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Crazy Flying Moths

We have been overrun by some crazy flying moths. Don’t give me any advice about how to get rid of them. I’ve heard it all and it all works, but that doesn’t help my attitude. I run around the house with a flyswatter or swatting in the air trying to catch one in mid-flight.

I cleaned the pantry closet completely out, putting all the craft stuff in a box to store in some other closet. I swept down the cobwebs in the closet ceiling. I ran the vacuum and sucked up all the dog and cat food that had spilled out of the containers. No, the moths didn’t come from the dog food, although I sure thought so.
Of course the secret to keeping the moths away is removing the atmosphere that attracts them, so there’s more work ahead. Just have to find where they are coming from.

What are the “moths” in your life? Those little irritating things that make your life harder? Is there something that wastes your time? What about your money? Do you always run out of money before you run out of month? Do you watch way too much TV or play on Facebook too long? You need to find the bugs. Find out what is attracting them.

“The little foxes are ruining the vineyards. Catch them, for the grapes are all in blossom.” Song of Solomon 2:15 The Living Bible.

Those little foxes or flying moths could be ruining your life.

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Prom Time

I had invited an out-of-town boy to take me to my junior prom.
The only problem was that I didn’t know how to dance. My denomination didn’t believe in dancing, but that year I was determined to “sin anyway!” Of course, now I realize it isn’t so much the dancing that is wrong as it is the things that usually go along with it. Like my kids used to say, “Back in the olden days” our dances were fairly innocent. The two-step and the Twist.
To overcome my problem, I asked my brother-in-law who loved to dance to teach me the night before. So we cleared out a little space in the front room and he showed me how to do the two-step. I am fairly clumsy so it
was a struggle to get my feet to move right. My dad used to call me a bull in a china closet and grumble about me stepping on his feet, when he stretched his full 6’2″ length out into the middle of the floor.
However, at the prom, I tried really hard to follow my dance partner, this boy that I barely knew, and just imitated the rest of the crowd especially when it came time to do the Twist. I wanted desperately to fit in with the crowd.
The desire to belong, to fit in, is so much a part of the teen years. Teens want to be valued, to be accepted, into the community of other teens.
I remember the exact moment, years later, when I saw that God was not mad at me, that He loved me, treasured me, valued me as I am now and not as I thought I should be. I realized that He made me unique. I look like I do, think and act as I do, because this is the way God made me. God loves me and He accepts me, because of what Jesus did, not what I did or will do.
In Ephesians 1:6-7, the Bible says, “He has made us accepted in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through His blood.” And He loves you too. God has made you accepted in the Beloved Who is Jesus.
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Mothers of America

MOTHERS OF AMERICA

America loves mom, baseball, and apple pie. America was formed at mother’s knee. Proudly standing beside their husbands, they helped tame the Old West; labored in the factories during World War II, prayed for the troops on foreign soil who were fighting for freedom.

Mothers have made America what it is today. Have you ever noticed that when the media interview a football star after the game, he usually waves at the camera and says, “Hi, mom,” never “Hi, dad.”

Which of us can name the mother of Billy Graham? What is she known for? I’m sure she was a worker in her church, probably teaching Sunday School, but did she have a career? Did she make a name for herself in Southern society? Did she make her mark in history by running for the state senate? Not that we know of. As far as we know, the greatest thing Billy Graham’s mother ever did was raise her children to serve God.

It should make us mothers humble to realize that we hold the future of our country in our hands. We cannot do this formidable task of raising our children without divine help.

My 98-year-old mother went to be with Jesus this week. She went to work as a housekeeper and caring for children when she was a teenager, and then during World War II she worked in the Army base laundry. When her children were young, she took in washings and ironings, then went to work at the school cafeteria until she retired.

Mother was well known as a woman of prayer. She prayed for her children, as well as other people. People frequently visited our home to ask for her counsel and prayer. In her last years, she said, “I wonder why the Lord is leaving me here so long,” to which I usually replied, “your grandchildren and great grandchildren need you to pray for them.” She lived every day of her life in service to the Lord and taught her children to love and serve Him too. Her children and grandchildren are proud to be descendants of such a woman of God.

Proverbs 31:28-31 CEV, “Her children praise her, and with great pride her husband says, ‘There are many good women, but you are the best!’ Charm can be deceiving, and beauty fades away, but a woman who honors the Lord deserves to be praised. Show her respect—praise her in public for what she has done.”

Get up early this next Sunday morning and take your children to church. Give your children to God and ask Him to teach you how to raise these children for Him. At bedtime, kneel down with your children and teach them how to pray. No career, no amount of money, nothing else you do in life is as important as this.

 

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Signs of the Times

Daddy always said that there would be bad weather at Easter time, and true to form, the temperature dropped drastically overnight, so it was pretty cold this morning. There’s a good reason for the change in weather, of course. Spring. It didn’t catch us by surprise though since we usually watch our favorite weathermen every day and sometimes twice a day to see what the weather forecast is.
 Jesus said to the Pharisees, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.” Matthew16:2-3 NKJV.
 
How can we see the ‘signs of the times,’ as Jesus mentioned? He wants us to recognize what is happening in our lives, rather than just let things happen.
 
We can study what is going on around us, instead of just living life every day, unaware of what is going on around us. We have the tendency to keep our head down, push forward, work hard, stay with the job at hand, caught up in the daily grind. One day we look up and everything has suddenly changed. The kids are grown and gone or the spouse has passed away. Or retirement age has come.
 
Now is not the time to quit, though. Now is the time to start your second life. God has given us the opportunity to live in this day and age where the older ones have a second opportunity. The power of the Holy Spirit will give our physical bodies the resurrection power to do what God has called us to do in these last days.
 
“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”. Romans 8:11.
 
What has the Lord called you to do? There are many ways and places to serve the Lord in your world.
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Jesus Is Alive

JESUS IS ALIVE

I went with the other women, following along the marks on the pathway made by the cross He dragged. Spatters of blood muddied up the pathway. Even from a distance the groans that escaped His mouth sent daggers into my heart.

The men had fled. There was no hope of saving Him, so they saved themselves. But we couldn’t let Him die alone. The soldiers knew they had nothing to fear from us women so they left us alone.

His mother was with us. She had long pondered in her heart the words of Simeon, the day they took Jesus to be dedicated to the Lord. “Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also.” And now she knew. All these years she had kept these things in her heart.

After the soldiers nailed Him to the tree, we stood at His feet, mourning and weeping, until He turned to us. “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and your children.”

John who truly loved Jesus more than the threat of death stood at the foot of the cross, holding Mary’s arm. Jesus said to him, “John, take care of Mother for me. Mother, John is your son now.”

Jesus only spoke a few words after that. “I am thirsty,” and “It is finished,” then He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. And He was gone. The soldiers came by to break His legs, so He would die quicker, but seeing He was dead, they only jabbed the spear into His side. His blood and water ran freely to the
ground.

Joseph of Arimathea secretly begged for His body and buried Jesus in his own new tomb.

On Sunday morning, the other women and I went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ dead body and prepare it, but the stone was rolled back from the entrance and it was empty. Two men in shining white clothing spoke to us, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here. He has risen.”

I remained there weeping while the others ran to tell the disciples. The gardener, I supposed, stepped out. “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Sir, where have you taken His body?” Then He replied, “Mary,” and I knew it was the Lord.

Then I remembered His words, “On the third day, I will rise.”

Jesus is alive. And I believed.

 

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A New Heaven

I love watching those TV shows where people are looking for a home on a Caribbean island.“We have to have 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, hardwood floors, outdoor pool, and located on the beach with mountains in the background. It must be close to the shops, nightclubs, and schools. And we want it all for one hundred thousand dollars.”
They want to walk through the water on the beach with their sandals in their hands at sunset, and go to sleep to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. Picking bananas and coconuts off your own tree. Watching the monkeys play and chatter in the tropical trees. Palm trees swaying in the breeze.
Reminds me of heaven. No, I haven’t been there before, but I’ve studied about heaven.
In Revelation 21, the angel tells John, “Come on, I’ve got something else to show you.” So the angel took John up on top of a mountain and showed John the great city of God, the holy Jerusalem, which was descending out of heaven from God. The city was laid out as a cube, and each side was 1400 miles long and 1400 miles tall. The wall surrounding it had twelve gates.
“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.  In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Rev 22:1-2 NKJV.
When we talk about heaven, we usually are thinking of going to heaven, somewhere beyond the sky, up above the moon, the sun, and the stars. Yes, if we pass away before Jesus’ return, we’ll see heaven but then we’ll all come back down to a new earth, and a new heaven.
That explains why Jesus told the disciples to pray this way:  “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matt. 6:9-13.
Heaven is coming to earth.