I have not decided yet. Do I do two blogs a week, or one blog. I have ample time, but what with sleeping in and spending time at the Lake shore. I just feel swamped. You can let me know, I guess. If I have time, I will read my e-mails. My e-mail is the same; oldirishguy51@yahoo.com. This week we will try for Monday and Thursday.  

I love it when a new element I have never seen before appears in the Scripture. Malachi 3 is a case in point. I have read this passage many times and have preached from it a few times. The first four verses compares the Lord to a refiner of gold and silver and He is going to refine and purify the sons of Levi and make them something special. The Levites are the priestly line, so those given the task of proclaiming the Word are going to go through a process of refinement. Since believers are the Spiritual children of Abraham, I have always taken that to mean that those who are called to be the proclaimers of the Word, those who are tasked to be teachers and preachers and pastors and witnesses, will go through refining. This would be all believers, since we are all supposed to be witnesses, but even more so for teachers and preachers and pastors. And that is the teaching in the first four verses in the chapter. The rest of the chapter builds on that. It has always spoken to me and has assured me that all the struggles and turmoil have been a refining. 

But then sitting in church Sunday morning, I was given a new thought. While I have seen the overall message of the passage, a group of very learned scholars were puzzling over a single word in verse 3 of chapter 3. (This is how you know if someone is a scholar. They get all worked up over a single word.) In verse 3 we see this; He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. I have always seen the sons of Levi as being refined. Period. But these scholars from three hundred years ago were stumped by the word 'sit'. What does that mean? Why does the refiner sit? To you and me, we think that maybe he doesn't want to get tired. But this small group wanted to investigate the word, so they divided up and went to various silversmiths in their city. 

Interestingly they all got the same basic story from the smiths. During the process of refining, the smith would put the silver into a ladle and hold it over a fire and hold it there for a long while. As it heated it would begin to melt and the impurities would begin to float to the surface, where they would burn off. The silver had to be held in the direct center of the flame to be sure it would melt and purify the same all the way through. At a certain point, the superheated, melted silver would be poured into a mold, where it would become something new. In each case the smith was asked why he sat down at the beginning of the melt. The answer of all the smiths was that only by sitting could you maintain a steady hold and keep it in the direct center of the flame. So, this answered the word 'sit.' But one scholar was a little more inquisitive. He asked the smith he was observing how it was that he knew the exact moment to remove it from the fire. The smith said something profound to the scholar; When I see the perfect image of my face in the silver, I know it is ready.

You see, it isn't just that we are refined, the Lord is seeking to get us to reflect His image. We can all be that refined. We all know people who reflect Christ in their lives. Oh, sometimes an impurity surfaces, but as it burns off, the image of Christ becomes clearer in their lives. We all need to be refined in such a manner. Confess our failings and draw closer to Him. 

Blessings.

Lessons from ducks on the pond.

Oh great, you are saying to yourself, he goes off line for a few weeks and then comes back writing about ducks! Nature Boy!

Bear with me on this one, OK? Just for old times' sake.

'Ducks on the pond' is an old baseball term. It means there are runners on base. It isn't used much anymore, at least not that I have heard. Probably deemed too offensive to the ducks. But the meaning, once you understand it, is clear. And there are things about ducks other than just baseball. There are ducks all over the USA and much of the rest of the world. Ducks in Miami and ducks in Anchorage might look a little different, but they all have webbed feet and they all quack. If you were in Russia and saw a duck there, you would know, immediately, that it was a duck. And ducks, no matter where they are, are edible. To me, the most wonderful cooking smell is that of a roasting duck. You may not agree, but that is OK. Still, they are eaten everywhere.

Then there are their piloting skills. Many birds flock. Perhaps you have seen the video of the starlings flocking in the Netherlands. Millions of birds flying and changing direction on a dime (or, being the Netherlands, a guilder) and filling the sky like an angry cloud. Ducks and geese, however, fly in a fairly rigid formation. The lead bird will change at times, but the formation stays the same. Every one of you reading this knows exactly what that formation is because it is so distinctive. 

'Ducks on the pond,' however, can also mean, well, ducks on the pond. Water has always had a huge effect on me, a calming effect. Even when the ocean is crashing ahead of a hurricane, it reassures me that God is in control and the world will work as He sees fit. And is not just the storm. I have seen the ocean or a mighty lake as still as a backyard pond. And there is the assurance that God brings peace. So it was, a few days ago, I sat next to a quiet pond, struggling to settle my troubled soul.

A half-grown duckling went scooting by as though on a mission, leaving behind an impressive wake. Well behind came another, giving off tiny little quacks. Since there was no mother duck to be seen, I got the impression that the lead duckling was leading its sibling on an illegal adventure. I watched both little ducks until they disappeared on the other side of some brush. In about five minutes a grown duck appeared which, I presumed, was momma. She was making a bee-line for the brush, so whatever her hatchlings were up to, it was something they had done before. Time passed and just as I was scolding myself for applying human actions to ducks, a duckling appeared, moving hard through the water. Following closely was the stately grown duck, moving as though she had the world under control. Behind her, and lagging behind, came the other duckling. Not trying to keep up and, when momma was a little further ahead, it would reverse course towards the brush. As soon as he changed direction the momma would quack and the duckling would turn again to follow the other two. The really odd thing was that momma never turned her head or body. She just knew when her wild child had changed direction. 

So, the lesson from the ducks on the pond. There is an order to things. A plan, if you will. God has put us each on a path, a path that has Him in the lead. It is an awesome path, one full of adventure. We are free to deviate, but there is a price to pay when we do. God has placed all of nature before us to teach us basic lessons, like the ducks on the pond, and those lessons can direct us as we go along. Follow the path He has set before you. It may get bumpy, it may lead to hardships, but follow the path to wherever He leads. And only then will there be peace.

Blessings.

I am going to start this by thanking all those who have shown me compassion during this bout with illness. Lots of calls, lots of e-mails and texts and lots of prayers. Also, Nancy Anderson and Carla Krom for bring food by. Everyone has been so kind.

Also, an interesting question has been brought up. Will my blog continue when I retire? All I know is that it will not continue on the church website after September 29th. I enjoy writing and I would like to continue, but I need to sit down with Miss Mary and see how to do that. It ran before the website was up and running, so it should be easy. Since it will not be on the church's site, I will need the e-mail addresses of those who wish to continue with it. I will run this once in August and once more in September. If you wish to receive the blog, send your e-mail address to oldirishguy51@yahoo.com

And now, this week's blog.

    I don't know what went on in the Board rooms of Disney in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Now they are a 'woke' organization that allows their perverted politics to creep into every part of their huge entertainment empire. Back then, when they met in their cigar smoke filled Board rooms, they may have been plotting all of this. I don't know. What I do know is that what the Disney people did in public really made the parks the most fun and entertaining places on earth.

    During those years, Florida residents got in for a much reduced rate compared to out of state guests. And, we didn't have to buy multiple day passes or multiple event tickets. Show ID, buy a one day pass and walk right in. Marsha and I lived in the Miami area and we could drive to Orlando in about three and a half hours. For three years we went three to four times a year. It really was cheap! Usually on a Tuesday, we would get up early and head north. Marsha, as was her habit, would sleep all the way there. Once there, we would go to The International House of Pancakes, now called IHOP, have breakfast and then head over to Disney just as they were opening for the day. We would experience the sights and the sounds and all the fun. Then, about seven or so, we would make our way back to our car, stop somewhere to get a quick bite to eat and then drive home. Again, Marsha would sleep all the way home. I think she probably still believes Miami and Orlando are only about 30 minutes apart.

    On one of these many trips, we had started to grow tired of the park. Sitting on a park bench to take a break, we just watched people. The kids, especially. Nobody can have fun like a kid! Most of these kids were there on vacation with their parents. Probably staying at some really nice resort, swimming in the pool, watching Disney on TV. But being at the park was the ultimate. They were having the time of their lives. The parents were frazzled, but the kids were all in high gear.

    Of course, there is water everywhere at Disney. Man-made streams made to look natural and, in some cases, natural streams incorporated into the overall park. As I recall, these various streams have attractive wrought iron fencing so no one can fall in, but they can still see the water. One little girl had broken away from her mother and was running after a Disney character when she glanced to her side. Sliding to a stop, she rushed to the fencing and stared at the water. 

    "MOMMY! LOOK! A FISH!"

    It struck me at the time, and still does at the memory, that with everything around her that man had designed, the intensity of amazement that all the children there were caught up in, she was diverted and filled with wonder by a fish.

    We live in a complex world. Everything around us is new and improved and always changing. Farmers from fifty years ago would be amazed at farming today. Medicine from fifty years ago and medicine of today are like two different sciences. And, if you want to catch a fish like that fish from Disney from 43 years ago, you us a fish sonar.

    Man has done wonders and it is exciting. It can also be confusing. And, it can be frightening.

    We went home that night. As Marsha slept, I thought about the little girl and the fish, how the wonder of God overshadowed, just for that moment in her mind, the wonder of man. 

    When Sunday came around, I led the music and then that night had the Youth Group. The music has changed some over the years and the Youth Group dealt with problems and good things unique to the place and time. But when the Pastor stepped into the pulpit, he preached out of the Word of God. That which has been faithful and true for thousands of years. Unchanging. Solid. Dependable. The Word is under assault all the time. Yet it will live on, inspiring people and saving souls, until the end of time. Business, government, entertainment are all changing and want to take us with them. But the Word of God is our shelter, our hope and our guide.

    Read.