Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

8.16- Searching for Tracks Ron Rose At the funeral service for a person named Robin, one of the preachers stood up and proclaimed in an old fashioned preacher voice, "We are not here because Robin died. Hear me! Did you hear me? We are here because she Lived--she LIVED." We were united in celebration of life, but that doesn't mean the grievers wanted to be there. I venture to say, not one wanted to be there, but they were. It was hot and muggy and midweek and the beleaguered mourners there gathered, united in grief. They wanted Robin back, they wanted to be somewhere else, they wanted the hole in their hearts filled, but the preacher called them to an adventure beyond their sadness, to a walk with God through the valley, to a relationship with the God who created life . . .The preacher pointed the people beyond themselves and the loss. It was good to be there. But, it reminded me of an old Aesop’s fable. "A frightened...

8.15- Unexpected Grace Acts 9:1-19 Randy Kilgore It was an early Saturday morning in my sophomore year of high school, and I was eager to get to my job at the local bowling lanes. The evening before, I had stayed late to mop the muddy tile floors because the janitor called in sick. I hadn’t bothered to tell the boss about the janitor so I could surprise him. After all, What could go wrong? I thought. Plenty, as it turns out. Stepping in the door, I saw inches of standing water, with bowling pins, rolls of toilet paper, and boxes of paper score sheets bobbing on top. Then I realized what I had done: While doing the floors, I had left a large faucet running overnight! Incredibly, my boss greeted me with a huge hug and a big smile – “for trying,” he said. Saul was actively punishing and harassing Christians (Acts 9:1-2) when he came face to face with Jesus on the road to Damascus (verses 3-4). Jesus confronted the soon-to-be-called apostle Paul wi...

8.14- Healing Flood Psalm 107:1-16, 35-36 Monica Brands I’ve always loved a good thunderstorm. As kids, whenever a storm was truly incredible – with booming thunder and buckets of heavy rain pounding down – my siblings and I would make a mad dash around the outside of our house, slipping and sliding along the way. When it was time to go back inside, we were soaked to the bone. It was an exhilarating taste – for just a few minutes – of being immersed in something so powerful we couldn’t quite tell whether we were having fun or terrified. This picture comes to mind when, as in Psalm 107, Scripture compares God’s restoration to a barren wilderness transformed into “pools of water” (verse 35). Because the kind of storm that transforms a desert into an oasis isn’t a gentle shower – it’s a downpour, flooding every crack of parched ground with new life. And isn’t that the kind of restoration we long for? When our stories feel like tales of aimless wande...

8.13- Ham and Eggs 2 Chronicles 16:1-9 Kirsten Holmberg In the fable of the chicken and the pig, the two animals discuss opening a restaurant together. As they plan their menu, the chicken suggests they serve ham and eggs. The pig swiftly objects saying, “No thanks, I’d be committed, but you would only be involved.” Although the pig didn’t care to put himself on the platter, his understanding of commitment is instructive to me as I learn to better follow God with my whole heart. To protect his kingdom, Asa, king of Judah, sought to break up a treaty between the kings of Israel and Aram. To accomplish this, he sent personal treasure along with “silver and gold out of the treasuries of the Lord’s temple” to secure favor with Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram (2 Chron. 6:2). Ben-Hadad agreed and their joint forces repelled Israel. But God’s prophet Hanani called Asa foolish for relying on human help instead of God who had delivered other enemies into their han...

8.12- On a Sunday, 7.25.65, my brother, Reed and His wife, Gene, drove to Abilene, Texas, to visit our Sister, Hazanne, and her growing family and to allow me to visit a bit and check out the possibility of changing colleges from East Texas State College to Abilene Christian College. After a week of visiting my sister, Hazanne, and her husband Bill and their growing family, I decided to accept their gracious offer to come and live with them and attend Abilene Christian College. S o today, 55 years ago, became a transformational day in my life. Several months later I would meet my wife Sheila, from Port Neches, Texas, but her parents were from Direct, Texas, north of Paris Texas. In just a few days I met Bill Agnew, owner of Superette, and I would work for him and become a forever friend of his. I was honored to be named as an honorary pall bearer at His funeral. He is still very beloved to me this very day. Sheila and I owe a debt of gratitude to Bill and Hazanne Lu...

8.11- I have been taught that every good and perfect gift comes from our Father in heaven. Heaven is a place where there is no pain and no mourning. I like to think that the very best moments and memories in my life will be available to me in heaven. I hope to get there by God's amazing grace and this thought keeps me happier each day that I live. James 1. 17  Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or [ r ] shifting shadow. Revelation 21. 21  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3  And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will [ a ] dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himsel...

8.10- Judges should be careful 2 Chronicles 19. 5  He appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city. 6  He said to the judges, “Consider what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the Lord who is with you [ d ] when you render judgment. 7  Now then let the fear of the Lord be upon you; [ e ] be very careful what you do, for [ f ] the Lord our God will have no part in unrighteousness or partiality or the taking of a bribe.” I should be careful. Proverbs 23. 19  Listen, my son, and be wise, And direct your heart in the way. 20  Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat; 21  For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe one with rags.