The Ocean Desert Paradox (a Steve Orr Bible reflection)

The view: breathtaking mountains, sculpted cliffsides, high, jagged peaks—paved highways winding their way through the connecting valleys. All around me were signs of desert life: cacti, scrub, and juniper—dry ground and dry air. To the casual observer, it would appear I was driving through a desert. 

 

They wouldn’t be wrong. 

 

But it was also an ocean. 

 

We’ve been told that if we turn back the clock 265 million years, the area where I was driving was far beneath the waves. Today’s mountains were reefs. The valleys were trenches. I was on dry land in far West Texas and, simultaneously, the bed of the Permian Sea. It can be a bit disorienting to juggle those two thoughts.

If you're visiting the Big Bend area of Texas, what you see are mountains, valleys, cacti, scrub brush, and desert life. But if you’re willing to allow a different perspective—to believe what we’ve been told—you can also see something from a different time: an ocean teeming with aquatic life.   

 

This week’s Philippians passage is about such things: perceptions and perspectives. The apostle Paul calls on God’s people to trust Him for their needs, to rejoice always. God has a better perspective from which to see all that is true and real, much of which we cannot perceive. God can see it all, understands fully, asks us to trust Him when it comes to facts not presently in evidence. 

 

According to Philippians, we can join him in this if only we are willing to fill our minds with: 

whatever is true

whatever is honorable 

whatever is just

whatever is pure

whatever is pleasing 

whatever is commendable 

whatever is excellent 

whatever is worthy of praise 

The real world is still the real world. The desert is still the desert. But the spiritual world surrounds us. When our thoughts are engaged with the matters on that list, God opens our spiritual eyes to see what else has been there all along. 

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BONUS MATERIAL

CHARIOTS OF FIRE — There’s a wonderful example of the unseen spiritual world being revealed in 2 Kings 6:8-23. The home of the prophet Elisha is surrounded by a foreign army sent to do him harm. He asks God to open the eyes of his distressed servant so he can see the invisible (and much greater) angel army already surrounding the enemy. “Don’t be afraid. The army that fights for us is greater than the one against us.”

PHOTO (and info about the Permian Basin):

https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/geology-guadalupe-mountains-national-park

Info about the Permian Sea:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/when-texas-was-bottom-sea-180953653/

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On Friday morning, we gather on Zoom* and in Waco at Our Breakfast Place for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. Join us at 8:00 for Bible, prayer, discussion, and laughter. 

SCUBA gear must remain outside. 

Blessings,

Steve

 

*Zoom link (Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard):

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89947678414

 

SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK

Find them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?y=17134&z=p&d=79

 

Print them from here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Ax_Proper23.pdf

 

Exodus 32:1-14

Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23

Isaiah 25:1-9

Psalm 23

Philippians 4:1-9

Matthew 22:1-14

Proper 23 (28) (October 11, 2026)

I’ll Stand By You (a Steve Orr Bible reflection)

"Nothing you confess 

 Could make me love you less.

 I’ll stand by you."

 

That lyric really grabbed me the very first time I heard Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders sing “I'll Stand By You.” The full lyrics speak to something deep within me. My soul responds to them. 

 

“I'll Stand By You” is about someone struggling with life’s most difficult challenges: experiencing deep sadness, suppressing anger, encountering the darkness of this world—and finding some of that darkness on the inside. That’s hard stuff, stuff most of us at least recognize, stuff we may even have experienced ourselves. If that were the whole song, it would be very sad, indeed. But there’s more. 

The lyrics pair each hard thing with a response. 

 

The song is sung by a person who loves the one facing all those problems. The singer’s responses? When you’re sad, don’t be ashamed to cry. Let me into your sadness with you. When you’re angry, don’t hold it all inside. Come talk to me about it: I get angry, too. And when that darkness falls on you? I’m not afraid to go into your darkest place. And, most important, I will stay in there with you. I will never desert you. 

 

Over and over, the singer declares: No matter what you suffer, no matter what you’ve done, “Nothing you confess could make me love you less. I’ll stand by you.” If that sounds like loving your neighbor the way Jesus taught, you’re getting to the heart of the matter.

 

This week's Exodus passage is, on one level, all about the Ten Commandments. But you can’t rightly divide those few verses from the entire story of God’s involvement with the Children of Israel. Until Jesus, God’s commandments were viewed as restrictions—a long, long list of “don'ts.” But when we view them through the lens of Jesus defining the greatest commandments, we see that all of them are, one way or the other, about love: loving God and loving our neighbors.

 

Kurt Kaiser, one of the cornerstones of modern Christian music, once told me: “You can live your entire life by a wonderful lyric.” Can the lyrics of “I’ll Stand By You” be that for me? Maybe. It seems to me that it comes down to whether I can love God, willingly receive love from God, and then love others with the love poured into me by God. That process will likely continue to be a challenge for me. But, while I’m growing in that direction, there is one thing I can do: 

 

If you need me, I’ll stand by you. 

 

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GRAPHIC: Adobe Express filtered through Photoshop Express 

 

Hear Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders sing “I’ll Stand By You” (video with lyrics):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SuWAGT9ZkYE&pp=ygUnaSdsbCBzdGFuZCBieSB5b3UgY2hyaXNzaWUgaHluZGUgbHlyaWNz&ra=m

 

 

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Friday morning is DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast! Join us at 8:00 for an amazing hour of scripture, fellowship, prayer, and food. We're still on Zoom* and in Waco at Our Breakfast Place. 

 

The food costs, but the laughter is free.

Blessings,

Steve

 

*Zoom link (Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard):

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89947678414

 

SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK 

 

Find them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?y=17134&z=p&d=78

 

Print them from here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Ax_Proper22.pdf

 

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Psalm 19

Isaiah 5:1-7

Psalm 80:7-15

Philippians 3:4b-14

Matthew 21:33-46

Proper 22 (27) (October 4, 2026)

Stranded! (a Steve Orr Bible reflection)

At the summit, the temperature on Mount Everest never rises above freezing.  

 

Most ascents are in May to take advantage of relatively gentler conditions. Wind speeds then are 20-35 miles per hour, temps range from 0° to -2° Fahrenheit, and the precipitation at base camp is rain instead of the usual snow. 

 

David Breashears wanted to ascend Everest in May 1996 to make an IMAX film. But long before they assembled the team, long before the film crew was selected, long before the sherpas were hired, and long before they climbed to the top: 

 

David Breashears made a plan.

 

When the time came to climb the mountain, he had what Jim Collins (of Good to Great fame) calls a "SMaC recipe" (a plan that is Specific, Methodical, and Consistent). It’s purpose was to impose certainty on every aspect of the climb, to have assurance that every safety precaution was taken, to inspire confidence that they were going to make a great film about a great adventure, to ensure that absolutely nothing was left to chance. The plan was filled with very practical steps, but none of them were optional. So, in practice, they were rules. For example:

 

Step 3: Thread the camera with bare hands, no matter how cold, to ensure a perfect shot every time.

 

Step 8: Always bring backups for critical gear and supplies: extra oxygen, extra crampons, extra mittens, and extra supplies. Be prepared to stay longer than planned. 

 

The other steps were just as meaningful. Consider Step 7: In selecting teammates, choose people to get stranded with.

 

The SMaC steps were specific to the Everest climb and making the film. But Step 7 is also universal. It can be applied anywhere. We don’t have to be mountain climbers to appreciate the wisdom in carefully choosing our companions, no matter what adventures we share. 

 

This week's Philippians passage goes hand-in-glove with Step 7. The apostle Paul writes that he wants believers to be a community, to agree with each other, to put each other first, to truly love each other. Then he ratchets up the stakes with this example: Jesus choosing to give up his place in heaven so He could put us first. 

 

Paul wants us to be willing to let everything go—if that’s what it takes—to help each other, to be selfless, obedient, and sacrificial. Paul's encouragements underscore why we should carefully choose our spiritual journey teammates. Are they people we’re willing to be stranded with? Because until Jesus returns, that’s exactly where we are: stranded. 

 

So, yes, activate Step 7 on your spiritual journey. It’s important to choose people you want to be stranded with. But, equally important, be the teammate they want to be stranded with. 

 

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PHOTO from the Official website of the IMAX film Everest:

https://everestfilm.com/

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We have a great time Friday mornings at DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast! Join us at 8:00 on Zoom** and in Waco at Our Breakfast Place for an hour like no other. We read scripture, discuss, laugh.

We will finish breakfast before climbing up to base camp. 

Blessings,

Steve

 

*Zoom link (Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard):

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89947678414

 

SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK 

 

Find them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?y=17134&z=p&d=77

 

Print them from here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Ax_Proper21.pdf

 

Exodus 17:1-7

Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16

Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32

Psalm 25:1-9

Philippians 2:1-13

Matthew 21:23-32

Proper 21 (26) (September 27, 2026)