent. Still, the Spirit rested on them and they prophesied in the camp..” Numbers 11:17,25-26
Moses was getting tired and finding it hard to trust that God would provide for such a large people in such a barren place and get them into the promised land. So God told him to have the 70 leaders assemble in the meeting tent, and once there God implanted a part of the same Spirit He had placed in Moses into those men by divine act. Their hearts became so filled that they started speaking like Moses did; the words of God literally poured out of them. Even the leaders who didn’t make it to the tent had it happen to them. It was truly an inward spiritual miracle. There is an important truth for us in this story. Our faith will get tired at times. God’s answer to this is to pour His Spirit into us and to flank us with others who hear the Spirit too. Walking with God is MORE THAN A PHILOSOPHY! ~Verlon
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Craving and Whining...
What is it about us that makes us want what we want, when we want it?...and if we don’t get it, we’re not happy?
“The riff-raff among the people had a craving and soon they had the People of Israel whining, ‘why can’t we have meat? We ate fish in Egypt and got it free, to say nothing of the cucumbers and melons, the leeks and onions and garlic, But nothing tastes good out here, all we get is manna, manna, manna’.” Numbers 11:4-6
Cravings are powerful things. They have the ability to cause us to totally lose our perspective. Israel was in the process of being wondrously delivered from slavery. But as the craving for better food rose up, they completely forgot the miracle they were experiencing. Never before in human history, or after, has a people been led out from their oppressor in tact like what happened for Israel. In a moment they were free and heading toward their own land. Yet within weeks, craving and whining erupted. They actually considered turning around and going back into slavery, just because the food in Egypt was better than the manna that God miraculously provided for them each morning. Cravings are powerful. Cravings are blinding. Cravings spread from person to person. Notice that some riff-raff complained first, then the discontent spread through the people like yeast through bread. I think any spiritual leader would agree that there is nothing that cancels God’s plans any faster than CRAVING AND WHINING! ~Verlon
“The riff-raff among the people had a craving and soon they had the People of Israel whining, ‘why can’t we have meat? We ate fish in Egypt and got it free, to say nothing of the cucumbers and melons, the leeks and onions and garlic, But nothing tastes good out here, all we get is manna, manna, manna’.” Numbers 11:4-6
Cravings are powerful things. They have the ability to cause us to totally lose our perspective. Israel was in the process of being wondrously delivered from slavery. But as the craving for better food rose up, they completely forgot the miracle they were experiencing. Never before in human history, or after, has a people been led out from their oppressor in tact like what happened for Israel. In a moment they were free and heading toward their own land. Yet within weeks, craving and whining erupted. They actually considered turning around and going back into slavery, just because the food in Egypt was better than the manna that God miraculously provided for them each morning. Cravings are powerful. Cravings are blinding. Cravings spread from person to person. Notice that some riff-raff complained first, then the discontent spread through the people like yeast through bread. I think any spiritual leader would agree that there is nothing that cancels God’s plans any faster than CRAVING AND WHINING! ~Verlon
Sunday, June 6, 2010
A Place At His Table...
We’ve all probably had the experience of being in a strange place with new people. It is an odd feeling to be a foreigner and how nice it is to have one of the group reach out to us and start introducing us into their circle. God has always had an eye for the stranger and insisted His people be the same way.
“Any foreigner living among you who wants to celebrate God’s Passover is welcome to do it.” ~Numbers 9:14
God has historically done much of His divine work over food. The Abrahamic covenant, the Passover meal, Communion, and the Last Supper in Heaven are all meal events. Jesus used the table often in His parables about the great banquet and ‘behold I stand at the door and knock’. The point of all this is inclusion. God wants all of His children to be welcomed at His table and that includes the foreigner. The verse above spoke to Israel’s annual Passover dinner in which they would re-enact what Israel did the night before they fled from Egypt. They would eat lamb, eat the unleavened bread to signify they didn’t have time to wait for the bread to rise and retell the Passover story and God’s great act in freeing them. This was a salvation story of epic proportions. And who did God go to extra lengths to be sure they were present at the table?...the strangers and the foreigners. The same thing is occurring today in this ‘day of salvation’. Again God is working hard to assure that no one is outside of His salvation plan and that everyone has A PLACE AT HIS TABLE. ~Verlon
“Any foreigner living among you who wants to celebrate God’s Passover is welcome to do it.” ~Numbers 9:14
God has historically done much of His divine work over food. The Abrahamic covenant, the Passover meal, Communion, and the Last Supper in Heaven are all meal events. Jesus used the table often in His parables about the great banquet and ‘behold I stand at the door and knock’. The point of all this is inclusion. God wants all of His children to be welcomed at His table and that includes the foreigner. The verse above spoke to Israel’s annual Passover dinner in which they would re-enact what Israel did the night before they fled from Egypt. They would eat lamb, eat the unleavened bread to signify they didn’t have time to wait for the bread to rise and retell the Passover story and God’s great act in freeing them. This was a salvation story of epic proportions. And who did God go to extra lengths to be sure they were present at the table?...the strangers and the foreigners. The same thing is occurring today in this ‘day of salvation’. Again God is working hard to assure that no one is outside of His salvation plan and that everyone has A PLACE AT HIS TABLE. ~Verlon
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Speak Blessing...
Most of us don’t realize the power that is in our words. Our culture doesn’t highlight verbal blessings like others do, so we vaguely realize what a potent thing it can be. God built verbal blessing into Israel’s new and developing nation…
“Tell Aaron and his sons, This is how you are to bless the people, ‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lore make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his fact toward you and give you peace’. In so doing, I will confirm it by blessing them.” Num. 6:22-27
Whenever the people left the presence of the Lord He wanted this blessing ringing in their ears. But the most incredible thing was He empowered the priests to speak it into existence. In other words God said He would respond every time it was uttered. Think of it, humans blessing other humans and God then going to work to breathe favor just because it was spoken. If you stop and think about it, we are made in God’s image. In fact, He considers us His sons and daughters. So why wouldn’t He give us authority to bless each other. How long has it been since you’ve blessed someone in the name of the Lord? There is great power in our words. When we direct the blessings of the Lord toward a friend, a wife, a husband, a child, a neighbor or even a stranger, something in God’s big universe re-aligns to respond. Call it miraculous, call it mysterious, call it whatever you like, but God will grant favor to others when you and I SPEAK BLESSING on them. ~Verlon
“Tell Aaron and his sons, This is how you are to bless the people, ‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lore make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his fact toward you and give you peace’. In so doing, I will confirm it by blessing them.” Num. 6:22-27
Whenever the people left the presence of the Lord He wanted this blessing ringing in their ears. But the most incredible thing was He empowered the priests to speak it into existence. In other words God said He would respond every time it was uttered. Think of it, humans blessing other humans and God then going to work to breathe favor just because it was spoken. If you stop and think about it, we are made in God’s image. In fact, He considers us His sons and daughters. So why wouldn’t He give us authority to bless each other. How long has it been since you’ve blessed someone in the name of the Lord? There is great power in our words. When we direct the blessings of the Lord toward a friend, a wife, a husband, a child, a neighbor or even a stranger, something in God’s big universe re-aligns to respond. Call it miraculous, call it mysterious, call it whatever you like, but God will grant favor to others when you and I SPEAK BLESSING on them. ~Verlon
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