"It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way." -- Proverbs 19:2

How relevant for our time is this passage.  If you're ever on Facebook, or through email get alarming messages with unbelievable claims, you see what zeal without knowledge looks like.  It's when you read something like SENATOR PROPOSES BILL REQUIRING BABIES TO BE TAXED.  Good thing we have Snopes and other fact-checking groups to check the validity of the rumors.  I wonder what makes people want to hurt the people they're speaking of so badly so as to mislead others through telling lies and spreading smear?  And the sad thing is, most people don't check the facts.  We get so caught up in the emotion of the claim, or share the negative view of the person who's the subject of the rumor, that we forward the message on... with zeal and without knowledge.  As a people of faith,  we must speak from a different view that is measured and informed.  And we should show little tolerance for the pervasive lying that flows so freely as though it were normal in our culture today.  Sometimes it's okay to be a rebel without a cause, but don't be a rebel without a clue.

Readings:  1 Chronicles 11:1-12:18; Acts 28:1-31; Psalm 9:1-12; Proverbs 19:1-3

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" -- Psalm 8:3-4

Do you ever feel really small when considering the vastness of God's creation?  Sometimes, it's easy to feel distant from God, but I remember a night when in my infinite smallness in the scope of the Universe, I felt amazingly close.

At an age before career, marriage and children… at a time when I was too old to stay at my parents’ home anymore, but too broke to move out, I was fortunate enough to be plugged into a community of like-situated college students through a young adult group at my church.  We enjoyed trips together and a number of outings.  One was a trip to Mustang Island,-- a stretch of the Texas Coast north of Corpus Christi just south of Port Aransas.  I remember how I was so looking forward to swimming in the ocean.  My body was young, and I was strong.  This was a time before any spare tire around my waist existed, before my bones ached in any way, and when I could run for relatively long distances without being winded. 

We left San Antonio late on a Friday and made the 3 ½ hour trip.  We arrived at dusk, and after checking in, we decided to go down to the beach.  It was well after dark and the group didn’t want to go swimming… I’ve heard you can’t be “brave or smart” until at least the age of 25.  I wasn’t even close.  As a result of the combination of immeasurably bad judgment and my love for water, I decided to get wet.  No one else wanted to, but  I didn’t care.  I had my bathing suit on, and I was at the beach.  I had to at least feel the water.  And so I, with some others, walked into the warm water up to our knees.  It was so dark that you could barely see the whitecaps on the waves.  The moon wasn’t out, but the sky was clear, so it was as if you could see every star in the sky.  Some of us ended up swimming, but not for long.  Most didn’t feel comfortable without sunlight.  As the group headed back to shore after a very brief swim, I held back and stayed in the water.  It felt good— I don’t know what the temperature was, but the air was comfortably warm.  The water was as warm as the air—so close, you’d think they were exactly the same.  I swam just beyond the cut where the waves were breaking, and just floated.  I lay there on my back, and looked up at the sky and experienced one of the most profound moments in my life.  The stars were so bright that I could see the Milky Way stretched across the sky.  It went from horizon to horizon, and it was the only thing that indicated to me where the sky ended and the water began. 

I don’t know how long I just floated there, looking up at the sky, amazed at the vastness of it all.  There were moments where I would almost forget about the water, as the temperature didn’t vary much, if at all, from the air.  It was as if I were actually floating in space.  I wasn’t on drugs or anything else that would alter my perceptions.  I was sober, awake, and for a moment, felt as though I were one with the universe. My body felt weightless and since my ears were beneath the water, the only thing I could hear was my slow and steady breathing.  The experience was fleeting and lasted for just a few minutes, as friends began to worry about me because they couldn’t find me.  Their calls brought me back and I swam into shore.  I’m glad I encountered no sharks, sting rays, or jellyfish that night.  I think if I had, the memory wouldn’t be so pleasurable.  Instead, it stays with me as one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had.  It will probably never be repeated though, as I’ve grown up and now am filled with limiting caution and numbing good sense.

Amazing to think that God is even bigger than the Universe.  And yet he calls us by name.

Readings:  1 Chronicles 9:1-10:14; Acts 27:21-44; Psalm 8:1-9; Proverbs 18:23-24

"He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made. The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head." -- Psalm 7:15-16

While not directly connected, this verse reminds me of the saying "You can't dig yourself out of a hole".  The teaching is thousands of years old, and yet, after thousands of years, are we still trying to dig ourselves out of holes we create.  The good news about holes is that they can be filled.  But when you're in it, sometimes you have to swallow your pride and ask others to help fill so that you can step up and eventually out of the pit.  If you're in a pit, a hole, a trench... whatever... don't worry.  You're not the first, and you won't be the last to be in such a situation. Do not despair.  Do not dig any further.  Get a plan and get some help and take it one step at a time.   Hopefully we can learn within our lifetime how to rise up and not just walk on the ground above, but to one day soar above it.

Readings:  1 Chronicles 7:1-8:40; Acts 27:1-20; Psalm 7:1-17; Proverbs 18:22

"On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them." -- Acts 26:10-11

The one speaking is Paul.  He does not have a rosy future on earth in front of him.  He will be imprisoned, tortured, and killed.  He will have fallen from the heights of worldly power to the humiliation of being put to death by ones who once respected him.  Yet he is a free man.  He is free because he lives in the truth and confesses his wrongs.  He once was lost, but no longer.  He lives in the grace and forgiveness of Christ.

What keeps you living in the shadows?  What keeps you from experiencing the freedom of Christ and the grace that will allow you to live a new life?  Find a trusted friend, a confidant, or a counselor, and share your life.  You too can be free again.

Readings:  1Chronicles 5:18-6:81; Acts 26:1-32; Psalm 6:1-10; Proverbs 18:20-21

"Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies-- make straight your way before me." -- Psalm 5:8

The prayer of the Psalmist is a model for each of us.  In our various roles in life, we are called to lead or to follow.  So many would have us follow them and then lead.  But how can we lead if we've not learned by following the right leader?  If you want peace, if you want hope, if you want love, you must go to the Source and follow where he leads.  Pray for the humility necessary to follow Christ.  And then follow where he leads.

Readings:  1 Chronicles 4:5-5:17; Acts 25:1-27; Psalm 5:1-12; Proverbs 18:19

"Many are asking, 'Who can show us any good?' Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord.'" -- Psalm 4:6

When you look around, what do you see?  Do you see God's amazing creation, or do you see the ugliness that comes with its destruction?  When you open your ears, what do you hear?  Do you hear the beautiful sounds of laughter, talking, singing... do you hear the wind in the trees and the birds in the air?  Or do you hear the noise of traffic, the screaming of angry children and the fights of broken marriages?  When you eat, do you taste the flavor of what enters your mouth, or do you just stuff yourself to fill a void?  So much is going on around us at any given time.  We can find whatever it is we look for.  While we shouldn't be blind and deaf to anything, and we should be aware of the good and the bad around us, we must be vigilant in turning to God to see the beauty of what we are afforded the pleasure of experiencing during our lifetimes.  It is too easy to slide into cynicism and negativity, and become blind, deaf, and numb to the good around us.  Pray to God that the light of his face shine upon you, so that you might see clearly once again.

Readings:  1 Chronicles 2:18-4:4; Acts 24:1-27; Psalm 4:1-8; Proverbs 18:16-18

"A man's spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?" -- Proverbs 18:14

It's a long-known fact that one thing that has contributed to the survival of people who are under extreme duress in situations such as wilderness survival, being held captive as a prisoner of war, or while facing a life-threatening disease or illness is a positive mental attitude.  Those that believe they can surmount the odds are far more likely to do so than those with a "crushed spirit".  That goes for life in general.  If you want your life to be different, you have to know what you want and see it.  Close your eyes and transport yourself to that reality.  Then chart the course of your life that can lead to that reality and begin the journey.  Believe in your alternate future-- the one that aligns with God's desire for your life, and find joy as you make your steps.

Readings:  1 Chronicles 1:1-2:17; Acts 23:11-35; Psalm 3:1-8; Proverbs 18:14-15