From dinner to dedication….

When I used to teach, my goal was to help my students discover new truths …to see the light bulbs blink on when students caught the concept that I was teaching…to understand….and use that information to further explore…to observe what was going on around them…

My poor children, as we traveled or going down the road were always, hearing , “ oh look at that_____!”….

So, if you will bear with me…”look at that plane”….

I went to the dinner for MAF this weekend. Yesterday was a plane dedication…”dedication,you say” ….why dedicate a plane?”

When we dedicate our children to the Lord, we ask God to put his hand of blessing on their lives….we ask those around us to pray for them, to be good examples to them and we ask for prayer for us as parents to be the best we can…to help them grow to be the best they can be In whatever God has planned for them…

Dedicating a plane is similar…Ask God to put his hand of blessing on that plane…that it would carry out the mission that it was built for…help it have a long and safe life….that the pilots be safe, that the people it will serve will give God the glory for its help…

Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Thank YOU….

“MAKING DISCIPLES … AT THE ENDS OF THE EARTH

Each year, MAF provides aviation services to more than 400 mission agencies, churches, and humanitarian organizations around the world. Without MAF, some of these organizations would be unable to reach the people they serve. Through these partnerships, MAF connects isolated people with vital services and goods while sharing the love of Christ in a tangible way.

This is how we carry out our mission of serving together to bring help, hope, and healing through aviation.”https://maf.org/what-we-do/

“MAF is the world’s largest humanitarian air operator

Mission Aviation Fellowship is the world’s largest humanitarian air operator, flying medical supplies, doctors, and nurses to places no one else can reach and ensuring critical care gets to where it’s needed most.  Your donation means that together, we can bring help, hope and healing to isolated people in need.”https://maf-uk.org

https://idahonews.com/news/local/mission-aviation-fellowship-dedicates-new-airplane-bound-for-congo-charity-africa-drc-cessna-caravan

Send me….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLYKMZE5XL0

 Seek out…

Have you ever been told, “you know you should be________?”

A teacher, a server, a giver, an encourager, a counselor, a researcher………

Over fifty yers ago, two young men were camping, discussing life around the campfire….one said to the other, “ you should be a pastor” to which he retorted, “you are a giver”….

Now these two barely had two dimes to rub together….seminary was out of site and giving was hard to do with a minimal amount of income, in fact no income at the time…but the ideas were planted….

Soon, seminary became available for the first….a job opened up for the second….God had provided both… and as they say, “ the rest is history….”

The first went on to be a pastor of many and even retired, still is…

The second went on to be a successful businessman with a focus on giving and left a legacy of giving to his family to steward in the years to come…

God worked mightily in the little and the large in these two men’s lives because they obeyed  His calling on their lives…they were not perfect and they had tough times, but God carried them through as well as their families….they took the gifts that God had given them and used them for His kingdom….

What gifts and talents has God bestowed on you….?   Use them faithfully….with enthusiasm, a worker in God’s kingdom….

Jeremiah 42: 20b For you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the Lord our God, and whatever the Lord our God says, declare to us and we will do it.’

I Corinthians 12: 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

Romans 12:6 we have different gifts

according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with yourfnfaith;

7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;

8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,fn do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

There is such joy in living out obedience….

Thank YOU….

Gifts from God…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfLGfuINnG4

 Stories that glorify God…

Last night I attended a “gala” hosted by Mission Aviation Fellowship…we had a delicious meal followed by speakers telling of the impact MAF has had on their personal lives and those they have been in contact….

“Mission Aviation Fellowship is an Evangelical Christian organization that provides aviation, communications, and learning technology services to more than 1,000 Christian and humanitarian agencies, as well as thousands of isolated missionaries and indigenous villagers in the world's most remote areas. “ Wikipedia

Their headquarters is in Nampa, ID…so it is a privilege to visit their facilities every once in awhile, visit with the people there…see their new projects…attend the dedication of the planes as they head in the sky, wending their way to the ends of the earth to help others…

 We heard stories of a few of the exploits…it warms my heart to see the Word spread, people taken care in difficult and normal  circumstances…to see the smiles of, the cultures they are able to service, whether in mountainous areas, rainforests, islands etc…Lesotho, Papua, Mozambique to name a few…places that are dark changed to light…through the gospel of Jesus Christ….

Psalm 48: 10 As your name, O God,

    so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth.

Isaiah 52: 7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

Video..the ends of the earth…

https://flightvue.maf.org/tabs/home/videos/50823

Thank YOU…

People need the Lord…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i93ysKZeR4

 

Third day…

There are over fifty references to “third day”…

One of them is in Exodus 19… when God talks to the Israelites about them being a treasure to Him…and then goes on about him coming down to them on the third day….

It was just a reminder agin about the resurrection…on third day Jesus showed himself, after the resurrection…

Both times it was about God’s glory…

 Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

Exodus 19: 11 and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. 13 No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.” 14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people; and they washed their garments. 15 And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day;do not go near a woman..

Matthew 16:21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

Then Esther goes before the king to save her people…

Esther 5:1 On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance.

Or Jonah saved pit of the great fish after three days…

And so many more…

“There are other passages of Scripture, however, that bear upon this subject, and in looking at them, one should remember the words of the great church historian, Philip Schaff, that “The Biblical symbolism of numbers is worthy of more serious attention than it has received in English theology” (in Lange’s Commentary on Matthew, p. 183). Is not the very first occurrence of the word in the Bible—and generally first occurrences of basic words in the Bible have great meaning—relevant to the subject, for it is on “the third day” (Gen 1:9-13) that biological life first appeared. Also in Genesis, in the story of Joseph, there is a release from prison on the third day (40:12, 13), and, actually, when Joseph’s brothers were released from prison after three days, Joseph said to them on the third day, “Do this and you will live” (42:17, 18). Notice how often this matter of life is vital in these three-day passages. The reference to Jonah’s experience in the belly of the great fish for a period of three days is well-known to all Bible students, because of our Lord’s reference to it (Jonah 1:17).”https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Third-Day

I just found it interesting that so many “third days” there are from the beginning to the end of the Word…showing God’s glory over all, his use of time, his victory…God is a constant in our lives…He is always on time…His purpose…

Thank YOU… 

Three days of glory…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcGLOxFpo9E

 

Just songs for the soul…

God don’t let the light in me die…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb3Sc_sv3ig

Jesus, there’s just something about name…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvd1yLeRWcs

This the day…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A5klnLG2uM

 Organizing people…

Have you ever heard the phrase, “ it’s like herding cats”?

I can imagine that leading the Israelites in the desert may have been like that…people came to Moses everyday asking questions and his father-in-law saw this…it must have been wearying for all…

Exodus 18: 13 The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. 14 When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” 15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; 16 when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.” 17 Moses' father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. 19 Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, 20 and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. 21 Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”

A future king, David, organized his army in a similar way using different numbers of groups. 

Both men, Moses and David, looked for trusted men to lead the various groups…thus taking much of the burden off of the top leaders….

We still use these examples in leadership today…although differently in different cultures….from the total authoritarian to empowering….

We are told to pray for our leaders…they carry a heavy weight of leadership….

1 Timothy 2:1-6

Pray for All Men

2 Therefore I [a]exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, andgiving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in [b]authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and [c]reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there isone God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,

Thank YOU…

https://biblehub.com/topical/d/david_organizes_his_troops.htm

https://outline-bible.com/1-chronicles-27-davids-leadership-administration

 Our Father who art in heaven…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSVBm8V79Wc

 Abuse…

One of our dogs was a rescue dog…he was afraid of men, or people in hats, plus he avoided being around feet of anyone.

My husband would take him to his office everyday, where the dog would sleep under the desk, comfortable in the warmth…it took months for the dog to warm up to us…if  one reached out to touch him, he would shrink back…if you wore a hat, he would cower….he watched our feet constantly…trust was a long time in coming…but, finally he was won over reluctantly…he became a great traveling buddy, hiker, and seemed to enjoy life with us….then, one day he turned…he would wait until the person whom he just greeted had passed and then bite them on the ankles for no apparent reason…be it guest or us…

In the end, we found someone who lived alone that wanted the dog…we had grandchildren coming and going and we couldn’t trust the dog around anyone…so with both sadness and relief, we gave him away…that was hard…

What brought this chapter to mind was the Israelites leaving Egypt and their beginning wanderings.  They had been abused for years by the rulers of the land in which they dwelt…along comes their savior, Moses, bringing statements and miracles of God…one after another, miracle after miracle, sign after sign….God showing himself trustworthy, faithful, they obey and leave the land of their abusers to go into the unknown…with promises of a land filled with milk and honey awaiting them…

It had to be hard for them, even though they saw that God proved himself worthy of trust…they were used to cowering, lack of care, abuse…and they fell back on old habits easily, not fully trusting…but, God persevered caring, providing, leading….

A faith journey for each person brought out of Egypt…

Just like us who have turned to Jesus…times we want to turn back to old comfortable ways instead of having faith in our Savior…but he is faithful, kind, filled with goodness….

Thank YOU….

Psalm 9: 9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,

    a stronghold in times of trouble.

10 And those who know your name put their trust in you,

    for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

The book of Exodus….

Faithful one…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PjSO5Ihl0M

 

Grumble….

Doesn’t that word sound negative? Then the definition of discontent or the synonyms sound just as bad…I said them out loud and they really sounded awful….

Grumble….

: to mutter in discontent

Whine, moan, fuss, lament, gripe, bleat, grouch, quibble, murmur, complain, grouse, yammer….Merriam Webster 

This weekend, of all times, that was me…I had most of my family around, we were celebrating a wedding, good company, good food, beautiful setting, etc..and my heart grumbled at the end…over something of no worth…I even came home and put music on to drown out the grumbles, the gripes, the bleating….finally asking for forgiveness for my attitude…then peace of soul…reigned…

Oh, how easy it is to fall into that trap…and how easy it is to take it to God…

Thank YOU….

Exodus 16:4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?” 8 And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.”

Psalm 102: A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the Lord.

102 :1 Hear my prayer, O Lord;
let my cry come to you!

Colossians 3: 12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Psalm 102…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5qkjs-N8xM

Hear me when I call…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz89RXMG-Z4

 Comfort verses.  ….#?

Honestly I have lost track of what number I am on for comfort verses…but God’s comfort is numberless, infinite….

Thank YOU…

So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great (Job 2:13 NKJV).

“He called out to them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’ ‘No,’ they answered” (John 21:5 NIV). ( He provided)

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” (James 1:2-4 NIV).

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting” (Psalm 100:1-2, 3b, 4b-5a KJV).

“But I have prayed for you, Simon [Peter], that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32 NIV

He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control (Philippians 3:21 NLT

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6 NKJV

My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music (Psalm 57:7 NIV

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: … a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance (Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 NIV).

You comfort me….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6syDo3t3pe8

 Countdown….3….

Flowers, flowers and more flowers…

What’s on the list to do?

Thursday was flower day…pumpkin patch  day…morning first thing was a trek to the local flower place…three shopping carts later, we emerged for the store, loaded flowers into one vehicle…a couple of hours of conditioning the flowers, or visiting the local pumpkin patch…then the attendants and mom of the bride, a couple of the grandmothers , plus the bride and time….buckets of flowers turned into the bridal bouquets, table arrangements…

And then Family night….

Friday was gathering final supplies, discussions, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner…

24 hours till the nuptials….

Another popular Bible segment is the verses from Ruth…

Ruth 1: ……. 16b For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

Realizing that these verses is actually words between a widowed daughter  in law to a widowed mother in law…Ruth makes it quite clear she wants to stay with Naomi…follow her God rather than return to her own country…and she becomes an ancestor of King David through her eventual marriage to Boaz, her kinsman redeemer…

Another picture of Christ…our redeemer…he paid the price of our salvation..

Also a picture of marriage…choosing to cling together, following  God together...on this journey of life.

thank YOU..

I will follow…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFna4pEF7M8

 The countdown is over….the day of….

The temperature dropped 30 degrees from the day before…windy, chilly…the rain held off…thank YOU….

The last of the steam pressing, the flowers loaded, the chairs in place, the table decorated, the sound system working…clothes at ready for groomsmen, attendants…the bride…extra coats packed…

Then another round of pictures to be followed by another round. Professional and amateur….while the sun is out… the fall leaves fluttering, adding more color to the whole ambiance….

Finally, we assemble for the processional….and all that preplanning has paid off…

“We assemble here to witness the uniting of this couple…”

The challenge, the rings, the vows, the tears, the communion, the proclamation of “husband and wife”…the recessional…and we are done until the ensuing party and celebration….

What an amazing day  and evening….

Do you remember your wedding?  The precious moments of friends and family…

Other Bible verses set the tone of the wedding ceremony…

Song of Solomon 8:6 Set me as a seal upon your heart,

    as a seal upon your arm,

for love is strong as death,

    jealousy is fierce as the grave.

Its flashes are flashes of fire,

    the very flame of the Lord.

7a Many waters cannot quench love,

    neither can floods drown it.

Ecclesiastes 4: 9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Matthew19: 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Numbers 6: 24 The Lord bless you and keep you;

25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

1Peter 4: 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Psalm 118:24 This is the day that the Lord has made;

    let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Since the Word is given to us, a personal letter about God’s Love, redemption, there is really is so much about relationships…we  can find more and more that could pertain to marriage…

Thank YOU…

So that’s my week…now a bit of clean up and sorting, getting borrowed items returned, etc… maybe a nap or two…getting caught up on some rest…and I was just one little part of it all…

But, praise and thank yous to all that participated….what love was shown…

Blessings…

The recessional…

I’m a believer…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWqmc8qxEps

 The countdown has started…2…

3 days…to go..

When I used to do wedding coordination, it was a bout this time the the bride either turned into a Bridezilla  or was to the point of, “let’s just get this over and don’t worry if something is not coming together”…. 

Both had its challenges…you want your dream wedding to come true, the party does, but sometimes it just doesn’t  happen that way…flexibility is key on all fronts…whether the mother of the bride is living her dream vicariously through her daughter or the Pinterest pictures just aren’t matching up or whatever…

Another verse that may be a theme for the service is..

Genesis 2: 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Or…

Colossians 3: 12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

The first being a united front together…so important…. I have seen so many marriages broken up or challenged by parents 

Interfering  with the couple’s decision making or whatever…

The second set of verses speak again of love,  humility, patience, forgiveness, ,etc…all of which speak of unity …which is beyond price….

Thank YOU, 

To have and to hold…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p5Z6PpRDSI

 The countdown has started…

At the end on this week another grandchild will marry…that is number four and then there is a break until the next group comes of age…

So the time schedules are written out, what each participant, helper is doing…and already there are changes…who flies in at what time, who is arriving by car, van, etc…

The weather is supposed to be great, clothes are purchased in the right colors, everyone is lined out for vehicles, motels, airbnbs, meals…

As we are in the wedding mood in this family, I thought is would be interesting to ask Siri what the most used scripture passages are for weddings..haven’t asked “her “ opinion before…but as I looked up the question, the websites were pretty consistent in their answers…

1. 1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

The love verses…just think if we could  take these to heart all the time in marriages and relationships…along with the fruit of the Spirit…Galatians 5: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

2.Ephesians 5: 22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

There are a lot more instructions for the husband than the wife…we get hung up on the submission in the first sentence and fly past the rest…what mutual love for one another…each is cherished by the other…Christ loves us so much and gave his life for us, the Bride…

Thank YOU…

Love is patient…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8SxizK1kdc

 

Dry ground…

In the midst of troubles and hardship, we wait for a light at the end of the tunnel, hoping it is not just another train…

Miraculously, God, with his mighty hand opened the sea, dried it and allowed the Israelites to walk across, not mired in the mud, but safety…

However, the conquering enemy got bogged down until the sea closed its gap, successfully ending their chase….

A new song filled their hearts…the Song of Moses….filled with praise…

The Lord has triumphed….for his people…

When life is rough for us, and then God intervenes giving us new light, don’t we want to  sing a new song as well…a song of praise…

Exodus 15: 2 The Lord is my strength and my song,

    and he has become my salvation;

this is my God, and I will praise him,

    my father's God, and I will exalt him."

Thank YOU…..

The song of Moses….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRGKRHo6o0Y

The horse and rider…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwM4214SRYU

 The Lord has triumphed….

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UWfaTP6yKsc

 600+ chariots…2…

Yesterday it was 600+ , plus an army…

Exodus 14:9 The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtookthem as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.

The Israelites were trapped…they cried out…and the Lord said to move forward…(what , into the sea, won’t we drown)….

Exodus 14:…. Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”

19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them,20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided,22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

Divided water, light/dark, people groups….no human can do that…only God…and this was after the plagues …God claimed these people as his own…and he took care of them as he promised…

In the New Testament, we have the verses in the book of Romans…

Romans 8:

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”fn

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,fn neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,

39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What a promise…we may have a sea looming before us or an army  behind us as the Israelites did, but, God is for us as he was them…

He hasn’t changed…

Thank YOU….

Our God…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-JZ9KsI7YI

 600 + chariots….

Can you imagine 600+ chariots racing after you…?  What an awesome, frightening sight!  Not only that, but they were ready for war on families with  belongings, children…no weapons and caught on one side by the sea and nowhere to go….

I think of the old movies, Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments or newer one, Chronicles of Narnia…or other movies with casts of thousands coming across the plains ready for war…

And there stands Moses, “ 13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never seeagain. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14….

Would your heart quake and tremble? Mine would…they weren’t used to this kind of salvation…they had been slaves to this army for generations…they knew their human power and now were going to really see God’s…his promises made true…there was no way out except God’s…

The thing is, we have that same God who works the same way for us…we may not be seeing armies and chariots chasing us…a full sea behind us….but there are times when we are just as penned in and we need the Lord to fight for us….and we need only to be still and wait…

We don’t have a Moses to lead, but we have the Holy Spirit to speak truth, God to give peace, Jesus to save….what an army….

Thank YOU….

Our God will go before us…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmEYeZB8dDI

 Retreat….

This past weekend a friend and I went to a women’s retreat in McCall, ID…

Martha Peace was the speaker…

https://marthapeacetew.blogspot.com

She has written many books…most notable, “The Excellent Wife” 30 years ago and is still timely…

One of her topics was, “Abounding Hope in the Midst of trials”…

How timely is that…

 We either blame God or be grateful…both affect us …either positively or negatively….it is our choice… 

Isaiah 45:7 everyone who is called by my name,

    whom I created for my glory,

    whom I formed and made.”

Do we glorify God in the things we do, ways we act, words we say…

 1 Peter 1: . 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2     Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Thank YOU…

Psalm 100 ….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaL_VeHil6U