The Death Of A Foe

Hidden deep within
the recesses of my heart was
a seed of sedition
that I could not perceive –
until the day
the preacher I did not know
stepped up to the pulpit
and began to speak about
bitterness.

Me, bitter?
I was just nursing a little grudge, because
after all, she did say
some very hurtful things.
Was this really a big deal?
I still loved God.
As war raged inside me,
my epiphany led me to realize
I was the deer in
the headlights,
the unclothed emperor
not knowing he was
naked until
someone with audacity
told him.

Some very strong words
came to my mind.
“Kill or be killed!”
Suddenly, I found myself
at an altar,
repeatedly stabbing
that seed with
tears of repentance.

I arose feeling confident that
something died inside of me,
and I pray it
never resurrects!
2/8/19

I Should Not Have Looked, God Should Not Have Looked

This is dedicated to those who have ever messed up, and you feel that you have sinned so greatly that there is no hope for you. Thank God that He is merciful, and he will not turn away a truly repentant, broken and contrite heart!

I should not have looked that fateful day.
I know that’s where it did start.
But I failed to turn my eyes away,
and lust conceived in my heart.

By her beauty I was taken.
My wicked heart, battle raged within.
Deceived by passion, I was mistaken.
With my neighbor’s wife I then did sin.

I thought perhaps none would find out
Of Bathsheba and I, defiled.
But my hopes one day gave way to doubt
when she told me that she was with child.

To my mind came a possibility to explore.
I thought it might improve my life.
Her husband I could bring home from the war
and let him spend some time with his wife.

Her husband, I did not realize
was a more honorable man than I.
My fool proof plot, it did capsize,
and here’s the reason why.

Uriah thought of those on the battlefield
who were paying the ultimate price.
To relations with his wife he would not yield
though no doubt he was enticed.

This left, I, David in a bind.
How could I cover my sin?
In the recesses of my mind
a sinister strategy formed within.

You could call it Murder I Wrote.
I had Uriah put in the battles heat.
To the army captain I sent a note
to draw back from Uriah, retreat.

And so faithful Uriah was slain
on that deplorable day,
and in my mind I did feign
with my sin I had gotten away.

But to make a long story short
God was kinder than He should have been.
He sent a prophet who brought me report
that indeed, I was guilty of sin.

Though God should not have looked with mercy on me,
I repented, and He gave me a new start.
It’s a miracle because later in Scripture we see
I’m called a man after God’s own heart!

5/31/17

The story of David, his sin with Bathsheba, murder of Uriah and the prophet coming to confront him with his sin are found in the Bible, 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12.

This verse in the New Testament calls David a man after God's own heart.

“And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.” Acts 13:22 

 

The Verdict

Morning walks are often a
time to experience the beauty of
natural wonders. If one listens
closely, sounds of concealed
creatures may be heard.

The nimble lizards hidden within the bushes scurry as I pass.

Plant life can be seen even
in some of the most populated
cities. A wide variety
of flowers add a sense of
grace and tranquility to
day time jaunts.

Bright tiger lilies adorning the green lawns of neighborhood homes.

The well tuned ear can
pick up the cheerful chirping chatter
of the
fowls of the air. Assorted
birds sometimes dot the sky
on their aviation adventures.

Bold Mr. Scrubjay begins his flight of fancy, bolts into the sky.

The sights,
the sounds,
and even the feel
of the wind present
evidence that is almost
overwhelming.
Nature
lifts her voice
and shouts against
the fallacy that the
earth’s intricacies are
a cosmic accident.

The verdict is in. He’s guilty of existing, the great Creator.

7/18/17

Annual Spring Rant

I know I have posted about this many times before, but I just love spring!(I don’t love the allergies, but thank God for Claritin!) To me, it is glorious each year to see buds breaking forth, flowers blooming, trees blossoming, etc. After a cold, rainy winter in which everything looks dead, I enjoy seeing the colors, feeling the warmth and smelling the scents of spring.

I’m not a good photographer, but I did take a walk recently and took some pics of spring in our neighborhood, which I will share below. If it is spring in your part of the world, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Nature’s Testimony

Spring comes again upon the land

with many forms, varied stages

buds do break forth at God’s command

cycle repeats throughout the  ages.

 

Every blossom, flower strewn hill

it comes to be by God’s own will

each new lily raised to the sky

of a good Creator does testify.

 

3/7/17

 

Psalm 19:1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

 

Song of Solomon 2:11,12  For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

 

 

Matthew 6:28-30  And why are ye careful about clothing? Observe with attention the lilies of the field, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin;

but I say unto you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed as one of these.

But if God so clothe the herbage of the field, which is to-day, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, will he not much rather you, O ye of little faith?

 

 

 

What A Name!

I received this from a friend this past week and thought it was worth sharing. I’m so glad I know that WONDERFUL NAME!!

 

JESUS, WHAT A NAME!

I have….

sung it….in

worship

yelled it…….in revival

screamed it……in

danger

shouted it……in

victory

whispered it……to

the sinner, the sick

and the dying

crooned it…….to my

children

gasped it……in pain

groaned it……in

travail

murmured it…..in

despair

breathed it……in

panic

sobbed it….in terror

moaned it…..in

sorrow

muttered it…..in

failure

whimpered it…..in

self-loathing

whined it…..in

failure

wailed it….in real

and imaginary affronts

wept it…….in

repentance

laughed it…….in

forgiveness

stammered it….in

astonishment

thought it…..when

speech was

prohibited and

scoffing was the

order of the day.

 

And in every tone

of voice known to man

IT WORKS!!!

 

Molly Thompson(deceased former missionary)

 

 

 

 

 

A Great App and Website

One thing that I have really wanted to start doing again is memorizing more Scripture. Since we started our Christian school, our high school students have  memory verse assignments given to them each week. They generally are memorizing about 150 words per week. To encourage them that it can be done, I’ve been helping them learn and review, and in the process, I’ve been memorizing along with them.

Recently, I discovered a website/app that for me, has been a great help. It is called ScriptureTyper. Below is a link, if you want to check it out.

The <a href=”http://scripturetyper.com”>Scripture Typer Bible Memory Website</a> makes memorizing Bible verses easier than ever! It’s a free website for memorizing Scripture by typing it online.&nbsp; Want to see how it works? Click here to <a href=”http://scripturetyper.com/memorize/85a5c6c3-300b-4840-a7a9-8c8b75137ec0/”>Memorize John 3:16</a> now.

It basically takes you through three steps. First you type over the verse that is completely written out(as many times as you want), then you memorize it by typing it more, only this time with some of the words being left out. You can do this as many times as you like as well. Finally, for mastery, you are typing out the whole verse with no prompts.

There is also a review system set up which will remind you when you need to review your verses, based on how well you have done with them. If you feel you need more or less review, you can adjust the review times manually.

I haven’t been this excited over an app since DuoLingo! I liked it so much that I purchased the Pro version, which gives you the ability to record yourself saying or singing verses.(I made up tunes to verses quite often for my kids when they were younger.) This is a great help if you are more of an auditory learner. There is also a feature in this version where you can draw if you want to illustrate the verse, which can be helpful for visual learners.

Anyhow, if you have more of a desire to memorize Scripture, and you want to do it in a fun way, this is for you. I’m using it to memorize some verses in Spanish too.

 

 

 

Hope For The Middle Aged

My husband and I were having a discussion yesterday about middle age. It’s certainly been a period in our lives where we have seen a lot of changes, sometimes on a daily basis. I’m writing this post for a little comic relief and to give hope to our friends out there who are in the same boat as we are. I’m certainly glad for my physical body that some of these changes are only temporary. For reasons listed here and others, I sure am looking forward to seeing Jesus!

 

A strange thing has happened in our lives

They call it middle age

Which I think is overrated

Definitely not all the rage.

 

We don’t know what changes there will be

Upon awaking each morning

But there are signs our years are advancing

Our bodies are giving us warning.

 

One day, I found quite surprising

And much to my chagrin,

While gazing in the mirror

A granny hair under my chin!

 

And as my spouse was starting his day

His body moving about

I heard him utter a groan

As one of his knees gave out.

 

When we were kids, we played outdoor games

I remember when “tag” was in

But now it’s turned into this ugly little thing

We find hanging from our skin.

 

There are other changes I could mention.

The list goes on and on.

But it’s really not the type of change

That I wish to dwell upon.

 

The change that I am longing for,

For which my spirit does sigh;

Will take place in a moment,

In the twinkling of an eye.

 

When the Lord returns to earth

And splits the Eastern sky

Caught up to meet him in the air

To heaven, I will fly.

 

This body, now slowly fading

Puts on immortality

Gone, the limitations of this flesh,

In his likeness, I will be.

 

Truly this is the change

That I’m longing to see take place

And forever I will be satisifed

When at last, I behold His face!

9/2/16

1Corinthians 15:51-55

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

 

Psalm 17:15  As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Food Page

I met a minister’s wife in December who shared with me a special “diet” that she has been on for a number of years. Actually, it’s more of a lifestyle change. After listening to her, asking her questions and doing some reading on my own, I decided that during the month of January I would try going on a mostly raw vegan diet. It has been a challenging but fun experiment. I am finding that I have more energy and am enjoying this change more than I thought I would. With that in my mind, I have renamed the former “Favorite Family Recipes” page to Raw and Cooked Vegan Dishes and will be sharing some of the recipes I have made. Feel free to visit the page, and if you decide to try any of the recipes, let me know what you think. Bon appetit!

Blown Away – Part 3

As my sister Karen gave her eulogy of Tom, she mentioned that she had found my brother’s prayer list as she was sorting through some of his belongings. It was 14 pages long. Wow! Tears filled my eyes. Later, when the family was all together at Karen’s house, I asked if I could see the list. It was incredible. I saw names of individuals and names of churces. Everything was organized into categories such as family members, missionaries, people I have witnessed to, etc. I saw some names of people I haven’t heard from or let alone even thought of in years, but Tom thought of them and prayed for them. My mom mentioned that he went through his list every Friday. I was totally blown away! As I was thinking about this prayer list, a scripture came to my mind. These are words that Jesus spoke about prayer.

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

 

Mathew 6:6

 

 

I can’t help but believe that my brother who prayed much in secret is now being rewarded openly in the presence of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Tom, although you have departed from this earth, I know God is still working in people’s hearts and lives through the prayers that you prayed for them. Thank you for the example you left that is challenging me to want to pray more. Perhaps one day, when we reach the other side, God will reveal to us just how much truth is in this quote.

“More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.”

Alfred Lord Tennyson

 

 

Blown Away – Part 2

On Monday evening, October 24th, we met at my elder sister’s house to discuss funeral arrangements. While we were there, my sister and I were talking about a particular aunt with whom my brother corresponded on a regular basis. She mentioned how that 2 weeks earlier, that aunt had received a letter from Tom in which he had said that this was the last time he was going to write to her about God. Did he somehow know that his time left on this earth was short? I was blown away.

My brother John who lives in Wisconsin is married and has 3 wonderful children. He told his kids that it was likely that only him and his wife could fly out for the funeral, because they probably would not be able to afford airfare for the whole family. His 10 year old daughter told him that she was going to pray that God would make a way that they could come. My other brother Bob was checking into airfares. A few days later, he found an incredible deal through Southwest Airlines. The deal was so good that John was going to be able to fly out his whole family. God had answered Natalie’s prayer, and I was blown away.

The funeral home that handled the arrangements posted Tom’s obituary online along with a tribute wall where people could post about their memories of Tom. Quite a few people shared stories about how Tom had touched their lives. Some of the stories I knew, and some I did not know or had  forgotten. While reading the various submissions, I realized afresh that the little things that my brother did made a big difference, and I was blown away.

The most pleasant surprises were experienced at the funeral. I saw many people whom I hadn’t seen in years that came to pay tribute to Tom and/or support the family. Beth and Rachel had traveled several hours to be there. As I was on the platform taking my turn to give a eulogy, I saw a blond haired lady standing in the back that looked like someone I knew. “Is that Carmen?” I wondered.  Indeed, I found out later that it was her. She had flown out from Chicago. I was blown away.

The biggest “blow away” for me was yet to come. It was something that my sister Karen revealed when she stood up to give her eulogy.

to be continued…………………………….