His Faithful Love

Psalm 136 was a great reminder to me this morning to give thanks as I review what the Lord has done on earth and in my life.  As the Psalmist reviews God’s activities in the world and in the life of his nation, he ends each verse with “His faithful love endures forever.”  Different versions of the Bible translate ‘His faithful love’ as “His kindness,” “His steadfast love” and “His mercy,” all trying to interpret the original Hebrew word “HESED.”  It was a good activity for as I think about those final weeks of Carol’s life, and mentally list some of the major markers reminding myself after each one of God’s steadfast love every step of the way.  After doing that, it is impossible not to have a heart filled with gratitude for our God and Savior!

Tomorrow I plan to drive to the lake to spend a bit of time with the family there, and then will head for Illinois to join Carol’s siblings for the 4^th.  They will all be getting together there and it will be great to be with them all again and catch up on our lives.  I always expect that it will be cooler when I head north, but my son-in-law called yesterday reporting that it was 106.  That was about ten degrees warmer that we were here!  I guess that I can leave jackets and sweaters behind on this trip.

Shortly after my return, we will have over 100 arriving for training in preparation of serving in many areas of the world.  I have been busy compiling housing and travel information for their time here.  It will be a busy but exciting time with the added activity here.

Do pray as I cover around 2,000 miles in the next few days for safety and that I will be a blessing and an encouragement to those that I am with.

I trust that you will have a safe and blessed 4^th with family and friends.

Love,

Chuck

Teach & Satisfy

This morning Psalm 90 was a part of my reading as I work my way through the Bible again this year.  This Psalm, believed to have been written by Moses, is a testimony to his faith in God during what could have been during their wandering through the wilderness.  Several verses especially caught my thoughts; “Seventy years are given to us!  Some even live to eighty.  But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and fly away.”  (vs. 10)  “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.”  (vs. 12)  “Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.”  (vs. 14) 

This is especially meaningful to me at this time of year, the anniversary of my last trip with Carol to attend Justin and Laura’s wedding in Michigan.  I went back and reread blogs that she and I had written at that time reminding me of the grace and mercy of God in our lives, and especially during that challenging time.  It was also a special blessing for us to have so many of you dear friends praying with and for us during those closing days of Carol’s life.  What a special joy it is now to have Justin, Laura and Ella moving to the Carolinas in August.

I was again moved by the final words that Carol was able to put into a blog ten days prior to her home-going:

“I had a startling revelation a couple of days ago.  I’m not going to learn anything more about heaven until I’m experiencing it in person.  (Pause!  Smile!  Think about it!)  I’m simply too tired to read any more, or even to hold a book.  So the wonderful studying I’ve done over the past years is all I have—until I step through that fragile curtain and open my eyes on reality for the first time.”

“So I thought I’d like to pass that along.  Today, while you have some energy and some control over your time, is the opportunity to learn what you need to know for your real future.  There’s probably no last-minute cramming.”

“I’m writing this on Friday afternoon, as we wait for the rest of the family to arrive.  I’m getting tireder as time goes by, but not sicker.  I love you all and still wish I could tell you so in person.  Through Christ, I hope to see you all there some day.  Love, Carol”

I can’t add anything to that!

Chuck

Finishing Well

Monday I lead our devotions/prayer time at the office, generating quite a bit of discussion after posing the question; How would you define a successful second half of life?  After a bit of discussion, I read a brief statement that I had clipped from an article some time ago.  Of the approximately 3,000 individuals named in the Bible, only about 100 have enough information recorded about them to evaluate their lives.  Of those 100, this article said;

“In a study of 100 people in the Bible, one-third finished well—most failed in the last half of life.  Although there are many reasons, one foundational cause stands out.  ‘They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves.’  (Jeremiah 2:5)  A person in the second half of life will either learn to trust God, turn from one worthless idol to another, or become over-whelmed with life.  Review the default settings of your life, if things continue as they are now, what will the rest of your life look like?”  As I thought of my life, I realized that there have been times when I can be divided between trusting God, holding on to idols and feeling over-whelmed all at the same time.  I found it a good challenge to evaluate the depth of my trust in God in every area of my life and to focus upon those areas where my trust is leaning to other things or people.

This was a good challenge for each of our lives, especially mine, and a good launching pad for praying for our coworkers serving around the world.  Before praying for our coworkers I read from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians, mentioning some of his prayer focus for them.

“…We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.  Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit.  All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.  We also pray that you will be strengthened with all of his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.  May you be filled with joy”.  (Colossians 1:9-11)

Thanks so much for your prayers for me and the work here.  I really appreciate you!

May you each be filled with His joy!

Chuck

He is good!

What a joy it was for me to spend time with my grandson Justin, checking out areas around the air force base that would be acceptable for his family while stationed there.  We drove a good many miles and walked through numerous homes doing our evaluation.  While he is not allowed to sign any contracts until officially located at the base in August, the more time-consuming part of the search is behind him.  A couple of hours after I dropped him off at the airport, dear friends from Michigan arrived to spend the weekend with me.  It was a blessing to have them here and catch up with them as we shared together.

As I was reading in the Psalms today, Psalm 8 was included in my schedule.  I like the way David both begins and ends the Psalm with; “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.”  Reflecting on my recent camping experience, verses 3-5 especially spoke to me:  “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?  You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowed him with glory and honor.”  On those dark camping nights after the gas lights are turned out, you see the sky filled with a vast number of stars that normally don’t get our attention with the lights of the city around us.  Couple that with the reminder of being made just a little lower than God Himself and cared for as His child…WOW!  We certainly have and serve a majestic Lord! “He is good!  His faithful love endures forever!”

I trust that each of you is enjoying a blessed week.

Love, Chuck