Entwined ....

Entwined...

Outside my door at the mountain retreat, there stands two aspen trees entwined with one another. In their center branches, sits a bird nest, lovingly held . No birds reside there as fall weather hits. But,  I just imagine earlier this year a pair of birds painstakingly wove bits and pieces of sticks, feathers, threads, twine into a beginning home for their little family. Eggs were laid, warmed, hatched and babies nurtured until they at last flew off into their own lives.

As I look at this tree each time I go by, the whole retreat fits this picture as well...a hundred plus people from all over the United States, Central America,  South America entwined with one another with their love for Jesus, their love for teens, their care for one another, their common goals...
Each meeting of hearts and souls grows them closer together...building that "nest" to nurture one another til they fly away to their lives in different lands...but still entwined at the heart...

Thank YOU....for your entwining care, love...You pull us to grow with you...entwined with brothers and sisters in the Lord...no matter where in the world they may be....

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:10-11

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Ephesians 4:16

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.
1 Peter 1:22

Exalted...?

Exalted....?

http://mvotd.com/mobile/watch.php?vid=d32720a09

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Luke 18:9-14

How humbling....I watched the video referenced above...after reading today's scripture selection...how humbling...

How would the church I attend do in this situation?   How do I do?  My fears rise when I pass someone on the street ....but, it is not just the homeless person, it is the neighbor next door, the teen selling fruit for their team, the Salvation Army red bucket soon to appear, the woman holding a sign at the stop light, the pregnant young girl, the abused child, the countless pieces of mail arriving daily asking for funds with sad pictures attached....the world outside my sheltered life...

Am I the Pharisee, thanking God that I am not like those "others" or the tax collector, "standing at a distance", humbled in the very presence of the Almighty God, asking for mercy...? Do I exalt myself in front of others or am I humbled ?  Are your plans, my plans or do I rush into life ahead what you desire, basically saying, " come on God, follow me"? What is my heart attitude, really deep in my soul???

Thank YOU for the check in my spirit...the reminder to come into your presence only acknowledging You...exalting You...Your grace is sufficient ...

"Did I not tell you...."

Am humbled to be at a conference of Christian leaders from Mexico south through South America . I am just an observer..and here to give a friend a traveling partner...but....

We are among to trees of the high mountains of Colorado...the aspens have lost their leaves, the air is crisp, fall is in the air...the mountains rise above us,  snow dusting the craggy rock slopes...the forests  hiding a multitude of homes of all shapes and sizes...people living day to day lives...some aware of the call of Jesus, while others are oblivious to the Great God who has surrounded them with his creation...

The Glory presented in the beauty, the nature around us....as beautiful,as it is ....nothing compares to glory of the Lord...that belief brings ...the salvation of someone's soul...that eternity waiting...face to face with our Savior

...
Thank YOU...

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
John 11:40

“You are my witnesses, ” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses, ” declares the Lord, “that I am God. Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?”
Isaiah 43:10-13

16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Mark 16:16

Where can I go....

Where could I go...

There are times during a life that the world seems to shut down, darkness enshrouds the soul and we are left reeling from pain, misery or blackness...when it seems the tiniest light can't break through...

The psalmist must have felt this way as he penned this psalm...the song writer the following song...

We can come into God's presence, knowing that he is still in control......he never really left us...thank YOU...


I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.
I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble.
When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way. In the path where I walk people have hidden a snare for me.
Look and see, there is no one at my right hand; no one is concerned for me.
I have no refuge; no one cares for my life. I cry to you, Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”
Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.
Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name.
Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.
Psalm 142:1-7


Where could I go but to the Lord....
https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/1038569

Isn't God amazing?...

 Isn't God amazing....

http://mvotd.com/mobile/watch.php?vid=e3f179659

Apparently turning 70 is a big deal!!! As friends and family far and near gathered together to celebrate my upcoming 70th birthday...I don't feel like I am 70 most of the time ( or what does 70 feel like?). In the past, that age was wayyyyy out there...or something "old" people  turn...but, no, it is really me!!!

Isn't it  amazing our perspective as we age.....?

Thank YOU that you have numbered my years...thank YOU for a family and friends who care, who celebrate life while we have it...how precious, gracious, kind, encouraging...

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/renee-fisher/turning-70_b_9589846.html

https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-09-2012/what-to-expect-in-your-70s-and-beyond.html

https://70candles.com

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-wonders-of-being-70/2011/05/06/AFWx47BG_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.46aaecc39018

https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Life-Expectancy,-Today

Prayer requests...

Prayer requests ....

I have finally joined a women's Bible study again after a year of none. While not involved with a group, I have been studying the books which my former group have been going through ...(accountability is good).  But, I have missed the people interaction and fellowship, plus hearing  others' comments and concerns...so purposed to get out and about to do new things in this new area..
So even though I don't speak up much, it fills a void in my life...it is hard to believe I once was involved in a group of writing these studies...or later writing them on my own....or facilitating groups all the time for years...lots of changes...

Listening to prayer requests, writing them down even though I don't really know many of these new women...my mind wanders into wondering about their life stories... Each one has one as do I...their families, friends, their health, their desire for salvation for friends and family...

Requests I have heard  a multitude of times over the years from a multitude of people ....what has happened  with all those requests over the years..."what is the rest of the story?"

Times when we each feel that others are praying for us, upholding us in times of need...God ordained events...His touch of healing...because of prayer...His answers in His time...His orchestrating life circumstances to bring about salvation, awareness of Himself...
Times when the world seems to be collapsing around us...and He sends a rainbow to brighten our path or a piece of scripture to encourage, a song or someone knocks at the door with a simple smile or casserole...

In the closeness of our homes to the farest reaches of the world...nothing is too small or too great for His care and concern...He hears those requests ...and has for century upon century...He is the God of yesterday, today and tomorrow...thank YOU...

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:
Psalm 37:4-5

Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”....
Nehemiah 1:11a

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
Psalm 17:6

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 to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:11-13

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12

John 17

Two paths...

Two paths...

I am doing a study of David Jeremiah's, "The God You May Not Know"...

Today's portion included the verses in Matthew about the wide and narrow gates in relationship to his topic, " God's Goodness is seen in the path He chooses for us".

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 7:13-14

I don't know about others, but sometimes I blow through portions of scripture without sitting down and really taking them in...I know what they say...but I haven't meditated on them...or maybe another portion has spoken deeply that day/time and that is where I light...

Today it is this portion...
Two gates-wide and small
Two roads-broad and narrow
Two groups of people-large group, a few
Two destinations-destruction and life...

Choices we each get to chose from...paths we can take...do we join the crowd? Or walk with the few? Do we weigh the end results? Do we want the easy or difficult?
Do we try to please men or God? Do we rely on God's guidance or our own merry way ? What do we really want to find, comfortable or eternal?
Dailey, we have the opportunity to make choices...easier sounds better a lot of the time...but, it may not be prudent ...or right...what does my mind dwell on ? Where do my thoughts wander? What passes my sight? What channel do I choose? What books? What places do I go?

In my heart of hearts, I want the path that God chooses for me...blessings abound there, His presence goes there, He holds my hand, He gives life...thank YOU...

"...to whom shall we go...?

"To whom shall we go..."....


It's beginning to be the season of a mailbox full of requests for funds/donations for a multitude of humanitarian, political, religious organizations...
You can fill a bag with food for the postman to give to the food banks...soon the red bucket will appear at merchants' doors...the scouts will pick up your Christmas tree or deliver one...the ads for saving the elephants or rhinos have appeared...or a "go fund me" email will catch one's eye...the list goes on and on...a need for wisdom in choosing the right place to spend those extra dollars and cents...which catches our hearts...

Early this morning I watched a video about a former witch doctor proclaiming  Jesus to his village...people were dying without hearing the Word...his own family were headed in the same direction without hope...he was sharing his heart and people were hearing the gospel, the very words of God...they were finding what Peter and others had found over the years...

And then in the Book of John, Peter answers Jesus ...
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
John 6:68-69

So how do those soliciting letters and Peter connect?
To me personally, I have to weigh, pray and decide how or who best represents the Word...as another so aptly said, "more bang for your buck "...
Yes, there are local needs that are important, needy families, local charities or church related giving ...all in need of funds or even volunteers...

What clenches your heart? What touches your soul? What bring tears to your eyes? What is God calling you/me to do? Is it groceries for the family down the street given in Jesus' name...the Word translated into another mother tongue...a goat or rabbit given to help a family farm...kits for soldiers ...toys for tots...a welcome packet for a foreign exchange student ...a shoe box of toys to be sent all over the world...a loaf of pumpkin bread for a new neighbor...a hug to a grieving soul...a pencil and notebook for a student...time for a grandchild...a smile to a passerby...we all have something to give...to show Jesus...and maybe even share the one to whom we can go...

Thank YOU that you indeed have the words of eternal life, the Holy One of God...

Reading through the Gospels...

Reading through the Gospels...

While reading through the gospels, I keep underlining all that Jesus did..
From Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9...

- he had compassion on them and healed their sick
- He gave thanks and broke the loaves
- He went up on the mountainside to pray
- He went out to them( the disciples)
- He walked on the water
- He reached out his hand to Peter
- He healed the sick
- He spoke
- He taught
- He received, welcomed
- He satisfied
- He questioned
- He was transfigured
- He proclaimed
- He rebuked the evil spirit
- He foretold
- He prepared
- He explained
- He sent out
What a list...I get tired looking at all He did...knowing that he was a man, it must have been tiring for him as well..but he drew from the strength that He said we can draw from as well... His time was short and he used it to the fullest...

I go about my daily duties, sometimes lengthy, sometimes short...but never as full as His were...nor do I have to power to do the things he did...he had the heavenly power that is  beyond measure...omnipotent....all powerful...

But, his goodness shows through as well...his patience...with his disciples and the multitudes surrounding him wherever he went ...those mountaintop prayer sessions must have been so rejuvenating...the solitude, even for a small time...

Thank YOU that you walked among the people...your saving grace, your care and compassion...your spoken word...your thanksgiving...

Two short lists ....

Two short lists...

Two short lists caught my heart recently...

For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
1 John 2:16-17

18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
Mark 4:18-20

They speak volumes about where a person's heart and mind takes them...where our desires lie...what the results are...

Whose will do we desire, how we react to the Word sown in our lives....

Two short lists...of opposing ramifications ...choices...make all the difference...

Thank YOU...for your Word...
Help me examine my life...and where my heart finds life...and let it be pleasing to You...

Alarming...

Alarming...

This morning I had the opportunity to find out how fast of response I get from my new security system, both with the company and the local police...really fast...they didn't answer before the alarm went off as scripture talks about God...but pretty fast...Matthew 6:8

I had armed the new system the night before I fell into bed, but went to unarm in the morning and it didn't like my number. ...so of course I tried it again and again .....then the whole house starts shrieking...phone rings and we sort through numbers...get that done and knock, knock, knock at the front door...quite the adrenaline rush...

But, it was comforting to know that action really does take place when the alarm goes off...☺️....

As I went on with the morning, going to church and Sunday school, the theme continued as the pastor spoke on Mark 13, titled "stay awake"....as Mark wrote about the end times.  "Be on guard", "be alert", "keep watch" are the key phrases for this chapter...another type of alarm...one which we know will happen at some time...

It won't be a shrieking house, nor will the phone probably ring or a policeman knock personally at your door...but the whole world will know as the Son of Man returns with great power and glory...

23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. 24 “But in those days, following that distress, “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
Mark 13:23-27

Our comfort as believers is that God knows the time, the answers...God's Word will never pass away...

31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
Mark 13:31-37

It is worth rereading Mark 13 at this point...thank YOU for the "alarming day", help me to keep watch, be alert to Your working in my life ....and the world...

Moving again...

Moving again...

Just a little over a year ago, I moved to a new community. This past week I moved again into a new home, but the same community...the stuff we carry along...business papers, file cabinets, family trinkets, old and new photo albums, cooking utensils,bedding, computer stuff, furniture, etc., etc., etc.....

How did Abraham and Sarah  do it? The Israelites in the desert? Joseph and Mary?  It would take a huge caravan of camels to move my "stuff" now...

Then, I don't  have to look too far to find temporary migrant housing or people pushing grocery carts with all of their worldly belongings or others living out of their car, or in the bushes...or watch refugees living in tent shelters and cities....abused women and children hiding in hotel rooms or safe houses...
All of their "stuff" basically on their backs...their stuff and life's belongings gone...

I am blessed, but if comes with a price and a responsibility as well...I won't be taking it to the grave and there is no room for it in heaven nor will I need it then...a lot will go to thrift stores, some to family to store in their garages, some to trash...some meaningful, a lot not to others...some useful...

We are told not to worry about worldly things, that God knows our needs in Matthew...and he does, thank YOU...help me be wise with "stuff"...not to put it before YOU...but be more concerned about treasures in heaven...help me to be a good steward of the "stuff" that has been entrusted to me...not to be entangled with it...

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:19-34

Do not....but...

Do not..., but....

I am still reading through the Bible and have been off line for almost a week, wow, every time I wanted to write or look up scripture quickly, I had to do it the "long" way...how quickly I have been spoiled to instant gratification...even when traveling, I can usually get online to look up something...
Reading  through Matthew 5-7, these lists kept popping out...first the negatives and then the blessings of the positive...not that we need checklists, but my mind just likes to be linear...am I paying attention to what is really important?....am I seeking what God would have me to do...am I letting the Spirit work in my life instead of my own "works"... Am I doing things for man's view or God's...

Do not murder..
Do not commit adultery ..
Do not break an oath..
Do not swear at all...
Do not resist an evil person ...
Do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you...
Do not do your acts of righteousness ...to be seen
Do not be like the hypocrites when you pray..
When you fast, do not look somber ...to show you are fasting..
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth...
Do not worry about your life...
Do not worry about tomorrow ...
Do not judge..

But...
Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven..
Be reconciled..
Simple let your "yes" be "yes" and your "no" be "no"
Turn your cheek, give...
Love your enemies, pray for them..
Give in secret..
Pray in secret...
Forgive...
Fast in secret...
Store up treasures in heaven...
Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness...
Ask, seek, knock...find...
Do to others what you would have them do to you ...
Watch out for false prophets...
Be a wise builder ...

Lots to take in, in three chapters...wow... Breathe ...and there is more than I noted ...by God's strength, the Holy Spirit's counsel alone can we do it ....thank YOU

Heaven was opened ....

Heaven was opened...

There are times when storm clouds gather or fade away that they open with rays of light that reach across the sky, touching the earth for miles around...I love to watch the play of light and the changes in the patterns...
It can happen with cloudy skies at sunrise or sunset as well....the patterns, sometimes a rainbow, it can be colorful or black and white depending on the atmosphere  around it...what beauty...

I used to always think or "pretend" that those rays were openings in the sky for those who died to have a lighted path heavenward...and would stop and pray for them, whoever they were...not really a bad habit...it keeps us looking toward the heavens...watching...

Reading in Matthew and Luke...

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:16-17

When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Luke 3:21-22

Heaven was opened ....can you imagine?..A voice speaking, God...what a glorious event that must have been...so much love, so much sacrifice...so much planned for him to do, be and say...so much to give...

And later after his ministry here was completed...that heaven opened for his ascension and will in the future open for His return...

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:9-11

So when storm clouds gather, rays of light extend to the earth...I thank YOU for the reminder of your Son, your words, His return...thank YOU....