Rainy Days and Mondays

What a blessing! A rainy Sunday that was as dark as night, brought much needed moisture to the ground. Followed by a Monday morning red sun that filled the sky.

"The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises," (Ecclesiastes 1:5 NIV).

The month is drawing to an end and so is the season of summer as it passed. The rain and cooler temperatures welcome in the new fall days with changing colors and falling leaves. The breeze moves the tall grasses in the wind creating soothing sights, yet cool.

God's touch makes all things change with beauty. Only His hands can turn the seasons and bring changes. It is the time for harvest. Gardens explode with ripe squash, round potatoes, pumpkins and gourds. The grapes and apples are ripe and ready for picking. Fields are full of corn and soybeans waiting for their turn to be harvested. Hearts are broken as Iowa farmers mourn the ruined crops in fields damaged by the derecho in August.

"May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works--he who looks at the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke," (Psalm 104:31-32 NIV).

Let us rise up today with gladness and celebrate the coming harvest in fields and in churches. Let us give thanks for our God is mighty! Whatever you need today, ask of God and listen for His answer. Thank you, God for hearing our prayers. Amen.

New Every Morning

Some days all we need is some encouragement. We may feel down or discouraged; lonely or sad and nothing seems to make it all right. Trust in the Lord for He is the same day or night, today and tomorrow. We can always depend on Him. God is our Rock and our Fortress; our Shelter and our Guide.

Stop and pray for what you need and God will answer you. Listen for His answer, stay silent until He speaks. Allow God to speak unto you and bless you with His message. God's Word is true and honorable. He never fails.

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him,"" (Lamentations 3:21-23 NIV). 

Let your heart sing out the words of the great hymn, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." "Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father, There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changes not, Thy compassions they fail not; As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be. Great is thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided-Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

"Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest, Sun, moon and stars in their courses above Join with all nature in manifold witness To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love. Great is thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided-Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

"Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine , with ten thousand beside! Great is thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided-Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!" (Thomas O. Chisholm, 1921, William Runyan, 1923).

Birthdays

Happy birthday sister! One of my three sisters has a birthday today. I hope she has a wonderful day. With COVID-19 birthdays have been less than delightful for many. We've seen lots of yard signs to celebrate kids and significant adult birthdays this summer. And I'm sure some families have continued to gather for parties. But others have had to downplay the events due to the virus.

Today is also significant because my mother was buried on this day 21 years ago. It wasn't a good birthday for my sister that year either. Though the family was all together, we weren't celebrating her birthday. Birthdays are just like that sometimes. They happen every year and some years the birthday just gets slighted for one reason or another. As I get older I don't want a celebration for some birthdays. This year was one of those years. I turned 65 and got Medicare. Oh boy. That was something to celebrate.

When you are little birthdays are a really big deal. It seems like the world revolves around those birthdays. And when you are six or 10 that is a big deal. Presents are pretty important at that age. When you are older and have everything you need, presents aren't necessary.

I'm thankful for every birthday you have and I'm glad God's truths see each of you through every year.

"The Lord will keep you from all harm--he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore," (Psalm 121:7-8 NIV).

Happy birthday, Burneta. I love you.

Just Breathe

We have had some hazy days lately, caused by the fires out west. The weatherman said the smoke will make for some beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Perhaps you have seen one. They are another example of God's creative beauty that we can experience.

The hazy skies remind us that out west people are living in danger, their homes and lives are in danger. It also reminds me that their air quality is terrible because of the smoke. They can hardly breathe; they are encouraged not to go outside. This reminds me how fortunate we are to have good clean air to breathe. 

Breathing is a natural action of life. Yet, to relax we are often encouraged to breathe deeply, in and out. Slowly inhale and exhale, concentrating on the air moving in and out of our bodies. It is calming to breathe purposefully. It is something so easy to do, yet we rarely take the time to stop and do it.

Breathing exercises offer us a way to release our anxieties; breathe in the Holy Spirit and breathe out our anxieties. It is a good way to calm yourself in anxious times of worry or frustration.

"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord," (Psalm 150:6 NIV). 

Lord, help us to breathe deeply and release the air to cleanse our souls of whatever is troubling us. Let us release the poisons that pollute our breathe and accept the air of Your giving. Thank you, God. Amen.

Beautiful Days

Beautiful days bring me closer to God. I can see clear to heaven when the sun is shining bright and there are no clouds to block my view. God is so good to bless us with sunshine, especially after five days of rain. A person can get plenty grumbly without the sun for that long. I need the sun and thank you, God, we have had lots of sunny days this summer.That is probably one thing that has helped us all get through these days of COVID-19.

"Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth," (Psalm 48:1,2a NIV) 

I want to sing His praises when it is perfect weather like this. My whole soul sings that God is worthy of praise! 

But what about last week when it rained all week. Yes, I want to praise God then, too. It might be a little harder to get started, when it is gloomy and gray, but then I consider how badly we needed the rain and I rejoice to God for ending (at least partially) the drought. And I watch as the plants reach toward the sky, soaking in the raindrops so happily. Yes, everyday is a day to praise our Father above.

Thank you, God, for this beautiful day. Thank you for the sunshine and the rain, for the clouds and the mist. Thank you God for watching over us day and night and for providing all that we need. Amen.

The Falling Wreath

I have a blue wreath on my front door. It is made of blue stems of flowers (fake) but it looks pretty from a distance. We have a large window in the door so I use a suction cup hook to hang the wreath. Sometimes the suction cup lets go and the wreath falls to the porch floor. I think it has happened three times this summer due to changes in the heat usually.

The wreath suffers a little more damage every time it falls, losing a few flowers every time. The wreath still looks surprisingly good, though it has lost many flowers by now. Still, even from up close you won't notice the loss. It's still full and colorful and matches the rest of my decorations. But it is much less bright than it was when it was new.

We are kind of like that wreath. As life moves along we are hit by things that damage us a little bit and then we pick ourselves up again and move on as if nothing happened. No-one sees anything different about us, but we have changed a little. Then the next event happens and we are changed again. Life goes on but each time we suffer a life changing event we are affected in our hearts.

We all have been enduring this pandemic together yet six-feet apart. No more hugs when we need them. That's what I've missed the most. It makes us feel like we are emotionally separated also.  We are faithfully wearing our masks to protect others but we can't see the smiles behind the masks. It feels isolating.

C'OVID-19 has changed us all a little bit. We will go on each day as if nothing happened but we are not the same. 

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting," (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV).

Just One Seed

  Last spring I found a baggie full of seed that I had saved from my mini hollyhocks that grew along our front sidewalk at our former acreage. They reseed the ground and come up again the next year. A good friend shared the seed with me many years ago. They remind me a bit of my mother's hollyhocks that were much larger, growing head high. 

So even though I thought the seeds might be too old, I planted them all in a little two foot square area and wished for the best. I waited and waited for the seeds to sprout and waited some more. Finally after several good rains I recognized one sprout of the mini hollyhocks. I thought sure there would be more to follow but only one plant began to grow.

I feared bugs would get the little lone plant or that it would just dry up and die in our terrible, hard soil, but it kept growing. I kind of forgot about it this summer so it didn't get any water, still it grew. It was jostled around by the derecho, protected behind a north jutting wall. It grew and grew no matter what the conditions were. 

"Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him," (Psalm 126:5-6 NIV).

This week I remembered the plant and went out to see if it was still growing in spite of near drought conditions Ankeny has been experiencing. There it was, spread all over the area, tangled into the nearby plants. When I tried to move the vines the seeds sprinkled all over the ground and I know next year I will have many of the mini hollyhocks coming up in its own little garden. Even when I could get nothing besides milkweeds to grow there, the hollyhocks persevered.

God is good, so very good.

A Blank Page

 I got up early to write my blog and I am faced with a blank page and a new format. I don't like change but here I am adapting to the changes. Life is like that. Each day we face a blank page. What will we do with the new day? How will we use our time. How can we touch someone's life in a meaningful way? What can we do that blesses someone else?

It is a blank page. It could be intimidating or feel like a wonderful blessing. A new day to use as I desire. Will I exercise? Will I eat a healthy diet? Will I get enough sleep? Will I use my body as a temple of the Holy Spirit?

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body,"       (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV).

It is good to be reminded that our body is a temple. How are we treating that temple?Do we care for it as it is precious? Sometimes not. It seems like I often take my body and abuse it, overuse it, and forget to treat it as a treasure. Maybe it could use more pampering, especially as I am older. Parts are wearing out. Aches and pains are more common. 

It is a new day. A new page to write in our life's journal. May your day be filled with blessings.