Creating, collecting, and sharing thoughts and ideas. And learning along the way.
Homemade Popcorn: Because I Will 
“Mommy, we can hang here all evening!”
Because It’s Dinner Time 
Because It’s Lunchtime 
ISAIAH 33:10-36:22 | GALATIANS 5:13-26 | PSALM 64:1-10 | PROVERBS 23:23
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Isaiah’s prophecies continue, and they take on a serious note of detail concerning the end times for when the Messiah will return the second time around. After a section on the wrath of the Lord against all nations and his judgment upon them, there is a section on the joy of those redeemed. The imagery employed by Isaiah is exquisite. These are Isaiah’s words to the children of Israel:
3 Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
4 say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you.”
And there’s more where that came from:
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
Next there is a record of the great threat made by Sennecherib, king of Assyria to Israel’s Hezekiah. Sennecherib’s commander tell’s Hezekiah’s men, 18 “Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ Have the gods of any nations ever delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? 20 Who of all the gods of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”
It is to be seen if the Lord will indeed deliver Jersusalem!
Turning next to our reading of Paul’s letter to the Galatians, we find Paul exhorting the young church to weigh the merits of the Law in relation to the gift of eternal life received by faith in the grace of the Lord God through the person of Jesus Christ. He has covered in considerable detail the futility of observing the Law whereby one is essentially discounting the great work of righteousness accomplished by Christ on the cross, and yet, it appears as if the Galatians feel compelled to follow the Law.
Paul says to them, 13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
And if there’s any question about what Paul means by the term “indulge the flesh”, there’s no need to wonder for long, because Paul goes on to provide quite the list. He says, 19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
And having now been soundly informed about what is not recommended one engage in, Paul goes on to make very specific recommendations for what is indeed desirable. We have the power to choose our actions, he seems to say, and this new-found freedom that is found in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ will allow you to make your decisions even more clearly. This freedom to do what you wish is entirely yours, and is not to be dictated by the Law—which very clearly outlines what you may and may not do, however, with your freedom, choose wisely your actions.
Paul’s exact words are these: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Turning now to our reading of the psalms, we find David ruminating on the greatness of the Lord Almighty that overshadows every human scheme. David says, referring to those who might consider themselves smug in their own abilities:
5 They encourage each other in evil plans,
they talk about hiding their snares;
they say, “Who will see it?”
6 They plot injustice and say,
“We have devised a perfect plan!”
Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.
Finally, one brilliant verse from the book of Proverbs:
23 Buy the truth and do not sell it—
wisdom, instruction and insight as well.
May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word.
ISAIAH 30:12-33:9 | GALATIANS 5:1-12 | PSALM 63:1-11 | PROVERBS 23:22
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Isaiah serves as the Lord’s mouthpiece to the children of Israel, and it is his task to inform them that the Lord is not happy with their ways. This is what the Lord is saying through Isaiah:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
16 You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’
Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
But this is a merciful God who will not forever remain angered. Inasmuch as he allows for devastation to come upon them, he also pities them eventually and promises to restore them. Isaiah reminds them of this when he says this:
18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
Isaiah continues to offer even more words of comfort in these verses:
19 People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. 20 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
And there will come a day, says Isaiah, when peace will reign and the Lord’s righteousness will be established. These are dear promises that the children of Israel must surely hold steadfast to:
16 The LORD’s justice will dwell in the desert,
his righteousness live in the fertile field.
17 The fruit of that righteousness will be peace;
its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.
18 My people will live in peaceful dwelling places,
in secure homes,
in undisturbed places of rest.
19 Though hail flattens the forest
and the city is leveled completely,
20 how blessed you will be,
sowing your seed by every stream,
and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.
May it be that like Isaiah’s prayer, we might also cry out to the Lord Almighty these same words:
2 LORD, be gracious to us;
we long for you.
Be our strength every morning,
our salvation in time of distress.
And the outcome will be what Isaiah assures the children of Israel concerning the Lord’s doing:
5 The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high;
he will fill Zion with his justice and righteousness.
6 He will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.
Turning now to our reading of Paul’s letter to the Galatians, we find Paul stressing the concept of faith and grace over the observance of the Law, akin to slavery.
He says, 1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
And he couldn’t be any more clear than he is in these lines: 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
So aggrieved is Paul for the state of the minds and hearts of the Galatians who have been evidently led astray by someone either in their midst or another preacher from without—someone who has successfully persuaded the men in the church to practice circumcision—that Paul makes no disguise of his outrage about this person or persons, and in a style that is not too common, Paul employs some humor in not wishing this person the very best when he says this: 12 As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!
We now turn to our psalm for the day, and find one in which David is plaintively crying out to God for help. It is obvious that David must have been in some form of danger or distress to pen these words, but there is still an element of great calm and confidence in the undertones of these pleas. Also, the style in which David addresses God is so highly personal that it speaks volumes concerning the very personal relationship that David had with the Lord.
Like David, each of us also has the same ability to strike up just this kind of a relationship with God, and I would daresay that nothing would delight the Lord more than to see his children call out to him in this way:
3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 I cling to you;
your right hand upholds me.
Finally, one verse from the book of Proverbs, penned by the wise king Solomon:
22 Listen to your father, who gave you life,
and do not despise your mother when she is old.
May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word.
Lillie Park: A Lovely Getaway for Man and Beast
Sunday Selfie for My Firstborn 
