A Month's End

September is at its final doorway and it is going out with some stormy weather, A much needed rain is predicted though untimely for farmers who are harvesting crops. The month of bounty is ending as the gardens slow in their produce yet pumpkins and apples are ready for harvest. What a delightful time of year. 

As we look over the month we see a schedule of our events, all that we have done this month and we give thanks to God for letting us see those days and experience all that we have done. September's 30 days are nearly over. There is lightning and thunder out doors, that lends to the hope for badly needed rain. Nature's chorus awakens the world with its music.

The sound of heavy rain excites me as it has been so long coming. Finally, rain. It makes me want to open the doors and smell the freshness that saturates the ground. Oh, beautiful rain. Thank you, God for the rains that dampen the soil and water the thirsty plants and trees.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal," (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV).

Goodbye, September. Thank you for the memories made and the beauty of nature you have provided. 

May God bless you today beyond measure.

Changing Seasons

We changed seasons last week and there are signs all around us that confirm the switch to Autumn. We noticed as we drove to Fort Dodge that leaves are beginning to turn colors. The corn is drying and beans are brown. Many combines and corn pickers were busy in the fields. Grain semis are busy on the roads and in fields. Grasshoppers are active in certain areas where we walk, hopping all around us as we pass.

Cool mornings waken us with the scent of fall, pungent and bold. Crisp morning air greets us saying, "Welcome to Autumn." Some trees are beginning to lose their leaves. What a wonder it is that trees know when to do that each year. Nature is amazing, all touched by God's hand. 

The birds are beginning to migrate. Even the geese that stay in Ankeny all year seem to be looking for the perfect spot to settle. The geese are flying overhead more often now and the spring babies are nearly full size.

The crunch of fallen leaves can be heard as we walk now. The fragrance of fall is bold, especially in the country as harvest begins. Apple harvest begins and pumpkins begin to appear on everyone's doorstep. Awe, fall. How wonderful you are.

"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning," (Daniel 2:20-21 NIV).

Wireless Connection

Nearly everyone owns a cell phone these days. You see them everywhere: on restaurant tables, in church, in cars, at ball games, walking down the street, even in the bathroom. To be honest our phones go with us everywhere except maybe the pool.

I'm not as connected to my phone as many. Mine sits on my desk most days. I take it with me if I leave home, that is, if I remember it. I use the camera on my phone almost as often as I use my Canon. The photo quality is just as good and my phone is easier to carry. 

I remember my husband's first portable phone was big and cumbersome but it was a real benefit to him when he was working as an on the road as a sales engineer of tooling. Without it he had to find a phone booth or car side phone to makes calls into the office or to answer phone calls when he was out on the road. I'm not sure you can even find a car side phone or a booth anywhere anymore.

I like a saying that is found on T-shirts: "Prayer is the original wireless connection." How true. God is always there, no matter how many bars you have or what kind of connection there is. We can go to Him any moment, and even safely in the car. God is always accessible, near, easily reached, without a busy signal and never a broken signal.

"Away from me, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer," (Psalm 6:8, 9 NIV).

Whenever you need God, He will hear your prayer. What a comfort! So let's put away our phones for a moment and talk to God. We will be blessed by our time in prayer. 

Sisters' Day

On Friday my three sisters and I and our husbands gathered for a sisters' day. Several of the host sister's boys popped in and one other cousin was a driver so we had a delightful day together. We had a nice meal and looked through old pictures and old dishes of our mother's. It means a lot when we four dan be together. Sisters share a lot of memories and losses. The loss of our parents weighs heavy on all of us, even after many years. 

There was plenty of laughter and a few tears as we remembered times from the past and shared concerns of the present. We are all getting older and we wonder who will carry on the history of the family in the future. 

Another thing we share is our faith in God. The way we worship may be different for each of us but we all share the faith of our father and mother.

"For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother," (Matthew 12:50 NIV).

Family is such a precious institution. Sometimes we get separated by distances or time and busyness but when we get back together we celebrate the oneness we hold dear. It is worth taking a minute to write, text or phone that special sister or brother when days seem long and lonely. They may be feeling the same way.

Take time to reach out to someone in your family you haven't talked to for awhile and reconnect with that love you share. Then celebrate the blessing of family.

The Search

Yesterday we spent some time searching for something we don't use very often so I was unsure of its location. I knew where it should be, in the safe, but I didn't remember seeing it there recently. Sure enough after a thorough search I found the abstract in the safe. 

My husband wanted to know the exact boundary line as he plans to extend the flower bed by about three feet. He didn't find the information in a quick look through of the big document but after checking with our neighbor they agreed he wouldn't be turning over ground on the property line. 

Searching for something lost can be done in panic mode, especially if it is something valuable or important. I can't tell you how many times we've gone looking for John's phone. Thank goodness for being able to call the phone and have it ring. 

Jesus tells the Parable of the Lost Coin: "Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents," (Luke 15:8-10 NIV).

What a blessing that God loves us so much that He celebrates over each one of us who is saved. We have such a Good Father. 

May you rejoice when you find each lost thing you are searching for.

Don't be Scammed

Once again this week we received a scam phone call. The caller said we had charged $1,000 for earbuds on an Amazon order that would be arriving tomorrow. I'm not sure where the caller was going with his message because we didn't wait to find out. We've had calls from "social security" and from a deputy who warns to have a warrant for your arrest unless we pay...

I even had a scammer who convinced me there was something wrong with my computer that he needed to fix and I allowed him to connect to my computer before I realized that was wrong and disconnected him. Fortunately we haven't fallen for these scammers and trusted them enough to lose money to them.

The devil tries to scam us, too. He tries to convince us that it won't matter if we do this just this once...or tell this one lie...or cheat this one time...or so on. Oh yes, it does matter and the guilt we feel will tell us it was wrong. Fortunately, Jesus is bigger than any evil we face.

God sees us through all the evil if we repent and ask forgiveness with a convicted heart. Jesus took the fall for all of us. We just need to ask forgiveness and truly repent of our wrongs.

Jesus said, "I have told you these things, so that you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. but take heart! I have overcome the world,"(John 16:33 NIV).

Friendships

Last week we had dinner with a friend from our high school days. We hadn't been together for several years, yet, it was just like we had never been apart. Our conversations were easy and comfortable and laughter came frequently. 

In our younger years we enjoyed couples weekends away together in Kansas City and Minneapolis. 

We have supported each other through rough times - the loss of his wife to cancer many years ago. We remember her so fondly and try to ease his pain.

Remembering is a precious gift from God. When we remember others it honors then. I have several gifts from her that always remind me of our friend. We were blessed by her friendship and by our friend's that continues. And by the many other friends who are so precious to us, old and new.

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts... Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced," (1 Chronicles 16:8,9,12 NIV).

We also remember Jesus, our friend, and all He has done for us. I thank God for friendships and for God's Son Jesus Christ.

The Blessing of Work

It is Labor Day and many of you workers have a delightful day off. I'm retired so my only real work is writing this blog. But, no, I don't get paid to write this. Ha. Ha. 

I remember how great it was to have a three-day weekend. There was finally time to relax after catching up on all the work around the house and yard. It felt good to go back to work with things accomplished for once. Life just gets too busy for workers sometimes. 

But, back to the topic of work. I hope each one of you love your job. That makes all the difference in the world if you have a job that you feel good about doing and enjoy. Life is too short to work at something you hate doing. 

I loved my job at the college writing news releases and feature stories about the success students had. There was much more to my work than that, but being able to tell the area folks about how much good was happening on the campus was delightful. I was passionate about telling good stories. 

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving," (Colossians 3:23-24 NIV).

God created each of us with a purpose for life. I'm thankful that writing was fulfilling to me, even now. I hope you get to do what God created you to do, also. May God bless you in your work.

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10 NIV).

I Was Hacked!

This week I was hacked. Someone sent out messages to almost everyone I am friends with on Facebook. I feel violated and I feel so bad that whoever did this betrayed my friendships. The message bothered all these people. Fortunately most knew the message wasn't something I would send. It makes me want to avoid Facebook completely.

I changed my password and hope for the best. Unfortunately there are some readers who won't realize my message is false and may try to open the link that was sent and be hacked themselves. I wish there was a way to prevent this from happening but changing my password to a secure one is the only way I know. 

Life is like this situation. Something happens that changes a relationship and there is anger between two people, maybe even distrust. Someone has to make the first move to correct and restore the relationship. The other person needs to be able to forgive and forget. In a good relationship, this happens rather quickly. In a poor relationship it may take time and even be difficult to resolve the problem.

"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus," (Philippians 3:13b-14 NIV).

All I can do to correct the hacking incident is move forward after changing my password. I hope my Facebook friends will forgive the false messages. I will keep straining toward the glorious prize that awaits me in heaven.

May you have a blessed day without sign of a hacker!