blessings

Blessing to Those Who Believe, for the “Jesus-Wants to MEET You-ers”, Luke 1-2

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Fulfillment – Blessing – Strengthening – Peace

These are but a few of the benefits of knowing Jesus. 

Salvation – Forgiveness – HOPE – JOY – and FOREVERNESS

If you don’t know Jesus – at least know that JESUS WANTS TO MEET YOU

JESUS ALREADY KNOWS US – and each of our souls – souls leap at the knowledge of Jesus – one just has to feel the deep deep leap that is TRYING to be noticed…

Jesus, fully God and fully man, was fully “delivered” by the Holy Spirit before He was even born – and that FULFILLMENT of years of prophecy came first as a message from an Angel Gabriel to Mary, His earthly mothers womb, Mary.  John the Baptist, a prophet from God sent to pre-tell the world about Jesus Messiah, was 6 months grown in his mother’s womb, Mary’s relative Elizabeth. Baby John LEAPT FOR JOY in Elizabeth’s womb upon Mary’s visit to see her. “Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

Yes blessings abound for those who believe and for those who follow that leap that is deep – the knowledge of Jesus becomes the foundation of faith that continues to bless us – Jesus is the PROMISE fulfilled.

Jesus’s Arrival on Earth was pre-planned from the beginning – and His Return will be our next great prophecy fulfilled – in the meantime – KEEP THE FAITH!

KEEP THE FAITH

AMEN

Luke 1 section: Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told herfrom the Lord.”

Isaiah 9:6-7 NKJV Prophecy from hundreds of years prior: For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

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Luke 1-2 NKJV 
Dedication to Theophilus
Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.

John’s Birth Announced to Zacharias
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.

So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”  And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”

And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.

So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

Christ’s Birth Announced to Mary
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

*** Mary Visits Elizabeth

Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

***

The Song of Mary
And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.

Birth of John the Baptist
Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.

Circumcision of John the Baptist
So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. His mother answered and said, “No; he shall be called John.”

But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called.

And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” So they all marveled. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him.

Zacharias’ Prophecy
Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited and redeemed His people,
And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David,
As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets,
Who have been since the world began,
That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,
To perform the mercy promised to our fathers
And to remember His holy covenant,
The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:
To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

Christ Born of Mary
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Glory in the Highest
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Circumcision of Jesus
And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

Jesus Presented in the Temple
Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

Simeon Sees God’s Salvation
And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”

And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Anna Bears Witness to the Redeemer
Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

The Family Returns to Nazareth
So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

The Boy Jesus Amazes the Scholars
His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”

And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

Jesus Advances in Wisdom and Favor
Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Luke 1-2 NKJV – Dedication to Theophilus –  Here is a Bible Gateway link listening: https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/bubb/nkjv/Luke.1 or reading:https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%201-2&version=NKJV

BLESSED ASSURANCE AT OCEAN GROVE

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You know – not really ready for vacation but had to get ready and I had the car packed in waves of unorganized mess with 3 times as much as I need – but well, I plan to get some time to organize this week – a week of vacation… Ahhhhh….

And so – not knowing but then knowing – whether it would work out that I could go to my new favorite beach place, Ocean Grove, for the 1030 church service before travelling onwards for vacation, well it worked out!!! Blessed Assurance that God is in charge – and He is. (FYI Blessed Assurance was written by Fanny Crosby while vacationing here in Ocean Grove).

I had Blessed Assurance last night and then this morning – well the outside cat that I am feeding for a friend turned up after going missing for a couple days – he gave 2 small meows when i arrived at 630am  = whew! and he had eaten the food – so that is a relief. Blessed Assurance that he will be OK this week with another friend feeding him. – and then BLESSED ASSURANCE at home I saw that my own cat – who has not been eating well – had used the litter box – TMI sorry but this is blessed PROGRESS ! Let us pray for an increase in eating…  one day at a time.

Blessed Assurance – rest assured divine. With all that – for sure I felt the freedom to leave the house and start my adventure with the beach and then vbs etc. (especially when i got the perfect parking spot – here with 0 time left before the church service – wow!)

And oh yeah – still don’t have my phone – well – there is WIFI and a table here at the bookstore – and the nicest host who also is writing a blog – and with the wifi at the picnic table next to the building, in the shade, I can check in with the world and my family… You know that feeling of unease not being reachable and yet they are ok even if they are not reachable by me. Well that melted away at the church service… Yeah!!! OCEAN GROVE IS WHERE I FELT (AND FEEL) THE PEACE – OH HOW BLESSED THIS BLESSED ASSURANCE!!!!

AND THAT BLESSED ASSURANCE IS THAT “JESUS IS MINE” – IS THAT IN OUR UNEASE, WE ONLY NEED TO REMEMBER THAT HE IS ALL WE NEED – HE IS ENOUGH. (I appreciated that someone this morning gave me a sticker that said “you are enough” AMEN !

And wow the sermon spot on – oh the music amazing – oh the vibrations of the organ music – I am going back at 230 for the Sunday organ recital concert.  and so spot on the preaching – the sermon by guest Pastor Vito Aiuto (link below) spoke of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, chapter 3, as he urged them (even in his own distress) for them to keep going – and “DON’T LOSE HEART” – yes – we have so much but really in the worst of times, and Paul was in them, we still can pray for others and be at peace with this blessed assurance of Him giving us salvation – and we can live and be OK ultimately.

The sermon (and the whole service) is really worth the listen – and when he mentioned JOSEPH? Joseph being taken to Egypt against his will but in God’s plan? WOW – that is what my VBS is this week – I had to run up to him after the sermon and say thank you and God bless! cool… and wow the music so spot on – the hymns and Him.

BLESSED ASSURANCE!!!

God’s Got this!!! AMEN!!! Let’s get this vacation started!

WHEW!!!Here is a video of the service! 

Prayers for Peace in a World of Not Understanding

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A microcosm of not understanding this world is playing out in that I can not understand what is going on with my cat, the vet can not either, and she drinks a little but really does not eat and is going in wrong places and has lost 4 pounds recently – tough to know – and she can’t tell us. Not that any ill person could tell you either – but this is a tough thing to comprehend…

We are reminded in this microcosm of the macrocosm of the world which is tough to comprehend. 

We are adjusting medicines etc. for the cat – but this cat may not make it much longer – or we could be completely surprised! What I do know is that this cat knows still us and wanting to go outside – and well, we just make the cat comfortable. What else could I do…  We did put good money into recent treatments – but then to follow up with much more pricey ones? hmmm…  all i want right now if for my cat to eat… hmmm…. Well, time will tell – and hopefully the cat does too – but mostly in the unknown, I know to rely on the known – that is the Lord…

A previous post seems so relevant here in the microcosm of the cat and the macrocosm of the worldly issues – so many – the hardships remind us to count our blessings that the Lord is our home – and this is not our home…

We pray for Peace in a world of not understanding.

Amen

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Blessings Come Thru Raindrops, 15Jun – #696B

Blessings Come Thru Raindrops, 15Jun2019, #696B

Blessings come thru raindrops. Step out into the rain.

“Maybe our blessings come thru raindrops” – this a good fitting lyric from a spiritual song by Laura Story to remind us that “this is not our home” – that trials of life will remind us that we are ONLY VISITORS here on earth… we are apostles to our faith, we are saints in transition, traveling demonstrations of our devotion… We belong to the heavens… Therefore, thru it all, we should remember trials in life are inevitable. We are to have HOPE and FAITH that we can survive the trials. We will surely have tears along the way, and we can count on that ultimate healing from the Lord…

Just like we can choose JOY (or not), we can choose to step thru the raindrops or sing in the rain while life moves on… Life moves fast – life moves even if we don’t…

So today, how much better are we for knowing the Lord has a home for us when we “finish the race”. We are blessed. Our blessings come thru raindrops.

Think how when we step into the world, that we are to know our JOY in the Lord – we are to take our energy from His comfort.

It’s not worth worrying about future trials of life, don’t ignore them but just deal with them in the present, and choose JOY whenever possible… Rather than complaining about things not under our control – we can TRY to deal, move on…

Have I figured this all out? NO!!! Not even the Apostle Paul felt like he had achieved this state of being OK with the directive… But he did look to the future by being present in his situation and knowing NOT to have his mind set on: “earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control...” Philippians 3

THE RAINDROPS of life are ushering us into the future… God gave us this future so that today we can choose to step out in faith…

Amen

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“Blessings” by Laura Story

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we’d have faith to believe

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

Paul writes in Philippians 4:

The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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. … And the God of peace will be with you….

… I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Paul in Philippians 3:

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.  But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Let Them Eat Smashed Macarons??? My trip to NYC, Psalm 16 Blessings

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The BLUE macaron from the patisserie, maybe living like Paris-erie, was DELICIOUS – and so was the hot cocoa and whipped cream – and so was the pastry I had – and the air conditioning was great – and and and…  Yeah – being on a one day vacation is living it up!!! And sitting in the Hudson Yards after riding up to “The Edge” – this was like a perfect local experience (except for the construction that IS NYC – bang bang bang – and the sirens of the moment)…  The most important aspect of this trip was seeing my friend for a day out!

So I didn’t really mind that my blue Marie Antoinette macaron was smushed by the time I ate it sitting on the train on the way home, reminiscing of the great day. It was a vacation day and it’s hard to complain when you have had a great day. So I accepted the blessings and thanked the Lord!

Yes. I went to see my friend from grad school in NYC. We have been great friends for over 30 years now! WOW!!!  He met me at the train station. Haven’t see him since way before covid. It was sunny and hot, and then it rained wickedly like 3 times, felt like Florida weather on and off and on and off. But it could rain on you anywhere – might as well just be anywhere vacationing anyway…

I HIGHLY recommend visiting “The EDGE”. I love the sights from up above, it’s like the best view, taller than Empire State building, perfect to see TOPS of the Chrysler building and Vanderbilt towers, then in a distance Lady Liberty, the bridges, the rivers, the Highline, and awesome to step OUTSIDE!!! WOW!!!!  Yes, it is safe!!! Scary at first to step on the clear glass over the city, but I did it!!! whew!!! So then wow after we were outside for a while, we then watched the storm roll in from NJ to the west. And the security staff pulled us inside. There are windows for every direction. And amazing that there is no sway even at 100 stories up.

So we sat and chatted more – watching the storm roll in then roll out!!! We saw beautiful sites all around! Then we went down to the patisserie, yum, then walked the Highline to the Little Island where we held safe under the support structures until the next storm passed. great views walking the little island and even ducked into the free “Forest show”, beautiful light show run as an incentive to a car show. Dinner in Chelsea Market. Then to get back up to the train station, we hopped on a bus for the few blocks as the rain started again then back on the train.

The train where I got to sit and reminisce while relaxing – I know where the electricity plugs are for recharging my phone – and eat that smashed macaron for recharging my sugar – the Marie Antoinette macron. BLUE. “Let them eat cake” – is the phrase reportedly said by Marie Antoinette – queen of France as she disregarded the plight of the peasants – but this is a made up story they say – written many years before. “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche”, is still used for frivolous disregard for the starving people – or just being frivolous as someone else’s expense. So I could think that being on vacation (even for one day) while others are suffering in the world is a dilema – like I could say “Let them eat smashed macarons!” for enjoying a day of frivolity – and this is a dilemma of our world – we enjoy even while others are suffering – we are in a broken world – this is true. (And we pray for the societies and families who are suffering in terrible wars these day – terrible! Marie Antoinette’s time also saw the dilemma of great opulence while others were at war and suffering – we are always in this tough spot of living in an unjust and unequal balance of brokenness)… May we pray the Lord’s mercy on us all especially when we forget to count our blessings and our savior and salvation…

Taking a day break is not a bad thing – for we all need to take a breather sometimes – and therefore we should praise the Lord (at all situations) and especially that we can do this vacation thing – this day off thing – that we have freedom etc… And that we have relative safety – even in a thunderstorm – compared to the unknown volatile parts of the world. We should be saying “Let us PRAISE what we have!” – not complain about what we lack. We really should count our blessings and make the most of life while we have it – and then remember and help those who are in worse straights – the best we can do is to pray for them!

And especially praise – for in the Lord, we have everything we need…  

Have a great day everyone and eat the macarons and enjoy – smooshed smashed whole or otherwise!

AMEN

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Psalm 16 NKJV – A Michtam of David.

The Hope of the Faithful, and the Messiah’s Victory

Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.
O my soul, you have said to the Lord,
“You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.”
As for the saints who are on the earth,
“They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”

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

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

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

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

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BEHOLD Baubles and Bargains and Brownies and Bathrooms and Bed, Blessings to Lay One’s Head

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BEHOLD Baubles and Bargains and Brownies and Bathrooms and Bed, Blessings to Lay One’s Head.

My Saturday was SO BUSY, I BLESSEDLY was most thankful to go to bed after a BUSY day. Basically weekend warriors work at wacky combinations of wows on weekends. Days off are days ON. And we get WORN OUT. 

Basic living is what we need, right? But we surely live anything but basically these days – especially in blessed american dream dedication. Days are both blessed and burdened with baubles and busy. I could babble on about baubles – but I need to be back to the basics.

So what is the busy we should be basically doing? Be less burdened? Be more basic? How about BEHOLDING BLESSINGS and BEING THANKFUL. There is where we find BLISS!

Jesus said to a deciding disciple: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 

Basically we have to live life more lightly. LIGHT as in less burdened and LIGHT as in lit up for Christ – LIGHTING the WAY of HIS WAY – BEING LIGHT AND SALT!

I know it’s hard to be a full-time disciples for Jesus, but for a basic purpose, we best live “making due” and be thankful for what we do have! We are supposed to be BOLSTERING the BRIGHTNESS of the DAY – and yes, taking a battery recharge for ourselves.  You can’t be ON all the time from artificial light, you need to tap into a resourceful recharge. (Thus me/us resting now and pondering the restart for today.)

Yes, our days are filled with busy. Yesterday I was selling Christmas stuff at a local non-profit rummage sale at a historic site, gifting smiles and daffodils in my Santa suit, for “Christmas in April” – people were shocked and laughed – I sold about half my room contents in bargains that the people appreciated – they also appreciated looking inside the renovations of the place – chatting – and just reminiscing…  My favorite was little kids with their treasures (like little bird figures) which we either gave away or inexpensively sold. My ultimate JOY in seeing JOY was a 20-something who saw the wooden painted plaques for a video game and I gave them away at 2 for $1 – and he gave me a hug in astonishment and glee – yeah – JOY in the TREASURE find….  FUN…  Then we had to take the time for packing packing packing the leftovers for another sale day. My Christmas stuff was easy – 3 bins consolidated – but oh those vintage tea cups of fine china, from the other room, which were priced at pennies practically to simply unburden the big collection of attic finds, they took some time to repack. It is interesting to realize that these items, so beautiful and useful, came across the seas from places far away 75 years ago plus. They might have been used well or just viewed. I remarked that we are trying to practically give away something that an ancestor may have fought for as an inheritance…

Busy continuing, I then zipped home to grab a shower and be on the road again to a friend’s invitation to bingo fundraiser for the betterment of a cat shelter charity, lots of “B2’s” and “G52’s” but no winning except for the blessings of friendship and food, and thus the blessings of clean bathrooms, public and home, and the ultimate daily blessing of BED, whew!!!

Put a basic need in the busy lives we lead, how do we find the blessings? But just BEING and just BELIEVING in a purpose greater than basic living. Being with people who are thankful. Being thankful. Believing in thankfulness. It is a lesson for us, in learning from life now, to approach each day with less lust of life’s loads of loots, and be more transient, less trashful and more true. We need to truthfully TRUST in being TEMPORARY in this world, and just enjoy one day at a time. 

Jesus Himself said there is a cost to discipleship, that He Himself has no place to lay His head, must keep moving, must go out to work His Word-spreading work. We have work – in the worthy living of life. We have rest – in the restfulness of realization of temporary work in the here and now for eternal rest.

Isn’t life funny? We surely are human and we accumulate stuff and dust, we are human and fight for stuff like teacups that once were inheritance but now that outlive us, and maybe are burdens to pack in future generations for them to move or sell. We pour money into extravagant but fun events for foodies, but now eat off paper plates and fill trash cans with waste. (Trust me we wasted none of the yummy food from the bingo event last night – I just ate the leftovers of chicken salad sandwiches and half a brownie for breakfast, yum).  Life is funny as we pay money for a chance to win something like at bingo, that we could have just bought ourselves, but for the sake of a good cause, sure, it’s about community… Our jolly allows the recipients of the money to live better (in this case cats to have shelter and food while they await the home that will spoil them!). I enjoyed the event, feeling the normalcy in joy, and the blessing of friends of friends, knowing my gut said my blessing is to be thankfully present at all things in the present. I appreciated the normalcy for the woman next to me too – who had her arm covered and had been going thru cancer treatments. I also marveled looking across the room that 5 years ago we would never be here – we flew out of that covid era – it is like a distant memory now… Do we count our blessings for that?!? I also marveled at the historical site rummage sale that we are just a few stewards now of back-breaking work to build the infrastructure of the day – including indoor plumbing – are we thankful for that? I hope so!

So – what is the message in my wandering of pondering, plunked down in my restful den of a house? That we need to take our rechargeable spirits, and recharge them and look where to shine the LIGHT today – and if we have human limitations of needing daily down time, we have to simply be thankful to have what we have when we have it. And when we feel low, we should look for Jesus’s LIGHT.  And we have to remember that we have to BEHOLD BLESSINGS – no matter what they are – even in trials – whether they are brownies at bingo – or baubles at bargain prices – or blessings of modern bathrooms and beds.

We take the blessing to lay our head – into the rest of the ONE, Jesus, Who did not rest from His mission even if He did rest from his long days. Let us be MOST thankful – that He has shown and shone us the Way. Be the Light and the Salt of the day!

Amen

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The Cost of Discipleship Matthew 8:19-22 NKJV

And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

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Matthew 6:19-34 NKJV

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The Lamp of the Body
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

You Cannot Serve God and Riches
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Do Not Worry
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

The Deep Dish into Life. Our Kings Favor over Raging Lion Roars

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Too excited not to write it in gratitude… Oh, the crumbs of my leftover pizza are like the crumbs of my thoughts dropping everywhere… (PS I highly recommend an air fryer for re-crisping pizza!) I am happy to write about how GOD IS GOOD and we savor His Blessings…

Between last week and this week, I had wildly different experiences at concerts, both FABULOUS. Last Friday night 80’s music, I knew every song, and oh fun night of dancing singing along with my friends, plus 1000 others, everyone could record it, no one stopped them. A free-flowing fun… Then tonight was an elegant singer of Broadway fame. Oh fabulous and you could hear a pin drop as we waited on every note… no photos or recordings mind you, no standing nor dancing, a much fancier-dressed crowd. Elegant… ELEGANT!!!

Both concerts fantastic, both in the same venue, and remarkably I had the same seat, pretty much. Both were the cheap seats, but the riches of experience for me IS in this deep dish of experience of life that was and is palpable and palatable. 

And speaking of DEEP DISH, I just finished my airfryer reheated lunch leftovers of a detroit-style deep dish pizza, made excellently and scrumptious. And like the concerts last week and this week, wildly different, it was 2 types of wildly different deep dish pizza at lunch, in contrasting savory flavors. The first pizza like eighties pop with spicy sauce, mini pepperoni and a big eighties’ hair-sized piped-dollop of smooth ricotta cheese. Glad I ate that one first. Then the second deep dish pizza was smooth cheese, mushrooms and arugula with balsamic drizzle, it was ELEGANT pizza… MMMM… So yes from a POP concert then to an ELEGANT concert,  I bracketed that inside my fun perky pizza to elegant taste in pizzas. Yes, it was a life palooza of pizza and performance. 

For friends it was a good girls night out to dance 80’s, and leapt at the really in expensive tickets months ago before it sold out, but contrast, for this Mandy Patinkin concert I thought to go alone right after work, not even knowing if I would go. But nothing impeded me, nothing popped up in interference, so after extra time at the office, traffic zipped there on my way home, and I got a cheap seat (there are no bad seats in that theatre) from the way way back, in my own row practically, just enough solitude to absorb my own pin drop thoughts as I sat there and soaked in the sounds of meticulous life music…   After a fun lunch with the girls from work, and more work work, this was the ELEGANCE of alone time which is never alone, of thanking the Lord for the time, means, venues, the deep dish of life…

The best “LION scripture for March” (and it was LION March weather last night with the crisp cold) – that I can relate our “deep-dish life” experiences to is a Proverb 19:12: “A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass...” and I have to say that God’s favor in our ability to love life and live life is that dew on the grass – gentle and generous... Any favor – any rest – and sweetness of laughter of friends, and blessed aloneness of thought, is that dew on the grass – that deep generous dollop of life – that favor…  AND aren’t we all living in favor for the generosity of our Lord and King? Not material items or trips or pizza – but living IN His mercy and grace – that is our dew blessing on our lives and even on our graves when we step into glory – there is no King’s rage anymore in that sense – there is only dew of LIFE and favor of LOVE. We should savor this all knowing God is in control. “The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”

Another proverb: “The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper.” – it is with understanding of the blessings of the Lord that we can sit in a deep dish of life and savor dew on the grass of His Blessings…

May you have deep-dish plans to prevail today – may you soak in the dew of the blessings of the King.

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Amen

Going and Coming

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It’s Fall Y’all… Saturday was a beautiful break in the Poconos… So blessed from sunrise to sunset… and then some.. 

A long weekend, so needed for me as a getaway to not be coming and going hectic. It’s going (meaning leaving work stress) and coming (meaning being in a different mode, different time uncrunch, different stuff) and relaxing with friends and having a s’more too… 

What puts perfect in the unperfect is the appreciation of blessings over stressings. We need, in life, the unwind to work out kinks in our systems and respool later. If we don’t unwind, we won’t know where and what our emotions and brains and dreams relax into. 

When I look at a feather (turkey?) it’s so intriguingly intricately beautiful. The strands of a feather work in concert, yet so fragile to be glued together. And then each feather has it’s own quill support, best God invention is that many are together for flying. How amazing. Each strand comes together, like each rock or drop of the waterfalls, like each stroke of paint, like each reflection of molecules making a sunrise or sunset, like each person in this world of ours which God blessed and blesses us with.

Imagine the beauty in one day, in the unwind. Then imagine the beauty of heaven divine… That’s going to be unfathomably beautiful… 

His perspective is not just in the strands of a feather or sunset together, but very good from the children He loves together with Him.

God’s smores and more will be our delight. His delight? Us…

We are going and coming to Him.

Amen 

You are My Sunshine

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“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You’ll never know dear how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.”

Love hearing my mom’s voice singing this song when I was a child… I had a great childhood in hindsight, but it’s always us remembering an awkward time with icky teenage stuff, perceived mental rough, life hassle enough, and sometimes age old bluff. I’m SO glad to have it past me. I’m SO glad to be a grown up, but wish for those summers off, the sunshine, the hope of fun.It got summer real fast here in the northeast. I’m not complaining but WOW took me by surprise and my strawberries are done, peonies spent. Spring sprung then skedaddled. Wow. My garden peas planted in hope were a critter crunch for their comfort, I got none, except one, an accidental pea in the flower pot. It grew and developed and I was surprised as it gifted 2 pods full. Yum. 2 more await. Next year I will try to remember to plant this way. I never learn to adapt, but maybe next year.

It’s the sunshine which makes us warm in spring, hot in summer, or hopeful all winter long. We long for sunshine, then we jump inside air-conditioned houses. Hmmm… Whatever happened to shade? Shade in summer is the opportunity to enjoy both. We need to remember to adapt and explore the sunshine but be protected too. What burns us also welcomes us, grows fruitfulness, and lights our way. It’s great except when it’s not. 

Can we brace ourselves against the bad attack of sun? Plants do. I guess that’s like life. We need to embrace and brace. We need to adult and child. We need to live and live. Oh, not live and hide but live and live.

Live and Live.

There’s living in all aspects of life. 

I complained about hectic life this past week, but I saw a strange sight Friday night, a bus at the train station, with transit authorities, people including kids standing to the side. I thought, I don’t think this is vacation, I really think this is an immigration caravan into targeted cities, maybe not. Or if it’s a search, thats sad. If it’s a broken down bus, that doesn’t usually happen at the train station. I guess I really don’t know, will never know, but I thought of their embrace of a hopeful life even on the move. Then I thought of how blessed I was, how routine life really is, how I do have stuff, a ride, and options. I have a next spring, summer, sun and shade possibilities, I have a lots with many less unknowns than these people. I can see my sunshine and I can step into the shade too. I will always be OK. I’ll know that life lives on…

I can live life in a full capacity – and yet rest to recharge my battery.

God knows, God will lead, God will protect and help us embrace the grace as well as the race. We must keep going and keep knowing.  

Life is for living. We should live it. Remember to step into the shade, the intimate God coverage of life. Live, and live it up. Try to even enjoy in the moment. Sunshine today, God always. 

New lyrics:

Lord, You are my Life-shine, my only Life-Line. You make me happy when lives are in array. You really know Lord, how much I love you. Please embrace me and lead me today. 

Amen

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Psalm 25 – New King James Version – A Psalm of David.

To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

O my God, I trust in You;

Let me not be ashamed;

Let not my enemies triumph over me.

Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed;

Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.

Show me Your ways, O Lord;

Teach me Your paths.

Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

For You are the God of my salvation;

On You I wait all the day.

Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, For they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.

Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. For Your name’s sake, O Lord, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity, And his descendants shall inherit the earth. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.

Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, For I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins. Consider my enemies, for they are many; And they hate me with cruel hatred. Keep my soul, and deliver me; Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You.

Redeem Israel, O God, Out of all their troubles!

Confess the Bless

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I must CONFESS the BLESS.

God got me through and God got me all the rest… it’s Him I profess.

4 week work professional development sabbatical, days 1-8 were learning and watching, 2 days off for a 4day weekend of a blessed retreat, then days 9 to 18 were 10 days of amazing lab time. I set up a chair in the corner of lab A, later moved to labs C and D, and thought through math math math… and worked and recorded and loved every minute of it!

It was the best of times it was the worst of times… The best was unstructured time, no pressure but planning to be as busy as possible in the lab for the last two weeks of this sabbatical – I wanted to work and I know how to work and I love to dig down and work – and learn learn learn learn. The worst of times was the terrible allergies, but with the grace of God I powered through sneezes with tissues tissues medicine coughing hacking and now –  after the many days of rain – today, I can breathe FINE. Whew…  rested so well too. 

It’s keeping going in the mix, and finding God’s strength FIX.

There’s so much I could obsess about the mess and STRESS… But today 2 weeks later, I MUST CONFESS THE BLESS!!!

I got there because God is helping me number my days and pushing me when I dilly dally.

I worked long hours, because God gave me the strength.

I structured my unstructured time,  because God gave me the platform.

I asked because God gave me this brain. 

I waited because God gave me this heart.

I worked because God gave me this body.

I prayed because God gave me this soul. 

I smiled because God gave me reason, joy, and a vision to enjoy. 

I must CONFESS the BLESS!

Now to enjoy each day as it comes for the rest….

Rest…

Led to JOY – Riding the Oscar Mayer WIENERMOBILE!

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What a crazy blessing – after my Sunday Sermon which was sharing that we need to be ready to meet whomever God wants us to meet this day – to Follow Jesus – I was home icing my sore back when my friends called me up “out of the blue” and say they couldn’t believe it – but the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile was actually in our neck of the woods! WOW – And so they picked me up – and we all swooped up into the fun for the surreal flow of the day. It was so good, it was like the Lord was leading the Way – HE IS!

Our fun was also our amazement – and the 2 Hotdoggers crew were as nice as nice could be – and bonded immediately with my friend whose dream it was to do that job – travel around – and spread JOY! YES! Meat-ing the two Hotdoggers was the best and experiencing the rest was wrapping the “BUN of FUN” around the real amazeMEAT of the moment. May the special sauce of Love surround these young HotDoggers in their travels – for them to remain safe! 

YES, ALWAYS an amazing story for my friend of my same age, a partner in silly fun, who has been blind since being a teenager but always wanted to drive this Wienermobile! Well at least she got to ride in it! The connection she made with the two Hotdoggers crew was fabulous, and she went back to bring me to meet them because there’s a funny history of me confusing the Peanutmobile and Wienermobile, oops. ANYWAY, this was FUN! And certainly only a very few people get to ride!!! Aren’t we blessed! One of the last people was Drew Barrymore – and she was in tears to see it.

I knew this was a divine incident of JOY – I KNEW God orchestrated this – because when Jesus says: FOLLOW ME – He walks us into the good times just as much (actually much more) than the tough days.  THIS WAS A GREAT DAY – JOY IS IMMEASURABLE AND APPRECIATED!

They named us ‘Little Links’ and ‘Tailgate’ and our dear mom-mom ‘Sizzlin’ and even ‘Ketchup’ for her guide dog, plus me ‘Hot Diggity Debbie’, we were blessedly connected with our new adopted daughter drivers, hotdoggers ‘Chlo-Wienie’ and ‘ChilliCheeseMC’!!! Sweetest of college graduates, in marketing, picked from thousands of applicants, now in their one year stint as JOY ambassadors! WOW, 9 months so far. Blessed beyond Wienerwords! RELISHED THE FUN!!!

They spread JOY. People love this. I felt amazed to be a small part of riding along – like earlier that day I gave a sermon to Follow Jesus, with a benediction to go out and meet the people He would want us to meet, but I COULD NEVER HAVE ENVISIONED THIS! The connection was so easily fostered by my fun and loving friend,  and after we heard that we would ride at the end of the shift – we went into the grocery store and got them gift bags of snacks and coffee gift cards, it brought them nearly to tears. They enjoy this opportunity but rarely get home. I am glad we were able to share this love – but it is really all my friend’s enthusiastic love – which of course is from the Lord – because God IS Love and Life.

Loved the people’s faces with lots of car horns honking and that great jingle as their horn! “I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener!” Started in 1936, oh how the people loved looking at this sweet ride. Well – I can only say that every day may we hop on the sweet ride of excitement – one step at a time. Keep on rolling!

Blessed on this Jesus Journey to share in the JOY!!!

Hot Diggity Dog!

Grace Gifts – We are only human after all

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I bummed myself out last weekend oh how STUPID I felt when I went through the automatic car wash with my winter decorations (plastic blue snowflakes) still zip-tied to my roof and they all half broke. Bummer… bleh… STUPID… I’ll get past it… snow melts, right?! yes it does…

I often get embarrassed because of my humanness. (and that feels worse than losing the snowflakes). I sometimes get embarrassed because of my lack of remembering. And yet I never want to feel embarrassed to ask questions and learn more – I would rather look uninformed than remain uninformed….

So, no, I didn’t get in trouble from the carwash place. And really importantly they DID break off easily and no damage incurred to the car either, nor to my wallet (cheap things), only to my pride. Pride however is a sin in itself, if we can’t forgive ourselves or if we ignore too freely without remorse, it’s prideful. Like I did this – or I didn’t. Pride can be sin brushed aside.

While vacuuming the car with the free vacuums, which is actually why I went to get a wash anyway, I thought to myself about my own vanity getting myself into this, but you know, it’s normal to wash a car. It was dirty. I like to support this shop. So all in my sorry-ness, Lord, for vanity and pride too, I can justify my actions even my forgetfulness… HUMAN!!! 

Now, I could certainly hide my mistake (or not write about it to process) OR rebuild 2 flakes out of one to seem like nothing happened OR whine forever on something so unimportant (which I know I shouldn’t). So I thought of how trivial this was and me making a big deal out of it was pridefully trivial too. It’s not right for me to whine because infinitely worse things are occurring in the world, like war, disease, hunger, etc. 

But anyway, while cleaning I found the scripture card that means a lot,  “For by GRACE you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of work, so that no one may boast.” EPHESIANS 2:8-9

YES! 

Although I can’t fully wrap my head around “Saved by Grace” – as I haven’t made it up to Heaven yet, I am starting to appreciate that it is forever that has started NOW because Jesus already Saved me. WOW – saved. and wow, I can appreciate “Forgiveness, by Grace” – and “your oops is no big deal, by Grace” – and “cut yourself some slack, by Grace”. (Because yeah grave stuff is also forgiven by a forgiving Father when we repent)… Grace by the blood of Jesus.

I also found a few lost things while cleaning, like money that fell out of my pocket, and I did achieve a cleaner car inside and out. There are some things that are necessary even if trivial. And I decompressed some more by reattaching a couple of snowflakes back up – in pairs this time to mask the lost sticks, and it looks fine, it will make due to use these last bit of their usefulness, which is to make people smile. I achieved a compromise of my guilt and frustration. And I smile too. God however IS the One Whom achieved that “the show must go on” feeling in me.

“I achieved” is not a term we use for Grace, however, that IS a gift. Grace is a gift by God’s grace for God’s grace. And if we can’t achieve it, then no one else can lay down rules for it. God can, yes, and His forgiveness through Jesus satisfied all His Law. So we must hold onto Jesus. God waits and wants our love. We love that He loved us first. Great God.

Jesus – because we are only human after all.

Grace. “For by GRACE you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of work, so that no one may boast.” EPHESIANS 2:8-9

Thank You Lord for Your Grace and for Your gifting…

We do need it (I do) because we are only human after all…

Amen

Amen