Home Safe and Sound
1,915 miles in one week.
Bob’s sister and her husband planned their 30th renewal vows ceremony for one year. We got an invitation in January, and thought to ourselves that it seemed so far into the future, and what with James’ graduation from college, and commissioning, and the nephew’s wedding in Georgia the end of May, I don’t know that we formally committed until all other activities were over.
All of Bob’s siblings made it, with their families and folks from his sister’s church, and even some cousins from Flower Mound and a long, lost cousin that lives close to where they held the vow renewal. (I kept calling it the re-enactment, but my family would laugh at me when I misspoke).
Some camped out at the site, the rest of us weenies camped out at the hotel in Bernalillo near Albuquerque. Bob and I enjoyed the top of Sandia at 10,678 feet. It was nice and cool up there. And as we proved, a gravel road 8 miles long where you cannot go faster than 8 mph means an hour drive. Bob SO needs a four wheeler.
The renewal ceremony was fine, and the food good, and the company even better. It was a family reunion. The little kids played well together. And the breeze whispered in the pines. Back at the hotel, more visiting, and stories shared, and a game of Scrabble or two.
Bob received the greatest gift—he got to see his own mom and aunts and grandparents on an old home movies tape his cousin shared. Bob said he had never seen his own mom in a home movie. And she was holding him as a baby and while there was no sound, she was doing word play and obviously enjoying him. Same with his mom’s Mom---she had a big grin on her face truly enjoying all the blonde grandchildren lined up with her.
We drove on north after the family reunion and wonderful lunch at the cousin’s ranch. Bob wanted to see some mountains and enjoy some cooler air (cooler than Texas). We stayed at Farmington, New Mexico and then drove to Durango and Silverton, Ouray, Montrose, Gunnison and Salida. Years ago we had taken the boys on the Durango train, so in my mind it is an all day trip from Durango to Silverton, but driving it is much better. Better view of the mountains and the towns.
At one scenic viewing spot, the helpful signs brag of the best and cleanest air, but the portapotty facilities quickly diminished that fact. Waiting in line behind an Australian lady, she commented, “whew—thunderbox”
From Salida of-no-cell-coverage to Canon City where they do not open the Royal Gorge park until midmorning, we drove on south to Pueblo, Raton, and the Capulin Volcano in the NE corner of New Mexico. We had enjoyed it last July when it was lush and green from lots of rain and during the ladybug migration. This time, it was dry and brown and in the middle of the gnat invasion. Bob walked the trail in under twenty minutes. There is this cool trail along the rim. It was too hot there for me. But, you can actually see the highest peak in Oklahoma from there, and along the road back into Texas. Dalhart to Channing to Amarillo. And I must brag again about THE best bathrooms on 287. Combination new plus museum plus architectural wonders and so clean you could do surgery on their floors. They are only a county apart, but I wonder if they had a competition or something. One each side of Childress and Quannah and Hedley.
Now a paragraph about the signage. Deer signs have this perky jumping deer complete with antlers. Some give mileage, for example, so that you know that for the next three or 26 miles to be on the lookout for perky, jumping deer. The only actual deer we saw on the entire trip was after Raton on the way to Capulin, and they were eating quietly beside the road camouflaged by coats the same color at the dried grass. Some signs ramped it up a bit with a bigger deer---maybe and elk or a moose? Have there been any moose spotted near Albuquerque?? And we saw a few sheep with horns, like a ram, near Monarch Pass. The milk cow sign near Capulin was a laugh, as all the cows in the nearby fields looked like black angus, but the sign showed udders.
I want to remember the tram at Monarch Pass. 11,312 feet. The operator up top said they had only been open three weeks because of heavy snows. 500 inches. It is a privately owned little operation, but well worth the visit. Clean bathrooms, and a huge gift shop, and museum pictures of the disasters and snow. There is an empty cement pallet on top near the observation station. It was so fun to lay down on top of it and watch the clouds roll by. I did back exercises, and wrapped in a heavy jacket we watched the wind pick up to 40 miles an hour, then die down to a breeze, and then howl again. It was hard to imagine 500 inches of snow, as that would have covered the two story tram house and observation deck. Pretty flowers dot the landscape, and I only saw one tiny bee trying to pollinate the flowers. This was the second time we had donned our jackets.
Now we are home, and the cat was glad to see us. She was needing a good scratch, and we are both now covered in cat hair. Laundry is a humming.
Someone or some group is smart and building three and four story new hotels throughout the country. They have about thirty rooms per floor, and an inside pool, and breakfast bar. The Comfort Inn in Amarillo had a Texas shaped waffle iron this morning. And the Holiday Inn Express hotels we stayed in were all nice. I like their peppery shampoo. We saw new Quality Inns, and Best Westerns---all in that rectangular shape. And all doing good business. The tubs at the Comfort Inn were too slippery, and the bathroom door arrangement irritatingly stupid.
I am not too sure what all is entailed in “antler products” near Trinidad, Colorado. But we saw lots of places with antlers piled high in wagons and adorning doorways and roofs.
Dishrags knitted and distributed to sisters-in-laws that like them, and a bag ready to mail to Suzanne. Bob did all the driving. I lost count of how many I knitted.
We kept in cell phone contact with James checking in each night. And marveled at all the rock formations to tell Lauren about. Lauren would love to see the rock formations near Bob’s cousin’s house where they filmed the movie, 9:10 to Yuma. Bob’s cousin said that sharks teeth had been discovered nearby, and gastroliths—stomach stones from whales. The rocks near the tunnels are Precambrian. Silverton is surrounded by pinker rocks, but the iron ore rich streams are orange. The falling rocks signage should be Colorado’s motto. And we also noted that there is plenty of real estate for sale in Colorado.
Cheapest gas was 3.85 in Childress, Texas today. Highest we paid was 4.17 in Raton, New Mexico.
My thanks to all who organized the family reunion. You know who you are. Now get busy on the sisters’ big five-oh in Branson in October.
And what a gift we were given in getting to meet a cousin only two months older than Bob. Bob had told me stories about their adventures growing up visiting relatives in El Paso and Carlsbad. This cousin only has one sister, so he seemed to be enjoying being reunited with eight first cousins, and numerous second cousins. He is talented and has a beautiful wife, and wonderful ranch. I hope we can get a copy of his home movie tape and get copies made for all the siblings. A picture is worth a thousand words, but a movie is worth a library, in my opinion.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Back In Amarillo
yuck. should have put it in "word" first. Just lost a whole page about our vacation. I will try again tomorrow. Sorry folks.
short version: good time at the family reunion.
short version: good time at the family reunion.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
On The Road Again...Just Can't Wait to Get On the Road Again...
Time for another trip. This week finds us winding west. Wide open spaces !!! Vistas !
Sunsets. Mountains.
But first, to pack. And then there is the last minute check off list. Do you ever add stuff to the list afterwards and give it that satisfying check?
You'd think we'd save the list from trip to trip. But, no. Alas. I am a throw away person. If something is not used nor needed, it is thrown away. Even the invitation to this next event, that we received back in January, which was carefully taped to the shelf for months...even that invitation with the nifty, handy map somehow got thrown out. Last time I saw it, it was on the table by Bob's chair. I had shown it to him, and neglected to tape it back up so we don't lose it, mind you, but it got covered with some torn-in-half junk mail and voila'. Thankfully, we were able to find an old email, and google-earthed it. Best to let the driver of our family see the route ahead of time, in my opinion. Google earth estimates a two hour drive up unpaved roads to the campsite from the hotel??!! Yikes. What an adventure. Our minivan is not a four-wheeler. Whoa.
I can't wait to see great-nephews in person that we have only seen in pictures!
And it sounds like it is turning into a family reunion with most of Bob's siblings coming---if not all.
Bob's youngest sister (what, twenty minutes younger than her sisters) has been married almost thirty years. They are going to do a renewal of their vows. I keep calling it a re-en-actment. But, that makes my family laugh at me for some reason. We were not able to attend the original wedding thirty years ago because Bob was in the Army and we were stationed across the country at Fort Stewart at the time. But, I heard it was lovely. There was the famous family heirloom bridal veil. And it was held in a quaint little old church with no air-conditioning, near El Paso, at the end of June...114 degrees??!! But, it was dry heat. What fun ! And they went camping for their honeymoon. What brave souls.
The bags are packed. Yes, huge clear ziplock baggies. Our good Lands End luggage went with our sons as they left home. I like the ziplock bags because you can see at a glance where the socks and essentials are hidden. I packed Bob's with one pair of jeans, two t-shirt choices (patriotic and plain and spiritual messages) and two polo shirt choices, two pair underwear, two pair socks, and a pair of jogging shorts for lounging around/modesty. (One year I packed my then six-year-olds clothing in just stacks in the suitcase for that trip west with Dad and was amused to see my dear son still dressed in pjs at Mount Rushmore in their vacation pictures.)
Cooler is ready. I have been making ice cubes for weeks. Silly me---it dawned upon me that a gallon jug of ice might work just as well to keep the precious coffeemate liquid fresh. Bob prefers coffeemate french vanilla. I like the new tirimisu. Yum. Powdered instant coffee is great to have on hand to ramp up the iced coffees. Wasn't it McDonalds that started the iced coffee craze? It is so much better to get your jolt from iced coffee than from scalding, in my opinion.
Knitting. Check. Huge balls of cotton yarn at the ready. Knitting needles, scissors, crochet hook (for tucking in the strings) and an envelope to mail them to my dear friend in Ennis if I don't find any takers along the way. Walmart carries the yarn I use, but the newer ones do not, so just in case... But, I do like checking out Walmart in other cities, don't you?? Smaller, friendlier, yet the same stuff, which is somehow comforting as some socks need replaced pretty soon.
I'd like to see some stars. We live in a very busy, very bright area of Texas, and our huge oak trees block the sunsets, too. The stars we see are just the major ones, like Orion, and the Big Dipper. I hope we get to see the whole shebang one night or two.
Soon as Bob has given that Sunday School lesson tomorrow...
Soon as we go through that checklist...
Soon as we top off the kitty's food and water. (She spotted the bags and is on to us. At least the cat is healthier this trip. When we went to a wedding in Georgia last month, we came home to a full catfood dispenser, and puny cat on her death bed. She is down to just a few of her nine lives, but thankfully, still alive. Sallycat thinks my shoulders and lap are a good perch once a day. She does not always warn me that she is about to leap. I have the holes on my arms to prove it.)
We will be bringing the Scrabble game along. We hauled it all over the west last August picking up James in Washington state, and never played a game. But, the Georgia wedding trip found us buying a cheap set to satisfy a challenge among Bob's brothers. In one last game today, Bob was mighty quick to slap an "S" on the top of my huge word, "MOTHERING". But, I did lay it on the triple, and beat him again.
The back yard is mowed. Whoops---better hunt the sweaty mowing clothes down and give them a wash so that we don't come home to a house smelling like sweaty mowing clothing.
We took our first trip sans children at Spring Break to see the Grandbaby. Second trip this year was the wedding in Georgia with the blooming Mimosa trees. And swinging north to see James at Fort Knox. This will be our third road trip this year. We are getting good at (picky) finding hotels with double showers, first floor, king size bed, no smoking. We are not used to double showers at home, nor king sized bed. A bed as big as your bedroom---who thought of that! Who-hoo. Living high on the hog when we travel, we do. I still remember the ladybug convention atop that Volcano in New Mexico, Capulin, last summer. And the humming birds that liked my red shirt atop the mountain passes in Colorado. That was fun.
I remembered to notify the children this time. There was some complaint from the youngest that we did not tell him about the last trip. I text messaged him from that same spot he helped make so memorable with his brother so many years ago---that Exit P-P in Missouri, which little boys can take very literal and we have the picture to prove it.
Stop mail online. How easy is that!!! And try to achieve that we-are-still-home look with lights and radio, and shoes positioned just so. And hope that if/when our youngest does visit or check on the cat that he remembers to lock the front door?! Many a time we have come home from church and wondered what distracted one of our dear sons from pulling the front door shut on their way out. Was it a cup of hot coffee? Dropping their tie? Forgetting their Bible? How could you not lock the front door? Another mystery that will not be solved until heaven home when we ask to see the video. One video I can't wait for God to show me is which little toddler shoved the garden hose up into the dryer vent and which one turned on the water??!!! We could never get a conclusive confession.
Still need to get a new roof put on. And the weeds out front---will the city understand when I say I am going for that "natural" look. Xeriscope or something?
Sorry if you live south of us. It is just too darn hot to travel to your climes. And with flooding along the Mississippi, better avoid that area of the country for a while. The pictures are amazing. Poor pigs trapped on roofs of barns and houses. Water up to the roof tops. Block after block of submerged devestation. The blog stories of little towns that might be gone forever is heart wrenching. Sometimes little towns die because the railroad did not come through there, or because the jobs went elsewhere. But, it is sad when families, generations cannot go home because home has been swept away.
We'll be blogging about our adventures. Looking for blog fodder along the way, so stay tuned. And with our cell phones leashes handy, only a phone call away. We even have the nifty recharger thingy for in the car that plugs into the old timey cigarette lighter. It snaps my thumb every time I press the recoil, just like a tape measure. You'd think I'd learn...
We sent pictures of new chairs to firstborn, and he is convinced that we are about to install a jacuzzi and buy a bass boat with all our new found riches (i.e. birdies flown the nest). So, maybe along the way, we can stage a few shots of the old folks standing in a jacuzzi or by a bass boat. I have not posted pictures in a while, have I? Well, then, I'd better get busy looking for interesting pictures to blog here for our fans, hadn't I!!!
Sunsets. Mountains.
But first, to pack. And then there is the last minute check off list. Do you ever add stuff to the list afterwards and give it that satisfying check?
You'd think we'd save the list from trip to trip. But, no. Alas. I am a throw away person. If something is not used nor needed, it is thrown away. Even the invitation to this next event, that we received back in January, which was carefully taped to the shelf for months...even that invitation with the nifty, handy map somehow got thrown out. Last time I saw it, it was on the table by Bob's chair. I had shown it to him, and neglected to tape it back up so we don't lose it, mind you, but it got covered with some torn-in-half junk mail and voila'. Thankfully, we were able to find an old email, and google-earthed it. Best to let the driver of our family see the route ahead of time, in my opinion. Google earth estimates a two hour drive up unpaved roads to the campsite from the hotel??!! Yikes. What an adventure. Our minivan is not a four-wheeler. Whoa.
I can't wait to see great-nephews in person that we have only seen in pictures!
And it sounds like it is turning into a family reunion with most of Bob's siblings coming---if not all.
Bob's youngest sister (what, twenty minutes younger than her sisters) has been married almost thirty years. They are going to do a renewal of their vows. I keep calling it a re-en-actment. But, that makes my family laugh at me for some reason. We were not able to attend the original wedding thirty years ago because Bob was in the Army and we were stationed across the country at Fort Stewart at the time. But, I heard it was lovely. There was the famous family heirloom bridal veil. And it was held in a quaint little old church with no air-conditioning, near El Paso, at the end of June...114 degrees??!! But, it was dry heat. What fun ! And they went camping for their honeymoon. What brave souls.
The bags are packed. Yes, huge clear ziplock baggies. Our good Lands End luggage went with our sons as they left home. I like the ziplock bags because you can see at a glance where the socks and essentials are hidden. I packed Bob's with one pair of jeans, two t-shirt choices (patriotic and plain and spiritual messages) and two polo shirt choices, two pair underwear, two pair socks, and a pair of jogging shorts for lounging around/modesty. (One year I packed my then six-year-olds clothing in just stacks in the suitcase for that trip west with Dad and was amused to see my dear son still dressed in pjs at Mount Rushmore in their vacation pictures.)
Cooler is ready. I have been making ice cubes for weeks. Silly me---it dawned upon me that a gallon jug of ice might work just as well to keep the precious coffeemate liquid fresh. Bob prefers coffeemate french vanilla. I like the new tirimisu. Yum. Powdered instant coffee is great to have on hand to ramp up the iced coffees. Wasn't it McDonalds that started the iced coffee craze? It is so much better to get your jolt from iced coffee than from scalding, in my opinion.
Knitting. Check. Huge balls of cotton yarn at the ready. Knitting needles, scissors, crochet hook (for tucking in the strings) and an envelope to mail them to my dear friend in Ennis if I don't find any takers along the way. Walmart carries the yarn I use, but the newer ones do not, so just in case... But, I do like checking out Walmart in other cities, don't you?? Smaller, friendlier, yet the same stuff, which is somehow comforting as some socks need replaced pretty soon.
I'd like to see some stars. We live in a very busy, very bright area of Texas, and our huge oak trees block the sunsets, too. The stars we see are just the major ones, like Orion, and the Big Dipper. I hope we get to see the whole shebang one night or two.
Soon as Bob has given that Sunday School lesson tomorrow...
Soon as we go through that checklist...
Soon as we top off the kitty's food and water. (She spotted the bags and is on to us. At least the cat is healthier this trip. When we went to a wedding in Georgia last month, we came home to a full catfood dispenser, and puny cat on her death bed. She is down to just a few of her nine lives, but thankfully, still alive. Sallycat thinks my shoulders and lap are a good perch once a day. She does not always warn me that she is about to leap. I have the holes on my arms to prove it.)
We will be bringing the Scrabble game along. We hauled it all over the west last August picking up James in Washington state, and never played a game. But, the Georgia wedding trip found us buying a cheap set to satisfy a challenge among Bob's brothers. In one last game today, Bob was mighty quick to slap an "S" on the top of my huge word, "MOTHERING". But, I did lay it on the triple, and beat him again.
The back yard is mowed. Whoops---better hunt the sweaty mowing clothes down and give them a wash so that we don't come home to a house smelling like sweaty mowing clothing.
We took our first trip sans children at Spring Break to see the Grandbaby. Second trip this year was the wedding in Georgia with the blooming Mimosa trees. And swinging north to see James at Fort Knox. This will be our third road trip this year. We are getting good at (picky) finding hotels with double showers, first floor, king size bed, no smoking. We are not used to double showers at home, nor king sized bed. A bed as big as your bedroom---who thought of that! Who-hoo. Living high on the hog when we travel, we do. I still remember the ladybug convention atop that Volcano in New Mexico, Capulin, last summer. And the humming birds that liked my red shirt atop the mountain passes in Colorado. That was fun.
I remembered to notify the children this time. There was some complaint from the youngest that we did not tell him about the last trip. I text messaged him from that same spot he helped make so memorable with his brother so many years ago---that Exit P-P in Missouri, which little boys can take very literal and we have the picture to prove it.
Stop mail online. How easy is that!!! And try to achieve that we-are-still-home look with lights and radio, and shoes positioned just so. And hope that if/when our youngest does visit or check on the cat that he remembers to lock the front door?! Many a time we have come home from church and wondered what distracted one of our dear sons from pulling the front door shut on their way out. Was it a cup of hot coffee? Dropping their tie? Forgetting their Bible? How could you not lock the front door? Another mystery that will not be solved until heaven home when we ask to see the video. One video I can't wait for God to show me is which little toddler shoved the garden hose up into the dryer vent and which one turned on the water??!!! We could never get a conclusive confession.
Still need to get a new roof put on. And the weeds out front---will the city understand when I say I am going for that "natural" look. Xeriscope or something?
Sorry if you live south of us. It is just too darn hot to travel to your climes. And with flooding along the Mississippi, better avoid that area of the country for a while. The pictures are amazing. Poor pigs trapped on roofs of barns and houses. Water up to the roof tops. Block after block of submerged devestation. The blog stories of little towns that might be gone forever is heart wrenching. Sometimes little towns die because the railroad did not come through there, or because the jobs went elsewhere. But, it is sad when families, generations cannot go home because home has been swept away.
We'll be blogging about our adventures. Looking for blog fodder along the way, so stay tuned. And with our cell phones leashes handy, only a phone call away. We even have the nifty recharger thingy for in the car that plugs into the old timey cigarette lighter. It snaps my thumb every time I press the recoil, just like a tape measure. You'd think I'd learn...
We sent pictures of new chairs to firstborn, and he is convinced that we are about to install a jacuzzi and buy a bass boat with all our new found riches (i.e. birdies flown the nest). So, maybe along the way, we can stage a few shots of the old folks standing in a jacuzzi or by a bass boat. I have not posted pictures in a while, have I? Well, then, I'd better get busy looking for interesting pictures to blog here for our fans, hadn't I!!!
Friday, June 20, 2008
What Jesus Said
Re-reading the words Jesus spoke in Matthew again, I keep coming back to the verses right after “The Lord’s Prayer” in Matthew 6. As Christians we are often guilty of lifting verses out of context. And while the Lord’s Prayer is good, and memorized by almost everyone, it is good to read it in context every once in a while. And to be reminded:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
If therefore the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
At first, it looks like an analogy. Clear eye plus light equals whole body full of light. Bad eye? Why not blindness? If the light that is in you is darkness---is this talking about character?
The very next verse talks about: No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?
And now comes a lot about being anxious. And how: your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
God knows we need food, water, clothing.
Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
The very next verse is the most quoted verse in all the world. If a person only knows one verse of the whole Bible, especially if that person does not want to dwell on the fact that there is a God with perfect standards, and to God we will all be accountable, then, they know this verse: Do not judge lest you be judged.
The very next verse says: For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. (So, it looks like there is some judging going on, but do it fairly, knowing that you are not perfect either?)
And the whole next section confirms this in context. It does not say be apathetic about others and their problems. It does say, don’t be a hypocrite. First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. (it is not just a waste, but the danger of violent reaction---I had not noticed that part in a few readings through.)
ASK
SEEK
KNOCK
Jesus reminds us. If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!
And this is where we get the golden rule. Do unto others… however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Jesus warns us to beware the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.
(and unless you observe and “judge” others fruits…)
Jesus tells us in Matt 8:11 that many shall come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven,…
So don’t let anyone say there will not be eating in heaven.
What will we say to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob? I read your stories in the Bible. I heard your stories preached. But, what was it like? And what do you think now as you see God fulfill all those promises He made to you?
Won’t heaven be fun? We will sit and learn and marvel.
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
If therefore the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
At first, it looks like an analogy. Clear eye plus light equals whole body full of light. Bad eye? Why not blindness? If the light that is in you is darkness---is this talking about character?
The very next verse talks about: No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?
And now comes a lot about being anxious. And how: your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
God knows we need food, water, clothing.
Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
The very next verse is the most quoted verse in all the world. If a person only knows one verse of the whole Bible, especially if that person does not want to dwell on the fact that there is a God with perfect standards, and to God we will all be accountable, then, they know this verse: Do not judge lest you be judged.
The very next verse says: For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. (So, it looks like there is some judging going on, but do it fairly, knowing that you are not perfect either?)
And the whole next section confirms this in context. It does not say be apathetic about others and their problems. It does say, don’t be a hypocrite. First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. (it is not just a waste, but the danger of violent reaction---I had not noticed that part in a few readings through.)
ASK
SEEK
KNOCK
Jesus reminds us. If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!
And this is where we get the golden rule. Do unto others… however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Jesus warns us to beware the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.
(and unless you observe and “judge” others fruits…)
Jesus tells us in Matt 8:11 that many shall come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven,…
So don’t let anyone say there will not be eating in heaven.
What will we say to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob? I read your stories in the Bible. I heard your stories preached. But, what was it like? And what do you think now as you see God fulfill all those promises He made to you?
Won’t heaven be fun? We will sit and learn and marvel.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
New Bifocals
I think I am going to have to take these bifocals back. They reveal way too many cobwebs.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
God's Way is Best
Thus Says The LORD
(A phrase that appears 418 times in 416 verses.)
According To The Word Of The LORD
(29 in 29 verses)
Declares The Lord
(346 in 336 verses)
The Word of the Lord
(256 times in 254 verses)
God said
(46 times in 46 verses)
Jesus said, If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
That makes us responsible to know what God said, right?
What other phrases establish or proclaim God's perfect authority?
What other verses challenge us to know and obey God's way?
We can't love God on our own power. He gives us the power, the Holy Spirit, and the desire. We don't obey for salvation, but because He rescued us and we are amazed, and compelled because we know His way of doing things is best.
(A phrase that appears 418 times in 416 verses.)
According To The Word Of The LORD
(29 in 29 verses)
Declares The Lord
(346 in 336 verses)
The Word of the Lord
(256 times in 254 verses)
God said
(46 times in 46 verses)
Jesus said, If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
That makes us responsible to know what God said, right?
What other phrases establish or proclaim God's perfect authority?
What other verses challenge us to know and obey God's way?
We can't love God on our own power. He gives us the power, the Holy Spirit, and the desire. We don't obey for salvation, but because He rescued us and we are amazed, and compelled because we know His way of doing things is best.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Circumcision, A Sensitive Subject
I realize that circumcision is a very sensitive subject. But, I get so angry when I hear about little girls being circumcised in the religion that is Islam. Circumcision is ONLY for males. Let's look at what the BIBLE says about the subject:
According to a Quickverse search, circumcise/circumcision appear 87 times in 74 verses. And the word "foreskin" only appears eleven times in eleven verses.
The first occurrence is found in the story of Abraham. Circumcision of the foreskin of the males of Genesis 17 was to be a sign of the Covenant between God and the Jews. Abraham was 99 years old, his son Ishmael was thirteen years old, and all the males in Abraham's entourage---male servants, male shepherds, even male slaves bought with money were circumcised that day. And God ordered that from then on, a male baby was to be circumcised on the eighth day. Uncircumcised males were to be cut off from his people, God said, because "he has broken My Covenant." One year later, the Son of the Promise, Isaac, was circumcised on the eighth day.
Moses' wife, Ziporrah, called her husband "a bridegroom of blood" when she had to use a flint to cut off the foreskin of her son in Exodus 4:25. Moses had neglected this duty, and almost died for it. God required this to be done before Moses could appear before Pharoah in Egypt to let God's People GO ! Zipporah appears in the Cecile B. DeMille version of the Exodus, but in the BIBLE, we don't see Zipporah again until her father, Jethro visits Moses AFTER the Exodus and tries to return Zipporah and give Moses advice on delegating responsibilities. Moses respected his father-in-law. So, in my opinion, God used this test to weed out the weaker link, Zipporah, on their way to Egypt.
King Saul was probably hoping that the bride price of one-hundred foreskins would get David killed. But, David killed 200 Philistines in battle all by himself, and his buddies contributed the enemy they had killed. Wouldn't you like to see the assembly line for that? This is a bride price that David never lets his first wife forget. Maybe she had some beaten gold foreskins made into a necklace to commemorate the event?
Deuteronomy 10:16 says to "Circumcise then your heart, and stiffen your neck no more." And again in Deuteronomy 30:6 we read: "The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants to love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul in order that you may LIVE!" (emphasis mine)
The book of Romans has the most New Testament references as the early church battles with following the Law to the letter, and grafting in the Christian Gentiles. Paul points out that circumcision was an OUTWARD SIGN, never a means of salvation. Sadly, there will be a lot of circumcised men in Hell forever.
Again, I can't emphasize enough, that circumcision was only for MALES. Never females. Never. Ever. Never. The brutal mutilation of females in Islam is cruel, based on superstition, and murder, as many little girls die each year when unsanitary conditions and unsanitary tools are used on them. The practice should be condemned world wide.
Circumcision in the Bible, continued…
Jeremiah 9:25 is the last occurrence on the Old Testament. Lets get a running start from verse 24:
“…But let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindess, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD. “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet uncircumcised---Egypt, Judah, and Edom, and the sons of Ammon, and Moab and all those inhabiting the desert who clip the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart.”
The outward sign of circumcision is nothing without the inward spiritual.
The first circumcision in the New Testament is baby John on the eighth day, Luke 1:59. Baby JESUS is the next mention in Luke 2:21.
Jesus discusses His reasons for healing on the Sabbath and compares it to circumcising on the Sabbath in John 7:22 and 23.
Dealing with uncircumcised new Christians, and eating with uncircumcised Gentiles was a shock to the systems of the Jews as seen in the book of Acts 10:45 and 11:2. The Apostle Peter had to relate the vision and direct instructions he had received from God as uncircumcised Gentiles are grafted into Christianity. Israel rejected their Messiah, so the dispensation of Israel is set aside, and the Church Age begins. There are seven years left of the dispensation of Israel, so God will not only finish it, but set in place one thousand years of perfection when Jesus comes back and rules, and sets everything right.
The Pharisees thought that circumcision and keeping the Law was necessary for salvation, but the apostles fight this notion throughout the rest of Acts and into the Church Age. Paul circumcises Timothy because it was a distraction from giving the Gospel.
Circumcision in the New Testament book of Romans:
2:25 For indeed circumcision is of value, if you practice the Law, but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
2:26,27,28,29 and in the very next chapter:
3:1- Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God. What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar…
Romans 3:30 since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.
(And Abraham’s circumcision is explained in great detail in the very next chapter of Romans 4 and we see what our attitude as Christians should be.)
Abraham believed in God while uncircumcised, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Salvation is a free gift. Paul puts it so well. Please read Romans 4.
To the Corithians, Paul says: “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matter is keeping the commandments of God.
That’s right, as Christians, we are saved by faith in the work of Jesus on the Cross, and only by faith in that same Jesus on a daily, hourly basis, can we keep His instructions.
Paul deals with the subject in the book of Galations, one of the earliest letters he wrote, and which was circulated and read and made a part of the New Testament cannon of Scripture. Galations 2:3, 7, 8, 9, and 12 and in Galations 5:2, 3, 6, and 11. And in Galations 6:12, 13, 15 and in Colossians and Philippians.
Let me say again, circumcision in the New Testament was only for males, and usually performed the eighth day as the Old Testament commanded. It was NEVER a source of salvation. It was a sign, a teaching tool. After Jesus, the Perfect Jew, came and fulfilled the Law completely, and perfectly, and died on the Cross and was raised on the third day, just as He promised, the practice of circumcision was not required among the new Christians who were Gentiles. God came down pretty hard on any still confused by 70 AD when Jerusalem fell to the Romans. Christianity is about putting our faith in Jesus as the Savior, the only Perfect Person, who came, just as He promised throughout the Old Testament that He would. And we believe Jesus is coming back, just as He Promised.
Circumcision today on males has been practiced in the USA for over one hundred years as a merely hygienic practice. My father, my brothers, my husband, my sons are all circumcised. I have heard that the practice is falling out of style among the medical community. That is sad. Because I believe it is cleaner, and reduces infection in the wives when their husbands are circumcised.
I can NOT say it enough. Circumcision is only to be performed on males. It is never for females. Period.
Colossians 3:9-17 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him---a renewal in which there is NO distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, Christ is all, and in all. And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
According to a Quickverse search, circumcise/circumcision appear 87 times in 74 verses. And the word "foreskin" only appears eleven times in eleven verses.
The first occurrence is found in the story of Abraham. Circumcision of the foreskin of the males of Genesis 17 was to be a sign of the Covenant between God and the Jews. Abraham was 99 years old, his son Ishmael was thirteen years old, and all the males in Abraham's entourage---male servants, male shepherds, even male slaves bought with money were circumcised that day. And God ordered that from then on, a male baby was to be circumcised on the eighth day. Uncircumcised males were to be cut off from his people, God said, because "he has broken My Covenant." One year later, the Son of the Promise, Isaac, was circumcised on the eighth day.
Moses' wife, Ziporrah, called her husband "a bridegroom of blood" when she had to use a flint to cut off the foreskin of her son in Exodus 4:25. Moses had neglected this duty, and almost died for it. God required this to be done before Moses could appear before Pharoah in Egypt to let God's People GO ! Zipporah appears in the Cecile B. DeMille version of the Exodus, but in the BIBLE, we don't see Zipporah again until her father, Jethro visits Moses AFTER the Exodus and tries to return Zipporah and give Moses advice on delegating responsibilities. Moses respected his father-in-law. So, in my opinion, God used this test to weed out the weaker link, Zipporah, on their way to Egypt.
King Saul was probably hoping that the bride price of one-hundred foreskins would get David killed. But, David killed 200 Philistines in battle all by himself, and his buddies contributed the enemy they had killed. Wouldn't you like to see the assembly line for that? This is a bride price that David never lets his first wife forget. Maybe she had some beaten gold foreskins made into a necklace to commemorate the event?
Deuteronomy 10:16 says to "Circumcise then your heart, and stiffen your neck no more." And again in Deuteronomy 30:6 we read: "The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants to love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul in order that you may LIVE!" (emphasis mine)
The book of Romans has the most New Testament references as the early church battles with following the Law to the letter, and grafting in the Christian Gentiles. Paul points out that circumcision was an OUTWARD SIGN, never a means of salvation. Sadly, there will be a lot of circumcised men in Hell forever.
Again, I can't emphasize enough, that circumcision was only for MALES. Never females. Never. Ever. Never. The brutal mutilation of females in Islam is cruel, based on superstition, and murder, as many little girls die each year when unsanitary conditions and unsanitary tools are used on them. The practice should be condemned world wide.
Circumcision in the Bible, continued…
Jeremiah 9:25 is the last occurrence on the Old Testament. Lets get a running start from verse 24:
“…But let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindess, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD. “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet uncircumcised---Egypt, Judah, and Edom, and the sons of Ammon, and Moab and all those inhabiting the desert who clip the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart.”
The outward sign of circumcision is nothing without the inward spiritual.
The first circumcision in the New Testament is baby John on the eighth day, Luke 1:59. Baby JESUS is the next mention in Luke 2:21.
Jesus discusses His reasons for healing on the Sabbath and compares it to circumcising on the Sabbath in John 7:22 and 23.
Dealing with uncircumcised new Christians, and eating with uncircumcised Gentiles was a shock to the systems of the Jews as seen in the book of Acts 10:45 and 11:2. The Apostle Peter had to relate the vision and direct instructions he had received from God as uncircumcised Gentiles are grafted into Christianity. Israel rejected their Messiah, so the dispensation of Israel is set aside, and the Church Age begins. There are seven years left of the dispensation of Israel, so God will not only finish it, but set in place one thousand years of perfection when Jesus comes back and rules, and sets everything right.
The Pharisees thought that circumcision and keeping the Law was necessary for salvation, but the apostles fight this notion throughout the rest of Acts and into the Church Age. Paul circumcises Timothy because it was a distraction from giving the Gospel.
Circumcision in the New Testament book of Romans:
2:25 For indeed circumcision is of value, if you practice the Law, but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
2:26,27,28,29 and in the very next chapter:
3:1- Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God. What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar…
Romans 3:30 since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.
(And Abraham’s circumcision is explained in great detail in the very next chapter of Romans 4 and we see what our attitude as Christians should be.)
Abraham believed in God while uncircumcised, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Salvation is a free gift. Paul puts it so well. Please read Romans 4.
To the Corithians, Paul says: “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matter is keeping the commandments of God.
That’s right, as Christians, we are saved by faith in the work of Jesus on the Cross, and only by faith in that same Jesus on a daily, hourly basis, can we keep His instructions.
Paul deals with the subject in the book of Galations, one of the earliest letters he wrote, and which was circulated and read and made a part of the New Testament cannon of Scripture. Galations 2:3, 7, 8, 9, and 12 and in Galations 5:2, 3, 6, and 11. And in Galations 6:12, 13, 15 and in Colossians and Philippians.
Let me say again, circumcision in the New Testament was only for males, and usually performed the eighth day as the Old Testament commanded. It was NEVER a source of salvation. It was a sign, a teaching tool. After Jesus, the Perfect Jew, came and fulfilled the Law completely, and perfectly, and died on the Cross and was raised on the third day, just as He promised, the practice of circumcision was not required among the new Christians who were Gentiles. God came down pretty hard on any still confused by 70 AD when Jerusalem fell to the Romans. Christianity is about putting our faith in Jesus as the Savior, the only Perfect Person, who came, just as He promised throughout the Old Testament that He would. And we believe Jesus is coming back, just as He Promised.
Circumcision today on males has been practiced in the USA for over one hundred years as a merely hygienic practice. My father, my brothers, my husband, my sons are all circumcised. I have heard that the practice is falling out of style among the medical community. That is sad. Because I believe it is cleaner, and reduces infection in the wives when their husbands are circumcised.
I can NOT say it enough. Circumcision is only to be performed on males. It is never for females. Period.
Colossians 3:9-17 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him---a renewal in which there is NO distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, Christ is all, and in all. And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
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