The following was passed onto me after reading yesterday’s post on age and wisdom. This report is exactly what I was talking about. Take time to read it and delight in it! I was humbled by this beautiful story and I rejoiced when I read the last line.
Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher
One of my favourite Mark Twain quotes is:
When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.For me this process of learning hasn’t finished even though now I am probably older than Mark’s father was. I am continually amazed how much wisdom older people have. The tragedy is, that unlike mark Twain, we as a society have been failing to listen to the our seniors for many years.
Readers of my blog know that I am a passionate advocate for young people but I am also an advocate for those who have experienced much and have wisdom to offer. Yes I have come across a few old fools who make sure that everybody knows their opinion – ad nauseum. But there are many more older people who have a quiet and experience wrought wisdom which has been nurtured through faith. All we need to do is ask. We have to ask because too often they have been told their opinion is not worth anything.
Job 12:12 asks
Is not wisdom found among the aged?
Does not long life bring understanding?
Think of the questions we need to ask our elders:
How did you keep your marriage working? What obstacles to faith do we need to keep alert to? What did you do that was particularly effective in raising your family? What mistakes did you make? What boundaries did you set on your children? How did you cope in the traumas of life?And there are many, many more questions. If we don’t ask, we won’t find out. If we don’t find out, we will be the poorer.
We tend to think of Calvin as the theologian but he was also a pray-er with a deep relationship with his God. After all, he was known by some as the ‘theologian of the Holy Spirit.’
I discovered a number of his prayers at Monergism.com. Below is one example taken from his commentary on Hosea:
Grant, Almighty God, that as thou hast not only of late adopted us as thy children, but before we were born, and as thou hast been pleased to sign us, as soon as we came forth from our mother’s womb, with the symbol of that holy redemption, which has been obtained for us by the blood of thy only begotten Son, though we have by our ingratitude renounced so great a benefit, – O grant, that being mindful of our defection and unfaithfulness, of which eve are all guilty, and for which thou hast justly rejected us, we may now with true humility and obedience of faith embrace the grace of thy gospel now again offered to us, by which thou reconciles thyself to us; and grant that we may steadfastly persevere in pure faith, so as never to turn aside from the true obedience of faith, but to advance more and more in the knowledge of thy mercy, that having strong and deep roots, and being firmly grounded in the confidence of sure faith, we may never fall away from the true worship of thee, until thou at length receives us in to that eternal kingdom, which has been procured for us by the blood of thy only Son. Amen.
Recently two videos have been recommended to me. Both (with the usual caveat that we read and watch material critically) are well worth watching and being challenged by.
The first was recommended by one of my daughters (an introvert) and she found this to be very affirming of her own character and traits. Teachers and pastors, I believe, will be challenged by this.
Susan Cain speaks about the power of introverts
The second is also a TED video and speaks of vulnerability. Brene Brown speaks of her own journey. Christians, I believe have a chapter to add to this story about the one who made himself totally vulnerable for us, but even by itself, it is a powerful image of our humanity.
All God’s creatures are unique:
An Emu getting up close and personal. He was after my wife's bread roll.
Here is proof! A marsupial that doesn’t often drink and a bird that doesn’t fly.
A Koala drunk on eucalyptus leaves having a snooze.
After being amazed by the night sky two nights ago, my wife and I spent time looking at Psalm 8. Here are a few thoughts:
1. Psalm 8 echoes Genesis 1. We see God’s creation reflected in the Psalm: from stars to fish but it ends in the highpoint – the creation of man in his own image.
2. It is very easy to feel insignificant after staring at the stars for too long. But both Genesis 1 and Psalm 8 remind us that we have been created (and recreated in Christ) with a purpose – to glorify God.
3. The Psalm starts with “Lord,our Lord“, This opening acknowledges both the majesty of a creating God but also the intimacy of a God with whom we are called into relationship.
4. The thought that my wife, especially, delights in, is that God uses the small and weak, that is, “children and infants” to give Him praise, and by so doing His enemies are silenced. It is so easy for us to take on the world’s ideals and methods of strength and power. God’s are totally different. His son at the weakest moment, dying on a Roman cross, achieved victory over death, sin and Satan. The seemingly small and weak in the family of God share in, and can attest to, that victory and thereby silence the mocking world.
Your homework! Find a good, cloudless, night time place where pollution and light pollution is absent. Spread a blanket on the ground and just stare and wonder at the majesty of the stars. Then read Psalm 8 (use a torch) and allow God to remind you of where you fit into His eternal plans. As Jesus’ brothers and sisters we share in His eternal rule.
Tonight my wife and I were looking at the night sky with the aid of the Night Sky app. We are in the country away from the city lights and pollution. The night sky is just brilliant with its display of stars. The Southern Cross, Orion, and big orange Betelgeuse were all set against the brilliance of the Milky Way.
Every time again it is a “wow!” moment.
Now I have two essential choices to make about the origins of this majestic picture. One, it is a giant accident with spectacular results or two, there is a divine hand behind all this.
In Psalm 147:4 we read, “He determines the number of stars and calls them each by name.” This reveals two incredible aspects of God: His omnipotence and His attention to small details. If the name of each of His stars is important to Him, then what about us, whom He made “a little lower than the angels?”
Psalm 8 tells me that I am important to God. Looking at the stars reminds me of this!
“Youth is wasted on the young” George Bernard Shaw
Energy to spend on chasing, running and childishness. To have passions that ignite. Intoxicating dreams that abound of worlds and hopes, futures and possibilities. To be young again! To have time to wonder and aspire, fall and rise without broken bones – or bruised hearts. To be a Jeremiah – set apart, Josiah – doing what is right David – with a youthful love of God or Mary – with a humble heart. The priceless, momentary gift of being young must not be chained or bound in our past mistakes. Free the young to prophesy and envision, thrive and grow so our jaded hearts are gladdened and God rejoices.A few years ago we lived in the UK for 16 months. What struck us was the distinctiveness of the seasons – the warmth and humidity of the Summer, the cold of the Winter and either the coming to life or the dying of Spring and Autumn.
Below are two videos taken from either end of a local street made up of photos taken approximately once every week (or so) over a year. This was not a technically precise exercise. (Click on the photos to be taken to the videos).
Stanier Square
Stanier - Other end
Even in a suburban environment
we have glimpses of God. We don’t have to go to the edge of the Grand Canyon or into the starry outback in Australia. The changes of the seasons, the springing into life of the trees, the blossoming of flowers, wherever we are, are all reminders of the divine hand of God.
At our staff devotions this morning a colleague showed us a graph of the Bible references between the Old and New Testaments. It was a clever pictorial representation of which OT book and chapter connected with the New. In other words, all those references in your Bible have been connected visually. This doesn’t contradict what I said in yesterday’s post about looking for meaning where it is not warranted. In fact, it shows how the meaning and intent of Scripture is beautifully linked. If you are a visual person, this could be a valuable representation of the Word for you. It doesn’t remove the need to read Scripture, however it can add to our appreciation of it.
Chris Harrison has a variety of charts of various aspects of Scripture. http://www.chrisharrison.net/index.php/Visualizations/BibleViz
Travels from Ur 