Scribing Scripture

One of the gifts for my recent (43) birthday was the Journible for Romans. Journibles are journals that are designed for copying Scripture as well as your thoughts. They are published by Reformation Heritage Books.

The idea is based upon Deuteronomy 17:18. "When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees."

The practice of writing Scripture has appealed to me for many years. And when I was younger I copied several chapters of Deuteronomy, improving my handwriting in the process.

I look forward to working my way through Romans. And then I'll think I'll journal Deuteronomy and Proverbs.

Psalms - a day of meditation

My goal today was to listen to the entire book of Psalms. Which I did. It took several hours and was broken up into three periods. Most of which I spent laying on my bed praying with the Psalms. I listened to a dramatized version and was impressed with both how applicable they were (praying Psalms regularly would be a healthy habit to get into) and how human the author was.

Psalm 51:3-17

"A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba."

(David had not only committed adultery but he had behaved treacherously to one of his closets friends. Bathsheba may not have been previously known to David, but Uriah, Bathsheba's husband certainly was. He was one of David's thirty mighty men, his bodyguard. Sworn to serve and protect David, Uriah fought with and for David, traveled with him, slept near him, protected him, and was willing to lay down his own life for David's. David not only committed adultery with Uriah's wife, but to cover his sin, sent him to be murdered. David's fear was real though, he lived in a time when if discovered, the punishment for adultery was stoning for him, Bathsheba, and the child she would've still carried.)

"For I recognize my rebellion;

it haunts me day and night.

Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;

I have done what is evil in your sight.

You will be proved right in what you say,

and your judgment against me is just.

Purify me from my sins,[c] and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Oh, give me back my joy again;

you have broken me—

now let me rejoice.

Don’t keep looking at my sins.

Remove the stain of my guilt.

Create in me a clean heart, O God.

Renew a loyal spirit within me.

Do not banish me from your presence,

and don’t take your Holy Spirit[d] from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and make me willing to obey you.

Then I will teach your ways to rebels,

and they will return to you.

Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves;

then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.

Unseal my lips, O Lord,

that my mouth may praise you.

You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.

You do not want a burnt offering.

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.

You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God."

Psalm 101:1-7

I will sing of your love and justice, Lord.

I will praise you with songs.

I will be careful to live a blameless life—

when will you come to help me?

I will lead a life of integrity

in my own home.

I will refuse to look at

anything vile and vulgar.

I hate all who deal crookedly;

I will have nothing to do with them.

I will reject perverse ideas

and stay away from every evil.

I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors.

I will not endure conceit and pride.

I will search for faithful people

to be my companions.

Only those who are above reproach

will be allowed to serve me.

I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house,

and liars will not stay in my presence.

Psalm 119:65-68

You have done many good things for me, Lord,

just as you promised.

I believe in your commands;

now teach me good judgment and knowledge.

I used to wander off until you disciplined me;

but now I closely follow your word.

You are good and do only good;

teach me your decrees.

Exploding Toilets

I'm used to starting my day in a quiet environment, so I was rattled when my power flush toilet started vibrating and groaning like a caged lion that hadn't eaten for days. I recalled the true story I heard many many years ago of an apartment with newly installed water saving toilets that started exploding. My commode is 12 years old, but the picture has stayed with me. I immediately distanced myself. When the groaning continued I gingerly flushed it and it seemed to end the mutterings of the beast...for a time.

An internet search assured me that exploding toilets weren't just scenes from a horror movie. That in fact, there was recall on MY toilet. A faulty seam could give way causing the sudden release of pressure which would blow up the tank like a small land mine, sending bits of porcelain like missiles embedding itself in the surrounding fixtures. In 14 cases injuries were reported, as one victim put it; someone of lesser bulk might have been hurt more seriously.

All is still well at my house, and I'm anxiously waiting for my repair kit in the mail, but if you have a Flushmaster III system hiding by a porcelain fixture, recognize that it may be waiting to strike, and check out the recall notice.

Lovely weather today. Sunny, and not too hot. 


I sat on the wooden mounting block of the indoor riding arena and listened to the birds chirping and the squeaking of the saddle leather as my friend rode her dressage patterns. There is something relaxing about being surrounded by horses and the smell of dust and hay. For a brief period it's like a step into another world, that offers relaxation through work and peaceful solitude. It was a great place to pray, and having concerns on my mind, pray I did.


When my friend finished she gave a lesson. This is the third time I've ridden him. I've been riding for less than a year, but every new horse I ride I often feel like it's again my first lesson. Leo, was no different. However, little by little I'm beginning to feel comfortable on him. Trained up to a second level dressage horse, none-the-less, my lack of ability to communicate has kept our progress slow. But he is willing to listen, and I'm willing to learn, so even though there were some miscues, and he wanted to head toward the gate we both stayed focus and ended up having a good ride. (A good ride relative to my experience level.)


While we worked on circles and straight lines, the foundation for many dressage patterns, I tried to keep coordinated and make sure that my hips and shoulders were moving in the same direction. It's not as easy as it sounds, but I felt good about my efforts, and enjoyed the opportunity.

Keeping a journal, that if I don't love, I'll at least enjoy doing.

The other day I picked up a used book at my local Discount Christian Bookstore. It's entitled "Keeping a Journal you Love" by Sheila Bender.


I have to admit, despite recognizing the benefit of having a "blessing book" and being a writer, I've never been able to successfully journal regularly. I'm not sure why, maybe because writing for my own benefit doesn't fit into my logic--sort of the same reason that I don't like taking walks that don't lead me somewhere. But though the body is weak the spirit has always been willing. And I'm hoping that by following the ideas in this book it will make journaling a joy for me. I've already identified one of my problems--because my goal is to be a profession writer, I try too hard. I haven't been writing for myself, or for my own thoughts and feelings, but I'm writing for the world at large, and as soon as I do that then journaling becomes mentally time consuming. The pain of having everything perfect defeats the beauty of off-the-cuff prose.


Here is to doing what I know I ought to do...journaling the story of God's presence in my life. And if my words don't present themselves like a succulent tenderloin, perhaps they will at least have the heartiness of a juicy hamburger.

Election 2012

Where is Rick Santorum? Because in a perfect world, as an evangelical Christian I wouldn't be voting for Mitt Romney. But my chance to have a representative who held to my theology ended with the primaries earlier this year.

It is a reflection of our culture--no, it is a condemnation of evangelical Christians that over the last 40 years they have not been able to convince their neighbors that t heir way of life is worth living. In the last 40 years we have gone from a moral, to an amoral, to an immoral society: Unheard of to most species, by the millions, American mothers kill their children for their own convenience, (note to DNC--only 1% of abortions are done for rape or incest.) Gone is the instinct to nourish and protect, while abortion is sanctioned and encouraged by society at large. No wonder that children are abused by both parents; they are given no value as a "fetus" and the realty is that everyone knows there is no magic in the birth canal that suddenly creates a human life. If we don't value them before birth, we will not value them after birth.

At one time sex was saved for marriage, now living together and premarital sex is the "recommended way" of choosing a life partner; 95% of Americans have had premarital sex, so it's no surprise that 50% percent of first marriages, 67% of second and 74% of third marriages end in divorce. You can't undervalue part of the equation without destroying the whole.

We accept the finding of scientists as fact, even though they seem to contradict themselves in every new addition of the AMA Journal. So if they say there is no Creator, in their all knowing confusion society accepts it; no God, no morality, no rules. And while homosexuality defies the natural order of things (up/down, in/out, positive/negative, left/right, man/woman), if there is no God, and there are no rules, then there is no good or bad, there is no sin.

We want to blame the country's spiritual demise on a government who took prayer out of schools, but it is people who make up a country. It is us, the evangelical Christian and those who share our values. Once upon a time we were an overwhelming majority.

But where are the Christians now? 1 out of 5 of them is struggling with pornography, 80% has had premarital sex, 50% of their marriages have ended in divorce, and they account for 20% of the abortions. The protestant church and its leaders should be ashamed that they have produced hypocritical witnesses for God that can only offer society empty promises of a future that they can't prove! It is the evangelical Christian community that has devalued the Word of God, has eradicated the mosaic law (along with the judeo/Christian values it represented), and has fully adopted the lifestyle of the world around it, throwing on the cloak of "grace" whenever anyone dares to lift an accusing finger their way. With such an example is it a surprise that the majority, 52%, of Americans believe that the government should not promote a traditional set of values?

The evangelical Christian has no representation in this election because long ago they gave up the lifestyle that God set forth for them, to adopt the worldly practices around them, and can no longer offer any hope, or any practical answers for peoples' real life problems or to a community starving for a God that represents what is good, and right, and holy.

It is embarrassing that Mitt Romney, a person with a religion that most evangelicals despise, practices a more God-glorifying behavior than us. And because he does I am voting for him. He may not be a Christian, and his platform is much more liberal than I'd like, but there is plenty of evidence in scripture that if an unbeliever honors God, God will honor him, just as we will be disciplined for our own insolence of God's word.

I Have Chosen You

The current song on my heart...



I Have Chosen You
Words and Music by Don Francisco

Like a king who hides in shadows while a thief usurps his throne
You stumbled down through all your days without direction.
While the soldiers and the servants who should be at your command
Are all abandoned to surrender and defection.

As the kingdom groans beneath the load,
Your feet go running down the road
In panic you've forgotten all I've told you.
If you'll just call you'd see Me there
At the very instant of your prayer
But you've bought a bill of goods the liar's sold you.

CHORUS

I have chosen you
There's no need to run away.
I have chosen you
Why do you doubt the words I say.
Through it all I've been right by your side.
Ask me and you will not be denied.

Like a slave who wears the collar of a hard and cruel man
And is convinced that he deserves the treetment given.
Tortured to believing nothing's ever going to change
Till you've forgotten there was ever more to living.

But as you struggle with your load
The messengers come down the road
And the slaver flees in fear as he beholds them.
They break your chains and set you free
To stand amazed in liberty
And at last they give the word that God has told them.

CHORUS

I have chosen you
And I will not turn you down,
I have chosen you
You were born to wear a crown.
I'll give you what you need to carry on
Till all that stands opposed to you is gone.

I have chosen you
And I will not turn you down,
I have chosen you
You were born to wear a crown.
Through it all I've been right by your side.
Ask me now, you will not be denied.

Ask me now, you will not be denied.
Ask me now, you will not be denied.