They didn't know what they were doing right . . .

Last Sunday my pastor (Jeff Harrington – Central Community Church) preached on Matt 25, the parable of the sheep and the goats (vs 31-46). He pointed out something about the sheep that I’d never considered before.

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

I Will Not Trust in Princes . . .

I’ve never read that phrase from scripture the way I read it last week. Psalms 118:8-9: It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.

In the context of this passage, the Psalmist clearly is speaking about his own anguish, reminding himself as he penned these words that only God is faithful. He needed to remember God’s faithfulness in the face of terrible human opposition. He was crying out for deliverance.

I am so independent and self-confident. I may be (am often) tempted to rely on myself and my own resourcefulness to solve my [perceived] problems, rather than relying on the Lord. This is how I’ve been admonished by these words in the past. But I live in American and face nothing close to what the Psalmist would have experienced in his day in regard to opposition. And add to that, I’m generally a political conservative. I certainly might depend on my own resources and “good ole’ American ingenuity” to meet MY OWN needs and solve MY OWN problems. Heaven forbid that I rely on princes [read – the government or outside organization] to take care of me. That is welfare, right?

9/11 and Facebook

Today, like so many Americans, I am feeling a bit melancholy. I believe this is the correct word for today. Incarta Dictionary says it means “a thoughtful or gentle sadness.” This isn’t the same kind of sadness that engulfed us in 2001. On that day we felt anguish, horror, fury, many other feelings. [What did you feel that day?] In 2001 we were not able to go on with our day or even our week. We were stunned. We were sick. We couldn’t function. It took a while before we could get back to business as usual, but eventually we did.