Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, and a touch of George Washington

"This is the history"

Genesis 2:4

Long but interesting day today.  And a fun family day.  We drove to the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley California.  The kids and I have been there before, the Apple of my Eye never has.  (A full-time job makes it hard to join the family on field trips!)

It was several years ago the last time I was there, though.  It's an awfully long drive from our house, through plenty of LA traffic.

We went there for two reasons, really, neither of which really had anything to do Reagan, surprisingly.  Well one sort of did...

The one that sort of had to do with Reagan is Air Force One.  I say "sort of" because he was one of several Presidents to fly in that aircraft.   Not to mention all the other Presidents that have flown in the Air Force Ones that are almost exactly like this Air Force One. 

{Yes, I Know That Grammatically-Speaking, 

The Word "President" Should Not Be Capitalized 

Unless It's Part Of A Title.  

But I Think It Looks Better Capitalized.  

And I'm The One Doing The Typing.}

So it didn't have to do with just him.  But it's at his Library, so there ya go.

Photo credit:  The Apple of my Eye.  Or maybe this was taken by my Awesome Girl.  Not sure...

The other reason we went was for the exhibit the Library was hosting about President Lincoln.  My major in college was American Studies, and my emphasis was the Civil War, so I've long been a Lincoln scholar.  I've read books, I've watched movies, I've taken classes, I've been to museums and monuments and historic homes. 

And yet, for all the Lincoln I've studied, and all the papers, photos, paintings and artifacts I've seen, I was pleased to see a few things today, that I've never seen before. 

For instance, there was a painting of a lovely young Mary Todd.  I have a soft spot in my heart for Mary Lincoln.  She was a far-from-perfect, but very complex woman.  And she lived a difficult life, in a difficult era.  So I think she gets a bit of a bad rap.   And many of the photos and portraits you see of her don't do much for her.  Her stature and weight, and the fact that no one smiled for pictures in that time can lead us to believe she was cranky, or cause us to wonder why Mr Lincoln married her. 

Like this one:

Photo credit: I found this on wikimedia.org - It was taken by Matthew Brady

But look at the painting I saw today:

Photo credit:  carlanthonyonline.com ~ This was painted by Mrs Lincoln's niece

I know; she still looks a little dour here, but I also think she looks lovely.  The lace of her dress, and her hair down, seem to soften her a little. 

There was also this piece of art, done in 1866, I believe:

I don't know how well you can see that, but it is George Washington welcoming Mr Lincoln into heaven.  Isn't that interesting?  I'm quite sure I would have remembered that, if I'd ever seen it before.

And then there's this:

This is the pen that Lincoln used to sign the Emancipation Proclamation.  And to be totally honest, I can't be sure I never saw this before, but if I have, I've forgotten about it. 

I wonder why we ever get to feeling knowledgeable or expert on things, when there's always more to learn, and when we're always in danger of forgetting what we've learned.  I guess it's because, when we compare ourselves to someone else, we can find someone who knows less than we do, and that makes us feel elevated. 

But I'm also reminded of the fact that there's always more to learn.  Scripture talks a lot about knowledge, and I love knowing that as I study His Word, I'm learning more about Him, and about myself, and others. 

I also love knowing that I'll never learn it all.  I can study a book, and then years later study it again, and have it be a much different experience, because I'm not who I was.  Or my situation is different, and my need for understanding has changed.  "Seek, and you shall find," He said.  But you know what is even better?  Seek more, and you will find more!

~ "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

   and knowledge of the Holy One is insight" ~

Proverbs 9:10

~

Alive, Awake and Celebrating

"Blessed is the one who stays awake"

Revelation 16:15

The Fourth of July.  Independence Day.   A fun and wonderful day here in the United States.  Although, really, we only hold the patent on July 4th, not "Independence Day".  There are well over a hundred countries that celebrate their independence from whoever they were, well, "dependent" on. 

And frankly, we share July 4th as a celebration day, with the nation of Abkhazia, who declared their independence from Georgia in 1993.  But we declared ours first. 

Switzerland has been celebrating their "National Day" since 1291, Sweden since 1523, and Portugal their "Republic Day" since 1640.  But our thirteen colonies were the first to declare independence from their "mother country". 

All of this has nothing to do with my point.  Or, none of this has anything to do with my point.  I just like information, so I thought I'd share it with you.  Most of these interesting factoids I got off of Wikipedia, so you can go there for more info.

We'll be celebrating at my folks' house with barbecue and cole slaw and pie.  (Lemon, not apple.  I know... but my mom likes lemon, so I'm making her a lemon pie.)  And maybe the kids will swim, but my parents' pool can be awfully cold until we've had several hot days in a row, which we haven't.  It did get hot last weekend, but only for a few days.  We're still enjoying our "June Gloom" most days.

And if I know my parents, we'll watch some fireworks on TV.  A Capital Fourth, or the Boston Pops or something like that.  For years we took the kids to a local amphitheater to hear the symphony.  Plenty of patriotic favorites, culminating in John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever," and plenty of fireworks.

And one of the best memories I have of those concerts is the fact that one of my kids, when the time came for that wonderful finale, would most likely be asleep. 

Oh, not every year, of course.  And not both of them.  But it was several years before both of them were old enough to stay awake for the whole concert.  They did it for the Tchaikovsky Spectacular every September, too.  Slept right through "The 1812 Overture".  Cannons and all.

In the beginning, when we first started taking them, we would try to wake them to see the fireworks, but you know how hard it is to wake a sleeping toddler?  So we just enjoyed, and let them snooze. 

Beautiful, magnificent, majestic.  Elaborate and Extravagant.  Impressive and resounding, and they were oblivious.

Makes me wonder if there isn't something amazing and miraculous that God might be doing in my life, that maybe I'm sleeping right through. 

How about you?

~ "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things" ~

Psalm 119:18

~ "when they became fully awake,

they saw His glory" ~

Luke 9:32

~

Behind Door #2

"concerning the election"

Romans 11:28

I read an interesting article the other day.  I'm sorry, I don't know what magazine it had been in.  I had pulled it out of an old magazine and set it in my read-when-I-get-around-to-it pile.

Oh, you have one of those, too?  Awesome!

Well, I finally got around to reading it, and the focus of the article was on four Presidential elections, about which the writer was asking:  "What if it had gone other way?"  In other words, what if the loser had won?  How would his party/the country/the world have been affected?

It was very interesting.  Very thought-provoking, which is what I look for in my reading.  I think the best books are the ones that have me thinking, long after I've turned the last page. 

Anyhow, the four elections the writer chose were:
   
     1860 ~ Lincoln/Breckinridge/Bell/Douglas
     1912 ~ Wilson/Roosevelt/Taft/Debs
     1932 ~ Roosevelt/Hoover
     1980 ~ Reagan/Carter/Anderson

In each case, it was interesting to look at the politics and platforms of those who did not win, and then extrapolate those to imagine what decisions they might have made, etc.

It was thought-provoking in the immediate because I started thinking of other elections where the same question applied.  Not long after, I came to the conclusion that every Presidential election could justifiably fall under the heading, "Things Would Have Been Really Different If This Had Gone Another Way".

Yup.  All of them.  

The fact of the matter is that like the proverbial butterfly flapping its wings in South America, everything that happens has an effect on other things.

And that took me to the long-reaching thinking I did after reading that article:  the wondering of the other paths in our lives.  What might have been, if you and I hadn't made the decisions we did.  Or if the people around us hadn't made the decisions they did. 

I once had a vision ~ not any kind of spiritual vision, just a picture in my head of me talking to God.  And I imagined what He'd say if I asked Him why I had to walk down that hard path; why He didn't steer me to an easier path.  And He said, "You should have seen the path I didn't let you take."

Some paths we take under His guidance.  Some we have no choice about.  Some are our personal decisions.  And 99% of the time we have no idea what would have been the circumstances of making a different choice.  And the 1% of the time we think we know how things would have turned out differently, we're wrong.

I think there's a bit of a "go with the flow" lesson here.  Making the best decision we can, and moving forward.  And if there are consequences to be dealt with, or apologies that have to be made for our decisions, then do that.   It's about learning from our mistakes without repeatedly kicking ourselves for them, and trusting Him when He says all things work for good.

~ "And we know that all things work together for good

to those who love God,

to those who are the called according to His purpose" ~

Romans 8:28

~

Presidential Lessons

"Let all bitterness and wrath

and anger and clamor and slander be put away"

Ephesians 4:31

Today was an exciting day for me. 

Well, mostly only theoretically.  After getting together with a sweet friend for a chat, I came home and did the same fairly routine things I always do.  Home, kids, work.... you know the drill...

But I watched a little more TV than usual, and that was because of the excitement, which was the dedication of the Presidential Library of George W. Bush, in Dallas, Texas.  The library will open to the public on May 1.

This is exciting to me for two reasons.  The first is that I now have another Presidential library to visit.  I've been to several homes/libraries of U.S. Presidents, including Washington, Jefferson, Jackson, Grant, Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan, and one or both of the Roosevelts.  I was pretty young, then, so I'd have to double check with my folks.  Although I guess if I can't remember, I need to go back.

We have family living in Texas now {Hey, y'all!} so I'm sure we'll be in Texas sometime this year or next, and I look forward to visiting the Bush library.  Maybe both Bush's.  (Bushes'?  Bushs'?)  And maybe Lyndon Johnson's, too.  My kids can't get enough. 

Well, that's not quite true.  As a matter of fact, they may have already had enough...

The other thing that made this day cool was seeing those who attended the dedication.  It was one of those historic events that brings our current president together with our former presidents. And it reminded me of one of the things I love most about America. 

Barack Obama, George W Bush, Bill Clinton, George HW Bush (in a wheelchair and sporting red socks!) and Jimmy Carter ~ photo credit: dallasnews.com

The Carters, the Clintons, the Bush 41's, the Bush 43's, the Obamas ~ photo credit: nationaljournal.com

The presidential campaigns can be fierce, competitive, and even embarrassing to watch.  But the transitions are smooth.  There is a mutual respect among these men, despite how they might feel about each other's politics, principles, or decisions. 

Clinton, Bush 43 and Obama ~ photo credit: nytimes.com

I know it's the same thing where a lot of you live, too.  But it's not that way all over the world.  It hasn't always been that way in America either.  John Adams left Washington before Thomas Jefferson got there, because he didn't want to see him.  But those two had issues their whole political lives. 

photo credit: netaonline.org

There's a great lesson here, about understanding, respect and forgiveness.

Well, maybe not here:

But here:

And here:

Michelle and Barack Obama, Barbara (41) Bush ~ photo credit: washingtonpost.com

There are people in my life I don't agree with, when it comes to politics, or social issues.  As a matter of fact, I think sometimes people who are passionate about things become friends with other passionate people, even if they don't agree.  There's just something about a good debate.

That's even true among people of faith. There are differences of opinion on everything from style of music to observation of the Sabbath, and those differences can make for some great discussion, even if opinions never meld.

As any of those men who gathered at the Bush library today would tell you, it's about focusing on the common ground.  In this case, love of country.   In the case of Christians, it's love of God.  Paul dealt with this in a few of his epistles (Corinthians, Ephesians).  It helps me to look differently as those with whom I disagree, even in my own church.  To paraphrase John F. Kennedy, "He who unites us is stronger than he who would divide us."  And to quote the apostle Paul, "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32)

~ "For where two or three

 are gathered together in My name, 

I am there in the midst of them" ~

Matthew 18:20

~

In Praise of Poetry

"David spoke to the Lord the words of his song"

2 Samuel 22:1

It's the 18th of April as I write this.  In aught-thirteen.  Not 'seventy-five.

But the 18th of April ~ in any year ~ always makes me think of Paul Revere. 

photo credit: biography.com

Hey, that was a poem!  In a post about poetry!  What are the odds?

The 18th of April, in any year
Makes me think of Paul Revere

I wrote a couplet.  My kids will be so proud.  

I am not really a big fan of poetry.  I guess that's only relative to others' views on poetry, but as I studied poetry in school, I just felt there were so many poems that I was required to read, that seemed to have no affect on me, emotionally.  I like facts, and I generally like cutting to the chase.  So the Apple of my Eye knows not to buy me any greeting cards that have a trite rhyming quatrain.

Though apparently I'm okay with the odd, impromptu couplet.

And my Awesome Girl recently taught me a poem, that I loved the minute I heard it:

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Some poems rhyme
Others don't

It's deep, isn't it?

Since I'm my kids' teacher, I do teach them poetry, but in the interest of full disclosure, I have told them the truth:  I sometimes struggle with poetry... but I love poems.

I say that because there are poems that I have read in my life, that have touched my heart.   Like Emily Dickinson ~ "Hope is the the thing with feathers that perches in the soul."

Or Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

By the rude bridge that arched the flood
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world

I have stood at the foot of that rude bridge.  And when I think about that poem, I am reminded of how I felt when I stood there, thinking back to that place, and what happened there.

And every year, on the 18th of April, I can't help but hear in my head, the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~

On the eighteenth of April, in seventy-five
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year...

One, if by land, and two, if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
for the country folk to be up and to arm.

This is the purpose of poetry.  To stir in us the emotions of joy, awe, and thankfulness.  To remind us of where we used to be, and what God has done for us.  Of what used to be, and what could be the case again.

And when I remember that, I am more grateful ~ and pay more attention to ~ the poetry in the Bible.

"The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer... my shield and the horn of my salvation... my stronghold and refuge... I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised; and so I shall be saved..."  (2 Samuel 22:2,3,4)

We should not be able to read verses like this in a monotone.  Of any words in the Bible, these should not leave our minds without first traveling to our hearts.

How about this:  "The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice.  He sent arrows and scattered them; lightning bolts and He vanquished them.  The channels of the sea were seen, the foundations of the world were uncovered at the rebuke of the Lord..." (2 Samuel 22:14-16)  This is the power of the Lord.

And it's followed by this:  "He took me, drew me out of many waters... delivered me from those who were too strong for me..."  and why?  "He delivered me because He delighted in me." (2 Samuel 22:17,18,20)

This song of David is an acknowledgement of God's power.  The power available for you, too.  Why?  Because He delights in you?

"You are my lamp, O Lord.  By my God I can leap over a wall.  He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and sets me on high places... therefore I will give thanks to You, and sing praises to Your name." (2 Samuel 22:29,30,34,50)
 
What has God done for you, and what is your response?

How blessed are we by David, the Psalmist?  How blessed are we that God plucked this shepherd boy out of the field, to lead armies in times of battle; to lead his nation in times of peace, and to lead us in praise of God?

Christians sometimes struggle with unity.  There are so many differing opinions.  But no matter what church we go to, no matter what style of worship we prefer.... Though we disagree on how to honor the Sabbath, or why and how to fast.... On the worthiness of God to be praised, we cannot disagree.

~ "I will give thanks to You,

     and sing praises to Your name" ~

2 Samuel 22:50

~

Good from bad

"all things work together for good"

Romans 8:28

I read a new book a few weeks ago.  It was another book that I was reading in advance of assigning it to one of my kids.  I never heard of it, though.  Discovering new, interesting, educational books is one of my favorite things about teaching my kids.

The book is called The Moved-Outers, by Florence Crannell Means.  It's about a Japanese-American family, interned in a camp during World War II.  The kids in the family are high-schoolers; a boy and a girl who deal with this event in very different ways.  The boy had been thinking about graduation, and what came after ~ getting a job, deciding whether or not to join his father's business...  The girl thought mostly about her education and, well, boys.   But not in a flighty kind of way.  It's just what was next, to her way of thinking.  A couple more years of high school, and then a few years after that, she expected to be married, and following in her mother's footsteps.

Obviously, their surroundings and detention derailed all that.

The boy turned bitter.  Though he stayed true to his upbringing for the most part, he did have a few run-ins with the camp authorities.

The girl, however, had a view of their circumstances that fascinated me.  She never seemed bitter at all.  Her mother seemed to have a sort of shrugging view of what had happened to them.  Sort of "it is what it is; what can you do?"

But the girl in the book took it one step further.  Her outlook was one I've never seen before, in the different books I've read about this period in history.  She felt that they were still Americans, and they were suffering for a good reason ~ for the sake of their country.  Either they were suffering while their country ~ America ~ made mistakes and learned from them (which we did, and we have); or they were suffering so that their country could concentrate on the war overseas.  She just seemed to understand, in a way that I never thought a Japanese-American would have.

I think, in a very simple way, she understood what many of us take a lifetime to understand ~ the idea that suffering has a purpose.  I love telling my kids, "that which does not kill us makes us stronger."  They probably get sick of hearing it, but it's true. 

Some things we bring on ourselves.  Other things are just the world and the stupidity of man.  But the attitude with which we bear them can make a big difference in how we come out of them.  I've heard it said, we can either let difficulties make us better, or bitter. 

Welcome to my cliche festival.

There is so much in life over which we have no control.  And I don't think we should just let life run us over.  But when we have to endure something, it's better for our hearts and our bodies and our spirits to trust that it won't last forever, and that we'll be the better for it. 

The girl in the story knew that.  But she knew, too, that her country would be the better.  And that would have been even harder to believe, I think, for someone living through that.  But I love the idea of remembering that while God is working things for your good, He's working things for the good of so many others.  Maybe your spouse, maybe your whole family, maybe even your country. 

He can do that.  He's God.  And not only can He do that, He does do that.  Believe it.

~ "May the God of hope fill you

with all joy and peace in believing, 

so that by the power of the Holy Spirit

you may abound in hope" ~

Romans 15:13

~

No Rain, No Rainbows!

"I will cause it to rain on the earth"

Genesis 7:4

My family and I were enjoying the rain a few weeks ago, and it led us to an interesting conversation.

Rain is a treat for us.  Living in Southern California, we don't get enough of it, to my way of thinking.  The weather is so often beautiful, so we enjoy the change that rain and clouds bring.

Our conversation was about some of our "memorable" experiences in the rain.  I actually started the conversation, as I was thinking of a particularly rainy day, when we weren't under the shelter of a roof, in our cozy home, with access to blankets and hot cocoa.  

The day I was remembering was at the 2010 Olympics, in Vancouver, Canada.  We were attending a snowboarding event, and it rained and rained that day.  When I think back now, I can't imagine why they didn't erect a tent or canopy of some kind over the spectators.  It was a good-sized section of bleachers, but they had to know rainy weather was a possibility.

But that was my only complaint about Canada, and the Olympics, for that whole week, so that's not too bad!

Anyhow, it didn't take long before we were soaked.  Hats, coats, scarves, mittens, the works.  Soaked through.  We finally did manage to get our hands on four plastic garbage bags that the event workers were handing out as rain ponchos.  But it was far too late for us, as far as being wet.

The good news is, large plastic garbage bags do a great job of keeping you warm and keeping the rain off of you.  The bad news is that once you're wet, it's like a sauna inside that bag.

It was not our most pleasant experience.

I don't have any photos of our day at snowboarding; it was too wet to get the camera out.  So here's a photo of an aerial skiier in heavy fog for ya! 

So that was the rainy day experience I was thinking of... but that's not the rainy day my family was thinking of.

My Awesome Girl immediately recalled our visit to Washington, DC a few years ago, when we stood in line outside the National Archives, waiting to see our nation's treasures, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

We waited in line for 45 minutes to get in.  And not just in the rain, as you might be guessing, but in a thunderstorm, with plenty of lightning.  Not having a great deal of experience with thunderstorms, my kids were pretty scared.  What I was feeling, most of all, was a thrill at the fact that all those people, were waiting all that time, in all that rain, to see those documents firsthand.

And though we were wet, at least we were warm...

See us?  We're the wet ones.  We just bought that umbrella, for $3, from a street vendor.

 
The Apple of my Eye was thinking of our trip to Missouri.  We spent a wonderful week exploring the beauty and history of that state, enjoying a couple of baseball games, and learning about people like Harry Truman and Mark Twain; Laura Ingalls Wilder and George Washington Carver; Daniel Boone, Walt Disney, Lewis and Clark.  Man, there was so much to learn in Missouri!

We also saw some of the most amazing rainstorms I've ever seen.  Like, deluges.  Downpours.  Torrents.   Giant, fat raindrops hitting the windshield as we drove from small town to small town.  And my sweetie was remembering one particular rainy day, when we stopped for gas, and he had to not only pump, but also make a minor adjustment to the car.  Suffice to say, he was a little wet when he got back in the car.  He was only mildly amused at the time, but he laughs about it now.

The Mighty Mississippi overflowing its banks from all the rain ~ Hannibal, Mo

Post-thunderstorm in Independence, Mo

My Amazing Boy's rainy day memory was from our visit to Kauai several years ago.  It rains a lot on Kauai.  Well, not a lot in quantity, but in frequency.  Every day.  Sometimes more than once a day.  Never for long, though. But by the end of our vacation, we had shopped in the rain, swum in the rain, hiked in the rain, kayaked in the rain, ate in the rain, snorkeled in the rain.... well, you get the idea. 

Though we all appreciated the truth of "No rain, no rainbows,"  I guess the rain made a big impression my youngest, because that was the rain memory that stood out strongest for him. 

Funny thing is, the sun still shines, even when it's raining!

Rain = Rainbows!

When you're getting rained on, it might not feel pleasant at the time.  But it serves its purpose.  The earth needs the water, and we couldn't have rainbows without it! 

It's the same with the "rainy" days in our hearts.  Trials and difficulties, pain and sorrow, are the dark days.  And when we're living them, we long for the sun.  But they serve God's purposes for our lives, in what we grow and what we learn.  And if we're trusting Him, we can look back on them with joy, and appreciate the rainbows!

~ "I will give you rain in its season,

the land shall yield its produce,

and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit" ~

Leviticus 26:4

~

The Now and the Not Yet

"things which must shortly take place"

Revelation 1:1

When my Awesome and Amazing kids were little, I used to have a bunch of old magazines for them.  Not for them to read, but so that they could cut out pictures if they ever wanted to make a collage for school or just for fun.  They used to love doing that with animals, for instance.  When they were very, very little, I would help them make little collages to focused on a specific color, to help them see all the red or blue or yellow in nature.

And then early last summer, I realized, as I was cleaning out a closet, that no one had made a collage in a long, long time, and we were probably done with that phase of childhood.

I don't really think teen-agers go for that sort of thing, and if they do, there's probably an app for that...

So I went through all those old magazines, pulling out articles I wanted to read again, and maybe a few I thought my kids would want to read, and then I discarded the rest of the magazine.

So now I have a large, ginormous stack of articles to read, out of magazines that are as much as ten or fifteen years old.

The articles are no less interesting than they were the first time I read them.  Most of them are informative articles, about nature or places or people in history.  So they aren't exactly cutting-edge, but I still am enjoying them, and learning from them.

As a matter of fact, in some cases, it's even more interesting to read an article that was written ten years ago, because of what has changed since then.  For instance, I just read an article about Jamestown, Virginia, that was written in 2005.  It was about the amazing finds that archaeologists are uncovering as they have come to a better understanding of the exact location of the fort the settlers built.  For a long time, historians have believed that the fort was under the James River, but in the late 1990s, they realized they were wrong, and much more of the artifacts are accessible (with a lot of digging) than they thought possible.  Little by little, they've been finding articles, and drawing new conclusions about the Englishmen and Native Americans who lived there.

So in 2005, there were interesting things that had been discovered.  But reading the article in 2013 means that much more has been accomplished.  So I can go online, and find an even more up-to-date information.  Information that didn't exist when the article was written.

I also read an great article about the Tuskegee Airmen, the first black fighter pilots in the United States military.  There's really not much new information about the history of these heroes ~ they've been duly celebrated for years now.   But the article was written shortly after the establishment of the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in 1998.  There wasn't much to it, it was just plans.  But now it exists, and I can see the finished product online (or visit, which I hope to do someday).

It's a little as if I'm living in the future.  I mean, I guess I am.  I have knowledge that didn't exist at the time of the writing.  I know things that hadn't happened.  I know how things have turned out.

So.  When's the last time you read the Book of Revelation??  Because you, too, can approach the future with the knowledge of someone who's been there.  The scroll and the Lamb... trumpets, angels and the dragon... tribulation, woes, and the beauty and glory of the New Jerusalem.  It's all there. 

The Bible is a wonderful combination of history, life application that applies to now, and prophecy.  And that information is not just there to entertain us with creatures more fantastical than anything Dr. Seuss ever came up with.   And I know a lot of people think Revelation is daunting, and hard to understand.  I totally agree with them, despite having studied it and even taught parts of it.  Though we may not comprehend all of it, we should still be reading it. 

Life has enough surprises; why wouldn't we want to be as prepared as possible?  And while Deuteronomy 29:29 tells us that there are secret things that belong to God, there are also things He has shared with us.  So get in the know!

~ "Blessed is he who reads

and those who hear the words of this prophecy

and keep those things which are written in it;

for the time is near" ~

Revelation 1:3

~

Preeminent Domain

"salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

who died for us"

1 Thessalonians 5:8-10

There is some construction going on in the town where our church is.  Pretty major construction, it looks like, although they've scarcely begun.  But we can tell it's going to be a big change, based on the preliminary work they've done, which is to raze a couple of buildings at an intersection near the freeway.

The town is one of the oldest in Southern California.  It lies along the El Camino Real, which has a fascinating history.  El Camino Real is The King's Highway, the 600 mile California Mission Trail from San Diego to San Francisco.  Between the 1600s and the 1800s, Catholic missionaries from Spain oversaw the building of 21 missions.  The road connecting those missions, was the El Camino Real.  And each mission was no more than a day's ride, on horseback, from the missions on either side of it.

It was wonderfully reminiscent of the concept of the Cities of Refuge described in Numbers and Joshua.  And I've seen a few of the missions in southern and northern California, and they are still beautiful. 

So this town needs to do the very tricky work of updating roads, and making things better for the citizens and visitors of the town, without destroying the "old town" feel of it.   Cal Trans ~ the California Department of Transportation ~  is predicting the work will take two year, which means it will probably take three and a half.  At least.

Not that I'm cynical about how long it takes Cal Trans to complete a job....

The first sign we had that something was going on, was the disappearance of two businesses at this major intersection.  Now, businesses close all the time, especially in a bad economy, but it's unusual to have two businesses in a thriving neighborhood ~ one a busy fast food franchise owned by a man named Jack, who lives in a Box; and the other a gas station ~ both close their doors at the same time.  And soon thereafter, both buildings were razed.  One morning, as we drove by and commented on this disappearance, the Apple of my Eye turned to me and we both said in unison, "Eminent domain." 

Eminent domain is a tricky business in America.  It's the law that says that the state, local, or federal government can take your property ~ with appropriate compensation, of course ~ for the betterment of the community.   In this case, taking down a restaurant and a gas station in order to widen a road, a freeway overpass and the off- and on-ramps. 

Eminent domain is both revered and loathed, depending on if it's taking place in your backyard.  Because as you may know, people generally like progress, but NIMBY.  "Not in my backyard."  Even when I explained the concept to my kids, they were horrified.  It doesn't sound like "liberty" and "freedom" ~ two concepts that are just slightly important in America ~ for the government to take your property. 

And indeed, the government oversteps its bounds sometimes.  I remember a controversial case years ago ~ Connecticut, I think ~ where the people fought to keep their homes, and lost.  And years after forcing the property owners to sell, the government still hadn't done a thing to the land.  It became a home to overgrown weeds and a monument to red tape. 

But there are times when it's necessary.  There are times when something has to be destroyed so that something else can be created.  There are times when one has to suffer, for the good of many.  That's the whole concept of a sacrifice ~ giving up something to accomplish or receive something better.

That, my friends, is Jesus.  His pain, for our growth.  His death, for our life.  His sacrifice, for our salvation.  His Love, for us.

~ "Come, you blessed of My Father,

inherit the kingdom prepared for you

from the foundation of the world" ~

Matthew 25:34

~

No Greater Love

"to lay down one's life"

John 15:13

If you live in the United States, you're probably well aware of the what happened last month at the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya.  Actually, even if you're don't live in the U.S., there's a good chance you're aware.  Four Americans died on September 11 of this year, when the embassy was attacked.  The event has been the source of controversy and debate for weeks now, as Republicans and Democrats seek to find out what happened, and in some cases, point fingers as to which side did something wrong.

I'm certainly not going to get political here, but I have been thinking a lot about this.  It's hard not to; it's on the television a lot.  But mostly, I think about the people; the four men who died ~ Christopher Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.  Stevens was our Ambassador, Smith was on his staff, Woods and Doherty were security.

For all four men, their jobs were dangerous.  They were working in an area of the world that is politically unstable, and often unfriendly to the U.S., and they knew it.  I so admire that kind of courage.  It always astounds me when I think about people who make the decision to do something dangerous ~ military, police, firefighters, missionaries in dangerous places... there are a lot of them.  Most of them doing something I can't; all of them doing something I won't.   It's not just admiration I have; it's appreciation, too.

No one wants to die.   And yet, there are those who willingly, knowingly put themselves in a position where they know they might.  And most of the time, they are serving others.

That's what I was thinking about today.  Those who are willing to die for the sake of someone else.  I want very much to be like Jesus.   But sometimes, when I look at others, I don't even think I'm coming close.

~ "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain" ~

Philippians 1:21

The Battle of Valley Forge

"you endured a great struggle with sufferings"

Hebrews 10:32

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.  Famed in song and story.  Well, in story, definitely.... I don't know that there are any songs about Valley Forge.

But you know the story, don't you?  Valley Forge was where George Washington and his men camped during the winter of 1777-1778.  Big deal, right?  All they did was live there for a few months.  And yet it's one of the most famous places in U.S. history.   Lexington and Concord, Fort Ticonderoga, Bunker Hill, Yorktown... and Valley Forge.

I've been there.  We took there kids there a few years ago on a history vacation.  It's a beautiful place.  There are a few buildings there, replica and otherwise; and people in period costume.

And the amazing thing about Valley Forge is that, in a way, nothing happened there.  There was no battle, no threat from the enemy at all; just waiting.  And not pleasant waiting, either ~ suffering, really.  The men were cold, ill-fed and ill-clothed.  Some were sick, and some wounded.  They were in crowded living conditions, which were generally not warm or dry.

The reason it's a source of American pride is for the strength and perseverance exhibited by those men.  Not to mention the leadership qualities of George Washington in inspiring his men to stay, rather than desert to find food or shoes or whatever.

But the other important thing about Valley Forge was that not only did the men come out stronger in spirit for having persevered, they came out militarily stronger.  A Prussian by the name of Baron von Steuben, a former member of his country's army, volunteered his services to Washington.  The men were beneficiaries of his impressive military wisdom, and for months he trained and drilled them.  And by the end of their time in Valley Forge, because of the efforts of Washington and Von Steuben, the exhausted, ragtag men had become an army.

So here's the lesson.  You are never doing nothing.  No time of waiting is without purpose.  Endure, and learn what He is teaching you.   Though it's not fought with weapons, this is a battle, too. 

~ "You will not need to fight in this battle.

Position yourselves, stand still

and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you" ~

2 Chronicles 20:17

To the Moon

"you shall surely help him lift them up"

Deuteronomy 22:4

Did you see the space shuttle Endeavour on the news last week?  It made its final journey, traveling through the streets of Los Angeles.  Since the US will not be sending it (or its fellow space shuttles) into space any more, they've been donated to museums.  So the California Science Center is the new home for the Endeavour.  It was fascinating to see pictures of it in places that seem so incongruous.

photo credit: USA Today

photo credit:  nytimes.com

photo credit:  news.discovery.com

I've always loved the idea of space travel.  I was very young when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon ~ too young to remember, really.  But I love learning about different aspects, different events, and different people in the space program.

So it follows that one of my favorite movies is Apollo 13.  I think I've mentioned that before.  I haven't watched it in a few months, but I was reminded the other day about a very interesting aspect of that movie.  And the reason I like this particular detail is because it's something unusual, that happens all the time. 

Don't worry; that will make perfect sense in a little bit...

One of the astronauts that was supposed to go up in Apollo 13 was a man named Ken Mattingly.   But a few days before the launch, they discovered that one of the astronauts on the backup crew had the measles, which meant everyone that had been in contact with him, was in danger of getting the measles.  And Ken Mattingly had never had the measles before, so he was susceptible.  They couldn't risk his getting sick in space, so he was grounded, and his backup went in his place. 

But when the spacecraft was damaged in an explosion, some of the brightest minds in the country worked together to bring it safely back to earth ~ and that included Ken Mattingly.  He never did get the measles, so he was available to help solve the problem. 

Now, this is unusual because I don't think it was very common that an astronaut was pulled from a flight only days before. 

But what happened all the time is that those who were "left behind" were invaluable to the astronauts. 

There has to be hundreds ~ maybe thousands ~ of people who make space travel possible.  Not just the people at Mission Control, but those who designed and built the equipment, and those who train the astronauts themselves. 

In Ken Mattingly's case, he was disappointed to be one of the ones on the ground, not one of the ones in space.  For how many people was that the case?  How many people got involved in the space program because they didn't succeed in their quest to be an astronaut?

Sometimes there's no glory at all in being the one "on the ground".  But it doesn't make the job any less important.  God has something specific for each of us to do, and we can't all be the pilot.  Neil Armstrong once said that though he was the most visible person involved in walking on the moon, he felt that he was only "the tip of the arrow".  He knew he never could have achieved his amazing feat alone. 

If God has you on the ground, when you'd rather be flying high, know that you're exactly where He wants you.  Do your part to lift others, and you'll be doing something amazing.

~ "If anyone desires to be first,

     he shall be last of all and servant of all" ~

Mark 9:35

Known and Unknown

"we know that his testimony is true"

John 21:24

If you watched the news at all over the past week, then you probably know of the death of the U.S. Ambassador to Libya.  Christopher Stevens died last Tuesday, September 11, of smoke inhalation, when the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was attacked.  Those are the facts we know.  The details surrounding his death are all conjecture.

As I watched the news last Tuesday, I heard from many different people.  I'm a bit of a policy wonk, so I like knowing what's going on in Washington, and I heard statements from our embassy in Cairo, which was also under attack, and from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and from President Obama, and from Mitt Romney, the man running against Obama for President.

And then I heard from analysts and commentators and anchors and a variety of people paid to give their opinion on political matters.  But I really didn't learn any new facts.

I also went to the Wikipedia page about Christopher Stevens, because I wanted to know his family information.  I wanted to know if he had a wife and children I should be praying for.  His entry in Wikipedia consisted of three sections:  Early Life and Education; Foreign Service; and Death.  Last Tuesday, the paragraph concerning his death was two or three sentences long, including the few facts that were known at the time.   On Friday, I looked again, and the section about his death was 15 sentences long, and the information was punctuated by words like "reportedly"... "apparently"... "reports differ...." and "U.S. officials believe..."

The article is even prefaced by the words, "this article is about a person who has recently died.  Some information, such as that pertaining to the circumstances of the person's death, and surrounding events, may change as more facts become known." 

We live in the age of the Information Superhighway, but there's a lot we don't know about Ambassador Steven's death.  Authorities don't know who, and they disagree about why.  All they know is that he died in a fire, but they're not even sure how the fire got started.

Make no mistake:  the existence of the gospels, and the fact that we can hold them in our hands, is a miracle.  Four different reporters ~ Matthew, Mark, Luke and John ~ human, flawed, biased, emotional, forgetful, selfish...

But the books they authored?  Fact.  Inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit and then written by men who were there.  When we study the gospels, we are privileged to study not conjecture, opinion or analysis, but fact. 

And not just the facts about His life on earth, but His actions, and His words.   I don't know about you, but I'm guilty of taking for granted the very existence of these documents, not to mention their availability to me. 

It's time for me to start my Bible Study class again, which I look forward to every year with eagerness and anticipation.  But this year feels different.  I find myself approaching it with thankfulness, and with reverence.   And I realize it's how I should have felt all along.

~ "it seemed good to me also, 

having had perfect understanding of all things 

from the very first, 

to write to you and orderly account... 

that you may know the certainty of those things

 in which you were instructed" ~

Luke 1:3-4

Studying, part one ~ Getting It All

"rightly dividing the word of truth"

2 Timothy 2:15

September 11th is on us again.   For those of you outside the United States, I don't know if that date gives you pause.  But for Americans, it's a day of remembering.  I remember where I was when I heard the news of the terrorist attacks, and the first person I talked to.  I remember going about my day that day in 2001, doing "normal" things, but with one eye on the TV all day, because it was anything but a "normal day".

I also remember the days that came after that.  There was an increase in patriotism and religious fervor after September 11, and many times I heard 2 Chronicles 7:14 quoted ~ "if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves, pray, seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land."  We were a land that desperately felt the need for healing, and this verse was on bumper stickers and t-shirts, as well as being heard in prayer.

That time of my life, those days ~ and that verse ~ changed the way I read the Bible. 

I was unfamiliar with that verse, so I looked it up, to understand the context in which it was written.  When I did so, I realized it was only half a sentence.  The sentence begins in verse 13:  "When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, then, if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves, pray, seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land." (underlining mine)

The sentence, as a whole, speaks of when God causes a plague on people He loves, and how they should respond if they want Him to heal their land.

Now, I'm not saying that God caused the terrorists attacks.  I'm not trying to say anything political.  But I became very aware that I was only hearing half of God's sentence when I heard 2 Chronicles 7:14.  And it make me think of other "half sentences" and it was the beginning of an entirely new way of reading and studying Scripture.

I think there are two basic mistakes people make when reading, remembering, or "claiming" Scripture.  For purposes of this discussion, what I mean by claiming is a verse that gets in your heart.  It becomes one you remember, and it guides you or changes you or fortifies you in some way.  Hope that makes sense.

The first danger is claiming only half or part of a Scripture.  For instance, John 3:16.  Most people know the beauty of that verse: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son".  Now that, in and of itself, is true.  But the entire truth lies in the whole sentence, which includes: "... that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  The completion of the verse changes what you need to know.

How about these:
"Christ is not risen"
"I am more stupid than any man"
"Your faith is futile"
"I can do all things"
"coals of the broom tree"
"I am a wall"

Those verses are all in the Bible.  1 Corinthians 15, Proverbs 30, Philippians 4, Psalm 120 and Song of Solomon 8.    But they are words that could confuse, or even contradict if they are not read the way God intended.

In Math, the Transitive Property says that if A = B, and B = C, then A = C.  When I was a kid, I once heard someone jokingly use this property illustrate that Ray Charles is God.  He said, "God is love.  And love is blind.  Ray Charles is blind, so Ray Charles must be God."  Now that's twisted truth! 

The Word of God is our weapon; the sword of the Spirit, "living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword."  And like any weapon, we can injure someone ~ even ourselves ~ if we are not handling it correctly.  God does not talk in sound bites.

Get the truth.  But get the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

~ "I have treasured the words of His mouth

more than my necessary food" ~

Job 23:12

Seeing what's right

"right in his own eyes"

Judges 21:25

I'm reading a book about the U.S. Civil War this week.  Specifically, about the Battle of Gettysburg.  It was a book that was recommended for my Amazing Boy, so I'm reading through it first to see if he should read it this year, or maybe wait until next year.  He loves American History, but war books can be hard to read, so I need to know how detailed it is, ya know?

There was an interesting line of dialogue in the book.  It was a soldier talking with a young girl who was helping with medical needs.  They were both northern, and she was bemoaning the fact that the war ever had to happen.  She said to the soldier, "Oh, why didn't we just let the South secede?  Do you think it's that important to keep the country together?"  And he replied, "Yes, but what I think isn't that important.  Our President thinks it is, and he has a longer, clearer vision than I do."

I just loved the faith he had in Lincoln ~ the faith he had in his leader.  That's the sort of attitude we need to have about God.  Here's what I think, but it's more important what God thinks.  That's trust. 

Years ago, when I studied the Book of Judges, there was a line that caught my attention, and has stayed with me.  It was:  "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes."  It's such a sobering sentence.  It really illustrates how people were living, and the consequences of their choices.  To do what is right in your own eyes is not the choice of someone who's trusting God.

And just the other day, I read an article where the author said that that verse sounds a lot like today.  That life is like that now, too.  And I thought, "He's right.  But at least I know I'm not living that way." 

Oh please.  Who am I kidding?  I immediately had a check in my spirit, that I knew I was just as culpable as those Israelites. 

Here's an example.  James 4:10 says to "humble yourself in the sight of the Lord."  It doesn't just say "humble yourself", but "in the sight of the Lord".  It's easy to be humble in my own eyes.  All I have to do is let somebody in front of me in traffic, and then I pat myself on the back. 

But then I think about Psalm 139:23-24 ~ "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my mind.  Point out any wicked way in me."  It's quite something else to humble myself in His eyes, and it can only be done if I ask Him to show me the wickedness in me.

James 2:10 says that if anyone keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles on just one point of it, is guilty of all.   Any time I do what seems right to me, without finding out if I'm doing what He would have me do, or doing it the way He would have me doing it, then I'm just like the children of Israel, doing what is right in my own eyes.

We make dozens of decisions every day.  Some big, some small.  Maybe He doesn't care what I make for dinner, or what you wear to work, but every day we have opportunities to show our trust in Him.  To seek His will rather than just choosing what is right in our own eyes. 

~ "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

And His ears are open to their prayers;

But the face of the Lord

is against those who do evil." ~

1 Peter 3:12

Float like a butterfly

"He commanded them
to take nothing for the journey"

Mark 6:8

Okay, we're going for a journey today.  You ready?  We're going to go camping, then follow the migration path of monarch butterflies, and then learn a little about the American Civil War general George McClellan.

My family went camping a few weeks ago.  We used to camp every year, but we took a several-year break, so I was really having to put my thinking cap on when I packed.  Packing for a camping vacation is unlike packing for any other vacation, because you really need everything.  You're not just packing clothes and toiletries, but your bedroom, your kitchen and your family room.  And yet, you don't want to go overboard, because you don't want to lug any more than you have to, and everything's liable to get dirty.  So it's a careful process of choosing what you (think) you can't live without, adding those things to make it fun and deleting anything unnecessary.  It really forces you to analyze what's important.

that's not our trailer; we're tent campers!  :)

And while I was doing all this thoughtful packing, I was thinking about monarch butterflies.  A couple of years ago I read a book about monarchs, and was fascinated by much of what I learned.  Monarchs are famous for their long-distance migration, from northern South America to southern Canada, and back again.  It's a trip that takes so long, no butterfly makes the entire round trip.  Eggs are deposited by the females, and when those eggs become butterflies, they instinctively make the trip back from whence their ancestors started.  One of the many amazing mysteries of this wonderful planet God created. 

Now, monarchs need food, obviously.  They need sustenance for the energy to fly for very long distances, and to survive cold weather along the way.  So you might think they prepare as a bear might prepare for hibernation ~ by eating a lot in preparation for the journey.  

But if you think about it, the more a butterfly weighs, the harder it's going to have to work to fly.  It's going to be heavier, and less aerodynamic.  So rather than bulk up before the flight, monarchs fill up along the way.  They don't fret before they leave, wondering where they are going to put all the milkweed they need for the flight; they just fly.  And sure enough, God guides them to food they need, as they need it.

photo credit: Britannica Online Encyclopedia

And the knowledge of the fact that butterflies don't worry about future provisions made me then think of General McClellan.  George McClellan was a Union general, and not President Lincoln's favorite, to put it nicely.   He felt McClellan was too slow to move, and too slow to act when it came to engaging the Confederates.  And part of the reason for that, was all the supplies McClellan insisted on.  Lincoln felt that McClellan ~ and other Union commanders ~ would move faster if they had fewer supplies.  "You would be better off," he said, "for not having a thousand wagons, doing nothing but hauling forage to feed the animals that draw them, and taking at least two thousand men to care for the wagons and the animals, who otherwise might be two thousand good soldiers."

To Lincoln, having too much in the way of provisions was not a good use of their men and materiel.  He felt it was wiser to travel lighter, allowing the army to travel faster.

photo credit: history.com

So.... how lightly are you traveling? What's important to you in your life?  How much does it take for you to feel secure... provided for...  And who are you trusting for what you will need?

The truth is, we generally feel we need a whole lot more than we actually need.  Physically, we think we need more in the way of material goods, than we actually do.  Emotionally and physically, we are carrying around anxieties, guilt and other burdens that are weighing us down. 

We need to trust Him more, I think, to give us what we need when we need it.   That's what it means to recognize Him as provider.  Knowing He'll give us what we need, without giving us what we don't need.

So don't decide for Him that you need more than you need.  You're just weighing your life down.  And the journey is hard enough!

~ "Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; 

as it is written, 

'He gave them bread from heaven to eat' " ~

John 6:31

Houston, this is not a problem

"which of you, by worrying,

can add a single hour to his life?"

Matthew 6:27

Did you ever see the movie "Apollo 13"?  I love that movie.  I love anything non-fiction, and I love the space program.  So it's one of my favorites.  It's well-acted and well-directed, so it's a movie I could watch over and over again. 

Just in case you don't know the facts, I'll summarize for you.  In April of 1970, Apollo 13 was to land on the moon, but a couple of days into the mission, there was an explosion on board.   None of the men were injured, but it was a harrowing three days while they returned to earth, as their oxygen supply was threatened.  It took the efforts of the three astronauts ~ Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert ~ and of the members of NASA, to figure out how to make their supplies last, and bring their ship to a safe splashdown.  It's an exciting story, because of the danger involved, but also because of the happy ending.  Then men landed safely.  It was a triumph of courage and intelligence for everyone involved. 

Now, because it was a true story, I knew the facts before I saw the movie.  I knew there was going to be a problem, and I knew they were going to live through it.  But I don't know much about space travel, or spacecraft, or how they work.  So anytime anything happened regarding the craft, I didn't know if that was the "problem" I was expecting.  If the camera focused on a screw, I was thinking, "was that it?  was that important?  was that bad?"  And then there'd be a scene change, and we'd be looking at a different piece of equipment, and I'd think, "is this it?  is the explosion going to happen now?"

It was exhausting.  And after a few instances of being worried when it wasn't necessary, I decided to just assume everything was fine and dandy, until proven otherwise.  When the characters told me that what was happening was bad, then I'd worry.  Until then, I'd just relax and enjoy.

I was remembering that the other day, because it was kind of a crazy day.  My Amazing Boy and Awesome Girl were both gone ~ out with friends.  She was going to be gone all day, and I was having to trust her (which I totally do) and the people she was with (which I mostly do).  There was potential for things to go wrong, or for her to get hurt.  He was gone for a shorter time, but I had no idea he and his friends would be done, so I didn't know when he'd be home.  There was a parent with the boys, whom I completely trust, but being a homeschooling mom, I don't have much experience with my kids being out of my control. 

But I had to relax.  I had to go back home after dropping them off, and do my thing.  Get stuff done around the house, make a few phone calls, send a few emails, run a few errands.  All without worrying, unless I had some reason to worry.  Which I didn't.

It's a good credo, isn't it?  Life gives plenty of reasons to be anxious.  Kids, health, money, future... But until the Director indicates I should be worried, I can relax.  And let's be honest:  He's never gonna indicate I should be worried...  In fact, His word indicates quite the opposite more than once.   Go ahead ~ look up the word "peace" in a concordance.  Find all the times it's used in the Bible, and then take your pick. 

And don't worry about worrying.  You've got nothing to worry about.

~ "You will keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on You,

because he trusts in You" ~

Isaiah 26:3