several things

Joshua 19-21, Luke 2:21-52

First, I finished the Gospel of Mark a couple of days ago, and the concluding paragraphs seem to summarize the essence of the life and ministry of individual Believers, congregations, and The Church:

 ^{Mark 16:15} And then he told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. ¹⁶ Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. ¹⁸They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won't hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed."

 ¹⁹ When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God's right hand. ²⁰ And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.

I don't think the snakes and poison is necessary, but it seems like the rest of it should be typical of genuine ministry.

Second, I just returned last night from the ACS meeting in San Francisco, and I learned a lot about myself.  I learned that I am more of an engineer than a scientist.  And I got another glimpse of how deep pride is rooted in my self.  There is a great research group from Yale that does really cool stuff, and as I listened to several of their presentations, I realized that I was so jealous (or, more precisely, covetous) of their intellectual and academic resources.  I subsequently realized that my covetousness was actually just an outcropping of pride.  I wanted the admiration and prestige that they had, which is wrong.  Well, I confessed it to the Lord, and He showed me that instead of coveting their research progress, I need to be glad for them for it, and even more so if there is a way that I can implement their research somehow to help people get clean water.  But dang, I'm proud.

Third, I read a couple of chapters in the Prayer book on the plane, and it was confirmed that I need to be disciplined in setting aside a dedicated block of time each day to spend with my Heavenly Father.  So, I am going to implement some accountability with some Brothers for that.

Fourth, after a long list of property and towns for each tribe, there is a great summary at the end of Joshua 21:

⁴³ So the Lord gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. ⁴⁴ And the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the Lord helped them conquer all their enemies. ⁴⁵ Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.

The prayer devotional that I am reading instructs us to pray based on God's promises, which is great, because He is faithful to His promises.  Always.  But I'm having difficulty implementing this in a very practical case: Brandi has been lovingly and patiently caring for Beau, who has been waking up at least a couple of times each night since he was born several months ago.  The past few days, Brandi and Beau have both been fighting some kind of cold or sinus junk, and I have prayed that the Lord will heal them, but He has not.  I continue to ask God to give Brandi and Beau good health, for Beau to sleep through the night, and for Brandi to have rest and strength, but I don't know what to think about this, because the New Testament promise for Disciples of Christ is suffering, not health or prosperity.  Of course, I hesitate to ask the Lord to give my wife more suffering.

Note: I originally titled this blog "a couple of things" but changed it to "several things" because of my dad's careful distinction between "a couple" (which means "only two") and "several" (which means "more than two").

Heavenly Father, I know that you are good and faithful.  I know that my flesh is corrupt and wicked, but that you have and are saving me through the work of Christ.  Holy Spirit, please give me peace and understanding regarding your will, please convict me of sin, and please lead me to Christ.  Lord Jesus, may I be crucified so that you may live in me.  Heavenly Father, may you be honored and pleased with the Life of your Son Jesus, expressed through me.  I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.