All in Salvation
What a crazy year this has been. Like you I have floundered in the unknowns. But in the midst of sheltering-in-place like you, the redefined vision statement at GABC has rattled around in my brain: Transforming Lives with the Truth of Jesus. The downtime has been invaluable to chew on its singleness of purpose. Are we not, in today’s vernacular, looking at the great commission delivered by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20?
And so, somewhere between bargaining and acceptance (Kubler-Ross yesterday) I got to thinking: how in the world did the folks of yesteryear handle their crises?
The story of Ruth and Naomi is a classic. It all began in the days when the judges ruled (Ruth 1:1), a dark time for Israel. Eugene Peterson (introduction to Judges, MSG) calls it “nearly unrelieved mayhem”: Everyone did as he saw fit (Judges 17:6, 21:25).
The cross. The event, not the wooden object.
Nothing else communicates God’s love and power so dramatically or completely. Solemnly contemplate with me:
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Galatians 6:14).
While on a mission trip to California, our team spent one afternoon at the beach—an afternoon I’ll never forget. My best friend and I were swimming, when I suddenly realized I was caught in the current and unable to swim toward shore. No amount of effort on my part helped. My friend noticed my dilemma and began screaming for help. Immediately, a tall, strong guy on the mission team swam to me and began throwing me shoreward. He rescued me! Years later, we saw him and his family. The first thing he said to my girls was, “I saved your mother’s life!” He did, and I’m thankful!
During the school year it is very easy for our calendar to get filled up. Our busy schedule consists of school, sports, dance, drama, choir, and ministry. There comes a point when we all need to take a breather and rest. One of the blessings with homeschooling my children is allowing them to occasionally sleep in, knowing their bodies need the extra rest.
It was that time for me to go bluejean shopping. I excitedly walked into the department store with assurance I would come out with a couple of pairs of jeans. This particular store had a huge selection, one wall designated just for bluejeans - I mean jackpot!
I love listening to my little six year old play in her bedroom. The way she transforms her room into a wonder land of unicorns, mermaids, and fairies filled with magical and mystical powers, makes my heart smile. In her own little world, these imaginary beings come alive through play.
The Lord blessed me with my best friend, Misti, for over 30 years. We met each other in the 4th grade and instantly became friends. We shared many memories together such as braces, pimples, boyfriends, weddings, and childbirth. We also experienced very difficult times together, such as teenage arguments, death of loved ones, and moving away from each other. All through these transitions our friendship stayed strong. I knew that Misti was a friend I could trust, who would listen, and always provide the encouragement I needed.
Valentine’s Day was just a week away and it was time to make cards expressing our love and appreciation to those close to us. Another fun event that we also participated in during this holiday was partnering with our local Chrisitan radio station and making Valentine cards for the children and seniors in the hospitals.
In the beginning, in Eden, the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden (was) the tree of life (Genesis 2:9). At the end of time the fruit of the same tree of life will be ripe for the picking by God’s redeemed (Revelation 22:14), Edenic life theirs—the curse of sin over and done with, for all nations.
When we moved to Texas from southern Ontario some 40 odd years ago, I was so excited about the prospect of planting a vegetable garden, nurturing gorgeous roses, and harvesting pecans from the tree in my spacious back yard. In Ontario I had managed a small plot of veggies and babied along some hybrid teas, considering the short growing season. Why, you couldn’t plant beans until the 9th of June! Sad to say though, in Tyler my efforts were in vain—the pecans were wormy and tough to crack, black spot got the best of the roses, rhubarb couldn’t stand the heat, the carrots were woody. But oh my, how the weeds did flourish. Since I had assigned weed control to my seven-and-eight-year-olds, they hated that garden. After one season of crop failure, we all quit.
As you well know ladies, the enticing bouquet of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was too much for the happy pair in Eden, once that crafty snake got his way. So God drove the two out, placing a guard on the gate to keep them from the tree of life (Genesis 3:22-24). Purity had lost to desire.
Our first grandchild, barely over a year old, had somehow broken a front tooth. We could not figure out how it happened because his tooth had barely come through the surface of his gums when our daughter discovered it.
“…One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25)
The blind man tells the story of Christmas. He was born in darkness and remained in darkness… until Jesus came to him. In his hopeless state, the blind man couldn’t come to Jesus, so Jesus came to him.
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.*
No suspicion of a cancer diagnosis was in my mind that day—it was just a routine checkup. The shock of the radiologist’s brief clinical explanation caused me to sense a surreal atmosphere. I visualized to-do lists and calendar pages flying through the air like paper airplanes landing directly into the wastebasket. Recovery from shock was gradually realized in a few days when a reservoir of inner peace began to flow.
Nestled in the middle of the Psalms are three verses that describe the blessed life of a believer. The psalmist begins by describing a believer’s heart. Blessed are those….who have set their hearts on pilgrimage (Psalm 84:5). In other words, blessed are those who have a longing in their souls and a determination in their minds to journey through life with Jesus.
Our friends told of an unexpected adventure on their vacation while in southwest Oregon. They were staying in Grants Pass and traveled west to Gold Beach. After checking a map of the area, they determined to return a different route. And so, they headed toward Agness. As they traveled, they passed a sign indicating Agness was straight ahead. The further they went, however, the worse the road conditions became. First the two-lane road became extremely curvy. Eventually, it turned into a one-lane road, which led straight to the sign in the picture above: This is it! Agness. Welcome. Population: small. What you can’t tell from the picture above is that the road was a dead end. There was no city; there was nothing but trees.The road they had been traveling led to nowhere. As they turned around, they saw another sign that said, “Come back!”
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.
Almost daily, while at work, I encounter a tedious battle. It’s the battle of gaining access to websites. First, I enter the website address. Once there, I type in my username and password. Then I find out that I must reset my password because I haven’t visited that site in over thirty days. I’m running out of new password options (and patience), but I try one more time. After my password is accepted, a verification code is required. I must choose to receive the code by cell phone text or email. I choose by text because it’s faster. I wait for the text to come through, then enter the several-digit code into the appropriate box before it expires and finally click “OK”. Next, the security questions must be answered correctly. Finally, I’m at the Home page and I must remain active on the site so that I’m not automatically logged out.
