Psalm 55:20-21 We cannot call evil good nor good evil.

 Psalm  12:2

They speak idly everyone with his neighbor;

With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

You will know the followers of the way of Jesus by the fruits that are evident in their lives. They will love not only their own families and friends but all of God’s creation. They will love Him above all and their neighbors as themselves. Grapes do not grow on apple trees neither does the Spirit of God abide in evil. We cannot call good evil  nor evil good. Carla

Psalm 55:20-21

He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him

He has broken his covenant.

21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,

But war was in his heart;

His words were softer than oil,

Yet they were drawn swords. (NKJV)

David turns to describe his former friend, now his enemy (verses 13, 14). He had been completely taken in by the man’s lies. To anyone who has experienced grief or desolation, the command to cast one’s burden on the Lord is refreshing. The Lord is the one constant in life (verse 19) and the one true friend (27:10). He can always bear the burden. The NKJV Study Bible

The words of the psalmist’s former friend are flattering (Proverbs 5) but destructive (Proverbs  29:5). Faithlife Study Bible

Psalm  7:4

If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me,

Or have plundered my enemy without cause,

Psalm  28:3

Do not take me away with the wicked

And with the workers of iniquity,

Who speak peace to their neighbors,

But evil is in their hearts.

What is it that allows us to live from our heart, to contribute, to mend, even in a broken and wounded world?

Speaking words of courage in frightening times with her column “My Day,” Eleanor Roosevelt spilled light. And she admitted that her indefatigable service for us to be our better selves, was an antidote to loneliness, anxiety, and the periods of depression she called “Griselda moods.” (Smiling, knowing that I’ll be borrowing that expression.)

So yes. This does my heart good. Knowing that wholeheartedness flows even from our own wounded and broken places, from places where we may feel fragmented, and vulnerable.

True, my mood often tells me otherwise. My mood tells me to guard my heart.

But I’m learning that the easiest way to take care of your heart, is to give it away…to someone in need. Go figure.

Today I am glad for any reminder that “It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.” (Irish Proverb).

Today, in a world where cruelty is unmistakable, I am glad for any reminder of the capacity to be fully human, tender, vulnerable, and kindhearted.

Today, I am glad for any reminder that the human world of helping is larger than our fear, or anxiety, or our ego.

We offer hope, we extend hands, and hearts, of compassion.

We see our connection with the lives of others around us, especially those broken or grieving or lost.

We see that they need a hand to hold. They need a voice. They need a sanctuary.

Gratefully, whenever we love, we are not alone. So, we wade-in, and stand in places—even places of brokenness and woundedness, places of death and loss—and we find grace there. Amen. Sabbath Moments

Jude 1:22 The blessed assurance of God’s love for this messy world we live in.

 2 Corinthians 2:7 so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow

Without God’s love behind our actions we are just making noise. There is no human righteous but One…Jesus Christ, all God yet all man, who redeemed us by His own blood. It was shed for us in the new and everlasting Covenant with God and mankind. To God alone all glory and honor belong. Carla

Jude 1:22

20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. (NKJV)

Jude concludes his letter with exuberant praise for the Lord, who alone could keep the readers from being deceived. Stumbling probably refers to the possibility of being tripped up by the false teachers’ errors. Note that Jude does not use the word falling, but stumbling. Only a person who is already walking or running (frequent biblical images of the Christian life) can stumble (Galatians 5:7; 1 Thessalonians 4:1; Hebrews 12:1; 1 John 2:6). God is able to keep us from stumbling (Psalm 37:23, 24; 121:3; Proverbs 4:11, 12). He guards us in this life, despite all the dangers and pitfalls that deceivers put in our way. Faultless is a Greek word used of sacrificial animals that had no blemish and thus were fit to be offered to God. Only God can save us, cleanse us from our sins, and present us to Himself as faultless, for God is the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). The NKJV Study Bible

False teaching can cause those who are uncertain about what they believe (or those with less discernment) to be misled, even to the point of doubting Jesus’ return (2 Peter 3:4). Rather than decide that they are lost, believers should lovingly convince doubters to return to true faith in Jesus.

Christians should not be passive about rebuking falsehood; firm rebuke is affirmed in Jude 23 and by the overall context of the letter. Jude has also already affirmed the inevitable fate of the false teachers-judgment will surely come because of their lack of repentance, indicating that they are not the subject here. Thus in this verse Jude seems to be referencing those who are uncertain about their beliefs and who are at risk of being misled by false teachings (2 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 2:18). Jude could also have in view those who claim to know Jesus but lack discernment (Hebrew  6:4).

False teachers are on the path to experiencing God’s wrath (Jude 4). Those being misled by false teachings could suffer the same fate.  Christians are thus to take an active role in drawing doubters away from false teachings and toward truth. With  fear may refer to the need for caution when engaging with those who have succumbed to false teachings, lest the doubters mislead the person attempting to help them. It could also be that the fear of God, who will bring judgment, is in view.

Jude evokes the metaphor of a long garment, worn close to the skin, being tainted by its use. Christians are to loathe how sinfulness, brought on by listening to false teachings, has ruined the lives of those who did not resist. Jude concludes with a doxology expressing praise and blessing to God. Faithlife Study Bible

We are, every single one of us, wounded. That is a gift.
We are, every single one of us, broken. And that is a gift.
We are every single one of us, blessedly human, and no one of us is on this journey alone. That too, is a gift.
Yes, I know. It doesn't always feel that way. I look, but don’t see any gift. Because I see brokenness and woundedness as impediments, or disabilities, to be tidied up, overcome, or prayed away.
What I don’t see, is the invitation to befriend my brokenness, and embrace the beauty and wonder.

I will admit that there is comfort donning my cape, morphing into Mr. Tidy OCD, an emotional life fix-it hero. And I know why. It distracts and protects me, because there’s a part of me that is afraid to pause, reluctant to befriend my scattered and wounded self. Afraid to let myself be loved for being this wonderfully messy, imperfect me. Grace, it turns out, is WD40 for the soul.

We don’t see the gift, because we’ve been marinated in a narrative of scarcity (“I am not enough”). It is no surprise that we ascribe beauty to only the uncluttered, and success to only the strong or powerful.

There was a farmer who grew excellent quality wheat and every season he won the award for the best grown in his county. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed the farmer, and learned that each Spring the man shared his seed with his neighbors, so that they too could plant it in their fields.

“How can you afford to share your best wheat seed with your neighbors when they are entering their crops in the competition with yours?” the reporter asked.

“Why that's very simple,” the farmer explained. “The wind picks up pollen from the developing wheat and carries it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior wheat, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of all the wheat, including mine. If I am to grow good wheat, I must help my neighbors grow good wheat.”

Amen. That’ll preach.

Here’s the deal: By planting and then sharing (spilling), we fight, and we resist contaminated “wheat” (shame, fear, small-mindedness, myopia, defensiveness, and callousness), with life-giving “wheat” (empathy, belonging, generosity, inclusion, reconciliation, and kindness).

From these places—sacred wounds—we speak truth, we do not need to pretend, or excuse.

We offer hope, we extend hands and hearts of compassion.

We see our connection with the lives of others around us, especially those broken or grieving or lost.

We see that they need a hand to hold. They need a voice. They need a sanctuary.

Whenever we love we are not alone. So, we wade-in, and stand in places of death and loss, and we find grace there. And if you see a hand that needs to be held today, please reach out. Sabbath Moments

1 John 4:19 No greater love exists!

 1 John 4:10

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 

God so loved the world that He gave up His life for us. No greater love exists. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, all God but yet all man, we are free to love others the way that God loves us. Carla

1 John 4:19

We love Him because He first loved us. (NKJV)

First John as a whole is clearly founded on the doctrine of the Trinity. From evidence throughout Scripture (Matthew 28:19), it is clear that God is both one and three. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit are one God, but they are also distinct Persons of the Godhead. Throughout his first epistle, John illustrates how each Person of the Godhead works with and through the others to accomplish God’s plan of salvation for us. The NKJV Study Bible

God demonstrates “first loved us” by offering salvation through Jesus. Faithlife Study  Bible

2 Thessalonians 2:13

But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,

My friends, no one of us is on this journey alone. And we need one another not only for care and comfort, but to pick up the pieces, and find ways to create spaces in our world, that will not belittle, or diminish, or demean. After all, we are hearts that touch. Which may sound too sentimental in a real and fractured world; a world where hearts touch and hearts hurt, hearts hope and hearts break, hearts heal and hearts splinter… and; from those splintered places hearts that give again, and again. Sabbath Moments

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 Humbly walk with God our weapon against evil is His love.

Isaiah 2:11–12

The lofty looks of man shall be humbled,

The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down,

And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.

For the day of the LORD of hosts

Shall come upon everything proud and lofty,

Upon everything lifted up—And it shall be brought low—

What does God require of us? To be fair, to be forgiving and to walk humbly with Him. Micah 6:8. In a culture that ask us to be arrogant and cruel to follow Christ we must do all things with love just as God commanded us. By loving Him above all and loving our neighbors we fulfill His desires for His creation. God hates pride and arrogance but He lifts up those who call on Him with humility. Carla

2 Corinthians 10:3-6

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.  (NKJV)

strongholds … high thing: Overlooking ancient Corinth was a hill 1,857 feet high. On top of it was a fortress. Paul used that imagery as an illustration of the spiritual warfare he waged. He destroyed strongholds, cast down towers, and took captives. The fortress, towers, and captives represent the arguments, thoughts, and plans that Paul was opposing. Paul cast down all rationalizations. He took captive to the obedience of Christ every perception and intention of the heart that was against God. Our actions reveal our thoughts. We should not cling to thoughts that do not conform to the life and teachings of Christ. Paul did not walk according to the flesh or his worldly desires; instead he conquered the flesh. He explains his strategy in 1 Corinthians 9:24–27: “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection.” The NKJV Study Bible

We do not wage war according to the flesh. Paul uses spiritual weapons—such as the gospel, faith, truth, and prayer—to battle against his opposition  (Ephesians 6:10–17).

Fortresses is the  term intended to refer to people’s standard ways of thinking, especially about Paul and the nature of his apostleship.

To be captive to the obedience of Christ implies believers must submit their thoughts to Christ and bring them into conformity with His will. All disobedience refers to opposition to Paul’s apostolic authority (2 Corinthians 2:9). Study Bible 

2 Corinthians 13:10

Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the authority which the Lord has given me for edification and not for destruction.

Jeremiah 1:10

See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms,

To root out and to pull down,

To destroy and to throw down,

To build and to plant.”

2 Corinthians 6:7

by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 

This is the power of wonder. It is not just a reverie for my bliss. It is a grounding, a mindfulness; the permission to pay attention to this life.

And, the permission to pay attention to the people who are in it, now available to greater depths of compassion and love. In other words, we see the people who make us better, and we see the people who have been wounded, depleted and diminished, who need compassion. An invitation to “pay homage with our presence, and what we fight for from the ground of what we love.” (Thank you Krista Tippett) Sabbath Moments

Philippians 4:19-20 We were made for good works to proclaim the goodness of God.

 2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 

If God adorns the wild flowers of the field and all majestic beauty that is found in nature how much more will He care for us. We have such little faith in His ability to provide for us. Trust Him and enjoy the peace that He gives us. There is no one who loves us more than God. He cares for us. Our faith in Him and not in ourselves blesses us. Just like Abraham and Sarah we are blessed to be a  blessing to others. Carla

Philippians 4:19-20

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. (NKJV)

Paul says that he is full because they gave. In this verse he writes that God will supply all their needs. The Philippians, in turn, will be full because of the gifts God will give them. Out of His abundant wealth, God will more than amply take care of the Philippians. The NKJV Study Bible

Paul’s needs were met through the Philippians’ generous financial gift. In the tradition of mutual exchange common to ancient friendship, Paul trusts God to meet the needs of the church at Philippi. The Philippians don’t need to practice caution in giving. They are free to give, and in doing so they testify to God’s provision. The Greek term used here for glory, doxa, refers to God’s majesty and honor. Faithlife Study Bible

Romans 11:36

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Galatians 1:4–5

who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Psalm 23:1

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Romans 2:4

Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

We are hearts that touch.

Which may sound too sentimental in the real world, where hearts touch, and hearts hurt. In the real world, where hearts hope, and hearts break. Hearts heal, and hearts splinter. But here’s the good news: it is from those splintered places, that hearts give—love and empathy and healing and mercy—again, and again, and again. We are hearts that touch, and it makes our world a better place.

And here’s the deal my friends; when we ask one another, “How’s your heart?” it is an affirmation, and reminder, that self-care matters.

This we know: Care of any kind—compassion, generosity, forgiveness, reconciliation, peacemaking, service, ministry, teaching, giving, healing—begins with and is nourished by self-care. By self-compassion.

Care for our heart begins here: let us be gentle with ourselves. It is a restorative mainlined straight to the heart.

… this life-giving affirmation from Thérèse of Lisieux. “Jesus set before me the book of nature; I understood how all the flowers [God] has created are beautiful, how the splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not take away the perfume of the little violet or the delightful simplicity of the daisy… If all flowers wanted to be roses, nature would lose her springtime beauty, and the fields would no longer be decked out with wildflowers. And so it is in the world of souls.” (Thérèse of Lisieux, “Story of a Soul”)

I’m not sure where the “garden”—nature, walking, reading, music, eucharist, meditation—is for you. But the invitation is life-giving. It’s okay to take care of yourself.

Be gentle with yourself. It is okay to ask for help. To not be perfect. To make mistakes. To not appease everyone. To say, “no”. Sabbath Moments