W.I.S.E. Bible Study

“For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall” Isaiah 25:4 I picked the scripture verse from Isaiah today because I think it is important to know that we don’t go through life alone. Isaiah talks about the poor. When we think about the poor, we think about people who don’t have “things.” Yet, poor can be in spirit; poor in health; poor in friendships, or other ways we can be poor. In addition, think about being needy. There are times I find myself thinking about sharing something with a person who would have “loved” that, but that person isn’t around to share it with. Needy for loved ones that have gone before us. Needy in distress. Weather reporters are warning about extreme heat; but in reality, when life heats up, God will be our shade. God is the wall to which any storm can pound against. For me, Isaiah gives me comfort and he...

  Yesterday was Farmer’s Market and meeting family at the beer garden. Today, I need to get “Big Star” ready for its maiden voyage after more time with family. Life is good. Yet there is something I need to work on this week. Mercy. The Psalm today is 89. “I will sing of your mercy forever, LORD, proclaim your faithfulness through all ages. For I said, “My mercy is established forever; my faithfulness will stand as long as the heavens.” Psalm 89:2-3 In the midst of the business of life, mercy must shape my actions. Mercy is a term that is so familiar that it has become a word on a poster. Something we think is nice, but is it our heart’s calling? It is time to make mercy avant-garde by updating our use of it and contextualizing it in our lives, using it as a lens through which all passes. God does not expect anything from us that God does not model. Therefore, update your merciful life. Make it new and modern through which you live on the path…

“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 Youth. As a person gets older, they will say they are young at heart. Youth is something the word perceives as a good thing. Yet the older I get, I find the wisdom that comes with a messy life is something I cherish. Today’s verse is asking that even if our faith is still growing and in it’s youthful state we are to be examples to others. All of us are to be an example to others. Our speech, conduct, love, faith and purity. You want to make the world a better place? Start here with this verse. Live your messy life, but do it with dignity, and remember youth is a definition of those who fall into the timeline before adulthood, but we are all called to be youth as Jesus asks us to be children of faith on the path…

  Yesterday, in my corner of the world, it was a rainy day. Ditches were full of water. In other areas, there were tornado warnings and sightings. I am reminded of part of today’s readings: The Two Foundations; Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the wind blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined. How is your house built? Will you withstand rain, winds, and disaster? I have gone through dark times; the golden thread I cling to is hope found in my faith. Love of family and friends, and knowledge that God doesn’t make junk, so I am worthy enough to keep the good fight. We all have struggles, ...

  My mother was a devoted Catholic with a deep faith. When she was dying, we had conversations about purgatory and other religious topics. As the conversation progressed, I thanked her for raising me Catholic, but in my very bones, heart, and soul, I knew I was called to be a Pastor. It is something I cannot help but do, nor could I separate myself from it. My mom responded that she couldn’t fault me for being a pastor. She understood.   When I hear Isaiah 49:1, which is part of the Lectionary readings today, “Hear me, coastlands, listen, distant peoples. Before birth, the LORD called me, from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.” I think we are all called to something; mine just happens to be a servant. My ministry is called “A Wing & A Prayer Ministries,” which  I can now work at more of, now that I am retired . One thing I am sure of is this: God didn’t call me because of my gender or my sexual preference. God didn’t call me because I am the smartest, most gorgeous...

 Summer evenings provide time for stargazing, campfires, and the patio. Stars, planets, and the moon seem so close, and a person can feel so small. Psalm 8:3-4 states: When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? I am reminded of this Psalm when gazing at the heavens. When going north, the heavens seem brighter and larger, and one can feel smaller. The author of the Psalms asks why God cares for humans as they are insignificant compared to the vastness of the world. God does care for humans. God cares so much that God has asked us to help in the care of the world. The world and heavens are vast and will take all of us to care for it. As heatwaves plague Europe, and summer heat will return to Wisconsin, talk of global warming escalates. Each of us must help with the care of our part of the world so that the beauty and vastness will be the...