Lent Day 11: Vorwärts! Los!

We have a date! On March 20 I defend my dissertation, which continues to be a work in progress after being sent off to committee. Based on feedback, I'm clarifying the dissertation's objectives and reinforcing primary literature.

The past two weeks, my brain has remained in limbo. I tried to continue intense study after I handed in the dissertation. But without a time frame, my mind and body refused to cooperate or engage. I'm deadline and task oriented so the simple email with a calendar appointment from my adviser has injected me with adrenaline and the will to live.

Meanwhile, my fellow pastor and friend Kim has been writing on leadership and church ministry. Her encouragement to see God's work as process rather than a hierarchy or establishment helps me keep this walk of studies in perspective. Whatever God is doing in this doctoral journey is part of God's preparation for what lies ahead, in the greater picture of the church.

Beginning with a provocative post about Power and church, Kim's been examining the role of those who remove obstacles and train members of Christ's body to minister in the world. I highly recommend her blog Deep Imprints.

God's Word confirms that each person is vital to his plans. The overarching goal is becoming Christlike in being and doing. You are part of that--and so am I.

How is your day or your week shaping up, in light of that?

Read more:
*But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" God said, "I will be with you." Exodus 3:11-12

*Four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn't bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "My child, your sins are forgiven."

But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, "What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!" Mark 2:3–7

*It is not those who commend themselves that are approved, but those whom the Lord commends. 2 Corinthians 10:18

Moravian prayer: As we recall in a common Advent hymn: "Not in our own strength, Lord, we move; your kingdom falls not when we fall, but forward presses day by day until your truth is known to all." Dear Lord, remind us always that it is only by your grace that we have been justified. Amen.

Lent Day 10: Thankful for Auntie Molly

"She would have been 84 today," says Uncle Erich. We're laughing and sighing over wonderful memories of his wife and my "best auntie" Amalia. From what Mom tells me about her big sister, Auntie Molly was a cheerful happy girl. Uncle Erich confirms that she had lots of friends all her life.

Uncle Erich and Aunt Molly were a team, married over 50 years. In the opportunistic manner of youngsters, we felt bad that they didn't have kids of their own, but we were happy in their undivided affection. They'd let my cousin and me sit with them in church, take us home for flavorful home-cooked meals, and tuck us into thick feather-beds for sleepovers. In short, their home was a child's heaven.

I learned to pray by listening to them pray. I learned to cook by smell in the fragrance of their kitchen. I learned hospitality by watching them create meals and set the table for hundreds of guests. I learned beauty and decor from Auntie Molly's daring schemes: the crimson velvet drapes from their living room now hang in our chocolate-brown bedroom.

When I was 11, we moved across the country––so they never scolded me about boyfriends, modern styles, or anything else that bugs adults about teenagers. Our phone calls and visits were joyful and affirming. Their fervent prayers surrounded my days and guard my nights. Their godly examples reminded me that people with a heart for God have hope and a future.

God made us, called us to love and work, and guides our steps. He did not give these caring folk biological children but they have been spiritual father and mother to many of us.

This morning's BBC reported on a Kenyan family who cares for 49 orphans beyond their own three kids. I recognized that family's love and prayers from my own childhood, a haven of loving embraces, strict morality, high expectations, and kneeling together to talk to God. I just have to hear Uncle Erich's voice to have a flood of warm memories fill me to bursting. I often wish I could run across town to sit at his table for tea or invite him for dinner.

If you're single or childless, I appeal to you to find children who are hungry for attention and significance. My family was healthy and happy: Mom and Dad didn't neglect or abuse us. But that extra-special touch from my Auntie Molly and Uncle Erich colored my life-pages with enduring beauty.

Today, I thank God for those who––knowing how God loved us and gave his Son for us––share that love with others. You live your private moments and unheralded ordinary days filled with grace, generosity, and hospitality. We children never forget how you take us in, put up with our childhood messes, and make us feel like no one else in the world is more special than we are to you.

During Lent, grateful for the Savior's love, I can say about my sweet auntie on her birthday (and of my uncle, too), "I have seen Jesus reflected in you." Thank you!

Read more:
*God knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with him. Daniel 2:22

*Whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. Mark 4:22 (NIV)

Moravian Prayer: Revealing God, we know your intent is always to open yourself to us in every way imaginable. Help us to have the ears to hear and the eyes to see the truths that you are constantly laying out before us. Guide us to live in accordance with those truths. Amen.

Lent Day 9: Thankful for knowing and being known

"Why was David a man after God's own heart?" someone asks. Perhaps because he did not run ahead? Knowing he was to be king, he spared his predecessor twice––during manhunts for his own life.

A group of us circled a beautifully appointed living room last night (thanks, Paul and Bev). Once a month we meet to study Bible characters. Each one exposes God and humanity = God's interaction with us in community and as individuals. Yesterday, David came under the magnifying glass.

We read scripture passages aloud and then discuss the nature of God, the nature of humans, and our response to God within the joys and challenges of our own humanity. On the way home, W and I talked about what we had learned.

• My personal takeaway? Creating opportunity for others to understand God's truths makes me happier than when I learn things myself. Clear as a bell, my heart rang out with the pure joy and energy of leading a group. 
• Training and teaching others feels like finding a puzzle piece or watching internal gears click into place. A sense of ease and comfort comes from facilitating the exploration and application of scripture. This is not something I struggle to learn or do but who I am. I'm surprised by sheer happiness every time I speak in public.
• What we learned about Samuel and David? Samuel, the veteran leader and intercessor of Israel, was stuck. The worst thing had happened to his successor: Saul was a dud. Yet God was ready to move on and provided Samuel with the satisfaction of anointing the next generation.
• David had tremendous self-confidence because he knew his God and himself. He was comfortable in the gifts God gave him, a love of music, the ability to strategize, the confidence to run toward a giant who was defying God's name. When given an opportunity, David seized it and did the job with gusto (unlike Saul whose lack of self-confidence never matched up to his kingly appearance.)
• David did menial jobs with enthusiasm and never pushed himself into the foreground. Knowing he would be king and having accomplished champion feats, David willingly stood in the background of the palace, playing music and lugging armor while Saul ruled. (I wonder how many of David's ideas for sound monarchy came from observation: "Wow, good plan there!" or the contrast: "Saul, what are you thinking!? This is a bad idea." 1 Samuel 16)
• As the youngest brother, he got no respect from his dad, who didn't even call him to dinner with Samuel. (Read the full story below.) His older siblings discounted him––even after they had watched Samuel anoint David for kingship (shades of Joseph?) David's feisty response of "What have I done wrong now?!" possibly exposes a pattern of family put-downs and "Go away, little brother, you don't know anything." (1 Samuel 17)
• David used his own gifts, training, and experiences rather than relying on the proven armor and battle plans of others. He laid aside the burden of Saul's armor (though he had been an armor bearer for the king and probably knew it well) for smooth stones and a stick, tools he felt comfortable with.
• David pinpointed the heart of the issue rather than looking at circumstances. He recognized Goliath as God's enemy, not as a human giant or seasoned opponent and dealt with him on that basis. The fight as well as the victory belonged to God. However, David did not let go of Goliath's severed head until he was taken to the king as proof of his accomplishment. Hmmm.
• David had many opportunities to make God's plans come true but he was unwilling to act beyond what he knew of God's character. Because of this, he and those allied with him suffered while: 1. others got credit and lived in the inner circle; 2. David was hunted like an animal and led a rabble pack of raiders; and 3. he absolutely rejected chances to seize power through "divine appointments," even when prompted by others.

Maybe David's patient humility, decidedly unusual among those in power or the ambitious, endeared him to God. Though David committed adultery, murder, and disobeyed God in many ways, God saw a heart that longed for obedience and surrender.

When Samuel came to anoint one of Jesse's sons as future king, he noted that God looked on the inner person rather than the outward appearance. David's quest to please God and his willingness to let God work out the details in God's time set him head and shoulders above seven brothers. It made the shepherd "of a few sheep" (according to a snide remark from his brother) an amazing leader of a nation.

I'm ending a season of study. I get many suggestions of what I could do and where God might be leading me. The study of David reinforced my caution against moving forward and making things happen. I'm going to wait for God's go-ahead and a clear call to action.

Oh God, may we seek and obey you with the humble confidence that knows you are pleased with how you made us and have a place for us. You are able to use us without our "help" in pushing others aside, propelling ourselves forward, or boasting about our accomplishments. 

Make us beautiful inside so that your Spirit can direct us in life's menial and circuitous paths as needed, whether kingship or sheep herder is our destiny. Amen.

Read more:
*The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”

The LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ ³ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”

Samuel did what the LORD said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?”Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.”

Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.”

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.” Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the LORD chosen this one.” Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The LORD has not chosen these.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”

Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.

Then the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. 1 Samuel 16

*Read more about David in 1 Samuel 17 through 2 Samuel 2.

Lent Day 8: Thankful for renewal

Bleary-eyed, I stumbled into yesterday's obligations. When I woke at 2am, I thought I'd just go back to sleep in an hour or two. A few interruptions chased ideas into my head; I was still awake at 7:15.

Time to rise and shine - or maybe glow dimly.

Our daughter Kirsten came in early December for foot surgery and bone tests. Jono and I took her to the airport yesterday morning and she's arrived safely home in Austin. Thanks be to God. One thing done.

I wasn't sure I was up to the afternoon meeting of MRI - Missionary Renewal International. However, my fatigue subsided (and the cold I started to fight in the morning disappeared) when I got there. All I can say is: "People, I'm inspired!" by the work of this veteran team of missionary therapists, rescuing their own.

An MRI pastor-counselor told us about one young man. He's let them know he's ready to return to the field--after vowing never to go back. Mark's mission team had won an extraordinary number of converts (70,000 documented) and trained nationals for outreach in their first term. One day, on the way to preach with a group of nationals, their van was stopped at gunpoint. He was forced to watch the assailants beat his coworkers almost to death before the attackers disappeared. Mark came home devastated and throwing in the towel. "I can't go through that again!" Yet with MRI's help, he's going back with a renewed sense of calling and commissioning by God.

Mark's is one of many dramas being played out around the world, including among American pastors. MRI says, "Let's stop the attrition. Let's help missionaries and ministers return to fulfill their calling." Will you help? Click on the link for more information.

It costs an average of $250,000 to get a missionary through their acculturation, training, and first term. It costs MRI about $5000 to help restore hurting missionaries, facilitating healing so they return to the field after they suffer trauma, moral failure, or other breakdowns. Missionaries and ministers pay their expenses if they can. Otherwise, they depend on our help for a place to stay, transportation, and food.

"We send ordinary people as our missionaries to spread the Gospel on our behalf," MRI states. "They face similar and greater challenges than we do at home." It's worth spending our resources to keep experienced personnel rather than having to drop their ministry or train another missionary single or couple for the field.


All of us need renewal from time to time. Some of us need heroic intervention. But sometimes a kindly word, fervent prayers, or an unexpected gift is enough to sustain us through our darkest hours.

Would you encourage your pastor this week or in the next month? Pastoring is among the loneliest professions. (When our son felt called to ministry, we warned him to depend on God and reject idealism in youth ministry: "The senior pastor might not support you. The board will call you in for a scolding. The parents may become angry and fight you. The teens won't want to follow if they don't want to obey God. Are you sure of your calling and ready for whatever God has for you?" He said a firm yes--because God had called him.)

What has God called you to do? Are you in ministry? Do you have resources to send and support others? During Lent, a time when we recall Christ's sacrifice for us, consider giving an extraordinary gift from the next paycheck to MRI, your church, or your pastor. Thus God will encourage and renew them through you.

Read more:

*This is God, our God forever and ever. He will be our guide forever. Psalm 48:14

*Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Ephesians 6:10-18 NKJV

*Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23

Moravian Prayer: Faithful God, on this day, we are mindful of those who have gone before, who held fast to their hope. Like them, may we today walk forward unwavering, trusting in your guidance and faithfulness. Amen.

Lent Day 7: Thankful for sickness and health

"That's as far as I can reach." Our daughter lifts her right hand to elbow height. Her other shoulder and elbow are slightly more mobile but she hasn't had full range of motion for years.

Kirsten flew home to Austin today after spending three months with us. She endured foot surgery and the recovery amid arthritis flares. Every storm heralds its immanency with swelling and stiffness; Seattle had plenty of winter storms this year. W and I watched K regain her footing as she protected her other painful joints. Hopefully the warmer weather of Austin will be kinder to her than the grey brutality of the Pacific Northwest.

Some of us suffer for a day, for a week, or for a lifetime. Many become so accustomed to pain that they cannot remember a day without it. Our daughter is among those.

We've cried to God for help for fifteen years, since she first was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I wept at her bedside last year as she groaned through the sores that erupted over her body and inside her stomach. W sat with her for hours as her foot lay immobile in its post-surgery cast in December and January. Oh God, when has she suffered enough?

W and I are so grateful for parents who still enjoy strength for each day. We thank God for our own health and the sound bodies of our three sons and their wives. We gasp with pleasure at the normal stages of our new grandchild. Thank God for healthy bodies!

Somehow, the grief of watching someone we love has made good function all the sweeter. We are glad that Christ bore the brokenness of soul and body on the Tree. We trust that at some point he will turn to Kirsten to say, "It is enough" and apply the hard-won healing to her body. In our view, sooner would be better than later.

Lord have mercy on Kirsten and all those who suffer today.

Read more:

*Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. Lamentations 3:22-26 NIV 

*Psalm 31:10-20, Exodus 6:13-7:24; Matthew 20:1-16

*Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. Job 14:1 (NIV)

*It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 1 Corinthians 15:43

Moravian Prayer: Father God, help us follow in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus who was born, remained sinless and was raised in the power of your glory. Amen.

Lent Day 6: Thankful for mission

"I'm still shaking!" he pointed to the left, remembering the bullet hole in his car door. "I though he would kill me." Ken told us about how a gunman had walked up to his car, stalled in a Nairobi traffic jam. The shooter pointed a gun at him, demanded cash and valuables, and walked away between cars.

"Didn't anyone come to help?" we asked, sitting as a mission cohort in the safety of a classroom.

"No, everyone pretends they haven't seen anything. Foreigners are targets. The policeman ahead probably was in on it and stopped us so we could be robbed."

I've found a few quiet heroes like Ken over the past five years among a study group of men and women who risk their lives across culture. They learn languages, communication, and customs so they can tell others about Jesus, training nationals to preach and teach to their own people.

Today I'm in the classroom of an outstanding woman with tales of her own to tell. She and her husband will return full-time to the mission field this summer. Over the past four years, they finished their doctorates, carried a teaching load at a university, and traveled the world as missionary-trainers. There's nothing about them that would suggest heroic ministry yet their experience and records say otherwise.

I am so grateful that someone told my grandparents the Story. They told my parents, who told me. Someone - like Bev and Will who rank high among those I admire - risked their comfort and health to wrestle my tribe from our idolatry to the Living God.

Please pray with me today for such seemingly ordinary people, doing extraordinary things in the power of the Spirit. And if you have resources, don't delay. Consider sending $10, $25, $100 or more to someone in the directory at http://worldmissions.ag.org/. A new Family tribe will thank you for it.

Read more:

*Both men and women came, all whose hearts were willing. ... So the people of Israel—every man and woman who was eager to help in the work the Lord had given them through Moses—brought their gifts and gave them freely to the Lord. Exodus 35: 22, 29 NIV

*I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. Psalm 145:1-3   NIV

*Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. Jonah 2:8 (NIV) 

*The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. 1 Timothy 6:10

Moravian Prayer: Lord God, we confess our weaknesses. We need your help to turn away from the idols we have created. May we always put our trust in you and worship you - the one true God. Amen.

Lent Day 5: Thankful for new beginnings

"Yikes!" I just picked up the dissertation sent in last week. The editors and I missed a few things. How can there still be dozens of improvements after dozens of readings and hundred of dollars spent for edits?

Laying aside the copy (at p.35 of 350 already zoning out with all the qualifiers - get to the story, get to the story!), I'm reflecting on the grace of God at the cusp of another week. Some of you are hunched over your keyboards at work. Some are unloading tools for manual labor. Some stretch in their beds after a long weekend or a night shift.

God is extending his favor to each of us. Lent, the time for thanksgiving and meditation on Jesus as Savior, reminds us that God's mercy is new every morning. We do not have a Father in heaven who looks for the smallest infraction so he can thump us and cow us with power and anger. Our Father calls us into relationship, allowed us to kill his Son to ransom us from eternal banishment, and then--and then--lets us choose for or against his provisions. No other world religion or folk traditions can dream up a God so tender, so lovingly sacrificial, or so merciful!

This morning, I'm asking God for wisdom and understanding. I want to recognize him when he speaks. To obey him better. To follow more closely. To swim in his sea of new beginnings and surf his waves of grace. How about you?

Read more:

*Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. Psalm 25:8

*My child, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and people. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine. 

My child, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke because the LORD disciplines those he loves as a father the child he delights in. 

Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed. By wisdom the LORD laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the watery depths were divided and the clouds let drop the dew. 

My child, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight. Preserve sound judgment and discretion; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked for the LORD will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— when you already have it with you.

*I will set my eyes upon them for good. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. Jeremiah 24:6

*So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 1 Corinthians 3:7

Moravian Prayer: God of heaven and earth, as we worship, let us praise you as Lord who is able to shape us as a people of one mind. You are the one who also provides for us the life-giving water needed to sustain our growth. Amen.

*But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10 NIV

Lent Day 4: Thankful to be forsaken

"I feel so alone."

"It feels like no one cares about me."

We've all said (and heard) those words. The cry of Jesus on the cross, "My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?" echoes our hurts and feelings of abandonment.

I am thankful today that God experienced all the pain of humanity and humiliation. Christ, God and man, knows the depths of our despair and the heights of our joys.

Jews, hearing Jesus call out, would have known the entire Psalm 22 - (read more below), in which his expressions of loneliness and his anguished tears balance with abandon to God's will and assurance of His triumph. Like our Savior, let us rest in God's goodness, which reveals itself as most abundant when we feel most helpless.

Read more:

*I rejoice in your salvation. 1 Samuel 2:1 (NASB)

*My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. “He trusts in the LORD,” they say, “let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”

Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me. My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.

But you, LORD, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me. Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs. Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you. You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.

The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the LORD will praise him— may your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it! Psalm 22

*When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. Mark 16:9,10

Moravian Prayer: Precious Lord, we rejoice with the angels and the disciples in the salvation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who died for our sins and was raised as King of kings. Amen.

Lent Day 3: Thankful for "no"

No snacks before bed. That's my Lenten discipline. Big deal? Maybe.

The Becoming Minimalist blog, "The Opportunity of Lent," challenges readers to ask, "What can't I live without?" Sad me -- "bedtime snacks" popped into my head. Mind you, I had just plunged my hand into a warm bag of kettle corn, propped up in bed watching "House." I eat enough during the day that I won't go hungry, so what's the big deal about denying myself snacks before bed?

From my bedside trash, I cleared bags for the snacks I've consumed over the course of a month:

• chocolate chips (TJs vegan, eaten over 2+ weeks. Just sayin'. Shame on me.)
• dark chocolate bar
• veggie "chips"
• kettle corn popcorn

How did those empty bags get in? I lost ten lbs in December by cutting down on huge meals and constant snacking. I haven't gained since and am at a good weight. My conclusion? It's time to fill myself on core food like salads, grains, and fruit which keep me fueled with few calories and many nutrients.

The Lent Minimalist blog reminded me that I am fully dependent on God.

When I abuse the abundance he provides or trust my own resources, abilities, and finances, idolatry and distractions easily capture my heart. I want to be devoted to God through my simple "no" this season. I trust it will remind me to say yes to a life fully devoted, with God's priorities and provisions guiding the way ahead.

I am grateful for the opportunities where God teaches me by helping me say, "No."

What about you? Click this link to read the Becoming Minimalist blog that inspired me.

Read more:

*Happy are those who make the Lord their trust. Psalm 40:4

*Thieves are jealous of each other's loot, but the godly are well rooted and bear their own fruit." Proverbs 12:12

*The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11 NIV

*Suddenly, a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit began shouting, 'Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!'

Jesus cut him short. 'Be quiet! Come out of the man,' he ordered. At that, the evil spirit screamed, threw the man into a convulsion, and then came out of him. Mark 1:23–26

*If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 1 Corinthians 15:19

Moravian Prayer: Lord God, our hope is in you and we are thankful your love for us remains unconditional. May we as a people delight in that love as we walk in your path of righteousness. Amen.

Lent Day 2: Thankful for turbulence

Turbulence. That's how my little plane feels this morning: as though I'm shooting through waves of air I can only feel, not see.

Today I am grateful for small trials. Living in North America, we can truly say our trials are small. We can survive our financial crises, health issues, and relationship challenges with God's help. Our light and momentary sufferings are nothing in light of eternity.

When I read about Youseff, the Christian pastor whom Iran condemned to death this week, I am grateful for freedom to worship.

When I hear about Christians shot and hacked to death by Muslims in Africa, I am thankful for a safe neighborhood.

When I look at my daughter, racked with arthritis but strong in heart, I appreciate my own health and pain-free waking and sleeping.

As I prepare breakfast, I think of those hungering to death and savor each bite of God's abundance.

As I read about the life of Christ, I consider the blessings of his life and death applied to debtors like me.

Today, I am thankful for small trials and the turbulence that reminds me to pray for those whose storms sweep them into the raging sea.

Read more:

*But they are glad now that I am in trouble; they gleefully join together against me. I am attacked by people I don't even know; they slander me constantly. They mock me and call me names; they snarl at me.

How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing? Rescue me from their fierce attacks. Protect my life from these lions! Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly. I will praise you before all the people. Don't let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat. Don't let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow. They don't talk of peace; they plot against innocent people who mind their own business. They shout, 'Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we saw him do it!'

O LORD, you know all about this. Do not stay silent. Do not abandon me now, O Lord. Wake up! Rise to my defense! Take up my case, my God and my Lord. Declare me not guilty, O LORD my God, for you give justice. Don't let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles. Don't let them say, 'Look, we got what we wanted! Now we will eat him alive!' Psalm 35:15–25 NLT

*Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed. Isaiah 54:4

*When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Mark 13:11

*Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:6-11  NIV

Moravian prayer: Merciful Father, we thank you for always being with us. We are thankful for the power to see clearly the task set before us provided by the Holy Spirit who dwells within our hearts. Amen.