Years past...”changed plans...

Years past...”changed” plans...

Not in my plan...

A little over ten years ago, I ripped my Achilles’ tendon doing squats...the pain was so intense that I went to the emergency section of the hospital, three hours later I emerged with a gauze wrapped leg, crutches and pain killer..., plus, see the order doctor on Monday...

What made this a little more intense was the fact that my husband, one son in law, his father and another friend had left that morning for Mongolia...I could barely walk, was crawling around the floor, taking painkillers...I called my daughter for consoling, she and my grandson came to my rescue...we left for the weekend to visit central Nevada...no use sitting in house waiting for Monday to come...finally got a boot to wear for four months...my husband and I left for western China when he returned from Mongolia ..my boot got me great seats on the long flights...we walked miles...a great adventure...

Came home to take care of mother from surgery, instead she died suddenly in hospital...took care of dad instead...wearing that boot...healing ...grieving...

Nine years ago, the plan was to go with a group to Mongolia to facilitate VBS groups for various groups...MK’s,...instead, I had emergency eye surgery, and couldn’t go, but found a replacement whom God had prepared for this assignment...They had an amazing time...the group left while I recovered the whole summer from that surgery...immediately following the group’s return, I had to have another corrective eye surgery ...easy peasy compared to first one...my husband and I had to go on a business trip...one of our last...

Within a month, he was losing his balance, until he was finally diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer and given 12-18 months to live...he barely made it 5...

The following August, a widow, I was moving into my first house as a single...new “plan”...not mine, though...

Again, The next year,  August, I was making my father’s funeral plans...after his downward spiral this spring...

Those four summers, one right after another were the most stressful, the most vividly God orchestrated that I can see...events sure didn’t happen the way I planned, but looking  back, I can see the provisions, the timing, the steps, the infinite watch-care that was there...some of that time was an emotional blur, a cast-down time like no other...but, there was an underlying peace that brought our family and myself through the rough waters...it wasn’t walking along a flower strewn path, or light hearted banter...it was deep pain, upheaval like our family had never seen...

We emerged changed...humbled to our core.....

I was reminiscing in my thoughts of those years and others, while reading James this week...God’s plan, trials, provision, blessing...joy...they each come day to day...but some stand out above the others, lessons to learn, those generational stories ...thank YOU...

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

James 1:2-8 

Grieve, mourn and wail. 

Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. 

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. 

What is your life? 

You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 

Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 

Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 

As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. 

You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. 

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

James 4:9-10,13-15,5:10-11 

Gardens along the way....11...fruitfulness....

Gardens along the way...11...fruitfulness....

We went cherry picking the other day...what a fun, enjoyable, family, activity...fresh air, fresh fruit, sunshine, productiveness, laughter, a little mud, and buckets of sweet goodness...and few bites of juiciness along the way...

My garden is blooming...the zucchinis are blooming and some are 4 inches long, the scarlet runner beans are brilliant, the spaghetti squash are sending forth their long running tendrils filled with blooms...the blueberries are ripening, as are the peaches, nectarines, persimmons...we ate the 30 cherries before the birds descended...the tomatoes are loaded with blooms and tiny green baby tomatoes....all ready for harvest in their time...

Other gardens along my path are growing as well, the potatoes are in full bloom, the sunflowers are reaching for the sky; corn, rhubarb, onions, berry bushes; fields of wheat, mustard, potatoes, oats, beef, lamb, bison, pigs, sugar beets; orchards of apples, cherries, pears, peaches...whatever others have planted are relishing the warmth and water to prepare for the harvest to come...what feasts are awaiting so many people....

With a little work and toil, we have food...nourishment....

People are like that as well...need of tending, nourishment, encouragement, cultivation, warmth, a loving hand or hug along our path...plus the Word to feed our souls; weed out the things that stunt us, keeping us from blooming and harvest...; a Master Gardeners pruning, watering, loving us infinitely...; with a harvest of righteousness at some period in time...thank YOU for that Gardener’s touch...You love and care for each of us sooooo very much,  desiring that none should perish....You prayed for us...You sent your Counselor....You gave us Your Word...You are preparing a home, a place...You give us riches unimaginable....thank YOU...

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. 

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. 

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 2:8-10,3:14-21

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 

21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 

22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 

23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

John 17:20-23

26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

John 14:26 

2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:2-3,6 

Words in Proverbs....and a little more...

Words in proverbs....and a little more ...

Words are so important...they can deliver a caress, a punch to the gut, a smile, information, a world, a hug across the miles, a rebuke, a lie, healing, a life lesson....and so much more...what would we do without words...how would we communicate? That leaves a lot to the imagination...words from one generation to another, words from  one culture to another, words from one language to another...nuances of meanings, sounds...written, spoken, signed, acted out...so much...

I am so thankful for God’s written Word...down through the ages, down through the translations it has proven true...He Spoke...and He speaks to our hearts, minds and souls...sometimes with a thundering voice that demands attention to a still small voice that can’t be ignored...to the softness of a descending dove on whispered wings...

They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

Luke 24:32,45

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Ahhh, but I digress...I started out in Proverbs...how the Author encouraged right words, not to forget, to apply, to pay attention to, to live by...

He contrasts the words of a righteous man to those of an evil one...it is so convicting...how do I use words with others...how is my heart...how is my tongue....

Teach me to be wise, giving hope rather than tearing down...rightly dividing/applying Your Word...thank YOU...

Then he taught me, and he said to me, “Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

Proverbs 4:4-5,20-24 

The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them. 

From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward. 

The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. 

Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment. 

The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy. 

Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. 

From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things, but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence. 

Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin. 

The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death. 

Proverbs 12:6,14,18-19,22,25,13:2-3,14 

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

Romans 15:4 

Gardens along the way....10... people...

Gardens along the way....10...people...

 

 

I have two neighbors, in particular, whose flower gardens represent to me a tiny picture of differences in people...

One is perfect all the time...I think if they had more acreage,theirs would be the meticulously groomed hedgerows with a formal design...not a plant out of place...not a weed to be seen...no extra fluff, very staid...but beautiful in its formal, perfectly symmetrical way...

On the other hand, the second garden reminds me of pictures I have seen with flowers scattered along stone paths near English cottages...a vast mixture of brilliant rainbow colors, sizes, types...a few weeds thrown in here and there, no lawn, a little unruly, but a Monet or Renoir appeal...

 

 

Oh there are a multitude of types of people...all kinds of languages, customs, cultures, skin/hair/eye colors, thinking/learning/personality types....and so very much more...no one among the zillions is the same as the other...each a garden to cultivate...a landscape to behold...growing, transforming, living...created by a Master Designer who loves and cares for us beyond my earthly comprehension...

Who gave us a written Word of His love through history, His redemption, His grief, His tears, His compassion through it all, His “cultivating” tips,

His comfort, His encouragement, His judgement, His songs, His promises, His calling, and so much more...

He is the gardener, the Pruner,....we are the gardens...just as He is the potter, we are the clay...

He carefully tends us, encouraging, loving, watering, prunes, plucks out the weeds, adds new growth, trains...oversees...each with infinitely meticulous care...so that we bloom to His Glory...thank YOU...

 

All of the other “gardens along the way” are beautiful, they have their place, but the “gardens” of people have a beauty that surpasses the other...we have choices, a will, a soul, a mind...we were created in His image...the other gardens, gifts...

 

 

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.

Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. ”

Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.

They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food. ”

And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning —the sixth day.

Genesis 1:27-31

 

...I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Ephesians 4:1b

 

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2

 

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.

4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

John 15:1,4-5,8

Gardens along the way....9 ...wildlife....

Gardens along the way...9...wildlife...

As I wander through the various paths I take, there are not only beautiful gardens, but wildlife...not necessarily the big creatures, although there are some horses and cattle on one path...there are smaller families appearing...

One day it was a family of ducks...mother leading the way, ducklings and then the father paddling close behind watching both forward and backward making sure his family was safe...

A male red winged blackbird piercing the air with its warning call, flying up and down, perching  first on one bush and then another, making sure I didn’t get any closer to a nearby nest...

Squirrels, squirrels, squirrels...flitting their fluffy tails, running to and fro, balancing of branches or wires strung above the streets, gathering whatever they can find...

Rock-chucks busily digging in a field, babies popping their heads out of their homes, curiously watching...

A single huge brown turkey, gobbling as he watches passers by...

Domesticated ducks of all colors settled into their rest, feet tucked beneath, heads moving as I walk...

And this week, finally,  the covey of quail I have been waiting for...mother leading, babies about the size of a thumb knuckle, the sentinel father watching, guarding, encouraging swift passage into the nearby bushes as they all disappear, dissolving into the background...

Sparrows sitting on a wild rose bush, twittering, making sure I don’t get too close..., then quickly flying away, tweeting a warning as the bush erupts with chatter of more hidden birds...

Then there are the ants, the lady bugs, worms, bees, spiders, and a myriad of other creatures, wildlife unseen or hidden away...carrying on with life, their spring, summer jobs that the Creator gave them to do...

Such lessons...

Parenting, guarding, gathering, provisions, protection, curiosity, learning,   observing, mentoring, to name a few...that wildlife can give...I realize that not all wildlife is “humane” in their actions...there are the baser things I have observed as well. The predators, the food chain...

But, for this “walk”, I wanted the nicer views...the encouraging ones...

God is our protector, our provider, our mentor, our Father...He gives us so many pictures...thank YOU...

“Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: 

Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; 

hyraxes are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags; 

locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks; 

a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

Proverbs 30:24-28 

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

Psalm 5:11 

May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. ”

Ruth 2:12 

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

Psalm 91:4 

6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Luke 12:6-7 

Teach us to pray...

“Teach us to pray....”

I wanted to share this short devotional from Ray Stedman this morning...

https://www.raystedman.org/daily-devotions/prayer/how-jesus-prayed

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. 

When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 

He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 

3 Give us each day our daily bread. 

4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’” 

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 

6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 

7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 

8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. 

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 

10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 

11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 

12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 

13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Luke 11:1-13

Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.

1 Timothy 2:8

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. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord , “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

Jeremiah 29:11-14 

27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Luke 6:27-28,31

15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 

21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 

22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 

23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 

24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

John 17:15,20-24

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. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Romans 8:26-27

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Ephesians 6:18

Gardens along th way...8...Roses...

Gardens along the way...8...roses...

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions —it is by grace you have been saved. 

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. 

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. 

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. 

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 2:4-10,3:16-17,20-21,4:2,5:1-2 

A friend recently blessed me with a bouquet of homegrown roses...every time I pass by them I stop, inhale the rich sweet aroma of their tender blooms...encouraged and comforted...wanting their fragrance to go on and on...

I have a good assortment of essential oils for the soaps or creams I make,  but my default and favorite is of course, roses...

And now the gardens I pass by on my walks have sequenced into roses and the early spring flowers have been cut and pruned away...roses have taken over... their fragrance and beauty filling the early morning air...their colors bright in the morning light...their scents, a variety of intensity...with bees buzzing and a few butterflies flitting from one to another...I stop, breathing in their fragrance, take a few pictures, continue on, satisfied...

Reading in Ephesians this am, that fragrance of the love of 

Christ toward us reached out again and filled me...his riches, his love, his mercy, his sacrifice, his gift...it isn’t seasonal as the gardens I pass, it is a forever gift...not dying or vanishing with the winters of life...it is rooted deep within as we walk His path...the fragrance doesn’t end...it permeates ...

Thank YOU...help me be a scent pleasing to YOU and those You put in my path...