Friday, May 26, 2017

Infinity Fix

My assignment has never changed. "Go and make disciples".  Those "disciples" come to me now because I cannot gto them. Their horrible situations tear at my soul. The ignorance of moral absolutes  is one thing; the knowing of moral absolutes and disobeying God is quite another. Some professing Christians who come pull the victim card. If they are desirous of knowing the Lord better and being conformed to His image I will take them into His Word, love and help them grow in discernment regarding the choices they make. After a time if it is obvious they prefer to return to their destructive lives,  I will, with love tell them goodbye. It is a terribly tough call.

Sometimes by evening I am heavy-hearted. I have named this "The Twilight Slump". When  I sense it coming on, I feed my soul on something beautiful, usually avoiding turning on the news because I am not up for hearing any more opinions.

Last night I stepped out on my deck, looked skyward and audibly uttered, "Oooooh!"   Pink clouds were tumbling all over one another. The sun was slipping over the mountain to the west and the sounds of night were slipping in. The crickets were cricketing and Hooty the owl was hoo hooing. I snuggled down in my warm bed and disciplined my mind to think on our wonderful Lord God Who is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and worthy of praise. The stars showed up and I slept.

How great Thou art;
HOW GREAT THOU ART!

Love,  Jo

Friday, May 19, 2017

Things not seen

Life is mastered by faith and not by doubt. It is very clear that the witnesses that have gone Home before us did not receive everything they asked for. Some died horrible deaths. As I write many are dying horrible deaths around this broken world. I hope many of our Christian TV programs do not reach them...especially the ones that promise that God will heal everybody and make every Christian rich.

I have no idea what God will test me with before I leave this earth. Every test so far has had this purpose...that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.  Am I "there" yet? Probably not.

Why do I write these stories to you folk?  For you, and for me. Threaded throughout every story is the faithfulness of my Father that I lean upon more every day. I need  the reassurance that God has, and therefore will see me through to the end.

Ted was a man of great faith. More than I knew, I was dependent upon his faith. My Heavenly Father left me here, now for nearly seven years. Scriptures I have known for decades have taken on deep and personal meaning.

"Without faith, it is impossible to please God, and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him". At times I kick the word "diligently" up a notch to "frantically".

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for;  the evidence of things not seen."

 "Fix your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith."

"Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."

What will  ''finishing'' look like?  ...perhaps leaving in a blaze of glory as all kinds of sweet things are said about us at our Memorial, or as with Paul, alone in a rat-infested dark, dank dungeon, waiting for the axe to fall.  For all of us who are coming to know Him, THINGS NOT SEEN are beckoning. .

Oh, my dear readers, pour all that you know about His faithfulness into the next generations. They are going to need the testimonies of witnesses.

Great is Thy faithfulness; great is thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies  I see.
All I have needed,  Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness,    Lord unto me.

Love,  Jo

Friday, May 12, 2017

The Finish Line

...is coming closer. Do I see through the dark glass more clearly than I did when first I heard His Name? Yes, and in His time, I will fully see and know Him.

A lost little girl was I. Accomplishment didn't fill the empty space inside me. ...and then two wonderful Christian men said these words to me: "You are worth an investment". That's the Gospel. He loved us so much that He gave His life for us. He deems us worth His investment!

Today is my daughter's 57th birthday. What a gift He gave her daddy and me, and what a gift He keeps on giving through our Deanna as she ministers to countless lost young people.

Oh, please love the lost ones of this world. There are so many.

With eternity's values in view, Lord;
With eternity's values in view.
May I do each day's work for Jesus
With eternity's values in view.

Love,  Jo

Friday, May 5, 2017

CLASS

Last Saturday night I played for a fund raiser for non-profit organizations at the Catholic Church in Tehachapi. The huge multi-purpose room had been transformed into a 1920's high class restaurant. The theme was "Singin' in the Rain".  Plain walls were covered with silver fabric that looked like rain. At the back of the stage, from a long curtain rod hung a silver and black swagged drapery, swept to the sides by velvet ropes with long tassels. In the middle space hung shimmering silvery streamers.  On either side of the huge stage stood stately street lamps, replicas of those used a couple of generations ago. The piano I played was backed toward the audience and was covered with a fitted silver and black tapestry fabric with sweeping ropes and tassels hanging from the top of the piano. On the linen covered round tables for eight were silver plates surrounding tall, elegant, feathery centerpieces. The chairs were covered with white "dresses". Class!

Women and men began pouring in, ...the women dressed in black, fringed flapper dresses, wearing high heeled strap sandals that before the evening was over would be causing pain. Stuck in the bands around their heads were tall feathers.Men were wearing black suits; the waiters and waitresses were clad in black pants and white shirts with perky black hats perched on their heads. Class!

Did those Catholics raise a boatload of money?  Holy Moley! I guess so! The woman auctioneer was a forceful chatterer that yanked those checkbooks and credit cards right out of their purses and billfolds!

A very long time ago my musician mother tried to get me to just "play the written notes". I couldn't. I have an aversion to manuals.  My kind of music was going to be just right: Ragtime, Dixieland, Swing and Standards. I was paid well and squirreled it away as I always do to buy something that is not necessary.

Is there any spiritual message whatsoever in this blog?  Of course. Years ago,  I played for two Saturday nights in  the Bear Valley Club bar.  As the drinks went down the tips climbed to the top of the tip jar. On the second Saturday night,  around 10 o'clock as some old smelly geezer breathed down my neck and dropped a  20 in the jar, I fished out my cash,  fled out the door,  beat it up the mountain and home, crawled into bed beside Ted and muttered: "So much for that gig!"

The Lord gives us gifts to use for His glory. We get to choose where and how to stir them up.

    WE GIVE THEE BUT THINE OWN   (SCHUMANN)

We give Thee but Thine own, what'ere our gift may be
All that we have is Thine alone, a trust, Oh Lord from Thee.

To comfort and to bless, to find a balm for woe; 
To tend the lone and fatherless is our great task below.

And we believe Thy Word, though dim our faith may be.
Whatever task we do, O Lord, we do it unto Thee.   I Chronicles 29:14

Love,  Jo

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