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    Pilgrim's Journal
          The On-Going Saga of a Pilgrim on His Journey to the Celestial City

    Sun, Sep 24th - 9:57AM

    Grace in the Valley of Contentment



    Chapter Four:  THE QUERY

    ...My presence shall go [with thee], and I will give thee rest.  Exo 33:14

               

    The next morning, after breakfast all went to the meeting house, which was also the place where Grace and many of the children attended school.  The people sat in something of a half circle with each family together and the children generally near the center.  On this “Shepherd’s Day” morning Grace and Cheyenne sat on the floor directly in front of Grace’s family.  The large windows were opened slightly as the warmth of the early summer air began to flow into the crowded little building.  The worship consisted of lots of beautiful singing, “a cappella” (without musical instruments) interspersed with brief statements by several of the men of church.  Later would be the remembrance of the Shepherd’s death, which was done by eating bread and drinking juice as a symbol of His body and blood.  Finally, one of the elders would address the group with a sermon. 

                Early during the service, Abigail noticed a new face opposite where they were seated, and asked David if he knew this stranger.  The man was obviously not one of the Shepherd’s people; at least he didn’t appear to be.  He was dressed like most of the people down in the cities dressed when they were involved in some formal dealings.  David quietly told her that he didn’t know the man and had no idea who he was.  This made Abigail even more uneasy than she had already felt about this visitor.  Her mind flashed back several years, before any of her children were born, to the time when she had first met David at this same meeting house.  She was a very young woman then, still living with her parents.  It was a spring morning just like this one and the worship was just as solemn and beautiful as it was on this morning.  The elder read, on that previous morning from the Shepherd’s book about a man who had left His flock to search the mountains for one lost sheep. 

    How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

    And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that [sheep], than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.[1]

     

    Just as the elder was reading this illustration by the Shepherd, a young man (who was David) looking bedraggled and lost, walked into the worship meeting.  In the silence after the reading, all eyes were upon him as he stood near the door of the meeting house.  Within a moment he collapsed in a heap on the floor and was carried into the back room and later to Abigail’s house where she and her parents nursed this newcomer to health.  Later David would become a part of their community and find the faith of the Shepherd held by Abigail and her family.  Abigail’s father, Josiah had been a rancher and also a carpenter by trade, and taught David nearly all he knew about these occupations.  Later David married Abigail and they lived together happily in all of those intervening years since the day that he had first appeared in their worship meeting.  Abigail’s thoughts returned to the present, wondering whether the appearance of this stranger in the meeting that morning was perhaps connected to David’s arrival those many years before.

                The message given by the elder today was about the forgiveness of the Shepherd. He had washed away the sins of His people by using His own blood as the cleanser, and promised to remember their sins no more. As David listened, he began to ponder these words in his mind.  The time before he had come to the valley was very vague in his memory.  He knew that there was something in the past that was not good, but he trusted that the Shepherd had forgiven him and forgotten as well.  This brought great comfort to his mind, but despite the assurance of forgiveness for whatever he had or might have done in the past, he felt uneasy because of the lapse in his memory.  Now the question Abigail had asked a moment ago stood out in his mind.  Could this strange man from the cities below somehow be a shadow of the life he had once lived before he came to this valley of contentment?  He didn’t know; but he felt an urgent need to spend time alone for thought and prayer.

                When the meeting ended, the family went home and David excused himself from the afternoon meal saying that he needed to spend some time alone up in the mountains.  Abigail was troubled but knew that David needed to do this and that his afternoon would be well spent.  As he walked out toward his truck to leave, little Grace followed him, some-what bewildered.  “Daddy, why are you going up to the mountains? Is something wrong?” she asked caringly.  “No, Little One,” replied David, “I just need to go up and speak with the Shepherd for a bit this afternoon.  You and Cheyenne have a good time together, and please try to keep your dress clean.  Remember, today is the Shepherd’s Day!”  He then bent over, gave her a kiss on the forehead and a tight squeeze, got into his truck and drove off toward the higher country.

                It was another beautiful day in the valley as David drove past the farms and ranches and up the slopes of the north mountain.  As he climbed higher, the farm houses and villages grew smaller in his sight.  Near the first summit he went over a pass and down into a higher valley.  Here were meadows of tall green grass and overflowing rocky brooks running down from the nearby peaks.  He loved being up there in the late spring to watch everything come alive for the summer.  Soon the road climbed again until he reached another high meadow and then he drove up an even steeper, rockier, and very muddy  road on which he could only go very slowly.  Finally, after driving a good couple of hours, he came up to the highest pass on the mountain.  Just below the top of the pass was an old barn-like mining building, which was only partly standing.  There he stopped the truck, got out and sat down next to a gurgling brook nearby. The sun on his face and a slightly cool breeze felt good as he listened to the incessant water making its way down hill.  But dark clouds were building up in the distance, and the afternoon sun was beginning to sink in the sky.  He knew that if he were to get up to the top that he couldn’t linger there much longer. So, he got his knapsack out of the truck and began to walk up to the top of the mountain. 

    When he finally reached a rock ledge near the summit, it was late in the afternoon, and not having eaten anything since breakfast, he was tired and somewhat weak.  But something drove him onward and upward to the rocky summit where he turned around and stood still, gazing in renewed wonder and awe at the majestic view of all of the valleys he had just  come through, including his own beloved, broad and spacious valley of Contentment.  After a few minutes of catching his breath he dropped to his knees with his head bent low to the ground.  As he cried out to the Shepherd for understanding of all that seemed to be happening in him, tears of humility and worship began to flow from his eyes amid the pain of the confusion he felt.  “How did I come here and why, O Shepherd of my life?”  he groaned.  “What are you saying to me now?  Why do I feel this wrenching inside me?”  he asked.  “Is there something that I must yet do or somewhere I must go to fulfill all of your purposes for me?”

    David’s prayer was so intense that he was indifferent to the great storm that was brewing all around him.  As he straightened himself, the anguish in his soul worsened and his faith seemed to die as lightning flashed across the darkened sky, followed by distant thunderings that became louder as they neared him. He knew that it was very dangerous to be where he was now, but his desperation for answers  produced a kind of defiance of all the elements that were massing around him. The rain had been sprinkling on his back and began to increase in volume, turning to hail as he came back to his senses.  He rose to his feet, still in a burdened trance, and began to make his way down from the summit, first walking and soon running.  By the time he reached the truck, the hail was pelting him as hard as he had ever experienced it.  He jumped in, started the engine, put on the heat and drove back toward home.  Though the Shepherd had not come down bodily to answer his questions during his afternoon trek, David did receive a peaceful assurance of His presence and care for him on his way down the mountain.  This was sufficient to carry him along until further guidance and answers would come from above.



    [1] Matt. 18:12-14



    Comment (2)

    Tue, Sep 19th - 9:54PM



    Grace in the Valley of Contentment

    Chapter Three:  SHEARING TIME

    I am the good shepherd, and know my [sheep], and am known of mine. Jn. 10:14

     

    The family they had come to visit had a sheep ranch, and the time for the spring shearing of the sheep had just about arrived.  Now David was a carpenter and painter by trade. But his friend Jedediah, who owned this ranch, usually hired David to spend several weeks in the summertime tending his sheep up in the high mountain pastures where they grazed.  David loved the time he was able to spend up in the mountains each year, even though it was a separation from his family, which he loved very dearly.  Abigail, little Grace and the other children missed their husband and father very much, but knew that it was necessary for him to spend this time away once a year so that he could commune very closely with the Shepherd, away from all of the distractions of his normal life’s routine.  Usually about midway through David’s time away, Abigail would pack up the children and their camping gear and head up to the place where David was camped, with food and treats for a special dinner and a few days together.  I suppose that this event was about as close to what the worldly people called a “vacation” as Grace and her family would ever have.  Whatever it might be called, it was the highlight of the summer for them and they thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.  Sometimes Susanna would be allowed to accompany them and the two girls would fish and climb rocks together, and just enjoy being up there where the rock badgers keep house.

                Today, however, was the day for David to come and speak with Jedediah and get all of the information he needed about the sheep, such as how many there were and many other things related to his up coming stay with them in the mountains.  It was also the day that shearing would begin, and Grace had asked David if she could accompany him to the ranch because she loved to watch the shearing, and just be a part of all  the excitement of the day.  Jedediah also had several children, one of which was a girl about Grace’s age, named Emily.  Grace and Emily liked each other, but only saw each other two or three times a year because of the distance between them. When Grace got out of the car Emily was standing there to greet her. Within a minute or two it was just as if their last visit were yesterday, and they were soon lost in all the exciting activities going on at the ranch.  While their father’s conversed for the remainder of the day, the two girls did likewise, in their own little way, as they watched the shearing, and helped out, just a little, in the preparation for the evening’s dinner.

                Grace was fascinated by the sheep, especially with the lambs.  Her father knew that she especially loved the little sheep, and he would often call her his “Little Ewe Lamb.”  Even though the sheep seemed rather “dumb” to most people, that is, lacking in individual personality, Grace could see the uniqueness in each of their faces. She said she could even detect the differences in their baahing.  David thought that maybe Grace was a little imaginative about all this, but tried not to make her feel foolish when she mentioned it.  Grace had even had a pet lamb a couple of years before, a lame one that David had rescued from a fall in the high rocky place to which it had wandered.  Even though she had nursed it to health and it seemed to thrive for a period, it soon died and she grieved sorely for it.  Since that time she would rather not eat than to eat the meat of sheep.

                That day was one of the most fun days of the season for Grace.  Emily and her were little enough to be mostly free of the many tasks essential to the day’s activities, even though Emily’s mother, Naomi did assign them a few light responsibilities.  The two girl’s mostly just flitted about in and out of the different crowds and groups, as unnoticed as maybe angels would be if they were to visit the busy activities of humans.  The shearers were strong young men who labored for a long day in the dusty pens to relieve the sheep of their precious wool.  The wool was gathered and packed in large sacks to be sent to market or distributed to many of the families in the valley, whose women, including Abigail,Naomi and their girls would spin it into yarn and make beautiful and warm clothing.  As the girls observed the shearing, they conversed about each lamb as it docilely submitted to its trimming.  Grace was reminded of the description in the Shepherd’s Book of how the Shepherd himself had been killed by the people of the world, and how he quietly allowed it to happen, “as a sheep before her shearers is dumb.”[1]  Even though Grace was quite young, she seemed to understand this comparison and often pondered the thought of the Shepherd’s willing death on behalf of his own chosen people.  As she watched the shearing take place that day, her young mind was taken up in fascination by what she was seeing. Her heart went out to the naked looking little sheep as they meandered out of the shearing pens back to the fold. That evening, as she lay in bed next to Emily just before falling off to sleep, her father’s words at the beginning of the day returned to her.  “Things aren’t always as they seem in this world.”  What could that mean? she wondered, just as her eyes closed and she fell off into a deep sleep.

    The next day was Saturday and Grace was very eager to return home because it was time for Cheyenne to spend the night at her house.  David and Grace left the ranch early and drove directly into the town to get Cheyenne and take her home with them.  The plan was to have her spend the day and night with the family and attend worship with them on Sunday morning.  After worship and lunch they would return Cheyenne to her home in the town.  Cheyenne, of course was just as excited as Grace was the previous week-end to visit a new family.  Upon their arrival at the house the two girls busied themselves with play and chatter, as all little girls mostly do.  The long, warm day passed as quickly as “the flit of a baby gnat’s wing”, as Grace would say it, and evening found the entire family preparing for bed and the Sabbath rest on the following day.



    [1] Isaiah 53:7



    Comment (2)

    Sun, Sep 17th - 9:35AM



    Hope

     

              A woman who hasn’t posted anything here in a while used to write some very long and somewhat tedious descriptions of her present life.  As I was reading through some of them last night I had a strong urge to send her an e-mail and urge her to post again, but restrained myself.  Being a man, it is very difficult and usually not proper for me to develop a relationship with a woman who is married, unless it is to the woman to whom I am married, which I don’t have right now.  There are exceptions, of course when differences of age and perhaps other factors are present in which fluid communication is permissible by members of the opposite sex in the church.  I do know that many a man of God has fallen into a trap of adultery through what we call “counseling” of women in an alone setting.  The danger here in our little cyber congregation is just as real as if we were in each other’s presence physically.  Sometimes my heart goes out to women here when they make positive comments on my posts, or to whom I make comments, and the impulse to say that they are sweet or precious, or to write a personal note to them is quite strong.  In some cases this may be safe, but in others, the Spirit seems to give a check in my spirit and I forbear.  I may be a somewhat older and graying gentleman, but I'm still a man, ladies.  I do wish and hope that one or more of you more mature and stable women present here would reach out to her as I sense that she has a great need at this time for a consistent, affirming love, which I don’t think is obtained at here local (physical) church.  Too bad for that, but here in cyberspace we have, in some ways an advantage in communicating thoughts and expressions of love that may be missed in the physical presence of others.  If any of you ladies would like to know of whom I am speaking, if you are not already aware of her, please ask and I’ll send you a message.  I trust that will be permissible of me by the Lord.

              The reason I brought this woman and her posting up is that there is a deep and very sincere expression of hope in her lengthy writings.  She talks about her struggles and her family and a little of her past life, and seems to have a beautiful way of using it all as an expression of hope in Christ.  I feel bad because when she was posting I often passed her writings over, dismissing them in my mind because they seemed to be the prattling of a lonely and perhaps confused woman.  That male objectivity in me may have prevented me from expressing compassion, or at least listening to what she was trying to say to us all.  Again, I find it necessary to guard my heart in this setting as it would be easy to try to extend comfort to her and slip into an emotion that is not healthy and proper.  You older (more mature) brothers and sisters understand what I mean.  At any rate, hope is a theme that has been on my heart lately and I’d like to say a few things about it.  But I think I’ll wait till next post, as this one is getting quite lengthy already.  “Hope” you all are having, or have had a blessed and restful Lord’s Day!

    That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.  The aged (older in the Lord, as well as physically) women likewise, that [they be] in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;  That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,  [To be] discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Titus 2:2-5

    P.S.  There is another woman who hasn't posted in a while, and whom I contacted a few days ago.  She had been sick and depressed and thanked me for contacting her.  I'd be glad to give you her name too, if you are so inclined.


    Comment (1)

    Sun, Sep 10th - 8:37PM

    More about Grace



    Grace in the Valley of Contentment

    (see previous posting of Introduction and Chapter One)

     

    Chapter Two:  WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

    For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, [to be] thine inheritance... 1Ki 8:53

     

                The valley of Contentment, as some called it, was, to be sure, a beautiful place that everyone loved, whether they lived there or just came up for visits.  There were, of course other lovely places in the mountains of that region, some perhaps even more attractive and spectacular in scenery than this one.  The Shepherd’s people actually counted this as a blessing because they knew that if their beloved valley were too pretty in the eyes of the people of the world, it would soon be overrun with tourists and skiers and entrepreneurs, that is, business people.  They had seen this occur in other neighboring valleys such as nearby Pleasure Valley, whose main city is called Vanity.  Pleasure Valley was once very much like the Valley of Contentment. However, a generation or two ago some men called developers came there and, as David, Grace’s father tells it, "dazzled the people with visions of prosperity."  They told the simple folk that inhabited that valley that they could have great wealth if they would only sell part of their land for the building of resorts and businesses, and if they would change their way of life to accommodate all of the new people that would soon arrive. At first the people could easily see what a terrible mistake this would be, to allow their valley to become like the larger cities to the east of them.  But, human nature being what it is, they soon allowed greed and various selfish desires to gain control of their thinking and “before a frog could jump into a mud hole,” as Grace would say it, their lovely valley was no longer the peaceful place it always used to be.  Then, those few people there who truly wanted to remain contented had to pick up and move over to Grace’s valley or just lose their contentment, or so they thought.

                But our story isn’t about the people of Pleasure Valley, although some very interesting things did happen there later.  It is the special place that Grace and her family and friends lived in that we are interested in here.  Life in the Valley of Contentment was very full and rich in relationships among its people, though by the standards of the rest of the world it was a slow and rather boring place.  Sorrows were shared equally with joys.  A barn to be erected brought as many neighbors to help as a death in a family brought friends to comfort and console.  Dullness and boredom were two concepts that Grace and the people of her community knew little of.  In fact their only use of these words was in describing what it must be like in the other places away from their beloved mountain valley.  Grace had heard of life outside of her area and often wondered what it would be like in those other places.  She had talked with friends who had visited the lower regions, as they were called, and wanted, at least to see what it was like down there.  But this was a very remote desire, since life here with her family and friends in the valley of Contentment was happy and satisfying for her and for everyone she knew. 

                There were actually some inhabitants of the valley who were not of the Shepherd’s people.  They possessed many of the toys, gadgets and “gizmos,” as David called them that the worldly folk below had.  Their children went to different schools, but there was some, though just a little contact between them and the children of the Shepherd’s people.  Sometimes on Saturdays, when Grace accompanied her parents to the nearby town she had opportunity to talk with and even briefly, play with some of these other children.  She had gotten to know one of them, a girl named Cheyenne, whose parents often seemed to shop at the same places and at the same times that Grace’s parents did.

                One Saturday morning as Grace and Abigail were at the food market at the same time as Cheyenne and her mother, the two girls were sitting on a bench outside, wiggling their legs, not being able to touch the ground beneath them, and giggling, as little girls often do.  Even though Grace and Cheyenne attended different schools and had only infrequent contact, they really liked each other and had, over time developed a special friendship.  When both mothers were about to leave the market at the same time they approached the girls and stopped to say good-bye to each other before going on to other places on that morning.  As they chatted briefly, Abigail, seeing the bond that the girls had developed with each other, suggested that Cheyenne come and spend the night with Grace on some week-end.  The girl’s seemed excited and pleased at the idea, as did Cheyenne’s mother, who insisted that Grace, likewise come to visit their home on another occasion.  The girls, now up and jumping like magpies on a fence rail, as Grace would put it, were jubilant beyond measure, and the times were immediately set to their great joy.

    When the time came the following week-end for Grace to go to Cheyenne’s house she could hardly contain her excitement.  It was a Friday evening and the girls were to spend the night together and most of the following day at Cheyenne’s house in the town.  Grace returned on Saturday evening with glowing stories of her experience with Cheyenne and her family, the fun they had enjoyed together,  and the kindness that had been shown her while visiting them.  She also had a multitude of questions for her mother and father, which Abigail wisely deferred to David to provide suitable answers to his inquisitive daughter.  “Why did the two families and communities live so differently?” and “Why didn’t and couldn’t Grace’s family possess some of the interesting things owned by Cheyenne’s, such as a television?”  Many other questions followed about the differences in the way of life between the two families.

                David’s first reply to these earnest queries was purposely brief and incomplete.  He did not want to cause Grace to look upon Cheyenne’s family as somehow bad or deficient, even though he and the people of the Shepherd had a very different view of life and possessions than they.  His desire was for Grace to truly see people through the eyes of the Shepherd, with the same love and compassion He had for them all. 

                One day not long after the visit, David and Grace were traveling down the valley a few miles to see another family. Grace used the occasion to further pursue her questions to the one she trusted more than any other to give her truth and understanding about life.  “Why must we be so different than the other people of the world?” she blurted out boldly as they drove over the bumpy road in the old family car.  “So much of what they have and what they do seems so good.  And they talk about the Shepherd too.” she added.  David glanced at his daughter respectfully, realizing that the answer he was about to give her would have a great effect for either good or bad, depending upon his choice of words.  “I know, Little One, but things aren’t always as they seem in this world.  The Shepherd is teaching us to be content with the necessities of life that He has so graciously provided us with.  Sometimes when we are thinking about all the things we want, we tend to forget about all of the things we have, and maybe don’t fully appreciate. One day you’ll see more clearly what I mean.” Was his reply with a gentle, steady voice that only the Shepherd could have given him at that moment.  Just about that time they rounded a bend and came within sight of their friends' house.  Grace accepted her father’s answer, somehow assured of the wisdom it contained, even though it did not fully satisfy the question burning in her mind.  But for the present  it was enough, and her thoughts were soon taken by the excitement of seeing friends she hadn’t seen in a great while.

     



    Comment (2)

    Sun, Sep 10th - 9:33AM



    The Sufferings of Christ in Us

    For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ...

    Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church...

    .  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of [his] resurrection... 

     

         The underlined verses in the three passages above seem to have a common theme, that being the afflictions of Christ, as well as our (the Christian's) union (or identification) with Him in His death and resurrection.  It is apparent here that Christ still suffers in some measure as He identifies with His people in their sufferings.  Suffering is the method, the means, yea the path that the Lord deemed most efficient in bringing his adopted children to glory in redeeming them from the curse of sin.  He, himself led the way in this suffering by His earthly passion and death.  We, the recipients of the benefit of His sufferings are, likewise ordained to obtain this glory by the same means as He did, through suffering in this world.  We accomplish our sufferings by the merits of His.  His suffering on the cross gives meaning to our suffering here as we bear our crosses on our way to His kingdom.  Therefore, in His union and identifying with us we, He as well as we are united together in our sufferings.  

              This is not to confuse the quality and kind of suffering of each, His as well as ours.  Christ’s sufferings were unique in that they were sufficient to atone for our sins.  Ours are different in that while they have no merit in atonement, they certainly have value in the expression of our union with Him, and in the on-going process of purification, in a practical sense from the residue of sin in our flesh through sanctification.

              Though, as the Scripture says, “Christ suffered once,” (1Pet. 3:18) we see here that He continues to suffer in His people as He brings them along to their heavenly destination. 

    The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together.  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.  Rom. 8:16-19

     

    When will our shepherds and teachers begin to truly and fully express this vital truth of the Gospel to us, both in their speech as well as in the example of their lives?  I suppose the answer to this question lies in when we as God’s people are ready to be weaned from milk to the strong meat of the word.  There is much more to be stated on this subject, but I fear I’m attempting to serve steak to fast food customers.  Maybe I need to stick to painting houses and dispensing quick and cute little phrases and let the trained and educated “experts”  feed God’s sheep.  Laudamussy!

     

    P.S.  Thank-you, Lee and Lois for your input into this topic!  You are dears in my sight as well as in our Lord's.  Please pray for me and for God's people!



    Comment (2)

    Thu, Sep 7th - 10:06PM



    Christ's Sufferings in Us    

        Blessed [be] God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, [it is] for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, [it is] for your consolation and salvation.  And our hope of you [is] stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so [shall ye be] also of the consolation.  2Cor. 1:1-7

        I'd like a little help from you all, if you would.  I myself think I have a fairly good idea of the meaning of the above passage in Second Corinthians.  But the little phrase that I have underlined for you, For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, struck me as I was reading it a couple of days ago, as it has before.  It contains a very significant truth for the disciple of Jesus, I believe, one that is much neglected in our day.  What I'd like some of  you to do for me, is to tell me what you think it means and what it refers to, both in the context of this epistle and otherwise.  Be as brief or long as you desire, but please think through what you say and say it clearly and concisely.  When I get all of your comments, I want to use them to help me express the thought in my mind concerning it.  This could be a lot of fun, and very profitable in our study together of God's word.

         OK, let me have it folks!

    Hint:  See also Col. 1:24



    Comment (5)

    Tue, Sep 5th - 1:14AM

    Thanks



    You folks are precious!  You're gonna make me cry if you don't stop being so nice to me.  My birthday was actually a couple of weeks ago (Aug. 15th) but I wanted to post some reflections on it.  By the way, I hate Harley-Davidson motorcycles and that obnoxious noise they emit.  I was just being sarcastic about getting one.

    May the Lord bless you all, dear friends!  Thanks for accepting me as I am!

    Michael

    P.S.  It's not easy getting old, but somebody's got to do it.



    Comment (4)

    Sun, Sep 3rd - 11:33PM

    Rites of Passage



    Fifty-Nine?  and holding.

    So teach [us] to number our days, that we may apply [our] hearts unto wisdom.  (Ps. 90:12)

         Can I truly be fifty-nine years old (59) now?  That's just a year shy of 60.  Wait a minute!  Something's not right here.  I don't feel fifty-nine.  That's pretty old.  I don't use a cane or live in a nursing home.  I still climb tall ladders to paint my houses.  Well, I shaved my beard the other day and wear aviator glasses.  Can old people be cool too?  OK, but some of the younger women still smile at me.  Maybe that's because they see their dad as they look at me.  Hmmm.  I know, I'll quit wearing my suspenders all the time, and that straw, Amish-looking hat's gotta go.  I'll open my shirt a little and get a gold chain and pendant and grow my hair out a little bit.  Who knows, maybe I can find an old sports car fairly cheap, or save and get a Harley.  Whatever it takes, I ain't gonna let this old age thing get the best of me.  And I know the Lord's got a beautifully shaped woman twenty or so years younger just waiting for this new cool dude to cross her path. Doesn't He?   

      Well, enough of the secret thoughts of an aging wanna-be something-or-other.  Now for some serious reflection.  You know, of course none of the above thoughts would ever be seriously entertained in this person's mind, don't you.  I've truly learnt to take life, with all of it's ups and downs and progressively steady declines gracefully.  I wish!  Have I actually learned to embrace this cross that I so vehemently proclaim and often foist on the rest of God's people? O, maybe to some degree, but I reckon I'm still in this body with its feet firm on the earth for a reason in the eyes of my maker.  Hopefully I'm not so naive to think that I haven't a thing or two to learn about grace, or self-denial, or godliness, or love towards Christ and others before it's my time to depart and claim my reward, whatever that might be.  And the mission.  Ah, yes, the mission He has for this lonely, often wayward and disconnected pilgrim.  He wouldn't take me before I succeed in that.  I hope not anyway.  Yes, that human drive for accomplishment, for success in some endeavor is much alive in this heaven-bound earthling.

    Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto [this] generation, [and] thy power to every one [that] is to come.  Ps. 71:18

         I'm not discouraged at all.  O, I was discouraged, or shall I say that I have wrestled with that behemoth for some time.  But I've been granted the victory over him.  My God hasn't forgotten nor forsaken me, no, not for a blinking moment!  He has a plan yet to be fulfilled in and for and through me.  All I need to do is to wait, and to abide, and to rest in His loving care.  It's coming to pass right before my eyes more beautifully than I have or had ever imagined.  Look!  I see it, the parts that I am meant to see for now, unraveling as a wonderful story with a great and glorious end.  And O, my eyes are beholding Him, my Saviour!  O my precious Lord and King!  In all thy glory, how beautiful You truly are!  Take me Lord, up higher and higher into thy glorious, holy  presence and let me taste, yea drink of thy goodness and feast on thy tender love for me.  Yes, Lord, a little more pain and discomfort;  a little more incongruity in this cumbersome body; a few more bouts with the lusts and yearnings of this old flesh.  Then away!  Away with thee forever!  Hold me firm till then, O Saviour!  Please take me safely all the way, and if you please, the ones I so dearly love.

         Gracious God!  Thank-you for your salvation and all  that has been attendant to it! Thanks for the troubles, the confusion, the hurts and for the joys and victories thus far! Thanks Jesus, for choosing me and making me fit for your glorious kingdom!  59 and on my way forever!  Amen.



    Comment (6)

    Sat, Sep 2nd - 12:10AM

    A Story Continued



    (see previous post for introduction)

     

    Chapter One:  Green Pastures

    He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall rest under the shadow of the Almighty.

    Psa. 91:1

     

                It was a simply lovely afternoon in late springtime in the high mountain valley known as Contentment.  The sun was shining with hardly a cloud in the sky.  The wind blew gently through the hair of a little girl strolling along the dirt road that wound its way through fields of short green Alfalfa grass.  Little Grace had removed her bonnet after getting out of sight of the country school house where she attended.  Little bluebells had sprung up between the water ditch and the road after the heavy rain earlier in the week, and Grace determined to pick as many as she could on her way home.  It was only about a half an hour’s walk from the school house to the driveway of the house where Grace and her family lived, but on nice days, like today, it might be an hour and a half from the time school was out and when she got home.  Abigail, Grace’s mother knew that Grace might get distracted by the flowers along the way and that she would probably stop at the tree-shaded spot where a little brook went through a pipe beneath the road.  Several of the girls often met there on warm days after school.  Farther across the field where the brook fed into a larger creek, there was a place that Grace and her friend Susanna really loved go in the summer when they could spend more time there.  But on a school day, when chores at home were waiting, it sufficed to stop at the little brook on the road home.  There the girls could talk and play under the cottonwood trees for a bit before going home to their families and the things they needed to do before evening. 

                Today seemed so special, with the sun and breeze after several days of gloomy mist and rain.  When Grace came to the brook, Susanna was poking a stick in a hole where, she told Grace a critter had just disappeared.  Grace sat her books down under a tree and challenged Susanna to chase her, which she did across the hayfield, Susanna's bonnet falling off her head as she ran. Susanna finally caught Grace just before she reached the bank of the larger creek and nearly pulled her down onto the moist grass.  The girls knew that coming home with even a little mud or grass stains on their dresses would cause their mothers to be not happy with them, to say the least.  But the day was so beautiful and they were so overwhelmed with the joy of being together in that lovely open place, with the sounds and smells of springtime all around them that their fears of soiling their clothing greatly diminished.  Grace clasped Susanna’s hand and pulled her along a little path that led upwards along the creek towards the mountain.  They walked and ran and giggled and forgot about everything and everyone except where they were for what seemed to be a forever amount of time.  Finally they came to large rock in the creek where the water rushed down through a tangle of sticks and made a splashing-gurgling that captivated them both.  For a long time the two girls just stood on that rock in the sunshine staring down into the creek and listening at the place where the stream of water plunged into a little pool below.  The sun caressed their faces and warmed their little bodies from the chill of the cool air that followed the creek.    What a pleasant feeling they both had as they stood there!  Suddenly the girls looked at each other and realized, without a word to remind them, that they had gone farther away than they should have.

                Immediately, they bolted down the path toward the tree under which their books lay next to the road.  A feeling of fear and urgency gripped them as they ran, not stopping, even for a minute to catch their breath.  As they approached the place where the two streams split, they could see, across the field, the figures of Nathan and Sarah, Grace’s older brother and sister, and Candace, Susanna’s sister, all standing under the cottonwood where they had set their books.  By now, the sun had dropped down in the sky and a cloud had blocked its direct light.  Sarah called out to Grace as they spied each other, and when the two groups met halfway in the field they all embraced in one big ball of hugs.  Later, at the supper table there was a kind of quiet meekness in Grace, who had been so gay and carefree earlier that afternoon. The conversation for the rest of the family was quite lively, however, filled with chatter about the events of the day.  But little Grace was back at that place by the stream, where she and Susanna were caught in a moment out of time earlier that afternoon.  The gurgling of the water and the smells of the woods were just as real as if she were still at that magical spot.

                After a quiet evening of home studies for Grace, it came time for her to be tucked into her bed by her father, whose name was David.  As was his custom, David read a brief story to his daughter before she went to sleep.  Tonight Grace’s eyelids were heavy with the tiredness her young body was feeling from the excitement after school.  David hadn’t read a sentence or two before she sleepily said, “Daddy I’m not going to sleep, just closing my eyes.”  But in less than a “caterpillar’s hiccup”, as Grace would say it, she was asleep, leaving David to finish the story to himself as he rocked slowly, gazing at her pale, little face.



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    About Me

    Name: W. Michael Clark
    ChristiansUnite ID: pioneer
    Member Since: 2006-02-18
    Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States
    Denomination: Attend a Mennonite Church
    About Me: I am a man who has been corrected by the rod of his chastening. Though I've walked in this pilgrim way for many years now, I've only begun to learn the fuller measure of God's grace in obedience and holiness.

    Sept. 2006
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