Pretty day, looking through the window.  I see blue skies and the tops of Mt Hood and My Adam, the bottom is surrounded by clouds.

It is spring though, the temperature is in the 50’s and the wind, she is a blowin’.

Carla is about done with her tomato plant ‘relocation’ from small containers full of seedlings, to the yogurt containers (just finished punching holes in the ‘new’ containers) so they can start thriving on their own.  She thinks she only has about 200 this year.

I don’t want time to go by too quickly, but I have to admit my mouth is already watering for those Toasted bacon, tomato and Swiss cheese sandwiches on sourdough bread.  And, no, grocery tomatoes will never do.

Psalm 40:2-3 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

³ And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:17-18 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

¹⁸ And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

Blue skies smilin’ at me

Nothing but Blue skies I see

--

Blue days

all of them gone

Nothing but Blue skies

From now on

As I opened the blinds this morning, that is what I saw, blue skies and immediately this song popped into my head.

It is a song about someone who is in love and all the world lights up around them.  The singer sees the world differently; love so wells up within her that everything appears beautiful.

Being in love with another person can open our eyes to such pleasure, we constantly think about them, being away from them is painful and being next to them is just like this song –Nothing but Blue skies from now on – we are on cloud nine, everything appears stunning.  And we are happy.

And he hath put a new song in my mouth,

Like most of you, I can remember when Jesus met me at the altar and my heart was lifted up.  The joy I felt through the tears and struggles was incredible – Jesus smiled at me and I knew He was with me, a part of my heart and life.

Now, I understood the hymns we sang, the sermon the Pastor preached the joyful outlook of that congregation as they worshiped God together.

Everyone had to be told, it was a fountain welling up within me that could not be contained.  I had a new song, a new outlook on life and a desire to live with Christ forever; and I wanted others to experience that same Joy, that new song.

It wasn’t long before my new found faith was tested.  My conversion was an embarrassment to many in my family.  My stand for Christ was too strong and needed to be toned down – I was not in the church of their choice and therefore they tried to convince me that what I had experienced was not of God; only ‘their’ church was the right one and by turning my back on it I was a heretic.  Not that blunt, but the inference was always there, one member did say ‘I wish he were dead rather than be with that bunch.’

But the Joy of salvation, the love of the Holy Spirit and the strength of God helped me stand firm for Him.  I had a new song in my heart, a song that could not be silenced by man.

But in my fifty years of new life, I sometimes took/take God for granted – much like we do with our spouses.  I would just think He is there, He is with me always – and then go about my days without really talking to Him.

I would do what I wanted; forgetting that it may not be what He wanted me to do.  I would fall away and after a while my prayers, if any at all, were short and more ‘Lord give me’ than ‘Lord lead me.’

Sometimes I would recognize temptation for what it was, yet, still fall into the trap of sinning.

But God never gave up on me – or on others that have accepted His Son as Savior - and always let me come back to Him; even with the scars of my failures, He still loves me and wishes to bring me close to Him.

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

Once again I would see Jesus, smiling at me, and all things became beautiful, - blue skies.

We need to remember, not to forget. 

We need to study His Word, daily, so we won’t forget, and ask Him to explain it to us – and then obey HIM.

We need to be in prayer, so we are always close to Him, our conversations bringing us closer to Him.

We need to continue to sing that New Song that He gave us at the time of our salvation – and never, ever, let it go.  It will never grow old.

Blue days

all of them gone

Nothing but Blue skies

From now on

Later, Art :-)