MOONSHINE

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 NIV

I sat outside one summer night because it was reported that Mars would be visible just below the moon and a little to the right. I held one hand just so, then both hands, to block the moonlight from both eyes and let me see the sky field. But there was spotty cloud cover, and they didn’t say how far below or how far to the right. I never saw Mars, so I sat there watching the moon.

My thinker turned on. Thinking about being a moon for Jesus.

The moon has no light of its own—but in the bright light of a full moon, you can see well enough to walk without stumbling. You can see to walk across the yard and not step in dog poopy, if the grass is short enough. You can even see to read, if you stand with your back to the moon and the print is large enough and close enough to your face, and if there’s enough contrast.

The moon has no light of its own. Nor have we, citizens of this broken world. Just as the moon reflects the light of our sun into Earth’s night, so we, children of the Living God, are to reflect the Light of the Son into Earth’s spiritual night, lighting it with His glory, His majesty, His love.

But sometimes I don’t feel like light. Sometimes I feel dark. When I get so tired I let my emotions overwhelm me, it’s time to step back for some one-on-one time with the Son. Maybe even a nap in His arms, working on my tan.

Thank You for bringing me in from the darkness to Your Living Light, Avi. Wipe away any specks of dirt You find that sully Your reputation. Smooth the rough craters in me that cast shadows and distort Your image. Let people see Your true Light in me.

In Your holy Name, Amen.

COOKIE  WARNING

If you do warn (him) you will have saved yourself. Since you did not warn him… I will hold you accountable for his blood. Ezekiel 3:19,20 NIV

I’m a reasonably good cook with most things I take the trouble to cook. Can’t get fancy with it. But hey, cookies are simple and easy, and I do pretty well.  

Now there’s a law somewhere far away, as far as my posts can go, that says I have to warn people if I’m serving up cookies on my blog site. I don’t know how to get the cookies from the oven to the Internet, and the ingredients are too expensive for me to send cookies to everyone, anyway.    

Old ladies shouldn’t have to learn all this computer stuff. There are far more important things to spend what’s left of my time and brainpower on.

I should resent having to warn people about my cooking—I really don’t think it deserves a warning—but I’m not that sensitive about it. Taste for yourself, pick and choose and eat what you want, don’t eat what you don’t want. Just assume you’re invited to the cookie party and, if you don’t like mine, cook your own.

But the notice said that, while Blogger did me the courtesy of taking care of this, in the end I’m responsible for being sure the warning is there. So, here it is: There might be some of my own delicious cookies on my site; they have a way of disappearing, like socks in the dryer, never to be seen again. There might be someone else’s cookies there, dark, burned ones. How am I to know? I can’t see them or smell them or taste them, but they might be there, wrapped in foil to keep them safe or to hide them from the diet police. And, Heaven forbid, someone might be allergic to the peanut butter ones or someone might not be able to handle the sugar.

If anyone can’t eat peanut butter or sugar, this is a warning: STAY AWAY! Because if my cookies got in there, I don’t know how to get them out. Maybe some kind readers can eat them all in time to save the rest of us.

To me, there are other things more important to be warned about, like missing the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. You don’t want to miss that! You can eat all you want of anything you want from that table, every kind of cookie there is, stuff we can’t even imagine, no allergies, no dieting. And the company is out of this world. You have a standing invitation from Jesus, the God who made you, paid your spiritual debts, stamped your ticket to your own personal abundant life of real peace with God both here and forever.

All you have to do is RSVP your acceptance directly to Him.

OK, now I’ve warned you of my cookies and of the danger of missing out on abundant life in Jesus here, missing out on Heaven forever. Now I’m innocent of your blood.

Avi, I did what I could here. Now, will you fill in the blanks for each and every one who reads this? Show them who You really are, and how much You love them, how much You want them. In Your Holy Name, Amen.

MOUNTAIN CLIMBING SONG

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore. PSALM 125:1,2 NIV

It’s all still up in the air. Three weeks into the government shutdown, people needing their money to live on, pawns in this political battle. Thousands of hopefuls making the deadly trek to our southern border, ready to break our immigration laws—those laws Congress hasn’t already hamstrung. Many dangerous types infiltrating their number with an eye to harming us, many of our citizens robbed, raped, tortured, killed.

Will our President use his emergency powers to build this wall of purpose and compassion?

Me, sometimes I think Congress—the stonewalling for personal ambition part—is a national emergency.

God doesn’t have to use His emergency powers to protect us. He has none, needs none. He has all power. What He says He can do. What He says He will do. What He says He wants to do. (Not like Congress.)

No one can say to Him, “What do You think You’re doing?!” No one, no politicians, no liberal judges, can say, ‘No’, to Him and make it stick.  

The US border wall may or may not happen—but what is that to us, the children of our God? Whatever the world may plan or attempt, He surrounds us with His love, His power, His protection. And, He doesn’t have to summon up emergency powers to do it.

Pray for His wisdom, His purpose, His plan. Thank Him for the wall He is around us.

Hit the link to hear the verses above sung. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfPC7JpBx_w

Avi, what a privilege You are to us. I have no words. In Your Holy Name, Amen.