What an interesting day… and always make lemonade from lemons…

And the end story of the day is the same as the beginning story: Yes, God is more powerful and good then each of our days could be good (or bad or weird)… 

I can’t really tell you why I consider this day (yesterday) more weird than others lately, but I still do. It’s not just because I had a conversation about implanting brain chips in our heads – which I did – which I brought God into the conversation – a natural conversation about evil in the world, with a skeptical not paranoid person, someone skeptical of man and knowing the good stuff is used for evil… well, yeah, I agree, and so my thoughts and therefore my comments redirected the conversation towards “God’s bigger than even that. ” YEAH! 

Isn’t it great when God gives an apt reply!!!

Anyway, the whole day just kinda rolled weird – but sometimes you have to say keep rolling Lord, Keep Moving…

Here’s the rest of the day’s diatribe, because God and the cat were my listeners in the evening for typing, at least until my friend called me on the phone – a nice moment… and then God reminded me this morning to reinforce the writing with the actual scriptures which explain why we have these days.  You don’t have to read the rest, but the end sentence is God Wins!!!  (and my end scripture was gifted by God this morning – Isaiah 41-42 – God Wins…

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Today I started with thankfulness that I had pre-written a devotion that released electronically in the morning and so I could leave close to the crack of dawn as I could for an early morning meeting- but of course, I’m always late – but then with a big traffic tie up on the highway, my lateness became a mute point.  1.5 hrs in the car is OK taking the scenic back roads; and having an hour Bible study podcast for pondering, which included the dream that Pontius Pilate’s wife had about Jesus, which reminded me of a sermon I am going to write about God and dreams; plus I had a phone call to a fellow late person stuck in traffic.  Total 45 minutes late, but oh well I wasn’t the only one.  It was not the most exciting section we have covered but I do like the trainers and I do like talking to the people. (and it got me out of another meeting)…

Where was God in this? When I am bored or not sure why I am somewhere, I ask God: “why am I here?” Sometimes I believe it is for me to wait and maybe sit there resting my legs and getting to the point to ASK – that’s the purpose: that we ask. Plus I start rolling through my brain of blessings, I’m sitting peacefully, I am in A/C, oh yeah I’m being paid to sit here and learn (hopefully).

My favorite part of the morning was that I got to take photos of everybody together, then share the photos, cool… And my other favorite part was being distracted in the middle by looking at an email that said how a new important thing was in our hands briefly, cool. And also I enjoyed meeting new people in the kitchen during break. Then meeting new people in an online meeting. I really had to take that noon meeting that actually didn’t pertain to me, oh well, it was enough for me to be a friendly face willing to take the meeting! (remember still getting paid to sit there). Anyway, I met these people for an important project and I heard it was for my favorite client, cool… I then sat in the beginning part 2 repeat of the training to catch up what I missed being late 45 minutes (then got to take that 2nd group’s photo)… then skedaddle home for a windshield replacement.

WINDSHIELD – that is God too – our WINDSHIELD to – protecting us… (And yeah I was thankful for that windshield when that rock bounced at 100mph at me!)… So yes, windshield replacement. Yes, I had all my electronic gear and settled in for the 2 hours – busy place. Nice people in a tough spot – either explaining to customers the issues – or people with issues that are not as bad as they think…  Worth making lemonade out of the time… I did.

Where was God in this? He provides the sugar for the lemonade…  I did get a safe trip home for me for sure in half the time of the morning, an interesting set of people to chat with… And oh yeah, I had the faith to look for Him in the moment. God is in your mix whether you hand Him the spoon or not. 

1.5 hrs, that’s it for the windshield, not too bad, however the gentleman next to me had an early appointment, came back, they hadn’t even taken the car back yet, hmmm… and I finished before him, hmmm… and well what do you do but sit, delayed… His phone was dead, he asked if he could use my charger, SURE! 10 minutes later I was then done, I offered the charger, I had 2 including an old one, but he said thanks but no thanks… Sometimes it’s in the offering that God can give you the means to offer and that is enough… he had 6% battery and was happy enough. That’s gratefulness, when you had none but now some…

Ok, windshield, nice people, brain chip conversation… I gave just a little blurb to someone about what I do in science, which started us down the whole brain chips conversation. I could have stated: well good people do good things, like reattached artificial limbs that can move with new brain chips (cool!), I didn’t. I could have stated that no one had enough money to give EVERYONE a brain chip, we can’t even feed or find everyone – not everyone will get the brain chips, I didn’t. I could have changed the subject or ran away, I didn’t. But why Lord, was I in a brain chip conversation about good and evil? Ah, maybe and including to reinforce my belief that You, Lord, already said evil is in the world, that’s a true statement, reinforce me saying it, reinforce us commiserating it. But you have over come evil. (We are all driving cars with cracked windshields but God helps us see thru those cracks.)  

Speaking of God in that chatty (weird) conversation then brought some agreement, I did read his eyes, it’s something that looking directly at a person while looking in compassion does, try to get a read on that person – and it is OK in a friendly space with others around…  no fear – in 5 minutes… I’ve had lots of practice and yet am naive to do so too, but I could see the quieting of the conversation as we had no other place to go – my position was to speak about Revelation 20-22 without preaching it – just speak it in normal language and quiet the fear –  just the end result: “God wins“. He said once they install brain chips it’s game over. I said God is still bigger than that too. “God wins, you know“… maybe that’s what I should make t-shirts of: “God wins“… no, that’s not Game Over… no that’s not “TILT”… THAT IS “GOD WINS over evil, over everything, over all”… “You realize? God Wins! (Revelation 20-22 and Isaiah 41-42)”

Yeah… I need that on my windshield and my car too.

Fear and Fear-raising is an idol. Fear is a false idol used by the enemy to make us not trust in God. I have no doubt that evil in this world will get worse and worse to our eyes – not to everyone’s eyes which is the prediction of corruption, but to so many of us who are warned against it… Well, nothing quiets a conversation (even about evil and fear) more than speaking about God. Nothing raises higher or more conversation either, even if it is within your own brain later… and remember – that WHOLE waiting room of people heard that conversation too… Ears are open that God knows – you probably won’t know – but God does… I got my windshield and a new view NOT cracked. I got to see God putting me in places where He said just be yourself and just be MINE.  Cool… That is REALLY seeing clearly – even if still protected thru glass.

Clear view there… no brain chip needed, only rebirth in my head and a life to tread….

Don’t forget: God Wins…

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Revelation 20-22 here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2020-22&version=NIV;KJV

Isaiah 41-42:1-17 NIV

The Helper of Israel

“Be silent before me, you islands!

    Let the nations renew their strength!

Let them come forward and speak;

    let us meet together at the place of judgment.

“Who has stirred up one from the east,

    calling him in righteousness to his service?

He hands nations over to him

    and subdues kings before him.

He turns them to dust with his sword,

    to windblown chaff with his bow.

He pursues them and moves on unscathed,

    by a path his feet have not traveled before.

Who has done this and carried it through,

    calling forth the generations from the beginning?

I, the Lord—with the first of them

    and with the last—I am he.”

The islands have seen it and fear;

    the ends of the earth tremble.

They approach and come forward;

    they help each other

    and say to their companions, “Be strong!”

The metalworker encourages the goldsmith,

    and the one who smooths with the hammer

    spurs on the one who strikes the anvil.

One says of the welding, “It is good.”

    The other nails down the idol so it will not topple.

“But you, Israel, my servant,

    Jacob, whom I have chosen,

    you descendants of Abraham my friend,

I took you from the ends of the earth,

    from its farthest corners I called you.

I said, ‘You are my servant’;

    I have chosen you and have not rejected you.

So do not fear, for I am with you;

    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;

    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

“All who rage against you

    will surely be ashamed and disgraced;

those who oppose you

    will be as nothing and perish.

Though you search for your enemies,

    you will not find them.

Those who wage war against you

    will be as nothing at all.

For I am the Lord your God

    who takes hold of your right hand

and says to you, Do not fear;

    I will help you.

Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob,

    little Israel, do not fear,

for I myself will help you,” declares the Lord,

    your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

“See, I will make you into a threshing sledge,

    new and sharp, with many teeth.

You will thresh the mountains and crush them,

    and reduce the hills to chaff.

You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up,

    and a gale will blow them away.

But you will rejoice in the Lord

    and glory in the Holy One of Israel.

“The poor and needy search for water,

    but there is none;

    their tongues are parched with thirst.

But I the Lord will answer them;

    I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

I will make rivers flow on barren heights,

    and springs within the valleys.

I will turn the desert into pools of water,

    and the parched ground into springs.

I will put in the desert

    the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive.

I will set junipers in the wasteland,

    the fir and the cypress together,

so that people may see and know,

    may consider and understand,

that the hand of the Lord has done this,

    that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

“Present your case,” says the Lord.

    “Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.

“Tell us, you idols,

    what is going to happen.

Tell us what the former things were,

    so that we may consider them

    and know their final outcome.

Or declare to us the things to come,

     tell us what the future holds,

    so we may know that you are gods.

Do something, whether good or bad,

    so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear.

But you are less than nothing

    and your works are utterly worthless;

    whoever chooses you is detestable.

“I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes—

    one from the rising sun who calls on my name.

He treads on rulers as if they were mortar,

    as if he were a potter treading the clay.

Who told of this from the beginning, so we could know,

    or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’?

No one told of this, no one foretold it,

    no one heard any words from you.

I was the first to tell Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’

    I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news.

I look but there is no one—

    no one among the gods to give counsel,

    no one to give answer when I ask them.

See, they are all false!

    Their deeds amount to nothing;

    their images are but wind and confusion.

—

The Servant of the Lord
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
    and he will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout or cry out,
    or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
     he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
    In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
    who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
    who gives breath to its people,
    and life to those who walk on it:
“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
    I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people
    and a light for the Gentiles,
to open eyes that are blind,
    to free captives from prison
    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

“I am the Lord; that is my name!
    I will not yield my glory to another
    or my praise to idols.
See, the former things have taken place,
    and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
    I announce them to you.”

Song of Praise to the Lord
Sing to the Lord a new song,
    his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
    you islands, and all who live in them.
Let the wilderness and its towns raise their voices;
    let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela sing for joy;
    let them shout from the mountaintops.
Let them give glory to the Lord
    and proclaim his praise in the islands.
The Lord will march out like a champion,
    like a warrior he will stir up his zeal;
with a shout he will raise the battle cry
    and will triumph over his enemies.

“For a long time I have kept silent,
    I have been quiet and held myself back.
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
    I cry out, I gasp and pant.
I will lay waste the mountains and hills
    and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn rivers into islands
    and dry up the pools.
I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
    along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
    and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
    I will not forsake them.
But those who trust in idols,
    who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’
    will be turned back in utter shame.