Merrillee Whren's Blog, page 6

A Lighthouse

This is a historic lighthouse near St. Augustine, Florida. We took a mini-vacation there a few years ago and climbed all the way to the top of the lighthouse. The sites from the top were amazing.

This week I started the book of John in my daily Bible reading.

John 1:1-5 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

The scripture talks about how Jesus is not only the Word sent from God but the light of all mankind. Jesus serves as our lighthouse as we navigate the waters of life.

In keeping with that theme enjoy my new favorite song “My Lighthouse” by Rend Collective.

Have you visited an interesting lighthouse?

Scripture Thursday

Luke 19:1-10 “Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd.So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.’

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’

Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’”

Since I was a day late posting on my blog last week, I’m posting a day early this week. So Scripture Friday becomes Scripture Thursday. I’m still reading the book of Luke. In this week’s reading was the story of Zacchaeus. This is a story familiar to many young children who attend Sunday School.

I remember singing the song about Zacchaeus in Sunday School. “Zacchaeus, you come down, for I’m going to your house today.” That is one line from the song. What would you do if Jesus said he was going to your house today?

What is one of your favorite Bible stories from your youth?

Scripture Saturday

I’ve been posting about my scripture reading on Friday’s, but this week, it happens on Saturday. Just like the garbage collectors pick up trash a day late when there is a holiday, I’m posting my scripture a day late. If you’ve been reading my blog, you know that I’m in the middle of reading the gospel of Luke. This week I read a lot of familiar stories such as the one about the Prodigal Son. I also read a story that I’ve read before, but never paid much attention to. It’s one I had to think about. Here is Luke 16:1-12

Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

“‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.

“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’

“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’

“‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.

“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

For me this was a difficult scripture to decipher. It couldn’t be telling us to be dishonest. So what is it saying? Here is what I read from a commentary by Matthew Henry. “Worldly men, in the choice of their object, are foolish; but in their activity, and perseverance, they are often wiser than believers. The unjust steward is not set before us as an example in cheating his master, or to justify any dishonesty, but to point out the careful ways of worldly men. It would be well if the children of light would learn wisdom from the men of the world, and would as earnestly pursue their better object.” If you’d like to read more of what Mr. Henry has to say about this passage you can read it here.

Are there any scriptures you’ve read lately that aren’t completely clear to you?

Happy Memorial Day

Here’s the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC. Today in the United States we remember those who fought to keep our country free. My dad was in the army during World War II. Who in your family has served in the armed forces? Are you doing anything special for Memorial Day?

Building on a Solid Foundation

Have you ever built a sand castle on the beach? If you have, you know that it won’t last long once the tide comes in. This week I’ve been reading in the book of Luke. This is one of the passages I read.

Luke 6:46-49 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

It reminds us that we need a strong foundation for our houses and our lives. Jesus is the rock on which we need to build so we can weather the storms of life.

Can you think of any other scriptures that talk about Jesus as the foundation of our lives?

 

Writing It Down

 

This week I started reading the book of Luke, the third gospel in the New Testament. I’ve read the familiar stories numerous times, but each time I read the accounts, I find some new thing.

Here are the first four verses of Luke. “Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.”

Of course, Luke was inspired by the Holy Spirit as he wrote his account of Jesus’s life. As a writer, I’m looking at the things Luke did. He investigated. That says research to me. A writer must research the subject to get the details correct. Luke had a specific audience in mind, Theophilus. As I write I’m thinking about my readers and the story they might like to read.

Many of my books deal with forgiveness. I think it is a difficult thing to do sometimes when the hurt goes deep. But as Christians we are called on to forgive. So I hope my stories in some small way can show characters who find a way to forgive.

What kind of lessons have you learned from works of fiction?

Fun Wednesday

You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.
Dr. Seuss

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/wacky.html#5o63JwjM0cVITqcO.99

“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.” Dr. Suess.
Here’s a fun little quote for your Wednesday.
You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.
Dr. Seuss

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/wacky.html#C1yvw5JOHCmh8Pz7.99

What is the wackiest thing you’ve seen or heard lately?

Happy Mother’s Day

I want to wish happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there. I had a mother who taught me about God and how He sent His Son to be my Savior. She showed me love in big and small ways. I lost her too soon. Part of her legacy is my two daughters. Here I am with my daughters as we were getting ready for the older one’s wedding.

Do you have special plans for Mother’s Day?

Scripture Friday

Over the years, I have read the Bible cover to cover a few times, but I have never done it in one year. I found read through the Bible in a year programs intimidating. If I missed a day, then it seemed hard to catch up. If I missed more than one day, the task seemed impossible. About a year and a half ago, the church we attended where we lived in Florida had a program in which you read through the Bible by reading a chapter a day. I thought that was quite doable. I started the program where they were at the time, which was in the book of Joshua because I didn’t get in on it in the beginning. Now I’m in the book of Mark.

I’ve decided to try to post a scripture and comment from my weekly reading on my blog every Friday. We’ll see how well I follow through. Today I read the twelfth chapter of Mark. As I’ve been reading the first two gospels, I’ve been reminded of how many times Jesus told a story to make a point. These are  the words from Mark 12:1-12.

Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.

6 “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

7 “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

9 “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture:

“‘The stone the builders rejected

    has become the cornerstone;

11 the Lord has done this,

    and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

12 Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.

How do you like to read the Bible?

Happy May Day

When I was a kid, we celebrated the first of May with a May basket. We would make little baskets of flowers or candies or a combination of both. Often the baskets were made of construction paper held together with glue of staples. We would give our May basket to someone special, but you didn’t walk up to them and give them the basket. Instead, you put it on their doorknob or front porch and rang the doorbell or knocked on the door. Then you would run as fast as you could so they wouldn’t know who left the basket. If the recipient of the basket caught the giver, they exchanged a kiss.

Today I rarely see any kind of May Day celebrations. In fact, I never passed on this tradition to my children. There is a long history about May Day and how it has been celebrated through the centuries and in different countries. If you are interested in reading more about the history of May Day, you can look here.

Did you ever celebrate May Day with a basket?