A Grand Adventure (Part 1)

Those of you who haven't talked to me recently probably don't know that I am embarking on a grand adventure tomorrow. At 6:05 a.m. a plane will be taking off, flying me and a friend to a training seminar in Florida. Not only is any sort of travel a rarity for me, this will be my very first flight --ever! I will be away from my home and my dear family for 5 whole days, but my hope is that I will be so blissfuly busy that I will not have time to notice how much I will miss them! --Besides, it's only 5 days, right?

I hope to take lots of pictures and gather enough funny stories for at least one interesting post while I'm away... but no promises!

For those of you who are believers, I would greatly appreciate your prayers, both for the time we will spend traveling and for the seminar itself.

Technicology

Sometimes when my mom or I are very tired, we unintentionally invent interesting new words by either trying to simultaneously say two other words, or by trying to say one word and failing miserably in the attempt. : )

Tonight Mommy was very tired, and instead of saying "technically", like she wanted to, out popped the interesting word that titles this post. I was very amused, and decided the word was a keeper.

I looked the word up on several Internet dictionaries, which, being Internet dictionaries (and free ones, at that) were not very helpful. It seems this very interesting word is one and the same with the word "technology". --Either that or the dictionaries just looked for the word that was closest and came up with technology. (I couldn't tell.)

Then I looked it up in my trusty Webster's, but, of course, it didn't appear on the pages of that venerable old resource. So, my mom and I were left to define it on our own.

My best guess at a definition would be the study of technicalities, but Mommy (still very tired) has decided that it most definitely is the study of technical colleges. : )

What do you think?

Evening Thoughts

Softly fades the light of day
As here alone I sit and pray
Yet, truly, not alone am I
For God Almighty who hears my cry
Is ever present in peace or strife
-‘Tis He who brings true joy to life.

And as the sunset casts on all
Its glittering golden glow, I call
To He who created all in my gaze
Which now doth cheer my heart and amaze
For the One who created all beauty and grace
Has gone to prepare for me a place!

Now as I hear the birds’ soft call
The trilling strains which rise and fall
I remember Jesus’ words, which said
Behold the birds, how they are fed.
They reap not, sow not, nor gather and store,
God feeds them. Doth He not value you more?

My eye doth on some flowers fall
And quickly then do I recall
Christ’s words again, from that same place:
Consider the lily’s pretty race
They toil not, spin not, yet beautifully arrayed,
By God, tho’ so swiftly they are decayed.

Yet God, who marks the sparrow’s fall
And paints the world’s bright colors all
Who provides each creature sufficient food
And rains down blessings, great and good
He sees my tears He knows each sorrow,
And His children are given a bright tomorrow!

Now as the light begins to fade
I think upon the price He paid
-For such a sinful wretch as I
Who so richly deserved for my sins to die-
Of His prayer in the garden of Gethsemane
And His suffering and death on Calvary.

Then through the twilight a bird’s call sounds
A bubbling chirp which with joy resounds
He’s alive! He arose from the grave again
And with Him hope and salvation for men
Who repent and believe, as I did that day
When Jesus’ blood washed my sins away!

Now thankfulness within me swells
To Him who now within me dwells,
The three in one, the Trinity
Who lavishes love and kindness on me.
And as soft breezes brush my face,
I thank Him for His bounteous grace.

As I hear the birds’ soft evening song
I raise my voice and sing along
Here at the closing of the day
The Doxology I sing and pray
“To God, from whom all blessings flow”
My heartfelt praises upward go.

And now has fled the light of day,
The light has faded clean away
The sweet-voiced birds are now at rest
And I sit and think how I am blessed
For God Almighty, Omnipotent, He
Is ever near to talk with me!

“By command…all excuses set apart”

That was the title Pastor gave his sermon last Sunday. The phrase was taken from the invitations sent out by Queen Elizabeth before her coronation.

“We greet you well. Whereas we have appointed the second day of June 1953 for the solemnity of our coronation, these are therefore to will and to command, all excuses set apart, that you make your personal attendance upon us, at the time above mentioned, there to do and to perform such services as shall be required of you.”

“All excuses set apart” That phrase has been ringing in my mind ever since I heard it. It seems like this summer is the time God has chosen to teach me about setting excuses aside. Every time there is something difficult or beyond my “comfort zone” to be done, I am tempted to put it off with another excuse, but then I am reminded of that phrase, “All excuses set apart”

I am reminded of Moses, among others, (including myself) who met God’s command with excuses. In Exodus 3-4, Moses is told by God to go back to Egypt, and speak to Pharaoh, and so deliver the Hebrews out of their slavery. Moses gives several excuses, which I so often find myself attempting to use when I am prompted to go and speak God’s word to others.

Excuse #1: “Who am I?”
Often, I meet God’s prompting to witness with similar thoughts. Who am I, that I should go talk to them? They don’t even know me! I feel inadequate and unprepared, and try to squirm away from the Holy Spirit’s leading. But there are no excuses with God! Here is His answer, to Moses, and by extension, to us.
“Certainly I will be with thee…” We may well ask, “Who am I?” if we go on our own, but we do not. We ought instead to ask “Who goes with me?” When we share God’s word with others, it is not by our own authority, but God’s! He is always right there with us. –We need never fear!

Excuse #2: “But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.” This, too, is another familiar page out of my book of excuses. How easy it is to put off speaking to someone about their need of the Savior simply because they might not believe or listen! Sometimes the people I am most sure will not be happy to be offered a tract are the most open! Often, there are common interests or connections that we have no idea exist with those to whom we witness until we begin to talk to them.
Here is God’s answer to this reluctance on account of lack of credibility:
“What is that in thine hand?” God is the one who gives us talents, abilities, and interests. He knows who to send us to speak with, and has uniquely equipped each of us to minister to those He brings our way.

Excuse #3: “O Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.” This is the most often excuse I am tempted to use when convicted about my lack of witnessing. I never know what to say to people, and I always wonder what doors are closed to the gospel because of my verbal clumsiness. But God answers this objection as well, with an assurance that I always find most encouraging:
“Who hath made man’s mouth? Or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.”

And He does, most faithfully!

Yet Another New Blog...

So, in case any of my few readers are interested, I have a new blog up.

www.buildingonfirmfoundations.blogspot.com

I started it primarily for my piano students, but the information in the blog might be interesting for others, as well.

Turning Around

I was on my way to church for visitation last Tuesday night, when my car suddenly started making a very odd rattling noise. Not knowing much about cars, I could not figure out what it was, but since I would have to drive the car home anyway, I decided to wait until after visitaton to do so. As it happened, there was a lady on my way home who was open to a visit, so off I set.

As I started to back out of the parking spot, I noticed that the noise got much worse when the car was in reverse. I decided to try to keep from backing up until I got home. I turned down the lady's street, only to get to the end (a dead-end, of course) and realize I had passed her house. There wasn't quite enough room for me to turn around, so I was forced to put the car in reverse. Grumbly thoughts were just coming to mind, when I looked up. There in the sky right in front of me was a beautiful rainbow! --I stopped grumbling.

It was then that I remembered that I have a powerful and loving God guiding my steps. He knew that I would drive right past the lady's house and need to turn around, and He also knew that my car would be all right until I got home. Perhaps He placed that rainbow in the sky right where I would see it at my most grumbly moment to remind me of His care and protection.

I'm Back!

Hello everyone out there in blog-land who reads my prattling posts! (Yes, all 10 of you.) If you have noticed that I have not posted anything on my blogs in a long time, well, I noticed that too, and an explanation will follow. --If you haven't noticed, you're not paying attention. ; )

Well, part of the reason I have not been posting is that my computer decided some time ago to start having "grumpy days" where it would not go on the internet. This was accompanied by extreme slowness and slight confusion. My computer was four years old, (which I have been told is very elderly in computer years) so perhaps it was to be expected. After all, people of advanced years do tend to be a bit grumpy, slow, and confused, so why shouldn't my computer?

Well, God decided it was time for me to stop borrowing my dad's computer and get a new one of my own. So yesterday, Mommy, Daddy and I went to the nearby electronics store (which is so large, I affectionately call it the Cabela's for geeks.) Once inside the store, we skimmed the aisles until a friendly "associate" pointed us to the "notebook" section. (By the way, for those of you who don't speak computer, "notebook" means laptop, not to be confused under any circumstances with "netbook", which is something like a baby laptop.)

After what seemed like a very long time walking up and down one aisle, debating the pros and cons and prices of each one, I finally made a decision, and Daddy went to find a clerk to help us. (Which I was very glad of, because I'm sure they all could tell that I was not a geek, and was therefore a bit out of my element.)

Daddy came back with the clerk, and the debates began. First he tried to convince me that a different computer "which is really a better system" and "for the same price" was really what I needed, but thankfully, Daddy knew better, and told him so. (Nicely, of course.) Then, just like Mr. Computer Guy in a previous post, he tried to get me to spend more money --this time by using all his powers of elequence and wit to sell me an extra-special warranty and a laptop bag and a new surge-protector. (Once again, for those not literate in computer-speak, that just means a plug strip.) Daddy was busy picking out a new mouse for me, (a pink one!) so that he could keep mine, which he had been using, so I was on my own. This clerk tried quite hard not to take no for an answer, and not until Daddy came back over did he yield and try to accept the fact that we had a surge-protector already, Goodwill had better laptop bags for cheaper, and the regular warranty would do just fine for me, thank you.

Then we meandered to the front of the store. (One can never walk directly anywhere in such stores, it seems. One member of the party or other is constantly walking off to look at something.) I paid for the laptop, and for the first time in my life, held a new computer of my very own in my hands.

And now I am sitting at said computer, happily typing away, listening to some music and using my pretty new pink mouse.

So, theoretically, there will be more posts to follow...