Throw Away Leaf

   When you really think about this poor, ugly leaf it was nothing. It was one of millions in the near by woods. It just happen to fly toward the house and get stuck between 2 porch floor boards. If I wanted to I could get rid of this leaf and replace it within seconds. It was a "Throw Away" leaf of little or no real value - except to me as I watched it everyday for a month. I really believe that God allowed that little leaf to get stuck and stay on the porch without getting hurt to teach me a lesson in faithfulness and hanging in there even when things get hard and rough. 

   When you think of it there are over 8 billions people in this world today and yet God allows a handful of people in our life to be an example and to teach of Godly values. It may not be verbal teaching, but life style and example. The church we pastor in Barron is made up of a great deal of 'Cognitive Impaired Adults" who have taught us more about acceptance, love and faith than we ever thought possible. Just like the leaf, God has allowed them into our life to teach us lessons that we otherwise may never learn. They are of great value to our Holy God (and to us).  

  Take a minute and think of people God has brought into your life to teach you lessons that you may not learn otherwise. Then THANK GOD for them!!! 

 

  

The Little Leaf - Just Waited!!!

 Every day when I left our house or came back, this little leaf was waiting for us. He just stood there on our back porch stuck between 2 boards. All he was doing was WAITING!!!

   We always seem to be waiting for something. It may be Christmas, Thanksgiving, pay day, a new baby, a wedding, at a stop light waiting for the light to turn green, waiting for your name to be called in the clinic waiting room, family to come to your house, etc... But as bigger question, is what do you do while you are waiting? Read, Play on the cell phone, strike up a conversation with some else who is waiting, pray, sleep, look out the window, find something to do??? 

   When the Apostle Paul wrote to the church of the Thessalonians, they were "waiting" for Jesus to come back. The problem was while they were waiting, the did nothing, just waited. They quit their jobs and sat around "waiting" for Jesus to come. They figured that if Jesus was coming back at any moment, why should we work. Paul reprimanded them and told they need to be busy while they wait.

   This poor little leaf just waited and couldn't do anything - it was stuck. Some times there is absolutely nothing we can do while we wait, except wait! That is probably the hardest thing to do while waiting. We want to do something, but our hands are tied and can only wait and trust! 

   Paul suggested 3 things they and us could do while waiting:
#1: Give Thanks, especially for others in our life.                            

 Thus "Thanksgiving!!!! 

#2: Pray for others and their needs. Get our mind off our self and on the needs of others. 

#3: Remember what God has done in your life and how other lives have touched yours.      (1 Thessalonians 1: 2-3) 

What are you doing while you wait??? 

 

 

The Little Leaf that Could and DID!

   Some of life's lessons come from experiences, other people, accidents, failures, etc... But what about a stubborn leaf stuck on the porch. Sometime during the middle of October an oak leaf got stuck in the cracks of the floor of our back porch. I did not think much of it until the next day, when the leaf was still there... and the day after that, and the day after that... For over a month that leaf just stayed there, upright and proud. It just did not give up, in spite of foot traffic, rain, high wind and even snow. I thought for sure that I would come home and it would be bent over or even gone - BUT it hung in there!!! I even posted pictures of the stubborn leaf on face book so friends could see the progress. 

   Finally a couple of days ago, I decided to give this tenacious leaf a permanent home and it was framed in a picture frame, with the caption, "The Little Leaf that could...and did!" God used this in my life to teach me to hang in there and not give up. For several months I have had moderate back pain and numbness in my left leg. I met with a doctor and she signed me up with Physical Therapy for twice a week for a month. PT helped some but did not take care of the problem. Finally today I was able to get a CT scan and some answers. They call it "Degenerative disc disease" in 3 lower vertebrae and "disc protrusion". I have no idea what all this means, but I do know God wants me to be a little like the Oak Leaf and "Hang in there!" and trust Him. I do know that I may need to make some changes in my "hobbies" especially wood working. God has better plans, for us just like He did for the Oak Leaf!!!

   When Linda and I were in Oregon in May of this year, I decided to climb up the path that leads to the top of Multnomah Falls. On the way down I took a hard fall flat on my face. I believe that some of this ailment comes from that fall. The rest is simply attributed to "Old Age" degeneration. 

   To top it all off, Linda's back pain is recurring, so both of us are a pain in the back! To God be the Glory as we trust Him daily... 

 

Who amd I? Video

 I always enjoy taking photos of nature and landscape. This video is photos I have taken so far this year.

Thanks for tuning in and enjoy the video. Please leave comments and suggestions.

 Music is by Casting Crowns "Who am I?" 

 

But Wait There's More!!!

 

Right next to Telemarketers on the phone the one thing we really love is infomercials. They are on almost every station, especially at 3:00 am. They start out showing you a product that you can't live without and will change your life for ever along with make your life a whole lot easier. You HAVE to have this product, whether it is OxiClean or a Chia Pet.  All for the ridiculously low price of $19.95 (plus S&H). Then comes the catcher: "BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!!!. If you call within the next 15 minutes.... (You know the rest!)  

    During the next few weeks we will be looking at Ephesians 1, where Paul tells us all that we have IN CHRIST, because we have trusted Him as our Savior. In essence Paul is saying, yes because Jesus died on the cross and rose again and we have trusted Him as our Savior, we have Heaven and new life in Christ, BUT WAIT THERE IS MORE!!! Paul list all that is ours in Christ. 

Casting Crowns in there song, Who am I?" says it best:
Songwriters: Mark Hall Who Am I lyrics © ESSENTIAL MUSIC PUBLISHING

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart

 

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are

 

Take time to read Ephesians 1 and let God minister to your heart all that we have in Christ. In the next lesson we will start thew count down! God Bless!!!

 

 

Day - 3 word challenge

 

   I always like when things are short and simple. Yesterdays challenge was just 2 words: "Rejoice Always". It can't get any shorter or simpler. Today's challenge is only 3 words long and very, very simple (at least it seems that way). "Pray Without Ceasing". 

   When someone first looks at this verse it seems to say that we should be on our knees praying 24/7 and never cease to pray. It actually means to continually and consistently pray and don't give up on talking with the Lord. Do not stop praying! It means that we should be ready to pray at anytime and always be walking with our Lord. If we know Jesus as our Savior, the Lord is our very best friend who understands all that we go through and we need to share everything with Him. He cares, not just about the big things that happen in our life, but also the little seemingly insignificant things. 

   Years ago we were teaching a Bible class to young kids. I asked for prayer requests. A small boy spoke up and asked if we could pray for his cat. So I asked him what was wrong with his cat. His reply, "HE'S DEAD!" There wasn't much I could pray for the cat, but I could pray for this young boy, as he was hurting over the loss of his cat. God cares about everything in our lives! 

   Don't give up on prayer and talking with the Lord, especially right now! We need Him more than ever! He is ever ready to hear us!  

Day 7: rejoice Always!

 

A little over a week ago, I was working in the "Doghouse Wood Shop" trying to make a wooden cross flag using the table saw. I was taking all the right precautions, (so I thought), when all of a sudden the push stick that was in my hand hit the blade of the saw and ricocheted and hit my hand. I don't need to tell you "THAT HURT!!!!!" Later that night I took myself to the emergency room in Spooner. After x-rays, they said nothing was broke - Praise the Lord. But t still hurt and then my hand became stiff and swelled up. For a week I had to learn to do things with my left hand and stayed out of the wood shop for a few days. Today it is doing a lot better, but still hurts and is stiff if I over do it. 

   1 Thessalonians 5:16 tells us to "Rejoice Always". So, how do you rejoice over a sprained hand or for anything else that is hard to deal with. The idea of "rejoicing" is not going around with a phony, pasted smile on our face pretending that all is well, when it is not. "Rejoicing" is knowing that God is in control and He has a plan for all of this. It is an internal peace and strength that comes only from the Lord. It is a calmness of spirit trusting the Lord. Even though m,y hand hurt, I could rejoice that it was not hurt any worse, that I got a chance to talk to the nurse in the hospital and find out she is s Christian, that God was teaching me to wait on Him - "Be still and know that I am God!"

Joy also comes by putting Jesus first, Others second and Yourself last.