James 3:13-18 The wisdom of God is peaceable and does not compromise truth.

 Romans 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 

God has plans for all of us. His plans are good and He enriches the lives of all of His creation. All nations, all people, are meant to be able to enjoy the world that He created for us to live in. Evil seeks to destroy it and us we must turn from evil and seek the good of all.  We were created in love and saved by the blood of the Lamb. Carla

James 3:13-18

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (NKJV)

Evil produces confusion. On the other hand, God brings harmony and wisdom (1 Corinthians 14:33). Anyone who is involved in envy and strife is confused. This confusion corrupts human relationships. It is likely that the Jewish Christians to whom James was writing were going through turmoil because of sinful acts like the ones mentioned here. James wanted his readers to set aside their petty attitudes and seek reconciliation.

The main characteristic of godly wisdom is that it is pure, meaning “free from defilement.” Bitterness, envy, and selfish behavior thoroughly corrupt a person (verses 14, 16). Godly wisdom is also peaceable, describing a spirit of tranquility and calmness. It does not suggest compromising truth just for the sake of peace, which would promote falsehood. In addition, godly wisdom is undivided, without favoritism, unwavering, and consistent. without hypocrisy: True wisdom is sincere and unpretentious. The NKJV Study Bible

The Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, often employs this combination of words wise and understanding to describe a person who lives in accordance with the insight given by God (Deuteronomy 1:13, 15; 4:6). People demonstrate wisdom if their deeds reflect God’s commands. Works, with the humility of wisdom, are those who are wise and demonstrate their wisdom in how they live, by deeds done with humility.

James likely is admonishing his audience to refrain from sinning against the truth by boasting of their wisdom. Truth may refer to the gospel (James 1:18; 5:19) or, more generally, to that which is not false. Faithlife Study Bible

Hebrews 12:11

Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

James 1:17–18

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

1 Corinthians 2:6–7

However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 

2 Corinthians 12:20

For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults;

“Ahab was king over Israel for twenty-two years. Ahab son of Omri did even more open evil before God than anyone yet—a new champion in evil!” (1 Kings 16:29-30 MSG).

There’s a reason parents don’t name their kids Ahab or Jezebel. Ahab not only neglected the faith of his fathers, but he also embraced the false gods of his enemies. Yet this evil king did more—he married Jezebel.  She was vile, she endorsed a religion that promoted temple prostitution and child sacrifice, she and her husband systematically killed the Lord’s prophets. The Ten Commandments were treated as ten suggestions, and the temple of worship was a relic of history.

God, however, will not sit idly while his covenants are trashed. He will not stay silent while his will is mocked. But he will act. Max Lucado

Psalm 34:21-22 God cares for us He protects us from evil.

 Amen and amen!

Psalm 37:40

And the LORD shall help them and deliver them;

He shall deliver them from the wicked,

And save them,

Because they trust in Him.

We withstand evil by the power of Holy Spirit. In the righteousness of Jesus Christ alone we are protected and overcome evil with good. Trust God to guide us on our walk and do what man cannot. Carla

Psalm 34:21-22

21 Evil shall slay the wicked,

And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.

22 The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,

And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned. (NKJV)

This verse is outside the acrostic pattern; it summarizes the psalm, giving appropriate praise to the Lord who saves those who put their faith in Him (1 Timothy 4:10). The NKJV Study Bible

Evil will slay the wicked. While Yahweh will deliver the righteous from their afflictions (Psalm 34:19), the wicked are ultimately destroyed by theirs. The psalmist asks Yahweh to fight for him against his enemies. Faithlife Study Bible

Psalm 94:23

He has brought on them their own iniquity,

And shall cut them off in their own wickedness;

The LORD our God shall cut them off.

Proverbs 24:16

For a righteous man may fall seven times

And rise again,

But the wicked shall fall by calamity.

Psalm 140:11

Let not a slanderer be established in the earth;

Let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him.”

1 King 1:29

And the king took an oath and said, “As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from every distress, 

“When you walk through a storm
Keep your chin up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark.
At the end of the storm
Is a golden sky
And the sweet, silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Though your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart,
And you’ll never walk alone!
You’ll never walk alone.”
“You'll Never Walk Alone” was originally composed by Rodgers and Hammerstein in 1945. And the version I’m listening to is from Gerry and the Pacemakers (1963).
And yes, it’s a sing along version. My Oh My.

Music is one of those gifts that nudges and replenishes your heart. Often when you least expect it, washing over you with grace and healing. Especially life-giving when life feels hard.
This was a hard week for me. There were personal hurdles. And the news, yes. And many conversations (phone and email) about our world (and our place in it), and how it is easy to feel, or to be, quite literally, lost. And lost is not just a GPS malfunction. Too many know what it means to be disconnected, diminished, demeaned. That’s it isn’t it? When we feel not just lost, but alone.

Did you see the “Canticle for Peace” celebration—a prayer meeting and concert for peace on Wednesday (July 29), where Pope Leo listened to an interfaith choir of 164 children at the lush gardens of the Vatican’s echo-village in the town of Castel Gandolfo?
In the words of Pope Leo, “Like a stream leading to its source, music leads us to God.”
“‘Music can lead us beyond the threshold of mystery. Just as someone following a stream eventually reaches its source, the beauty of song can guide us towards God, satisfying the thirst for meaning and happiness that the world itself cannot quench.’
Recalling the ‘choirs of angels and saints’ described in Scripture, the Pope observed that they do not ‘literally sing all the time.’ Rather, their perfect harmony springs from their shared contemplation of God—a harmony that earthly music, too, can help us approach.
Organized by the Laudato si' Higher Education Center in partnership with the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, represented by the renowned tenor himself, the event forms part of the celebrations marking the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi.
The Pope described the gathering as an occasion of ‘joy,’ accompanied by Andrea Bocelli and the ABF Voices choir, made up of 164 children and young people, from the Holy Land, Uganda and Italy. United by their love of music, many of them also share lives marked by war, poverty and suffering.
Pope Leo noted that their ‘beautiful singing,’ together with the multilingual prayer offered at the end of the gathering, showed how music can unite different voices into a single harmony, where each person makes a unique contribution to the whole.
In this way, the choir becomes a symbol of harmony and cooperation.
Reflecting on the heavenly ‘choirs’ described in Scripture, the Pope said that their unity comes from finding in God ‘the fullness of happiness.’
He continued, ‘As you sang, did you notice how music drew all of us into a new experience—something greater than anything any one of us could have created alone? That is the experience of beauty. It opens up a new horizon and awakens within us the desire to move towards it.’”
(With gratitude to Edoardo Giribaldi, and the Vatican News)

And in an interview after the event, with NBC, a young woman from Israel—a 14-year-old member of the choir said this about the make-up of the choir from different countries, “We can’t find peace in our country. There’s war. Children are scared and they are dying… Teamwork is so important. If we worked on this project individually, we wouldn’t have been here today.”
Thank you. That’ll preach.
And I can hear Mr. Rogers’ voice, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping. To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world.”  

Two invitations this week.

One, the reminder that we never walk alone.

“When you walk through a storm

Keep your chin up high

And don’t be afraid of the dark…

You’ll never walk alone.”

And two, the invitation to be a helper. 

The Talmud reminds us, “Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly now, love mercy now, walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.” Sabbath Moments

Compassion is the Miracle

 But this is the miracle of being human together, of taking the journey from hopelessness, brokenness, and suffering to kindness, restoration, and liberation. And these are the elements of the miracle: Sympathy, feeling pity for the suffering of others; empathy, fully identifying with another person’s pain; and compassion, reaching out to comfort, heal, and care. 

There will always be miracles. Especially if we extended our hearts and hands and help make them happen. Because compassion is the miracle. Diane Butler Bass

Ephesians 3:20-21 In Christ nothing is impossible!

 This is a day that the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it!

God cares for us. Who in this world would offer up His life to save not only yours but to save the world. His love for the world that He created covered us and when accepted leaves us white as snow. Carla

Ephesians 3:20-21

20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (NKJV)

Ephesians 3:20–21 is a joyful song of praise—called a doxology [5.6]—that highlights God's limitless power, His active work inside believers, and His eternal glory through the church. It assures Christians that God can do far more than they can ever ask, pray for, or imagine. 

God’s Unimaginable Power (Verse 20)

• Beyond limits: God is able to do "exceedingly abundantly" or "immeasurably more" than anything a person can ask or dream up in their mind
• At work in us: This great power is not far away; it is the Holy Spirit actively working inside believers right now. 

Glory to God Forever (Verse 21)

• Honor and praise belong to God within the community of believers (the church) and through Jesus Christ
• Forever and ever: This praise does not stop; it continues through every generation and lasts for all time. 

Yesterday our bird-feeders were visited by three Cedar Waxwings. I sat watching through my study window. Waxwings are not uncommon, but this is a little late in the season for them. They are surreal in their elegance. They are a crested bird, greyish brown with a canary yellow belly. Zorro-like, they wear a black mask and chin. Each looks like a fine porcelain figurine, delicate and without blemish. While I watch, a nuthatch shuttles from feeder to tree trunk, one sunflower seed per trip, each time wedging the seed into a crevice of the bark where he would, from my way of seeing, stand upside down while pecking away at the shell.

Sometime during this pageant, it occurred to me that this is it. This, as in this elusive essence we call life. I tried to remember the Thoreau quote about going in the woods to drink from the very marrow of life, but I couldn't quite come up with it and realized that it didn't really matter anyway. I doubt that the cedar Waxwings would have been impressed.

If you are lucky, you grab hold of these moments when they come, for they are parcels of life undistilled. And you save the analysis for later on, down the road.

You could, I suppose, stop, and take a picture, maybe post it to social media, if you wanted to take the time to find your phone. Or chuckle at the need to confine the moment, push it aside, and curl up on the couch to watch the birds, listen to their song, and feel the gooseflesh reminding you that your heart is still intact. Sabbath Moments

Proverbs 19:1 Character matters to God

What does God require of us? 

He requires us to be…

fair

forgiving

humble in our walk with Him (Micah 6:8)

Satan is the father of lies and those who choose to lie have no depth and are without a moral compass. Carla. 

Proverbs 19:1

Better is the poor who walks in his integrity

Than one who is perverse in his lips, and is a fool. (NKJV)

This proverb, one of the “better than” proverbs (17:1, 10), presents a poor person in a more favorable light than a rich person (28:6). In this case, the poor person’s life is marked by integrity, whereas the successful person has gained his wealth through cheating and deception. The Book of Proverbs does not place a premium on health and wealth. It gives that honor to integrity (3:1–12). The NKJV Study Bible

Poverty with integrity is better than wealth gained deceitfully (16:8; 28:6). Proverbs frequently connects a person’s speech and character (14:25; 16:23; 17:27). The contrast in this proverb implies that wealth does not always go to people who deserve it. Faithlife Study Bible

Proverbs 28:6

Better is the poor who walks in his integrity

Than  one perverse in his ways, though he be rich.

Proverbs 14:2

He who  walks in his uprightness fears the LORD,

But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.

Proverbs 20:7

The righteous man walks in his integrity;

His children are blessed after him.

Psalm 26:11

But as for me, I will walk in my integrity;

Redeem me and be merciful to me.

Psalm 26:1

Vindicate me, O LORD,

For I have walked in my integrity.

I have also trusted in the LORD;

I shall not slip.

“In difficult times carry something beautiful in your heart.” Let us gratefully carry Blaise Pascal’s reminder with us today.

Along with Mary Oliver’s reminder,
“it is a serious thing
just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in the broken world”

Somehow, the gift of just being me, isn't enough. And we disconnect from delight and wonder and joy and gratitude. It's as if we lose our true identity.

So. What if embracing the temporal nature of our life—that butterfly nature within—is about the permission to fall shamelessly and wholeheartedly in love with this life? And this moment—whatever it may bring? And what if this permission to fall wholeheartedly in love with this moment is about hearing the voice of grace?

Know this my friends: God’s grace, is our ballast.

God is alive in well in everyday life, and in the people around me

The ordinary is the hiding place for the holy

In small gifts and gestures, I find awe, and celebrate the sacrament of the present

In honoring grace, I say yes to sanctuary, resilience, unity, inclusiveness, wholeness and healing. Sabbath Moments