bridges

Shine Where the Lord Places You!

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I am in a big city for a scientific conference – and it is a beautiful city. I am staying in walking distance to the convention center – walking across the beautiful bridges – it is truly amazing how MANY bridges there are! The city shines with light and is a blend of old and new. I know that I have very little time here – but will max out my moments.

With the meeting, I am learning about new-to-me skills and science instrumentation – enjoying sharing and networking – as well as innovations and modernizations. I am appreciative of learning science – and of teaching science – but mostly I think that I am blessed to have a brain and to WANT to use it.

And that is where we have to realize that we are to SHINE where the Lord places us – we have to carry our JOY with us – and tap into it and to tap into the LORD wherever we are – God is EVERYWHERE – so we can go ANYWHERE – and we can especially remember that people are people everywhere – it is not for us to be “what about me” all the time – it is a chance for us to say, “Lord – where do the people need to see YOUR SHINE?”

Well, I’m not here to take over the world – but to BRIDGE to my future – to walk WITH the Lord – and to have PERSERVERENCE in living – and to have STEEL in my bones to stand up strong – and stretch myself.

Of course – thanks to the LORD for His Scriptures which remind us to SHINE wherever we are.

Job 41:32 – “He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.”

Psalms 80:19 – “Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”

Job 37:15 – “Dost thou know when God disposed them, and caused the light of his cloud to shine?”

Psalms 80:3 – “Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”

Numbers 6:25 – “The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:”

Psalms 80:7 – “Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”

Isaiah 60:1 – “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.”

Job 36:32 – “With clouds he covereth the light; and commandeth it not to shine by the cloud that cometh betwixt.”

Psalms 31:16 – “Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies’ sake.”

Psalms 119:135 – “Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes.”

Psalms 67:1 – “(To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm or Song.) God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.”

Job 3:4 – “Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.”

Job 41:18 – “By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.”


Matthew 5:16 – “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Job 22:28 – “Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.”

Job 18:5 – “Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine.”

Matthew 13:43 – “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

Job 11:17 – “And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.”

Philippians 2:15 – “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;”

Psalms 104:15 – “And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.”

Revelation 21:23 – “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”

Psalms 80:1 – “(To the chief Musician upon Shoshannimeduth, A Psalm of Asaph.) Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.”


Daniel 9:17 – “Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.”


2 Corinthians 4:6 –  “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”


Job 10:3 – “Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?”


2 Corinthians 4:4 – “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”


Matthew 17:2 – “And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.”


Daniel 12:3 – “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”


Isaiah 13:10 – “For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.”


Ecclesiastes 8:1 – “Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.”

You Have to Play the Cards Life Gives You.

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Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

I enjoyed the day yesterday, even if I didn’t understand it all. I stepped through it one BINGO number at a time, one moment at a time, one step at a time. I had many moments to think, all day. I had work, worked from home, but first wrote my devotions. Then hit the news of a bridge collapse, BIG one, and videos plus speculation, news conferences etc. Then I shut the news off. I worked on what I could work on. I thought about it occasionally as I stepped through my day, which was blessed ordinary and extraordinary but far from an ordinary day. I worked, laughed, ate, pondered, prodded, purposed, planned, put aside my schedule (which honestly I saw how God cleared curiously for me to be in new places), and pondered again. I had much time to meet up with God moment by moment, which is unusual, and yet always wonder where I misstep. I did feel blessed by my company and moments, even if I didn’t understand them all. Jesus wants us to walk through the day in His Way – listening to Him. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

At lunch I was talking about a bridge between Jesus and us – independent from the earthly bridge that fell down but will be rebuilt – but isn’t that what Jesus experienced? a knock down for the lift up… A fitting Holy Week thought… Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Wrapped up work and took some time off to get the cat to the vet (an ordinary thing on an unordinary day). In the evening it was interesting playing BINGO with my friend at the fire company, just plain fun as a fundraiser, but wow it is WORK! Fast paced and mega boards given. I’ve been here only once before. I mixed myself up a few times. Accidentally, I called BINGO once (it was a coverall nor regular, oops), and I enjoyed the time with my friend. I was an observer of people and their routines, who they knew as regulars and what little things made this a regular scene for many. I enjoyed thinking about my Dad and Mom in our BINGO days growing up catholic and the required work at the fundraiser if you had kids in the school. REQUIRED. My Dad called the numbers maybe once a month and mom sold cards, and I hung out to work the concessions – with those candy bars and glass soda bottles.  Fun but yes a true reflection of how money influences the world. It is a tool – may we always use it wisely. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

It was my Dad’s birthday yesterday too, was I tickled when his birthday showed up? Yes. But was it proving some connections in the universe? Nah, because I already know connectiveness for the universe. I already know life pops up like BINGO numbers, but you don’t always have them on your card and you just try again. I know that with God there are no coincidences. There are some games you sit out, to take a ‘bio-break’ or stretch or take a concession visit. There are some hecklers in fun. There are rules and rituals that are invented and confusing, but most people here understood them. There was lots of money spent and lots of money won. I bought a dollar snack and thought – this is enough. My cards were enough (too much actually). My time was enough. My moment was enough. I felt not stuck in time but sitting inside it and outside it at the same time. I didn’t win BINGO but I didn’t care – I already won life with a good family and with the Good Lord. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

In life – we have ordinary non-ordinary days. Like BINGO, you have to play the cards that life gives you – you have to make the most of it – you have to know Who (God) makes life livable in good and bad – and God is also good at the same time reminding you that life on earth is temporary and worldly. Oh how we bridge to the real life in Heaven? Oh, Jesus. Yes… One day at a time, one number at a time, one step at a time. One Savior always. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Play the cards the Lord gives – and call out to Him for numbering your days… Enjoy Life…

AMEN

Paul to the Colossians 3:1-17

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

It’s All a Blur

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I wanted a photo of a sign that said “No horses on bridge”, but I moved my arm and it’s all a blur photo-wise. Trust me LIFE is all a BLUR too. 

I would know, being old enough and yet young enough that there’s many things that have changed in my mere few decades. To me, my young age sounds like a lot, but it doesn’t feel like a lot. You too? So I say it’s like a blur, but with crisp moments that seem like yesterday and wish would return like tomorrow. (Then again glad others are gone, water under the bridge.)

The bridge. Can you imagine a time someone would have walked a team of horses across this rennovated but once 1800’s metropolitan country-ish bridge, between cities now, or be tempted to cross even with car traffic because this bridge was then and now convenient? Can you imagine a time someone would have owned horses for transportation and work let alone pleasure, or would have even had a place to go on a horse, would have even had enough time to ride a horse???… I can imagine that for THEN but not for now. Time is a blur.

Look, I didn’t even have time for a proper photo as traffic stopped and then decided to go. Another time I had plenty of time stuck in the middle of the bridge for a day photo of the awesome trusses. Every rush hour this FREE (once toll) bridge is packed. Trust me the horses would have had a faster crossing on foot on the sidewalk! No, no one walks across on the sidewalk anymore either! And I’m old enough and young enough to say “Remember when people walked to work, school, groceries?”… yeah life’s a blur. 

Bumpy rides seem smoother in hindsight.

I crossed the bridge driving my daughter to and from her internship. I loved the time chatting in the car, backed up traffic or not. I appreciated the time making the most out of Christmas, open and closed in a short month,  I’m holding onto it longer, to appreciate one day at a time because that’s all I could handle and because we ALL don’t know about tomorrow let alone next year. Lord willing yes or no, just go with the flow. 

So, also this week I was picking up my outside knocked-over neon nativity decorations after a windy wet storm. There was a ten dollar bill blown up the hill, sitting in front of a king! Wow, a king that delivers! And I thought what would Jesus’s family have used those gifts for, of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh? Were they symbolic gifts? Practical gifts? Both? And what should I spend this 10 dollars on?! It’s cool, but 10 dollar 50 years ago would have bought a lot more! What would it be in Jesus’s time? Things change. Jesus doesn’t, but times do. I will think about this ten dollars – perhaps it like taxes and toll bridges are needed to be paid and the Lord provides that too (just ask Peter and that fish). Isn’t it good that Jesus paid the price for our toll toiling life bridge to Heaven too?

What doesn’t change? That time moves fast. What shouldn’t change? Our opportunities to say thank You Lord, whether in pain or in peace, it’s JOY in the Journey which fills our praise. 

If we take it one day at a time, we can lock in and focus on the One True Sure LIGHT that is Jesus! We won’t have a blur but will see Him clearly, leading us!

Keep Shining Lord.

Be unblurred.

Amen