Friday Fanfare October 22, 2010

 "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord..." Psalm 33:12

I don't have a Bucket List, but I do have a list of dreams.  One of them came true on Saturday when I was asked to sing the National Anthem at the Permian Basin Fire Convention.  (I almost got to sing at a Maverick's game once, but that's another story.)

It was a tremendous honor to sing The Star Spangled Banner.  Normally, only the first verse of Francis Scott Key's masterpiece (which is a bear to sing by the way) is performed at public events.  I wish we could also sing the last verse:

Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! 

I do believe that the success and freedom of our nation will be determined by God, and the extent upon which we trust Him.  I'm not going to start waxing political, but I'm just sayin'.  May we be heav'n rescued, and blest with victory and peace.  We praise you, Father, the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.  Have a blessed weekend!

Friday Fanfare

This work week is almost over.  I am looking across the street from the library and enjoying the late afternoon sun casting a golden fall wash on the green grass of the Bank.  The little twinkling leaves on the well kept trees don't change color here in west Texas, but they look gold in the sunshine just the same.  The 84th Psalm sings, "How lovely is Thy dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!" In the presence of the Lord, our hearts feel like that golden washed scene across from me; quiet, peaceful, joyful and full of expectation.  Shadows are moving across the lawn as the moments go by, reminding me that I'm about an hour away from rest, from seeing my husband and family.  How lovely to dwell in the peace of the Lord.

Verse 11 of that Psalm says "For the LORD God is a sun and shield..." and He was that today.  I was on the way to pick up Natalie from school at lunch when I heard a kathunk, kathunk - then I lost all power steering.  I managed to get Nat and then limped into Mobile One so Nathan could look at it.  It was only out of commission for a few hours and I am rejoicing that I was not stranded or hit by another car.  He takes care of us!  How lovely is Thy dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! Have a blessed weekend.

Daily Faithfulness

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

What in the world did Jesus do for thirty years before he started his ministry? Fully 10/11ths of His life on earth was spent in Nazareth. Possibly Joseph died when Jesus was young. He was not mentioned in the accounts of Jesus’ ministry or crucifixion. First-born Jews took care of their families. Jesus had a mother and siblings to look after and he was a carpenter. He knew the daily details of business, of working with customers, of supporting his family. When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and God said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”, Jesus had not yet done the first miracle. He had simply been faithful to his family and to God – for thirty years! What a tremendous motivation for us to persevere in our daily duties; to carry out with faithfulness and love those invisible tasks that make a life for those under our care.

We look forward to the day when He says to us, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

Father, when I don’t want to go to work or do the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and bills, help me to remember the Lord Jesus laboring over a piece of wood, or seeing to the needs of his mother and siblings. Give me grace to work faithfully, diligently, and with love and grace. In the Name of the One who is Faithful and True, Amen.

Stepping Out

Randy began our service this Sunday with 2 Corinthians 2:14
"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him."

He further emphasized that the scripture says 'always'. I remember thinking, "Well, I don't think I am always triumphant. I fail quite a bit in certain areas." I heard the Lord speak to my spirit. He said, "That's because you step out of the Procession." Whoa.

We have been studying Duane Sheriff's teaching on Making Your Appointment With Destiny. We have also been talking about finding God's purpose in our lives. It is important to know what our gifts and strengths are and then step into the Procession where we are promised triumph. Sin and unbelief delay our accomplishments because they cause us to step out of the triumphant procession.

It is a comfort to know that confessing our sins and choosing to believe God are all that it takes to jump back in and head towards victory. What a mighty God we serve!