Dallin Malmgren's Blog, page 17

HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY October 17–23, 2022

October 17, 2022
#351 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, September 2, 2022. God teaches me the most about love in my closest relationships. I don’t mean that in a touchy-feely, I‑love-my-family way. God works in the present. He wants to teach me to love when Karen and I are out of sorts, or at cross purposes, when our schedules don’t match, even when our points of view don’t match. Those are the times I need to pay attention to His presence–couldn’t possibly do it on my own. I am called to be a reflection of God’s love to her. And the same applies with my daughter and two sons, with my brother and four sisters, with all my extended family, with my oldest and dearest friends, with my golf buddies, and with anyone else God puts in front of me.

October 18, 2022
Fore!
#352 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Wednesday, August 31, 2022 “Be of good cheer…” That phrase appears in the Bible a lot, and I haven’t given it much thought. I am in a golf slump–repeated mistakes and poor scores. There is a spiritual lesson in this. It’s very hard for me not to feel frustrated when I play badly. “Be of good cheer…” Jesus said it to His disciples to assure them of His presence (Matthew 14:27). He said it to confirm that there was nothing in this world that He couldn’t handle (John 16:23). He said it to Paul when He told him that He was going to prison in Rome to testify for Him (Acts 23:11). “Be of good cheer…” I’m on a golf course in the sunshine. I’m sharing the experience with people I enjoy and respect. And I know for sure that every swing, every putt, every conversation, every event–is a spiritual exercise designed to draw me nearer to God. How can I not be of good cheer?

October 19, 2022
I’m breaking precedent and recording what God actually spoke to me today, October 18. This is in response to a discussion my wife and I had last night.
#353 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Wednesday, October 18, 2022 Karen says (rightly so) that there is so much pain and suffering in this world and I am writing about God and my golf game. I get that. I can only respond to God from where I am. I believe I had a calling to be a teacher, and I tried to do that well for 34 years. Now I am retired. There is something to be said for green pastures. I hope and aim to respond to pain and suffering whenever I come upon it. Where God leads, I intend to follow. Every christian is called to ease the suffering of this fallen world. I also know that God wants us to enjoy His creation. Lord, show me the balance.

October 20, 2022
#354 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, September 9, 2022 “Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…” (I Corinthians 13:4–8)
It is essential that i remind myself of these things as frequently as possible.

October 21, 2022
#355 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, September 16, 2022 Biblical wisdom from some of my favorite non-biblical sources:
“He not busy being born is busy dying..” –Bob Dylan
“You got me singing/ Even though it all looks grim/ You got me singing/ The Hallelujah hymn..” –Leonard Cohen
“Oh, and you and I know all too well about the hell and paradise right here on earth..” –Avett Brothers
“I thought about life/ And a love that has no endin’/ I thought about You, Lord..” –Willie Nelson

October 22, 2022
#356 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Saturday, May 28, 2022 We have a seven day family reunion coming up. I want so passionately for God to be involved in every moment. God is never heavy-handed. He is not seeking attention–He is providing it. We are not there to win souls–we are there to enjoy His love. I have found that the greatest love challenges come from the people you love the most. Dear Lord Jesus, let us be a conduit of Your love as You guide our family home. (photo by Annalisa)

October 23, 2022
#357 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Sunday, September 11, 2022 My wife and I were shocked to learn at church today that Methodists don’t believe “Once saved, always saved.” We have always believed that. As I left church pondering this, my first/best thought was: Why would I ever stop believing?

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HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY October 10–16, 2022

October 10, 2022
#344 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Sunday, July 10, 2022 This might be the best advice on interpersonal relations that I’ve ever heard: “When you encounter another person, when you have dealings with anyone at all, it is as if a question is being put to you. So you must think, What is the Lord asking of me in this moment, in this situation? If you confront insult or antagonism, your first impulse will be to respond in kind. But if you think, as it were, This is an emissary sent from the Lord, and some benefit is intended for me, first of all the to demonstrate my faithfulness, the chance to show that I do in some small degree participate in the grace that saved me, you are free to act otherwise than as circumstances would dictate. You are free to act by your own lights. You are freed at the same time of the impulse to hate or resent that person. He would probably laugh at the thought that the Lord sent him to you for your benefit (and his), but that is the perfection of the disguise, his ignorance of it.” –from Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

October 11, 2022
They’re overseeding my course today and I’m overseeding my mind…
#345 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Saturday, July 9, 2022 There is a zen koan that has stayed with me since my youth: “If you want to be, act as if…” On the one hand, that seems like extreme hypocrisy–I should act happy when I am sad? And yet, why not? I often use it on the golf course. If I want to be calm, act as if… If I want to be positive… If I want to be confident… Think of applying it to the promises of God: “I have told you these things so that you may have peace.” (John 16:33) …act as if! “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him..” (Psalm 37:23) …act as if! Best one yet: “The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:8) …act as if! The wisdom of the koan is not hypocritical–it’s transformational! I am the captain of my ship–I apply the promises.

October 12, 2022
Tip of my hat to Bethany…
#346 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Thursday, September 1, 2022 God is speaking to me through Willie again:
“There’s something to be said for getting older
Dusty bottles pour a finer glass of wine
An old beat-up guitar just sounds better
And wisdom only comes with time
I can spot mistakes before they happen
Separate the BS from the truth
I’m learnin’ when I need to keep my mouth shut
Like I couldn’t in my wild and wasted youth.”
–“Dusty Bottles”

October 13, 2022
#347 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, September 6, 2022 “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Now? Here? It’s easy for me to believe on my back porch on a beautiful evening. What about someone who just lost her home in a forest fire? It either is or it isn’t–it’s not a relative statement. There’s a great mystery here–I can’t pretend to have solved it.

October 14, 2022
#348 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Monday, June 13, 2022 Interesting discussion at my Stephen Ministry zoom meeting tonight: Why did Mary Magdalene and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus not recognize Jesus by sight when He appeared to them? Perhaps because it was so unexpected or because God didn’t open their eyes. My theory is that our physical appearance is one of the most superficial aspects of our identity. Isn’t it ironic how in this world it is the one that is generally weighed most heavily? Another proof that transformation comes from the inside out.

October 15, 2022
#349 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Thursday, September 8, 2022. The African Queen (film) as metaphor: God has been showing me how complex marriage is. Not just mine–everybody’s! Think about how misfit Charlie and Rose were when they got on the boat. Not misfit destiny-wise, but misfit in their individual thinking–we all start like that. So we see what the river brings and how we handle it–it’s brilliant. We are supposed to be learning how to navigate the river as we learn how to love each other. It is not 50/50–it is 100/100 (contrary to my comic–or maybe not).

October 16, 2022
#350 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, August 23, 2022. I could spend days thinking about this: “Once more, all religious language is metaphor–I hope you know that. It’s the best we can do. We’re like blind people touching the side of an elephant, describing the tiny portion we feel with all the conviction we can muster.
But the Spirit was always the hardest to describe, and even Jesus acknowledges this: ‘The Spirit blows where it will’ (John 3:8); don’t try to control the Spirit by saying where the Spirit comes from, where the Spirit goes, or who definitely “has” the Spirit. God has many that the churches do not have, and the churches have many that God does not have.”
–from The Divine Dance by Richard Rohr

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HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY October 3–9, 2022

October 3, 2022
#337 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Monday, July 18, 2022 I keep coming back to this: the journey within. The Holy Spirit resides within me, but let’s face it, most of the time I am oblivious to Her residence. That is because I–and most human beings–are focused on the external. But we are called to make a change–not to ignore the external, but to balance it. If we paid as much attention to the condition of our hearts as we did to our daily schedules, we would all be saints.

October 4, 2022
A golfing miracle…
#338 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, August 19, 2022 I had an amazing experience today. After playing golf in the Colorado mountains, I left my cell phone and my wallet on the roof of my friend’s car as we drove away from the course. This is about a mile down a twisty-turny mountain road and onto a 55 mph mountain highway. What’s the two worst things you can lose on a vacation? Your wallet and your cell phone! As we pulled out onto the highway, we heard a faint sound and my friend saw a little flutter in his rear view mirror. I realized immediately what I had done. We found my wallet about two hundred yards back, and my cell phone was still on the roof! The obvious question: what kind of moron would be so careless? But what a gracious God to take a potentially disastrous (for me) situation and turn it into an occasion for gratitude and appreciation.

October 5, 2022
#339 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Monday, July 18, 2022 It’s funny how I can read a scripture that I’ve read many times earlier, and it’s like I never heard it before (of course, it’s the Holy Spirit opening my mind). This one is explosive: “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (II Corinthians 4:6). If that doesn’t explain the Trinity, I don’t know what will.

October 6, 2022
#340 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Monday, August 29, 2022 Sometimes it hits me–I cannot even imagine how good God is.

October 7, 2022
#341 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Sunday, August 7, 2022 I have been struck lately with how important it is that I not worry about what other people think of me. God has impressed upon my heart that it is equally important that I not put much stock in what I think about myself–good or bad. Those thoughts are fluctuations…dust in the wind. St. Paul says “…I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.” (Philippians 3:28)

October 8, 2022
#342 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, August 26, 2022 Well, all four of my sisters have now asked me to drop them from my email list for my daily posts. That saddens me. On a personal level, it feels like they are disinterested in who I have become. But that’s my ego talking and I’ll get over that. What bothers me is that on a spiritual level there is not even a spark of interest. About spiritual things in general, not necessarily christian. I think of lines from Wordsworth: “The world is too much with us; late and soon,/ Getting and spending we lay waste our powers…”

October 9, 2022
#343 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Wednesday, August 10, 2022 “…for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18) Think of that! All of the seen things in my life–my family, my possessions, my whole history–are intended to be a training ground to develop the unseen things…like love, peace, patience, kindness, etc.–which are going to be with me forever and ever. Kind of jars my sense of perspective…

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HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY September 26-October 2, 2022

September 26, 2022
#330 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Saturday, August 27, 2022 Karen and I went to the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma for our 45th anniversary. Though she lacks my history with Bob, she shares an interest (we listened to his albums on the drive up and barely scratched the surface). Excepting the Bible, I think Dylan has been the most prophetic voice in my spiritual history. He spoke to me before Jesus did–kind of a “John the Baptist” thing. He confessed his faith in Jesus a couple years after I did, one of my first personal miracles. His wit and his wisdom–I thank God for Bob Dylan.

September 27, 2022
Playing golf on Tuesday is even better than writing about it…
#331 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Saturday, August 13, 2022 One of the benefits of my writing project is that issues I’ve written about will later pop up in my daily experience–and I won’t respond in the way I proposed. For example, I carried a hardness of heart toward two guys I golf with for a perceived wrong–for about four days! Where is forgiveness when I need her? Ah well, a sinner saved by grace. I sure wish I reflected more of the latter and less of the former.

September 28, 2022
#332 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Saturday, July 23, 2022 This is worth contemplating: “The gospel is not a philosophy of repression, as so many regard it. It is a plan of freedom that gives discipline to appetite and direction to behavior.” –George Hinckley
Or, as the Apostle Paul put it: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”

September 29, 2022
#333 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, August 9, 2022 Here is my evangelism: I’m not saying I gotta have Jesus, I’m saying I can have Jesus. With me. On my side. In every situation. All the time. Transforming me into a better person. What’s not to like?

September 30, 2022
#334 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, August 2, 2022 I’m listening to a tribute album put together for my friend who died. We used to play air guitar together to this song. I realize now it had a big spiritual effect on me way before I became a christian. “Looking for release from limitation?? There’s nothing much without illumination/ Can fool around with every different cult/ There’s only one way really brings results/ Get out of sour milk sea/ You don’t belong there/ Get back to where you should be/ Find out what’s going on there.” –Sour Milk Sea by Jackie Lomax
The surest path to desolation is to keep my eyes fixed on myself.

October 1, 2022
The comic is hilarious…
#335 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Monday, August 1, 2022 Does a new month bring new hope? Only in artificial ways, I suspect. My observation is that most change is gradual. But can my resolve to follow the Lord be translated into resolutions regarding diet and exercise and moderation? I seem to be battling the same health issues that I’ve been battling for years. Wretched man that I am! Thanks be to God who has already won this battle. “…walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)

October 2, 2022
#336 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Wednesday, July 27, 2022 What must it have been like for the apostles and all of those first believers? He had been with them, He died, He reappeared to them, He ascended, and then He was with them always. That is so out of my sightlines! But it’s evident He was with them after He ascended. I will never in all my days on earth understand the miracle of His presence…but I glimpse it.

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HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY SEPTEMBER 19–25, 2022

September 19, 2022
#323 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Saturday, July 20, 2022 Not often, but I can suffer from “creeping unworthiness.” It’s that place where my faith in God is fine–no doubts He’s there, doing good, being loving. But I know I’m not worth it, I’m not living up to it, I’m slow-playing the relationship–it’s all true. God has no comment to my unworthiness. God says, “Quit looking at you and look at Me.”

September 20, 2022
Tuesday’s tee time…
#324 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Wednesday, August 17, 2022 I am on a five day golf trip to Durango, Colorado with ten other men. Part of me is wondering what I am doing here while God is whispering “No, no, this is exactly where I want you.” Here is my realization: Every conversation matters. I believe that one of the deepest needs for ever single human being is for someone to listen. I don’t have a great history as a listener–my mind tends to wander or think about what I want to say–but I am learning. If I listen, people open up their hearts.

September 21, 2022
#325 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Sunday, July 24, 2022 I do not have a sense of mission. I am a retired man living out the end of my days. But I have the time and the motivation to pay attention to God. That makes it such a rich and glorious stage in my life. Of course, it makes me wish I had paid more attention to this relationship earlier in my life–I was pretty into doing things my way. But no regrets. He is here with me. That is why I love doing this writing project.

September 22, 2022
#326 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, August 16, 2022 Tonight I am struck by the immensity of God’s heart. If our entire planet is like a grain of sand in light of the universe, then what is my single life? I am less than an atom–and He chooses to be intimately aware of me! And not just aware…John says we are children of God because that is the dearest metaphor he can find to illustrate how precious (as mere atoms) we are to God. How can we resist loving Him back?

September 23, 2022
#327 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Sunday, August 28, 2022 God has informed me that the rest of my life is about relationships. First and foremost, me and Him (Thou shalt love the Lord God…). And next, me and every relationship He brings into my life (…and your neighbor as yourself.) But if I don’t have the former, the latter breaks down.

September 24, 2022
#328 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Monday, August 22, 2022 A bedtime dialogue:
Me: Goodnight, honey. Sleep well and we shall begin our journey anew tomorrow.
She: What a nice way to put it!
Me: It was, wasn’t it?
She: Are you shaving tomorrow?

September 25, 2022
#329 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, August 12, 2022 One of the billion reasons I love God is because He will put me in a situation where I think it is about one thing and it turns out it was about something else entirely.

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HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME SEPTEMBER 12–18, 2022

September 12, 2022
#316 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, August 5, 2022 This just struck me–I am still teaching. Jesus was a teacher and his disciples were teachers. Every christian is called upon to demonstrate to the world how transformative it is to walk with Christ. No lesson plans and no standardized test scores. And no faking it. We teach by allowing ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit. Every single person we interact with is our student.

September 13, 2022
Welcome to the Tuesday’s Spirit Golf Club…
#317 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, August 12, 2022 I’ve said this before, but golf is definitely a gift from God for old men (and for old women too–you can’t tell me they don’t like getting their husbands out of the house for five hours–or perhaps playing themselves). Every day I see evidence of the vitality it adds to our lives. It makes me think of John Prine’s lament to old age: “Me and Loretta we don’t talk much more/ She sits and stares through the back door screen/ And the news just repeats itself/ Like some forgotten dream that we’ve both seen…” Just doesn’t compare to the laughter on the first tee box. Thank You, Lord.

September 14, 2022
#318 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Sunday, May 29, 2022 God is trying to teach me how to maintain an awareness of His presence even when my attention is focused on another person, like my wife or a friend. It’s a tricky business because it’s very easy for me to fall into the role I have with that person. But “…the fruit of the Spirit is love…” — if I can keep the God channel open, the interaction I have with the other person is sure to be grounded in love.

September 15, 2022
This is one of God’s little brushstrokes, which I love…
#319 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Monday, August 29 I just discovered an amazing coincidence. The date of the 300th post of my writing project (HGSTMT) was the date of our 45th wedding anniversary (August 27). How cool is that? Even though my four sisters dropped me, even though my own children seem to barely read it, I am more convinced than ever that this is what God has led me to write, and that this is the most significant writing I will do. And I would never have the guts to assume to tell people how God speaks to me on a daily basis without the loving support of my wife, to whom He also speaks.

September 16, 2022
#320 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, July 29, 2022 I guess this is too long for an epitaph, but the Avett Brothers sure do speak to my soul:
“Isn’t that what it’s all about/ The blinded charging through the night/ Guided by the steady hand
I gave the world my best/ Brought back to You the rest/ And in return You loved me more
How do I return/ All that I took from You/ And all the life You gave to me?
When you learn you can’t earn/ The love you’re waiting for/ It’s already yours…”
–from When You Learn

September 17, 2022
#321 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Monday, August 8, 2022 Do people who fall asleep as soon as their head hit their pillows realize that’s a spiritual gift? Better question: Do those of us who suffer from insomnia (occasional or chronic) realize it’s a spiritual struggle?

September 18, 2022
#322 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, July 22, 2022 “Jesus is the theology of the Father, revealed to us.” –Thomas Merton Some people grasp the concept of God but balk at the prospect of Jesus being divine. That’s ironic because Jesus is undoubtedly God’s greatest gift to humanity.
God: I give you Myself.
Humanity: No thanks.
Huh?

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HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY September 5–11, 2022

September 5, 2022
This one just goes back to yesterday…
#309 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Sunday, September 4, 2022 “Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.” (Proverbs 31:10) Today is Karen’s 68th birthday. We have certainly shared life’s journey together, and our bond is stronger than ever. To this day the Holy Spirit has appointed us each other’s primary tutor in the art of love. I would never have maintained this writing project without her steady encouragement. If love were measurable (it’s not), I would have to admit that the people I love the most love her more than me. Happy birthday, my beloved wife.

September 6, 2022
If it’s Tuesday, it must be tee time…
#310 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Saturday, August 6, 2022 God gave me the opportunity to take a road trip with my son, driving up to Arkansas to pick up his daughter from camp. We stopped in Texarkana for a round of golf, had dinner at a local pub, drove the rest of the way Saturday morning, and then drove home with Harper. What fun! “Precious memories, how they linger, How they ever flood my soul…”

September 7, 2022
#311 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Thursday, August 11, 2022 This from my quiet time: “…popular fundamentalism has emphasized the utility of the cross rather than the beauty of the One who died on it. The saved man’s relation to Christ has been made contractual instead of personal. The ‘work’ of Christ has been stressed until it has eclipsed the person of Christ. Substitution has been allowed to supersede identification. What He did for me seems to be more important than what He is to me.” –A.W.Tozer
God always brings me back to the same point: He wants a relationship, not a religion.

September 8, 2022
#312 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, July 26, 2022 I used to teach my Creative Writing students that to be a writer you had to develop a strong ego. I think that is a good teaching, but boy, does it have an addendum to it! There’s such a fine line between “strong” and “big”, and high schoolers are not adept at drawing lines. Of course, the same applies to the teacher. I find the biggest challenge I face in my old age is training my ego to follow the Lord instead of seeking its own way. I don’t mean willful disobedience–I mean paying attention to discerning what He wants. The first thing a “big” ego says is, “I can handle it.” I cannot develop a “strong” ego without humility.

September 9, 2022
#313 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Wednesday, August 3, 2022 “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease…They are new each morning.” (Lamentations 3:22) Isn’t that a great way to wake up?

September 10, 2022
Please note, this happened three months ago…
#314 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, June 14, 2022 A very close friend of mine died today. It was sudden, a heart attack. I won’t go into the details, but it was so much the grace of God to take him the way He took him. My friend was tired and alone and his health was deteriorating rapidly. The last thing he did was to drive nine hours to see his daughter and granddaughters (a herculean effort for him). As he was getting ready to drive back home, his heart stopped. What this shows me is that God’s love and grace and mercy extend far beyond our narrow concept of heaven and hell. Rest in peace, Jeff.

September 11, 2022
#315 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Saturday, July 9, 2022 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…” I believe this is the most challenging part of the whole process–I have to willingly take myself off the throne of my life and put Him there. Then I have to willingly do that for the rest of my journey. That is what faith is. Faith leads to grace and grace leads to love. What a remarkable journey, and what fun to write about!

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HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY August 29-September 4, 2022

August 29, 2022
The wedding trip, part 2…
#302 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Sunday, July 3, 2022 I watched my 72 year old sister get married tonight. Weddings are such joyous occasions. I believe there was as much wine consumed as Jesus produced for the wedding at Cana. Theirs was intentionally a non-religious ceremony, so I guess Jesus was not invited. He was there anyway.

August 30, 2022
Golf day, sort of…
#303 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Saturday, April 9, 2022 I am an old man who is marching to the doorway of death–that is a true fact. No brilliant rounds of golf or witty posts is going to change that. That is an eventual true fact for my wife, my brother and sisters, my wife’s sisters, my oldest friends, my golf buddies, and, let’s face it, my beloved children, and anyone who is reading. How best to prepare for this?

August 31, 2022
Shout out to my F5K co-workers!
#304 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Wednesday, June 29, 2022 Serve the Lord with gladness…(Psalm 100:2) I work with a ministry at my church called Feed the Five Thousand. We prepare meals on Wednesdays and take them to the only poor neighborhood there is in Frisco. I noticed today that everyone who works (usually 10–12 people) is almost always in a good mood–cheerful and cooperative and present. It’s the Holy Spirit that does that.

September 1, 2022
#305 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Thursday, August 18, 2022 My coaching friend tells his players they can only control two things in a game–their effort and their attitude. That is so true! Then I realized that it’s equally true about our spiritual journeys: “…for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him…”—attitude and effort!

September 2, 2022
#306 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Wednesday, May 18, 2022 Jesus has given me a new paradigm in which to consider our relationship–I am His “sidekick.” Like Tonto and the Lone Ranger. I get to travel through this life watching Him trying to make every situation better, doing my part whenever I can see what my part is (I get lots of parts), and trusting Him for the results for everything we leave behind us. I definitely want to audition for the role.

September 3, 2022
#307 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Monday, July 4, 2022 Happy birthday, America. I believe it works with nations exactly the way it works with individuals–God will bless to the extent that we reflect the values that He has called us to: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

September 4, 2022
#308 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, July 8, 2022 “God looks at the heart…” That answers so many questions for me, especially political ones. I have some loving, committed Christian friends who are on the opposite end of the political spectrum from me. I am baffled by this. But this verse makes it clear that I am not to judge. I don’t know their heritage or their history or their demographic background. God looks at their hearts–that’s where I need to focus my attention.

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HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY August 22–28, 2022

August 22, 2022
Please note, this happened a month and a half ago…
#295 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, July 5, 2022 This afternoon I fell down some steps and sprained my knee. Stupidly. Carelessly. Now I am hobbled. Hobbledness leads to humility. I’m pressing on to the higher calling of my Lord.

August 23, 2022
Golf day!!
#296 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, August 2, 2022 This came to me on the golf course today. A theme God keeps bringing up to me: progress vs. results. I am always looking to measure things–God is looking to grow things. When I direct my mind from results to progress, all of those fruits of the Spirit become more tangible. In most situations it’s about self-control and patience and faithfulness and whatever else is called for. It is a revelation to me in my old age that wins and losses don’t matter much in the Big Picture. The ego is looking for results–the soul is looking for progress.

August 24, 2022
Didn’t even have time for coffee today…
#297 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Wednesday, July 6, 2022 On certain mornings I’ll oversleep or have trouble getting started, and I’ll be too rushed for my usual quiet time. So instead of my spiritual reading and prayer, I will just substitute what I call Coffee with Jesus. I sit with my cup and acknowledge His presence–review my plans for the day with Him. Mostly express thankfulness for the joy of another new day on the incredible journey. And then I am centered and ready to go.

August 25, 2022
#298 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, June 28, 2022 I want to follow You. Before ego, before wealth, before pleasure, before comfort–I want to follow You. That is the miracle You have achieved in my heart. I am being transformed. Dear Lord, break down every barrier in my heart that hinders me from following You. Teach me to abide in You…

August 26, 2022
#299 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Sunday, June 26, 2022 Doldrums. I don’t hit them very often. It’s not that my faith wavers–it’s like I lack the energy to apply my faith. His presence, my allegiance, our journey–they all become more abstract to me. This is a good time for reading the Psalms. But tonight I am going to try an alternate strategy: listening to Bob Dylan sing Pressing On.

August 27, 2022
Happy anniversary, Karen!
#300 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, July 22, 2022 Tonight we have two Mississippi kites falling in love. They make this wonderful “Key-oo” sound and they do it (the courting) in the air. They are flying around my live oak tree. It is so beautiful. We love birds, me and my wife and God.
After word: I just have to tell you how cool it is that my 300th post coincidentally (or not) happened on my 45th wedding anniversary. Karen has been so much by my side in doing this. I rely so much on her judgment. We are blessed to share this.

August 28, 2022
#301 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Saturday, July 2, 2022 There is so much genuine love at a family reunion–it befuddles me that so many do not recognize the source of that love–like we invented it ourselves. Such is the nature of God’s love.
(Btw, this is the first time my brother, my four sisters and I have been together in fifteen years.)

The post HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY August 22–28, 2022 appeared first on Dallin Malmgren.

HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY August 15–21, 2022

August 15, 2022
#288 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Saturday, July 16, 2022 We are experiencing a Texas heat wave, and Covid is ripping through my family (my wife, three granddaughters, a grandniece, and two sisters-in-law). All have been vaxxed and boosted, so it is more debilitating than destructive. The heat is enervating. It’s one of those nights to call upon certain verses: Be still and know that I am God…I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances…this too shall pass…(oops, not sure that last one is from the Bible). As the Count of Monte Cristo told his daughter: Wait and hope.

August 16, 2022
Tuesdays = golf
#289 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Monday, July 25, 2022 God had me change putters. That might sound ridiculous, but it illumined a spiritual truth to me: Sometimes the best way to move forward is to try something completely different. I tend to be a grinder–when confronted with a problem, I lower my head, double my resolve, and push forward. Pressing on, Bob Dylan calls it. The Holy Spirit is creative and imaginative and unshackled. It is possible that the best way to press on is to let go.

August 17, 2022
#290 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Wednesday, July 13, 2022 Tonight I got to watch two cardinals mating in front of me. The world is full of joy.

August 18, 2022
#291 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Sunday, July 31, 2022 “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Here’s a confession: I’ve always paid more attention to the second half of that verse. Here’s a realization: What a fool I was! It’s like sopping up the gravy before you eat the meat.

August 19, 2022
#292 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, July 15, 2022 “The fear of man brings a snare.” I cannot allow myself to worry or even to think about what other people think of me. It’s a waste of time, it’s 95% ego-driven, and really, it’s none of my business. I have enough trouble keeping what’s running through the tracks of my mind on a dependable course. I do, however, care passionately about what God thinks of how I am living.

August 20, 2022
#293 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Sunday, June 12, 2022 My sister has rejected Christianity because of the politics of the Christian right wing–I hate to see her lump us all together like that. She also says she has no interest in a god who would kill his own son–that I don’t get. Would you criticize the man who leapt in front of you to take a bullet that was headed straight for you?

August 21, 2022
Ooops, sorry so late (after a 13 hour ride in a car…)
#294 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Wednesday, November 3, 2021 Didn’t even manage a quiet time. Sorry, Lord.

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