Tentpeg

Tentpeg

Judges 4:4-23
Psalm 70, 71
Acts 1: 15-26
Matthew 27:55-66

Judges 4:4-23

If I had to write a list of possible uses of a tent peg killing a general would not be there.

Tent pegs have evolved a lot in the forty years that I have been camping. my favorites of course are those nice wooden ones that I first knew. They split rather than bent like the more modern metal ones, especially the skewer type. I expect Jael used a wooden one and maybe a wooden hammer too. We always used a wooden mallet to drive in the wooden tent pegs. The tents were those green ridge tents, one room, no floor. We made gadgets out of sticks, preferably hazel to hang our wellington boots and store our clothes and bedding; knots and whipping and lashing, tripods for bowls and racks for clothing and bedding rolls. I was the gadget queen, perhaps I should have been an engineer. Perhaps it was just my desire 'to make things'- sewing, cooking, knitting, gardens.

Jael was not on vacation with Girl Scouts when Sisera came knocking at her tentflap. She was going about her daily business. She used what came to hand to resolve an international crisis. I might not have the opportunity to influence world affairs but I can influence the little world in which I move. Hopefully guided by God.


image http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Wooden_stake_holding_guy_rope.jpg

Earthquake

Judges 3:12-30
Psalm 72
Acts 1:1-14
Matthew 27: 45-54

Earthquake

Matthew 27: 45-54

Yesterday there was an earthquake in Southern California. Even though our son lives in Northern California I still contacted him to make sure that he was alright. "Earthquake" is one of those words which usually invokes an emotional response and emotion is usually fear or horror. Fear for safety or horror at the results of the earthquake.
There was an earthquake whilst Jesus was on the cross.
What do I do when I am afraid? Panic and pray.
The reactions of the bystanders on The First Good Friday was no different. Even the hardened Roman centurion saw God in Jesus. And he was at work, just doing his job.

A Muse

Judges 2:1-5, 11-23
Psalms 61, 62
Romans 16:17-27
Matthew 27:32-44

Matthew 27:32-44

A Muse -
They said "Get down from the cross".

Jesus did not. Neither did he take the pain numbing drink. He was conscious all the time. He endured the pain. He knew what was going to happen. He knew that he could get ff the cross because he knew that he was going to do even greater than that. He was going to walk out of a tomb after he had died.

Greet

Joshua 24:16-33
Psalms 56, 57
Romans 16:1-16
Matthew 27: 24-31

Romans 16:1-16

Each of the people mentioned in this passage is important to Paul. We tend to see a list of names, particularly unfamiliar ones and delight in the opportunity to skip a few verses. But each of these names is a person who touched Paul's life.
Yesterday we were at church in Jackson Wyoming. A beautiful location. The church is a made of logs. The parish is celebrating its centenary this year.

The sermon was a reflection on the priest's visit to his childhood home the previous week. He told us of sitting outside the house and reflecting on the memories within.
Later in the service he gave thanks for people who had influenced the spiritual development of members of the church. Rev Kenneth Asel had asked members of the parish to give him names of people who had helped them on their road to God. There are many who have influenced my life. Some I have already written about - Enid Williams my Girl Scout leader and my Grandma. (March 28). They did not go out of their way to talk about God, they just lived their life with Him.
If you have a companion on the street he is seen by the friends you meet.

Clouds

Joshua 8: 30-35
Psalm 119:49-72
Romans 14:13-23
Matthew 26: 57-68

Matthew 26: 57-68

Yesterday rain was forecast so we decided not to go for a hike. By lunchtime it was evident that the sun was going to shine so we went for a walk to Phelps Lake. As we were nearing the parking lot after the walk I looked back and saw black clouds coming through the pass. Talk dark threatening clouds. Today the only clouds evident are thin white whisps floating over the mountain tops.

Darkness was threatening Jesus.

Easter cards have delicate white clouds dancing across a brilliant blue sky.

I wonder what the clouds of heaven are like?

Tongue

Psalm 45

This week is weak. I have limited access to a computer.

"My tongue is the pen of a skillful writer".

I usually think before I write, may I always think before I use my tongue.

Mountains

Joshua 6:15-27
Psalm 63: 1-8, 98
Acts 22:30-23:11
Mark 2:1-12

Psalm 98

We are in the Tetons. Today we went on a hike. We crossed over a bridge. The bridge spanned a cascade of turbulent water*. Grand Teton towered over us, thunder rolled in the distance. The mountains and my heart were singing. May I tend your creation until you come again.

*Hopefully tomorrow you will be able to see a picture of this.

Refuge

Joshua 4:19-5:1, 10-15
Psalm 31
Romans 12:9-21
Matthew 26:17-25

Psalm 31

Refuge implies a fleeing and a place of safety, a need for help.

We started watching Charlie Wilson's War last week. The plight of the refuges in the camps are what goaded him into action. Many people gathered together in bad conditions and not able to help themselves any more in their flight from the evil they had left in their homeland.

7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.

How can I be your love to those in distress?

Patterns

Joshua 3:14-4:7

Psalm 37:1-18

Romans 12:1-8

Matthew 26:1-16

Romans 12:1-8

Paper patterns are fragile. They come all in one sheet. You have to cut apart the vital components trying to cut keep to the correct lines and not to tear the tissue. Jesus is our pattern for living. We have to be careful to follow the correct guidelines and not conform to the ways of the world around us. How essential is it to have a car for each person, to have more that one pair of shoes, to throw away and not recyle? How high do we hold complete integrity and honesty? Do we give to the poor or our retirement fund? The pattern of the world is easy to follow. Jesus' lines are not always to easy to see and decifer.

Waiting (Wednesday)

Joshua 3:1-13
Psalm 38
Romans 11:25-36
Matthew 25:31-46

Joshua 3:1-13

Can you imagine what it was like waiting on the banks of the Jordan? We went to New Orleans last April with the school jazz band. It was fun. One of the highlights for me was going to a concert in Preservation Hall.

"Concert in Preservation Hall" was written on the agenda. Now those in the know about such matters knew the protocol. I was not one of them, neither was my companion in the line. We were told "It is time to go to Preservation Hall" so we dutifully walked there but instead of going in we waited and we waited and we waited on the sidewalk. The line got longer. There seemed to be no movement just waiting and nobody near us seemed to know why we were waiting and not going in.

There is excitement at the prospect of a new experience but unease because of a delay, a feeling of wanting to get on with it.

Often life seems to be an unending waiting for a nudge or a whisper from God. After three days Joshua got the go ahead- but he had instructions to follow.

Waiting and listening.

Grafting

Joshua 2:15-24
Psalms 26, 28
Romans 11: 13-24
Matthew 25: 14-30

Romans 11: 13-24

Grafting is a way of propagating plants. A stick from the required variety is bound to a more basic but healthy and vigorous rootstock. The vascular cambium on the two parts must be aligned. Tissues from the two parts can then fuse and they can grow as one.

If we are grafted into God's family, dare I say family tree, then we receive our sustenance through Him. A good ol' knock though can separate the two parts of a graft. The roots in the ground can continue growing, throwing up new shoots of their own kind, the special part that was grafted in is useless thrown on the compost heap. I do not want my graft to be knocked. I want to protect it from violent winds and straying soccer balls. What can shake my faith as a hurricane snaps off branches and tears down trees? Or the curving soccer ball kicked by a budding Beckham strikes fruit tree that had strayed into the backyard soccer field. (This did happen to us. The 'Beckham' was very upset. Fortunately the tree was already dead but when the blow occured it severed the trunk at the graft.)
The scion never becomes disconnected from the rootstock. The rootstock feeds and waters the scion 24/7. May I keep myself open to God's food and water continually.

image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grafting

Lift Up, Triumph

Joshua 2:1-14
Psalm 25
Romans 11:1-12
Matthew 25:1-13

Psalm 25

I was a John Elway fan. Denver was playing on Monday Night Football the evening I was in hospital to have Naomi. Elway was injured so I was able to get on with the purpose of my visit.

I watched the 1998 Superbowl to the very end, that is not the end of the game but the part where the victorious quarterback holds aloft the Vince Lombardi Trophy grinning all over his face and turns around so that the whole arena can absorb the triumph.

Do I lift up my soul to God, exultant in the knowledge that my trust in Him will bring me to the goal of my life?

"Do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me."

May I watch out for those sins which seem to make me do what I do not want to do. (I am with Paul there).

4 Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths;

5 guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.

This is my prayer for the day.

image
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vince_Lombardi_Trophy

Praise

Joshua 1:1-18
Psalms 148, 149, 150
Acts 21:3-15
Mark 1:21-27

Psalms 148, 149, 150

Life seems to go better when you give praise to God and thank him for all circumstances. As I have said before the death of a child is not particularly anything to sing about but our two subsequent daughters have certainly given us plenty of joy. The following 'poem was written quite a few years ago when a lost sock was almost a daily feature and blackened and blue sandwiches uneaten for unknown reason were not uncommon.

Math majors are not trained to write poetry. It is as it comes. I am sorry if the lack of elegance and disregard for the finer regulations in poetry writing offends you. Please accept the thoughts behind the words and sing or write your own song.

On Psalm 150

Praise the Lord in all your ways,

Praise him twenty-four hours a day.

Praise him in the morning call

Before the dawn to raise them all.

Praise him in the missing sock,

The daily tumult of the little flock.

Praise him when the school bus comes.

Oh yes!

Praise him during the summer rest.

Is this a test?

Where's my rest?

Praise him in the dirty socks,

Last week's sandwich in a box.

Praise him in the grocery store.

Praise him whilst you scrub the floor.

Praise him through the heavy storm.

Praise him when you feel forlorn.

Praise him in the golden sun.

Praise him for his Savior Son.

Praise him for all you see.

Praise him in all you be.

Praise him in your smile.

Praise him as you go the extra mile.

Fig Tree

Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Psalms 20, 21:1-7

Romans 10:14-21

Matthew 24:32-51

Matthew 24:32-51

We have a fig tree. It is the variety 'Alma' which does not grow into a large tree. I think the fruit taste very good but we seldom get to taste it as birds sit on the fence waiting for individual fruits to ripen. This year it is laden with fruit. I hope to occassionally beat the mocking birds to the prize.

The first time I had figs that were not dried brown figs was at the Castle Hotel in Llandovery. We were on our way home from a vacation and stopped for dinner. I think it was a set menu with no choice for dessert. Whatever the reason for eating the figs it certainly was a choice delight. I fell in love with figs. The figs at Llandovery were green and in a light syrup, served with fresh cream. I fell in love with fresh figs. Hence the first tree I planted in our backyard was the fig tree.
I cannot devote the same amount of time as the mockingbird who inhabits the plum tree does to watching the figs ripen but I go out early every morning and monitor fruit for a potential breakfast. This is a convenient time for watering the pot plants on the patio. It falls into my daily business. All those things that I do whilst waiting for Jesus to come back though I have to admit that I seldom give that event a first or second thought each day.
We have been given a wonderful world, due sparkling on the early morning grass, blue sky and rain, rushing silver mountain streams and the ponderous mud laden Mississippi. Fruits from the backyard and fruits from Chile and California, all are part of the wonderful creation which we have been given to husband until the return of its maker.

Rain

Deuteronomy 31:7-13, 24-32:4
Psalms 16, 17
Romans 10:1-13
Matthew 24:15-31

Deuteronomy 31:7-13, 24-32:4

A bicycle is not a good form of transport in the rain. There is no cover for ones clothing. Passing cars and trucks spray muddy water. My bike was my transport for quite a few years. One evening it was raining - not a surprise considering I was in England. This was real rain, almost torrential enough to qualify as Texas rain. I was going to a formal party and hence wearing a long dress. Usually being a person to put practicalities before glamor when it comes to dressing (this aspect of my personality often gives some members of my family great opportunity for jovial ridicule, the other members of the family are with me in their metaphorical wellies) I wore my wellington boots and took my cute shoes in a bag. I had to empty my boots of water.

Rain enough to fill ones wellingtons or a gentle mist, the God given water gives life to plants and people. God's teaching comes in many forms. Gently through the ministering of friends and casual encounters in grocery stores and market places, at work and at play or more vehemently in the designated places where it is sought of sermons and books.

Spirit of the living God fall afresh on me.
Spirit of the living God fall afresh on me.
Break me, melt me, mould me, fill me.
Spirit of the living God fall afresh on me.

Daniel Iverson 1890-1977

Deep Waters & Rock

Deuteronomy 3:18-28
Psalm 18:1-20
Romans 9: 19-33
Matthew 24:1-14

Psalm 18:1-20

16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.

Windermere has just started to swim. I suppose with a name like Windermere one would expect him to swim though he is named after the Oscar Wilde character, Lord Windermere. Windy swims at the dog park. He is very pleased with himself. If there is a dog in the park who Windy wants to impress then he will go to the pool and swim. He usually hugs the side of the pool but recently he has been going across the pool. I have already tried to fathom the depth of the pool, wondering whether to go in myself or send Becky if Windy has problems. I do not know if the hound is worried about the depth of the water if the fear is a result of my imagination. I am not sure what I fear. Maybe that Windy will forget how to swim, certainly not that a large wave will come and bowl him over then the undertow will drag my furry baby out to sea. There is no ocean. There are no waves.
What is there to fear from the depths of the doggy pool?
Life can be scarry. We can embark on projects that are too much for us. Life and its commitments of time and money can be overwhelming. God is there and in control. I know.

And for Rocks and one of my favorite places see April 3rd.

Recipe

Rock Buns

1.5 cups of flour
3 tps baking powder
0.5 tps mixed spice or pumpkin pie spice
0.5 tps ground nutmeg
1 stick margarine
1 cup raisins
0.25 cup dried peel (optional but I would not omit it)
0.5 cup sugar
1 egg
milk to mix

1. Place flour and spice in a bowl, rub in margarine until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
2. Add raisins, peel and sugar. Mix well with a spoon
3. Add egg, mix
4. Gradually add milk and mix until the mixture is a stiff dough.
5. Spoon into small piles on a greased baking tray.
6. Bake 15-20 minutes at 375 deg F.

Eat with your tea!

Open My Eyes

Deuteronomy 1:1-18
Psalm 119:1-24
Romans 9:1-18
Matthew 23:27-39

Psalm 119:1-24

18 Open my eyes that I may see

wonderful things in your law.

Psalm 119, the longest psalm in the Bible is acrostic;* the verses of each stanza begin with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Also each verse contains a word for the 'law'.
My eyes need continual opening to see God's path for me but his psalm is not about following God's unique path designated for me but it is an adoration of God's Law, not a concept which fills me with joy. The Ten Commandments have always been a problem for me, particularly memorizing them and trying to keep them in order in my brain. We had to learn the Ten Commandments in Primary (Elementary) School. I am not good at being given a list and having to memorize it. I am alright if I can see some logic in the progression of the list or find a way to help me keep the elements in order. My friend, Jane, in high school was very good at French. She had no problem with vocabulary but geometry theorems were a foreign language to her. Whereas I could not deal with the French vocabulary and could not understand how Jane could not see the logical conclusion of a theorem or prove the theorem if she she could not remember the given words. Hence the idea of the Old Testament Law was not a delight to me.

It was with great delight when I discovered Jesus' rendering of the Law

Matthew 22:36-40 (New International Version)

36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'^[a] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'^[b] 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Only two items to remember.

Now all there is to do is DO IT.

Footnotes:
* NIV footnote

1. 1. Matthew 22:37 Deut. 6:5
   2. Matthew 22:39 Lev. 19:18

1918 was the year the first World War ended. A friend Maurice pointed this out to us in a Bible Study in Brookmans Park.

Washing the dishes

Numbers 35: 1-3, 9-15, 30-34
Psalms 5, 6
Romans 8:31-39
Matthew 23:13-26

Matthew 23:13-26

Dishwashers do not have eyes. This is a distinct disadvantage as they just cannot see the last bit of tomato sauce that caked on the plate. It is easy to give a glance and just look at the outside of a cup. Think what sometimes goes into a cup. In our house it is usually hot tea. I use the real thing, no sweepings in sealed in bits of tissue. I am a leaf and strainer person. I use a teapot and only use my cup for drinking the tea, not for brewing too. What is left afterward a delightful cup of tea is the dregs. A few leaves and a mixture of tea and milk. leave the cup lying around for a few days because you were not organized enough to take it to the dishwasher or to wash it that day and the liquid evaporates. Wash the cup. The dishwasher is oblivious to the dried remains of your delicious tea. Be tidy and put the cup in the cupboard. Now when you get it out tomorrow thee is a high probability that there will still be a dark rim around the inside of the bottom of the cup. Do not fprget to look in the bottom of a cup before you use it.
How good do I look? Are my clothes and face clean? Is my hair brushed? Do I smell of this morning's doggy walk and closet cleaning? You might have to get a little closer to discover the answer to this. What am I thinking? You might never know the answer to this ( I might neither).
all may look good but it might not be so. Just so with us as with the Pharisees.

Eat some scones with your tea. That's really good.

Scones

8ozs flour- about one and a half cups
3 teaspoons baking powder
1.5 tablespoons margarine
milk to mix
jam
cream

Place the flour and baking powder in a bowl with the margarine. Rub in the margarine until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add enough milk to for a soft but nor sticky dough. Turn onto a floured board. Cut with a 2 inch cookie cutter and place on a greased baking tray.

Bake at 425 deg F for 15 minutes until golden.

Cool
Whip cream (unsweetened)
Cut into half horizontally.
Spread with jam and top with a dollup of cream

picture : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Scones.JPG

Groans

Numbers 32:1-6, 16-27
Psalms 1, 2, 3
Romans 8:26-30
Matthew 23:1-12

Romans 8:26-30

Yesterday we were watching the Wimbledon Men's Final. This is almost a religious ritual for a Brit. Wimbledon, A Levels and GCS Exams are held at the same time of year and this is a problem. How to Wimbledon is due concentration and keep the parents at bay. GCSE s are taken at the end of tenth grade and the results are partly used as a basis for offers to university. A levels taken in the final weeks of high school form the complete basis for acceptence to university. During the year students are given the offer of a place based on their A Level performance, hence the whole future hinges on those exams. And they happen at the same time as Wimbledon.
There is silence whilst play is in progress but play is not silent. The shout of the Umpire as the ball touches the line, the thump of the ball as the 124 mile an hour serve smashes the line, the whack of the ball leaving the racket and always the grunt of a player as he energizes the ball. Nadal is a grunter. Groans that words cannot express as the whole of the body and mind is spent on succeeding, of gaining the point.
This is the amount of effort that the Holy Spirit is willing to spend on the true desires of my heart. There is no point in playing a final without faith in winning.

Numbers 24:12-25
Psalm 137:1-6, Psalm 144
Romans 8:18-25
Matthew 22:23-40

Psalm 137:1-6, Psalm 144

As a teenager in Pembrokeshire all I wanted to do was head east to the action. Nothing happened in Pembrokeshire- it was the end of the world - well it almost is the end of Britain. Fifty years later I would really appreciate going back to that western outpost of British civilization.
I like to swim. I go to a health club and swim laps. I keep track pf the laps by singing (in my head) a hymn with each succeeding letter of the alphabet in its first line. The connection between this and my growing appreciation of my Welsh youth? My knowledge of hymns is based on the many hours spent in school assembly. Everyday we sang a hymn, the whole school gathered together- except for the Roman Catholics. How life has changed. I love Pembrokeshire, singing hymns and I worship with Catholics.

Wedding Clothes

Numbers 23:11-26
Psalms 131, 132, 133
Romans 8:1-11
Matthew 22:1-14

Matthew 22:1-14

Two years ago I went to San Francisco with the local high school choir. One of my most memorable events was when they sang on the steps in the City Hall. The choirs stood at the foot of the main staircase. The upper floor was a gallery where numerous weddings were being conducted. One had a hundred guests and one three. Some brides were in a long white gown, one in a short yellow dress and the rest are lost in my memory. They were all in the right place at the right time and it was obvious who was the bride in each ceremony.
Sometimes we can take ourselves to church on a Sunday, say and do all the right things but our heart is cooking the dinner and planning the afternoons shopping expedition. God knows what we are really wearing.

Harvest

Numbers 22:41-23:12
Psalm 119:145-176
Romans 7:13-25
Matthew 21:33-46

Matthew 21:33-46

One of my favorite hymns which I never sung in the US but which is sung frequently at harvest time in Britain is

We plough the fields, and scatter
The good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered by God's almighty hand:
He sends the snow in winter,
The warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine,
And soft refreshing rain:

All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above;
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,
For all his love.

M. Claudius Tr J M Campbell

The harvest of my life is all given from God. It is his, not mine. I need to acknowledge this and not give myself the glory or keep anything for myself except the minimum wage. Ouch.

Numbers 22:21-38
Psalms 120, 121, 122, 123
Romans 7:1-12
Matthew 21:23-32

Numbers 22:21-38

This is such a fantastic story that it cannot be overlooked! A donkey that see's God's messenger when the prophet, his master does not. Not only does the donkey see the angel but he also takes responsive action. The prophet, not seeing the angel maltreats the donkey. At this the donkey gets so frustrated with his master that he talks.


Sometimes we are so bent on running our own course that we do not see God's helpers.
Sometimes we are so bent on running our own course that we do not listen to the messages that God is sending us.
Sometimes God talks to us in unexpected ways.