Category: Imagine

Plans of Mice and Men and Women

Steps to Life

Thursday, July 3, 2025

Holy Spirit Guided

Colouring In Between the Lines of Life:

Greedily gobble it all up,

or give it your all, today.

Proverbs 16:9

The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps.

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Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

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Words of Grace for Today –

…

We’d like to think that we can plan and set goals, work hard according to our plans, and reach our goals … and thus make life worthwhile.

We’d like to think that as we are executing our plans and reaching our goals, God directs our steps … and thus makes life worthwhile.

BUT

always that big butt gets in the way.

The rear-end of reality

that the plans and goals and executions we undertake, and even the goals we reach and celebrate

are

ALL

meaningless.

And God does not direct our steps along our planned paths.

…

Life as a human is so much more than we can plan.

And the only way to reach into that life and realize even a tiny bit of it, is …

to give up trying to plan and execute our way through life towards success (or the inevitable failures.)

The Holy Spirit offers gifts and guidance, and life becomes full, filled with meaning, as we strive to serve others selflessly, following Jesus’ Way, teaching, healing, and giving life to others with our daily sacrifices.

Then we are able at the end of the day, to give God thanks

for it all.

Precious as it all is

when we give it away so others may live.

Rich And Done

Or Sacrificing All Now and …

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Rich Forever

Why Wait To Really Live?

Give Your All, Today!

Psalm 138:6

For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he perceives from far away.

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Luke 12:19-21

The rich will say to their soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.

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Words of Grace for Today –

…

How people have yearned to be rich. To be able to ‘take a break’, head off on the ‘freedom 55’ train, give up deadlines for lifelines, to do what you want, when you want, where you want, and how you want, to turn ‘short, nasty, and brutish’ into ‘eat, drink, and be merry!’

But life simply does not work that way.

Life lived for oneself becomes perverse, if it wasn’t that already. And it rots from within, spreading to those around one, and affected by one. It’s living hell.

The true treasure of life is free, but not without cost. It is to live as Jesus did, giving everything to give life to others, to love one’s neighbour as oneself, even one’s enemies, and the downtrodden and outcast most of all.

To be truly rich, we only need recognize that God walks with us, blesses us, and sends us out to be that same blessing for all other people.

Pounding, Knocking

Wakey Wakey

Monday, June 23, 2025

It’s The Rain!

There’s a Long Road Ahead,

Just for Today!

Psalm 145:9

The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.

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Romans 8:21

… the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

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Words of Grace for Today –

…

So you thought you could sleep in because no one really depends on you today?

Or just because you were going to get away with it again?

Not so fast.

Whether it’s the co-worker,

the boss,

the clients,

the neighbours,

or even just the weather

or (watch out for this one!)

Maybe it’s the Holy Spirit,

Someone is counting on you getting on the road, getting to the destination, the goal for today and getting done what needs getting done,

and if there’s nothing pressing, then to get around to that ever growing backlog of things that ought to be done sooner than later,

and now it’s later

enough.

So Hit the Road Jack!

Swing into action.

Rain or Shine.

Honesty and Kindness

Always need some doing in many a creative ways

for those least deserving,

and for the regulars

that count on your love

or at least God’s love

which you are supposed to be the agent of.

So

…

the most honest and most kind thing is to yell again

GET YOUR BUTT MOVING

before it’s too late,

and things go into the can real quick.

Honest and kind because then

… well then, it’s a whole other kind of mess you need to clean up.

So

knock

knock

the rain is pounding

on your roof.

Come out, come out wherever you are

and start

reflecting the light given you at baptism.

Small task it is not!

Just know that God is good to you, no matter what, look at nature around you, as God sets it free from us, and it reflects the goodness God created it to be.

.

…

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(What!?

Just some motivational words, since I slept in after staying up late.

What are you looking at? You’ve done it, too!)

The One And Only

Rock Saves Us

Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Again

On a Hot, 30⁰C+ Day, The Snow Looks Great!

On Any Day Of Challenges,

God’s Grace Welcomes Us In,

to a cool, life-giving hope.

Psalm 18:31

For who is God except the Lord? And who is a rock besides our God?

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2 Corinthians 1:9-10

Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He who rescued us from so deadly a peril will continue to rescue us; on him we have set our hope that he will rescue us again

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Words of Grace for Today –

…

Since we keep on sinning in old and rarely in new ways, God keeps saving us, again and again.

We have reason to give God thanks many times each day.

We have reason to hope to a future formed by God, and not ruined by those who try so hard these days (as each day has had many someones ready to ruin it).

That hope does not crumble, like shale.

Rather God gives us hope that is as solid as granite or marble, even more sure than matter existing in the universe, more sure than we can wrap our hearts and minds around.

Try squeezing a piece of granite or marble.

And then trust God to be more solidly for us, for us all.

Giving a Helping Hand

When and To Whom Needs It

Sunday, May 25, 2025

Freely

Troubled Waters Will Find Us All!

Deuteronomy 15:7

If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbour.

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James 2:14

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?

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Words of Grace for Today –

…

Life has it’s challenges. Never ending challenges. Kind of like the rain lately. But the rain reduces the risk of wild fires and their smoke that steal days from us, now and at the end of life.

Life has it’s challenges. We never know when we will succumb and end up in great need, even on the street among the growing numbers of homeless people who just a few months ago had homes.

So, out of rational expediency we ought to help those in need, and not just a little but systematically. Building systems that help everyone in need. So that when we end up there, there will be help for us.

Even more so: the greatest challenge in life is to recognize the purpose for one’s life that enlivens one’s days each day, and builds resilience against grief and diseases ravages and faster healing from them as well. The one and only purpose in life that provides those blessing is the act of reaching out to and helping those in greatest need.

Give a helping hand. It not only won’t kill you, it’ll give you life!

The Problem

Is not strange to us.

It is us.

Sunday, September 29, 2024

Like the trees all bent, and the flowers in bloom,

we are all equally part of God’s Creation.

Leviticus 19:34

The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Colossians 3:11

In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!

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Words of Grace For Today

…

That guy or thing from outer space, that alien, we’re supposed to welcome him-it, right?

Even when we cannot understand him-it?

Even when he-it wants to destroy us?

I’m not so sure about that, but thank God, we are not likely going to have to deal with aliens in our land any time soon, eh?

Immigrants that are so different from us, refugees who have been reduced to something other than normal by the trauma they have survived, strangers from other countries with strange looks and even stranger customs – well those we have to deal with.

There’s a huge problem with treating them just like ourselves, though. The economy just cannot provide for them as it provides for us.

And therefore so many of the comfortable, privileged, and wealthy (those not struggling to have clean air, water, nourishing food, sufficient shelter) say categorically that those strangers, those refugees, those immigrants are a big problem.

‘We have an immigrant problem, a refugee problem, and an temporary immigrant worker problem!’

Or so they say.

The real problem is us, though.

We have a comfort, privilege, wealth problem.

We have too much while so many other people on earth have far too little,

and we don’t want to give it all up

just to help a few others. (Well, billions others, really)

We are strangers to God’s Word:

The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself …

and

there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free ….

We have forgotten that we or our ancestors all were at some time aliens, immigrants, refugees, and strangers. (Some of us are still a bit odd, a bit strange, come to think of it.)

…

The solution to our refugee, immigrant, temporary immigrant worker, and stranger problems is to put a refugee, an immigrant, a temporary immigrant worker, a stranger in charge of the the problem and give them the authority and means to solve the problem.

The solution to our comfort, privilege, wealth problem is …

Well, it’s scary, because it will eliminate all comfort, privilege, wealth

and everyone will enjoy or suffer equitably the resources we have and can produce for each other.

No one is an alien, not here.

We are all a bit strange,

Strange to the Word of God that would have us live completely equitably, fairly, justly, and compassionately towards one another.

…

The problem is not strange to us, it is us, as we continually try to live as strangers to God and God’s Word.

So what are we going to do about that!

Today! Of course.

Ask and …

“What the #*^%&#^$&$^$!! Happened!?!?” ?

Sunday, November 26, 2023

The Lake Sings The Morning In!

Another Gift From God,

so precious.

Nahum 1:7

The Lord is good, a stronghold on a day of trouble; he protects those who take refuge in him,

Matthew 7:7

Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.

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Words of Grace For Today

All of us have asked for things to be a bit better,

or a lot better.

And

it seldom

turns out to be better,

especially if we get exactly what we’ve asked for!

Thankfully God

hears our pleas, our cries, our wailings, our dreams, or requests,

and

God most often only gives us what we need

to

offer life abundant to others.

So much for getting

it to be a little bit better for ourselves.

So we could say, following Jesus really is a bummer, right?!

But,

What God provides that we seldom ask for is

everything we need to live life abundantly.

It is certainly so that living with everything hunky doory and with an abundance of what the world would have us chase after, is not

God’s life abundant

that we receive.

Instead

we receive hope, the ability to love and be loved, the ability to be kind and honest, the ability to give

to the most needy

what they desperately need.

And then God gives us the ability to say thanks and enter each day

confessing our sins, and relying wholly on God to bring us to do good things for others.

.

.

.

Or, when God does not give us exactly what we asked for (that would be so bad for us) we can pretend to be astounded and selfishly ask,

“What the #*^%&#^$&$^$!! Happened!?!?

Mercy

Mercy Me!

Monday, October 16, 2023

That’d Be Us,

Smoking As We Go Down,

If God Were Not Merciful!

Psalm 103:10

He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.

Ephesians 4:32

… be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

…

Words of Grace For Today

Well, a week of giving thanks for being able to take photos, and lots of other things is great, and it continues not least of all for Mercy.

Mercy me where would we be without mercy!

Since God does not make us pay all our debts, huge and impossible as they are, why are we not so gracious with those whose debts are small and owed to us?

Tender-hearted is a great start to every day, and every challenge. It gets us further than most any other effort on our part.

So God is merciful, and we, well not so much. God is tender-hearted, and we try but end up not so much, right?

And the world around us, with wars, lies, corruption, and lack of care for those without, is what we get!

Starting everyday remembering to be thankful for God’s mercy and tender-heartedness towards us is a great start. And then …?

What are you thankful for today?

Can you see all that you can be thankful for, clearly enough?

…

Answer 8

Wood, that provides heat and cooking in the winter, without which I would be a might bit chilly and more.

Good Land

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

The Good Land?

Deuteronomy 8:7

For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills,

Acts of the Apostles 14:17

… yet he has not left himself without a witness in doing good—giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, and filling you with food and your hearts with joy.’

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Words of Grace For Today

Perhaps if we develop ‘warp drive’ (space flight faster than light) we can anticipate that God will bring us into a good land, flowing with water and all goodness, but until then

we’ve ruined the earth so much that it is hard to imagine a ‘good land’ somewhere under these skies.

The water flows alright, as the glaciers and ice caps and land mass ice melt, and it collects in the oceans and they rise, and what used to be ocean front property is underwater.

Or the water does not flow and the rains do not fall and the crops do not grow.

Or … you name it, the climate of earth has gotten mean.

What did we expect?

Okay, it’s not really all all that bad.

There are blessed places where the water flows, the rain falls in good amounts, the sun shines, and the crops grow.

And if one has lived in an area that was marginal to good before climate change, conflicts and disasters, but it has become uninhabitable or unsafe then coming to a land where crops grow and people live in relative safety, then one can count that as a blessing.

Typical is, though, that if we’ve always lived where the crops grow reasonably well year after year, then we easily forget how blessed it is that God has brought us to this good land.

It is easy to forget how others yearn for such a land to call home.

It is easy to think we deserve it … and others do not.

When life is hard, survival in question each day, then each breath is precious, and with each breath we can say, thanks for such wondrous blessings. These are the blessings that make life possible.

Everywhere

Everywhere, God ….

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Obstacles or Beauty,

Always, All Things Are

In God’s Hands.

Psalm 95:4

In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.

Revelation 14:7

He said in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.’

…

Words of Grace For Today

Das DDR Museum feiert am 18. Juli ein besonderes Jubiläum: Vor 30 Jahren wurde am 1. Juni 1979 um 20:00 Uhr in der Samariterkirche in Berlin-Friedrichshain die erste von vielen Blues-Messen gefeiert.

On July 1, 1979 at 20:00 the Samariterkirche in Berlin- Friedrichshain celebrated the first of many Blues-Worship-Services. These services were packed in every available space with youth in East Germany (most not belonging to any church), struggling to find their way in the most surveilled country ever, with demands for adherence to policies and attitudes that everyone knew were impossibly false.

A young man, who was impressed with the diaconate work for the handicapped that the church did, spoke to the youth pastor at the Samariterkirche and offered to do something for the church. What can you do? I can make blues. So a blues worship service started up, led by the youth pastors. The idea spread to churches across East Berlin. Young people flocked to the churches.

The STASI (state security police) attended as well, with all the misery that could mean for pastors, youth and any supporters.

The church hierarchy questioned why all this for people who did not belong to the church.

The youth pastors replied that if they came, it was their job to provide worship for them. And they did addressing the questions of youth that were not allowed to be addressed anywhere else in society, not in school, not on the streets: What of this state controlled life being watched and reported on, and all of it recorded by the STASI, determining often what education and work one could get if one was not thrown in prison? What of forced military service for all youth, of no freedom to ask how life could be better, when all of life from indoctrination in school to lifelong the ‘party line’ had to be spoken even though it was obviously false? And what of the wall and border areas and policies that prohibited people from leaving to the West.

The gloriously coloured West with promise, like a first love, that in fact wears off quickly to reveal a reality that is so corrupt and rotten with excesses and poverty for most, with privilege for the few.

Even to all this – East Germans hardships, the West’s corruptions and poverty – even all this is in God’s hands.

And those blues services provided one piece (allowed by Honecker in conversation with Bishop Schönherr, both survivors of Nazi concentration camps) of a perfect storm that led to the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, and the signing of the Unification Treaty 3 October 1990.

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Sometimes what we see as great obstacles, mountains blocking our way forward in life, are God’s declarations of magnificent beauty, calling us forward to something new.