Saturday, September 24, 2022

September 24, 2022

And so it begins; the High Holy Days that God appointed. Tomorrow evening at sunset is the start of Rosh Hashanah, The Feast of Trumpets, a two-day festival celebrating the beginning of the biblical new year. It is a time to reflect, take a deeper look into our lives, scrutinize our behavior, repent, seek God’s forgiveness, and evaluate our relationship with him. As Christ-followers, I believe it is essential that we set aside some time to observe the appointed feasts; it’s biblical, and Jesus celebrated them. They are significant in that they are prophetic and may point to the time of Jesus’s return. Join me tomorrow evening, September 25, 2022, and set the alarm for sunset as a reminder of the beginning of The Feast of Trumpets. Spend a few moments in prayer and repentance to honor God. Though we may not celebrate in the Jewish traditions because we weren’t born into that culture, we were adopted into the family and should participate as well as we can. 

The Feast of Trumpets

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the LORD.” Leviticus 23:23-25

Friday, September 23, 2022

September 23, 2022

We have started the re-design process for our house. We currently have too many walls. We like an open home where our entire family can be together, where some may be at the table or counter and others on the couch in the living room, but still together. Traditionally, we gather most often during this time of year; however, we have added family members and have the calendar nearly filled once a month with birthday dinners. We got together for a couple of birthdays on Wednesday, and it was full of love and peace while enjoying the company of our family. I’m mostly looking forward to having my extended family over for a gathering. The house is in disarray from moving all our belongings into the barn, so it must wait until we finish. The gathering of the entire family of God is nearing; it seems we are in the season. Imagine what it will be like to have others around you who are like-minded and love Jesus with their whole heart. You may think you have that when you attend church, but that’s not necessarily true. When we worship Jesus, it will be as one, the bride! I’ll bet that feast will be incredible. Prepare your hearts as if he’s coming today. 

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” Revelation 19:9

Thursday, September 22, 2022

September 22, 2022

His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." John 2:5

I'm not sure if Mary was expecting Jesus to turn the water into wine to save the groom's reputation, but she needed his help to remedy the situation. She must have known it was nearing the beginning of his ministry because he had some of his disciples with him at the wedding. I wonder if Mary and Jesus had discussed beforehand when his ministry would start. With his reprimand of her, he intimated that he wasn't quite ready, but it was his mother asking, and he showed his respect for her by performing his first miracle to save the day. The servants followed his instructions by filling the ceremonial cleansing jars with water. 

Here are a few of my thoughts about this portion of scripture: 

Did the wedding planner (master or ruler of the feast) make a mistake, or was it the groom? This wedding was enormous; the whole town must have been invited for them to need between 120-180 gallons of wine! 

They were washing jars - was the water dirty before Jesus changed it to wine?

When we come before the groom, we will be perfect and sweet like the wine served by Jesus at the wedding. Jesus is our groom, but he also cleans us up!

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

September 21, 2022

When we sold our beach condo earlier this year, we sold our e-bikes with it. It made it easier to move. We loved them so much that we decided to get a couple more. We don’t have safe roads to ride them on right now, but when our lives settle down, we may ride on the beach again. An ordinary bicycle is exercise, but with an electric bike, you don’t have to pedal, but you can still get exercise if you turn it off. I don’t like the punishment of riding without pedal assist, so I never turn it off! Riding a regular bike is like reading the Bible without the Holy Spirit; it’s a lot of work to try and figure it out; it is hard to traverse. However, riding an electric bicycle is comparable to reading the Bible after receiving Jesus as your Savior; you have a personal assistant to help you comprehend what you read. It then comes to life, and a light is shone in the darkness. You don’t have any excuse for not reading God’s Word. Open it up, and you will discover a whole new world. 

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:26

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

September 20, 2022

When we moved into my father-in-law's home after he passed away, we didn't remove all of his belongings. We hurried as quickly as we could to move in because thieves and robbers were beginning to pillage the property; we even had people trespassing while we lived here! I've now moved a good portion of our belongings out, so it won't be long before the walls come down. I can't wait to get this house opened up so our ever-growing family can enjoy one another in a much larger space. Years ago, I just wanted to downsize, but that wasn't a good idea because we needed the room when our family got together. Just as our lives move forward and things change, God also has plans, and we can't see the direction he is going. Be patient with your lives and the issues you're dealing with now. Things can change fast once you're on God's narrow path. 

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12

Monday, September 19, 2022

September 19, 2022

At 1 am, my dog woke me up to go out. She went running off to do her business, but I wasn’t expecting it, so I ran after her. The cameras were on and caught me scurrying across the driveway after her. I have to keep a close eye on them at night because we have coyotes that cross our property occasionally, and they could do a lot of damage to a small dog if given a chance. That’s why I’m late posting; I slept late. 

Much like my dog, we are no match for the enemy alone, but with the Lord watching over us, we are safe from being torn apart. The problem begins when we leave his coverage. How do we leave his coverage? By sinning. If we give the devil entry, he will try to take more than you give him. If you sin (and you will occasionally), repent and return to the covering of the Lord. He is quick to forgive.


If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Sunday, September 18, 2022

September 18, 2022

Have you seen those decorative signs that say “Gather?” It seems to be something used as fall decor. Until this morning, I never considered the significance of the word. We gather more often in the fall and winter because of the holidays, and now I wish I had gotten one of them while they were plentiful. Here’s why I now love it:

And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matthew 24:31


and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. John 11:52


Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 Thessalonians 2:1


So we wait for that glorious day like a bride waiting for her groom to appear and gather her in his arms. The worldly will grieve because they ignored our cries to repent and turn, but we will rejoice at the sound of the trumpet and the appearance of angels. Soon.