Here’s what one of my math teachers called an “obviosity.” We have A LOT of psalms, in which David is praying for deliverance. Yesterday we looked at excerpts from Psalms 28 and 30. Today:

To the chief musician. A Psalm of David. In You, O LORD, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness. Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me. For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me. Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength. Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth. (Psalm 31.0 – 5, NKJV)

Why was David always praying for deliverance? Because he frequently needed deliverance! That is, life for David wasn’t easy. Sometimes it was his fault, but sometimes not, as in all those years running from King Saul.

And so his lament and prayer continues:

Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body! For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away. (Psalm 31.9, 10, NKJV)

But, as almost always, he ends the psalm with a promise. One that I’m claiming in my (temporary!) bout with an enlarged prostate:

Blessed be the LORD, For He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city! For I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before Your eyes”; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried out to You. Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person. Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD. (Psalm 31.21 – 24, NKJV)

“I felt cut off…but you heard the voice of my supplications…the LORD preserves the faithful…Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the LORD.”

I want to do a quick fly-by on several psalms. When we read the Bible devotionally, what we see is nearly always influenced by what we’re going through at the time. In my case, the only thing that’s been going on these past three weeks is a prostate issue.

So I’m seeing David’s prayers for deliverance:

To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock: Do not be silent to me, Lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. Hear the voice of my supplications When I cry to You, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary. (Psalm 28.1, 2, NKJV)

And his thanks when he experiences that deliverance:

Blessed be the LORD, Because He has heard the voice of my supplications! The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him. (Psalm 28.6, 7, NKJV)

A Psalm. A Song At the Dedication of the House of David. I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my foes rejoice over me. O LORD my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me. O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30.0 – 5, NKJV)

We think we have it made…until we don’t:

Now in my prosperity I said, “I shall never be moved.” LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face, and I was troubled. (Psalm 30.6, 7, NKJV)

And then it’s back to prayer…with justification.

I cried out to You, O LORD; And to the LORD I made supplication: “What profit is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth? Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me; LORD, be my helper!” (Psalm 30.8 – 10, NKJV)

And by the time the psalm is written…

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever. (Psalm 30.11, 12, NKJV)

“You have put off my sackcloth…” It’s not sackcloth and ashes, but I do wear nothing but loose-fitting sweats right now. I’ll be glad to wear something else and go somewhere!

There’s more, so let’s save it for another day.

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5.14 – 16, NKJV – the elders didn’t come over, but the pastor prayed with me)

Update: I saw the urologist on Monday, and we have scheduled a procedure for February 27, 2+ weeks away. In the meantime, I’m functioning with the catheter out. A big answer to prayer!

Sahil Bloom recently promoted his new book Five Types of Wealth with this timely reminder about the folly of measuring success solely by money:

Our scoreboard is broken. It forces us into a narrow measurement of wealth, success, happiness, and fulfillment entirely defined by money.

Hence his book which defines “wealth” in five ways, not just one way: time, social, mental, physical, financial. [I would have added “spiritual,” I think.]

Then he makes this poignant statement about measurement – a word that’s good for churches, I think:

And what you measure matters.

In a famous articulation often attributed to Peter Drucker, the Austrian-­born management guru:

What gets measured gets managed.

The statement implies that the metrics that get measured are the ones we prioritize. In other words, the scoreboard is important because it dictates our actions—­how we play the game.

Broken scoreboard, broken actions.

If we fix the scoreboard to measure our lives more comprehensively, our actions will follow.

Right scoreboard, right actions. – Sahil Bloom, February 3, 2025

Churches most frequently measure attendance, followed closely by their budgets, and their buildings: bodies, bucks, buildings. Listen in on almost any conversation among pastors, and you’ll hear talk about how many are coming on Sunday morning, how many services they have, etc.

And according to Peter Drucker, if most of what churches measure is attendance, they’ll work on ways to increase that attendance, mainly attendance at the Sunday morning worship services. I’m not against large church services as long as we understand that large services alone won’t make disciples any more than concerts produce trained musicians.

We have to figure out a way to measure quality disciples. Maybe there’s hope. The same day I read Sahil Bloom’s quote about measurement, I discovered this website: https://stateofthechurch.com/ Among their offerings is a survey to measure “15 Dimensions of Church Thriving.” check them out – I know nothing about the organization, but at least they’re trying.

The apostle Paul wasn’t interested in “the attendance scoreboard.”

Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. (Colossians 1.28, NKJV)

Nor did Paul want church leaders satisfied with the attendance scoreboard.

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ… (Ephesians 4.11 – 13, NKJV)

I wrote How to Help the Flock? on January 22, making the point that you don’t disciple “the flock,” you disciple individuals in the flock. Some pastors would take offense at that, believing: “I do make disciples. Every Sunday morning at 10a.”

But some pastors get it. Jim Singleton, former senior pastor at First Presbyterian, Colorado Springs, used to say, “Preaching is my day job. My ministry is investing in men.” And he did, four different men each year meeting in a disciple-making group from September – May.

Another pastor who gets it is my friend James Conley out in Delta, Colorado. He wrote me a note about the January 22 blog:

I COPIED your blog from Jan 22, 2025, How to Help the Flock?  I read it and discussed with our Tuesday morning crew, four of us were together.  I appreciate your comments immensely.  After thirty years in the pulpit and thirty years of walking alongside of Christ’s church I still see my most lasting work as being the 1 on 1’s I have with people in this journey.  Whether in family, the church, or out and about in community I see the healthiest fruit from these interactions from day to day. 

To God alone be the glory!

Brother James

Paul’s instruction to (Pastor) Timothy remain:

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2.1, 2, NKJV)

Well, the game didn’t turn out the way anyone expected. I know I expected it to be a close game that could go either way. Nope.

Eagles 40, Chiefs 22

Not a misprint, and the game was not nearly as close as the score would indicate.

But that’s sports – it builds character among other things. I subscribe to World, a Christian news magazine. Every Friday I receive an email from their arts and culture editor, currently a young lady named Chelsea Boes, not a sports fan. She wrote on Friday before the Super Bowl:

As a lifelong nerd, my core question about sports is, “Why can’t they all just get their own ball?”

Chelsea doesn’t get it, and I had to write and tell her so:

— Beginning of my email —

I know you’re trying to be cute, but you’re missing the point. Life is filled with battles, going back to Genesis 3. The Apostle Paul talked about the real battle:

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6.10 – 13, NKJV)

Paul also uses sports as a metaphor for the real battle:

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9.24 – 27, NKJV)

Years ago, I taught at an Air Force leadership school where we used sports to teach a variety of lessons. On our playing field, prominently posted, was a famous quote from General Douglas MacArthur:

On the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that on other days, on other fields will bear the fruits of victory.

You don’t have to watch, but please don’t deprecate the idea of sports.

— end of my email —

I wrote yesterday that God would get a shout-out no matter who won, and I was right:

God blessed us. So I want to give thanks to him. Thank you God. Thank you, Jesus. – Philadelphia Eagles’ Coach Nick Sirianni

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. (1 Corinthians 9.24, NKJV)

It’s Super Bowl Sunday, one of the few events enjoyed(?) by a large majority of Americans. This year’s “Game of the Century” features the Philadelphia Eagles versus the Kansas City Chiefs, trying to win their third straight Super Bowl, something that’s never been done before.

As in the College Football Championship, there are Christians on both sides. The Kansas City Chiefs chaplain, Marcellus Casey, says this about Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes:

Pretty simple life. Loves his wife. Loves his kids. Studies God’s word. Prays. Works hard. Lives with humility. Admits mistakes. Supports teammates. Gives glory to God in victory.

Jalen Hurts, the Eagles quarterback said:

I’m a man of God. Waking up every morning and having a routine where I can gain some wisdom, learn His Word, and just walk by the Spirit, I strive to do that daily. And I challenge myself to spread that Word organically. – Sports Spectrum

So I think God will get a shout-out in the post-game interviews no matter who wins.

All that said, my main topic today is teamwork. Football is the ultimate team sport. Those quarterbacks don’t block for themselves, and they don’t throw the ball to themselves. And when each quarterback is on the bench, they have to rely on their team’s defense to to shut down the other guy. But even though it’s a team game, some football players like to draw attention to themselves when they make a good play. “Look what I did!” I’m not saying that’s wrong, but it is something that happens.

Here’s a story from another arena where that didn’t happen…

The movie Exodus about the founding of the state of Israel after World War 2 came out in December 1960. An epic movie (three hours and 28 minutes long!), it won only one Academy Award: Best Music Score. The Julliard-trained piano duo Ferrante and Teicher recorded it immediately, and it was #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1961. Click the picture below to listen to it: only three minutes.

I was a freshman in high school when it came out. I remember vividly the following summer sitting in someone’s house in my grandmother’s tiny town in West Virginia with a 45 RPM record learning that song. I developed my own arrangement “inspired by” Ferrante and Teicher, and I’ve played it ever since. A few years ago I played it for my son David’s piano students at a recital. One of the parents told us that when “Theme from Exodus” was #2 on the pop chart, it was behind an Elvis Presley song. Can you imagine?

Back to teamwork. When I was a student at Clemson University, Ferrante and Teicher came for a concert. They walked out on stage and said something like:

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. We are glad to be with you tonight. And we know that everyone wants to know, you know, who we are. (pause) We are Ferrante and Teicher.

And to this day, I don’t know who was who at that concert. Think about it. If it sets up like that, there’s no point to try to outshine the other guy! Their individual identities were irrelevant. That’s a team.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2.3, 4, NKJV)

My brother-in-law Paul lives in the tiny town of Piedmont, SC, population just over 5,000. Now retired, he begins every day by taking his German shepherd, Catfish, for a walk, where he’s always finding something interesting or beautiful to photograph. Here’s a story he posted on Facebook last week.

Catfish and I noticed this old tombstone laying next the sidewalk on our early morning walk the other day, so we drove back to it in my truck, scooped it up, and yesterday we took it to the Piedmont Museum, which is operated by our local Piedmont Historical Preservation Society. Dr. Anne Peden used some gravestone rubbing paper to bring out the aged, illegible writing. The rubbing revealed the decedent was named Henry Turner and he had died as an infant in 1903. Anne then used “Find a Grave” and discovered that the stone had been removed from Rose Hill, the old cotton mill cemetery in Greenville County, more than a mile from where the stone was found. The next phase of the repatriation of the granite marker is to contact Jane Woods McClain and her husband Mark to access their extensive knowledge of the Rose Hill cemetery. Soon this stone should be back in its rightful place. Thanks to all involved. – Paul Porter, Facebook, January 29, 2025.

I’m amazed that Paul lives at a leisurely enough pace that he can (1) notice the gravestone, (2) take the time to pick it up, and (3) take it to someone who would know what to do with it. It may be unlikely that anyone would even notice that the gravestone was missing from an old cemetery, 121 years after young Henry died, but Paul thinks it important that the gravestone be where it belongs.

Some of us (me!) tend to move so fast that we miss opportunities to serve in small, perhaps unnoticed ways. My friend and Navigator mentor Skip Gray used to say that Jesus had a 3 mph ministry. “He didn’t go jogging through Judea, sprinting across Samaria, or galloping in Galilee. He WALKED wherever he went.”

Now as Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from birth. John 9.1, NKJV)

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. (Matthew 9.9, NKJV)

Jesus saw a man…because he was moving slowly enough.

I wrote recently about the intentional blindness of the folks who still believe the earth is flat, even when presented with evidence that disproves their theories. Two blog readers made some astute comments that I don’t want you to miss.

First, my son Mark shared the following:

Reminds me of the dwarves in The Last Battle [of Chronicles of Narnia]. Not even Aslan can save them because they refuse to believe what is happening around them. 

Or tangentially, Upton Sinclair:

It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it.

– from I, Candidate for Governor: And How I Got Licked

Replace salary with anything else important. Self-worth. Worldview. Ego. YouTube follower count. 

Sometimes it’s far easier to turn away from the truth than admit you’ve been living a lie. – Mark Ewell, email on January 23, 2025

Wow. I hope I’m not holding on to false beliefs .

Then long-time friend and blog-reader Laura McGlothlin shared this with a really good verse:

I guess it takes all kinds!!

Claiming to be wise, they became fools. (Roman 1.22, ESV)

Psalm 27 has been a favorite for a long time…

I was talking with a friend of mine recently, and he was differentiating trials you get “through” to the other side and trials you don’t. I summarize his musings this way:

Let’s say there are two types of situations:

• Type 1: it’s temporary, there is a fix, and life will return to normal or even better than before.
• Type 2: it’s permanent, there is not a fix, and life will not return to “normal.”

His neuropathy is a Type 2, there’s no known cure. My knee replacements were Type 1. And, yes, this prostate glitch is a Type 1. There are treatments for enlarged prostates.

Here’s a newsflash: LIFE is a Type 2. There’s even a verse for that:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4.16 – 18, NKJV)

But along the way, God delivers us from “Type 1” situations. That’s what Psalm 27 is about.

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident.
4 One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple. (Psalm 27.1 – 4, NKJV)

David expects deliverance:

11 Teach me Your way, O LORD, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
12 Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; For false witnesses have risen against me, And such as breathe out violence.
13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. (Psalm 27.11 – 13, NKJV)

I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. The Lord is the strength of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?

There’s a beautiful choral arrangement of Psalm 27, done very well by The Stonebriar Community Church Choir of Frisco, Texas. It’s worth the five minutes.

“The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation” by the Stonebriar Community Church Choir

Back to the psalms, when I read, I look for themes and any special word God might have for me.

Psalm 25 has a lot of guidance/teaching verses:

Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. (Psalm 25.4, 5, NKJV)

Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. (Psalm 25.8, 9, NKJV)

Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity, And his descendants shall inherit the earth. The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant. (Psalm 25.12 – 14, NKJV)

And throughout, David is acutely aware of his sin:

Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O LORD…For Your name’s sake, O LORD, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great. (Psalm 25.7, 11, NKJV)

Then he closes with a prayer I’m praying with one word change:

Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, For I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins. (Psalm 25.16 – 18, NKJV)

“The troubles of my prostate have enlarged; bring me out of my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain, and forgive all my sins.”

I’ll keep you posted!