Where Have You Pitched Your Tent?

Two lands are before you,
Do you see the choice at hand?
Abraham dwelled in the Land of Cannan,
While Lot had another plan.

Abram stayed with God in Cannan,
Tents, flocks, and herds at home.
Lot beheld the plain of Jordan,
And chose that for his own.

Lot pitched his tent toward the land of sin,
But it wasn't long til he settled in.
You know the story of the wife of Lot,
She turned into a pillar of salt!

After his tent became home in Sodom,
Lot nearly lost all he held dear.
Take heed this day and examine well,
A tent pitched carelessly may be on the road to hell.

Does God Have a Shade?

This is for my grandchildren :-) and other wee friends!

Does God have a shade for the sun and the moon?

Does He raise it for the morning light and start to lower it at noon?

As the shade goes down upon the sun, is He pulling it up upon the moon?

The light of the sun and the glow of the moon reminds us of God above. He made the sun, hung the moon, and sprinkled in some stars.

The sun shines forth from dawn to dusk, the moon casts a glow at night, and the stars delight!

It's fun to think that God has a shade on both; one to wake and the other to sleep.

Look to the sky and see His lights. Good morning world, goodnight, good sleep!

Time to Slow Down

I had a relatively minor (elective) surgery on June 30th. In my conversations with the doctor he acted as if it was realistic to return to work on July 5th after the long holiday weekend. I returned on July 6th for a very long, tiring and painful day. By Thursday, each step brought pain and the incision site was swollen and very painful. When I called the doctor on Friday the physician assistant said I shouldn't be working, to get off my feet, ice the site, and she would see me Monday.

After only working two hours Monday I was dragging when I arrived at the doctor feeling completely exhausted. It was then that I was told this was a six week recovery, I shouldn't be working and to go home and rest until August 1st! At first I was very annoyed at the doctor, the disarray at work given that this was unplanned, and the whole situation in general. However, I also knew my body simply wasn't going to take working, that much was clear.

I went home, called HR to begin the leave process and spent most of that day and the next in bed on the PC and telephone trying to delegate and get things to a place I felt was better prepared for my leave. Somewhere in the process the Lord began to work in my heart that this was His provision, protection, and, of course, His will. He knew exactly what I needed even though I was pushing through trying to keep going. I am so thankful for His amazing, tender love for His children. As soon as I "rearranged my mind" I began to rest in this new adventure in my weary body. What could I accomplish from the couch and in the bed? What could I read? What messages could I work on ahead of their due dates? In the midst of it I was asked to speak in mid-September. This means there is a VOM talk in August, a retreat in September, and Christian Women's Club in November - all of them a different message. It is exciting to see God opening these doors and I pray for His strength, equipping, and anointing for, "apart from Me you can do nothing of value."

In the last week my mind has been flooded with creative writing that has been dormant for years. It was a blessing to finish a tract that had been half-finished for a very long time. Then I have found myself venturing into short children's stories, and a tract on my mom seemed to evolve into a portion of the Christian Women's Club talk on "scars". How blessed I am. I don't want to squander this gift of rest and I pray for meaningful use of the time in His Word, in the labor of prayer, journaling, quietness, and rest. Isn't it just like our Father to know exactly what we need and when?

Lazarus Come Forth!

My pastor is doing a series leading up to Easter and last week he talked about Jesus when He performed the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. This event turned the tide of opinion for some and they began to plot against him. Imagine the people who saw Jesus call forth Lazarus from his grave. As he came forth he stood before them in grave clothes that had to be shed.

Just as Jesus called forth Lazarus, each of us who are saved were "dead in our trespasses" and have been called up out of the pit to new life in Christ. Have you heard Him call your name? One day over 31 years ago Jesus called, "Pam Come Forth!" and I came up out of the depths to stand in newness of life. I still had my grave clothes on but soon, they were falling aside, exchanged for a garment of praise. Oh, what joy, a new creature in Christ, peace that passed understanding, forgiveness, forever ahead and the pit of the past behind.

Just as Jesus performed a miracle that day when He called Lazarus, each new life of transformation is a miracle performed by the Author and Finisher of faith. He is long suffering, merciful, not willing that any should perish. Have you heard Him call your name?

Amy Carmichael, Missionary to India

I just finished a biography about Amy and was inspired by her journey. She was turned down in the early years by mission agencies because of her health. She suffered what was called in that day neuralgia, which seemed to speak to me about my battle with fibromyalgia. It was difficult at times but she pressed on. After finally ending up in India, she ministered for over fifty years there, the last several years mostly confined to her room after a fall.

Amy said she preferred to burn out rather than rust out! Her story gave me renewed vision to press on in spite of the days when the physical ailments cause a distraction. There is work to be done, He has a purpose for me, and He promises fruitfulness as our age advances. What joy! God is never done using His saints though the world may discount our worth as we age.

Hot Air Balloons

When I think of hot air balloons, I think of them soaring against the backdrop of a blue sky, soaring unhindered as they are designed to do. But what about us? Are we soaring like we were created to do in Christ? Ephesians 1:3 tells us we are blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. The first Bible study I attended was on the Book of Ephesians and I remember being in awe that we are accepted in the Beloved with a spiritual inheritance :-)

Recently I read Galatians 5:1, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." The scripture once more reminded me of hot air balloons and how we are meant to soar in victory. However, sometimes we allow ourselves to become tethered again to the ground, entangled in the yoke of bondage and sin, earth bound rather than living our position in Christ in heavenly places.

When we find ourselves tethered it is time to take inventory of what we have allowed to tie us down when we were designed to soar! Maybe the basket has taken on too much weight and it is time to throw some of the useless spiritual saboteurs overboard. In Ps. 51:12 David prayed that the joy of his salvation would be restored; may we do likewise if it has been awhile since we have sailed through the blue skies.

The February Flood

In 29 years we have had a bit of water now and then in the basement but nothing like The February Flood of 2011. When I looked downstairs that morning and saw a plastic container floating merrily by the basement stairs I knew this was unlike anything we had ever experienced.

Perspective helps. I was thankful that the water wasn't in our living space like I have seen many times on newscasts. Thankful the house wasn't swept away as I have seen countless times too. We had an irritation on our hands but not a tragedy. Cleaning the basement has been long overdue with nearly 30 years accumulation so this was a good opportunity to get a start on the clutter; we had no choice now.

I discovered something about these kinds of chores - they are much more fun when a grandchild is present. Alex came to help us out - a strong, healthy 13 year old with a good attitude. Now that is a silver lining to a cloud! He spent the day and ran up and down the steps numerous times with loads of junk for the trash and loads of treasures for the thrift. At the end of a long day we had a bonfire in the back yard with some of the drier boxes that the trash couldn't accommodate. It was a boy's reward for a day of hard work. For a brief moment I felt I was transported back about 13 years in time and it was David poking around the fire pit. There's something about boys and fire - their eyes dance with excitement and they are focused on the seriousness of the "job" set before them. Now it was Alex before me...and yet, I thought I saw a glimpse of David in an earlier time :-)

A grandson is a treasure for sure but one who loves Jesus and wants to hang out with his grandparents is a rare and precious treasure indeed. This grandmother is blessed...and The Flood of 2011 just polished the treasure and made it shine a little brighter.