Monthly Archives: August 2024
“Trusting God with My Sleep”
“Psa. 4:0 To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
Psa. 4:1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
Psa. 4:2 O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
3 But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
the LORD hears when I call to him.
Psa. 4:4 Be angry, and do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the LORD.
Psa. 4:6 There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”
7 You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.
Psa. 4:8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” (English Standard Version)
The story is told that before Socrates was executed, he slept like a baby. As far as I know, I am not scheduled to drink hemlock, but I struggle with a lack of sleep these days. Five-and-a-half hours is not enough. Nine or ten would feel much better.
What is my problem? I wish I knew. I would love to experience Psalm 4:8. Obviously, vss. 1 and 2 of this psalm suggest that the psalmists was having some real problems with some real bad dudes. Apparently he was experiencing shame, probably because of lies that were going the rounds about him.
And yet, he says that he will lie down and sleep. How can he do that? Because he trusts God. Do I, I wonder?
Of course, there are many reasons why people don’t sleep, but in my case I wonder. Do I trust God or not?
The story of is told of a pastor who was terribly worried about things that were going on in his church. He was up at two in the morning, pacing back and forth, trying to pray. Finally, God got in a word edgewise. “Son, why don’t you go on to bed and rest? I’ll stay up and worry about this.” The pastor laughed and went to bed.
Good night, all!
“Confession Isn’t Enough”
“Prov. 28:13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” (English Standard Version)
Sometimes I think that we Christians put too much emphasis on confessing our sins and not enough emphasis on forsaking them. Confession isn’t easy, but forsaking is much harder.
The Hebrew word in this verse that is translated “forsakes” is a strong word that is used for a man or woman divorcing their spouse, or for a person who walks away from God. Forsaking anything is a serious business. Furthermore, the form of this Hebrew verb suggests on an ongoing action flowing out of the very nature of the one performing it. Forsaking sin isn’t an action; it is a lifestyle.
How on earth do we cultivate a lifestyle of forsaking sin? I wish I knew, dear reader! I still struggle with the same sorts of things I battled when I was knee-high to a grasshopper. But while I don’t have a lot of wisdom about this, I do have some suspicions.
First, praying for discernment of our own sin is important. We are all pretty good at noticing the wrongdoing of others, but our sin (like our own body odor) is something we get used to pretty quickly.
Second, it is vital that we confess our sins. To God? Yes, of course. Even though God already knows us and our sins, we don’t always know ourselves until we confess and are willing to forsake those sins. And the Bible talks about confessing our sins to one another too. There is the need for human accountability and support if we are to live a forsaking lifestyle.
Third, falling in love is a good way to forsake something (or someone). If we fall in love with a good person or a good activity, we will find it much easier to forsake the not-so-good things in our lives. If we love God and people—and even the best version of ourselves—we will find it much easier to forsake the things that compromise that love.
Easier, but not easy. Maybe I should say, less difficult instead of easier.
“Fear Not! How Many Times Does God Have to Say It?!”
[The following post is a response to and appreciation of a post I just read at https://pastorbrett.wordpress.com/2022/01/18/does-the-bible-really-say-fear-not-365-times/#:~:text=The%20two%20word%20combo%20%E2%80%9CFEAR,a%20far%20cry%20from%20365. Check it out!]
“2Tim. 1:7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (English Standard Version)
I had a nightmare last night. I was about to give a lecture at some prestigious biblical studies conference. The room was packed. Someone walked up to me and said, “People don’t want to hear more about the Pentateuch.” Now, the Pentateuch—the first five books of the Bible—is where I’ve done most of my scholarly work. Genesis is especially one of my ongoing loves.
But because this one person came up to me and said what he said, I decided to scrap my lecture. I announced that I was just going to talk about scholarship in general. I had no idea what I was going to say. People immediately started leaving. At first, a few people trickled out. Then, the trickle became an avalanche. Soon, I was left in a large lecture hall by myself.
Now you know why I don’t sign up to do scholarly lectures.
So, this morning for my meditation time, I decided to meditate on fear. I have heard it said that there are 365 times in the Bible when it says, “Fear not!” I thought that was neat, but I was skeptical about it. I’ve learned to be wary of neatness. If you saw my sleeping and work area, you would say an immediate “Amen!”
To find out about this 365-thing, I did what all really good biblical scholars do: I googled it. Brett Maragni quickly disabused me of this statistical myth and confirmed my suspicions: The phrase “Fear not” occurs 71 times in the King James Version. However, as Maragni wisely notes, “. . . [H]ow many times does God have to say something for us to take it seriously? ONCE should be enough.”
He goes on to say, “So, I hate to bust the bubble of all the people who love posting on social media how awesome it is that there is exactly one “FEAR NOT” / “DO NOT FEAR” command for every day of the year, but at least now they won’t have to worry about what to do on the final day of a leap year! 🙂”
“ONCE should be enough!” Yes!
Not all dreams or nightmares seem significant to me, but I suspect that this one means something. Since I was little, I have been afraid that I have nothing worthwhile to offer others. If even one person criticized me or thought me less than perfect, I was a total failure. The nightmare suggests that fear persists.
But God does indeed say, “Fear not!” So, how am going to flesh out a fearless attitude today? I am going to do a bunch of simple, but worthwhile things.
- I am going to take the dog outside to do what she needs to do, give her a treat, and play with her for a little while.
- I am going to put away the dishes in the drainer before Sharon gets up.
- I am going to grade students’ papers.
- I am going to go for a long walk.
- I am going to text or call several 12-step friends.
- I am going to post this.
Who knows? Maybe I’ll even sign up to do a scholarly talk somewhere.
And one more thing, dear reader. The things you do may not seem all that important to you, but I suspect they are very important to others. “Fear not” may not be as common as you and I had hoped, but it’s still a good way to live our lives for the glory of God and the benefit of others. Perhaps if we all faced our fears of insignificance during the day and countered those fears with small worthwhile actions, we would sleep nightmare-free at night.
“Of Migraines, Perfectionism, and Strange Theology”
Here is an email that I sent to one of my students who asked for a brief extension on an assignment, due to her migraines. I mentioned to her that I used to suffer for them as well. She asked if I still had them. Here is my reply. (I left out her name to be careful not to violate her confidentiality.)
Dear __________,
Yes, the migraines do not afflict me now, thank you. In fact, I have very few headaches of any kind these days (even though I have a very slight one right now).
I am sorry for all your health concerns, and I realize that there are many things that can cause migraines. Even though I highly value medical professionals (my wife is a nurse), I am not sure that even the medical experts understand migraines fully.
That headache that I had for eight days was the last really severe one I’ve had. I will tell you a true story, except that I will clean it up a little, leaving out the crucial word. You can fill in the blank if you like.
When I was having this l o n g eight-day headache, I was living on Tylenol, which helped a little. Sound went through my head like a spike. My wife and kids, even if they talked in a normal tone of voice, were yelling. I could hardly keep my food down.
I was scheduled to go on a retreat to a Trappist monastery in Kentucky with a friend who was a Catholic priest, but I thought of canceling it. My wife said, “Oh, why don’t you go? It might do you good.”
When my friend arrived, he visited with Sharon for a few minutes and then we headed out for our four-day spiritual retreat. Before we had gone very far, Jerome said to me, “You’re not feeling well, are you, Daryl?”
“Oh,” I said, “I’ve had this headache for eight days, and nothing seems to help. I almost canceled on you, but Sharon said it might be a good idea for me to go.”
“Daryl,” my friend said, “what do you expect of yourself?”
I wasn’t really prepared for that question, but I thought for a moment and said, “I just want to be a good man, and I’m not.”
My friend replied, “No, you want to be perfect.”
“No, Jerome, I just want to be a good man, and I’m not.”
And then, my friend said something which not only pretty much chased the migraines away, but which has transformed my life. He said, “Sometimes I think we need an #$%?! theology. We’re all a bunch of #$%?!s, and God loves us anyway.”
My friend almost never used such language, so I was rather shocked. I also thought that it was very funny. I laughed and I cried, and then I laughed and cried some more. Within ten minutes, the headache was gone. They have never come back with such ferocity again.
___________, I don’t question that there are weighty medical issues that are causing (or at least exacerbating) your migraines. However, I wonder: Are you a perfectionist?
I believe in miracles, and I also believe that the love of God is the greatest miracle of all. Those of us who are Christ-followers give lip-service to the idea that God loves us just as we are. But we need to let that love for us—just as we are—to permeate every cell in our body. We are perfectly lovable, even in our imperfections.
By the way, now that I’ve told you this true story, I’ve noticed that my head isn’t hurting. Of course, the cup of coffee may have helped a little too.
Warm Regards and Prayers,
Daryl
“Good Cover-Ups”
“Psa. 32:1 ¶ Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Psa. 32:2 Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Psa. 32:3 ¶ For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
Psa. 32:4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
Psa. 32:5 ¶ I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
Psa. 32:6 ¶ Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
Psa. 32:7 You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
Psa. 32:8 ¶ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Psa. 32:9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.
Psa. 32:10 ¶ Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.
Psa. 32:11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! (English Standard Version)
My wife was briefly involved in a cover-up this morning. No, there is no need to call the FBI, Homeland Security, or even a marriage counselor. It wasn’t quite that dramatic.
She couldn’t find her phone. I was upstairs and had left my own phone downstairs. My wife is very logical. Also, even though she loves me dearly, she is not blind to my tendencies. She yelled upstairs, “I think you have my phone!”
I couldn’t very well argue, since I assumed she was right. I started looking. The bathroom, my desk, my bed, my chest of drawers—nada.
Eventually, I went downstairs, grabbed my phone, and called my wife’s number. We could hear her phone ringing, but it was a bit muffled. There was a good reason for that. It was muffled by a stack of recipes. Sharon had the recipes out and her phone in the neighborhood of those recipes for an excellent cause. She helps cook on Monday nights for a ministry which provides a hot meal and groceries for those who need them. My wife was trying to figure out a way to make pork flavorful and tender. Hence, the recipes and her phone at the ready. (I sampled her work later in the day, and I can report that she succeeded admirably.)
It is frightfully easy to cover up something important. But, as is often the case with the way my brain works, my wife’s cover-up invited me to reflect. I wonder what I am covering up? Is it the right thing to cover up? What is my motive for covering something up? Do I have a motive, or is it just an accident? Covering up our smart phones might be a good thing to do on a regular basis. If you’re like me, you spend way too much time on my smart phone, which is a dumb thing to do. If I am covering up my phone so that I can serve others, that would be a very smart thing.
On the other hand, we sometimes cover up things that don’t need to be covered. They need to be confessed. ’Fessing up is not as easy as covering up, but it’s a lot healthier. Believe me: I’ve tried it both ways.
The psalm with which this post begins is one of my favorites. It points out that hiding stuff makes us sick, but confessing stuff brings back joy to our lives. Confession isn’t easy. It’s just better.
The New Testament also talks about God’s cover-up for our sins. In fact, when talking about what God has done for us in Christ, Psalm 32 is called to the witness stand (Romans 4:6-8). What Christians have historically believed (and what I presently believe, at least in my better moments) is that we must confess our sins and ask for forgiveness. We believe that Jesus died for our sins so that they might be covered.
And that, dear reader, is a very good cover-up. In fact, it’s the best cover-up of all.
“A Marginalized God”
Many New Testament scholars have noted Jesus’ ministry to those on the margin: women, the poor, and so on. Luke is especially insistent about Jesus caring for those whom society considered outsiders.
Those of us who believe that Jesus was God embodied believe that Jesus’ concern for those who are outsiders reflects the very heart of God. Even if you believe that Jesus was only a great man, prophet, or teacher, but not God-in-the-flesh, you probably hope that there is a God like that—a God who cares for the outsider. And don’t we all sometimes at least feel like outsiders?
But what if God Himself is marginalized? What if God is the Ultimate Outsider? That God is love is an old idea. Yes, it is ever fresh and deep, but it has been around for a very long time. And the idea that God loves especially those who are not loved by others is an old and venerable idea as well. And if we believe that God loves those on the margins, we might extrapolate to our own responsibility: We also are called to love outsiders. But God being marginal? That’s a new idea—or at least it is to me.
Now you may say, “Wait a minute! Isn’t God the center of everything? How could the creator and sustainer of the universe be considered marginal?”
The simple answer is “Yes, God is the Center.” But, as with almost all simple yeses, this yes must be nuanced. In this case, nuance means asking myself questions that I don’t want to ask, because I already know the answers and don’t like them. Here are the questions: Is God an outsider to me? Do I marginalize God? Do I sometimes (often?) act as if there is no God? Am I, practically speaking, an atheist?
My own belief is that faith is not simply a matter of the intellect, the emotions, and the will. Faith is action as well. So the question that cuts like a knife is this: Do my actions suggest that God is in the center of my life or on the margins of my life?
Oh God, you are The Center. Help me to treat you that way today. Please.
“Moving Being a Shell of a Man”
My nephew gave me a wonderful metaphor for becoming a fully functional man. He said that men are just little boys. We are only a shell of a man. But a good wife can draw a good man out of that shell.
I don’t know if that is universally true. Probably not. However, I do know that it is true for me. My wife has most definitely loved me into becoming a much better, more mature, more loving version of myself. She has done more than give birth to our children. She has also given birth to me!
In a general sense, that is what we are called to do, isn’t it? We do not become anything good alone. Of course, I believe that God works directly to help us with this business of coming out of our shells. However, God also frequently works on us through others.
We are all, male and female alike, young and old alike, designed and called to help one another become the truest version of ourselves.
It takes time, patience, and acceptance to become our real selves. It takes time, patience, and acceptance to help birth one another. And let’s be frank: Time, patience, and acceptance are rare elements these days. Perhaps we are all shells until someone draws us out of those shells. We need to let other people help us to unshell ourselves. And we need to help others to unshell as well. My spell-checker doesn’t like the word “unshell”, but I do. I am adding it to my dictionary. You might consider doing so as well.
“A Mindset of Happiness”
A friend sent me the following from his daughter. It is so good that I wanted to pass it along to you.
“Happiness is a mindset, a conscious choice we make every day. It isn’t about having a perfect life, but about finding joy in the little things, cultivating gratitude, and focusing on the positives, even in challenging times. While circumstances can influence our mood, true happiness comes from within—it’s an attitude that allows us to see the beauty in imperfections and to appreciate what we have rather than what we lack. By choosing to embrace a mindset of happiness, we empower ourselves to live more fulfilling lives, regardless of the ups and downs that come our way. Happiness is not something to chase; it’s something to create from the inside out.”
I would add just two things to this. The first one is a comment by a friend the other day in a twelve-step meeting: “For me, happiness is having more blessings than problems.” Yes indeed!
Second, it is my conviction that real joy comes from knowing and loving God and knowing that God knows and loves me. There is a little praise song that I learned some fifty-plus years ago that I really appreciate. It goes like this:
“Verse 1
Happiness is to know the Savior
Living a life within His favor
Having a change in my behavior
Happiness is the Lord
Verse 2
Happiness is a new creation
Jesus and me in close relation
Having a part in His salvation
Happiness is the Lord
(Bridge)
Real joy is mine
No matter if teardrops start
I’ve found the secret
It’s Jesus in my heart
Verse 3
Happiness is to be forgiven
Living a life that’s worth the livin’
Taking a trip that leads to heaven
Happiness is the Lord
(Ending)
Happiness is the Lord
Happiness is the Lord”
“Never Too Late”
“Joel 2:12 ¶ “Yet even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
Joel 2:13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster.” (English Standard Version.)These are the You Version verse/s of the day for August 20, 2024.)
It is never too late to repent and turn to God. I am struck by the first three words of verse 12: “Yet even now”. We sometimes say, “It’s just too late for me.” God never says such a thing. Instead, God says, “Yet even now!” One of my twelve-step brothers said, “It’s never too late to become the man you always wanted to be.” He spoke the truth.
There needs to be sorrow for the person that I was and the harm that I’ve done. There needs to be a broken heart. It is only the broken heart that can be healed.
But there is good news. Indeed, there is astonishingly good news. God is in the heart-healing business. God is full of grace and mercy. He doesn’t get angry quickly, and he overflows with a love that will not be dammed up.
No, dear friend, it is not too late—not for me, not for you, not for anybody.
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
- DTEB, “Getting Christ and Ourselves Back in Focus” November 11, 2024“Col. 3:1 ¶ If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Col. 3:2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Col. 3:3 For you have died, and your life is hidden […]
- “Search Me!” October 27, 2024“Psa. 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24, English Standard Version) I am participating in a Bible study, and this is a prayer […]
- “Christian Speech” October 26, 2024“Eph. 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Foulkes, in his excellent commentary on the Book of Ephesians, writes the following, which I quote at some length: “29. Now the […]
- “God is in the Details” October 11, 2024“The devil is in the details.” (A general saying, often quoted by lawyers, reporters, and negotiators.) “God is in the details.” (Me, almost certainly not original.) “Luke 12:7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Jesus) God does not micromanage, but God […]
- “Grandma’s Pump” October 8, 2024When I was a little critter, I would stay at my grandma’s house for a night or two sometimes. I liked this for a lot for many reasons. One thing I liked about staying with her was that Grandma’s house was much more technologically advanced than ours was. For one thing, she had indoor water—sort […]
- “Wearing the #14 Wrong-Side-Out” October 5, 2024Pete Rose, #14, is dead. Many of the old guys with whom I play softball watched him play and appreciated him greatly. I do as well. He was one of the greatest players who ever played the game. Yes, he admitted (eventually) to betting on baseball. But many of us still regard him as one […]
- “Passing Along the Love (and a Link)” October 4, 2024Several years ago, a friend of mine put me onto a daily meditation by Richard Rohr and friends. I don’t read them all the time, but I probably should. They are good! I thought that today’s writing was especially good, and I also figured that this would be a good way to post something. I […]
- “Witnessing Versus Being Witnesses” September 19, 2024“Acts 1:1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, Acts 1:2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. Acts 1:3 He presented himself alive to them after […]
- “A Bathroom Prayer for Hurting Hands” September 11, 2024A week ago Sunday, my hands were hurting so badly at church that I went to the bathroom to run hot water over my hands. Arthritis perhaps, or carpal tunnel, or general orneriness—I don’t know why my hands hurt, but they do. They have for years. So, while I was running hot water over my […]
- “Waiting and Seeking” September 10, 2024“Lam. 3:19 ¶ Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! Lam. 3:20 My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. Lam. 3:21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Lam. 3:22 ¶ The steadfast love of the LORD […]
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