20/20 in 2020!

Well, it is almost 2020 and all I can think of when I see that number is the eye doctor.  I think of my vision!  The term 20/20 is to express normal visual acuity (the clarity or sharpness of vision) measured from 20 feet.  What is your visual acuity?

I think of how my eyes need to be opened this year of 2020!  I need to see my Lord more clearly.  Spending more time reading the bible will make me more aware of who he is.  I need to see how much He loves me.  So much that He would send His Son into this world as a little baby who would grow to be a man and die on a cross for my sins.

Lord, help me see your power!  May I see that fear doesn't come from you but according to
2 Timothy 1:7 power, love and self-discipline do.

Paul writes:
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you.  The riches of His glorious inheritance in his holy people.  Ephesians 1:18

I want to see God in a more purposeful prayer life.  May a prayer always be on my lips and may I spend more time talking to my God.

When I think of the eye doctor I think of a time in our granddaughter, Catherine's life.  It was a time, when she was little, that several girls in her class got glasses.  She then began to complain to her parents that she could not see well, so they made an appointment with the optometrist.  When she was asked to read the eye chart, she squinted and hesitated and said she couldn't see the letters.  The doctor left the room and came back with a cute little pair of pink glasses and put them on Catherine and asked her again to read the chart.  Without hesitation, she read every letter.  Proudly looking at the wise doctor she was surprised when he put his fingers through the eyes of the glasses and touched her eyes.  The glasses had no lenses.  I laugh when I think about this little story which I have told many times, but sometimes I think I need special eyes to see God's plan for my life when all of the time He is saying, I know the plans I have for you, you need no special lenses to see them.  I will lead you through the storm if you just hold my hand.

Evie’s Red Shoes

When worry and anxiety crept into my soul I was cheered when I thought of my granddaughter, Evie.  Evie got new red shoes and loves them so much she even named them Janice and Ruby.

She calls them her tap shoes because when she dances the shoes tap, tap, tap with each step.  She polished them and even made them a bed to sleep on.  This story cheered me and warmed my heart.  I thought of how Evie danced and the tap of her beautiful red shoes.  I want to dance for the Lord and tell of his faithfulness.  May the tap be heard by those who are broken-hearted.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34:18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I love that Evie named her shoes!  The Lord calls us by name.

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Evie made Janice and Ruby a bed to rest in.  The Lord gives us rest even in our worry.

Truly my soul finds rest in God.  Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I thought of how Janice and Ruby did not come from a fancy shoe store but from Aldi’s.  I identify with these two red shoes because there is nothing to make the Lord find favor with me.  He even forgives me when I let worry and stress sneak into my heart and sends peace to my soul even through two tap shoes and a beautiful little girl named Evie!

Is It Christmas Yet?

This Christmas has been different for us this year!  We packed our clothes, locked our house and left our Christmas adorned home to come to San Diego, CA for our grandson’s graduation and to spend Christmas here with my daughter and her family!  What a change!  Palm trees instead of pine trees, temperatures in the 70s instead of the crisp 9 degrees we left a few days ago.  I drank my coffee on their deck as the bright sun threatened to give me a bit of a suntan.  Oh, how I enjoyed myself as we took a long walk and seen a beautiful view of the ocean and feel the power and presence of its creator.  .  It made me praise God for his beautiful creation and remember afresh His powerful answer to prayer we had just received.  But my daughter asked me a question that I have been pondering.  She asked if it seemed like Christmas since I was here.  A beautiful Christmas tree stands their living room, garland drapes their mantle and houses in their neighborhood are decked in lights just as at home but Christmas seemed far off.  But then again it does every year until I settled down and read from Luke 2 to get the real meaning of Christmas.

In this reading I see no pine trees or snow or even palm trees draped in lights.  I see no Christmas trees with gleaming ornaments or brightly wrapped gifts under the branches.  Even though I love these things, I see a babe wrapped in cloth laying in a feed trough.  I rejoice with the shepherds as the glory of the Lord shone round them.  Even as they were scared to death the angel said don’t be afraid because I bring you good news.  My mind cannot imagine this.  The angels were singing and praising God saying,
Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those whom his favor rest!

Shortly we will go home to frigid Illinois, take down our Christmas decorations and put them in boxes until next year but I will keep Luke 2 always in my heart!

Silent night
Holy night

Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the Savior is born!

Yes, Kelly, it is Christmas here!

Beneath My Heart

Where does it come from?  I’m talking about love!  What causes the stirring of love with that first flutter in your womb?  What makes you giggle at the first hiccup you feel as your belly jumps with each one?  Even more amazing to me is the love a Daddy has for this one so small who he has not yet met.  His love grows as he lays his hand on his wife’s belly or see the image on a screen.  How wonderful is this love!

But as I sit here in the living room of my daughter in San Diego, I am blessed beyond measure by yet another kind of love that did not grow beneath my heart or sleep in a crib in my house.  This love is also God given.  It is the love for our grandkids.  As I ponder this morning about each one and my love for them, I think of the two sleeping downstairs!  I was proud and thrilled to watch our handsome Keegan walk across the stage to receive his diploma from college!  My mind went back to a beautiful little boy who tried to rescue frogs that covered our road and he even dubbed himself “Frogman”!  Where did this love come from?  It comes from the One who is Love.  Then I think of our sweet Allison with her beautiful soul!  My heart is amazed at how much I love her.  I hurt when she hurts and rejoice when she smiles.  My prayers for my grandkids are just as intense as for my own kids.  Though they did not grow beneath my heart God has given me such a love for them even though distance has always separated us physically but distance could not take the love I have for them.  It could not d sad top my prayers for them.

Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me my God till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.  Psalm 71:18

Love is amazing because God is Love!

Egg-spect Great Things!

He was a handsome young man who sat next to me on the flight to San Diego to visit my daughter, Kelly and her family.  He sat his breakfast down on the seat as he started what he called “the process”.  He placed his carry-on in the overhead compartment, he then methodically removed his jacket, folded it and placed it there also.  While still standing , he removed from his briefcase sanitizer wipes and began to wipe down the whole area causing me to wonder about my own environment and who had been there before me.  He eventually sat down and began to put his things on the tray in front of him. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a notebook with neat hand writing with specific points spaced evenly.  At this point I took my last bite of the bagel and egg sandwich that We had bought at the food court earlier.  As I finished I turned toward my seat mate in search for my seatbelt which is was sitting on.  When I did, an ever so small morsel of egg flew from my mouth, through the air in slow motion down, down, down.  My eyes as well as the stranger’s  eyes watched in horror as it landed somewhere between us.  I noticed a definite fidgeting in his seat after that.

I thought of how this man as well as myself like to control our lives.  We pray, Lord keep my family safe and healthy.  Keep them from problems and burdens and sterilize their world so they face no hurt  or anxiety.  We praise Him for victories and successes, all the while we have our God sanitizers out not really expecting that morsel of egg to fly from the mouth of an old lady sitting next to us.

Most of us want complete control of our lives even those who don’t consider themselves “control freaks” and when we lose that control we flail not knowing what WE should do.  We fall apart not remembering who says “My grace is sufficient”!  Or “with God nothing is impossible”.  “For we walk not by sight”.  “Be still and know I am God”.  We switch to high gear trying to figure out what WE can do when all the while God says, “trust in me”!

The young man , I found, was such a nice person and a blessing.  When we parted, he wished us a Merry Christmas.  Most of us forget that Hope was born that night so long ago.  Hope for our hurts and burdens can be found still in Jesus!

Look to the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns (or sanitize their life) and yet you’re Heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not more valuable than they?

Warning!  Don’t sit next to anyone eating an egg sandwich!

So There Devil!

My blog today was going to list the misfortunes that have plagued our family in 2019 but I just couldn't continue because of the peace I have in my heart this morning.  To rehash and repeat would allow the devil to squeal with glee and gain a stronghold in my soul.  I want only to remember the answers to prayer, so many prayers.  Not to mention a great celebration of fifty years of wonderful marriage.  I want to raise my hand and my voice to thank my good, good God for his love and care for us.  His peace when there should have been fear,  Love when I could have felt cursed, the joy when I should have felt sadness.  You see! There were lots of feelings this year, all legitimate.  Fear, sadness, doubt, dread, and grief but my bible says we cannot count on our feelings but have to place our faith in the truth and truth can only be found in God's word.

My bible tells me,
Be strong and courageous.  Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.  Joshua 1:9

Fear not for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen you.  I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10

And behold I am with you always to the end of the age.  Matthew 28:20

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.  2 Timothy 1:7

There is no fear in love but perfect love cast out fear.  1 John 4:18

So, there, devil take that!

The Sun Will Come Up!

When I first retired, I decided that first spring that I would get up with the sun.  I checked my phone to see when sunrise officially was and got up and went outside and sat down in my "Old Prayer Chair".  I got as comfortable as I could in that old wooden chair and waited and waited and waited!  The time came and went that it was supposed to appear.  The sky was beginning to lighten but the sun I did not see.  I even changed locations a couple of times but no sun!  There was not a cloud in the sky but still, the sun evaded my gaze.  My trust that it would even come up that morning began to wan!

The Hebrew for trust was to set one's hope and confidence upon, to be secure, fearing nothing- confidence, security, and hope!

Trust in the bible literally means a bold confident sure security or action based on security in God.

Trust is believing something even though you can't see it yet.  I was sure the sun was there, it had always reliably come up each morning of my life but I could only barely see the light of it.  Trees, houses, and barns blocked my full view for a while.  Sometimes when we try to trust, things block our view.  Doubt stands in the way, fear looms to distort the rays, disbelief can block it altogether.

That's why Proverbs 3:5 says:
Trust in the LORD with all of your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  Whoever trust in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.  And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Our understanding only sees the looming of an overpowering problem but when we trust, the Sun appears and we can again rejoice at His goodness.

In its full glory that ole sun rose above the obstacles and began to shine as it always has.  The Sun had not disappeared my eyes needed to adjust so I could see past my doubts and fears.  Just because I sometimes can not see God he is still there and knows the plans He has for me and my situation.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:11-13

Praise the Lord, I see the Son even on dark days!

Chosen

I am chosen and highly favored by my God who loves me and gave His life for me.

There were three times when I was in grade school that I just wanted to disappear.  One was when two people would stand before the class and pick their team for whatever sport we were playing.  I would wait for my name to be called but it never was until there was no one else left and then someone would have to take me.  Another time that was hard on me was after summer vacation when the teacher would go around the room and ask what you had done on your summer vacation.  Because we never went on vacation, as many of my peers, I once lied and said we went blackberry hunting because I had just heard that in a story we had just read.  The third was when we would all be asked what we received for Christmas.  Since our Christmas gifts were rather meager I usually said nothing.


I read a story today about a boy who was overlooked but later became a king!  In the book of
1 Samuel, we read about the prophet, who on instructions from the Lord, went to find and anoint the next king of the Jewish people.  He was directed to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem.  Jesse brought out his seven sons and upon meeting each one, Samuel rejected them as God repeatedly said "No this is not the one", he then asked if there was any more.  Jesse, who had evidently forgotten his younger son who was tending sheep called this young man David in to meet Samuel.  God said "Rise and anoint him", and Samuel anointed David as the next king.  Who would have thought that this teenager could be the king?  No one called him to be on their team, he had nothing to report when asked about his summer vacation and I'm sure if he would have had to report on how many gifts he had received he would have had to bow his head and report none. David did become the king, but God brought another King, a Savior, from the line of David.  He was even born in the town of David, Bethlehem. His name is Jesus and He was born and was laid in a manger in a dark dreary stable. Angels sang from the heavens about his birth.  Wise men brought him gifts as the story goes.  He grew to be a man and died on a cross for our sins.  The bible says he is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  But it all started with a shepherd boy named David who was rejected by many but was chosen by God!

Jesus said,.... but I have chosen you out of the world!

I am chosen and highly favored by my God who loves me and gave His life for me.

Slobbery Kisses On My Face

I loved meeting Debbie out somewhere, usually, Krogers, because we had some great chats about our kids and our dogs!  She always had a funny story about hers and laughed about mine.  "They are just like family"  we would say!  After a short conversation, we would part with a hug and I wouldn't see her again for a while.  I loved it when she came to my house and raved about my lasagna and pie!  In the last couple of years, we have had several opportunities to be with her whether it be at the Chinese Place, Yoders or at our house we always enjoyed being with her.

But I really got to know her through her posts on Facebook.  As funny as that sounds I felt her soul as she reached out on this social media outlet.  POLITICS!  Did I say politics?  I saw her great love of justice and fair play.  Of course, there were the animal pictures and sweet antics that she would post. I remember a post she posted not too long ago which summed up her thoughts on her animal friends as well as mine.

I am thankful for
Pawprints on my floor
Slobbery kisses on my face
Nose prints on my windows
Dog hairs on my clothes
No room in my bed
For there will come a day when these
things will be missed

As we shared a love for animals, I was sure to comment about the video or picture she would share.

I loved the one she put on not too long ago that summed her up as a person.

"Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing."


 She, as I had a great love and concern for the unborn!  We always "liked" or "loved" the sweet pictures of newborn babies and cringed at the brutality of abortion.

I saw, in her, not only a sister-in-law but a sister in the Lord because she posted or reacted to many bible verses and made great statements of faith about her Lord.

November 24, 2019

She shares this beautiful verse which is one of my favorites also.

As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God
Psalm 42:1

December 2, 2019

Day 336 of 365
God said:
This year I made you strong.
Next year I'm going to
make you happy.
Blessings are coming
Believe that.  I've got your back.

Blessing did come to our dear Debra Kay!

One of the last quotes I found was this which was so timely!

Death takes the body.  God takes the soul.  Our mind holds the memories.
Our heart keeps the love.
Our faith lets us know we will meet again

Friday Blessings came this week a few days before she went home to be with her Savior!
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.  Romans 15:13

All hope is hers right now as she looks upon the Lamb of God!

The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.  He will take great delight in you;  in his love, he will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

Rest in peace and just listen to the singing!

Sing Like You Are Lauren Daigle!

Believe me, I am not a great singer and if you heard me you would believe that statement but I like to think I can make a joyful noise to the Lord!  In the Bible, there are many references to "making a joyful noise"!

Psalm 98:4
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD all the earth, make a loud noise and rejoice and sing praises.

Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.  Serve the Lord with gladness, come before his presence with singing.  Know ye that the Lord, He is God.

These scriptures were enough to cause me to want to make my joyful noise to my Lord.

I'm a little frightened because, just when I thought I was Lauren Daigle, my dog began to howl and then ran and hid under the bed.  Oh, well what does a dog with a name like Rocky know about singing anyhow?

I found a song I really love, it's "Hope Was Born This Night!"  I hope that this message of God's hope will be remembered more than my not so "Lauren Daigle" voice.

So many times in my life I have failed to make a joyful noise.  I have rushed to tell someone about a good place to eat with a, die for, desert, a good movie they should see, or a neat place to shop but failed to tell them about eternity.  I remember telling my younger brother, on his death bed, about Jesus and His salvation but why did I wait until then?  Why do we feel a fear of giving life-giving truth?

What makes me hesitate to sing to the top of my lungs that the Hope of the World was born that first Christmas night?

Do you know anyone who lacks hope?  Maybe a divorce, a financial upheaval, or a diagnosis of cancer has toppled their world and their hope.

We who know the Lord of Hope need to share it this Christmas.

I will be making my joyful noise one Sunday in December and will be singing a song about the Lord and His Hope!

Praise the Hope that was born this night!

Do You Hear What I Hear?

How well do you hear?  If you are "older" like me you may miss some things that are said, but my husband Larry has had a hearing deficit for a long time.  Many years ago he was told that he had nerve damage and hearing aids would not help him, but yesterday he received hearing aids and a different man came out of that office than went in.  He even stopped to say to a strange woman sitting in the waiting area, "I can hear"!  All the way out he just kept saying, "I can hear"!  He started the car and heard sounds he had not heard before, like the beep when you back up and the turn signals blinking.  He could hear me whisper to him, which brought a broad smile to his face.  His eyes filled with tears as each new sound came to him.  He was like a child unwrapping presents on Christmas morning.  All the while I watched him as he discovered his new world I thought how the Lord must be smiling too.  In Psalm 116 it says God bends down to listen to us.

When talking to our grandson Garrick about it, Garrick recalled the story of our old piano.  I wanted a piano for the girls to take lessons.  Larry found some man he worked with had one for free but there was only one problem, according to Larry, the keys on one end didn't work.  The high notes were out of his range of hearing.  It has been a family joke ever since.  Hearing this conversation, I went over to the piano and hit those notes and his eyes lit up because he could finally hear them.

Sometimes as we try to hear God, His voice is out of our range of hearing because of the background noise.  We can barely make out the notes of His sweet songs to us.  We forget even what it sounds like. Let us put on our spiritual hearing aids and again hear his voice.

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy
Do you hear what I hear
Ringing through the sky shepherd boy
Do you hear what I hear
A song, a song
High above the trees
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea

Said the king to the people everywhere
Listen to what I say
Pray for peace people everywhere
Listen to what I say
The child, the child
Sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light

He will bring us goodness and light

This Christmas may we hear the sweet voice of God even in the midst of the noise!

Angels We Have Heard On High!
Sweetly Singing O'er the Plains!

Not One Is Missing

• As I began to think about my 50th wedding anniversary And our vow renewal, I knew I wanted to include my whole family in my tribute to my sweet Larry and our years together, because, of course, they have played a huge part in our fifty years  of marriage.  TYhe theme of my talk was “When did I start to love you?”  I started at our first meeting and first date and proceeded to our wedding along with good and bad things that came into our lives.  The bad of course drew us closer to our Heavenly Father and the good, well, that also turned us to our Lord with praise.  Of course, kids and grandkids were a part of the good things that happened in our lives!  I had a portion that went all through my grandkids one by one and special things about each of them.  I carefully included each one and their special story.  I had it prepared to read and practiced many times but as I read for some reason I missed our grandson Caleb.  Larry had dubbed Caleb , Catfish Caleb because when we were fishing, Caleb caught a yellow bellied catfish but threw the pole down and ran up the hill!  Every time Larry would tell the story he laughed as he relived that time.  But somehow I lost my place and missed our sweet Catfish!  I apologized over and over and the family teased him. 
• 
  

“You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139:2-3, 13-14, 16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I thought of all the people our Lord 
has under his care and he never misses one of them.  He even keeps track of the stars and the Bible said he never loses any of them. 

“Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40:26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As you enjoy all the lights everywhere you look this Christmas, think about the stars God knows and calls by name and remember you are so much more important than even the stars in the sky.  He did not die for the stars but gave his life for us!

And don’t forget “Not one is missing”!

The Lamb Is The Light!

Today is the first day of Advent.  The word advent means coming of something and in this case, means the coming of Christmas and the celebration of the birth of Christ. In many churches, the theme will be Hope!  And there are many scripture verses that refer to hope.  I like Isaiah 40 verses 28-31

²⁸ Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31

Romans 15:4 English Standard Version (ESV)

⁴ For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

As I read the last verse from Romans it made me remember a time when I met a hopeless woman.  In order to pick up some extra money for the family, I would sometimes pick up odd jobs.  One year a paper route came open around our neighborhood.  I would walk it every morning at 4:00 am so that those folks sleeping in the house could have their newspaper as soon as they awakened.  Believe it or not, I enjoyed the solitude of that time of the morning.  I would use it to pray for my family and even pray for each family asleep in those houses as I wrapped their paper tightly and put it in their mailbox.

I loved it when it snowed and it seemed like I was the only one awake to see it.  I probably was!  My footprints were the first to stir the beautiful display as it stretched out before me on those winter mornings.

It was around Christmas and one by one each house would display their decorations.  Back in those days we still collected for the paper door to door and those who were asleep when I came to their houses were now awake and full of Christmas greetings.  As I knocked on each door, I was usually asked in to get out of the cold and there stood the beautiful lights and shiny ornaments that lit up the room.  This was a happy time for even the "paper girl".

One house on my route was always dark and the lady would peek out of a crack in the door to pay me.  One day I wished her a Merry Christmas and enquired about her plans for Christmas day.  This poor lady began to tell me about her lack of a celebratory spirit.  She had no reason to celebrate according to her.  Her husband had passed away, she had no children and there seemed to be a profound sadness in her voice.  It was not only her house but her soul.  She had no hope!  For the rest of the season as I passed the lonely dark house, I prayed for this one who did not know the reason we celebrate this time of the year.  She did not know Jesus the hope giver.  The babe in the manger would grow to be a man and die for us so we could have hope.  I can't help but think if this dear one could have met him a great light would have shined into her lonely dark world.

A dear friend lost his father a few days ago but they though saddened, were celebrating his home going. Unlike the dear lady on my route, this man had abundant hope!  The bible says there is no need for light in heaven because Jesus is the light.  

And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city and the Lamb is its light.  Revelation 21:23

That kind of light cannot be bought on the Christmas aisle at Walmart!

The Lamb is the Light!  Hallelujah!