Fatherhood, patience and limits.

Those of you who are parents will appreciate this picture! Children can be a burden at times; they do things like hold onto your ears and wet on you. But you love them, even when they are really, really bad. They will try your patience, test your limits and generally think that the world revolves around them. Jesus tells a parable (an Earthly story, with a heavenly meaning) that has meaning even to this day. He says...


Mark 12:1-11 Complete Apostles' Bible
(1) Then He began to speak to them with parables: "A man planted a vineyard and set a fence around it, dug a wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to farmers, and went on a journey.
(2) And at harvest-time he sent a servant to the farmers, in order that he might receive his part from the fruit of the vineyard.
(3) And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.
(4) Again he sent them another servant, and that one they wounded in the head with stones, and they sent him away shamefully treated.
(5) And again he sent another, and that one they killed, and so with many others, beating some and killing others.
(6) Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he even sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.'
(7) "But those farmers said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'
(8) "And taking him they killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.
(9) Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and will destroy the farmers, and give the vineyard to others.
(10) Have you not even read this Scripture: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.
(11) This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"

See also Isaiah 5:1-7

The "man" is our heavenly father, the "vineyard" is the nation of Israel and the stone is Jesus. The farmers of the vineyard are those who rejected Jesus in his day and the "others" are the Gentiles (us). As the parable indicates, the father has been patient and put up with a lot, BUT THERE ARE LIMITS! Who knows their exact time when he will say "enough"; only the father. Who knows when judgment begins, once again, only the father. But rest assured, God will straighten everything out someday and it will involve more than just putting his baby down or changing that soiled shirt. Don't worry about, just obey what the "chief cornerstone" (Jesus) would have you to do. No problem!

A blank page

How can you prove the absence of something? To definitively assert that something (or someone) does not exist when you lack complete knowledge of a subject is foolish! The Bible is quite plain on the subject, as this passage from the 14TH Psalms says.

Psalms 14:1-3 WEB (R)
(1) The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt. They have done abominable works. There is none who does good.
(2) Yahweh looked down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who did understand, who did seek after God.
(3) They have all gone aside. They have together become corrupt. There is none who does good, no, not one.

At least the agnostic is honest enough to say "I don't know". Consider the complexity of the universe or perhaps even our own bodies and it is extremely difficult to believe these things happened by mere chance. When you honestly look at yourself and the world around you, any explanation of origins will ultimately yield a bland page. To continue to assert this belief after seeing the truth just reveals how illogical and corrupt a mind can be. Its no wonder Paul quoted from the 14TH Psalms in the book of Romans (3:10 ff.).

Plug wanted!

"...slip sliding away, slip sliding away, you know the nearer your destination, the more your slip sliding away". These words came to me as I looked at this picture of the fish. I wonder if the fish even realizes what is going on? Do we? Listen to Solomon...

Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 WEB (R)
(11) I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.
(12) For man also doesn't know his time. As the fish that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, even so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly on them.


I messed up big time today; I gave my wife the wrong day for a company excursion and am I in hot water! I accidentally put the wrong date on the calendar and whamooo. Sometimes things happen! You may not even realize what is going on and suddenly you realize your bucket is losing water. Life is like that; one day everything is fine and the next, well, you are attending your own funeral. Small prayer here: Dear Lord, help me to watch for leaks, I need ever bit of that ballast! Also, you wouldn't happen to have an extra plug, would you? Thanks, Gary

GRANDMA

Today was my wife's 60Th birthday. All of our children called to wish her a happy birthday (and some even sang too). But one grand-daughter went beyond what I expected; she made this card. She didn't use a computer and the spelling isn't perfect, but I couldn't be more proud of her. She put some thought into her gift, which showed love and respect, but inside the card she wrote "and as sweat as chocolate, HERSEY'S CHOCOLATE"! Then she glued Hersey's candy to the opposing side (and also a tootsie roll). Think on this passage from Proverbs for a few minutes.


Proverbs 17:6 WEB (R)
(6) Children's children are the crown of old men; the glory of children are their parents.


Better than this were the hugs and kisses. And the dinner, cake, flowers were a nice touch! I went home feeling that somehow, somewhere we must have done something right! If nothing else, I learned the value of this passage from the Proverb's!!! Oh, by the way, my wife, Linda was very happy too!

Vistas

One of the things that I loved about the Northeast was the vistas. When we lived in New Jersey, once in awhile we would go to the Amish country of Pennsylvania and drive through the Poconos. This picture reminds me of some of those scenes and someday I hope go there once again. I immediately thought of this passage from Deuteronomy and I know that you will see its importance once you read it.


Deuteronomy 32:45-52 WEB (R)
(45) Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel;
(46) He said to them, Set your heart to all the words which I testify to you this day, which you shall command your children to observe to do, even all the words of this law.
(47) For it is no vain thing for you; because it is your life, and through this thing you shall prolong your days in the land, where you go over the Jordan to possess it.
(48) Yahweh spoke to Moses that same day, saying,
(49) Go up into this mountain of Abarim, to Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and see the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel for a possession;
(50) and die on the mountain where you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor, and was gathered to his people:
(51) because you trespassed against me in the midst of the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah of Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because you didn't sanctify me in the midst of the children of Israel.
(52) For you shall see the land before you; but you shall not go there into the land which I give the children of Israel.


Moses did something wrong and paid for it. How hard it must have been for him to see the "promised land" and know he would never enter! Fortunately, the Christian dispensation is more forgiving than that of the law; we have hope! Even if we do something wrong, we CAN BE FORGIVEN and our "promised land" of heaven is within our grasp. Oh, to be able to see the sight of it; knowing that I WILL BE ABLE TO ENTER!!!

Precious

I love these pictures of balloons! The colors are fantastic and the designs simply beautiful. I have been thinking a lot about color lately because of designing the new blog. When I saw this picture I thought of the colors of the heavenly city and how they represent how precious it is!

Revelation 21:18-23 Complete Apostles' Bible
(18) And the construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
(19) The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every precious stone: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,
(20) the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
(21) The twelve gates are twelve pearls: each one of the gates was made of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
(22) But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty is its temple, also the Lamb.
Rev 21:23 The city had no need of the sun nor of the moon to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.


Gold, pearls, precious stones and above all the light of the glory of God as its light! Wow! Talk about a feast for the eyes!!! I wonder if the transparent glass of the gold streets would look something like the mica portal we used to have in our wood stoves? Probably a lot more honey colored, I imagine. And I bet the streets will reflect as well, something like the reflection of the balloons on the water. How will I describe heaven when I see it? I am not sure, but what will be on my mind will be the precious blood of the lamb and that is worth more than all the jewels in the world!

What??!!

Have you ever looked at something like this?  You just can't believe your eyes and sort of freeze. I have.  Unsure what to do next, you may do the wrong thing or nothing at all.  I love the story of a servant girl named Rhoda in the New Testament who did something like this.

Acts 12:11-16 Complete Apostles' Bible

(11) And Peter, having come to himself, said, "Now I know truly that the Lord has sent forth His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jews."

(12) And realizing this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where a considerable number were gathered together and were praying.

(13) And when Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a servant girl came to answer, named Rhoda.

(14) When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but running in, she announced that Peter stood before the gate.

(15) But they said to her, "You are mad!" Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, "It is his angel."

(16) But Peter was continuing knocking; and opening the door they saw him, and were astounded.

I always wondered if the writers of the "Mary Tyler Moore" show took inspiration from the Bible when they created the character of Rhoda Morgenstern (spelling???).  She was a bit of a ditz, but eventually her character spun off into her own show (Rhoda).  I always focused on the servant girl named Rhoda, because I think its funny, but now I see that she wasn't alone, for in verse 13 Peter is referred to as "having come to himself".  So, if it can happen to an apostle, it can happen to anybody.  By the way, don't stare too long, your face might freeze like that!