Cooler but the promised rain has not come.  However, we are enjoying the veggies from the garden, still, and we are thankful for that.

Biding my time right now, I am not feeling well – and I am due to have a surgery where that might have some impact on whether or not they can proceed.  Just a couple of days to get right.

Malachi 3:6  For I am the Lord, I change not;

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

For the past few days I have been under the weather, still am for that matter.  As I was thinking on God and how He is an unchanging being, I thought also on the text in Hebrews.

What does that mean?  We know that Jesus is God who came to earth in the form a man, therefore, He doesn’t change.  He is the same as He always was and as He will ever be.

What struck me though was ‘today.’  I think of the day as just that, the time I am up.  Yes, a day is measured, Of course, in 24 hours segments.

But that wasn’t always how time was measured.  In the period of ‘time’ man has inhabited the earth, only a small percentage of it was measured by the minutes or hours – before clocks it was measured by the seasons and light of the sun.

Time seems to have more relevance today, because we are reminded of it all the time.  Most of us have several clocks in our homes – reminds me of the old adage “If you have one clock you know what time it is, if you have two you are not sure.”

We have watches, or cell phones that have the time on it, we have computers that have the time on it.  Time is a tangible thing for us, and it is how we live – meeting with people and getting things done on ‘time,’ and how we understand the measurement of history.

Before retirement I had to check my watch, frequently, because I had meetings to attend and things that needed to be done on time.  Not to mention that when you wrote a ticket it had to be specified as to the time of the offense – the day, only, was insufficient.

I was living in the moment only as to what had to be done at whatever time,  I am not referring to the common phrase of “living in the moment,” as ‘you cast aside everything outside what you are doing at the time and focus only on yourself,’ I am talking about relating to God.

To me time was more of a clock, a measurement, than being.

While this isn’t a pressing thing in the scheme of God’s teachings, it just struck me as my time with Him is now for an eternity and it began over 50 years ago – there is no end; there is no ‘time’ as we measure it with our relationship with God.

To Him, January 1, 2015 is not different than January 1, 1000.

God isn’t concerned about time as we are; He has always been and the fact that we are only going to live here a short amount of time impedes our ability to understand what time means to Him.

Because we have a difficult time grasping that fact, we have to use things that allow us to get some understanding, even if it is not perfect. 

While God had foreknowledge of us, we only came into being at conception.  We had a beginning, we look at death as the end – yet, it is the end of the body, only, not the spirit – not ‘the me’ - that was created at conception.  Our spirit will live forever.

What I came to realize, though, is our measurement of time is flawed.  We focus on time with the thought of doing something – not with the idea of being.  When God speaks of today, it isn’t just a matter of ‘time’ it is a matter of who He is and how we relate to Him.

It is an ongoing process.  It isn’t by the day, hour, minute, or even second - it is now, and now is a relationship with Him that time does not matter – since it is ongoing, it is timeless.

When we accepted Christ we were one with Him.  He became an integral part of who we are; there no longer is time when we measure our relationship with Him, it began with our salvation, but it never ends.

Yes, we must live in this world that measures time with a clock and calendar.  We still have to be on time to appointments, we still have to remember important engagements, but that is what we do to relate to others – not to God.

We look at the Old Testament, the New Testament and what is happening in the world since then up to and including ‘today.’  It is a measurement to determine what was and is happening, physically, in the world.

The Word of God speaks of time to allow us to understand the significance of rejecting God, and that He will not always strive with man – but for those that accept Him, we are with Him now, we are striving to serve Him, now.  There is no later, there is no earlier when we serve God, there is only now and now is for eternity.

Time, with God, is not a moment – it is an eternity without measure.  We have the privilege of existing with our God forever, time has no relevance when we understand that the real person that we are is our spirit, not the body, and the spirit is in constant contact with God.

Time is measured, by God’s Word, to help us understand the importance of telling others, of spreading the love and gospel of Christ so that others can overcome sin and live an eternity with God.  The ‘time’ we have on earth is to do service to Him.

James 4:13-14 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

¹⁴ Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

There is no measure of time in eternity – and now that we have accepted Christ we have already started living - for eternity.

1 John 2:24-25  Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

²⁵ And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

Later, Art :-)

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

Well, we had ‘moisture’ last night, just enough to say we had moisture – can’t think of anyone actually calling it rain.

Still struggling this morning, have a bit of a bit of some kind.  Need to get over it so I don’t have to postpone the operation next week.

John 6:28-33 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

²⁹ Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

³⁰ They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?

³¹ Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

³² Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

³³ For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

“A friend said, ‘You were healed by faith.’  ‘Oh, no,’ I said, ‘I was healed by Christ.’

What is the difference?  There is a great difference.

There came a time when even faith seemed to come between me and Jesus.  I thought I should have to work up the faith, so I labored to get the faith.  At last I thought I had it; that if I put my whole weight up it, it would hold, I said, when I thought I had got the faith, ‘Heal me.’

I was trusting in myself, in my own heart, in my own faith.

I was asking the Lord to do something for me because of something in me, not because of something in Him.”  A.B. Simpson

I read this quote this morning and I realized that I was very much in the mind-set that Simpson had been.  We have to improve our faith in order for God to work within us.

The problem is, I was relying on the faith in my faith, and not faith in God.  It is not much difference than the person who says I can only be saved if I am good enough, and ignore that God does the saving, our activities for Him are the results of our love for Him and desire to serve – not to be saved.

There are people that are given the Gifts of healing by the Holy Spirit.  God has given them special dispensation when they pray for others to be healed.  However, all of us have the responsibility to pray for those that need healing.

What all too frequently happens is we have faith in the person who has the Gifts of Healing and not who is DOING the healing.

While it may not come to the point of worshipping the person who has these gifts, it can be dangerous to attribute those gifts to the person – not to God.

Jesus pointed out to the Jews that it wasn’t the ‘fathers’ that gave the gift of manna to them, it was God.

Sometimes, we so focus on the people that God uses, that we forget that it is God that does the miracles, the healing, the ministering through individuals.

We want to make sure that when we talk about faith that we realize it is not faith in our faith, but faith in the Living God Who can do all things.

Later, Art :-)

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

Still having good days and bad days; today is the latter. 

Teresa came over this morning and installed a new faucet for our sink.  The other was just giving it up – Josh and Deed fixed it and it was working fine, but it was just getting too old to continue repairing it.

As she worked I realize, again, how fortunate we have been to have our children helping us around the place.  She and Ian have done a lot to assist, in the garden, helping dig, etc.

Deed rewired the place; Deed and Josh have done a tremendous amount of work around here, laying concrete, digging trenches, spearheading Carla’s shed.

We knew Josh was a keeper as he worked four different grills with four different meats via a flash light for my Father of the groom dinner. 

Steven, before he moved to Kirkland, helped a great deal and still helps with Celinda, when they come down.

Ken, who lives so far away, has brought Rose and William with him to help on a couple of projects; Wendy has always given good advice and she too is a treasure.

I cannot begin to enumerate all they have done for us.

Usually it is ‘dad’ that helps the kids – it has been the other way around here.  My father was very mechanically inclined, there wasn’t much that he couldn’t figure out and do; his genes, dealing with those skills, has completely skipped me, but my kids have them.  Those genes coupled with Carla’s father’s genes have done them in good stead.

We are fortunate that they are willing to give of their time to share them.

1 Corinthians 10:11-13 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

¹² Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

¹³ There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Not reading the Bible and trying to obey God’s Word, is like going on a trip in an area you are not familiar with and not taking a map.  We have an idea of where we are going, and we may not get to our destination.

God has given us that road map for our lives.  He has plotted out the areas that are hazardous and the areas that will give us great pleasure and joy.

The Old Testament is filled with the trials and tribulations of the Hebrews as they lived and worshiped Him – and then turned their back on Him.  The New Testaments give us assurances that God’s Word is true and gives us further examples of how we should live – not to mention the salvation we have through Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection.

There are examples of sins committed by the Hebrews and others - and the consequences and punishments.  There are examples of the Hebrews success and rewards; as they lived for and/or came back to God.

I can remember one sermon where the minister hit on a certain sin and the consequences.  Frankly that had been a problem for me through the years – but as I sat there listening, I thought, I got that one licked.  Within a week or so, I was guilty of that same sin all over again. 

We can never let down and think we have it taken care of, the minute that happens, satan starts finding a way to maneuver us into sinning once again.  And he must clap his hands with glee and laugh loudly when we fall.

We have been warned by God’s Word that there is a punishment and a reward for our behaviors.  He also tells us that while He will allow us to be tempted, He will also show us a plan to escape that sin – it is up to us to make the decision to sin or not.

Living for Christ is just that, living.  It is an active process, it is not passive.  We must continually strive to grow in Him and serve Him to the best of our abilities.

As in any profession, the more we practice, the more we study, the more we are aware of better techniques and, when we use them, the more efficient we become.  An apprentice is not expected to know every aspect of the job, he studies, learns, is mentored and finally becomes a Journeyman.

God doesn’t give us the whole load at one time; He parcels it out in terms and directions we understand.  A first grader is not expected to be able to read at a high school level.  He learns how to read at the lowest level; he reads more, he builds his vocabulary, he has more experiences he can apply to what he is reading and therefore learns at a higher level.

God does the same for us.  What we have to be careful of is reading at a first grade level when we reach high school – and far too many Christians fall into that category.  We don’t read His Word enough; we do not study it enough so we only have what people tell us is in His Word but don’t have a good understanding of what He wants.

Getting back to finding our way in life, the Bible has a detailed map for us – however, we all too frequently use the Bible as some use a globe where there is no detail, just a general idea of what is there.

So, let us get out the map for our life’s journey every day and figure out the direction God wants us to go as we travel the road to Glory.

Later, Art :-)

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

This is supposed to be the last hot day for a while.  We, along with much of the rest of Oregon, are supposed to be getting some moisture from the sky – we will just have to see how much moisture that is -- in the form of rain, of course.

Had to get my blood checked in preparation for the operation next week, guess it is still red.  Took Blaze into his groomer today and he came back looking purty.  He doesn’t particularly care to ride in the car, so I end up having to lift him up and put him in – kinda passive aggressive, he will lay down so it is harder to move him.  BUT, once I pick him up he is much more willing to go.

Had to have Carla take me to the lab and to the groomer; but was feeling a bit better when she called to pick him up, so I went ahead and drove down.

Colossians 1:9-10 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

¹⁰ That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

What is our focus in this life?  How do we maintain an attitude of servitude and a desire to increase in the knowledge of God?

I got a message from Steven the other day, “Finished my first in service day to be a juvenile transportation specialist.”  He is in training to be a substitute bus driver while he is going to school at Northwest University.  Now, I don’t know if this was a joke on his part, or if that is what the school district up there actually calls their drivers.  His humor is similar to my own.

It amazes me what some groups do to make their employees “feel important” or more likely make some individual in ‘Human Resources’ think they are making them feel better.

The change in lexicon can be helpful – when our Chief promoted Sergeants to Commanders without changing our duties, much, he did so to allow us to take management level classes we were barred from at the Academy.  It helped to improve our abilities as well as improved the department.

But most of these changes are just so much baloney, to me doing such demeans both the work and the employee.

What is wrong with the term “Janitor?”  Why is it so important to change the term to “custodial engineer?”  If a person calls himself a ‘custodial engineer’ the first thing we think is janitor.

Where Carla works they called their managers “Team Leaders” as if they are just part of the group – their customers became ‘guests.’  Some words do change the outlook of people, guests IS how you want to treat your customers, but changing all these things is more pomposity than common sense.  By the way, they changed the name back to manager.

There is nothing wrong with doing jobs that may not be the most glamorous.  Someone has to do them.  Most people use them as stepping stones to another job.  They can learn how to work, how to manage their time, how to do a good job.  Some choose to stay in the lower echelon jobs for whatever reason, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Some may hold a job, simply to help them achieve something off the job; the thing they do off the job is more important to them than the job itself.  It may be one of the reasons some remain on a lower level instead of aspiring to a higher level on the totem pole.  I know many ministers that had to have a job to meet the bills – but their real focus was on their duties to God.  They do their secular job well, but it is only a means to allow them to be a minister.

Frankly, it irks me when I hear someone being condescending or treating a service employee (clerk, waitress, etc.) like they are beneath them.  They don’t know what the person is going through or what their priorities are – they deserve respect for being there, doing their assigned job.

The world has to have important sounding jobs, Domestic Engineer, because being a house wife, or stay at home mother sounds to demeaning.  Instead throwing out these terms makes it looks like they aren’t important, so we must make it look like they are – not a good way to uplift a person’s spirit I would think.

The world portrays the worth a person by the job they hold, not the job they do.  You have to BE someone, not just be someone.  It goes along with the need for material things and being better and bigger than the next guy.

That is not how God views us.  He isn’t concerned about the world’s opinion of our jobs.  He doesn’t care that we may be the lowest person on a totem pole – what HE wants is for us to grow in Him, but walk in a way that brings glory to His Name.

He wants us to do our job so well that people see Him in us.

We conducted hundreds of interviews with applicants to the Sheriff’s Office.  One of the things the applicant had to pass – and most had no knowledge of this – was the ‘how do you treat ‘lessor positions’ test?’  I always asked the Civil Service Director how there telephone demeanor was – some applicants would treat her as ‘just a clerk’ when they talked with her, others had genuine warmth in their tone.  The clerk at the desk also was asked about the attitude of the applicant when they came in for the interview. 

We used other non-disclosed tests of this nature to find out what the true nature of the applicant was – prior jobs, prior landlords, etc, not just those listed by the applicant, but those ‘others’ that we found in the course of a background investigation – attitude was an important determination, and often times was the difference, on who we hired.

What was important to us, besides ability, was how they treat other people.  The past reflects on the future and we didn’t want arrogant and condescending people working for us.

Positions were important in the operation of the Sheriff’s Office.  While some made more money than others and while some had supervisory authority over others, each position was crucial to the smooth operation of the Office so we could provide the best service possible to our citizens.

No matter what our position most of us always try to do better.  We study, we take classes, we ask others how we can improve, we train and we do all we can to do our job well; and of course it doesn’t hurt that it might help us when we want to go to the next level on the totem pole.

We need to make that same effort in serving Christ.  No matter the position we hold in service to Him.

In our service to God, there are no unimportant positions.  Yes, there are those that are leaders – they are ministers, teachers, deacons, elders, etc. but the person that cleans the church (janitor,) prepares communion, welcomes people at the door and many other ‘minor jobs’ are important to God and to the smoother operations of the church.  It enables the church to more effectively reach those that need Christ.

That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

God wants us to grow in Him.  He wants us to be the very best representative of him that we can be.  We all know of people who we have worked with who had the same skills after 20 years they had after one year.  They simply had a year experience, 20 times.

That is not what God wants of us.  He wants us to meet with Him, daily; He wants us to worship Him, and give Him the honor and praise He deserves; He wants us to work in whatever endeavor we are in to the best of our ability – as that work shows the world what our relationship with God is; and He wants us to study His Word, listen to those that are here to teach us, follow His Holy Spirit and increase in the knowledge of God.

Later, Art :-)

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

Yesterday the air was quite a bit cleaner and the sky was blue, we now have grey skies and we can see the air we are breathing.

Now that’s not a good thing.

Carla is having some arguments with the deer about her beans, they seem to find them tasty.  However, they leave enough for her to fix some last night; those along with the tomatoes and cucumbers, cantaloupes and watermelons, make for a good fresh eating from the garden.  She is dealing with some obnoxious pests on her squash, hopefully we will be able to harvest a few as she works on it – they literally suck the juices right out of the squash.

2 Timothy 1:8-10 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

⁹ Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

¹⁰ But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

I was talking to a friend who had an unpleasant experience with a Christian.  He had gone into the restaurant with his family and was seated by the hostess.  The man was loud and boisterous.  (Yeah I know, sounds like me – but it wasn’t.)  My friend was the waitress that waited on them.

She introduced herself and the man asked her what her religion was, she gave the denomination (one of the main stream denominations) – He said well, I am a Christian and if you want I will give you the truth.  She considered him haughty and arrogant.  He asked for the blessing over the food, once delivered, but he was loud and she felt he was doing it for show.

She had no desire to have a discourse about anything with him, while he was there she served them, but not with the usual big smile – the tip wasn’t all that good, either.

It got me to thinking.

We know we are to stand for Christ, we are not to be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ and we are to be ready to tell others why we believe in Him.  But how do we do that?

The most important thing, of course, is to be ready. To know the Word (it doesn’t have to be quoted – especially for a new convert – but we need to know what it says and what the meaning is of the verses we want to refer to,) be assured of our salvation and to have asked the Holy Spirit to guide you early in the morning; and to listen to others as to how they should be approached.

We don’t need a grand scheme on presenting God’s love to others; we just need a relationship with Him that is genuine and willing to obey Him.

We also have to look at our personalities and use them in spreading the Gospel – but we want to bring people to Christ, not chase them away.

How do we let people know that Christ is within us and is our Lord?

Do we announce:  I am a CHRISTIAN!  As this man did upon sitting down in a restaurant? 

Do we say:  I am a Christian; working it into the conversation somehow?

Do we say:  I am a Christian as if we are unsure of ourselves?

Do we say:  Nothing?

Frankly it may be all four.  It really depends on the Holy Spirit and how much we are in tune with Him.

There is nothing wrong with a bold proclamation of our faith – but it must be done in a reasonable manner.  If we come off as a jerk who is more interested in our importance than we are in reaching a fellow human being for Christ, we may end up driving them from Christ.

If we wait for an opportunity to jump in with our relationship it could come off as if we are just looking for an opportunity to say something, and not genuinely trying to share our love of Christ.  It can’t be an obvious pounce on a statement type thing – usually, - but it can be done in an easy manner and one that shows respect and openness to the person we are talking to.  Sometimes we get so wrapped up on the need to talk to someone about Christ that we forget to listen to them and address our comments to their needs.

The hardest for me is to be quiet about being a Christian.  I tend to be a little bolder, but there are times where it may not be appropriate to make a ‘big’ deal of our faith and be softer in our approach to a person.  We cannot become so focused on the process of sharing Christ that we forget that the person we are witnessing to has to listen – and they won’t listen if it doesn’t relate to them.  We have to make Christ relevant to them, and that might mean that we go slowly and carefully – the Holy Spirit can guide us IF we let Him.

Silence.  Hmmm?  When could it be appropriate not to say anything concerning Christ?  All too frequently I have seen a person, like the one my friend had in the restaurant, want to make a big deal out of their beliefs and overpower everyone around them.  If you say anything it just makes them more arrogant and aggressive – and nothing is accomplished except anger on both parts. 

This is a hard one for me, when someone pushes, I push back and that may not be the best approach.  There are ways to deal with these people and not always is it to challenge them, if we rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us we may find we just need to walk away.

That doesn’t mean that we won’t proclaim Christ in these situations, it is just that we do it in a manner that doesn’t try to one up the other person and get into a shouting match.  Sometimes the best speech is the one not given.  We may speak more loudly and effectively by our presence and actions, than anything we might say.

Love of Christ and sharing Him love for others needs to be a part of our daily life.  We need to give others the opportunity to find Him – and sometimes we find that they already know Him and we find a mutual bond, often sharing stories with each other. 

We just need to have Christ within us and be willing to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Later, Art :-)

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

I received a call this morning from my surgeon’s office.  They want to move my ablation from the 18^th to the 3^rd.  I have a lot to do to make that happen.  Frankly, I would much rather go in earlier, I am going in and out of a-fib with the slightest bit of irritation or stress – even walking too fast, or even getting out of my chair too quickly might set it off.  Not a way to live, fruitfully.

Garden is suffering, both from the heat and from Carla trying to do it all herself.  Frustrating, hopefully the operation will take the first time – we have a lot of canning and other things to do before winter sets in.

Psalm 119:46-51  I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.

⁴⁷ And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved.

⁴⁸ My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.

⁴⁹ Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.

⁵⁰ This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.

⁵¹ The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law.

For the purpose of this discussion let us change the word law to His Word (Bible) and it will basically say I have not declined from the Words Jesus commanded of us in order to serve Him.

The Psalmist knew of the pain of being a member of God’s chosen people, yet continued to praise Him and desired to obey His Word.  God’s Word gave him peace and strength to carry on his obligations to God.

So it is with us.

Mathew 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Jesus told us that we would have trials and tribulations as we live for Him.  As He suffered, He reminded us that we are not greater than Him.  We should not expect all roses and praise from the world as we serve Christ.  An unrepentant sinner doesn’t want to hear what we have to say. 

But He also told and showed us how to respond.

Lord, when I feel as if I am in the deepest of dungeons and there is no one who cares and there is no way out, may I remember you are with me always, even unto the ends of the world.

Lord, when I am discouraged because those in my community do not listen to my voice about you, may I remember your disappointment when you went to Nazareth and your prior friends and neighbors rejected you.

Lord, when I have told people of your love and salvation they either turn away after a short time, or forget their commitments to you, may I remember that after you had ministered to many, they still did not receive your Word and soon forgot who you were.

Lord, as I question my ability to serve you to the fullest, may I remember your plea to the Father that not your will but His be done.

Lord, when someone I am close to, someone who shares all my secrets turns on me, may I remember that a trusted friend betrayed you.

Lord, when I am brought before the authorities because I have preached your Gospel, may I remember that you were brought before the authorities and placed on trial for your teachings.

Lord, when my words are falsely interpreted or lies about me are made to undermine my relationship with God, may I remember they introduced false statements against you.

Lord, as I am being derided for my trust and faith in you, may I remember they taunted you.

Lord, as I am being humiliated and made to look the fool, may I remember they placed a crown of thorns upon your head and mocked you as ‘their king.’

Lord, as I go through pain and suffering from service to you, may I remember that you were beaten and scourged.

Lord, as I feel the burden of the cross I must bear and feel I can no longer go on, may I remember that you had to carry the cross that would lead to your agony and death.

Lord, as I struggle with forgiving others for the wrongs they have done to me, may I remember you forgave those that placed you on the cross in humiliation and mocked you as you died.

Lord, as I go through the threat of death because of my relationship with you, may I remember your death upon the cross.

Lord, when I breathe my last and am ready to leave this earthly body, may I remember that you have gone before me and made a place for me in your heavens.

Lord, Thank you.

Later, Art :-)

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

Sky continues to clear up a bit, wind is blowing in the high teens, not as high as could be, but sufficient to help.  Still, I feel the chest pains when I emerge into the open, so I am remaining hunkered down for another day.

In our household, Murphy’s law is a homesteader.  What should have take but a few minutes of Teresa’s time on a project ended up over an hour – not her fault, just had to get everything just so.  I always figure if something says a project will take an hour, it will take me ten.  Could be a self-fulfilling type process, but regardless I always have to allow much more time than most people.

Nothing else of significance is going on right now.

Psalm 116: 12-14  What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?

¹³ I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.

¹⁴ I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.

One of my favorite comments is “freedom is not free.”  It is, of course, said to show that men and women died in defense of our freedom.

Salvation is free to us, but it is not free.  Christ died for our salvation.

We rightly give thanks and praise to those men and women who placed themselves in harm’s way in the defense of this nation.  We cannot pay them for their sacrifice; we can only thank them, praise them and honor them.  We do this publicly and with pride as we remember their payment for our freedom.

If we give that honor to them, how much more important is it to give honor, praise and thanksgiving, in public, to the Man who sacrificed His life that we might have eternal life with God?

We cannot repay Him; we can only proclaim His righteousness to others and tell them of the ransom He paid for us.

Luke 12:8-9 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:

⁹ But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

Christ made a point for all of us to follow.  If we do not declare Him, if we do not tell of His wondrous gift, then why should He stand before the Father and declare us His bride?

He won’t.

We cannot excuse ourselves from this mandate by saying it is too hard; if I confess I will be ostracized, persecuted, tortured, imprisoned or even killed – He suffered it all for our sakes.

We cannot say that if we professed Him it will cause division and dissension in our lives, it will destroy the harmony and peace we try to maintain – even saying we are doing it for His sake - after all we don’t want people to feel threatened. And, didn’t the Angels say, when they announced that Christ was born, Peace and Goodwill to man?

We want them to feel loved and safe – without the acknowledgement of sin in their lives.

Nope not good excuses.

Luke 12:51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

We can proclaim Christ in a manner that shows His love, we don’t necessarily have to get in people’s face to tell them that they are sinners and only by God’s grace through the death and resurrection on His Son, Jesus, will they be saved.

But still we are separate from them, and they have not true peace.

Since most of us are not ministers and don’t speak to a large group of individuals, we deal with people individually.  Most of those people are neighbors, friends, relatives or co-workers.  We have a relationship with these people and over time we can show Jesus’ love and provide a witness to them of His salvation.

The Holy Spirit will work within your heart to give you wisdom and within their heart to show them how to quench the pain of a sinful life.

But they must be told, that will not give them peace.

I well remember a man that I witnessed to for years.  We had a lot of conversations about the love of God and His Son.  I didn’t press him because I didn’t feel lead to try and force a decision from him.  I was transferred to another store, the next week his children were allowed to attend Sunday School, in the church that I had attended, when they were invited by a neighbor.

Both he and his wife (who didn’t “think much of (y)our organization”) came to the programs and activities involving their children.  I do not know if he made a decision for Christ or not, I do know that God had been working on his heart for years and, to me, the allowing of his children to attend our church was an indication he was, at least considering, what I had said.

I came to Christ because of a personal relationship with Carla and her friends.  They showed me love, but also weren’t afraid to let me know that I needed Christ in my life.  Most people come to Christ in a similar manner, they don’t have a great epiphany or an on the road to Damascus experience like Paul.  Most people learn of Christ and His salvation through other people who are willing to share their faith in Him with them.

It is important that we are unashamed of the Gospel of Christ and we tell others of His Love; but that Gospel also tells them that sinners are not going to be with Him in paradise.  To do the one, and completely neglect the other is a half measure and is not giving the full truth of God’s Grace.

It is not designed to give peace without Christ and until the realization comes to them that only Christ can give that peace, there is a divide between us.

It is a denial of who Christ is and what He expects from His people. 

Later, Art :-)

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

Yesterday the smoke, from the many forest fires, was so thick we couldn’t see seven mile, about two miles away and Cherry Heights was just a blur – half a mile away.  I went outside for a couple of minutes to change the feeders and ended up with chest pains from the smoke causing my asthma to act up.  I don’t remember that happening before around here; I have had that problem in the Portland and Eugene area.

Today the smoke has cleared a mite, and the visibility is better, but I still can’t spend anytime outside.  I finally understand what a hazardous warning on air quality means.  I am staying inside where numerous air filters are helping me breath.

Even Carla, who is impervious to pollen and pollution, found that she couldn’t go outside and work.

Teresa is coming over to give us a hand on a couple of INSIDE projects.  Carla and I are just not as limber as we used to be.

1 Corinthians 6:5-6 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?

⁶ But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.

These verses speak to actually one Christian suing another in a court of law – rather than going to a trusted brother to arbitrate the issue.  When it is over trivial matters it damages not only each Christian, but the Church.

But as I read this another thought came to mind.  How often do we complain to non-Christians about the acts of another Christian – or even another person?  How often do we complain to co-workers about how another Christian has treated us; about our spouse’s conduct?

What does that do for our testimony to that non-Christian?  What are we telling him by our complaints?  If on the one hand we tell him about the great love and mercy of our God and then turn around and complain about the conduct of a fellow Christian, what is he to think?  Can he trust our testimony of the love of God when our actions prove otherwise?

It is so easy to get into that, ‘he hurt me and now I must retaliate – or at least complain’ mode.  We don’t like their style of dress, so we make fun of them.  We don’t like their method of speaking, so we make fun of them.

We talk about them to others, instead of loving them as they are and allowing them to be themselves.  If we can help them, we should, but often it is just a personal ‘taste’ that should have no bearing on our relationship with them.

We heard another Christian had commented about us and we took offense and started talking about what we do not like about that person – to someone else.  

Yes there are times we need to ‘let off some steam’ but we owe it to the person we are in conflict with to talk to them about that conflict – after first making sure that we, ourselves, have not caused it.  If that be the case we need to ask forgiveness.

Many times disagreements are from misunderstandings, not a deliberate act against another.

I don’t know how many times I would listen to the complaint of a citizen about the actions of one of my officers/deputies, only to find they did not understand the reasoning behind decisions.  Some of it was they did not know the law and how it was to be applied, other times they did not know how important a full investigation was before the final decision was to be made by the officer.

They assume there was maleficence on the part of the officer, or a deliberate act of overlooking the complainant’s, complaint.  They assumed the worse and felt they had been mistreated.

We were often able to correct a misconception and the citizen went away with a better understanding. 

However, I also would hear complaints about actions of our office that came from others who did not come to us.  They just started complaining to others and the message got to us a long time afterwards – and it may have been a valid complaint, but many times, once again, it was misinterpreted by the citizen or they didn’t understand the reasoning behind the decisions.

It is sad, that for some reason people will complain about someone’s actions to everyone except the person they have a disagreement with – and it doesn’t matter what positions these people have, they just don’t come forward, even when given the opportunity.  It used to drive me nuts to hear all the complaints by Sheriffs’ about a certain agency – but when we had a regular meeting with the head of that agency these same Sheriffs kept their mouths shut.

This should never happen with Christians.  We should take great care to deal with a brother in a forthright manner.  If we cannot resolve the issue between us, we should ask that the discussion be taken to a mutually respected Christian whose wisdom we both admire and ask them to mediate.

Mathew 18:15-16 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

¹⁶ But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

Sometimes it is necessary to have another person make a decision in disputed circumstances – but Christians should never go to a non-Christian to get that resolved – especially if it involves trivial matters.  Is there a limit as to what that entails, as far as seriousness of the dispute if it cannot be resolved within the Church – I would think so, but I also think before we go that distance we want to be sure we have been so grievously wronged the dispute must be litigated, and we have tried everything else to rectify the problem.

There are so many pitfalls a Christian must step around or over and we must always be alert for those snares so we do not create a road block for other Christians; nor do we damage our testimony to those that watch how we act and attribute improper action to our relationship with God.  Complaining about a fellow Christian is one of those pitfalls we must avoid.

Later, Art :-)

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

Three young men died in a fiery furnace of a forest fire as they tried to fight the fire.  My heart and prayers go out to their friends and loved ones.

I have nothing but admiration for the men and women who are willing to go forward, into the flames, and combat them.  They know the risks, they know this could happen to them, yet, they go.  I have two nephews who are in the Fire Fighting profession and I applaud their service.

Personally, I would rather deal with an angry person with a weapon (who I could hopefully talk down) than the flames of a fire.  People can be talked to, fires can only be fought.

This morning we got up to a hazy sky, with the sun shining through it had an orange taint to it.  We are seeing the smoke from the many forest fires here in Oregon. 

It is warm outside, yet, the feel in the air is the crispness we have in October Fall days – if I didn’t know it was August I would think it was in deed October.

Our animals are doing well.  The birds are enjoying the flowers and feeders and we had a deer jump over the fence into the front yard the other day, leaving a calling card – as if to say, can’t fence me out – even though there was nothing for him to eat inside the fence area.

2 Corinthians 1:4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

‘If you haven’t gone through it you cannot begin to understand,’ is a statement many of us have heard through the years.

There is some real truth in that statement.  If you haven’t lost a child, it is hard to understand the depths of the emotions the parents are going through – yes, you can comfort and pray with them, but there is something missing from your sympathies that only one who has gone through it can feel.

We watch war movies; it is said one of the most authentic is the opening scenes of “Saving Private Ryan.”  But it doesn’t begin to expose us to what these men, who faced death and watched their comrades mutilated and killed, went through.  Only someone who has gone through this can fully appreciate the depths of emotions these men have endured.

I was talking with a friend a while back who served in Vietnam.  He was commenting on how a particular police officer was dealing with the killing of a suspect – he couldn’t understand why the officer was so upset.  He had been forced to kill in Vietnam and, while it bothered him to a degree, he knew it might happen and he dealt with it.  “Why can’t the officer?”

I explained that I believe (and I was not in the military so I am only speaking from observation NOT experience) a military person, going into war, expects to kill; they may not like it, but they do so for self-preservation and preservation of their fellow soldiers.  Their mind set is that the enemy is in front of him, he wants to kill me and therefore I must kill him, first.

The training for a military person is different than the training for a Police Officer.  The focus of military training is to defeat the enemy.

The focus of a Police Officer is to preserve the peace and protect the innocent.  His training is on the laws of the land; the mediation of arguments; the proper methods of doing the technical aspects of the job and finally how to protect himself and others by the use of physical restraints, non-lethal devices and as a last resort the use of deadly force to keep someone from being seriously injured or killed.

The mind-set of a Police Officer is to help, to stand between the innocent and those that would do them harm.  It isn’t to attack but to defend.  The most aggressive teams in Law Enforcement are the Special Emergency Response Teams (SERT – and SWAT.)  They are called out in the most severe of incidents where someone’s life is at stake and to try and take police action requires additional firepower and training that most officers do not have.  EVEN then however, the department tries to end the situation with negotiation and non-lethal means, the SERT team insertion is a very last resort.

When a Police Officer does have to shoot and kill someone, it is hard to understand how that feels to the officer.  Some handle it okay; others all but – and in some cases – fall apart.  Every officer knows that he might have to use his weapon at some point in his career, but knowing that and the aftermath of doing that are two different things.

You have to have been there.

The officer is placed on administrative leave – both for the investigation of the shooting incident and to give time to the officer to deal with the shooting of a person.  Most departments require the officer to go to a professional counselor to discuss his feelings and so the department can understand where their officer is mentally – is he okay, does he need further counseling, or should we encourage him to resign?

In the last few decades we also understand that talking to someone that has been through a shooting where they were forced to take a life is beneficial to the officer.  Larger departments have more activity and therefor are exposed to these situations more often than smaller agencies.  These departments have set up counseling teams of officers that have gone through this – and they make them available to smaller agencies.

It is a traumatic incident for an officer, despite how some paint the police, and one the officer is rarely fully prepared for; he needs that support from others who have been there.

Support groups, such as Alcoholic Anonymous; AL anon for family members of alcoholics; Cancer survivor groups and the list can go on and on are successful for those going through their challenges because the others have been there – they have or are dealing with the physical, mental and emotional trauma that the person who has just begun needs, in order to help them overcome these same feelings.

Most talk of a “higher power” who will assist them in the process.  While I do appreciate these groups and what they do for people, emotionally, they cannot deal with the spirit of the person – unless they use the ONE and ONLY GOD and Christ the work cannot help them spiritually – it can patch them up, but only God can fully heal them.

The Christian who is going through circumstances that are gut-wrenching and heart breaking needs that same kind of support from fellow Christians.  AS Christians we have a means to show a level of love that they cannot get from the support groups – even if we haven’t endured the same horror.

We have a common bond, we are the children of God and His Holy Spirit lives within and guides us.

However, when we have gone through those situations, when we have had a similar experience we can help lead them to Christ’s healings quicker, because they know that they are not alone.  Another Christian has gone through this and by the grace of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit and they can too.

The context of the above quote is:

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

⁴ Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

⁵ For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

⁶ And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

⁷ And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

God understands our trials and tribulations far and away better than anyone else, including ourselves.  Even if we have not gone through the same misfortunes a brother has gone through, we share a mutual bond of love through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We would like to be free of any pain in this life – physical, mental or emotional – but because Adam sinned, that is not possible.  The next best thing we can do is understand that God loves us and has our best interests at heart – whatever we are going through will make us stronger and we will be more effective servants for Him.

We are left here on earth, after we have accepted Christ as our Savior, to help others find Him, find His salvation, His peace, His joy and a close relationship with Him. 

Christ came to earth, He walked down dusty roads; He preached in the temple; He was tempted by satan, yet did not sin; He was placed on trial and His disciples and friends held back; He was tortured and humiliated and He was placed on a cross to die.

He was a man who dealt with much the same things we deal with – He came to earth to show us how to live a righteous life in Him.  He has been here, He understands and that is why we can go to Him - confident that He truly understands our grief and despair.

We know that we are no better than Him.  We will have to endure pain, suffering and humiliation in this world – but as He overcame so shall we – and we can help others overcome through our testimony of His great love and care. 

We don’t have to have ‘been exactly there’ to help others come through their difficulties, we have Christ’s power within us to show them love, to give comfort and to help them overcome their trials by allowing the Holy Spirit to work within them.

John 16:32-33 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

³³ These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

As the Father was with Christ, so both are with us; when we go through trials AND when we help others who are going through trials.

Later, Art :-)

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

The final episode of ‘Alone,’ a show on the History channel that placed ten men on Vancouver Island with a minimal amount of gear and cameras to record their adventure.  But, they had no contact with each other.  Their lifeline was a satellite phone.

Some gave in almost immediately, but two held on for weeks, the second to the last giving up on the 55^th day.  The last man probably could have gone on for several more weeks, if not months.

The thing that hit them the hardest, even more than lack of food, fierce storms and other essentials was the isolation from society and their families in particular.

Some ‘psyched’ themselves out, dwelling so much on their predicament that they couldn’t focus on working within their environment.  They were all trained in survival techniques, but none of them had experienced the challenges of an environment that they were dropped into – being unprepared, mentally, some broke early – others took several weeks to finally give in and go home.

Because they were filming themselves, we could see the progression of their mental and physical state over time.  The longer they stayed the more weight they lost, the more important food became to them and the feeling of isolation became a physical burden to them.  It was reflected not only in their recorded thoughts, but also in the physical pain they were enduring.

It was an interesting program.  It makes those oh-dark-thirty moments we go through seem like nothing.  These men had no way to avert their thoughts.  They had nothing but survival to distract them.  They had to live and deal with those inner-most things that all of us try to hide and not deal with – they either overcame, or were overcome by those memories, it was a struggle with one’s self.

As the last one said, “It is just you, the Creator and the Creation.”

Psalm 107:8-9 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

⁹ For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

We all too often focus on our trials and forget all the things God has done for us.  We become distressed at our burdens and forget that it is carried by Jesus.

We boast of our abilities, forgetting they are gifts of God.  We look at our endeavors and pat ourselves on our back for our accomplishments, forgetting that they are gifts of God. 

We rejoice over our children and brag about their undertakings, forgetting that they, too, are gifted by God.

We fall into the well of self-pity asking ‘why me?’ instead of asking, ‘Lord how can you use this for our glory?’

We look at sunrises, sunsets, the beauty of the landscape and are in awe over their magnificence, forgetting to praise God who created it all.

A person comes to us in sorrow, and we forget that God is touching his heart and wants to reach out to Him.  Instead of praising God and guiding Him with scripture, allowing the Holy Spirit to comfort them, we give worldly advice and comments.

We have an obligation to God.  An obligation to Praise Him; to thank Him; and to share Him. 

Mathew 28:19-20 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.

Too often we read verses such as these and think it only applies to those that are in full-time ministry.  After all they have the training and the responsibility to tell others, teach others, baptize others; we aren’t in the ministry so it doesn’t relate to us.

But it does.  While we may seldom have the opportunity to baptize others we can – and many of us have – but we do have the opportunity AND the obligation to share our faith with others.  To teach and disciples others.

Being a Christian is a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week relationship with God.  We may need to be reminded from time to time – and the best time to have that conversation is the first thing in our day.  We may meditate at a different time, but just contacting Him, thanking Him for the gift of life and asking Him to guide our steps this day, is enough to help us realize we are His, not our own.

Colossians 4:6  Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

What a wonderful gift God has given to us, we need to share it with others allowing them, too, to experience the great comfort and love of God.

Later, Art :-)

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