God wants us to have an attitude of ‘following’ – which means there is no knowing of what lays up ahead, just simply follow.
It is an invite to all of us who will respond to Him and look to Him as a guide.
When we follow we don’t question we just yield and submit not knowing where we are going just complete trust.
Prayer: Lord I do choose to follow You today in my heart and I want to walk with You and fellowship with You and know You. You are my King and my Lord and Savior. Amen.
Steve Hartman tells a story of how one word impacted so many people…WOW! Wait to you hear it, I promise it will impact you too! WOW…Steve Hartman, thank you for sharing it.
The last time I packed to go to the beach I included clothes and provisions for every possible scenario. If it turned chilly I had a jacket. If it was hot I had sundresses… plural. If the apocalypse broke loose, no problem. We took plenty of water. If they had no grocery stores on Ocean Isle, we certainly would not go hungry. Good gracious at the food we packed! I mean really. One should not go traipsing off to the far reaches of the state all willy-nilly. What if we got a late night hankering for Chex Mix? We made a foot tub of that just in case. After all… we were staying for three whole days.
Why did I do that? I ended up wearing the same thing I wear at home all week: Black capris, white top. David calls it my uniform.
This time we are going with two of our daughters’ families. My goal is to be a fun grandmother. I will play with them until I collapse in my beach chair. It won’t take long. I’m not a spring chicken anymore. It’s hard to admit that. But at least I won’t be worn out from lugging a bunch of stuff I don’t need up the stairs at the beach house. I can’t help but wonder though…
What will I wear if we go out to eat… which we will if I don’t pack food.
What if it turns cold… which it will if I don’t take a jacket.
What if all my hair falls out again because of my new medicine… which it will if I don’t take a hat.
What if my toenail polish gets raggedy in the surf? Who in their right mind would wear flip flops with unkempt nails?
Oh! And we need a fan for optimal sleeping comfort. Plus our bucket o’ drugs because we can’t let our poor ol’ bodies get any more out of whack. Maybe I should pack our blood pressure cuff to make sure David’s doesn’t bottom out in the heat. And my favorite blanket in case the rest of the crew turns the A/C to subzero; Of course I need my own pillow… and cosmetics. Holy cow it takes a lot to keep me this lovely.
Beach chairs… we can’t forget the beach chairs. And the good frying pan; and ginger-ale in case I get fainty-fied. Of course I will need my insulated cup with the lid…
Toilet paper. Those places never have good toilet paper.
Sunscreen! I almost forgot the SPF one hundred forty seven. And an umbrella or maybe a pop-up tent. One cannot be too careful out in the sun these days.
OH! And chocolate milk! We always take chocolate milk on the trip down. It’s our special tradition signifying the beginning of vacation. No need breaking tradition just yet.
While I list the things we need so as not to forget anything vital, David packs a bag. Singular. It holds two pairs of shorts, underwear, swim trunks, a couple t-shirts, flip-flops. Period.
He zipped his bag shut though there was still plenty of room in it. I do not understand the man.
All I’m saying is that if his hair falls out, he is not getting my hat.
I stopped those words from escaping my mouth just in time. I wanted to use them like a caveman’s club to beat the pulp out of the one speaking to me! I know that seems harsh and probably unnecessarily so, but oh! How disappointing, no, how devastating to hear your best friend say, “I can’t handle your stress…” Stunned, I sank back in my chair as silence filled the space and enveloped us both. My friend didn’t seem to notice the quietness now stilling my mouth and squelching my voice altogether. My thoughts whirled viciously and pummeled my already-aching spirit with ridicule and sarcasm. My spirit crawled into a dusty, neglected corner and wept.
Wow. I thought I already knew what alone felt like. I was wrong. I whispered to myself, “this intense loneliness…it’s just feelings. It will pass. Who needs friends anyway? Aren’t I mature enough by now to know that the Lord is really and truly the only one I can trust? The only one who will never give up on me or leave me without support? I guess I should be grateful for the reminder…”
My friend started a new conversation and I joined in, determined to not allow any noticeable difference in my tone or demeanor. Likely she had no idea the impact of her comment. And obviously, she didn’t need the added stress of hurting me… I reminded myself to take time later to truly forgive her and ask the Holy Spirit to speak truth over any lies trying to take root based on her words. Maybe I’ve been leaning on her too much, I mused. Going to the Father should be my first reaction, not seeking out my friend who has her own troubles and issues… I repented for pouring out my heart to anyone other than my Father. And I set my mind to remember, next time, to allow brokenness to push me to Him. Not to a friend. Not until I hear His heart about the matter. Then, I can share from a place of peace rather than burdensome neediness.
I read an article earlier that talked about a full cup spilling out when it’s bumped or shaken. Whatever is in the cup is what spills out, whether it’s coffee, tea, anger, love , or peace…
Psalm 62 instructs me what to do… “I stand silently to listen for the one I love, waiting as long as it takes for the Lord to rescue me. For God alone has become my Savior. He alone is my safe place; his wraparound presence always protects me. For he is my champion defender; there’s no risk of failure with God. So why would I let worry paralyze me, even when troubles multiply around me? Trust only in God every moment! Tell him all your troubles and pour out your heart-longings to him. Believe me when I tell you—he will help you! (Psalms 62:1-2, 8 TPT)
People aren’t meant to be trusted; even the dearest, closer-than-close friends are not trustable like He is. They all pale in comparison to His faithful, compassionate love and care! He is ALWAYS present, ALWAYS available, ALWAYS listening, ALWAYS everything I need. So what about friends, then? No man is an island, right? Right! But when I am needy, friends get stressed trying to meet my needs, because they simply cannot meet them. And that is by the design of a wonderful Heavenly Father who allows me to be in need so I will seek His face and discover Who He really is…
…and He is exactly every thing I will ever need.
With joy,
Rhonda
P.S. If you find yourself in need of counseling, coaching, or prayer, please reach me at sunnyshade13@gmail.com. I am a certified Mental Health Coach and art therapy practitioner. I’d count it a privilege to hear your heart and offer you hope, healing, and practical help.
“God is not looking for those who can but those who will.”
Learning to swim has become a rite of passage in our home. Each child has desired swim lessons around the age of 5 or so. My youngest has not yet wanted that, though. He would rather figure things out on his own or with me, Mom. We get along swimmingly as we hold our breath while wearing our goggles to sit together on the bottom of the pool, compete to grab diving sticks (our favorites look like silly monsters), or jump in simultaneously, delighting in the myriad of bubbles engulfing us.
There is one thing, however, into which I cannot completely coax him—resting on his back, afloat on the water. It is one of my favorite things—letting go, relaxing, and letting buoyancy do what it does best. I trust the water to hold me, almost thrusting me upwards to the surface of the water.
On a recent mommy-son swim, it occurred to me that lying on my back in the water was a great picture of faith. I never fully appreciated the object lesson of trusting a chair to hold me when I sit down to be a great picture of faith. Many use the illustration. But I can see that chair. I can probably even see if it looks a bit faulty – if screws or nails are missing or if joints seem to be coming apart. But floating on something seemingly invisible is different.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). In the pool, although I can see the movement of the water and reflection of the sun underneath, I cannot really see the forces that would hold me afloat. I hope I can float and the water will keep me in that position. I see no evidence that it will when simply glancing at the water.
In the mind and eye of a child, it almost looks like levitating on thin air. My son has heard the story of his unsuccessful attempt to fly from the top of the flight of stairs when he was less than two years old. “Hey brother, watch me fly!” I heard him yell as I was in the kitchen that day. Upon hearing a THUD, I ran around the corner to see that he had landed hard near the bottom. What a lesson! Why would he assume that water would fare him much better?
But he can see that Mommy puts her faith in the water. She is calm and serene and eager to enjoy an all-too-brief moment floating, looking up at the Carolina-blue sky above. Will he also see my faith in things or Someone more important?
I hope he will soon learn lessons of faith—not just in the water, not just in Mommy’s faith, but in real, meaningful, abiding faith for himself.
Ashlie Miller spends summer days playing at the pool, going on walks, reading books, and waiting for summer storms on the porch. You may email her at mrs.ashliemiller@gmail.com, and she will answer you while on the porch or by the pool.
We have been enjoying some nice rain showers at our house lately. After a long, hot, dry spell it has been a very welcome change. With the rain, we have enjoyed some slightly cooler temperatures. Anything under 90 for a high is appreciated. One of the real struggles with the really hot weather is maintaining my walking schedule. I love walking in the spring and fall but it is hard to make myself walk in the heat and humidity.
Since I want to hibernate in the air conditioning, I don’t want to go out and work in my garden. I have gone out and picked tomatoes and some other treats from the garden. With the rain-cooled air I went out to inspect the garden the other day and discovered that I am losing the battle with the weeds. While I have been hiding inside, they have worked overtime to take over the garden. I pulled a wheelbarrow full of weeds the other evening and looked out from the house and I could hardly tell I had done any work at all! Bad weeds!
I guess we are in the middle of summer. Some call it the dead of summer. I guess that comes before the Dog Days of August. I was thinking about the term “dead of summer” and realizing we have the term “dead of winter” for the middle of winter. There is no such thing as the dead of fall or spring, so why do we call it the “dead” of summer or winter?
I guess it refers to the time of summer when most people prefer to be inside avoiding the most oppressive part of the summer heat. The dead of winter is the same, the holiday season is over and all we have to look forward to is the bleak winter while we wait for spring to emerge. The dead of summer and winter are the same in that we all stay inside waiting for the weather to change and become more tolerable. We can’t abide the extreme heat or cold.
When we get to the middle of anything it seems hard to press on to the end. As runners get to the middle of a race they talk about getting a second wind. It’s a new deposit of energy to propel the runner to the end of the race. One runner friend says that sometimes as you hit the middle of a race there is a desire to quit but that the runner must persevere if they want to find the second wind.
I believe there is a similar call to us in our Christian walk. We encounter struggles and challenges that try to push us down or knock us out of the race. In those moments God is calling us to dig deep inside and find the courage to persevere. Don’t give up. Keep trusting that God is in your situation and that He is fighting for you.
I think that our ability to persevere is dependent upon where we have our eyes. Are we looking at the situations we are facing and feeling overwhelmed? Or are we looking at Jesus who is the source of our strength and keeping our eyes focused on Him? When we focus on our circumstances then we will obviously feel overwhelmed. If our circumstances are only minor inconveniences there is no need for faith to overcome. We will simply push ourselves through.
However, when our circumstances seem overwhelming and our eyes are focused on them then we will find ourselves discouraged and feeling defeated. When the bills are greater than the income… When the medical situation is not improving… When loved ones are losing the battle with addiction… When worry, anxiety, fear, and depression are oppressing our minds… We have to refocus our minds and thoughts on how big our God is in EVERY situation.
There is nothing too difficult for Him. There is no situation that He can’t turn around. There is no one beyond His reach. There is no bill He can’t pay. Peter walked on water until he looked at his circumstances and realized he shouldn’t be able to do that. He took his eyes off of Jesus. We have to keep our eyes on our Savior…Our provider…Our deliverer…Our victory!
I want to encourage you to press on, to persevere in and through your situation. We all need to remind ourselves of His many promises and allow them to propel us through our situations into His arms. We can persevere with His help. We can depend on our Heavenly Father. We just have to keep our eyes on Him and persevere.
The review of One Long River of Song by Brian Doyle was more of a notice in my mind than a review, but it was enough for me. I immediately ordered the book, and since its arrival I have read and re-read and pondered Doyle’s shared wonder expressed in this collection of essays. Until my encounter with this book, I had never heard of Doyle, a prolific writer who shares the amazing, yet everyday beauty in what he experiences. Doyle, who died of brain cancer way too soon, shares life’s blessings that he finds in a Memorial Day parade, a youth soccer game, birds, pants, Jones Beach, a song for nurses, his first kiss, a bullet, and more experiences that we all know and have experienced. That is the beauty of his book: He takes us inside ourselves through the common experiences we all share and peels back the worry and anxiety to reveal the joy.
One Long River of Song is a needed read today. Published in December 2019 one year before the COVID-19 pandemic, Doyle somehow tells us how to manage this unknown time we face. In the essay A Song forNurses he writes: “And let us pray not only for the extraordinary smiling armies of nurses among us; let us pray to be like them, sinewy and tender, gracious and honest, avatars of love.” If there are any better words telling us how to manage in May 2020, I don’t know them. In the essay Memorial Day he remembers a Memorial Day parade from his youth and how his father, a veteran of WW II, always “declines politely every year when he is asked [to walk in the parade wearing his uniform]. Doyle goes on to write that his father says “uniforms can easily confer false authority and encourage hollow bravado….” Like General Lee, Doyle’s father knew the horror of war and knew to put the uniform away after it had been worn “because the job had to be done,” so it was time to put all that away.
Any parent who has stood on the sidelines of a youth soccer game, watching the herd of five-year-old children move along like gazing gazelles with the slowly moving ball, will identify with The Praying Mantis Moment. Doyle shares how during a game in which his six-year-old twins were playing on a golden October afternoon, all the three-foot-tall players on the field formed a circle on the field. The ball rolled away, the teenage referee and some parents hurried to the circle for fear of an injury. But, the crowd of players began walking with a girl who, while holding a praying mantis in her hands, escorted the insect to a safer place. Doyle writes of this October moment as one of the most genuine he had ever experienced in watching sports.
In Illuminos Doyle writes “It seems to me that angels and bodhisattvas are everywhere available for consultation if only we can see them clear; they are unadorned, and joyous, and patient, and radiant, and luminous, and not disguised or hidden or filtered in any way whatsoever, so that if you see them clearly, which happens occasionally even to the most blinkered and frightened of us, you realize immediately who they are, beings of great and humble illumination dressed in the skins of new and dewy beings, and you realize, with a catch in your throat, that they are your teachers and they are agents of an unimaginable love, and they are your cousins and companions in awe, …” This long quotationis not as much as I want to quote, but it is important, especially in our climate today, because in it Brian Doyle shows the joy in so much of the ordinary we live each day. When we refuse to look and hear the glory of God’s world, we become one of the “blinkered and frightened” that Doyle writes about. Read the words of one man, who knew sorrow personally, but chose not to be blinkered or frightened by what he had to cross. Read this book and “be blessed beyond the reach of language.”
I’m excited to visit all the North Carolina State Parks, especially since I will miss the opportunity to go on another summertime cycling adventure. Bicycle riding will have to wait but there is plenty of energy remaining to get the party started. My back injury continues to heal, and walking is improving daily.
Ken Beaver, a long-time friend, retired recently from the NC Prison system and his first adventure was to visit the state parks. He has shared pointers and information, so the journey begins.
Last Sunday, July 7th, I drove first to Mayo State Park not far from Mayodan. After a 90-minute drive north, I found a very small quiet park with an unattended weekend office. There are two ponds in the actual park, but the river is not accessible here. This section of the park has large lawns, a large pavilion and several short trails. Fishing and swimming are allowed in the main pond. This is a perfect park for a very quiet nature getaway.
The park was established in 2003 and encompasses 2,778 acres. The park is named after civil engineer Major William Mayo who helped survey boundary lines between Virginia and NC in the early 1700s and helped to map the region for the first time.
Mayo River is accessible at five access points, the first being the Deshazo Mill Access where I walked to the Fall Creek Waterfall. Few amenities are provided at river access points.
Next, I drove to Hanging Rock State Park, an area purchased by the state in 1935, and most of it constructed from 1935 to 1942 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The park has 9,011 acres and is close to Danbury, which just happens to be one of the smallest, most interesting and historic county seats in NC. There is a new visitor center with an active information desk, where I met a wonderful attendant who told me about the must-see places in the park. I was wearing my back brace, and she immediately began to tell me about the easier trails, and the one can’t miss part of the park, The Lower Cascade Falls.
There are currently 41 state parks and all of them have pages in a little passport booklet. The goal for those visiting all the parks is to get the specific park page stamped and signed while in the park. At the Mayo River Park, the park office was not open, but the page stamp was located beside the door. At Hanging Rock, I picked up the passport booklet and got it stamped. I will glue in the stamp from Mayo.
Back to Hanging Rock Park, I think this was my first visit and was extremely pleased with the facilities and sights to see. There are 18 walking trails and nine bike trails. I did the Upper Cascades Falls and the Lower Cascades Falls Trails, along with much of the Lake Trail. I also got a good view of Hanging Rock.
A huge 12-acre lake was busy with swimmers in a lifeguard area. A fishing pier is popular as are the benches around the shaded banks of the lake along the trail. Boats are available, as are concessions in an area that includes both a historic bathhouse and boathouse.
I stopped to see Lower Cascade Falls and almost met my match with long rock steps down to the falls and pool area. This was a test for my recovering balance and leg strength. The rock steps were placed about 80 years ago by the CCC and to me are an engineering marvel.
Hanging Rock State Park has so much to see and do, I could have easily spent a camping weekend there. It has the feel of a very good national park.
My final stop for the day was Pilot Mountain State Park, the rock dome familiar to many driving north of Winston Salem on US 52. It is considered an isolated mountain and like Hanging Rock is part of the Sauratown Mountain Range, named after the Saura Indians. Pilot Mountain rises 1,400 feet above the valley floor and 2,431 feet in total elevation. The rugged mountain rock, quartzite monadnock, has survived for 500 million years while surrounding peaks were eroded by the elements. Tent and trailer camping are available, along with 11 trails ranging from a tenth to 6.6 miles. The views from the top encompass hundreds of square miles including the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west. Total acreage is 3,782 and the park is located nearest to Pinnacle, NC.
Pilot Mountain became the state’s 14th park in 1968 and was dedicated as a National Landmark in 1976. The mountain was used as a landmark for the Great Wagon Road from Philadelphia to Salisbury.
Additional sections of the park are located about a 15-minute drive to the south. One centers on the Yadkin River and the Bean Shoals Canal, and the other is the Horne Creek Living Historical Farm, depicting farm life in the early 1900s. I found the farm closed on Sundays and Mondays, so I will return at a later date to visit these locations.
Mark 16:17-18 And these signs will
accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they
will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands;
and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they
will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
God has given us miraculous signs that by faith we have to apply.
Demons and darkness will give way to us because we walk in authority that He gave us.
We have a shield against snake poison
and deadly poison that we might unknowingly consume. We are safe
against all germs because these are the signs that should accompany us
as we believe.
Prayer:
Holy Spirit help me to continually believe and to walk in faith and not
to allow fear to grip my soul through negative reports, but to focus on
Your promises and to have this applied to my life that miracles will
always happen, demons will flee and no harm will come to me in anyway
shape or form. I bless Your holy name. Amen.
We lost a true comedy legend the other day…Bob Newhart. I have some comedy records…yes, I mean real records, of Bob Newhart. They are absolutely funny. Here are two clips to give you a laugh and lift your spirits…. ENJOY!
Here is another one that is just audio…. Listen and enjoy!
