Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 2.13- Thankful for the help of my children who do what they can to help me while they recognize my desire for independence as much as possible. I didn't fully appreciate my parents and what they had done for me until they were gone. Thank you God for good parents and good children. Psalm 127. 127  Unless the  Lord  builds a house, They who build it labor in vain; Unless the  Lord  guards a city, The watchman stays awake in vain. 2  It is futile for you to rise up early, To  [ a ] stay up late, To eat the bread of painful labor; This is how He gives to His beloved sleep. 3  Behold, children are a  [ b ] gift of the  Lord , The fruit of the womb is a reward. 4  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. 5  Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

 2.12- Louise suffers from muscular dystrophy. While trying to exit a train station one day, she found herself facing a large flight of stairs without an elevator or escalator. On the verge of tears, Louise saw a man suddenly appear, pick up her bag, and gently help up the stairs. When she turned to thank him, he was gone.     Michael was late for a meeting. Already stressed from relationship breakdown, he started battling London’s traffic only to get a flat tire. As he stood helplessly in the rain, a man stepped out of the crowd, opened the trunk, jacked up the car, and changed the tire. When Michael turned to thank him, he was gone.     Who were these mysterious helpers? Kind strangers or something more?     The popular image we have of angels as radiant or winger creatures is only half true. While some appear this way (Isaiah 6:2; Matthew 28:3), others come with dusty feet, ready for a meal (Genesis 18:1-5) and are easily mistaken for everyday people (Judges 13:16). The writer

 2.11- I stumbled upon footage from a British newsreel crew who filmed six-year-old Flannery O’Connor on her family farm in 1932. Flannery, who would go on to become an acclaimed US writer, caught the crew’s curiosity because she’d taught a chicken to walk backward. Apart from the novelty of the feat, I thought this glimpse of history was a perfect metaphor. Flannery, due to both her literary sensibilities and her spiritual convictions, spent her thirty-nine years definitely walking backward-thinking and writing in a counter-cultural way. Publishers and readers were entirely baffled by how her biblical themes ran counter to the religious views they expected.     A life that runs counter to the norm is inevitable for those who would truly imitate Jesus. Philippians tells us that Jesus, though His “very nature” was God, didn’t move in the predictable ways we would expect (2:6). He didn’t use His power “to His own advantage,” but rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature

 2.10- Storm Chasers                              Psalm 107:23-32                                    Bill Crowder     “Chasing tornadoes,” says Warren Faldley, “is often like a giant game of 3D-chess played out over thousands of square miles.” The photojournalist and storm-chaser adds: “Being in the right place at the right time is a symphony of forecasting and navigation while dodging everything from softball-sized hailstones to dust storms and slow-moving farm equipment.”     Faldley’s words make my palms sweat and heart beat faster. While admiring the raw courage and scientific hunger storm chasers display, I balk at throwing myself into the middle of potentially fatal weather events.     In my experience, however, I don’t have to chase storms in life – they seem to be chasing me. That experience is mirrored by Psalm 107 as it describes sailors trapped in a storm. They were being chased by the consequences of their wrong choices but the psalmist says, “They cried out to the Lo

 2.9-Jesus wants us to understand who others think Jesus is, but it is especially important who we know Jesus is for us and to us. He is the sacrifice for all of us. Austin Fischer @austintfischer · Feb 3 Had the privilege of sitting w/a dying man from my church this week. Everyone should do it from time to time. It humbles you. Your answers feel silly. You squirm as you give them. So you stop w/the BS & mostly listen. When asked a question, you proclaim the gospel & let it be. 27  Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them,  “Who do people say that I am?”   28  They told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others  say  Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”   29  And He  continued  questioning them:  “But who do you say that I am?”  Peter answered and *said to Him, “You are the  [ o ] Christ.”   30  And He  [ p ] warned them to tell no one about Him. 31  And He began to teach t

 2.8- God provides over and over.   We are to be for life things and therefore we are against things that cause death and destruction.   We are for moral lives.   That is why we stand against immoral lives.   It is God who has taught us over and over to seek those who are lost and running away from God’s love.   He pursued Adam from his hiding in order to help him to save and bless him.   His hiding from God and himself and others was not right or healthy.   Only the truth will set us free. Proverbs 5. 5  My son, pay attention to my wisdom, Incline your ear to my understanding, 2  So that you may maintain discretion And your lips may comply with knowledge. 3  For the lips of an  [ a ] adulteress drip honey, And her  [ b ] speech is smoother than oil; 4  But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. 5  Her feet go down to death, Her steps take hold of Sheol. 6  [ c ] She does not ponder the path of life; Her ways are unstable, she does not know  it

 2.7- We get so fed up with television evangelists who ask us to believe in God and send our money to them that we reject the beautiful God who created the universe.  He gives us every perfect gift from heaven..  We get so fed up with selfish politicians that we don't believe a person who puts people first and country second and himself last without regard to political party can even exist. Don’t throw the baby out with the wash water. A broken clock is right twice a day.   Job’s friends made some true statements, but in the context of Job’s life and circumstances the words didn’t fit the situation. Burning. Book banning was on my national and local news tonight. Book burning has been news for many years. People burning. William Tyndale was burned at the stake as a heretic in 1536. His crime. He translated the Bible into English. Books that teach about subjects that threaten the predominate culture in any town, state or nation can bring about reflection and improved lives. Put