Shifting Shadows

Antelope Canyon

Have you ever noticed how different things look in a shadow contrasted with the sunlight? Colors look muted and dull. Yet, the shadows add depth and dimension to a picture. I take a lot of pictures and always find it challenging to work with shadows. As the seasons change the shadows change, too. The sun gets farther from us in the winter and the shadows grow longer. It creates dimension and umbrage.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows," (James 1:17 NIV). 

When we visited Antelope Canyon in northern Arizona we were amazed at the sights as we walked through the canyon and noticed the light accentuating the rock formations below. The darkness of the shadows created areas of obscurity that were mysterious and almost scary as we walked through the canyon.

I appreciate God's light that makes all things clear and visible, but the shadows remind us that darkness can hold evil. May your day be bright and full of God's good gifts.

The Fox Story

Since we have lived in Ankeny for the past six years we have had numerous fox sightings. Only one at a time and several times just running through the neighborhood, across lawns and between houses. Once I was walking and a fox came out of a waste water drain, ran across the street and down another waste water drain. I could hardly believe my eyes.

Last summer we saw the fox in the park-like area of our neighbor's yard. It was shading itself by a big spruce tree and remained in the area for a half an hour. We watched it through our windows and took several pictures. 

Since then we have had several other sightings in our area making us think it lives nearby. Once the fox came through the iron fence and down the water drain in our other neighbor's yard. Just last week John saw the fox run between houses through our yard. I just didn't expect to see fox in town. We lived in the country for 25 years and I've seen more fox in town than I ever saw on the farm.

"Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head," (Luke 9:58 NIV). 

Jesus didn't have a place to call home while he was traveling and teaching. Perhaps we also have a cost to pay for being followers of Christ. We have to be willing to make sacrifices and carry our own burdens as we walk with Christ. 

May your day be filled with sightings that remind you of our Creator God and His Son who had no earthly home.

Welcome Fall

It is nearly fall. Tomorrow is officially the start of autumn but the weather began two days early in Iowa. Cooler temperatures arrived with a northern wind and today it is expected to reach a high of only 60 degrees. So different than our 95 degrees on Tuesday, setting a new record high for Iowa. Change is in the air.

Cooler weather brings with it so many changes. There will be changing colors of yellows, rust, browns, reds, and oranges all around. Bright mums are appearing everywhere and add spots of color at door steps and porches. On the drive to Marshalltown this week I saw the first combine in a bean field. The brown beans created a puff of dust as the huge machine seemed to eat up the harvest. Soon the fields will be full of corn pickers and wagons, hayracks and semi trucks ready to receive the bounty. 

Displays of scarecrows and stalks of corn, gourds and pumpkins, Indian corn and straw bales appear in yards, celebrating the change of seasons. Soon the leaves will change colors and begin to fall drifting to the ground, piling up ready to be raked or jumped into by children. Eventually there will be frost on the pumpkins and a harvest moon to light up the night sky. What a wonderful time of year!

"He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy," (Acts 14:17 NIV).

May God bless you with a wonderful fall season to enjoy.

Reading Through Life

 I love to read. It hasn't always been that way for me. I didn't read much in high school except what was required reading. I guess I was busy with other things and I hadn't gotten the reading bug yet. As a young adult I read mostly non-fiction books and the Bible. 

Next, I went through a time where all I read were books about writing because that was my passion. I wanted to become a better writer so I read all the books I could find about writing. Then I went back to school and all I read were textbooks and assigned reading and the Bible.

I have a row and a half of Bibles in my bookcase. I've read many different versions of the Bible, going through the Bible in a little more than a year each time. My current favorite is the Life Application Study Bible New International Version. It has been my study Bible for several years and I have read through it several times. I always dislike starting a new Bible and leaving an old one because I have the old one marked up with favorite verses and comments I've written when I have studied it.

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work," (2 Timothy 3:16, 17 NIV).

There is a purpose to reading that differs with each book. I am reading fiction now for fun. Most are historical fiction or Christian fiction but I also enjoy Kristin Hannah's books. Reading is a great way to learn and to enjoy. Read a book today and see where it takes you.

A Safeguard for Life

This summer I had the delightful experience of renewing my driver's license. The Iowa DOT DMV is notorious for long waits. This year I found out ahead that I needed to call for an appointment. Actually I had to schedule it online. Luckily I gave myself lots of time because the appointments were booked months ahead. I got my appointment time and was warned not to arrive more than 15 minutes early.

I arrived at the appropriate time and got my number that I would be called. The signs that call you list numbers in random order so you never know if they are getting close to your number. It seems all by chance. I took a seat along with a wide variety of people all waiting for testing or renewals. The day I was there their computers were down for the electronic tests and they had to do paper tests.

My appointment time came and went and I waited another hour for my number to come up. They warn you that if you are more than five minutes late your appointment is cancelled. However the reverse isn't the case. Finally my number showed up and they called my turn. The clerk I received apologized for my wait which surprised me.

The process went smoothly and I gave my best toothless smile for the picture which is always terrible for me. Then you pay for your driver's license and get a paper copy to take with you and wait for ten days or two weeks for the real driver's license to arrive in the mail.

"Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again and it is a safeguard for you," (Philippians 3:1 NIV). 

Thank you Lord for giving us the Bible to safeguard our lives and to keep our actions on the straight and narrow road. Even when our day goes strangely, You are there with us, keeping watch. Amen.

Together in Faith

I have a group of friends that I've been meeting with for nearly forty years. We meet for Bible study once a month now but it used to be once a week. They are my prayer team, my emotional support, my sense of reason, my Bible question go to group, and my encouragers. They have watched me grow from an infant Christian into a more mature believer; they are the reason I have grown in faith.

I also have a church that I've been attending for two years, but I've made connections through a weekly Bible study there and I continue to attend weekly services on Sundays. Meeting together is important.

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching," (Hebrews 10:25 NIV). 

I also have a church family where I grew up in and attended most of my lifetime. I still consider it my church home, though I haven't been there in several years.  I pray for them when I know of a concern and I care deeply about them. 

Having other believers to share life with is important to me and to all Christians as scripture says. We need each other in this walk of faith. Even my water aerobic friends and WW friends who have faith in their lives have become friends because of their faith. I'm drawn to others who have faith that we can share.

Thank you, God, for friends in faith who encourage me. Give them an extra heap of blessings this week. Amen.

Finding Hope

Sometimes our best layed plans go backwards. I realized as I was leaving for a two- day stay at my sister’s that my blog needed to be written while I was gone. Oops, just a minor problem so I packed up my computer and planned to get up early to write it. But then I thought about it some more and decided it would be better to write it tonight and post it in the morning.

 

So I started to get my computer set up and I couldn’t remember where to find Wi Fi setup. An hour later I finally figured it out but then I couldn’t get the password to work. So I’m writing this in Word so I can paste it into my blog format whenever I figure out the password issue.

 

Hope. That’s what I need now. Hope. I love hope. It is so reassuring to have hope. It lightens your load and makes the day seem brighter. Hope gives you reason to get up in the morning. Hope is uplifting and promising. Hope is cause for celebration. 

 

 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit,” (Romans 15:13 NIV).

 

The Holy Spirit is filled with hope. It can guide us to answers and understanding. Even when it is a time of grief or sadness. It shows us the way to truth and reason. May your heart be overflowing with hope, no matter how rough the day may be.

P.S. I put my computer near my brother-in-law's computer and it connected this morning! WhooHoo! Hope is good!

 

  

Love Endures Forever

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever." (Psalm 136:1 NIV).

This scripture begins to tell a story of some of what God has done followed by the reminder that God's love endures forever. No matter what has happened in you life, remember that "His love endures forever."

"Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever." (Psalm 136:2 NIV).

Here the author proclaims that God is over all other gods. He alone is God! And "His love endures forever."

"Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever," (Psalm 136:3 NIV).

Our God is above all other lords, He is the Lord of lords. He rules; He reigns; He is Majesty over all and "His love endures forever."

..."Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever," (Psalm 136:26 NIV).

Here the author of this Psalm reminds us to give thanks to God who is the God of heaven. He is God over heaven and earth and seas and mountains and the skies and everything in the heavens. And "His love endures forever."

The repetition of the phrase "His love endures forever," is intended to magnify the importance of remembering it. God's love will never cease being; "His love endures forever!"

May our hearts focus on thanking the Lord God for His mercy, His goodness, His kindness and His faithfulness. And remember "His love endures forever". Amen.

 

Learning Patience

Today isn't the day I was planning for. My hand surgery was supposed to be today but because of a tiny sore the surgery was postponed until the spot heals. I was feeling rather down yesterday after I found out. But, I realize now it is the best thing and I must be patient while it heals.

"We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us," (Romans 5:3-4 NIV) 

The best plans can be changed in the most common ways and it is for good, even if it doesn't feel that way at first. This situation causes me to be patient. I'm learning to wait and growing in my patience. There are lots of scriptures on patience. It must be a commonly needed skill that humans need to learn. James, Jesus' brother wrote another scripture about patience.

"Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near," (James 5:7-8 NIV).

I will wait patiently for my spot to heal, knowing that God has the best plan for me. Time will tell how long I must wait for another appointment for surgery. God is good and His timing is best.

What are you waiting patiently for? God will see you through.