Wednesday, September 30, 2015

The rabbit has been rescued – although she might describe it as being captured.  The neighborhood kids located her in the tomatoes and slowly came together, finally making her hunker down and give up.
She is, at this time, safely incarcerated in a rabbit hutch where they declare she shall remain until giving birth to the little ones – however, she is an escape artist, so we shall see.
Psalm 119:171-176   My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.
173 Let thine hand help me; for I have chosen thy precepts.
174 I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord; and thy law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgments help me.
176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.
Acts 17:6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;
I look at these two sets of verses and wonder what a few Christians could do, who cry out to God for understanding of His Word.
Who cry out to God for the Holy Spirit to embrace their souls.
Who praise God without ceasing.
Who allow the Holy Spirit to search their heart, helping them to understand where they are failing God and asking Him to rid their hearts of their sins.
Who recognize that they have gone astray, who desire to have God present with them, leading them, teaching them, helping them preach His Gospel
Who not only understand His Word but seek to live it every hour of every day.
Who stand for God.
Could they turn the world upside down with their united effort to help people understand that salvation, that perfection, that peace and love can only come through hearts that are in tune with the Holy Spirit; have accepted Christ as their Savior and God as their Father?
We look for strong leaders who speak to hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands – yet God wants us to speak to our neighbors, our friends our fellow employees.
We look for that large gathering where 5000 can be fed, yet we forget that Jesus also dealt with people one on one and they came to accept Him.
God wants individuals committed to Him.  He does not want individuals that think they need to do great things, go to foreign countries as missionaries in order for Him to work within them.
He wants Christians that are dedicated to Him, where they are, doing His will in their lives by sharing His Love for others.
Many do just that, the rest of us need to follow suit.
Who knows what could happen if a few thousand more Christians would determine in their heart that Jesus must be shared, not held in a quiet corner of their heart and not exhibited in their life.
Who knows; we could turn the world upside down!
Later, Art :-)

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Looked outside the other day to see have the neighborhood walking through the garden – they were looking for a pet rabbit.
The owner doesn’t really like her, she is obnoxious and bites and scratches if they try to pick her up.  She runs off and can’t be found, but still it is their rabbit and they are responsible for it – AND it is pregnant due to give birth within a week or so.
Carla spots her out in the garden, sometimes, eating grass – so far she hasn’t dug up any veggies that Carla is aware of.  She saw her again today in the open shed we can “Dorothy” (long story) and moving around in the area.
We are a bit concerned, not so much for her since it sounds like she can take care of herself, but we have cats and every neighbor around us has a cat or two, and those little ones are going to be fair game if she has them in the open.
While we don’t live in the country, Carla has plenty of ground to take care of and I am sure the rabbit feels like she is home in the wild.
Ephesians 2:8-10  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

This morning I was thinking about the differences in people and how we classify them.  As I was getting ready to write this I talked to Norman who mentioned he had been at a 60 year wedding anniversary.  His comment was you can sure tell the difference between city folk and country folk – I heartily agree and it just confirmed what the Lord had been laying on my heart this morning.
People like to put other people in pigeon holes, there may be some overlapping, but they want to designate who others are by:
Color of skin
Country of birth
Old vs young with different names for different decades
Urban, suburban, country
Male, Female
Profession
Parts of country – west coast vs. east coast, north vs south, one state vs another, parts of the state vs other parts.
Conservative vs liberal
Public schools vs Private schools
One organization vs or in addition to another
Everyone is part of a group designated by the World.  It makes it easier to ‘classify’ someone.
All of us relate to and identify with at least one group, but more likely several different ones.
Often there is finger pointing and accusations between groups and a stronger feeling of unity or distaste can be the result.
If you were asked to describe yourself and why you are in a particular group(s), how would you do it?
Of course some have been doing this as they put their ‘profile’ on the various social media sites, so they may be a little more in tune to some of their likes and dislikes.
Frankly, most of us rarely think of ourselves as this or that, although we know we fit into segments society has placed us – either by our choice or someone else’s decision about us.
Me?  Husband, Father, Father-in-Law, Police Officer, Central Oregonian, Conservative and the list could go on and on.  Depends on who you are trying to relate to – and it could be different depending on what you are doing at the time.
But the two groups that crosses every other one of the others, and you are either a member of that group or you are not is a Child of God through His Son Jesus Christ.
That is the only thing God cares about.  Yes, there are those that are more dedicated, whose heart is more in tune with Him, who follow His precepts better than others – but if we have not been saved through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, confessing our sins and accepting that sacrifice – we do not belong to Him.  We are not in His group!  Period.
Luke 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
Mathew 25:31-33 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

As far as God is concerned there are only two groups, the sheep who are the children of God and the goats who are not.
Color of shin, nationality, church affiliation, who our parents are, (or aren’t) what our profession is - none of it matters, absolutely none of that is what God is concerned about.  Either we are saved or we are not.
The decision is ours; no one can place us in either group EXCEPT us.  We either accept Christ, or we do not – no one can do it for us and we cannot grab onto the shirt tales of those that have selected Christ. 
My prayer is that everyone reading this chooses God’s group, to be with God through Christ.
Later, Art :-)
From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Monday, September 28, 2015

Let Blaze out this morning at 0700 – it was 37 degrees outside, lowest that I am aware of so far this fall – it didn’t take long for him to do his business.  It is pretty out there; sky isn’t as blue as I would like to see, but no wind and few clouds, a nice crisp fall day.
As you know Carla and I are big fans of AllClassical FM radio out of Portland.  They do not have the same presentation that many such stations have; they are not stoic and quietly presenting the music.  As Andrea Murray said this morning, they do it in a much less formal manner but with respect for the music.
Personally, I believe, that is what makes this station not only unique in the genre, but much more popular than their peers. 
The hosts are people and come across as such.  Each has their own style, some are more formal than others, but those that seem to have the largest following are those that reach out and connect with the audience.
These hosts, all of them, after a short time become cherished friends – almost members of the family - and we, along with others I have talked to, listen to this station not just for the music – we could use a cd or satellite classic station if that is all we wanted – but for their presentations and the selections, which tend to be more varied than I have heard elsewhere.
The station is in its fund raising phase this week, needed to continue to operate.  But it also allows us to actually get to know the hosts better and the music sounds so much sweeter as we connect with them.
Locally it is 96.3 or 88.1 for those of you outside their broadcast area, you can go to the internet, click on www.allclassical.org.  It will take you to their web page, click on listen and you can listen to them over the internet – might give them a try if you haven’t done so all ready.
Isaiah 5:20-21 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

Now, that sure enough describes what is happening in America today!  So what can we look forward to in the future?
What does history tell us happens to a sinful people who turn God’s Word into a reason to rebel rather than a reason to turn and rejoice in Him?
Israel; Greece; Romans; Germany; China; Japan; Italy; - hundreds of other nations have risen and fallen because they have turned their eyes to sin, rather than God.
Israel, the home of God’s Chosen People, fell many times because of their disobedience to God.  Their refusal to acknowledge Him and instead worshiped idols and went about their lives in debauchery caused them much distress.
We look at the sins of Israel, and we see the sins of America paralleling them today.  Israel had the promise that God would forgive them as a nation when the people turned back to Him – we do not.
That doesn’t mean that He won’t help America recover from her sins and give her the blessings He has given us through the years, but it isn’t going to happen if we don’t repent of the sins and turn once again to Him. 
As God expected the leaders in Israel to acknowledge Him along with the masses, so does He expect the leaders of America to join the masses in asking for forgiveness for our sins – thus far it is not happening.
God wants to heal our land, but we must truly turn to Him for that to happen; not only in word, but in deed.
We have an advocate that the Israelites did not have, the Son of God who came to earth to die for our sins.  Through Him we have a hope that comes not only from being in the Family of Abraham, but the promise of eternal life.
Ephesians 1:18-20 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

Later, Art :-)
From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Had a bit of a start this morning.  The electricity went off, back on then off again.  It was only off for a minute or so, but it reminded me that I had not backed up my computer for several months – including over 60,000 words on the first year of office.
I hadn’t printed it off, either, so I was a bit concerned.  Got up and backed up everything on my hard drive, again, including recent photos.  We are good to go, once again.
Mathew 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Far too often I have forgotten this promise and went off on my own to get what I thought I needed without God’s help.
Time and patience are not only important in a Christian’s live, but imperative.  When we go off and do things without first talking with God we can find ourselves in a mess – I know, I have experienced that several times.
God wants to lead us, He wants to bless us, we just have to submit our heart, will and life to Him.
Later, Art :-)
From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Saturday, September 26, 2015

I love the mild weather of Fall here in the Mid-Columbia, the air is crisper and cleaner and the sky clearer.  The wind seems to have a feel of refreshing, rather than punishing us.
Most of the canning is now complete.  Now the task is getting it into the basement and stored away – counters and table are filled with jars.
Last night we had stuffed peppers for dinner.  Fresh peppers from the garden along with fresh tomatoes and a then some onions and garlic from the store, mixed in with Ken’s hamburgers made a delicious meal entrĂ©e.  Topped off with fresh tomato and cucumber salad from the garden, it was a home grown meal.
Hebrews 10:30-31 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  -  KJV copied and pasted from BibleGateway.com
"All roads lead to the judgment seat of Christ." – Keith Green
I found it telling that my verse of the day and my quote of the day meshed with each other this morning. 
So many people want to believe, and unfortunately so many ‘Christian’ denominations are now either preaching or condoning the statement that ‘all roads lead to heaven.’ 
We know that is not true – but as Green says they dolead to the judgement seat of Christ.’
AND THAT is NOT the SAME THING!
There are many verses that reinforce that we can only go through Jesus to get into heaven.  Period.  There IS NO other way.
We have been told to carefully protect our salvation, to watch out for those that would water down the Gospel of Christ and twist it to for their own pleasure or purpose.
Mathew 7:13-15 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
The world wants to believe that man has the right to determine how he lives.  If they want to believe in a ‘god’ so be it, but it is a ‘god’ they design to meet their needs.  Oh, that ‘god’ may have demands on them, but it neatly agrees with their ideas and ideals.  That way they can say, their way to ‘heaven’ is as good as a Christian’s.
What has happened through the centuries and is becoming almost a mandate in some of our Christian Churches, here in America today, is that we must conform to the world’s views and manipulate the Bible to fit those views.  Notwithstanding the warnings Christ gave about doing such things; they proclaim that it doesn’t matter if it is against the Word we can find a way around it.
They will not be in the ‘world’s’ courts where they can argue points of law and intent, where they can find a way to manipulate the law or facts to conform to their argument that they are either not guilty of the crime, or should be given a lesser sentence because they misread, didn’t understand or didn’t deliberately commit the crime.  Nor will the defense of that shouldn’t be a crime, hold water. 
They will be going before the judgement seat of God, where the first question is going to be ‘What did YOU do with my Son?’  The answer had better be, I accepted His sacrifice on the Cross and the sacrifice for my sins and accepted His resurrection as the proof that God accepted that sacrifice; and I obeyed Him – and it will be verified with our advocate, Jesus Christ. 
Then of course we have those that ‘preach’ there is no God and that those that believe in Him are foolish.  Man is his own master and they will live the way they wish – they are a big factor in deciding how society views sin and the consequences.
Probably all of us, at one time or another, have encountered the atheist that says something like “you are going to be in for a big surprise when you die and there is nothing, there is no God.”
I heard a good rejoinder to that and use it myself.  “I would rather accept Christ and be ‘surprised’ He doesn’t exist, than to not accept Him and be surprised when I find He does.”  Of course the fallacy of our being ‘surprised’ is that if they were correct we wouldn’t find out anything.  However, when they find out there is a God, His Son exists and they should have obeyed Him, they will be eternally damned.
Nope, not all roads lead to heaven, but they all lead to the Judgement seat!
Later, Art :-)
From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Friday, September 25, 2015

The pizza sauce has been reducing for several hours and is almost ready to can.  It is amazing the amount of tomatoes we have to use to get a pint of sauce – lots!  Fortunately Carla has lots!
Pretty day out today, Mount Hood is covered in clouds and that is just fine!  Unfortunately that is not translating into moisture, yet.
Might get some more sauce made up and peaches, we could use a few more before they give out – other than that we are almost done canning for the season.
Will be freezing some peppers and may dry some along with some tomatoes, we shall see.
So much better knowing what is in your food and canning those super fresh veggies and fruits give the food a lot more flavor than getting them from the store.
Luke 6:46-49 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

The new minister preached his first sermon.  Everyone was ecstatic; they applauded his insights and his delivery.
The next week the new minister preached his second sermon – it was the same as the first.  People had questions, but they praised him anyway.
The next week the new minister preached his third sermon – it was the exact same message as the other two.  Those that had not been there before praised him, those that had been there just looked at him.
Monday the deacons visited him and asked him, “Why are you preaching the same sermon over and over?”
The minister said, “Because you are not obeying.”
I must say that I am extremely thankful for a patient and forgiving God.  All too often I have been in that situation where I KNOW what I am supposed to do, I have been told over and over again, yet, I fail to do it.
When we work we have certain policies and procedures we must follow; directives that allow the company to perform in a consistent manner for their customers, clients or patients.
None of us would continue using a doctor who says, “This is what the ‘manual’ says I must do – but I don’t want to do it.  Thank you for coming in, let’s get together again some time.”
Yet, we go to church and listen to the sermon; we set time to read the Word of God; we pray for guidance and direction from the Holy Spirit and then we go about as if we had not heard or read any of it.
We have a strong foundation in Jesus.  We know how to build upon that foundation – we just need to do it.
Later, Art :-)
From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Talked with Rose last night, she passed her driver’s test.  Today she drove to school for the first time, by herself. 
Her parents are confident in our skills, and because they are so am I.
This is another ‘right of passage’ that our children go through, an indication that they are maturing into responsible adults and can be trusted - AND as Wendy says, it is ‘bitter sweet’ as she watched her drive down the driveway. 
I can just imagine what it was like for her father.
Galatians 3:5-9 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
And  26-29 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Get your Bible out and read the whole chapter!  What a testament to us, who are not Jews, that we have the same promise and love from God that they have!
This morning I just can’t stop praising Him for that promise!  It surges within me, it is lifting me up and I am flying above the clouds!
What a promise!
As many of you know, yesterday Carla’s sister, Mary, was taken home to be with the Lord.  She is now gaining the rewards of that promise from God. 
We miss her, we are going to grieve over her loss, and we are praying for her family - but every one of us knows she is in a better place.  Free from the pain and illnesses that inflicted her here on earth.  They can rejoice in that promise and know that she is in heaven with other family members in the protective arm of God.
I can remember, many years ago, we were talking about someone, who had recently died, in our Adult Sunday School class one time.  I have no idea why or how it came up.
One of the comments made by a member was that the person was in a better place.  The person had made no outward commitment to Christ and while they may have done so before they died, we don’t know.
Now, that comment is often made to comfort family and friends, we all want to believe that our loved one is now safe.  I do not criticize anyone that says that, even if we aren’t sure it is true. 
We had a retired minister, C.K. Barnes, in our class that was a fire and brimstone preacher who didn’t mince with words.  His question, immediately, was ‘who says?’  Now, that isn’t something you would say to a grieving family – and I seriously doubt he would – but it is a good question, for us to answer, NOW.  We may not get another opportunity. 
Death can come at any time; will we be in a better place when it does?
It is never too late, while we have a breath to breathe we can confess our sins and ask His forgiveness – He will give it to that person just as He gave it to the thief on the cross.
In Mary’s case, it is God Himself that ‘says’ she is in a better place, because she accepted Christ early in life and lived for Him from then on.  She has that promise!
I love the Hymn that says “When we all get to heaven – what a day of rejoicing that will be – when we all see Jesus, we sing and shout the victory!”  Mary has a loud voice; I can see her dancing, praising God joining with her fellow Christians in heaven – shouting the Victory!  Her voice is reverberating in the streets of heaven – there is no doubt she is being heard!
The Jews have been persecuted and killed throughout history.  They have suffered for their faith; they have sacrificed all to serve Him.  They are His chosen people, through Isaac the son of Abraham who is the Father of the Jewish nation.
Jesus came from that lineage.  He was the Messiah that was promised them, and His death and resurrection enable, not only them, but, everyone – everyone - the opportunity to join the family of Abraham and live with God eternally.
We will miss Mary, Gary and her children and grandchildren - those closest to her - will miss her the most, but we all know! – we all have the confidence and assurance as to where she is, how she is doing and one day we will join her as we ‘shout the Victory!’
Later, Art :-)
From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

The garden she is still producing.  Carla brought more tomatoes up for processing; we are making a pizza/spaghetti/lasagna sauce for the coming winter months.
Have a few more peaches to can, and might get some more.  They don’t last long in this household, fresh or canned.
Not much else happening, Steven has his credentials to drive the school buses and just needs a bit more training.  Haven’t heard just when Rose will be taking her driver’s test, but she should do well – Dad and Mom weren’t going to let her try until they were confident in her skills.
Teresa is settling down into her new job and Deed will be going into her new assignment the first part of October.
Crazy shifts and hours will have to be worked around as we go into the holiday seasons.
Come to think of it, I guess there is quite a bit happening.
Galatians 2:9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
Another powerful chapter; showing the workings of the early church and the interaction between the leaders of the church.  The sharing of truths and the chastising of those that would modify it for their own purposes.
What stood out, to me, this morning was the realization by these men that they had separate missions –AND that was okay.  Paul, Titus and Barnabas’s mission was to the non-Jews while James, Cephas and John ministered to the Jews.  They blessed each other and encouraged each other and each went their own way, secure in the knowledge that God was blessing and using each in turn.
The significance of this verse, to me, shows the plans that God had all along to bring all of us into His family.  Each had the responsibility and was commanded to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but each had a different mandate from God in the way and/or the people they were required to preach to.  Each must fulfill that all-encompassing command as well as their individual mandate in order to please Him.
Not just the Jews, but all people were to be invited into the family.
It is no different from the mandates He gives to us.  Each of us has the responsibility of reaching others for Christ.  But we are not responsible for everyone, just those that God has brought to us - so they might hear what we have to say about Him.
Our mission field is wherever we are at the moment.  While we may have a calling to provide His Word to somewhere far removed, or in a position different from where we are now, it doesn’t negate the command to serve Him, now; until He has finished preparing us for the other mission.
1 Peter 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
Where we work, where we shop, where we play are all mission fields open to us to share the Gospel with others.
While it is true that many companies, and especially governments, are requiring no religious ‘proselyting’ it still doesn’t prevent us from living a life filled with the Holy Spirit and being ready to give an answer to those that ask how we overcome our problems and relate that to whatever is troubling them.
It may have to be away from the job, or some other requirement that seems unfair to us – but our life can speak volumes - a positive attitude that is focused on doing the right thing and showing others Christ’s love can allow the Holy Spirit to present an opportunity where we didn’t realize one existed.
We but need to be open for His guidance and follow His lead.
Nope, not easy. 
We have to be attentive and we have to have a strong relationship with Him.  It may take time, but if we are willing to submit to Him, we will see those opportunities and He will help us give the Gospel message, in an appropriate form, to them.
Christians in oppressive nations where even mentioning Christ, His Word or anything pertaining to Him can cause them to be persecuted and thrown into prison for years – yet, they share his Word, they share the salvation through Christ, and men and women come to Christ.
Their mission may be in a hidden church service in the basement of a building, or a jail cell where the only contacts they may have is with their tormentors – yet, God honors their commitment and their dedication to His Son He uses their testimony to strike at the hearts of the offenders. 
The oppressor may not yield, but some may and others may come to realize the truth - and for that Christian, that circumstance becomes his mission field. 
We are not responsible for the results of our witnessing; we are only responsible to God, to obey. 
We sometimes forget that and can get discouraged when all around us is in chaos and no one wants to hear about the God that sent His Son for our salvation and the Holy Spirit for our comfort and growth. 
The mission, for Christians, is following God and the Holy Spirit’s leading, not the end results – that is the responsibility of those who hear us and it is their decision to act on the Holy Spirit’s pleadings, not ours.
In following Christ, you go your way, I will go mine.  My right hand of fellowship and blessings on your ministry is given – I ask of you the same.  In going our separate ways, dedicating ourselves to the mission given us, God will reach many more people than if we both traveled the same path.
Later, Art :-)
From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

I was reading a story, sent to me by a friend, of a criminal coming up to and praying with a police officer.  http://www.9news.com/story/news/humankind/2015/09/16/humankind-excon-police-officer/32494059/
It reminded me of the victories I too saw in dealing with some of the criminals I arrested who came back and thanked me some prayed with me, or introduced me to their family showing pride in the reversal of their behavior.
It happens more than people realize.
To a Christian, being a police officer is more than just ‘being’ a police officer.  It is a calling, much like a minister’s, to serve God in this way.
Police officers are exposed to society’s worse; we deal with violence and crimes that can be heinous; we help those that are in need and do our best to protect them.  It is our job, but it is also what God is having us do in our lives, we are called to be police officers.
We go into places that others refuse to go – I can remember we had a suicidal man that barricaded himself inside an apartment with a family member.  He was threatening to kill himself, and though he wasn’t threatening to injure the family member, he also refused to let her leave.
This was in the early 1970’s, there was no formal training; training on dealing with mental people was by trial and error, by the seat of your pants and using your gut to figure out what you needed to do. 
The laws had changed where people who ‘acted out’ when they were off medication could no longer be forced to take that medication.  Mental institutions were being closed and these people who might have been controlled in that environment were released into communities that were ill prepared to deal with them.
We could only do what we could to help them; often times that meant they were taken to jail because there wasn’t anywhere else to take them – none of us believed that is where they necessarily belonged, but we didn’t have any of the resources that we have today.  
As time went on that day, it came to me that we had a public mental health agency, staffed with psychologists and counselors that might be able to help us.  We called them and requested they come to the scene and advise us – perhaps talking to the suicidal person.
At first they thought we were asking them to go inside and they refused saying it was too dangerous – that was our job.  When we explained that we just wanted their advice and any talking would be done by phone; we were told they don’t do that, but, when we get him into custody to call them and after he had calmed down they might be able to help him.
I don’t recall just how we did it, but we eventually took him into protective custody.  No one was injured.
Police officers are the first line of defense, they make decisions in seconds that others can’t make in hours and their decisions can be questioned and reviewed for years trying to decide if the officer was right or not.
Threats are made against not only them, but their families and many times the families suffer because of it.  Their children can be ostracized or even attacked by others because of their parent’s position.  Threats are made to spouses and they must endure the derision of the profession by neighbors and co-workers.
A Christian family has the comfort of knowing that God is there for them and for their police officer.  But it is still difficult for them to see the officer walk out the door, knowing that anything could happen that day and they might not come back.
That is true of every single officer, doesn’t matter the size of the department or community – he could be subjected to death at any time.  He is on the front line, he is vulnerable and he accepts the responsibility to protect others.
A Christian Police Officer is not perfect, and is subject to the same errors, same fears, same concerns as other officers, however, we also have the privilege of serving God in this capacity and seeing His miraculous works in others – others who society rejects and refuses to deal with.
It is a calling.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

The author(s) of this book went through a litany of things that he had accomplished in his life and then realized it was for nothing.  All that he had would be left to another upon his death and he had no control of how it would be taken care of or what the recipient might do with it.
The whole book, all twelve chapters, can be summarized by these two verses.  It took his all his life to come to that conclusion and God has shared it with us to remind us that the only thing that is important to Him, is our obedience to Him.
Jesus basically said the same thing when asked:
Mathew 22:35-40 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Now Jesus did not leave it with that.  He had proclaimed to the people of Israel and commanded them to proclaim to others that part of Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind included accepting Him as the Son of God, equal to God and through Him and Him only could they have eternal life.
Luke 22:69-70 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
70 Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am.

We can make a list of what Christians should do and what they should not do.  We can demand they follow certain creeds to show they are living a perfect and holy life.
But the bottom line, “the conclusion of the whole matter,” is not what we possess or not possess, how we dress or do not dress, or any other outward signs of piety, but it is our heart and our relationship with God, through Christ and the obedience of the Holy Spirit as He guides and directs us through this life.
Later, Art :-)
From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again
Dad :-) to some, Art to the rest of ya!
Art :-) and Carla Labrousse
The Dalles, OR USA
http://www.fromcrg.com/index.html

Monday, September 21, 2015

Not a lot going on today.  Trying to get some more peaches canned and get ready for winter. 
Mathew 22:29-30 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.

The Sadducees were trying to trick Jesus by placing Him in untenable positions; this was just one of them.  If He answered one way they could chastise Him, if another, they would also chastise Him.  It would appear He was in a no win situation.
However, He turned their arguments back on them.  He was blunt in His statement to them, He accused them of not knowing the scriptures – and sense they didn’t believe in the resurrection they obviously did not know the scriptures.
As Christians we face the same kinds of queries from those that would try and denigrate our faith in Him.  They point to adverse situations and ask how can a God allow that?  They strive to catch us on our knowledge of His Word by twisting His Word or even ascribing verses to the Bible that do not exist.
Those that would challenge us do so with malice in mind.  They take the time to form the questions or accusations ahead of time so that they believe we will be confounded and not be able to respond; thus, they believe, they have won the argument.
When we let the enemy define the terms of a conversation it is not going to be in our favor – they define the terms so that they become, or at least appear to be, the victor.  
It is one of the reasons we should be prayed up and have a solid understanding of the Word of God.  There are so many ways for our enemy to attack us that it is difficult to prepare properly for the battle.
In law enforcement we always prepared for the worse, hoping that the worse would not come, but at least we would be ready for it.
That meant considering what might happen, evaluating the means that it might happen and then planning and practicing the response to that situation.
The military is in much the same mode – as is every other emergency service provider.  You prepare for the worse, but hope for the best.
When making those determinations you also have to evaluate what is the probability of that happening in your area of responsibilities.  Anything can happen, anywhere, but what is the likelihood?
It is important to do that evaluation because you cannot afford to prepare for every possible scenario.  What you can do is prepare in such a manner that if something unexpected comes up you can draw on your plans for other situations and adapt and apply it for the current problem.
But even still, you learn that your agency cannot do it all, the possibilities of something occurring must be evaluated and concentration of funds and efforts applied to the most probable.
Then because the agency cannot afford to develop for an unlikely situation, we partner up with an agency or group that can focus on the problem that we might not face, but they prepare for it for a broader area, and it the problem does occur we use there area of expertise to take care of the problem.
For many years larger agencies, such as Portland and Eugene in Oregon, had their own specialized crime scene investigators who knew how to process any scene and could do the laboratory work to process evidence.  Smaller agencies could not afford that kind of specialized work in serious crime scenes so they would call on them for help – help that was willingly given.
As the years went on and the equipment became more expensive and the individual expertise more critical it was decided, rather than allocate funds that could be used in other area to allow The Oregon State Police to focus on this need and the rest of us would draw on that resource.
Every Police officer is trained in the basics.  They know how to protect a crime scene, they know how to investigate crimes, but sometimes the crime scene is more involved than they are trained for – a murder scene is a good example – and they bring in the experts.  But in most cases the ‘experts’ are not needed.
The agency looks at what is happening in their area of responsibility.  They look at adjoining communities; they look at who has resources they can call upon if necessary.  The review their budget and make a determination that the most likely thing to happen in their community must be addressed and funds and training target that probability. 
There is more to it, of course, but that is the basics for any agency who must prepare for emergencies.
Christ was prepared for the Sadducees.  He knew the Scriptures; He knew those that applied to the life of the Jews, their worship, their sacrifices, the verses which foretold of His coming and most importantly the truth of the scriptures.
We may not be as glib as our Lord in facing the advisory.  We may not be able to pull the exact scripture needed to answer the question or accusation, but we can prepare for the questions that are most asked – and it may be different from one community to another – so we can allow the Holy Spirit to help us respond.
There are times an expert must address that question – but most of the time we can handle it if we are trained and prepared.
It means we must study the Word of God and have a clear understanding of who God is.  Just because the year is 2015 doesn’t mean He is any different than He was before the Creation of the Universe.
When someone tries to trip us up and ‘quote scripture’ we can ask them to show it to us – then IF they actually know where it is and IF it is quoted accurately, what is the context?  The context can change the apparently meaning of a verse from false teaching to the truth.
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.
To study means just that, we must study God’s Word, we must apply it to our life and in the process we must rely upon the Holy Spirit to lead us as we talk to others about Christ and His promises.
1 Peter 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
This comes not from just study – but a welling up of the Spirit within us.  One of the reasons a new Christian can be an effective witness and many times bring others to Christ is the ability to express His great love and why he has that hope.  It is fresh within him and the Joy comes flowing out – he can’t stop it even if he wanted to.
They may not know ‘all the right things to say’ but they have experienced that salvation and cleansing that only Christ can give them and that joy, that wonder comes through to show how Christ has changed them.  The freshness of their salvation can often be a more effective tool than trying to convert by quoting a lot of scriptures.
People relate to experiences, they want to hear the truth that we have found and how it is changing our lives.  Even those that will challenge and try to destroy us, can be reached through the demonstration of His love for them through us.
We need to know God’s Word and the longer we live in Him, the more we should know.  But what really grasps the hearts of man is not the pontificating, but the showing of our love for them and an open and honest relationship with God.
Later, Art :-)
From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Fall appears to be here to stay, that smell of it in the air, the crispness that forewarns the coming of fallen leaves and colder weather.
It has always been my favorite time of year – I am sure one of the reasons is that my allergies are no longer controlling my days.  But I love the smells, the changing colors, the clear and boldly blue skies that accompany fall.
I used to hunt, haven’t in years, but I still enjoy the woods this time of year.  To me it is special.
The garden is still producing.  Carla has a couple of large pumpkins that she will share with neighbor kids.  Still getting garden fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, etc. not quite as flavorful as earlier in the year, but still much better than the ones sold at stores.
Days are shorter.  I can leave the curtains open now as the sun doesn’t hit the windows like it does in mid-summer, heating up the living room to an unbearable temperature. 
I realized a couple of days ago that I have a much better view of Mt. Hood as I sit in my chair – sometime during the summer the spruce tree that grew between us and the mountain had been cut down.  I appreciate that!
2  Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
When we came up to Deed’s house yesterday, we could hear Josh working down at the barn.  When we went into the house and started talking to Deed, who was working us some nectarines, he came in for a cold drink. 
I held my hand out to shake his, he looked at his hand and did what most people do when they have dirty hands, he looked at it wiped it on his pants and said something about his hands being dirty – I didn’t much care, we shook hands.
Later I thought about that gesture.  It brought to mind something I had heard before – something like ‘I would rather shake the dirty hand of a man whose hand is soiled by honest toil, than a man’s hand that appears clean but is dirty by dishonesty.’
We all make mistakes, our minds and bodies are like that clay pot, subject to the pressures and vileness of the world that would hammer without to break us down within, and often place cracks in our veneer.  It is easy to stray from the wisdom of God when we use man’s wisdom to succeed.
Steven, one of my children, commented on the return of a certain preacher that had been publicly ostracized for sins, which he had preached against but which he was committing in secret.  Steven was surprised at how willingly people were now listening to him despite his fall.  We both came to the conclusion that it is because Christians are willing to forgive – it doesn’t mean that his testimony isn’t tainted and that he must always have that in his background when people listen to him – he betrayed God’s trust to Him and the trust of those that he preached to – so he will have that question mark hanging over him for the rest of his ministry.  Yet, he admitted his sins, he requested and was forgiven, he did as the church commanded by staying out of the pulpit and focusing on his redemption and was following God’s guidance.
We don’t know if he has or will revert to those demons that persecuted him and to whom he yielded – we don’t know what goes on behind closed doors, but we can only pray he indeed has forsaken the things he has done and is truly looking to God to help him.
Many felt upset and angry – as they should have – over his betrayal.  His clay pot had been severely damaged.  The world, of course used him, as they do other Christian leaders’ fall into sin, as an example of the hypocrisy of Christians and how we fail to live up to the very precepts we say we believe in.
Yet, no one, is perfect.  Christians want to be, we want to be like Christ, we want to show His love, His Grace, His life in ours.  We want to say, as Paul said, In Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Yet, we falter, we fail – and even if we think it is a good cause or a way to draw interest to God, we can find ourselves doing things that are not of God.
One such time (among the many I have failed God) comes to my mind when I think of how fragile we can be if we take our eyes off of God.
One of the things we would do at Vacation Bible School is hold a penny donation contest, boys against the girls.  To begin with we used to place buckets on the altar and have the kids come up and place their money in the buckets.   But it took time to count and we couldn’t announce the winner until later in the day.
To help build excitement and get a quicker determination of who won, I had asked one of our Elders, who was a master carpenter, to build a scale for the contest; similar to the scales of justice.  We would have buckets hanging from the arms so the children could place their pennies.
When the buckets were empty it balanced perfectly, as I said he was a master and these scales were used for many VBS’s thereafter.  We made sure there were plenty of pennies available since some would bring other change and of course a dime doesn’t weigh as much as ten pennies.
(I just now realized that it could have been taken by some of our congregation as money changing – one of the things Jesus abhorred were the money changers in the Temple – men he chased out.  Unlike them we gave an honest measure – still, it is interesting that I had not thought of the similarities until now.  No one complained, and I don’t think we were wrong, but do have to give it some more thought.)
To help encourage the contest I represented one sex, another man represented the other.  We had some gaudy ties we wore and if our team won, we got to cut off some of the tie of the loser – the kids loved it.  To help build suspense and fun, we agreed that if the amounts were ever equal the Pastor’s tie was to be cut.
In the ‘spirit of fun,’ on the after the kids went home on the next to the last day, I asked the Elder to do something to the scale that would allow me to ‘fix’ the results and make them balance.  Then we would reveal what the actual measurement was later (can’t remember if my intent was to cut the Pastor’s tie first or just reveal the subterfuge before cutting it.)  I knew it would garner a great laugh and everyone would enjoy it.
What I didn’t count on was the Elder.  He did what I asked.  However, he told me this was wrong, I am sending the wrong message to these kids.  I can’t say he was calm in the way he said it, he was upset, not yelling, just upset.  He was right.
I listened to him, we gave an honest weight.
Now, if that weight had been for payment, or for something more ‘serious’ I would never have thought about fixing it.  It was a little thing that really didn’t matter, it was just for a laugh and building camaraderie – yet, as he pointed out, it did matter.
It is often the little things that first trip us up.  I am sure the aforementioned preacher didn’t start out as he ended up.  He allowed little things to creep into his heart, things that ‘really didn’t matter all that much.’  Yet, in the end he was found out and held in disgrace.
We are earthen vessels, subject to the world’s ideas and desires.  It is only through Christ, through God’s Wisdom, the Holy Spirit’s leading – and those that would remind us that we must walk a very straight path – that we can keep that vessel from being destroyed.
We must not think, even for a minute, that we are above sin and have no need for God’s guidance.  We must remember that even a little trick, if not honest, can lead to larger more dishonest tricks and even that little trick gives the wrong message to those that are entrusted to us.
A man’s hands only become dirty when he starts to do a job, it becomes dirtier as he continues – let us make sure the dirt on our hands is from honest labor and not from following the ways of the world.
Later, Art :-)
From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again