The Sweetest Frame

Great song... Margaret Becker - Unchanged. Even better scripture... Hebrews 1:10 And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; 11 they will perish, but you remain ; they will all wear out like a garment, 12 like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end .” God, I find such comfort in this truth. You are forever unchanged. Thank you.

It's easy to be hard on the gossiper for their loose tongue. But the gossip would be stopped real quick if no one would listen... Proverbs 26:20 For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. Lord, forgive me when I keep the fire going.

I know Jeremiah wasn't talking about the good ole US of A, but this phrase still strikes of America to me... Jeremiah 50:38b For it is a land of images,and they are mad over idols. The psalmist also has something to say about this... Psalm 97:7 All worshipers of images are put to shame,who make their boast in worthless idols;worship him, all you gods! It's amazing how often this happens with this Bible reading program - something from an entirely different passage just fits with how God is speaking in the first passage.

Something about this verse struck home with me... Jeremiah 48:10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. The context for this verse is the fury of God's wrath being poured out on Moab for their wickedness. The sword of God's vengeance is being delivered, and cursed is the one who refuses to deliver it. This verse reminds me that I serve a holy God. He doesn't just demand a good effort. He demands my heart and soul for His kingdom. Lord, please help me to be disciplined and effective in my work for the Kingdom. But most of all, let my heart be full of passion as I fight in this spiritual war.

I'm really proud to work with the guys on the Illinois Mission Board. We're pretty far spread out. One member of our board is from Chicago, one from over by St. Louis, and the others in between. It's not easy for us to meet face to face, and it's not cheap either. But today the guys on the Board took a shot at using Skype for a conference call. The call clarity wasn't bad for the most part. It's not the same as a face to face meeting, but it has a big upside... 1. We saved a ton of time. For most of us meeting face to face means about 4-5 hours in traveling time. 2. We saved money. A normal meeting often costs over $500 in mileage and expenses. The Skype teleconference was free so we saved the mileage expense and we weren't out any money for the call either. I'm sure that we'll still meet face to face as needed, but this looks like a pretty good solution for meeting and saving some money and some minutes.

Why do we forget that God is watching, both for love and for rebuke? Psalm 94:8 Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise? 9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? 10 He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge— 11 the Lord —knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath. If God made the eye, don't you think he can see you? If God built your eardrum, don't you think he can hear you? There really is nothing hidden from the Lord . Lord, help me to live mindful of the truth that you know everything in my heart.

Fall Color (Click on the image to see a higher resolution picture) I enjoy fall colors. This picture has tons of different colors in it, and yet somehow it all seems to go together.