Monthly Archives: August 2019

“DAYBREAK”

On August 30, 2019 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

It is just before 7:00, and I am already at the university where I teach for a 9:00 a.m. class.  I like to beat the rush hour traffic.  The sun is not up yet, but it is already fairly light out.  I sit on bench.  I can see the downtown section of Cincinnati, the river, the hills of Kentucky.  There is a breeze.  Some roses, some weeds, and some trash are gathered at my feet.  Birds fly over.

I love the early mornings.  However, when you get up at 2:30, 7:00 doesn’t really seem all that early.

And yet, I still struggle with the darkness within.

Darkness comes in many forms.  There is the darkness of my past, of the people I’ve hurt.  There is the darkness of the people who have rejected me.  There are many who seem to believe that I have not changed, that I will never change, that I can’t change.

I think they’re wrong, but I am not sure.  Sometimes, I think that I myself am underselling how much I’ve grown, how much I’ve changed for the better.  At other times . . .

The sun is coming up now over some very large building across the hill.  I need some light for this day, some hope, some peace.

A bird sings.

Zacharias, an aged man with his aged wife Elizabeth, had experienced the darkness of being unable to have a child.  And then, when all hope was gone, they were miraculously given a son.  Zacharias sang a song to his newborn, and the gospel writer Luke wrote it down.  Here is part of the song Zacharias sang to his son:

“76       And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

                        for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

77         to give knowledge of salvation to his people

                        in the forgiveness of their sins,

78         because of the tender mercy of our God,

                        whereby the sunrise shall visit usfrom on high

79         to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

                        to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

The knowledge of salvation, the forgiveness of sins, the tender mercy of our God, sunrise—that all sounds pretty good.

So, I am listening to the song “God Only Knows” (the version with Dolly Parton), and fighting back the tears.  I’ve already had a good cry this morning, collapsing on the kitchen floor and dissolving in a puddle of tears.  I don’t need to be crying again.  I don’t want to go before my students with red eyes and a sinus headache.

The sun is fighting to rise above the clouds.  I’m going to bet on the sun today.

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“OF LITTLE DOGS AND BIG PRIORITIES”

On August 28, 2019 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

I was getting ready very early this morning, preparing to go and teach at the university where I adjunct.  I must have rattled around too much.  My wife got up.

So did our little dog, who sleeps with my wife most nights. My lovely lady got up for a little while, and our dog got up too—very reluctantly.  I took the dog outside to do her business.  She got right down to business, and was ready to go back in, and go back to bed.

My wife was in the kitchen finishing packing for me.  Our dog ran full-tilt right by my wife and jumped in the bed.

My wife said, “It’s a good thing I left my door open.  Otherwise, she would have run right into it!”

True enough!

I said, “I was going to give her a little treat for taking care of business right away.”  I paused, waiting to hear our little one’s galloping paws.

Nothing.

I said it again, a little bit louder this time. “I was going to give her a treat.”

A pause.  Still nothing.

“I was going to give her a TREAT.”

Finally, we heard the thump of our dog jumping off the bed.  She ran into the kitchen, got her treat, and ran full-tilt with it in her mouth back to my wife’s bed.

My wife and I looked at one another and laughed.  Our dog was not going to be denied her “momma time!”

I like the things that God gives to me.  Food, drinkable water, a house, work that I love to do—all these and 10,000 other blessings per day.  These are all wonderful.  They go way beyond treats.

But the main thing is to spend time with God.  His Presence is the thing, the thing that is beyond any gift that he gives me.

I am not going to be denied my “Heavenly Father time!”

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“The Faithful God and the (Sometimes) Faithful Us”

On August 8, 2019 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

I was recently teaching a course on Old Testament History.  On our last class together, I told them that the Old Testament history could be summed up in three statements.

  • God was faithful to Israel.
  • Israel was sometimes faithful to God.
  • Israel was often unfaithful to God.

Then I said, “Of course, that is also the history of the entire human race, including each one of us.”

Then I split the class into three small groups, and we shared stories of God’s faithfulness, our unfaithfulness, and our faithfulness.

One student pursued this same theme in her post-class journal entry.  I asked my student if I could share her journal entry.  She graciously wrote the following:

“Yes, you have permission to share. I’m comfortable with you using my name as long as you promise to give God all the glory.”

“Deb Taylor

Journal, Week #5

Story of God’s Faithfulness

In the early days of my spiritual journey, I learned that my Dad had fallen off a ladder and he had broken his back.  Home alone, he crawled to a phone and called 911.  Paramedics met the local police at his home and he was taken to the hospital. When I was notified, I immediately drove to the hospital.  On my way, I felt a desire to pray with (not just for) my Dad.  In the moment, this seemed ridiculous. My Dad was not a faithful man and I was very new in my faith.  Immediately, I began to negotiate with God.  “Lord, if you will create the space and give me the words, I will pray OUT LOUD with my Dad.”  Of course, I had no expectation that God would answer my prayer.  In fact, I sort of hoped that he wouldn’t.  When I arrived at the hospital, there were five people in the room.  I remember thinking, “Clearly, God wouldn’t have me pray in front of these people!”  Within two minutes, the two nurses left the room, my aunt and uncle went to the cafeteria, and my Mom left to smoke a cigarette.  My Dad and I were alone in the room.  God had created the space.  My next embarrassing thought was this:  I need the words.  In a few minutes, my Dad asked me to get a comb for him.  He said it was located in the drawer of the nightstand.  I opened the drawer to find only two things; a comb and a booklet titled How to Pray for a Loved One.  Seriously?!  Does God have a sense of humor or what?!  There I stood, next to my Dad’s hospital bed, seeing God’s obvious faithfulness.  I asked him, “Dad, may I pray for you?”  Looking up at me, he said, “Sure.  Why?  Do you think I’m gonna die?”  Using the simple words provided in that tiny book, I prayed for my Dad.  I can’t remember the words, but I do remember the presence of the Lord.  He is so very faithful.

Story of My Unfaithfulness

Not too long ago, I was having a challenging day at work. Thinking I had privacy, I shared my worries with a peer. She was a fellow believer, a friend, someone I could trust.  In the moment, I felt the whisper of the Lord, “Shhh.”  I ignored the prompting to ZIP IT.  Truly, it didn’t occur to me that my venting was really gossiping.  I had no idea that our conversation was being overheard.  Days later, I learned that someone had shared the details of that conversation with my supervisor.  My reputation was damaged and my relationship with my boss was dented, neither beyond repair, but the entire situation could have been avoided if I had walked in obedience.

Story of My Faithfulness to God

Mission trips to Haiti can be energizing and also emotionally depleting.  After one particularly difficult morning of serving in the local prison and then teaching Bible stories in the brothel, I retreated to my tent to recharge.  I rested, read, and journaled before asking the Lord how he might have me spend my afternoon. With clarity, I felt his nudge go to the Eye Surgery Clinic.  “No, not me! That must be a mistake. I faint when I see blood.  You wouldn’t want ME to go THERE…”  Slowly, I walked in the direction of the Eye Clinic.  On my way, I met one of the pastors at the mission.  He asked if I might have time to help him.  “Of course!”  (I was looking for any other possible afternoon assignment.)  “Wonderful,” he said, “Please go to the Eye Clinic.  We have over 700 people lined up, waiting for prayer.  Please start praying for people.”

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“Living in the Now”

On August 3, 2019 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

Saturday, August 3, 2019

A good reading from Hazelden Publishing:

“Saturday, August 3

To live a spiritual life we must first find the courage to enter into the desert of loneliness and to change it by gentle and persistent efforts into a garden of solitude.
  —Henri J. M. Nouwen

Knowing our loneliness and admitting it to us is the beginning of a spiritual path for many men. Today we are on a spiritual journey. We already have the means to translate the pain of our loneliness into a deeper spiritual dimension. Most men in this program came in deeply aware of their feelings of isolation. Now, with the companionship of our Higher Power, we can spend time alone and use it for spiritual growth. As we develop a relationship with ourselves and deepen our knowledge of our Higher Power, our loneliness transforms into solitude.

In this quiet moment today, we can be more accepting of ourselves than we were in the past. We admit loneliness has caused us pain, but now we can see that it also can lead us to our deeper self where we find serene solitude. This change is a movement into the spiritual world.

Thanks to God for the solitude I have found in my life.”  (From Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men ©1986, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation.)

To say that I am in way over my head in teaching various courses at the university would be an understatement.  Perhaps, though, that enables me to be more sympathetic with my fellow-students of the Word.  Maybe we are all in over our heads in life and in our pursuit of the God who has pursued us.

No unchecked regrets today!  I went down to the breakfast area for my second cup of coffee this morning, and a young couple with a small child and a baby were having breakfast.  I was filled with regret that I did not treat my wife and the kids better.

But God reminded me that I can never go back.  There are no re-dos for anything that is worthwhile.  There is only this day, and its chances to be patient, kind, and compassionate to others—and even to myself.  Regret focuses me on the unalterable past, and keeps me from the awareness of the present chances to love.  Real love is always a present-tense verb.

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