Hard to believe that one more year has come and gone.  When someone comments about something that happened 20 years ago, I still think of the 1980’s.  I know better, but it is still hard to comprehend in a moment’s time.

But, the seasons continue, winter into spring, into summer, into fall and back into winter.  Time is an ongoing and revocable part of our lives and the passage is just another part of it.

Carla received a frantic call this morning – ‘We have two trucks and only one person to unload them – can you come down, immediately?!?”  Yep, not sure how long she will be there, but wearing a nightgown I don’t think they will keep her long.  (Okay just kidding, but it was almost that fast.)

One truck was scheduled for last week, but there was a problem, the truck driver was injured, so they put it off – until Monday.

Couldn’t make it Monday, couldn’t make it Tuesday and Wednesday the dispatcher wouldn’t send it out because of the weather – why she didn’t wait a couple of hours who knows – and even that would not have been necessary since the Gorge was clear.

So, the truck scheduled today arrived, to find the truck scheduled earlier in front of it at the back door – with no extra help scheduled because even the truck for today was to come in later.....

I am impressed...

She has to put in a full day on Saturday.  To help get it all on the shelves.  I don’t like her to put in 8+ hours a day, it ain’t good for her.  On occasion, maybe, and hopefully this will be that once in a while. 

Isaiah 43:18-19 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

¹⁹ Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

This time of year we are encouraged to look back at the ending year and look forward to the new year.

Memory is a multi-faceted; it is a blessing and but it can also be a curse.

We look back to remember the blessings that God gave us this past year. 

And satan creeps in with the many times we failed in our service to God.

We look back and remember the positive things we did and how it affected others – but too often rely on those memories, sit back and go no further.

We look back and see where we faltered, where we could have done something so much better, and we get discouraged.

We see the times we let people down, when we ignored the needs of others.

When we look back and see these things, we all too often believe that they mark us and condemn us.

AND sometimes they do.  Mostly because we let them.

So what do we do with these things? 

We need to look at them as a building stone that God is using to draw us closer to Him.

To use everything we have faced or done as an encouragement to do better in the days to come.

To learn to look forward, with anticipation, each day, of what God has in store for us.

Forgetting how we failed, or how great we were – and focus on each day as an opportunity to serve Him anew.

We do not want to look at yesterday as our defining moment, whether it be failure or success; because He will use today to His glory and we have the opportunity to experience His moving in the world.

History is important – it reminds us of who we are, where we have been and how decisions – good and bad – have shaped us.

But to rest on or beat ourselves over the past, is to forget that God is still alive, and continuing to work within the world – and He wants us to be part of His miraculous works.

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

We need to follow Him as He makes those new paths and rivers in eager anticipation to see where He leads us.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

What a nice day, sun showing around out valley – while I see clouds on the parameter.  The winds will be blowing hard through the Gorge from us to the Portland area for a few days – and we shall be cold in our neck of the woods.

That, of course is relatively speaking, but for us when it gets into the low 20’s and teens that is cold for this area.

Hard to believe it is almost the last day of the year – just a date on the calendar that is much the same as tomorrow and yesterday – but still a time of reflection and thoughts of how we can do better ‘next year.’

Psalm 37:23-24 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.

²⁴ Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.

So who is a good man, and how do you know if you are ‘good enough?’

Mathew 12:35-36 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

Psalm 139:22-23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

²⁴ And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

It is the heart that really determines a good man, and the only way we can have a ‘good’ heart is through Jesus.

God knows our heart far better than we do – we prove that at o dark thirty hours when long forgotten deeds come to mind, when sins and fears creep up from our minds in a desire to torment us.

Only God can cleanse our heart, and we must allow Him to do so – but we can only do it because His Son is our Savior and our heart has changed thanks to His sacrifice, resurrection AND His prayers for us.

John 17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Mathew 25:23  His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

A good man is faithful to God in all he does; he doesn’t waver, he doesn’t take the easy road to avoid the responsibilities that God has given him.

Acts 11:22 & 24  Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch.

²⁴ For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.

Barnabas was called a good man, because of His dedication to God and his faith in Him, his heart was full and he allowed the Spirit of God to dwell, fully within him.

We of ourselves cannot be a good man, all that we do must come through our service to God, through His Son Jesus.  Choosing any other path condemns us and our works.

Mathew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

²² Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

²³ And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

So a good man is a man of God, whose heart has been searched by God because he has asked for that search and whose heart has been changed through the acceptance of God’s Son.

We may, at times, fail to be perfect – but when we come to Him in faith, believing that He forgives and will once again purify our hearts – we can be consider a ‘good man.’

That is a designation we should all seek.

Later, Art :-)

Snowing, large flakes coming down, not really sticking – at least not yet, but it is reminding us how pretty snow is, and  that it is winter and to be expected.

No wind, unusual for us, it is coming straight down and very softly.  Cats are sitting in windows watching and probably thankful they are hunkered in a warm place.

Carla is supposed to have Wed through Fri off, but they are getting two trucks in tomorrow – a mix up at the warehouse – so she may get called in.

Doesn’t make much difference to us, we don’t go out on New Year’s eve – and usually she stays up to welcome the new year – I figure it will be there in the morning so go to bed.

She will be home in plenty of time.  It will be the first time she has had the first off in years.  So, she will have to put up with the football games on television.  We will just do a tray of meat and cheese and veggies to eat during the day, none of us have to busy ourselves.

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Are you making New Year’s resolution and including reading the Bible through in 2016?

May I make a suggestion, because even if, like me, you have made that resolution but failed in the past to doing this (not as a substitution for devotions and meditations, but as a desire to read the Bible) I can tell you what has helped me.

For several years I determined to read through the Bible from Geneses to Revelation.  Sometimes I was able to keep on track for a couple of months – but most of the time I faltered, couldn’t catch back up and gave up.

A few years back I discovered Biblegateway.com with a number of devotions and several read through the Bible in a year reading plans.

I know there are some others out there, but this is the one I use and it works for me.  Using these plans it only takes about 10 to 15 minutes a day to read the daily posts that let you read the entire Bible in a year.  With this plan I have read through the Bible, in a year, at least 4 or 5 years, now; and will continue doing so.

You can even get an audio version on some of them.  I have always read the Bible, but I found that most of the time I went to certain books and there are some books I never read – and I never heard any preaching on them.  There are some real gems of wisdom in those books and they augment and expand what we learn in other books of the Bible.

It is just one more way of listening to what God says and growing in Him as we read all of His Word.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Skiff of snow this morning, and we are supposed to be getting a bit more.  I would much rather deal with the snow than the havoc so many of our countrymen are having to work with in the Texas and mid-west areas.

I recently heard a man say, it isn’t the weather that kills you, it is the lack of preparation.  Most of the time he is correct, but when you have tornados coming your way there is little time to avoid it.  There is some protection, but very little and the planning has to be done for the results of those winds, not the prevention.

I look about me and I see cats on pillows, and back of daveno and the cat tree – looking out at the cold dark outside.  Meanwhile, Blaze rests comfortably in his kennel in the corner.

John 12:39-41 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,

⁴⁰ He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

⁴¹ These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.

The other day I read a post from a woman that was forwarded from another person.  I don’t recall all of it, it was like the venom of the spitting cobra it was so vitriol.

But two things did stick with me, because they were just another example of the irony that comes from those that cannot see.  It said, I am a supporter of Black lives matter; I am a supporter of Pro-choice.

The death of infants from abortion has the highest percentage, if not the highest number, within the black population.

But, it is the sign of the times.  People hang their hats on empty platitudes; they no longer think for themselves and are so full of hate for those that disagree with them it is impossible to come to any kind of middle ground.

Several years ago I realized that many of the people I talked to about America had not only a different vision of what America was, but that it should become a country of those that demand those that earn money should support those that choose not to work.

We have become a country of enablers.  Signs in Zoos and parks countrywide tell us not to feed the animals – part of it is because they have strict diets and the wrong food can make them sick, but a large part of the danger of feeding animals in the wild is that they become dependent on man for their food and stop foraging for food as they should.

It isn’t a new philosophy – one of the greatest lies perpetuated on the Indians was, after the population was decimate and their way of life virtually destroyed, our White Father in Washington will take care of you.

It isn’t hard to look around and see how that worked.  We destroyed their pride and self-sufficiency and when we gave them anything at all that we promised them, we made them beg for it.

Now, we have those that would say to anyone who wishes to live off the work of others and not strive to maintain their own dignity and pride – that’s okay, the Government will take care of you and we will give you things ‘free’ for the rest of your lives.

As I read that post, I all but cried.  I prayed for the original poster and for the woman who forwarded the post. 

America is a house divided against itself and unless those that deny the Word of God and the Salvation of Christ open their hearts, we will go the way of those that fell and are only a historical note in the pages of time. 

Used as an example of what man became when they denied God’s providence and, unfortunately, what happens when man doesn’t look at history and learn from it.

Still and all, our Savior is there for everyone if they but listen – our prayers must be lifted up for the salvation of our country, starting with individuals.

Jesus healed the blind, He will do it again if His people have faith.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Got two - three inches of snow last night, as I check the traffic cams and cameras at various ski lodges we appear to have at least as much as some and even more than others – pretty unusual for us.  However, I have a hunch that there is a lot more snow that what is seen. 

Shore is purdy though.

I was talking with Rose and William.  They had been down at the barn taking care of their goats.  William has a couple of new billy goat kids and another goat is getting ready to give birth to at least one more kid.

Rose said that hers will be another couple of weeks off.

At times like this I am quite happy not to have livestock.  It doesn’t matter how you feel, what the weather is – you HAVE to take care of them.  Feed them, make sure their water tanks are not iced over and, if they are, break up the ice.  Make sure they are as comfortable as possible – and if that means they are in a barn, it also means cleaning up after them.

Carla’s family were ranchers.  Often times Dad had to work away from home – that was where the work was – he helped build the dam here in The Dalles, the Dufur school and many projects in the valley – he stayed in the community during the week and went home on the weekends.  During this time of year there were times he couldn’t make it home.

Norm, mom and the girls had to take care of the cattle and everything else.  They would get up before school and feed them (sometimes over a hundred head) get their water tanks full and when water ran low they would have to take the truck with the water tank on the bed and get water from town – six miles away, and remember this was back in the 1940’s, 50’ and 60’ when the vehicles weren’t as comfortable and the roads were narrower and not as well maintained as today.  Water sloshes, and can make it hazardous to keep the vehicle on the road – in good weather – let alone on snowy roads.

Didn’t matter if there was a blizzard blowing, didn’t matter if it was below zero, they had to take care of the animals – before they took care of themselves.

Wood had to be split and carried into the house, because that is how they heated their home AND how they cooked their meals – on a wood cook stove.

In the winter they ate the fruit of their spring, summer and fall labor.  They planted gardens, watched over it in all kinds of weather – heat and cold – harvested it, canned, dried or froze it.  They butchered a cow or two and had to purchase very little from the store to sustain them. 

The girls were all great seamstresses and made their own clothes.  I can remember (just starting to date Carla) making a comment to her mom, that their clothes looked as good as store bought – her comment were they thought they were better, and as I came to know more, she  was right.

They were almost, not quite, but almost self-sufficient and if the power went out, or they had to do without what we might consider essential – they were able to keep themselves warm, dry (after feeding the cattle and any other animals,) well fed and safely tucked in – while city folk wondered what they were going to do as the electricity shut off, they had no heat, no cooking equipment and the stores quickly ran out of the essentials.

They did their chores, kept care of house and animals, went to school – over that same road that they hauled water – in a school bus, leaving an hour or more before school started and arrived home over an hour afterwards – sometimes just at or before dark – took care of their animals, ate, did their homework, went to bed to get up early to take care of their animals, etc.

They are solid Christians and were active in the church – teaching, worshiping, helping stalwarts for others to learn from and follow.

They were not, and of course, are not, the only families that have undergone that kind of work to maintain their lifestyle and even to survive. 

Today there are many families going through the same thing Carla’s family went through (maybe with less stress with more modern equipment) to provide meat and bread, chicken and eggs, bacon and ham, vegetables and fruits on our tables.

Most of us, today, go to the store and buy whatever we wish – without thinking about how it got there, men and women working through all kinds of weather to produce, to transport and to provide the food we eat.

It is easy to say, “I am glad it is them and not me” but we need to understand, for most of us, the inconvenience a few inches – or even feet of snow – causes us as we go from a warm house, in a warm car to a warm job site – or at least one that has some protection from the elements – that without the dedication and love of their jobs these men, women AND children perform, we would go hungry.

Those that make their living off the land, have my highest respect and sincere thanks.

Job 7:3-4 So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.

⁴ When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day.

Waking up in the o-dark-thirty time in the mornings we find satan waiting for this vulnerable time to attack us.  To remind us of all our failures and shortcomings.

It never seems to be the remembrances of the good times, of the Joy of our salvation, of the peace we feel in the Holy Spirit – but it can be.

Sometimes satan’s troubling thoughts are things that we need to deal with, things that even though we have been washed with the Blood of Jesus, they still haunt us.  This is the time to ask God to cleanse us of those thoughts and focus on forgiving ourselves.

But most of the time it is just to hammer us, to try and make our night’s sleep restless and to try and drive us down and away from God.  Making us feel lower than worms.

During those times if we focus on our salvation and the power of the Holy Spirit to subdue and cast satan away – it is surprising how quickly we can find ourselves awakening hours later and not remembering any of it. 

Very few people – if any – are immune from those hours of darkness when satan creeps in; I have read many biographies of great saints of God who had that experience even though we could probably find nothing amiss in their actions, satan will remind them of every little failure.

But those times, for us, are just a few moments.  Most of us are able to find peace through the Holy Spirit and are able to overcome those feelings of failure and inadequacies and continue serving God, knowing that we are not perfect, but that He can still work though us.

Our distress is only temporary, even if it goes on for days, months and even years, we will cast it off in the end and be safely tucked away in heaven, abiding with God forever.

But that is not true of everyone.

Mathew 13:41-42 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

⁴² And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

We face the demons during the night and, when we turn it over to Jesus they are dispersed.

But when a person dies, having refused to accept the salvation Christ offers, he sees his failures forever.

Satan runs his life by him as we see videos run by us.  Details, slow motion, every nuance, every frame of a sinner’s life will be displayed to them.  They will see the opportunities that were given to them and how satan convinced them not to accept Christ.

Demons, dancing with glee over every frame, mocking and laughing at the sinner as his soul burns as he cries out in shame and pain and as he gnashes his teeth in anger at himself, over the pain he is enduring, with the knowledge that this will go on forever.  For eternity; every hour of every day, showing nothing positive, only negative and their rejection of God; For eternity.

There is no escape, there is only great pain and great remorse – which comes too late – in what he has done to bring him here.

He will look out at the Christians as they rejoice together in heaven and cry out to them; they told him of the Christ that could save him, perhaps they still can help him find a way out of the torment – only to find they cannot hear or see him.

There is no remorse, no pain, no suffering in heaven – therefore, I believe, the Christian will not miss anyone that fails to accept Christ, they will simply be wiped from his memories as he celebrates with those brethren that did accept Him in heaven.

Technology today is such that we can barely walk in public without someone monitoring our movements – whether cameras either security or in the hands of the phone of a person.

They are all around us, and while they might not tell the whole story, they show enough that actions might have to be investigated.

Even our homes are no longer secure from observation as we search the internet – neighbor flies drones over our property – or cameras that can ‘see’ through walls can be employed to ‘catch’ us in any wrong doing.

Stores monitor our purchases, cell phones are tracked and when you go close to a business they can ‘page’ you and let you know what they are providing for you.

So, it isn’t too farfetched, is it, to realize that satan has even better resources – he can get into our heads and conscience, he knows our thoughts and uses them against us.

How much worse is it going to be for those that are forced to sit in a fiery furnace with all that pain that comes from burning and find out what people had said about Christ was true – and they could have avoided all of it, all of their pain and torment.

We have heard the weeping of a mother who has lost her child, but it will be nothing compared to what those in hell will experience – both by their own ears and cry out with their own mouths.

They will not be able to turn it off.  They will not be able to turn away.  They will not be able to beg for help.

We gnash our teeth on occasion when in pain or frustration – they will gnash their teeth in between sobs and forever.

They will not be able to plead their case to God – it is too late.

That is why, we, the servants of God, must share His Gospel, His love, His Son with others.  They need to know, and we are told to tell them.

The Holy Spirit will serve the Christian on earth, help us through the torments we go through – but the real blessing comes when we go to the Judgement Seat and Jesus tells God, “He is one of mine.”

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Trust you enjoyed your day yesterday.  Ian was ill so did not join us – first time it was just Carla and I in quiet celebration.  Always before we had family with us either we went there or they came here. 

Ken was home with his family, Steven was visiting Celinda’s family, Deed had to work and Josh was goose hunting and Teresa was working.  Currently Ken is off his rotations and working straight days with weekends off, now, Deed and Teresa are on those crazy kinds of schedules that you have to check each day to see if they are working and what shift so you don’t interrupt their sleep.  Always something...

We enjoyed a large roast – and the trimmings.  Teresa stopped by after work and we sent her home with meals for both of them.

It was a good day for us.

No snow here or on the hills immediately surrounding us – foggy and cool.  But the Cascades are getting plenty of snow.  Can’t see our mountains today, but did, briefly yesterday and the sky was clear enough to see the full moon.

Deed said they are getting lots of snow at her house, it is bothersome getting on and off the property, but she isn’t complaining.  The kittens are loving it.

Acts 9:27 But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.

Paul was a pariah and even worse a persecutor as far as the Jews who had turned to Christ were concerned.  They distrusted his conversion and thought that he was trying to deceive them so he could gain entry into their lives so he could bring them before the Sanhedrin to prosecute.

And they had good reason – before his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus and his studying under Christians in Damascus – he indeed had gained credentials from the High Priest authorizing him to bind them and take them to Jerusalem for trial.

But he was converted and started preaching that Jesus was indeed the Messiah and the truths of His teachings, sacrifice and resurrection. 

Still people distrusted him – until Barnabas confirmed, to the Apostles, that he had accepted Christ and was now preaching boldly about Him.  They then gave him their blessings.

Paul had received a ‘letter of reference’ from Barnabas which opened the doors allowing him to teach and preach Christ AND allowed him to fellowship with other believers.

Paul, throughout the rest of his life, preached and taught the Gospel of Christ and lived a life solely dedicated to Jesus’ salvation message.  The support of Barnabas proved appropriate.

Today we are often asked to provide a letter of reference for someone who is seeking a position with a business, church or government office.  The person wants to put his best foot forward and comes to us believing that we will support him in his endeavors.

The don’t necessarily want the truth – that is why many businesses and government today just give the dates the person worked for them, and nothing else because so many have been sued because they gave a less that glowing reference.

So what happens if a poor employee gets a free ride to be hired by another company and perhaps cause damage to them.

When people list references they list those that are going to speak well of them – or so they think – sometimes they assume something without asking the person they are using as a reference.

Before we started doing a background check on an applicant we had them sign a waiver that we could show to whomever we were talking to showing that whatever they said would be in strictest confidence and nothing would be held against them – yet, many would balk at being open for various reasons, including fear of a law suit.

When we did background checks on potential employees, we did contact their former places of work – and often got that standard, yes they used to work here.  We talked to supervisors that had been told by their employers to give no more than that answer.

We contacted the references listed on the employment application and using got positive comments.

However, we never stopped there – we always asked of those references, “Who else should we talk to?”  Talked to them and asked them the same question.

By the time we got down to the third or fourth – talk to this person – we had a pretty good idea of the character of the applicant and it wasn’t always as they liked to portray themselves.

We checked with neighbors and many other sources.

When Ken was being checked out by the Coos Bay police department they even talked to me as his father.  I gave the investigator an honest evaluation – among other things I told him I would hire him in a heartbeat and why.

His response, as might be expected, was “you are his father, of course you would say that.”

I assured him that if I felt Ken couldn’t do the job I would tell him – I had experienced too many people getting into law enforcement that shouldn’t be in it, to tell him anything but the truth.

I don’t know what weight he gave my reference – and there lies the brunt of giving references.

How qualified is the person to give the reference, how honest do we think they are (there are ways to tell if someone is hedging – one of the things we learn as officers,) what are the credentials of the person that is being used as a reference, how close were they to the applicant.

The larger the company the farther removed the ‘boss’ is from the employee, it is important to understand who the person is and what that relationship is – usually supervisors were a decent source – but fellow employees gave better information, sometimes it had to be followed up and verified, but we got a better understanding and often a more honest evaluation.

Some people by virtue of their title, personality or ability are given more weight than others when they endorse a person.

Barnabas was well known and his word was accepted as truth when he endorsed Paul.  He was putting his own reputation on the line, if Paul had not been converted, if he had not changed from the persecutor to the persecuted, Barnabas would have lost his status and credibility.

As Christians, it is important that we are open and honest with others.  It doesn’t mean we have to be cruel or hateful in our assessment when asked, but it does mean that we should not lie about our observations – especially when it comes to recommendations of someone for a position.

But it also means talking honestly when someone comes to us and asks our counsel.  All too frequently we don’t want to hurt their feelings or cause them distress so we gloss over our concerns and they go away either convince they are on the right track, or even more confused than when they met with us.

We are not always qualified to make recommendations and it is important we acknowledge that when asked. 

Barnabas had watched the spiritual growth of Paul, had listened to him as he preached the gospel open and forthrightly and believed Paul had changed.  Barnabas had earned the respect of the Apostle and was qualified to give the recommendation he didn’t hesitate to tell others about him.

While I have faltered many times in almost every phase of my life, I want to try and improve and show my dedication to God, to others, so that the Barnabas’ around me will support me and say to those in authority, declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.

I want to speak the truth about Christ, and not bow to those that would contaminate His Word.  I want people to be able to read my words, listen to what I ‘preach,’ listen to my testimony and find Christ’s love within it so that when I recommend Christ to them, my witness to them by my life confirms Christ is indeed the Savior.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

“All that I am I owe to Jesus Christ, revealed to me in His divine Book.” – David Livingston

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Steven: Do you remember why we celebrate Christmas?
Celinda Cam: A'cause it's God's birthday.
Steven: Yeah.
Celinda Cam: Yeah, it's Jesus' birthday, and we will celebrate baby Jesus' birthday all together, in this house.

Merry Christmas!

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

I sit here with bright sunlight coming in the windows and clouds forming all around our valley, but not over it.  Can’t see the mountains but they are getting the much needed snow.

Josh was going to go hunting yesterday, but stayed home to help Deed deal with all the snow on their driveway – well over a foot deep by now.

Carla has all her gift baskets done and is distributing them as I write – before she has to hit the floor at work. 

We will have a quiet Christmas Eve with just the two of us, it has been almost five decades since that has happened.  We will have Christmas dinner with Ian the only one being able to join us, but we will enjoy ourselves.

Geneses 12:2-3 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

³ And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

As I read through the Bible I am struck with the immensity of what is written there.

History of the Creation, the start of God’s chosen people, the thousands of years of conflict between God’s people and those that would destroy them, the ups and downs of God’s people and the leaders of His people as they prove their devotion to Him AND, unfortunately, their denial of Him.

God’s promises are written throughout His Word, many are just applicable to the Jewish nation and/or individuals – but the basis of those promises give us the knowledge of Who God is and how He operates.  And since we understand His commands and promises through those verses, we, as Christians, can also ask for similar promises for ourselves and our nation.

There are, however, many promises that are applicable to everyone who believes on Him and accepts His Son Jesus.  He promised Abraham that sometime in the future he would bring even the Gentiles into His family and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

And that blessing was given to US as well as the Jews when Christ was born.

Luke 1:71-73 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;

⁷² To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;

⁷³ The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,

We are so blessed in that we have so much information that neither the Jews or early Christians had.  The Epistles were written to specific people, who did not have those writings before.  We now are privileged to read them.

The Gospels that outline the ministry of Jesus and His sacrifices are there for all of us to read and gain more understanding of our walk with Him.

The early history, telling us how God moved among the early Christians are at our finger tips in Acts and other books.

It is all available to us; we see how God fulfilled the promises to the Jews and the rest of us in black and white.

From this we can learn to better appreciate some of the difficulties the early Christians and the Jews had in understanding all God had to offer, how they were to act as Christians and how their Jewish beliefs were confirmed by the coming of Christ – and how they were no longer held to the same laws that they had been because of His death and resurrection.

They had to figure all that out; they had to share the information verbally and in writings, limited to just a few who were to share it with their congregations – we but have to open the book. 

We need to remember that the majority of the converts to Christianity were Jews, until the early Christians – Jews - were dispersed throughout the world and the Apostles began their missionary work with the Gentiles.

There are times I struggle with my faith, I know God wants to do what is best for me, but I don’t always understand what that is and I can get frustrated.

But, when I read His Word it puts into perspective that God works on His time and not ours.  The fulfillment of His promises may be months, years or even decades away concerning us as individuals. 

The important thing to understand is that He does keep His promises; we must learn to be patient and work with His Holy Spirit as we wait for the fulfillment of those promises – the most important of which is life with Him after the body dies.

In the case of the Jewish nation, the fulfillment was over 4000 years of a Savior was coming – from generation to generation, from century to century from millennium to millennium they awaited, believed in and prayed for the Christ that would provide a path to heaven.

Later, Art :-)  

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Had some sun this morning and could actually see Cherry Heights and Seven Mile for the first time in a few days. 

Portland has had its highest recorded rainfall ever for December with more moisture to come.  Unfortunately, it is also saturating the ground and with high winds come the danger to trees as they are uprooted – and even more danger to people and their property.

Mt. Hood is starting to get the snow needed to support our water shed for Spring and Summer.  It has a base of 77 inches with another 40 plus inches to follow.  Since September there has been over 190 inches that fell – I appreciate it.

Carla was, once again, called and asked if she would take the day off – they aren’t meeting payroll – as THE senior employee she could ask to be shifted around and someone else would go home, but she won’t – ‘twouldn’t be fair to them; many of them badly need the hours.

So, she is doing ‘Christmasy’ things.

Eyes are still bothering me, but nothing like yesterday.  So, I can once again write my tomes!  :-)

Mathew 26:57-58 And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.

⁵⁸ But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.

John 19:26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!

I was reading a devotional based on R.C. Sproul’s teaching this morning.  In it he discussed the fact that there were several women who followed Christ to the Calvary.

It appears, though, that only two of Christ’s disciples did so, and Peter denied Him.

As I meditate on the above verses, I got to wondering if I would have been brave enough to have even followed Him – either to the trial as Peter did, or to Calvary as John did.

We now know what happened, Jesus did die, of course, but He was resurrected and we know all that transpired and why.

But His disciples, even though they had been with Him for at least three years, walked with Him, were given private lessons by Jesus, saw Him perform miracles daily – did not.

They felt abandoned and afraid.  Jesus was taken into custody and they were left out in the cold. 

They, indeed, like sheep whose Shepherd has left them to their own devices and they scatter, afraid of what is happening.

It had to be a difficult time.  God knew this, He knew that even though Jesus had told them what was going to happen they didn’t fully understand or appreciate the full ramifications of what was happening.

Only after Christ revealed Himself, after His resurrection, to them did they understand what He had been telling them – and then they devoted the rest of their lives to proclaiming the Salvation Christ offered.

We know better than they did, we have the New Testament written by God through these men to tell us. 

We know that Christ was with them, even in His death.  We know that He lifted them up.  We know that He sent the Holy Spirit to comfort and teach them.

We know that Christ is the risen Savior and all He spoke while walking on earth – with these (and of course many others) accompanying Him – was truth.

We know that Christ was with them through their struggles and protected them as they spread the Gospel.  We know that even in their deaths there was life in their words and their example of Christ’s worth and love helped billions of us through the centuries draw close to Him and accept Him as our Savior.

So, why do we struggle so much when we are being tested? 

Why do we lament our fate and try to figure a way out of our problems – without going to Him and asking Him to give us wisdom and guidance?

Why do we cringe when we hear others speak openly against Christ, but do not speak up for Him?

Why are we afraid of what others will think of us, say to us and others about our relationship with Christ?

Why do we listen to satan’s lies and neglect God’s truth?

Why do we take our eyes off Him and falter when we could walk on the water – as Peter did when he left the boat, but failed when he took his eyes off Christ?

When I was a police officer working the streets I had to be able to depend on my brother officers to protect my back.  They were there, they were always there.

I didn’t have to ask them if they were going to be there – I knew that they would be.

Yes, in our world we don’t have the ability to be at more than one place at a time – and – there were times they were involved in something that delayed their arrival for my assistance – but they came as quickly as possible when summoned.

I remember one time we were taking down a juvenile party involving alcohol.  There were four of us on duty – which was sufficient for the situation and we arrived at the same time.

Two went to the front door, myself and another officer went to the back – experience on these things told us that some would try to escape.

Sure enough, as soon as they realized we were police they started running. 

As we were gathering those we could catch up, one of the kids came running from in front of the house and said the place ‘was crawling with cops.’ 

I was pulling one young man out of a blackberry bramble – and it was just as you could expect, he had scratches and clothing torn and was in pain, both for being caught drinking AND from the thorns tearing into him – meanwhile the other officer was taking a couple of the kids to the patrol cars in the front of the house.

He came back to me as I finally extricated the entwined youth, and said, the kid was right, we must have 10 more officers and deputies out there.

When the officers in front, knocked on the door and noted the kids were heading toward the back, one radioed to us that they were heading our way.

Somehow, the dispatcher heard, something resembling ‘shots fired’ and called on the Sheriff’s Office and State Police for assistance.  The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office – at that time – shared a frequency with the Klickitat County (Washington – across the river from us) Sheriff’s Office.

I walked around the front and couldn’t believe all the red and blue lights flashing – the street was lit up like a Christmas tree out there.

We had both Sheriff’s Office deputies, the State Police and since it was almost shift change we had the oncoming shift all going to the scene.  There were indeed ‘cops crawling all over the place.’

We scarfed up as many kids as we could, transported them to the station and had their parents pick them up; and we had a good laugh at the expense of the dispatcher – but we also thanked him for calling for assistance when he thought it was necessary – not waiting to be told.  (Dispatchers, too, have the back of the officers in the field and sometimes they are the only ones that know what is happening.)

However, the second thing we realized was our brother officers had our backs – even coming from another state.  If there had been a dangerous situation for us on the scene, it was nice to know that we had that kind of support.

As Christians, we face difficulties every day.  There ARE OTHER Christians out there that have our back and will stand with us and support us – but even more importantly – we have the Holy Spirit, sent by Christ, to protect and help us.

Not everything we go through is going to come out like we might want – but everything we go through, when we accept that God is with us, strengthens our faith. 

AND glorifies Him.

Sometimes it IS difficult to see God working in our lives when we struggle – but He is and when we have gone through it we see the results of all those red and blue lights, we see that God has our backs.

In truth, I don’t think I would have been as brave as Peter and John.  But, fortunately, Jesus understands our fears, He doesn’t want us to be afraid, but he understands.  AND He doesn’t hold it against us when we falter – AS LONG, as we confess our lack of faith and seek to do better.  After all,

Mathew 28:20 .... and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

AMEN!

Later, Art :-)

I am having difficulty with my eyes this morning, by product of one of my medications which I hope I will be off soon, so won’t be doing much writing this morning.

I came across this quote from Catherine Booth and felt the need to be sure and share it this morning.

"Many do not recognize the fact as they ought, that Satan has got men fast asleep in sin and that it is his great device to keep them so. He does not care what we do if he can do that. We may sing songs about the sweet by and by, preach sermons and say prayers until doomsday, and he will never concern himself about us, if we don't wake anybody up. But if we awake the sleeping sinner he will gnash on us with his teeth. This is our work - to wake people up." – Catherine Booth

Psalm 40:8-10 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

⁹ I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.

¹⁰ I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.

And the alarm clock is ringing.  I like Catherine Booth, a fiery woman and a powerful servant of God!

Yes, I know that she and her husband were the founders of the Salvation Army – but, she was a human being, as we are; she stood on the Word and shared her faith with everyone and was not afraid of those gnashing teeth AND she is an example for all of us; her words are more truthful today than ever before.

May we be able to say to God that satan worked us over and we felt the gnashing of his teeth because I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Raining now, warming up some, so snow is melting, a bit.  Still grey clouds surround us and we are given to believe that we shall see more snow shortly.  Okay by me, as long as it snows heavy in the mountains.

We are told the drought in Western Oregon is abated thanks to all this moisture, but those of us on the good side of Oregon are going to have to pray for more.

Meanwhile, the cats and dogs are resting nicely – lying where they can look outside and not have to endure the cold and snow as they watch the birds and other activity outside.

Carla had to work today, bit dicey on the driveway, but shouldn’t be a problem coming home.

Micah 3:9-12 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity.

¹⁰ They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.

¹¹ The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us.

¹² Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.

yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us.

This morning I awakened and an incident that occurred early in my career – over 40 years ago – came to mind.  I can’t remember all of the details, however:

We received a phone call of a boy tormenting an older woman.  We arrived to find the older woman on the ground and very disoriented.  The boy had fled, but we soon located him.

He thought it was great fun, he was from a different community and was visiting someone here. 

She thought he was her son, who had died decades before, so he used it to take things from her – as I said I can’t remember all the details – and ended up making fun of her as she tried to ‘chase’ him down after he left her house calling her son’s name to come back.

A neighbor saw what was going on and went out to help the lady, the boy took off, but we were close and saw him running, I stopped him while another officer went to the victim.

The boy had jewelry and other things in his possession that belonged to the lady.

She was obviously suffering from dementia; the neighbor took her into her home until we could get a relative to come from another city.  They knew she was struggling, but had never seen her this bad.

The boy didn’t realize and didn’t care how much she was suffering and made fun of her condition as he told me what happened, among other things he laughed and said ‘she thought I was her kid, so I just took what I wanted.’

She, of course, was not aware of her condition.  She was lost but didn’t know it, to her, the reality of the moment was that was her child and he had run away from her.  She didn’t remember where she lived and was unable to relate to the facts of the day.

It is the perfect illustration of what was happening with God’s people in these verses, part of my daily reading of the Bible.

They were so out of touch with reality, they thought that God loved them so much He would never allow evil to come upon them – they were blinded and could not relate to the facts of the world around them.

And satan took advantage of this blindness to how he was leading them away from God.  They had a remembrance of God and who He is, but they were in denial as to their condition and blinded by their inability to see their fate.

The poor older lady had an excuse, the Jewish people did not.  Through the years they had deliberately chosen to follow leaders that led them into denial of God’s authority and place in their lives. 

They were enthralled by the allure of the promise of happiness given to them by satan who repudiated God’s mercy, love and power giving them lesser expectations if they listened to him – they didn’t want to obey God’s commands, so they chose to develop their own gods; gods that would serve their worldly needs, appetites and ideas.

Today, the world denies God’s authority – if they accept there even is a God. 

Satan has used science and manmade morality to change the focus from God the Creator and Commander in Chief of our lives, to whatever society wants to view as moral at any given time.

It is running rampant in our government, our schools, even our churches as the church tries to even the playing field by adopting worldly values and opinions.

EVERY one of us, man, woman and child, Christian and non-Christian are vulnerable to these new ‘standards’ if we do not read and heed God’s Word.

This time of the year people like to say that Jesus brought peace on earth – but deny His authority.  In so doing only those that accept His Word can be at peace – the world is and will always be in turmoil because of that rejection.

Mathew 10:33-35 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

³⁴ Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

³⁵ For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

When we accept Christ we automatically have set in motion attacks by satan through people we may have loved and respected before our redemption.

I can tell you from experience, these words are true.  It was a difficult time as I tried to deal with that reality – but finally realized that my responsibility was Christ and His Word.

We cannot expect people to lift us up and say ‘what a good guy this person is’ when we tell of Christ’s love, and path to the Father.  It strikes deep into their hearts, it stabs like a sword and most will fight back in one way or another.

They will refuse to listen, they will accuse us of hatred and false hood, they will physically attack us, they will deny that Christ has anything to do with them.

BUT, some will listen, some will feel the Holy Spirit working within them afterwards and some will accept what we have said about Him and seek to find Christ and His salvation.

Christ knew he would be rejected, He knew that when people accepted His Word, they too would be rejected – this is the price for telling un-Godly people that they must repent and accept Jesus Christ into their lives.

As Christians we are different from the world, we need to make sure we know what that difference is and not allow the world to seep into our lives.

We need to allow the Joy of our salvation and the Peace and Strength of the Holy Spirit to flow through our veins, into our heart and minds and proclaim Christ to others so they too can have the opportunity for that Joy and Peace.

The world is blinded by its own rules and has no idea of what is coming – let us make sure we are not blinded ourselves.

The world is walking in the darkness of satan’s commands – let us make sure we are always in the light of God.

John 6:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Later, Art :-)