Fourfold Inspiration

This morning I came across this Fourfold Franciscan Blessing .


It was such a life giving call to action that I thought I'd share it with you :)

May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that you may seek truth boldly and love deeply within your heart.

May God bless you with a holy anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.

May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God's grace, to do what  others claim cannot be done.

Do you feel recharged?  Ready for Battle?

With all the turmoil of national debt and will so and so get paid or cut or whatever, imagine what would happen if we, the body, took a stand.....nuts to a balanced budget or higher debt ceiling....if we were actually doing what we have been instructed to do, none of this would matter---taking care of our aged parents, poor, widows, and orphans.   

What if we, the church, made such a radical impact on society that people turned first to The Cross and then to the government?

We need to bust out of our Holy Huddles and love on people with all the love of Christ!!!!!

ok...enough soapboxing....May God bless you with eyes that see, ears that hear, and a heart that loves those who He Loves!

Wise Counsel

Wow, I'm so enthralled with the O.T. right now!

Who knew that some of this stuff could be So Interesting!?!?

I flew through 1st and 2nd Samuel and am now over halfway through 1st Kings.

Did you know that David's son Absalom was the first baby kissing, handshaking, mumbo jumbo talkin' politician? Yep, he sat at the town gate, shaking hands, kissing cheeks and promoting his cause trying to overthrow his dad.

David had a serious problem keeping his kids under control. In fact, pretty much all of the major guys in the Old Test. had family issues. Why is that? Makes you really think about how sometimes we loose focus on what really matters even though we are doing something good....like running a country...

When it comes to advice, time and time again, wise counsel is so Important!

David's son Absalom had the rebellion in the bag...until, he followed the advice of someone secretly loyal to David. His plan to attack David played on Absalom's pride and led to his defeat and death.

Solomon, the wisest man on earth (and whoa, did he seriously fall or what?!?), obviously didn't pass any of it down to his kids. Maybe he was too busy entertaining people from all over the world who came to just sit and listen to him... His son, Rahoboam, completely ignored the advice of his father's elders when it came to dealing with his new kingdom.

The good advice was to serve his people and they will serve him. Humble, serving...not really the awesome lifestyle of a King.

His friends told him to flex his muscle, show them who's boss---if you thought my father's yoke was heavy, mine will be even heavier still! And the people rebelled, and he lost most of his kingdom (Israel split from Judah)....just as God told Solomon would happen because of his disobedience.

So, whose your counsel? Oprah? Horiscopes? Dr. Phil?  Self Help Books?

Reading through the O.T. has been so eye opening...learn from our fathers' mistakes...grow from their wisdom and experience.

And most of all, look to God! He lays it all out for us. Sometimes it seems as clear as mud, but He won't ever steer you wrong!!!! He knew you before you were born, formed you in your mother's womb...molded for His good works.

Don't waste yourself on shoddy advice or fads---God's word stands the test of time!

These are all things that we have been in deep discussion about with Jamie. He's getting to that delightful age where he knows best, we know nothing. I really want to instill this sensitivity to where he gets his knowledge.

O Lord, give my sons discerning hearts--let wisdom be their guides--grow in them hearts that follow after you, that walk in your ways and follow your statutes! Bless them with wise counsel when the time comes and protect them from fools with selfish motives at heart!

Dress to Impress?

I haven't written lately on my progress reading through the Bible cover to cover.  I just finished 2 Samuel this afternoon.....so I thought that I'd write about one of the things that really struck me.

In 2 Samuel 6, David was bringing the ark into Jerusalem.   He had started this journey earlier.  But when Uzzah fell against the ark and died, David became afraid and dropped it off at the closest place.   

When he finally came to terms with what had happened (and saw how greatly God was blessing the house where the ark stayed), David decided to give it a second go around.   This time, they stopped every few feet to offer sacrifices to the Lord.  David danced and sang with all of his might during this procession into Jerusalem.

He danced and sang with All His Might....so much so that his wife was embarrassed by his undignified manner. 

He replied that he would praise God with all of his might--undignified or not--God chose him, made him a prince and after all of that running around and hiding out in caves God's promise was finally coming true!   I'll dance to bring God glory, more recklessly than this--I'll look like a total fool because of all that he's done for me!

Here's where I was convicted....God has given us so much...yes, we are still in our own little barren desert right now, but we are still blessed so very much.

So, what or who do I keep this dignity for?

I should be shouting from the rooftops His praises....dancing down the street, singing with all of my might---Loco in the Spirit!  

Filled and totally over the top on fire for the Lord!   That's where I want to be!!!

I will celebrate, sing unto the Lord..I will sing to him a new song!