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Bits & Pieces (June 18)

Years ago, I used to daily (!) do a “Bits and Pieces” post with news and articles that I read and thought were worth sharing. To be candid, the daily expectation got too much for me and I gave it up. However, I do appreciate the opportunity to share things that I have read or listened to that may bring encouragement or insight to those who read this blog. While I have no plans of once again making this a daily habit, I hope it will be a regular one.  All the standard disclaimers apply – when I post a link to one thing, I am not endorsing everything that person has said or done or will do in the future. I am just taking the “snapshot” of that moment in time and sharing it. I hope that in doing so, I can help focus our minds on things that are honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellence and worthy of praise (see Phil. 4:8). So without further ado, I once again bring you Bits and Pieces – a collection of interesting/noteworthy/heartening stories from the worldwide web:

  • Find a Good Storm to Stir You – “The Greek for “stir up” means “to provoke” or “to agitate.” The same word is used just one other time in the New Testament, and it’s used (surprisingly) to describe the “sharp disagreement” that arose between Paul and Barnabas over John Mark (Acts 15:39). There’s a kind of sharpness in the imagery. Shake one another, unsettle one another, upset one another — with a holy interruption — until love spills over and good works spring to life.”
  • Oklahoma Softball Pitcher Talks About What it Means to “Get Out of the Boat” – I don’t know the context of how this question got brought up at a post-game news conference, but this college student does a remarkable job discussing her faith with poise and grace. I love how she explains the biblical account and what it means for life and how they have applied it to the softball field. I hope if I am ever given the opportunity to discuss God’s Word on national TV that I do it with as much grace and winsomeness as she does in this clip. 
  • John Cena visits Ukrainian teenage refuge in Amsterdam – This story is so heartwarming. A nonverbal teen with Down’s Syndrome needed to escape Ukraine with his family after their home in Mariupol was destroyed. His mother told him that they were leaving to search for John Cena in order to make the journey more palpable to him. John Cena heard of the situation and went to visit the teen in Amsterdam. While most of us probably can’t fly to Europe to make someone’s dream come true this is a reminder that an act of kindness can go a long way, especially amidst a difficult and terrible situation. 
  • How to Get More Out of Church – ” As Christians, attending the Sunday service with our church family is one of the greatest privileges we have in life. But if we’re not careful, especially with the routine nature of the weekly meeting, we can slide into auto-pilot. This comes with costly results. Without intentionality, we may fail to steward this gift. And as a result, we may underappreciate and even miss the primary way God blesses his people.”
  • 4 Guidelines for Dating Without Regret – “In a context in which dating has become too complicated, simple guidelines like these can offer a lot of help and a lot of clarity. They can help couples date confidently and, best of all, date without regrets.”
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Hope

Strength & Rest

As kids few people warn you how tired you will be as an adult. Before anyone jumps in with helpful suggestions or suggested remedies – I go to bed at a decent time and regularly sleep throughout the night so, lest anyone be concerned, I don’t think this is a matter of personal health. However, my consistent sleep patterns aside, I find myself exhausted more than I care to admit. Life is full and adulting requires energy, and after a full day of being a responsible grown-up, I am grateful for the gift of rest. 

One of the reasons rest is so important is because God has created our bodies to be re-energized as a result of sleep. He could have created us differently, but I like to think that His intention in providing the pattern of rest from the beginning of Creation may have been in part to remind us that the world does not depend on our alertness to be maintained. Even when we are unconscious for 8-hour stretches, He is keeping the planet in orbit and causing the sun to rise. We can rest because He is the One who enables us to do so. We can rest because the whole world is in His hands, and not ours. 

However, sometimes it seems that the reason we are in need of rest is because of what God has given us to do. In His graciousness He has tasked each of His kids with work to do for the sake of His Kingdom. Those who take God seriously will take the assignments He gives them seriously as well. Being a godly wife, a patient and discerning mother, a committed church member and a dedicated employee requires a lot of energy. And yet, these are the tasks God has called me to. One might be tempted to think that perhaps if God did not require so much of us, our lives would not depend so much on the respite that sleep provides. 

This is one of the reasons that I appreciate what we can learn from an episode in King Jehoshaphat’s life which is recorded in 2 Chronicles 20.  In the first part of the account, we learn that God had a task for the king; he is to go into battle and fight a force that appeared mightier and fiercer than Judah. Despite the long odds for success, God commands the Israelites and its leader not to fear because He will fight the battle on their behalf (v. 17). Even though the assignment was the king’s, God was going to provide the strength and the wherewithal to accomplish it.

As we keep reading, however, we learn that God provided the king with something else as well. In verse 30, Scripture states that God provided rest for the king. God gave Judah relief from their enemies; He ensured their peace by means of His renown, establishing the security of the king’s reign.

Strength and rest. This is what God provided. Strength to accomplish His work; rest to restore the souls of His workers.

Precious saints – this is still true for those who follow God today. He will give us the strength to do what He has called us to do, and He will provide the rest we need to continue to faithfully follow Him. May we rely on Him for all we need knowing that He is faithful to give us everything required for “life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3) so that we might honor Him, in both our work and our rest.

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