"Only one life, 'twill soon be past
Only what's done for Christ will last."

Thursday, October 12, 2017

From the Ends of the Earth

From the depths of the sea,
Throughout all the ages---
Your Name be praised, LORD!

I have a rejoicing heart today. My son was deployed in Afghanistan and he is finished with that deployment and back home with his dear family in the USA.

The months of heartfelt prayers for a "hedge of protection" around him are through. I will still pray for him daily, but the risks are so much less.

He travelled back to his base, so we haven't seen him, nor will we for awhile, but knowing he's no longer on the front lines is a blessing.

May God be praised!

As I think of how He has brought Ed back from the brink of death, and on a long, three year + journey of chemotherapy ---and been faithful to all of us! ---I can only give praise to the Creator of the Universe, who cares so infinitely for each one of us.

He is a joy to serve---even to the end. Think of the beheaded Christians in the Middle East. Great is their reward.

We live for the next life. Satan has perverted that dear hope through countless other religions, but we know the truth because it is written in the Word of God.

I'm a reader. I love to read. I always peruse the Goodwill book area, second-hand stores, used book stores, home-school sales for interesting, valuable, or unusual books. I find books that I want to give to all my children. I find them for friends and other relatives.

Yesterday we stopped for a quick look. I found a classic book on edible plants from North America. Not corn or soy! I paged through it and felt instantly smarter.

I found a famous (to me) book about prayer by Evelyn Christiansen---"What Happens When Women Pray?" which is full of practical truth. I'm going to give it away.

I got a book by John Stott, famous English pastor. It's about the Bible and its context. Very interesting chapters in the beginning, complete with maps. It's a little paperback book, but full of content.

I picked up a scholarly tome about Thomas Aquinas, and I got "The Return of the Black Stallion."

All for less than $5.

John Stott was a pastor who believed the Bible, but not everything in it. He was a scholar, very eloquent. He had everything mostly right----

But I think not everything. I am leaning more and more on Scripture as I age, and its authority. If you don't have an authority in your life, are you relying on your own brain?

I saw a shock claim yesterday about Alzheimer's meds being delivered to the houses of Congress in Washington D.C. Probably fake news, right?

We're all skeptics now.

I increasingly rely more and more on Scripture, and I'm thankful for the distinguished scholars and scientists who share my views on Scripture and who see all evidence pointing toward its truth.

You need to watch "Is Genesis History?"

It's really good. But there are dozens of DVDs and books that lay out wonderful evidence for the truth of God's Word regarding the scientific record. I've been reading them for years now, and I can honestly say that I see the Bible as my only authority.

Only.

It's the most reliable authority, gift from God, in this existence.

God says that it is His Word, and if it isn't He's a big liar.

God doesn't lie.


"In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God!"

There are so many Scriptures about the WORD and its authority.

I know there are some of you out there that think I'm a kook. A crazy. A lunatic.
I believe in an ancient book with ancient laws---
That qualifies me for insanity.

But I'm not crazy. I have incredible kids, a husband who is a genius (yes, he is, MENSA could come calling here!) I have and hold two different jobs and I teach all subjects, all grade levels. I understand mental illness like many don't. I have the knowledge of how to manage it, even. I live in a Minnesota paradise and my house is clean and I cook balanced meals.

I'm not bragging. I'm proving that I'm not crazy.

It is by the GRACE OF GOD that I exist and manage this life, and I am fully aware that everything can come crashing down in a heartbeat. My trust is not in the economy, nor money, nor my employers---
My trust is certainly not in the government nor the powers that tweak the media and the Federal Reserve!

If you have false trust in any of these things you need to realign your values. NOW!

You exist by the grace of God, and He sustains you. That sickening word "sustainable" has been copped by the millennials to mean that they have some sort of control over their future.

They don't. Only God sustains.

You can be a good steward of your responsibilities----That is a command of Christ! But you have no control over anything else.

Look at Santa Rosa, CA. It disappeared with six minutes' warning.

Your life is a thread. It hangs in a cosmic balance.

You can trust one thing, and one thing alone, GOD THE CREATOR.

So I'm not a kook. I've read philosophy. I've been educated. I teach the theory of everything.

I've found the ONE THING trustworthy----

Your Creator.

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