Deuteronomy 31:8
It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you;
He will not leave you or forsake you.
Do not fear or be dismayed.
This is an important Promise of God. And the wording of His Promise is clear and majestic. Impressive and Direct.
However, it's not what you'd think as you drove off to have lunch and take a day tour of Galveston. About an hour and a half from our home. My son's girlfriend is completing the qualifications of her medical employment and moved in with us for 8 weeks because her apartment time was up: she is moving to Colorado. We started the day out by walking the dogs, went to have Coffee, talked to people about the Poodles. Then, started our great day seeing Cruise Liners go past our lunch. I remembered when people on a ship waved. Not so much these days. We visited some impressive graveyards very similar to New Orleans and then planned to take the Ferry to Bolivar's Peninsula. All was sunshine and a happy day. And the line was brief to the Ferry. An easy, breezy day.
This Zone has about two Flee verses...
As I got out of my car on the Ferry, a man who was anywhere from 60 to 75 years called me from his truck. "Come here. Come here, Lady. Lady, please come here." I'm friendly, but the chances I'm putting my light under a basket to run over to a truck are absolutely nil. He spent about 5 minutes calling me. "Come here, My Lady, My Lady, come here." Absolutely not.
Danger.
Then my son's girlfriend wanted to go up to the next deck and see out. We did for about 5 minutes. Drove about 20 minutes up Bolivar Peninsula and pulled into a driveway slowly, backed up, got on the highway and the car began to misfire. And a truck was on our bumper. To me, it looked suspiciously like the truck from the Ferry. We drove up half a mile and pulled a decoy move as if we would get gasoline, and then apparently changed our minds and left very promptly. The white truck mimicked our decoy move and made sure to be on our bumper. The car engine light came on. I asked my son's girlfriend to turn around and give him an intense stare to let him know he was to be identified. He was dark headed, bearded and about 35 years old.
Managed to get on the Ferry surrounded by police, Homeland Security and Ferry Texas Transportation Workers. SAFE. Called Edward, he was very concerned what was what. Of course now it was past 5 pm and all the mechanics were closed. Auto Zone. Too busy to help, fobbed us off on the next Auto Zone 6 miles away. Two hours later, we were getting new spark plugs. And the man yelling, "My Lady" walked by. He knew he wasn't getting any polite interest. It's Pandemic days, odd things happen. He wasn't in his same white truck the second time.
Spark plugs were a no-go. So, flatbed tow truck home. Nice tow truck drivers. One was a retired Policeman. Home by midnight thirty, after taking it to the mechanics we know and trust.
Saturday I felt quite and very cheerful. Saturday wasn't Friday, we had a new day. No matched my cheerfulness. Sunday, I feel somewhat blue.
Which brings us back to 'Flee'.
Biblical Flee.
Flee the Love of Money, causing senseless and harmful ruin and destruction.
God says leave Sexual Sin. Depart.
Wrath.
Sorcery.
Murder.
God says leave Sexual Sin. Depart.
Wrath.
Sorcery.
Murder.
Flee 132 times. When did Jesus Flee. Never. Thank God.
God wants to Save the World in Jesus Christ.
God wants to Save the World in Jesus Christ.
He did not. Jesus did not Flee. Yet as Resurrected Jesus, He made priorities to be with 500 people. Jesus being God knew that He was making incredibly valuable time count. We know for a fact, Jesus forgave the Romans, the Centurions and even Herod and Pontius Pilate. And what Jesus gave the others than the 500 was time, their own time for what they would do with this Forgiveness.
We can see the complete and amazing Scope of Jesus Forgiveness in sending His Beloved into Rome itself. And in endurance, Caesarea is an astonishing Prophecy of Jesus. This is Indeed where Jesus Built His Church.
Rick Warren explained, recovering from Divorce does not mean to move in with an ex-spouse. In fact, The Old Testament records, signing up for this kind of suffering will insure decay and rot. We do not sign up for suffering. God took all the really outrageous things out by explaining about tremendous trouble in Leviticus and the other Pentateuch Books.
We can see the complete and amazing Scope of Jesus Forgiveness in sending His Beloved into Rome itself. And in endurance, Caesarea is an astonishing Prophecy of Jesus. This is Indeed where Jesus Built His Church.
Rick Warren explained, recovering from Divorce does not mean to move in with an ex-spouse. In fact, The Old Testament records, signing up for this kind of suffering will insure decay and rot. We do not sign up for suffering. God took all the really outrageous things out by explaining about tremendous trouble in Leviticus and the other Pentateuch Books.
Wrath.
So, God said Flee Wrath. I can tell you being chased in a car, when your car gives a blinking engine light that says get to a mechanic immediately, when two separate men seem to be bothering us. When my son's girlfriend is giving advice, Edward is YELLING on the phone and all the mechanics have gone home on Friday Evening, wrath is the people getting along in the car. I did pretty well. I hung up on Edward several times, saying, "Don't YELL!" And explained we couldn't go look for a charger for our two dying phones because the engine was in critical mode. I didn't yell at the Auto Zone making us go 6 extra miles. I didn't yell.
But by the time I got home, I wasn't speaking much and annoyed with the entire world. By the way, Auto Zone carries phone chargers. What did we do before the internet without the Waze App telling you went to turn down R Avenue and 59th Street to do a square behind the Second Auto Zone instead of staying on Broadway and turning on Stewart Street? No one loves to be chuckled at when trouble is happening.
We take Wrath and sweep it away.
Family History
finding
the Balance
I looked back over the past, and thought about family dust ups and fuss ups. So... don't waste time speaking about Trauma? I had to talk to my sons.
In my family, the elderly women have had 4 generations dismiss them. Today, we would call that ghosting. And it must be prevalent because we had a Sermon about busy adult children don't return texts for 3,4 12 days. And everyone laughed. Friend, I'm not laughing.
My family runs up and down the generation ages because Grandmother's family did. But I'm not willing to put being polite on the back burner. If I'm told I'm free till Tuesday, be free till Tuesday. If I say I'm free Saturday, then you are free Saturday.
My great-grandmother paid for sending her son off to Swanee Military Academy at age 7. Bye. Yes, you risk forever. And they tolerated her. I know very little about her, but she was Christian and her only grandchild, my amazing Father, bored her. Ok, I have to agree, we pave our path. She moved in, in her ancient age, with my wonderful Grandmother Bit and caused family disharmony to put up with COLD. Cold will get you dismissed.
Yet, My Grandmother Bit said she couldn't have lived with herself if she hadn't done what she could because this was her family tradition. Bit had lived harmonizing with her parents, her two widowed Grandmothers, one was trouble, and her three siblings in family pleasure and harmony. Her grandmother, by her mother, was her favorite person on earth. Mamma. Her mother was Munner because the pack of toddlers couldn't say, "Mother." This was win-win.
My Grandmother Bit wasn't treated fairly by her only child, Daddy. He was off being what 1 in 3 in the USA are - alcoholics. But even so, my Grandmother had 3 of her 4 Grandchildren named for her for being Loving. She handled it by being overly nice to the rude behavior adult child. This really didn't work. Hoping for the best continually.
My mother probably had anti-depressant divorce taking pills Dementia long ago. My brother realized as I did, someone had eaten mother, looked like mother, wasn't mother. She pulled hair to get me out of bed on Christmas as a 42 year old. Everything was a comparison and a put down. John saw her once a year. Unfortunately, this doesn't provide a family history of reliable old people. Avoid granny isn't the best example of leadership. Mother had the worst of the worst of Alzheimer experiences. I have been hassled for not being a better caregiver. I'd say I did actually a stellar job. One Anglican Priest, who had lived parental unavailability to neglect, gave me stellar advice and Mother's Church both helped exceedingly. Prayers from friends and Church Really Helped.
But pretending as if there are not bumps, don't make the bumps go away. I've read about the generation gap where downtime is filled in with technology. Don't be a hassle, be supportive. Really? I don't think fake works. Old women get easier and easier to dismiss. I've decided to Fight the Good Fight. Take on the Shield of Faith and run to the Fight. They love me, I know because they have wept when people un expectantly died and cried it could be me. But I'm going to speak up to talk about Trauma days, Rejoice in Joys and make my path with Hope and with Truth. The way, the Truth and the Life. Know me, know the ability to provide a polite, safe place where Love can grow.
Delma Donahue. A woman I worked with at CCA had 4 children and one thought she was the coat rack. Delma made sure she wasn't the coat rack. And this 2 to 4 year project worked. Delma was fighting the Good Fight. Yelling didn't get her attention. Rude behavior didn't get phone calls. Missed Birthdays Complaints by the Child brought a time to explain rude isn't love. If we are going to live the Way, the Truth and the Life, we aren't going to get there with cruelty and nicey. We are going to have the conversation, stick to our guns, and pray out the low and insensitive. If you feel like crying, cry. But do not ever forget to find the Joy and Celebrate Joy every time you can find, create, hope and believe God Loves Joy.
My sons were in college. No one was answering the phone. I waited 3 or 4 months for the outraged phone call and said, "You Have To Call Back." Worked. I plan what I can say that is joyful and will encourage. I will continue the Good Fight. We recently had a birthday blowout about manners, we had a helluva discussion and found that cleared up the air and creates a place Love can Grow. Don't give up, don't back down, Don't create an ongoing, ongoing, ongoing complaint about wordswords words. Flee tells us flee the people who create controversy. Be honest and heal and grow UPWARDS and go on. Love. Always Love. Perfection in humanity isn't in the Bible. Believing is.
Trauma has a way of mucking it up. And after a flood, after water rises, it looks messy like a spilled stomach or just plain vomit. It's up to Faith and Belief and Love to take Trauma and clean it up with the Good Fight Jesus puts in us. Act 2 Fire of the Holy Spirit is surviving the Fire. Moses saw the Fire as well. We will not be burned out, we will fly like Eagles and Renew in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Just remember, if some stranger is beckoning you with, "Hey Lady." Don't go near the truck. Really. Duh.
Isaiah 40:31
Those who trust in the LORD will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.
They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
Abba, Father,
God's Love
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Every day we work to believe the One He has sent us, Jesus.
Father GOD, bless, protect, guide and lead those who require a Savior. Me. You.
Remember us in your Mercy.
Your overwhelming Mercy.
Dwell in us.
Help us to seek You first.
And we will finish well in Jesus Christ.
In Jesus we pray, Your will be done! Amen.
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