Historical Darkness

Russ Lawson tells a story of when the Sun didn’t rise back in 1883, in New England. The people awoke to an eerie darkness. They went outside to do their chores in stony silence. No rooster crowed, no birds chirping, none of the usual sounds of a new day. At the very start, people began to gather in small groups to question what was happening, to wonder and discuss what was taking place. Slowly, people began to make their way to the Churches. They say that by twelve noon every Church in New England was filled to overflowing with people on their knees crying out to God. There were cries for mercy, people begging for forgiveness and others confessing their sins. They say that there were few people who didn't pray the day the sun didn't rise. The Churches were full late into the night.

As the next morning neared, great crowds began to gather on the hilltops and the high places near their homes and churches. People were staring toward the eastern horizon. Every eye was fixed on that point where the sky touched the land. Every eye watching, hoping to catch a glimmer of the first rays of the Sun. As the sun began to come up over the horizon, people began to shout and yell praise to God, they clapped, danced and rejoiced because the Sun shined on the land again. As if in one voice, they began to praise the Lord for the sunlight, the warmth and the joy of God's new day.

No news media back then. The people had no idea that on the Island nation of Indonesia, the sleeping giant of a volcano, Krakatoa, had come to life. They had no idea that this great mountain exploded and sent a huge cloud of dust and ash into the upper atmosphere. This black cloud would be carried around the world by the jet stream. It was said to cover whole regions, covering the sky from horizon to horizon. Few people had any idea that a volcano, half way around the world, could create such a cloud that could block out the Sun. Yet for most of those people that was the very first time they ever thanked God for the warmth and wonder of the Sun.

A pearl to string: We’ve had numerous heart wrenching disasters in this world with countless lives lost. We’ve turned our collective hearts toward the Lord for protection, safety and solace. Yet when we feel secure again, like a child who let’s go of their parent’s hand and runs into unsafe territory we have repeatedly let go of the Lord and wondered back into our perilous life styles.

I pray that the eyes of my heart as well as the eyes of your hearts will “Seek the LORD while he may be found. Call on him while he is near”. That we will not be tricked or distracted by the temptations this world has to offer. Amen and amen. (Isaiah 55:6)

Blessings with His love & grace to you all,
Lyndi

The Purpose of the Desert

by Os Hillman



Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. - Hosea 2:14

If you have an important message to convey to someone, what is the best means of getting the message through? Have you ever tried to talk with someone who was so busy you could not get him to hear you? Distractions prevent us from giving our undivided attention to the messenger. So too, God has His way of taking us aside to get our undivided attention.
For Paul, it was Arabia for three years;
for Moses, it was 40 years in the desert;
for Joseph, it was 13 years in Egypt;
for David, it was many years of fleeing from King Saul.

God knows the stubborn human heart. He knows that if He is to accomplish His deepest work, He must take us into the desert in order to give us the privilege to be used in His Kingdom. In the desert God changes us and removes things that hinder us. He forces us to draw deep upon His grace.

The desert is only a season in our life. When He has accomplished what He wants in our lives in the desert, He will bring us out. He has given us a mission to fulfill that can only be fulfilled after we have spent adequate time in preparation in the desert. Fear not the desert, for it is here you will hear God's voice like never before. It is here you become His bride. It is here you will have the idols of your life removed. It is here you begin to experience the reality of a living God like never before. Someone once said, "God uses enlarged trials to produce enlarged saints so He can put them in enlarged places!"

He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me(2 Samuel 22:20).

Hugs from Heaven

Sunday at church I turned to greet the person behind me. The nice young man proceeded to share with me how he had for some time wanted to tell me that his wife was really blessed by my devotionals. He told me that they really helped her through some very difficult times. His beautiful wife went into the waiting arms of Jesus this past December. I thought of that precious young mom all afternoon and a myriad of other beautiful friends that have gone to be with Jesus. How deeply we miss them and how difficult it is for their loved ones to walk this journey of grief.

Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 had to be written for such a time as this “The God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."

We do long to comfort one another. Our world is just coming at each one of us so fast. An interesting thing becomes visible in the depth of loss. I’ve observed an incredible beauty as sorrow winds down the path of life. Everything seems to slow down. Do you suppose that is a gift from God? Our grieving time is a time to reach up, a time to be blessed by our Father’s heart. It gives us time to gather the essence of our loved ones into our hearts and give thanks for what they gave to us. Like the Ray Boltz song, Thank You ‘for giving to the Lord I am a life that was changed’.

A pearl to string: You are the body of Christ, no matter how small you might feel, no matter how limited you might feel – you are a blessing to others. You are valuable beyond measure. Yes, YOU! Your smile alone shows God’s love to a stranger. You make a difference in many lives. And the people who know and love you thank God for you.

That dear young father and husband who is fighting his way through grief brought me a hug from heaven. I am so thankful and blessed.

"The dawn and the sunset shout for joy".
Psalm 65:8/TLB

Know you are dearly loved,
Lyndi

Black History Month

In 1995 at RFK Stadium in Washington DC Wintley Phipps gave the most poignant rendition of Amazing Grace I had ever experienced. It wasn't just a beautiful moving song it was a soul experience.

Happy Valentines Day

The Parable of the Fern and the Bamboo

One day, I decided to quit. I wanted to quit my job, to quit my relationships, to quit my spirituality; I even wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

"God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?"

His answer surprised me. "Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"

"Yes", I replied.

"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo."

"In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo."

"In the third year there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit."

"In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit."

"Then. in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant. But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge they could not handle." He said to me.

"Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots? I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you! Don't compare yourself to others. The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful. Your time will come," God said to me. "You will rise high".

"How high should I rise?" I asked.

"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.

"As high as it can?" I questioned.

"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can. And remember.. I will never leave you, nor forsake you. I will never give up on you. I will never, ever quit on you."
~~~~~~~~~~
Author Unknown

A pearl to string: Only the eternal, unchanging God is able to make the unparalleled promise of Hebrews 13:5, and keep it: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." The Greek verb translated "leave" actually has the idea of holding something loosely, or relaxing. The idea is that God is never casual or relaxed about his commitment to His people. He will never allow us to slip out of His grasp by holding us too loosely. He will never relax His vigilance over us. As Jesus said in John 10:28, "No one can snatch them out of my hand." So, the Lord is saying in this promise, "I will never leave you to stand alone. I will always be with you, supporting you by My omnipotent hand."

You are His if you want to be
You are loved,
Lyndi

Procyon lotor

My dogs were going crazy early this morning and there was a different kind of sound to their barking so I got up to investigate. They were still very agitated and poking their little white fluffy heads through the fence looking towards the street. I leaned over the fence with my trusty Moses staff in hand and there in the street in front of our house was a giant ring tailed possum – I yelled at him and hit the rocks with my staff and he scampered off. I have never seen him before but he's obviously very happy and fat in our neighborhood. As I was looking for a picture of the intruder I discovered it wasn’t a possum (where did I come up with that anyway?) it was one fat, really fat raccoon (Procyon lotor). It was much bigger than our two little Bichons combined. I also came across a hilarious description of one woman’s encounter that I have to share. I did a little editing for decency sake.

“Late last night my husband got up to let our dog out for his late-evening relief trip. I was upstairs in bed when I heard what sounded like two mountain lions trying to kill each other, which was closely followed by the sounds of my husband shrieking—er, screaming, not shrieking. Screaming in low, manly tones. I ran downstairs and out into the yard where our dog—a five pound, deaf, one-eyed, brain-damaged toy poodle (don’t ask)—was being chased in circles and occasionally tackled by a hissing, screeching 300 pound raccoon.

The raccoon was trying to kill—and eat—the dog. Once I was on the porch the husband ran inside, leaving me alone with the killer raccoon and the retarded poodle. I picked up four large table legs that were sitting on the porch. As soon I spotted a little space between the dog and the raccoon I hurled a table leg at the raccoon in an attempt to get the raccoon away from the dog. The table leg sailed through the air like a giant hurling lightning bolt.

Once I successfully separated the dog and the raccoon, I expected the dog to run into the house. Ah, nope. Our retarded dog, seeing the raccoon in retreat, concluded that he had the upper hand now, and proceeded to charge at the raccoon. The raccoon, seeing a dinner-sized dog coming back at him, proceeded to charge after the dog. The dog, suddenly remembering that the raccoon outweighed him by 295 pounds, proceeded to turn and run. I managed to separate the raccoon from the dog four times, and each time the dog went after the raccoon, which then went after the dog. I managed to separate the dog and the raccoon one last time just as the husband came back out of the house. He grabbed our retarded, suicidal poodle and dragged him inside”.

A pearl to string: Danger is lurking all around us though we may not even suspect. Life can change fast or end. Help - with skin on - isn’t always readily available. There are disasters that defy logic. Government may not have the answers you need. How do we keep from acting like that suicidal poodle? How can we keep from reverting to our old nature? The only way I know is to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge him, And he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) You don’t think hurling table legs was man’s idea do you? Oh, puh-leeez that was Holy Spirit inspired!

He’s got the whole world in His hands,
And you are loved,
Lyndi

In God We Still Trust by Diamond Rio