Storms

Storms are amazing.  They're at once terrifying and peaceful.  

An awe-inspiring reflection of our Creator.

As I was driving home the other day a storm was heading in from the west.  It was moving very quickly and changing constantly.  As I came to a certain place on the road I noticed this large field and how the clouds looked at that moment and I thought, "I've GOT to get a picture!".
So I pulled over, got out and started snapping away on my iphone.  Oh, if only I had a really nice camera!  Someday, perhaps.  But for now I'm very thankful that I've got something to take pictures with that I have handy all the time (and doesn't do half bad ;)   ).

Anyway, as I stood there taking pictures of this huge storm moving my way I could feel the wind picking up speed.  The trees blew more violently around me and I could smell the rain coming.  What a frightfully wonderful moment!  It reminded me so much of my God.  How amazingly powerful HE is.

The One Who created all things and controls all weather was watching me as I stood there, pretty helpless really, as the storm approached.  Though in HIM I'm not helpless.  Granted it could have been a much worse storm, but that's the thing with them...you never really know how the storm is going to be until you're in it.  God knows this.  He knows what the storms of life are going to be like for us because He knows the outcome.  He also became as one of us so that He might be able to be our perfect intercessor and author and finisher of our faith.  Able to identify in EVERY way with us, no matter what the temptation is that we face.

Hebrews says,

"For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings."
- Hebrews 2:10


When Messiah came to earth in the form of man(kind) He did so for the purpose of dying and defeating the devil who has the power of death.  To give us hope for victory over our own sinful nature.  He did not count His own life more than ours.  He allowed Himself to be murdered by lawless hands so that we might have hope for eternal life...in HIM (Acts 2:23).

I'm still learning that the "storms" I face in life are there to teach me to reach out to my Savior more and more.  The event with Peter comes to my mind in which, when he focused on the Lord he actually walked on water, but as soon as he took his eyes away from HIM and looked at the overwhelming (so he thought) storm around him, Peter began to sink (Matthew 14:22-33).  Everytime I face that storm I have a choice to make:  Will I be fearful and try to save myself, OR will I keep focused on my God and trust HIM to increase my faith in HIM and lead me through it?  This is a question we all must ask ourselves often.  Sometimes we will trust in ourselves, but praise the Lord for His mercy to not allow us to be wiped out and instead give us another chance to trust Him.  However, I don't want to keep making that mistake of trying to do it on my own.  I want to trust Him more everyday, and actually FOLLOW Him through the storm.

There's great peace in the midst of a terrible storm...when you trust the One who allowed it in the first place.


"For You have been a strength to the poor, 
a strength to the needy in his distress, 
a refuge in the storm,
a shade from the heat;
for the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall."
- Isaiah 25:4 

God's Wondrous Works

"The more we discover, the less we know."  

Scientists have been trying to figure out how big the universe is but none have been able to discern the measurement. Often, they use an evolutionary basis to calculate their findings but are clearly in error since evolution has been proven false time and time again.

Some purpose (again, through evolutionary thought processes) that the universe stretches out at 156 billion light years wide! That's astounding, but there's no way to be sure since they're using a false belief to determine the information. The truth is the universe is so vast that even if we could find the size of it we wouldn't be able to wrap our minds around it. In fact, people can't even fully understand the vastness of our galaxy, or even our solar system for that matter.

If we step outside and peer into the night sky we can see the stars in that sky (if we live away from too many city lights) and get a "small" glimpse at the enormity of Yahweh's creation.

"When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?"
- Psalm 8:3

But that's just it, isn't it? Even in all of God's splendor and majesty, He made the universe and all that is in it - for us! We are His greatest creation, made in His image. Yet we choose to sin and walk away from Him day after day without the thought of repentance. Without the thought of eternity. Do we ask ourselves "Why"? Why do we shun the One who gave us life and all good things under the sun? Our pride and selfishness keep us from falling on our knees before our Creator.

The prophet Jeremiah wrote:

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings."
- Jeremiah 17:7-10

Jeremiah is partially quoting from Psalm 1 in the first few verses here. Notice that if we trust and hope in the LORD, rather than ourselves, we will be upheld by His hand and planted firmly....unmovable. If we choose to look to our own strength, however, then we will surely be deceived and perish because the heart of man is "deceitful" and "desperately wicked". It will not tell us the truth, therefore we cannot trust in our own ways lest we be led astray, away from God. But if we place our faith and trust in Him and His perfect Word, then we will yield fruit/good works which men will see and then glorify the God of heaven and earth. And though our heart is not trustworthy and will condemn us, the LORD is greater than our heart, and He knows us (1 John 3:20).

The apostle Paul writes:

"Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be."
- Romans 8:7

Our flesh will never be submissive to God and His standard. His standard (the Law) is the plumb line with which to measure sin, yet many in the professing church throw it out saying it was "nailed to the cross" when in fact it is the only truth there is. It is HIS word. If it is truth and men have tried to say it is no longer in effect, then we see how they can look past Yahweh as the Creator of all things and deny Him in their own lives.

Scientists are just now getting there first look into some of the moon's deepest craters. Something that is so close to our own planet (in comparison with the rest of the universe) and they think, in their pride, that they have accomplished such great things. Though I marvel at the technology of today it saddens me to think that for all that mankind knows, it is like Solomon in all his wisdom. He knew the truth but in the end he could not grasp it with his heart, therefore he turned away from the LORD and followed after other gods.

What do you see when you look at our universe? A vast emptiness of cosmic coincidences....or the work of a loving Creator? 

A Cool Wind

I'm sitting on my back porch this morning, eating breakfast and enjoying a beautiful sunrise.  The birds are chirping back and forth, and my roosters are crowing.  Ahhh...so peaceful.  The one thing that really keeps getting my attention, though, is the somewhat cool breeze.  It'll feel nice later in the day when the sun is overhead and hot, however, right now it's a bit too crisp for me to be totally comfortable. 
That got me to thinking about the Holy Spirit and His work in our lives.  The Hebrew word for "spirit" is ruach which means "wind; breath (as in exhalation)".   In the Greek it is pneuma which means the same.  That concept of the Spirit and wind was used by Yeshua when He was speaking to Nicodemus in John 3:8.
The Holy Spirit cannot be touched, but He can be felt.  He can't be seen, but He can see into the depth of our own spirit.  We can't sway Him, but He can move us to greater things beyond ourselves.  God even promised that He would cause us to walk in His Commandments by His Spirit (Ezekiel 36:27).

So what does this have to do with the cool breeze on my back porch, you might ask?  Well this cool wind grabs my attention everytime it picks up.  Just when I seem to focus on something else, or even lose my focus altogether, the cold breeze snaps me back to where I'm at, and making me slightly uncomfortable at times.  The Holy Spirit does this same thing in our lives.  Messiah said that the Holy Spirit will "convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8).   He goes on to say, "of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged." (v.9).

The faithfulness of God will not let us rest if He is indeed calling us.  The Spirit of the living God is ever pursuing us, trying to get our attention when we get too comfortable with the things of this world and lose our focus.  The ruler of this world (the devil) IS judged, Yeshua said, and the world itself is not concerned with the things of God.  We are to be IN the world, but not OF it.  If we get too cozy in this place, the Holy Spirit lovingly (which sometimes means sternly) reminds us that this is not our home!
He also brings to our remembrance everything that Yeshua said, which was everything that the Father had told Him to say.  We aren't told anything new by the Spirit, but everything that the Father is constantly speaking to us.  We are righteous if we're in HIM.  We are to be holy because HE is holy.  We are to walk just as Messiah walked which was in obedience to His perfect Word.

So I'll take that crisp, cool breeze this morning.  I have many things to learn, and who better to teach me than THE Teacher!  Besides, I know that later in the day, when it's unbearably hot, that wind will be very, very comforting.

Home: Peaceful Bluegrass

  I really recommend this album!
It's one of my favorites.

It's great for just playing around the house when you want to relax (or imagine you're sittin' on the back porch of your mountain cabin for those of us who don't have that mountain cabin!).

I've always liked bluegrass music and this album really has a great sound and soothing melodies.

Also, this isn't like some "background nature" cd's where it's just too much background noise.  The sounds of nature on this are just right; you hardly notice them which really allows the music to shine through.  They're just enough to give you a sense of peacefulness and makes you feel like you're in those mountains!



http://www.amazon.com/Home-Peaceful-Bluegrass-Dan-Gibson/dp/B000PDZH32

Backpacker Magazine

This magazine is FREE to read on Google.  Issues from 1973 to 2009!

http://books.google.com/books/serial/ISSN:0277867X?rview=0&lr=&sa=N&start=0

Clear Vision

If you look at yourself through another person's eyes it will be their version of you.
If you look at yourself through your own eyes it will be your version of you.
If you look at yourself through God's eyes...it will be perfectly clear.

Wild Kingdom...Indoors!

   Well, life in an old farmhouse is never dull. It seems ever since I started working on this place and living here I've had more "visitors" than I can remember. From the momma raccoon to the frazzled humming bird to the ground hog thinking that this is his home too!
   Notice about the raccoon I said "momma"? That's because she was! I tried catching that coon for weeks using a live trap. I'd bait it with all kinds of stuff, like cat food, peanut butter and anything else people recommended. Tips on baiting traps are right up there with ways that women can "tell" if an expectant mother is having a girl or a boy!
   One day when I had given up hope on catching said raccoon I heard a tussling noise in the attic space next to the room I was working in. I thought, "Ah ha! Now I've gotcha." So I put on my heavy work gloves and went into the attic determined to catch this thing. When I got a few feet along I saw some insulation moving. I thought this is it, I'll grab her and...oh, right!...what was I going to do if I caught this thing?! Oh well, I was so tired of dealing with it that I'd figure it out as I went. Kind of a shoot-first-ask-questions-later sorta thing. Anyway, I crawled up to the insulation and I began hearing a tiny squeaking sound. "This doesn't sound like a big 'ol raccoon", I thought to myself. I pulled back the insulation and what did I see? You guessed it, baby raccoons! Oh great, they're multiplying! "Fantastic", I said sarcastically to myself (and I DID pick up on the sarcasm). But then I thought, "Hey, if I take the babies away then maybe momma will leave!". So I put them in a box and took them outside.
   Okay, so I'm outside with the baby raccoons and now what to do?  I stood there looking down on these helpless little creatures that I had just stolen out of their warm, safe "home" in my attic insulation.  I couldn't just let them die!  They couldn't have been even a week old.  So I did what anybody in my situation would have done...I started taking care of them!  Oy.  They were given a diet of raw goat milk and did fine for several weeks.  All that time I never saw hide nor hair of momma raccoon.  I later discovered that she moved out to the barn.
   After a short time the baby raccoons began to move around a bit more and we soon realized that we had to figure out a plan before they got too big.  The girls did a great job feeding them, but we ran out of goat milk and so we substituted it with something else...I can't remember right now what it was.  However, whatever it was did not work.  One by one the little things started passing on.  Just awful.

   Oh, and did I mention the mangy cat that kept hanging around?  Okay, okay, so I DID feed it a little!  But the thing was about ready to spend it's 9th life, I think.  Sheesh, I guess I'm kind of a softy.  
   Well all of this and just the other day a bird gets caught in my wood stove chimney!  I thought it was capped off well enough but obviously not.  Although I didn't get pics of some of the things that came around, I did get others that I've posted below.  Enjoy!