Lord of the flies

Good Morning Friends!  Wise and Wonderful is our God Wednesday.  Last evening when I got home from work Kim and the boys were in the pool.  I walked over and said hi, then went in, changed my clothes and joined them.  I didn’t feel like getting in, but I happily sat on the deck sipping a cold drink enjoying watching my boys.  There was one problem…..the flies were terrible!  I mean tons of them all around, sticky ones landing on me and all of our drinks.  I covered up the boys cups with a towel, but the nasty flies were everywhere and bound and determined to annoy me, pushing me to the point of being angry…..As I sat angrily swatting at flies my thoughts were drawn to Pastor’s sermon on Sunday.  He read from Matthew 10 where Jesus is giving His disciples instructions as they go out and do HIS work….HE warned them that it wouldn’t be easy, mentioning Beelzebub (Old Testament)…New Testament, Beelzebul the word for devil…..the meaning of Beelzebub, “Lord of the flies.”  How apropos is that!!??  Oh my gosh, as I sat there getting more and more agitated with the nasty, pesky flies puking on our cups, undoubtedly leaving their brown specks everywhere I couldn’t help but acknowledge the definite connection between the devil and flies….OH how clever our Father is to name the fallen angel, “Lord of the flies.”  The devil does his best to agitate us, to provoke us to no good….and he is everywhere just like nasty flies.  He tempts us with all the things that our Father hates….sticky and nasty just like flies.  However, Jesus didn’t just drop them into the devils hands to fend for themselves…NO WAY….nor does he leave us on our own…No, Jesus tells us to watch out for the devil in 1 Peter 5:8-11, but declares He is with us….”Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion (or a nasty fly) looking for someone to devour (agitate, frustrate….)Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.  And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.  To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”   Our God loves us, “God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.  1 Corinthians 10:13.”  Yes, we will be tempted, pestered, agitated, frustrated, but if we stand firm in our faith, we will get through….Father, as you instruct us in Matthew 26:41, help us to, “Watch and pray so that we will not fall into temptation.  Our spirits are willing, but our bodies weak.”  Thank you Father, All glory and honor to You.

 

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strong hold of my heart and my portion forever.  Psalm 73:26.

Love you all!

Popping a little leak...

Good Morning Friends!  Forever HIS Friday!  This morning in my still half asleep mode I turned on the water in the kitchen…hmm I thought, Rural Water District must still be having problems, not much pressure.  I didn’t mention it to Kim because I figured since RWD had been having some problems this week, it was just them, so didn’t give it another thought until….We were sitting on the front porch just like every other summer morning, me reading God’s word and praying, Kim dozing; as it started to get light I could see a big puddle of water in the driveway.  I hadn’t heard it rain during the night, so I was surprised.  I asked Kim, “did it rain in the night?  There’s a bunch of water in the driveway.”  He sat up and looked outside….”Or we have a water leak.”  At that moment I thought about no water pressure…gently I told him…”There wasn’t much pressure this morning.”  At that point, he jumped up and looked out.  “Yep we have a leak, either out here or in a kennel.  GOOD MORNIG!’  And at that he stomped out the door to check it out!  In a few minutes he was back from a completely flooded Kennel….leaks, not a good way to start the day.  I went in the house to pack my lunch and get things ready for breakfast (fresh fruit smoothies for me and the boys), as I opened the frig I was not happy at the sight that greeted me…..oh my gosh, another leak!  The zip lock bag of wild berries the boys had picked had leaked all over the frig.  Dark purple juice everywhere….I had to chuckle just a little bit thinking of the leaky morning!  Well, only one thing to do….get to cleaning so, I soaked up, wiped off, moved things and cleaned under them and pretty soon…Well for goodness’ sake….look how nice and clean the frig is….been a long time.   As I finished my lunch, happy to have a clean frig, the thought came to me…..Leaks don’t necessarily have to be all bad!  Nope, that leaky bag of berries resulted in me having a clean frig…We are blessed with so much from our Heavenly Father, loved beyond our imagination, blessings of food and clothes, jobs, friends, family….the list is endless….Aww yes, I do think we could pop a few leaks….Leaks of love through unselfish acts of kindness, sharing, time, patience, listening, gratitude and thankfulness….leaks that give honor to God…little leaks will be just fine, little acts add up to lots of love puddled up all over, just like the berry juice!  So, friends how about joining me in popping a little leak!  Father, thank you for the bounty of blessings you shower on us every day in every way, instill us with hearts of gratitude, so that we leak your love where ever we go, to Your glory!

 

Give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds.  Psalm 107:21.  Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.  Matthew 5:42.  Be kind and compassionate to one another.  Ephesians 4:32.  As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness humility, gentleness and patience.  Colossians 3:12.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.  1 John 4:12.  The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself (leaking) through love.  Galatians 5:6.

Love you all!

 

 

Who do you say that I am?

Good Morning Friends!  Thankfully, I am the child of the ONE TRUE GOD, Thursday!  This morning during my quiet time I found myself reading from Mark 8, Jesus with His disciples, verses 27-29 really struck a note with me…..”Jesus and His disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi.  On the way He asked them, ‘Who do people say that I am?’  They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’  ‘But what about you?’ he asked.  ‘Who do you say that I am?’   Peter answered, ‘YOU are the Christ.’ “  On Saturday we flew home from California with our grandsons Brayden 9 and Dane 7.  This was the first time we had ever flown alone with grandkids so the whole process was a bit well…..use your imagination…LAX two boys and red neck Nana and Papa…As we went through the TSA security check, I led the way, boys right behind me and Papa bringing in the rear.  The agent check my ID and boarding pass first, then the boys.  In a gruff voice he said, “Who is Brayden Torrence?”  I pointed to him and said, “He is.”  The agent responded in the same gruff voice, “I need them to answer for themselves!”  Well, alrighty then I thought and stepped back a little.  “Who is Brayden Torrence?”  the agent asked.  Brayden, just a little nervous replied, “I am.”  The agent then pointed to me and asked him, “Who is that?”  Without hesitation he said, “NANA.”  The look on his face told a story, who in the heck do you think she is, Mister…..The process continued with Dane.  The agent asking who is Dane Torrence, then pointing to me  asking, “who is she?”  Dane’s response was quite similar to Brayden’s, with a are you crazy Mister, look on his face he confidently said, “Nana Kathie.”  At that point he let us through the gate.  At the time I thought, well I guess it’s good to make sure that they do belong to us and we are not kidnappers….but not until I read Mark 8:27-29 did I really get it.  The boys knew who I was and were not afraid to tell the stranger…..Oh that I can be so confident and bold to name our Lord and Savior….He is the Christ, the Son of the living God, He died for us……don’t be crazy….believe in HIM and have life eternal!  Father, help us to step up and boldly declare that we are your children….loved and forgiven….help us to never be shy confessing You, but rather help our actions to reflect Your love, so others will want to be Yours too!

 

The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is the word of faith we are proclaiming.  That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.  As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.”  For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the  same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  Romans  10:9-13.   How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!  1 John 3:1. 

 

Our perfect first responder

Good Morning Friends!  Wow!  What a wonderful God is our God, Wednesday!  Last night sometime after we had gone to sleep….maybe 2 hours, Kim got a page! 

Oh, gosh what a way to get awakened from a deep sleep!  For me, I just tell him to be safe, say a prayer, roll over and go back to sleep (hopefully), but poor Kim, he has to get up, get his wits about him, respond to Central, get dressed, get to station and head out to emergency!  All in the middle of a deep sleep….well needless to say, last night he really was in that deep sleep stage when the page sounded….loud and clear, followed by…”Lula, you need to respond to a grass fire at……..”  He just couldn’t seem to get going, walked out of the bedroom, then back in again; I could hear him getting his clothes on and soon I heard the car head out the driveway…..but I couldn’t help but think he was a tad bit slower than usual.  Being the good wife that I am, as the car headed out the drive, I fluffed my pillow, pulled up the blanket, rolled over and settled in to finish my night’s sleep……as I laid there in the quiet darkness of the night, I felt myself smiling, relaxing knowing that when we sound the pager in need of our Father’s help….there’s no fumbling around….He does not have to be awakened from a deep sleep and get his bearings….Nope….quite the contrary!!!  Our Father, is Johnny on the spot all the time, day or night….no matter what the need…..big, small…serious or maybe just…well you know…..just need HIM to help you through a bad day….HE is there!  Thank you Father!!!  For being our PERFECT, GO TO, FIRST RESPONDER!  And Father thank you so much for all of our firemen, all emergency personnel, they have an important job here…bless their efforts and protect them. 

 

So we know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in Him.  1 John 4:16.  This is what the Lord says…”Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”  Isaiah 43:1.  Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.  Psalm 34:8.  Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.  Proverbs 29:25.  Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.  Isaiah 26:4. 

Love you all!

 

Batter up!

Good Morning Friends!  Thankfully His Tuesday!  Ran across a bible verse this morning that hit a spot with me….with a special T ball team…..from Isaiah 60:1, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and glory of the Lord rises upon you.”   Last night, after several cancellations, we had another T ball game!  I was excited as I climbed into the bleachers with Katy, mom and dad….the other team was already on the field practicing!  Didn’t take but a few moments to see that this team…was pretty darn good!  For starters they looked like giants compared to our little guys and they could throw and catch, I mean really throw and catch….wow….dad and I chuckled at the thought of what we were up against!  Our kids took their places in the field, excited, thrilled and just proud to be there!  Well, bam….one hit, then another, and another, 1, 2 ,3 points and going crazy…our kids were so happy to have balls to chase, places to throw them if it wasn’t the right place….they were giving it their all!!!  This went on for three innings!  We, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles were screaming and hollering, disgusted with how out matched we were….but the kids…..the kids….they were shining….Giving it their best, they played the game with gusto, enthusiasm, determination…..Our little team shined, no crying, stomping, pouting, no giving up!  They shined while us adults….we were rather pathetic at times….who cares that the final score was 18-1…..God doesn’t care one bit!  As I read Is. 60:1 I couldn’t help but think that His light had risen on them, they shined with HIS love…..Oh my, if only we could rise and shine in our faith like those kids did playing ball….”Arise, Shine….you and me, let’s get up to bat for HIM….HIS Glory is rising upon us…..HE loves us….verse 2 continues, “See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, BUT the LORD rises upon you and HIS glory appears over you.”  Don’t worry how big the other team is…..Remember we have the PERFECT COACH!!!  Our Father rises out of the darkness and shines HIS everlasting glory on us….HIS PERFECT all powerful LOVE….Unending FORGIVENESS, MERCY, GRACE….Father, thank you for shining YOUR Glory on us…..help us to rise and shine for YOU!  Rise, shine….give God the glory!

 

Though I have fallen, I will rise.  Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.  Micah 7:8.  Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To HIM be glory both now and forever!  2 Peter 3:18.  My soul is downcast within me.  Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:  Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:20-23.  Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright I heart.  Psalm 97:11.

Love you all!

 

 

The joy of finding lost lipstick

Good Morning Friends!  Wise and Wonderful is our God, Wednesday!  I am on a hunt for a lost….well hopefully just misplaced cord to my camera!  This morning, in a fit of desperation I pulled out a bag I used to carry back and forth to work.  I knew I never had finished cleaning it out, so I thought maybe, just maybe I’d left it in the bag!  It’s a pretty big bag and I could tell there was definitely “stuff” in it, so I was feeling hopeful as I dug in, pulling out note books, pens, pictures…..but no cord….No cord, but wait….what am I feeling…feels like a tube of lip stick….Wow, it was not just any tube of lipstick….no siree!!!!  I was my favorite tube of orange lipstick given to me by a wonderful friend!  I thought it was gone forever…..and there I was holding it in my hands!!!!  I was so excited I could hardly stand it….poor Kim, just didn’t get it, but that’s ok!!!!  No, I didn’t find the cord, but in the process of looking I found something else that I had totally given up ever finding…I was so happy that I had decided to wear brown and orange today, so I got to wear my beautiful orange lipstick!!!!   As I headed into work, still a bit frustrated I hadn’t found my cord, I couldn’t help but smile about finding my lipstick….my thoughts were suddenly consumed with love…..the love of our Heavenly Father….Our Father’s love is an all-knowing love…..He knows what’s best for us and when…..how often we trudge off looking for the best job, or snazziest car, perfect house, classiest friends…..thinking we know what we need and where to find it…..but God knows better, He knows best for us….Thank goodness when we are looking for what might not be the best for us, He helps us find what we really need….We whine and cry, thinking God doesn’t hear us, or worse just doesn’t care….wrong!!!!  He cares so much, that He doesn’t want us to “find” the things that are not best for us…..He wants us to lean on Him for everything….to stay strong in our faith….to trust and  believe in HIS will for our lives….Oh might not always be easy.  He didn’t promise that, but He did promise to never leave us or forsake us.  Thank you Father…take our hands and lead us so that we find all that You have for us….trusting and believing in Your grace and mercy!

 

Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.  Deuteronomy 31:6-7.  Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.  Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love for they are from of old.  Psalm 25:5-6.  If I rise on the wings of the dawn, If I settle on the far side of the sea, even there you hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast, O Lord.  Psalm 139:9-10.Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.  Psalm 9:10.  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  Proverbs 3:5. 

Love you all!

 

 

It's the little things

Good Morning Friends! Thankfully His, Tuesday!  Recently Cooper, soon to be five, learned how to open the chicken coop.  The latch on the coop’s door is a bit tricky so until just recently, Cooper was unable to work it.  Yesterday he had no school, so mom dropped him off to spend the day with Papa while she and dad were at work.  Each morning as I leave for work, I stop and open the door to the chicken coop, fastening it with a bungee cord so they can come and go as they please during the day.  Yesterday, as I was getting ready to go to work I asked Cooper to go out and open the coop door and hook the bungee to keep it open.  No biggie right….but it would really help me and for him what a major accomplishment!  He was proud to go out and take care of the task, no matter how small, because he knew it would make his Nana happy that he was helping.  And indeed it did make me happy for several reasons…..It’s a joy to watch our grandchildren growing stronger improving their skills as they grow, I was proud that he had learned to manipulate the tricky latch.  I was of course happy to have one less little chore to do as I headed to work, but most of all I was smiling inside and out,  pleased that Cooper wanted to do something for me….to help….a small thing, yes, but huge in the scheme of things in this busy, hectic world.  As I headed to work, still beaming thinking about Cooper’s task, I felt the familiar tap on my shoulder.  “Good morning Father, wasn’t Cooper cute this morning?”  “Yes, Kathie, he certainly was.  I was so happy to see him go out by himself and take care of the door in order to help his Nana.  Kathie, I know that you think the little things you can do don’t really make a difference….but, My child, you are so wrong.  There is so much pain and suffering, worry and stress in this world, it is the little things that can make a big difference in someone’s day….maybe more than a day….the little things can truly lead to hope in a sad, worn out heart or mind…refresh, renew dampened spirits….boost confidence….dry tears….the little things, can heal in big ways.  The little things you do make ME smile…..I am pleased to see your faith in action, no matter how small the task may seem to you….do it….I will do the rest……Renew your spiritual energy, strengthen your faith….through the little things…..Smile as you do My work…..it matters.”  Thank you Father, for the little things that lift our lives….enable us to never tire of serving YOU, no matter how little it seems to us!  To YOU be all glory and honor.

 

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people….  Galatians 6:9-10.  A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.  Proverbs 17:22.  There are different kinds of service, (some big some little) but the same Lord.  1 Corinthians 12:5.  Be sure to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.  1 Samuel 12:24.  Be kind and compassionate to one another.  Ephesians 4:32.  Jesus said, “If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.”  Matthew 10:42.  I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me faithful, appointing me to His service (not matter how small).  1 Timothy 1:12.

Love you all!