Let the words of my mouth...

What a sobering question to ponder!

Psalm 34:13 reads: "Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit."

Contrast this verse with Psalm 119:172: "Let my tongue sing of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteousness."

And Psalm 19:14: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer."

May my words please the LORD. May the words of my mouth, inspired by the Holy Spirit and reflective of the truth of His Word, be used by Him to edify, exhort and encourage!

Our Lord and Our God!

Bridge Unto the Father

The trip to and from my church includes passage over this bridge, renowned as one of the most beautiful settings in Washington State. Our fellowship includes people from Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands, linked literally by this bridge and spiritually by Jesus: "The Bridge Unto the Father." Thank you, Lord, for the gift of free worship and fellowship among believers! Thank you for the minstrel gifts of our lead shepherd, who penned these words as lyrics to a song.

All that they had

With the news that a defective valve would require open heart surgery, both my wife and I prayed for His peace ... and also that He would be glorified in the process. God was faithful on both counts. The surgery culminated successfully with a repaired valve, as opposed to a replacement, and He has indeed been glorified in many ways. Among my favorite stories is one that features two of our grandchildren. As is often the case in situations such as this, the children recognized there had been a sudden, serious development in our lives. Apparently they heard along the way that arrangements were being made to put Mama and Grammy in a hotel near the out-of-town hospital so they could be close to me during surgery and recuperation. There would be costs associated with this journey, including the hotel bill for a days-long stay. Without fanfare, the children devised a plan. They emptied their piggy banks, crafted handmade love notes and sealed the money in two envelopes. A proud Mama made the delivery ... and hearts were lifted as the loving gifts were received. They gave every penny they had. Sound familiar? "And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, 'Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had'." Luke 21: 1-4.