PSALM 23 - THE VOICE BIBLE

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The Eternal is my shepherd, He cares for me always.

He provides me rest in rich, green fields

beside streams of refreshing water.

He soothes my fears;

He makes me whole again,

steering me off worn, hard paths

to roads where truth and righteousness echo His name.

Even in the unending shadows of death’s darkness,

I am not overcome by fear.

Because You are with me in those dark moments,

near with Your protection and guidance,

I am comforted.

You spread out a table before me,

provisions in the midst of attack from my enemies;

You care for all my needs, anointing my head with soothing, fragrant oil, filling my cup again and again with Your grace.

Certainly Your faithful protection and loving provision will pursue me where I go, always, everywhere.

I will always be with the Eternal in Your house forever.

[In The Voice Bible, they alert you to words that are NOT in the original text by putting them in italics!]

GRIEF BURROWS DEEPLY - ONLY TO RESURFACE UNEXPECTED

Our son, Travis died in October, 2015 - that's over eight years ago.  

He had lived in many places due to his naval career, but several of our favorites were in the deep south:  Savannah, GA, King's Bay, GA, and Fernandina Beach, FL.  

We travelled through this region a couple of weeks ago on our way to visit Tracie and Jon and to celebrate Jon's retirement from the Navy.  

After a ten-day stay, we began our two-day journey back to Pennsylvania.  Naturally, our trip up Rte 95 took us through that corridor that included these three former places where Travis had lived.  As we passed each place, I mentioned it and reminisced about his homes and some of the fun places he'd taken us to visit or eat.  Deb remained noticeably silent most of our way home.  

Upon arriving home, I felt offended at the way she was dealing with me.  She was short and even critical of me, and I couldn't understand what I had done to upset her.  Several times, I asked her if I had offended her.  Each time, she told me that I had not.  But still, she seemed angry and quiet.

I'm not used to this, so I began to report to her that she was being mean to me.  She would apologize and tell me that she'd try to sweeten up.  But it didn't happen.  This went on for two or three days.

Finally, late one evening - after we had watched several episodes of our favorite show - I mentioned again that something was off.  She admitted that she was feeling angry but insisted that it had nothing to do with me.  We sat and read for an hour or so.  Then, at my usual bedtime, I announced to her and Gabe that I was going to bed.  

She sat on the edge of her chair and asked me to stay a bit longer.  

Then, she began to talk about her feelings.  She admitted that she was angry.  Then the words stopped.

Her shoulders began to shake - and I immediately knew what was wrong!

I got out of my chair as quickly as I could, knelt in front of her as she caved into my arms sobbing and weeping uncontrollably.  

What was this?

This was a mother's grief!  It's considerably different than a father's grief!  I've written about it before.  To my great surprise, my fourth-most-read-blog was titled "A MOTHER"S GRIEF" 

https://hal-lelujah.blogspot.com/2017/03/a-mothers-grief.html

Her downloading of grief seems to have helped.  She's doing better now.  We'll make it.

I write about this in hopes that reading about our grief might help you to deal with yours!  Most days are manageable.  The number of those days grows with the passing of time.  But the reality of our loss WILL revisit us!  And that's OK.  

THINGS THAT MIGHT HELP:

• Vocalize your sadness with a spouse, a friend, extended family, or a counselor.  Deb has several who have stayed sensitive to her throughout these years and I am deeply grateful for them.
• Journal your feelings.  There's something about the process of writing things down that allows the emotional pressure to slowly release!  Obviously, I do this via my Facebook page and my blogs!
• Get alone and pray!  Pour your heart out to God!  Weep!  Express your feelings - whatever they might be.  If we learn anything from the Psalms, it is that God can take our bluntness and our honesty!  He loves you so, and you will be comforted!
• If the weather is suitable - take a walk!  I do some of my best praying while I'm walking, hiking or backpacking.  I'm severely limited in my ability to walk now and I miss it terribly.  If you can't walk far, then find a bench near a pond, lake or ocean and soak in God's love!  

Final thought: If you'd like to talk with someone about your grief, I would be happy to get together with you.  I think Debbie would also be pleased to talk with you.  You can reach us both at halinasia@psmail.net

THE VOICE BIBLE'S INTRODUCTION TO ROMANS

Letter to the church in Rome

From Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles

Rome was the center of the known world; it was the cradle of civilization, commerce, culture - and home to a military machine under the command of Caesar, the most powerful man in the world.  The most influential city on the planet was on the frontier of the Jesus movement, a place where God was bringing together Jews and non-Jews into one community to follow Jesus' teachings.  A group of believers was gathering, and a church of great importance was forming from ragamuffin believers who had been touched by the power of the gospel.  But they do not appear to have had the leadership of the Lord's emissaries - those who had walked with and had been handpicked by Jesus.  The church would become the seedbed for the spread of the gospel across the known world, so Paul recognized the importance of articulating the whole gospel to the body of believers and preparing them for their missional calling in the world.

This letter from Paul, the emissary of Jesus, breaks all the previous molds.  He is writing to many people he does not know, is instructing a church he did not plant, and is challenging them to embrace their role in bringing the gospel to the people of Italy and Spain, despite the fact that he has not been able to model the work of missions and church planting in Rome as he had in other places.  What would Paul have to say to believers he had never met?  How would he proclaim the gospel in a letter?  In planting other churches, Paul surely told how the risen Jesus appeared to him.  Paul must have preached to them for untold hours (he was known for being quite verbose) about sin, redemption, justification, the cross, adoption, grace, love, life in the Spirit, and the power of the Anointed One to redeem all things.

This letter set the church in Rome on a firm foundation and ultimately became one of the most important pieces of literature ever written.  It has influenced some of the greatest minds and agents of change the world has ever known:  Augustine, Martin Luther, John Wesley, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Desmond Tutu, just to name a few.  It was one of the primary inspirations for the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century.  But most importantly, this letter written to Christians in an ancient city penetrates our hearts and minds today with a beautiful and pervasive view of the power of the gospel!

[The Voice Bible's introduction to the New Testament book of Romans]

HAVE YOU EVER TALKED WITH AN ANGEL?

I told our Foundery staff a story yesterday and have decided to 'go public' with it today!

If you know me, you'll probably know that I have taken many retreats over the years.  These retreats served a dual purpose:  spiritual refreshment and sermon planning.

I have a deep reservoir of memories from these times away which were usually about a week in length.  I found numerous places that accommodated my needs.  I wrote about some of those places in a blog in February: https://hal-lelujah.blogspot.com/2024/02/sitting-by-sea.html

One time, I was at Mt. Zion in Roaring Branch, PA.  They placed me in a small house with a living room/kitchen on the main floor and bedroom and bath on the second.  I was seriously isolated on a country road that only caused a few cars to go by in any given day.  No cell service - except for one spot in the driveway where - if the weather was right - I could get two bars and sustain a two-minute conversation with Deb.  :-)

My schedule changes a lot when I'm on retreat.  I sleep a lot at first.  Then, I fall into a routine that is determined as I go.  I may work half the night, then sleep a while and get up to go for a prayer hike.  

This night, I had worked all afternoon and evening.  In the dark of the night at around 3:00 AM, I had been reading my Bible.  Some of the verses I came to were:

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven."  [Matthew 18:10]

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it."  [Hebrews 13:2]

"Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?"  [Hebrews 1:14]

With my Bible on my lap, my head laid back against the lounger, and in the dim light of my retreat house, I began to wonder about these verses.  The following thoughts came to my mind:

• Did I actually have a guardian angel who accompanied me everywhere I went and in everything I did?
• Had this angel protected me at times that I was not aware of?
• Did he have the power to influence me?
• How many times had he guided me without me even being aware of it?

After pondering these machinations of my mind for a lengthy period of time, I considered the possibility of talking to my angel.  No one else would hear.  No one else would know - until now. 😉  Would he converse with me?  Would something supernatural take place if I ventured down this path?

Then, I just did it.

Reverently and respectfully, I began to thank my guardian angel for always being with me.  I wondered aloud if he had been involved at different times when I had experienced close calls?  I expressed appreciation for his twenty-four-hour watch over my life through all the years I had experienced up to that point!  

These moments were holy to me!  I felt the presence of God and much of my prayer diverted to Him for providing such a watch-guard over my life!  

I sat in the silence and dim light soaking in this precious moment.  

Eventually, I turned out the light, climbed the steps and fell into my bed!  I slept as soundly as I had ever slept - knowing that I was being protected by a strong, alert and capable warrior of God!  

No.  He did not speak to me.  And, no.  I have not made any attempt to speak to him again.  But I talk with his Boss - A LOT EVERY DAY!  

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?

In his first book, ON THE ANVIL, Max Lucado includes a description of a time when he sat down for an hour of uninterrupted thinking to write down what he believed - "Those bedrock convictions that are worth building a life on, that are worth giving a life for." [p.85]

The following was his list:

"There is a God whose all-consuming concern is whether or not I love Him.

I have a reason to be alive.

Money is not the answer.  Therefore, an abundance of it will not rule me.

I will never die.

My family loves me and I love them.

I will live forever, and heaven is but a wink away.

I control my moods...not vice versa.

I can change my world.

The most important element in the world is another human being."

I think most Americans are living without such a list.  Our busyness and constant activity has distracted us from the contemplative life!  We rarely - if ever - take time to reflect on things that really count and can make a sizeable impact on our lives.

We live in a world where values seem to have been pitched into a cultural blender.  We give assent to things that we don't really agree with; or we give a head-nod to behaviors we really abhor - just to honor the highest American value - TOLERANCE!  

With moral foundations crumbling all around us, we must reconsider our personal values and contributions to our society!  We can make a difference!  Especially if we stand together on the principles of our faith in God!  

SHE WAS SURPRISED THAT I KNEW THE HYMNS

I was leading a church that made a bold decision to make several key changes that would hopefully catalyze the church in growth with a specific age group: those in their twenties and thirties.  

One of these changes leaned toward being controversial.  It meant being deliberate about having people from the twenties and thirties on the platform every Sunday, AND changing our music to more fully represent the music interests of this age group.  

With the full support of the Leadership Team and their promise to defend our decision, we moved forward.  I immediately began recruiting from this age group to read scripture, make announcements and participate in as many ways as we could.  We also made an appeal for people from this group to be part of the worship team.  We made a concerted effort to target this age group's musical interests.

Of course, there was a quick lash back!  Although we had done our homework, explained our reasoning and were intentional about sustaining some of the music we had previously used, the older members of the congregation felt betrayed by our action.

FOOTNOTE:

Over the next two years our church family exploded in this age group!  The nursery crowded with babies and we had to add staff there!  This growth was pleasing to the older members who took pride in so many young families being part of our church!

We had one woman who was particularly upset with me for leading the church into this change.  She had a lovely soprano voice and volunteered from time-to-time to sing a solo during worship.  Several times, she promoted a choir during Easter or Christmas - which she led.  She was recognized throughout the community since she was a music teacher in the school system. 

During this time of change, she approached me critically over these adaptations we were making.  She was not happy about it!

During this same time period, she became seriously ill.  I went to visit with her and her husband in their home.  [When I home visit, I always bring my Bible and a hymnal which I would occasionally use to sing to older members and shut-ins.]  

In spite of her health condition, the subject of the church's music came up.  She openly expressed her dissatisfaction.  

I held up my hymnal, called her by name, and asked which hymn she'd like to sing together.  She made a comment that I probably wouldn't know the hymns that she liked.  I responded by telling her that I knew every hymn in the book!  She scoffed at that suggestion until I handed it to her and asked her to select a few.  Four times in a row, she handed it back to me with the encouragement:  "Sing this one."  Each time, I sang the hymn with her eventually joining in.  

By the end of our worship time, we were both in tears.

She looked at me with an incredulous expression.  "If you love the hymns so much, why are you leading us to sing this new stuff?"

I then explained that these twenty and thirty-somethings did not know and love the hymns the way I did!  If we wanted to reach them, we would have to adapt our music!  

I don't think she was ever happy about our changes, but the opposition stopped.  She continued to sing from time-to-time.  She and her husband continued to support the church,  with him reading scripture for me occasionally.  As mentioned above, they were delighted - along with the rest of us - to see the rallying of so many young adults and families who came to attend our church!  

A CLOSER LOOK AT A YOUNG, WEALTHY SEEKER

Matthew 19 includes the incident of a young, wealthy man who comes to Jesus with a vital question: 

"Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?"  [Matthew 19:16 NASB]   [All references will be from the NASB unless otherwise noted.]

Doing seems to be his way of operating.  

This reminds me of a story told in Acts 8.  

Philip was preaching in Samaria where a man named Simon "was astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great." [v.9].  The people came to think that he was working under the power of God.  But as Philip continued preaching, baptizing and performing great miracles - Simon was amazed.

Eventually, the apostles in Jerusalem heard about Philip's work and sent Peter and John to check it out.  These leaders prayed that the new believers would receive the Holy Spirit as they laid hands on them.  

Simon saw that the people's lives were radically changed, so he offered Peter and John money to give him the authority to do what they were doing.

"But Peter said to him, 'May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!  You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Therefore, repent of this wickedness of yours, and Ask the Master to forgive you for trying to use God to make money. I can see that this is an old habit with you, you reek with money-lust."  [vs.20-23]  [Underlined portion is from The Message]

"But Simon answered and said, 'Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.'" [v.24]

These men are radically different, but both are distracted by the acquisition and protection of wealth!  

Jesus engages the wealthy, young ruler in hopes of eliciting a response that would affect this man's heart.

"Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good;  but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."  [v.17]

The young man's response was without hesitation:

"Which ones?"  [v.18]

The rabbinic teachings included 613 commandments to be obeyed!  This young man seems to want to know which of these are most important. 

Here is where it begins to become interesting.  Jesus responds by listing several of the commandments from Exodus 20.

• "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER..."  [the 6th commandment in Ex.20]
• "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY..."  [the 7th commandment in Ex. 20]
•  "YOU SHALL NOT STEAL..."  [the 8th commandment in Ex.20]
•  "YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS..."  [the 9th commandment in Ex.20]

•  "HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER..."  [the 5th commandment in Ex.20]
•  "and, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."  [not one of the Ten Commandments]

CONJECTURE:

Was this a test?

Did Jesus want to see if this young man actually knew the Ten Commandments?

Now - to be fair - this last command actually does occur in the Torah.  It can be found in Leviticus 19:18.

"You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself;  I am the LORD."  

Jesus had also hinted at this teaching earlier in His ministry when He gave what we know as the 'Golden Rule': 

"In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets."  [Matthew 7:12]

In several more chapters, Jesus will emphasize and prioritize this teaching for some inquiring Pharisees [Matthew 22:37-40].

And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

It leaves us wondering why Jesus included this last commandment when it was clearly not one of the original Ten Commandments.  It would seem that Jesus was trying to stir something deep within this man.

However, the young man audaciously responds:

"All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?" [v.20]

A counselor - and certainly, Jesus - would notice that this man's response clearly is presumptuous! He views himself as righteous.  He lacks humility.  He seems to want Jesus to validate his self-thinking.  

But, instead, Jesus challenges him to do the one thing that would be hardest for him to do:   

If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven: and come, follow Me."  [v.21]

Jesus asks him to become like Himself: have no home, no place to lay his head, and to make all the world into his family!

But, alas, it is too great a request!  

But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property." [v.22]

___________________________________________

So many want the benefits of following Jesus without following Him!  He is crystal clear that we must not allow money to be our God!  Wealth is a powerful distraction!  In following verses, Jesus emphasizes this:

"Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven...it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  [vs.23-24]

Jesus makes a similar distinction regarding one's family!  

"Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, 'If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate [by comparison of his love for Me] his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple."  [Luke 14:25-26]

Following Jesus has implications! It involves priorities!  It requires focus!  It is not an accessory!  

New believers will not understand this at first.  That's okay.  As they mature, they will gradually-but-fully come to a greater realization of this truth!  The Holy Spirit will be their teacher!  The Word of God will instruct them!  A trusted mentor, coach, discipler, friend, teacher might support and encourage them on this journey!  The fellowship of a healthy church will model these priorities for them!  

O Lord, our God,

Help us not to be a stumbling block to those who are fresh and new in their walk with You!  Instead, enable us to be a trustworthy and dedicated guide.  To show them the footsteps we have found and are observing.  To encourage them and give them hope!  To stick with them and be available to them!  To pursue them if they falter!  To pray for them daily!  To model a vibrant faith relationship with You for them to see and grow from!  Do all this through the power of Your Holy Spirit!   Amen.