A Time to Be Born...A Time to Plant...

A time to be born, a time to die

A time to plant, a time to pluck up that which is planted

Ecclesiastes 3:2

A distant memory of long ago pops into my brain this morning as I read over that verse in Ecclesiastes. It has been an argument that I had with my dad one day when I was about 12 years old, I said to him angrily, "I didn't ask to be born."  Dad chuckled at that and replied, "Becky, I didn't either."

It was a rare event that I had argued with him. It just doesn't wasn't in me and therefore never done, at least not often and actually, that was the only time I ever did, I believe. I don't even remember what it was about. Probably he had refused to let me do something that I had wanted to. 

The thing about that statement I made though is that I had no control over the fact that I had been born. And he did not either. 

He had no control over how he would die many years later, of cancer. And likewise, I will have no control of that in my own life.

We used to live in the country and knew many of the farmers around us who planted their crops. Some prayed and counted on God to give them a good season, because it might look like a good season to plant, only to have the rain come and destroy much of it. 

What they plucked up, was certainly out of their control. 

The thing is, not everything in life is within our control. God gives us some, but ultimately most of life is under what he deems will be. Or not to be.

And so, it is good for us to consider this when we are going through the hard times in our lives. 

That life and death is out of our control, as well as many other things that makes up our time on earth. And no matter what...

we need to put our trust in the One that is in control.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends.

Have a blessed day.

Seasons and Purpose

 To everything there is a season and a purpose under heaven.  Ecclesiastes 3:1

It was actually King Soloman that realized that God has everything in his power and control. From the beginning to the end in all things. 

If we know anything about God, it is that He created all things and therefore had a purpose for all. And among those creations He created the cycle o life. Not only for humans but for animals and all else

We know that He and He alone is in control of everything. We may think we are in control. We may even be the kind of person that tries to control everything and everyone in their lives. But ultimately, when it comes right down to it, we have only limited control over what and how we live.

We can wake up in the morning and be utterly surprised at
something that happened during the night. But God is never surprised. He knows what is going on at any given time. At any given moment. 

And those things that take us by surprise? He allows them to happen for a greater purpose that we may never understand this side of heaven.

Life can not sit still. God created it so that it (and I don't like this word) evolve or grow into the next phase. Babies do not stay babies for long. They are created to depend on their parents to take care of them, to eventually wanting to take care of themselves. 

And as we know, sometimes that happens much earlier than we like.

But I think one of the reasons that we go through the changing of our seasons is to know that nothing happens in vain, especially when we trust in Jesus. We are to grow and trust him in the good and the bad times.

And also, that in our lives, things will never stay the same forever.

I am mindful of a situation that happened many years ago when our kids were growing up. We had been up one morning, and the boys were getting ready for school. They had been bickering back and forth and had gotten me quite upset as they wouldn't leave each other alone.

I didn't say it out loud, but I thought, "I cannot wait for the time when you guys are living on your own and I don't have to hear your fighting all the time."

As I said, that was many years ago. Now that season has passed. And the funny thing is, I long for those days when they were still at home.

But God had ordained it that they would one day move on and my season with them during those years were gone.

And that was the way it was supposed to be. As I think back on it, I realize that we need to take the time we have in life and be thankful to God for the gifts he has given us. 

Because all too soon, those seasons of our lives will be gone.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. God bless!

God bless!

Everything Has A Season

1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace  Ecclesiastes 3:1

We all go through different seasons of our lives. I myself, have gone through childhood, early adult hood, middle age, and now I am in the final one, which is the last one that we experience before our time is up on earth. 

Of course, some people don't make it all the way to that stage in their lives. Some pass away in earlier than others. But God ordained it that everything does have a season and a purpose in this life.

We know what our stages of life are. But what can we learn from these seasons and what they might mean to us if anything?

For the next few days, I will be delving into them, to see how we might answer those questions, starting tomorrow. Please come back to find out what life can be all about.

Thanks for coming, today Friends. May God richly bless you!

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His Grace Abounds!

 Have you heard it...?

Sure, you have. In some way, shape or form. 

About the foolishness of man. How does that verse in Proverbs 19: 3 go?

Oh yeah, here it is:

The foolishness of man perverts his way and his heart frettth against the Lord.

What does that mean anyway?

I looked it up and found this:

The word “fretteth” comes from the Hebrew word ‘zaaph’ and means to boil up in anger. Foolish men have anger in their hearts toward the Lord. They know that they are making unwise choices, but they want to fulfill their own sinful desires anyway.

Heard any of that kind of stuff lately? 

Again...sure you have.

You just have to turn on the news about what is going on in Washington, to hear all of the foolishness going on there.

Or you can find it elsewhere in the news where people hat commit crimes of hate, seeking their own ways instead of God's way, do unthinkable things to get it.

They make unwise choices.

We probably all see it in our homes or families. People that choose to turn away from truth and believe the lies of the devil. Those that deny God.

I know that I am not perfect. The bible tells me that. But I am thankful that I know that this scripture applies to me

W\here sin abounds, grace abounds much more. Romans 5:20

I don't consider myself intellectually smart. But there is one area that I am smarter than a lot of people. And that is where God comes into my life and the fact that I know I am a sinner, but I am also saved by his grace. Just that makes me smarter than so many people out in the world today that choose everything else....but God. And that goes for all people that do name the name of Jesus Christ. 

Because someday those foolish people will wish they had become smarter a bit sooner than they did.

Thank God that where our sin abounds God's Grace is

all the more greater.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. Have a blessed day in Jesus!

Burn Out?

 

Are you complaining today? Is your life not quite on key and that makes you feel like giving up or giving into some temptation?

Maybe you are experiencing some kind of burnout. With life. With family. With your Christian walk.

Well, let me tell you something. You aren't alone. Been there done that, as the saying goes. And if you are burning out, you are in the same boat of storms that the rest of us are at times. Just maybe different circumstances

Did you know that even pastors burn out? And sometimes their families struggle with it.

It is shocking that even those that God rises up to do his work, can get to that place.

But they do.     (see:  2021 report suicide pastors)

And for many reasons. Because being a pastor is not an easy job. 

It's sad.

So, the next time we feel like complaining, or we can't seem to get one foot in front of the other, we should remember that without a shadow of a doubt, God knows what we are going through. It's no surprise to Him that we are at a bad time. And still, he is with us. Always.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. Corinthians 1:3-4

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. God bless!

 

Anger

 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness. Proverbs 15:1-2

Are you angry today with someone? Is someone angry with you today? 

Have you yelled or perhaps even used curse words toward someone? Has someone done that towards you today?

We all get angry at times. I can admit to that as I live with my husband 24/7 with him. And he with me.

I can honestly say for today, that we have not been angry with each other. Yet, anyway.

However, anger is an all too easy thing to do. Don't get me wrong. There are times to be angry. But the bible also says this about anger:

Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Ephesians 4:26-27

In these days when there is so much anger in the world, we would do well to remember what God has to say to us about it. Having problems with a family member or friend? Learn to forgive, not pass judgment and when they say something to offend us, answer them not with anger, but with a soft answer. As hard as that can be, it teaches us how to live at peace as much as possible with all. (Romans 12:18)

And it doesn't let the devil have a foothold into our relationships.

Thanks for coming by today friends. Have a blessed day!

God's Plan

I know of a young teenage boy that was adopted by a couple who could not have children, several years ago. This child had come from a abusive family, and both his parents had been in and out of prison for years, due to various charges. They had both signed their parental rights for him, away.

Sadly, the problems that he came with in the adoption, has been very stressful on the rest of the family. His adoptive dad has lost weight and hasn't slept well in all this time.

For about three years now they have tried to get him help because it became known that he has some real mental issues. 

But try as they might, they have not been able to get their son the help he desperately needs.

The saddest part of this all, is that this boy-because of the actions of his own biological parents, it has become increasingly evident that he may be headed for a life of crime and prison. Just like they have.

Nothing that his adoptive parents have done has worked. And it sad that he cannot see that they were providing him with the best possible life that he had ever had. It goes to show that sometimes, love alone just is not the answer to some situations. In his case, with the love, he needs more. And yet, no one provided it for him outside his adopted family, and he is more than they can handle.

Upon talking to his adoptive dad yesterday we agreed about what is probably inevitable in his life, especially if he does not find God, somewhere along his life's journey. But it is like I told his dad that even so, God has a plan for this boy's life. His problems are not a new thing for God to figure out what He has for his life. God is not surprised that he has mental issues far beyond what anyone has bothered or could to do to get him help. 

 Just because he was born into the family life he was, does not mean that he is beyond help. He can still make the right decisions. God still can work in his life. 

How his life ultimately turns out is anyone's guess. But God knows. And he can take this boys anger and do something with it. But it is up to the boy to let God do it. And in the meantime, how much pain will he have to end up going through?

The reason I am writing today about him, is for a reminder to us. You and me. And those around us that we know. 

Whatever we are going through, God has a plan for us.  We need Him. Every minute, every hour, every day that we live. And in the meantime, we can hold on to this promise:

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremaih 29:11

Those of us that know and have a relationship with our Father in heaven, already knows this. 

As for this boy? He may have to learn it the hard way. Will he?

Only God knows. And all we can do, is pray for him.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. God bless you.

As the Deer Pants for Water

 Some years ago, my life was very hard. Which was nothing new for me. Life has always been hard for me.  But during this time, so hard that I began to entertain thoughts of leaving my husband. Our oldest child was out of our home by now and our sons were teenagers. I just wanted out of the mess of a life we were living.

We were in church and at that point, I loved the friendships I had made there, and the ministries that God had led us to.

All looked good on the outside. But it was the inside that I had no peace even though God had delivered us from so much by then.

It was during that church lifetime, that a few of the women went to an annual weekend retreat to Ripley, W.VA. What an experience that was. To get together for a whole weekend after leaving the problems at home, to be with so many women that loved and worshipped the same God that I did. 

It hadn't been that I didn't love God. I did. And I was trying to live a life pleasing to Him. But I was struggling with ME. 

And the one song that I remember from that weekend that I learned, came from Psalm 42:1.

 As a deer pants for flowing streams,

    so pants my soul for you, O God.

I realized that it was God whom I had been panting after. Longing for something that was missing in my life.

His Peace

I went home from that beautiful weekend with a different attitude.

Oh, believe me, those feelings of wanting "out" didn't just go away. I struggled with them for quite some time and had even decided that once our youngest son graduated high school, I was leaving once and for all.

But God had other plans for me. And He used several ways in order to get that through my head. 

The funny thing is. Real peace to me did not actually come until the morning of September 11, 2001.  Before we even knew about what was to go on in New York City etc, that day and I contemplated what I would be doing. I realized for the first time in a long time, that God's peace was washing over me. Much more would blow up that morning. The towers in NY, and my plans to do what I had been wanting to do. 

And although things still have never been easy in my life even to this day, my husband I celebrated our 51st wedding anniversary last year. 

Amazing, isn't it? 

How God helps us keep things together until He gets it worked out in our lives. 

Even while we might still be struggling at times.

He is with us.

And so long as we desire Him...

above all else.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. May God give you the peace you long for in Him, no matter what is going on in your life. I would encourage you to look up this song: As the Deer Pants For the Water. I am sure you will find it as calming to your spirit as do I.

God Bless!

Peace I Leave With You..John 14:27

 

It is no secret that life in the past couple of years has dealt our world, our country, families some pretty heavy blows. If the government problems haven't been bad enough, we have witnessed and even been a part of the terrible virus Covid-19 has made it's way into our homes, businesses and communities. 

Maybe it has touched you. Or your family. Or your friends. So many people have been caught up in the fear of getting it-with good reason-that the ERs and clinics can't seem to keep up again with the latest variant of it. I personally witnessed this lately with a member of my extended family was struggling with that fear.

Don't get me wrong, she had a right to be fearful. She landed in the hospital for many weeks of covid in 2021, that it literally has produced fear in her every waking moment that she might have it, or will get it again.

Imagine having fear like that control your life.

So that it is with you every waking moment.

Interrupting your sleep. 

And maybe your relationships

Friends, God doesn't want us to live in fear. Fear is not of God. It is one of the devils many play grounds. To keep us so wrapped up in it, that we forget that no matter what, God is in control. 

Again, don't get me wrong. we should take precautions and do the best we can to not subject ourselves to it. But we can't always be sure that our "best" will always work. There is always that chance that we may be exposed to it.

It is well that we remember-while doing the best we can-that our God is bigger than any disease. He can keep us healthy. And if we do come down with it, He can heal us. 

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. My next blog will be posted January 20th. Have a blessed day!

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COVID miracles: 3 healthy patients who nearly died from COVID-19 speak out - ABC News

The Woman That Survived (Nov.17, 2021)

 Have you ever known anyone that was in a crash with a semi-truck? Did they survive? Some years ago, we knew of two people that had been in two different crashes, and neither had survived. On the other hand, our son and his wife had a head on crash with one, and both survived. I know that God's angels had protected them from that one. 

Todays story is the good news of a woman that met up with a semi-truck and came out of it alive. Please read on.

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A State Patrol trooper in Washington was called to the scene after a semi truck hit the back of a car and flattened it. Reports said that before the accident, a semi truck in front of a woman had slowed its speed. This caused her to slow down as well. But then, the semi truck behind her was following too closely and was unable to brake in time. He ended up slamming into her car and sending it forward into the other truck.

“The car was struck from behind, folded the car in half, and semi came to rest on top of the car," wrote Washington State Patrol Trooper Rocky Oliphant on Twitter. "In my 14 year career, I have never seen anything like it.”

This is nothing short of a miracle,” Trooper Rocky Oliphant said in an interview. “There’s no explanation to why she’s alive, let alone suffering only minor injuries.”

Car Crushed By Semi But Driver Miraculously Survives

The picture that Trooper Oliphant posted online of the accident is shocking to see. And it really shows just how damaged the car was after the accident. The Nissan Altima was completely crushed. Yet, the woman was able to walk out of the vehicle on her own after a tow truck lifted the front part of the semi truck off of the car. That must have been an unbelievable thing to see!

God must have been looking out for this woman in order for her to survive such a horrific crash. Our prayers are with her as she recovers from her minor injuries and finds the courage to get back on the road once she get a new car to drive.

(source:  Washington woman survives crash after her Nissan was hit by truck )

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Hard to believe? For a lot of people, yes. But because we know God is in the miracle business, it isn't. Because....

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Psalms 91:11-12

And praise God, that means you and me.

Thanks for coming by, Friends. God Bless!

 

The Diamond That Went Missing

Do you think that God cares enough about us that not only gives us miracles in the really hard times-I mean the really hard times-but in the things that happen in our everyday life, that while they may not be something disastrous, but are still important to us?

I certainly believe that. And so does Ruth (Billy Grahams daughter) who got her own miracle when one day the diamond from her engagement ring suddenly went missing.

Here is her miracle:

Ruth Graham – daughter of Dr. Billy Graham – Some years ago after an outdoor church picnic, our pastor’s wife discovered the diamond from her engagement ring was missing. It had falllen out. Where? When? It was anybody’s guess. We paused to pray and ask for God to help us locate the small diamond. I am afraid none of us had much faith that we would ever find it. Everyone stopped what they were doing and began to look. We went through the grass, the garbage, the sink, cooking pots -- everything -- with a fine-tooth comb. We did it all again the next day. To no avail. The small diamond was gone. We carried on with the week. It rained. The grass was mowed. But we kept an eye out – just in case. A week later my daughter was playing and spied something sparkling in the grass. She thought it was a rhinestone from her baby doll’s outfit, but she looked a bit closer, picked it up from the grass and dirt. It didn’t look like anything from her baby doll. She brought it inside to ask what I thought. It was the lost diamond!

(source: 12 Absolutely Amazing Miracles - Beliefnet )

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Yes, God does care about us. No matter what we are going through. In the tough times. In the not so tough times. In the good or bad times. And thank God that at all times, He has our backs.

I know I promised you miracles from 2021 and this one happened some years ago for Ruth Graham. It has been another trying day and when I ran across this story, I thought it would work for today. I thank you for your patience with me. 

Have a blessed day!

 

l  

The Church Miracle

 

Do you believe that a church can heal someone of cancer? Well, don't be so sure that it can't happen. Because as we know, God can use anything to heal anyone, of anything. The following story didn't just recently happen. But I had to share it because it shows how one man received healing in a different kind of way.

The Church That Cured Cancer

It’s hard to say which was in worse shape: the run-down century-old church or the cancer-ridden 56-year-old man perched on its crumbling steps. For years, Greg Thomas would sit on those very steps and pray when he walked his dogs along the country lanes in rural Minnesota. But in May 2009, he learned that the searing headaches, earaches, and jaw aches that had plagued him for the past year were due to inoperable head and neck cancer.  It had progressed so far that the doctors told Greg’s family to start planning his funeral.

“I was sitting at the church one evening, pouring my heart out to God,” Greg says. “I kept looking at the building and the shape it was in. I said, ‘Before I leave this earth, Lord, I’d like to do something for you.’\

“I was sitting at the church one evening, pouring my heart out to God,” Greg says. “I kept looking at the building and the shape it was in. I said, ‘Before I leave this earth, Lord, I’d like to do something for you.’”

Greg decided that that something was to fix the peeling paint and the leaking roof, the mangled steps, and the rotting floorboards. He approached the church’s association with a deal: He would completely repair the building on one condition: “That I get a key to the front door so I can go in anytime I want to worship.” He warned that it would be slow going—he had just gone through three rounds of chemotherapy along with 40 sessions of radiation and had lost 66 pounds. They said yes anyway. Here’s what cancer patients wish you knew.

Incredibly, as Greg scraped paint and replaced boards, he felt himself growing stronger every day. The more he worked on the church, the better he felt—he didn’t even need the strong prescription pain meds his doctor had prescribed. “My oncologist was blown away,” Greg says. “She said, ‘Whatever you’re doing, keep on doing it.’”

As Greg continued to rehabilitate the church, medical scans revealed some startling news: His tumors were shrinking. Four years and 23 days after Greg’s diagnosis, his doctors were able to remove his feeding tube—the one they’d said he would have for the rest of his life—and he ate solid food again. Today, Greg’s tumors are gone. He is considered officially in remission and no longer needs follow-up tests. These genius cancer breakthroughs are what scientists want you to know about fighting the disease.

And the church? After five years of Greg’s labor and love, it has been restored to its former glory too. Greg finished his main project this past summer, but he will probably always be involved in maintaining its beauty (he still wants to replace some windows, for example). Greg held his third-annual open house there near Christmas, inviting the entire community. “While I was restoring the church,” Greg says, “God was restoring me.”

(source:  Medical Miracles - 5 Inexplicable Recovery Stories | Reader's Digest )

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Who knew?  The act of doing something for God, while knowing that his death was forthcoming gave this man his life back. Only our God could do that. And because He did the impossible for him, he can do the impossible for us!.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “To men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Mathew 19: 23-26

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. God bless!