Special Memories

Holy Land Picture of the Day

Israeli Soldiers Today's picture is of a group of Israeli soldiers. It reminds us of Judges 20:2; "The chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, took their stand in the assembly of the people  of God, 400,000 foot soldiers who drew the sword."  This Week Israel celebrated its Independence and honored those who have given their lives to make it happen, all 22,500 0f them. If I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am there you may be also.”  (John 14:3). Hey Gang, I am reading a wonderful - neat book that I recommend highly to all.   It is titled “Plain wisdom”.  Now if that does not get your attention you had best  check your ‘heart-hardness meter’.  Let me take a moment or two and go down a side road and ask you a question.   Have you ever longed to know something about your past, not your immediate past but something about someone you never had the privilege of meeting but certainly impacted on your being here?  The book I mentioned  is one about two ladies from vastly different worlds. They made a pact to spend time together and get to know and understand each other better.  One was a reporter who lived in the rapidly moving modern world of today and the other called herself an “Old Order Amish Woman”.  I have always had a special admiration for the Amish people and have enjoyed every minute I have been privileged to spend with them.  I never had the privileged of meeting my mom’s daddy, the Reverend Bert Stiffler, who, I learned later in life, was referred to as a “Hell-fire rafter- shaking Evangelist.    I was never able to learn much about him except that he was an Old Order Mennonite Preacher.  I sense in my  spirit that I would have been a better person, if I would have been able to sit on his lap and hear him share what God placed in his heart. I believe one of the great sadnesses of our day is there are not very many grand papa’s laps available to their grand-children and the wisdom of the past is not being passed down through the generations.  How sad that our children must reinvent the wheel with each generation and even more sad that many of those lessons are based on building your house on the sand. Getting back to the book, let me share a statement from the introduction that stuck out in very bold lettering for me and is my prayer for you.  The author wrote, “It was their desire in writing the book to help the readers “embrace the beauty of the life God has given you.”   Think about that for a moment.  Do we not miss many of the fabulous blessings God lays out before us?  The sun settling behind a golden sky,  a rainbow at the end of a violent storm, the first step of that new born colt, a caterpillar fighting to free itself of the bondage of a cocoon, the first flight of a robin. O, I would like to go on and on but I promised to keep these to one minute or so, so I will ponder this subject and perhaps one day return to it, but let me close it with a challenge – stop, look and listen – for God wants to send a blessings your way today. Look for them. Perhaps it is just to take a moment and smell a posy.   Blessings, Gramps