Not Available

Even in these days when texting is the norm, we still sometimes use the telephone to make a call. And when we do, how frustrated we become when we hear "the person you have called is not available."

We are even more frustrated when we hear a list of prompts, followed by another list of prompts, and another, and another, all ending with "please leave a message after the beep."

In this world of instant everything, we don't want to wait. We want to talk to a real person, not an automated answering service. And we want to talk to that person now. When we call. Not at some future point that might or might not ever happen, because they might or might not decide to return the call. And if they do return the call, we might or might not decide to answer. And so it goes.

We want answers now. We expect people to answer when we call. Just like in the "olden days" when the phone rang, and you answered the person without even knowing who was on the other end of the line. The phone rang, and so you answered it. Perhaps I'm dating myself!

In these days of texting and telemarketing and robocalls, a person who actually answers the phone without knowing who on the other end of the call is a rarity indeed. 

I must confess that I am not a fan of the telephone, particularly in this post-stroke season of my life. But when I do actually make a phone call, it's because I want to talk to the person I called. Actually talk to them. Not to their voice mail. I actually want to hear a real human voice. The voice of the person I called.

How thankful I am that when I want to talk to God, I don't have to worry that He's too busy to pick up the phone. When I want to talk to God, He listens. And He responds. Not audibly, of course, but with that still, small voice that let's me know He's listening.

When I want to speak with God, I don't get put on hold. There's no endless list of prompts to get through. I don't have to press 1 for requests and 2 for praises. I don't have to leave a call-back number.

When I call, He answers. When I call, He hears. When I call, He responds. When I call, He answers.

"He bends down to listen....." (Psalm 116:2 NLT)

I am overwhelmed.

The Most Important Thing

 

"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us….Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like." - A.W. Tozer

I have encountered this Tozer quote several times this week.  I have read it often and written about it here on this blog. The fact that it has come to my attention so often this week is a good indication I need to pay attention. Particularly to four words out of this quote. Those four words - the most important thing -  have really grabbed my attention.

A. W. Tozer was a  pastor in the Christian Missionary Alliance church and is perhaps best known to us for two of his books, both now considered classics in Christian literature, The Pursuit of God and The Knowledge of the Holy. My copies of these books are well-worn and well-highlighted, and have had quite an impact on my life.

This week, being faced again with this quote has caused me to stop and think. To ponder, if you will.

What do you consider the most important thing about yourself?  Is it your physical appearance?  Or your education?  Or your job?  Or where you live?  Or your family?  Or your political affiliations?  Or your opinions? Or your loyalty to a particular sports team?

Have you ever stopped to consider that question? And have you ever paused to consider what Tozer said?  Have you ever stopped to think about what you think about God?

What do you think about God?  How well do you know Him?  What is your view of God?

Isaiah had this to say about his view of God:

"In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.  Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  And one called out to another and said, 'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.' " (Isaiah 6:1-3)

That was Isaiah's view.  What's yours?

How do we get to know God?  How do we have a right view of Him?

Once we are in a faith relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, we come to know Him better through the pages of Scripture. As we read, and as we study, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to understand more and more about who God is, about His character and His ways.

Our right view of God is developed by time in His Word, and by spending time with Him in prayer. And we express our right view of Him by how we live out our lives on a daily basis.

May we - may I - always have a right view of who God is. And may we - may I - always express that right view in our daily living.

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."  (Romans 12:1-2 NASB)

Hope Between the Pages. A Book Review.

“Any story that begins with a library is bound to be an excellent read.”  With that opening sentence, I was hooked! 

Hope Between the Pages by Pepper Basham is one of my new favorite books. I loved it from beginning to end. Except that I really didn’t want it to end.

This is a dual timeline story of young Sadie Blackwell in 1915 and her granddaughter Clara Blackwell in the present day. Much of the story takes place in Asheville, North Carolina in and around the Biltmore Estate. Basham’s descriptions of the area are vivid and authentic. Since I live very near this area, I have often visited the Estate as well as nearby Biltmore Village, so I felt right at home as I immersed myself in the story.

Often dual time lines leave me preferring one story over the other. Not so with this tale. Both storylines are woven together almost seamlessly to give us a delightful story. Both Sadie and Clara are wonderfully presented.

Hope Between the Pages is part history, part mystery, and part romance, with Christian elements woven throughout. It is a happy-ever-after fairy tale. One I will remember. I highly recommend it.

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my opinion.

Refreshed

 

It has been said that all good things must come to an end. That is certainly true of vacations. This year’s vacations is history, and now we are back to reality. But even as I am experiencing the "reentry" that comes after a vacation, I am feeling renewed and refreshed. I always love and am refreshed by time with family. That is even more true this year, after the stress we have all experienced because of Covid.

Over the years, our vacations have taken various forms. Some years, vacation meant sitting in a beach chair with my toes in the sand, listening to the sounds of ocean waves crashing onto the beach.



Some years, like this one, we headed to the mountains.

 

  

What a relaxing week it was. No particular agenda. No appointments or doctor visits that had to be kept. No chores to be done.

Just relaxing. Laughing. Talking. Making memories together. A week of giggles and snorts and belly laughs. The sounds of love. The sounds of family.

Now it's back to "real" life! Yet even as I'm faced with unpacking and sorting laundry and putting things away, there's a smile on my face.  

Relaxed.  Refreshed.  Renewed.

It wasn't just about the location. It was about the people.

It was smiles and giggles and laughter. It was conversation. It was together. It was family.

Family. One of life's greatest blessings.

The vacation is over. But the memories will last a lifetime.

More happy than my heart can hold.



"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name."  (Psalm 103:1 ESV)

The Chase. A Book Review.

 The Chase by Lisa Harris is a great read! This is the second in her US Marshalls series. The first book introduces US Marshall Jonas Quinn and US Marshall Madison James as partners. That book ended with a cliffhanger that picks up in this book. Although it is the second in a series, this book easily stands alone.

In The Chase, Quinn and James are sent to serve a warrant which ends up being connected to a series of robberies they are involved in investigating. And the chase begins!

This is a fast-paced, intense book full of lots of twists and turns and surprises. Harris keeps you on the edge of your seat as Quinn and James chase their suspects all over Seattle. This one really is hard to put down!

I’m a big mystery fan and this one fills the bill. A good mystery with a little bit of romance thrown in - a great combination. Once again, Harris has left us with a cliffhanger at the end. I’m looking forward do the next one in the series.

I received a copy of The Chase from Net Galley in exchange for my opinion,

Happy Anniversary!

 It was a beautiful summer day, not too hot. There had been a shower of rain late in the morning, just enough for things to be refreshed.

The ceremony was held at eight o'clock in the evening, the perfect time of day to get just the right amount of evening sun through the stained glass windows of the church.

The church was full of family and friends. The music was perfect. There were flowers. And candles.

So began our life together as husband and wife.  

There was a reception following the ceremony. It was a simple affair with punch and cake, held in the church fellowship hall.

Afterward, we drove away from the church listening to the Carpenters singing We've Only Just Begun.

That was our song then. It is our song today.  

On June 10, 1972, we began our journey through life together as husband and wife. Neither of us had any idea what a journey it would be!

Who knew back then that we would live in six different states, at twenty different addresses? Who knew that we would travel together all over the world? Who knew all the mountaintops and valleys, smooth roads and potholes, all the adventures this journey would hold for us?

God knew. He knew exactly what He had planned for us, even though we had no idea. This has been quite a journey. Richer and poorer. Sickness and health. And the journey continues. We've only just begun!

Happy Anniversary, sweetheart! I love you more!

 

"Grow old along with me!  The best is yet to be....."

(from "Rabbi Ben Ezra" by Robert Browning)

Present Danger. A Book Review.

 I have read a lot of good books lately, but Present Danger by Elizabeth Goddard is one of my favorites! This is the first book in the Rocky Mountain Courage series. I was first drawn to the book by its setting in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, an area of the country that I love, and I was not disappointed.  

Former FBI Special Agent, now county Detective, Jack Tanner and his former girlfriend, US Forest Service Special Agent Terra Connors find themselves working together when a dead body is discovered in the national forest. As the investigation continues, other bodies are discovered and things become more and more complex.

Fast moving action, with lots of twist and turns, lead to a very unexpected conclusion. The plot kept me guessing all the way to the end. Along the way, the issue of artifact trafficking is explored. Family relations and some romance round out this exciting storyline.

Present Danger gets 5 stars from me!

Anniversary Week!

 Several of my friends have celebrated wedding anniversaries recently, and others will be celebrating in the next week or so. I'll just give them all one big "Happy Anniversary!" shout-out rather than mentioning each of them by name, since I would inevitably leave someone out.

On a more personal note,  Thursday will mark another milestone in the journey of my life. 49 years ago - June 10, 1972 - I said "I do". For the past (almost) 49 years, my life has been shared with the man of my dreams. And what a life it has been!

We began our married life in a little house in the "Avenues" of West Columbia, SC. (If you're from Cayce/West Columbia, that will mean something to you. Otherwise, probably not!) When I say it was a "little" house, that's exactly what I mean. It was a very small house, about 900 square feet. We have since lived in apartments that were larger than that house!

We had some expectations when we married. We expected to live out our days in West Columbia. Or maybe we might move to Cayce! Certainly we expected to live out our days in the Midlands of South Carolina. We expected that we would someday move to a larger house. We expected that we would have children. I'm sure that back then we had other expectations as well.

In many ways, life has far exceeded our expectations, even our wildest dreams. Over the years we have moved far beyond the boundaries of Cayce/West Columbia. Far beyond South Carolina. To Colorado and to Connecticut. To Minnesota and to Florida. (How’s talk for climate extremes!). We lived in the mountains of North Carolina, and now we find ourselves back in our home state.

We have traveled to places we once only read about or dreamed of visiting. All across these United States. Thanks to our road trip in 2015, we have now both been in all 50 states at least once. We've visited such far away places as Tokyo and Paris. Sydney and Cairo. Edinburgh and Jerusalem. And numerous other spots in between. What an amazing journey we have had together!

I've said many times before that every journey has hills and valleys, smooth roads and potholes. Sometimes the scenery is beautiful. Sometimes not so much. Sometimes the road is straight. Sometimes there are curves. Bends in the road. It's all part of the journey. And we've experienced some of all of it!

Even so, there's joy in the journey. Joy because we're right where our LORD wants us to be. Joy because we're taking the journey together. 

As we have been for almost 49 years. Through thick and thin. In good times and in not-so-great. Through it all. Together.

These last few years have certainly put the "for better, for worse; in sickness and in health" to the test! My stroke was definitely not on our bucket list! Even through all that, there is joy in our journey. 

And I wouldn't want to take this journey with anyone else!

The Cryptographer's Dilemma. A Book Review

 The Cryptographer's Dilemma by Johnnie Alexander is part of a series of novels celebrating the heroines of World War II. This is a fictional account based on an actual FBI investigation into a woman who was selling secrets to the Japanese.

From the first page, I was engaged, and this was a hard book to put down. I loved the characters than Alexander created to tell the story. These characters are people I would like to meet. Eloise is a cryptographer working with the FBI to decipher the code in letters mailed by the suspected traitor. She is paired with Philip, an FBI agent, as they travel around the country following clues and tracking leads, in hopes of catching the traitor, the elusive Doll Lady.

There is great chemistry between Eloise and Philip, and their friendship grows as they spend so much time together. But this is Eloise's story. The story of the cryptographer who faces a number of dilemmas as she works with Philip and the FBI to apprehend their target.

This book is very well written, with engaging characters, and lots of twists and turns thrown it. It is full of adventure and intrigue, along with some romance. You won't want to miss this one. A very good read - once I hated to see come to an end. This is my first Johnnie Alexander read, but it won't be the last! 

The Cryptographer's Dilemma by Johnnie Alexander will be published by Barbour Fiction on August 1, 2021. I received an advance reader copy from Net Galley in exchange for my opinion.

I Love June!

 I love June! It's one of my favorite months. For so many reasons.

June is the beginning of the summer season, with a slower pace and laid-back vibe. It's wonderfully warm, yet without the brutal humidity that marks July and August here in my part of the country.

June is the month of peaches and watermelon and cantaloupe. Of farmer's markets filled with all sorts of delightful fresh produce. It's the month when tomatoes begin again to taste like tomatoes should. Not like those hothouse tomatoes we've been eating all winter. You know - the ones with not taste!

June is the month we celebrate our wedding anniversary. That's coming later this week, and we will celebrate 49 years of marriage. I'm not sure yet how we will mark the occasion, but there will probably be good food involved!

And June begins the vacation season. As a family, we get to spend an entire week together, and I am so looking forward to it! Last year, of course, there were no family vacations. We had planned that this year we would take a cruise to the Bahamas. But the cruise was cancelled. Instead, we will be spending the week in the Smoky Mountains. There will be love and laughter and wonderful memories made. I'm counting the days!

We had planned another trip for this June, but it has also been cancelled. Today is the day when Al and I had anticipated boarding a flight for Tel Aviv with plans to spend ten days walking where Jesus walked. But, as the Scottish poet Robert Burns once wrote, "the best laid plans of mice and men go oft awry."

Our best laid plan for this week has gone awry, so we will adjust our plans and make new ones for this week. It will include time with friends, time to celebrate, and time to reflect on all God's goodness to us.

In Lucy Maud Montgomery's book Anne of Green Gables, you may recall that Anne said said "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." I agree with her. I love October. It's another of my favorite months.

But I am also so glad to live in a world where there is June!

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights." (James 1:17 NASB)

One Gracious Blessing After Another

“From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.” (John 1:16 NIV)

This verse has grabbed my attention this morning. I have come across it several times over the last few days, so it must be something I need to pay attention to.

Depending on the translation of the Bible you are reading, the verse might be rendered a little differently. Grace upon grace. Blessing upon blessing. One gracious blessing after another. I especially like the last one, from the New Living Translation. One gracious blessing after another.

That’s so true, isn’t it? We are showered daily with blessings from God. One gracious blessing after another.

Too often we fix our attention on the less-than-we-would-like-them-to-be situations in our lives. And don’t we all have some of those? The bills we are having trouble paying. The pounds we can’t seem to lose. The car that needs repair. The water heater that needs replacing. Illness. Relationships that are in trouble. The frustrations of daily living. The list could go on and on, because life is full of “stuff” that is not exactly how we would like it to be. We don’t all face the same challenges, but we all do face challenges.

Equally true, we are all showered daily with one gracious blessing after another, if we would only take time to notice.

Friendship. Family. Laughter. Sunshine. Rain. The smell of freshly mowed grass. Coffee. Good books. Good conversation. Good food. Strawberries and peaches and watermelon. Summer. The list could go in.

My list would certainly include the weekend with family. Good medical care. The 49 years of marriage we are celebrating next week.

One gracious blessing after another.

How about you? Have you stopped to count your blessings today?

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits,” (Psalm 103:1-2)