Keep the Peace

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I’ve been reading Bible verses on peace throughout the month of July. (See 2024 Bible Reading Plan) It’s been good for my soul. Those familiar verses reminded me of things I knew but needed to hear again.

Philippians 4:6-7 was the most familiar one on my list as it was one of the first scriptures I memorized back in my high school days. I still have to recite it in the King James version.

“Be anxious for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Such a classic verse.
I heartily recommend putting it to memory,
in the version of your choice.

I thought I knew that verse backward and forward, but as always, there’s more.

It was the word “passeth” that got me. Other versions say “transcends.” It means “to surpass, to rise above, to excel, to be superior in rank.”

Here’s what I wrote in my notebook that morning:

Superior in rank. Hmmm. In the military there are levels of authority, like Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Colonel, General. Some soldiers surpass or rise above the others and move up in rank. Each step up calls for added respect. The Sergeant can’t walk into the General’s office and tell him what to do. The Sergeant must comply with the General’s commands.

My anxiety is the Sergeant. God’s peace is the General. God’s peace outranks my anxiety—my anxiety has no authority to overrule the peace of God. I just need to keep the order of command. I need to tell my worries and fears that they are not in charge and it is not within their jurisdiction to dictate my thoughts. In fact, those pesky worries need to stand at attention, give a crisp salute and say, “Sir, yes, sir” to the commanding officer, a.k.a. King of the Universe, a.k.a. Prince of Peace.

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” ~ The Message

Bookkeeping

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This is the only word in the English language (besides “bookkeeper”) that has three double letters— b-O-O-K-K-E-E-p-i-n-g. I guess you could call it a triple-double.

I learned this fun fact years ago in Economics 101. We had a visiting professor from Boston who wrote the word in large letters on the chalkboard one morning. It’s the only thing I remember from that class. I dropped Econ soon after, figuring that at least I learned something. More than forty years later, I still can’t explain supply and demand, but I know the only word with three double letters.

I admit I am a bookkeeper at heart. I have a detailed budget book, I keep every receipt in envelopes by the month, and I balance our checkbook to the penny.

Attention to details is one of my strengths.

It’s helpful when PB needs to be reminded what time his appointment is, or when I keep track of whose turn it is to deal, or when I rattle off all eleven grandkids’ birth dates.

But there’s a flip side.

It’s not helpful when I remind PB of the “right” way to load the dishwasher, or when I keep track of who won the card game last week, or when I rattle off others’ mistakes.

God is big into details.
Just look at that swirly pattern on your fingertip.
Take a close look at the inside a lily-of-the-valley.
Try to call all the stars in the Milky Way galaxy by name.

But God doesn’t seem to be big on bookkeeping.
In fact, God took the sinless Christ and poured my sins into Him.
Then, in exchange, God’s goodness was poured into me. (2 Cor. 5:21)

That kind of transaction really messes up the books.

He remembers our sins no more (Heb. 8:12).
He blots them out for His own sake (Is. 43:25).
He removes them as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12).

What kind of a bookkeeper does that?

God reconciled the world to himself through Christ,
by not counting people’s sins against them.
2 Corinthians 5:19

Glory hallelujah!

Classic Adventure

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PB and I took a little road trip.
We didn’t go very far.
We weren’t gone for very long.
That’s our kind of adventure.

We went to a band concert in a park.
We toured a breathtaking religious site.
We walked through a historical homestead.
We overlooked a river at flood stage from a bluff.
We ate steak and shrimp at a good old fashioned supper club.

The highlight, for me, was a stop at the largest used book store in the state, with over half a million books.

Be still, my heart.

After perusing dusty titles for the better part of an hour, I stumbled on a treasure—literally. A stack of volumes on the floor tripped me up. And I’m so glad they did.

The Harvard Classics were compiled in 1909 by Charles W. Eliot, Harvard University President. He proposed that anyone who would commit to reading this “Five-Foot Shelf of Books” would be exposed to the greatest works ever written and be duly educated.

Sign me up.

The complete 50-volume set is available on Amazon—for $1300. The new books have shiny fake-leather covers and clean, crisp pages.

In that used bookstore I found my treasure at 95.4% off the Amazon price! The covers were faded and the pages were musty. Perfection!

It took me a while to track down PB in that gigantic maze of a bookstore. But when I did and he saw the glimmer in my eye, he knew. A treasure at a bargain price cannot be denied. Now I just need him to put up a five-foot long shelf in my office.

I’m hoping to open Dante’s Divine Comedy or Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and find a few hidden $20 bills from 1909. Even if I don’t, the true treasure is the joy of reading and learning from the old books.

Volume 1, here I come.

Peace Plan

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According to my Bible Reading Plan for 2024, a word study on “peace” is coming up next. For those who are slogging through Leviticus with me, hang in there! We’re almost done! For those who lost some traction in the chapters on mildew and bodily discharges, start fresh with us on July 1st!

This is year #3 in my study on the Fruit of the Spirit,
as found in Galatians 5:22.
Six years to go.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
(Kinda glad self-control is at the end.)

Here’s my peace plan:

  • A short passage or verse for every day (Monday-Friday) during the month of July.
  • Write out the verse with the word “peace” in it, using an actual pencil on actual paper.
  • Re-write the verse in my own words.
  • Pray for peace—peace within, peace around me, peace in the world.
  • Extra credit for fellow Bible study nerds: go to blueletterbible.org to look up original language definitions. (You should try it—it’s so much fun.)

Click here or on the link at the top of the page for the passages.

Daily Sugar

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As a child, I had a sweet tooth. And the cavities to prove it. I clearly remember my mother buying me a sweet treat on the way home from the dentist for being a good girl. Not many of my experiences in the dentist chair were happy ones.

I still have a sweet tooth. And a bag of licorice in my desk drawer to prove it. And some cookies in the back of the freezer. And caramel ice-cream topping in the refrigerator. Who needs ice-cream when a spoonful of caramel will do? Although ice-cream is always a good option.

I know. My penchant for sugar is not good for me and I should quit cold-turkey. After that bag of licorice is gone.

Maybe that’s why I smiled when I came across this quote by my favorite old dead guy, Charles H. Spurgeon.

“Certain people must always have sweets and comforts;
but God’s wise children do not wish for these in undue measure.
Daily bread we ask for—not daily sugar.“

The more I thought about Spurgeon’s words, the less I smiled. Am I one of those people who must always have sweets and comforts? Do I wish for these in undue measure? Have I prayed, “Give me this day my daily sugar?” And I’m not just talking about cookies and candy.

What other things do I turn to for comfort? Ordering another book from Amazon? Binge watching on Netflix? Too much “me” time? Wanting things my way?

Spurg did it again.
He drew me in with winsome words
and then cut me to the quick.

I wonder if Charles (and maybe Jesus) had a savory palate.
“You are the salt of the earth, not the sugar candy!”
C. H. Spurgeon

Pilgrim Hymnal

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This is my grandfather, J. Frank Bradley.

Isn’t he handsome?

He was born on June 5, 1886.
Yesterday would have been his 138th birthday.

He died in 1966, just nine months after my grandma passed.
It was said he died of a broken heart.

I don’t remember much about the man. I have no recollection of sitting on his lap for a story or playing peek-a-boo or even hearing him laugh. I was at the tail end of his line of grandchildren so he was already elderly when I came along. I faintly recall Grandpa Bradley’s baritone voice leading the “Doxology” at family Thanksgiving meals. Maybe that’s why I pulled this old hymnal down from the shelf this week. It’s a treasured possession.

The hymnal was gifted to J. Frank when he retired from singing in the church choir after 40 faithful years. Both the pastor and the choir director wrote notes of thanks inside the front cover. All 28 choir members, including the organist, signed their names.

“I must say that you are a fine human being and that you have been a source of personal inspiration to me during our years of friendship.”

Here is what caught my eye when I opened the old songbook.

March 8, 1959. I would be born eight months later. Still an unknown surprise, I was in the earliest stages of being knit together in the secret place, wonderfully and fearfully made.

I picture Grandpa Bradley in the Somers Congregational Church choir loft, holding his Pilgrim Hymnal and singing, “O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter in the stormy blast, and our eternal home.”

It seems that this world is in even more need of God’s help than it was back in 1959. But I have just as much hope for my grandchildren in the years to come as he must have had for me.

Someday, in our eternal home, maybe Grandpa and I will sing a duet.

No Doubt About It

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Here’s a Bible verse you don’t see on coffee cups:

“When they saw him,
they worshiped him;
but some doubted.”
Matthew 28:17

The disciples saw Jesus arrested, crucified, dead and buried. No doubt about it.

A few days later they saw him alive, eating fish, poofing through walls, talking and laughing. For days and days (40, to be exact) Jesus “gave many convincing proofs that he was alive.” (Acts 1:3)

Still, some doubted.

But that didn’t really matter.
Their reluctance to believe,
their hesitation to accept the inconceivable,
their skepticism in light of what they saw with their eyes—
didn’t change the truth.

Jesus didn’t see their uncertainties and say, “Well, I guess this isn’t going to work after all. You all should go back to your fishing boats and I’ll go back to heaven. See ya—it’s been fun.”

Oh no.

Instead, despite their lack of faith, Jesus said,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Your doubts can’t stop My plan for the world.

He said, “Go and make disciples.”
Your doubts can’t thwart My purpose for you.

He said, “I will be with you always.”
Your doubts can’t hinder My Presence.

Do you have doubts?
Me, too.
It’s ok.
The truth still stands.

He is with us always.
No doubt about it.

Put that on a coffee cup.

Time for the Ordinary

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I like the rhythm of the church calendar and the seasonal celebrations that go with it. Those meaningful markers provide a framework that shapes the days, weeks and months of the year. Advent, in December, prepares us to enter into the Nativity story. In March or April we observe Lent, focusing on the cross, which leads up to Easter and the triumph of the empty grave. In May, we rejoice in the Ascension of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

But what about now?
What high and holy day is next?

According to the 2024 liturgical calendar, May 20th through November 30th marks a season called “Ordinary Time.”

Ordinary Time.

It turns out that this season is the longest, which seems fitting.

So many of our days are routine, unremarkable, commonplace.

Could Ordinary Days be the best days of all?

No gifts to buy, no decorations to create, no traditions to uphold.

No cut-out cookies, no chocolate bunnies, no hustle and bustle.

Instead,

a day to wake up and walk in the early morning air,

a day to make some sandwiches and wash some dishes,

a day to pull some weeds and arrange some flowers,

a day to love some people and serve some brothers and sisters,

a day to laugh or cry or wait or move,

a day to lift my eyes and and listen for trumpet sound —

any ordinary day in Ordinary Time can become extraordinary.

Welcome to Ordinary Time, my friends!

Celebrate this extraordinary day!

Take your everyday, ordinary life—
your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—
and place it before God as an offering.  
Romans 12:1
The Message

My Tambourine

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I had a brief career in dance.

My mother took me to lessons every week in Mrs. Baxter’s basement.
She paid for the tutu, the tap shoes, and the tambourine.
I learned the shuffle-ball-change step and memorized the routine.

But when recital day came,
I refused to go on stage.

While my friends were lining up behind the curtain for the performance, my mother whisked me outside for a breath of fresh air and to dry some tears. She tried to convince me that I would be fine up there in the bright lights with a gymnasium full of people watching, but I stomped my little tap shoe on the parking lot blacktop and shook my head (and my tambourine). Then we got in the car and drove home.

There was no more talk of lessons after that,
officially ending my dance career at the age of five.

Somehow, that tambourine stayed with me through the years. It ended up in the dress-up box my children played with, along with my tutu. (I’ll spare my son the embarrassment of posting an adorable picture of him in the tutu.)

What prompted this traumatic memory?
I read Exodus 15 this week.

“Then the prophetess Miriam, Aaron’s sister,
took a tambourine in her hand,
and all the women came out following her
with tambourines and dancing.”
Exodus 15:20

Dear Miriam.

Moses and Aaron’s big sister was among the Hebrew slaves who left Egypt in haste, not taking time to let their bread rise. The people grabbed what they could and got out quick, before Pharaoh changed his mind again. As Miriam gathered up a few things, she saw her tambourine and thought, “I’m going to need that someday.” So she stuffed it in her bag and carried it with her as she walked between the Red Sea walls of water. Then she watched as the walls collapsed on the Egyptian army. In awed silence, the Hebrew people stood on the shore—safe and free and delivered.

Miriam knew what to do.
She picked up her tambourine and gave it a mighty shake.
She did a victory dance and sang, “He has triumphed gloriously!”
Evidently, she told all her girlfriends to pack their tambourines as well.
The ladies led the people in songs of worship.

There’s a beautiful truth here.
When you’re in the midst of chaos and in great need of deliverance—
when the enemy is in hot pursuit and you seem to be cornered—
when your only way out is through an unfamiliar path—
don’t forget to bring along your tambourine.

Someday you’ll need it.
You will dance again.