twenty-five days...

Today... the countdown begins...
twenty-five days... till Christmas...

And I wonder... how should I prepare...
when preparations have yet to begin...?

The thought comes...
bring twenty-five days of His Word...
that which reveals Him...
His coming...
His gospel...
His return...

The first promise of His coming...
found in Genesis... after the Fall...

The Lord God said to the serpent,

"Because you have done this...

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel."

Genesis 3:14-15 ESV

The serpent... satan... brought the lie of temptation into the world...

sin followed... along with death... separation from God...

He said... her offspring... shall bruise his head...

a death blow... to the one who opened the door to death...

Jesus... offspring of Eve...

His Father... God...

His mother... woman...

Yes... His coming was planned from the beginning...

even before the foundations of the world...

God chose him as your ransom long before the world began,

but he has now revealed him to you in these last days.

Through Christ you have come to trust in God.

1 Peter 1:20-21 NLT

He knew we would need a Savior...

He knew He would send His Son...

He knew... even before... it all began...

Heavenly Father... God-Three-In-One...

help me to come to a greater understanding...

of Your great love over the coming days...

Love that creates... knowing a sacrifice would have to be made...

Note... this is one of those things... started by faith... the whisper of an idea... I don't have a plan... don't know where it's going... trusting Him to provide the Word... each... day...

The Journey Readings: Week 100... and encouragement in the face of judgment...

God doles out judgment and punishment on His rebellious people... but He offers encouragement in the same breath...

With darkness on the horizon... He announces the coming Light...

They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry.

And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak

contemptuously against their king and their God, and turn their

faces upward. And they will look to the earth, but behold,

distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish.

And they will be thrust into thick darkness.

But there  will be no gloom for her who was in anguish.

In the former time he brought into contempt the land of

Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time

he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond

the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;

those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,

on them has light shined.

Isaiah 8:21-9:2 ESV

Pronounced through His prophet... both judgment... and encouragement...

He is just and merciful... He has the Way in place to bring salvation... eternal redemption... to all His people... and He wants them to know...

The time of darkness... judgment... comes to pass...

it will not last forever... Light is coming...

He gives His people encouragement in the face of judgment...

This week's readings...

Monday                  Isaiah 19-21  

Tuesday                  Isaiah 22-23

Wednesday             Isaiah 24-25

Thursday                Isaiah 26-27

Friday                     Isaiah 28

the wonder of His love...

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

Psalm 139:1 ESV

And You still love me...

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

you discern my thoughts from afar.

Psalm 139:2 ESV

And You still love me...

You search out my path and my lying down

and are acquainted with all my ways.

Psalm 139:3 ESV

And You still love me...

Even before a word is on my tongue,

behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

Psalm 139:4 ESV

And You still love me...

You hem me in, behind and before,

and lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

it is high; I cannot attain it.

Psalm 139:5-6 ESV

The wonder of Your love...

it is too wonderful for me...!

Amen...

thank-full...

Thank-full... at the end of Thanksgiving day...
mostly for Him...
His salvation...
peace...
grace...
and forgiveness...

Thank-full... for relationships eternal...
friends...
family...
and those who are yet to be saved...

Thank-full... He is at work...
in the world...
in my life...
in my family...

Thank-full... His Word does not return void...
His purpose will be fulfilled...
His promises will all come to pass...

Thank-full... at the end of Thanksgiving day...

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever!

Psalm 107:1 ESV

praising Him as Keeper...

Heavenly Father...
I praise You as the Creator and Keeper...
of the universe...
the world...
and my life...

You... Lord... are BIG enough...
to see to every detail...
of every moment...
of every day...
in the entire created realm...
both seen and unseen...

Knowing You as Keeper...
brings peace...
rest...
freedom...
joy...

I praise Your name...

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the Lord his God,

the Maker of heaven and earth,

the sea, and everything in them---

the Lord, who remains faithful forever.

Psalm 146:5-6

receiving...

A day of receiving... everything... just as it came...
from inadvertently deleting work...
to an unexpected gift...
from a possible theft...
to blessings of grace...

I could have labeled each...
good or bad...
but today... I found myself...
simply... receiving...

Lessons of His sovereignty...
perhaps they're sinking in...?

Or maybe... the practice of...
Sabbaths... and communion...
are impacting my spirit...?

Hmmm...
all I know...
it feels... a little different...
trusting His hand... in all things...

For from his fullness we have all received,

grace upon grace.

John 1:14 ESV

being...

A day of being...

attentive...

at rest...

obedient...

at peace...

A day spent being...

in His presence...

You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11 ESV

The Journey Readings: Week 99... and... what He requires of you...

The prophets... they tell us what God requires of His people...

He showed you, O man, what is good. 

And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly,

and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself,

and walk with your God.

Micah 6:8 Amp

Learn to do right! Seek justice,

relieve the oppressed, and correct the oppressor.

Defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.

Isaiah 1:17 Amp

O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Isaiah 2:5 Amp

The prophets... they have much to teach...

This week's readings...

Monday             Isaiah 7-8

Tuesday             Isaiah 9-10

Wednesday         Isaiah 11-13

Thursday           Isaiah 14

Friday                 Isaiah 15-18

disciplines...

Disciplines... both spiritual and physical... are good for the soul...

discipline verb transitive... 1: to punish or penalize for the sake of discipline 2: to train or develop by instruction and exercise especially in self-control...

---Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th Ed.)

Disciplines...
not the punishment... but the training...
help us to grow through exercise...

The exercise of spiritual disciplines...
prayer...
meditation on His Word...
fasting...
obedience...
all help us to grow in our relationship with Him...

The exercise of physical disciplines...
running...
weight lifting...
walking...
maintaining a healthy diet...
all help us to grow physically stronger... healthier...

Again... none of these are particularly fun...
we may come to a point of mastery where we find joy...
and as we reap the benefits... we find joy in the growth...
but discipline in and of itself...
can... at times... feel like self-inflicted punishment...

However... experience teaches...
life is much better...
when discipline is practiced...

After all... we reap what we sow...

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked,

for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

For the one who sows to his own flesh

will from the flesh reap corruption,

but the one who sows to the Spirit

will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

And let us not grow weary of doing good,

for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Galatians 6:7-9 ESV

How are you when it comes to discipline...?
What are you reaping...?

fun... is it really...?

The subject of fun came up today...
which sent me on a search in the Word...

Fun is not found in most translations...
Once in NIV... none in KJV... ESV... NASB...
several times in NLT... and 35 times in the Message...

Fun in the Word is nearly always used in a negative sense...

At my scanning... most often in the context of making fun of...
or as a reason for causing trouble...

My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them!

They may say, "Come and join us. Let's hide and kill someone!

Just for fun, let's ambush the innocent!

Proverbs 1:10-11 NLT

Fun appears to be a word for the flesh...

not one that feeds the spirit...

There are plenty of things that aren't fun...

at least not always...

and to persevere takes time... energy... intention...

Marriage... for one...

I love being married...

I love my husband...

but sometimes it's hard...

Teaching Bible to fourth graders...

another hard endeavor...

vying for attention... handing out discipline...

giving instructions multiple times...

Sometimes these things are hard...

cause dread...

but always... when you've gotten past the hard moment...

they are worth it...

Looking back... having done the hard... as best you can... it's good...

rewarding... 

instills joy...

Now there's a spirit word...

Be joyful always...

1 Thessalonians 5:16

But fun... that's a worldly word...

one that mostly leads to consequences...

hard... often lasting... consequences...

hang-overs...

addictions...

STD's...

So I consider... Fun... is it really...? and for how long...?

Doing wrong is fun for a fool,

but living wisely brings pleasure to the sensible.

Proverbs 14:9 NLT

pressed...

At the end of a day...
in the middle of the week...
feeling pressed...

And I remember... yesterday's lessons from the massage table...

Recognizing the pressing...
I attempt to trust...
relax... rest... in what He is up to...

Finding myself on my knees before Him...
more than once today...
seeking His guidance...
trusting His timing...
counting on His power...
for good...
for healing...
for transformation...

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show

that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;

perplexed, but not in despair...

2 Corinthians 4:7-8

Amen.

lessons from the massage table...

Yes... I had a massage today...
as she tells me...Think limp lasagna... relax...
I think... That doesn't really help...

Trying to relax... rest... in the working of muscles...
a new thought enters...

Rest... as clay... in the Potter's hands...

Clay... I can relate to that...
all mankind formed from the dust of the ground...
a conglomeration of dirt... water... minerals... salts...
that's what I'm made of...

And as she pushes...
pulls...
pounds...
and presses...
I ask Him to teach me...
to rest... relax...
in His hands...
as He pulls...
pounds...
and presses...
in my life...

I pray to be sensitive to His touch...
able to rest... even when it hurts...

Learning to be... clay in His hands...
not resisting... the circumstances...
people... He brings into my life...
but rest... trusting that He's at work...
for good...
for healing...
for transformation...

So when I went down to the potter's house,

and there he was working at his wheel.

And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled 

in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into

another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.

Then the word of the Lord came to me:

"O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done?

declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand,

so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. ..."

Jeremiah 18:3-8 ESV

Father God... help me to embrace Your lessons

from the massage table... Help me to learn...

to rest and trust... in the work You are about in my life...

sabbaths... sabbaticals... and expectations...

Sabbaths...
After four consecutive weeks of practicing a Sabbath day...
I finally felt surrendered to the rest...

This week I even rested from leading Sunday School...
as a couple training missionaries in South America shared their testimony...

It was a breath of fresh air...
Spirit-inspired...
an unexpected blessing...


Sabbaticals...
A friend... she challenged me with the call to a sabbatical...
seven weeks... at the end of the year...

At the time it felt like one more thing to do...
my flesh cringed...

In the praying for guidance...
seeking what sabbatical looks like for me...
I feel led to lead a prayer group into seven weeks of rest...

A time to seek... pray...
ask for direction and fresh passion...
for a ministry 12-plus years old...

As I surrender to the call...
(feeling a little guilty... I might add...)
He reveals He's called others to pray...
for an extended period...
an unexpected covering... of the ministry taking a break...


Expectations...
As I learn to set aside a day of rest...
I find a need to learn to put aside expectations...
at least my expectations...

The end of another day...
feeling I didn't get all I expected accomplished...

A day surrendered to Him...
listening... following...

Trusting if it didn't get done...
it wasn't His plan for today...

And I see how He unexpectedly blessed...
in Sabbath... and sabbatical...
therefore... willing to rest... in what's been done...
and left undone... however unexpected...

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;

my hope comes from him.

Psalm 62:5

The Journey Readings: Week 98... and His wrath... His love...

The prophets... continue to teach us about God...
His wrath... His love...

His wrath poured out on the adulterous...
those who reject His love...
pursue idols... instead of seeking Him...

Ephraim shall become a desolation in the day of rebuke

and punishment. Among the tribes of Israel I declare what will be.

The princes of Judah are like those who remove the landmark

[the barrier between right and wrong]; I will pour out

My wrath upon them like water.

Ephraim is oppressed; he is broken and crushed by

[divine] judgment because he was content to walk

after idols (images) and man's [evil] command (vanities and filth).

Therefore I am like a moth to Ephraim and like dry rot to the

house of Judah [in my judgment of them].

Hosea 5:9-12 Amp

He shares His heart of love...

reviewing His history with the people of Israel...

I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love,

and I was to them as one who lifts up and eases the yoke

over the cheeks, and I bent down to them and gently

laid food before them.

Hosea 11:4 Amp

His love seen in the prophets and their warnings...

their call to return... to seek... to live...

Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love;

break up the fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord,

that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

Hosea 10:12 Amp

Knowing the rest of His story...
His greatest love... seen in His sacrifice...

The fullness of His wrath...
the horror of what we glimpse in the prophets...
poured out on His Son...

...and God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners,

Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified

by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him

from the wrath of God.

Romans 5:8-9 ESV

Join The Journey... seek Him in the prophets...

This week's readings...
Monday                 Micah 4-6
Tuesday                 Micah 7
Wednesday            Isaiah 1:1 - 2:5
Thursday                Isaiah 2:6 - 4:6
Friday                    Isaiah 5-6

where is your security found...?

Over lunch today... we talked about the futility of trusting money for security...

There is not enough money... for anyone to feel secure...

This evening... I hear of the terror in Paris... not from the news... but from my sister... her youngest... my niece... currently there doing a semester abroad...

She's safe at the moment...

Listening to the news... people's fears...
borders closed...
a call on military to keep them safe...

But can they...?

Is there any security to be found in the things... or people of the world...

The only peace...
the only security...
the only solid Rock in which to trust...
is God: Father... Son... Holy Spirit...

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,

though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

though its water roar and foam, thought the mountains

tremble at its swelling. Selah

Psalm 46:1-3 ESV

Pause and think calmly of that...

Jesus... the Savior...

our only Refuge...

Where is your security found...?

Praying for my niece... my sister... to find security in Him...

Please join me in praying...

fully attentive...

The daily examen continues...

Today... I recognize my closest moments to Him...
occur when I'm fully attentive to Him...
working with Him...

Times of distraction... busyness...
are times I feel disconnected from Him...

Longing to learn to be fully attentive...
every moment... of... every day...

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,

the author and perfecter of our faith...

Hebrews 12:2

permission to hope...

Somewhere along the way in my growing up... I became a pessimist... one of those always waiting for the other shoe to drop... proverbially speaking...

Whatever the reason... a book has caused me to look at that aspect of my inner life... my fear of joy and hope... fear of disappointment...

Without reckoning with our emotions... our pasts... our hurts... the writer says we cannot live wholeheartedly...

One of the truisms of wholehearted living is You either walk into your story and own your truth, or you live outside of your story, hustling for your worthiness. Walking into a story about falling down can feel like being swallowed whole by emotion. Our bodies often respond before our conscious minds, and they are hardwired to protect --- to run or to fight.

---Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, Rising Strong

In response to the hard knocks of life... I've chosen to beat myself up... stay down... rather than give someone... or something... the pleasure of doing it for me...

Therefore... I find myself denying myself... joy... and... hope...

Dr. Brown goes on to say... we either reckon with emotions or off-load them in varied unhealthy ways...

So how do we reckon with emotion rather than off-load it? What I've learned from the research and tried to put into practice in my own life sounds way simpler than it is: Give yourself permission to feel emotion, get curious about it, pay attention to it, and practice. This work takes practice. Awkward, uncomfortable practice.

---Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, Rising Strong

Today... I wrote my first permission slip... and to make the whole process even more uncomfortable... I'm sharing my attempt here with you...!

Self: You have permission to be joyful & optimistic today! 

The book is secular... but truth is truth... and it all belongs to God...

Emphasizing the truth... I added Scripture to validate the permission...

For hope does not disappoint us because God

has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit

whom He has given us.

Romans 5:5

He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all,

how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?

Romans 8:32

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I carried permission to hope around with me today...

it made a difference having it near... reminded me of truth...

of reckoning I need to do... from past falls...

Moving toward rising strong...

one awkward step... at... a... time...

Do you have emotions you need to reckon with...?

Emotions effect our hearts... 

the combination of our minds... wills... emotions...

they are the well-spring of life...

Join me in asking God to reveal... and guide... in dealing with the reckoning...

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Proverbs 4:23

flickering epiphany...

After a day of wrest over rest...
followed by a day of finding no rest in work...
this morning... a flickering epiphany...

The work is not about finishing...
the work is about being with You...!

The rest is not about not working...
the rest is about being with You...!

To be where You are...
to be where You call me to Your side...
this is a life of prayer...

Shabbat Shalom...
in rest...
in work...
in living...
in dying...

I've been missing the connection with You...
in the work... and in the rest...

I don't know how I got so skewed...
with work... and rest... and being with You...
but thank You... Lord... for times to remember...
and getting back next to You....

"... Take m yoke upon you, and learn from me,

for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest

for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

---Jesus

Matthew 11:29-30 ESV

wresting with rest...

Another call to Sabbath...
one I didn't want to hear...

It did not go well... from my perspective anyway...

Did work... that should've waited...
recruited others to help... when I should've let them rest...
self-indulged...
spent more time at wrest with Him... than at rest in Him...

And then today... the Monday following...
after a day of wrestling with rest...
He clears up much of my day...
hours in fact...

But you know what...?
The opportunity to work extra hours... brought no rest...
unmet expectations... (you know... the ones set too high...?)
left me feeling like a failure...
the work... did not fulfill...

The sun sets early these days...
and it feels like the day is done...

After a time with Him... remembering Him...

He reminds... There's still time in the day...
Do not give up... or be dismayed...
because so much seems undone...

Trusting Him... to guide the evening hours...
because I'm not sure I did so great with the day...

Thank You Lord for Your strength to persevere...

...for darkness is as light with you.

Psalm 139:12 ESV

The Journey Readings: Week 97... and homeward bound...

Homeward bound...
the message of the prophets...
the perspective we are to keep...
the direction we are to look...
focused on pilgrimage...

In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David,

the fallen hut or booth, and close up its breaches;

and I will raise up its ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old...

And I will bring back the exiles of My people Israel,

and they shall build the waste cites and inhabit them;

and they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine from them;

they shall also make gardens and eat the fruit of them.

And I will plant them upon their land,

and they shall no more be torn up, out of the land

which I gave them, says the Lord your God.

Amos 9:11, 14-15 Amp

A day of restoration is coming...

Fear not, O Land; be glad and rejoice,

for the Lord has done great things.

...

And I will restore or replace for you the years

that the locust has eaten --- the hopping locust,

the stripping locust, and the crawling locust,

My great army which I sent among you.

Joel 2:21, 25 Amp

The exile... the pain... all for a purpose...

revealing the remnant...

to bring them home...

This is still the message today...

the whole world a place of trial...

tribulation...

affliction...

until... He... brings... us... home...

"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God,

believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms.

If it were not so, would I have told you that I go

to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place

for you, I will come again and will take you to myself,

that where I am you may be also. ..." ---Jesus

John 14:1-4 ESV

Look to Him... homeward bound...

This week's readings...

Monday               Hosea 3-5

Tuesday               Hosea 6-8

Wednesday          Hosea 9-10

Thursday              Hosea 11-14

Friday                  Micah 1-3

examen...

A challenge in Bible study...
a spiritual discipline...
the Daily Examen...

The Daily Examen is a technique of prayer reflection on the events of the day in order to detect God's presence and discern his direction for us. The Examen is an ancient practice in the Church that can help us see God's hand at work in our whole experience.

---Ignatian Spirituality, The Daily Examen 

The process is generally five steps...
Ask the Spirit to make His presence known...
Review the day with thanksgiving...
Consider when you felt closest to God during the day...
And then when you felt the farthest...
The final step... respond...

On the drive home...
in the quiet of the car...
I walked through examen...

The surprise... the time I felt closest to Him... was as He revealed the points of the day I was the farthest away...

In conviction... I felt His presence...
not cold and hard...
but tender... forgiving...

"... And when [the Helper] comes, he will convict the world

concerning sin and righteousness and judgment...

John 16:8 ESV

In response...
confession...
repentance...
thanksgiving...

how to breathe...

Seeking Him as the Bread of Life...
led to me praising Him...
as the Breath of Life...

He gives us life...
by His breath...

---then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground

and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,

and the man became a living creature.

Genesis 2:7 ESV

 

A song of praise puts this truth into perspective...

 

You give life, You are love

You bring light to the darkness

You give hope, You restore

Every heart that is broken

And great are You, Lord

 

It's Your breath in our lungs

So we pour out our praise

We pour out our praise

It's Your breath in our lungs

So we pour out our praise to You only

 

---All Sons & Daughters, Great Are You Lord

 

This particular song... started me considering... just how we are to use our breath to praise Him only... after all it is His breath...

 

Today... I discovered instructions on how to breathe...

and I found it in His Word...

 

Rejoice always,

pray without ceasing,

give thanks in all circumstances;

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

 

If we would truly live our lives...

according to His will...

rejoicing...

praying...

giving thanks...

there would be no room for doing anything else with our breath...!

 

All would be for His glory...

 

All would lead to a life of praise...

breath spent on Him... only...

 

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seeking Him... as Bread...

The inspiration came Sunday...
studying His Word with friends...
reading through Amos...

For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel:

Seek Me [inquire for and of Me and require Me

as you require food] and you shall live!

Amos 5:4 Amp

I love the Amplified of this verse...

including the heart of the Hebrew translated seek...

Sharing this with friends... how we are to seek God... daily... as a necessity... as our source of life...

She said... Just think how often we eat...

Her comment impressed... stuck...

so today... I'm remembering He is...

the Bread of Life...

Jesus replied, I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me

will never be hungry, and he who believes in and cleaves

to and trusts in and relies on Me will never thirst any more

(at any time).

John 6:35 Amp

The One we are to eat... for Life...

Turning to Him often today...

in prayer...

in praise...

pressing into His promises...

Seeking Him to sustain... fill...

moment by moment...

throughout the day...

Have you sought Him today...? as much have you have sought out food...?

sometimes... you just have to stay out of the way...

Sometimes... you just have to stay out of the way...

When loved ones struggle... and there's not one thing you can do...
as a matter of fact... you know if you speak you might make things worse...

Sometimes... you just have to stay out of the way...

Trusting Him to do... what He does best...
capture hearts... and transform lives...

"Be still and know that I am God. ..."

Psalm 46:10 ESV



learning to live shabbat shalom...

Three weekends in a row...
a day has been dedicated to sabbath rest...
a day holy to the Lord...

So far... I've learned...
it is not a day for self-indulgence...
it is a day for private worship... and prayer...
it should include a time of corporate worship... (even if it's with a cat...)
it is a day to be other-centered... compassionate...
a day to trust Him with the work He calls you to do...
a day to roll your burdens on Him... and trust Him to fill the gaps...

Shabbat shalom...
rest... peace...
should be an attitude we bear every day...
in Christ Jesus...

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,

for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested 

from his works as God did from his.

Hebrews 4:9-10 ESV

Believers are to rest from their own salvation...

that work has been done by Him...

Believers should not work for themselves 24/7...

we should trust Him to provide...

Believers should not fret... or take on... the work He alone can do...

we need to recognize our finitude... our dependence on Him...

In this season of practicing a day of sabbath...

I'm learning to live shabbat shalom...

every... day...

Lord... teach me to rest in the work You've done...

the work You are doing... and the work You will do...

Thank You for filling in the gaps where I fail...

teach me to live... shabbat shalom...

The Journey Readings: Week 96... and His mercy...

His mercy... so much greater than ours...

Jonah... called by God to send a prophetic message to a wicked nation... ran away... to the farthest city he could possibly get to...

Yes... he was deterred along the way...
a storm...
a great fish...
and finally a repentant heart...

Jonah delivered the message...
the people repented...
God relented...

Jonah had a hissy-fit...!

Why...?

And he prayed to the Lord and said, I pray You, O Lord,

is not this just what I said when I was still in my country?

That is why I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a

gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and of great

kindness, and [when sinners turn to You and meet Your

conditions] You revoke the [sentence of] evil against them.

Jonah 4:2 Amp

Jonah didn't want the Ninevites forgiven...

he wanted them punished...

he wanted them to pay for their evil...

But God... the Creator of all...

loves all... longs to forgive...

longs to be merciful...

His mercy... so much greater than ours...

Never doubt His mercy...

Is there someone you're withholding mercy from...?

Someone you don't want to forgive...?

Learn more about His mercy and greatness... join The Journey...

This week's readings...
Monday             Amos 6-9
Tuesday             Joel 1:1 - 2:17
Wednesday        Joel 2:18 - 3:21
Thursday            Obadiah
Friday                Hosea 1-2