My great aunt, Vina Fish, once owned and operated a Tea House on main street in a small farming town in upstate New York. At one time or another, virtually all of the women of the family, cousins of mine, as well as my grandmother and my mother, all worked at the Tea House. People would drive all the way from New York City for Sunday dinner there. Auntie’s two specialties were chocolate cake with four inch meringue icing, and Parker-house style homemade rolls. Her pies also attracted customers.

Once when Auntie was visiting us for one of our birthdays, my mother served rolls, and everyone exclaimed that they were so very delicious. I hadn’t tasted one; but, thinking that they were rolls my mother had bought at the grocery, I said loudly, “These may be good, but they are not as good as Aunties’ rolls!” Dead silence settled on the table and my mother tried every way to apologize to Auntie, as the rolls really were ones she had brought for the occasion. I looked around the table and saw embarrassment on everyone’s face except Auntie’s. She looked at me and smiled. I told her that I hadn’t eaten one yet, and so I didn’t really know how good they were. I knew that she understood, and I didn’t think I had hurt her feelings, but my mother was mortified, and I was relieved when dinner was finished. Later my mother asked me how I could have made such a mistake. My only consolation was Auntie’s smile, and I wondered how everyone else could have missed it. Auntie’s smile conveyed to me the peace that I needed.

St. Paul wrote, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. . . For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:20-21) Paul writes of the Spirit of God as the solution to all the suffering in the world. Throughout history the saints have lived and died in the knowledge of the truth of Paul’s words. Paul lifts us out of frustration by telling the works of God’s Holy Spirit: The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people. . .” (Romans 8:26-27) I felt sure that Auntie Fish understood that I was trying to complement her rolls. I was also sure that she still loved me, and that we weren’t going to be strangers. God knows how to use one warm smile for His Kingdom.

Love in Him,

Prue

Katrina was a pre-teen girl living in a Russian orphanage when she was adopted by an American family. They had one daughter, and wanted another for companionship. When they met Katrina, she was bald; her head had been shaved, the cure for lice in the orphanage. Katrina was relieved to know that she would have a real home, and the family was excited to welcome her. In America she had her own room with clothes in the closet and a chest of drawers. In Russia she had received a Christmas box from a Christian group, and it contained a “slinky.” It was the only toy she had ever had, and at first she carried it around with her . She thought that God had sent it to her.

One day in her new home, Katrina, who could understand English and speak it somewhat, received a phone call from her adoptive grandmother, who told her that she, the grandmother, would be coming to the house to pick her up and take her shopping. Katrina didn’t know what to say, but her new sister said, “Say Yes!”, which Katrina did. When she hung up, her sister said, “When Grandma calls, you ALWAYS say Yes!” Katrina wondered why, until Grandma arrived and said , “We’ll have lunch, too, and Katrina got in the car with her to go shopping, a thing she had never experienced. Grandma was wealthy and adored Katrina; and the packages began to pile up. The family had tried not to “spoil” Katrina, but Grandma had not received the message.

Years later, when Katrina had finished high school, and she was asked what she had learned about the U.S. A., she said, “I learned that when Grandma calls, you always say, ‘Yes!’” Not all adoptions are successful, but I couldn’t help thinking that Katrina was adopted for all the right reasons. Her adoptive family felt the need and desire for another child, and were ready to make a lifetime commitment to a foreign child in their home.

The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself. (Leviticus 19:34) When Moses brought the Israelites to the very border of the Promised land, he sent out twelve spies to evaluate the place and decide how and where to approach it. When they returned to Moses only two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, said, Yes! This is a good land that the Lord is giving to us! (Deuteronomy 1:25)Nevertheless, the people’s fears prevented them from going forward, and so they wandered for forty years until they were able to cross the Jordan and receive God’s gift. Only Joshua and Caleb of the original twelve spies survived to enter the Promised Land.

When God calls,ALWAYS say Yes!

Love in Him,

Prue

Two of the United States’ founding fathers went together on a vacation tour of England while they wee stationed there on U.S. Government assignments in 1786. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both enjoyed gardening and farming, as well as both being fans of Shakespeare, and so they stopped at Stratford- upon- Avon to visit Shakespeare’s house. In his biography of John Adams, David McCullough wrote of the visit: “Told that an old wooden chair in a corner by the chimney was where the bard himself had sat, the two American tourists cut off souvenir chips, this ‘according to the custom,’ Adams was quick to note “ (John Adams, by David McCullough, pg. 359)

When I read this I was astonished that two men with the extraordinary vision to help shape the forming of an entirely new federal government in the world, would lack the simple vision of the fate of Shakespeare’s chair from visiting tourists. Adams and Jefferson were both great men, but I suppose even great men may lose some of their perspective when on vacation.

The devotion, time, energy, and personal resources each man poured into first the independence of the colonies, and then the formation of a new government, supplied much of the bedrock of the new nation. They remained friends until after they had returned to the U.S, where politics eventually separated them and they stopped communicating with each other until near the end of their lives. They both died on July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which they had both signed.

The Pharisees asked Jesus, “Which is the greatest commandment?” Jesus answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind… and the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-38) For all the great achievements of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both of them presidents of the United States at critical, developmental times in the nation’s history; in their old age, they both valued the friendship they had once enjoyed among their greatest treasures.

Politics is one of the biggest, most pervasive of distractions from our Father God’s commandment. It concerns the exterior of our lives while the love of God lives in the interior,manifesting itself in friendships and selflessness. By the grace of God, Jefferson and Adams lived long enough to be reconciled and leave a heritage of that grace.

Love in Him,

Prue

At a time when Israel had fallen almost hopelessly away from their God, Jeremiah spoke God’s words to them: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom, or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:23-24) At first I was surprised that Jeremiah spoke of having the understanding to “know” God, and of God expecting His people to “know” Him, even before He sent His son. But then I remembered a man who lived the very words that God spoke to Jeremiah about six hundred years before Jeremiah recorded them for the people of his time.

Boaz was a land owner and farmer in Bethlehem in Judah. He owned a large property and employed a number of workers. One day he rode into his fields and found a new follower of his reapers: Boaz asked the overseers of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?” (Ruth 2:5) Even before this exchange, Boaz had greeted his workers with, “The Lord be with you!” to which they responded , “The Lord Bless you!” (“Ruth 2:4) This was a salute in the name of Israel’s God, perhaps the first that Ruth had heard since arriving in Bethlehem. Boaz extended his protection and even favor to Ruth while she gleaned. Boaz, like David, was a man after God’s own heart.

The story of Ruth is a st0ry o f rescue for hope and a future. It’s the unfolding of a soul, Ruth, to find the long awaited fulfillment of her life, and the lives of Naomi and of Boaz himself. Ruth’s choice to travel with Naomi from Moab to Israel after the deaths of both of their husbands, was an act of loyalty that brought Ruth to the attention of Boaz and displayed her character of devotion. Ruth remained obedient to Naomi in visiting Boaz to ask for his protection to fulfill a rule in Israel that a deceased man’s nearest relative should marry the widow. Boaz, who loved kindness, justice, and righteousness, married Ruth and they had a son named Obed, who grew up to be David’s grandfather.

About six hundred years after Jeremiah spoke the words of God, the apostle Paul wrote,

“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 6:14)

Paul knew Jeremiah’s words well; and Boas,Ruth, Jeremiah, and Paul were living evidence of God’s truth to His people. These each received that truth and knew God.

Love in Him,

Prue

Sitting on the deck overlooking Possum Kingdom Lake in the early morning just before sunrise, I closed my eyes to pray. When I opened them there was a glow in the eastern sky, and half of the stars had disappeared. The morning came gently. It was neither hot nor cold with very little wind, as the eastern light grew.

All our language about the sun”rising” and “setting,” poetic and descriptive as it may be, is, of course, inherently mistaken, as the sun doesn’t move around the earth. With all our learning and knowledge, our language about the simple cycle of day and night is opposite to the reality. It has remained unchanged because the appearance is so much more obvious than the reality. It’s impossible to measure the number and kinds of “one off” impressions we have of the whole created world and of our Creator Himself.

There is a book that is multiple thousands of years old that informs and reforms and inspires people today and has inspired people for all those years. The Bible is transformative, and enriches and enables it’s readers to live lives full of grace. All ages of people read it, and some return to regularly. It teaches that selfless love exists and is the very character of the Creator of the universe. The message, so simple, is presented to complicated human beings who sometimes spend lifetimes denying it, or trying to reinterpret it.

Nevertheless, in three words the apostle John wrote the simplest of facts: God is Love. (1 John 5:8) John’s words are not the only ones to reveal the truth. In fact, he is late on the list of those who experienced his truth: “I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known.” In regard to David, the psalmist quoted the Lord: “I will maintain my love to him forever.”(Psalm 89:1 &28) Love and timelessness are linked in the Bible. Both the old and the New Testaments extoll the enduring love of God. St. Paul wrote in Romans 5: 8, God demonstrated His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus had previously told his disciples, “ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but receive eternal life. (John 3:16) The God of life so loved humanity that He allowed His son to die a human death so that through believing in the son all others could be reunited with his Father, and their Father. God is Love.

Love in Him,

Prue

Already the Christmas catalogs are arriving full of decorations, cards, and gifts. While they remind me of all that has to be done before that one day of the year, I also welcome them for the reminder of that one day, and even for all the days surrounding it in preparation, and for the glow of the aftermath. Christmas fills so many needs. It reunites us with family, friends, and even neighbors, as well as with our own roots from past Christmases. My grandmother could remember actual wax candles on the tree that were lit with live fire. She said it was a common practice. When I was married she gave me a box of Christmas tree ornaments , and when I hung them, her pleasure matched mine.

There have been festivals of many kinds since the beginning of civilization, and perhaps before, but this one is timeless acknowledgment of a past, present, future and even eternal relationship with our God. This is the incarnation, the putting on of human flesh and blood by our divine God. This is the mystery of Emmanuel, God with us, that so inspired believers in Christ to celebrate his birth for more than two thousand years. This is the very essence of Christmas, experienced throughout the year by believers.

One summer, when he was very young, my grandson asked me, “Have you ever had a Christmas feeling when it wasn’t even Christmas?” We were sitting by the pool. “Yes, I said, “I have.” “Because,” he said, “I’m having one now.” There were no presents visible or anticipated, and no great treats foreseen, but I thought that his answer was entirely true, I believed that he did, indeed have an “Emmanuel” feeling, and that it shouldn’t surprise us that the incarnation of God should live and breathe in our generation as He promised: The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of God endures forever. ( Isaiah 40:8) This is the “Word” that John wrote about in introducing Jesus to his readers: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. This son, Jesus, told his followers, “I am with you always, even to the very end o f the age.” (Mathew 28:29)

Through the Holy Spirit our Emmanuel has drawn close to believers even throughout all the centuries that separate us from the first Christmas. For those who love Christmas for more than the tinsel and gifts, Emmanuel still accompanies us all year round.

Love in Him,

Prue

We love the Bible stories of the great prophets. It’s thrilling to revisit Elijah ‘s experience on Mt. Carmel when God brought down fire on Elijah’s sacrifice after the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal had spent half the day trying to invoke their god to accept their sacrifice. The victory that Elijah achieved has made history for thousands of years, and it was just one of Elijah’s miracles.(1 Kings 18) Elijah’s apprentice, Elisha, also had great victories. He healed Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, of leprosy, (2 Kings 5), and received divine protection when soldiers were surrounding his home to capture him. (2 Kings 6:16) These are only a few of the many deeds of these two prophets, and these are only two of the many prophets who were the “conscience” of Israel , and the link to their God.

These giants of the faith, who helped shape the nation of Israel, lived colorful and even amazing lives; but the very last great prophet, John the Baptist, was said by Jesus to be the greatest of all: “Truly I tell you, among those born of a woman , there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist.”( Luke 7: 28)

John’s resume does not include even one miracle since his miraculous birth to a mother too old to bear a child. When he grew up, John lived in the wilderness. To the people of Israel he became like the other prophets, as Isaiah had described, “A voice , calling in the wilderness.” (Luke 3:2) John’s “calling” drew crowds of people to hear words that they felt sure were given to John by God. John preached a message of repentance, moving ordinary people to seek the renewal of baptism from him and his disciples. John alone knew that the Messiah was near. Out of that knowledge he drew crowds of people to repentance and to softened hearts toward their God.

Jesus continued: . . . “yet one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (Luke 7:28) John recognized his cousin Jesus as the Messiah and the savior of not only Israel, but of mankind. John pronounced the change in the world: “The One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. I have seen and I testify that this is God’s chosen one.” (John 1:32-34) John also said, “The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine. . . He must become greater, and I must become less.“

Love in Him,

Prue