2020 thanksgiving...

 2020 Thanksgiving.... 

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. 

And be thankful. 

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:15-17 

https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/ways-christians-can-still-give-thanks-in-2020.html

We, or maybe just me, are learning new normals, flexibility in quantum leaps, adjustments to life that I in my wildest dreams never imagined...

I am sure over the generations there have been times like these, and in other cultures it is a way of life...but being raised in “safe, comfortable” USA, if has been a really different year and looks like it will be this way for awhile...God knows the way and times, for which I am thankful...

I looked up “give thanks” for my own soul this morning, NIV translation...

We do have much to give thanks for...

Thank YOU....

Terminal depression...loss of purpose...

 Terminal depression...loss of purpose...

My father passed away in 2013 of “terminal depression” something that until then I had never heard or seen...it was a very cruel and hard time...

My father was the gentleman cowboy...happy, encouraging, cup-half full, smiling father, grandfather, great grandfather, son, husband, father -in-law, friend, teacher, organizer, Christian, can and bottle collector, timber man, Mr. frugality, traveller, harmonica player, letter writer, storyteller, woodcutter, hard worker, provider, sentimental, historian and so much more...He loved telling family stories, remembering all the details, laughing until he cried, wiping his eyes, then telling more...

He was not perfect, but he was perfect for our family...when my husband was diagnosed with brain cancer, my father drove 9 hours to be with family, “because every daughter needs her dad in times like these”...( I was more worried about him driving long distances at 80+)...but it touched my heart and soul deeply...we daughters do need our dads to care and love us...

All this to say, watching him quickly and slowing succumbing to depression was a hard pill to swallow...he had given up, felt no purpose to carry on even though he was healthy in body...my take at the time, was that he lost his purpose, his work that he loved, his wife, his son in law and depression replaced the happiness that once exuded from every pore of his being...

What made me come back to those times, was our pastor’s sermon on “work”...this week...a purpose and a privilege...that God has given to each of us to fulfill...

Watching my dad in his last weeks and days..I wanted him to find that purpose again, to fight to find it...to pull out of his path of depression...to be “him” again...but, our minds can play tricks on us and he wanted to be with my mom, to find rest in the eternal rather than the temporal...and so he passed away...

Every time I have to fill out a personal questionnaire, there are boxes to check.   “Retire or employed”...I don’t know what to check...I am still cooking, cleaning, maintaining a household, overseeing my late husband’s business...have I retired?...I still feel I have a work to do, a purpose to fulfill...a life to live...a different season than before, but still working...I haven’t retired in the “worldly” sense...nor in the spiritual sense...

I want that sense of purpose to permeate my life...whether it is being a mom, grandma, friend, confidante, crafter, writer, business person, Christian...it is a privilege that God has given each of us, advancing His kingdom in the manner he has personally given each of us until he takes us home...

Thank YOU...

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Genesis 2:15 

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.

Psalm 90:17 

Then people go out to their work, to their labor until evening.

Psalm 104:23 

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

Proverbs 12:14 

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,....

Ecclesiastes 9:10a

27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” 

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

John 6:27-29 

Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.

2 Corinthians 8:11 

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

Ephesians 2:10 

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Colossians 3:23-24

Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.

Hosea 10:12

Gardens along the way...37...an old song...

 Gardens along the way...37...an old song

“I come to the garden alone,

While the dew is still on the roses,

And the voice I hear falling on my ear

The Son of God discloses.

• Refrain:
• And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
• And He tells me I am His own;
• And the joy we share as we tarry there,
• None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice

Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,

And the melody that He gave to me

Within my heart is ringing.

I’d stay in the garden with Him,

Though the night around me be falling,

But He bids me go; through the voice of woe

His voice to me is calling.”

Charles Mills 1913...

This morning I received a note from an old friend asking how I was faring through this year of change, another sent out this song, another called to check in, yet another wrote a thank you for being in their lives...etc...etc. I wrote notes to others, commented on several Facebook entries ...etc...listened...

we are all so interconnected...we are part of someone else’s garden in life and they are part of ours ...it maybe next door, across the nation or on the other side of the world ...it may be a fleeting special time of life  or life long acquaintances or friends...it maybe family or not...it may be a word, a song, an all night vigil ...something has been planted in those gardens...to bloom and grow...sometimes an annual, sometimes a perennial...the landscape may change, the different design ...a desert, or the tropics...but the garden remains...

Hearing this old song again...soaking in the words...Jesus has been in those gardens along the way , speaking, listening, cultivating, growing, creating, comforting, coloring, pruning...all that a gardener does...and most of all just being...just there...a burden bearer, someone in which to confide, to encourage...thank YOU...

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Genesis 2:15 

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day.....

Genesis 3:8a

“Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters.

Numbers 24:6 

The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

Isaiah 58:11 

“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

Jeremiah 29:5-7 

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

2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 

3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 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. 

6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 

7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 

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

John 15:1-8

Gardens along the way...36...leaves...

 Gardens along the way...36... leaves...

My trees are pretty well nude now, in stark contrast to the flourishing green two months ago...the ground is covered with leaves, some wet; others, blowing, twirling in the wind....from dingy browns to yellows, reds...matching the wonderous sunsets and sunrises on our cloudy days...

As I walk or drive around, some yards are meticulously cleared of leaves, others are completely covered, while others are piled waiting for that last jump and tussle into crinkly, dry mounds...the last gift of summer... before the snow flies again, putting all to sleep...

There are those of us who are perfectionists who want the symmetry and organization of a well manicured yard, others who procrastinate raking- hoping upon hope the leaves blow into another’s yard before we get to them, or those of us who are slowly getting to the job between other tasks just as relevant for this time of year...

All of our personalities, time management skills showing again through those pesky brown leaves...needing some kind of attention...sometimes I think like the “born looser” comic strip waiting for that last leaf to fall, other times I am out there shaking the trees, or running my hands up and down the branches pushing those leaves to the ground, “finish your task” so that I can do something else...of course they do it their way...the way God made them to work...not necessarily on my time schedule...but, God’s...

Then I have another lesson on God’s plan versus my own....I have those often...there are so many things I would hurry up or ignore, or whatever...time schedules, personalities, events, outcomes, so they would be more like I want them to be...

But, God’s timing is not mine, nor are his decisions...He Still answers, yes, no or wait...even when I want my way..

He gives strength through each, He is there all the time, He cares and He is just...never lies, always sovereign, all knowing...

Thank YOU...for another lesson in the gardens along the way...

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

Then Job replied to the Lord: “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 

You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.

Job 42:1-3

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Psalm 16:11

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4

Cozy spot...

 Cozy spot....

My cozy spot is my bed, where I read and write early in the morning...

I have a chair-back pillow that I toss up on my bed when I awaken, pull out my Bible, iPad, iPhone, notes, any Bible lessons I am working on and cozy up...there is not anywhere else like it in the house where I feel this comfortable...The other places are too businesslike, not as comfortable,  too open, too stark, and have work associated with them...my office is for business/sewing/crafts, my kitchen is for cooking/eating...plus, I can take this cozy spot with me wherever I travel...just pile a bunch of pillows up, grab my “needed” accompaniments and I am set....

Where is your cozy spot?

My husband’s was a big chair in the living room. He piled all of his books around him,  added a cup of coffee and he was cozied up.

Friends have a fireplace spot, a special window seat, the kitchen table, an attic hideaway, a studio, a garden bench, a porch swing, a particular couch spot...add a cozy blanket, good light, maybe a cat or dog, maybe a morning sunrise view and we are all set...

I was struck with this as I was reading about Jesus’ prayers...in the garden... although he prayed in many places, just as we all can...he gravitated to the garden, his cozy spot...it is pictured/spoken of in the scriptures ...he took his disciples there...he spoke there, he met others there...he prayed there...

Going to Israel last year, we went to gardens which may or may not have been where He ventured , but they were special spots, twisted, old  trees, rock benches,  views of the city/the sea/hills and mountains, quiet, leaves rustling in the breeze, fresh air...contemplative...cozy, wrap-around-you places...

This morning as I read John 17, I was picturing Jesus in the garden praying for “the people whom you gave me out of the world”...” I am praying for them”, not only the current ones but those who come through their word...what a cozy spot...to be prayed for, known, loved ...( one of my favorite Bible chapters)...

Thank YOU...

I picture this as John’s cozy spot...

One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.

John 13:23

When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it. Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.

John 18:1-2 

The safest cozy spot...

You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Psalm 139:5-6

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.

Isaiah 49:16 

Psalm 23...

Gardens along the way...34...my mind...

Gardens along the way...34...my mind...

On a beautiful fall day, walking my pathways through the fallen leaves....stepping sometimes from one fallen leaf  to another...crunching, crunching, crunching...(there is a certain amount satisfaction of crunching leaves), enjoying the weather, to colors, the people, the changing seasons...my mind wandering from thought to thought, sometimes rejoicing to deep contemplation to fears to worries to prayers...a wide spectrum of subjects...and around ....putting fears and worries in God’s capable hands...

Taking captive those thoughts trying to think on the good...the positive...the pure...the right...the things I want to cultivate in my mind...praiseworthy ....

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. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:8-9 

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5 

In the garden of my mind, I want to “crunch” out those thoughts which hinder me, which lead me down wrong paths, which take away peace, which hurt others...

Then this morning I awoke to the following article,   “Okay, now I know why I was crunching those leaves yesterday...and need to put these words down “...another garden to cultivate...my mind ...cleaning, plowing, planting, sowing spiritual seeds...to reap a better harvest...thank YOU....

Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” 

I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.” 

Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips. Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. 

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. 

With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. 

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Psalm 16:1-11 

https://www.crosswalk.com/slideshows/10-ways-you-need-to-detoxify-your-soul-right-now.html?utm_source=Daily%20Bible%20Living&utm_campaign=Daily%20Bible%20Living%20-%20BibleStudyTools.com&utm_medium=email&utm_content=3880642&bcid=ba40280389f9235dfbc80e5dbb6609f6&recip=538340200%20

Gardens along the way...35...my mind 2

Gardens along the way...35...my mind 2

Anxiousness, anxiety, fear, unrest, lack of inner/outer peace seem to be reigning right now...

I barely turn on the news ...except to catch the weather forecast...

The Bible study I was doing early this was continuing yesterday’s theme  from Psalm 16...then I opened another devotional and it was a continuation of the same theme, verses to show that God is in control through our fears...

I realized that God has kept my eyes on His word, on Him through and around all the “gardens” this year...instead of looking and living in the anxiousness that this unprecedented year has wrought, we have His “gardens”...His presence, His word which can surround, indwell, speak truth....we have only to seek Him and He may be found...looking at lessons we see around us...what He is trying to tell our hearts in all circumstances...in all of our walks, in the confines of our homes, wherever He has placed us...

When we “think on these things” in Philippians...further into the passage...the outcome can be...not only peace, but contentment in whatever, wherever we are placed...but in His  strength, His abiding...

That is the garden along the way...His presence...

Thank YOU....

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. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. 

And the God of peace will be with you. 

I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 

I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:8-13

So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. - Isaiah 41:10
 
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” -1 John 4:18

“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.” -Psalm 94:19

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

2 Timothy 1:7

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4

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

Proverbs 12:25

34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:34 

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:6-7

say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”

Isaiah 35:4 

because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Mark 6:50 

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment —to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

Ephesians 1:7-10

https://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/debbie-mcdaniel/33-verses-to-remind-us--we-do-not-have-to-fear.html