Dribbling down my neck

Señor, pon guarda a mi boca;
vigila la puerta de mis labios.
No dejes que mi corazón se incline a nada malo,
Que el justo me hiera con bondad y me reprenda;
es aceite sobre la cabeza; Salmo 141, 3-5

Set watch before my mouth, O LORD, and guard the door of my lips; let not my heart incline to any living thing. Let me not be occupied in wickedness with evildoers; Let the righteous smite me in friendly rebuke; it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it.  Psalm 141:3-4

Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. Philippians 4:14

Show me Your ways, O LORD, and teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; in You have I trusted all the day long. Psalm 25:3–4

As for the part in the rich soil, this is people with a noble and generous heart who have heard the word and take it to themselves and yield a harvest through their perseverance. Luke 8:15

I will remember the works of the LORD, and call to mind Your wonders of old time. I will meditate on all Your acts and ponder Your mighty deeds. Psalm 77:11–12

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know my necessities before I ask and my ignorance in asking: Have compassion on my weakness, and mercifully give me those things which for my unworthiness I dare not, and for my blindness I cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Well today is my day to sit on the “Potter’s Wheel” and have a kindhearted group of brothers and sisters sort through my life for two and a half hours and look for lies that I have believed and areas of my life that need to be entrusted over to our Loving Father. 

And once again, providentially, the lectio divina Scripture prayers for this morning have spoken deeply to my heart and mind. As to what is true as I prepare for the reproof, encouragement, and correction.

And this discipline is such a gracious gift from God, the beauty of praying Scriptures throughout the day, joining the Church across the globe around the clock, the rhythms of God at work in His beloved creation.

And what is true is that the Evil One is the Father of Lies, seeking to destroy and damage anything and everything beloved by God. And may I meditate on what is true and rest in that perfect peace.

And Phil Driscoll discusses this peace of God today, “I had to let go of my need to understand, and trust that God understood the situation better than I did. Not only that, but He cared about the circumstance and wanted to see me get through it, even more than I did. When I embraced those truths I found peace come flooding back into my life, not for a day or a week or even a month. It’s a peace that lasts forever.”

“God help me to let go of my need to understand everything. Help me to trust in your voice and your promises, that I would lean on your understanding and not mine.

Thank you for your abiding peace that is ever with me and will never leave me.”

To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

I especially remember piling up on the couch in front of the fireplace and begging for one more chapter

You are my hope, O Lord GOD, my confidence since I was young. Psalm 71:5

Know this, the LORD himself is God; He himself has made us, and we are His; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 100:2

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11-12

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know my necessities before I ask and my ignorance in asking: Have compassion on my weakness, and mercifully give me those things which for my unworthiness I dare not, and for my blindness I cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

So this week I am doing Potter’s Wheel, an intensive five-day workshop exploring who we are as image bearers, how the Fall has distorted the image in us, and what we can do about it. Very intensive.

And, well, we spend a lot of time reflecting on our story and the decisions we made and how that impacts how we now live and how we see God, ourselves, and others. And how we can walk into utter dependence on the LORD God who unconditionally loves us and has called us according to His purpose. And all of this reflection has made me very grateful for my childhood, for my parents and brothers and sister, and the goodness woven into our life. And perhaps there was a bit of “quitcher bellyachin’” as we cinched up our hip belts and headed up the steep mountain of life, but we were together and the vistas were stunningly beautiful.

And one can never forget the prayer of our mother for each of her children as she and dad knelt by their bed every single night to pray: May they love You, Father God, and may they lead interesting lives.

Amen.