"Trumpeter's Lullaby"

(AI generated image)

      There was music in my home long before I was born, so it's no surprise that it remains one of the most important elements of my life. Some of my earliest memories are of my family sitting around the record player listening to old, scratchy, 78 rpm vinyl records, whether of vocals like Perry Como or Frank Sinatra, or instrumental classical, jazz, or swing music. I was truly blessed that my parents, with their modest income, chose to spend any spare funds not on fancy clothes or jewelry; instead, they invested in musical instruments: first, a piano and later an organ, for my mother and father and eventually me to play, and then a shiny brass and copper trumpet for my brother. 

     One of my most treasured musical memories is of my brother playing "Trumpeter's Lullaby" on his graceful "Conn Coprion" trumpet to the sweet accompaniment of my mother on her small Baldwin organ. Somehow that particular music transported me to an out-of-this-world place where all was beauty and peace. Though the gleaming instrument now hangs on a wall at my brother's house above the antique pump organ passed down through generations of our family, I can still hear the sweet strains in my memory as if it were just yesterday I sat as a little girl and pleaded " Buddy, PLEASE play "Trumpeter's Lullaby."  And of course he always shyly gave in and picked up the beautiful instrument and made it sing to my waiting ears. 

      Perhaps it is the nearing holidays that are calling this precious memory to mind, but I began thinking this morning how frequently trumpets appear in the Bible. From my brief research, I believe the trumpet (including the shofar) is the most-mentioned instrument in God's Word, which makes me wonder if it just might be God's favorite! 

      In Jewish tradition, from Old Testament times up to the present, the shofar (ram's horn) was and is used as a ceremonial call to repentance, awakening, worship, as well as to celebrate the conclusion of a feast or special holy day or days. (Recall the battle of Jericho in Joshua 6.). In the New Testament, trumpets are most notably associated with Christ's return (1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, Revelation 7). 

      As wonderful as my memory is of my brother's rendition of "Trumpeter's Lullaby," I can only imagine the thrill of that final trumpet call, when

"...the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel's voice, and with the trumpet of God," and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord."

(1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 CSB) 

Will you be there with me? 

"Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. 

No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

John 14:6 [CSB]

✝️

He must increase, and I must decrease."  (John 3:30)

Here's a beautiful rendition of "Trumpeter's Lullaby" by Wynton Marsalis:

https://youtu.be/ORW7suyvPNk?si=IZTZP9cqJqPtNYd9

      

Heart of Glass

      It seems I've always been drawn to glass: just look around my house at the various items I've collected over a lifetime. And think about the endless colors, textures, and uses of this exquisite material. It reminds me of the various colors, shapes, and purposes God gives his ultimate creation: humankind. 

      I once wrote a poem that began "My heart is made of glass." I was feeling pretty vulnerable at the time, like fragile material that could shatter with a breath. Sometimes I still feel like that-- who doesn't, honestly? BUT, did you know that glass is actually very strong under pressure? Called compressive strength, glass can typically handle 100,000-130,000 psi (pounds per square inch), and its tensile strength (how much pulling or bending it will take before breaking), though not as high, is still a remarkable 6,500 psi. [SOURCE: www.guardianglass.com] But first the raw material must be heated in an oven between 2700-2900 degrees Fahrenheit. (Think Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! Would we remember them aside from their Fiery Furnace experience?) This quote really caught my attention: "The transformation (annealing) range is when glass begins to soften, and internal stresses are relieved. The softening point is when glass becomes malleable enough to deform or be shaped." It's a continual process of heating, cooling, and bending at just the right temperature to conform the item to its intended purpose. Who knew something we use daily and mostly take for granted was so complicated? I've always thought it was simply a matter of melting sand, blowing it into shape, and letting it cool.

      Perhaps, then, my "heart of glass" was not such a bad metaphor. Where is the seat of who we are? Our hearts, of course! In fact, in Hebrew (in the Bible) the word for "heart" (lev) comprises the mind as well as the seat of our emotions, in other words our whole being. In order to become the vessel God intended us to be and to fulfill His purpose for us, then, we must first undergo the Expert Glassmaker's slow but deliberate process of melting, shaping, coloring, pressure, cooling, and even decorating. Only then are we ready to hold His goodness and ultimately pour it out for others to enjoy to the glory of the Artist. We may not be able to see or understand the design and purpose; our job is not to understand, but simply to serve. 

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. [Romans 5:1-5 ESV]

      But does a glass or a bowl, or even a work of art question its usefulness? Of course not! It endures the heating and cooling, bending and shaping processes as long as required for its purpose, and then it waits to serve. How much more, then, should I be willing to endure the "annealing" if you will, then to sit and wait to serve, until God picks me up to use me as He has intended from the beginning?

"For You formed my inward parts;

   You knitted me together in my mother's womb.

 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made....

in your book were written, every one of them,

    the days that were formed for me,

    when as yet there was none of them."

[Psalm 139:13-16 ESV]

     

PRAY WITH ME: Dear Lord, please give us patience in Your process of shaping us for the purpose You have intended for us from before we were born. In the precious name of Jesus, our Savior, Amen.

"Mold me and make me

after Thy will,

While I am waiting

Yielded and still."

['Have Thine Own Way, Lord" by Adelaide Pollard]

Just a few pieces of my glass collection!

   ✝️

 "He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

A Charlie Brown Christmas?

 

      I have written a few Christmas cards-- maybe one has your name on it-- they are lying here beside me in my chair and it's December 22, so I know they won't get to their destination before Christmas. Last week I started my favorite recipe for some special Christmas candies I love to make and share: the mixture sits drying out in a bowl, waiting for me to shape and decorate the pretties. Bill has been eating it with a spoon, crunching on what should be soft and chewy. I've hung four ornaments on my "tree" (the giant schefflera which inhabits a sunny spot in the living room), and the poinsettia we ordered to adorn the church has found its new home beside the television. 

      I ordered myself a musical, lighted Nativity snow-globe from Amazon. The bubbler that makes the "snow" fly quit bubbling five minutes after we first plugged it in, and the music it plays is so tinny we both cringed and immediately turned it off. At least it lights, and we're enjoying looking at it and shaking the "snow" every now and then. I was so sick Sunday that I missed the cantata at church and a family lunch gathering afterwards. Sounds like a Charlie Brown Christmas indeed, yet I know Christmas will come. More importantly it DID come once upon a time some 2000 years ago in humble Bethlehem. And it had nothing to do with decorations, or cards, or special foods, or lighted trees, or music, EXCEPT the stars that twinkled in the sky-- one particularly bright one above a feeding trough for animals-- and an ethereal song that rang through the heavens to some frightened shepherds guarding their flocks in the cold fields. Most importantly, it was and is about the Light of the World Who had come from Heaven to Earth.

      Like the sweet and wise children in "A Charlie Brown Christmas," let us remember that Christmas isn't about anything we might do to mark the occasion. It's about Who came that first Christmas (whatever the date may have been-- not necessarily December 25). It's about the beautiful story we read in Luke 2, when our very Creator humbled Himself to become one of us, for the sole purpose of dying so that we might live with Him eternally. 

HALLELUJAH! WHAT A SAVIOR!

   ✝️

 "He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

Brain Attacks -- My Helmet

    

  The latest theory about the cause of my illness these past two years is a brain stem injury suffered during a fall I had on my dock at the lake. Maybe I should have been wearing a helmet!

      I know Satan attacks me most of all in my brain-- those accusing thoughts of guilt, inadequacy, doubt, discouragement, not to mention all sorts of temptations, usually stemming from my curiosity. But then, why should I be surprised?  What tree bore the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden? The tree of knowledge of good and evil! (Genesis 2:17, 3:1-7) It's still all about our brains (minds).

      Isn't it amazing how God has provided beforehand for all of our shortcomings, and instructed us just how to protect ourselves from falling? Look at Ephesians 6:10-17, where Paul describes the "full armor of God," and pay particular attention to Verse 17. I don't remember exactly when I learned that Jesus's name in Hebrew is "Yeshua," meaning "YHWH is salvation," but I know that it was one of my most life-changing, or at least thought-changing moments. From then on I began to think of Jesus (from the Greek Iesous; Hebrew Yeshua) as my Helmet, protecting my mind from evil and damaging thoughts, thoughts that take away my power as a witness to God's glory. Now, at some point nearly every day, whenever those "brain attacks" begin, I find myself praying, "Jesus, be my Helmet!"

      "Behold, the Lord's hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear.... Then His own arm brought salvation to Him, and His righteousness upheld Him. He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head." (Isaiah 59:1, 16b-17a NASB)

Reaching for Love

     

   I am blessed to be part of a Christian brain rewiring group (www.limbicsystemrewire.com), which has been invaluable in my healing journey. Recently a member expressed her difficulty seeing God as a "LOVING Father," and I was amazed at how many of us (including myself) confessed in the "Comments" to having the same problem. As I closed the site and closed my eyes, pondering this predicament, I was gifted by the Holy Spirit with a simple but amazing vision. Before me God, a large swath of pure light, faceless, sat on His throne before me and reached out His hand to me, as a father would stretch out to lift up his fallen child. Like the fallen child that I am, I reached out to accept this Almighty Hand that offered me help, saying "LOVING Father" over and over again. Throughout that day, and ever since, when I have struggled with pain or anxiety, I have recalled that image, reminding myself "LOVING Father!" 

      Admit it or not, all of us crave to be loved completely and unconditionally, even those who might seem to reject human affection. (I suspect that behind this facade is a deep fear of rejection, or too many earthly experiences of rejection or hurt by other broken human beings.) None of us, male or female, has known or ever will know a perfect man on this earth like the LOVING father-figure we all seek. We do, however, every one of us, have a Father in Heaven Who loves us enough to form us carefully in our mother's womb (Psalm 139:13); to bring us through however many years we've been on this earth, through however many trials we've experienced, to be still living and breathing this moment (Joshua 1:5, Isaiah 41:10, Matthew 28:20); enough, in fact, to die for us on an ugly, painful cross on a hill called Golgotha outside the Holy City of Jerusalem, in what is now Israel, His Holy Land given to His chosen people. (Matthew 27:27-56)

    I'm sure one of the first Bible verses I ever learned as a child in Sunday School was "God is Love" (1 John 4:8), and the first hymn sung by many of us was no doubt "Jesus Loves Me."  But how do we know this is true? We are concrete beings living in a concrete world, so we want something concrete to assure us of this most basic Truth. This morning I'm still haunted by the vision of God reaching down in amazing love to lift me up to Himself. (I hope I NEVER forget it!) I begin to contemplate, however, all the tangible ways He DOES show us all His love: a fiery red sunset or a misty sunrise; the warm palette of autumn leaves fluttering in a crisp breeze or the juicy crunch of an apple fresh off the tree; the scent of the salty ocean or a crackling fire; the twitter of birds nearby or the song of a coyote in the distance; the gentle caress of a loved one or the heartwarming touch of a trusting child's hand in ours. I could write on for eternity and never arrive at the end of the evidence of Our Father's love for us. Yes, troubles come-- pain, disease, sorrow-- but they come to pass, not to stay. Only Our Father's love for us, and the life He offers us through His only Son, is eternal. (John 3:16)

      We ALL reach for love, admit it or not-- even our sweet coonhound Copper! Let's continue to remind each other that Love is waiting for us, reaching for US, if only we'll reach out and take His Gift!

"For God SO LOVED (Put your name here.) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life."  (John 3:16)

Dwelling

       

      Webster's first definition of "dwell" is "to remain for a time." Above is an old photo of the house I "remained" in with my parents and brother from my birth until around age 8. It was then a humble asbestos-shingled cottage built by my grandfather. It was a happy, spacious place to me, which I delighted in exploring both inside and out. As I described it once in a newspaper article, "...so tall and white in my memory, so small in reality." By today's standards and even in yesterday's reality... well, it's a different story. No matter-- my heart was at home there.

      I've been blessed to spend a few nights here and there in some of the most luxurious hotels in the Northern Hemisphere. In contrast, I've endured 24-hours on a Soviet Union-era train crossing northwestern Russia, then slept on a rusty cot in a seal-hunters' "lodge" in the icy far north. I've lived in apartments, condos, log cabins, and brick ranchers from coast to coast, and camped in tents and cozy RVs. I suppose those might all be considered "dwellings," no matter how extended or temporary the stay.

      There was one space I dwelt for three nights that has no comparison, really, and it was no man-made structure at all: on top of a sleeping bag beneath the stars alongside the rushing Colorado River deep in the Grand Canyon. Perhaps that is one reason I have felt such a connection to Andrew Cross (See previous post, "Desert Drifter," February 13, 2025 here: https://tippett1.blogspot.com/2025/02/desert-drifter.html).  The ancient dwellings Desert Drifter Andrew discovered in his southwest explorations were usually no more than tumbled piles of rocks or indentations in canyon walls that could hardly be called "caves." As Andrew's sister stated so beautifully and simply last week on His CaringBridge site: "Andrew's spirit is free, surrounded by light & love. He went to be with the Lord ... March 4...." Though my heart aches for Andrew's family ever since reading that news, I couldn't help but breathe this prayer: "Thank You, Jesus, that we know Andrew is with you now, in his eternal dwelling place!" I thought, "He's seeing scenery even more spectacular that he showed us on his explorations. Every moment is more beautiful than the most glorious canyon sunrise or starlit night, and someday I'll meet him there and tell him what a blessing his life was to so many of us!"

      I have recently been studying R.C. Sproul's John, An Expositional Commentary. If you want to grow closer to Jesus, there's no better place to start than the Gospel of John. It may be quite familiar to you, as it was to me, but this book is taking me deeper than ever into these words of the apostle who was arguably the closest one to the Messiah. Yet Sproul's language is simple, clear, and thus quite accessible for anyone: I highly recommend it. Yesterday's passage was John 14:1-3. This has long been a favorite chapter of mine, due to its comforting message; in fact, it is often read at funerals. Verse 2 is probably most familiar in the King James Version: "In my Father's house are many mansions..." (emphasis mine). Sproul illuminates, however: "...the Greek word literally means "dwellings," but even more precisely, the word calls attention to the idea of a suite." (John, an Expositional Commentary, (c)2009  R.C. Sproul, Ligonier Ministries). 

      No matter where you find yourself at any given moment, whether majestic mansion or simple suite, hospital room or comfortable home, or even atop a sleeping bag under the sky, you can trust that if you've opened the door of your heart to Jesus, God's only Son, He now dwells in you. You can also trust that you have a dwelling place waiting for you in Heaven that will be "exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think." (Ephesians 3:20 KJV)

Psalm 84 (ESV)

How lovely is your dwelling place,

O Lord of hosts!

My soul longs, yes, faints

for the courts of the Lord;

my heart and flesh sing for joy

to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may lay her young,

at your altars, O Lord of hosts,

my King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house,

ever singing your praise! Selah

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

As they go through the Valley of Baca

they make it a place of springs;

the early rain also covers it with pools.

They go from strength to strength;

each one appears before God in Zion.

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;

give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah

Behold our shield, O God;

look on the face of your anointed!

For a day in your courts is better

than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

the Lord bestows favor and honor.

No good thing does he withhold

from those who walk uprightly.

O Lord of hosts,

blessed is the one who trusts in you!

    ✝️

 "He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

Desert Drifter

     

Grand Canyon, AZ

   It was nearly a year ago, I think, Bill discovered a YouTube channel we both quickly came to love. It's called "Desert Drifter," and it follows a young man named Andrew Cross as he explores, usually solo, the desert southwest of the United States with simply a backpack and his camera (including a drone). With Andrew, we have seen cave dwellings, evidence of daily life such as postsherds and artwork and smoke-charred canyon walls, where few other feet have trod in a thousand years or more. We've come to think of Andrew as part of our family and to look forward to our next adventure with him. 

      A couple of weeks ago, when Bill checked the Desert Drifter channel, we were surprised to see Andrew's wife Evelyn standing in front of a brick wall, sharing tearfully that her husband had been involved in a devastating car crash and pleading for prayers as Andrew fought for his life in the ICU. As my brothers and sisters in Christ will understand, our kinship is often felt deep in the spirit without a particular word being said. Somehow early on, as Andrew explored this extraordinarily beautiful part of our blessed country, his sweet, gentle spirit and his reverence for the "Ancient Ones" and the land made me say, "I bet he's a Christian." Farther along, he made reference to his faith, and I smiled. Upon hearing of his situation, then, we immediately began praying for him, his family, and his caregivers, all the while thanking God for the knowledge that no matter the outcome, Andrew is in Jesus's hands.

      As details emerged on the accident, it became apparent that Andrew's merely surviving was nothing short of a miracle. A Caring Bridge site was soon set up, and the outpouring from around the globe has been astounding. This young man (age 35, I believe) has 450,000+ followers on YouTube, and MANY of us are believers, judging by the prayers and encouragement that are posted daily. I found a podcast interview a few days ago (done 9 months ago, I believe) in which Andrew talked freely of his faith, his life, and what brought him to "Desert Drifter." He was in Christian ministry, and yet he walked through a valley, and this exploration of remote places arose from his need for consolation and direction. He needed to be alone with God. 

      While I follow the daily updates on Andrew's progress on Caring Bridge, I can't help wondering if this time when his body is necessarily resting and hopefully healing, God isn't somehow preparing His next big step for Andrew. I'm thinking Andrew is even now exploring more caves and petroglyphs with his Savior by his side, guiding him deeper into relationship and the knowledge of His plan for Andrew's future. I'm truly believing that when Andrew emerges from this deep rest, he will have a clearer vision of God's purpose for him moving forward, far beyond what any of us can imagine! (Ephesians 3:20). 

      Yet this one thing I know: no matter what happens to Andrew's broken (for now) earthly body, one day, hopefully many years in the future, he will stand with me and all his brothers and sisters in Christ before the throne of God and hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant .... Enter into the joy of your master.’" (Matthew 25:21 ESV) I pray you will be there, too. 

      Dear reader, we ALL have valleys or deserts to walk through in life-- they just come in different shapes and sizes, like those Andrew has explored. Here was a vibrant young man, driving home from one of his adventures, innocently stopped at a red light, when out of nowhere came a speeding van that plowed into him and could have ended his life in an instant. That could be you or me today. Yet this is ALWAYS my prayer for you: that no matter what you may walk through on this imperfect earth, you do so with your hand in the hand of Jesus Christ, Israel's Messiah, God's only Son, the One Who willingly gave His life in a brutal, unimaginably painful way so that each one of us might spend eternity with Him at Our Father's feet, drifting no more. EVERYONE will live forever; earthly death is not the end for anyone. It's just a question of where we choose to spend eternity by accepting or rejecting the Son.

"No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also."                                                                              (1 John 2:23 ESV) 

"I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture." (John 10:9 CSB)

    ✝️

 "He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

NOTES: 

1. Find Desert Drifter here:  https://www.youtube.com/@Desert.Drifter

2. Andrew's Caring Bridge: https://www.caringbridge.org/site/5fcb666d-e0b8-11ef-abc2-a31fd9bc4383

3. Andrew's GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/3c0bcf5b

4. Andrew's testimony podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ6Wr7Jb-oo

 Faithful followers, thank you for adding Andrew & Evelyn to your daily prayers. 🙏