Kneeling down and gathering His sustenance, while it is yet dark.

O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant and the child of your handmaid; you have freed me from my bonds. Psalm 116:14

But the Lord answered, ‘Martha, Martha,’ he said, ‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part, and it is not to be taken from her.’ Luke 10:38-42

Day after day, His manna and the admonitions and encouragement of His followers, is found waiting, perfectly formed from heaven for me, this very moment, to satisfy the hunger of my soul. 

O GOD, who of Thy love and pity didst send us Jesus Christ for the illumination of our darkness, give me wisdom to profit by the words He spoke and grace to follow in the steps He trod. 

·       When ye stand praying, forgive, if you have ought against any.

·       It is more blessed to give than receive.

·       Enter ye at the strait gate.

·       Judge not.

·       What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? –John Baillie

Lord our God, we thank you for giving us Jesus Christ, whose words remain living to this very day. You will make His words continually alive so that in the name of Jesus Christ joyful praises are sung to you, Almighty God and Father in heaven. Remember us all. Remember the particular needs of each one of us. Come to the world through the words of Jesus Christ. May His words come as your strong angels to the hearts of many to comfort and restore, to help and do miracles for those in need. May your name be praised through the great and mighty Word, Jesus Christ! Amen. - Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt

And as I turn to eucharisto, thanking Him for His thousand gifts, today those from which I can see from my window, From my window, it is still dark outside. But You are there. And I know that the stars shine overhead, and the Catalinas loom in presence, and the fresh breeze of a new season swirls, even if I cannot see them yet. It is always darkest just before dawn. 

Glory be to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, so it is now and so it shall ever be, world without end. Alleluia. Amen.

The thing about dying to Self is that Self doth protest.

O LORD I am your servant. Psalm 116:14

I was pressed so hard that I almost fell, but the LORD came to my help. Psalm 118:13

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His servants. O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant and the child of your handmaid. Psalm 116:13-14

May Your kingdom come, and Your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread.

As you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find You mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

“Let each do well what each knows best,

Nothing refuse and nothing shirk,

Since none is master of the rest,

But all are servants of the work –

“The work no master may subject

Save He to whom the whole is known,

Being Himself the Architect,

The Craftsman and the Cornerstone. -Dorothy Sayers, The Man Who Would Be King

So yesterday was rough.

Humbling.

And yet.

I am His servant.

He who knelt down and washed the dusty feet of those who would shortly betray Him, deny Him, flee from Him.

He who came down from heaven, not to do His will, but that of Him who sent Him.

May Your kingdom come, and Your will be done, on earth as in heaven.

Give me today my daily bread.

Eucharisto before the miracle.

And may I see. Behold Your wonders. Be filled with awe.

And rejoice.

Never ever ever ever get into a political discussion on Facebook. Ever.

In Your righteousness, deliver and set me free. Psalm 71:2

I am Your servant and the child of Your handmaid; You have freed me from my bonds. Psalm 116:14

In the course of their journey he came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to him speaking. Now Martha, who was distracted with serving, came to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do all the serving by myself? Please tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered, ‘Martha, Martha,’ he said, ‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part, and it is not to be taken from her. Luke 10:38-42

The distracted fretting of Martha. The contrasted freedom of Mary.

The one thing.

Incline my heart, O God, to Your ways. Turn my eyes from longing after vanities. Psalm 119:36-37

And yesterday’s verses included my pilgrimage verse.

Blessed are those whose strength is in You,
    whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Bitterness,
    they make it a place of springs;
    the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
    till each appears before God in Zion.

And what a gift it was from God my St. James pilgrimage, twice, so I could really get what it is about. One thing, really.

And I am part of this almost silly Facebook group, American Pilgrims. Silly because the whole bunch of them really get it. Over and over, it is about this one thing. Over and over again, it doesn’t matter about the blisters. It doesn’t matter about the type of jacket. It doesn’t matter about the snoring. Even if they haven’t wrapped the words “Lord God Almighty” around the Presence, He is there.

The Way of the Wall, Gary Stokes: The Middle of the Oreo

Often when we seek His will, His purpose, we are attacked from all sides and from within.

Nehemiah 5 is all about hard times. The very hard times being suffered by the Israelites as they labored to rebuild the wall. And they cried for mercy.

The cry for mercy is always answered by God.

Nehemiah reacted with anger, anger that led to godly action. He paused and pondered. And he ruled his heart within himself.  He noticed the root problem and gathered the leaders and contended with them over a very actionable step: you are charging interest from your own people. The leaders minimalized the consequences of their actions, slavery of children. (Exodus 22:21-27) If you lend money, do not treat it as a business deal; charge no interest. When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. 

Israel’s national identity is “We were slaves, and when we cried out, He redeemed us.” We are not The People Who are Better, but We are the Redeemed People. This is all about, Will we be redemptive or will we be blind?

All men and women are created equal in the eyes of God. We, the Church, need to step into actively protect each and every child, our flesh and blood.

It is different to be religious rather than reverent. Let us not buy into doing what our culture does. The Way of the Wall means living a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Jesus taught us, saying: “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it. For wherever your treasure is, that is where your heart will be too.” Luke 12:33-34