I Should Have Said This...

In the movie, Master and Commander, Captain Aubrey says to the ship's surgeon (a naturalist), "Name a shrub after me. Something prickly and hard to eradicate." That should've been my line.

Near the Water

Yesterday (Sunday) afternoon it was hazy, hot and humid. So, we loaded a the car with a cooler, lawn chairs, books and a radio and spent the afternoon enjoying the salt air at the shore- a grassy point with large, old trees providing shade and looking out on the Sound- complete with lighthouses, sailboats, ferries, a trawler, vessels of many types, and diving cormorants.

The Rock (Pt. 1)

"Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee;"

This morning while listening to someone sing this hymn, a light went on for me- the lyrics say that God was "cleft" for me. In Genesis, for his protection, Moses was hidden in a "cleft" in a rock. In what sense was God himself "cleft" for me? An on-line dictionary gives three definitions for "cleft:"

1. To split with or as if with a sharp instrument.
2. To make or accomplish by or as if by cutting.
3. To pierce or penetrate.

Christ, was physically "cleft" with nails and a spear. And so, when we "hide" ourselves in him through the commitment of faith we are, as Moses was in the cleft, safe. But much, much more so, because our safety is not merely physical and temporary.

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You might find this interesting: "Tears of Sorrow, Tears of Joy" is a Christian blog by Grace Koh, of Singapore. She has some interesting thoughts.

Silas Marner

Tonight my wife and daugher finished watching Silas Marner. Ben Kingsley plays Marner. We recommend it.

Fall is Coming

Things are starting to heat up at work. This is the second day of classes and I'm seeing a lot of students. The start of a new semester is kind of exciting, even after many years in education. Besides the upturn in activity and energy at work, we have the coming of fall...

• A slower pace, with summer activities ended.
• Anticipating the New England autumn ("Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness; close bosom friend of the maturing sun...." Keats).
• Thanksgiving (our favorite holiday).
• Apple picking.
• The first frost.
• Indian Summer.
• Getting dark earlier & cozy evenings.

In nature the signs are already there- occasional solitary yellow leaves dropping to the ground in the back yard, passing of the tomato and cuke plants, some of the wildflowers dying and leaving the ones with muted colors, the chirping of crickets during the day. Even the sometimes frenetic activity (and noise) of lawn mowers and other power tools is abating at last. The summer was fun, but this is the time to catch our breath and look to the coming pleasures of the fall and winter.

The Great Thing

"The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one's 'own' or 'real' life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one's real life- the life God is sending one day by day: what one calls one's 'real life' is a phantom of one's own imagination." (C.S. Lewis)

Yielding to life's circumstances is the appropriate response to the existence of a good, loving, omnipotent God who has promised that all will work together for the good of those who love him. The natural response to so much of life is to fight circumstances or try to force things into the way I think they should go. But this just refutes what I understand about God and shows my faith to be shallow.

The goal must be to be in him- by trusting and obeying, in things great and small, day in and day out. Thus our lived lives are brought into line with truth; the result is deep peace and rest. Not that these have been attained...the seeking (and the attaining) are lifelong.

Words v. Actions

There seems to be an idea circulating that Christians don't necessarily have to live a life that reflects their faith, or the teachings of the Bible. This, to me, is a clear contradiction of the teachings of Christ and of the entire Bible.

It's easy to say, "Yes, I believe in Christ; I'm a Christian." It's not hard to say the words. But if it's merely words and not evident in someone's lifestyle the words will not ring true.

From Titus 1: "They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him." Or, in the words of a contemporary translation, "They say they know God, but their actions speak louder than their words."

What then should we believe, the words or the actions?

"Well," some might reply, "none of us are perfect, so our lives won't be perfect." I agree, but despite failings, there can and should be a pattern of life that differentiates one's "walk" from what goes on around it.

The Tyger

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze thy fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And why thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors grasp?

When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry? William Blake.

Yankee Fan Angst

Over lunch I heard a little of the NYC sports radio talk program. The Yankee fans are starting to panic because the Red Sox have gained five games on them in the last seven days.

The nice thing about being a Sox fan is that we've not got much to lose. Our friends, the Yankee fans, however have much to lose and just the thought frightens them.

Sunday

Today all five of us attended church together, with my oldest son taking his own vehicle- his usual modus operandi. We were glad to have him with us. He seems unsure about the people or surroundings. We've been attending here since about April and are making friends. The people we're getting to know the most are those who we see at the mid-week prayer meeting.

It's still taking some getting used to- sitting in a pew and being passive for the most part, almost like an audience. Whereas for the last three years in a house church, we all sat facing each other and were able to talk, ask questions, pray, whatever. (Although not everyone did so- some seemed very reluctant.) The freedom to contribute in the encouragement and "edifying" that went on was important to us- contributing, not just "receiving." Things have changed a lot.

We're probably still "house-churchers" at heart, but this "traditional" church seems like a good group to be a part of.

Plumbing Woes

My attempt at a minor plumbing repair went awry this morning. Usually I'm pretty good at this sort of thing, having learned by experience and skinned knuckles, so to speak. We'll be bringing in a pro to make it right and then we'll be able to stop flushing with a bucket.

Ozymandias

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: `Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear -
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.' Shelly

Thursday AM

On Thursdays at 11:30 we have a group of up-to eight Christians who get together to pray at work. Our workplace is relatively small and it is generally a secular environment (to say the least!), so it is an encouragement that so many of us take the time for this. We discuss personal and work situations to pray about. We then take turns praing aloud for each other and for our co-workers. This process, over time, bonds us together into something much greater than "friends at work."

Today the prayer group will be specially helpful for me, as yesterday evening a misunderstanding arose at home- not an abnormal situation for any family, but difficult. But I am greatly blessed that when these misunderstanding occur, we both seek earnestly to make it right, and with the Lord's help, we have always done so.

Our work prayer group is interesting in that we come from such varied backgrounds and have such different personalities. Christ is the mortar, so to speak. Our faith in him is what ties us together.

This is also true in marriage. With wife and husband, both focused on Christ, the marriage is so much more than just the sum of the parts. The Bible describes marriage as a picture of the relationship between Christ and his people. We can't fully understand it, but we also can't miss the significance of it.

Hard Times for S. from Fresno

I've gotten a couple letters from S in Fresno. It sounds like he's starting from scratch - no job, no car, no money- it must be humiliating, especially after making such excellent progress. However, as he knows, the Lord is doing it and it therefore must have a purpose, and a good one.

Over the years I have prayed that God would bring whatever situations into my life that are necessary (from His perspective) to make me the person he wants me to be. I think he has answered that prayer many times and is still answering it.

We don't, I believe, develop qualities by simply understanding that we need to develop them- we (I) need the experience- hardship develops perseverance and perseverance develops character.

No hardship --> No character.

That may be oversimplifying, but I believe it's true-- I KNOW it's true in my life. The short term can be tough, but when I can thank Him for the situation and remind myself that He's refining me for His glory and my benefit- it all seems to fall into place.

The Summer and the City

The summer is passing by. Some of the maples are showing hints of orange and a couple are starting to look reddish. Usually I'm anxious for the cooler fall weather to arrive, but this summer has not been a hot one. So, I'm just starting to think about how nice the fall will be.

A late summer tradition for us is to go to a local agricultural fair. Thursday is our favorite night to go because it's less crowded and less intense.

I don't feel comfortable in a dense crowd. One Christmas we were in NYC and went to Rockefeller Center in the evening to see the sights. That was the worst crowd I have ever seen- even having lived in the city I hadn't experienced anything like that before. The sidewalks are about fifteen feet wide and the people were packed like sardines in a can as far as you could see in all directions. It was frightening.

Christianity = Discipleship

Jesus told us to make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey everything he commanded.

What is a disciple?

One definition is "...a person who learns to live the life his teacher lives...." This is a tall order- what do you think of it? Are you experiencing it? Do you see others experiencing it?

The Way

If there were no churches, no pastors, no Bible Studies, no Christian radio stations, no [you fill-in the blank], Jesus would still be the Way.

His teachings and his life are truth. There is no other way. Don't get distracted by the trappings of "Christianity-" follow the Way.

The New Covenant

My book, "The New Covenant and the Law of Christ" is available from Searching Together and Sound of Grace. I have been told that many have found the book to be an encouragement. It is in the format of a biblical study guide.

The theme of the book is the difference between the Old and New Covenants. It seems that many believers are living under the OC and are therefore missing many of the blessings and the freedom of the NC.

Treats

This evening I took my wife and younger son to Treats Bakery. He had two doughnuts and a can of Pepsi. My wife and I shared a walnut and cinnamon pastry; she had tea with milk and three bags of artificial sugar and I had black coffee (no sugar). The coffee came out of a insulated carafe and wasn't hot enough, so the girl behind the counter put it into her microwave for fifteen seconds- still wasn't quite hot enough, but ok. We also had a glass of ice water. We got a double chocolate doughnut to bring home for my daugher. We saw Jerry the barber there, having an evening treat by himself. My older son was at work.

Obedience

Jesus said that if we love him we will obey him. He defines love as obedience. Do we love him?

Sox Update

Well...here we are in mid-August and the Red Sox are being true to form. There have been spurts of winning and signs that this could be the year, but that's not the whole story. Althought they are not out of it yet, as a team, they aren't playing championship quality ball. The potential is there in terms of many talented individual players.

There are mucho Yankee fans here as well as Sox fans, but even with all their winning history I wouldn't trade teams with them. Being a Sox fan is special. The key to being a successful Sox fan is to enjoy the good times but don't take it personally if (when?) they blow it.

If you let them, they'll send you to an early grave- so it's a challenge. I guess it's a form of living-on-the-edge- baseball style.

Rose Island Lighthouse

The photo is Rose Island Lighthouse, which is on an island off Newport, RI. A few years ago we spent a week living in the lighthouse as "lighthouse keepers for the week." It was even more than we had hoped or imagined it would be. More later.