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

Romans 12:21 The good in us overcomes the evil that threatens to destroy us.

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

Because of the actions of some Christians that profess faith in God but their actions show otherwise He is defamed. We were created to be doers not just hearers and our actions speak louder than our words. Without God’s love for all of His creation as our base we are just making noise. Carla

Romans 12:21

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (NKJV)

Freed from vengeance, believers can give themselves to mercy, even toward their enemies. By acts of kindness, the believers will heap coals of fire on the head of their enemies, perhaps bringing shame and repentance to them. It is possible for an enemy to become a friend. This is the phenomenal power of God’s love that believers are connected to through Christ. The NKJV Study Bible

Overcoming evil with good describes the consequence of the Christian ethics in verses 14–20. Good will prevail over evil when Christians respond to their enemies with love and blessings instead of revenge and curses.

Paul wants to ensure that Christians act as good citizens and avoid civic conflicts. This does not mean blind obedience, however. The Bible sometimes depicts people acting against public authorities in order to obey God. The Greek word used here, exousia, refers not to an abstract concept, but to the authority exercised by government officials. The Old Testament consistently views God as the ultimate authority over human government (Daniel 4:17). Faithlife Study Bible

Romans 12:1–2

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

“God spoke today in flowers, and I, who was waiting on words, almost missed the conversation.” (Thank you, Ingrid Goff-Maidoff)

“What is sacred is what is worthy of our reverence,” Phil Cousineau wrote. “What evokes awe and wonder in the human heart, and what, when contemplated, transforms us utterly.”
Yes, and I’ve always loved Saint Augustine’s prayer, “Give me a transformed and undefended heart.”
So, why do we assume we will find solace only in a fastidious box. And, acting like four-year-old children five minutes out of the driveway on any family trip, “Are we there yet?”
But let’s pause. And begin here: This is not an assignment or project. Or motivational story to inspire us to perform. Here’s the deal: Pausing leads to seeing.
Seeing leads to celebrating (and to moments of awe, and yes, even to being giddy with delight).
Celebrating leads to honoring.
Honoring leads to cherishing.
It may not be a flower for you, but I wonder, when was the last time you were intoxicated with life? Enraptured, enthralled and captivated. Sabbath Moments

Revelation 21:3-8 Jesus has torn the veil that separated us from our loving, holy God.

God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that through Him the world could be saved! John 3:17

Two things that God detest is pride and arrogance. Our world at this time in HIStory seems to struggle with the evil that is trying to overcome the people of God. Only God, in the person of Jesus Christ, has overcome that which seeks to destroy us. We all fall short of the glory of God but in Him is eternal life. The truth of the only begotten Son who gave up His life for our sins and tore the veil that separated us from our holy  God is the only truth that matters. Carla

Revelation 21:3-8

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”  (NKJV)

In these  verses, God is described as dwelling among His people. This recalls the Incarnation, the fact that Jesus “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), and is a fulfillment of the promise in 7:15 that God will dwell among His redeemed people. A virtually identical promise was given to Israel in Ezekiel 37:27, 28. Wipe away every tear fulfills the promises in 7:17 and Isaiah 25:8. 

No more death … no more pain goes far beyond the earlier promise of 7:16, which promises freedom from hunger, thirst, and scorching heat. Former things have passed away echoes both verse 1 and 2 Corinthians 5:17. The believer’s rebirth through faith in Christ brings newness to that person’s life, but it is only in the eternal state that God will make all things new. The NKJV Study Bible

To take up residence with them describes the great hope in the book of Revelation and the whole Bible (Exodus 25:8; Leviticus 26:11–12; Ezekiel 37:26–27; Zechariah 2:10). Believers can be confident that in the end, they will be united with God. Dedicated to Him, belonging to Him.

God himself will be with them. Emphasizes that He will remain and reside with them.

God will extinguish all sorrow and grief (Revelation 7:17).

Death will not exist any longer. Christ conquered death on the cross; death was eradicated in 20:14. The saints will live eternally with God.

Pain will not exist any longer and describes  physical or bodily (as opposed to spiritual) death and discomfort—things brought about by the fall and the entrance of sin into humanity (Genesis 3).

Former things refers to the old or previous way of life or existence.

The one seated on the throne, God, Himself speaks.

I am making all things new.  John’s vision anticipates the restoration of an Eden-like state that also includes a reversal of the effects of humanity’s sin as described in Genesis 3.

Write, because these words are faithful and true.

It is done. The Greek term used here refers to completion—probably in reference to the words in verse 5 and the overall actions of verses 1–4. God has accomplished His purpose and made all things new. The Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, echoes the introduction of Christ in chapter 1. The one who conquers refers to those who remained faithful to Christ. He will be my son in these passages, the paternal relationship is used describing God as Father and the king as His son (2 Samuel 7:14; Psalm 2:7).

As for the cowards  issues a reminder to John’s audience. The seven churches were pressured to compromise their allegiance to Christ. Here, in the midst of describing the wonders of God’s new creation, John reminds them of the consequences of compromising with the present order. Faithlife Study Bible

Revelation 7:14–17

And I said to him, “Sir, you know.”So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them…

Isaiah 65:19

I will rejoice in Jerusalem,

And joy in My people;

The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her,

Nor the voice of crying.

Isaiah 35:10

And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,

And come to Zion with singing,

With everlasting joy on their heads.

They shall obtain joy and gladness,

And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Revelation 22:15

But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Leviticus 26:11–12

I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you.I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.

In the words of John O’Donohue, “And if you listen, You will hear What your heart would Love to say.”

Amen. So. In what ways can we embrace the permission to be here now? Embrace the gift of enough in this self?
Okay. It’s paradigm shift time again...
I'm remember a conversation with an old friend. And we're talking about things middle-aged (okay, upper middle-age) men talk about; receding hairline, expanding waistline and loss of virility. And he asks me, “Is there anything in your life that you are passionate about?”
I must admit that the question kind of stumps me. Being a good Midwestern boy, passion was not exactly something we talked about. It was akin to boastfulness; which means it made it on that sin scale somewhere between card playing and dancing. But the more I thought about it, the easier the answer came, “Yes, there is something I feel passionate about, gardening.”
Of course my friend is incredulous, “Gardening,” he said, “gardening is so, so self-centered.”
I thought about it, but didn't like the alternatives. And then it hit me. I remembered the first time when I really knew I was a gardener. And I realized that for the first time in my life I was non-self-conscious. Completely non-self-centered. For the first time in my life, I cared about something bigger than my own little petty issues. I cared about the health and well-being of our air and our water, the health of the planet we call home. I cared about the dirt, for healthy roots and healthy food. I cared about the bird and the insects, pollinators and seed deliverers extraordinaire. I cared about the animals who call the forest around my garden home.
I was with something Very Big.
In other words, gardening wasn't something I did; gardening was something that was done unto me—enabling me to yes, “carry something beautiful in my heart”.

And what is the gateway to embrace this gift of enough? Awe.
Not advice or completing an assignment... but breathing in amazement.
Exactly. Being passionate will keep you alive. And more than ever, it seems to me that we live in a world where our whole heart is required. Where we come to feel the depth of life even in the smallest of activities. We trust that we are intended for wholeheartedness, that each day we are meant to be steeped in mystery, and so to remember our true selves. Because from that place, we can truly care. We can be present. And from that place, we can make a difference.

“Awe is what we feel when we encounter something vast, wondrous or beyond our ordinary frame of reference. It evokes a sense of mystery and wonder. And, given its documented benefits, awe might be our most overlooked, undervalued emotion.” Psychologist Dacher Keltner writes. “It makes us curious rather than judgmental. It makes us collaborative. It makes us humble, sharing and altruistic. It quiets the ego so that you’re not thinking about yourself as much.” Sabbath Moments