A bit of Oregon…

 

A bit of Oregon…

My husband was born and raised in the foothills of the Willamette Valley in Oregon as were his parents, siblings…

They had an orchard, gardens…they started in a former chicken house, expanding it as time and money allowed…they had sheep, hair goats, chickens, pigs, calves…they cleared ground, sold wood for the many wood burning stoves that families used to heat their homes and cooking stoves…

they were the descendants of the Great Migration…Those people/families who came to Oregon to find land to farm starting in the 1840’s…they saw opportunities in the fertile soil of Oregon rather than the gold discoveries of California…it was their “dream land”…it still calls people to come and live, from the beaches of the Pacific on the west, to the high desert on the eastern border…

We lived there the first year of our marriage and then again in the middle of our marriage…and my husband died and was buried in Oregon…college students and caring for his mother as well as another stint in college…our children learned to log trees, drive tractors, avoid poison oak, grow Christmas trees, pick buckets of blackberries/fruit, care for the elderly…

Three of four children married Oregonians…

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/a-thousand-pioneers-head-west-on-the-oregon-traill

https://www.americanhistoryusa.com/the-oregon-trail-and-its-migration/

There have been “great” migrations many times all over the world…people moving to new countries, people moving from the rural to the cities….migrations from war, abuse, famines, etc…to hopefully better lives…for many it has been worked well and for many it didn’t…

The Israelites, following the promises given to Abraham, finally made it to their promised land via slavery in Egypt, famines, sojourning in the desert for 40 years, wars, loss of generations of people…it wasn’t an easy task or journey…

We are on a journey of “migration “ as well…we are passing through this world, with so many lessons along the way…we have a promise of a house prepared for us in Heaven…we have a Tour director leading us in Truth, we have a Shepherd to lead the way…we have some news of what may be in the new “land”…and we have  a “free, paid-for  pass” to enter……we have  a Father  who will welcome us…

Thank YOU….

 “Let not your hearts be troubled. 

Believe in God; believe also in me. 

 In my Father's house are many rooms. 

If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

John.14.1-3

 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. 

You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 

Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. 

Because I live, you also will live. 

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 

Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. 

And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. 

Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 

You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ 

If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 

And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 

I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. 

He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. 

Rise, let us go from here.

John.14.15-31

Spirit lead me…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABWnLjXer10

 A walk down an Oregon country lane as the fog is lifting…in the morning sunlight…I wish I could send the smells as well…cedar, fir, maple, blackberries…after the rain…

 By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,O God of our salvation,

the hope of all the ends of the earthand of the farthest seas; the one who by his strength established the mountains,being girded with might; 

who stills the roaring of the seas,the roaring of their waves,the tumult of the peoples, 

so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.

You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.Ps.65.5-8

The bad and the ugly…

 The bad and the ugly….

I like to do more uplifting writings…but as I came to this section I couldn’t ignore or skip over it… I kept putting it off, hoping it would go away…but, it didn’t…but, on the other hand the world is facing this presently…wars and rumors of wars, atrocities, people dying and uprising the world over…and they would say these things about one another…divisions caused by falseness, greed, abuse, etc….we each have to make our stand one way or another… 

Some say we will get better and better, but reading this passage written ages ago, apparently we face the same as they did…we haven’t changed …we face the same problems, the same temptations, the same false teachers….maybe different labels…but the same…

My hope is found in Jesus Christ, the very Son of God, who came to die for my sins…who arose from the grave, conquering death…victorious…who also sent a Counselor, the Holy Spirit, to indwell in those who believe in Jesus as their Saviour…

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. “ Heb. 1:3

Thank YOU….

 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. 

They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 

Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. 

Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. 

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. 

This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.

Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord. 

But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish. They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. 

They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. 

With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! 

They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness. 

These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. 

Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. 

They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 

It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 

Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”

2Pet.2.1-22

My hope is built…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoPcyr2oYhg

Totally random, amazing creation by an amazing Creator…

 https://youtu.be/U215OwCsHDk

Isaiah 55…

  

Isaiah 55…

This chapter really came and touched me this am…it needs no explanation to those are thirsty…weary…seeking…

Thank YOU…

 “Come, all you who are thirsty,come to the waters;and you who have no money,come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 

Why spend money on what is not bread,and your labor on what does not satisfy?

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,and you will delight in the richest of fare. 

Give ear and come to me;listen, that you may live.I will make an everlasting covenant with you,my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,a ruler and commander of the peoples. 

Surely you will summon nations you know not,and nations you do not know will come running to you,because of the Lord your God,the Holy One of Israel,for he has endowed you with splendor.” Seek the Lord while he may be found;call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts.

Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,and to our God, for he will freely pardon. 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,neither are your ways my ways,”declares the Lord. “

As the heavens are higher than the earth,so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish,so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:It will not return to me empty,but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Isa.55.1-12

For those tears I died…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OS-1X_o9go

Stories…

 Stories….

One of my grandfathers was a story teller….as was my father…

We could listen by the hour to their stories…laughing until our cheeks hurt, as my dad cried because he was laughing so much…

My husband and one of his brothers told numerous stories as well during the last days of his life…we laughed with them as well…

They were eye witnesses to things the rest of us hadn’t seen…there were serious stories, mischievous stories, everyday life stories…

Some we have pictures of, some got written down, others are in our memory banks…

One of my uncles wrote a book of his life with his daughter’s help…another cousin with the help of my grandfather’s journals wrote about my grandfather’s life and the history of the area they settled as a young couple…one daughter wrote her observations of living in Mongolia for 5 years…another captures people in creative photography…I wrote a book about grief from my perspective and devotional blog for ten years……legacies…firsthand accounts….

Everyone has a story to tell and pass on…some write it, some photograph it, some tell it…

I wish from the amount of people I am in contact with, that many would write it…God’s faithfulness…our failures, triumphs, lessons we have learned…there is so much we could learn from others and their stories…

Reading 2 Peter again, he wants to convey and refresh their memories as “long as as I live in the tent of this body”…his eye witness account of seeing Jesus Glorified…to emphasize that they    have the prophetic message, spoken through prophets by God …

We, now, didn’t see it, but we, too, have the Word spoken by God through various men…

The Word which has passed the test of time, through the ages…has lived and continues to live in the hearts of people…continues the spread throughout the world…no has been able to suppress it…God is not suppressed…

Thank YOU…

 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 

And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. 

For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 

He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 

We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 

For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

2Pet.1.12-21

 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” 

Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

Mark.9.5,Mark.9.7-8

 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.

2Tim.3.16-17

 A mighty fortress…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XUYZoguhEQ&t=4s 



Expanded…

 

Expanded….

There are times when simple instructions will do…such a picture by picture lego instruction booklet…

Then sometimes it is helpful or interesting for a more lengthy explanation…

I chose to add the amplified version of a few verses in 2 Peter…it was just interesting to see the longer drawn out version of these few verses…it adds a bit of a new dimension…

I can picture Peter sitting there contemplating the words that are Spirit inspired…writing them down, thinking about each one as he writes to encourage the receivers…the words flowing from his pen…maybe even thanking God each time for the inspiration…envisioning the reception…

 “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

2Pet.1.2

 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 

Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 

 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. 

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. 

For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2Pet.3-11

 For His divine power has bestowed on us [absolutely] everything necessary for [a dynamic spiritual] life and godliness, through true and personal knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.  

For by these He has bestowed on us His precious and magnificent promises [of inexpressible value], so that by them you may escape from the immoral freedom that is in the world because of disreputable desire, and become sharers of the divine nature.  

For this very reason, applying your diligence [to the divine promises, make every effort] in [exercising] your faith to, develop moral excellence, and in moral excellence, knowledge (insight, understanding),  and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, steadfastness, and in your steadfastness, godliness,  and in your godliness, brotherly affection, and in your brotherly affection, [develop Christian] love [that is, learn to unselfishly seek the best for others and to do things for their benefit].  

For as these qualities are yours and are increasing [in you as you grow toward spiritual maturity], 

they will keep you from being useless and unproductive in regard to the true knowledge and greater understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ.  

For whoever lacks these qualities is blind—shortsighted [closing his spiritual eyes to the truth], having become oblivious to the fact that he was cleansed from his old sins.  

Therefore, believers, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you [be sure that your behavior reflects and confirms your relationship with God]; 

for by doing these things [actively developing these virtues], 

you will never stumble [in your spiritual growth and will live a life that leads others away from sin];  

for in this way entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly provided to you.

2Pet.1.3-11AMP

And now down through the ages, we read these same words, these inspired words as if they were personally written to us…as they are…

Thank YOU…. 

2 Peter 1…scripture song…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFDL0ouIxME