Sunday Thoughts

This . . .
I don't remember much about a English class I took in High School when we were studying Shakespeare, but I do remember one thing. In the play, there were two guys fencing together and at a very intense moment one of them strikes the other with the tip of his sword and says, "A Touch!"
The other responds with, "A touch, a touch I do confess."
Now our teacher told us this was "comic relief" to lighten the seriousness of the moment. Since that class, any time something comical happens at a serious moment, I always think, "A touch, a touch, I do confess".
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I attended Journey Church this morning here in Monticello where my son Taylor leads worship. The message was on coming to God and receiving rest. There was a powerful testimony by one of the women there and then at the end Taylor sang a really great John Shirley song about "come unto me and I will give you rest". Then, when Jeff was ready to close the service with a prayer, the sound guy hit a wrong button causing some really strange music to totally break the seriousness of the moment.
A touch, a touch, I do confess.
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That . . .
I left this comment on Jeff's blog yesterday.
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When I was in Jr. High I was envolved in a tag game that lasted all year. Everyone who played was in the same study hall that only met once a week in the library for an hour. The game began at the beginning of the period and ended when the bell rang at the end. Whoever was “it” when the bell rang had the terrible burden of being “it” all week until the next study hall period. When you are in Jr. High, this is very serious stuff. Imagine a study hall game of tag in a library, fairly large with lots of aisles and places to hide, with only one teacher to supervise.
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At the beginning of the hour, the game wasn’t that tense, but the closer we came to the bell, the more serious and daring everyone got. A popular strategy was to go up to the teacher with a question with about one minute to go, but for a Jr. High kid that didn’t matter much if you were “it”.
Blatant tagging ensued.
I’m sure that I wound up being “it” for a week once or twice, but that’s not the way I remember “it”. Makes me wonder who was it on the final study hall of the year. I guess they must still be “it”.
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So I was thinking . . . this might be a fun game to play during church every week. It could make for some very interesting ending prayers and benedictions.
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This morning before church, I tagged Jeff and told him he was "it".
A little later during meet and greet, he came by and gave me a little pat on the back. Yeah, right. Like I didn't know what that was all about.
I made sure to shake his hand at the end.
He's "it".
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This is That . . .
Some things seem impossible, but we continue to pray believing for a miracle. A lost loved one, a healing, a broken relationship. The bones seem very old, very dry, very dead. And then God asks the question, "Can these bones live?"
We say, "I don't know what do you say?"
And God says, "yes".
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Ezekiel 37
1 The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
So I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.”
4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. 6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.”’”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
9 Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”’” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
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Prophecy to the dry bones. Keep praying.