Scripture verses that caught my attention today: 2 Samuel 13:15-16 Then Amnon was seized with a very great loathing for her; indeed, his loathing was even greater than the lust he had felt for her. Amnon said to her, “Get out!” 16 But she said to him, “No, my brother; for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.” But he would not listen to her.
Observation: Earlier Amnon had uncontrollable lust for Tamar. Suddenly, upon getting (or, I should say, ‘taking’) what he wanted, he suddenly becomes loathsome toward here. He never learned to take the long view.
Application: The story that comes to mind is that of a recent secret service scandal where, we are told, one agent in particular spent the night with a woman who was engaged in prostitution. They had agreed upon a price but, when morning came, the agent refused to pay her and, what’s more, rudely dispatched her from his room.
As was the case with Tamar, one could say that the wrong of the agent sending the woman away without the agreed-upon pay was worse that the original wrong of agreeing to pay to sleep with her to begin with. It became a source of shame for both of them.
One lesson to be learned from both the biblical and contemporary fiascoes is that our carnal desires can be dangerously disingenuous. In other words, what (or who) we might think we want is sometimes nothing more than an illusion. It’s like a bird flying full-speed into a clear glass window or a person diving into the sea at high tide without any clue of what rocks might be just beneath the surface.
Better to tread more carefully, take considerably more time in discernment, and consider broader and longer-term ramifications so that, if one has created an illusion, it might be seen for what it really is. That’s a much better path toward finding a happy and fulfilling relationship or toward keeping and cherishing the relationship one might already have.
Prayer: Lord, I’ve been mighty fortunate in this regard, blessed with a marital relationship that I have never regretted or wished to exchange. It’s really nice to be able to say that and I can’t thank you enough for making it possible. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Readings today included: 2 Samuel 13-14 and Matthew 24)
Monday, May 7, 2012
5 Exercises in 5 Minutes for a Full-body Workout
Sometimes time is of the essence. After my standard warm-up, here are the 5 Exercises I did today that took less than 5 minutes to complete and still gave me a full-body workout.
Exercise #1 Chin-ups
Any chin-up or pull-up will do. Today I did neutral-grip chin-ups, focusing intently of good form. Today I did 10 reps.
Exercise #2 Bench Press
If you don't have a bench and barbell, regular old push-ups will do. Today I did 25 reps with a 100# barbell.
Exercise #3 Squats
Again, if you don't have a barbell, there are other ways to target the same muscle groups. Body-weight squats, lunges, or Bulgarian Split Squats will work just fine. Today I did 25 reps with a 70# barbell.
Exercise #4 Ab-Wheel Roll-outs
Rather than use an actual ab-wheel, I just have a 5# plastic weight on a 35 year-old dumbbell bar and use that at my ab-wheel. If you don't have something like that, you can substitute cross-body mountain climbers or, using a stability ball, do jack-knives. I did 10 solid reps.
Exercise #5 Side Planks with leg raises
Side Planks are a another good core-building exercise. When combined with leg raises the core gets a little extra work along with the legs. Today I did 15 leg raises while in the side-plank position and then held the side-plank position for an additional 15 seconds. Then I switched to the other side and repeated the process.
Enjoy! :)
Kent
PS If you're not familiar with any of the exercises mentioned above, simply type them into your favorite search engine and you're sure to find some explanations.
Exercise #1 Chin-ups
Any chin-up or pull-up will do. Today I did neutral-grip chin-ups, focusing intently of good form. Today I did 10 reps.
Exercise #2 Bench Press
If you don't have a bench and barbell, regular old push-ups will do. Today I did 25 reps with a 100# barbell.
Exercise #3 Squats
Again, if you don't have a barbell, there are other ways to target the same muscle groups. Body-weight squats, lunges, or Bulgarian Split Squats will work just fine. Today I did 25 reps with a 70# barbell.
Exercise #4 Ab-Wheel Roll-outs
Rather than use an actual ab-wheel, I just have a 5# plastic weight on a 35 year-old dumbbell bar and use that at my ab-wheel. If you don't have something like that, you can substitute cross-body mountain climbers or, using a stability ball, do jack-knives. I did 10 solid reps.
Exercise #5 Side Planks with leg raises
Side Planks are a another good core-building exercise. When combined with leg raises the core gets a little extra work along with the legs. Today I did 15 leg raises while in the side-plank position and then held the side-plank position for an additional 15 seconds. Then I switched to the other side and repeated the process.
Enjoy! :)
Kent
PS If you're not familiar with any of the exercises mentioned above, simply type them into your favorite search engine and you're sure to find some explanations.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Impressed with Joab
Scripture verses that caught my attention today: 2 Samuel 10: 11-12 He said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. 12 Be strong, and let us be courageous for the sake of our people, and for the cities of our God; and may the LORD do what seems good to him.”
Observation: Joab, in the heat of battle and with no time to waste, takes stock of the situation, considers his partners in the struggle, develops a plan and puts it into action within the span of just two short verses. And regardless of what happens, he entrusts the efforts to the Lord.
Application: These two verses are quickly finding space among my short list of favorites. I’m truly impressed with Joab’s ability to size up the difficult situation and earnestly work toward a solution that is based not on saving himself, but on saving the whole movement. He is simultaneously looking at the big picture (for the sake of our people and the cities of our God) and the REALLY big picture (through it all, let the Lord do what seems good to him).
This is refreshingly inspiring leadership. It doesn’t resort to ‘woe is me,’ and yet also successfully avoids the kind of bravado from which many a fool is made.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the example of Joab in this passage. Help us all to have such clarity of direction. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(readings today included: 2 Samuel 10, 1 Chronicles 20, Psalm 20, and Matthew 22)
Observation: Joab, in the heat of battle and with no time to waste, takes stock of the situation, considers his partners in the struggle, develops a plan and puts it into action within the span of just two short verses. And regardless of what happens, he entrusts the efforts to the Lord.
Application: These two verses are quickly finding space among my short list of favorites. I’m truly impressed with Joab’s ability to size up the difficult situation and earnestly work toward a solution that is based not on saving himself, but on saving the whole movement. He is simultaneously looking at the big picture (for the sake of our people and the cities of our God) and the REALLY big picture (through it all, let the Lord do what seems good to him).
This is refreshingly inspiring leadership. It doesn’t resort to ‘woe is me,’ and yet also successfully avoids the kind of bravado from which many a fool is made.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the example of Joab in this passage. Help us all to have such clarity of direction. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(readings today included: 2 Samuel 10, 1 Chronicles 20, Psalm 20, and Matthew 22)
Friday, May 4, 2012
For the Battle Weary
Scripture Verses that caught my attention today: 1 Chronicles 18:5-6 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand Arameans. 6 Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus; and the Arameans became subject to David, and brought tribute. The LORD gave victory to David wherever he went.
Observation: The Lord may have granted victory to David wherever he went, but he was still regularly in battle.
Application: I’m not a big fan of either war or war imagery, but if we have the eyes to see it, all of us are in battles of one sort or another every day. We may be battling with weight loss or time management or parenting or work-related issues or cancer or depression or God knows (literally) what else. It’s often a daily battle with an outcome determined largely by incremental choices. There is seldom total rest and, whenever there is total rest (as we will learn later in 2 Samuel 11), that’s the time to be especially careful not to self-destruct.
The good news is that these daily battles are really just a form of daily work. And daily work is a privilege—an opportunity to express oneself--a reason to get up and face the day and, when weariness naturally settles in, to sleep through the night.
Most (but not all!) of us are thankfully far-removed from the sort of brutalities that David and his soldiers faced with regularity. Nevertheless, our own battles rage on. They are mini-bouts—rounds, if you will—that move us closer toward victory or further from it.
A key point, however, is that in Scripture’s view it was the Lord that gave the victory, not the efforts of David himself. And so, whether we are seemingly victorious or not, we can give thanks for the each of our own little battles—they are the work to which we are called.
Prayer: Lord, I must admit that sometimes I would prefer not to have any battles. But after a while that would get boring. Each of us appreciates a challenge now and then. And once we start seeing things as challenges, well, that can shed a different light on things and keep us focused on meaningful pursuits. For that I give you thanks and praise. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Readings today included: 2 Samuel 8-9, 1 Chronicles 18-19, and Matthew 21)
Observation: The Lord may have granted victory to David wherever he went, but he was still regularly in battle.
Application: I’m not a big fan of either war or war imagery, but if we have the eyes to see it, all of us are in battles of one sort or another every day. We may be battling with weight loss or time management or parenting or work-related issues or cancer or depression or God knows (literally) what else. It’s often a daily battle with an outcome determined largely by incremental choices. There is seldom total rest and, whenever there is total rest (as we will learn later in 2 Samuel 11), that’s the time to be especially careful not to self-destruct.
The good news is that these daily battles are really just a form of daily work. And daily work is a privilege—an opportunity to express oneself--a reason to get up and face the day and, when weariness naturally settles in, to sleep through the night.
Most (but not all!) of us are thankfully far-removed from the sort of brutalities that David and his soldiers faced with regularity. Nevertheless, our own battles rage on. They are mini-bouts—rounds, if you will—that move us closer toward victory or further from it.
A key point, however, is that in Scripture’s view it was the Lord that gave the victory, not the efforts of David himself. And so, whether we are seemingly victorious or not, we can give thanks for the each of our own little battles—they are the work to which we are called.
Prayer: Lord, I must admit that sometimes I would prefer not to have any battles. But after a while that would get boring. Each of us appreciates a challenge now and then. And once we start seeing things as challenges, well, that can shed a different light on things and keep us focused on meaningful pursuits. For that I give you thanks and praise. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Readings today included: 2 Samuel 8-9, 1 Chronicles 18-19, and Matthew 21)
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Fair Enough
Scripture Passage that Caught my Attention Today: Matthew 20:13-15 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? 14 Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
Observation: Our sense of fairness is not necessarily a characteristic of the kingdom of heaven.
Application: One of the somewhat respected professions these days is that of law. Granted, there are many lawyer jokes and that is because there is perhaps a hint of truth in these jokes as well. Nevertheless, we still tend to tip our hat toward those who have passed the bar exam and been given a license to practice law. It has been said that everyone should have a good lawyer. It is an honorable profession dedicated to applying a sense of fairness and correcting grave injustices.
Interestingly enough, in the kingdom of heaven there will apparently be no need of lawyers.
(If it’s any consolation, pastors are not likely to be needed either. The Scriptures declare that no longer will people say to each other “know the Lord” for they shall all know the Lord, from the least of them to the greatest—which pretty much wipes out the need for preachers!)
In the kingdom of heaven our sense of fairness is turned on it’s head. Most of us would agree that those hired at the end of the day should not have received as much as those who worked all day. If there had been a Vineyard Union Local 285 they would have been all over that situation and demanded a reckoning.
But God’s kingdom is different from and strikingly other than our own. In that kingdom God decides what’s fair, plain and simple. We may agree or disagree with the ruling, but the ruling still stands.
Interestingly enough, God’s rulings are generally in our favor, not in the sense of giving us what we necessarily want, but instead offering to us what we really need. The folks in Jesus’ day didn’t really need the money as much as they needed a purpose for their life—a way to employ their abilities in faithful service. Jesus could see that. Unfortunately they were not able to see such things as clearly.
Prayer: Lord, when I got up this morning I knew the day would offer plenty to do—some of it for pay and other parts of it for simply living. I’m so very grateful for both. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Readings today included: 2 Samuel 7, 1 Chronicles 17, Psalm 2, Matthew 20)
Observation: Our sense of fairness is not necessarily a characteristic of the kingdom of heaven.
Application: One of the somewhat respected professions these days is that of law. Granted, there are many lawyer jokes and that is because there is perhaps a hint of truth in these jokes as well. Nevertheless, we still tend to tip our hat toward those who have passed the bar exam and been given a license to practice law. It has been said that everyone should have a good lawyer. It is an honorable profession dedicated to applying a sense of fairness and correcting grave injustices.
Interestingly enough, in the kingdom of heaven there will apparently be no need of lawyers.
(If it’s any consolation, pastors are not likely to be needed either. The Scriptures declare that no longer will people say to each other “know the Lord” for they shall all know the Lord, from the least of them to the greatest—which pretty much wipes out the need for preachers!)
In the kingdom of heaven our sense of fairness is turned on it’s head. Most of us would agree that those hired at the end of the day should not have received as much as those who worked all day. If there had been a Vineyard Union Local 285 they would have been all over that situation and demanded a reckoning.
But God’s kingdom is different from and strikingly other than our own. In that kingdom God decides what’s fair, plain and simple. We may agree or disagree with the ruling, but the ruling still stands.
Interestingly enough, God’s rulings are generally in our favor, not in the sense of giving us what we necessarily want, but instead offering to us what we really need. The folks in Jesus’ day didn’t really need the money as much as they needed a purpose for their life—a way to employ their abilities in faithful service. Jesus could see that. Unfortunately they were not able to see such things as clearly.
Prayer: Lord, when I got up this morning I knew the day would offer plenty to do—some of it for pay and other parts of it for simply living. I’m so very grateful for both. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Readings today included: 2 Samuel 7, 1 Chronicles 17, Psalm 2, Matthew 20)
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Close Enough to Perfect
Scripture Verses that Caught My Attention Today: Matthew 19:21-22 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
Observation: The man didn’t want to be perfect; he just wanted to be able to claim he was perfect.
Application: This passage took me down memory lane this morning. Seeing that desiring to be perfect didn’t work out so well for the man in the passage above, the phrase “Close Enough to Perfect” came to mind. I knew the phrase came from a song, but I had long since forgotten what song.
Thanks to google, it only took a couple seconds to look it up and find that the song was made popular by the country group Alabama. I used to listen to their music quite a bit in college and even went to one of their concerts in Columbus where I and thousands of others held up our lighters and swayed to the music with our dates (I have no earthly idea why I had a lighter since I never smoked…nor do I remember who I took to the concert). Good times…
All nostalgia aside, I think most of us are in one way or another like the man in the passage above. We would like to be able to say that we are perfect and, yet, there is always something that holds us back. We can always be found wanting. There is always something that is our sticking point. For some it’s riches, but for many of us who do not consider ourselves “rich” (even though in many ways we are rich) there are other issues that trip us up. Pride can be a biggie. The ability to forgive almost everybody but yet, NOT everybody can catch us up too. Feel free to add other issues to the list. We may wish we could claim to be perfect, but many of us don’t really want to be perfect. We just want to be close enough to perfect.
In some ways the man was trying to follow Jesus’ instructions. The word “perfect” is only found twice in the Gospels and both of these occurrences are in Matthew. In 5:48 Jesus says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Fourteen chapters later Jesus encounters someone who purports to want to be perfect but the man can’t follow through.
Was he close enough? Are we?
Rather than trying to attain perfection we would be better served, literally, to accept Perfection reaching out to us through Christ. It’s in his company that true perfection is found. It’s in his Word that we find hope and healing. It’s in his body and blood that we find the strength to continue our journey. It’s in his calling that we find our own voice.
That’s close enough to perfect for me.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for reaching out to us…and to me. I’m deeply grateful that you regularly stay so close at hand. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Readings today included: 1 Chronicles 16, Psalm 106, and Matthew 19)
Observation: The man didn’t want to be perfect; he just wanted to be able to claim he was perfect.
Application: This passage took me down memory lane this morning. Seeing that desiring to be perfect didn’t work out so well for the man in the passage above, the phrase “Close Enough to Perfect” came to mind. I knew the phrase came from a song, but I had long since forgotten what song.
Thanks to google, it only took a couple seconds to look it up and find that the song was made popular by the country group Alabama. I used to listen to their music quite a bit in college and even went to one of their concerts in Columbus where I and thousands of others held up our lighters and swayed to the music with our dates (I have no earthly idea why I had a lighter since I never smoked…nor do I remember who I took to the concert). Good times…
All nostalgia aside, I think most of us are in one way or another like the man in the passage above. We would like to be able to say that we are perfect and, yet, there is always something that holds us back. We can always be found wanting. There is always something that is our sticking point. For some it’s riches, but for many of us who do not consider ourselves “rich” (even though in many ways we are rich) there are other issues that trip us up. Pride can be a biggie. The ability to forgive almost everybody but yet, NOT everybody can catch us up too. Feel free to add other issues to the list. We may wish we could claim to be perfect, but many of us don’t really want to be perfect. We just want to be close enough to perfect.
In some ways the man was trying to follow Jesus’ instructions. The word “perfect” is only found twice in the Gospels and both of these occurrences are in Matthew. In 5:48 Jesus says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Fourteen chapters later Jesus encounters someone who purports to want to be perfect but the man can’t follow through.
Was he close enough? Are we?
Rather than trying to attain perfection we would be better served, literally, to accept Perfection reaching out to us through Christ. It’s in his company that true perfection is found. It’s in his Word that we find hope and healing. It’s in his body and blood that we find the strength to continue our journey. It’s in his calling that we find our own voice.
That’s close enough to perfect for me.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for reaching out to us…and to me. I’m deeply grateful that you regularly stay so close at hand. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Readings today included: 1 Chronicles 16, Psalm 106, and Matthew 19)
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
To Party or Not to Party
Scripture Verse that Caught My Attention Today: 1 Chronicles 15:29 As the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David leaping and dancing; and she despised him in her heart.
Observation: This story of David dancing and his wife Michal despising him is found here and in yesterday’s reading in 2 Samuel 6. I wonder what made her opinion of him (which is not praised) noteworthy enough for Scripture.
Application: It would seem that the point of including Michal’s frowned-upon thoughts is that, when there is cause for rejoicing, we are to join in the dance—whether literally or simply in spirit. David was celebrating and most of the people with him. But not his wife. She had sour grapes.
Still, I can see her point. In times of celebration it’s easy to make a fool of ourselves—to go that one notch too far. We can drink a little too much, speak a little too loud, say that one thing we shouldn’t have said, etc. That can be personally embarrassing but sometimes even more so for those we love. Perhaps that is what Michal was feeling.
Nevertheless, she loses out in this story. In the more detailed account of 2 Samuel 6:16-23 David criticizes Michah and, to add insult to injury, she has no child till the day of her death.
Sometimes it’s better to simply join in the dance.
Prayer: Lord, help us to truly celebrate all that you have done and continue to do. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Readings today included: 1 Chronicles 14-15, Psalm 132, and Matthew 18)
Observation: This story of David dancing and his wife Michal despising him is found here and in yesterday’s reading in 2 Samuel 6. I wonder what made her opinion of him (which is not praised) noteworthy enough for Scripture.
Application: It would seem that the point of including Michal’s frowned-upon thoughts is that, when there is cause for rejoicing, we are to join in the dance—whether literally or simply in spirit. David was celebrating and most of the people with him. But not his wife. She had sour grapes.
Still, I can see her point. In times of celebration it’s easy to make a fool of ourselves—to go that one notch too far. We can drink a little too much, speak a little too loud, say that one thing we shouldn’t have said, etc. That can be personally embarrassing but sometimes even more so for those we love. Perhaps that is what Michal was feeling.
Nevertheless, she loses out in this story. In the more detailed account of 2 Samuel 6:16-23 David criticizes Michah and, to add insult to injury, she has no child till the day of her death.
Sometimes it’s better to simply join in the dance.
Prayer: Lord, help us to truly celebrate all that you have done and continue to do. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Readings today included: 1 Chronicles 14-15, Psalm 132, and Matthew 18)
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