Miss Marcia

Miss Marcia. Role model. Teacher. Musician. Singer of Happy Birthday using the highest notes imaginable. She took over a show originally called "Romper Room" in 1962 and a year later the show was renamed "Funtime". Every kid back then knew that at 9:00 am, Miss Marcia was on the television, channel 9, (one of three channels we could get with our rabbit ears antenna). You could look forward to possibly hearing her call out your name during the famous Happy Birthday segment, but she also introduced generations of kids to music, how to tie your shoes, and how to tell time. Clocks were a mystery to me until I figured out that when the big hand was on the 12, and the little hand was on the 9, that was 9 o’clock: Funtime!

I was actually on her show twice, once when my piano teacher volunteered me to play a song for her, (I think I was eight or nine) playing the same piano she used each week to play Happy Birthday! It was too cool! The second time I was part of a group of young piano players promoting an upcoming Pianorama event at Memorial Auditorium. Both times I remember the hot, very bright lights, but also how small the actual studio was, (and how cold!) and how the big cameras on wheels would easily roll to their next assignment, guided by men who had to be the luckiest people on the planet to be that close to Miss Marcia every single day! 

When God Changed His Name

Okay, correction forthcoming, God didn't really head to the local courthouse and fill out paperwork to change His name, but He did add a name to the list of names used in the Bible to describe Himself. If you would like to discover what prompted Him to add a different name for Himself, today's blog is for you. 

Genesis - Chapter 1 - The creation chapter. The Hebrew word for God in the first chapter of Genesis is "Elohim". This word describes the majestic, universal title for God as Creator and Ruler. But you might also notice that this word is not personal, it's more of a 30,000 foot view of the Creator and his processes. It's like the difference between a speaker describing himself to a group versus his interaction when conversing with a small group of individuals. 

Moving on . . . 

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Genesis | Chapter 1

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day . . .

Billy Joel - The Ballad of Billy the Kid

 

"God Is With Us Always"

 

God's Goodness In 25 Verses

1. "The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” - Psalm‬ ‭145:17-18‬ 

2. "The Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit" ‭‭- Psalm 34:18‬ ‭

3. “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield.” - Psalms‬ ‭91:4‬ ‭

4. "The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him." - Lamentations 3:25 

5. "Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him!" ‭‭- Hebrews 11:6‬ ‭

6. "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." - Isaiah 41:10 

Does God Truly Care?

Would it bring you comfort to know that for thousands of years man has asked the following question, “If the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?” (Judges 6:13)

Gideon asked the question thousands of years ago, and we’ve been asking it ever since. 

Looking at his circumstances, Gideon saw no evidence that God cared. And if we are not careful, we can also fall into that same mindset. In the circumstances facing Gideon, the children of Israel had been warned that their worship of pagan gods would result in judgement, and that was the primary reason God was allowing His people to be disciplined. 

But that is not the only reason that God will allow us to walk through seasons of trials and pain. Jesus, He who was without sin, also suffered many trials and pain beyond our imaginations. And He told His disciples, "If they hate me they will also hate you." So sometimes suffering can be the result of persecution for our faith in God. 

But there is another type of suffering that honestly might be tougher to understand then the examples above, and that is where people, through no fault of their own, are allowed by God to undergo trials and tribulations. And that is where we have to trust in the character and love of God and take refugee in the fact that He is with us, through all circumstances in our lives, and there are mysteries in God's sovereign rulership that escapes our finite capabilities to understand. Yet, even in those situations, God gives us a clue in John 9: “that the works of God might be displayed”.

The Jackson Five

I came upon this clip on YouTube and it reminded me that the first time I heard of this group was their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Looking back its pretty amazing how many legendary artists made their USA TV debut on that show. 

I mean, check this out, here are just a few of the artists that made their debut on the Ed Sullivan Show: Elvis, The Beatles, The Jackson Five, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, The Supremes, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Dusty Springfield, The Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, Buddy Holly, Janis Joplin, The Mamas and the Papas, The Lovin' Spoonful, Herman's Hermits, Dionne Warwick, Barbra Streisand and many more! All of this broadcast on a variety show that aired on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971 from 8:00 to 9:00 pm. 

My Flesh and My Heart May Fail . . .

"Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.

But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped.

For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek.

They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.

Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment . . .

The Tartan Army Takes America (by Peggy Noonan)

This last in a series on July Fourth themes is about a small sweetness that was gratefully received. As we near our 250th birthday, let us never forget the gift of the Scottish national soccer team and its followers, the famous Tartan Army—the pleasure and delight they gave as they marched through America, drank our cities dry, sang their songs and said: We love you. They brought something out in us; they moved us and helped reveal something we’d stopped noticing. They allowed us to see our battered old country whole, and through fresh eyes.

No one knows exactly how many global visitors have come and are coming to the U.S. for the World Cup. Oxford Economics predicted a surge of 1.2 million international tourists for the games, peaking in June. The U.S. Embassy in Luxembourg said as many as 10 million would come to the 11 host cities.

However many there are, we are hearing from the young ones as they fan through the country to venues down South, out West, in Texas and Utah. They are seeing an America they never imagined and have made now-famous videos about how shocked they are—in the most positive sense. They expected a dark and brooding nation; they discovered a sun-filled magnificence. It’s so big, so spacious, has such wondrous shops, the best food and absolutely wonderful people. The videos have flooded TikTok, Instagram and X, and they speak with the wonder of 18th-century explorers who discovered an unknown indigenous people on a brilliant new continent.

His Love Endures Forever

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods.

His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords:

His love endures forever.

To him who alone does great wonders,

His love endures forever.

Who by his understanding made the heavens,

His love endures forever.

Lament

Lament is a crying out to God that something is not right and needs to be righted. In its very action, lament is a step of faith. It is saying, “God, you are present. God, you are real. God, you are the only one that can fix this. God, I know you want to hear me.” Lament is therefore an act of hope in crisis.

Lament is all over the Bible. All our prophets lamented. Many of them had no one else to go to but God Himself. About 40 percent of the Psalms are straight-up lament, and if we count the Psalms that have laments sandwiched within them, we go up to 70 percent. That’s a lot of lament!

Those who have no hope do not go to God. They think God, (if they even believe in Him) does not hear them, or worse, does not care. I am reminded of a Dave Matthews song, Grey Street, where the character in that story prays, even though they fear God, if He is even there, is not listening. The belief that God does not care about you and your struggles, can plunge one deep into darkness and the absence of light grows more pronounced with each passing day. That is the foundation of despair and hopelessness, to believe there is no one to turn to, no one bigger then ourselves that could rescue and comfort us in our trial. The pain of that unbelief can be unbearable!

I cannot imagine living in that type of belief for an extended period of time. But there is good news, available to all who acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Savior and King. There is comfort, grace, kindness, hope, protection, provision, and so much more that Jesus longs to give us as we walk in the growing darkness of this world. 

But why do you think lament is important for Christians to do?

American Historical Sites I've Visited (Part I)

In 1977, one year after the Bicentennial Celebration, our high school band and choir visited the Washington D.C. and Philadelphia area. It was a fascinating trip for a young person to experience and four of the five sites I'm going to reference in this blog series were part of that trip. I'm forever grateful for the sacrifices and foresight of our teachers to allow us to visit this part of the country.  

Okay, the first site I'm going to list is the Liberty Bell Center, home of the Liberty Bell. I recall the line to view the bell was quite long, and as we were visiting in March, the weather was cool but easily tolerable. At that time you could actually touch the bell which I remember doing as I exited the viewing line. However, to my shame, my most vivid memory is my buddy Jon trying to figure out a way to stick his chewing gum inside the bell. I am happy to report he was not successful in this attempt. Anyway, after an attack on the bell in 2001, the bell was moved out of reach of visitors and a no touching ban was instituted going forward.

Obedience | The Hard Facts

Am I the only one that does this?

For the past few weeks, I felt like God was wanting me to explore the book of Jeremiah, in particular, chapters 35 through 45. Jeremiah was one of the Old Testament prophets who by all accounts, did not live a life of comfort. (He also wrote the book of Lamentations, which is a great read on a stormy, lonely, Saturday evening . . . ) He was constantly instructed by God to inform the people of Israel what God thought of their decisions and news flash, it was rarely positive. And here is a even greater shock, the people never listened!

The chapters that I have been reading chronicle the disobedience that at times seem comical. When God tells them to stay where they are, they leave. When He instructs them to leave, they stay. When He reminds them that He alone is their protector and provider, they nod and continue to look for any other resource to protect and provide for themselves and their families. 

I mean, you talk about a nation of clod heads! (And I'm being sarcastic because unfortunately my behavior eerily mirrors the nation of Israel way too many times.)

Here are a few examples of the people of Israel's views of God, as described in these ten chapters:

Psalm 121

 

"I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;

he who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, he who keeps Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;

the Lord is your shade on your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;

he will keep your life.

The Lord will keep

your going out and your coming in

from this time forth and forevermore."

Psalm 121

Grief

Grief.

Five letters that make up a word that can only whisper of the transformative impact of loss. Loss of a friend, loss of a parent, but perhaps one of the most painful losses of all, the loss of a mate, whom God Himself has prepared for you and whose loss is, to quote C.S. Lewis, "The crushing blow, the loss, which is Satan's corruption of that great gift of loving and being loved." 

I believe in the following truth, that God ordains all our steps, and nothing escapes his attention or providence. Which, of course, means that what God brought together, He, as the Creator and Sustainer of all that is in the universe, is the only One that can allow that dissolution. That divide, can come about due to death, or perhaps worst of all, the culmination of a thousand silent (and not so silent) cuts by all involved. 

Bobby Cox's Three Rules

Interview Notes: John Smoltz is a former major-league pitcher who is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. He played for manager Bobby Cox for almost 20 years with the Atlanta Braves. Cox is fourth all-time with 2,497 wins and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. Cox, 84, died on Saturday.

"There’s no player in the history of the game who was impacted more by Bobby Cox than me.

He was the general manager of the Atlanta Braves who traded for me in 1987, and then he became my manager for almost 20 years with the Braves.

In the 1991 season, I was 2-11 and headed nowhere. The cries for sending me down to the minors or moving me to the bullpen were getting louder and louder. Bobby just didn’t pay attention to it. He kept staying with me — he just knew that I would turn it around.

He gave players confidence when they had zero. He just had this quality about him that said to you: I believe in you. You’re going to get this done.

I did and the rest is history.

The Wages Of Sin Is Death

"Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have that silver with me; I took it.”

Then his mother said, “The Lord bless you, my son!”

When he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I solemnly consecrate my silver to the Lord for my son to make an image overlaid with silver. I will give it back to you.”

So after he returned the silver to his mother, she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who used them to make the idol. And it was put in Micah’s house.

Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household gods and installed one of his sons as his priest. In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit." - Judges 17: 1-6

[Beginning with the deceit of a child stealing from his mother, we will see the impact of one man's sin on an entire nation . . . 

The Foundation Of Moral Law

"If there is no God, all is permitted" is a famous philosophical, often-quoted phrase linked to Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel, The Brothers Karamazov. 

Sounds simple doesn't it? For if there is no divine law-giver, than each of us is free to discern our own moral conduct. And if there is one thing I know to be true, the human heart is unparalleled when it comes to the ability to rationalize our own behavior. 

The Russian novelist Dostoevsky in “The Brothers Karamazov” was deeply right when having another character comment on the skeptical Ivan Karamazov's intellectual position: "Crime must be considered not only as admissible but even as the logical and inevitable consequence of an atheist's position." Elsewhere, Dostoevsky has another character say: "Then, if there is no God, man becomes master of the earth and of the universe. That's great. But then, how can a man be virtuous without God? That's the snag, and I always come back to it. For whom will man love then? Whom will he be grateful to? . . . We, for instance, may think that virtue is one thing while the Chinese may believe it's something quite different. Isn't virtue something relative then?" The bloody history of the religiously skeptical yet politically fanatical 20th century shows this snag indeed caught atheists and agnostics: Wasn’t the Europe of the Nazis and Communists even morally darker than that of Medieval Catholicism at its collective worst?

The True Nature Of Man (According To GOD)

"The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually." - Genesis 6:5 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:8-9

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

1 Timothy 4:10 (by Matt Slick)

"Much is made out of 1 Tim. 4:10 by the Universalist to solidify his claim that Jesus will redeem all people whether or not they accept or reject Christ as Savior here on earth. Eventually, they say, all people will repent (either here or in the afterlife) and come to a saving relationship with God. 1 Timothy 4:10 is used as proof of this truth . . .  

Unfortunately, the verse does not prove what the Universalists hope it does. Can God be called the Savior of all men and yet not redeem all? Yes. Let’s take a look.

“For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers,” (NASB).

“(and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe,” (NIV).

“For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those that believe,” (KJV).

All people are, by nature, born under wrath (Eph. 2:3) and should go to hell.  Why? Because God is holy and we are sinners. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 6:28) Yet, we have hope in Christ. The Christian is saved by faith (Eph. 2:8) and will join the Lord in heaven.  But, the unbeliever is under judgment. 

Freedom!

"A soul alive, is one quickened by Christ. True spiritual life depends entirely on daily grace, as the same power that initially gives life is required to sustain it." - C.H. Spurgeon

What are you thinking about and why does it matter? Throughout the Bible, we see verse after verse reminding us of the importance of our thoughts and why we need to allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds. But we also need to be aware of our true condition before we can appreciate the freedom that God desires and equips us to have in Christ!

"The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time." - Genesis 6:5

“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." - Romans 3:11-12

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." - Proverbs 14:12

So if we incapable of doing good in God's eyes, what chance do we have of pleasing God? Fortunately God does not leave us without redemption, Praise God! Read on for the Good News!