Matthew

My book to study this month is Matthew.
Some of the things I learn in my study almost seem so elementary that I often find myself ashamed because I'm just now learning them
I think,.."everyone knows these things except me!"
Well, I'm not disclosing what I learned today at my kitchen table because you would think me a big doofus.

I WILL however, mention other interesting (to me) observations from my last couple of days in Matthew:

There are four women listed in Matthew's discussion of Jesus' linage.
Two were prostitutes. (Tamar and Rahab)
One was an adulterous. (Bathsheba)
The last one mentioned was from a sworn enemy people of the Jews. (Ruth)

John the Baptist is in the middle of a verbal tirade against the Pharisees and Sadducees when his cousin Jesus appears out of nowhere, pecks him on the shoulder and asks to be baptized. John switches instantly from a loud confident prophet to a knowledgeable but humble (confused?) brother.
I would have loved to have witnessed this moment shared between the two of them.


After Jesus was baptized,..the Spirit of God descended and "hovered" on Him as a dove. Did you know that in the second verse of Genesis 1,..before the world was formed,..the Spirit of God "hovered" over the darkness?
The Spirit of God as a tiny dove vs the Spirit of God hovering over a huge unformed planet.
One and the same.

Weekend Reflections

Went to Fayetteville this week-end to spend time with Casey. The Hogs just happened to play so I watched them too.
Here's some random reflections from the weekend.
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Casey cleaned her apartment in anticipation of our arrival. Imagine that.

Breakfast at the Cracker Barrel is a great date.

The lady who sat next to me at the football game cried during the National anthem.

Casey's roommate is an Interior Design major. She's been "in studio" now for about 36 hours straight. Her schedule the past two semesters has been insane.
Mama's...don't let your babies grow up to be Interior Designers.

Every single coach and manager on the South Carolina Football team wears their pants about 4 inches too long.

If Jae were still with us, she would more than likely be a senior cheerleader at some university.

Casey plans, travels and roams because she still grieves deeply.

Abby is right now, the same age as Casey was when we lost Jae.

I am reminded that some of the most important jobs I can do or my girls is to pray, love and listen.

Anytime I see sunrises, sunsets, pretty moons, rainbows or storms,..I wonder what it all looks like from Heaven's viewpoint.

I love to come home.

I found out that we now have the BET channel on our TV.

Oh joy. Another channel to block.

Abby still fits nicely in my lap.

And lastly,.....a moment form the Hogs football game that I always look forward to.....

.

Storms

Last week, our area experienced a torrential rainstorm which flooded many of our roads and bridges. As I drove home through the worst of it, I unexpectedly found myself driving through the deepest water I ever recall driving through.
I was in it before I knew it was there.

After being home about 20 minutes, I received a call from my mom who, to my dismay, had also been out in this storm.
Mom does not see well at night and the short distance she was driving was flooded which forced her to drive miles out of her way.
In the dark.
In the rain.
And she had forgotten her cell phone.

Mom has driven these roads for 50 years.
She knows every bump and dip.
She knows every home and mailbox along each road.
The distance was short....maybe a mile.
When she left home hours before, the weather was fine.

But Thursday night, the circumstances became very different.
Outside influences changed the normal into the unrecognizable.
Old knowledge was not useful.
What should have been an effortless drive was replaced by danger, worry and fear.

My brothers and I all sat in our homes unaware of what our mom was going through.

What are the lessons here for me?

1. People get blindsided by life.

It happened to me and I bet it will you too.

It nobodies fault,...Life just happens.

One minute you are safe, the next you are near-drowning.

2. Storms are normal.

However, I, like some of you, think storms are unfair.

3. We often don't realise that the people we love are in danger.

They don't tell us?

They can't tell us?

We don't ask?

4. God always knows exactly where we are.

Thank goodness He is reachable even when we are too frightened

or overwhelmed to seek Him.

He is the original "wireless".

5. Worrying about my parents is right up there with worrying about my kids.

I must nag fuss remind mom that we are not reachable when she is without her cellphone.

Riding Pete Into War

Last night, Bro David referred to a text in Revelation 19 which describes the last battle.

It is in our future when the curtain of time is dropping and

all the forces of evil are gathered to fight against

He who is called Faithful and True.

The army will be all dressed up in white wedding garments

and riding on white horses behind Jesus Christ.

Now who in the world wears white to go into battle?

And who goes to war after a wedding?

Me!

And you.

But I don't think we really have to fight.

Good thing, because I'm afraid I'd have trouble staying on the horse,

much less fighting on one.

Does this all sound a little far-fetched?

Yep...it does to me too.

However,...if we're going to believe the Bible, then we need to believe the whole thing.

How exciting!

Early Morning Revival

What were you doing at 5:45 this morning?
That's about the time of the morning when I get into my car and head towards work.

The last few weeks have been ones of emotional conflict for me.
Last Saturday, I became involved in a situation at work (the new job which I'm struggling to enjoy) and was pretty dadgum frustrated that this "particular situation" kept me from attending Abby's band competition. I can't share details here because it would involve discussing details of a patient, but by the time I clocked out that evening, I had been stretched physically, emotionally and even spiritually.

Moments later, while in a store running an errand, Ralph called me as he sat in the stands of Forrest City High School when Abby's band marched out onto the field. He held the phone in the air and I listened to her entire band performance as I stood in the frazzlin paint section of WalMart.
I nearly cried with disappointment.

Then late last night, I became involved in another work-related situation which left me feeling exhausted.

and frustrated.

and tired.

and confused.

and scared.

So back to this morning.....

At about 5:45 this morning, I began a long hard talk with myself and had a long wonderful talk with God.

I don't claim to be one of those people who say things like "......AND GOD TOLD ME........."

Nope.

God just doesn't seem to communicate with me that way.

But this morning, I begged God to keep me passionate about life.

I begged Him (literally) to keep me "on the edge" of living all out for Him.

I've been there before and I don't want to be satisfied with anything less.

Lately, I've been spiritually tepid and I hate it.

I want to be fully there....where ever I am.

I want to live with an expectancy of watching Him work.

It's not that I've been doubting God, but more that I've been trying to figure out things by myself.

Just not involving Him much.

Going through the motions, but no real reliance on or use of Faith.

My prayers this morning brought an exciting time of clarity for me.

My situation has not changed at work, and I don't have a clue of what's in store for me, but I'm feeling much more confident that He will hold true to His word of having plans for my hope and my future.

It's all about your heart Becky.

It's all about your heart Becky.

It's all about your heart Becky.

It's all about your heart Becky

Jae's Artistic Church Moments

This afternoon, as I cleaned out some old papers and books from my office,

I found a workbook of Jae's.

She was always prone to doodle and write as she "listened".

Here's my favorite picture and danged if I know how it

and the next one ended up sideways!

Just tilt your head to the right a bit......

I think I recall this moment myself....

(hee hee)

The pic below says

"This is me is 5 minutes"

Is that not the sweetest?

I sat in the floor of my office and missed her with a

physical intensity that made me

short of breath.

I'm still that way tonight.

The world misses her.

Where Have I Been?

I could tell you that I've not blogged because I've been too busy.
It wouldn't be true.

I could say that I've not blogged much recently 'cause I've been depressed about my job issues.
Nope. That wouldn't be true either.

Maybe I haven't blogged because I've had writer's block?
(What is that anyway? Writer's block? I think you have to be a real writer to have "writer's block".)
That rules me out.
No writer's block for me.

How about, I haven't blogged because my Internet went out for almost a week?
Yep. True.
Internet usually goes off anytime the modem gets beat to crumbs. (not me)

Here's a few other (true) reasons :

Cleaning house. (DEEP cleaning house)
(No. I absolutely will NOT come clean yours)
Searching for a new job.
Going to band competitions and practices and games. (the North Pulaski band rocks!)
Mucking horse stables. (Did you know the average horse poops every two hours?)
Chasing horses that get out of old fences.
Watching Fox News.
Reading.
Sleeping late three mornings in a row. (Heaven!)
Oreos.
Watching my mom's dog (full time. Bad doggy)
Porch swinging.
Texting. (I'm slow)
Watching Spike TV shows about police chases.
Shopping for landscape plants to purchase, plant and kill.
WalMart.
Church.
Long talks with Abby and Casey.
Wondering what Jae Lynn is doing in Heaven right now.
Watching home movies.
Wondering where time goes.
Planning my cruise to the Bahamas.
(Not true)