A tip of the hat.....

 I learned something new today about what tipping a hat means.  You know you often see men tip their hats to women when they pass by them or meet them on the street or in a conversation.  I thought the man was just showing good manners but I didn't know there was a meaning behind it. The devotion I was reading said, "The tip of the hat is a sign of acknowledgment.  It is a gesture of respect and value.  It communicates, 'I see you.  You matter.  You are valuable.' Or it can also be an expression of thanks."

Today we also show acknowledgment of others with a hug, handshake, or a high-five.  Any of these ways of acknowledgment show that the other person has value. The author of the devotion then tied in Proverbs 3:5,6 so that I saw this verse in a 'new light'.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.

Many of us have this verse memorized. The first part is great!  Yes, trust God and don't trust our own ways or thoughts.  But then this second part to acknowledge Him really jumped out at me.  It is not enough to not trust our ways we need to acknowledge His ways.  

More on what acknowledge means: "to recognize the rights, authority, or status of someone."  So to acknowledge God we are recognizing that He has all authority.  It means to give Him all honor and to realize He has the most status of anyone or anything in our lives.  

In essence, we must acknowledge God and surrender to Him......then our paths will be made straight.  Then we will go and do as He wants and asks us to.  It is more than just a tip of the hat.  It is total surrender, with our lives humbly bowed low, acknowledging the supremacy and sovereignty of God.

So realize your ways are futile...Acknowledge God... and then you will have direction and a straight path to follow.  

Thoughts for this blog were taken from More Grandmother's Prayers by Kay Swatkowski

Serving our elderly is good for us....

 Not long ago I read an article about the elderly and their purpose in society.  I am not even sure where I read it but it had some good thoughts that I'd like to share with you.

The article was looking at our elderly population.  It addressed one idea of why God has left the elderly here on the earth to get old and have some long hard days before they get to go be with our Redeemer.  The author said that he thought the older people were here so that the younger generations could learn how to serve.  Those who are older have lots of needs - things that they once could but now can't do themselves. Those needs cover a wide gamut: for someone to take the garbage container to the curb on trash day, to be taken to a medical appointment, to shop for groceries, to fix the broken rain gutter, to mow the lawn, or rake the leaves.  There are definitely needs but there are also kindnesses that need to be shown.  That may be reading to them, fixing a meal, going to get coffee or a coke, and most importantly taking time to visit. 

Most of us who are still active and able to do things on our own still have many obligations and requirements of us.  When you notice those who are older who need help look at your schedule and find a way to help them. Then recruit some grandchildren to go with you.  This teaches them to serve others and I bet they'll learn a thing or two from the older person while they are there. 

All this to say we need to be serving our older generation.  It is good for them AND it is good for us.  

Keeping safe when out and about....

 Last fall I was out and about shopping with one of my daughters.  We were having a great time until ....

her purse was stolen out of her vehicle right in front of her!!  The thief saw my daughter open her pickup door.  He pulled up right in front of her vehicle and opened the passenger front door and reached across and took her purse! What a terrible thing to happen! It was a lot of work to replace everything! In the long run, we were very grateful she was safe and her vehicle was not stolen.

Since this happened I have been more careful when out and about.  I have a few suggestions for you all to try to keep you safe.

1.  Use your keyfob wisely.  My last vehicle didn't have one.  I am grateful our new car does.  If you unlock all the doors to put packages in, relock them with the fob as soon as you are done loading things up. Then use the fob to just unlock just your driver's door. If you are alone keeping the other doors locked as you get in is much safer.

2.  Keep your keys in your pocket rather than your purse.  This way you will still have them to drive if your purse is stolen.

3.  If possible keep your cell phone also in your pocket rather than your purse.

4.  If possible carry your purse as a cross bag so it can't be taken easily. 

5.  If you leave items in your vehicle try to conceal them if possible so that they can't be seen through the window of the vehicle. Better yet put them in your console or in your trunk.  

6.  Always be looking around as you come out of the store and go to your vehicle. Watch to see who or what is parked next to your vehicle. If there is a vehicle running next to yours be extremely careful.  Or if a van is parked next to your vehicle be extremely cautious. Don't come out of a shopping area or office talking on your phone or texting.  Wait until you are safely locked in your car to do that.  If it does not look like it is safe to get into your vehicle, go back into the store and get a security person or another shopper to walk with you as you get into your vehicle.  

7.  If possible go with someone when you are out and about.  I was still purchasing my items when the thief took the purse.  Maybe if I too was out at the pickup this might not have happened.  So try to stay together.  Numbers are safer.

Things just aren't the same in Mayberry these days!!

"Not my Grandmother's church" or 'Which road are you going down?"

Sharing with you a few thoughts about some things I have been reading lately.  Seems the Lord has brought to me several thoughts with the same theme. 

I have been reading a book about 'the Church' and what we need to do to make it relevant to those who attend today.  The author stated that today we want to say 'Come to our church.  It is new and different.  It is unlike your Grandmother's old dead and dying church.'  Is this right or wrong? 

Gail was reading Jeremiah 6:16 this morning and brought to my attention this verse.  He didn't know what I had just read about the church in my book.  

Thus says the Lord; "Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls." 

I think this verse is saying to pay attention to what you have been taught.  Your ancestors, if listening to the Lord, will know the way.   We should look to our Godly ancestors and learn from them.  

The problem is that some of our Grandmother's churches have been off-track.  We left a denomination that was once strong and healthy and God-honoring but now is not teaching the truth. So thankful that there are some churches that still teach the True Word. We must be wise in this area. We must see if 'the church'- our church is preaching what the Bible says.  Is it living in obedience to the written Word? 

My book said that young people today want to hear the Truth.  They are a generation that wants what it wants almost instantly and without hype or nonsense. It wants to know what is true and real and what is from God.  

So in giving them this we need to go to the Word.  We need to learn what the Word says from Godly teachers and churches.  We can and should use what the old Godly preachers taught us from their sermons and their commentaries.  Their words have stood the test of time to still be true. 

So: let us preach Truth....seek Truth...but let us also be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit to guide us.

Have you seen the 'Jesus Revolution' movie? It is a good one.  I particularly like that the pastor, Chuck Smith, was preaching the Word and he was open to the Holy Spirit.  But he did not let the church get off track when the opportunity presented itself.  We need to have sound Godly doctrine but be led by the Holy Spirit.  

We must have wisdom, balance, and obedience!

Be strong and courageous...

 Be strong and courageous.....words I have often heard from the Bible.  Upon looking I see where they are repeated eleven times in the Old Testament as God spoke to His people.

Two of our grandsons competed in wrestling at the high school level this winter.  After watching their matches I realized that they had to be very strong and courageous.  As they wrestle they couldn't stall or just hold their own but they had to go forward and try to get new holds on their opponents so they could obtain points or get a pin for themselves.  To do this they had to risk losing points or possibly getting pinned themselves.  

Recently I was with Gail at a roping competition.  When the ropers (a header and a heeler) catch their steers quickly enough they get to come back to a final round, called the short go. Gail had been roping well and was in the short go.  I was so nervous!  Almost as nervous as when I watch an action-packed movie!!  I thought to myself that I needed to be strong and courageous to watch! (Sorry what a silly thing to be nervous about but I was! Gail works so hard at his roping sport and I so want/wanted him to get a sweet win for his hard work.)  Any, I was nervous!

I mentioned this to our daughter, Lindy.  She said, "Yes, we all have to be strong and courageous in our lives."  Lindy is a nurse in the ICU at our local hospital.  She had to draw upon her courage to give someone a difficult IV that day. Gail had been strong and courageous to enter the roping competition.  Other family members or friends were strong and courageous at their jobs.  Do you have something staring you in the face that is causing you to need to be strong and courageous? Is there someone or something at work causing you to fear?  Is it a decision you need to make about yourself or your spouse's future?  Is it a business decision? 

We all have times and things we face that require courage.  We CAN have the courage if we know the Lord.  He is with us and will give us all the power we need to face the situation or task. He also is sovereign and in control. 

I have been recently reading about faith, more specifically the faith of Abraham.  He had faith in God and because of his faith, he was able to trust God and live in obedience to Him.  Because of his faith, he was able to do good works.  James 2: 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works.  

Thinking through all of this I am reminded that I do have faith in God, that I can trust Him to be with me, that he will never leave me, and that I can be strong and courageous in whatever He calls me to do.  You can do this too!! If we have faith in God, we can trust Him to take care of us. Our works can show our faith is on solid ground and we can be strong and courageous. 

Friends? Yes! Are you a Friend of God?

I have recently been reading about Abraham.  God asked Abraham to do some hard things.  First, he and his family were to move - to leave all they knew and go to an unknown land.  Then God said that Abraham and Sarah would have a baby in their old age!  And, yes, the miracle happened and Isaac was born.  Then God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on the altar.  And, yes, Abraham was obeying God's request when miraculously God provided a ram for the sacrifice.'

The devotional I was reading said Abraham was the only person in the Bible called "a friend of God". This is taken from Isaiah 41:8c the offspring of Abraham, my friend;

Why? Why was Abraham called a friend of God?  My devotional said it was because Abraham had the right relationship with God because of his faith.  Then his faith was shown through his works. 

So what is faith?  How do we show that we have faith? Faith is belief in the one true God without actually seeing Him.  (Heb. 11:1 - faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.) We show that we have faith in God that we have not seen by our obedience to His Word.  Thus, Abraham hadn't seen God but he did have faith and showed it by his obedience AND he was called a friend of God.

How about you? or me?  Do I have faith?  Am I obedient to God and what he asks of me when I can't see where I'm going? Prov. 17:7 says "a friend loves at all times."  Do I always show God I love Him?  Do I treat Him like a friend?  Do I want to be with God? Would I be called a friend of God?

A Friend of God.......could that be said of us??

Prayer...most important 'thing' we can do!

 Prayer.....something we are going to get around to...when we have time.....

I was thinking about what I would do today and it came to me that maybe the most important thing I could and should do was to pray.  Years from now no one will remember me or what I wrote.  Years from now we will have grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.  NOW we can pray for them.  We can pray that they will know our God, that He will be real in their lives, that they will have the salvation that comes from accepting Jesus, that they will have strong Christian families, and that they will be strong leaders and examples for those around them.  

Praying is the thing that really lasts!  Several years ago my husband, Gail, was visiting with our neighbor, Lloyd Hall.  Gail had been sharing the gospel with some of the neighbors and they were open and receptive to salvation.  Lloyd told Gail that the reason they were open was that there had been an older widow lady in their area years ago who prayed that someone would bring the gospel to the cowboys where she lived.  Lloyd said that because of her prayers, people were open to Gail sharing the message of salvation.  

We may not see our prayers answered now but know that God does hear and will answer.

Let's pray more for our families who are with us now and those that will come in future generations. 

Ephesians 6: 18 ...praying at all times in the Spirit,...