Cinderella?

Jeanie, Jeanie!  I heard the voice across the supermarket but didn’t recognize it until she came closer.  As I was dreading, the first thing she said to me was, “I didn’t recognize you” which made me wonder how she knew my name.  Knowing this person, I knew this was code for, you have aged and not well or maybe it was a slightly disguised effort to denote the weight that I had picked up.  No, no Jeanie, she didn’t…..!  Oh, yes, she did!  This woman has a reputation for spewing poison in the form of veiled kindness.  I had fallen victim more than once.  Why do some people feel a need to insult someone, even if it is backhanded and cloaked in sweetness?  But wait, you see the insulting continued when the “wicked stepsister #2” came up to let me know she didn’t recognize me until she saw me from behind!  What the heck does that even mean anyhow?

As I pondered this scene right from Cinderella, me being Cinderella, in this brief encounter I have to confess I didn’t hold much love in my heart.  There was a lot of “how dare shes” and “who does she think she is” was a common theme in this oneway conversation.  Then I was reminded, not by my fairy godmother but my Heavenly Father of an apology I had to make to a dear friend for something I said but I sincerely did not mean it the way it sounded.  Ever been there?  This dear one could have rejected my apology but in her grace-filled heart, she not only forgave me but told me she knew my heart was pure and would never hurt her intentionally. One of the greatest compliments I have ever received.  Why had I not shown that kind of grace toward the women who had offended me?   Today I went to the ball, clothed in God’s love and grateful for my sweet friend.  The “wicked stepsisters” are forgiven even if they don’t know it. They will when the prince finds whose foot fits the glass slipper.  I’m trying to visualize a size 9 in glass!


“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:13-14 NLT

Warrior Ethos

In the early 1970s my younger brother, Jonny was drafted into the Army for two years of service in the Armed Forces of our great country.  At that time our country was fighting the Viet Nam War and in those days the draft was in effect which means that when a young man turned 18 years of age they were called up to join the military to fight for the United States.  For those two years, they were the “property” of the US Army.

That was made clear in a story that my brother recently told me about the day Jonny was leaving for Viet Nam.  Wanting to send him off in style, several friends along with my brothers went with him to the airport.  As they said their goodbyes with many stories of their past antics and plenty of joking around they noticed a plane taxiing down the runway.  Inquiring at the desk, what plane that was they found that all the farewell fanfare had caused time to get away from them and that indeed was my brother’s plane that had just left. The agent got on the phone while my brother waited anxiously.  To everyone’s surprise, the great silver plane turned around just short of the end of the runway and came back to get my bewildered brother.  He belonged to something bigger than himself. They had prepared a place for him so they returned to get him that he would not be left behind.

In these times of turmoil and heightened awareness of sin in this world, much has been said in Christian circles of the returning of Christ to take His children home.  Experts have been watching the signs of the times for centuries and things according to some means the time is short for His return to gather His own.

Matthew 24:42 says, “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”

In many ways, I long for His return but my heart breaks for those who aren’t ready. Those according to the bible will be left behind because they did not choose Jesus as Savior.  The Army has a basic rule called Warrior Ethos which means they will not leave a fallen comrade behind to be taken by the enemy.  In this busy world, I pray I do not fail to tell everyone about the returning Savior and what they must do to be saved.  The day before Jonny died, I prayed with him and with trembling lips, he asked Jesus into his heart. I don’t know if he flew off to heaven in a chariot or perhaps a big silver airplane but I am sure he did not miss his flight.

Warrior Ethos!

A Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

I had a bad day today, a horrible, no good, very bad day!  I can’t really say why but there it was practically the very moment I woke up today.  Did you ever have a day like that?  I listened to the drone of an expert spewing his “wisdom” about these times on my husband’s phone, only to have another one pop up on the computer with yet another view to sell.  I am weary of this sinful crazy world.

All things are wearisome, more than one can say.  Ecclesiastes 1:8

I was brought to an unusual book in the bible today because of something that keeps going around in my head.  As I, like many others, have found themselves in a world of monotony during this time of first quarantine and now chaos and turmoil.  I have recited the words found throughout this book, “Vanities of vanities, nothing new under the sun” or another verse says, meaningless, meaningless, utterly meaningless! The book is Ecclesiastes and it is said to have been written by Solomon, son of David.  Some experts seem to think that Solomon was having somewhat of a midlife crisis.  With limitless resources, Solomon had done everything he ever wanted to do, according to this ancient reading.  He had pursued every interest that could entertain his mind good and bad but now he was saying it was all in vain or meaningless was his words.

My thoughts were focused more on the “nothing new under the sun” portion of scripture.  I have found myself marking off weeks by when the garbage man comes every week which is on Tuesday, I figure out which day it is from the bold letters on my pillbox.  I wash the dishes, only to find more dirty dishes.  I launder our clothes only to find a hamper filled with dirty clothes.  Look at what Solomon says about this in the first chapter of Ecclesiastes.

 The sun rises and the sunsets, and hurries back to where it rises.
  The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.
  All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from, there they return again.
All things are wearisome, more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again;
 there is nothing new under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 1:5‭-‬9 NIV

Sounds frustrating and monotonist doesn’t it?  As I read through this book I just kept reading and hoping for a more positive ending. It was like staying up late to see if a bad movie would, in the end, turn out good?

For the most part, the words were sour and wearisome in themselves.  I searched and searched for a happy ending and finally found in the last chapter of the book of little hope the wisest thing the son of David ever said;

Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 NLT

Somewhat anti-climatic but none the less true. We are all guilty of seeking things that give us pleasure in this life but what will count is our obedience to God and his plans.  I found myself wondering why such a book would be in the bible, yet I couldn’t miss the parts that I could see myself in.  Those things, those very human things that pop up if we don’t obey God and keep our ears and heart open to the Holy Spirit.

Now off to some happier scripture, Psalms perhaps, that can lift my heart on this horrible, no good, very bad day!

Come And Dine

Come and Dine

With our renewed interest in our bird feeding this year, we have kept a close eye on our efforts.  We have fed all kinds of birds this season, Baltimore oriole, Indigo bunting , and for a few days a dazzling rose-breasted grosbeak. Goldfinches have visited along with the garden variety of sparrows , house finches and our tiny hummingbird. There is one that we particularly try to entice to our feeders, the beautiful cardinal , but they don’t seem all that interested in our fancy food or feeders.  They land in the trees near our variable buffet of goodies but will only partake on what is left on the ground.  They pick through the shells that are already opened or grab an occasional loose seed that has been dropped during the voracious eating of our other feathered friends.  As I sat watching the bird feeders this morning, I thought of this common yet beautiful bird dining on scraps instead of the feast before him.  But then, I see myself doing the same thing.  In my studying of the bible, I sometimes skim over the very real and promising words found there but soak up the scraps and ramblings that declare doom and gloom to our country and world.  I rummage through the leftovers of the satan driven media only to chew on worry and dread as the world appears overrun by evil.  My heart, as the bible says, is troubled and even my joy hangs in the balance.  So what is there to do in this troubled world?  I say as I would say to the beautiful cardinal, LOOK UP!  Look up to God’s words of encouragement in what seems like a famine.  There is a veritable feast of hope found there.  We do not have to forage through leftovers but can dine on the “God Breathed” words found between the covers of the bible.  But come hungry!  There is a feast awaiting us if we come ready to be filled!

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.  Matthew 5:6

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.
John 14:1 NLT

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
John 14:27 NLT

But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.
Isaiah 43:1‭-‬2 NLT

Sometimes the buffets at restaurants are not good for me because I tend to eat too much but the rich layout of morsels right from God’s own mouth is what we should be feasting on in these frightening times.  May the God of hope fill you with hope this day as you sit with Him and dine!

You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.  Psalms 23:5‭-‬6 NLT

GOD WINS

Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Take a census of all the people of Israel—from Beersheba in the south to Dan in the north—and bring me a report so I may know how many there are.”

1 Chronicles 21:1‭-‬2 NLT

So what’s wrong with taking a census?  Don’t we need to know what’s going on in our world?  In 1 Chronicles 21, David called for a census of his people to determine his military might which doesn’t sound that out of order. The verse starts out by saying that Satan rose up to cause David to call for a census, so what was David’s motivation?  If Satan has anything to do with it, it must be evil.  Was it pride that caused David to act on Satan’s suggestion?  Would it be bragging rights that he wanted or was it a lack of trust in God’s ability to keep Israel victorious?  Either way, David moved quickly into the sin that the deceiver so convincingly presented to him.

As I scroll in social media or read headlines in the news, I see the war that wages there. It is war between good and evil many times.  My heart rate increases and my blood pressure rises as I see freedoms that I have taken for granted being threatened, so I take a “census”.  I look to politicians to solve the problems that plague this country instead of the One True God!  I look to commentators and pundits for the truth when God himself is the only one who gives us the living water.  When I flip to the last page of the bible, I find that God wins in the end so why am I so fearful?  I love the last verses of Revelation that talk of Jesus coming again.

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”  Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus.  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people.  Amen.  Revelation 22:20-21

GOD WINS, NO CENSUS REQUIRED!

Eyes Of A Child

Genius! PURE GENIUS!  I was impressed with our almost nine years old, grandson Kellan.  He constantly writes “books”, hundreds of books.  Some about superheroes, some about his cars, and some about movies he has watched.  A few days ago he showed me a book that displayed his handiwork of cars that he had designed.  He had not only drawn pictures of the back, front, and top of these cars but they were complete with stats on his drawings.  I was amazed at his creative genius.

I loved seeing all these words and pictures that flowed from his creative mind but I was blessed by him and my granddaughter, Evie’s handwritten devotional writing.  For the last couple of weeks, at different times I read my devotions to our four youngest grandkids I loved seeing their tender hearts toward God.  There is something to be said of a “captive audience”.  They loved the ones I wrote about them and they have given me much to write about.  After reading one of my “stories”, Kellan and Evie asked me how to write a story about God.  I gave them tips like, always start out with an interesting or compelling first sentence so the readers get a taste of what’s to come.  I told them to think of a subject or occasion to write about and then find scripture to match the thought or in some cases, the other way around.  God talks to me in many ways as I put together my writings.  After a brief lesson, they both decided to write about their pets, Croghan a beautiful Persian cat, and Lola a sweet designer dog.  Evie’s story that featured her dog Lola was about how she takes care of Lola and because of this care, how the sweet dog responds to her.  As we thought of this we came up with a scripture about how God in his love takes care of her.  We chose Matthew 6:30.

It is God that gives beautiful clothes even to the grass. One day the grass is growing in the field, but the next day people will cut it and burn it. God will certainly take care of you, much more than he takes care of the grass. You should trust him more than you do!

Matthew 6:30 EASY

Kellan’s devotion speaks of his beautiful cat Croghan who comforts him when he is sad or lonely.  I was proud of some flowery words he threw in to describe the purring cat that climbs up beside him when he needs him.  We picked out the familiar 23rd Psalm for his piece that spoke glowingly of his sweet cat.  He liked verse 4 of the inspirational Psalm.

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

Psalms 23:4 NLT

Did you notice the two words in these verses, comfort, and care?  Two words that ring true in all of our lives whether an adult or a child.  What a blessing that even a child recognizes and yearns for these things and finds them in the Lord’s word.  I pray that they are always drawn to Him for very real needs they may face in life as they live in a sometimes scary world.  

As they grow into adults, my prayer is that they remember His words of comfort and care and maybe even remember the shared tips from their old grandma as they wrote their first devotional.

   

You Bet Your Purdy Neck I Do

Kids wanted me to write devotional about them, here it is.

You Bet Your Purdy Neck I Do!

 We have been blessed in the last weeks to spend a lot of time with our four youngest grandchildren in New York  The song of these weeks for my husband, who many times sets the tune for our day even at home, was an old song that came out in 1950, “Bushel and a Peck”  and was performed by such singers as Betty Hutton, Doris Day and the Andrew Sisters, which to many readers will not be recognized.  For most of the week, we sang this lively tune to our grandkids as we hugged and kissed them.  Unfortunately, we only knew the first lines of the song until out of curiosity I looked up the lyrics, thank you Google.

I love you a bushel and a peck
A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck

The first line worked just fine since we wanted to convey, in a whimsical and silly, way our deep love for them.  The dictionary states that this term usually emphasizes how much someone loves another.  That’s certainly true for these old grandparents and has been since the first grandchild came into our hearts and lives.  The song goes on to use other idioms like, “a barrel and a heap” and my favorite line, “You bet your purdy neck I do”!  A doodle oodie ooh doo doo!

The Bible tells us in so many ways how much our Heavenly Father loves us.  I have yet to see one “Doodle Do” in scripture but I do find that God loves us and shows us in many ways.  In Zephaniah 3:17 it says that our God rejoices over us with gladness.  I can just see the happiness in His dancing eyes as He quiets us with His love.  And don’t you know, He actually sang over us, loudly, the Bible says!  My heart rejoices at this thought.
You bet your purdy neck I do!

The Lord your God is in your midst,  a mighty one who will save;  he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
Zephaniah 3:17 ESV