The wolf and the lamb...Isaiah 11:1-9

Good Morning Friends!  Totally His, Tuesday!   A couple years ago I was having a terrible problem with mice in the house….it was bad and I was aggravated.  People kept telling me I needed some outside cats, but much to my chagrin, my hubby hated cats and had always refused getting any!  Well, let’s say he has mellowed a bit in his old age and when a sweet friend offered to give me a few of her barn cats he said ok!  I was so excited, I brought my friend a live trap so she could catch a couple and we met on Sunday in town and I took them home.  I let them out by the old chicken coop where Kim had put food and that was the last I saw of them for a while, even though Kim saw them occasionally during the day.  Oh but I knew they were there because things got much better in the house.  A few months had past when we discovered we had kittens…..same thing didn’t really see them all the time, just occasionally, except one pretty little tiger-striped kitten….silly thing started hanging out in the chicken coop!  At first she was really skittish, running from me, but hoping I was bringing scraps…she would eat with the chickens and sleep on top of their feeder!  Really cracked me, didn’t seem to be a lot of animosity between the very different critters.  It wasn’t until last week during the bitter, bitter cold spell that a passage from Isaiah really hit me…..”and the wolf will live with the lamb….”  I walked in the coop to feed and water the rabbits and give the chickens some scratch….I couldn’t believe what I saw….There on the ground was the kitten totally surround by the hens…when I say “surrounded”  I mean totally covered, protected by their feathers….the sight was breathtaking.  The small cat, crouched on the ground, peeking out from under the hovering hens….the hens were keeping her warm….cats and chickens….natural enemies, like the wolf and the lamb……living together in peace…..more than peace….compassion….can you imagine how warm and toasty it was under all those feathers!  Oh Father, please help us learn a lesson of love and compassion from YOUR critters…..help us to live together in peace and accept everyone as they are….feathers or fur!

 

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.  The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirt of counsel and power, the Spirt of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.  He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.  He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.  Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.  The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.  The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.  The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.  They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.  Isaiah 11:1-9.      Let’s work to do this now! 

April 8, 2013

Good Morning Friends!  Mighty is our God, Monday!  So, remember a few weeks ago when I told you about the mouse in my house…..well, as a result of that story, a friend with lots of outside cats offered to give me a couple.  I jumped at the offer….she said if I could bring her a carrier she would catch a couple for me and we made arrangements to meet at the mini mart close to my church on Sunday.  However, one thing after another it wasn’t until yesterday that we finally managed to get together.  Church was a little long, so she was waiting for me while enjoying a sausage biscuit.  We sat and visited a minute and then went to our cars for the big transfer!  Poor cats were not happy about their confinement….there were three of them and they growled and hissed all the way home.  Kim had put out food for them in an old chicken coop…a really good place for them to call “headquarters”.   I stopped and unloaded them before going to the house….I knew they were ready for their release!  As soon as I opened the door out they came they all 3 scaled the wooden walls of their headquarters.  Well, that’s the last I have seen of my cats….Yep, it’s true, have not seen hide nor hair of them since their release….when it dawned on me this morning that I had not seen them, I thought, oh gosh….hope they didn’t run off…..but then I thought about the children’s sermon I had for the kids yesterday.  I put a glass ostrich in a box, told them what was in it (well I told them an ostrich)  and asked them if they believed me….without seeing the ostrich….did they believe it was in there?  The point being…..Thomas, without actually seeing our risen Jesus, did not believe his fellow disciples when they told him that Jesus was alive…….Jesus response when He confronted Thomas, “you believe because you have seen Me, blessed are those who have not seen and yet have not seen.”   Wow….I think our Heavenly Father sent me a little faith reminder….a little faith boost….perhaps a “practice what you preach” tap.  Yes, at times……I must admit, I am a bit of a doubting Thomas….Forgive me Father.  You know what!!!  Even though I have not seen the cats, I know that they are out there hunting….they are going to keep the mice out of my house!!!!!!  I am sure of it!  Father, sometimes I question my faith….question what’s going on in my life because I don’t see what I think I should.  Forgive me….help me to never be a doubting Thomas when it comes to Your will in my life!  And Father thank you for sweet friends that share their cats with me!

Then He (Jesus), said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands.  Reach out your hand and put it into my . Stop doubting and believe.”  Thomas said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”  Then Jesus told him, “because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded n tis book.  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.  John 20:28-31.  Though you have not seen Christ, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.  1 Peter 1:8-9.  We live by faith, not by sight.  2 Corinthians 5:7.

Love you all!

Kathie A. Johnson

Receptionist

March 4, 2013

Good Morning Friends!  Marvelous is His plan, Monday!  One day last week I opened a kitchen drawer and while digging for something towards the bottom I saw a mouse dropping.  Well, I thought you haven’t cleaned this drawer in a while because you don’t have mice anymore.  I never gave it another thought until Saturday.  Cooper and Katy came down with Hailey to pick up pine cones and of course they had to have a snack from Nana’s famous snack drawer.  Cooper opened the drawer and they each got something.  After they left I went in to close the drawer completely and was absolutely appalled at what I saw!!!!  Oh No!  Tell me it can’t be so!!!!  No Way!!!!!  My worst nightmare…..a whole package of graham crackers nearly gone…..tiny shreds of paper, crumbs, and…..gross droppings lined the drawer.  Kim was in the living room and could hear my tirade…..what’s the matter he asked.  WE HAVE MICE!!!!!   Where are those cats we had?????   You must understand….I HATE MICE!   Kim pondered for a moment and then said…..”Uhh, now that I think about it, I haven’t seen the cats in a while!”  Duh, no kidding jack….look at this mess, yuck….gross….disgusting!  I dug around and found one package of unopened Decon, opened it and put it out in a place safe from kids, but deadly for those nasty critters feeling quite smug…..Until early this morning, that is when I leaned over to open a cupboard and a big, fat mouse came so close to my feet that I had to scream!  That’s it!!!!!!  I hollered, I am getting out the traps!!!”  As I dug around trying to find mouse traps that I had not used in ever so long (if you reach back in your memory, I wrote about having the cats quite a while ago), I felt that familiar tap on my shoulder….”Good morning, Father…any idea where I put the mouse traps?”  “Yes Kathie, just keep digging they are right there.  Kathie isn’t it funny how you haven’t even thought about those cats for so long…..you hadn’t seen any signs of having mice, so you just didn’t give them a thought….for so long they just worked and worked for you….making sure no mice got into your house…..you never gave them a thought…..not once….UNTIL………”  “ Oh Father, I get it….until I had a problem…..”  How often do we cruise along everything going along just fine …we don’t even think about our Heavenly Father, taking care of everything for us…..providing us with all our needs, day in and day out…..life is good….no real problems…so we don’t think about….saying, Thank you Father, Praise You, All Glory to You….Awesome Father, we praise You and thank you…..No….but as soon as we see some “nasty droppings”  oh yea, then all of a sudden….we call on You…..Help Father, please fix this and take care of that…..Father, please HELP ME!  Father, thank you for nasty mouse droppings to remind us that You deserve our praise all the time, every day….not just we are surrounded by “droppings”.  All Praise, Honor, and Glory to You our Awesome, Heavenly Father!

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  Psalm 73:26.  Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:18.  Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Ephesians 5:19-20.  Rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.  Colossians 2:7.   Amen!  Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!!  Revelation 7:12. 

Love you all!

Kathie A. Johnson