Walk in the Light

July 24, 2023

July 24th, 2023

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Mark 15-16

Highlight Verse:

“Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭15‬:‭34‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I almost highlighted the verse where the crowd shouted “Crucify Him” because I imagined the sting of hearing the crowd that had welcomed Him as royalty now wanting Him dead.

Then I realized that, on the cross, as the weight of all the world’s sin brought him temporary separation from God the Father,

His anguish must have been unequalled. In that moment,

He experienced the pain of separation that we all deserve.

There could have been no greater pain.

But it was followed by the joy of resurrection.

Jesus defeated death and came back to life. In this sacrifice and resurrection, we are offered a way out of sin and into life and joy.

Can you grasp the depth of Jesus’ pain on the cross as He felt the full separation from God pfor the first time?
Does the depth of His pain compel you to accept the sacrifice so that His pain would not be wasted?
July 23, 2023

July 23rd, 2023

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 89-91

Highlight Verse:

“For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭91‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Please excuse me if you’ve heard this old story before but it immediately popped into my head when I read this verse.

An older gentleman was determined to stay in his home even though torrential rains were bringing flooding to his neighborhood. He prayed fervently,

“Lord please save me from this flood.”

Despite his prayers, the water still rose. Soon it was entering the ground floor of his home. A neighbor came by in a row boat and offered him a ride out. “Nope, I believe the Lord will save me!”

They left and he climbed the stairs and fell to his knees. “Lord, I’ve always been your faithful servant, please save me from these floodwaters.”

By the time he finished praying, another boat came up to the second floor window and offered him a ride. “No thanks, the Lord is going to save me!”

They shook their heads at him and sailed off.

Not long after, he was forced to climb up to the top of the roof. He started praying again. Just then, a helicopter swooped down and offered him a ride to safety.

He waved it off yelling, “The Lord is gonna save me!”

Pretty soon the waters took him away. He drowned and went to heaven. As soon as he saw Jesus he chased him down and asked, “Why didn’t you save me from the flood?”

Jesus replied, “I sent two boats and a helicopter, what more did you want?”

I know that’s a silly story but it reminds us that sometimes God’s help comes in ways that we don’t want to accept. I’ve seen people rescued from bad situations through arrest, bankruptcy, and even divorce. Sometimes the rescue is as simple as accepting help or advice from someone you don’t want to deal with.

None of those situations is good on the surface.

But sometimes we have to go through some tough times to get back on the right track.

In some of those situations, I’ve seen finances, marriages, and even lives restored.

Have you rejected God’s help in the past because it wasn’t what you wanted?
Has your life been restored by taking the tough rescue?
Are you faced with deciding whether to accept that tough road now?
July 22, 2023

July 22nd, 2023

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Luke 10:29-37

Highlight Verse:

“The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬

My dad moved our family from Chicago to California to avoid racism. As diverse as California is, back in the sixties, he still encountered quite a bit of racism. When people found out that he, a Mexican, had married a very white woman, he encountered another level of prejudice.

At first he handled this by insulating us kids from the culture he grew up with. He refused to speak Spanish. The only Mexican friends he spent any time with were those he competed with in handball at the YMCA.

Eventually, he embraced his culture again when he went to work as controller for a tortilla and Mexican food company and got remarried to a Mexican woman.

I was glad for the diversity in upbringing. There were some awkward moments when I didn’t understand the language or the culture among his friends and step family. Nor did I understand those few times of prejudice that I saw when racist people figured out that I was half-Mexican.

Having been raised in two races and cultures, I don’t understand racism, but I know it still exists.

Through the story of the Good Samaritan, we see that Jesus himself came out against racism.

Do you ever have to encounter racism the way my dad did?
How do you handle it?
July 21, 2023

July 21st, 2023

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 19-21

Highlight Verse:

“But if I say I’ll never mention the Lord or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it!”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭20‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The one thing I remember from my first writer’s conference experience (when I worked at Mount Hermon in the ‘80s I ran the sound for the conferences) was Tim Hansel talking about his

blazing urge to write.

He could not keep his ideas inside his head. And he had some very insightful ideas (check out You Gotta Keep Dancing.)

I write fiction.

But the stories I write illustrate the truths that I can’t keep bottled in my head.

One big difference between Jeremiah and me is the more he told the truth about God, the more he was ridiculed and punished. The more I write, the larger my audience.

That leads me to ask myself,

“Do I have the same passion for expressing the truth of God that Jeremiah had?

“If my speaking out meant punishment, torture, and jail time, would I still do it?”

I believe I would. But one never knows until faced with the situation.

Do you have a “blazing urge” to write or speak out the truths of God?
Would you continue to do so in the face of persecution?
July 20, 2023

July 20th, 2023

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 2 Corinthians 7-8

Highlight Verse:

“We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honorable.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭8‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The context here is the handling of donations to help the believers in Jerusalem. Paul and those with him had taken the utmost care not only to handle that money with integrity but to be transparent so all could see they were handling it with integrity.

That integrity should carry over into all aspects of life.

We live in a society that values privacy above almost everything – except maybe convenience.

I have friends who can’t believe I have smart speakers in our home. They’re concerned that they are spying on us and could target us for what we say in our home.

To that I tell them, if they’re listening in to our home, they’re gonna get terribly bored.

When you don’t have anything to hide, you don’t worry about privacy beyond practical modesty and decency.

If you want to find out if you’re living a life of integrity, simply ask yourself, “If someone was listening in on everything I say, would I be embarrassed?”

If so, it might be time to bring some of the junk out into the open so you can deal with it.

To that end, I highly recommend Celebrate Recovery to get over life’s hurts, habits, and hangups.

Are there areas in your life that need to be brought out into the open so that you can act with greater integrity in them?
Do those around you see you as a person of integrity?
July 19, 2023

July 19th, 2023

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Samuel 17-18

Highlight Verse:

“He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:40 NLT

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭17‬:‭40‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If you read this through, you know that it only took one stone to kill Goliath.

Why did David grab 5?

Was he afraid one wouldn’t cut it?

It’s clear that David was running straight toward Goliath. While he was capable of loading his slingshot on the run, it’s unlikely he would have had time for a second shot had the first missed.

I believe he ran into battle with great confidence that one shot would take care of Goliath.

But Goliath had comrades, some of whom were his brothers and huge like Goliath.

David would have been a fool if he had not prepared to do battle with more warriors than Goliath.

He was no fool. Instead, he lead the people into battle against the Philistines starting with Goliath. And won!

Are you confident in your battles against the enemy?
Are you going into battle prepared for prevailing in the next four battles too?
July 18, 2023

July 18th, 2023

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Genesis 47

Highlight Verses:

““How old are you?” Pharaoh asked him. Jacob replied, “I have traveled this earth for 130 hard years. But my life has been short compared to the lives of my ancestors.” Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh again before leaving his court.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭47‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I found this whole interaction interesting.

Jacob obviously must have looked very old because – you guessed it – he was.

I got the impression that both Pharaoh and Jacob held each other in high regard.

This shouldn’t be surprising.

What jumped out at me is that Pharaoh’s respect for Jacob was likely highly enhanced by Jacob’s age.

More and more as I grow older, I can attest to that effect. The grayer my hair, the more deference most people show me.

Twelve years ago, when the clerk at Golden Corral asked if I qualified for the senior discount, I didn’t much appreciate it.

Now, less than a decade from retirement, I’ll accept that discount, and the respect – often with the simple gesture of me pointing to my gray head and uttering two simple words, “four teenagers.”

I look at today’s verse and am reminded that those older than me have more experience, more wisdom, and likely more knowledge than I.

I can respect that.

Have you stopped to think about the experience, wisdom, and knowledge of those who have been on this earth longer than you?
If you have been around long enough to show the signs of aging like me, have you experienced the increase in respect from others? Got any stories to relate about it?
July 17, 2023

July 17th, 2023

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Mark 14

Highlight Verse:

“Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭26‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This is another one of those “I never noticed that before” verses.

But then, as one who has been exposed to the Messianic Jewish culture, I am not surprised.

Song and dance played a prominent part of the culture.

That should explain why the longest book in the Bible is a book of songs (Psalms).

The song they sang to conclude the Passover meal was most likely the second half of the Hallel Psalms 115-118.

Right after those deep words of worship, they went out to Gethsemane where Jesus prayed in anguish as He faced what was about to happen.

Tonight we had a student night at a local park with another church. It was a lot of fun though many of us fairly melted in the heat.

At the end, a group got together in a circle and sang a worship song.

To me that was the best part of the evening.

That simple beautiful act focused my attention on why we were there in the first place.

I can’t help but think that the singing at the end of the Passover meal had the same effect on Jesus and His disciples.

Does the right music help you to focus on God?
Can you imagine what it would have been like to be in the room and listen to that group sing those beautiful Psalms?
What would that have felt like?
July 16, 2023

July 15th, 2023

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 86-88

Highlight Verse:

“Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭86‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I will confess tonight that the hour is late and my brain is a bit foggy after a very long day.

Like David, I am completely dependent on the Lord tonight.

David recognizes that he has much to learn from God and that the only way to have a pure heart is to seek that pure heart from God.

He is 100% dependent on God and he knows it.

It is so easy to rest on our accomplishments while God is knocking at our door trying to take us to the next level.

The next level is not achieved by the heights of our accomplishments but rather the depths of our dependence on God.

In what ways are you completely dependent or God?
What areas do we fall short of relying completely on God.
July 15, 2023

July 15th, 2023

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Genesis 2:21-24

Highlight Verse:

“This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Today we have a party.

Our second daughter is engaged so a bunch of friends and family are coming to celebrate with us today.

One of the reasons we celebrate is because this is how it was meant to be from the beginning.

As much as we sometimes don’t want them to grow up, our kids were meant to become adults.

They’re meant to fly from the nest.

They do best when they soar on their own wings.

In most cases, marriage to the right person brings about a new family with a new life of its own.

We have two more kids to go before we complete the transition to the empty nest. While I look forward to the time my wife and I will have together in retirement, I am more excited about seeing our kids launch into their own families.

Of course, the time flies too quickly so we will cherish each of these days we have with them now.

What stage of family life are you in?
What do you look forward to the most when your kids launch into their own lives?
What do you fear the most?

He experienced the pain of separation that we all deserve.

But it was followed by the joy of resurrection.

“Lord please save me from this flood.”

Jesus replied, “I sent two boats and a helicopter, what more did you want?”

But sometimes we have to go through some tough times to get back on the right track.

Having been raised in two races and cultures, I don’t understand racism, but I know it still exists.

Through the story of the Good Samaritan, we see that Jesus himself came out against racism.

blazing urge to write.

“If my speaking out meant punishment, torture, and jail time, would I still do it?”

That integrity should carry over into all aspects of life.

If so, it might be time to bring some of the junk out into the open so you can deal with it.

Why did David grab 5?

He was no fool. Instead, he lead the people into battle against the Philistines starting with Goliath. And won!

I got the impression that both Pharaoh and Jacob held each other in high regard.

I can respect that.

Song and dance played a prominent part of the culture.

Right after those deep words of worship, they went out to Gethsemane where Jesus prayed in anguish as He faced what was about to happen.

That simple beautiful act focused my attention on why we were there in the first place.

Like David, I am completely dependent on the Lord tonight.

The next level is not achieved by the heights of our accomplishments but rather the depths of our dependence on God.

One of the reasons we celebrate is because this is how it was meant to be from the beginning.

They do best when they soar on their own wings.