We sang this song in worship this morning.
I was reminded of God's preeminence
and sovereignty over all...even his enemies...
among whom I once was counted.
"LORD OF ALL"
by Kristian Stanfill
Wonder and awe surround you, Lord
Glory and fire light your way
Day after day the heavens proclaim
the beauty of the holy One
We will respond with joy in our song
Your enemies rise...your enemies fall...
your fire consumes them all
There is none so high and holy
King of Kings, the one and only
You are adored
You are the Lord of all
Mysteries unknown are known to you
All wisdom is yours to reveal
You hold in your hand the days of all men
All life and breath are yours to give
We adore You. We adore You.
Lord of all the earth.
Lord, we love You. Lord, we love You.
Let our hearts be pure, oh Lord.
Give it a listen...
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
ask and you shall receive. a hot water bottle and a dolly...
I came across a video this morning
of Dr. Helen Roseveare (aka Mama Luka)
upon following a link from one of my
favorite blogs, "Rebecca Writes".
If you're not familiar with Dr. Helen Roseveare,
you need to be.
She was a missionary in The Congo
during the 50's through the early 70's.
Her faith in God, her love for Jesus,
her love for The Congo people,
her joy in counting all things loss
for the sake of gaining Christ...
are amazing testimonies to the grace of God
and the redeeming love of Jesus.
Dr. Roseveare has lived Philippians 3:10-11
to a degree that many of us will never experience.
In October 1964, while in Congo,
she was beaten, raped and taken hostage
by a group of Simba rebels.
Feeling forsaken by God, she tells of praying
and asking God why the rebels were doing this to her...
and she felt God answering her that
the rebels were not attacking her, but Him,
and that she was experiencing the fellowship of Christ's suffering.
As God answered her, she describes a feeling of being washed over
by a flood of peace and comfort that she had never known.
She was released by the rebels in early 1965.
As for this video...
I was struck by the magnitude of faith
demonstrated in the prayer of the child
in the story Dr. Roseveare shares.
Oh, to have the humble faith of a child...
to believe that nothing is too hard for God,
not even a hot water bottle and a dolly.
After you watch this video,
I would suggest you head on over to
Desiring God's website where you can listen
to Dr. Roseveare's message she gave
during the 2007 National Conference.
It would be a fabulous way to spend an hour of your life.
Mama Luka Comes Home from CTA on Vimeo.
of Dr. Helen Roseveare (aka Mama Luka)
upon following a link from one of my
favorite blogs, "Rebecca Writes".
If you're not familiar with Dr. Helen Roseveare,
you need to be.
She was a missionary in The Congo
during the 50's through the early 70's.
Her faith in God, her love for Jesus,
her love for The Congo people,
her joy in counting all things loss
for the sake of gaining Christ...
are amazing testimonies to the grace of God
and the redeeming love of Jesus.
Dr. Roseveare has lived Philippians 3:10-11
to a degree that many of us will never experience.
In October 1964, while in Congo,
she was beaten, raped and taken hostage
by a group of Simba rebels.
Feeling forsaken by God, she tells of praying
and asking God why the rebels were doing this to her...
and she felt God answering her that
the rebels were not attacking her, but Him,
and that she was experiencing the fellowship of Christ's suffering.
As God answered her, she describes a feeling of being washed over
by a flood of peace and comfort that she had never known.
She was released by the rebels in early 1965.
As for this video...
I was struck by the magnitude of faith
demonstrated in the prayer of the child
in the story Dr. Roseveare shares.
Oh, to have the humble faith of a child...
to believe that nothing is too hard for God,
not even a hot water bottle and a dolly.
After you watch this video,
I would suggest you head on over to
Desiring God's website where you can listen
to Dr. Roseveare's message she gave
during the 2007 National Conference.
It would be a fabulous way to spend an hour of your life.
Mama Luka Comes Home from CTA on Vimeo.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
submission. yep, submission...
This is one of the best articles on submission
I've read in a long time.
Thank you, Loren (one of my beautiful daughters-in-law),
for sending it to me!
Whose Wife Are You?
I've read in a long time.
Thank you, Loren (one of my beautiful daughters-in-law),
for sending it to me!
follow the link and read the entire article. Definitely worth your time!
Whose Wife Are You?
- 01/19/11
- 14
On November 11 I bookmarked 2 blog articles. Bookmarks usually last about 24 hours before they get a) archived b) used in A La Carte or c) erased. But these ones are still sitting there. Several times I have gone back to read the articles and each time I’ve wanted to think about them a little bit more. There is nothing in them that is earthshaking to me. And yet the way they are phrased has given me a lot of food for thought (just ask Aileen if you doubt me).
The first article I read was by Amy Scott and it was titled simply “Be You.” In her article she references another, one titled “Just Whose Wife Am I Anyway?” They both deal with a common them: submission. In particular, they deal with the biblical command that a wife submit to her husband. Those are fighting words in many parts of the Christian world, not to mention outside of the Christian world. I won’t allow that to distract me here.
Both women write about their own struggles with what submission really looks like in a godly marriage. And as I read their thoughts, here is what struck me: We spend a lot of time talking in general about how men and women complement one another—generic men and generic women. This complementarity is obvious from a physical standpoint, but also from many others. But I wonder if we spend far too little time talking about how this husband and this wife complement one another. When we move beyond the generalities of gender roles, we find that the specifics may look very, very different from one couple to another. Within the Bible’s general guidelines, there are many ways to work out the details.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To read the rest of the article go here. (you'll have to scroll down the page a bit...but, don't give up...I promise it's there!)
After you've read the article come back and share your thoughts. I'd love to hear from you!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
more thoughts on the "grand" thing. it's grown even grander...
So, in my last post I extolled the joys of grandmother-hood...
and today God has added to my joy
by revealing that our next grandbaby (the first Simmons) will be a BOY
(Sweet Husband's chest was just a bit broader this afternoon)
and grandbaby number 3 will be from ETHIOPIA!!
Is God crazy GOOD or what?!?!
I cannot put into words,
nor hit the computer keys with enough passion to convey,
how totally ecstatic I am by BOTH of these blessings!!
The first "Simmons" grandbaby, born to Josh and Meggie,
will arrive, God willing, around the first part of June.
The second "Hedger" grandbaby, adopted by Bethany and Peter,
will arrive, God willing, by the end of the year...
or in approximately ten months or so.
Sweet Husband and I were recently musing
about having two grandsons...
one from Tennessee and one from New York City.
Can you just imagine the conversations?
Of course, now the scenario has changed significantly...
one from Tennessee, one from New York City...
and one grandchild from Ethiopia!!
Just how much grander can this grandparent thing get?
and today God has added to my joy
by revealing that our next grandbaby (the first Simmons) will be a BOY
(Sweet Husband's chest was just a bit broader this afternoon)
and grandbaby number 3 will be from ETHIOPIA!!
Is God crazy GOOD or what?!?!
I cannot put into words,
nor hit the computer keys with enough passion to convey,
how totally ecstatic I am by BOTH of these blessings!!
The first "Simmons" grandbaby, born to Josh and Meggie,
will arrive, God willing, around the first part of June.
The second "Hedger" grandbaby, adopted by Bethany and Peter,
will arrive, God willing, by the end of the year...
or in approximately ten months or so.
Sweet Husband and I were recently musing
about having two grandsons...
one from Tennessee and one from New York City.
Can you just imagine the conversations?
Of course, now the scenario has changed significantly...
one from Tennessee, one from New York City...
and one grandchild from Ethiopia!!
Just how much grander can this grandparent thing get?
Monday, January 17, 2011
grandmothering. totally grand...
Today I feel compelled to share
how absolutely WONDERFUL
it is to be a grandmother!
It's one of life's seasons
that one must experience in order to understand
the magnitude of its magnificence.
There are no words to adequately describe
the avalanche of emotion that spewed from me
when my "baby" had a baby...
especially when the realization dawned
that Sweet Husband and I are not the parents of this child,
our child is.
The sense of relief that came with that thought
was indescribable and pretty much made me
downright giddy!
Of course, Sweet Husband and I
want to be fully supportive and "in sync" with how
our children desire to raise their children,
in the admonition and fear of the LORD...
and we are excited about reading God's Word to them,
singing about Jesus with them,
praying with them...and for them...
which we've been doing since the pregnancy tests showed two lines!
But, we are also elated with the future fun (God willing)
of coloring on the wall (which will be covered with chalk paint),
eating ice cream before dinner (occasionally), building forts,
playing make-believe, hide-and-go-seek, go fish, and, of course,
reading lots of good stories...
perhaps even making up some of our own!
When I see Hudson, now 8 months old,
and he recognizes me, grins and reaches for me...
well...
there are no words...
you'll just have to think of something that makes your heart
feel like it's going to burst with joy...elation...euphoria...
and you'll be not even half-way to where my heart soars.
Grandbaby #2 is supposed to be making his/her grand appearance
on or around June 7th...
and momma-to-be felt him/her dancing during church on Sunday...
for the first time.
I don't have the privilege of feeling
those baby-in-the-womb flutters (or stomps) anymore...
but, the flutters (or pounding) in my heart are as palpable
as I remember my womb flutters being...
and they're minus labor and delivery pains...
hospital bills...diapers...sleepless nights...
not that they weren't all definitely worth living!!
One of the greatest joys of being a grandmother, though,
is watching our daughter be a mother...
and the anticipation of watching our son be a father.
As I spend time with our daughter,
observing her tender maternal love for Hudson,
hearing her heart for Hudson to love Jesus,
knowing her tinges of sadness that he's almost ready to wean,
sensing even now the brevity of these days...
And as I ponder our son,
who has loved babies and little children since he was a little tyke,
becoming a father,
knowing the miracle that is his life,
hearing his initial struggle to come to grips
with his impending fatherhood...
I am excited about the adventures that lie before them...
sure to be laced with infectious laughter and crocodile tears,
multiple stitches and a broken bone or two,
unending questions,
spontaneous, non-sensical knock-knock jokes
made up one after the other,
sibling fun and frenzy,
soaring achievements and heart-wrenching disappointments,
embarrassing conversations and teachable moments,
the mystery of what each day holds and
the amazement of survival at each day's end...
parenting is probably one of the best rides ever!
...until grandparenting comes along...that is!
how absolutely WONDERFUL
it is to be a grandmother!
It's one of life's seasons
that one must experience in order to understand
the magnitude of its magnificence.
There are no words to adequately describe
the avalanche of emotion that spewed from me
when my "baby" had a baby...
especially when the realization dawned
that Sweet Husband and I are not the parents of this child,
our child is.
The sense of relief that came with that thought
was indescribable and pretty much made me
downright giddy!
Of course, Sweet Husband and I
want to be fully supportive and "in sync" with how
our children desire to raise their children,
in the admonition and fear of the LORD...
and we are excited about reading God's Word to them,
singing about Jesus with them,
praying with them...and for them...
which we've been doing since the pregnancy tests showed two lines!
But, we are also elated with the future fun (God willing)
of coloring on the wall (which will be covered with chalk paint),
eating ice cream before dinner (occasionally), building forts,
playing make-believe, hide-and-go-seek, go fish, and, of course,
reading lots of good stories...
perhaps even making up some of our own!
When I see Hudson, now 8 months old,
and he recognizes me, grins and reaches for me...
well...
there are no words...
you'll just have to think of something that makes your heart
feel like it's going to burst with joy...elation...euphoria...
and you'll be not even half-way to where my heart soars.
Grandbaby #2 is supposed to be making his/her grand appearance
on or around June 7th...
and momma-to-be felt him/her dancing during church on Sunday...
for the first time.
I don't have the privilege of feeling
those baby-in-the-womb flutters (or stomps) anymore...
but, the flutters (or pounding) in my heart are as palpable
as I remember my womb flutters being...
and they're minus labor and delivery pains...
hospital bills...diapers...sleepless nights...
not that they weren't all definitely worth living!!
One of the greatest joys of being a grandmother, though,
is watching our daughter be a mother...
and the anticipation of watching our son be a father.
As I spend time with our daughter,
observing her tender maternal love for Hudson,
hearing her heart for Hudson to love Jesus,
knowing her tinges of sadness that he's almost ready to wean,
sensing even now the brevity of these days...
And as I ponder our son,
who has loved babies and little children since he was a little tyke,
becoming a father,
knowing the miracle that is his life,
hearing his initial struggle to come to grips
with his impending fatherhood...
I am excited about the adventures that lie before them...
sure to be laced with infectious laughter and crocodile tears,
multiple stitches and a broken bone or two,
unending questions,
spontaneous, non-sensical knock-knock jokes
made up one after the other,
sibling fun and frenzy,
soaring achievements and heart-wrenching disappointments,
embarrassing conversations and teachable moments,
the mystery of what each day holds and
the amazement of survival at each day's end...
parenting is probably one of the best rides ever!
...until grandparenting comes along...that is!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
you are what you eat. but, do you know WHAT you're eating?
Just watched Food Inc. with Sweet Husband.
It's been a long time since I've been so disturbed.
The last time was probably when Michael What's-his-name
in Halloween became forever imprinted in my mind
raising up in the back seat of Jamie Lee Curtis's car
after she got in and started the engine...
I still catch myself looking in my back seat before I get in,
especially at night.
I guess I should now expect to have visions of maltreated
cows, chickens, pigs and farmers
racing through my dreams tonight...
and many nights to follow.
Will I ever look at a piece of meat
on my dinner plate and not see reruns
of scenes of chicken houses or factory farmed cows
or the largest pig slaughterhouse in the world?
When will I be able to summon up
the stomach to walk into a grocery store again?
I think I just developed an allergy to SKU numbers.
If I see one I might break out in hives,
start foaming at the mouth and
begin chanting in an unknown tongue...
that's pretty disturbed...isn't it?
The first priority of our government should be
the protection and welfare of the people.
After watching this documentary...
I'm feeling extremely vulnerable and unprotected!
I can only imagine how farmers have felt
for the past 30 to 40 years!
Politics these days are enough to make anyone sick...
but, for politicians to be so power-hungry
that they would allow the four or five giant food companies
to have basically unlimited control over
our food sources...permitting genetic engineering and,
in essence, protecting them from exposure...
that's just wrong...inhumane...greedy...pride at its ugliest.
And for the four or five giant food corporations,
which control and produce most of the
47,000 items on grocery shelves,
to be more concerned with cost reduction and profit margins
rather than the quality and health quotient of the food
we, the consumers, are eating...
that's just wrong...inhumane...greedy...pride at its ugliest.
Well...we, Sweet Husband and I, are going to do our best
to stop supporting these giant food companies!
We are going to get to know and support our local farmers.
There are several organic farms in our area
with vegetables, fruit, eggs, chickens and beef
available for purchase...
these will be our new merchants of choice,
and I dare say, I feel a little healthier already!
It's just going to take some planning on our part...
and it will be a lesson in diligence and perseverance,
because we have grown accustomed to convenience,
the drive-thru, the instant gratification of
comfort foods.
However, after being educated on how my "comfort" is being produced,
I'm thinking a little discomfort is totally in order!
It's been a long time since I've been so disturbed.
The last time was probably when Michael What's-his-name
in Halloween became forever imprinted in my mind
raising up in the back seat of Jamie Lee Curtis's car
after she got in and started the engine...
I still catch myself looking in my back seat before I get in,
especially at night.
I guess I should now expect to have visions of maltreated
cows, chickens, pigs and farmers
racing through my dreams tonight...
and many nights to follow.
Will I ever look at a piece of meat
on my dinner plate and not see reruns
of scenes of chicken houses or factory farmed cows
or the largest pig slaughterhouse in the world?
When will I be able to summon up
the stomach to walk into a grocery store again?
I think I just developed an allergy to SKU numbers.
If I see one I might break out in hives,
start foaming at the mouth and
begin chanting in an unknown tongue...
that's pretty disturbed...isn't it?
The first priority of our government should be
the protection and welfare of the people.
After watching this documentary...
I'm feeling extremely vulnerable and unprotected!
I can only imagine how farmers have felt
for the past 30 to 40 years!
Politics these days are enough to make anyone sick...
but, for politicians to be so power-hungry
that they would allow the four or five giant food companies
to have basically unlimited control over
our food sources...permitting genetic engineering and,
in essence, protecting them from exposure...
that's just wrong...inhumane...greedy...pride at its ugliest.
And for the four or five giant food corporations,
which control and produce most of the
47,000 items on grocery shelves,
to be more concerned with cost reduction and profit margins
rather than the quality and health quotient of the food
we, the consumers, are eating...
that's just wrong...inhumane...greedy...pride at its ugliest.
Well...we, Sweet Husband and I, are going to do our best
to stop supporting these giant food companies!
We are going to get to know and support our local farmers.
There are several organic farms in our area
with vegetables, fruit, eggs, chickens and beef
available for purchase...
these will be our new merchants of choice,
and I dare say, I feel a little healthier already!
It's just going to take some planning on our part...
and it will be a lesson in diligence and perseverance,
because we have grown accustomed to convenience,
the drive-thru, the instant gratification of
comfort foods.
However, after being educated on how my "comfort" is being produced,
I'm thinking a little discomfort is totally in order!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
begin with days, months and years. end with eternity...
Have you ever pondered the concept of time?
I mean...why do we measure minutes by seconds,
hours by minutes, days by hours, weeks by days, months by weeks,
years by months, our lives by years?
...kinda reminds me of a song...
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes...
five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear...
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes...
how do you measure, measure a year?
(From "Seasons of Love" in the musical Rent)
Sorry...got sidetracked...
sometimes you just have to go with it.
I'm back now...but it could happen again.
If you really want to get down to brass tacks...
God created time...it was part of his sovereign plan.
Genesis 1, beginning with verse 3 says,
And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. And God
saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from
the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he
called Night. And there was evening and there was morning,
the first day...
Then moving on to verse 14...
And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens
to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and
for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the
expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth. And it was so.
And God made the two great lights - the greater light to rule the day
and the lesser light to rule the night - and the stars.
So...from the very beginning our world has been marked by time...
morning and evening...a day...
and another song...
Sunrise, sunset...sunrise, sunset...
swiftly go the years.
One season following another
laden with happiness and tears.
(from "Sunrise, Sunset" in Fiddler on the Roof)
...I can't predict when it will happen...it just does.
And I'm back...
Three days of this week were for me full of isolation,
hugging porcelain, aching joints, no food, Sprite,
crushing headaches, sleep (because staying awake was impossible)...
these were not enjoyable mornings and evenings.
I was not sad to bid them farewell.
However, that was not my sentiment as our annual
Thanksgiving week at Telliquah Falls came to a close.
Neither did I feel a sense of relief when Christmas
vacation ran out of days.
Those days were full of family, worship, laughter,
food, great conversations, games, movies, shopping,
staying up late and sleeping in...who would want that to end?
I received an email that a former boss of mine
died yesterday morning.
The abruptness of death hit me in the face, once again.
How does it always catch me off guard...
even though I know it's the one sure statistic
each person alive can rest assured we will become?
Perhaps death is the great surpriser because
when God created man in his image,
the LORD God...breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,
and the man became a living creature. (Genesis 2:7)
Ecclesiastes 3:11b says,
Also, [God] has put eternity into man's heart...
God created us to live...breathing his breath into Adam,
and even placed within us
a sense that this life is not all there is.
Is that why we are so affected by death...
when there are no more days, months, years to measure?
Are we provoked when reminded of death to consider
that which God put within us...eternity?
Ecclesiastes 3:11b continues,
yet so that he cannot find out what God has done
from the beginning to the end.
This, I believe, is one of God's greatest mercies...
that he has not given us the ability
to know everything he has sovereignly ordained.
We couldn't handle it.
But, he providentially supplies days, months and years,
which hold for us birth and death, planting and harvesting,
killing and healing, breaking down and building up,
weeping and laughing, mourning and dancing,
scattering and gathering, embracing and turning away,
seeking and losing, keeping and throwing away,
tearing and sewing, silence and speaking,
loving and hating, war and peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
...name that tune...pfftt..that was an easy one.
I'm sorry...please forgive me.
Today, as I contemplate time and eternity,
sickness and health...life and death...
I am reminded of my own human frailty and
the increasing brevity of the days, months and years remaining.
Yet, I am drawn not to despair but to rejoice in this truth...
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
According to his great mercy, he has caused [me]
to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is
imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for [me],
who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this [I] rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary,
[I] have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested
genuineness of [my] faith - more precious than gold that
perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to result
in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Though [I] have not seen him, [I] love him. Though [I]
do not now see him, [I] believe in him and rejoice with joy
that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome
of [my] faith, the salvation of [my] soul. (1 Peter 1:3-9)
Oh, that everyone would know this great salvation!
May the rest of my days, months and years (God willing)
be marked not only by time but by boldness and courage
to share the gospel of Jesus Christ without hesitation...
for it is only this gospel that has the power
to change a life today for eternity.
I mean...why do we measure minutes by seconds,
hours by minutes, days by hours, weeks by days, months by weeks,
years by months, our lives by years?
...kinda reminds me of a song...
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes...
five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear...
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes...
how do you measure, measure a year?
(From "Seasons of Love" in the musical Rent)
Sorry...got sidetracked...
sometimes you just have to go with it.
I'm back now...but it could happen again.
If you really want to get down to brass tacks...
God created time...it was part of his sovereign plan.
Genesis 1, beginning with verse 3 says,
And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. And God
saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from
the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he
called Night. And there was evening and there was morning,
the first day...
Then moving on to verse 14...
And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens
to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and
for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the
expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth. And it was so.
And God made the two great lights - the greater light to rule the day
and the lesser light to rule the night - and the stars.
So...from the very beginning our world has been marked by time...
morning and evening...a day...
and another song...
Sunrise, sunset...sunrise, sunset...
swiftly go the years.
One season following another
laden with happiness and tears.
(from "Sunrise, Sunset" in Fiddler on the Roof)
...I can't predict when it will happen...it just does.
And I'm back...
Three days of this week were for me full of isolation,
hugging porcelain, aching joints, no food, Sprite,
crushing headaches, sleep (because staying awake was impossible)...
these were not enjoyable mornings and evenings.
I was not sad to bid them farewell.
However, that was not my sentiment as our annual
Thanksgiving week at Telliquah Falls came to a close.
Neither did I feel a sense of relief when Christmas
vacation ran out of days.
Those days were full of family, worship, laughter,
food, great conversations, games, movies, shopping,
staying up late and sleeping in...who would want that to end?
I received an email that a former boss of mine
died yesterday morning.
The abruptness of death hit me in the face, once again.
How does it always catch me off guard...
even though I know it's the one sure statistic
each person alive can rest assured we will become?
Perhaps death is the great surpriser because
when God created man in his image,
the LORD God...breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,
and the man became a living creature. (Genesis 2:7)
Ecclesiastes 3:11b says,
Also, [God] has put eternity into man's heart...
God created us to live...breathing his breath into Adam,
and even placed within us
a sense that this life is not all there is.
Is that why we are so affected by death...
when there are no more days, months, years to measure?
Are we provoked when reminded of death to consider
that which God put within us...eternity?
Ecclesiastes 3:11b continues,
yet so that he cannot find out what God has done
from the beginning to the end.
This, I believe, is one of God's greatest mercies...
that he has not given us the ability
to know everything he has sovereignly ordained.
We couldn't handle it.
But, he providentially supplies days, months and years,
which hold for us birth and death, planting and harvesting,
killing and healing, breaking down and building up,
weeping and laughing, mourning and dancing,
scattering and gathering, embracing and turning away,
seeking and losing, keeping and throwing away,
tearing and sewing, silence and speaking,
loving and hating, war and peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
...name that tune...pfftt..that was an easy one.
I'm sorry...please forgive me.
Today, as I contemplate time and eternity,
sickness and health...life and death...
I am reminded of my own human frailty and
the increasing brevity of the days, months and years remaining.
Yet, I am drawn not to despair but to rejoice in this truth...
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
According to his great mercy, he has caused [me]
to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is
imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for [me],
who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this [I] rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary,
[I] have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested
genuineness of [my] faith - more precious than gold that
perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to result
in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Though [I] have not seen him, [I] love him. Though [I]
do not now see him, [I] believe in him and rejoice with joy
that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome
of [my] faith, the salvation of [my] soul. (1 Peter 1:3-9)
Oh, that everyone would know this great salvation!
May the rest of my days, months and years (God willing)
be marked not only by time but by boldness and courage
to share the gospel of Jesus Christ without hesitation...
for it is only this gospel that has the power
to change a life today for eternity.
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