whew!

When it rains it pours. My calm life continues to be exciting. The Girl With the Broken Arm is recovering nicely. Her fingers were swollen and discolored and her mother took her back to the doctor yesterday just to be safe. There was nothing wrong except she had not been keeping her hand up. Never mind I told her that about 50 times! Teenagers!

The good thing was that she got a new permanent cast. The orthopedist was so pleased with the job the ER did with setting the wrist that he predicted she would probably only need 3 months in the cast instead of 6. So that is all good.

The bad news is that someone poisoned their cute dorky little dog. Her name was Scraps, because she looked like she was made up of left-over scraps of several breeds. She didn't eat her supper Tuesday, was laying all around yesterday, vomited a couple times. This morning she was passing blood instead of urine and by noon she was gone. I'm going to have to check online and see what I can find that could have caused her symptoms...

So this evening we will have two very sad kid...

tuesday

The girl with the broken wrist is still at home...wishing she could upgrade a broken wrist into complete invalidism. lol! She wanted something to eat and and thought Ramen soup sounded good.

Mom said "There's a package in the pantry." and Keva moaned, "oooh, how do you fix it"

Mom said, "Get a pan and put water in it. Just read the directions."

Before Kerra left for work a while ago, she reminded Keva that her room needed to be straightened up today.

"But Maaa--aam, I can't! My arm!"

And Mom said, "It only takes one hand to pick up and put away. You can do that"

She really is doing pretty well. And honestly can do for herself except for lifting and opening things or when two good hands are required. Kerra truly isn't being harsh. Her wrist only hurts a bit and her fingers are slighty swollen from the poor circulation and the break. It could have been much worse and much more painful now than it is. As it is, the wrist only hurts when she remembers it is supposed to!

Poor baby. I'm sorry, I have to chuckle. Keva loves to be a drama queen. And Mom squashes her aspirations.

oh my what a weekend

This has been quite a couple days. It started early Saturday morning and ended without ever having Sunday. Then Monday just kind of happened.

Seth's friend, Zack, spent the night on Friday. There was a skatebarding competition and demo in Albuquerque on Saturday, so Kerra and the kids met Notah (He had gone to work at 4:00 AM and got off about 9:00) to go to watch the skateboarders. After watching them for a while the boys were all enthused about skating and wanted to go skate themselves. So they left there and went to the local skate park to try out some of the tricks they'd seen. Everyone was back home about 4, minus Zack, whose mom had picked him up.

After supper, Seth was still hyped so they went back to the little skate park here close. Two hours later they were back with a broken wrist. No, it wasn't Seth, the daredevil, it was Keva. Shje was just rolling down a slope and lost her board. Fell with her arm pinned un der her and boke the two long bones in her arm.

They took her to the emergency room about 9 or so and didn't get home until 5:00 AM! Notah had been up since 3:30 Am Saturday morning. He was awake more than 24 hours. Keva came home with a full arm cast, but she isn't in a lot of pain. Thank the Lord.

Keva slept most of the day Sunday and so did Notah and Kerra. Seth was tired too because he had been worrying about Keva until late the night before.

It was really strange to have to get up for school this morning. Well, I didn't get up for school but it was Monday. It didn't seemlike it was time for the weekend to be over because we had missed church services and it was strange.

Keva got to stay home from school today. Keva talked about sending her bud decided to give her some time to recuperate a little more. She only had to take one pain pill today. Hopefully she won't have to miss too much school.

For somebody who used to have such a quiet life, min has developed a lot of excitement. I'm tired tonight.

Psalm 137

In a discussion group I participate in someone referred to the first few verses of Psalm 137. The reference began me remembering the thousands of people who have never known the glory of Zion.

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. Psalm 137:1-3

What a fantastic and thought-provoking account we find here of what it is to have known the glory and beauty of the Church of God and then be forced through circumstances to sit in a worldly church and experience the shallowness of false religion. This, like so many of the scriptures, presents a dual picture. First, it is the account of the captivity of the Israelites in Babylon. They were forced to be away from their spiritual and physical home in Zion and the wept for it. But it is also a picture of the Church of God as compared to worldly religion typified by “Babylon.”

A few times during my life I have, for one reason or another, had to be present in a false church. And each time I’ve know the sorrow of ‘remembering Zion.” Not that the memory was sad, but it was the very fact that I had to remember it in such circumstances. The first time was when I was in college. My room mate was greatly bothered because I was so conscientious about my life and living for God and didn’t go to church services. She attended the close-by Methodist church every Sunday.

After several weeks I agreed to go with her. Remember, I grew up in the Church of God. I had literally never experienced false religion. I had no idea what to expect. I walked into a beautiful facility full of stained and varnished natural wood with plush carpet and stained glass windows. There was lovely organ music emanating from all around. The atmosphere was hushed and reverent. My heart broke. The building was absolutely devoid of the presence of God.

How did I know? I’ve never been able to explain it except to say that once you have known the presence of God, you will never be fooled by beautiful surroundings, a reverent atmosphere and sweet music. Everyone sat reverentially as the choir filed in and the ministers took their seats on the platform. Everyone on the platform was serious and much aware of their role in the service. It looked so "holy." But God wasn’t there. And no one even seemed to recognize the fact. But it can only be compared to maybe eating hamburger when you really want steak. Someone who has never had steak would never know the difference.

The music from the choir was technically correct, but the singers didn’t know the glory of the saving grace of God and it showed in their singing. The specialist was beautifully made up and had had voice training, but she had no experience in a living for the Lord. A singer who can’t carry a tune in a bucket (as my dad used to say) can sing a song of Zion that will be so filled with the spirit of God that the saints will rejoice, but a beautiful voice can fall flat when there is none of the power of God in the life of the person singing.

The minister spoke that day on Gideon choosing 300 men to defeat the Midianites. Notice I said "Gideon chose" not "God directed." He emphasized over and over how these were the strongest and most alert men and that’s why Gideon chose them to defeat the Midianite army. No reference was made to God’s statement, for I have given it into your hand. All the emphasis was on Man’s part in the battle.

For the first time those verses in Psalms became reality for me. I did feel as though I were sitting on the banks of that river in Babylon and remembering Zion. I knew what preaching under the anointing of the Holy Spirit sounded like. I knew what songs of praise sounded like when the singers had fought the battle for righteousness and triumphed over Satan and the world. I knew the witness of the Spirit as it flowed from the singers and the minister and there was none here. And as I sat in that beautiful place my heart wept.

Part of the reason we have so much confusion in the religious world is that there are so many honest hearts, yearning for Zion, but never having had an opportunity to experience the reality of it, never knowing the reality of the Spirit of God moving in the hearts and lives of the people of God. They are deceived by a strong beat to the music and a loud lead singer. They are deceived by preacher's posturing and oratory. They are deceived by noisy hallelujahs and amens and Thank you Jesuses. They are deceived by crocodile tears and ‘heartfelt’ testimonies. They are deceived by promises of material blessings and seed money paybacks.

How sad it is that they have no memory of Zion. My heart aches for them. We tend to often think that people are in Babylon because they want to be. But they may be there because they have never had an opportunity to know what real praise is.

humanism

Recently I received a very deceptive email. There was a scripture at the top of the page, and it purported to be of a Christian nature, but as I read I became aware that it actually had a very ungodly focus. It was one of those oh-so-uplifting sentiments that really encouraged everyone to just be good and do what's best and you'll be okay. It was very easy to be deceived by these platitudes. They sound so good and so positive!

The philosophies of the world are all focused on the human side of our nature. While they purport to be working through the individual for the greater human good, they are fully involved in self gratfication. This email was like that. I even pondered for a few minutes how anyone could find a relationship between the quoted text: "Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2:2-5) and the self-serving, self-fufilling statements in the body of the writing. There was none except in so far that the reference to "joy" would be fulfilled for the selfish individual by following the adages presented.

For example, one of the statements said: Do not set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you. Now on the surface the first sentence is a very good statement. But this is the way Satan lures us in. At first it looks good. Looking at the second sentence reveals the deception. It has a very humanistic standard. "Only YOU know what is best for YOU." Now actually, at one time in my life I had no idea what was best for me. I thought I did, but it wasn't until the Lord showed me my sin and I repented that I found that what I thought was best was leading me down the broad way to hell. Only through the Lord's leading can we truly know what is best for us. Satan is a deceiver and will encourage us to believe his lies to damn our souls.

One of the greatest dangers today is presented by the ungodliness of Humanism. Humanism is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people, based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appealing to universal human qualities, particularly rationality, without resorting to the supernatural or alleged divine authority from religious texts. Humanism can be considered as a process by which truth and morality is sought through human investigation; as such, views on morals can change when new knowledge and information is discovered. In focusing on the capacity for self-determination, humanism rejects . . . a dependence on faith, thesupernatural, or texts of allegedly divine origin. Humanists endorse universal morality based on the commonality of the human condition, suggesting that solutions to human social and cultural problems cannot be [ related to the theological].

Humanistic writings seem all bright and well intended until we consider that they glorify Man and entirely omit God from the picture. When you get these cute little poems and articles and sayings in your email box, read them with eternal principals in mind and with the Lord's standards as your ultimate scale. Compare each of them to what the eternal Word of God says about the first statement. If you pay attenton you will see that by forwarding them you will be an insrument in sending honest but naive souls to Hell.

thinking about hope

Notice the way Hope changes from the old testament to the new. David says: I will hope continually (Ps. 71:14) in many different ways. His hope was in the future fulfillment of the promises. On through time as in Joel 3;16 the people of God say, but the LORD will be the hope. In Zechariah 9:12 they are called the “prisoners of hope” There isn't room to review all of the constant references made through the old testament to the coming hope.

The hope of the Israelites was as much their unrealized yearning for better times and more security in their lives as it was for spiritual blessings. For them all their Hope of God resided in obedience to the Law. For them their Hope was forward looking for something yet to come

But now we can experience the fullness of that hope. I’m quoting the Amplified text because it is so wonderful : 9For if the service that condemns [the ministration of doom] had glory, how infinitely more abounding in splendor and glory must be the service that makes righteous [the ministry that produces and fosters righteous living and right standing with God]! If the Old Testament Law was glorious in its clarity and direction even though it could never bring about righteousness of heart in the doers, how much more glorious is it to live in the service of the Living Christ who died to make us one with him.

Indeed, in view of this fact, what once had splendor the glory of the Law in the face of Moses] has come to have no splendor at all, because of the overwhelming glory that exceeds and excels it, the glory of the Gospel in the face of Jesus Christ].( II Corinthians 3: 9 - 19) The old law had its glory in the promise of what was to come, but the reality of Salvation supersedes and overpowers the promise. The law could not make man perfect in God’s sight, but Christ can!

What the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us (Romans 8:3-4) For if that which was but passing and fading away came with splendor, how much more must that which remains and is permanent abide in glory and splendor! ( II Corinthians 3:11) The Law was a temporary thing, it was fleeting and, in a sense useless, except to serve as a schoolmaster to teach Man about sin. Yet Man placed his hope in it and looked forward to something that would make Him able to be holy.

But, Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. ( Romans 15:13) Paul wishes the fulness of joy and peace that we are abounding in hope--in the reality and fulness of the promised salvation. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? (Romans 8:24) We have been saved and experienced the reality of hope.

Now, NOW, we have that hope present in our very being. We know the meaning of it because Hope personified in Christ lives and dwells wth in us1 Thank the Lord we have experienced what to Israelites only longed for!

Blessed hope we have within us is an anchor to the soul,

It is both steadfast and sure;

It is founded on the promises of Father’s written word,

And ’twill evermore endure.

We have a hope within our souls,

Brighter than the perfect day:

God has given us His Spirit,

And we want the world to hear it,

All the doubts are passed away.

Play this song:

http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Hope/midi/

days going by

At 7:30 everyone is up and gone. Notah left for work at 4:00, Kerra and the kids left for school and errands at 7:00. I let the dogs out one more time and eat some 'no-carb" breakfast and settle down with my laptop. I am exceedingly thankful for my laptop.

Rachael and Michael encouraged me to get one because sitting at a desk for any length of time was very hard on my knees. I kept putting it off until I moved to Columbus with them. Then my computer was packed away and I used their laptop. It was wonderful. I could sit in my recliner with my feet up and be on the computer for hours if I wanted to! Then Michael brought me a special offer flyer from Dell and I was dead in the water!

I ordered one immediately and because I was paying cash, they gave me a $100 coupon that I could use on any other Dell product. I turned right around and got Michael a GPS and Rachael a MP3 player. LOL I know they wanted me spend a whole lot MORE than $100 but I didn't, only about 20 dollars for tax and shipping. So now I have a laptop and Michael n Rachael won't get lost.

I don’t think I have ever lived such a “busy” life as I have since I came to Belen. I never realized how calm and ordered my life was. My family here is constantly doing and going. I guess there is nothing wrong with it, but it doesn’t contribute to a calm lifestyle. And I don’t really mean that negatively. It just isn’t what I’m used to.

My days have always flowed along like deep waters, sometimes rushing, sometimes slowing, but always contained and controlled. I attribute that to the power of God controlling everything. It goes all the way back to my childhood with godly parents. I don’t ever remember my mom and dad arguing or fighting. Money and the household and decisions happened without any conflict. And it was peaceful. That meant very little to me then, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve come to see how much that atmosphere influenced me when I became an adult.

So I guess from my parents or somewhere along the line of my years I learned to let go and let God manage me. And when He managed ME, He managed all the other things connected to my life too—my job, my home, my kids, my worries and my joys. Why is it that you only appreciate things when they are past?

I received this in my email this morning. I thought it was beautiful

Today . . .

I did not come this far, nor to this place alone, but in the presence and power of my God.

The circumstances of this moment are not greater than my God. He knows them better than I do, yet He permits them.
And He will overcome them within me if I will allow Him. Mine is not to fret as though He does not know, or care, or cannot overcome.

Mine is to walk on knowing that He is here.
I am His by His creation, and His new birth. I am His to do with as He chooses . . . to bless or to use up, to serve or to simply endure.

The day belongs to my Lord, and it is the only day I have to serve and glorify Him.
And so I shall give all that I have and am that for this one day He shall be honored.

For I am not promised tomorrow.
. . .choose you this day whom ye will serve; . . .but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15

After Easter

I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10

Well, Easter is over. All the people who only go to church once a year have gone and left for another 12 months. And you know, for the world this is "the end of the story" but for those of us who have experienced the wonderful power of Jesus' resurrection in our own sinful hearts it is "just the beginning."

Every day that we follow Jesus is richer and fuller than the one before. the world talks about joy, but they don't have a hint of the glorious and overwhelming Joy that comes from knowing we are in the center of God's will.

The world talks about peace and then struggles constantly to bring it about in their own lives and in the world. God's Children live in the midst of peace--our own little bubble of it so to speak. We are at peace with God, knowing our sins are forgiven and we are living according to His Plan for our life. We are at peace with our selves; having submitted our will to His, we no longer need struggle to find what is right to do. he's there to guide us.

We are even at peace in the world! Oh, it may roar and rage around us. Neighbors may fuss at us, there may be wars and rumors of wars on the international scene, national and local politics may be corrupt, but for the people of God it is calm and serene. No matter what is happening in the world around us, we are protected and secure in the Hand of God. he will take care of us.

What a fantastic job Jesus did for us at Calvary and when he rose from that tomb, He gave us victory over sin and triumph over the world. No more turmoil, no more conflict, no more fear, no more death.

While the world celebrates Easter and stops at the bunnies and eggs, and the nominal Christian talks about the death of Christ and His attonement, we who have been born again can know Him in all the breadth and depth of His Power!

Praise the Lord.

Home

I am so happy to be back in New Mexico’s desert. This isn’t Rock Springs but it is certainly the next best thing.

Right after I woke up today I sat in my open doorway and faced the eastern sun. Even though it was warm on my skin the early morning breeze was cold. The sky was blue and the mountains clear in the far distance. I could lift my eyes above the few scattered houses and imagine I was back in the vast emptiness I used to know.

And the quiet! Even here in this little subdivision of houses, it is very quiet. It is like the desert is a huge audio sponge. And sounds drop onto it with very little impact. Shouting children, noisy motors, barking dogs—none of them have the intensity that they do in the crowded East. They are just tiny drops plinking noiselessly into the vast pool of silence. You don’t realize what real silence is if you haven't experienced it in the desert.

I’ve come Home.

Oh yes, I know I live in Ohio for most of the year and all of my junk is there, but NM will always be my heart-home. Of all places on this earth, this is my favorite.

the gates of righteousness

Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will praise the LORD. Psalm 118:19

When I was studying on praise this morning, I found this verse in Psalms and it struck me with David’s bold statement. He asks God to open the Gates of Righteousness and expressed his willingness to enter in. Several hundred years before the birth of Christ, David was longing for the time when the gates of righteousness would be opened to Mankind. He anticipated the time when he and all men and women would be able to not just long to be righteous, but would be able to experience and live it!

If we read through the entire psalm we find that David was rejoicing in God’s goodness and faithfulness to forgive and strengthen and protect His People. Yet his heart yearned to be able to actually enter in to a fully righteous life that would be pleasing to God. We see this as we continue reading and find him rejoicing in "the stone that the builders rejected" becoming the "chief cornerstone." Although he could never, in his present life, experience the complete righteousness of soul that Christ would present for man with his coming, he looked forward to it and hungered for it. This was the LORD’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.

David had experienced the impossibility of living a righteous life without the heart change that Christ’s regenerating work would bring about and the in filling power of Christ’s Salvation. And because of that he recognized the marvelous work Christ would perform with His Death on Calvary. He yearned to be able to enter into that righteous life.

I think of us many times today, when the Lord must work with us, while we wrestle with conviction and sometimes even refuse to walk in righteousness because it simply doesn’t "suit" us or we find it "too hard." What excuse do we have? We have the gates of righteousness open to us and the power to enter in! David didn’t need a pastor to coax him to repentance or a congregation to pray for him. He yearned for what we have freely available to us! He said "Open the gates and I will go through them!

Doesn’t it make you feel pretty petty in your experience to know how you quibble sometimes? It does me.

"The Windy Day"

I’ve been gone from here for nearly two weeks while traveling to be with my son and his family in NM. It was a long trip because of the difficulty in traveling with my knees. They limited the length of time I could sit in a vehicle. But we made it anyway, even if it did take most of five days.

So now I’m here in Belen and everyone is gone to work and school. .I’ve been listening to that desert wind blowing for most of the day. ( Did you ever read Winnie the Pooh? Then you know my reference for the title. ) The wind is something about NM that you either love or hate. If you have to live here, it is better to love it. And I do.

It has caused me to be thinking this last while on the verse from Ephesians 4:14: about how we should be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine. How easy it is to understand that here where the wind moves things that you would think should be secure.

The UPS man came a little bit ago with a package for Kerra. In Ohio, where even a ‘windy’ day only raises waves on the lake and flutters the flags, it would have been left on the step until the recipients returned home. By the time I got to the door the UPS man was preparing to tie it to the fence! He was concerned the wind would blow it away! That’s a NM wind! You better tie things down.

How easy it might be for those who would seem to be settled in their experience and rooted in the Word of God to be "carried away by one of these strong winds of doctrine". Oh, we expect the ‘children" as Paul says, to be moved by sweet sounding words and nice sentiments, but we, WE, are strong in the Word. Any little wind puffing by might move them, but not US! But we need to be on the alert, a wind of doctrine isn’t always necessarily a gentle balmy puff as we often envision it to be when we think on this passage.

Looking out the window here, it is a beautiful day. Everything seems wonderful and a nice walk would be in keeping with appearances. But when we get outside! Then we feel the force of that wind. That is just the way it is with some of those ‘winds of doctrine" They seem fine and lovely and the men presenting them make them sound so good and logical and biblical! But they are blowing strong deception. And we need ti be making our calling and election sure on a daily basis. Peter warns us that if we do this daily we will not stumble in following the Lord; it only those who assume that they are OK and rest on their laurels who are in danger of being caught up with some strange wind of doctrine. And they are not all gentle zephyrs.