Proof of Rain

 

It has rained so much this last week that mushrooms were growing in the grass. I honestly don’t think that I ever saw mushrooms growing here in S Texas.

 

                                                   strange sight here in the park -mushrooms                                                              

We received 300# of beans and 300# of rice just as we were starting up the food and clothing ministry again. so we spent one day packaging them up into family size packages.  Thank you Lord.  Tuesday were we able to pick up 35 boxes of pre-packaged food, similar to those that were delivered to the park residents. We added blocks of cheese, peppers, and tomatoes and delivered them to a very dedicated couple in the colonias who graciously offered to individually deliver them. We hate just delivering and leaving, but for the safety of everyone we feel that at this time it is the route to go. We will again deliver about the same amount this coming Tuesday, adding whatever we can, and then on Friday, we will resume our weekly big distribution for about 125 families. Hopefully it will go well – again I feel disloyal just dropping off the food and leaving, but for the present time this is the only safe way we can again serve those disadvantaged folks who desperately need nourishment. The group of our loyal ladies feel comfortable enough to box up the food and hand it out – everyone wearing masks and just placing it in the trunk or back seat of the vehicles of the folks who drive up. The Lord has opened up a few doors for this to happen and hopefully in a short time we will be able to resume our normal procedure. I miss the fellowship and love of the ladies, as well as of those who receive the food. We always tell them that that it is not from us but to always give God the glory. I love to see the joy in people’s smiles as they drive off with enough food to help them make it through until the next week – hopefully we will soon be able to be there to see it all.

 

Last week I talked about women in Old Testament times – this week I will briefly discuss their place in the Inter Testament times – a period of time very seldom discussed. The inter-testament time was the 400 year period of time, sometimes called the silent years, between the close of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament.  After God presented His last message through the prophet Malachi, He stopped communicating for 400 years. This was part of His eternal plan – to prepare for the coming of His Son and the promise of salvation. Women’s characteristics were prevalent at this time, Anna, Sarah, Susanna to name a few. They typified a women’s ideal virtues – devout piety, ardent patriotism, love of poetry, and wifely devotion.  She was the personification of a perfect woman. There were a few exceptions, for instance Cleopatra, who in the counsel of the kings, used her perverted power to influence the world at that time. But all in all – women were the quintessential Mrs. Cleaver!!.

 

Our one weapon against the world today is prayer. Did you see the prayer meeting in Washington, D. C. this last week?? Was that not powerful?? We recognize that we are all in spiritual as well as worldly battle as Christians. We are right now in a battle for the soul of our nation and our families. Satan is our enemy trying to destroy our confidence. He uses fear to immobilize our work for the Lord. What voice of opposition have you resigned yourself to be in God’s work? Satan loves to put out the fire in us. His negative voice makes us back away and lose our strength for the Lord. We have to stand up against the morality of this world today. We have enemies who hate us as warriors of Christ.  The biggest battle, though, is within us. To overcome this we have to connect with God in prayer. We have to reorient ourselves to God by being centered in prayer. We need to have unity in God’s call with no pettiness or objections. Prayer is the mechanism God gave us to tap into Hs power. It is the most important tool we have in order to bring our country together in unified prayer. Make God the center of your prayers – not just asking for miracles or thanking Him for trivial material things (although you must do that often). We recognize that God is huge – He created the world and all things in it – He is in charge, not those humans who think they are. God is the God of revelation – nothing happens without His command. Pray the Word of God – that is pray Scripture. God used defeat for victory whenever we are threatened or scared. Go back to God’s Word. Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world. Run toward the battle – take the offense. We are on the right side. Lord, give us boldness to speak Your word not hiding from danger but running toward spiritual battle. Are you willing to be a Jesus freak - not a weird Christian but on fire for Christ.  Quote from Phillip Brooks "Don’t pray for tasks equal to your power, but pray for power equal to your tasks".

 

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn Musings

 

September 20 2020

Lots of rain and cooler weather this week as a result of some of the hurricanes heading this way. Sally missed us, Beta will go to the North of us so far – just 3 more to watch out for. Talking a short walk every night (I need to work up to longer ones!) I have had the opportunity to visit (social distancing of course) with a few of the residents here in the park. We really do not see anyone as most folks are still hunkering down due to Covid, but occasionally see some people. Met a young couple who will be here for just a few months before moving on due to the husband’s job. I was surprised to see her with a 2 month old baby – probably the best kept secret here in the park. Cute little guy – they seemed so proud of him, too. I was happy to see them out letting him enjoy the beautiful weather.  We never see babies or children unless they are visiting residents here in the park.

Plans seem to be coming together for us to resume our food ministry next month. I feel that if we use caution and keep safe, we will again be able to provide food for those in the colonias. If the children are attending school, at least they will receive at least 2 meal a day. There are very, very few ministries providing food at this time which is sad, as this is the time it is most needed. The city of Alamo has delivered boxes of food for each resident here in the park – we donated ours to a needy family as the Lord has blessed us as being able to purchase our needed nourishment. The box contained potatoes, beans, vegetables, and fruit.

 Who knew last January that our whole world would be turned around – all of our activities, pleasures, actually freedoms would be gone? We are going to be living in a new normal – some people living in actual fear because of the virus, as well as perhaps losing our basic freedoms due to a misguided election?  There seems to be so much distrust and hatred in the world today that we need to turn to God – place our trust in Him and stand up for what we believe in. We need to move forward to a bigger and better future.  As our daughter said on facebook this morning – “I am not turning my clock back on November 1, I do not need another hour of 2020!”.

Women in Old Testament times:

The women in Israel were held in higher esteem than those in the surrounding heathen counties. Israelite law was designed to protect womens so called weaknesses, safeguarding her rights, and preserving her freedom. This doesn’t seem to convey our beliefs about women in Biblical times.  Under the divine law of Israel, women’s liberties were greater, her duties and tasks were more varied and important, and her social standing more respectful than her heathen sister. Many prominent Hebrew women were mentioned in the Old Testament. Even though a woman was her husband’s “property”, he being the Lord and Master of the household, she was a person in her own right.  Because of her chastity, obedience, and humility she made a prominent position for herself in the household, family, and even community circles. There were many, like Deborah, who achieved greatness, or Esther, who had greatness thrust upon her.  The pagan world did not recognize women’s virtures: they became subject to inferior and degrading conditions. Because the Israelites were always being invaded by pagan countries, Israel’s image of women declined, leading to idolatrous women and the decline of religious life of Judah and Israel, which then lead to their country’s overthrow.  

When the odds are against us we are on the defensive. The early church was on the offense who job it was to move forward. The church was moving forward for Jesus. We need to be on the offense for God – a forward movement for Christ. We, as the church, have to share the message that Jesus Christ was crucified, died, and rose from the dead. Peter and John came upon a crippled man as they were on the way to the temple. They stopped and looked at him as he asked for money. Peter said that they had no money, but instead healed him in the name of Jesus. The man leapt and jumped for joy, praising God. He drew a crowd of people and Peter immediately began to preach to them, telling them it was the power of Jesus Christ who did this. He called upon the people to repent. The Jewish leaders were not happy as they were losing the power they had over the people. Peter and John were arrested and the following morning were brought before the council. They were asked by what power or name they were able to heal. Earlier in his life, Peter denied Jesus, but he told the council the people were healed by the power of Jesus Christ – the only place where salvation was found. The leaders told him to preach no more in Jesus’ name. All of the apostles had become bold in the name of Jesus and continued to preach.  We cannot allow ourselves to drift off the track of telling others about Jesus. Our world today has rejected Him. We now live in a world where Jesus is disrespected. When we stand up for the injustices of the world, we tell others that we do this by the power of Jesus. The is only one hope for this world – it is Jesus Christ. We can choose chaos or we can choose Christ. Which one do you choose? Knowing Jesus gives purpose to life. We need to bow our knee to Jesus alone. Respect authorities but pledge our hearts to Christ. We need to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves: the unborn, those lost in human trafficking, the disadvantaged in the world today. Not because we want to start trouble, but to right the wrongs of this world. The apostles were poor folk with no power except that power given to them through Jesus. We as God’s people feel overpowered by everyone today – but we have the power in us given to us through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  

Clean Up

 

 Please pray for those that are now in the path of hurricane Sally, which seems to hit the coast of Louisiana. Also for all of those in the path of the wildfires in our Western states.

We have been doing a bit of clean-up here in our neighborhood as a result of the July hurricane which affected our park. Our place was not damaged, but others here were. Fred repaired the slats on the screens that were blown off from our neighbor’s patio, staining them to match the other ones. Another one of the neighbors had a patio door shattered, whether from the storm or from a worker weed-eating or mowing we are not sure. The manager graciously replaced it for her, so we cleaned up all the broken glass and made arrangements for it to be replaced. Many of our neighbors do not return until Oct or Nov so we are trying to do what we can to have their damaged homes repaired before they arrive.

We are planning and making adjustments for the re-opening of the Caring Hearts food ministry due to Covid. The virus is still here in the Valley, especially in the colonias but we are working out arrangements where we can deliver food to them safely and quickly. We will wait until the first of October before implanting the plan. Hopefully, all will go well.  With this in mind, we are also working on trying to sell our home here and returning to Arkansas to become involved in some ministries there. It seems that the Lord is calling us back to that area – we need to be patient and wait on His perfect timing. We realize that the food ministry here may be in jeopardy here, but are praying and relying on God to reveal to us a perfect solution to this issue.

I know I seem to be favoring women in the Bible and ignoring the great men, but as you know, my heart feels drawn to the ladies. The man is the head of the household, but the woman is the crown. Adam was made from dust, but Eve was made from Adam’s rib. She was not made from his head for him to rule over her, nor from his feet for him to trample her, but from his side, to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.  While the ancient world was mostly a man’s world, women in Israel enjoyed a much higher status than those in the East. Christianity brought emancipation to womanhood where she is esteemed, as a man’s loved companion, confident, and even considered his better half. I recently found an amazing book while purchasing more reading material for myself at a resale store (two Wal-Mart bags of books for a total price of 50 cents!) I am going to try to trace and explain woman’s place in Old Testament times, Inter-testament times, New testament times, early church times, and present times. This book was written a few years ago, so I may have to improvise to bring it up to date. It mentions many women in the Bible of whom I have never heard – should be an interesting topic, so keeping checking so that you do not miss anything!!!

Our home church has recently begun a new ministry – One Heart, One Mind. The purpose of this ministry is to pair up folks with a need to those folks who can provide for a need. There are many people out there, especially in these in certain times, that are in great need, sometimes financially, and also materially, for something as simple as a bed for a child, or a backpack for school. By letting the ministry know what need you can meet with those of need certainly lets us love our brother. There are some people who have a need, but do not know where to go, or are even too proud to ask for help. All of this can be done anonymously. We feel the Lord may have laid this ministry on our hearts, as we will continue to pray about it. This type of ministry worked right into Vance’s sermon this morning. Most of the time we need an original pattern when we begin to work on a project. If you cut a piece of wood, then use that piece to cut another, etc., you probably will wind up with incorrect measurements. The Book of Acts is the original pattern of how we are to live out our lives. How did the early Christians live out their lives despite adversity and pressure? One way was through the love and care for one another.

Our distinction today as Christians is our love for each other. Our job is to be witnesses of Jesus to others. Peter gave the first gospel to the people after the resurrection telling them how to respond to Jesus by repenting. This was the original pattern to receive Jesus. Have we followed this pattern? After this sermon, about 3000 repented and were baptized. They dedicated themselves to the apostle’s teaching. The apostles were given authority to tell others about Jesus. We need to be committed to the word of God and not be swayed by the ways of this world. The people shared meals together therefore it is good that we share our lives together in fellowship. But we also need to break bread with Jesus in communion with Him. The early Christians also prayed together, we need to pray together as a body for the chaos in our world today. The early Christians were impacting the world by the way they lived. Not everyone in Jerusalem was not happy about what was going on and tried to top the m. Does this sound familiar? Peter and John were put in jail, released, went back to their people and had a prayer meeting. “All the believers were one in heart and in mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions were their own, but they shared everything that they had”. Acts 4:32. This does not mean that we are to sell everything we own and give it to the church. It means that we are to use our possessions for the glory of God. As Christians the Spirit of the Holy Spirit gives us the spirit of heart and mind (One Heart, One Mind). We don’t have to be twins to be brothers and sisters – the Holy Spirit binds us together. When the world pressures us, we need to stand together. As Christians we view our possessions as tools to serve Jesus Christ. The early Christians believed their possessions to belong to God to use for His glory. The world today makes us feel guilty, uses force, manipulation, and fear to make us conform. None of these things were present in the lives of the early Christians – it was all done through the understanding of what they were supposed to do. As members of God’s church (not the building but the brotherhood) will continue to Love God, Love Others, and Serve Others.

Back to Routine

We are back in the RGV since Wednesday and back to somewhat a routine.We drove on Wednesday for about 200 miles or so in lots of rain, but otherwise it was a pleasant trip as the weather was overcast and made for smooth driving. We spent a few days getting resettled again, having to grocery shop on Thursday. I always hate to grocery shop after a vacation, as there is so much to purchase. We are still under restrictions due to Covid but everyone seems to be obeying rules, although I do not know how many folks are taking a long week-end at S Pardre Island. I suppose the Covid numbers will rise this coming week. The results of the hurricane are very evident here at the park, with many units still needing repair. At least one was totaled, others damages extensively. Our cousin neighbor, Marian, had her patio door glass shattered - either from the hurricane, but most likely from a weed-eater or lawn mower. The manager is standing the cost of repairs, so we cleaned up all the broken glass, contacted a glass company, and it soon will be repaired. We also put a door, found near the dumpster, in place so it looks like her patio door is locked and no one can try to enter. Our neighbor on the other side had a few minor repairs, so we have taken care of that for him, too. The Lord tells us to take care of the widows (Marian) and to love our neighbors as ourselves, so there was no question as to what we should do. Earlier the other morning (4 AM) I heard dogs barking outside our bedroom window. Soon there was a scratching noise (the sound of claws against metal). I looked out and saw 5 HUGE dogs digging at the backdoor neighbor's AC unit. Evidently they had some animal trapped in it and were digging to get it out. I pounded on the window and they took off in a flash - hope they were random dogs and not some that hang out in the park, as I like to walk and do not want to meet a pack of large dogs. I will notify the manager and see if the maintenance guys can check it out. The neighbor will have to have it repaired when he returns later this year.

The ducks and geese are much braver now that the park is more empty. They are walking in small groups ( Social distancing?) all around the park, picking up bugs due to the rain we have had. It is great fun watching them waddle around, unaware of us watching them!! As more people arrive, they will then contain themselves beyond the fence by the lake. But until then, we get to enjoy them up close.

Two more ladies with bad reputations for you to ponder on:

Jezebel - The woman who personified pure evil. Jezebel was the daughter of the priest-king who ruled  Tyre and Sidon. When Jezebel married Ahab, she persuaded him to introduce the worship of Baal, a nature god. A woman of fierce energy, she tried to destroy those who opposed her; most of the prophets were killed at her command. These cruel actions provoked the wrath of Elijah; he a prophesied a severe drought as divine retribution. Sometime later Elijah had the Baal priests slain, after they lost a contest with him to see which god would heed prayers to ignite a bull offering. When Jezebel heard of the slaughter, she swore to have Elijah killed, forcing him to flee for his life. The last vicious act of Jezebel was to accuse Naboth of blasphemy when he refused to part with a family vineyard which led to his death by stoning. Elijah confronted Jezebel’s father in the vineyard, predicting that he and all his heirs would be destroyed and that dogs in Jezreel would devour Jezebel. She lived on for approximately another ten years after her father died. A new king. Jehu killed Jezebel’s son. Expecting Jehu, she tried to tempt him.  She looked down from her window and taunted him. Jehu ordered her eunuchs to throw her out the window. Later, when he commanded that she be properly buried as a king’s daughter, it was discovered that dogs had eaten most of her body. The dictionary describes Jezebel as a sexually immoral, manipulative woman. Don’t be a Jezebel.

Herodias – the woman who could not handle the truth.  She was the unlawful wife of the tetrarch Herod Antipas and had formerly been the wife of Herod’s brother, Philip. As the granddaughter of Herod the Great,  Herodias was herself a niece to both of her husbands, Philip and Antipas. John the Baptist publicly denounced their adultery. Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted him to be executed. Herod put John in prison for Herodias’s sake but did not put him to death because he was afraid of the people, who believed John was a prophet. Herod also seemed to believe that John was a righteous man and even though he was puzzled by the things John said, he “liked to listen to him”. Finally, the time came for Herodias to get her revenge on John. During Herod’s birthday celebration, Herodias’s daughter danced for the king and his guests, pleasing Herod so much that he promised the girl whatever she asked. After consulting with her mother, the girl asked for John the Baptist’s head on a platter. Herod was sorry over being put in this predicament, but, because of his vow and the his standing with his guests, Herod had John beheaded in prison. The prophet’s head was brought to the daughter of Herodias, who gave it to her mother. Don’t try to silence the truth if it hurts you to hear it. And don’t resent the person who exposes sin in your life, they are really doing you a favor.

What are we, as Christians, supposed to do in this time of national elections? Acts 1-3 seems to have the answers for us if we read and explore it carefully. We are going to take a look at the early church in relation to today's world. There were only about 120 people in the early church. The odds were against them to change the world's way of thinking, but they lived their faith despite the opposition. What did they do to turn the world around - to change the whole Roman Empire? We are also going to need to be Biblically correct. We as God's people, need to have a voice. We hope that by election, we will be Biblically in focus on how to vote. The church always works best when the God's are against us. When we feel the pressure of the outside world, it drives us to our knees. As we look at Acts, we see that the odds were against the early Christians to succeed. As Christians today we are looked at with distain, even looked down on. As Christians today we offer hope to those who do not seem to have any hope at all. This is now our greatest opportunity to be able to share Jesus Christ with them. Acts was written by Luke who also wrote the Book of -- yep, Luke was a doctor and a Gentile. He made us understand that the resurrection was not the end, but the beginning of Jesus' teachings even today. We as Christians are here today to fulfill the work of Jesus. Are you convinced that Jesus Christ was crucified, dead, buried, and then rose on the third day? If we are truly followers of Him, we must be truly convinced of this. If we are not, we we will not be able to stand the pressure in today's world. God provides within us the power of the Holy Spirit in us to live as Christians. Which kingdom are we following, the kingdom of Rome (the world today) or the kingdom of God? The real one we need to promote is the kingdom of God which will change the world today. When will Jesus return? We are not on the the time and date committee as to when, but we are on the preparation committee!! Our #1 priority is to be witnesses of Jesus Christ. To be a witness is to have a first hand knowledge of the truth. We have to die for self and live for Jesus. What can we do on earth that we cannot do in heaven? We can tell a lost person about Jesus. Those in heaven already know about Him!! Tell a lost person about Him. You do not have to convince others that they need Jesus Christ in their lives. Tell them how much He means in your life and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. If you truly love some one who is lost, talk to them bout Jesus. Our place is to witness - start in your Jerusalem - in your neighborhood, city or town, right where you are now. We have to have the power, given to us by the Holy Spirit, to witness for Jesus Christ. We can be overwhelmed in trying to  make a difference in our world.  Pray for the strength to  make a difference. Don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe.  

 

 

 

Joshua, TX

 We are still traveling down to the Rio Grande Valley, but stopped off on Friday to visit Chaplain Roy and Paula Gee, as well as having some work done on our vehicle. We will be leaving tomorrow for a 9 hour trip to Alamo. Roy and Paula live in a small town of Joshua in Texas (isn't that a great place to live). It is South of Fort Worth, so close enough to a big city, yet a small town atmosphere. We have just been relaxing, enjoying their company with no pressure to entertain each other. Did a bit of site seeing, and found a natural food store to purchase some items I cannot find in S Texas. Roy is our chaplain to chaplains in CRMI and a retired Baptist minister, so we do get into some interesting conversations. Because of the Covid, we watch movies on Netflex, read, and just chill out. Paula is a great crafter, so we cut up a pallet to make a Christmas tree, as well as some boards to make 3 dimensional pumpkins. They have a craft building in their back yard, sort of a he/she shed. Lots of wonderful decorating ideas for very little expense.

                                            the he/she shed-Fred and Roy trying to figure things out

                                                 cutting a pallet Christmas tree- public service announcement - no human                                                               was injured during this process

                             Mission accomplished - Paula singing "O Christmas Tree". Will be neat painted and                                                               decorated with lights, ornaments, etc. 

We were able to attend church at Lane Prairie Baptist Church with Roy and Paula on Sunday. A beautiful country church with a great worship team. Their minister is now fighting cancer, so there was a guest speaker who works with Mission:Dignity,  non-profit which helps support retired ministers and their widows in their retirement. A lot of retired preachers served small country churches, have no retirement, and were paid very little during their preaching career, so the extra help is a Godsend for them. 

Social distancing is not new!! Moses, Noah, Jacob, Elijah in 1 Kings:17 even Jesus Himself social distanced at some time. In 1 Kings:17 God told Elijah to hide himself (social distance) and the ravens would bring him food and water. He was by a brook for water, but the brook soon dried up - his trust in the Lord lead him to better things. His belief was so powerful that he was known as a man of God. Elijah was a man like us, but something enabled him to truly become a man of God. There were 5 things that he truly believed.

1) God has a plan for us. We truly believe this in our lives as we continue to follow His will, knowing He will allow us to return to AR in His own timing. He plan is for us to hide in ourselves. The word hide can be translated to be absent from ourselves - a time to be alone with God. Even God social distanced the night before He was crucified. God's plan is to absent ourselves and trust God. 

2) God has a promise for us. In I Kings:17, verse 4 "there" is an important word. There is where God wants us. It is important to be in the Word of God-He will meet you "there".  Where is your there? Is in repentance of your sin or in the reconciliation with someone?

3) God has a prerequisite for us. Our problem is often not knowing what we are supposed to do. We need to obey God;s commandments.  Obeying is to trust. You cannot trust someone you do not know.

If you really trust God, you will know and obey Him. If you don't trust Him, it is because you don't know Him.

4) God has a provision for us. After we are in the will of God, He provides for us. God sent out a raven to Elijah - a raven was the worst of birds, a dirty bird. He could have sent a dove or an mighty eagle, but He sent a lowly raven. He can us anyone for His purpose, even mere mortals like ourselves. He can provide carcasses for the raven. He can provide for us.

5) God has a purpose for us. Elijah's heart was tested when the brook dried up. Let not our trust be in material things, but in God alone. Trust the Lord and He will lead you to higher ground.