Moments

  By the fire on this frosty morning, there is a quiet peace of Spirit - a knowing, a sensing, a loving that now permeates my being and washes over me like a gentle warm wave, tingling my soul with a delight that is not fully comprehended.     Peace and joy glow within and without as yesterday’s failures and successes softly drift away into the silent swirling fog.   Distant times are fading into hazy reflection.   The past and future are now.   All that is felt, and all that remains is this one moment, this warmth, and a love that only intimacy with God can create.     Thank you, God, for this moment in which one truly lives in life eternal; living life in You.

She wasn’t pretty. In fact, she had a somewhat disheveled look to her.   Who knows what her job was at this prison I worked at, but she came around to transact some sort of business in my department now and then. Everyone avoided her as much as possible.   “She’s mean and hateful,” they would say.   “She’ll bite your head off. Better to leave her alone.” Indeed, she looked the part. Her furrowed brow, her prominent eyebrows, the narrow hollow eyes, the set jaw all gave her the look of someone you better leave alone.   She never had much to say and what she did say was short and curt, in a “better leave me alone” tone.   No one could stand her, but I   couldn’t understand why someone would want to be such a mean and disagreeable person.    Every time she would come around, she would pique my curiosity, but I also felt a pity that someone could choose to live a life so full of bitterness.   Being a little off-center myself, I naturall...

 They say I have AFIB and am at high risk of stroke if I don't take blood thinners.  They say, that on blood thinners I should be careful not to incur a serious wound as the bleeding might be hard to stop.  They say my heart rate is too low and I could die in my sleep any time .  They say all the plant based eating and exercise, with no smoking,  no alcohol and trying to get plenty of rest means little as I am like all the rest in this condition with essentially one foot in the grave and doctor dependent.  My whole life future is articulated in a 10-15 minute doctor consultation.   I could believe maybe I don't have long to live. But, they don't really know that.  God does.  The lack of confidence in the medial profession and the dire prospects predicted by them for my life has driven straight to God.  I may be getting prepared to meet Him but I am more peaceful about it all than before.  God and I are closer than before, close...

  We put a lighted cross up in the pasture in front of the house for Christmas.  In these pandemic days, the cross shining out bravely in the darkness is a smile maker, a bad mood breaker.  "Because He lives" I can live also; now - and everymore.  "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow; because I know He holds the future:" not the government, not  the politicians, or any disease.  Since I found the Lord there has been  a cross in my life directing my way, shining  in the darkness that would overcome me.  The lighted cross reminds me of this lest I forget.  As  long as I can be reminded of that, I know there is a resting place for my world-weary soul and there will continue to be hope in my heart.   We feed the deer in the area of the cross too .   The deer resting at the cross seems to say I need to stay resting in the cross myself.      God bless us all.

 Got a letter from Joan ..taking some heavy hitting pain meds for her pain....she seems so ....I don't know what to say...remember her in your prayers. I thought of this while reading my Bible commentary this morning.  Mark 1:40-42 In this scripture a man with leoprosy came and "If you will, you can makee me clean."   Leprosy in those days is a horrible disease and it disfigures one to a great extent...sore everywhere,  limbs rotting off.  If you had it you were quarantined from everyone...sound familiar. >?  You had to give warning of your "uncleaness" by saying "unclean" all the time you were in public.  No one touched you and most did not get near...you had to keep your upper lip covered walking about. The leper had to dwell alone outside of town.  The disease was one that slowly coroded a persons body until he died but the worst was the social isolation they had to endure until then.  Mentally and personally, they were as diseased...

  Those of us that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves.    And there are so many needy souls.   So many, in fact, that one cannot bear all infirmities for all of them without self-destruction and the destruction of the infirmity bearing vehicle.   It is as if we are little boats and we take people with their burdens aboard, but we can’t take everybody.   If we keep loading the boat with the needy, the boat will sink and everyone will drown; the burden-bearers and the needy.   Christian growth like a snake shedding its skin periodically and taking on a new one. The snake skin analogy:   How many times do we shed our skin on   our journey to grow as Christians.   Still Be still and know that I am God……Be still ourselves to receive His stillness.   He still cares, still consoles, still heals, still delivers, and He still saves.   In our empty vanities it really doesn’t matter what w...

Moments: Christian Credibility :  Go into the world and spread the good news.  As a Christian, it would appear I should be going and preaching all the time at whatever stati...