tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38748204398414096212024-02-06T21:25:03.899-08:00Joyful Shout!!Exulting in God's masterpiece ~ Exalting His CenterpieceRachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.comBlogger131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-12496892123578044302016-06-21T15:32:00.000-07:002016-06-21T15:32:41.661-07:00Dear Single Friends--Keep On!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i>Three years of silence certainly demands an update. But there’s
no time for that right now, only burning thoughts that have been storing up,
waiting for time between dishes and diapers and housework, to put them on
paper. (Yes, I have a husband and a baby now, God be praised!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He truly has blessed me more than I dared to
hope for.) But without further ado…</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To my dear single friends:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiux-Vnd-2p1sDG443w5DqSVmiUZ7aYlPEz1Iw2VTLOoodWifT3qe63UKzdfxIPL8h1TR0FE4CbFLaI6RozePqIne_R0ou_kfMJymm7zvlE9wDXDMup-xQkMZPY7DhlPELPgeWFphd67ms/s1600/IMG_3507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiux-Vnd-2p1sDG443w5DqSVmiUZ7aYlPEz1Iw2VTLOoodWifT3qe63UKzdfxIPL8h1TR0FE4CbFLaI6RozePqIne_R0ou_kfMJymm7zvlE9wDXDMup-xQkMZPY7DhlPELPgeWFphd67ms/s320/IMG_3507.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve seen the wedding pictures proliferating on Facebook,
looked at the smiling faces of bridesmaids and groomsmen standing beside the
new couple, and remembered how it felt. I’ve listened to exhortations given to
bride and groom, about how marriage isn’t a fairy tale and sometimes it’s plain
hard, and although I agree, I also remember how those words sounded when I was
single. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Marriage is hard. Does that mean
being single is actually easy? Cause if this hardest fight I’ve ever fought,
this battle to trust God and obey Him and submit my body, mind, and will to the
purposes of God, is easy….then I’m not too sure I can handle “hard.”</i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There’s been a booming crop of babies in these parts lately
and I’ve heard, both from my own lips and those of others, the reassurance that
being a mom is one of the highest callings on earth, one of the most important
jobs I’ll ever do, and an opportunity to influence eternity through the raising
of my kids. I agree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I also remember
the way that sounded when I was single. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Being
a wife and mom is the most noble job on earth. Too bad I don’t get to try out
for it. It sure feels like all the things I’m trying to do for the Lord might
not count as much.</i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dear single friends who are endeavoring to live pure, useful
lives that glorify God, please hear this. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What
you are doing is hard, harder than any person besides the God who bottles your
tears and hears your heart’s cry, can know. Holiness is hard. Faith is hard.
Obeying when nothing seems to make sense is hard. And it’s all working for you
an eternal weight of glory, and bringing delight to the heart of the God who
scrutinizes your path and your lying down, and is intimately acquainted with
all your ways. </i>(Psalm 139:3)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is what will carry you through days and nights of loneliness
and uncertainty. We’ve read the books about the importance and beauty of
chastity, how that waiting now will make your marriage blessed. It’s true, of
course, more true than you know right now. But it’s not enough to keep you
walking pure, because <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">who says you’re
ever going to get married</i>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
really is going to keep you from swerving to the right or left, is faith in the
God who made you and died for you, just trusting that He knew what he was
talking about when he said “Flee immorality…the immoral man sins against
himself.” (1 Corinthians 6:18)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When you choose, one minute after the next, day after day,
year after year, to obey God regardless of how you feel or what people think or
the message this world blasts in your ears, you are walking in faith. Faith is
the one vital ingredient to please God, “For without faith it is impossible to
please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a
rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To live for an eternal reward rather than earthly pleasure, is proof
that you believe God is a rewarder of those who seek Him. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Faith also means trusting that the most significant, noble
job you can do in this world is the job God has put right in front of you at
this moment. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">That might be going to work
so you can pay your rent. Or picking up a sibling from a friends’ house. Or
cleaning the church. Or sharing the gospel with your neighbor.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God doesn’t reserve his most precious commendation for those
who are married or parents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gives it
to those who trust that He knows what He’s doing and are just willing to do the
job He gives them to do. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What you are doing, this life as a single person honoring
God, is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hard</i>, but believe God’s
Word--it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">matters.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jesus Himself asked, “when the Son of Man comes, will He
find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As I watch the lives of some of you, pure lives of obedient service, I
am confident that yes, He will.</div>
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He’s already inducted people like you into his “Faith’s Hall
of Fame.” “For time will fail me if I tell of [those] who by faith conquered
kingdoms, performed act of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of
lions…” (Hebrews 11:32-34)</div>
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<br /></div>
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Your choice to obey God is a victory on all three fronts of
the Christian’s battle, the world (the system that opposes God), the flesh, and
the devil. “And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (1
Jn 5:4) There’s the conquering of a kingdom—the world. When you, by God’s
grace, perform acts of righteousness, you demonstrate Christ’s victory over the
flesh. And when you prove that you trust God even though He hasn’t given you
everything you desire, you shut the mouth of the roaring lion, Satan himself, whose
accusation before God was, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” (Job 1:9)</div>
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<br /></div>
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So dear single friends, stick to the battle. The Lord
rejoices. The devil is thwarted. The church is encouraged. The world sees a
picture of what a true Christian looks like. Too much is at stake for you to
give in now. And ahead, perhaps just around the corner, is the ultimate home
above, sweet rest, perfect love, and eternal reward. May God give you grace and
strength to fight on.</div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-9560676286136490342013-07-16T13:53:00.000-07:002013-07-16T13:53:13.528-07:00Stars and Sorrows<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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“He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He counts the number of the stars; He gives
names to all of them.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Psalm 147:3,4)</div>
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What a heart-stopping pair of verses! Each of them contains
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name and number for every one of His stars—stars that mobs of astronomers and
astrophysicists have only begun to discover!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then, to think that while the stars are the work of His fingers (Psalm
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I’m a nurse. I know a bit about binding wounds. It’s a
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blood leaking out where it should be sealed off, organisms living in an
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wound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knows about the discouraging
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Only One who was wounded Himself, could have such a gentle
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more precious than those of all the stars.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I cannot heal my wounds. But I know I can trust them to Him. </span></div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-84540261998999832702013-05-25T13:36:00.000-07:002013-05-25T13:36:57.665-07:00Despise Not The Watering<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
My garden is a continual source of encouragement for
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every year, what looks like an
impossibility becomes a reality—an expanse of bare (or worse yet, weedy)
ground, transformed into an abundant harvest that feeds us all year long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every spring, as I pick rocks, chop up dirt
clumps, and try to pull out stubborn weeds, I wonder what are the odds that each
tiny seed will somehow get through all the obstacles and survive to get above
the ground, never mind grow to maturity!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s no wonder that God put the first man, Adam, in a
garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a place where miracles
happen every day, and yet where faith and patience are daily challenged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it’s no surprise that the Bible is full
of analogies comparing the work of God to agriculture.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Often as I work in my garden, I think about the parable that
Jesus told, of the sower who went forth sowing the seed—“and the seed is the
Word of God,” Jesus said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the
seed was plucked up by birds, or scorched by the sun, or choked by weeds—but
some of it resulted in new life, and fruit so abundant that it made up for all
the disappointments.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The analogy is continued by Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I
planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hear quite a lot in Paul’s other letters
about that planting—about the things that he suffered for the sake of sharing
the good seed of the Word of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we
readily acknowledge that God causes the growth—every gardener knows how
helpless he is to make the seed grow. But often we forget about that little
phrase, “Apollos watered.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was watering the other night, and thinking how much I respect the
people who are God’s waterers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is
something exciting about planting a seed—all the labor of preparing the soil
culminates in that action of dropping the seed in the ground so that the
miracle may begin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>True, it is hard to
believe that anything can come of that tiny seed. But to water, day after day,
when nothing can be seen but bare ground and the beginnings of weeds, requires
enduring faith and perseverance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOE3ybmCqAtZlG3QtHeObfaE9GfMsAG8ENkTMPAzET90U1zy5CjlcZonOq5M0T-2_uBvCRcQRKuuwSkFFD4CalHRLLF-dGLGLYIWPmAv493RE4WuobaA6N1t1wID8c-nqROQcEFpX0tEg/s1600/IMG_2964+(Large).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOE3ybmCqAtZlG3QtHeObfaE9GfMsAG8ENkTMPAzET90U1zy5CjlcZonOq5M0T-2_uBvCRcQRKuuwSkFFD4CalHRLLF-dGLGLYIWPmAv493RE4WuobaA6N1t1wID8c-nqROQcEFpX0tEg/s320/IMG_2964+(Large).jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The sower’s work is done when the seed is nestled in the
soil, but the work of the waterer continues, not just until the seed sprouts,
but long after, until the roots grow deep and strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just so the spiritual waterer continues to
nourish the seed of God’s Word sown in a person’s heart, until it brings about
new life—and then he continues to nurture that flickering bit of life until it
has learned to draw its strength directly from God. When the fragile tendrils
of green poke above the soil, he will be there, watering gently so that the
tiny plant is not disturbed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the hot
months continue and the seedling grows—oh, so slowly!—he will continue pouring
out, pouring out, into soil which greedily drinks up every drop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Truth administered wrongly can be
destructive, as the wise waterer knows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And yet, it is vital to spiritual life, and so he goes on, encouraging,
exhorting, explaining and re-explaining, until spiritual understanding and
strength develops. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If it was not for the assurance that “God causes the
growth,” he might be tempted to give up. But there is one thing that keeps him
going, and that is the assurance that the seed is good seed, and the fruit will
be sweet, and that the Owner of the garden is worthy of his diligent labor.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbyqDYJBoUtyXz1xD_l5GvH6MvQnBgh-490MCxqFbe7u2lD9kWPw29DdpgcAaE-sNPW6GIPb7zOdedx6yv9eREocm6XHXqSB5qo0MVqaJThxdrjUjIBW0O1autfBqbo7ldxKyFjrJUgAE/s1600/IMG_3381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbyqDYJBoUtyXz1xD_l5GvH6MvQnBgh-490MCxqFbe7u2lD9kWPw29DdpgcAaE-sNPW6GIPb7zOdedx6yv9eREocm6XHXqSB5qo0MVqaJThxdrjUjIBW0O1autfBqbo7ldxKyFjrJUgAE/s320/IMG_3381.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So if you’re one of God’s waterers, please don’t give
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And though you may feel like you’re
mixing an awful lot of blood, sweat, and tears in that watering can of yours,
take heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Lord knows, and perhaps
somewhere in heaven He is making a little note with your name in the place of
Apollos, “He watered.”</div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-30190870092187538772013-03-17T14:50:00.002-07:002013-03-17T14:51:30.569-07:00Drumroll Please...The Meaning of Life--in 629 Words<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The
thought doesn’t come often, but when it does, it’s pretty scary—what if I spend
the rest of my life waiting for some definite direction from the Lord, and when
I’m forty or fifty I’m still waiting to begin on any real life-work?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>….there must be something eternal for me to
be engaged in, besides incidental opportunities along the way!”</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dear young woman who wrote that in my journal a few years
ago,</div>
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Can I tell you what happened to me the other day? I spent
part of the afternoon picking up branches around the perimeter of one of our
hayfields.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The snow has receded enough
on the south-facing slopes that we can see grass again—or at least the dead
grass stalks that were left from last year’s hayfields.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was slow, monotonous work, but the
beautiful afternoon made up for it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
few optimistic birds were singing about spring, and the brilliant sunshine was
warm enough to make up for the chilly winter air. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I was walking back to the house to get supper, it hit me:
this is it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is life. I’ve arrived
at that nebulous thing called “being grown up.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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Not only that, “this” is my life work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This living from day to day, receiving my
daily work with my daily bread. This learning to walk by faith, not knowing the
plan for the remainder of my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
buying up of opportunities, and realizing that they are neither incidental nor
accidental. This realization that immortal souls are cloaked in the highly mortal
bodies that are always crossing my path, and so every interaction is “something
eternal for me to be engaged in.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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God has given each of His children a life work—to live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Living entails a host of difficulties,
disappointments, perplexities, and surprises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But it is in the context of “just” living, that God meets us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, and, as Paul the apostle said, “To
live is Christ.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No so-called “life work”
can be carried on through the passage of all of life’s seasons; it must be laid
down eventually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the real kind of
life, the life that is Christ, only grows stronger as we get closer to heaven—and
it even crosses over into life after death, “This is eternal life, that they
may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent.” (John
17:3) </div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life, when lived to
its fullest, is all about Christ, not about my work for Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If only I could get this solidly in my head,
life would be splattered all over with glory. Most of the time I obsess over my
to-do list and yes, often I try to make a to-do list for God too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How much better to slow down to watch for His
fingerprints in my day, and listen for His voice and His approaching footstep.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do you catch the beauty of this kind of life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the dust of earth being blown into
living significance by the breath of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is the filling up of weak earthen vessels, with the glorious treasure
of the gospel of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is washing
dishes and scrubbing floors in the anteroom of heaven, and enjoying fellowship
with the eternal God while bumping over muddy roads and getting little kids
bundled up to go sledding.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is strange that human sweat and tears, when shed for
Christ’s sake, can be converted into heavenly treasure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Strange that the mundane and the sublime can
seem so far removed from one another—and yet rub shoulders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Strange that the warm sunshine can so
transform the chill of winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Strange
that picking up sticks from a sodden hayfield can be the prelude to such a
revelation about the meaning of life!</div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-18492021004190423762013-01-28T08:05:00.002-08:002013-01-28T08:05:31.231-08:00And It's All Free!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I could see my patient struggling for air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His breathing was fast, and his face was
preoccupied, etched with anxiety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
alarming of the oxygen saturation monitor didn’t help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet a few minutes after being put on oxygen,
he was relaxing, leaning back in the bed, talking to me about how sick he had
been, and about how terrible it is not to be able to breathe, and about how
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<br /></div>
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“Funny how much we need that stuff,” I said with a laugh.</div>
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“Yes,” he said, thoughtfully, “And it’s all free.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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He didn’t look much like a philosopher, with long, greasy
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We all know that costs are going up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people think about it in Wall Street
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</span>There was nothing more that He could have given for your life—your
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Nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only
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<br /></div>
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Yet so many people choose to reject this offer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They would rather have a salvation that they
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His free outdoor art galleries, and live the physical life that He gave them so
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<br /></div>
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Tell me, does that make sense?</div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-27942668717745654142013-01-03T08:30:00.003-08:002013-01-03T08:40:57.727-08:00Single--and Happy?!?!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m living the life I
always dreaded. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m in my late
twenties—and single.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No major adventures
on the horizon—and single.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve even
discovered the beginnings of my first wrinkle—and I’m still single.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But by the wonder-full grace of God, I’m
happier and more fulfilled and content than I ever have been before! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s not to say that I don’t eagerly hope to be married
and have a family and home of my own someday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If Mr. Right showed up tomorrow, I would be thrilled. =) But it does mean that
God has proven to me that He is enough, and that He can fill my life with
richness and purpose and usefulness even outside of my “dream life.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is the message I eagerly want to share with other
single people, because I’ve spent most of my life under the illusion that yes,
the Lord can keep my head above water as a single person, but that’s about
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pictured myself trying to survive
with a brave smile, trusting that when I get to heaven I’d finally be happy,
rather than thriving in God and exulting with His joy right here, right now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I believed a lie!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Psalm 84:11 says of God, “No good thing does He withhold from those who
walk uprightly.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Psalm 34:10b puts it
slightly differently, “They who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good
thing.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I take these verses to mean that
if I’m walking in obedience and fellowship with the Lord, having laid my
desires before Him, and He has chosen not to give me a husband thus far, that
means that thus far, a husband would not have been the best thing for me,
regardless of how I felt about it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God
is the perfect Father, and is “kind in all His deeds (Psalm 145:17).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes His goodness is demonstrated in
giving, and sometimes in withholding—and I’m glad that it’s His job to decide
what is best! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My job is just to trust,
obey, and give thanks.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yet how God has given, even when it seemed like He was
withholding! He knows the womanly desires that He implanted in me, and He has met
so many of those desires in unexpected ways, ways that hold benefits for many
other people besides me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, I don’t
have a husband to love, to help, to make a home for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I’m surrounded by lonely people of all
ages, for whom I can cook, or mend, or clean, and for whom I can help to make a
welcoming home where they can visit and be encouraged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, I don’t have children of my own to hold
and rock to sleep and explore the world with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But there are scores of children around me who come from broken homes,
who perhaps were never wanted in the first place and are only considered a
bother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I visit with them and teach
the Bible to them, and shoot BB guns with them, we grin into each others’ faces
and I hold them close and feel their arms around my neck and their hair against
my check, and pretend for that moment that they are mine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If their heart is warmed and comforted half
as much as mine is, it’s worth it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We single people have a mission in life just as much as the
married ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We get to “fill in the
cracks,” for needs in our churches and in society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can spread ourselves in multiple places
and mobilize on the spur of the moment, to meet needs that married people
aren’t able to meet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We get to show the
world the love and joy of God, to have a part in filling His heavenly home, and
to help our fellow travelers in the family of God on their way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of Christ’s last commands was, “Love one another, just
as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
that is, in words borrowed from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Sound
of Music</i>, a mission “that will need all the love you can give, every day of
your life, for as long as you live.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s also a mission that can only be accomplished by the power and love
of God, when He reaches down in sheer grace, clasps our hands like those of a
little child, and teaches us to transmit His love to the people around us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you’re a single person who has been in Christian circles,
you probably have heard, like I did, that God CAN meet all our needs and
satisfy us in Himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But you may not
have heard that He actually DOES!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s
why I have kept persisting in my attempts to write this blog post, because God
is worthy that someone should testify of how perfectly He works and how
bountifully, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There’s no magic formula besides the one we find hardest:
trust and obey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He asks us to trust Him,
not by agreeing mentally that God knows best, but by putting ourselves at the
mercy of His grace, without a backup plan in the event that God should fail
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He asks us to be willing to love
through whatever door He opens, whether it’s the one we were hoping for or not.
To rejoice in all circumstances, whether we would have chosen them or not. And
in everything, to give thanks, to make thankfulness our daily occupation—in fact,
to pursue thankfulness as one thing we must not neglect to include in every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Trust and obey. Is it a risky thing to trust the God Who
sent His Son to die for you, who keeps the galaxies whirling in perfect
synchrony, who has established mechanisms to keep your blood pH in an
unbelievably narrow critical range? And is it too much to obey a God Who has
only good plans for you, who withholds no good thing from those who walk
uprightly?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Of course not!” we say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And yet most of my life I’ve had the impression that trust and obedience
meant a doleful struggle. So here I am to say that’s not so!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s blessings are all out of proportion
with our deserving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here I am, having
learned just a little bit about trust and obedience, such a little bit that I
still fall into fear and worry on a regular basis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But how God has blessed me and shown me His
glory during these past few months—and He desires to do the same for you!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is something even better than love, and marriage, and
the baby carriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One man who made this
discovery recorded it in Psalm 63:3, “Because <u>Your lovingkindness is better
than life</u>, my lips will praise You….My soul is satisfied.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing that life can offer—indeed, not even
life itself—can offer more joy and fulfillment than the lovingkindness of God,
something that is available for you to enjoy today, this very moment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I simply pray that this glimpse into what God has been
teaching me about Himself will encourage you to exult in the God that is yours,
if you have trusted the Lord Jesus to be your Savior from sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if you have not—well, have you found
anything better than Jesus Christ and the life that He offers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus said, “The thief [Satan] comes only to
steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have
it abundantly.” (John 10:10)<br />
</div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-8001198856964350812012-12-28T08:38:00.000-08:002012-12-28T08:38:03.624-08:00Such Kind Of Service<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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Well, here I am, trying yet again to figure out how to
condense my life over the past few months into a blog post!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several times I have tried to put into words
the things that God has been doing, and always I was defeated by the magnitude
of the task. How quickly the words multiply into something longer than most
people have patience to read, yet without fully conveying the joy and wonder of
watching God work</div>
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.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From the outside, my life doesn’t look too spectacular—lots
of garden work in the summer and fall, occasional shifts as a nurse at the
local emergency room, several Bible studies and kids’ Bible clubs throughout
the week, and always plenty of plain old housework.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But this daily routine (or lack of routine,
some days!) has been the framework into which God has woven joy, peace, love,
and fulfillment, in larger doses than I’ve ever experienced before!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There has been the unspeakable joy of seeing a couple of our
friends come to faith in the Lord Jesus, and the thrill of rediscovering the
Scriptures through their eyes as we study together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There has been the immense privilege of
telling children about the Jesus of Whom they know literally nothing—of Whom
they have never heard except as a curse word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There have been many opportunities to fellowship with other believers
and serve them, which always brings great joy as I see Christ’s image more and
more strongly reflected in them.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But the greatest thrill of all is that through these events
and opportunities, I’ve been discovering God as a real Person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like King David said so long ago in Psalm
34:15, God is bending down to hear my cry and to do for me the things I ask,
things that only He could do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is
nothing like waking up in the morning and asking God to reach down His hand to
work in our little town, and then watching all through the day to see the
things that He is doing, and at last going to bed at night knowing that He has
answered and that my work, because it is His work, is not in vain. </div>
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<br /></div>
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He is so good to give us work to do for Him!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our works are utterly useless to gain us
forgiveness from sin (Ephesians 2: 8,9), but once we have believed in Christ,
they are precious to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He both made
us for good works and made good works for us, according to Ephesians 2:10.
Sometimes the work He gives us to do means a real sacrifice of time or effort
or sleep, or the willingness to pour yourself out in love and trust God with
the likelihood that your love will not be fully appreciated or returned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes it just means washing the dishes or
vacuuming up the dog hair on the floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But regardless of the form that our service to God takes, it is His way
of putting our hand on the plow-handle underneath His, and including us in the
magnificent things that He is doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When He asks us to really expend ourselves for Him and for the sake of
the gospel, but it’s not because He needs an extra boost—rather, it’s to give
us a taste of the joy of working with Him, and of the satisfaction of gathering
a harvest for which we have spent our sweat and tears. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Yet when it comes down to it, no matter how hard we have
labored, the work of God is always a case in which, at the last, we simply
“stand by and see the salvation of the Lord.” (Exodus 14:13).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When He begins to move, we can only look in
wonder from the sparkplugs in our hands to His lightning bolts, and gasp, “So
THAT’S the God we have!!”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The very insignificance of our own labor shows off the
surpassing power of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we see
hearts softening and Gospel seed sprouting and new growth appearing, we look
from our poor efforts to the magnificence of what God is doing, and say, “That
could only be from Him!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="usercontent">A man many miles ahead of me in the journey
of faith once wrote:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="usercontent">“Here is the great secret of
success. Work with all your might; but trust not in the least in your work.
Pray with all your might for the blessing of God; but work, at the same time,
with all diligence, with all patience, with all perseverance. Pray then, and
work. Work and pray. And still again pray, and then work. And so on all the
days of your life. The result will surely be, abundant blessing. Whether you
see much fruit or little fruit, such kind of service will be blessed... “</span>
--<span class="usercontent">George Mueller</span></div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-7396924750369009112012-12-06T15:12:00.000-08:002012-12-06T15:12:36.941-08:00Plug In!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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A few days ago I woke up extra early and decided to enjoy
the luxury of lying in bed listening to some hymns on my mp3 player.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It certainly was lovely—the perfect way to
begin a Sunday morning.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The music swirled through my earbuds, lifting my soul to
think of God and to rejoice in Him and marvel at His works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually when I listen to music I’m in the car
or working in the kitchen, with lots of background noise, so I miss the finer
points of the music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But lying here in
the silent room, I could hear the delicate musical devices, balanced by
tasteful strokes in the bass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I let
myself be lost in the music and the delicious sensation of absolute rest.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Suddenly, it all stopped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My earbuds had come unplugged from the mp3 player.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was lying in a silent, pitch-black
room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The magic was gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I fumbled for the cord, and plugged it back in, and the
music swirled on, picking up a few measures from where I had left off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It hadn’t stopped, of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had just unplugged.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What a lesson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sit
by my window at night, looking out on the little valley that is our town,
watching a few cars drive by on the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We live in a rural area, so there aren’t many lights to defy the
darkness of the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet the darkness
is far deeper than night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Broken homes,
broken dreams, broken promises, broken bodies, broken social systems, broken
resolutions, so very many broken hearts, and all of this multiplied in every
little valley in every country across this broken earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I know that my grief is only a drop in
the vast river of tears that have been wept down through the centuries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But is it possible that, existing in parallel with this
broken weeping world, there is another world of rejoicing and hope?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there music being sung somewhere, if only
we could “plug in?”</div>
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<br /></div>
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I open my Bible and find the answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The music swirls around me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not an absence of sorrow, for here are tones
of the greatest sorrow of all, the sorrow of Love rejected and hung on a
cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet that very cry of agony ends
in the triumphant cry of new life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
the music swirls on, jubilant and victorious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It sings of a Child born, and a King triumphant, of a bride won, and a
bridegroom satisfied, of a battle fought and the last enemy conquered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It sings of a plan accomplished and a work
finished, of a son come home and a lost sheep found, of a home filled and a
table laid, of promises completed and hopes fulfilled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The song goes on, and the singer is God
Himself, to tell of Love at last rewarded, and faith at last made sight, and
hope fulfilled beyond our dreams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
rich strains span all of time and eternity, one harmonious whole in which every
note makes sense. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The voices of the
morning stars that sang together before the beginning of the world, are mingled
with angelic jubilation over sinners repented, and answered by the countless
voices of those saved ones themselves, worshiping the Lamb Who is worthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trumpets at the walls of Jericho, and the
harp of David, mingle with the voice of the last trumpet and the harps of the
elders in heaven. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sorrow is woven all through the song, and yet it is sorrow
that has fulfilled its purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
not a song of frustration, but of victory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is not the song of well-laid plans gone awry, but the song of a
perfect plan fulfilled just as expected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The pace is measured, not too fast and not too slow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not a note is hurried, nor does a single note
lag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The conductor is perfectly in
control of his orchestra, though the instruments range from the devil himself,
to the created world of nature, to mankind, to angelic hosts, to the very Son
of God.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Is it possible that this
song is being sung even now, as I look out at the dark valley and feel the
weight of a collapsing society and a disintegrating world, pressing in on
me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely the sacred pages answer,
“Yes,” and remind me that that world is, after all, more real than this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That song of the triumph of God was being
sung long before this little world hung in space, and it will continue long
after the stage has been dismantled and the blood-bought singers gathered
home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can take my place even now in
that choir, and add my voice to the chorus, "To Him who sits on the
throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever
and ever." (Revelation 5:13)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All I
have to do is plug in.</div>
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<br /></div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-58757728137819280672012-07-02T18:00:00.003-07:002012-07-02T18:16:36.885-07:00God...As Seen From a Mountaintop<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mXnwOnFWy8YDZy9IO0ELE3fesU128Ipg_l7OKxdssoKzX7wZ7jkdDvGWpi4NUKb3KNqkVT8raAV1TH_ty_wLICLdymo59NuhH0W2vmajOOHH33I9YdZC2vWpeNDdL0Ns6zd-UClsG6c/s1600/IMG_5616blog.jpg"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYbEBrKOcx8pwr5fk7-S0UMLBFPdXz7tQsNjnmSgmJs7rlla1MSn9Js-sLKYbvexMfu83EN2VLNuIZThlHKNtdcKepHIqjq3kTiH8fC49q9xWBmfUnum78E4zDfJ8m5UXOfbB2SYVmxQ/s1600/IMG_5572blog.jpg"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gbMvyumjcAecIdHFjZMRVpiS4qlTwkmK0nFO5JSxulAHo5U1Hru2RjyDPTRTAROyuls8DIO1r5fAX5soDWFMjMx90oXIdAzjLan7g_yUL-uUtr6V7QG9IaJuXnuCMq-tXTTpEeQ6xtY/s1600/IMG_5551blog.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px 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name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">I spent the past couple days backpacking with a friend in the Pemigewassett Wilderness of New Hampshire.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was an expedition I had wanted to do for some time, both because I had never done an overnight backpacking trip before, and because I had heard spectacular reviews of this particular route (the Pemi Loop, for those who need to know. =)<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It is hard to express the absolute delight that these trips above the treeline always give me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In all honesty, a good portion of the enjoyment seems to arrive after the fact, because during the actual hike, black flies, chafing pack straps, sore toes, and intermittent sensations of exhaustion, hopelessness, and doubts of one’s sanity, tend to scream louder than the more delicate elements of pleasure.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But now, sitting at home, showered and rehydrated, with only miscellaneous aches and sore spots to remind me of the physical exertion, I keep marveling at the sheer privilege that is mine.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">There were so many individual things that thrilled me on that hike—the fluorescent green of moss and ferns lying in dappled sunlight on the forest floor, the spectacular rollicking laugh—or was it the theme of a Bach fugue?—performed by winter wrens, the captivating scent that wafted from the alpine scrub along the path under the influence of the warm sunlight.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And of course, there were the funny, unceremonious toads that scrambled to get away from the trail, the different species of lichen on the rocks, and the bubbling springs that gushed, clear and cold, from the mountainside to refresh weary hikers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Encompassing all these beauties were the grand mountains themselves, with their bold cliffs encrusting the headwalls of dramatic ravines, the ancient rockslides, the indescribable vastness of space stretching above, below, and to either side of the trail.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaA5RRZaF11Fw6pNMNz3MvmsZdsERRwAFRq6LnZfXhgrnGee6j1J6fvoGCfUZv-1HJNxF-kUbjDG1ATL2wOpR5WfTR2MWjM2XUUgiO6kMtzjRUTknRXe0dgW4ObpiTqwofI-N68-pSJP0/s1600/IMG_5592blog.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaA5RRZaF11Fw6pNMNz3MvmsZdsERRwAFRq6LnZfXhgrnGee6j1J6fvoGCfUZv-1HJNxF-kUbjDG1ATL2wOpR5WfTR2MWjM2XUUgiO6kMtzjRUTknRXe0dgW4ObpiTqwofI-N68-pSJP0/s400/IMG_5592blog.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760745403267776722" border="0" /></a><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“What a privilege!” I found myself thinking, over and over, day after day, as we hiked.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>What a privilege to have eyes to see all this, ears to hear, a nose to smell, skin to feel the sunshine and fresh wind, and yes, feet to carry me across mile after difficult mile.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When you are hiking in a lonely place, it is easy to believe again that God created this world to be “very good,” and that all His ways are still “very good.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Wherever there is a lower concentration of humans, there is a lower concentration of sin and its deathly consequences, and all the glorious creation is freer to burst forth in fuller beauty, betraying God’s delight in His handiwork by its sheer unbridled magnificence.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mXnwOnFWy8YDZy9IO0ELE3fesU128Ipg_l7OKxdssoKzX7wZ7jkdDvGWpi4NUKb3KNqkVT8raAV1TH_ty_wLICLdymo59NuhH0W2vmajOOHH33I9YdZC2vWpeNDdL0Ns6zd-UClsG6c/s1600/IMG_5616blog.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mXnwOnFWy8YDZy9IO0ELE3fesU128Ipg_l7OKxdssoKzX7wZ7jkdDvGWpi4NUKb3KNqkVT8raAV1TH_ty_wLICLdymo59NuhH0W2vmajOOHH33I9YdZC2vWpeNDdL0Ns6zd-UClsG6c/s400/IMG_5616blog.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760745394626322146" border="0" /></a><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The wonder continued even after the hike itself was over. “What a privilege!” I thought, as I drove home ward through Franconia Notch, and saw the mountains again, or rather, saw the bases of the mountains whose summits were now swathed in cloud, as though they were too grand for mere mortals to look upon.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I nearly cried with awe and gratitude as I saw those vast slopes, and especially as my gaze traced the routes of past hikes. There are millions of people who drive through the Notch every year, and comment, “Very beautiful indeed,” but to them, the beauty is like that of a painting on a wall—merely aesthetic, not experiential.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For the vast majority, their appreciation will never extend beyond that level, either because they cannot physically climb a mountain, or because they have never been given a great enough incentive to pay the price in sweat and bug bites and blisters.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But me?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For these years at least, God has loaned me a body that’s capable of climbing (something I was never entitled to and which He is not obligated to give me tomorrow)—and He’s given me more than adequate incentive, too.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Because up there, I’ve discovered far more than sweeping vistas and delicate alpine flowers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’ve discovered a God Who puts three different shades of blue into one scene—the brilliant blue of the sky, the indefinable misty blue of the mountains themselves, and the deep, mysterious blue-black of a far-away lake on the valley floor.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He’s the God who bothered to make intricate flower blossoms scarcely a quarter inch in diameter, growing in a crack of some rock where likely only He will ever see them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He’s the kind of God who keeps track of the flitting of some little bird with a song so complicated that you could only decipher it in slow motion.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He’s the kind of God who puts a mountain range in front of you so vast that it seems thoroughly inaccessible, and then shows you, many long miles later, how you came across it after all, just by putting one foot in front of the other.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYbEBrKOcx8pwr5fk7-S0UMLBFPdXz7tQsNjnmSgmJs7rlla1MSn9Js-sLKYbvexMfu83EN2VLNuIZThlHKNtdcKepHIqjq3kTiH8fC49q9xWBmfUnum78E4zDfJ8m5UXOfbB2SYVmxQ/s1600/IMG_5572blog.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYbEBrKOcx8pwr5fk7-S0UMLBFPdXz7tQsNjnmSgmJs7rlla1MSn9Js-sLKYbvexMfu83EN2VLNuIZThlHKNtdcKepHIqjq3kTiH8fC49q9xWBmfUnum78E4zDfJ8m5UXOfbB2SYVmxQ/s400/IMG_5572blog.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760745386304888802" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As I drove through that notch on the way home, trying to drink in the beauty of the mountains and stay on the road at the same time, a song was playing on my mp3 player,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:center" align="center">“There were haystacks in His palace,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:center" align="center">In a manger was His throne…”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I looked again at the mountains, and tried to fit the two things together—God who made the mountains, God incarnate as a Baby in a manger?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">And again I thought, “What a privilege!”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>To know this God, not aesthetically as a picture on a Christmas card, but experientially, brought to share in His divine life because He became a man, living this human life with its sweat and blisters and sorrow, and all so that He could die for my sin and bring me near to enjoy His love.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">And that’s just what I’ve been doing these past few days.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Enjoying His love in the form of mountain wind and sunshine, birdsong and gushing streams, thrilling peeps over precipices, and silent symphonies performed by the starry heavens.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But most of all, I’ve been enjoying that love through the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, displayed not by creation, but in the face of Jesus Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And that is a beauty worth experiencing, a privilege worth accepting, no matter what the cost!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-36667410774248902822012-04-30T16:05:00.002-07:002012-05-23T07:44:28.655-07:00Just a Shout!Well, the name of this blog is Joyful Shout, and that's really all that this post is! I haven't got anything profound to say, only a burst of exultation to share with you because the thrills of spring demand it!<br />
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We are having a truly lovely spring, so lovely that I think I must recant my previous statements that spring is my least favorite season. We did have our share of the famous mud that graces this part of New England, but let's chalk that up to end the of winter, and allow spring to retain its reputation for loveliness. <br />
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We have had some gloriously warm and sunny weeks, and during that time, the grass progressed from being dingy yellow, to bearing the first few shades of real green, to brilliant lushness, and then that most magical transition of all, when it was suddenly long enough to begin waving in ripples of silver/blue/green light, under the touch of the wind. Somehow that represents the beginning of genuine summertime to me.<br />
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Then, just when we were beginning to fear a drought, we got a day of delicious rain, a real downpour which set all the brooks to gurgling joyously, infused the rich dirt with quickening moisture, and all the vegetation leaped even more swiftly to life.<br />
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The trees are a bit behind the grass; the hills are just beginning to wear a thin veil of misty green, and some trees still have no vestiges of color. But the birds are back in the branches, singing their lovely morning and noontime and evening songs. Delicate snowdrops, rich maroon trilliums (which bear the most unromantic name "Stinking Benjamins", in the colloquial speech), brilliant forsythia, and a number of other flowers for which I don't know the names, are appearing along the dirt roads. And of course, the dandelions are back in full force--that is, the ones that escape being eaten by us local gatherers of free vitamins! <br />
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There are so many delightful things of springtime to be seen and heard and smelled and touched and tasted around here. Today was like a bouquet of springtime, all the loveliest things about this time of year drawn into a cluster of twelve hours or so. There were, of course, the grass, and the birds, and the flowers, which I've already told you about. But there was also the sight of the little beef calf that is being kept with her mother in our pasture. She was tearing around the pasture, head and tail up, skimming across the grass in circles, just for the sheer fun of it. Every so often she would pause to catch her breath, and then take off again, heedless of the stolid lack of enthusiasm on the part of her mother. Then, when she was tired, she cuddled up to her mother and had a good long drink at her udder.<br />
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There was also the salad we had for lunch which really ought to have been photographed, it was so beautiful. The Lord had satisfied a few of my little wishes by providing, for free, lettuce, tomatoes, and carrots (the carrots being dug from a friend's garden after spending the winter sweetening in the ground). To this we added a number of our own garden vegetables from the freezers and shelves, and finished off the work of art with some fresh dandelion greens, fresh Jerusalem artichokes, and, last but not least, freshly picked fiddleheads. My, it was a fine way to celebrate springtime!<br />
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And then there was a lovely walk in the sunshine, during which I enjoyed the aforesaid roadside flowers, the earthy fragrances from the farm on our road, and the birds singing in the bog. Later on I got to join a neighbor friend in picking fiddleheads, which becomes somewhat of a competitive sport in these parts, with all the local gatherers vying for the best spots. In case you haven't tried them before (I hadn't), fiddleheads are the tender tips of a certain kind of fern, picked before they unfurl (hence the name, because they look just like the end of a violin). They have a positively delicious taste, which is only enhanced by the beauties of flora and fauna that one discovers by squelching through the wet areas where they grow.<br />
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I didn't get a whole lot done today--but I sure enjoyed the glories of the season. And surely that must count for something! After all, somebody has to be able to give the shout of jubilation--SPRING IS HERE!!!!Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-35701493698357871962012-04-02T18:52:00.000-07:002012-04-02T18:53:39.973-07:00Grammy Sue is home!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> 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mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">I have had a simply wonderful day!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But even my wonderful day can’t compare with the day that my dear friend and surrogate grandmother, Grammy Sue, had.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You see, today was her first day in heaven!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She arrived there last evening, just at the moment that her Father decided her tired old heart had finished its job and it was time for her to come home.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was the moment she’d been anticipating for years.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And who can say but that her Savior hadn’t been looking forward to it too?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">All throughout the day today, as I’ve puttered around the house, cooking and tidying up and making phone calls, I kept wondering what she was doing today. What must it be like to really and truly SEE the Lord Jesus?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>To realize just how much He loves you, and has loved you through the years?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>To be right there with Him, and know that never again can time and space separate you from His physical presence? To realize the grace with which He has watched you live your life on earth, the mercy that He has shown to you?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Can you imagine what it is to realize that you no longer are a sinner at heart, and that you will never again do anything that will cause anyone pain or regret?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I wonder if Grammy Sue keeps having to remind herself that no, this isn’t just a dream, and she won’t have to wake up to “real life” after all?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Nor is it a beautiful vacation from which she’ll have to return “home.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Because for her, heaven is home, and home in a deeper way than any other place has ever been for her.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And this is life, eternal life, life which has nothing whatsoever to do with death.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Grammy Sue was someone who never got over the fact that Jesus Christ loved her and died because of her sins. Nor did she forget the hope of eternal life embodied in His resurrection.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She could vividly remember the time in her life before she believed in Christ, when she was headed, not for heaven, but for hell. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And the joy she had in being saved was evident by her eagerness to share Christ with any who would listen.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Not only that, but she labored in her prayers for them, and for scores of her brothers and sisters in Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She used to pray for me every day—and now that she’s gone, I can’t help but feel the loss.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There are many Christians who know more than she did, who have done more “impressive” things for God, who have read more books and heard more sermons.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But there are few who have loved with such warmth and prayed with such faithfulness.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m so glad you’re home now, Grammy Sue!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And I pray for the help of God to help fill the hole you’ve left behind, to be one of the pray-ers and lovers that this hurting world needs.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For as much as I’d love to be there with you now, there are still so many who need to hear of God’s love and sacrifice for them—and it’s worth staying here a while longer to be able to tell them, so that all who believe “should not perish, but have eternal life” in that home that you’re just beginning to explore!</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Death?—</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Christ said not death;</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">He called it sleep;</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">A vast awaking,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">A new day breaking,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">A bright way taking,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">With visions deep.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"> </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Tears?—</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Christ said not tears;</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">He said, “Weep not!”</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">The body dying;</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">The still form lying;</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Then soul upflying,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">And grief forgot.</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"> </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Loss?—Christ said not loss;</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">He spoke of gain,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">In light diurnal,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">In worlds all vernal,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">In joy eternal,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">With no more pain.</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"> </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">End?—</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Christ said not end;</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">He promised life;</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">The last word spoken, </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">A parting token,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Sweet love unbroken,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">And ended strife.</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"> </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Dust?—</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Christ said not dust;</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">He called it this—</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">A tender yearning,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">A quick upturning,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">A Face discerning</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">And endless bliss.</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"> </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">--H. W. Frost</p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-25344584517377962962012-03-30T18:18:00.002-07:002012-03-30T18:24:27.600-07:00Day 30!!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> <w:word11kerningpairs/> 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mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Wow!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s Day 30 already—my 30-day challenge is up!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>What a good thing it has been, to get in the habit of consciously observing for beautiful things around me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Thank you to all who have joined me on this adventure—I hope that you have enjoyed it as much as I have (but I doubt you could have, because I got to actually experience all these things, and you only got to read about them. =)</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"> Tonight I came across this interesting pair of verses, in Psalm 50.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Lord, after reminding His people that He is not a God Who needs to be fed or provided for by their ritual sacrifices, tells them what He really desires, in verses 14, 15, “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High; and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Verse 23 is a ringing confirmation, “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me…”</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"> I want to honor God with my whole life!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>How can I do so?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Not by rituals or works done in a spirit of duty, but by a sacrifice of thanksgiving—just giving thanks!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s so simple—or is it?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Because sometimes even giving thanks feels like a sacrifice; it can mean relinquishing my own opinions about what is best, and accepting God’s choices for me with gratitude.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At the same time, can the Source of all beauty fail to know and plan what is best for me?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Do I really think that I could come up with something better?</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"> And speaking of the Source of beauty, if all that He has made is so splendid, what must He be like?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>King Solomon spent his life surrounding himself with all the beautiful things that money could procure, and his verdict, ultimately, was “Vanity.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He would have done well to pay attention to the great aspiration of his father David, “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to meditate in His temple.” (Psalm 27:4)<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That’s a vista that shall keep us occupied for all of eternity!</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"> </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Sweet shades, and fields that glow with summer flowers,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">How dear are ye to me!</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Alone with Jesus, doth my heart adore Him,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">That ye are fair to see.</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Sweet shades, and fields that glow with summer flowers, </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">How dear are ye to me!</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Nought seen in you but tender grace revealing, </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">How fair His thoughts must be.</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Sweet shades, and fields that glow with summer flowers,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">How dear are ye to me!</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">How soft the breathings of Thy love, Lord Jesus,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">I rest my heart on Thee.</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"> </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">All, all that buds, and blossoms, and rejoices,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Hath my Beloved made;</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">His wisdom and His tenderness and gladness</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Told forth in leaf and blade.</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">All, all that buds, and blossoms, and rejoices,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Hath my Beloved made;</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">All moves unto the music of His power </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">That fills the woodland glade.</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">All, all that buds, and blossoms, and rejoices,</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Hath my Beloved made;</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">But heaven and earth, in all their radiant glory</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">To Him are midnight shade.</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"> </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">--Gerhardt ter Steegen</p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-47265274102802622662012-03-30T17:19:00.001-07:002012-03-30T17:19:57.609-07:00Day 29<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> <w:word11kerningpairs/> 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mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m afraid that Day 29’s entry also has to be a bit of an addendum onto Day 28, because after I had already posted the entry for that day, all sorts of beautiful things happened!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Far, FAR more beautiful than a flock of birds; in fact, they pretty much took the cake for the whole month I think!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The absolute best part was that two elderly men at the assisted living facility which we visit, received the Lord Jesus as their Savior after my mom shared the gospel with them!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They went from being “scared to death to die” (their words exactly), to having the assurance of spending eternity with the Lord Jesus!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And although it hardly seems that any day could get any better than that, the Lord also provided some wonderful answers to prayer on Day 28, which are too complicated to explain here, but which really thrilled my heart because of the Lord’s kindness and grace in answering those prayers!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Now Day 29 couldn’t help but be quite wonderful also, following on the tails of 28!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yet it had its own share of beauty too, and yet more evidences of the Lord at work in exciting ways! I wish I could share all the details with you, but perhaps it will be better to write about two little beautiful things which tie into what I am discovering about my wonderful Father in heaven!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">One was the gentle, confiding grasp of a wee little girl on my hand, as we made friends. I had never met her before, but she instantly accepted me as her friend, and with a delighted smile, reached for my hand and led me into her house. She was so tiny I could have swung her off the floor with one arm, yet I could not resist that gentle little clasp. And that reminds me of the way that my Father, though infinitely stronger and bigger than I, consents to hear and respond to my prayers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Not only does He consent, but He loves to have me I draw Him into my life and my affairs by that simple, trusting grasp of prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>What a God Who, in some mysterious way, causes His children to will His will, and then responds by doing the things that we ask in the Name of the Lord Jesus!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He could leave us entirely out of the process, and just do whatever it is that He wills.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But He chooses rather to act in response to our prayers, allowing us to influence His working out of His will.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I know that’s not very clear.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’m still trying to understand it myself.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The other beautiful thing was a very tired little boy, sitting next to his dad at prayer meeting.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>With a sleepy look on his face, he nestled up under his father’s arm, then he drooped lower against his dad’s side, and finally, utterly worn out by the long, busy day, he just lay down with his head on his father’s knee and fell sound asleep.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>His dad, with an understanding smile, rested his big, strong hand on the little boy’s back, and made sure that even the fidgety little sister didn’t disturb his rest.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And that reminds me of how, when I am too confused, or maybe just too tired, to know what to pray, my Father just makes a place for me to rest against Him, trusting everything entirely to His perfect knowledge and infinite strength.</p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-60085159585717837842012-03-28T08:27:00.001-07:002012-03-28T08:27:18.865-07:00Day 28<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> <w:word11kerningpairs/> 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mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">I was in my room this morning when suddenly I heard another installment of spring arrive, in the form of a treeful of chattering birds!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I love it when this happens; one moment, everything is silent, and the next, the air is full of noisy avian conversation!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I peered outside and sure enough, there were one or two trees whose bare branches were just covered with birds!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Somehow they always stay in a tight flock, and they never seem to run out of things to say!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">A little while later, I went outside, and noticed that the noise was a bit further away.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It still wasn’t hard to locate though, because a little further down in the pasture I could see the flock encamped upon a different tree.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I wonder why they move like this, and how they decide where and when to settle down?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And what could they possibly have to talk about at such a rapid pace, for the entire duration of their migration?</p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-68374599820276123022012-03-28T08:22:00.000-07:002012-03-28T08:23:17.357-07:00Day 27<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> 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<w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Yesterday, Day 27, we went to visit a local assisted living facility where my parents lead a Bible study every week.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This week, for the first time, we took our dog Coqui, and he was quite a hit!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As soon as we walked into the room with him, the elderly folks sitting in rows along the walls all seemed to lean forward at the same moment, their faces coming alive, as they exclaimed about the new visitor!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">It was special to watch Dennis, an elderly gentleman who is not able to speak, as he interacted with the dog.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>His fingers twined into Coqui’s fur as he gently fondled him and gave him a cookie, and there was a gleam of a smile in his often sad face.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Coqui seemed relax and enjoy his quiet, silent stroking, and I wonder if perhaps Dennis knew that here was a creature with whom he could communicate, words or no words.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The climax came when we were singing some hymns.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>One of the staff members pointed out joyfully that Dennis was singing—for the first time that she had ever seen him sing!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I don’t know, of course, if the doggy therapy somehow flipped some switch in Dennis’s brain that allowed him to sing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But I thought it was beautiful how God has ways of communicating love and joy to people, even through a furry creature with a sloppy warm tongue. =)</p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-78203411934959799642012-03-26T10:56:00.001-07:002012-03-26T10:56:54.046-07:00Day 26<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> 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mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Well, it’s only mid-day, but I’m already fervently enjoying the beautiful thing for today—health!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The last few days I was doing a sort of internal spring cleaning, a detox program which, although it no doubt flushed some toxins out of me, seemed to take most of energy too!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I spent a couple days dragging myself around and marveling at how any good attitude I had cultivated evaporated when I felt the least bit nauseous.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So it certainly gave me a much greater appreciation for what so many people suffer from chronic problems.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And, from the perspective of a nurse, I now understand better why people with comparatively minor afflictions don’t really care that it could be a whole lot worse—any personal affliction feels like an emergency!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">At any rate, after nearly fainting this morning, I decided that the health cleanse had stopped being healthy, and eased myself back into eating normal food.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And wow!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Do I feel great!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s wonderful to have energy to wash the dishes, bake bread, and do the things of normal life!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I might even get out of my pajamas sometime soon. =)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">So this brief experience of minor suffering has certainly helped me to appreciate my normal abundance of health and vigor.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I might add that it has also increased my already high esteem of my mom, who not only put up with my moaning and complaining, but is still on the cleanse herself!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This generation clearly has a few things to learn from the previous one! =)</p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-71364376645081962972012-03-26T10:55:00.000-07:002012-03-26T10:56:19.898-07:00Day 25<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:relyonvml/> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> 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mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Today I saw a strong man weep for the sake of those who are still far from Christ. That was a beautiful thing, a glimpse of the Savior’s own heart. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">There is only one thing more tragic than to have never heard of the only Source of perfect love, and joy, and peace.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That is, having heard, to reject Him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Or perhaps, having known and believed and enjoyed Him, to go on without a tear for the millions who are still living without hope.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Do not judge the Savior by the coldness of some of us who are His followers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He shed not only tears, but His very blood, so that His enemies could be forgiven.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If we fail to do the same, it only proves the matchlessness of His love, in saving those so unworthy of Him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And it means that we have a very long way to go in becoming like our Master.</p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-28891213644350541022012-03-25T18:04:00.000-07:002012-03-25T18:05:29.982-07:00Day 25<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> <w:word11kerningpairs/> 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mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Today I saw a strong man weep for the sake of those who are still far from Christ. That was a beautiful thing, a glimpse of the Savior’s own heart. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">There is only one thing more tragic than to have never heard of the only Source of perfect love, and joy, and peace.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That is, having heard, to reject Him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Or perhaps, having known and believed and enjoyed Him, to go on without a tear for the millions who are still living without hope.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Do not judge the Savior by the coldness of many of us who are His followers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He shed not only tears, but His very blood, so that His enemies could be forgiven.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If we fail to do the same, it only proves the matchlessness of His love, in saving those so unworthy of Him. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And it means that we have a very long way to go in becoming like our Master.</p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-55680338146494369862012-03-24T14:39:00.001-07:002012-03-24T14:39:35.956-07:00Day 24<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> <w:word11kerningpairs/> 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mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Today was a bit more of a difficult day for finding beautiful things (at least things that I hadn’t already written about.)<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I wasn’t feeling the greatest, and it’s amazing how even a minor dip in health makes the world seem like a darker place.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It sure gives me greater sympathy for those who live continually with poor health!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Anyway, as I was trying to accomplish something productive, I got distracted by watching the screensaver on my computer, which is a slideshow of my pictures from the past several years.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As I watched the random progression of photos, I marveled at how many beautiful places I’ve been, how many beautiful people I’ve met, how many beautiful experiences I’ve enjoyed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Every one of the pictures represented a beautiful moment in my life, from the photos of mountain ranges to the picture of a fish that my brother and a friend caught, ready for the frying pan.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There are pictures from New England, Kentucky, Alaska, Canada, and Mexico, faces of every age and color, but they all bear the signature of God.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They are all things that He created, friendships He formed, richness that He infused into my life.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I surely am blessed!</p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-73543887138187293772012-03-23T17:21:00.000-07:002012-03-23T17:22:15.238-07:00Day 23<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> <w:word11kerningpairs/> 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mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">The beautiful thing that I picked for today is music.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’ve always loved music, especially classical music, but lately I’ve been enjoying it even more than usual.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My room was a catastrophic mess this morning due to my recent trip, so I decided to enliven the cleaning up process by listening to a series of trumpet concertos by Handel.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Well, there’s music, and then there’s MUSIC—it’s hard to imagine anything more majestic and inspiring than those pieces! <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>One of my new life dreams is to sometime, somewhere, go to a live concert of trumpet concertos, especially those by Handel.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’m pretty sure I’d sit somewhere up in the balcony (trumpets and high places go together), and just cry because of the beauty. =)<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Then, during spare moments throughout the day, I’ve been playing a Schubert impromptu that I used to practice many years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I marveled at the thrill of skimming over the keys, hearing the music run through its rollicking melody (it’s the impromptu in A flat major, Opus 90—check it out!).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was addictive to surrender myself to the music and let my hands remember the piece over and over.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And I marveled at the creative genius of people like Handel and Schubert, to think up such works from their own heads.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Surely it’s a testament to the creative genius that God imparted to humankind, that so many thousands of pieces of music, each of them unique, each with its own order and beauty, could originate from a few blobs of grey matter residing under those powdered wigs or unruly hair!</p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-35420919859755407252012-03-23T13:43:00.001-07:002012-03-23T13:43:26.214-07:00Day 22<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> 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name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Day 22 was another simply gorgeous day, with temperatures in the 80’s and wonderful sunshine.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I happened to be working, but at least I was able to get outdoors on lunch break to absorb some sunlight. Still, I felt a little deprived after taking care of multiple patients who were supposedly emergency cases, but who got to enjoy a whole lot more of the weather today than I did! <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On my drive home, I tried to soak in as much of the remaining loveliness as I could.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was well after sunset, so there wasn’t a lot to look at, but as I drove over the remote country roads, the fragrances wafting in at my window told the story of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I laughed to myself as I pictured my dog in his data-gathering position when he’s on car rides; he sticks his head out the window and snuffles repeatedly as the wind jams all the smells right into his olfactory sensors.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I wanted to do the same thing, but on account of the questionable safety of driving with my head out the window, I had to resort to putting multiple windows down and trying not to hyperventilate as I took great gulps of the warm, moist air.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Most of the roads were through woods, so I got to catch the sweet, fresh hints of pine and hemlock.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The fields smelled more like plain old dirt (which is actually very enticing to a gardener).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And the farms, well, their fragrance was pretty pungent, but many of my happiest moments have been spent on a farm, so it’s a very happy smell to me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It’s quite possible that someday I’ll live in a city, where the only nice smells are the ones that people spray on (and the niceness of those is sometimes questionable).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That will be okay, because it’s settled between the Lord and I that wherever He calls me will be okay.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But since right now my place is in the midst of scented woods and earthy farm country, I’ll happily join my dog in his attempt to savor the world around him, full blast.</p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-23014863884244266262012-03-23T13:42:00.001-07:002012-03-23T13:42:55.058-07:00Day 21<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> 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mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">As I left the house for work on the morning of Day 21, I was wondering what my beautiful thing for the day would be.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The instant I stepped out of the door, I knew.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The songbirds had come back.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This is, in fact, the first time that I remember hearing songbirds here since I’ve lived here, because I came in the fall, when many of them were beginning their pilgrimage to a warmer place.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Whether the sunshine brought the birds back, or the birds brought the sunshine, is hard to say, but they both arrived about the same time and that morning they seemed to be celebrating springtime together.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Isn’t it lovely that God made birds with a song?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Even though they just got back from their grueling flight north, and no doubt have lots of house building and organizing to do, they always have time to just sit on a branch and sing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Perhaps they sing just because they can, and because life, and sunshine, and springtime, are worth singing 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mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">The beautiful thing that I chose for Day 20 wasn’t so much beautiful, as intriguing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was a bird nest, built on the very top of an extra tall telephone pole, the kind which carry high power lines.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>From the highway, the nest looked rather disheveled, like the head of someone needing a haircut.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But I knew it had been built with great care—otherwise, how could it be balanced so precisely in such a precarious spot?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I got to thinking what it must be like for the baby birds when they hatch and begin to discover the world around them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Imagine looking out of your crib and discovering that there was seventy feet or so of clear air below you, and a 360 degree view of the horizon every time you opened your beady black eyes.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Somehow I feel like I can relate with the baby bird on his first expedition out of the nest. My first question would be how my untried wings would manage the distance between me and the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The next question would be—which part of the horizon to aim toward?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Oh, it’s a scary thing to be in such a big world—but it sure is a grand thing, too!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And the birds have a fine idea, to raise their young in a home with only the sky for a roof and the horizon for walls, and God’s great lights to guide them.</p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-11109959459195564662012-03-23T13:40:00.000-07:002012-03-23T13:41:21.438-07:00Day 19<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> 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mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">My beautiful thing for Day 19 was hardly a thing at all.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was just a breeze, which caught me unawares as I stepped out onto the porch, and set my heart aflutter.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If it is difficult to describe a smell, it is even more difficult to describe a breeze, especially a spring breeze. It is heavy with the warm moisture that has been lacking in the dry air of winter, and carries a whole mixture of smells so vague that you wondered if you smelled them at all.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yet they are there, the scents of thawing earth and wakening trees, of brooks set free to run again and flowers thinking about pushing up through the dirt.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And sometimes, as on this particular evening, the breeze carries a sense of indescribable excitement, the thrill of something mysterious and wonderful, and maybe even a little bit frightening, that is about to happen.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’ll try to let you know when it does.</p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874820439841409621.post-67327011598745865682012-03-18T19:19:00.001-07:002012-03-18T19:19:34.314-07:00Day 18<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> 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It was one of those cool, misty mornings that is so refreshing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We walked on a beautiful estate that is now a historical site, and marveled at the architecture, the manicured lawns, the great variety of trees and flowers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was a wonderful start to the day.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The wonderfulness increased when we went to worship with believers in Harlem (as in, the Harlem in New York City) for church.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was my first time in Harlem, and I loved the whole experience, although I did feel rather like a country mouse in the city. <span style="font-family:Wingdings;mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-char-type:symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:Wingdings"><span style="mso-char-type:symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:Wingdings">J</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The noise of traffic filled the air as we walked along the sidewalk to the church door, which was set in a stone building that extended the whole length of the block. I couldn’t help but compare it with the previous Sunday, when I was worshipping back home, in a silo that has been converted into a house, and we had to drive through all sorts of woods, on muddy dirt roads, to get there.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The contrasts continued as we went into the church; pretty much everything was different except for the God we were worshipping, and when we all turned our eyes to the simple bread and cup which we use to remember Him, all the extraneous details disappeared.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I marveled at the accessibility of God, how that as Jesus taught, the place of worship does not matter, only that we worship in Spirit and truth. (John 4)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">After church, we went out onto the streets to do a survey of the people in that area, seeking to find out their beliefs about the Bible and Jesus Christ, in preparation for a gospel teaching workshop that will be held there this summer.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And that was when my heart began to break. We talked with nearly a hundred people, some old, some young, some pleasant, some rude, some male, some female, some prosperous, some poor—yet not one of them knew the way of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Most of them had been taught some vague concepts about Jesus and His sacrifice, but none of them seemed to clearly understand why He had to die for their sins.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Some of them had never heard John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And as I stood there on the sidewalk, a bit dazed by the constant flood of humanity, I realized that God was answering my prayer, that my heart would break over the things that grieve His heart.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As I intercepted dozens of people, asking them to complete the survey and trying to bring truth to any who would listen, I understood a little bit more the heart of the Lord Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When He took His disciples away to a lonely place for a little bit of respite, and found a great multitude waiting for Him there, He could only feel compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. (Mark 6:34) </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Yes, sheep without a shepherd.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But the beautiful part is that the Shepherd is still seeking the sheep.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And for all those who will listen, there is His message of unspeakable love and perfect forgiveness, beauty sprung out of the horror of the cross.</p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17778748782575795500noreply@blogger.com1