This Icy Night

“Yes, I now feel that it was then on that evening of sweet dreams that the very first dawn of human love burst upon the icy night of my spirit. Since that period I have never seen nor heard your name without a shiver half of delight, half of dreams” 

                                                                                          ~ Edgar Allan Poe

 

Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.

                                                                                           ~ 1 Peter 5:8-9

 

In so many ways, this is an icy night of the spirit. Forces are acting in concert with hatred, people of all walks of life are having their acts of hatred recorded with much more frequency than acts of love, acts of kindness, acts of healing. There is no office untouched.

 

When I read the quote from Edgar Allen Poe, the first name I heard was “Jesus”. Jesus who loves us so deeply no matter our behavior, Jesus who melts all ice and can warm the coldest heart.  Jesus who has plans beyond our wildest, sweetest dreams.

 

These words of Peter’s, dressed in modern language really drives home the point that we are NOT alone.  The world would have us think that, but we are not.  So today, wrap yourself in Jesus and go forth into Halloween and the coming days dressed in his name. Spread the love.

 

Because of Him,

Linda

Fight to Be Weak

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.[a] 

James 5:16 English Standard Version

Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again. 

(The Message )James 5:16-18

“Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.” 

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I hunger for the control to “fix it.” Move this one’s heart, fix that committee, reach that unreachable child, restore … oh so many things.  My head knows that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13) But my flesh rushes to speak, or do, or think about how to do it.  Too often without remembering the word “through.” 

I forget to lift those things that I am sure God needs my help with, TO GOD.  This has been a hard season on several levels for me.  I am sure I am not alone here.  I am sure you are living in the same world I am.  I am positive that you can see, feel, smell, taste, hear, and touch the trouble in the world. I am always so sure that I can figure it out, and forget to be strong in Jesus.

The lyrics here are for me. I am sure of it.  I need to let go of the stress, the fight, the relationship, the church, the …well everything and fight to be weak in my own will and strong in God’s.

The path is there before me.  Like a carefully placed stepping stone.  On the solid rock. I must end trusting my will, and I must step out at Jesus’ leading, from a kneeling position, and take that first step in Him.  I must fight to be weak.

Fight to be Weak -Bruce Carroll

Because of Him,

Linda

Praise the Lord!

“I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.” ~ Duke Ellington

Job 19:25 (New International Version) 

I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k50FMLQFsys
You’ve Already Won

This world is in a terrible state.  There is no denying it.  We are on the brink of war, families are split, churches are following the way of current politics, marriages are falling apart, people are dying too young, the weather is wild, churches are declining, attendance is declining, Christians are sharing a unique kinship with Jews and being persecuted for their faith. The schools are failing our children in many ways. What is dark is being featured and prominent in the public arena. What is light is criticized.

Jesus is coming, church.  He is most assuredly coming.  Personally, it has been a difficult month for me.  No need for detail here, God knows. I’ve been singin’ the blues like it matters. But God. But God gave me the words to speak in difficult situations. But God blessed our travels and answered prayers. But God has upheld our marriage as we celebrated 40 years this month. But God ___________________________ fill in your own blessings.
Yesterday, as I was leaving church, I got a phone call from a brother in Christ.  He told me he was on his way to me to give me a “small gift.” I sent him my address and he arrived. For me, that was the gift. This shy, loving brother drove across Long Island from just under an hour away, and then after David and I exchanged greetings with him, he presented us with a beautiful gift.  That was more than enough.  Then he presented us with a love offering. It is the second time in recent memory that such a thing has happened.  I was speechless. We continued our conversation a little bit longer and then he said, “I gotta go! Have a beautiful day!” And after exchanging farewells, he got in his car and returned home.

God provided a need that I did not know I had, through an amazing brother, so gifted in the arts.  My counselor tells me that our weapon in these times is praise. And she is right, the praises of God are where God lives!(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raFnjGVkHe8) -Praise the Lord- Elevation WorshipThat visit from our brother in the Lord lifted our spirits.
Today as you count your blessings, face your challenges,

Praise the Lord! Praise Him church, Praise Him!
Because of Him, Linda

Making the Earth Laugh

“Tickle the earth with a hoe; it will laugh a harvest.”                                    

~ Mary Cantell

 For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people[a] are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts[b] were darkened.

                                 ~ Romans 1:20-21

We have a friend who can (almost) look crooked at the ground and it will spring up with a healthy plant.  He comes from a tradition of farming. He plants, it grows, it thrives.  He harvests the crop, and if it can be preserved, pickled, jellied, jammed or frozen, he and his wife do just that.  Everything is treasured and preserved.  And one more thing.  Shared.  He and his wife share the fruits of their labor.  He is a wellspring of positivity. He is one of the most positive people I have ever met in my life.  He makes the earth laugh.

Our friend has no pretense. He survived a colorful childhood. He is a skilled cabinet maker, carpenter, handyman.  He looks for ways to share his gifts and make a living. He has renovated apartments, houses; he has restored parts of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, he is proud of his heritage, has not one ounce of malice toward others. 

The most important thing he does, in my opinion, that outstrips all of these fine qualities, is to give glory to God.  Recently, our friend suffered a stroke, and his first response was, ” I am so blessed that it was only this.” “When can I get on my exercise bike?” And he is back at giving glory to God and making this world a better place.

How can we do any less?  Today, reach out to someone and share your love, your light, your time, your talent(s). Stop thinking about what you cannot do, who you are not as good as, and go tickle the world with your love, and watch it laugh back in love.

For Jesus.  Just for Jesus.

Because of Him,

Linda

Reach Out and Touch – Diana Ross

God Gave Me You

9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

                                ~ Romans 10:9-10                                                     
“Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art.” 

~ Leonardo Da Vinci

I have a friend who is as adept with a paintbrush as she is with a ladle. Who reeled in an award winning fish, and “spitted” a pig for roasting.  She can craft, she can see with the eye of a hawk in many matters.  

She had a praying grandmother, and a devoted grandfather.  She has seen much in her life and has guided people in their faith walk.  She is generous to a fault and of late, I have been the recipient of this generosity.  Flowers, food gifts, generous contributions to ministries I am involved with, kind words, morning prayers. God is using her to show me His love.

God has given me a big sister for such a time as this. This sister is now learning to craft with words the way she has crafted with so much in her lifetime.  She is a sister in Christ and she has now turned to art with her pen.

I awoke around three a.m. as I often do, and was given the gift of the subject of today’s devotional at that time.  The Lord strung together all her kindnesses in a beautiful necklace of love.

If you have such a friend or sister in  your life, now is the time to say thank you.  Thank them, and as important, thank God. God has blessed me with many purveyors of “hugs” throughout this journey and many of you are among them.I am so thankful that God gave me you, (and you and you and you!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCf2PoTuh4Q

Because of Him,

Linda

UP!

Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!

                                           ~ Romans 5:10-11

“If you have made mistakes… there is always another chance for you… you may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down.”                                       ~ Mary Pickford https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKFRekX-LrU I Ain’t Down Yet – The Unsinkable Molly Brown Dear Family, This is an unusual choice of music for this devotional.  The line that caught me was “Nobody wants me down like I want me up!”  It comes from the musical version of  Molly Brown’s life called “The Unsinkable Molly Brown”.  In the movie version, baby Molly travels down a river rapids in a cradle. She gets out and ends up being raised by a man with three boys.  The scene where this song is placed takes place several years later, when the boys are trying to get her to cry “uncle” which means “I give up.” in the language of her (and my) youth. Molly says nobody wants me down like I want me up!  That is the spirit that she demonstrates throughout the story.  She got up every single time. And she helped others stay up.  In fact, she survived the Titanic and formed a society to help the other survivors who were not as fortunate as she was. You and I have been down, and we have been up.  And nobody wants you more up than Jesus.  Jesus not only died for you but during the three days between his crucifixion and his resurrection, he preached to the captives in Hell.  No one could be further down, and still, he preached.  And then he rose up. And that made all the difference! Give Jesus your “downs”. Let him lift you up! Here is one more unconventional song for a devotional, from Celine Dion. I always thought it could be sung to Jesus as easily as she sang it for her husband.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpZkY47-cVI Because You Loved Me, Because of Him, Linda I Ain’t Down Yet lyrics I’m goan’ to learn to read and write, I’m goan’ to see what there is to see, So if you go from nowhere On the road to somewhere And you meet anyone You know it’s me.You’ll see me carried shoulder high, By famous people I’ve never met, But till I leave the rear, It’s from the rear you’ll hear, “I ain’t down yet.” To show that you know, You got to show you know you know!I’m goan’ to move From place to place To find a house With a goldn stair And if that house is red And has a big brass bed I’m liiiivin’ there.You’ll see me carried shoulder high, By famous people I’ve never met, But till I leave the rear, It’s from the rear you’ll hear, “I ain’t down yet.”

Praise Him in this Storm

Bilious and bloated, they gas,
    “God is gone.”
Their words are poison gas,
    fouling the air; they poison
Rivers and skies;
    thistles are their cash crop.

~ Psalm 14:1 (The Message)

The fool[a] says in his heart,
    “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
    there is no one who does good.

~ Psalm 14:1 (New International Version)

“You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.”                                                                                                  ~ John Ford https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK-IHpN1HBs Hallelujah – Beethoven, from “The Mount of Olives.” The scripture above has been included in two versions.  What a contrast. It reports on the extent of the behaviors of those who say there is no God. What a contrast to the joy of  Easter! Joy, coming from the voices of the children as they “flowered the cross” yesterday (the children and their families decorated a plain wooden cross with live flowers). Joy, coming from the mouths of the choir, the congregation, the Pastor.  Joy filling the room with the sound of the organ and the brass.The highlighting of Matthew’s gospel and its unique reporting of the events surrounding Easter morning.The realization that Jesus Christ rose victorious over death, enduring such atrocities.The reminder that the apostle Paul was busy persecuting Christians, and then became a believer of great influence.I included the Beethoven Hallelujah (from the Mount of Olives Oratorio).  What a contrast between our rehearsal and the actual singing of it in the service.  I imagined Beethoven, in his deafness, hearing his one and only oratorio, in his own soundless isolation. (more information here: https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2020/03/christ-on-the-mount-of-olives-passion-oratorio-beethoven-250.html) Whatever you are struggling with, summon that last ounce of faith, and with it praise the Lord,  On your worst day, the joy of the Lord is your strength. Praise Him through this storm.  (more music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB4eC55dh-U) Because of Him, Linda

On Nothing Less

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. ~ Romans 15:13

“The most important word in the English language is hope~ Eleanor Roosevelt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f2FXxDVO6w

During the children’s moment yesterday, our pastor spoke to the children about King David’s prayer to God.  Create in me a clean heart, O God. She had them recall visits to their doctors for check-ups, using a pink stethoscope to check their hearts.  She talked about what things a person might carry in their heart, and why King David asked God to give him a clean heart.They prayed. It was beautiful. The Children’s Moment is probably one of my favorite times during the worship service. Often, it relates to the sermon, the music and ties it all together.

The Pastor also distributed little Gracie the fish banks to the children to collect their contributions for our special collection called One Great Hour of Sharing.  One of the children got up, went to her parents to give them the fish banks to hold for herself and her sister.  On her way out of the sanctuary, she stopped, turned to the congregation, raised her arms in an upside down V, and bowed to the congregation. 

This gesture was met with joy, laughter and love.  This little girl thought nothing of observing a performer’s protocol as she left the sanctuary. I wondered if she was a dancer, or a gymnast, as the gesture seemed a natural one. It was a gesture of love and of innocence.  It was where I found great joy in the service.  For me, it tied to the hymn, and the banner in our hallway next to the elevator which proclaims, On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand.

My Hope is Built on Nothing Less  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dLw2JDME-E was our final hymn. 

Where did you find hope yesterday?  Where will you look for it today?

Put on the whole armor of Christ as you walk today, and pray to see the world around you with His eyes, His ears, His heart.

Because of Him,

Linda

Soon Ah Will Be Done

“Music is such a beautiful innocent thing for me, a magic thing.”                                                              

~ Paul McCartney

 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, 

                                           ~ Deuteronomy 7:9

I have begun teaching a small Sunday School class.  It calls me to be away from the choir some Sundays.  That part is so hard.  But the children wanting to go to Sunday School are as important to me.  I have two students who have demanding schedules

They have not met yet. I asked them both to come to me with three questions.  The fourth grader asked What is God, Is God a He or a She? and, What is baptism? I gave her some resources that would help her to find the answers.  We discussed baptism, and we decided that the next time that she was in church for a baptism, I would sit with her while we witnessed that sacrament being administered.

The sixth grader came to me saying, “I really only have one question, Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?”Needless to say when the lectionary reading for yesterday was John 3:16, I knew that God had orchestrated all of this.  The Psalm parts of  107 had to do with what happens when one lives a life that is away from God. We discussed what Jesus did, and why Jesus did it.The 6th grader has two little sisters, and she is going to share the book (about the parts of the worship service) I gave to her with her sisters.  She is amazing, quiet, thoughtful, and a deep thinker. She is already showing signs of being a teacher. AND she has begun to fathom that Jesus died for every single sin ever committed or ever to be committed.  I told her it can take a lifetime to fully understand. She took that in.

We were in a quiet spot in the lesson, and all of a sudden we heard the choir singing, through the ceiling! They were singing a Spiritual called “Soon Ah Will Be Done.” by William Dawson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqqpLLCAOrM.  It lifted me up so much! And of course we had to stop the lesson and listen.  

It was perfect punctuation to the discussion of why Jesus had to die on the cross. The music carried us to the end. 

Today, remember that we will indeed soon be done with the troubles of the world, and we are going home to live with God.

Because of Him,

Linda

Forgiveness

“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” ~ Paul Boese

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”~ Joshua 1:9

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIbCpy0CQEo
Forgiveness – Matthew West

I watched them pitch pennies across the High School Commons.  They taunted the kid to pick them up.  “Mike” was Jewish.  The other kids taunted him every day until they got bored.There were pennies all over the place.  Mike was not the only Jewish student at the High School, he was just the one they targeted.  I remember not understanding what that meant, that kids were pitching pennies and expecting him to retrieve them.  I knew what it was like to be overweight and be picked on, but NOTHING like this.I found out that it still goes on, around the world.  That and other atrocities.

Today. a salesman came to measure our windows for a new window treatment.  The phone call that came in just before he arrived caught my attention.  The caller ID said “Mike S.” I said, to myself, what are the odds that someone else might have a name that started that way? The letters were so unique to a particular name.  
The car arrived, and the salesman came in.  He introduced himself.  “I’m Mike.”  
“What’s your last name?” I queried.
“Oh, S______.”
I asked him where he went to High School and, lo and behold, it was the same “kid.”  Of course, that was 52 years ago.  “Mike” had no memory of high school other than who he took to the prom, and the name of a mutual friend or two.  I began to tell the story and my husband cautioned me against it.  I listened. Mike said his real memories were of college and those friend he made there.We spent time discussing the window treatment, and then he told us about his life, his children, like we were old friends. It was a gift.  “Mike” has so many things to be thankful for.  And apparently, he has forgiven his tormentors, which is what became evident as he sat and talked to us about many things.  He is happy for his life.

For me, it was an answered prayer, to see him again after all these years, and to share a laugh and a hug.  Every time I use the new window treatment, I will think about “Mike.” And the light he has let in, and what he blocked out.This is not the usual time for me to write on a Monday, but I think God needed to give me the story’s completion before I could share.  Forgiveness. The words to this song are worth posting:

It’s the hardest thing to give away
And the last thing on your mind today
It always goes to those who don’t deserve
It’s the opposite of how you feel
When they pain they caused is just too real
Takes everything you have to say the word

Forgiveness, forgiveness

It flies in the face of all your pride
It moves away the mad inside
It’s always anger’s own worst enemy
Even when the jury and the judge
Say you’ve got a right to hold a grudge
It’s the whisper in your ear saying set it free

Forgiveness, forgiveness
Forgiveness, forgiveness
Show me how to love the unlovable
Show me how to reach the unreachable
Help me now to do the impossible
Forgiveness, forgiveness
Help me now to do the impossible
Forgiveness

It’ll clear the bitterness away
It can even set a prisoner free
There is no end to what its power can do
So let it go and be amazed by what you see through eyes of grace
The prisoner that it really frees is you

Forgiveness, forgiveness
Forgiveness, forgiveness
Show me how to love the unlovable
Show me how to reach the unreachable
Help me now to do the impossible
Forgiveness

I want finally set it free
Show me how to see what your mercy sees
Help me now to give what You gave to me
Forgiveness, forgiveness
Forgiveness, forgiveness

Because of Him,Linda

Reckless Love

 My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!
1 John 4:11-12
A decision is made with the brain. A commitment is made with the heart. Therefore, a commitment is much deeper and more binding than a decision. 
~ Nido Qubein
I asked a former pastor how he stood in the pulpit on Sunday morning, looking out at the people, and loved them.  It was a simple answer, and one that has remained with me: “Linda, it is not my job to love the people in my own self. I ask God to love them through me.”
Simple.  So very simple. Remember to ask God to love them through you.  There have been some “lions and tigers and bears, oh my!”, and God has been gracious to love them through me.Lift them up to the Lord, plunge them into His light, let Him love those people through you.Oh the things I have learned.

The Reckless Love of God

Because of Him,

Linda