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REBUILDING THE WALLS

“In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city ; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks .” (Isaiah 26:1).   I have been building a wall this summer.   It’s a retaining wall that borders the north side of a very large flower and shrub garden in our backyard.   We have a lilac bush, forsythia bush, spice bush, magic lilies, peonies, tulips, hyacinths, crocuses, daffodils, and irises all planted there.   The ground in this bed falls away about a foot or a foot and a half toward our backyard, so I thought a retaining wall would allow me to add dirt and level the surface to create better moisture retention and less erosion.     Some of the lessons that I have learned from this project are: a.) at 73 years old I don’t have as much stamina as I did when I was 53, or even 63;   b.) my body protests when I overexert it with too much lifting and digging by manifesting pain in muscles and tendons that I didn’t...
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THAT THE POWER OF CHRIST MAY REST UPON ME

“And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man which was blind from his birth.  And His disciples asked Him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:1, 2).   Like Jesus’ disciples, somewhere in the back of our minds we tend to think of sickness and physical affliction as punishments from God that He sends to those who have done something wrong and offended Him in some way.  If we are walking obediently, we reason, our loving heavenly Father will preserve our health and heal us miraculously if we do get sick.  In practice, we know this does not always happen, so we’re left with a lot of unanswered questions.  This type of thinking can make us very critical of our brothers and sisters and create a rift between us and the very ones that we should be ministering comfort to.  Do you remember Job’s three “friends”?  They were very sure that Job had sinned because of the awful things that had befallen him, but they ...
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JIGSAW PUZZLE

My wife and I love jigsaw puzzles.   It's one of those activities that challenge the brain while at the same time providing an opportunity to talk, laugh, and share a sense of accomplishment when we finish.   It’s usually an activity that we save for winter weather.   There’s just something cozy and comforting about sitting down with a hot mug of cocoa topped with marshmallows and a snack, and working out the puzzle before you.   We have our own strategy when we solve jigsaw puzzles.  First we empty all of the pieces on the table and turn them all over right-side up.  Then we start searching for the straight-edged pieces that make up the outside border of the puzzle.  Once the border is complete, we start sorting out pieces based on similar colors, patterns, or hues; or if they appear to belong together to form some outstanding feature in the picture - a person, farmhouse, or a bridge for instance.  We both work on separate sections initially ...
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