Amazing Life

Our resident hummingbirds have been especially hungry of late. They are very active and at our feeders almost all day long. I don't know my bird facts well enough to know what it going on but I am enjoying watching the action.

I am amazed at their tiny bodies made for such active lives. Their long beaks are perfect for accessing nectar from flowers or feeders. Their tiny wings flutter so fast they are almost invisible. God's creation skills are perfect.

It isn't just hummingbirds that are a miraculous design. Every animal has individual skills and abilities that make them able to do their own role in life. I'm amazed at the number of dogs and their different breeds as they walk through our neighborhood. They are so different yet they all walk with their owners, at varying degrees of ability. Some are tall, or short, long-haired or short-haired, solid coats or multi-colored. I love the way they look around and smell around, keeping their owners at attention.

Then I think about all the different species of animals and I'm even more amazed at God's creations. Giraffes, gorillas, elephants, tigers, lions, bears, oh my, alligators, mountain goats, sheep, cows, pigs, horses, monkeys, buffalo and so many more animals just amaze me in the detail of their bodies and their lives.

"Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive through out the earth, (Genesis 7:2-3 NIV).

Thank you God for your plan for life on this planet.  Thank you for the animals you have placed here and the birds that fly. Thank you for all the individual people who bless me in many different ways. Your Creation is amazing. Amen.

Thank God for Sprinklers

This has been a summer of dry, hot days. It seems we can't get any rain unless it is accompanied by hurricane force winds. So my husband has been yielding the garden hoses a lot. We have several kinds of sprinklers including a yellow tractor sprinkler that moves about the yard, following the path of the hose. Thank God for sprinklers.

When we walk we often have to dodge sprinklers or somedays when it is so hot, we don't even care if we get wet. We see every kind of sprinkler imaginable in action this summer. Lucky are those who have in-ground sprinkler heads that pop up and begin spraying as programmed.

The grass is getting brown without the water. It stays fresh and green with watering. The flowers also seek refreshment from watering and vegetables need water to continue growing and producing fruit.

Scripture relates the growing season to our lives and getting older.

"The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, "The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him,"" (Psalm 92:12-15 NIV).

Thank you, God for sprinkling us with Your wisdom. Thank you that we can have faith firmly in You. As we walk through our lives, thank You for giving us strength and energy so we can continue to proclaim You as our Rock! Amen.

Flowers and Butterflies

My butterfly bush is in full bloom and welcoming all the insect visitors who drop by. I was excited when a swallowtail was in our yard this weekend. Both the butterfly and the flowers remind me of God and His creation. Though butterfly is not mentioned in the Bibles I have, I'm positive God created the butterfly using His very best creativity. It is amazing to look at the way a butterfly can fly and get its food. And if you look closely this butterfly was even missing its left tail.

The butterfly bush is yet another amazing creation of God's. My bush regrows from the roots every year and is now a huge bush, in just four or five months of growth. Amazing! The tiny flowers that grow in long clusters are sweet treats for all the butterflies. Any time of day I look out, the bush is covered with the small orange and brown butterflies and bees; this was a rare and welcome view of the swallowtail.

""All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers ad the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."" (Isaiah 40:6b-8 NIV).

It truly seems that the breath of the Lord guides the butterflies and the bees to find their nectar. Perhaps if we close our eyes and concentrate we can feel the breath of God guiding us also. Life is filled with changes of direction of the wind and God is the only One who can straighten our path. His Word is the key to all of life. If we seek His Word diligently for answers we will find them. Just like the swallowtail finds the sweet blooms of the butterfly bush.

God bless your day with signs of His love for you.

Vocabulary 2020

Covid…Derecho…It’s been a year of stretching our vocabulary, hasn’t it? It just seems like it is all I can think about. My brain is just full of phrases and news reports and numbers, banging around in my head.

I know everyone is tired of hearing about Iowa’s derecho. It’s not in my dictionary but it must be real. It certainly felt real and left a pathway that is real. Anyone who experienced it will never forget it. And it is hard for me to stop writing about it when damage surrounds us and electricity is just coming back on for some people in Iowa.

With peeled off shingles, shattered and uprooted trees, broken fences, demolished sheds, flattened cornfields and deflated corn bins, one can easily find reasons to pray for those affected by the storm. It is a time to pray for others even if we don’t know their names. I can say prayers of comfort and relief, and praises of peace and survival.

“Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest—I would flee far away and stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm,”” (Psalm 55:5-8 NIV).

Lord, search me and find those words of worry and fear. Take them away with Your mighty strength and protection. Restore our trust in You, for You are the blessed, gracious One, the Almighty One we love. Amen.

Be Filled With the Spirit

My heart is broken for those who suffered losses during the derecho last Monday. I had just finished my blog when our weather radio warned of a thunderstorm. I had to look out my windows because I thought it had been a pleasant day. It was just gray clouds that I saw. It didn't look like a serious storm.

Then moments later the radio warned again of the approaching storm and strong winds likely, soon the Ankeny sirens went off and the wind picked up. Suddenly the trees were blowing sideways and anything not secure was blowing by. We were lucky that our house had good shingles and we have no mature trees and our deck was on the east side of the house protected from the wind that came from the north/northwest.

It was a frightening storm. I was tempted to go to the basement several times. The pressure on the house was severe. It blew against our west side garage doors and even popped the attic door access open in the garage ceiling. Ankeny's downtown area and older areas of town with mature trees was devastated. Streets were completely blocked. Just like other towns the loss of big old trees was overwhelming.

With all the year 2020 has brought to Iowans already, it would be easy to sit back and pout about the hard life we have.

"Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of or Lord Jesus Christ," (Ephesians 5:18b-20 NIV).

Thank you Lord for our safety, for returning electricity to homes, for your protection during the storm, for Your constant presence in our lives. May we be reminded of your power and strength and control over all things. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Finding Strength

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint," (Isaiah 40:29-31 NIV).

Do you ever have a day when you feel weak and tired? When I wake up I can tell if I have enough energy for the day or if it is going to be a lazy kind of day. I never feel motivated to take our daily walk but when I get started I'm glad I did it. A cup of coffee will get me going sometimes and other times I just need to pray for God to strengthen me. With all the aches and pains that my body has, I need a bigger boost from God to keep me going.

I know there are others who have much more to keep them down and they never complain. I wish I could be more like them. I must give praise that I only have arthritis in one hand. Only one hip is sore and only my lower back aches. I give thanks for all that God has blessed me with and I receive hope and inspiration from the verses in Isaiah.

Read through those verses once again and allow them to touch your situation. May you find hope fills your heart and gives you strength for today, tomorrow and each day after that. God bless you.

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Cherished Moments

We flew home from Virginia, through Charlotte yesterday, leaving behind four of our beloved family, bringing along the older sisters to return to their home here in Iowa. The only exciting part of the trip was the hurried walk through the Charlotte airport as our connection flight was across the airport and we had limited time to get there. We made it, though there were some hungry girls when we arrived in Des Moines.

It was sad saying goodbye, not knowing when we will see them again. But we are so thankful that we made the trip. There are so many memories to treasure. We made a visit to historic Williamsburg downtown and walked through the street admiring the old shops and homes that have been preserved. Though the historic folk were not present because of COVID-19, we got a taste of the past and admired the old brick buildings and a farmstead with sheep.

We spent part of a day at Top Golf having fun hitting golf balls in preparation for watching the PGA Tournament. There was a lot of hide and seek played, some video games, a dangerous pancake game, Clue, and lots of laughter, too. We spent lots of time playing with Phoebe the dog. It was a delightful time.

"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).

In spite of our hesitations about making the trip we all were healthy and still are, thankfully. God kept us from all harm and watched over us both then and now. God is so good. He is so, so good.

As you go through today may you remember the promise from Psalm 121 and be blessed.

Fly Away

We recently boarded a plane for Virginia to see our beloved grandchildren and their parents. (Yes, the parents are beloved, too.) It was a difficult decision considering the pandemic situation, but we only live once. We brought the older girls with us to see their siblings. So it is a houseful of happy reunions and an introduction to the family’s new home.

I love looking at the clouds from the plane and from the ground also. It is easy to imagine myself floating through air or sitting on the soft white billows, if only I could. Sometimes I try to make the clouds appear as shapes; they move and change as the wind takes them on an adventure over land. 

I’m amazed at God’s creation of the clouds. He forms all different kinds of clouds to produce rain or to add beauty to the sky. I’m in awe of our God of Creation. Though I will always wonder about what happens to me when I die, it is a happy thought that I might fly away through the clouds. My guess is that for believers it will be better than I could ever imagine. 

“The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away,” (Psalm 90:10 NIV).

Thank you God for creating the beautiful clouds in the sky. Thank you for giving us imagination and faith to trust in You for whatever lies ahead. Amen.

New Compassions

“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 3:21-24 NIV).

This scripture was probably the inspiration for the Thomas Chisholm song, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” written in 1923. “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!”

Those words are still true. Every morning I experience God’s new mercies in my life. Days are blessed with God’s compassion toward me, even when I don’t deserve it. Rarely do I pause and reflect on how blessed I am. How much compassion God has shown me each day.

One good way to be aware of God’s compassion is to make a list of five blessings God put in my life today. It is a great way to end the day and put me in the right attitude for a peaceful rest. 

Maybe you can try it tonight, too. You may be surprised at how long your list may be. Praise God for His faithfulness and His compassions!