Be Thou My Vision

Have you ever heard the hymn Be Thou My Vision? The lyrics of this song speak of a different kind of vision. All too often we get caught up looking at the pretty things of this world. We become distracted, or focused on what WE are doing. Take the story of a man and his donkey. This man decided he was going to do something God told him specifically not to do. So the man got on his donkey and began riding in the direction of the place where he needed to do his business. The man was so focused on his task he could not see what was right in front of him. However, his donkey saw the danger. Three times his donkey stepped off the path the man wanted him to walk, and three times the man beat the donkey for its disobedience. The man's name was Balaam, and the danger was an angel of the Lord standing, blocking the path with a sword in its hand. The donkey saw the angel, but the man did not. The donkey turned aside three times, and the man beat the donkey for saving his life three times. There's a powerful lesson in this story. It is easy to be caught up in the "have to's" of this world, and blinded by tunnel drive so as not to be able to see what God is doing around us - including telling us to turn around and go home. However, as the church we are called to look out for each other and to stubbornly do out best to become imitators of God. Sometimes that means telling a brother to turn around. Sometimes that means being told to turn around. Are you open to God's promptings in your life? Are you willing to let others speak truth into your life? Or are you still beating your friends for being just that - friends?

God Is My Strength and my Song

Azi Vuzimwrath Yah  

Before I came to seminary I was in a small group that was learning to read Biblical Hebrew. We didn't even make it up to verbs before I left for Asbury; but I felt like I learned a lot. I'm one of those people for whom Hebrew is fun. It's like a puzzle you need a decoder ring to understand. During the time I was learning to read Hebrew I was working as a courier in Charlotte, North Carolina. Wherever I went I would talk with various people I delivered to or picked up from. One of those people is a guy named Jeff who worked the pick up window at the Uptown post office in Charlotte. When I stumbled across this verse from Exodus 15 I decided to share it with Jeff. I taught him how to say the verse in Hebrew, and it became a combination inside joke and understanding between work acquaintances that God would support us and give us the strength to make it through the day. If Jeff was having a bad day, he didn't even have to explain. All he had to do was say Azi Vuzimwrath Yah when I came to the pick up window and we both understood. While I would never offer a whole sermon filled with Hebrew these three words have helped me through some very tough times because the are a reminder of from where my help truly comes.