Guide for a Messy Life

August 25, 2026

I have sought you with all my heart; don’t let me wander from your commands.  I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.  Lord, may you be blessed; teach me your statutes.                            Psalm 119:10-12

Our Sunday morning Bible Study gathering is something of a mixed brew.  We work at doing a deep dive into the Scripture; at the same time there are lighter moments with laughter.  And laughter is not the direct opposite of deep study.  It is more like the release valve at the top of a pressure cooker.  Whenever the contents of the sealed cooker gets too much for the container, the valve opens and lets off some steam.  In a class devoted to knowing God and His Word, that valve is certain to show up!

This past Sunday was not unlike others.  The Bible passage in 1 Corinthians was all about the difficulties that first century church was having with attitudes and behavior; that stuff gets personal.  We shared some personal views about an issue, and how the Bible addresses correct behavior.  That led to how we’re supposed to conform our lives to do what Scripture says (not the other way around, changing what the Bible says to fit our lifestyle and opinions). 

Bible study always invites personal opinions, and our class is no exception.  We sometimes chase a rabbit or two.  This week’s hare was bringing your Bible to church.  It’s a bit of a sticky issue.  Some study Bibles weigh-in like a Sumo wrestler.  If you throw a twenty-pound King James version in your purse and try to carry a toddler and a diaper bag with extra bottles, wipes, and eighteen pounds of toys, common sense dictates something’s gotta go.

Among the diverse opinions shared about carrying your Bible:

1.     1.  The actual bound paper with genuine cowhide is a must!

2.     2.  (my friend lifting his phone) “My Bible is inside here”.  (J)

3.     3.  The words are on the screen when the pastor preaches.

Not much of a list, but our discussion did morph into the importance of using the Bible for its intended use – the changing of life by the transforming power of God’s Holy Spirit acting on the hearts and minds of people who read, understand, and then put into action God’s instruction for our very messy lives.

Our class leader for this week, Sam, mentioned that preachers, called upon for a funeral, will sometimes ask for the deceased’s Bible, to hunt through for clues as to what was important to that person.  I immediately thought of the many times I had done just that, especially when I worked as a grief counselor. 

Chasing that hare, we mused on what the preacher would find in our Bibles.  Would it be bookmarks, notes, tracts, grocery lists?  I shared with the class that the one thing a preacher would find in my Bible, if he asked for it, would be coffee stains.  My life is as messy as anyone’s (including yours), and drips from my early morning coffee find their way to the Gospels and Genesis, as well as the Psalms.

If there is one thing I deeply desire when attending or leading a Bible study it is closing-in on a central thought that I can dwell upon, draw through the grid of God’s Word, and arrive at useful matching points that need attention in my life and behavior.  In short, I want to do what the Psalmist did…get that Word deep in my heart, my desires, my soul, so I have the strength to resist sin. 

For You Today

So, if the preacher asks for your Bible someday, what will he find?  And, more importantly, when God looks in your heart, will he find echoes of a life that was typically messy, but bent on seeking His face and longing for His presence?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title and Other Images: Russell Brownworth photo.  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The Christian Standard Bible^© 

Posted on Facebook Guide for a Messy Life  

 

HOPE

 

August 24, 2026

Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful.  Hebrews 10:23

My son’s feline child is named “Hope”.  She is a living, breathing, stalking dichotomy; she sleeps roughly 60 hours each day and for the other 12 minutes she is bouncing off every wall and door in our house.  The energy she stores up sleeping in the bay window seat comes out in the “zoomies”, mostly late at night when the rest of the semi-normal people are trying to sleep.  Hope’s energy rivals what you would find in an exploding star; she’s a feline super-nova telling the rest of the universe to get out of the way – this is MY moment, I’m unstoppable! A few weeks ago, our Sunday School class lesson was on servanthood.  Paul wrote to the Corinthian church that there is no other foundation (no other hope if you will) for God’s plans and work in the universe, than Jesus Christ[1]  With due respect to our feline resident’s delicate psyche’, she is not the real hope for humanity, even though she strongly believes so.

The word “hope” can be used in many ways.  One of those is to express a longing for something, such as, “I hope the mail comes early today.”  We might use the word to express a fear, such as, “I hope that noise I hear under my car’s hood won’t be expensive”.  (How’s that one working out for you?)  That kind of hope has two possibilities, positive or negative (that early mail might include a check!)  Hoping about that engine noise usually turns out less than positive in my experience.  But the hope in which we place our trust in Jesus Christ is not such an “iffy” thing that can go good or bad; rather it is more the expression of certainty.  When we’re certain of the outcome of what the future holds, we say something like, “you can take that to the bank” …or, “you can bet your life on that”.        There is no uncertainty when it comes to Christ’s love for us, or His forgiveness of our sins, or the power He has to extend eternal life.  He doesn’t just give us hope; He IS our hope.

As a pastor serving Jesus Christ, I have met too many people over the last half-century who have a “hope-so” answer to the question “Are you saved?”.  They have placed the weight of where they will spend eternity on a “hope” that has good and bad possibilities, and they’re longing for the good.  They hope they’ve done it ok, lived this life “right enough” so that God will take them to Heaven.  Frankly, that kind of hope (or faith) merely casts a shadow of doubt over God’s ability to forgive our sin and save us from sin’s penalty…death.  That doesn’t make sense; if Jesus died, was buried, and raised again on the third day so our sins can be forgiven, why the doubt?  Why believe Satan’s accusation that he whispers in your ear.  Something like: “Well, sure, God forgave that little white lie about your wife’s new hairstyle, and that one you said when she asked if that outfit made her look fat, but what is forgivable about the way you cheated that retired widow out of $20-grand for that worthless car you sold her?”

We confess such and then doubt.  And that isn’t even close to placing our trust in He who conquered sin and death.  He alone is our hope, the foundation of all God’s promises of Heaven

For You Today

When it comes to our hope and eternity, we can sit back and watch life go by at warp speed like my son’s cat doing her nightly zoomies, or we can sleep like that cat does through life, ignoring the threat of our human frailty passing into eternity.  Or we can place our faith, our life, past, present, and the eternity of our future in His strength – our only foundation, Jesus Christ, our HOPE.

I have it on irrefutable authority that your doubt is not the end of you, because Jesus died to take even that to the cross.  Do you recall one of Jesus’ disciples we call “doubting Thomas”?  One look at the risen Lord and he fell to his knees, and his faith was placed in the only hope the world, the universe, and your heart needs![2]

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

1] Title and Other Images: Russell Brownworth photo.  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The Christian Standard Bible^© 

Posted on Facebook Hope 

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[1] 1 Corinthians 3:11

[2] John 20:24-29

Acting Foolishly

 

“Foolishly” is an adverb that describes the actions of a fool.  Nobody wants to be called or thought-of as a fool.  However, the libraries of the universe are filled with stories of the foolish ways chosen by mankind.  Essentially the word describes a person’s action when good sense, wisdom, or judgment has been laid aside in favor of one or more of the “seven deadly sins”.

We use kind words these days to avoid being offensive.  We call foolish deeds “unfortunate choices”.  Whatever you choose to call them, the outcome of those foolish decisions is to dishonor God’s trust as King Saul did ^{(1 Samuel 13)}.  The priest/prophet, Samuel, was late arriving at the battlefield to offer a sacrifice on Israel’s behalf.  The army was getting restless; some were even deserting.  So, the king, thinking to protect God’s honor, did what was not his place – he did the priest’s job, and God was not pleased.  The cost was God’s judgment; King Saul would be fired, and David would ascend the throne.

Samuel said to Saul, “You have been foolish. You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. It was at this time that the Lord would have permanently established your reign over Israel, but now your reign will not endure. The Lord has found a man after his own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over his people, because you have not done what the Lord commanded.”  1 Samuel 13:13-14

Who would do such a thing?  Dishonor God by taking charge?  Well, I would, and I have; now don’t you give me that look…you would, and you have also!

For me, it was years ago when I was young and quite inexperienced as a pastor. The church I was serving was somewhat stuck (I thought), languishing in complacency.  They needed (I believed) a stirring, convicting, revival-starting sermon.  So, I cooked one up and served it, steaming-hot.  Near the end of that sermon the heat of my emotions got the better of the preacher, and, to emphasize a point of how our outreach to the community was more important than all the buildings and stuff in them, I did a 1980’s version of a mic-drop…to the floor.  The squelching feedback could be heard by goats and cattle three counties away.  It blistered my own eardrums!  I had made my point, but two deacons in the crowd decided I’d gone too far and walked out of the service.

My (so-called) unfortunate choice (more commonly known as foolishness) was perhaps the worst moment of my entire ministry.  That smallish country church was hardly a kingdom like Saul’s Israel, but my God-dishonoring mistreatment of a piece of God’s property may have illustrated just how much being in-charge was more important to me than being in God’s will.

Until I get to discuss that moment face-to-face with Jesus in Heaven, I will not know the extent of damage I caused that day with my foolish choice.  Perhaps the list of spiritual casualties my sinful moment caused was what led to serving troubled, angry, unstable, on-life-support churches for nearly the rest of my time as a pastor.  Like King Saul, the choice I made also determined the judgment that came my way.  Even at this point, more than forty years later, I sense in my heart during those quiet middle of the night moments, lying awake remembering (as the elderly do) that I crossed a line that day.  I’ve confessed my sin, and am forgiven based upon God’s character and promise, but the nail of sin, withdrawn from the post of my life’s record, still leaves a hole of regret!

For You Today

The postscript to that regret for me (and possibly you) is that God did use King Saul to test David’s commitment and launch him to the throne.  Perhaps the church I left behind also benefitted by God’s use of my “unfortunate choice”!  It will not surprise me if it did; what, after all, is impossible with God?[1]

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Image by Christian Dorn from Pixabay   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The Christian Standard Bible^© 

Posted on Facebook Acting Foolishly

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[1] He replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”  Luke 18:27

To Raise - or NOT to Raise - a Handy Question

 

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Lift up your hands in the holy place and bless the Lord!  Psalm 134:2^(NLT)

“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”  Psalm 46:10

Participating in worship this past Sunday morning was an absolute joy…and I almost missed it!  Saturday night was a touch nightmarish.  Unable to go to sleep, I stayed awake in bed from around 10:30PM to 1:00AM, finally gave up, got up, and did what you do when sleep won’t come…I read the Bible for a while, scrolled through the email and Facebook, and looked at some old family pictures.

While trying to get sleepy again in the quiet night, I heard  a crash coming from down the hall.  It was 2:45 in the morning, darker than Satan’s belly.  I jumped up and investigated every room.  Nothing was moved or missing, and I was now VERY wide awake, so I did the one thing certain to drive me into a coma…I folded that pile of clean laundry.  Sleepy?  Nada…nope…zilch!  I almost sent my daughter a text to let her know I’d most likely be asleep while she was in church, and not to worry.  But I just went back to folding the laundry and finished that vital task at precisely 3:48AM.

At that moment I looked up at the wall over my bed and noticed something odd.  One of the three pictures over the headboard was missing. 

The two outside are LOVE and PEACE; the missing middle one is from the Christmas song Twelve Days of Christmas…the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…a PARTRIDGE in a PEAR TREE.  The PARTRIDGE had flown the coop!  

And there it landed this, 1½ pound picture was right where my head normally rests.  And it then struck me (not the  picture, it was a thought which struck my head) that, had I been asleep, and not been restlessly wandering about the house doing odd chores trying to get sleepy, the point of that picture could have been the last thing to enter my mind.  Well, I immediately repented of any thought of ditching church and thanked the Lord for keeping me out of bed and not speared by a partridge in a pear tree.  I then showered and prepared to head off to Sunday School and worship. 

The near attack of the partridge dropping from my bedroom’s pear tree wall drove me to think deeply of how differently we all are in expressing our worship.

Ads on Facebook TV, and wherever the eyes of the public might wander, are created to convince you (and sometimes maybe their creators) that their brand of whatever they’re trying to sell, is best, real, the genuine, longest-lasting, best-flavored, smoothest-running, most effective, and coolest-looking of anything you’ve ever seen.  (That goes double for political ads).

“Newest” is the most-used word in advertising (and according to research, the most powerful).  But often it is the “same-ol’ same-ol’ repackaged in a new colored wrapper, an updated name, and not the least bit of moral conscience to guide their marketing lies.

There…I’ve said it out loud! 

(and maybe I’ve just uttered a long overdue confession of my own).

In the competitive world of business the bottom line is, well…the bottom line!  It is a “for-profit” world that sells stuff.  And there is a good reason why there are  government watch-dogs to guard the public interest when it comes to truth in advertising; to wit:  When “profit” is the main thing, scruples often go begging!

Now for the confession -

It can be the same way in church when we’re busy “selling” our fidelity to God.      I worship with a large congregation, different (to say the least) from the much smaller congregations I served before I retired three years ago.  In worship times, as the songs begin to crescendo or blend-in common strong, familiar phrases, there will be a pair of hands raised, then two or three more; finally, there are hands raised in every row of standing, swaying, singing bodies with eyes closed and facial expressions of pain, or possibly just engulfed by joy. 

Occasionally, I am one of them.  But those hands only rise to the occasion of joy unspeakable, thankfulness which just cannot be contained.

Please do not  misunderstand – this is my personal confession; I do not judge others as to their motive for lifting hands.  By way of explanation, I am from a generation that  did a pretty fair job of judging the church.  It was we Boomers of the 1960’s who preferred Woodstock for our worship, and John Lennon’s crew for our pastor (Lord help us)!  However, when I had judged enough (and paid the price for my judging ways) I came home to the Lord of the Bride; my hands were as empty as the Prodigal Son – no excuses…just ready for grace and forgiveness.

One thing remained when I came home to Him – my “congregational coldness”!  That upbringing was deeply indoctrinated, and it never included hands lifted, let alone swaying to the music, or (Heaven forbid) clapping to show appreciation for the singer or the sermon.  We stayed quiet (very much a favorite for introverts like me), and we paid attention, even taking notes on the sermon to help us remember which part of our sin-ridden lives we needed to repent that week.

So, the bottom line for these thoughts – I accuse no one  of being less than genuine if they lift hands in praise (the Psalmist said it’s OKJ)!  I am not bothered if someone sways gracefully to the music as their authentic response to the movement of God in the Sanctuary – an outpouring of praise and dedication to Almighty God and His Son, Jesus.  I would add, however, that doesn’t mean the rest of us, who remain quieter, are somehow rigidly opposing the more gregarious movers and shakers; we are simply contemplating; we are respecting God with our standing-still in the presence of what He is doing in our midst.

The Psalmist said that was good too! J

For You Today

 One final reflection:

We know that in everything God created, and in everything He said about what  He made and ordained as good, that there is beautiful diversity.

• ·        No sky is the same in any moment of the day, nor are rivers unchanging.
• ·        Every species and variation of animals, reptiles, birds, fish, and certainly human beings are fearfully and wonderfully made[1] to be diverse, as unique as their fingerprints.
• So, as the Lord’s brother, James wrote:  Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works.[2]  Let me borrow his style and apply it to what I know about this handy question:

If your raised hands show the Lord your faithful heart, please know that, as I stand next to you with these hands dropped quietly at my side, inside this heart of mine both hands are raised to the Heavens.

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors  and Heart Image by DesignByDessie

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors  and Heart Image by DesignByDessie

[1] Title Image by  Gerd Altmann from Pixabay  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

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[1] I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous,

        and I know this very well.  Psalm 139:14

[2] James 2:18

The Faith of an...OUTSIDER

 

Friday, August 21, 2026

When Jesus left there, he withdrew to the area of Tyre and Sidon.  Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came and kept crying out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely tormented by a demon.” Jesus did not say a word to her. His disciples approached him and urged him, “Send her away because she’s crying out after us.”  He replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  But she came, knelt before him, and said, “Lord, help me!” He answered, “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”  “Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”  Then Jesus replied to her, “Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.” And from that moment her daughter was healed.  Matthew 15:21-28^(CSB)

I know what it’s like to be an outsider, looking in.  As a young man I dated a beautiful girl in my high school class.  Her family was of Italian descent, and it was large.  Her mother was the oldest of 13 children!  THIRTEEN!  My family was miniscule by comparison.  Even I the 1960’s ethnic lines were important.  I later compounded my crossing of those lines by marrying that beautiful girl…in a Methodist church!  I eventually confirmed every doubt and fear held by her family that an outsider had stolen an Italian princess by moving our little “mixed” family a thousand miles away to the strange land of rural Florida, and joining a Baptist Church…light years removed from the religious tradition of my bride’s heritage, which was connected to the Vatican in Rome.

I can identify closely with the Gentile woman who approached the Jewish rabbi, Jesus; it was more than awkward; in Jewish culture it was an affront to every accepted and deeply held rule of propriety.  Likewise, in 1965, New York Italian girls did not bring non-Italian boys home to meet the family!  If they did, there was that risk of being branded with a Scarlet Letter.  (There was also some not so tongue-in-cheek tales told of non-Italian boys disappearing…something about trunks of big black cars and cement shoes).

Needless to say, I always felt like something of an oddity on display at Elizabeth’s family gatherings; kind of Ripley’s Believe-it-or-Not non-Roman freak show.  Elizabeth’s cousins were like Jesus’ disciples encouraging Him to send the Gentile woman away; she just didn’t belong!

What is an Outsider to do?

Well, like the woman Matthew (the tax-collecting Jew/outsider extreme) wrote about this Gentile woman…keep the faith and press-on!

For You Today

So, are you living the “outsider life”?  Maybe this postscript of my experience with outsider-ship will help.  My move wasn’t just a thousand miles away, it brought me to a calling, into the pulpit.  Twenty years later, as Elizabeth’s mother, Sofie, lay dying, it was the outsider she called to her bedside.  She wanted me to read Scripture to her and pray for her…and share comforting words of faith and hope. 

Sometimes, when faith in Christ is held dearer than the next breath, an outsider will find himself at the table with much more than crumbs!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors  and Heart Image by DesignByDessie

[1] Title Image by Daniel R from PixabayUnless noted, Scripture quoted from Christian Standard Bible^©