QUARANTINED

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful

unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee:

yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I

make my refuge, UNTIL these

calamities be over past.

Psalm 57:1

We're hearing the word “quarantined” a lot lately, and with a gush of thought has come a memory I think little of unless reminded in a way like today's circumstances. I was in the first grade when one morning I woke up with itchy little bumps all over my body. It was frightening for a little kid because I hadn't seen them the night before. I didn't even have a name for it, but my Mother sure did the minute she saw me...”Chicken Pox....oh no.” She got on the phone to the doctor who confirmed what it was with Mother's description of my looks.

I was told I couldn't go to school. That didn't sound too bad although with time, life was a little boring. The worst part of the whole thing was that first day when a man showed up from City Hall. I was sitting on the swing of our porch. He asked me to go into the yard, but not out of it. I don't think he wanted to be around me. Mother had said that Chicken Pox was something others could get from being around me. The man didn't even knock on our front door. He took some nails out of is pocket and put them between his two front teeth...that was odd. Then from his belt came a hammer. He already had a yellow sign in his hand probably a little longer and wider than a legal size sheet of paper. He nailed that sign onto the front wall of our house to the upper side of our front door. The sign was of heavy cardboard. I just remember the one big black word on it “QUARANTINED.”

It was explained to me that the sign warned people to stay away from our house and especially me because what I had was “catching.” I could be in the yard, but if anyone walked up I had to get to the porch. It had to be that way until I was “all better”. Only then would the man come back and take the sign down leaving four holes in the wall.

Being quarantined in our day doesn't require a sign by the door, but it's just as inconvenient, especially for adults who aren't used to staying put for any length of time. We Christians need to realize that God knows what's going on and I believe He wants us to take advantage of these different days. Every minute of our lives with God is important to Him and thus should be important to us.

We are a busy people. We come and go often on a whim. Jobs may keep folks busy as do responsibilities when workers get home. There are always things to be done, people to see and places to go. But now, things have come to a stand still. Routine is different, children are home from school, need things from the grocery store and enjoyable activities cease...even church.

In all this disruption in our lives, what are some things that might please God during this time of isolation The word “isolation” is almost offensive. It means that for some reason, we have to be put to one side, away from friends, co-workers and even family as much as can be. As Christians, however, our viewpoint must be different from all others. Where the world is in a panic, you and I can know a peace that only our Lord can give and maintain in our lives.

Despite the inconveniences of these days, I know that God won't waste a crumb of this experience. I've also learned that if I don't learn the things He desires right now, He'll put me through a retest down the road. It can be far worse than the first testing time.

Along with tiring of any virus news on TV and refusing to watch most of it, we can find ourselves a little bored with all the spiritual advice we get from various sources that all sound the same. We mustn't let those encouraging words roll off of us despite their repetition. I can't hear enough that in these days of isolation, God is very present in my “now-ness” and in very personal ways. This is not “spiritual coat tail” time. I can't ride on someone else's spiritual experience. I want to sense and know the presence of Jesus in my life like never before, One on one. We mustn't waste precious moments in this new process we find ourselves in. Remember, God always has a plan.

Dear Father, there's so much information coming and going our way these days. Keep drawing us to Your Word, the only real accurate information we have to keep us strong and close to You. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for Your constant presence and teaching. In Jesus precious name...Amen

BE OF GOOD COURAGE

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear,

but of power, and of love,

and of a sound mind

II Timothy 1:7

It was November, 1968 and I had done everything I could do toward my coming wedding set for February of 1969. Looking back, I'm so glad I had done all of that. My final task was to go to the doctor for a blood test that was required in our state to get a marriage license. All I had wrong was a slight cold which didn't count for much toward getting that permit slip. The kind doctor suggested I get an inoculation for the Hong Kong flu that had been going around. I know he meant well, but later I learned that folks were warned against getting that inoculation if you had a cold of any kind.

The next day, I went to work, not feeling well and got so sick someone had to get me home where I was living with dear friends prior to the wedding. By that evening, I was so sick I wouldn't have cared if I had died. I never had been nor since been so sick with the high fever, chills, a swollen esophagus that felt like I had a large lump I couldn't swallow or cough up. Called the doctor and couldn't go to the hospital...it was full. I was given much the same instructions one hears today under the same circumstances. I was in bed for about a week and then did further recuperating for another week or ten days.

Here's what was odd as I look back. I knew our hospital was full, but knew nothing of this deadly flu being anywhere else to speak of. If there was any broadcasts about the flu, I didn't see them. It would have heaped defeat on top of despair. I later learned that there were 1 million infected persons world wide who died of the Hong Kong flu. I didn't even know the scope of things in the United States. I learned later that 34,000 in America died of that flu. I was so grateful to be a survivor for more reasons than I could name.

Here's the kicker....I didn't spend hours by a radio or TV listening to statistics about the flu. I didn't need to hear anything about it all. People are not equipt in our day to listen to this kind of information day in and day out. In my day, schools weren't closed down nor were churches or ballgames. Life went on. Folks who were ill stayed home and took care of themselves. Staying out of crowds may help in some instances, but shutting off life does nothing but bring people to despair. We can all stay in houses with shuttered windows, but even a family member may have been exposed outside the home. There are just some things over which we have NO control.

Right now, people who are Christians are about as fearful as those without Christ. With all I've seen or heard on the news, I've heard very little said even mentioning God in anyway. I finally heard it this morning on the news from the owner of a pro ball team. He mentioned how God is in charge of everything and knows what is going on. I wondered where that kind of thing has been in these days of panic. God has provided for our strength and peace in the hardest of times. Fear isn't an option with God as our opening verse tells us.

As Christians, we do very little to prepare ourselves for hard times. If we haven't gone through them, not in one right now, there is one lurking around a corner. Ours is a feel-good society. We do all to keep ourselves happy and healthy and want that for everyone around us. However, such theories just aren't reasonable. Reality tells us life can be tough. God never intended for all of this to happen. He created a perfect earth with two perfect people. There was no sickness, negativity of any sort. Sin changed all of that and that is what we continue to deal with to this day. Weather can be a mess, roses have thorns and people suffer from any number of diseases, just to name a few of the things we deal with because of sin infesting two people and the earth itself.

Moses gave some final words to Joshua as Joshua was about to take over leadership of the Israelites. I can't imagine how he felt, but Moses knew of Joshua's concerns. He knew Joshua was afraid. Moses spoke in the book of Joshua, encouraging him with words we would do well to take seriously in these days of anxiety and concern. I hope some of them will encourage your heart. They give us a good prescription for survival in any days of difficulty we are forced to face.

This book of the law shall not depart out of

thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day

and night that thou mayest observe to do according

to all that is written therein: for then thou

shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou

shalt have good success.

Have not I commanded thee?

Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid,

neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy

God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Joshua 1:8,9

Here we have some worthy suggestions for us in these days. Be in the Word, meditate on it forcing us to think the right things instead of dwelling on news reports. Be an encourager a positive support with friends and families. We are commanded to be strong and courageous....no choice... and God equips us for that with His constant presence in our lives.

Dear Father, we need You desperately in these days. We know You love us and want what is best in our lives. Help us to keep our focus on You, Your power and Your Sovereignty. Nothing can slip Your attention. We ask for healing for so many who are ill and for healing for our land and world. In Jesus precious name...Amen

CULTURE AT A LOSS

Woe unto them, that call evil good, and
good evil; that put darkness for light, and
light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet,
and sweet for bitter!
Isaiah 5:20

Living where we do, a stone's throw from the national park, it isn't unusual for an alert to go out that someone has lost their way in the park during a hiking trip. There have been times when a child wandered away from parents and became lost. One thing that has been suggested to hikers, especially children or new folks to the park, has been that when one realizes he is lost, to stop where he is, sit down and wait for help to come. The tendency even when lost and in a panic is to continue wandering hoping to see some place or some thing familiar. It can get where all trees look alike so that the lost one can wander aimlessly becoming more and more lost.

When lost in the daylight, a lost hiker may still feel hope of rescue until evening begins to set in. When darkness falls, in a setting like ours here, there is real panic...there are shadows, strange sounds...even various animal sounds of those that wander through the forest at night foraging for food. The darkness becomes a serious enemy for one who is completely lost, who cannot focus or see anything clearly. The lost hiker is thrilled beyond words seeing the glow of a flashlight or hearing a call from a nearing rescue person.

Scripture speaks in several areas about darkness, mostly a spiritual darkness that we can become exposed to or even find ourselves in the very middle of. Should such happen in our own lives, the suggestions of the national park I think apply here. We need to stop wandering around trying to find answers that often aren't anywhere to be found. Most of us in those circumstances need to just sit down and quietly wait for the Lord to come and minister to our spirits. He will often do that as we refer to His guidebook.

The above verse speaks to where many in our country are with regard to morals and standards...good is no longer just good, and evil is coming to be seen in more of a good and positive light. What used to be wrong behavior and lifestyles are now being accepted as being normal. Our culture tells us that things anymore aren't just black and white, but morals and standards are viewed as being more gray where people can decide for themselves what is good or evil. When this mentality sets in, in reality, a person has come into the realm of darkness and has fled the light God intends for each of us.

Many of us can look back to days that were more civil, when authority was respected, where good character was evident in school rooms and in the halls of government. My question is, “What happened.” I can recall honorable politicians, at least for the most part. If you had a TV, you got the local evening news with informative information..no drama. Somewhere our culture let a lot of really good things go. Electronics have played a huge part with TV's, computers, all sorts of phones, etc. Hand held computer devices teach children how to be unnecessarily aggressive, even to the point of killing. However, behind all of those things resides in the hearts of people wanting to find their way, a way out of unhappiness and boredom.

I've decided that what our country needs is a good old sweeping revival in the worst of ways. We can't go back and change the past, but we can be a part of changing the future, one by one. First, the greatest need of any people is an acceptance of Jesus as Savior. Without Him in one's heart, life will be spent living life at Satan's bidding. 

 As believers, we are commanded to live lives pleasing to the Lord individually. The lives we live for Christ will say more to others than any sermons we preach. We need to take advantage of speaking for Jesus when we can. We must ourselves be in the Scriptures and bathe it all in prayer. If our country continues a path self destruction, I would hope you and I would be doing our part in it's “stay” of execution.

Father, help us to be a doer of Your Word and not hearers only. As pleasant as some of our memories may be, there are children growing up now who will never know any innocence in today's culture. Keep us praying..keep us faithful. In Jesus precious name...Amen

TIGHT PLACES

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth should change.
And though the mountains slip
into the heart of the sea;

Though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains quake at
its swelling pride.
Psalm 47:1-3

Brian and I visited Chattanooga, Tennessee a few weeks ago where fifty years ago, we spent our honeymoon. We went to the places we had visited back then. I must admit that most of it had changed drastically (duh!). A favorite of ours was walking again through Rock City which is still a most fascinating place. Along this walk, one comes to places referred to as “tight squeezes.” It would be very hard for some folks to work their way through those places be it a problem with weight or even in some cases hampered mobility.

In recent days, I have taken a look at Psalm 47, really spending more time on the above verses. The entire Psalm written to be sung is a Psalm of Gods love and the security He provides for those who are His children. Just in those three verses we read of God's strength in our lives, especially in times of trouble. God being our refuge is such a comforting thought. A refuge is a place we can go to for safety, protection and help. In our day we know about shelters of various types...homeless, battered women, rescue missions sponsored by churches and even pregnancy centers. All are the extended arms of God to minister in lives of need whether we recognize that fact or not...remember “Jesus with skin on.”

At the end of verse one is the word “trouble.” The interesting thing about that word according to my reference Bible is that it is translated “tight places.” When I saw that translation, and seeing that during those times, God is a very present help, I thought of tight places through life I have gone through. As I recall, some of them were really tight especially during my single days. There were work and financial stressors where there just wasn't any wiggle room.

We've all known those tight places during family life. Tight places could include job issues, financial woes, challenges in child rearing, and even health problems that in any area could bring troubles (tight places) that seemed impossible to deal with or get out of. It seemed the more we wiggled to solve or get out of such problems, it was to no avail. At times, the more we wiggled to escape, the tighter the place became. In it all, God was a help during those times even if we didn't recognize Him at the time.

The other two verses in this section refers to something we are all experiencing in our country even today. There are times we glide through Scripture as if what we are reading is just historical and not for today. The other two verses refers to weather issues. We see that the earth will change. Yep, God is SO smart. Mountains are spoken of crumbling, tumbling into the sea. Volcanoes tremble and some even spew lave into nearby oceans. When that happens because of the heat, the waters roar and foam because of the hot lava falling into the water.

We hear in our day regarding “climate change.” I'd like to shout from the mountain tops that climate, no matter what it is, belongs to God. He can use it as He sees fit...IT'S HIS. Politicians can come up with all the solutions for climate change they choose, but it will be to no avail. They blame us in some ways for the changes in our air...misuse of fuels, industrial smog and even cattle “passing gas” while roaming their fields. The Psalmist tells us that we are not to fear no matter what happens weather-wise on our earth. He's got it all under His control.

For many people in our day, weather has created some tight places in their lives. We have seen on our TV's horrible fires ravaging through forests and homes. Flooding has destroyed entire cities with their being reports of people who have drowned. It would seem we've had an unusual number of tornadoes and hurricanes. Unusual cold weather has spread across our country with unrelenting snow storms striking in some unusual places. All of these events disable and destroy...tight places.

In it all, whether our tight places are personal or national, we have a Heavenly Father who is totally in charge of everything. I don't expect unsaved people of note to think spiritually about anything when they don't know Jesus. While they are full of panic, we can be full of trust in God, knowing He's in charge. We also know that in it all, God is trying to get our attention.

We have decisions to make...”Therefore we WILL NOT fear...” We can choose to trust during those tight places and not be fearful. God is our “very present help.” May we rest in that fact no matter what comes our way.

Dear Father, thank You for being my refuge in times of trouble and problems...my tight places. I may not understand circumstances that come my way but I know I can trust you in every disturbing event in my life. You are my strength and joy and have been in the tight places of my life. Help me to keep my eyes focused on You in the bad or good weather of my days. In Jesus' precious name...Amen

A HEALTHY THIRST

As the deer pants for the
water brooks,
so my soul pants for You,
O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God...
Psalm 42:1,2a

There are so many wonderful places in our national park we can go to for refreshment and renewal whether traveling by car or even by foot. Brian and I have been all over the place, but a favorite place we have hiked to is the Walker sister's cabin. Anyone who has been there knows it is a hike almost straight up. There are a few flat places along the way where one can catch a breath, but those places are few and far between.

Our last trip up to the cabin was pretty uneventful, but much more tiring on me than I thought it would be. I could have curled up in that cabin for a nice long nap. After having time for a sufficient rest, we began the trip back down to the parking lot. One would have thought this wouldn't be much of a problem as the return trip to the parking lot would be primarily a downward trek. About a third of the way down, I was feeling faint, found a rock to lean against, but knew immediately that I had to have some water. We had failed to take any with us. There was a tiny, pretty, clear- running stream just off the trail. It was too far down for just leaning into the water so what were we to do? I was desperate. Soooooo

It dawned on me that I had a fairly new pair of moccasins on my feet. I pulled one off, handed it to Brian and asked him to dip it into the water and bring me a moccasin full of water. Anymore, Brian knows no matter how crazy something is coming from me, I'm generally quite serious about my request. With his long arm, he managed to get me a moccasin full of water. I have never had a more delightful, refreshing glass (shoe) of water as that water was from my moccasin.

I have seen our mountain deer, drinking from one of many cool, refreshing streams. I don't see them hanging out around the streams. They seem to drink when thirsty and when the thirst is quenched, they go on their way chewing on grass or just doing whatever deer do. When their bodies are thirsty, they seem to respond quickly to drinking all they want in that moment. Any body, whether animal or human, has a physical need for water (or maybe a Diet Coke?) and the natural reaction to that thirst, is get something to drink right away. It's just born into any living being.

Psalm 42 is a very emotional one. We don't know it's author, but whoever he was, he knew something about animals. He had observed somewhere along the way, the cravings or needs of such animals as deer. He quickly switched his thinking to spiritual craving in the heart of believers. I don't know about you, but there are times when my spiritual thirst reaches a real high and I can't figure out why. It's not that I haven't read my Bible, prayed or been in God's house for worship. Then there are those times when I haven't been as faithful in my spiritual walk when those water brooks call louder to me than times past.

There's no great lesson here. We know when our soul is panting (longing, thirsting) for our living God. When one is a believer, the Holy Spirit has a way of pulling and tugging at us to draw nearer to God and be refreshed. Notice our Scripture tells us we are being drawn to THE living God. So how do we do it?

First let me say that there are no spiritual shortcuts. There's no spiritual pill to take or Bible vitamin we can swallow. When we are spiritually thirsty there is only one way to God and that's to get into His Word. I'm not talking about being in church or a class of some kind even though those things can help. A spiritual thirst problem is a personal thirst problem. It means having a one on One relationship with Jesus in His Word and prayer...getting back to spiritual basics.

For me, I spend time in Psalms where I find joy, Proverbs where I find wisdom and a Gospel like John for closeness with Jesus. These things can vary, but I like to spend time in each of those areas. When my heart is panting of thirst for the water brooks of God, going to the source of that precious water (of the Word) is my only satisfaction. I don't have to drink from a moccasin. God makes it so much easier to just drink from the spiritual water He provides anytime I want a good drink of water whether I'm real thirsty or just seeking moments of refreshment.

Dear Father, thank You for providing Your living water through Your Son and Your Spirit. Thank You for always being available to me when my spirit cries for relief of my thirst and that I need never run dry. I love and appreciate You in so many ways. I pray through Jesus....Amen

PUT IT ON

Finally, my brethren, be strong

in the Lord, and in the power
of His might.
Put on the whole armor of God,
that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6:10,11

For years, the book of Ephesians has been a favorite of mine. At various times, I have found comfort, assurance of salvation, instruction, and strength from that book. By now, I know just where to go in Ephesians where I know the Holy Spirit will speak to me in a very personal way to meet my immediate need. The book is often known primarily for the information we receive regarding the Spiritual Armor of God.

This subject is one of many passages of Scripture that are misunderstood, misused and very often even ignored. We may have seen a picture posted in a Sunday school room of a Roman soldier all decked out in full battle attire. It's impressive and as we read in Ephesians chapter six that each part of that soldiers attire represents a spiritual quality We learn the expectation is that those represented spiritual attributes are available to us to be a part of our own spiritual beings. These attributes are meant to strengthen us against the attacks of the Devil whose intent is for our spiritual detriment or even destruction.

My concern is that in viewing the the picture of that Roman soldier, I may lose sight of Paul's teaching regarding the armor's meaning. Very often as I read about it, the main things that stick in my mind is the picture I have of each piece of the armor instead of what they represent spiritually. I would venture to say that many if not most of us could recite the pieces of armor spoken of in this section of Scripture...helmet, belt, breastplate, shoes or sandals, shield, and sword. I listed those with very little thought or referring to my very worn memory.

In all of this, it is interesting that we are told to put on the whole armor of God. Notice, God won't just put this armor on us. It's actually things we must put on ourselves with the help of the Holy Spirit. This is armor we must crave and voluntarily put into our own lives. I've said before that God is a Gentleman. There are just situations where He will not force Himself upon us. This army we are a part of is made up of volunteers.

So what are the spiritual qualities we are to put on hopefully with great anticipation:

Helmet—salvation
Belt—truth
Breastplate—righteousness
Feet shod—gospel of peace
Shield—faith
Sword—Scripture

Without salvation, the rest just won't happen as God has prescribed. TRUTH is a kind of glue that holds it all together in our lives. RIGHTEOUSNESS is living rightly as God ordains. Feet on our bodies gives us the security of standing, moving appropriately...gotta have the feet. The GOSPEL does that for us giving us a spiritual stability and empowerment to go with His message. FAITH is who we are in God, trusting, finding our hope and security in Him. God is our great defender. And then there is SCRIPTURE...our marching orders for every day we live and breath. It's God's communication to us interpreted and taught to us by the Holy Spirit. By the way, it's the only offensive piece of our spiritual armor. Our shield we hold up in Satan's face as we resist his evil darts shot at us. But with the sword, the Word, that's what we use. The rest of the armor is basically protective.

I also notice that we are to put on the WHOLE armor of God. Leave any one of those pieces of spiritual protection to one side and Satan will know it. He will know exactly where our weaknesses are and will strike in those vulnerable areas. Satan doesn't want us to be righteous, truthful, or stable in our faith. He's smart using our weaknesses to his advantage.

The armor is God's provision for our strength and protection. The armor isn't just a list of items, but a list of spiritual qualities intended for our good. We live today in a dark and evil culture. The only way we survive is with God's help. Our encouragement is that in the end, we know Who WINS the ultimate battle. For the time being, let's not give the Devil an inch.

Thank You, dear Jesus, for saving us and for equipping us to not only be in fellowship with You, but also to stand against the attacks of Satan on our lives. Help us to know that Your provided armor is not a costume of some sort, but represent qualities vital to our spiritual welfare. I thank You, praise You and pray these things in Your precious name...Amen

TURN AROUND

Therefore, to him that knoweth
to do good, and doeth it not,
to him it is sin.
James 4:17

In our eight years here, we've never had flood warnings. Folks who are regular visitors to our small town, “The Peaceful Side of the Smokys,” would be quite surprised if they were to see the flooding conditions here right now, especially affecting roads near the river. The river is rip roarin' and very high right now. However, our general area is also putting out flooding alerts to the point that some schools are going to close this morning. For a few days last week, rain had subsided but today again we have flood warnings because we are to get more rain today and tomorrow.

What is causing all of this? There are some basic factors that contribute to flooding. Of course, the major cause has to do with steady, consistent and unusual amounts of rainfall in a certain area over an extended period of time. Then there can be a problem of drainage because there's just so many places rain can go before overload sets in. Poor roads often washout with minor amounts of rain, but better roads in lower areas can also have a problem of drainage. Drivers often feel a flooded road isn't all that deep so they plow on through, sometimes finding themselves in the middle of disaster.

One amazing factor I saw on my computer warnings stated that even if a road has water on it that doesn't look deep, the road could have washed out under the water and you can't see the damage under the flooded area. Thus, such can create unforeseen problems for a car and it's passengers. The caution to all of us is the usual one that sounds trite, but a wise admonition...”Turn around, don't drown.” It's one of those warnings we have heard so much, it might be ignored.

On this dark, rainy morning with all the warnings I have read, I'm thinking of the times in my life I didn't heed the warnings from people concerning decisions I was about to make to my peril that wouldn't please God. I thought I knew better, the water on the road of life didn't seem all that risky and dangerous. In my mind, I felt I knew better, in fact, I KNEW I knew what was better for my own life at the time. Scripture is full of admonitions to flee sin of any kind. Fleeing doesn't mean to crawl, stroll away or do a slow walk....the word flee means to run as fast and far away from sin as you can. Most of the time that fleeing is first done in our minds ...getting away, forsaking...however we can get away from it as soon as possible. At times though, putting feet to our fleeing may be required. I have used that method often times.

The signs are often posted in front of us telling us to “Turn around...don't drown.” Sin can be a kind of water-filled sink hole where anyone dropped into it sinks. Walking near it didn't seem risky at the moment. It's like driving through that water covered road or bridge and then finding one's car floating away from anything safe. The warning signs were posted and media bulletins of warning spoke with urgency, but surely nothing unfortunate could happen to me or you. We learn of such happenings all the time.

Satan has a way of presenting us with flood conditions across some of our roads of life. He's so subtle...the “water” doesn't look that bad or even dangerous. We somehow feel we can't be tripped up...nothing vulnerable about us. Satan must get such enjoyment watching us in our states of pride and invincibility. He so enjoys tripping up God's people and it's all so unnecessary. What do we do?

First, we have to be aware and alert. Watch the news or any mystery program on TV and it's easy to see how a seemingly smart person can put their-self in such danger be they believer or unbeliever. Girls have been raped after meeting guys they didn't know in a club. Some folks make a habit of hitch-hiking...getting in a car with a total stranger. One can spend too much time with a married person of the opposite sex at work. When bored with ones church, trying another church more exciting, may lead to finding one trapped in a cult. The list of “bewares” could go on and on. Proverbs 4:23 tells in part to “Guard your heart...” don't allow Satan any freedom in ones life.

Secondly, read and obey the signs. We find those things in the Word of God, taught to us by the Holy Spirit. If we walk in the Spirit in close fellowship and obedience, we can be victorious in the big and little challenges of life. Galatians 5:16 assures us:

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye
shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

What if we plow on through the dangerous places of life and fail miserably. We find ourselves floundering in sin we never intended. God is so wonderfully full of mercy, love and forgiveness for His children. John tells us in his first epistle that we need to seek God in repentance, accepting God's forgiveness:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
I John 1:8

The only choice we have in pleasing our Father is to simply obey the warning signs He gives so lovingly and freely. He doesn't want us living in misery and defeat. Our job is to simply TURN AROUND (flee sin)...DONT DROWN (avoid sin's consequences)

Dear Father...thank You for the rain we need even in winter months to provide moisture on our lands. I pray for safety for folks today in our area who have to be out on the roads. Thank You for Your loving care and protection. Help us to stay close to You, Holy Spirit, obeying Your promptings we see in Your Word. I pray in Jesus' precious name. Amen

THE OLD TIME RELIGION

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to
write unto you of the common salvation,
it was needful for me to write unto you,
and exhort you that ye should earnestly
contend for the faith which was once
delivered unto the saints.
Jude 3

I can recall when a young girl in our Baptist Church, sometimes singing “Give Me that Old Time Religion.” We would sing the verses “It was good for our mothers....It was good for our fathers...it was good for our grandmas”...and I guess you get the picture. I never even questioned what the old time religion was. It wasn't a “was” but then was “is.” There weren't any theological charlatans around then that I remember trying to tear up the things of Scripture. The most I ever heard discussed was the method of baptism that differed in some churches. Obedience to the Scriptures was something else. There were the same expectations of obeying the Word of God whether you heard it from the pulpit or in youth group that met Sunday evening prior to the church service.

Playing with God's Word as we are seeing it today for instance is cause for concern. Folks at the very risk of God's judgment have off and on through centuries revised, translated and changed Scripture to their own liking. Jude spoke in centuries past of such problems and it's just as real in our day as well.

Jude, Jesus' half brother, who wrote the 65^th book of the Bible, wrote completely from concern and urgency. He had heard of what was going on in a specific place learning of false teachers who were creeping into its fellowship. He said in verse 4:

For there are certain men crept in
unawares, who were before of old
ordained to this condemnation,
ungodly men, turning the grace of
God into lasciviousness, and
denying the only Lord God, and
our Lord Jesus Christ.

Notice, those false teachers, ordained men who had gone rogue regarding the Scriptures were now sneaking into fellowships to teach their twisted philosophies of the Word. Jude in the introductory verse encouraged the people to fight for the faith.

One of the problems for us when we come across false teaching is that we may often not recognize what is perverted. The problem for the average Christian is that he or she may not know enough about the Scriptures to know what is what is false teaching when it is heard. It is our responsibility to know the Scripture, not just from a pulpit or Bible study group. The Holy Spirit is more than anxious to interpret His Word to our hearts. He is the author of this wonderful Book and Who better to explain it to us than the Author.

At my age, I can't help but do some looking back. I miss the simplicity, but accuracy of preachers who weren't necessarily educated to the gills. The preachers I knew were known by Reverend, not Doctor. The music was simple and special music was with the heart even though the voice may not have been up to par. Bibles in the services were all the same translation so everyone was on the same page for the preaching. The preaching was to the point...right was right and wrong was wrong. We are are told our children can choose their own gender and then change what they are if they don't like it. Gay rights are as evil as can be and our preachers of old would have called it out. Old time preaching protected us as just about all preachers agreed on preaching the true Word of God.

The old days are gone and won't return. These days must be our “good old days” for the sake of our children and grandchildren. Our responsibility for now is to be in the Word, even singing to ourselves the familiar songs that bless us, making prayer a way of life with the comforting thought that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. His Word is truth no matter what the world tells us. Yes, the old time religion should be good enough for all of us.

Thank You Father for being our never-changing God. Thank You for the consistency you teach us. Give us the wisdom we need in today's world to navigate through all the uncomfortable areas of today's world. Keep us faithful to You and Your Word. In Jesus' name....Amen

BROKEN BUT NOT DESTROYED

The sacrifices of God are a
broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O
God, You will not despise.
Psalm 51:17

When we first moved here to Tennessee eight years ago, there were things for the house I purchased mostly for décore purposes, but also because out of need. One of those things was a new canister set for the kitchen. I found one I really liked through a computer purchase and have never regretted purchasing it. It is ceramic in make up and colorful just the way I like it. The set has its place on a particular counter that is handy to get to and at the same time, looks nice sitting right where it is.

I decided recently to fix myself a bowl of cereal. I took sugar out of the larger canister that sits nearest to the edge of the counter. In my haste, I lost my grip on the lid of that canister and it went flying to the tile floor. The fortunate thing is that ceramic doesn't break like glass. Glass shatters...ceramic tends to break in manageable pieces with lots of small chips around it. Brian came running and pretty much gave up on the usability of that poor ceramic top.

Without hesitation, I picked up the large pieces while he swept the rest of the damage up in a dust pan. Brian felt the lid was a lost cause. After he left the kitchen, I proceeded to “diddle” with the chunks and found they could be glued together and once again usable. They wouldn't look quite the same with some chips now gone but from a distance, I felt any damage wouldn't be that noticeable.

All of this got me thinking about how grateful I am now for some of the broken experiences God has allowed me to experience in my life. Many of those experiences, I brought upon myself. God and no one else had to do the breaking in many cases, but I can recall how God picked up the pieces and put me back together with His “super glue”...His amazing love.

Looking on my computer at a Bible app I often use, I looked up the word “broken.” I was surprised the things mentioned with regard to being broken. Some of them are: some body parts, buildings, branches, ships, bread, congregations, covenants and even the broken body of our Lord. Please note that most of those broken things God used in trying to get His message across to individuals or groups. Many of those things were caused by folks and their deliberate disobedience.

Job, in the Old Testament, probably spoke more personally of his broken experiences than others in Scripture. As I've looked at those things he said about the breaking process in his life, his feelings about it all feels like I have when I've gone through some breaking times. I've never been broken as he was, but still hurt. It's been a combination of not understanding the why's, while at the same time, seeing God in it all.

Often when God allows a breaking time in our lives, we don't think in those moments about being very spiritual. We know the things we ought to do....Bible, pray, confess sin, even be faithful in church attendance. If attending church, it might be just going through motions. It's as if such experiences almost paralyze us emotionally and spiritually bringing us to a stand still. And yet, if I stood still for too long, I ended up spending the time crying, fretting, stewing while feeling very sorry for myself.

The thing is that we are God's children. He loves us with a love we can't even begin to comprehend and yet, He stands ready as a perfect parent would to help put the broken pieces of our lives back together. We moms used to wipe a child's tears away, kiss the boo-boos, bandage up the hurts, allow the teenage girl to cry out her hurts on our shoulders...we did a little of it all. God heals the brokenness because He can do it like no other can. We don't need to always cry on the shoulders of others, but God does provide friends we can find comfort with, friends who will pray and lift our spirits.

Oh yes...my canister top. I tried using tape putting pieces together just to see if it could be done and it looked like it could work. Took the pieces to Brian who is our Mr. Fix-it. He got out his super glue and got the lid put together, very nicely I must say. There are a couple of obvious places where some small open places are, but from a distance, the damage isn't that noticeable. I'll tell you though that I will take good care of that lid. It went through a real breaking process not of its doing. It's still very usable and it's beauty is only slightly marred.

It'll be the same for us. When we walk through those breaking times, pieces will begin to come together and our Father will love on us, heal our spirits and we will have learned. A caution: if we don't learn from our broken times when God intended such to teach us a lesson, we may have to go through a breaking again just to make sure the lesson “sticks” We may be left with a few scars and chips, but they will remind us of victory brought about through our Father Who never wastes a thing in our lives. Such is intended for us to continue to be usable for His glory.

Dear Father, I remember some days when I was more broken than I can even now describe. There were some dark days, but You as usual were my Light and Salvation and I learned I needed not fear. Your presence was and is still so precious. My prayer is that I will stay close to You, knowing You will do all things well in my life. In Jesus name...Amen

FINISHING WELL

So teach us to number our
days, that we may apply our
hearts unto wisdom.
Psalm 90:12

This blog will soon reveal it isn't for a large, mixed crowd. It has to do with a subject I've been forced like many to know in intimate detail. I'm referring to the subject of aging. Billy Graham said, “Growing old has been the greatest surprise of my life.” For those of us in the process, I think we could resound with a loud, “AMEN!” to that statement.

When children, we were provided with books dealing with growing up. Our parents may have had some along the same line, but more with child rearing. There were books for teenagers and on and on the books went dealing with various stages of life. Somewhere along the line, I missed any encouraging, informative, useful books for people approaching or already dealing with the “elderly” years. Most of such books tend to be books that instruct, but don't encourage.

When a child, my parents seemed old to me. Both grandmothers seemed much older, especially one who had to walk with one crutch. I heard my mother chatting with someone from church and they mentioned my Sunday school teacher, Nellie Barker. Nellie was from England and we kids loved to hear her talk. The shock was, however, that my mother said she thought Nellie was around 62 years old. I couldn't believe anyone could ever live to be that old. I knew there were really old people in the Bible, but that was the Bible...but 62 just wasn't clicking in my young mind that Nellie should still be alive.

Like Billy Graham and others, being a person of age really crept up on me. I knew it was going to happen, but I like others found myself always in the middle of life events...college, marriage, mom to three, lots of church work, back to school in my 50's, new careers, kids weddings and then grandchildren, lots of Bible study groups and Sunday school classes with probably thousands of “foldies” made to pass out to classes. In it all, I maintained fairly good health.

After Brian retired about nine years ago, we made our retirement move here to Tennessee. Shortly after our move, I was diagnosed with malignant bladder cancer and went through two surgeries and some chemo. It was the first it dawned on me that I was really a person of age...72 at the time. I was definitely a slow learner.

One of the reasons I'm writing this blog is that I have come upon a treasure. It's the most loving, inspiring, sensible, spiritual outlook on aging written by one who wrote a book on the subject while in the aging stages. It's a book I have hoped to find and when getting a copy of it, read almost half of it in a couple of days. I found myself devouring the information as it was so practical and encouraging. It isn't a new book, but one that somehow I missed as I have tried to read just about everything Billy Graham ever wrote. He was in his 90's when he wrote the book. I ordered it and got it in just a couple of days. It's one to read and to pass along to friends who need encouragement regarding where they may be in this aging process. The name of the book is “Nearer Home.” I love that title as that's how I feel in these years I am in now.

There were some things that were reinforced in my own mind as I read this book, things that are already a part of my own practice and thinking, such as:

*Live everyday to the fullest.
*Have goals to be stretching for.
*Maintain good spiritual practices...Bible reading, church attendance, prayer, etc.
*Have a responsibility at church or ministry of some sort.
*Surround yourself with fun, encouraging and godly people.
*If still married, enjoy your partner like never before.
*Stay as healthy as you can.
*Read on a regular basis if you are able.

*Have an enjoyable activity you look forward to doing....cook, handiwork of some kind, get an adult color book & colored pencils, find a craft activity to do you enjoy, etc.

Perhaps there are things you could add to that list. I just know that God has kept every person here for His own reasons no matter the age. He will keep us here until we have finished His intent for us. With our last breath we are to be faithful in serving Jesus. It may be from sitting home bound, in a church pew, attending an outing with friends or whatever else we find to keep our minds functioning. I know ladies who crochet making small baby afghans for a local pregnancy center. Meanwhile we have experience and wisdom we can share with the younger folks we come in contact even though we are “Nearer Home” than they may seem to be. May all of us finish well, no matter our age hopefully all for God's honor and glory alone.

Dear Father, I'm so grateful for Your guidance and provision in my life. I pray I will stay available to You to serve You in any way I can. I want to finish well in such a way that will please You. Help me to appreciate these days in my life and in them, come to love You like never before. In Jesus name....Amen