Valuing Our Veterans (8 Helpful Resources)

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“The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation.”
– George Washington

Living with 2 veterans, one Army (my dad -Vietnam War) the other Navy (my husband), men who fought for our country are close to our hearts in this house. We go to the VA often and see men and women who have given their lives for this country. Everywhere we go, if we see a man or woman in uniform, we say, “Thank you for your service .” Many respond with surprise and respond, “Thank you for your support!” And when we see an elderly gentleman with a baseball cap with embroidered letters with the war they fought in, we thank them, too. It doesn’t take long. And you can see by the look on faces that it means something. You never know who needed to hear those words on that particular day. 

Veterans, thank you for your service. We pray for you and for your families who stand behind you. We support you and we appreciate your sacrifice.

From Veterans Day misconceptions to the Veterans Crisis Line, here are eight websites with helpful information.

1) Five Facts to Know About Veterans Day:

https://www.defense.gov/explore/story/Article/1675470/5-facts-to-know-about-veterans-day/

2) What Is Open (and Closed) on Veterans Day 2018:

http://fortune.com/2018/11/10/what-is-open-closed-veterans-day-2018/?fbclid=IwAR146YSGuu23t3qbfwISS-cVV3NqR7_YVnI8V4VY-YOtvLR5LXeOY1isRt0

3) Where Military Members Can Eat for Free 2018: 

http://fortune.com/2018/11/09/veterans-day-2018-free-deals/

4) 45 Ways to Honor a Veteran: 

https://www.wallawalla.va.gov/misc/honor_veteran.asp

5) Ways to Give Back to Veterans:

https://www.military.com/veterans-day/ways-to-give-back-to-veterans.html

6) 7 Simple Ways Kids Can Thank a Veteran on Veterans Day

https://themilitarywifeandmom.com/kids-can-thank-a-veteran/

7) 5 Payers for Veterans

https://www.guideposts.org/how-we-help/military-outreach/5-prayers-for-veterans

8) Veterans Crisis Line 

https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/about/what-is-vcl

 

Quietness of Heart {A Prayer for the Weekend}

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Give me, O Lord, that quietness of heart that makes the most of labor and of rest. Save me from passionate excitement, petulant fretfulness, and idle fear, keeping me ever in the restful presence of Thy love.
 
Teach me to be alert and wise in all responsibilities, without hurry and without neglect. Tame Thou and rule my tongue, that I may not transgress Thy law of love. When others censure, may I seek Thine image in each fellow man, judging with charity, as one who shall be judged.
 
Banish envy and hatred from my thoughts.
 
Help me to be content amid the strife of tongues, with my unspoken thought. When anxious cares threaten my peace, help me to run to Thee, that I may find my rest and be made strong for calm endurance and valiant service.
 
Amen.
(Found in the back of the hymnal: PRAISE! Our Songs and Hymns)

Throw Your Leg Over the Boat

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“Faith is hearing Jesus say, “Come”. Believing is actually throwing your leg over the side of the boat.” -Rex Rouis

The disciple Peter was known for being impetuous. He was known for being quick to judge and hasty in his denial of knowing Christ at one point, yet he was the first to throw his leg over the boat when Christ came to the disciples walking on water. He was the first to answer when Christ calmed their fears and told them who He was. And while Peter became distracted by the wind on the water, in a heartbeat, he called out for help. The Bible says in Matthew 14:31, “And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him…” And while Peter was doing the miraculous, the others were left in the boat alone with their faith, but without the will to back it up.

Christ bids me to come to Him and I can say that I believe that He will guide, care for, and help me. But when I refuse to give up anxiety and doubt and I continue to question His direction, I am left alone while He waits a little longer for me to believe. It is recorded in the gospels that Christ did not do a whole lot for people in certain areas due to their unbelief. A bunch of skeptics they were. And so am I at times, truthfully.

Faith in Christ hears and knows His invitation to come out of my comfort zone and trust.

Faith in Christ is knowing that when the winds of life overwhelm, in a heartbeat, I can call out for help and immediately be rescued.

Belief is laying aside every weight of doubt, stepping out of the boat of fear and anxiety, and walking with focus on Him, one step at a time.

“…Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” James 2:17

 

When Wisdom Is Nearer

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Wisdom is oftentimes nearer when we stoop than when we soar. -W. Wordsworth

Oh how hard it is to not let pride get in the way. To choose God’s righteousness over self-righteousness is a challenge some days because my flesh wants to have its own way. To let His will be done instead of forcing my ways and hoping I did the right thing goes against the Spirit who only wants what is best.

Concepts used around the word “wisdom” are usually; righteousness, understanding, integrity, knowledge, upright, just, peace, safety, honor, diligence, life. And so much more.

Wisdom is nearer when I bend to His will.

Wisdom is nearer when I listen for the still small voice which says, “This way”.

Wisdom is nearer when I wait for God’s direction, not rushing results.

Wisdom is nearer when I choose to live with integrity, knowledge, peace, safety, honor,…life.

Wisdom is nearer when I find myself kneeling before God first before expecting to soar.

Proverbs 11:6, “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.”

I Don’t Want To Forget

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Psalm 119:16, “I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.”

When I feel discouraged, I will not forget God’s word and the many men and women in the Bible who have found victory through trusting in God’s ways.

When I feel angry, I will remember that God’s word tells me there is a right way and a wrong way to handle a matter.

When I feel confused as to which way He is leading, I will remember that from the beginning, God said that if His people who are called by His name seek His lead, He will show the way.

When I need a friend, when I feel happy, when I am anxious, when I know sadness, when I lose a loved one, when I am battling against the powers of this world, there is guidance in God’s word. Have I failed to remember? Do I neglect to keep God’s precepts in my mind and heart? It’s all there and profitable for “doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” (2 Timothy 3:16). In this day and age, if we cannot find a helpful Bible verse manually, we can “Google it” and find what we are looking for and even Bible commentary helps. The key is to keep looking. Keep remembering that “there’s a verse for that”.

I don’t want to forget.

Hoping For the Best

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“A lot of people no longer hope for the best. They just hope to avoid the worst.”

Words associated with hope:

Anticipate

Believe

Count on

Rely 

It’s a state of mind; the determination that I will trust and praise anticipating the hand of God to guide in health, in finances, in life. The mindset to believe God is listening and counting on His peace is what keeps believers putting one foot in front of the other when life is a struggle. My favorite word on the list is “rely” because the Latin word means “to bind fast, hold firmly” and also, to realign. Adjusting focus from self to God, to join my thoughts and heart as one in trusting that God will deliver is all part of hope. The will to be patient in trials is what it takes to keep hope alive, centering our praise on Him and not on the worst that can happen.

“I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.” Psalm 17:14

The Other End of My Story

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I have written in my Bible on the edge of the margin, “Many things in this world are much bigger than we are.” My husband has been preaching through the book of Genesis verse by verse, and we have been in chapter 24 lately where Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Through a meeting at the well and an offer of a drink of water, God was working and Rebekah was available, ready, and willing to go with the servant.

What made her think this was such a great idea? What caused her to face the unknown with a favorable outlook? I didn’t see anywhere near this passage what Rebekah’s life was like before she met this servant and journeyed to meet Isaac. But somehow, she was prepared as if she already knew her life was about to take a turn.

Faith in things we cannot see is difficult at times. I want to know what God is doing and how He will provide. I tend to forget that God is already working on the other end of my story. All I can see is the here and now, but God sees the big picture. The union between Isaac and Rebekah was the beginning of a nation and a blessing to the world.

When life feels too big, I need to remember that God is working even right now. He sees the other side of a situation and is preparing for new beginnings and innumerable blessings.

A Different Sort of Kingdom

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A while back, I read a thought-provoking web post on the topic, Consider the Lilies. In it, the author Jill Carattini wrote,  “..Beauty can offer healing; that paying attention, even to fleeting glimpses of the mere suggestion of new creation, is deeply restorative…It is quite possible to see and not really see, to hear and not really hear…When Jesus asks the world to consider the lilies, to consider beauty in the midst of all the ashes around us, his request is full of promise, for he is both the Source of beauty and its Subject.”

Luke 12:27, “Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” I cannot even imagine the opulence of King Solomon “in all his glory” – Our minds probably could not even comprehend what he possessed in his palace or storehouses. Yet, the lily is much more exquisite than anything Solomon owned. Jesus wants us to be aware of how the ravens are fed with very little effort on their part. And He wants us to examine the beauty of the lily and its Source.

“Paying attention to the ephemeral [or short-lived] is in and of itself restorative because it is paying attention to him. Here, both the anxiety-addicted and the attention-overloaded can find solace in a different sort of kingdom: one in which there is room for the paradox of a fleeting world with eternity in its heart.” (J. Carattini)

Ah, the world is filled with the anxiety addicted and the attention-overloaded, Christians not excluded. The remedy is finding solace in a different sort of kingdom, keeping in mind the Source of beauty around us, with eternity in our sites. Here is the latest in my little kingdom/#straygifts photos: (no pictures of ravens or lilies, I’m afraid, but still some of God’s wonders.)

Top Row (left to right):
-$4.00 Mums on the Clearance shelves. These yellow ones look a bit frazzled, but the leaves look healthy. The brightest and best were near $15.00, but I knew this one would be o.k. after some trimming. (For the record, I also bought white, purple, orange, and red Mums as well on the Clearance shelves!)
-Yellow roses on the rose bushes out front.
-Tiny little Red Salvia blooms…a new plant for me this year. I didn’t know if they would bloom again.
-For weekends, for rest, I’m thankful. For a bird feeder- a gift from a young friend years ago, for yellow trumpet flowers, and southwestern sunsets, thank you, Lord.

Bottom Row:
-Most of my roses are all withering at the moment, but the honeysuckle blooms have decided to make an appearance.
-Regularly $20.00, I bought these packs of Fall paper for $6.00 each. I have been trying to get back into card making/sending notes lately.
-Gentle rain on roses
-I was pruning the front yard roses one morning as my husband was pulling out of the driveway. He stopped to show me the reflection of the sunrise in the front windows.

 

 

The Difference Between a Rut and a Grave

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“The difference between a rut and a grave is the distance.”

I heard the above quote while watching an old western with my dad a while back. Some of the old westerns have really good life lessons portrayed in them and this particular quote got me thinking. Sometimes we feel “stuck” in a rut which hinders progress in life.  We feel as if we cannot make one move forward or even backward. Most of the time, it takes a lot of hard work to get out of it. Add to that some creative thinking and clever solutions. But one thing is for certain, a rut is merely a temporary location for a season and not a permanent residence.

“Rut” (definition): a long deep track made by the repeated passage of the wheels of vehicles; a habit or pattern of behavior that has become dull and unproductive but is hard to change.

Whether the long deep tracks are set from repeated mistakes, or whether the habits I have created become unproductive for a grace-filled life, I need to recognize quickly that some changes need to be made:

✔️ When I feel stuck in a rut and am unsure of God’s direction, I will readjust my focus from what I cannot change to making one right decision at a time for things that I can. (And take note: Am I resting enough? Am I eating enough healthy foods? Am I praying/reading my Bible/ practicing thankfulness? These things matter to help with a ‘reset’.)

✔️ When I feel stuck in a rut of insecurity, I will remember that I am not alone. No one does everything perfectly, no matter how a life is portrayed on social media. I will not compare because it takes away from seeing the blessings that I have. (And take note: Do I spend too much time looking at other people’s lives on Facebook/Instagram/etc and not enough making things happen for myself?)

✔️ When I feel stuck in a rut and am surprised by life’s twists and turns, I will resolve to keep going, keep waking up to look for the stray gifts in life, keep showing up for my family, keep being useful in my community/church/relationships. (And take note: Am I willing to be flexible when God calls for a change? Am I too proud to ask for help? Am I too distracted by the way I think things should go and not letting God or someone else wiser lead?)

A rut is only temporary and needs time, patience, and a whole lot of God’s grace to make it through. In the old westerns, when a wagon was stuck in a wagon train, everyone worked together to get it unstuck. And sometimes, things had to be left behind because ‘stuff’ was too heavy to keep going productively.

God is still writing His love and sharing His redemption through our pages of life. He is still restoring, renewing, and giving grace after grace. When we feel stuck in a rut, we can be encouraged that it is merely a temporary location for a season and not a final resting place.

Psalm 34: 17-19, “The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.”

 

Rearview Mirrors

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God reveals Himself in rearview mirrors. And I’ve an inkling that there are times when we need to drive a long, long distance, before we can look back and see God’s back in the rearview mirror. Maybe sometimes about as far as heaven- that kind of distance…then turn and see His face. -Ann Voskamp

I may have used this quote in a previous blog post or two because it is one of my favorites. In thinking of God’s provisions, He was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and He is the God of me. His love has never waned, nor his promises been forgotten. He carried and delivered His people yesterday and He will do the same for me today and for always.

When I am tempted to doubt if God has any plans to lead, guide, and protect, I can look back and see where I have come from and know that He has been there. Through faith, we can look in the rearview mirror of life and see the road behind us. Not always pleasant or easy, for sure. But we made it. We are here for a reason and God will not let us go. We cannot always answer the question, “Why?” in things that happen to us or to those around us, but each day and for forever, He promises to bear us up, carry us through, and deliver us onward.

Even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.” Isaiah 46:4