Audience of One

The other night Clarence was determined that he was supposed to be in a program of some type and I was supposed to be helping him to get there so that he could participate. I started asking questions. Where is it? Who is going to be there? What kind of program is it? What are we supposed to do? He didn't know the answer to any of those questions but he was determined that he needed to get up from his chair and stand. Once he was up though, he wouldn’t move. He didn't know where to go or what to do. So, now what?

At that point I made the suggestion that we begin the program and sing, so the two of us stood side by side and sang several great songs of the faith. “Blessed Assurance”, “The Old Rugged Cross”, “Stand up for Jesus”, “Holy, Holy, Holy” and others.

Clarence sang with his whole heart, thinking all the time that we were participating in some type of program, and actually I guess we were in a program. It was for an audience of one, our Lord Jesus Christ, our Mighty God. We hope that He enjoyed it as much as we did.

God Is Faithful

Clarence fell one morning not too long ago and when we were weary and about to give up, a friend came by to help us get him back on his feet. Later on, while dressing, Clarence mentioned a favorite passage, Lamentations 3:22-23. “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

The scripture started us singing together and the words of “Great is Thy Faithfulness” filled the room. It was a wonderful reminder for us, and all day long we remembered that God is with us even when things are tough and we might be feeling alone.

In the evening we started listening to a Gaither event via YouTube and towards the end found ourselves once more singing “Great is Thy Faithfulness”, this time with a large group of true musicians. What a great way to start and end our day, remembering how good God is and how faithful He is.

We weren’t done though. That evening as we were reading “The Daily Bread” I found myself fighting off tears as we once again encountered words of God’s faithfulness. We read Psalm 107:23-32 and in vs 29 it says “He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed”. The Daily Bread reading included this quote: “God understands His children will sometimes struggle to feel hopeful when life feels
like a storm. We need reminders of His faithfulness, especially when the horizon looks dark and tumultuous.” * Clarence and I both needed to hear those words.

We try to read The Daily Bread every night but sometimes miss, especially if it has been a particularly tough day. Occasionally we’ll go back to read one that we missed but generally we will just keep reading where we are supposed to be. Imagine my surprise when, upon closing the app, I discovered that the reading we had just done was from five days prior. Apparently God was saving it for this special day which was filled with reminders of His faithfulness. Reminders that would draw us closer to Him, help us to lean on Him, and to trust Him more.

* Xochitl Dixon / Our Daily Bread May 31st 2022

Some Assembly Required

It arrived on Sunday, our new recumbent exercise bike. We knew that there was some assembly but we were hoping for easy. We had read reviews that ran from 1 hour to 4 or 5 for putting it together. I was hoping to be in the one hour category but knowing Clarence has vision issues and I am not mechanically inclined, we would be satisfied with somewhere in the middle. 

 

Monday morning we opened the box. They packed a lot of stuff in that box and the way it was packed was precise. We started at 11:00 and finished about 1:45. We took a lot of pictures as we unpacked it with hopes that if something didn't work we would be able to pack it all back in the box for a return. Doubtful that we could get it back together right but the pictures would help if we had to try. That in itself took some time so let's knock off about half an hour for picture taking. I also had to take a couple "I need to walk away from this" breaks, maybe another 15 to 30 minutes. That being said our assembly probably took a couple hours. Not bad.

 

Step 1, adding the leg supports, gave us trouble with the screws not lining up right - count on step 1 to go bad. Once we got beyond step 1 it went really well . . . 

. . . until we reached hooking up the tension wires. That's one step that we had to walk away from. The instructions up to that point were great, but when we reached the trickiest part, the area that could make the bike work or not work, they got a bit skimpy. The drawing that was supposed to show us what to do was small even with a magnifying glass. I finally found instructions on the computer and was able to enlarge the tiny detail, providing us with the info that we needed. 

As it turns out I had tried to do exactly what I was supposed to do, but didn't have the brute strength to make it happen. Before we went back to our assembly we prayed about it. Our prayer kindly suggested that maybe God himself, or a couple a His angels, would like to add a helping hand and a bit of strength. I tried again and while explaining to Clarence what I was trying to do suddenly the thing slipped together!!! Definitely answered prayer.

It looks really nice but it isn't gym quality. The computer is . . . well, more like a cheap watch, and it isn't a "smooth" ride if you increase the tension beyond 2 or 3, but the bike is going to work for a couple older people who just want some exercise without having to go to the gym. We knew up front the fact that it came from a country other than USA, combined with the price we paid, meant it wasn't going to be perfect, but we don't need the "computer" to ride it and tension 1-3 are enough to get a fairly good workout. We're hoping it will last at least a few years.

Have you ever prayed asking God to step in to help you with something like hooking up the tension wires? We often think God doesn't care about stuff like that, but remember He's more than God, He's our Father and He delights in our coming to Him no matter the reason. I have the feeling that He smiled when we stopped to ask for His help, and when we said thank you maybe He added a gentle laugh. We encourage you to go Him with your challenges - big or small. Share your joys and sorrows. Stop once in awhile just to say "God, I Love You!". Go ahead and give it a try, make Him smile.

Why didn't God just start over?

This morning's message was out of Ephesians 6:14a "Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth".

Among many great points (our pastor seldom holds to the rule of three), he talked about the truth of who we are in God's eyes. I am not defined by how I feel about myself, or what I think about myself. The truth of who I am is how God feels about me and what He thinks of me. The truth is that God loves me, and He thinks of me as being important enough that He sent His Son Jesus to die for me so that I could be His forever. When I understand that truth, I better understand that I can trust God with my whole being, I am more likely to get into His Word because I want to know Him better and be more like Him, and I am better equipped for Him to use me in the spiritual battle that furthers His kingdom.

OK, confession time. Sometimes my mind wanders to odd places while I am supposed to be listening to the message. Where did it go today? Well, it went to that age old question of "When Adam and Eve sinned, why didn't God just destroy them and start over? Wouldn't this world be a better place if a different man and woman made a better choice?"  My wandering mind might have stumbled across the answer to that question this morning, and here's what I'm thinking:

When Adam and Eve sinned, God didn't destroy them and start over because I am a descendant of Adam and Eve, and God already loved me too much to stop the process that was going to bring me into being.

That idea is going to be on my mind this week. I hope you will think about it too, because if it is true of me it is also true of you.

What's Hiding in the Bag?

One of our local stores provides paper bags in the freezer department and I used one for my ice cream the other day. In the past, the bags have been nice and strong but they have gotten rather thin in recent months. As I was checking out with my purchases, the cashier lifted the bag and a section tore out, which got us talking about the bags. I mentioned that they really didn't serve their purpose as far as keeping things cold, but they did mange to hide my ice cream so everyone would see only the good things I was purchasing and think I was making healthy choices rather than buying junk food. 

A few minutes later I heard a voice to the side saying "She's getting ice cream isn't she?" I turned to see a friend from church and her little granddaughter gazing into the bag the cashier had placed in the bottom portion of my cart. I had to laugh as I commented that the bag didn't even work for hiding my ice cream.

That event got me to thinking. Just as I was trying to hide the junk food, I sometimes try to hide the sin in my life. I don't want my family and friends to know that I mess up, so I choose earthly "bags" to hide my actions. My Heavenly Father though, who knows all things and knows my heart, can see what's hiding in the "bag". Too often I've bought into the wrong things and sometimes it hurts when He stands there at the end of the checkout telling me what He sees. It hurts me to hear the truth, but it hurts Him too because those things disrupt my relationship with Him.

As hard as it is, I'm glad He opens the "bags" and tells me what He sees in them. In doing that, He gives me the opportunity to confess my sins, become clean, and try again.

An Imprint You Can Recognize!

It isn't unusual for birds to hit our sliding glass door. Generally all that remains is a little smudge mark - OK, sometimes a big smudge mark, it all depends on the size of the bird. Last night we discovered that one of the doves had flown into our window. We can tell it was a dove because it left a full imprint. With the outdoor light behind it you can see all the markings of the body, each feather is outlined, even the imprint of the eyes and beak are there to be seen.  Ouch, that must have hurt!  I cringe to think of it - maybe that's because I've gone into a glass door myself and ended up with a broken tooth in the process, but this poor bird had a full body slam at who knows what speed. It had to have had the wind knocked out of it and probably ended up on the cement porch for a little while. With any "bird luck" the outdoor cat wasn't around to see it happen.

Most of us have times in our lives when we slam into something we didn't see coming. It might not be a pane of glass or a brick wall, but we still get the wind knocked out of us and we're left wondering what happened. I've learned that some of my hurts are self-inflicted and brought on by my sin. Other times God allows things to come into my life to test me or strengthen me, things I may or may not understand.

When I encounter that next "wham" in my life, I wonder what kind of imprint I will leave behind. I hope and pray that the "imprint on the glass" will be recognizable to others, and will be a perfect image of Jesus rather than myself.

My Favorite Love Song . . . ummm, Hymn

All through February I was hearing this song on the radio and intended to write about it. Finally I am taking the time. My first recollection is when I was a teenager. The words are my favorite part but the tune was creatively done with notes rolling up and down the keyboard just as water would move with waves lifting one up and down. If you aren't familiar with the hymn, find it online and listen to the way the music moves. I think even in those days it wasn't a popular hymn, but I suspect that was because it could be a challenge to sing and not because it didn't touch hearts.

Oh the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in it's fullness over me
underneath me, all around me, is the current of thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward, to my glorious rest above.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread his praise from shore to shore!
How he loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, never more.
How he watches o'er his loved ones, died to call them all his own;
How for them he intercedeth, watcheth o'er them from the throne!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best!
'Tis an ocean vast of blessing, 'tis a haven sweet of rest.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, 'tis a heav'n of heav'ns to me;
and it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to thee.

Words: S. Trevor Francis