God's Grace Is All We Need

The area we are enjoying in North Carolina called River Landing on the outskirts of Wallace, was hit by the September 2018 hurricane. Many homes are still rebuilding from the flooding that occurred at that time. Some homes were left untouched while others in the lower lands were completely flooded on the first level. The storm surges from the ocean followed the rivers inland creating back-flows that were in addition to the 36 inch rains that were received.

It is hard to imagine the destruction that can occur. Just as a beautiful city hit by a tornado is so pristine one minute and a massive mess the next. Consider Marshalltown, hit by a huge tornado just over a year ago. Some of the city escaped the storm, while downtown is still in the process of rebuilding. Life is hard sometimes. Really hard and painful.

Jesus told Paul in a vision how to remain strong in the eye of temptations, the thorn in his side.

"But he [Jesus] said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness,"" (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV).

When we are challenged to the very root of our being by a hurricane, a tornado, a life-changing illness, or a heart-breaking end of a relationship, that is the point in our life we discover what God's grace is all about. He provides for us in countless ways by filling our lives with His power while we are still weak. No matter how hopeless we may feel God is strong and powerful and His grace will be all that we need.

Where are you standing today? Do you need the strong rope of God's saving grace to save you? Just call and He will answer.

Walk Humbly With Your God

This week we are staying with our younger son's family in their new home in North Carolina. It is a different environment for us and we are enjoying time with the grandchildren. The kids go to day camp everyday this week. We have several hours to ourselves.

We've taken walks through the Carolina woods here at their gated community. We drove around the town of Wallace. We've enjoyed the community pool and greeted many folks who live here. We watch the golfers on the hole behind the house. And enjoy seeing the water birds on the pond.

Like Iowa, everyone in the community waves, "hello". They top it off with a friendly smile. We feel at home now and are glad that the family is settled in a lovely spot (even though it is far away). Knowing their surroundings is comforting to grandpa and grandma.

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8 NIV).

This scripture from Micah spoke to me today. Humbly walk with your God...to me means to stay next to God, be close to Him, and be humble, putting God high and exalted and knowing I am a sinner who has been forgiven so now I am free of the shackles of sin. Jesus and the Holy Spirit guide me through each day and I am blessed.

Jesus is our example for life: what is good. God wants me to respond with a life filled with fairness, love and desire for mercy in my life and to walk side-by-side with God, honoring Him with my reverence and praise.

No matter where I am today, I will pause and remember to walk humbly with my God.

He Answers My Call

I will bow down toward your holy temple and I will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted," (Psalm 138:2-3 NIV).

Praise the Lord! How blessed we are to have Your love and faithfulness. We praise You for the blessing of Your Holy Name and Your Word. We praise You for answering our cries and making us bold and stouthearted!

When do you need to feel bold and stouthearted? I'm not sure about you but I can think of several situations when being strong, outspoken and tough might be very helpful. I think of times if I was  bullied by a coworker,  a fellow student, or another sport fan. Or if I was persecuted for being a Christian. Or if I needed to speak out for a cause. Yes, occasionally being bold and stouthearted makes situations easier to handle.

I can also remember times when I could have called upon the Lord and received His strength and stoutheartedness, but I didn't. I didn't think to ask God for help; I tried to get through the situation on my own. Although I haven't always sought God's help when I should have, it is comforting to know He will always be there for me when I remember to reach out for His hand.

Praise the Lord for a new day, new opportunities that present themselves; times to be bold in my faith. Thank you, God. Thank you for answering my cries for help. Remind me I can turn to you anytime I need You. Amen.

Showers of Blessing

"You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops," (Psalm 65:9-10 NIV).

We are celebrating a half inch of rain we received yesterday. We haven't had rain here since June so I feel very blessed. It takes so long for the sprinkler to amount to anything measurable. Nothing blesses the ground as much as the living water from clouds. The dry brown grass is restored to green and the plants reach toward heaven with their branches and leaves, as if shouting praise to God for the blessing of rain.

I love to watch the clouds as a storm rolls in. I didn't get a picture of the shelf cloud that roared in yesterday but the pictures shown on television were remarkable. Clouds are so alive. Moving and changing as they drift through the sky.

"There Shall Be Showers of Blessing" by Daniel W. Whittle and James McGranahan, 1883, tells the story in song: "There will be showers of blessing: This is the promise of love; There shall be seasons refreshing, Sent from the Savior above. Showers of blessing, Showers of blessing we need: Mercy drops 'round us are falling, But for the showers we plead."

"There will be showers of blessing," (Ezekiel 34:26b NIV).

May your day be showered with blessing.

Seeds of Hope

There is a square of bare ground in our back yard. I thought this would be a perfect spot for rhubarb. For three years I tried to get rhubarb to grow in that corner plot. The plants would flourish for a month or two, then die. No matter how much new top soil I added, how well-watered I kept it, how dry it got, how fertilized it was, the end was always the same. The rhubarb died. So I finally gave up on rhubarb. My mother grew rhubarb by the mile-long-row!

Last winter I scattered native wild flower seeds over the area when it was covered with snow. I was hoping for better results. I left the area alone all spring and into summer, hoping surprise plants would finally emerge. I've only pulled those annoying spreading weeds from the area, in case I didn't recognize certain flowers. I'm beginning to see a few possibilities I recognize, like milk weed.

Soils

It reminds me of the parable Jesus told about the four soils. "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown."(Luke 8:5-8 NIV).

Jesus goes on to explain that the seed is God's Word. Some who hear, retain the message and produce good. Some do not. The soil in my little square plot is probably not good soil, yet I hope the seed can keep growing this time. At the front of my plot are three perennial flowers that seem to be doing well again this year. I don't know why the rhubarb didn't grow but it will be interesting to see how this plot works with wildflowers.

Thank you, God, for giving me Your Word. Let Your good seed be retained in me every day. Amen.

Remembering

When I was about 5-years-old my parents were in a terrible car crash. As I think about it, it's truly a miracle they survived. It was before seat belts and air bags and it was a slick rainy night. The car ended up in a culvert, I believe. I have an image of the moment when the bad news was received on our kitchen phone in our farm house. Two of my older sisters were there and my brother-in-law, Fred. I can't remember what was said, but I knew it was very bad because I've kept this snapshot memory for sixty years.

The next image I have is of my daddy in a chair, possibly a wheelchair, wrapped up like a mummy. His face was nearly destroyed by the windshield. His jaw was wired shut and he had to eat with a straw. Mama broke her neck, or nearly so when she hit the roof of the car. She wore a neck brace for more than a year and suffered pain the rest of her life because of her injuries. My memories may not be totally accurate but my parents lived and I have always thanked God for saving them.

My memories focus now on my brother-in-law Fred, tall and thin with a balding head. When I was a kid I would run to the doorway when my sister and family would visit at our farmhouse near State Center. Fred would always pause in the kitchen doorway where I would grab my hug and some teasing. Who was my current boyfriend? Why was I getting so tall? Fred would make me laugh and I loved the sound of his deep, gentle chuckle. He had the best smile ever.

I didn't know until recently that after the crash, Fred was ready to take over being a parent to my sister and me, if my parents didn't make it. He was such a good man and always encouraged me, as though he knew what I needed.

I don't have all the memories that my sister, Fred's wife, has. Nor the special and ordinary times his children remember, but I cherish my memories as we all say goodbye to this special man.

Why is it that I don't realize how much a person means to me until he is gone? I miss you already, Fred. Thank you for being a brother and a father and a friend to me. I love you.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls," (Matthew 11:28-29 NIV).

The Love of Family

Family means love to me and I'm so thankful for the chance to gather together and catch up on some of the doings of those I love. Family reunions may seem old fashioned to others but my family tries to meet once a year to celebrate who we are as individuals and as one united.

Together we stand strong, holding those who are weak up and bolstering them with our love in times of need; preparing to lose one we love too soon; sharing the burdens and the joys as one.

And as individuals we celebrate the uniquenesses of the ones within us: the one who just completed her doctorate; the one who is starting a new job she is excited about this fall; the one learning a new talent; the one who just retired; the ones who are new in marriage; the one who will be a senior this fall; the ones looking forward to choosing options for the future; the ones who travel the world; the ones who just moved away; the ones who traveled back to gather together; the one who golfs several times a week; the one who gardens his way through the summer break; the ones who continue to work in their life profession and enjoy it; the ones who love farming; the ones who cherish their grandchildren and great grandchildren; the busy ones who organize their families; the cooks; the cleaners; the musicians; the farmers; the business manager; the homemakers; the moms and dads; and the kids.

"I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains? No, my strength comes from God, who made heaven, and earth and mountains. 

He won't let you stumble, your Guardian God won't fall asleep. Not on your life! Israel's Guardian will never doze or sleep. 

God's your Guardian, right at your side to protect you--Shielding you from sunstroke, sheltering you from moon stroke. 

God guards you from every evil, he guards you when you leave and when you return, he guards you now, he guards you always," (Psalm 121 MSG).

May family be protected and nourished and blessed always.

Freedom

As Americans we enjoy many freedoms. Some were earned by battles and individual lives laid down, scarred, and forever changed. Other freedoms were gifted to us by our Savior Jesus Christ. We are a blessed people, yet, many of our people have slipped away from what our forefathers entrusted them.

On this Independence Day 2019 I will focus on our freedoms and those who earned them. I am grateful for the lives lost in battle so I can be free. I am thankful for the sacrifices made by individual men and women on the battlefield and in their time of service to our country.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery," (Galatians 5:1 NIV).

I will turn my back to Satan and grasp the freedom from sin that Jesus earned for me by dying on the cross and covering my sins with His blood. What a blessing!

Today I will focus on faith, fly my flag, celebrate freedoms and independence, enjoy fireworks, think of my family, and rejoice with food and fun.

Happy Independence Day, America!

Spend Time With Jesus Today

I spent nearly 40 years dreaming of getting a college education. I felt like I was nobody without a college degree. I wanted an education behind me to prove to others I really was somebody. To find out, the only person who cared was me, and a future employer.

God is the only One who matters. What God thinks of me is what makes an eternal difference. Am I washed in the blood of Jesus Christ; is He my beloved Savior; is He in my heart and my soul? That's what matters in life and death.

I often look at nature to see the love and patience God has for His people. I admire the beauty of His Creation: His flowers and trees and bushes amaze me. I have some beautiful bordeaux-colored lilies blooming in my garden that are striking. They are loaded with blooms and the color is stunning. God touched them and made them that way. Look at the plant next to them. The tall fingers will soon sport purple tops. I'm just in awe of all that God has created and helped scientists develop.

God made each of us unique. Our voices are recognizable at a distance. Each person's shape and height is designed specifically for the individual. God loves each of us as we are.

"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus," (Acts 4:13 NIV).

I love this verse. I love that by being with Jesus, spending time in worship and prayer in the quiet of your home, we are made different. Others can see Jesus through us. The key is to spend the time with Him, loving Him, listening to Him, learning from Him.

Then His light will shine through us; just as it does in all of His Creation.

Spend time and be with Jesus today. It will change everything.