WHAT ENDURES?

The glory of the LORD shall endure forever.    Psalm 104:31a

Several weeks ago we had some lumbermen cutting down seven of the walnut trees that have stood on our property for many decades.  They first came to cut the tops out of the trees so they would fall without splitting the trees.  There were hundreds of branches that were piled in several places around our property.  Then they came and took the logs, but left all the branches in piles, which we expected.  They did do a good job of leaving the property as good as possible, even raking many areas of our lawn.

The piles of brush were unsightly, and we thought before we got complaints from our neighbors we better begin eliminating them.  The only way that we have to get rid of the brush is by burning.  To do this, we first need to get a burn permit from our township fire department.  After getting the burn permit, we started hauling the branches to a central burn pile.  We carried many branches by making hundreds of trips back and forth from the brush piles to the burn pile.  All the time the branches were burning so the fire never got too big.  The project began on Wednesday of last week and we finished up, in the rain, early on Friday morning.  When we finished every muscle in our bodies was telling us that they were hurting from all the tugging, pulling, and carrying.  It was very interesting that when the fire subsided and all the branches were consumed, there was only a little pile of ash left from the hundreds of branches that were burned.

Those strong branches are now but a small amount of gray ash.  It reminds us of how temporary everything is .  Things come and go like the rulers of the nations or great athletes, but the psalmist was very sure to let all know that "the glory of the LORD shall endure forever."  Forever is a very long time, whereas things of this earth are temporary. 

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."  2 Corinthians 4:18


Blessings and Encouragement,

Paul, Gail, Patsy and Penny

Some See Stars

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.
                                                                                 Philippians 4:8

Every Tuesday, Gail goes to the Lenawee Medical Care Facility to minister to some ladies who are residents there.  One lady has just one window in her room and has very little that she can see from the window.  However, she watches the top of one tree she can see.  In the spring she notes that the blooms and finally the leaves peeping their green bodies out from the branches.  Then she sees them turn color in the fall.  During the winter the snow collects on the branches leaving a trail of white up and down the tree.  She also sees a parking lot which helps to pass the time. Periodically she counts the cars in the parking lot.  The cars come and go so she can note the change in the number of cars during the day.

Years ago we saw a movie called, Bird Man of Alcatraz, starring Burt Lancaster. It was about a man, Robert Stroud,  imprisoned for murder and ended up in Alcatraz.  While there he discovered an injured bird in his exercise yard.  He took it to his cell and nursed it back to health.  This was the beginning of his doing research on hundreds of birds.  While doing this, he discovered cures for some diseases that were peculiar to certain kinds of birds.  He certainly was making the best of his time in prison. There is a quote about a person who is incarcerated.  "When in prison, some see bars while others see stars."

Life is what we make it.  Let's live life to the fullest.

Blessings and Encouragement,

Paul, Gail, Patsy and Penny

Palm Sunday and Cauliflower Steak

The crowds that went ahead of him and those who followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!"  "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"  "Hosanna in the highest!"  Matthew 21:9

Just before this past weekend we housed missionaries who spoke at our church last Wednesday evening. We were inspired by their call to the mission field as they were each individually called to the same country later in their lives. Not only was their call to the mission field inspiring but our Palm Sunday church service was also inspirational in that it was a great reminder of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. At the beginning of the service all the children of the church went up and down the aisles waving palm branches and singing. This is a great way to begin a morning worship service on this day that begins Holy Week.

                 Palm Sunday and Adrian First Church of the Nazarene

Later that day our daughter Christiane arrived from Atlanta to spend a couple of days enjoying our weather. (Ha, ha) Because the three of us are on the Daniel Diet (mostly fruit and vegetables) we planned a special menu for Sunday evening. Paul's cousin is a chef in New York and specializes in cauliflower steak. We decided that would be the entree for the evening. While Paul grilled some salmon and asparagus, Gail and Christiane prepared cauliflower steak with the special sauces along with a fruited spinach salad. The meal was greatly enjoyed as it exceeded our expectations. Cauliflower steak is indeed a real treat! Isn't it wonderful how God has given us the sense of taste and smell so that we can enjoy the flavors aromas of His creation.

                            Cauliflower steak and all the trimmings

Life continues to be wonderfully full as we walk with Him. We thank Him for the strength and opportunities that He provides for us.

Blessings and Encouragement,

Paul, Gail, Patsy, and Penny

HEAVEN

Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.  In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I  am going there to prepare a place for you.  
                                              John 14:1-2 NIV


Recently the subject of heaven has been brought to the forefront of our minds as a result of  several occasions.  Just about every funeral that we attend, and that's a lot at our age, the pastor will often read John 14 to give comfort to those who are grieving the loss of their loved one. This scripture is a great passage of hope for those who have accepted Christ as their Savior. It gives hope because it tells of a better place where we wthat ill spend eternity without sickness, death, and problems.  We will have a new body and will be with Jesus Christ and those we love who have gone before.

Today, Gail was visiting at the Lenawee Medical Care Facility and struck up a conversation with one of the residents. Gail told her she had tried to visit her last week, but she was in a deep sleep. Her response was she was so tired from having been in heaven the day before visiting with some friends. She said, "It was so wonderful as it was peaceful and everyone was happy." She also indicated that she was looking forward to the day she could be there eternally. This lady was convinced that she had spent a short time in heaven and that she was not dreaming.

Last Friday we went to see the movie, God's Not Dead, which was well done. During the previews of upcoming movies, they showed a trailer of a movie taken from the book, Heaven Is For Real.  This is a story of a small boy who apparently had an experience in heaven when in surgery. What is so amazing is he saw his sister who his mother had lost in a miscarriage several years before. The boy had no knowledge of this miscarriage. He also said he saw his grandfather whom he had never met on earth. When his father showed the boy a younger picture of the grandfather, the boy said, "That's him."

After checking Amazon.com, there are several other books dealing with similar experiences such as the boy, mentioned previously, had.  We were also amazed at the number of books written on the subject of heaven. It is certainly a topic that many people are thinking and/or talking about.
The above accounts we assume are true, but one thing for sure heaven is for real because God's Word says so. Each of us needs to be sure we are prepared for heaven.

Blessings and Encouragement,

Paul, Gail, Patsy, and Penny

APRIL FOOLS

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."  Psalm 14:1a

Today is April 1st which has been designated as April Fool's Day.  This is the day that practical jokes go wild.  Gail's memory has been warped due to our son Roger's April Fool tricks.  She may never completely recovered.  Every year he would put black electrician's tape around the sprayer handle of the kitchen sink so when Gail turned on the water, she got an immediate shower.  Another joke he liked to pull was to set an alarm in our bedroom to go off very early in the morning on April 1st.  It would wake us with a start, and then it would be hard to get back to sleep.  There were many other tricks he played, but Gail has tried to erase them from her memory.  Since Roger left the nest, April 1st has become quite boring.  Paul just couldn't muster the creativity that Roger exhibited. For this Gail is thankful.  Today Gail visited the Lenawee Medical Care Facility, and the residents kept telling her that she had a hole in her shoe.  Of course I didn't, but they were having great fun.

The book of Proverbs refers to fools many times, and they are not just on April Fool's Day. It calls a son a fool who despises the discipline of his father or his mother. It also says that "He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe." Proverbs 28:26. It's important that we walk in God's Word which provides great wisdom for our journey through life.

Blessings and Encouragement,

Paul, Gail, Patsy, and Penny