When I was young, I bought this old house next to our store. The yard had been a “mill river” running the grist mill in the garage area. The previous owner and friend had witnessed the water rising too high and too fast one rainy weekend and brought his excavator in the next weekend and diverted the water. (Uh…you can’t do that now!!)
A Quandary Like so many these days, I feel as my life is a quandary. Perplexing. I read the news. I look at the changing events across nations. I watch economies shift and slide. And in the midst of it, my natural self rebels at the changes I am forced to “go through.” Why? Because I am caught in the issues of the globe! I have watched my business change as other businesses have floundered and gone out of business. I wonder what is going on as so many do. But I trust God. Continue reading A Quandary
Years ago a book came out by Gary Chapman. It was called the Five Languages Of Love. A good start. But where does honor come in. That is really important. Here they are. What is yours?
Verbal Affirmation
Service
Gifts
Time
Touch
Consider some of these resources. Continue reading Honor And The Five Languages Of Love
Today I had an interesting conversation with a friend. Some of it was “what would you do” or “what would you say” if you encountered this or that situation. I would remind him of various scriptures in the word of God. It brought back memories.
When my oldest daughter was 2 or 3, we lived up on the top of a mountain in Southern Vermont. At the time we raised Great Pyrenees and one of them deemed himself protector of her. Every where she went, he went with her. Max was one of those large, lumbering dogs, weighing over 150 pounds. Continue reading The Rescuer
This morning I awoke from two intense dreams. (Earlier in the night I had a few dreams, traveling to places “unknown.” Prepare ye the way of the Lord!) Dreams often bring about encounter with the Lord and what he is doing in lives. (Often a great way to travel without a passport!)
The first is for the Village “people.” Mark asked me to take the microphone and share something. As I walked to the end of the aisle and around, I realized that all the chairs were near the front and that looking back it was a “sea of humanity.” The room was crushingly full. I had only inches between the “altar rail” and the front row. (BTW-Chris-there was a new speaker system!) While walking I felt the floor was “squishy” and as I started to look down, I felt Him say tell them not to “look down.” It reminded me of the passages in Numbers 21. (Keep preaching the finished work and ALL that it entails!) As I went to share, I felt the Lord say “you are the embodiment of Christ.” As I began to share and thank God for that revelation, the crush got more intense. There was a change in the atmosphere and people were being healed in the “crush.” I sensed all eyes on Him.
The next was with regard to the Catalyst training. “Why do we need training? Who cares?” The answer I felt in the dreams had to do with teaching our hands to war. What I saw was the Lord was connected to each person in a special way, and as each person danced or moved their hands it was like a heavenly ballet of sorts, choreographed by the One! When the word was coming forth to train, people felt “parts” being sown into their being, into their arms and legs. Creativity and activity were being manifested. That which did not move, was moving. I felt the Lord saying that each one is created for His work. That the Lord is using Catalyst to release the creativity, the warfare and the body of the Word in the region.
So…I sense others received similar dreams last night. I would be interested in hearing!
The last few months I have given great thought to “heavenly alignment.” What is it? What are the benefits? What are the results for being “there?”
The first thought that needs to be dealt with, is, where is God? “Omnipotence” is fairly easy to deal with. Revelations 19:6 says He is “Almighty.” “Omnipresence” slightly more. (We will deal with “omniscience” at a later date!) Where is God? One answer is, He is in heaven. Another answer is “He is inside me.” Is He there or here? The answer is both! And when we have accepted His payment on the cross, the knowledge that He will never leave me or forsake me is easy to understand. Continue reading Heavenly Alignment – Where Are You Headed?
The last few months I have given great thought to “heavenly alignment.” What is it? What are the benefits? What are the results for being “there?”
The first thought that needs to be dealt with, is, where is God? “Omnipotence” is fairly easy to deal with. Revelations 19:6 says He is “Almighty.” “Omnipresence” slightly more. (We will deal with “omniscience” at a later date!) Where is God? One answer is, He is in heaven. Another answer is “He is inside me.” Is He there or here? The answer is both! And when we have accepted His payment on the cross, the knowledge that He will never leave me or forsake me is easy to understand. Continue reading Heavenly Alignment – Where Are You?
Fall, foliage, shorter days. My wife came out at noon time and said let’s go for a ride. The weather was nice and the they opportunities for a ride grow shorter. The weather was one of those wonderful fall days. The most difficult part of the ride was avoiding the wet leaves that build up on our road, and can be a little slippery when you round the corner. While I was closing down computers and the like she already had the cover off the bike. We headed down the hill and the weather was warm and the sun bright as we looked over the hills before us. Already the orange, yellow and red colorings have begun to change hills and the valleys. We headed out towards Ludlow and the colors grew more plentiful. Heading out towards Route 131 we saw the signs coming out for apple pies, apples and pumpkins. As we cruised down 131, the river reflected the colors of fall. With the sun beating down on black leather jackets, it is easy to relax. The ride was not that long but it took off the edge.
Fall foliage in New England provides a showcase for Mother Nature. Perhaps nowhere else in America, and maybe even the world, are the fall colors as stunning and spectacular as October in New England. Fall foliage in New England really begins in August. The shortening daylight hours trigger the deciduous trees to begin the process of shedding their leaves. It happens all around North America, and all around the world. But in New England it results in a display of special landscapes painted with fiery autumn colors.
Why is fall foliage in New England so different and special? It’s a factor of many things but mostly an abundance of different types of deciduous trees, warm autumn days, and cool – but not freezing – nights. When these and a few other conditions are all mixed in the right proportions, then you get the world famous stunning shades of reds, yellows, oranges, and browns on the hills and mountain sides of New England.
So here are some close by drives. Get that bike out and get some fall rides in.
MOHAWK TRAIL MASSACHUSETTS
In Massachusetts the most popular fall foliage scenic drives are along the famous Mohawk Trail, and the area known as The Berkshires. The Mohawk trail rolls out through the northwestern part of the state on route 2, and winds through the hills and mountains of the Berkshires, touching picturesque towns like Williamstown, Deerfield, Shelbourne, Colrain, Charlemont, and Shelburne Falls. The road follows an ancient foot path used to move between Massachusetts and New York by Native Americans.
Mount Greylock, the highest point in The Berkshires and Massachusetts, offers stunning views of the surrounding area and Mohawk Trail.
KANGAMAGUS HIGHWAY NEW HAMPSHIRE
The White Mountain National Forest is home to many wonderful scenic drives but the most popular – and rightly so – has to be the 34-mile Kancamagus Scenic Highway that runs along route 112 from Conway to White Mountains Visitor Center in Lincoln. This drive is considered by many to be the top fall foliage New England scenic drive. You’ll see beautiful forests ablaze with autumn colors and plenty of photo opportunities with walks along gorges and streams, and with breathtaking views of the highest mountains in the Presidential Range.
CENTRAL VERMONT AREA
With many fall foliage scenic drives to choose from, the Central Vermont area, around Killington, and the towns and highways of Woodstock, Rutland and Ludlow, offer up some of the most dazzling. This area is deep in The Green Mountain National Forest area, and not surprisingly offers dramatic fall foliage color and scenery.
Enjoy it while you can!
Sponsored by the Pit Stop Smokehouse in Westmoreland, NH. See their ad in this edition. We love their ribs, their burgers and anything else they happen to be serving.
It is the time of year to travel on that new motorcycle you just bought. Whether you are backpacking or you have a touring bike like my , you don’t want to get a hour out and find out, “uh oh, rain.” (Hey, we live in New England. It can be sunny in Keene and raining here in Springfield.) Little trips are not a big deal, because you can always come home. (Though I can leave in a t-shirt and ride home in my leather jacket.) Continue reading Motorcycle Meanderings June 24, 2009
(Written over 4 years ago)
Over the years one of my life, I have found that the Lord has a wonderful sense of humor and fun. (Have you ever looked at a platypus?) One of my greatest struggles to get into the kingdom, was the sense of piety(Usually false) and dried up faces. “If God is that serious, I think I will wait a while.” That was my thinking. A dried up church with dried up people.
Admittedly, I was prankster. (I still think “pranks” are fun as long as they do not hurt people.) I did not have to wait for April Fool’s Day to pull a stunt. Convincing siblings that the island we were camping on was going to sink, because “look the hole we dug is filling with water. Get in the boat!” Creatures in drawers and refrigerators. Add to the fact I grew up in an era of “children should be seen and not heard,” and you can see I was “oppressed.” I spent a lot of time in my room, coming up with new tricks. (One time I tied fish line to hangers in my sister’s room and ran it through the floor boards, and my parents spent a long time looking for that “animal,” as I gently pulled the string from the safety of my room.)
But, I finally became a believer despite my best efforts. I felt if Jesus was life and I was His representative, then I should bring life where I went. And the more I read of Jesus, the more I came to understand, He was pretty cool. I found as I read the Greek, it revealed a “man” who used sayings and words of the time, and brought about “plays upon the words” in His challenge to follow Him. Think about it…did Jesus know there was storm coming? I think so. Or He could not have berated people about their knowledge of the weather. So was He having some fun…” Am I saying God is all “fun and games?” Not hardly. But if we leave the fun out of the message we have dried up churches. I take a lot of things seriously in the Kingdom, but I am not going to work hard on the things that have been given to me.
I have challenged church gatherings that if they are going to have joy in their hearts, could they tell it to their face.
Why am I saying this? Because the church is starting to lose it’s joy. We are looking at the wold and thinking we have to walk that way. Not me. I am not saying you have to laugh all the time, but you do have a God that laughs in derision at His enemies. My children and grandchildren bring joy…and laughter to my heart. No one will ever convince me that is bad. When out of your mouth comes streams of doubt, unbelief and bad words, it is time to go back to the well. Only Sunday morning I began to think about the laughter of heaven. It was a challenge for me to think about heavenly things and not be wrapped up in the world. When my grandson Jacob laughs, who cares about the rest of the world.
Laughter is good medicine. All along, the Bible has endorsed laughter, all along we have sensed it to be true, and now, now science cites research and observations that confirm the Bible’s claims. How about it: Let’s make today one of joy and one of laughter. Make you feel better–I promise
