Whispers, Lies and Reward

The demon assigned

to whisper

'No, you can't'

was 

overruled

by the Word

of the Lord

"I can 

do

all things

through Christ

Who

strengthens me."

And then

the demon

took the voice

of another

and said

'You can't.'

The piercing

went deeper

but

the Word

pierced more

dividing

soul and spirit

--asking--

"What

can man

do

to me?"

--and telling--

"I will

never

leave you

nor forsake

you."

In a rage

the demon

began

to lie 

more aggressively

in

the native tongue

of its father

but

the Word

more boldly

decreed

"A curse

without a cause

shall not

alight."

In a fury

the demon 

began to dig

frantically

a deep

pit

unaware

it had dug

its own grave

falling

headlong

fulfilling

God's promise

to His

beloved child:

"With

your eyes

alone,

you

shall see

the reward

of

the wicked."  

Palm Sunday Siesta and More

He stood so long during mass on Palm Sunday he was exhausted...

Not really...Mr. A usually enjoys a Sunday siesta and now that spring has sprung and the worst of the pollen has stopped in southern Georgia, we lounge the afternoon away in our vitamin D receptacles in the field in front of our home.  Soon enough it will be so hot we'll retreat to the shade of ornamental pear trees.  

The neck pillow was his mother's, one way he holds her memory close.  

The binoculars were used to spot a bald eagle.

The book is mine.

Enough evidence could not be collected to accuse Mr. A of being a book worm. He'd rather chop firewood, rebuild a carburetor, haul away scrap metal...well, you get the picture.  His belly was simply a book rest for a moment while I placed throws on my lounger.  Beautiful and sunny as it was, there was a chill in the air, seems there is always one last reminder of winter shortly before Easter.  

We spoke of airplanes, or rather he spoke of airplanes and I listened.  Military, trainers, experimental, passenger, you name it, he identifies it and never tires of the topic.  My take on a passenger airliner is sardines in a dirty Coke can, but you can't beat it for efficiency.  I loathe car travel, so it's a blessing to go see our children in Colorado in about the same amount of time it'd take us to drive to Atlanta.  (It dawned on me I number among those on earth who knew people from the pre-air travel era.)      

We spoke of parenthood; he said, "There are times you act lovingly when you're not necessarily feeling it."  It was a stripes-earned comment, surprised though, to hear it from him.  He almost always acted lovingly.  I told him he'd given me a tremendous gift with the way he conducted himself as a father.  I could never fault him for the examples he lived; he was a good role model for our sons.  Well, I did on occasion lob a complaint that I was more the disciplinarian than he, but all is well that ends well.  He was appreciative of my compliment and I'm appreciative I can lavish words of praise on him with no worry of him becoming puffed up.

From the visually euphoric vantage point of spring green...

  
(you can see the moon if you look closely at the center) ...we called our baby boy and his fiancee.  We discussed their upcoming wedding and a wedding guest book I created online for their approval.  Being able to talk on a telephone without a cord was unheard of in my childhood, but now we did just that, on speaker, so four people and the dog separated by over 1,600 miles could converse as if in the same room.  Not being confined to a room rocks!  

When the cool afternoon got even cooler, we went inside and another conversation on another device unheard of in my childhood commenced.  My older son and I were exchanging instant messages between his iPhone and my iPad.  I sent him a picture of a collaborative effort with his father, homemade Chicago deep dish pizza:

...and he replied he was booking a redeye.  We agreed to a call later and the call was via another communication miracle, Facetime.  It was dreamed of when I was a child--portrayed in a 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoon called The Jetsons:

  

And with someone's dream come true, our firstborn took us on a tour of a house he and his wife recently rented, upgrading in size from a pretty little townhouse they've occupied since their move out west last summer.  A gas stove and an outlet on the island, a cook's clever design!  After ten months of dues paying in a smallish galley kitchen, he and his wife will have plenty of counter space for collaborative culinary creations of their own plus room to dance.

Part of me wished I lived close enough to help them move and another part of me could rest easy--as the young people say now, "I got this."  They do indeed have their lives under control and their father and I can enjoy the blessing and security of knowing our children are wholly, completely self-sufficient. 

Plus a potential hernia might be avoided.

After all this glorious sunshine and pleasant conversation with our children, we marveled over that mysterious place where time goes.  We see each other looking not exactly like we did on our wedding day, but still, could we have grown children in such a lightning speed passage of time?  

The book of Ecclesiastes has an entire chapter devoted to the topic of time and it speaks of a gift from God, every man being able to eat and drink and enjoy the toil of his labor.  My labor led to the hard work of childrearing and we were fortunate enough these duties were done with reasonable success.  This blessed Sunday afternoon, we reaped the reward of sharing joy in our grown children's milestones, territory they are navigating beautifully on their own.     

Grilling Out For Two

I'm still in the wrapping-my-mind-around-it phase of re-learning life for two as opposed to three or four and any number of add-ons which accompanied the third and fourth members of our family established in 1986.  I'm getting on my own nerves with this topic as it's been nearly two years since our last nestling flew well and west.  Writing it out seems to help, though.

When the grill-meister, Mr. A, mentioned grilling out, I wasn't particularly enthused, but it was hard to resist his.  The next thing I know I'm kneading some Tastefully Simple seasoned salt and a little water into some ground beef and Mr. A is firing up the grill.  (I'm not a Tastefully Simple representative, so no self-interest in plugging their products.)  After making huge circles of raw beef, trying to accommodate for shrinkage, a generous amount of coarse ground pepper  and fire on both sides, voila!  We had tasty, homemade burgers for lunch.  

Mr. A salted tomato slices and ate them with relish, no, not literal relish, but like he was Georgia born and bred.  He has lived here 45 of his 61 years, so the culture really has rubbed off on him.  I'm not sure of the origin of the stinker in him, whether it was his birthplace of Ohio or his childhood home of Florida, but he doesn't mind wasting a pickle thrown in the dog's direction for the sheer entertainment of watching her immediately spit it back out.  She's not fond of tomatoes either, for the record.  

We rejoiced in the sunshine and we spoke frankly about where we are in life. We've signed all the pull-the-plug papers giving each other the legal right and blessing to do so.  I said to him I never want to be simply a body he has to bathe.  He said he didn't either, but life is a test and it isn't always fair.   

He then said he hoped we wouldn't have to take care of anyone else anytime soon.  That was after I mentioned many people my age, breathing on 52, are in the beginning stage of looking after their elderly parents.  My last parent was buried 12 years ago, so we were bonafide members of the sandwich generation.  Mr. A said we did that well.  Enough of that.    

He earns his relaxation daily by working hard and it's mighty gracious of him to say I earned my relaxation by what I did in the past, caring for children, an aging parent, and in time a brother.  I don't feel like I'm earning mine daily, I said to him, but I did mop the floors yesterday.

"That's important, too," he said in all seriousness following my less-than-serious remark.  It's a beautiful thing he appreciates the upkeep of our home.  I'm the first one to stand up for homemakers and what we do as a vocation, but I also have to admit it seemed to have more value when more people benefited from the labors.

It's a beautiful day to get over myself and any maudlin thoughts trying to creep in.  Lots of sunshine today and lots more tomorrow to stock up on before April comes in next week with afternoon thunderstorms.  Lunch dishes have been dealt with, Mr. A is mowing the lush, spring green grass and the afternoon is mine to do with as I choose.  My mission, this second half of life, is to choose well.  The afternoon's "activities" will consist of a book or two or three, some blessed sunshine and the time for some healthy self-talk, "It's OK.  Relax and enjoy.  You really did earn it."  

The Battle

The battle waged on
my spirit, my flesh
the minions were sent
to tempt, to assassinate
The Lord
to try, to purify
the choice was mine
all along--a lie!
Until I leaned on
rested in
and abode with
Him
I was defeated

My Man Mopping...

...and dancing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_XZQYiOJgg&feature=youtu.be

Banana Muffins

Streusel mishap, nonetheless tasty, the collision of a bunch of dark, spotty bananas on this island and a Pinterest page on the computer.  

Fueled by a big cup of Starbucks breakfast blend brewed at home, I was banging and clanging so in the kitchen, my bleary-eyed husband exited the bedroom and asked what kind of a car I was making.  I asked him what kind he wanted me to make.  He said, "The kind you'll ride in with me."  By then I was in his arms, my head on his shoulder thinking we already have one of those, an old Explorer, so banana muffins will do.

Before I go any further, giving credit where credit is due and acknowledging hers are much prettier, here is the recipe:    

http://www.inkatrinaskitchen.com/2011/02/coffee-shop-banana-streusel-muffins.html

I spared my dear readers the before pictures, step-by-step of the extraordinary mess in conjuring and share the completed sweetness along with an antique store crocheted doily and gifts of McCoy pottery from a cousin.  

My husband and I were discussing the countertops last night, nearly 29 years old and candidates for replacement.  My champagne wants range from granite to Corian, my working-man-side-of-town budget decrees laminate.  I could go granite, but that means not flying to Colorado to see my children, so the decision is, as the young people say, a no-brainer.  

I am thinking of a couple in town who make cabinets.  Around a quarter of a century ago, I was visiting them and saw their cabinets had an unexpected *patina* of scratches and gouges.  She shrugged, said she didn't care, they held what they needed to hold.  A bit later, she escorted me and my hungry infant to the master bedroom for some mealtime privacy and there for God-and-all-the-world-to-see was unattended to laundry.  

I liked that woman more that evening than when I arrived earlier.

My hope is you'll appreciate my less-than-Pinterest-perfect muffins for what they are.  They were tasty, otherwise I wouldn't have inflicted shared the recipe with you.  Just follow her instructions more carefully than I did and crumble the streusel with your fingers.  I used a fork and it clumped about as much as it would have if I used a spoon.

Thoughts on Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Obama

It is dawning on me the source of the hostilities between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu.  The United States is known as the super power of the world, but counterfeits exist where truth lies.  The title does not belong to the United States, but to Israel.  I heartily disagree with the manner our president has dealt with/is dealing with the prime minister, but it may be another step to boost Israel to its rightful place and position.  Perhaps the Lord does not want the prime minister seeking help from the U.S. for what He alone intends to grant His chosen people in the homeland He gave them.  

"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water:  He turneth it whithersoever He will."--Proverbs 21:1

The president's heart has been turned in this realm and the foolish fall in line with him.  Nonetheless, I do believe the U.S. will receive due punishment for any help denied/delayed.  The prime minister will do much better to seek the Hand of the Lord.  
-----------
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  May they prosper who love you."--Psalm 122:6 New American Standard Bible

Facebook Free, the First 24 Hours

Yawn.  

Really.

The Facebook account bearing my name has been deactivated for the Lenten season.  That's 40 days, count 'em, minus Sundays, until Easter.  

No withdrawals so far.  Those come later.    

Results for the first 24:  Extra time to think thoughts in my own mind rather than randomly consume others' plus myriad videos and tips on how to clean my home.  Add in extra time to actually clean my home as opposed to simply reading about it.    

Today I had contact with exactly two people on a friends list of nearly five hundred.  

Did I enjoy the banter with the other 494?  Absolutely.  

Was it mutual?  It genuinely seemed so.  

Did we enjoy it enough for an in-person get-together?

Crickets.

What about the last six-ish months?    

Let's see...Trinni, she's my niece.  

Lyndal and Keith...they're my cousins.

Jacqueline!  She and her dad surprised me last week with a visit.  I hadn't seen Jacqueline in twelve years.  She was two years old then and that was shortly after the dearest friend I've ever had in this life passed away, Jacqueline's mother.

Instant messaging...regularly with Amanda, and occasionally with Karmen, Linda, Angela and Lesia.  Condolence visits with Stan and Bobbie.  

There was Thanksgiving dinner with Jan and Dennis.  A baby shower for their daughter-in-law Megan, saw their son Brandon that day as well.

And FaceTime with Bill, can't forget Bill, my husband's cousin, what a hoot he is.      

Also with Thom, but he's my son.  Does that count?  

Interestingly enough, my children rarely interacted with me on Facebook, though I do commend them, well one of them, for regular contact with the 'rents.  The other I would classify as sporadic.  I spoke with him on the phone about that, and his recommendation for when I am missing them terribly is to think of the times they were @$$holes.

It doesn't work that way, but that's a blog post for another day.        

A phone call now and then from Diane, another cousin.  Oh yeah, we did have dinner together along with her friend Nina who became my Facebook friend afterwards.  I see Sue and Tracey at church number one I attend on Sunday morning.  At church number two, let's see, there's Judy, Mike, Marlana, David, Cayce.  More than one church is also a blog post for another day.  Suffice to say one cannot get enough of Jesus!    

I've counted twenty-seven people whom I've had contact with outside of Facebook in the last six months, twenty-seven of 496.  If my arithmetic is correct, I have had contact with 5.44% of my Facebook friends outside of Facebook.  

One of my sons is coming to visit this month, and the other is coming next month, but I'll not complicate future calculations with them. They're supposed to come see their mother occasionally when they've moved 1,600+ miles away from her!  These visits will also include a wife and a fiancee, which again would change the math, so I'm not counting them either.  Like their husband/fiancee, can't they be counted on for a visit out of love or obligation?  
    

And my contribution to this contrast of online friends versus the ones I've made the effort to visit in person?  Well, there is George, Sarah, Lesia, Dennis and Jan, Stan and Bobbie. That comes up to 1.41%.   Again, I'm not counting the flight I made to Colorado to see my children.  I'm supposed to do that, too, out of love, obligation, guilt or some mathematically incalculable combination of the three.    

And I just remembered my hairdresser.  I think the world of her.  She's a classmate from high school.  We have much in common, much to talk about, we both have two grown sons, but our friendship is primarily reserved for the time I'm in her chair, a business relationship with perks, I suppose.  

Indictment city?

Or just the non-reality of social media friendships?  Well, not "non" but single digit percentages hover dangerously near that region.  

The people on the other side of the screen liking and chatting online with me are quite real.  I tried to be considerate of their feelings, and the ones whom I'd have the most difficulty doing so with were on the blocked list.  If I'm going to communicate online with people I rarely see in person, I exercise the right to be choosy.   That is one striking similarity to my life on this side of the computer monitor.  

My friendships online were quite warm, loving even, but 95.6% of them didn't involve the warmth of a handshake or a hug.  Meetings of the mind and heart, admiring new grandbabies and giving congratulation where due are all lovely, but the part of me which grew up in the 20th century longs for friendships they way they were then.  

I have my work cut out for me in this busy, busy 21st century world, but my plan is to work harder on relationships in real time.  Therein is my on again off again relationship with Facebook.  I want something it seems not willing to give me, yet I return periodically to give it another chance.  What will it take for me to learn?  Is it so unreasonable to want to be in the presence of those I'm willing to share my heart with by the keystroke?  

My conclusion is I've traveled the lazy road.  With clicks on the keyboard, I racked up nearly 500 friends.  I've made the effort to be with 1.41% of them.  

1.41%.  Something to chew on.

Your percentage is probably higher.  I hope it is.  I could issue a challenge for you to do the same, but I question how many of us are truly ready for the answer.         

     

To Believe or Not to Believe

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.  Romans 12:3 New American Standard Bible


...with the faith God has distributed to each of you.  New International Version

...according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.  King James Version

Operating on the belief in the Word of God, everyone has been granted the gift of faith.  What one does with the gift is entirely up to the free will God also granted to mankind.  

Some have taken this measure of faith and thrown it out as completely irrational.  And in a way it is, at least as far as what man can prove in a laboratory.   As there is much yet which cannot be proven by our limited understanding of Science, a most extraordinary subject authored by the Lord, faith can't be measured in a test tube, but those who don't reject it find that their granted measure only increases with regular use.

Unbelievers taunt believers as blind followers, telling them, "We have Science."  Placing one's own mind above the Mind of the Creator, they deem themselves demi-gods of intellect within a brain subject to deterioration, a mind subject to dementia and delusions.  Thousands of years ago, the prophet Isaiah (40:22) told us the Lord is enthroned above the "circle" of the earth, but because of a few people whose understanding was not yet complete, unbelievers sometimes dismiss the whole lot of believers as "flat earthers."  

As the enemy tried to use the Word of God to tempt Jesus at a time when He was in a greatly weakened physical state, unbelievers twist the Word of God and taunt believers with vapid statements lifted out of context of the entire Truth in scriptures, saying such hogwash as the Bible approves of slavery and demeans women.  Why in the world would the scriptures contain such a dramatic story as the deliverance of God's chosen people from the pharaoh of Egypt if such a state were condoned?  Could someone have convinced the woman caught in adultery, the one whom Jesus saved from being stoned to death, the Word of God incarnate didn't believe in equal rights?

One of the names of the enemy of our souls is "accuser of the brethren."  Unbelievers, of course, wouldn't for a moment believe the accusations they shoot from their mouths, from the anonymity behind a computer screen, are downloaded into their minds from none other than the one more versed in the Word of God than most Christians.  They don't believe what they can't see yet who they cannot see is exploiting their pride in their perceived intellect to badger Christians.  Worse yet, many Christians aren't doing their homework, using their measure of faith to ask the Holy Spirit for further revelation of the truths of God, and they try to fight a battle unarmed using the same weapon as the enemies of truth:  worldly reason, logic, and intellect.

If you are a believer, don't enter the battle unarmed.  Study the Word of God.  Learn the ebb and flow of the obedience and disobedience of man to God.  Follow His loving pursuit of the hearts of His people beginning with the prophets and culminating at the cross of Christ, the ultimate gift of redemption to mankind.  Be confident that the  wisdom of man is foolishness to God.  (I Corinthians 3:19)  The greatest of scientists cannot see gravity nor explain fully the vastness of the universe.   Unbelievers will say we can't either, but the scripture deemed the world round before its occupants fully understood this.  Could it be that the universe and everything in it are held together by the very Word of God, the same Word that spoke it into being?  

The substance beneath our DNA has not been discovered.  It would be difficult indeed to see the spoken Word on a slide under a microscope, yet my faith tells me in time this will be the ultimate revelation to unbelievers.  They are just as free to disbelieve this as I am to believe it.  My measure of faith is aligned with the Word of God.  What little has been proven by Science doesn't contradict but proves His Word.  Humankind desperately yearns to know, to feed the insatiable god of intellect, but God's Word to believers is this:  "Knowledge begins with respect for the Lord, but fools hate wisdom and discipline.

If you truly believe, seek the Source of knowledge, wisdom, and discipline in the operator's manual He gave us all through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  Again, if you go to battle unarmed with this, you'll be soundly beaten and worse yet, in the unarmed vulnerability of ignorance of His Word, you may well be taken into captivity and held prisoner from the very One Who can save you.  Seek the Lord while He may be found.  Call on Him while He is near.  (Isaiah 55:6)  True believers won't be let down.  Weak ones will be strengthened.  Do not cast what is beautiful and precious before the swine of unbelief.  Know that the Lord desires to give good gifts to His children.  The ultimate gift He wants to give you is to know Him.  Go to the Source of all sound judgment, knowledge and understanding.  Why be convinced of anything or anyone less than He?   

Be Watchful

(written January 2014)

"Be watchful. A clear sign of someone’s character is how they treat people they don’t need."--Bishop T.D Jakes

Be wary of fair weather friends as well, those who lack courage and loyalty, but turn and run with the crowd.  When someone has meddled and undermined relationships with others and lets those actions stand without coming clean about them, forgive, but never lose sight of the fact you are dealing with a manipulator.

People operating in this manner have a way of letting the dust settle, communicating charmingly with you as if nothing happened, thinking it their right and privilege to resume relationship, when in reality those are the characteristics of a grace abuser. 

I've experienced this, held my peace for years, even when it was disclosed the party I reference was gossiping about me, veiling it as prayer requests.  

A dear friend who knows well the pain of "friends" running out when the social tide turned against her likened this type action to a spider's web.  The manipulator plucks strands of connection with friends or family or both with gossip and partial truths until only one is left, the one between you and them, achieving isolation of you, granting power to them.  They'll even try to comfort or counsel you in the predicament they arranged!    

Run from this emissary of the devil!              

Adding insult to injury, a person operating in this manner of deceit and control will try to turn the tables on a Christian, even using the Bible against them, sometimes trying to make one feel guilty saying they are the party in error for being in offense, causing strife, or holding a grudge.  

Make no mistake, reconciliation where there has been no repentance is not Biblical. Forgiveness and praying to God to bless your enemy is always in order, but we are to be wise and shrewd as well.  Until and unless a person acknowledges their role in dividing others, they will do it again.

Anytime my dear Grannie realized someone had done wrong to her, she would calmly quote in King James vernacular, "Vengeance is Mine, thus sayeth the Lord."  She'd follow by pointing out, "The Bible doesn't say you might reap, but you will reap."  My struggle has been in the wait time, but that was the lesson for me--did I trust the Lord to do what He said or not?

David, of Old Testament times, had to consciously make the decision to trust the Lord to deal, in His timing, with his enemy Saul's murderous intentions.  A person may not attempt to murder your body as Saul did David, but character assassination and alienation of affection are outgrowths of hate which the scripture likens to murder.

This was David's prayer of submission, entrusting right judgment to God alone. 

1 Samuel 24:12

"May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you."