Another pretty day, just wished it wasn’t quite so......  You can tell, even from this far off, there isn’t enough snow on Mt Hood or Mt Adams – not a good thing.  It is a cyclical thing, when the east coast has heavy winters, ours here tend to be lighter.  None-the-less we need to be aware we could be going into a draught this summer.

My next operation will be on the 12^th of March here in The Dalles, hopefully that will be the last one in that area of my body so we can hook up with the cardiologist in a few weeks.  Most of this is a quality of life issue, but necessary for me to be able to function in society.  It is frustrating, but we will get through it and hopefully emerge in much better condition.  

1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

It grieves me greatly when I see any of my children abused in anyway.  Difficulties with co-workers or one time friends, stress caused by those that would attack them bother me a great deal.

It is aggravating not to be able to set in and tell their assailant that to back off or I will make them.  All of my children are grown; they are productive adults yet, they are my children and when they hurt, so do I.  Almost every parent I know feels the same.

These people don’t care how my child feels, they don’t care if they damage their careers, lie about them or try and hold them up for ridicule for their personal and professional stands for what is right – they lash out and try to injure them in one way or another.

Many deserve a good thrashing, unfortunately in today’s world they get by with their subterfuge and viciousness.  The undermining is the way to achieve, not hard work. 

We see, in almost every profession now, where work that is mediocre and in the past completely unacceptable is the norm and those that challenge those employees become targets themselves as hate mongers.

Scratching our heads we cannot fathom how they can still be employed.  But they do, it is a direct result of our ‘must make them feel good about themselves’ mind set permeating our education system.  We don’t hold them accountable and they don’t understand what that word means.

We have a major mess of self-righteous, get mine at all cost, society.  America has fallen far from its roots of recognition of God in our laws and society to the point where He is condemn. Anyone that supports Him and His Word is chastised and condemned by those in leadership positions – both government and business, schools at all levels, television and movies.  Even many of our so called “Christian” churches preach a message that does not profess the sovereignty of God and make sin a viable option.

I cannot imagine giving one of my children as a sacrifice for the salvation of anyone of these people spiritually or physically.  They are not worth it.  They are not worth my time.  Yet, I know that we are still commanded to help them find Jesus.

But, God did give up His Son.  He knew what the world was when He sent Christ into it.  He knew what we see today, was also prevalent then and would be through the centuries, but He still sent His Son.  He sent His ONLY Son, whom He loved and was greatly pleased by Him, into this morass of sinfulness to become a lamb onto the slaughter that all of us can be saved.

I am no better than those that attack my child, the only difference between me and most of them, are that I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and my sins have been forgiven. 

I was one of those sinners that was not worthy of God’s time or love, but it didn’t matter, He still loved me.

It is a humbling thing when I realize how much God gave when He gave His only Son that even the most heinous sinner could be saved and brought into the inner circle of His love.

May I never forget the great sacrifice God and Jesus gave that I might be saved and have communion with Him. 

Later, Art :-)

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