Friday Photos

 

This picture was taken as Glen and I were walking downtown.  This little spot is nestled between two buildings and I was struck by its winsomeness.  It looked so welcoming and inviting I had to capture the image.

Don't Pack Your Fears

For several years, Glen and I enjoyed backpacking along the Appalachian Trail.  We have done hikes in Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia.

If you aren't familiar with backpacking, this is when you hike for several days, or in some cases months, and carry every thing you need on your back.  Our packs usually weighed about 25 -27 pounds fully loaded. Because you are carrying everything you need, and all those grams add up, it is important not to carry things you really don't need.  One of the temptations is to follow the "What if...?" line of thinking.

"What if I fall and cut myself badly?  I will need ...(insert whatever first aid supplies you think you may need).

"What if I lose my lighter?  I better take matches, too!"

"What if it gets really cold?  I better pack more clothes!"

This list could go on and on.

But if you pack for all your fears, you probably won't hike very long because your pack will just be too heavy.

In life, we also tend to "pack our fears".  We do things or think in certain ways that show we are looking more at our fears than the One Who has conquered all fear.  It is so easy to look out into the deep dark future and suppose there are all sorts of pitfalls and dangers awaiting us.  And sometimes there are.  But more importantly, if we are believers in the Lord Jesus, there is a kind and merciful God waiting to be everything we need in those times.  He wants us to trust in Him, rather than wallow in our fears.  The "what if..." question should always be answered with "God will be enough."  Period.  No matter what, as we trust Him, He will prove Himself faithful over and over and over again. No matter what.

Let us settle our fears by remembering these verses,

"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above 

all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 

unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, 

world without end. 

Amen."

Ephesians 3:30,21

Tuesday -- All Things Ellie

Ellie has some new friends.  

It amazes me how often she encounters different animals, but I didn't expect her to be meeting a couple of these animals.

We were walking around the local schoolyard, as we do several times a week. During this activity, I keep an eye ahead of me for things that might be a hazard to her. On this particular afternoon, I let my mind wander but was brought back to the moment very quickly. I took my next step only to see a snake between my legs! I did a pretty impressive vertical jump, along with a surprisingly loud scream. Ellie noticed the snake but did not seem to be as concerned about it as I was. For the snake's part, he quickly slithered away, and we haven't seen him, or any of his relations, again.

After that, I watched much more closely, especially in the areas closer to the neighboring creek. That may be why I noticed the family of four foraging in the brush by the fence. Actually, I heard them before I saw them, four armadillos.  

I was pretty surprised by the sight. The armadillos were on "our" side of the fence and busy looking through the weeds and grasses that were growing there. As soon as Ellie saw them, she wanted to investigate. I knew these animals were not ones I wanted her near, any more than the snake. While I didn't think they would be aggressive to her, I knew they could carry diseases, so I tried to pull her in the other direction.

Now, Ellie has a lot of muscle and is a strong dog for her size. It took a lot of pulling for me to get her away from the lure of a new animal. I managed to get her about six feet away when one of the armadillos really surprised me. It started following us! It was as curious about Ellie as she was about it! I pulled Ellie with even more determination and was finally able to get her on the other side of the schoolyard.

We saw this group again, foraging a little further down the fence on two subsequent days. However, I was looking and listening for them this time and was more easily able to keep Ellie away from them.

The last new animal for Ellie was a raccoon. Even though she never saw it, she clearly could smell it. We were walking along a row of azalea bushes, and one was quite full. I heard some rustling inside the bush. Ellie was sniffing the air, trying to locate the owner of the scent, when the raccoon turned in the opposite direction and scurried away. I thought at first it was a cat, but I was surprised to see it was a raccoon. 

Ellie also saw some animals she had seen before, but not in small sizes.  

Percival

One day, while we were looking for Percival and the new turtle on our property, Parnell, Ellie was going crazy by one of the bushes. At first, I couldn't see anything, but then I noticed right in front of her nose was a tiny turtle. It was a little bigger than a half-dollar.  I carefully picked it up and placed it in some leaves under the bushes where it would be safe from humans who might not even see it before stepping on it.

The Baby Turtle

Another tiny version of a familiar animal was the kittens. We have many feral cats in our neighborhood, and one of them must have had a litter of kittens under our neighbor's deck. Old enough now to wander around without their mother, one had made it under our fence while another stayed in safety on the other side as Ellie and I walked nearby. Ellie wanted to get closer to the kitten, but I wouldn't let her. I don't know if she was just curious or if she had that natural "It's a cat!" response that she has when seeing cats pass through our yard. Either way, it didn't matter; the kitten perceived danger and hurried under the fence to the safety under the deck.

I am always curious as to how Ellie will respond to other animals. And, of course, I also wonder if they will make it into one of Ellie's books one day.

Evidences Are All Around Us

 Yesterday, after our chapel meeting at a local nursing home, one of the residents told us of a story which happened when he was in a very difficult time.  He states that what occurred in the story was what proved to him that God was real.

I can't relate his story, because it is his story, not mine.  I can, however, tell you something that happened to me this week which was, in a small way, another of thousands of evidences in my life that God is indeed real.  Not only is He real, but He is active and involved in the lives of His people.  He is involved in my life.

My Bible with it's bookmarks

My habit for reading the Bible is to read three chapters each day.  On odd days I read one group and on even days the other.  The order of these reading take me through the sections of the Bible in sequence.

On this particular day, my readings were in Ezekiel, Luke and Revelation.  As I was finishing the chapter in Ezekiel, I came to this verse:

"And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none," Ezekiel 22: 30.

Reading this verse, I knew that ultimately, the Lord Jesus Christ was the man to "stand in the gap" for all of us.  Then I turned to the next bookmark in my Bible.  The chapter was Luke 23, the narration of the crucifixion of Jesus:

"And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.  And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said, 'Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit': and having said thus, He gave up the ghost."

Here was the clear description of the God-made-man, the Lord Jesus, "standing in the gap" between heaven and earth, for our sins.

The last bookmark took me to Revelation 19, the chapter where Jesus returns as "Lord of Lords" and "King of Kings"; returning to mankind as a conquering Savior.

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself. . . And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." Revelation 19: 12; 16.

These three passages so simply encompass the truth of the whole Bible.  Mankind needs a savior, but there is no man qualified to "stand in the gap".  Jesus became a man, lived a perfect life and died a sacrificial death to stand in that gap.  He returns to be the perfect King over His kingdom.  

For me, this small thing was a wonder and I believe a way the Lord was reminding me just how involved He is in my daily life.

"Call unto Me and I will answer thee, 

and shew thee great and mighty things, 

which thou knowest not."  

Jeremiah 33:3