The First Sunday of Advent – 2024

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We light this candle as a symbol of Christ our Hope.

May the light sent from God shine in the darkness to show us the way of salvation.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.

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The Prophet Cries Out

The Prophet Waits

The Prophet Hopes

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HOPE

A feeling of expectation.

A certainty not yet realized.

Hope is more than wishful thinking.

A wish is something we don’t expect to happen but we would like it to happen.

Hope is something we know will happen.

We just don’t know the when, where, or how.

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God’s answer may not come when we want,

how we want,

or

the way we want,

but His answer will come.

We must have faith

in the faithfulness of God.

We must share this vision of HOPE,

JESUS CHRIST.

BE A LIGHT IN SOMEONE’S DARKNESS

My Journey Through The Dark Valley

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Tuesday, July 16th, Day 80

Psalm 16

Keep me safe, O God, I’ve run for dear life to you.

I say to God, “Be my Lord!”

Without you, nothing makes sense.

And these God-chosen lives all around – what splendid friends they make!

Don’t just go shopping for a god.

Gods are not for sale.

I swear I’ll never treat god-names like brand-names.

My choice is you, God, first and only.

And now I find I’m your choice!

You set me up with a house and yard.

And then you made me your heir!

The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake is confirmed by my sleeping heart.

Day and night I’ll stick with God;

I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.

I’m happy from the inside out, and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed.

You canceled my ticket to hell – that’s not my destination!

Now you’ve got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face.

Ever since you took my hand, I’m on the right way.

The Message

My Journey Through The Dark Valley – Day 79

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Monday, July 15th, Day 79

Father God, we are in trouble as a nation.

A young man, just 20 years of age, was influenced to hate another so intensely that he attempted to murder him. He was unsuccessful but his actions resulted in two others being wounded, and another killed. The man he killed was not his original target but a man in the crowd. He was a husband, a father, a friend, a neighbor, and a first responder. So many lives were impacted by this young man’s reckless behavior.

He was obviously a troubled young man but we as a nation must make some changes in our morals. We have grown more accepting of violent behavior, choosing to make excuses, blaming social conditions, lack of education, lack of resources – but it is time to say ENOUGH!

People need to be held accountable for their actions. We need to praise those who make wise choices and call to account those who cause harm to others, those who threaten, those who encourage violence. After this attack there were actually posts on social media saying “Don’t miss next time.” How can anyone desire to see anyone’s life taken?

Lord, I don’t have the answer, but You do. Only You can change the heart.

I pray for the family of the shooter. This has changed their lives.

I pray for the family of the man who was killed, and for all those who are affected by his death.

Their lives will never be the same.

I pray for those who were injured.

I pray for all those on that service detail that day.

I pray for President Trump.

I pray for our nation, for people to speak the truth and to seek peace.

I pray Lord, that You would show me my part in this.

My Journey Through The Dark Valley – Day 78

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Sunday, July 14th, Day 78

This is the day that the Lord has made.

I will find joy in it!

Lord, I am thankful for the moisture.

The sight of the green grass brings me joy.

Watching the chickens enjoy their breakfast brings me joy.

Seeing the sun rise above the tree tops brings me joy.

Satan has attempted to steal my joy.

Sundays are difficult and there are usually tears.

But my joy is not dependent upon my circumstances.

My joy is in You.

– Yet I will not forget you –

Isaiah 49:15 KJV

God’s promise is sure!

My Journey Through The Dark Valley – Day 77

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Saturday, July 13th – Day 77

Yesterday was difficult – a trip to the Register of Wills – more paperwork – and on the way home Garth Brooks was on the radio singing If Tomorrow Never Comes.

All of that triggered a lot of emotions and I woke up this morning with those lyrics running through my mind.

Sometimes late at night I lie awake and watch her sleeping.

She’s lost in peaceful dreams so I turn out the lights and lay there in the dark.

And the thought crosses my mind – if I never wake in the morning

Would she ever doubt the way I feel about her in my heart

If tomorrow never comes will she know how much I loved her

Did I try in every way to show her every day that she’s my only one?

And if my time on earth were through and she must face this world without me

Is the love I gave her in the past going to be enough to last if tomorrow never comes

‘Cause I’ve lost loved ones in my life who never knew how much I  loved them

Now I live with the regret that my true feelings for them never were revealed

So I made a promise to myself to say each day how much she means to me

And avoid that circumstance where there’s no second chance to tell her how I feel

If tomorrow never comes will she know how much I loved her

Did I try in every way to show her every day that she’s my only one?

And if my time on earth were through and she must face this world without me

Is the love I gave her in the past going to be enough to last if tomorrow never comes

So tell that someone that you love just what you’re thinking of

If tomorrow never comes

Lord, that was one impact that the lupus diagnosis had on our life.

We stopped saying – Some Day – and lived each day to the fullest.

Sometimes it was a big event – like our RV trip across the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific and back, or the move to Missouri but more often it was simple things – like riding the fence line together in the Gator, a walk in the woods, working together in the garden, or sitting in the rocking chairs on the front  porch watching the humming birds.

Lord. I thank You for all those days together – even the difficult days – because those times made us stronger.

What an adventure You led us on!

And there will be a “Tomorrow” when at last You call me home and I see him again.

My Journey Through The Dark Valley – Day 76

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Friday, July 12th

Day 76

Wait on the Lord;

be of good courage,

and He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Psalm 27:14 KJV

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings as eagles;

they shall run, and not be weary;

and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 40:13 KJV

I am trusting in You, O God.

Your word is true.

You have sustained me in difficult days.

You have blessed me many times over.

You have kept me and I am not alone.

I may not understand but I trust!

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee.

Isaiah 26:3 KJV

My Journey Through The Dark Valley – Day 75

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Thursday, July 11th

Day 75

Let us consider one another

to provoke unto love and to good works:

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is;

but exhorting one another:

and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24-25 KJV

Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out,

not avoiding worshipping together as some do but spurring each other on,

especially as we see the big Day approaching.

The Message

The note struck in Hebrews 10

is that of provoking one another and of keeping together –

both of which require initiative, the initiative of Christ – realization,

not of self-realization.

To live a remote, retired, secluded life is the antipods of spirituality

as Jesus Christ taught it.

-Oswald Chambers  “My Utmost For His Highest”

Lord, it would be so easy to withdraw from this world –

to stay at home – to read my books – to work in the garden –

to avoid all contact with the turmoil of this world –

but that is not what You ask of me.

My Journey Through The Dark Valley – Day 74

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Wednesday, July 10th

Day 74

Ninety-three degrees at 7 a.m. is not a good sign!

Thank You Lord, for this new day even though it is going to be hot and humid.

Thank You for the invention of air conditioning which makes this weather bearable.

Thank You for the ability to water the garden in this heat.

I pray for those who must work outside in these conditions, may they get frequent breaks and abundant hydration.

I pray for those who live in areas of drought, may they get rain soon.

Lord, You have blessed me in so many ways and I thank You.

My Journey Through The Dark Valley – Day 73

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Tuesday, July 9th

Day 73

I am thinking today of my mother-in-law.

It is the anniversary of her birth, 112 years ago.

There is a bouquet of pink roses on the table because they were her favorite.

Early in our relationship I found her to be intimidating because she always spoke her mind – forcefully.

But over the years I came to appreciate her work ethic and her many skills.

She taught me a lot about gardening, about being a homemaker, about spending wisely on things that will last, and how to make yeast rolls! She was a good cook except for cookies. She hated to make cookies. So I got a call whenever she needed cookies for her ladies luncheons, usually oatmeal raisin.

She was a true gardener, starting her own tomato plants in her little green house, maintaining her strawberry patch, sharing many of her perennial flowers with me over the years, but most of all she grew the most beautiful rose garden with every color you could want. Every year she would order another rose bush from Jackson-Perkins and she generously shared the blooms with me.

Most of all she loved her “boys” – Olin, Doug, and Jason –  and I believe she came to love me also.

Happy Birthday MomMom Evans!

My Journey Through The Dark Valley – Day 72

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Monday, July 8th

Day 72

There is no burden which,

if we lift it cheerfully and bear it with love in our hearts,

will not become a blessing to us.

God means our tasks to be our helpers;

to refuse to bend our shoulders to receive a load,

is to decline a new opportunity for growth.

-J. R. Miller

Blessed is any weight,

however overwhelming,

which God has been so good

as to fasten with His own hand upon our shoulders.

-F. W. Faber

From Streams In The Desert

Thank You Lord, for my “wings” – those burdens I must bear.

The load seems so heavy at times but I do not bear it alone.

Praise God!