PSALM 62

"My soul finds rest in God alone;

my salvation comes from him.

 

Coco Beach, FL

 

PSALM 61

"From the ends of the earth I call to you,

I call as my heart grows faint;

lead me to the rock that is higher than I."

 

 

 

PSALM 60

Once again God's people feel abandoned and left adrift.
Things are not going well for them and they cry out for God's help.
God responds by reminding them of his steadfast commitment to them.
They declare their confidence in his power to rescue them.

Even in the midst of our struggles, are we willing to declare
only God can bring us through? Oh of course he will employ us and
others to bring victory, but Christ is all sufficient to sustain and supply
our needs even in the darkness.

Picture: moonlight at Coco Beach

PSALM 59

"You are my strength, I sing praise to you;

You, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely."

 

I caught a man doing push ups on Coco Beach, FL

 

 

PSALM 58 A WARNING TO THE NATIONS

King David's warning and prayer ring true today!

"Do you rulers speak justly?

Do you judge uprightly?"

Or do your devise injustice and spew violence on the earth?

O Lord, let those rulers with evil intent

 vanish like water that flows away,

when they lift up weapons may they fail,

May they be like a slug melting away as it moves along.

Beware, there is a God who judges the earth.

 

 

Athens, Greece in 2002

 

 

PSALM 57

David is huddled in a small cave with his loyal soldiers, hiding from the hard pursuit of his enemy King Saul. It might seem like the cave was a prison, but instead David writes:

"Have mercy on me O God for in you my soul takes refuge.

I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings

until the disaster has passed."

My heart is steadfast... I will sing and make music to to God

 

David's cave was God's way of protecting him.

Where is God in your tough place?

Could the circumstances be the means of God's grace?

 

Wyoming

 

 

PSALM 56

"When I am afraid, I will trust in you."

 

Midnight in Strabane, PA

 

PSALM 55

"Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!

I would fly away and be at rest.

I would hurry to my place of shelter,

far from the tempest and storm."

Even though evil attacks me...

"As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me." 

"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you.."

 

Not a dove, but Great Heron, Safety Harbor, FL

 

PSALM 54

What would a sacrificial, freely given, offering look like? And why would we even want to do take the time to even think about it? Well lets see... everything about us is a gift from God...even in our worst moments, God's love is offered to us... Christ's life and death and resurrection were designed to give us a forever LIFE ... So how does one say thanks?

Freely = you are not forced to give and you don't expect anything back
Sacrificial = It costs you something... time, energy, resources

Examples: Give a % of your income away... spend time with a lonely person... set appointments in your calendar for time with God and his Word... stand up to a bully... defend the poor ... feed the hungry... YOU GET THE IDEA... I desire  thanksgiving to be more than a few words on FB... I want to live a thankful lifestyle!

Here is Cathy giving her time and talent to enhance her Church's campus.

PSALM 53

"Fools say in their hearts, "There is no God."

 

"God looks down from heaven on the human race

to see if there is any who understand, any who seek God."

 

Foohish or Wise? It is up to you!

A Disney Resort window view

 

PSALMS 52

Listen to this description of a poor soul:

"Here now is the one who did not make God his stronghold

but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!"

Then the song goes on to further describe him:

 

He is a disgrace in the eyes of God

He practices deceit and plots destruction

Loves evil rather than good, loves falsehood rather then truth

 

"Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin."

 

May we all place our trust in God and follow God's ways.

 

When at a funeral service near Uniontown,PA this old house caught my attention.

 

 

 

 

PSALM 51

If someone knows about falling into the pit of sin, it would be King David... adultery, lies, murder, abuse of power and betrayal... all in short span of time. But when confronted by a friend, he collapsed into a heap of repentance and confession. Psalm 51 is his confessional prayer. David then turned to God's faithfulness and mercy and knew God was more than able to forgive him, not because of who David was, but because of who God is.

Sinner David claimed God's willingness to remove his guilt and shame... in fact his prayer sought God's action to cleanse and wash him to be whiter than snow.

Here is Yellowstone's Grand Canyon in June... the snow still covers part of the canyon.

PSALM 50

"The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets."

"Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

Sounds pretty simple to me!

Sunset over Wyoming

PSALM 49

Here is a loud wake up call! Addressed to the poor and rich- all of us will die and our riches will not follow us to the grave or insure eternity for us. "No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him- the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough..." The Psalm makes it quite clear that those who only trust in themselves will perish like the beasts of the field.

But those who put their confidence in God...God will redeem their life from the grave; he will surely take him to himself. And Christ who is indeed fully human but also fully God becomes the only one qualified to pay that costly price of redemption for us. Thanks be to God!

Rev Robert Durand was a man of faith with clay feet. As my pastor he taught me to value my humanity all the while aspiring to live out an authentic Christ centered lifestyle. In death Bob Durand is certainly present with the Lord.

PSALM 48

What a time to read about the Holy City of God!  Tonight Israel is calling up 70,000 troops for her conflict with Palestine ... Bombs have hit close to Jerusalem... the world is tense waiting to see what will happen!  How do we interpret this Psalm?

"Great is the Lord... in the city of our God, his holy mountain. It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth."

 

Pope John Paul said when he visited Jerusalem, "this city belongs, not to any one nation, but to God."



 

The New Testament tells us that God has a new dwelling place... "and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." God's dwelling place is within every follower of Jesus Christ. Mount Zion has become the church of Jesus Christ.

 

May God's peace be upon Israel and Palestine.

PSALM 47

Time to get crazy! ...Kick up our heels... let out a shout! {No I am not talking about football.} I'm talking about showing a little graditude and excitement for the God who loves us!

"Clap your hands...

shout to God with cries of joy...

Sing praises to God

who is the King of all the cosmos..."

 

 

Here is Orlando Presbyterian Church giving it up for Christ!

 



 

 

PSALM 46

There are some scripture passages that just need to be memorized! And here we go: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. ...Therefore we will not fear...God Almighty is with us..." No matter what trouble stalks you today, call out to Christ for he is your help and strength!

"Come and see the works of the Lord..." Here is an adolescent Moose grazing along the river's willow trees with the Grand Tetons in the background. The same God who created all of this, certainly has the power and will to help you through this day!

PSALM 45

Somehow in all my years of reading the Bible, I missed the significance of this Psalm! It is a stirring benediction for a wedding and one that may surprise you. The Groom is described as excellent, anointed, blessed forever, clothed with splendor and majesty, a defender of truth, humility and righteousness... his throne will be eternal! Who is this groom? Well of course it refers to a king living at the time the Psalm was written, but the New Testament clearly refers to Christ as a bridegroom. Here we have a foreshadowing of the promised Messiah. But who is the bride, who is described as a beauty, glorious and wearing a garment with gold? Again the New Testament gives the answer- The Church is Christ's Bride! PS 45 calls the Bride "to forget your people and your father's house", in other words cleave to Christ above all else. Interesting thought, have you broken your vows to Christ? Trust me he has not broken his vow to us.



Bride at Notre Dam

PSALM 44

"We have heard with our ears, O God;

our fathers have told us what you did in their days.."

 

Generation to generation telling God stories ...not only the Biblical stories but also our own encounters with the living Christ... that's our job as parents!

 

A little horseplay at Granny's home...Emma, Daddy, Jake and Luke with Mom and Granny closely observing :-)

 

PSALM 43

There are two ways to look at this short poem: 1. The writer seems quite depressed and in anguish as he cries out to God ..."Why have you rejected me?" ... Why is my soul downcast? 2. But in the middle of his lament, you find his declaration of faith...God will rescue him, God is his stronghold, light, truth and guide. He knows all this because of the way God worked in this life over the years. And he knows God will yet work in his life...God will be his joy and delight.
But for right now, life sucked! And he wasn't afraid to tell God just that!

If your life is downcast at the moment... take a line or two from Psalm 43... Let God show his faithfulness and wisdom and yes even joy!

Here is Fort Mackinaw on Mackinaw Island in Michigan ...indeed a stronghold!

PSALM 42

"As a deer pants for streams of water, my soul pants for you, O Lord.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When can I go and meet with God?

 

Could it be that the person you work next too, is thirsting for God?... Maybe a guy on your bowling team, or a neighbor next door, or even your best friend?... Are you willing to offer a cup of water ... offer to pray for someone ... suggest God's love is available to everyone ... invite them to worship with you... God sends us out to bring water and life to those around us.

 

Can you find the deer?





PSALM 41

What outcomes!...delivered from trouble, protection, blessed in the land, healing, restoration... and what brings these blessings to our lives? Righteousness? Money in the bank? Moral purity? You may be very surprised at God's answer..."Blessed are those who have regard for the weak.." Whether a nation or a family, we will be judged by the way we care for the vulnerable, the powerless the weak among us.

taken near Safety Harbor, FL

PSALM 40

Do our friends know our favorite football team or who we voted for in the election? My guess is "yes." But do your friends know about your experiences with God in your life? David's relationship with God was an open book to an entire nation! God ..."lifted me out of the slump pit ... he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand."
And he proclaimed it to all who would hear, "I do not hide your righteousness in my heart, I speak of your faithfulness and salvation, I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly." God asks us to be signposts - telling the world where they can find Jesus!

Photo taken in mountains near Durango, CO

This week's viewership

United States	71
United Kingdom	14
China	2
South Korea	2
Germany	1
Malaysia	1
Ukraine	1

PSALM 39


We need to get over ourselves! We are like a speck of dust in the grand cosmos...here today and gone tomorrow! "...let me know how fleeting is my life... the span of my years is as nothing before you... Each man's life is but a breath. He heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it {when he dies}.But now, Lord what do I look for? My hope is in you." Knowing who holds your life and where you will spend eternity, frees us from fear of death and allows us to truly LIVE this life to the fullest...all the while knowing Christ provides.



This will be the final resting place of my ashes at Birmingham Cemetery,
West Chester Pa. But this will NOT be my home! God has something exciting in store for this ol' broad in the life to come!

PSALM 38

In the Hebrew mind, we are a whole being; mind, body and spirit. In today's Psalm, David illustrates that belief. When he is overwhelmed with his sin, he describes his pain: "My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly...my back is filled with searing pain' there is no health in my body. I am feeble and utterly crushed..."
Filled with guilt yet fully relying on God's grace to forgive him, he opens his heart to God.

Remember this- our forgiveness does not depend on us, but on God's unconditional grace.

PSALM 37

That's right two posts today on Psalm 37! "If the Lord delights in a man's way he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand." God's got your back!

The Otter family took me for a walk in the Colorado Mountains. 

 

PSALM 37

Instead of giving the standard lame advice of "Don't worry. Be happy"... David offers some significant instruction when worry and anxiety raise an ugly head in our lives. "Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture."  Not only turn away from fear,  but turn to God, do something worthwhile for someone else  and dwell in your home... that means get your butt in gear and take care of your house and yard! Do laundry...wash dishes... make your bed... pay your bills, clean a closet, buy a new plant for the bedroom, walk your dog or care for your garden. And while you are  tending to your life, PRAY.

My summer garden in PA.

PSALM 36

When you look at all the "heroes" of today...those who make big bucks and are spread out over the covers of magazines... you realize how brittle they really are....character flaws, questionable ethics and self absorbed. Compare them to the following description of God:
"Your love O Lord, reaches to the heavens,your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep".... You give "drink from your river of delights." 

If you are looking for a hero to worship and follow after, you can do no better than God in Jesus Christ...loving, faithful, righteous and life giving.

Cluster State Park, SD

PSALM 35

I must admit, this is a very painful Psalm for me. It describes the wounds of a leader...wounds from those who are in opposition to the leader and far deeper wounds from those who were part of the leader's inter-circle... "They repay me evil for good and leave my soul forlorn. Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting"... I prayed for them, suffered along with them in their trials and they returned my kindness with slander. "When I stumbled, they gathered in glee; attackers gathered against me when I was unaware."

David ends this song with "The Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant." This week, for the first time in my ministry, a Church leader called me and asked, "How are you? How is your apartment? How is it going with your family? Is it going alright with your colleagues in the Presbytery? Are you really doing OK?"  How refreshing! Have you encourged your pastor in the last month? And by the way, I am feeling very blessed!

PSALM 34

Are you having doubts about God? Doubts about his ability to bring healing and hope to your life? Look up this Psalm and read David's witness to the power of God at work in his life. Then he teases you with this, "Taste and see that the Lord is good..." Give Jesus Christ a try...trust him with one aspect of your life ... step out in faith and see what happens!

Dessert at the Gaylord Palms Hotel Yum!

PSALM 33

Why is it we can make fools of


Peter and Luke at Penn State game

ourselves at football games...yelling,   clapping, doing the wave,
but we restrict ourselves to quiet small expressions of thanks and praise to God?

"Sing joyfully to the Lord ...
Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy."