Sinful beyond Measure

 

… Sin … a slippery path...

Romans 7:13  Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.

  Beware of thinking lightly of sin. At the time of conversion, the conscience is so tender that we are afraid of the slightest sin. Young converts have a holy timidity, a godly fear of offending God. But sadly very soon the fine bloom upon these first ripe fruits is removed by the rough handling of the surrounding world: The sensitive plant of young piety turns into a willow in later life, too pliable, too easily yielding.

  It is sadly true that even a Christian may grow by degrees so callous that the sin that once startled him does not alarm him in the least. By degrees men get familiar with sin. The ear in which the cannon has been booming will not notice slight sounds. At first a little sin startles us; but soon we say, “Is it not a little one?” Then there comes another, larger, and then another, until by degrees we begin to regard sin as but a small matter; and this is followed by an unholy presumption: “We have not fallen into open sin. True, we tripped a little, but we stood upright for the most part. We may have uttered one unholy word, but as for most of our conversation, it has been consistent.” So we toy with sin; we throw a cloak over it; we call it by dainty names.

  Christian, beware of thinking lightly of sin. Take heed in case you slip and fall little by little. Sin a little thing? Is it not a poison? Who knows its deadliness? Sin a little thing? Do not the little foxes spoil the grapes? Doesn’t the tiny coral insect build a rock that wrecks a navy? Do not little strokes fell lofty oaks? Will not continual drippings wear away stones? Sin a little thing? It put a crown of thorns on Jesus’ head and pierced His heart! It made Him suffer anguish, bitterness, and woe. If you could weigh the least sin in the scales of eternity, you would run from it as from a serpent and abhor the slightest appearance of evil.

Look upon all sin as that which crucified the Savior, and you will see it to be “sinful beyond measure.”

Taken from Morning and Evening, written by C. H. Spurgeon

Storms in Life....Dealing with Hardship

  

“When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant.” – Genesis 39:3-4a

    Disappointments, suffering, our life "storms" do not define our ultimate destiny. For God’s child, His unseen realities are truer than the pain we may feel. Flawed people, fleeting pleasure and fading hopes should propel us toward God, the only One who can satisfy our deepest longings. Disappointment, pain and even lingering suffering are profitable when yielded to God, who knows and loves us best. Injustice in this world makes us long for His perfect justice. Pain in this world makes us long for eternity, where pain and tears will be abolished. When the "storms" of our life look threatening and promise to break us of spiritually debilitating self-will and pride, will we trust that God is doing something good? When people fail us, will we remember God cannot.

    As humans, we long for resolution. We enjoy movies and entertainment that solve all the suspense and tension in the allotted time. Some of us enjoy googling our questions to receive instant information. We like to see things resolved, and preferably fast. We do not like waiting. Waiting implies dependence on someone or something else to bring an answer or solution we lack and long for. We wait for the doctor because we need the expertise that a professional brings. We wait for needed rain because we are powerless to produce it ourselves. Waiting for God to bring resolution to suffering is perhaps hardest of all.  What are we waiting on God to resolve, or at least help us understand? His plans and purposes far exceed our limited vision and understanding. Can we trust God, even when the answers are few, the pain is deep and the solutions invisible?

   Even for believers, faith falters. In this life, our trust in God is neither complete nor perfect. Sometimes we face the day with bold, decisive faith. Other days, we struggle to believe what we know is true. Do we ever genuinely want to trust God but find a constant pull to focus on the obstacles? God is not shocked by our faltering faith.  What do we do on that hard day when our faith falters and the visible challenges loom large and our "storm" seems headed for destruction? In these moments God Himself stokes the fire of our faith with His strength and power. He calls out faith when we struggle. God lets it be hard here so we will discover He offers more than this fallen world can offer.

Faith is not denying our "storms", but trusting God in the midst of it

The Fall of Mankind

 

“So the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this … I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.’ ”– Genesis 3:14-15

    Something is severely wrong with humanity and the world. Why does it seem I never measure up? Why do I gossip, blame, lie, cheat? Why do I struggle with fear, anger, bitterness, hatred, lust, shame, pride, insecurity? Why do I experience grief and loss? Why do terrorism, murder, human trafficking and racism exist in the world? Why do I constantly think about myself, rather than God and others? Culture boasts that human­ity is basically good. An honest look at myself and the world says otherwise. Let’s face it: The human race has fallen, and left to ourselves, we cannot get up.

  Genesis 3 unveils humanity’s problem – sin. Sin and its consequences invaded the world when Adam and Eve rejected God’s perfect character, love and authority. Evil, suffering and death now pervade life on earth as a result. What can we do? As fallen sinners, we can do nothing. Only God, Creator of the world, has the right and power to redeem what was lost and broken. In this week’s passage, we witness both the devastation of sin and the astonishing display of God’s mercy. While sin’s consequences tragically remain, we are not left without hope. Our eyes eagerly look to the Savior who has come and will come again. 

Sin offends God, destroys all and is inescapable without our Savior Jesus Christ.

Hard Seasons of Life

 

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” – Isaiah 43:2

    Life seems “right” to us when things feel easy. We yearn for happy days and comfortable ways to dominate our lives. Perhaps this internal longing for perfection is rooted in our God-given desire for what only He can provide. Life is often harder than we expect, and certainly more difficult than we prefer. 

   Our challenges come in a steady stream and from many sources. Life in a fallen world brings sickness and suffering. Our own sins and those of others complicate our lives. We face political unrest, relational conflict, and the constancy of change. How do we face the questions that arise within us? Where is God in all of this? What does it mean to follow God amid fallenness and dysfunction? Why does God use what hurts to reveal what matters? How does pain accomplish God’s purposes in our lives? Isn’t there a better way – or at least an easier one?

   God’s purifying purposes for Israel and Judah took them into foreign exile. The Assyrians attacked the northern kingdom of Israel and hauled away the people. The southern kingdom of Judah faced a similar fate when attacked by the Babylonians. Certainly, God’s covenant people failed to honor God and live as He intended. Yet, at this point in the story, we witness God’s chosen people headed into deep suffering by His design.

  How do we hold onto hope when our world crumbles? Our faith in God needs to go beyond glib clichés and easy answers. Our real lives offer an opportunity to trust God in specific, personal ways.

God can be trusted to accomplish His purposes through our pain.

Mookie. A new addition, a new love.

 

1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind, love does not envy, does not boast......

A new love...

  Mookie is 9 months old now, born in April 2022. We got her home to Sedona when she was a mere nine weeks old and 4 pounds.  So tiny, fragile, cute, and energetic!

   Mike and I have wanted another dog child since Cookie died in 2019. Another Westie...just like Biskit and Cookie my "love children". We are learning that is not reality. Dogs are similar, just as people are similar...but the differences are huge, especially in personality.

   Once the decision was made to get another Westie, I began my search to find a breeder and puppy. Tina, Biskit's breeder led me to Bebe, a Westie breeder in south Texas. I discussed my Westie history with her and we were put on a waiting list. That was in March of 2021. We waited, and waited. Covid happened and we waited some more. Finally we got the call in May of 2022 that a girl pup was available. My adventure began ramping up. A new furry child on the way. Dog beds, treats, toys, food bowls, collars, leashes.....lots of shopping to do. What a frenzy of fun and joy. Yet.....

   Mookie is a stubborn, smart, headstrong girl. Very alpha. Wanting to run the show. I was NOT ready for that.  Biskit and Cookie had worshipped me, obeyed me, loved to be around me. Mookie wanted me to worship her! 

   I have gone thru so many emotions dealing with myself and her.  I am not the young agile person I was 23 years ago when I got Biskit as a puppy. I don't have the patience, fortitude and drive to deal with a rebellious pup.

How many times have I just wished her gone so that I could be free of the daily drill of disciplining, training, and simply dealing with her rebellious nature. That is shameful.

  The Lord is using Mookie to teach me about myself. My strengths and weaknesses. These lessons boil over to other areas of my life. I see my selfishness. My desire to have things my way, not wanting to put in all the effort to love her for the puppy she is. Maybe that is the way it is with other relationships in my life. Wanting Mike to meet my expectations. Getting frustrated when things don't go my way with my sister Debbie and friend Bobbi, my Mom and Dad. Do I really love them? I continue to lean on the Lord to guide me in these areas where I need His transforming power to give me the true love and patience I desire. I fall on my knees when I remember the rebel I was, yet He graciously pulled me to Himself, opened my eyes to His truth and saved me....from myself. 

   Little Mookie...a tool for my transformation...

Happy Holidays from Sedona

   2019 is coming to a close. Like last year, it has been a year of ups and downs. Moments of happiness as well as sorrow.  Smiles and tears.

  

After 17 years of fun packed days, our little Cookie died in March.  She was the joy of each of my days including her last one. Anyone who has a dog, who loves their pets and has lost one, can understand how hard this has been for Mike and me. It has taken us months to get over our years of “Cookie habits”. Our home seems lonely and empty without her. She was such a spunky little girl. We are considering getting another “furry four legged child” in the near future….hope so.

   On the bright side of life, Mike and I have taken several road trips in Arizona and Utah this year. We explored Bryce Canyon, Zion, Capitol Reef, and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Amazing sights and tons of photos.  I enjoy making photo books, and now have an abundance of new material to organize and work on.

    I also made several trips to Ohio to visit my family. My Dad turned 92 this year and although he has many health issues he never tires of playing cards, talking politics, watching movies, and dining on good food. Right now he is in a rehab center working to regain strength in his legs. I am praying he will be able to walk and return home. My Mom, who turned 88, has had a difficult year. She fell and broke her wrist quite severely this Fall and is still recovering. I am thankful that I am retired ( YEA!!!) and could be there to help my sisters take care of my parents and deal with the issues involved in their care.

   This year we had a bunch of visits by friends and family. These are times we look forward to and have tons of fun during the visits. Sedona is a beautiful place with multitudes of things to see and do. Hiking and jeeping are still on the top of our list. No shortage of places to explore.

    Mike continues to improve the beauty of our little yard and we both love spending time in it. We are grateful for our health and ability to do the things we  enjoy. Once again, I am reminded that each day is a gift from the Lord for me to treasure and to love those He has surrounded me with. Dogs included!

                                         Thanking the Lord for a blessed year.

                                          Have a joy filled Christmas Season!!

A letter to my Mom....

Dearest Mom, 9-9-2019
     Today, as I am alone, is a day of remembering you.  Visiting cherished times in my life spent with you. From the beginning...to right now.  You have always been a part of me, whether we have had an opportunity to acknowledge that to each other or not. I am your daughter, from your womb, bearing the imprint of your genetics in my body, in my emotions, in my soul.  Similar in many ways, yet different too, as half of me is Dad.
    I love thinking of the times as a little girl you taught me to read, to crochet, to play games, and to study and learn things. How you comforted me when my insecurity and fears brought me to tears and sleeplessness. How you were there to help me when my heart was breaking over Dana and his craziness when I was a teenager. How you traveled to Texas so many times to visit me and help with home projects. How we had travel adventures across the country and world. Even to this last visit -how we shared some of our heartfelt feelings concerning  our spiritual lives.
  You are an amazing woman and mother. I only wish that I had spent more time getting to know your inner workings and sharing in more of your life as I was growing up and also as a grown-up. You are a bit of a  mystery to me.  As I straightened up your house and organized things I realize how music has been the number one theme in your life. From childhood to 88 years later music is at the heart of you. It fills your filing cabinets, your notebooks, your bookcases- music is all around.  I wish I had something that defined me in such an exceptional way.
  Now, as your life winds down, and things are harder to remember and focus on...I want you in this moment to know how I love you, admire you, am proud of you and desire to be closer to you.
  While organizing your desk, I ran across a little memo you had written to yourself that I found insightful-
      We cannot know, ever, what the course of our lives is to be, nor even with certainty where the next moment will take us. It is subject to change.  But to know that, after all, is to know a great deal. 
We all have a beginning and an end.  Everything in-between is unknown, subject to change as you stated.  I am thankful for having a beginning, being born. I am thankful for the life you and Dad have given me- even in the hard and difficult moments. I am thankful to the Lord for promising me an end that will be with Him for eternity.  I pray that during this time of your life you can rest in His comfort, knowing He is in control of our seemingly uncontrolled lives. 
    Words cannot really express all the tender thoughts, feelings and memories I have of you.

Just KNOW, I love you Mom. 

   

Mom and me-1995

Family unity......

Photo from 90's. Debbie, Sherri, Me, Mom, Aunt Carol.

I just returned from a three week visit to Ohio to visit my family. So much has happened since this photo was taken years ago. There is not much real unity in my family, although we believe there is a sense of love. My precious parents are feeble whether in body or mind and can no longer care for themselves.  YET they deny this and insist they can. My sister Debbie has taken the task of tending to them and it is an overwhelming, stressful, anger producing endeavor that is burning her out. We so often deal with each other with harsh, bitter words, impatience, frustration, gossip, condescension, and a spirit of divisiveness that is disgusting. I am ashamed to admit that I am sucked into this all too often. Where is our love for one another? Where is our caring for one another? Our encouraging one another? As I went thru each day observing the family dynamics, I found myself needing to "run" to 

1 Cor: 13 1-8

4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 

5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 

6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 

7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 

8 Love never fails.....

Love as the Lord Jesus defined it here is non-existent in my family.

I read today a thought provoking chapter on Unity in the book by Tony Evans  "Horizontal Jesus" . Here is a part of what he says...

It’s amazing how much power and impact people can have when they share a common goal. In fact, a small minority of like-minded people can make big changes. Lobbyists and protesters—even in small numbers—wield great power when unified. So we must ask ourselves, is the church of Jesus Christ experiencing the unity and exerting the national influence that we should, especially considering the strength of our numbers? Sadly, the answer is often no. Even though we claim the same God and worship the same Lord, we have allowed differences in race, class, culture, preferences, priorities, platforms, and more to divide us. In doing so, we have reduced our cultural impact as the horizontal representatives of Jesus.
Jesus stated clearly, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand” (Matthew 12:25). This applies not only to the universal body of Christ but also to the local church’s impact on individual lives, families, marketplaces, neighborhoods, communities, and schools. Hell has sought to divide God’s kingdom to minimize His influence. Satan is the ultimate divider. He tried to split up heaven by getting one-third of the angels to join him in rebellion against God. He brought chaos into the first family when he separated Adam and Eve from God and pitted them against each other. Satan also instigated sibling hatred when he enticed the first son (Cain) to kill his brother (Abel). In fact, Satan introduced so much dissension into the world that God issued a worldwide flood.
Satan loves to divide. When he divides, he can conquer. This is because he knows something about God’s nature that you and I need to always remember.
********************************************************************************
Satan is the author of dis-unity. He is shown victor in my family as we relate to one another with unloving words and attitudes. I examine my heart and see so much rubbish I need to remove permanently and I ask the Lord for His divine help. I ask Him to reveal His love to my family members so they too can lean on His strength. We have a desperate need for unity.

One more time.....

Cookie

  It has been almost nine weeks since Cookie died. My heart still aches and when I think of her or look at her photos I cry. But not as much. Time does lessen the grief, just as it did with Biskit. I find myself still waiting for her bark to come into the house, making her little whining sounds to get my attention and try to figure out what she wants, looking at me for some more treats, wanting up on the footstool in the TV room, slowly thumping down the stairs one by one each morning to find me, hopping around when she had a little burst of old age energy. Habits I miss. Although she was old, she still had a lot of spunk and life in her. Although I knew her last days were approaching I was not ready to say goodbye. She was not ready to die.

   Sometimes I think that I almost want to hurt, to cry, to miss, to mourn. Maybe to remind myself of my love for her. Maybe because I feel guilty if I don't grieve? I am not sure. 

  I just want another chance to groom her, to hug her, to give her the towel rub-a-dub when she comes in wet from outside, to give her another greenie, to stick my nose in her fur and kiss her, to speak sweet nothings into her little ears... I want one more time. It would always be that way...just one more. Never enough.

   I am ready for that to happen with my parents. My dad almost 92 and my mom 88. Their life is winding down and I know, as I did with Cookie, that death is around the corner. I walk with that knowledge, yet still hoping for another visit, another card game, another puzzle to make, another conversation to be had, another photo to take. I leave tomorrow for a three week visit with them. It may be my last. 

    I know the Lord has all of our times appointed. He is in charge of life and death. Heaven and Hell.

I can't change anything.... but being a creature of earth and time, I still want to hold on to those I love.

Just one more time.....

   

Do I shout for joy?

Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” Psalm 35:27
   In our culture, many self-absorbed people, (often myself) focus their energies on doing the newest activity that promises the most pleasure, getting the latest technology to make life easier and fun,  going shopping for the latest styles in clothes and jewelry, traveling the world, and spending hours on favorite hobbies.  Those things don’t satisfy for long.  God made us with hearts that long for a transcendent purpose.  We want to live for something much bigger than ourselves.
  Causes come in every stripe and color.  Some people get energized for a political candidate who promises to change a city, state, or nation.  Others devote themselves to preserving the planet or helping the homeless.  In war, soldiers fight and die for the freedom of those back home. Many of us have the sole purpose of  pursuing self-satisfaction. We sit on the "throne" and feel we are the center of the universe.
   Although some causes are noble, most have only temporary results.  Taking the message of Christ’s love not only to the ends of the earth but also to  our family members, friends, and coworkers is truly our most important task. The purpose for every believer is to know Christ and to honor Him in everything we do.  He should sit on the throne of our life. As we turn our attention to Him, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead...eternity with God, we discover He is the true  cause that makes us shout for joy!