The Northridge Earthquake ~ 30 Years Ago

I didn't mean to disappear for almost two weeks!  I got really sick last week.  I saw an article yesterday about the 30th anniversary of the Northridge Earthquake.  That is still the biggest earthquake I've ever felt.  I wrote about it in 2010 after the massive Haiti earthquake and thought I'd re-post it here today: 

With a jolt we were awakened that morning. Sleeping on the third level of our townhouse it seemed someone had taken our little place and was violently shaking it. An earthquake with a 6.7 magnitude struck the Southland at 4:31 that Monday morning. Along with the shaking there was the noise - dishes falling out of cupboards, pictures falling off walls, drawers flying out of dressers, the crack of our kitchen window as it broke from the force.


It was still dark when we hurriedly dressed and made our way outside looking for safety. The normal LA sky glow was gone. Power was out and the freeway was empty. The same freeway that would be closed for more than a month due to extensive damage.


We spent the day in numbness. Shock kept the tears at bay as we viewed cracks in nearly every wall. Power and water were both off. We purchased plywood to cover our kitchen window and began the process of sweeping up glass and figuring out what was salvageable.


As night fell, we were unsure of the stability of our home and chose to move our van to the street and sleep there. Still no electricity. It would be many weeks before I slept peacefully as aftershocks were a constant reminder. One large crack in our bedroom seemed to haunt me.


I remember later that day standing on the sidewalk talking to Les' boss.  His dog started getting very agitated just before we experienced a large aftershock.  It was so big, our car BOUNCED in the street!  

 

My Bible reading today included Proverbs chapter 18.  I'm very thankful for verse 10, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe."

I Remember

 

Today is the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America.  "We will never forget" was the constant refrain.  A generation has been born since that day.  They have nothing to remember, only stories told them.  

 

 

I've written about 9/11 many times.  On the 10th anniversary I wrote this: "It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since the terrorist attacks. Growing up, I remember hearing people say, "I remember exactly where I was when I heard that JFK was shot" and I didn't understand. Unfortunately, now I do. The flood of emotions will not be forgotten."

 

 

I was working at Amgen at the time and was on my way to work when I first heard the news. Both Towers had been hit, along with the Pentagon. What in the world was going on? What an eerie feeling, so sobering and frightening. I looked into the shocked faces of my co-workers and knew that's what I looked like as well. I don't remember getting any work done that day. Just staring at the images on my computer, reading over and over reports of the attacks.

 

 

We in California were blessed that none of the attacks occurred in our state, but the impact was still felt. As the day progressed, word spread that an Amgen Clinical Development team had been in Washington, D.C. The team was there for meetings with the FDA regarding approval for a new drug. Later in the day, team members checked in, reporting they were okay, but stranded in D.C. for the time being. They had been scheduled for a Tuesday afternoon flight. Then we got word that Dora Menchaca, the team leader, had changed her flight to Tuesday morning. She was on American flight 77 that flew into the Pentagon.

 

 

I remember the first time we flew after 9/11. We flew from the Burbank airport and I was a nervous wreck. The sight of guardsmen did not give me comfort, it just reminded me of all that was lost on the day.

 

While I remember, I also know where my hope is found.  Governments and armies can't give me hope or peace, but there is a Rock that I can stand on.  Psalm 18:2 says, "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."

 

My Hope is Built on Nothing Less
by Edward Mote, 1797-1874

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

Belfast Taxi Tour (Day 9, Part 3 of 5)

 

As I already mentioned, we added on a taxi tour of Belfast.  I believe about half the people on our bus chose to do this, while the rest spent a couple of hours roaming around Belfast.  This ended up being about six taxis with six passengers in each taxi.  These taxis were driven by both Protestants and Catholics and they took us to both sides of the Belfast "Peace Lines" or "Peace Walls."  This is our taxi driver, Jim, a Protestant.  He gave us the history lesson for the first half of the tour.

 

Here are some definitions that I think might be helpful:

 

Loyalists or unionists were those who were loyal to the United Kingdom, predominantly Protestant,  and wanted Northern Ireland to remain within the United Kingdom.  The main participants in the Troubles were loyalist paramilitaries such as the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Ulster Defense Association (UDA); British state security forces such as the British Army and RUC; and political activists. Loyalists are typically pro-Israel.

 

Nationalists or republicans were those who were mostly Irish Catholics and wanted Northern Ireland to leave the United Kingdom and join a united Ireland.  The main participants in the Troubles were republican paramilitaries such as the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA).   Nationalists are typically pro-Hamas.  I remember hearing about violence and the IRA, but the more I read, the more I understood that violence occurred from both sides.

 

Our first stop was the Shankill Road Mural.  During the Troubles, Shankill Road was a center of loyalist activity. The modern Ulster Volunteer Force had its beginnings on the Shankill and its first attack occurred on the road on May 7, 1966 when a group of UVF men led by Gusty Spence petrol bombed a Catholic-owned pub. Fire also engulfed the house next door, killing seventy-seven-year-old Protestant widow, Matilda Gould, who lived there

 

This is the Women's Quilt, created by the Lower Shankill Women's Group. 

 

The artwork replaced these two pieces - a contentious paramilitary mural and a depiction of the burning of Protestant homes at the beginning of the Troubles.

This is a new memorial, dedicated in 2021 on the 50th anniversary of the Balmoral Furniture Company bombing.  Four people, including two infants, were killed in the blast that went off without warning on the Shankill Road on December 11, 1971.  It is widely believed that the bombing was carried out by members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) in retaliation for the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) bombing of McGurk's Bar a week earlier, which killed 15 Catholic civilians.

 

Our taxi driver, Jim, had an extensive list of books and films about The Troubles.  He said at one point, "An acceptable level of violence is not peace."  This phrase is from a December 15, 1971 news conference.  British Home Secretary Reginald Maudling commented on the escalation of violence as the Northern Ireland conflict was beginning. Maudling said, "I don't think one can speak of defeating the IRA (Provisional Irish Republican Army), of eliminating them completely, but it is the design of the security forces to reduce their level of violence to something like an acceptable level."

 

 

 

At the top of this list you will see "The Shankill Butchers."  This was a Loyalist gang that was active from 1975 to 1982.  The gang was notorious for kidnapping, torturing and murdering random or suspected Catholic civilians; each was beaten ferociously and had their throat hacked with a butcher's knife. Some were also tortured and attacked with a hatchet. The gang also killed six Ulster Protestants over personal disputes, and two other Protestants mistaken for Catholics.

Our next stop was one of the peace walls on Cupar Way.  Due to the violence of August 1969, the British Army built a Peace Wall along Cupar Way to separate the Shankill and Falls roads, thus keeping the two communities apart. More than 50 years later, the wall is still in place.

 

Although temporary peace walls were built in Belfast in the 1920s and 1930s, the first peace lines of "the Troubles" era were built in 1969, following the outbreak of civil unrest and the 1969 Northern Ireland riots. They were initially built as temporary structures, but due to their effective nature they have become wider, longer, more numerous and more permanent.

 

The wall at Cupar Way, between the Falls and Shankill, stands 45-feet tall, three times higher than the Berlin Wall, and in place for twice as long.  We were encouraged to sign the wall:

We got back in our taxis and it was time to see the other side.

The peace lines range in length from a few hundred meters (yards) to over 5 kilometers (3 mi). They may be made of iron, brick, steel or a combination of the three and are up to 8 meters (25 feet) high. Some have gates in them (sometimes staffed by police) that allow passage during daylight but are closed at night. 

 

 

It was now time for one of the other taxi driver's to speak.  He is a Catholic and his view point is different.  It seemed like there was one thing that both men had in common - hurt.  Hurt for friends and family members.  Hurt over losses and violence they have seen in their lifetimes.  They were never antagonistic towards each other.

Murals on the Falls Road side:

This was a very sobering portion of our trip.  More than a month later I'm still trying to wrap my mind around these events that occurred in my lifetime.

The Peace of God

I'm continuing my look back at the changes that occurred in our life ten years ago this month...

 

I don't have much to add to this post.  I'll just call it my Paul Harvey post, "and now you know the rest of the story..."

 

My post yesterday was really the end of a chapter.  Today, I'll tell you about the chapters we have lived since September.  In September we had our annual Youth Alive services.  That Friday night the choir sang "Cover Me" by Mark Condon:

Peace of God, cover me
Cover me, cover me
Peace of God, cover me
Through the storm, cover me.

Only in You I am safe
Only in You I'm secure
Only in You I find peace
So cover me, cover me 

Cover me when I am hurting
Cover me when I'm not strong
Cover me when I am going through the storm
Cover me when it all seems hopeless
Cover me when my faith is gone
Let the peace that passes all I understand

As I stood on the platform singing, I thought of friends who were hurting.  I sang for them.  But sometime in that song I felt like I was singing for me.  I didn't know it that night, but my life was getting ready to be stormy and I would need peace like never before.  I haven't blogged about every part of the storm we went through, but here it is...

Peace of God, cover me

Cover me, cover me

On the following Saturday, September 15th, Dad was hospitalized in Fresno, then transferred to San Francisco.  This started a very long journey that we are still on today.  Dad spent 7 1/2 weeks in San Francisco (hospitals and rehab center) before returning to Fresno.  He was back in San Francisco in December for surgery and is now back in Fresno.  (I'll just add here that my Dad passed away on March 5, 2013.  We were home from our second trip to Hawaii and I was able to spend several days with him.  I still miss him very much!)

Peace of God, cover me

Through the storm, cover me.

On the weekend of October 7-8, Les and I traveled to Fresno.  That Saturday Kim and I drove to San Francisco to visit Dad.  On Sunday morning, Les and I went to church in Truth Tabernacle.  We drove home that afternoon with plenty of time to make it to church that evening.  When we got home, we discovered that our house had been broken into.  Nothing was taken, the police said they were looking for cash and jewelry.  But it was a horrible feeling!

Only in You I am safe

Only in You I'm secure

Only in You I find peace

On October 22nd, Les was laid off his job.  In today's economy, we knew it might be a while before he found something else.  That ended up being three months.  But during that time, everyone of our needs were met.  We paid our bills, we had food on the table.  We were covered.

Cover me when I am hurting

Cover me when I'm not strong

Cover me when I am going through the storm

The same week that Les was laid off, Dad had his worst week in San Francisco.  For several days we were very concerned that his body was just shutting down.  His chemicals were completely out of balance.  The doctors were concerned about his heart.  After a few days back in the hospital, he started doing better and returned to the rehab center.

Cover me when it all seems hopeless

Here we are four months later and the peace of God has covered us through the storm.  There were days that I felt I was barely hanging on, but the peace would come.  Days when I worried, until I prayed and found peace again.  It's been a journey, but one that I never walked by myself.

Cover me when my faith is gone

Let the peace that passes all I understand

 Peace of God, cover me

Cover me, cover me

Peace of God, cover me

Through the storm, cover me.

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

Taking a Look Back

Ten years ago this week Les and I traveled to Hawaii to start a new adventure.  He joined Decision Research Corporation on January 21, 2013.  I re-read some of the posts from that time and it's interesting to see what we got right and what was not at all what we expected!  I'm going to re-share some of those posts here and add my thoughts from 10 years later (those thoughts will be in purple.)

The first post I want to talk about was posted in December 2012, "The Curse and the Scarlett Thread."  The focus of this post was worry and let me tell you, I was so wrapped up in worry at the time!  I didn't blog about everything that was going on in our life at the time, but I was a mess.  My dad was in the hospital at the time, our house had been broken into, and Les had been unemployed for about two months.  

 

The things that were plaguing my mind were REAL, not imagined, but I still needed to take all my thoughts captive.  It would be some time before the answers to my "what if?" questions would arrive, but I was able to change my worrying to praying with faith.

 

This lesson has been invaluable to me for the past ten years.  Sis. White asked me to speak at Ladies Prayer on March 10, 2020 and I chose this topic.  Little did I know how much fear and worry would be taking hold of our world in the weeks ahead.

Les started a new series in our adult Sunday school class last week - The Scarlet Thread.  This is the line through the Bible, from start to finish that teaches us that the life is in the blood.  Blood has always been necessary for redemption and eternal life. Yesterday's lesson was excellent as always.  Les taught about Adam and Eve and the curse that came upon the world because of their disobedience.

Most aspects of the curse were familiar to me.  I'm so thankful that Jesus bruised Satan's head.  Les pointed out something in verse 16 that I had never heard before:

Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

The first use of the word "sorrow" is not the same as the second usage.  The second word "sorrow" in the Hebrew is as we would expect - "pain," but the first "sorrow" is actually "worrisomeness."

Worrisomeness in the Hebrew means:  worry, pain, anger, displease, grieve, hurt, be sorry, vex. Webster's dictionary doesn't contain the word "worrisomeness" but is does give the definition for worrisome: causing distress or worry, inclined to worry or fret. 

Les didn't spend much time on this, but I've been chewing on it since his lesson.  Any ladies reading this today know the feeling of worrisomeness?  Are there days when you just feel overwhelmed with it all and sit fretting about things over which you have no control?  Then you tell your sweet husband all about it and his response is, "What's the big deal?"  Men just don't worry as much.  I know they feel stress, but that is not part of the curse that was put upon man, we ladies got that privilege!

Eve had never experienced worry before the fall.  The Bible doesn't tell us how long they were in the garden before Adam and Eve partook of the fruit.  It may have been weeks, months, or even years.   She lived in a perfect world with nothing to worry about it.  Until the fall, then the curse.

Does that mean we ladies should just resign ourselves to worry?  Should we spend our days as Chicken Little:  "There's no way to avoid it, I'm cursed with worry, the sky is falling, the sky is falling!!"  I don't believe so.  I believe we will be attacked with worry, but we must take those thoughts captive.

Jesus said in Matthew chapter 6:

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Repeatedly Jesus says "take no thought."  One commentator said this:

It is the repeated command of the Lord Jesus to his disciples, that they should not divide and pull in pieces their own minds with care about the world. The thought here forbidden is, 1. A disquieting, tormenting thought, which hurries the mind hither and thither, and hangs it in suspense; which disturbs our joy in God, and is a damp upon our hope in him; which breaks the sleep, and hinders our enjoyment of ourselves, of our friends, and of what God has given us. 2. A distrustful, unbelieving thought. God has promised to provide for those that are his all things needful for life.

I needed this so much!  We've had a lot of stress in our life lately and I have watched Les confidently going on, believing that God is going to take care of us.  I believe that, until worry takes hold.  I wasted precious time on Saturday taking thought instead of trusting.  (This was the understatement of the day!)

The answer to overcoming our thoughts is the blood.  The scarlet thread that was started in the garden when God slew the first sacrifice to clothe Adam and Eve with skins, is still the answer today.  The blood of Jesus does more than save us, Isaiah 53 tells us:

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Our grief, our sorrow, our worry, our future, He carried it all.  Because He did, we can take no thought and know that our heavenly Father knows exactly what we need.  Several weeks ago, Les taught about God's purpose.  He said, "Since aspects of God are identical past, present and future… God’s future plans are as if they had already been fulfilled."  I have to wonder, what am I worried about?  God has it all in His very capable hands!

A Future Filled with Hope

We had our monthly youth service last night and Bro. Jonathan Hale preached.  His text was Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."  He told our young people that God has plans for them, but the enemy also has plans.  Choosing the right path will bring a bright future.

My Bible reading this morning also included this verse and it is the verse of the day at the top of my blog.  It is a favorite of mine.  I love that God has plans for me and also that He is thinking about me.  I searched my blog and was surprised to find that I had only blogged about this verse ONE time!  Amazingly, I blogged about it on October 13, 2011, exactly 11 years ago today.

The Pulpit Commentary had quite a bit to say about this very.  I really liked this part:

What God Thinks About Us is of Great Importance to Us

1. God thinks what is true and wise and good. If, therefore, we can know God’s thoughts about anything we shall see the thing in its true light. Our thoughts are blinded by prejudice, colored by passion, limited by ignorance, broken, fragmentary, perverted. God’s only are clear and perfect as truth.
2. God’s thoughts are the prelude to his actions. If we know what He thinks concerning us we know how He intends to act. God’s thinking is not the contemplation of the philosopher, it is the consideration of the king. We forget this when we are so very anxious about what the world will think of us and so very indifferent about God’s thoughts concerning us. A brave man will learn to dare the world’s misjudgment, its scorn, its condemnation. But who can face God’s thoughts if they mean evil to us?

God Thinks Thoughts of Peace Concerning Us

So Jeremiah saw in the case of the Jews; so we may see for all mankind how that Christ "has broken down the middle wall of partition between us." Even when God finds it necessary to punish, His desire is to bless, and when He chastises it is in mercy, that He may reclaim. But this is not seen at the time. There are things which prevent us from seeing that God’s thoughts are of peace. Thus—the peace is not yet enjoyed; when God chastises us it looks as though He meant evil to us, because we feel the blow before we see the good fruit of it; we cannot see God’s thoughts, and must accept them in faith, waiting for a later confirmation of experience. Yet if God does think thoughts of peace concerning us, is it necessary for us to know the exact nature of them? They are known to Him if they are not known to us, and he can carry them out without any previous understanding of them on our part.

Here are a few other translations of the verse:

Amplified ~ For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

The Message ~ I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

NIV ~ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

GOD'S WORD ~ I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope.

Jesus said something similar in John 10:10 ~ I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

I love that God has plans for me! God has plans for you!

If you're a teenager and don't know what path to follow ~ God has plans for you!
If you're a single adult and wonder if your future includes a mate ~ God has plans for you!
If you're trying to raise a family and making ends meet seems hard at times ~ God has plans for you!
If you're in the ministry and facing dark times ~ God has plans for you!
If you're retired and wonder if your days of usefulness are behind you ~ God has plans for you!

He's already thought it all out. Our final outcome is a future filled with hope. Peace and not disaster. Taken care of, not abandoned. Smile ~ God's thinking about you today!

A Mother in Israel ~ Woman of the Week

Les and I got our second dose of the Moderna COVID vaccine last week.  So many people warned us that the second dose would make us sick and they were right!  We both felt off for a couple of days, the biggest issue for me was a headache.  Having a headache while trying to study and write just doesn't work for me.  We've been fine for several days, but life got busy, so here she is now.

 

Verses:  2 Samuel 20:16-22

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings

We don't know anything about this woman's family or background.  We don't even know her name, but she made a difference.  Her story is found during the reign of King David.  After his son Absalom's rebellion and death, the tribe of Judah brought David back to Jerusalem.  The other tribes, who had followed Absalom, were angry that they were not included in David's return.  2 Samuel 20:1-2 says, "And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.  So every man of Israel went up from after David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri: but the men of Judah clave unto their king, from Jordan even to Jerusalem."  Joab pursued Sheba, going through the tribes of Israel to find him.  Verse 15 tells us that he was found "in Abel of Bethmaachah, and they cast up a bank against the city, and it stood in the trench: and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down."  It is in the following verse that we first meet this wise woman.

 

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

We first read of some women in the Bible just as they hit the point of reset.  That is the case with this wise mother in Israel.  While her city was under attack, she didn't run and hide, but she marched forward.  In verse 19 she cried out to Joab and once she had his attention she said, "I am one of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel: thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel: why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of the LORD? "

John Gill's Exposition of the Bible said,

"Her meaning is, that she was of a city which consisted of peaceable and faithful men, that were peaceable among themselves, and faithful to their king, who never were concerned in any insurrection or rebellion, not in the late one under Absalom:"

After Joab explains his mission in verse 21, "deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall."  There was no hesitation on her part.  "She knew the fright the inhabitants of the city were in, and how disposed they were to do anything to save their city; she knew what influence she had among them, and how weak Sheba's party was, and therefore could assure Joab that this should be done."  (John Gill)

I love what verse 22 says, "Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom."  "Made so wise a speech to them, and represented things in such a light, and so prudently conducted, that they unanimously agreed to her motion"  (John Gill)

What is she most known for? Victories? Defeats?  How can I be like her?  How can I avoid being like her?

This story could have had a very different ending had this wise woman kept silent.  She spoke up to Joab and she spoke up to the people.  She prevented much bloodshed by keeping calm and facing Joab.  "This wise woman, by her intervention, saved many lives, and reminds us of the value of presence of mind in a great crisis." (A Devotional Commentary by F. B. Meyer, B.A.)

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible said,

"Her treaty with Joab, and her capitulation with him, by which he is engaged to raise the siege, upon condition that Sheba be delivered up. It seems, none of all the men of Abel, none of the elders or magistrates, offered to treat with Joab, no, not when they were reduced to the last extremity. They were stupid and unconcerned for the public safety, or they stood in awe of Sheba, or they despaired of gaining any good terms with Joab, or they had not sense enough to manage the treaty. But this one woman and her wisdom saved the city."

Repost: Is He Your Shepherd?

My Bible reading this week is a study of the twenty third Psalm.  I'm sure it must be the most well known of all the Psalms.  It's such a beautiful, yet simple passage.  I have a couple of posts that pertain to Psalm 23 and I wanted to re-share them.  The first one was written in 2016:

Last night was a tremendous Bible Study at New Life Pentecostal.  Pastor McGriffin read just the first two verses of Psalm 23.  He said this is a very familiar passage, but many of us suffer from short term memory loss so it's a good idea to take notes in church.  I'm so glad I was taking these notes!

The Lord is my shepherd...

This is a personal and interactive relationship.  It becomes a relationship based on our confidence in who our God is.

I shall not want...

Because I have confidence in His shepherding skills I do not have to worry about my needs or wants.  When my focus is correct I do not have to fear.

Is He your Shepherd? Or are you, in your mind, just one of the flock? When there is daily interaction with the shepherd the automatic by-product is the sheep trust the shepherd and have no fear.

Anxiety should speak volumes to us.  That needs to be repeated.  Anxiety should speak volumes to us.  Are we really trusting the shepherd?

There is a difference between receiving what God has for me and not getting what I want.  The vast majority of Americans don't know what it is to be in want.  We take things for granted.  Sheep that are confident don't get distressed over what they don't have.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures...

God doesn't make us do anything.  The word "maketh" here does not mean to force but to have made provision for.  God made a place for us to lie down.  Sheep do not like to lie down - they sleep standing up.  We are the same way when things aren't going our way.  The Lord maketh (provides) a place of rest.  

Because of the faithfulness of the shepherd, the sheep trust him.  We repeated several times, "The Lord is my shepherd and I trust my shepherd."

There is no need for anxiety.  For sheep to lie down there has to be a tremendous amount of trust.  Sheep are vulnerable when they lie down, but they look to the shepherd for protection.

He leadeth me beside the still waters...

Still waters are hard to come by in our busy, over-scheduled lives.  There is a place of rest in a busy and crazy world.  We need both physical and emotional rest.

God wants us to have time to recuperate.  We need times of recuperation.   

We need to value hitting the pause button and taking trips by the still waters. We need to learn what it is to calm ourselves.  When we're hurting and feeling stressed, we must find a place of rest.  We need rest and calm to navigate life.

The opposite of still waters is a place of explosion.

God is doing everything to create a place of rest.  The biggest mistake you can make is believing you can work through every problem of life on your own.

There is a great need for spiritual lifeguards.  People who are looking for those who are drowning in the sea of life, who can bring calm to others.  We can't do that if we don't have calm and rest in our own lives.

We have the ability to be calm and bring calmness.  The church is a place of calmness.  This is a place to come in and lie down.

There are times when we are so stressed, our thinking is so messed up, we don't think we can even pray.

When we are in stillness God can send things to cleanse us of the parasites of life.  It takes the calm place to clean off what does not belong.  We have to learn the value of quiet time, a time to take a deep breath, listening for the still small voice.

At this point of the lesson, the Great Shepherd, the Prince of Peace took over.  There was such a beautiful, calming move of His Spirit that I put my pen down and closed my eyes, just listening to Pastor McGriffin.  He continued teaching a few more minutes.  The spirit in the building was so sweet as Pastor McGriffin began to sing...

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
There's just something about that name
Master, Savior, Jesus
Like the fragrance after the rain
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
Let all heaven and earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms shall all pass away
But there's something about that name.

The congregation joined in, singing softly with no instruments, but with such a spirit of calm.  It wasn't a time to shout, but to quietly absorb the Word that was spoken.  Pastor McGriffin closed with these words, "In a world spinning out of control, we need to find the place of rest in the calm of God."

I knew I would be blogging about this subject this morning.  I just didn't know I would be put to the test before I got a chance to write about it!  Les rode his bike to work this morning.  No big deal, I can watch his progress on my phone... unless he leaves his phone here like he did this morning!  So I had a choice, spend the next 45 minutes anxiously waiting to hear from him, or trust the Shepherd.  I chose to trust.  I prayed and said, "God, You were going to watch him whether he had his phone or not."  And I was able to calmly wait to hear from him.

Burning Down the House

Your home is on fire.  Grab five items (assume all people and animals are safe). What did you grab?

 

This post practically wrote itself, because I've done this!  Our house has never caught fire, but we have received evacuation warnings because of fires that were in our neighborhood. 

I wrote a post called "Why I Pray for Rain" in October 2009.  I shared our first experience with fire in our neighborhood that happened in October 2003:

After a restless night, we awoke to more fires in Simi on Sunday morning. Les got up for a while, then went back to bed around 7:30. I was following the news and talking to neighbors. A nearby development received evacuation warnings at about 8:00, they were told to pack up what they wanted to take, and be ready to leave with 10 minutes notice.

I decided to start packing things at that time. If you've never had to determine what is really important in your life and what is not, a fire in the neighbor will help you do that very quickly. I loaded about 3 boxes of pictures and financial records in the back of our van and decided everything else what just that - things!

I wrote another post called "Southern California Wild Fires" in December 2017.  Les was traveling for business, so I had to plan on my own.  Sometime between these two events, we moved all our computer files to Dropbox so I didn't need to pack any financial records or pictures.

I received an email from Nextdoor.com yesterday afternoon that first alerted me to possible trouble, "Simi Valley residents are advised that the Rye Fire in Santa Clarita may travel to Simi Valley this evening due to the weather conditions and heavy winds. Residents on the northern side of the City should be aware of this possibility and be prepared to evacuate if necessary. Residents will NOT be encouraged to shelter in place should the fire breach Simi Valley and will be encouraged to evacuate. Please be prepared to Ready, Set, Go if the situation requires."

We live on the northern side of the city so I knew I needed to pay close attention.  As the evening wore on, with winds howling, I decided to pack a few things in the car.  You might be surprised at how little I packed.  Les' trumpet and bass guitar, our wedding photo album, our Bibles (including Mom's), and an overnight bag.  I had all my electronics in a bag by my bed and woke every hour last night checking out the window for the glow of fire (did not see any) and my phone for any updates (did not receive any.)

One final post, written in October 2011 is called "Trusting in God or Riches."  This sums up my feelings about "things." 

 

We received an evacuation warning that said if an evacuation notice came we would have ten minutes to leave our home. That notice never came, but I did pack a few things just in case. I still remember the peace I felt as the fire raged ~ nothing that mattered was inside our house. Les and I were safe.

 

The process of deciding what to pack in case our house burned down wasn't as difficult as you might imagine. I packed very little. Don't get me wrong ~ I enjoy nice things. I have a closet full of clothes and shoes. We have a lovely home. We have also lived on unemployment checks that didn't come close to the income we were use to. None of those things change who I am... unless I let them.

The Bible has a lot to say about riches. Not all of it is negative. Riches themselves are not the problem ~ it's how we treat them:

 

Proverbs 11:28
He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.
Proverbs 23:5
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
Ecclesiastes 5:19
Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.
Jeremiah 9:23
Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
Luke 8:14
And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
Philippians 4:19
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 6:17
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

It is not wrong to enjoy the blessings that God sends. It's wrong to think that we brought the riches upon ourselves.  His riches will never fade away.

Stroke of Midnight

Where were you last night when 2013 turned into 2014? Is that where you’d wanted to be?

 
I could not pass up this post.  Not because we did something exciting on New Year's Eve, but because it reminded me of where we were when the calendar turned to 2014!  We were finishing our first year on Oahu.  Our lease would be up on February 7, 2014, so we decided to stay through the holidays. I did a photo a day challenge that December and my final photo was of my running watch after a three mile run.

I remember that New Year's Eve.  We were living in Discovery Bay.  I'm pretty sure we did not stay up until midnight because the next day I wrote about getting up for an early morning run.  I was, however, exactly where I wanted to be because Les and I were together.

On January 1, 2014 I wrote a post called "Great Peace."  You can read the entire post here, but I just wanted to share a little today:

"Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them."  Psalm 119:65

 

How can we have great peace when we are being bombarded?  One commentator put it remarkably well:

Great peace have they -  They have great calmness of mind. They are not troubled and anxious. They believe and feel that all things are well-ordered by thee, and will be conducted to the best result. They, therefore, calmly leave all with thee. As a matter of fact, the friends of God have peace and calmness in their minds, even amidst the troubles, the disappointments, and the reverses of life. The love of God is the best - the only - way to secure permanent peace in the soul.
Which love thy law - It is the love of law, and the belief that the law of God is in accordance with justice, that gives peace to their minds. God’s government is a government of law, and therefore it is loved.
And nothing shall offend them - “They shall have no stumbling-block.” Hebrew, “And to them no stumbling,” or stumbling-block. The meaning here is, that they would not fall into sin; they would be kept safe; they would be preserved from the power of temptation. The meaning is not, as it would seem to be in our version, that nothing would pain, grieve, or irritate them; but, as above, that as long as they were obedient to the law, and disposed to obey it, they would be safe from the power of temptation.

Seven years later, I still believe that great peace is possible!

30 Days of Thanks, Day 16: Stillness

I did a quick search on my blog for the word stillness and found a beautiful post!  The post is titled, "Is He Your Shepherd?"  This came from notes from a Tuesday night Bible study in Hawaii in 2016.  You can read the entire post by going here.  I'm including my notes about one part that fits today's word perfectly.  If we've ever needed a place of stillness, it's now, in 2020.

 

He leadeth me beside the still waters...

Still waters are hard to come by in our busy, over-scheduled lives.  There is a place of rest in a busy and crazy world.  We need both physical and emotional rest.

God wants us to have time to recuperate.  We need times of recuperation.   

We need to value hitting the pause button and taking trips by the still waters. We need to learn what it is to calm ourselves.  When we're hurting and feeling stressed, we must find a place of rest.  We need rest and calm to navigate life.

The opposite of still waters is a place of explosion.

God is doing everything to create a place of rest.  The biggest mistake you can make is believing you can work through every problem of life on your own.

There is a great need for spiritual lifeguards.  People who are looking for those who are drowning in the sea of life, who can bring calm to others.  We can't do that if we don't have calm and rest in our own lives.

We have the ability to be calm and bring calmness.  The church is a place of calmness.  This is a place to come in and lie down.

There are times when we are so stressed, our thinking is so messed up, we don't think we can even pray.

When we are in stillness God can send things to cleanse us of the parasites of life.  It takes the calm place to clean off what does not belong.  We have to learn the value of quiet time, a time to take a deep breath, listening for the still small voice.

At this point of the lesson, the Great Shepherd, the Prince of Peace took over.  There was such a beautiful, calming move of His Spirit that I put my pen down and closed my eyes, just listening to Pastor McGriffin.  He continued teaching a few more minutes.  The spirit in the building was so sweet as Pastor McGriffin began to sing...

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
There's just something about that name
Master, Savior, Jesus
Like the fragrance after the rain
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
Let all heaven and earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms shall all pass away
But there's something about that name.

The congregation joined in, singing softly with no instruments, but with such a spirit of calm.  It wasn't a time to shout, but to quietly absorb the Word that was spoken.  Pastor McGriffin closed with these words, "In a world spinning out of control, we need to find the place of rest in the calm of God."

 

I'm thankful that I know where to go to find stillness!

30 Days of Thanks, Day 8: Hiding

It's Sunday!  This is the that the Lord has made.  I have so much to be thankful for!  I'm alive, I'm blessed, I've got a great family, a great church, great friends, and a GREAT GOD!

The book of Psalms talks about a hiding place.  It's a place of safety.  A place of peace.  2020, with all it's turmoil, has been a tough year.  But there is a hiding place, under the shadow of His wings.

 

Psalm 32:7, "Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance."  

 

Psalm 119:114, "Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word."

 

Psalm 17:8, "Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings" 

 

Psalm 27:5, "For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock."

 

 I'm thankful for that hiding place!

How to Face Uncertain Days

I spent time playing the piano yesterday. Most of the songs I chose were about the cross and the resurrection. One of the songs I played was "Because He Lives." The song was written by Bill and Gloria Gaither in 1971.  Most of us are familiar with verse 1:

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!

Verse 3 is also pretty familiar:

And then one day, I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives!

Verse 2 is what caught my attention yesterday.  In an interview, Bill and Gloria said, "Because He Lives’ was written in the midst of social upheaval, threats of war, and betrayals of national and personal trust. It was into this world at such a time that we were bringing our third little baby. Assassinations, drug traffic, and war monopolized the headlines. It was in the midst of this kind of uncertainty that the assurance of the Lordship of the risen Christ blew across our troubled minds like a cooling breeze in the parched desert. Holding our tiny son in our arms we were able to write:"

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!

After our trip to the Philippines, I wrote about our Sunday morning in Lucena:  "We sang "Because He Lives" and it was just beautiful!  EVERYONE sang.  The entire church was the praise team!  These precious people, who have so little materially, sang, "life is worth the living, just because He lives," more beautifully than I have ever heard it."  I remember us singing verse two that morning and it struck me then, as it did yesterday, what a beautiful verse it is.

We are living in uncertain days.  Things as mundane as going to the store for toilet paper bring a level of uncertainty.  Of greater concern is the trajectory of COVID-19.  I spent 10 minutes reading the news and the only thing I am certain of is the uncertainty.  But we can face these uncertain days because He lives!  Look at the chorus to this song:

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, 
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

No, we won't be meeting in our churches on Sunday to celebrate the resurrection.  But that doesn't stop the fact that Jesus did rise from the dead.  We can face tomorrow.  We can live without fear because HE holds the future.  Life, even in isolation and uncertainty, is worth the living.  Not because of anything we have or have done.  Life is worth the living just because He lives!