Leaves are fluttering in the wind as they are blown from the trees on this acreage. It is a beautiful sight when colors of yellow, red, and orange seem to blanket the sky in their swirl to the ground. Like children, we revel in the crunch of leaves that cover the ground like a golden carpet.
Though the trees offer up their colorful cloaks, all is not lost. They stand stoically, with only a little bending to the wind. Gradually apparent are the tree's bones, hidden these past months. Now they stand in all their strength, gracefulness, and beauty, something not revealed in the fruitfulness of summer.
It is reminiscent of our elderly. Their beauty and attire are gradually being dismantled from their youthful, sturdy frames. Little by little, they are diminished. Suddenly their children are grown and no longer with them. The retirement they looked forward to is lonelier than they thought. No use to don office or work attire, hanging in the closet unused.
But like the trees, they exhibit strength and perseverance. They are beautiful in their age and grace to face the winter. Full of wisdom, they have seen many seasons, shading and protecting, bearing the brunt of storms, bending, but not breaking.
Isaiah 61:3 describes God's faithful: "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified."
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Saturday, October 27, 2018
The Power Cord
"Your battery is very low." These ominous, electronic words greeted me when I turned on my computer. I quickly plugged in the power cord, and I was up and running again!
"Your battery is very low." So I didn't have to be told to realize that! My battery often runs low when I am tired, out of sorts, or in my spiritual life. I can rest or eat something for the first two, but I have to take up my Bible and read, or be more prayerful to feel better spiritually.
Other times that my battery runs low are when a service or two at church is missed, or when I don't go to Sunday morning breakfast at church or to a Wednesday evening meal with the fellowship of friends.
Apparently, breaking bread together, or eating together, is very important! Of the early church, scripture says, "They continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers," Acts 2:42.
In another place we find, "On the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to leave the next day, preached to them and continued his message until midnight," Acts 20:7.
Batteries need to be recharged at times. Nothing is worse than to get into a car and find that the battery is dead. We can recharge our spiritual batteries if we follow the admonition of I Thessalonians 5:11: "Therefore encourage one another and edify one another, just as you are doing."
David encouraged himself in the Lord by singing in Psalm 13:6, but I find the best way to encourage myself is to plug in my spiritual power cord!
"Your battery is very low." So I didn't have to be told to realize that! My battery often runs low when I am tired, out of sorts, or in my spiritual life. I can rest or eat something for the first two, but I have to take up my Bible and read, or be more prayerful to feel better spiritually.
Other times that my battery runs low are when a service or two at church is missed, or when I don't go to Sunday morning breakfast at church or to a Wednesday evening meal with the fellowship of friends.
Apparently, breaking bread together, or eating together, is very important! Of the early church, scripture says, "They continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers," Acts 2:42.
In another place we find, "On the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to leave the next day, preached to them and continued his message until midnight," Acts 20:7.
Batteries need to be recharged at times. Nothing is worse than to get into a car and find that the battery is dead. We can recharge our spiritual batteries if we follow the admonition of I Thessalonians 5:11: "Therefore encourage one another and edify one another, just as you are doing."
David encouraged himself in the Lord by singing in Psalm 13:6, but I find the best way to encourage myself is to plug in my spiritual power cord!
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Happy Memories
Seeing the pictures of our granddaughter Corrin's engagement has made me reflect on memories of when she was a baby and as a little girl. When the time of her birth drew near, we moved from Wichita, Kansas, where Howard had a position in a large church, back to Mississippi to be near them. Our daughter, Amy, an RN, planned to go back to work soon after the baby was born. I was only too happy to care for Corrin!
I loved giving her a tiny, 2 ounce bottle, then burping her and giving her another one. Fun as it was, I had no problem relinquishing the cuddly bundle to her parents after work! She grew and delighted us, idolizing her big brother, Reid, who was three. She copied and learned from him, putting up with being the brunt of his boisterous play which she adored.
By the time little sister, Rachel was on the scene, we had become pastors of a church some 40 miles away on the Gulf Coast, but I still managed to take care of the kids. Since they weren't in school yet, they often spent the night with us at our house near Gulfport.
The little girls wouldn't sleep in the guest room unless I lay down with them, one on each side. I remember removing them from my outstretched arms and creeping back to my own bed, unless they caught me and demanded my return!
It was the same way on trips back and forth from their house. Nothing would do, but I sat in the back seat between them while they napped, Rachel's head on my lap on one side and Corrin's on the other! Oh, the days!
One day when they were a little bigger, I heard Rachel, 4, ask Corrin, only 17 months older, "Corrin, do you know everything?" to which Corrin responded, "No, no one knows everything, but God and PaPa!"
They loved following him around as he puttered away taking care of rabbits, cows, and a goat. Sometimes Howard would meet their daddy half-way to get the kids, and when they drove in the driveway, Corrin wouldn't stop at the house, but would grab a bucket and head for the barn to feed the animals.
My heart almost stopped one day when Reid and Corrin had disappeared from the yard, and after much calling and searching we ran down to the pond, some distance from the house. There they sat in our boat in the middle of the pond, with no life-jackets on! Reid was 8 and Corrin was five.
Now they live in Georgia and we in Oklahoma, but they always live in our hearts. We are grateful that our granddaughter has found the love of her life, and her heart is full!
I loved giving her a tiny, 2 ounce bottle, then burping her and giving her another one. Fun as it was, I had no problem relinquishing the cuddly bundle to her parents after work! She grew and delighted us, idolizing her big brother, Reid, who was three. She copied and learned from him, putting up with being the brunt of his boisterous play which she adored.
By the time little sister, Rachel was on the scene, we had become pastors of a church some 40 miles away on the Gulf Coast, but I still managed to take care of the kids. Since they weren't in school yet, they often spent the night with us at our house near Gulfport.
The little girls wouldn't sleep in the guest room unless I lay down with them, one on each side. I remember removing them from my outstretched arms and creeping back to my own bed, unless they caught me and demanded my return!
It was the same way on trips back and forth from their house. Nothing would do, but I sat in the back seat between them while they napped, Rachel's head on my lap on one side and Corrin's on the other! Oh, the days!
One day when they were a little bigger, I heard Rachel, 4, ask Corrin, only 17 months older, "Corrin, do you know everything?" to which Corrin responded, "No, no one knows everything, but God and PaPa!"
They loved following him around as he puttered away taking care of rabbits, cows, and a goat. Sometimes Howard would meet their daddy half-way to get the kids, and when they drove in the driveway, Corrin wouldn't stop at the house, but would grab a bucket and head for the barn to feed the animals.
My heart almost stopped one day when Reid and Corrin had disappeared from the yard, and after much calling and searching we ran down to the pond, some distance from the house. There they sat in our boat in the middle of the pond, with no life-jackets on! Reid was 8 and Corrin was five.
Now they live in Georgia and we in Oklahoma, but they always live in our hearts. We are grateful that our granddaughter has found the love of her life, and her heart is full!
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
The Threefold Cord
Getting ready to go to a ladies' fellowship breakfast this morning, I reached for a necklace that would go perfectly with my blouse. It had two long strands of tiny, red beads and one long strand of shiny little black beads. I had bought it a few years back when my daughter-in-love took me to a fun accessory store called "Charming Charlie's" in picturesque Georgetown, Texas.
As soon as I put the string of beads around my neck, I heard a pecking, staccato sound at my feet. I looked down to see a peppering of red beads on the floor! Oh, no! I tried in vain to catch them as the beads continued to rain down!
What to do? Well, I still had a black strand and one red one, so I grabbed some scissors and clipped off the offending cord. I wore the abbreviated necklace and no one was the wiser!
Somehow the phrase, "A three-fold cord is not easily broken," popped into my head. It is from a scripture in Ecclesiastes 4:12, which reads, "And if someone might overpower another by himself, two together can withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly broken."
This can apply to marriage. A couple may have a strong union as their lives are intertwined, but if Jesus is added to become a third person in their relationship, it is a union that is not easily broken! Unlike my beads that fell hopelessly to the floor, Jesus is a like a strong tower of support to strengthen or mend the marriage!
I had scurried all over the floor to pick up the scattered beads that could easily cause a fall. If we trust and call on our Savior, He is there to pick up the pieces of broken hearts and put them back together as one again! Something I could never do with a string of beads!
As soon as I put the string of beads around my neck, I heard a pecking, staccato sound at my feet. I looked down to see a peppering of red beads on the floor! Oh, no! I tried in vain to catch them as the beads continued to rain down!
What to do? Well, I still had a black strand and one red one, so I grabbed some scissors and clipped off the offending cord. I wore the abbreviated necklace and no one was the wiser!
Somehow the phrase, "A three-fold cord is not easily broken," popped into my head. It is from a scripture in Ecclesiastes 4:12, which reads, "And if someone might overpower another by himself, two together can withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly broken."
This can apply to marriage. A couple may have a strong union as their lives are intertwined, but if Jesus is added to become a third person in their relationship, it is a union that is not easily broken! Unlike my beads that fell hopelessly to the floor, Jesus is a like a strong tower of support to strengthen or mend the marriage!
I had scurried all over the floor to pick up the scattered beads that could easily cause a fall. If we trust and call on our Savior, He is there to pick up the pieces of broken hearts and put them back together as one again! Something I could never do with a string of beads!
Monday, October 22, 2018
Right Angle
A fork was stuck sideways in the utensil rack of the dishwasher. Try as I might, I couldn't get it out! I gave up and just didn't notice it anymore. Then the other day I was removing silverware from the basket I had put on the counter. Picking it up, I tilted the basket, and presto! the fork fell out effortlessly!
That's all it took! Just moving it to a different angle! How many times can we solve a problem by looking at it from a different angle? I get in the habit of doing things the same way, then when I make a change, it is refreshing! Sometimes I get the urge to rearrange furniture, which can give me a whole new outlook!
When our youngest child, Benjamin, was little, he would get bored and often come to me and say, "Let's re-range!" It seemed to be his favorite thing to do, with his older siblings away at school or with friends.
When we get set in our ways, or in our way of thinking, it is often hard to see another's viewpoint. Or in solving that problem that seems to have no solution, it often helps to look at the situation from a different angle!
Jesus seemed to like original thinking. When the Canaanite woman needed her daughter to be healed, Jesus at first answered that it was not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to dogs. But she parried with, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." Matthew 15:27. She looked at it from a different angle!
In Luke 7:7, Jesus was willing to go to the centurion's house to heal his servant, but the centurion had another thought--that Jesus could just speak the word and his servant would be healed, which he was!
These examples show great faith, which is always the right angle!
That's all it took! Just moving it to a different angle! How many times can we solve a problem by looking at it from a different angle? I get in the habit of doing things the same way, then when I make a change, it is refreshing! Sometimes I get the urge to rearrange furniture, which can give me a whole new outlook!
When our youngest child, Benjamin, was little, he would get bored and often come to me and say, "Let's re-range!" It seemed to be his favorite thing to do, with his older siblings away at school or with friends.
When we get set in our ways, or in our way of thinking, it is often hard to see another's viewpoint. Or in solving that problem that seems to have no solution, it often helps to look at the situation from a different angle!
Jesus seemed to like original thinking. When the Canaanite woman needed her daughter to be healed, Jesus at first answered that it was not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to dogs. But she parried with, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." Matthew 15:27. She looked at it from a different angle!
In Luke 7:7, Jesus was willing to go to the centurion's house to heal his servant, but the centurion had another thought--that Jesus could just speak the word and his servant would be healed, which he was!
These examples show great faith, which is always the right angle!
Saturday, October 20, 2018
Autumn Reveries
I love seeing the changing colors of trees in the fall! Our newspaper showed a picture today of the Fall colors beginning. According to the National Weather Service, Cold overnight temperatures (such as we have been having lately) combined with sunny warm days help to set deeper red and yellow fall colors.
God has made each season with its own beauty: Flowers in Spring, Harvest in Summer, the splendor of Autumn, and the sparkle of Winter! In our Creator's plan, trees stop producing chlorophyll (the leaves' food) as the days get shorter. The trees rest. In the absence of chlorophyll, green color goes away and the colors of red and yellow show up.
What a fascinating world we live in! We never have to be bored if we only recognize the hand of God in His creation! It is amazing that about the time we tire of a season, the next one comes along to give us exciting things to anticipate!
I once read of a gifted artist who was on his death bed. Sorrowfully, he knew he would never paint again. An attentive friend standing by his bed asked, "How would you like to direct a sunset?" referring to the unimaginable joys in Heaven.
Sometimes we experience the coming of winter in our lives. We don't like the cold, but perhaps it is setting deeper colors of love and appreciation in us, just as the warm, sunny days instill fond memories in our hearts.
God has made each season with its own beauty: Flowers in Spring, Harvest in Summer, the splendor of Autumn, and the sparkle of Winter! In our Creator's plan, trees stop producing chlorophyll (the leaves' food) as the days get shorter. The trees rest. In the absence of chlorophyll, green color goes away and the colors of red and yellow show up.
What a fascinating world we live in! We never have to be bored if we only recognize the hand of God in His creation! It is amazing that about the time we tire of a season, the next one comes along to give us exciting things to anticipate!
I once read of a gifted artist who was on his death bed. Sorrowfully, he knew he would never paint again. An attentive friend standing by his bed asked, "How would you like to direct a sunset?" referring to the unimaginable joys in Heaven.
Sometimes we experience the coming of winter in our lives. We don't like the cold, but perhaps it is setting deeper colors of love and appreciation in us, just as the warm, sunny days instill fond memories in our hearts.
Thursday, October 18, 2018
It Is!
Last night in Pastor's message he quoted from Matthew 11:30, where Jesus says, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." The religious people Jesus had been trying to reach had countless commandments and rules that they endeavored to keep. Their load was heavy, and Jesus was bringing a new way for them and for us all.
In verses 28-30, Jesus invites: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy and my burden is light."
"Yoke" is commonly referred to as the heavy, wooden neck piece placed on oxen as they labored for their masters. Jesus was not referring to putting that kind of yoke on people. He knew that the old way was impossible to keep.
The word, yoga, comes from the word, yoke. Yoga was a religious discipline. Jesus wanted to give them a new discipline that was easy. The only requirement was to learn of Him, and to believe Him when He said, "I am the Life, the Truth and the Way,"John 4:16.
The religious leaders of that day had 613 commandments, but when Jesus was asked which one of His was the greatest, he replied, "The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength; this is the first commandment.
And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." Mark 12:29-31. Amen!
In verses 28-30, Jesus invites: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy and my burden is light."
"Yoke" is commonly referred to as the heavy, wooden neck piece placed on oxen as they labored for their masters. Jesus was not referring to putting that kind of yoke on people. He knew that the old way was impossible to keep.
The word, yoga, comes from the word, yoke. Yoga was a religious discipline. Jesus wanted to give them a new discipline that was easy. The only requirement was to learn of Him, and to believe Him when He said, "I am the Life, the Truth and the Way,"John 4:16.
The religious leaders of that day had 613 commandments, but when Jesus was asked which one of His was the greatest, he replied, "The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength; this is the first commandment.
And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." Mark 12:29-31. Amen!
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