Psalm 119:113-120, Samekh

ס Samekh

I hate double-minded people,

    but I love your law.

You are my refuge and my shield;

    I have put my hope in your word.

Away from me, you evildoers,

    that I may keep the commands of my God!

Sustain me, my God, according to your promise, and I will live;

    do not let my hopes be dashed.

Uphold me, and I will be delivered;

    I will always have regard for your decrees.

You reject all who stray from your decrees,

    for their delusions come to nothing.

All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross;

    therefore I love your statutes.

My flesh trembles in fear of you;

    I stand in awe of your laws.

Father God, your word is clear about your love and grace, your patience and forgiveness and mercy. I believe this.

But your word is also definite about your hate for evil and unfair treatment of people.

Let me hate the evil and unfairness you hate, and teach me to offer your mercy and grace to those around me.

Flash's Story

My husband Murray and I are now teaching a braille transcribing class at a women’s correction facility.

This is not for people who are visually impaired, but to train students to produce braille books and other documents for those who do need to read braille.

Braille transcribing is much harder to learn than braille reading. I found this out when I took the transcribing class, after I’d been a braille reader for nearly forty years.

Transcribing has many rules about how to use and not use the different braille symbols, formatting the documents, much more. It is a tough course, and Murray and I appreciate how hard the women in our class are working to accomplish this difficult skill.

Part of what I do is come up with lessons to practice transcribing skills, as well as actual braille documents for the students to read, in order to practice proofreading.

Brailling out these reading practices is a challenge for me. The braille writer I use is similar to a manual typewriter. If I make a mistake toward the end of the page, I have to do the whole page over. I am so tempted to scratch out the mistake and explain it to them, but I want to encourage them to make their documents as perfect as possible.

So, yes, I have started many pages over. I also have to make sure not to use symbols which they haven’t learned yet. All this helps me appreciate the effort the women are putting into their work.

This week my reading practice lesson ended up being a story about my Mom’s dog, Flash. Next time I see Flash, I need to thank him for giving me material for a lesson.

Flash is the name of my mother’s dog.

His favorite day is Sunday because my brother Rodney brings treats.

When Mom leaves the house she says, “Flash, stay here; you’re in charge.”

The cats know now that Flash is old, he won’t eat their food.

When he was younger, he used to jump on everyone who came near.

Sometimes he ran so fast to jump on Mom, she feared he might knock her down.

He still takes his work seriously and barks every time we drive up.

My brother Jim gave Flash to my father as a puppy, and he brought Daddy joy for many days.

Those are some sweet memories I have, thinking of Daddy with his dog.

Mom never has been a real pet lover. “Dogs and cats need to stay out of the house,” she said. But I know she likes going out on the front porch to talk to old Flash.

Grace and Truth: John 8:1-11

The gospel of John is my favorite book of the bible, and here in chapter 8 is one of my favorite passages.

The Jewish leaders brought a woman caught in adultery to where Jesus was in the temple and asked if he thought they should stone her, as Moses said.

They didn’t care about the woman breaking the law. What they wanted was to trap Jesus, so they would have a reason to accuse him.

He was not threatened.

He said whoever had never sinned could throw the first stone, then he quietly went back to what he was doing.

They didn’t like Jesus, but his words convicted them. Every one of them left.

Jesus was left alone with the woman, the only one who rightfully could have stoned her.

But he said, “Then neither do I condemn you.”

Jesus was so calm during this interaction. The men must have been shouting; the woman was probably crying.

But Jesus, steady and unruffled, offered her hope for a new life. Uncondemned. And with confidence, he told her she could lead a life without sin.

She had probably given up on herself and her ability to lead a clean life.

And it wouldn’t be easy. Jesus knew that. He knows that for us too. But he is confident we can do it with his help.

Verses 9-11: At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Matthew 11:28-30:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,

for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

A Few Good Authors

Over the last year, I’ve written down names for some authors which have been new to me. I recommend these for an enjoyable time of reading. Faith, humor, suspense, mystery, romance—a great mixture.

Cathy Gohlke, Saving Amelie; Until we find home;

Stories of history, suspense and romance in World War II Europe.

Virginia Smith, Dr. Horatio vs. the Six-Toed Cat;

One of a series of family and community stories in Goose Creek Kentucky.

Jen Turano, After a Fashion;

1880s New York City. A story which takes you from rat-infested slums to a high society ball. The journey is fast and hysterical.

Dani Pettrey, Blind Spot;

Fast-paced romantic suspense.

Brandilyn Collins, Brink of Death;

Mystery and suspense.

Lisa Hauser and Dale Smith, Father-daughter writing team, Turn Back Time; Sunshine and shadow;

Story of a coal mining community in Kentucky during the Depression. Mystery, crises in the mines, family and community struggles and joys.

Sweet Memories: They still give me Butterflies in My Stomach

March 17, 1994: Yesterday, Caleb told us that when he grew up, he wanted to buy a ship. "I will tell the sailors to take it out into the deep ocean where there are sharks, so the people can see the sharks and tell me what they look like."

Right after midnight this morning, Rebecca knocked on our door. "Mommy, Sarah wants you to come in and lay down with her." Murray, figuring that Rebecca wanted something also, asked, "And what do you want?" "I want her to stop crying so I can go back to sleep," Rebecca replied.

Some friends were playing over today, and the little boy was playing with the girls' jewelry. Sarah didn't want him to, so his mother told him, "That's their private business." Sarah said assuredly, "No it isn't, it's just jewelry.”

Tonight, Rebecca and Ping-Hwei were playing Scrabble. Rebecca said, "I'll go first." Ping-Hwei said, "No, me." Rebecca answered him, "No, Ping-Hwei, I'm the little one."

March 25, 1997: The other day Sarah was asking me questions about Jerusalem, and then she said, "Is that where our God died?"

March 25, 1997: Tonight Rebecca and Caleb sat with Murray during a church service. The lesson was on forgiveness and the preacher, making the point that we all have difficulties in our pasts, asked the rhetorical question, "Who has perfect parents?" Rebecca and Caleb raised their hands.

March 26, 1997: Before the church service tonight, Murray wandered away to talk to someone. When he came back to the kids, Sarah was sitting on the lap of our friend Brenda, who had her hands around Sarah's waist. Brenda said, "She climbed up here by herself. Then she took my hands, put them around her, and said, 'My mommy puts her hands like this.' "Brenda, who doesn't have little girls anymore, looked pretty pleased.

March 28, 1997: Rebecca looked at the shopping list tonight, and said, "You put an 'e' on the end of tomato, and that's not good, so I'm circling it."

March 30, 1997: Sarah wanted to sit on Kathy's lap the other evening because, she said, "My forehead hurts." "I'm sorry," Kathy responded, "when did your forehead start hurting?" Sarah answered, "A few days ago."

April 6, 1997: On the way to church this morning, the kids were discussing heaven. "You can eat all you want there, and it won't give you a stomach ache," said Caleb. Rebecca responded, "Yes, you do get stomach aches, but you laugh at them."

We had dinner tonight at a restaurant with many people from our church. Murray wanted Sarah to come 3 or 4 seats over to sit next to him and told her, "Sarah, there's a chair right next to me." She said, "Well, I'm already in a chair."

Caleb told Kathy today, "When I shake my hands (and arms), I can hear something shaking in there."

Tonight, Ping-Hwei looked at the return address portion of a letter Murray wrote (Murray just uses street address and zip code), and said with concern, "No Murray McKinsey."

April 9, 1997: Yesterday Sarah was playing with the Mr. Potato Head game, and she got out the sheet of paper from the game which shows which accessories to put into which heads. She told me that when she was making the potato heads, "I obeyed the recipe."

Caleb had a program at school last night, and they were supposed to dress nicely. He told me, talking about a girl in his class, "Mercedes said she was going to go home and change herself into a dress."

April 11, 1997: Last night Sarah told Murray, "You can't take your seat belt off till the car stops rumbling."

The Love Holiday

Father God, thank you for the words of love you’ve given me to remember this Valentine’s Day.

Psalm 86:5

O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.

2 Timothy 1:7

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control.

1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.

For fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love.

Psalm 116:1-2

I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy.

Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!

1 Peter 4:8

Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.

Amos 5:14-15

Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live!

Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed.

Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice.

Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of his people.

Psalm 103: 8 and 13:

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

John 3:16-17: 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

1 John 4: 10-11: This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Father God, you show us such love to forgive us. You become our tender Father. You teach us to love each other and to love what is good.

1 Corinthians 13: 8A: Love never fails.

Grace and Truth, John 7:25-53

There was much division among the people about Jesus, with the common Jews, and even among the leaders.

Some in the crowds were confused, knowing Jesus was the one the leaders wanted to kill. Others believed in him because of his miracles. Jesus bravely declared He’d been sent by God.

Verses 28-29: Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”

The Pharisees sent to have Jesus arrested, but he boldly promised that the Holy Spirit would be given to anyone who chose to follow him.

Verses 37-39: On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

The people continued to be confused, and though some wanted to arrest him, because of his power, they were not able to at this time. Jesus was able to choose that time.

The leaders were only brave enough to scoff at Jesus and his believers among themselves, but Nicodemus, one of them, was willing to stand up and defend the truth.

Verses 50-51: Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

In John chapter 3, Nicodemus was not so brave. But with Jesus’ grace, he grew to have that courage.

Lord, help me to be brave for you, like Nicodemus.