This is Jesus

Palm Sunday is coming and the story is worth reading again, these words from scripture:

"Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey," (Zechariah 9:9 NIV).

"As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to then, "Go to the village ahead of you and at once you will find a donkey tied there with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away." This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:"Say to the Daughter of Zion, See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 

They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!" When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee," (Matthew 21:1-11 NIV).

Let us rejoice in Jesus being honored as a king for a little while. He is still our King so sing Hosanna! This is Jesus! 

History

In Virginia last week we spent some time taking our grandchildren to several historical sights. Virginia is filled with history of our country because much of our country's history began there. The state has posted markers telling what happened in each place and there are hundreds of them along the roads.

We visited the Virginia Airplane Museum near Virginia Beach. Our grandson is very interested in airplanes. Both children enjoyed seeing the old planes and hearing stories about the planes. We also visited the American Civil War Museum and toured the White House of the Confederacy in Richmond, VA. On our final day there we went to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and toured his home on a hill that overlooks the thousands of acres he owned.

The history of our country includes a lot of sad chapters on slavery. Jefferson owned about 600 slaves during his lifetime. Many worked in his elaborate gardens and helped care for the Jefferson children. Slaves ran Jefferson's nail manufacturing business also.

"As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy," (Psalm 123:2 NIV).

History teaches us about earlier cultures and how we came to be as we are now. We can learn from our ancestors and avoid the mistakes they made if we study our history and follow the Word from the Bible. Thank you, God for preserving our history. Amen.

The Arrival of Spring

It is officially spring according to the calendar! Hopefully the weather will soon follow. It appears that winter wants to hang on a bit longer. Scattering a few snow flakes along with the rain and smoothing frost over the ground in the early morning.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it," (Isaiah 55:9-11 NIV).

We experienced a taste of spring in Williamsburg, VA last week while visiting our grandchildren. The grass is green there and the tulips, bluebells and daffodils are in bloom. It was still quite cool (in the 40s). There were buds on the trees and several blooming trees were displaying their beautiful flowers. 

God is preparing our grounds and plants for spring. Though we may experience a little more winter, spring is coming!

God, we thank you for the changing seasons and the arrival of spring. Help us have patience for the warm days we know are coming. We thank you for all the beauty that is to come. Amen.

Scars

 Do you have scars? I have several. One on my left knee. I got it when I was five years old and I was anxious to help my dad who was chopping down a pine tree in the front yard. He needed an axe from the shed so I volunteered to go get it. He warned me, "don't run with it!" Of course that is exactly what I did and the axe found my knee and left a large wound. It has faded over the years, but it remains as a reminder of that incident. I should have listened to my dad.

I also have scars on my right hand where I was washing windows and my ladder shifted and I put my hand and arm through the glass. The scars are quite small now, some of them were replaced by other scars. They are a reminder  to be careful when setting up a ladder.

Finally, I have scars from my most recent hand surgery. The large incision across my knuckles is barely visible. I did scar massage when I was recuperating and I believe it worked to keep from having a large scar. I do have a smaller scar where they made an incision at my wrist. It is about an inch long. Scars are evidence of past pain.

Jesus had scars when He returned to the disciples after His resurrection. 

"He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."" (John 20:27 NIV).

What do your scars remind you of? Consider Jesus' scars and believe what He did for you.

The Quick Brown Fox

When I was in middle school (junior high) one of the required classes was typing on typewriters. It seems so ancient now that typewriters are nearly extinct. But it is one subject that I have used more than any other.

My class was taught by Mrs. Thompson. We were all new at this so the learning to type was up to each individual to master. We started by learning where the letters were at and then moved on to typing pangrams - sentences that used every letter of the alphabet. There was a lot of repetition, typing the same thing over and over, trying to improve every time. Accuracy and speed were encouraged.

I wasn't very fast nor accurate, as I remember. But I did learn to type with both hands. I'm very glad I did because I've used typing in every job I held. Soon after high school everything transitioned to key boards and computers. At least I knew how to type because there was enough to learn about using computers.

"Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him," (Proverbs 30:5 NIV).

We still own a typewriter. It is gathering dust in the basement storage area. Here are a few of the pangrams; perhaps one will sound familiar: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The five boxing wizards jump quickly. Watch Jeopardy, Alex Trebeck's fun TV quiz game. 

Thanks, Mrs. Thompson!

Remembering Al Bell

When I was in elementary school, I always looked forward to the annual visit by Al Bell. (I hope I am remembering his name correctly.) His job was touring the area schools and putting on a presentation for kids. All the kids gathered in the school gym. Each time he came he would bring a different exhibit and story about his travels. He made his story funny and fun for the kids. 

Al Bell brought slides to show and he told about each picture. Sometimes he had items that related to the story and showed them as well. He made the assembly entertaining and all the kids loved getting out of the classroom for a couple of hours. The time was educational. I remember once he brought things from a safari in Africa. It was an exciting story that he shared.

Al Bell must be quite old by now. He seemed old to me at the time he visited our school. I hope he knew how much he touched the kids with desire to travel like Al Bell. We learned about the country he had visited and about its people. I don't remember all the stories he shared but I always looked forward to his presentations.

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord, for I hide myself in you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground," (Psalm 143:8-10 NIV).

March and the Wind

Welcome to March. Somewhere in my brain I think March is known as a windy month. Only time will tell if that adage is true this year. My mother didn't like the wind. I find myself disliking it also, especially as I am older. I think it takes more strength to walk on a windy day. Wind does a number on long hair and short hair too. It requires more hairspray on a windy day. And don't try to use an umbrella on a windy day!

Jesus had power over the wind. It is shown in the story of the disciples fearing the storm at sea.

"He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"" (Matthew 8:26-27, Mark 4:41, Luke 8:25 NIV). 

Women used to wear scarves over their hair to protect their hairstyle. My mother always wore a scarf on a windy day. Do you suppose that is something that will return in fashion? 

It was windy yesterday afternoon and I found myself brushing my hair out of my eyes more than once. All I can offer is this warning, "Hang on to your hat" if it is a windy day!