Catching up… I was thinking of contrasts today. Chilly here and 90 in Africa. Raining here but snowing up the street. Contrasts. But weather related contrasts weren’t the only ones I was thinking of. I smile now — because the day’s over and everything got done that needed to get done — but I smile, too, bcz early in the day I was fretting about some of the “such things as I have” and the condition of some of the “such things as I have.” And, by the way, some of those “such things as I have” were not things…
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I’ve been cleaning tonight. I decided to face the inevitable. I hadn’t been up to Timothy’s room in the last couple of days and so I decided to go up… to stand there… and then to sit among his stuff. It was interesting to spend time there — sort of assessing the life by what’s left behind, or to see what’s been important to him. One wall of the small bedroom is lined with bookshelves and on them are rows of books… dozens of missionary biographies and commentaries among a variety of other manuals, Bible studies and, generally, anything that…
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We just returned from Portland. The trashcan full of empty Starbucks cups, orange peels, granola bar wrappers and baggies of bits of remaining mashed sandwiches tells part of the story. It seems as though a week has passed since 5:00 am. The long drive home is just one of many distractions for which I’ve been thankful so far this year. It’s as if each distraction has been a special gift from the Lord – each has been a necessary thing, a necessary interruption or a necessary trial or testing of faith. I’ve wondered if I hadn’t had, or if we…
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Today’s been one of those ‘not-so-clear-thinking’ sort of days. One of those, put the milk in the cabinet and the cups in the fridge sort of days. But I keep thinking: God is not the author of confusion but of peace and also that He has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. These are part of the whatsoever’s I’ve been thinking on (after I give into fretful confusion and recognize the need to clear thinking!). So, in an attempt to take every thought captive, I’m needing to continually…
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Every now and then I receive an email that strikes a chord with me… perhaps punctuates a thought or confirms another study. Well, that’s how this one was for me this morning. As with all the other distractions to what’s going on in our family this week, I see this distraction as a welcome one – for it actually confirms the “why” behind what we believe what we believe and why we do what we do. When we take stands for the Word or when we take stands against the trends in the church today, it’s not that we are…
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Only a few days into the new year and already it seems old. Actually, maybe not even a new year after all… just another month — another calendar — since the other one ran out of pages. I’m still thinking of Christmas. I’m thinking of all the chaos that surrounds Christmas – those who do and those who don’t: do Christmas. I’m thinking of all the expectations and the dreading other’s expectations. And I’m missing the songs. I’m missing the greetings in the local stores. After being able to say happy-Christmas for several weeks, “Have a nice day” just doesn’t…
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I didn’t really make any new year’s resolutions this year. I don’t ever really do well with resolutions – I set lofty ideals and then fail. But you know, there really is something about a new year, a fresh start, a clean slate that has a particular appeal to me. I want things to go well – I want things to be fresh and new and without all the problems or blemishes of the past or without the obvious failures or even partial successes of the past. So, I guess I must, deep down, have a desire to set and…
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Many times I have stated or thought in times of trial: The arm or the hand of the Lord is not shortened that it cannot save – nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. I say this in response to difficult situations, poor health, wayward children, financial reverses or adversity and, among many other things, despair. Have you ever sought to understand or answer: How long is the arm of the Lord or how great is the hand of the Lord? And if we cannot begin to answer the question: how long is the arm of the Lord, then…
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Everything’s alright — time’s just tight. Nothing new — just lots to do. No time to write — even up late at night. But one thing’s true — I’ve been thinking of you. And there’s still lots to say — maybe later today.
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We’ve had many inquiries as to our local rainfall and potential flooding of the River… Here’s the NOAA link we’ve been watching… and, so far as we can tell, the flood danger has passed even though there’s still a tremendous amount of water over the banks of the Snohomish River! For perspective, here’s a link I posted just after the flood in November of last year. All’s well… God is still on the throne – a verse that I read during our first flood season in this old farmhouse always gives me great comfort and assurance: “The Lord sitteth…