Day 83 | Wednesday, 10 June 2020

Day 83  |  Wednesday,  10  June 2020
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 When listening to the news, reading the paper, emails, tweets etc.  I invite you to use this acronym THINK. (shared by my District Superintendent) You may even apply this to the daily pieces from the Woodlands Shepherd and The Church Mouse.

 T – is it True
H – is it Helpful
I – is it inspiring
N – is it Necessary
K – is it Kind

 We are bombarded with so much from social media, from instant news reporting and other resources that we don’t always know what is good for us.  I have liked what one news station has said during the virus – we are here to give you the facts, not the fear.  This acronym is a helpful way of checking if things are in balance.  (remember my piece on balance?)  We may not understand everything that is happening in our world (global, local or personal) during these days that have changed everything we understood as normal.  There is reassurance that we will understand it someday.  Let me quote a hymn to you.  “We’ll Understand It Better By and By” words by Charles Albert Tindley, ca. 1906; music by Charles Albert Tindley, ca. 1906; arr. By F. A. Clark, 1906. Scripture reference 1 Corinthians 13:12 (you will make the connection)

 1.   “We are tossed and driven on the restless sea of time; somber skies and howling tempests oft succeed a bright sunshine; in that land of perfect day, when the mists have rolled away, we will understand it better by and by.”

2.   “We are often destitute of the things that life demands, want of food and want of shelter, thirsty hills and barren lands; we are trusting in the Lord, and according ro God’s word, we will understand it better by and by.”

3.   “Trials dark of every hand, and we cannot understand all the ways that God would lead us to that blessed promised land; but he guides us with his eye, and we’ll follow till we die, for we’ll understand it better by and by.”

4.   “Temptations, hidden snares often take us unawares, and our hears are made to bleed for a thoughtless word or deed; and we wonder why the test when we try to do our best, but we’ll understand it better by and by.”
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Refrain: “By and by, when the morning comes, when the saints of God are gathered home, we’ll tell the story how we’ve overcome, for we’ll understand it better by and by.”

1 Corinthians 13:12 CEB “12 Now we see a reflection in a mirror; then we will see face-to-face. Now I know partially, but then I will know completely in the same way that I have been completely known.”

 The Message 12 “We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!”

Holy God, we know that the day will come when we will understand better all that has happened around us that has changed our lives.  When we need to use our filters to sort out some of the noise, help us to T. H. I. N. K.  Lord, hear our prayers.  Amen

Today: those in poverty
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See you at noon.  If it is raining, open up your garage and stand inside – I will come out to the street and blow the whistle.