Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Driving took us almost as long as it used to on horseback!

Me...3 or 4 years old...a rest stop on the way home.*
Actually, that's an exaggeration. (And that's an understatement!) We were setting out for another visit to the Tsachi church.  From the house we stay at in Santo Domingo, it usually takes 5 to 10 minutes to reach the main highway.  This time it took an hour! We were part of a several-miles-long "caravan" snaking along at a snail's pace. We tried to relax and enjoy the lovely sunset splashed over the darkening sky.  We figured our Enemy wanted us to get all "hot and bothered"...so we just figured we wouldn't.  (Once we reach the highway, it's about a half-hour drive to the church.)

That morning we had read Psalm 90:16-17:  "Let your servants see what You're best at - the ways You rule and bless your children.  And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us, confirming the work that we do. Oh, yes.  Affirm the work that we do." It helped to remember the words.
                              ***********************************

We were a little late, but we slipped into the comfortable atmosphere of the church...and time seemed to stand still. They don't worry about finishing at a set time, so we don't when we're there.

Speaking for a few minutes, I asked them about some of the wild animals that had been around when I was a little girl.  Are there still agoutis? armadillos? ocelots? monkeys? jaguars? parrots? snakes?  deer?...Snakes still live there, but there are no monkeys, deer  or jaguars anymore, and the other animals are only found every once-in-a-while.

How things have changed! Time and "civilization" encroach on their habitat...and encroach on our memories. But I reminded them that some things never change...like our God and his love and mercy.
                               *****************************************

My husband's message touched on Wycliffe, one of the first brave men God used to open people's eyes to the errors of the then-Catholic Church, helping to pave the way for believers to have God's Word in their own languages.  He spoke clearly and simply about the necessity we have, now that we can understand it in our own tongue, to obey what the Bible tell us - how God wants us to relate to Him.

Then on to the post-service "social hour":  eating Banana Bread, getting an impromptu massage, speaking for a little video - a theology student's assignment, being given some finger bananas and oranges to bring home...and talking. My friend Carán has bad arthritis in her hands, so I had taken with me a menthol-based pain-relief gel for her to try.  (I use it daily for some of my pains.)  Of course, other ladies came to see...and I ended up with "orders" for a number of tubes of the stuff!  (The company should give me a commission!) We left the church, encouraged and looking forward to the next visit.
                            *******************************************

                     Thank You, Lord, for being able to live the reality of this verse:

                            "Let your servants see what You're best at -
                              the ways You rule and bless your children."  (Psalm 90:16)            

                                               *******************


(*No, I didn't ride bareback.  My dad just sat me up there for a picture.  You can see his writing on the bottom part.  "In San Miguel" - which was where we would spend the night before starting the second day on horseback to reach home.)


Tuesday, March 14, 2017

"Two Prayers" (a 46-year-old poem)

The Pharisee and the publican...what kind of sheep is each one?  I know, that's a weird question, but it evolved as I was going off on a tangent this morning!

I had slept very badly, and awoke way too early. I went ahead and started the day and got a cup of coffee (which I don't like, but...it works.) I read my devotionals, then let God know how I felt.  Which was "lousy"!  I'm still sick, and I really need Him to help me figure things out. ("Please! This isn't easy!  I need You so much.")

After breakfast, I opened the daily devotional that we read aloud.  It started with this verse:

"I Myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD.  I will search for the lost and bring back the strays.  I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice." (Ezekiel 34:15-16)  (Oh, my! Thanks, Lord!)

Two different kinds of sheep...illustrating two kinds of people...hmm...and I remembered this poem I wrote when I was 17 years old. ("Youth in Action" magazine had a creative writing contest, and I sent this in...and won second prize.)

Remember, I was only 17, so it may not seem so terribly profound and earth-shaking!  (Actually, the first prayer has a lot of whimsical satire!) But somehow it matched the verse I read this morning.  Here it is:

                                              TWO PRAYERS

                                       Here I am, Lord - in person!
                                       your servant so humble;
                                       I've not come to mumble
                                       a word to the air,
                                       but to lift up my voice,
                                       so choked with emotion;
                                       religious devotion
                                       resounds through my prayer.
                               
                                       I'm sure that You realize
                                       why it is I here stand,
                                       and with uplifted hand
                                       pour my heart out to Thee.
                                       My brothers must see
                                       of obedience a sample...
                                       What better example
                                       to follow than...me?

                                      See that man in the corner!
                                      He must be quite poor,
                                      kneeling down on the floor -
                                      why, he's praying!
                                       I thank You, oh Lord,
                                       that I'm not like that fellow,
                                       a big streak of yellow
                                      who hides what he's saying.

                                       And he's down by a pillar
                                       where no one can see him!
                                       Oh, Lord, should I free him
                                       from being so blind?
                                       So simple his thoughts are,
                                       no meaning his words bear.
                                       If You want a good prayer,
                                       just listen to mine!

                                       That's all for today, Lord;
                                       tomorrow's oration
                                       same time and same station
                                       I'll be here to give.
                                       Oh, please bless the Mrs.
                                       and all of our kin.
                                       By the way, thanks again
                                       for the good life I live.
                                               ________

                                   
                                        Oh, Lord, I deserve not
                                         thy presence to seek.
                                        You're strong and I'm weak.
                                         Show me mercy!
                                         I'm just a beginner,
                                         an unworthy sinner;
                                         but, Lord, to thy servant
                                         show mercy!
                                 **************************** - Becky Rhon

 The publican is the "injured" and "weak" sheep, who is promised personal care by his Shepherd, and the Pharisee is the "fat" and "strong" one.  Although "fatness" tends to mean prosperity, in the Bible it can, as it does here, refer to a prosperity that results in a hard heart and makes one forget God. (And if you have loved ones who are of the "lost" and "stray" sheep, take heart!  God will continue to search for them and "bring them back"!)                            
                                           *********************

                                   Jesus, thank You for being my Shepherd! 
                                            Thank You for tending me, 
                                      Thank You for showing me mercy.



Thursday, March 2, 2017

"Alternative facts" aren't new...(but some are funny!)

Do you know what language Adam and Eve spoke? The Serpent? How about God?  Apparently, a man named Andrew Kempe (who lived in the 17th century) figured it all out.  His conclusion:

God spoke to Adam and Eve in Swedish, Adam replied in Dutch, and the Serpent tempted Eve in French.

I read recently that a Middle Eastern legend thought differently.  According to the legend, Adam and Eve spoke in Persian, the Serpent seduced Eve in Arabic, and Gabriel kicked them out of the Garden of Eden in Turkish.
                 **************************

In the same century, an orientalist presented a paper with his calculations of how tall some of the famous Old Testament men were.  According to him, Adam was 140 feet tall, Noah was 50 feet tall, Abraham was 40 feet tall, and Moses was 25 feet tall (comparatively a runt!).
                                         *******************************

These two may not have considered themselves liars; after all, if they said it, it must be true! (Sound like someone we know?)  Of course, "alternative facts" have been around since the beginning!  The Serpent introduced the practice (if not the euphemism)...and mankind has never been able to disentangle himself from it.  Again and again the Word of God speaks to us about making the effort to overcome it.  For example: "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body."  (Ephesians 4:25)
                                      *********************************

But let's cheer up! There are fabulous promises for the future.  As believers, we can look forward to a time when we won't have to worry about falsehood and deception being such an almost-inextricable part of life.  Imagine, once Jesus returns and once we begin the rest of Eternity in Heaven...

"They will never tell lies or deceive one another.  They will eat and sleep in safety, and no one will make them afraid,"  (Zephaniah 3:13)

And...                 "Nevertheless we, according to His promise,
                                            look for new heavens
                           and a new earth in which righteousness dwells."  (II Peter 3:13)
                                              ******************

Father, help us keep on a straight course, living honestly, as You want, and persevering in the hope You give us through your amazing promises.   YOU ARE AWESOME!