September 2016 – downacountryroadblog

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait on Him. Lamentations 3:22-24

I thought this morning of how my grandchildren were growing up in a world of uncertainty. A world with “Homeland Security,” “TSA,” and an election process designed to make one want to throw up their hands and retire from the entire world. But then God reminded me of my childhood where as elementary school children we were taken into the hallways and sat on the floor with our arms over our heads waiting for the Soviet Union to send nuclear warheads raining down on us. So as the teacher says in Ecclesiastes, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”

Evil exists. Pastor Cheryl reminded us this morning that it is our response to that evil that makes the difference. Will we choose to respond with love or will we allow the evil to overcome us. Make no mistake – We know something that the world does not. God is in control. We may not always understand His plan but we can always trust in His plan.

We proclaim the power of prayer but do we really believe what we proclaim. Are we praying for our nation? Are we praying for our president, our legislators? We may not agree with their political polices but that is all the more reason to pray for them. Are we praying for those who wish us harm? If we claim the name of Christ that is our responsibility – TO PRAY.

So as we contemplate the events on this day – fifteen years ago – and as we acknowledge the problems we are facing in our world, let us stand firm in our faith trusting in the words of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Trees by JOYCE KILMER

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

I thank God every day for this little piece of paradise we call home. One of the things that I drew me to this place was the trees – especially the towering cottonwood tree in the back yard. No matter how hot it might be, if you sat under this tree and listened to the breeze rattle the leaves, you felt cooler.

We put a bench under it so when I work in the garden I can there and cool off.

We have lost a few limbs since we moved here and Olin was concerned that it might come down on the house someday so yesterday the cottonwood tree got a major haircut.