At the end of a very full day, it is a blessing to sit with You, Father. Thank You for Your presence in our worship services and in our travels to see family. Bless those who heard Your word proclaimed. Bless my family as well. I know that I am blessed because of them all!

Matthew 15:10-11 (<<click the green)

I have a very conservative heritage. I am not ashamed of one stitch of it but many, especially those outside that particular mindset, would be astonished at some of the many things that were considered taboo when I was younger.

One thing that comes to mind was that we did not go to movies. As a freshman in high school, I was in the band. Prior to school beginning, we had band camp and unbeknownst to me one of the big activities for the band was the “treat” of going to see a brand new movie out in theaters at the time. (For those curious minds that want to know, it was the original Star Wars!) Well, I had never been in a theater and told the band director that I wasn’t allowed to go – it was against my religion. He tried, unsuccessfully, to reach my parents and being the only student with an issue, I had no choice but to go with everyone else.

I thought for sure that lightning would strike me the moment I crossed the threshold of the theater but, of course, that didn’t happen. I really enjoyed the movie but to say the least, it was a harrowing experience for an impressionable 14-year-old.

At that point in my life, it wasn’t necessarily that things that were outside of me that were defiling me, as You put it, Lord. Jedi, stormtroopers, and Wookiees did not lead me down the path of eternal destruction but the things that played out in my mind and heart were the much bigger culprits.

Lord Jesus, we must be very careful. Many things in and of themselves are not evil but they can lead to an impaired relationship with You. Inevitably, if we let them, things coming into our hearts and minds from the outside can coagulate into a lethal combination that can ooze out from the inside. May I be wary of the things that I let in – may I remain true to You on all sides. Amen.

May 20th, 2018, Thurs, 10:07 pm