No Comment!

Psalm 140

 ¹ Rescue me, LORD, from evildoers;
   protect me from the violent,
² who devise evil plans in their hearts
   and stir up war every day.
³ They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s;
   the poison of vipers is on their lips.^[b]

 ⁴ Keep me safe, LORD, from the hands of the wicked;
   protect me from the violent,
   who devise ways to trip my feet.
⁵ The arrogant have hidden a snare for me;
   they have spread out the cords of their net
   and have set traps for me along my path.

 ⁶ I say to the LORD, “You are my God.”
   Hear, LORD, my cry for mercy.
⁷ Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer,
   you shield my head in the day of battle.
⁸ Do not grant the wicked their desires, LORD;
   do not let their plans succeed.

My Mom and Dad taught me, "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all." I can't think of anything good to say, so "No Comment".

Walking with God!

Psalm 48 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ¹² Walk about Zion, go around her,
   count her towers, ¹³ consider well her ramparts,
   view her citadels,
that you may tell of them
   to the next generation.
 ¹⁴ For this God is our God for ever and ever;
   he will be our guide even to the end.


Before I start, remember I ride a Harley. I love riding, sweeping turns, s-curves, and speed! But, I also enjoy a great leisure walk. I really don't take the time to go walking very often. But, when I do it is amazing what I can see. When you are traveling by four wheels or two, you just don't have time to appreciate all that is around you. My problem is, even when I go for a walk, I walk to fast to really enjoy it. I have developed such a fast walk, Stephanie says she feels like my little Amish woman. She is always walks about two or three paces behind me.

I need to slow down. When I do finally take a nice leisure walk, it is so therapeutic. I can take-in the trees, the grass, the animals, and the smell of the air. I can actually see things, not just the blur, as I speed by on my way to some scheduled event. God loves it when we slow down. He loves it when we can spend some slow/leisure time with him. WE need to spend quiet time enjoying his presence. We can't spend all our time just "Asking for stuff", we need to just chat quietly, thoughtfully, or not speak at all. God knows our heart. He knows we need quiet. He knows we need peace. He knows that he is the only real refuge in a crazy, hurry-up world!

Thank You Lord for providing us with peace. Thank you for quiet walks. Thank you for slowing us down so we can look at all you have created and blessed us with. You are great. You are awesome. We Love you! Amen!

Half an hour before all HELL breaks loose!

Revelation 8 (The Message)

 ¹ When the Lamb ripped off the seventh seal, Heaven fell quiet— complete silence for about half an hour. Blowing the Trumpets.

This verse is the precursor to, pardon the expression, all "Hell" breaking loose. I do mean that literally. The rest of Chapter 8 is a compilation of disasters. It is quite ironic that it starts with a half an hour of complete silence. There is time in my life that I BEG for a half hour of peace and quiet.  I pray for time to relax and enjoy complete silence. In our society, these moments of sheer peace and complete quiet are few and far between. They say that silence is golden and I know why. Silence is so precious and rare, it's as valuable as pure gold.

Stephanie and I have plans for a quiet weekend. We plan these little get-aways between athletic seasons and during the summer as a time of peace and quiet. Taking two or three days to reconnect with each other and God is critical. We often joke that these times are like the calm before the storm or the calm before all "hell" breaks loose. I can't wait. We are very fortunate to be able to plan these mini vacations. As  parents of an active family, I know how impossible it was for us to actually get away and enjoy some peace and quiet. My two older daughters have families that are very busy. They remind me of Steph and I. We didn't take time for ourselves when our kids were growing up. I wish we would have.

I encourage all of you to plan some quiet time. Plan some time away from the busyness of your daily lives. Take some time to spend in silence. I don't mean praying. This is time in addition to prayer time. This needs to be a time of complete silence. Let God speak to you in his still small voice if he desires. But, just completely and thoroughly absorb the silence. Feel the peace that is God and fill your heart with joy. I know how difficult this is to do. We must do it! Even if it's only for half an hour. Do it before everyone gets up or do it after everyone has gone to bed. Take a whole Saturday or a Sunday afternoon. You owe it to yourself to get some "Quiet Therapy".  Your physical, mental and spiritual well-being needs this time. Take the time before it's too late.

Dear Lord, We don't take time to enjoy your presence. Our lives are so busy and our priorities are elsewhere. Help us to enjoy some quiet time. Help us to focus our lives on you. Thank You Lord for your love. Amen!