Mission Accomplished!
The less green ground area is part of what we cleared.
It was good to be outside for a good part of the day, Father. Thank You for the ability to do so. Thank You for good companionship, as well. I am blessed!
John 17:1-5 (<<click here to read the passage)
We have a decent parcel of land here where we live. We have a little over 5 acres and probably maintain a little over half of it while the other portion is wooded. Most of what we keep up is toward the front of our lot. But there is one area in the middle of our lot that Karen mows once the ground dries from spring rains (parts of our land lie wet a good part of the year.) I call it our glade.
Often looking back from our bedroom window, I will see deer, or possibly turkeys, and I’ve seen a fox, as well! But no one else can really see it, in that there is a line of trees most of the way between our house and the glade.
Anyway, this weekend Massey and I decided to work on cleaning up some of the edges in that over time trees have fallen and wild rose bushes have begun to infringe upon the glade. So, we spent a good part of the afternoon, pruning back trees, picking up limbs, moving fallen trees, and mowing back brush that was creeping in.
In the end, we accomplished the work that we set out to do and it will be much easier for Karen to mow on a regular basis.
As I have shared numerous times that one of my favorite passages of Scripture is Ephesians 1:4,
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. NLT
God does nothing last minute. He is a planner and does so well in advance. Before our world ever existed, His plan was already in place for how we in our eventual rebellion would be reconciled to Him. We are so extremely valuable to Him that His plan involved sending His only begotten Son to live amongst us. In John 17:4 Jesus states,
I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. NLT
He taught us and set a living example being our eyes so that we could be reconciled to God. He was readying Himself to return to heaven, having completed the task set before Him. His ultimate goal was to extend eternal life to His followers. He clearly stated.
And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. v3 NLT
It’s not complicated. All we have to do is to know the only true God and His Son Jesus Christ…not know of them but to know them to the nth degree, giving our whole lives over to God. And that is how we find joy and peace, not just in the here and now, but for all of eternity! Amen!
Oct 17th, 2021, Sun, 7:38 pm
You Lift Me Up
Thank You, Father, for an uplifting time of food and fellowship with pastors from the Gideons of our region tonight. I needed the interaction and was fed both physically and spiritually!
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Lord Jesus, tonight I am physically and mentally done in. Dividing and transplanting some peonies before and after lunch, and then partaking in the pastor’s appreciation event earlier this evening has left me drained physically. And mentally the events that have transpired throughout this week – work, preparation for services Sunday, writing each evening, the struggle of familial health issues, and then loving a cherished member of our family – have all left me mentally worn out as well.
So, here I sit drained. At this moment, I feel that I have nothing to put out that would be of any benefit to anyone.
Yet, I will place myself at Your feet. I will give myself over to You.
As I sit here this evening, even with the nourishment of fellowship, I feel the need for more. And gracious as You are, You bring to mind a song to lift me up and encourage me.
Here is a familiar hymn – Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing – sung by one of my favorite Christian artists, Chris Rice. It is simple and rich all at the same time – especially that last verse! May it uplift you as it has uplifted me.
Oct 14th, 2021, Thurs, 9:19 pm
Overcomers
At least from a human perspective, today has turned into a day of tragedy. I know our loved one is now in your arms, but it is still hard to bear. I know too that You grieve with us, Father, help our faith in You to stand firm. Amen.
John 16:33 (<<click here to read the passage)
We have looked at the peace that we find in Jesus, but we need to take a closer look at the end of that last verse.
Our family lost a wonderful man today. He fought valiantly against the ravages of COVID but despite his determined battling, he succumbed to the many-fronted attacks on his body. He was a dedicated husband and father, as well, as a devout follower of Yours in all he said and did. But now Lord, as he is in Your presence, his family is in Your more than capable hands.
He battled but so did his family. They all went through tribulation…and distress…and suffering. They have gone through it all but in many aspects, their journey has just begun. His passing will continue to impact his wife and three boys for the rest of their lives.
It would be easy for them to succumb to the many-fronted attacks on their lives…but I don’t see any of them doing that. Lord Jesus, their faith is placed firmly in You. It will be difficult, and I am sure overwhelming to the point of despair. But as You have commanded us in this passage, despite it all we are called to be courageous.
That is not a trite statement! Because of Your victory, we can be confident! We can be undaunted! And yes, though the loss will never pass this side of eternity, we can find joy in You!
The world is all about taking swings at us. Time and time again we are struck. We are stunned. We are knocked down. We are knocked out. But because we place our faith in You, we are overcomers…because You were one first!
You proclaimed, “I have overcome the world” and we lay claim to that for ourselves as well!
Lord Jesus, this all sounds well and good, but when the rubber meets the road – when we come face to face with the hardest of tribulations – we will surely be tested. May we stand strong. May we be overcomers as we find our strength in You. May we cling to You, for only there do we find our hope! Amen.
Oct 13th, 2021, Wed, 7:59 pm
Little Ones to Him Belong
A single day in your courts
….is better than a thousand anywhere else!
I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God
….than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. Psalm 84:10 NLT
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We’ve all heard of Warner Brothers, but have you ever heard of the Warner sisters? Susan and Anna were born in the early 1800s in the New York City area. Due to some dire financial circumstances, with their father, they relocated to a ramshackle Revolutionary War-era home Constitution Island on the Hudson, right across from the Military Academy at West Point.
To help their family monetarily they both began writing.
One of their most successful joint projects was a novel titled Say and Seal in which a little boy named Johnny Fox is dying. His Sunday school teacher, John Linden, comforts him by taking him in his arms, rocking him, and making up a little song: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so…”
Sound familiar? I’m pretty sure we all know that one! In actuality, the first stanza is the only one to be included in the hymn – word for word.
Before we move on from the Warner sisters, there is one more thing of a noteworthy nature.
For forty years, Susan and Anna conducted Bible classes for cadets at West Point, and both were buried with full military honors. They are the only civilians buried in the military cemetery at West Point. To this day, their home on Constitution Island is maintained by West Point as a museum to their memory.*
But moving on, the song Jesus Loves Me, a well-known tune writer from the era, William Bradbury read John Linden’s words (the poem itself was written by Anna) and wrote a very simple tune that quickly became known the world over.
Bradbury author of many fine hymn tunes, some of which include– He Leadeth Me, Just As I Am, The Solid Rock, Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us, and Sweet Hour of Prayer – has literally impacted thousands over the years. But one we will always remember is the tune to accompany,
Jesus loves me—this I know,
For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to him belong,—
They are weak, but he is strong.
…a truth, so simple, yet so profound!
*Excerpts from Then Sings My Soul, © Robert J. Morgan, 2010,
published by W Publishing an imprint of Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee
Oct 12th, 2021, Tues, 7:32 pm
A Place of Perfect Peace
I will shout for joy and sing your praises,
….for you have ransomed me.
I will tell about your righteous deeds
….all day long, Psalm 71:23-24a NLT
John 16:29-33 (<<click here to read the passage)
Just a few moments ago I finished reading Alex Trebek’s memoir, The Answer Is…Reflections on My Life. A very dear friend shared it with me some months back. It contains short pithy chapters. He speaks of his childhood, his family – both from youth and his wife and children. Of course, he shares the many points of his career, and believe it or not, he was not always hosting Jeopardy!, though he did so for 37 seasons.
In the final chapter, entitled The Answer Is…Life, he shares that in his final days he would be perfectly content with sitting on the swing out in his yard. From that vantage point, he can take in a large portion of his property. He paints a picture of peace, nothing extravagant, just simple peace.
He died on November 8, 2020, at age 80, after a 20-month battle with stage IV pancreatic cancer.
We could all probably describe what we would say is our perfect place of peace. I have a friend whose one place of peace is on her deck on a cool morning with a cup of coffee clasped in her hands. Maybe yours is curled up with a book by a crackling fire, book in hand. Or it could be sitting in your favorite spot by the open water of a beautiful pond with a bright blue sky overhead.
No matter how good all those things may be, there is only one place of perfect peace, and that is in Christ.
He said in verse 33,
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.] – emphasis mine
We all need peace and far too frequently, those times are way too far and between. We don’t always have the opportunity to sit in our swing or on our deck or by the fire or pond, but no matter where we may find ourselves, no matter what tribulation or distress or suffering we may be engulfed by, if we are in Christ, we can find that perfect peace. Then, and only then, can we be courageous, confident, undaunted, and filled with joy. Christ has “overcome the world” and that is where we find our peace.
Oct 11th, 2021, Mon, 7:08 pm