Something to Steer You in the Right Direction
Father, it’s been a beautifully hot day. It feels like summer is finally here! Thank You for the diversity of Your creation and all it has to offer. May we make the most of Your generous gift!
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Hey, it’s me live again! I appreciate your bearing with me as I’m taking the time to address another chapter in my life. Of course, what I’ve been posting is me; it’s just me from nine years ago.
We must be wary of settling into a status quo state of mind. Status quo is Latin for “existing state.” We understand that phrase to mean the current state of things: how things are now. It’s one thing for life in general to get that way, but it can become problematic if we allow ourselves to go down that path spiritually. Becoming dissatisfied with the status quo nine years ago is what got me going down the path of journaling and eventually blogging, but recently, I began to feel that dissatisfaction once more with how things were going – that existing state – and felt the need for a “spring cleaning” of my spirit, if you will.
There were things occupying my time and brain power that weren’t necessarily bad, but they were distracting and, most problematic, time-consuming. I was faithfully writing my blog and preparing each week for our worship services, but even that wasn’t enough to keep my head and heart steered in the right direction.
I started taking just a few moments each morning for some quiet time—just me and the Lord in the dark, quiet hours before getting ready to head off to work. I’ve developed an interest in podcasts, so I did a little digging and found one by BibleProject.
I’ve mentioned BibleProject before in MoreThanUseless, and they are amazing! For the entirety of this year, they have devoted their podcasts to studying Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, as found in Matthew’s Gospel. I began listening to it on the digital media service Spotify but soon discovered that BibleProject has a top-notch app! And so began my journey on this next “chapter” of my life.
I tell you this because, if you are so inclined, I believe you would find it truly rewarding to get into it yourself. BibleProject has all kinds of study materials readily available. You can access some things through your computer, but the app on your phone or tablet makes everything readily accessible! It’s available in Google Play or Apple’s App Store.
Here’s some direction if you would like to begin with their Sermon on the Mount series: Once you open the app, go to the bottom of your screen and click the “explore” link. At the top of your screen, you will find a Sermon on the Mount header. Touch the header, and then I recommend you listen to the first podcast, so touch that link and scroll to the bottom (they already have 25 episodes available to listen to!). You can go through those one right after the other at your own pace, if you wish, or as I have done, you can go back and forth with the playlists they have available – these include Scripture readings, videos, podcast clips, and other articles. One other note: the podcasts sometimes have links to other resources you can read or listen to.
Click here for a link to their website.
Click here for a short introductory video to the app…
…oh, and by the way, it’s all free! (though you can support them if you wish!)
June 17th, 2024, Mon, 4:03 pm
Going After God’s Heart
What a beautiful day to watch the beautiful birds of Your creation, Father, flocking to the feeders outside my office window! May my eyes never tire of their beauty!
Colossians 3:1-4 (<<click here to read the passage)
“…set your sights on the realities of heaven…” v.1b
“Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10
“Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” v.2
Lord, I have much in this world for which to be grateful – but in reality, all of it is temporal. In the blink of an eye, it could all be gone…or I could be gone. There is nothing here that is forever. Only what You are involved with is eternal. When I step free from the clutches of this world, nothing that I cling to here will be anything – it will all be as nothing. The only things that will remain are my relationships – my relationship with You (may it grow every day) and my relationship with others that are based on You! But even those relationships will be different – deeper, fuller, richer!
Help me to be a “man after your own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22) and in that frame of mind to be forever seeking to establish your kingdom here on earth. May I always strive to bring others into a closer relationship with You, Lord, so that they and I will be investing in what is truly worthy of our time and energies.
(June 16th, 2015, Tue, 6:06 am)
May 29th, 2024, Thurs, 10:54 am
UV Vision
Father, this seed was planted in my mind several days ago, and I have just taken the time to write it down. Please bless our time together. Amen.
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Recently, a picture popped up on my phone, and I cannot remember where I saw it. I’ve searched, and what I found is less complete than expected. What I remember was that under certain lighting, a crow is not black in color. I thought it was just not a spectrum that the naked human eye could pick up on. But as I have searched, I don’t believe that is the case.
In fact, the picture – at least the one I found and posted here – is not a crow at all but an English Starling. Of course, they are predominantly black, with lacey, beigy-gray highlights. Under ultraviolet (UV) light, they are very colorful. And, if it is true, birds see each other in the ultraviolet spectrum.
Okay, so that got me thinking about how we see each other. It’s easy to call things as we see them, isn’t it? I was part of a conversation recently where a story shared involved suicide. (I wish my brain worked faster than it does. For the life of me, I couldn’t come up with anything to interject until much later.) As you might well imagine, the tragedy of it all was discussed, and I heard the word selfish at least once. All the comments thrown at the victim were negative. It made me uncomfortable, but I remained silent, not knowing what to say.
Honestly, the victim’s actions will impact their family for generations to come. My take on suicide is that often, the victims are not thinking straight. They are so overwhelmed by so many things that they feel they have no other option but to end it all. It will stop their pain, and they probably think that it will bring relief to their loved ones in that they won’t have to deal with them any longer.
So, let’s take a turn here. How do we see people? It’s the norm for us to see them through the lens of our own life experiences. It’s the norm to literally see them as everyone else sees them. We perceive them as hopeless…beyond mental healing…thinking only of themselves. We do it all the time. It is how we process the input we receive in our interactions with others.
Now, what would we see if we saw people as God sees them? We might call it Heavenly UV vision! We’re all seen by others in certain ways. One of my fellow drivers calls me Saint Thomas whenever he sees me. I am so undeserving of what the title implies. Believe me, God knows me. He sees me for who I really am. But the thing is, God still loves me…and He uses me to pass that love along to others!
It’s a challenge, but what if, instead of jumping to conclusions and assuming the “obvious,” we use our God-given Heavenly UV vision and strive to see beyond the outer layers of people and, with God’s help, see at least a part of who they really are. In the past, I’ve used the phrase “see between the lines.” Let’s do that.
Lord Jesus, with your eyes help us to see others as You see them. Please help us to let love prevail in our thoughts, our words, and our actions. Amen.
Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. 1 John 4:11-12 NLT
May 8th, 2024, Wed, 6:47 pm
Pursuing New Crops
My dear Heavenly Father, I cannot begin to express my gratitude for what You mean to me. I humbly implore You to use me. You knew me before the world was created…and You loved me. Help me to love You back. Amen.
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Yesterday, on my bus route, I noticed a tractor plowing a field that I don’t recall ever being plowed before. My route has taken me past this lot multiple times each day over the past five and a half years, and I think I would have noticed. Even beyond that, we’ve lived in this area for over thirty years, and to my knowledge, it’s just been an overgrown, weedy field.
But not today… That field and the one on the other side of the old farmhouse that sits there have been turned over by a plow. The riches of the earth have come to light. I have no idea what the plan is, no inkling as to what will be planted, and no clue as to what, if anything, will be harvested when that time comes…but the process has begun.
It’s hard to believe, but almost nine years ago, I began a journey. At that point in my life, I felt that I wasn’t really being used by the Lord to accomplish all that I could be accomplishing. I was an overgrown and weedy field. And it was not His fault whatsoever…I, and I alone, was holding back what He so desperately wanted to use me for. I finally had enough and allowed the Holy Spirit to come and do mighty work in me. He plowed under the old, bringing to light all the possibilities of new life!
Once again, I think it’s time for new wine in new wineskins (Luke 5:37-39). What once was a joy has become a burden. I love the outcome and wholeheartedly believe the Lord continues to provide, but I believe I am being called to pursue new “crops.”
Another aspect of farming is that farmers rotate their crops. The field across from our home goes back and forth from soybeans to corn. Different crops require different nutrients, and rotating crops enables the soil to replenish itself in preparation for the new crop that lies ahead.
I’ve been planting the same crop for nine years now. It is time for something new.
The Lord is still my Master. His Word is still the seed that needs to be broadcast, but He is calling me to new things—new ideas and new approaches to spreading the “old, old story of Jesus and His love.”
For the time being, the MoreThanUseless blog will still be accessible, but there will be far less new content. I will continue to post Monday through Friday using older but still viable and impactful content.
I would appreciate your prayers as I, under the Lord’s guidance and direction, navigate what He would have me do. Know that the churches are at the heart of this transition, and my hope and prayer is that we will truly make a Kingdom impact!
Apr 23rd, 2024, Tues, 12:21 pm
Elimination Is Needed!
It has been a long but productive day. Thank You, Father, for giving me the strength to accomplish these things!
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On February 2nd of every year, Americans are drawn to a rotund furry figure’s “weather prediction” called Punxsutawney Phil. He’s a groundhog, and even with an accuracy rate of a mere 39% over the past 138 years, at least on that day, he is the center of attention for many.
That’s fine and dandy, and there’s nothing wrong with a bit of fun to brighten up the dull days of winter, but in my humble opinion, groundhogs are a pain in the you-know-what!
We have a resident pair in our backyard. I’ve seen their handiwork around our yard barn but have not seen them this year. They’ve dug a burrow under the yard barn with entryways in the front and the back. They’re destructive with their digging and eating plants in the area.
I’d really like to eliminate them, but I have no means of killing them and would not be keen on that particular approach.
I have suspended an old CD in front of each of their entryways. Their vision isn’t very good, so the flashing spinning discs dissuade them from entering. Due to their sensitive noses, I’ve read that ammonia or vinegar are good deterrents, too.
So, here I am, desiring their departure but unwilling to take the drastic measures that would ensure that end.
Far too often, that’s how we view sin. We do what we can to keep it at arm’s length, but we struggle with eliminating it from our lives.
Here are a few things we should be doing to eradicate sin in our lives.
1) Avoid things that take up time that could be used in building your relationship with the Lord.
Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 1 Peter 2:11 NLT
2) Starve the parts of you that yearn to yield to the lusts of the flesh.
If you struggle with gluttony, don’t do the bulk of your grocery shopping on an empty stomach – and don’t go alone.
If sexually oriented things tempt you, don’t put yourself in situations where it’s before your eyes or in your ears. Avoid those TV shows, movies, social media posts, books, or periodicals that add to your temptation.
3) Focus on your only hope of deliverance.
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:2-3 NIV
Keep in mind that you become like what you worship.
4) Reflect on God’s Word.
Your word I have treasured and stored in my heart,
That I may not sin against You. Psalm 119:11 AMP
Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. Joshua 1:8 NLT
5) Don’t stop praying!
Keep your servant from deliberate sins!
….Don’t let them control me.
Then I will be free of guilt
….and innocent of great sin. Psalm 19:13 NLT
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16 NIV
Be strong and courageous, and allow the Lord to eradicate that which so easily entangles you!
Apr 16th, 2024, Tues, 12:49 pm