Psalm 106:1-8
Praise the Lord!
Oh give thanks to the Lord,
for He is good,
for His steadfast love endures forever!
2 Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord,
or declare
all
His Praise?
3 Blessed are they who observe justice,
who do righteousness at all times!
4 Remember me, O Lord,
when You show favor to Your people;
help me when You save them,
5 that I may look upon the prosperity
of Your chosen ones,
that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your Nation,
that I may
Glory with Your inheritance.
6 Both we and our fathers have sinned;
we have committed iniquity;
we have done wickedness.
7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,
did not
consider Your wondrous works;
they did not remember
the abundance of Your steadfast love
But rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
Yet He saved them
for His Name's Sake,
that
He might make known
His mighty power.
As a child, one day we realize the people we know, we won't be calling them on the phone or planning days to visit.
I still remember the weather the day, I was 4 years old, my daddy explained that one day I'd pass away, be dead, too. “But not tomorrow, right, Daddy?” He laughed hilariously and had to call my mother. It's great to get people to laugh. And then I went outside, to the front yard, and wandered down our street to look around. It was winter, but the day was quite comfortable and the sky so blue. And one day … I'd be Dead. That was frightening.
I read a lot. I had a talent for reading and in 5th grade I was put on the college reading list at our Parochial School. Both of my grandmothers had only one child, and both grandmothers waited 10 years, for their only children to have a baby. My mother's mother thought it was wonderful to have a mini me reader. My father's mother read quite a bit, a lot, and she thought it was a colossal bore to watcher her grandchild read. Which I found amusing.
One day, in fifth grade, my mother's mother brought me a blue notebook with lined paper and a pen and told me to write a paragraph of every book I read. Why? Because Grandmother Anita had asked the Lord what my occupation would be and it would be a writer. I replied I hated book reports and that was unlikely. She assured me this was so. My father and grandmothers did not see eye to eye, mildly put, and my father said this was an excellent idea and to do this. I did. For about a year, and God alone knows what happened to the notebook when we moved states.
But the idea stuck with me. A writer. I knew I had nothing to say of interest. And I read an article saying writers are interested in a story of life. I realized this was true and I started listening when people spoke to me of their lives.
Listen. Listening. Why do you feel this way, how does it connect to what I know. What is new here. Results, Solutions. Does it benefit Life. For how many.
One of the aspects, I knew from living in a small town and going to Jr High and High School, you knew the teachers' spouses, KIDS, nephews, sisters, parents. And then they worked for my father. And the man who fixed the storm windows, lived 2 doors down and was the elected Mayor. Life has surprises. And if the sibling did this, then the other sibling does that. Almost like a game of pool.
One of the problems with collections of life stories, you realize at a very young age, life can change on a dime. Our neighbor, my drinking parents loved from our church, came over and the wine was put quickly away. We absolutely loved her. She died. Fell into a snow bank, and didn't have the strength to get out. It was mourning for the Church that was so close and kindly. And hilarious to the bar crowd who hooted at everyone and their drinking pals or drinking debates.
When I wandered into the county courtroom, to hear the trials,
I immediately was castigated at the next weekend because the courtroom was filled with the lawyer who lived a block away and the court reporter who was my mother's, dear friend's aunt.
Then this lingers. And now for my in-laws, cousin's and cousins. Sometimes oldest, of the 3,4 generations we all know. For my mother's side and my father's side, I am the one who knows why they did this, when about they did this and who said what. I know their last 4 generations of stories. So, I am rounded up and asked to tell the family events of my in-laws and to cousins who is related and how.
And sometimes, my husband and I are picked out to be confessors of things we had no idea about. Out of a crowd.
A college friend who ended a pregnancy. She never again was a girl. And not warm in her heart anymore. Thinking someone would guess what happened. Another young woman in the dorm. Anger acting out. Not realizing men tell other people where the anger comes from. The young boy, he said he was never as care free again. The doctor to be who ended his gf baby, he never wanted to know those friends in his life again. Get rid of those who knew.
A friend came to tell me one day, her husband had not allowed her to keep their 3rd pregnancy to birth. He had enough, and she should think of the blessings kept for their 2 living children. She ended the life of their shared unborn child. It became the end of their affection for one another. Decades of complaints. Never the same love again.
Meeting the people in Pro Life, who wanted to talk freely about their lives and experience healing. Forgiven. Stronger. Healed.
And this lingers. I wanted a sibling. My parents took another 8 years to produce my brother. At Holiday Seasons, we would have one grandmother, two parents, me and a sibling who didn't talk. Or another grandmother, cousins who all died very, very, very young from out of state, 2 parents, my brother, ten years younger than all of us and talking about toys, and a friend or two.
And this lingers.
Babies are rare and few. Unless you are my grandmother Anita's family. When 13 children of the family started in 1866 began. 12 lived. 10 of them to age 90. I know I was the administrator of the Estate that had to find the 68 heirs of the family of 1866. Then the next generation had one or two children.
And this lingers
Babies are rare and few. One day, my 83-year-old ward decided to tell me the family story. Her mother, my very fine great aunt decided, at age 19, she had met a keeper. And she got as pregnant as she could get to keep him. He did look exactly like Robert Mitchum. Look him up, he is Good Looking. And then he became Governor of Texas for a day. And was the Majority Leader of the Texas Senate for 16 years. Dallas City Councilman. Chief of Police. She might have been just right about him.
Sinners! And they were very active in their, his and her, Church going. And were pillars. For how many years? About all of them.
Not as much fun for my ward, who was told to be a year younger than she actually was. It was a scar upon a good life. A big one. And she was their…. Only child. Good thing that she wasn't aborted. My ward began life as a quasi surprise. And she was one of my favorite people on earth.
Life stories linger. I have had 3 children. 2 were born in their 8th month and I became so familiar in the NICU, what 6,7 and 8 month babies look like as they struggle in their incubator. To life. To LIVE.
My childhood best friend, at age 4, weighed only a little more than a pound at birth. My husband's friends' wife had her daughter at under a pound birth weight. Today, this baby has 3 children. Who all like to snow ski.
My distant cousin, who was so incredibly artistic, went to Mexico City for College. Where she got pregnant and her mother helped to make sure she wasn't pregnant for long. To spite her mother, she did it again the next year. And her mother spited her right again. This cousin grew up to have a beautiful wedding and go on to be an incredibly wonderful elementary art teacher. To find she could not have children. And she went far beyond clinical depression. Life stories tend to have rippling effects.
Shared family and I both went to work at Pro Life. Our sorrow at her sorrow.
How many surprises in 3, 4 generations. My only ward. My only sibling. One of my nieces and nephews. So glad they are alive today. 2 Distant Cousins were surprises and they made it to being born.
The ones who did not make it to being born are four, four souls in number. And it is with great sadness they are missed until the fine day.
All these life stories. So many struggles. So many shames. So many sorrows.
And they have been overcome.
They become the stories of Abundant Life.
Blaze a trail for LIFE.
Bible Trivia question: From verse 2.
Who can offer God ALL His Praise?
Yes, the usual answer is Psalms. The Book of Psalms is recognized in bringing forth the events of the New and Old Testament. Na. John 21 is more accurate. John tells us, all the books of the world could not begin to tell us about the LIFE of Jesus Christ.
Genesis 18:14, Jeremiah 32:17,
Jeremiah 32:27, Luke 18:27
“Behold,
I am the Lord,
The God of All flesh;
is there anything too difficult for Me?”
Psalm 106:43-48
AMEN
Many times He delivered them,
but they were rebellious
in their purposes
and
were
brought low through their iniquity.
44 Nevertheless,
He looked upon their distress,
when He heard their cry.
45 For their sake
He remembered His Covenant,
and
relented
according to
the Abundance of His Steadfast Love.
46 He caused them to be pitied
by all those who held them captive.
47 Save us, O Lord our God,
and
gather us from
among the nations,
that
we may give thanks
to Your Holy Name
and
Glory in Your Praise.
48 Blessed be the Lord,
the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say,
“Amen!”
ABBA, FATHER,
The grace
of our
Lord Jesus Christ
be with your Spirit,
brothers.
Amen.
O LORD Our Lord God, Almighty
and
Governor of our souls,
Whose Glory
is in
all
the world
We commend this nation
to Thy merciful care,
that being guided by Thy Providence,
we may dwell secure
in Thy peace.
Grant to
THE PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES,
and to all
in Authority, wisdom and strength
to know
and
to do Thy Will.
God our Creator,
help everyone to share
in the good gifts
You have given to us.
May those who lead
the nations of the world be given wisdom.
Especially we pray for Donald,
our President,
You would fill him
with all
the gifts and blessings
he must have to fulfill
the solemn task before him.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
ABBA, FATHER,
The safety
of those
helping the earth
to heal.
Let evil and practicing evil
depart
far
from us
and our children.
With Your Help
We will act justly
and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with You, our God.
Peace for California
putting out the many, many, many fires
including riots and gunfire
And
speedy insurance
claims
and fast rebuilding
realizing the standard building codes
even of Reagan
were safe.
Peace
Dwell in me,
Dwell in us,
Dwell in those we Love,
Help us to seek You first.
And we will finish well,
in Jesus Christ.
Help us seek and find
and bring,
to become,
more Heaven
to this earth.
And in Jesus - This Hope.
Faith and Love - we will rise up Believing Jesus.
Amen
♔ Lord Jesus Saves †
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