5 Nov
Pslam 131- O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore. (ESV)
5 Nov
Things are reaching critical mass now. It’s nearly 7:30 pm and the movers will be here in about 14 hours. There are still MANY things left undone. Any hope of a relaxing evening is quickly slipping away. It looks like it’s going to be a long night. I’m quickly running out of gas, but Linda continues to chug along like The Little Engine That Could. She’s incredible!
I’ve been doing a lot of work with my hands these past two weeks and they’re beginning to show it. Five of my fingers have those painful cracks that are like little paper cuts. How can such small wounds hurt so badly? They look like the gnarled fingers on the hands of the fantastic wood carvers I remember from the Alpine village of Oberammergau, Germany.
It finally struck me today that in less than 48 hours we will be headed for Sioux Falls. I’ve grown very fond of Pittsburgh, but I have a history of growing to like the places where I live. What really hit home today is that I will be leaving so many good friends and colleagues behind. There are many great cities in this world, but it’s the people who make a city worth living in. Thank God that the digital age has given us so many ways to remain in contact.
God continues to bless us with good weather…just give us 24 more hours please! It looks like rain on Friday, but our moving van should be well underway before then. Please lift up your best weather prayers for us and join me as I pray:
Dear God–my wife and I are moving to a new place. Please make this a smooth and joyful experience in every way. Please decide for us how the details should unfold to reveal your perfect will in our lives and the lives of those we are following there. Thank You for providing all of the resources and and wonderful people who have helped us prepare for this adventure. Help us to trust You, knowing that your perfect will is for us to be joyful in Christ, regardless of the place or circumstances we find ourselves in. I pray this in Christ’s name.
Tomorrow promises to be a very busy day, so I will most likely remain silent until the end of day 6 when, God willing, we’ll be on the road.
4 Nov
Somebody call 911. My 60 year old body is rebelling today. I had to make an unplanned trip to the chiropractor this morning. For the record, my sacroiliac joint (did I spell that right) locked, causing severe muscle spasms in my lower back. Thank God for “Complete Chiropractic Health’ in Cranberry Township and Dr. Eric. I’m good to go for another 100,000 miles.
Today was an exercise in the fine art of packing. The easy stuff is done and now it’s time to figure out how to pack those 20 lawn chairs that somehow ended up in the garden shed. First we had to remove the residue from the psychopathic squirrel that ravaged the shed. Yuck! Squirrel mess cleared, shed packed and on to the next task.
Many thanks for the prayers. Weather report is still good for a moving day on Thursday. God help us. Nana took the grand kids to a movie and dinner at “Fun for All” this evening. How she musters the energy to deal with those three wild dogs is beyond me. After 38 years of marriage I continue to be amazed by her tenacity and energy. It’s not like Linda is a ball of energy. She just digs down deep to pull it out. Amazing woman!
Tomorrow looks like more creative packing…trying to figure out how to ship those odd remaining items. Hoping to finish up in time to enjoy a bit of relaxation time in the evening. I must be hallucinating!
God is good! All of the “to do” lists seem to be getting shorter. Dreading saying goodbye to “the Burgh,” but at the same time looking forward to seeing Sioux Falls for the first time. I hope it lives up to the expectations our daughter and son-in-law have cultivated.
I’m beginning to realize that writing a daily blog entry isn’t so easy. Where is my muse?
3 Nov
Moving is hell on Earth. By my count this is the 18th time that my wife Linda and I have relocated. Most of those moves were courtesy of Uncle Sam and my Army career. Military moves are very structured and come with a great support system. Civilian moves are much more difficult to manage.
Linda and I moved out of our condo about two weeks ago and have been living in a bedroom in the home of our daughter and son-in-law–the ones who are moving to Sioux Falls. Into this single room we’ve crammed a queen size bed, desktop computer and desk, large screen TV, a chest of drawers, clothes stand, piles of boxes and the list continues.
Only two more prep days remain before the movers arrive and we still have so much to do. Three days remain before the house we’re living in closes. Timing is critical. We’re praying for sunny weather on move out day and that the movers are on time and finish quickly. God help us! There are so many details to deal with.
Today was full of small victories–fuel and oil removed from a snow blower and a lawn mower. We bubbled wrapped and boxed the power tools. The garage is beginning to look manageable. Sadly, almost everything inside is coated with a fine layer of dust from the new drywall ceiling that son-in-law Nate and I installed last week. The dust seems endless. There are countless bags of trash, much of it stuff accumulated over years of occupying the house…things that never get tossed because you’re afraid you might need them sometime.
Tonight we’re focusing on individual details of moving out of the house, things like beginning to pack suitcases and garment bags. Energy levels are running low. Time to get the kids bathed and put to bed. On top of the moving work we still have to deal with the demands of three small boys, a large dog and an extroverted cat. On Friday afternoon, after the closing on the house we’re leaving behind, we’ll pack the kids, animals and luggage into four cars and roll for Sioux Falls. We’re going to have a convoy. Yikes!
2 Nov
When I started this blog I wanted to focus on things that make life simpler. That seemed pretty easy at the time. Today my wife Linda and I are making preparations to follow our grand kids from Western Pennsylvania to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. No matter how much I wanted my life to be simple, this isn’t going to be simple. God please help us along this new path! Check in daily to see how things are going. Sioux Falls or bust! Check back tomorrow to see how things are going. God help us!
22 May
![Graduate [2]](https://divine-simplicity.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/graduate-2.jpg)
A couple of years ago I wrote an article for my newspaper column with some advice for recent grads. It has become one of the most popular pieces I ever wrote. I received dozens of emails thanking me for writing it. I therefore decided to re-publish it annually around graduation time. I hope some of you find it useful. You can view the original article at this link: http://goo.gl/LtN72
For those who are graduating high school this year and beginning the long transition into adulthood, I’d like to offer you a gift. Here are five enduring truths I’ve learned. They will help you through life’s journey.
Choices
“If you decide to just go with the flow, you’ll end up where the flow goes, which is usually downhill, often leading to a big pile of sludge and a life of unhappiness. You’ll end up doing what everyone else is doing.” ― Sean Covey, The 7 Habits…
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11 Jan
In 2005, the USA Today described how a group of bewildered shepherds near Istanbul, Turkey stood helplessly by as one of their sheep jumped to its death over a cliff. Then, to their dismay, some 1,500 additional animals followed the first one. In the end, about 450 sheep lay dead in a heap at the bottom of the cliff. The losses would have been far greater had not the fall of the later jumpers been cushioned by the pile of carcasses at the bottom of the heap.
Sometimes people behave like these unfortunate sheep, failing to look before they leap. This is a particularly difficult problem for many Christians in the west today. First, compared to most generations who came before us, we live in relative splendor with adequate shelter, clothing and food.
Secondly, we live in a post-Christian era, where most of society neither agrees with nor respects our fundamental beliefs. In such an environment, it is easy to simply shrug one’s shoulders and go with the flow…go along to get along!
Such was the case for the early church in Laodicea, as Revelation 3:15-17 tells us: “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” (ESV)
The late Steven Covey, renowned businessman, author and keynote speaker, cautioned against such behavior, saying, “If you decide to just go with the flow, you’ll end up where the flow goes, which is usually downhill, often leading to a big pile of sludge and a life of unhappiness. You’ll end up doing what everyone else is doing.”
Put simply, if you follow the group instead of the path you know to be right, your risk ending up at the bottom of the heap like those unfortunate sheep in Turkey.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way.
—Isaiah 53:6
If you have ever assembled a piece of furniture purchased at Ikea or built a prefabricated entertainment center like those sold in big box store you understand there is a right way and a wrong way to assemble such pieces. I can’t count the number of times my wife has seen me struggling with a project and asked me, “Did you read the directions?”
Maybe it’s a man thing, but more often than not my answer is, “not yet.” After receiving such a gentle nudge, I usually pick up the directions manual and finish assembling the piece fairly easily. In the end, I find myself wishing I’d followed the directions from the start.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
—2 Timothy 3:16-17
Through Scripture, God has provided us a directions manual for putting our lives together. Unfortunately, most people, Christians included, never take advantage of learning what the directions say.
In 2013 the American Bible Society conducted a survey on Bible reading in America. Of the 2,083 respondents, 88 percent said they own a Bible, 80 percent think the Bible is sacred, 61 percent wish they read the Bible more, and the average household has 4.4 Sadly, only 26 percent of the respondents said they read the Bible on a regular basis (four or more times a week).
God offers us true intimacy with Him through the presence of His Holy Spirit in our lives. In Hosea 6:6, God says, “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” God’s desire for each of us is that we come to know Him better with each passing day. God wants us to know him better. One needn’t be a Bible scholar to study and learn from the scriptures. Through prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit, the scriptures are revealed to those who ask.
The beginning of a New Year is a great time to begin a Bible reading program. I recommend the Bible Gateway website, where you will find a variety of offerings to help guide your daily study (https://www.biblegateway.com/reading-plans). Many printed versions of the Bible contain a suggested daily reading schedule. You don’t even have to read the Bible from start to finish. It’s OK to begin with reading a variety of selections daily. Read the directions daily. They’ll help you stay on the right path.
The Bible does not thrill; the Bible nourishes. Give time to the reading of the Bible and the recreating effect is as real as that of fresh air physically. —Oswald Chambers
15 Dec
“It is perilously possible to make our conceptions of God like molten lead poured into a specially designed mould, and when it is cold and hard we fling it at the heads of the religious people who don’t agree with us.” —Oswald Chambers
Alison J. Head and Michael B. Eisenberg are the co-principal investigators and co-directors of Project Information Literacy at the University of Washington Information School in Seattle. One of the areas they study is information overload and multi-tasking.
Since 2008 the pair has surveyed over 10,000 college students. One of their most significant findings is that, “Information is now as infinite as the universe, but finding the answers needed is harder than ever.”
In today’s complex, often confusing wilderness of digital information, it’s important that people periodically take time to slow down and think! Scottish theologian Oswald Chambers said, “Always keep in contact with those books and those people that enlarge your horizon and make it possible for you to stretch yourself mentally.”
I have to agree with his advice. I’ve found that a good way to slow down is to turn off the laptop or smartphone. Instead, try engaging in meaningful conversations and reading.
My most meaningful conversations usually occur with my wife Linda. She is one of the smartest people I know. Her logic and ability to find clarity in the midst of confusion have always amazed me. If she were the only person I ever talked with, my life would never lack for interesting, meaningful dialogue.
As for books, it’s hard to know where to begin, but I’d like to suggest a few good ones for Christians hoping to stretch their minds a little. My top five, in no particular order are:
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Oswald Chambers, who died in 1917 at age 43, is widely regarded as one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century. He wrote only three books in his lifetime, but there are many bearing his name. They are the products of his devoted wife Gertrude, a professional stenographer who recorded all of Chambers’ sermons verbatim in shorthand.
My Utmost for His Highest is a book of daily devotions written by Mrs. Chambers. It draws from dozens of her husband’s sermons. First published in 1924, it is the most popular Christian devotional ever written. The idea of total abandonment, i.e. completely surrendering one’s life to God, is at the center of its message. As the book’s title suggests, we must strive daily to do our utmost for God.
Chambers said, “We have the idea that we can dedicate our gifts to God. However, you cannot dedicate what is not yours. There is actually only one thing you can dedicate to God, and that is your right to yourself (see Romans 12:1). If you will give God your right to yourself, He will make a holy experiment out of you— and His experiments always succeed.”
The language of the original text is somewhat challenging for modern day readers due to its use of Scottish vernacular. Fortunately, there are versions available in modern English. Personally, I find that working through the original version simply adds to the exercise of stretching my mind. When read as intended—one short devotion per day—this book will help you stretch yourself for an entire year.
Your God is too Small, by J.B. Phillips
J.B. Phillips was a canon of the Anglican Church. He died in 1982. His seminal work, Your God is Too Small, was published in 1952. According to Phillips, from childhood we are taught to package God in a tiny box conforming to our personal beliefs and preferences. Look for all of the answers and you’ll find them by turning God into something simple and understandable. Phillips calls this “God in a box,” which is also the title of the book’s seventh chapter.
Oswald Chambers cautioned us against such shaping God in our own image, saying, “Our danger is to water down God’s word to suit ourselves. God never fits His word to suit me; He fits me to suit His word.” (Not Knowing Whither, 901 R).
David wrote in Psalm 8, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?”
Your God it too Small leads its readers through a series of intellectual exercises designed to expand their concept of the God who created the universe. If you find yourself marveling at God’s creation, unable to wrap your mind around it all, this book will help you see God in a totally different way.
The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) is one of the most popular and prolific Christian authors and apologists who ever lived. He penned over 30 books. Today he is best known for his classic series The Chronicles of Narnia, which have been transformed into an extremely successful series of films.
Originally published in 1942, The Screwtape Letters is arguably the Lewis’s most unusual book. It is written in the format of a series of letters from an uncle attempting to mentor his young nephew through an important task. This would be nothing unusual, were it not for the fact that Screwtape is a senior demon and servant of Satan. The letters are written to his nephew Wormwood, a junior tempter. Wormwood has been given the task of ensuring the damnation of a British businessman who is referred to only as “the patient.” Screwtape provides his nephew a clear strategy on how to undermine the patient’s faith and lead him into sin.
Lewis’s book is a dissertation on the human condition—a deep analysis of man’s inner makeup, with all of its strengths, frailties, temptations and struggles. Screwtape, through his keen understanding of human behavior, explains to Wormwood the best methods for ensuring the patient’s ultimate demise. The book paints an in-depth picture of spiritual warfare and the ultimate triumph of God. It is guaranteed to make you think about your own inner self.
Luther: Man between God and the Devil, by Heiko A. Oberman
Originally published in German in 1982, this book is considered by many German scholars to be the most comprehensive biography every written on Martin Luther (1483-1546). Luther was the central figure of the Protestant Reformation and remains one of the most influential theologians in history.
Even without the discussion of Luther, Oberman’s book would be worth reading just for its political, cultural and religious discussion of the Reformation. However, it offers much, much more. Unlike many Luther biographers before him, Oberman attempts to describe Luther’s thoughts and deeds as something much more than just a medieval German monk who rebelled against the authority of the Catholic Church.
Oberman contends that Luther was convinced of the reality of the devil and viewed his own life as a continuous struggle against evil. (Not unlike The Screwtape Letters). Luther viewed the world as an enormous battleground where God clashes with Satan. Approaching him from this angle lends a whole new perspective to Luther’s theology. This book is guaranteed to stretch your mind!
Jesus Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents the Historical Jesus, edited by Michael J. Wilkins and J.P. Moreland
If you’re a middle-aged Christian like me you might recall hearing about a popular movement in the 80’s and 90’s centered on “the quest for the historical Jesus.” The movement, which still has some momentum today, was epitomized by the Jesus Seminar. The Jesus Seminar was organized by the Weststar Institute in 1985.
According to the institute’s website, its purpose was to, “to renew the quest of the historical Jesus and to report the results of its research to the general public, rather than just to a handful of gospel specialists. Initially, the goal of the Seminar was to review each of the sayings and deeds attributed to Jesus in the gospels and determine which of them could be considered authentic.
The seminar began with a group of 30 Bible scholars, but eventually grew to around 200. Put simply, this movement was an attempt by Bible scholars, not necessarily Christian scholars, to refute the divinity of Jesus Christ by framing him in history as nothing more than a typical, popular Jewish teacher of his day.
Jesus Under Fire is a compilation of essays by eight prominent Christian apologists written to challenge the methodology and conclusions of the Jesus Seminar. The book’s introduction describes the furor surrounding Jesus:
“Today some people say that Jesus never said most of what is recorded of him in the Bible. Some pronounce further that Jesus never did most of what the Bible records he did. They claim that Jesus of Nazareth was a far different figure than church history and the creeds have believed him to be. Therefore, if we are to be intelligent people, even intelligent religious people, we must not simply accept what the Bible records Jesus claimed for himself and what the early church claimed him to be. If we are to be truly modern in our religious quest, we must not simplistically hope that Jesus’ actions as they are recorded in the Bible are factual, or that they have any relevance for us today. Jesus must be stripped of ancient myths that surround him as to what he said and did, so that the modern person can hear his true message. Jesus must be brought down to earth from the status to which the early church elevated him, so that we can understand who he was as he walked under Palestinian skies and comprehend what, if any, religious relevance he has for us today.”
The chapter titles of Jesus Under Fire describe the authors’ response to the Jesus Seminar:
This book is for serious mind stretchers only. It is probably the most difficult book I have ever read…and reread. I found each of the essays intellectually stimulating—the sort of stuff that makes me go back and reread each paragraph, underlining sentences as I go. I spent about six months working my way through it the first time…and it was time well spent. I hope you will find it equally as enjoyable.
Give yourself a special gift this Christmas and start reading one of these wonderful books. You won’t regret it.
17 Jun
If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the calm waters just inside the harbor, full of joy, but always tied to the dock. You have to get out past the harbor into the great depths of God, and begin to know things for yourself.” —Oswald Chambers
Several years ago our church ran a Bible study encouraging parishioners to become engaged in mission in recognition of Christ’s command to spread the Gospel. The study was based upon the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).
In this parable, Jesus tells a lawyer, an expert in Mosaic Law, a story about a traveler who was beaten, robbed and left for dead by the side of a road. A number of religiously devout Jews see the suffering man as they travel along the road, but none stops to help. However, a Samaritan passing by sees him and stops to render assistance, treating his wounds and transporting him to an inn where he can be cared for while he recovers.
Samaritans were a group of people despised by the Jews. A modern day equivalent of this story might be about American soldiers in Afghanistan who walk past a wounded comrade, but a member of the Taliban stops to render assistance.
The study was accompanied by a video commentary narrated by the Rev. John Ortberg. It was filmed while Ortberg sat on a park bench. He likened the comfortable bench to pews inside a church, where Christians have become so contented they have no desire to venture beyond the comfort zone of their church homes.
Like the Jews in the parable who would not stop to help the injured man, many Christians today are reluctant to carry God’s message beyond the doors of the church. They’ve grown overly content sitting on their comfortable benches, avoiding situations that take them out of their comfort zones.
For Christians who have not yet matured in their understanding of the Gospel, this is not altogether bad. In 1 Corinthians Chapter 3, St. Paul refers to such Christians as “infants in Christ” who require milk instead of the “solid food” of the Gospel. These Christians are underdeveloped in their faith and require nurturing in the Word. Every congregation has many such members. A church’s primary focus should be on helping these parishioners mature in faith and preaching the Gospel to unbelievers in and outside of the congregation.
However, for mature Christians who are striving to work out their own salvation (Philippians 2:12), sitting on a comfortable bench is wasteful. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 38: 31-40:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” (ESV)
![mission field [2]](https://divine-simplicity.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/mission-field-2.png)
The biggest mission field in the world is just outside the doors of our local churches. There are dozens of opportunities for Christian service in every community. It might entail working with the poor, the unemployed, the elderly or with needy children—the possibilities are endless. However, none of these opportunities can be seized while sitting on a bench.
The Rev. Ken R. Klaus, Pastor Emeritus of the Lutheran Hour said, “All too often the job of reaching others is left to others. That can be unfortunate. After all, there are times when you may be the best person to reach someone who is lost or wandering.” You don’t have to be an evangelist or great orator to succeed either. All you need do is open the door for the Holy Spirit to begin His work in another person’s life. Share your joy!
As St. Paul taught us, “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:1-5, ESV). His strength is revealed in our weakness.
20 Apr
The resurrection of Christ by Raphael
The Resurrection of Christ
15 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
The Resurrection of the Dead
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
Divine Simplicity 
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