Little sins

This afternoon we went for a walk along the road and I noticed the nests of tent caterpillars in the bushes.

After these nasty creatures mature enough exit their nests, they head up the nearest tree and proceed to devour all its leaves.
A large number of caterpillars means by the middle of June our trees will look like it is January with no leaves left.
A few years back on a Sunday afternoon I went out, cut down all those tent nests and crushed all the caterpillars.
As time progressed, the forests on either side of our land lost all their leaves while  ours remained lush and green
Timely action averted a tree catastrophe.
This brought a comparison to mind. These little tent caterpillars are like “minor sins,”
seemingly unimportant, harmless as they are common, like
—complaining (thanklessness)
—Lying (telling ourselves it’s horrible, when it’s only a minor disappointment)
—criticizing, speaking negatively (ignoring all the good God gives us)
—following our feelings rather than truth.
Small in the eyes of people, big in the eyes of God,
for each one springs from unbelief, rebellion and selfishness.
If we don’t crush these caterpillar sins quickly, the damage will grow and grow
destroying all the leaves on our spiritual trees.
Tomorrow we will talk about how to crush these and protect yourself.
picture: tent caterpillar nest.
No photo description available.

Exalt Him!

“Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.” Psalm 99:9

As part of your holiness, Lord, you are completely other than your creation:

  • We are physical, you are spirit.
  • We are limited to one place, you fill the universe.
  • We must eat and sleep, you are never hungry or tired.
  • We are mortal, you are eternal.
  • We are sinful and sinners, you are pure and holy.
  • We so easily sin, you are unable to sin.
  • We are of the earth, you are of heaven.
  • We create from materials, you create from nothing.
  • We are human, you are the most High.
  • We are creatures, you are the Creator.
  • We are your children, you are our Heavenly Father.
  • We live in time, you are outside of time.
  • We don’t know what will happen in the next second, you know all that will happen in every second for all history.
  • We can’t control more than a few details of our lives, you are the sovereign God who has the power to control every event and detail in the lives of billions at the same time.
  • We can focus on only a few events around us, you are intimately involved in the lives of every living person.

So, why do we so ofen not trust you?

Forgive us, we surrender to you,

the Great and Mighty One, Ruler of all!

Picture: each point of light is not a star but a galaxy made3of billions of stars.

May be an image of outer space

Seeing the Hand of God

Here is an entry from my journal, which shows the importance of journaling to help see how much God is doing in our lives.

Praise be to you, Lord God, for your protection, your power, your provision in making it possible to have this anti-stroke devise inserted in my heart.

As I look back I can see your goodness and mercy working through the whole process. Here are 9 God Sightings that I saw.

  1. My regular cardiologist was not available, so saw his assistant.
  2. She read my history very thoroughly and saw my tendency to have blood clots because of my having A-Fib and urged me to do something about it.
  3. First, she prescribed a blood thinner that cost $510 after insurance, but I had some left over from a previous incident, so opted to use that.
  4. However, that blood  thinner failed to work properly, so she had me stop it—if I had gotten the new prescription, I would have been out all that money.
  5. Then she got me an appointment within just 3 weeks with a heart specialist—unusual, for when I had to see a kidney doctor because of severe kidney failure, it took 3 months to get an appointment.
  6. When I saw the heart specialist, he said, “I just happen to have an opening in 5 days and can insert a device in your heart to prevent clots!” In contrast, my neighbor had a serious hernia but had to wait 7 months to get it operated on!
  7. The specialist also put me on a new blood thinner that worked.
  8. The insertion of the device went quickly and smoothly without complications, and after one night in the hospital I was able to go home, minimal disruption.
  9. Our sister-in-law, Cynthia, graciously came and stayed with Barbara while I was gone, The Lord worked everything out.

Thank you, Lord for your loving care and protection. In the light of this, I praise you for what you will do for our other needs before we see your answers to prayer.

Follow the Gifts

God’s way to true success as laid out in 2 Peter 1:3-7

THROUGH His divine power God has given us
everything we need for life and godliness
THROUGH
our knowledge of Him who called us
THROUGH
His glory and goodness and
THROUGH
Them He gave very great and precious promises,
That by them we may
participate in the divine nature, and
escape the corruption in the world.
THEREFORE, ADD TO YOUR FAITH
VIRTUE,
KNOWLEDGE,
SELF-CONTROL,
ENDURANCE,
GODLINESS,
BROTHERLY KINDNESS,
AGAPE LOVE.

The dawn of a new day full of possibilities as we add to our

May be an image of twilight, horizon and tree faith virtue…

Successful Protectiion

Update on May 5, 2026

Today I had the procedure done on my heart–the insertion of a protective device–and it went well. Now there is a filter that keeps any blood clots from going from my heart to my brain. I had no pain and woke up with everything already done.

I had quite an international staff: an Indian cardiologist, a nurse from Dominican Republic, another nurse from Korea, one from India and one from Haiti. They all did a great job.

I am thankful for God’s protection and provision and am predicted to get out tomorrow by 10:00  am to go home where I should be able to operate normally.

Thank you for your prayers. Truly as it says in Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want…”  This whole event was one long series of God sightings, from my aged pickup making the one-hour trip safely, to a quick check, speedy prep and speedy procedure.  Now I am looking forward to a night’s sleep.

Praise God for taking me again through the valley of the shadow of death and out the other side into the land of light where I can look back and see His goodness and mercy!

Hello from my “Hotel room!”

May be an image of one or more people, people smiling and hospital

Safe in His Hands

Facing uncertainty can make us feel, well, uncertain!

I remember in 2006 when I was being wheeled into the operating room for emergency open heart surgery.
The two most important arteries in my heart were blocked 95% right at their junction point.
The doctor wa nervous about the operation, knowing there was chance for failure.
However, I was meditating on Psalm 23, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want….
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
Then this thought came to my mind: “This is a win-win situation!
If I die I go  to be with the Lord; if I live, I get to stay with my family!”
I had no anxiety, no fear, just a deep, quiet, happy peace, a gift of God delivered through faith.
Tomorrow i face another, less serious heart procedure: the insertion of a filter in my heart
to prevent clots from my A-fib condition going to my brain, causing a stroke.
There is always the dhance of something going wrong,
But “The Lord is my Shepherd!” Again I can relax in His care.
Knowing all is in His hands, whether it be death or life,
and His gifts come:  peace, joy, rest.
May be an image of hospital

A Safe Future

As all of us face an uncertain future, we must admit that very little is in our control, with wars, weather, weaknesses and woes. In thinking on this, two verses in Psalm 131 spoke to me. “My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters….”

So, if I fuss and worry about things out of my control, I am being proud and haughty, acting as if I could influence these factors. Worry is a manifestation of pride!

Verse two led me to the next insight: “But I have stilled and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.” My soul naturally craves the kind of security that being in control gives; but that is beyond any human being.

Instead, I must look away to the God who actually is in control, who brings what is good (which sometimes is what is very difficult) and rest in His lap. It is up to me to quiet and still my soul, looking at truth, refusing to give in to fear and conjecture.

Verse 3 sums it up: “…put your trust in the Lord both now and forever more.” Who do I trust? My level of worry certainly tells me something about that! This exposure of the sin of pride and its manifestations in me has been good.

After taking care of what is my responsibility (proper preparation), then I must quiet and still my soul, not let it thrash about in a fit of worry and self-pity. This rest is part of the lightness of the yoke Jesus offers us. Let us take it with joy.

Walking in the Light

In your goodness, O Most High, you “guard the lives of your faithful ones and deliver them from the hand of the wicked” (Ps. 97:10b).

As we worship you,

obey you,

walk with you,

we can rest in the power of your goodness:

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the All Mighty” (Ps. 91:1).

In your goodness, you pour out your grace upon us:

it flows out of your being

like water from a deep, pure spring,

like love from a new mother,

like light from the sun.

As we look upon you in worship,

“Light is shed upon the righteous

and joy on the upright in heart” (Ps. 97:11).

Lord Jesus, help me to walk in the light of your presence today,

thinking your Word,

living worthy of you,

pleasing you in all I do. Amen.

Picture: following Jesus in the Light

May be an image of one or more people

The Most High shines out

You “…O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.”Psalm 97:9

 

You, Lord Jesus, are the exalted One,

the highest One,

towering far above all creatures, all creation, all time, all eternity.

You are the final Authority,

the Almighty King,

the Measure of all good,

the Determiner of right and wrong.

You see all,

you judge all,

you will end all.

Your righteousness shines out from your being;

in your purity you bring light;

in your holiness you illuminate the world.

You are truly the Most High light.

To bow before you in worship is the response of those who

know you,

see you,

love you.

 

In worship our eyes are opened,

our understanding is enhanced,

our knowledge is deepened,

our souls transformed.

As a result we will say: “Let those who love the LORD hate evil” (Ps. 97:10a).

Yes, Lord, to love you is to hate evil, for you are purely good.

Help us today to hate evil whether it be in us or around us!

Picture: The Most High rains His goodness on all His creation

May be an image of grass

Transformation

“The Lord reigns let the earth be glad.” Psalm 97:1

Lord God, the more we know you,

the more reason there is to worship you, for you are

fear-inspiring,

comfort-giving,

sin-revealing, g

race-providing,

heart-healing,

attitude-correcting,

soul-transforming,

love-infusing,

life-giving

and eternally-existing—what more could we want?

Knowing you means that daily we can turn more and more to you,

turn more and more away from the tinsel and trinkets the world has to offer.

Every day we can move further into your Kingdom,

reveling in your Being,

obeying the truth we know,

joining you in your work.

We can, in your power and goodness,

leave behind the burdens of self-centeredness

and pleasure-oriented living

to plunge into the river of your goodness and grace,

to be swept along in the current of your love.

“The Lord reigns,” and we are glad!

May be an image of text that says 'And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18'