This song says it all!
Here I am Lord
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Pentecost Sunday – Come Holy Spirit!!!
Today we celebrate the birth of the church. It was on Pentecost that the Lord sent the Holy Spirit on his followers, and they went from uneducated, scared men and women to those who boldly proclaimed the good news.
Passover is followed by Shavuot. This is the Feast of Weeks when the Israelites would bring an offering from the first of the wheat harvest. This Feast of Weeks was seven weeks, or 49 days. The Sabbath following – or the 50th day after Passover – was Shavuot. When the New Testament was written in Greek, the Greek word for fiftieth was used – Pentecost.
In Acts 2 we are told that the followers of Jesus were gathered together spending time in prayer and waiting for the promised Holy Spirit Jesus said He would send.
What a difference the Holy Spirit made.
Earlier Peter had denied Jesus and fled from the courtroom where Jesus was facing his accusers. After the crucifixion of Jesus, we find Peter with the other disciples hiding behind locked doors fearful that they also would be killed.
Then the Holy Spirit came.
Peter now became a bold witness of Jesus and when faced with positive harm, declared “we must obey God rather than man.”
As we celebrated Pentecost today, one statement the minister said really spoke to me.
“Do I really expect the power of the Holy Spirit to work in my life?
As I ponder this question, another one that arises is:
How would my life be different if I really expected – and allowed – the Holy Spirit to work in my life?
Something I will be seriously reflecting on this week.
View from the Parsonage
Looking back at my first blog – Still no book but maybe some day.
Pastor’s Wife
For many years I was a pastor’s wife.In many ways, itwas a blessing for which I am thankful. What a privilege to be allowed into the lives of families at those veryjoyous times: weddings, baby dedications, graduations, anniversaries. I have enjoyed providing the music for many a bride to walk down the aisle.
It was also an honor to share with families at those sad times: deaths, divorce, sickness. While “enjoy” is probably not the right word to use, I have felt blessed to provide music for the funeral of many a dear saint.
What a joy to share God’s Word in a class with the children or young adults and to see that moment when their eyes light up with understanding, to watch them grow in their walk with the Lord!
But if I am honest, I must admit that there are also times when being a…
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Jesus’ Political Platform
We often look at the Beatitudes as a moral code. We see it as an ideal that no one can really live up to. Perhaps it is a goal that we strive to achieve so that God will grant us entrance to heaven some day.
As we head into another presidential campaign, we see politicians come out of the woodwork to announce their run for office in 2024. A big question is asked: “What is your platform? What issues are important to you? What will you do for the American people?”
Jesus came not running for a political office. In fact, He said His kingdom was not of this world. Yet, He had a platform. He had a plan for how His government would function. Sadly, the majority of his listeners did not sign up for his program.
Sadly, even today, we refuse to really take his ideas seriously.
“The work of the kingdom is in fact summed up pretty well in the beatitudes. Blessed are the poor, the mourners, the meek, those hungering for justice, the merciful, the pure-hearted, peacemakers, and the persecuted. These people are not only blessed, but more than that, even in their vulnerability and weakness, they are the ones precisely through whom Jesus intends blessings to flow to others. These sayings are about the type of people through whom Jesus intends to transform the world. When God wants to change the world, he doesn’t launch missiles. Instead, he sends in the meek, the mourners, and the merciful. When God wants to put things to right, he doesn’t scramble combat jets, he calls people to love and do justice. Through those kinds of people, the blessings of God’s reign began to appear in the world.” N.T. Wright
Oh that God would grant us a man/woman who would not mouth religious statements, but really live by God’s platform. Oh, that we would be a nation that would support such a candidate.
Things Mother Never Said to Me!
It’s almost Mother’s Day – and my memories of Mom keep coming back so strong. She was such a feisty lady. In her 60’s she drove a bright yellow car and slowed down only slightly for stop signs. She loved to show my daughters how to do the Charleston. (Does the younger generation today have any idea what that is?)
She gave me a lot of good advice (some I followed, some I did not). But in honor of her great sense of humor, I thought I would share some things my mother NEVER said to me. (And I’m sure there are things other mothers have NEVER said to their children.)
- How on earth can you see the TV sitting so far back?
- Just leave all the lights on…it makes the house look more cheery.
- Let me smell that blouse…yeah, it’s good for another week.
- If Susan’s mother says it’s OK, that’s good enough for me.
- If everybody else jumps off the bridge, be sure and join them.
- Your curfew is just a general time to shoot for. It’s not like I’m running a prison around here.
- Don’t worry about sharing your candy with your sister. After all, it is yours.
- You are too tired to do your homework tonight. OK. Just be sure and turn off the TV by bedtime.
- Don’t worry about wearing a coat. Spring is only two months away.
- I don’t have a Kleenex with me. Just use your sleeve.
I Want to Save the World
So many times, I think we have a “special” moment in our devotion time or listening to a good song or a good message. We get all excited and are ready to go out and save the world.
But, in reality, we often miss doing what Jesus has asked of us in our daily normal lives.
My son loaned me a book by Max Lucado called, “On The Anvil.” To be honest I have never read a book by Max Lucado before. In reading this book, which is a collection of some of his writings – all short, I loved this one. It speaks to our desire to save the world.
Thank you Max Lucado.
(Scene, Sunday morning assembly; silent prayer)
Max: God, I want to do great things
God: You do?
Max: You bet! I want to teach millions! I want to fill the Rose Bowl! I want all the world to know your saving power! I dream of the day—
God: That’s great Max. In fact, I can use you today after church.
Max: Super! How about some radio or TV work…or…or…or an engagement to speak to Congress.
God: Well that is not exactly what I had in mind. See that fellow sitting next to you?
Max: Yes.
God; He needs a ride home.
Max: (quietly) What?
God: He needs a ride home. And while you’re at it, one of the older ladies sitting near you is worried about getting a refrigerator moved. Why don’t you drop by this afternoon and-
Max: (pleading) But what about the world?
God (smiling) Think about it.
Quotes from Pastor Paul
My husband has always liked short, but meaningful quotes that he reads or hears. He has a notebook where he writes them down. He also has just come up with many on his own over the years of teaching/preaching.
I am getting a new computer (my current one is almost eleven years old and just cannot keep up with all the new updates in the internet world). It’s like driving a model T car on the interstate. Does not work.
Going through all the documents and pictures I have accumulated in those eleven years is crazy. What needs to go to the trash bin and what needs to be saved to a new computer???
Going through my husband’s folder, I found one of his lists of quotes. Some are serious and thoughtful; some are just silly. Most of these are his own, but if there are any that are not original to him, I apologize for the plagiarism.
Before deleting, I thought I would share.
- Say “no” to sin and “yes” to God.
- Eternity is too long to be wrong.
- What part of “thou shalt not” did you not understand?
- You have a right to be wrong if you want to.
- There is more to serving God than 11 am on Sunday morning.
- Emotion without devotion is just commotion.
- Serving God is walking straight after you repent.
- I never saw a U-Haul behind a hearse.
- If you want something out of church, put something in.
- It is not what Grandma told you, what you think or what you saw that is the truth, but what “thus says the Lord.”
Prayer for Spiritual Revival
Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess we have lost our thirst for the waters of life, having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity, and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms will show your masterly, where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars, we ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes and to push into the future in strength, courage, hope and love.
Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596)
The Pastor’s Prayer
While I would never pray this prayer (out loud), I must confess as one who has been a pastor’s daughter, a pastor’s wife and now a pastor’s mother, I might “think” this prayer in silence. 🙂
At the beginning of the Sunday morning church service, the pastor prayed:
“May the members of my congregation be as free with their money as they are with their advice, and may their minds be as open as their mouths.” Source: MAAW
“May we pray earnestly and truthfully in church as they do in the casino.”
Amen!
Home
Love this thought! I find myself often thnking that.
The day had been long, but it was almost over. I stood clearing my desk as the children visited, quietly waiting for the bus calls. Time was dragging.
Then, I noticed a small face peering over the stack of papers on my desk. The six-year-old boy had inched up silently and now stood thoughtfully watching me.
I looked over and gently asked, “What do you need, Jay?”.
He lifted his eyes to me and said, “Teacher, don’t you wanna let’s go home?”
I often think of that afternoon and that little boy who voiced a question that resonates in my heart.
Some days life is hard, and the road is long.
Some days the lessons have tried my soul and my brain.
Some days I look up to Heaven and say, “Jesus, don’t you wanna let’s go home?”
II Corinthians 5:1 Forweknowthat if our earthly house of this tabernaclewere dissolved,wehave…
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Grandma's Ramblings 