08-18-20

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 18, 2020
Scripture: Luke 12:18-19
Then the man said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”

Thought for the Day: I was all excited about the LiveStream for Sunday morning as I was hosting a special guest, Dr. Joel Plaag. At the 11:00am Greeting, I was wearing an earbud so that I could hear Joel without getting feedback. All seemed good at first, but quickly a problem appeared. I left open a screen on the computer with the church’s website, the page with the LiveStream. Now understand, when I would talk to Joel, I would hear my own voice in the earbud about 3-4 seconds after I spoke it. That was irritating and only slightly confusing. But not realizing that I had left open the page with the church’s website, I started hearing something else. The LiveStream was about 30 seconds behind. So I not only had my voice 3-4 seconds behind, but I also had my voice from 30 seconds earlier. I’m sure there are many focused human beings who are able to clear all the other noise from their head and go forward. God bless them! I’m not one of them.

It got me to thinking about all the trouble we create when the only voices we hear are our own voices. The man in the parable referenced above uses a personal pronoun more times in two verses than any other person in the Bible. The only conversation partners brought into the conversation are within himself. We can talk ourselves into some real foolishness, especially when we make no space for other voices. I have always said that a good decision can usually be made if we make space for five voices: 1. The Holy Spirit; 2. The saints from Christian history; 3. Our own life experience; 4. A good friend who will always be honest; 5. An individual who is wise. Too often we believe we’ve invited a lot of people into the conversation, when in fact, we are listening only to what’s in our own head. That’s what I experienced on Sunday, and it was only chaos inside my head. Trust me when I say that nothing good could come from such an incomplete set of voices.

Prayer: Make room and time for as many helpful and healthy voices in the important decisions of life and faith. Lord God, the more I come to know the more I come to realize how little I know. Humble my heart so there is room for those who can bring a genuine and helpful voice to the important decisions that must be made. Amen.

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CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR:

Students, Teachers, Professors,
Education Support Staff,
Parents, Grandparents,
Health Experts

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