Hurricane Season

This is the hurricane season for 2020 and  it certainly came in with a vengeance. A lot of S Texas was hit, as well as our park in Alamo. There were 27 units which were damaged, some worse than others. Ours was not hurt, nor were any of our closet neighbors, but some folks had serious situations Most of these people live up North, so this will put an extra strain on them. Our park manager spent most of Sunday informing those who had damage.We just praise God that no one was injured in our park. We are in Arkansas yet,so we would have to travel to S Texas had we had damage.

Our 7 year old twin great grand daughters somehow convinced GPop and GMom  that we needed to take them to "that Mexican restaurant by the gas station" so they could have bean burritos, chips, and cheese dip. So Saturday we took the plunge and off we went to the Mexican Restaurant. The girls were exceptionally good and well behaved thanks to their parents. They then thought we should "buy them a toy". So we went to a dollar store and that is where the fun began. They went from sweet girls to the enegizer bunny x 2 in 1 second flat!! Each one wanted to take off in a different directionand could not make up their minds whatsoever. After about 45 minutes later we headed for check out, where they spent another 10 minutes deciding which treat to purchase. No wonder we have our children when we our young. Kenzie got the Sorry game, and even convinced GPop to play a game with them!

                                                           Kinley and Kenzie - I think I have it right!

                           another great grand daughter, Harper. Next Saturday there will be two other greats                                                    here, so I will have pics of those two cuties

Some of you who know me, know that I have a passion for women role models. Be it modern day women, women from history, or especially women from the Bible. They all lived in different eras, but many of them possessed the same qualities – ladies who loved God and were faithful to Him. There are many women in the Bible from whom we can learn about faith, obedience, and the heart for God.  These are the ladies whom we strive to pattern our lives around.  Remember Abraham’s wife, Sarah, who believed God ‘s promise that she would bear a child in her old age, and even Rehab, the prostitute, who hid the Hebrew spies because she came to believe in their God – the God who redeems and saves lives. And there is Hannah, who was barren and poured her heart out to God so strongly that Eli thought she was drunk.  Who can ever forget Mary, the Mother of Jesus, Ruth, or Esther? But there are a few who you do not want to be like – perhaps just during certain times of their lives or maybe even all of their lives. These stories show us what not to do, how we should not live – models we certainly do not want to be like. 

Eve – the first women of all who wasn’t satisfied. You know the story- she had everything, married to the perfect man. She had a beautiful garden to call her home which she never needed to weed, no noisy or nosey neighbors. Certainly, no job stress for her or her husband, no debt, absolutely no bills to pay, no in-laws, no noisy whiny children who always seem to be demanding and disobedient. She did not even have laundry to do because they were naked.  Hallelujah!! Her life was just as perfect and complete as she was. No health problems, no monthly mood swings, no hearing or sight problems, addictions, no aches and pains and no extra pounds. It certainly was as heavenly as it sounds. But perfection did not seem enough for her. She was persuaded by Satan that there was more to life than what she had. Satan convinced her that there was something more that she needed. Have you ever in to your life had those thoughts? Some women you know probably acted on them by changing jobs, locations, even the point of upsetting their whole families in search of something better. Don’t be a woman who believes she needs more. Trust the limitations that God has put on you and your life and be content that this is where He wants you to be right now. Otherwise you may become like Eve -she had it all but lost it all because she wanted more. I like to believe that Eve was again happy for the most part by bearing sons and living her life out as Adam’s wife. But look what she lost.

Lot’s wife - the woman who looked back. God commanded Lot and his entire family to flee from the detestable city of Sodom. In the Genesis account, God reveals to Abraham that Sodom and Gomorrah are to be destroyed for their grave sins. Abraham pleads for the lives of any righteous people living there, especially the lives of his nephew, Lot, and his family. God agrees to spare the cities if 10 righteous people can be found. Two angels are sent to Lot in Sodom but are met with a wicked mob who are then struck blind by the angelic guests. Finding only Lot and his family as righteous among the inhabitants, the angels warn Lot to quickly evacuate the city and to not look back. As they flee the destruction, Lot’s wife looks back upon the city and is turned into a pillar of salt. One of the most prevalent sins in Sodom was the homosexuality of the men, engaging in sexual relations with the other men and boys. Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrha.  Thus, He overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Don’t be a woman who looks back at what she used to have or longs to be in that place. Instead, forget the past and move forward into the future that God has panned for you.

There are a few more ladies I will present to you in upcoming blogs. Check back next week!!

Relax and Reflect

It seems that during thsi time of the peandemic, we find ourselves with a lot of time on our hands. I certainly do - especially as we are on leave for a couple of months. Using this down time is a perfect opportunity to sit back, relax, and reflect on the world's events in reference to God's view of it. We have a mess in our world today, not only with the virus but the expanse of evil in the world today due to the fact that we are living in the world's wisdom. We need to diagnosis the sickness before we can find a cure. We are living our lives by the philosophy of Hedonism - to live for pleasure. As we continue in the Book of James, let us go back to James 4 and realize that there is a better way of life. If we want to live a life of Christ we need to take up the Cross and follow Him. Having a selfish philosophy will destroy relationships. What in life are you pursuing now? Do you pray for just your own pleasure or wants or ask for favors for yourself? Anyone who chooses the world becomes an enemy of God.  God loves you and is jealous when you share your love with the world. What is the cure for this sickness? The cure is God's sustaining grace. "But He gives you more grace. Therefore it says, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."  James 4:6. There is a saving grace from salvation as an encouraging grace. But He also gives us sustaining grace We are sinners, we fall, we do need His sustaining grace. Because God loves us, He gives us more grace no matter how much we fall by giving into worldly pleasures. The lure of the world is real - we struggle as we try to overcome sin and continue our relationship with God. God wants us to set the sail to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned and your joy to gloom.Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.". James 4:7-10.We need to apply this if we are to overcome this sickness and let God work in us, We need to be in the right posture to win the battle. Submit yourselves to God. Put Him at the center of your live, Resist the devil and worldly pleasures. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Humble yourselves before God and He will lift you up. As in the story of the Prodigal son, God will come to you. We need to wash our hands in the confession of sin. Do not take your sin lightly because it cost Jesus Christ His life, We have to humble ourselves when we realize we cannot do it on our own. The Father rejoices when we come home. Do not let this season let you drift away from God. 

Upon reflection, it is so relaxing to just sit and look. A person can miss so much of this wonderful world of nature if you do not just sit and wait. We saw some baby robins in the yard, looking for worms or whatever, as Mama and Daddy flew nervously around making sure they were ok. The resident groundhog made his/her appearance then scooted away as soon as it saw us, the deer quietly came in and walked around near the edge of the woods, and the busy hummingbirds were always buzzing. Sitting in the quiet of nature makes us so much aware of the presence of the Lord.

The garden is growing quit well, as we have had fresh veggies almost daily. There was even a caterpillar who we  watched as he made a chrysalis and flew away as a butterfly before we even knew it was gone.The local Arkansas peaches we purchased are as sweet as we remembered them - taking a bite makes the juice run down your chin - the only way to eat them. 

                                                                      Mr. Rooster guarding the garden

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                        cute mushrooms made from copper salad molds 

This down time allows me to do some quilting - one of the few quilts I have done since the pandemic. I am also putting the binding on two more as presents.

                                                           for our daughter's bear room

We celebrated the 7th birthday of our two great granddaughters last week - two miracle children that God blessed this family with. 

                                                              Kinley and Kensey - I think I have them right

              Our oldest grandson trying to figure out the big car presents the girls received

   

                                                 

                               the twins and their older sister who also celebrated her 13th birthday

God has so blessed us with daughters, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. We thank Him everyday for the safety and health of them. May He also bless you with health and safety everyday.   

                                                             

Mercy

It has been brought to my attention that I do not post as many pictures as before - actually sometimes there are no pictures at all. This is almost due to the Coronavirus - we do not go very many unnecessary places or do any unnecessary things. We are in such a beautiful part of the country right now that I feel blessed to be here, as COVID is running rampart in S Texas right now. So far, we have not heard of any in the colonias where we served which may be affected, but again, many of those folks have no means of communication, or the ability to even see a doctor. We plan on returning to the Valley by the first of September, but again, it all depends on the situation there.

As I said, we are in such a wonderful place right now - whenever we do have to go somewhere, I am still amazed by the beauty that surrounds us. Arkansas is almost a magical place - there other night as we sat on the patio after dark, there were hundreds of fireflies out on the edge of the woods. The area was a constant flickering of light, a wondrous sight to see. The area around here is so natural (I guess that is why it is called the Natural State), in some places it has a wild and free look of a jungle. As you can tell, I do love it here, and look forward to God allowing us to return.

On one of the multiple rainy days we had last week, we decided to have a fire in the outside fireplace on the patio. It was really 80 degrees yet, but the fire felt so cozy and warm. This downtime is really very relaxing, but we need to remember the busyness of the ministry when we return to the Valley.

We have not yet been in church but follow it virtually.  Our youth minister at PGCC presented the continuing sermon following the Book of James. Matt Tibbet is an excellent youth minister as well as a good preacher. When we face issues in life we tend to look outward. If you have conflict, you are probably seeing through the lens of self, and not through God's wisdom. You need to be gentle, fair, submissive, and merciful in the storm of conflict. If you want to do things God's way you need to treat those you are in conflict with mercy. What is mercy? Mercy is the compassion shown towards someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm them. God's way of doing things is sincere. There are two was of handling relationships - the earthly way or God's way. What causes fights and quarrels among you? Jealously, misunderstanding, a difference of opinion? God's Son died in order to give us a good relationship with Him.Where in your life are there smoldering bridges or broken relationships? The enemies goal is to create discord. If there is a broken relationship, how was that relationship hurt because of your own agenda? Have you applied God's wisdom to fix it? The solution is to not avoid those persons but face them through the wisdom of God. While we were sinners, Jesus died for us. We are still sinners, but God's grace redeems us. Show that mercy and grace to your enemies.

Summer Musings

We were sitting on the patio one morning as a roadrunner ran by with a lizard in his mouth totally unconcerned about us just 6 feet away. Love sitting here watching the world go by watching the deer, birds, ground hogs - all of God's wonderful creatures. We have had rain off and on all week, downpours and soft gentle rains. Our daughter's garden just drinks in all the moisture, then sprouts up in the heat of the day. 

                                                                        Arkansas rain

 We did get a chance to visit one of our daughters nearby, although we social distanced outside. She is a personal director at  nursing home where Covid is prevailing, and she took every precaution to protect us. We had a wonderful time, as we had not seen her on a year, but hated the fact that there were no hugs and kisses. Another daughter was coming for the weekend to visit, but she, too, decided to stay away for awhile as her granddaughter could have been exposed to Covid at the day care. Our daughter lives at the same residence. The grand daughter and her mother both tested negative, but as a precaution, again, she decided to to not take any chances exposing us. I cannot imagine those people in a nursing home not being able to see relatives, or their relatives not being able to visit. We all need to remain safe, and to ask God to heal our country from this virus and also for the unrest that abounds.

This past weekend celebrated the Independence of our country. Many traditions were not observed, many activities were canceled, and the world seemed upside down. We celebrate American Independence Day on the Fourth of July every year. We think of July 4, 1776, as a day that represents the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America as an independent nation.We celebrate the release from the anarchy of England, and proclaim ourselves as a Christian nation. Let us not forget the foundation of our great nation and return to God - He has not left us, we have kicked Him out of schools, our government, and sometimes even our families. 

We were going to physically attend church at Our home church of Prairie Grorve Christian Church, but decided to wait another week perhaps. We were able to watch it again live, on a big screen TV this time instead of on my computer. Pastor Vance continues in the Book of James. God's plans are forever. What He commanded at the beginning of time still stands today. We ask God to bless America, but we as Americans and Christians need to bless God. Our country was ordained to be a light to other nations. We need to keep on with the Christians foundations that formed us. We are presently battling for the soul of our country. What we need now is wisdom from God. " If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach and it will be given Him" James 1:5. This is a verse to go to if you need an answer to life's problems. The most important thing for us to understand is what wisdom is. We can have knowledge but not wisdom. Wisdom is knowing what to do with knowledge. Wisdom is skillful living - taking your knowledge with a Godly view and applying this to your daily lives. There are three types of wisdom. The first is reflective wisdom - to look into a situation and know how to use wisdom in a Godly way. There is also practical wisdom which is common sense. It is how you do life well by putting God's words into practice.Solomon said to seek wisdom, Jesus said to pray for wisdom. James contrasts worldly wisdom to Godly wisdom.If you don't include God in your life, you can call yourself an atheist. The last of these is worldly wisdom. We need to know the origin of worldly wisdom which is not from God. It is inspired by the devil which is rebellion against God. Worldly wisdom operates as a bitter envy and selfish ambitions. This is evident in the protests and riots of today. The outcome of all of this is the thinking that does not include God. It produces disorder - every evil practice which is anarchy. The origin of Godly wisdom comes from above. We need to have a reverence of  the Word of Gd and of God Himself. The operation of Godly wisdom is as a peacemaker - a gentle way of life. We need to be considerate and submissive, sincere, impartial without hypocrisy. 

The out come of this is peace and righteousness. If you put Godly wisdom into practice, you are the person who built his house on a rock. God is the rock.

How wise are you?