Thought for April 7

 History:

  • 1724: Bach's "St. John's Passion" premiers
  • 1805: Beethoven conducts the premier of "Eroica"
  • 1805: Lewis & Clark leave Fort Mandan, ND [Jan and I follwed the trail from St. Louis to Fort Clapsot]
  • 1902: Texas Oil Company formed--Texaco
  • 1940: First postage stamp with African American--Booker T Washington
  • 1948: World Health Organization formed
  • 1963: Jack Nicklaus wins first of six Masters
  • 2003: US troops capture Baghdad
  • Born: William Wordsworth, Walter Camp [father of American football], Ole Kirk Christiansen [founded LEGO], Walter Winchell, Percy Faith, Billie Holiday, Ravi Shankar, James Garner, Daniel Ellsberg [Pentagon Papers], Wayne Rogers, David Frost, Francis Ford Coppola, Jackie Chan, Tony Dorsett, Russell Crowe
  • Died: PT Barnum, Henry Ford, Johnny Hart [BC and Wizard of ID comics], George Nissen [invented trampoline], Mike Wallace, John Prine
Thought:
Reading Luke 10:40 this morning. Jesus has come to visit Mary and Martha. Verse 39 tells us Mary "was listening to the Lord's word, seated at His feet." Verse 40 tells us that Martha was "distracted with all her preparations." This is speaking to me today. As most of you know, I teach [well, I lead] a Sunday School class each week. I try to be prepared for the lesson---read the scripture, read commentaries, study maps, cross reference passages, look up words and people. But this passage reminds me that sometimes I may get so involved in preparing that I miss the Lord's voice. This made me think about my daily walk.

Do I get so involved with preparing for worship that I can't hear the Lord speak? Do I get so involved with all the details of church, the greeting, the parking, the socializing that I miss what Jesus has to say? Today, will I devote so much thought to planning and preparing and doing that I can't listen? In the South, we sometimes will say, "I'm fixin' to get ready." Is that what I do in my spiritual walk?

Makes me think about my grandchildren. Do I spend so much time planning things to do with them and doing things with them that I forget to be with them? The event, the game, the play consume all my attention and thoughts--but I don't listen to what Thomas and Julianne are saying. Maybe the question is do I get so busy doing life that I miss life. No time to enjoy, reflect, ponder. No time to sit and watch and  listen. Am I so busy doing the things that Christians ought to do that I miss the Christ? 

Jesus went away alone to be with the Father. Lord, help me spend time just with You--listening for Your words, knowing Your heart, resting in Your presence. 

Blessings
Larry


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thought for July 19

History: 1553: Lady Jane Gray deposed after 9 days 1692: 5 people hung during Salem Witch Trials 1848: First women's rights convention -Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Wesleyan Chapel at Seneca Falls NY 1910: Cy Young wins his 500th game 1941: US Army flying school at Tuskegee AL dedicated 1945: USS Cod saves 51 sailors from Dutch sub--only sub-to-sub rescue 1957: Firing of first rocket with nuclear warhead-Nevada 1984: Geraldine Ferraro is first major party female VP candidate 1996: Olympics open in Atlanta 2007: Madmen debuts 2018: Duck Boat sinks in Table Rock Lake killing 17 Born: Samuel Colt, Edgar Degas [painter], Lizzie Borden, Charles Mayo [Mayo Clinic], George McGovern, Al Haig, George Hamilton IV, Vikki Carr, Ilie Nastase, Stuart Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch,  Died: Syngman Rhee [President South Korea], Clyde Beatty [circus animal trainer], Mary Jo Kopechne [passenger with Ted Kennedy], Jack Warden, Frank McCourt [Angela's Ashes], James Garner, Garry Marshall
Read more

Thought for November 23, 2023

Happy Thanksgiving!  1664: Blaise Pascal is converted following a vision. He wrote the date and time of his conversion and said, "Fire. The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. Not of philosophers and intellectuals. Certitude, certitude, joy, peace. The God of Jesus Christ." Laid the foundation for the law of probabilities; genius in hydrodynamics and hydrostatics developing Pascal's principle of pressure; taught the experience of God through the heart rather than reason; mathematician and philosopher. 1783: Annapolis Maryland becomes U.S. Capitol until June 1784 1863: Patent for making color photographs granted 1889: First jukebox debuts in Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco 1897: Pencil sharpener patented 1904: Summer Olympics in St. Louis close [1st Olymics in U.S.] 1921: President Harding signs an Act prohibiting doctors from prescribing beer or liquor for medicinal purposes 1923: Cecil B. DeMille's first "The Ten Commandments" premiers
Read more

Thought for April 5, 2024

1722: Easter Island discovered 1792: First Presidential veto 1815: Mt. Tambora erupts. Largest eruption ever witnessed. Created year without summer in 1816--frost and snow in North America in June and July. Largest part of eruption on April 10th. Killed 10,000 in initial blast.  1906: Mt. Vesuvius erupts killing 100 1923: Firestone begins producing inflatable tires 1936: Tupelo almost completely destroyed by a tornado--216 die 1972: Baseball strike costs 86 games 2063: On "Star Trek", earth has its first contact with the Vulcan species Born: Thomas Hobbes, Joseph Lister, Booker T Washington, Spencer Tracy, Bette Davis, Gregory Peck, Arthur Hailey. Gale Storm, Frank Gorshin, Colin Powell, Pharrell Williams Died: Robert Raikes [Sunday School], Douglas MacArthur, Howard Hughes, Abe Fortas, Sam Walton, Allen Ginsberg, Saul Bellow, Charlton Heston, Honor Blackman Thought: Reading Daniel 1:5-7 this morning. Continuing with the thoughts about Nebuchadnezzar's plan. Having brough
Read more