I love putting my favorite fortune cookie sayings on my tape dispenser. My favorite one so far is: “Ignore previous cookie”. YEAH!
The rest I saved as inspiring messages like: “Keep your goals away from the trolls”, “Go for it you never know what happens next”, and sage advice like “Begin nothing until you have considered how it is to be finished” (I don’t take that advice much!)… I’m not saving ‘get rich quick’ promises because fortune telling is a form of idolatry and false hope, but I like the cute messages which gently inspire. “When you learn to be flexible, amazing opportunities reveal themselves.” TRUE! And “Today, some new connections will be very exciting indeed.” FUN!
Recently, but I don’t remember the circumstances, I opened a fortune cookie just as I was in a complicated thought process. I’m sure I was going for the sugar stress grab over the fortune advice, another form of a dangerous slippery slope of sweet yet sugar-soothing sin-stressing. But I knew best it is to trust the Lord and even keep faith in the trials. Well, I laughed at yet the best “fortune-ate” fortune saying from the cookie: “Love, because it is the only true adventure.” AHHH… YES…
Now, I’m ‘framing’ that statement in a Godly context (as well as taping it to my tape dispenser). LOVE. The advice was to look towards love. GOD IS LOVE, and Godly LOVE IS an ADVENTURE every day… I know you know that, we surely experience it.
Yes, we are to remember as well as appreciate all the Godly gifted reminders of how to love: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” from 1st Corinthians 13:4-7.
I don’t remember what that stress item was that cracked me and coincided as I cracked open the cookie and read the fortune for fun. That stress disappeared almost as fast as the cookie crunched, but I will remember what never disappeared nor disappears, God’s Love and counsel. You might forget everything else but don’t forget HIS LOVE.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 1Cor13:8
That is truth and not a fortune, but a fortunate find of KNOWING God’s adventurous LOVE every day – we best put TODAY in God’s Hands.
Amen
—
And here is the rest of the chapter, beginning and end with the love section in the middle as it always is:
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 1Cor13:1-3
…
For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the GREATEST of these is LOVE. 1Cor13:9-13
Applying the Power of Prayer is an everyday choice.
My cousins are doing preparations for my uncle’s memorial, couple weeks from now. In communications, our other cousins and I have been discussing travel via text and email and even phone calls. Prayers on getting there following prayers on if we are going. We discussed back and forth about driving vs flying, attending vs not, some wanting to go but being financially crunched, and the logistics of going with immediate or close-by extended family or not. When both my adult kids decided to go, it became a little easier to decide to fly, instead of the many hours car trip… It was and is both logistics and family need in consideration. I too have my tipping points of comfort.
Applying the Power of Prayer is an everyday choice. Prayers on getting there safely apply to both plane and car and train, packing and work and all. Prayers help. Prayers PLEASE the Lord. Prayers show we KNOW WHO IS IN CHARGE. Prayers acknowledge that we need the help of the Almighty. PRAYERS WORK.
APPLY PRAYER in everything.
One cousin was going to travel but now is not as she weighed it back and forth, and she prayed on it and decided she is going to stay home and send her best to everyone. In our discussion came relief for a decision. The prayers helped her for sure, she needed to have that assurance for she already had a gut feeling about not going.
Me too, my gut feeling of flying switched therefore from not a burden into more of an adventure with my crew, as well as a teaching moment in adulting with logistics of flying as waiting rather than driving. We could have arranged many choices, but THE RELIEF IS IN DECIDING and GOING WITH IT. Then steps to follow get laid down and you can return to other life planning. Best we pray and yet acknowledge multiple paths are viable, like ice cream flavors there are many GOOD choices in life. There might be bad choices in life too, but consulting the Lord is always GOOD. LISTENING IS EVEN BETTER.
Other and ALL planning and adventuring surely are best in ALIGNMENT WITH GOD, VIA PRAYERS FOR GUIDANCE. Respecting the absolute TRUTH that God’s ideas are above ours, makes us realize He sees the future best.
Best we not be too worldly and be weighted down. Applying prayers puts us on HIS FLIGHT.
Up Up and Up…
Amen
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:4-8
Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
Rejoice always, PRAY CONTINUALLY, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
I’ve heard HOPE, the word and sentiment, so often lately. Give HOPE, cling to HOPE, keep HOPE, HOPE in HOPE. This is for everything from health to the weather, hope in money situations, hope in restrictions lifted or applied, hope in understanding, hope in forgetting.
One HOPE we should be assured of, is forgiveness from the Lord. Jesus came and finished the biggest gap bridging. HOPE that we remember that, HOPE that we appreciate it, HOPE we act generous too reflecting our forgiveness.
HOPE in the Lord is assured. Actually we are told to not hope in people or riches of this world. Put our TRUST in situations YES we do this, we trust and we HAVE to trust in order to live, otherwise we would never book a plane flight, eat purchased food, or step outside. Yet HOPE is trust in the Lord in advance and in the present, especially knowing past accomplishment, that God STILL has everything under control.
And God is HOPEFUL for us, HOPE in our relationship and remembrance. HOPE to hear praises, HOPE for our TRUST. Jesus also preached that He HOPES people will not be deceived in this life, that we will focus on things above, we will keep looking to the BIG picture beyond our sight. We will look to the Lord in everything. “WE HAVE THIS HOPE AS AN ANCHOR FOR THE SOUL” Hebrews 6:19
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.Proverbs 13:12
Let the Lord be our HOPE. Let Him grow our branch, place fruit in our life, and fulfill our longings.
It’s a short month, February, and March comes quickly with warming weather. Oh I am going to get some outside things done if just for an hour today, and I should walk too… It is still winter and a cold snap we complain about, and yet it WAS nice to snuggle in, be indulgent (even too restful for myself) in indoors activities this short long winter… I’ve had not marathon TV days, but snippets of time in the evenings, good stuff and junk too… BLESSED online offerings too. I am in the middle of watching the Sight and Sound production of David, a tremendous overview of the shepherd boy turned king and hand-chosen ancestry to Jesus’s birth… David was a man after God’s Heart.
The music in this show came with pre-written lyrics – a musical after God’s heart – as David writer and singer of over 70 Psalms. The placement of certain Psalms in the scenes of his life connect the context to content. The lyrics set to melody in various arrangements from traditional to contemporary, are then placed at the appropriate time frame for David’s life: joyous in joy moments or expressing sadness and fear yet trusting God. Psalms of true lament, as David like us was flawed, and wrote and sang Psalms in reminders of God’s faithfulness by singing PRAISE.
A praise for the Lord God Almighty is purposeful and pertinent because the Lord Himself instills in us this ability to PRAISE. God fills us with love too as GOD IS LOVE and this means the opportunity is always appropriate to try to apply LOVE in tough situations with tough people. Tough love too. For extraordinary extravagant LOVE is God’s existence. Psalm 103 reminds: “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
A friend once said: “God has no choice but to love”… and for this we PRAISE! Psalm 56 states “I am under vows to you, my God; I will present my thank offerings to you.”
May we apply PRAISE and apply LOVE, today and always.
Amen
—
Psalm 103 Of David.
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses his deeds to the people of Israel: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children – with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
—-
Psalm 56 – For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam. When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.
Be merciful to me, my God, for my enemies are in hot pursuit; all day long they press their attack. My adversaries pursue me all day long; in their pride many are attacking me.
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
All day long they twist my words; all their schemes are for my ruin. They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, hoping to take my life. Because of their wickedness do not let them escape; in your anger, God, bring the nations down.
Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll – are they not in your record? Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise – in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?
I am under vows to you, my God; I will present my thank offerings to you. For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling,that I may walk before God in the light of life.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children – with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
—-
Psalm 56
For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam. When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.
Be merciful to me, my God, for my enemies are in hot pursuit; all day long they press their attack. My adversaries pursue me all day long; in their pride many are attacking me.
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
All day long they twist my words; all their schemes are for my ruin. They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, hoping to take my life. Because of their wickedness do not let them escape; in your anger, God, bring the nations down.
Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll – are they not in your record? Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise – in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?
I am under vows to you, my God; I will present my thank offerings to you. For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.
I feel complicit in encouraging RUSHING… I’m just as impatient as anyone… This past Sunday alone I rushed into a store from a made up parking spot, rushed a nice afternoon for a bit before savoring the time, and then later when I was so tired, I kinda influenced the uber eats driver, who was next to me, also waiting for an order, and we peeked at the bag name at the take out place… yeah, he took it and the clerk came out (after a long wait) to see he missed items in another bag… oops…
The wise observation from yet a third takeout soul, waiting with us, was: “COMMUNICATION [is what’s lacking in society]. If we ask, if we communicate, then we get a chance to learn and respond and agree where we might have disagreed.” TRUE! We should spend more time listening than speaking. Thinking rather than reacting.
And then he stated the BEST observation of the weekend: “God gave us a brain not a potato in our heads” – ah yes…
Yes, and in hindsight of my potato blight, I’ve seen when I was not so spud-tacular in my thinking nor communicating. Ah yes, I slim cut when I should have steak-cut my potato brainwaves in RUSHING… I spiral cut out of trouble mostly, but I often spliced when I should have just diced more bite-sized time. I mean even the seagulls WAIT for the perfect time to steal your fries.
Thank God that often we DON’T jump out of the frying pan and into the fryer. Thank God for WISDOM. We have the Lord to thank for that… See, when we feel our blood boil, let us try to wait and take conversations and urgency off the heat. Let us potato pancake rather than potato panic.
We rush, I rush. We oops, we yikes, and we get mad. I might brush it off like dirt off a potato, but the Lord actually covers us up (like melted butter on a hot salt potato) covered in GRACE. Thank you Lord for Holy Spirit conviction not condemnation for us all. If we want to finish this race, let us accept your GRACE.
I tried to apologize later for my impatience to the busy overworked wait staff at the take out counter (even if she wasn’t there to witness me and technically I only did a little thing by ignoring that sign that said “don’t step behind the counter” to read a name not mine) and I was thankful she even gave me a free drink for waiting that I should/ could/ would have paid for… But really I should/ could/ would apologize to the Lord for going overboard – as each time I step into a faux pas, don’t guard my heart and allow it to influence my brain, mashing my potato, I appreciate His mercy and grace in forgiveness for our sinful ways. He knows our name, should wait for Him to call it.
Jesus came to bear our sin, bring us back on the path. No matter how minor or major, He’s the judge of the intention, His love weighs the heart.
Lord, I bow my potato brain and all the sour cream of crud I could stew… I melt cheese over my geeeez… You make my life all gravy. Let me focus more than I fondue. Lord, I love YOU!!! Lord, thank You!!!
Amen…
Please read Proverbs 4:5-13; 23-27 of Solomon teaching his son and us about wisdom:
“Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown.”
…
“Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.”
…
ABOVE ALL ELSE, GUARD YOUR HEART, FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO FLOWS FROM IT.
…
Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
Picture perfect day at the Jersey Shore Polar Plunge for Special Olympics and absorbing the whole day – even an “easy parking spot” – not a problem to simply pay… 8000 plungers made their way – and 100,000 watching – we enjoyed all = everything that made the day!
…
Here is some poetry to process the day:
More Fun Under the Sun
What have you done today, JUST FOR FUN?
Take a moment, under the Sun!
When have you allowed yourself a GOOD RUN?
I like to enjoy everything including a Polar Plunge.
.
No snow no clouds couldn’t keep us away from these crowds.
Not parking problems nor pushing, no one is even shushing.
A moment taken for the best day to feel everything made it an easy way.
Pump up your adrenaline and shout your best hooray – today was a day to play!
Life is more fun – under the sun!
Location Location Vacation
Location location location,
That can make life feel like a vacation.
A fuzzy bear and a funny hat,
Joy is how we approach all that.
Appreciating life in the sun.
Warming in the fun.
People who please,
Put you at ease.
Let’s keep and USE our wits,
Finding the right best hat that fits.
Adjust your mindset to a life not filled with regret.
Location Location Vacation
Entertaining Angels (well, seniors at a ticket kiosk)
I entertained some angels, you could say,
Why not enjoy the day in this way?
Well, 80 yr olds in hats and gloves.
Of Merry Go Rounds we all shared a love.
.
It was marvelous electronically one could go beep beep beep,
As a 4 dollars ticket price was not so steep. (3 for seniors!)
These angels rode in fashionable style,
And I watched them for a while.
.
I know that being young,
Should include old-fashioned fun,
Take life in our best stride,
And ride out our days on a Merry-go-round ride.
.
Entertaining Angels is a small part,
Of what makes us happy inside our heart.
Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:1-2
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us… Psalm 46:10-11
He has MADE us for this purpose – to live forever and live in the NOW.
He has SAVED us for this purpose – to LOVE Him forever and for loving Him in NOW. Love others too.
He has MADE and SAVED us for this purpose – LOVE HIM and TRUST HIM!
In THIS Time – FOR THIS TIME – Queen Esther is our example. I recently finished watching the elaborate musical theater Sight and Sound production online, a tremendous performance and released online right in the middle of our covid-era. The added precautions yes, but the necessary release as a live performance on television plus now online recording means God has additional opportunities to share His message. We learn so much of His protection in our study of Esther (and in how we got out of the covid-era).
In Queen Esther’s life, we learn of the sacrifices she made for her time to save the Hebrews from persecution – yes to save herself – save Mordecai – but also to RISK her life to save her people who worshiped the One True God. In doing this, and taking down an evil pursuer troublemaker, she would preserve all the Jewish peoples for they knew from their line of King David, and fathers Jacob, Abraham, that the Messiah would come to earth to save ALL Jew and Gentile in prophecy fulfillment.
Queen Esther was born for that time and that purpose – and how about us? May we not be needing to take down empires but yes we are to call on God to chip away the pursuit of evil in our midst. We are for THIS TIME and THIS PURPOSE – which starts with the basic purpose that we LOVE our God Who Loves us. And TRUST the God Who Loves us. And ACT under His presence and protection.
I spend much of my time cleaning up things – but not as much as I spend leaving things around – it is a losing battle but also one that we wage everyday if we choose to – we’ve got lots of stuff here in our modern day – just don’t let it accumulate to trip you up.
I’ve been cleaning in my family farmhouse – I call it cleaning UP not cleaning out – no need to move stuff anywhere but the good stuff is buried in the not needed stuff. I try to clean up at home before the not-needed stuff encumbers and covers my good stuff that I DO want people to save one day. I was reminded of a task I did last month, cleaning a closet in the church basement, which I knew was next to the heater and safer that way plus just stuff was lost and tossed in there. I pulled out old Sunday school materials from 10 years prior, study guides, even an old film projector surely from the 60’s. It was important to clean up and condense, yet appreciate the past efforts to build community in the church. I just left the film projector – someone else can rediscover that treasure later. The books I put up on a shelf of a lending library because the best shared part of the Word is when you lend an assist to another person. HOPE and LIFE freely given.
Of course one of my favorite finds this week was the little birthday book from my great aunt – with non-scriptural but witty proverbs and poems – plus important scriptures like finding Psalm 27 after reading and writing about Psalm 27, and to add the Hat Trick – I SHARED Psalm 27 – sometimes WE are the ones who create the “coincidences” that we long to see in the world. The CLEAN UP portion of cleaning is to decide what helps other get UP or stay UP – or believe UP – and turn their faith UP. That is our goal too – to “FAITH UP” each day – look up and look into HIS Ultimate CLEAN UP – Salvation.
The little book provided a proverb “It is far better to do well than to say well.” paired with the whole John 21 scripture statement by Peter: “Lord, Thou knowest all things.” – and that is a GREAT CLEAN UP scripture – because just before the risen Jesus had breakfast on the beach for the disciples who met Him at the sea of Galilee, Jesus had told them to “fish over on THAT side” – and wow did they “clean up” gathering so many many fish. Jesus knew where to “clean up” – and He still does – His Salvation is a net of collection and wash – Jesus cleans us up with forgiveness – Grace and Mercy – and a clean of His Blood ransoming our sins.
So let us clean up our HOPE – for Jesus cleansed and cleans and He calls us back to reinstate our clean slate – like He did for Peter in that John 21 chapter, also urging Peter to “feed my sheep”. Jesus also reminds us to HOPE – like the witty non-scriptural saying: “Hope is as cheap as despair” – true – might as well HOPE rather than despair.
Jesus is our CLEAN UP – so let us FAITH UP!
AMEN
—
Here is the scripture for Clean Up Clean Up – Faith UP!
John 21 NKJV Breakfast by the Sea After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?”
They answered Him, “No.”
And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.
Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.”
Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.
This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.
Jesus Restores Peter So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”
And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”
The Beloved Disciple and His Book Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”
Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”
Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?”
This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.
And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord. Isaiah 54:17b
I recently told my daughter, as we drove, that the apartment complex on the way to her work was where a friend of ours used to live before she passed from diabetic coma about 5 years ago, passed way too young and yet lived a full life to that point. My family loved her and she loved us and surely shaped a kind heart in our children as their forever Sunday School teacher and VBS craft lady. She was the sweetest and loved the Lord and loved people, most generous even when she was living on borrowed time and borrowed dime. She knew was not perfect, never pretended that. and knew she needed the Lord and people. She was in frail health with asthma and more, I’m appreciative that she didn’t fret through our covid-era of uncertainty that folks with good health freaked out in. I’m thankful that she is in Heaven for the most important reasons of wholeness in healing and seeing and embracing our Savior Jesus. I’m so thankful for the calmness of Heaven knowing God is in control even in the current spiritual battles waged for us in spiritual realms. I am thankful for knowing that now.
My friend was in my dream just this morning, she looked well, a white blouse, sat calmly next to me, I rarely saw her calm, and she spoke of something that now escapes my awake mind, only that we spoke of the realization that she was past into Heaven, knowing calmness, and passing good vibes back to us on the other side of the holy divide, (and maybe passing good candy too, lol)… Interesting dream that disappeared from my mind so rapidly like a vapor, even I wrote a wonderful devotion in that pre-awake moment, in my head, gone now, all I remember was there’s Isaiah scripture to now look up pertaining… give me one minute… ah yes.
Ah, there are so MANY good scriptures in Isaiah of being certain that the Lord fights our battles, wins our wars, lives to lead us, died to save us, rose to rescue us, and now calms us in any storm including death. Jesus is our Salvation and STRENGTH.
Interesting how we are to think of STRENGTH for the day, and we need it. Especially we need to have STRENGTHEN to remember God has a calmness in Heaven which could be passed to us on earth if we remember that He has everything under control. Nothing in His Word returns void.
Yes, better than heavenly candy is heavenly calmness that we will have, let us tap into that now, today, and be strong to live the life we are called to live. “Awake, awake, arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength!”
Amen
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Here are a few Isaiah scriptures, please do read for STRENGTH:
This is what the Lord says: “Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed.” Isaiah 56:1
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“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah 55:8-12
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The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. Isaiah 52:10
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“Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have taken my instruction to heart: Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals or be terrified by their insults. For the moth will eat them up like a garment; the worm will devour them like wool. But my righteousness will last forever, my salvation through all generations.
Awake, awake, arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength! Isaiah 51:7-9
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…. ISAIAH WRITES 500 YEARS PRIOR IN PROPHECY AS IF JESUS HAS ALREADY COME HAD ALREADY WON – HE HAD HE HAS HE WILL HE WON.
All of Isaiah 53:
Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
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“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you,…” Isaiah 55:1-3
You ever been down rabbit holes? Earthly holes no, but worldly ones yes! Me too! Those goose-chase activities to find answers, but the goose or rabbit unobtainable and you get lost in focusing on a distraction. Plus you might be wasting time (like clicking on endless web browser links) or you might be enriched in knowledge, like reading an encyclopedia of tidbits while chasing down something else. Rabbit holes could be fun with “other stuff” you dig up – or a rainy day project. Rabbit holes can be distracting from other obvious things to look at and do.
I DON’T think there are rabbit holes of faith-leading. I instead believe there are faith-leading openings that might appear like a rabbit hole of intricately faceted issues or distraction, but are instead Light-leadings of Spirit and flattening plains of stepping stones. Follow in Faith because the Lord is purposeful. Sometimes we have a foot stuck in worldliness and either we pop it out quickly, or it settles in like slow quicksand, or we apply Living Water by inquiries to Jesus of why? how? when? which brings us to WHO, oh YOU JESUS.
Once we release our angst to Jesus, the Living Water makes our stuck soil into not just the mud release but includes a wash off in one sigh of faith realized. Freed. The Lord levels the steps we take when we walk with Him rather than anticipate the problem hike.
Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path…
It’s not the steps of life, but the fear of taking them which hinders us.
The Lord is the strength of my life.
Let the Lord LEAD… intricate knowledge… simple signs… sheep gated gallops .. Wholeness views over hole-ness of distraction. In-His-Temple-protection and safely being placed upon a rock high enough to see all that the Lord has accomplished for us and brought us through – all while listening for His Shepherd voice and focusing all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord…
When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
BELIEVE.
Amen
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Psalm 27 NKJV
An Exuberant Declaration of Faith
A Psalm of David.
The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident.
One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.” Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the Lord will take care of me.
Teach me Your way, O Lord, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; For false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence. I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!
The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
It’s good to be home visiting, checking in with family.
It’s a blessing to be old enough with appreciation of life and the past and yet young enough to have tools of knowledge and curiosity and yet realize you can’t remember or record everything… The curiosity skills can serve you well at any age, even if you only get snippets of info, and sometimes that’s enough. It becomes clear, especially at generational discussions (otherwise known as the kitchen table at older family gatherings), that even with formal education and general upward moment, that each generation loses as much as it gains in knowledge, maybe loses more.
My aunt, like my mom, is a wealth of knowledge, but we can’t capture but a snippet of family history, let alone local history, agricultural history, construction practices, friends and family and cultural sharing resources, and all the volumes of “how it was in the good old days” – which were pretty hard too and bad sometimes! Actually life in the late 1800s was TOUGH, made the 1950s look like dream living. Life in the 50’s was also tough, so how dare we complain about today!
Within my aunt’s farmhouse saving collections upon collections of 3 plus generations, there are items of my great grandparents and their siblings. Items of importance and not. It’s taking much sorting through the 1970s 1980s 1990s excessive living to dig down deep, deep to 80’s, 50’s, 20’s… And finding Items like a birthday calendar book is a treat. I can capture the info succinctly for future reference with my phone, but the act of these items curated is a caring and personal collection feeling. Tidbits like birthdays and weddings including mine were written on pages of proverbs and scripture.
“The secret to success is constancy of purpose.” YES!
“A place for everything, and everything in its place.” YES! (This is wisdom from Benjamin Franklin that shows up on my birthday page.)
We also found my great grandfather’s union dues book from 1920’s, my great grandmother’s census ID card from 1917. Interesting times back then and well documented if you invest the time to learn.
There is a good PBS documentary about “The Gilded Age”, but I believe that we should consider our age: “THE GIFTED AGE.” – Because we can see history and we can remember that it’s important to remember.
One last treasure to tell you is of an item, not gold or money, that I found: pressed leaves and penny plant seeds in a newspaper from last century. We always collected these as a kid and generations have… It’s not valuable stuff that is most important to us often. Perhaps that’s our best “gifted generational item, it’s our memories of people and family and love.
The scripture I love from the book of birthdays: “Little children abide in Him.” And John as an old man was writing to the younger generations 2000 years ago, we must do the same… Don’t love the world, but do love the people in the world…
Amen
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1John 2:14-17, 24-28
I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
On Not Loving the World
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
…
As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—eternal life.
I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
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FYI
“The Gilded Age | Full Documentary | AMERICAN EXPERIENCE | PBS” on YouTube
“THIS IS WHAT 82 LOOKS LIKE!” my mom said! A marvelous birthday day, so grateful. I gave her 82 hearts themed gifts (after 79 , 80, 81 numbers of gifts in different themes for the last few years)… She loved it – of course you could give my mom a handful of mud and she would love it. Blessed to have her. These hearts were heart photo magnets, heart candy and cookies, bubble wands, scratch off heart tickets, and a photo canvas laid out of 82 doily hearts, plus a sign made of glued conversation hearts. Different and fun to prep. Unique like my mom. Fun like my mom. Love-filled like my mom.
We played scrabble and bananagram at home, and when we went out to see family mid-day, we drove fine but stepped best through the treacherous old ice under the parking lot snow, opting to walk on the grass often. Hidden ice so dangerous.
Commemoration is good, my aunt we visited quickly grabbed a birthday snack, I had like the perfectly sprinkled little donut. Pretty.
A number of years ago I remember about a vacation bible school theme of God being good no matter what. And one presentation included Joshua (Moses’s successor in leading the Israelites) crossing the Jordan River after God parted it, and of Joshua using rocks to commemorate the Lord’s achievement. Joshua used the rocks held by each of the 12 tribes of Jacob’s sons. They commemorated victory of the day by God’s unique way of saving them. The river closed back up after they crossed and the neighboring nations became afraid of this POWERFUL God.
Joshua laid down tracks and stones, because God was and IS good. We should commemorate God being good too in laying down our hearts and our humble praise for He can give day by day victories. God is POWERFUL and can move rivers, obstacles, and lay down new paths for us. REMEMBER, we only cross obstacles when we come to them, so take life one day at a time.
My mom is a heart-worthy praise – I’m so grateful to God for her. Our Lord is heart-laying-down praise.
God is good… All the time…
Amen
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Joshua 3-5:1 NIV
Crossing the Jordan
Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. After three days the officers went throughout the camp, giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.”
Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.
And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”
Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”
So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.
When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”
So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.
Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over, and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came to the other side while the people watched. The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them. About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war.
That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.
Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant law to come up out of the Jordan.”
So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.”
And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before.
On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”
Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted in fear and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.
Oh, the radio feed of the people watching and doing play by play of the super bowl victory parade was palpable joy. Oh, the comradery spirit I could feel expressed itself in tears as I listened, while driving, and I could feel/hear tears choking up the commentators – for not the win of the game but the win of the city-wide, worldwide JOY and thankfulness and EXUBERANCE. An EXUBERANCE that we CAN be exuberant. WOW. It was great weather too. Fair-weather fans of teams, who root for the local win, were combined with the die-hard fans who never gave up hope in a team of underdog grit and determination.
Jesus is not a fair-weather fan, He sticks with you in the storms, in the gutter of a season, ESPECIALLY when you feel down and out. And then, on our part, we can reach back and up and out to Him riding the waves of JOY, as in a parade, as well as when we feel washed up on shore… Jesus rescue comes before we sink.
And what about our eternal JOY – if we feel born again into our new lives as God’s children, shouldn’t we ride that wave of EXUBERANCE?
Two old blogs came to mind recently when chatting with a friend who is having recent crying spells and sadness. I thought about how we could cherish the water of our tears, even if maybe only in hindsight, because it meant/means we are still alive, still able to feel and not hardened by the world, and compassionate for situations of pain, including ours.
Jesus wept too – His relationship weeping in the death scene of Lazarus included weeping for those sisters and onlookers who didn’t realize that in Jesus and in God and in Spirit, death of body comes one time but death of connection to God comes continuously. There is good promise for us in death, therefore Jesus was feeling the pain of both wordly separation and divine divide of people not remembering peace and promise in ever-after. In Jesus’s Salvation, we have completed and complete healing. In Jesus’s presence, we have a go to that never leaves, His comfort.
These blogs I hope are good for helping us with healing in both relationship and separation times, by reminding us to be RELYING UPON THE LORD, in Spirit and Truth – in all times – at all times – for all time – especially NOW and especially for our tough days… They say that those who hurt the most are held the MOST close to Jesus… I believe that is TRUE… I believe that IN SPIRIT and in TRUTH.
Amen
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These are 2 healing writings I wrote both for myself and for others, worthy of resharing. I could edit my original first section “By design I realize now that our hearts are human for aching but Holy for healing” to add: “we are weak to be strong” – which I know now is what Paul wrote – that in our weakness, HE is strong!
———- 1 ———-
Heart Hydration Healing Hope
By design I realize now that our hearts are human for aching but Holy for healing. First step in Healing is Hydration. Dried ripped pieces, and the cavity they came from, can be fed again with a trickle of loving water even if dormant for a long time… Visualize torn heart strips touching then seeping in the water of creeping love that buckles and bends them up from their onion skin-like frailty as they come back to life. Imagine grayness starting to feel colorful in delight. Delicate stillness of repair that is not human, the dip of the pieces into healing hydration and see osmotic not cosmetic changes taking hold.
Some pieces are lost, maybe you can keep living without them, other surrounding areas will compensate and you won’t crumble. Maybe some areas are too calloused to recover. Some pieces blew just out of reach, you can see them but chasing after them is probably not worth it – not compared to now harnessing the useable power of your now reworked hydrated heart to simply move forward. Use what you have regained so far.. Walk away from the worthless worries. Work into newness...
Someday your heart will replump enough to be ready… Embrace the journey… Learn.
Maybe you are being healed by Him for Him…
Holy hydration, when You are ready, my heart is Yours to give… Your to use… Yours to keep… Yours always…
Embrace the journey to healing…
——– 2 ——-
Closure to Open a Holy Thursday Reflection
A counselor once told me: “You need closure, so that you can open up fully…”
I thought that was an interesting juxtaposition of terms – of closing to be open…
I’ve been praying on that irony… and I understand. To close wounds allows us to redirect our energy, our purpose, our hope. God heals and we help by allowing Him to do His work.
The Living Water of Jesus was purposefully directed to us, His flow allows us to LIVE.
A rose waiting to bloom is ready to open, but not until directed cues cause the water to enter the petals, the cells to expand, and a bloom form for the eye to behold…. see, feel, smell the sweet aroma of life.
Can you see your heart like a rose ready to bloom? God holds your heart petals together. Can you see how the closures of leaks would not remove the water that may have leaked thru the tears but redirects the water into hydrating flow that will grow you? He will bloom you. He makes all things beautiful…
“You need closure, to open fully…”
Jesus thru His death and resurrection brings back the sweet aroma of life, today, everyday, evermore. Back to the Garden… Easter is the opening, the redirection of His Spirit for our future to be realized in the present – God wants to be known. He blooms new life into us because of closure of Jesus’s short earthly form. The flow of Living Water now available for all.
“You need closure, to open fully…”
Closure is a process none of us takes lightly, nor can we try to force it… Any time we need closure, remember that it’s because Loving God wants redirecting of His Life in and thru you… to open you… to bloom… to bear fruit…. to LIVE… to LIVE now… to LIVE again…
My mind kept returning to the taste I had developed for the pizza that was on its way to my house and mouth… mmmmm…. my kid had asked if I could order for pick up, way home from work, favorite pizza place… I called it in.. I always steal a slice, and yet leftovers are also now amazing heated up in the new air fryer… the cheese melts so good… use one of the paper trays for no clean up… mmmmm… I digress… and digest…
There was no pizza yet, but a phone call, everything OK but not. On the way to the pizza place, new driver kid was pulled over for not changing lanes away from emergency vehicles in the shoulder… it’s an old law but newly enforced, and rats not known to this new driver.. 2 cops with lights on the side, one left to pull my kid over, ugh, the fear of not even knowing why you are being pulled over, a citation comes in the mail later, up to 500 dollars for 1st offenders… and I said, and the pizza guy said, in consolation, to take the incident to court to fight the points and maybe fight the fine…
We will see… I just now read about how these things can turn to good – like a multimillionaire had a car accident once that made him get a job to pay off his brothers car and that lead him to be a media mogul and built his career…. hmmmm – getting ahead of myself….
But the anticipation of the ticket, the harm of the scare, the second guessing of “if I only didn’t crave that pizza I would have been in the other lane…” It’s life.. we second guess… and we get overwhelmed in fear… and oh the tears – I’ve been there… but we need to remember those who have not “been there- done that” – walk in their shoes for a bit…
And as a mom, I’m grateful for being the phone call, the ear to chew, the consoling mom, the “we will do this together, it will be alright” voice… all the while my brain realized that I was back thinking of the pizza… how worldly we are as humans… crazy… me especially… if we’ve “been there done that” – we worry less and move on – we do and we forget others are still having this as a new experience – like I’ve been to potentially scary court scenes twice to beg down tickets – with what I thought was valid concerns – I was more fearful of the increase in insurance etc than the fear of walking into court. God gave me the strength not the bravado…
If we just stay calm and state our case – court – even the pizza guy said that – but for a new thing to happen to a young driver and young person, this is the fear expressed into tears and the lessons to learn….
We have to embrace: “well we will work through it” – rather than “you were wronged” or “they targeted you” – because they might have just put the good fear of God into his driving – this is a lesson for the rules of the road to “get over” – as well as slow down, which was what the officer said, you should have at least slowed down.
Thank you Lord for problems, that’s what the scriptures say. How will you work this “blessing” into something for good? He will – we just need faith to let it melt our fear… Well, depend upon God every day…
Here’s my poem:
Our worldliness of pizza clouded over our day,
My mom-ness was told to be in play, My kid’s tears I couldn’t wipe away.
The pizza couldn’t save the day.
The tears, they should be okay,
Overflowing tears are an outlet in a Healing Way.
Jesus-dependence wins the day.
Be THANKFUL for tough spots, because they make us DEPEND upon God either Way.
(And the pizza in the air fryer tomorrow will make my tomorrow day)…
My Uncle Joe, last of my father’s brothers, passed on Sunday morning. I learned late morning, between giving my sermon on Elijah with big gusto joy – and the Eagles superbowl big gusto win, important win for the city of Brotherly Love. My Uncle Joe was many years active and his body was giving out – but his spirit was certainly flying high all the time – he had the best smile and laugh – level headed and much success in business, not that that matters in ALL of life’s purposes, because LOVE is most important, read Corinthians 13 for anything without love is just noise. GRATEFULLY, my uncle – all my uncles and dad and our families were and are FILLED with LOVE.
In general for my uncle, we saw that emotional calmness plus good and God smarts goes far. Uncle Joe lived not extravagant but smart for allowing and building comfort in his family. This was and is a success story of taking care of family in big ways – and them taking care of each other – brotherly love – they cared for each other – and our immediate family traveled a lot to see each of them, my Dad was youngest, the oldest was a number of years older then the other 5, as his mom passed away young and their father, my grandfather whom I never met, remarried to my grandmother. So grateful their blended house was never an issue according to my dad and uncles – of course they were all great and they were all different too.
Ah – Joseph of the bible, was taking care of his brothers – I just finished watching Sight and Sound production of the story, link is below, marvelous story, of trouble and redemption, pain and forgiveness, this is a story we find Jesus in spirit and strength for sure inside Joseph’s character. We also see troubled brothers with jealousy but ultimately the best line in this section of the Bible: “what you meant for evil, God meant for good.” Because Joseph became the ultimate rags to riches who then saved nations and families and these brothers and families who become no less than the twelve tribes of Israel.
Building upon brotherly love – brotherly shove AND brotherly love. May we all be so faithful and so forgiving as Joseph. If you haven’t read the story or watched the story, I highly recommend it.
And as we connect with family now during these newly tough days after my uncle has passed, we are GRATEFUL for these brothers who became pillars for our families now.
And thank you Lord for building families, Yours from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob into David and Jesus and opening for Gentiles and Jews alike. Leading the Way for us all to understand LOVE in Jesus, ultimate LOVE.
Amen and thank you for prayers for my uncle’s family.
1 Corinthians 13 NKJV The Greatest Gift Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
SIGHT AND SOUND – I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE ONLINE STREAMING SUBSCRIPTION, I’m going to use a couple months at only $9 to watch them all this winter: https://www.sight-sound.com/tv
And the long wonderful scripture story of Joseph, Jacob, from Genesis 37-50:
It’s probably because I was watching the star of the movie “Wicked”, Cynthia Erivo, in an interview, because I woke up singing “It’s time to try defying gravity… I think I’ll try defying gravity… And you can’t pull me down…”
It’s catchy, I’ve enjoyed the musical since it first came out 10 or more years ago, love the twists of the plot line, even if we really wish we could fix the misunderstandings of her powers, and make everyone and everything live happily ever after. I am surely a Pollyanna – but you got to go with optimism…
The movie version is good, if only it was FULL LENGTH like the musical, then again that’s too long without intermission. I’m looking forward to the second part later this year. That’s OK, I know how it “ends” – all made up of course.
Defying gravity – maybe we can think of not flying through the air, but Defying gravity of a situation. I don’t mean ignoring true gravity of sadness and horror, tragic circumstances too which may not be corrected. I mean defying the deliberate pull downs of ruining JOY, or evil ways trying to pull the darkness over light – it can’t do that.
Love never fails, try defying “gravity” with that!
God is LOVE and we have JOY to break our earthly tethers and to keep moving even if the grief of life. Laugh through the tears and look bigger picture. Yes, cry when others cry – but rise up in knowing “Joy comes in the morning”
Jesus Himself knew to look past the evil knocking people down – many times defying Satan on individual scales, plus the ultimate defying gravity of RISING FROM THE DEAD. We know how it ends – with a new beginning – let us remember to not let this world hold us down – we are but travelers – and our home is Heaven.
Jesus wants us to believe in His Ultimate Win, and trust and praise God in all circumstances. Whether raising Peter’s mother-in-law from the dead, or chasing out impure spirits who know His Name and Power and Almightyness, Jesus Overcomes and so can we.
I can imagine Jesus singing movie lyrics too: “If we work in tandem, There’s no fight we cannot win, Just you and I, defying gravity, With you and I defying gravity, They’ll never bring us down”…
EXACTLY !!! Joy, Love, and Defying Gravity. Jesus will lift us up!
Amen
Luke 4:31-44
Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit
Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority.
In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
“Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.
All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!” And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.
Jesus Heals Many
Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.
At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.
At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
Psalm 30 NKJV The Blessedness of Answered Prayer – A Psalm. A Song at the dedication of the house of David.
I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me. O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
Now in my prosperity I said, “I shall never be moved.” Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face, and I was troubled.
I cried out to You, O Lord; And to the Lord I made supplication: “What profit is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth? Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper!”
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
In the middle of my day, after my joy of sharing my sermon on Elijah like a big football advance, and before the big game and clear celebrations or condolences, my cousin messaged me the sad news of her father, my uncle, passing away that morning. It was a shock of sudden even if he was going downhill very much, and yet to know he passed in his peaceful sleep after a good life lived, is a gift in itself… all will be well one day when we see each other in heaven. Jesus crossed the finish line of this race first… His Holy Spirit leads the Way.
here’s a poem for the day:
Holy Spirit Stay, please monitor our day, please put the joy into play, even for those whose day is grey. Holy Spirit, heal today. Holy Spirit Lead the Way.
SO EXCITED to be sharing God’s Word TODAY – Superbowl Sunday!
We will have tailgating, shaking off the pregame jitters, a good huddle, the HALFTIME SHOW, hunkering down in the 3rd quarter, chariots of fire and angel reinforcements in the 4th, OVERTIME!
Let’s cheer for Prophet ELIJAH!!! E – L – I – J – A – H ! ELIJAH! It’s a God Thing…
PREGAME – The Children’s Message
So – let’s start with TAILGATING WITH GOD! Yeah, we love game day food. Here’s an amazing story INTERESTING way food was provided by God! Even in a drought! God called upon a man named ELIJAH – to be a prophet – which is God’s way of sending out information and advice – to talk to people thru a prophet who would tell them what is going to happen and how it would go down.
Well – God needed ELIJAH to do a lot of things – but there were people who were not supportive of either Elijah or any prophets of God – they wanted to hold the power and do their own thing…
Two people, a couple, Ahab and Jezebel were king and queen of Israel, in the time well before Jesus came to earth. Jezebel – you may have heard that name as a troublemaker – and she and and Ahab stopped listening to our One True God, in favor of the worship of Baal and Asherah – false made up gods. Jezebel was responsible for the deaths of many of God’s prophets. Prophets were holy people who listened to God and tried to help the people by telling them what God wished. Prophet Elijah – a good guy – was trying to do God’s work. But there were people chasing him… It was a bad scene – but God got him thru it and kept him safe.
Do you think it is a good thing to talk to God and trust God when we feel unsafe or scared or lacking something? Yes – we all have jobs to do – and if God asks us to go somewhere or do something – surely we are to remember that He is with us – just like now.
God said to Elijah: “… I am sending you to the children of Israel who have, as a nation, rebelled against Me; – do not be afraid of them – nor be afraid of their words – You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or not… “
So Elijah did go talk to Ahab!!! Elijah was to Announce a Great Drought – he said directly to Ahab the king, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my [God’s] word.”
So Elijah did what God asked even it was unpopular – and God protected him – then God told Elijah to hide in a Ravine. God sent THE BIRDS! Yes – football birds? NO – RAVENS – God said “You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.”
What??? – YES! The ravens – which are black birds like crows – brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
God took care of ELIJAH – God sent him “into the game” – Will God take care of us in whatever tasks He asks? Yes, He will – and He will use AMAZING ways – sometimes even the birds – All creation is in His Power – used for Good. Amen Let’s pray: Lord – you won the coin toss of this game of life before we even stepped onto the field – you have us safe and already headed home – we have the home team advantage with You, Lord.– may we always trust You – AMEN
SERMON 1st Quarter…
Now – like Football – ELIJAH is feeling out how he is going to play in this game – of course it is not a game but you know Elijah had those pre-game jitters (and middle of the game jitters too – but he hit the field!
YIKES – that football and farmer’s field would have been BONE DRY – remember God send a drought – surely to teach king Ahab a lesson about His Almighty power. – SO that brook dried up – where the ravens were bringing Elijah food and he was drinking – so God sent him to on a journey.
God said: “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
“As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.” YES THINGS WERE DIRE !!!
Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said.But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’” She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
AWESOME… ELIJAH surely was strengthened in both his travels and in his assurance that God would take care of Him – and whatever God’s plan was with him and the people…
This is great because the Second Quarter? – oh – now the game was getting tougher – and tragedy struck for the widow – and it was time for Elijah to have a really important HUDDLE with God!
Second Quarter… breathing life into the game…
Here is the story: “Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. The woman said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”
“Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. Then he cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”
The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and HE LIVED. Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!”
Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”
Now this huddle of Elijah and God was so key – Elijah could see the problem and questions God – and we too must regroup = this might seem like a retreat into the locker room sometimes and not come out until we are rehabilitated – like from an injury – or sometimes we play hurt… We see Elijah has performed a miracle for the boy – and his mother – this is reminiscent of the miracles that Jesus performed healing the sick and raising the dead like Lazarus and Jarius’s daughter = these acts are for the people watching to understand the mercy of God and the POWER of God. We too must realize that God can breath life into our lives = into our game plans – and often uses our friends to get us rallied and back onto the field…
HALFTIME !!!!!!!!!!
Woohoo!!! It’s TIME FOR THE HALFTIME SPECTACULAR!!! This grandeur is unparalleled – for God’s got something to show Ahab (and Jezebel and the false prophets) by – through the real Elijah devotion of working on God’s behalf. !!!
Let’s set the stage for this powerful production! Elijah is daring enough to talk to King Ahab directly – he does not believe in the almighty God of the Israelites – think Elijah is the trouble maker. But really Elijah is the truth teller – a prophet sent from God: he said to Ahab “I have not made trouble for Israel,” – “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. [that’s the fake god they worship] – Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Queen Jezebel’s table.”
And they gathered on the mountain – Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing. Then Elijah said to them, “Get two bulls for us – cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord.The god who answers by fire—he is God.”
WOW WOW WOW – what a challenge – and the false prophets of the false god called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. THAT is quite the half time spectacular song and dance but with no fire – NOTHING HAPPENED with a fake god… At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” – So they shouted louder – continued until evening – But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.
Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”
WHAT???? Did you ever see Prince doing the half time show in the POURING RAIN? Playing purple rain? This is 4 LARGE jugs of water poured all over the altar and all that dry wood he just placed!
“Do it again,” he said, “Do it a third time,” he ordered – water ran down the altar and even filled the trench.
Elijah prayed: “Lord, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”
This was not just a show – this was a SPECTACULAR POWER DISPLAY OF GOD – WOW !!!
*** THE POINT IS GOD WANTED THEM TO TURN THEIR HEARTS BACK TO HIM ***
3rd Quarter = time for Elijah to hunker down
WOW – you can imagine that Ahab and Jezebel are not happy with Elijah now!!!!
And Elijah had one of those “are you sure Lord that this is really the way? Am I really OK? Can I really go on? God surely gave Elijah the knowledge and the protection – to keep moving – and the power of the Lord came on Elijah and he ran down the field – he kept moving!!!!! Yes –
Elijah is back on the field, bit oh, the other team is chasing Elijah, YIKES
19 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and even killed false prophetss – So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life – went a day’s journey into the wilderness… Elijah said: Wait, time out time out!!!
Elijah needs a break…
He came to a bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night.
Elijah is so exhausted, all this running! The chase and the people are against him… he has no strength, who does God send? The sideline crew comes running onto the field. Gatorade and medical care. Actually ANGELS came at God’s request to tend to Elijah. Food and sleep…
Then Elijah rested… isn’t that us too, an awful day, people chasing us or maybe we just perceive the fight and our minds run away from us – it’s awful, awful. God wants us to rest, calls a time out to sleep, eat something, God says His mercies are fresh each morning.
Elijah is watching the world in turmoil – God says well, yes, but you’re still on my team and I need you… and the people, they need you…
And here is that scripture that gives me chills –
We are to remember that the Lord is ON the field with Elijah – and us – again from 1st Kings
The word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Elijah replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came. When you get there, anoint a new king – and anoint Elisha as a new prophet to succeed you…
The Lord gave instructions to keep moving… think of the whisper- maybe in football terms Elijah and we have the best in helmet headset microphone system that connects us directly to God.
May we yield to the Holy Spirit even and especially in a whisper, listening close…
Let’s get back on the field, it’s the 4th quarter…
4th Quarter – 2nd Kings 1-2 NIV
Elijah needs no “Hail Mary” football toss – Elijah is instructed by the Lord to keep running the ball – which you may know runs out the clock on the other team…
Elijah had a continuous mission to show the others who worshiped the false gods that the One True God was the ONLY God.. and even if others were worshiping – or wanting to worship false gods like Baal – again and again, Elijah was clearly gifted with responses that came from God’s Power. The fire of God fell from heaven and consumed more than just altars and sacrifices now – it consumed Elijah’s enemies too.
SO – here is the last game play in this earthly superbowl of Elijah –
ELIJAH PASSED THE BALL – NOT TAKING CONTINUED GLORY FOR HIMSELF – knowing he was a team player: ELIJAH PASSED THE BALL TO ELISHA – ANOTHER PROPHET –
Here is the scripture: As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.
Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.
Yeah – God’s power was still on the field… and Elisha continued God’s work – Elisha even had a second experience of seeing God’s chariots of fire – the Angel Armies – later on the servant prophet Elisha would pray for another servant to see: “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
YES – we too have angel armies all around us – they are fighting for us in today’s world – fighting an invisible-to-us fight in the heavenly realms – remember that God is with you and He IS fighting for you!
FOREVER OVERTIME !!!!
SO WHAT ABOUT THE END OF THIS GAME? IT WAS A SUPER SPECTACULAR SUPERBOWL RIGHT?
BUT ELIJAH WAS TAKEN UP TO HEAVEN – HE DIDN’T DIE BUT GOT RELOCATED – GOD SENT ELIJAH INTO FOREVER OVERTIME!!!
Let us rework the song lyrics now – “FLY ELIJAH FLY!!! God has won this Victory…”
‘So in conclusion to my sermon of a prophet man who stayed in the game with God’s grace and mercy – encouraging us that we can do this too!
And it is written in the scriptures that Elijah is the messenger for Jesus to come – it is
Overtime for Elijah – and we do see him again – a special guest appearance in the transfiguration of Jesus – from Matthew 17 – Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
And all of them saw a bright cloud covering, and heard a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” – WOW –
Jesus said: “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him” – the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist. John the Baptist like Elijah was calling for people to repent – to ask forgiveness for going astray – and that is us too – Jesus asks us to believe in Him – in the power of God – to worship the Almighty…
So please pray with me:
Lord, it is not a victory lap that Elijah is having in heaven but still working the sidelines of earth inside the real workings of Heaven. As Elijah is in overtime – may we also be in our bonus time – the real life experiences of living for God and keeping moving up the field… May we know that there are sometimes turnovers and intentional grounding of strenuous times of life – but God has got this – and we will overcome with His help = with His angels tending to us too. May we, Lord, Trust and obey You – AMEN
It’s the prediction of a snow storm that gets SOME of us EXCITED. A friend was looking forward to 5-8 inches fresh powder for skiing, I just like the clean look of snow and the excuse of inside relaxing tonight, as the next few weekends I will be busy outside of the house.
I am of course excited for the big game tomorrow, which I plan to enjoy on a couch at home. Our biggest concern, and I bless you the same, would be WHAT to eat rather than IF we can eat. May we all be blessed with place and provision.
A big IF exists for food insecure folks, especially kids in tough situations. A family filled with love can still have empty bellies. Our church is running a food drive collection for non-perishables. Provisions are blessings to share. And if shared with us, may we beam the Light of the Lord going forth, paying it forward… God provided, provides, will provide. God is the ultimate power before, now, and in the future.
Food was not an issue yesterday at my work tailgating fun party… Whew, so much food… Comradery abounded too in sharing… I was so full that I didn’t even mind the later separate evening fundraising event I went to after, a puppy bowl charity with work friends, had run out of food, well practically run out for the last of us. I did get an apple cider donut, that was more than enough. The chef said it was more that people were taking big helpings, but I digress (and digest). Honestly I am still full this next day from work, but I gleaned some chicken wings, in the fridge, and chocolate cake leftovers. That’s not gleaning of course, just seeing leftovers not going to waste, yeah. Yeah blessed. I’m warmed in heart more than you know for the joys we find in workplace families, we have to kindle those too.
Gleaning is the biblical benefit given to many poor, food insecure, folks working in the fields, to collect leftovers from the first round of harvest so that they too could eat. It was God-commanded and realized in the time of Ruth, who gleaned even as a foreigner Moabite in the area of Bethlehem with her Israelite (Judah-born) mother-in-law Naomi who returned from painful hardships of losing husband and sons. Naomi was bitter at the painful life she felt the Lord had dealt her, but even her situation was worked back into both the storyline of God’s chosen people as well as Jesus’s birth line family tree. Naomi saw the faith rekindle in her, gleaned hope.
Ruth gleaned grain. And in so feeding the people, God regained a remnant of holy spirit-seeded-lineage people to keep the prophesy alive that the Messiah would come through “David’s house”. The HOPE planted was cultivated by trusting God, Yahweh.
The “Sight and Sound” video of RUTH, which I just watched and highly recommend, was as part of an easy $8.99 monthly subscription (or $5 one-time) showing online: https://www.sight-sound.tv/browse I plan to watch them all in my downtime for resting in this winter. The musical scenes of angst and of truly divine HOPE. Hope for more than a meal, for a satisfaction of soul. And that’s what Ruth realized, and that spilled over to Naomi. The people remembered that God provides.
A joy of provisions shared to others by Boaz was also joy received by the Lord’s provisions of PURPOSE to Boaz. Such JOY is given by God to experience the gift of giving. Boaz is overwhelmed with the blessings God gives in return. Likewise the Lord rejoices with His children returning to Him. God’s greatest gift is Jesus’s salvation to bring us back to Him. All who hunger FOR HIM are satisfied IN HIM.
There is no one on earth, nor food or provisions, that we should put in front of us, distracting us from our Redeemer, Jesus the Bread of Life.
Be SOUL satisfied.
Amen
—
The story of Ruth, Boaz and Naomi in the Word of the Lord FULFILLING THE SOUL SATISFYINGLY: Jesus is our Guardian Redeemer
“May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
—
Psalm 107 NKJV by David in Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving to the Lord for His Great Works of Deliverance
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south.
They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; They found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, Their soul fainted in them. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He delivered them out of their distresses. And He led them forth by the right way, That they might go to a city for a dwelling place. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Bound in affliction and irons – Because they rebelled against the words of God, And despised the counsel of the Most High, Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; They fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He has broken the gates of bronze, And cut the bars of iron in two.
Fools, because of their transgression, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted. Their soul abhorred all manner of food, And they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with rejoicing.
Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters, They see the works of the Lord, And His wonders in the deep. For He commands and raises the stormy wind, Which lifts up the waves of the sea. They mount up to the heavens, They go down again to the depths; Their soul melts because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits’ end. Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, So that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him in the company of the elders.
He turns rivers into a wilderness, And the watersprings into dry ground; A fruitful land into barrenness, For the wickedness of those who dwell in it. He turns a wilderness into pools of water, And dry land into watersprings. There He makes the hungry dwell, That they may establish a city for a dwelling place, And sow fields and plant vineyards, That they may yield a fruitful harvest. He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly; And He does not let their cattle decrease.
When they are diminished and brought low Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow, He pours contempt on princes, And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way; Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, And makes their families like a flock. The righteous see it and rejoice, And all iniquity stops its mouth.
Whoever is wise will observe these things, And they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord
I uncovered a tiny devotion book I’ve held on to, “Windows towards God”, which I say “found me” 10 years ago. I feel like the Holy Spirit left it there for me. Now I don’t read it often but I treasure the little reminders of my big-memory faith journey items. “Windows towards God”… The writings are very short and to the point, yet tell wonderful stories that really connect you with how faith comes to us to strengthen us…
I think most of these stories ring true no matter what generation, this book is 75 years old, that must remind us that God’s Word is ETERNAL.
Not all devotions hit you just right all the time, but the tiny devotion I read today reminds us of how GRATEFUL we can be for the sunshine – not just the light but the hope – not just the physical sunshine and warmth but the OUTLOOK for it. Seek it out.
The sun is obscured too much during darkness, the little devotion says, but the sunshine comes through… And the sunshine comes through the cracks for the people struggling with health issues, physical and emotional crisis, and downtrodden times… There’s an internal light just trying to reach to us as well as break out of us, because remember, the darkness has not overcome the LIGHT.
I remember my friend telling a story where it was pitch black camping and they gave each camper just a birthday candle, the tiniest of lights, yet so intense. Therefore we also must be hopeful and follow HIS LIGHT. The smallest of hope is the biggest brightest part of our lives.
A favorite thing I heard this week: “If we say that ‘we’re hanging on by a thread’, it needs to be coming from the hem of Jesus’s robe.” Jesus IS our LIGHT. May we always LOOK and see Him when all else is confusingly dark, black as night, or when we truly are face down in suffering. Let the Lord lift our eyes, our countenance and our hope.
Amen…
Look for the sunshine through the cracks… and the LIGHT within.
I prepared for this ice storm and I have to say that they got this forecast spot on! freezing rain and ice this morning but warmed up and cleared up by noon – we saw it coming – we know to stay in – and my prayers for those forced to venture out… I would say to appreciate this “mini-lockdown” – and see what God is having you learn in it…
I can say this because an ice lockdown for me 10 years ago was SO SO SO IMPORTANT in my faith journey – the first 6 weeks of awakening – and the writings that I hid (but knew later were the most instrumental in processing and writing down my journey for others) – remind me of God’s faithfulness.
So – 10 years ago the ice storm here was awful and dangerous and not predicted as far as we knew. and we were stuck at the girl scout event – a great one I must say – we were overnight rockclimbing and sleeping on the mats in the gym… cool… (sleeping after the dance party that is) My daughter was a teen then and these were the oldest girls in the troop – now, 4 troops later my troop leader has girls just a bit younger than this age – scouting is the amazing blessing my family has enjoyed for years…
This was 4 weeks into my awakening 6 weeks. My troop leader was and is amazing and gave me support and comfort when neither she (nor I) knew WHY the events of the evening set me so philosophical thinking… God knew – and God gave me space and ice to get me thinking – and what a blessing to have written out my journey. These writings are the raw originals with edits only for grammar and typos.
Here are the 2 writings from 10 years ago and such blessings to remember…
TRUST GOD in life today and every day and especially in the ice…
Amen
Writing #31 (make sure to read #32 after this one)
Rock Climbing and Life Lessons, 17Jan2015
Tonight I failed, twice. Everyone is fine, but rock climbing fails can be fatal. We are fine and having fun rock climbing with the girl scouts. But I failed my “belaying test”… was I over confident? Or just a beginner’s mistake? I got my hand caught in the mechanism and I was stuck and in pain… I was testing so the trainer had the rope too he had my back and the person wouldn’t have fallen (this time) but still I was in pain and I twice lifted my hand off… he failed me right there… says it happens all the time, he will retest me in the morning… I was and am upset at myself, for over confidence, for not working thru the pain… for taking my eyes off the climber and my hands off the rope…now, I know this was a common mistake the first time doing it… but I hate to fail… and worse I interpret everything that happens these days as God trying to tell me something… and I relate this to my helping people… what if I extend my hand, my ear, my compassion, and then let go of the rope?… what if I take my eye off the climber… if I am going to stand for something and offer to help and be bold in what I do… how am I going to handle it if the person falls?… I try to watch out for people… I feel pride sometimes in helping people whereas I should feel prayer not pride… I should feel humble that God showed me someone hurting… chose me to help…
I ask myself, what if I can’t stay consistent… I will so try try try! There is no easy answer… my tears… I had to remove myself from the fun scout event in this overwhelming sorrow and stress. I was so blessed to have my troop leader, my silly sister, come up beside me… comfort me and tell me what I would tell anyone else… these things happen.,. and you can’t always prevent the crashes… you can’t always stop the pain…
Tomorrow I will take that test again… I am going to put myself out there again… and I am going to pray and keep my eye steady and my hands moving, listen and watch… it’s too important to me to not help people, it’s too important for me to not trust God…
My second fail tonight was my lack of trust and my motions on the rope may have caused my belayer to slip with her hand too… she will be ok, but more painful than mine… her hand was stuck… I didn’t trust when I saw too much slack in the rope… I didn’t trust and she got hurt… I found I was next to a fenced wall and scaled it as fast as I could… Sometimes God closes a door but opens a window… I scaled myself to safety.
So how can I trust God unfailingly? I am weak and only God can help me learn how to trust Him 100%. I have to trust… I have to get out of the way and just put 100% of my trust in Him,… otherwise it is going to cause someone pain and I will come crashing down.
Writing #32 (make sure to read #31 before this)
This is an important follow up to last night’s post… It is not lost on me that while hot tea would be appropriate to drink here on the cozy couch by the Christmas tree (I wrote this after I got home from the ice storm) that instead the extra drink from my kids’ happy meal is (yes) ICE tea… I am drinking ICE tea…
And God Sent ICE, 18Jan
After my fails at belaying and trusting during rock climbing, I couldn’t wait to get back this morning to try again. Luckily we stayed overnight; I had good therapy of silly moms until 1am, a good solid five hours sleep. We had 2 hours to climb in the morning. but I knew I had to leave an hour early to get to church class… and because of Girl Scout falling ill with fever, I was leaving even earlier – which meant only half an hour of climbing for my daughter… she was not happy at the least because rock climbing appears to be her life calling now…
But then God sent ICE. Icy freezing rain covering everything… Church at 8 o’clock cancelled 9 o’clock canceled… I zip through social media , phone calls, texts … will my 10 o’clock class be cancelled too?.. prayerfully hoping (not that we should have left anyway because the roads were the worst… shut downs, many car pileups)… ICE…terrible to say, but the JOY as I knew they would cancel, and they did… I could tell my daughter that she could climb the whole two hours… and climb she did, wow she is amazing!
After the flurry of texting etc about church canceled, I turned my attention to myself… it was time to retrain, refocus, retest … it was time to belay again, this time I was so determined, practiced and said I will belay my own daughter… I will never take my eye off of her… I would give my whole hand to keep her from falling… not worry about a possible pinch like I got last night. Well, she was too exhausted, I asked for a volunteer… guess what? The daughter of my friend who I left hanging last night when I pinched my hand… she is the one who volunteered… yes I would give my hand for this daughter too… With steady, even-keeled serious Keith our trainer, by my side, we started the test… she climbed, I belayed, I gave her advice for foot holds… I had good technique Keith assured me… I didn’t take my eye off her… She was to randomly fall four times in my test…she did, I found the right position for my hands… I didn’t drop her or forget about her… I saw her safely back to the wall… and safely down when we were done. I passed. No, I didn’t make a fuss… quiet victory, humbled achievement.
Now that I am certified, and my daughter will be wanting to go to the climbing gym, I know there will be more pain and pinches ahead… but I have better technique, better focus… it is not just rock climbing I am talking about… it’s counseling, it’s reaching out to people, it’s LIFE. Focus on your technique, never lose sight of the climber, keep the faith, and pray for God’s guidance.
The ice gave me extra time to climb my personal mountain, made us slow down and not be overconfident on our drive home… And on my ride home, one of my teenage passengers was named Grace. I drove home with Grace, the free and unmerited favor from God.
Efficient Sufficient Proficient Magnificent SIGNIFICANT – EVIDENT – God is amazing and we can be RELIANT upon Him.
During our recent camping trip, the amazing growth of one of our girl scouts was so evident – a wonder and amazement – really a miracle in God’s many miracles every day – and in some HUGE ways… How better to show faith than to trust God and praise God and rely on God.
She was born with issues – from liver issues – so sick for years and her family was on the search for a living liver donor – but her condition was so grave that she was upgraded on the donor list and at a tender age of 4, she got a life saving liver transplant – wow – searching and searching our prayers while God provided one – and then one day before leaving the hospital, the liver failed – actually liver transplant replacements usually fail from the connections of the blood vessels to the recipient from the stress of transplant. And another liver was available – she thrived – not without issues – and forever on anti-rejection medicine and dealing with common issues for that – but thriving… THRIVING, STAYING-ALIVE-ING, and with more energy than ever.
Truly an example of where we know God has intervened in this topsy turvy world we live in… How else to describe the power and energy to move forward than to rely on God. He is all that we need.
In a writing from a few years ago, I wrote that God is Efficient Sufficient Proficient Magnificent and SIGNIFICANT. God is our All in All – and here is the poem I wrote those many years ago to praise Him – to say that we can proceed thru today with our faith and by our faith.
Thank You Lord for taking care of our little BIG scout!
AMEN
Efficient Sufficient Proficient Magnificent
What wisdom can I bring to the understanding of how God IS SIGNIFICANT?
MY EXPERIENCE that:
His Word is Efficient.
His Way Proficient.
His Works Sufficient.
His Wholeness Magnificent.
He shares succinctly to today. We can’t and won’t know enough in our own questioning, BUT we COULD be satisfied, if just for today, only through our faith.
In faith:
Wise men walked.
Wandering men wondered.
Willing hearts heard.
Wonder-filled men worshiped.
Willingly would we?
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
His Word is Efficient
“For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord Almighty is his name. I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand — I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’” Isaiah 51:15-16
His Way is Sufficient
“Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant?Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God.” Isaiah 50:10
His Works are Proficient
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. Isaiah 53:10
His Wholeness is Magnificent.
“To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again. Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. “Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with lapis lazuli. I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones. All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.” Isaiah 54:9-13
My friend and I took photos of each other sitting on the bench, looking out at the water, pondering life… but honestly it was just the briefest of pauses, not even a minute each. Looking at the photos now gives us the time to ponder the moment and the lack of mayhem just then, but we quickly moved on as we were walking around the small lake with the scout campers.
We pondered just that moment that we got to sit, we could see the marvelous glory of God’s creations, sky, clouds, trees, water, creatures, sunshine, even mud (snow certainly had melted off there). We each ponder differently, but surely the instant we groaned in a sigh of relief was a prayer of praise that we made it there – the whole THERE – there as in: we got to camp, we got outside, we were alive, and ESPECIALLY with the acknowledgement of BEING BLESSED.
THANK YOU LORD FOR BLESSINGS AND FOR US KNOWING THAT YOU ARE THE ONE GIVING BLESSINGS.
It was the briefest of sitting down and oh what perfect bench support for our backs, that’s what we chatted about on the bench, that support, we both needed it with bad backs and with sleeping on floor mats. We both needed it, the SUPPORT of life, better backs to live better, and God’s backing to live best.
… all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be…
That’s ponder worthy: God has our back. God loves us to hold us close.
Thank you Lord, for blessings known and unknown. May I ponder YOU all the days of my life.
Amen
Psalm 139:13-18 NIV
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.
There is so much good in good Girl Scout camping – I could never write enough – thank you for buying all the girl scout cookies and funding camp. I loved the box of firewood so conveniently boxed in a peanut butter sandwich orange box outside one of the other lodges. I am SO THANKFUL to our scout moms who organize it all and run such a fun rewarding experience for the girls – even up to senior year and then they can come to be co-leaders!
Girl scout camp is not just the best getaway for fun – it is like a “slice of heaven” away from the outside world. Yes the outside world is never too far away – and gratefully the girls were device free for the weekend. The news certainly could crash in (plane crashes, fires, you name it) – but the purpose of this camping is to build resilience, teamwork, skills, and camaraderie – which surely these girls will and would need when returning to their normal lives… In other words, we are now building the “Good Ole Days” for their futures. Camping is the “Good NOW days”. and isn’t that the truth – the Lord allows us time to be His kids – enjoying and learning…
And trust me, the real world is still really present – yet we had the time to divest our angst and just talk about how we handle the times – and the girls are not immune – this one girl had terrible homesickness – which our leader was able to distract her from and find the real cause of the issue and in the discussions with mom (an easy phone call home helps) we learned that she believes her breast cancer scare and recovery 2 years ago impacted her daughter’s coping right now. And another older girl was learning her own set of coping skills as this young lady had a tragedy in her family losing a sister to violence, and our leader and the other girls around her were able to have a heart to heart discussion – these are the times where we need our sister scout friends – to guide us through tough times.
And of course – the tears come to my eyes when we sat down with a beautiful growing strengthened young lady at the fireplace – for our annual photos – three scout moms could never replace having her mom, our friend, who would have been at camp with us if her health had allowed. This is one year anniversary now for our friend to have passed away and this child is amazing in growing up – a resilient kid – friend to all – and the least trouble – she listens and plays with the other so well – it is necessary for you to remember she had 2 liver transplants like 6 or 7 years ago – now she is that healthy… AMAZING… God is Good!
Remember that we also had tragedies in our youth – but our parents sheltered us too – we got to play when tragedies were occurring in the news – and that is the blessing of God our Father too – Who shelters us from the biggest storms.
So camp activities! And yes eating our standard winter camp fare – cheese balls and twizzlers for evening snack Friday – pancakes and bacon for breakfast Saturday – grilled cheese and hotdogs lunch (eliminated peanut butter and jelly or fluffernutters now that some are allergic) and then the big spaghetti and meatballs and salad dinner Saturday night – family style – with smores for snack – Sunday is cereal and muffins and fruit all weekend and celery and carrot sticks all weekend – and did I mention CHEESE BALLS?!!!! camp food never tasted so good! Was great to walk to digest – a short walk just across the parking lot to the lake and away from the parking lot lights. the stars were amazing – the photos are from my friend’s phone – she figured out the night mode… seeing the stars so bright plus the moon – we saw 4 planets visible and there were 2 not visible – we were under Orion the hunter and Taurus the Bull and Canis Major (the dog star Sirius) and Cassiopeia the lady sitting in the chair and the Pleiades which are the seven sisters used as the image of the Subaru logo.
Nature hikes and science experiments and painting and card games and Bananagrams and bracelet making. We took a hike around the lake and later a few of us went to where the littlest Daisy girls were staying. You realize how BIG the little girls are when there are even littler younger ones there – and what a joy for me to see 4 of our girls run two science experiments for the littlest ones at their cabin. We enjoyed isolating strawberry DNA, making slime, making homemade playdough, making pH color changes for the red cabbage juice with vinegar and baking soda. They were really good to go with the slime and the elephant toothpaste experiment too – once it was set up the girls had free reign – this is camp and yes you can trust them with food coloring and controlled messes… it all washes…
Camp beauty – an out of state friend questioned the other nature photos on the last email, if the photos of the glorious views were from this season and this weekend – and yes they were! We all had 50 degrees and rain that Friday – and then it got chillier 40 when we walked on Saturday with the breeze starting – and then 20 chilly degrees on Sunday morning warmed to the 30s or 40 when we packed up at noon – both glorious sunny Saturday and Sunday. Yes, in some photos there are some fall color leaves seen – we had a cold snap after a very very warm September and October – so when the cold hit, some of the trees didn’t have time to finish to excise their leaves – since the leaves were holding on so long…
Isn’t the truth – Praise God for holding onto us – holding on forever…. I am thankful to Him for allowing me to get to camp!!! It was yummy, funny, science-y, stary-night-ly, and scout-sisterly… Blessedly!
—
Camping in such absolute beauty,
PRAISE of God in awe is my duty.
Getting here is so convenient,
Escaping here was exactly needed.
The walks are worth the chill,
The natural views are our certain thrill.
Some rain, some sun, certainly lots of fun.
As the time with friends is the best still.
Make new friends and keep the old,
Some are silver and the others gold…
Girl Scout Camp
Girl Scout Camp
Gee um, I’m in NO hurry to get home.
Yes um, this place is Camp home…
Blessed and AMEN
——–
Thanks for letting me share – time to go back to reality – of course I am grateful for the time away to live in joy for God’s “Good NOW Days” as they later become the “Good Ole Days”…
Then rise, for God’s mercies are fresh each morning.
Let us not waste the new day, that is also God’s warning.
Don’t just pass the time,
Find your rhythm in life’s rhyme.
Live today like you are running out of time,
Or NOT. Honestly, just LIVE LIFE: ONE DAY AT A TIME.
Appreciate THIS moment in time.
Our life journey is Gifted Divine.
Wake up then zzzzzz rest best…
Thank You Lord today for Your Bless.
Amen
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lam 3:22-23
“I called on your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit; you heard my plea, ‘Do not close your ear to my cry for help!’ You came near when I called on you; you said, ‘Do not fear!’ “You have taken up my cause, O Lord; you have redeemed my life.” Lam 3:55-58
Well – 10 years – wow… How could I not send this at midnight – both because I can’t sleep yet at scout camping tonight AND for the wonderful 10 year anniversary of my awakening – wow – blessed – and a blessing to share it with you folks.
Fittingly I am up writing – yes just like the times 10 years ago where I had to write out my awakening at 2am – but these days it’s more normal at 5am… Well, tonight, up is a good thing because this weekend is camping – and Saturday morning I am HOPEFULLY sleeping at camp…
Chances are that it will be raining – and that is OK – because my whole awakening at the beginning I considered my “Christmas Flood” – and now life is my “Christ Flood Flow” – of living each day in His Living Water… wow…
SO – for this 10 years anniversary I am going to post both writings from that day – Feb 1st 2015 – see it was 6 weeks of awakening from Dec 2014 then Jan/Feb 2015, and then the day of KNOWING that I was 100% with Jesus. I could not and would not step back – no turning back no turning back…
YEAH, 100% with Jesus – this was not from someone asking or telling – but between me and the Lord – surveying my heart and soul and my mind – getting me in ALIGNMENT after a “Christmas Flood” of God interventions.
So Feb 1st – I am sharing two writings – Ripple and The Rising – from 2015…. yeah… Blessed to have the archive of my awakening at my fingertips…
Thank you for being part of my continued journey with Jesus…
Amen
——————————
Note these were entered and numbered AFTER about a year of writing once I figured out how/where to place them – in a blog.
My goal in this spiritual journey was to find peace for my conflicted brain and heart and then later on I thought that at least I would at least find my spiritual voice to lead the many church groups I am in charge of… but this ripple effect of seeing faith is the nicest present…
A great ripple of my faith journey is the hearing of the ripple effect into other people’s faith journeys – three directly told me today – a couple yesterday – people who are being more dedicated to their own prayers – people who are reading into things and praising more… even our pastor [PJ] alluded to it [my awakening] in both his sermons (didn’t hurt I was sitting smack dab in front of him in the second service 😉 haha).
Maybe even more felt this ripple effect – and I certainly got the direct eye contact of some people as I walked the halls of church today – I felt this ripple effect – and I didn’t feel it boastfully – but humbly…
So I pause now to remember and reflect that our faith journeys have to be ours – ours alone with God – yes with the help of others – but everyone has a different road… I pray my ripple effect is really to help people learn to praise – I have to praise God for this journey and everyone has to praise on their own – you have to praise all the time – good or bad you praise!
The song “Ripples” struck me yesterday – not even knowing what the title was – I was perusing a new old Grateful Dead album ) – “Ripples” still resonates with me today – because I know God needs to make the ripples (with no pebble tossed by man) and I pray that God ripples into my friends’ faiths like He did into mine.
“Ripple in still water…”
“Reach out your hand if your cup be empty. If your cup is full may it be again. Let it be known there is a fountain, That was not made by the hands of men”
————-
“Ripple”
Words by Robert Hunter; music by Jerry Garcia.
If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung Would you hear my voice come through the music Would you hold it near as it were your own?
It’s a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken Perhaps they’re better left unsung I don’t know, don’t really care Let there be songs to fill the air
Ripple in still water When there is no pebble tossed Nor wind to blow
Reach out your hand if your cup be empty If your cup is full may it be again Let it be known there is a fountain That was not made by the hands of men
There is a road, no simple highway Between the dawn and the dark of night And if you go no one may follow That path is for your steps alone
Ripple in still water When there is no pebble tossed Nor wind to blow
You who choose to lead must follow But if you fall you fall alone If you should stand then who’s to guide you? If I knew the way I would take you home
——————————-
Numbered #53
The Rising, 01FEB 2015
an email chain with my pastor whom I had not told until one week before this – that I was in this amazing journey – and he said he could tell… cool…
From: debbie Date: Sun, Feb 1, Subject: RE: thanks for great sermon To: Pastor Oh… I need to mention that I got a little lost on my way from the restaurant to my women’s retreat friend’s house… which brought me to road near the 911 garden of reflection… I had never stopped… but of course felt compelled to… I went and held onto the steel girder and prayed for those lost and for peace…I thought about the 3000 people Peter converted with one sermon all those years ago, and remembered it was 3000 people lost on 911… I prayed that they were found that day.
I picked up one of those plastic coins caught on the sculpture… turned it over… it was John 3:16… on Superbowl Sunday… my first time accepting 100%
Smiles…
On Feb 1, 2015 9:27 PM, “Pastor wrote: Thanks! The Spirit used you to inspire me.
—-
From: debbie Date: 02/01
To: Pastor
Subject: thanks for great sermon
that was a great sermon and “H” said she knew you were talking about me in the first service and I KNEW you were talking about me in the second service – I liked how you said something like – “just going to go with it…” and I thought you were very strong in your message… I was just smiling all the way through… 🙂
Post email note – I added links after the email chain:
Sting, one of my favorite artists performed a tribute to Bruce Springsteen, with his song “The Rising” – here are the links to Sting’s song and the original and live versions by Bruce – it is a tribute to a firefighter rising to the sky to the world trade center fires and then rising to heaven in that tragic day… was so on my mind the day I finally committed from 99.44% to 100% in my belief of Jesus that day at the 911 garden of reflection….
My goal in this spiritual journey was to find peace for my conflicted brain and heart and then later on I thought that at least I would at least find my spiritual voice to lead the many church groups I am in charge of… but this ripple effect of seeing faith is the nicest present…
A great ripple of my faith journey is the hearing of the ripple effect into other people’s faith journeys – three directly told me today – a couple yesterday – people who are being more dedicated to their own prayers – people who are reading into things and praising more… even our pastor alluded to it in both his sermons (didn’t hurt I was sitting smack dab in front of him in the second service haha).
Maybe even more felt this ripple effect – and I certainly got the direct eye contact of some people as I walked the halls of church today – I felt this ripple effect – and I didn’t feel it boastfully – but humbly…
(AND later in church I was running (yes running in church) in my new balance sneakers after a Sunday schooler – who decided he didn’t want to be there – he bolted all the way to fellowship hall… ugh… thankfully it was God’s timing for me to catch him – to rein him in. He was previously my kindergarten Sunday school student and that knowledge of him, and people in general, is INVALUABLE – if you can read the clues you can intercept…. you have to have open eyes to the clues… just like you have to praise or else the rocks will praise.)
So I pause now to remember and reflect that our faith journeys have to be ours – ours alone with God – yes with the help of others – but everyone has a different road… I pray my ripple effect is really to help people learn to praise – I have to praise God for this journey and everyone has to praise on their own – you have to praise all the time – good or bad you praise!
The song “Ripples” struck me yesterday – not even knowing what the title was – I was perusing a new old Grateful Dead album ) – “Ripples” still resonates with me today – because I know God needs to make the ripples (with no pebble tossed by man) and I pray that God ripples into my friends’ faiths like he did into mine.
Lord, may our cups be filled…
“Reach out your hand if your cup be empty If your cup is full may it be again Let it be known there is a fountain That was not made by the hands of men”
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“Ripple”
Words by Robert Hunter; music by Jerry Garcia.
If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung Would you hear my voice come through the music Would you hold it near as it were your own?
It’s a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken Perhaps they’re better left unsung I don’t know, don’t really care Let there be songs to fill the air
Ripple in still water When there is no pebble tossed Nor wind to blow
Reach out your hand if your cup be empty If your cup is full may it be again Let it be known there is a fountain That was not made by the hands of men
There is a road, no simple highway Between the dawn and the dark of night And if you go no one may follow That path is for your steps alone
Ripple in still water When there is no pebble tossed Nor wind to blow
You who choose to lead must follow But if you fall you fall alone If you should stand then who’s to guide you? If I knew the way I would take you home
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Numbered #53
The Rising, 01FEB 2015
An email chain with my pastor whom I had not told until one week before this – that I was in this amazing journey – and he said he could tell… cool…
From: debbie Date: Sun, Feb 1, Subject: RE: thanks for great sermon To: Pastor Oh… I need to mention that I got a little lost on my way from the restaurant to my women’s retreat friend’s house… which brought me to road near the 911 garden of reflection… I had never stopped… but of course felt compelled to… I went and held onto the steel girder and prayed for those lost and for peace… I thought about the 3000 people Peter converted with one sermon all those years ago, and remembered it was 3000 people lost on 911… I prayed that they were found that day.
I picked up one of those plastic coins caught on the sculpture… turned it over… it was John 3:16… on Superbowl Sunday… my first time accepting 100%
Smiles…
On Feb 1, 2015 9:27 PM, “Pastor wrote: Thanks! The Spirit used you to inspire me.
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From: debbie Date: 02/01
To: Pastor Subject: thanks for great sermon
that was a great sermon and “H” said she knew you were talking about me in the first service and I KNEW you were talking about me in the second service – I liked how you said something like – “just going to go with it…” and I thought you were very strong in your message… I was just smiling all the way through… 🙂
Post email note – I added these links after the email chain:
Sting, one of my favorite artists performed a tribute to Bruce Springsteen, with his song “The Rising” – here are the links to Sting’s song and the original and live versions by Bruce – it is a tribute to a firefighter rising to the sky to the world trade center fires and then rising to heaven in that tragic day… was so on my mind the day I finally committed from 99.44% to 100% in my belief of Jesus that day at the 911 garden of reflection….
haha).
Debbie Upper 