Category Archives: Journal Entry

Spiritfire 24:28-29 “The Proverbial Doughnut, I mean Do Not”

“Do not testify against your neighbor without cause,

or use your lips to deceive.
Do not say, “I’ll do to him as he has done to me;
     I’ll pay that man back for what he has done.”

Here we have a pair of ‘doughnuts’, I mean ‘Do Nots’.  The proverbial ‘Do Nots’ always stand as warning signs along the pathway to Wisdom’s house.  Only those who wish to avoid the traps and be left for the “Do not” maker’s cart, heed them.  The “Do Not” maker looks familiarly like a doomsday Swedish chef from the Muppets.  If you happen to witness him as he goes about his work you will see that he pushes what looks like a large lopsided bakery cart.  His business is to retrieve the trapped foolish pilgrims that have fallen into the cages the signs warned to avoid.  He would then load them onto his cart.  He only has one stop after he picks up all his passengers, Folly’s house.  If you listen closely as he passes by you will first hear the odd song his cart plays as its wheels turn.  Then you will hear him boisterously sing to the music, repeating the sayings of past “Do not” warning signs.  “Do not lie in wait…”

As we read this pair, I offered that we should look at them separately to be used for two Spiritfires.  To me, they seemed to be speaking to separate audiences regarding two separate warnings along the path to Wisdom’s house.  My daughter disagreed.  Over the years, I have learned to listen to her as her thoughts are often sharper than my own.  “She has an ‘old soul,’” people would say who knew her.  They don’t know the half of it.  So, I stopped and looked at the proverbs again and saw how both could be applied to the same person as a complete thought.  In an offense/defense sort of play, or to keep with the doughnut metaphor, half of it has chocolate frosting, the other vanilla:  The first warning is what may have been done to you, the second what you may want to do in return.  This was demonstrated the most obviously in the answer to my favorite question, “How did Jesus fulfill this proverb to make us into new creations?”

At the end of Jesus’ days among us which culminated in His crucifixion, death and resurrection, there were those who testified against Him and made false accusations about Him.  They didn’t fulfill this proverb as much as fell into it by disobedience, Mark 14:55-59.  The music of the “Do Not” maker’s cart could be heard as Jesus’ accusers were stuck fast in the cage of the first proverb’s warning.  The “Do Not” maker then loaded them onto his cart bound for folly’s house.  As previously stated, their lies lead to Jesus’ crucifixion at which point the 2nd proverb found its fulfillment by obedience, Luke 23:34.  By offering His attackers forgiveness instead of retribution, we see the great love accomplished there for the salvation of those who repent and believe in Him, John 3:16.  The “Do Not” maker’s surprise was genuine as he looked over at the empty cage of the 2nd proverb.  At that moment, Jesus not only escaped the clutches of Folly’s house, where the dead lie, but He offered a new ride to a new House, one not made by human hands, 2 Corinthians 5:1.  

In another light, we find how these two Proverbs’ receive fulfilled reflections in the character of Jesus.  “Tell your neighbor, whom I love, use your lips for Truth,” John 4:39.  Or again, “I’ll do for him what he can’t do for himself; I’ll forgive him all his debts.”  In this way, we see how “An eye for an eye” – Leviticus 24:19-21, becomes the healing of both eyes and man, John 9:1-12.  Each of the “Do nots” become “Do’s” and are a foretaste of God’s Kingdom instead of traps headed for Folly’s House, that precursor of Hell.  We see the invitation given by the sharing of the Truth.  It opens them up to repentance and the redemption offered by Jesus’ blood on their behalf.  The “Do not” maker is given a new task.  Now he posts lights upon the way to God’s Kingdom as He sings of His amazing grace.

Spiritfire Proverbs 24:27 “The Master Plan”

Finish your outdoor work
     and get your fields ready;
     after that, build your house.
 
For a long time, the fulfillment of the wisdom of God was a concept I had not fully realized.  I believed Jesus was that fulfillment, but to see how He did so in such a practical manner when applied to the book of Proverbs is breathtaking.  The Gospel of Jesus has become even more vividly clear when seen through that book’s fulfillment.  I had only vaguely heard about such an OT appropriation from a seminarian professor who sarcastically told me about Origen’s comparison between the arks’ wooden floor boards and Jesus’ saving power.  I feel I must make something clear, I didn’t read ahead and prepare what we would talk about before our time together.  We would pray and invite the Holy Spirit to fill us and our home and open our eyes as we read.  It was a simple prayer, but has become filled with excitement as the Holy Spirit would show up and answer us every time.
 
Again, I didn’t research or prep myself in any way.  We would simply read the proverb, then I’d ask my kids what it meant.  We’d talk about it and Betsy and I would answer any questions, or look up stuff in case we couldn’t.  For this one, we looked at it from the perspective of farmers, which we are not.  The proverb showed that they have an order to their work, and we spoke about the wisdom of it.  If we finished our outdoor work, and got the fields ready, then built our house, the fields would grow as we would build.  Then harvest time and a finished house would converge!  If we did it the other way and built our house first before we got the fields ready we’d miss the window by not planting the crops in time.  It’s probably much more practical than this and is about money.  Sell the harvest then build because now you can afford it.
 
Then, I asked the question, “How did Jesus fulfill this proverb to make us into new creations?”  That is when this proverb got interesting.  My kids each took their turn seeing this as Jesus’ master plan.  “Finish your outdoor work” could be applied to His ministry among the disciples.  “Get your fields ready” could be applied in a similar way as Jesus’ statement in John 4:35, “Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!  They are ripe for harvest.”, or as He said in Luke 10:2, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.”  His work of guiding His followers to a better way through his teachings by parables helped to clear the fields so they could receive His message. Miracles, signs, and wonders also helped to plant the seeds of His Kingdom.  “Build your house” could be seen as in John 14:2, “In my Father’s house are many rooms.  If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?”  And as said in 2 Corinthians 5:1, “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.”  Hebrews 13:14 also states, “For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.”
 
As it is written in 1 Corinthians 1:24, “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God,” we see Jesus as the Master Gardener using this plan as recorded here as His plan for His ministry among us.  Growing us as His new crop, 2 Corinthians 5:17, clothing us in His righteousness, Galatians 3:27, and preparing for us a home in Heaven, Hebrews 11:16.

Spiritfire Proverbs 24:26 “The Honest Answer”

An honest answer
is like a kiss on the lips.
 
When we looked into the window of this proverb to gaze upon the seed of wisdom it contained, we were met with a vision; a journey already begun, and we found ourselves looking deeper in to discover its mysteries. I looked to my kids and asked, “What do we need to have before we have an answer?” They thought it over for a second, then Caleb announced, “A question!” “Yes! Now we’re getting into the thick of it. And what is the question?” As I asked this my daughter made the curious whine of the Skeksis Chamberlain from the Dark Crystal. We spoke of the courtroom scene many of the proverbs find their meaning and application within. We discussed again briefly the previous verses 24:23-25 and my son Jack summarized by asking, “Are you guilty?”
 
We created a scenario of a father who stole bread for his starving family. Yes, he was guilty, but the answer he gave to the judge was an honest one and had a really good reason. Now it was the baker, honest or corrupt, who needed recompense. In that scenario, and in this proverb, we realized it wasn’t a ‘guilty’ or ‘innocent’ verdict that was desired but an honest one.
 
Then I asked, “Where is Jesus? How did he fulfill this proverb to make us into new creations?” We were eventually lead back to the question, “Are you guilty?” Romans 3:23 states clearly that no one is perfect, all are guilty. Jesus, then, is our honest answer. As in the preceding and following verses, Romans 3:21-26, Jesus is our righteousness through our faith in Him. We are justified not by our actions but by His, Romans 5:1. For it was by God’s wisdom that the earth was made, Jeremiah 10:12, and it was fulfilled in Jesus, 1 Corinthians 1:24. Now, because of Jesus and what was accomplished through Him on the cross, we are made into new creations, 2 Corinthians 5:17. May His name be praised!

Thrones Tower Path 

When you don’t agree with those who make the ‘rules’ here, prepare to be on your own. I kept saying to myself everyday for years, “But, that’s not You, my Lord.”  Now either I’m wrong and I am following someone/thing truly maniacally evil, or…

We will see.


Thrones, we make them on many things. It is up to those that follow who make the ones atop them reign. Jesus’ throne was in Heaven, not here. He denied what we spend our entire lives rebuilding, and we killed Him for it. 

When the Temple became the Tower.


The path is void of glory. Every step denies our own natural vanity. It is a process of rebirth and smells like death to everyone else, even to ourselves. Yet, there is a voice that calls us onward. Every day, we make a choice to follow or not on this arid path. Its destination is not here, sometimes I wish it was, but am ever glad it’s not.

Survival | Defiance

When people get pushed around by the times, they either shut down and withdraw into themselves: survival mode or they fight back: defiant mode.

Let us be defiant with joy. Let us love bravely. Let us rise above this time with a smile on our faces. Let ‘them’ call us crazy. Let ‘them’ be mystified by us. Let ‘them’ be threatened by despair.

‘They’ don’t have Him. ‘They’ don’t know Him. ‘They’ think joy only works when you get a check.

Those in a survival mode won’t understand those who defiantly dance on top of the waves. They will look at us with confusion while we offer them a hand.

Half-A-Year With God

Half-A-Year With God
 

At the outset, I only knew life was getting too complicated for me.  God pulled me close and reminded me to look at Him.  So, to do that I more or less copied the format of Psalm 119.  Over 182 days, or half of a year, I took the letters of the English alphabet and listed 7 words of each that can be used to describe God.  I did this one word per day often asking God which one I should use.  I think I failed maybe once or twice to keep that schedule.  I then would think on Him and write whatever came to mind.  I eventually had to limit each word’s description to around 7 lines according to my notes, but I didn’t need to start doing that until around ‘E’.

At first, I was excited as A-G were fun.  I liked thinking about Him, and before I knew it, a lot of time had passed- 49 days to be exact.  Then what I was doing started to sink in.  I knew I liked thinking about Him, but I began to wonder, ‘Did I like it that much?’  I felt the first pangs of frustration around ‘M’, as I began to want to do my own thing.  I still liked doing it and knew/appreciated the value, but it was starting to get in the way.

Then by ’S’ I had turned over another leaf and began asking myself “Who am I?”  I didn’t deserve to do this.  “I am not worthy”.  Then things started moving faster.  Voices and accusations from others could be heard:  “He sure likes to listen to himself.”  “He’s full of himself.” etc. and the question of, “Why is he even doing this?” echoed around in my head. They made their appearance in the last word of the last letter in the form of a mirror.  As it crumbled with vanity, I reflected on this journey.
 
This assignment was given to help me keep my eyes on Him, and though life didn’t get any less complicated, it accomplished the task even more than Bible reading.  Which reminds me, the verses I put at the end of every entry were at times silly and sarcastic, at others quite pertinent to the word.  I often found them with a Google search:  “‘Word-of-the-day’, god, verse”.  I would read it to see if I liked it, then done.  Lack of sleep and sickness also took its toll on me as week ‘Z’ was just bad, which I’m sure was reflected in my writing style.
 
All things considered, I’d do it again.  It is better than any personality profile test.  The words I chose revealed what I most think about in regards to God.  Most of the time I had 20+ words to choose the 7 from.  At others like ‘Z’, I had around 10.  I know I learned a few new ones as well like ‘xyresic’, which helped to increase my vocabulary.  During any letter with which I had difficulty finding my 7, I again used a Google search:  “‘letter’, words”.  Theologically, I haven’t combed through this to see where I fall on the heretic/orthodox line.  I imagine I’m all over, like my alphabetizing ability.  I do remember ‘God’s favor’ being a consistent theme, which makes sense as it is something I pray for every day.
 
One last thought, as my kids grow, I know I won’t be here forever.  This will probably be one of the greatest things I can pass down to them- more or less a, ‘What I think about God’.  If they would pass it to their kids, adding their own “Half-A-Year With God”, their kids would see their lineage and heritage of thought/prayer/relationship with God that may encourage their own.  If you choose to do this, feel free to make up your own rules.  I also posted this with links to whatever I wanted, again found by a Google search.  
 
In an age when we take pictures of what we eat, may this be something of longer lasting and edifying substance.

Prayer of 2019- A Tapestry of Faith

One thing that we started this year was a specific prayer filled with huge ‘God-sized’ requests.  We voiced it amidst our daily prayers for His activity and favor in our lives and announce, “Now this is my prayer request of 2019 that I don’t see any evidence of it happening on its own…”  Then comes the fanfare!  We start out with instruments and their coinciding hand gestures:  trumpets- bapada-bap-bap-bap-bap-bap-bap-baaaap!!  Trombones- beeeuuuheeep!!!  Flutes- whistle something!!!  Then comes the tympani- bing-bong-bing-bong-bidlidlidlidlidlidlidlid!!!  And finish with a cymbal crash- pishhhhhhhh!!!  (I’m pretty sure God likes the fanfare).  Then we lay specific prayers before Him that we want to see happen in that year.  I’ve done this before with friends and neighbors and some answers and events have already happened, some have yet to come- 7 days left!

There are so many things we can’t see.  That’s why it’s a prayer!  We trust in the One who sees all and knows the perfect timing.  What will we do if He doesn’t answer our Prayer Requests of 2019?  Trust Him, celebrate ones we have seen Him answer, and enlargen our eyes to pray for more of Him in our lives.  How else do visions expand, passions purified, and lives engaged with His holy presence?  In the tapestry of faith that our prayers create, I love inviting God to write stories that my kids can look to for their own edification throughout their lives.

I hope this encourages others to seek more from Him and have fun with their prayers.  God bless!  Merry Christmas!!!

 

Spiritfire Proverbs 21:9 “Avoidance or Breakthrough”

“Better to live on a corner of the roof
     than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.”
 
When I read this proverb to my kids, my wife and I tried to explain to them about the need to choose their spouse wisely.  That led to an interesting conversation 10+ years in the making.  What is it like to be married to a quarrelsome spouse?  This proverb says it all.
 
Now, when I asked “Where’s Jesus?” for this one, my wife (who is awesome!) was the first to speak:
 
“In Proverbs, it talks about a wife that is so quarrelsome in their home that her husband is better off living away from her on the roof.  But with Jesus, it’s just the opposite.  People wanted to be with him so desperately that they tore the roof open to lower their crippled friend into the home that Jesus was in (Luke 5:19).  Instead of a wife that the husband wants to avoid, Jesus is the husband that the church bride wants to be with.”
 
The Spirit spoke through her to me again about Wisdom’s theme of ‘avoidance’ that we saw in 20:19.  Again we saw how Jesus fulfilled wisdom’s call and flipped it to be an invitation.  Jesus didn’t avoid.  He draws us in.  Or as my wife concluded:
 
“In another way, just as the husband is escaping from his argumentative wife, more-so Jesus is the husband who “stands at the door and knocks” (Rev. 3:20) and He will come in and eat with us.”

Spiritfire- Proverbs 20:28, Throne Maintenance

“Mercy and truth protect a king,
and with mercy he maintains his throne.”

We spent some time talking about reasons for loyalty and fealty to a righteous king.  Mercy and truth inspire and will guard a leader from harm by strengthening the foundation in the people.  When we looked at this Proverb’s reflection, we saw how an unmerciful ruler who lies inspires rebellion.  It is only a matter of time.

Jesus fulfilled this proverb by being God’s love among us, 1 John 4:9.    He gave us mercy and grace and He is the Truth.  Our fealty is in Him whose throne is eternal.  His Kingdom paves the way for us to be made new and it will not end, Luke 1:33.