Tuesday Tomes - Getting Into the Psalms

Search Me, O God: Praying Reflectively with the Psalms (based on Psalm 139) will be the theme for my 2014 Lent and Easter teaching series at Valley Christian Church. In preparation for that series, I'm reading through these three books. I'm particularly looking for ways the Psalms can help the believer pray reflectively through guilt, fear, doubt, failure, fatigue, betrayal, loss, sickness, confession, grief, disappointment, and other "dark nights" of the soul.

The Case for the Psalms
(N. T. Wright)
Wright seeks to reclaim the power of the Psalms, which were once at the core of prayer life. He argues that, by praying and living the Psalms, we enter into a worldview, a way of communing with God and knowing him more intimately, and receive a map by which we understand the contours and direction of our lives. For this reason, all Christians need to read, pray, sing, and live the Psalms. By providing the historical, literary, and spiritual contexts for reading these hymns from ancient Israel’s songbook, The Case for the Psalms provides the tools for incorporating these divine poems into our sacred practices and into our spirituality itself. (Amazon)

Learning to Pray Through the Psalms 
(James W. Sire)
Sire teaches us to take our appreciation for this rich book of Scripture a step further. Choosing ten specific psalms, Sire offers background information that helps us read each one with deeper insight and then lays out a meditative, step-by-step approach to using the psalmists' words as a guide for our own personal conversation with God. A group study is also included in each chapter, along with a guide for praying through the psalm in community. The Lord loves when his people pray. And his Word is a powerful tool for framing honest, intimate prayers. Sire's innovative approach will enrich our minds and our souls as we read more perceptively and pray with all of our emotions.  (Amazon)

Reflections on the Psalms 
(C. S. Lewis)
Internationally renowned because of his earlier books, among them tape Letters, Surprised by Joy, Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis - making religion provoking, memorable and delightful is still more - latest Reflections on the Psalms. Though he protests that he writes - learned about things in which he is unlearned himself, the reader is likely- thank God for his wise ignorance. Here especially he throws a clear lightly or not, on many of the difficult psalms, such as those which abound with and cursing, and a self-centeredness which seems to assume' that God must be side of the psalmist. These things, which make some psalm singers pre- not there, have a right and proper place, as Mr. Lewis shows us. They - of Psalms more precious still. Many readers owe it to themselves to read - flections if only to learn this hard but simple lesson. Urge everyone to this book. (Kirkus Reviews)

Monday Music - One Lord, One Body

I need you, and you need me–
That’s the way it is in God’s family.
If you’re doing well, you’ll be my friend and guide;
If you need a hand, I’ll be at your side.
One Lord, One Body / One Lord, One Body
One Lord, One Body / One Lord, One Body

And when I fall, you pick me up.
When I’m thirsty, you can fill my cup.
If you win, then it’s my gain-
If you’re hurting, I will share your pain.
One Lord, One Body / One Lord, One Body
One Lord, One Body / One Lord, One Body

When you’re weighed down, I will share the load.
If you’re ever lost, I’ll help you find the road.
When I’m tempted, remind me what is right.
When I’m weary, please help me fight the fight.
One Lord, One Body / One Lord, One Body
One Lord, One Body / One Lord, One Body

Together we’ll carry the light--
Shining like the stars in the heavens.
One Lord, One Body / One Lord, One Body
One Lord, One Body / One Lord, One Body

"One Lord, One Body" words & music by Dave Burkum from the album, Fireside.  © Copyright 2006 by Dave Burkum (burkum.com).

Sunday Supplication - Living as God's Children

O Father, at his baptism, you proclaimed Jesus to be your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit. Today, we ask that you would help every one of us who have been baptized into his Name to live as your children. Help us to keep the covenant we have made with you, and help us declare with our words and our deeds that Jesus is truly our Lord and Savior.

Forgive us our sins. Renew us by your Spirit. Show us how to act, think, and live as Christ.  As you have forgiven us, make us merciful and ready to forgive those who have sinned against us.

O God, thank you for the love you have lavished on us, that we might be called your children. Help us to live as your children, to display your glory, and be a testimony of the difference you make in our lives. And as you are making a difference in us, help us in turn to make a difference in our world. Help us to be instruments of your saving grace and peace.

Through Christ, we pray. Amen.

Saturday Smile - Saggy Pants

Friday Favorites - This Boy

Have you heard about the Minnesota Beatles Project, Vol. 5?
My favorite track is "This Boy," by the Cactus Blossoms.

Thursday Thinking - How Many Days in a Year?

A recent Radiolab podcast –– The Times They Are a-Changin' –– explores the scientific questions about how and why the number of days in a year (and the length of months and days) has changed through our planet's history. To check it out on the image below, or HERE.

Wednesday Word - Winter Trees

All the complicated details
of the attiring and
the disattiring are completed!
A liquid moon
moves gently among
the long branches.
Thus having prepared their buds
against a sure winter
the wise trees
stand sleeping in the cold.

"Winter Trees" by William Carlos Williams, from Sour Grapes: A Book of Poems. © Public domain. There is a free Kindle version of this book.

Tuesday Tome - The Throne, the Lamb, and the Dragon

The New Testament book of Revelation has always been a bit of a problem for me. Sure, I like the parts about God making all things new and wiping away all tears from our eyes. I'm thrilled that the crucified Lord Jesus is alive forever and holds the keys of death. The new Jerusalem sounds fantastic and makes me want to say, "Amen, come Lord Jesus!" I'm inspired by the great songs of praise as the throngs upon throngs gather to sing a new song of praise in every language declaring, "Worthy is the Lamb!"

On the other hand, there are all those monsters and plagues that make Revelation perplexing and disturbing. It's like the scary house on the end of Bible Street. There are all those cryptic descriptions and symbols that evade understanding. Add to that descriptions of times, places, and events that swirl together in a cloud of confusion. Then, to complicate things further, we have all those writers and teachers and pastors who claim to understand everything and turn it into a bunch of timelines and charts. They make it sound as though it's a code they've cracked or a series of mystical secrets they've somehow be given special eyes to see. It's no wonder that most of us are frightened, confused, or apathetic about it all.

Having said all that, I'm happy to say I've found a great little book to that could give you a new perspective on Revelation. It's by Paul Spilsbury, and it's called The Throne, The Lamb, and the Dragon. It's one of the best introductory overviews I've seen and is an easy read of only about 150 pages. This book is written not for theological specialists, but rather for everyday Bible readers trying to figure out what to do with that famous yet baffling book at the end of the New Testament. I highly recommend it!

From the Back Cover...
The book of Revelation has long intrigued, puzzled and even frightened its readers. Surely it is the most misunderstood book in the Bible. And some faulty interpretations of Revelation are so entrenched in the consciousness of Christians that they are regarded as "gospel truth" and provide riveting plot lines for end-time fiction. But behind the ancient multimedia show that is Revelation lies a message both simple and profound. It is told in a language and grammar of faith that was clearly understood by its first Christian audience.

Much as a music video would scarcely have been understood by first-century citizens, though it is immediately understood by youthful audiences today, so we are puzzled by and misread Revelation. Paul Spilsbury has studied Revelation in the company of its best interpreters, those who have taken the time to enter the minds of the first-century Christians for whom it was originally written. And what has he found? Within the central images of a throne, a lamb and a dragon lies the answer. The gospel clearly proclaimed. The glory of God awesomely illumined. The work of Christ memorably embodied. The nature of evil hauntingly disclosed.

Here is a guide that will help us hear Revelation speak, once again inspiring grateful worship and calling us to costly discipleship.

Ron Spilsbury is professor of New Testament and chair of New Testament studies at Canadian Theological Seminary in Calgary, Alberta.

Monday Music - This Wintry Night

The days are shorter now, the nights are getting long.
Snowy drifts are forming on the driveway.
We might just have to put another blanket on
As the mercury disappears;
It could be a record low-
The coldest night we have all year.

We share an afghan as we snuggle on the couch;
We've got lots of ways to beat the weather.
Old Man Winter isn't bothering us now;
We're as warm as we've ever been.

Curling up in rosy flannel–
Shadows dancing by the candle–
Chocolate kisses by handful–
While the moon is shining bright
Through the frosty panes this wintry night.

Aboard a seven-fifty-seven headed South
The snowbirds make their flight to Arizona.
They think they're lucky but I say they're missing out
On the warmth a North wind brings
When you're sitting by a fire
Or listening to the teapot sing.

The corn is popping and the cider's on the stove;
And we're all set to play a game of Scrabble.
So let it snow, we've got our cozy little cove–
Safe and warm as we've ever been.

Curling up in rosy flannel-
Shadows dancing by the candle-
Chocolate kisses by handful-
While the moon is shining bright
Through the frosty panes this wintry night.

The days are shorter now, the nights are getting long.
Snowy drifts are filling every sidewalk.
But we'll be fine, just put another blanket on
And we're as warm as we've ever been–
Safe and warm as we've ever been–
Warm.

“This Wintry Night” words and music by Dave Burkum (written during a snowstorm on November 27, 1994), from the CD, Breathe a Little Deeper, © Copyright 2013 by Dave Burkum.

Sunday Supplication - The Wisdom to Seek

O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to those wise people who were seeking him. In the same way, we ask you to lead. We seek to know you by faith.

Make us aware of your presence, and help us see your glory in Christ Jesus. And help your Church to display your glory as we are transformed and led by your Spirit.

Forgive us our sins. Renew us by your Spirit. Show us how to act, think, and live as Christ.  As you have forgiven us, make us merciful and ready to forgive those who have sinned against us.

We thank you, Father, for your goodness to those who seek you. Give us the humility and the wisdom to seek you above all else. Give us the perspective and discernment to know what is true and what is real. Deepen our understanding of life. Help us to know what matters most.

Through Christ, we pray. Amen.

Saturday Smile - On the Brighter Side...

Friday Favorites - Fun with the Grandkids

On our recent holiday trip to Nebraska, we received this game as a gift. It's one of my favorite gifts because it's a nice game to play with my grandsons. It's not too hard, you can talk while you play, and it gives a good opportunity to be creative and develop a sense of mechanics. And, as a bonus, when you've finished a game, you can leave it out on the table because it looks like a piece of modern art!

Game Description from Amazon...
SUSPEND is a balancing game that is as easy to understand as it is difficult to master. The game comes with 24 notched, rubber-tipped wire pieces that hang from a tabletop stand. With each turn, a new piece is added to the transforming vertical sculpture, causing the balance to shift and the difficulty to increase. Recommended for ages eight years and up, this balancing game tests your nerves and helps develop hand-eye coordination, cognitive skills, and interpersonal skills.

Thursday Thinking - New Year's Rulin's

Have you thought about making any resolutions for the new year?  Way back on January 1, 1943, Woody Guthrie wrote a list of New Year's Day resolutions in his journal (he called them "rulin's").

I like the idea of making a list of rulin's. It demonstrates the importance of living with intention and commitment. Woody's list is a little long, but you have to admit everything on the list is pretty good for a man living on the road in 1943. The only rulin' I would have a hard time with much is #26.

NEW YEAR'S RULIN'S

1. WORK MORE AND BETTER

2. WORK BY A SCHEDULE

3. WASH TEETH IF ANY

4. SHAVE

5. TAKE BATH

6. EAT GOOD - FRUIT - VEGETABLES - MILK

7. DRINK VERY SCANT IF ANY

8. WRITE A SONG A DAY

9. WEAR CLEAN CLOTHES - LOOK GOOD

10. SHINE SHOES

11. CHANGE SOCKS

12. CHANGE BED CLOTHES OFTEN

13. READ LOTS GOOD BOOKS

14. LISTEN TO RADIO A LOT

15. LEARN PEOPLE BETTER

16. KEEP RANCHO CLEAN

17. DON’T GET LONESOME

18. STAY GLAD

19. KEEP HOPING MACHINE RUNNING

20. DREAM GOOD

21. BANK ALL EXTRA MONEY

22. SAVE DOUGH

23. HAVE COMPANY BUT DON’T WASTE TIME

24. SEND MARY AND KIDS MONEY

25. PLAY AND SING GOOD

26. DANCE BETTER

27. HELP WIN WAR - BEAT FASCISM

28. LOVE MAMA

29. LOVE PAPA

30. LOVE PETE

31. LOVE EVERYBODY

32. MAKE UP YOUR MIND

33. WAKE UP AND FIGHT

Wednesday Words - Forgetfulness

Happy New Year!  

Looking back over last year, I'm sure I have forgotten much more than I remember. That is, perhaps, one of the great mercies for which I should give thanks every New Year's Day. 

And so, as we begin another new year, let us celebrate things forgotten with this memorable poem by Billy Collins.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

The name of the author is the first to go
followed obediently by the title, the plot,
the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel
which suddenly becomes one you have never read,
never even heard of,

as if, one by one, the memories you used to harbor
decided to retire to the southern hemisphere of the brain,
to a little fishing village where there are no phones.

Long ago you kissed the names of the nine Muses goodbye
and watched the quadratic equation pack its bag,
and even now as you memorize the order of the planets,

something else is slipping away, a state flower perhaps,
the address of an uncle, the capital of Paraguay.

Whatever it is you are struggling to remember,
it is not poised on the tip of your tongue,
not even lurking in some obscure corner of your spleen.

It has floated away down a dark mythological river
whose name begins with an L as far as you can recall,
well on your own way to oblivion where you will join those
who have even forgotten how to swim and how to ride a bicycle.

No wonder you rise in the middle of the night
to look up the date of a famous battle in a book on war.
No wonder the moon in the window seems to have drifted
out of a love poem that you used to know by heart.

"Forgetfulness" by Billy Collins from Questions about Angels, ©Copyright 1999.