Praise God Forevermore!

My home church celebrated 175 years on Sunday. The small congregation planned and presented a beautiful service and program for a church full of people who returned to the country on two miles of gravel. The church was started by pioneer settlers who came from Owen County Indiana in 1849. They first met in homes for worship, but in the spring of 1851 the group established an organized church.

The Bethel Grove Church is the "first church of any communion in Marshall County," according to a history compiled by Miss Mae McKibben in 1961. The area just east of the Iowa River was chosen by the families of John Arney, Willian Arney, and John Hauser, and was referred to in those days as the "Arney-Hauser Settlement."

There are now 175 years of history for this beautiful church set amongst the trees and surrounded by beautiful corn and bean fields. The most important part of this history is the great faith and conviction of the many members through the years. I was a sixth generation member for more than 60 years.

"To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy--to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."      (Jude 24-25 NIV).

Heavenly Father, Thank You for my family's deep roots in faith. Thank You for being our rock and stronghold through all time. Thank You that all around me there are churches that worship You. We thank You for sending Your Son Jesus Christ to wash away our sins and present us before You without fault. We honor You, Lord, and give You our loving praise. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Laboring for the Lord

Labor Day has a different meaning when you are retired. I just haven't figured that out yet. Today will be the same as every other day. However, I will be confused about what day it is for the rest of the week. 

When I was working, Labor Day was a welcome day off to catch up on tasks around the house and yard. Way back, when our boys were young, we had a picnic with John's family. When the boys started their own families we hosted a campfire across the creek in a forested area, complete with hot dogs roasted over the fire, S'mores and mosquitos.

Labor Day was established as a national holiday in 1894 to recognize the American labor movement and  its contributions to economic progress and the change from 12-hour to 8-hour work days. (Are you singing Dolly Parton's "9 to 5"?). Unfortunately, it seems like many full-time white collar workers put in more than the 40 hours a week they are paid. Have we reverted back to the 1800's?

"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).

Perspective makes all the difference. Whether we are house cleaners, receptionists, students, waiters, teachers, lawyers, doctors, cooks, concrete workers, ditch diggers, accountants, store associates, tool and die makers, machinists, bus drivers, ministers, or engineers, our attitude makes the difference.

Heavenly Father, touch me with a new attitude toward my work. Speak into me the purpose You created me for and remind me of my value here on earth. Even those of us who are retired have a job to do for You. Clarify my life's mission and let me labor for You. Amen.

Lift Your Eyes

"Lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth," (Psalm 121:1-2 NIV). 

These verses from Scripture delight my soul! I want to close my eyes and imagine I am surrounded by beautiful purple mountains, or the red hills of Sedona, or the forested slopes of Oregon, or the rolling hills along the rivers in Iowa. 

Choose your favorite picture and imagine the presence of the Lord around you. Protecting you from all evil. Guarding your family. Holding you safely on the edge of a cliff. Carrying you up a rugged trail. Just imagine.

"My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth," (Psalm 121:2 NIV).

No matter what you are going through today, our God is with you, helping you. What a blessing that we can 'turn our eyes upon Jesus' and receive His wonderful help because we cannot go where God is not. He is already there.

Lord God, Maker of all heaven and earth, we look to You for our protection. We trust in Your presence as we journey through life. No matter what lies ahead in our day, we can count on You for the help we need. Thank You, gracious God, Master of all things. We look to the hills and see You. We praise You with all our hearts, confessing our sins to You, and worshiping You alone. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

Closing Out August

Good Morning. We have come to the end of another month and tomorrow we enter September. Two-thirds of the year is past. Time flies. Usually I welcome a clean slate on the calendar but our September is filled with appointments, grandchildren's ball games, and travel plans. It makes me tired to think about it.

My concept of time is far different than God's. That is a really good thing! If He was in a hurry for me to change my disappointing ways, I would be in big trouble. However, I can't sit around twiddling my thumbs. I must get moving and fulfill God's work for me. "I'm running out of time," as a Christian song says. 

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance," (2 Peter 3:9 NIV).

Lord God, thank You for being patient with me. Help me be a better person today and every day. Show me where I can introduce You to others, where I can show Your love to others, and where I can be kind. Lord, I trust in Your promises. Teach me to share those promises with others. I praise You and love You. In the holy name of Jesus Christ, my Savior, I pray. Amen.

To God be the glory!

My Teacher and Reminder

I am in awe of those who can speak Scriptures and their verses, off the top of their heads or more correctly, from the bottom of their hearts. Memorizing Scripture is something I have not mastered. That is why I love reading this verse. It gives me hope! 

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you," (John 14:26 NIV).

Memorizing is just not my forte. When I was a child I remember working on memorizing a poem that we had to recite in class. My mother worked and worked with me until I finally got ir. I don't remember if I said the poem correctly in front of my teacher or not, nor do I remember the poem.

I wanted to be in plays at school but I knew I would never be able to memorize long parts so I only tried out for characters that required no speaking. But, even that made me so nervous that I chose working behind the scenes in theatre instead.

But, according to Jesus' promise, there are times that Scripture verses I have read and studied come back to me. Thank You, Holy Spirit.

Oh, Great God of mercy, I'm so thankful that You are present in me as my Counselor and Guide. I trust in You to be my teacher and reminder of all that Jesus spoke and what is in Your Word. I love You, Lord, and I need You. I pray in the Holy Name of Jesus. Amen.

To God be the glory!

Counting Every Hair

Looking out my window, over my kitchen sink, I can see the hummingbirds at the feeder and the iron hook that holds the hanging geranium and vines. The hook is a favorite resting place of all kinds of birds. Early in the spring it was mostly robins that I saw there. Now it is used by a pretty red finch and the tiny hummingbirds.

I love seeing the birds come and go and often wonder what they are looking at while they rest. I enjoy seeing birds migrate through the area. A Facebook post reminded me that birds are preparing for migration. I would like to attract a few orioles while they move through.

Nature always draws me closer to God. I see all things as His Creation. What an amazing God we have. The variety of wildlife, plants, soil, and humans blow my ming! Every human being has God's fingerprint and His design. We all have a purpose that God planned before we were born. 

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows," (Matthew 10:29-31 NIV).

Lord God All-Mighty: hear our prayer today. We lift our voices to You in worship and praise. Thank you for Your love and care for us. We trust in You alone for You are worthy of all praise. Guide us through this day and new week. We ask for Your protection of students who return to school this week. Direct us in Your perfect way and bless us with Your mercy. We pray in Jesus' Name, Amen.

To God be the glory!

The Chosen

This blog is my annual Iowa State Fair review. We went to the State Fair on Monday with our 19-year-old granddaughter Bailey. I believe it was just one of four trips she made to the fair . I'm not sure if it was because she loves the Fair that much or if she loves being with people she cares about. We were honored to be chosen.

We visited every animal barn: swine, sheep, cattle, and horse, of course. We toured the Varied Industries Building just as it was opening, before the crowd swarmed in and the aisles became impassable. There we hit the Iowa State University booth for a free bag and got the Iowa Public Television magazine and voted on our favorite IPTV character. A cartoon character(s) were ahead that day. We walked from the Avenue of the Breeds to the Animal Learning Center. 

We visited the Heritage Village for our traditional phosphate beverage then climbed the hill to the Cultural Center to view the photography exhibit on the third floor. We found another granddaughter, Paige's three photos that were chosen for exhibit. We walked through both levels of the Agriculture Building where we got the free hard boiled egg on a stick, and purchased our favorite cinnamon nuts.

We returned to the sheep barn where we had the required lamb-burgers near the entrance. We walked through the Walnut Center, had a favorite lemonade, then back to the sheep barn where another granddaughter was working the 4-H lamb show, gathering show person's cards and noting their placings. She was on break so we got to visit with her about her photographs on display.

Eventually we ventured back to our car, parked on a neighbor's yard located south of Dean Ave. We always parked near the south border of the fairgrounds when the grandchildren were showing sheep, to be closer to the Sheep Barn, Yes, I love the Iowa State Fair but this year I experienced my age. My hips are still sore. I could barely get out of the car when we got home.

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light," (1 Peter 2:9 NIV). 

Heavenly Father, thank You for the amazing land of Iowa that we are privileged to live in, and the creative, hard-working, God-fearing people who live here. We praise You for Your Creation of differences across the United States and beyond. And we honor You as the Creator of all things. We pray in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

To God be the Glory!