Alpha and Omega; Beginning and End

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8, New King James Version)

One summer when I was middle school, I memorized the Greek alphabet. You know – alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, etc. Maybe I wasn’t as cool at the time as I thought I was; I’m still not cool now.

I just always imagined my achievement being something someone would ask about some day. You know, when people ask things like, “Can you touch your thumb to your wrist?” “Can you list all of the US presidents?” “Do you know the Greek alphabet?”

Anyway, I really have no wisdom other than that today. Except to let you know that I have another goal – post a blog here every day from December 1 thru December 24, each one covering a word that begins with a different letter of the alphabet, from A to Z (skipping two letters), with a story of how it pertains to the first Christmas.

And this won’t really be my achievement; it will be God’s. People always ask where I come up with the ideas for my inspirational blog posts, and my answer always is that it’s only through the grace of God that I can write anything here. And God was here from the beginning and will be here forever. 

 

Give Thanks

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! Where did the year go? Christmas is right around the corner, and one week after that it will be 2024! (and another Leap Year). Wow. That also means it will have been four years since the outbreak of COVID-19.

So much has happened in the last few years. So many bad things, heart-breaking things. Disease and despair and death.

Yet, there are so many things I am thankful for.

I live in a home with cupboards full of food, running water, and electricity. And even though our furnace went out yesterday morning, the repair man arrived at our house only a few hours later and was able to fix it. Granted, now we have another bill to pay, but we have money in the bank to cover it.  

I have a wonderfully devoted husband, two great kids, and a list of other relatives and friends who care about me.

Nearly all of my physical and emotional needs are met every day, and I have little to fear. Yes, maybe the future – don’t we all worry about what craziness will happen next in the world?

But truly, we should give thanks to God in all times and all places, for everything He has done for us.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. (Psalm 106:1, Psalm 107:1, Psalm 118:1, Psalm 118:29, Psalm 136:11, and 1 Chronicles 16:34)

Yes, that exact verse is in the Bible six times. So, yes, I think we should give thanks to our Lord.

Who do we turn to?

Last night, I ran across this blog post from ten years ago. I thought it was worth sharing again. 

 We must never stop looking to Jesus. (Hebrews 12:2a, Easy to Read Version)

One afternoon, a young mother brought her baby in to our clinic for her well-child checkup. As I laid the little one on the table to measure her, she kept looking at her mother with bright trusting eyes. I’d call her name to get her attention, and she would turn her head to me for just a second before turning back to Mom. At just two months old, she already knew who she adored, who supplied all of her needs and who would never let her down. 

Good thing she didn’t look at me with any devotion. When the doctor was done examining her, I returned with three immunizations.  

Most babies don’t like the first shot, but they can’t quite figure out the pain, so it’s not so bad. By the second shot, they have processed the pain and are not happy. At that point they are crying their heart out. The third shot. Well, it doesn’t matter by then. I just get the vaccines in as fast as I can. After I slap on the last Band-Aid, I tell Mom it’s ok to pick up her baby.  

The sweet little baby girl mentioned above was no different. She just wanted to get into Mom’s arms. That tiny two-month old brain already knew that Mom would make it all right. Her tears subsided quickly.

It just reminded me of life with our heavenly Parent. We look to God with devotion when things are going well, but as soon as the pain starts or we run into problems, we forget where to turn. It isn’t until He reaches down and takes us into His loving arms, that we feel safe again, that the pain eases. That we can look to Him again with devotion, knowing that He will provide our every need.

I look to you, heaven-dwelling God, look up to you for help. Like servants, alert to their master’s commands, like a maiden attending her lady, We’re watching and waiting, holding our breath, awaiting your word of mercy. (Psalm 123:1-2, The Message) 

Land of Ladysmith

I don’t know how many times I’ve ridden through Ladysmith, Wisconsin. Many, many, many times. When I was a kid, we frequently visited a cousin of mine, and Ladysmith was the half-way point between her house and ours.

Coming through town, on Highway 8, we’d always drive past Memorial Park, and I always wanted to stop. I’m sure my parents had to have stopped there sometime, but I don’t remember.

Last month, when I was staying at a nearby AirBnb with a friend, I finally got to explore the park, along with the rest of the town.

Throughout the city, population just over 3,000, there are several murals acknowledging area residents.  

Pioneer Park is on the site of the former Warner Cemetery.

A large display told the story of many who were once buried there in the early 1900s. It was so sad how many children and babies had died in those years, from things like diphtheria, pneumonia, injuries and erysipelas, which is some sort of skin infection. There was also a mother and baby listed who died during childbirth.

We missed several other parks in Ladysmith, as well as several museums, including the Wisconsin’s Plow Museum. Too bad it was closed for the season. I gotta get there next year! 

Words which ring true today

 It’s been a long time since I’ve shared an entire chapter from the book of Psalms. Here is chapter 118, from the New Living Translation. Sorry that it is so long, but I couldn’t pick out the best verses; I liked them all.  

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

2 Let all Israel repeat: “His faithful love endures forever.”

3 Let Aaron’s descendants, the priests, repeat: “His faithful love endures forever.”

4 Let all who fear the Lord repeat: “His faithful love endures forever.”

5 In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free.

6 The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?

7 Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me. I will look in triumph at those who hate me.

8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people.

9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.

10 Though hostile nations surrounded me, I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord.

11 Yes, they surrounded and attacked me, but I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord.

12 They swarmed around me like bees; they blazed against me like a crackling fire. But I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord.

13 My enemies did their best to kill me, but the Lord rescued me.

14 The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.

15 Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly. The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!

16 The strong right arm of the Lord is raised in triumph. The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!

17 I will not die; instead, I will live to tell what the Lord has done.

18 The Lord has punished me severely, but he did not let me die.

19 Open for me the gates where the righteous enter, and I will go in and thank the Lord.

20 These gates lead to the presence of the Lord, and the godly enter there.

21 I thank you for answering my prayer and giving me victory!

22 The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.

23 This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.

24 This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Please, Lord, please save us. Please, Lord, please give us success.

26 Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord.

27 The Lord is God, shining upon us. Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords on the altar.

28 You are my God, and I will praise you! You are my God, and I will exalt you!

29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

   More words from the Bible that ring true today.

Getting High in Wisconsin

When I was a kid, I remember being told that Rib Mountain in Wausau was the tallest point in Wisconsin. And look I even found proof of that.

 Actually, currently, the highest spot on Rib Mountain is 1,924 feet above sea level. But since this sign was installed, two other peaks have measured higher. Sugarbush Hill in Forest County at 1,939 feet and, at number one, Timm’s Hill at 1,951. Interesting that of the top ten tallest spots in Wisconsin, six are named hills and only two have mountain in their names.

But I really wanted to stick to Rib Mountain in this post. 

Five weeks ago, when the leaves were still on the trees, the sun was shining, and it was warm enough to wear shorts, my sister, niece and I took a drive to the top of the Rib Mountain State Park.

We didn’t climb to the top of the tower, and we didn’t hike any of the many trails throughout the state park.

But we had some laughs and made some memories.

Now, the mountain is waiting for the winter sports season to begin.

The Lord is Always with You

 “The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:11

After the book of Psalms, Isaiah has the most chapters of all the books in the Bible. And there’s some hard reading there. Lots of prophecy and history and things we struggle to understand because so much of it seems so foreign to us.

 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

It shouldn’t be that hard, but I sure don’t have the knowledge to understand it. But I do know that it contains some amazing verses.  

 “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2

As you may have heard, I’ve been compiling a 40-day devotional of how to deal with pain, by turning to the Bible for answers and relief. A lot of the verses I’ve included in this book come from Isaiah.

 “Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.” Isaiah 33:2

Some mornings I wake up and need to recall these lines, as my pain is still not completely gone.  

 “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” Isaiah 40:29

But I need to hang in there and continue to turn my troubles over to God. He has got this, and one day my troubles will be over. One day your troubles will be over too.

 “The past troubles will be forgotten…See, I will create new heavens and a new earth.”  Isaiah 65:17

And just like that Autumn is over

I’ve taken quite a few drives and trips around the area the last month since the leaves began to turn. I’ll be sharing more of those pictures over the next few weeks.

But first, I wanted to share some of the shots I took on my short walk yesterday, since it is the first of November and we had our first snowfall the other night. Which reminds me that our last snowfall in the spring was only five months and seven days ago!

I've always loved this birch tree at the first corner of our road. 

Someone already threw this pumpkin out on the corner a week ago. I just decorated my house for Halloween on Monday, as in the day before yesterday. 

A mushroom bites the dust, or more like bites the snow. 

What we call yard art, on a tree in the yard. 

I really got my camera out and started taking pictures because I loved how the leaves looked
all over the yard. 

But I didn't notice this circle of leaves until I put the pictures on the computer. Cool, huh? 

My flower bed off the deck. Looks like a mess. 

Does that thing in the circle look like Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy? 
Or am I begining to see things?