My Back Door

The Trumpet Sound

A trumpet sounds for many reasons - to awaken, to warn, to call, to herald a king. There is one trumpet sound that means all of these. It's God's sign of judging the world of sin.

God judged the world once before with a great flood. In the days of Noah, men were doing evil continually. Only Noah and his family were saved. Even after being warned, the people of his time chose not to believe. The Lord says that He will judge the world again.

"But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." (Matthew 24:37-39, KJV)

There will be terrible time of death and destruction on the earth, called the Great Tribulation. (Revelation 6-9) But to those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, they will be raptured, taken up into heaven, to escape God's wrath on the world.

Jesus said,

"I will come again."

He has given us signs to know when this time is near.

Have you read the news? - increased crime and immorality, increased natural disasters, looming economic crash, plans for world government, etc. (CLICK HERE)

The Bible is not silent on this.

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God."(2 Timothy 3:1-4, KJV)

God is merciful and longsuffering, but He is also holy and will not let sin go unpunished. There is coming a day when He will judge the nations of the earth for their wickedness and unbelief. The Bible is filled with prophecies and signs of His return. (CLICK HERE) God has been telling us that He will come back for His people. He will come back to judge the earth.

" Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." ( 1 Corinthians 15:51-58, KJV )

Are you ready?

You can KNOW for sure that you are going to heaven.

(CLICK HERE) to learn of

GOD'S GIFT OF LIFE.

To receive God's gift of eternal life,

A - Agree with Him

"God be merciful to me, a sinner."

(Luke 18:13)

B - Believe in Him

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,

and you shall be saved."

(Acts 16:31)

C - Call on Him

"For whosoever shall call upon

the name of the Lord, shall be saved."

(Romans 10:13)

After the church is taken away, there will be 7 years of earthquakes, famine, darkness, and much more. Many will die, but those that believe in God's Son, Jesus Christ, will be welcomed into heaven and honored for their faith.

Then the Lord will come to earth as the mighty King of Kings! He will destroy the armies of the world and establish His kingdom on earth for a thousand years. At which time, He will destroy Satan and his followers forever, and create a new heaven and new earth.

Are you ready to see, Jesus Christ your King?

Hosanna and Alleluia

We call it Palm Sunday - the Sunday before Easter.

Each time I hear this story of the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, I learn more and more. It fulfilled so many prophecies all in one day. It showed humility and sovereignty all in one action. It demonstrated the authority of Jesus, the Son of God.

As Jesus approached Jerusalem, the crowds greeted him with shouts of "Hosanna! Hosanna!" (Save us! Save us!) thinking He would free them from the Romans. They waved palm branches and laid a carpet of coats before Him. Children danced and sang praises to Him. When the religious leaders demanded that He hush their voices, He said, "If these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." This was the day proclaimed by the prophets that He would be presented as King of the Jews, and it would happen no matter what.

I've wondered much about the stones praising God, and it has led me to write a story about all of nature singing to God. (Song of the Sunbeams)

My friend, Jan Ackerson, wrote a beautiful poem about the child Jesus hearing the voices and songs of nature. Read this slowly, and let its beauty sink into your soul.

Allelu by Jan Ackerson Creator, You dwell with us now,
And so we proclaim with one voice—
Each creature and each blade of grass,
Each rock and each river—Rejoice!

Allelu, bless Your name, allelu,
Creation is singing for You.

O hear now the animals’ choir:
Vicuna, raccoon, chimpanzee—
We offer our song to the King:
Great elephant, tiniest flea.

Allelu, bless Your name, allelu,
Creation is singing for You.

We sing, too. (You only can hear).
The cedars and lilies, the wheat,
Bamboo, passionflower, and palm:
Hosannas we lay at Your feet.

Allelu, bless Your name, allelu,
Creation is singing for You.

A wee grain of sand, and this stone,
This boulder, this mountain, this star—
Our melody will not be stilled,
We glory in all that You are.

Allelu, bless Your name, allelu,
Creation is singing for You.

Come, waters of earth, raise your song:
Murmuring book, rushing waterfalls, too,
Lake, river and pond, mighty sea,
All join in the great “Allelu!”

Allelu, bless Your name, allelu,
Creation is singing for You.
(For the complete story click here.)
If I could choose one day of Jesus' life, I might choose the Triumphant Entry. I can't wait for the day when I WILL be there when He enters the gates of Jerusalem again - this time as King of Eternity! (Isaiah 60)

Read this story of how I imagine it might be. ( Zion Rejoices )

Reviving Reading

In this day of technology, it's nice to hold a real paper book -
to smell it and feel it and get lost in its pages.

I just went on a vacation and was able to have lots of time to read. I reread a favorite of mine - "Faith of Our Father" by Harold Greene. It is a biography with wonderful descriptions and character development. The main character reminds me very much of my own grandfather. He didn't talk much, but lived a life that showed his strong faith in the Lord.

Do you reread books? I do. It's like visiting an old friend or a childhood home.

Tell me... tell me...

What's the last book you read?
(Did you like it?)

What are you reading now?
(more than one book?)

What book have you read more than once?
(how many times?)

Have you ever read a whole book in one sitting?
(when? which book?)

I want to know...

Friday Fiction - "Just Fine With Me"

Just Fine With Me

Some folks think I’m boring and, perhaps, a bit odd. I suppose I can see how they might think me peculiar. My ways are certainly different from what they might consider normal – whatever that may be.

My day begins with Tabby nudging my ear with her nose. The sun ain’t up yet, plus it’s a mite chilly. The woodstove’s died down in the night. I lie there for a bit. I hear mourning doves cooing to each other. Plit, plit sounds against the window tell me it’s raining or, at least, it had been sometime in the night. Hopefully, it was just a passing sprinkle. I have things to do.

With Tabby’s insistence, I emerge from my quilted cocoon and shuffle in my woolen stockings into the other room. Stirring up the sleeping embers, I add kindling and a log to the fire. Tabby gets some leftover fish and meows. Opening the wooden door to let her out, I stretch my arms in the morning air. It ain’t raining, but the grass and trees sparkle. A ribbon of pink peeks beneath the dark clouds on the eastern horizon with a promise of a beautiful day.

I adjust my suspenders and step back into the cabin. It don’t look nothing like those houses in town.

My Delly kept it cleaner than I do. Although there ain’t much to clean. There’s the table and chair. There was ‘nother one for Delly, but I put it out on the porch, where I can sit and sip my coffee in the evening.

There ain’t no fancy art on the walls – just the Rollings Hardware Store calendar with a pretty photo for each month. This month has some red and yellow flowers on it. There’s a stuffed chair, where Delly would sit and sew near the warm stove. I don’t use it none, but I can’t abide the thought of tossing it.

Delly weren’t no movie star. She wouldn’t have won no beauty contest, but her laugh filled the room. Her hands were large, but strong. She didn’t know how to cook no gourmet foods – mostly just soups and biscuits, but it filled my belly. Her dresses weren’t made of lace and silks. She often wore trousers and boots when she walked the trails with me. No, Delly weren’t a fancy lady, but that was fine with me.

After a breakfast of coffee, biscuits, and honey, if it’s a good day, I might pull on my boots to take a hike down to the lake to see if the trout are biting. If not, it won’t matter. I can always try again tomorrow. I aim to plant a few taters and turnips when the earth warms a bit more. Last year’s supply is ‘most gone. I don’t have no grocery store nearby. I don’t need much food, ‘cept greens, berries, and fish. Oh, sometimes I get a box of oranges from my brother at Christmas. They’re nice, but not as nice as the wild huckleberries from the far side of Tucker Mountain.

I don’t have ‘lectricity or a television. I did have a radio once to listen to the happenings and some nice piano tunes, but after a while the batteries went dead. I don’t miss it too much. I don’t need to hear ‘bout all the fightin’ and political talk. I don’t have no telephone, nor even a clock. I read the Good Book and Farmer’s Almanac, plus I’ve got my banjo and Tabby, and that’s just fine with me.

Every day is much like the one before it. I like it that way. Sometimes storms liven things up ‘round here, but they always make more work than they’re worth – cleaning up broken limbs or digging my way out to the woodpile or outhouse. Once a grizzly was bound and determined to raid my stash of food. I think of that exciting day every time I chaw on his meat or shake out his skin on my floor.

Having the mail plane come in the spring is always exciting, but Henry chatters on so and asks too many questions. He reckons it’s his duty to keep me posted of world events and take as much news about my well-being as he can back to my family. It’s always nice when it’s quiet again – just me and Tabby.

Others may think I live a boring life, but it’s just fine for me.

* * *

If you'd like to read more great short stories,
go to Sara Harricharan's website -

http://saraharricharan.com/2017/10/golden-flames-friday-fiction

Are You Ready?