OXYGEN

Tonight I thanked God for the blessing of oxygen. My dad is on hospice care, which is me and Jeremy. 

We called the nurse at midnight because Dad was having such a hard time breathing. We thought it might be the night he left for Heaven. The nurse gave us "magic drops" to put under his tongue. It was the only thing that allowed him to sleep. But tonight, they brought an oxygen machine. He originally didn't want one. But he welcomed it tonight. 

I. AM. AMAZED.

This simple stream of oxygen is a massive game changer. He has been sleeping for over four hours now. For the first time, his head is relaxed and back on his pillow. There is no struggling. There are no coughing fits or futile attempts to get clear of the gunk. It is the first time he has been able to maintain sleep semi-reclined.

But it was the rest—the laying back, the peace, the letting his head rest that had me marveling at the effect of oxygen.

That's what brought back the parallels of the gift of oxygen--literal or figurative. The relaxing amidst chaos. The resting of one's mind when able to breathe. 

I thanked a dear friend for that who was a big part of my journey—that oxygen for me when I couldn't catch my breath on my own. 

Ben Campbell Johnson Paraphrase - Mark 11:24 - 2020 "Receive Quest" Challenge (003)

Mark 11:24 Ben Campbell Johnson (BCJ)*
24 Because of this principle, when you discover your soul's deepest desires, state them in your prayers, and consider them to have occurred—they will!

I loved this heading: Desire and Prayer! Desire is another word quest for me because of some things I saw connecting it to prayer and receiving. I tried to find the source for what sparked the original curiosity and couldn't! I believe it was in the transcripts for a new CD or DVD being put together from some previously unreleased meetings of Brother Hagin.

There is much I can say concerning desire, but a brief mention of a few recent events might be interesting to reflect on. In each case, I was the recipient of something extremely specific that had a desire attached!

1. FLOPPY DISKS
   A week ago, my friend and I visited a junk shop full of random objects and thick dust. In the far back corner, a dismantled keyboard was on the bottom shelf of a display case: Ensoniq Mirage DSK. WHAT? I had forgotten about that keyboard! We had used it back in the 80s with "Party Conscious" (primarily for sampling recorded background vocals, if I recall). I had been looking for a sampler (and bought something I never figured out), and this is something I actually knew how to use! I wish I had time to share the whole story and the dear man I met. But the point of sharing this is that I started to daydream about that keyboard. The man said it might be possible out an old computer with a small floppy drive (must be connected to the mother board) and create a boot disk (with a taped half-capacity disk), then try installing that drive from the computer into the keyboard. The guy is game to try it! So I was totally daydreaming about it. Days later, a coworker pops out of the copy room with floppy disks in her hands, ready to throw them away: "We don't ever use these, do we?" OH MY GOODNESS! I piped up, "I can use them!"
2. CRACKERS
   This is a small one, but the same day as the disks, I had brought Christmas leftovers for my lunch and included a snack for the afternoon: the last bit of cream cheese and pepper jelly. But I had forgotten the crackers! That morning when I realized I had forgotten, I almost drove home over lunch to get them because it's SO delicious. All day I was desiring crackers. By mid afternoon, I was daydreaming of when I got home and could eat it! Lo and behold, when I walked into the kitchen to replenish my ice, I saw packets of crackers on the "giveaway table"! Haha! That works! I was thrilled! It would not have been notable in itself, but since "desire" has been a topic of interest, it got my attention: Two things happened in one day where I distinctly desired something and that specific "something" appeared!
3. MALLETS
   This weekend, my friend and I were at a flea market. As we were driving back, the conversation drifted toward something that made me think of what Danny Elfman used to do ages ago: tuck a miniature mallet behind his ear and "ping" things. He said hardware stores were the best. He would pick up items, tap them with the mallet, and if he liked the sound, he'd put them in the cart, buy them, and then sample them in his studio. I shared the story (this friend knows my desire to collect sounds) and initially the point to me was that I should not shy away from recording sounds that interest me despite what I think it looks like to others.  I was thinking about all the cool stuff we had just seen, and exclaimed how I should have been looking for mini mallets! To my surprise, my friend said he saw some (three, to be exact) at the first booth he bought things at. I went back that afternoon and sure enough they were there! I now have a wooden mallet small enough to fit in my purse. Actually, I had another idea after I bought that and actually found a second much tinier metal mallet at another booth, but it was 7 times as much. I didn't get it. But now I wish I had! In addition, the conversation with the guy at the booth may have connected me to someone who can make a metal "flying saucer" drum! What an adventure! (There's SO much more. I hope I can share the full story sometime.)

*Johnson, Ben Campbell. Matthew and Mark: A Relational Paraphrase. Waco, TX: Word Books, 1978.

The New English Bible - Mark 11:24 - 2020 "Receive Quest" Challenge (002)

Mark 11:24 The New English Bible (NEB)*
24 I tell you, then, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.

Believe—what a big word! Of course, the context is so important to the final point of receiving. It's not just verse 24. I like how the previous verse says, "has no inward doubts" and takes it even further: "but believes that what he says is happening."

Recently someone suggested I listen to Bruce Lipton. This verse makes me think of the "Biology of Belief" (one of the concepts from his research) and epigenetics. To me, it's the science side of God's design ... where we see the architecture behind the principles and powers God put in place.

*The New English Bible. Cambridge, Great Britain: Oxford University Press; Cambridge University Press, 1961.

King James & Wycliffe Bible Commentary - Mark 11:24 - 2020 "Receive Quest" Challenge (001)

Mark 11:24 King James Version (KJV) 
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Verse 24, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary
24. Believe. A present tense imperative, calling for persistent, continuing faith.
Receive. Superior manuscript evidence favors the aorist tense—you did receive. In other words, we are to keep on believing that God has already given us our request.

My white board has Mark 11:24 as one of the branches of receiving. I, too, honed in on "believe" and "receive" like Wycliffe (great minds think alike - LOL)! Actually, just the detail of what to do when is what is so helpful. "When ye pray" is when we do the believing. THEN - in prayer - believe you receive. The shall have is in the future.

BUT ALSO NOTICE: Wycliffe brings out what probably many "Word nerds" have discovered: The receiving mentioned here is a one-time fact. Once it is done, it is complete - sort of like when something happens now in the present tense, then you look back on it yesterday as past tense. But the believing mentioned is different. It is present tense, but it doesn't stop and go into past tense. It stays present tense.

I guess you could say it in two views: Believe that you receive when you pray (present) ... and continue to believe that you received when you prayed (past).

The New Testament and Wycliffe Bible Commentary. 1st ed. New York: The Iversen-Norman Associates, 1971.
The New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Translated out of the original Greek and with former translations diligently compared and revised, Set forth in 1611 and commonly known as the King James Version.
Pfeiffer, Charles F., and Everett F. Harrison, eds. The Wycliffe Bible Commentary. 1st ed. Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1962.

2020 "Receive Quest" Challenge—Mark 11:24

Last week, I was blessed with three books:

The New Testament and Wycliffe Bible Commentary

The New English Bible

Matthew and Mark—A Relational Paraphrase (Ben Campbell Johnson)

I immediately opened all of them to Mark 11:24, and it gave me an idea: What if I took one verse for one year and looked it up in every translation I could find?

Rather than just scribble in notebooks like I always do, it seemed easy enough to at least document the versions on a blog. I could work ahead and populate the versions, schedule them, and comment along the way. We shall see how that system works!

Reasons

There are some motivating elements in play which may be of significance. This section will be updated (and hopefully expounded) when I have time.

• I am on a slow-motion quest with this word: RECEIVE 
• The quest began after I listened to a recording of my cousin being interviewed about his time in Heaven. 
• I have a hunch that receiving is the same as the currently popular topic of manifesting. 
• Note: I believe God's design is everywhere, and if something works, it's because of His under-girding design. 
• Also of note: I believe the same design can work in negative or positive ways and in many cases is subject to our governance of it. (Example: Belief. Too much to say here, but may delve in more later.)

Beginnings

The white board hiding behind my office door holds little quest nuggets. It's very "organic" and not unlike a walk in nature where I might collect fallen leaves, stones, twigs, and photos of textures/colors/whatever captures my attention. These scribbles have already evolved quite a bit, but here's an image to document where they stand when my 2020 Challenge started. We shall see if it changes!

Emailing Jesus

Today I emailed Jesus. I asked for a calendar.

"Hello, Jesus ...

I noticed Janet had her new wall calendar up.
She mentioned that you have them.
Could I get a horizontal one, please?

THANKS!!!!"

Jesus is my Columbian coworker, not the Savior! It's pronounced differently, of course, so saying* his name is not odd. But as soon as I put "Jesus" in writing, things get amusing!

Instinctively, I began, "Hey, Jesus." Too casual. But "Dear Jesus," seemed too formal. I cycled through several options that all seemed weird. Ultimately I chose a simple "Hello." It seemed suitable for either a human or deity.

I know it's "just" a name for humans -- like John or Paul. But I really can't think of any other name I would have stumbled over like that.

Recently an inter-department envelope went around with a card for everyone to sign. We always have a sheet with when it is due back and a list of names to check off as it is passed along. Jesus' name was not alphabetized with the rest of us; It was at the top of the list. How funny! So I'm not the only employee who can't treat his name like everyone else's.

Occasionally, I get an email from Jesus. It makes me laugh every time. Sometimes Jesus invites us all downstairs for donuts. I like Jesus. :-)

Isn't that funny how much weight is attached to those five letters?

But on the other hand, seeing "Jesus" in the context of an email request caused me to back up a moment and consider the simplicity of asking: What if I approached Jesus Christ like I did my coworker?

"Hello, Jesus ...

I noticed Janet had her new roof installed.
She mentioned that You arranged it.
Could I get a solar one, please?

THANKS!!!!"

Biblical Jesus said, "I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours" (Mark 11:24 NLT). [I know there is more to this passage (verses 22-26 in answer to Peter noticing the fig tree had withered and died) ... but really, not much!]

So do I believe Mark 11:24? My head jumps to, "YES! Of course!" I always assume I believe the Bible because I choose to do so ... but in a moment like this, I wonder where my believing is. It must be limited to my intellect (or "mental assent" as the late Brother Hagin would say) because I don't think I act the same way with the two different Jesuses!

When I emailed coworker Jesus, I didn't wonder if I would get a calendar. Really, the only question was how long until the calendar showed up! (And in his case, it was surprisingly fast. )

When I think of a similar request to Biblical Jesus, suddenly it gets pushed out into the "maybe" zone! I'm tempted to filter it through scriptures and rules or teaching messages to get a solid perspective on whether I could/should ask for any such thing and if I'm properly positioned to do so.

What would happen if I kept everything that simple -- as simple as a "Hello, Jesus" email?

Maybe that will be my New Year's challenge for 2020: K.I.S.S. E.J. (Keep It Simple, Silly. Email Jesus!)


*I find it ironically funny that my coworker's name when spoken sounds like "Hey, Zeus."

It Sticks to Your Ribs!

My grandmother is a fan of oatmeal. She lives in Heaven now, but I can still hear her say, "It sticks to your ribs!" I wonder if there's oatmeal in eternity?

Aside from the impossibility of food literally sticking to one's ribs, I'm sure most people know what it means—it sticks with you. Oatmeal is a little more substantial and will sustain a body longer than some other options. That was important on the farm. Hard work happened upon waking, and sustenance was important!

Today, my grandmother's phrase caused me to think of the opposite effect. What doesn't stick to my ribs? Fruit! It is my preferred morning "routine" (if I can muster myself to have one). It is light, brings energy, and is gone—easy on the system. Nourish and GO!

That's great for a physical body . . . but maybe not every day. Depending on the demands of that day or that season, it could very well be that oatmeal is more suitable.

[NOTE: Thanks to pexels.com and Keegan Evans, I have an oatmeal photo. Thank you! While I usually use my own images, I didn't want to procrastinate. There are too many drafts of posts awaiting words and images!]