To Be Known

I have a deep longing to know God and to be known
by Him. Oh, it is not that God does not know me,
but I want to know how he knows me--with affection,
distain, disappointment, formally, or as a parenthesis
in His busy schedule? Am I just one of many, or
does He know that I love chocolate mint ice-cream;
a warm fire on a cold night; a good book with cups
of tea; friendships and Starbucks; long walks in the
woods with my dog; gardens overflowing with color;
birds, but especially the Goldfinch and the Merganzer?

To know Him and to be known by Him-- essential
for this day, this hour. Perhaps we should go on a
search of some sort...

Thankfulness Corner:
Walnut trees shed leaves onto lawn--every day

one thousand gifts

I am reading one thousand gifts by Ann Voscamp--
for the second time. The book is pithy with deep
insights into life in general and Life in particular.
What is her secret? I have pondered the question
and have come up with this answer: Ann gathers
before she scatters. Ann is a meditator. She reads the
written Word and then wallows in a truth until it
becomes a life giving revelation to her. The Word she
embraces goes from her head to her heart during the
course of a very busy life. The breakthrough came
the day Ann encountered the Greek word,
Eucharisteo. That word changed the way she
looked at everything and brought her into intimate
contact with the Gift Giver Himself!

I so appreciate Ann's writing style, but even more,
I love the truths that have deeply ministered to me.
She is the reason I added "Thankfulness Corner" to
my blog. As I have listed the gifts from my Papa,
life is now landscaped by the eternal, not just the
temporal. A bonus:  When I read over my list, I can
clearly remember the scene that caught my eye
months ago. The feelings, smells, sounds come
flooding back.

Dear reader, make haste and order her book!

Thankfulness Corner:
Precious women; remembering

Glen Time

Glen and I have been taking twenty minutes
each morning, coffee cups in hand, to sit before
God with a tiny slip of scripture. It is a time of
silence. I write something, check out another
verse, open a dictionary to get a clearer picture
of a word. Glen writes and the pages of his
Bible rustle. In the quiet God speaks truth. We
share what we have heard. We speak to God.
Then Glen goes his way and I go mine, united.

Thankfulness Corner
 Clear sharp air, setting sun, mountains--shadows

Monday Morning

Monday again. A blank page, a blank mind.
What next? I find myself muttering. Well,
muttering can be a good thing! I take a verse
and let it soak into my heart as I ponder its
meaning. For me, muttering is part of the
process. A verse does not become food for
you unless it has first fed my soul. Somedays,
dear reader, you get nothing, because I get
nothing!

Thankfulness Corner:
 Leaf shadows flutter upon grass.

Not in Vain

So, what is the outcome of all this
incredibly good news? Paul
encourages us with these words:

"Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be steadfast, immovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing, that your toil is not in
vain in the Lord.
(1Corinthians 15:58)

In the light of all He is, God only
asks us to be faithful in His work.
Not in narrowness of heart, but in
the abundance of His resources.
Why? Because nothing done in
and through the Lord is in vain.
Did you get that? Nothing of Him
will be in vain. Nothing! Take
heart dear friend. The Father sees;
the Father knows.

Thankfulness Corner:
Incredibly blue Idaho skies

Death Banished Death!

Paul says that the sting of death has been
banished. So, what is the sting of death?

"The sting of death is sin
and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God
who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ."
(I Corinthians 15:56,57)

Well, I just finished reading through a
bunch of scripture to get some light on
verse 56. It seems that sin and the law
are joined at the hip! You can't have sin
without also having the law because the
law identifies what is sinful.
(Romans 5:12; 3:20; 4:15; 7:7
Galatians 3:10)

Death banished death! When Jesus
died, death died. Jesus took sin into
his body and banished the effects of
the law. Bet you haven't thought
about this too much. Go ahead, and
admit it! I'm in the same boat-- but,
this is worth some thinking time.

Thankfulness Corner:
The sound of a lawn mower

Death Dies

We sat listening to the organ whose music filled
the church. As the melody rose and the stops were
pulled out, I could feel the sound throughout my
body. This is how I feel as I read the climax of
this chapter. Listen:

"When the perishable puts on the imperishable,
and the mortal puts on immortality, 
then shall come to pass the saying that is 
     written:"

"'Death is swallowed up in victory'"
                                                       (Isa 25:8)
"O Death, where is your victory?"
"O Death, where is your sting?"

Isaiah wrote, "death will be swallowed up in
victory, but Paul wrote, death is swallowed
up in victory. Jesus conquered death then,
now and forever. Oh, yes, our earth suit
will die and return to dust, but not our souls.

Dearest reader, one day, perhaps soon, we
will be re-united with family and precious
friends. We will receive a new body--that
looks like us--a younger, slimed down,
unwrinkled, glorious YOU!

Thankfulness Corner:
The sound of gurgling water in irrigation ditches