Debate or Debacle?

How many of you watched last night's Presidential debate between Donald J. Trump and Joe Biden?  My husband and I took most of it in, and when asked to evaluate who "won the debate", my reply had to be "no one".  Neither candidate won, nor did the American people.  It was embarrassing for me to think about people around the world watching, as the impression both men left was not one of civility.

As a member of an organization called the "Presidential Prayer Team", we were asked to pray for three things prior to the debate:

                1.  For God to be glorified through the debate

                2.  For the truth of God to be made known and for His will to be accomplished

                3.  For civility, honesty, and fairness to prevail over division, spin, and bias

It appears to me too many of us were watching last night, and too few were praying, as I can't say #1 and #3 were accomplished.  As for #2, all I can say is God's ways are much higher than my ways (Isaiah 55:8-9) and whether His will was accomplished is beyond my evaluation.  The enemy, I'm sure was pleased with all the "acts of the sinful nature" displayed.  Taking from the list in Galatians 5:19-21, a few I can pick out are hatred, discord, fits of rage, selfish ambition, and dissensions.  

It is my continued prayer during this election cycle to ask God to reveal evil and untruths, while at the same time shining forth His truth to the people, so an informed decision can be made when voting.  It is hard to sort out information these days, with so many "back and forth" jabs from supporters on both sides of the fence, and access to far too much information, which may or may not be true.

Sadly, the battling over politics has caused conflicts between friends, and even family members.  I have had some difficult conversations with a couple of people, but am thankful it has not thus far affected our love for each other and friendship.  Perhaps it is best if we avoid political discussions, and keep to sharing fun updates on our families and encouraging posts which point people to God as we navigate our social media platforms.  It is He, after all, who sits on the eternal throne, and will be the one still in charge come election day!  

Meanwhile, let's all turn our focus to the other list in Galatians 5. . .the fruit of the Spirit.  Show some love and joy, be at peace, be patient with others, share kindness and goodness to those in your sphere of influence, be faithful and gentle, and [the hardest one!] exercise some self-control.  

Peace and blessings to all. . .regardless of who you support in this election cycle! 

Prayer March 2020

Today an estimated 50,000 people showed up in Washington, DC for one reason. . .they came to pray.  The event, known as "Prayer March 2020", was an idea God planted on the heart of Franklin Graham, son of the late, great evangelist, Billy Graham. 

As I watched the live stream of the event, I found myself praying along with them, even though I was many miles away.  The good thing is God's throne room is never far away, and prayer unites us no matter the distance.

After the event had concluded, I decided to do my own Prayer March 2020 around my hometown of Crosby, ND.  I made a special point to pray outside of the three churches, our City Hall & Fire Station, and the County Courthouse which overlooks Main Street. I prayed for all of our businesses, both schools, our local clinic and hospital and the facilities which serve the seniors of our community.  I prayed for people by name, if I knew them, in the houses I walked by.  I prayed for people I didn't know.  Although I didn't walk all the streets, I covered all areas with prayer.  I prayed not only for all currently living in Crosby, but also for the many who grew up here and moved on to other places. 

Do I tell you this to brag?  No.  I share with a humble heart, because I want to challenge you to do the same for your community.  Prayer moves the hand of God.  His hand is one desiring to heal our nation, but first there are things we must do, according to this verse often quoted these days:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways;  then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins, and will heal their land. ~2 Chronicles 7:14

When you identify yourself, is being a Christian part of who you are?  If so, this verse is a challenge for you.  Humble your attitude, pray, seek more of God, and spend time in His Word so you know which of your ways are wicked in His sight.  Then, look forward, as I do, to the day God's healing will come!

In the News!

It seems these days all the news focuses on is one of three things:  coronavirus, riots, or politics.  It gets old and is very wearisome to watch.  In fact, it is a good idea to make it a practice to limit the amount you take in if you want to avoid a headache and high blood pressure.

Today, however, we found good reason to watch the NBC Nightly News, and it all started with a Facebook post written by my brother-in-law, Don Anderson.  In our community, he is known as the man behind the camera.  You see him at all the sporting events, community functions, and area happenings, as he captures memories for others to enjoy.  He also has a real “way with words” and has quite a following of friends on his Facebook page.  Along with the “locals”, he also has a following of people who no longer live in our community, but still have a fond connection to it, and enjoy seeing what has been happening.

What happened earlier this month involved a local farmer who was harvesting his crop when a fire started in the combine.  In his efforts to get the fire out, he suffered a heart attack, but thankfully those who came to help with the fire were able to get him to the local hospital, where he was airlifted to a larger hospital, where he remains as he recovers.

In true North Dakota form, friends of the family wasted no time in organizing a “harvest bee” to help finish the combining.  Neighbors showed up with 11 combines, along with trucks and grain carts to finish the 1,000 acres left in 7 hours.  Others brought food and fed the crowd, while Don was there to capture it all.

One of the advantages of social media is how quickly a story can spread when there is an interesting post.  This one definitely passed the test, as in one day it had over 5,000 “likes” and 3,000 shares.  It wasn’t long before he was hearing from the Washington Post, CNN, Fox News, and other media outlets.

Today we were blessed to see the story featured on the NBC Nightly News.  Needless to say, we are proud of the way it came into the spotlight, but really, isn’t this how things should be?  When you see a need, you help.  Our community has proved this over and over again.  And if you need evidence, check out Don Anderson’s Facebook page.  It’s all there, preserved through his wonderful pictures and creative writing!  “Thanks, Don!  We appreciate you so much!”

To see the NBC News coverage, follow this link:

NBC News Feature

Where My Help Comes From

A few days ago I found a “new to me” song while listening to some YouTube videos.  Laura Story is one of my favorite Christian artists, and this particular song was actually on a Christmas album she put out in 2015, one I was unaware of.  Hearing the words of the song brought me back in time to when my oldest grandson was two and a half years old.

He, his mom, and his baby brother were headed down the road in their van when they were rear ended. It was quite a jolt, and a rather scary incident when you are two.  As a side note, this was when my grandson acquired his “imaginary friend” a/k/a guardian angel, who comforted him until his daddy came.  This all came out over time when his parents talked him through the events of the day. [Truth be told, I have even played “Hide and Seek” with this imaginary friend. . .his name is Dack!]

Back to being two and scared after a car accident, my grandson found it hard to get to sleep in the days following, and his wise parents came up with a plan.  Each night, they would read Psalm 121 to him:

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? 

2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. 

3 

He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; 

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 

5 The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 

6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; 

8 the LORD will watch over 

your coming and going both now and forevermore.

As it turned out, it wasn't long before he caught on to the words, and was quoting it as they read.  From there he progressed to reciting the verse for proud grandparents!  The sweetest memory of this time took place at his great grandparent's house.  They had one of those "Bread of Life" Scripture verse holders with verses on little cards.  

Our "smart as a whip" little boy would pull out a card and pretend to read as he recited each verse.  It was adorable!

As for the song that brought on the memory, the title is "I Lift My Eyes", and it is based on the words of the 121st Psalm.  If you are like me, it will give you a sense of peace, much as hearing this Psalm read comforted my grandson.  You can listen to Laura sing it at this link:

Laura Story - "I Lift My Eyes"

The "Whatsoever Things"

Back when our daughter was young, our church had a program for girls called, "Missionettes". There were various names for the different age groups, and each had a motto and Scripture verse. For grades 3 through 5, the group was called, "Stars", and each time we had a special event the girls would quote Philippians 4:8 as their verse:

 "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,       whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, 

whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report;

 if there be any praise, think on these things."

 ~Philippians 4:8, KJV

It was always impressive to hear these young girls rattle off the verse with little or no effort.  When I would attempt to quote the verse, I struggled to, first of all, remember all the "things", and then secondly, get them listed in the right order.

With so much focus given to COVID-19 and politics these days, I find it refreshing to revisit this verse, and challenge myself to change my focus. At the top of the list is "whatsoever things are TRUE".  For me, there is an absolute truth, and it is found within the pages of the Bible.  To others, however, truth is a bit more "relative", meaning what is true for me may not necessarily be true for you.  It seems to me, establishing an absolute truth also helps sort out the rest of the items on the "whatsoever things" list.

When it comes to being honest, things work out best when your honesty is aligned with the steadfast rules outlined in the Bible.  The same goes for those things which are labeled as just, pure, lovely, and of good report.  Unfortunately, we are living in a day and age where right and wrong are often confused for one another, and one could easily be told "their version" of the truth is wrong.   

Students of the Bible should not be surprised at this.  In Isaiah 5, this type of confusion is listed among the "Woes and Judgments" declared by the Lord Almighty.

        "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who put darkness

             for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter."

                                                                        ~Isaiah 5:20

In Paul's second letter to Timothy, he warned there would be coming a time when people would not endure sound teaching, but "having itching ears" they would accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.  If this was true back then, think of how much more expanded these false teachings have become throughout the centuries.  Once again, without a basis of "absolute truth" found in the pages of the Bible, everyone's perspective of truth becomes skewed.

For a good lesson on suppressed truth in God's eyes, get out your Bible and take a few minutes to read Romans 1:18-32.  You will find there were those who, although they knew God, neither glorified Him as God, nor gave thanks to Him.  This darkened their hearts, and turned them into fools, though in their own minds they saw themselves as wise.  Verse 25 tells us they "exchanged the truth of God for a lie", which brought forth a long list of unnatural and depraved actions, ones which you can find outlined in verses 26 to 31.  It's sad to see all of these actions being played out before our eyes in our modern day culture.  

Wouldn't it be nice if the truth of God could regain it's lost ground?  As my friend, Louise, and I used to say, "I can't change the world, but I can change me!" Take time in the days ahead to examine your idea of what is true, and line it up with God's Word.  Does it stand the test?  Or does some of it fall into the category of where His truth was exchanged for a lie?

It may require some focused reading of God's Word, and some time spent humbly in God's presence to change your viewpoint, but, once established, it will help you look at the world through a new lens.  Those true, honest, just, pure, and lovely things will take on new meaning in your life, and it will be easier to seek out the things of good report. When you do, chances are you will also find many reasons to praise God, even in the midst of a very mixed up world.  

  

 

Signs Along the Way

It was shortly after 8:30 this evening when I decided to take a walk.  Our daughter and four grandkids had been here for one last swim in our community’s new pool, so the afternoon and early evening were filled with the blessings of being a mom and grandma.  It was already beginning to get dusky, a sure sign we had moved from the summer season into fall.  Although the calendar doesn’t officially designate fall for another couple of weeks, the signs are definitely upon us.

My walk took me first past the church in our Pioneer Village.  The glow of the setting sun behind the steeple made for a picturesque scene.

Following one of my favorite routes, I headed north and then back east so I could walk the “curvy street” which can be reached by walking past our family owned gas station.  [They still pump your gas for you, AND wash your windshield!😃]  It was here I saw something in the shadow of the trees on the street. . .a heart shape!  Can you find it?

The heart seemed like a little love note from Jesus, and I believe, through the working of the Holy Spirit, He brought to mind a song I hadn’t heard for years.  It was one my father-in-law used to sing, accompanied by his wife.  The words to the chorus began, “Standing somewhere in the shadows you’ll find Jesus. . .”  What an encouragement to be reminded He is always near!

Once around the curvy part of the street, I again headed north, then back west toward the Courthouse.  Prior to getting there, however, you pass Concordia Lutheran, which is the church at the root of my faith story.  It, too, had a shadowy look about it, as did the Courthouse beyond.

From the Courthouse I headed south on Main Street back towards our home, which brought into view our local theatre.  As I saw the word “DAKOTA” on the side of the marquee, followed by a row of flags, it was a poignant reminder of the need to cover both our state and nation in prayer.

Another block further, I found myself at the four way stop, and the signs also prompted messages in my brain.  Not only should we STOP our lives of sin, but also remember there should be NO U TURNing back once we’ve given our life to God!

Closer to home I had to cross the railroad tracks, and the big crossing X reminded me we truly are at a “crossroad” in history.  It is a time we each need to YIELD” to a Higher Power than anyone currently on the political scene to bring us out of the mess our nation is in.

Vote for the candidate of your choice, but do so prayerfully.  Regardless of who ends up in the White House, it will ultimately be Jesus who steps in with the answers.  Remember to remain humble, and in tune with the Spirit.  Jesus just might ask you to be a part of His “hands and feet” to change the world!