I hang by a thread, on the edge of a steep precipice;
I am weak and vulnerable.
Yet the Lord will rescue and deliver me.
I sit in the dark, not understanding;
I suffer from blindness.
Yet the Lord will bring His light.
I don’t know His plan for me,
Yet He said He has one.
So I hang in the dark, hoping and trusting.
“He who has begun a good work in you
Will bring it to completion
On the day of Jesus Christ.”
(Philippians 1:6)
With broken heart and contrite sigh
A trembling sinner, Lord, I cry:
Thy pardoning grace is rich and free
O God, be merciful to me.
I smite upon my troubled breast,
With deep and conscience guilt oppressed;
Christ and His cross my only plea:
O God, be merciful to me.
Far off I stand with tearful eyes,
Nor dare uplift them to the skies;
But Thou dost all my anguish see:
O God, be merciful to me.
Nor alms, nor deeds that I have done,
Can for a single sin atone;
To Calvary alone I flee:
O God, be merciful to me.
And when, redeemed from sin and hell,
With all the ransomed throng I dwell,
My raptured song shall ever be,
God has been merciful to me.
[A hymn by Cornelius Elven, 1852, public domain]
About one year ago (June 27, 2021), my husband and I set out on our journey to move to Ohio from California. We chose to take nine days to do the drive, with our cat.
The trip here, and life afterwards have been an adventure, to say the least. For me, it’s been a bigger deal than for my husband. He grew up in Ohio, whereas I had lived in California my entire life, not even going away to college, not even a college within California (except as a commuter student, three or four times). Possibly, making a big change like this when you’re 67 might be slightly difficult!
We ended up in what I might call a semi-suburb. We are outside the limits, and on the east side of a large city. Our zip code is the same as a nearby small town, but we don’t live inside that town’s city limits. Although we have a sewer system rather than septic tanks, and other suburban amenities, it’s a very quiet neighborhood (development), which happens to have a small woodsy section in the center permanently preserved for wildlife. We often see deer, rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, and many, many birds. On the other hand, my son and his family, who live within the west side of the same big city mentioned above, also see deer, plus have woodchucks nesting in their big yard, and other wildlife makes its presence known to them.
The people in Ohio have been wonderful. The biggest adjustments for me are climate (humidity and cold), bugs (chiggers are the most difficult so far), and poison ivy (rooting it out can take a lot of work, and you practically have to where a hazmat suit to work on it). Getting a new driver’s license (because of my unconventional birth certificate) and setting up new doctors were also challenging.
And the many good things: Abundance of natural life, plenty of water, dramatic clouds and thunderstorms, friendly neighbors who almost always wave, family helping each other, fireflies, a beautiful river just a few miles away and the riverside trail along it, etc.!
Thanks be to God and to all who prayed for us and made this journey possible.
Last night I dreamed about a church young adult group I was in, twenty-five to thirty years ago. In the dream I was in the current time and now lived in a huge house, with my kids and grandkids. Someone (I don’t know if it was my daughter or someone else) arranged a surprise party for me, inviting all the people from the young adult group. It was a wonderful time. — End of dream.
When we were both awake, I told my husband about the dream. He asked, “That’s your idea of heaven, isn’t? Lots of people together and getting along.” I answered, “Yes.”
Our second grandchild, Lucy Marie, has arrived!
Born to Jacob and Teresa
May 10, 2022, 8:04 a.m., 7 pounds 11 ounces, 20 inches,
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
We are overwhelmed with gratitude, especially for the following reasons:
The obstetrician had decided a month or two ago to do a C-section, because the baby had turned and was presenting breech. So 5/10 was five days before the projected natural due date.
It turns out that the umbilical cord was wrapped twice around Lucy’s neck. Given that problem and the breech presentation, it’s probable that the C-section saved both the baby’s and perhaps even the mother’s life. In another time or place, it could have been an incredibly sad day.
My two brothers were breech birth, and thank God they survived, and our mom survived the births! I don’t think she had C-sections.
So we give thanks and praise to God for His overwhelming mercy. We also say that when things turn out more tragically — we thank God because He helps us get through those times.
John 20:13-18
Why do you weep,
Oh woman, why do you weep?
Because they’ve taken my Lord,
And I don’t know where they’ve laid Him.
But, when Jesus said to her, “Mary,”
She knew Him and went rejoicing to tell others.
Luke 24:5-12
Why do you seek,
Oh women, why do you seek
The living among the dead?
He is not here, but has risen.
So they rushed back
From the tomb and
Told everyone else
What had happened.
Acts 1:11-14
Why do you gaze,
Oh men of Galilee, why do you gaze
Up to the heavens?
This Jesus will come again from heaven
In the same way that you saw Him go.
So they returned to Jerusalem
And were constantly united in prayer.
Luke 12:32
Why do you fear,
Oh little flock, why do you fear?
For it is your Father’s good pleasure
To give you the kingdom.
So let us trust and obey
The One who loves us.
The Bible is a fascinating book. It gives us glimpses of God, if only from the limited human understanding of its authors, who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. So I’m going to take it as a given that the Bible does not lie, but again, the Holy Spirit worked through human instruments in the writing.
If we agree that God: knows all, never changes, has no beginning nor end, and has no deceit in Him, can we attempt to have any inkling of how God relates to time?
I’m including here some ideas that my husband gave me, as we had a good discussion on this theme.
So, God created time; however, He is outside of time. We as humans don’t have a clue how that works, but there it is! Here are some Bible quotes relating to time:
Luke 18:7-8: ‘and will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”’ Comment: What does “quickly” mean for God? So often, don’t we ask God, “How long, O Lord?”
2 Peter 3:8-9: “But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.” Comment: Ah, here is a clue, perhaps obvious; God has a different concept of time than we do.
Revelation 22:7: ‘“See, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”’ Revelation 22:20: ‘The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” Comment: What is “soon” for God? Bible verses can have many layers of meaning. Certain scholars say that Revelation was written before the siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.; the verse could refer to God’s judgment coming that year. Or it may refer to Jesus Second Coming, or to both.
But I gained a powerful insight in discussing all this with my husband. So often I have felt desolate, even somewhat abandoned by God, because “nothing seems to be happening,” or the changes I would desire (often in myself) don’t seem to be coming to fruition. But, hopefully looking at things more from God’s point of view, HE REALLY DOES CARE; He is just doing things in His own timing. What a comfort to know God’s care. Let me always remember that He has a good plan, with the best timing.
I don’t know if I’m getting a touch of dementia, just getting older, or what. Lately I seem to be dropping things more, and some goofy little incidents are happening — not necessarily due to me, but some might be. Call me a klutz!
The other morning, we came home to find water streaming from the water dispenser on the front of our refrigerator. While my husband diagnosed the problem and I tried to assist, I was hurriedly going into our bedroom and my foot knocked the cat’s food and water tray, causing water to spill all over the floor. So my hubby and I were both cleaning up water. Then I tried to roll up our window shade some more, and it got stuck at the lowest level, without being able to roll it up again. Three or four days later, my husband fixed it. All these incidents within one morning hour!
The other day, I decided to fix pizza for dinner. We usually buy them frozen from the grocery, adding several more toppings, because the toppings you get are a little paltry for our taste. So I added pepperoni, mushrooms, sliced olives, and a bit of pico de gallo. Soon the oven was heated and I slid the pizza in, anticipating a mouth-watering treat. When the timer went off, you could hear me exclaim, “Oh, no!” I had forgotten to remove the bottom cardboard from the pizza. (Most of the grocery pizzas we buy don’t have cardboard underneath.) It smelled delicious, but the dough was fused into the cardboard. We salvaged what we could by spooning it into bowls. It was quite yummy, so now I want to resurrect a recipe I used to make for crustless pizza. Please do share if you have a favorite one!
clarakatalin 
Thoughts on Independence Day, 2022
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people chosen as his inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12)
“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
“…for what has been achieved we give you thanks, for the work that still remains we ask your help…” (from an Independence Day prayer)
For blood that’s been shed,
For many prayers said,
For all the tears cried,
Lord, be by our side.
Forgive all that’s wrong;
Lord, help us be strong.
Celebrate what’s good;
Increase brotherhood.
We give You our past;
Only heaven will last.
Go forward again,
Let all divisions mend.
Category:
Commentary
Leave a comment
Tagged with: