They Are Back!

Late Monday afternoon, I went over to my son's and daughter-in-law's house to refill my drinking water jugs.  I am ashamed to admit that I am a water snob, having been used to delicious, cold and sweet well water from our old home of almost 25 years that we sold a while back.  The water from the well on the lot we are currently renting is full of iron, keeps me constantly scrubbing the stains from the sinks and toilet, and tastes like you are sucking on an old rusty iron pipe when you drink it.  Thus, the reason for getting our drinking water from the kids' well.

As I stepped out of the car, empty jugs in hand, my ears picked up the sound I have been yearning for the last month.  Blackbirds!  Their voices were raised in the distance, announcing their arrival to our mountain valley and their yearly nesting grounds.  Tremendous joy filled my heart as I stood there listening to them call back and forth to each other.  I joined in their revelry, basked in the knowledge that with them comes Spring, and praised my Lord and my God for faithfully returning them at a time I needed them the most.

The return of these small, insignificant birds may sound trivial to some, but not to me.  Their arrival confirmed that God is still present in my heart and life, and He is still in control of all things seen and unseen, even the migratory pattern of birds.  There is nothing too small that He does not notice and tend to its needs.  And the fact they came on that particular day, following a moment of conviction and a reminder of Jesus' great love for all of His creation, played a more important role as the day came to a close.

We must never take anything in God's creation for granted, even the appearance of a bird that is called back to where it will begin new life.  I think this year's season change has taught me that very important lesson.  As I watch the little birds that have been feeding at the suet cages all winter, I can also see changes in them.  The males are donning their tuxedos of  pattern and color to woo the females.  Pairs of males and females are accompanying each other in preparation of setting up house somewhere in the trees.  

And even the squirrels that have feuded all winter over the peanuts I tossed to them are now beginning to allow others to feed alongside them - although, they have not ceased their incessant chatter.

There is so much to look forward to as Spring progresses into summer: the anticipation of the Lord clothing the bare fields with wild flowers; vibrant green leaves bursting from tree limbs, and the earth being blanketed with field grasses.  

The air will be filled with the song of the meadow larks  as they lift their voice in praise to the Lord for ending the long, cold winter.  And I will join them.

Thank You, Jehovah Jireh, our Provider, for Your ever-lasting faithfulness in gifting to us Your creation, to be in awe of each part of it, and to enjoy it every season.  It truly is beautiful and wonderful!

Three Questions

John 21:15-17

I started this blog approximately one year ago with the intention of serving God through it; to bring Him the glory, the honor, and the praise He deserves from me and to, perhaps, reach even one reader who is seeking Him through a simple word or phrase.  Having reached the first anniversary milestone, I was beginning to question myself and why I had attempted such a seemingly colossal task.  Doubt about my ability to write well enough and that I would capture an audience who would continue to return for more also crept in.  No sincere writer wants to bore his or her reader.  Rather, it is their desire to draw the reader into the magic of their story, to hold their interest as it unfolds, and to make them anxious for the dramatic conclusion.  If this is not accomplished, the result is a half-read book tossed into the mountain of unworthy manuscripts.

While taking college writing courses, my instructor impressed upon me the importance of a clean, precise, and well-written paper.  Borrowing a phrase from Lewis Carroll’s, Through the Looking Glass, she said, “Begin at the beginning and go through to the end.”  This sentence has stuck to me like glue as the single most-important factor in writing a successful story.  To me, it became the very essence of conveyance and structure and taught me that to not do so meant I would fail in my attempt to gain my readers’ trust and their interest in what I had to say.

As the last year stretched on, I began to notice that it was becoming more difficult to maintain a steady flow of new and fresh blog entries.  And as the blog’s first anniversary came to a close, the most dreaded experience every writer fears made an appearance: what some like to call “writer’s block.”  For the past month, the words would not come.  I felt as though my mind’s blackboard had been erased of every creative idea I had stored there.  I went to the Lord in prayer and pleadings with my problem, but even had difficulty forming my petition into any semblance of structure.  I continued to watch the traffic counter installed on this blog, its few visitor numbers slowly dwindling to only me and a random visit from perhaps one other person, now and then.  And as this problem progressed, it drove me deeper into doubt over continuing and the thought that perhaps God had fulfilled His purpose and it was time to quit.  It was at this critical turning point that the three questions came.

“…do you truly love Me more than these?” (v15)

My response to the question posed to me was typical of most Christians.  Translated from the original Greek, the word “love” used in the first question is “agape”, signifying volitional and self-sacrificing love.  But I mimicked Peter’s usage of the translated form, “phileo”, which signifies affection and brotherly love, telling Him that, of course, He knew I loved Him more than any other.

Once again the question came in the “agape” form, only this time it was aimed at my heart:

“…do you truly love Me?” (v 16)

As Jesus did with Peter, He spoke directly to me.  And true to human nature, just as Peter did, I once again responded with the “phileo” form of love, reconfirming that, indeed, I did love Him.

But the third time the question was asked, it dawned on me what I was doing and the shame it brought to me equaled what Peter must have felt when he later realized the depth of Jesus’ question:

“Do you love Me?”  (v 17)

The process took over a month, but Jesus was able to finally break through the barrier I had built up around my heart concerning this blog.  As He did with Peter, He turned the question around by using the Greek form we both had used in our response, and it encouraged me to reply with the appropriate one.  My mistake?  I had made the idea of this blog more important than the One Whom it was meant to serve.  It was not intentional, but it happened.  By gently asking me the question three times, Jesus forced me to reexamine my true motives for the blog and to go back to the beginning of its intended purpose:

“Feed My sheep.”

Each time Jesus posed the question to Peter, He followed it up with the command to feed His lambs with His Gospel.  Out in the vast stretches of this world is a flock belonging to Him that needs to be nourished with His Word.  Perhaps even more important, however, is that there are uncounted others who have not yet heard it and who do not know that He truly is the only way to salvation.  

It is in places like this blog that can afford Him the opportunity to convey His message to the lost who may by accident stumble upon it.  However, it is not up to me to determine the number of them that visit here, whether it is one or one thousand.  God will send those He intends to receive benefit from it.  It is not for my glory that the words that are poured into me and then transferred to these pages edifies a reader or draws another.  The honor and praise that emanates from the entries posted here belong solely to Him, not to me or any other.  Neither does the responsibility of choosing what to write on this blog lie with me.  The ideas for the stories you read here have, in the past, always come after much prayer.  He has never failed me when I have asked Him what it is He wants to say on a particular day.  In fact, there are some I write that seem to come from somewhere else than from my own thoughts.  Those are the ones I always marvel over the most.  

As I did in the beginning, I must follow this blog through to the end of the story I am writing here.  God will decide when that time will be, and I am once again confident that the end of the story will be a glorious one.  After all, it has already been written, I have read it many times and never grow tired of it, and I can guarantee its conclusion is beyond our wildest hopes and dreams.

As another year unfolds before me and this blog, I know that as long as I remember those three questions and the reason behind them, the Lord will faithfully provide me with the words He wants written here.  I pray you have been, and continue to be, fed to the fullest as you briefly visit my tiny spot on the internet.  I know my life has been enriched in providing my stories to you.  But I also pray you will long to be filled even more, to hunger and thirst after His righteousness and  truth, and to share with me His unbreakable promises as we await His return.

Oh... and my answer to His final question?

“Yes, Lord.  I understand now.  I do love You.”

As Seasons Change

What do you do when you don’t know what to do? 

It seems my days are becoming more like that as the winter stretches on; no routine (or a desire to follow one), bored with a knitting project I have been working on and wishing I was finished so I could move on to the next one, and finding myself here at the computer more than I would like to be.  To make matters worse, I am stuck in every writer’s troublesome nightmare - writer’s block.  I am clearly in a rut and the seasons and the weather they bring are the culprits causing my slump.

Spring is on its way, but it has been a slow process, it seems.  To me, this past winter was  a long one.  We didn’t get a lot of snow (to some, however, three feet may sound like a lot), but we did get agonizingly cold temperatures.  A brief stint of “warmer” weather passed through in January.  The temperature actually rose above 40 degrees for almost a week.  But, Winter is a stubborn season and has returned with nighttime sub-zero temperatures again and the daytime temperature barely rises above freezing.  It is almost as though it is defying my longing for Spring, for the melting snow and that first glimpse of green poking its head from the cold dirt.  I long for T-shirt weather and to be outside raking up pine needles, cleaning up the area around the fire pit, and straightening up the mess Winter brings.  But sadly, deep snow remains and the weather that will reveal bare ground is months away.

The clouds that have hovered over our mountain valley all winter have moved on for a spell and brought gloriously sunny and blue sky days.  Although it was still below freezing, I found myself standing outside this morning, cup of tea in hand, soaking up the rays of the sun and relishing the warmth of it on my face.  I didn’t want to go back inside.  It meant that I would once again find myself wondering what to do with the day as Winter dragged on and refused to budge.

There is hope in the waning days of Winter, though.  My husband saw a flock of geese fly into the valley a few days ago.  They are a sure sign that Spring is coming.  However, I am waiting for that first blackbird, the joyous herald of warmer days to come that surges into the valley as Winter changes to Spring.  They have never failed me.  As I was reading an old devotional that I have had for almost ten years, I noticed I had written in the margin that the blackbirds had returned early two years in a row.  Because I had dated my note and knew the years they came early those particular Februarys, it lifted my spirit.  Each day I keep my ears tuned and await the sound of their anxious chirring as they return to their mountain breeding grounds.  For two weeks I have patiently waited because I know when they arrive, Winter will officially be over, the cold air will warm, the snow will melt into the earth, and life will begin anew.  

How strange it is to think that my soul is so joined with the changing seasons and the creatures that herald them.  I have been feeding peanuts to three squirrels through the window by my computer, and the small birds who dare to brave the harsh winters  here have been grateful for the suet I have provided for them. But I think God planned it that way, don’t you?  As we sluggishly linger in the doldrums of one season, He gently draws us into another.  He reminds us of the beauty and perfection of His universe and how each season holds something special for us.  And in His infinite wisdom, He created a world of changing seasons so that when we found ourselves wondering what to do with our idle time, the answer would also be given as one season moves on to the next.

I am thankful for that, Lord, for Your abounding wisdom in knowing that we needed change.  As I wait for Winter to turn to Spring, I think I will join You and watch for those blackbirds.

The Farmer and the Soil

For my brother-in-law, Scott, a farmer with a passion for the soil and the bounties it brings.

“A farmer went out to sow his seed….”
Matthew 13:3

"A farmer went out to sow his seed,"

    To work and till the land.
He stood and gazed with practiced eye
    At the fields that awaited his hand.

His memory brought back the year before,
    How the crop had blighted and failed;
The seeds had been sown and sprang from the earth,
    Then withered ‘neath the sun’s scorching veil.

Other years passed through his wandering mind,
    Of droughts, pests, and choking thorns;
The long weary days and sleepless nights,
    Then rising again with the dawn.

“This year will be different,” he said to himself.
    “The winter has brought needed rain.
 I’ll till the soil and sow the seed.
    I’ll do it all over again.”

Bending below him, reaching deep in the earth,
    He cradled the warm soil in his palm.
And to his face, he breathed deep its scent,
    The life-giving source of the loam.

From the corner of his eye he spied a rock
    Half-buried in the ground below.
Crouching beside it, he pulled and he tugged,
    For if left there, the seeds would not grow.

He climbed atop his plough that day
    And began the task at hand,
Of breaking the clods of the hard-packed soil,
    And preparing the heart of the land.

He tilled and toiled late into the night,
    For time was not on his side.
The seasons were short; the work must be done,
    Or no crop in this field would abide.

At last with weary, but satisfied steps,
    He climbed down from within the plough.
The field lifted the scent of the soil of its heart,
    And into his heart it did flow.

He loved the earth and its life-giving force;
    The bounties to mankind it would yield.
Only time would tell if his efforts were in vain
    In preparing the soil of this field.

In the morrow he would sow and lovingly tend
    The precious seeds that he placed in the ground.
The summer would wane as he watched them grow
    And fed and nourished each one.

He knew not the outcome, nor counted the cost,
    For each sown seed was dear.
He would patiently wait as each proved its worth,
    ‘Til the harvest of fall drew near.

Then with scythe and sickle he would finish his work;
     Into his storehouses he would bring
The fruit of his labor, the crop it did bear,
    And of the earth’s bounty that did spring.

The chaff and the stalk, he would sling aside;
    Its uselessness had no appeal.
It had borne the wheat and held the fruit,
    But its fate was eternally sealed.

Into the flames he would toss the stalk,
    The wind would blow away the chaff.
His storehouses were full to feed those who hungered,
    And to rest he could go at last.

But the winter is brief, a short respite,
    And spring comes ‘round again.
The farmer awakes from his wintry sleep,
    Another time to toil on his land.

A farmer went out to sow his seed,

    To work and till the land.
He stood and gazed, with practiced eye,
    Upon the field that awaited his hand.

Copyright 2006 Karen L. Brahs

The Smith Family Story: Audrey Caroline

Psalm 139:13-16

I have been listening to the Christian worship group, Selah, for many years now.  Their music inspires me and brings me closer to God each time I hear it.  

The lead male voice, Todd Smith, and his wife, Amy, tell the story of adding another child to their wonderful family.  What they did not know until a while into Amy's pregnancy was that the baby girl she carried would be born with Down Syndrome and devastating physical deformities.  Their faith in a merciful God carried them through their trial and gave them the hope, the comfort, and the peace they so desperately prayed for.

I hope that as Todd and Amy tell their beautiful story it will encourage you to take a stand for life.  Each child, regardless of his or her circumstances, is shaped and molded by the hand of God and is precious to Him.  Yet, there are those who would say that baby Audrey Caroline should not have been allowed to be born, that she was a cruel mistake of nature, even of God, and that her birth would only add to her parent's grief. 

Although God did not answer her parent's prayers with a miraculous healing, He spoke to her family, and even to us, through Audrey.  Born on April 7, 2008, God allowed Audrey Caroline Smith two and one half hours to  introduce herself to her family, to fix her eyes on them, to be held, kissed, and loved, then took her home to be with her Maker.  

But it will be a short separation.  One day, Audrey and her family will be reunited in glory, her imperfections gone, and the short time she had here with them will be replaced with an eternity of joy.

http://www.vimeo.com/951902?utm_campaign=embed&utm_source=951902

Renewal

Psalm 19:1 and Isaiah 40:5, 28

From the darkness, I said to the Lord:

“Like a dry and parched field, my soul longs for the nourishing rain of heaven.  Scorched by the trials and troubles of this world, it cries out for relief and for the divine presence of the only One able to bring it.

How long, Oh Lord, will You remain silent?  How long will you gaze upon the fallow ground of my heart as it calls upon You to enrich it with Your holiness?  Will You remain silent forever?  Will You leave Your servant to fend for herself, to wander the deserts of this world in search of You?

Do not tarry, Lord!  Do not hold back Your presence from me!  Speak to me, Lord.  Let me  hear Your voice!

As You “measured the waters in the hollow of [Your] hand,” measure Your servant’s devotion to You.  Weigh my love for You upon Your scales and if I am found lacking, adjust the balance for Your good pleasure.  From Your heavenly throne, look down upon me with tenderness and rain Your Spirit down upon my barren heart!

Return to me, Oh Lord!”

From the light, the Lord answered:

“Lift your eyes, beloved.  I am here.  Look to the heavens; gaze upon the earth.  Tell me, what do you see?   

The heavens speak of My glory; "the skies proclaim the work of [My] hands."  Marvel at the bounties I have set in place for you, the mercies I have poured out upon you.  Have they been found wanting?  Have I not sheltered and watched over you as a shepherd tenderly cares for his flock?

When you wandered, did I not leave the flock and go in search of you, gently carrying you upon My shoulders back into the safety of My fold?

When you cried out in darkness, did I not rush to bring you back into My light?

And when you reclined upon your bed, overwhelmed with anguish and despair, did I not lay My right hand upon your shoulder and give you peace?

Am I not “the Lord…the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth”?  I do not “grow tired or weary” as mere men whose strength fails them.  I do not cause men to stumble on rocky paths, for My pathway is clear, My steps are sure and the way is known to you, for I have made it known.

I AM the everlasting God.  My love for you will not wane.  My ancient eyes are ever upon you for I made you Mine from before the beginning.  I measure each step you take.  I have breathed My life into you.  I will not shut My ears to your call.  Therefore, My arm is not too short, nor My sight too dim, that I will not rescue you, though you stumble or grow faint.

Draw not away from Me, beloved, for I, too, desire your presence.  Return to Me and I will renew your strength.  I will pour out My power upon your weakness and I will carry you if you grow weary.  For, lo, I am with you always.”

Humbled, I said to the Lord:

“Oh Lord, how could I have doubted You!  How could I have wandered away so far from You that I could not see You have never left my side?  Forgive my wanderings and my unbelief!

How You have made my heart soar within me!  Because of Your untiring faithfulness, You have refreshed the soil of my heart and made the roots of my love for You grow deeper!  Like the wind that chases away the chaff, You have cleansed me once again with Your abounding love.  My faith and trust are strengthened and You have placed my feet back on Your path of righteousness.  Where You lead, I will follow.

Your wisdom cannot be measured, for You are the Sovereign Lord; the Maker of all things, both seen and unseen.  You have reopened my eyes to Your wonder and majesty and my renewed hope remains in You, my Lord and my God.  

I will look upon Your glory that fills the heavens and the earth, and I will praise You forever and ever!”

Black History Month: Planned Parenthood's Dark Secret

The following video is provided by Facing Life, a pro-life organization dedicated to bringing awareness of abortion and the original agenda of Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, and the "eugenics legacy" she implemented within the black community.  Dr. Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King and a leading voice in the pro-life movement, is highlighted in the video, along with Elaine Riddick who, unbeknownst to her, underwent forced sterilization at the age of 14 years following the birth of her son, Tony, who was the result of rape.

The video sends a powerful message, not only to the black community, but to all of America.  If you believe that each individual should have the right to choose abortion, I pray this video changes your heart.

http://www.facinglife.tv/episode/season_4/episode_10/episode_410.html

An Article Worth Reading

I check my blog traffic counter each morning and noticed a hit from a Australian blogger.  I visited his blog and would like to share with you the last article he posted in June of 2009. entitled "The Church: Lover Or Prostitute?"  I believe that, contained within the article, there is a question posed that each and every Christian should consider.

I pray it blesses you!

http://www.kevinbartonsmith.blogspot.com/

My Ineptness Shines Through!

I recently added or, should I say tried to add, a very useful tool called RefTagger to the blog.  It is offered by logos.com, a Bible reference website.  The advantage it has over Biblegateway is that when you hover your mouse on the highlighted Bible verse I have added, instead of opening a new page, a box pops up containing the referenced chapter and verse.  It provides immediate reference and the ability to continue to read additional Scripture verses, if desired, by clicking "more" in the bottom of the box .

The problem I had was with the "control panel" that was also offered.  This option allows the reader to modify his Bible preference - such as changing the translation from the New International Version to the King James, etc., and to use more information tools from logos.com.   However, there was a separate code that was provided, a "Step 2", if you will, that I have been unable to figure out and determine the proper place to put it. 

The main tool was easy.  Simply choose your preferred translation and add it as a page element to the bottom of the layout.  The second step involved adding the control panel, if you wished.  They provide a code to copy where you want the control panel to appear, then comes the dreaded "Step 2".  They instruct you to "add it to the head section of your page's HTML."  That's where I run into a wall.  When the first code is applied in layout where I want it to be, I don't get the control panel, only a box with part of the information.  AND, not fully understanding where the "head section" of my "page's HTML" is, I guess the wall I have run into is impenetrable at this point!  At least until someone with much more knowledge on the ins and outs of the layout comes to my rescue and helps me place the second code where it belongs!  The box that shows up in the right-hand column does not reflect the image it should.  However, the tool is useable.

So, for now, if you wish to read the highlighted Bible verses in your preferred version, look above "Labels" (inserted between my introduction and "Labels") in the right-hand column.  It will have the heading "Bible Options". Simply click on the version tab to bring up a drop-down box, select your version and click "save".  You are then able to hover your mouse on any Scripture verse that is added to the articles you read here to bring up the referenced verse.  Either that, or go to Biblegateway found in the right-hand column and look up the verse in your preferred version.  Both are valuable tools for referencing Scripture.

If you have any suggestions to offer or know where the "head section" of my "page's HTML" is and where within that section I am to place the code, I would sure appreciate the help.   I am the first to admit I can often be terribly inept when it comes to things like this.  In the meantime, I will keep trying to make your visit a more enjoyable one!

I Will Look To the Heavens

If I cannot comprehend the majesty of God…

If I cannot fathom the mystery of His being…

If I am unable to embrace His infinite wisdom, the height, the depth, or the magnitude of His creation…
  

Then I will take hold of His unwavering affections and wrap them around my heart.  I will  bathe in His Word, His works, and all that encompasses His holiness.  And like a child, I will look to the heavens and marvel at His royal beauty, be in awe of His unrivaled power and might, and faithfully return His divine, eternal love.

Isaiah 40:18-31