Broken Washer

 

There are times that are more unhandy than others to have the washer break down.  For instance, like this weekend.  My son was home visiting me over the weekend.  He has epilepsy and as a result, there are occasional times in his sleep when he has a seizure and becomes incontinent.  It is of little consequence to us; he takes a shower upon awakening, and I throw his sheets and blanket in the washer.  That's what happened this weekend.

As usual, after my son got up, I put his wet laundry in the washer, added detergent and turned on the washer.  The washer made all the right noises.  It hummed and clicked its way all through its cycle.  Water came in and pumped out.  When the cycle was done I reached in the washer to pull out what I expected to be clean laundry.  That was when I discovered that my front loading washer had not tumbled or spun.  The laundry hadn't been cleaned; it was just more wet from water being pumped over it.  I tried over and over to get the washer to tumble and spin, but it wouldn't!  It was broken!

As a result I hung the wet, smelly laundry outside on my split rail fence to dry... that is, I hung it there until it rained.  Then I moved it inside to put over the bars in the bathroom to dry until I could get it to the laudromat.   In the meantime, I knew I needed to open the back of the washer to see if the driver belt was broken.  If that was the problem, I could order the part and replace it.  Anything more serious than that, I knew I needed to summon a repairman. 

The washer is a stackable unit with the drier attached to the top.  The unit is in a small alcove that contains a large cabinet that stores my art supplies.  In addition, a bunch of folding chairs are stored in the alcove.  I knew these would have to be moved from that space to get to the back of the washer.  Furthermore, the drier would have to be removed from the top of the washer.  That's what I accomplished yesterday.  So now, I have boxes of turpentine, gesso, tubes of oil paint, palattes, canvas boards, etc in big boxes on the floor in my living room.  The large white art cabinet has been dragged out of the alcove and sits blocking entry to the stairs.   Up against my dining room table (where I'm currently typing) is the drier.  The folding chairs are stacked in the kitchen.  All of this relocation of things just to get to the back of the washer!  But it was necessary.

I found that the washer belt was in fine shape.  That meant the washer had a bigger problem than I could fix.  I called a repairman.  He's coming later in the week.  In the meantime, with everything relocated, it looks like I'm in the process of moving.

All of this has made me realize how much I appreciate the ease of doing laundry when the washer is working.  And to realize that the problem is really big when dirty stuff can't be cleaned.

Waiting for the washer repairman to arrive has made me consider another Repairman. This other Repairman has set things right and keeps things set right in my squalid, polluted, and fouled life.  He is the One who has washed me and wants to keep my deeds clean in God's sight. His name is Jesus.

Jesus wants to be both the washer and the repairman for our lives.  He wants to cleanse us by His shed blood not just to sit around basking in our clean state (spun out and wet in the bottom of the washer), but in order that we can be useful according to God's intent (dried, smelling fresh and pure, and put to a proper and useful purpose).

I wonder, though, do we recognize when our lives are not what they should be?  Do  we let the Word of God and the Holy Spirit wash us thoroughly so we can be used with the intent God has for us.  Our days can be humming along smoothly, we're clicking off tasks in their cycles, and lots of events and people are pouring in and out of our lives.  But that does not mean all is well.  We could very well be out of order, and we need to let the Repairman come close to us to fix us.

Often times, when we are especially busy, we need to take note of how crowded the alcoves of our lives have become.  Are they packed with so much stuff (cabinets filled with supplies), traditions (folding chairs), and activity (whirling drier) so that the Repairman has no room to get to the real problem areas of our lives?  The question can be asked both of individuals and of churches.  What's filling up the alcove that is preventing the Repairman from coming close to us?  Whether we're willing to answer that question determines whether our lives, individually or corporately, results in soggy, urine soaked blankets or a fresh pure work of God. 

Now your sins have been washed away, and you have been set apart for God.  You have been made right with God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you.  1 Corinthians 6:11b

Waiting For The Book...

The e-mail from Trafford Publishing says that the first copy of my long anticipated book is on its way with FedEx and is expected to arrive at my house sometime this week. I know what the book looks like; the first picture up above shows the book's front cover.  The second picture shows part of the back cover.  In between the front and back cover are 440 pages of text and illustrations.  It has taken eight years to produce the book; I know the text of the book and all the illustrations intimately.   However, I'm sure the present sense of completion and accomplishment is not anywhere near the same that I will feel when I finally hold the published book in my hands. 

I knew I was to write this book and get it published; I had definite leading from God about that!   However, for the manner of distributing this book, that is, what comes next, I don't know yet. 

In the meantime, I'll share with you here what AFTER THE DEVASTATIONS- THE JOURNEY is about and how it came to be written. 

First of all, you can read what is written above on the back cover of the book.  That will give you a simplified idea of the book's story line.   And then, below, you can read two other summarys.  The first will be a short blurb that won't take long to read.    After that will be the actual preface of the book. 

SHORT BLURB- 

AFTER THE DEVASTATIONS- THE JOURNEY was written in the aftermath of 9/11 in response to the increasing threat of international terrorism.  It is a fictional account of how believers might live out their faith at a time when enemy occupation would keep Christians from gathering, owning a Bible, or speaking the name of Jesus.  This book can be read as an adventure story, as a coming-of-age book, as a mirror of the selfish motives that lie within each of us, or as an encouragement in times of suffering.  In addition, the exciting adventures of this book and the accompanying artwork are parables, in themselves, of distintictive doctrines of the Christian faith that set Christianity apart from other world religions.

PREFACE-

Like so many others on September 11, 2001, I watched the television in shock and disbelief as people jumped to their death from the inferno of the burning- and soon to collapse- Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.  That event by itself was overwhelmingly tragic and terrible, but more horror was on its way.  Another plane had been hijacked and was poised to attack the Pentagon.

I'll never forget where I was standing in my living room when the television image shifted from the Twin Towers in New York City to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.  I had to lean on the chair in front of me to steady myself as I saw smoke and flames rising from our nation's military command post.  As the wife of a career Army officer, I instantly recognized the significance of an enemy attack on the Pentagon.  It was far more frightening to me than the attack on the World Trade Center.  I knew something was taking place that meant our nation's very existence was at stake.

In those moments numerous questions raced through my mind.  What would be next after the attack on the Pentagon?  Was my country being overrun by an unknown enemy before my very eyes?  What would it be like to be a prisoner-of-war in my own country?  How could I function without the freedom of self- determination, speech, and religion?

For weeks after that dreadful day, I kept thinking about those questions even though, thankfully, no more awful attacks ocurred.

It was revealed that Muslim extremists were the cause of the atrocities of 9/11.  For that reason, as time passed, I reflected upon the belief differences between Christianity and Islam.  I knew that the claims that Jesus made about himself were unique.  His declarations separated Christianity from Islam and all other world religions.  Indeed, the Christian faith was vastly different from all other faith systems.  As a teacher and a student of the Bible, I wondered how I could define those differences if I was ever asked.

A few months later I was having lunch with a family member at the local pizzaeria.  As we talked about 9/11, the plot for AFTER THE DEVASTATIONS- THE JOURNEY took form in its entirety within moments in my mind.  I grabbed a napkin out of the dispenser on the table, borrowed a pen, and quickly wrote down the essense of the story.  The plot has remained essentially unchanged since then.  It has taken eight years to work out what was scribbled on a paper napkin in a minute or two that day.

Having never written a book before, I began to consider what was necessary for the task.  First of all, it was important to develop the personalities of the people who would act out the story; a novel is weak when its characters are not well defined.  Therefore, I purchased six small artist's  manikins and molded them with distinguishing faces, hairstyles, and body shapes.  After that, I designed and sewed clothing appropriate for each of them to wear.  In that way, I was able to see the people I was writing about, and later on I was able to pose the manikins as models for the accompanying artwork.

Visual illustrations are a profound teaching tool.  Because of that, I knew I could make the book more appealing and the Christian teaching easier to grasp if I included pictures.  Therefore, although I am not a professional artist, I decided to do a watercolor painting for each chapter of the book and for each teaching presented.  Later on, however, when I attended a writer's conference, I learned that book publishers would not accept a writer's artwork for publication.  Since my pictures had become an integral part of the story text, I realized I would have to self-publish the book if I ever wanted it published.  Unfortunately, for me to publish it in color would be cost prohibitive.  Therefore the illustrations in this book are in tones of gray.  I regret that, but it could not be helped.

Young people are our future; they need to be mentored by sacrificially caring adults.  Therefore, I wrote the old couple, Homer and Tillie, into that kind of nurturing role.  I know I am a dreamer, but I wish every young person had such a wonderful couple in their life to guide them.  The reading ability and interests of young people were kept in mind as I wrote this book.  However, there is much contained here for every age.

Family members and dear friends kindly posed for me as a photographic aid for the artwork.  Particularly precious to me are the poses of my father's hand (seen in the pages ahead as Homer's hand) and the poses of my mother's hand (seen in the pages ahead as Tillie's hand).  Living out their lives on the family farm, my father and mother modeled well what the Christian life should look like.  They passed away during the writing of this book; I will forever be grateful for their example and their influence upon me.

The six people I created to write about have become very dear to me, especially as I watched them grow in character and interact with one another.  As odd as it sounds, I have grown to love them.  At times during the writing of this book I was emotionally undone by what I had to write about them.  I was repeatedly reminded by others that these six people were not real, but only figments of my imagination.  However, as I wrote the story, these six people were indeed alive and real to me.  What they experienced, many of us have experienced in one way or another.  The task of writing has been hard- very hard- but in the end emotionally and spiritually satisfying for me.

This book can be read on several different levels.  It can be read these ways:

• 
  
  Simply a cliff-hanging adventure story.
• 
  
  A coming-of-age book that chronicles the maturing of young adults who embody idealism and dreams to change the future for the good.
• 
  
  A revelation and recognition of selfish motives that lie within each of us.
• 
  
  An introduction to learn about the person of Jesus, the claims he made about himself, and how following him reshapes people's lives.
• 
  
  An encouraging resource if, indeed, one day in the future our nation is destroyed through enemy occupation, economic ruin, and moral anarchy.
• 
  
  A book intended to strengthen the faith of Christians to endure now during difficult times, and if necessary, in the future when church gatherings may be outlawed and Bibles banned.

The title of this book applies to all of us.  AFTER THE DEVASTATIONS-THE JOURNEY.  Our lives are like that.  We all have periods of tribulation and discouragement to endure, but life goes on.  How we react to the difficulties in our life's journey makes us what we are.

It is my hope that this story about six people whom I have come to love will be a  pleasure for others to read.  Furthermore, it is my hope and prayer that many readers will consider the claims of Jesus and let him accompany them on their journey both now and throughout eternity.

Like I said earlier, I'm waiting to hold the published book in my hands for the first time later this week.  I was faithful to carry out the assignment given me by the Lord, I did what was asked of me, I followed the plan.  Whether others are touched by the results of my labor and whether others are blessed by the writing of this book, that is not in my hands, but in God's.  I can rest in this truth from His Word:  Many are the plans in the mind of a man (or woman), but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.  Proverbs 19:21  

Spider Web

The elaborate beauty of a spider web can be easily seen in the morning if dew drops are still clinging to the web and the sun's rays shine on it at just the right angle.  You can actually preserve such a spider's web; you simply spray the web with dark spray paint, and quickly, before the paint dries, bring a piece of white cardboard up against it.  The painted web will permanently stick to the cardboard.  This was a fun cub scout activity which I learned to do while I was a den leader in Virginia.  I have captured some remarkable examples of webs which my family still marvels over.

Spider webs can be admired with our eyes and minds for their intricate design.  However, can you imagine trusting a spider web to support you in time of trouble?  Or can you imagine weaving cloth from a spider web?  How absurd you say?  We can't imagine anyone doing such a thing!  However, the Bible speaks of people who do just that!

Such are the paths of all who forget God; the hope of the godless shall perish.  His confidence is severed, and his trust is in a spider's web.  Job 13,14

They weave the spider's web...  Their webs will not serve as clothing; men will not cover themselves with what they make.   Isaiah 59:5,6

This last week I've read of people who have done just what these verses say.

The first example was a recently published book on the history and features of the earth published by the Smithsonian Institute.  Rather than giving any credit to God for creating the heavens and the earth, there were pages and pages of diagrams and outlandish theories of how the earth came to be.  Without acknowledging God, mankind must fabricate elaborate schemes (weave their own spider web) to explain the wonders and orderly design of God's creation.

The second example was a sample lecture that came in the mail as an unsolicited advertisement for The Great Courses (great courses taught by great professors priced at the special sale price of 70% off).  Out of curiousity I listened to the CD lecture on the biological origins of mankind's behavior.  The professor was teaching that how we behave, who we fall in love with, the intensity of our spiritual lives, the degree of our aggressive behavior, etc, is not our individual responsibility but is based on the brain's biology.  He lectured with the premise that our behavior is based on how the brain developed through evolution.  Left out of the lecture was the fact that God will one day evaluate us a free, moral agents responsible for the choices we've made in behavior and thought.  The Bible tells us that, at the time of judgment before God's throne, we must have chosen to be clothed in the standard of righteousness that has been offered to us by God, namely the offer of Jesus Christ.   It will do us no good to stand before a holy God dressed in the spider webs of biological excuses for our wrong behaviors.

The third example of people I've seen who have chosen to weave clothing of spider webs were individuals I saw in photos that accompanyed a news article I read last week.  There was a picture of three, proud avowed atheists grinning over the popularity of their recent media ventures.  What were they pleased about?  They had organized athiests to plaster a specific proclamation across the sides of city buses all over the world- 800 buses in England, alone.  The pictures of city buses were:  one bus by the Brandenburg gate in Germany, one in Barcelona, Spain, and one in Toronto, Canada.  What was the same proclamation, respectively, in German, Spanish, and English on these buses?   Simply this: THERE'S PROBABLY NO GOD.  NOW STOP WORRYING AND ENJOY YOUR LIFE. 

This same group of atheists is now challenging teenagers to take the "blasphemy challenge" to publically renounce "any belief in the sky God of Christianity."  Psalm 2 tells how God reacts to these kind of people who want to dismantle the last remnants of Judeo-Christian faith remaining in our culture.  This is how God regards these people who spin deceptive webs to destroy faith in God:  ...The peoples plot in vain... against the LORD and against his anointed, saying, 'Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.' He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.  Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury... Psalm 2:1-4 

In nature, spider webs show evidence of God's wisdom in design and beauty.  On the other hand, trusting in the deception of man-made webs brings frightening consequences that last for eternity.  God will not be mocked.

In My Father's Shadow

Baby pictures!  The firstborn in a family always has far more pictures taken of him or her than the subsequent children... or so I thought. 

Secondly, I thought my parents didn't take many pictures of my brother and I as we were growing up.  To my recollection, it didn't seem important to my parents to take pictures of us.  The camera they had was old and unreliable, and I didn't think they took the trouble of trying to use it.  How wrong I was! 

On these cold days of winter, I have been reviewing and organizing the family archives ( old photos and letters).  I made a wonderful discovery in the process.  I found out that the two statements which I made above were just not true!  I discovered lots of pictures taken of myself (the second born) as well as my brother as we were growing up.

I found an old photo album- you know- the kind your grandmother had which had black pages between stiff covers held together with a string, the photos in it secured with corner tabs, and the labeling done in white ink.  I don't remember ever having seen this album before.  However, there it was, year after year, a picture of my brother on his birthday on April 3 with a cold, barren landscape behind him and then a picture of me taken on my birthday the next month in May with the evidence of trees budding out behind me.  And there below each photo was my mother's writing putting down the date.  My mother was meticulous her whole life when it came to labeling photos.  She kept a diary and must have referred to it to accurately date photos.  At any rate, there were the pictures of my brother and I carefully labeled.  Always the date.  Always our age.  The pictures were always taken on our respective birthdays, never taken a day early or a day late.

My mother documented the dates of the pictures, but it was obvious that it was my dad who took the photos.  Back before flash cameras, pictures were taken outdoors in the sunlight.  Frequently, as in the photo of me above on my 8th birthday, my dad's shadow could be seen.

Whereas some people grow up without having good fathers to nurture them, I am convinced I had the best father ever!  After seeing my dad's shadow so often in my birthday photos, I've been thinking about what it was like to grow up in his shadow. There were several 'bike' picutres in the photo album on my 8th birthday; apparently my dad was especially pleased with the new bike he had given me.  Our family didn't have much money, so that new bike was an extravagant example of my dad's provision for his litlle girl who was growing up before his eyes. 

In the shadow of my father!  What did my father provide for me over the years?  He gave me the freedom and safety to roam with delight over the farm fields, splashing through the creek bed and exploring the woods. He gave his time at the end of each exhausting day to read books to me, even way past the time I could read for myself.  He piled up mounds of sweet smelling hay on the barn floor for me to jump down into.  He gave me dairy cattle to train and the supporting opportunity to show them at the county and state fair.  He gave me chickens to tend so I could earn spending money.  He taught me how to use machinery and tools- things like an ax with which I chopped down trees, hammer and nails to build things, the use of  a wide brush to paint buildings, and the tractor to drive for doing field work.  He taught me the value of honest labor as I helped him in the summer to bring in the hay and cultivate the corn, and to fork over the beans plants to dry in the fall.  He moved and renovated an old shed to be my 'clubhouse', he bought me my own horse to ride, and he bought my brother and I a pool table and ping pong table in our teen years to enjoy with friends.  In college, he let me borrow the family car (our only car) for a week to drive east to hike the Appalachian trail with some friends.  My father gave me an example of how neighbors are to help one another, of always believing the best in another person, and of going to church regularly to sing God's praises with zest.

I had it very good as I grew up because I was abiding in the shadow of a father who loved me and provided for me. My father gave me an example of what God is like.  The way my dad lived his life helps me to understand the following truths from the Bible-

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say to the LORD, 'My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'  Psalm 91:1 

Which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give hims a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent"  If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will you Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!   Matthew 7:9-11

I have to admit that age is creeping up on me.  I can't run, and I don't chop down trees anymore.  I don't have the same sense of well being I used to have to be out on snowy roads in the winter or while driving at night.  I don't feel safe to wander fields and woodlands alone.  It's not that I'm in my second childhood and completely helpless yet.  However, as an older person, I know I am more vulnerable and I need to be in the shadow of someone who is stronger and wiser than me.  Who will that be?  Almighty God!  I need to keep abiding in the shadow of my Heavenly Father just as I was in the shadow of my father on my 8th birthday.  God has promised to give me good gifts, just like my dad did, if I ask God to be my provision and my protector.  Jesus promised me that.

Let Me Call You Sweetheart

Once a week I grab up my guitar and head for the local nursing home to sing the old songs the folks love so well.  Songs like: Billy Boy, When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, and She'll Be Coming Around The Mountain. 

 The folks like all the old familiar songs, but Let Me Call You Sweetheart is the song that brings the greatest response. A dreamy look comes over each person's face along with a big smile. The song seems to bring back to everyone the memory of a certain special someone from the past. Faces that are droopy and not responsive to much around them become lively, and eyes twinkle.  If you sit down with the nursing home folks, right then, and ask them "Tell me how you met your sweetheart", years fade away as people begin to tell of long ago when the felt their first bloom of love.   

It seems impossible to believe that the residents of a nursing home ever experienced intense passion, the same kind of intense, hormonal feelings which young people are dealing with in this day and age.  However, we know that the emotions of young men and young women were just as powerful in the past.  Watching the faces and listening to the old folks relating their stories of how they first fell in love proves that!  I recently came across the photo up above for the first time.  It's my mother-in-law and father-in-law in the early 1930's as they were dating. The look they are sharing and their nearness to one another speaks volumes.

Falling in love is a robust and profound mystery.  The Bible puts it this way:
There are three things which are too wonderful for me; yes, four which I do not understand:  The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent upon a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man with a maid.  Proverbs 30:18,19

For this reason, I need to remember to pray for the young adults that I know- that they would be wise in who they date and that they would honor Jesus Christ with their bodies, to be chaste, until the day they wed.  I need to remember that when I pray for my young grandchildren, I should also pray for the nuturing and spiritual upbringing of their future spouses. 

Since every generation experiences afresh the strong emotions of romantic love, I would encourage any of you reading this blog to pray in a similiar manner for the young people you care about.  It may be now or very soon that the ones you know will be looking into someone's eyes and saying, "Let me call you sweetheart.  I'm in love with you!  Let me hear you whisper that you love me, too!"  We all remember what it was like.   As a result, you know why it's important to pray in this regard for the future of those you love.

Finding Significance

I've always been a paper pack rat.  I've kept newsclippings, wedding invitations, post cards, notes, teaching outlines, photos, journals, and other stuff that have been meaningful to me.  Throughout the years, I've been methodical about caring for these scraps of paper, my archives of past events.  I've punched holes into the side of each document that I've found worthy of keeping and entered them into a loose leaf notebook.  Dozens of these notebooks are upstairs in a closet.  In addition to my own memorabilia, I have possession of the old diaries of my mother-in-law and of my mother.  Over the years I have been tempted to discard these archives of the past, but I haven't.  More than once I've wondered about the purpose of keeping all of this.

It is said that when a person dies, especially an older person, an entire library of knowledge is gone.  And so it is!  But until that time, each of us carries a richness of life expeiences that make us who we are.  And those experiences are often what we share with other people in conversation or in other ways.  For myself, I find writing and artwork to be an outlet for reflecting upon the experiences and truths that God has blessed me with over a lifetime.

Lately, I've been going through my archives and jotting down notes to remind me of events and people from the past and then discarding the original documents.  My notes take up a lot less room than the documents.  There is significance in each document, a meaning to why I kept the scrap of paper.  For instance, in the above picture you can see a postcard of the girl scout camp where I was a counselor, my wedding invitation, a newspaper clipping of when I worked on the high school yearbook, an e-mail from my daughter-in-law as she awaited the birth of her first child, a picture of my husband receiving his warrant officer rank, and various other items.

All of us long to find meaning to our lives.  I think that is why I have kept my own personal archives.  As I am reviewing and consolidating my scraps of papers lately, I take note of the meaning of each item. At this time in my life, I find significance in how richly God has blessed me with people I have known and insight I have gleaned from the past.  I hope that these memories will be the means by which I can bless others in my attempts to write words of spiritual encouragement.

"Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.  Full of splendor and majesty is his work."  Psalm 111:1-3 

When I review the richness of my life, look at the marvels of nature, or read of Jesus Christ in the Bible, I cannot help but recognize God's work of splendor and majesty.  There is something to be said for pausing to study God's work in our lives (even in the hard times), His work in the natural world, and His redeeming work on behalf of mankind through Jesus.  It is in recognizing God's hand in everything that we find our life's greatest meaning and significance. 

       

Help To Let Go

I was thinking about all the changes that have occurred in my life over the last decade.  There have been a lot of "letting go" of people and possessions and places where I have fit in.  Most of the "letting go" has not been of my own choice, but have occured as a result of the death of loved ones or my need to down-size to a smaller house and yard because of aging.  My life circumstances had changed, and I had to adapt. 

One way that I choose to "let go" is pictured above.   Ten years ago, the family business had come to an end and it was my responsibility to dispose of everything.  One thing I had to do was figure out what to do with the sign that sat next to the busy highway advertizing our hobby shop.  The sign was composed of two 15 foot tall rockets which I had fabricated from old porch pillars, 4 X 4's, aluminum flashing and plywood, and had painted with our business name. It wasn't easy to know what to do with the rockets; they symbolized 20 years of my husband's Army career and 17 years of our family's life, business, and reputation in our small hometown.  At last, however, I chose to let the rockets go and I consigned them to a bonfire.

It is not easy to "let go"...  However, sometimes it's necessary.  At this time of the year when most of us reflect on the past year and think about the new year to come, we often formulate our plans to change- to live better lives.  Sometimes in the process of "letting go", we may be at a crossroads, and the choices we make of what we keep in our life, what we "let go" of, and what we add may influence our lives and the lives of our loved ones for years to come and into eternity.

It's good to seek God's counsel about how to make good choices for the future when we realize we need to "let go" of things from the past.  In the Bible, Peter gives us very sobering advice concerning this.  He tells us what kind of people we should be as we realize that God is soon coming to judge the world.  "What sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the elements will melt as they burn!  But according to his (God's) promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells."  2 Peter 3:11-13  

How are we to live in holiness and godliness as we wait for God to fulfil His promises to us?  The Bible tells us to "let go" of stuff that hinders our walk with Jesus and to draw closer to Him.  "But one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 3:13,14

I don't know about others, but I plan of using the next few days before the new year to ask God to show me if there are things that I need to be willing to "let go" of which are hindering the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Maybe there are others who are considering the same thing.  I'm sure it pleases our Lord when we ask for His help in "letting go".

The Tale Of Two Pianos

"On a whim, I thought I'd go back to my old piano and play a song," the pianist said.  "Oh my!  I couldn't believe it.  It sounded so pathetic!  When that was all I had, I was content.  I didn't know any better.  But now that I have a new piano, a grand piano, I know the difference."

The old piano?   Her parents gave the pianist the best they could afford.  It cost $50.  It was a cast-off piano that had been used in a USO recreational lounge on a military base overseas.  In addition, it had been moved from home to home in military housing as the 'first' piano for beginning piano students.  Someone had started to refinish it; half of it was covered with dirty, cream-colored paint and half of it was stripped down to bare wood.  Deep cigarette burns marked up the flat surfaces.  The pianist's mom finished stripping the paint off the piano and refinished it, masking the cigarette burns by painting over them the look of wood grain. The bench was a kitchen bench salvaged from alongside the curb on trash day and refinished to match the piano.

The piano was shipped back to the states with the rest of the family's goods.  Five more times it was moved.  It was heavier than most pianos, but even so, twice it was moved to the pianist's second floor bedroom!  Having it tuned became more and more of a problem because the action inside the frame was German and parts weren't available in the US.  A resourceful piano tuner fabricated replacement parts as best he could. 

The pianist was gifted and despite the quality of the piano she practiced on, music moved her and moved others when they heard her play. 

The pianist married and the piano went with her to her new home.  Her husband vowed that one day he would buy his bride a different piano- a grand piano.  That seemed  to her like a pipe dream- something fun to think about, but something that would never happen.  The pianist still played her old piano and was content. 

The husband loved his wife.  His vow about a grand piano wasn't just idle words.  It always came back to his mind when his wife played.  When the pianist and her husband moved to a farm, the husband made sure the central, light, airy room of the farmhouse was left empty.  He called it the 'piano room'.  He said that one day that was where the grand piano would go and he would install a chandelier above it.

The day came.  The pianist came home in the evening from work and gracing the 'piano room' was a brand new grand piano!  Her beaming husband sat next to it.  It was his gift of love to his bride.  Even to this day, the pianist can barely believe it.  Music has never sounded so wonderful to her! 

And so it came as an utter surprise to the pianist when she recently went back to play a song on the old piano and discovered how pathetic it sounded.  It wasn't that the piano was so much out of tune, but that after a note was played, there was always a discordant twang that lingered.  Additionally, the old felts on the hammers, despite being filed to size, continued to sporaticially hit adjacent notes.  However, most disconcerting to the pianist was the sluggish, unresponsive touch of the keys.  She said it felt like hitting a pillow when she played; there was no instantaneous response of the keys to her fingers tips. She couldn't create the music her soul longed to express.

The difference between the old piano and the new piano reminded me of what the Bible explains about mankind's two natures.  From our parents we inherited the best they had; they gave us our innate human nature.  It was adequate for us to learn how to function (for better or worse) in this world.  However, as we all know, human nature is flawed.  It is not what God had intended from the beginning.  Mankind is unresponsive to the touch of God, just as the old piano is unresponsive to the touch of the pianist's fingers.

However, when we are joined to Jesus Christ, we become new people.  We are literally given a new nature that can indeed be responsive to the touch of God, just as the new piano is sensitive and fully responsive to the pianist's fingers.  This new nature comes to us because we belong to someone new; we are the bride of  Christ and no longer children of the world, just as the new piano came to the pianist from her husband and not from her poverty-stricken parents.  The new nature comes as a gift.  Just as the pianist's husband vowed to provide a grand piano for his bride, the One who died for our sins promises us this new life that is sensitive to God's will.

This tale of two pianos explains for me what the Bible talks about in Romans 4- 8 and is alluded to in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and in Ezekiel 36:25-28.  What a gift!  To be responsive to the heart and soul and touch of God!  I like the knowledge of that!

Frozen Stiff

Years ago, on wintery days like the picture above, my mother wasn't able to hang the family wash outside to dry.  Instead, after running our bedding and clothing through the wringer washer and wash tubs every Monday morning, she hung the wet clothes on lines my dad had strung up in the woodshed.  Since there was no heat in that building, Monday evening my mom brought the laundry back into the house to finish drying it over a rack of wooden bars in the dining room.  What I remember best was my mom's attempt to bring my dad's long johns back into the house.  They were frozen stiff!   My mom tried as best as she could to manuver the freezing-cold, flat garments with stiff outstretched arms and legs through the doorway, but it was wasn't easy.

I thought of those frozen long johns the other day when I read a selection from one of J. I. Packer's books called Knowing God.  Packer writes  "Constantly we find ourselves slipping into bitterness and apathy and gloom as we reflect on past disappointments and present heartbreaks, which we frequently do.  The attitude we show to the world is a sort of dried-up stoicism, miles removed from the 'joy unspeakable and full of glory' (1 Peter 1:8) that Peter took for granted his readers were displaying."  Since it was on a nasty, freezing, and snowy day that I read this selection from J. I. Packer, I imagined that "dried-up stoicism" was about the same as "frozen, stiff long johns".

I don't know about others, but I find that I slip into bitterness and apathy and gloom at times.  I wouldn't be surprised that during this Christmas season, there are many others who, when reflecting on past disappointments and present heartbreaks, also slip into bitterness and apathy and gloom.  Somehow we manage to function outwardly when we are around others celebrating the season's festivities, but inwardly our emotions and spirits are stiff and cold, and we know it!  We can fool others, but we can't fool ourselves or God. 

There is a request made of God in Psalm 51 that seems appropriate for me and other Christian's to pray when they feel overwhelmed and emotionally frozen at this time of the year.  In Psalm 51 David, the Psalmist, confesses his sin and asks God to have mercy upon him according to His steadfast love.  David also makes this request of God: Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:12).

That sounds like a good prayer for this harried, frantic time of year.  What do you think?

Leonard The Lamb

My mind runs through memories of the holiday season.  My husband's favorite Christmas movie was  What A Wonderful Life, the heartwarming story of a man discovering the importance of his well-lived, generous life.  On the other hand, my favorite movie is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, the story of the renegade Herdman children bringing wild adventure to a usually calm Christmas program.  It reminds me of a event I want to share here.  I've already included it in my annual Christmas letter.

It happened during the children's annual Christmas pageant at the Free Methodist Church in Huntsville, Alabama in 1975.   A soft murmer rippled through the congregation after the shepherds arrived at the manger, because, in the subdued lighting while a teenager sang O Holy Night, it appeared that one of the shepherds held a real live lamb.  The shepherd held the lamb tightly in his arms while the lamb gazed around at everything and then finally snuggled closer to the shepherd in loving confidence.  However, it wasn't a real live lamb; it was a puppet.  Our family still has this puppet; we call him Leonard the Lamb.  How he came to be is an amazing story!

That was the year I volunteered to do the costumes for the Christmas program.  I made the three wise men's crowns by gluing gaudy costume jewelry onto strips of indoor/outdoor carpet with liquid nails.  Then I recycled used bathrobes, coat linings, and bed covers into robes for Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men.  At one point, I turned the fleece-lined hood of an old jacket inside out.  When I threw the hood on the floor with scraps of cloth as useless, it landed in such a way that it reminded me of the shape of a lamb's head.  Picking the hood back up, I began envisioning it as a puppet for my ten-year-old son Mark to carry as a shepherd.  I knew I could teach him how to make the puppet move realistically.

And so, I fashioned Leonard the Lamb out of the fleece of the jacket hood, adding glossy black buttons as eyes and gluing on a yarn black nose.  I put a Styrofoam ball inside the head for shape and fashioned a bent coat hanger to make the ears stick out and be moveable.  But then I was stymied because I didn't have any more fabric with which to make ears.  In desperation, I cut a 2" by 2" square out of one side of the puppet's neck and used it to make the ears.  I told my son he'd have to be careful to only let one side of the lamb's neck show since the other side had a big square hole in it. 

A few days later, in the mail came samples of sewing materials, fabrics, that I could order from a certain company.  I had never ever heard of the company, nor had I ever bought fabric from anyone through the mail.  I had never had such an offer before, nor have I ever had such an offer since.  There were a few swatches of dark polyester trouser material in the envelope, and there was also a 2" by 2" square of fleece that was nearly an identical color and texture as Leonard the Lamb.  At once I sewed the square into the puppet's neck.  It fit the hole exactly!  And it was barely noticeable!  If you look closely at the picture above, you might be able to see the square of slightly different fleece in the middle and the bottom of Leonard's neck.

The arrival of that swatch of matching material wasn't just a coincidence.  It was an example of God's watch care and grace.  As I recall that event of thirty-four years ago, I continue to be amazed that God cared about Leonard the Lamb who was merely a puppet.  I learned an unforgetable lesson from that event-- If God cared for that inanimate puppet to be made whole, surely He cares that much for me.

That's the message of Christmas itself.  God loved us so much that He sent Jesus, His Son, to earth as a human being, so that one day on the cross Jesus would be the sacrificial lamb to take away our sins.  Truly, to be whole, we need God's healing of our past and the wrongs done to us.  That is what Jesus was born to accomplish. 

Perhaps that is why a movie about a Christmas pageant is my favorite Christmas movie-- it reminds me of this lesson I learned long ago.

Tribute To Irene

I was surprised to read Irene’s obituary last week. Irene was 66 years old.

Irene and I were born the same week in the same hospital. Our mothers were roommates, and as a result, a lifelong friendship developed between our families. As a very young child, I remember playing with Irene. The picture above is Irene and I on the lawn of my childhood home. Later on, at the time Irene was 3 or 4 years old, she was placed in an institution for the physically and mentally handicapped. That was what was done with profoundly handicapped people back then. I never saw Irene again.

Over the years, I occasionally thought about this girl who was my own age and I wondered what had become of her. There seemed to be an unspoken understanding that none of us would talk about Irene. I became good friends with her mother, and as an artist, Irene’s mother encouraged me for years in my own artwork. I wonder, now, if my presence in her life reminded her of Irene and made her sad for her own daughter.

A few years ago, someone is the state system of the Office of Retardation, upon hearing what town I lived in, asked me if I knew an Irene who was originally from my town. Yes, it was the Irene I knew. I found out that Irene was in a wheelchair and dependent upon others for all of her care. I was told that she had beautiful snow-white hair. Just like her mom, I thought to myself. I put it on my “to-do” list to travel to see Irene even though I knew she wouldn’t know who I was. Somehow, I always felt a kinship to this early playmate of mine. But, I never got around to traveling to see Irene. Now, it’s too late!

Society changes and its way of dealing with its handicapped citizens has changed. Institutionalizing those with disabilities is no longer the primary recommendation that medical and educational experts advise.

It was 30 years after Irene and I were born, that my third child developed a serious seizure disorder with its resulting retardation. No one suggested that my son be institutionalized. There were government and educational services available to help him remain at home and be a part of his family. How thankful I am for that, because this son is a special blessing to our family. The picture above shows my son as a youngster in his snowmobile helmet with full-face guard that permitted him to play without being injured from his dozens of sudden falls each day. Over the years, the seizures lessened, and he no longer had to wear a helmet. During that time, he had wonderful special education teachers in school and excellent neurologists to monitor his medications. Now, as an adult, he lives in a group home, works at a sheltered workshop, and he has friends and activities he likes to do.

What can be said about the value of a person who had such a limited life experience as Irene or about my son who will need daily help and supervision for the rest of his life? Jesus spoke about these handicapping conditions in a conversation with his disciples. Listen to this episode from the Bible: “As Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.’” (John 9:1-3)

I don’t understand how it all works, but Jesus affirms that in some manner, individuals afflicted with severe handicaps are a necessary part of God’s way to display His works in this world. God’s sovereignty to create each human person, as He deems best, and His sovereignty to dispense to them abilities or withhold abilities is God’s right. He is the Potter; we are the clay.

I believe with all my heart that Irene was one of God’s special creations, made above all to display the handiwork of God in some mysterious and magnificent manner. Human eyes would look at her, pity her, and question her worth. But according to the Word of God, in some manner the works of God were displayed in her. What greater worth can anyone have than that?

Irene, this is my tribute to you.

Montezuma Swamp

Birds I hadn’t seen before- that’s what I wanted to see! So, I looked through my birding book and found that about two hours away from home was a mysterious sounding place called the Montezuma Swamp. It’s a national wildlife refuge and an especially important place for migrating birds in the spring and fall. Just the place for me to find new birds!

Planning to make a day of it, I hooked my small camping trailer behind my car, and off I went. I passed three of New York’s Finger Lakes and went through several good-sized towns, and finally, I saw the sign- MONTEZUMA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE. After driving half an hour slowly beside acres and acres and acres of cattails, I finally found the perfect place- a small parking lot next to a small shallow lake surrounded by… you guessed it- acres and acres and acres of cattails. To get past the visual distraction of the cattails, there was a birding observation tower to climb that looked out over the lake. Actually, the lake is called a pool, Tschache Pool (pronounced ‘shocky’).

The birds on the lake were a long ways from me, and even with my binoculars, I didn’t have any idea of what I was seeing. At last, a very elderly gentleman climbed the tower with his tripod and spotting scope, and he gave me a guided tour through his spotting scope of what I was looking at. The most exciting thing to see was four bald eagles! I was actually looking at real, live bald eagles! There was an adult eagle with its distinctive white head, and three of its offspring with their first year, all-over brown plumage. One of the huge juveniles took off and soared through the sky to my delight!

I was thinking about how I had to go to where the birds were, and especially to where the bald eagle was in order to see it. Because I was desperate enough to see new birds, I had to go to the Montezuma Swamp.

At the same time, I’ve been thinking about people who say that they don’t know about God- what He is like- but they want to know Him. In addition, I’ve been thinking about Christians who say that they just don’t seem to be able to live as Christ Jesus would want them to live because they feel defeated and spiritually powerless. These kinds of people say they are desperate for a deeper, more meaningful spiritual life. However, they are not alone. I’ve also been thinking about how I can get into a slump, and Christianity seems sort of ‘ho-hum’ to me. I know that isn’t right.

At those times, our actions show whether we are really desperate for more of God. Let’s think about it. If we want to buy some socks, Tylenol, and a CD, do we know where to go? Certainly! We go to WalMart. If we want to get a new car, do we know where to go? Certainly! We go to the car dealer in town. If we have an abscessed tooth, do we know where to go? Certainly! We go to the dentist. If we are out of bread, do we know where to go? Certainly! We go to the grocery store. Why then, when other people and I are spiritually hungry, are we mystified about where to go?

Jesus said, “ Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4) Therefore, if we want to live spiritually- really live spiritually!- then we need to be feeding on the word of God. We need to go to the Bible and read it. Through God’s Word we see God clearly and hear his heartbeat of gracious mercy that He is bestowing upon mankind. Through God’s Word, we see who Jesus is and hear His promise to satisfy spiritual hunger.

If we are desperate for more of God, we need to look steadily and carefully at what we are reading in the Bible. Sometimes we even need a wiser and more spiritually mature person- one who eagerly studies the Bible himself or herself- to come alongside to point out and identify what we are reading. It’s just like the elderly man who identified the birds that I was seeing yesterday. I asked him why he kept coming back for so many years to look at the birds. He said there was always something new to see and learn. It’s that way with reading the Bible if we are desperate enough.

It’s simple to understand. Where do we go to see birds? To the Montezuma Swamp. Were do we go if we’re spiritually hungry? To the Bible!

Monster Swells and Crashing Waves?

It was a sunny, pleasant day at the state park next to Lake Ontario. There was a gentle breeze and just a hint of fall in the air. Canadian geese and seagulls flew overhead. Only one sailboat could be seen on the horizon. Small waves lapped the shore.

As I meandered along the beach next to the water, I spotted a piece of driftwood that was worthy of a photo. I sat in the sand just above the water line and aimed my camera at the driftwood; I was waiting for just the right background wave to complement the driftwood in the foreground. I watched the swells of water out a ways, trying to judge the biggest and best one that would crest at the right moment for my photo.

As minutes passed, I studied the waves more and more. Then, I set down the camera and picked up my binoculars to aim at the swells and cresting waves. Whereas, before, I was perfectly content to be just a foot away from the water, suddenly, fear gripped me at the frightening magnitude of the oncoming swell and the force of the crashing wave in front of me. By looking through the binoculars I was sure I was about to be overwhelmed with a Tsunami and be swept out to sea!

Quickly, I pulled the binoculars down to look and be sure I was still safe above the water line. I remembered a verse in the Bible that says that God set the boundaries of how far the waters of the seas can come up on the land. Once I got that thought in my head and decided I could trust the truth of it, I looked through the binoculars again and began to enjoy the magnified illusion of frightening, monstrous swells and violently crashing waves before my eyes. God was not going to- all of a sudden- violate the physical laws of nature and let the water come up and grab me! As a result, I felt safe to continue to enjoy the adrenaline rush of being frightened.

Since then, however, I’ve wondered what it was within me that wanted to continue to “feel” scared by looking at the illusion of monstrous swells and crashing waves through the safety of binoculars. I wonder if it is like the thrill of riding a roller coaster- a frightening, but safe experience.

However, there are times when adrenaline-producing experiences aren’t safe. Some people like to live on that edge. They like to push themselves beyond the point of safety. Some examples might be- people who participate in extreme sports, people who push their bodies beyond the point of exhaustion to get rich, people who get involved in street drugs, people who have the money but won’t replace bald tires on their car, or people who assume pornography won’t hurt their marriage. Those are only a few situations that quickly come to mind. There are a multitude of risky behaviors we engage in-or have engaged in- if we stop to think about it.

TheBible talks about these things. God’s personality is such that He cares intensely for the welfare of all mankind. For that reason, when people deliberately put themselves in harm’s way and presume upon God’s kindness to watch over them, it is called “putting God to the test”. Jesus said, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Jesus said he came to earth that we could have life and have it abundantly. I've been thinking over the difference between living abundantly and living by putting God to the test. Sometimes it's not easy to know which of those we are doing. We probably ought to think about it and ask God to show us which we are doing- living recklessly or living abundantly.

If you need wisdom- if you want to know what God wants you to do- ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. James 1:4,5

Finishing What Is Started

You are no doubt asking yourself what this is. Let me explain.

Shortly after 9/11 while I was having pizza with my daughter-in-law at DeSalvo's in Warsaw, an idea came into my head for a book. Most of us were still trying to understand the events of the terrorist attack against the US, and I had been doing the same thing. The idea that came to me concerned how Christian young people living in a country completely devastated by enemy occupation could have their faith nurtured if Bibles and churches were outlawed. The idea seemed full blown in my mind as an adventure story like the Hardy Boy books we've all read. Yet it was to be far more. It was to be a lengthy allegory explaining the person of Jesus. Having been a Bible study leader for years, I recognized that the idea came by God's nudge through the Holy Spirit. I grabbed a napkin and scribbled down the main ideas of the book's plot, and then I returned to eating pepperoni pizza.

As the days went by, I thought more about the book I was to write. I knew I had to do watercolor paintings to accompany the storyline and I'd need models to draw from. I bought six artist's manikins and began making faces on them by using light cardboard, freezer tape, acrylic paint, and fuzzy pieces of hair. Then I sewed clothing appropriate for each character. As I did all of that, I thought a lot about each character's personality and how they would fit into the story line. These 'people' became very real to me.

Now, eight years later, I'm on the third major revision of the book. There are forty three chapters, 150,000 words (more or less), sixty watercolors and an appendix of over three hundred of the names of Jesus that are in the Bible. I have plans to self publish the book later this year. The book's called AFTER THE DEVASTATIONS- THE JOURNEY.

I've had a lot!!!! of computer problems in the process of writing, formatting, scanning pictures, etc in the last eight years. It was early this spring that more computer problems brought me to needing high-speed Internet, and as a result of exploring those opportunities, I starting experimenting with writing blogs accompanied by my photos. I have enjoyed this activity and in the future I hope to continue writing more blogs.

However, in the meantime, I need to do something else. As I study the Word of God, I am becoming more and more convinced that the days ahead will be full of great tribulation for Christians before the soon return of Jesus Christ. I really need to get the book finished and published as soon as I can; it is meant to be a source of encouragement to Christians going through hard times. Bibles and gatherings of Christian believers are being outlawed in more and more places in this world. These difficult times are most likely to come upon us here in the United States, too. Believers need to know the person of Jesus better as they face these times. The book I've written is not only an entertaining adventure story, but it highlights the excellency of who Jesus Christ is. The book needs to be finished.

This morning I read in the Bible, God's admonition to us of what we are to do as we begin to recognize the signs of Jesus' soon return: But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Luke 21:34,35

Being weighed down with dissipation- that phrase spoke to my heart. Writing blogs is dissipating my time and energy. I've been scattering my mental attention and efforts. Writing blogs is not sinful. But for me, at this time, it is taking away my focus from publishing the book about Jesus. Revising, editing and formatting a book is incredibly hard, boring work! No wonder I've enjoyed the easier fun of blogging. But I need to finish the book that I started.

I want to thank all of you who have encouraged me in my blogging efforts. Your kind words have meant a lot to me. God willing, I'll return to blogging by the end of the year.

But in the meantime, with God's help I'm going to finish what I started.

Birdwatching Honesty

Double Crested Cormorant

I wanted some kind of excuse to be walking more. Not just walking anywhere, but outside in the woods and fields, the places I loved to roam as a child. So I took up birdwatching last summer with the intent of making colored pencil sketches of the various kinds of birds I spotted. (I allowed myself the liberty of using bird ID pictures to draw from once I spotted a bird in the wild. A picture in a book sits still long enough to draw from!)

In the early part of summer, I had managed to spot in my back yard and draw the common birds: a robin, a goldfinch, a house sparrow, etc. However, as time went on, I knew I had to visit other habitats to find more birds to draw. That endeavor found me and my son strolling alongside the Silver Lake outlet on an old railroad bed. We had our binoculars with us, but not our cameras or bird ID books.

Suddenly, across the water, I saw a large darkish bird on a bare tree branch that kept stretching its neck up high. It had light stripes of feathers on its breast, and it kept fluffing its feathers on its back and nervously jerking its tail. I clearly saw a crest on its head and a large bill when it turned its head sideways. Its feet looked yellow-greenish. My son and I watched the bird for quite sometime until it took off and flew past us, a large and dark bird.

When I got home I poured over the bird ID books. No bird quite fit the description, but at last I decided to settle on the bird being a Double Crested Cormorant. That bird fit most of the features I saw. Quite a rare water bird for our area. I was thrilled to make a sketch of the bird.

Bird watching books warn birders that they have such a great desire to spot new varieties of birds to add to their Life List, that they are tempted to claim to make a sighting when in fact, a clear identification isn't possible. Well, that's what I did! I was dishonest with myself. Because I wanted so badly to draw another bird in my sketch book, I deceived myself that I had made a proper identification. I had done what the Bible talks about- The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it. Jeremiah 17:9

The next week my deceitful heart was revealed to me. I found that my motive of desperately wanting a new bird to sketch made me dishonest with the facts right before my eyes.

Juvenile Green Heron

The next week I spotted a huge, snow white bird take off from a marshy area next to the parking lot where I was standing. The bird flew right past me! A magnificent stately bird with its neck tucked into an S curve and long legs trailing out behind it. Of course, when I got home I looked up what kind of bird it was. There was no mistaking its identity; it was a Great Egret.

However, in the process of identifying that huge, white bird, in my reading I discovered that the dark bird I had seen the week before next to the Silver Lake outlet matched the description of a different bird than I thought! What I had really seen was a Juvenile Green Heron with its yellow-green legs, not a Cormorant, a bird with webbed black feet. (I had chosen to ignore the color of the feet.) Besides that, the Green Heron was far more apt to be found in the wooded, watery location where I was, whereas a Cormorant is found in more open waters of the Great Lakes. (I had chosen to ignore the fact of the habitat I was in.)

To those of you who are reading this blog who are not bird watchers, all these details have, no doubt, been more than you ever wanted to know about birding. However, a birder reading this account would identify with me how easy it is to deceive ourselves when wanting to identify a new bird.

In the same manner, I think it is very easy to deceive ourselves in our motives in almost all the things we do. We might be doing something very nice thing for someone else, when in reality our true purpose is to get that person obligated to us (to owe us a favor). We might give large amounts of money to a popular fund raiser, when in reality we don't care about the cause, but we want to be regarded as generous in the eyes of the public. We might sing praises to the Lord in the church choir, when in reality our motive is to show off before others. We might be friendly to others ,not just because its the right thing to do, but because having other people like us boosts our ego.

Quite honestly, when we begin to examine our motives, I believe that anything we do has mixed motives. The motive of doing things to benefit others is mixed with the motive that brings selfish benefits to ourselves. The Bible speaks of the dilemma this puts us in. The Bible and God can see though the deceptions of our hearts to see the true motives of our hearts. For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from His (God's) sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:12,13

Our motives are a mixture of good and bad, charitable and selfish, especially when we compare ourselves with the living Word of God. God will hold us accountable for those mixed motives. Identifying a bird wrongly is of no eternal consequence. Standing before God with besmirched motives has eternal consequences. The shed blood of Jesus is adequate to forgive this kind of sin. How thankful I am for that!

Looking At The Sky

Majestic! Is there any other word that can describe these clouds?

Awesome! Light breaking through the darkness takes our breath away.

Glorious! How else to describe such a beautiful sunrise?

People respond instinctively to magnificent displays of grandeur in the sky. They use words like 'majesty', 'awesome', and 'glorious'. Yet the words we use usually fall short of the response we feel to view such splendor. And it's no wonder our words aren't adequate. Sunrises and sunsets are a reflection of God's gladness. "You (O God) make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy." Psalm 65:8b

God's majesty! God's joy! These things can be known about God through what we see in God's creation, in this case, in the skies. The Bible says: For what can be known about God is plain to them (mankind), because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in things that have been made." Romans 1:19,20a

Isn't it wonderful that the warmth of spring has arrived so that we can be outside more? We can go out doors without winter coats and boots, and we can see and reflect upon the new life God is bringing forth. In the creation we see the revelation of God's attributes, His eternal power and divine nature. Even when we look up at the skies we see evidence of His majesty. Let us be glad as he is glad!

Little Foxes

"Twenty eight, twenty nine... " the owner said. "Where's chicken number thirty? Another one's missing! What's taking my chickens?"

A week later, lots of white feathers were on the lawn. It was evidence of a struggle between another missing rooster and some kind of animal. Away from the hen house and down in the gully were more feathers, evidence that the rooster wasn't killed immediately and had continued to struggle before being killed. Unfortunately, the rain had washed away the tracks of the aggressor. What kind of animal was stealing and killing the chickens? Was it the neighbor's dog? A coyote? A fox? A bobcat? A bear? There was no way to tell. The chicken owner started to keep a sharp eye out for the culprit, whatever it was. He kept his rifle at hand.

It was a week later. The owner saw a red fox trotting up the gully heading straight for the hen house. Now the owner knew what he was dealing with. However, the fox spooked and ran off before the owner could get his rifle. None the less, now, the owner knew what he had to do to protect his flock. He couldn't be there 24 hours a day with his rifle to protect them, so he did the next best thing. Within hours, he had driven dozens of iron stakes into the ground and surrounded the hen house and field with 400 feet of mesh fence pulled down tight against the earth. Now his treasure was safe from the fox.

Foxes eat not only meat, but also grass and fruit. The Bible has an interesting verse about foxes. It's found in Song of Solomon. In that passage a lover is talking to his beloved. Using the metaphor of little foxes, the lover says that it's vitally important for the two of them to protect their mutual relationship from things that will damage it. In a poetic way, the lover says that his beloved must be especially vigilant to keep their budding relationship intact. He gives her a warning that needed to be heeded. He says to his beloved, "Let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom." Song of Solomon 2:14b, 15

What does this mean, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards? I think it means the little cutting remarks that a wife makes about her husband in his presence or when she is with her girl friends. I hear women belittle their husbands all the time, at places where I have worked and at places where I socialize with other women. I've heard church women put down their husbands just as readily as women outside the church. I wonder how a man must feel to know that the woman whose voice is sweet to him and whose face is lovely to him (that's why he married her!) is habitually bad mouthing him, allowing little foxes of contempt to destroy what is precious in their relationship.

The Bible instructs us wives how to treat our husbands. "An excellent wife who can find?...The heart of her husband trusts in her... She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. Proverbs 31:10-12 (parts) A major way a woman does good to her husband is to praise him, rather than to bring shame upon him with her words. Women who continue to belittle their husbands are as negligent as a chicken owner who would build no fence, but instead leave his flock to the mercy of a hungry fox.