Frankly, I’m completely tired, my head hurts, and I’m all out of fresh ideas. So, I give you tonight’s guest blogger, one Mr. Charles Spurgeon. You might have heard of him before:

“Frequently we pray that God would not forsake us in the hour of trial and temptation, but we too much forget that we have need to use this prayer at all times. There is no moment of our life, however holy, in which we can do without his constant upholding. Whether in light or in darkness, in communion or in temptation, we alike need the prayer, ‘Forsake me not, O Lord.’ ‘Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe.’ A little child, while learning to walk, always needs the nurse’s aid. The ship left by the pilot drifts at once from her course. We cannot do without continued aid from above.

Let it then be your prayer to-day, ‘Forsake me not. Father, forsake not thy child, lest he fall by the hand of the enemy. Shepherd, forsake not thy lamb, lest he wander from the safety of the fold. Great Husbandman, forsake not thy plant, lest it wither and die. ‘Forsake me not, O Lord,’ now; and forsake me not at any moment of my life.

Forsake me not in my joys, lest they absorb my heart. Forsake me not in my sorrows, lest I murmur against thee. Forsake me not in the day of my repentance, lest I lose the hope of pardon, and fall into despair; and forsake me not in the day of my strongest faith, lest faith degenerate into presumption.

Forsake me not, for without thee I am weak, but with thee I am strong. Forsake me not, for my path is dangerous, and full of snares, and I cannot do without thy guidance.

The hen forsakes not her brood, do thou then evermore cover me with thy feathers, and permit me under thy wings to find my refuge. ‘Be not far from me, O Lord, for trouble is near, for there is none to help.’ ‘Leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation!'” (Charles Spurgeon, Morning and Evening).

I had another lesson in waiting, only this time it wasn’t so much fun. Or much fun. Or any fun at all.

My latest test came in the form of Nashville traffic, which you’d think wouldn’t be so bad on the day after schools let out for the summer. Could you be more wrong?

This traffic caused me to miss a haircut appointment (also the fact that I thought it was at 5:30 instead of 5). It led to me being late for dinner with the Kairos greeter team. It most decidedly led to a disturbance of my calm.

I’d like to say I handled today’s batch of traffic well. I did not. I fumed. I raged. I thought of every cuss word I knew (but managed to say none of them out loud, being the good and faithful Baptist). I let frustration get the better of me.

A gentle reminder came to me that I’m just as saved and forgiven and loved by God in the middle of me reacting badly to traffic as when I think I’ve got it all together and all my proverbial ducks are in a row.

I will get all my hairs cut next Thursday at 5:30. I can look back and be thankful that my car did not overheat, break down, or give me any kind of trouble for all that time I sat on the interstate or on Concord Road.

And I had excellent music to help me from going homicidal.

I’d call that a win.

This is generally the part of the week where my mind turns to mush. After that, it’s all along the lines of “Fire bad, tree pretty.”

Today is officially Wednesday, also known as Hump Day, For some, it might feel like Monday Part III. For those lucky enough to have vacation coming up, this could be your Friday.

For me, it was another day full of grace and blessing. Not because I have everything I want but because in Christ I have everything I need. Jesus Himself is everything I need.

A co-worker lost her brother today, so I’m counting my blessings when it comes to family and friends. I’m not taking anyone for granted.

I’m also feeling better over last night and my temporary ailment, probably related to the weather and allergies, so there’s another reason to be thankful.

And for those who are counting, only two more days until a 3-day weekend!

I’m feeling a bit under the proverbial and literal weather tonight, so I’ll keep this one mercifully brief.

Waiting sucks. Yet at the same time nothing is better in the long run for our well-being and spirituality than waiting done the right way.

I don’t mean waiting like sitting forlornly by the phone waiting for a certain someone (or a certain interviewer) to call.

It’s not passively sitting in front of the television, waiting on the next Netflix episode to automatically start.

It’s all about seeking and preparing for what God has in store.

It’s all about seeking God as He prepares you and I for what’s in store.

May we learn to love waiting more and to live it out well, knowing that God’s best often comes to those who persevered in waiting.

That’s all for tonight.

It’s Monday again. It seems like we just had a Monday last week. So to celebrate the fact that you survived another rude beginning to the week called Monday, here’s something fun. It’s even more enjoyable if you get the reference, but if not, then just ask someone who does.

It’s only the best flow chart ever.

You’re welcome.

Now go and punch Tuesday in the throat.

I checked out a documentary on sex trafficking called Stopping Trafficking: The Movement to End Sex-Trafficking from the Brentwood Library two or three weeks ago and just now worked up the courage to finally sit down and watch it. Wow.

I knew a little about sex trafficking and slaving (a term they used to differentiate from slavery). I never realized just how prevalent this industry is around the world, even in the U.S.

I never realized that girls and boys as young as 4 (and possibly younger) are targets of men (and sometimes women) who will pay for sexual favors from them. For many of them, their only memories are of being abused, so they don’t know of the possibility of any other kind of life and how their lives could be better. They don’t know to cry out for help or that help even exists.

One way the documentary brought forth as a way to end sex trafficking is to stop watching pornography. Pornography feeds this industry, creating or at least intensifying the sick desires that fuel the need for grown men and women to want to buy children for sex.

While most pornography isn’t geared toward children, I’d argue that just like any other kind of addiction, once the initial rush fades, it takes more and more to achieve gratification. Eventually, this is the result.

I know that there are faith-based groups fighting against sex trafficking. Two that I know of are IJM (International Justice Mission) and Freedom’s Promise (which specifically ministers to victims in Cambodia).

I think too many are too willing to turn a blind eye to this pandemic. Too many are unwilling to entertain even the idea of a child being raped 30 or 40 times a day for sometimes years on end.

I’d recommend Stopping Trafficking as important viewing, but there was some explicit content as far as detailing some of the specific acts done to a particular victim who is now a grown man leading the charge against sex trafficking.

The time for silence is over. The time for action is now.