Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat

Posted on by

Long before Yosemite Sam came up with the phrase “Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat!” there was an actual person named Jehoshaphat. He was king of Judah from 873 BC to 848 BC. There is no record of him doing any jumping.

In a long line of no-good, terrible, very-bad kings, Jeho stands out as a pretty-good, decent, not-too-bad leader of Judah. Not perfect, but better than most.

When King Jehoshaphat heard that a huge enemy army was approaching, he was shook. But instead of having a melt-down, he “resolved to inquire of the Lord” and called for a nation-wide fast. All the people gathered at the temple for a prayer meeting, led by their king. Jeho reminded the people who God was, what God had done for them in the past, and asked for God’s help.

Then Jehoshaphat prayed one of the best prayers in the Bible:
“We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”*

During the prayer meeting, a prophet received a message from the Lord:
“Do not be afraid or discouraged for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

Further instructions were given:
“Take up your positions; stand firm; face the enemy.”

Jehoshaphat had a brilliant idea:
“He appointed singers to praise the Lord at the head of the army.”

Then God had a brilliant plan:
“As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes
and the enemy armies destroyed each other.”

The King knew what to do next:
“Led by Jehoshaphat, they returned joyfully and went to the temple.”

I think maybe he jumped up and down a little bit, too.

I also think maybe we could learn some things from this account.

  • When under stress, resolve to seek the Lord.
  • Ask some people to fast and pray with you.
  • Preach to yourself what you know to be true about God.
  • Go over all the things God has done for you in the past.
  • Stand firm in the armor of God.
  • Put praise out in front.
  • Watch God move in miraculous ways.
  • Go to church and thank Him.
  • Jump up and down.

*Read it for yourself in 2 Chronicles 20.

I’m An Idiot

Posted on by

It’s true.
Are you one, too?
Before you answer that, read on.

“Now when they (the Pharisees) saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13

The Greek word for “untrained” is “idiotes” (id-ee-o’-tace) meaning someone who is an “unlearned, unskilled, common ignoramus.”

When Jesus was building His team of disciples, He didn’t go to the local synagogue to interview the students with the highest grade point averages. Jesus went to the lakeshore and called uneducated, untrained fishermen.

Jesus was looking for “idiotes”—just like me.

I’ve never been to seminary.
I don’t know Greek and Hebrew.
I can’t explain the Trinity or the impassability of God
or why He sometimes uses anthropomorphism to describe Himself.

God is not looking for any old idiot, however. God is looking for regular folks who have been with Jesus. He’s looking for people who will make others around them take note—the kind of followers who may not be the most intellectual, but have Holy-Spirit-wisdom gained from time with Jesus.

Like Peter and John.

Their boldness unnerved the Pharisees and sent them into a panic.
Then those “idiotes” went out and turned the world upside down.


Hands Up

Posted on by

In the church I attended as a little girl with my family, we did not clap our hands, raise our hands or extend the hand of friendship during services. We were good midwestern farm folks who loved God, loved our neighbors, and loved the land.

I heard there were some places of worship where people shouted and danced and rolled in the aisles. My young mind couldn’t imagine that God approved of such behavior in church.

Most of my worship as an adult has been spent at a keyboard, playing hymns and worship songs. In this new season of life, I suddenly find my hands free and I don’t know what to do with them.

Sometimes I get the urge to clap. Once in a while, I feel compelled to open my palms and raise them up, just a little bit.

Then I read this:

“Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.”
Psalm 134:2

“Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.”
Psalm 47:1

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.”
Ecclesiastes 9:10

It seems God not only approves, but heartily encourages—even commands—me to do something with my hands. So, I’m learning (albeit a bit self-consciously) how to lift up my hands…

…like a child reaching up to be embraced by my Heavenly Father—

…like a football fan cheering on my team—

…like a friendly wave to my next door neighbor—

… I will seek to be held by the Father,
… I will cheer on the move of the Spirit,
… I will welcome the presence of the Savior.
I will lift up my hands.

“I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.“
Psalm 63:4

The Voices Behind Me

Posted on by

PB and I sit in the second row from the front most Sundays. Our church is out-growing its small meeting space, so we go early to get our seats. And have coffee. And mingle with people.

The worship team always brings its best. We’ve come to expect top-notch musicianship, outstanding vocals, and deeply meaningful worship. They are incredible.

But it’s not the voices singing from the front of the church that move me.

It’s the voices behind me.

Some weeks I come to worship full of joy—
eager and ready to praise.

Some weeks I drag myself in—
bedraggled and beaten down by the world.

Then we start to sing.

The pros in front nail it, but it’s the untrained, slightly off-key notes wafting up from the back rows that stir my soul. Some other people have had a hard week, too. Some are dealing with bad news. Some are grieving loss. Some are questioning their faith. Some are carrying disappointments.

But they sing.

So I sing, too.

God bless
all the voices behind me.

Through Jesus, therefore,
let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—
the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.
Hebrews 13:15

Minus One, Plus One

Posted on by

Grandkid Lineup 2025

Grandkid #2 was home sick, so we were minus one this year. We missed her!

Grandkid #11 is holding a “?”, so we will be plus one next year. We can’t wait!

Twelve tribes. Twelve disciples. The Twelve. The dirty dozen.

Cousin Camp 2025

Eight of the most interesting, entertaining, delightful people in the universe.

Now you know why I needed August Break.

“If I had known how wonderful it would be to have grandchildren,
I’d have had them first.”
~ Lois Wyse

August Break

Posted on by

I’ve heard that in France
they have a tradition
of taking the whole month of August off.

I think that’s a great idea.

I’m gonna try it.

Au revoir, mes amis!

See you in September!

Hummers

Posted on by

PB put a hummingbird feeder on the kitchen window. The little hummers buzz around like dive-bombers in the back yard, but I wanted a little action in the front window.

I’ve been watching out the window to see what lessons I can learn from these avian wonders.

This little fella was my first sighting.

He didn’t know Who was providing the nectar or how it got there.
He didn’t know his Benefactor was waiting and watching his every move.
He didn’t know how much joy he was bringing to The One on the other side of the glass.

He knew there was nourishment there, free for the taking.
He knew that in order to receive it, he had to stop his constant movement.
He knew something instinctual was beckoning him toward the beautiful, good and true.

“Come all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!”
Isaiah 55:1

“Look at the birds of the air;
they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they?”
Matthew 6:26

Far and Away

Posted on by

Do you know how far it is from the north pole to the south pole?

I’ll tell you how far it is from the north pole to the south pole—
approximately 12,430 miles.

A group of explorers actually made the trip.*
It took them through 42 countries and several oceans over a span of 475 days.

What about the distance from east to west?

That’s harder to calculate.
In fact, it cannot be measured.
There is no east pole or west pole.
The distance from east to west is immeasurable.
And I’m so glad.

David the psalmist wrote, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” Ps. 103:11-12

Even though David had incomplete knowledge of how vast the earth is, the inspired words are completely accurate. If he had written, “as far as the north is from the south, so far does he remove our transgressions from us,” we would be measuring and calculating our standing with God.  

But east from west—that is boundless, bottomless, limitless, measureless.
A forgiven sin is removed far away, beyond our reach.
Which is far and away the best news. 

Now, how high are the heavens above the earth?

*For more about the expedition, see transglobalcar.com

Old Faithful

Posted on by

I have been faithful to PB for over 45 years.

I faithfully fed four children three meals a day over a 20 year span.

I have led women’s Bible studies, helped pull off Vacation Bible Schools and Christmas programs, provided music for funerals and weddings, and made oodles of Tater Tot hotdishes for church potlucks.

I have led a faithful life.
I have loved living a faithful life.

As I get older, I’m finding there is less on my plate,
and that’s a wonderful thing.
PB is perfectly content with scrambled eggs and toast for supper.
I can get a week’s worth of laundry done in an afternoon.
No one is depending on me to organize an event.
It’s a wonderful thing.

But I still want to live a faithful life.

So, here’s the truth:
I don’t post these little reflections every Thursday morning because I think I have anything brilliant to say. I don’t expect my words to go viral or even get noticed. There’s one reason I show up here week after week—it’s an exercise in faithfulness.

Some weeks I spend hours pondering a thought, shaping those thoughts into words, and then revising them over and over. Some weeks I throw it together just before hitting “Publish.”

This self-imposed assignment keeps me thinking, learning, growing. The fact that anybody actually reads it— that’s icing on the cake.

I don’t want to get older and fizzle out.
I want to grow old and be found faithful.
As faithful as Old Faithful.
It’s a wonderful thing.

“When the Son of Man comes,
will He find faith on the earth?”
Luke 18:8