Sunday 26 March 2017

Post 159--The Cuba Miracle


                                        

Things are a’changin’ everywhere, some for the bad and some for the good. It often seems like the bad is winning out. Many more bad things seem to be happening than good.  Well, things are seldom as they seem—not an original insight from me, of course. In fact I could sing you a line of that from Gilbert and Sullivan’s opera H. M. S> Pinafore—ta ta ta ta ta ta ta…. Okay, this is not U-tube; I’ll spare you the pain!

The fact is that good things are happening every second everywhere. If it were not so, you and I would not exist and neither would this world or, for that matter, our entire universe.  And even that doesn’t cover it all—all the universes, all of creation including all that stuff millions of light years away from us. Don’t kid yourself. If God were not operating this whole thing, it wouldn’t be there. So, lots of good things happening all over the place.

Some Christians have a very narrow view of God’s work. They define it in terms of religion or church or spirituality. They don’t see the whole picture. However, those are also areas where God does good things in and through us. So, today I want to share with you something good that God is doing in Cuba in the area of religion, church and spirituality. This story reached me only just now, a few minutes ago and was sent by the Great Commission Movement. Here goes:


The Cuba Miracle!

http://img.ymlp14.com/jh35_Cubancrowdbooks--1.jpegWhen the mass media campaign in Havana officially launched on February 18th Cuban customs released 150,000 copies of the high-impact campaign books with powerful transformation stories of Cubans and 400,000 pieces of suppporting evangelistic material needed by the almost 400 participating campaign churches.

Fast forward three weeks, and here’s a report on what has happened: 

Requests for 50,000 "Power To Change" campaign books have been logged at the campaign call center. Thousands more have submitted requests to receive the book consisting of transformation stories. 

Thousands have already made their commitment to Jesus Christ. Intense follow-up is being provided by 400 participating churches.

It appears that 150 – 250 thousand more books will be needed along with a million more campaign brochures.

“It is harvest time in Cuba. There is a spiritual hunger among the people previously not seen in such numbers.  People yearn to experience inner change. In the response we are seeing all kinds of spiritual need,” reports Dr. Hannu Haukka, Missions Director for GCMM. 

Interest has arisen in other cities of Cuba, such as Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo.

A very popular, secular unofficial video distribution network servicing all of Cuba has been a blessing to the campaign. The same eight powerful transformation stories in the campaign book have been circulating on video everywhere on the island thanks to this system.


Please pray for this special time of  “Harvest in Cuba,” for multitudes who do not yet know Jesus. Please pray for the churches as they reach out to their countrymen, despite the opposition. Join us and be a part of this great harvest.


You can donate online now to this urgent need. Visit our website for secure online donations. 


More information on cutting-edge missions in our next newsletter
as well as online: www.gcmministries.com.

Please consider prayerfully your financial support with your tax-deductible gift.

Thousands of people are being reached with the saving power of the Gospel. Thank you!

Saturday 25 March 2017

Post 158—Is Prime Minister Trudeau Funding Islamic Extremism?


I may have reminded you of this before, but do you remember that during the last Federal election the Conservative Party of Canada kept repeating that Trudeau was not ready for being Canada's Prime Minister?  I full agreed with that, for I had seen no sign whatsoever that he was ready. Too young and too inexperienced in politics. Just cute and belonging to a famous political family.  
Well, since his election he has undone so many measures that the Conservatives put in place for the security of both Canada and the world. Don't get me wrong. I am often aghast at what Conservatives say or do as well.  Too many Canadian politicians of whatever party are just that: politicians, not stateswomen or men. Trudeau has shown himself just one of that crowd and, because of his high position, he stands out as just another politician. Apart from his initial composition of the Cabinet--gender equality and wide racial representation--I have seen little positive from him. Oh, he looks cute when he poses in the midst of young people and all that, but when it comes to serious decisions, he seems to have no standard of any kind. 
So, I am sharing with you a news item from The Rebel, an alternative news source that mainline journalists despise.  Though I enjoy reading the Vancouver Sun, I am aware it is mainline and often ignores events that do not pass their test for "responsible news."  I have noticed for years, for example, that they never report on the annual MissionsFest, a large Christian event held in the very heart of Vancouver that draws some 30-35,000 people every time, including high school students who do not drink or do drugs. Now that's a miracle of its own that the press ignores. Recently there was a large Christian gathering in Vancouver that was totally ignored also, except that they made a lot of noise about Franklin Graham.  So, I am fully aware of the selective nature of mainline media.  
Here then The Rebel:
==========
Hamas is the Palestinian version of ISIS. 

Besides being Islamic extremists, and calling for death to all Jews in their charter, Hamas routinely launches rockets into Israel, firing them from hospitals and schools, using Palestinian citizens as human shields.

This practice clearly violates international law.

But Hamas doesn't break international law all on its own. They work with a UN organization called UNRWA to hide these rockets.

UNRWA runs the schools and hospitals that Hamas attacks from. They have also provided textbooks to children that promote the murder of Israelis.

Because of such horrific actions, Prime Minister Stephen Harper decided to stop providing funding for UNRWA — they were simply too closely tied to Hamas.

(The Harper Conservatives still helped fund other Palestinian relief agencies, just not UNRWA.)

But Justin Trudeau has decided to start helping Hamas again and reinstate UNRWA funding.

Now, thanks to documents obtained by The Rebel, we have proof that the Liberals knew their decision to reinstate UNRWA funding with Canadian tax dollars could be diverted to terrorism.

Watch my video, or click here to see the documents we've obtained. 
UNRWA may have been a good cause when it started back in the 1940s, but it has become corrupted.

If you agree that Justin Trudeau should not fund UNRWA with Canadian tax dollars, then please go to www.StopHelpingHamas.com and sign our petition.

And remember, I'm on your side,

Brian Lilley
==============

I am not much of a techy and do not know whether all the links in the above will work. If they don't, please find The Rebel online yourself and see what you can see or hear.  

Friday 24 March 2017

Post 156—God’s Gender




I have occasionally referred to the Memoirs my wife and I wrote under the title Every Square Inch: A Missionary Memoir.  It is the first document on the Boeriana page of my website < SocialTheology.com >.  In the Preface I wrote, 

              “Woven into this story is also how our Heavenly Father/Mother 
              dealt with us….”  

A very close Nigerian family friend reported to us that several Nigerian Christians were offended by the “Father/Mother” reference to God. They are in good company; many Christians the world over are offended at the thought of God as female. A monthly Christian paper I read regularly, Christian Courier (CC), contained a reference to God as a female and immediately a reader voiced her objection. Well, at least, I did not choose the one over the other; I accept the possibility of either or even neither!

Bob Bruinsma, the writer of that offending CC article submitted an explanatory article that I want to share with you in this post. His title is “God’s Gender (Jan. 23, 2017, p. 16). Rather than my duplicating the article, you can access it yourself at: http://www.christiancourier.ca/columns-op-ed/entry/gods-gender. Please do so, for it is the heart of this post.

I do affirm Bruinsma’s article.  There are so many references in the Bible, as he shows, where God is referred to in female terms, that I see no justification for people taking offence. I understand why they do, since most references to the Most High are indeed in masculine terminology, but not exclusively so. I also understand the objection because pretty well every major culture in the world, including Nigerian and Western, think patriarchically, so that thinking of God exclusively as a male comes kind of natural to most of us. 

To me personally, thinking of Him as “Father/Mother” enriches my concept of Him, since I can associate Him with both or either. All the good things of both fathers and mothers are reflected in Him, not just the male side. 


So, I encourage you to re-read Bruinsma’s article several times. Where you object, ask yourself why? Do you object because it is unusual? Indeed it is. But do you think it goes against the Bible?  Challenge yourself on this one and see if you can really insist that Bruinsma is wrong. The important matter here is not whether Bruinsma or I are right, but that you enrich your concept of God without deviating from the Biblical testimony about Him.  

Saturday 18 March 2017

Post 155--Love and Money

Financial arguments can challenge a relationship. Here’s how to turn those problems into stronger love and more money.

BY SAM SEIDENI don't know Sam Seiden, but I suspect he is on the payroll of an outfit called "online trading academy."  At least, the article below is written by him and published by that academy. the end of the article--i cut it off--encourages you to enroll in a course on this subject. So, the article has some ulterior motives. I realized that when I first read it, but I thought and still think it a good article with lots of good and common money sense that I decided to share it with you.  I am 79 and it surely resonates with me. I hope the same is true if you're in a younger age bracket.  So, here goes:February is the most romantic month of the year. Valentine’s Day ranks as the second-most popular day for engagements (behind Christmas), according to WeddingWire.com. Celebrating a relationship is fun, but a great relationship takes work.
On Valentine’s Day, most couples don’t talk money and finances. Maybe that’s because no other topic causes more arguments. In fact, finances are the leading cause of stress in relationships, according to a SunTrust Bank survey.
Now is the time to change the conversation. And we have good news: With the proper approach, financial conversations that typically challenge relationships can actually help strengthen them. Those talks will differ at various stages in the life of a couple (see below), but it’s always critical to have them the right way. Here’s how to do it.

Honest Conversations

Far too many couples don’t have that honest conversation…ever. They talk about needing to have the conversation, but they never do. They might put it off so many times because, let’s face it, it’s difficult. Even when they do talk, many wait until it’s too late and their financial situation is beyond repair. All they are left with is resentment and regret.
Alternatively, starting to have honest conversations about money early in a relationship — like when you first become “serious” — has multiple benefits that can strengthen the relationship and boost the balance in each partner’s bank account. Talking openly and freely about money helps couples unlock the opportunity to combine the financial benefits of two distinctly different brains. Just as two people bringing their strengths and weaknesses to the table can make a relationship better, their different views of money and finances can benefit them. The key is communicating so the couple can leverage their differences to create a successful partnership.
While stereotypes don’t apply to everyone, we’ve observed gender and personality differences in our students. Often, one partner comes in thinking he or she is already a financial guru, so they may make mistakes because of misplaced confidence. In others, we see more thoughtful tendencies and careful investment philosophies.
Of course, this isn’t always the case, and sometimes the stereotypes are reversed. But combining these two very different brains into one approach can have lasting and positive effects on a couple — and their financial future. That honest conversation is important no matter what stage of the relationship, but the topics to focus on should be different depending on age. Here is how and, most importantly, why:

Young Couples Just Wanna Have Fun…For a While

At the beginning of a relationship, everything is fun. When Sinatra created the album “Songs for Swingin’ Lovers,” he didn’t call one of the songs, “You Make Me Feel So Old.” But at a certain point, fun turns into a bigger word: commitment. Once a couple commits to each other, their responsibilities to one another increase exponentially — with money often at the center. Because the foundation for the relationship hasn’t been built, sometimes money and finance issues can spell doom for a couple long before a split is warranted.
It doesn't have to be this way. If young couples make it a point to talk early about how they will ideally work together, they can begin to understand how differently (or similarly) they view money. These hypothetical discussions can actually be enjoyable. Hint: It’s okay to not be perfect and it’s alright to not have a lot of money; most people don’t. It’s even okay to have debt; most people do.
From early on, both partners can take advantage of the strengths and weaknesses of their respective brains. Being able to match one person’s positives with the other person’s negatives can build trust.
In the long run, that discussion can help grow income and total net worth, and set up a couple to achieve the life they choose to live and how to change their path if they desire.

Tons of Money, Tons of Bills

Couples in their mid-30s to mid-50s usually have a lot on their plate. Paying for children’s needs, saving for college, funding a college student, saving for retirement — this is when money is often tightest. Yes, income is as high as it will ever be, but because of the bills, it’s critical to make smart spending, investing and saving choices.
The most common problem for these couples is that one partner doesn’t have a good sense about the family’s financial situation. This leads to fear and a lack of trust, which can cause lasting damage to a relationship. Overspending is often a problem because the partner who doesn’t understand the finances has no idea of the income-to-expense ratio. Here again we usually see a couple periodically bring up the notion of getting on the same page, but they don’t actually talk until it’s too late.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Couples at this stage must come to a mutual understanding of their financial needs, and do so with input from both sides. A basic understanding of how much income is coming in versus how much is being spent is a great foundation on which to build the conversation. Getting a handle on the plans behind checking, savings and investment accounts, retirement savings, life insurance and other important financial products is an essential next step. It all starts with listing these accounts on a spreadsheet or just on paper. From our experience, the more couples do this together, the greater the trust and the better the outcome.
Many couples in this stage include one (or both) partners with a previous divorce. One extra piece of advice for them is to get rid of the “Uh oh, how is this going to work?” mindset and replace it with real honesty. Admit you’ve made some really good choices and some bad ones, and focus on the good choices. Figure out how you can make more of them together.

It’s Never Too Late

For Baby Boomer couples, the conversations become trickier. It’s a simple fact that most women will outlive men but this is true in all relationships. In older couples, one partner often knows very little about family finances. When one partner dies, the other asks, “What do I do?” and this lack of knowledge breeds a lack of confidence. For example, a widow may be incredibly financially conservative, as much as three times more than the average investor. This can hinder her income at a time when she most needs it.
Older couples should share all basic financial information — a list of financial institutions, account numbers and balances. They also need wills and any necessary trusts to determine what they want their money to do now and where it will go when they pass on. When a loved one dies, the last thing the surviving partner wants to untangle is a complicated financial situation. Building this plan together early on can alleviate that necessity and strengthen the relationship.
For these couples, understanding is the most important element. The conversation should begin, continue and end with understanding. After all, you’re two unique people who have been one for so long, and your financial situation should reflect that.

Final Thoughts

There is an old adage that talking about and making financial decisions together hurts relationships. It is a hard one to debunk, because many people feel pain and negativity when they talk about these issues. But for couples who have the money conversation the right way, the relationship gets stronger – and so do the bank accounts.
When we observe couples who take Online Trading Academy courses together, we don’t see people fighting all the time. In fact, it's the opposite. These couples respect one another as they build something together and work toward shared goals. Most important, they get the chance to spend more time together. As a bonus, they get to do what they want with their time because making the right financial decisions together leads to a life full of choices.
Sometimes we like to say that it all starts with a plan. But it truly all starts with simply having the right, honest conversation. When you have honest money discussions early, smart choices typically follow that lead to a life that you as a couple chose to live.
When you don’t, the financial system makes those choices for you. That’s not living life on your terms. This February, get together with your significant other and start the conversation. See how financially powerful you can be when you combine your strengths. A wise, Grammy winning singer/songwriter named Jason Isbell says it best: “Are you living the life you chose? Or are you living the life that chose you?” Start living the life together that you as a couple chose to live.

Tuesday 7 March 2017

Post 154— A life of madness, pain and words


It was back in 1954. I was 16 years of age and working in the sawmills of Port Alberni on Vancouver Island. Not too many young teens volunteer to work in sawmills these days, but 1954 was a different age. I was part of a large immigrant family of 10 children. So, pretty poor pickins at home as you can imagine, especially since in those days immigrants were on their own; no pampering from any nanny state or  government at any level at the time. My Dad and I had agreed that as soon as I turned 16, he would try to get a job for me at one of the local sawmills, where just about everybody in the town worked, including my Dad. Good pay, by the way. The town had the highest per capita income in all of Canada in those days, thanks to the International Woodworkers of America (IWA) and even more so to MacMillan & Bloedel.The idea for this arrangement was that I and two older sisters,  would help bring home the money to pay off the mortgage for a fairly large house that cost all of $5500. 

However, I loved school and had my eyes on UBC to study accounting. In order to achieve that goal, I enrolled in the High School Correspondence School of the British Columbia Government in Victoria. So, while holding a full time mill job, I took my high school in my spare time. I did grades 10-12 in four and a half years, after which I went off to college. I never made it to UBC or into accounting, but that’s another story. However, the arrangement turned successful; I now hold a doctorate from a European university and have authored many books. Go check that out on my website < www.SocialTheology.com >

I had a friend by the name of Ben Wisselink, also a young immigrant who came from The Netherlands all on his own. Of course, he also worked on the mills, but, like me, had academic ambitions and before long enrolled at UBC to study forestry. For Christmas 1956, he gave me a book with the title Roget’s Thesaurus. Not many people in a mill town like Port Alberni would be interested in such a book, but for me it became a real treasure that I have used regularly throughout the years until early 2017, when I dumped it and bought an updated thesaurus by Webster. Oh, yes, from a thrift store for $1.50. 

But you have no idea how difficult it was for me to dump that old one. It was worn and held together with black electrical tape, but to me it had been a precious friend for over 60 years!  I always consulted it whenever I was writing speeches, lectures, articles or books. It felt like a betrayal to both the book and my friend Ben.  Today, March 7, 2017, I still kind of mourn its loss, even though the newer Webster version seems like it will serve me well. I also had occasion to mourn the loss of Ben due to death during his UBC years. By that time I had enrolled at Calvin College at Grand Rapids MI. With the dumping of his gift, I cut the final tie to him apart from only my memory and a few photographs.

While I used that Thesaurus faithfully, I often wondered what kind of person would create such a wonderful list of words.  Who was this Roget? Where and when did he live?  What did it take to spend so much time on word lists?  I have deeply appreciated his effort and used it much, but I could not imagine spending so much time, effort and money on word lists!  Curious though I have been, it was not enough for me to turn to the internet and find out; I had other things to do.  But then I came across its story in a newspaper article I had filed away almost a decade ago and forgot about. Probably, I had read it before and filed it with the expectation I would use it some day. Well, that day has arrived. Today is that day and here is that article:

                   
A life of madness, pain and words
Roget: New book looks at the man who created the first thesaurus
By Arthur Spiegelman
The Province, March 30, 2008

His mother suffered dark depressions and tried to dominate his life. His sister and daughter had severe mental problems, his father and wife died young and a beloved uncle committed suicide in his arms.
So what did Peter Mark Roget, the creator of Roget’s Thesaurus, do to handle all the pain, grief, sorrow, affliction, woe, bitterness, unhappiness and misery in a life that lasted more than 90 years?
He made lists.
The 19th century British scientist made lists of words, creating synonyms for all occasions that ultimately helped make life easier for term paper writers, crossword puzzle lovers and anyone looking for the answer to the age-old question: “What’s another word for …”
And according to a new biography, making his lists saved Roget’s life and by keeping him from succumbing to the depression and misery of those around him.
“As a boy he stumbled upon a remarkable discovery – that compiling lists of words could provide solace, no matter what misfortunes may befall him,” says Joshua Kendall, author of the just-published The Man Who Made Lists, a study of Roget’s life (1779-1869) based on diaries, letters and even an autobiography composed of lists.
Kendall, in a recent interview, said Roget cared more for words than people and that making lists on the scale that he did was obsessive-compulsive behavior that helped him fend off the demons that terrorized his distinguished British family.
Madness was a regular guest in Roget’s home, Kendall said. One of his grandmothers either had schizophrenia or severe depression, and Roget’s mother lapsed into paranoia, often accusing the servants of plotting against her. Both his sister and his daughter suffered depression and mental problems.
Then there was the case of Roget’s uncle, British member of Parliament Sir Samuel Romilly, known for his opposition to the slave trade and for his support of civil liberties. He slit his own throat while Roget tried to get the razor out of his hands.
Unlike a thesaurus, no one understood Uncle Sam’s last words: “My dear … I wish …”
Indeed, to quote most of the Thesaurus listing for pain, Roget’s was a life filled with grief, pain, suffering, distress, affliction, woe, bitterness, heartache, unhappiness, infelicity and misery.
Kendall said, “The lists gave him an alternative world to which to repair.” Many writers have declared their debt to Roget, including Peter Pan’s creator, J.M. Barrie. In homage, he put a copy of the Thesaurus in Captain Hook’s cabin so he could declare: “The man is not wholly evil – he has a Thesaurus in his cabin.”
The 20th century poet Sylvia Plath called herself “Roget’s Strumpet” to pay respects for all the word choices he gave her.
But the British journalist Simon Winchester holds Roget responsible for helping to dumb down Western culture because his work allows a writer to look it up rather than think it out.
Roget made his first attempt at a thesaurus at age 26 but put aside the effort and did not publish his book until 1852, when he was in his 70s and retired. He then kept busy with it for the rest of his life.
It became an instant hit in Britain but did not sell that well when an American edition was published two years later. But when Americans went crazy for crossword puzzles in the 1920s, the Thesaurus assumed its place on reference shelves.
Kendall’s book is written in a style that he calls “narrative non-fiction,” which contains a lot of dialogue and descriptions of how Roget and his friends feel and think, all, he says, based on source material.
“I did a lot of work to stitch together a narrative,” he said, adding that all the scenes in the book are based on actual events.

Here’s a website with a similar story, including info about Thesaurus Day of January 18 in the UK:

Friday 3 March 2017

Post 153—Ash Wednesday Posted…. This Wednesday (2 days ago) was called “Ash Wednesday.” The following is the introduction to the liturgy of Ash Wednesday observed this week in the First Baptist Church of Vancouver, BC, where my wife and I frequently worship. The service itself consists of Scripture readings, prayers, meditations and the singing of hymns. Somewhere during the liturgy, all came forward in order to receive in the form of ashes the sign of the cross on our foreheads. Two days later, right now, in fact, the cross has blurred, but the black ashes are still there to remind me and everyone else I meet this week. Here, then, the introduction, which was followed up with a reading of Psalm 103, which is reproduced below. Since the beginning of the Church, Christians have observed the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection with great devotion. It became one of the greatest traditions of the Church to prepare for these events through serious examination of our spiritual lives. The passion of Lent is a time of penitence, discipline and renewal. In the Ash Wednesday service, we are reminded of our mortality, we confess our sins, and we experience forgiveness through Christ’s death and resurrection. The “imposition of ashes” is a central part of the service. You are invited to come forward to

Post 153—Ash Wednesday                                                     

This Wednesday (2 days ago) was called “Ash Wednesday.” The following is the introduction to the liturgy of Ash Wednesday observed this week in the First Baptist Church of Vancouver, BC, where my wife and I frequently worship. The service itself consists of Scripture readings, prayers, meditations and the singing of hymns. Somewhere during the liturgy, all came forward in order to receive in the form of ashes the sign of the cross on our foreheads.  Two days later, right now, in fact, the cross has blurred, but the black ashes are still there to remind me and everyone else I meet this week. Here, then, the introduction, which was followed up with a reading of Psalm 103, which is reproduced below.  

Since the beginning of the Church, Christians have observed the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection with great devotion. It became one of the greatest traditions of the Church to prepare for these events through serious examination of our spiritual lives.

The passion of Lent is a time of penitence, discipline and renewal. In the Ash Wednesday service, we are reminded of our mortality, we confess our sins, and we experience forgiveness through Christ’s death and resurrection.

The “imposition of ashes” is a central part of the service. You are invited to come forward to receive the ashes on your forehead in the form of a cross. In Scripture, ashes serve both as a symbol of mortality and as a sign of mourning and repentance.

But neither sin nor death are the final word. We leave the service in confidence and gratitude, for Christ has conquered death, and nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Here are the words of Psalm 103. Read it through slowly and thoughtfully. Allow it to enter your heart and into your soul. Let it speak to you and ponder….

Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord works righteousness
    and justice for all the oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
    his deeds to the people of Israel:
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
    he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
    they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
    and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
    and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the Lord, you his angels,
    you mighty ones who do his bidding,
    who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
    you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works
    everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.

For those not used to the language of the Bible, perhaps the version called “The Message” is more easily understood, since it says the same time in more ordinary language, less formal but still beautiful to hear a and meditate upon:

A David Psalm

103 1-2 O my soul, bless God.
    From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!
O my soul, bless God,
    don’t forget a single blessing!
3-5 He forgives your sins—every one.
    He heals your diseases—every one.
    He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
    He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
    He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
    He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.
6-18 God makes everything come out right;
    he puts victims back on their feet.
He showed Moses how he went about his work,
    opened up his plans to all Israel.
God is sheer mercy and grace;
    not easily angered, he’s rich in love.
He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold,
    nor hold grudges forever.
He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve,
    nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.
As high as heaven is over the earth,
    so strong is his love to those who fear him.
And as far as sunrise is from sunset,
    he has separated us from our sins.
As parents feel for their children,
    God feels for those who fear him.
He knows us inside and out,
    keeps in mind that we’re made of mud.
Men and women don’t live very long;
    like wildflowers they spring up and blossom,
But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly,
    leaving nothing to show they were here.
God’s love, though, is ever and always,
    eternally present to all who fear him,
Making everything right for them and their children
    as they follow his Covenant ways
    and remember to do whatever he said.
19-22 God has set his throne in heaven;
    he rules over us all. He’s the King!
So bless God, you angels,
    ready and able to fly at his bidding,
    quick to hear and do what he says.
Bless God, all you armies of angels,
    alert to respond to whatever he wills.
Bless God, all creatures, wherever you are—
    everything and everyone made by God.

And you, O my soul, bless God!