Matthew 18:20

Matthew 18:20 ‘For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them’ NIV

It’s been a long time since I have written any devotions, but I hadn’t realized how long until I looked it up on the blog – Oct 4th to be exact. Way too long to stay away and I miss writing.

Since Labor Day weekend, I have acquired a household of 5 more people, bringing the total living here to eight – ages 5 months to 61 yrs – plus one cat, 7 fish, 3 hens and 6 roosters. We had a visit from a hawk and a young moose last week and last night the coyotes were howling up in the woods. Always something going on.

And of course, added to that, Rebecca does childcare. She watches my 3 yr old granddaughter five days a week and 3 of those days, she has another 3 yr old and one other 5 month old added to her collection. So on a full day, our house can have eleven people milling about. And I don’t want to forget to mention that our 31 year old well pump died on Saturday morning and consequently we had no water all day. Thankfully, we have a small pond down by the garden so we were able to get a five-gallon bucket of ‘flush’ water brought in.

There seems to be a gazillion stories I can tell, but how to put them to Scripture is difficult for me. How to pick the right one and then make sure it’s in the proper context.

Our three year olds, Jacob, Natalee and Claire) like to do crafts and get very excited when Bec brings out the glitter and glue and they get carried away with the glitter and it looks like the morning after a New Year’s Eve party on my kitchen floor. Everything is soooo pretty and sparkly…But who cares!! It’s been fun!!!

But when, one child hurts another child and that child is crying, who ever did the deed must apologize to the hurt one and give them a hug. Sometimes they do it on their own (one on one) and sometimes Bec must be in the mix. And as children do, forgiveness comes quickly and everyone is a friend again, boom, just like that…

God tells us to reconcile with each other, one on one as a starting place. We teach our children early on, but it can get sidelined over the years. When a fellow believer (sins) or hurts you, talk to them about what happened and if they won’t listen to you, go to them again with a couple of other believers and try talking again. If they still won’t listen bring it to the church. If they won’t listen to the church, start over again one on one.

Remember - each time you confront that person in God’s name, God will be there to help you with it.

I realize I’ve jumped around quite a bit, going from a household of eight to critters of various species, to an inconvenient event to glitter crafts and finally to what Matthew 18:20 is telling me. Two families living together is a challenge, but God is here in the midst of my chaos and for that, I am so thankful to my God.

Nancy

Proverbs 23:4-5

Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich; restrain yourself! Riches disappear in the blink of an eye; wealth sprouts wings and flies off into the wild blue yonder. (MSG)

When I read this, I immediately thought of a young man I know who just got out of experiencing this type of thing with his business. He went too big too soon, he put too much money on his credit card and he over estimated the devotion his workers had for his business.

He originally started out small, but soon outgrew the space he was using. He knew he had to make a change and find something bigger. So he jumped into what he wanted and where he wanted and spent a large sum of money doing it. Things were going well until he got behind in the high rent and then he had trouble with one of his workers leaving and taking many of the clients.

Within 5 days, he had gone from what he thought was a successful business to nothing. Absolutely nothing. The landlord now owns it all. Everything had to be left behind closed doors. He had to start over again. Even smaller than before.

Now he is working for someone else and renting a small space within that business. He is putting in fewer hours and able to spend more time with his family. He is happier and less stressed and even though he owes a lot of money, he has learned an important lesson in life - even a strong Christian can get caught up (more money-more success) in this 'worlds' culture.

We are all in the 'world' together and all have desires to be successful in someone's eyes. But God's eyes are the most important eyes. To be 'rich' in God's eyes, we don't have to a lot of money or be high up on the chain of command or outdo each other in things. God asks that we stay focused on him and obey his commands. If we do that, we will be rich and successful.

Nancy

Proverbs 25:11

The right word at the right time is like a custom-made piece of jewelry (MSG)

I read on line a small list of the most powerful words in the English language and wanted to share them with you.

1. Alone - the bitterest word
2. Death - the most feared word
3. No - the coldest word
4. Friend - the warmest word
5. ? - the most powerful word?

For the author, Jesus was his most powerful word and he wondered what word other people might have. Mine is God.

Look at the words used in the Book of Proverbs and think about what they mean to you. And think how you can use those words.

Out of the above list, the two words that mean the most to me are - God and friend. Powerful and warm.

What words mean the most to you out of that list? The top three or the bottom two? Are there words used in other Scripture that have special meaning to you? Something you live by? Something you breathe in daily?

I do...Philippians 4:13 'Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am' (MSG)

Those words keep telling me that as long as I have Christ in me, I'm ok, I'm safe and he will provide me with what I need. I am so thankful that God has given me friends who love me and who know the right words and will use them at the right times.

Nancy

Judges 7:2-7

What stuck out to me in these verses were - God said to Gideon and Gideon listened. (vs 2, 4, 5 & 7)

Earlier in the story, the Israelites were crushed by nomadic raiders called the Midianites. So God calls on Gideon to set up an army. Which he did, but it was too large and God said he just couldn't turn Midian over to them, the army would say they did it themselves and and forget about him. God told Gideon to cut the army down and Gideon did - twice - because God wanted to be sure that Israel would know that the victory was his (God's) power, not theirs. (NIV)

When I read in verse two (Msg) where it says 'I did it all myself', I immediately thought about Jacob and Natalee. They are notorious for saying that. Right now, they both are working on a very big project called potty training. Despite accidents every so often, they are doing really well. In fact so well, they want to go into the bathroom and do their business by themselves and usually when one has to go, the other does too and that's ok except Jacob and Natalee have anatomy differences.

Bec has to intervene because as much as they say 'I do it myself', there are some things they don't understand. Going potty doesn't always go well when they copy each other by sitting or standing and it's imperative they listen to Bec's wisdom for a less messy success.

It's also absolutely necessary for us to listen to God and as much as we want to say 'I do it myself', the bottom line is, we can't. We certainly don't know or understand everything and things don't always go well when we try to accomplish things on our own. We need God's wisdom and his guiding hand for less messy success'.

In the end, when something does go well, when we have a victory in life, when we have success, remember it was God's hand and thank him for intervening. Don't ever forget him even when he asks to much of us.

Nancy

Galatians 6:10

`
Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith. (MSG)

In Galatians 6, God is telling us that we have a responsibility for each other and if our resources (financial or personal) are low, our first concern should be to others who belong to the family of believers. (NIV)

Do you wonder why on earth someone's name pops into your head? You have no idea where it can come from. Whatever you were doing had nothing to do with that person. Absolutely nothing..but as the day goes on, the name won't leave.

So what should you do? Ignore it? Drop an email? Call them?

God say's to reach out and don't ignore them.

I have a friend I recently sent an email to because I had a question for them. Something didn't seem right with the response I got, it didn't seem to be their normal self. Nothing clear or definite, but I felt it in my heart. So I emailed back with the words 'you ok'?

Turns out this person was having a bad day and all the rain we'd been having wasn't helping. So we went out to lunch and just talked. I really hope it helped to lift their spirits, even a little bit. I do know it did mine.

I'm glad I listened to that voice (God) inside telling me to ask the words, 'you ok'?

Nancy

Luke 2:52

And Jesus matured, growing up in both body and spirit, blessed by both God and people. (MSG)

This is the story of a twelve year old and his parents making their annual trip to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. When it came time to go back home, Jesus' parents started off to Nazareth and thought their son was walking with relatives or neighbors. However, Jesus never told his parents that he had decided to stay behind.

So the next day after missing him, his parents traveled back to Jerusalem and found him sitting at the temple listening to the teachers and asking them questions. These teachers were very impressed with him, but his parents were not. They were upset and wanted to know why he did this. Jesus said he had to be there, he had to hear what they were saying about his Father. His parents didn't understand and told Jesus they were all going home - Now. Jesus learned he had to be obedient to his earthly parents as well as to God.

My grandson, Jacob is now three. He likes to climb everything, scale walls and pretend he's Spiderman. He puffs up his little arm muscles and deepens his voice and says, 'I do it myself' or 'I'm big'. We always have to ask, "Where's Jake?" He can disappear in a heartbeat, both inside and outside the house. We watch him like a hawk because he is so quick in his spontaneous actions.

Usually he is playing in another room by himself or in the sandbox, but sometimes he is into my fishpond (literally) or climbing on the big rock. Those are the times Jacob learns to be obedient to his parents even though he thinks he's big.

Jesus grew up blessed by God and people and Jacob is growing up blessed by God and people.

I am very blessed to have both God and people. I have people who help me grow both in Christ and in life, they continuingly keep me focused on God and they are here for me to lean on. Again I say I am so blessed.

Obedience and blessings go together. We are blessed, but no matter how big, smart or mature we think we are, we do have to be obedient. Be obedient to God first and the blessings will come.

Matthew 6:27

Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? (MSG)

Do we grow by standing in front of a mirror? (MSG) Do we add a single hour to our lives by worrying? (NIV) God says no...

My grandson, Nicholas, starts first grade in a couple of weeks and is a anxious. He knows he will be in the same school and have the same kids from kindergarten, but he will have a new teacher and be in a new room. And he is worrying about it and he doesn't hesitate to voice those worries to his parents.

There are people who fear flying or speaking in public or starting a new job or (you fill it in with your fear). I know it is embarrassing for me to admit my fears to people. What would happen if they didn't understand because it wasn't their fear? Make light of it? Make a joke about it? It can be hard to talk to others about our worries or fears. Down right scary.

Going into the next grade at school, flying, speaking in public or (your fear) can immobilize us and keep us from experiencing different opportunities.

Nick will go on to first grade at the encouragement of his parents and because they know and understand he is a scared, he can let go of his worries and know he will be ok. He trusts them and they love him.

The same for us. God knows our worries and fears and knows how we struggle. He gives us encouragement through his Word, through special friends and through family. If we could only be like Nick and let go and trust. How much better we would be with our worries and fears.

Start by finding someone you trust, someone you can talk to about your fears and worries and someone who won't judge or laugh. Ask them to pray for you and to encourage you when you are afraid and ask them to help you let go and trust God.

Nancy

Psalm 23:3

True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. (MSG)

Which way to go? That is a question that's often hard to answer and it shouldn't be. But for some people, it is.

Do you ever wonder which road to take during the course of a day, whether it be your personal road or a physical road? You are running around doing things, having to get things done yesterday or having to make decisions that only you can make and then, bam, you come to a place and you don't know what to do or which way to go and you panic. There is a fork, a Y in the road, a dead end, a major intersection and you have to get off to the side to make a decision. That can be a scary place to be. Some people use a GPS to find their way and for others they use GOD.

I am on that personal road frequently and my thoughts either run at top speed or not at all. I have a friend who keeps me and my thoughts slowed down enough so to think and catch my breath. She keeps me on the road with words that give me the direction I need and that gives me much security.

Psalm 23:3 says the same thing. The footnote in the NIV says, 'as a shepherd leads his sheep in paths that offer safety and well-being, so David's Shepherd-King guides him in ways that cause him to be secure and prosperous.'

For me, I have both GOD and a friend to guide me. Neither will lead me in the wrong direction and for that I'm thankful.

Nancy

View from the Porch

This past Spring, a bear came down off the mountain behind our house to feed from two of our bird feeders. One feeder was broken open. The other, was no where to be found. Apparently, the bear took that feeder. I actually went looking for it. I walked along the stone wall that borders one side of our two acre property. I found no bird feeder. I then walked along the old logging trail that leads up to the top of the mountain. I didn’t get far as it was getting dark, but still no, there was no sign of the bear or bird feeder. Realizing I had no idea in which direction the bear would have gone, I decided not to search again and just bought new bird feeders (and no, the bear hasn’t been back).

Last week, while I was mowing along the stone wall, I stopped to pick some blueberries. As I climbed over the stone wall to reach the back of the blueberry bush, I saw the missing bird feeder. It was slightly hidden by some brush. It was empty, but in one piece. I still can’t figure out how I didn’t notice the feeder back in the Spring. Anyway, after my initial surprise at finding the feeder, I found myself thinking that God sometimes works in a way similar to what I described in my story.

Sometimes, we might be looking for God to do something in our lives, but when we don’t hear from Him as quickly as we would like, we go buy new bird feeders. Then, when we least expect it, God surprises us with something and we wonder why we didn’t wait on Him.

Blessings,
Wayne

Hebrews 13:2

Be ready with a meal or a bed when it's needed. Why, some have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it!..(MSG)

I read in the newspaper this morning about Mr. Crete, a dairy farmer from Boscawen, NH, who was diagnosed with liver cancer two years ago and was given 6-18 months to live. Last year, praise God, he was able to come back and work his farm. This man, for more than 20 years, earned the reputation as a methodical and hardworking farmer who set examples for others in the local dairy industry.

He died suddenly Tuesday night at Concord Hospital, at age 53, of an apparent heart attack.

Mr. Crete was known in his town as man who would stop by neighbors and friends homes with his loader to shovel them out of their driveways in winter, a man who would drop off extra food at the local food pantry and man who worked on church suppers. Even working 18-20 hour days, seven days a week, he found time to give to his family, his community and never refused a request from his church. His friends say he was a positive influence to others.

How many angels did Mr. Crete extend hospitality to without knowing it? How many in the community? In his church? In the Merrimack County 4-H?

Matthew 14:25-29

At abut four o'clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. They (the disciples) were scared out of their wits. "A ghost!" they said, crying out in terror. But Jesus was quick to comfort them. "Courage, it's me. Don't be afraid." Peter, suddenly bold, said, "Master, if it's really you, call me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come ahead." Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. (MSG)

Fear, trust and failure are words I've been working on for a long time. And this Scripture really got me thinking about those words in a way I never expected.

Peter had fear, but when he heard 'the ghost' was Jesus and heard his comforting words, Peter trusted. Peter walked on water. Then I thought about failure. In verse 30, Peter got scared of the high waves under his feet and started to sink at the point he took his eyes off Jesus and I asked myself if Peter failed because he was afraid or because he took his eyes off Jesus for a moment?

But then what about the other disciples? They had to have been afraid, but they didn't even try to trust Jesus. They just sat in the boat and watched. So who failed? Peter or the disciples?

Peter tried to overcome his fear, he walked to Jesus on the water and even though he didn't keep his eyes on Jesus for the entire time, I don't think he failed in Jesus' eyes. But I do believe the disciples were the failures because they never tried.

Being afraid is a strong emotion I have to overcome. With all my fears and thinking I don't trust God enough, I feel like a failure. My close friends keep telling me I'm not as I'm trying to stay focused on God and am trying to overcome my fears and even though I sink to the bottom more than I walk on the water, they tell me that God is pleased with me. I need to hear those words because they are encouraging words which help keep me focused on God and not myself.

It would be so much easier to be like the disciples in the story and stay in the boat during my rough times. But I know it's not what God wants from me and I have to remember that as long as I keep trying, I won't be a failure in his eyes.

Nancy

PDQ DMV RN FYI

Hello friends and family! It's been awhile since I've written, I know. Life has a funny way of speeding up when one begins a full-time job.
I finished the last six weeks of school (as a para-professional) alongside the full-time job ( as an RN) so that period is still pretty foggy. I came through relatively unscathed. The scathing part I have no time or energy allotted for right now. What I really want to tell you about is my trip to the DMV the other day.
My birthday was 6/16. I received that handy reminder notice in the mail regarding my license renewal. I guarded it fiercely. I even transferred it out of my old car to my new car. I would certainly pay attention to that piece of paper before the end of the month. Right? You get your whole birth month to renew your license, don't you? It's always been that way.
June 26 was going to be my day for it. Sonny patiently explained to me that it's the car registration you get the whole month for. The expiration date for your license is your birthDAY. I thought that was a silly system they had, making you remember two different rules like that. He then took the day off and was taking allergy shot duty with the kids so I could grab a few minutes at the DMV - . I drove the speed limit to the DMV and and filled out the paper so I could go to the lady at the front desk and she could say, " Good job - head right over to that line, there", which she did. Well, being the Uber sign reader that I am - I noticed that one looooooong line was for U.S. Citizens. - Not this girl. I spied the Non-US citizen and likewise non-EXISTENT line and headed for it. BONUS!! - the stars were aligned for me today. It was all coming back to me - last time I was here I spoke with this nice, Japanese lady and here she was again. "I'd like to renew my license" I said .
"O.k. - I need your green card ", she said.
It was all coming back to me - last time I was here I spoke with this nice, Japanese lady and she wanted my green card then, too.
" Oh man, - I don't have it on me".
" Well, we need it to prove you're legal to be here," she still politely said.
" Of course you do. That just means I have to drive one more time with an expired license. I thought I had the whole month to get this done" I admitted.
" No, that's vehicle registration", she smiled. "I've made that mistake before too."
With instructions to come directly to her window and not stand in line again, I returned home and thanked God for Sonny who keeps the important stuff like my green card in one place where I can always find it. With 5 hours of sleep under my belt I made the trip back a little less energetically.
I took my place in front of her window, without feeling the least pang of guilt. Turns out she was on lunch break -for the next fifteen minutes. I found the whole experience waiting to be a time of reflection. I was blissfully happy to be safe at the DMV, finally, with the right identification. The other line was moving as fast as a line can move at the DMV but it was o.k. Kind woman showed up again and we began the process. About a minute later I heard a very big 'something' fall.
Looking over my shoulder and 15 feet to my right I noticed a body on the floor. Without thinking, I bolted over to where a teenage boy lay supine. Putting one hand under his neck for support and finding his carotid pulse with two fingers , I leaned down to feel his breath and observe his chest. A split second later, looking to the man who had knelt near me, asked " Diabetic? Epileptic?" " No, no" we're the man's replies.
My next question should have been, " getting his license for the first time?"
Turns out, this boy fainted. The resident cop was there within about 20 seconds and asked if I was his mother.
" No, I'm a nurse", I said.
" I thought you were" said the man kneeling. " Thank you".
I returned to the line where Kind Woman was waiting for me as resident cop took over and asked this young kid if he knew his name or the day of the week, and told someone to call 911 - you know, essentially making memories for this kid that he'll have forever. It took me about 5 tries before I could stop shaking enough to sign my name on my renewed license but Kind Woman didn't care and I didn't care either. It was a good day. I proved to myself I could keep my head in a crisis - and move faster than at least 20 other people. Just wanted to share this revelation and good feeling with family and friends.
I'm absolutely loving my new career as a nurse. Thank you all for your support.

Love, Carol

John 17:20

I'm praying not only for them (disciples), but also for those who will believe in me. (MSG)

Jesus never gave up praying for his disciples and he never gave up praying for those who believed in him. Giving up was not in his vocabulary and no matter how difficult things were or frustrated Jesus got, he stuck to the task God wanted him to do.

I really like frogs for the most part, but I have this annoying male tree frog who makes a buzzing trill sound most of the night, every night, all night and he does this to attract a female. Even though breeding season is April - July, I think this one is mixed up because each year his calling is all summer long, but I need to give him credit for the perseverance and diligence he shows.

There is this story about two frogs and I want to share it with you.

Two young frogs fell into a bucket of milk and both tried to jump to freedom, but the sides of the bucket were steep and no foundation was to be had on the surface of the liquid.

Seeing little chance of escape, the first frog soon despaired and stopped jumping. After a short while he sunk to the bottom of the bucket and drowned.

The second frog also saw no likelihood of success, but he never stopped trying. Even though each jump seemed to reach the same inadequate height, he kept on struggling. Eventually, his persistent efforts churned some milk into butter. From the now hardened surface of the milk, he managed to leap out of the bucket.
---

So what about us? What should our plans be for dealing with the difficult times that can totally overwhelm us? Have diligence and perseverance? Or give up and drown?

Nancy

Psalm 30:10

So listen! And be kind! Help me out of this! (MSG)

David was at the point of shattered strength and it had swept away all his self-reliance and he started crying for God.

I participated in a short Bible study of Psalm 30 using photography. We could photograph family, pets, mountains, oceans, scenic areas, anything we wanted for either each verse or as an overall picture of the Psalm and that really got me 'seeing' the Psalm in a different realm. I cried as I read and reread this Psalm and I saw the many words (and pictures) David kept using in his
praise to God.

I chose verse 10 because my daughter gave me a new grandson two weeks ago and I had taken a picture of her in labor at the hospital. She was becoming rather uncomfortable with pain, but she was also so very beautiful and strong.

As I looked at this picture I saw verse 10. I remembered Rebecca's words that night of 'help me and be gentle please'. She had to depend on Angela, her midwife, for everything. I was praying and crying as she delivered, but I could see God with both Angela and Rebecca. He listened to Bec's cries and he was kind to her and he was there when she delivered a healthy Matthew. All was well.

The Psalm ends in the Message with - God, my God, I can't thank you enough.

Nancy

Psalm 86:7

Every time I'm in trouble I call on you, confident that you'll answer. (MSG)

I was driving to Lectio this morning and, as always, look at the town pond to see our transient Canadian goose pair and their goslings. Each spring, the pair show up from away and we watch watch them swim and do their goose things. However, it's not long before there is only one goose on the water at a time as the other is on the nest. Both mom and dad take turns on the eggs.

After a gestation period of 25-30 days, the goslings hatch and we see them on the pond's beach staying beside the parents where they are safe from dangers. A frantic call from any gosling will bring the parents immediately.

David (the Psalmist) knew his frantic cries would bring God immediately and he was confident that God would answer him. I give David so much credit for his confidence and because every cry for help was followed by a praise to God.

But confidence is one thing I struggle with every day. I have very, very little and because of that, I have fears. One fear is that God won't hear me when I need him, answer me or be here for me. I have to constantly be reminded from close friends that God won't leave me, that he does hear me
and he will answer me.

The goslings have complete trust in their parents and David had complete trust in his father, God. Just to have that confidence.

Nancy

Ecclesiastes 3:11

Ecclesiastes 3:11 True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time--but he's left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he is coming or going. (MSG)

My daughter, Rebecca, gave birth to her third son on Sunday, June 8, 2008 (Children's Day at our church). His name is Matthew Paul and he weighs 6 lb 8 oz and is 20 inches long.

My other two grandsons share their birthdays with other family members, but Matthew won't be sharing his birthday with anyone. Nicholas was born on his father's birthday, July 31st, and Jacob was born on his Aunt and Uncle's wedding anniversary, August 10th.

And so I'm wondering about this little man. Is he going to be a very independent person from the get go? Maybe doing things his way and in his time?

Who else does things his way and in his time? Anyone we know?

Nancy

Psalm 71:9

But don't turn me out to pasture when I'm old or put me on the shelf when I can't pull my weight. (MSG)

The NIV says that Psalm 71 is a prayer for God's help in old age when enemies threaten because they see that the king's strength is waning. And in verses 9-13, David is praying to God for his continuing help in the waning years of his life.

I've been working for an independent living retirement home for the past 7 months. I've held various positions due to vacations, illness' or just needing extra help and because of working in different areas, I've come to know some of the residents very well. Most of them are in the late 80's to mid 90's. A few are younger and one will be 108 in October.

Some came into family money and others made wise money decisions. Some have been able to travel extensively, have a summer home and in the end, have been able to choose where they want to live. They have incredible stories to tell and their knowledge of life in general is amazing to listen to.

However, there are other residents who had to work hard for every dollar, they made ends meet by being resourceful, they fought in WWII and Korea and there are a few women who were Army nurses during the war. They have incredible stories to share and even though the stories are different than those who came from money, they are no less interesting. But some of these residents have been unable to choose where to live as their children/family or guardians have decided to 'put' them at the home because they don't want to deal with them and some of these people never get to see their families. They just don't come around or call and it's sad to see them alone.

Each and every one of these residents are gifts from God. Whether they come from money and choose to live where they do or whether they depend on family members and are 'put' where they are, each one has a life lesson to be taught. The things we can learn from all of them can help us through anything we may encounter in life.

Think about how we want to be treated when we are older. Think about how we treat the older people now? Do we turn them out to pasture? Do we put them on a shelf? Or do we embrace them as valuable individuals.

I know God won't put us out, he won't leave us ever. He will never forget us and put us on a shelf or out to pasture. Never..

Nancy

Hebrews 6:18

When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock solid guarantee--God can't break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable. (The Message)

This Scripture is talking about God's promise to Abraham. God put his reputation on the line and promised to bless Abraham with everything he had. And because Abraham stuck it out, he got everything he was promised.

Natalee found a Wooly Bear Caterpillar in her yard last week and carries it everywhere. It's her new pet, since her ladybugs died. (she has those lined up in a single row on the radiator in her room) She pats him and talks to him and he is a well loved little caterpillar.

I've learned a little bit about the Wooly Bear Caterpillar and found that it turns into a Tiger Moth. In Colonial days, farmers would look at the amount of black/brown and determine how severe a winter will be. If the stripe was thick, a bad winter and if narrow, a mild winter. Another thought was - if the band of black was wide, the caterpillar lived in wet conditions and if the brown band was wide, it meant it lived in dry conditions.

Farmers in the 1600's didn't have meteorologists and had to depend on nature to forecast what the weather would be. This little Wooly Bear's stripes can't promise to accurately give us the weather and certainly we can't depend on it as a sure thing. There is no guarantee.

But we can be sure that the promises God gives us are sure things, he guarantees them and we can depend on them.

Nancy

Thinking in Images

Hannah, our artist Deacon, thinks in pictures

Bragging or Edifying

In a discussion about spiritual growth in an individual, the subject came up about how to gauge our growth, and how we are reaching out to others and being a witness to unsaved people we come into contact with. Most everyone agreed that they are afraid to share their experiences with others in the congregation for fear it might be misconstrued as bragging. When Mike Crews shared with us one Sunday morning about how the Holy Spirit inspired him to give away his hamburger, he started the story with what amounted to be an apology because he didn't want to sound like he was bragging about himself, when in actuality he was relaying how he was being obedient to the Holy Spirit and giving witness to the Holy Spirit working in his life.
Dave mentioned we should share our stories with each other in order to give each other courage.
Romans 14:19 says So then, we must always aim at those things that bring peace and that help strengthen one another. GNB
Matthew 28:18-19 says Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. NIV
We are to be a witness to others who dont know Christ in our walk with Christ and maybe it is ok to give evidence to each other that we are doing this. We hesitate to share our stories because we dont want to be seen as bragging, but we can do nothing apart from Him. John 15:5 says "I am the vine, and you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, and I in Him, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me." GNB So we know it is His work in us. Maybe we can share but in doing so giving credit to the Holy Spirit. There is credit given to the Holy Spirit and God working in him in Acts when it is speaking of Stephen. Acts 6:5.....they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. NIV Acts 6:8 Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people NIV
Witness is given to the Holy Spirit in Acts 10:44 "While Peter was still speaking these words the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message." NIV

Maybe every morning we should pray that the Holy Spirit will use us this day and look for the opportunities to reach out to others no matter where we are. It can be as simple as listening to someone's problem and saying "I'll pray for you" and maybe ask if they want to be put on the prayer list at church. I have never had anyone say no or react in a negative way. Most have said yes with enthusiasm and appreciation. Even if they don't go to church or pick up the bible, they anticipate their prayers will be heard. I suppose that is because they have a sense of God as it says in Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--His eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." NIV
Only two come to mind that said yes,without enthusiasm, put them on the prayer list, almost like it didn't matter. That is because, I think, they didn't have much hope left, but we can pray for them about that too.
I recently read a book called The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson. He suggests praying
O God and King, please expand my opportunities and my impact in such a way
that I touch more lives for Your glory. Let me do more for you!

We are kids of the Kingdom. Romans 8:14 says because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. NIV Romans 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children NIV
We can do more for the kingdom through the work of the Holy Spirit and support one another by sharing what He's done.

Sue

A View From the Porch

1 Peter 5:8 (NLT) “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaming lion, looking for some victim to devour.”

We all know that Satan will do anything, absolutely anything to draw our focus away from God, to separate us from God. Sometimes, he will use the in-your-face approach, but more often than not, he’s subtle, sly, and conniving in his tactics. And since we have a sinful nature to begin with, we must be ever so vigilant. I’m not sure why this has been on my mind lately, but I am certain that because of God’s love for me, I have his armor to put on each day. (Ephesians 6: 10-18) (NLT)
Wayne

1 Corinthians 14:1

Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it--because it does. Give yourselves to the gifts God gives you. (The Message)

God gives us many gifts and says that when we use our gifts, we must do them with love. I know in this book, God is talking about gifts like spiritual gifts and not the type of gift that came to my mind. But this a story of a gift I couldn't forget. My friend, Jane, told me the story yesterday.

The story is about her four year old grandson who lives in another state and who she doesn't get to see as often as she would like. It's a story of a telephone call that lasted 3 1/2 hours and it wasn't just an idle chatter call, the regular hi and how are you stuff. This call was all about him,
what he wanted to say and it consisted of listening to him talk about everything he was doing at that moment, listening to him play a video game and hearing (and asking her to see) every move he made, it was having a virtual supper with him and then listening to his mom read him his bedtime stories, plus that extra one story. He wanted to keep the phone in bed beside him all night and he wanted Grammie to be there when he woke up.

Paul is talking about gifts of prophecy in verse 14, he insists (NIV) on whatever is done in the church must contribute to the building up of the body and love is the means by which spiritual gifts are made effective.

Jane is a constant in her grandson's life and when she can't be with him, she gets creative. He is her love and she is finding ways to give as much of herself to him as she can. The TLB version says, 'let love be your greatest aim.'

I guess I'm see a parallel in this. Jane not only uses her gifts inside the church and does it with love, but uses them outside as well. She looks to build up people as God says to do and one of those persons is her grandson. She uses her gifts for her gift.

Nancy

Revelation 22:2

The Tree of Life was planted on each side of the River, producing twelve kinds of fruit, a ripe fruit each month. The leaves of the Tree are for healing the nations. Never again will anything be cursed. (The Message)

Yesterday, David was cutting down some small trees in the backyard, just clearing out a few dead ones so we could put our trampoline up in a new place, when one tree decided to be errant. It didn't go where David wanted and 'chose' to fall onto the back porch. I heard a loud thud and there was the tree. Fortunately, only the railing was broken and nothing else.

I also thought of Disney's Animal Kingdom. There is a tree called, 'The Tree of Life' in the park. This tree is huge: 145 ft tall, 160 ft canopy, 103,000 leaves of 4 shapes and sized at more than 1 ft long, 8,000 branches with a trunk 50 ft wide which spreads to 170 ft in diameter at the root base. The trunk is carved with 325 images of endangered and extinct species of animals
and on the inside is a theatre. It looks like a real tree from a distance.

Then there is the 'Tree of Life' in the Book of Revelations. It's not errant, it doesn't have a theatre inside or carvings on the trunk, it isn't made of a refitted oil platform or have leaves made of Kymar. It's a real tree planted by God along side the River of Life leading to the new
Jerusalem, the new heaven.

Back in Genesis, the first book, Adam and Eve sinned and were prohibited from eating from the 'Tree of Life' and in the last book it says we have a chance to eat again from the 'Tree of Life'.

And how did we get that chance? By God giving us Jesus, who took our sins when he died on the cross. We have a chance again to have everlasting life, to eat the fruit and to live with God when we die.

Our backyard tree was not one to depend on as it can rot and fall. The Disney tree probably will never rot and fall, as it's a fake tree. But the Tree of Life in heaven definitely will not rot, fall or ever stop bearing fruit at any time, it's real and that's the kind of tree I hope to see sometime.

Nancy

View from the Porch

Anger can give Satan a foothold.
Ephesians 4: 26-27

I was angry the other day. I mean, really angry. Heart pounding, red-faced angry. And I carried that anger around for most of the day, which obviously didn’t make for a pleasant day for me. Even though I put on a “smiley” face, I still let the anger consume me. Then, something happened. Must have been the Holy Spirit giving me a whack on the back of the head because it dawned on me that the only person I was making miserable was me and I had given Satan a foothold. I had suffered through a miserable day because I was foolish. Thankfully, God loves me, imperfections and all.

Wayne Moore

Psalm 51:10

Create in me a pure heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

The prophet Nathan confronted David about an affair David had with Bathsheba and in this Psalm David cries out to God for forgiveness and cleansing.

Have you ever seen a diseased heart? It could be larger than normal or different in color or pitted or spongy. Those of us who took biology likely saw both healthy and diseased hearts and saw the difference between them side by side on the table. Not a pretty picture to see.

Then I got to thinking about my own heart. Is it diseased with sin or is it strong and healthy? Do I need to ask God for forgiveness? Do I need to ask God for a pure heart? For him to give me a new one?

And I don't mean new in the sense of brand new, but new as in the renewing (to begin again) of my old heart. Take away any sin I have and give me new energy and strength. Make my heart pure.

I don't think any of us want a diseased heart and yet we probably each have one whether we realize it or not. And when I think of a diseased heart in a dish on a table next to a healthy one, I want the healthy one. And so if we think of it in that context, we need to be on our knees begging for forgiveness. Maybe what we've done or what we do isn't what David did or (in our eyes) as bad, but to God it doesn't matter. A sin is a sin is a sin is a sin. No one worse than the other in his eyes.

So ask God to create in you a new heart and renew his spirit in you today and everyday. Ask for that healthy heart.

Nancy

Psalm 43:3

Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me, let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. (NIV)

This makes me think of lighthouses at the ocean. There are more than 60 lighthouses along the Maine coast and they start in Kittery and end in Machias. Many (28) were transferred from the Coast Guard to local preservation groups and some (8) are owned privately and all but a handful have local support.

Picture a lighthouse on an ocean island or peninsula. You can see the rocky boulders on the shore and can watch the powerful surf (when the tide or a storm comes in) break over the top of the rocks with a tremendous force. But through all that, picture a light from the lighthouse shining out over the sea and listen to the horn that warns the ships of those rocks and shallow
waters. Lighthouses are essential for their safety. One light can save lives.

Then I think - light does save lives. God's light can save our lives. Like a lighthouse, God's light is there in our darkness and steers us away from the rocks and shallow waters and his words (like the horn) are there for us if we can't see the light.

God's light won't go out or be transferred like some of the lighthouses are and I'm thankful His light will continue to shine forever. It's so very important that it will.

Nancy

Psalm 35

Reassure me; let me hear you say, "I'll save you." The Message

Psalm 35 is an appeal by David to God. David had enemies who attacked him for no reason and he wants God to rescue him.

My dog, Samantha, was a Doberman/Shepard mix. Kind of a funny looking 70 lb dog with a tail that curled up over her back, a barrel chest and a boney little head. She had a loud ferocious bark which could be a little intimidating to people who didn't know her. I firmly believe no one would have ever come into my house when I wasn't home as she would run to the door barking, jump up to see who it was and then continue to carry on until they left. She was, she thought, a brave dog, protecting our house from whatever she (in her dog mind) thought wasn't right. Her house, her land, her road. She told everyone those things were hers.

However, there was a side of her that wasn't so brave. Places away from 'her house/land/road' could make her nervous, like a trip to the vet. She was a different dog and would lean on me and practically became a part of me, be it my lap or my leg. She needed a hug or a pat and for me to tell her she would be ok. I can remember her big brown eyes looking up at me for the support she needed, someone to save her. By herself, she was afraid and with me, she could get through those times better.

Isn't that something we all need? Someone who will stand by us and support us. I can be strong at times, but I have more times I'm not and I need someone to say it's ok or I'm doing the right thing or they understand my fears or reassure me they will stand with me no matter. It usually only takes that one person to give me the inner strength I need to, 'get through' a situation.

I know God wants me to put him first and I'm trying to do that, but I also believe he knows how important it is for us to have a someone who we can share our thoughts with or a someone we can lean on for support emotionally, a someone who gives the hug or the pat on the back and a someone to remind us that God understands and loves us at all times and we are never, alone, even when we feel alone.

Nancy

Psalm 36:7

How exquisite your love, O God; How eager we are to run under your wings.

(The Message)

Earlier in the Scripture it says that God's love is meteoric, his loyalty astronomic, his purpose titanic, his verdicts oceanic. Yet in his largeness, nothing gets lost. Not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks.

My online dictionary gives these definitions:

Meteoric - characterized by brilliance

Astronomic - immeasurably great

titanic - extraordinary physical size

Oceanic - immense, vast or overwhelming

The California Condor has a huge wingspan of up to 9 1/2ft. The chicks are safe under mom's large wings as she protects them from predators and from the elements. When they are afraid, they hide under her wings because they know it means safety and security.

Now picture God with a wingspan covering the entire earth. The first thing I think of is -wow!!- that's one big wing span and he has a lot of chicks to protect. Yet, God does it and doesn't lose any of us.

I'm thankful for God in my life. For the security he continues to give me during rough times, for him knowing when I need to be pulled under his wing and for the love he gives me unconditionally. When I'm afraid, I need to remember my picture of God with his wingspan and remember I'm always safe under it. It's where he wants me and it's where I want to be.

Nancy

Psalm 33:3

Psalm 33:3 Play his praise on a grand piano! Invent your own new song to him; give him a trumpet fanfare. (The Message)

Psalm 33 is a praise song. It talks about making music with harps, trumpets ten-stringed lyres and choirs. Even the last verse in Psalm 32 says to Celebrate God. Sing together-everyone!

All I can think of is my youngest grandchildren, Natalee and Jacob. They love music of all kinds, they love to dance and sing and sometimes get all silly when they listen to certain songs.

During our praise songs at church, both of them will tilt their heads side to side, wave their arms, turn around in circles, clap their hands and at the end of the song, will yell, yeaaaaa!!!! Then ask for 'more'? They absolutely love the music.

Jacob has a Veggie Tales CD of Easter songs and has two favorites, 'The Easter Cow' and 'Christ the Lord is Risen Today', (totally opposite of each other). What he likes about 'Christ the Lord is Risen Today' is the part where they sing the hallelujah word. That word is stuck to him and on Easter when he heard the congregation start to sing it, he had the biggest smile his face could hold.

He sang the words hallelujah loud, almost yelling and focused on our pastor and followed his lead. Now Jacob can't carry a tune and he doesn't know the words to any songs, but at two, he doesn't care. He sings because he likes to and does it with enthusiasm.

The children in our churchs are watching us, all of us, not just the parents or the grandparents, everyone in the congregation. They watch to see how God is praised, they see if we are excited and belt out our songs or whether we have the mundane, oh well-have to sing-get it over with, attitude.

The Book of Psalms has many places where we are told to 'make a joyful noise unto the Lord'. Our hearts should be filled with songs of praise every day because God is a solid and good and faithful and loving God.

Nancy

1 Corinthians 13:11

1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. (NIV)

I was looking at some pictures of my grandchildren earlier this week and thought how quickly they are growing up. I have one in kindergarten all ready and that is hard to believe.

When Rebecca was somewhere between the ages 7-10, she told me she was never going to leave home. She liked her life and was going to stay here forever. Well, that changed as the next phase came into play. She decided she was going to marry Prince William, raise chimps (not children) and live in England with an airstrip in her backyard so she could fly (as the pilot) wherever and whenever she wanted. She even asked me if I minded if she became a resident of England. Life was good. She had it all planned.

Then the last of her childhood aspirations happened. She wanted to become an airline pilot. She knew it wasn't going to be with the Air Force Academy, but it would be directly with British Air.

As a little girl, Bec talked and thought and reasoned like a child. Now she is an adult woman, married, has two children and another on the way. All her childish thoughts have gone by the wayside, all in the past. She has matured and life is good.

As children, we are childish in our thoughts about God as well. The song, 'Jesus Loves Me' is taught to us and some of us never grow beyond that. God wants us to learn more about him so we will walk and talk like the mature person he commands us to be.

The people of Corinth had a reputation as unruly, hard-drinking and sexually promiscuous. Paul spent a year and a half, as their pastor, teaching them the 'good news' and showing them how to live the new life of salvation and holiness as a community of believers. (The Message)

No matter what the past is for each of us, knowing God will change us and we will mature and life will be good.

Nancy

The Prayer Labyrinth

The Prayer Labyrinth

I had never heard of the prayer labyrinth, until I read in the church bulletin that we were invited to come to ubc to walk the prayer labyrinth on Maundy Thursday.
Maundy Thursday being a special day, I was very curious as to why this was a special event.

What the whole experience does is to help you relax, get centered and concentrate on God. Everything in the atmosphere said this is something Holy in order to commune and get closer to our Creator. All of it was beautiful; the incense, the candles, the music, the prayers and the labyrinth itself. I'm so glad I didn't miss it.

Part of what the handout that Hannah passed out suggests is: Prayer Walking: Walk through your home/church/community, pray in each room, for each house, on each block. Pray for what happens or just pray as you walk. Love, encourage, bear burdens, care accept, be kind, Live in harmony, forgive, be hospitable, honor, belong, be devoted to speak truthfully, teach, agree, look out, worship, lay down your lives, do not provoke, do not grumble against, do not envy...one another.
Another sentence in the handout says: Imagine you are in the catacombs of Rome in a time when Christianity is not valued. How can you live in it and follow Christ? This sentence struck me because we are able to come to a warm building with comfortable chairs and dont have to hide out in a cold catacomb. We are so blessed to be able to freely and without fear, walk into our church and worship using the Prayer Labyrinth, if we want to, making Maundy Thursday more meaningful.

I looked up some information on the prayer labyrinth for myself. A couple of things that the Wikipedia says are: the Prayer Labyrinth was adopted by the Church across Europe during the medieval times, being often used as a means to meditate, pray and connect with God in a higher spiritual way. Prayer Labyrinths were often viewed and modeled as a journey to Jerusalem and were even called Chemin de Jerusalem (Road of Jerusalem) serving as a spiritual pilgrimage for those who could not afford to travel to Jerusalem, the center of the world.
With the practice of walking the Prayer Labyrinth becoming popular again in contemporary Christianity, many Christian denominations from across the theological spectrum are again adopting the practice of walking the Prayer Labyrinth, with some churches opening their labyrinths to any pilgrim in need of contemplation and prayer, pointing out that the Prayer Labyrinth is not a maze and rather has one path on which one cannot get lost, serving a powerful symbol of individual life journeys and pilgrimage in faith.

Thank you Hannah for introducing us to the Prayer Labyrinth.

Sue

Mark 16:15

Mark 16:15 Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all. (The Message)

I've learned a couple of things this morning when I read this Scripture. First I learned that Mark 16:9-20 are only in later manuscripts and not the earlier Greek ones. I learned that when Jesus was speaking to his disciples in chapter 16:14-18, he was only speaking to 11 of them as Judas had committed suicide.

From a web site, I learned about St Patrick. I didn't know he was a missionary to Ireland and who went from being a slave to a person who preached God's Word.

His story starts at age 16 when he and a large number of his father's slaves were captured by Irish raiders and sold as slaves. He was forced to work as a shepherd in Ireland and suffered from hunger, cold, fear and loneliness. But as his fears increased, his faith increased.

Six years later, he escaped and returned to his family in Britain where he decided to devote himself to God. He entered the church and became both a deacon and a Bishop. He then went back to Ireland at age 22 (a missionary) because his greatest desire was to tell the Good News to the Irish.

Anyway, all this got me thinking. How many people suffer today? How many of them will continue to keep their faith during those times? How many of them will turn to God because of others witnessing to them?

Maybe the person whose hunger was taken care of by Mike at the bus station or the person who needed money and got some from Brian outside the store, are suffering like Patrick in the respect of being hungry, cold, lonely and fearful. Through Mike and Brian, God laid his hand on those men and I pray the men will see that somehow.

Mike and Brian were in the world and spread God's Word like Mark 16:15 says.

Nancy

Some Further Reflections

Nancy sent me this email following her devotion yesterday. I thought it was really important and asked for her permission to share it with you all. She agreed. So, if you haven't read her devotion of March 12, 2008 "John 15:12-13" scroll down to read that first.



David,

I've been thinking a lot about what I wrote for my devotion this morning and I think I've come to an understanding of what God wants me to do with this situation.

I know I can't separate my emotions from others and consequently I need to realize just how much I can help these people and to realize that my idea of 'reaching out' and God's probably are 100% not the same.

But I think he knows my limitations and will put others into their lives (as well as me) to help. I think I need to challenge myself in reaching out, but do it in stages. Not jumping in and ending up like where I am now, a confused mess.

I think I need to start with prayer for the both of them and go from there. I also pray starting with prayer will fulfill God's command for me to reach out and my desire to reach out. I know God understands my heart and will still love me and not leave me and I pray too that this relieves the pressure I've been struggling with for the past week and I can get above the line of where I am.

Like I said to Donna, I'm glad I'm not a counselor, I'd be no good at it. And I'm glad I'm not God as I'm no good at that either.

Nancy

John 15:12-13

John 15: 12-13 This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. (The Message)

Jesus was teaching this message to his disciples on his last night. Chapter 15 goes from a believers relationship with Jesus to the relationship with other believers and then to the relationship with nonbelievers in the world.

I thought about those three relationships and I think I do ok with the first two, but that third one is not an easy one. How many people do we meet every day who are hurting or needing someone to listen to them or just be there for them in some way? How many times do we stop to make a difference in their lives? Are we too busy to reach out?

Two women I know are examples for me. Both work at the same place and they don't like each other. One is a Christian and one claims there is no God. Both are seriously hurting for different reasons and both have different ways of coping with those hurts. I know in God's eyes they both count and so the saying, "What would Jesus do", comes to my mind when I'm around them. How should I act? What should I say? Do I mind my own business?

It shouldn't be a tough call. But, it is for me. I am commanded by God to love both of them and to reach out in that love to both of them. My struggle right now isn't that I am incapable of reaching out, but how the reaching out to them will affect me (because of my depression) emotionally and I'm afraid of getting in over my head. Then I think, do I trust God? I think I do, but those fears I've talked about before are in the forefront. Should they be? No, but they are.

I am praying that God will show me the way to reach out to them and yet allow me to stay strong emotionally. Maybe the way I'm thinking of reaching out isn't the way God wants me to. God has given me some close friends who love me, who have wisdom and who pray for me and who I know will help me discern this situation I'm in.

Nancy

Matthew 17:8

Matthew 17:6-8 When the disciples heard it (God's voice), they fell flat on their faces, scared to death. But Jesus came over and touched them. "Don't be afraid." When they opened their eyes and looked around all the saw was Jesus, only Jesus. (The Message)

In this story, Jesus led Peter and brothers, John and James up on a high mountain. Jesus wanted to show them who he was and was transfigured. Sunlight poured from his face, his clothes were filled with light. Jesus was changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. Then when God spoke, they fell to the ground, terrified.

At the condo where we were staying on vacation, there were stairs going up to the two bedrooms. Jacob doesn't have any experience with stairs, for the most part, so Bec had to show him how to go down by sliding on his belly, feet first. He could slide down those stairs at an amazing clip - what I swear had to be record speeds.

At two years old, you don't always think and one particular day, he decided he could go down big boy style. He even chose not to hang on to the railing to walk down. Bec quickly noticed him doing this and told him to get onto his belly. As he was turning around getting to his knees, thinking all was funny, he promptly lost his balance and did a log roll down the last 10 stairs and went right into the wall.

Bec, who immediately thought he had smacked his head on the ceramic tiles at the bottom, raced down the stairs and picked him up. He was crying hard, but thankfully he was more scared than hurt. She started saying,"Jake, Mama's here, shhhhh, it's ok." He calmed down and was back to being Jacob again after a few minutes.

The NIV foot note says 'this was a beneficial experience for the disciples who were discouraged after having been reminded so recently of Jesus' impending suffering and death. (I hope this was a beneficial experience for Jacob as well)

I think about how John, James and Peter must have felt when they saw Jesus' face and when he touched them and said, "Don't be afraid". Sort of how Jacob must have felt when he saw his mama's face.

When we fall as a child, we need our mama's words and loving face for comfort and as children of God, we not only need, but have Jesus' words and loving face for comfort.

Nancy

Joshua 1:9

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (NIV)

On the 28th of February, all I heard was Nicholas saying, 'Come on Grammie, it will be fun.' Well, Grammie didn't think riding an aerial tramway up over 6,000 feet of jagged, jagged rocks and 5 towers while the tram was going in circles would be fun. But it was - in the end, after the fact - fun.

Everyone wanted to ride the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway up Mt. San Jacinto (where there was 2 ft of snow and ice and leaving the 85 degree temps at the base) and I kept thinking, 'no way' as all the what ifs came to mind. Nicholas and Jacob were ecstatic and slightly wound up when it came time to enter the tram. Me, I wasn't so much. I have to admit I was scared.

I'm scared of a lot of things. Silly and stupid things for the most part and if I'm not careful I can let those fears keep me from experiencing things.

And here's Joshua getting orders from God to cross the River Jordan and get all the land he sets foot in - from the desert to Lebanon, from the Euphrates river, all the Hittite county to the Great Sea. I'm sure he was scared and thought about all the what ifs. But God said the same thing to him as he did to Moses - 'In the same way I was with Moses, I'll be with you, I won't give up on you; I won't leave you.' (vs 6)

God promised Joshua he wouldn't be alone as he traveled and God has promised me I won't be alone as I travel. Whether it be something as simple as riding an aerial tram up the side of a mountain or any of the ups and downs of life. He keeps telling me (as he did Joshua) to be strong and courageous, not to be afraid, not to be discouraged because he will be with me at every step.

Nancy

Deuteronomy 5:22

Deuteronomy 5:22 These are the words that God spoke to the whole congregation at the mountain. He spoke in a tremendous voice from the fire and cloud and dark mist. And that was it. No more words. Then he wrote them on two slabs of stone and gave them to me. (The Message)

God first spoke the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 and in Deuteronomy 5, Moses restated them to Israel and God wrote them down for a second time. The first ones were destroyed when Moses threw them down in Exodus 32:19 smashing them to pieces.

Writing things down that need to be remembered now and for future times.

Nick and I are going to journal our trip to Indio, California. I bought each of us a blank book, adding little sticky letters saying, 'Nick's Journal' on one and 'Grammie's Journal' on the other. I've tried to explain to him how he can do his. I suggested he could put some pictures in it of what he did or where he'd been and I could write a little blurb about it and we would do this each night before bed. Then when he gets home, he will remember all the fun things he did on vacation.

Well, Nick has other ideas. He wants to draw pictures of where he has been and not use a lot of words. If we see an animal, he wants to draw that animal right next to him. He wants to glue things in it and color his drawings. I told him it was a good idea and he can do that, maybe just use a few words so the grownups will understand it.

As time goes by and Nick looks at his journal, he will have a permanent reminder of his vacation.

For me, the Ten Commandments are a permanent reminder of how I should live in order to have a meaningful relationship with God. They are written down so I don't forget.

Nancy

A Letter to the Concordians

This letter is from Hannah Joy, a best loved child of God chosen to receive his grace and share with you the Good News. To the community of believers in Concord who associate themselves not only with United Baptist Church and each other, but also with Jesus Christ, our savior and Son of God; to all of you my dear friends, Greetings.
I have not been able to be with you these past few years, but I have not forgotten you and I have tried to keep up with the news of the church and individuals. My heart has enjoyed how you have continued to work out your faith and the will of God through happy times, and it aches for you when I hear of your trials. Though I am far away I can see his love and wisdom in your lives at every moment. Your community has always given me the courage to chase after God and the desires of my heart. As He promised, He has never left our sides.
As He has been working in you, He has been working in me. He is leading places I never dreamed, but I understand His love and mercy more and more everyday. His enduring faithfulness encourages me to pursue His love and develop my gifts to honor him.
I feel I am wandering in the desert, away from my family, away from my community, and away from fellowship in order to follow God and his plan for my life. Along the way He provides me with the people, experiences and wisdom to uphold me in faith so I may preserver in the lessons He has for me. This time he used a very unlikely novel to illustrate His love for me. Seeing God in unlikely places is not by its self unlikely, I remember spending some time looking at the post modern blockbuster, The Matrix, in search of “Christian meaning” and finding a picture of what a savior looks like in the naïve character of Neo. In a novel by the unlikely author, Kurt Vonnegut, God showed me a picture of what salvation means for my life.
The novel Time Quake tells a story about what happens when the last ten years repeat causing all the inhabitants of earth to consequently repeat their own lives, exactly as they had done before, making all the same mistakes and successes. This type of repetition puts free will, here simply referring to the human capacity to choose, on hold for the duration of the time quake. This means that no one had to make a choice they had not already made in the past ten years, which also means they were mostly likely unaware of this repetition and therefore equally unaware of the time quake ending and free will kicking in again. Imagine the chaos when the bus driver woke up and realized he had to choose which way to steer the bus, and that he probably realized too late and thus crashed into the nearest telephone pole or office building. There is hope, though, as one character is able to recognize the situation and helps people by reminding them of their free will by saying, “you were sick and now you are well; and there is work to do.”
When I read this, I also heard John the Baptist yelling “Prepare the way of the Lord,” and Paul when he says “we are no longer slaves to sin,” and Jesus when he healed the lame man at the pool saying, “Get up and carry your bed home!” These people and the character in the book were all saying the same thing; “There is hope and you have a choice about it!” It occurred to me that we are all given the ability to make our own choices by God, but it is not until we understand our freedom that our free will can be exercised. The time quake is like sin, because every one in the time quake was a slave to what they had done before in the same way we are slaves to our sin. When we are stuck in sin we are doomed to make the same mistakes we always have, and it is not until someone comes along and reminds us that we have free will, that we can exercise it and avoid driving out bus in to the nearest brick wall. There are many people who remind us of our freedom, but it is Jesus who made it possible.
We are sinful people and there is no way we can avoid the death sin leads to on our own. So God, in his love for us made it possible for us to be with him anyway, by sending his only son to die in our place, and then rise up again to be with his father in heaven, so that one day we might follow Him. This is the truth that sets us apart from the world and gives us the freedom to make choices. Once we know and believe these things we cannot loose our salvation or our free will. But like the time quake when the people forgot about free will, we sometimes forget about our salvation and the weapons it provides against spiritual attack. Since Satan cannot take us away from God, he takes advantage of our forgetfulness.
When we forget what Jesus did for us, we let in fear and doubt. Sometimes we feel like we have no power to protect our families when they are hurting or sick, or maybe we just feel bad for no identifiable reason. And then even if we try to be faithful in prayer and worship we feel like God just doesn’t hear us or, worse, will not hear us because of our sinful state. We wonder if we are doing the wrong thing or if God has left us. We know we should seek God’s face but we have forgotten where to look. Homes are burned or flooded. Things are stolen. Jobs are lost. We have a bad day…for a week or a month. And people leave us.
All of these things paralyze us to how the Holy Spirit is moving in our own lives and the lives of the people around us. We have all seen how many innocent, obvious, secretive, and seductive lies Satan has used to distract us from the freedom we once enjoyed to exercise our free will in the presence of Christ. When we do forget, we need someone else, sometimes the Holy Spirit, to remind us we have salvation and are still being held firmly in the grip of our Heavenly Father.
My dear friends, we, the community of the United Baptist Church in Concord have been under this very kind of attack. Possibly since the deacons sponsored the year of GOD FIRST our community has been attacked at our very heart. Our community has worked hard to make relationships with each other our priority. We have tried to be like Christ in caring for one another and gathering together in His name. We have taught, corrected, and encouraged one another as we were commanded. We invested our lives in one another and poured out everything there was to give. So, I see now the most direct and damaging attack has been the loss of so many members of our community over these past few years.
It started with the passing of Jim Kent, then the Bardwells leaving, and the Crews’ leaving, Lorinda and Alyssa, and recently the passing of Marilyn Graff and Mother just to name a few. All of these people filled specific ministries as well as having strong personal relationships with many members of our community. Their absence has left our body a confused pile of Swiss cheese. I know having our young people away at colleges and other adventures affects our community similarly, because I am so warmly welcomed back when I am able to be home with you. I am sure many of you can identify more friendships you miss, and other trials you and your families have dealt with these last few years. But as for us as a whole body, if “UBC is relationships,” how damaged are we to have lost so many relationships? You were sick from the schemes of the devil, but God has made you well.
God has not forgotten his people in Concord. He is with you always. His faithful love endures forever. “In his kindness God called you to his eternal glory, by means of Jesus Christ. After you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support and strengthen you and he will place you on a firm foundation” (1Peter 5:10). Though Satan would tear us apart, God is calling his people back together. I am deeply grieved by the loss of so many relationships, but I think God has used this time to ‘clean house’ to make room for something wonderful. God has made you well, and there is work to do for His glory.
I have also heard that through these times we have continued to discuss what our church should look like to best feed our community and the people of this generation. We are still fighting against what the Church has always been for our parent’s generation and struggling toward the hope of what our church for this generation needs to be. We have been fragmented, but we are beginning to heal and maybe now is time to regroup and become the church God is dreaming of us to be. You have encouraged me so many times to chase after God’s will for my life let me encourage you to do the same. Let God’s will for our church be the desire of our heart, and let us have the courage and the resources to chase after His blessings for our community. You were sick and now you are well, and there is work to do.
The more I talk with my generation about their faith and what aspects of fellowship and community are important to them the more they talk about relationships. They like what Jesus said but hate the religion that repeats it. We see the relationships Jesus had with people and how he taught simply through them. Very few people have a problem with what Jesus was teaching; we only have a problem with what Jesus was; the son of god or son of man? We seem to have a problem with the ritualized parts of most Religion, but we like the relational faith that Jesus exemplified. One of the reasons I like the community at UBC so much is that we have never been far off from practicing relational faith with a motto of “UBC is relationships…and then some.”
I do not know exactly what comes next. I encourage you to look around and listen for the voice of God; wait for the Lord together in prayer and fellowship. “You were sick, and now you are well, and there is work to do.” Never forget that you are a part of God’s family; his best loved children; called to be a part of this body of believers. Nor forget that God has given our body every part it needs to glorify him. So, look around and let the feet be feet and the ears be ears and the mouth, the mouth. Continue to work out you faith in fear and trembling, so you may honor God will all your hearts, minds, spirits, and bodies. I will continue to pray for you and look forward to seeing you all again. Thank you for letting me share with you what God has put on my heart. Amen.

Hannah Joy Hopkins

A Glimpse of Polycarp

Two or three weeks ago, at a Sunday morning book discussion, Dave mentioned that he admires Polycarp. I wondered why. Because I find church history interesting, curiosity got the best of me and I did some reading about Polycarp on Wikipedia and a website called Polycarp.

This is A Glimpse of Polycarp....

St. Polycarp of Smyrna (69 AD-156 AD) was a Christian bishop of Smyrna, in present day Turkey. He was appointed Bishop of the church in Smyrna "where he faithfully ministered for years." It is recorded that "He had been a disciple of John". It is probable that he knew John the Apostle, the disciple of Jesus. Along with Polycarp, Clement of Rome and Ignatius of Antioch reportedly knew the apostles personally.
Polycarps letter to the Phillippians and the letter of the Smyrnaens recounting the martyrdom of Polycarp form part of a collection of writings called "The Apostolic Fathers", a term used to emphasized their particular closeness to the apostles. Another important source of information about Polycarp comes from the epistles of Ignatius, which include one to Polycarp. The most interesting thing to me is the story of his martyrdom.
The website entitled Polycarp states: "Polycarps' greatest contribution to Christianity may be his martyred death. His martyrdom stands as one of the most well documented events of antiquity."
Emperor worship was instituted by the Romans. The emperor of Rome waged a bitter attack against the Christians. The website states: "Polycarp was arrested on the charge of being a Christian--a member of a politically dangerous cult whose rapid growth needed to be stopped."
In 156 AD Polycarp was arrested and told that if he would proclaim "Caesar is Lord" and offer a pinch of incense to the emperors statue, he would escape death. He responded "Eighty Six years I have served Christ and he never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?"
For not compromising his beliefs, he was sentenced to be burned alive at the stake. Believing God would help him endure, he requested he be tied instead of nailed to the stake. Believers that were present said they heard a voice from heaven saying "Be strong Polycarp and play the man". After his last prayer, the fire was lit, but the flames hovered around him as if "a wall of wind" protected him. Finally, the executioner was told to drive a sword through Polycarp. Witnesses said "His blood gushed forth and distinguished the fire" but the sword caused his death.
You can watch a quick video about Polycarp on www.polycarp.net .

Sue

Psalm 18:36

Psalm 18:36 You cleared the ground under me so my footing was firm. (The Message)

We've had a lot of snow this year and as beautiful and awesome as snow can be, it can also be icy and slippery. The ice, all that ice, makes sure footing passé. And it's not just driving on the icy roads or shoveling frozen driveways or rooftops, it's walking in the woods as well. What about maneuvering through those large snow banks? I saw a woman with a chain saw the other day trying to get through a drift near her house.

What happens when we try to maneuver the snow banks of our lives or the ice under our feet? How many times do we have to fall?

I often fight to keep an upright stand and the more I fight, the more I fall. God says he will clear the ground under me so my footing is firm.
During my tough times, he has reached out and helped me. He has held my hand. He continually provides a way to help me stand. So why in the world do I fight?

Nancy

Proverbs 18:21

Proverbs 18:21 Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit--you choose. (The Message)

Over my life, I've learned that words can heal or hurt and it's not only 'what', but 'how' we say the words as well.

I've noticed people often say, 'I can't control what I say, it just comes out.' But then I think, who controls what they say? What about the gossip thing, who controls those tongues? When you hear people criticizing or making unloving comments about others, whose in control of their tongues?

Words and tone say volumes to me. Not only angry words, but encouraging words. Words/tone can break you or make you.

Over the weekend, I went snowmobiling in Nottingcook Forest here in town and with the warmer temps and the snow melting, the brooks are flowing and breaking the trails up which make crossing them way too challenging for me.
I struggle with them as I do not like crossing open brooks. Encouraging words from a friend helped me do most of them. Also, out there this gigantic, winding, steep hill that I have a problem with coming down on my machine. Because everyone goes faster than I do, I usually bring up the rear and so everyone had gone down the hill and there I sat, at the top of the hill struggling with my fear of it. Not able to maneuver it.

One friend got off their machine and walked back and half way up the hill and said encouraging words to give me the strength and confidence to go down and because of those words and tone, I actually did it, I made it to the bottom. Had they used angry words or making fun of me words with a laughing tone, I would still be sitting at the top right now. But there was none of
that, just sincere words of encouragement.

I believe people can control their tongues/their words. It's hard and we always have to think before we speak, but we do have a choice as to what comes out of our mouths. Anger, gossip, criticism, encouragement, praise or general chatter-we have control.

In the snowmobiling scenario, angry or laughing words would have been the words that kill and were poison, but the words of encouragement were words that gave life and were fruit,

Nancy

Revelation 2:7

Revelation 2:7 "Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches. Christ-conquerors are safe from Devil-death." (The Message)

Are your ears awake? When Jacob and Natalee are overly active and loud and need to stop and calm down, I like to play the game of game of Shhhh, let's see what we can hear. If the TV or radio is on,they're turned off, then we put our fingers to our lips and say 'shhhhh' out loud. I ask the kids, what do we hear?' Sometimes we can hear the refrigerator motor running or a car going by or a clock chiming. Sometimes nothing at all-its dead quiet. For them, the dead quiet turns to little giggles and funny faces, but in the process of the game, they are learning to use their ears to really listen to things they might not normally pay attention to.

I like the way Peterson uses the words 'listen to the Wind Words' to describe the Spirit blowing through the churches. Here at my house, the wind is whipping around outside and inside I can feel a draft. If I picture the wind and draft as the Spirit, it's easier for me to visualize what John is saying in verse 7 about the Spirit blowing through the churches.

Maybe we should play the Shhhhh game every day. Turning off any distractions and using our ears for quiet listening, will give us the opportunity to hear God's Word louder and clearer than usual.

Nancy

A Manual for Living

Proverbs 1:1-2 (A Manual for Living) These are the wise sayings of Solomon. David's son, Israel's king--Written down so we'll know how to live well and right, to understand what life means and where it is going; (The Message)

Someone gave me a cookbook today called, 'Be Healthier, Feel Stronger- A Vegetarian Cookbook'. On page 15 it lists 6 different kinds of vegetarians -
1. Almost-vegetarians eat dairy foods, eggs, poultry & fish, but avoid red meat.
2. Pesco-vegetarians eat dairy foods, eggs & fish, but not other animal flesh.
3. Lacto-ovo-vegetarians eat dairy foods & eggs, but exclude animal flesh.
4. Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy foods, but no eggs or animal flesh.
5. Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs, but no dairy foods or animal flesh.
6. Vegans eat no animal foods of any type.

Web MD sent an email last week - Find a diet that Works for you! 12 diets demystified (3-Day - Atkins - Blood Type - Cabbage Soup - Detox - Glycemic Index - Grapefruit - Mediterranean - South Beach - Spectrum - Weight Watchers and Zone), then it goes on as to what we can do about making changes and lists 10 diets rules meant to be broken.

How overwhelming!! Which diet to choose, which book to read, do this or do that. I could go absolutely insane trying to figure out the 'right' way to eat or live healthier just with the media material alone.

I call my Bible my guide for daily living, but maybe I should call it my "Be Healthier, Feel Stronger-My Guide for Daily Living Cookbook' because it's so chock full of the recipes (wisdom) that I crave. Ones I can eat whenever I need to be sustained and ones that will keep me on the right road to understanding what life means and where it is going.

Nancy

Matt 27:62-28:1

I've read the story about the tomb and resurrection many times, but recently I heard the words 'the stone was rolled away for the disciples to see, not for Christ to get out.

Jesus kept telling people that after three days he would be raised. The Pharisees told Pilate that the tomb should be sealed until that third day because the disciples might come and steal Jesus so to prove that he had risen. Something they didn't want.

So the tomb was sealed and a guard was posted. On that third day, the two Mary's were at the tomb when an earthquake shook the ground and an angel from heaven came and rolled back the stone. It was empty. He told them that Jesus wasn't inside, that he had risen like he said and for them to run and tell the disciples.

When I was in Israel, I went to the Garden and saw the tomb. It was a small cave with a short stone bench on the inside and putting a rock over the door way would definitely keep a person from getting out. The only way to see if someone was still inside would be to roll the stone away.

I never thought about Jesus rising from inside the tomb and never really thought about why the stone was rolled away. I knew it happened, but never did it ever strike me that Christ actually rose up from within that sealed cave until now.

Nancy

James 1:1-4

James 1:1-4 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help and won't be condescended to when you ask for it.

The introduction to James in The Message says, 'When Christian believers gather in churches, everything that can go wrong sooner or later does.

Sounds familiar in 2007 at UBC. Yesterday I picked up the Annual Report to read because I wanted to see in print how the year was. A lot of changes took place with testing and challenges and a budget crisis.

Our Associate Pastor, Donna, (thankfully) is remaining on staff as Pastor of Visitation and Counseling and our Youth Pastor, Mark, resigned his position to pursue other ventures. (thanks Mark for your gifts with the youth) Downsizing has been tough and these changes have been more difficult for some than others.

For me, 'considering testing and challenges as a gift' is very hard to handle. It definitely would be easier not to have difficult challenges because it forces my faith into the open and shows my true colors (vs 3). And showing my true colors is embarrassing because it shows sides of me that I don't like, never mind my friends seeing it. Often I don't have control over my colors, but the friends God put into my life help me to understand them and accept me where I am and they encourage me to 'hang in there' and stand me up when I can't.

God wants me to stick with him and not give up. He wants me to become a 'mature' believer and believe him, not just believe in him. It's a challenge to 'not try to get out of anything prematurely'. My friends remind me of the words God said in Joshua 1:5 - 'I'll be with you, I won't give up on you; I won't leave you.' I know God won't leave me or give up on me and my true friends won't either. I trust him and I trust them.

Maybe someday I will be able see how challenges and tests are gifts and I will be able to see how my faith grew because of them.

Nancy

Galatians 5:1

Galatians 5:1 Christ has set us free to live a free life. (The Message)

Donna has a young active dog named Kesia who loves to run. At home she is confined to a fenced in yard to play in, but when Donna takes her to the river, she is free to run and play with all her dog friends with no leash, no fences, no nothing... Picture her ears flapping, the excitement on her face, the big smile - ahhhhh, that's freedom!! Can you see it?

An article I read says, 'many fear freedom, anxious that people will take the removal of restrains as a license to sin. That was a real concern as long as man was like an animal. Christ changed the believer's 'animal' nature and gave us His own Spirit. We're free from the Law, not because God no longer cares about righteousness, but because we have been changed into righteous persons.'

Even though Kesia has freedom running at the river, she still has some restrictions. She must come when she's called and be obedient to her master.

2 Corinthians 17-18 in the Message says, 'And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We're free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful
as God enters our lives and we become like him.'

We have the freedom to run like Kesia, all the time, not just when we 'go to the river' and like her, we must come when we are called and be obedient to our Master. One big difference: not only can we choose to come to our Master (God), we will want to come and Keisa, may not want to come, but really has no choice because she has the law (Donna).

Nancy

Luke 6:27-28

Luke 6:27-28 To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. (The Message)

The Bible is filled with many reasons to pray and when I saw this today, I thought, 'ok, this is a reason why I need to pray, big time and all the time'.

It's telling me to love a person who can't stand me and who says hurtful things about me. Am I letting that person bring out the best in me? No. Should I be? Yes.

So how can that happen, how can I love someone like that? How can that type of treatment bring out the best in me and make me stronger and more forgiving? It's something I don't know, but God does.

I am going to have to make a deliberate choice to focus my thoughts on that Scripture as it's too easy to dismiss it and too easy to say, 'how can that happen' or 'no way can that happen' or even worse, 'no way, I'm going to let that happen'. Because of those phrases, I know this Scripture needs to play a much bigger role in my life.

I'm always asking God for help to see what I don't see. Today, it's clear that Luke 6:27-28 is what I'm not seeing either advertently or inadvertently. The first thing I need to do is ask God to help me with the right words. Words that aren't empty words just made up of letters, but words that come from my heart.

I'm not there now and I don't know if I ever will be there. I need to pray for strength and courage because I have none and loving this enemy will be a never ending uphill battle for me, but if I believe the Scripture (which I do), I have to keep trying.

Nancy

Psalm 5:3

Psalm 5:3 Every morning you'll hear me at it again. Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch for fire to descend. (The Message)

This made me think about going to Lectio on Tuesdays starting at 6:45 in the morning. On some mornings the sky is pitch black, but this past Tuesday, pink and grey stripes were dispersed through out the sky. Several of the women were noticing how beautiful the colors were and how it made them feel.

In Lectio, we take a Scripture and over the period of an hour, read it out loud four separate times with shared responses and personal thoughts dispersed through out (only if you are comfortable) and it ends in prayer for one another.

Driving to Lectio is a time for me to see the quiet darkness of morning or the sun starting to rise or the snow falling and covering the road or the colored clouds taking their place in the sky.

It's a time when I can, as the Scripture says, 'lay out the pieces of my life on God's altar.' During that time in the car, I can talk to God like he is sitting beside me listening intently to what I have to say. And when I get to Lectio, I am ready. Sometimes with emotional and somber feelings of inner angst, but even with that, I need to be with that group of strong women who share a love for God and who want to learn His Word so to apply it daily to their lives. It's a time for us to come together, a time to praise God for what he has done, is doing and will do.

Nancy

Hebrews 11:1-31

Hebrews 11:1-31 is a story entitled, 'Faith in What We Don't See'. Hebrews 1-2 (The Message) says that the fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.'

These are some people listed who lived by an act of faith -

Abel - brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain, it was what he believed, not what he brought that made the difference. Enoch - skipped death completely, 'they looked all over for him and couldn't find him because God had taken him.' Noah - built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn't see and acted on what he was told. Abraham - said yes to God's call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. And at the time of testing, offered Isaac back to God. Sarah - was able to become pregnant because she believed the One who made a promise would do what he said. Isaac - reached into the future as he blessed Jacob and Esau. Jacob - on his deathbed blessed each of Joseph's sons in turn, blessing them with God's blessing, not his own. Joseph - while dying, prophesied the exodus of Israel. Moses - parents hid him away for three months after his birth. Moses - when grown, refused the privileges of the Egyptian royal house. Israel - walked through the Red Sea on dry ground. The Egyptians drowned. Israelites - marched around the walls of Jericho for seven days and the walls fell flat. Rahab - a Jericho harlot, welcomed the spies and escaped the destruction that came on those who refused to trust God.

These people really had little knowledge of God and yet they had faith. They didn't know Jesus and yet they had faith. They trusted God with their lives, they knew he was in charge and had a plan for them.

I have all the facts on both God and Jesus right in front of me as I can read it in my Bible and I can hear it in my church. The people of the Old Testament didn't have the avenues I have and I'm thinking - was it easier for them to have trust and faith because of that? Knowing facts doesn't mean we believe and doesn't mean we have faith and trust. And just knowing the facts isn't pleasing to God, but living them is.

My pastor said, 'It's a matter of walking day by day through the desert God has me in and knowing that He has a purpose for it and He will never leave me.' Stuff I need to be reminded of daily.

Nancy