Saturday, May 25, 1991

What a beautiful day! How do you describe one of the greatest days of your life?? So many friends and family members in attendance. I never stopped smiling! I know many brides cry on their wedding day - I'm just not one of them!! I had too much to be happy about to cry! I think I would have skipped down the aisle, but Dad held me back!!

Our parents were quite involved in the ceremony. Mom made the cake and Dad walked me down the aisle. Les' Mom played a piano solo and his Dad did a great job anchoring down the front row! We are both blessed to have parents that loved each other. Mom and Dad were married 40 years before she passed away, and Les' parents will be celebrating their 60th anniversary next year!

Our wedding party:
Matron of Honor - Kim Fultz, Best Man - Lance McElhaney
Bridesmaids - Yvonne Kimbley, Heather Kimbley, Darla Johnson, and Lisa McElhaney
Groomsmen - Rick Fultz, Jimmy McElhaney, Jonathan McElhaney, and Jeff Harpole
Flower Girls and Escort - Krysten and Lauren Ducusin and Ryan Fultz

A fine looking group, if I do say so myself!!

The ceremony was beautiful, with both of our Pastors officiating. Rod sang "Perfect Union" by Matthew Ward:

There's a love that lasts a lifetime
A love between a man and wife
A love so strong it goes beyond our reason
It flows from God above

And there are times in every union
When hard times and trouble fall
Tearing at the seams of love
Trying to deafen first love's call

A perfect union, formed within His hands
Hands that formed the earth, the sky and sea
Still joins hearts together
Joining them in three part harmony

There You are, You're the light in our darkness
In our troubled times when we can't find a way to carry on
Then You're there, You're the strength in our weakness
With Your loving arms to hold us close and light to lead us on...

Hand and hand we'll seek the Father
And the Father's precious Son
And the power of His Spirit
That will keep our hearts as one

And though the winds blow and the storms of life set in
there's a Captain Who can calm the raging wind
If we turn our eyes to Him
A miracle just waiting to begin

There You are, You're the light in our darkness
In our troubled times when we can't find a way to carry on
Then You're there, You're the strength in our weakness
With Your loving arms to hold us close and light to lead us on...
There You are

After 27 years, I can truly say that with God as part of our union, it's been a perfect union!

We had a unique bit of decorating. Since ours was a Spring wedding, we wanted an "outdoorsy" look. Les built swings and our bridesmaids sat on them during the ceremony.

Little did I know that Les had a surprise for me...

Before our wedding, we had chosen not to kiss. We had decided to control the physical temptations that come with engagement, so our first kiss would be in front of God and everybody!! Instead of the traditional "you may kiss the bride", Bro. Morton said, "Les, you may give your bride a kiss." What followed was a quick toss from Lance, and Les was on his knee holding up a giant Hershey kiss!!!


If you click on the picture above, you can see the laughter of the wedding party! The only people that knew that was coming, was Les, Lance, Dad, and Bro. Morton! We had a "real" kiss after that and were happily pronounced husband and wife! We walked out to "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and I think we look mighty happy!!

Our wedding was held at 11:00 a.m. because we had a flight to catch! We flew from Fresno to Los Angeles to Honolulu, arriving in Hawaii at 8:30 Saturday night! What a day!

Friday, May 24, 1991

The day had finally arrived. One more day and Les and I would say our vows and begin our life together.

My family was all local, while Les had family members flying in from all over! His dad and sister drove from Tennessee to California, stopping at the Grand Canyon and other sites along the way. His mom, brother, two cousins, one cousin-in-law, and one friend all flew in. My future mother-in-law had flown in on Thursday and drove up to Fresno on Friday with my future pastor's wife to prepare the rehearsal dinner.

The rest of the crew flew in on Friday. The only problem - it was the Friday before Memorial Day. That meant one thing - traffic, traffic, traffic!! The rehearsal dinner was suppose to start at 7:00, with rehearsal at 8:00. 7:15, no groom or his party... 7:25, no groom or his party...

I honestly wasn't worried about him not showing up! Of course way back then neither of us had cell phones, so communication was tough. I found out much later that Les had called to let me know they were stuck in traffic, he talked to Mom but she never even remembered!! The Mother of the Bride was very nervous since she was making our wedding cake and her baby was getting married and moving 200 miles away.

They finally did arrive, we ate our meal, had rehearsal, and were ready for the Big Day!

27 Years

This Friday, May 25th, Les and I will celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary.  We were both 27 on that great day.  Now I can say I've been married to my best friend for half my life!

Way back in 2009 I posted about our wedding rehearsal, wedding day, and honeymoon.  Les and I are currently on Oahu (where we spent the first part of our honeymoon) and on Friday we are going to Kauai (where we spent the second part of our honeymoon.)  I thought it would be fun to re-post some of those posts.   Look for them all this week.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms!

This is my twentieth Mother's Day without my Mom.  She was only four years older than my current age when she passed away.  So young!

I'm so thankful for memories!  I have so many wonderful ones.  Hug a mom today!  If yours is no longer alive, or you can't see her for some reason, find a mom who needs an extra hug.

Let's Make a Deal

I'm continuing my reading in Judges.  Yesterday morning I read chapters 10 and 11.  Chapter 11 contains a very disturbing story:

And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,
Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.

And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

I read many commentaries on this story.  They all agreed that this was a vow that Jephthah never should have made.  Since he only had one child, a daughter, the chances of it being either his wife or daughter who came out the door first were pretty high.  I don't know if he had servants, but he probably didn't have a pet dog!  Human sacrifice was never acceptable in God's eyes.

A few weeks ago I posted "Overtaken" and talked about all the promises God made about blessings.  These blessings don't come when we vow a vow.  They come because of obedience. "And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth."

I Samuel 15:22 says, "And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."   God isn't a vending machine ~ "If I put this much in, God will drop what I want out."  He's not a genie in a bottle.  God is sovereign.  He reigns.  We need to have faith, but we also need to trust the outcome to Him.

We like to quote Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."  But we sometimes forget about His purpose.  We must live according to His Word and trust that all things, all good things, all bad things, all hard things, all things will work together for good.  We might not see the good today, but the only deal we can make with God is to hearken diligently to His voice, observe and do His commandments.  He'll keep His end of the deal when we do our part!

Everybody Ought To Go Sunday School!

I am currently reading the book of Judges.  This morning I read part of Gideon's story.  As I read, pictures started going through my mind.  Gideon putting out a fleece...

Gideon and his army, drinking water...

Gideon's army and their trumpets...

These images were imprinted on my mind when I was a child.  My Sunday school teachers showed them to me.  We had coloring pages with similar images.

Some might think teaching these stories to children is a waste of time.  Children don't understand what God is doing.  I beg to differ!  No, children don't understand everything that is going on, but they do get introduced to a God Who can do anything!  He parts the Red Sea.  He heals lepers.  He leaves the ground dry and the fleece wet, then leaves the ground wet and the fleece dry.

Why does this matter to children?  Because someday those children are going to grow up.  They're going to need healing or deliverance and they will be able to pull from memory stories of a God Who did just that.

I am so thankful for the many Sunday school teachers I have had in my life.  My Mom was in the nursery when I was a baby, Sis. Taylor taught me when I three. Sis. Irene Wilkinson, Sis. Ruth Garrett, Sis. Jeanne Talsness, Sis. Kay Brimhall.  These ladies poured stories into me as a child. 

Because of Sunday school, youth leaders and ministers have taught and preached messages that made sense to me.  Preachers often say, "We all know the story..."  Sadly for many that is not the case.  Many weren't as privileged as I was.  I do know the stories and now I am able to apply the lessons to my own life.

Sunday school teachers of the world - Thank You!  Your tireless commitment IS worth it!  You may not see it in the eyes of a four year old, but this fifty four year old is eternally grateful.

We sang this song many times and I remember shouting "the girls!" as loud as I could!  It's still true, everybody ought to go to Sunday school!

HE>i

I started seeing the above logo on Oahu several years ago.  It seemed to be everywhere - hats, t-shirts, bumper stickers and bags.  I admit that it took me a while to figure it out.  In case you aren't sure, "HE>i (HE is greater than i) is a lifestyle company / clothing brand that is based off of the Bible verse John 3:30 - “HE (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease.”" (from https://hegreaterthani.com/)

My Bible reading this morning included that verse from John chapter 3.  It is words of John the Baptist to his followers.  His followers were concerned that people had started following Jesus instead of John.  John never had that concern.  It was quite the opposite, "this my joy therefore is fulfilled."

Along with today's reading in John were the final chapters of the book of Joshua.  Joshua's final words were a reminder of where God had brought the children of Israel from, the great victories He had brought, and a challenge "Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Our decision to serve the Lord really comes down to believing He>i.  I'm glad to have Someone greater than me.  I wouldn't want to live without knowing God is involved in my life.  It's humbling and amazing.  Psalm 8:3-4 says, "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"  Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."  The God of the universe stooped down, wrapped Himself in human flesh so that we might have life.  Not just life, but an abundant life.

Verse 1:
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed

Chorus:
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee
How great Thou art, How great Thou art
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

Verse 2:
And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Verse 3:
When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

The Rock Never Trembled

My devotional on Thursday morning included a short story about a ship that crashed against the rocks in England.  A fifteen year old sailor swam to safety on an offshore rock.  He climbed up and waited all night until he was rescued the next morning.  A reporter interviewed him and commented, "You must have been shaking all night as you clung to that rock."  "Yes," the young sailor replied, "I trembled all night with fear and cold, but the rock never trembled once."

I love the image that paints!  I've been thinking about it since Thursday.  There were a lot of ways I could have gone, but really, there's nothing that can be added.  It just simply is.  No matter the storms that come, the Rock never trembles. 

"The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."  (Psalm 18:2)

Repost: Overtaken

I am nearing the end of the book of Deuteronomy in my Bible reading for the year.  This week I read chapter 28.  This chapter contains a promise that Elder Morton spoke into my life 30 years ago.  I wrote about it in 2013, this is a repost with a few edits.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits
~ Psalm 103:2

I think the year was 1988 or so.  I was about 24 at the time, working as the school secretary at Truth Tabernacle Christian School.  I was doing my best to be faithful and leave my future in God's hands.  But sometimes I got discouraged.

One day I was walking from the school office to the church office.  Elder Morton stopped me and said he wanted to talk.  We slipped into the empty sanctuary.  There we sat and there he gave me a promise.  He told me he saw my faithfulness, he knew there were times I was hurting, but he spoke words to me that looking back now have been fulfilled over and over and over.

Elder Morton said, "Kathy, the blessings of God are going to overtake you."

I don't know what I have ever done to deserve the many blessings that have come my way.  Our current situation isn't the first time I have been overtaken by God's blessings...

In 1989, I met Les McElhaney.  He was THE ONE.  The one that God healed of Muscular Dystrophy when he was a little boy, then moved across the country as a college grad.  We married in 1991.  God's hand and blessing was upon both of us.
In 1996, I started working for Amgen, Inc.  The financial blessings of this job were tremendous.  A salary that was amazing, bonuses, stock options, a stock bonus.  I do not have a college degree.  This was truly the blessings of God.
In 2001, God opened the door for us to buy our current home.  The housing market was just starting to take off.  We sold our town home for a profit and bought our house at below market value.  Six months later we couldn't have afforded it.  God's timing on this blessing was perfect!
In 2003, Les got his first job as a Vice President.  This enabled me to quit my job at Amgen and be at home full time.  This was a long awaited blessing to both of us.
There are many, many more.  Daily blessings of health, food on the table, clothes to wear and vehicles to drive.  We've had some lean times in recent years.  Les has been through three job losses in three years.  Each of those times have been stressful, but we have had every need meet.

For five years now we have lived part time in Hawaii.  The one thing about this job that would have made it unacceptable was if Les and I could not be together.  We were not willing to live apart.  God has not only taken care of us, he's overtaken us with His blessings.

I don't want you to think I'm bragging.  I haven't done a thing to deserve this!  But God, He is so good.  Proverbs 10:22 says, "The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it."  I want you to know that tears fill my eyes when I think about that 24 year old who received a promise and how much I have been blessed by the God of heaven.

Deuteronomy 28:1-3 says:

1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

This chapter goes on to list many, many ways the blessings of God are promised.  But in verse 15, the tone changes:

15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
16 Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

This chapter has 68 verses -  14 are dedicated to blessings, while the other 54 focus on curses!  I had never realized that.  So while I am overwhelmed by blessings, I am equally thankful that I have not been overtaken by curses.  The curses of the unfaithful far outnumber the blessings of the faithful.

I don't know why there are those who live righteously and still have a life of pain.  I don't understand why Rod was born with hemophilia and was taken from us too soon.  I don't know why Mom was stricken with cancer when she was my age.  While I don't understand and I'm certainly undeserving, I never, ever, want to be unthankful!  So this post is simply to take the time to say, "Thank You, Lord."

Suppose Ye?

My Bible reading yesterday included Luke chapter 13.  As I began this post, I decided to check my blog for anything similar and found a post from March 24, 2010 with this same title, I'm re-posting it with a few additions.

1 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Suppose ye? Isn't that what we do so many times? We see someone going through a trial and suppose that it has been brought on because of some sin or other fault in their life. Job's friends were great supposers. Job called them "miserable comforters" as they spent many chapters accusing Job of sin, urging him to repent.

I wonder how often we SUPPOSE when we do not KNOW. Life is full of so many ups and downs. We don't live in the Garden of Eden, we live in a world full of sin. Bad things happen to good people. But with just a nod of the head or a lift of our eyebrow, we suppose, and place blame or pass judgment.

July 20, 2010 I posted "This is Good." Everything in my life hasn't been good, but God always works it for my good.  In that post I wrote about Les asking, "Do you ever question God about what you've been through with Rod and your Mom?" I thought about it, it's a hard question. I definitely miss Mom and Rod, many times I'll think "I wish Rod could see or hear this..." or "I wish I could talk to Mom about that..." but questioning God doesn't do me any good. I choose to trust and say "This is Good" even when it doesn't feel like it or I don't understand. Somehow, I have to trust that God has worked it for my good.

Our words during a trial can make all the difference. They can cause someone to give up completely or keep pressing on. Words spoken without knowledge can lead to irreparable damage. I've said it here many times but if you don't know what to say, the best words in the world are, "I'm praying for you."

The disciples questioned Jesus in John chapter 9:

1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

What if we turned it around and thought, "Wow, they're going through a trial. God must want to manifest Himself in them." How would that change our prayers and words? How would it change our attitude when the trial is our own? When a trial hits, we could examine ourselves, and if we don't have sins that need repenting of, we can say, "Lord, I'm waiting for Your glory to be made manifest." What a difference that would make!

Let's do less supposing and more encouraging!

My Tuesday Trail Run

Welcome to another edition of "We Fall Down..."  or maybe just "Kathy Falls Down!"

I was up early Tuesday morning for a trail run.  I ran 4 miles up the trail.  The last half mile is insanely steep - averaging over 10%.  I took a bunch of pictures before heading back down.

I was cautious that first half mile going down - it's super steep and I didn't want to lose my footing.  After that I picked up my pace and got into a nice groove.  Until about 1.5 miles to go...

I don't really know how it happened, but I twisted my right ankle and went flying!  It was a short flight and I landed with a thud.

It took me a few minutes to get back up.  My left hand was scraped up and so was my right knee.  I wasn't sure which side to try to get up from, but eventually I did.  I limped back to the car.  My right side took the brunt of the fall - mostly my ankle and shoulder.

It just so happened that yesterday was my annual physical.  My ankle was still tender and swollen.  My doctor said it is definitely a sprain and said it would be about six weeks before it is fully recovered.  (I've twisted my ankle numerous times in my life, but it has never been swollen like it is this time - three days later the swelling is going down but still obvious.)  I also received a tetanus shot in my right arm and a pneumonia shot in my left arm.  Just the walking wounded here!

On a positive note, my doctor ordered a bone density scan while I was in the office.  My results were outstanding!  He said I have the bones of a 25 year old.  So in spite of a few tumbles, all my running through the years is paying off with healthy bones!

I Might Need An Intervention

We have been in Hawaii for about 2 weeks and will be going home on Thursday.  These are the shoes I have here:

Eleven pairs of shoes for 18 days.  I guess it's a good thing I have little feet!

Anyone else ever need a shoe intervention??

Wordless Wednesday (As Seen on My Runs Lately)

Spring Forward!

This is the one Sunday I dread more than any each year!  Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. tomorrow.  This is the 100th anniversary of the tradition and I found some interesting tidbits:

In 1895, George Hudson, an entomologist from New Zealand, came up with the modern concept of daylight saving time. He proposed a two-hour time shift so he’d have more after-work hours of sunshine to go bug hunting in the summer.
 

In 1916, two years into World War I, the German government started brainstorming ways to save energy.  Soon, England and almost every other country that fought in World War I followed suit. So did the United States: On March 9, 1918, Congress enacted its first daylight saving law—and it was a two-fer: In addition to saving daylight, the Standard Time Act defined time zones in the U.S.

This article "Daylight saving time: Spring ahead? Not this year, not this guy," takes a funny look at the whole idea.  He says, "Daylight saving time might have made sense a century ago, when the nation was on a war footing. Back then, somebody in the government thought it would be an awfully good idea to give everybody jet leg … even though jets had not even been invented yet.  Farmers especially hate daylight saving time, because if you think jetlagged people are trouble, try milking a jetlagged cow."

Les and I face our own set of challenges since Hawaii does not spring forward.  This puts Hawaii three hours behind California for eight months of the years and only two hours behind for the other four months.

Do your Sunday School teacher a favor - be on time tomorrow!

Repost: Samson, Success or Failure?

I'm wrapping up "We Fall Down, We Get Up" for now...

I taught our youth Sunday school class about Samson a few months ago. I learned quite a few things as I prepared the lesson. Some of the commentaries I read made me question my opinion of Samson.

The story of Samson is found in Judges, chapters 13-16. I'll admit, I usually think of Samson as a failure. Although he did many great things, defeating the Philistines repeatedly, he certainly didn't live up to his potential and he loved Philistine women! I've wondered what they looked like compared the Jewish girls he knew. I think it was a lot like what happens in local church - the girls are godly and beautiful, but some boy thinks a worldly girl is much better.

We do not know how old Samson was when he began to judge Israel, but it was at the end of his 20 years of judging that he ran into the harlot of Gaza and Delilah. In other words, he was old enough to know better.

What made Samson so strong was the Spirit of the Lord. Several times the phrase "the Spirit of the Lord came upon him" is found. It is in each of those instances that Samson did a great thing.

So why, when Delilah asked "Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee" did Samson finally reply "There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man."
His strength came from God – his hair was an outward sign of the Spirit of God and his devotion to God. If he had told Delilah, "There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb, but my strength comes from God almighty and no man can take it away,” the Philistines could not have defeated him. As soon as Samson believed his strength came from his hair and not his God, it became true. Somewhere along the way Samson forgot where his strength came from.

But that is not the end of Samson. After the Philistines put his eyes out, he spent time grinding in the prison house. We don't know how long this went on, but Samson must have had plenty of time to think. Think about the prophecy before he was born. Think about the many victories. The Philistine women. His failures.

"Let's call for Samson to celebrate how our god, Dagon, delivered him into our hand!" What a mistake those Philistines made that day. Samson, broken and humbled, did what he should have done all along "And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life. " (Judges 16:28-30)

The final assessment of Samson's life is found in one of the greatest chapters in the Bible. Hebrews chapter 11, that great chapter of faith. After Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and others, we find verse 32: "And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:"

Samson, mentioned in the same sentence as David and Samuel. Samson, who got it right in the end, found the strength to get back up by calling on the Lord. Not such a failure after all.

Repost: Demas, Fellow Laborer, Departed

Continuing my theme of "We Fall Down, We Get Up..."

We know very little about Paul's fellow laborer, Demas. He is mentioned in only three verses:

Colossians 4:14 "Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you."

Philemon 1:24 "Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers."

2 Timothy 4:10 "For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia."

Can you imagine going on Paul's missionary journeys? Being a fellow laborer with Luke, the beloved physician. With Timothy, Titus and Mark?

So what happened to Demas?

"Having loved this present world," conjures up images of parties, drinking, women. Perhaps the pull of wealth was too strong. The Roman empire was going strong. Wealth and prestige were available for a price. Persecution of Christians was high.

Several commentaries said that Demas may have left because he didn't want to go to prison with Paul. He was concerned only for his health and safety. Did he get discouraged? Was the cross too heavy?

I don't know which is the correct interpretation, only that Demas forsook Paul. I feel sure he was prayed for and given the opportunity to stay if he would. But he departed.

I do know that many people leave the church "having loved this present world." They may say the pastor preaches it too hard, or people haven't treated them right, or no one appreciates them, or a multitude of other excuses. But the truth is they love the world more than they love the things of God. 1 John 2:15 says, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

I've known many young people, who have been raised by godly parents, who just want to "see what's out there." "I'll be back when I'm older." Sadly, some never make it back. They fall and don't rise again.

It's truly a sad statement "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed." I want my departure to be when the Lord calls me home! So I'll keeping getting up when I fall.

Repost: David, A Man After God's Own Heart

What a life that David lived. A shepherd boy. Giant killer. Man on the run from King Saul. The great Psalmist. Finally, King of Israel. He brought the Ark of God back to Israel, rejoicing every step of the way.

But David was not immune to sin and its pull. When he should have gone forth to battle with his army, David stayed in Jerusalem. 2 Samuel 11 records David's adultery, his effort to cover it up, and finally his hand in the murder of Uriah. What a spectacular fall. The final verse of that chapter says, "But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD."

The very next chapter brings the man of God to David. "Thou art the man," Nathan rebukes David.

2 Samuel 12:13 shows us exactly why David was a man after God's heart. When he was confronted with his sin, he didn't deny, he didn't point fingers at anyone else. David said, "I have sinned against the Lord."

A fallen man has a choice. He can stay down, denying he is even fallen, or he can confess. Because "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

One of David's most beautiful Psalms was written "To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bath-sheba."

Psalm 51

1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

David's affair with Bathsheba was not the end of his reign, the best timeline I could find has it right in the middle of his 40 year reign. But he repented, God forgave him, and David got back up again.

Repost: We Get Up

Part 2 from 2010...

Last week's "We Fall Down" post generated more comments than usual. And Bob Carlisle's song has been on continual play in my head. So I decided to spend some time on the second half of falling - Getting Up. I had worked on this post, but it was still a draft when we went to a Fellowship Meeting in Thousand Oaks on Saturday night. Elder Morton was the speaker and I wish y'all could have heard him! It was outstanding as usual, but it also went right along with this theme.

His text was I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." His title was "A Spirit of Repentance." The first step to getting back up is true repentance. Not crocodile tears, not being sorry because we were caught, but true repentance.

While he was preaching, Elder Morton said, "Calvary is enough! It doesn't matter what you've done! Calvary is enough! God doesn't want anyone to be lost."

I had those same thoughts last week. When we say, "I can't get back up," "I can't go on," or "I can't be forgiven." What we're really saying is, "The blood of Jesus isn't powerful enough for what I've done." We may not say it out loud, but that is what is being said. Because if we truly understood the power of the Cross, we would never doubt again. Yes, we will still fall, but we would grasp the nail-scarred hand that was reaching down to us and allow it to pull us back up again.

I remember praying with a young lady a few years ago. After praying for a while I told her, "You can make it. You can live for God." Her response haunts me still. I can still hear the anguish as she replied, "I hope so." She was so full of doubt, afraid of her own weak flesh.

I believe getting back up is a decision. It takes faith, but it can be done. The next time you're tempted to stay down, look yourself in the eye and say, "The blood of Jesus isn't powerful enough for what I've done." If you can say that, you can stay down. But if you want to get back up, shout it in the face of your despair, "The blood of Jesus IS powerful enough, no matter what I've done!"

HE is faithful and just. He WILL forgive us and cleanse us.

I'm not done with this topic, there are a few people in the Bible I hope to write about in the next few days. Some who fell and got back up. Others who stayed down.

Repost: We Fall Down

This week I decided to re-post a mini-series I wrote in 2010.  Look for more in the days ahead...

Last week Les uttered a prophetic statement. We had just finished a ride on Las Llayas. We had made great time going downhill. He said, "You know, one of these days one of us is going down on this."

Uh oh... Yeah, that was me yesterday. We had done our ride to the "Y" together. Les had continued on. I had turned around. Less than half a mile from the "Y" I hit a patch of sand, going faster than I should have been. You cannot brake in the sand. Before I knew what was happening, I was out of control, going faster, and heading for a tree! Before I hit the tree, I went up a small embankment that slowed me down.



Whew!

I stood there, checking my bike and my legs. Minor scratches on my legs, but no blood gushing anywhere. I was okay, just a bit shaken up.

Hmm... what to do now?

I knew it would be 30-40 minutes before Les was back to the "Y". So I got back on my bike, went down the two miles to the cattle crossing and turned around and went back up to the "Y".

I got back up.


Bro. Weeks preached an amazing message at our church Sunday night. His title - "What Nickname Would the Church Give You?" His text was Acts 4:36, "And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,"

If I asked you about Joses, you might have to think a while. But Barnabas (Joses' nickname) is known for many things in the New Testament church. He is the one who reached out to Saul after his conversion while others were afraid of him. He ministered in Antioch and later traveled on some of Paul's missionary journeys.

We are all known for something. In can be positive or negative. But we are known for it. Church gossip? Preserver of unity? Prayer Warrior or Tale Barer? Quitter or Fighter?

As I was thinking of my fall and Bro. Weeks' message, I thought of the song by Bob Carlisle, "We Fall Down."

We Fall Down

We fall down, we get up
We fall down, we get up
We fall down, we get up
And the saints are just the sinners
Who fall down and get up

It's not a matter of IF we will fall, but what we do WHEN we fall. Proverbs 24:26 says, "For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief."
Fall down, but don't stay there!

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Author unknown

I finished this post last night and scheduled it to post today. Then I received this quote in my daily email from Runner's World that I had to add:

"A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else." - Steve Prefontaine, American middle and long-distance runner

Valentine's Day Date ~ How We Roll

Les had to go to Texas last week for business.  This is the first time in our almost 27 years of marriage that we weren't together on Valentine's Day.  I had a sweet text really early that morning (he was two hours ahead) and he was home Thursday night.  Since he had yesterday off for President's Day we decided to celebrate then. I'm pretty sure this will not come as a surprise to many - our activity of choice was a bike ride!

Les loaded up the bikes and we drove to Ventura where we headed towards Santa Barbara.  It was cool with a very strong headwind.  It was a really tough slog, but I kept telling myself, "It's going to be fun on the way back."  After about 9 1/2 miles of straight into the wind, I was ready to turn around.  We stopped for a few pictures.  The ocean was really choppy!

We also saw lots of burned areas from last December's Thomas Fire.

Heading back to the car we had a fun tailwind and averaged about 17 mph (compared to about 9.5 mph on the way out.)  Total distance - 19.3 miles, number of laughs - too many to count!

Friday Foodie

This was a week for good eats around here.  I cooked the best spaghetti and meatballs I have ever made!  Everything was from scratch but so worth it.  I tweaked a couple of recipes to get what I wanted.  The meatballs were originally posted here and the marinara sauce was originally posted here.

Marinara Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, juice included
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 cup homemade or low-sodium canned chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
4 - 5 tablespoons tomato paste, for thickening
few parsley leaves

Pour olive oil in large saucepan and sauté onions and garlic about 5 minutes, until lightly golden.
Add diced tomatoes to onion/garlic mixture. Over medium heat begin to simmer sauce. Add the sugar, dried basil leaves, chicken broth, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Continue to simmer 5 to 6 minutes.
Add the tomato sauce, paste, and a few parsley leaves. With the lid on, turn the heat to low and simmer about 15 minutes.  While the sauce was simmering, I prepared the meatballs.

Italian Meatballs

1 pound lean ground beef
2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ cup plain bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 eggs
3 tablespoons fresh curly parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients together in large bowl, form 2-inch round balls. Brown lightly in olive oil in skillet and add to sauce.

Because I wanted all the flavors to really blend, I made the sauce and meatballs in the morning and put everything in the Crock-Pot.  The delicious smells had us counting the hours until dinner time!

I wanted to take this meal completely over the top, so I also made Homemade Pasta:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Water
1 Egg
3/4 cups Semolina Pasta Flour
1 tsp salt

1.  Combine semolina and salt, add beaten eggs, water and oil. Mix to make a stiff dough.
2.  Knead 10 minutes or until dough is elastic. Wrap dough in towel or place in plastic bag and let rest for 20 minutes.
3.   Pass the dough through the flat rollers of the pasta machine until you reach 5 on the regulating knob.  The dough should be flexible, not stiff.

4.  Place the Fettuccine attachment on the pasta machine.  Roll pasta through, cutting strips.
5. Boil pasta in an 4-quart pot of boiling water with 1/2 tablespoon of salt added.6.  Drain pasta and top with sauce and meatballs.  Enjoy!!

We have eaten this twice so far and plan on having it again tonight, so there are at least six servings in the sauce (possibly 8.)  I made fresh pasta for our second meal and we have enough left over for tonight.  If you want to make this for a family or large group, double or triple the pasta recipe.  I've said it before, but nothing compares to fresh pasta!

The Alabaster Box

My Bible reading today included the verses in Matthew chapter 26 that talk about the woman with the alabaster box.  When I studied Women in the Bible in 2015 I was surprised to learn that there were two women who anointed Jesus with oil from an alabaster box.  I posted my original thoughts here.

I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about and studying this subject since then.  Last year I taught a lesson to the ladies at New Life Pentecostal in Honolulu about this.  I wanted to share those thoughts here today.

These accounts are recorded in Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 7 and John 12.  The story in Luke is quite different from the accounts found in Matthew, Mark, and John. Only in Luke chapter 7 is the woman called a sinner. Her sins, according to Jesus, were many. There are interesting differences and similarities to these stories:

In both cases, Jesus is in the home of one named Simon. In Luke he is called a Pharisee. In Matthew and Mark, he is called "Simon the leper." Simon was a common name - there was Simon Peter, Simon the Cyrenian who carried Jesus' cross, and Judas Iscariot was the son of Simon - so it wouldn't be strange that Jesus visited the homes of two men with that same name.

In Matthew, Mark and John this takes place in Bethany, the city of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. In Luke they are in Nain, which was approximately 60 miles from Bethany.

There are other similarities in the stories as well. In both cases there were those who criticized. “Why was this waste made?” In Luke it was said “This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. “

The beauty in both cases is what Jesus did. Jesus accepted the sacrifice! The sacrifice from the heart of a worshiper. Jesus never rebuked the woman who was a sinner but told the parable of the two debtors, concluding with "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.“ He said “Thy sins are forgiven.” He never spoke to the woman in the other accounts but said to those who criticized, “I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.”

Only in John is the woman called Mary. I believe the woman in Matthew, Mark and John was Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus.  Jesus had been in their home, she sat at His feet and He raised her brother from the dead. The woman in Luke was only known as a woman of the city who was a sinner. This may have been her very first encounter with the Master.

I think this makes the example of the alabaster ointment even more powerful. We all have an alabaster box. It’s our worship, our time, our talent, our finances. We’ve seen a brand new soul walk into a service and be deeply touched as they are in the presence of the Lord for the very first time. And we've watched “seasoned” saints worship beside them.

Just like what happened to those women, there will be those who will criticize and say, “What a waste! Why are you wasting so much time at the church?” Or there will be others who will look at your past and tell you that you aren’t worthy to touch Him.

No matter where we are in our spiritual journey, we always have an alabaster box to pour at His feet. And Jesus will always respond. He will grant forgiveness and healing. He won’t turn away from our worship.  May we have a fresh touch of the wonder of being in His presence. May we kneel at His feet again and pour out our thanks and praise from a thankful heart.