Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
                                                                      Isaiah 26:3 KJV

Today part of our devotions focused on Isaiah 26:3 by saying, "Let the goal of this day be to bring every thought captive to me." One of the key words in the verse in Isaiah is "stayed". The definition from the American College Dictionary is, "something used or serving to support or steady a thing; a prop; a brace; to sustain or strengthen mentally or spiritually; to fix or rest in dependence or reliance."

Many people seek peace through various activities such as yoga, drugs, addictions, medications, and alcohol. These are all temporary fixes but don't give a lasting peace. The Bible makes it very clear that we find our peace when we keep our mind on the Lord. Psalm 112:7 reads, "He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD."

Matthew Henry says in his commentary, "Thou will keep him in peace; in perfect peace, inward peace, outward peace, peace with God, peace of conscience, peace at all times, in all events. Trust in the Lord for that peace, that portion, which will be forever."

Today Gail went to visit Clara and Betty at the Lenawee Medical Care Facility. Clara is now to the point of total dependence on the caregivers at the facility. However, she is living out Isaiah 26:3 because the focus of her mind and heart is on the Lord. Many in her situation would be depressed and anxious about their condition. Gail goes once a week to encourage Clara and Betty but always returns home being the one who has been encouraged because of Clara and Betty's trust and faith.  Both ladies have walked with the Lord for many years and it is very evident as they face the twilight of their life. As a result Gail looks forward to visiting them each week.

We would like to close with the verse from II Corinthians 10:5b, "bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

Blessings and Encouragement,


Paul, Gail, Patsy and Penny

I See Jesus in Your Eves

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.   Proverbs 3:5-6

Every Tuesday Gail reads devotions and prays with more than one lady at the Lenawee Medical Care Facility. Today was especially meaningful as she interacted with the ladies.  While the first lady was asleep, Gail went across the hall to share with a lady who has been at the facility for a number of months.  Gail had a chance to read a short devotional and had prayer. As a result Betty talked about her trust in the Lord and what a help He has been to her. She also commented about being there was not about her, but about how she could make things easier for the workers. Their eyes connected and Gail could see such peace, contentment, and acceptance of her situation in her eyes. 

From there, Gail went back across the hall to see if Clara was awake, and she was. For the next several minutes, Clara was counting her blessings and praising the Lord, even though her eyesight is failing and she is unable to walk. She went on to say how much she has learned to trust the Lord in spite of various concerns that weighed heavily on her before entering the facility. After Gail read the devotions, she asked Clara if she wanted to pray. Without hesitation Clara began praying and prayed for almost half an hour.

As Gail was leaving to return home, the words of a song came to mind, "I see Jesus in your eyes and it makes me want to love Him more".  Gail tearfully shared with Paul her experience and felt that she had truly seen Jesus in the eyes of the ladies she had intended to minister to but, instead, they ministered to her.

Blessings and Encouragement,

Paul, Gail, Patsy, and Penny

Grace, Forgiveness, and Redemption

I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death unto life.     John 5:24 

Last evening we took the opportunity to see the movie, Les Miserable, with a friend. Over the past few years we have had the privilege of seeing the stage production several times, which we have always enjoyed. Since the stage productions have been excellent, we were wondering how the movie would compare. The stage production and movie are loosely based on the book of the same name written by Victor Hugo.

In the movie both the singing and acting were outstanding.  The movie was able to emphasize the emotion and drama that is so key to this production. If you are not familiar with the book, the musical, or the movie, there are three significant themes that are emphasized. They are: grace, forgiveness, and redemption. As a result of the grace displayed by the bishop to Jean Valjean, his life turned from a life of crime to a life of virtue, from a life of hatred to a life of love. At that time he realized that his life had been redeemed. Throughout the story Jean Valjean is pursued by Javert, who is a law enforcement officer who goes by the book and follows it to the letter. Several times Jean Valjean had an opportunity to kill Javert but shows him grace instead. In the end, Javert does not know how to respond to this grace and ends up destroying himself.








We all have the opportunity to share in God's grace if we only accept it because it is ours for the asking. To parallel Les Miserable, the main three themes of the Bible are grace, forgiveness, and redemption. It is obvious that Victor Hugo understood the main theme of God's Word. We can all be partakers in God's grace, forgiveness, and redemption.

Blessings and Encouragement,


Paul, Gail, Patsy, and Penny

Today and Forever

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.         
                                                                                 Hebrews 13:8

As we look over the past year, we have learned that there seems to be a lot of changes in life and we have to do our best to adapt to these changes. You may have read about Paul's surgery and the wedding of Rebecca and Rick, but now we have another big adjustment to our son's move from Kentucky to California. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas he was offered a position at a Nestle plant in Modesto, California and accepted it. This meant a quick pulling up of roots at his home in Kentucky by moving 2400 miles to a town near Sacramento.

At first he was going to rent a U-Haul truck to fill with his furniture and belongings and trailer his
SUV behind. After counting the cost, he decided to sell most of his things and take only what he could put in and on his SUV. He held a garage sale and put some items on Craig's List as well as gave many items away to friends or Goodwill. We all thought it would be good to have a fresh start to go along with this big move. We spent Christmas week sorting, cleaning, and packing to prepare for the transition.

On Saturday, December 29th, Roger and Paul headed for California and Gail, with Penny and Patsy, drove to Michigan. Both vehicles were packed like a can of sardines. Gail made the trip in a little over six hours, but Roger and Paul took four days before arriving at his condo in Modesto.  They went by way of St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Albuquerque, Flagstaff, and Bakersfield. Roger and Paul traded driving every two hours so they each could stay fresh and alert and not be so exhausted at the end of each day. The highlight was a quick side trip to the Grand Canyon. Even though the road along the south rim was closed, Paul and Roger were able to get a good view of the canyon from one vantage point. The sun was beginning to set which caused the colors of the canyon to be quite vibrant.  Some snow had fallen earlier that day which caused a great contrast in color and made a breathtaking view.



 
Once we arrived in Modesto, we got busy to help Roger get settled. There are many things he still needs to purchase to make his condo comfortable so his sister, Christiane, will be traveling to California in a few weeks to help make some purchases to add a decorative flair. Paul flew back this past Saturday and is still trying to recover from helping Roger pull up stakes in Kentucky, assisting in driving across the country, and helping him get settled in the condo.

We are very thankful for the protection the Lord gave us throughout this big transition. From safety on the highway to making this quick move, God was certainly guiding us through this entire time.
As we noted earlier we have gone through lots of change this past yea,r but we also know that Jesus Christ never changes which is written in Hebrews 13:8. This certainly gives us a peace and stability knowing that He never changes no matter what.

Blessings and Encouragement,


Paul, Gail, Patsy, and Penny

P.S. We apologize for not blogging the past two Tuesdays as we were preoccupied with Roger's move.