That Good Part

In December we sing a song about the twelve days of Christmas. If I were a lyricist I would write a song about what currently brings me joy- THE TWELVE DAYS UNTIL DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME!!!! Yes, that's right, it's the most wonderful time of the year. Nothing says spring time like being blinded at the dinner table because the sun is still high in the sky. Living in SoCal, we don't really have crocus coming up through the melting snow, or robins returning. On my street, we don't even have tulips blooming, because my neighbor, get this, has tulips all year in their garden. How is this possible, even in sunny California? BECAUSE THEY ARE PLASTIC. They have real flowers too, but one bed in their yard is all plastic flowers. Weird. But I digress. Mark your calendar and sing a little song, break out your Cobians and get a new beach umbrella at Costco, cause spring is almost here!

My friend Debbie reminded me that I hadn't blogged anything since November, and that's because I spent December trying to avoid all things technological. I had sort of an electronic meltdown between three blogs, a zillion digital pictures, two new websites to work on and finicky printers and disc burners. Like most of you, December was really busy, so if I had five empty minutes, I wanted something with pages made of paper. Our women's ministry has also just begun a study in the book of Joshua, which is shaping up for me as one of those books of the Bible that is like a good action movie-lots of fights, things being demolished and the good guys always win. I'm in the teaching rotation so that has kept me from blogging, too. It's a great book to be in for a multitude of reasons, but one that hits me today is the constant example of God's faithfulness. Joshua chapter one lays a great foundation for who God is, what He promises, and how He accomplishes what He inte...

From Oswald Chambers: "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17 What idea have you of the salvation of your soul? The experience of salvation means that in your actual life things are really altered, you no longer look at things as you used to; your desires are new, old things have lost their power. One of the touchstones of experience is - Has God altered the thing that matters? If you still hanker after the old things, it is absurd to talk about being born from above, you are juggling with yourself. If you are born again, the Spirit of God makes the alteration manifest in your actual life and reasoning, and when the crisis comes you are the most amazed person on earth at the wonderful difference there is in you. There is no possibility of imagining that you did it. It is this complete and amazing alteration that is the evidence that you are a saved soul. What difference has my salvatio...

I love this story. I'll miss Barney and his antics.

Be Not Afraid Be not afraid, ’tis I, ’tis I, Though the storm rages wild; In thy sore need I’m passing by, Off’ring to help thee, hear thy cry— Be of good cheer, My child.” “Be not afraid, ’tis I, Be not afraid, ’tis I”; Though wild winds blowing, My bark o’erflowing, God rules in earth and sky: “Be not afraid, ’tis I, Be not afraid, ’tis I”; The storm can’t harm my trusting soul, For Jesus walks the waves that roll; His voice I hear, which calms my fear, ’Tis I, be not afraid.” Be not afraid, ’mid pressing foes, Jesus is watching near; He all thy deepest sorrow knows, Walked every step thy pathway goes; Trust Him, then; do not fear. Be not afraid, He knows thy heart, And He doth care for thee; Of all thy grief He shares a part, Stands by thy side, He’ll not depart, If thou wilt faithful be. Be not afraid, O helpless one, Trust in His boundless grace; Say from the heart, “Thy will be done, Finish the work Thou hast begun, Bring me to see Thy face.” Words: Barney E Warren (1911)

"In the end God alone can save a nation. When God chooses to work in a nation, He always does it through the individual choice of people." Author Mary Farrar

I saw the most alarming item in our church bulletin yesterday: Daylight Savings Time ends this week. Words fail in the attempt to describe how great is the cloud of despair that gathers on the horizon. Sigh. I've tried to ignore the way October is speeding to a close. But alas, it can be denied no more, and with great trepidation I acknowledge my least favorite time of the year is just around the corner. So I am buying some new jammie sweats today and the giant vat of hot chocolate from Costco in what will surely be a vain effort to find comfort. Good thing I don't live in Minnesota. I should have seen it coming, since my yearly fall habits have begun to creep in. Some of them are.... I have begun to crave bologna. This stems from the fond childhood memory in which we drove to the only truly cold place nearby, Palomar Mountain, to play in the five minutes of snow that falls yearly. We would always take a thermos of hot chocolate and bologna on white bread with mustard. ...