Spring is still trying to begin in our neck of the woods, but the north wind doth blow, still – no not ‘still’ still!

Absolutely love Optimist Printers sign “Silly Rabbit, Easter is for Jesus!”

Getting a T-shirt printed up. 

Carla has tomorrow off, as of now anyway, and she is looking forward to the next couple days, playing in the dirt.  As long as she doesn’t get pneumonia, that will be great!

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“We can use the Lord for anything—or try to use Him. But what I'm preaching and what Paul taught and what was brought down through the years and what gave breath to the modern missionary movement that you and I know about and belong to was just the opposite: "O, God, we don't want anything You have, we want You." That's the cry of a soul on its way up.”  - A.W. Tozer

Philippians 3:13-14  KJV  “ Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

¹⁴ I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

How many times to we pray to have God DO something specific on our behalf, or even on behalf of another – expecting Him to just snap His fingers and give us what we want.

Okay, we don’t do it exactly like that, but we might as well do so since that is our attitude at the time.

Yes, there is nothing wrong with praying for the salvation or healing or other needs of ourselves or others – there is nothing wrong with praying for God’s blessing.

John 14:12-14  KJV  “ Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

¹³ And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

¹⁴ If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”

Far too often, though, we treat these and other similar verses as a stamp of approval on all we pray for; after all we asked for it in Jesus’ name.

But what are we asking?  How are we asking?

Are we demanding?  Are we expecting Him to do what we say, the way we say we want it?

Where is our heart?  What is our motivation?

God does want to answer our prayers, however, “that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

John 19:23-24 KJV “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

²⁴ Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”

“that your joy may be full.”  Isn’t the same thing as receiving everything in the world that we may think we want to make us ‘happy.’  It is the Joy of having been blessed by and drawn nearer to God in His service.

It isn’t for our glorification, it isn’t so we can stick our chest our and say ‘see what God has done for me, how important I am?’

Whatever we ask of God, it should be with a humble spirit believing He will answer our prayers – not for our sake, but for His glorification.  And His glorification may be saying NO; as He knows what is to come.

We just need to remember that God is not at our beck and call – but we should be at His; when we realize that, fully, then our Joy really is made full.

Later,  Art (-:

Spring is still being held off in our neck of the woods.  It reminds me of a cartoon I saw on television when I was 11 or 12 years old.

It shows a character, representing spring, encouraging the growth of plants, telling them it is time.  As the plants stick their heads above ground the North wind blows and covers them with snow.

The character exhorts the plants telling them it is time for spring “I Say” as he yells at the cold cloud (with a shaped of a man’s face) blowing snow and ice on the plants.

In the end spring wins out and the plants hold their heads up high.

Waiting for that to happen here – although, at the moment at least, we do not have snow here, the wind, he is chilly as he blows over Carla’s garden.

But, she did get some lettuce planted and three kinds of peach trees.  It will be nice to go out and pluck our own peaches off the tree and enjoy their fresh taste – in a year or two or three.

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“We can live life confidently and boldly with the knowledge that wherever we go, whatever we do, whatever struggles we may face in life, we are walking with the God who holds the entire world in His hand.”  -  Christine Trevino

Deuteronomy 31:6  KJV  “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lordthy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

Mathew 28:19-20  KJV  “ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

²⁰ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

As God promised His people in the Old Testament, so He promised His people in the New Testament as He taught them and sent them out into the world to spread the truth of His Gospel.

Hebrews 13:8  KJV  “ Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

Malachi 3:8  KJV  “ For I am the Lord, I change not;” 

I don’t understand those that declare the Old Testament is obsolete and is not relevant to Christians who should only focus their energy and study on the New Testament.

It is important to remember that the entire Bible speaks to God’s love and desire to include our lives with His.  He hasn’t changed since He created man, and He is the same today as He was then, He promises us that He will never change.

Since that is truth we can depend on Him to perform the same miracles, the same healings, the same guidance for our times as He did in times past.

While we may look at the world in turmoil and wonder, we should remember that He is still in charge. 

While we may be frustrated and even angered by the world’s definition of how we should live, we still can show Christ in us to the world and help witness of Christ and change those around us.

We need to hold our head up high and realize that He is with us no matter the circumstances. 

It is hard to remember at times when we are laid low by hatred, disease, crimes, family difficulties, difficulties at work and many other situations in our lives, to take a deep breath, look to Him and allow His Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us.

John 14:16-18  KJV  “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

¹⁷ Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

¹⁸ I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”

We only have to ask.

Later, Art (-:

Dreary day for Carla in our neck of the woods, although she did get some lettuce planted. 

We may be getting snow along with the rain that is coming down that is okay (for me) but she is itchin’ to get out there without being wet and cold and a shiverin’ from the snow and temperatures.

BUT, she does have some seedlings she will be transplanting so at least she can play in some dirt.

Cats and dog are cuddling up inside and show no interest of wandering around outside – can’t blame them.

So, to day is a good day for bean and ham soup.  Cooked a ham yesterday and using the bone and some of the meat in the soup.  It has been simmering for about 4 hours now, and we will leave it there for a while longer, flavors are blending nicely.

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Exodus 3:2  KJV  “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.”

I sat down in my easy chair this morning, enjoying a cup of coffee when I looked across the valley and saw this tree on fire.

It was an evergreen tree, only it wasn’t burning up.  First thing I thought of was, “where is Moses?”

However, as I looked closer it was a bonfire behind the tree, the tree wasn’t on fire it was silhouetted against the flames.  The flames followed the tree line with the flames on either side about a foot as the fire coned up into the sky.  It was actually quite pretty and ‘enlightening’ to me.

As I saw that I couldn’t help but wonder does God still call His leaders, His servants in such a manner today?  What are His burning bushes?  What are His calls of service to us?

Paul had his ‘burning bush’ moment on his way to Damascus.

Acts 9:3-4  KJV  “  And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

⁴ And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?”

Every Christian has at least one in their life.  The one where they realized their sinfulness and turned to God for forgiveness through the sacrifice of His Son.

While we may not see flames or blinding lights there is a purging of our soul, it is palatable, it is as strong and as powerful as those seen but Moses and Paul.

We feel the weight of sin on our souls being lifted off and carried away, it is a very real experience.

From that day on we are called to be servants of God, we are His children and He expects us to be part of His family listening to Him and obeying Him. 

It may not be clear as to what our full ministry in Him is to be, but the first thing He expects – after obedience – is our sharing our faith with others.

As we draw closer to Him He not only reveals more about Himself, but He reveals more about a specific ministry He wants us to embrace.  It may be full time as a Pastor, Evangelist, a Missionary, a Teacher or some other full-time profession.

But for most of us it is to be a volunteer, to go about our daily lives following His directions to fulfilling our ministry.

It may be in our secular job, I firmly believe – and I am not the only Christian that becomes a law enforcement officer that feels we are in that profession to not only protect and serve the public; not only to put a roof over our head and feed and clothe our family – but to serve Him as we deal with the tragedies that we see on a regular basis.

There are many professions where Christians are serving God in their capacity in a secular business, where they can genuinely help others and God can use them to reveal Him in them.  AND no matter where we work He can use us to minister to others – I did it as a store clerk and as a Realtor; it just wasn’t as ‘theatrical.’

It can be as a volunteer in the church or a Christian program, or in a non-Christian program where we can share our relationship we have with Him with others we are volunteering with.

While these things may not be as dramatic as a blinding light or burning bush – and we do know of stories where people who have been less than social all of a sudden have that moment when they fully realize what they have been doing and turn to God AND become mighty warriors for Him – most of us have the quite voice deep inside of us where the Holy Spirit tells us to get to work.

He is still burning bushes without destroying them, we just have to be aware and stop and ask what He wants.

Later. Art (-:

Raining in our neck of the woods, and tomorrow and Saturday when Carla will have days off.  She will be able to do some of her playing in the dirt, but, depending on how much rain there will be, not quite like she wants.

Not really complaining – or at least not too much – it is still early; the additional moisture is important for our water table and that will be a key to keeping the garden nourished this summer.  Still........

Gotta get things ready for lunch/supper.  We have crazy meal hours here – we have breakfast, but lunch may be late in the afternoon after Carla gets off work, so we usually just have the two meals and a few left overs in the evening.  It isn’t for everybody, but it works for Carla and I.

If she has to work late I plan for light leftover type meals for and earlier lunch so it doesn’t rest heavy on her when she goes to work.

‘Nuff of that, need to get going.

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Ephesians 6:10-12  KJV  “ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

¹¹ 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.”

When a police officer is getting ready to go on patrol he makes sure that he can handle any and all situations that can come up during his shift – or as much as possible anyway.

He is wearing a vest under his uniform.  His uniform has his badge on it making him readily identified as a police officer.

Uniforms for patrol officers have changed during the years since I have left the profession.  When I was working we had the military style uniforms, Class A uniforms for special occasions and regular uniforms for regular duty. 

Now many departments are wearing a more practical uniform that is set up for their particular geographic area and community. 

But the one thing they all have in common is the display of the badge of authority.

They made sure their guns are loaded and ready to go – Movies and Television loves to show officers cocking their guns before moving in – not realistic, if the officer had to put a cartridge in the barrel before defending himself or others he would lose valuable time and but himself in serious jeopardy.

The gun is loaded, one in the chamber and if a semi-automatic, the safety will be on.  He makes sure his radio works and his other weapons and equipment are ready in case he needs them. 

Then, after going over pertinent information as to what has happened since he last came to work and what may be pertinent to what is expected to happen on his shift, he goes out to his patrol car.

He follows a routine to make sure his patrol car is ready for patrol.  Checks the lights, makes sure he doesn’t have low tires, checks the backseat to be sure there isn’t something hidden there.  Makes sure that any long guns are loaded, secured and ready.  Makes sure it is gassed up (usually the previous shift would gas the car before the end of shift, but there are times they get too busy and don’t get it done.)

You always start a patrol with a full tank, you never know what may happen where you have to sit at a crime/accident scene with the car running – going out of gas isn’t an option.  He may be called to go a longer distance than is normally called upon and again going out of gas is not an option.

Then when he is satisfied, he starts patrol.

But it takes more than just being physically prepared.

He must be alert and focused on his area, always looking, watching, listening for the unexpected.  Always prepared to go from a quiet ride down the street to an emergency of any kind, stopping a fight, responding to a call, discovering a burglary and investigating, anything, large or small that happens that requires an officer.

But even that is not enough.

Before an officer goes out on patrol, alone, he goes through training which includes not only the laws he is to enforce but making him aware of physical dangers he might face showing different techniques of conducting himself all the way from verbally handling the situation, physical restraint techniques, to the use of non-lethal and lethal weapons.

He is trained in many aspects of the work, including proper driving techniques.

He rides with a training officer who goes over what is expected of him in his jurisdiction.  How to actually patrol the streets looking for crime and being a deterrent, not just driving around as a civilian would.

Still it takes several years before he is completely ready to handle any call that comes his way.

It takes time, training, experience and willingness to learn and improve to become a good officer.

Very few officers aren’t nervous in making any car stop, let alone the first one, without having a training officer with him, is a stressful situation.

The same goes for any call where he is the lead officer who is going through something for the first time.  He may know what is supposed to be done, but it takes experience to handle the situation calmly and effectively.

But, that doesn’t stop him from doing the job.  He may be nervous and maybe even scared, but he takes a deep breath, and uses his training and what experience he has to handle the call.

It is no different than most jobs, you are shown and taught to do what is necessary, you are watched as you either practice or actually do the job, you undergo correction and advice until you can do the job on your own – still you are going to be nervous for a while, wanting to do the best you can and not make a mistake.

AND it is no different when it comes to being a witnessing Christian.

Now, God doesn’t say to us that we must be well versed in theology to tell others about Him.  As a matter of fact, many brand-new Christians are very good about telling of their salvation, they have the joy of that salvation so bubbling up within them that they can’t put a lid on it – and they shouldn’t.

Friends see the difference in them and know there has been a transformation in them, they see and hear it and some are going to want the same thing.

But, as time goes on we have to get into more serious discussions with skeptics that challenge us with questions.  Now, some of those will be just put downs (on these you either decide to let them play their game and still witness or just move on – hoping eventually someone will reach them, or that they will come back to you with serious question,) but others will have very real concerns and interests, and we need to be able to help them understand what being a follower of Christ is all about.

That scenario can be very difficult, it can be so overwhelming that many Christians decide to leave it to the preachers and teachers – without realizing that some of these people will never step a foot into a church.  To them the Christian standing in front of them IS the only person that cares enough to share the gospel with them; and rightly is the Church of Christ.

So how do we go about being a more effective witness for Christ.

First:  2 Timothy 2:15  KJV  “ Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Read the Word of God, join a Bible believing preaching church that isn’t afraid to go past feel good services or teaching and gets down to the nitty gritty – and often uncomfortable – truths of God’s Word.

Even so, we don’t have to wait years before we can fully divide the Word before we witness.  If we don’t have the answer we know someone who does and we can tell the person we are witnessing to that we will find the answer for them.

Second, and this is probably the most difficult for the Christian that wants to witness, but just can’t summon the ‘courage’ to do so:  2 Timothy 1:7  KJV  “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

We can use many other verses but that one puts it in a nut shell.  We just have to claim it!

And once we start He will guide and help us know what to say and not be afraid to share His love and His salvation.

May prayer, for me today and every day, is to be prepared so that I am “a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Later, Art (-:

Interesting Spring in our neck of the woods – Josh and Deed came down off the mountain to plow Carla’s Garden.  It is a bit early, but it worked within their time frame and Carla loved it.

She worked out a deal with one of the lawn care service providers to take all his leaves this fall.  Several cubic yards were dropped off and she and the rest of us put most of it out onto the garden, several inches thick.

The snow and rain helped break it down so when Josh plowed them under they were already starting to break down and really beefing up her soil.  We have such sandy soil the added nutrients and bulk help make the soil more productive.

Another green house to be finished off in the next couple of days, we hope – weather is supposed to be rainy for several days with a possibility of some snow mixed in – didn’t care for that forecast.

Peas are in and a couple other veggies, of which I am not sure of; she will be transplanting more of her seedlings into small post in preparation for them growing and being placed in give away containers.  Her problem right now is the low 30’s temperatures at night, (she had a heater in the greenhouse to keep the chill off them) she has had some lost but should have more than enough to still give to others.

Drive around town showing some businesses coming in and sprucing up of many – hiring signs out in front of a lot of businesses and that is encouraging.  As well as more homes going on the market, showing their owners feel they can get a decent price on their investment.

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“Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will be not one but many), he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom. Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, blunt- spoken and a little bit angry with the world. He will love Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for the glory of the One and the salvation of the other. But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath.”  A.W. Tozer

Acts 20:24  KJV  “ But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”

“He will love Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for the glory of the One and the salvation of the other. But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath.” 

Much more comfortable not to say anything.

Much more comfortable to not rock the boat.

But, who were we suppose to share the love of Christ with and did not? 

Whether fear of harassment or criticism or of being ostracized, what is our excuse?

“He will love Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for the glory of the One and the salvation of the other. But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath.” 

May God raise up men and women willing to stand their ground, in love, and not worry about what the world says.

Later, Art (-:

Yep, another pretty day in our neck of the woods.  Starting to get warmer – good thing to – Carla is putting her transplants in the green house but has to also put a heater in for the cold nights, at least it is just the nights.

Growing up I spend a lot of time at my grandparents’ place in Sherwood.  While they had the farm portion of the property to raise vegetables to sell (it would be called a truck farm I ‘think’ today) she also had her garden.  Don’t recall all she grew besides cabbage, but I didn’t realize at the time how much work was involved in that garden – not counting the acres of beans and other vegetables they grew to sell.  My folks never had a garden.

Carla, on the other hand, was raised with a garden and a herd of steers.  When she went to her grandparents’ house they too had a garden so she was exposed to that way of life early in her life. 

For her family it was not only an annual ritual, but, a source of food that they canned and froze so they didn’t have to buy it.  Not only did it save money and kept them active, but this way they knew from where their food was coming from.

Course, they also had a lot – a LOT – of flowers in their gardens, and Carla keeps that ritual up even now.  She enjoys it.

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Philippians 4:10-12  KJV  “But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

¹¹ Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

¹² I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need."

Last month, in South Korea, the Winter Olympics were held; hundreds of young men and women competed it grueling and difficult competitions.

They worked hard to get there and represent their countries.  It required thousands of hours in preparation, exercises, practice, sacrificing time from everything else to be the very best they could be; they were in incredible condition using all their strength and mental abilities to be among the best in the world.

I recorded many of the events but was mainly interested in the Biathlon and Cross country skiing.  These are endurance races requiring the participant to be in great shape traveling several miles up and down hills on skis – then, for the Biathlon, they must shoot at very small targets, missing even one could cost them a chance at the medal, more misses almost always eliminated them, and yet they continued to compete right up to the finish.

But these athletes were in good shape, they had all their extremities and while some had colds, or the flu or some other malady that made it difficult for them, they were whole.

This month, at the same location, the Paralympics are being held, these too are young athletes participating in competition in winter sports.

I also recorded some of their competition, again mainly interested in the Biathlon and Cross country skiing. 

These participants do not have the use of their entire bodies.  All had the ability to use their arms but with some that was about all, while the ‘less’ disabled had use of their upper body, but all of them could not use legs – they were paralyzed or had amputations.

Many from America lost their legs, or the ability to use them, as soldiers in the war in Afghanistan; but, like the others, were not dwelling on what they could not do, but what they could.

Imagine going up and down hills on special skis with a ‘chair’ on top for the athlete then propelling yourself over 9 mines within an hour – using only your arms and what little upper body that you can.  While it isn’t as long and the hills are not as high as the Olympics, it is still a formidable course.

Those that are the least impacted vs those that are most are competing on the same course at the same time.  There is a formula that allows the computer to give points to the latter that helps them be competitive – similar to handicaps in golf so those that can’t play as well are given a few points to make up for having to play against the best.

It is designed to be as fair as possible to all participants.

All of these young people gave their all to be there.  They, like the Olympians last month, have spent thousands of hours preparing themselves for the sport.

They could have said, “I am injured, I can’t do this.”  Or, “life has been unfair to me, why should I put myself out?”

Or, many other reasons, excuses, anger, discouragement to stay at home and feel sorry for themselves.

Instead they compete to the best of their abilities.  Most know that they will never get a medal, but, they compete anyway.

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”

So, what is my excuse?

Later, Art (-:

Nice and sunny this morning in our neck of the woods, bit nippy but it is, after all, still winter.

Nice enough that we will be putting some of Ken’s beef steaks on the grill this evening and enjoy some grilling.

I am looking out my window, across the valley, and seeing the blooms on the cherry orchards, it is a beautiful sight. 

And even though my allergies are starting to act up even more, it is a good sign that Spring really is just around the corner.

Carla’s itchy green thumb is being satisfied, for now, with transplanting seedlings into used yogurt containers and putting them in her green house.  Shortly she will be transplanting those into her old milk containers that have been sized so they will continue to grow and then be ready for giving to family and friends.

Garden is scheduled to be plowed under next weekend, she is ready to get to planting.

Our hummingbirds have done well through the winter and are still around, feeding and allowing us to enjoy them.  It is interesting they way they feed, we have some that don’t land, just flutters and dips in just like they do with flowers.

While others like to land on the pegs provided for them and feed that way.  But all are quite careful to look around and see if they have something that is going to attack them – usually another humming bird that has claimed the feeder as ‘his property.’ 

That wouldn’t be all that bad, except it usually the same bird claiming all the feeders.  They can be aggressive little guys.

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1 Peter 3:15  KJV  “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

Experience can be the best teacher; however, it is important to be able to back that experience up with facts.

Every day that we are around people we know, they are watching us.  Are we acting as Christians should?

The problem is many of us don’t know how we should really act.  Oh, we know we are suppose to be holy, patient, kind, loving, forgiving, slow to anger – the list goes on.

We may know those things but it is far to easy to forget them under duress of one thing or another – I can ‘testify’ from experience.

It is easy to proclaim we believe in God, in Jesus and His Word, but do we really?  Are we demonstrating, from the heart, the attributes He wants us to show?

Each of us has a personality that, while somewhat similar to others, is uniquely ours.  For the most part we process things differently, we do things differently, we speak and act differently than others.

However, we also model the behavior of our mentors, teachers, trainers, for a while.  When I was working with Rookies I didn’t have to be told who their training officer was, I could see them in the way the Rookie worked.  They had taken on many of the traits of their trainer – that was to be expected.

Eventually, they learned how to work in ways that were more suited to their personality and methods of doing things – there was nothing wrong with that as long as what they did was legal and ethical.

If every police officer did things the way every other officer did them, it wouldn’t take long for the criminal element to see and use that as a means to further their own goal.

It is good to watch, learn and even model Christian behavior after a trusted person, but, be won’t be exactly like them.  As we grow in Christ can use that difference in witnessing to others; others our mentors could not reach.

However, we need to be sure our training, education and belief is based on God’s Word, not just listening to someone talk about the Word, but actually delving into it and knowing AND experiencing its truth for ourselves.

Then when someone does ask us why we believe what we do we can honestly tell them and allow the Holy Spirit to talk with them through us.

In today’s society we have to be so guarded about everything we read or see.  Far too many people get their information off the internet and actually think that if it is there, it is truth.

Unfortunately, those that would destroy God’s Word and twist the meanings of the verses find a willing audience ready to soak up the ‘latest’ ‘real information’ and repeat/repost it to others.  

2 Timothy 4:3-4  KJV  “ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

⁴ And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

As Paul warned Timothy, we are also warned that satan has his minions and will use anything he can to direct us away from God’s truth. 

His methods have changed through the years, he has upgraded his attacks using different methods, but his goal is the same, bring God down and use people to help him do it.

He normally doesn’t hit us all at once, but he is patient.  He has learned from Adam and Eve on down to us, that if he can get us to question – and not do our research, or get us to believe little lies, then larger lies will eventually drive a completed wedge between us and God.

As Christians, willing to testify and witness to the world, we are very vulnerable to attack and some of those attacks will come from questioning God’s Word, to the point that we try and eliminate one verse over another – not looking at the entire text, nor the history of God’s people – nor the advice of Paul.

That is one of the reasons we need to be prepared to “and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

AND, armed with the truth of God’s Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit we will not be fooled by those that want to destroy our testimony by interjecting false information.

“ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

⁴ And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

Even in the most difficult of times, Christians have been able to share their faith and have led others to salvation.

Lord, may I never falter, but be firm in my commitment to You, Your Son and Your Holy Spirit, no matter what; “and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

Later, Art (-:

It is quiet in our neck of the woods, weather is starting to change to early Spring.  It is hard to believe it is only a couple of weeks away. 

However, some of our family members are having health problems, and that always concerns us.  As Mom used to say, “you are still my child, no matter your age.”

We don’t hear from them, or when we do they are suffering one way or another and I end up worrying about them.  Can’t help it, it is inbred and something I inherited from my Mom.

Fortunately, I know that God is in control, loves them and is watching over them and He often assures me of that fact.

As we know, we can’t live their lives for them, we have to raise them the best we can, instill values into them and trust that those values will guide them throughout their life and any decisions they must make.  Knowing that they know God’s truths and love really is a comforting thought.

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“Money itself not evil, for it is possible to be wealthy and serve God. However, it is all too easy for us to think we are serving God when we are really serving the “stuff” of this world. The Lord gives us possessions to enjoy, but the first and best of all that we own belongs to Him. Make sure that you are offering up the first and best of all you have and not giving unto God only after you have first blessed yourself. “ editorial comment on RC Sproul teaching.

Mathew 6:19-24  KJV  “ Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

²⁰ But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

²¹ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

²² The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

²³ But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

²⁴ No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

It is so easy in America today to think we need ‘things’ to live.  We covet the newest technology to the point where we are hooked up to the world 24 hours a day, we never get away from it.

There was a time when letters took days and even weeks to get to their destination and weeks even months before the sender gets and answer.

Today if we don’t get an immediate response from a text or phone call we get upset.

But those devices along with our “necessary living expenses” can drive a deep wedge between us and God.  We become so enamored with having to buy the latest, having to spend more and more time and money to acquire them that we forget about our contacts with God.

What are we spending our ‘emotional and spiritual’ wealth on – getting more ‘things’ or spending time with God and then doing what He wants of us.

Technology, like money, is not necessarily a bad thing, but when we misuse it or spend all of our time on it without considering God, we are abusing the blessing He has given us.

Instead of laying up treasures in heaven, we lay up worldly treasures “where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:”

We must ask ourselves where our heart really is, is it with God or not? 

Psalm 129:23-24  KJV  “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.”

That is still a good prayer for us to remember, sometimes we blind ourselves with the desires of the flesh without realizing we have done so – the Holy Spirit with help us see and correct any wicked way in our heart.

While we may need to work to feed, shelter and clothe our families; while we may need to use modern technology to do our job and to keep in contact with others, we cannot let those things usurp our obligation, time and responsibility to God.

“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 (-:

We had a visitor in our neck of the woods this afternoon, Wendy joined us for lunch and to pickup a couple items for Ken and William.  Her stay was brief, but it was good to see her.

She has a long drive back home, and we had to ‘release’ her, as we promised, before 1400. 

Have some doctors’ appointments tomorrow, and then hope that the weather allows us to spend some time outside.  We have a lot of work to do and I hope I can be of more help to Carla this year than I was able to do in the past few.  Feeling a lot better so I don’t think that will be out of reach.

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John 14:27  KJV  “ Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Philippians 4:7  KJV  “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

The life and times of most Christians has been anything but peaceful.

The early Christians were mostly Jewish, they were ostracized and persecuted by the Jewish leadership as well as the Roman empire. 

Through the years they have suffered under various regimes that didn’t want their message to be delivered to the every day citizen.

And of course, today, even in the United States, being a Christian can earn you darts and arrows coming from all directions, even from the government.  In some countries those turn into incarceration, expulsion and even death.

So how can we talk about peace when all around us is exploding?

And how can Christians going through these trying times be at peace?

They couldn’t without the comfort of God’s Holy Spirit.

It cannot be explained.  It cannot be obtained without His help and the experience allows the Christian to truly be at peace, knowing that God is there and will be there no matter what the circumstances are at the moment.

We would all love to reside in a complete state of peace, nothing to disturb us, nothing threatening us, just a calm circle around us that will never be broken or intruded upon.

We also know that kind of peace is not going to happen in our world.  Oh, we may find some for a while, but eventually the world finds us and makes it demands upon us – and there is no peace, for anyone that relies on man.

What is interesting is that Jesus never promised the Christian that kind of peace.

Mathew 10:20-21  KJV  “ And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.

²² And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.”

John 15:18-19  KJV “ If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

¹⁹ If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”

Far too many of us think that we should be above suffering for Christ.  There has been more than one preacher tell us that we are special and should receive special things, almost all of which are material and instead of drawing us closer to God will drive us away from Him because of the false teaching.

When we knelt at the cross and confessed our sins, asking for and receiving forgiveness we separated ourselves from the world and satan; and satan doesn’t like to lose anyone to God.

We will not have peace from man, it will come from God, but only if we trust in Him.

Mathew 28:19-20  KJV  “ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

²⁰ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

No matter what, our mission, as given to us by Christ, is to go forth and tell others of Him and His mercy. 

We need to remember not everyone will not passively disagree and violence can and often does occur in one form or another.

But that doesn’t excuse us.

As we serve Him, the Holy Spirit will be with us and give us His peace.

Later, Art (-:

Our neck of the woods is experiencing some sunshine, but still cooler weather.  No wind today, which is always nice.  Looking at the forecast for the next week it appears we will be slowly warming up.  Hope so, not ready for Josh and his tractor and all that we will be trying to accomplish this month.

Still concerned about the moisture on the mountains, one source says it is about 75% of normal – need more than that – however, looking at Timberline’s site and the graphs provided there it appears we are on track to be normal if not above normal moisture --- we shall see.

Steven, Celinda and CeeCee are back home after a couple of weeks in the United Kingdom.  They enjoyed their time, even though there were a few health concerns.  Always something.

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Isaiah 59:8-9    KJV  “ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

As a child I would hear my parents tell me things, some I understood and obeyed their words, other times I thought – and sometimes didn’t think just acted – I am okay, I know enough to get by and I will be fine.  Only to discover I didn’t know as much as I thought I did.

Through the years I learned that certain people actually did know more about something than I do – as a matter of fact a LOT of them.  We learn to depend on their knowledge, training and experience to help us live a better life.

Doctors, people with certain skill sets they have developed through the years, people who have studied and learned more on a certain subject than I ever could; most of these people can advise and assist me with making me a better human being.

Yes, there are several we run into all the time that ‘think’ they know it all, they may even know quite a bit, but their application of that knowledge is flawed and they insist that since they are the ‘educated’ one we should listen and obey them without question.

In today’s world we have so many places to turn to in gaining information – however, a lot of it can be deliberately misleading and, unfortunately, there are people who take advantage of our limited knowledge, or trust, to feed us false information.  Information that will benefit them in one way or another.

It is difficulty to know who is actually telling the truth, whether it be the news media, who spin their own bias’s or the “all-knowing” people that post on social media. 

It is best that we really are skeptical, don’t take these at face value and do what we can to ascertain the truth – as hard as that may be.

When we investigate crimes one of the first questions we ask ourselves is ‘who benefits from this crime?”  It helps us to make a suspect list and allows us to get information from them and others as to why they should stay on the list.  Most crimes have motives and when that is determined it is easier to solve.

We can ask ourselves the same question when we receive questionable information from the news media and social media.  There is an agenda and, in this day and age, we find that many of the news medias’ ethics are questionable at best and downright non-existence many times.

We are learning that even the top ‘law enforcement’ service in the nation is so biased that they actually have deliberately covered things up and instead of doing their job, they use their authority to undermine justice.

While all of us have biases, and often times do not realize how that affects our ability to discern the truth, we still have the obligation to set those aside and do our job.  It is almost more important to use those biases to hammer people than to try and find out what the truth really is.

Who can we trust? 

Through the centuries many people have tried to destroy the Bible by misreading or misquoting passages.  They downplay the historical correctness, they downplay not only who Jesus said He was, but many of His teachings and just being a man who was a great teacher – never did understand that since a great “teacher” doesn’t lie about things that are as important as eternal salvation.

Many movies ‘portray’ bible stories, but put their own spin on the Word and much of it is garbage.  One actor accused Noah of being a terrible person because he didn’t open up the ark and let people in when the floods came.

Not only had Noah warned people for around one hundred years, but he couldn’t open the door, it was sealed shut by God; Genesis 7:16  KJV  “And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.

It is easy for us to think that we know it all, or at least enough to survive this world; and that may be true to a large degree since we do have resources to help us.

But we don’t know it all, as a matter of fact, we don’t know much at all as to how to live our life in a holy manner.  Without God’s direction and our constant vigilance and interaction with Him and His Word, we slowly slip away and we find ourselves withering on the vine because we are no longer attached to the roots.

God doesn’t mind us questioning Him.  He doesn’t mind us delving into the scriptures to see if what we hear is correct or not.  I can remember questioning my first Pastor over several weeks about God and His Son, he used passages from the Bible as well as personal experience to help me understand who God is.

I remember someone telling me that in talking to him about me he said, boy did he ask questions.

But we find that after we have accepted the Word as truth and His Son as our Savior, the Bible has new meaning, some of what we understand is done by faith, and when we look to His Word we find a reinforcement to our faith.

It isn’t just an historical document, it is the basis of life itself, both here on earth and for all eternity.

We just have to trust Him, even when we feel we are going through the most difficult of times.

“ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Later, Art (-:

As I look out the window, in our neck of the woods, I see a few high clouds and I know the temperature is still in the mid-40’s, but the sun is shining, birds are singing and things are peaceful right now.

The mountains are still getting some much-needed snow and the water sheds are doing better.  Trees are starting to bud out (hopefully we don’t have a serious frost in the next few weeks, there really is still danger of that happening.)

I read an article the other day where people were questioning whether the birds actually ‘sing.’  It was pointed out by the writer that some of our classic composers actually used the notes of some of the birds singing in their compositions – if I recall right it was Beethoven and Mozart that were noted but others also copied the birds’ songs.

No wonder they connect with us.

Job 42:1-2  KJV  “Then Job answered the Lord, and said,

² I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.”

Reading Job can be very discouraging, at first.

Job loses everything, family, possessions and even friends’ admiration and support. 

Then when he still doesn’t curse God he ends up with personal health problems.

Yet, while he struggled at times, He never lost faith in God.

After proving Job’s devotion to Him, God made Job’s last days to be more prosperous than he was before he was tested by satan.

Verses 12 and 16-17  KJV  “So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.

 After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations.

¹⁷ So Job died, being old and full of days.”

Does it work like this for everyone?  Of course not, but, as with Job, we can be used no matter what our situation is, to glorify God and let others know that He really is in charge no matter how hopeless we may feel. 

AND no matter how others may try and discourage us.

No matter how old we may be, no matter how physically challenged we may find ourseleves, God can still can use us.

Joshua 13:!  KJV  “Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the Lord said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.

Joshua had led the people of Israel out of the wilderness into the Promised Land.  By now he was tired, his body was old and it showed – at my age I can now appreciate “stricken in years” a lot better than I could 20, or even 10 years ago.  It can be a struggle sometimes when your mind says ‘do,’ and your body says ‘are you kidding me?’

Job endured and continued to serve God for 140 years after his testing. 

Joshua didn’t say, use someone else, Lord, I am just too tired and besides look at all I have done for you already, give me a rest.

He did as God instructed Him.

We can always be of service to God, no matter our age or infirmities, we just have to listen, trust God and follow the Holy Spirit.

Later, Art (-: