Prophets give wake-up call to Good News

“A nation has invaded my land, a mighty army without number; it has the teeth of a lion, the fangs of a lioness.”
‭‭Joel‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/111/jol.1.6.niv

Fully conscious I was not.  To know I didn't need to be aware of the world.  I knew.  It was my only clear thought in the anaesthetic fog. I had heard of the invader.  Now I had to deal with that invader.  I recognized the teeth of that lion.  It was time to wake up and face that lion.

The Old Testament prophets, like Joel, delivered "wake-up calls."  Verse 5 even begins with "wake up".  It seems the prophets were full of doom and gloom.  Yet within each message is hope.  One needs to peer through the fog of gloom to find it.

Prophets deliver an amazing message.  In spite of human stubbornness there is hope.  If we lose our stubborn thirst for "wanting what we want" ignoring the future implications of our selfish choices, hope is waiting.

Prophets give us the path to find that message of good news, once the message of the invasion of evil becomes clear to us.  Later in the book Joel issues the call to stop doing evil, change the direction of the heart and follow God.  The promise of safety is with God.

The night before my invader had a name, I had found the comfort of good news.  In my panic, I tried to read.  God spoke to me in one particular paragraph of that book.   All I needed to know was He was God.  He was in control.  I was not in control. He could handle the lion. I had hope.


I like waking up, every morning, because I can.
I like waking up because God is in control, even though I have my "to-do" list.
I like waking up to find the Good News in each day.
I like waking up to His Hope.

Almost 18 years and counting!

We need one more word-yet

“Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call her Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”), for I will no longer show love to Israel, that I should at all forgive them.”
‭‭Hosea‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/111/hos.1.6.niv

I'm determined to continue my journey of the 6th verse of all 66 books of the Bible.  I believe inspiration for daily life will be found in each one.  Sometimes  I need to stretch my rule and consider context of that sixth verse.  Today I needed just one more word.

Hosea was a prophet who lived through many years of history.  He lived during the time of several kings, good and bad.   The Lord directed him to marry a woman, Gomer, of questionable reputation. She was the mother of his children as noted in chapter one verse six.  When she was unfaithful God instructed Hosea to take her back.

Yet.  For today's "aha" moment from verse 6  I only needed one small word.  The first word of the next verse is Yet.  I'm very excited about "Yet".  Yet has bolstered my spiritual journey.  Now I want to live in the world of Yet.

This cute little dog doesn't want to live in the world of Yet.  She hears the word often.  Her stomach is always empty.  She wants food. She coughs, scratches my leg and gives me this look several times a day.  My frequent reply:  "It's not time yet."  She doesn't like the word yet because she lives for the now.

In Hosea's world, there was a lot of bad news coming (Israel was about to lost God's love).  Yet there was good news coming (Judah would be saved).  God was "calling it quits" on Israel.  Yet He still has hope for Judah.

The dictionary taught me that Yet is a conjunction.  Further reading informed me that Yet at the beginning of a sentence introduces a contrary idea from the prior sentence. (Apparently some language gurus frown on certain conjunctions beginning sentences.) Yet joins the thoughts.

Today Yet gives me hope and optimism.  Yet looks to the future,  Yet is the land of God's power, not mine.  When I've strayed too far, yet God is waiting for me.  When I'm lost in the world of error and misunderstanding, yet God is with me.  When I'm rejected and alone, yet God is always with me.

My world may look grim.  Yet reminds me God is always with me.

Yet reminds me of "Nevertheless", a synonym and another conjunction.  Nevertheless always surprises me.  It's three separate words that are allowed to be one.  Even Spellcheck is never surprised. God is never the less.  I am the less. Yet God won't leave me as the less, He gives a future in the Yet.

Whatever reality today or tomorrow brings me, God always has Yet for you and me.

It's What You Are to God

Hi! My name is Anastasia!

Anastasia.  I always choose Anastasia when the game is played.  It began because I was fascinated by the mystery of the name.  Now I choose it because it is guaranteed to garner giggles from the crowd.   Usually I play the name game once with each small group I lead.  The first question  is fun and hopefully non-threatening. "If you could choose your first name, what would it be?"  Few people have ever chosen their name.  It's an enlightening exercise.  (Sometimes, I remember the "game name" easier than the person's real name!  A friend's husband will always be Brett to me!)

"Among these were some from Judah:  Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah." Daniel 1:6 NIV

In Daniel 1:6 four heroes are listed.  In the next verses they are renamed, not voluntarily, by the conquering king's chief official.  I suspect the four heroes liked their names.  Each name related to God.  The four had been selected as the best and brightest of the vanquished tribe and were being indoctrinated into the victorious king's service.  Apparently the first step in the transformation was Babylonian names.

The next step in training was diet. They were to live on the royal food and wine.  Daniel petitioned the official for relief from this diet as it would defile the four heroes.   The official was concerned for his own safety if the king's orders were not followed.  Daniel proposed a ten day test.  Feed the four of them vegetables and water.  After ten days, compare them to the others fed the royal meal plan.  The result of this test showed the four healthier and better nourished. 

Their physical bodies were in service to a foreign king.  Their hearts were in service to the One True God. When the opportunity to stand for the One True God, they dared to stand for Him.  

Be sure to read the rest of the book of Daniel. You'll be singing the old hymn "Dare to Be A Daniel"! ( Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to Stand Alone, Dare to have a purpose firm,  Dare to make it known. by Phillip Bliss)

Daniel knew what the world calls you isn't who you are.  What goes inside you, determines who you are.  Today we have so much from the world to choose to put in our body and our minds.  We must choose, what goes into our hearts and bodies, wisely to stand  ready to make Him known.  God knows our name and knows our heart.  Our purpose- to make His name known.

All That Matter, Relationship to One

"It's Mr. Jan!"  My new friends called out to my husband as he came through the door.  They'd heard about him. They knew about his job and his personality.  Apparently I don't use his name enough.  They know about our relationship.  They knew who he was because he was with me.

I have a challenge.  I'm determined to finish my series of blogs on the sixth verse of each book of the Bible.  The sixth verse in Ezekiel is pretty short:

"but each of  them had four faces and four wings." 

Lord, where's the inspiration in this partial sentence describing those curious four living creatures?  ( This verse begins with the word 'but', rarely does good follow 'but'!)

The number four captured my attention.  Four creatures with four faces and four wings. I like numbers.  They are definite.  There is rarely a discrepancy with a number involved.  You can always count and confirm a number.

My surprise was the definition of four is relational.  The dictionary explained four is the sum of two plus two or the sum of  one plus three or ten minus six.  Apparently to comprehend four, I must understand two, one, ten and six.  I did have quality math teachers so I understood four with the  presentation of its relationship to other numbers.  Just like my friends recognized my husband because of his relationship to me. 

The critical number to comprehend in the world of math relationships is one.  It is the first and lowest whole number.  In my mind all the numbers are defined in relationship to one.  I must acknowledge one before I can comprehend any other number.  It begins with one!

Ezekiel 1: 6 , and this thought exercise on numbers, led me to ponder my relationship with God.  My relationship with God is also defined by a number - the number One.  There is:

only One God, despite the world's attempts to control me with cheap imitations;

only One knows me completely and values me absolutely, despite the world's attempts to convince me otherwise;

only One gives me my true worth and identity while the world squeezes me into restrictive labels.

 Do our earthly relationships recognize our relationship with The Only One?

Do others understand The Only One because of  what we say about Him or how we live life? 

Do others see the value we place on relationship with The Only One?

All that matters, relationship to One!

Pursue the world,Lose The Splendor

“All the splendor has departed from Daughter Zion. Her princes are like deer that find no pasture; in weakness they have fled before the pursuer.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/111/lam.1.6.niv

I thought  it would be cool.  And yet, I was interrupting the splendor. 

Our friends had gathered at the shore to share a fire and sunset.  My phone was busy.  Dozens of photos attempting to capture the splendor.

I tried the "trick" shot.  My hand seems to hold the sun.  Rather than enjoy the sun, all I notice is that really old hand in the front of the scene.

Lamentations 1:6 peaks my interest in the whole book.  This verse does not inspire me on its own.  The book of Lamentations reveals the suffering of the Israelites when their beloved city of Jerusalem was destroyed.  These poems lay bare the cause of the suffering, their sin, and the effect of that sin before the people and God. 

It could be a discouraging read, and yet gems of encouragement pop off the written page.   The familiar verses in chapter 3,verses 22-23, gave the basis for the popular hymn "Great is Thy Faithfulness".  (I just read the lyrics were composed just a few miles from my home!)

Another gem in chapter 5,verse 19 with two words encourage me.  "And yet.." (in The Message:  "And yet, God, you're sovereign still, your throne intact and eternal.")  In spite of our circumstances, our sin and resulting consequences, God is sovereign still.  God, in all His splendor, will stand.  God is the foundation.  God is in control.  It is not our job to improve the presentation of God's sovereignty.

I need the reminder: in spite of my failures and sin, God is sovereign, intact and eternal. Regardless of the world's attempts to sell us cheap imitations, I need to rest and relish His splendor and sovereignty.

God Knows, Chooses, Believes in me

I've named it "Disclosure Corner".  We live in a society that needs to expect misunderstanding and failure.  This pile is just for the last 7 months!  Not shown are countless times I've clicked "I've read and agree" on an internet site.  We need to cover ourselves with disclosure yet never really read the warnings for issues, problems and failures. (Note the still sealed plastic mailer.)

 "Ah, Sovereign Lord," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."  Jeremiah 1:6 NIV

Today as I read, it seems Jeremiah is delivering his potential failure warning to God as God reveals His calling for Jeremiah.  Jeremiah is just like so many other Biblical heroes, and us, ordinary wannabe servants.  Worried about not meeting expectations. I'll admit that too often I've confessed the same when sensing God's leading.

In spite of Jeremiah's prediction of inadequacy, God replies with empowering instructions:
Do not say you are a child. Go where I send you.
Don't be afraid.  I am with you.

Then God did a really cool thing.  He touched Jeremiah's mouth with His hand and pronounced, "See today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."(Jeremiah 1:8 NIV)

Now that's a scrapbook moment! It should be preserved in a method so it will serve as a constant reminder. It's worthy of a post-it note on the bathroom mirror so it will be a daily reminder.

I don't have the influence of Jeremiah but each day God has Jan-sized missions.  I may try to play the disclaimer card with Him but God says the same to me just as He said to Jeremiah, and you;

I know you
I choose you
I believe in You

God reminds me, and you:
Go where I say
I will always be with  you
Remember the past times I have touched your life.

Failure is not an option if I follow His instructions.  He's done it in the past.  He's immensely more reliable than I, so I expect Him to succeed.

Be Impressed with God's Love

"Please pass the donkey..."  I heard a young voice at the Christmas dinner table say. It took me a few seconds to process,our guest wanted the turducken.

We went through a phase of having turducken as part of our Christmas dinner.  My husband loves a crowd so we would have a dozen or more for a traditional meal.  We had all the expected dishes, turkey, jellied cranberry sauce, potatoes and in and out of the bird stuffing!  The television channel made turducken sound like the missing element in a perfect holiday gathering.

The first year the turducken was entertainment for our guests.  We assembled the boned turkey, duck, chicken and stuffing.  It turned out to be a comedy not unlike a Lucille Ball sketch.  To accomplish the layering and assembly it took three of us.  We had bird juice running down cabinets and onto the floor.  Our guests smiled and politely stifled laughter.  The photo preserves the "before the floor mopping" memory.

Unfortunately, there were several mistakes in our recipe.  The stuffing was too salty.  The cooking temperature was incorrect so the turducken was not done at our appointed dinner hour.  It was served with the pie!

We were undaunted.  The second year we made our own revisions to the instructions, like stuffing without saltine crackers, plastic on the floor and aprons on all.

By year three, the year of "the donkey", I asked why?  Why go to the work when very few enjoy the turducken?  We ended up sending the leftovers home with the donkey-lover!


““Why bother even trying to do anything with you when you just keep to your bullheaded ways? You keep beating your heads against brick walls. Everything within you protests against you. From the bottom of your feet to the top of your head, nothing’s working right. Wounds and bruises and running sores— untended, unwashed, unbandaged. Your country is laid waste, your cities burned down. Your land is destroyed by outsiders while you watch, reduced to rubble by barbarians. Daughter Zion is deserted— like a tumbledown shack on a dead-end street, Like a tarpaper shanty on the wrong side of the tracks, like a sinking ship abandoned by the rats. If GOD -of-the-Angel-Armies hadn’t left us a few survivors, we’d be as desolate as Sodom, doomed just like Gomorrah.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭1:5-9‬ ‭MSG‬‬
https://www.bible.com/97/isa.1.5-9.msg

When I read Isaiah 1:6 together with its surrounding verses,I pondered the prophet's challenge of being bull headed.  Made me think of being stubborn as a donkey.  Doing something over and over to impress, even when it's a failure over and over again.

Today I am reminded I am not expected to impress God.  He chose me to have a personal relationship.  I am to enjoy and expand this gift of God.  I am freed from the burden to impress (because I'll never succeed.  I'm a human, a donkey.)  God knows me and loves me!  WOW- now that's impressive!

Be Impressed with God's Great Love!

PS I'm back to blogging on the sixth verse of each book of the Bible.