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! 

Everlasting SONshine!

Good Morning Friends!  Wondrously wrapped in HIS loving arms Wednesday!   This winter and it’s drabness has, seems to me, been the gloomiest one I remember for a long time too….the sun is having a terrible time coming out to shine on us….must say I was really happy to see it for a little while yesterday, but today, cloudy again.  I have gained empathy for people (my grandkids) that live in places like Alaska and Sweden (Ryan) where there is relatively no sunlight for several month and understand why depression, alcoholism, and suicide are so high there.  We need the sun to thrive….oh yes we crave that natural vitamin D…so at times like this winter it’s natural to feel down at times.  Every day someone, including me, whines about the lack of sun….I just love all the fun flavors of body wash these days!  I don’t usually pay much attention to the name just the ingredients, but for some reason this morning as I climbed into the shower my eyes went right to my recently purchased bottle of body wash…..Everlasting Sunshine….that’s the name of my body wash…..Everlasting Sunshine…..I knew that our Father had a lesson for me…..and it didn’t take me long to get it…..We have Everlasting SONshine every day of our lives…..God’s SON, our Jesus, shines HIS Everlasting love and forgiveness on us day in and day out……Life may seem gloomy, clouds of worry, pain, heartache hanging over us, but don’t fret needlessly….We are glowing in Everlasting SONshine!  We need the SON to thrive in faith hope and love….everlasting!  Thank you Father, for the light of Your SON no matter how gloomy things seem around us…..help us put our hope in His glow and thrive!  And Father thank you for the sunshine that is headed our way!

 

Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?”  Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord.  You have fill my heart with greater joy than when their grain and wine abound.  I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.  Psalm 4:6-8.  Why are you downcast, O  my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?  Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.  Psalm 4:11.  You are my lamp, O Lord:  the Lord turns my darkness into light.  With Your help I can advance against a troop; with  my god I can scale a wall.  2 Samuel 2:29-30.  For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.  O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.  Psalm 84:11-12.

Love you all.

Small miracles around us

Good Morning Friends!  Totally trusting in HIS love Tuesday!  My goodness, hasn’t our environment turned to winter drab in a hurry?  Seems like just a week or so ago there was still green grass in the pastures and leaves on the trees and now….the pastures and lawns are brown, the trees empty just brown branches sticking up in the air….drab.  My commute to work…well when you look around and only see dead grass and empty trees it can get a little, well you know it’s just not the same as spring.  Bleak…..like our lives without our Savior, bleak and dead from sin……But hold on…..look out the window by the chicken coop…..bright red, magnificent cardinals….one, two, three, four….gosh five beautiful, red cardinals on my fence.  Gosh I just love the bright red birds of winter…..they overtake the bleak…..As I stood at the window my heart filled with gratitude….The red birds…..red like blood….the red birds take the bleak out of winter…..Jesus blood gives us life….The cardinals are a small miracle from our Father, a dash of color in an otherwise drab environment…..Jesus’ death and resurrection is the miracle of miracles….life everlasting for us if we simply accept HIS mercy and grace.  Oh Father….my goodness, forgive my whining and help me see Your small miracles all around me, You are an awesome God.  And Father, more than anything, thank you for loving us so much that You gave us Your Son…..the red of HIS blood makes us white as snow. 

 

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.  For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.  We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.  For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him.  We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death He died He died to sin, once for all, but the life He lives He lives to God.  So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.  Romans 6:1-11.  Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!  2 Corinthians 9:15. 

Love you all!

Are you ready?

Good Morning Friends!  Totally trusting in HIS loving care, Tuesday!!!  Over the weekend, Kim and I (and we had a great helper) finished getting all of our wood in for winter.  Got it all stacked nice and neat and even took a load up to our little cabin, got propane delivered on Friday, and Kim has everything ready to begin winter feeding of the cows.  Saturday afternoon we were feeling pretty proud of ourselves….we are all ready for winter…..last couple of years we were hauling wood all winter long and propane…waiting until there was an odor to call them……yep might even say we were a little smug as we went in patting ourselves on the back….all READY for winter!  Back in the house, I got to the laundry and then hit the shower…..standing there under the warm water, thinking about our accomplishments….my mind took a turn…..a really big one you know like a 180…..oh wow!!!!!!  Oh yea, Kim and I are ready for winter, and that is important here on this earth, but are we ready for what really matters….Are our hearts and minds centered on HIM, is our faith strong in the one true God……Are we READY!  Father we know you are preparing a place for us, keep us ever faithful….READY…..to spend eternity with You.

Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts 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.” John 14:1-4.  Jesus said, “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.  It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.  I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.  It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he come in the second or third watch of the night.  But understand this:  If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.  You also must be READY, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”  Luke 12:35-40.  Jesus said, “I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”  John 16:22.

Love you all!

Splinters

Good Morning Friends!  Kim and I heat our old house with wood and this winter, my goodness we have really gone through the wood!  And to top it off, this year’s wood  seems more splintery than usual....in that I mean, I have had way more splinters than usual!!!!  The other night a sharp, throbbing pain in my little finger woke me from a deep sleep.  Yes, the pain was so great that it woke me up….the cause of the pain….an itty bitty, teeny tiny splinter…..so tiny in fact that I could hardly see it, but the pain was a guarantee it was hiding there!  Hard to believe that anything that small could cause so much pain!  Lying in my bed, in the quiet of the night, I knew that Kim would remove the splinter in the morning and the pain would be gone….but something kept nagging at me about such a tiny thing causing so much pain.  Oh my…..tiny things….a hastily spoken, less than kind word, a quick snap at a friend who needed to vent, too busy  to listen to your child just home from school and upset…..tiny things right????  In the quiet of the night I felt a heavy sadness come over me as my mind filled with “tiny things” that I had said or done, things that seemed to me inconsequential….tiny things that very well could have caused pain, intense pain to the receiver of my actions…..I often talk about the “tiny things” we can do to bring joy to others and that’s a good thing, but we sure do need to pay attention to “tiny things” no matter how small they may seem to us, that might inflict pain on others in lives….Kim did indeed remove my tiny splinter in the morning and the pain was gone…..but internal hurts are often not so easily removed…..Father, we don’t mean to hurt others, we are just so often selfish with our time and actions…..Father we are so thankful we can come to You to have our unkind acts forgiven.  Help us to know when we have hurt others with the tiniest little thing and give us wisdom to remove the pain with loving actions inspired by Your love for us.

 

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your moths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  Ephesians 4:29.  Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.  Galatians 6:10.  As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Colossians 3:12.  When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.  Titus 3:4-5.  How good is a timely word!  Proverbs 15 :23.  Out of the overflow of the heart the  mouth speaks. (what’s in your heart?)  Matthew 12:34. 

Love you all!

Crocodiles in My Kitchen: Believing in what you don't see

Good Morning Friends!  Wonderfully wrapped in HIS loving arms Wednesday!  You all remember Cooper and Katy right (in case you don’t Cooper 4 and Katy 3 are our “adopted” grandkids.  They live nearby)?  We live in an old farm house that we heat with wood.  We have a good air tight stove in the living room that for the most part works well, but sometimes when it is really cold we have a fire in the old stove in the kitchen…..until this year we had not done that for years.  Well, quite some time ago, Cooper took a keen interest in that stove and since we never used it we let him open the door and look in.  Well, way over a year ago, one day while playing with his new flashlight upon opening the stove door he discovered crocodiles residing there!  He was quite excited and of a course Papa and I played along with him, admiring the lovely crocks and offering pretend food for him to give them.  The next time Cooper was over, found his flashlight and went right to the stove to check his crocks….and each time we all took a look, playing along with his imagination.  This went on for month after month until finally his sister Katy had her own flashlight and was big enough to join in….Cooper opened the door and showed his sister the crocodiles.  His excitement was uncontainable and Katy joined right in with him.  Now this has been going on for over  a year, never ever do those kids come to our house whether together or alone ,that they do not check on their crocks.  We just smile and thank God for the blessing of children!  Remember the big snow and awful cold we had before Christmas?  Well, I was off work, but Coop and Katy’s mom had to work so Papa and I were keeping the kids.  It was so cold that morning that Papa thought maybe he better light a fire in the kitchen.  I cleared the top of the stove off and he built a nice fire…As he was getting it going it hit me the crocodiles!!!!   What would those babies think if they came over and a their crocks were all burned up….I asked Papa, “think I better get the crocks out and put them in something else?”  At first he laughed and said no and then decided….”yep, you better.”  So, I found an empty trash can and got a towel to cover the top….carefully (lol) I moved the crocks from the stove to the trash can!  When the kids got there we immediately explained that we had a fire in the stove, it was very hot, so they had to stay away…..but…before they could get upset….I showed them where I had moved their crocks!  They were delighted.  Immediately taking the towel off, checking them, holding them…of course we all did and then covering them up and placing them in a perfect place in the kitchen.  Sometime during that day………oh my gosh…..the discovery was almost too much for them!!!  The crocodiles had babies…..precious little baby crocodiles!  What a glorious day in LULA!  I have tried upon several occasions to move crocks and babies back to the stove, but with no luck!  For some reason they like them in the trash can in the middle of the kitchen!  I was telling my sister the croc tale the other day, gramma of 2 four year olds and a three year old, she totally understood and relished in their imagination.  I said to her, “I have been trying to figure out how to get a today out of this wonderful story.”  Immediately she responded, “Faith is believing in what you don’t see…..”  Wow!  Why didn’t I think of that??!!  Those precious children set a perfect example for our “faith” life.  We cannot see God, but with Holy Spirit filled faith we KNOW that HE is our ALL in ALL!  We cannot see HIM with our eyes, but we see HIM through the wonders around us, nature, kindnesses of others, special little blessings….the imagination of children…..Father, keep our faith strong so that we believe without seeing….trust without answers……forgive as you forgive us……LOVE others as YOU have shown us to LOVE….to remember….”Faith without works is dead…”  James: 2 17.

 

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.  It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.  Ephesians 2:8.  We live by faith, not by sight.  2 Corinthians 5:7.  Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  Hebrews 11:1. 

Love you all!

The Blessing of Crawling...

Good Morning Friends!  Totally taken by His love, Tuesday!  My goodness what a few crazy….cold days we have had….agreed?!  Out on the ranch things have not been dull….ponds to break, leaks to fix, firewood to load, snowmen to build, and animals do not care how cold it is for us, they are want to eat!  Lots of stories for sure, but this morning as I was driving in for the first time by myself (woo hoo, so many thanks to Linda that faithfully hauls me around) my thoughts went to our first winter in Oklahoma, about 15 years ago….Kim and I were living in a travel trailer and it didn’t take much to freeze the water, so I had gotten used to going down the road to my dear neighbors, Bob and Imogene and take a nice hot shower….they were my first Lula friends and the visits to their house for a shower were a great time for us to get to know each other.  Well anyway, I got up one morning and oh yeah, no water….I had no clue what the conditions outside were…I packed my little bag, put on my Carhart overalls and headed out….yikes steps were a bit slick…oh well, no biggie.  I was headed to the car (again no clue….) when our friend Harry drove in (he was helping Kim with some things on the ranch).  He said Good morning and asked what I was doing, I said I am going to Bob’s to get a shower.  He laughed….laughed at me…then said, with a chuckle you aren’t going anywhere….well I thought how dare he…..he then proceeded to tell me that the road was a solid sheet of ice….Oh well I said, I will just walk….To this day I can still see the smirk on his face as I headed down…..down our driveway!  Just a few steps told me this was not going to be as easy as I had thought….I eased my way over where there was more dirt and made it down to the road….I must say I was feeling just a little smug as I took a step onto the road, ha, ha Harry I thought…..My smug turned into….UGH….I hit the road…hard!  My smug brought me right to my knees…..I felt foolish, but was determined to have a shower so I crawled across the road (I know you are all laughing, it’s ok I deserve it).  Well, I made it to Bob and Imogene’s, had my shower, coffee, and a wonderful visit and then crawled back home…..This morning remembering……”brought me to my knees” is what hit me.  There was no way I was getting across that road without getting on my knees…..once I did…..I made it!  Father, oh my, forgive us when we are so stubborn and try to get there on our own…..It’s when we are on our knees with You that we are at our best!  Thank you Father for the blessing of crawling…..

 

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  Psalm 73:26.  Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  Romans 8:18.  Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall (crawl maybe, but not fall).  Psalm 55:22.  Consider it pure joy…whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith (on your knees, crawling) develops perseverance.  James 1:2-3.  Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.  Joshua 1:9.  The God of peace be with you!  Philippians 4:9. 

Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first. George Matthew Adams.

Love you all!

Kathie A. Johnson

Receptionist

Administrative Services

Division of Housing

The seasons of our lives...

Good Morning Friends!  Wise and wonderful is our God, Wednesday!  Last night when I got home from work, Kim was nowhere to be found, figured he wasn’t far, so was enjoying putting around the house.   After about 15 minutes or so, I saw Kim and his helper come in the drive in the backhoe hauling hay for the donkeys.  Then my phone rang, “Come on out here.  We are closing the pool up” was all he said.  A little bewildered, I responded, “OK”  and headed out the door.  I really had no idea he had planned that for our evening!  Closing up the pool is really the official sign that summer is over and winter on its way…..The change of seasons….Taking proper care of the pool for winter is really very important, saves the filter from freezing and the winter chemicals help keep it clean, and of course covering it up is so important!  Last year, we never did get it done and what a mess we had; luckily, the filter didn’t freeze, but the pool was gross and took hours of hard work and chemicals to get it clean again…..Here in Oklahoma we truly have “changing seasons” each season so different from the one before and the one to come….In the spring we have to get the storm cellar ready, summer get the pool up and going, fall close it up, stock up on firewood, winter make sure everything is insulated and lots of feed on hand for the livestock….you get it right….each season, winter, summer, spring, or fall brings unique situations….As I sat on the deck holding onto the cover while Kim got the ladder off, I got to thinking about seasons….our lives are full of seasons aren’t they…..seasons of contentment…seasons of discontent…..season of health….season of illnesses…..for us…our lives….everyday might confront us with a new season……we need to prepare for the changes in our lives, just like we prepare the summer pool for upcoming winter…..How we handle the “changes” in our lives depends on how well prepared we are…..And the way to be prepared is…..lots of time with our Heavenly Father, keep Him posted on your life through lots of prayer time, find wisdom and guidance through HIS word, and strength from worshipping with your Christian family!  Our Father Is always there for us….how close we stay to HIM directs our “change of seasons.”  Father help us to be prepared for all the seasons of our lives by being close to YOU.  Give us wisdom and strength to know YOU and follow YOUR will for our lives.  Thank you for being Changeless! 

 

Keep me safe, O God, for in You I take refuge.  I said to the Lord, “you are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” Psalm 16:1-2.  You  turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to You and not be silent.  O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.  Psalm 30:11-12.  The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer.  1 Peter 3:12.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.  Hebrews 4:16. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6.

Love you all!