Speak the truth from love

8:14 p.m. Today's project was to get up by 6 a.m. to do some edits on my book Galatians while the other members of the household were still asleep. I knew that by 12:00, my dad would be arriving with a watermelon as promised, and we'd be barbequeing hamburgers. The small white beans that had soaked overnight would need to start simmering with molasses, maple syrup, bacon and a few other cupboard staples.

My editor had asked me to add some anecdotes apropos to the sections of each lesson. I worked once again on the introduction to the book, keying in on the Apostle Paul's love for his "spiritual children" in the church he founded. He couldn't bear to see them slip away from the truth of the gospel, that Christ died for our sins that we might have eternal life. Men who taught that even non-Jewish converts had to keep the laws of Moses in order to become Christians had wreaked havoc in the church. Paul's severity in this very personal epistle came from his great love and concern for the Galatian believers.

The Lord reminded me of a time in my life when my younger daughter Heather, then 3, thought it a real laugh riot to unfasten the seat belt that kept her car seat in place. So throughout the day, I'd be out on erramds with her and her infant brother Steven, and click! I'd pull over, scold, smack her hand and fasten the seatbelt again.

One day, after picking up our Kriss and Heidi from kinder and 1st grade at Emerson Elementary, I decided to stop Heather's dangerous practice. I drove to the back area of the Canyon Crest Towne Center parking lot at about 2 miles per hour, and heard the click, the other kids tattling, and Heather laughing. I stomped on the brake, she tipped forward into the back of my seat, and was so shocked--though unhurt-- that she never unhooked her seatbelt again!

Sometimes drastic action and strong wording are needed for the Lord to keep us from serious error and sin. As for those who lead others away from the truth of the gospel, God will not tolerate their wickedness. Notice Paul's strong language in Galatians 1:7b-9:

There are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

God loves us too much to let us drown in legalistic errors, whether caused by the Judaizers of Paul's day, or the door-to-door cults of today. The enemy of our souls is at the root of all perversion of our faith.

Listen and learn the lesson of Galatians: Jesus Christ gave Himself for our sins; thus we can be saved for all eternity--period.

CHOC

7:09 p.m. Today's project was to visit our great-nephew Cody at the Children's Hospital of Orange County, better known as CHOC. It's located on Main Street in Orange, just blocks away from most of Steve's side of the family and Cody's own home.

As you enter Main Street, the first thing that looms is construction, a giant steel structure that I would presume is a new building. I believe it hasn't changed much since we last visited four years ago, when Steve's mom was hospitalized at St. Joseph's next door. When you park, there is a courtesy shuttle to take visitors to the front desk check-in. Greeting us at the shuttle stop was our nephew Chad, Cody's dad. The long, heartfelt embraces he gave us spoke volumes... I was so glad we'd made the time to visit!

Another thing I noticed about CHOC was the high security. Our diver's licenses were scanned and visitor badges made up. (I whited out Cody's room number). Very impressive, and with little ones in danger from any number of threats such as noncustodial parent kidnapings and child molesters, the tightest security is a must. One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 24:3: "Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established." The Board of Directors and staff there exhibit excellent wisdom!

When we arrived at his room, Cody greeted us, after being reminded of the jumphouse and our dogs. He was watching Spongbob on a tiny DVD player and talking up a storm to his mom and grandma. Then he'd run over and pick up a toy or two, then back to the show. Whew! This boy with a serious life threatening condition has more energy than most of us on our best day! The only down time he'd had, according to his grandma, was when the nurse came to draw blood, despite the efforts of his grandma and dad to distract him and cover his eyes. Honestly, it's all I can do not to cry myself when I have blood drawn, and I fully understand why it's being done! But Cody is a real little soldier, and snapped back quickly.

Daytimes his mom, grandmas and dad are there, but at night, only one visitor may stay over, so Chad does the night shift. Baby sister Rylee has been at home for the most part, since Rachel has been at the hospital all day since Friday.

Steve and I left uplifted and hopeful, knowing that the Holy Spirit is present in Cody's room in the hearts of every family member, praise the Lord, and that God hears our prayers for the tumor to be found benign!

We also felt that we had acted in obedience to Pastor Tim Hamilton's exhortation this morning from Matthew 25:39-40 where Jesus commends the righteous:

When did we see you sick or in prison, and come to You? And the King will answer and say to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me."

We traveled to see Cody and his family for love and the privilege of coming alongside them in their trial, not for any recognition or reward, far be it from us!

Jesus asks the same of all believers--serve Him by serving and uplifting others!

Pray for Cody

5:08 Today's project was to pray for Cody, our 4 year old great-nephew. Last night, word came to me that he was admitted to Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) with a mass in his stomach. The mass had been discovered by manual examination during a routine checkup. Cody had been complaining of tummy aches.

The last time we'd seen Cody was at our annual August party, sliding down the chute from the jumphouse, much to the delight of our labs, Jada and Bailey, a very appreciative audience! He is a bundle of energy, all boy, and a great big brother to baby Rylee. Instead of a stay in the hospital, Cody was supposed to have his birthday party this afternoon with his preschool friends.

His grandmother, my sister-in-law Michaele, texted me a few hours ago that the doctors "aren't sure about surgery. They think it is either Wilms or a neuroblastoma, both are types of cancer." Lord, be with our family! Cody's mother Rachel is strongly advocating for her son; father Chad is the one who is our contact for coming to visit. We plan to visit tomorrow afternoon.

I had heard of Wilms tumors from the website, "Pray for Daisy Love," featuring the 6 year old daughter of Pastor Britt Merrick, who has been fighting the disease. Sadly, her tumor returned and is being treated; prayerfully it has shrunk. She is a real champion, and I have no doubt Cody will be the same! His entire family knows and serves the Lord and are trusting Him now.

When I think of Jesus' tender and specific love for children it gives me hope that no procedure or treament can. Hear Matthew 19:13-15, NLT:

"One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so He could lay His hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering Him.

But Jesus said, 'Let the children come to Me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are like these children.' And he placed His hands on them and blessed them before He left."

Cody was dedicated to the Lord by his parents, and has been learning about Jesus his entire life. May our Savior's mercy come down from heaven, raining healing and wholeness to his little body, preparatory to a lifetime of knowing the Giver of life!

Fun at home

2:51 p.m. Today's project was to enjoy some domestic tasks upon my returrn from the beauty salon with a head full of freshly colored hair! Now that the Thursday Bible study is over, and many of our friends are up at our church's Family Camp, I'm a bit at loose ends this weekend. I wish Steve and I could camp with them. Now that our RV is gone, a tent we'd have to purchase doesn't hold a lot of appeal with my arthritis and the stiffness we both experience after a night on our own bed with two mattress pads!! Heidi and Pavel even gave up on camping overnight, and are planning just to go visit with everyone on Sunday. (Heidi is not a camping fan!)

While I was at Upper Echelon, I called Pavel's mom Rodica to invite their family to our house one half hour before the engagement party on Septemeber 11th, so we can all get acquainted, and the two sides can arrive together at the Smokey Canyon Bbq restaurant just down the hill in Canyon Crest. Our conversation was a lot of fun, since we both garden and have had mixed results with our vegetables this year. It was a nice break from texting back and forth with my youngest, Steven over his college costs and chemistry woes!! It is definitely time to take our family's burdens to Jesus! He told us, Matthew 11:28-30:

Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Since Steven is attending The Call, a gathering of 500,000 Christians for a 12 hour prayer session at the Capitol in Sacramento tomorrow, perhaps the Lord will give him some answers and guidance as to what he needs to do, where he needs to live, attend school, or further still, what is the call on his life to be?

Back at home, what to do? Seemed like a good day to make fresh red salsa, since Steve just harvested some ripe Roma tomatoes. On hand, I had hot red peppers, pickled garlic cloves, cilantro, a lemon, purple onion and a little Lawry's seasoned salt to bring out all of the flavors. It came out well, making a pint and a half. I invited my younger daughter to pop in any time this weekend if she and Nick aren't otherwise engaged.

Another little accomplishment was to cut a pound of bacon in half and fry it up for future use in sandwiches and salads. We'll see how long those tasty, crunchy bites last...then I headed out front to pot some spider plant cuttings in my old hanging basket. I bought some coco fiber lining two days ago, and had Steve bring me a container full of potting soil to use when shade finally moves over to our front patio. After a terrible car crash in our front yard a while back, the overturned basket got disheveled beyond repair, so fresh plantings should look sharp now.

So far this afternoon, we've tackled cobwebs on the high-ceilinged window in the living room and polished the chandelier in the same vicinity. Steve had to put some liquid bandage on a sore toe and will be resting up for his walk with me later--no 2 1/2 mile fast trek with Bailey and Jada today. We'll head down to Staples for print cartridges, deliver the last I Samuel lesson to a friend who lives near Shamel Park, and buy a few groceries later. It's 104 degrees out there!

Now I'll need to take on the tough task for my day--editing and making changes to my book. Avoidance, like busying myself with little jobs, can only go so far before it becomes disobedience!!! And it's pretty silly of me anyway, since I love to write and am called to use that gift to bless the Lord and others. A dream come true is only as good as the work that leads to its becoming a reality!

How wonderful that the Lord loves me just the way I am, while seeing me as so much better than I could ever imagine!

Pleasant lines

9:41 p.m. Today's project was to meet an old friend, Nancy Neumann, at Disneyland with her family. Nancy was one of the first people I met when I got saved and began attending Calvary Chapel Riverside (now Harvest). She mentored me and invited me to Tim Weeks' home Bible study, where I met my husband Steve. That was in 1980, and she is still serving the Lord in any way she can, with the same joyful enthusiasm; Tim Weeks (who married us) is now pastor of Calvary Chapel Spring Valley; and Steve and I are walking together with the Lord as excitedly as ever. We still consider home/small group Bible studies--whether for women, as I've taught regularly for 27 years, couples' studies, The Truth project, or the coordinated home fellowships of Calvary Moreno Valley--an indispensable component of the Christian life.

Nancy has left me a powerful legacy. When I became a Christian, I was a single mother, a rising star in Connecticut General Life Insurance, succeeding as an agent in what was then "a man's world." When Nancy found out that I had my bachelor's degree, she asked me to pray about becoming an elementary teacher at Grace Baptist School. I could work in a Christian environment, and furhter benefit from free preschool for my son Sean, then 4-1/2. Many parents from Calvary Riverside had their children there, including Greg Laurie, whose late son Christopher was the same age as my son.

The school needed a 3/4 combination teacher. I committed to praying about it. I loved the sales world, having just returned from an all-expenses-paid trip to Connecticut that I had won, a very luxurious prize for top producing new agents. The brilliant fall colors, the fresh lobster, the finest of accomodations--not easy to turn one's back on a career that promised more of the same, only better with each year and achievement milestone.

At the time I was considering the career change, I had just committed Philippians 3:13-14 to heart:

Brethren, I do not count myself as having apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things that are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Nancy got back to me, because her mother, the late Frances Andersen, head of the school's board of directors, was wanting to interview me for that class soon. I said "yes" to a 50% cut in pay, and unbeknowmst to me at the time, to a lifelong career as an elementary teacher! My little boy was attending Christian school and both of us were learning A Beka curriculum's memory verses. Sean learned his in Pre-K with my friend Debbie Sharick; I learned as I taught my students. The most important lesson my son and I learned was that God would give us strength and guidance daily, from one very critical verse that Sean and I both memorized, Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Nancy's legacy lives on! One of her daughters is a teacher; her nieces and their spouses are teachers; my Heidi is a teacher. And all are serving the Lord.

I am so grateful to God for allowing this friend and mentor to influence my life and the lives of the next generation for Christ! Nancy's beneficiaries can all say with the writer of Psalm 16:6,

The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance.

Grace in point

4:20 p.m. Today's project was to make an arrangement with our credit union to pay off the deficit balance owed on the RV we surrendered in July. They had auctioned it off for less than half the balance. The representative was very helpful, and we compromised at much less per month than he would have asked for, but set up as an automatic withdrawal from our checking,

the modest amount is to everyone's benefit.

I'm reminded of Proverbs 20:14 that informs us about human nature during bargaining in the marketplace. The seller promotes his goods as the finest, and holds out for the highest price possible. Meanwhile, the buyer protests heartily that the item is very poor quality and overpriced, but finally agrees to the price with a sigh. After the transaction is over, the buyer has a good laugh and congratulates himself on his great bargain! We're not told, but I imagine the buyer is probably chuckling on the other end, too...

"It is good for nothing, " cries the buyer; but when he has gone his way, then he boasts."

So who won today? Both of us! I think both of us did what we could to accomodate the other, considering Steve's and my financial hardship. The agent could only go so low, since he answers to his manager; I honestly offered as much as I could, knowing that I answer to God! I have no idea whether the man knows the Lord, so my witness had to be above board, and will continue to be, through the power of the Holy Spirit! "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me," Paul states in Philippians 4:13 says. As followers of Christ, so can we!

An added benefit to the new arrangement is that the representative offered to remove any derogatory credit statements in regard to the voluntary surrender/repo! In other words, he'd "wipe the slate clean."

Finding a fair payment was justice--clearing up the credit consequences was grace!

All who give their lives to the Lord have moved from deserving justice for our lifetime of sin, to receiving grace, forgiveness through no goodness of our own, by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross--which met justice's demands and paid our "fine" in God the Father's eyes. God now sees us through His Son Jesus, holy and wholly His, not as the lowlife sinners we once were!

Now THAT'S a miracle --an contract that only God's grace could have negotiated--grace closed!!

Summer's last study

5:58 p.m. Today's project was to drive Steve over to Redlands to trim trees at my father's house. Getting up by 6 a.m., having our normal devotions, and hitting the road by 8:30 wouldn't have been a problem except that I got very little rest due to sleep difficulties, more like sleep terrors, Steve was having. I'm not sure the episodes are caused by Alzheimers or exacerbated by the disease, but it made for a difficult morning. Thank you, Lord, for large mugs of coffee!

I dropped Steve off and headed back home, via Clarke's Nutrition in Loma Linda to pick up some PS [incredibly long name], a supplement that makes quite a difference in Steve's demeanor and reasoning. I am hoping that resuming PS will bring positive results. I also picked up a cherry-lime 0 sugar, 0 calorie energy drink, because I was fading fast. Of course, I sat for twenty minutes on the 215/91/60 flyover bridge on the way back home in a massive traffic jam, so it was quite a morning! Yet, on this sunny day, I remember that "This is the day that the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24) Ah, on to my nap!!

My choices for the afternoon, after depositing book money from his grandpa into Steven's bank account, getting my husband a haircut, were to can some Roma tomatoes or work on my I Samuel Chapter 13 study for Thursday. I sat down to the writing, spurred on by the fact that it's the last one for the summer, with a potluck fellowship next Thursday. What a blessed summer! We have had a well-attended women's study, written lessons done in person by 15-20 gals, and 63 women did the studies online!

A group of 63 women makes quite a leap from the five of us who began together in the book of Colossians 5 summers ago at Barb McConaghy's house! God truly gave the increase as His Word, prayer, and konoinia have exemplified our gatherings and lifted His Name high. I'm praying as to providing childcare next year...

One reason I need to bring the study to a halt is a major writing project, my Galatians study now in the editing phase. It's simply too much to set aside blocks of time for writing lessons to teach and give thorough attention to corrections needed back to my editor by September 15th. I am also keeping in mind that I retired to care for Steve, who, to this point, is still fairly independent. But I'd like to have a few more "open" days like I did earlier in the year, to enjoy one another's company.

We also have an engagement party on September 11th, and wedding tasks for my daughter Heidi will begin to mount up. And I want to be a helpful mother-of-the-bride, ready for any errand or responsibility. My excitement is building weekly for Heidi and Pavel's wedding, and I don't want a stressed, harried bride with no "mom-support" in my home or on my conscience!

Amazingly, I actually finished the writing of the study this afternoon, to God be the glory! Normally it's finished on Wednesday. When the Lord tells you to move on, He expects you to move on, and helps your feet to get moving! More confirmation came by email--my editor Brianna had sent me my book with corrections ready for me to work on right away!!

Isn't it wonderful how the Lord, "who declares the end from the beginning," (Isaiah 46:10 ) is always on to the next thing? Time for me to take a deep breath and "move on!!"

P.S. The lovely view of the dome of the Library of Congress came from a CitizensUnited commemorative calendar. "Lord, teach me to number my days, that I may apply a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12)