We just got back from hearing a special speaker at a prayer room in the back of the local Christian bookstore. The minister and his wife are here from Romania, where they have a mission work, although they are natives of Holland. They are missionaries to the Gypsies. In fact, they have even adopted a Gypsy teenage girl, already having three children of their own.
He was a fascinating speaker, not only because of his powerful message, but also for his somewhat-broken English and interesting accent. I had no trouble understanding him except for a time or two, once when I asked his wife what he had said that made everyone laugh. He had been talking about the uniqueness of his native land, and said there is a common saying over there, that “God created the earth, but the Dutch created Holland.” He was referring to the fact that it is below sea level and surrounded by dikes.
His subject was “Unity in Prayer,” and at one point the speaker was emphasizing how important it is to make sure you have a strong relationship with God and have prayed for protection before you enter upon a venture for Him. He told how they and a group from their ministry had set out to have a service in a community of Gypsies one evening. It seems that in the traffic they encountered, there was a make-shift wagon being pulled by a carload of Gypsies, which was veering all over the road, causing one of their party to run into it. When the pastor got out to investigate, he found that there was a very inebriated driver pulling the wagon. “Why are you driving when you are drunk?” he demanded, taking the man’s shoulder and looking sternly into his face.
Just then the crowd of people who were in the car with the drunk man began assaulting the pastor, blaming him for the wreck. One man took a shovel from the wagon and began beating him. As he tried to ward off the blows, both physical and verbal, another started swinging a heavy chain over his head, hitting and injuring their victim. A side mirror of the vehicle had been damaged in the collision, and a woman, cursing and shouting, tore the mirror arm loose and struck him about the head, arms and shoulders with it. Finally, staggering and bleeding, the pastor began to rebuke the demons that were ruling in the brawl. This infuriated the people to near-animal status, their eyes almost glowing with rage and fury. Suddenly police cars showed up and the brawlers were arrested.
“I should have been better prepared in prayer!” the pastor admitted. “But I took a stand against Satan, anyway, and he was defeated! We had thirty people come to the Lord that night!” Explaining how easy it would have been to go home in discouragement and cancel the meeting, he stressed that perseverance and determination are vital in prayer and in resisting the enemy. He said that many people quit praying just when the breakthrough is ready to come. He compared prayer to a fuse on a stick of dynamite--it has been lit, and the sparks are traveling to the explosive, when we get tired of praying and give up, just before the explosion of answered prayer. An excerpt from an amazing message, delivered like a Dutch-uncle, in the land of Uncle Sam!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Finale
“I feel like traveling on, I feel like traveling on,” the group heartily sang several verses of the song at the assisted living home tonight before sitting down rather breathlessly. They had gone through, “My heavenly home is bright and fair, I feel like traveling on, No pain nor death shall enter there, I feel like traveling on,” then, “It’s glittering towers the sun outshine, I feel like traveling on,” and “That heavenly mansion shall be mine, I feel like traveling on.” We were there for our regular monthly ministry service: Howard, my husband, son Greg, myself and another member, Sarah, who played one of the guitars. Howard had been interspersing his remarks by spontaneously breaking into first one song and then another.
His topic had been that God reaches down and rescues people, saves and restores them, no matter how far they may have been from God. He told of a man who owned a bar whom God had saved, and the man had immediately returned to his tavern and put up a sign reading, “Closed Forever. Gone to Serve Jesus.” One story led to another, and after a few more songs, he began to close with a true story he had heard about a man who had decided to give up on God.
It seems the man was a devout Christian and a wealthy farmer whose daughter had fallen in love with a ne’er-do-well and had announced plans to marry him. Her father had tried everything to dissuade her, seeing only a life of disappointment in store for his daughter. Furthermore, he abhorred the thought that this character might someday inherit his farm. The girl married him anyway, despite the father’s fervent prayers and pleadings to God that the marriage wouldn’t take place. In a fit of anger and rage against God for allowing this to happen, the farmer made up his mind to abandon his faith. To add to his resolve, he was making a statement by ending the relationship at the place it had begun, at the altar in church.
When he got to the church and approached the altar for his act of formal apostasy, thoughts of God’s blessings to his family over the years came back to him, and he thought he would give God a final “thank you” in a decent show of respect. As he knelt at the altar, he began to list all the positive things that had happened to them. The children had been healthy, the crops had been good, many breaks had come their way, farm equipment was paid off, they had new vehicles, and on and on. Finally, as tears came down his cheeks, he said, “God, I just can’t quit on you. Forgive me, God, for holding this grudge against my son-in-law. You’ve been so good to me.”
Just then Greg interrupted his father, “Dad, we missed a verse awhile ago. There is one more verse." He and Sarah began to sing, “The Lord has been so good to me, I feel like traveling on, Until that blessed home I see, I feel like traveling on.” It was a fitting end to the service.
His topic had been that God reaches down and rescues people, saves and restores them, no matter how far they may have been from God. He told of a man who owned a bar whom God had saved, and the man had immediately returned to his tavern and put up a sign reading, “Closed Forever. Gone to Serve Jesus.” One story led to another, and after a few more songs, he began to close with a true story he had heard about a man who had decided to give up on God.
It seems the man was a devout Christian and a wealthy farmer whose daughter had fallen in love with a ne’er-do-well and had announced plans to marry him. Her father had tried everything to dissuade her, seeing only a life of disappointment in store for his daughter. Furthermore, he abhorred the thought that this character might someday inherit his farm. The girl married him anyway, despite the father’s fervent prayers and pleadings to God that the marriage wouldn’t take place. In a fit of anger and rage against God for allowing this to happen, the farmer made up his mind to abandon his faith. To add to his resolve, he was making a statement by ending the relationship at the place it had begun, at the altar in church.
When he got to the church and approached the altar for his act of formal apostasy, thoughts of God’s blessings to his family over the years came back to him, and he thought he would give God a final “thank you” in a decent show of respect. As he knelt at the altar, he began to list all the positive things that had happened to them. The children had been healthy, the crops had been good, many breaks had come their way, farm equipment was paid off, they had new vehicles, and on and on. Finally, as tears came down his cheeks, he said, “God, I just can’t quit on you. Forgive me, God, for holding this grudge against my son-in-law. You’ve been so good to me.”
Just then Greg interrupted his father, “Dad, we missed a verse awhile ago. There is one more verse." He and Sarah began to sing, “The Lord has been so good to me, I feel like traveling on, Until that blessed home I see, I feel like traveling on.” It was a fitting end to the service.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Unawares
I don’t like surprises. Unless they’re the good kind. Last week, as I was packing for our trip to Houston, I rinsed out a last-minute item and put it in the dryer. Shutting the dryer door and setting the timer, I pulled the knob to turn it on. No response. What’s this? It worked fine the last time I’d used it. My husband checked the breaker and double-checked to make sure it was plugged in, then said he’d take care of it when we got back. It was in the back of our minds the whole time we were gone, and since our washer had developed a problem with the hose, I figured we’d make a trip to the laundry mat on our return and didn’t worry about it.
Early Monday morning after we’d arrived home, I opened the kitchen curtain and glanced out the window. For a moment I couldn't make sense of the incongruous sight that met my eyes. Our twelve-foot stepladder was erected in the back yard and decorated with clumps of laundry! I recognized whites, towels and pastel unmentionables dotting and hanging from the steps like colorful flowers! “Howard! How did that get out there!” I yelled to my husband.
“I washed last night after you went to bed,” he explained, “I fixed the washer hose.”
“You what?” I demanded, “You never do laundry!” He said he washed the bag of our vacation clothes that was sitting by the machine. I dashed out the back door, frantically collecting the damp garments, hopefully before our neighbors saw them. I actually wouldn’t mind a clothesline, providing it was a discreet, collapsible kind with multiple lines arranged in a square. After I did the rest of our clothes, we took them all to be dried and went to Lowe’s. They had just the clothes line I wanted, but Howard said he wanted to check into fixing our dryer first. It’s only 20 years old, so I can only hope for the best.
I’d been meaning to get a sympathy card for a friend who lost a loved one, and yesterday I actually remembered to buy one. I thought about it just before mail time, and went to retrieve it from it’s plastic bag. Guess what? No card! Howard was about to leave for work, so I ran to check if I had left it on the seat. It wasn’t there. Later, I reflected that our son had called while we were in the car, and I remembered absently looking at the envelope as we talked, thinking that the corner was getting bent. Maybe I unconsciously slipped it into the door’s side pocket. I’ll look as soon as my husband gets home with the car. Maybe it’ll be a good surprise and actually be there.
Life is full of surprises. Our friend’s sister was killed accidentally. Not everyone dies as the result of a lingering illness with plenty of time for reflection and preparation. Death may surprise us, but our destination shouldn’t. Only the wonderful surprises He has in store for those who have trusted in Him await the redeemed, for the Bible says, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." I Corinthians 2:9.
Early Monday morning after we’d arrived home, I opened the kitchen curtain and glanced out the window. For a moment I couldn't make sense of the incongruous sight that met my eyes. Our twelve-foot stepladder was erected in the back yard and decorated with clumps of laundry! I recognized whites, towels and pastel unmentionables dotting and hanging from the steps like colorful flowers! “Howard! How did that get out there!” I yelled to my husband.
“I washed last night after you went to bed,” he explained, “I fixed the washer hose.”
“You what?” I demanded, “You never do laundry!” He said he washed the bag of our vacation clothes that was sitting by the machine. I dashed out the back door, frantically collecting the damp garments, hopefully before our neighbors saw them. I actually wouldn’t mind a clothesline, providing it was a discreet, collapsible kind with multiple lines arranged in a square. After I did the rest of our clothes, we took them all to be dried and went to Lowe’s. They had just the clothes line I wanted, but Howard said he wanted to check into fixing our dryer first. It’s only 20 years old, so I can only hope for the best.
I’d been meaning to get a sympathy card for a friend who lost a loved one, and yesterday I actually remembered to buy one. I thought about it just before mail time, and went to retrieve it from it’s plastic bag. Guess what? No card! Howard was about to leave for work, so I ran to check if I had left it on the seat. It wasn’t there. Later, I reflected that our son had called while we were in the car, and I remembered absently looking at the envelope as we talked, thinking that the corner was getting bent. Maybe I unconsciously slipped it into the door’s side pocket. I’ll look as soon as my husband gets home with the car. Maybe it’ll be a good surprise and actually be there.
Life is full of surprises. Our friend’s sister was killed accidentally. Not everyone dies as the result of a lingering illness with plenty of time for reflection and preparation. Death may surprise us, but our destination shouldn’t. Only the wonderful surprises He has in store for those who have trusted in Him await the redeemed, for the Bible says, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." I Corinthians 2:9.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
No Laughing Matter
Our son, Jamie, was trying to relate an amusing incident to me as I sat behind him in their minivan while in Houston traffic the other day. He told me his wife, Tammy, had been attending a Spanish class at work, and he went on to say, “Tammy texted her mother (who had been sick) and said in Spanish, ‘Are you okay?’ to which her mother replied, ‘Si.’” Then he waited for me to laugh. I said her mother answered in kind. He patiently repeated the story, and I still didn’t laugh.
Finally, Jamie painstakingly told me what he had been trying to say, “Tammy called her mother and said, ‘In Spanish. Are you okay?’ She answered, ‘Si.’” Then we had a good laugh over it, since her mother had thought she was supposed to answer in Spanish, and I thought Tammy had spoken in Spanish, when she really meant she was in Spanish class!
Jamie had a lot of laughs at my expense, mostly due to my hearing or comprehending wrongly. For instance, I thought I heard him say of his 16-month old daughter, “Maddie has my legs.” I had him repeat it (he was in the other room), while I rationalized that when I had commented on 3-year-old Anne-Marie’s long legs, he had said she had the Shaw (her mother’s family) height, so maybe he meant that Maddie’s short, chubby legs were like his as a baby.
“Oh, you think she has your legs?” I responded, to which he gave an emphatic, “No!” After several laughing, impatient repetitions of his statement, he came close to me and carefully elucidated, “I said, ‘Maddie has hold of my legs!’” Whatever!
Later that day, we were sitting at a fast-food table watching him and the children enjoying pizza while their Pa Pa and I shared a cup of ice cream. “Would Maddie like a bite?” I asked Jamie. He said, sure, so I gave her a spoonful. Then, since the ice cream had come with a clear, domed lid that now sat upside down on the white table, I put a large dollop into it and passed it to him to feed her.
Seconds later, I glanced down and saw the blob of ice cream was on the table surface where the lid had been. “How did that get there!” I exclaimed, and then I saw that the domed cover had a very large opening in it, invisible on the white table. I thought Jamie would laugh himself sick over that one.
Finally, Jamie painstakingly told me what he had been trying to say, “Tammy called her mother and said, ‘In Spanish. Are you okay?’ She answered, ‘Si.’” Then we had a good laugh over it, since her mother had thought she was supposed to answer in Spanish, and I thought Tammy had spoken in Spanish, when she really meant she was in Spanish class!
Jamie had a lot of laughs at my expense, mostly due to my hearing or comprehending wrongly. For instance, I thought I heard him say of his 16-month old daughter, “Maddie has my legs.” I had him repeat it (he was in the other room), while I rationalized that when I had commented on 3-year-old Anne-Marie’s long legs, he had said she had the Shaw (her mother’s family) height, so maybe he meant that Maddie’s short, chubby legs were like his as a baby.
“Oh, you think she has your legs?” I responded, to which he gave an emphatic, “No!” After several laughing, impatient repetitions of his statement, he came close to me and carefully elucidated, “I said, ‘Maddie has hold of my legs!’” Whatever!
Later that day, we were sitting at a fast-food table watching him and the children enjoying pizza while their Pa Pa and I shared a cup of ice cream. “Would Maddie like a bite?” I asked Jamie. He said, sure, so I gave her a spoonful. Then, since the ice cream had come with a clear, domed lid that now sat upside down on the white table, I put a large dollop into it and passed it to him to feed her.
Seconds later, I glanced down and saw the blob of ice cream was on the table surface where the lid had been. “How did that get there!” I exclaimed, and then I saw that the domed cover had a very large opening in it, invisible on the white table. I thought Jamie would laugh himself sick over that one.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Airborne
Thanks to the internet, I just got to view photos of an amazing event happening practically in our grandsons’ backyard in Texas. A giant, colorful balloon with a basket full of people descended, landing just a few houses away, judging from the photographs. We had seen the same thing happen when we were there visiting last summer, but we didn’t approach the balloon; it looked as if it had landed in a nearby pasture beyond the obstructing view of homes. This time the camera captured the boys, as well as the rest of neighborhood children, running to catch the landing and examine the balloon up close. Then they posed beside it as it lay on the ground like a colorful beached whale. What an exciting event!
Kyle, 13, and Brad, 10, love to fly. They’ve taken several flights to Florida for Disney vacations, and once, prior to take-off, the captain even let them sit in the pilot’s seat, wear his impressive hat, and pose for pictures. Kyle, especially has always been fascinated with airplanes. He loves to practice simulated landings on a realistic computer program he has. I’ve always gotten him imaginative paper airplane books as gifts, and this year, I gave him a calendar with a paper airplane to fold for each day of the week. His dad, our son, Trevor, was the same way. In fact, I half-expected him to become a pilot. As a young teen, Trevor was a member of the Civil Air Patrol, and as such, once got to go up in a WWII cargo plane on a storm-watching mission. It was the thrill of his young life. Now he routinely flies for business, but I’m not sure the thrill is the same.
There seems to be something innate within man to want to fly, as evidenced from the primitive failed attempts throughout history, to the success of the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk. A poem that beautifully captures that yearned-for goal from one who achieved it is “High Flight”, by a young pilot, John Gillespie Magee, Jr.:
"Oh! I have slipped the surly bands of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings,
Sunward, I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds,--and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of--wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence, hov'ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air…
Up, up, the long, delirious burning blue
I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace,
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew--
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God."
Someday, all who’ve trusted Jesus will have that yearning to fly satisfied when we meet Him in the air (I Thess. 4:17); and when the holy city, the New Jerusalem, descends out of heaven (Rev. 21:2, 10), that will be a landing that transcends any other.
Kyle, 13, and Brad, 10, love to fly. They’ve taken several flights to Florida for Disney vacations, and once, prior to take-off, the captain even let them sit in the pilot’s seat, wear his impressive hat, and pose for pictures. Kyle, especially has always been fascinated with airplanes. He loves to practice simulated landings on a realistic computer program he has. I’ve always gotten him imaginative paper airplane books as gifts, and this year, I gave him a calendar with a paper airplane to fold for each day of the week. His dad, our son, Trevor, was the same way. In fact, I half-expected him to become a pilot. As a young teen, Trevor was a member of the Civil Air Patrol, and as such, once got to go up in a WWII cargo plane on a storm-watching mission. It was the thrill of his young life. Now he routinely flies for business, but I’m not sure the thrill is the same.
There seems to be something innate within man to want to fly, as evidenced from the primitive failed attempts throughout history, to the success of the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk. A poem that beautifully captures that yearned-for goal from one who achieved it is “High Flight”, by a young pilot, John Gillespie Magee, Jr.:
"Oh! I have slipped the surly bands of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings,
Sunward, I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds,--and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of--wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence, hov'ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air…
Up, up, the long, delirious burning blue
I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace,
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew--
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God."
Someday, all who’ve trusted Jesus will have that yearning to fly satisfied when we meet Him in the air (I Thess. 4:17); and when the holy city, the New Jerusalem, descends out of heaven (Rev. 21:2, 10), that will be a landing that transcends any other.
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