Peace, Good Will Toward Men!

My dear friend, Janey, who lives in Birmingham, sent this wonderful writing in her Christmas letter this year. I loved the thought and so, dear blog friends and family, I'm passing it on to you.

Janey wrote: "In Psalm 23:5 David says God's flock is fed in the presence of our enemies. God asks us to pray for our enemies - those who for some reason do not agree with our loyalties to faith and family or country. For this reason, I am including a writing of Mother Teresa that has been a reminder to me this year of what the angels sang at Jesus' birth, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:14. May we all use the love given us to practice this in the coming year to those who do not know the luxury of God's approval because of the personal acceptance of His Son as Savior."

People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.

Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end it is between you and God. It never was between you and them anyway.

Thanks, Janey, for sharing how God wants us to behave "toward men" (toward everyone) as we travel life's joyful journey.

Road Open

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Jeremiah 25-27)

"'Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,' says the Lord; 'and I will make it a perpetual desolation.'" Jer. 25:12

Charlie was signaling to me. He looked excited as he gestured toward the street. I glanced up, from talking to a friend on my cell phone, and peered ahead. At first I was like, what? Then comprehension dawned. The detour sign was gone! The road was open. We could drive straight on through to the lake. No more detour through Seymour. Thirty minutes off our driving time!

"Look at that," he exclaimed as we sped along the smooth new pavement, "Passing lanes! Good bye poky drivers. This was definitely worth the wait!"

"I'm surprised they got it done before winter." I said.

"Oh," he replied, "I thought they'd have it open for gun deer hunting when half the state heads to the north woods."

We got to the lake so fast. I'd forgotten how much quicker it is without the detour.

Are you ever amazed when God opens a door in your life? It seems like you are on a perpetual detour and then - suddenly - something that has been blocked happens. The "Road Closed" sign is gone and there you go.... down a beautiful new path in life's joyful journey. A road has been under construction in your life and voila! It's open before you.

When Jeremiah wrote down God's words about His impending judgment upon Babylon, it must have seemed to the weeping prophet that he was stuck on a big time detour. God had told him over and over that Judah was about to be heavily disciplined and carried off to Babylon. Israel's Babylonian Captivity loomed omniously ahead.

But God never leaves His people comfortless and He gave Jeremiah chapter 27. Inspirationally penning God's word, he must have received hope as God told him that after seventy years, Babylon, too, would be punished. The Exile would not last forever.

Did he have any idea that seventy years later, a famous prophet named Daniel would be sitting in Babylon reading these very words? Could he know that Daniel would be inspired by what he, Jeremiah, had written and start praying for an end to the captivity and a return to Israel? Probably not. But as a result of Jeremiah's faithfulness to write God's words during a bleak time, a marvelous road of return would open seventy years later for his people.

We encounter lots of roadblocks in our lives. But if we will be faithful to what God tells us to do, the "Road Open" sign will come up. We don't know when but God does. He finishes

what He starts. His timing is perfect. Charlie was sure the Department of Transportation would have the road open before gun deer hunting started in Wisconsin. We can perfectly trust the detours of our lives to One much greater than the DOT.

Are you feeling blocked at every turn? Wait, knowing that the new door will open, because our God is an awesome trustworthy God, and He has promised that it will. Detours can lead to shining new roads with passing lanes!

"Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;" Phil.1:6

A Detour Through Seymour

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Jeremiah 4-6)

"Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'" Jeremiah 6:16

I was impatient! It was a beautiful day and I wanted to get to the lake. Usually our trip takes us two hours and fifteen minutes. That never seems long to me. But all summer every trip to our lake house has taken two hours and forty five minutes. Why? Because of the detour through Seymour!

"Charlie," I lamented, "When will the road be open so we don't have to take this detour? Why would anyone want to drive twenty miles out of their way to go through Seymour, Wisconsin anyway?"

"Hey," he replied, "Didn't you see the sign? This is the home of the hamburger. If somebody in Seymour hadn't invented it - no hamburgers! How would we have had that hilarious scene in 'The Pink Panther' about haaambergers?"

"You're funny," I retorted, "but this seems like a major waste of time to me."

Do you ever notice how many times life seems to take detours? We have wonderful plans for the day - the week - the year - and suddenly something comes up. It might be a knee injury or a loved one with cancer. Maybe it's an unexpected job loss or a relative's sudden need. A phone call and there's a road block - a formidable yellow and black fence saying "Road closed. Take detour." We have to abruptly change our familiar habits and take the new unknown way.

God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah to warn the people of Judah that they were headed in the wrong direction. They were determined to go their way and not God's way. If they had changed their course in response to Jeremiah's pleas, they would have gone back to the "good way" and "found rest for their souls." But instead they said, "We will not walk in it." (Jer. 6:16) Their stiff necked refusal to follow God's road block caused them to take a long detour of their own making - all the way to eventual exile in Babylon.

But something happened in that detour to Babylon. After the Jewish people returned from their days of exile, they were different. They never worshiped idols again. You might say they'd learned their lesson. By the time they came back to the "old paths" they were a changed people.

God's detours in our lives have significant lessons for us. We come through them different people if we approach them with the right attitude. If we agreeably receive them as His way instead of our way, we too, come through changed. All of a sudden we have a better understanding of the lives of others - what they are doing, what they are feeling, what they are experiencing. Detour can become "da tour." Seymour can become "See more." "DA TOUR" to "SEE MORE" about others who live along the country roads of our lives.

Enough said, I'll close. After all, it's lunchtime and what would life be without a good hamburger anyway?

Asphalt Prayers

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Isaiah 43-45)

“Thus says the Lord, The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker; Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me.” Is. 45:ll

Charlie and I were distraught. He had reached the end of his rope with one of his employees. The man refused to come under his authority and repeatedly made it clear that he felt that he should have had Charlie’s job. His wife obviously felt the same way because she mocked and ridiculed me to her friends.

I remember the night that my husband and I took God at His Word. We went outside to pray under His great sky. The full moon was shining down on our asphalt driveway making it glisten in the bright light. We prayed together and fervently entreated the Lord. This was our prayer:

“Oh, Lord, You know how desperate we are about this couple. We have loved them, we have been patient, and we have prayed and tried to do Your will concerning them. But, things are getting so difficult that if You don’t intervene and do something drastic; we aren’t going to be able to do your will in this mill. Either change our hearts, or change their hearts, or remove them!”

Two days later, they accepted a transfer to another job. Later he left the company. Our fervent prayer on the asphalt had been answered. After this couple left, there was a different atmosphere in the mill. Charlie was able to move forward in many areas without this man obstinately blocking him.

Since then, we have uttered many “asphalt prayers” in various situations. We learned through that evening’s ardent prayer that sometimes God is saying to us, "Tell me what you want Me to do.” He continues; “I have made the earth, And created man on it. It was I- My hands that stretched out the heavens, And all their host I have commanded.” Is. 45:12. How incredible is it that this Lord of the entire universe instructs us to call to Him and use His unfathomable power in our lives? He tells us this over and over again in so many verses such as “The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails (accomplishes) much ”James 5:16.

I don’t mind it when my children tell me what they want. I like to hear their needs, their goals, and their desires. I like to be a part of answering them. I would be so dismayed if they never uttered them to me and always said, “Whatever you want, Mom!”

And yet, if you’re like me, how often our prayers to God are so insipid. We say, “Well, Lord, Your will be done” over and over again. I wonder if God gets bored with that. “Asphalt prayers” take thought and effort and time. We actually have to think through what we want to talk to God about. They involve passion and urgency and earnest expectation. They’re more than sending up a spiritual text.

Martin Luther prayed a zowie of an “asphalt prayer “ when, kneeling by the bed of his dying colleague, Phillip Melanchon, he forbade death to take its victim.

Abraham, himself, boldly interceded with God in all humility about Sodom and Gomorrah. He asked, “Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?” Read about Abraham’s intervention for the righteous in Genesis 18:16-32. It’s a fascinating interaction between the man of God and his Creator.

Are we effectively using the power that God offers us so freely as His children? Matthew Henry says: "We may not strive with our Maker by passionate complaints, but we may wrestle with him by faithful and fervent prayer." Jacob did just that when he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me." (Gen. 32:26)

Our "asphalt prayers" remind us that when we are incapable of helping ourselves, we can depend on the power of our great and wonderful heavenly Father to do amazing things.

Where Was You?

When my two year old grandson stayed with Charlie and I this summer - oh my goodness he said so many cute things - it would take up my whole blog! Like when I'd go to throw something in the wash, he'd come to the utility room and inquire, "Where was you, Grandma?"

I just thought that maybe you dear followers might be wondering that about me right now. I am still in your lives but I have had arthroscopic knee surgery recently. It has been difficult to get upstairs to my office where I think and compute, hopefully in that order. I am still reading through the Bible and will be back with you by the end of this week, Lord willing!

Meanwhile Monday 9/13 - Wednesday 9/15, Charlie and I will be in various cities speaking for Christian Women's Clubs. Please pray that people will listen and understand the Gospel as we share it. This is a wonderful opportunity to give the Gospel to those who might not hear it anywhere else. Prayer is the only thing that opens hearts to Jesus, so please pray.

If you have come to my blog and wondered "Where was you?" that's where I "be" just for a little while longer.

Love!

Betsy

Life Is A Dash!

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Eccles. 10-12)

"Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth..." Eccles. 12:1-5

They all seemed so young and happy. The line of animated young women talking enthusiastically, to each other, stretched down the long white baby shower table. Somehow, on each side, there was a gap between them and me. My green sherbet punch and I seemed to be on our own little island. But, my island was inhabited. A pleasant looking girl in her thirties sat across from me.

"Hello," I said, "I'm Betsy."

"And I'm Jessica," she responded.

Before long, I found myself in the midst of a very interesting conversation with my fellow inhabitant. She was married with two young boys, she had gone to mortuary school, and she now works in a funeral home. "I'm always on call," she remarked, "because you never know when somebody will die."

"Oh, do you go pick up the, uh er, bodies?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied quite cheerfully, "that's one of my jobs."

There we sat, a rather isolated little pair, talking about death in the midst of a baby shower celebrating life. Life and death. Two very significant words. In fact I've heard it said that the two most important dates in life are the birth date and the death date - with a dash in between. The meaning of that statement is clear: the dash is short and we need to make our swift earthly tenures count.

That's Solomon's point in today's scriptures. Do it now!

"Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, "I have no pleasure in them":

Eccles.12:1

It will never be easier to give our days to the Lord, it will only become harder. We need to remember our Creator now, while we can.

The wisest man who ever lived, goes on to tell us what is going to happen in our futures.

"While the sun and the light, The moon and the stars, Are not darkened, And the clouds do not return after the rain;" 12:2

He warns that as we age we are more and more prone to depression. It's been proven that older bodies do not produce the serotonin that young bodies do. Anyone who has suffered depression knows about the dark clouds that hover and can return so easily.

"In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, And the strong men bow down;" 12:3a

The "keepers of the house" that tremble are the limbs and the strong men bowing down is a reference to the legs. After having a knee replacement, I can relate. Strength wanes as we add years. Parts start to wear out. Charlie told me that if a machine worked perfectly in a mill for fifty years the operators would cheer. We expect our "fearfully and wonderfully made" bodies to run smoothly much longer than that.

"When the grinders cease because they are few, And those that look through the windows grow dim;" 12:3b

In America we get our teeth crowned, but lots of people in other countries don't have this privilege and their teeth become few. We buy attractive reading glasses when we turn forty, but after while they don't seem to work right, and we consult our ophthamoligists more and more frequently.

"When the doors are shut in the streets, And the sound of grinding is low;" 12:4a

As I tried to hear my interesting new friend's voice, I thought, "I wish my hearing aids were working better! Her voice sounds awfully quiet." The older we get, the more we have to strain to listen. We have to really concentrate. Maybe that isn't all bad.

"When one rises up at the sound of a bird, And all the daughters of music are brought low;" 12:5

There is a reason for the term "sleeps like a baby." The older we get, the lighter we sleep and the earlier we wake up.

"Also, when they are afraid of height, And of terrors in the way;" 12:5a

This speaks of the fear of falling and breaking something - like a hip - necessitating a hip replacement. The older person has a constant battle with fear. It is more difficult to control imaginations.

"When the almond tree blossoms, 12:5b

The white hair of old age is described.

"The grasshopper is a burden," 12:5c

Have you ever watched the slow shaking gait of a very elderly person?

"And desire fails." 12:5d

Most of the ads on TV refer to this.

"for man goes to his eternal home, And the mourners go about the streets." 12:5e

And my new friend and her coworkers go to their funeral homes and take care of our bodies.

It was time to open presents. As we turned to watch, Jessica's final words were, "You know, most people are so unprepared for death to enter their lives. It's like, here in America, we don't expect to die. We live our lives forgetting that they will end. When death comes, we don't know how to deal with it!"

So we left our little island and joined the group oohing and ahhing over the beautiful presents bought especially for this new baby - that no one knows yet. We don't know this little child but God does. And we can pray - that he will remember his Creator in the days of his youth. We can lift him to the Throne of Grace and interceed for him to live for Jesus during the dash that will be his life. And, if he does that, when he leaves this earth, he will be prepared - for his Coronation Day.

A Lesson From A Jar of Pickles

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Eccles. 3-6)

"To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to break down, And a time to build up; Eccles. 3:1, 3:3

"You Dummy. What a klutz you are." These words came flying out of my mouth as I surveyed the damage. The kitchen floor glistened with sugary syrup. Pickles, looking like little frogs scattered from their messy perches atop the broken glass, seemed to leer mockingly at me. They were everywhere! Pickles, glass, sticky....aghh!!

"What a mess to clean up. That was so stupid!" Who was I berating? My child, my grandchild, my husband? Nope! I would never talk to them like that. The disparaging words of condemnation were directed at myself. I was the one who reached into the frig and -ker bang - dropped the whole pickle jar. As it crashed to the floor and shattered into a bazillion pieces, I wailed those words about - myself, "You dummy, Betsy. What a klutz you are!"

Later, as I stood with my mop and surveyed the clean kitchen floor, I thought, "Well it really looks quite nice now. It actually needed a good mopping anyway." Then I reached into the pantry and brought out a fresh jar of pickles and reflected, "That other jar was pretty old anyway. It was probably time to replace it."

As I looked at the shining laminate, my friend the Holy Spirit came alongside and surveyed the kitchen with me. He smiled pleasantly and said, "It looks nice, doesn't it?" Then He asked me a question. "Betsy, why were you so hard on yourself? What would you have said to your friend if she had let the pickles slip through her fingers? Would you have called her a dummy and a klutz?"

"Uh,"I paused and reflected on His question. A light was going on in my brain called the illumination of the Holy Spirit. "Why," I answered, "I would have said, "Don't worry, everybody drops things. I'll help you clean it up. And then......well, we probably would have had a good laugh as we gingerly picked up pieces of glass."

He had made His point. There was no need for me to engage in destructive deprecatory self talk. I began to think, "Why am I so careless about the way that I talk to myself?"

My Wise Counselor went on. "Here is a scripture for you to think about. "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." (Rom. 8:1) No condemnation, I reflected. Then why do I condemn myself? Why am I harder on myself than I am on other people?

I thought about it and thought about it. Then a long buried memory came to my mind. I remembered my mother stirring lemon pie filling on the stove. Suddenly it started to burn and the pleasant smell turned acrid. As I watched and listened, she began berating herself and berating herself over and over. How had she learned the art of destructive deprecatory self talk so well.? From her father? I'd never heard him say much positive to her. But then, he had run away from home at age 15. Why did he feel the need to do that? What was said to him that his home was not a place of refuge but a non safe place that he fled at an early age? Like an old tattered recipe, this kind of self deprecation had been passed down in our family from generation to generation.

When we come into a relationship with Jesus Christ, we enter into a new way of looking at life. "He has born our griefs and carried our sorrows. We esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53: 4-5) God sent His Son to make atonement - to do a switch out for our sins. Jesus took away the condemnation that we were all under because of sin. He replaced it with love and no condemnation. But, as Christians, we have to learn to believe how worthwhile we are in His sight.

Old habits and weavings in families are often passed down from generation to generation. It is important to allow the Comforter, the Divine Paraclete, to come along side and "lead us into all truth." (John 14:26. He will help us sort through our behavior recipes carefully like we gently play a game of Pick Up Sticks. For me, a jar of broken pickles revealed a behavior pattern that needed to be removed and replaced with the biblical truth, "There is therefore no condemnation!"

How do you talk to yourself? What kinds of conversations do you have in your mind? Do you engage in destructive deprecating self talk over life's incidents or do you listen to the kind tender voice of the Holy Spirit as He reminds you that Jesus loves you and gave Himself for you?

I am not a dummy. I am not a klutz! I am a lady with a very clean kitchen floor.

"Sorry, Betsy" I said. "You are not a dummy. You are not a klutz. I'll try not to speak to you like that again." I accepted my apology and forgave myself with constructive self talk - this time.

"There is a time for every purpose under heaven..A time to break down, and a time to build up!"

You pray for me and I'll pray for you that we can break down the patterns of destructive deprecating self talk. Through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, let's build up the truths of how much our Savior loves us. Maybe we will learn to consistently speak to ourselves with constructive self talk - just like we try to do to our families and friends.

All My Life?

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Prov. 20-22)

"Train up a child in the way he should go,

And when he is old he will not depart from it." Prov. 22:6

"I wonder what we'll do with him for the next eighteen years?"

Charlie uttered these words as he looked down at our firstborn son wrapped tightly in his little blue blanket. We had just come home from the hospital and my husband and my mother and I were all gazing devotedly at our tiny new baby sleeping quietly in the bed.

Mom looked at Charlie incredulously and said, "Well, it will be a lot longer than eighteen years. It will be all of your life!"

Neither he nor I had been raised around babies. We didn't have a clue. We both stared at her blankly and wondered what we should do next. We didn't have to ponder long. Twenty four hours later, our morning delight had changed to late evening weariness. Ethan's brand new little outfits were in the wash, I was sore all over, and his diaper needed changing - again. There were three of us attending this little son and we were exhausted. One seven pound baby had turned our lives upside down. " All of our lives" seemed like a very long time.

Six weeks later, we novices were experts on this little fellow......

We knew his eating schedule and we recognized his different cries - "I am hungry, I'm uncomfortable, I need attention!" We could rock him just the way he liked to help him fall asleep. Our newly learned parenting prowess was exciting and satisfying. It's amazing to me that God gives young parents this ability to go from being clueless about babies to becoming uniquely knowledgeable about their own little child's physical needs very quickly.

Meeting our little one's physical needs was tiring but not that difficult. The true challenge was investing in his emotional and spiritual needs "training him up in the way that he should go." The word "train' doesn't mean a choo-choo. We learned that in the Bible the word, "train," has three ideas: dedication, instruction, and motivation.

First of all, we are to dedicate our child to God, recognizing that he is a gift that God has entrusted to us. Our dedication is an action that reflects our understanding that he belongs exclusively to God and we are to raise him as good stewards of this gift.

Secondly, we parents are to instruct our children in the ways of the Lord. We are to teach them how to please God. They are to study and learn and memorize His Word. It is our responsibility to place them under the influence of Godly people who will lovingly instruct them in His ways.

Thirdly, in Jewish writings, this word "train" means motivate. The meaning of this word in Arabic is likened to the action of a midwife who stimulates the palate of a newborn infant with dates or crushed grapes so that it will start sucking. Parents are to stimulate a taste within their child so that he is motivated in his heart to follow God, not by compelling him externally but by creating an inner desire for the Lord.

"Train up a child in the way he should go." Who are we to train up? A child. The word means "dependent" and as long as a child is dependent on his parents, he is to be the recipient of dedication, instruction, and motivation. There are many stages in a child's life and we are to do this throughout each stage.

If we do this, "when he is old, he will not depart from it" the proverb assures us. Old has the connotation of "when he is not dependent." As parents, we are to do the best that we can to dedicate, instruct and motivate our children while they are dependents. Then we are to rest in the last words of this beautiful exhortation trusting that God will bring it to pass in His way and in His time.

This son is a pastor in Alaska now. He and his family were here for the reunion. As he led our Sunday morning family service, it brought us great joy to sit under his wise teaching of God's Word. I looked at Charlie who was listening intently. and remembered, "What do you do with him for the next eighteen years?" We had learned, parenting lasts a lot longer - not eighteen years but for a lifetime. Christian parenting always involves dedicating, instructing and motivating and most of all trusting that "when they are old, they will not depart from it."

The Shining "Son"

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Proverbs 4-7)

"But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter until the perfect day." Prov. 4:18

The nurse must have had a bad night's sleep. She flipped through my chart and said rather irritably: "Didn't you know you weren't supposed to get pregnant right after your last miscarriage? You should have waited!"

I wasn't a Christian then, but I knew in my heart that this new little life growing inside of me was a gift of God...no matter what the grumpy nurse thought. Taking a deep breath, I smiled at her and said, "It will be all right."

And "it" was. God took care of my baby as we moved from Wisconsin to South Carolina and then to a new home twenty days before he entered the world. He was born on a scorching hot July day, but it was air conditioned and peaceful in the room where I labored - with a good nurse attending me. Later, as I held him in my arms, Charlie and I beamed at this amazing new creation and named him Theodore, a name that means "gift of God."

The years have flown. He is a man now about to send his firstborn off to college. I was watching him at our recent family reunion. He was organizing, encouraging, helping, and keeping us all laughing. As I watched two year old Joseph reach up his hands and call "Uncle Ted, Uncle Ted, pick me up!" I realized again that I had had no idea back in that first doctor's visit, how "all right" this new life would be. The joy and love and comfort our second son has brought to our lives and to the lives of so many is without limit.

Six years years after Ted was born, Charlie and I became Christians. We were drawn by God into a relationship with the true Son of Righteousness, Jesus Christ. As baby Christians, we had no idea of all the things the Son of God would become to us. But as the years have passed, Jesus has been all that His Word promised and so much more. Jesus has proved to be a very fine Savior.

My heart is filled with praise and thanksgiving as I write this morning. Praise for a wonderful Savior and thankfulness for another great son. Happy Birthday, Ted. May this verse bring you hope and direction for your new year of life, "The path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter until the perfect day. May the true Son of God keep shining through you until we reach that perfect day.

In my very prejudiced opinion, forty plus years ago I spoke rightly when I said thusly, "It will be all right!"

A Short Pause

Dear Blog Friends,

I will not be writing my blog until July 26. Right now, our family is gathering for a family reunion and that is very exciting for me. Having everyone together is a rarity so that is my focus for a couple of weeks. But I'm sure there will be some fun stories to share with you when it is over.

Thank you so much for following this blog and being great readers with me as we go through the Bible. Lord willing, I will be back in force starting July 26.

In His wonderful grace,

Betsy

Tombstones and Flatscreens

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (II Kings 22-24)

Josiah was eight years old when he bcame king and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.

And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left." II Kings 22:1,2

Nine year old Rachel and her two year old brother have been staying with us for the last three weeks while their parents and two older siblings are in Africa on a ministry trip for the Navigators. Grandpa and Grandma's lives have picked up a bit of speed. Things have been slow on the blog but fast around our house.

Rachel and I have spent some time at the cemetery watering flowers and sprucing up family graves. One day we took our Bibles and sat by my mom and dad's gravestone and read I Cor. 15 - the resurrection chapter. We shared about the new bodies that we'd get in heaven and all the people that we would see who were already there. I said that we would have a lot of catching up to do.

"Oh, No, Grandma," Rachel reflected, "They will already know all about our lives. I think that when we get to heaven there will be flat screen TVs and we'll be able to look at them and see what the people on earth are doing."

"I don't know about that," I laughed a little. "You know the Bible says there will be no tears in heaven, so it might make us sad to see all the things that everyone is doing. But, I sure would like to see the awesome flat screens that God made!"

"We wouldn't be sad at all!" she replied positively. "God would have the remotes set so that every time somebody sinned, we would switch channels."

I thought, "We might be switching channels a lot!" but I didn't say that because I was thinking about her nine year old mind and how sweet it is.

We walked around the cemetery reading the tombstones and discussing the brevity of some of the lives. Rachel remarked that she wished she knew more about the people who rested in each grave.

"Yes," I said to my young kindred spirit, "Every tombstone has a story."

Rachel was quiet as we drove home. Then she turned to me and said. "When I grow up, I am going to write about people in a book and illustrate it. Guess what the title is going to be?"

"What?" I said with great interest.

"Why," she responded, "Every Tombstone Has A Story" of course!"

Josiah became king of Judah at the young age of eight. His heart was turned toward the Lord and he "did not turn aside to the right hand or the left." What a neat guy! I wonder if he was watching us from heaven on a flat screen as Rachel and I strolled past the flower filled stones. Someday we'll meet him and ask him, won't we?

An African "Boodle!"

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (II Kings 18-20)

“In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord; ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’

Then he (Hezekiah) turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying,

“Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before you in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.” II Kings 20: 1-3

The voice at the other end of the line was unintelligible. The man that I had reached knew what he was saying but I didn’t have a clue. He was speaking Zambian and I was communicating in English. He shouted something that sounded like “Boodle! Boodle!” When I asked for my daughter again, he raised his voice louder and shouted – “Boodle!!!!”

Have you ever tried to call someone in Africa? On their cell phone? It is a challenge that is almost unexplainable.

When Katie and Norman left for Zambia a week ago, they left us house numbers and cell phone numbers. Of course there are cell phones in Africa. Anyone knows that. (Actually I didn’t. When I thought of Africa, I thought of David Livingston talking about the smoke of a thousand fires.) The cell phones work – sometimes. The challenge is getting the bazillion numbers that you have to dial to go thousands of miles and reach the right person. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

The next day I tried again. To my surprise I heard my daughter’s voice on the other end of the line. “Mom,” she said sounding incredulous. “It is a miracle that you got me! We’re in a Jeep traveling on a dirt road in the bush!”

“Yesterday,” I said, “I got an African man who kept saying “Boodle” louder and louder!”

“Yes,” she answered from the jungle, “they speak very emphatically here. In the US we would think they are having an argument, but they’re not.”

Then the line clicked off. But I had spoken to my daughter in Zambia on her cell phone in Africa! A miracle of communication in today’s world.

King Hezekiah was dying. The prophet, Isaiah, had come to tell him that he should set his house in order because he was about to die. But the king wasn’t ready to die and so he turned his face toward the wall and prayed. He said, “’Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.’ And Hezekiah wept bitterly.” (II Kings 20:1-3)

That’s all he did. He turned his face toward the wall and prayed and cried. He didn’t dial any numbers or wait for a ring or get the wrong person shouting “Boodle.” He turned over in his bed and cried out to the Lord and immediately got an answer.

“Then it happened before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

“Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people. ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you.” II Kings 20:4-5)

Katie said it was a miracle that I reached her in the bush. It was. But the greatest miracle of all is prayer. I can wake up in the night and turn my face to the wall and pray for my daughter and family in Africa and know that God is saying to me, “I have heard your prayer!”

Wow! No boodles about that.

Under the Influence

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (II Kings 10-12)

"Jehoash (Joash) did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days in which Jehoida the priest instructed him." II Kings 12:2

It was 1979 and Charlie had accepted a transfer to Corinth, Mississippi to be the operation’s manager for a new mill that was being built there. We knew we were supposed to go because we were reading in Acts 18 and the scripture jumped out at us, “Go to Corinth for I have many people there.” God couldn’t be much clearer than that!

Was it hard to leave Wisconsin and family and friends again to go back “down south?” Yes, it was. But looking back, I can see that in our lives there is better and best. This step of faith turned out to be the very best for Charlie and I and our four children. What God had for us in Corinth far surpassed the difficulties of saying goodbye and moving away from our beloved state. He did, indeed “have many people there.”

That became immediately apparent when we attended a church on Sunday morning and liked the preacher so much that we went back the same Sunday night. After the evening service, we went downstairs for a get together. We had no idea that the people we were about to “get together” with would change all of our lives. I was drinking a cup of punch and casually chit chatting with a woman named Lynn. All of a sudden she said, “Have you met Mary and Elaine?” Before I could even answer she disappeared. Soon I spotted her towing two delightful women who both beamed at me with welcoming smiles.

Lynn was right. Mary and Elaine and I instantly connected. It was more than that, it was a knitting of our hearts as all three of us immediately realized that we were kindred spirits in a very deep love for Jesus. Only a week later, I was attending a Monday morning Bible study in Mary’s home, which “happened” to be just a block away from where I lived. Mary taught and Elaine led the singing and I just studied with them and soaked it all up.

Soon Charlie became friends with Sherman, Mary’s husband. They were our southern “Priscilla and Aquilla.” Sherman and Mary loved our children and were spiritual grandparents to them. When Sherman went to be with the Lord six years ago, Charlie was one of the speakers at his “Homegoing Service.” He was so influenced by this Godly man’s life that he named our collie……… Sherman!

When wicked Athaliah became queen of Judah, she immediately destroyed all the royal heirs except for one. While they were being murdered, the daughter of the dead king, Jehoshabeath, rescued little one year old Joash. She secretly hid him in a bedroom with his nurse for six years. (How do you hide a toddler anyway?) Somehow no one knew he existed except Jehoida the Priest who just happened to be married to Jehoshabeath. When Joash was seven, he was made king of Judah after a daring coup in which the throne was rightfully restored to the Davidic heirs. It amazes me that a helpless one year old boy was the sole link that saved the dynasty of David and the very lineage of Jesus Christ. Jehoida the Priest mentored Joash and under his influence Joash “did what was right in the sight of the Lord.” (II Kings 12:2) We are told that he even restored Solomon’s elegant temple to its original condition.

All was good …until Jehoida died. After the death of the High Priest, the true character of King Joash became clear. Joash listened to the ungodly leaders of Judah and turned away from following the Lord. We read that “they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass. Yet He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the Lord; and they testified against them but they would not listen.” ( II Chronicles 24:18,19)

The sad story of King Joash spirals down into incredible depravity. When Zechariah, the son of Jehoida came to warn Joash about his ungodly choices, he killed him. He stoned the son of the man and woman who had saved his life and mentored him. Incredible!

God is so patient and good to us. He sends us many people over the years. We can listen and learn from them or we can reject them. We think we’ll have them forever, but we don’t.

After two years we moved from Corinth to Connecticut. I had a hole in my heart for months and months after leaving Mary. But, we stayed in touch in many miraculous ways over the years. You’ll hear a lot more about Mary in my blog. But, I have to go because we call each other every Monday morning at nine. We talk and pray. Her wisdom and love for Jesus can be counted on to lead me to the highest road on my joyful journey to heaven.

Happy Memorial Day! As we remember the sacrifices of so many veterans for our beloved country, let’s also be thankful for the Godly Jehoidas who have given their lives to mentor us.

Clinging To God

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (II Kings 4)

“Now when she came to the man of God at the hill, she caught him by the feet,” II Kings 4:27

“Your blog has been quiet lately?” My friend, Andrea, and I were chatting in my office. She looked at me a bit inquiringly.

I thought, “My blog may be quiet, but my head feels like it is about to pop. So many things are going on in my brain, how can I verbalize them?” I wanted to share but sometimes words can’t express multitudes of emotions.

We sold our motor home down in Illinois last week. It was time, but selling it marked the end of some very special and sentimental times in our lives. I wanted to process that through with the Lord and write about it, but it was too big a part of my life’s journey to do quickly. I leave it with Him.

On the way home we stopped in Madison to pray with a dear friend who was sitting in the hospital beside her dying husband trying to hear what the Lord was telling her. A week later he went to be with Jesus on Sunday, the Lord’s Day. She and her three children are left to ponder what the future will look like without him. How do you process something like that? God knows, I don’t. All I can do right now is weep and weep for my sweet friend, Julie, and her dear children.

Saturday I spoke to a group of women at a lovely Mother – Daughter brunch. The topic was “JOY: Zero Between Jesus and You.” I brought my clothes hamper and spoke to them about how comparison hampers joy.

I wanted to convey to each one how beautiful they are in God’s eyes and how they don’t need to compare themselves to others. They listened and nodded but did the message reach their hearts? Only God knows. But He does know and He cares so much for each one. I can leave it with Him or I can try to, at least. Why am I so emotional about reaching ladies I don’t even know with these truths?

Two weeks ago, my niece and nephew’s dog had to be put to sleep. Barb wrote, “He went to ‘Milkbone Heaven.” Keno was like a child to them and they held him as his life left him. Death, I hate it. Paul said, “The last enemy is death.” Truer words were never spoken.

My daughter who went through breast cancer last year is about to leave for Zambia for three weeks with her husband, their two oldest children and twelve college students. They are leaving the two youngest Rachel – 9, and Joseph – 2, with us. I wrote about this in “Smiling At the Future In the North Woods” in January. Talk about emotions.!

I just saw an advertisement in my Travel magazine that said, “Maybe the road to happiness isn’t a road.” The Proverbs 31 woman “smiles at the future.” I know this and I believe this and that’s what I’m trying to do. But my head still feels too full of the throbbing emotions of life to process coherently right now. The road to happiness isn’t a road that is always marked clearly. Sometimes the trail looks like it goes in many directions and which one do we follow?

Today I read about a woman who knew exactly what to do with her emotions – the Shunammite woman of II Kings 4. This dear lady understood spiritual things. She is called a “notable” woman. She and her husband invited Elisha to eat with them when he traveled through Shunem where they lived. Elisha passed by often and she suggested to her husband that they make a small upper room for him. She put a bed and a table and a chair and a lamp in it. Whenever Elisha came by, he “turned in there.”

Elisha was grateful and wanted to do something for her. He talked to his servant, Gehazi, about it. Gehazi said, “Actually she has no son and her husband is old.” And so, Elisha told her that in a year she would have a son.

The son was born and one day he was working in the field and said to his father, “My head, my head.” The father said, “Carry him to his mother.” I think he knew that she would know what to do. The child died on his mother’s lap. Death again….! She did know what to do. She didn’t talk to anyone about her exploding emotion -filled head. She went to the man of God and clung to him. What happened? Read the story in II Kings 4. It is so powerful!

Once again I see the relevance of the Bible to every situation in life. We may not be able to process all the things happening in our lives. The path ahead may not be clear. The road to happiness may look like it splits off in many directions. But we can follow the example of the woman who lived in Shunem by fleeing to God and clinging to Him.

Andrea and I talked about the summer and what activities to enroll her children and our grandchildren in. Lots of things were rolling around in our heads, but at that moment we needed to get the children registered.

After she left, I thought– When the road to happiness gets emotional and confusing, it is nice to have friends who meet you along the way. Friends who are kind enough to stop in and say, “Your blog seems a little quiet.”

Julie will need to be the Shunammite woman who flees to God day after day after day. But maybe I can follow Andrea’s example and be a friend who cares and stops in along the way.

How To Be An Excellent Leader

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (I Kings 12-14)

“Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, and he said, “How do you advise me to answer these people?”

And they spoke to him saying, “If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” I Kings 12: 6-7

“Charlie,” I said, “I’d like your advice on a question I’ve been thinking about.”

My husband put down The Wall Street Journal and looked at me with a half smile, “Are you feverish?” he questioned.

“That’s not funny,” I replied, “You know I ask your opinion about lots of things.”

“That’s true.” He continued his bantering, “But asking advice and taking it are two different things.”

I smiled at him still enjoying his teasing after 45 years of marriage. Kicking off my shoes and putting my feet on the coffee table, I pressed on.

“You were in operations for many years. You were a mill manager with lots of people working for you. What is the best advice you could give about leadership? Tell me some things that you tried to do.”

“I Kings 12,” he said without hesitation. “That’s management 101!”

I leaned back on the sofa and smiled to myself because I actually knew that was what he would say. “Tell me, elaborate,” I urged.

“Well, you know the story. King Solomon had died and his son, Rehoboam was about to be the new king. The people of Israel gathered together and asked him to lighten the great tax load that his father had imposed on them during his lavish reign. Rehoboam said, “Give me three days to reply” and he went to the still living elders who had worked with Solomon. He asked these wisest of men how they would advise him to answer the people.

“Yes,” I said, “That’s right where I was reading today.”

“Well,” he continued, “The advice that they gave him can be applied to any leadership position. I read and reread these verses so many times and tried to apply them in my job."

“Be a servant to these people.” "I always found that if I showed those who were working for me that I wanted to help them succeed, they responded well because they knew I cared about them. Little things like helping them get the right resources to do their jobs are very important. Usually if you serve your employees, they will catch the vision and serve others.

“I think the rest of the advice of the elders is key, too. ..”serve them and answer them, and speak good words to them,” I tried to apply this and answer the questions my deputies asked. Taking time to listen and reply to their inquiries helped them to feel valued and respected.

Charlie went on, ““Speaking good words to them” is communication – giving them information about why the team is doing what it is. I always felt that if my employees had the same information that I did, they would probably make the same or even better decisions.

"You know," he said, "I think that a good word from a boss or leader is a great way to encourage people. When my boss said something complimentary or helpful to me, it showed me that he believed in me and in what I was doing. I would go a long way on those words.”

“then they will be your servants forever.” "It is a rare person who will leave a team that values and communicates with them,” he concluded.

“Charlie,” I said, “That’s why being married to you for forty five years seems like about forty five minutes. You do all those things to me – answer, speak, communicate good things! Yes, I'll be your servant forever!”

“Why,” I exclaimed now on a praise roll, “what more could I ask of a husband?”

He reached for his glasses, picked up his Wall Street Journal again and started to laugh. “Oh, I’m sure you’ll think of something soon. Isn’t this Sunday Mother’s Day?”

That’s a snippet of our life together.

I could go on about how Rehoboam also consulted the young men of the kingdom who told him not to listen to the people but to tax and burden them much more than King Solomon had. Rehoboam foolishly disregarded the advice of the wise men. After three days we are told that

“he answered the people roughly, and rejected the counsel which the elders had given him;

And he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; “My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges.” I Kings 12:13-14.

As a result of his foolish choice, I Kings 12 is the turning point of the book of Kings. Rehoboam lost the support of the people as they rejected his leadership and turned to Jeroboam to be their new leader. The united kingdom of Israel became the divided kingdom of Israel and Judah. Remember the old saying, “United we conquer, divided we fall?” Israel had begun its fall.

A Miracle In the North Woods

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (I Kings 5-7)

“And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.” I Kings 6:7

Saturday night, Charlie and I witnessed a miracle in the north woods of Wisconsin. We attended the dedication of Praise Chapel Community Church in Crandon. Exactly seven years ago in April, the people of this sweet congregation started building a church. The tiny building that they had called home for many years was bursting at the seams and so, after much prayer, they were led by God to rise up and build. This wasn’t the ordinary church building program. It was decided that the new Praise Chapel would be built by faith– they would do it themselves as the money came in. The money did come, the people did build, and the Lord granted them health and safety as they worked. Saturday night we joined with half the community of Crandon and celebrated the dedication of this wonderful debt free “miracle built by God.”

As I sat in the church, I thought about the “coincidence” that in our reading through the Bible, we are right at the dedication of the temple. I don’t believe in coincidences in our lives, I deem them miracles of God’s amazing timing as He orchestrates our lives moment by moment. Eph.2:10 tells us “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before the foundation of the world that we should walk in them.”

In today’s reading, we are told that Solomon’s temple was built without the noise of craftsmen. The huge stones were finished at the quarry. In keeping with the holiness of the structure being crafted, there was no sounding of hammers or chisels or any iron tool in the construction of the lovely building.

This is a good reminder to us not to mistake noise for spiritual progress. We tend to measure the importance of things by the excitement they generate. Yet, we are conformed into the image of Jesus not by noisy human efforts but silently by the power of the Holy Spirit as day by day He perfects His power within every believer.

This happens in our quiet times as we read the Word and meditate on the things that He tells us. Maybe that’s why Christians are told to have “quiet times,” not “noisy” times. We are urged to settle down and listen to the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit as He guides and leads us on the paths of righteousness. He, alone, shows us the course our journey is to take and directs us to the things that need to be done on a daily basis. “In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” Is. 30:15

And then one day, His workmanship is finished and there is a dedication – it may be the temple in Israel or Praise Chapel in the north woods of Wisconsin.

We are told to “sit quietly before the Lord – to wait patiently before Him” as He amazingly does His work on this earth through the likes of believers like us.

Those Moldy Bread People Again

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (II Sam. 21-22)

“Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year, and David inquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, “It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.” II Sam. 21:1

My daughter-in-love Denise has a great system for remembering things. When she thinks of things she needs to do, she immediately writes a sticky note and adheres it to her kitchen counter. Then when she goes out the door, she just checks her sticky notes to see if she has everything.

Our family joke is – if it gets on one of Denise’s sticky notes, it will happen!

We all have little ways that we use to help us retain information. Today’s reading reminds us again that we have an omniscient God who remembers everything. He never forgets. He invented sticky notes for us, but He doesn’t need them.

King David had a problem. There had been a famine in Israel for three years. So, he inquired of God and asked Him why this was happening. God said it was because of the Gibeonites and what King Saul had done to them.

Remember the Gibeonites? They were those “moldy bread people.” When Joshua was taking the land of Israel, they dressed up in old clothes and brought moldy bread to Joshua. They claimed to be from another country and deceived Israel into making a covenant of protection with them. Later, Joshua discovered that they actually lived nearby but now he couldn’t destroy their city because he had made this covenant.

Four hundred years have gone by. However, during those years, Saul had broken the covenant with the Gibeonites and killed some of them. Wouldn’t you think God would have forgotten about it all by then? I mean the USA isn’t even four hundred years old…that’s a long time. But not to our God.

He is the God who remembers! He told David that he needed to honor the covenant by asking the Gibeonites how to atone for this infraction. David inquired and they replied that they would be satisfied if David gave them seven descendants of Saul and they would take their lives. David complied and delivered seven of Saul’s sons into their hands to be hanged.

What a sad story. Can anything good come out of the deception of the Gibeonites and the disobedience of Saul that resulted in the deaths of seven of his sons? I see one great thing. God takes covenants and oaths very seriously. If He honored the deceitful Gibeonites because of their covenant, how much more will he honor His covenant with us? How much more will he stand by His promises that are lavishly scattered through out the Bible, His Word? If he didn’t forget the Gibeonite covenant for four hundred years, how much more will He not forget our descendants and us? When we entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ, we entered into a covenant with God himself. Hebrews 6:17-18 tells us: “Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.”

He won’t forget us. We have His strong consolation that He doesn’t need sticky notes. He remembered his covenant with the descendants of the heathen moldy bread people. How much more will He be faithful to us - His own covenant children?

The next time you find mold on your bread, remember the Gibeonites. God didn’t forget them, He won’t forget you! Maybe we all need a sticky note on our counter that says "God remembers!"

The Color Purple

One week ago, we were standing at the intersection of King and Queen Streets in Charleston, South Carolina. As I looked up at the signposts, I turned to Charlie and said, "That sign sure reflects how the Lord has blessed us this vacation - He has been treating us like kings and queens!"

Sometimes on our joyful journey through life we come to places that are so breathtakingly beautiful that we just want to stop and rest and inhale the sights and smells forever. That's how I felt about our trip to this lovely city with its gardens, mansions and fascinating history. I believe that God gives us these times to pause and refresh our souls and experience His creation - to remind us how wonderful it is. In Genesis, He rested on the seventh day and sanctified His work. Acts 3:19 speaks of "the times of refreshing that come from the presence of the Lord."

This trip came about suddenly and unexpectedly. We were both yearning for the colors that April brings to spring in the South. God seemed to open every door so we took off in our RV and headed for Charleston. Sometimes it amazes me how quickly and unexpectedly God brings changes in our journeys. He so rarely does things the way I expect Him to.

When we reached Charleston, we were quickly immersed in the weavings of our past. We lived in Aiken, South Carolina for eight years. We came into a personal relationship with Jesus while we lived there. Three of our children were born in Aiken. Charlie helped start up a new mill nearby in Beech Island for Kimberly Clark. Our oldest son went to college in Columbia and met his wife there. Lots of history, lots of friends, lots of memories. Coming back to Charleston was another colorful thread in the weaving of God's tapestry in our lives.

There was also a theme - the color purple. Everywhere we went, we saw purple - the color of royalty...the color of kings and queens.

We noticed it first in the campground in Mahomet, Illinois. Parked next to us was an RV totally decked out in purple. Every curtain was bright and purple. Charlie looked at it and said, incredulously, "Betsy, I've never seen anything like that!" I agreed.

As we drove to Charleston the redbuds were in bloom. You know what color they are - not red but purple and lovely against the spring green of the land.

The first thing I noticed as we walked through the coastal city was the wisteria. I have never seen such an abundance of purple wisteria. It hung everywhere in huge tumbling masses that beckoned us to come near and smell and savor and linger.

We toured some of the mansions, hotels, and gardens. At the Rutledge Inn, we started talking to one of the desk clerks. He graciously put down his book and shared with us the history of the elegant old hotel. As he spoke I glanced down at the title of his book. It was "The Color Purple!"

On the way home, we spent the night again in the campground in Illinois not far from Katie and Norman's. Katie brought me plants and said, "Mom, here are some pansies I picked up for you. They only had purple."

We arrived home and had a birthday party for ll year old Kayla. My friend, Andrea, gave her a cushy fuzzy blanket. Yes, it was purple!

This morning I sit at my computer and relect on our sweet time. (Wait, maybe it's not quite over. Our purple rhododendrums have started blooming!:) God gave us a pause in our journey through life to reflect and be refreshed, to remember and be surprised again by His goodness. As His children may we all remember that we are the adopted sons and daughters of the Mighty King of the universe. We are all standing in our position in Christ right at the intersection of Kings and Queens Street. And as we are His - we're clothed in purple.

Have a great day. Thanks for staying with me while I was off playing. I'm looking forward to traveling life's "Joyful Journey" with you again - wearing purple, of course! But first, I'm going to read my May "Southern Living" that just arrived. The cover is filled with purple hydrangeas.

Call! Don't Fall!

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Judges 1-2)

“Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died when he was one hundred and ten years old. And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash. When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel. Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals;” Judges 2:8-11

The ominous sign at the foot of my bed had two exclamation points! “Call! Don’t Fall!” Two choices it screamed! “Call and ask for assistance or do yourself some serious damage by being independent!”

After my knee replacement, I spent eighteen days at Peabody Manor. I opted to do this because my doctor explained that physical therapy twice a day would produce better results in the long run. “Besides,” he said, “They know what they’re doing.”

I obviously didn’t since I’d never had anything replaced before. Charlie said that since he hadn’t either, it could be tough on our marriage if I stayed home and let him supervise the rehab exercises. So I was okay about being there for a while. After all, it was a safe place with competent people and our marriage was being preserved.

But this sign at the end of my bed: “Call! Don’t Fall!”

“I am an independent American and I can get up and take care of myself, thank you. Do I really need to call a nurse and wait for her to appear to do the basics of life?”

However, it wasn’t many hours before my knee pain and lack of balance made me wonder if the doctor had also performed a brain replacement. I couldn’t remember how to walk. It was like I was starting from scratch. I did most certainly need those helpful people in my unsteady state. Calling and not falling seemed like a very good choice. I began to be thankful that the sign was there with its two contrasts.

Speaking of contrasts, the book of Joshua and the book of Judges are like comparing a day filled with sunshine and a day covered over with clouds. Joshua is bright with stories of Israel’s obedience and success. Judges is twenty-one dark chapters of the young nation’s disobedience and failures.

Joshua had led Israel to conquer the Promised Land in general, but each tribe was to remove the Canaanite strongholds that remained in their individual inheritances. They didn’t do it. After Joshua died, the Israelites experienced some short-lived military successes under Judah and Simeon. But, as soon as they ran into the inhabitants of the lowland with their chariots of iron, their faith faltered. Instead of calling on God, they retreated in fear. Instead of removing the moral cancer spread by the inhabitants of Canaan, they let them remain.

Compromise always leads to conflict and chaos. The Israelites didn’t remove the cancer and they contracted the disease. Soon they were worshiping Baal and other Canaanite gods. By now, they should have learned the lesson: "Call! Don't Fall!” Call out to God because He is with you. He is there to deliver you Israel. Just obey!

Chapter two of Judges is a synopsis of the whole book of Judges. It is like reading the back cover of a novel. It tells us exactly what happens in the Book of Failures. When the Israelites don’t call, they fall. When they do call on God, He raises up a deliverer – a spiritual and political deliverer. These individual judges portray the role of Jesus as the Savior-King of His people.

Today we have Jesus living in us as our Savior and King. He is there for us. Why don’t we call on Him when we run up against the chariots of iron in our lives? So often, just like the Israelites, we compromise and coexist with strongholds that need to be dealt with. Then, we’re shocked at the amount of pull they exert on our lives.

My friend, Ann, came to visit me at Peabody Manor. She looked at the sign and said, “That’s a great spiritual message! Call! Don’t Fall!” She got it right away. No brain replacement needed there.

We can call and ask for assistance from our very competent Father in heaven or we can do ourselves some serious damage by being independent. These are two contrasting choices that we make so many times in every day. Just like at Peabody Manor.