Author Archives: WOJ@deborahsdescendants.com

Biased and Incomplete History

Living in the Spirit

June 9, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
   to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
   and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
   to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
   at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

The righteous flourish like the palm tree,
   and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the Lord;
   they flourish in the courts of our God.
In old age they still produce fruit;
   they are always green and full of sap,
showing that the Lord is upright;
   he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

I concur with the idea that In old age they still produce fruit. My mother certainly lived this example. I must say I may not always be green and full of sap. But, I hope and pray that I am showing that the Lord is upright. How we live and what we say make a difference. It saddens me that the USA’s percentage identifying as Christian has dropped markedly over the past two decades. I think a significant cause of the decline is we who call ourselves Christian do not live what we preach, and we do not emphasize what Jesus taught.

One of the classes we offered people receiving public assistance years ago included a segment on the fear of change. The teacher encouraged the participants to imagine two paths they could follow. One represents their lives as they are currently living and the other side seems to be a dark, scary, unknown one where one cannot be sure of what will happen. They were asked to consider what was good and not so good about their current life. They were then asked to discern what they would need in that unknown side to reduce the not-so-good. If those things were available on the unknown path, would they choose to take that path?

We stand at that crossroads every day as we practice our faith. I find it interesting how fearful we as a nation are about accepting the fact that our history is not what we were taught. Of what are we afraid? In John 8:31-32, Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’ We can never fully grasp the good news of Jesus Christ if we can only view it through the filters of biased or incomplete history.

Prayer: Lord, give us the courage to see ourselves as you see us. Create in us clean hearts and rights spirits. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Make Me a Blessing

Living in the Spirit

June 8, 2021

Scripture Reading:

1 Samuel 15:34 – 16:13

When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’ Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen any of these.’ Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are all your sons here?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.’ He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah. –1Samuel 15:6-13

For what have we each been chosen? Our names may never be read in a history book. Indeed, only God may know what special gift we provide in God’s service, but we all have been chosen to love God with all our hearts, minds, and souls. The natural response to that relationship is to recognize that God has the wellbeing of all God’s children in God’s plan, and we are part of the team created to protect and encourage others. It is in our own best interest. When people live in harmony with one another, we are blessed with the synergy of love that shields us from forces that thrive on dividing us. When we become a source of that division, we shatter the very core of God’s Kingdom building.

This week I encourage you to open your heart to God to plant the seeds of what God has available for you to do that will enhance your wellbeing also.

Out in the highways and byways of life,
Many are weary and sad;
Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife,
Making the sorrowing glad.


Tell the sweet story of Christ and his love,
Tell of his pow’r to forgive;
Others will trust him if only you prove

True, ev’ry moment you live.

Give as ’twas given to you in your need,
Love as the Master loved you;
Be to the helpless a helper indeed,

Unto your mission be true.*

Prayer:

Make me a blessing, Make me a blessing.
Out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O Savior, I pray.
Make me a blessing to someone today*. Amen

*Hymn Make Me a Blessing by Ira B. Wilson, see at https://hymnary.org/text/out_in_the_highways_and_byways_of_life

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Building the Kingdom of God

Living in the Spirit

June 7, 2021

Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 17:22-24
Thus says the Lord God:
I myself will take a sprig
   from the lofty top of a cedar;
   I will set it out.
I will break off a tender one
   from the topmost of its young twigs;
I myself will plant it
   on a high and lofty mountain.
On the mountain height of Israel
   I will plant it,
in order that it may produce boughs and bear fruit,
   and become a noble cedar.
Under it every kind of bird will live;
   in the shade of its branches will nest
   winged creatures of every kind.
All the trees of the field shall know
   that I am the Lord.
I bring low the high tree,
   I make high the low tree;
I dry up the green tree
   and make the dry tree flourish.
I the Lord have spoken;
   I will accomplish it.

After the ice storm struck Oklahoma in October, my immediate concern was the lack of electricity and internet. The city had major electrical stations down, and my connections to the city’s power were ripped from my house by felled trees in my backyard. I was responsible for restoring those connections, and that could not be done until the trees, twisted and broken, were removed. The man who takes care of my yard came within two days to clear out the trees. The electrician arrived the next day.  I was fortunate. I have a friend who had her yard work completed in May. Ezekiel uses trees and their care as a metaphor for God’s Kingdom. It takes continuous and careful effort to maintain society to attain God’s vision for all God’s people. It begins with that shared goal.

Prayer: Lord, bring us together to be your helpers in accomplishing building a world ruled by your love. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Family of God

Living in the Spirit

June 6, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Mark 3:20-35

Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, ‘Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.’ And he replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’ –Mark 3:28-35

My first thought when I read this scripture is how did that make Mary feel. I have always thought James rather resented Jesus as Jesus was the eldest, but he left home to pursue his calling. If James was the second son, he probably took on the responsibility of that eldest son. Joseph disappears from the Biblical story after the trip to Jerusalem. (Luke 2:49) If Joseph died early, James might have been the direct support of his family. We learn later that James did come to recognize Jesus as the Messiah and became a leader in the Jerusalem church. None of the gospels go into any detail about the dynamics of this family, but Luke felt the need to share this incident with us.

I have always had a close relationship with my sister and brother. They are important to me. I have dear friends, too, but in this scripture, Jesus is instructing us to put everyone in the same category as mother or sister or brother. So, what does that mean? I am the youngest in my immediate family, so I have known them all since my birth. They, of course, remember things that happened that I do not. We probably expect more of family members than strangers, and disagreement may cause more pain. We can walk away from an acquaintance; our family is always our family. Probably more than anything else, we learn to accept family just the way they are, warts and all.

Perhaps these are keys to how we learn to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. C. S. Lewis tells the story in one of his books about a neighbor that just drove him crazy. He was trying to practice loving this neighbor by listening to her with all her grips and concerns, until one day, he suddenly realized he had learned to love her just as she was. Perhaps that is what Jesus wants us to do with all God’s children.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for inspiring Luke to share this story with us and guide us in applying it in our lives. Amen.

*I think it was The Four Loves

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

The Cost of Division

Living in the Spirit

June 5, 2021

Scripture Reading: Mark 3:20-35

When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.’ And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.’ And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. –Mark 3:21-27

The fact that people will believe anything they see or hear with no verification but do not believe what they can see with their eyes is astonishing. There is a pandemic of thinking about what we choose to think and keeping our heads in the sand. We do not deal with the truth. Evil is working extremely hard in our land to divide and conquer us. Jesus’s own family tried to stop him from warning the people of their need to face what is real. I heard a member of Congress saying the crowd on January 6 was no different than regular visitors to the Capitol. I have visited the Capitol several times over many years, mostly seeing well-behaved tour groups and families. Small to large numbers of protestors were sometimes visible but orderly.

There is nothing innately good or bad about politics. It describes a way of interacting and decision-making. Politics is about power and is present in all business and governmental operations. In a democracy, politics require negotiation and compromise. Democracies no longer exist when these skills are dismissed. The issue at stake in the above scripture is not the politics of running a home or a government. Problems arise when the political is infiltrated by evil’s corruption, often based on greed and lust for power. Paul states it well in Ephesians 6:12:

For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

God is calling us to turn around and practice God’s mercy and justice. Unfortunately, we will pay heavy consequences if we continue down our current path.

Prayer: God of Justice, forgive us for turning away from you. Cleanse us with your love and place us in your righteous way. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Resurrecting Wholeness

Living in the Spirit

June 4, 2021

Scripture Reading:

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1

So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. –2 Corinthians 4:16-5:1

In front of a three-quarters bookcase piece, full of books at the top, and one-quarter storage cabinet at the bottom, I sat on a low stool, searching through that lower area for something that I needed but did not find. I then started to stand up when I realized the only thing available to pull myself up was the bookcase. Although I walk my 10,000 steps six days a week and do restorative yoga every day, I have had artificial knees for 13 and three years, respectfully, and am tentative about movement. Not knowing how much pressure the bookcase could handle if I grabbed it and pulled myself to standing, I was stumped. I finally decided to put my arms out straight and stand up as I would have done doing squats when my knees were healthy, a time I can no longer remember. It worked. God bless orthopedic surgeons and tungsten knees.

That experience and the above scripture made me wonder how tentative I might be about answering God’s call to do justice, practice God’s righteousness. I am alarmed by what I see on the news, read on social media, and glean from newspapers. Today I heard of a twelve-year-old boy and a fourteen-year-old girl stealing guns and having a shoot out with the police. They learned that behavior from watching and listening to the adults in their lives. We pay a heavy price in our society for our hate and self-righteousness.

It is time that we all own responsibility for our societal corruption at all levels. We cannot do it alone, but with God’s help and guidance, we can bring about wholeness in our land.

I may be one of the few people that claim the following scripture literally, but I think it applies not only to the physical limitations of aging but to our spiritual decline as well,

Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. (Hebrews 12:12-13)

Prayer: Forgive us, O Lord, for our failure to address the corruption of our society. Guide us to wholeness. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Inbirthing of Faith

Living in the Spirit

June 3, 2021

Scripture Reading:
2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1

But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture—‘I believed, and so I spoke’—we also believe, and so we speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. –2 Corinthians 4:13-15

The word “believe” bothers me. In religious circles, it is associated with faith. However, “believe” has gained a quality of what one thinks is the truth until it is proven not to be. Our ancestors believed the world was flat until they discovered it was not. Explorers sailed out to sea on faith that the unknown was worth knowing. Abram, identified as an early monotheist, left the world with which he was well acquainted in search of what he did not know. Hebrews 11 describes the history of such faith among God’s followers.

The following is an excerpt from Strong’s Concordance regarding the word believe (my emphasis added):

pisteúō (from 4102 /pístis, “faith,” derived from 3982 /peíthō, “persuade, be persuaded”) – believe (affirm, have confidence); used of persuading oneself (= human believing) and with the sacred significance of being persuaded by the Lord (= faith-believing). Only the context indicates whether 4100 /pisteúō (“believe”) is self-serving (without sacred meaning), or the believing that leads to/proceeds from God’s inbirthing of faith*.

Paul’s letter tells us that our belief must be wrapped in the knowledge provided by the spirit of faith. Therefore, we, too, must carefully seek the Lord’s guidance based on God’s inbirthing of faith and not as a way of serving ourselves. A local church many years ago posted this on its marque: If you do not live it, you do not believe it. That advice has served me well. However, that advice must be coupled with discernment regarding whether we believe something because it serves us well or is vital to God’s plan.

Prayer: Lord, flood our world with your inbirthing of faith. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/4100.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Dealing with Emergence

Living in the Spirit

June 2, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 130
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
   Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
   to the voice of my supplications!

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
   Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with you,
   so that you may be revered.


I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
   and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
   more than those who watch for the morning,
   more than those who watch for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the Lord!
   For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
   and with him is great power to redeem.
It is he who will redeem Israel
   from all its iniquities.

A morning news show considered whether the period after COVID would be like the time after the Spanish flu, which faded in the early 1920s and led to the roaring 20s and eventually the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Praise, thanksgiving, and celebration are appropriate as the pandemic wanes with prayers that it disappears entirely. We might want to assess the wisdom of the roaring 20s, learn from the good that came from it and avoid the bad.  That is a good lesson for our times. It is a lesson Israel did not recognize. As we read through the history of God’s people, we see a roller coaster ride of high highs accompanied by exile.

The Psalmist invites us to wait on the Lord with hope. What does the Lord desire of us? The measure of our success as the people of God is our ability to love like the Lord, whose love is steadfast and forever. Throughout the pandemic, we have seen the pitfalls in our social structure. We have learned that every human is essential, and actualizing the potential of all people is necessary for our wellbeing. Will that knowledge impact the way we do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our Lord*? Or will it encourage us to eat, drink, and be merry** until the next crisis strikes?

Prayer: We wait for your guidance as we emerge out of a pandemic that has changed our lives. Grant us the wisdom to learn from our mistakes. Amen.

*From Micah 6:8
**See Isaiah 22:13; Proverbs 23:35; Luke 12:19; 1 Corinthians 15:32

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

God as Parent

Living in the Spirit

June 1, 2021

Scripture Reading: Genesis 3:8-15
They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ He said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.’ He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?’ The man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.’ Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this that you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent tricked me, and I ate.’ The Lord God said to the serpent,

‘Because you have done this,

   cursed are you among all animals

   and among all wild creatures;

upon your belly you shall go,

   and dust you shall eat

   all the days of your life.

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

   and between your offspring and hers;

he will strike your head,

   and you will strike his heel.’

God as a parent is the oldest story in the Bible, yet, we tend to turn quickly from God as a loving parent to the God of wrath who punishes us for our sins. We all find ourselves in the story above. At times we are the caretaker giving the instructions and, at other times, the child trying to hide a failure to follow them. Part of maturation is the development of the self. We get a lot of bumps and bruises making that journey. We test the wisdom of our parents as that prepares us to test the integrity of all future influences in life. Parenting involves helping children discern the difference between right and wrong and how to manage the gray in between.

I find it interesting that God takes wrath out on the serpent who tricked Adam and Eve into disobedience in the above-quoted part of the story.  Woe to those who try to mislead and entice God’s children away from righteousness.

Prayer: Lord, guide us as we grow in wisdom and truth and as we work to transmit what we learn, in not only our words but our actions, toward others. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Faith and Politics

Living in the Spirit

May 31, 2021

Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 8:4-11

Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, ‘You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.’ But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to govern us.’ Samuel prayed to the Lord, and the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. Now then, listen to their voice; only—you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.’

So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, ‘These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots;

Are politics and faith like oil and water, or do they blend easily? Nations led by kings surrounded Israel. Some in Israel’s population thought they were disadvantaged by not having a king to do international business. Power and wealth dominate in such interchanges. Samuel was an intermediator with God for the people who had allowed their desires to drift toward those other gods that depend on human power and wealth. The problem here was not the type of governance. The problem was that the people’s vision for the world did not match God’s. God’s message to Samuel was to give them what they wanted and see if that sated their hunger.

We face the same challenge today. Some redefine God’s vision to match their ideals. Many withdraw from any relationship with God. Others are so turned off by what is represented as God’s vision they withdraw from beliefs and practices that seem alien to their understanding of God. The number of people in the USA who identify as Christian has dropped 12% to 65% over the last decade*. Less than that is actively engaged in practicing their faith.

Jesus called us to take his good news to the ends of the earth. We may also need to bring that good news home. To do that, we must reconnect with what Jesus’s good news is.

Prayer: Lord, restore our ministry to serve you more nearly. Amen.

*https://www.pewforum.org/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace/

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.