Psalms 117-118

Sunday's Bible Reading: Psalms 117-118

2 Timothy 1-4; Proverbs 31:10-31

Saturday's Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 1-4; Proverbs 31:10-31

Jeremiah 1-3; Proverbs 31:1-9

Friday's Bible Reading: Jeremiah 1-3; Proverbs 31:1-9

Isaiah 64-66; Proverbs 30:21-33

Thursday's Bible Reading: Isaiah 64-66; Proverbs 30:21-33

Isaiah 61-63; Proverbs 30:10-20

Wednesday's Bible Study: Isaiah 61-63; Proverbs 30:10-20

Succot (Feast of Tabernacles) begins today. Click here to read more about it.

Isaiah 58-60; Proverbs 30:1-9

Tuesday's Bible Reading: Isaiah 58-60; Proverbs 30:1-9

Isaiah 55-57; Proverbs 29:21-27

Monday's Bible Reading: Isaiah 55-57; Proverbs 29:21-27

Oh, what a beautiful day!
Temperature at 8:25 p.m. 82° F | Feels like 84° F
Today's High: 91° F at 4:09 pm | Low: 61° F at 4:39 am
Humidity: 51% | Dewpoint: 65° F | Barometer: 29.98
Wind: South 6 mph | Sunrise: 7:30 am | Sunset: 7:38 pm

Psalms 114-116

Sunday's Bible Reading: Psalms 114-116

1 Timothy 1-6; Proverbs 29:8-20

Saturday's Bible Reading: 1 Timothy 1-6; Proverbs 29:8-20

The last day of summer, oh blissful, glorious summer . . . I'm sad to see you go. Enjoy your time away. Come back soon.

Today is also Yom Kippur. Click here to read more.

Isaiah 52-54; Proverbs 29:1-7

Friday's Bible Reading: Isaiah 52-54; Proverbs 29:1-7

Isaiah 49-51; Proverbs 28:15-28

Thursday's Bible Reading: Isaiah 49-51; Proverbs 28:15-28

Today when I was on my way downtown to have lunch with Patty D., a red dashboard light came on announcing that my coolant was low. I called Jay, and he told me not to drive downtown with the light on. So I stopped at Dan Pfeiffer on 84th and 131 and asked if they could add some coolant. They were very helpful. First, the guy got my hood open, which is no small accomplishment. As he was working near the radiator, I noticed something odd near the windshield on the driver side. "Is this supposed to be here?" I asked. He laughed and said, "No. That's a mouse nest."

A theme seems to be developing . . .

Isaiah 43-45; Proverbs 27:15-27

Tuesday's Bible Reading: Isaiah 43-45; Proverbs 27:15-27

My mouse finally came out of hiding tonight, and I captured him in a plastic tub. Before releasing him outside, I fed him some cheese and took a couple of movies. He is SO cute!

Isaiah 40-42; Proverbs 27:1-14

Monday's Bible Reading: Isaiah 40-42; Proverbs 27:1-14

A man after my own heart . . .
Alan Greenspan wrote his 531-page memoir, The Age of Turbulence, while in the bathtub. (Click here to read a story in USA Today.)

On the Today Show this morning, Greenspan told Matt Lauer that he gets many of his best ideas in the bathtub. (Click here to read a more in-depth interview or to watch the video of Matt's interview with Greenspan.) In the interview, he also explained a few of his more controversial statements. Apparently even in 531 pages the man still has a hard time saying what he really means.

Psalms 111-113

Sunday's Bible Reading: Psalms 111-113

2 Thessalonians 1-3; Proverbs 26:17-28

Saturday's Bible Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1-3; Proverbs 26:17-28

Isaiah 37-39; Proverbs 26:1-16

Friday's Bible Reading: Isaiah 37-39; Proverbs 26:1-16

The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature; by Steven Pinker, professor of psychology at Harvard University.

Isaiah 34-36; Proverbs 25:15-28

Thursday's Bible Reading: Isaiah 34-36; Proverbs 25:15-28

Isaiah 31-33; Proverbs 25:1-14

Wednesday's Bible Reading: Isaiah 31-33; Proverbs 25:1-14

Here in Grand Rapids, I'm getting ready to go to the Maranatha Writers' Conference on the shores of beautiful Lake Michigan.

In Jerusalem, they're getting ready to celebrate Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.



While I was on my way to meet Judy, I heard part of the Diane Rehm show. She was interviewing Alan Alda about his new book Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself. Click here to listen to the interview.

Isaiah 28-30; Proverbs 24:23-34

Tuesday's Bible Reading: Isaiah 28-30; Proverbs 24:23-34

This passage from today's reading seems fitting for the day now known as 9/11.

10 They say to the seers,
"See no more visions!"
and to the prophets,
"Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,
prophesy illusions.

11 Leave this way,
get off this path,
and stop confronting us
with the Holy One of Israel!"

12 Therefore, this is what the Holy One of Israel says:
"Because you have rejected this message,
relied on oppression
and depended on deceit,

13 this sin will become for you
like a high wall, cracked and bulging,
that collapses suddenly, in an instant.

14 It will break in pieces like pottery,
shattered so mercilessly
that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
for taking coals from a hearth
or scooping water out of a cistern."

15 This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:
"In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it. —Isaiah 30:10-15

A rough day at Lake Michigan . . .

Isaiah 25-27; Proverbs 24:13-22

Monday's Bible Reading: Isaiah 25-27; Proverbs 24:13-22

Psalms 108-110

Sunday's Bible Reading: Psalms 108-110

1 Thessalonians 1-5; Proverbs 24:1-12

Saturday's Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1-5; Proverbs 24:1-12

Bathtub Devotions from today's reading in 1 Thessalonians . . .


Okay, you try to say First Thessalonians without lithping!
Oops. I mean, lisping!

Isaiah 22-24; Proverbs 23:29-35

Friday's Bible Reading: Isaiah 22-24; Proverbs 23:29-35

Isaiah 19-21; Proverbs 23:12-28

Thursday's Bible Reading: Isaiah 19-21; Proverbs 23:12-28

At 8:00 this morning it was warm enough to wear shorts on my walk with Maggie.

A view from the tub . . . or . . .
bathtub devotions . . .

Isaiah 16-18; Proverbs 23:1-11

Wednesday's Bible Reading: Isaiah 16-18; Proverbs 23:1-11

Isaiah 13-15; Proverbs 22:17-29

Tuesday's Bible Reading: Isaiah 13-15; Proverbs 22:17-29

I love the title of this book . . .
Click here to find out what it is.

Isaiah 10-12; Proverbs 22:9-16

Monday's Bible Reading: Isaiah 10-12; Proverbs 22:9-16

Labor Day. The last holiday of summer.

Saying good-bye to summer . . .

Psalms 105-107

Sunday's Bible Reading: Psalms 105-107

The second line of "Shema Yisrael" states: "And you should love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might." The classical commentaries explain that "with all your heart" means with both your good and bad inclinations, "with all your soul" means with your very life, and "with all your might" means with all your money. Since the mitzvah seems to be stated in order of ascending difficulty, the question is asked how loving God with all your money can be more difficult than giving up your life. The answer: "Some people love their money more than their life."

This Talmudic teaching used to make me think of wealthy German Jews in the 1930s, who chose not to leave Germany without their property and paid for that choice with their lives. After my debacle with my opal ring,* however, I realized that none of us is immune to the power of money to distort our values and corrupt our choices. Sad to say, we all have our price.

The cure for this Faustian predicament is to clearly identify the two sides of the choice. If we could strip away the layers of principles, and expose the choice for what it is, we would be shocked to discover how often we are swayed by money. —Sara Yoheved Rigler, "Selling Your Soul," aish.com

*To learn about the opal ring debacle, read the entire article.

After church today, Jay and I went to Meijer Gardens for lunch and then spent some time wandering through the Sculpture Park. I wanted to see The Thinker while it is on loan from the Detroit Institute of Art. Today seemed like the perfect time since the weather was so spectacular, as the pictures indicate.



The Thinker is located across from The Waterfall, a lovely place for contemplation, the perfect spot for "thinking."



Next we came to The Groves, where a Blue Heron was resting on a rock. Assuming it was a sculpture, I said, "Wow, that sure looks real." Just then the wind rustled the bird's feathers and we realized it was real. Silly me, none of the other sculptures were at all realistic, so there was no reason to assume that something that looked real wasn't—except that it looked too perfect to be real. Right after I took this short video, the heron spread his wings and lifted off across the pond.

Colossians 1-4; Proverbs 22:1-8

Saturday's Bible Reading: Colossians 1-4; Proverbs 22:1-8

God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. —Colossians 1:27

My friend David Teems has written a wonderful song based on this verse. Click here to listen to a clip. Click here to read the lyrics. It's from his CD "No Language but a Cry." Although it's listed as out of stock on David's website, it seems to be available from ChristianBook.com.

Anyone who attended the funeral of KayC Huseby several years ago is familiar with David's work, though you may not realize it. Portions of David's Scripture CDs "Hope" and "More Hope" were played before and after the service, setting an unusually peaceful and reflective mood.