“a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey” (Ex 3:8)

It was a fortunate experience for me during my years with Army Map Service (Defense Department) that on a returning African work assignment, the flight at 10,000 feet took us up the Suez corridor, heading north with the  Sinai  Peninsula (east) and Egypt (west).

The Sinai is totally desert, believe me, there is nothing that is green. A study of ancient history might go to show that three thousand years ago, it was forested and that the trees were cut for charcoal for Egypt, so learned scholars have noted.

Our lives depend on the color green.  A few inches of topsoil is our bread of life.  “Farmland lost is gone forever,” so says a bumper sticker. This may pose a problem in the future if flatland is used more and more for shopping centers, etc…  Now:

Looking back through the years when there were more small family farms,  I learned early that the color green was very important. Green grass is necessary for livestock, and green grass holds the soil together.

Every year  our family farm was a mystery weather-wise, we did not know if the  rain would come  at the right time for the corn, wheat, and pastures, the future all depended on the ‘promise of the coming green.’

Lots of green meant that there was shopping prior to the Christmas holidays, maybe some new clothes and shoes, a short vacation across State lines, and a chance to put more into the church basket and to stop the bank from telephoning that the checking account was short.

Above all, we should pray as our Wimpy did for good weather and rain and add green to that prayer, long or short.

“The Lord bless you and keep you;25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. ” – Numbers 6

Two Saber-toothed tigers(Ralph & Roy) were relaxing under a Catalpa tree, and off in the distance, two cavemen were strolling and eating berries from leafy green bushes.  This was all very interesting to watch by the tigers.

“Hey! Ralph, Do you see those two cavemen?”
“Yeah, and did you notice that they have stopped eating berries and now have clubs and are creeping toward us!”
“I do see that, Roy, and I think that their intentions towards us are not honorable.  We’ll let them get closer, and then we’ll let out a big roar.”
“RRROOOAAARRR! !!”
“Ralph, what are they doing now?”
“They are back to eating berries in those green bushes”

and last:(Tom Jones,1966)
Yes, they’ll all come to meet me
Arms reaching, smiling sweetly
It’s good to touch the green, green grass of home
Yes, they’ll all come to see me
In the shade of that old oak tree
As they lay me
‘Neath the green, green grass of home.

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How many times have you heard someone say, “If I had his money, I could do things my way”?

“But little they know, it’s so hard to find 1 rich man in 10 with a satisfied mind.” (Johnny Cash, circa 1978)

Money can’t buy back your youth when you’re old or a friend when you’re lonely, or a love that’s grown cold.

April 15, 2013, Monday, 2:49 pm, this date will probably soon be forgotten by many of us, but for thousands who were there on this day in the Boston Marathon, it will never go away.

Television and radio and maybe movies yet to come will keep alive this terrible event, hoping that this will not occur again. In the “course of human events,” it is impossible to promise that this will ‘never’ happen again.

Of those who survived, some were fortunate enough to be out of range of the explosions, look back, and say that they are glad to be alive. There is no mention of the loss of wealth or the possibility that lawsuits could occur, just the “I am glad to be alive!” and said by some who lost legs, “I am glad to be alive!”

Our country has always tried its best to keep alive the memory of those caught in these events. The list is a long one from World Wars to the Trade Center and to the present time when tragedy seems to become local. We love closure and set up monuments and even wooden crosses along the roadside to make sure that those gone are remembered.

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? … Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. (Psalm 2)

This seems to be our heritage. What is the answer? (I knew you were going to ask!)

“Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air].” James 4:14…Amplified Bible

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

After a torpedo attack on the convey, A sailor is anxious…his friend answers, “Why is the Captain slowing? He always does, to pick up survivors!” C.S. Forester’s character is so like JESUS, who will always be there for survivors in our lives. (movie: THE GOOD SHEPHERD, 1955)

Last: Gold from a TV Ad…We cannot bring back TODAY!

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A friend, in an act of kindness, gave my wife a small angel statue that can display wings of different colors; it’s very impressive. Of course, we do not know what these spiritual beings created to be messengers and stand in the presence of God really look like. They took a form to visit Abraham (Genesis 18), and one wrestled with Jacob (Genesis 32).

Books upon books have been written on the subject of angels. TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL ran for 9 seasons on TV and made all the actors very rich. Many stores sell articles pertaining to angels. If you do get to discuss angels with someone while shopping, be prepared for a fully functioning system that angels are essential to our modern society. The following are a few questions people have posted on the internet:

• Have you ever met a supernatural messenger or envoy?
• When you heard someone speak about meeting angels, did you think they were weird?
• What do you think an angel feels when humans reject its message?
• If you believe that angels exist and act in our world, how should you live your life?
• What image do you think of when you see angels portrayed at Christmas?

Are angels sent forth today as ministering spirits to mankind would be the question to answer. The whole concept is that this would be a miraculous event, but miracles have ended (1 Corinthians 13:8-10; Ephesians 4:8-16). Since the supernatural stage no longer exist so God employs angels to implement his will on behalf of his saints in today’s world. It cannot be proven today angels appear in human form as in ancient times (Acts 10). But in extreme times of danger, this should not stop us from praying that God will intervene on our behalf (Daniel 3:19-25).

What children say :

• “My guardian angel helps me with math, but he’s not much good for science.”
• “Angels don’t eat, but they drink milk from Holy Cows!”
• “Angels taking us to heaven, talk about what went wrong before you got dead.”
• “Angels live in cloud houses made by God’s son, who is a carpenter.”
• “All angels are girls because they wear dresses.”
• “I can’t understand why an angel would shoot an arrow through someone in love.”
• “My grandma is an angel helping me while here on earth.”

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,
The bed be blest that I lie on.
Four angels to my bed.
Four angels round my head,
One to watch, and one to pray,
And two to bear my soul away.”

(from: “A Candle in the Dark” by Thomas Ady 1656, an English physician who wrote books during a time when atrocities were inflicted on witches and the poor souls of the Inquisition.)

Angels usually describe the whole range of spirits whom God has created, including both good and evil angels and special categories such as cherubim, seraphim, and the archangel. Angels are mentioned at least 108 times in the Old Testament and 165 times in the New Testament (Chafer, Systematic Theology, II, 3).

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One of the world’s largest optical/infrared telescopes on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, has discovered a heavenly body at the far reaches of our solar system. It has an orbit of 10,500 years and is the closest at the present time. Viewers of “Sedna” note that its last trip by us was in the ice age. I wonder what Earth will be like when this planet-like body returns; maybe housing prices will have come down, and affordable real estate will be a reality.

Norway is reporting a building boom, the highest in 22 years. Housing starts are up 31 percent. This is not unlike what is happening in our area. Every house built is immediately sold. I hear that prices are up 25 percent since last year. Building materials are being bought up by developing countries and forcing us to pay more for a piece of lumber and steel girders. Times are good.

A friend is considering selling their home and moving farther out to be near their daughter. I have listened to him go over the advantages and disadvantages. Our homes can become ‘the thorn in the flesh’ if we let it. Many builders offer a variety of models with many upgrades. How much grass do we want to mow on how many acres? How will we handle all this when the aging process says we must slow down? How far can one go before all your income has been sacrificed to meet the needs or wishes or desires of what we see in a home – a house made with hands? (II Corinthians 5:1-4)

Brother J.C. Burr preached into his 90s and died in 1979. He wrote these appropriate comments in 1979.

“The owner of the building I have occupied for 88 years has given me a notice that he will furnish little or no more repairs. I’m advised to get ready to move. At first, this was not a very welcome notice. The surroundings here, in many respects, are very pleasant. Were it not for the evidence of decay, I would consider this old home good enough. But even light wind causes it to tremble and totter, and all the braces are insufficient to secure it. So I am getting ready to move.

It is strange how quickly one’s interest is transferred to the new prospective home. I have been consulting maps of the new country and reading descriptions of its inhabitants. Two or three times, I’ve been down to the river that forms the boundary and have wished myself among the company of those who are singing praises to the King on the other side. Many of my relatives and friends have moved there. Before leaving, they spoke of my coming later. I have seen smiles on their faces as they passed out of sight.

Often I’m asked to make investments here, but I always say, “I can’t. I’m getting ready to move.” I’m not unhappy that my lease is expiring. I’m not the least disturbed that I must move. I’m assured that the move will be much better than what I have here. There is one last question we should ask ourselves: “Am I ready to move?”

“I MADE ME GREAT WORKS; I BUILDED ME HOUSES; I PLANTED ME VINEYARDS. LET US HEAR THE CONCLUSION OF THE WHOLE MA 1 I ER: FEAR GOD, AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS: FOR THIS IS THE WHOLE DUTY OF MAN!” (Ecc. 2:4;12:13)

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And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept, and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. – Genesis: Chapter 2: 21-22

A part of the day’s routine for me is to drive to the nearby SHEETZ for the morning newspaper – it should be after midnight for this, but for once in a blue moon, I am out at 10:00 pm – so I intended to get coffee, a snack and return a few hours later for the POST. DITTO – I am in the snack isle and looking over the goodies, a woman is on her knees looking at the bottom shelf; she was after the cinn buns – I got down and found them for her, so then she told me all the details about this snack, I listened and finally wandered away to the coffee bar. I didn’t want decaf and needed something stronger. “Emma” came over and told me of her coffee’s strong choice – I followed through. She beat me to the checkout. “Emma” was maybe in her 50s, well dressed in a casual expensive style. I would guess she was the outdoor type and could hold her own with the best if that should happen. It came my time to pay, and I mentioned my “contact” to the clerk and that I intended to remain inside until I knew she had departed the parking lot. Now I wish I had seen what she was driving. I knew that if we had a relationship, I would never have to speak another word.

“A man must know his own libations!” – Clint Eastwood! – (Emma is the name of my father–in–law’s girlfriend’s sister. I last remember her in Albany, NY. I dropped her off at her apartment, and she followed me back to the car and kept talking, eventually, I told her I had to leave, or my family might declare me missing!)

READER’S DIGEST – “The police were following a car with an elderly couple inside. At a stop light, the woman fell out, she was o.k., and the police followed and pulled over her husband. “Sir! Did you know that your wife fell out at the stoplight?” He replied, “Oh, thank you, officer, I thought I had gone deaf!”

TRUE or FALSE: What makes a woman different from a man? Men are more logical, analytical, and rational. Women are more intuitive, holistic, creative, and integrative. Men have a much more difficult time relating to their own feelings and may feel very threatened by the expression of feelings in their presence.

What does Psalms say about women?
“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”  – Read Proverbs 31

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So that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped – 2 Timothy 3:14-17

When I was growing up and attending church, the preacher would remind us that a battle was raging. It was the battle for our souls. The pulpit was pounded, and supporting scriptures were quoted. The battle still goes on and will never stop. The enemy is very clever and does not rest as we do. While we sleep, computers around the world are gathering information. Companies are interested in what we eat, wear, and buy. How we use what we buy is their main concern. They are establishing a predictable profile of our society’s needs. The expanded markets hope to reach all our material and spiritual desires.

You may think that you are a private person. This would be true if you lived up a muddy road on the side of a 12,000-foot mountain and made and grew all you needed. Of course, you could not have a telephone or a cell phone or have any neighbors. Electricity would be a no! no! You would have to limit your connections to the outside world. The postman would put your mail in a post office box if you knew anyone that had the P.O. address. This sounds good, no junk mail.

Information can influence the individual about what to place before the “window of our soul.” I saw this in a religious bookstore one Christmas season. The gospel now appears in many books, CDs, and videos. I was looking for a replacement Bible. It was decided that recovering was more expensive than purchasing a new one. On this very busy mid-morning shopping day in a large store in Manassas, I was amazed by the many translations and versions that populated the one Bible stand. I was even more amazed that out of the many prospective buyers, I was the only one shopping for a Bible. I could have picked one and stretched out on the floor and read it from cover to cover. All eyes were turned to LEFT BEHIND and PASSION OF THE CHRIST and books about the lives of the TV evangelists. Surely, I knew what Jesus felt when he saw what was going on in the temple. No one was interested in a good sturdy covered Bible. Ah, to be sure, the internet, the PC, has done its job well and spread the gospel of the vast available warehouse of sugary religious Twinkies.

There’s a book that surpasses the sages, A volume of wisdom divine; And the glory that gleams from its pages, No splendor of earth can outshine. “Tis the light which will guide is to glory, The Sword of the Spirit of might; And to dwell on its beautiful story Is of heaven the sweetest delight.

‘TIS THE BIBLE! THE BIBLE! OUR GUIDING STAR THAT LEADS FROM EARTH TO HEAV’N, THE BIBLE! THE BIBLE! WE LOVE THE PRECIOUS BOOK OF TRUTH WHICH GOD HAS GIV’N. (#502 Sacred Selections)

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