night hot flash, pfew,

It’s life calling out of the blue.

Yet it wakes me up to think, TRUE

And so it is always good to praise You Lord, YOU!

It’s a full moon I see blasting light into my window through,

And I am grateful for yesterday birthday activities maxed out, WHEW!!!

.

Another year older, whew who knew!

How life runs so fast I haven’t a clue!

57 is not bad, I’m blessed, it’s a good view.

My knees work, I’m not hungry, and rarely in wallow do I stew.

I FEEL THE LOVE from friends and family, more than just a few.

My mom and kids blessedly bracket my existence too.

.

Yesterday morning I started with praising God too.

I enjoyed the nice pumpkin spice of life and autumn’s seasonal hue.

Went to church and prayed for others physical and emotional healing under God’s view.

Then lunch was yummy cheesy steak oh ooo… (dinner was BBQ)…

Then working hard at a trunk or treat with 50 kids making slime from glue.

We did pH science of red cabbage juice into pink purple green blue.

.

I’ve got to give the Lord His Due.

He’s the One I send praises to.

I might wake up like this without a clue,

But praises should ALWAYS be on my lips in cue.

I’ll marvel at life and my gifted crew.

And Lord, I thank You.

.

For all that’s old and new,

Love You Lord, thank You!

There’s no one I love more “in lieu”,

My life going into forever in longer than in review.

Face to face with God we pursue.

Meanwhile let us enjoy today’s view.

.

Lord, love You.

Lord, thank You.

Amen

Enjoy THIS day,

In a special way.

Dare to say,

With a different, even sassy, but humble sway.

.

Embrace the good, bad, and ‘what the hey’.

Let God Himself keep our fear at bay.

Trust and strength IS what may

Win out over what comes into play.

.

So no matter what, ENJOY THIS DAY.

Pick Faith and WATCH FOR GOD today.

From the moment we wake until down we lay,

Do know that God RULES in His Own Special Way.

.

Enjoy this beautiful day.

Don’t let your mind stray!

Be of Good Faith and PRAY!

Always HOPE in God’s Victorious Way!

.

Amen Amen, ALL DAY.

YAY!

…

Psalm 118:10-29 NKJV

Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will praise the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord, Through which the righteous shall enter.

I will praise You, For You have answered me, And have become my salvation.

The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord. God is the Lord, And He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You.

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

It is unusual when you start some decompression time watching TV, and you stumble into a big philosophical and spiritual conversation in display. It was the near end of the Netflix special on The Tale of Norm MacDonald – comedian and hiding himself being a victim of cancer having been fighting it for 9 years with very few people knowing (passing away in 2021) – he was hiding the diagnosis and treatment because it would not jive with his comedy routines and image – comedy which was rarely light-hearted anyway but still why put the focus on death over life… it might get internet views but does not fill comedy clubs…

I don’t follow many comedians except maybe David Letterman and Conan O’Brien, but I do appreciate these Netflix specials which give you that other thing to thing about for a while, and so the long while I was being productive cleaning windows this past week, it is good to have projects to keep you from being bored in other projects, well I started listening to this particular show – pausing as needed when I moved on to other tasks. Then when I finally rested in decompression of the week, I finished the episode and wow – I did not see these special spiritual nuggets coming – but they are so good!

One such clip: Talk show host Larry King was interviewing Norm MacDonald and you could see the HOPE in Norm’s eyes and in his expression when they came to the conversation about FAITH. Larry King professed to be an unbeliever – and said he did not want to think of death – and Larry heard the terrible term that death is a “dirt nap”. WELL, Norm chimes in with this HOPE – this piece of spiritual wisdom – professing that “He is on a journey” when asked about his faith – Norm telling Larry: “Can I calm your fears about death? You and death will never intersect. As long as you are here, death is not. As long as death is there, you are NOT.”

…

YEAH

…

The other quotes in the show also good ones: “What people don’t understand about faith is that you have to, uh, choose it.”

…

“Scripture. Faith. Grace. Christ. Glory of God. Smart Man says nothing is a miracle. I say everything is.”

…

A early quote from Norm on social media (just starting then) showed this journey that he and many people are likely on: If you want to know if I believe in God, sometimes i do and sometimes i don’t. Such is faith.” – and “Seems like Faith is the only Salvation.”

Norm would say in a stand up routine (which could be thought-provoking): “I am not smart enough to not believe in God. I am not stong enough to not believe in God. So I need God.”

SO I NEED GOD.

We hopefully also cling to the One is wiser and bolder and braver and our All in All – God. We hopefully look to the Lord on this journey and understand that we need Him. and that we understand that He loves us – that God is our beginning and our future and our here and now.

May we all not be “too smart” – “too strong” – “too witty” – “too ambitious” – “too anything” – to not believe in our EVERYTHING… May we always remember to look to God – feel our way towards God – listen towards God – and act accordingly on this journey…

So, I need God – yes – He knows the Way.

Amen

Some internet-grabbed scriptures all about God and wisdom and understanding:

“To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are His.” – Job 12:13

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” – Proverbs 2:6

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out!” – Romans 11:33

“Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.” – Psalm 147:5

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.” – Isaiah 40:28

“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.” – Psalm 139:1-2

“Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” – Luke 12:7

“Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” – Matthew 6:8

“If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.” – 1 John 3:20

“I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” – Isaiah 46:10

I woke up and thought about my dream in which I was productive and felt so good. I tried some work at my job searching but then was swamped by a scam in the making which had 3 red flags – the name was different between the business card attached and the email – the email address had a clear missssspelling, and the job seemed way to good to be true in compensation for a something somewhere that I know for fact is not being valued highly at the moment… sketchy… So, my other activity of the day was much more CLEAR – meaning that it was clearly something that was benefitting me – and was overdue – and was free to do – I washed my windows and then even moved on to washing the siding on the shady spot of the house.

I think my 2 hours of labor was not laborious but life-giving light-shedding enlightening light duty work. I can’t believe how much a difference that little work did – and just with the classic recipe of 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water – a recipe that my aunt told me about while I was talking to her on the phone much of the time I was also cleaning the windows… Effective and efficient and exactly what I haven’t done in 2 years maybe 5 or 6 or 10… Yeah window cleaning.

There were 2 scriptures in my head the whole time – one I have now forgotten and the other being about taking the plank out of your eye before you mention the speck in your neighbor’s eye. Yes – this window cleaning was a big plank of blockage to me seeing out – and me seeing in (as in what I needed to do – as in how did I not notice how dirty my windows and doors and siding was…)

And that is us in life – we have NO IDEA how down and out we would be without the Lord’s cleaning – we have NO IDEA how Merciful God’s Grace is – nor how Graceful His Mercy is given. We are dirty in terms of sin and death – and we are blind in terms of not seeing – and we are lost until we are found – and trust me that God never loses us so it is us that must need to be clearer looking for Him.

We are to wash the windows of our faith.

And SHINE more of His Face

We thank God for His Grace

And keep running the race…

Amen

(and maybe I will remember that other scripture – hmmmm….)

I enjoyed a “PROJECT” yesterday – I do enjoy this new choice to pursue a decluttering sideline helping others – it ticks lots of mental boxes in my head – I feel productive – it is useful – it is interesting – it is needed for our level of stuffing stuff in lots of places…

My sorting paper was with a friend of a friend. I appreciated more than it was more than just “keeping busy”, I appreciated MAKING PROGRESS. This woman was a schoolteacher for years and she had tremendous amounts of great handouts and art projects and we sorted to give them to her friend for her children – they will get put to good use. We reminisced about some great books she also had, like “The old lady who swallowed a fly.” CLASSIC… I am thankful that I can sing that song after 50 years – still in my head…

Seeing the papers also made me feel blessed that I grew up learning in such an environment with wonderful teachers who used these types of tools…  Sometimes stuff is just that but this was good stuff.

Separately, I heard of a family that had a fire yesterday – a neighbor of a friend – and wow that is our biggest fear – fire – losing our stuff. I pray them new stuff and that they get to repair some of their heartache at some point – and counting blessings that they are all OK. It is just stuff I know – and the family is fine – but how hurtful to lose stuff which is more than stuff – when it is the stuff of memories.

I am thankful for my stuff and thankful to hold onto it – but maybe a little more organized these days – which is why I organized the different sauce packets in my fridge over the weekend – silly but so nice now to just grab my favorite sauces…  Neat…

I enjoyed a “PROJECT” yesterday – I do enjoy this new choice to pursue a decluttering sideline helping others – it ticks lots of mental boxes in my head – I feel productive – it is useful – it is interesting – it is needed for our level of stuffing stuff in lots of places…

I even dreamt last night (this morning) about being productive – that was a good motivation for this morning too – and I started to clean my own house (rarely do I do that!)

My sorting yesterday was with a friend of a friend. I appreciated that it was more than just “keeping busy”, I appreciated MAKING PROGRESS. This woman was a schoolteacher for years and she had tremendous amounts of great handouts and art projects and we sorted to give them to her friend for her children – they will get put to good use. We reminisced about some great books she also had, like “The old lady who swallowed a fly.” CLASSIC… I am thankful that I can sing that song after 50 years – still in my head…

Seeing the papers also made me feel blessed that I grew up learning in such an environment with wonderful teachers who used these types of tools…  Sometimes stuff is just that but this was good stuff – and stuff that can keep on giving!!!

Separately, I heard of a family that had a fire yesterday – a neighbor of a friend – and wow that is our biggest fear – fire – losing our stuff. I pray them new stuff and that they get to repair some of their heartache at some point – and counting blessings that they are all OK. It is just stuff – we know that – and the family is fine – but how hurtful to lose stuff which is more than stuff – when it is the stuff of memories.

I am thankful for my stuff of memories (and of clutter) and thankful to hold onto it – but maybe a little more organized these days – which is why I organized the different sauce packets in my fridge over the weekend – silly but so nice now to just grab my favorite sauces…  Neat…

And I started to think of all the other things that I am thankful for…

I’m thankful my fridge is full of yummy food, and I can add flavor to the bland food too.

I’m thankful when I got hungry today, yesterday, later, and that day that I had remembered to pack a lunch with me. I’m thankful for stong flavors, like in fried onions, and mild ones like sandwiches, and seasonal flavors like tomatoes, and sweet ones like in ice cream, like in everything.

I’m thankful that I learned in the ways that I did growing up – in school and in life.

I’m thankful that I am still learning now.

I’m thankful I can still sort stuff, have stuff and have a car to drive my stuff around.

I’m thankful that the leaves are changing colors now, and that the sun is shining on me as I write this.

I’m thankful for being thought-filled.

Beiing thought-filled reminded me to be even more thankful of many things.

I am thankful that I can walk, step by step.

I am thankful I like to be busy, project by project.

I’m thankful when I realize I’m just spinning my wheels, and I tell myself to STOP.

I’m thankful when I feel pain and stop what I’m doing.

I’m saying for when I remember to rest.

I am thankful I can feel the sunshine right now, in the waning warmth of the sunset, of the fall, no frost yet.

I’m thankful for seeing a beautiful monarch butterfly yesterday, the last of the season.

I’m thankful that even though the thought of winter is sad. The knowledge that spring will come again is invigorating.

I am thankful that in life I’ve had a lot of time to think.

I am thankful that I’ve spent a lot of thinking about being thankful.

I am thankful that as soon as the sun went down, I felt the chill and that told me to go inside.

I’m thankful inside is warm.

I’m thankful I have a home.

I’m thankful to be home.

I’m thankful God tells me to think about my forever Home.

I’m thankful for God.

I’m thankful He makes me thankful.

I’m thankful that I try to stop NOT being thankful when I forget to be thankful.

I’m thankful God made me, flaws and all, and that He tells me He loves me.

I am glad God is love.

I love God.

Amen

—

Thanks for listening – I am thankful for you all.

Psalm 69:30-32 NIV

I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hooves. The poor will see and be glad— you who seek God, may your hearts live!

It is nice to now sit and rest, watching a football fill of fun, resting after outside work and pulling out an AC for the season as last night it was chilly and the heat came on! And accomplished the important thing of cleaning up my car from a trunk or treat… and it was bitterly cold yesterday, well not that bad, but the wind was whipping, and the sun had not come out. But when I was interacting with the kids, nearly 100, making slime, I certainly did not feel any bitter cold. I was in the . And it was two hours that passed quickly. And when we were done I felt that bitter cold once again. In the moment there was no bitterness, and I was engaged in instruction, helping the children. My friend with the trunk or treat car next door said “you were in your element!”

And that is the case “in the moment” – one might not notice bitterness at all.

I had to warm up for sure, crashed tired in sleep at 10 after warming up with heated packs, whew… I then had a 1am wake up, I just stirred gently awake and then realized I should check on the location of my youngest, who was attending a friend-gathering Halloween party an hour away. I worried of course, and watched the tagged movement of the car back and forth and realized they were dropping off people. No I couldn’t sleep, but I was not upset, there’s no time for bitterness when you’re praying.

And yes, a time later I saw the turn for home on my screen and a text returned saying they had been designated driver that evening, pleased to have helped, despite the miles and time. There’s no time for bitterness when you’re helping your friends be safe.

And since I had to write the prayer for church in the morning, I started thinking about Jesus being our Designated Deliverer. A Designated Driver and Defender and Deliverer. No time for bitterness when being blessed.

I did get back to sleep, just after hearing the door close, home, mom’s worrying was actually working the prayers. And in the morning I listened to the online feed for one church pastor, who spoke of Moses and the Israelites wandering in the desert (book of Exodus 15). They were bitter and wandered and wondered. They were 3 days in, past the parting of the Red Sea, and came to the first area of drinking water, but the water was bitter. More bitterness in complaining. The Lord told Moses how to make the water not bitter, and the Lord promised to protect them from disease. These wandering people were only three days in and ended up being in the desert for forty years. Ohh, how bitterness works against our ability to see God working for us.

Let us pray for our awareness of our Designated Deliverer from bitterness, and worry, to trust and obey. God takes control and takes our cares away.

Amen and here is the prayer I prepared for church (our scripture was Matthew 6 – about not worrying…):

Lord, we are grateful for your goodness. And as we remember to wait on You, we pray to seek You first- before our fears overcome us. May we praise You when things go well and not so well. May we have appreciation of Your righteousness setting things right in Your Time. We pray for strength to trust You and trust in Your provisions. Your ways Lord are above ours, so let us understand You have already figured out how we will live best lives. You provide and have provided. Let us not worry and please do shelter us Lord when we do.

May the love that You pour into us now to be poured into others, so let us let the Holy Spirit work through us. You have sacrificed for us, may we now know Lord that YOU ARE ENOUGH, and may we not conform to this world but be a living sacrifice for You, to make Your Love known.

Amen

—

And here is that bitterness sermon from Pastor Joe, And how God has us where we need to look towards Him – He can turn our bitterness to sweet: http://resources.ccphilly.org/SAM1450

Exodus 15:22-27 NIV

The Waters of Marah and Elim

Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”

Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.

There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”

Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.

—

Matthew 6:22-34 NIV

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Do Not Worry

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

God is the Most-est.

.

God is the Biggest the Brightest the Boldest.

He knows how to LOVETH the MOST-est.

God knows BEST-est.

God is the MOST-est

.

Why do we doubt,

In a time of drought?

Our praise of Him we ignore,

When we have plenty and more?

.

Maybe we are human

And attempting perfection is our ruin.

Or maybe we don’t see,

Others who are worse than we.

.

Sometimes we should try harder in plea,

To understand and be satisfied in Thee.

Sometimes we should Live and Let Be,

And see the Peace will no longer flee.

.

Let us try to say:

God has the BEST Way.

God I TRUST You, say that TODAY,

And aways to God in God let’s PRAY.

.

That’s how to start and end a day.

God You are our MOST-est – I do say.

.

AMEN

………….

Joshua 1:9 ESV
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

1 Peter 2:9 ESV
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Romans 8:1 ESV
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 138:8 ESV
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

I felt Tuesday was a good stay at home day, sat outside in beautiful weather. I didn’t feel super productive at my job searching, except for realizing a direction that I didn’t want to go in. That was a true gut feeling I got while talking to a fellow graduate from my PhD institution, whom I networked with to discuss her workplace. She only started there two months prior, she’s 25 years my junior and has her whole life ahead of her feeling… cool… and for me, I now appreciate the ugh moment for the direction NOT to go in, even if I took the hit of making it me also feel temporarily unmotivatated. It’s OK, and goes with the territory of job searches which are also life direction decisions. Pondering is painful and yet productive. I am not in a due or die scenario – just would be nice to know the future, right?

And then, after an afternoon of more pondering and around the yard projects and resting my bones from overexertion the day before, I opened up the Bible Gateway scripture of the day email, and wouldn’t you know it, God sent the Jeremiah 29:11 message to me AGAIN. He has sent this relentlessly to me this season of life. FOR I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU, SAYS THE LORD… TO GIVE YOU HOPE AND A FUTURE… Yeah, thank You Lord, AGAIN.

Wednesday was very different in movement and motivation, I took a ride with my daughter on her commute and she dropped me off at the train station (she also picked me up that evening – so nice that she drives – even if I still do hold on for dear life, LOL). I rode up early to the Big Apple, and had enough time before a “lunch and learn” in lower Manhattan (building right on the subway line) to take a “quick” ride on the Staten Island Ferry, round trip to see the Statue of Liberty in a distance and the skyline, and it is for free. 25 minutes each way. And I gave myself enough of a buffer for the chance I had to wait for the ride back. It worked out fine, I hustled in an NY minute around the corner and jumped last minute on the returning vessel. Actually all the trains and boats I hustled and got on within 3 minutes of them leaving – now THAT’S timing.

Oh it wasn’t like I was the only one there doing that same thing, and it’s a BIG boat, orange brightness keeps you from confusing it with others boats. Sturdy solid and sightseeing sweet. Sure, it was a JOY ride.

Yes, a JOY ride meant it wasn’t because I had to ride, didn’t have to commute, didn’t have to bear a weeks-long travel excursion endured for immigration like my ancestors (and I appreciated seeing in a distance the Ellis Island and NJ railroad buildings), and it was free. And the Statue of Liberty? A precious gem we all wanted to see.

My ancestors came from distant lands to see their futures. We can trust that the Lord knows ours. He has secured forever for us.

Joy. JOY. JOY RIDE.

A joyful heart is good medicine, and a joy ride is where we hand back some or all of our cares. And even though we live in a world of schedules and paying the bills, and whatnot, most of us have freedom to take a moment to pause, and may we always praise, even in the pondering and praying, and participating in play. 

Jeremiah 29:11 and another 2 scriptures which appeared as scripture cards in my pocket on Wednesday reminded me to PRAISE the Lord and PRAISE the JOY RIDE. 

Proverbs 5:21 For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and He ponders all paths.

And Psalm 145:3 God is magnificent. He can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to His greatness. 

YES! 

And then later as I networked and dug into my afternoon science conference (and the free lunch and goat cheese canapes at the reception), I felt free for conversation and connection making. I don’t know the benefits on the future, I just knew the joy of the moment. As I rode home on the train, I listened in to my Bible study zoom call and we talked about God giving us opportunities to grow,  and how much He loves us. 

As I rested last night, I rested in the Lord. And this morning? Always start with praise. God can not be praised enough. 

ENJOY THE JOURNEY, AND ENJOY THE JOY RIDE.

Amen

Clearly when people come into our lives, we can connect, even if they never met us. We can connect in prayer.

I am praying for the Pope right now, praying his recovery is good. I know that he has the best care, or at least I hope he does.

I often forget to continue to pray for people whom I prayed for recently, I like many are affected by the new requests, new events, pushing old ones out of our current memories. It’s like visiting a friend and 24:7 being with them, but after that we forget to check in, we mentally move on. It’s not that we love them any less, we just are newly preoccupied with the current scene.  

And yet I often pray: “Lord, help all those I forgot about.” I do this because I am far than even close to awareness. That’s something we all cope with,  limited brain soace, and not choosing ignorance, just human-ness. We pray for awareness or we want more ignorance of awful circumstances. We won’t ever match God’s awesomeness and care.

Apostle Paul would write the Philippians 3:12 “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

And so, today I pray to be aware, even as I choose to not have overwhelmed thoughts. Today I pray for the pope, for the thoughts I has yesterday, and for the forgets before that. 

Lord, thank You for everything amazingly You do. Thank You For You.

Amen

Amen

Matthew 5:1-16 and James 5 are great advice.

t is seriously fall – maybe an indian summer is what we called this as a kid – mid 70’s day – sunny – nice breeze…

The sunshine feels good. I found this morning that things are blooming and growing here – still in this fall weather. My chrysanthemum recovered a little and there are a dozen flowers for a last ditch effort to bloom. My forsythia has a few blooms out of season. And the ever-growing strawberry plant is still cranking out fruit – just 2 today but enough to taste the sweetness. Strawberries thrive while tomato production took a nose dive. At least everything is still alive. This sounds like a devotion – to keep blooming even in late stages of our seasons.

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.” from Psalm 92

Me too – us too – trying to thrive in this season of life – if you are reading this email blog then you are still alive! GOOD! And we are to sing praises to the Lord for He has us here today – for His purposes.

And like the colors of fall, the anthocyanins and carotenoids now showing their reds and purples, oranges and yellows, we need to show ourselves to be in this season – be a colorful unique bearing of His fruit. If our leaves and fruits are colorful and vibrant in this season – then we too can show our colorful sides – even if we are vintage – sure – or late bloomers – sure – remember we are not in our winter of a season yet. We could keep looking around the corner to colder weather and colder lives but right today we have a moment to be warm and to thrive. 

To thrive is a stage of being alive and appreciating it. 

Let’s Keep Going!

Amen

Psalm 92 NKJV

Praise to the Lord for His Love and Faithfulness – Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath day.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night,

On an instrument of ten strings, On the lute, And on the harp, With harmonious sound. For You, Lord, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands.

O Lord, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep. A senseless man does not know, Nor does a fool understand this. When the wicked spring up like grass, And when all the workers of iniquity flourish, It is that they may be destroyed forever.

But You, Lord, are on high forevermore. For behold, Your enemies, O Lord, For behold, Your enemies shall perish; All the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.

But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil. My eye also has seen my desire on my enemies; My ears hear my desire on the wicked Who rise up against me.

The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, To declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

Making a difference is an opportunity and a calling, and often pulls on skills and resources we already have. And it’s SO easy sometimes, when God lines up the circumstances.

My sermon benediction yesterday was going to be freeform, but as I closed my door walking out of the house, I spotted the bag of charms I have been moving around for years, starfish trinkets. Of course the Lord had me notice it then and connect the dots in my head about a sermon of the whole body, all of us together, being the best we can be and helping others. All for the glory of God…

And so my benediction spoke about how each of us can help, not necessarily even knowing who or the results of our helping is. Oh how we can help just one person and that makes all the difference in their life.

And then I relayed the story of the child throwing the starfish back into the water…  (see below)

Yes if we just help one starfish, one person, one mission, we are blessed to do that. And assuredly God will find others for us to help too. And surely, we have been helped by others… 

And most crucially, I addressed in my sermon that if we introduce people to God, our reflection of His loving character shone through us, it’s like bringing in family, sheep of God’s fold, yes…

Yes, God loves them

I appreciated seeing so many people at the after church event for the community helping pack school snack bags for the kids in the homeless shelter, they really shined love and I enjoyed chatting with a lady at the beginning of the line, as we fluffed open the bags, we chatted about her family and a baby shower coming up. I was happy to search the score of the football game for her. Nice…

And how sweet the little kids who came to help. And then one little boy had just had enough, became restless naturally. It was easy remedy thought and action for me, I was right next to the cabinet of markers, paper, stickers. I mean everybody loves markers! Everybody loves stickers! And so the little boy nestled into his work and mom kept continuing being able to pack the bags. Simple sense of the Spirit… later, as we almost finished, I was able to show him the small pumpkin I had made (carved a heart in) for the message for the earlier service. He asked if he could color it. And I, of course, said yes. And then he decorated it is stickers in paper, and was SO proud. Mom was so worried that he was doing something he shouldn’t have, but I was so happy to oblige a child. And I made sure that there was paper underneath his coloring, so it wouldn’t bleed through to the tablecloth. 

Isn’t that what the Lord does for us? He helps us in small ways. And He also helps us in big ways. God certainly keeps us busy. And when we say “look what I’ve done, He us always listening in love.

The little boy asked at the very end when it was time to leave, if he could take the pumpkin, and I was very happy to let him take it. His mom was in slight shock, but what easy giving… I even handed him the paper that said, how God helps us.  That being a christian is like being a pumpkin…

This was at the most less than an hour of my day and yet like throwing one seed or many seeds, we get to bless and feel blessed. It was nothing special, I just showed up. And I knew where the stuff was. It’s just using your natural talents to notice what God puts in front of you.

And so here is the Starfish story to encourage you to look for those easy projects because you know it will make a difference, and God knows the results, that’s okay with me…

Okay Lord and Amen

The Starfish Story

(Adapted)

Original by Loren Eiseley

1907-1977

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance during the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young child reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

The young one paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”

“I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” said the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young one replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, “But, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”

At this, the young one bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. And as it met the water, said : “I made a difference for that one.”

Blessed to tap into wisdom!

And wow just a short brief 5 lines of scripture have a huge number of BLESSED BUZZWORDS – of TRUE SALVATION SPEAK! Peter is gifting knowledge and assurance and reinforcing to the folks what they already know – God is Awesome – God is our Father who knows and who saves and who is always with us…. What a Heavenly Inheritance!!!

Let us read these words revealed and be healed.

Amen

…

Here they are from 1st Peter 1:1-5:

Jesus Christ

Peter

apostle

pilgrims

foreknowledge

God the Father

sanctification

Spirit

obedience

sprinkling of the blood

Grace

to you

peace

multiplied

heavenly

inheritance

blessed

abundant

mercy

begotten

living hope

resurrection 

from the dead

inheritance incorruptible

undefiled

does not fade away

reserved in heaven for you

kept by the power of God

through faith

salvation

revealed in the last time

Amen Amen

—

1 Peter 1 NKJV

Greeting to the Elect Pilgrims – 1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

A Heavenly Inheritance – 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

I am glad it’s Friday, I have been working my plans for the weekend with renewed energy. And I am planning on traveling up home next week so that helped me buckle down to home stuff this week. I like making my plans and truly keeping busy with purpose because this keeps me motivated and keeps me in a form of schedule and without that I get lost. And planning relaxing time is a great venture too – planning that time includes bringing books or puzzles, writing or who knows…

It is Friday, and you wouldn’t think without working 9-5 M-F, that Friday wouldn’t feel like Friday, but it still does… and it is 85 plus summer feeling…  and I have come out to my favorite pondering porch of this season, with laptop, book, and phone for writing, at a local mansion/park on the water. The trees sounding in the breeze surely does please!!! It is like a private park, so nice…

It is OK to pause in a plan to ponder.

I decompressed my day yesterday with movie clips of “Evan Almighty” – so funny and so meaningful too. Fictitious yes, but thought provoking yes. Evan (Steve Carrell) is a newly-elected congressman who THINKS he is going to do things he values, but instead, God (portrayed in the flesh by Morgan Freeman) wants Evan and his family to build an ark. It is not Evan’s plan at all, but God essentially backs him into a corner, and gives him all the tools, animals to help, and a book called “Building Arks for Dummies”. God even shows up to motivate Evan’s wife (frustrated with Evan’s craziness) to go back to her husband as they are a fabulous family unit. It is a good movie even if totally goofy in premise and not necessarily scripturally sound, like Noah doesn’t get to be Moses too (I won’t spoil the scene for you). Anyway, there IS a great message here, which is that God’s plans are well above our plans.

We think ahh, our plans… but whose plans? Just we are to pray that our plans align along with God’s plans not vice versa.

I don’t know the little plans for me, but I understand there’s a BIG ultimate plan, long term. We are but pondering points of time, and we best keep working our piece of God’s pie…

In the movie, the humor abounded, but sometimes we are in tough spots picking God’s Will over our own. Are there many good choices? Yes, like picking ice cream flavors, all good. In life, we have a big question of following God’s lead. It is easier to know His Path for us if we check in often.

Unlike the movie where the actor says ‘do random acts of kindness’, we know. God has us doing deliberate acts of LOVE.

Pondering is a place we pause. God’s reasoning in our lives is s cause

Amen

Psalm 123:1-2 NKJV

A Song of Ascents.

Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the Lord our God, Until He has mercy on us.

I am eating a delicious avocado right now, ripened just long enough before it went bad – a miracle right? Because avocados are SO TEMPORARY in their goodness. Glad I caught it just right – and I am SO GRATEFUL that I got a good night sleep after an exhausting but fabulous trip to NYC – whew… 

Thankfully – tiredness is helped by rest – avocados are helped by checking in on it everyday – but what about US???  Are we OK???  Well, God checks in on us – not occasionally – not only when we think of Him – God is surely with us always – and surely, God is all we need…

Let me say that again God is ALL we need…  Amen and true and also hard to remember. But God is with us always…

Right now, it is sunny and the cool of the morning – perfect humidity level and a gentle breeze = God is here and God is all I need to remind me to do other things – and He does – like eat – like sleep – like write – God is always after me for writing – that is the state of my encourager job – and surely God is all I need. He reminds me of that – He even gave me the fingers to test the avacados and the knowledge to know when to eat them – and He gave us rest – and He gave us light – and He gave us the bountiful harvest season and He even gave us the tough times so that we look to HIM for guidance and support! God even sends the people we need!

Surely, God is all we need.

Jesus said (recorded in Matthew 28:16-20 about the Great Commission) that He would always be with us – and we know (especially on this Rosh Hashana day for the Jewish calendar celebrating when God made Adam and Eve) that God made us – and before us made everything and thought of us before that even – and then God will be with us until the end of the age. 

I am going to trust God today – that worked for me yesterday and surely that will work for me tomorrow. God will help us today – God will help us tomorrow – Surely we can pray and ask Him for guidance.

Surely, God is ALL we need – and everything else will fall into order…

AMEN

“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”

Whelp, I needed that – THE SCRIPTURE AND a Heaven-sent sermon to SEDIMENT MY SANITY… Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the PLANS I have for you, declares the Lord, PLANS to prosper you and not to harm you – PLANS to give you a hope and a future”...

And this Jeremiah 29:11 scripture has chased me all year – in my time away from work work – I have it as a copy in my car and everywhere – surely Jer 29:11 has chased me and us our whole lives to say: Live where God has placed you. God was telling the Israelites exiled in Babylon to not neglect living – to be fruitful, build houses, families, and gardens – LIVE – LOVE – LAUGH – LINGER IN LIFE. And this is true for us in “exile” on earth away from Heaven – and “exile” from where we THINK we should be – and “exile” in not thinking about how God has given us the Place of His Grace – to live (really live daily) where God has placed us.

That morning (yesterday), God found me in a pretty strong momentary “down” – worrying again – when I could tell my heart via my head that I was fine – but for some reason my fear and devil of doubt crept in – and that was after a great “up” – of a fabulous job pre-interview – and a hopeful connection to have an onsite interview. Then I also had a great recruiter interview. And so the morning left me with what my friend said must have been the “hangover” of the elevated high of the possibilities of those meetings just to then sink down to reality and then mentally I took the unfortunate dip deeper into yikes for NO good reason – BUT ONLY FOR A MOMENT – BECAUSE GOD FOUND ME A PURPOSE VERY QUICKLY – and I sought the Lord and He was already there waiting for me to notice Him. And I proceeded on my day – went to the beach to meet friends and took my laptop with me.  Was a meeting at a favorite spot for both of us, Ocean Grove, beautiful weather to by outside the whole day…

Yes – great day – and then at 2pm I had a wonderful phone screen with a consultant placer – and this sounds promising as part time work – and well, all things all at the same time is normal for God in my life – probably yours too… (and this phone screen was taken so peacefully in a church town too – such a classic great way to find my peace)…

And then as I settled down yesterday for the drive home from seeing those friends, the Lord found to highlight a whole sermon on Jeremiah 29:11 for me on my YouTube feed – wow – as I was scrolling church items, there it was, a five year ago sermon given during the beginning of Covid and to an audience out on a lawn… Jeremiah 29:11 and the surrounding scriptures chased and found me again – on being at peace with where He has placed us – LIVE WHERE GOD HAS PLACED YOU. (the link is at the bottom of this email).

“Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord…”

And life is like that – ups and downs – not necessarily severe ones but when WE ‘think’ we know the way – and then run out onto that tightrope of life and then all of a sudden look down and get scared oops – well – we need to remember God IS our safety net – and He can bring us back to the sure way – and He can lead us FORWARD – to His Place of His Grace.

Well, good pep talk to myself, right?  Well God found me where I was – Looking for HIM!

Thanks Lord!!!

Amen

….

: “What’s The Plan?”” Jeremiah 29:11, great sermon for me – also remembering covid times – Jeremiah says live where you are and don’t NOT live – but really LIVE…

—

Jeremiah 29 NKJV – Jeremiah’s Letter to the Captives

Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the elders who were carried away captive—to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. (This happened after Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.) The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying,

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:

Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord.

For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

I’m a bit deeper reading into a leadership book “Drive” by Simon Sinek, it’s all about knowing the WHY, sharing the WHY. This leads to forming the HOW, resulting in the WHAT. Inspiration for action.

Why?

How?

What? 

Yes, it’s a leadership book, one has to feel like one is going somewhere, making something, that one is on a mission, for work or for anything. People want to know there is a plan and what their part is in it. Others simply want a paycheck. Both situations usually mean working towards a goal. Leadership in companies must read the market too. It’s a complex business thing that requires people skills to make a business model move, stay relevant, be achievable, work.

It takes quite a bit of work to work. It takes leadership and/or self-motivation to pursue work.

Faith, how does faith impact the work we do for the Lord? And around others? Faith brings the works – works and working in faith means following the Leader’s calling and your own calling, faith inspires faith in others, works inspire works too.

If anything we should realize Who our Leader is and Why He leads us, it’s LOVE.  We also realize that God works in a different way than us, higher yes, not just complex but other worldly heavenly, super naturally, miraculously, but also in simple ways, and in clear ways. We can follow His example in that the work given to us is because we are given to it, skilled for it. We are “to work at anything as if we are working for the Lord.” – because the Lord will give us an inheritance, not for a reward here on earth. 

We can teach, feed, inspire, motivate, heal, befriend, and LOVE.

Why? Love

How? Love 

What? Love

And LOVE and FAITH will help us fill in all the details too. The What, How, Why of making God known as our motivator, of making God’s Good News known, it all starts with LOVE. We love because He loved us first… We also should tell others that God loves them.

Keep loving! Love works. That’s the WHY.

Amen

Colossians 3: 22-24 

Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

Well, it’s still hard to process September 11th 2001, even 25 years later. There are many things hard to understand in life about tragedies, about evil, and about human processing. 

Doing more cleaning and photo sorting from my family treasure trove time capsule of stuff, this pamphlet of the twin World Trade Center towers from the late 80s just hit me with so many sad emotions from that day, all these days after, and now. But on the pamphlet – oh the phrases double upset me, because the phraseology intending to be humorous and about the majestic height of the towers reaching to the sky, struck me as odd: “The closest some people will get to Heaven”… UGH… Ugh in the irony of that tragedy there. Ugh because how much it implies some people never getting to Heaven. Ugh, gulp, many DID get to Heaven then. Many still will. I pray for everyone. 

Remember 9-11. Remember MORE that all of that Heaven “climbing” is NOT climbing at all, or activities from the people, BUT by JESUS RISING THEM… GOD DIDN’T LEAVE HEAVEN SALVATION TO CHANCE, BUT FOR THE WORK IN/BY/OF HIS SON… and I pray mercy and forgiveness for all, yes all. It makes God sad for anyone to perish who doesn’t know Him. I pray pray pray for all to know God in all the best ways…

Our repentance into His Righteousness. 

I’m not sure my plans this week ahead of attending 9-11 memorialized events or group activities, these are times I prefer solitude, I draw closer to God in the solo way, but know that we are to support in a connecting way. I will plan to get to the local 9-11 memorial – that place is also where I realized, Feb 1st 2015, of myself being 100% with Jesus, born anew in awakening, born into Heavenly Hope, facing forward to my future, hands to the plow, not looking back. 

Tears and tragedy are one more play on this pamphlet’s text language, because of 9-11 and the towers and all the tragedy, many did draw much closer to God. Many also questioned why this world is so broken. It’s only God who can heal the brokenness, pray for this… pray for peace…

I prayed on my awakening awareness day, “Lord God, I pray you took all those in mercy and love and grace into Heaven.” – 3000 plus – “and Lord, like Peter preached thousands into the faith at Pentecost, may I reach 3000 people in a HOPE to help them reach to You, know You as Lord and Savior.”

Ah, Heaven is then, Heaven is now, for many. September 11th, 25 years into Heaven, may we never forget… May we continue to pray…

In prayer, 

Amen

I left my “Jesus Always” book open to Sep 6th on purpose so that I would reread this passage again after I read it this morning. So needed…

The paraphrasing from Psalm 18, written in Jesus Calling lingo by author Sarah Young,  speaks to me: “I don’t want you to focus overly much on what is ahead of you, wondering whether you’ll be able to cope with it. Only I know what your future really holds. Moreover I am the only One who fully understands what you’re capable of. I can alter your circumstances gradually or dramatically. In fact, I can widen the path you are walking on right now. I want you to realize how intricately involved in your life I am.  I delight in taking care of you – Tweaking the situation you are in…”

I have lots of things ahead of me. We have a lot, each of us. And yet, Jesus wants us to take it only one step at a time. And not OVERLY focusing, it means to prep what you need to do, but don’t obsess on it. It’s different than “a watch pot, never boils” – it’s the scriptural truth of: “God’s Ways are above our ways…” wait on God… take it one day at a time, one moment at a time…

And waiting (and working) for the Lord is sometimes hard and sometimes easy. It takes a lot of listening. And the best we can do IS our best, and let the Lord take care of the rest…

God is our shield, we should always take refuge in Him.

Amen

I woke up with processing (that I was processing deepness in my dreams) and WELL, I am glad that dreams are just dreams – not real life – whew…  I appreciate that God takes care of much of that processing stuff for us – really we have not enough time in life to see or fix or process even – we have a finite mind when God is infinite and allows us everything possible to understand in our hearts but not all the time in the world to do so – while in this world… Imagine the crash course (or forever college) on life when we get to heaven – well imagine that we can’t imagine it all…. yeah… amazing…  He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

In terms of life – the scripture that crossed my mind this morning is a classic – Ecclesiastes 3 – there is a season for everything under the sun (and of course sing the version by the Byrds “Turn Turn Turn”)… And my subaru’s leaves on it – plus the sound of these late summer crickets and cicadeas – well the seasons are changing…  Hold onto these summer temps if you can just a bit more…

Now we can read into the scriptures in an attitude of “geez…” or an attitude of “wow” or an attitude of “yikes” – so many ways to take it – and Solomon certainly was thinking of his take on life too – like perhaps in a “throw up your hands and I am done” kind of way…  

I am taking life in thankfulness these days – and trepidation – and fear into faith – and well knowing this season will “turn turn turn”… God never changes but our seasons turn turn turn…

I came across some old (hey but not too old) photos of myself at age 3 – stored well in photo books – up home north – I was a cutie for sure – and thought it was hillarious this one photo – a face of disqust – funny now – I wonder what I was thinking at age 3 – my face twisted in a frowny smirk – perhaps I was cold… But with activity of rolling a snowman in another photo, I was certainly still working on activity even in the cold, and another photo of us with grandpa pretending to play checkers (yeah and later on in years we played LOTS of games of checkers). These photos are preserved well and perhaps I will take more photos of the photos – because much color of the early 70’s is fading badly because of the early experiences of color photo processing those days. Black and white photos of the era before are more preserved (of which we have lots of those too)… Seasons to remember are seasons we were too young to know – how interesting that our minds don’t remember until later on – my earliest memory was years later than this. But the photo tells me that this was a good season of my life. I am thankful for my childhood and my family. I am glad that God was there in that season.

The other photos I perused recently – from college days – are fun – 39 years ago crazy – me and grandpa again – and college freshman days – taken with my camera this time – but these photos had another problem – they were kept in a basement (I think) – they stink – physically ewww – and well I took photos of the photos and trashed them now, ewww… Seasons to remember but not go back. I am thankful that I have grown since then. I am grateful at the years that went by – and still go by. I am glad that God was there in that season.

And the photos of travelling as I left for this trip – well the new photos *** yet to be taken *** – they WILL tell the times of late summer and leaves starting to turn – on the cusp of fall and oh the colors – but also that oh the cold is coming… And the people in our lives – the Seasons of Love (cue the ‘Rent’ on Broadway song) – we best make it the best season with the people each day – because those days will change again… I am glad that God will be there in that season.

Seasons… I am thankful that God will be there for us with us – for me with me – in the next season (and now). I am thankful for God has us here for a reason – no matter if there is strife or joy or smirking faces in the cold – there is a reason for this season – and it is always to be thankful to God. God is in charge. 

THANKFULNESS IS ALWAYS IN SEASON.

I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

AMEN and thank You Lord for today. THANK YOU FOR ALWAY BEING THERE AND HERE AND THERE.

—
Ecclesiastes3 KJV

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.

And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.

I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

A SEASON OF CUTENESS

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

The thunderstorms are rolling through, up here at home north, and they roll in sound here with steep hills. I am not worrying about it, the rain, as this house is solid and even the newer roof dampens the sound. The porch however, which I can step out on now after thunder stopped, brings me back to childhood growing up 40-50 years ago. And my dad’s advice, repeated from his father still rings true: “live on a hill”… True, let the water roll down… 

I’m on the porch now, just rain no thunder and I think that’s great advice for the rain runs down (good for the valley which was already a floodplain) and good advice for living with volumes of information and advice and criticisms and “what not” bombarding: let it roll down the hill away from you.

In other words don’t absorb every criticism, don’t let neuroses become psychosis, “don’t sweat the small stuff”, “guard your heart”, stand on solid ground, hold onto the Rock.

Proverbs are great advice for the ages, and thousands of years old they still ring true – great sayings to give pause. Solomon wrote many in his wisdom.

The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge, But He overthrows the words of the faithless.

Yesterday while driving, I passed by that church with such witty sayings, it called out: “God tests us, but it’s open book.”… so good…

This rain pours out from the sky, surely God’s advice is classic and available and open book. 

Proverbs for Pondering… well worth the read! Let the water and advice roll…

Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your heart to my knowledge; For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you; Let them all be fixed upon your lips, So that your trust may be in the Lord; I have instructed you today, even you. 

Amen

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Proverbs 22 NKJV 

The Value of a Good Name

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold.

The rich and the poor have this in common, The Lord is the maker of them all.

A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished.

By humility and the fear of the Lord Are riches and honor and life.

Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; He who guards his soul will be far from them.

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender.

He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow, And the rod of his anger will fail.

He who has a generous eye will be blessed, For he gives of his bread to the poor.

Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave; Yes, strife and reproach will cease.

He who loves purity of heart And has grace on his lips, The king will be his friend.

The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge, But He overthrows the words of the faithless.

The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!”

The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit; He who is abhorred by the Lord will fall there.

Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him.

He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches, And he who gives to the rich, will surely come to poverty.

Sayings of the Wise

Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your heart to my knowledge; For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you; Let them all be fixed upon your lips, So that your trust may be in the Lord; I have instructed you today, even you. Have I not written to you excellent things Of counsels and knowledge, That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth, That you may answer words of truth To those who send to you?

Do not rob the poor because he is poor, Nor oppress the afflicted at the gate; For the Lord will plead their cause, And plunder the soul of those who plunder them.

Make no friendship with an angry man, And with a furious man do not go, Lest you learn his ways And set a snare for your soul.

Do not be one of those who shakes hands in a pledge, One of those who is surety for debts; If you have nothing with which to pay, Why should he take away your bed from under you?

Do not remove the ancient landmark Which your fathers have set.

Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men.

A Poem of Prose Pros

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It is before dawn,

But the Psalms sing on.

God chose the Word Prose,

And how David’s melody goes.

David’s heart sings of God’s flows.

Psalms are devoted Praise in the Prose.

God Knows How Psalms Prose Goes and Flows.

AMEN to the Psalms, the Pros of the Prose, and How God Knows…

To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
to the pure you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
You save the humble
    but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
You, Lord, keep my lamp burning;
    my God turns my darkness into light.

(From Psalm 18 NIV of David)

As for God, his way is perfect:
    The Lord’s word is flawless;
    he shields all who take refuge in him.
For who is God besides the Lord?
    And who is the Rock except our God?
It is God who arms me with strength
    and keeps my way secure.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
    he causes me to stand on the heights.
He trains my hands for battle;
    my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You make your saving help my shield,
    and your right hand sustains me;
    your help has made me great.
You provide a broad path for my feet,
    so that my ankles do not give way.

(From Psalm 18 NIV of David)

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.
Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings…

(From Psalm 17 NIV of David)

Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. O my soul, you have said to the Lord, 

“You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.” 

As for the saints who are on the earth, “They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”

Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;
Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, Nor take up their names on my lips.

O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance.

I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.
For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

(Psalm 16 NKJV –  A Michtam of David –  The Hope of the Faithful, and the Messiah’s Victory)

A Prayer for Pondering:

Lord God, You hold all things in Your hands, therefore when You stretch Your hands out to grab us, You bring us to Your Heart. Lord Jesus, You, as fully God gave Your earthly life to secure our Heavenly one. Jesus, You as fully man felt our pain to let us know that You understand. God You understood understand overcome overall. In Your Spirit we Praise. 

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The Psalms are “go to” prayers and praises and these (link below 11-16) from David are covering the gamut of emotions and circumstances, are also acknowledging God as God, and His Power prevailing over the wicked and over bad times eventually we shall prevail because of God Who will keep us out of hell. Presence of God or absence, I chose Presence.

Jesus IS our man in the middle WITH us in life – and ABOVE us in being God raising us to Him – and chose to go BELOW us in His humility and servitude. Jesus is BEHIND us in support – AHEAD of us in knowledge – and IN us in Spirit. 

Jesus IS our Man in the Middle, Master in the Motivation, Messiah in the Most.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

May we Praise the Lord today, and forevermore…

AMEN 

—

Psalm 16 is a blessing to know about the Lord – The Hope of the Faithful, and the Messiah’s Victory – A Michtam of David.

Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. O my soul, you have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.” As for the saints who are on the earth, “They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, Nor take up their names on my lips.

O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance. I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

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Psalms 11-16 NKJV – Faith in the Lord’s Righteousness – Bible Gateway link: https://share.google/MSbBPz0XOlxyLCGAw

Allow me to be philosophical for a moment…

Oh, wouldn’t it have been nice to have no knowledge of the difference between good and evil,  if Adam and Eve has not bitten the apple? If the witnessing now of just evil, or hassling, or meddling, or simple crankiness (and being HANGRY combined with tired) in others AND in us (remember that we all go wrong) – if those didn’t exist or we were just ignoring them? Hmmmm…. I ask because we are NOT there, and our ignorance doesn’t stay bliss much anymore…

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Ignorance is bliss, but then we infight.

Ignorance is not bliss, that’s the insight.

Informed insight means we need to see into Jesus’s fight. 

Jesus allows us back the joy, life’s delight. 

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It’s something we struggle with, “woulda coulda shoulda” with our actions, some of us overcriticize ourselves, whereas others are ignorant to the affect of their actions. And some are malicious. I could give you 1000 examples. But we ALSO see where the light overcomes the darkness, we see others do the right thing over and over. Let’s not ignore the LIGHT working it’s Way every day. 

Ignorance would HAVE been bliss, 

But now, GOOD over evil, LIGHT over dark, is our WITNESS.

Hindsight can’t fix wrong into right, so let us TRY to see clearly where to walk in His Sight.

Walk and hold on tight.

God Triumphs over evil, in His Might. 

Just wait on Him, He will bring all into account, His timing, and insight. 

Have a good morning and hopefully a good night.

Follow and praise the LIGHT. 

Let Jesus be our DELIGHT. 

AMEN 

—-

Psalm 10 NKJV

A Song of Confidence in God’s Triumph over Evil

Why do You stand afar off, O Lord?

Why do You hide in times of trouble?

The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor;

Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.

For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire;

He blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord.

The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;

God is in none of his thoughts. His ways are always prospering;

Your judgments are far above, out of his sight;

As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.

He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity.”

His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity.

He sits in the lurking places of the villages;

In the secret places he murders the innocent;

His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.

He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den;

He lies in wait to catch the poor;

He catches the poor when he draws him into his net.

So he crouches, he lies low,

That the helpless may fall by his strength.

He has said in his heart,

“God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see.”

Arise, O Lord! O God, lift up Your hand!

Do not forget the humble.

Why do the wicked renounce God?

He has said in his heart, “You will not require an account.”

But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief,

To repay it by Your hand.

The helpless commits himself to You;

You are the helper of the fatherless.

Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man;

Seek out his wickedness until You find none.

The Lord is King forever and ever;

The nations have perished out of His land.

Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;

You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear,

To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,

That the man of the earth may oppress no more.

I have to say – looking at 40 year old photos – that time flies – and we HAVE done a lot and grown a lot in 40 years… (Photography and photo printing and camera design has changed a lot too. I marvel at these adorable 15-photo disc negatives – going to make an art project out of them – I have easily 100 of them from my aunt) 

I can’t help but have to marvel at the MEMORIES in this new set of sorting – sorting that I picked for myself – limiting myself to only “half a bag a day” so that I get my other work done (meaning job applications – hey even my daughter said it was good that “I did something physical and creative and different than just screen-time”, LOL – when Mom is mommed).  

So wow a great reminiscing opportunity in photo sorting my aunt’s “duplicates” – honestly it is not just sorting but it is also a way to honor my aunt who passed away about 5-6 years ago – and I was not able to go to her funeral because it was during the harsh covid lockdowns up in my hometown – much more strict than our area… I am thankful for the opportunity to process and count my blessings of memories while my hands keep busy sorting sorting sorting… Half the photos I have tossed – so many we don’t need – really –  kitten photos and random things and duplicates and triplicates. A fuzzy photo of yet another president inauguration – seen a lot of these photos in these piles by decade but don’t know who this president is – well toss the photos – too much is too much… (and I am pretty sure that she has them in albums too – these are duplicates).

But in these sets are gems – REAL GEMS… I went through about 40 packets today of the 100 plus from the 15-disc sets of photos that my aunt took – so I’m really dug into the1980’s now. There is a photo taken by my aunt, fall 1987, of me in my freshman dorm when I was still 17yrs old, the photo 39 years ago this year. Geez…

And perhaps you remember – there were circus and zoo days when animals were performers – a photo of big bears who were riding bicycles at a game farm. These are real photos – no AI stuff – just stuff stuff – and look how minimal the fencing is…

AND some pictures of things that are a memory – that don’t exist anymore at least not like it was – of downtown sidewalk sales – cool – and of the old buses and buildings and businesses…

SO when year 2001 photos showed up in my 1980’s pile (mis-sorted oops) – photos of my apartment move from home north to home south – I marvel that I barely remember it – and it was “only from 25 years ago” – yet it is also like yesterday – and wow I have moved on and grown… Which means I have moved on and on and on by now… Which means I got through LOTS of tough times since then – and before them…

And so my aunt took photos of moving my apartment where I had been with my husband for 10 years during my doctorate and postdoc schooling – and wow those were tough years of school and dissertation and wow – and yet the memories of the angst slip away – and we have moved on – and well I see photos of 4 Subaru’s ago – and photos of college where I know that my chem classes were TOUGH – and yeah photos of the packing remind me that I took three layers of stuff away and sold in yard sales while 7 months pregnant – and it was a tough pregnancy (with a preemie baby 6 weeks early – now great at 25) = and those years were certainly filled with tough spots…

AND THAT MEANS THAT GOD PULLED ME THROUGH THE TOUGH SPOTS!

Oh I remember that I forgot and forget…

We should REMEMBER that we WILL – you will – I will – FORGET!

AND THAT MEANS THAT GOD PULLS US THROUGH THE TOUGH SPOTS!

Psalm 4 reminds us to be still – we can be angry but we should remain still and not sin – and well yeah – all those times that I was angry and sad and scared – and well somehow I got through it – sinning or not – God’s Grace abounded then and still does. The Lord’s Mercy abounded and we got through – the Lord’s relief came with our prayers – the Lord heard when we called – and the Lord made His presence known when we trusted Him.

Good… and a good memory to never forget is that God is good and always here – always was and will be – Thank you Lord…. I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

AMEN

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Psalm 4 NKJV  – The Safety of the Faithful
To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

How long, O you sons of men,
Will you turn my glory to shame?
How long will you love worthlessness
And seek falsehood? Selah
But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly;
The Lord will hear when I call to Him.

Be angry, and do not sin.
Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And put your trust in the Lord.

There are many who say,
“Who will show us any good?”
Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.
You have put gladness in my heart,
More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.
I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Last night I had a good slowdown of a night IN – after a night OUT… I took a moment to nap this afternoon – dead tired – it was not a “rough day” but a hot one (outside working a car wash for scouts which was a great fundraiser but hot) and well I needed the cool down in the A/C and the nap and the shower and the whole body reset – physically that is what I needed. Mentally I needed the slowdown and choose TV watching as an inside comfort – watching the recording of the Netflix Major League Baseball “Field of Dreams” pre-game show gave all those goosebumps – those tears from sentimental-ness of baseball families – fathers and sons in the American pastime that we get passionate about – “all the feels” – they had hall of famers – and even the dads of the managers…

Ah – summer feels – I love Summer – all the feels of summer are appreciated now – except when you need to cool down – but the feels of summer are what we wait for all year – yeah the outside feels of summer nights… That feeling of it being the “end of summer” means “I’ve got to get it all in”… Yeah, the rest of summer is a few more times to the beach and maybe some more corn on the cob – mmmmm – the watermelon I had last week, oh it was quintessential summer taste…

To be honest with you, it is not quite the end of summer (still have 2 months of warmth), but we worry like it is the end of summer – and we worry about the loss of lots of things at the end of summer – like we won’t ever enjoy summer again – and we will be cold – and well, summer has come back every year that I have been alive…  I know that whatever season it is now, life will turn and change…  So, hold on…

I wrote a poem of FAITH – about holding onto faith even when times change. I am in a change now and yet I remember the MANY changes that I have had before and I am OK – God got me here – safe thus far. I know we have to remember to find how to be OK – have faith to hold on – to calm down – to settle down – to get back to focus and forward thinking…  The best thing about FAITH? It is not FALSE… FAITH IS OUR FIRM FOUNDATION AND REAL. 

And as for me – in gathering up my faith – I am reading the Psalms – and I did a whole series of writing on the Psalms before – starting with Psalm 1 is a good place to start – as it talks about putting our Faith in the Lord – and bringing forth fruit in due season… Think of how Jesus gives righteousness – Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets – and wow – Jesus covers us, so we can TRUST JESUS to show us the WAY…

So here is the poem and the psalm…  thanks for listening…

—It’s not FALSE FAITH – because FAITH is FROM GOD – to help us believe in God – to rely on God.

Sometimes fear is forefront – it scares us to have unknown – but hold on – wait for God in His Timing.

And FAITH? it is not a false hope – it is a firm foundation – FAITH finds us.

FAITH FINDS US – FAITH FILLS US – FAITH FIRMS THE FOUNDATION ON WHICH WE WALK.

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Faith does not mean you don’t drop a tear, but it helps you clear them so that you can still steer.

Faith does not mean you can’t fall into flighty dreams, but Faith helps you pick up the pieces of life when you have had it out in screams.

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Faith is the “Forwarding All Issues to Heaven” in action,

Faith is Forward Looking and Firmly Planted.

Faith is pulling on all the good Godly goodness you can muster – and overflow in TRUST.

TRUST is FAITH in ACTION…

It’s NOT False Faith because Faith is God knowing where He is taking you.

AMEN

Psalm 1 NKJV 

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

WISHING FOR WISDOM 

James 3:17 reminds: “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”

WISDOM

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God’s WISDOM is PURE,

God is not trying to trick us, God just wants us to pay attention to Him.

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God’s WISDOM is PEACEABLE,

God settles the dust in our heads to pay attention to Him and see how He is working.

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God’s WISDOM is GENTLE, 

God hears us, herds us, holds us, helps us.

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God’s WISDOM is WILLING TO YIELD,

He will come after us in our lostness, give graceful forgiveness and give us a second, third, five-millionth chance. 

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God’s WISDOM is FULL OF MERCY, 

Praise God for giving us GOOD GIFTS and NOT the punishments we deserve from our drifting.

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God’s WISDOM is FULL of GOOD FRUITS.,

“Like a tree firmly planted, I’ll be grounded in your Word” – Let us accept the fruits He bestows and use them for His Good.

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God’s WISDOM is WITHOUT PARTIALITY,

No matter who we are, who we think we are or not, God opens His GIFTS to all, offers Salvation to all, LOVES ALL. 

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God’s WISDOM is WITHOUT HYPOCRISY,

GOD REALLY MEANS EVERYTHING HE SAYS!!!

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AMEN!

I appreciate summer and yet cooler temps to allow me to keep moving.

I appreciate Jesus strengthening even more these days…

Many of my thoughts in this season of my life are all scattered about – but so are seeds – and seeds are meant to be scattered – there are big ones – like a peach pit – and tiny ones like the tomato seeds which are now big plants giving more seeds – all while giving the big juicy fruit as excess – and nourishing us.

In thinking about Spiritual Fruit – there are fruits that are big and juicy like a tomato and fruits that are small and hard but sturdy and last – like an acorn or a poppyseed. And think of how much flavor is in one little poppyseed.

I know we have times in our lives which are lush and which are dry – and we have seasons of life – sometimes multiple seasons all in one day. Life times vary and change what you do in activities, like now cool enough for outside before it cranks up in temperature – then it will be too hot but then again great beach weather – but then cooler in the evening and back to being outside under the stars…  Summer is a great season of enoughs – then comes fall and the harvest – but then again Winter is diverse and still productive just for different things – and Spring springs eternal in hope and new life…

We have to live IN our season and not be longing too much for the next season (I am rejecting the thought of pumpkin spice creeping into summer or those Halloween displays already out), we need to appreciate today – and perhaps realize that God is working on us to live life abundantly at the same time as storing up resources for tomorrow… ALWAYS JESUS WANTS US TO RELY MOST CLOSELY ON HIM.

I was reminded of abiding in Jesus from a devotion I read recently – and that is what we need to do – we can not make the seeds – we can not share the seeds = we can not get the most out of the fruits of life without Jesus. 

I know we need, I need, Jesus for strengthening – “I can do all things through Christ, Who STRENGTHENS me. Philippians 4:13

AMEN and have a good Friday and good weekend…

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Philippians 4:1-13 – New King James Version – Paul’s letter to his friends

Be Anxious for Nothing; Think These Thoughts
Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.

Be United, Joyful, and in Prayer
I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Meditate on These Things
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Philippian Generosity
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

2 poems

The Race of Faith is not to get to God faster like at the finish line, because He is already with us. The Race is our race “running a good race” of life and not letting life’s bumps stop us from believing God is with us. Our Race and our pace will continue as our place is here in the now. And everything, before, after, and now, is benefiting from God’s Grace. 

The Race, our pace, our place, His Grace. 

AMEN

—

When life is lush,

We have no rush,

When life is dry,

We want to cry.

Seek God’s Face.

Let us find our pace, our place.

And let us finish this Race in His Grace. 

AMEN 

Sermon 09AUG – Service as Worship (to go along with a mission project after church)

Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

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A Gift is a Gift – WE ARE IN OUR PENTECOST SERIES AND TALKING ABOUT OUR SEASON OF Going out and sharing the Love…

There is at least one more story from my travels – this one is remembering a sweet gesture from 2 young boys sitting in the airplane seats ahead of me. We were in a jovial section of the back of the plane – behind me were many girl scouts – and in front of me were a hodge podge of folks who had signed up with National Geographic trip – to the Galapagos Islands – everyone enjoyed the Galapagos Islands – and we all had so much to talk about even among strangers.

I appreciated the woman next to me – she was chatty – turns out she and I have the same profession – I was able to talk shop for a bit – and just in the seats immediately in front of us were young boys (maybe 8 to 10 yrs) who had been friends on the trip – and they overheard me asking the lady next to me where she was from – and they chimed in before she could answer and said Germany. Well, this woman was so shocked because it was only in one conversation, that she said, at a dinner, where she mentioned her roots – but she lived in California for a long while now…  These boys picked up on the info – internalized it – shared it – a gift of recall. And a gift of ATTENTIVENESS. 

Later in the flight – more conversations between seats and I handed up two little plastic flamingos – gifts I brought WITH me – gave many out to whomever I thought – no need to give me something back – just for fun. But when I handed the two statues up – the little boys liked them and then they decided to gift me each a purple skittle from their candy – so sweet – the action and the candy. One boy was thinking for sure – what can I give FROM what I have – and not having much – he realized and directed the other little boy to give me each a little purple skittle candy. Sweet…

I didn’t expect any return gift from my gift – I just enjoyed seeing the oohs and aahs from people receiving the flamingo statue. I think that the sweetness of the candy came from a “oh we should give a return gift” – which is not always necessary – or it came from an ATTENTIVENESS of “what do we have that we can give”– and it was good to see sharing kids with good upbringing… Sweet…

How about giving from what we get from the Lord? Well, we could never repay the fill of gifts that He gives us – we could never pay anything worthy of what He gives us – His Grace – His Mercy – His Life – His Everything for our Anything.   And SO, we don’t pay it backwards – we pay it forwards – in service with a good attitude and sharing Him with others – and sharing PRAISE about Him as our cause.

God’s Gift of gifting is to us, well, A GIFT TO WORSHIP HIM – with all our hearts and minds and soul!  And Jesus specifically said (in Matthew 5:16) to let our light SHINE before men – and in so they will PRAISE the Lord… WOW!

A light that shines might be being friendly in a crowded space – smiling at unknown strangers – remembering that the people we interact with are made in God’s image too…  It is being attentive to what we have and how we can share it.

*** The scripture read this morning from Paul to the Romans: in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 

One of the great 20^th century examples of service as worship is the story of Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, was an Albanian-Indian Catholic nun, founder of missionaries – born in Northern Macedonia – she studied and served in Ireland where she learned English and then she served in India – from the late 1940’s on – starting the Missionaries of Charities. Joseph Langford, founder of the congregation of priests, the Missionaries of Charity Fathers, later wrote, “Though no one knew it at the time, Sister Teresa had just become Mother Teresa.”

Sister Teresa experienced what she later described as “the call within the call” – “to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them. It was an order. [she means from Jesus]. She had to keep FAITH that it was the thing to do.

Mother Teresa emphasized service as a manifestation of love. 

Her notable quote states, “Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, and that action is service.” This highlights her belief that true love is expressed through acts of kindness and service to others.

Writers [Sara and Justin Kraft] would say about Mother Teresa: “One cannot be fully alive without relationships with others. We are made for love, to be unified in giving and receiving with others and ultimately with God. If we close ourselves off to service, we will never create the space within ourselves to be filled with the love of God. He can transform the most difficult tasks into meaningful experiences, but we have to be aware of His presence.”  – I am going to repeat that  – God can transform the most difficult tasks into meaningful experiences – but we have to be aware of His presence – and His Presence creates that space within us to LOVE to serve – and to worship.

These Mother Teresa impactful quotes exemplify the meaning of charity and love and service for others as worship:  

• “If you judge people, you have no time to love them,”  
• “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.” 
• “Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do… but how much love we put in that action.”
• “I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper’s wounds I feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?”

It is Love that we share… From Love – from Jesus Himself through His Holy Spirit.

We have a story in scripture – from our great role model of Jesus – urging us to give GENUINELY – we give whatever we have in FAITH, in TRUST, in Service of Giving.

This reminds me about the story Jesus told of the woman with 2 mites – Luke 21:1-4 And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”

This is not a “give until it hurts” sermon, but to remember that the gift of TRUST and SERVICE is from the space we create WITH GOD – the widow’s gift came from a worshipful place – it was not flashy nor knowing that someone else was watching. And so we don’t need to just give from a place of that sense of duty – it is BETTER that we can give in JOY FROM JOY – from a space inside us appreciating everything we have and what we can share – because we’ve been given that gift… And because we TRUST GOD IS taking care of us, we can be in the mix to help others realize His Gifts.

We show and SHINE – by our service FROM US – it can be anything, time or talents, truly God in the Holy Spirit – in a Pentecost way to BE worship – to come from within – to let us praise. SO let us NOT be short on praise – let us NOT being dilly-dallying before we praise – even in tough times the Lord asks for us to praise. The book of James reminds us about Perseverance – and that leads to praise – we may not know the circumstances of life that puts thorns in our sides – like Paul – but we are to remember to praise… Give our hearts to God – and strength and soul and mind – and praise…

Jesus gave us the example of the ultimate gift – We love because he first loved us. He laid down His life for us – His friends the disciples and for us before we were even born. We praise God because we know God and we want God to be known through us – John would write: If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. (1st John 4:12-14)

Our service to others is FROM that core that God put in us – service to God – and becomes our worship to thank Him that we can give what we can.

Don’t conform to the patterns of today – think of YOUR skills – YOUR gifts – YOUR inklings – This is something that you and the Lord can work out together – sometimes it is right in front of you… Our scripture: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

A pattern game is a favorite of mine growing up – Perfection – it would pop if you didn’t get all the pieces in – well God is the one creating the game we call life in HIS PERFECTION – we could know that we have a space all prepared for us – and will be in it – and yet we can be out in life – on the board – and help others find their place in HIS PUZZLE of Life…

Whether it is giving time – giving encouragement, hope, or even little purple skittles candies – smiles, or giving service in presence like Mother Teresa – let us remember to make it worshipful as what God wants – our praise and our service is a worship to the Lord who holds the whole world in His Hand.

Amen

———-

And let us pray: Lord – thank You for this time to reflect and learn – to ponder – Jesus Himself said: “I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit… “  what fruit today would you have us give back to the world in service and worship. Lord, I can’t wait to see what kind of fruit salad mix from all of us – that You, Lord, are gifting the world with – Let us always be creating a place for You within us – and see a peace in us in order to serve others as you do…  AMEN

I started on my new project of photo sorting. But first had some paperwork to sort through from the farmhouse, my grandfather and family kept every record for every house he built including tax statements, receipts for every piece of lumber or supplies, and all the workers payments… Rolls bundled of canceled checks to blueprints, we are keeping some, but a lot has to go to shred… you can’t keep everything…

The work however still stands. He worked hard. And what my grandpa built endures, the houses, the repairs, the odd jobs, plus the family, the values, the work ethic AND the love. Sorting documents, we reminisced that he bought lumber from like every building place, share the work, and he was a really good employer. There are papers for good insurance plans and proper lawyers records. And I know, if it needed one nail, my grandpa put three, to keep it sturdy. What grandpa built lasts…  He passed away in the late 90’s at a generous old age of 90.

I also found some newspapers in the farmhouse, and this day while my YouTube feed was playing Prince’s “1999” for music to sort by (trust me there’s a lot to sort), I noticed there was a newspaper in the boxes ALSO from 1999. And we “could party like it’s 1999”, thinking nothing of the future, but GRATEFULLY both my grandpa AND THE LORD worked to have built lasting life beyond that. The love, the life, the values, the plans. 

I found a nice drawing of one of the houses as a model. Once my aunt fell off a ladder, she was fine but my grandfather decided never to build two story houses again and then they were all one story ranchers.

Isn’t that also like the Lord, God knew we were fallible, and He built into His plan a Savior in His Son Jesus. A rescue and a steady life plan for us to follow the narrow path, without foot slipping, plus the safety net of Jesus. Now that’s good insurance. 

We have a bit of a floor plan described of Heaven when we read the scriptures, God doesn’t have to “sell it” to us, but he certainly makes it appealing! I’m looking forward to seeing Him, God, Jesus, and prayerfully my grandpa and great greats too!! It will be in the Heaven God built! Secure and secured!!!

Amen 

( And thank you Lord, for this time that I can reminisce while working STILL HARD in the earthly family values…)

Here is NOT nowhere, 

Here is Here!

Sometimes we think are going nowhere,

But it’s always somewhere, 

And being HERE, 

With God’s presence DEAR,

Is better than ANY FEAR. 

Here is NOT nowhere,

HERE IS HERE!

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Here is present in this time, place, season, THIS YEAR.

Here, life in the present gear,

We are here,

And we leave the past back there,

And wait on the future somewhere.

Here is NOT nowhere, 

HERE IS HERE!

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SO TAKE THE BACK ROADS, with no fear,

Enjoy the ice-cream, mmmm in cheer,

Feel the summer simmer near,

Splash under the waterfall in joy with water clear,

Play board games with family dear, 

And remember God is here, near,

In the HERE!!!

Amen 

Isn’t always the case,

When we realize God wants us in the RACE. 

Don’t even try to keep up with His PACE,

But know that for you and me, He has a PLACE. 

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Monday might bring dread,

Oh anxiousness for what lies ahead.

But remember Jesus Himself had no place to rest His head. 

So keep pushing, keep moving, keep hoping instead. 

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Thank You, Lord, for the pep talk.

Thank You, Lord, for Your walk.

Now every time I feel like I should squawk.

Let me praise You, for Your eye on me (us) is sharper than any hawk.

.

Amen

…….

Had a fabulous feast and fun last night with friends. When one can’t travel to the country that they live in, one has to appreciate that they share the beautiful aspects of their culture and their lives with you here…  We had fabulous food, and karaoke dancing and they loved that I joined in, and yet the sweetest sweetest sharing was simply LOVE… and sweetest care with loving their littlest sweet child, just two years old… Oh such a cutie… You know grownups who play at a two year old teaching level, including grandma, are just as cute, I heard a quote in the Mister Roger’s movie that with a child, you get to relive but redo your childhood in a better way, you get to learn too.

And so I went to the Hallmark store for a teddy bear as a present, and looked for cuteness at a reasonable price (and I did find a good deal for a blanket with a hood with animal ears and a sweet puppy). But as I went into the aisle of “stuffies”, I thought “What can I bring?”. Right in front of me was the dish of many plush Jesus dolls, whom I’ve given before to friends, ah… yes although I didn’t pick this “plush” pretend Jesus doll this day with walking into a new situation, JESUS is EXACTLY Who What one needs to bring, Jesus, in LOVE to ALL,  everyday…

Jesus in all His Love IN us.

Jesus for all His Love FOR us.

Jesus in Truth to TEACH us.

Jesus in body OF us.

Jesus in SPIRIT AMONG us.

YES LOVE…

Jesus lives for and Jesus loves for everyone. Jesus wants everyone to know Him.

I loved this family opening up their home to me, sharing love and fun. I LOVE that Jesus opens up LOVE for us to share with others. I pray one day I can share not just the Jesus doll with them, but more ALL of Jesus with them and all. Live in love most of all.

And may we feast forever with Jesus in Heaven loving His Love.

Amen

I enjoyed this, from Calvary Chapel’s Pastor Joe, and I thought you might too!  http://resources.ccphilly.org/SAM1437 

Such a strong message…

God doesn’t want anybody to perish…

Allow me this moment to sit and appreciate my backyard – And the LUSHNESS of the flowers in the containers and garden beds this year. I prayed and asked and asked and asked my stay home kids to water my containers while I was away on my big trip – they did – even despite the terrible air quality from the wildfires. 

Every day I have to water these gardens, including my new addition, a three drawer clothes dresser trash picked from a rainstorm and now filled with flowers plus basil which replaced bolting radishes… and the gladiola flowers this season actually grew completely straight up… GORGEOUS and LUSH…

Do you know this summer has felt amazing and has gone by quickly, even if it’s still only half gone. They are fun times coming up like beach days and the agricultural fair, baseball games, but imagine the things we ALREADY did in THIS SEASON that were so much fun but we realized are so temporary… 

Temporary stuff included that great steam train that came through many towns and is a puff of smoke disappeared… temporary stuff included a fun America 250 celebration, beautiful fireworks, which seem like they fizzled out now… SEASONS shift… 

A friend and I remarked that we saw a couple fireflies, and how did we miss that season? Only to be reminded that there’s a couple left even in the heat… summer days are getting shorter, but there’s still much to enjoy…

Today in vacation bible school, we will teach about GOD’S FOREVER. We will try to explain forever to younger kids who think we as older have been living forever – but we have not… and yet we know we are “but a mist”, we are so temporary on this earth…

These flowers will fade, but in Heaven, God is already watering THE gardens. The sun and the moon and the earth will pass away, but God already has the most beautiful plans for all of us… and the Lord Himself will be our Light, Life, Love…

I’m looking forward to it, but I’m going to sit right now and just absorb the feeling of summer sun before it burns, the sight of greens and reds and yellows, the sounds of singing birds and the counting of my blessings to pause and praise…

Amen and thank You Lord…

Amen 

Amen 

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain…

—

A video for vbs worth watching for everyone – God is FOREVER – WOW GOD!!

Key Bible Verse: “But we can praise the Lord both now and forever! Praise the Lord!” — Psalm 142 / Psalm 115:18

Bible Story: God gives John a vision of heaven (Revelation 7:17; 21–22)

I am back from an AMAZING visit to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands!

Here is s VBS dispatch for one of my friend’s church, from the Isabella Island!

I prayed so much for God’s help this morning, we rode a speedboat, which made our stomachs upset, but it was worth coming to this place and we did snorkeling, with the turtles, and even saw the fish that were blue!!! God was so good when I got scared, while I was in the water because I’ve never done snorkeling before, and I’m not the best swimmer. But I know that God is everywhere! And he’s always available for us to pray to Him for guidance. I also got left behind and so while I was in the water, I was able to get my legs underneath me and swim by my flippers towards the group. I know God is ALWAYS there!

I truly feel that God is our safe place, and we can travel miles from home, halfway around the world, and god is our safe place, and we can feel secure in Him.

day 4

Here’s my VBS dispatch from the field! Day 4, God is LOVE!!! Today we rode that fast boat again and it was scary for me so again I prayed a lot to Jesus because I know He rescues, Jesus has rescued me so many times, and you too. And all of us have been rescued by Jesus to live FOREVER, because He loves us. God loves us! WOW GOD!!!

We also had a very hard hike today, 2 miles, but at the end, we had a wonderful beach for swimming, and after a very hard hike back, not only did we have our friends helping us, they brought a bus so that we could ride comfortably the rest of the distance. And then they took us to the restaurant for lunch. And so looking at the bus gave us hope that we had the ride. And that’s just like Jesus, because He gives us hope, and He gives us a ride into Heaven. It’s not a bus or a boat. He gave us this ride because of his blood, because he died on the cross and came back to life. Jesus knows the way for all of us to get back Home to be with God in Heaven. And then when we get to Heaven, we’re gonna have a fabulous feast!!!

Plus the other amazing things I saw today were mockingbirds that sang, and we saw more geckos and small lizards and butterflies that weren’t afraid. They are comfortable with us and not afraid, especially because they feel we won’t harm them. Since Jesus takes care of us, we should ALSO not be afraid. And we should feel very blessed and love Him, because He loved us first! God is love! WOW GOD!

A poem of praise:

I have to give God the credit and the praise – He has given me Jeremiah 29:11 to rave.

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Every time I start to worry – about jobs about money – well, He gets that scripture to me in a hurry.

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In cards and items written in English and in Spanish – His HOPE will not vanish.

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I know there is the right match out there – for my work – for my time – but I must listen to Him – to phone Home for His advice, in His Word, He gives me His Dime.

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In time, in time…

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I bring that scripture with me, SMART – I see it on bookmarks and in my heart.

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And while placing Spanish scripture cards out in a Spanish church, I paused with a friend to talk about my journeying – I took one to translate and wow – Jeremiah 29:11 it was – seriously – I mean God knows my heart, and my yearning.

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Then again right now, I was questioning both the if and the how.

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The scripture came once again – this time in a devotion from a friend.

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Jeremiah 29:11 is God saying “I’ve got you EVERY DAY” – there is a time for exile and there is coming home in MY WAY…

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So I will keep quiet in grief but know His relief.

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Keeping in step each day – and we will learn more about God’s Way.

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KEEP THE PRAISE KEEP THE PRAISE KEEP THE PRAISE.

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AMEN AMEN

I am travelling and pre-writing these devotions

It is hard to imagine how VAST God is – and in the travelling that I have done, I know that this world is HUGE – and it is not concievable and how much grace and mercy our God must have. It is impossible for us to realize that with the millions – billions of people that He can know every hair on EVERY head – not just our one head – and we are very human-centric but we must remember that God is God so much bigger than our beliefs of Him.

Isn’t it AMAZING that God knows SO much – and there is SO MUCH to know – everything of just me is already mind-blowing – wow – that is what makes a whole world of knowledge, grace and mercy – and especially LOVE – so impossible to wrap our heads around. But God is God and we are not – and wow that is comforting too.

Psalm 139 is the psalm that brings it to our knowledge – right clearly stating:You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down;     you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue     you, Lord, know it completely.

This was true for David who wrote it – and true for us. God knows and God cares.

And Jesus was sent to bring this message even more clear to us to tell us directly – both the knowledge and the glory of God. In John’s Gospel we remember about Jesus being Truth – being the Word – being God – knowing all and all knowing to come help and save – “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

In Vacation Bible School for Day 2, the study is for David and how he was relating to God at that moment – and remembering past situations and sins and saves. And we have to remember that we too are ever loved by God – for we too are known. 

God wants us to know HIM – and know Grace and Truth – forgiveness and friendship – care and caretaking..

Thank You Lord for loving us.

GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING! WOW GOD!!!

Amen

Psalm 139 For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
    Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
They speak of you with evil intent;
    your adversaries misuse your name.
Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
    and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
I have nothing but hatred for them;
    I count them my enemies.
Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

I am reminded so many times that we are thinkers of this world in the way of our center of the world – like we think God is OUR creator – which He is – but first and foremost we must think of and know that God is God first and foremost – the “I AM”.

God is not just foremost or before most – He IS before ALL – because He IS. So, in our Vacation Bible Studies for Rainforest Falls, by Group publishing, Day 1, based on the scripture of Genesis 1, we learn that the “ultimate origin story” means that God “fills the emptiness with light, land and life.” The lesson speaks to how God is the Light that shines on, over and through. God creates life from NOTHING – not just filling an empty room or space but making the whole space of everything – by speaking it into existence.

And then God created us – and He had a purpose and love for us before we were even created – God has formed us “intentionally” – “in His Own Image” – we are His “VERY GOOD” creation – and He loves us.

In a devotion poem I wrote many years ago – I wrote God is God and God never ends and God only begins.

TRUE!

Here is the Bible Verse for Rainforest Falls Day 1: “Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom.” Psalm 103:22

AMEN

Here is that original post as well as the scriptures for Revelation 22 about Jesus, One with God and One God, and our NEW beginning (again) as well as Genesis 1 (the beginning of beginnings for us – but a constant love for God to make new beginnings)

https://debbieupper.blog/2021/09/19/god-is-god-16sep-1249/

God is God.

In the BEGINNING, God created the Heaven and the Earth. In the end was a new beginning. In the new beginning was the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ with us. With us was Jesus, in us Jesus and will be with us Jesus. Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, beginning and end, first and last. At last there is a new beginning. In the beginning God was God and God is God. In the end God was God and God is God. There was a “It is finished” but that was no end that was a NEW BEGINNING. God never ends. God only begins.

God is God.

————

Revelation 22 – King James Version

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

————-

Genesis 1 King James Version

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day.

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

I started stressing again, just for a moment, and the Lord gave me the visual, I needed… it’s a pink bag which has Jeremiah 29:11 scripture.

The bag was folded in half, but God knows how to unfold the truth, so I enrolled the bag, and the truth is, HE STILL SAYS: DON’T WORRY, I have a PLAN. Jeremiah 29:11 yes!

Jeremiah is writing to encourage exiles – telling them to keep going and live prosperous lives even in this exiled location…. and we are also exiles whom God has promised to bring back – after a prescribed time of exile (earth) – live well – prosper… life liberty and the pursuit of happiness in this patriotic summer season…

In those days, God employed empowered extolled exiled prophets to encourage all. Today we need to be the encouragers to others.

But the people must have been concerned in Jeremiah’s day, and we too get very concerned (frightened even) even though we know God is trustworthy. And we are to work at a plan, go with a plan, trust a plan, hope in a plan. 

Recently, with Fourth of July excitement, we went to a local farm for fireworks. We went late because it was a hundred degrees, and the people were certainly having fun. And it was interesting because it did cost to go, which kept crowds manageable, and because it seemed like a family picnic, as opposed to a big municipal firework show. Someone bought me the ticket so I didn’t mind the price. And then the clouds started to popcorn up, the radars showed the worst weather north and quickly passing east. By the radar, we’re very fortunate and not in the bullseye of the storm. But oh we saw it!

Families with small children were smart, and they got their kids in the cars. My adult kids and I could have actual adult conversation about the situation and the weather and our response. The wind though kicked up, and as I helped the local brewery, grab their tent and collapse it, somebody in line was so oblivious audacious to say: “are you still serving?” as it was not registering with him the fierce weather activity at hand… oblivious… and we too tend to be oblivious to HUGE workings of monumental ground shifts and weather fronts, if it not immediately in front of us or under OUR feet. This is also true, and why we need FAITH when things are not going well, because God’s got SO MUCH going on behind the scenes, unseen and seen. We must have faith. We must keep going…

After the tent and things settling down, we stuck it out and waited, most did but in their cars. But then the most amazing ball lightning arose. So spectacular dancing across the sky!!! And it was in the distance and yet close enough that I thought we should wait in the car too. We did. We watched. And then rolled back out for the fireworks, which were spectacular – oh amazing and close, (and well worth the price!) The intensity of the BIG boomers shook you and we loved it.

The ball lightning while we waited it out was serious strength in the sky. And it was like the fevered pitch of the weather just had to let go. (Whew not directly over us.) And can you imagine how we emotionally and mentally also often have to VENT, because our energy angst frustration just takes over. GOT TO BLOW STEAM. And weather and whether we are in that fury or not, we often it. 

Now let us not just imagine, but believe how much MORE POWERFUL God is. So powerful and yet so gracious too. We celebrate with explosives! And we explode with celebration! God rules with Power and God Powers His rule! And He is both the spark and the sparkles.

So next time, we are in a fearful situation, whether real or our minds have carried us away,  let us cling even MORE to the powerful God we have WHO KNOWS ALL! Keep a close watch on the weather for safety, don’t tempt faith, fate, fireworks or fronts of storms. But DO trust that God will pull us through. Unfold the truth: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Keep your cool and keep hope.

Remember God does have a plan!

Amen 

A Letter to the Exiles
29 This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. (This was after King Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.

This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

I am pre-writing as I am travelling…

My local family have remarked how they longed for the 1950’s and a great time – that their childhood and everything much simpler then… Well, that is awesome – but it does mean that things were simpler then simply because they were kids, and as a child, one is really cared for and usually sheltered. So probably not because times were simpler or easier for society – but society (and/or the powers that be) blessed them/us with joy…  Granted, the 1950s economically was better in the American economy after pulling out of the depression – and my local family grew up on a farm and had more food than most in big cities, and yet we tend to see popular movies and society making an influence on “these were the good old days” – but in reality every time is different for different people… ignorance is bliss can be said in every generation. 

Amazing play I just saw, local theater production, and my youngest is on stage crew. Oh exciting for me to see set changes, and also what we donated from the farmhouse, newspapers magazines and they actually used them in one scene slamming on the ground, as the show touched upon tough topics while the couple tried to “pretend” they were living in the 50s. Oh fun and then the cliffhanger, then the 2nd half touched upon TOUGH subjects for any generation, including relationship norms, financial crisis, infidelity flirtatious, and fear of acceptance in the workplace, fear of change and wow… it was a show that made you think and squirm enough, but with a resolved ending (WHEW!). Yeah, life is precisely life, no matter which generation. 

As for my extended extended family in the big city in the 1930’s (for whom I have been learning about first time) living in the depression era in NYC, it was TOUGH – and yet they survived – survived with MANY mouths to feed too… The letters that later came in the 1950s showed happier times economically but the 30’s were tough. Also without long drama detailed – all the generations when family members are sick and dying are tough and sad… Yet the letters at the end said “love and kisses” – they still shared the love – as did they send Christmas cards that mentioned Christmas joy – even if Santa was poor those years…

Here is where we have best joy in God – we are His children and sheltered and we are taken care of free from sin and death – from illness and tears – in the time when we return HOME – to Heaven. We are also sheltered now so that we CAN experience JOY and explan Who gives us counsel. God does. Jesus carries us. The Holy Spirit moves us.

So for the meantime we need to tough it out here on earth, and we can make it BETTER for others as we live life… Life here has ups and downs – but we are to focus on His blessings – especially the ability to draw close to Him – remember happiness is fleeting but JOY is forever.

Were Times Simpler “In the Old Days”? Hmmm not so sure – but what I DO KNOW is that God’s Love NEVER changes.

I will always remember the LOVE in these letters – through the tough times and the reality of the real world – we KNOW that the most important thing is LOVE.

GOD LOVES US ALL  – we are HIS family.

Amen

Here are some letters from them which we found in our family farmhouse – letters dated in the 30’s:

“…got a new radio from our Pop for Christmas so that it keeps us in nights for a change and he likes it too because he at least has some company when he’s home alone….” from one cousin…

and from another cousin – about that same radio: “One day last week, Dad was up by Uncle Frank and they have a new radio and Dad said it is very nice…”

Then there are sorrow writings about the times: “… writes they don’t get much for their milk, eggs are 12 cents a dozen there. Here we pay 29cents for a lb of salt butter, and 39 cents for a dozen grade A eggs (that’s in the A&P store)…” (I think these are high prices to buy but low prices for farmers to not get money for their goods)…

Another letter: “We are all in good health although things here are poor. I have been out of work a long time so that we get along a best we could.”… “I hope you are all well and happy and we are. We are all busy now preparing for Christmas, which is just around the corner. Things here are pretty bad and lots of people are complaining but we have our health.”

The the nitty gritty of the death of family members too: “were quite surprised to read the note enclosed – Pop was quite unhappy to know when Aunt.. died… He was also sorry to hear about … but I guess we all have to go sometime.”… and another letter: “…We are all enjoying good health and Pa is picking up slowly. He asked me to write to you to let you know that Uncle … is very ill. He has been complaining for some time about his arm and as he could not stand it very much longer he went to the hospital and they found that he had some kind of lump under his arm. Before they could operate it burst and all the matter spread on his lungs so that he is a pretty sick man. He was operated on Friday night which happened to be his 63rd birthday and they didn’t let us know until yesterday or I would have written sooner…”

I am travelling and pre-writing these devotions.

During the beginning era of Covid and then for months afterwards, my friend and I would remember to count our blessings by counting the number of types of cheeses in our houses – and don’t forget that green can of parmesean which might be lost in your fridge. See, if we are SO blessed that we have food, let alone have THIS many varieties of cheese – just like my recent drawer reminded me (hey half these cheeses are for my adult kids – not me), then we MUST remember that we are blessed…  SO MANY CHEESES but even more blessings – even in covid era – even in hard times – even today. It is so good to count blessings and BE GRATEFUL (haha grated and grateful cheese – a cheese joke)…

I also recently had a turkey dinner made by the before mentioned adult kids who also enjoy cheese. (It is cool huh to have adult kids who adult!!!)…  Well, we had the extra free-ish turkey in the freezer since thanksgiving or christmas and well, time to use it up…  (It seems so long ago can’t even remember if it was a $10 10lb turkey or free) – and we enjoyed ice cream after, LOL – and popsicles for the 4th of July…  and sparklers… and since we feel like this is a staycation around the 4th of July and the HEAT, we are also thankful for air conditioning…

So – how do we show appreciation to God for our blessings? Well, we could grumble less, fear less, and not be so apathetic to the causes of others. I know this sounds like a soapbox but honestly it is also a pep-talk to myself – to complain less – is to remember the blessings.

(and while I am at it – I remember my blessings for this extra time during my time off from work – as well as the vacation trip that I am on – but also feel that need to DEPEND upon God for my next steps – really need God more than ever to reveal a plan! Meanwhile I will count my cheeses and count ON Jesus…)

I found a new to me sign in the trash – I have always been a trash picker – and it was overnight and then buried under another thing – it was a sign that was perfectly good and should have been donated (in my opinion) which said “Grateful for Blessings” – yeah… Well, I will keep it – maybe hang it outside since it is wood – and remember to be GRATEFUL – and to see the situations as opportunities to depend upon God…

Grateful and blessed…

Keep counting on God…

Amen

I am pre-writing these as I am travelling.

It was no joke, the weather, the temperature – early July and 100 – wow…

But under the tree in the walk that I attempted early one morning (only 80) – the temperature was SO MUCH COOLER – whew…  Then I noticed the whole hill was lined with trees and if I placed myself just right, I could/should have walked all morning in the shade – with a good hill for a good workout. I know that shade is a blessing – especially when you forget a hat.