Going through some real crazy things right now with my health, the body is revolting against our attempts to calm it down.  But we will get it settled shortly – at least that is our prayer.

Psalm 56:2-6 Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.

³ What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

⁴ In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

⁵ Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil.

⁶ They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.

These words are just as true today as when written.

Everywhere we look someone in lying in wait to trap us.  They ban together with the explicit desire to rid Christ’s people from the planet.  They plan our demise, they test our leaders and then condemn them over their stand in Christ.

What satan has been doing in other parts of the world for hundreds of years is coming to America.  The physical persecution the utilization of government to prosecute those that proclaim the Word of God and Gospel of Christ is no longer speculation, but fact.

But, even here it is not something new.  Satan has been working at it since the country was formed and has gained tremendous momentum in the past decade; with no sign of slowing down.

We really are at war.  Satan’s minions are working hard to force Christians to deny God’s Word and deny the Christ who was sent to save all of us.

We can take comfort in the fact that Christ has never been defeated.  He rose from the grave as the Savior of all mankind and even though His Words have been misrepresented, even though the world has tried to destroy Him they have not succeeded.

Yes, millions have died at the hands of the oppressors as they refused to obey the world’s commands.  But God’s Word, the work of the Holy Spirit, the deliverance of Christians along with the affirmation of Christ has given us strength and assurance that Jesus will stand by us even onto our death.

We know that deliberate and difficult persecution, far greater than we have ever experienced as Christians in America is coming.  We need to prepare our hearts and mind for those vicious attacks and be ready to stand no matter what.

Later, Art :-)

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

One of those days that I really don’t need; hopefully it will get better, if not it is too many in a row and doctor will hear from me tomorrow.

Mathew 11:15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

I have to ask myself, do I have ears to hear the Word of God?

So often I listen, but do not hear.  I am surprised when I act on what I thought I heard, only to find out that is not what was wanted by the person telling me.

A lot of things can interfere with our hearing.  Too much noise from machines, television, radios, etc.

Distractions that take our minds off of what we are hearing so we miss some of it.

A deliberate not listening so I don’t have to hear what I don’t want to hear.

Selective hearing; just listening to those things that interest me and turning my concentration to other things when what I am being told doesn’t interest me.

Not accepting what I am being told and refusing to listen to explanations.

Not listening because what is being said makes me have to face the truth.

Such is the way we often listen to God.  We select what we want to hear and ignore the rest.  We want to feel good, so we go to the verses in His Word that tell us of His love for us.

But we don’t want to read the verses about those sins we ourselves commit, or the ones that command us to serve Him.

We have the ears and the ability to hear what God has to say to us, but all too often we just want to be heard and not have to have a reply if we don’t like what He is saying.

Psalm 130:1-2 Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.

² Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.

If we want God to hear our voice, then we must hear and respond to Him; not just want we want to hear, but open our hearts and minds to all He is telling us.

Later, Art :-)

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

I was watching a documentary on the SeaBees, Naval personnel that operated as construction people with a shovel and hammer in one hand and a gun in the other.  I thought of my friend Clay.  Clay served as a SeaBee in Viet Nam.

Clay came to work with us in the mid-80’s.  He had been working at the Aluminum plant when it closed.  We hired him as a Correction’s Officer where he did a very good job, but where he really shined was as a Marine Deputy.

The Sheriff’s Office had a contract with the Marine Board to provide additional service on the waterways of Wasco County.  They provided boats and paid the salaries of the deputies assigned to this work. 

When I came on board it was a hit or miss assignment.  Deputies would be assigned, sometimes, and there was no consistency, direction, or real procedures on how the deputies assigned were selected or how they did their job.  As a consequence we often did not allocate someone and the job went undone, we didn’t fulfill the contract.  When it was done, it was treated more of an outing on the river by the deputies than a duty to enforce the law.

We had another contract with the forest service to patrol parks and areas within the National forest of the county, it too was underused.  One time the Undersheriff tried to double bill both departments for the same deputy doing ‘both jobs at the same time’ telling me that it was okay, they were in the forest and checking the lakes.  I put a stop to that.

Because of my contacts with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office operation, overseen by my brother-in-law, Chris, I knew what a good program looked like.  Ours wasn’t even in the same book, let alone same page.

I was frustrated with the lack of patrol in these areas and knew that it was an excellent way to obtain not only additional funds for the Office, but better contact with the public since it freed up the other deputies to concentrate on the main duties of our Office. 

And just as important it gave us presence in the areas where the public often felt they were away from their homes, out in the wilderness and could do pretty much what they wanted.  Being there reminded them that it was not the case and enforcing the law help keep lawlessness down.

I was frustrated, but had a lot of other things on my plate and these issues would have to wait.  But it was always in the back of my mind.

Then an accident on the Columbia River.  Two young men who had recently graduated from high school got caught in the turbulence of wind, waves and current that makes the river dangerous.  The wind came up suddenly and they were too far from the launch site to get back quickly.

It was an older boat and didn’t have a lot of the safety features the newer boats had.  In addition the men had placed their life vests in the forward hatch and we believe they couldn’t get to them when they were overturned.  They were both 18; they both died.

We had our deputies checking out the shoreline and Klickitat County (Washington) deputies were doing the same, the Coast Guard and a deputy searching the water, a plane from the CAP program overhead and many local boaters out in the water helping.  One of those local boaters was Clay.  As long as it was a search for rescue we could use the additional resources, but once it became a search for bodies we lost the Coast Guard and CAP plane.

Long after the rescue part of the search was over, we still had people helping us look.  I would look out and see in his off-duty hours Clay was out in his own boat trying to find two young men that were friends of his son.

I noted his dedication and handling abilities and decided that we were going to have a Marine deputy that knew the water and what he was doing.

The Marine deputy was not funded for the full year, only about 3 to 4 months as I recall.  After talking with Clay and getting his approval to a change in status we took him out of Corrections during the boating season and put him full-time on the water.

It wasn’t long before I started getting complaints.  For the first time, boaters were being inspected and the law was upheld with citations issued.  A revolt by the boaters in Wasco County was threatened; I told them he was doing his job.

Clay carried extra vests which he had purchased himself.  He would loan these to people who did not have enough vests for their occupants – after citing them.  However, they didn’t have that bad of a day since they could continue with their recreation.  I hadn’t realized he was doing that for a long time, no complaints, just returned vests.

Clay set up a couple of days in the spring where he would do boat inspections at the local docks; that way people would know if they had problems before they hit the water.  I had one State Police Game officer – who had been issuing citations for boating violations for years – tell me that Clay was the expert; even he went to Clay with his own boat and any questions.

Because of Clay’s dedication we went from 3-4 months to half a year to a full-time position.  To make sure we didn’t have anyone claiming they should have first rights to that position we ‘advertised’ it in house (I think that was Gary’s idea) with a test to follow.  Clay was the only one to apply and he passed the test with flying colors.

Clay was extremely well-respected by the Staff at the State Marine Board and was instrumental in many rule changes and at least once in getting the Legislatures in Oregon and Washington to agree on boating laws for the Columbia River.  Clay was frustrated because the Oregon laws could not be enforced on those from Washington who launched on the Washington shores, he got it changed.

He had contacts that allowed us to start a very successful Sea Explore post and obtained a couple of boats for their use.  He also got the Marine Board to finance the purchase of a Boat house and the local Port Authorities to allow him to place it in the marina for no charge.  That way he didn’t have to tow a boat to get into the water and was better able to respond to emergencies on the River.

Due to his expertise and abilities the Marine Board agreed to have two boats built specifically for the Columbia River, one for the adjoining Hood River County to our west and for our county.  Clay’s input was not only sought but a major contribution into the specifications.

The Columbia River is dangerous; prior to the new boat being built we had a jet sled, which was good for the Deschutes and a small runabout for the small lakes – neither of which was safe in the Columbia, particularly in rough water.

I can remember when we were assigned the boat.  It had cost roughly $40,000 plus.  We would be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep.  I told the Budget committee about the boat and one member seriously asked if we really wanted to take on that responsibility for such an expensive boat.  The rest supported our involvement and we went forward.

I know of at least a couple of occasions and there were probably a lot more, that our County Commissioners had received angry phone calls about Clay’s diligence, he was interfering with their fun – not once was I asked if I could have him back off – not once.  Part of it might be because they knew I wouldn’t and most of it was because of their respect for the safer conditions for the citizens.

Clay could also handle the boat.  One day we received a call of an over-turned boat in extreme weather.  Two people were hanging on for dear life, but they appeared to be growing weaker.  Both of us were in the office, as I recall, so I went out to the boat with him.  We were met by the EMT’s at the dock.

We took them on board.  Clay made us all put vests on.  I will never forget Larry, a huge 6’5” well over 300 pound EMT putting his vest on, it was like a little kids vest and he couldn’t tie the front together.

We reached the boat.  For those of you that have never experience the Columbia River in a dangerous wind it will be hard to appreciate what I am saying.  The swells are closer together than ocean swells and the river becomes treacherous. 

What Clay did forever sealed him in my mind as one of the greatest boat operators I have ever come across.  He back our boat up to the small over turned boat.  The EMt’s go one man off and Clay pulled forward to keep from crashing into the other boat.  Once the first victim was secured in the boat he backed in again and the second victim was saved.

Only two times; in a raging wind and high swells, and he never endangered either boat.  Without him at least one, if not both men would have drowned.  No big thing to him, he was just doing his job.

Wasco County’s program became the jewel of the state.  Most counties had some kind of a program funded by the state, but none of them had the quality of enforcement that we had.  He was honored several times as the Marine Deputy of the year.

While not entirely to the diligence of Clay, but a large part, we didn’t have any drowning on the Columbia River – and only a couple in the other parts of the county that weren’t even boating accidents - on his watch.

Through the years we have kept in touch.  He is a trusted Christian friend who is unashamed of the Gospel of Christ.

Hebrews 13:20-21 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

²¹ Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

In going about our daily activity, particularly that which involves our relationship with God, it is easy to forget that the goal should be perfection through Christ for the Glory of God and not that of self – even though we want to reach perfection as a servant of Christ.

Man, today, has to be patted on the back for everything they do, whether or not it is expected of him and whether or not it was done correctly.

American society wants to award and give accolades for people just showing up.  It is true in our youth sports as well as our schools.  It doesn’t matter that you didn’t participate, it doesn’t matter if you even suited up; we give them compliments and awards for showing up.

That may be okay for young children, but by the time they reach the age of 7 or 8 or 9 or 10 they should be treated with more respect – they can be motivated without having to bend over backwards to award mediocracy – by that age they know the difference.

Then they reach the real world.  They get upset because their boss isn’t patting them on the back for getting to work on time.  They get upset because just showing up for work is the least expectation of their employer.  They do haphazard work and expect to receive bonuses and promotions, they have earned it because they showed up.

Even manger’s get caught up in that praise no matter what mentality – of course many of them were raised the same way.  They overlook the shoddiness of the work and place their companies in danger of going out of business.

Then you have ‘right to employment’ so entrenched that it doesn’t matter if you do the job correctly you are entitled to step increases and it is very difficult to discharge you without having to go through years of ineptness to prove you can’t or won’t do the job.  Unfortunately that attitude is most prevalent in government employment.  Businesses soon find that allowing these attitudes tends to lose them customers and if not corrected can close them down.

We are taking that same attitude into our spiritual life.  “I am here, God, reward me.”  “I read your Word today, reward me.”  “I helped out a person today, reward me.”  God doesn’t respond with a ‘way to go’ and give us a good feeling so we get discouraged.

It can become all about self, and not about doing the work for God’s Glory, not our own.

We want to serve God, for His sake, not ours.  We want to make sure that our pride and ego do not get in the way of His work.  And we sure don’t want to take credit for something knowing that it was only through God that the work was done.

What helps in avoiding that mentality is to rededicate ourselves to God each day.  Taking a few minutes in praising and worshipping God, puts His role in the world and our lives into proper perspective and helps us focus on service to Him, not awards for us.

Later, Art :-)

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

Carla has a full day today, don’t like seeing her put in 8 hour days, it just costs her body too much.  Fortunately it is just today and then she goes back to her 4 – 5 hour days.  She enjoys the work.

Rose’s goat did very well at auction.  First it was a prime specimen carefully raised by Rose.  Second Rose worked hard to make potential buyers aware that she was going to be auctioning her and that she would appreciate their bidding on the goat.

4-H auctions of animals are to give recognition to the young person and help them.  They pay many times more for the animal than they would if they purchased directly from a farm.

They use it as a public relations deed for their business.  But many also want to see what the young seller knows about the animal, what do they feed it, how have they cared for it, the potential buyer will ask about the different traits of the animal to be sold – all in the quest to award a hard working 4-H’r.

Is the young person only participating to get money, or have they learned something, the seller’s character can make or break the sale of an animal.

Politics can also get involved of course, the parents spend a lot of money at the business’ stores, etc. – therefore the business wants to show good faith by purchasing that particular animal.  But by in large it is about the seller and less about the animal.

Rose sells both herself and her goat to the buyers.  She makes contact with business that are known to purchase animals at the fair – as well as trying to get some interested in purchasing.  Some of those contacts are in person, some in writing – both with a follow up card in the mail reminding them of the date.

Didn’t hurt that this year her card had a very good picture of Rose and her goat, Rose is a pretty girl and the goat was well groomed.  On the back it explained how she will place the money in her college fund and that she wants to be a physical therapists working with those in the Navy that are injured.  (I imagine that it includes the MARINES, for which her father served, as part as the Department of the Navy.)

All of this is quite ‘legal,’ and even encouraged.  It gets more buyers there for everyone and they usually get more enthusiastic bidding.

Warming up again, hoping that it doesn’t hurt the veggies in the garden.  The garden is just starting to produce to the point that we should be able to start canning and freezing within the next couple weeks.

1 Samuel 17:4  And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

If I understand it correctly the cubit was between 18 inches and 20+ inches, the Biblical standard being 18.  The span is the width of the hand, I think.  With those things considered I believe it would put Goliath’s height at about Nine feet.  But he wasn’t just tall, he was large, big boned and heavily muscled, a massive human being.

You have probably seen the photos of Shaq (basketball player) taken with normal sized people, he indeed is a giant compared to them, towering over them with his height and body mass – yet Goliath had a similar body mass and was another two feet taller;  An impressive figure.

In addition he was arrogant and confident he could destroy anyone from Saul’s army.  He boasted, challenged and humiliated the Jews as he confronted them, mocking their fear and weakness and their God.

I learned early on in law enforcement that people can appear much larger than they are.  One night we had a call of a family disturbance.  On arrival, as we approached the house the husband came out of the front door yelling at us, he was huge, completely filling the door frame.  He appeared to be well over six feet tall and at least 300 pounds.

After we took him down I realized he was only about 5’10” and around 200 pounds.  His large size came in context to the door frame, his anger and our surprise.  He appeared larger than he was; he appeared to be more powerful than he was because our first encounter was his violent and imposing nature.  He was bluff, trying to intimidate us and we didn’t take the bait, instead we arrested him – and once he realized the arrest was inevitable, while still vocal, he did not resist.

It was a good lesson.  First, that most people are not as strong and viral as they want to appear and will fold quickly when arrested.  Second I could use my already larger size to my advantage by being more assertive and confident. 

One of the dangers I was told early on is that some officers think the badge adds six inches to their height 50 pounds to their weight and makes them superman.  If they aren’t careful they try to do things that they wish they hadn’t.  Instead of waiting for backup they try to make an arrest only to find out they aren’t as big and strong as they like to think they are.

Still the badge and uniform does seem to make a person larger and that advantage can be used to take care of situations quicker and often without violence.

While most of the people that resisted or at least threatened to resist arrest were of normal size.  They, like my first family disturbance, may appear larger that they are at first, but once subdued we realize they were not as threatening or as able to carry out their threats as would originally seem.

Indeed we did have to take down some giants, it was not easy and I don’t recall any of us doing it by ourselves.  We might be able to calm them down and arrest them without incident, but it always helped when we had someone to back us up and the suspect knew he couldn’t win.  --- of course there was always those that didn’t care, they wanted to get their licks in no matter what and would fight at the drop of a hat.

What brought all this to mind was observing an older man walking slowly down the street this morning.  He was using a cane and an older woman was helping him along.  It was a man that we used to have to fight every time we arrested him.

He had such a high threshold of pain it, we usually had to have two or three officers to subdue him, and he was only about 5’8” and wiry.  He was proud of the fact that it took that many to defeat him.  His drinking, carousing, fighting, prowling and drug use caused him to come into contact with us much more often than other characters.  (He is how I learned to look up when searching for a suspect – he loved to climb trees and watch as the officers looked for him, but never look up.  He got away from more than one of us using that tactic.)

But we took him in every time, at least those times we found him.  It may have taken a couple, three or four of us to do it, but he always went to jail.  He couldn’t win, no matter how many times he tried.

Satan is not much different than these men I have written about.  He can appear huge, a veritable giant whose power and strength appears to be far beyond our abilities to overcome him.

He can appear to be of normal size and if we aren’t careful we can be deceived by the violence he is capable of and will use against us.

But we never face him alone.  We have backup in the form of angels watching over us and the Holy Spirit protecting us, giving us the wisdom of dealing with the temptation satan lays before us.

On far too many occasions than I like to admit, my problems took on those gigantic sizes in my mind, I dwelled on them, I worried over them – only to find out they were much smaller and weaker in reality than my mind and the situation had seemed.

1 Peter 5:7-9  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

⁸ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

⁹ Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Satan’s anger and strengths are real and not to be minimized.  However, they are not as strong as two or more Christians who have each other’s back. 

And certainly not as strong as God who promises to be with us as we are confronted by satan’s wiles.

We must not allow our imaginations to go wild and to imbue satan with power he doesn’t possess forgetting the Lord our God who does possess all power necessary to defeat him.

We need to be vigilant and wary, but not so fearful that we cannot complete the mission laid upon us by God. 

Later, Art :-)

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

Our mechanic is one of the best, anywhere.  He has a couple of employees who seem to be almost as good.  When a person takes a car to them, it is fixed, at a reasonable price and they are quickly back on the road.

I have always been amazed how he can do it.  He takes time to talk with each customer, yet he gets the job done fast.  We started using him at the Sheriff’s Office in the early 90’s and no matter what the problem we would get the car back that day AND we wouldn’t have to take it back in – different from the other mechanics we have used.

The SO still uses him, UPS uses him, the mail carriers use him, and I think there are a couple of more fleets that rely on his expertise and quality of work.

He has kept our cars running for long in good condition and some after they should have been scrapped – our ’89 Lincoln is a good example.  For a couple of years, I kept telling Carla it was dead, but he kept reviving it and she was happy.

We purchased a Toyota several years ago and he has done all the work on it.  For some reason it died on us a few weeks ago; they thought they knew why, ordered the parts (took two weeks from back east) and sure enough that was ‘part’ of the problem – but it still isn’t running right and these poor guys are tearing their hair out trying to figure out why.

They will, eventually, and we will either have it back in good condition or have to scrap it – this is Carla’s car - they don’t want to disappoint her and scrap it.

We shall see, but knowing how good they are it is amazing that this has them so baffled.  Hopefully, they will figure it out soon – both for their mental health and so we have it for her to drive to work instead of the newer Lincoln.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

As I read these verses this morning I was thinking about how we are all in a race.  The finish line is the same for every Christian, when we cross it we have life eternal with God.  But the course varies for each person and what may seem to be a straight course unobstructed by trials for one, is full of pot holes, hills and curves for another.

For those whose course is difficult with many complications it may be easy to look at another who seems to be going through life without any struggles – and either begrudge them that easy path, or resent God for making his so difficult.

Everyone is different.  We may look at someone who we think is just coasting along, unchallenged, but we really don’t know.  Not all of satan’s darts are visible.  Many people have learned to hide their struggles and do not share them with others.  They have learned to trust in God and have a peace that cannot be attained without that trust.

While other Christians may have gone through a tremendous struggle before we came to know them and they have learned how to deal with adversity as a Christian.  They too have learned how to have unconditional trust in Him. 

I remember my first mentor.  I learned later that the man was an alcoholic and even though he was a leader in the church he continued to drink on the sly.  He had attained the status of a millionaire twice over, but lost his fortunes due to his drinking.  He had been hard on his children and wife; he had renounced the church for years and had only come back in the last decade or so.

Yet, when I met him, I saw a wise man who had the knowledge of God and the answers to assist me in growing in Christ.  He took me under his wing and I became a much stronger Christian because of him.  If you had asked me at the time I would have said the many didn’t have any challenges, he was a wise and disciplined man of God.

And, such he had become, but he had gone through a lot of brambles and side roads in his race before he came back to Christ and dedicated himself to Him.

Some do not have the same natural strength that others have, they are damaged by things most of us would shake our head over and think nothing of it, but to them it is a race fraught with danger.  But here, too, God can make them strong.  We need to be observant and when we realize they are struggling pray for and embrace them.

Our race cannot be truly compared to another’s.  We can gain insights into how to rely on God’s by taking counsel, reading His Word and watching others, but because each of us is different, so is the way we respond to life’s challenges.

How we respond today, may not be how we will respond tomorrow.  We don’t know what is going to come, we may be injured, be diagnosed with a terminal disease, lose our spouse or children, or any number of things that happen in this world. 

It may take a bit to get our bearings and to refocus on God; someone watching us may think we have slipped and are losing the struggle, when it is but a fleeting time and we get back on track quickly.

It is not easy to set aside the past having sinned and hurt others or ourselves, but that is what we are to do.  Each day, even each hour is a new opportunity to take a deep breath, dedicate ourselves to God and run the race He has set up for us.

It is different for each of us, but God is not.  He cares for us, He wants us to successfully live for Him and when we let Him, He infuses us with His Holy Spirit and we find that even the potholes and hills have no bearing on our life in Him.

Later, Art :-)

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

Looks like this will be the last cool day for a while, but it was nice to have the respite.

Carla got a good deal on a turkey breast so we had Teresa and Ian come over for lunch.  Had a fresh vegetable salad three kinds of tomatoes, two kinds of cucumbers and three kinds of peppers all from the garden – added some onion from the store.

I sautéed some onion, garlic and zucchini, for a side dish, which came out nice.  Then to top it off I cut up a watermelon and cantaloupe from Carla’s garden. 

Big difference between fresh garden and store bought.

Rose and William both earned a Champion on their showmanship.  William said that when he compared his auction goat that he couldn’t take to fair, with those there he felt he would have won his class.  Part of the process, though, you have to work with what happens.

All are tired and trying to catch up on their rest.

Psalm 42:9-11  I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

¹⁰ As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?

¹¹ Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

I have been there, I have felt the pain of feeling like I had been forsaken of God – it is a lonely scary feeling.  I tell Him I depend on Him, yet, I feel He is not there with me.

But we feel alone when your enemies surround you and cast dispersions on your faith.  When they point out your faults and laugh at the statements you make trying to reaffirm your faith in God.

They point out that there is violent and horrible death in the world, children dying of starvation and disease, ‘where is your God?’ they ask.  And then mock us when we try to explain that satan is the downfall of man, not God.

You look around and ask, ‘why am I doing this, nothing seems to make a difference?’  People don’t understand they just criticize and try to destroy not only you, but what you have tried to accomplish.

Bitterness can creep its way into our life if we are not careful, and we won’t even see it coming.  Resentment and anger rears up its ugly head against those that oppose us and then feeling abandoned by God just makes it worse.

We trust our emotions over what God has promised.  We forget that everyone is challenged, especially those that rely on God as their sustaining reason for living.  We begin to feel sorry for ourselves and shut out the world so we do not have to listen to the derision of satan’s forces.

Our self-worth is damaged because we can no longer feel good about ourselves – but God is still there.  Our soul may cry out “Where are you?” but, He is right there.

We become like a child at night.  The light in our room is turned off and we can’t see anything, we become frightened, where is Mom, where is Dad?  Why aren’t they here to help me, why have they gone?

We burrow down into our covers, covering our eyes and ears and trembling in fear that we cannot conquer.  

But they are right there, close by to protect him.  He just doesn’t see them, but that doesn’t mean they don’t care or aren’t watching over him.

They come in and hug us and let us know that everything will be okay, that warm and loving hug may be enough.  But often, after the parents go back to bed they become frightened once again.

Finally, becoming so frightened that he runs from the bed, run from his room and crawls into bed with his parents, because he knows he is safe there – they are still there and they put their arms about him. 

When our soul is so grieved and we often feel we have nowhere to run.  We have no place to hide from our tormentors and we wonder why God hasn’t intervened. 

We may spend time crying out, trying to make sense of our fears, trying to hide from them but they are overpowering and we feel abandoned.  God doesn’t seem to be listening; He isn’t coming to our aid.  We don’t know why we feel this way, but we do.

We need comfort where we are, we need His arms around us then, and He is ready to provide it if we allow Him to – but there will be times when it doesn’t seem enough.

We know better, but we can’t help that feeling of desertion.  And we may do the thing we shouldn’t do, we forget about God’s eternal wisdom and try to fix whatever it is on our own.

At those times, instead of getting angry, instead of begging and pleading with God we need to accept that He is God.  He cares for us and no matter what we or loved ones are going through, because of our relationship with Him, His precious Holy Spirit will guide us through.

We may not like the journey, it may be extremely troublesome and challenging, but He is there.  When we accept that and worship Him, our soul cries out in thanksgiving for His love and our heart is quieted. 

We need to turn to Him, in trust, remind ourselves of what He has done in the past and what He has promised.  When we better understand God, we do not need to hide under the covers, we can face our fears and stand with Him against them.

We can go to Him with the assurance that He is our Rock and nothing we go through escapes His attention and care.

There are times we really do need to feel His loving arms around us – and in those times He is there, even if it takes a while for us to realize it.

In time and with the assurance from his parents, a child can face the darkness and rest, knowing he is alone in the room, but he is not alone, he is trusting that his parents are close by.

Sometimes we need to act as an adult, stop burying our head under the covers; trusting He is there and let whatever is coming, come, confident that in Him, we will be triumphant.

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”

No matter what befalls us, may we always remember He is there and praise Him; understanding that God knows exactly what we are going through and while we may not ‘feel’ His presence, He is there.  His Word says so.

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

Later, Art :-)

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

If you have access to the History Channel I would encourage you to watch the episode of ‘Alone’ that was broadcast on the 23^rd.  They always have repeats during the week.

It is a ‘reality’ show where they put 10 men all by themselves, several miles apart, in the Vancouver wilderness off the Pacific Coast.  They have ten survival tools of their choice along with other items, cameras and a satellite phone.  They are self- recording, no camera crew.

They started with ten; they are now down to four.

One person in particular reminds us of Norman, Carla’s brother, the man is forty years old (oldest of the four left) and has the same facial structure, similar ideas, the same manner of speaking, voice inflection and expressing himself that Norm has, Carla and I just looked at each other, it was like this was her brother.  So if you want to see one of the people I talk about, you will get a good idea of Norm, by watching this person’s self-videos on the July 23 broadcast.

Much cooler today, overcast with some wind, but it is a welcome relief from the prior triple digits.  It may only be a temporary respite as the weather man has said it will once again be warm, their forecasts vary a bit, but the worse says triple digits once again.

Oh, well.  We are keeping an eye out for the harvest of peaches and pears, they too should be earlier this year and we don’t want to miss out.  My goal is to can a minimum of 100 jars each.  They are very nice to have come mid-winter – and we are even enjoying them now, when we realize our fridge is empty of fruit and we don’t want to go to the store that day.

---------------------

Free, what is free?  According to my dictionary:

1 - Costing nothing, requiring no money to be paid

2 - Not kept a prisoner, not physically bound or restrained

3 - Not restricted in rights, not subject to censorship or control by another

There are many other definitions of course, but these will do for my thoughts today.

Nothing, costs nothing.  Nothing is truly ‘free’ there is a cost.

I was watching a commercial that told people how they could get free medications, free cell phones and a number of other free items.

Obviously the person had to meet certain criteria – and for those who are truly in need I have no problem in helping them in their hours of need.

However, the services provided are NOT free.  Someone else is paying the price, in either lower profits for the companies, increased costs to other consumers or, taxpayers’ money from taxes.

The commercial hammered on the “fact” this is ‘FREE.’

One of the dangers American citizens are facing today is the mentality that free means they get it for nothing.  It is like whatever is labeled as free just fell from the skies.

There is no recognition that it costs someone something when we receive something that WE do not pay for; and many of our citizens now treat that as a right, they want it and there is no requirement on their part to pay anything.

These ‘free’ things you can’t even call a gift, a gift according to my dictionary is “something that is given to somebody, usually on order to provide pleasure or to show gratitude.”  A gift is given freely, these free items are not gifts; they are coerced in one way or another.  Either as a promise for future gratification on the part of the giver (increased sales, etc.) or by the government that takes money from one person to give to another.

A true gift is given without expectation of reciprocation. 

I am reminded of the story of an older Indian who had handmade something (can’t remember what now) for a friend.  He then walked several miles to give the item to his friend.

The friend was thankful, but knowing the physical cost to the Indian who had to struggle physically to bring it to him, he said you didn’t need to bring this to me, I would have come to get it.  The wise Indian said, ‘the journey is part of the gift.’

The gift cost the Indian in time and physical distress to give.

Romans 6:22-23  But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

²³ For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

What we have earned by our sins is death – permanent separation from God, in hell, forever.

In the Old Testament the Jewish people could at least hold off eternal separation by sacrificing animals to God.  There was a cost to THEM to have their sins forgiven – and then only to the point where they would be held in Abraham’s Bosom until the Messiah came and redeemed them unto God.

When Jesus died, he made the ultimate sacrifice for us.  HE gave His life so that we could be free from sin and the burdens it places on us.  It was a gift to us, but it was not free, Christ paid the price for our redemption.

Romans 8:1-3 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

³ For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

We are free from the ravages sin causes our very soul – and oftentimes our bodies, because of the gift of another’s life for ours. 

We are free, but there was a cost.  We must never minimize the costs of freedom, to do so trivialities the death of Christ.

In America we equate ‘free’ with no cost.  We expect to have things for free, whether from businesses or the government.  I guess that is one of the reasons that commercial bothers me so much.  The word ‘free’ is so misused that it no longer has the true meaning.

When we look at something that is ‘free,’ we no longer see the costs.  It is far too easy to transfer those attitudes to God’s gift to us and we diminish that gift as just something we deserve; without considering the costs given so we can obtain salvation.

I cry for America.  We are already paying the price of everything being ‘free’ and it is going to get worse.  However, one of these days, and it would appear very soon, the realization that there is a cost and the demands of that cost is going to destroy us.

That is going to be true of our financial and physical well-being, but even more so, and tragically so, our Spiritual well-being. 

As there is a cost for our salvation, there is a cost for disobedience to God.  Those that believe they are free to do whatever they want, especially in defiance of God, will find they are not free and they will pay the costs.

It is up to us to continue to proclaim the only thing that is truly free, the only gift that really matters, the only reason we are truly free; the death of Christ on the Cross, His resurrection and promise to be with us always.

Later, Art :-)

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

Just finished giving Blaze a bath, having a cookie before and after makes him more amenable to the process.  I prefer these treats to some of the store bought where we have no idea what is in them.  I still do use some, but the ingredients are okay.

We are still missing one of our cats, she disappeared a few days ago.  She does that sometimes, not sure why she does, but hopefully she hasn’t come to harm.  It is the same one that got trapped in our shed for several days and took time to recuperate – yep, we checked the shed.

Getting a few outside chores done while it is still cool, should be that way for a few more days.  80’s aren’t too bad, cooler at night so we can shut off the air conditioner and open up windows to air out the house.

Mathew 18:7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!

As Christians we need to be very mindful of our actions and how they reflect on God.  When we choose to give into temptation, especially around other people, then, in their minds, it appears to be okay to do what you do.  They will often transpose that into another area of sin and justify that sin by saying it isn’t as bad, or at least, no worse than what we, a Christian, have done. 

While we are not the reason the sinned, we may have been the excuse, and we would be hard put to deny it.

We don’t need to be so paranoid that we don’t do anything in fear of leading someone astray, but we do need to remember that satan is watching us and he wants to do anything he can to make our life non-threatening to him and his cause.  Helping us fall in front of others can be a big help to him; not to mention leading others into sinning.

I had a discussion with someone a while back who couldn’t believe that someone was allowed back into the ministry after his sins of adultery had been exposed.  He had repented, he went through counseling, but he should not have attained the position of minister again, in their minds.

It is a difficult call, on the one hand to sinners it appears that Christians didn’t hold him to the standard they say they do; however, one of the things that we are taught and obliged to obey is forgiveness.  How we reconcile the two can have a bearing on how we actually appear to others.

We are not condoning his behavior, we are recognizing that he acknowledged his sins, asked for forgiveness and received it from Christ.  His denomination allowed him back into the ministry only after he had spent time in counseling, and a hiatus of about a year as I recall.

The man sinned, but he had the gift of ministry, he had been a strong servant before the fall and his desire was to serve him once again.  Explaining the reasoning to non-Christians can be difficult, no one is applauding his sin, and he will always have that cloud over his head where people will watch closely for any falling away.  Many will no longer allow him into their lives, because they feel that as a result of that sin they cannot fully trust him. 

His testimony has been undermined by his actions and the sin will follow him wherever he goes, there will be many people who might have listened to him in the past that will not listen to him now.

But sinning doesn’t just impact our leaders, it impacts us and we must be as careful as we can to avoid even the appearance of sin.  People use any excuse they can to find fault with us, we don’t need to give them ammunition.

If we focus on working for God, and not trying to impress the world, we are going to be less apt to sin; less apt to lead others into sin. 

If we work for a person, we need to work for them and give of our best – others may be more talented, but that doesn’t matter, it is our best that we must give.  That is our responsibility to God.

Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

²⁴ Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

People notice, they watch, they know when we are just coasting along and not giving it our all.  We might not even be aware of how our actions are affecting our testimony, but they do.

As you know, I am a bit outspoken.  I was appointed by the County Court to represent the county’s interest in working out a plan to accommodate users on the Lower Deschutes River.

I got into the process a couple years after the original committee had been appointed – I was a replacement for the original representative who had resigned.

From the beginning, through the process I was vocal about the interests of the county (to the point that one of our county commissioners who had been appointed by the Governor as one of the representatives for the public told me he thought he needed to speak up more.)  But I also did the best I could to hammer out the agreement that would be satisfactory to our county and the 20+ other special interest groups.  We all worked hard and while it was frustrating we eventually hammered out a plan.

Several years later, long after I had retired and was a realtor, one of the members of that committee, who had represented one of the state agencies, came to me.  He wanted to move from the Salem area to the Hood River area.  He asked me to find him a home – his reason was that I had worked hard on the plan, and he knew I would work hard representing him as a buyer.

We often think we work for someone.  We are an employee, even those who have a business work with the idea that they are working for the customer or they will not be successful. 

But, no matter what we do, we work for ourselves.  We may get a pay check from someone, or some other kind of reward, but we do it to satisfy a need within us – either money or a means to live, or recognition of our talents. 

As a Christian we must give our all to God, we need to turn that self-service into our service to God.  The work we do is a direct reflection on our relationship with Him.  When we work hard and do our best people recognize that – and even if it is something that we have no talent for and must be relieved of those duties, people understand we didn’t have the skill set, not that we were lazy and just trying to get by.

There are times when we are just having fun and enjoying ourselves, the activity that we are participating in has no real consequence other than enjoyment.  But even, here, if we participate without following the rules, or undermine the fun of others (within reason of course, some people are so competitive even in the most innocuous activity they have to WIN!) it can reflect poorly on our testimony.

Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, people watch us.  We want to do the best we can to be a Christian they can follow into righteousness and not be led astray.  Part of that witnessing is to do everything we do as onto God – with that mind set, we are more apt to keep from sinning and thus leading others into sin.

Later, Art :-)  

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

Getting the house back in one piece.  I had to laugh this morning as I started to step over an obstacle we used for a gate that we had placed to keep Wanda for getting to the cats.  I had taken it down.

I always wondered about the comments on how sheep would jump over something and those behind would continue to jump in that spot even when the obstacle had been removed – guess it proves I am one of the sheep!

Ozzie is out and around crying out for her kids, wanting them to know the big bad dog is no longer with us.  They should be, and I think are aware, but thus far are still leery about coming in.

Blaze announced to the world this morning that he had taken back his domain and he was once more king of the world.

Dynamics in animals are not all that much different than ours.  It is interesting and often fun to watch interactions between them – we had no incidents of violence, although there were a few threats for which we had to referee.

William and Rose are doing well at the fair, wish I could be down there with them.

Rose has a Grand Champion on her doe and a Reserve on her auction goat.

William’s auction goat developed a rash just before fair time and he couldn’t bring her.  He did receive a blue ribbon and best in show on his market goat.  He also earned a couple blue ribbons on his photographs.

Bit easier for ma and pa this year, the young’ns are older and pretty independent now so they are doing all the work.

When Rose first started showing their trailer was out away from the main group, (4-H families tend to be long term people so they have a lock on the position of the trailer and when someone who has been their longer is no longer involved, they can move up to their spot.  The longer you are there, the closer you are to the grounds.)

Now, because a long time participant who was a coworker of Ken’s is no longer there, Ken got his spot – right next to the gate from the camping area to the grounds. (They like having a police officer close by just in case) and it makes it a lot easier to take care of the animals. 

Since every camper goes by, you see lots of people and can talk with them, the bad thing is you sees lots of people and think you have to talk with them.  But Ken and Wendy enjoy it.

John 5:39-40 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

⁴⁰ And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

 The Bible is the Word of God.  Through those words we learn of God’s Nature.  We learn how He created the World.  We learn how He condemns sin and will chastise and punish those that continue in their sins.

We learn of the history of the Hebrews, how they became HIS chosen people and the dictates He commanded of them.  We learn how He protected them in great conflicts when they came to Him with an open heart and reliance on Him.

We also learn what happens when a nation turns away from Him and the severity of the offense they have committed.

We learn how to praise Him, how to worship Him, how to serve Him, how to grow in Him and how to ask of Him.

We learn what is expected of us in dealing with Him, with fellow Christians and with those in the world.

We read about the men and women who, even though in great danger themselves served God and because of their brave and unselfish acts the Jews were saved from annihilation.

We read how He looks at our heart and from this He uses us based on our trust, faith and love of Him.

We learn of the prophecies fulfilled; when we read the Bible it speaks to us, it comforts us, the words encourage and propel us into even greater service to Him.  We learn that God is God and we are but His child, saved by Grace – only because of His great love are we able to communicate with Him.

We read of Jesus and how He fulfilled the prophesies about the coming of the Messiah.  We learn on how He taught, how He led others, how He made them Disciples.

We learn of the transformation of common men and women into great leaders of the Christian faith and how they strived and often struggled to build a strong foundation on the corner stone of Jesus.

We learn He cares for us, He listens to our fears, He wants to cover us and protect us from the enemy of our soul.

We learn that there is an evil in this world, that satan is wanting to destroy God and all He stands for, including us.

We learn that through the centuries people have followed satan, but in the end God was always victorious; so we have hope today.

We gain a better understanding of our responsibility to God and man.

But the Bible is not salvation. 

“for in them ye think ye have eternal life” 

“ ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. ”

The Bible directs us, we learn of the process needed to have salvation, but the knowledge is worthless if we have not accepted His Word that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior, the Mediator between Him and us.

Men have studied God’s Word for centuries, yet have not been saved.  They praise it as a great book of literature, they talk about how Jesus was a great teacher, they may know many of the nuances of God’s Word, but they aren’t saved with that knowledge.

A person may study to be a doctor; he may know all about the body, how it works, how to protect and heal it, but if he doesn’t do anything about it the knowledge is valueless.  If he hasn’t gone to the next step of actively using his knowledge and applying it he isn’t a doctor, he is just a theorist – one who may have all kinds of ideas, but doesn’t act upon them.

It is the application of God’s Word concerning Christ that we must USE in our life not just read.

God speaks to us through His Word, through our prayers and sometimes through other people – but until we accept Christ it is meaningless.  It is just another history book; it is much more than that of course, and we can be thankful that He chose to put into writing His Words so we can draw strength from them.

We can rely on the Word of God for truth, perfection, discipline, teaching, reflection, assurance but, only acting on that understanding, by accepting Christ as our personal Savior, are we saved.

Later, Art :-)

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

Well, Teresa and Ian are back home.  They had a few bumps in their travels, but nothing major.  The worse, it seems happened when they arrived back in Portland.  They traveled well over 12,000 miles just getting to Europe and back, not to mention the hundreds of miles around Europe – 10 countries (although one of those was a ‘pass through wave’ plus the USA in those five weeks.  She now has visited 15 different countries in the past few years.

They were scheduled to arrive sometime after 0100 hours.  The plan was for them to get the Hotel shuttle and hit the sack (they had reserved a room before they left on their journey.)  She had made it clear her plane did not arrive until around 0100 and they assured her that would be okay - they had 24 hour shuttle service.  As a matter of fact, she had chosen that hotel because of the 24 hour shuttle.

We would then pick them up this morning about noon when they had to check out of their room.

We received a call at about 0120, it was from Teresa.  The Hotel had overbooked and they did not have a room.  They would be staying in the Airport until we got there.

I couldn’t drive it and Carla didn’t want to go while it was still dark – Teresa understood and told her they would catch a wink or two while waiting.

At 0500 – day break – we got up, took care of the animals and headed out.  We were able to get to the Airport and back to Wood Village – at the east edge of Portland, before rush hour truly began, MUCH, to the relief of Carla.  We grabbed a bite, filled up with gas and headed home; getting here a couple of hours before we were going to leave.

We thought we would just take them on home and they would hit the sack and come to the house, later, for Wanda and the mail.  However, Ian’s car was here and Teresa just wanted to load it up and then go home; she will come back for the rest of the stuff later.

We discussed Wanda.  We helped make a reservation for Teresa and put it on our card, she, of course will reimburse us.  I told her not to worry, she said she could leave Wanda behind as collateral – I pointed out that would be like the ‘Ransom of Red Chief’ a short story by O’Henry where some city folks kidnapped a boy out in the country and held him for ransom.

They soon realized he was quite a handful and a real urchin; they ended up paying his parents to take him back.  Funny story.

We told her we didn’t need collateral, we knew where she lived.

Wanda was excited to see Teresa and Ian, and greeted them with a great smile on her face and exuberant glee.  Much to the delight of Blaze and the cats, she took Wanda home.

Wanda really is a character and her personality is friendly and jubilant – but she is big and, like a bull, she does what she wants and nothing really gets in her way when she decides she wants something.  We had several ‘conversations’ about her behavior which usually led up to me putting her outside to settle down – she was properly contrite as she put her head down and went out.  But like a three year old, she forgot what she wasn’t supposed to do.

Having her here really wasn’t all that bad, unless you talk to Blaze and the cats who might have a differing opinion.

I told them it wouldn’t be long, only 5 weeks, but I realized a day or so ago, that is almost a year in dog years......  :-)

James 3:8-11  But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

⁹ Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

¹⁰ Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

¹¹ Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

I observed a young man cursing, almost every word was one of derision and filth – after a few minutes a lady looked at him and asked, “do you eat with that mouth?”

Nothing is sacred anymore, anything, especially the things of God, are open for vile epitaphs and desecration.  In the past decade what used to be ‘locker room’ talk is now common communication with not only males but females; openly and loudly shared in all areas.

Respect for others is non-existent as they shout their revolting remarks and deride those that would ask them to quiet down.  We are told that is their right – and the courts are in agreement.

There is no filter on their thoughts or their voices, they do and say what they like without consideration of how others feel.  That is unless it is politically incorrect language – which includes statements about God, how dare we confront them with such bias and opinions?

And, unfortunately, Christians sometimes use this worldly language as if it is of no account; they don’t even notice they are doing it.

Society is not a good example, nor a good judge of what language Christians should use to express themselves; although they are quick to point out that we are no better than them when we use these same words.  -  To a degree, they are correct; we must separate ourselves from the world’s values and concentrate of what God expects of us.

While I have rarely cussed, I have used words in their place to express my anger, frustration or opinion – I ‘think’ I am improving, but I have to realize that substituting a word for a curse word is just about as bad as using the cursed word.

Even in dealing with suspects I have refrained from using their language unless it is the only thing they understand – and that does happen, that is the only language they know and trying to use other verbiage confuses them.  I imagine it is even worse in today’s world.

But it is not just those words that can hurt our testimony, but in the way we say things, what we are saying and our attitude and body language. 

If we are always negative, finding fault in others no matter how minor; if we cannot seem to applaud the efforts of others or deride their attempts whether to discourage them, or make them look foolish to others we are hurting our testimony.  It is bitter water.

If we praise God at one moment and then condemn others the next without consideration for that person, we are pouring forth bitter waters. 

It is just too easy to be negative, to always question the motives and reasoning behind decisions and actions of others.

When we criticize them without trying to help them, we become like the crowds that shouted, “crucify Him.”  We are caught up in a mindset that doesn’t allow Christ to enter into that process.  It is bitter water.

If we pass along gossip that hurts another, it is bitter water.  If it is true then we need to tell only those that can correct the problem, or to keep someone from being hurt by the person, but we don’t just tell others, simply to tell others.  It is bitter water.

And untrue or unsubstantiated gossip is outrageous and we should never even think about discussing that with anyone other than the person that told us – and then to remind them they are casting unfair dispersions against another – deadly, not just bitter water for a Christian.

In this day and age of instant comments being broadcast over the many different mediums – someone always wanting to be the first to tell others - the old rule of ‘gossip traveling on wings while the truth goes by horseback’ can be changed to gossip traveling on rockets.  Once said, or sent out it is there forever and cannot be taken back.  It is bitter water.

We need to focus on Christ, if something needs to be said to someone, we need to do it in the way He did – in love and the correct use of the Word of God.  If done appropriately, even correction can be done as a blessing.

Lord, how I need to be so aware of this, this day and all days – may my words uplift, not destroy.  May my words be a blessing with no bitter water mixed in.

Later, Art :-)

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