I Haven't Heard The Spring Peepers Yet

 

Spring is definitely here. Where we live that can mean that we have snow in March, on occasion, and rare snow in April, but we've been so mild since January. There have been days of cold weather, and our nights are still cold, but the days are definitely spring like!

My maple trees and lilacs have their leaf buds, and I saw a flowering tree the other day ready to burst forth in their blooms.

This is early.

 I have not heard the spring peepers yet, but any day now they will be singing day and night.

I'm feeling very hopeful this spring. That in the midst of chaos there is still beauty, truth will always be revealed, and God is still on his throne.

Speaking of truth, last night Tucker Carlson shared video from January 6th. Friends, the narrative has all been a lie. {Here}is a link to video from his show last evening. I've known this information for two years now, and yet I was shocked. It made me feel sick to see just how the left lied and created a false narrative. 

The media is complicit. They pushed this false narrative, too. Please watch the video. It's important to know the truth.

I'm sharing a link to a video 

Earth Day

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters." Psalms 24:1-2

Photo: Lindsay Musser

"But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all of these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?" Job 12:7-9

Accepting Others For Who They Are, Rather Than Stumbling Over Who They're Not

This was a quote our pastor used in church yesterday.  It is really resonating with me and giving me a lot to ponder.

I think this is a lost art.  We no longer know how to do this in our culture.  We want everyone to be who WE want them to be and when they are not, or when they are different than who we like, we completely write them off.

I find that I have done this in my own life.  There are people in my life who've never accepted me for who God made me to be, and so in my hurt and desire that they love me for myself, I have stumbled over who they are not.

I need to get to the place where I can CELEBRATE them for who they are, even if they can't do the same.  Or maybe when I can celebrate them, they'll find they can celebrate me, too.

I see this in our national life.  We are unable, now, to accept people for thinking or being different than we are.  We don't allow for people to think differently.  This is not good.  We must learn to see who a person is in their entirety, so that we can see areas that we can have agreement with them.  Perhaps even find that we may share many things in common.

When we can do this, I think we'll find a much more peaceful nation, and even world.

Garden of Truth

                                                                         Source

I follow Ruth Chou Simons on Instagram.  She's a beautiful artist, wife, mother of six boys.  She shares her art and life and truth of God's goodness through her Instagram account and in her art.  Her website is Gracelaced.

I pre-ordered her latest book and I've been enjoying it since it released.

"Something will shape us and form us into who we become--it can either be the truth of God's Word or our own feelings.  Let it be His truth that transforms us."

I needed to hear this today, and probably need that reminder on a weekly basis.

Whatever Is True

We were reading in Philippians yesterday.  I had this book memorized when I was in Bible School.  I think I am going to keep rereading this book for a while.  There are such great truths in it.

This morning, this is what caught my attention.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

 This is verse eight of chapter four.

These are powerful words.  I don't think we as women walk in these truths like we should.  We don't give thought to the truth, to things that are honorable, or just, or pure, or lovely, or commendable, or excellence, or things worthy of praise.

Oh, not all the time, of course, but these things sneak in.  We decide its okay to focus on other things.  My main thought today about this though is about 'Whatever is True.'

I know someone who will lie to your face.  They will tell you what they think you want to hear.  They will say one thing to you and something completely different to someone else.  They tell lies about you to others, in order to benefit themselves.

This has created all sorts of drama and stress.  Its root is in immaturity and self focus, but the hurt and pain in causes spills over to people who try to help and be a Truth speaker to this person.  This person is hurt in the long run by their choices as well, they just don't recognize it.

As believers we must be people of Truth.  Not my truth, or your truth, but of THE TRUTH.

Jesus says, "I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE.  No man (or woman) can come to the Father, except by me." John 14:6

We need to fix our eyes on Jesus, to think about the things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise.  We need to make sure our focus is on these things.  That doesn't of course mean that we don't know what is going on in the news (most of it is opposite of this list), or that we life in some kind of 'bubble world.'

No, I believe that to think about these things means that we will be thinking of Jesus and his Word, and his truth, his justice.  And that by doing that, we will be better equipped to handle the challenges of life; the losses, the hurts, the utter incomprehensible evil in the world.

The Truth is this - 

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.  1 Timothy 1:15.

The "Ought" Verses The "Is"

Last evening, Del Tackett, talked about the "ought" verses the "is."  He was trained as a fighter pilot in the Air Force and he told us about his training.  They were taught to read the gauges in their planes and to trust their instruments and to notice when the "is" wasn't what it "ought" to be, so they could take steps to correct the problem.

He spoke of Apollo 13 and how the astronauts as well as Mission Control all know what "ought" to be as well.  When they had the oxygen tank blow on their rocket, they were able to handle the situation because they had been trained.  They KNEW things were NOT as they OUGHT to be.   They didn't pretend like it didn't happen, they didn't wait until a more convenient time to pay attention to it.  

They didn't know right away what had happened but they knew something had.  Their instruments and gauges were telling them so (as well as that loud explosion!).  Both the crew and the ground control guys were able to figure out how to best get things back to where they ought to be in order to get them home safely.

In order for us to know how things "ought" to be we must be in God's word.  We must learn truth, so when even we ourselves start getting away from where we ought to be, we can recognize it.

That's a hard one, isn't it?  Because it is so subtle sometimes, the moving away from sound doctrine, etc.  Churches do this, too.  It's never a huge leap away from truth, but as the Nickel Creek song says, "quiet steps away from your lead," until finally they are far from Biblical truth.

When we lose the Meta-Narrative then "I" am the source of truth.

I know that I am going to be pondering this "ought" verses "is" for sometime.