Dallin Malmgren's Blog, page 18

HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY August 8–14, 2022

August 8, 2002
#281 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, June 28, 2022 “Put away all contention…” When I realize it takes two sides to have a contention–not just in religious matters but in any matters–it becomes easier to avoid disagreements. That does not mean passivity. It means recognition of the mutual right to an opinion. It’s way more important that I love someone than agree with her.

August 9, 2022
Tuesday is golf day…
#282 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Saturday, July 30, 2022 God uses golf to show me that He is more interested in progress, whereas I want to be more interested in results. Self-control rather than distance, faithfulness rather than luck, kindness rather competition, joy rather than triumph, peace rather than score. Process rather than result applies to way more than just golf. I suspect it applies to all my endeavors. For a Christian there is only one bottom line: “Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” That is not a marketing goal–it is a way of living.

August 10,2022
#283 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, July 12, 2022 I am convinced that one of the biggest spiritual mistakes I can make is to take a bible verse and apply it to someone else. If I apply it to someone else, I am judging. If my desire to change someone else is stronger than my desire to be changed, then I am off course spiritually.

August 11, 2022
#284 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Thursday, July 28, 2022 God spoke to me by allowing me to see into a great tragedy from another couple’s past. They are people of deep faith. They (and God) were teaching me: 1) “…though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” No one has said that the journey was always a walk in the sunshine. 2) Faith is a choice, but it is also a gift. “For it is by faith you have been saved through grace…” In the face of such heartbreak, you have to choose to keep believing. But no one understands sorrow like Jesus. He will keep you going. 3) The mother told me of an experience, and she prefaced it with “People will think I’m crazy but I saw…”–and it was so clearly the presence of the Lord that it brought me to tears. He is there in our darkest moments. “…the valley of the shadow…” brings forth a resounding “…for Thou art with me.” These are lessons I wish to carry with me for the rest of my days.

August 12, 2022
#285 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, July 15, 2022 I’m sitting on my back porch at dusk with this peaceful, easy feeling and I’m struck by this realization: God is in control. That means every stress and anxiety I bring to this moment has the exact same prescription…God is in control. I am called to believe that and to follow where He leads–it’s a pretty glorious life.

August 13, 2022
#286 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Sunday, July 17, 2022 Sometimes in the evening I have to make a choice–sitting with the Lord or pursuing one of my diversions…a crossword or jigsaw puzzle, reading, music, (I am fading from TV except for sports). There is not a wrong choice there–God is not jealous of my time, and when I choose Him I often end up exploring the catacombs of my own mind. The secret is to learn to include Him in whatever activity–a skill I am just scratching the surface of. (see below)

August 14, 2022
#287 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Wednesday, July 13, 2022 I’ve written about this before, but God keeps impressing it upon my heart: The journey I am on is as much internal as it is external. The fruit of the Spirit lies within me. If I can nurture that fruit, the effects it can have on the world are revelationary (I made up that word…but I like it). God is telling me to pay more attention to the inner journey.

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HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY August 1–7, 2022

August 1, 2022
#274 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Saturday, June 11, 2022 I guess this is crazy, and you might think it is psycho mysticism. I will be on my back porch, thinking things over, and I will have a flash of insight, an inspired thought–and a mockingbird will land in front of me. I’m not saying every time I see a mockingbird God is speaking to me–not at all. It’s just an occasional link. But it is very reassuring–and it makes me laugh when it happens.
Afterword: I confess to an internal proclivity–To Kill a Mockingbird was my alltime favorite novel to teach. (see below)

August 2, 2022
Yea for Tuesdays! Yea for golf!
#275 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, July 19, 2022 I shot the best round of golf today that I have ever shot in my life. And I swear it is not the golf–it is knowing that golf really is a spiritual exercise–and I could play crappy tomorrow and it doesn’t matter–and the lessons are internal and have very little to do with my score. I love God so much for meeting me where I am and moving me forward from that spot.

August 3, 2022
#276 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Thursday, July 7, 2022 If you accept the metaphor that life is a journey (one of my favorites), then you have to believe in a destination. My question is this: Is the destination going to feel more like getting home or something completely different? Or both? I only know in the depths of my heart that I’m going to love getting there.

August 4, 2022
#277 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Monday, July 11, 2022 I love this quote: John Calvin once said that “each of us is an actor on a stage and God is the audience.” Think of that! God is enjoying watching your life. Doesn’t that make you want to pick up your performance?

August 5, 2022
#278 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, July 12 My wife told me HOW GOD SPOKE TO HER TODAY. She was watching on the news about outer space discoveries, and she realized that our Creator is still creating–our science will never catch up–and how humbling and comforting it is to be under His personal care. I love my wife.

August 6, 2022
#279 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Monday, July 18, 2022 I love this comic, and it explains exactly why I am doing this writing project. (see below)

August 7, 2022
#280 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, July 1, 2022 I find air travel difficult because I’ve never enjoyed being trapped in cramped spaces. Of course, I wouldn’t enjoy the four day drive from Dallas to Seattle. When I get into the third hour of the flying experience, I have to resort to my mantra: (Inhale) Lord Jesus Christ (exhale) have mercy on me. It’s very calming.

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HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY July 25–31, 2022

July 25, 2022
#267 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Saturday, May 14, 2022 Today I am saddened by the inadequacy of human love–how complex and fragile it is, how quickly it can shift to recrimination and hurt, how support drifts to comparison, and how unhappiness settles in. I have to go back, over and over, to the Source: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” Notice the present tense.

July 26, 2022
Tuesday is golf day…
#268 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, June 24, 2022 Old men can be grumpy and fussy. I listen to them complain about the weather, the condition of the greens, the state of the men’s toilet, and, occasionally, each other. Then I find myself falling in with them. I do not want to be that way. So today was No Complaint Day. At the end of the day, I’d give myself a B+. Of course, my benchmark is the Apostle Paul: “…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” (Philippians 4:10)

July 27, 2022

My beautiful picture

#269 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Wednesday, June 28, 2022 A close friend of mine sent me a photo of me when I was 23. It had an emotional impact on me–that was me and here I am now. How can I not see life as a journey? And my heart flooded with gladness because I have loved the journey and I love where I am now and I love where I am going. I know His hand has been upon me the entire way. “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”

July 28, 2022
#270 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, June 28, 2022 It is so much easier for people to accept a service that they pay for than one that is given to them out of love. Is that because of human pride? Or rather is it because if they receive something given out of love, they think they are obligated to give something back at a later date? Either way, it shows a lack of understanding of the nature of love. “Love does not seek its own…” Period.

July 29, 2022

#271 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Saturday, June 4, 2022 Sometimes I am so inundated with the true pleasures of this world (having my whole family around in a beautiful setting) that I forget to listen for God. I’m thankful that even when I am inattentive, He is not.

July 30, 2022
#272 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Thursday, June 30, 2022 We are off to Seattle tomorrow for my sister’s wedding. In recent years I’ve been experiencing a mild case of traveler’s anxiety–I’m sure it has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Of course, the answer to my anxiety is the same as the answer to anybody’s anxiety about whatever: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

July 31, 2022
#273 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Saturday, June 25, 2022 Worship is one of the spiritual disciplines I tend to neglect. More’s the pity for me. This from Richard J. Foster writing about Evelyn Underhill: “She had said earlier that ‘wordship purifies, enlightens, and at last transforms, every life submitted to its influence.’ Yes, indeed, and the act of worship as an appointed means of grace is one way I can offer myself to God as a living sacrifice, which, as Paul tells us, is the only reasonable thing to do (Romans 12:1–3). This helps me a great deal. Worship is something I can do and in doing it I have assurance that it is moving me more and more toward my true destiny.”

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HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY JULY 18–24, 2022

July 18, 2022
#260 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY

Friday, June 3, 2022 There’s something elemental about sitting around a fire with people that I love. I suppose humankind has been doing this since we inhabited the planet. It moves me gracefully to a place near the center of my soul–where the Holy Spirit resides. (That’s my son-in-law Dylan and my son Nathan)

July 19, 2022
It’s Tuesday…Fore!
#261 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Wednesday, June 29, 2022 It was one of those perfect moments on the golf course (even though I wasn’t playing that well). I was sitting in the golf cart in the shade, waiting to hit. It was hot, but there was the breeze and the shade. The sky was utter blueness, the leaves of the trees had perfect sharp edges, the locusts hummed, and George Harrison was hitting that exquisite guitar riff on “Let It Be”–and I knew that I was blessed. That’s how God spoke to me today.

July 20, 2022
#262 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, May 17, 2022 Lethargy…it is an enemy to us all, but especially as we get older. Sometimes there is a book I think I should read but it is lying on the floor three feet away from me–so I sit there. Lethargy says “Do nothing.” But it is a paper mache opponent. All I have to do is move and it is gone. Reminds me of one of my favorite Dylan lines: “…he not busy being born is busy dying.”

July 21, 2022
#263 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Monday, June 20, 2022 The separation of the ego and the soul–boy, that is a close cut! They are both me but not on the same wavelength. It’s a matter of exalting vs. humbling. Of course, the soul is nearer to God. Lord, teach me to cleave to my soul.

July 22, 2022
#264 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Thursday, June 23, 2022 This from my quiet time: “The more control you try to grasp, the less you have; the more control you surrender to God, the more under control your life becomes. Surrendering control does not mean you have become passive or fatalistic. It does mean you trust that God has given you the physical, emotional and spiritual tools necessary to negotiate life. To surrender control to God releases the tension within that keeps you from responding to life with all your capacity.” –from Loving Yourself for God’s Sake by Adolfo Quezada

July 23, 2022
#265 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY

Monday, June 27, 2022 Where are you in my dreams, Lord? I’d say about 75% of my dreams are unsettling or disturbing (school anxiety, I am lost, family is fractured, or worse) and yet I never reach out to God. When I wake up in a sweat, I immediately pray and give it to the Lord. But not in my dream state. Why? Dear Lord Jesus, I hereby give You a standing invitation to intervene in my dreams whenever You wish–I certainly need You there.

July 24, 2022
#266 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Sunday, June 19, 2022 I had a wonderful Father’s Day! I was at my son’s house, and they had invited several other couples. I was Father Emeritus. They had to do all the fatherly things (Father’s Day is not a day off when you have young children). I just did the barbecue. I felt like a patriarch.

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HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY July 11–17, 2022

July 11, 2022
#253 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Monday, May 30, 2022 “He must increase and I must decrease…” I pray this prayer a lot. I do this because I realize how much my own ego dominates my life. Abiding means turning control over to Him. It should be easy (given who He is) but it’s not (given who I am). Only God knows, but it seems like I generally operate at about 80% ego and 20% Christ. But He’s chipping away. I wonder what it will be like when we get near 50/50?
Afterword: Of course, I realize those percentages are ridiculous.

July 12, 2022
Golf Tuesday…
#254 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, June 17, 2022 I was playing golf today in 100 degree heat. In the foursome in front of us was an 80 year old man who took a full two minutes longer than his partners to get from the green to their golf carts. In my group was a 78 year old man whose legs are so numb he has trouble keeping his balance. His playing partner was a 350 pound 76 year old man who has a history of fainting. In 100 degree heat! Such is the passion God puts in a man’s heart. Surely, golf is either a spiritual exercise or a crazy man’s obsession.

July 13, 2022
#255 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Wednesday, May 25, 2022 The school shootings in Uvalde reconfirms in my mind what has already been settled in my heart–I have no hope in humanity. My hope for humanity lies completely in God and His mercies.

July 14, 2022
#256 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Monday, June 6, 2022 I come from a political family, very liberal, so they are actively seeking political solutions to the world’s problems. They are pro-gun control, pro-immigrant, pro-choice, etc. So am I. But I am walking a tightrope there. I see the deeper problems as greed and hatred and selfishness, and politicians don’t have much to say about them. Those problems are lodged in the human heart and cannot be addressed by marches and protests and campaigns. Healing the world has to start from within.

July 15, 2022
#257 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Wednesday, June 22, 2022 God is present. Right here. I don’t think this truth can ever sink deeply enough into me (until We are face to face). Sometimes I feel like He is waving checkered flags saying “Yo. Here I AM.” That brings me back to my first goal of retirement: Abiding. When I abide in Him, He doesn’t have to say Yo.

July 16, 2022
#258 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Sunday, March 27, 2022 I used to tease my students that God was involved in what shirt you chose to wear to school that day…I was only half-joking.

July 17, 2022
#259 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Monday, June 20, 2022 We have an old black woman who has been a pastor at our church. On Sunday, the day of her retirement, she gave one of the best sermons that I’ve ever heard. This woman has walked with the Lord. She focused on “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me…” She talked about her valleys and our valleys, and the inevitability of valleys. Then she talked about “…walking through…” How we can’t quit or sit down or take a break–we gotta keep moving. Then she talked about His presence, which will always lead us through, whether we recognize Him or not. It was beautiful–I had tears.

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HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY JULY 4–10, 2022

July 4, 2022
#246 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, May 13, 2022 “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” I have never had the courage or confidence to say that aloud and believe it. But I am definitely getting closer.

July 5, 2022
#247 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Saturday, May 21, 2022 This from my quiet time: “Those who dance are thought mad by those who can’t hear the music” — that old adage is certainly true of those who walk to the beat of God’s drum. When you take your cues from the Holy Spirit, you’ll do some things that will make people think you’re crazy. So be it. Obey the whisper and see what God does. –from Whisper by Mark Batterson

July 6, 2022
#248 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Thursday, May 5, 2022 I love it when I recognize God’s hand at work in the little details of my life. For example, I showed my family doctor a little blemish–I told him I had a dermatology appointment in a month–he told me to move it up if I could–derm guy had a cancellation the next day–he froze it off and said it’s nothing to worry about. Second example: I had a busy schedule of random things fall together perfectly today. Many people would say I just got lucky. But remember the verse: “In Him we live and move and have our being.” There isn’t a detail He is not involved in. You can only understand His will by accepting it.

July 7, 2022
#249 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Sunday, May 15, 2022 “…forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us…” God is opening my eyes about forgiveness. I think of forgiveness in the past tense: Yeah, I had some major screw-ups back then, and I know God has forgiven me, and I hope I didn’t damage anyone too badly. And: Yeah, a few bad people did me wrong, but I survived, no hard feelings. But Jesus’ prayer is for the present. My screw-ups (and there are many) are forgiven…I can go forward knowing that. But, “…those who trespass against…” –says a harsh word to me, neglects a perceived need, zigs when I wanted zag–that responsibility to forgive rests entirely on my shoulders. Lord, give me the grace to live in a state of forgiveness.

July 8, 2022
#250 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, June 28, 2022 I watched two large turtles doing it in the water today. It was a crazy sight. Anyone who doesn’t recognize that God has a sense of humor is not paying attention.

July 9, 2022
#251 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, June 16, 2022 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled faces, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (II Corinthians 3:17–18). I want to examine my own spiritual effort. God just wants me to look at Him. He will take care of my transformation.

July 10, 2022
#252 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, June 10, 2022 Faith transcends mood and it transcends feelings. Today I am emotionally flat and tired. And yet He is still present and still directing my life. Gratitude is a sure step toward joy.

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HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY June 27-July 3, 2022

June 27, 2022
#239 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Thursday, May 12, 2022 Please tell me if you are the person who recommended I read Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God by Mark Batterson. Listen to this: “Let me make a bold statement at the beginning of this book. Learning to hear the voice of God is the solution to a thousand problems! It’s also the key to discovering our destiny and fulfilling our potential.
His voice is love.
His voice is power.
His voice is healing.
His voice is wisdom.
His voice is joy.”
I couldn’t agree more.

June 28, 2022
Ah, golf…
#240 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Wednesday, June 15, 2022 I just completed my second overnight golf trip with a group of senior men. The world sees it as a bunch of old geezers getting away for some fun (not entirely inaccurate). God sees it as old souls nearing the end of their lives reflecting on the goodness and wonder of the journey He has given them.

June 29, 2022
#241 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Sunday, May 1, 2022 Do it now. That is what the Holy Spirit says to me whenever those little material plane chores–like emptying the dishwasher, walking the dog, taking out the trash–pop into my head. I have an inclination toward lethargy. I can call it contemplation–or chilling–but it is usually just lethargy. It is so much easier to relax when I have done what I should do. Guide me, Holy Spirit.

June 30, 2022
#242 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Wednesday, February 9, 2022 “That’s just the way I am.” Those are the most deadening words the human spirit can hear. I have a close friend who is trapped in his bad habits and they are slowly killing him. He knows this–he doesn’t want to die–but he is stuck. Unfortunately, he doesn’t believe in God.
Afterword: My friend passed away on June 14.

July 1, 2022
#243 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, May 17, 2022 God is showing me, over and over, that human beings, left to their own resources, have not got a clue. As I watch the news, that is overwhelmingly obvious. As I observe those around me, it is clear that reliance on self is the highway to disaster. There has got to be a link between creature and creator. We did not make ourselves. And if you’re not willing to acknowledge your creatureness, you haven’t even discovered the pathway.

July 2, 2022
#244 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Thursday, June 2, 2022 Remember “full-hearted”? Tonight Karen and I fixed dinner and all my family came in to fix plates, first for the children and then for themselves, and I sat alone on my son’s back porch (ah, back porches!). But not alone. The sky was so blue, and the earth was verdant, and the pine trees towered above me, and the thought was so clear it could have been His actual voice: “This is My gift to you because I love you.” My heart was full.

July 3, 2022
#245 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Sunday, May 22, 2022 God is present, right here right now. A.W. Tozer has a wonderful way of describing His proximity: God is above, but He’s not pushed up. He’s beneath, but He’s not pressed down. He’s outside, but He’s not excluded. He’s inside, but He’s not confined. God is above all things presiding, beneath all things sustaining, outside all things embracing, and inside all things filling.”

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HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY JUNE 20–26, 2022

June 20, 2022
#232 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Thursday, March 31, 2022 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3: 5–6) The above verse just resonates with me. It isn’t just advice, it’s a formula for living my life. This is what saddens me most about an unbeliever’s life–the loneliness. You have no understanding to lean on but your own, and who you trust is tenuous, and your future is uncertain. I pray more than anything (for myself) that God will teach me how to convey to others (especially those I love) the pleasure it is to have a personal relationship with Him.

June 21, 2022
If it’s Tuesday, it must be golf…
#233 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Sunday, October 10, 2021 God wants me to examine my line between retirement and complacency. Our pastor preached today on where we have our treasure stored. For example, golf is only a spiritual exercise if I make it one. It can also be just a time-killer. The key is for my awareness of His presence to be just as important to me as my putt going in. That is the exercise. So I am praying that God will give me direction in how I can better serve His kingdom while playing golf. And I think the answer lies in the relationships I have with the men that golf with me.

June 22, 2022
#234 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, May 10, 2022 I had this dialogue with God:
Me: I want to be more committed to You.
God: Good.
Me: Um, how do I do that?
God: Let Me do it.
Me: Huh?
God: Believe.
Me: Oh. Okay.

June 23, 2022
#235 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Monday, May 23, 2022 I have the greatest writing assignment ever. There is never a deadline, an infinite source of inspiration, a completely flexible schedule, never any question about payment, an Editor who does most of the work, and I am always excited to see what I am going to write next.

June 24, 2022
#236 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Saturday, April 30, 2022 Spice (our dog) is the only one I know who actively dislikes my writing project. I write in an easy chair in my study or on my back porch. I use a tablet and a large clipboard on my lap. She will check out the arrangement, look at me mournfully, and wander away. My writing project is really me telling God what I think He is communicating to me with an audience in mind.

June 25, 2022
It is 102 degrees outside. Gives this observation a whole new perspective…
#237 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Thursday, January 6, 2022 I can only surmise that frigid temperatures outside are not conducive to communion with God. At least, not for me…

June 26, 2022
#238 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Wednesday, May 4, 2022 This from my quiet time: “People seem to think that it is in some way a proof that no merciful God exists, if we have so many wars. On the contrary, consider how in spite of centuries of sin and greed and lust and cruelty and hatred and avarice and oppression and injustice, spawned and bred by the free wills of men, the human race can still recover, each time, and can still produce men and women who overcome evil with good, hatred with love, greed with charity, lust and cruelty with sanctity. How could all this be possible without the merciful love of God, pouring out His grace upon us?” –from Mornings with Thomas Merton

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HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY JUNE 13–19, 2022

JUNE 13, 2022
#225 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, May 27, 2022 I got a new role today: acolyte: a person assisting the celebrant in a religious service or procession. We all know who the Celebrant is, and the procession is life. Sign me up as an acolyte.

June 14, 2022
I’m off on an overnight golf trip, so I’m posting early–after all, it is Golf Tuesday…
#226 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Monday, May 30, 2022 I put this sign up on the golf course in front of my backyard…it got stolen…what am I to think?

June 15, 2022
#227 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Saturday, May 14, 2022 I believe in simple solutions to complex problems. “Love God and love my neighbor” will get me through 90% of the turmoils that arise in the average day.

June 16, 2022
#228 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Monday, April 25, 2022 There is an unending supply of God’s love for me. I just need to ask. It can’t be selfish. I can’t pray for a lottery ticket. But if I ask Him to show me His love, it never fails. I am only required to pay attention–and be willing to pass it on. God looks at my heart. If I open my heart, He will bless.

June 17, 2022
I’m in a Willie Nelson mood…
#229 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, May 13, 2022 “Never think evil thoughts of anyone/ It’s just as wrong to think as to say/ For a thought is but a word that’s unspoken/ In God’s eyes, He sees it that way./ Lend a hand if you can to a stranger/ Never worry if he can’t repay/ For in time you’ll be repaid ten times over/ In God’s eyes, He sees it this way.” God is working from the inside to the outside. Be cleansed and clean the world.

June 18, 2022
#230 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Sunday, May 9, 2022 Karen has left me again (a ten day trip with her sisters). It’s just me and Spice and the Lord. Poor Spice spent the entire evening perched on the sofa by the front window, waiting for her to come home. My week will be filled with church responsibilities, daily spiritual exercise (golf), my diversions (puzzles, sports, zen putting), my usual phone calls, and my blessed back porch. I suppose there’s some truth to Beth and Dylan’s assertion that I am in a “monk phase” of life. There’s an abiding sense of God’s presence in my home. It’s quite wonderful. “O taste and see that the Lord is good,” the psalmist advises me.

June 19, 2022
This is a good one for Father’s Day…
#231 Wednesday, June 1, 2022 God gave me the opportunity to sit and visit with my son–who lives 2000 miles away–and talk about music and people we admire, and what moves us–and I see the influence I have had on him and, equally, the influence he has had on me. What a wonderfully complex, mysterious, and glorious idea it was for God to create family!

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HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY JUNE 6–12, 2022

June 6, 2022
#218 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Thursday, May 2, 2022 One thing I know I can learn to do better is love my neighbor. I think that is the biggest reason God has me sticking around here. Of course, neighbor means wife, children, granddaughters, siblings, relatives, friends, neighbors, and every stranger I meet on my daily journey. That is a pretty roomy classroom God has provided for me. One thing I have noticed–everyone responds well to love. Makes for a pretty exhilarating educational experience. This is a lifetime class open to anyone.

June 7, 2022
This one also applies when you get Covid…
#219 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, January 18, 2022 Halfway through Dry January and this is my verse: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11)

June 8, 2022
#220 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Friday, April 29, 2022 I had my cataract surgery check-up today and learned my eyesight has improved from 20/30 to 20/20. I wish they could measure my spiritual vision. I suspect I have some cataracts there that I’m not even aware of.

June 9, 2022
#221 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Wednesday, May 11, 2022 …a child of God. The implications just roll over me. Just think about me and my own three children. I want for them more than anything everything that is good for their life. Same for them and their children. Multiply that by a gazillion times (because His love is so much deeper than mine)–that is what He wants for me (because I am His child). And He asks me to trust Him to do that. Awe and wonder.

June 10, 2022
#222 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Monday, May 16, 2022 My friend and I were making fun of the bumper sticker: “God is my co-pilot” May it never be! This is not an equal footing journey. This is a lost sheep-shepherd scenario. This is creature–Creator. I am not in charge. The biggest obstacle to faith is ego.

June 11, 2022
#223 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Sunday, May 8, 2022 He is using music again! This from Stevie Wonder: “Tell me people Why can’t they say that hate is 10 zillion light years away?/ Why can’t the light of good shine God’s love in every soul?/ Why must my color black make me a lesser man?/ I thought this world was made for every man/ He loves us all, that’s what my God tells me/ And I say it’s taken us so long ’cause we’ve got so far to come…/ But in my heart I can feel it/ Feel His Spirit wow oh woo…/ Feel it, yeah, feel His Spirit…” from 10 Zillion Light Years Away
Makes me feel like a teenager again.

June 12, 2022
#224 HOW GOD SPOKE TO ME TODAY
Tuesday, May 3, 2022 I got this proclamation in the middle of the night, kind of like a voice from the mountaintop: He has power over All That Shall Be, so I should have no fear over All That Shall Be. Nice to know.

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