Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
My Eyes Are on Thee
What do you do when you face a huge problem, one
that seems beyond human ability to solve?
Perhaps you do what I am prone to do: Worry! Talk
with others to get their “take” on it. Consult the experts. Eat comfort food. Mope
around, weighted down with despair and uncertainty.
But, Dear
Reader, if you and I are wise, we’ll do what King Jehoshaphat did many centuries
ago when hordes of enemies were coming to attack his kingdom. He first sought
the Lord’s will in the matter: he prayed; he fasted; he commanded his countrymen
to do the same.
I love the conversation he had with God. (Thankfully,
it’s recorded in 2 Chronicles, chapter 20.) The king said, “We are powerless
against this great horde….We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on Thee.”
What did God say? Here’s a paraphrased gist of it,
which is what He says to us whenever we cry out to Him for help: “Do not be
afraid and do not be dismayed at the size/scope of the problem. The battle is
not yours but Mine…You will not need to fight in this battle. Instead, go out
against the enemy; but then, knowing I am with you, stand firm, hold your
position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf” (Based on vv. 12-17).
As promised, God gave them a great victory, and
the king and his army didn’t even have to fight the enemy!
Wouldn’t we love for God to do that for us? He
will—if only we’ll turn to Him in humility and trust in His love for us and His
willingness to help us. (After all, we ARE
His children, the children He loves!)
Do we have to be perfect in order for God
to do something miraculous for us? No! King Jehoshaphat certainly wasn’t. Although
he’d done much that was right, he did have some bad decisions on his record, as
you and I certainly do.
So…Dear Reader, let’s seek the Lord, rely on Him, and
thank Him and praise Him (in advance!)
for the victory He will give us.
Monday, June 1, 2015
Gifts We Leave Behind
And through his [Abel's] faith,
though he died, he still speaks.
Hebrews 11:4
When my husband I visited
friends whose 57-year-old son had died suddenly two years ago, they gave us a
CD of music their son had written and performed. How thankful I am that his
family had taken time to collect samples of his work and to save them (on CD)
for posterity. Their gift of his beautiful instrumental music has blessed me so
much. For example, I feel such peace as I listen to his music while I’m writing
or doing household tasks, etc.
That gift prompted me to
think of other gifts I cherish, gifts created by persons who are now deceased: Mama’s hand-sewn aprons,
crocheted blankets, handmade quilts; Ruby’s counted cross stitch plaque; B. B.'s quotes he wrote in beautiful calligraphy….
Even though their voices
are silent now and their hands still, their lives still “speak” and continue to
bless me through not only the memories I have of them but also through the
physical things they took time to create/preserve for me.
As I reflected on their gifts,
I wondered, What gifts am I preparing to leave
behind for others?
I thought of several, all
unfinished at this point. I’m reading through the Bible each year and
highlighting certain words and phrases and making notes in the margins, as is
my custom. During the many years I taught Sunday School, I used a New American
Standard Bible (NASB) that featured wide margins, as well as study notes by
Charles Ryrie. In 1997, church librarians, with whom I’d worked for several
years, gave me a New Living Translation (NLT) as a parting gift when my husband
and I moved away. I used it until this year (2015) when I purchased an English Standard
Version (ESV) so I can more easily follow along as my pastor reads aloud Scripture passages during worship services. Thus, I have two Bibles ready
to give to my grandchildren and a third Bible that will be marked from Genesis
to Revelation by the end of this year (2015). However, since I have four
grandchildren and only three Bibles, I pray the Lord lets me live at least long
enough to prepare a fourth Bible to leave behind.
I’m also collecting all
of my newspaper columns and publishing them in a series of books, which I plan
to leave for my family. One book is finished (1984-1992). However, I still must
prepare books of columns written between 1995 and the present (2015). That’s a
huge project!
I also want to compile my
poetry into book format, a lesser project, to be sure, but one I’d like to do.
I also want to digitize
slides, photos, and videos so as to create a collection of family photo that will
include the names and ages of the person(s) shown in the photos, along with brief
notes about the events. Now, that’s the most challenging project of all since
the pictures are in different formats and span a half-century!
How will I ever get all this done? By working a few minutes
here, a few minutes there on a regular basis. But I will do that in order to
leave behind gifts that will bless others!
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Acrostic of Praise and Prayer
Note: After
reading Psalm 25, written by David, I noticed the note at the bottom of page
that said “This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the
successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.” I’m glad I read the note, since,
being totally unfamiliar with the Hebrew alphabet, I wouldn't have recognized
the psalm as an acrostic. And…even though I know nothing about the “mechanics”
of David’s psalm, I tried my hand at writing the acrostic below, which, of
course, is far less excellent than his! But the words came from my heart, as David’s
did from his! Dear Reader, would you like to create an acrostic of praise and prayer?
Awesome God,
Blessed forever,
Creator of all,
Desire
of the ages,
Emmanuel,
Forgive me for all my sins
against you and others.
Give me peace—wonderful, indescribable
peace.
Help me to praise You in
all I do and say.
I humbly thank You in
Jesus’ name for blessing
me, for
Keeping Your every promise,
and for
Loving me more than my
mind can conceive.
May You be honored and
adored both
Near and far.
Open my eyes so that I may
see Your
Perfection and purity.
Quietly now I wait before
Thee,
Ready to do what You say,
Seeking to please You in
all
Things, both great and
small.
Unto Thee, O LORD, do I
lift up my
Voice—and unto Thee, O LORD,
Will I do my work so that ordinary
tasks become ways to honor and serve You.
X-ray my entire being,
give me a thorough check-up, and then cleanse Me and heal me.
You, the One who can do
ALL things, increase my
Zeal for You—not only for today
but also for all the days You’ve planned for me.
 |
| Colusa National Wildlife Refuge is one of six refuges in the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex located in the Sacramento Valley of north-central California. The refuge is about 70 miles north of the metropolitan area of Sacramento. |
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Well-Crafted Stories
When a friend asked me to read the first three chapters (and the synopsis) of a fiction book she was writing, I gladly agreed. One morning I curled up with the 40+ pages and enjoyed a “good read.” Because I liked the two main characters she’d created and cheered for them as they grappled with painful emotions of the present (and the past), I was sorry when I reached the end of chapter three. I wanted MORE details about
As I read my friend’s book, I recalled how much I’d enjoyed my few (and feeble) attempts at writing fiction. It’s really fun to bring characters to life and to choose what happens to them. I do a similar kind of thing when I create images with my camera. I get to choose what goes into the frame—and what doesn't.
God does that same kind of thing—only in a far, far greater way. As Max Lucado points out in his excellent book, When God’s Story Becomes Your Story, each life is “a crafted narrative written by a good God who is working toward your supreme good.”
God’s already written the book of my life—and yours, Dear Reader! We’ll just have to wait to “read” the remaining chapters!
Friday, May 1, 2015
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