TreasuresInTerraCotta

My favorite Gospel is Luke. It has the best "Christmas Story" and I especially like it when Linus quotes it. So I often spend some time in Luke during December. I just started and I was letting my Study Bible lead the way. This is what struck me today. Luke 1:13 "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard..." This section was cross referenced to Acts 10:4. About the ninth hour of the day [Cornelius] saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, "Cornelius." And he stared at him in terror and said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God." It is easy for me to think of prayers ascending to God. Prayers are intangible , like the incense that wafts up to God. But alms? In Acts 10:2 we are told that Cornelius was "a devout man who feared God with all this household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God....

As usual, God has been giving me a theme lately. From my Daniel study Daniel pleads with King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel 4: 27 (NKJ) Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity. I heard not one, but two messages from this passage. Matthew 25:37-40 "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.' Even Calvin’s devotional book had something to say! Hebrewas 13:16 Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have with those in need, for such sacrifices are very pleasin...

I have the pleasure of journeying through a new Bible study this Fall, “Daniel” by Beth Moore. As usual, it does not disappoint and good Bible study always leaves me with something to ponder. The sub-title of the study is “Lives of Integrity” and each week we seem to touch on that point in some way. From Daniel 1:8 we hear about Daniel’s resolve. Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. For Daniel, and for us, resolve requires daily attention. In his case it required attention at every meal. In short, his resolve required consistency! Without consistent resolve we are at risk of losing our integrity. I loved the definition of “integrity” provided in our workbook: Integrity literally means “entire.” The essence of the term is wholeness and completeness. Integrity is “the quality or state of being complete or undivided.” You can see, therefore, how much integrity depends on co...

I’ve been struggling my way through John on my own. I have discovered that I like and need the commentary, insight and forced discipline of a Bible study with homework. Forging my own way is often less than satisfying, but here I am trying to glean something from John. A few days ago I read about Jesus’ first miracle; turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. We probably all know the story. [Jesus’] mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water." (John 2:5-7) Pretty simple instructions. A little illogical perhaps, but simple. And what was the response? “so they filled them to the brim.” (John 2:7) To the brim! I loved that! Unlike me when in my haste to get dinner on the table I fill glasses about ¾ full. Even in my most normal moments when I “fill” a glass or...

No sooner than I started this blog did the ravages of morning-sickness (really, all-day-sickness) set in. I was left feeling queasy and tired virtually all day. And for some reason, the wirr-wirr-wirr of the computer was especially nauseating. I think it caused my brain to feel motion-sick. Fortunately, I am feeling much better and the computer no longer repulses me. Morning sickness aside, however, I discovered that I am absolutely not an every-day-blogger. I just don't have that much to say. I suspect my melencholy nature is to blame. Regardless, this extended silence will hopefully be uncommon. And we will see how this little blog develops.

I love a good story! I always want there to be a good guy and a bad guy...and I want the good one to BE GOOD and the bad one to BE BAD. It’s the stuff good stories are made of! So it’s frustrating at times the uncanny way that the great Bible characters consistently display short-comings. People who are highly favored by God but as their stories unfold their flaws are obvious...usually very serious flaws! It can leave us wondering about God’s choice in leaders (Moses), God’s choice in kings (David), God’s choice in prophets (Elijah), Jesus’ choice in followers (Peter). So when I ran across this quote from Karen Jobes regarding the book of Esther I thought it fit nicely into my ponderings of good and bad. “Esther’s request is another instance of the disquieting moral ambiguity that characterizes this story. Rather than attempting to resolve it, we should reflect on it.” Do you think God places “mostly good” characters in our path so that we will think upon them? So we will think ...

"Is there something in your life that not only disturbs you, but makes you a disturbance to others?" For some reason I thought that was a funny observation. But since it came from Oswald Chambers in "My Utmost For His Highest " he probably wasn't trying to be funny. Can you think of "issues" that disturb individuals and subsequently disturb others? A lot of situations could apply, but I immediately thought about the issue of unforgiveness . Unfortunately , it was at the forefront of my mind recently. During the course of a normal conversation a snide and sarcastic comment unexpectedly slipped out about a mutual acquaintance . Almost immediately I thought, "Where did that come from? That was totally inappropriate." If I'm honest, it goes back to an old issue that (still) disturbs me and reveals my unforgiveness. Obviously, I was also a disturbance to someone else that day. Oswald Chambers goes on to say: If so, it is always s...

This passage has been placed in my path a couple times recently. Usually, that means I should pay attention and figure out how and why it applies. I have read it in half-a-dozen versions, but can not get my mind around it's meaning. The NIV is the most familiar, but The Message makes the most sense. I guess I have some more studying to do. Perhaps I should write this out on an index card so I can ponder it some more. Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV) Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. The Message I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wond...

Only God in His perfect creativity could have given me "Treasures in Terra Cotta." For months I have pondered a screen name. I wanted something catchy but not too revealing. Should it reflect my role as wife and mother? Should it relate to my home in the desert? Should it be a memory verse? I prayed about it but nothing came to mind until today. For years God and I have been working through (and learning to love) verses about Him being the potter and me being the clay. Unfortunatley, the journey began in my rebellion that kept asking God, "Are you sure you made me this way on purpose? Can't I be more like so-and-so?" Over and over God reminded me that He was the potter and that I needed to quit questioning His design. Is 29:16, Is 45:9 It's a continuous process with many lessons along the way. But when I came across 2 Cor 4:7 it was like I got a glimpse of what God wanted all along. He fashions us of clay. He exerts pressure to mold us. Each little pot creat...