Author Archives: davidkitz

Apeirogon—a Tough Essential Read for Our Time

08 Sunday Sep 2024

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Apeirogon by Colum McCann
A Book Review by David Kitz


Apeirogon is a most unusual and complex novel—almost as complex as the Israel/Palestine conflict that is at heart of this story.

At its core, this is the story of two father’s and the loss they suffer when their daughters are killed by the opposing side in the never-ending conflict in Israel/Palestine. Rami Elhanan lost his fourteen-year-old daughter, Smadar when three Palestinian extremists blew themselves up in West Jerusalem. Bassam Aramin lost his ten-year-old daughter Abir when a rogue Israeli soldier shot her in the back of the head as she walked to school in the occupied West Bank.

Sadly, these tragedies are all too common in the region. What is striking about these two men is that through their grief they have become close friends and advocates for peace and reconciliation.

s-l960In many respects Apeirogon reminds me of a 1,001-piece jigsaw puzzle. Author, Colum McCann presents us with a thousand and one disjointed snapshots or snippets of life. This can be very difficult, and as disorienting for the reader, as an enormous jigsaw puzzle. It took some time for me to get into the gist of the story, but the more I read the more fascinated I became by the enormity and complexity of this narrative.

An apeirogon is a geometric shape with an infinite number of sides. That’s the reality of the Israel/Palestine conflict. The combatants love to simplify this to a good side versus a bad side. The reality is this is a conflict with innumerable sides and viewpoints.

This book is an eye-opener, and it should come with a warning. It will break many shallow preconceptions of the conflict and the people in this region.

Rami Elhanan and Bassam Aramin have founded Combatants for Peace. If peace is ever to arrive in this contested land it will come because of men like Rami and Bassam rather than the militant hardliners on both sides who insist that everything must go their way while the other side is displaced and destroyed.

In no way would I describe this as a Christian book written from a Christian perspective. But the main characters exemplify the power of forgiveness and reconciliation that Jesus taught. They are living out the truths of the Beatitudes, in particular these words, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

With war currently raging, and hardliners on both sides digging in, Apeirogon is a tough but essential read for our time.

Discipline and Strength

08 Sunday Sep 2024

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I will praise the LORD!Psalm 94_8-15 Discipline

Reading: Psalm 59:16-17

But I will sing of your strength,
    in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
    my refuge in times of trouble.
   You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
you, God, are my fortress,
my God on whom I can rely. *

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.
bgbg_v4.3_1501818

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

A gripping read from David Kitz
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To purchase or for a closer look click here.

I Will Awaken the Dawn

07 Saturday Sep 2024

Posted by in Psalm 57

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I will praise the LORD!Psalm 139_19-22 -365

Reading: Psalm 57:7-11

My heart, O God, is steadfast,
    my heart is steadfast;
    I will sing and make music.
Awake, my soul!
    Awake, harp and lyre!
    I will awaken the dawn.
  I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
    let your glory be over all the earth. *

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.
bgbg_v4.3_1501818

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

A gripping read from David Kitz
4485 SHARABLE-2

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

The Promise in Times of Trouble

06 Friday Sep 2024

Posted by in Psalm 34, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.Psalm 34_19-22 -365

Reading: Psalm 34:19-22

Heavenly Father,
I can’t always see what is genuinely in my best interest,
especially when that involves adversity.
Be my sure help and protection in troubled times.
May your unfailing love be with us, LORD,
even as we put our hope in you.
In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.

— — —

“I have told you these things,
so that in me you may have peace.
In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart!
I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33), NIV)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

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New from David Kitz
TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Discovering God’s Purpose in Adversity

06 Friday Sep 2024

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Reading: Psalm 34:19-22
The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
The LORD will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned (NIV).

god-in-boat-web-edit

Reflection
This final portion of Psalm 34 reflects David’s faith in a God who saves. He began this psalm with praise because he experienced the saving power of God. Now David states that the LORD delivers, protects, and rescues. But for these words to be meaningful, the LORD must deliver, protect, and rescue from various forms of trouble and adversity. There is no rescue if there is no danger. There is no deliverance if there is no oppression.

If you choose to follow the LORD, you are not guaranteed a trouble-free life. Jesus told his disciples, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Many of us believe that if we do our best to lead a good life, following the commandments as found in the Bible, God will exempt us from hardship and trouble. But Jesus, the sinless Son of God, did not have a trouble-free life. Why should we expect our lives to be trouble free? God has not promised me a trouble-free life; He has promised to be with me when trouble and adversity comes.

About three years ago a close friend of mine suffered a debilitating stroke. He lost his position as a teacher, his finances took a hit and he struggled mightily to get his mobility back. In an instant every movement became much more difficult for him—every step a monumental effort. Last week he made a startling confession. He said, “If I had it to do over, I wouldn’t go back. I wouldn’t return to my pre-stroke days. God has drawn me so much closer to Himself through this. I wouldn’t wish this on any man. But God has changed me and used me in new ways that wouldn’t have been possible unless this happened.”

All of us desperately try to avoid the furnace of affliction. It’s too hard—too unpleasant—full of things we cannot bear. But God meets us there. He bears us up on eagle’s wings. When our resources and abilities run out, He takes over. He becomes our help and our deliverer in ways we cannot fathom. God is present in times of trouble.

His promises are tried, tested and true: “The LORD will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned” (v. 22).

Response: Heavenly Father, I can’t always see what is genuinely in my best interest, especially when that involves adversity. Be my sure help and protection in troubled times. May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Your Turn: Has God met with you in a time of trouble? Do you know Him as your strength and rescuer in times of hardship and difficulty?

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

New from David Kitz
TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

The Radiance of God’s Glory 

05 Thursday Sep 2024

Posted by in Psalm 34, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.Psalm 34_18

Reading: Psalm 34:15-18

Hear my prayer, Lord.
I seek your face.
Be my healer,
my redeemer,
and deliverer.
In Jesus’ name,
who defeated death,
I pray.
Amen.

— — —

 In the past God spoke to our ancestors
through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
but in these last days
he has spoken to us by his Son,
whom he appointed heir of all things,
and through whom also he made the universe.
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory
and the exact representation of his being,
sustaining all things by his powerful word.
After he had provided purification for sins,
he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
(Hebrews 1:1-3), NIV)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

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New from David Kitz
TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

The God Who Sees, Hears, and Feels

05 Thursday Sep 2024

Posted by in Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 34:15-18
The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The LORD is close to the broken-hearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit (NIV).10 ideas of what God looks like – Deseret News

Reflection
In yesterday’s discussion of Psalm 34 I shared an “Invitation to Taste” Remember David invites us in Psalm 34:8 to “Taste and see that the LORD is good.”

As this psalm continues David again invites us to take a closer look at God. He reminds us that, “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil to blot out their name from the earth.”

In this passage David depicts the LORD as having eyes, ears, and a face. I always have trouble picturing God. This inability does not stem from a lack of imagination. It comes from the knowledge that God is a spirit. How do you picture something that has no physical substance or form?

But picturing God comes with further difficulties. We are specifically forbidden to create an image or likeness of God. The God of the Hebrews sat on the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the Covenant between two cherubim. But there was no image or statue there. To create an image or statue would be blasphemous. For that reason, I find Michelangelo’s painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel offensive. I am not offended by the depiction of a naked Adam. I’m offended by the portrayal of an old grey-haired man as God. How dare he create an image of God? I am similarly troubled by any artistic rendering of God the Father. God is so far beyond human that to render Him as having a human form demeans His Majesty.

But that’s what makes the incarnation so spectacular. This God of no fixed form took on material reality. In the person of Jesus, He became a man with eyes, ears, and a human face. The God who sees all and hears all limited himself to a human body. The Creator took on the form and limitations of a creature—limitations that encompass betrayal, pain, and death. In the body of Jesus, the Creator God, who sees and hears, experienced our reality—our humanity.

The psalmist, David declares, “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

The LORD is close to the broken-hearted because in the form of Christ his heart was broken. He experienced the pain that touches you and me. His eyes are on you. He is listening when you cry out.

Response: Hear my prayer, Lord. I seek your face. Be my healer, my redeemer and deliverer. In Jesus’ name, who defeated death, I pray. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you have a picture of God? How does God look to you?

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

New from David Kitz
TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Real Food and Drink

04 Wednesday Sep 2024

Posted by in Psalm 34, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.Psalm 34_8

Reading: Psalm 34:8-14

Heavenly Father,
thank you for sending Jesus.
Thank you, Jesus
for laying down your life for me.
Through the sacrifice of your body and blood
I can truly taste and see that the LORD is good.
Amen.

— — —

Jesus said to them,
“Very truly I tell you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man
and drink his blood,
you have no life in you.
Whoever eats my flesh
and drinks my blood has eternal life,
and I will raise them up at the last day.
For my flesh is real food
and my blood is real drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me,
and I in them.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I live because of the Father,
so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.
(John 6:53-57), NIV)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

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New from David Kitz
TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

The Invitation to Taste

04 Wednesday Sep 2024

Posted by in Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 34:8-14
Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Fear the LORD, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it (NIV).

psalm-34.8

Reflection
What a strange command! David begins this portion of Psalm 34 by urging us to “Taste and see that the LORD is good.”

One can logically argue that of the five senses taste is the most intimate. I can see, hear, and even smell someone at a distance. Touch of course requires direct contact, but to taste someone or something, I must take it or them into my mouth. That’s intimate.

How then do I, “Taste and see that the LORD is good?” If I can’t see, hear, smell, or touch the LORD, how can I possibly taste Him? David goes on to state, “Blessed is the one who takes refuge in him [the LORD]. Notice David did not say we are blessed if we take refuge with the LORD. We are to take refuge in Him. That requires a higher level of intimacy—a marital kind of intimacy.

Do I taste and see that the LORD is good? Do I take refuge in Him? Do I actively seek God? John Ortberg in his book Know Doubt tells us that C.S. Lewis said that speaking of man’s search for God always sounded to him like speaking of the mouse’s search for the cat. The mouse hides from the cat because he fears the cat may require his life. We avoid God for the same reason. If you find God, He may ask for your life. Are you willing to give it up to Him?

But Jesus was willing to give his life for you. He willingly suffered, bled, and died on a cross so that you might have eternal life. The big cat—the Lion of the Tribe of Judah—lay down his life for the mouse, even a mangy mouse like me. That’s real love. Now Jesus invites us to come and dine. Jesus said, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them” (John 6:54-56).

Response: Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus. Thank you, Jesus for laying down your life for me. Through the sacrifice of your body and blood I can truly taste and see that the LORD is good. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you seek God or avoid Him? Why?

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

New from David Kitz
TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

The Joy of the LORD

03 Tuesday Sep 2024

Posted by in Psalm 34, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.Psalm 34_6

Reading: Psalm 34:1-7

“Those who look to him are radiant” (v.5).
LORD, we look to you.
Today, let me shine for you. 
Amen.

— — —

Then Nehemiah the governor,
Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law,
and the Levites who were instructing the people
said to them all,
“This day is holy to the LORD your God.
Do not mourn or weep.”
For all the people had been weeping
as they listened to the words of the Law.

Nehemiah said,
“Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks,
and send some to those who have nothing prepared.
This day is holy to our Lord.
Do not grieve,
for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
(James 3:7-12), NIV)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

RGB300Kitz2AWARD

New from David Kitz
TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.