Morning Thoughts

Happy Saturday to you. I hope you have a great weekend ahead of you. We made it home from Mexico last night tired, but with great memories of our time there.  We had a bit of a layover in Houston and while we were there, it was amazing how different the conversations around us were from those we had been listening to over the past few days. Lots of talk about business, what stock was selling and Westbrook renewing his contract for five years for $250,000,000. It was all so very different than talking about the little 19 year old girl with TB who had traveled more than 5 hours with her sisters to get health care; or how could we could get internet to Johnny so he could be safer in the mountains; or will there be enough nurses to cover the shifts through the end of the year or the 100 other discussions of survival that we had been having over the last 9 days. Somehow, sitting in the airport listening to all that talk, I just kept thinking maybe I had come 1,000s of miles rather than ...

Happy Friday! I hope this has been a good week for you. I'm on my way across the border this morning. We flew into Chihuahua yesterday after devotions at the hospital. I have been lost a few times in Chihuahua--driven a few miles (10 or 20) in the wrong direction, circling that mountain. It's a little confusing. Some of the streets are diagonal, some go in circles. When we were approaching from the air, I thought how easy it was from to see where everything was, and how it all made much better sense. That how it is with God from the ultimate heights, He sees every little detail. He is El Roi, the God who sees.  El Roi was first revealed in the Bible by Hagar. She was the servant girl who Sarah gave to Abraham to bear children when she couldn't. In Sarah's mind and I suppose Abrahams's too, they were just trying to help fulfill the promise of God. But, when Hagar became pregnant with Abraham's son, those human emotions kicked in and Sarah became bitterly jealous....

Happy Thursday. I surely hope your week has gone well and that you have found several opportunities to praise the Lord our God and that you have been able to share some of what the Lord has done for you with someone else.  Right now? There is a bit of unrest in the mountains where our friends Johnny and Marta and Shawn are. We continually bathe them in prayer and ask God for a hedge of protection for them and we pray for Yahweh-Shalom to enter that place. Yahweh-Shalom, the Lord is Peace first greeted Gideon and it was Gideon who built an alter to the Lord named "The Lord is Peace."   Right after that however, God had Gideon go and tear down Gideon's father's big altar to Baal and build a new altar to God as well as sacrifice a bull on that new altar. I've often wondered about that very "unpeaceable" act by the God whom was just called PEACE. It must have been really controversial because Gideon did it at night so he knew the people were going to be mad ...

Happy Wednesday! Are you having a good week? I've been noticing the flags for some reason this week. I think one of the strangest things about being in a foreign country is that when you are in a public places and you look up, you don't see your country's flag. You are so familiar with that banner flying over you that just assume it will be there. It gives you a sense of security and peace that when you don't see it, it throws you off and you feel a bit uneasy and insecure.  We are told in scripture that the Lord is our banner. He is the flag that we follow. He is Yahweh-Nissi, a reigning banner providing the covering over us all the time. He gives us our security and our sense of well being.  The Hebrew for "banner" comes from the root word "to be high" or "raised" which was the name Moses gave to the altar he erected to celebrate the victory of the Children of Israel over the Amalekites. We know our Yahweh-Nissi, goes before us, to clear...

Happy Tuesday. I hope your Monday was at least half as good as mine. I was blessed to go to two of my favorite places! First to my favorite restaurant, El Gordito in Creel and I ate grilled chicken with tortillas, salsa and onions. Everyone made fun of me because I was so excited I was eating ridiculously fast. Next we went to Divisidero to get the biggest view of the Batopilas Canyon. It is simply majestic. I don't think it would ever get old, no matter how many times you look and see it. It just appears to me as if God dipped his finger in the icing of the earth at creation. The same refrain over and over "How great IS our God!"   Our great God is Elohim, the Creator.  “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”   Genesis‬ ‭1:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Literally, it says Elohim, Elohim created the heaven and the earth. Elohim is the Hebrew word that comes from two roof words: El meaning strength and infinite power; and Allah, which means to keep a promise. Wow. All that ...

Happy Monday! Are you ready to start the week? Did you have a really good day yesterday worshipping the Lord? We attended three servicesv and heard some really good messages. (I jokingly told Patti Beth we could get some work done for Jesus if we didn't have to go to so many church services.) Then, after church last night, we came home and got into a fairly in-depth theological discussion and ended up reading the book of Revelations to answer some of our questions. We were truly seeking knowledge.  Did you ever wonder what it would be like to be completely knowledgeable? Just have it all at your fingertips? And not just the facts, but the discernment and the wisdom to accompany all the knowledge? Just. Like. God.   He is El Deah. The God of knowledge. When we think about His omniscience, the fact He knows everything, we realize that He is the Keeper of infinite library so to speak. The giant memory bank with every scrap and bit of information that ever existed...God has it all...

It's Sunday! The day to worship the Lord God Almighty. I surely hope you have a place where you are with other believers today to corporately worship our Lord Jehovah. Today we will meet with the American missionaries here in the house to share scripture, edify the name of our Lord and praise Him in song. Then, we will attend a Spanish service in Samachique, and later, meet together with all the Mexican missionaries for a potluck lunch.  Yesterday, Patti Beth was able to do a little sight seeing of the rural Sierras with one of the missionaries. When they left here, there were 3 of them. As they traveled the road, they would give rides to strangers who were traveling along. At one time, there were 11 in the car because on the back roads where there is no other transport, it's only polite. (I had given her some little candies in case she saw kids so she deemed herself in charge of refreshments on the ride). And then, when she got back, she and Hollie Mae painted my kitchen. Just...

Happy Saturday to you! I hope your week went well. We had a great day in the Sierras. Patti Beth spent most of her day in the birthing center cleaning and sorting. Last night though, she was able to see a great sunset from the mesa when we traveled up high to the hanger. When I'm in the mountains looking over the canyons and have a perspective of the altitude, I get the tiniest glimpse of the magnitude of the greatness of our God. He is higher than the highest. He is El Elyon, the God most high.  El Elyon is above all. El Elyon makes the supremacy of God clear. A direct translation of the word means the strongest of the strong and the highest of the high and just like the song says, "no one can ever take His crown away."  In doing a little research, I found out that Hinduism and Pantheism speak of God as a part of the universe. That could easily take someone in who hasn't had any one share with them about the true God and His nature. But the One True God, El Elyon is...

Good Friday morning from sunny Samachique! It's a beautiful day in the Sierras and it's my friend Delia's birthday so later today we hope to be able to celebrate with her.   Yesterday, we were discussing hell--(such an uplifting subject, I know!) But mostly, we wondered what does Satan get out of it? Why does he want it to be so terrible and what is the payoff for him? We came to the consensus that he wants someone to share in his punishment. He doesn't want to take it alone much like a child who has been found out that says "he did it too!" Completely the opposite of our Jesus who was totally innocent, yet took all our punishment.  “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53:5-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬ By his wounds,...

Good Thursday morning to you. I hope this week is going well for you. Yesterday When Patti Beth and I were on the plane from Tulsa to Houston, we were discussing a passage of scripture out of Isiah and then another out of I Corinthians. Before I went to sleep, I was thinking about how much I enjoyed talking about it before and I couldn't help but wonder if anyone else in that plane had been talking about the Bible. Do most people talk about the scripture as they go through their day as a normal rule do you think?  A few months ago I talked about the Hebrew word SHEMA, to hear and obey. Since before the time of Jesus, Jewish believers have recited the "Shema" each day (Deuteronomy 6) as a means of reminding them of the importance of the Word of God.  “"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. Yo...

Happy Wednesday to you. Please remember all those that have died in yesterday's earthquake that was centered in Puebla, outside of Mexico City. This morning the death toll is at 217 that included 20 children inside a school. The search continues for multitudes that are still trapped. For thousands of people, life changed in an instant yesterday.  On August 13, 1985, George Thomas Smith age 62 died from wounds received in an accident. My daddy. From my earliest memories, my best friend, my biggest fan and my greatest supporter. It was the worst day of my life and I didn't think I would ever laugh again. I found out that losing my daddy wasn't the very worst thing that could happen to me, but it was awful. Daddys are pretty important. But what I learned was that without my earthly daddy, I became much more aware of my Heavenly Father. Just like my daddy would let me sit on his lap and listen to me ad nauseam, so would my Abba Father. Just like George Thomas was my biggest sup...

Happy Tuesday to you! How are you today? I hope you're able to just bask in the love of the Lord for a little bit this day. Yesterday, I spent quite a bit of time driving listening to the radio and you know how you can hear a song that you've heard lots of times for the very first time? That happened to me yesterday. Selah's "I Got Saved" just spoke to me--especially this second verse.   The love of God Gave me His pardon The love of God Won't let me stay the same The love of God Pulls me up higher His will is stronger That's why I got saved I'm undone by the mercy of Jesus I'm undone by the goodness of the Lord I'm restored and made right He got a hold of my life I've got Jesus How could I want more It just brought to my mind the God who made us and saves us, El Chuwl. (El Chul) “But now, GOD’s Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob, the One who got you started, Israel: “Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your...

Happy Monday! I hope you had a good weekend and are ready to begin a new week. Yesterday I had a great day re-uniting with some old friends. It's always fun to be with good friends that you've been away from for a long time--those that you can just pick up with where you left off whether it's been 3 days, 3 years, or 30 years! Your old friends who knew you in the past and still love you now. Even back then, they could look forward and to see just a little just a little glimpse of who you might become.  Isn't it comforting that our Great God knew who we were going to be long before the world began? Even if we completely neglect Him like horrible children that we can sometimes be, He still knows who we are no matter how long it's been since we've talked to Him. That's because He's the Attiyq Youm,(ah-tek yu-um) the Ancient of Days. How many songs have been written about that? What do you think about when you hear this name for God, the "Ancient of Day...

Happy Lords Day to you and what a wonderful day it is to worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He's been so good to us and today is the day we have set aside to honor Him and I pray that's what you are planning to do with this day.  Last night while Tal and I were watching college football we were getting frustrated with some of the calls the refs were making. We could not figure out how they were calling the games. Especially the targeting call. We even looked up and read the rule but it just didn't seem at all consistent or even that it made much sense in how it was being applied and certainly not from game to game.  Isn't is great that our God is always the same...yesterday, today and forever? For you and me and for kids in the mountains of Mexico or old people in Australia or teenagers in Korea? He has no favorites in geography, personality, or time period. Always consistent.  He is El Olam, the Everlasting God, the God that never changes.  ““I am the Alph...

Happy Saturday to you. How was your week? I trust you had ample opportunity to worship our God and to learn from His Word and to share what you learned with someone the Lord put in your path. For the last two nights I have not slept well at all and I couldn't figure out why. I was so tired yesterday I could barely keep my eyes open. Then sometime last night it hit me--I've been taking allergy medicine at night thinking it would make me sleepy. Evidently it has the opposite reaction on me and I need to take it in the morning--not at night!   Aren't you glad that our God never sleeps nor slumbers? He never tires. He is El Elyon, The God Most High. El Elyon means the strongest of the strong and the highest of the high. It means he will never tire or never need to sleep. It makes me think of the Tarahumara when they beat their drums for 24 hours a day for weeks in the spring so their god won't fall asleep. They would need to beat it to keep me awake for sure, but El Elyon....

Happy Friday! Friday's are a fun day, even for those of us who don't work M-F. It just has an air of relief about it and I'm ready for a day to just breathe and not stress. Yesterday, was just one of those days for me. Everything I tried to do, i had to do twice, or even three times to get it right. Does that ever happen to you? I even had to go to Walmart twice and I still forgot things.  Isn't it great that God never forgets? That He is the God who knows everything? He is El Deah, the God of Knowledge. When we think of His omniscience, we realize the He is THE one and only know-it-all. He is the God of all knowledge. Bob Hudson used to say "Did it ever occur to you that nothing ever occurred to God?" You can't teach him a new trick. He knows the start, the middle and the finish. And..all at once. He inhabits all of time and creation.  God knows everything that has happened, is happening and will happen. Every butterfly wing that moves, every fish that j...

Happy Thursday! I hope the week has gone well for you. Yesterday I was talking to my sister while I was driving to the cemetery, I called her "Sissy". It's my old name for her--I probably didn't call her Sharon until I was 16 and still today, when I'm needing my big sister, my go-to name for her is Sissy.  I have always had a very special relationship with my sister. When I was little and scared, my big sister was brave. When I didn't know what to do, my big sister was there. When mom and dad were working, my sister was there. When I needed to tell someone what I'd done, I told my sister. When I thought I'd met "the one" I told my sister...she's always there.  I guess that how I understand Yahweh-Shammah--The LORD is there.  “Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight? If I climb to the sky, you’re there! If I go underground, you’re there! If I flew on morning’s wings to the far western horizon, You’d find m...

¡Feliz miércoles! Anoche estuve en un juego de fútbol de dos de mis nietos y cuando ellos estaban corriendo por el campo, no podia recordar el nombre de un niño que tenía la pelota, así que lo único que pude decir fue "pateala! " y estuve pensando lo ineficaz que era este grito para un campo lleno de niños corriendo detras de una pelota. Los nombres son importantes. Los nombres nos dan identidad junto con nuestros apellidos, un sentido de pertenencia.  Dios mismo tiene varios y diferentes nombres en la Biblia. Yahvé o Jehová, la versión en inglés se utiliza cerca de 6.807 veces en el antiguo y Nuevo Testamento. Cada nombre que él agrega a Yahvé es importante e identifica una faceta de la grandeza de Dios.  Tal vez el que usamos más a menudo es Jehová-Yireh, o la versión en ingles es Jehová-Jireh, que significa el Señor proveerá.                                          ...

Happy Wednesday! Last night I was at a soccer game for two of my grandkids and as they were running down the field, I couldn't remember one of the kid's name who had the ball so all I could say was "kick it!" I kept thinking how ineffective that was to a field of kids running after a ball. Names are important. Names give us identity and along with our last names, a sense of belonging.  God gives himself several different names in the Bible. Yahweh or the English version Jehovah, is used about 6,807 times in the Old and New Testaments. Each name that he adds to Yahweh is significant and identifies a facet of God's greatness.  Maybe the one we say most often is Yahweh-Yireh, or the English version Jehovah-Jireh which means the LORD will provide. Yireh is from the same Hebrew word as Moriah, which is the name of the region where God sent Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22). I never noticed before, but in vs 5 when Abraham tells the servant that they are going to ...

Good Tuesday to you! I hope you are doing well and seeking the Lord's face this morning.  Sunday was Bob's birthday. It was a hard day for me but not a terrible day. My kids and grandkids were at my house and we had some fun times. We talked about Bob and how much fun he was.  I kept thinking about what a peaceful man he was. He wasn't perfect by any stretch, but I rarely saw anything out of him that caused me to think he was wanting more or trying to accumulate more or trying to get attention. He was a simple guy whose primary pursuit was to bring people to a saving knowledge of the Christ he worshipped.  Then, for some reason I thought about Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived but he spent half his life searching for wealth, pleasures, laughter, wine, projects, attention and wild times. He had it all but he found out that there was no happiness or satisfaction in any of it and he finally said "it's all vanity!"   “Then I took a good look at everything I’...

Happy Monday. I hope you had a good weekend and are ready to start the day.  I talked to my friend Ale in Oaxaca last night. She is a nurse and her husband is a surgical intern. They have been working since the earthquake to help people. Their house lost a wall and people around them lost everything. The hospital where David worked is completely gone and they are treating people and doing surgery in a school that is still intact. Ale said "Please please pray for us and for all the people who are still trapped beneath the ground. Please ask your friends to remember to pray for us."   I saw friends of ours in Florida and North Carolina have been hit by storms. We had friends and family affected by the storm in Texas. And we hear there are more in the works. Wildfires are unmanageable and burning like crazy in Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Idaho and California. Things seem out of control don't they? It seems every year this kind of thing takes on greater and greater proportions...

It's Sunday and the day that is set aside to worship the Lord your God in spirit and in truth.  I went to the Razorback game yesterday and it was hot. So hot that I overheated--something I've never done before and I've sat in hot bleachers for several years.  I think it happened for a few reasons: I'd taken headache medicine; empty stomach; and Diet Coke instead of water. So, I wasn't very smart. I went into a hostile environment and I wasn't prepared.  So, does that ever happen to you spiritually? Are you ever sitting in the heat and realize you are so under prepared? I know I have been many times.  “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:13‬ ‭NLT‬‬ And remember every piece?  The belt of truth, the armor of God’s righteousness, the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition, the shiel...

Happy Saturday! I hope you have a good day ahead of you. I had a great day yesterday--it was Grandparents' Day in Webb City where four of my grandkids attend school. However, two of them are in the same grade at the same school but different classes. That meant I had to split myself. I wasn't sure how I was going to do that and I stressed for a few days before. It went pretty well, because I grabbed one and hit the other classroom and then, we ran back and forth between the rooms. It made for a little more difficult time to say the least. And we didn't get to just "relax and enjoy" because I constantly felt like I was supposed to be in the other room.  It's tough to split yourself between two places. You never feel comfortable and always reaching for the other place. That what happens when we try to live on the fence and keep some of ourselves in the world and some in the kingdom. Inevitably we are miserable and eventually fall into the world. I think that...

Happy Friday. And another week is nearly in the books. I hope it's been good for you and that you have been able to trust that the Lord loves you more than you can comprehend. He's truly a good, good Father.  Yesterday, my back was really hurting and it dawned on me that I haven't been exercising. In fact, I don't think I've exercised two days in a row since Bob passed. Hence, my back is really weak again. Not smart.  That's how our bodies are if we don't stay on top of it and maintain a good regimen, they get weak. All our muscles take work to keep them strong. And our mind is just like the rest of our body. If we get lazy and forget to continually strengthen our minds, they get fragile. I know if I don't control it, a crazy person can live in my head.  “Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven’t stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ...

Happy Thursday. How is your week going? Well, i had a big birthday yesterday and I've been wondering how to feel about it. It is as a good day with tons of good wishes and my sister, kids and grandkids surprised me with a get together. Lots of fun! Now today, I'm thinking about how old I am and emotions are rolling-- a little sad, then denial, but mostly just strange. I can not figure out how time has gone so quickly. James was so spot on.  “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” ‭‭James‬ ‭4:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬ As I look back, I see how easy it is to get so caught up with houses, cars, careers, technology or even shoes that the big picture just gets lost--the timeline of us. Draw a line and mark the start Alpha and the end Omega--all the time that has been and will be. So where do you fit? How big does your life look? It's kind of scawney, isn't it? Our lives are so brief, so quic...

Happy Wednesday! I hope things are going well for you this week. Please don't forget to pray for those in Texas who have been through so much trauma and those who will be affected by Irma.  Yesterday, my sister and I took my mom (who has sever dementia) some donuts. She doesn't like much these days, but she was loving those donuts. She kept saying "this is good!"  What do you think is "good?" Your most enjoyable pleasure--is it something you see? Hear? Smell? Touch? Taste? In the Old Testament the Hebrew word translated pleasure is SIMKHAH and it literally means enjoyment from the physical senses. It is used as positive, negative, or even neutral in relation to right and wrong. And when Solomon talks about SIMKHAH, he's not referring to sin, but rather the pursuit of making life about those things and it simply doesn't work.  “I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was m...

Happy Tuesday. I hope you had a great holiday weekend and are ready for a good week. On Sunday I heard a pastor pray for the victims of the hurricane and as he prayed, he said "This earth is broken. It doesn't work. But we know there is a new heaven and a new earth that will work perfectly." I've thought about that for the past few days and I not only believe that, but I think there is a powerful lesson there.  ““It will seem like all hell has broken loose—sun, moon, stars, earth, sea, in an uproar and everyone all over the world in a panic, the wind knocked out of them by the threat of doom, the powers-that-be quaking.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭21:25-26‬ ‭MSG‬‬ Even if the earth wasn't just falling apart, there remains the fact that whether it be physical, intellectual, or emotional, the very best this world has to offer is simply not much. As Solomon concluded: "I said to myself, “I know more and I’m wiser than anyone before me in Jerusalem. I’ve stockpiled wisdom and kn...

It's the Lord's Day and it is time to rejoice and give praise to the King of Kings.  I found out last night that my uncle Buddy who is 83 (with two artificial knees) just left with the Kentucky Southern Baptist Disaster Relief team for Texas. Praise God for men and women who never give up (or give out).  Uncle Buddy has no great strength or amazing talents to bring to the team (although he was a really awesome painter before he retired) but what he does offer is so much more. He brings a heart willing to work and an optimistic spirit that is infectious. He will do his best to work tirelessly to help every person he can as long as he possibly can. He doesn't say "I'm too old" or "There's nothing that I could do." Instead he says "God has blessed me with stamina, folks need help, and surely I can hand out water (or whatever else they might need)."   I love how Caleb just lays it out for Joshua. ““Now then, just as the LORD promised, he h...

Happy Saturday! If you're a college football fan, it's game day but before you get all caught up with your favorite teams, please don't neglect to pray for Texas. The clean up has begun and so many have lost so much.  Last night I was burning a little fire by the shore. Across the lake you could see big fires where people were cleaning up, but I had not noticed them until it was dark. Tal said something about them and so did Ton--but not until it was nearly dark. Before that, we didn't even notice them but when it began to grow dark, our eyes were drawn straight to them. Light shines in the dark and people are drawn to it.  “Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:5-6‬ ‭MSG‬‬ Th...

Happy Friday! I hope your week has gone well and I hope you have continued to remember to pray for those in Texas affected by this terrible flooding.  Yesterday, I spent some time with Gracie and Cooper. We had a good time together and while I was watching them, I prayed that the good work that was beginning in them would continue throughout their lives. Later, I re-read the scripture.  “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬ When Paul wrote this letter, he was writing to beloved friends at the church in Philipi. (He probably founded that church, but he doesn't really ever take credit for it.) He delivers here what some scholars are have called one of the three greatest verses in the Bible.  When I was really reading it (in several versions) I kept wondering why he says the work will continue in you "until the day of the Lord" rath...