Last day of April – hope the moisture we had helped Carla’s flowers – but more importantly, her tomatoes!

One of our cell phones (or whatever they call them now) went on the fritz and decided to try and use one of my old flip phones to replace it for now.

So, I pulled the old flip phone from my desk drawer – I know it might be embarrassing to use it, but at least it is a phone available in emergencies.

So I called my cell phone company and started the process of changing the number from my number to the other one.

We started the process by turning the phone on; it gave the tell tale music as it came on line – the tech on the other end of the phone – “I haven’t heard that in years!”

Just one more young person thinking I am an old codger.  They seem to be adding up.

1 King 10:6-9 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.

⁷ Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.

⁸ Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.

⁹ Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice.

King Solomon was blessed by God, and Israel was at peace.  The stories of his success were wide spread, but the Queen of Sheba wanted to see for herself.  Those were her comments, she did, indeed, see the Blessing of God on Solomon.

Solomon had anything he wanted.  Because he asked for wisdom, God gave him not only wisdom, but riches and respect from both his subjects and his neighbors.

Unfortunately, Solomon grew careless, he married many wives had many concubines and started turning his back on God.

1 Kings 11:3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.

Verse 10-11 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.

¹¹ Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.

Solomon’s transgressions caused his family to lose the throne which God had placed Solomon on.

It is puzzling that Solomon in all his wisdom, in the esteem he had been held in by God, chose to worship false Gods thus turning from God, and as the leader his example was followed by others.

No matter how pious we are, if we slip and not immediately recover we start sliding away from God and turn to the ‘old’ man within us. 

Solomon is a good example for us as to what NOT to do in our lives.  No matter how much God has blessed us we can lose it all by not continuing to follow Him.

But we do have another example, this time as to what we should do, from Paul:

2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

⁸ Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Paul was persecuted, prosecuted, beaten, tortured, thrown in jail and killed but didn’t flinch from his duties that God had given him. 

It can be hard sometimes, especially if we allow ourselves to dwell on the world, and not on God.  But it is up to us, for our own soul as well as the souls of those we touch to always stand solidly for God.

Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

and having done all, to stand.

Later, Art :-)

Carla has finished her transplanting of her tomatoes; all 12 varieties totaling 280 plants.  She had to purchase another variety from BiMart as she didn’t have the seeds for the plant.

Except for a couple varieties a year she tries as an experiment, she pretty well knows which ones she wants and what does well in her garden. 

Always the smaller ones, like cherry tomatoes, that you can just pop in your mouth, the larger varieties that are perfect for my bacon and tomato sandwiches and those that are better for salsa and sauce.

I was looking out the window this morning at where she had planted her Dahlias.  She takes a piece of plastic, puts a hole in it, writes the name of the Dahlia and then attaches it to some small tomato cages that allow the Dahlia to grow straighter.

The names of most Dahlias are people names – family names of the person who developed that particular kind.

A number of years ago, when we were down on 12^th St. She would plant them next to the fence.  One day she was outside working around them when the paper boy walked by; he asked her what all the names were for – indicating he thought it might be people buried.

She said, those are the paper boys that didn’t get my paper to me on time.  As expect the young man’s eyes got big and his reaction was one of horror.  She didn’t leave him that way as she immediately told him they were the names of Dahlias.

At one time she had over a hundred different varieties with several hundred planted.  The church had allowed her to grow them on its property – she used them for decorations every Sunday for our church and the Nazarene church that was just down the street from our house.  She also had several thousand gladiolas in that garden.

Unfortunately we had an early freeze one year and the entire garden was frozen, it didn’t heat back up for several months, the tubers and bulbs were turned to mush.  She had another garden just up the street from us at a friend’s property, it wasn’t as badly hit.  While she slowly replaced some of the varieties, we never had that number in either garden again.

Job 12:7-10 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:

⁸ Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

⁹ Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this?

¹⁰ In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

I read an article about the Sandcastle Worm that lives under water.  It is found along the California coast.

It is unique in as much as it can glue bits of sand, sea shells and other debris together hardening in less than a minute – to form a tube in which it lives. 

Have you ever tried to glue something that is underwater, or very wet?  It doesn’t work very well.

Yet, this little guy can do it and it has been noted by scientists.  They broke down the glue and found that they can reproduce it (or at least something similar to it) and use it on broken bones and tissue repair among other things.

It is a great break through because it allows them to help the patient heal faster.

and they shall teach thee

The miracle and wonders of God are all around us.  The more I read and see for myself the way God created the universe and all that is in it, the more in wonder I become of His divinity. 

I have no idea how He did all this; how He planned the largest and the smallest particles.  The more we see in this world the more we understand how complex it is, with new things, new discoveries by man being found almost daily.

Ever since man left the garden, he has learned how to live and how to survive by watching the world around him and seeing how animals, insects and so many other things interact in the environment they live in.

God has empowered each thing He has created with special traits and, as these scientists did, we can watch and evaluate these things and help make our world a better place.

God has endowed man with the intelligence to study, to learn and to duplicate many of His works. 

All we have to do is observe and learn and they shall teach thee.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

And our Savior, Jesus Christ, was there.

John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

² The same was in the beginning with God.

³ All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

While much of the things of God are beyond our comprehension, He has given ample proof as to both His existence and His right to expect us to obey and worship Him.

Later, Art :-)

‘tis hard to believe that today is Wednesday the 27^th of April, in the year 2016 seems only yesterday that we were celebrating the arrival of the new year – the year 2000!

Today the weather is mild, and windy.  Carla is still busy transplanting and is keeping me busy with cutting up milk bottles.

The oldest date I happened to notice on the cartons was July 12, 2015.  We usually drink about 4-6 half gallons of milk a week and that coupled with orange juice coming in the same size container she saves about 300 +/- a year.  We have used them all plus some given back to her.

It is not inexpensive, but it is not all that expensive either – and it gives her great pleasure to ‘play in the dirt’ and watch the plants grow.  Not to mention giving them away – as we will also do with extra tomatoes during the growing season.

Her lettuce, potatoes and peas also seem to be doing well – then of course her flowers are also starting to peek out of the soil and/or produce the flowers.  She has Dahlias, Roses, Fuchsias, Begonias, and a bunch of others.

She is barely staying a head of the bees.....

1 Kings 3:5-7 n Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.

⁶ And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

⁷ And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.

King David.  In all his imperfections, David loved God.  He sinned, often with very serious consequences; yet, He came back to God and asked His forgiveness.

Even though he submitted to satan’s temptations over and over again, he was never far from God’s heart, and he was forgiven his inequities.

In David we have the example of God’s great love and willingness to lead man in His ways.  Even though David sinned, even though he was a flawed man, he understood his weaknesses and yielded to God.  His heart’s ambition was to serve God, even from a young age.

In Jewish history (and ours) he is listed with the great leaders of the Old Testament, Abraham, Moses, Noah, Daniel among them.

These men were human, subject to the same passions and fears we have.  They were tempted and sometimes yielded to those temptations, yet, they were quick to understand they had sinned and were forgiven.

Luke 22:60-61  And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.

⁶¹ And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

Mark 16:7  But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.

The stalwart of the Church was Peter.  He had denied Christ and as such he knew what that meant. 

Mathew 10:32-34 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

³³ But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Peter, who had boldly boasted that he would never forsake Jesus denied Him and was in danger of losing his salvation.

But once again, God forgave the foibles of a man and Peter became the truly great leader of the Church.

I think, often, of these two men.  I relate with their weaknesses, their falling away from God.

But I have great hope that as they were forgiven and used by God, He will do the same for me.

Later, Art :-)

Got a call from Carla’s brother today.  He was just rubbing it in.

He and some friends own a commercial greenhouse – for their own use – and he just came back from helping out. 

HE will be eating tomatoes by the end of the week.  His tomato plants are over six feet tall, filled with tomatoes, which he will have some by the end of the week......while it is still April.....and I could see that great big smile on his face as he was telling me. 

I didn’t offer him any bacon.

John 6:64-69  But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.

⁶⁵ And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

⁶⁶ From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

⁶⁷ Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

⁶⁸ Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

⁶⁹ And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

As Christians we determined that Jesus was indeed the Christ, just as those disciples that stayed with Him believed.

Why then do we not act like it?

I get so frustrated with myself, I know better, yet, I still have times where I lapse and just can’t focus on being a ‘good’ Christian.

I have never been a touchy feely kind of guy.  But I do understand the need to give comfort to those that are in need of it. 

All too often, however, my judgmental nature comes out and rather than trying to look at the person through Christ’s eyes, I point out flaws and the need to improve.

There is a young football player that has just about ruined his chances of ever playing football again.  He is talented and has/had great promise.

But instead of practicing his profession, he has turned to friends that use alcohol and drugs.  He is very much on the party scene and now one can get to him – not his parents, former coaches or his agents – it doesn’t appear that any of his friends, or at least very few, are trying to get his squared away.

He has all but ruined his chances of playing professional football, indeed he is in danger of losing his life.

Still, he parties.

In the early stages of his career people said, ‘he is just a kid,’ he’ll be all right once he settles down.  However, he has never settled down long enough to get his life together.

I don’t have much use for people like this; they suck the air out of a room, have to be the center of attention and don’t really care about anyone else.

He has assaulted his girl-friend and has recently been arrested for the assault.  He knew it was going to happen, yet, he continues to party.

His dad recently made a comment that he is concerned that he won’t make it to his next birthday – yet, he parties on.

The young man is addicted.  He is addicted to the lifestyle if not the alcohol and possibly other drugs.

His agents insisted he get professional help by checking into a Rehab Center or they would can him.  Still he parties on, and they indeed fired him; first one and then the other.

He has lost all endorsements.  The National Football league is looking at his actions and will more than likely suspend him – IF he can ever convince a team to take him on and then hold onto him while his suspension is served.

He needs help.  He needs prayers and most of all he needs Jesus.

Yet, I hear his name and shake my head.  He is an idiot.  He has thrown away his life and a chance of making a very good living because he refuses to seek help.

I don’t have a pony in this race.  I am not spending a lot of time worrying about him; yet, it bothers me when I hear his name that I don’t have compassion, only a form of anger and disgust.

That anger is because there are thousands of young people out there who are far younger behaving themselves, going to college, in the service, holding down good jobs, marrying and having children.  Yet, he was getting a pass on his behavior because ‘he is just a kid.’

There are young people who are active in their churches and communities.  The same age and younger, but they are responsible adults and he kept getting shrugged shoulders and ‘he is just a kid’ excuses for his behavior – behavior that is now dangerous not only to him but to others.

MY problem is, all too frequently I take that attitude of disgust with me.  I get frustrated when I see people destroying their lives and rather than reach out to them, I ignore them, or if I do think to say a prayer, or offer help, it is cursory.

Walking in the name of Jesus requires me to walk as He walked.

He has big shoes to fill and I feel like a two year old, putting on daddy’s shoes and stumbling as I try and walk.

I do know that He is willing to work with me.  That He is searching my heart and reminding me of my responsibilities to Him in the way I treat and respond to others.

I am so thankful that He is willing to forgive me and help me see others as He sees them, even if it is taking a lifetime for me to get that perspective.

Later, Art :-)

Today is my Re-Birth day.  51 years ago today, I knelt at the altar and accepted Christ as my Savior.  He has been my constant companion ever since.

Mark 10:24-26 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!

²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

²⁶ And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?

Far too many people are like the disciples.  When Jesus told them that rich people would have a difficult time entering into heaven because they trusted their riches – the disciples then asked Who then can be saved?

Financial success, Professional success, even religious “success” becoming a deacon for example, do not automatically equate to submission to God and acceptance into heaven.

Man cannot buy or earn his way into heaven.  The price is much higher than that.

1 Peter 1:18-19  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

¹⁹ But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Later, Art :-)

Several times a month Carla’s boss brings in her excess eggs for Carla and some of the other employees to take home.  In good times she has about a hundred eggs a day she must get rid of and she can’t sell them all.

There are white and brown eggs, and there are also green eggs.  Occasionally we have had duck eggs and then we did get the goose eggs one time.  Personally, I could tell both the duck eggs and the goose eggs from the chicken eggs, but the exterior (shell) colors of the chicken eggs seemed unimportant.

One of Carla’s co-workers, though, swears she doesn’t like the taste of the green eggs, so doesn’t want any of them.  I guess she is a fan of Dr. Zeus who didn’t like green eggs and ham.

Milder today, wind is blowing a bit, but no gale like gusts (at least not yet,) so it isn’t all that bad.

Proverbs 26:23-25  Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross.

²⁴ He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him;

²⁵ When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart.

It was a solid old oak tree.  It had withstood the wind and weather through decades, but the leaves were not as bright, or as many.

Taking a quick look at the tree, everything appeared okay, but when we knocked on the tree there was a dead sound.  The tree trimmer ran a core check and we found that the interior of the tree was rotten; it wouldn’t stand much longer and must be removed before it gave in to a wind storm and damage property or hurt someone.

The outside of the tree appeared sound, but the interior of the tree – that underneath the bark and hidden from view – was rotten to the core.

As people we see the exterior of other people.  Often we judge them by their appearance – wealthy or poor, sophisticated or backward, bright or challenged, physically attractive or unattractive.

We are often fooled by that exterior and ascribe either good or bad in what we see.  Outside they appear friendly and caring, inside they are doing what they want for themselves and really could care less about others.  They may even be smiling and friendly as they plot our demise.

We want to make a good impression with people.  We may not be concerned about certain sectors of society, but to those we can relate to – or at least try to influence or receive their approval – we may feel it is important to make a good impression.

But dressing up the outside, making ourselves look good so others will accept us may be our undoing.

We can work so hard on appearance that the inner soul, our spiritual well-being is forgotten and what good we may have had is slowly rotted away and we are incapable of standing against the storms of life.

As a Christian we should never worry about what others think about us (I know it is easy to say, but very difficult to accept when being denounced by someone, ridiculed or attacked.)

It is up to us to make sure the inner man, our soul, our heart; our spirit is pleasing to God.

That takes determination.  It takes a willingness to be humbled by Him and to learn from that.  It takes a willingness to be quiet, to take the time to listen, not just praising Him, not just asking Him for ‘something’ but to sit quietly, pondering and meditating on His Word – the Holy Spirit will work with us from there.

In taking time to be with God we keep the destructive world from poisoning and rotting our spiritual well-being and we can then help others that need that help.  

It will also help us discern those that appear solid on the outside, but listening and watching them we find that there is something behind the façade they choose to show us and it is not good; it can indeed be rotten, and that unpleasant core, could attack us also. 

God has warned us so many times; He has given examples of both what He expects of us and what we must not do – actions that will lead to our basic core being destroyed.

But He is also willing to help us.  We are not on our own, we have the wherewithal to allow Him to work within our hearts and strengthen and keep us from rotting in heart and soul.

Psalm 139:22-24  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

²⁴ And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Later, Art

Not one of my better days, as my eyes are challenging me – wind, pollen and medications working together, not fun.

Proverbs 10:14-15 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

⁵ He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.

I think, in America, working is no longer a highly valued activity.

Many want and insist that they receive, but rather than working for it they want someone else to work and give them the proceeds.

To be sure, there are those that cannot work, who for medical reasons are unable to perform jobs where they can receive a pay check. 

When the reason is valid, and not trumped up I know of no person who would deny them assistance.

The problem is that many who can work, choose not to for several different reasons – but with most it comes down to the fact that they are receiving ‘free’ stuff and if they worked they would have to commit themselves and they would rather enjoy their free time.

One of the books we read when we were in 1^st or 2^nd grade was the story of the Little Red Hen.  She asked the other barn animals for assistance to plant wheat seeds, harvest the seeds, taken them down to the mill, then asked them if someone would help her bake the bread – all requests were denied, the animals she asked were too lazy to help her.

When it came time to eat the bread – the results of her hard labor – the barn animals were more than willing to share in the reward of her labor and join her in eating what she worked so hard to produce.

She said, ‘no, my chicks and I will eat the bread.’

Proverbs 6:6-8 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

⁷ Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

⁸ Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

We read these things and they, of course, relate to people working, or not working. 

But we also need to realize that these same illustrations and Bible verses apply to us as Christians. 

Are we working for God, or are we sitting about, letting others do the work and then basking in the glory of God that others have worked so hard to bring about?

God expects us to work.  He expects us to obey Him and tell others of His Word, showing them that Christ is the Savior and that He desires all to come to Him.

It IS work, we have to spiritually and physically prepare ourselves and then, we have to perform the work that He has given us.

Just as we see people being too lazy to work for a living, we ourselves may be too lazy to preach the Gospel of Christ and live for Him.

Later, Art :-)

Received a call from Ken last night.  He was the lead investigator in a murder case in Coos Bay and the jury had just come back with a guilty verdict.

The evidence was overwhelming, but the perpetrator of the murder thought he could manipulate people and get off. 

The team did a good job on their investigation and even a witness for the defense, a retired police officer, had only one thing he thought they could have done differently, but when given the full circumstances had to admit the team from the first officer on the scene, to the arrest of the suspect – and then the follow-up, did a good job.

The suspect chose to testify, against his attorney’s advice, and dug an even greater hole in his excuses and opened the door for things, like the notes of a witnesses to his statements and actions while in jail, get entered into the record that would normally not be allowed.

While it helps that the suspect wasn’t a genius, the team did their job very well.

Congratulations, Ken.

Teresa and Ian came over today and put up the fence posts and the fencing for Carla’s garden.  She uses fencing for the peas, beans and cucumbers to grow on – saves a lot of time stringing them up and it is reusable for decades (so far.)

I am going to have to build a few more tomato cages – she will be planting more tomatoes this year, we are ready for 24, with about 4-6 more to build (at least – that number can change.)  We use fence posts to hold up the tomato cages that were also built out of fencing and have also lasted for decades.

We use, can and give away a lot of tomatoes, Carla loves working in the dirt (garden) and this is a way to keep that love blossoming.

Romans 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Despite the intricacies of even the smallest thing on earth some still believe it just happened, just evolved into what it is.

To them we started as a mass smaller than the period at the end of this sentence, exploded and the universe, as we know it, came about.

No one planned anything.  No one was in charge.  No one put together the format.  No one did anything.

It all just happened. 

Yet, we expect our employers to have some kind of business plan so that you get paid on pay day.

We expect the government to have plans that insure the safety of the citizens in our country.

We expect the physician to have a plan when we go to them with problems.

We expect that our mechanic knows how our vehicle is put together and he has a plan to remedy any problem we may have.

We expect the buildings erected around us are done to a code and the plan was submitted when the contractor picked up permits to build them.

We depend, daily, on other people, that they follow the rules of the road, obey the laws concerning their behavior and/or employment and that have been implement after some kind of planning.

While some planning may be flawed and ineffective, if there is a plan it can be evaluated, find out what went wrong and correct it.

Yet, the universe and all within it just happened.

I have been told that I am naive and foolish in believing there is a God that created all of this, and He has a plan that involves everything within it, including our own individual lives.

Yet, the religion of evolution preaches that everything just happened, without planning by a superior being.  One thing evolved into something else that had no prior basis for becoming what it has become.

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

What I see in this world is a planned process.  The evidence of a superior being who had the knowledge and the ability to create the smallest cell and the largest animal, or mineral or vegetable. 

Each has, within it, something that makes it what it is, and while there are similarities each is unique.

I believe God has established His credentials by His creations and in doing so has the right to demand that He be heard, understood, worshipped and praise for being who He is.

The evidence is in front of every man, woman and child.

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

I feel sorry for those that hold the position that there is no God when they come face to face with the Creator because they have no excuse.

Later, Art :-)

Teresa and Ian were coming over to help Carla in the garden, however, she is ill.

I am smoking a spiral ham – one that is already cooked, it is basically putting smoke on it and heating it up – to get some practice with my smoker.  Figure I can’t hurt the meat, main concern would be undercooking it and, of course, it is already cooked.

I used pineapple juice as one of the ingredients for basting, opened a can of pineapple rings for the juice and then decided to use the rings for a cake – good looking pineapple upside down cake.  I didn’t go as far as I usually do with pineapple on the sides and cherries in the center of the ring, but it still looks worth eating.  Can’t beat a cast iron skillet for baking.

I sent a message to Ian to come by and get some for him and his mother.  Hope he is carrying his cell phone and checks it before going home from school.

Made a bunch more milk bottle pots for Carla, I think she under estimated the amount of toms she planted, looks closer to 300.

That bacon, fresh tomato and swiss cheese on toasted sourdough bread is looking more and more a reality!

John 10:28-30 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

²⁹ My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

³⁰ I and my Father are one.

Thank you, Lord.

In this day of so many obstacles to work through in our life.

So many distractions that can lead us away for You.

So many ways that satan has to trip us up and tempt us.

So many trials that we feel we can never overcome, and feel like we are just beating our heads against the wall.

So many people who are doing all they can to make Christians the brunt of both their jokes and their hatred.

So many people trying to twist Your Word to make it appear that sin is a natural way of life.

In a country where laziness, sinfulness, extremists and all manner of political correctness has virtually destroy our nation.

In a world gone crazy with violence and hatred; where kindness and understanding seems to be gone.

It is comforting to know that our salvation is never at stake.  None of these things can take me out of Your Hand or away from Your Love, Mercy and Grace.

Thank you, Lord, for being there and watching out over me.

Later, Art :-)

Another warm day.  Yesterday the official temperature for our area was 88 – it was 101 in Carla’s garden.

She was supposed to go to work earlier today, but the shop is having difficulties keeping people, so her time was changed to cover more of the shift. 

1 Samuel 13:14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.

The man who replaced Saul, the man that God chose, the man God considered after HIS OWN heart, was David.

Even though David was the chosen leader to replace Saul, David refused to injure Saul even though he had many opportunities; even though Saul tried to kill David, David remained loyal.

David loved the Lord and took his duty to God seriously.  From a young age he grew close to God.  God knew him, God protected him and used Him to strengthen His people, to lead them in the way that God wanted them led.

Yet, David coveted another man’s wife.  While the man was on the battle field David brought her into his bedroom and they conceived a child.  And then as the supreme commander of his army ordered that her husband be placed in a vulnerable spot in the battle so he would be killed.

And David was punished because of his sin:

2 Samuel 12:8-14 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.

⁹ Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

¹⁰ Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

¹¹ Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.

¹² For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.

¹³ And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

God knew the heart of David.  God knew how much David loved Him, but He also knew that David would falter; NOT that He wanted David to stumble, He just knew he would.

David’s sins were ‘major’ not only did he covet another’s wife, he committed adultery with her – then when her husband was too loyal to his troops to visit her early in her pregnancy (thus making him believe the he was the father) he refused to go home and be comfortable while his men suffered in the field.

David then ordered him killed. 

David slayed many in battle and that was considered war and required to win – but here he deliberately had an innocent man, a man who had strong values, placed in an area that his death was certain.

David sins caused great pain to him and his family as God punished him for those sins.

But even with all that David had done, God forgave David.  David confessed his sin and God put the sin away and would not hold it against him.  To be sure the results of his sin would leave lasting scars, but his salvation was secure.

Very few people in this world commit sins of the terrible nature that David committed – and fewer still are those that commit them are people who have accepted Christ as their Savior.

Yet, people feel that they cannot come to God, their lives have been full of sin.  They feel unworthy and believe they must change for God to love and forgive them.

Part of their problem is they don’t realize that we are all unworthy of forgiveness from God – that we can never make ourselves worthy and we cannot become holy on our own – only God can do that, only God can help change lives and use them for His Kingdom. 

As long as we are breathing and have a mind that can discern, listening to the Holy Spirit telling us that what we have done is sin, we can confess our sins and He WILL forgive us.

God wants His people to be Holy, and free from sin – but He also knows how difficult it is to keep from sinning – even subtle things that we do can be a sin, what we say, how we say it, can become sins.

We need to strive NOT to sin, but we also must understand that God doesn’t automatically write us off when we do sin. 

The consequences of the sin, here on earth, may be terrible for us, but that is the result of what we have done, and even though forgiven we still must face the penalties of society.

God knew us from before we grew in our mother’s womb.  He knows what we will do and when.  He tries to warn us in various ways of sinful behavior, but in the end, He allows us to make our own decisions.  When they are wrong, He still loves us and is willing to accept us back into His Fold.

Acts 13:21-23  And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.

²² And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

²³ Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:

When we feel that we have so grieved God that He will never forgive us; when we listen to others that are so devastated by their sins they believe God will never forgive them – we have the example of David.

David, a man that was pure of heart, a man after God’s own heart, who sinned and suffered the consequences but God still forgave Him.

As long as the Holy Spirit is working in a person’s life, striving to bring them to God, there is hope, no matter the sin.

Later, Art :-)

Another warm day, which is to be expected.  The rest of the week is supposed to be milder.  Carla got called into work, so transplanting is suspended for a day or two – although some will be done today, not as many as she had planned.

Had a few unwelcomed guests this morning, brown things on four legs – for the most part the deer don’t do much damage to her garden, but the roses don’t appreciate them.

They come down from the orchards and/or the creek across the street – not sure if we have two different ‘herds’ or they just pass through.  Usually, however, they go back the way they came in.

Blaze lets them know he doesn’t appreciate their presence.

Haven’t seen as many masked bandits that we use to see, or the opossums, still get an occasional skunk passing through but they don’t stop.

We have quail down in our blackberries and it is fun to watch them as they come through the garden with their chicks, there are a couple of items that the guard sits on while they are in the area.  Our cats pretty well leave them alone – one of the neighbor cats braved the onslaught and got a chick a few years ago – quail seem to protect their own and aren’t afraid to gang up on an intruder.

Still just have a couple hummingbirds, that that should start to change.  Not only are they enjoying the feeders but Carla’s fuchsias and other flowers in the area.

Luke 15:11-32  And he said, A certain man had two sons:

¹² And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

¹³ And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

¹⁴ And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

¹⁵ And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

¹⁶ And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

¹⁷ And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

¹⁸ I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

¹⁹ And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

²⁰ And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

²¹ And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

²² But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

²³ And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:

²⁴ For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

²⁵ Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.

²⁶ And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.

²⁷ And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.

²⁸ And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.

²⁹ And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

³⁰ But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

³¹ And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.

³² It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

My first experience of a college teacher bullying his students was over this proverb.

I don’t recall which class it was, but the teacher was stating that Jesus spoke in proverbs that no one understood.  He then read this one.

I took umbrage.  It is clear what this proverb was all about, the son realizing that he had sinned and came back to the father admitting his sin and asking forgiveness – and the father forgave him.  It was about the father’s love.

It showed the love God has for all of us.  If we come to Him, confess our sins, He welcomes us with open arms.

I was a new Christian, just a few weeks in the faith, so I didn’t have a lot of Bible knowledge to debate the issue with him and he stood over me and in an angry tone berated me for my stupidity.  It only lasted seconds but I remember it vividly.

I shut up and he continued with the class – It was frustrating because I felt I had lost a battle; I didn’t have enough experience or knowledge to counter him.  It still bugs me that I didn’t stand up to him more.

To be sure, many of Jesus’ proverbs were couched in mystery and the disciples often had to ask Him what they meant.  But this was not one of them.

Luke 8:9-10  And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?

¹⁰ And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

We are fortunate.  We have the written Word on what Jesus said and did.  We can read about Him and understand because Mathew, Mark, Luke and John wrote about His time here on earth.

The rest of the New Testament books give us directions as to how we should live our life in Him.

But the people there with Jesus didn’t have a lot of those insights we have and therefore some of them could not understand what Jesus was saying.

But, the thing is, even today, having the documents in front of us; having the Holy Spirit actively working with us to understand the Word of God, too many of us see, and hear, but we still don’t understand.

Some refuse to try.  Others take a passage and try and make a doctrine on it, not considering the context in which it is written, nor how it fits with the entire Word.

Some have personal ambitions and want to be looked upon as great men of God, but instead of preaching the Word, they augment it and often times so misinterpret it, that they are preaching/teaching  just the opposite of what God has said.

For those of us who see and hear what Jesus was saying, we need to stand strong against those that would belittle others as they strive to live their lives in Christ.

Not everyone is vocal about their faith, but they stand solid and do not budge from Christ’s truths.  They proclaim their faith in Christ, but in a quieter manner – and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

They are just as important as the more vocal ones who are lead to proclaim in word as well as deed, that Jesus is the Christ.

God uses our personalities and the abilities He has given us; He sees our heart and knows how to use us for the glorification and promoting of His Salvation.

We are in a war.  God has told us that we must be suited up, wearing His full armor to combat the enemy.

Ephesians 6:11-13 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

¹² For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

¹³ Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Let us look at the army and the way it is set up to go into battle.

There are those that are on the front line and in the very thick of the fight.

There are those back away that are giving support by lobbing shells at the enemy.

Today we have drones and planes that do reconnaissance and fight the battle from the air.

There are those that are way behind the scenes, providing support by making sure food is available, weapons and ammunitions are available.

Members keep track and records of ongoing battles, looking at what is working and what is not.  Sending in assistance where they can.

Others are maintaining the equipment to make sure it can do the job it is supposed to do. 

Others are planning, discussing and then ordering personnel into the fray, hopefully to succeed in the quest and win the war.

Each position is important and supports the overall effort of what needs to be done to accomplish the win.  If one part isn’t working right, they it seriously impacts the ability of the others to do their jobs.

God’s army isn’t all that different, and He wants to use us to further His Kingdom and win the war against satan.

Not everyone is on the front lines, but all of us are in the war, doing what we are able and lead to do to join forces with God and tell others about the precious sacrifice of Jesus.

By the way, I didn’t pass the course.......  That didn’t bother me in the least.

Later, Art :-)