12 of 12 - November 2021

 Been a while since I've sat down to type anything - this will be a simple one... Trying to get back into #WordlessWednesday and #12of12...

God Makes a Way

Got this email today - one of the various devotional type emails I get... Since I've been so convicted about studying more, I stopped and read this one. WOW! Very well said! It's a great reminder that being a Christian is NOT always a rosy proposition here on earth. Our home is AFTER - we are pilgrims in this land - and this land is the land of the enemy! Satan has power over the earth, not Christians. 

Yes, God has the ultimate power over Satan, but that does't mean we won't be persecuted here. Actually it's just the opposite! We WILL be, and we should consider that a blessing!

In Matthew 5:10, Jesus himself says - Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

And then he says - 11Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

Note the key thing here - "because of righteousness" and then "because of Me." So the point is that people making fun of us for some reason of our OWN? That's not what He is talking about... He is talking about being mistreated because we choose to stand up FOR Him, or FOR his teachings, regardless of what the WORLD thinks!

Grateful That God Makes a Way

by Mary A. Kassian, from Growing Grateful

In the classic Broadway musical and film The Sound of Music, the Reverend Mother sends Maria away from the convent to work as a nanny for the Von Trapp family. Maria is unsettled at the idea of leaving the abbey and giving up on her dream of becoming a nun. The Reverend Mother reassures her with the now-famous cliché, “When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.” In other words, whenever one opportunity ends, another opportunity will come along — and it will probably be a better one. Sure enough, the closing abbey door leads to the opening of the window that ushers Fräulein Maria into the arms of the dashing Captain Von Trapp.

 

Though the cliché is meant to help people stay positive in the face of disappointment, it isn’t exactly true. God doesn’t promise that when something doesn’t work out, something better is waiting for us just around the corner. His pledge is far more substantive than that. He promises to sustain us amid life’s disappointments. When all the doors and windows remain shut, He helps us make our way through the dark room, and He sustains us. Our circumstances do not always change for the better. But we can be confident that He will use them to change us for the better.

 

‘I know the plans I have for you’ — this is the Lord’s declaration — ‘plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’. — Jeremiah 29:11

Garden Tomb

     I was driving to work this morning when I heard the familiar, yet different, sounds of a mandolin picking out the intro to a song. 

Back when we traveled with The Heaven's Echos, this was a song we would do quite often, and I played the mandolin part. (Actually, as an aside, kind of a funny story... We did the song Peace Within and I played the mandolin on it. Then we went into the studio to record Garden Tomb and I played that intro and break over and and over and over again - then Sunday we had a singing at a church and I could NOT for the life of me play Peace Within! Every time I tried it came out as Garden Tomb! LOL) It is a beautiful song with a beautiful message! 

I'm having trouble finding that particular version in Apple Music - but here's a link to one - https://music.apple.com/us/album/garden-tomb/282484922?i=282485102

Here's the lyrics - 

When Mary saw Jesus in the Garden so soon

She thought he was the keeper who watched o're the tomb.

But she knew it was Jesus when he turned to say

Go tell my disciples I have risen today.

Chorus...

Early one morning at the breaking of dawn

Two women went out to the garden alone.

They were going to anoint Jesus with spices that day

But Jesus had risen the stone rolled away.

When they stooped over to look in the tomb

Two angels were sitting in that little room.

Why seek ye the living among the dead

For Jesus had risen the angels then said.

Chorus...

Early one morning at the breaking of dawn

Two women went out to the garden alone.

They were going to anoint Jesus with spices that day

But Jesus had risen the stone rolled away.

When Mary told Peter that Jesus was gone

He ran to the garden and John came along.

But the tomb it was empty what marvelous grace

For there lies the napkin that covered his face.

Chorus...

Early one morning at the breaking of dawn

Two women went out to the garden alone.

They were going to anoint Jesus with spices that day

But Jesus had risen the stone rolled away.

Let's take a look at this, shall we? First, it talks of the first Easter Sunday morning! The glorious day of Jesus' resurrection! The first, and most IMPORTANT fact, is that Jesus rose from the dead! He became the perfect sacrifice for our sins so that we can live forever! Don't get so into the song that this one simple fact of the Gospels is overlooked, for without the shedding of His blood and our acceptance of it, there is no hope of salvation!

So, moving onto the song. Starting with John Chapter 20 - 

14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

So here we have Mary's interaction with Jesus, but she didn't know it was Him!

17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. 

(the emphasis is mine, to show what's mentioned in the song)

Moving to the chorus, we turn to Mark Chapter 16 - 

1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?

4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.

Now let's turn to Luke 24 - 

1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,

And back to Luke 24 - 

12 Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.

And finally back to John Chapter 20 - 

1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.

4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.

6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,

7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

Again - a GLORIOUS story, and told VERY very well in this song! One point that I must make, though, is the napkin. What's the significance of the napkin?!?

In the tradition of the time, if you got up from a meal and were finished, you would wipe your hands & face and just toss the napkin down. BUT - and this is extremely important - if you were NOT finished and you WERE COMING BACK, you folded your napkin neatly.

So what is Jesus saying? I'm stepping away from the table, but I'm not finished here on Earth. I WILL RETURN.

Hallelujah!!!!

Christian Monk

     While flipping through my magazines and devotions, I opened up The Voice of the Martyrs magazine - found here - https://www.persecution.com/free-magazine/

Now, this is the first time I've read it before, but an article really caught my eye! "The Monk Who Found Jesus." 

I want to make you aware of this, so you can pray for this man. Sejun was a Buddhist Monk in Nepal and... Well... Here, you can read it. :-) I was going to link to it, but I can't find the story online, but the magazine is free so I have no problem sharing it here...

Before you read it, though, please playfully consider praying for him! He has a father and brothers that are not saved... I think we all have loved ones that are on our hearts and minds, and we have it easy! I have time to type this, while he was just trying to survive!

Confession Time

     I was listening to Dr. Tony Evans on the way to work this morning and I was VERY very convicted of something... He mentioned Christians not having time to build the temple when they had time to 'panel their houses.' So we shouldn't make our house better with everything we have but ignore the Lord's house - got it. Simple enough.

Then he goes on to say, and this is where MY toes got sore, we as Christians are doing OTHER things instead of HIS things. Did you 'not have time' to read your devotional today? Really? What did you have time for then? Ouch...

So, first break I got, I grabbed the Voice of the Martyrs magazine and read the next story. Not really a devotional, but it really touched me. This person, Sara, is being threatened by anti-Christian people, yet she and her husband are still witnessing and giving out bibles and having bible study. One of the bibles they use? The ACTION BIBLE! I have a copy of this, but have only read a bit of it...

It's a graphic novel style bible. Yes - a comic book! I've become less enthralled with modern comics - Flash and Green Lantern have been favorites for years, but they just don't hold my attention right now, and then with the pro-gay 'agenda' now affecting comic books? I have less and less respect or desire to explore the genre. But the Action Bible! Now that's another story!

I picked up my comic at Christian Publishers Outlet - in Jackson, Tennessee. They show it online, but in the store it was, I think, $9.99. VERY much worth it!!!

So, I'm convicted now - how about you? What are YOU doing INSTEAD of reading, studying, spreading the word? I know what I'm doing - God has shown me and I'm asking for His help to overcome this in my life. How about you?

God Bless you, gentle reader...

Faith - Feet

 Been listening to a lot of Tony Evans' podcasts lately. He's doing a study of Hebrews and man is he on the mark!!! 

On a side note, would love to have a week long revival/study with him and our pastor together!!!

Anyway, it's about faith and I reference this - Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

He says that if we can see it, then it's not faith. It's only faith if we believe and ACT on it without seeing it first!

James 2:26 says -  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

So Dr. Evans likes to say that our FEET are what prove it. We can SAY we have faith, but if we don't ACT on it... Well... You can say you have faith you won't have a wreck, but you put on your seat belt "just in case." That's not faith - that's hope!

Today's Jesus Calling email is...

This made me think of something else Dr. Evans says - we are SAVED by what Christ did on the cross; we just accept it. But it's what we do IN FAITH after we are saved that makes a difference in the world! It's what allows Him to work through us! 

Keep that in mind today... And every day... I'm trying to as well...

God bless you, gentle reader...

Life Out There

I read magazines and other stuff (books, sometimes audio books) via the Libby app. I was reading a little one page article that I thought pointed to God as the creator of the universe, even if the scientists mentioned don't acknowledge Him. (this is from the November issue of Astronomy)

Note in the second column - the double slit. If you're not familiar with that, in laymen's terms all things are potential until someone observes it. Look it up if you're interested - it is VERY very interesting, and something that can be SHOWN with science. Very cool.

Anyway, I disagree with Schrodinger in that "life may be the result of an accident." I firmly believe "In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth" and that he put man on this planet. S goes on to say that Consciousness can NOT be an accident - that it can't be explained. Of course not! How can we describe the human soul?

The writer of the story goes on to posit that the universe might just be 'self aware.' It's like he's describing God! He goes on to wonder if our brains "arise with an architecture" to cognize. 

I'm reminded of something we talked about in Bible Study last night. Truth is always truth, but knowledge can grow and CHANGE. I believe the more people understand how things might work, the more it points to a CREATOR and God. The article mentions a "sudden appearance as a hyper-dense marble-sized ball that bewilderedly popped out of nothingness." Yes, the "Big Bang Theory" - or, as I like to say, the scientific explanation for what would have been visible had someone been there to watch Him speak it into existence out of nothing. 

Is there a point to this? No, just ramblings. :-) But I'm curious what you, gentle reader, think about it?

25 to Life

 

Been a while since I've talked about a song on this blog, so I thought I'd share this one...

If you have Apple Music, you can hear it here - 25 to Life

If you don't have it, you can also hear it here - YouTube

So - on to the lyrics... The hook absolutely caught me!

Momma wouldn't let me be a cowboy Couldn't pass in medicine and such

So here I am counting barrels Good ol' West Texas sludge

Okay - my first thought was he wanted to be a cowboy but, as we know, "Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys..." So he's working an oil field, right?

(side note - that link is to Ed Bruce, the original writer, along with his wife. As a songwriter myself, I like to hear the original intent... Remind me to share Poncho and Lefty with you sometime...)

But I'd rather be an outlaw Riding like Bonnie and Clyde

Instead I'm in this here high rise Doing 25 to life

Wait - he's in an office!?!?

This room is feeling like a cage Counting the numbers of my long and lonesome days

I punch out in fits of rage I gotta get out of this place

Yep - sounds like he's trapped for sure!

I could be out on the prairie Under the stars at night

Sitting with a guitar round a campfire Singing devil wears a suit and tie

My first thought is something like Roy Rogers sitting around a campfire. I've been known to play my guitar around a fire, too, back in the days when we used to go camping with friends. I'm a little old and broken for it now, but I very much enjoyed tent camping! Now we have a fire pit we can sit at out in the back yard, and I always have a guitar with me...

But I'd rather be an outlaw Riding like Bonnie and Clyde

Instead I'm in this here high rise Doing 25 to life

I pull this mask up on my face I'm back in my happy place

Riding again with the old gang Stealing hearts and taking names

Chorus again then a note about being an outlaw. Does he truly want to be a Bonnie & Clyde bank robber? I think it's more about the feeling of being free. Riding again with the old gang could just be old friends remembered in a more carefree time. The mask might not be an outlaw mask, but the 'face' he wore so long ago. Stealing hearts instead of money, taking names instead of jewelry. So many ways to 'read' that!

Then he changes the Chorus/Refrain...

But I'd rather be an outlaw Darlin', oh you'd be my side

We'd ride off into the sunset Doing 25 to life

You could be my Bonnie I would be your Clyde

We would not worry for money Into the sunset we'd ride

Doing 25 to life

It's clear he has a love interest, or at least the memory of one. Either way he's longing to just get out and away. Man! It's deep! The feeling of being trapped in an office building is very, very real.

Any interest in hearing the stories of some songs I've written? Comment and let me know...

Soul Oxygen

 

"I can’t expect any other person to be my soul oxygen..."

That's how the online devotional I read this morning starts. Interesting, but where is this person going?

The link to the full thing is below - take a look! It's from Lysa TerKeurst. I've not read any of her books, but Vanessa has, and thinks HIGHLY of her and her writing. I've heard heard on a podcast as well and ALWAYS enjoy it!

But this one's not for me, right? I am not 'dependent' on others for my 'soul oxygen,' right?

Well...

I want to pull this out...

"I don’t like to ache. In any way. One of my aches is from my deep Italian fondness for anything pasta. I mean for real, I love pasta, but it does not love me back. So, I have to make the choice not to risk the temporary pleasure of my taste buds for what will surely be hours of rebellion in my stomach. My flesh begs me to believe that short-term happiness is worth the long-term misery.

But I’ve discovered something about defeating the flesh. If I fill my stomach with healthy foods before being tempted with the pasta, I can say no. It’s so much easier to turn away a dish of pasta if you’re completely full already. But if you are desperately hungry, a dish of just about anything is hard to turn away. Our souls and our stomachs are alike in this way."

Okay - wow - yes, Lysa T., that's for me. No, not the food reference, LOL, but the fact that if I don't guard my heart and make sure it's filled with HIS love and guidance that I will tend to go off on my own, and we all know what happens when man is left to his own devices... See Adam, Cain, Lot, et al.

She also says, "When we have Christ, we are full — fully loved and accepted and empowered to say no.   This is true on the days we feel it and still true when we don’t feel Jesus’ love at all." Wow - what a reminder... It's like the preacher said during one of his latest 12 minute talks (LOL - inside joke there), the WORD is true when we feel it, and it's true when we don't feel it (okay, I'm paraphrasing). The fact that Jesus loves us is true at all times, and it's a belief and a knowledge, and NOT dependent on emotion or 'how we feel' that day.

So are you full? Or are you stuffing your soul trying to GET satisfied?

Toward the end, she writes...

"There is power in really knowing this. This isn’t dependent on what you’ve accomplished. Or on another person loving you or accepting you. Nor is it because you always feel full.

You are full, because Christ brought the fullness to you."

There it is! That's the crux of it! Just like Salvation itself, Christ brought it to us - it's a gift from Him - we just have to accept it. Easy? Not necessarily. The flesh is constantly at war with the spirit, but it doesn't change the simple truth!

God Bless YOU, gentle reader...

Full text here

Gencon 2021

Well, as I type this, Gencon 2021 is currently underway. I miss it. No ifs ands or buts about it, I miss it. Covid has done a number on things like this, so it wouldn't be the same experience even if it was where I could go this year. I hope my friends that do attend get to have a good time.

Meanwhile, I have a friend coming in from out of town this weekend as he's passing through from one job site to another and we are getting together to play some games! Just a quiet little thing, but I'll try to share some pics... He's a big x-wing fan and even provided me with my movement templates, focus tokens, etc. to use! Sadly, I've not TOUCHED my x-wing stuff other than to move the bags from the old white truck when I sold it to the Ford.

I plan to take Gaslands as well, so hopefully we'll get a chance to play that too... Randy has been a long time off and on player in my PBEM games, and we actually met in person in Indy a few years ago. He was working in Louisville, I think it was, and made the drive to Indy to meet me and Biff from Shuttle Tyderium podcast and some other local guys (all friendly, all accepting, and all fun to be around!) to play X-Wing at a local store. I remember it was raining as I drove from Kyle's house out to the game store.

Anyway, same guy - he's going out of his way to stop in Dyersburg so we can get together. Looking forward to it!!!

EDIT: Okay, no pics, but we had a blast! Played EPIC (huge ships)...

Social Media Fasting

I get several emails a day. Okay, that's a lie - I get DOZENS a day, sometimes hundreds. It very easy to let things slip through. There's one particular one I get that sometimes I skim just because it doesn't grab me. Well, this morning, this one grabbed me!!!

Turn Off the Tech

by Rebekah Lyons, from A Surrendered Yes

Also - you can find it at my favorite store here - A Surrendered Yes

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to copy/paste it all here, so I'll link to it... Read it all here

I'm gonna tell you now, this is a GREAT message! It sounds weird to be sharing this on a blog that I will instantly link to from Facebook and Twitter, but the truth is I don't 'hang out' on Facebook like I used to. I don't sign in to Four Square (I think that's what it was called) any more - I don't sign in on Facebook either, unless it's a movie or concert or something that I specifically WANT to share.

Now if you do this, or 'live on Facebook,' I'm not judging. To some people, that may be the only life they have, which makes it even MORE important to me that when I share something it's something worth sharing. I think this is one of those things. :-)

What's even more astounding is that I received a promotional email about this very same book and immediately went to Libby to see if it was available via the app from the library. Alas, it was not to be, but that's okay. And the fact that I read this devotion passage today BEFORE I knew it was from this book... Well... You might believe in coincidence. I don't. LOL

God Bless You and Keep You, Gentle Reader

The Avengers and The Bible

I just read a VERY interesting devotion in a book by Ed Strauss called The Super Heroes Devotional. 

It's about the Avengers - the movie version - and how Avenging is not something WE are to do, as avenging is something that is more akin to REVENGE than DEFENDING.

Strauss goes on to say that just because we are to 'turn the other cheek' and not seek personal retribution, it does not mean that evil gets to run rampant. There are laws and police officers and judges that are supposed to help maintain order by bringing social punishment to those that break the law. This is not something I had actually put thought to, but it's true!

What about personal protection? In this day and age of 'guns are bad' it can be socially UN-acceptable to take responsibility for your personal or family's protection, but I maintain that this is NOT avenging in the sense of revenge, but is protecting from evil by stopping a threat.

A fellow church member said very tongue in cheek to me, "the Bible says to carry a gun!" When asked to elaborate he quoted this from Luke 22, verse 36 - "he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one." Yes, he meant that particular quote as tongue in cheek, but at the same time as Strauss points out, we are defenders as described in Psalm 82:3 NIV - "Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed."

So in addition to being defenders of the faith, I believe we are correct in being prepared to defend the weak. Who is the weak? Anyone that faces a deadly threat! If they were stronger than the threat, it would not be a grave or deadly threat.

Old stuff...

Talk about ramblings! 

I found an old draft of a post here where I had made mention of things I wanted to 'talk about...' In no certain order...

We had gone North to see Kyle and family. I found some bronze age issues I was looking for. I don't know now what they were, but that's exciting finding stuff "in the wild." Here lately with other hobbies and especially house repairs that need to be made, I've not 'enjoyed' my comics like I used to. The Doomsday Clock 12 issue was a GREAT read, as well as Heroes in Crisis, but a lot of the other stuff just didn't stick with me... I even subbed to DC Ultimate for a few months to catch up on Flash and Green Lantern. I hate to say it, but it just didn't hold me...

The notes also mentioned watching Vanessa fly her drone in Kentucky. That must have been at Owensboro. It is REALLY a very pretty place! When we went to Kyle's over the summer we stopped there on the trip back and got a hotel room overlooking the water. We had supper from the in house restaurant (chicken fingers/strips) and ate on the patio. VERY very nice. Thanks, babe, for a wonderful time!

Looks like I mentioned the THIRD season of The Flash television show. LOL - I think they just finished season SEVEN, so yeah, that's some old notes... I noted that the first episode was called Flashpoint and the second was called Paradox. I thought it was cool how they got the name of the animated show in there. :-) If you haven't seen said show, check it out!

I had watched Steampunk'd on Netflix as well. Though I'm not one for 'reality' shows, I really enjoyed this! I had planned to do some Steampunk stuff for cosplay, but never got around to it. Last year for Halloween, though, I did make a Golden Age Flash (Jay Garrick, from the comics) outfit to wear to school. :-) Had planned to wear it to Superman Days, but it was delayed for Covid and the weekend they were having it didn't work out for us.

Looks like the game Unspeakable Words came in around these notes as well. It was a kickstarter that I did in hopes of having it for playing at Thanksgiving. Well, it was delayed a LOT, but I finally got it, and I don't think we've played a full game of it yet. :-(

But Saturday night is game night at Tammy's house, so maybe I can remember to take it and we can give it a try then!

Ramblings...

 Well, the church has a new web page, thanks to Vanessa doing the lions share of the work so I could jump in and tweak some stuff. :-)  

https://www.beechgrovebruceville.org

Though the site doesn't have a 'grand opening' yet, it is live, so check it out! The preacher has a blog called More Than Just Sunday and that reminded me that I haven't blogged in AGES, so thought I'd get back into the habit. :-)

We just had a long weekend at Kyle's and got to spend time with him, Devin and Emmett, who is now FOUR YEARS OLD - can you believe it? <sigh>

I've been playing guitar and Vanessa is playing bass at church. A few weeks ago we had Homecoming and the two of us, plus Marty, Hope, Mitzi and Dena did the 'sunday school hour' as one long music service. Was lots of fun and we were honored to be used of God for such a purpose! Looking forward to getting back to a regular rehearsal schedule and learn some new songs...

Speaking of which, heard one that REALLY really touched me on the trip up to Kyle's. Will have to learn it and share it...

Have a great Wednesday! Go to church somewhere tonight!