Seeds of Grace

      In twenty-seven years at this house, I've never planted either sunflowers or zinnias. The two photos above were taken at different times this summer in flower pots planted with either nothing (the sunflower) or something else (the zinnia). We don't have any close neighbors, and Bill promises he didn't plant them, and so I must credit a passing bird. Yet I know the ultimate Source, the One Who is in charge of all the birds and all the soil and all the seeds on earth. And what a perfect example for me (at just the right time, of course!) of His grace.

     

      The Biblical meaning of grace is usually expressed as "the unmerited favor of God towards man" (www.biblestudytools.com). I certainly did nothing to deserve these two happy surprises in my yard in the midst of an especially miserable, hot summer. Once I discovered them, however, I watered them, believing I would eventually see their colorful blossoms. God provided plenty of sunshine for them, but it took time for them to bloom, and I confess I grew impatient with the waiting.

      From Genesis to Revelation, God has been displaying His "unmerited favor" to man in countless ways. The most priceless gift of His grace was this: from the beginning He gave us choice; we chose disobedience; He then gave us the Only Way out of eternal punishment-- the death and resurrection of His only Son Jesus as the substitutionary payment for our disobedience. The grace is, we can do nothing to merit this "salvation" if you would; it is a free gift-- we have only to accept it. 

      The question then becomes, what do we do with it? Do we bloom where we are planted and brighten the lives of those around us like the seeds in my yard? If you have trusted Jesus, accepted His FREE gift of salvation from your sins, try thinking of yourself as that empty pot (or plot) of soil. Someone (It will be different for all of us.) planted the seed by sharing the Gospel with you. Others God put in your life (family, a church, friends, or even strangers) watered, but God gave the sunshine (the Light) and nutrients in the soil (the Bread of Life) which made that seed grow and bloom! Without the sunshine, water, and nutrients the seed will die or never even develop. With those elements, it will bloom to brighten someone's day, and even mature to produce seeds of its own to blossom into even more bright spots in someone else's garden! As Paul expressed it,

 "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth." 

(1 Corinthians 3:6 ESV)

      The choice is ours, my friend, but the time is growing short. Autumn is coming, and soon follows the winter when seeds will grow dormant and the sun will wane. We are not guaranteed the next moment, much less another Summer's growing season, so please don't wait!

 "And he said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.'”

(Revelation 21:6-8 ESV)

*Author's Note: This post is given to you with sincerest love, coming only from His grace to me. I post it with fervent prayer that it may plant a seed in someone's heart who needs Jesus. If you are hearing this message for the first time and would like further guidance, please either request help in the comments or contact me via Facebook Messenger, or seek out a church or pastor or believing friend near you. If you know someone who needs this message, I would be humbly honored by your sharing it. 

 "He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

✝️

Strong Tower

 

Nanny Cay, Tortola, BVI
September 19, 1989

     Each summer when news arrives of the first hurricane developing, my mind is immediately tossed back into the turbulence of Hurricane Hugo. This being the thirty-fifth anniversary, it seems an appropriate time to share my memories. You see, I've never been so literally in the eye of a storm as I was in 1989. I had moved to the island of Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, a mere two weeks before this historic maelstrom brewing far out in the mid- Atlantic quickly made its way to my new home.

  

      I had learned the day before I flew from the United States, September 1, 1989, that the second-floor downtown apartment I had rented for six months was not going to be vacated until a month later than expected. But having bought my ticket and sublet my U.S. home, I made the quick decision to go ahead and take my flight and "wing it" (so to speak) as far as accommodations were concerned. I was familiar enough with the island, and had a few friends there, so my adventuresome spirit was not daunted by the unforeseen glitch in plans. You see, I was in my default setting of fleeing an uncomfortable situation at home, and I was blind to any other way out. But then, I wasn't paying much heed to the God I had given my heart to at a young age. I had been going my own way for quite some time.

      Some would say it was blind luck that led me to decide to stay at the Fort Burt Hotel until my apartment was ready. Actually, when I stopped in for a look while beginning to get more acquainted with my new island home, the manager learned I was a travel journalist and offered me a free room in hopes of getting some publicity in exchange. I had been happily settled in and exploring the island in depth, when the news of a brewing major hurricane had everyone's ears perked up, and we all became more watchful as the track seemed to grow closer to our tiny island. 

      As it turned out, an eclectic assortment of sailors, fishermen, the manager, and myself (thirteen of us!) ended up sheltering in the base of one of the two remaining stone turrets of the ancient fort. This tower had become the hotel's restaurant, while the rooms had been built along the hillside above it. 

Along with this one, an outer tower alongside and nearer the water's edge had formed the entryway to the fortress. Our motley group had been shepherded into the lower storage room beneath the restaurant. When the rains came and the winds blew horizontally, however, nearly every inch of that dungeon-like shelter became saturated with the water that blew down through the floor of the restaurant above, in through cracks in the ancient stone walls, and underneath the heavy iron door that kept out the vicious wind. For approximately twenty-four hours we hunkered down, sometimes talking quietly, sometimes laughing, sometimes listening in silence to the wind and pounding rain. Throughout the night, we often clung through a battery-powered radio to the voice of brave DJ Erasmus at ZBVI, operating by a generator, as power had been cut off all over the island for safety. He alternately played music and took calls, keeping families in touch, sharing damage reports throughout the island, and even broadcasting one woman's prayer for our safety. 

      After several hours confined in this space, one couple in our group took a break and ventured out across the breezeway to stretch out on some tables that were being stored in the outer tower. I can't say how long they stayed, only that moments after they returned to our flock, we all gasped with one breath when our low murmurings were shattered by a huge "BANG!" nearby. It wasn't until the storm abated and we ventured outside that we discovered the enormous wooden doors of that second tower had imploded and landed right on top of the tables that couple had been lying on. It was then I began to acknowledge that that islander's prayer, along with many others silently uttered, had been answered. On a drive to survey the damage the next day, I saw a hillside home made entirely of glass turned to a pile of rubble. It had been inhabited by two young British women who had wisely sheltered in a safer place.

      Everyone who took refuge in the strong tower of Fort Burt, in fact everyone on the island of Tortola remained safe throughout Hurricane Hugo, which was truly remarkable considering it was a rare Category 5 hurricane with winds approaching 200 mph, and we suffered a direct hit and much property damage. In my journal of the experience, I at least acknowledged God's providence for the tools of my trade at that time: my computer, printer, and paper had been graciously placed by the hotel's manager in what would end up being the last dry spot in our sanctuary.

      Of course, I know now that none of this happened by accident, but rather by the design of my Good, Good Father. As I was stumbling blindly out of my discomfort into danger and then to safety, He already knew I'd be safe. As my favorite Psalm reminds me,

"You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. 

Every moment You know where I am....

I can never escape from Your Spirit!...

If I ride the wings of the morning,

if I dwell by the farthest oceans, 

even there Your hand will guide me, and Your strength will support me...."

[Psalm 139: 3, 7a, 9-10 NLT]

      And today, as very different kinds of storms arise in my life, I must constantly remind myself of my many experiences of this truth:

"For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe."

[Psalm 61:3 NIV]

      My friend, our lives on earth are fraught with trials and "hurricanes"-- no one is exempt. Whether your storm be illness, a great loss, family struggles, financial woes, or our shared distress over the state of the world we live in, let us never forget that if we trust in the one true Triune God,

"The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."

[Proverbs 18:10 NIV]

Outer tower of Fort Burt Hotel,
Tortola, BVI, today.

 

 "He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

✝️

In the Dark

      

      

      It's Holy Saturday, or the day before Resurrection Day, and I awoke in the darkness of the small hours thinking about Jesus on this day. The Bible doesn't enlighten us much about it. For one thing, it was the Jewish Sabbath, and a special one at that, since it was Passover week, a required day of rest and remembrance. All we are told about Jesus, and His followers for that matter, is that He had been put in a borrowed tomb, and the door had been sealed and guarded, for fear the disciples would steal His body. Then silence on Saturday.

      Paul and Peter both teach that Jesus descended to Sheol, a place of death and darkness. [See Ephesians 4:9, Acts 2:24, 1 Peter 3:19.] All this leads me to believe that on this day Jesus was in a state of complete rest from His labors. After all, one of His last utterances was, "It is finished." And what labors they were-- more painful and ponderous than any of us can imagine! With His torture and bleeding our sins were atoned for, once and for all, His work on earth was done, His purpose accomplished, our salvation complete. 

      And yet, I can't help thinking that wherever Jesus was on this day, it couldn't possibly have been dark, because HE was there! John tells us, "His life is the light that shines through the darkness--- and the darkness can never extinguish it."  (John 1:5 TLB)

      Yes, He came back and walked again on earth for a few days, but His toil was done, and He came back victorious over our last enemy, death. No more pain and hatred, only glory and rejoicing. 

      I wonder, when we have days of heaviness or darkness, if we could possibly look at them as days of rest from our labors and struggles, confident if He is our Lord, that His Light is always in us and the darkness cannot overcome us. And we know that someday soon there will be a day of neverending light and life, when we will shine with Him, simply because we have endured, and then rested.

 "He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

✝️

The Star

   

"Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever."  [Daniel 12:3 NIV]

   A few months ago I had a dream that still haunts me, as it continues to convict and teach me. I was in a dark and dank basement, looking at a snow-white dove in a cage. I knew in the dream that this beautiful bird was in my care, and I had been sorely neglecting it. There was a bit of filtered sunlight streaming in behind it through high, narrow windows, dimmed with dust and mud from the outside. The bird's cage was dirty, and I knew I had neglected to give her proper food or water for some time, yet she patiently waited for me. I then took her out of the filthy cage, stroked her gently and talked lovingly to her, gave her clean food and water, and put her back on her perch. Then, looking around me, I began to notice how I had also neglected the basement she lived in, which had once been a cozy, nicely decorated space I enjoyed with friends. While beginning to tidy her surroundings, I realized I had never named my bird and decided to call her "Star."

      This dream came fairly early in my brain rewiring journey, and was an important personal revelation for me on so many levels, which I won't share at this time. For this blog, however, you need to know that one of the first tasks of the program I completed was to write a declaration stating in the present tense how I want to see myself, actually a reminder of how God sees me. My declaration concluded this way: "I am a beloved, RADIANT daughter of the King!" I knew this was what God wanted for me, and only He could give me this radiance, but I also had to accept it and claim it for myself-- His gift, offered freely from His gracious heart of love.

      Fast-forward to a few weeks ago, as I sat meditating on God's Word and simply spending time with Jesus in my living room. I have a Moravian star (pictured above) given by a friend some years ago which sits on the antique pie safe across the room from my recliner. I gaze at it daily, sometimes for hours. Usually appearing only during the Christmas season, these striking decorations have been dear to me since my college days in Winston-Salem, location of the historic Moravian settlement of Old Salem. Though the Moravian denomination traces its origins to the early 1700s in Saxony (eastern Germany), the first star is said to have been created in 1820 by a German boarding school student for a geometry project. It's easy to see why these complex objects would be a challenging geometric feat, with their intricate combination of square- and triangular-based points! These days they appear all over the world during the Christmas season. Illuminated from the inside, they beautifully represent the Star of Bethlehem, and a fitting description of them is "radiant," as the points radiate out from the light at the center. 

      On this particular day, I was having my daily talk with Jesus about my desire to be His radiant child while gazing at that star lighted from within, when entirely unbidden by me, the Spirit gave me the vision of that star zooming across the room and coming to rest in the center of my chest, right where my heart resides. My life changed in that moment, and I was given the "peace that passes understanding." For too long, I had forgotten that as soon as I accepted Jesus's gift of salvation, He has been residing in me. I remember vividly as a child asking Him into my heart and with child-like trust accepting that He was in me from that moment on. But like the mud that coated the window, dimming the light in my earlier dream, I let the ways of the world dim my vision of Christ in me. I talked to Him and saw Him as if He were "somewhere out there" instead of living in me. I had come to depend on my own efforts to "earn" my salvation, my place in Heaven; my faith was still based on my own actions, instead of the work Jesus completed on the cross some two thousand years ago. I was trying to work my way to Him, rather than simply acknowledging that He is already IN me! 

      I cannot adequately describe the peace that has filled my soul since that moment. Oh, don't think that I haven't had trials and moments of discouragement since then. But eventually I always realize that discouragement comes from the Enemy, when I forget for even a moment that vision of the Radiant Star residing in me. Now, of course, I'm noticing stars everywhere I turn: isn't that God, never tiring of reminding us of His eternal presence, if only we will open our hearts and our minds?  

"You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!"  [Isaiah 26:3 NLT]

"We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,..."  (2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV)

    Two weeks ago, I attended the memorial service of a dear friend, a beloved saint and  shining star in our community. I knew attending would be a challenge for me both physically and emotionally, and I prepared myself as best I could. I was a bit shaky, I admit, and when my husband and I walked in the large church and picked up the printed program, the tears came, and I began my litany of relying on Jesus, quietly repeating Philippians 4:13 over and over again. As we slipped into a back pew and sat, I looked up to see first a wonderful image of our friend in his healthier days projected behind the altar, then my eyes rose above the pulpit to fall on a glowing Moravian star. My shaking stopped, and my tears were replaced by a smile in my heart that I know was radiant in the eyes of the only One Who mattered in that moment, and I'm pretty sure I felt Him smiling back at me.

"The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word."   [Hebrews 1:3 NIV]

      Gene had been a jeweler most of his life, and his brother-in-law, who was also his business partner, delivered a beautiful eulogy. He concluded it by telling us that if Gene's ashes were mixed with a particular chemical, then heated to over 2,000 degrees and put under an enormous amount of pressure (4000 bars), they would produce a VVS-1, D color diamond. This would be the most brilliant diamond imaginable-- nearly perfectly clear in color with one very, very slight inclusion (flaw)! What a glorious tribute toward which any of us can aspire. Then again, isn't that how our Father God sees us all if we have been washed in the blood of His perfect Son, Jesus, tried in the fires of this imperfect physical realm, and pressed by the stresses of life in this broken world.

"Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts."  [2 Peter 1:19 NLT]

 

    "He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

 ✝️

Homestead Rescue

   

   Bill and I have become enthralled with a television series called "Homestead Rescue" in which a generations-experienced family of homesteaders travel throughout the U.S. assisting other families which are foundering in their attempts to live "off the grid." The first surprise to me was the ever-increasing numbers of people taking to the hinterlands in order to escape the frenetic life most of us live every day. Though it's very difficult to find statistics, every source I could find agreed that homesteading is increasing, and (not surprisingly) experienced a particular surge thanks to the Covid pandemic. These assumptions can be made in part on rising sales of solar power systems, chainsaws, portable sawmills, and undeveloped land. 

      After watching several seasons of the show, I can't help observing that there are four needs that recur in every episode, four things every family must have in order to survive-- water, food, shelter, and power. "That's obvious," you might immediately respond, but you would be amazed at how many of the well-intentioned folks on this show sell all accoutrements of their "civilized" lives and venture into varying degrees of wilderness without planning for some or all of these four necessities. From Alaska to Hawaii, the desert to the rainforest, they go on a dream of self-sufficiency, but have no idea how to achieve it. It may sound simple, but it's the farthest thing from easy! The Raneys, expert homesteaders, find shockingly horrible situations, and with amazing ingenuity based on their years of experience, provide these inept beginning homesteaders with water, power, food, and shelter, and most importantly the skills to maintain all of these. Their aim is to accomplish this with as little cost as possible, most often "upcycling" old unused objects from around the very land they are rescuing.

      Have you ever considered that our souls require the same four elements-- water,  power, food, and shelter? But how do we obtain those things for our souls? Never fear, dear Christian: our loving Savior who dwells with us, IN us, provides all those necessities and more! As He tells us Himself in His Word:

"Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”  (John 7:38 NLT)

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV)

"Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."  (John 6:35 NIV)

"For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy." (Psalm 61:3 NKJV)

     I can't help thinking of the times my soul has felt dried up, thirsty for I knew not what, when all the while it was there within me, waiting to be tapped. Or hungry, starving for life-giving bread, when all I had to do was turn to the Bread of Life living in me. I'm sure you've felt powerless like I have, whether we'd like to admit it or not, possibly in the face of a great loss, or a life-threatening illness (yourself or a loved one) you had no idea how to cure. But I'm here to testify that within you (assuming you've repented of your sins and accepted the gift of Jesus' substitutionary sacrifice) is the Great Physician, who made you and knows everything about every cell in your body, and He has risen "with healing in His wings." (Malachi 4:2)

      Invariably, each head of each family on "Homestead Rescue" at some point during the show talks about feeling the obligation and desire to provide these necessities for the family. Just like they turn to the knowledgeable Raneys for instruction, we have at our fingertips God's Instruction Book, His Word, to guide us to all these necessities. My friend, the Head of our family has already provided for our souls all that we will ever need, and He is waiting to rescue the homestead of our hearts. I leave you with His comforting promises found in Psalm 27 (BSB):

The LORD is my light and my salvation—

whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life—

whom shall I dread?

When the wicked came upon me to devour my flesh,

my enemies and foes stumbled and fell.

Though an army encamps around me,

my heart will not fear;

though a war breaks out against me,

I will keep my trust.

One thing I have asked of the LORD;

this is what I desire:

to dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the LORD

and seek Him in His temple.

For in the day of trouble

He will hide me in His shelter;

He will conceal me under the cover of His tent;

He will set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be held high

above my enemies around me.

At His tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music to the LORD.

Hear, O LORD, my voice when I call;

be merciful and answer me.

My heart said, “Seek His face.”

Your face, O LORD, I will seek.

Hide not Your face from me,

nor turn away Your servant in anger.

You have been my helper;

do not leave me or forsake me,

O God of my salvation.

Though my father and mother forsake me,

the LORD will receive me.

Teach me Your way, O LORD,

and lead me on a level path,

because of my oppressors.

Do not hand me over to the will of my foes,

for false witnesses rise up against me,

breathing out violence.

Still I am certain to see

the goodness of the LORD

in the land of the living.

Wait patiently for the LORD;

be strong and courageous.

Wait patiently for the LORD!

    "He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

 ✝️

      

Exit Plan

     

 

     I've been dreading this day for some time. It's my final day of access to the brain rewiring program I've been following the past four months, and participants are encouraged to post an Exit Statement on the Facebook group to encourage themselves and others. I know, it should feel like a sort of "graduation," and it does, but I've also come to depend on the daily encouragement from this wonderful group, so it's bittersweet (like any graduation). I've been thinking, though, of all the exits we take in life, and realizing that on the other side of every one of them is an Entrance into something usually even better. I know that is true for this particular one, and I'm begging my readers' indulgence while I include my LSR Exit Statement in this space. [NOTE: This is not an advertisement, there's no compensation for my comments. I paid for the program, yet I believe so much in it I would give away scholarships to several of my loved ones, if I had the means!]

      Seven years ago, I was doing it all: keeping house, shopping, cooking, going to church at every opportunity, leading Bible studies, teaching Sunday School, singing in the choir, participating in a community Bible study, meeting friends for lunch, going out to dinner, entertaining friends and family in our home, traveling the world with my husband, walking three miles every day. Yes, it actually shocks me to write it all out! Like the drop of a shoe it all ended at once-- no need for the details-- it just ended. Thus began a journey of ER trips, rounds of assorted doctor visits, tests, tests, tests, bottles and bags of a plethora of supplements, and endless internet searches for a miracle cure for a mysterious illness.  Countless prayers were proffered, probably more than I will ever know. I had wanted to be healed for His glory, and yet I kept trying to figure out a cure for myself. Four months  ago, having nearly stopped eating (because I COULDN'T), I had decided to give up the search, and my prayers were mostly pleas for God to take me home. BUT GOD....!!! It was the total surrender He had been waiting for, I'm sure of it.

      It was a routine check-up, and I remember struggling to get slowly down the hallway hunched over my two walking sticks, looking and feeling like a ninety-year-old. When "Doc" came into the examining room smiling at me and asking "How are you today?" I'm not even sure I smiled back. I shrugged my shoulders and lifted both hands as if to say, "Who knows? Who cares?" He sat down in front of me and began telling me about a Christ- and Bible-based brain rewiring program that his wife had completed with near-miraculous results. (I had no idea she had had challenges similar to mine for some years, as well.) It "just so happened" they were giving a free on-line workshop that weekend, and when I got home I reluctantly pulled out my laptop and investigated. I decided, "Why not? What else do I have to do and what can I lose?"

      To make a long story short, the uplifting tone of the workshop, the love of Jesus that shone on its leader's face, and a phone call made the next Monday which included some clearly miraculous answers to prayer regarding the decision started me on my journey into the science of neuroplasticity and brain rewiring. [ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/neuroplasticity ] Now, some specifics for my fellow-rewirers (and anyone else interested in my progress), here are my most obvious "wins" (improvements so far):

      1. After just one week in the program my perspective had shifted from hopeless to hopeful; depression lifted right away. I credit my new positive outlook to the focus on Scripture memorization and awareness of "OWLS" (Old Wired Loops), and with the quick and simple distraction tools we were given right away. Now my OWLS hardly ever "give a hoot," so I know relief from symptoms is on the way. In fact...

      2. Brain fog and EMF sensitivity: The first time through the videos and workbook took me six weeks. I was determined to re-watch all the videos before today, and time got away from me so that I didn't start until less than two weeks ago. This morning I finished re-watching-- 12 days after I started! Brooklyn mentioned in a recent "Live" that we'll notice our creativity returning. Since I started this blog in the midst of my sickness, I have struggled to produce one post a month, with the sure guidance of the Holy Spirit. Now at the end of my fourth month in the program, THIS IS MY THIRD POST IN LESS THAN 3 WEEKS-- all glory to God! I'm declaring victory over the Enemy's attacks of brain fog and EMF sensitivity!

      3. Self-care: Four months ago, I struggled to shower or bathe twice a week and brushed my teeth only at night. Now I brush my teeth morning and night, don't have to sit down to do it, and bathe usually 3 or 4 times a week. I'm enjoying getting dressed, fixing my hair, and putting on a little makeup when I go out, which is MUCH more often than before. (See #4)

      4. Social interaction and celebrations: There were so many years when I missed celebrations and family gatherings, sitting at home sick in my recliner. Last month my husband and I celebrated our anniversary in a fine restaurant. In the past month I have participated in a joyous Thanksgiving family gathering, a happy family birthday gathering, a family Christmas dinner in a restaurant; attended a performance of "Nutcracker" my granddaughter danced in; had lunch with girlfriends in a restaurant, and made plans to meet another girlfriend for coffee later this week!

      5. As I mentioned before I had virtually stopped eating any "real" food: with the exception of a few scattered days I lived on rice cakes and chicken noodle soup. For the past three days I have actually had an appetite and eaten three good meals, AND I've gained two pounds! (I lost 15.) 

      6. Pain: For years it was my near-constant companion, with sleep being my only escape. And sleep was often elusive. I dreaded getting out of bed; I dreaded having to get myself from my recliner to go to bed. Though sleep is still not regular, it is better and deeper. I no longer wake up and go to bed with heart racing-- EVER! And best of all, it is a RARE day I experience severe pain-- praise God!

      7. Exercise: Six-plus years ago, my husband had to help me in and out of bed and to the bathroom. Though I have inconsistently walked around my yard and down my driveway the past few years, at my low point (4 months ago) I was doing nothing and growing weaker by the day. I can now easily walk with walking sticks, by myself, 1000-1500 steps down our driveway, and I'm confident that will increase. 

      8. Spiritual Life: I saved the best for last, because it is the basis for all the other healing. Though I had continued to read my Bible and pray daily, I confess my reading was perfunctory rather than thoughtful, as were my prayers. In thinking I had to find the answers for my illness, I had ceased trusting God and begun trusting in my own intellect and ability. I had made an idol of myself and my mind. I would have been the first to tell you idolatry is a sin and I certainly knew the very first commandment was, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." I was living in my flesh, though, and my prayers, my thoughts, and my actions were focused on making my flesh feel better. When I let go of the necessity to "heal myself" through earthly means, then God could begin His ever-so-much-more effective work of healing my Spirit and then my body. I had actually done another brain-rewiring program several years ago. I knew that something was missing in it, and though it helped me in some small ways, it was not lasting, because it addressed only my mind, not my spirit, not including any prayer or Bible study. 

      Remember above when I mentioned the Entrances that inevitably follow most Exits? We all have many times in life when we have the choice to exit one place/thing/situation in order to enter into another. I'm writing this today because someone encouraged me to exit my mindset of illness and enter into a new and better life, aware of walking with Jesus by my side "in green pastures" as well as "through the valley of the shadow of death." (Psalm 23) I'm sure it's no accident that one of our first LSR memory verses was from Philippians 3:13-14:

"... forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."  (KJV)

     And there's one Exit I can anticipate more than any other, because the Entrance plan was laid before the foundation of the earth. Thanks be to God for the assurance I have that my sins have been washed away, and I am made white as snow. I am now clothed in the righteousness of the Babe Who came in a humble manger in Bethlehem (Luke 2), lived a blameless life (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), then gave that perfect life on a bloody cross (Matthew 27, Mark 14-16, Luke 22-24, John 18-21), so that you and I might enter into the presence of God our Father, Creator of us all. From there, there will be no more exits!

      Praise Him with me: https://youtu.be/XnrhfeuB3Kw?si=pGTVocnhnaOvl7aF

    "He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

 ✝️

Shining in Darkness

Photo: Bill Tippett

"The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”

(Matthew 4:16 NIV)

      Have you noticed how much better you can see the lights in a night sky when it's really dark? Away from city lights, your own security lights, even the moon? I'll never forget how the night sky seemed close enough to touch when I was camping at the bottom of the Grand Canyon: I had no idea how many stars could be seen from Earth! And don't you love to turn out all the lights in your house and turn on the lights of your Christmas tree or light your Hanukkah candles? SO much more brilliant and warming! The photo above was taken by Bill some twenty years ago when geomagnetic storms were at a rare peak. Though we live in a rural area-- no streetlights or even other houses around us-- we do have a security light, which had to be turned off for the breathtaking sighting of this magnificent aurora borealis here in central North Carolina. (NOTE: We're entering another peak sunspot cycle, so keep an eye to the sky the upcoming months! You can receive alerts, in fact, from spaceweather.com.)

      This morning I awoke early in darkness, both literal and spiritual. I know you know what I mean: the Enemy seems to pounce on and magnify every dark thought, and any little (or big) adverse circumstance seems overwhelming. I knew my best antidotes, though, were right at hand, as I've been using them on a regular basis as of late. I cried out to God in prayer, turned to His Word, and then praised Him in joyous song. And soon His Light shone through my gloom and my tears turned into smiles. No circumstance had changed, but by focusing my thoughts on the Creator of Light, I began to see that Light in the darkness. Isn't it interesting that scientifically speaking, it is impossible for darkness to overcome light, but one tiny light can be seen in utter darkness?

 "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."  

(John 1:5 NIV)

      I highlighted security intentionally above, because I've been thinking a lot lately about the many times I've found my security somewhere other than God: a friend, the internet, and most of all my own strength or mind. If there's a lesson I've learned glaringly through my time of trials, it's that I am NOT sufficient in my own strength-- either of body or of mind. But I have come to understand, instead, I must depend solely on my all-sufficient Savior to guide me, to calm my fears, and most of all to love me unconditionally. Though this truth is all over His Word, it was thanks to several other fellow sojourners that I was pointed in the right direction. Thank heavens they were shining His Light! 

      Yesterday we celebrated my granddaughter's eighth birthday, and I decided the time was right to pass on to her a star sapphire necklace and earrings my parents had given me as a teen. When she opened the box, she saw the pretty blue stones, but could not see the stars until I put them directly under a lamp. I later thought, what a lesson I need to share with Adalyn: we can't possibly shine the Light of His Love on others until we ourselves are directly in His light! 

    And so, dear reader, in this Season of Light, at a time when darkness seems to overwhelm our world, will you join me in shining your light, no matter how seemingly small, by telling someone about the Light of the World? He is waiting to pierce the gloom that surrounds us, and His Light will never be overcome! But we must stay in direct line with Him, through prayer, through praise, and through His Word, in order to shine for Him!

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."”

(John 8:12 NIV)

 "He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

 ✝️

NOTE: My top praise playlist:

               "I Speak Jesus" by Charity Gayle

               "Who You Say I Am" by Shane & Shane

               "Evidence" by Josh Baldwin

               "Psalm 34" by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

               "Thou, O Lord" by the Brooklyn Tabernacle