Really? Do I believe it?

I'm reading the passage, nodding my head, "Lift up your heads, O you gates!  And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!  And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory?  The LORD strong and mighty,  The LORD mighty in battle.

 

"Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory." Psalm 24:7-10 NKJV

"Ok, what great verses," I think. I've read them many times. "Lift up your heads,... the King of glory is... strong and mighty, ...Lord of Hosts, etc." 

I say I believe it. If anyone challenged me with, "Do you believe this is true?" I'd give a quick reply. "Of course I believe it's true!"

Waking last week, I had only one idea in my head. Not such a shocking idea, except it hit me like a blow to the heart: "What would today look like if I were fully devoted to Christ? If every impulse of my own, every ambition, and every want, were surrendered to Jesus?"

All day long, I carried the thought into the attitudes and actions of my experiences. "Hmm, that lady is sure slow. Move over already! I want to pass you. Now." I was walking behind a window shopper who was dawdling on the sidewalk. 

"Oh, I hate when they bring that up," listening to a conversation. "Always the same old complaints."

"I wonder if I can go to ... later?" daydreaming while someone was talking to me.

"Can I get out of this chore?" scheming on how to maximize my time over someone else's.

When I went to bed that night, I was aware of many times I had failed to give to others the kind attention and love Christ gives me. I was utterly humiliated by my incongruity. It's not gross sin that derails me. I am smitten by the inconsistency between what I say I believe and how I act. By how inappropriate my selfishness is, putting my desires before the best I can do for others.

The One I claim to serve is Lord of hosts (boss over angelic multitudes). I need someone that big to remind me that he is Central to all being and to all beings. There's no value in emptying myself into nothingness (like Hinduism or Buddhism). I need to accept his forgiveness for flaws and failures, allowing him to fill me completely with his thoughts and life, his love and his strength. 

No wonder he is the King of glory! Splendid in power and majesty. Holy and set apart from created things. Worthy of all adoration and praise.

I believe it. With all my heart. "So how would today look, if I were utterly, absolutely devoted to him?"

Read more:
*Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. Psalm 115:1

*This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches,  but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD. Jer. 9:23-24 NIV  

*Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth..." Matthew 5:1-5 NIV 

*Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 NIV

Strong women

predilection \pred-uh-LEK-shun\ noun

 Meaning: an established preference for something

Example Sentence: Aware of Kim's predilection for Italian food, Theo brought her to a quaint trattoria.

The women in my family thrive on growth and new ideas. We're not intimidated by hard work, nor by people who are afraid of our abilities to think and do new things. We know from where (and from whom) our abilities come.

I'm back from a week in Winnipeg (where I grew up). My cousin organized an 80th birthday party for our "favorite" uncle. He and my aunt (who has passed away) had no children, so they adopted their nephews and nieces. One after another mentioned his influence on them.

I got to sit back to watch the event unfold. After doing events professionally for 5 1/2 years, it was a joy to watch another strong woman bring in help, arrange the space, food, and settings, and make sure everything ran smoothly. I wanted to get up and clap and cheer for Elaine when it was done. What a great job! 

"All in a day's work," she said during a visit the next day. That made me beam.

I know. God has given several of us girls in the family the ability to relax in stressful situations, to flow rather than freeze when circumstances are challenging, and between us we know a lot about people, events, and all kinds of stuff. We watched our grandmothers, mothers, and aunts host dinners, sleepovers, and keep the family on the move.

I've observed that not everyone is comfortable around women with a predilection to strength. Many men and women are wary of female ability or power. Insecure people may feel respected only when other are afraid of them or their position, but strong women tend to give respect to others as equals rather than "Superiors." Some people feel threatened or suspect they can't measure up in comparison to a strong woman because she seems to use her gifts with ease. 

Historically the Church has relegated such women leaders out of authority with warped theology of man's superiority as a human. What a loss to what could be done for Christ!

I was delighted, watching Elaine say a word here, give a directive there, wrapping up the evening, and putting things in order as the guests were leaving. When I went to bed that night, I thanked God for strong women like her. And I woke in the morning with deep smile furrows on my face from being happy.

Read more:

*Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble. I wait for your salvation, O LORD, and I follow your commands. I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly. I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you. Psalm 119:165-168 NIV

*Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24 NIV  

*Jesus told this story: Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.

The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. "Master," he said, "you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more."

His master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!"

The man with the two talents also came. "Master," he said, "you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more."

His master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!"
 

Then the man who had received the one talent came. "Master," he said, "I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you."

His master replied, "You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
 

“Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." Matthew 25:14-29 NIV 

*Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13:8-10 NIV

Reflections

W proposed to me over 33 years ago with this romantic line, "Would you go to Red China with me?" I was a bit startled, but with the deadpan that has gotten me through many surprising situations, said, "Sure" and I slipped on his engagement ring.

This week, W reflected that he's right where he wants to be. We watched 113 Chinese being baptized at their local church: "This trip has confirmed that I am most effective teaching, and that ministry should be done by local people. The day for "Bwana Missionary" (top-down missions) may be mostly over."

I'm not so sure. Who would tell those who have never heard, in places where the gospel has never been preached, if a stranger did not enter a new community? In contrast to his feelings, this trip to China brought a sharp pang to my heart. When I said "yes" to marriage, I agreed to go into full-time missions. I was committing to partner with a man with the same call to evangelism, learning, and teaching overseas.

Instead, we ended up just across the border in the USA. While my husband developed his call and gifting as a professor, I cooked, cleaned, raised our family (homeschooled, even), taught music, and waited for him to finish his education so I could carry on with mine. (I finally gave up waiting and went back to school for my Masters degree, which seemed to spur him on to finish his doctorate as well.)

Regrets? Probably not. Life is uncertain and never what we plan or imagine. We have a good life together, wonderful children, family, and friends. Who knows if I would have seen these parts of the world alone? My husband's ministry has opened doors for both of us.

"Do you remember this restaurant? This bridge? We took this bus, remember?" W asks me as we walk through Singapore.

Nope. I live moment by moment, tagging along on travels. I forget much of where we've gone almost as soon as we leave. I'm most likely to remember the people who interact with me or are in my classes... and blogging helps. (Though I remember many more details from trips I've planned.)

On this journey of faith, we grasp hold of God's kindness in letting us make decisions. Based on choices we and others make, life unfolds. A believer submits with joy because God is building his church, regardless of where the road of life takes her or him.

Still, I was a little envious last week as I watched my Chinese Christian family in Beijing celebrate baptism, thinking of what might have been.

Read more:

*The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. Psalm 19:1-4 NIV

*May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him. Psalm 67:5-7 NIV

*Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:9-13 NIV

The fabric of the Church

The tapestry gleams, lights and darks, wide and narrow bands woven together. It is the Church of Christ in all its glory and despair, its shining beauty and deep wounds. Unlike anything else in the universe, the time is coming when it is cleansed and robes the Bridegroom.

This morning I was asking God to make me a strong thread in the fabric of the Church. We may think the wide and magnificent crimsons and purples running through the tapestry are the famous speakers and teachers of Christianity. But I wonder...

Does God stand back to admire:

• the great honor and stability of the unnamed prayer warriors who hold true to scripture?
• the great strength in the unrecognized youths who are passionate about changing the world for Christ?
• the great potential in the students who study hard to show themselves approved in word and deed?
• the great beauty of my African and Asian brothers and sisters, keeping the faith by offering their lives as militant Islamists, Hindus, and other world religions advance?
• the balance between the flash and bedazzlement of the Christian media darlings and the trust and obedience of his faithful, unnoticed servants? 

How our Lord must value those who faithfully serve the Church without struggling or fighting his plans. It pleases him when we remain quiet and pliable under his hand as it moves the shuttle of his will.

How privileged we are to be the weft and warp of the world-wide cloth of the Faith, emerging under the Weaver's hand. There is no need for us who trust Christ to try to stick up above the fabric he is designing as "important" or "deserving." Each one in our place - ah, what a Church of radiant glory and wonder to the world and the watching heavens!

A lovely woman of God, staying in our same flat, looked out the LR window with me, across the mile of apartments and out to the ocean. As ships bob in the Singapore harbor on one side, a tropical forest borders the others side of our flat. The view is spectacular. We've had wonderful times of ministry and blessings (not to mention excellent food and hospitality) these past three weeks in SE Asia.

"We are unworthy of these blessings," we sisters-in-faith agreed. "Who are we to enjoy such abundance when so many have so little (food, shelter, opportunity, gospel...)?" Yet we are grateful for these privileges and our place in the creation of God.

Read more:

*I will sing of the LORD's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself. Psalm 89:1-2 NIV

*Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12 NIV

*Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world- -the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:15-17 NEV 

Don't move!

The hardest part of progress in work or life is staying in place. When we’ve agreed to move forward, it is most difficult to wait for the next step. Sometimes we are part of a group that has been called to move, but here we have been parked. Sometimes we sense an open door ahead, but it is not yet in view. There seems nothing we can do to hasten an advance.

So we sit.

We fidget.

We wait.

We pray.

Eventually we stop contending and become resigned.

We rest.

And then it seems that the suffering of waiting is over. The project finds a catalyst that propels it forward. The group takes a direction that we did not anticipate. Maybe the door of opportunity creaks open, or a companion flings it wide for our entry. 

But the new vista may look nothing like what we had expected. It is more, or less than hoped for.

Seeing the road ahead, the preparation of waiting and suffering makes sense. We have been prepared for a new assignment or character quality by abandoning our own ideas and plans. Like Moses after 40 years of herding sheep in the desert, we are willing to go where previously we would have refused.

What are we suffering to prepare us for a wonderful future of unexpected opportunity?

Read more:
*May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God. Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen. Galatians 6:14-18 NIV

Person space

Every person lives in their person space, large or small. To think the whole house, its silence, and 24 hours a day belonged to me just yesterday! After two weeks at home without my husband, I was wondering how his return would affect my own space. He's busy. Busy. BUSY. Did I say busy?

Here's what happened, besides enjoying the company of my dear husband:

• The entry filled up, emptied again. Luggage, tools, miscellaeous stuff. It came. It went, along with the stack of his mail.
• We snacked an extra 7-800 calories each last night: almonds and licorice and chips. While sitting in bed reading. (And I've been SOOOOooo good for 2 weeks!)
• We took the dog for a short walk this morning, so I skipped my exercise class. I overextended a few joints last weekend, and that's a good excuse. But my top reason is that there's too much prep for the weekend. I knew I was in for multiple interruptions rather than an open, unscheduled day.
• We drove to Snoqualmie for lunch and to pick up a patio heater. We also dropped by the college so W could gather his mail and check in. Three hours later, both of us tackled our work at home.
• I cooked two sit-down meals for us, breakfast and supper, rather than snatching a quick meal between work and play.
• It's night, time to bring in the feather quilts from the deck railing, and settle down to read before bed. I'm just bringing along a few pieces of chocolate. Honest!

My own space? Still plenty of it. I devoted it to getting rid of eight finches (gone in a day = the power of Craigslist free), called the house-sitter (thanks, T!), confirmed the doggie drop-off at the dog-sitter, finished my coursework for next week, wrapped up the class PPTs, and organized the student material to be copied.

I almost broke down to bake "vegan chocolate chocolate almond chocolate chip" cookies (me messing with a basic recipe = killer!) But I'd have to eat them in the next few days. Maybe not.

There's no room in my person for more treats after a full day like today.

Read more:

*Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious! Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name." Psalm 66:1-4 NIV

*Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments,  for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NIV

Pure perfection!

"Oh, Christianity is just rules. Don't do this, don't do that! I want to be free to do my own thing!" I've heard that a time or two. Most people who say this know nothing about the freedom Christians enjoy, resting in Christ to live life to the full.

The 10 Commandments aren't designed just to "make us mind." They point out God's high expectations for alignment with God's character. Yet who of us has never disrespected God, lied, stolen, looked lustfully at another person, or coveted someone's "stuff?" When we "break" a commandment, we trespass against the holiness and purity of God. We become warped, increasingly imperfect specimens of humanity.

Reading through Psalm 119: 89-97 this morning reminds me that there is one who is perfect. How blessed we are to have that perfection attributed to us when we shelter under the cross of Christ.

Who is this wonderful God, who not only provides the Standard, but extends such favor to us? Who is the One who offers us wholeness?

• Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. HE IS UNCHANGING
• Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures. HE IS FAITHFUL
• Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you. ...ENDURING
• If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. ...SUSTAINING
• I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life. ...PRESERVING
• Save me, for I am yours; I have sought out your precepts. ...RESCUING
• The wicked are waiting to destroy me, but I will ponder your statutes. ...GOOD
• To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless. ...LIMITLESS
• Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. ...BEAUTIFUL
• Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. ...A LIGHT TO FOLLOW

Now that's perfection worth celebrating and a God worth emulating!

Holy yoga. ?

Last year, I heard about something called Holy Yoga, exercise sessions started in Arizona. I was pretty interested. My back has been bothering me from hunching over books and computer. Yoga-style stretches would give my back and neck a workout. I backed away, wondering how a mix of Christian meditation and Hindu-originated postures could work together.

Then last week, I bought a $20 Seattle Groupon for 20 sessions of "Hot Yoga," whatever that was. The coupon arrived Tuesday last week, so I started the ordeal. I figured even if I went once and my back could relax, I would almost break even: regular exercise sessions are $17-23.

I'm utterly disinterested in yoga as a component of Hindu religion. Hinduism conflicts with the very foundations of Christianity. I definitely wouldn't recommend yoga exercises for young believers or do them in Asia, where the religious context is irrevocably interlinked. However, at this American gym, hot yoga is an exercise class without religious words or Hindu overtones.

Every day this week and last (with Sunday off), I've unrolled a mat in a gym room with 20-30 sweating others. We do 26 exercises in the same order, day after day, in a room heated to 105-110 degrees. Sometimes the instructor forgets to turn on the fans. (Hot hot hot, is right.)

Every second day, my body cooperates, more or less. My body remembers being flexible and balanced, once upon a time. I can stretch face to knee or lay the back of my head on the mat, elbows overhead, while knees and feet are under my back. But I never can lock one leg and twist myself into a pretzel. I've yet to lean forward on one leg and kick back with the other leg held in the air. Wobble, wobble, try again. Wobble.

But I definitely, unabashedly hate every other day. I can't bend, can't reach, and topple over at the slightest suggestion of standing on one locked knee. The temperature feels like 150o, I'm nauseated, and passing out seems distinctly possible. I lay down flat on my mat with other overheated students. We try to breathe and stay in the room, instead of bolting. The discipline of going to the gym helps keep me working. "Tomorrow will be easier," I tell myself after a really bad day.

I was concerned about the mish-mash of Eastern religious ideals with exercises. Instead, I found that the pauses between poses spotlighted the contrast between Eastern religions and Christianity. "Focus on one spot, think of your breathing, empty your mind to relax," says the instructor. "This focus will help you get through the day - it will help you empty your mind of stress."

But as I'm stretching, my whole being reverberates with the Bible verses and chapters I have read this morning or before sleep last night. My heart swells with amazement as I ponder, "Our Father who art in heaven," or "Christ in you, the hope of glory." The psalms I have memorized sing loudly with my hammering pulse, or I pray the Jesus Prayer: (inhale) "Lord      Jesus      Christ, (exhale) have mercy      on me,      a sinner,"

By the time we're done, my mind is overflowing with the splendor and awe of worship, I've prayed for those working out beside me, and my heart has loudly exulted in the Lord our God. Instead of striving for calm emptiness like those around me, I walk out empowered to face the day's stressors, having delighted in the beauty of God's plan of salvation and the fullness of the Presence.

I am struck each morning by the contrast in philosophy and faith: emptiness or fullness. We get to choose through our core commitment for or against Christ, focusing our minds while our bodies streeettttchhh this way and that. By committing my life to Jesus, I have chosen the fullness of Christ, the hope of the gospel, rather than the empty self-realization of the world.

I'm debating whether to continue. So far, I'm 95% against doing this regularly, just because I don't want to be lured into any other religious practice. This season of reflection and meditation on God's goodness has truly been a gift from the Lord, restoring a flexibility I'd forgotten and healing my aching back. Best of all, I've had time to think about how I love my Savior and how much I appreciate his holiness and his protection. Oh, how I've enjoyed these set-apart hours of devotion, daily time to focus on the beauty of our faith.

But to find him so near in a gym doing yoga stretches? That's a surprise, for sure. "Oh Rosemarie, what next!" my mother would say.

Read more:
*Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come. Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you? Psalm 71:17-19 NIV

*For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16-17 NKJV


*In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and
the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Hebrews 1:1-3 NIV 

Reneging on a handshake

I'm kinda ticked. Sonia and I (and her mother) shook hands over sending Spike to their place for 2-3 weeks this summer. I gave Sonia some good-will money up front to hold a good deal for her and me - she's young, and this is great summer pay for a kid who will walk and play with my dog.

Yesterday I got an email saying, "Hope all is well. How about more money? My mom thought I should ask for more." What? She asked a small amount - $5 a day to keep our dog for a final week. But we had an agreement for a set amount for 2-3 weeks. I probably would have given her the same amount in a tip for a job well-done.

I asked my son what he thought. "To keep good will, I'd just pay the money. She might be a good resource in the future."

Maybe she will be a good resource. But it bothers me that an arrangement was so easily forgotten. That a child is being taught that more is better... and it is okay to go back on a contract. I will pay, but I'm not sure I trust her or her mom as much as I did at our first meeting.

There have been many times when I have gone back on my word as well. Not lived up to my obligations. Disappointed people, and lived to regret my dishonesty, greed, or lack of manners.

I'm glad God is utterly trustworthy. He never reneges on his promises. His faithfulness endures forever, and his Word is his bond. He even promised to forgive us as we would forgive those who trespassed against us. Whew. Let me get out my wallet right now!

Read more:
*O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. Isaiah 25:1 NKJV

*Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him,  we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. 2 Timothy 2:11-13 NIV

Pleasant places

Pleasant places. We want life to be full of them. But Psalm 23 talks both about green pastures and the valley of the shadow of death. Most of us would choose the first over the last.

It's easy to forget that the sun shines when we're in the middle of a rainy day. And when it's going great, we forget those overwhelmed by rain and floods. We just had a fine day in Seattle, but across the continent, people are experiencing tornadoes (Billings, MT), floods (Medicine Hat, AL), and oil sludge (SE USA).

I wonder how much of our indifference to those who suffer is because we expect life to be good. We are surprised when people die, when our children or parents get ill, or when we lose our homes and bank accounts. Yet few escape the consequences of humanity's selfish ambition, greed, and carelessness that unleash catastrophes of sickness, broken relationships, and poverty.

Sometimes I wonder how much of our casual dismissal of tragedy elsewhere in the world is a subconscious warding-off of the possibility that it could happen to us. War, famine, refugee hunger. With a phone call or stroke of a pen, a country can be committed to conflict and a nation's destiny turns from prosperity to conflict and desperation. A heated wind touches cool water, and a hurricane is born. The earth shifts, and homes and shops quake into scrap heaps.

We don't know when we will face trouble, but we know it is coming. Those of us who have made God our refuge live in the security that he will keep us safe in his care. If we die, he takes us to himself. He knows when our lives are done.

The most pleasant place of all? Resting in our Savior's love and protection, no matter what the circumstances.

Read more:
*LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:5-8 NIV

*Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death. Psalm 68:19-20 NIV

*Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7 NIV