I had paid for a business plan for a couple months in an effort to get blog posts printed for a hard copy. When I reverted to previous private plan WordPress changed some of the settings , such as Bob was not getting the posts as They changed it to a private blog.
I HOPE things are re-set now so that those of you who enjoy this blog can get regular notifications and read it with ease? If you have not seems posts for a few days you can page back and see the ones you might have missed.
Thank you for your patience, especially the surprising number of loyal readers and followers. I so appreciate you.
I think there is a sports broadcast that is called something like, “Pardon the Interruption.” Ditto.
Turn again to your rest o my soul, for the Lord has treated you well. Have you instructed your soul in this was to be restored? Have you ever read Psalm 116 in terms of your relationship with the LORD God Almighty?
5 Gracious is the Lord and righteous; our God is merciful. 6 The Lord protects the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. 7 Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
Psalm 116:5-7 NRSV
When I take time to review my life and my relationship with God I am brought back to a place of rest. Not do-ing, but be-ing with Him. When I peel off my complaints I realize He HAS treated me well, dealt bountifully with me. This fresh realization brings me to a point of wanting to serve Him more, in any ways that He asks.
Have you ever made vows to the Lord? We often hear of people in painful situations trying to bargain with God along the lines of “If You will just do what I want here and now, I will serve You forever.” We are really not in a bargaining position with God. But if You have made a vow to Him from the depths of your being, have you paid the vow?
I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the Lord. 18 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people,
Psalm 116:17-18 NRSVUE
As an Associate of the Convent of the Transfiguration in Glendale Ohio I made a vow to pray for the Sisters daily. I promised to support the Convent and their work as I am able.
When the verse says “I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people,” to me it means there will no longer be just me and Jesus. I will live out my commitment to Him publicly, in the presence of all His people.
Are you living out your faith before the Lord only, or also before His people. Have you vowed to be a living sacrifice? That is my word for the year ( you can read back in January when I was impressed to choose that.) There are times this living sacrifice does not want to climb up on the altar, does not want to be a living stone.
Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God.
1 Peter 2:5 The Message
and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:5 RSV
As a building stone I want to be like Jesus, ‘a chip off the old block’, similar in yieldedness and willingness to obey His Father and my Father.
“Lord help me to pay my vows to You in the presence of all Your people. Help me to serve you with joyous willingness. Show me Your chosen paths for me and I will walk there with You. Amen.”
In the churches there has been a tradition of celebrating the resurrection of Christ, not just on one day but an entire festal season right to Pentecost Sunday, after the Lord Jesus ascended to heaven and the promised Holy Spirit was given to the disciples. I challenge you to worship the Lord Jesus for His powerful sacrifice on our behalf. His resurrection power lives in us. Let us praise Him for the entire Eastertide this year!!The song lyrics below capture that in so many ways for me!
What A Beautiful Name by Hillsong Worship
You were the Word at the beginning One with God the Lord Most High Your hidden glory in creation Now, revealed in You our Christ
What a beautiful Name it is, what a beautiful Name it is The Name of Jesus Christ my King What a beautiful Name it is, nothing compares to this What a beautiful Name it is, the Name of Jesus
You didn’t want heaven without us So Jesus, You brought heaven down My sin was great, Your love was greater What could separate us now?
What a wonderful Name it is, what a wonderful Name it is The Name of Jesus Christ my King What a wonderful Name it is, nothing compares to this What a wonderful Name it is, the Name of Jesus What a wonderful Name it is, the Name of Jesus
How sweet is Your Name, Lord, how good You are) We love to sing in Your Name, Lord, love to sing of who You are
Death could not hold You, the veil tore before You You silenced the boast of sin and grave The Heavens are roaring the praise of Your glory For You are raised to life again
You have no rival, You have no equal Now and forever, God, You reign Yours is the Kingdom, Yours is the Glory Yours is the Name above all names
What a powerful Name it is, what a powerful Name it is The Name of Jesus Christ my King What a powerful Name it is, nothing can stand against What a powerful Name it is, the Name of Jesus
You have no rival, You have no equal Now and forever, God, You reign Yours is the Kingdom, Yours is the Glory Yours is the Name above all names
What a powerful Name it is, what a powerful Name it is The Name of Jesus Christ my King What a powerful Name it is, nothing can stand against What a powerful Name it is, the Name of Jesus
What a powerful Name it is, the Name of Jesus What a powerful Name it is, the Name of Jesus
Written by: Ben Fielding, Brooke Ligertwood
My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips 6 when I think of you on my bed and meditate on you in the watches of the night, 7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. 8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
This book is a collection of psalms and prayers with the subtitle ‘A Benedictine Prayer Book.’ I have owned it for a while now, but just recently began using it again. If you need a reading discipline you can cover Proverbs in one month with a chapter a day. You can cover the Psalms in a month with about 5 chapters a day. I broke Psalm 119 into smaller daily sections as it is so very long by itself! Below is my Psalms chart should you want an idea of how I do it.
Day
PSALMS
Psalm 119
Day
PSALMS
Psalm 119
1
1-4
1-8
16
75-79
129-136
2
5-9
9-16
17
80-84
137-144
3
10-14
17-24
18
85-89
145-152
4
15-19
25-32
19
90-94
153-160
5
20-24
33-40
20
95-99
161-168
6
25-30
41-48
21
100-104
169-176
7
30-34
49-56
22
105-109
8
35-39
57-64
23
110-114
9
40-44
65-72
24
115-119
10
45-49
73-80
25
120-124
11
50-54
81-88
26
125-129
12
55-59
89-96
27
130-134
13
60-64
97-104
28
135-139
14
65-69
105-112
29
140-144
15
70-74
113-120
30
145-150
16
75-79
121-128
After covering the Psalms for a couple years I moved on to other devotions. So coming upon “The Work of God is rather like a refresher course in the Psalms . While reading one section with Psalm 115 and Psalm 116 I thought I would like to blog about it.
Compiled by the Revered Thomas McKenzie, Obl.S.B.
Psalm 115 begins with “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your Name give glory; because of your love and because of your faithfulness.” Then it goes on later to command Israel and the House of Aaron and “You who fear the Lord to trust in the Lord; he is their help and their shield.” I was taught that when something is written repeatedly in Scripture we are to pay attention to the repetition! Trust in the Lord, He is our help and our shield.
Don’t know about you, but I need all the help I can get. When I am feeling weak and needing strength to get through each day I need to trust the Lord and know He is my help. He is my shield.
Why in 2023 would we need a shield? Most often we think of a shield in terms of warfare and combat. Do you realize we are at war every day because we trust and rely on the Living Lord? The enemy of our souls does everything in His power to undermine our trust in God. He began in the garden of Eden by having Eve and Adam question what God said to them. He continues to this day to bombard us with doubts, fears, unrest about God our Father. Yes, we undoubtedly need a shield about us. You, LORD, are my shield.
The next verses declare:
The Lord has been mindful of us; He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron. 13 He will bless those who fear the Lord, The small together with the great.
Psalm 115: 12-13 NASB
The final verse in this Psalm says “But we will bless the Lord, from this time forth for evermore. Hallelujah!
In verse 22 we read “The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.”
There are interesting definitions for cornerstone. Here are two of them.
A stone at the corner of a building uniting two intersecting walls
An indispensable and fundamental basis.
Jesus is the cornerstone of faith uniting the wall of Judaism and Christianity. He was and is their Messiah. The builders of Judaism rejected Him as the chief cornerstone. He is our Risen Lord and on this rock we build our faith.
Psalm 118:22 was quoted by Jesus in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Acts 4:11 says the same. Ephesians 2:20 says “You are built upon the foundation of prophets and apostles with Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.”
Is He your cornerstone? For everything you do? Is He truly your indispensable basis for life? Does He join your earthly life with your spiritual being? Can you truly declare that you believe “I am an unceasing spiritual being with an eternal destiny in God’s great universe.”
26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3:26-29
One video re-enactment I saw showed four or five men rolling the stone in front of the grave Joseph of Arimathea donated to Jesus. (I love the statement that He borrowed the tomb because He would not need it for long!) A huge stone in front of that tomb. I wonder if those men knew He was the stone the builders rejected? Did they realize He was the chief cornerstone?
Are you aware that He is a living stone and God considers you one, too?
As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:4-5 NIV
The Revised Standard version reads “LET yourselves be built into a s piritual house.” Let – allow, yield.
No, I do not mean a plant as featured on the site The Spruce. “Living stones (Lithops spp.), also known as pebble plants, are unusual little succulent plants that have evolved to look like the pebbles and rocks of their native habitats in Africa. These plants hug the ground and grow extremely slowly.” Made me laugh!
“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn;
Isaiah 51:1-2 NIV
Isaiah is referring to the ancestors Abraham and Sarah, but we can rightly apply the same verse to our LORD Jesus Christ. We are, in a manner of speaking, ‘chips off the old block.’ As we follow Jesus we are to be like him, a living stone, chosen by God and precious him.
He will use us to build a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood. Oh so much to learn about “offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
Absolutely none of that can be accomplished until we accept Jesus as the chief cornerstone of our faith and life.
Seems this did not post correctly the first time, so here it is again!
I recently purchased a note card from the Printery House as Conception Abbey in Missouri. The image is the Good Shepherd carrying a sheep. the back reads:
The image of Christ as Good Shepherd is deeply rooted in the Gospels: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? (Luke 15:4, cf. Matthew 18:13). The symbolism is of this icon hinges on Christ’s saving Passion. This image of a shepherd carrying a sheep on his shoulders, borrowed from secular art of the Greco-Roman world, is now combined with the imagery of the Paschal Mystery: the resurrected Christ, who bears the marks of the nails, brings back sinners who were lost and now are found. The cross is seen in the background as a sign of Christ’s victory over death. Jesus is not only the shepherd, but as the Passion symbolism indicates, he is also the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).
About the same time as the card arrived I was looking through a devotional called Forward Day by Day. For many years I used this as my morning devotional guide. The Scripture readings for each day are listed and a short meditation written by various different authors each month. This page read as follows.
John 10:14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.
At historic St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chestertown, Maryland, where I served years back, someone installed an oversized window with an image of Jesus carrying a sheep around his neck. I never liked that window. It did not fit the space stylistically, historically, or size-wise, but also, I had never been a fan of the passive image of Jesus as Good Shepherd.
That was the case until I visited the sheep ranch of close friends. They invited me to watch the annual sheep branding, which you will be relieved to know is by spray paint. The sheep also receive oral inoculations for various diseases. The shepherds funnel the sheep from a holding pen through chutes, but because sheep are antsy, the shepherds sometimes must wrestle a few. The sheep will fight and buck and wriggle and strain.
The passive sheep around Jesus’s shoulders has surrendered, given himself over to a shepherd that he trusts will lead and guide and even carry when necessary.
MOVING FORWARD: Have you surrendered or do you still fight and buck and wiggle?
Rob Geizelman Forward day by Day Wednesday March 29, 2023
I really like the MOVING FORWARD question: Have you surrendered or do you still fight and buck and wiggle? What sort of sheep are you? Have you surrendered to Jesus? Do you ever allow Him to carry you?
At the Cincinnati Art Museum we recently saw a collection of photographs by Georgie O’Keeffe. I was struck by this quote from her. If you have ever seen her paintings of flowers you will have a better understanding of the quote.
“Well – I made you take time to look at what I saw and when you took time to really notice my floweryou hung all your own associations with flowers on my flower and you write about my flower as if I think and see what you think and see of the flower – and I don’t,” O’Keeffe scolded. For the artist, her renderings of flowers were about detail, light and shade, and formal juxtaposition. though many critics read other meanings into these works, O’Keeffe maintained that they signified only the artistic potential not with pencil or paint, but with her camera.
2006.6.1074, 2006.6.1071, 2006.6.1072 on museum wall
200 paintings of flowers and over 2,000 paintings during her career. “In the 1930s, she wrote of her desire to paint the humble flower enlarged and up-close. “I’ll paint it big, and they will be surprised into taking time to look at it,” she wrote. “I will make even busy New Yorkers take time to see what I see of flowers.”
Her first quote was proven true by my visit to this exhibit.
What is it?
For years and years I saw this painting and believed it was a morning glory. This exhibit set me straight! It is actually a Jimson Weed.
So when I paste it in with it’s automatic caption you can see it is listed as
2014.35 Georgia O’Keeffe
Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1, 1932
Oil on canvas
48 × 40 in. (121.9 × 101.6 cm)
Framed: 53 in. × 44 3/4 in. × 2 1/2 in.
What do you think and see of her flower?
How does this relate to Christian life? Throughout the old and new testaments we are referred to as similar to flowers. But if a flower is captured on a canvas it does not fade like a real flower.
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, ‘All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.’ And this is the word that was preached to you.
1 Peter 1:22-23 NIV
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For,
“All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.”[c]
Flowers and grasses do what the Scripture says, but we are born again from IMPERISHABLE seed. We are not like those real flowers or flowers on canvas. We are born again through the living and enduring word of God. That is what the word says. Who am I to argue with it?
I recently purchased a note card from the Printery House as Conception Abbey in Missouri. The image is the Good Shepherd carrying a sheep. the back reads:
The image of Christ as Good Shepherd is deeply rooted in the Gospels: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? (Luke 15:4, cf. Matthew 18:13). The symbolism is of this icon hinges on Christ’s saving Passion. This image of a shepherd carrying a sheep on his shoulders, borrowed from secular art of the Greco-Roman world, is now combined with the imagery of the Paschal Mystery: the resurrected Christ, who bears the marks of the nails, brings back sinners who were lost and now are found. The cross is seen in the background as a sign of Christ’s victory over death. Jesus is not only the shepherd, but as the Passion symbolism indicates, he is also the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).
About the same time as the card arrived I was looking through a devotional called Forward Day by Day. For many years I used this as my morning devotional guide. The Scripture readings for each day are listed and a short meditation written by various different authors each month. This page read as follows.
John 10:14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.
At historic St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chestertown, Maryland, where I served years back, someone installed an oversized window with an image of Jesus carrying a sheep around his neck. I never liked that window. It did not fit the space stylistically, historically, or size-wise, but also, I had never been a fan of the passive image of Jesus as Good Shepherd.
That was the case until I visited the sheep ranch of close friends. They invited me to watch the annual sheep branding, which you will be relieved to know is by spray paint. The sheep also receive oral inoculations for various diseases. The shepherds funnel the sheep from a holding pen through chutes, but because sheep are antsy, the shepherds sometimes must wrestle a few. The sheep will fight and buck and wriggle and strain.
The passive sheep around Jesus’s shoulders has surrendered, given himself over to a shepherd that he trusts will lead and guide and even carry when necessary.
MOVING FORWARD: Have you surrendered or do you still fight and buck and wiggle?
Rob Geizelman Forward day by Day Wednesday March 29, 2023
I really like the MOVING FORWARD question: Have you surrendered or do you still fight and buck and wiggle? What sort of sheep are you? Have you surrendered to Jesus? Do you ever allow Him to carry you?
Sometimes when I was growing up I got to go to sunrise service on Easter morning. I think my favorite one was held at French Park in Cincinnati. The weather was often chilly and even at times rainy, but we were determined to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord as the sun came up!
My mother worked for many years at a flower shop in Norwood, Ohio. One year she brought home some purple hyacinths and plucked each flower off, wrapped it in wet cotton, wired and taped it. Then she assembled them as an Easter corsage for me. To this day the fragrance of purple hyacinths remind me of her. Though she lived a troubled life I believe her faith in Christ took her to be with Him when her life on earth ended.
None of these things help my soul celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus as much as my gratitude lists. When Ann Voskamp wrote One Thousand Gifts I wonder if she knew how the practice would revolutionize the American Christian church? Certainly it changed her life, but do we ever truly know the impact our writing will have upon others? I wonder.
Have you practiced writing down the gifts in your life that Christ Jesus has bestowed upon you? Have you given Him thanks this Easter? Here are some of my thanksgivings.
Sunshine
Rain in due season
Salvation for my soul
You give strength to hearts that are true to You
Your righteous shall live by faith
our home
the longevity of my marriage
Justice that rolls down and righteousness as an ever-flowing stream
God with us
You know the hairs upon our heads
The Convent of the Transfiguration
my sisters in Journey Together in Stitches
crochet and knit group at senior center
Your Spirit that gives me life
Your breath in our lives
My children
My grandchildren
Laundry now on first floor
small gardens to delight my soul
the bluebirds at the office window
rabbits in Angela’s yard
THE BEAGLE
Grogu to make me smile
Noodle the Corgi that makes me smile
music
music memories from over the years
The Holy Spirit speaking in my soul
My Bible and Bible Gateway tool
Rheude’s small group
Lucky learning to play with her toys
Cooking
Great Smoky Mountains and spring wildflowers there
Medical care
freedom of religion
clouds
spring peepers
gifts
dark chocolate
coconut!
travels we have done
travel planned to Hawaii
blogging friends
New Mexico friends
Neighbors who are friends
running water in our home
crocheting
sewing for our home and others
museums of art
Cincinnati Nature Center
red winged blackbirds
butterflies
armor of God
Abraham’s example of faith and obedience
Andrew Peterson’s music
Learning to be a living sacrifice
loving husband
forgiveness
the Great I am
firemen
police officers
electronic books from the library
my sister
pinwheels
soap bubbles
even to old age He will keep me
black licorice
Spirit of God who raised Christ from the dead LIVES in us
I can entrust my soul to my faithful creator
iPad with keyboard
ear buds for listening while walking the dog
Living Water
Seashells
heating pad
ocean sounds
He walks with me and talks with me
rainbow in the sky reminds me of rainbow around the throne
the Psalms
friends serving in Nepal
New Covenant in my mind and on my heart
Jesus is made unto me wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption
“Pajama church” when you can’t make it to service
His still small voice
Bob’s sense of humor
a good fresh salad
piano music
people I know I can ask to pray – knowing they will do it
cellos
live drama performances
good ham salad
music by Brandon Lake
writing poetry
Mizithra cheese sauce on angel hair spaghetti
broccoli slaw, just yum
Spirit of God helps me write
That is my partial list. How about you? Get a little notebook and begin to list your praises and things you are grateful for! It will work wonders for you 🙂
This day is another time for reflection before the Resurrection Celebration. According to Britannica “The observance commemorates the final day of Christ’s death, which is traditionally associated with his triumphant descent into hell.”
The Apostles Creed says”He descended into hell and on the third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven.”
He rested on the seventh – God rested.
The video below linked with Andrew Peterson’s music really touches my spirit.
Many churches celebrate an Easter Vigil with prayers and baptisms, lighting of a fire, etc. I think I prefer Peterson’s reflection. I am unaware of anyone making music about what Jesus did when He descended into hell. We know from Scripture He set the captives free.
Whatever you believe about His death, what He did before He resurrected, how His ascension takes place, I pray you will put your trust in Him. He is able to prove Himself to you, even you.
Here is an animation of one person’s idea of Holy Saturday. Yes, it is six minutes long, but I think they captured the ideas wonderfully. Hope you will watch it.
May this last day of Holy Week provide time and quiet for you as you prepare to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus!
