Here’s a few forgotten images. A bridge.
A biker.
A reflection.
Looking up.
Forgotten Ones
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Perfection
Been thinking about perfection. I always try to be perfect at my job—house painting. And at my publishing—getting things just right. But at other things like house cleaning, I know I am not too perfect at. My driving could use some improvement too.
I’m going through a real tragedy right now. The title of my new book is not perfectly centered. It’s driving me up the wall. And if I want to fix it, it will take two or three weeks for the approval process to go through. Should I fix it or just leave it be imperfect? Will anybody really notice—or care? Probably not, except me. Funny, that’s the same with my painting. If I make a small mistake nobody will notice except me—unless I point it out.
Some people are so meticulous at house cleaning and at the way they look. Everything looks perfect. But those same people might not be so perfect in their thoughts—in their moral purity. For them it’s all a matter of what people see. I think this is true for me too. People will see my book covers and my paint job, but they can’t see my heart. But God sees my heart and He is very concerned about what I think. All my sins are against Him. And that is the greatest tragedy!
How will I clean up my heart, make my heart more perfect? That was the concern and the prayer David had. He knew he had sinned against God and he knew his heart was unclean. So, he prayed for a clean heart (Ps 51).
Only God can clean our heart and make us more perfect, because he is perfect. He is absolutely perfect in every way. And some day—after daily washings—we will be so clean and perfect just like Him. No worries then. All will be right. Perfect.
Update: Working and Publishing
I haven’t been blogging lately because I have a job going–getting out early and too tired to do anything after work. And the days have been hot and humid. But I don’t want to complain. It’s good to be working, making money. But today, Saturday, I have free and back again.
I have a new book coming out soon–probably in September. The title is THE TRIBULATION. I’m going through the publication process now. I self-publish all my books (with the help of Lulu.com). Please look for it; and also please pray for the process of publishing to go smoothly.
That’s all for now.
Beautiful Wonders
Inspired By The Things That I Relate To
I usually get a newspaper everyday before I go to breakfast. There isn’t much that I am interested in—except the comics and sports. For comics, Garfield is good—I can relate to his attitude, especially on Mondays. There is usually always something I like in the sports pages. It is so inspiring to read about players who are on the mend from an injury or from a slump. Today I read an article on the wrestler Gable Stevenson—how good he is doing. I can relate to him because I was a wrestler in high school, and I know what it takes to be a good wrestler. Then I also read about the Minnesota Twins baseball player Max Kepler, how he is coming back from a slump and about some very positive things Byron Buxton said about him.
Baseball it seems is mostly a mental game and thinking positively about ourselves. And it’s about the little things, like seeing the ball and hitting the ball…See the ball, hit the ball!
In many ways that’s life. It’s all about whether we see the ball of life clearly. If we don’t we will strike out every time. Life is also about picking ourselves up when we are down, and having the positive attitude and vision that we are going to get back in the game and do well.
And I love to see how all the players are doing better because they have been talking to each other and encouraging each other. And that is so necessary for all of us. No one is an island. We all need each other.
What it Means to Pray in Jesus’ Name
Just before the end of Jesus’ life on earth He began teaching His disciples to pray in His name. Before this time the concept was unheard of. Prayer was always to the Father but never in Jesus’ name. But all that changed. And it was not a teaching that was taught nonchalantly or casually. In fact, He repeated the teaching over and over again, as to emphasize its importance. Six times, recorded in the gospel of John, He taught the disciples to pray in His name. And each time the teaching was with the promise that they could pray for anything, or for whatever they wished, and their prayer would be answered (Jn. 14:13,14; 15:16; 16:23,24,26). If this was true then, and is still true today (which it is), then there is great power in the right use of His name. We certainly need to know how to pray in…
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According to His Lovingkindness
Reflecting on Psalm 51:1, we see so clearly that the reason why David was so quick to ask God to forgive his great sin with Bathsheba and against Uriah, and ultimately against Him, was because he knew who God was. He knew the greatness of His compassion and love. Too often we linger so long in our sin, thinking that we don’t deserve forgiveness. We may be trying to punish ourselves for a while until we feel more deserving.
But David knew God. He knew the ever-readiness of His compassion. I like the way the NKJV says it:
Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
NKJV
Here it is clear. God’s mercy, and our confession, must be “according to” His lovingkindness, “according to” the multitude of His tender mercies. God is always ready to forgive us. His compassion is always full. Whenever we are ready to ask for His forgiveness. He is ready to give it–in full.
Heron: Hiding in the weeds
This big beautiful Grey Heron was hiding in the weeds. I barely saw him. I had to kind of sneak up closer and closer to get a good picture.
I’m sure he saw me.
These animal are so skittish.
I knew I had to be content with a picture like this–of him hiding in the weeds. Suddenly he flew off.
Why dost Thou stand afar off, O Lord?
Why dost Thou hide Thyself in times of trouble?
Psalm 10:1
The Meaning of Intercession – from Moses
Moses, like Abraham, was a great intercessor. He was the one whom the Lord spoke to face to face just as a man speaks to his friend.
Now when Moses was upon Mount Sinai receiving Gods laws, the people down below concluded that he had died since he had been gone so long. For this reason, they persuaded Aaron to make a golden calf; and they worshiped it, and sacrificed to it; and they corrupted themselves with alcohol and immoral activity. Here is the Scripture reference in Exodus 32:7-14:
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 8 They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it, and have sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god…
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Killdeer
When I first saw this bird and was trying to get its picture, I thought it might be a Roadrunner because of the way it would run very fast on the road and in open spaces in the field. But I found that it is called a Killdeer.
According to Wikipedia, “The killdeer is a large plover found in the Americas. It gets its name from its shrill, two-syllable call, which is often heard. It was described and given its current scientific name in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae. Three subspecies are described.” Wikipedia
Stephen Nielsen 