Benjamin Franklin Autobiography, 1789
Joseph Duplessis [Public domain]
faith
hope
love
love
creative commons 2.0. attribution: dackelprincess, flickr.
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Benjamin Franklin on faith, hope and love: "My belief induces me to hope, though I must not presume, that the same goodness will still be exercised toward me"
"...it would not be altogether absurd if a man were to thank God for his vanity among the other comforts of life. And now I speak of thanking God, I desire with all humility to acknowledge that I owe the mentioned happiness of my past life to His kind providence, which lead me to the means I used and gave them success. My belief of this induces me to hope, though I must not presume, that the same goodness will still be exercised toward me, in continuing that happiness, or enabling me to bear a fatal reverse, which I may experience as others have done; the complexion of my future fortune being known to Him only in whose power it is to bless to us even our afflictions."
Benjamin Franklin Autobiography, 1789
Benjamin Franklin Autobiography, 1789
Friday, December 28, 2018
"No one is good but God alone." Mark 10: 17-18, Luke 18: 18-19
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone."
Mark 10: 17-18
Glory and Praise to Our God by John Michael Talbot - YouTube
Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone."
Mark 10: 17-18
Glory and Praise to Our God by John Michael Talbot - YouTube
image by QuotesEverlasting
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
john 1: 1-18, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.
And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.
And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.
John testified to him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’” From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.
image by Tito & Eva Marie Balangue
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
psalm 95: "Whose hand holds the depths of the earth; who owns the tops of the mountains."
I
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
cry out to the rock of our salvation.
II
Enter, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
we are the people he shepherds,
the sheep in his hands.
III
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
Merry Christmas!
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
cry out to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with a song of praise,
joyfully sing out our psalms.
For the LORD is the great God,
the great king over all gods,
joyfully sing out our psalms.
For the LORD is the great God,
the great king over all gods,
Whose hand holds the depths of the earth;
who owns the tops of the mountains.
The sea and dry land belong to God,
who made them, formed them by hand.
who owns the tops of the mountains.
The sea and dry land belong to God,
who made them, formed them by hand.
II
Enter, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
we are the people he shepherds,
the sheep in his hands.
III
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,
as on the day of Massah in the desert.
There your ancestors tested me;
they tried me though they had seen my works.
Forty years I loathed that generation;
I said: “This people’s heart goes astray;
they do not know my ways.”
I said: “This people’s heart goes astray;
they do not know my ways.”
Therefore I swore in my anger:
“They shall never enter my rest.”
Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
psalm 100: "Know that the LORD is God, he made us, we belong to him, we are his people, the flock he shepherds."
A psalm of thanksgiving.
Shout joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
Shout joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
Know that the LORD is God,
he made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the flock he shepherds.
he made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the flock he shepherds.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name;
his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name;
good indeed is the LORD,
His mercy endures forever,
his faithfulness lasts through every generation.
His mercy endures forever,
his faithfulness lasts through every generation.
Monday, December 17, 2018
psalm 34: "Taste and see that the LORD is good"
I
I will bless the LORD at all times;
One Bread One Body - with lyrics.wmv - YouTube
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be always in my mouth.
My soul will glory in the LORD;
let the poor hear and be glad.
Magnify the LORD with me;
and let us exalt his name together.
II
I sought the LORD, and he answered me,
delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him and be radiant,
and your faces may not blush for shame.
This poor one cried out and the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and he saves them.
Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the stalwart one who takes refuge in him.
Fear the LORD, you his holy ones;
nothing is lacking to those who fear him.
The rich grow poor and go hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
III
Come, children, listen to me;
I will teach you fear of the LORD.
Who is the man who delights in life,
who loves to see the good days?
Keep your tongue from evil,
your lips from speaking lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the LORD are directed toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
The LORD’s face is against evildoers
to wipe out their memory from the earth.
The righteous cry out, the LORD hears
and he rescues them from all their afflictions.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted,
saves those whose spirit is crushed.
Many are the troubles of the righteous,
but the LORD delivers him from them all.
He watches over all his bones;
not one of them shall be broken.
Evil will slay the wicked;
those who hate the righteous are condemned.
The LORD is the redeemer of the souls of his servants;
and none are condemned who take refuge in him.
Psalm 34
Psalm 34
One Bread One Body - with lyrics.wmv - YouTube
image by Sapphire Dream Photography
Sunday, December 16, 2018
psalm 150: Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy sanctuary; give praise in the mighty dome of heaven. Give praise for his mighty deeds, praise him for his great majesty. Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
Praise God in his holy sanctuary;
Give praise for his mighty deeds,
Give praise with blasts upon the horn,
Praise God in his holy sanctuary;
give praise in the mighty dome of heaven.
Give praise for his mighty deeds,
praise him for his great majesty.
Give praise with blasts upon the horn,
praise him with harp and lyre.
Give praise with tambourines and dance,
praise him with strings and pipes.
Give praise with tambourines and dance,
praise him with strings and pipes.
Give praise with crashing cymbals,
praise him with sounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath
give praise to the LORD!
Hallelujah!
praise him with sounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath
give praise to the LORD!
Hallelujah!
psalm 150
image by Tito & Eva Marie Balangue
Monday, December 10, 2018
Sunday, December 9, 2018
psalm 9: "The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble."
For the leader; according to Muth Labben. A psalm of David.
I
I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart;
I will declare all your wondrous deeds.
I will delight and rejoice in you;
I will sing hymns to your name, Most High.
When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish before you.
II
For you upheld my right and my cause,
seated on your throne, judging justly.
You rebuked the nations, you destroyed the wicked;
their name you blotted out for all time.
The enemies have been ruined forever;
you destroyed their cities;
their memory has perished.
III
The LORD rules forever,
has set up his throne for judgment.
It is he who judges the world with justice,
who judges the peoples with fairness.
The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you;
you never forsake those who seek you, LORD.
IV
Sing hymns to the LORD enthroned on Zion;
proclaim his deeds among the nations!
For the avenger of bloodshed remembers,
does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
V
Be gracious to me, LORD;
see how my foes afflict me!
You alone can raise me from the gates of death.
Then I will declare all your praises,
sing joyously of your salvation
in the gates of daughter Zion.
VI
The nations fall into the pit they dig;
in the snare they hide, their own foot is caught.
The LORD is revealed in making judgments:
by the deeds they do the wicked are trapped.
Higgaion. Selah
VII
To Sheol the wicked will depart,
all the nations that forget God.
For the needy will never be forgotten,
nor will the hope of the afflicted ever fade.
Arise, LORD, let no mortal prevail;
let the nations be judged in your presence.
Strike them with terror, LORD;
show the nations they are only human.
psalm 9
Psalm 9, I Will Give Thanks To The LORD (a new musical setting) - YouTube
I
I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart;
I will declare all your wondrous deeds.
I will delight and rejoice in you;
I will sing hymns to your name, Most High.
When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish before you.
II
For you upheld my right and my cause,
seated on your throne, judging justly.
You rebuked the nations, you destroyed the wicked;
their name you blotted out for all time.
The enemies have been ruined forever;
you destroyed their cities;
their memory has perished.
III
The LORD rules forever,
has set up his throne for judgment.
It is he who judges the world with justice,
who judges the peoples with fairness.
The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you;
you never forsake those who seek you, LORD.
IV
Sing hymns to the LORD enthroned on Zion;
proclaim his deeds among the nations!
For the avenger of bloodshed remembers,
does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
V
Be gracious to me, LORD;
see how my foes afflict me!
You alone can raise me from the gates of death.
Then I will declare all your praises,
sing joyously of your salvation
in the gates of daughter Zion.
VI
The nations fall into the pit they dig;
in the snare they hide, their own foot is caught.
The LORD is revealed in making judgments:
by the deeds they do the wicked are trapped.
Higgaion. Selah
VII
To Sheol the wicked will depart,
all the nations that forget God.
For the needy will never be forgotten,
nor will the hope of the afflicted ever fade.
Arise, LORD, let no mortal prevail;
let the nations be judged in your presence.
Strike them with terror, LORD;
show the nations they are only human.
psalm 9
Psalm 9, I Will Give Thanks To The LORD (a new musical setting) - YouTube
image by Tito & Eva Marie Balangue
Friday, December 7, 2018
psalm 30, "At dusk weeping comes for the night; but at dawn there is rejoicing.", city of God
A psalm. A song for the dedication of the Temple. Of David.
I
I praise you, LORD, for you raised me up
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, my God,
I cried out to you for help and you healed me.
LORD, you brought my soul up from Sheol;
you let me live, from going down to the pit.
II
Sing praise to the LORD, you faithful;
give thanks to his holy memory.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
his favor a lifetime.
At dusk weeping comes for the night;
but at dawn there is rejoicing.
III
Complacent, I once said,
“I shall never be shaken.”
LORD, you showed me favor,
established for me mountains of virtue.
But when you hid your face
I was struck with terror.
To you, LORD, I cried out;
with the Lord I pleaded for mercy:
“What gain is there from my lifeblood,
from my going down to the grave?
Does dust give you thanks
or declare your faithfulness?
Hear, O LORD, have mercy on me;
LORD, be my helper.”
IV
You changed my mourning into dancing;
you took off my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness.
So that my glory may praise you
and not be silent.
O LORD, my God,
forever will I give you thanks.
and not be silent.
O LORD, my God,
forever will I give you thanks.
psalm 30
City of God Hymn
Awake from your slumber! Arise from your sleep!
A new day is dawning for all those who weep.
The people in darkness have seen a great light.
The Lord of our longing has conquered the night.
Refrain: Let us build the city of God.
May our tears be turned into dancing.
For the Lord our light and our love has turned the night into day.
We are sons of the morning; we are daughters of day.
The One who has loved us has brightened our way.
The Lord of all kindness has called us to be
a light for all people to set their hearts free.
God is light; in God there is no darkness.
Let us walk in the light. God's children one and all.
O comfort my people make gentle your words,
proclaim to my city the day of her birth.
O city of gladness now lift up your voice,
proclaim the good tidings that all may rejoice.
A new day is dawning for all those who weep.
The people in darkness have seen a great light.
The Lord of our longing has conquered the night.
Refrain: Let us build the city of God.
May our tears be turned into dancing.
For the Lord our light and our love has turned the night into day.
We are sons of the morning; we are daughters of day.
The One who has loved us has brightened our way.
The Lord of all kindness has called us to be
a light for all people to set their hearts free.
God is light; in God there is no darkness.
Let us walk in the light. God's children one and all.
O comfort my people make gentle your words,
proclaim to my city the day of her birth.
O city of gladness now lift up your voice,
proclaim the good tidings that all may rejoice.
faith
hope
love
love
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
isaiah 41, "Do not fear: I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand."
Keep silence before me, O coastlands;
let the nations renew their strength.
Let them draw near and speak;
let us come together for judgment.
Who has stirred up from the East the champion of justice,
and summoned him to be his attendant?
To him he delivers nations
and subdues kings;
With his sword he reduces them to dust,
with his bow, to driven straw.
He pursues them, passing on without loss,
by a path his feet scarcely touch.
Who has performed these deeds?
Who has called forth the generations from the beginning?
I, the LORD, am the first,
and at the last I am he.
The coastlands see, and fear;
the ends of the earth tremble:
they approach, they come on.
Each one helps his neighbor,
one says to the other, “Courage!”
The woodworker encourages the goldsmith,
the one who beats with the hammer, him who strikes on the anvil,
Saying of the soldering, “It is good!”
then fastening it with nails so it will not totter.
But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
offspring of Abraham my friend—
You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth
and summoned from its far-off places,
To whom I have said, You are my servant;
I chose you, I have not rejected you—
Do not fear: I am with you;
do not be anxious: I am your God.
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
Yes, all shall be put to shame and disgrace
who vent their anger against you;
Those shall be as nothing and perish
who offer resistance.
You shall seek but not find
those who strive against you;
They shall be as nothing at all
who do battle with you.
For I am the LORD, your God,
who grasp your right hand;
It is I who say to you, Do not fear,
I will help you.
Do not fear, you worm Jacob,
you maggot Israel;
I will help you—oracle of the LORD;
the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer.
I will make of you a threshing sledge,
sharp, new, full of teeth,
To thresh the mountains and crush them,
to make the hills like chaff.
When you winnow them, the wind shall carry them off,
the storm shall scatter them.
But you shall rejoice in the LORD;
in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.
The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain,
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, the LORD, will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
I will open up rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the broad valleys;
I will turn the wilderness into a marshland,
and the dry ground into springs of water.
In the wilderness I will plant the cedar,
acacia, myrtle, and olive;
In the wasteland I will set the cypress,
together with the plane tree and the pine,
That all may see and know,
observe and understand,
That the hand of the LORD has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it.
Present your case, says the LORD;
bring forward your arguments, says the King of Jacob.
Let them draw near and foretell to us
what it is that shall happen!
What are the things of long ago?
Tell us, that we may reflect on them
and know their outcome;
Or declare to us the things to come,
tell what is to be in the future,
that we may know that you are gods!
Do something, good or evil,
that will put us in awe and in fear.
Why, you are nothing
and your work is nought;
to choose you is an abomination!
I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes;
from the east I summon him by name;
He shall trample the rulers down like mud,
like a potter treading clay.
Who announced this from the beginning, that we might know;
beforehand, that we might say, “True”?
Not one of you foretold it, not one spoke;
not one heard you say,
“The first news for Zion: here they come,”
or, “I will give Jerusalem a herald of good news.”
When I look, there is not one,
not one of them to give counsel,
to make an answer when I question them.
Ah, all of them are nothing,
their works are nought,
their idols, empty wind!
let the nations renew their strength.
Let them draw near and speak;
let us come together for judgment.
Who has stirred up from the East the champion of justice,
and summoned him to be his attendant?
To him he delivers nations
and subdues kings;
With his sword he reduces them to dust,
with his bow, to driven straw.
He pursues them, passing on without loss,
by a path his feet scarcely touch.
Who has performed these deeds?
Who has called forth the generations from the beginning?
I, the LORD, am the first,
and at the last I am he.
The coastlands see, and fear;
the ends of the earth tremble:
they approach, they come on.
Each one helps his neighbor,
one says to the other, “Courage!”
The woodworker encourages the goldsmith,
the one who beats with the hammer, him who strikes on the anvil,
Saying of the soldering, “It is good!”
then fastening it with nails so it will not totter.
But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
offspring of Abraham my friend—
You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth
and summoned from its far-off places,
To whom I have said, You are my servant;
I chose you, I have not rejected you—
Do not fear: I am with you;
do not be anxious: I am your God.
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
Yes, all shall be put to shame and disgrace
who vent their anger against you;
Those shall be as nothing and perish
who offer resistance.
You shall seek but not find
those who strive against you;
They shall be as nothing at all
who do battle with you.
For I am the LORD, your God,
who grasp your right hand;
It is I who say to you, Do not fear,
I will help you.
Do not fear, you worm Jacob,
you maggot Israel;
I will help you—oracle of the LORD;
the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer.
I will make of you a threshing sledge,
sharp, new, full of teeth,
To thresh the mountains and crush them,
to make the hills like chaff.
When you winnow them, the wind shall carry them off,
the storm shall scatter them.
But you shall rejoice in the LORD;
in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.
The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain,
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, the LORD, will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
I will open up rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the broad valleys;
I will turn the wilderness into a marshland,
and the dry ground into springs of water.
In the wilderness I will plant the cedar,
acacia, myrtle, and olive;
In the wasteland I will set the cypress,
together with the plane tree and the pine,
That all may see and know,
observe and understand,
That the hand of the LORD has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it.
Present your case, says the LORD;
bring forward your arguments, says the King of Jacob.
Let them draw near and foretell to us
what it is that shall happen!
What are the things of long ago?
Tell us, that we may reflect on them
and know their outcome;
Or declare to us the things to come,
tell what is to be in the future,
that we may know that you are gods!
Do something, good or evil,
that will put us in awe and in fear.
Why, you are nothing
and your work is nought;
to choose you is an abomination!
I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes;
from the east I summon him by name;
He shall trample the rulers down like mud,
like a potter treading clay.
Who announced this from the beginning, that we might know;
beforehand, that we might say, “True”?
Not one of you foretold it, not one spoke;
not one heard you say,
“The first news for Zion: here they come,”
or, “I will give Jerusalem a herald of good news.”
When I look, there is not one,
not one of them to give counsel,
to make an answer when I question them.
Ah, all of them are nothing,
their works are nought,
their idols, empty wind!
isaiah 41
Monday, December 3, 2018
questions
some of life's most confounding questions are:
I believe that:
- who am I?
- where am I?
- how did I get here?
- why am I here?
- where did the universe, and all that is in it, come from?
- does God exist?
- who is God?
- how do I know God?
I believe that:
- no one speaks for God but God.
- God hears my prayers.
- God chooses when to answer my prayers.
- God doesn't give me everything that I ask for.
- (I didn't give my children everything that they asked for.)
- the bible tells me about God.
- sometimes the bible is clear and unambiguous.
- I don't allow other humans to convince me that it means something different.
- sometimes the bible isn't so clear, e.g. Revelations.
- I ask God what the bible means.
- sometimes God answers me clearly.
- sometimes I don't hear God clearly.
- I can keep asking.
- I can move on.
- God is God.
- there is no other God than God.
- God will reveal to me as God sees fit.
- sometimes God will reveal to me clearly.
- sometimes God won't.
- God is both revealing and mysterious.
- God's ways are not human ways.
- human ways are not God's ways.
- God, and the bible, tell me much about God.
- I reject other human beings who presume to speak for God.
psalm 25, "To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul, my God"
I
To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul,
my God, in you I trust;
do not let me be disgraced;
Look upon me, have pity on me,
for I am alone and afflicted.
See how many are my enemies,
see how fiercely they hate me.
my God, in you I trust;
do not let me be disgraced;
do not let my enemies gloat over me.
No one is disgraced who waits for you,
but only those who are treacherous without cause.
Make known to me your ways, LORD;
teach me your paths.
teach me your paths.
Guide me by your fidelity and teach me,
for you are God my savior,
for you I wait all the day long.
Remember your compassion and your mercy, O LORD,
for they are ages old.
for you are God my savior,
for you I wait all the day long.
Remember your compassion and your mercy, O LORD,
for they are ages old.
Remember no more the sins of my youth;
remember me according to your mercy,
because of your goodness, LORD.
because of your goodness, LORD.
II
Good and upright is the LORD,
Good and upright is the LORD,
therefore he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble in righteousness,
and teaches the humble his way.
All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth
toward those who honor his covenant and decrees.
For the sake of your name, LORD,
pardon my guilt, though it is great.
Who is the one who fears the LORD?
God shows him the way he should choose.
He guides the humble in righteousness,
and teaches the humble his way.
All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth
toward those who honor his covenant and decrees.
For the sake of your name, LORD,
pardon my guilt, though it is great.
Who is the one who fears the LORD?
God shows him the way he should choose.
He will abide in prosperity,
and his descendants will inherit the land.
and his descendants will inherit the land.
The counsel of the LORD belongs to those who fear him;
and his covenant instructs them.
My eyes are ever upon the LORD,
who frees my feet from the snare.
III
and his covenant instructs them.
My eyes are ever upon the LORD,
who frees my feet from the snare.
III
Look upon me, have pity on me,
for I am alone and afflicted.
Relieve the troubles of my heart;
bring me out of my distress.
Look upon my affliction and suffering;
take away all my sins.
bring me out of my distress.
Look upon my affliction and suffering;
take away all my sins.
See how many are my enemies,
see how fiercely they hate me.
Preserve my soul and rescue me;
do not let me be disgraced,
for in you I seek refuge.
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me;
I wait for you, O LORD.
Redeem Israel, O God,
from all its distress!
do not let me be disgraced,
for in you I seek refuge.
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me;
I wait for you, O LORD.
Redeem Israel, O God,
from all its distress!
psalm 25
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)