Musings From A Rolling Eyed Turtle

One of my favorite bicycle routes takes me through a neighborhood on a dead end street.  To warn drivers (or riders), there is a permanent sign before you enter the neighborhood clearly stating:  “Dead End”.  Not a problem, I don’t expect to go through, I just ride in and ride out the same way. One day, as I was approaching that same neighborhood, a temporary sign was in place before the permanent sign.  The temporary sign read “Road Construction Ahead” and below that was “Road Closed to Thru Traffic”. Hmm, that might be a bit confusing; after all, a dead end street could never have through traffic!  Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  (John 14:6) No confusing message there!  He clearly states that He is the way.  He uses the words “no one” and “except”, words that limit things quite noticeably.  It’s kind of like “Dead End”; there’s clarity and finality...

Our culture seems to be totally enthralled with celebrities.  Sports, music, Hollywood, you name it, if you catch a glimpse of one, it’s huge.  If you can actually meet one and talk to them, well, it’s almost the thrill of a lifetime.  The Psalmist tells us who he was enthralled to see:  “As for me, I shall behold Thy face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Thy likeness when I awake.” (Ps 17:15). I really like how The Amplified Bible presents that verse:  “As for me, I will continue beholding Your face in righteousness (rightness, justice and right standing with You):  I shall be fully satisfied, when I awake [to find myself] beholding Your form [and having sweet communion with You].” I have spotted a few celebrities over the years and I have to admit that there was some level of excitement in seeing them.  But, ultimately there was no real lasting satisfaction. The satisfaction that really touches our hearts is to see the Sav...

I’d like cling like a bird… You’d think that I should want to “sing like a bird” or “fly like a bird”?  Well, maybe, but hear me out… Have you ever wondered how birds can perch on branches or power lines for long periods of time without falling off?  Well, just in case you’ve wondered, a perching bird can stay in place even when they fall asleep on a tree or a power line. They're able to keep their grip because they have thin tendons called flexor tendons that extend from the leg muscles down the back of the tarsus bone and attach to the toes. The tendons stay tight until the legs straighten .   So a bird clinging to the branch or power line is its normal state of rest until the bird straightens their legs and the tendons relax and they can then fly off.    King David one wrote:  “My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.”  (Psalm 63:8). All too often, I have to consciously decide to cling to God and it’s often when...

Over the years, I’ve read Paul’s first letter to Timothy many times.  But, I never saw it!  In retrospect, I think I skipped right over it because I thought the opening words of the section could never apply to me.  So the rest of the section never penetrated my thinking.  But, as I was recently working through some cross-references, there it was: …”so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (NIV). Wow, life that is truly life, what is that? That’s actually the conclusion of the section.  It starts with “Command those who are rich in this present world…” (1 Tim 6:17-19).  Since I have never thought of myself as rich, at least according to North American standards, I glossed over the rest of the words and missed that part about “life that is truly life”! The command that Paul gave to the rich was to not put their hope in wealth but to put their hope in God. Paul also encouraged them to do good, to be rich in good deeds an...