Elliott's Muses

  WHAT’S YOUR MOTIVE? I no longer have the card, but the question is now indelibly etched on my mind. I ask it almost every day of my life. It has proven to be an essential checkpoint I now apply on a regular basis: Why are you planning this? What’s the reason behind your doing that? Why did you say yes (or no)? What is the motive for writing that letter? Why are you excited over this opportunity? What causes you to bring up that subject? Why did you mention his or her name? What’s your motive, Pollasch? Searching, probing, penetrating questions. Because the path of servanthood is so perilous, we need to cultivate a sensitive walk with God marked by obedience.  

  From the Pen of C.H. Spurgeon: Why Do My Prayers Go Unanswered? Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you.  Isaiah 30:18 God often delays in answering prayer. We have several instances of this in the Bible. Jacob did not get the blessing from the angel until near the dawn of day--he had to wrestle all night for it. The poor woman of Syrophoenicia received no answer for a long while. Paul asked the Lord three times for "a thorn . . . in the flesh" 1  to be taken from him, and he received no assurance that it would be removed, but instead a promise that God's grace would be sufficient for him. If you have been knocking at the gate of mercy and have received no answer, shall I tell you why the mighty Maker has not opened the door and let you in? Our Father has personal reasons for keeping us waiting. Sometimes it is to show His power and His sovereignty, so that we may learn that God has a right to give or to withhold. More often the delay is for our benef...

 This is a guest blog from a friend, Laura Novey.  It's an insightful picture from the Old Testament Prophet that has application to our own time. Isaiah 8—In the days of Isaiah, things were going downhill FAST. Doom was on the horizon. Things were in turmoil, infused with evil, spiraling in the wrong direction, terrifying, confusing, hopeless. And yet in the midst of all that, God promised to “take to [Himself] faithful witnesses for testimony.” He was STILL actively working amidst those dire circumstances through people He had called to be His.  …and He still does the same today with a believing remnant who walks in His ways.  Twice in this passage, even in the midst of prophecies about impending disaster, the word “Immanuel” is used which simply means “God is with us.”  We need to remember that. When presidential elections and social upheaval are chaotic, “Immanuel.”  When COVID wreaks its havoc, “Immanuel.” When life gets hard and it seems like all arou...

 My friend Joel Alberti is a pastor in Madison, Wi.  He has written this to help us think our way through the Pandemic from a God-ward view.  He sent it out and I asked if he'd be ok to have me post it to my blog.  Its wisdom and sensible things to think. What is God teaching us in this season of life? In all my years I have never seen a year like 2020. With the ravages of a global pandemic which has killed nearly 2 million people; an economic depression that is second only to the Great Depression of the early 1930’s; racial tensions which have caused unprecedented civil unrest; and a divisive political landscape which has ripped our country in two; this has been chaotic, confusing, unsettling, frustrating (throw in your own adjective) and extremely challenging year for all of us. With all that is going on, there are many voices out there. Wherever you turn, there are strong opinions about why things are the way they are and what should be done about it. Dogma an...

 As the New Year begins, I'm working on some new goals in both writing and learning.  One of the things is to increase my reading time each day.  Currently I'm digesting several books at a time and I love the variety from Theology to Church History to Puritans to Contemplative. Also, I started a new reading plan for Scripture as I work my way through the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation once again.  I use the Bible Reading Plan Generator where you make your own plan for reading - here's mine: Bible Reading Plan Generator I am editing last year's journals into an Amazon Kindle Book, that I hope will be released by the end of January.  In the meantime if you are interested in getting the first month's readings email me at epollasch@gmail.com. Lastly, I plan on blogging through the Psalms this year, so keep coming back as I get started after the editing is over. Blessings on your New Year plans and goals

  I am in the process of editing last year's blogs of "Reading the New Testament in a Year" and publishing it to Amazon Kindle as a book by the end of January. Right now I have a working Microsoft Word doc that is about 1/2 edited. It will take me a couple of weeks or more to finish. The issue is how Kindle requires formatting, and to that end, I had to work at "fixing" the doc, not the content, in order for Kindle to put it up. SOOOOOO... this is a long-winded way of saying, IF you are interested in the book, I'd be happy to send you the first Month's readings and devotionals to get you started. It is set up to begin this Monday, the 4th. Email me if you want it - epollasch@gmail.com