Watching the birds as they hit the feeders today.  It helps brighten an otherwise dreary, cloudy day.

No wind though, but also no snow – even on the mountains.  We do need the moisture. 

Carla got called into work today, one of her co-workers is ill.  Not that we had anything specific to do today, but after such a long and hard week she needed the down time.  She works again tomorrow but will have Wednesday off – hopefully.

Ezekiel 37:1-10 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,

² And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

³ And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.

⁴ Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

⁵ Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

⁶ And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

⁸ And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.

⁹ Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

As I read these verses this morning, the first thing that came to mind is that song ‘them bones, them bones, them dry bones.....’

Then as I meditated on these verses (still with the music humming in my mind):

Ezekiel was asked if he believed God could raise these bones – he said, O Lord God, thou knowest.

He believed, an act of will and a belief in God due to His love and close relationship with God – and knowledge God would do what He says He will do.

Ezekiel was ordered to preach to a bunch of bones.

He had to tell these dry bones that they were to be raised up and they would once again have flesh upon them.

So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

He obeyed:

Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

I look at America today and I see such a dry valley with people so wrapped up in their lives and self-centered desires that their spirit is as dry as those bones.

It would be easy to get discouraged.  Can you imagine what that valley Ezekiel was first faced with looked like?  It had to be an overwhelming scene of death and destruction.  The first thing most of us would think of would be to given them a decent burial and then wonder how we could possibly accomplish such a massive undertaking. 

I wonder if Ezekiel wondered why God brought him to this place, was it to do just that?  Yet, when asked He immediately affirmed that God can make the death rise again and serve Him.

He obeyed, God fulfilled.

He can do the same thing for America.

The march into Jerusalem as Jesus was arriving in preparation for His last days on earth, He reaffirmed the authority of God, as He had the ability to raise an army from dry, disconnected bones, so if need be He would cause rocks to praise Him.

Luke 19:37-40  And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;

³⁸ Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.

³⁹ And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.

⁴⁰ And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

No matter what is going on around us, no matter how dry we feel, how foolish the tasks ahead of us may be; no matter the sense of hopelessness satan tries to lay on our hearts – our God can DO ANYTHING.

He makes the blind to see, the deaf to hear; He changes the hearts of man and refreshes their souls as He did with the dry bones.

If we fail to praise Him, to acknowledge His authority and place in this world and in our hearts He will raise up those that will – and we will be the lesser for it.

Instead:

Hebrews 10:22-24 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

²³ Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

²⁴ And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

God can do anything, so when He commands us to do things we may feel make us look foolish, it is so His Glory can be shown to all and the Holy Spirit can change the stone of a heart within a sinner, to a praising Christian as he is transformed by God’s Grace.

More than once I have had a lump in my throat when I feel the command to share the Gospel with a specific individual.  I wish I could say I always obeyed that command – I can’t.  I was afraid that I would look as foolish as Ezekiel may have looked to anyone that observed him preaching to a bunch of bones; or a fear I would be rejected – no one likes that feeling.

I wish I could say that every time I did so I saw an immediate response from the person I witnessed to – I can’t.

I have had people, several years later though, come to me and tell me that my witnessing helped them find Jesus.  I preached to dry bones, but God brought another in to preach that the breath of life in their soul would be received when they accepted Christ.

I know that when we do as God says, He will honor His Word and our obedience to Him.  We just have to belief, as Ezekiel believed that God will put the flesh on the bones and create an army of believers when we preach as He commands.

Later, Art :-)

Freezing fog and cold grey clouds greeted us today as we got up and took care of our daily duties.  Temperatures below 20 degrees – which is far warmer than those experiencing it in minus readings – Bend, Burns, Baker, to name a few.  Still, it is not warm.

Yesterday was a bright shiny day, Carla had the day off; we had a bit of an outing and enjoyed the feeling of pleasure as the sunshine uplifted our spirits.

All the animals, even Abby who much prefers the outdoors to being cooped up indoors, have found their favorite places to curl up in the warmed of the house.

We still have a couple of hummingbirds that are wintering over and, of course we are feed them and the other birds as the weather makes it hard for them to find food.  How they manage to stay warm in this weather is a gift from God – we need clothing, they have their own protections.

Hebrews 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

I had an interesting dream last night – want to be careful here, I am not claiming divine revelation, just a thought about angels around us.

We know that some come in earthly forms, two visited Lot in Sodom to warn him.  This verse implies that angels walk among us and we may not recognize them.

Many of us look at our careers as being a service in God’s name to those we serve.  We hear, all the time, the statement “nurses are angels in white” as they administer to those in need.

It is a comforting thought and one made to recognize the dedication and service of these men and women who comfort the ill and injured as they help them recover.

But not all “angels” wear white.  Some wear blue or brown with a badge on their chest as either a star or shield signifying their dedication to those that are oppressed and the desire to protect them from harm; standing between the innocent and the evil that would come upon them.

Others, wearing similar uniforms, stand between our country and those that would destroy it; go into harm’s way as they protect those that are beset by fear and carnage in other nations.

Others, wearing similar uniforms, fight the terror of the fire and the destruction of property and life.

Admittedly not all that wear these uniforms are Christians, not all have a desire of service, they have different motivations for donning those uniforms – but all can be used by God to protect His people.

We also know that some have ulterior motives, or fail in their duties, some even become the very evil they have been sworn to protect their people from; some make mistakes in judgment that have far reaching consequences; but the vast majority of these men and women serve with honor and dedication.

They willingly stand in front of the enemy and many die because of that dedication.

These men and women are “angels in blue and brown.”

Later, Art :-)

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

Beautiful cloud free, blue skies greeting us this past couple of days as day breaks – supposed to be that way for the next few days.  It means, of course, lower temperatures and we are getting those also – nothing like in some other parts of the state where they are in single digits or even minus degrees.

All part of living in this state and we are prepared for it.

We had a good time yesterday, Deed and Josh, Teresa and Ian were here.  Steven, Celinda and CeeCee were to be here but after surgery pain kept them home.  Just as well, their itinerary would have brought them through some territory where several accidents occurred.

Carla and I prepared the meat and Grandma’s potato rolls while the others brought the fixin’s.  I carefully calculated the length of time needed for the rotisserie to cook our turkey, only to have it get done an hour earlier that it was supposed to get done.

I took it off the spit and we placed in the oven along with the ham at a much lower temperature and both came out good.

Turkey takes a while to cook.  I can remember mom getting up early to put it in the oven so we could eat at a specific time.  We did the same thing after we got married.

One year Carla and her mom, each, had purchased a large covered pan for the turkey – they were on sale or something.  That year we were in Redmond and so her mom cooked the turkey.  She had it timed for early afternoon dinner and put it in at the appropriate early morning hours – only to find it cooked it so fast that the turkey was ready at about 0900 – bit before expected.

We used the pan for several years, always with the knowledge we had to cook it in a lot less time.  Now I don’t cover the whole chickens or turkey, if I don’t put it on the spit, or barbecue, I put it on a rack in the oven; we like the taste better.  Dressing is done in a different pan. 

Or, as I recently found out, I can cook the bird in a cast iron skillet – no cover, put the dry stuffing with any herbs and other things I want in it around the sides of the bird, and the drippings do well to get it moist as dressing – add a little broth and stir it over a bit of heat after taking the turkey off to rest, and it comes out great.

We also celebrated our 50^th wedding anniversary – early of course – but just in case – and in all likelihood – that we can’t all get together on that date.    

Ezekiel 27:2-3   Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus;

³ And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord God; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty.

Tyrus was a magnificent city.  One of the leaders in all manner of trade and culture – but they had gone too far and attributed their great wealth and standing in the world with great pride and denied the strength and power of God.

This chapter goes to great length in expounding on their reputation and respect from the people around them, receiving gifts and homage from their neighbors.

It then goes on to say, that because they refused God they would be punished.  People will be amazed that such a great city should be condemned to ruin, overrun by its enemies and ‘natural’ afflictions such as flooding.

Ezekiel 27:32-36 And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, saying, What city is like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea?

³³ When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many people; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise.

³⁴ In the time when thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters thy merchandise and all thy company in the midst of thee shall fall.

³⁵ All the inhabitants of the isles shall be astonished at thee, and their kings shall be sore afraid, they shall be troubled in their countenance.

³⁶ The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt be any more.

Their demise will be a lesson to other cities, other kingdoms that to claim the authority of God, to claim He has no bearing on their success will lead to destruction.

Ezekiel 28:18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

I enjoy a good game of football.  I enjoy watching men at their best – testing other men at their bests to see who will win.  It takes a lot of preparation and practice.

It takes good teamwork and planning to overcome the other team on the field.

What is taking place far too much, for my tastes, is the self-praising that is becoming common place.  Score a touchdown, do a dance; tackle the quarterback in the back field, do a dance; make a tackle, do a chest bump or thump.  It is a team sport, yet these men want to be sure that the world knows they are THE one who did the work.

However, it is a microcosm of what is occurring in the world today.  Not just in America, but in most countries.  Not just in sports but in all ‘public’ endeavors.

We look at the politicians today and they chest thump, ‘look at what I have done,’ ‘this is what I will do if elected’ as if they alone can accomplish anything.

There always has been and always will be an attitude of some people that they must pat themselves on the back, must draw attention to themselves so other will admire them; making sure that they should know they should be admiring them.

However, not all are that way.  Some have provided great service to America, while using their own initiative and talents – helping others by providing a specialized service or providing a means for others to work and raise their families.  These men and women go about their work without fanfare and quietly lay a strong foundation for America.  Unfortunately, they don’t get a lot of recognition and too often are put down by those that beat their own chests.

There has been a unity of spirit, that united we can accomplish great things that as individuals we cannot.  AND if we stand under the hand of God we will accomplish great things and be blest by Him.

However, far too many of us in America think that we have accomplished this by our own fruits and minds.  Denying that God has any say in what has made this country great.

We thump our chests and say look at us, look at what WE did.

We have done great things as a country.  As a country we open our hearts to those that are oppressed.  As a nation we budget a great deal of our tax dollars to help the needy – and individuals form charities or give to charities in addition to these funds to help others. 

We have been a leader in this world.  A country that people could look up too, could depend on for support.  We have taken on that mantle with pride.

And because of God’s great blessings on this country we should indeed take leadership, we should indeed protect the innocent and help those fraught with hardship.  It is our responsibility.

But there is a difference between being great recognizing that we have done so under the protection of God and thinking we are great because WE are our own masters and God has nothing to do with it. 

And the latter is the mantra of our leaders and far too many Americans.

Forgetting the history of other nations that have turned their back on the Living God; forgetting that He will give us warnings but when we fail to acknowledge Him we will be punished – either directly or He will just remove His protecting hand – either way the nation that turns from Him, turns against Him and will be destroyed.

We hear from those that hang around on the outside of Christ, proclaiming that IF there is a God, HE will no longer act as He did in the Old Testament.  HE no longer destroys nations and HE will not destroy America.

IF there is a God that Christians proclaim, HE could not be a God that would condemn individuals to death in hell.

The tales in the Old Testament are no longer a thing to worry about or be concerned over, because Jesus came and He said He came in peace.

We have made a milk-toast out of God and Jesus.  Too many think because of His teachings that His love forbids Him to harm mankind for any perceived sins, He will overlook them.

God is no longer angered by sins since He sent Jesus.  We can live the life we want to live, if we just believe in God – and not worry about what His Word says about sin.

Belief in God, without the full understanding of who God is and what He wants; being obedient only to ones self, is worthless.  Even satan believes in God – he just refuses to acknowledge his rightful place.

And that is only if they indeed acknowledge that there is a God.

God sent prophets to countries, to kingdoms, to cities to tell them what would happen if they continued in their rebellious and self-serving actions.  If they failed to listen, He allowed them to suffer the consequences.

America is heading in the same direction – and is some cases probably have surpassed many of these countries in our sinful behavior.  God has been allowing more and more things to happen within our borders and the mindset of those countries that used to count on us for leadership are now looking at our enemies for support.

As Christians we need to pray for and remind those that are in denial, that there is a cost for rejecting God, His Son, His Word and His Holy Spirit.

Later, Art :-)

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

Carla had her only short work day today, the rest of the week will be full 8.5 hours.  Thanksgiving is off, but no days off before that, since Friday.  She will manage, she is stubborn and definitely like the rest of her family, strong willed, still I am a bit concerned for her.

2 Corinthians 2:6-8  Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many.

⁷ So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.

⁸ Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.

It was a little after midnight when I noticed the car going up the hill.  There was obviously something wrong as he couldn’t maintain his lane of travel.

I pulled in behind him, watching to see if he would straighten out, or if he would continue driving in an erratic manner.  He turned east onto 12^th St, swinging overly wide and then corrected his path - - going into the oncoming lane.

I turned on my overhead lights, radioing the license number, my location and I had a possible 10-31, a drunk driver.  He immediately pulled the car over.

I got out of my car and approached with caution – I had noted there were two people in the backseat and someone in the front passenger seat.  A young man, in his early 20’s was behind the wheel of the car.

I could smell the odor of alcohol and I watched him fumble as he tried to locate his driver’s license.  After asking if he was okay and if he was on medicine and having him say no, I had him get out of the car, he was under the influence, but I had to give him some field sobriety tests to support my initial observations.

This was in the early 70’s; this was my first DUII where I initiated the stop.  I had ridden with officers who had made an arrest and I knew the procedures to determine sobriety, but I was still a bit nervous. 

In our department at least one other officer would cover the first officer to insure safety.  As the driver was getting out of the car, the Sergeant arrived to back me up.

I had the young man step to the sidewalk.  I asked him if he had been drinking.  He said he had, that he had just had a baby a month ago, but couldn’t celebrate the birth then because he was out of work.

However, he had started working and was celebrating with his first pay check.  His wife was in the front seat and his in-laws were in the back seat – all three looked concerned, sober and a bit apprehensive.  I could see the pleading in their eyes as I looked over at them.

It didn’t take but a couple of tests to confirm my suspicions, the young man wasn’t only under the influence of alcohol, he was in fact, drunk.

I looked at the Sergeant, he didn’t say anything.

I asked the man if the others had been drinking, he said no.

I asked him why he didn’t let one of them drive, he said ‘This is my car and I am the only one to drive it.’

I didn’t want to arrest him.  I asked him to let someone else drive him home, same response – only he could drive his car.  He wouldn’t let his wife or either in-law drive.

I told him that if he would allow one of them to drive I would let him go. 

He was adamant; he was drunk and deserved to go to jail.  He ‘wouldn’t want any one driving on the road as drunk as he was if his baby was out here.’

The Sergeant tried to talk to him, he remained steadfast that he was drunk but would not relinquish the car for someone else to drive so they could take him home.

I arrested him and placed him in the backseat of the patrol car.  I explained to his wife and in-laws what was happening, although they knew we had tried to let him go home, safely.

They were quite a distance from home and we would have to call a cab for them.  I told the driver that and, per policy I would be calling a wrecker to tow the car.  He said, ‘my wife can drive it home.’

In astonishment I asked, ‘why didn’t you let her drive you home when we wanted to let you go? – ‘it is my car,’ he replied.

I took him to jail.  He took the breathalyzer and while I can’t remember how high it was, at that time the Blood Alcohol level by state statute was .15% where the presumption of guilt required that the driver had to show he wasn’t under the influence, it was almost twice what it is today, and he was well over that.

Graveyard shift would pick the prisoners up for court, which began at 0800.  Day shift would stay up in the court room with them.

I picked him up and then stayed over and took him on up.  His name was called and he immediately said I am guilty, just after the charges were read.  The judge looked over at me and I just kinda shrugged.

The man’s wife was also in the courtroom and the judge looked over at her with a questioning look.  This was not an ordinary DUII.

The judge asked him if he wanted an attorney, could he afford one, etc in an attempt to get him one so he could talk with him.  The man said no, he was guilty and wouldn’t be ‘happy if anyone was on the road as drunk as he was if his baby was out there.’

He deserved to be arrested and put in jail.

The judge gave him the minimum sentence – don’t remember what it was at the time.  The day shift officer then took him back to the jail to be processed out.

I talked to the judge and relayed what happen earlier that morning, we both just shook our heads; we had given the young man several opportunities to preserve his license and freedom.

He felt so guilty he couldn’t accept our help.

I told the wife that I was sorry, she said she understood.

We do need people like this who will accept the consequences of their actions, who will hold themselves accountable.  It was just too bad that he didn’t use common sense to begin with and not drink and drive – and also that his guilt was so heavy he couldn’t accept mercy.

So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.

There are so many people out there that think they cannot be forgiven, either by us, or more importantly, by God; and they, like this young man, stand up and say I deserved to be punished and refuse to accept mercy.

Some are Christians that believe they have strayed so far that God will never take them back in. 

These people have such deep seated guilt that they lose all reason and really do need our compassion to help them understand they are not alone and that God still loves and cares for them.

Yes, they must ‘face the music,’ yes, sometimes they must take the consequences for their sins – and it IS good that they are holding themselves accountable – but they need to be picked up, they need to allow the Holy Spirit to mend their heart and make them whole. 

They are out there, we see them all the time – we may not realize it but they are there.  We need to be ready to have the Holy Spirit guide us and help them find God’s mercy and grace through Jesus Christ. 

No one is beyond redemption; they just need to understand that.  (Obviously we are not talking about the blaspheme of the Holy Spirit, but since that is not for us to figure out – then we don’t, but continue to witness, love and pray for them.)

Later, Art :-)

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

Ah, another day, another difference a day makes.  Where it was bright and sunny yesterday it is now cloudy and dreary today.

Such is Fall in our neck of the woods.  Continuing to pray for both daughter-in-loves as they wrestle with illnesses – grandchildren all appear to be over their illnesses.  Seems that there is always something.

Titus 3:5-7 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

⁶ Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

⁷ That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

To complicate the Word of God, satan has used the fact that we are not holy, that we are sinful creatures and propagates the lie that:  therefore we can only achieve salvation by working hard, by helping others, by dedicating ourselves to God.  Without such activity, according to him, we are doomed to eternal damnation.

Satan can even use ‘good works’ to his advantage as he stresses that it is the only way to heaven – when in fact it can be a slippery slope into hell.

He appeals to the world’s description of being successful by working hard and obtaining the best; anything that is worth having has to be worked for with dedication and drive; if something is free it has no value.

He cannot define, however, when enough is good enough, or if we falter will it take away the credits to salvation we have earned in the past.  Nor does he want to, it helps with the confusion.

The day Antelope was freed from the oppression of the Rajneesh and was able to once again reclaim their freedom and city I took custody of the city’s weapons and paperwork, at the request of the citizens, and stored them for them.

I was a white knight on a white horse riding in to help save the day and they were very grateful.

I was on an emotional high as I attended our annual Sheriff’s Conference a couple of weeks later and related the event with a long time Sheriff who had taken me under his wing.

Paraphrasing now, “Don’t get too excited One ‘oh no,’ can wipe out 100 ‘atta boys.’”  He spoke from experience and it wasn’t long before his words were proven.

No matter how well we may do in this world for people, far too many of them will ask ‘well, what have you done for me lately?’ or will say ‘that is all well and good, but this mistake wipes it all out,’ and the only reason for their displeasure is because you disagreed with their ideas or you failed at a task that was close to them – doesn’t mean you were any less successful in other ways, that one slip caused them to question you.

So, when satan says your salvation can only be obtained through works - who defines, what is works and how many points do I need to enter heaven – and if I sin, how many points do I lose?

You cannot buy your way into heaven.  Some give a great deal to the church and hope that it will buy them grace when they die – and yet continue in sin and reject Christ.

You cannot give your way into heaven by living a selfless lifestyle and giving everything you have to the poor – yet reject Christ.

You cannot work your way into heaven.  Some will spend a lifetime helping others, feeding the hungry and clothing the poor - feeling that by doing so they are automatic candidates to enter heaven – yet reject Christ.

You cannot live your way into heaven.  Some will say, I am a good person, I didn’t steal or murder anyone, I raised a family and contributed to society – yet rejected Christ.

You cannot ‘spiritual life’ your way into heaven.  Some will say I have worshipped (name it) god/sect and have been faithful to their teachings and have been an adherent to their doctrines – yet they rejected Christ.

You cannot follow your own path as those that declare that all paths lead to heaven – yet reject Christ.

You cannot dedicate your life to become a god.  Some will say by doing good works and living the doctrine of their religion we will change into a god – claiming that was what happened to Jesus, he was a man who became a god – yet rejects the fact that He is God from the beginning and the fact we cannot become gods.

There are many lies that satan tells the world that seems correct, that seems to make sense – UNTIL we compare those lies to the Word of God.

God doesn’t care what our ethnic origin is, or what color our skin is, or what country we come from, or how good we may think we are, or how much worldly wealth we have – who our family is – or any other of the myriad things put out there that requires anything except the acceptance of us being sinners; accepting that the reason for Jesus’ death was that His blood can wash away our sins and that He was resurrected from the dead as proof His sacrifice was accepted by God – and that He is alive and well and concerned about us.

God has laid down the terms of salvation; satan’s lies and man, in all his ‘wisdom,’ cannot change it.

Ephesians 2:8-9 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.

John 14:5-6 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?

⁶ Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

 

My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will lead me and help me to explain to others this great truth.

Later, Art :-)

Wow, as the song says, what a difference a day makes.  Bit chilly outside, but bright sun lit skies greet my eyes.

Can’t see Mt. Hood as it is covered in clouds, but, Mt. Adams is a bright white.  Crisp air, 45 degrees and the animals have decided it remains cold enough outside to stay inside.  They keep ‘stealing’ each other’s favorite spots – however, they have learned to choose another.

Still, there are disagreements, especially when it comes to Phantom, but they get over it.

John 1:10-13  He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

¹¹ He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

¹² But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

¹³ Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

I often think of those ethnic groups that were not Hebrews.  Even though they may have been ‘good’ people they were lost.  There were ways for some of them to come to God and many did when marring into and accepting the Jewish religion – and God.

But without that bond they were lost.

When Jesus came to walk this earth for the salvation of mankind, He came first to the Jews.  He was Jewish and that was His initial mission.  While some gentiles accepted His message, His message was primarily to the Jews.

When the Apostles first started spreading the Gospel, again it was to the Jews.  But they learned quickly that the mission had been changed, not only were they to preach Christ to the Jews, but they were to preach God to ALL mankind.

US INCLUDED!

We have a glorious opportunity in Christ.  We know that He loves us and will welcome us into His arms after our death.

Yet, people still do not know Him.  They only way they can become accept Christ is to know Him.  The only way they can know Him is for us to tell them.

The beauty of God’s love through us is that it doesn’t diminish His love for us.  As we share His love we grow closer to Him; rather that losing, we gain.

There are men and women I have witnessed to for over 50 years that still do not accept the salvation of Christ.  I pray for them, I share whenever I can – usually IF they let me, they shut me off – but there are still ways I can present the gospel and have continued to try all these years.

We are the beneficiary of God’s Grace and the truths of His Word in both Testaments.  We gain so much as we learn of how He loved His people, how He tried to keep them from danger (and their own selfishness.)

We learn that we are not alone with our struggles and that He will draw us closer to Him as we learn more about Him.  The more we learn about Him, the more we love Him.

The more we love Him, the more we want to share Him.  The more we share Him, the more we see others coming to Him.  The more others come to Him, the stronger our message to those that are unsaved.

There are times I struggle to see others has God sees them.  I am blinded and not using His eyes. 

Jesus’ salvation is not limited, all of us are given the opportunity to choose God over the world – while the world refuse to receive Him, I am thankful that He opened up the door to me, who was in the world without hope of salvation.

Others told me, prayed for me and shared their love of God to me. 

The beauty of Christianity is that it is not exclusive.  He doesn’t care about ethnic origins, color of the skin, who we are – very good, or extremely bad – rich, poor; we are all lost and He offers to all of us His Salvation.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

And THAT includes ME!

Later, Art :-)

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

Looking out at dark, but lightening skies this morning.  We are supposed to see some sunshine.

We see snow on the mountains and there is an indication at least some of it will remain.  Roads over the passes were slick this morning, but were supposed to be clear by mid-day.

Fall is going by the way side and winter is knocking at the door.  I enjoy the seasons, the colors, the smells.  I enjoy the freshness each season brings in its own way.

I am very thankful I live in a part of the world that has mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, deserts and oceans just a short time and distance away from each other.

Psalm 95:1-2 O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

² Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

One of the great truths of God’s Word is the ability of His children to praise Him no matter the circumstances.

We know that He loves us, that through Him and His Son we have been given the great gift of eternal life with Him. 

As we walk this earth, even in tribulation, we have the Holy Spirit with us always, comforting and guiding us as we live for Him.

While there are times for us to be silent and still, quietly waiting on Him, communing with Him there are also times where He must be praised, we must worship Him with an understanding that He indeed is the Creator and the Salvation of our soul.

Our hearts cannot contain our joy, it overflows and we must let it out – and how better than showing Him how much we appreciate Him.

Sometimes we forget that we are always in His presence.  Even when we are swamped with duties and things that must be done, He is there within us, alongside us, wanting to ease our burdens.

When we are in difficult situations, when loved ones are in sorrow – even if we are physically far removed from them, He is there to help us help them; remembering them in prayers and trusting the Holy Spirit to quiet their spirit and give them comfort and hope in Him.

We yell for our favorite sports team; we clap for to show appreciation for someone doing well in a public arena – how much more is God deserving of our praise and joyful thanksgiving?

He is the Creator.  He is our Savior.  He is our Comforter. How can we not praise Him with Joy, singing with a mind and heart turned to Him?

Let us not be afraid to lift our voices and to sound the trumpets as some will shy away from thinking it is disrespectful or even disturbing to others. 

Let us proclaim to the world as they listen to how much we love God.  It isn’t for them, it is for Him and we should not worry about what those that have never understood the need we have and the desire God has for our praises to Him. 

He is worth of all of it.

Later, Art :-)

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

We had a bit of wind, yesterday, enough that they closed 1-84 between Troutdale and Hood River to clean trees, rocks and other debris off the freeway.  – Other parts of Oregon had it a lot worse, many roads were closed due to water and/or debris. 

Up here it wasn’t much different than what we have had in the past – but spirited none the less.

Calmer today, nice sunlit skies this morning, turning grey now.

Getting moisture in the high regions, not as much in snow as we like, but the earth should soak it up and be better prepared for the snow, which, hopefully, will fall in great depths this winter.

It is unusual to look around and see all the animals cuddled up and sleeping – usually Abby (cat) stays outside most of the time, she doesn’t like to be petted in the house, but becomes a pest when we are outside with her desire to be petted.  The others are finding the living room furniture more desirable than their other haunts.

Cannot believe that Thanksgiving is next week.  Lots has happened this year, and much to be thankful for!

John 17: 23-20   And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

¹⁴ I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

¹⁵ I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

¹⁶ They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

¹⁷ Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

¹⁸ As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

¹⁹ And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

²⁰ Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

Part of the prayer Jesus made just before He and His disciples left for the garden where He would be taken into custody.

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

Jesus prayed (and is praying) for us.  He could have left that phrase off, but didn’t and we can rely on that promise.

While I may seem to be writing too much about what our world is becoming – at least to some – I am very much reminded that Jesus came into this world that we can be saved.

The Father sent Him, because of His great love for us.

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit that we will receive comfort and wisdom.

The three in one is unified in God’s desire to bring the world back to what He originally created before the fall of Adam.

But to do that all knees must bow to Him.  We know that we cannot make that happen; we know the world will continue to bring the wrath of God upon all of us because they refuse to acknowledge who He is and give Him the respect He deserves.

Only God will make that happen at His determined time.

We also know that regardless of time, regardless of the devastating blows to Christians all over the world – there are still those individuals who can be saved.

But they can only be saved when they hear and understand the Word of God.  We are directed to go into the world, as putrid as it is, and tell others about Christ and His saving Grace.

Thousands of individuals will come to Christ today, because someone in their life cared enough to pray for them, share the Gospel and the love of Christ with them. 

We have buildings where Christians gather, yet, few unsaved people enter those doors without the encouragement and witness of a Christian who has taken the time to tell them of Jesus. 

A wise friend of mine, as part of his tag line, says:

"Don't just go to church. Be a church."

Visit   Claytons Page

The church is not the building; it is the people that have accepted Christ as Savior.

When we portray Christ we are His Church in action.  When we share His Word and His desire to bring all under His wing we are doing the mission for which He prayed that God would leave us in the world to do.

We need to understand that God is not going to allow the sinful behavior that this world is portraying as normal and, therefore, a righteous way of life, to continue. 

We don’t know if Christ will come back today – or 2000 years from today.  We DO know that life is extremely short when compared to eternity.

We don’t know if we or someone who needs Christ may be driving down the street, walking on a sidewalk, joining others in some kind of activity – and finds that death came just seconds after a friendly chat or laugh.

I can give example after example of instantaneous deaths – when no one was even thinking of that happening.  No warning, it just came for them.

I write what I write because I feel desperation in this world, a searching for spiritual cleansing; a need to understand that God is alive, and despite His great love for us, He will do what He says He will do – IF we accept His Son – or IF we choose to reject Him.

He expects us to give Him the honor due to Him, accept His role in this world as its Creator, read and listen to His Word and obey Him.

The world is not only NOT doing that, it is doing all it can to destroy Him and, it is gaining momentum, daily, as it attacks the very values of God and His Word.

Too many modern day Christians have forgotten that while He promises eternal life, He also promises to condemn those that reject Him to an eternity in Hell.

The preaching of ‘He loves us too much to condemn us’ is becoming too prevalent, even in some Christian teachings; saying that we show love by tolerating the world’s definition of sinful behavior is somehow going to make it all right.

This isn’t a new concept; the lie has been propagated since Adam’s fall by satan.  Writers have been sharing this lie for hundreds of years.

As an example; I have recently been re-reading Moby Dick, the great classic written by Herman Melville.  He speaks, as the narrator when he decides to worship the ‘god’ that Queequeg caved out of a piece of wood:

“Do you suppose, now, Ishmael, that the magnanimous God of heaven and earth – pagan and all included – can possible be jealous of an insignificant bit of black wood?

Impossible, but what is worship? – to do the will of God? – to do to my fellow man what I would have any fellow man do to me – that is the will of God.

Now, Queequeg is my fellow man.  And what do I wish that this Queequeg would do to me?  Why unite with me in my particular Presbyterian form of worship.  I must then unite with him in his ergo, I must turn idolater.”

He goes on to write how he did, indeed, worship at the altar of that piece of wood.  The last time I read it I was in high school, and I didn’t pick up on it – it was a subtle and deliberate attempt, by the author, to undermine God.

I won’t go into the Old Testament references that cover this very issue, at this time, we are all aware of them – God is indeed jealous of such behavior.

And that jealousy, even though denied by ‘intellectuals’ as being trite and old-fashioned – spiritual mumbo jumbo; or the way God was in the Old Testament but isn’t any longer – is still how God relates to man when man rejects Him.

There are such passages in many of the ‘classics’ and of course many other books that we hold up as great works of art.  No, I am not saying we should burn them, I am saying that when an unsaved person reads such dribble it has an impact on him.  Satan uses these subtle comments to whittle away at what the world thinks of God.  It is these kinds of things that slowly eat away at our conscience and turn us from God’s truth.

Satan tells the world it is no big thing to worship an idol in the spirit of camaraderie, after all aren’t we suppose to help our fellow man, what better way than to embrace their sinful behavior?

Satan uses the printed page and he is expert at using the newer multi-media formats to proclaim sinful behavior is not “really” a sin.  Instead it is something to immerse ourselves in and find great enjoyment.

As Christians we know that is not true – and sometimes we have to be reminded of how God feels about that – thus the Old Testament books are a vital part of our studying to show ourselves approved.

We KNOW what the Old Testament says, but if we don’t read it we don’t understand the nature of God.  We cannot fathom who God is and how much He hates sin.  It lies dormant in our memory and doesn’t compel us to tell others of lays in store for the unrepentant sinner.

God isn’t changing.  No matter what man may wish or want, desire or proclaim, if it doesn’t match up with God’s Word and His commands it is not of God and just another subtle way satan is trying to destroy all God stands for.

God IS love!  We ARE saved by His Grace!  But without accepting Him through His Son Jesus Christ we are doomed; just as the Hebrews suffered greatly when they rejected Him - so the world and America is suffering today.

There is such a reluctance to share all of God’s Word that it downplays what we say when we talk of Jesus’ salvation.  People need to understand what He is saving us from, we need to step up and let them know He hasn’t changed; He will hold sinners accountable.

It doesn’t, necessarily, have to be fire and brimstone preaching – although far too many Christians have never heard such a sermon – but it does have to be an honest and sincere conversation with those in need of Him, and helping them to understand who He is and His jealousy and anger is part of Him.

We have opportunities that a Pastor doesn’t have, that someone else in the church doesn’t have, we can witness to individuals that we work with, that we socialize and play with.  We can build a relationship with them that allows them to trust us and listen to what we have to say.

While we really do need to stress God’s great love we also need to be ready to tell of what happens when He is rejected, if the person refuses to accept Him.  It can be done in love and in a way that the Holy Spirit – not us – can bring an understanding and a change of heart in that person.

Nahum 1:2-3 God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.

³ The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

We need to share God’s love with the world, but we must also inform them of what will happen should they reject Him.

That isn’t us being judgmental; that is God’s Word.

That is why I feel so impressed to write what I write – at least for now.

Later, Art :-)

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