Since I last posted, I’ve read 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, as well the book of Esther and have moved on to the book of Job.
During vacation, Kim enjoyed listening to my daily reading out loud. He was patient with my stopping to make notes and highlight passages. And at the end of our trip, I closed with, “And so ends another happy message from Job.”
It is a dark book, isn’t it?
God clearly allows some VERY bad stuff into Job’s life. There isn’t any doubt about God’s complicity in Satan’s meddling with Job. And if it isn’t enough to lose your family, your business, your home, you riches, Job gets to see the exact nature of his friends. Not a good thing in this case.
Now, granted I’m only about half way through, at this point.
But these are my observations:
You know Job’s lousy friends did some things right. For instance, when they heard about Job’s difficulty, they went to him. They sat down, observed the seriousness of his situation, and they were silent. They simply mourned with him. The let him feel their presence. There are times when silence is the best medicine.
Unfortunately, these guys just don’t know how to keep the silence going.
And when they begin to speak, they show just how little wisdom they possess.
The thing is, all the characters in the book of Job—Job included— have bits of the truth. They know some facts about God. Some things about the way he works. But they don’t know all the facts. They don’t know the WHOLE truth.
And they know VERY little about God’s ways with people.
The facts constitute knowledge. The understanding of God constitutes wisdom.
And the book shows us, at the very least, how dangerous it is to begin preaching before we have the whole council of God. The whole story. All the facts. The whole Book.
We Christians can become like Job’s friends, spouting off all kinds of half-truths that leave the listener confused and wounded. I’ve seen it happen, and so have you. More than that, when we don’t work at understanding God, we will lack the wisdom to share anything of real value with the world around us.
That was the problem with Job’s friends. Half-truths. Misunderstandings. Foolish imaginations. And Job struggled with it too. The only antidote is the Word and the Spirit. With those things, we come to wisdom and truth.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
How Different We are
Greetings from Denver International Airport.
Since we last spoke, I’ve been out of town a lot. My husband and I went on our annual trip to Canada aboard Amazing Grace, our powerboat. We had a great time, mostly, and perfect weather, but I didn’t have an Internet connection for most of the month.
Since then, I’ve finished the Galley Proofs of Jeremiah (did you have any idea how many times we re-work material before we publish?), and have only one chapter of proofing left to go. I’ve struggled with plotting a new novel, but I’ll tell you more about that later…
This past weekend, I attended the Florida Outpouring, as they are calling the revival in Lakeland, Florida. I’ve got to say, it was a stretching experience. Florida is hot and humid in late July; and the revival tent is a hot spot as well.
One of my primary reflections has to do with the kind of group hosting and attending this revival. In general, they worship freely. They dance, sing, and respond to God in wild abandon. The worship goes on for a long time, without interruption. I’m a little jealous of the way they can let go, and it makes me wonder how much like King David’s wife —Michael—I might have become.
These people come to this revival desperate for more of God. They are eager to hear from Him, and eager to respond to what they hear. They shout and cheer, and they clap and laugh. This audience leaves the speaker with no doubts about their response to the subject at hand.
I just have to wonder, how is God going to handle all of us in heaven? There will be those who sing hymns and those who dance through worship. There will be those who sing Gregorian chant and those who wave flags. Each of us is so very different, and so deeply tied to our styles and preferences.
I know that we’ll have all eternity to figure these things out. But after spending a full weekend outside of my comfort zone, I wonder how we can do it? If three evening services was a stretch, what will eternity be like?
I’ll share more about my Bible reading in the next issue.
Since we last spoke, I’ve been out of town a lot. My husband and I went on our annual trip to Canada aboard Amazing Grace, our powerboat. We had a great time, mostly, and perfect weather, but I didn’t have an Internet connection for most of the month.
Since then, I’ve finished the Galley Proofs of Jeremiah (did you have any idea how many times we re-work material before we publish?), and have only one chapter of proofing left to go. I’ve struggled with plotting a new novel, but I’ll tell you more about that later…
This past weekend, I attended the Florida Outpouring, as they are calling the revival in Lakeland, Florida. I’ve got to say, it was a stretching experience. Florida is hot and humid in late July; and the revival tent is a hot spot as well.
One of my primary reflections has to do with the kind of group hosting and attending this revival. In general, they worship freely. They dance, sing, and respond to God in wild abandon. The worship goes on for a long time, without interruption. I’m a little jealous of the way they can let go, and it makes me wonder how much like King David’s wife —Michael—I might have become.
These people come to this revival desperate for more of God. They are eager to hear from Him, and eager to respond to what they hear. They shout and cheer, and they clap and laugh. This audience leaves the speaker with no doubts about their response to the subject at hand.
I just have to wonder, how is God going to handle all of us in heaven? There will be those who sing hymns and those who dance through worship. There will be those who sing Gregorian chant and those who wave flags. Each of us is so very different, and so deeply tied to our styles and preferences.
I know that we’ll have all eternity to figure these things out. But after spending a full weekend outside of my comfort zone, I wonder how we can do it? If three evening services was a stretch, what will eternity be like?
I’ll share more about my Bible reading in the next issue.
How Different We are
Greetings from Denver International Airport.
Since we last spoke, I’ve been out of town a lot. My husband and I went on our annual trip to Canada aboard Amazing Grace, our powerboat. We had a great time, mostly, and perfect weather, but I didn’t have an Internet connection for most of the month.
Since then, I’ve finished the Galley Proofs of Jeremiah (did you have any idea how many times we re-work material before we publish?), and have only one chapter of proofing left to go. I’ve struggled with plotting a new novel, but I’ll tell you more about that later…
This past weekend, I attended the Florida Outpouring, as they are calling the revival in Lakeland, Florida. I’ve got to say, it was a stretching experience. Florida is hot and humid in late July; and the revival tent is a hot spot as well.
One of my primary reflections has to do with the kind of group hosting and attending this revival. In general, they worship freely. They dance, sing, and respond to God in wild abandon. The worship goes on for a long time, without interruption. I’m a little jealous of the way they can let go, and it makes me wonder how much like King David’s wife —Michael—I might have become.
These people come to this revival desperate for more of God. They are eager to hear from Him, and eager to respond to what they hear. They shout and cheer, and they clap and laugh. This audience leaves the speaker with no doubts about their response to the subject at hand.
I just have to wonder, how is God going to handle all of us in heaven? There will be those who sing hymns and those who dance through worship. There will be those who sing Gregorian chant and those who wave flags. Each of us is so very different, and so deeply tied to our styles and preferences.
I know that we’ll have all eternity to figure these things out. But after spending a full weekend outside of my comfort zone, I wonder how we can do it? If three evening services was a stretch, what will eternity be like?
I’ll share more about my Bible reading in the next issue.
Since we last spoke, I’ve been out of town a lot. My husband and I went on our annual trip to Canada aboard Amazing Grace, our powerboat. We had a great time, mostly, and perfect weather, but I didn’t have an Internet connection for most of the month.
Since then, I’ve finished the Galley Proofs of Jeremiah (did you have any idea how many times we re-work material before we publish?), and have only one chapter of proofing left to go. I’ve struggled with plotting a new novel, but I’ll tell you more about that later…
This past weekend, I attended the Florida Outpouring, as they are calling the revival in Lakeland, Florida. I’ve got to say, it was a stretching experience. Florida is hot and humid in late July; and the revival tent is a hot spot as well.
One of my primary reflections has to do with the kind of group hosting and attending this revival. In general, they worship freely. They dance, sing, and respond to God in wild abandon. The worship goes on for a long time, without interruption. I’m a little jealous of the way they can let go, and it makes me wonder how much like King David’s wife —Michael—I might have become.
These people come to this revival desperate for more of God. They are eager to hear from Him, and eager to respond to what they hear. They shout and cheer, and they clap and laugh. This audience leaves the speaker with no doubts about their response to the subject at hand.
I just have to wonder, how is God going to handle all of us in heaven? There will be those who sing hymns and those who dance through worship. There will be those who sing Gregorian chant and those who wave flags. Each of us is so very different, and so deeply tied to our styles and preferences.
I know that we’ll have all eternity to figure these things out. But after spending a full weekend outside of my comfort zone, I wonder how we can do it? If three evening services was a stretch, what will eternity be like?
I’ll share more about my Bible reading in the next issue.
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