That Nasty Envy

I have a friend who is talented in every respect I can think of. She has a beautiful voice and can lead music and praises. She is very crafty and has made all kinds of lovely things for her home and for gifts to others. She decorates her home with amazing talent and she has designed a new home and several remodeling projects by her husband. She is a great cook and a thoughtful grandmother. Her latest activity has been quilting. I didn't even know she could sew, but she started making stunning quilts, right and left! She has made a quilt for every member of her family within one year of starting! Who does that?!

Can you hear envy creeping up around my words? Forgive me, Lord. 

"A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones," (Proverbs 14:30 NIV).

"If you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth... For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness," (James 3:14, 16, 17, 18 NIV).

It is a sin to envy. I confess my sin and seek to replace that evil desire with the blessing of "wisdom from heaven". I want to be "peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere". I release my desire to be like someone else and I accept myself as I am: a sinner created by God for His purpose. 

Lord, forgive me for the envy I hold. Help me change my heart to be the person You want me to be. Eliminate the evil envy inside and replace it with Your love. Let me wish blessings on others who seem to have it all together, while I don't. I love You, Lord, and I want to follow Jesus in all that I think and do. I pray in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Temporary Beauty

Happy Monday. May your day be blessed with quiet moments of gently falling leaves in a breeze, amazing views of a palette of fall colors on a distant hillside, a tasty morsel of apple, pumpkin or cinnamon to quench your appetite, comforting softness to cuddle and warm you, and the fragrance of leaves gathering on a trail through the timber.

Those are the things I love about autumn. Beauty that is here and then so quickly gone. Too soon the colors evaporate into brown. The beauty is temporary.

For more than 15 years I spent a weekend each fall at a women's retreat in a beautiful campsite in rural Iowa. Called Metanoia, meaning 'change of heart,' it featured a spiritual leader, a time of fellowship with other women, and precious moments of personal connection with God. It became a greatly anticipated time of respite and renewal. 

Then life got hectic with college, then full-time work, and grandchildren. Times change and new priorities nudge out old traditions. That's just the way life is. The one constant has been my relationship with God, no matter what fills my calendar.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal," (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV).

Gracious God: awaken our senses today so we can take in all the beauty that surrounds us. We are aware that this season will soon be replaced by the next and in Iowa that means winter. As believers, we know that our suffering in this life is also temporary. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit so we can prove our faith to others. We thank You Lord, and we pray in Jesus' Name. Amen.

The Mystery of Threes

There is a superstition or old wives tale that says bad things happen in threes. It sure seems to run true at our house. Last spring my old computer (2011 era) decided to "give up the ghost" (appropriate for October, don't you think?). And I had killed my laptop by keeping it plugged in all the time. (Don't do that). 

Next, our dishwasher quit working. It was original with our house (2015). Then shortly thereafter our living room TV decided to give us colorful lines instead of a nice picture (era 2016). Besides the  hit on our pocketbook, it completed our misery of three. And made us realize things don't last as long as they used to.

In looking up "bad things happen in threes" with my semi-new computer it says it is not fact, it is a "popular superstition rooted in human psychology", that suggests if two unfortunate events happen, a third is likely to follow. Google says, "it is rooted in the human tendency to find patterns (apophenia) and seek closure, offering a sense of control over a seemingly random string of bad luck".  Oh.

So, I'm just trying to explain why I'm having a streak of bad luck and seeking to take control over the situation. 

Fortunately, when we go to Scripture, good things come in threes, not bad things. Beginning with the Holy Trinity. God is three persons: Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. According to his website, "Deacon Pedro", "the number three appears in the Bible some 467 times!" Some of his examples are: the three patriarchs of Israel - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; Noah had three sons; Jonah was in the whale three days; Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months; the wise men bring three gifts to baby Jesus; and Jesus was tempted by satan three times...  I'm sure you can think of a few others.

Isaiah says God is three-times Holy, and Paul clearly defines the three persons of God:

"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all," (2 Corinthians 13:14 NIV).

Finding The Way

On the Trail near Sedona, Arizona

One of my husband's favorite stories to tell about me involves a trail to a waterfall, a hot day in a desert, me taking a wrong turn, and us wandering for about an hour, trying to find the trail. I like to remind John that the waterfall was beautiful when we finally got to it, but somehow my part of the story never makes up for the time spent looking for the trail.

Have you ever gotten lost? It has happened to me more times than I can count. I remember getting lost in St. Louis on our honeymoon. We ended up in a less than desirable neighborhood at night when John's wedding ring slipped off his finger in the car. We pulled over and turned on the overhead light to help. I remember feeling so exposed as we sat there. Fortunately John found his ring quickly and we moved on. This was before GPS, cell phones, and in-car mapping systems.

Believing in Jesus Christ as our Savior leads us along a path that is clearly the Way. Jesus describes this path in what I consider to be one of the most beautiful sections of Scripture.

"Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."

Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him," (John 14:1-7 NIV).

O Gracious God, our hearts are so thankful for Your Word. Your promises comfort us and assure us that we know the Way to You. Thank You for sending Your Son to show us how to find You and the place that is prepared for us in eternity. We pray in the name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.

One Bright Flash

A flash of lightening appeared as I was putting on my glasses this morning and a few minutes later the heavy rain followed. God is at work already this morning by quenching the thirsty ground and plants. Farmers are probably conflicted: the earth needs moisture but their crops need to dry for harvest. Now the rain has stopped so it was probably one of those "spotty showers" the meteorologists are telling us about.

Meteorologists have a tough job. They are always being criticized for the weather if we don't like it. The old adage "If you don't like the weather in Iowa just wait five minutes and it will change." I think that is the way the rest of the week will be as a front moves in.

"The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, "When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red' and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times." (Matthew 16:1-3 NIV).

Jesus refused to give them a sign, even though He easily could have done so. He knew that even a miracle of weather, would not convince them that He was the Messiah.

Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed," (John 20:29 NIV). My Bible commentary suggests, "If you simply step forward in faith and believe, then you will begin to see the miracles that God can do with your life!" (NIV notes for Matthew 16:4).

Thank You, God, for sending Jesus to show us the many miracles chronicled in the Bible so we can believe. I believe in Jesus, my Savior. Work through me today to fulfill Your Will. I pray in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Stay On the Tracks

 My hometown of State Center has a train track running parallel to Main Street. Crossing the tracks and waiting for a train to pass was just part of life. When the train rattled through town, voices were diminished so teachers paused their teaching, business waited, cars lined up on the streets, and conversations suspended. The noisy interlude was common and expected.

For five years we lived in State Center just a few blocks from the train tracks. We worried about being able to sleep but the train just became background music. When we moved to the country acreage we were parallel to train tracks but a few miles away. We could see the train from our house on the hill but did not hear it. 

We spent many minutes watching the train cars pass as we waited to cross the tracks. We counted the cars and watched for the caboose until the red cars were eliminated. I watched in wonder and in awe of the artistic graffiti on the sides of the cars. We once took an 8-hour ride through Alaska's beautiful wilderness. I think it would be wonderful to take a train ride through the United States.

Jesus didn't travel by train. He walked great distances throughout Israel and Judah. His journeys were by foot not rail. I've always been amazed by all that was accomplished during Jesus' time on earth.Perhaps Jesus' most important teaching for believers was about the end times. During His return, the nations of the earth and unbelievers will mourn because they realize they are on the wrong side of the "tracks".

"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other," (Matthew 24:30-31 NIV).

Thank You, God, for sending Your Son to teach us how to believe. Help us strengthen our faith with Your Word and give us opportunities to share the Good News with others. We pray in Jesus' Holy and Gracious Name. Amen.

Numbering Our Days

Marcella Palar 88: 9 18 25

Last week when we shopped for out weekly groceries, the young lady who sacked our purchase was excited. She told me that on the night before she had celebrated her birthday! She was beaming! We were ready to leave so I didn't have a chance to ask how old she was. 

It's been a long time since I was that happy about a birthday. To put the right number of candles on my cake would have resulted in a bonfire. This year was one of those big birthdays ending in zero. I had no desire to celebrate.

My sister who lives with her daughter in Pennsylvania was back in Iowa for her 88th birthday. We celebrated with a little cake with eight candles on it. She enjoyed the party and was proud to reach 88. She even blew out all eight candles at once! It was fun watching her enjoy her day.

So what does the Bible say about birthdays? Birthdays are mentioned only two or three times.

"Now the third day was Pharaoh's birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials." (Genesis 40:20 NIV)

"Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee." (Matthew 14:6 and Mark 6:21 NIV).

Though 'birthdays' are not mentioned in Psalms, we can find many words of wisdom about aging.

(Psalm 90:9, 10, 12 NIV). "All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan. 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.  Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

Heavenly Father, sometimes the days float by us so fast that we hardly notice them at all. Then we check the calendar and another week or month or year has already passed. Help us, Lord, to pause and breathe in our experiences, one day at a time. We thank You that we are here for another day and we acknowledge that our time comes from You. We worship You, Lord and thank You for sending the gift of Your Son, in whose Holy Name we pray, Amen.

Morning Rituals

Where does your power come from? When you get up in the morning are you excited to get going - jumping out of bed, full of energy? Are you the person who needs that cup of coffee or a Diet Coke to get you going? Or are you the person who gets to the gym for a good workout to start your day? Or do you head out for a morning walk or run in the dark? Or do you hit the snooze button a couple of times and drag yourself out of bed one appendage at a time?

There are a lot of ways to start your day. I happen to be the one who usually wakes up about ten minutes before the alarm goes off, then runs through the usual routine of brushing my teeth, take my morning pills, packing my charged phone into my purse, putting on my swimsuit then clothes on top, slips on my flip-flops, grabs my gym bag and my keys, and I'm out the door, drive to the gym and plunge myself into the cold pool water (sometimes it isn't so cold), and I'm ready to exercise by 7:30 a.m. I choose the 8 a.m. class because it starts my day in a good way.

"Then the Lord said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the water and say to him, 'This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me,'" (Exodus 8:20 NIV).

 What a great way to start the day - with prayer and worship. I always have my car radio on the local Christian radio station. The minute the car starts I am greeted by a beautiful song and my spirit is lifted up. Though I only drive for ten minutes, that is enough time to be filled with the blessings of praise and worship.

Oh God, I lift my hands in worship this morning. Greeting You with my love and praise! For You alone are worthy of my praise. Fill me with Your love for others that I meet this day. Make me aware of those around me and let me be a beacon of light, Your light, to them. You have blessed me with another morning and I thank You. Use me to bring the Light of Jesus to others, I pray. In Jesus' Name, Amen.