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Moments of Wonder

towpatch-clinton-mist

I was thinking of a camping trip my wife and I took last summer. We went down to Tennessee to do some hiking on the Appalachian Trail. And we stayed in a campground way up on the side of a mountain. We pitched our tent right inside the edge of the woods.

That first night, a huge storm came crashing over the mountain and down into our campsite. We could hear the thunder and see the lightning for about 1/2 an hour before it hit. We wondered if our tent would be blown away in the massive gale. But for a while, we sat there enjoying that incredible wind rushing down through our tent. And listening to the trees around us creaking, groaning and crashing. It was awesome!

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The Forgotten Gift Behind the Tree

christmas-tree-glow

We are getting ready to take the Christmas tree down. That is always a bit depressing for me. For one thing, I don’t like packing up all the Christmas ornaments. OK, my wife usually does that. But it is still nice to turn the tree on with the house lights off and just sit there in the evening glow.

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Climbing to Fill the Gap

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“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19)

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By the Glory of the Father

rainier-pines-and-clouds

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

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Of Angels and the Speed of Light

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“And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God; Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly ,touched me about the time of the evening oblation. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. (Daniel 9:20-23)

This biblical passage says that Gabriel started out toward Daniel at the moment God commanded him to go. God commanded him as Daniel first began to pray for Israel and himself. So let’s just say Daniel was praying for about an hour. Maybe more. Maybe less.

And that it took the angel about an hour to get to Daniel.

That is a bit surprising. I thought that the travel-time for angels would be instantaneous. I have no real basis for thinking that. I just did.

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By the Lord Their God

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“But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.”            (Hosea 1:7)

The Old Testament is full of verses of this kind. Where we are brought back to seeing God, Himself, as our deliverance.

These verses speak of men involved in desperate circumstances. Against-the-wall kind of situations. Where there is nowhere to turn but to God.

Elijah found himself alone and exhausted in the wilderness. But God sent ravens to feed him.

The Israelites found themselves without water in the Arabian desert. And God sent water gushing out of a rock to revive them and keep them going.

In numerous Old Testament accounts, the Israelites were facing overwhelming odds against powerful enemies. But God stepped in to tell them that it was His battle and not theirs. And amazing victories were won when they stood back and watched what God would do.

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In Everything Give Thanks

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“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (I Thessalonians 5:18)

This is the season that serves as a special reminder of all that God has provided for us.

But this simple truth is not always easy to see. Our “storehouse” mentality does not allow us to  “rest” in Christ and follow this command of scripture.

Yes, it is a command. We are to be thankful in EVERY thing.

We want a big store of money that we can draw from at any time. A storage that we can see physically. That is obvious to us when we go to our online checking account to see our balance.

Or we need a big pile of strength, or self confidence or a clear path that can take us a good distance down the road.

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Ancient Chaos in the City

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“And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out , saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. And the whole city was filled with confusion . . . Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together.” (Acts 19: 23 – 41)

This account of a riot in ancient Ephesus contains a perfect application to our present-day turmoil. I recommend reading the whole account. The ending is unexpected.

Riots, violence, unrest, and anger are not new to this world. There is always something that will set off one group against another.

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Separated Unto Christ

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When I first became a Christian, I was attending the United Methodist Church where I had grown up. But, strangely, it was not through the teachings of the UMC that I came to Christ. It was by reading the scriptures themselves. Along with other books that focused my soul toward salvation.

I remained at my church for about two years after I became a Christian. At first, I did not see the real conflict that the UMC beliefs had with my new life. But, point by point, this conflict became apparent to me.

As I look back, my eyes were opened in a very dramatic way when my friend, Ron, opened the Bible to Psalm 1:1.

“Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”

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