Time Blended Together

Today I went with my father to a nursing home to have a Bible study. Seven ladies came out - a larger group than usual. Some were in wheelchairs and dozed, some were alert and sharp, and some had trouble knowing  their name. But when we sang, the tunes triggered memories, and voices sang old hymns of their youth.

My father started a series of the story of Pilgrim's Progress with an old flannelgraph set. (paper figures with scraps of flannel glued to the back)  The residents were fascinated by the pictures and seem to be enjoying it. I'm not sure how much they understand, but even a child's mind can understand the concept of sin and seeking God for forgiveness. We didn't get too far in the story in the last two weeks. (Poor Christian has been left in the Slough of Despond until we go back next Tuesday.)

I must have heard or read this story a dozen times or more since I was a child. I never grow tired of it. I love allegories. I love the concept of a story symbolizing and explaining deeper concepts of life.

Today, I found time to be very relative. It was strange to see old people with minds of children listening to a story that I had heard as a child. The texture and smell of the old-fashioned flannelgraph transported me back to when I was young. Time seemed to blend together. It was hard to know who was young or old, even myself.

I wonder what it will be like in Heaven - in the Celestial City. Will there be any ages? Will we all have the attitudes of children but the wisdom of the elderly? Will it matter? Will we even care?

Water in Your Boat?

                                     

When you hear the same lesson repeated on the same day, by different teachers, in different churches, maybe God is trying to tell you something.

                       SANCTIFY - to set apart; to make holy

We are to be in the world, but not of the world. Our citizenship is in heaven. We are to be set apart. There should be a noticeable difference between us and those who do not know the Savior.  

The boat is only useable if it's in the water,

but not if the water is in the boat.

"For I am the Lord your God: 

ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, 

and ye shall be holy; for I am holy" 

(Leviticus 11:44) 

"They are not of the world, 

even as I am not of the world.

 Sanctify them through thy truth: 

thy word is truth." 

(John 17:16,17)

Being a PK

Being a PK (preacher's kid) has its trials. 

(I know, I was a PK once.)

But it also has its wonderful benefits.

Read how this new PK Polliwog Kid sees her father.

(CLICK HERE)

I wrote this article, showing how my daddy's daily life was a sermon to me.

DADDY'S SERMONS

Come, Darling. Come to Daddy. Walk to me. You can do it.

“He hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace…”

Trust me, Darling. Jump. I won’t drop you. The water isn’t very deep. Trust me.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

You want to help me? Well, pretty soon I’ll need somebody to hold the end of the board steady while I cut it. So, don’t go far. Listen for my call.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

Sh-sh. I’m here, Darling. Don’t be afraid. The lights will come back on soon. I’ll stay with you until then. How about I tell you a story?

“…He will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee; fear not, neither be dismayed.”

Once upon a time, there was a man with a hundred sheep, but one sheep…

“The Lord is my shepherd…”

“Hello, Mrs.Chadbourne? It’s me, Pastor Phillips. I’d like you to meet my daughter.

“Pure religion and undefiled before God is this; to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction…”

Would you like to take a walk with me and watch the meteor shower? Oh yes, I saw it! Look, there’s another one. Just think... God knows the name of each one of them.

“Be still and know that I am God.”

Are you getting tired? We’re almost home. Here, sit up on my shoulders. Is that better?

“The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…”

I know what you’re thinking, Darling. You wish you could have a new bike, too. I don’t know if we can afford it. You ought to be thankful for the one you have.

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.”

I made something for you. Open your eyes! What do you think? I made it to look just like Grammy’s house. You really like it? I thought you would.

“Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think..”

Young lady, don’t let me hear you talking to your mother like that again! You go apologize to her. You are just getting a little too big for your britches!

“Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the earth…”

You don’t need to do everything that other kids are doing. I don’t care what other families do; you are part of this family.

“…I will be their God and they shall be my people; wherefore come out from among them and be ye different…”

I’m sorry, but you disobeyed me… This hurts me as much as it hurts you. You are my daughter. I love you.

“For whom he Lord loveth, he chasteneth…”

Ask your mother if there is enough spaghetti for one more? I found this fellow hanging around, and he looked hungry.

“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Wake up! It’s a beautiful day! The bus will be here in a half hour. Have a good day, Darling, and look for opportunities to serve the Lord.

“This is the day that the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

No, I don’t want you working today. It’s Sunday, the Lord’s Day. You’ll just have to tell your manager to change your schedule.

“Remember the sabboth day to keep it holy…”

I’m proud of you, Darling. You did the right thing, even though it was hard.

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily unto the Lord and not unto men.”

Where have the years gone? It seems like you were my baby girl just yesterday. Now, you’re a young woman and leaving home.

“But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

I love you, Darling. I always will, no matter where you go or what you do. You are my daughter. I love you.

“Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love…”



• All Scriptures, KJV
II Tim. 1:9, Prov. 3:5, John 10:27, Deut. 31:8, Psalm 23:1, James 1:27, Psalm 46:10,
Deut. 33:2, II Tim. 6:6, Eph. 3:20, Ex. 20:12, II Cor. 6:16&17, Heb. 12:6, Matt. 25:40,
Ex. 20:8, Col. 3:20, II Pet. 3:18, Jer. 31:3

Friday Fiction - Sparks of Imagination

If you ever see me staring off into nothing, there's a good chance I'm writing in my head. Here's a peek at what is often going on in my noggin - 

SPARKS OF IMAGINATION

What beautiful evening! My husband and I lounge before a crackling campfire. The flames mesmerize me. I listen to the chirping crickets and gurgling stream. The night sounds put my mind into a creative mode. A log tumbles, and sparks dance upward into the night sky to join the stars. Ah! Personification! 

Sparks dance upward to the sky
They turn this way and that…

Hmmm… I need something to rhyme with “sky.” My mind flips through its internal vocabulary list. ...shy, by, die, try, sigh, why, fly…FLY!

Sparks dance upward to the sky;
They spin around and upward fly.

No, I already used “upward.” …skyward? heavenward? spaceward?...sigh…Maybe I need to go another way. 

Sparks dance upward to the sky;
Giggling, spinning—higher, higher!
Joining the stars in the dark sky…

I can do better than that. Couplets are too common. I’ll make an alternating rhyme pattern. What other word means “join?” ...mix, merge, mingle…

Sparks dance skyward—higher, higher!
Mingling with the starry host,
Giggling, spinning—specks of fire.
Jewels on the heav’nly coast.

That’s not too bad, but the lines don’t match in rhythm. 

I count out the syllables on my fingers.

Sparks-dance-sky-ward-high-er-high-er

I need eight syllables. Are they iambic or trochaic? I can’t remember which is which.

Sparks dance skyward—higher, higher,
Twirling with the starry million,
Giggling, spinning—specks of fire.
At the universe cotillion.

Ah! Now we’re getting somewhere. I need to describe the ballroom now.

Gliding across velvet indigo,

What rhymes with “indigo”… show, blow, grow, arpeggio?

To the trill of the cricket arpeggio.

No, that has too many syllables. 

Gliding o’er velvet indigo,
Waltzing to crickets’ arpeggio,

I like that! Now what else can I do? Maybe something about singing…

Evening birds sing a lullaby…

I’m back to the words that rhyme with “sky.” 

Evening birds sing a lullaby;
Soft breezes whisper a gentle sigh.

Now, alternate them. 

Gliding o’er velvet indigo,
Evening birds sing a lullaby;
Waltzing to crickets’ arpeggio,
Soft breezes whisper a gentle sigh.

ARGH! What a mess! I’ve got to rearrange those lines and fix them somehow.

Evening birds sing a lullaby,
Crickets chirping arpeggio,
Breezes whisper a gentle sigh,
Jewels waltzing on indigo.

Whew! That’s better. I really ought to write this down, but I’d have to find a pencil …and paper…which is in my bag…in the car. Let me go over what I’ve done so far. 

Sparks dance skyward—higher, higher,
Twirling with the starry million,
Giggling, spinning—specks of fire.
At the universe cotillion.

Evening birds sing a lullaby,
Crickets chirping arpeggio,
Breezes whisper a gentle sigh,
Jewels waltzing on indigo.

Hmmm…what else can I add? 

“Oh, look, Dear!” I nudge my husband. “There’s a full moon tonight.”

The glowing moon shines over all,
Ascends above dark silhouettes,
Majestic trees and waterfall…

Silhouettes is a great word, but it will be hard to find something to rhyme with it. 

I close my eyes and listen to the night sounds. 

It’s so peaceful. There’s a whippoorwill calling and an owl, too. It sounds like a duet. Hey! That rhymes with silhouette!

And owl and whippoorwill duets.

That stanza was easier. I’m getting pretty good at this! I really ought to write it down. If I say it over again and again, I’m sure I’ll remember it. 

Sparks dance skyward—higher, higher,
Twirling with the starry million,
Giggling, spinning—specks of fire.
At the universe cotillion.

Evening birds sing a lullaby,
Crickets chirping arpeggio,
Breezes whisper a gentle sigh,
Jewels waltzing on indigo.

The glowing moon shines over all
Ascends above dark silhouettes,
Majestic trees and waterfalls
And owl and whippoorwill duets.

How should I end my poem?

“Honey! You’re blanket is burning!” 

Jumping up, I throw the smoldering cloth on the ground. I stomp and thump and then GASP as icy water swooshes over me. I look at my husband standing before me with an empty pail. “What did you do that for?” 

He grins at my dripping hair and plastered shirt and shrugs. “The fire’s out.” 

I watch the last ember sputter and die at my feet. 

“What were you thinking about anyway? Your mind was a million miles away.”

Hmmm…what was I thinking about?

Taking Out the Staves

In my Bible reading, I've been making my way through I & II Chronicles. Some parts are hard to get through with all the strange names. (Pssst . . . I never really liked learning names and dates in history class either. That's what Chronicles is all about - keeping records of history.)

 But, ever so often, something stands out. II Chronicles 5:9 says," And they drew out the staves of the ark, that the ends of the staves were seen from the ark before the oracles; but they were not seen without, and there it is unto this day."

 When God gave Moses instructions on how to build the Tabernacle, all the pieces of furniture were carried by long poles. The Ark of the Covenant was not to be touched by anyone. (Uzzah found out the hard way in II Samuel, chapeter 6. )

Whenever the Israelites moved from place to place, they packed up the Tabernacle and everything it contained and carried it to where God told them to stop. Many times, the Ark was carried into battle or to wherever the Israelites thought it would be a good place, but it was not always where God wanted it to be.

 King David looked around at his palace in Jerusalem, and he thought it not right that the Ark was still in a tent. He decided to make a temple - a place to worship the Lord. God told David that he was a man of war, and that his son Solomon would build the temple.

 God told Solomon to build on Mount Moriah. This spot, out of all the places on the whole earth, is special to God. This is where He tested Abraham and later David. This is where Melchizadek lived. This is where Jesus will reign as King in the millenium.

 Solomon built a magnificent building of gold and polished brass and precious stones. When he put the Ark within the new temple, the staves were taken from their rings. They had been left in place before now. Why are they taken out at this time? I don't really know why . . . but I wonder if it was to show that this is where it would stay. That this where God would establish His place to be worshiped on earth. He would never leave.

 Emmanuel

(God With Us)

  He tells us this over and over in His Word: 

"For the Lord thy God is with thee, withersoever thou goest." (Joshua 1:9) 

 "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5) 

 What a comforting thought!