All in Hope
Time for a hike today, ladies. Lady Bird Johnson Grove beckons. In June, or so the park ranger tells us, the rhododendrons are in beautiful bloom. Today we are amazed by all the lush ferns carpeting the forest floor. The trail through the tropical rainforest proves to be extremely refreshing. Some of the old redwoods are monstrous. So are the fallen logs and stumps, purposefully left au naturel by the park service, to do their thing—shoot sprouts of new growth up to the sun. I am intrigued.
Hop aboard, ladies. We’re taking a ride up the Oregon coast this week to see some amazing sights in God’s creation. First stop, a touch of grandeur in Redwood National Park. The California or coastal redwood, scientific name sequoia sempervirens, grows only in a narrow strip of land from northern California through Oregon, close to the coast yet not too close as it doesn’t like salt spray. Plentiful rainfall and summer fog of the region are just what they need—fog drip accounts for 30% of the yearly water supply. The “redwood” name comes from a bright red, fibrous bark when freshly exposed. They boast the tallest—Hyperion, at 379’—but cannot match the 102’ girth of the General Sherman, a non-related sequoiadendron giganteum in the Sierra Nevadas.*
The God we worship, the God of Scripture, is a lot of things: wise, powerful, omniscient, omnipotent, loving, forgiving... And on any day, most of us a need a God who possesses these qualities and more.
On the seventh day, God, in a sense, stood back to look over Creation and pronounced it “done.” He rested from His work because there was nothing more to do. And, Creation “rested” also because it was at peace and in perfect balance within itself. Then God blessed it—“sent it forth for abundance and enrichment” and hallowed it—“set it aside for a sacred purpose.”
“Well, what did He say? What did He say your name was? Tell me, tell me, tell me!”
“He said my name would be ‘elephant’.”
The Hope Diamond weighs 45.52 carats and is one of the most famous jewels in the world. Its recorded history goes back to the 17th century in France. The gem was cut into smaller pieces multiple times, so its appearance has changed. The French, deep blue diamond was stolen in 1792 and has exchanged ownership several times. As of 2019, gemologists have valued it at about 350 million dollars. It’s currently housed in the National Gem and Mineral collection at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Even so, there are no guarantees of perfectly guarding it from theft.
Thunder shook the air as lightning lit the sky. The windshield wipers feverishly cleared the window but only for a second. Pounding rain obstructed my view. The lane lines were no longer visible so I followed the taillights of the preceding car.
“But, you don’t understand my problems.” “But, I can’t help it. That’s just how I am.” “But I…” “But…”
What goes through your mind when someone with a bad cough sits beside you? Do you pray, Lord, don’t let me catch what he has! Being in public while physically contagious isn’t good. But believers are all called to be spiritually contagious. We are to go forth and spread the gospel of Jesus.
Perhaps you have heard of the My One Word experiment, designed by Mike Ashcraft and Rachel Olsen to encourage you to live—really live—by the word you pick for the year. Well, look no further. In the first ten verses of John 15 Jesus uses the word remain eleven times, in multiple combinations of: remain in me and I will remain in you; remain in my love; let my words remain in you. Seems to me ladies, we need to take the hint from Jesus and remain in Him.
Marana tha. I love this word and want to add it to my everyday vocabulary. It’s only used once in Scripture, even though early believers used it often in their everyday speech. It’s a two word Aramaic phrase with multiple possible meanings, but the most common translation is “our Lord, come.” Paul used it as he closed his letter to the believers in Corinth.
It’s painful to hear, especially when your heart is numb from loss and your eyes red with tears—Death, where is your sting? You want to shout, “It’s right here in the pit of my stomach and the ache in my heart!”
A new year has begun! Excitement is in the air! New Year’s Eve parties are celebrated. Fireworks are ignited. New Year’s resolutions are made. Diet and exercise regimens are started. Strategies to read the Bible through in a year are planned. Something about a new year inspires us to attempt new adventures.
Ladies, one more clue to follow this week as we unravel divine mystery. We are on our way to experiencing the full riches of complete understanding that Paul wishes for us. Knowing Christ is the essential element—Christ the divine, the reality; Christ in you, the hope of glory. It’s in Christ that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. Let’s do a little digging.
Ah, and so the riches of the mystery unfolds ladies: Christ in you, the hope of glory! God can be God, Jesus divine; but if you don’t personally unwrap the clues of the incarnation, a perfect life, brutal suffering, death on the cross, the resurrection, think of what richness you will miss out on.
It all began before the beginning, before the heavens and the earth, before time. God was. God was before all things—God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit. What a puzzle for the mind of finite man. The apostle Paul had searched the secrets of the faith and he was determined to provide the clues to his friends in Colosse. Truth revealed would diminish the creeping heresy of the age.
My friend came to me asking for help. Her son’s illness and resulting difficulty had continued for years. She prayed repeatedly for his healing, but his condition remained the same. She was looking for answers to her questions and words of encouragement.
The largest anchor in the world remains on the deck of the doomed luxury ship, Titanic. It was forged with sixteen tons of high-grade steel in 1910 in Netherton, England, by Hingley’s Anchor Works.
A new year has begun! Excitement is in the air! New Year’s Eve parties are celebrated. Fireworks are ignited. New Year’s resolutions are made. Diet and exercise regimens are started. Strategies to read the Bible through in a year are planned. Something about a new year inspires us to attempt new adventures.
