Divine ground or interruption….

Yesterday, I was dutifully getting ready for the women’s Bible study, checking the house, making sure I turned off the stove,lights out, etc…ready to pick up my purse and walk out the door….the phone rang…

“If I answer, I will be late…” but as I looked at the name, I knew I had to answer…and listen, encourage…their pain is deep and they needed a listening ear….

20 minutes later, we finished and I thought   “I will only be 15 minutes late”, so headed for the door again and there was a knock at my front door….doesn’t happen that often in the morning , so I better check….another one who needed to talk as recent widowhood is painful as well….

Needless to say I didn’t make it to Bible study…God had other plans…

But, it was a study in itself… 

Moses, whom I had just read about,  was “interrupted “ in the desert by a burning bush…holy ground, divine appointment…a call that changed his life’s direction…

We mostly likely don’t get such dramatic calls or interruptions…but, we still have to heed them…

Thank YOU…

Exodus 3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”

5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

“When people bare their souls to you, you are on holy ground, your responsibility is to listen and love ….”Sarah Young…

Psalm 143: 8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,

    for I have put my trust in you.

Show me the way I should go,

    for to you I entrust my life.

John7:38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Teaching my heart to listen…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOeDg1K7z98

 

Treasured possession….

The Word speaks repeatedly about the Israelites being his treasured possession…as a New Testament believer in Christ, not an Israelite,…I wonder , “well, what about me?, where do we fit?”

We are chosen…set apart…for God’s purposes just as well…

I like the explanation in the quote from Bible hub…

Exodus 19:5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

Deuteronomy 7: 6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

Deuteronomy 14: , 2 for you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.

 Deuteronomy 26:18 And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands.

Malachi 3:

17 “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him.

“In the New Testament, the concept of God's treasured possession is expanded to include all who are in Christ, transcending ethnic and national boundaries. The Apostle Peter, drawing on Old Testament language, writes in 1 Peter 2:9 , "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." Here, the Church is identified as God's treasured possession, called to declare His praises and live out His purposes in the world…..

The theme of God's treasured possession is a testament to the intimate and covenantal relationship between God and His people, both in the Old and New Testaments. It underscores the privilege and responsibility of being set apart for God's purposes, inviting believers to live in a manner worthy of their calling as His cherished and valued possession…” 

https://biblehub.com/topical/g/god%27s_treasured_possession.htm

I liked this Matthew verse about treasures….when you look at the big picture, God’s heart is with his treasures…which include those followers of Christ…

Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Thank YOU…

Christ our treasure….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojGdgYHwxyU

 Dwelling….

Dwell…to remain for a time, to live as a resident, exist, to keep the attention directed…Merriam Webster…

I know I have touched this topic before, but it keeps coming up…where do our minds dwell…

There are those whose minds are constantly dwelling on past hurts….they not only remain there for a time, but they live there, they have taken up residence in the negative,  hurtful thoughts…thinking of only the bad or past hurts they have either perceived or endured….they are stuck in the mud, sucked into the slimy gunk…

Oh, I have been there…the pit…of hurt….it feeds on itself, getting deeper into the mud…I can hear the sound of the camp song we used to sing about tromping through the swamp or deep mud…it feeds on itself, clawing at the heart strings, anxious thoughts, the “ if only”, the “what ifs”, the “shoulda”, the “could of…” as the acid of our stomach only increases…burning…

There comes a time when we need to make a decision….do we want to continue to live in that mind set or reach out to change residences…exist in another place…do we want anger, hurt, jealousy, greed, etc. to continue to overpower or do we want peace…joy…

Psalm 40:2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

    out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

    and gave me a firm place to stand.

3 He put a new song in my mouth,

Philippians 4: 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9b….And the God of peace will be with you.

Psalm 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation

    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Thank YOU…

Heal me…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj-1SmPthQI&list=RDfj-1SmPthQI&start_radio=1

Teach my heart to listen…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOeDg1K7z98&list=RDfj-1SmPthQI&index=9

 

Hands…

My husband used to hold my hands…a connection that has been broken through his passing…and after his death I envied others who were still holding hands or I wanted to tell others who walked together to be sure and hold hands with one another…you never know when they won’t be there to hold your hand..

But, now I have God’s…a bit different…

Isaiah 49:16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;

    your walls are ever before me.

I was reading about the positive things that are in the Word about God’s hand…

It is…

Mighty…

Satisfying…

Gracious…

Healing…

Shaped and made us….

Holds life and breath of all mankind…

Victorious…

Powerful….

Upholds…

Achieves awesome deeds…

Exalted…

Strong….

Righteous….

Comforts…

Holds our times …..

Nailed, but victorious…

Saves….

And these are some of the positives….there is power in the opposites as well…as He holds everything…

What hands to be held by…to be connected to…to be loved by…

Thank You…

God’s  hands..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lOBChuuaZ4

 Caregivers….

Hearing about our latest music icon’s death…one thought that struck me was the  caregiving of her husband to the extent she let her own health care fall behind…

This happens over and over again and has for centuries…we are so reeled in on our family’s care, that we let our own go by the wayside…

One article, I read years ago was about caregivers who actually died before their patient did because they were so diligent in their care giving…the percentage was actually pretty high…

Having been there, caregiving takes all of your emotional and physical strength…the care is tied to their relationship with one another and their relationships with others…once the visitors go home, the nights begin…lack of sleep, anxiety, mental and physical strength are worn thin…there is no time to take care of yourself or we tell ourselves that…and in reality there isn’t enough ….that is when we need to call in reinforcements if they are available or we actually trust someone else to do “our” work/care…the nights are long as well as the days…we suffer along with our loved one’s, feel their pain …our empathy pour us over in abundance….we pray with them, for them from the depths of our souls and many times we leave the prayers to the Holy Spirit as we have no words….

Psalm 119: 28 My soul is weary with sorrow;

    strengthen me according to your word.

Isaiah 40 : 29 He gives strength to the weary

    and increases the power of the weak.

Jeremiah 31 : 25 I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”

Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Romans 8: 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

Many times it is hard just to concentrate on “easy” daily tasks, let alone anything “big”…… 

I pray for you my friends who are walking this path…there is hope, there is a burden bearer….there is Jesus…

Thank YOU…

Thank you Jesus….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Sq3f8idcCI

Jesus takes my burdens away…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HsDaGlzAq4

 By land, by sea, by air…back home…

My dove chocolate had the little sayin, “celebrate the little things”….

I don’t have dove chocolates very often, so I do celebrate those little bites when I do…but this one was a reminder to do it anyway…

Other small sayings…

Rejoice in the Lord always again it rejoice…

Give thanks in all things…

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved…

It is finished…

He wept…

And He had compassion….

We drove, ferried, flew home yesterday…each a small part of the whole journey…it was a short trip all together, but we celebrated it…the happy family, the happy new couple, the fresh air, the mountains, the forests….

When you think of the creation from the small minute pieces to the gigantic that our Creator spoke into existence…he celebrated…He saw that it was good…he celebrated the man and woman…he celebrates in us as the angels rejoice when they see us… 

Luke 15: ’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Thank YOU….

God saw it was good…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaWr_z9Nz1c

  By air, by sea, by land…trip 3….

About three weeks ago, I begged/asked one of my daughters if I could attend one of the weddings they had scheduled this summer.   I was getting cabin fever from the summer heat and smoke we were experiencing…we couldn’t go out because the smoke was so bad and the heat so high day after day…

I know that sounds flimsy, but it is true…and I appreciate the firefighters who have and are working so diligently through this summer with so many fires…

Anyway, back to the wedding…it is in Port Angeles, Washington…sea breezes…fresh sea air, out of the house, cooler,blue sky-maybe…and so here I am…for three days…a break…

First, fly to Seattle…then ferry to an island, then drive to the town on the northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula …a town where logging prospered, trade abounds, tourism remains, fishing boats fill the bay…deer roam the yards, otter play on the docks, mountains rise with their snowcapped peaks, fresh seafood for you choosing, quiet streets to walk, forests welcome, marine life to view, wild blackberries to pick on most strolls…quite the change from the sweltering heat and 24 hour smoke to breathe…I am so thankful…

God has provided so much.  What a creation we live in…even the smoke and heat has its purpose, it makes me appreciate the abundance we have…

The song this all reminds me of is an old song…this land is your land…not a hymn, or something spiritual…just a Song of thankfulness…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q7PULELvok

Thank YOU for your provision for our enjoyment….your care…your love….