Common Ground Christian Church A look at all things Common Ground CC https://commongroundcc.com Tue, 16 Aug 2022 13:12:06 +0000 Tue, 16 Aug 2022 13:12:06 +0000 hourly 1 3600 SnapPages.com Seasons Of Life Main Scripture Passage:  “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from your law.” Psalm 119:18 Related Scripture:  Ecclesiastes 3:1-9Something we say often is “it’s a season.”  Having two young girls I say it often when experiencing a challenging week.  It’s a reminder to me to persevere and push through, that it’s not always going to be this way.  But the truth is, though it may bea season, ...]]> https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2023/02/21/seasons-of-life Tue, 21 Feb 2023 11:27:45 +0000 https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2023/02/21/seasons-of-life
Main Scripture Passage: 
“Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from your law.” Psalm 119:18 

Related Scripture:  Ecclesiastes 3:1-9

Something we say often is “it’s a season.”  Having two young girls I say it often when experiencing a challenging week.  It’s a reminder to me to persevere and push through, that it’s not always going to be this way.  But the truth is, though it may be
a season, another season is right behind it and until the Lord brings us home, we are going to face challenge after challenge after challenge.  We say this phrase because we feel like we can’t do everything, all the time, and rightfully so!  In His infinite wisdom, God created us to be finite beings, with limitations for our good.

But it is important that we don’t carry this mindset into our time with the Lord.  His Word, and its goodness, is for every season.  In fact, to continue on without it, especially during difficult seasons, can be detrimental to our growth.  We may tell ourselves that the next season, will include a margin for spiritual growth, but busyness is not the barrier of holiness.  The true barrier is not the busyness of life but in not believing that God has something for us to learn in our busyness.

We are never too busy for what we find truly valuable.  And so the question is, do we believe the Word of God to be worth our sacrifice, worth our effort?  I challenge you, starting with today, to make The Word of God a priority.  May we never allow ourselves to believe that Daily Bible study is unnecessary or unattainable.  May His Daily Bread be water to our dry and thirsty souls--in every season!
]]> Protected by the Shepherd The Protection of the ShepherdMain Scripture Passage: Psalm 18:1-2 “I love you, Lord, my strength. 2The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”  Related Scripture:  Psalm 23To use a football analogy, our life can be cataloged into four quarters. The first quarter, from birth to 20 years old, we...]]> https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2023/01/24/protected-by-the-shepherd Tue, 24 Jan 2023 10:46:23 +0000 https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2023/01/24/protected-by-the-shepherd
Main Scripture Passage: Psalm 18:1-2 “I love you, Lord, my strength. 2The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”  
Related Scripture:  Psalm 23
To use a football analogy, our life can be cataloged into four quarters. The first quarter, from birth to 20 years old, we’re not only growing physically but mentally and spiritually. Due to various influences, we establish our moral compass, i.e., those values that we hold near and dear.
The second quarter, 20-40 years old, our life’s journey is starting to take off w/ a career/livelihood, settling down and possibly starting a family.
The third quarter, 40-60, we start to prep for retirement as it’s very quickly coming on the radar. I noticed things started to slow down a bit and I became more reflective, more appreciative of my many, many blessings.
Personally, I’m in the fourth quarter of life. Still enjoying it greatly but realizing that the days are numbered. Could be today, tomorrow, next week or years down the road but there is a predestined day hanging out there for me, for all of us, to pass from this earthly life.
Seem morbid??? Well, not really.
I once had a medical procedure and as the anesthesiologist (wow, thankful for autocorrect!) was starting to send me into la-la land, I remember very distinctly wondering if this is what death was like? I slowly started to drift into unconsciousness but not w/ any anxiety but a feeling that “It’s ok. All is good. I’m in good hands.”
That Sunday our Pastor just happened to be covering the passage in Acts 7 dealing w/ the stoning of Stephen. Though I don’t anticipate having to face a rather gruesome death like that, none of us are certainly guaranteed a painless passage. And being the bit of a wimp that I am, could I muster the courage to face it?
But God already provided the answer in Psalm 23. Take courage from these words:
1The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake. 4Even though I walk through *the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
*some translations also have this as “the valley of the shadow of death.”
David also reminds us in Psalm 18:1-2, 1I love you, Lord, my strength. 2The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Basically God is sayin’, “Hey, you’ve got this, because I’ve got you!”
]]> Rejoice Main Scripture Passage:  “Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again, Rejoice!”  Philippians 4:4 It is as if Paul is pleading with his own heart, telling himself, “I will say it again, Rejoice!” Most of us are familiar with the Christmas story, and it’s probably safe to assume there were moments where Mary and Joseph did not rejoice.  It may even be fair to assume that for Mary and Joseph, l...]]> https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2023/01/15/rejoice Sun, 15 Jan 2023 14:47:44 +0000 https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2023/01/15/rejoice
Main Scripture Passage:  
“Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again, Rejoice!”  Philippians 4:4 

It is as if Paul is pleading with his own heart, telling himself, “I will say it again, Rejoice!”
Most of us are familiar with the Christmas story, and it’s probably safe to assume there were moments where Mary and Joseph did not rejoice.  It may even be fair to assume that for Mary and Joseph, leading up to the birth of Jesus was not “the most wonderful time of year.”  Surely they felt tired, emotional, full of doubt and even scared. 
But despite feeling this way, I’m going to guess that they fought for their joy.  Finding reason to rejoice in the promise of Jesus, even in the midst of all of their questions.  I imagine them, maybe even through gritted teeth, crying out on bended knee, in the middle of a dirty stable, telling their souls to rejoice in the God who was finally delivering them the King. 
When joy is the obvious response to your circumstance, and rejoicing in God’s goodness comes with ease--be grateful.  And when it feels distant and impossible--fight for it! 
Like Mary and Joseph, fight for joy…fight for the very presence of Jesus to be your strength.  May the good news of great joy fill your heart so that you can go on rejoicing, even if you don’t feel like it.  

]]> Put Your Shoes On https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2022/12/30/put-your-shoes-on Fri, 30 Dec 2022 16:19:06 +0000 https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2022/12/30/put-your-shoes-on
 According to Google the top New Year resolutions are…
- Weight loss and improving health,
- Getting your finances in order,
- Getting organized,
- Kicking a habit,
- Maximizing productivity,
- Minimizing waste, and
- Practicing more self-care.

Now I’m not really into making resolutions but I have in the past. One of them had to do w/ putting my shoes on. Gotcha scratchin’ your head wondering where I’m going w/ this? Well it all stems from high school.

I loved to play sports in HS. I had tons of heart and desire but not much more than that. There is a scene out of the movie Rudy that I can relate to where Rudy is talking to the head grounds-keeper at Notre Dame Stadium. Rudy spent two years as a walk-on and on the last day of practice before the very last game, he informs the grounds-keeper, a man who took a-liking to Rudy, that he was going to quit. The grounds-keeper tells Rudy that, “You’re 5 foot nothin’, 100 and nothin’, and you have barely a speck of athletic ability. And you hung in there with the best college football players in the land for two years. You're gonna walk outta here with a degree from the University of Notre Dame. In this life, you don't have to prove nothin' to nobody but yourself. Am I making myself clear?”

Now my little high school (Karns City H.S., Go Gremlins!) certainly wasn’t Notre Dame but I too was small during my years there and not much football athletic ability to offer. But I hung in there.

Fast-forward 14 years and I’m now 32 and starting my fifth assignment w/ the Air Force. For whatever reason, maybe just to prove something to myself more than anything else, I decided I was going to train and run the Duke City Marathon in Albuquerque NM. I had never attempted something as physically daunting as that before in my life but I was bound and determined to do it; kinda like a New Year’s Resolution except it wasn’t. But the hardest part of training wasn’t all the many miles of pounding the pavement, as demanding as that was, the hardest part was putting my shoes on every morning at 0500 and knocking out 6-8 mile runs before getting back home by 0600, getting cleaned up and heading to work. In my mind’s eye, once the shoes were on there was no turning back. I was out the door!

So as we enter this New Year, do you have a resolution to make in regards to your spiritual life?
A Pastor once challenged me with these words. “There are two primary disciplines (habits or practices) for growth in the Christian life: studying the Bible and prayer. These are the bread and butter, the meat and potatoes of Christian growth. Sure, there are lots of other things we can do to grow in Christ, but they all flow out of these two. Therefore, we Christians are called to prioritize Bible study and prayer so that we might be transformed more into the image of Christ.”

Taking this a step further, I would encourage you to do the following if you might find it to be beneficial.
1) As you read the Bible, take notes. That helped me to not read for reading's sake but to read for comprehension, i.e., what nugget might be buried in any given passage.
2) Also, find someone that might be a prayer warrior w/ you and/or a Bible-reading partner. You don’t necessarily need to be physically present during these sessions but certainly touch base on a regular basis to be not only a source of encouragement but also be accountable to each other.

Might this be the year that you put your “spiritual” shoes on and grow deeper in your faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ!  And in doing so you’ll be able to fulfill this command from

1 Peter 3:15 “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
1 Peter 2:2-3 “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

Happy New Year!
]]> Contentment Philippians 4:11b-13  “…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  13I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”  How do you spell happi...]]> https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2022/12/04/contentment Sun, 04 Dec 2022 16:21:56 +0000 https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2022/12/04/contentment
Main Scripture Passage:  Philippians 4:11b-13  “…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  13I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” 
 
How do you spell happiness?  Trick question???  Sorta, but I’ll come back to that later.
 
One day I ventured upon my daughter softly crying and feeling really down-in-the-dumps, and I asked what was wrong?  Her response was that she didn’t understand why she couldn’t be happy all the time?  Now she might have expected a hug and kiss and re-assurance that everything would be all right other than what next came out of my mouth.  In a rare occurrence of parenting insight, I told her that her aim was off and that she should focus on being content.  There were going to be really good, practically giddy days, and there were going to be some days when she would feel pretty blue.  But if you aim for a mid-point of being content, then the highs won’t feel so high and the lows so low.  It’ll be much easier to deal with this roller-coaster called life.  
 
So am I saying that there is something wrong with being happy?  Nope, not at all but in turning to scripture, Philippians 4 to be specific, Paul tells us starting in verse 11b, “…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”  And then he puts a bow on this thought in verse 13 with, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”  Paul is encouraging us to strive for contentment and not happiness.
 
Pulling on this string a bit further, particularly during this advent season, where is the core of your contentment?  Does it start with a baby in a manger starting his journey leading to our salvation?  In light of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross as an atonement for our sins, it’s easy to see how Paul arrived at his conclusion that he could “be content whatever the circumstances.”  Regardless of what we’re going through it pales in comparison to what Christ endured on our behalf.    
 
So going back to my original question, “How do you spell happiness?”  

I spell it CONTENTMENT!

]]> Downtime https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2022/10/31/downtime Mon, 31 Oct 2022 11:59:46 +0000 https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2022/10/31/downtime
Main Scripture Passage:  “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10a
 
Related Scripture Passages: Psalm 37:7a and Zechariah 2:13a
 
As a number of my friends and acquaintances were retiring, I asked them how they kept busy.  The common response was, “I’m so busy now I don’t know how I found time to work!”  
 
Since retiring on January 31st, I found their response to be true.  My time each day is now split between traveling, golf, and work around the house.  All things I consider both enjoyable and relaxing.  But there were a couple of things that I was having trouble carving out time to address. Specifically some research I needed to do that dealt with a couple of real estate transactions.  I definitely needed to slow down a bit and kinda be still.  
 
So yesterday, 110 days into retirement, I’m sitting in a condo in Atlantic City with nothing planned for the day and feeling frustrated as there is only so much TV to watch and naps to take during the day.  I felt like I needed to be moving, doing something, anything.  
 
Well at 0433 this morning, day 111 of retirement, I awoke from a sound sleep and it dawned on me what I was desiring was some downtime.  Downtime to do my research, and it was being handed to me on a golden platter.  Duh!  Oh, and while I was awake I may as well go to the bathroom.
 
Anyway…as I was thinking further, a thought came to mind that maybe, just maybe, there is a parallel here for our Christian walk?  Maybe we all need to slow down and carve out time on a regular basis to “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10a)  “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.” (Psalm 37:7a)  “Be still before the Lord.” (Zechariah 2:13a)  Seems like God is kinda “foot-stomping” this “Be Still” point!

]]> Parenting 101 Related Scripture Passages:  For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.”  1 Thessalonians 4:7 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  John 10:10 This parenting gig can sure be hard sometimes.  We all want our little Johnny or little Sally to be perfect little angels loved and adored by all but often ti...]]> https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2022/10/19/parenting-101 Wed, 19 Oct 2022 13:17:49 +0000 https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2022/10/19/parenting-101
Related Scripture Passages:  For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.”  1 Thessalonians 4:7
 
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  John 10:10
 
This parenting gig can sure be hard sometimes.  We all want our little Johnny or little Sally to be perfect little angels loved and adored by all but often times they fall short of the mark.  I wonder why that is?  Hmm, could it be that we as parents have fallen short of the mark ourselves?  Some parents adopt the motto, “Do as I say, not as I do.”  It means that you want someone to follow your advice even though you often act differently.  The first half of that motto is used to tell somebody to follow the command you’ve given, while the second half is to say that you acknowledge that you don’t follow this rule yourself.  But at the end of the day isn’t that more than a bit hypocritical? 
In probably every management/leadership how-to book, the first thing mentioned is to “Model The Way,” which implies to be a role model for your subordinates.  So with this in mind, as a parent with all of my flaws, I turned the motto around and instructed my kids to “Don’t do as I say but do as I do.”  In all fairness, how could I realistically set a bar and expect my kids to live up to it if I’m not willing to do the same?
That got me to thinking about my Christian life and instructions from God my Father.  In the Bible we read, “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” (1 Thessalonians 4:7)  The Bible is chock full of how we can get there from here.  It’s the ultimate how-to book.  Not to say that it’s going to be an easy row to hoe but certainly a challenge worth accepting so that we can live and enjoy life to the fullest (John 10:10).
]]> Be Still https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2022/09/06/be-still Tue, 06 Sep 2022 13:40:55 +0000 https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2022/09/06/be-still
There is a gameshow called Password.  If you’re not familiar with it there are two teams of two competing against each other and the object is an individual attempts to guess a word while his/her teammate provides clues to guide him/her along.  And they have a running clock to guess as many words as possible.  Some of the clues provided to the guesser are rather clever and certainly not something my pea-brain would have come up with.  In fact regardless of which side of the table I would be on, clue-giver or word-guesser, I don’t think I would fare very well.
But anyway, we’re told on three separate occasions that we’re to “Be Still” when it comes to our dealing with God; specifically Psalm 37:7a, 46:10a, and Zechariah 2:13.  I suspect my life would not reflect a good clue of being still as we’re instructed.  I’m often caught-up in the busyness of life that I overlook being in the moment.  In other words I’m so busy doing that I just forget to be.  I forget to slow down and soak in all that God is as creator, His omniscience/omnipresence/omnipotence, and as my Heavenly Father.  
Oh taste and see that the Lord is good! (Psalm 34:8)
]]> Look Up https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2022/09/06/look-up Tue, 06 Sep 2022 13:36:27 +0000 https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2022/09/06/look-up
Look Up.  Two simple words that can carry so much meaning.
I’m very much a morning person.  I generally don’t sleep past 5:30 regardless of what time I hit the sack.  In fact as I write this it is 5:05 in the morning yet I’ve been awake since 2:30 even though I went to bed slightly after 11:00 last night.
But getting back to my point, besides my biological clock needing some serious recalibration, I like/love the morning because from my desk I can look out over our yard to the southeast and watch the sunrise.  Every morning is different be it rain or shine.  The cloud formations.  The colors. The trees possibly swaying in the breeze.  It’s all part of God’s tapestry.  I often experience this again while I’m mindlessly riding our lawn tractor while mowing the yard.
I’m reminded of Stephen who we’re told in Acts 7:55, “But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.”  Now granted this was after Stephen gave a defense of his faith before the Sanhedrin and right before they took him out to be stoned but the point being is he looked up and drew comfort from God during a time that would turn out to be the end of his life here on earth.  Maybe he was reflecting back on these words from the Old Testament in Jeremiah 32:17, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm.  Nothing is too hard for you.”  I also like the reminder from Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
So occasionally remember to “look up” and take in the beauty of this ball of earth that God has blessed all of us with.  Look up and remember that we’re not alone in whatever our trials and tribulations might be and that NOTHING is too hard for God!
]]> Regrets Regrets, We All Have SomeMr Bob Ebeling was a NASA engineer associated w/ the space shuttle. He had concerns about the atmospheric temperatures at the Cape when the Challenger was launched in 1986. He assembled data to indicate the risk to the shuttle at launch but was over-ridden by the powers that be to proceed. And sadly as we all know the spacecraft exploded 73 seconds into the mission killing...]]> https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2022/08/16/regrets Tue, 16 Aug 2022 18:01:38 +0000 https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2022/08/16/regrets
Regrets, We All Have Some

Mr Bob Ebeling was a NASA engineer associated w/ the space shuttle. He had concerns about the atmospheric temperatures at the Cape when the Challenger was launched in 1986. He assembled data to indicate the risk to the shuttle at launch but was over-ridden by the powers that be to proceed. And sadly as we all know the spacecraft exploded 73 seconds into the mission killing the entire crew. Bob was consumed with regret for the rest of his life thinking he could have/should have done more to prevent the launch.

We can all look back and regret some decisions we made to either do something or not do something. Some of those regrets are relatively minor that you kinda shrug off as “oh well.” Others are a bit more ominous that in retrospect, that was a knucklehead move! And I’ve had both. A major one dealing with my dad, who is now deceased 14+ yrs, is why I didn’t spend more time getting to know him? Dad and I were fairly close but I missed a golden opportunity to chat with him about…What was it like to grow-up in the depression years? What was it like to serve in the Navy during WW II and to be in the middle of the Battle of Leyte Gulf when his ship was torpedoed? What was it like to work in a coal mine after he came home from the war and almost was killed in a coal mining accident when slate from the roof gave way and crushed him? What hopes/dreams/aspirations did he have? Etc., etc., etc.

So out of curiosity, I consulted “the Great Google” to find out what is recommended in dealing with regret. I was surprised at the numerous and varied recommendations from “just move on” to “have a conversation w/ yourself” (Seriously! And for me it would probably be a short conversation just ending up in an argument.) to “find other people with similar regrets” (Guess that’s so you can lament w/ each other.).

But what I did find interesting is several verses out of the Bible that can relate to regret. In Isaiah 43:18 we’re told to, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” Of course sometimes that’s easier said than done, but the basis for forgiving ourselves and moving past it stems from God’s forgiveness. We’re reminded in Romans 8:1 that we’re free from condemnation if we’re in Jesus, and additionally we’re instructed in Ephesians 4:32 to be kind and compassionate to one another (and I would argue with ourselves as well), forgiving each other just as Christ forgave us.

So the starting point of forgiving ourselves is to experience God's forgiveness.
]]> Back To Basics - B2B B2B  In the spring of ’99, I was in the middle of my second overseas deployment when one day I received a call from Colonel Richard Stocchetti who was assigned to the Office of Inspector General (IG), HQ Air Force Material Command (AFMC) at Wright-Patterson AFB.  I had never met Col Stocchetti before, had no idea who he was, but it became quickly apparent that he knew who I was as he had pulled my...]]> https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2022/08/16/back-to-basics-b2b Tue, 16 Aug 2022 13:12:06 +0000 https://commongroundcc.com/blog/2022/08/16/back-to-basics-b2b

 In the spring of ’99, I was in the middle of my second overseas deployment when one day I received a call from Colonel Richard Stocchetti who was assigned to the Office of Inspector General (IG), HQ Air Force Material Command (AFMC) at Wright-Patterson AFB.  I had never met Col Stocchetti before, had no idea who he was, but it became quickly apparent that he knew who I was as he had pulled my personnel file.  The reason why Col Stocchetti called was to offer me a job on his staff as the IG Logistics Branch Chief.  I had zero experience with the IG but was intrigued by their work as well as the opportunity to do something new and different once I rotated back to the states.  At the end of the discussion I told him that I would gladly take the assignment.
 
Fast-forward to late summer of that year as I’m now getting my feet wet in my new job, and trying to remember where the bathrooms were in the sprawling HQ AFMC building, when one day Col Stocchetti dropped a report on my desk, instructed me to become familiar w/ it and oh, by-the-way, I’m now responsible for implementing tasker #13 in it.  The report detailed how poor the workmanship had slipped in our five air depots around the country to the point that we even lost two aircraft but thankfully no loss of life.  My job was to “fix it!”  I was tasked w/ standing-up a whole new inspection program to bring the depots back-in-line, or as we referred to it as, Back-to-Basics (B2B).  This program had to be formulated from scratch as we had nothing to base it off of, I only had two enlisted personnel to dedicate to the task and oh yeah, we had four months to git ‘er done.  Well fortunately those two enlisted, CMSgt Tim Gray and MSgt Mark Henderson, were two of the most brilliant men I ever had the pleasure of working with.  And thankfully I had the common sense to keep my mouth shut and learn from them.  I was the front man (Hmm, eye-candy???  Nah!) but the program was truly Tim and Mark’s brain-child.  The program, titled Maintenance Standardization and Evaluation Program or MSEP for short, was a huge success and brought the quality of the depot products back to the level of what was needed/expected of them.
 
Well what does this have to do w/ being a Christ-follower?  
 
Do we need to do a gut-check inspection of our life and maybe some of our own B2B?  And yes, even as I sit here and write this, I might have one finger pointing at you but I have three pointing back at me as I know I’m not where I want to be, where I need to be.  So what can be done to get back on track?  
 
Well it seems to come down to two basic commandments which go hand-in-hand.  Starting w/ Psalm 1:1-2, we read, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”  This passage takes a commitment on our part to dwell in the Lord by immersing ourselves in Him through the studying of the Bible as well as other Bible-oriented readings/commentaries/devotions, etc.  But there is a second part and that is we need to be careful how we order our life.  Notice the first part of this passage states that we are to NOT align ourselves with, or in my interpretation--follow the direction of, non-Christians.  Now we can certainly have friends who are non-Christians and I would argue that that is our “mission field.”  If we totally cut ourselves off from non-believers, how might they come to Christ?  We might be depriving them of the *Paul (planter) or Apollos (waterer) in us that they need at the moment.  *see 1 Cor 3:5-7 
 
And secondly, in the middle of a number of exhortations, Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to simply, “pray without ceasing”.  It’s in those quiet moments where we shut-out all the worldly distractions that we can most clearly hear God speaking to us to guide our path, to give our life purpose and direction.
 
So what is the end result of this?  Psalm 119:11, “I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” And Philippians 4:9, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me--practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” 

]]>