Monday, November 23, 2015
Light on the Earth
According
to google, it was Elly Derr who said, "A diamond is a piece of coal that
didn't quit under pressure." I'm afraid I have no idea who Elly Derr is,
but I have heard that little bit of wisdom before. What, though, is coal? It's plants, mostly. And where do plants get
their food? Primarily from the sun. In fact, the sun is the source of all our
food, too.
Back when
I taught fourth grade, I enjoyed assigning food charts. I had the fourth
graders keep a list of everything they ate. Then we looked at where all the
food comes from. We traced every bit of it back to plants, which depend on the
sun for photosynthesis. So all our food really does come from the sun. And all
our coal.
Have you
ever gathered, on a cold winter day, around a coal stove? It's been years since
I did that, but I can tell you, it's a warm place to be. These days we don't
heat our homes with coal directly, but some of our electricity comes indirectly
from that source. I love thinking, when I am enjoying light and heat in my
home, that it's really all sunshine.
Like many
of you, I crave sunshine, and too many gray days really put me in a funk. But
when we can't get it directly, we can have the benefit of the sun in other
ways. Just think of God's foresight and love to make--way back on the fourth
day ever--a source of heat and light for us to enjoy in 2015.
"Then God said, 'Let there be lights in
the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be
for signs and for seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights
in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth'; and it was
so" (Genesis 1:14-15). And so it is.
--Sherry
Poff
Sunday, November 15, 2015
My Portion Forever
Psalm 73:25-29
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
26 My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.
28 But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
That I may declare all Your works.
Recent events in my life have caused me to do a lot of soul searching and deep thinking. If you know me, then you know I am not a deep thinker. I pretty much have always been very accepting of the way things are.
Oh yes, I have strong convictions and can be pretty opinionated, but just have never been one to really dig deep or put another way – “think that hard.” But, lately, I have been doing a lot of deep thinking about change. This year my life has been full of change! There have been good changes, not so good changes, and some that are just different. I am forming a new perspective on life. Maybe, just maybe, I am beginning to learn what God deems important!
The other night I was reading Psalm 73 and these verses jumped off the page. “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (vs. 25-26) You see when I got the news of my brother Ivan’s death, I was shell shocked! I guess one is never prepared for such news, but even now as I think back to that moment, it still seems like a dream and at times I think I will wake up and it will be over. But no, we all know that’s not the way it will ever be, at least not here on this earth! But, during this time of grieving, I have spent some very precious time on my back porch with the Lord, baring my soul. I have come to realize that what the psalmist says in Psalm 73:28 is worth remembering: “But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, That I may declare all Your works.” (vs. 27-28) For you see, that through trials, changes, and yes, even the death of my dear, sweet, brother – God remains a constant. He can be trusted. He wants us to draw near to Him! So, while change can bring about trials, it is those trials which can push us to yes, dig deep, do some soul searching. Through that process I have begun to sense a hunger to draw nearer to God! So, now on those rare occasions when I get to sit in my favorite spot on my back porch and spend special time with the Lord reading scripture or just meditating on Him while enjoying the outdoors His works are so evident and in that very moment I wonder why I need to be reminded that God wants that fellowship with me. Maybe I just need more time on my back porch!
For His Glory!
Pam Dratnol
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
26 My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.
28 But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
That I may declare all Your works.
Recent events in my life have caused me to do a lot of soul searching and deep thinking. If you know me, then you know I am not a deep thinker. I pretty much have always been very accepting of the way things are.
Oh yes, I have strong convictions and can be pretty opinionated, but just have never been one to really dig deep or put another way – “think that hard.” But, lately, I have been doing a lot of deep thinking about change. This year my life has been full of change! There have been good changes, not so good changes, and some that are just different. I am forming a new perspective on life. Maybe, just maybe, I am beginning to learn what God deems important!
The other night I was reading Psalm 73 and these verses jumped off the page. “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (vs. 25-26) You see when I got the news of my brother Ivan’s death, I was shell shocked! I guess one is never prepared for such news, but even now as I think back to that moment, it still seems like a dream and at times I think I will wake up and it will be over. But no, we all know that’s not the way it will ever be, at least not here on this earth! But, during this time of grieving, I have spent some very precious time on my back porch with the Lord, baring my soul. I have come to realize that what the psalmist says in Psalm 73:28 is worth remembering: “But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, That I may declare all Your works.” (vs. 27-28) For you see, that through trials, changes, and yes, even the death of my dear, sweet, brother – God remains a constant. He can be trusted. He wants us to draw near to Him! So, while change can bring about trials, it is those trials which can push us to yes, dig deep, do some soul searching. Through that process I have begun to sense a hunger to draw nearer to God! So, now on those rare occasions when I get to sit in my favorite spot on my back porch and spend special time with the Lord reading scripture or just meditating on Him while enjoying the outdoors His works are so evident and in that very moment I wonder why I need to be reminded that God wants that fellowship with me. Maybe I just need more time on my back porch!
For His Glory!
Pam Dratnol
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