Category Archives: Musings

Steps to Disaster

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Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! Exodus 14:15 NLT

Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters— a pathway no one knew was there! Psalm 77:19 NLT

God pointed to a pathway none could see.
Steps to disaster looks to me.”
They began to wail an anguished groan,
“O Lord, let’s turn back to Egypt our home?”

“Why are you crying?
Won’t you trust Me.
Get up! Get moving!
Step into the sea.”

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
 neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV

Waking the mountains

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Sunrise over the Cascades

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:5 NIV

How can I love and praise the Lord if I am asleep with worry or guilt?

Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. Psalm 57:8 NIV

Wake up heart!
Sing to the Lord a new song
Give thanks for the Lord is good,
and His love unfailing forever.

Wake up soul!
Sing with thanksgiving and praise.
for Jesus has conquered death
You are free to live in Him forever.

Wake up mind!
sing and rejoice. 
God has given me His Spirit—
as a guarantee of His everlasting goodness and mercy.

Wake up!
The joy of the Lord is my strength.
He will never leave me nor forsake me.
For He takes joy in me.

Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!” Nehemiah 8:10 NLT

Giving Life to Living

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Jesus gives life back to living.

We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. Romans 6:6

A New Year Prayer

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Reaching beyond the clouds

As I look to this new year, God gives me this song— 

I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 89:1 ESV

When doubts about this new year arise and I worry if my faith will be enough for the road ahead. I hold onto this—

Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Psalm 36:5 NLT

My peace and thanks before God in the new year—

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! Psalm 90:17 ESV

This is my prayer for me and my family for this coming new year and I can rejoice.

The Dark Accosting Son Rise

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The Horror of Darkness

The pain and horror of death is not fully realized until you understand the life you have forfeited. Jesus in the last hours of His life knew the glory of heaven that He had given up, for our sake, and the darkness He had chosen.

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) 

This New Day

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This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24 NLT)

Trumpeting geese bring in the new day.
There honking makes my heart glad knowing:
God has done all this to show me His goodness and love.

Sometimes life is more about being than doing.

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When I am weak and the tank is empty:
Christ bids me—show up.
When at every turn I meet my shame:
Christ bids me—bow down.
When failure once again wins the game:
Christ bids me—look up.

Life in Christ is:
show up,
bow down,
look up.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 NLT

Calming My Anxiety

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“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1

This is my go to verse whenever I get anxious about life. I paint it on every memory. I repeat it over all my tomorrows. I breathe it for every breath. Then with thanksgiving I praise God for coming and dying for me that I might say it with confidence.

A Morning Full of Reasons to Praise the Lord

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Psalm 103:2
Praise the Lord, O my soul and forget not all His benefits—
The Lord turns my darkness into light. (2 Sam. 22:29)
He forgives all my sins.
He heals all my diseases. (Psalm 103:3)
He redeems my life from the pit
and crowns me with love and compassion. (Psalm 103:4)
He fills my life with good things (Psalm 103:5)
It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect (2 Sam. 22:33)
You give me Your shield of victory; You stoop down to make me great. (2 Sam.22:36)
Yes, praise the Lord, O my soul for He treats me with loving kindness. Not as I deserve.
(Psalm 103:10)

Reflecting on Grace vs. Disgrace

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Reflection of Mount Rainier

Disgrace is ignoring or turning from God’s grace.

At the time of Last Supper Jesus announced:
The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born. Matthew 26:24

Judas walked with Jesus.
He talked with Jesus.
He witnessed the miracles of Jesus.
He was chosen by Jesus.
Yet he betrayed Jesus and ran off in shame. In trying to undo what he had done, he turned away from God’s grace in Jesus and punished himself.

Peter walked with Jesus.
He talked with Jesus,
He witnessed miracles by Jesus
He was chosen by Jesus.
Yet he betrayed Jesus 3 times and ran off in shame. In time, Peter humbly turned from his failure to receive God’s grace in Jesus.

The difference between them is Peter chose to humble himself, and Judas chose to punish himself.

Woe to those who refuse to admit their need.
Ignoring the cross, where Christ did bleed.
Bemoaning their failure, counting their dross.
Too proud to bow before the cross.
This eulogy of the forlorn…
Better off to had never been born.

There is something more terrible than all your shame, and that is trying to live with it.