Trying a new blogsite

I am considering using the wordpress.com blog site(http://ronboersema.wordpress.com/) and I am deciding which one I would prefer using.
Any input?

Verse of the day December 16

I am not sure what kind of day you might be having today, but I hope this simple truth from Scripture will help keep things in right perspective.

Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation. Psalm 68:19

Verse of the day December 15

Psalm 62:11-12

Once God has spoken;
twice have I heard this:
that power belongs to God,
and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.
For you will render to a man
according to his work.

And here is Scriptures answer to the question in the comment
Psalm 73:1-28 <(click to read)

Verses to meditate on

From Psalm 59:16-17

But I will sing of your strength;
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been to me a fortress
and a refuge in the day of my distress.
O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,
for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.

Just for fun

For best results click on the 4 arrows to make it full screen and crank up the volume!

Amazing Grace Techno - Computer Controlled Christmas Lights from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.

A lesson from the Psalms

Listen to the podcast or read it below.

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Where is God in the midst of my trouble? Doesn't God see my pain? Does he care? If you have never asked yourself those questions before, you probably know someone who has. They are real questions that people ask and have been asking for thousands of years. And asking those questions is not wrong. I often am amazed at the candid nature of the Psalm writers when they ask questions of God. Look at a few examples. Psalm 10:1 Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? Psalm 13:1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? And one that Jesus himself quoted from Psalm 22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

Those verses and ones like them have been asked of God by many people in varying circumstances. They are often asked because it seems as if God is far away. That very sentiment is captured in Psalm 22:2. O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. Did you notice that the verses that I quoted from were the first things said to God? And I have never seen God rebuke his children for asking honest, heart-felt questions. And that gives me great comfort. It is good to know that no matter what I am feeling, I can go to God with my pain and questions and he will listen.

But there is something that I want to say that may be a little risky. And by saying that, I don't mean to imply that I am not sure if it is true or not. What I mean is, there is another Scriptural truth at work in all of those passages and others like them that we need to be reminded of. So here it is. It seems as if we miss the rest of what is said in those passages and only focus on our own question, situation or pain.

Like the Psalm writers, we are crying out to God in prayer to be heard. God knows exactly what his children are going through when they cry out to him. He, better than anyone else knows your pain. He does hear. He Does care. And he is the very same God as he as always been.

So I believe what we need to do when we find ourselves in difficult circumstances is to continue to follow the example of people like David. Look at what follows in each of the passages already mentioned.

From Psalm 10, "Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?... The Lord is King forever and ever...O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear..."

And from Psalm 13, "How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?... But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me."

And Psalm 22, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?... Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame."

So when we find ourselves in difficult times, we have the freedom to be honest with our feelings with God. But I believe it is right and healthy to acknowledge the goodness of our God and we will gain a correct perspective on life.

And remember the lesson from Psalm 22:3; when God seems far away from you, continue to praise the Lord, for our God inhabits praise.

Verse of the day December 8

Jesus said “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," (Matthew 5 43-44). Was that a new command, a new idea that people hadn't heard before? I thought it was. But my verses today show us that the practice of that had been happening long before by David. Meditate today on the words from Psalm 35:11-14.

11 Malicious witnesses rise up;

they ask me of things that I do not know.

12 They repay me evil for good;

my soul is bereft.

13 But I, when they were sick—

I wore sackcloth;

I afflicted myself with fasting;

I prayed with head bowed on my chest.

14 I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother;

as one who laments his mother,

I bowed down in mourning.