Month: November 2018

Quiet Moments

(Jesus knew the value of time alone with God, and so should we)

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him,  and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.”
Mark 1:35-37

Scripture clearly teaches that for God there is no time too momentous or trivial to seek Him. Besides time to speak with and hear from God, Christians need to unplug from the world (both literally and figuratively) on occasion. For Jesus, as His fame grew and crowds began to clamor for Him, He would go off by Himself. Though Jesus was fully divine, He was also fully human. When He spent time alone, He modeled a very human need for the maintenance of spiritual and mental health.

God, help us to take time to unplug from the world. The noise and various demands upon our time and attention can eat away at our energy stores throughout the day. By not taking the time to allow You to restore and renew us, we are cheating ourselves, and, by extension, those who depend on us.

Lord, I tolerate too much noise.
Could it be I’m so accustomed
to low-level bedlam?
Teach me to find the joy
and healing
away from the maelstrom.

© Joel Tipple 11/7/2018

Election Eve

He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;
Daniel 2:21 ESV

Though I’d like to believe
at the end of the day
I’ve risen above
the political fray.
Though to outward appearance
I remain composed,
it’s a sham.
I’m pretending.
I admit it.

Though I read I should pray
for those in charge,
I rail to God,
and my wife,
in gestures writ large.
How could he make a decision like that?
How could she speak with so little tact?

And so it goes,
from election cycle
to cycle.
The choices are mountainous,
with upsides on the upsides
and downsides on the down.

Back to the table, I go,
reconvening peace talks
with God.
The cease-fire holds.

© Joel Tipple 11/6/2018

Begin

(Anything worth finishing must first be started)

For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.
Hebrews 3:4

Fear of beginning
envisions failure at every turn,
calamity
long before the finish line.
God has always chosen
imperfect people
who, though they stumble,
will go on
time after time.

© Joel Tipple 11/5/2018

Rest

(Sometimes you just need a break)

I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me.
Psalm  3:5

Sometimes I need some rest,
I expect like all the rest.
Critters too, go ahead and ask my dog.
It’s the way we all were made
and if you don’t have enough shade,
it can shorten your running time even more.

Do yourself a favor,
favor folks like the Psalmist,
who saw the wisdom
in hittin’ the hay.
He’s got stuff for you to do,
so respect the time he’s giving you
instead of being in a hurry to your grave.

A third stanza was required
since we found ourselves mired
in such a gravely serious place.
So practical matters pressing,
when for the night you’re undressing,
remember to brush your teeth
and wash your face.

Peace, out.

© Joel Tipple 11/4/2018

Feeling Music

19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:19

Music drew me to the Lord when I was a child.
The rhythm, like my heartbeat, pushing melodies.
Well worn hymns or modern songs,
like David’s famous psalms,
tied me ever tighter
to the maker of the sounds
of winds and waters.

But no matter
where life takes me,
no great cacophony
or raucous clamor
can drown out
the ever-present ebullience
of my Saviour’s symphony.

So it is now as it was then,
that I’m drawn along with
seekers and believers,
to the places
that play Amazing Grace,
then to the oceans and forests
that fuel me for the race.
I’m always seeking
the joyous sounds of God’s music.

© Joel Tipple 11/3/2018

 

Walk In It

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 
6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6


There is power
in saying yes.
There is power
in saying no.
There is power in expressing God’s truth
as His word reveals it to you.
Walk in it.

There is power in being
the person God says you are
and moving in the direction
He’s told you to move
even if when you turn around,
no one is following you.

There isn’t always a script,
or a well-worn path.
You may feel as though
you’re falling through clouds,
but He’ll catch you.

© Joel Tipple 11/2/2018