I Didn't Want to Remember Today - Originally Written 9/11/2011 and Updated each year

UPDATE:  September 11, 2021...20 years ago today...   The "war in Afghanistan" that began 20 years ago as a result of the attack on 9-11 is supposedly over...at least that is what the government would like us to think. We've pulled out our troops and brought them home, but we've left the country in a terrible, terrible mess, perhaps worse than it was 20 years ago. The enemy is in charge there...the terrorists that were behind the plot to destroy our country on 9-11, 2001, are now the ones in "leadership" in Afghanistan, and not only have we left the country, but we left all of our weapons and military bases there for them to use against us in the future.  We've left many innocent people behind as well, who now must cower in fear under the tyranny of this evil government. It is not a good thing. Our own nation is severely divided about this and many other things.  The current leaders in our government are sadly incompetent and even dangerous to the well being of this nation.  If ever our nation needed prayer, it is now.   When I first began this post on September 11, 2011, I ended it with this verse:

"If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, 

then I will hear from heaven, 

and will forgive their sin and heal their land."  

2 Chronicles 7:14

We need to pray for our nation, our government, our world even more than ever. We need to examine our own hearts, and see if there is any wicked way in us, and repent and pray for forgiveness, before God can heal our land.  Healing begins with each one of us, when we truly seek God's face and turn away from the sins that so easily beset us.  

Dear friends, let us pray!

The Lord's Prayer

"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

 Give us this day our daily bread.

 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: 

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever." Amen.

(Matthew 6:9-13)

Read on for what was written originally and in each subsequent year on this date:

September 11, 2020...19 years ago...and today more than ever we need to remember what happens when terror is allowed to attack our nation, our spirit and our personal lives. We've been living in a different kind of terror this year,  an "invisible enemy" known as Covid 19, which many believe was in reality a terrorist attack on our country and around the world. Our people have suffered, many have died, our economy has taken a direct hit, and it may take years for people's lives to get back to some kind of normal, if ever.  The attack on 9-11 in 2001 was sinister and evil, and it destroyed our sense of security and innocence forever. The attack of Covid 19 is also sinister and evil, and our lives will never be the same.  But we are resilient people. We will not allow the enemies of our great nation continue to destroy us from without or within. The home-grown terrorists who continue to riot and pillage our great cities, destroying people's livelihoods and making people afraid to come out of their homes while they burn and bully and tear down businesses and statues and try to remove our history must be stopped, and they will be.  We The People must not give up hope. We must stand up and fight against tyranny in all forms. And we must remember what happened on 9-11, 2001, and realize once again that we are "One nation, under God, indivisible, the liberty and justice for all."

September 11, 2018...17 years later and we will remember this day forever in our hearts. Our world was sadly changed that day...and it has affected every American in one way or another. I love this quote by our then President George W. Bush...it speaks to the heart of every American:  "We will not tire, We will not falter, We will not fail.  United We Stand".  I pray that every American reading this today will realize that we must stand united if we are going to be able to fend off the enemies of our nation, who are still out there, chipping away at our freedoms, our way of life, and our resolve to stand strong together.  I implore you today, remember 9-11, and let us stand strong and united once again.  

September 11, 2016, The Fifteen Year Anniversary of 9-11.  I just saw this scroll by on our TV:

This is the name of my husband's 1st cousin, who was killed in the twin towers on 9/11/2001.  There is more information further down in my previous post about this.  Seeing his name scrolling across our television causes us to pause and pray again for his family and the families of all those affected by this horrible tragedy.  Let us never forget.

September 11, 2014

I guess I'll just keep re-sending this each year...still can't believe this ever happened. Please continue to pray for our nation, and the families that are still today hurting because of the great loss they suffered on this day.  Praying for peace...and wisdom for our leaders.  Things appear to be getting worse in the world...not better.  Looking upward and waiting for the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...very soon. 

Update again 9/11/2013: 9-11 Timeline from "The Morning Cruise" of the JoyFm on 9/11/2013 (click on link to listen)

I listened to the above "9-11 Timeline" on my way to work this morning on my favorite radio station, the JoyFm, and I was not prepared for the flood of emotions that overwhelmed my soul as I listened. You would think after 12 years that it would not have that kind of effect on me, but it did. I guess it always will. And maybe that's a good thing. We need to never forget what happened to our nation on that fateful day. We need to remember those who died that day, and continue our fight against tyranny and terrorism in our nation and our world...but also be prepared to meet our God and Savior at any moment...in a twinkling of an eye...at the last trumpet (I Corinthians 15:50-58)...and also as foretold in I Thessalonians 4:16-18 ~ 

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them 

in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

Therefore comfort one another with these words."

 "I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin

9/11/2012--- I wrote this post last year to commemorate 9/11/2001 on it's 10th Anniversary.

I still feel the same way today...I still don't want to think about this day, but at our

office Staff Meeting this morning our Pastor asked  us each to share where we were on that morning 11 years ago today.  I was at work at my job at a technical college.  When the news came to us via phone calls and radio broadcast after the first crash (we didn't have a TV in our office), I knew something very bad was happening and started to pray.  Then a few minutes later when we heard the 2nd crash, my co-workers and I gathered together in a circle (in a public school!) and joined hands and prayed.  No one stopped us.  No one told us that we weren't supposed to be praying in a public school. As a matter of fact, people kept praying all day long. I believe that was the closest to God our country had been in many years, and we probably haven't been that close since.  But every year on this anniversary, we tend to get very patriotic and in our own way, draw very close to God.

I pray for our country today. I pray for our leaders, both current and those to come.

I pray that we will turn our eyes back to Jesus and refocus our hearts and lives on Him.

I pray that we will never forget that we are

"One Nation, Under God, Indivisible,

with Liberty and Justice for All."

Amen!

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden."  Matthew 5:14

I did not want to remember 9-11 today, 9/11/11, the 10th anniversary of the horrific tragedy that struck our nation and has forever changed the way we live in America.  You may ask why I didn't want to remember...
Well, I just couldn't deal with the emotional toll of reliving all the pain, terror, sadness, anger, fear, and agony as it was shown over and over again throughout this past week.  No matter where you turned, it was there. People talking about where they were when the World Trade Centers were hit by terrorists.  How they felt when the reality hit that this was indeed an act of war and aggression against our nation, and that so many innocent lives were taken, leaving a gaping wound not only in the skyline of our great city, but in the hearts of all the American people. 

A Cross in the rubble at Ground Zero
made from the steel beams...a poignant reminder
that God was there in the midst.

Even though I was hundreds of miles away, safe in my own little world when this took place, somehow I felt violated, raped of my innocence and feelings of protection from the horror of these things that only happened in other parts of the world.  I mean, look at our history...not since the Civil War had our land been literally and physically injured in a great war.  Yes, I know our grandfathers and fathers and even perhaps our brothers and close friends had fought and died in war zones throughout history (and still going on today).  But those battles were fought on other soil...we didn't have to see the battlefields and hear the bombs going off and see the destruction all around us. This was America the Beautiful!!! We were isolated and protected from those acts of aggression.  Those things just aren't supposed to happen here.

Like the proverbial ostrich I wanted to put my head in the sand and pretend all was well in our world.  I wanted to go back to life as usual...where the birdies sing and the butterflies flutter about from flower to flower drinking in the sweet nectar of life. I wanted to forget 9-11 and the war on terrorism and get back to "normal" living again.

But 9-11 has forever changed that...especially in the lives of thousands of families across our land who lost loved ones so tragically that day.  Even our own family was not untouched by this grief as my husband's first cousin was killed in the World Trade Center. (Click on this for a blog written in memory of William R. Steiner) Although our families were not real close and my husband had not seen this cousin since their childhood, it still struck home.  It hurt deeply.  This man left behind a wife and children and his parents.  His father literally died of a broken heart not too long after. The sorrow was just too much for him to bear.

So this morning my first thought was I really didn't want to watch any more programs on TV about this, and I didn't even want to go to church because I thought it would be too emotionally draining.  But then I had a change of heart. I thought that instead of being so self-centered I needed to stand united with my country and my church and show my support. As we sang patriotic hymns and the Star Spangled Banner, pledged our Allegiance to the Flag and bowed our heads in prayer for our country my spirits were lifted.  I was proud of our nation and its strength of character in the aftermath of this tragedy. I was thankful to be a part of this great nation. 

But with these good feelings is also the sober warning...our country is living on borrowed time. It is only a matter of time before some other evil force will take vengeance on our land and try again to strike us down.  We need to remember that there is a much bigger battle going on here...a fight between the forces of good and evil...God and Satan.  I don't care what church you may attend or what religion you may adhere to. I really don't care what political party you belong to or who you voted for.  The war that is going on here is much larger and in a different plane than we can see with our human eyes.  The real battle that matters here is the battle for our own hearts and souls.  When that issue is settled, the world conflagrations will still rage on, but we will have peace within. 

I'd like to close this with an old hymn that comes to mind that asks the question :

"Is Thy Heart Right with God?"

"Have thine affections been nailed to the cross?

Is thy heart right with God?

Does thou count all things for Jesus but loss

Is thy heart right with God?

Chorus:

Is thy heart right with God?

Washed in the crimson flood,

cleansed and made holy,

humble and lowly,

right in the sight of God?

Hast thou dominion o'er self and o'er sin?

Is thy heart right with God?

Over all evil without and within"

Is thy heart right with God?

(Chorus)

Are all thy powers under Jesus' control?

Is thy heart right with God?

Does He each moment abide in thy soul?
Is thy heart right with God?

Chorus:

Is thy heart right with God?

Washed in the crimson flood,

Cleansed and made holy,

humble and lowly,

Right in the sight of God?

(Elisha A. Hoffman 1839-1929)

No matter what Satan or the world terrorists throw at us or do to us, what really matters is where we stand in our personal relationship with Christ.  When Christ abides in our souls, we need not fear what man can do to us. 

I like what 2 Chronicles 20:12 and 15 says when Jehoshaphat was faced with a great enemy and did not know what to do:

"O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." (verse 12)

And the Lord answered and said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's." (verse 15)

The key to peace within our hearts and our nation is to have peace with God...and to put our trust in Him.

2 Chronicles 7:14 says:

"If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

Amen. 

 

 





Sunday Morning Meditations: Be Ready and Watching!

24.  “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25.  the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26.  Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27.  And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.

Mark 13:24-27

 "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen."

Revelation 1:7

16.  "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord."

I Thessalonians 4:16-17

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” 

says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, 

the Almighty.”

Revelation 1:8

Some sobering thoughts to ponder this Sunday morning.  The cloud pictures were taken on my way home Friday afternoon with my sweet daughter in love. We thought about how wonderful it would be to see Jesus coming through those clouds, coming to take us "home".  I know I am ready for that day to come....what about you?

Here is our worship service for this Memorial Day weekend. I hope you will enjoy the message and the song by the choir: I Sing a Song of the Saints of God:

1. I sing a song of the saints of God,

patient and brave and true,

who toiled and fought and lived and died

for the Lord they loved and knew.

And one was a doctor, and one was a queen,

and one was a shepherdess on the green;

they were all of them saints of God, and I mean,

God helping, to be one too.

2. They loved their Lord so dear, so dear,

and his love made them strong;

and they followed the right for Jesus' sake

the whole of their good lives long.

And one was a soldier, and one was a priest,

and one was slain by a fierce wild beast;

and there's not any reason, no, not the least,

why I shouldn't be one too.

3. They lived not only in ages past;

there are hundreds of thousands still.

The world is bright with the joyous saints

who love to do Jesus' will.

You can meet them in school, on the street, in the store,

in church, by the sea, in the house next door;

they are saints of God, whether rich or poor,

and I mean to be one too.

 Have a blessed and beautiful SONday!  And be ready and watching for the Lord's return. 

36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

Matthew 24:36-44

Someone Said Today Was National Pack Rat Day?

I noticed on a couple of my blogging friends posts that today was National Pack Rat Day, or something like that...and I thought...there's a day to "celebrate" that? Or is it one of those "awareness" days...to be on the lookout for those "hoarding tendencies" that tend to creep up on us when we think we are just "collectors"...

I'll admit to having a latent gene inherited from my ancestors in there somewhere that causes me to want to collect and keep certain things...well, maybe not so latent...it rises to the surface quite often...but I manage to keep it under control by not having any money to spend on such frivolities...however, when things are free...or inherited...or gifts...or really a great bargain...well...watch out! Before you know it, things can begin to pile up...

• in the corners, in the closets, in the drawers, under the beds, in the garages, attics, sheds...wherever there is an empty spot that just needs to be filled...
• and then you realize that you just can't put one more thing in that room or closet or on that shelf...
• but you see this "thing", and you love it and just have to have it...
• it reminds you of Mama, or Grandma, or Daddy, or Aunt so and so, or a friend, or a place, or a memory of your childhood that you want to hold on to...

and then the collections become an obsession...and we find that we are powerless to

• let go
• walk away
• say NO
• throw it away
• give it away

and we begin to dream about just moving out and leaving it all behind for someone else to deal with.  But then we think...Oh, but I don't want to leave my pictures, my books, my dishes, my tea cups, my tea pots, my dolls, my tools, my antique furniture....my "Collections"

Yes, I admit it...I totally understand this problem...I HAVE this problem.  They say admitting it is the first part of winning the battle, right?  So, okay, ... but I don't think I hoard things in the true sense of the word Hoarding (click here for that definition).  

I don't keep things because I think I'll need them someday...no, I keep things because I like them...they are special in some way...they have sentimental value to me for whatever reason...they have historical value, and I enjoy them. Or they are gifts that I've been given, and it wouldn't be nice to not keep them.   And for the most part, my "collections" are neat and orderly (sort of) and not totally overflowing the whole house...well...not yet...

Hubby and I have been talking about wanting to "downsize" to a more practical, manageable home in the future, when our sons are truly finally moved out on their own and we don't want to have so much house and property to maintain on our own as we get older.  When we start thinking about this and really talking about it, I do admit that I have some issues about what to keep and what to let go. So much of our furnishings, etc., are actually inherited from our families...and they do have sentimental value to us.  BUT...the day is coming when I know I will have to let go of some things and move on.

As a matter of fact...that day could come in a moment...in a twinkling of an eye (See I Corinthians 15:52) ...and the Lord will come and catch us up into the air and take us home to heaven. (See I Thessalonians 4:17)...either via the Lord's return, or via the end of this life as we know it and the beginning of the new life in heaven that I so look forward to.   And then what will happen to all of these things??? (See Luke 12:16-21)  

Well...

Matthew 6:19-21 tells me what I need to do:

19.  "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,

where moth and rust destroy 

and where thieves break in and steal;

20.  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,

where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

21.  For where your treasure is,

there your heart will be also."

So, does this mean that it is wrong to collect things that I enjoy, or that have been passed down from our ancestors?  

The key verse here is "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

 I need to honestly look at myself and ask this question..."Where is my treasure? and Where is my HEART?"

Verse 24 of this chapter says:

"No one can serve two masters;

for either he will hate the one and love the other, 

or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and mammon."

Do I put these "treasures" ahead of my relationship with God?  Do I love God enough to be able to give up these "treasures" in order to serve Him?  Do I allow these treasures to come between myself and my relationship with others?  

God has not yet asked me to "give up" anything that is in my house, but I believe I am understanding that if He were to call us onward to a different place...a new kind of ministry, or even to something that would be better for our household/life situation...I may have to relinquish my hold on these things...

If the Lord were to call me home to heaven today...I know I can't take anything with me...EXCEPT for the TREASURES that I have built up in heaven!  And what, pray tell, are those???

Lord, I hope that I have built up some treasures in heaven...I hope I haven't been so busily collecting these things here on earth that are just going to eventually collect dust, (daily), rust, break, be thrown into someone's trash heap and be forgotten...that I've neglected to store up the more valuable treasures in Your safe treasure store....things like:

• Souls that have been drawn to and led to Christ because of my testimony or life of faith
• Treasures of kindnesses that have been done for others 
• Gifts that You've given me to use for Your honor and glory here on earth that have blessed the hearts of Your children here
• Prayers that I've prayed for others
• Songs that I've sung to You in praise and adoration
• Love that I've hopefully given to others 

These material things that I've been given or have somehow obtained...they do have their place...and some have even been used in service to the Lord in some way...but they are still just things...

and I do not ever want to be guilty of putting any thing ahead of my relationship with Christ or any person.  That would actually be a form of idolatry...and we know that we are not to worship any thing in place of God....we are not to let any article, dream, or idea take the place of our relationship with Christ and His kingdom.

So, on this "National Pack Rat" day, I confess that I may be a bit of a pack rat...and I also confess that I struggle with letting go of these "things"...but when it comes right down to what is really important in this life and the life to come...I want my heart to be secured in heaven...and I want my REAL treasures to be stored there, where nothing can destroy them.  

Thank You, Lord, for this little wake up call to show me where my heart truly is.  Help me, Lord, to always invest my life in YOU, in heavenly treasures, so that I won't be sad to see some day that my heavenly cupboard is bare.  Amen.

The Greatest Expectation-Updated and Recycled

This post was originally written last year about this same time...and is still appropriate today as we anticipate the coming Easter season and prepare our hearts during this time we call "Lent".  The only difference I noticed is that these pictures taken at exactly this time last year show that spring was a little behind where we are today...our dogwood trees have already blossomed and are fading away as new leaves open up, and the Easter lilies are already much taller than the ones pictured here. Also, the camellia bushes are already finished blooming as well. So my thoughts that spring arrived a little early this year is pretty accurate.  I just hope that doesn't mean that summer will arrive too soon.  Trying to put off the really hot weather as long as we can!  I know my northern friends are probably wishing it would hurry up!

Original Post 3/5/2016:

"For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now."

Romans 8:22

Is there a woman out there who has borne a child who does not remember the anticipation and expectation of awaiting the birth of that baby? And who doesn't recall the groaning and agony of laboring to deliver that child...and yet, once that precious baby was delivered and placed in your arms it seemed as though all memory of the labor pains simply dissolved and was replaced with utter joy and delight at the sight of your beautiful child.  

Everywhere we look right now there is the expectation of Spring. Here in Florida where I live spring comes much earlier than the rest of the country. Perhaps some of our northern friends think that we live in a perpetual time of spring here, but that is not truly the case.  Many of our trees do lose their leaves and flowers become dormant.  Some animals and reptiles go into a kind of hibernation for the winter and don't reappear until the weather is much warmer. As I walked around our yard this morning I saw many examples of spring coming soon.

Dogwood buds ready to bloom

Lots of Bird Activity

This is one of our resident wrens...

and this is a wren's nest in an old shelf unit on our back porch...
Not a very tidy housekeeper...

Easter Lilies awaiting their resurrection day....

Young Maple Tree putting forth new life...

Camellia Bud ready to bloom

These ugly branches are actually Wisteria buds getting ready to put forth their lush  and fragrant flowers

As we anticipate the beautiful Easter season and the glorious resurrection of Christ we must first pass through Lent, the time of fasting and prayer as we prepare our hearts and souls for the remembrance of the agony of the passion of the Christ on the Cross when He sacrificed His life for our salvation. 

And then...there is the anticipation of something more...it would seem that the whole world is waiting for the next step.  Those of us who are "in Christ" know what that next step will be and we eagerly await it...and that is the return of our Lord to the earth,

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first.  then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  

And thus we shall always be with the Lord.  

Therefore comfort one another with these words." 

 I Thessalonians 4:16-18

When I listen to the news and hear all the ugliness that is going on around us in this world, I am truly comforted by this great hope.  Christ is coming back again...and even though we do not know the exact time and date, we can certainly see the signs that the day could be very near. 

So, as we anticipate this happy time of spring and the resurrection of new life from what appeared to be dead, let us also look forward to that day when Christ will return to take us all home to heaven to live forever with Him. That is the greatest expectation of all!

Happy Springtime!

Angels From The Realms of Glory...

This afternoon I was sitting on my back porch, relaxing and having a cup of post-Christmas tea...and as I looked up into the skies, I noticed the clouds were so wispy and graceful...having the appearance of angels flying through the heavens.  My mind immediately went to the Christmas carol 

"Angels From the Realms of Glory"...

heralding the Messiah's Birth on this the day after Christmas:

"Angels from the realms of glory

wing your flight o'er all the earth;

Ye who sang creation's story,

Now proclaim Messiah's birth:

Come and worship, 

Come and worship,

Worship Christ, the newborn King!"

Amen!

Christmas may be over...but I believe the angels are still singing His praises throughout all the heavens and over all the earth.

Let us not put away Christmas too rapidly...

Continue to proclaim Messiah's birth wherever you go...because, as the last verse of the song says:

"Saints, before the altar bending,

Watching long in hope and fear,

Suddenly the Lord, descending,

In His temple shall appear!

Come and worship,

Come and worship,

Worship Christ, the newborn King!"

We need to keep watching and waiting and preparing our hearts...because now, more than ever, 

I believe we are nearer than ever before to seeing

"Suddenly the Lord descending..."

and "In His temple shall appear!"

Be ready, my friends...because He has told us:

"Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." 

Matthew 24:44 KJV

"Wherefore, comfort one another with these words!" 

I Thessalonians 4:18 

The Bridegroom Is Coming

The Bridegroom Is Coming

"The heavens declare the glory of God;

And the firmament shows His handiwork.

Day unto day utters speech,

and night unto night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech nor language 

where their voice is not heard.

Their line has gone out through all the earth,

and their words to the end of the world.

In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,

which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,

and rejoices like a strong man to run its race.

Its rising is from one end of heaven,

and its circuit to the other end;

And there is nothing hidden from its heat."

Psalm 19:1-6

As we journeyed down the road this morning on our weekly trek to pick up my 93 year old mother-in-law for the weekend, we were greeted by these magnificent sunrays piercing through the rain clouds to brighten the morning sky and enlighten our path. (Photo taken through the car window!)

When I read the verses above, especially the one saying that the sun is "like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices like a strong man to run its race"... I can't help but smile at the imagery that invokes in my mind.  Beyond the earthly bridegroom, who certainly would be exuberant in his awakening the morning after his wedding night...but think about our bridegroom...Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God...when He breaks forth through the clouds to claim His bride...the Church:

"Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven,

and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, 

and they will see

the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven 

with power and great glory.

And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet,

and they will gather together His elect from the four winds,

from one end of heaven to the other."

Matthew 24:30-31

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, 

with the voice of an archangel,

and with the trumpet of God.

And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up

together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

And thus we shall always be with the Lord."

I Thessalonians 4:16-17

Then the scene shifts to heaven, and even though I may not have the order of this progression correct, these are events that are yet to come...

"Then a voice came from the throne saying,

'Praise our God, all you His servants and those 

who fear Him, both small and great!'

And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude,

as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings,

saying,

"Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!"

"Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory,

for the marriage of the Lamb has come,

and His wife has made herself ready."

And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen,

clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Then he said to me,

"Write: Blessed are those who are called to the 

marriage supper of the Lamb!"

And he said to me, 

"These are the true sayings of God."

Revelation 19:5-9

The final words of the book of Revelation, and of the Bible itself say:

"He who testifies to these things says,

"Surely I am coming quickly."

Amen, Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. 

Amen.

Revelation 22:20-21

Isn't it amazing how God speaks to us through His sunbeams breaking through the clouds on a drizzly morning as we journey down the road?  I wonder how often He has been trying to get our attention at other times and we just weren't paying attention?  Makes you want to sit up and take notice, doesn't it? Also makes me want to be sure that I am ready to go at a moment's notice....how about you?

Still Reeling and Putting Things in Perspective

I haven't really felt like writing anything this week...the election was an emotional rollercoaster that left me feeling a bit queasy and unsettled. 

But now my focus has changed. 

I've seen a lot of good things posted on facebook and in our blogs this week by those of us who were disappointed in the outcome of the election...

What I liked most was that we are a resilient, faith-filled group who will not be discouraged and frightened by the things that are at war around us. 

We have shifted our thoughts and minds toward heavenly events...the "Big Picture"...the giant jigsaw puzzle that we call life in this world and the world beyond...

the Universe...the Heavenlies...everything that is in between the Alpha and the Omega...

"The Beginning and the End".  

I've heard many people say that they feel even more convinced that "The End" is even nearer than we thought before. 

Of course, that is true...every day the end of our lives as we know it comes a little bit closer.

And certainly, if you are a Child of God,

you are looking forward

to being welcomed into the Arms of Jesus someday.

What is on my mind and heart is not so much my own passing from this life into the next,

but the strong impression that I am feeling

that

Christ's return is very soon.

No, I am not making predictions or trying to frighten anyone.

That shouldn't be a frightening thought anyway, 

if  you KNOW HIM.

It's just a sense that the "signs of the times"

are pointing only one direction: UP.

That is our great hope...

the fulfillment of every believer's greatest desire:

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,

with the voice of an archangel,

and with the trumpet of God,

and the dead in Christ will rise first.

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up

together with them in the clouds

to meet the Lord in the air.

And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

Therefore comfort one another with these words."

I Thessalonians 4:16-18

So, therefore, I am hoping to "comfort" you with these words.

Christ's return is imminent.

People Get Ready  (click for video/song)

Jesus Is Coming  (this particular video/song may be a little "strange" to some. It's not exactly
my style of "music" either, but the message through the verses posted are very
appropriate for this message today.