Psalm Meditation 1246 ¶Sixth Sunday of Easter ¶May 5, 2024 ¶Psalm 100 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+100&version=NRSVUE (NRSVUE) ¶I had every intention of writing about the importance of joy, even when we don’t feel particularly joyful, until I got to verse 3 and the alternate translation. “It is he who made us, and we are his;” is the translation the NRSV folks settled on. It must have been a close decisions, since the note is added, “Or ‘and not we ourselves.’” It is easy to nod our agreement that we belong to God, however when we translate that same phrase as ‘and not we ourselves’ we, at least I, we have to stop and think about all the ways we make life easier by believing that God sees things the same way we do. ¶There are folks outside the Judeo-Christian tradition who believe that all religious folk have made up their God or gods for any number of helpful reasons. There is probably some truth in that, since we can’t possibly comprehend the fullness of God, so we have to put in our own ruffles and flourishes to make God available to us. At the same time, that is not the whole truth. God is outside our comprehension, and in our hearts and minds in a way that is beyond anything that we could make up. So, we add our own touches to God even as we realize that God is the ultimate creator of all, including having made each of us. ¶When God begins to agree with everything we believe and offers us no challenges to live in a way that pushes us beyond that limits of our comfort, we have made God in our image. When we forget that God is the one who gives us life, being, and meaning we put ourselves in the place of God. It is God who made us, and not we ourselves. We did not make ourselves and we certainly did not make God in our image much as we may try to do that. We get to be joyful about not being in charge, and knowing that God loves us more deeply and intimately than we can imagine. Yippee. ¶April 30, 2024 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1245 ¶Fifth Sunday of Easter ¶April 28, 2024 ¶Psalm 129 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+129&version=NRSVUE (NRSVUE) ¶One of the best ways to deal with an enemy is to depersonalize and dehumanize them. If they aren’t even human, let alone individual persons, we can hate them and kill them without a second thought. We are ‘us’ and they are ‘other.’ We can also project any unpleasant behaviors of ours onto them, which makes them more grotesque and scary, thus more necessary to sweep out of our lives as completely and as soon as possible. And because they are so evil and inhuman, we are actually doing them a favor by taking them out of the world in which we live. ¶The psalmist is dealing with an adversary who sees the chosen people of God as people to be destroyed, wiped from the earth completely. Fortunately, the psalmist’s people are not without protection. They call on YHWH to turn their enemies away at the border, to put them to shame for not being able to accomplish the objective or conquering and annihilating the people of Zion. In addition to their shame, let them wither and die like grass, and be left where they have died, like a bad crop of grain. ¶We still dehumanize and depersonalize our enemies. We still project our own evil onto them to make them even more unacceptable to ‘nice’ people like us. However, God, YHWH, continues to call us to see each person as being of sacred worth. We can hope for and pray for their destruction in the most violent way we can imagine, as long as we recognize that God is not going to act on our fantasies and imaginings. Our God is a God of steadfast love and mercy for each and all of us, no matter who, no matter what. ¶April 22, 2024 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1244 ¶Fourth Sunday of Easter ¶April 21, 2024 ¶Psalm 122 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+122&version=NRSVUE (NRSVUE) ¶I hope you have a place that feels like home for you. It may be the place where you currently live, a place that you visit with some regularity, a place that you hold in your heart, real or imagined, or some combination of these choices. It is a place of firmly packed memories in which all the experiences of that place burst out each time the place comes to mind. At best, I hope that the place reminds you of the presence of God, in that place, and in every instance of calling that place to mind. ¶For the psalmist that place is Jerusalem. There is nothing better than to go there along with all the other people who hold that place dear. It is a place that feels like home, a place that brings a sense of peace even when there appears to be a lack of peace everywhere, including Jerusalem. Even the presence of ‘the thrones of judgment’ make the psalmist feel loved, cared for, and cared about. If there is peace in Jerusalem, the psalmist can find God’s peace in every place and time. ¶Whether your home is Jerusalem, Disneyworld, your actual residence, or some longed for place held in heart and memory may it be a place of peace and security for you and those you love. May the presence of God fill you as you enter each place you call home so that you may be at peace while there and each time you leave. “Peace be within your walls and security within your towers.” For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.” ¶April 15, 2024 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1243 ¶Third Sunday of Easter ¶April 14, 2024 ¶Psalm 115 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+115&version=NRSVUE (NRSVUE) ¶My prayer as I begin writing a psalm meditation is, ‘Let my words be your word, for at least one other person.’ Today, that prayer brought me to a sticking place that made it impossible to write anything. After sitting here at the computer for an hour, I realized that a better prayer is, ‘Use my faltering words to open someone to receive a word from you.’ It is a small difference in wording, yet a huge difference in my attitude. God does have a way of using what we offer to do what needs to be done in the lives of others. ¶The psalmist invites God to act for divine glory rather than the glory of the chosen people. While there is some benefit for us, the real benefit is to God, as other peoples/nations recognize that our God is present and active in the life of the nation. All those other folks worship idols, who are nothing more than silver and gold. Though it is a misinterpretation of the significance of an idol, it is an important point, that it is not a good idea to believe that our God, YHWH, can be easily influenced by going through a particular set of motions. ¶The important part of our relationship with God, is the steadfast love and faithfulness that is part and parcel of what we are offered by God. The fact that God loves us beyond measure and is faithful to us no matter what if the core of our life in God. Yes, we have rules, liturgies, and other methods of staying in touch with God, the important part is knowing that we are loved, and God appreciates but does not demand our love in return. “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.“ ¶April 8, 2024 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1242 ¶Second Sunday of Easter ¶April 7, 2024 ¶Psalm 108 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+108&version=NRSVUE (NRSVUE) ¶While we are grateful to receive God’s promises, we can get impatient with the timing and the method of their fulfillment. When God promises to be with us always, we are grateful. When God does not live out that promise to our satisfaction, we are apt to see it as a failure of the promise rather than a failure of our expectations. A colleague related an experience of having lunch with a mentor of his. When my friend complained that there was never enough dipping sauce for his chicken nuggets his lunch partner suggested that perhaps there was too much chicken. ¶We want God to work in ways that fit our needs, wants, and desires. When it doesn’t happen on our schedule we are ready to complain about the timing and appropriateness of God’s actions in our lives. After giving thanks for all that God has done for the chosen people, the psalmist complains that God has not made a particular military victory as easy and complete as everyone had hoped. ‘It must be God’s fault that we were not as successful as we would have hoped. And as soon as God catches up to us, we will be victorious once again.’ ¶God is always with us. Sometimes God urges us to move forward despite our misgivings, sometimes urges us to hang back when we are overconfident. From time to time we are on the same wavelength as is God and we move in a unison that is exhilarating to everyone involved. The best examples from Scripture are of those who made the effort to listen to the leading God offers, and the worst are of those who set out without consulting God, and expected God to catch up after realizing how excellent their plan really was. ¶April 1, 2024 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1241 ¶Easter ¶March 31, 2024 ¶Psalm 101 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+101&version=NRSVUE (NRSVUE) ¶This psalm of David in which he pledges to rule with loyalty and justice can set a standard for each of us. We may not rule a nation, however we have influence in groups of which we are a part. If we have no influence on anyone else, we have control of our own actions and reactions. David pledges to turn his life toward God in a way that leads him toward integrity, honesty, humility, and faithfulness. He makes no claim to having achieved the lofty goal of a blameless life, only of moving in that direction. ¶We know that he did not manage to walk in the way of God for very long at a time. We also know that some of the very things David claimed to hate, are the ones of which he was guilty. He was willing to have others killed in order to protect himself, to make other people suffer in order to protect his children, to encourage folks to break their vows to cover up his sinfulness. He did confess and repent of his sins, however he did not cleanse the city of God of all the evildoers since he remained there. ¶We can allow ourselves to become discouraged by David’s failures or we can use them as our own encouragement to keep at it, even when we slip into old habits. We can join David in confessing and repenting of our sins, and continue to study and follow the way that is blameless to the best of our ability, God being our helper. We can also continually strive to achieve the goals David set for himself, avoiding slander, haughtiness, arrogance, lies, and other manner of wickedness. All this so we can come ever closer to following the way that is blameless. ¶March 25, 2024 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1240 ¶Palm/Passion Sunday ¶March 24, 2024 ¶Psalm 94 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+94&version=NRSVUE (NRSVUE) ¶We do like the idea of crushing our enemies, especially, if someone does it for us if we only ask. Whether it be a natural phenomenon, illness and disease, or a person or group we are ready to have God remove this terrible, no good, very bad person or thing out of our lives. We don’t deserve to have the world treat us so badly because we are some of God’s favorite people. Other people probably deserve their suffering, but we are not other people, we are special. ¶Interestingly, every group has at least a few people in it who see themselves as deserving special treatment from some higher power or other. Our God, YHWH, is quick to remind us that being faithful does not make us special in a privileged way, it makes us special as people called to serve others with willing hearts and hands. There are no guarantees that everyone will be grateful and treat us well, only that our service will bring us closer to God in a variety of ways. ¶Like us, the psalmist wants revenge on all those who have picked on friends and family. It is human to want the world to be fair and just almost all the time. The psalm includes a list of all the things that ‘those’ people have done to us along with the prayer that they all be destroyed by God in a frenzy of destruction. God, however, is not one to destroy our enemies by wiping them from the face of the earth. God destroys enemies the same way God calls us to destroy those who stand against us, by working to become friends together. ¶March 18, 2024 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1239 ¶Fifth Sunday in Lent ¶March 14, 2024 ¶Psalm 123 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+123&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶‘Puppy eyes’ is an expression that means something to those who have dogs as well as those who have children. It is the look of total innocence, begging to be noticed, and probably rewarded for having done something that may or may not actually warrant the kind of reward being sought. In both cases, dogs and children, it is likely that once the reward is received the puppy dog eyes, and the one who wields them disappear to enjoy the fruits of their labors. It is not that we are no longer loved so much as our attention is no longer sought. ¶We may not use the puppy dog eyes with God, however our intent is the same. We schmooze up to God in order to get something that we may or may not actually have a need for, but desire just the same. We believe our pleading and groveling will achieve our desired outcome. Luke 12:32 says, in part, “it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” as a reminder that God is not an ogre or a slave master who must be flattered and appeased before we can receive anything worthwhile. ¶That doesn’t mean that God automatically gives us what we want. In the same way that God is not an ogre, God is not a pushover who caves to every demand and whim we may have. Somethings are left for us to do on our own, some are not possible for us at a given time. God is always full of love and mercy for us, and those around us. While we may have to put up with those who look down on us with contempt, and others may have to put up with us as we look on them with contempt, we do each come to an end in this world and receive full measure of God’s judgment and mercy. ¶March 12, 2024 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1238 ¶Fourth Sunday in Lent ¶March 10, 2024 ¶Psalm 116 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+116&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶In the midst of any traumatic experience we are drawn to pray for deliverance from it. We may pray for a particular type of deliverance, however, any kind will be okay. We may want to be lifted out of the experience by the scruff of our neck. Instead of that we may have a sense of peace wash over us that feels like deliverance even though we are still in the midst of the trauma. In whatever way God chooses to accomplish our deliverance we are grateful that God is at work in our lives through answered prayer. ¶The psalmist has been ill to the point of death and prays for deliverance. There has been a release from the illness and the psalmist is grateful for the renewal of health and wholeness. It may have taken some time to achieve the requested healing, to the point that the psalmist believes that those who said that God would bring healing are liars. And yet, the healing does come and the psalmist rejoices in it, and testifies to it in the gathering of God’s people. ¶God continually answers our prayers. It may not be the way we want them answered, perhaps not even in a way we can recognize immediately. God does answer. Like the psalmist, we may have made promises to God, ‘If you do this, I will do something in return.’ God perhaps appreciates the thought behind our deal making, however God does not act according to the size or elaborateness of our gifts. God acts out of love for us that knows no bounds. ¶March 4, 2024 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1237 ¶Third Sunday in Lent ¶March 3, 2024 ¶Psalm 109 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+109&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶In the Revised Standard Version, verse six does not begin with, ‘they say.’ so we are left to wonder whether this is the psalmist asking that this happen to all the accusers or are the accusers saying this about the psalmist? In verse twenty it seems that the two groups are wishing the same fate on each other. “Let all of these terrible things happen to those people so that I can go on my merry way, knowing that the people I hate are left in the dust of vengeance.” Ah, would that God was willing to follow our orders as to who was next in line for destruction. ¶If God were as capricious and vengeful as we can be, it is hard to imagine that there would be anyone left alive who was not under some destructive curse or other for the ways that we treat those around us, especially those who are not like us. God is neither capricious, impulsive and unpredictable, nor vengeful, seeking to harm someone for a perceived injury. God is love, pure and simple. “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5a NRSVUE) Much as we would like for God to do our dirty work of eliminating everyone who annoys us, or worse, it is not going to happen. God may work in us to turn enemies to friends, however God is not in the business of destroying people. ¶It is certainly appropriate to feel anger and frustration when people and things around us do not go to our plan for our lives. And we can hope and pray for the destruction and end of things like poverty, disease, and injustice. We can hope and pray all we want for God to destroy people, as long as we know, too, that God is loving beyond measure and will not do away with anyone simply because we want it to happen. “With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD; I will praise him in the midst of the throng. For God stands at the right hand of the needy, to save them from those who would condemn them to death.” ¶February 26, 2024 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1236 ¶Second Sunday in Lent ¶February 25, 2024 ¶Psalm 102 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+102&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶When we are beaten down by internal or external forces, time slows to a crawl and everything negative gets amplified and drawn out. The forces pressing on us have been present forever, it seems, and the pain it causes is deeper, duller, and more long lasting than anything we have ever experienced. No one can possibly know the depths of pain that will neither kill us nor make us stronger. We are left to experience this in a lonely cycle of intense pain followed by dull, throbbing nothingness. ¶This is what the psalmist is experiencing. The pain is endless, without being intense. The psalmist is drained of energy to the point that even eating is to much of a trial. Not being able to invest enough energy to eat drains off more the physical resources that might lead to a way up and out. The psalmist feels the physical aches along with the soul ache of loneliness and abandonment. At the lowest point, it seems that even God has turned away and left the psalmist to suffer alone. Even from the depths of despair, the psalmist refuses to abandon hope in God. ¶That is a good place to be. It may begin with speaking a word of hope without believing it. What we hear often enough begins to be believable, and so we are able to have a glimmer of hope. For some, words of hope are enough to lift the lid on the despair they feel, others will need a little more and some will need a lot more. The psalmist goes back and forth between personal despair and the hope that God cares for and will rescue and redeem people for generations to come. ¶February 19, 2024 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1235 ¶First Sunday in Lent ¶February 18, 2024 ¶Psalm 95 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+95&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶There are folks who believe, the main reason we should behave ourselves is to avoid being punished in some way. We are honest so we don’t get caught in our lies, we are nice to people so God doesn’t get us, we worship God so we don’t burn in hell, and so on. These same folks find ways to convince themselves that there are places that are off limits to God, and that God will ignore/forgive our actions if we ask nicely, and maybe promise to never do it again, at least until next time. ¶The psalmist speaks to this group of people here. The reason to sing, give thanks, and worship is so that we don’t end up like the folks in the exodus. Those people were nasty to God, always complaining, and when justifiable punishment came went crying to God for help and deliverance. They had already figured out that God was a pretty soft touch who loved them enough to take them back as long as they asked for forgiveness. These folks never quite grasp that God is good to them by choice rather than because they said or did the right things. ¶We still find ourselves making deals with God when things go awry for us. ‘If you do this for me, I will do this list of things that you asked me to do anyway.’ And God responds in a way that reminds us that we are loved because of who God is more than because we go through all the right motions and say all the right words. We may or may not be delivered from our particular stress and trial, however we can rest assured that God is with us as a loving presence. ¶February 12, 2024 ¶LCM lcmanifold@gmail.com http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/

Psalm Meditation 1234 ¶Transfiguration Sunday ¶February 11, 2024 ¶Psalm 88 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+88&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶This is one of my favorite psalms because it serves as a reminder that life in God is not all sweetness and light. This is not a ‘praise the Lord, anyway’ kind of psalm, this is a ‘damn it God, why are you being so mean to me?’ psalm. All the things that are going poorly for the psalmist are being laid at the feet of God, who must be at fault for all these things. Granted it is in a time in which all things, good and bad are attributed to the activity of God in our lives as rewards and punishments for our action and inaction in the world. ¶That is not the world in which I want to live. I am of the mind that God loves us, and abides with us in every time and place. As things go well, God is right there cheering on our success. As things go wonky, God is there to offer us a supportive presence in the midst of whatever wonkiness we might find ourselves. The question isn’t, ‘What did I do to deserve this from God?’ the question is, ‘Where is God in the midst of this and what comfort is God already offering to help me cope?’ ¶I like the psalm because it reminds us that when bad things happen, we can still turn to God for comfort, assurance, and maybe even deliverance. The advice I heard for how to use this psalm when things are too dark to navigate alone, it so go somewhere safe and read this with as much passion and energy as you can muster. Yes, it will be yelling at God, who is secure enough to handle the anger involved in offering this psalm to God. To know that God loves us, even when we are angry, is a great gift indeed. ¶February 5, 2024 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1233 ¶Fifth Sunday After Epiphany ¶February 4, 2024 ¶Psalm 117 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+117&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶Some folks can string words together skillfully in sentences, paragraphs, and pages to convey important ideas, while others can do the same thing with just a few words. This psalmist calls us in a few words to praise YHWH for love and faithfulness. We are allowed to find our own reasons and methods as long as our aim is praise. ¶January 29, 2024 ¶LCM lcmanifold@gmail.com http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/

Psalm Meditation 1232 ¶Fourth Sunday After Epiphany ¶January 28, 2024 ¶Psalm 110 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+110&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶It is easy to write this off as a fantasy, the words of a sycophant, a toady, a suck-up. It is just as easy to take it as a work of imagination, what could be if God did things the way that we want them done. Yet, in a sense, it is not too far off from reality. We don’t remember the names of the rulers David battled through his life and reign, however we do remember David. Being remembered as one who was faithful to God as much as anything is a victory in itself. Not all of the people remembered fondly by history were celebrated in their own lifetimes. ¶Imagination gives us the chutzpah to act on our dreams, perhaps even to realize some of them. That the psalmist imagined a great victory for David and the nation may have been the word that David needed to lead the people to any victory they may have achieved. Knowing that God was with them through the conflicts and battles would certainly empower and encourage folks to brave the trials that met them on the way. The presence of God makes a tremendous difference to those who take it seriously. ¶Imagining something does not mean that it will happen the way we want it to happen, it plants a seed that may grow and bear fruit in a way we did not see. Acting on our imagination may show us that this idea does not work, and that can be an important piece of information as well. A misstep or mistake can lead us to one of the ways that does work. If the psalmist was mistaken about God wiping out every enemy in sight this time, I know that there is no mistake about God being with us every time and everywhere. ¶January 22, 2024 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1231 ¶Third Sunday After Epiphany ¶January 21, 2024 ¶Psalm 103 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+103&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶Our God is pretty amazing. Always ready to help out, to forgive, to heal, to redeem, to love, and fill us with good throughout our lives. All this for a bunch of people who have nothing to offer in return besides our love and faithfulness. And even if we don’t return God’s love, God loves us, because that is the nature and choice of God. Whether we offer God love, hate, or indifference throughout our lives, God continually loves us. It isn’t even that God loves us as a way to spite us; God loves us all the time. ¶There are times in which it seems good and right to blame God when things go against us. They do, no use pretending that things go well for each of us every day. There are days and times in which bad things happen, and there are times in which bad things pile up way to high for us. However, it is not God who causes those things, or who uses bad things to test our faith. God is the one who is with us through all the bad that goes on in and around us. Simply because God is standing there doesn’t make it God’s fault. That God is standing there is evidence that God is not one to run out on us when times get rough. ¶I knew folks when I was growing up who would say, ‘Praise the Lord anyway.’ when things would not go their way. The psalmist doesn’t ask us to bless the Lord anyway, the psalmist reminds us to bless the Lord. As we are willing and able to bless God we begin to notice that God loves us. God still loves us whether we notice or not, when we notice God’s love is able to penetrate our lives more deeply as we make room for all that God has to offer us. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits— “ ¶January 15, 2024 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1230 ¶Second Sunday After Epiphany ¶January 14, 2024 ¶Psalm 96 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+96&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶Some of us, many of us, are so sure that we are right about just about everything that we will alter facts in order to continue to convince others, and ourselves, that we are right. The psalmist is among those who believe, ‘when anyone disagrees with me, they must be wrong.’ It is not possible for each of us to be right from our particular perspectives, there has to be one right and the rest of you are wrong. The only reason I might be right about this, would be because I agree with you. ¶The psalmist makes the perfectly normal statement that, “all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.” This was from a time in which it was accepted that there were others divine beings in addition to our own. ‘They are not real, and do not exist except in images ‘those’ people worship. So, you are free to worship some other deity or group of deities as long as you know that my form of worship is the only authentic and meaningful form of worship. ¶I have come to believe that there is only one God. This monotheism is my history and tradition. Where I seem to differ from many folks these days is that if you describe your deity differently than do I it is because you have found a reason to emphasize an aspect of the one God that is not a part of my description of God. It continues to be the same God in a different environment and context. If you choose to divide your deity into separate beings for each attribute, it is, to me, the one God described differently. ¶January 9, 2024 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1229 ¶Baptism of the Lord ¶January 7, 2024 ¶Psalm 89 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+89&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶When I was a teenager, there was a test going around that teachers and youth group leaders seem to have gotten together to write. The first item on the test was to read the whole test first, the second was to write your name at the top of the page. From there the instructions included all sorts of tasks from writing things in particular places on the test, to standing up, spinning around three times, and shouting something. The last item on the test was to do items one and two. Read the whole thing first. ¶The psalmist praises and thanks God for all the good things that God has done, and promised to do, for the ruler of the people. Included in the list is the warning that there will be punishments if those who rule fail to follow God’s laws and ordinances. The psalmist does not list any reasons for God rejecting ‘your anointed.’ If the psalmist is currying favor with the king, it would be foolish to add such a list. Knowing that rulers can easily become full of themselves, it would not be surprising to know that this king has committed offenses that would lead God to mete out punishments. ¶The primary promise God makes to each of us is to be with us, no matter what. If we demand the place of honor, God is with us. If we take the lowest place despite having been invited up higher each time previous, God is with us. When things go our way and it seems we are sitting on top of the world, God is with us. When things go against us and we are neck deep in the muck, God is with us. If we sit in the loftiest seat of power, the lowliest place on the planet, or anywhere in between, God is with us. ¶January 2, 2024 ¶LCM