Author: admin

I may not know  why I haven’t organized myself to attend to my blog daily as was  and is my intent in establishing it. But there are some things I  do know; and I count such knowledge wisdom. Wisdom from on High.

I know that no life is random; that each of us who survived the birth canal journey did so because God allowed our conception and subsequent birth. Think of the uncountable opportunities in the universe for human conception, and how many do not come to fruition. Those that do are intentional, set in motion by the God who proclaimed, ” Be fruitful and multiply.” And imprinted within the spirit of each life is a purpose; a God-ordained design for His glory.

I know that life comes with both bitterness and sweetness; that we will know both trials and triumphs, laughter and tears, good times and awful times. Yet not even this discordance in the realities of life  distorts the love of the Giver for His creation. For did He not proclaim, “I have loved you with an everlasting love…”? And does not everlasting mean “forever?” Through all life’s vicissitudes?

I know that each day is a gift we unwrap as we awaken on our bed, sofa, cot, floor,  pallet, cardboard box, or concrete pillar. This gift of another beginning brings opportunities we can embrace, ignore, tackle or ponder; but opportunities they are. How we receive them; learn from them or utilize them is up to us. “Because of God’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Most of all, I know God is real. He is real in my soul and in the souls of all who receive His love expressed in and through the salvation offered us by His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the greatest wisdom – to know the Savior.

Peace. Love. Joy

 

It’s after 6:00 PM; not my preferred or usual time to blog. My thoughts are more organized and focused in the morning hours. But today didn’t turn on that clock. I greeted the morning with an excoriating leg cramp; one like I’ve never had before. Maybe I was too deep in slumber land to feel the Lord’s usual soft wake up touch and He had to get my attention!!!  Oh, I know. You’re saying that’s not how God works. And maybe He doesn’t and the pain was just part of the human condition. I don’t confess to know. All I know is I began the day He had made and awaken me to in pain. As I awaited the cramp to diminish, I thought about how different one day is from another. And if the previous day was to your thinking “a great day,” you kind of expect a repeat performance just one day removed. But as I experienced, that’s not real life. Real life is not knowing from one 24 hour period to the next what a day will bring.

And this obvious realization brings me back as always to the faith I profess. I believe the Lord orchestrates the hours of my life; that He knows before I even begin a day what experiences and adventures await me. Perhaps that is why yesterday in the grocery store, I picked up an over the counter leg cramp medication. Someone on the recent tour had mentioned that she kept those for those occasional times she had cramps. As the store clerk  scanned the package, she commented,  ” Bananas. That’s what my doctor told me to eat for leg cramps. Try it and see.” She went on to say she doesn’t like taking a lot of pills.

Neither do I like taking pills for any and every ailment. So even though I got the leg cramp pills, I didn’t take them this morning. Instead today I restocked my banana bowl. My point is this. The Lord knew the cramps were in the design of my day; He nudged me to be ready by bringing to mind my intro to leg cramp pains days ago on the tour;  and then led me to that particular store clerk and her commentary. Before I needed Him, He was working on a plan to help me. How can I not believe in and praise Him, in pain and out!

Peace. Joy. Love.

A week ago today I was sitting in the Moscow airport  lounge for priority flyers (courtesy of my sister Ann), sleep deprived and not looking forward to the 13 hour flight to LA and subsequent 4 plus hour flight from there to Atlanta. It has taken a week for my physical body to readjust to my time zone. Interestingly enough my spiritual self needed no such timeframe. For despite the challenges to the body, my spirit never lost its vitality and even when I may have appeared grumpy on the outside,  my heart was afire with the saving grace of my Savior.  I knew with certainty that I was covered by His favor, a sense I have had my entire life; even during the years when I ignored Him and pursued my own way.

Time has wings, and we associate those wings with flying. It’s what we imply when we say “time flies.” Sometimes though we miss the messages of time because we think it’s always fleeting. But it’s not. Imbedded in that sense of flying time, Jesus stands unmoving, offering us  power to channel what seems to be slipping away into all the strength we require for the journey.

Chronos time is clock time; time that can be measured in minutes, hours, years. That’s the time that has wings. But believers understand the concept of Kairos time; time  measured in the  moments God orchestrates. The time that is the right time, the opportune moment for the words of the Apostle Paul’s words to ring true: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8; 28)

Bottom line to these reflections: Irrespective  of time measured in hours, God’s timing is always “on time.” For the body and the soul.

The old saying, “The way to hell is paved with good intentions” has some truth. I don’t profess that what has kept me from this blog was necessarily a carrier to hell, but surely my intentions to share regular words of inspiration and encouragement were derailed. It has been so long since I opened my website, I forgot how to do log on.  That’s a sad commentary, but a truthful one. At any rate, here I am again; hopefully with more staying power this time around.

When my beloved husband of 35 years made his transition to heaven eleven years ago, I declared a “new normal” as a way of describing my life at the time. I have come to understand that the longer we live, the “new normal” multiplies and we add more and more of them  to our life story.  At this writing I am perhaps at “new normal” # 5 and counting! The good news is that no matter the season of life we’re in and how many “new normal” notches we’ve added to our life belts, our constancy has been and is Jesus Christ. The plans God had for us before we even drew breath continue to unfold; and if we embrace His sovereignty in all things, we will discover the Savior out front leading, guiding, protecting, favoring and extending His grace each time a “new normal” springs up.

I found this to be true mostly recently when He allowed me the opportunity to traverse the footsteps of the Apostle Paul through Greece, Turkey and Rome on a fourteen day odyssey with a group of fellow Christian believers led by a Jewish tour guide who embraces Christianity.  Aside from a trip to the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of Jesus in Israel and Egypt in 2010, I had not done international travel. My appetite is wetted. I have yet another “new normal”: septuagenarian world traveler eager for the next adventure.  God’s favor was  upon me the entire trip and His peace was palpable throughout my sojourn in those foreign lands. A “new normal” is the norm for all who trust God on the ultimate journey to eternity.

To the few of you who may wonder what happened. Why did the blog posts stop? The answer is simple: life interrupted, and it has taken a while to bring closure to those interruptions. . Let’s pray together that I will stay the course this time. It’s been such a long time since I last wrote I don’t recall what was so important at that time, so I won’t attempt any linking then with now. After all,  it is a new year and new years allow new beginnings.

I’ve lost faith in Facebook, so I don’t post to it anymore. Nor do I read the posts that still appear on my page. My public media persona is my website with this blog. Of course I still send and receive texts and email  messages.  But that’s it. So if you’re following me, and I hope you are, this is where I’ll be.

 

Tuesday mornings are prayer line days; and one of my sisters  and I  work it together. Because we were both given the name Beverly by different mothers, Tuesdays have become known as Bev and Bev’s  day. Today was my turn to serve as moderator, and the scripture reference – Psalm 118:24 – reminded us that each day we should be joyful. With anti-joy events and situations swirling  near and far, a reflective person might just ask, “Why? What have I or what have we to be joyful about with the world, our world in its present condition? If we should feel anything, it ought to be consternation, confusion, despair and fear.” That may well be the case for nonbelievers. But Christians are believers in God’s sovereignty, and with that belief system, we can face each day He awakens us to with a certainty that He is still in  control. Yes, our circumstances may not be the best; the world may be in total disarray; it may seem wrong is indeed on the throne; and righteousness kneels before it in submission. But the fact that a new day dawned, not because of anything mankind did to make that happen, but because God Himself brought it forth one more time, is reason for joy. For the God who made the day and has shaped it to His will in that making owns what He has made. What joy! What comfort! What peace abounds in that understanding. Believers can rejoice and be glad, no matter what. “This is the day the Lord has made!”

 

These days in the ongoing saga of contemporary America there is a goldmine of fodder for reflection and commentary. Today I turn to another reality of the times: a person nominated for the Supreme Court whose character casts such an ominous shadow that an overwhelming majority of Americans feel he should not be confirmed. Unfortunately, that majority opinion seems not, at this writing, to dissuade the elected officials who will make the decision. The latest wrinkle in the political quilt of nonpartisanship that for the moment characterizes “government for and by the people” is an accusation by a woman from the nominee’s past who accuses him of attempted rape when they were high school classmates. As the denials and counter denials fly back and forth and the talking heads on cable and local news programs keep us updated, I have as is my wont,  reflected upon what a “Christian” nation and its “Christian” officials charged with this serious judicial appointment should hold paramount.  As usual, I find my answer in holy scripture. The prophet Micah writes, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8) Before his father in law offered him advice on how more efficiently he could serve God’s people, Moses was a lone judge for the Israelites. Jethro said to him:  “… select capable men from all the people – men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain – and appoint them… Have them serve as judges for the people…” (Exodus 18: 18-22) So what should be paramount in the appointment of judges? They should be men or women who are capable – educated in the law and its nuances; individuals who love God and demonstrate that love by acts of justice and mercy and humility in service to God’s people; candidates  who are trustworthy as evidenced by their past and present actions in thought, word and deed; and persons who are honest, whose honesty is verifiable by public and private records. If the current nominee fails in either of these criteria, his nomination should be scrubbed. At least that’s what a legislative body that  claims adherence to the Christian faith ought to do.  In my mind anyway.

Peace. Blessings. Love.

Scripture instructs us that for everything there is a time and a season. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)  I find solace in this perspective. As is evident I have been away from my blogging for some time. Trips to the two places I identify as “home” have kept me from the keyboard for well over a month. I confess I missed sharing my musings. With the world growing ever crazier, contentious and more complex each passing day, there is abundant “food” for thought and reflection. Let me begin with an issue that continues to make my head spin: the plight of the hundreds of children, separated from their parents/families by our government, who languish still in detention centers through the country. The atrocity of such a policy inflicted upon children ranging in age from infants to teens will stain the character of this nation for years to come. In a country that identifies itself as “Christian,” a most unchristian act has been and continues to be committed.  We need but look to Jesus, the founder of our faith,  to get  an idea of what He must think of these actions. Recorded in the Gospels of Matthew,  Mark and Luke are the Savior’s responses to the wellbeing of children.  “And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea… See that you do not look down on one these little one… Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these… And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.” Jesus’ words and actions regarding children are clearly antithetical to the policies enacted in response to immigration issues. Taking children away from their parents is not a welcoming gesture. The emotional and psychological damage  these children will in all likelihood experience may, if not treated properly,  lead them to negative life choices. What else but “looking down upon these children” is the decision to place them in group homes and private run detention facilities? I remain hopeful that this tragedy will not become a new norm. I pray daily that God will forgive us individually and collectively for this national sin against children and against Him. I would rather we disavow our claim to be a “Christian nation” than continue to walk on this path that does not lead to eternity.

Gentle reader, be advised  that I will not post over the next several days.  The reason: five boys – one grandson and four grand nephews – ages 4 to 11. We are spending the week together here in the Dallas area. It’s the third generation cousin retreat that’s becoming somewhat  a family tradition. I seized this unclaimed moment to allay any concerns you may have about why I’m not posting. As I write, my grandson has come twice to ask if he can have my laptop to join the others in one those online games they play.  Never fear! I shall return!!!!