The Savage Five

As the dormancy of winter is infiltrated by new growth and the hibernating life within, I can't help but think upon the truth of the gospel that from death life "springs" . I just lost both my Grandfather and Father so death has been an apparent reality in my life as of late.  Through this process I am learning to trust the Lord and His Word in an entirely new manner. I know that He is good and He will do what is right as He is righteous in all His ways.  The grief however, doesn't seem to comply with truth and trust, as it appears out of nowhere like an invasive storm or intrusive wave that unexpectedly crashes onto the beach of my heart.  A beach where I was just sitting and trying to enjoy the view of life. This morning I felt the presence of the Lord in His creation as I heard the birds singing before the dawn of the sun. I read the priestly blessing : Then the LORD said to Moses,  "Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with t...

I recently became a life guard.  In the early mornings I go and guard lives, watching and waiting for the individuals I am guarding to either, make a poor decision that would put their lives in jeopardy or waiting for something to happen to them that is beyond their control or capacity to reason. Part of being a life guard entails creating scenarios in your mind as the individuals you are guarding are swimming... creepy I know but it doesn't bother me.  At times I imagine an elderly man having a heart attack in the deep end with a deep water workout belt on.  How will his body react in the water when he is unconscious, how will I respond? A life guard's job is an important one and one must be on "guard" ready to respond and be present in the midst of an emergency within 20 seconds. As I scan the pool, watching the morning swimmers, who have been coming to swim laps for over 30 years, I contemplate the necessity of the existence of the lap lines in the pool a...

"A person that grows beyond the thought of what serving God will cost, enters rarefied air."   ~Rande Greene Rarefied air is not dense but thin and it refers to the air of the high peaks, air that belongs to or is reserved for a select group of individuals.  With it comes the connotation of exclusivity. Abraham entered into this rarefied air.   Hebrews 11 shows us that Abraham not only had faith but vision.  He had spiritual eyes to see into a future of promise as He obeyed God. He went out, not knowing where he was going.  By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents... For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations , whose architect and builder is God. My middle son has always had a deep intense drive to know where we are going next.  If he had his druthers he would have me write out a fixed schedule each day with times of departure and arrival included so that he could hold me accountable.  ...

When I was a child my family did not have a television. My grandparents however, lived just a block from our house.  I spent many days and nights there as my parents were working in order to keep our basic needs met. I watched my fair share of Bonanza, Andy Griffith, Lawrence Welk and Bugs Bunny , as these were just a few of my grandparent's favorites.  Alongside these classics I was exposed to many of the commercials during that time which usually had some sort of catchy jingle, like the one for Toyota that my mom refurbished in order to use at the dinner table, "You asked for it, You got it, Now eat it!"  But one commercial would prove to have an enormous bearing on my life as I tried to live my life my way. We all understand that repetition is how we learn language and companies and organizations like Mutual of Omaha worked diligently during the late 70's early 80's to formulate catchy tunes or repetitive use of words to make an impression on the ...

The book of Leviticus  offers the reader a proverbial blood bath.  The mention of blood tops out at 66 times in Leviticus (once for every book of the Bible?).  While reading it aloud to my youngest son yesterday we couldn't help but become a little animated as we recited the repetitive nature of the text: ... and Aaron's sons shall throw its blood against the sides of the alter. There is a whole lot of pouring, throwing, sprinkling, dipping and wiping of blood.  We couldn't help but imagine these priests, dressed in their ornate and beautifully bedazzled robes in service to God, covered in blood. We wondered if the stench outside of the Tabernacle was great and if there were flies all around the priests as they performed all these sacrifices. What a sight that must have been!  All for the sins of the people to be atoned for!  Their sin was ever before them, day in and day out.  There was no escaping the stench and the sight of death tha...

"He is the center and the circumference of the church and its life."               ~Rande Greene Circumference means a "carrying around" and it is a "special case" of perimeter.  Our lives should model this mathematical declaration that my Pastor made yesterday during his message. Jesus Christ should be at the center of our lives because whatever is at the center will determine the path of our lives and how and what it falls into a natural orbit around. Colossians 2:6-10 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord,  so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established  in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.  See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy  and empty deceit, according to human tradition,  according to the elemental spirits of the world,  and not according to Christ.   For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,...

“Like the Earth orbits around the Sun, we orbit around what we love.”                                                                                                      ~ Rande Greene An orbit is the gravitationally curved trajectory of an object such as a planet around a star, which follows an elliptical orbit with the central mass being orbited at a focal point of the ellipse.                                                                                                   ...

I did not pose Lydia for this picture.  She waits for me in the morning just like the Lord! "Father, if its ok with you can my boys have a kitten?" I prayed those words not expecting an immediate response.  You see my boys LOVE cats and at the time that I prayed that little, seemingly insignificant prayer we had a cat who despised my boys. I was thinking perhaps Christmas time, He had another plan that would prove to bring great joy and comfort to my family over the next 4 1/2 years. About 2 weeks later I get a call from my husband, you know the one who says NO to any and all pets, well USED to,... " Jeff found a kitten this morning in the lawn mower.  I am going to bring it home because nobody here wants it." A little bit later, "There are 3 kittens now.  I am going to bring them all home."  I tried to protest but it was no use, the man who said no to all the pets was adamant about bringing all 3 kittens home to our 3 boys. We decided to ...