“Happy Birthday, Dad!”

Each year, as July 3 rolls around, I find myself thinking of my Dad.  He was a hard working farmer, who also liked to fly, so aerial spraying was added to his summer duties.  Growing up on a farm was a great childhood, but unlike my siblings, I was not able to ride in the tractors and combines.  Multiple allergies and a battle with asthma kept me away.  I do remember riding along in the small space behind the pilot seat of the spray plane as we went back and forth over the fields.  Perhaps it was Dad’s way of compensating for the fact I couldn’t be a part of the farming action.

Today my devotions were from 2 Peter 1:16-21.  Peter is reminiscing about the time Jesus took him, as well as James and John, up on a mountain where they were eye witnesses of the majesty of their Messiah. Matthew also recorded this event (Matthew 17:1-13), and called it the “Transfiguration” of Jesus, as His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as light.  It was then they were joined by Moses and Elijah, prophets from many years past, and a bright cloud enveloped them.  A voice spoke from the cloud:

“This is My Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased.

Listen to Him.”

It was the voice of the Heavenly Father giving affirmation to His Son, Jesus, who had left heaven on an earthly assignment to save the people of the world.  Yes, Jesus was doing a good job, and even today things go best when we listen to Him.

Somehow, to me, it seemed fitting on my dad’s birthday to have a lesson about the relationship between a father and his child.  Dad wasn’t one to verbalize his love for me.  It simply wasn’t a part of his stoic German culture to do so.  And yet, his faithfulness to work hard and provide for our family assured me of his love.  

God called him home when He was 71, and I was only 30.  I was still very caught up in my own world of being a wife and mother of two young kids, as well as having a job outside the home at our local bank.  Now, looking back, there are so many things I would have liked to ask him.  I am thankful for pictures that give me a glimpse into his growing up years, his time in the army, and our life on the farm.  I realized too late the importance of communication between a parent and child, but look forward to eternity with him to fill in the blanks.

As I contemplate where life has brought me since my father’s death, I wonder, what would he say about me now, if he had the opportunity to do so?  Would he say, “This is my daughter, whom I love, with her I am well pleased.”?  Somehow, I would like to think so, and every time I hear an airplane flying overhead, it is as if he is stopping by to say, “Hello!”

The Heavenly Father told Peter to listen to Jesus.  Having spent time with Jesus, Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:19 to pay attention to the voices of the prophets, which were made more certain as Jesus fulfilled their words.  Through the years, these words made their way through history and impacted the life of my dad, so he, in turn, could impact mine.  For this I am thankful.  “Happy Birthday, Dad!”

Who Are You Seeking?

This evening at our church we had an interesting service led by our interim pastor, who just happens to be my brother-in-law.  He entitled our time together simply, "Seeking God".  Since this was a new type of service for all of us, I really didn't know what to expect.  Afterwards, the importance of the lessons we learned have been resonating in my heart, and this seemed like a good place to share them.

Living in a farming community, most of us can relate to the concept of "sowing" and "reaping".  You plant (sow) seeds into prepared ground, and after a few months you reap a harvest.  Our introduction to the seeking service was found in Hosea 10:12.

    Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love,

and break up your unplowed ground;

for it is time to seek the Lord, until He comes

and showers righteousness on you.

When is it time to seek the Lord?  I would say there is no set time to start, but in God's timetable "now" would fit any set of circumstances.  It was stressed we should not make it a matter of intellectual analysis, but rather a seeking that is both spirit and soul dominant.  This type of seeking will result in a deep and meaningful transformation of our lives.

The word "seek" can be found 244 times in the Bible.  We took time to look at 17 of these verses, with everyone being assigned a verse or set of verses to read.  I am not going to take the time to write out all of these verses, but hopefully you can find some time in your week to look them up.  Not all have the same perspective, so I will add a little something we learned after hearing each of them read.

• Matthew 6:33 - Seeking as a priority
• Hebrews 11:6 - Seeking is a requirement
• 1 Chronicles 16:11 - Seeking results in rejoicing
• Proverbs 8:17 - God loves a seeker
• Jeremiah 29:13 - Seek with all your heart
• Deuteronomy 4:29 - Seek with all your heart AND soul
• Matthew 7:7-8 - In the original Greek, "seek" in these verses is in the present progressive tense, which means it is not a one time thing, but rather a command to "seek and keep on seeking"
• Psalm 14:2 - God is looking for seekers
• Psalm 34:10 - A promise for those who seek
• Isaiah 55:6-7 - An invitation to seek
• Lamentations 3:25-26 - The Lord is good to those who seek Him, but it requires waiting quietly.
• Psalm 105:4 - Seek always
• Amos 5:4 - Seek and live!
• Zephaniah 2:3 - Seeking gives us protection
• Psalm 34:4 - Seeking delivers us from fear
• James 4:8 - Seeking involves drawing near to God
• 1 Chronicles 22:19 - Devote your heart and soul to seeking 

At one point, our interim pastor used the "glow in the dark" concept to help us understand the importance of seeking.  If you have an item that is said to "glow in the dark", you must first place it in a source of light before it will shine in the darkness.  Seeking God brings us close the One who is the ultimate light source.  After time spent with Him, we can venture into a dark world and have a "glow" about us people see and are attracted to. 

Between 2005 and 2013, my practice was to look back on my week and find a "God Lesson" from my everyday world as a bank teller.  Looking back, I question if I was seeking the lesson more than the "Lesson Giver".  After tonight, I have a broader perspective, and desire to seek more consistently, not just for lessons, but for the One who gives them.

The good thing is we don't have to go searching for God in the seeking process.  He is already here, every moment of every day, no matter where you are.  We simply need to awaken to the reality of His Presence.  

We ended our time together listening to a number of songs with a seeking theme.  Music has a way of touching our spirit through the soul, preparing us to enter into a seeking mode.  You can search for any of these songs on YouTube, and be blessed:

• The More I Seek You (Kari Jobe)
• Seek Ye First (Maranatha Music)
• You Are My All in All
• I Will Sing (Don Moen)
• O Lord, We Seek Your Face (Worship Central)

Should you be challenged to pursue a deeper time of seeking God, we will be gathering again next Sunday evening at 6pm.  Join us if you so wish.  You are always welcome at Crosby Assembly of God! 

The Question of the Day

How many times in the past week have you been asked, “Did you get your shot(s) yet?”  For me, it seems to be in the topic of discussion more times than not.  For those of you who have already decided and followed through with action, know that I respect your decision.  For many reasons, I am remaining on the “not yet” side of things.

Today I was given a video to watch from someone who is also cautiously waiting.  My intent to share the video was met with a notice it was against YouTube's terms of service.  At any rate, I have multiple allergies, compromised kidneys, and a liver that often needs help.  According to the doctor in the video, common adverse effects often attack both kidneys and liver.  

I have managed to survive a year without knowingly contracting the virus.  I try to do all I can to support the natural immune system God gave me.  I fully trust God has, according to Psalm 139:16 and Acts 17:26-27, a beginning and end date for my time here on earth.  Therefore, my answer to the question of the day is “No, I haven’t.  Please respect my choice.  Blessings to all on both sides of the fence!

[Since this post was written, my husband did contract COVID, and I lived in close proximity to him, caring for him for five days before he was eventually admitted to the hospital.  I was tested at that point and the results came back negative.  I experienced none of the symptoms he did, although the stress did put me into a bipolar depression, which lasted longer than normal.  My bipolar doctor suspected I perhaps did contract COVID, was asymptomatic, and it affected my bipolar.  The only way to know would be to check for antibodies, which I have not yet done.  Taking things one day at a time!] 

 

Lessons from the Past

Only two months left, and we will find ourselves at the end of 2020.  Looking back, there are many parts of the year 2020 we would have liked to skip over.  Instead of complaining, however, it is best to remember God has a purpose for everything He allows in our lives.  Perhaps there are even lessons learned throughout the challenging months of 2020 which will be of benefit for years to come.

This morning, as I was doing my Bible reading for the day, I found myself in 2 Chronicles, chapters 29-32.  According to one study Bible I have, this book was written between 425 and 400 BC.  That is a long time ago!  And still, as I read through the passages, I found lessons I could apply to my life today.

These chapters cover the life of a man named Hezekiah, who was 25 ears old when he became king of Israel.  At the beginning of his reign, he discovered the temple of the Lord was in need of repairing.  He called on the priests and Levites, and told them to get to work.  They proceeded to purify the temple following the word of the Lord.  Sacrifices and offerings were made, and according to verse 30 of chapter 29, "they sang praises with gladness, and bowed their heads and worshiped".

Following this, at King Hezekiah's command, couriers went throughout both Israel and Judah with a message asking the people to return to the Lord.  He told them not to be stiff-necked, to submit to the Lord, and to serve the Lord.  In the 12th verse of chapter 30, we are told the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind, following the word of the Lord.

Back in these times, there were feasts to celebrate, and rules about being ceremonially clean in order to participate.  Many who wanted to be a part of what was happening weren't considered "clean" or "purified", so King Hezekiah offered a prayer on their behalf:

"May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God--the Lord, the God of his fathers--even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary. -2 Chronicles 30:18b-19    

In the following verse, we are told the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.  Later, in chapter 31, we are told Hezekiah sought his God in everything he undertook, working wholeheartedly, and because of this, he prospered.

Looking back over the reading, I found several lessons we can apply during these challenging days of 2020:

        1.  Examine the condition of "the temple of the Lord".  Moving from Old Testament thinking to New Testament, we find in 1 Corinthians 3:16 we ourselves are God's temple, and God's Spirit lives in us.  So, how is the condition of your personal "temple"?  What does God see when He looks into your heart?

        2.  Singing praises with gladness, and bowing our heads in worship are important.

        3.  Those who set their heart on seeking God, no matter their current condition, will be pardoned and healed by God.

        4.  When we seek God in everything we undertake, then work wholeheartedly at it, God will reward us with prosperity.

So many are thinking the outcome of today's election will determine the state of our country going forward.  As it turns out, a change in the country starts with a change in each individual heart.  Are you ready to do your part?  Perhaps, hundreds of years from now, someone will look back on how we handled things in 2020 and learn a lesson or two.  My prayer is the lessons learned will be ones based on the truths in God's Word, and not the selfishness of mankind.  

Homecoming Week

The following blog entry was written a month ago, but was not posted.  Sharing now, and praying blessings over all your "homecoming memories". . .

We turned the calendar over to October this week.  With the new month, we have been seeing more and more fall colors, a brisk coolness is in the air, and, at the local school, it was Homecoming Week.  Thinking back to my own days of Homecoming back in the early 70's, lots of memories came to mind.  

There was always a contest between classes to come up with a float for the Homecoming Parade.  The students spent evenings at the Sports Arena stuffing napkins into chicken wire which had been formed into some type of football theme.  Queen candidates were selected from the Junior and Senior Class girls, and a campaign ensued with signs covering the walls of the school to entice votes. Typically, all the Senior football players where the King candidates.  A football game against a rival team would hopefully culminate in a win, followed by a bonfire to celebrate, and possibly a Homecoming dance.

Each day of the week was assigned a special "theme".  Usually one of the days was an "oldies day", which meant we were to be dressed like students of the 50's.  Fast forwarding to when my own kids were in high school, the "oldies day" meant digging out my box of "memory clothes" so my kids would have something to wear!  What precious memories!

Over the past 10-20 years, Homecoming had become rather ho-hum.  No longer were there parades, and the bonfires had long ago been deemed too dangerous.  Crowning of the King and Queen was always a big production after the football game, with the girls dolled up in fancy dresses, and the guys looking sharp in a shirt and tie.  This was fine, but gave them no time to "reign" as the events of the week were behind them.

Enter our new high school principal.  He brought with him some ideas. . .or perhaps better stated, he brought back some of the old ideas in a new way.  The King and Queen were crowned early in the week, giving them a full week of being royalty.  A group of students headed downtown to decorate the store windows.  

On Friday, a parade was held, featuring a color guard, law enforcement vehicles, the football players decked out in their maroon jerseys, and a float with the royal court.  Behind was the rest of the student body, minus those in the band, which was assembled in front of the courthouse to play the National Anthem (no knees were taken) and the School Song.  Several local businesses also provided floats, and smiles were plentiful as this "first time in many years" parade took place on a beautiful day of sunshine.

In the evening, the team came away with a 36-6 win at the football game, and a dance took place in the school parking lot.  It is safe to say the students filed away their own set of precious memories to look back on 40+ years from now!

It was also a different kind of Homecoming week.  Yesterday we laid to rest a man who, with his family, had been our nearest neighbors on the farm I lived on from ages 10-19.  He was the last of my dad's generation of farmers who kept the township acres producing crops year after year.  One by one, their farming was taken over, usually by a son, and some have even been handed down yet another generation.  Somehow it seemed fitting to have his funeral just prior to the Homecoming Parade, as I thought of the heavenly gathering of farmers who had welcomed him to his eternal home.

Finally, this afternoon, we received news of another death.  In my closest circle of friends from school days, there were six of us.  All but one of us have lost both parents, and the sixth only had her mother still living.  Today, she joined us in the "orphan club" as her mother had her heavenly homecoming early this morning.

Looking back, my eyes filled with tears as I processed the news.  This mother had been hostess to many a gathering of friends "back in the day", always with a kind and loving heart.  With a family of seven kids of her own, she never minded having the "extras" thrown in.  Blessed be her memory!

As I look at the events happening in our world, I can't help but wonder if the "Final Homecoming" trumpet will soon be blown.  Since none of us knows the day or hour, it is best to always be ready.  Are you?  If not, open your heart to receive the free gift of salvation God offers us through the death of His only Son on the cross, which was miraculously followed by an exciting Resurrection Sunday.  If you are among those who believe, don't sit idle.  According to 2 Peter 3:9, the Lord isn't willing that any should perish, and it's up to us, as His modern day disciples, to spread His Word in our hurting world.       

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!